A/N: Hey guys :D A pretty quick update, and you can thank Resolution Flame for that! They're awesome, go talk to them and love them.
(psssst, hey, HEY, still looking for that beta. Just in case you forgot)
Chapter Twelve
Impossible Possibilities
He stopped and turned halfway, his shoulder to them. "Do you want to find out where your friends are, or will you stay here?"
"That's a stupid question," Mai snorted. She flicked her light brown ponytail in Kusakabe's direction as she walked past. "If I didn't want to help Ryohei, I wouldn't be here in the first place."
Akane laughed at her boldness and followed after her. "I already made this decision," he informed them, "When I picked up Chrome's trident, I swore myself to this cause."
Nagista calmly waited next to Jonah, reading his expression. His teammate seemed to be deep in thought; conflicting emotions flashing over his features. Josh seemed to be in the same state.
Slowly, a smile overtook Josh's somber face. "Screw it," he chuckled, "I don't know why I even bothered to convince myself that this was the wrong choice. I can't walk away, not now."
Jonah listened to what the scientist had to say very seriously. He took it into account before forming a reply. "I'm in. Takeshi has always been there for the team, and it's time we gave back. This is a little different now, but if he needs my help, I'll go." He glanced over to his brunette friend before snorting. "You didn't even think about it, did you?"
"Oh, I thought about," Nagista hummed, "I just came to my conclusion faster than you did. I'm not the strongest here, but I can give some kind of support."
The final three moved forward as a group, falling in with the other two. Kusakabe looked over the response team that he was now leading. They all were different, but common interested united them. He didn't kid himself by saying they trusted him – or each other – but they would cooperate and that was all he needed.
"Where to?" Mai threw out when their temporary captain returned.
Kusakabe paused and considered her words. He grimaced and looked around, craning over people's heads for a better look. "It doesn't really matter," he commented. "Right now, there are five locks for every door here, so it is whatever door we choose. We need to find out where the power sources are and retrieve them." He looked everyone in the eye. "There will probably be traps waiting for us."
The teens stiffened. They nervously looked between each other - the tension was broken when Josh sighed loudly. "Well if we run into a trap regardless of which door we choose, then wouldn't it be better to spilt up?"
"It would be a lot more dangerous," Jonah pointed out.
"He's right," Kusakabe agreed, "For the first door at least, we should stay together as a group. If it's safe enough on the other side, then we can divide and conquer. Which leaves us back on square one, which door?"
"Just pick one," Akane muttered.
"The locker rooms," Nagista suggested. "It's a fairly small area, and would be hard for an ambush. It opens up to the hallway next to the weights room."
No one had a better idea, so they stood in front of the boys' locker room seconds later. Kusakabe went first, pressing his ear to the door. He cracked it open to peek through before he widened the gap enough to slip through. The rest quickly followed, on guard for anything and everything.
What they didn't expect was an empty room. The boys stared their silent confusion to Kusakabe, wondering what was going on. What were these "Locks" that could keep out an invading force, but not be seen? They spread out a little, making room so they were not standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
Jonah yelped when he was suddenly thrown to the ground. The others leapt away, backs to the wall. The air rippled where the blonde had touched it, shining with a blue light. The collision started a domino effect, and a blue wave surged through open space, revealing a wall. The barrier was semi-see-through; the surface moved and glimmered like water.
"So that's what it is," Kusakabe muttered, lightly touching the oddity with his fingertips.
"What?" Akane gaped, "I thought you knew what was going on!"
Kusakabe responded with a shrug of the shoulders. "I know the plan; I never said I knew all the details. Anyways, this is Yamamoto's lock."
"How can you tell?" Nagista enquired, also coming closer to feel it.
"It's his color," the Assistant Head replied. "Yamamoto's color is a light blue, usually with a water pattern. Gokudera is red, Ryohei is yellow, Chrome is indigo, and Kyoya is purple."
"Why do they have colors?" Mai wondered.
"Because they do," he said vaguely. "Nagista and Jonah, you two were with Yamamoto, right?" They nodded. "Well then you will have to unlock this room." He took a step back and used his foot to tap the lower half of the wall. "Be careful. What we saw earlier was an illusion - this room is actually flooding."
Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that he was right. Water had already filled the room to around the ankles. "That should be impossible," Nagista stated, "there are drains at several spots on the floor."
Kusakabe didn't have an answer for that, instead pointing through the blue shade. Squinting, Nagista could just barely make out the form of a geyser spewing out from the floor. Above it was a cylinder of some kind.
"We'll need to split up," Kusakabe declared, earning everyone's attention. "If I'm right, then there is probably something like this behind every door. We will have to solve them simultaneously if we want to make it in time. You two will stay here, because you have the right Key. The rest of us will find the other Locks."
The group looked like they wanted to protest, but knew better. It was obvious that this was a plan set up to divide them, but they would have to play along. It was the only way. Kusakabe was gone before much more could be decided, and Akane and Josh sent the pair sympathetic looks before slinking after him.
"Hey," Mai roughly patted the baseball players' shoulders. "You can do this." Flashing a smile, her departing words gave the boys courage.
"Okay," Jonah huffed, "So how do we get through?" He unslung the precious cargo and drew it from the sheath. "If this is the key, then how do we . . . unlock it? Hit it?"
Before any rash actions were made, a beeping noise drew their interest. A panel of the wall - the solid one - slid aside to reveal a small screen and a flashing LED light.
"I'm not the only one who thought that was really cool, right?" Jonah whispered, seeing his excitement reflected in Nagista's eyes. The humor helped loosen them up a bit, lifting their spirits. Nagista curiously tapped on the blank white screen, which flashed and brought forth a green bar and black text.
"Present I.D." he read aloud. "Is that the sword?"
Jonah experimentally held out the bamboo weapon, and to their surprise, the screen responded. The green line projected out and moved over the Key. When the scan was completed, it beeped and the screen went white again.
"I.D. accepted," a robotic voice declared. The fright wore off when the teens realized it was only the computer, not an enemy. "Tenth Generation Rain Guardian, Yamamoto Takeshi, recognized."
"Rain what?"
The boys squished closer together to get a better look at the screen and the data presented. A picture of Takeshi popped up. He was wearing a fancy suit; the jacket left partially open with only the bottom two buttons closed. The collar of his white dress shirt was undone, and his light blue tie hung loosely around his neck. His normal grin was subdued to a more subtle smile. In one hand he held a sword that rested against his opposite shoulder. It was not a practice sword like the baseball players held, but a real katana, the honed edge glittering in the camera flash. The picture shrunk and was shoved away into the top left corner, while more text lined up next to it.
Name: Yamamoto Takeshi. Family: Vongola. Rank: Rain Guardian. Below these lines was a block of words. It read: The Tenth Generation Rain Guardian, serving under the Vongola Decimo. Short-range combat style, preference for a sword. Uses a stylized fighting called "Shigure Soen Ryu" with a katana formally named "Shingure Kintoki," three short swords, and two box weapons. Both boxes contain an animal-weapon, including one Rain Akita Inu dog, and Rain Swallow. Received swordsman training from Squalo of the Varia, and later training as an assassin with the Acrobaleno, Reborn. Skilled with a number of different blades, and pistols.
"W-What?" Jonah staggered back from the screen. Nagista was pale when he finished, reflecting his friend's emotions. "An . . . assassin? Takeshi? That's got to be wrong!"
"He belongs to a 'Family'" Nagista murmured, "Surely they don't mean . . .? Not as in the Yukuza?"
They looked back at the screen, where the bottom of the page was stamped by a crest. It looked like a very official database, and deep down they knew that it was very much real.
"We need to keep moving," Nagista swallowed.
Jonah mutely nodded and returned to the touchscreen. They would question Takeshi later, when they had found him. At the very edge of the screen was a small list of options. Nagista was better with computers, so after a few clicks, a couple new pages, and several "ping" noises later, the barrier wavered. The tide rushed to meet them and their pants were immediately soaked. A sharp "Snap" rang out, along with the dying hum of machinery.
They dragged their feet through the water, moving closer to the center of the room. Lockers gutted out into the space to form a U, with the side facing the door. The drain that was seated between the spikes was gushing out water, the stream as tall as the teens' chests. What had previously been seen as a cylinder was now clearly a cage, suspended by a thick chain. It was a gross exaggeration of a bird cage, with the black iron bars curled elegantly where they met the floor. Curled up in the center was a bundle of tan fur. When the barricade had faded, ears poked out, twitching, followed by a head. The dog was almost too big for the pen, and remained lying down to avoid hitting its head. It watched the humans with intent blue eyes.
