Chapter 6: Night in the Town

Ruby sighed as her team, Makoto, and Gordeau wandered the streets of 7th Hierarchical City of Kazamotsu, Makoto was not in her NOL uniform, so they had no trouble with any of the Ikaruga guards.

"We should get something to eat. This place is known for their pizza." Makoto said, practically drooling.

"Probably." Gordeau looked around for any familiar faces. He looked at a peculiar girl standing by a shop. Her hair was silver, she wore a dark cloak, and seemed rather small. Her eyes were drifty despite being closed.

"Hey miss." Gordeau temporarily left the group and walked toward her.

"Yes?" She responded simply, holding a folded piece of paper.

"You didn't happen to see a schoolboy with blonde and black hair, wearing a red tie and two belts, did you?" Gordeau asked, the girl simply unfolded the paper she was holding.

"I assume you mean him." The girl unfolded the paper to show an exact ink drawing of Hyde, except his eyes were closed. To say he was shocked would be an understatement.

"He was being carried by NOL Captain Hazama Honoka. He said he found the child merely unconscious. That occured around eight days ago." The girl said, that left an unsettling feeling in his chest.

"His name is Hyde Kido, I know him, did you see the direction of where they went?" Gordeau asked, the girl shook her head.

"I'm afraid not, I last saw him leaving for the docks. If that gives you information. " the girl said, her eyes remaining closed, but looking in the direction of the docks. Gordeau felt something strange about her, it was an odd feeling, or more like, none. The girl didn't seem to have the same energy as everyone else.

"Thanks. I'm Gordeau by the way. " the girl simply smiled a little as she looked up at him with her still closed eyes.

"I am aware of who you are, Gordeau the Greedy Harvester from Kanzakai." she said, that answer definitely threw him off guard. She already didn't seem like a normal human, even by the energy of the people in the Phantom Field. Was she also from his world? No, her energy was very different from an In-birth.

"What are you?" Gordeau asked, the girl simply handed him the picture.

"I am merely Nobody. Phantom Fields have an odd way of interacting." Okay, now she knows about the Phantom Field. He had many more questions and felt like she had more information than she was sharing. Gordeau opened his mouth to ask another question.

"Hey! C'mon pizza's getting cold!" Makoto's voice echoed, grabbing his attention , he briefly turn around.

"I'll be right there!" Gordeau turned back to the girl, only to find her, gone. it's like she wasn't there, he would say it was just an illusion, maybe he grew tired and such, but the piece of paper in his hands said otherwise.

"What took so long? You kinda wandered off." Makoto said, eating a slice of pizza, Gordeau sighed and showed them the picture, explaining to them what the girl told him.

"Something is definitely off, I partnered with Hazama once and that guy gave me a very bad feeling." Gordeau said, Makoto growled a little as anger flashed across her face.

"What's the matter?" Ruby asked, she also partnered with Hazama, but he seemed nice.

"Hazama was my superior, he still is technically. He's bad news, he may come off as a nice guy, but he's one who enjoys making people suffer." Makoto said, that enough made their stomachs drop.

"He seemed nice though." Ruby said, he didn't go overboard when they fought together.

"Trust me, he isn't. I still have scars from when he tortured me to force Noel to activate her abilities." Makoto lowered her coat and turned around to reveal blade and chain like scars covering her back. She turned around to face them and replaced her coat.

"We need to meet up with Kokonoe and figure out what he plans to do with him. Even Kazamotsu's pizza is going to need to wait." Makoto said, she closed the pixza box as she suddenly turned serious and guided them through the city. Hoping to reach Kokonoe's lab soon. Gordeau looked back at where he saw the girl, thinking about it. Hazama mentioned something about souls before, when they partnered together. He wonders if that had anything to do with it.

"You okay Rubes?" Yang asked as she noticed her sister was quieter after Makoto's explaination.

"I'm fine, it's kinda hard to imagine someone slip so easily between morals. He helped me in the Phantom Field just fine, he was, nice. To know he did something so horrible like that..." Ruby's eyes drifted across the streets of the city.

