Hello! Welcome back! I feel like when i write this story, it brings out a slightly different way of writing in me, I don't think it's too noticeable, but it's clear to me. After all, I wouldn't usually put a reference in the first three sentences. Oh well, that doesn't matter. Anyway, let's go!

Super hero time!

Shuujin: I guess it's time to interrogate. They're not fun, I speak from experience.

Issei: And it's time for a battle for you! Do your best Phantom Thieves!

Shuujin: You're in there too, you better pull your weight.

Issei: I don't think that's how it works... talk to your Issei!

S + I: Break the chains! Phone up the future!

Seeing the technological hub of Rider within what would appear to be a comparatively normal house was rather surreal for Issei, but there was no point in questioning it further.

Basically, woah, technology.

Placing the cold body to the ground with the sound of whirring motors, Issei sat beside the fallen Yuki Onna with Kunou quickly snatching the place beside him on the stairs. Following at a more lax pace, Ophis chose to take the more comfy seat available - Issei's lap.

"Thank goodness that's been dealt with; I don't know if I could handle being stalked for a moment longer." Rider sighed, tapping wildly at the keyboard's keys. "She was constantly going on about what made me special, but she already knows! Why did she have to continue asking!?"

"Well, I'm sure there's a proper explanation; everyone just has to keep calm and find a way to talk this out." Issei answered, his hands resting upon Ophis'. "Besides, that's what I'm in Kyoto for, why not start now?"

"Um, you do know you aren't going to be talking silly, right?" Kunou interrupted, Issei giving a yelp at the tails that fell upon his head. "You're meant to fight them all off and my momma talks to them!"

"Wait, so I'm not involved in that process?" Half of the student would happily admit that he was interested in seeing how an interrogation would go down, another part wanted to see if he could get any of the reformed attackers to perhaps join his side. It was only natural he wouldn't be included in the important and delicate times, considering he basically amounted to hired muscle, but it was still a shame.

"That doesn't matter anymore! We're here." Sparing only a passing glance to the door that had morphed from the tame household form it had taken to the usual grand sliding screen, the trio stepped out onto the garden of the Kitsune clan once more, turning to the struggling Rider as she lugged along her prize.

"Hey, careful! You don't want to injure her too badly!" Issei interjected, rushing over and taking the head of the Yuki Onna in his hands, lifting it up to the pink haired girl's snort.

"It's fine, she'll probably live without brain damage." With a small scoff at the girl's attitude, the brunette hefted the load, followed by the two girls at his side.

Unnoticed, Leon faded out of the shadow, a hand to his chin in contemplation.

"So, he's managed to subdue a Yuki Onna, how remarkably intriguing. He certainly exceeds the initial expectations I had for him, but it's only to be expected of one chosen by Yasaka." With a sharp sound to his step, he took off to his own job; there were naturally tasks he had to do that didn't involve his personal body guard duties.

"To think that I even managed to come this far… I'm surprised I can even reside within these walls." The man remarked, tugging at the burgundy cloak that was draped over his shoulders. Within his room, the man took to his desk, a pen resting beside the paperwork he had set out for today. With so many requests coming in, they had to be sorted with the utmost finesse and efficiency and fortunately, he was blessed with both.

Born as a Tengu, there had been many who thought him a malicious demon, with a similar number believing him to be a bumbling fool; thanks to the various stereotypes that had been born over the years, some even denied his heritage due to the lack of a giant nose!

But the blue haired man was quick to adopt to the various challenges laid out for him. Granted great control over the winds and a keen eye for battle paired with skill towards the intellectual arts, Leon had easily taken to the martial arts that his species were known for and yet was still able to compete with the best in the literary competitions and events that were held. The cloak upon his shoulders had originally belonged to his father, allowing him to become invisible and further improve on his effectiveness in combat. He had been quite happy to continue on that life of competition success actually, never once contemplating the idea of working for someone as prestigious as the yokai leader.

With a sigh of frustration, Leon left the sheets scattered by his own hand, quickly moving to the bathroom where grey eyes returned his weary look.

"Do you ever leave my brain? Is there a chance that you could exit the sea of my soul and let me work in peace?" a few drops of the medicine formed by only the greatest healers available to Yasaka entered the water, Leon lifting the cup to his mouth with a surprising lack of tremble. He couldn't help it if the memory wouldn't leave his head, but it certainly did a terrific job at interrupting his work.

He hadn't seen Yumi for so long. Waiting at the edge of the coast, Leon waited patiently for the return of the Kappa after two years of absolute silence. Apparently she had been buried from work her family placed on her that required Yumi to be overseas and thus unable to contact him, but a letter had arrived saying that he would finally be getting a glimpse of his best friend.