"Why is there a dog?" Jonah asked, exasperated.
"Didn't the file say something about Yamamoto having a dog?" Nagista mentioned.
The animal barked at the mention of the absent person, a whine building in its throat. A paw reached out and scratched at the heavy padlock on the gate. It shook its head, and the metal collar that had been around its throat fell away. The seal on the collar being released must have been the source of the bang earlier.
"We need a key to open it!" Jonah yelled, voice rising to be heard over the rush of water.
"Where is it?" Nagista shouted back.
The dog yelped, calling for their attention again. It jerked its head towards the lockers on the inside of the U. They understood the message and waded over. The water was already up to their knees, and they climbed onto the benches to avoid it. They worked from opposite sides, yanking open the cubbies to find them empty, one after the other. After half the spaces had been searched, the treacherous liquid was sloshing over their shoes.
Nagista finally cried out in victory, pulling a small key from the last locker on his side. A small tag was tied to it, but the pencil marks were too light for Jonah to read from where he stood. "Throw it!" he yelled, holding up one hand.
With coordination befitting of all the practice they put into their baseball, the key was expertly passed along. Clamping it in between his teeth, Jonah hooked his fingers into the door of a locker in his line, and leaned out to the cage. He strained his arm and just barely snagged the bar closest to him. Grinning, he swung it closer, and brought the key to the padlock.
"No way," he gasped. "It's the wrong key!" He screamed in frustration. The tag flauntingly flapped at him, and he raised it closer to his face to read it. "It's to the teacher's office!" He pointed towards the cubical in the corner of the room. The windows had been covered in a dark fabric, and the door was closed.
"I'll take it!" Nagista bellowed, waving his hand. Jonah didn't have time to argue, the water was lapping at his thighs, and he was still on the bench. Clenching the precious key in his fist, Nagista took a deep breath and dove.
A few away, he crashed back to the surface, and lashed out strongly with his arms. He had to dive to find the door knob and the lock thankfully clicked when he twisted the key. Throwing his shoulder into it, he managed to gather enough momentum to open the door. Any hopes that the water level would go down because of the new space were dashed. Hanging from the ceiling was a second cage, much smaller than the first. A shrill noise assaulted his ears, coming from the bird thrashing around inside. The water underneath it was bubbling excitedly, suggesting a fountain at the bottom.
"Who the hell designed this?!" Nagista swore. Looking around proved useless, with at least half the room submerged. He ducked his head under the surface, and forced his eyes open. He could make out the blurry forms of a desk rammed up against some filing cabinets, forming a path to the cage. He gasped when he came back up, dragging himself to the doorway.
"We need another key!" he screamed, hoping that Jonah could hear him.
"Where the hell would that be?!" Jonah looked absolutely horrified. "We searched all the lockers!"
"The showers - check there!"
Jonah braced himself and jumped into the flood. The strength of the swirling currents surprised him, and he had trouble swimming to the opposite side of the room. When he finally reached the far wall, he paused. Diving down, he experimentally tried to open the door to the hall. It was locked, as was to be expected. The baseball player set his feet against the door and pushed off. The kick start was enough to get him into the shower section, which was hidden behind a wall, but had no door.
Jonah latched on to the nearest shower head to avoid being swept away. It and every other nozzle had been turned to full blast. The farthest from the entrance had a string dangling from it – the key! He wasted no time in striking towards it. The water was alarming high now, an uncomfortable few meters from the ceiling. Jonah's hand closed around the item, and yanked it from its perch. The wire gave no resistance, easily snapping under the force.
With nothing to keep him there, the current threw the blonde out the exit, narrowly missing the divider. His head was dunked savagely under by the merciless waves, and panic made his chest tight. Sputtering and coughing his way to air, Jonah fought to keep his bearings.
"Catch!" he yelled as loud as he could manage, eyes locking in on the bobbing head of brown hair. It took all his experience at playing outfield to make the throw. Likewise, the same effort as first-baseman was put into receiving it.
