A/N: Glad everyone remembers the garden episode. Though I would like to add my own Operation High Tension, I don't think I'll do it as well as Maeda-san. I'm like what Gilgamesh called Emiya, a Faker. Copying off other people is what we, fanfiction writers, do. Time is running out for me to write so this chapter could be the last. I could squeeze in one more short chapter, but we'll have to see. If this is my last chapter, hope you guys enjoyed this story so far and hope you guys will be patient enough to wait for me to resume writing!
Angel Beats!
What We Live For
Operation 25
Blood Pact
"So, you're saying that it was something from the past gardening club?"
Shinobu asked, looking through his report once Katsuragi got back. It was a really short and pointless mission.
"Yeah."
"Hmm... I see."
Well, while it was a farm by the gardening club, Katsuragi noticed a few odd things. One was that it had an irrigation system in place, but where did it draw water from? In addition, why would the gardening club do something like this? A lot of things did not add up. This wasn't the place where some NPC would make, it was originally made and cared for by a human. A human who managed to build this giant structure. Katsuragi managed to find a book that detailed everything about the gardening club and the functions of the garden. Everything was written by one person. A certain Tachibana Kanade. Where did hear that name before? For some reason, Katsuragi decided not to report the book, and kept it for himself.
"Well, this solves part of our food shortage. We never thought of using farming techniques before, thinking that it would not work. But with this we can start to explore new ways to feed ourselves rather than constantly raiding the kitchen for supplies."
Shinobu said, getting up from her chair and grabbing a new drink packet to drink. That was when she noticed that Katsuragi was somewhat deep in thought.
"... Are trying too hard?"
She asked, sitting herself back in her seat.
"Huh?"
"You have a very difficult look on your face. Sometimes the answer just always just under your nose."
Katsuragi was not sure about what she was going on about. He was too busy thinking of what the book was.
"Yukari sent you to me, didn't she? She must have given you some stupid phrase to think about."
Stupid phrase? Ah, there was one.
"She said something about 'when one asks a question, one already knows the answer being sought'... or something like that."
"... I see."
Shinobu leaned back in her chair.
"Yukari is being an idiot, not explaining properly."
"Huh?"
"It isn't meant to be 'when one asks a question', but rather 'when one is able to formulate the correct question'. You see, Katsuragi, humans are tuned to respond different to the same scenario when looking from different angles. It is a psychological reaction. For example, if two cars collide and you came to witness this. You are asked 'at what speed did the two cars hit each other'? What sort of answer would you give?"
Katsuragi did not know how to answer. In the first place, why was that relevant?
"Now let me ask you once more... 'at what speed did the two cars crash into each other'? What sort of answer would you give?"
"Eh?"
Now that Katsuragi thinks about it, the question did made his mind change his answer.
"This is what is meant by the same scenario but different angles. So the meaning behind the statement that Yukari gave you means that the answer is merely dependent on the way you look at it."
The answer is dependent on how he looks at it? Was that what Yukari was trying to say when he was talking about Kou? So Yukari was saying that Katsuragi was merely looking at his own interpretation rather what Kou was actually thinking of. Quite a round-about manner of saying this, wasn't it? So... did this mean that Kou did not see Akira in him? Or was it something else?
"Another meaning behind the phrase is more philosophical. It means that everyone who asks the correct question already knows what they are looking for. If you ask a vague question, you get a vague answer. Ask a specific question, and you will get a specific answer. People who do not know what they want will not be able to ask the question to get it. Understand?"
Not really. But whatever. He did not like how he was being lectured constantly. Speaking of which, he was getting thirsty. Katsuragi wondered if he could a drink packet as well. Who cares if it was vitamin supplements? He needed a drink. Just as he reached for a packet, a pencil flew past his ear, grazing him before embedding itself into the wall.
"Do. not. touch. those."
Shinobu warned with a rather dangerous glare.
"E-erm... then do you have anything to drink?"