"I know Rubes, at least he didn't lead you on. No one was hurt." Yang said as she patted Ruby's head.

"So, Makoto, can you tell us anything about your friend? Kokonoe you said?" Blake asked, Makoto suddenly switched back.

"Certainly, her name is Kokonoe, she's one hell of a scientist and made me this new outfit. She is rather rude and cold, and generally looks down on people, but she's a nice person once you get to know her. She is one heck of a tech wiz as well. Think of her if somehow you, old Weiss, and Ruby somehow got mixed together and is twice as cold." Makoto said.

"I wasn't that bad." Weiss complained, she really didn't enjoy recalling how she was to her friends.

"Well, ampt it up for her then. She is smart though, and isn't slow to point out a flaw. She upgraded Tager to how he was in the Phantom Field, probably more now. Back to our main topic however, I really hope we can find Hyde soon, he's a good kid. Definitely didn't like the idea of fighting us. Now that I think about it, Gordeau, why was Hyde so reluctant to fight with you?" Makoto said, Blake thought back, and Hyde did try to sort things out peacefully. Yu did tell them that they were all given different information, most likely Hyde was given different instructions and only needed to protect his own stone. Her gaze turned to Gordeau, who took a long breath.

"We clashed a few times back in our world, let's just leave things at that." Gordeau said, he didn't want to tell them about Amnesia as that would just put a strain on teamwork on a rescue mission.

"Whatever floats you boat. Any idea on why he would want Hyde?" Makoto asked, she could tell he was hiding something. Probably didn't want to tell them for a reason.

"My best guess is for his EXS powers. All in-births have powers known as EXS after they are bitten and survive a void attack. Hyde's EXS is known as Void Red and is purer than normal EXS, powerful enough to allow him to summon a sword not seen in centuries. That sword he wields, Insulator, has the power to kill immortals for good. No resurrection, no body swapping, no rebirthing, once slayed by Insulator, they are gone. His EXS energy is powerful on it's own, no doubt Hazama figured something like that out, and will probably try to use that energy for his own purpose." Gordeau said, after all, that's what Hilda wanted to do, use Insulator and most likely Hyde's Void Red energy to act as a final push to turning her into a Re-Birth.

"That, can't possibly be good." Weiss said, they wandered to a quieter part of the town, very few people were here, if any at all. So they were able to discuss things without any unwanted eyes. Weiss looked around the alleys and realized how much darker they were. Much to their luck, they never encountered anyone unsavory. However, learning that Hazama was a special person in the government here put her on edge. Ragna the Bloodedge definitely hated him, and refused any cooperation if it weren't for the System. she wonders about Ragna as well, he may be a pretty foulmouthed person, and definitely looked the part, she has learned to not always judge a book by it's cover. While she didn't trust the criminal, she feels like his bounty might be due to his hatred of Hazama. Considering what Makoto told them, she wouldn't be surprised.

"Does Kokonoe work with anyone? I'm curious, Hazama you said is your superior officer, does Kokonoe work with or under anyone?" Weiss asked.

"Not really sure, she's very secretive and some don't believe she exists. All I know is thst she works in Sector Seven, a group who specializes in fusing science with the magic formula powers that exist in this world. I don't think she has a superior, her only partner is the giant red guy Tager. Sector Seven is also one of the NOL's biggest threats but became so elusive that it may not even exist anymore. There are many things I don't know about her, but she made her goal very clear. It's not safe to say it here though." Makoto said, she wanted to tell them more, but it just wasn't safe here. They won't be safe until they get to her lab. She knows that Hazama is up to no good, she thinks Relius Clover also is hiding something.

"I see, so this place, this world, almost everyone or thing has something to hide." Blake said softly. Makoto frowned a little at how true the staement was. Blake looked around the buuldings of the alley and the moon bright in the sky.

