Yasu's POV:
I sighed as I finished setting up, before sensing the silence to be an annoying one.
"So, Lin, what's this about the scorch mark, supposed murder, and all that stuff?" I asked, turning to him.
"Yi helped me escape from the inner gate – it was the only one back then. But about half way an alarm went up – Yi and Fu are the twin children of Elder Bo, so should one go missing, everyone has to go hunting for them…" Lin explained. "I've got quite a bad reputation here, so I practically lived in the Cells below the Council building. For me to be found "out" while Yi was gone… Anyway, they decided they'd start shooting arrows to stop my escape… Yi got hit, I literally watched her… We were almost free of the village by then, and she said she didn't want to be cooped up like a bird all the time…"
"So you basically got angry and sent a truck-load of flame at the people who had shot Yi." I worked out. "Then they found Yi's body, saw the arrow, and due to total prejudice and loathing of you, they blamed you for her murder."
"But she didn't die. She walked right in!" Monk added.
"So we think." Naru mused. "But her smile… It was fake, as was how she conducted herself."
"What you think, Big Boss?" I asked, and he sent me a look.
"I need more information first." he replied, before the door opened.
"Kojou, Kaede, Hibari." Cheng stated. "It's time to go."
"Fine." Lin grunted, getting to his feet from his seat by the triplets and Kaede, Hibari also getting up as Kaede scrambled to his feet.
Someone's inherited Lin's swiftness, too…
Cheng allowed three guards in, two of whom tied Kaede's and Hibari's hands behind their backs.
The third held up a syringe, as Cheng moved to Lin's other side.
"Heavy precautions again?" Lin asked.
Lin stopped by Naru, who stood up.
"What's in the syringe?" Naru asked.
"A sleeping drug, he'll be out of it in seconds." Cheng stated. "That way we can transport him without trouble."
Naru looked at Lin, before looking to the window.
"We have a van waiting." Cheng stated simply.
"Lin?" Naru asked, and Lin sighed, before sitting in his seat again, and the guard took out an alcohol swab.
"I hope you know what you're doing." Ayako mused.
"Hmm?" Cheng replied, turning to look at her.
"I work as a Doctor in charge of a few hospitals back in Japan." Ayako explained. "As a Doctor, it's of my professional interest."
"It's only a sleeping drug, also he's had training specifically to the application of drugs, their uses and creation." Cheng stated.
At this point, Lin slumped, and a stretcher was brought in.
Monk looked annoyed, but at a look from Ayako, he remained in his seat, and Hibiki and Hikari watched from where they sat, wary of the guards.
"Is Lin going to be alright?" John asked, his eyes fixed on Lin as James was looking on with a grim face.
"Half-Demons and Foul-bloods may be of the low class, but we aren't monsters." Cheng replied. with a frown, and John nodded, looking down, before I snorted as several possible images passed through my head.
"What if they had decided to tie him up?" I asked.
"We would have had to replace the ones he'd probably destroy. No." is all Cheng stated, getting surprised looks from us SPR members – but for Naru and Gene; Naru merely nodded in agreement and Gene grinned like an idiot.
"Well, we sort of know that already from experience, right, Noll?" Gene asked.
"If you hadn't gotten yourself in so much trouble so easily, we wouldn't have found out." Naru growled, before standing. "I'm going for a wa-"
A smiling, kind-looking woman entered.
"I just came to say supper's ready, and I would appreciate if you would all wash up first." she smiled, before noticing Cheng. "Ah! Cheng! It's been ages! How are you!"
"Mrs Mao, Mother only visited last week…" Cheng complained.
"But you're such a hard-working boy. Now, come and sit at the table, it's noodle soup!"
Cheng was swiftly pushed from the room by the old dear.
Naru's face had considerably darkened, causing my eyes to fly between Masako and Gene.
Gene stood up.
"Well! I feel hungry!" he grinned, Naru appeared to say something to him, and Gene looked surprised for a moment.
"Do you realise we've just set everything up around this village, and all we can do to find her now is keep calm, keep well, and keep our eyes and ears open?" Gene asked, before smirking as he hugged his twin from behind. "Or will you admit yet that you feel of her as more than an assistant?"
"Agreed! After all, if Mai brought her flute here, then all we need to do is listen for a flute or…" I turned to John as the idea struck me. "Ne, you know you're able to do that trick with your violin?"
John looked surprised, before looking worried.
"But everyone here… We are in a valley…" he stuttered.
"Hey! Food first!" Monk exclaimed, before pushing John and I towards the door…
···
Lin's POV:
I awoke in the cells, and I looked to see Kaede and Hibari playing "rock, paper, scissors".
"[How long?]" I asked, sitting up groggily.
"[About 48 games.]" Hibari replied. "[They put too much n your system.]"
"[They always do.]" I muttered, before analysing the bars.
No escaping today, unless I have to… For now…
Quickly, I singed the hinges on the door, but enough so when they come for Kaede and Hibari, they won't suspect anything.
I sat down in the centre of the room, near to my brothers.
Hibari got up, and moved to sit beside me, leaning his head on my arm.
"[Hey, Kojou…]" Hibari asked.
"[Hmm?]"
"[Can you teach me how to deal with those idiots? Like you did.]"
I looked down at him.
"[Used in the wrong way, it can kill.]"
"[Anything used in the wrong way can kill.]"
"[Taking a life… It haunts you.]"
"[But Yi didn't die!]"
I was silent, as I thought over it.
"[Do you promise you will only use it as a last resort?]" I finally asked, covering my eye.
Hibari covered his eye, sliding his hand under his eye-patch.
Kaede tapped my knee, and before copying Hibari.
Nodding to myself, I sat on my heels, straightening my spine as I remembered how I had taught the twins.
"[I can only teach you so much in twelve hours – it took about six months for me to teach Gene and Naru, so for now I'll focus on the main points of them.]" I began…