"... No. Those drinks are for me only. You wouldn't like the taste anyway. Here, your next assignment. You are to report to my right-hand, Warrant Officer Tsugihara. Now get out of my office."
With that, Katsuragi was kicked out of Shinobu's office. Rather than kicked out, Katsuragi more likely ran out. There was something about Shinobu that told Katsuragi to get out of there ASAP. Shinobu seemed to use stationary as her weapons, as evident when pencils, pens, scissors, staplers, rulers and all sorts of other weird stationary came flying at him. What did he do wrong this time? Katsuragi sighed, thinking that it would be best to keep his mouth shut from here onwards. Too bad he would forget this line of thought within a few minutes. Katsuragi is a talkative guy, though not as bad as say... Ooguchi Daisuke. The mission for this was another raiding mission. Unlike the previous times, this was going to be conducted in the day, which made things extremely dangerous but not impossible. Katsuragi walked over to where he was to meet Warrant Officer Tsugihara. Turns out that Tsugihara was a... girl.
"What made you think I was a guy?"
Tsugihara raised an eyebrow.
"Ah... it's just... considering the type of mission this is."
He explained, making Tsugihara sigh.
"Don't think because I'm a girl that I am unable to do any raiding missions. Besides, it was probably your own fault that ended you being under me, isn't it?"
She asked, making Katsuragi flinch.
"Ah, bulls-eye, huh. So what did you say? Her height? Her lack of a chest? Her consistent problem of running head-first into walls?"
None of that, and what was that last one?
"I wanted a drink."
Katsuragi muttered. At that, everyone in earshot stopped their work and stared at him. Even Tsugihara was shocked.
"Y-you... you did what?"
Tsugihara's voice conveying something more along the lines of horror than shock.
"W-what is it?"
"... You really don't know.. do you?"
Katsuragi shook his head. Tsugihara closed her eyes, before she turned to the rest in the area.
"Get back to work! The mission starts in ten minutes!"
By her word, the others went back to their jobs as she turned back to him.
"I'll tell you this now so you won't make the same stupid mistake twice. Whatever you do, do NOT touch those drink packets."
"Why?"
Tsugihara bit her lip, as though reluctant to say.
"Those packets... they contain blood... human blood."
"Sengougahara Shinobu is pretty infamous in Guild for a few reasons. One being that her powers are above that of a normal squad leader which led her to be called the 'secret trump card' of Guild. Another is that she is the leader of two squads, which you already know of. The last thing she is famously known for, is the fact that she is more or less a vampire. When Shinobu was still alive, she was born with a certain disease. Similar to Porphyria, but closer to the fictional books of vampires than the disease. No one knows whether it was genetic or whether she had gotten the disease at childbirth. What was known was that Shinobu was slightly sensitive to sunlight, becoming weaker and tired when exposed directly to the sun, and the worst of all was that she needed to drink blood.
Doctors at first believed it to be more psychological, like Renfield's syndrome, but it became more apparent that what Shinobu was something much closer to fiction than anything else. Shinobu's body unable to reproduce certain minerals and her body would reject and be unable to absorb those nutrients from normal food. Only blood worked. Shinobu tried to hide her defect as she grew up but it was hard to grow up with this sort of disorder. Her parents, trying desperately to find a cure, travelled to different countries in order to find an answer, but soon their efforts were in vain as they lost their lives when their plane malfunctioned and crashed. Shinobu was left all alone, shunned by others, distrusted and distanced away from others.
Even her relatives who took her in were at a lost on how to care for her, resulting in them unable to give her the love and comfort she needed. Everyone called her the 'devil's child', or 'vampire'. Shinobu did not wish for that life, she did not want it. It became worse when she went on a school excursion and her bus skidded off the road and down a cliff. Everyone died in that horrific accident. Everyone but Shinobu. Shinobu managed to survive because of her body's condition. She drank the blood of her dead classmates. As much as she hated it, as much as she cursed her own life, as much as she wanted to die... Shinobu could not hide the basic fact... she wanted to live. She drank blood to survive.