"It does, you could say the world never fully recovered from the Black Beast's rampage. Even afterwards, people can have ulterior motives, some who think their belief and take extremes." Makoto said, as they walked, she began to tell them about her experiences, including Mai and Seifer.

Elsewhere...

Linne looked around the streets as Tager guided them along. Orie decided to stay at the lab and converse with Kokonoe and Ragna. So with her was Yuzuriha who was asking everyone they came across if they've seen Hyde. Sadly no one has.

"Young lady?" Yuzuriha turned to the sound of the voice and saw the cloaked girl with closed eyes and silver hair.

"Is there something you need miss?" Yuzuriha asked, Linne and Tager went after her.

"No, but I believe you do." The girl said, Linne narrowed her eyes, that girl, her energy was different. She could see signs of In-birth energy, but it was diluted or mixed with something. It was, off.

"I believe you are looking for a boy named Hyde Kido, am I correct?" The girl asked, all three of them reeled back a little.

"Yes, have you seen him?! do you know where he might be?!" Yuzuriha asked, she needed to find Hyde. Despite not talking in a while, he still was a little brother to her, knowing he got wrapped up in the whole Hollow Night business made her even more worried. He doesn't remember it anymore, but she promised him, promised them, that she would protect him.

"He was being carried by NOL Intelligence Captain Hazama Honoka here about eight days ago. He headed for the docks, another group was also looking for him. Gordeau the Greedy Harvester also looked for him. He ran with alarm back with his group, they went that way." the girl said, Linne grew worried, Gordeau was here as well? If he was here, even though he helped Hyde in the Phantom Field, he still worked for Amnesia for all she knew. Saving Hyde from Hazama was trouble enough, dealing with Amnesia would be easier to get done now.

"Let's go after Gordeau, he could have more answers." Linne said.

"I suggest you hurry, I'm afraid his energy is growing faint." The girl.

"What?" Yuzuriha breathed, she could sense his energy, but, she seemed like she knew more.

"What are you?" Linne asked, the girl simoly chuckled at the repeated question.

"I am simply Nobody, go look for your comrades. His energy grows fainter." The girl said.

"She's right, we should go." Tager said as he turned around, Linne and Yuzuriha faced him, and turned back to her, only to find her gone again. Like she was never even there. They swiftly left the area.

Elsewhere...

"All of that, and we don't know what their true motive is? How can, how can anyone trust with all that happening?" Weiss asked, she thought the inside business dealing with Grim, White Fang, and whatever was tough enough. Looks like this world is a lot darker than their own.

"Yeah, and it sounds like the NOL, despite being in charge of things, they can't be trusted." Ruby sighed. She wanted to have faith in people, such as trusting Ragna with the keystone when he told them. Gordeau said he was worried about her trusting nature. In a sense, he had a right to be worried. It seems like everyone in this world has something to hide, and it left something unsettling in her throat. Considering how much she liked and enjoyed Hyde's company when they met in the Phantom Field. Knowing that he may be in danger didn't settle well with her.

"You're right, it's not." They all jumped as they heard a voice. Turning around they saw that it was Tager.

"Tager! I'm so glad to see you buddy!" Makoto said, Linne, and Yuzuriha stepped out from behind him. Tager briefly explained their half of the story.

"So Hyde was kidnapped and now we're going on a rescue mission?" Yang asked.

"That's the plan, they've been missing for over a week now. They've been taken to a man named Relius to be experimented on, he's not the only one missing. Naoto Shirogane and Yosuke Hanamura have also been taken. " Tager said, Ruby looked up.

"Wait, Yosuke? He's one of the people I met in the Phantom Field, he kinda fell on top of me." Ruby said, laughing a little as she recalled the memory. It was an interesting first meeting with Hyde, Yosuke, and Chie. She felt kinda bad she left Hyde alone to ask about their personas.

"Yeah, did you guys find anything while you were out here? Oh, sorry, I'm Yuzuriha, I'm a close friend of Hyde's." Yuzuriha said, Gordeau walked up and handed her the paper.