Nagista didn't bother to reply, rushing as swiftly as he could to the bird cage. The swallow was frantic, smacking the water with its wings. It was a meter until the air was all gone. Fumbling with the lock, Nagista crammed the key inside. He threw the door open, kicking to move out of the way as the bird ripped out of its prison. He caught a flash of silver as it went by – was that another key around its neck?
The bird skimmed the water directly below the ceiling, landing on Jonah's head. In its beak it held out the final key. Jonah didn't even blink as he accepted it. The bird was flying again a second later, its tail-feathers dragging in the water. Jonah took one last deep breath.
He was surrounded by the dark. The current bullied him every which-way, trying to push him away from the cage. Air bubbles were escaping the bars while the dog struggled, barely keeping his nose above the waves. Jonah forcibly propelled himself forward; the resistance made his muscles burn and his valuable oxygen escape faster. His fingers brushed the cool steel, and he lunged for the door. The whole cage lurched, completely submerging. Jonah tightened his grip and tried not to be shaken off. His lungs felt like they were imploding.
He jammed the key into the hole, and using the last of his strength, twisted. The padlock fell away, and the door gently floated open. Suddenly, the turbulence stopped, and Jonah clawed towards the surface. His hands met the ceiling, hardly even a few inches left. He pressed his cheek to the foam tiles and tried to sallow as much air as physically possible without getting a mouthful of liquid.
The current decided it wasn't done quite yet, and it took hold of his water-logged clothes for another dunking. The stream pulled him down in a spiral, too powerful to resist in his weakened state. He felt something catch on his shirt and forced him upwards again. He tried to help, and managed to reach the surface. He burst out, gasping, and looked behind him to see what had caused the change. The dog opened its mouth to pant, allowing his shirt to fall free. It stayed close to him, just in case. The tides continued to suck at them but – slowly yet surely – the ceiling starting fading away. After what felt like hours, his feet touched solid ground.
When the water had receded enough that he had to support himself, Jonah's legs gave way, and he kneeled on the ground for several minutes. His legs were shaking, as were his arms, and he couldn't believe that they were still holding him up. He looked up as the dog padded over to him, sniffing him to check him over, and worryingly licking his face.
"Stop that," Jonah chuckled, pushing it away gently. The smile that came to his lips made it a bit easier to find his feet and stand. He wobbled his way over to where the dog's cage lay, battered and broken.
Coughing came from his left, and Jonah changed course to kneel beside Nagista. He looked as bad as Jonah felt – which is to say like shit. He coughed out concerning amounts of water, which subsided into horrible wheezing after a moment. He had to lean on his friend's shoulder, but by combining what was left of their strength, they trudged closer to the wall and collapsed against it. The dog whimpered softly, lying down at their feet, and the bird landed on Nagista's head with an anxious chirp.
"We never got your name," Jonah mumbled absently, starching under the dog's chin. The canine's ears flicked at the voice, and it seemed to think about what was said. A second later, it scrambled over the wet floor back to its jail. Rising on its back paws, it rested its front limbs on the edge and pressed down. It jumped back when the cage begrudgingly rolled over, creaking and groaning.
"What is it boy?" Jonah scooted closer to get a better look. On the rim of the solid steel floor, there were some words carved in. "Jirou? Is that your name?" The newly dubbed Jirou barked happily and waged his tail.
"Well then what's yours?" Nagista added, glancing up at the swallow nesting in his hair.
Jiro sat down and tilted his head to the side. He made a noise deep in his throat, which caused the bird to flap its wings. He growled a bit before returning to his paws and walking slowly into the office. A minute later he returned, toting the smaller cage in his mouth. He unceremoniously dumped it in Nagista lap before flopping over in a huff.
". . . Well then," Jonah awkwardly commented, feeling a bit guilty for making the tired dog work. "What does it say?"
"Kojirou," Nagista read. "Is that right?" he added as an afterthought.
The bird sang a little tune to show its approval. The humans shared a laugh, suddenly glad that they weren't alone. Nagista winced and Jonah groaned. Maybe laughing wasn't the best idea right now.
You guys don't even know how long I have been waiting for this part. Like, this is pretty much what I built the plot of the story around.
So happy :D I hope you like it! I had fun writing this action scene :)
~ Rose