When the rescue team finally got to her, she had completely healed over like she wasn't even injured. Because of that, the rumours started to spread even wilder than before and Shinobu could no longer step outside of her own room any more The sad end of her life came when a mob of angry and frightened people attacked her, all believing that she was the centre of evil for everything."
Warrant Officer ended her long story to Katsuragi. She had decided to explain Shinobu's story as they walked down the tunnel towards the exit. The entire team consisted of fifty members of the Raiders, all of whom have more battle experience than the Runners.
"And that is why Shinobu hates being reminded that she had to drink blood every time. She hates her own condition and her own life."
"... Hm? But I thought diseases and such from the previous World would not be possible in this World?"
Katsuragi asked.
"Shinobu's case is slightly different. Hers is something on the genetic level as well as psychological. She may be more resistant to the Sun here, but it still causes her to feel light-headed. She still takes blood packs to replenish her lack of nutrients though it wasn't like that when she first came to this World."
"It wasn't?"
"Of course not. Who would willingly give up their blood for someone to drink just like that? When Shinobu first arrived here she refused to socialize, refused to get out of the tunnels and refused to eat. It took a lot of persuasion on the Boss's part before Shinobu finally relented. After that she slowly opened up and the rest is history. Shinobu has worked the hardest amongst us and has rightfully earned our respect. It would not be wrong to say that she became the leader of two squads because we all wanted her to."
Tsugihara said with a smile. There was something about her story. Something about her tone.
"... How do you know so much?"
Katsuragi asked, and immediately Tsugihara's smile dropped.
"... While everyone knows about the blood drinking, not many know of her past... the reason as to why I would know is because..."
Tsugihara trailed off a little.
"Because?"
"... Because I was one of her classmates in the previous life."
"... What?"
"Yes, I was one of them. I was on that bus that crashed. I was dying slowly but I wasn't dead immediately. I saw what Shinobu truly was and to be honest... I was afraid of her. Her blood-shot eyes, her hunger for blood... but... I also saw how much she tried to resisted. I saw how she cried for each time she had to drink blood. I saw her try to kill herself but fail... She tried to save me, you know... but I knew I was going to die. I entered this World slightly later than her even though I died earlier, and I fought hard to get close to Shinobu... I felt like... I wanted to know her more. For the times I failed to talk to her in the past life, I now protect her and do her work."
Tsugihara said. That was really admirable of her... but was she doing this out of obligation? Or regret? It was like what Yukari and Shinobu had said... when one is able to formulate the correct question, one would have obtained the answer being sought. In a way, Tsugihara was doing it out of both obligation and regret. There was no right, no wrong answer.
"... Anyway, let's focus on our job. Our mission is to raid the kitchen during the day as night raids can only produce so much in a day. Day raids will undoubtedly be able to procure more goods of better quality as the cafeteria would not have used up most of the ingredients. A separate team will raid the different vending machines at the same time, but it is our job as the main group to raid the kitchen supplies. We will exit by tunnel C-3. That should lead us right up to the entrance of the cafeteria. The plan is simple. Group A will take on the role of look out and distraction, group B will break in through the back entrance of the kitchen and take as many supplies as possible. Mission starts in five minutes. Estimated time till completion, half and hour. Chance of enemies appearing, extremely high. Got it?"
Tsugihara turned to everyone in the group and they all nodded.
"Good. Now suit up, we're about to enter a new territory. Katsuragi, you might want to wear this."
Tsugihara passed him a jacket. A winter jacket to be precise.
"Huh? What's this for?"
Katsuragi asked, though he noticed that the other members in the team were all putting on winter clothing as well.
"You'll see."