If he squinted, Leon was just able to get a small look at the bullet of black heading his way, water easily pushed aside to make way for the kappa. Even when it fell around the bowl of water upon her head, Leon would admit that Yumi's hair had been one of the most beautiful things he had seen at all in the eight years he had spent living.

"Go for it Yumi!" Leon cheered, pumping a fist in the air as Yumi seemed to speed up even further than she had been going before. He had no idea why she had been going so fast to even begin with, but she probably was just super eager to see him again like he was to see her. As her form grew closer though, a hint of black and red caught his eye, though he wasn't able to fully see it from where he was. What was clearer was the sheer horror and desperation present on his friend's face, brown eyes locked open and a frightened frown frozen in place.

"Hey Yumi, what's tha-!"

As a tremendous explosion grew from her body, or at least what remained, Leon could only watch in horror through the red tinted rainfall. Looking to the turbulent ocean at the bloody carcass, left in worse condition that the aftereffects of a butcher, the boy let his legs drag him weak to the ground, stained in Yumi's crimson. You wouldn't be able to tell who that destroyed body could be, missing half of the torso and head with shredded legs.

"Well, I did say you would finally be getting a glimpse."

Broken mirror dug deep into his fist's exposed flesh, it's bloody crying mirroring the rain that day as it fell into the sink. Turning away, Leon gave a sigh.

"Well, there goes my chance to work. I wonder what Hibiki's currently working on."

"What is your name?"

"I…have no name."

"And why ever not?"

"I was not special enough to be worthy of one."

That response was enough to cause Issei to scratch at his head, the Yuki Onna looking to Yasaka with dead eyes, pulling at her white kimono. They hadn't speaking long, but the woman was very secretive with her answers, often vague and re-directive.

"Who told you that? You seem to me like you're incredibly special, and talented as well." The Kitsune leader replied, hands resting neatly upon her lap. Rider had been allowed to remain within the room but had quickly placed the student between her and the ice yokai.

"Everyone." The lone word was spat with as much venom as it could be, light trembles flowing through the woman's body. "I don't see… they say others are so special… why aren't I?"

"See, there's a reason as to why she was like this to you." Issei whispered to the girl at his side, Rider crossing her arms with a huff.

"I suppose that does make sense, but it doesn't mean that I wasn't right to think she was stalking for weird reasons." Rider countered.

"So, you've been told that you aren't special? What has it been like up to this point?" Yasaka continued. Issei had been expecting something a bit more exciting, something more tense and dramatic, but this was just slightly depressing. When he heard that they would be interrogating, illusions of sharp questions and silver tongued responses, of fights threatening to break out at a stomach's rumble. This…

"It's kinda like therapy."

"They… they tried, tried oh so hard… " furiously grasping at mint hair, the woman began to squirm, Yasaka rapidly resting her arms upon the Yuki Onna's shoulders only to be thrown off with a ferocity saved for those who would do her in. "I wasn't good enough! I wasn't special to them! I… wasn't special… I tried…"

Walking up to the mountain home, the chid stood back, looking longingly at the welcoming light that flooded out of the cabin. She had been wandering for the entirety of her life, somehow able to survive through sheer luck.

"Hello? How can I help you?" he certainly cut a very frightening figure, hugged b a blanket that barely fitted around his rotund build. Without words, the girl pointed to her mouth, then to the burning fire within the fireplace of the home. Her voice had grown useless, an unfortunate side effect of lack of usage.

"You want to come in? Where are your parents?" the man asked, receiving a short shrug. If she had known, she probably wouldn't be there, but lo and behold, here she was. Scratching at his beard with a short hum, the man turned to the clock, the chimes preparing for the nine o'clock sounds. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt for now. How about I warm up some soup for you? It was made yesterday, but it should still be good."

Wrapped only in a white kimono she had found next to an odd person, their flesh hard and white and sometimes not connected in the same way as the other people she walked out of the raging snow into the comfort of the home. The location of where she had found them was blurry, but the person who originally had the clothes didn't react when she nudged them, save for a small part of them falling away with a small click, so she had taken the kimono for herself.

"Here. Now, what's your name then?" the man said, two steaming bowls placed upon polished wood. Another shrug followed as the man tutted, a heavy calloused hand brushing away the stray snowflakes that sat in her long hair. "Now, that can't be right. All young girls have names! I can't just go calling you girl for the rest of the night… how about Midori, just like your hair?"

A night easily flowed into weeks, turning to months in the blink of an eye. As the girl, Midori, grew with age, things lost to the blizzard slowly recovered, a voice being one of the first. Countless nights in front of the fire would be spent refining the instrument into a beautiful tool, weaving many melodies from the threads of her voice. Powers unheard of were next, the man near jumping in surprise when he found her house full of ice sculptures and a laughing Midori surrounded in a powdery spell. They had managed to learn a lot from that, namely the fact that she didn't belong to humanity, but the yokai race known as Yuki-Onna.