"A girl gave it to me. When I asked, she said she saw Hazama and Hyde go to the docks. So they aren't in the city anymore. That's my best guess." Gordeau said as he handed the picture to Yuzuriha.

"At least we have some kind of lead." Linne said as she looked at the drawing with Yuzuriha. Believing the girl he talked about was the same one they talked to. She had many questions for him, but none for now.

"He must've knocked him unconscious to avoid suspicion. The people here don't like the NOL too much." Tager said.

Did you guys find anything before we ran into you?" Ruby asked, Linne shook her head.

"Nothing, we didn't past the docks so that would probably be the reason. No one else around the area has seen them." Linne said, this was going to be more difficult, if Hyde was taken by ship to a different city, it's going to take time to find them. she didn't like to think about it, about the danger Hyde was currently in. Based on Kokonoe and Rachel's description of Relius, made her fear the worst.

"Then I suggest we head there, we can probably ask about which flight he boarded." Blake said, the group nodded and left for the docks. They saw a worker there and Makoto walked up.

"Hey! Hello sir, I was wondering if you have seen a green haired man carrying a sleeping boy." Makoto said, the man looked at her confused.

"Well, no, I don't keep track of all the flights, the ticket seller should though. Go ask her, she would probably remember which tickets to what cities or places they could've gone." Makot thanked the man and they ran to the ticket booth. Makoto repeated her question.

"Yes, I did, he boarded a travel to the 2nd Hierarchical City of Iwatsuchi. I'm not sure why, but that's all I can give you." Makoto left the woman with a quick thanks and met up with them again.

"Iwatsuchi, that's where Hazama and Hyde went. We need to go tell Kokonoe now." Makoto said.

"Agreed, let's head back for now." Tager said, the group followed the Red Devil back to where Kokonoe stayed.

Later...

"Alright, how many more people are going to be dropping in? This lab may be big, but it's not that big." The group returned to a pink haired faunus like being with ears hidden a bit by her hair and two tails coming behind her, she wore a white labcoat like jacket, small spectacles, and looked positively pissed off.

"I apologize Kokonoe, looks like the Phantom Field still has lingering effects on those drawn in." Tager said.

"Whatever you say Tager, and you are another demi-human? Haven't seen one besides Makoto in a while, You must be Blake, move like an assassin? Skilled at hiding in shadows. " Kokonoe said, Blake shook her head.

"I am no assassin, I can assure you that. My stealth may be on par with one, but I am not." Blake said, her eyes meeting Kokonoe's as the other examined her.

"Very well, you lot must be others drawn in from the phantom field. Everyone from the group who knows of Hyde Kido and his powers come with me, I need all the info I can get in order to track down Relius." Kokonoe said.

" Alright! C'mon old man! " Ruby suddenly grabbed Gordeau's arm and dragged him along.

"Whoa! Hey! I can move, calm down." Gordeau's voice died down as they quickly vanished down the halls.

"Is she always like that?" Yuzuriha asked amused.

"Yeah, Ruby is hyper like that." Yang said with a chuckle. Ruby seemed to have bounced back rather quickly.

" Oh? I didn't Professor Kokonoe had so many guests over. " a new voice broke in the room. The group turned to ser two more girls, one with lavender colored hair with butterfly clips, and another with bright navy hair in a ponytail.

"Kajun! Mai! You guys came here?" Makoto exclaimed as she ran up to hug the two.

" Yes, I came to give Kokonoe the information I was able to gather. " Kajun said, holding a flashdrive.

###########

Okay! That was the sixth chapter. After planning in the next chapter, the one after that will be the rescue operation. Would love to hear what you guys think of the story and this chapter so far, apologies again if the dialogue seems a bit choppy, I'm working with over a dozen characters, half of which I have limited knowledge on how they may act.

But, a guest asked, I will be bringing in Seth, but after the rescue operation, and an interaction between another blue clad assassin. Don't worry, he will be there, just be patient ;)

See you guys next time :)