And see it, he did. Katsuragi and the team exited the tunnel and stepped out into... a white scene. A blast of chilled air made him shiver as he tried to reorientate where he was. They were outside the cafeteria, the tunnel leading them to a small entrance hidden by the bushes next to the cafeteria's main entrance. But just where was this? This was the same school, was it not?
"It hit us two days ago, a sudden change in weather and everything became snow. While we did see a decrease in Shadow activities, there had been an increase in disciplinary committee members patrolling the school."
Tsugihara explained as she signalled for the rest of the team to follow suit. The team trekked their way through the thick snow and into the cafeteria. They stalked the outside of the cafeteria like some swat team raiding a house.
"Any sign of them?"
She asked the point man. The guy shook his head and gave a thumbs up.
"Alright, let's do this."
The team stormed into the cafeteria and quickly made their way through the building to their allocated areas. Katsuragi was up with Tsugihara at the back with group B. Group B snaked their way through the tables and chairs, reaching the back of the cafeteria where the door to the kitchen was. The supply room was inside the kitchen though its door was right next to the door they were breaking through. The team crouched low, lining up once more as they waited for their point man to pick the lock on the door.
"We're currently the only ones with winter gear in the organization. Guild is still trying to make a production line to produce such clothing but it has been proving difficult with the slow-down of supplies. So if you don't have winter gear, the next best thing is-"
"Food."
Katsuragi said, earning a nod from Tsugihara.
"You're learning fast. Yes, food. Though we may die from cold, we can still revive. Food, however, is a whole other story. We may be slightly demoralized from the cold, but as long as we have hot food, we can continue to fight on."
"Leader, we're in."
The point man said, opening the door slightly.
"Good, let's go."
The team moved in quickly, avoiding the cooks in the kitchen as they sneaked their way into the supply room. Team A, acting as distraction, would be ordering food almost non-stop. Of course, the food they ordered would mostly be placed into boxes to be moved back to the Runner's headquarters Not a single food item would be wasted or discarded. Such was the situation the Organization now faced. A winter war.
"The intelligence division believes that someone must have messed with the Angel Player program to change the weather. We're trying to revert it back but our copy of the Angel Player Program isn't that powerful, thus unable to give us administrative permission to change such things."
Tsugihara continued her explanation as the team began to raid the supply room, stuffing food into bags and passing the bags down a line to the outside of the kitchen like a fire-bucket line.
"So I'm guessing there will be more day time raids."
Katsuragi said, passing a bag down the line.
"... Most likely, yes."
The raid continued on until the last of the bags was passed down the line.
"Right, we're done. Pack up and let's go. Leave nothing behind."
Tsugihara said, and the team nodded.
"Team A, we are pulling out."
Tsugihara called out through her walkie-talkie, but no response came back.
"... Team A, respond."
Still nothing. This was getting serious. The entire team B all looked to Tsugihara with grim expressions. All of them probably knew what this meant. Tsugihara kept her walkie-talkie and pulled out her pistol.
"Team A is not responding. Expect the worst case scenario. We will now execute escape directive Alpha. Priority is to be given to the supplies. Clear?"
Team B all nodded in response to her words, each of them pulling out their weapons. Rifles, shotguns, swords. Escape directive Alpha. To be used in extreme circumstances when facing Type A Angels. It consists of ambush, suppression, diversion and escape. In other words, they would ambush their enemy and lay a suppressive fire on the enemy, creating a diversion to allow any important personnel or supplies to escape before the rest of the team escapes. It was the most basic plan to get out and one that was most commonly used. And also one of the more dangerous. Those that acted as a diversion would undoubtedly be in the life of fire. If the enemy heavily outnumbers them then it would be inevitable that the diversion group would be overwhelmed. Tsugihara peered around a corner.
"... Ten Angels... most likely Type B."
Katsuragi at their own team. Thirty of them in total, of which ten were designated to fight including Tsugihara and Katsuragi, and only the two of them were on par with a Type B Angel. The other twenty were to carry the supplies out of the cafeteria and back down into the tunnels. Mission was changed from raiding to protection and diversion. Not exactly Katsuragi's forte, but he had to do it.