Of course, as she aged, so did him. A youthful brown gave way to a graceful grey, weight was quickly shed to allow for a frail body as hunger gave in and a walking cane self-carved took residence at his side. Soon, he found himself unable to escape the bed, let alone take care of a growing girl at the same time.

Fortunately for him, Midori had been fully able to fulfil any task he had given him and even in the later years, the pair was able to live happily.

"My dear Midori, there will be a time when I won't be able to take care of you and the people at the foot of this mountain will have to learn of you." The man remarked as he sipped gently at the soup placed on his lap by a confused Midori. "I fear that they won't accept you for the delightful child you are."

"What do you mean? Why would they be any different to you?" the girl asked, her spoon pausing in front of her lips.

"I suppose I haven't yet told you my name, have I?" the man answered with a chuckle. "I'm the one known as Yurei."

It was enough to give the Yuki Onna pause. The ones who resided below spoke of a man named Yurei, who had been banished from their residences for an unspeakable evil. Looking to her father figure for eight years, Midori's unspoken question was answered by a slow nod.

"Yes, I was the one who did it. Do you see why I worry as such right now?" the man questioned, a slow nod coming from the girl.

"But that shouldn't mean that they won't accept me, or even you! After all, you've been here for so long now, everyone's probably forgotten what you did!" Midori countered. He certainly hadn't told her about what happened, her only signs being the dulling of eyes and a shake of a head.

"They won't. They're a fickle bunch down there and they'll stick to their guns, you can't expect them to just suddenly change their views even when an adorable girl flashes them a smile." The man declared with a cough, resting his head back onto the time destroyed pillow. "Maybe one day you could take a chance, but I fear that it won't come any time soon."

The only thing that would come soon was Yurei's death. The first minute of silence earned a roll of the eyes from Midori, the second brought on a sigh and by the time the third had passed, the concern began to creep in. it had taken a full five minutes before Midori was able to recognise the end of her lone parent figure in her life and half an hour before the tears stopped, though the throbbing pain would never truly fade. The funeral she made was lacklustre, a small grave that would soon be buried in the relentless snow, a small slab of rock to mark the head of his eternal resting place.

It would take a few more days for the store to be emptied and for Midori to be forced down to the lower levels once more. They had a fruitful supply of different animals to hunt and berries to eat, but that wouldn't be too good in the long run. Midori's hands were full with a deer she had been fortunate to shoot, the hole left by the icicle through its brain bloodless as it was frozen into the body, when she saw the common glimpse of the town. Before, she probably would just continue to walk, perhaps edge a bit closer to see if the travelling salesman had returned, but now, the seed of curiosity had been planted.

Steadily approaching, Midori let the sounds of the town fill her, people cheerfully going about their days. It made for a stark contrast to the lack of life found at the top of the mountain and Midori almost found herself forgetting that these very same people had banished Yurei from the town.

"Ah, miss! Can I help you?" called one of the shopkeepers, brushing his hands off on his green apron.

"Oh, don't worry about me; I'm just having a look around." Midori replied, but the hand upon her shoulder stopped her in her tracks.

"Oh please, It- You're rather cold, aren't you? I'm sure you need something warm in you." The man insisted, unwilling to let go until she pushed the hand off herself.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." With a firmer tone, Midori gave a final look before she tried to walk off, only for the iron grasp to return even harder.

"Look, maybe we've gotten off to the wrong start, I just want to say…" the man began to scream out as the ice started to crawl up his hand, soon encompassing the entire arm in a frosty prison. It had never happened before in her life and to the surrounding people, it was as if a witch had cursed the screaming man, frozen in eternal fear. Looks switched to glared, all aimed at the green haired girl, Midori flinching back at the sudden hostility.

"It's a Yuki Onna… I heard those kill innocent men for no reason."

"Well, makes sense. They control ice, makes sense they would be so cold hearted."

"I heard they try to get you to hug their child and smother you in snow."

"I suppose she looks the type to be that needlessly cruel."

The rumours became a prison of vocabulary, Midori sinking into herself as they all began to bear down on her. It looked as if her luck would be better when the man quickly broke free, giving a cheer until he turned a sneering visage onto Midori.

"Huh, looks like you're not even good enough to kill people for no reason." The shopkeeper declared, turning away. "You aren't anything special."

"I guess that's true… she doesn't look too special to me."

"Freezing people? Can't even do that."

"So, she' s useless. Not even special enough keep drinks cool."

"I… I'm… not special? I… I'm not…sp…" the claims kept being thrown at her, punching through any defences she had. Two words… Two words…

"Special…I'm not special…"

I have more, don't think I would end it on such a weak point! Well, I did, but you'll have to wait a bit to see it. After all, people don't really tend to blurt their entire life story in the first interrogation, if they even somehow find themselves in an interrogation in the first place!