"Ready?"
Tsugihara turned to the others. All nodded back.
"On my mark. Three... two... one. Go!"
The team charged out of their hiding place and opened fire on the Angels. The Angels, caught by surprise, were put on the defensive immediately Katsuragi brought his rifle up to aim and fired it straight at an Angel. The shot connected with the Angel's head, sending her off her feet and down for the count. When the Angel is defeated, a string of numbers appear from its wound and it starts to disappear. One down, nine more to go. But the remaining Angels were now aware of the situation and were beginning their counter-attack.
" "Guard skill: Distortion" "
The Angels chanted in unison as a strange invisible formed in front of them. Bullets that flew at them were all bent around them, flying around the Angels harmlessly.
"Shit, they've gotten their shields up!"
One of the team cursed.
"Ranged members, keep them occupied with their shields! Close quarters unit, move in!"
Tsugihara ordered and the team immediately went ahead with their new orders. Only three were using swords and knives, but they charged in, crouching low as they ran to make themselves harder to hit and be seen. They were like ninjas, zipping in and out of the tables and chairs before they reached the enemy. The enemy's skill, Distortion, could work in deflecting fast travelling bullets since it was made to deflect anything that travelled at a certain speed, but anything below that speed, like a sword swing, would render the skill useless.
It was also known that since a sword and knife had greater mass than a bullet, it could easier break through the barrier. Distortion was like a thin veil of air, merely deflecting bullets by redirecting their trajectory. But no matter how well you can change the trajectory of a bullet, you cannot change the mass of a sword. And that was what happened. The three close quarters Raiders closed into their first target and launched their attack at the same time. Two swords and one knife shot out from under the tables, piercing through the distortion veil and stabbing the Angel.
"I-impossible!"
The Angel cried before he dropped dead. Two down, eight more.
"... Go."
One of the Angels pointed to one of his comrades. The second Angel nodded. Tsugihara then realized what was going on. Only too late.
"Pull Back! That's a Type A Angel-"
"Guard skill: Howling"
The second Angel raised his hands over his head and suddenly a loud screeching sound came bursting through the cafeteria, causing all to cover their ears in pain. It was at this point that the Type A Angel walked over and stood over one of the close quarters Raiders.
"... Guard skill: Hand sonic"
The Angel's hand transformed into a blade and he raised it up, and brought it down on the Raider without pause.
"KYAAA!"
The Raider screamed out as strings of number started to pour out from the wound in her chest. This unpleasant feeling, this dark and cold unnatural feeling was.. She was disappearing.
"KEIKO!"
Tsugihara screamed out, trying to raise her weapon to the Angel but the second Angel's Howling skill made her cringe. The Raider screamed out in pain and anguish as her body disappeared into strings and numbers. It was... too painful to watch. But no one could do a thing as they watched their comrade slowly disappear in front of their eyes, screaming and crying out to them to save her. They could not save her. This was... beyond them. The screams seemed to be far scarier, far louder to them than the Howling was. It was something they all felt within their hearts.
"... No."
He will not stand for this. Though pain may sear through his skull, threatening to break his entire body into pieces, he cannot allow this to go on!
"... Come... on!"
He raised his rifle, trembling from head to toe as his mind was on the verge of collapsing. One shot. All he needed was one shot!
"... Make... it... work!"
He pulled the trigger. The shot went off course. It hit another Angel's distortion field, curving around. But it still hit something. It hit the Type A Angel's Hand sonic. With a crack, the blade snapped, forcing the Type A to stop his attack. Then, the Angel with Howling flinched, seeing as how his leader was injured.
"Now! Tsugihara!"
Katsuragi shouted.
"All hands, attack!"
The group recovered immediately as though they received a second wind and fired at the Angel, killing him. Three down. The team charged forward, forcing the remaining seven Angels to retreat out of the cafeteria. It gave Tsugihara time to get Reiko, the Raider who was attacked. But it was too late. More than half of her body was gone and the damage was getting worse by the second.
"Reiko! Reiko!"
Tsugihara grabbed her friend's hand.
"K-Kaoru..c-chan..."
Reiko called back weakly.
"No... no! Don't go! Don't leave me!"
"Y-you must... t-take care... of... S-Shinobu... c-chan... f-for m-me..."
"No! We promised to do it together! Stay with me!"
"S-Shinob-bu c-chan... n-needs... y-you..."
"Reiko! Don't leave me alone! Fubuki... Momo... Satsuki... didn't the five of us made a vow to protect Shinobu-chan forever? ! Don't break that promise now! Don't make me the only one left!"
Reiko reached out, her hand nearly gone, wiping away Tsugihara's tears.
"D-do it... f-for us... f-for S-Shinobu c-chan... S-She is t-the one... w-who... suffers... m-most..."
"Reiko..."
"P-promise me... Please..."
Tsugihara swallowed hard, clenching her fist in anguish as she could not do anything for her friend. She grabbed her friend's now translucent hand firmly.
"I promise! Shinobu-chan will never be alone! I will protect her and carry her pain for her! That is the promise the five of us made from the beginning!"
Reiko smiled at that.
"...Thank... you..."
Reiko's eyes closed for the last time as her body completely disintegrated into nothing. The cruel fate that awaited them. Nothingness. Tsugihara sat there in silence, her hand still clenched tightly.
"Tsugihara... we've got to move."
Katsuragi said, tapping on her shoulder. He knew that she wanted to be left alone, but this was serious for the rest of them. The Angels were still not beaten.
"... I know."
Tsugihara Kaoru said, getting to her feet and wiping away her tears. She held Reiko's dagger in her left hand as she handled her pistol in her right.
"Let's kill them all. Change mission directive. Genocide protocol. Corporal Katsuragi."
"Yes?"
"Take Tatsuhiko and Kengo to flank right. Suppress them out in the courtyard till I can reach them. Got it?"
Katsuragi knew better than to argue back. Tsugihara was serious. Extremely serious.
"Alright."
Katsuragi took the two others and raced out of the cafeteria back out into the snow. Tsugihara's grip on her knife tightened. Reiko's knife. She will make them pay.
"The rest of you... Follow me into hell."
"Yes ma'am!"
Tsugihara led the rest out of the cafeteria and out into the courtyard. The Angels were being suppressed by Katsuragi and the other two, unable to move as they used distortion. Distortion had two flaws. One being it is unable to stop a blade, the second is if you shoot at it constantly, the user would be unable to move. And because Katsuragi and the other two were using rifles and machine guns, the enemy were firmly rooted with their flanks exposed. With this, Tsugihara had a clear line to their enemy.
She took the opportunity, and charged. The Angels were too pre-occupied and didn't notice Tsugihara until it was too late. Tsugihara dragged her knife upwards, cutting the Angel and causing him to break his Distortion field, which allowed Tsugihara to follow up with three shots to the head and a downward stab with her knife. One more down. Six more to go. But the Type A Angel was able see the attack and immediately he changed the formation.
"Guard skill: Harmonics"
Right before the SSS2 team, the Type A Angel began to multiply.
"T-this is-"
"It's a Spawner ability? !"
Tsugihara was shocked as well by what she was seeing, but she would not give up just because of that. A Type A Angel or whatever it may be, she will kill them. Tsugihara charge, throwing her weight against another Type B Angel and pinning her to the ground. Stabbing the Angel in the forehead before putting two rounds into the chest, Tsugihara looked at and glared at the spawning Type A Angel. By now the Type A had spawned a total of six replicas, resulting in elven Angels in total. One more than when they first started.
"Tsugihara! Retreat! You cannot deal with them on your own!"
Katsuragi shouted out to her.
"Shut up! I will deal with them! Genocide Protocol! All of you, counter-attack!"
Tsugihara shouted. The Raiders all looked slightly unsure, but they charged either way. This was suicide. Genocide protocol was something only the Guardians were known for doing. Yuki forbade the use of this protocol throughout the entire Organization but the Guardians were the only exception as they exist neither within the Organization nor without. The Genocide protocol. The last resort of any SSS2 individual and it was the mantra of the sixth division Guardians. The Genocide Protocol. Kill them all, no matter how, no matter the sacrifices. Kill them all, fight with guns, with swords, with tooth and nail. Kill them all, without fail even if you dying on the field. Kill them all. Kill them now.
"Attack!"
The charge of the Raiders echoed throughout the courtyard. They went without hesitation though full of fear and doubt. This was war. A war that they may not come out from. Katsuragi knew that the SSS2 were made up of people who were angry, fighting to right the wrongs that were placed upon them unjustly. But this... this was madness. These Raiders charged without thinking about themselves. They threw themselves into the flurry without hesitation. Katsuragi wanted to stop this. This wasn't fighting any more This was something beyond the boundaries of human sanity. Were all SSS2 like this? Was this what the SSS2 was all about? Driven into madness by this endless war. Katsuragi wanted to end it. He wanted to end this madness. By any means.
"WARRANT OFFICER TSUGIHARA! PULL BACK THIS INSTANT!"
A voice boomed out, making all in the courtyard pause in their fight. Turning around, they saw someone they did not expect. Sengougahara Shinobu. With her usual helmet with goggles on her head, she wore a large over coat to protect herself from the cold as she drank from another one of her blood packets.
"S-Shinobu-chan?"
"Did you not hear me, Tsugihara. I said RETREAT!"
Shinobu shouted once more, making Tsugihara slightly afraid. What Shinobu did wasn't normal. Her shout was similar... yes, similar to Taeno Yuki's 'Voice of the King', but this was something far sinister. Tsugihara's body obeyed not because Shinobu ordered it, but rather her body obeyed because it felt fear. There was an incredible amount of dangerous power coming from Shinobu's small frame. This was the power of a leader of two Squads. Tsugihara retreated immediately.
"Now then. Since you Angels have been so kind as to treat my... subordinates... kindly... I must return the favour in kind."
Shinobu smirked, showing off her two fanged teeth. Never mind about her being similar to a vampire, she probably is one! Shinobu raised and hand and snapped her fingers. At once, multiple members of the Runners squad appeared, running up with guns and such. But what was most noticeable were the large number of...
"Black boards?"
Katsuragi wondered out loud. And indeed they were black boards, or chalk boards as some call them. Lined up next to each other in three rows, the black boards all faced the Angels with other Runners standing by as guard.
"Ready up!"
Shinobu shouted and each black board were suddenly manned by two Runners each. What were they going to do? Draw something? But then Katsuragi had a sinking feeling about this.
"Ah, yes... what was that skill you Angels used? Howling, was it? Well, let me show you what my 'howling' feels like."
Shinobu snapped her fingers once more and-
SCREEEEECH
The Runners all dragged their fingers nails across the chalk boards, creating a horrible screeching sound and instantly sent everyone within ear shot and not wearing any ear protection down for the count. Shinobu walked across the snow covered courtyard, unaffected by the sounds as her ear plugs protected her from the pain, chewing onto the straw with the drink packet dangling freely from it. She stopped before the fallen Angel, who was trying to crawl his way out of the pain. But Shinobu stepped on his hand with a bone-crunching sound when her heavy boot slammed into his hand.
"... You... you did something to one of my friends, didn't you?"
Shinobu asked though the Angel could not reply, still writhing in pain.
"You have caused much pain and suffering to my friends... do not think I will let you off this easily."
"Access. Sub-routine: Creation, item: Pen"
Within Shinobu's hand materialized a simple pen. But with one flick of a wrist, the pen shot down like a bullet, piercing the Angel's hand and pinning him in place.
"AARRHHH!"
"Does it hurt? I'm sure it does... but it does not compare... to the pain you made my friends go through."
"Access: Stationary World"
Shinobu raised her hand up just as thousands of pens, pencils, rulers, scissors, markers, staplers and other ordinary stationary appeared over head.
"Die now. All of you."
Shinobu brought down her hand as the stationary over head rained down like a hail storm, piercing anything that was unlucky enough to be underneath. The hail of stationary did not stop for a whole two minutes and what was left was a mountain of stationary. The bodies of the Angels were no longer in view, then again, could anyone really say they may have survived this? Shinobu walked over to where the Angel's hand protruded from under the pile. She tapped the T-square ruler in her hand on her shoulder, before raising it up high and bringing it down on the hand, destroying it completely. Katsuragi looked on as Shinobu made the stationary mountain disappear, leaving not a trace of anything. Not even the bodies of the Angels were there. Everything was gone.
"... Tsugihara."
Shinobu called out, looking up to the sky as she sucked on her drink packet.
"Y-yes?"
"... You used the Genocide Protocol, didn't you?"
Tsugihara closed her eyes, regretting what she did.
"Y-yes..."
"I see..."
Shinobu walked over to Tsugihara was sitting. Shinobu raised a hand and slapped Tsugihara across the cheek.
"Don't you ever do that. You hear me?"
"... Yes..."
Tsugihara said, head hung low. But then Shinobu reached out and hugged her, surprising Tsugihara.
"Don't do something stupid like that... You're my friend, Kaoru... don't leave me alone..."
"S-Shinobu-chan..."
"You hear me? Don't leave me alone."
Tsugihara felt tears dripping down onto her shoulder. Shinobu was crying. Crying for her. Tsugihara closed her eyes as she hugged Shinobu, tears streaking down her cheeks as well.
"I promise..."
"... Are you serious?"
Taeno Yuki asked. Kurogane Kou merely looked at Yuki without a word.
"... I cannot accept this. Not one bit."
Yuki said, throwing the papers onto her desk. Kou narrowed her eyes at Yuki, a slight presence of anger flaring up within the sixth division head.
"... You told me I can choose anyone I want."
Kou stated.
"I did say that, but I cannot accept these candidates. Anyone is fine, but not these, especially 'him'."
Yuki pointed to the top piece of paper.
"... I will get him into my division... whether you like it... or not."
At that Yuki stood up and slammed her hands on her desk.
"Dammit Kou! Do not make things difficult!"
"I am not... you're making it difficult yourself."
Kou answered slowly. Yuki scratched her in frustration, never wanting to have an argument with Kou because it never goes anywhere.
"Anyway, I will not allow it! They have only been part of the Organization for less than a year!"
"... They will enter the Guardians."
"No."
Yuki defiantly rejected Kou. But the sixth division remained stoic as usual.
"... My men are already finding them."
She simply said. This meant-
"Kou! Dammit! Don't act without telling me!"
"I... have no obligation... to tell you."
Kou simply replied, turning to go.
"Kou! He isn't Akira!"
Yuki blurted out. She normally wouldn't mention him, but this time she was desperate. Desperate to stop Kou. And Kou did pause at the door.
"..."
"You cannot place Akira upon him!"
Kou turned and glared at Yuki, but the Queen of Fort was more than used to the glares of Kou.
"... I... never said he was..."
Kou simply muttered, leaving the room.
"Kou-... damn that girl!"
Yuki cried out in frustration, dropping back in her chair. Kou was always doing things her own way, but Yuki had allowed it because her actions never contradicted or went against the ideals and goals of the Organization. This was different. Yuki grabbed the piece of paper.
"Kou... do you even know what you're getting into? He's not... what you think he is... Katsuragi... just who are you? And what have you done to Kou?"