Ageha and her friends raced across the rooftops of the city. They skillfully maneuvered from building to building carefully avoid being seen from the people on the streets below.
"Okay Alpha Squad, you'll be patrolling Area G of the city," a woman's voice squawked from a piece in they're ears. "Bravo Squad, you'll be taking Area D."
"Roger that, sensei," Ageha's 'Alpha Squad' confirmed.
"QUOI!" A female French voice blurted out in anger. "We're going to 'D' again?"
"Fleur, don't make a scene," another female voice rang across the radio. "It's just a routine patrol."
"But we were assigned to 'D' yesterday, Rashida! Nothing ever happens in 'D'. Sensei…
"Midoriya-san, you do remember that your squad is short one member due to Yoshizawa-san's current ailment? Do you wish for your squad to complete even more extracurricular training?" The first woman's voice interjected.
"No, Shimatami-sensei," Fleur responded.
"Good. Now, everyone to your patrolling areas," Shimatami reaffirmed.
For convenience sake, that city was divided into eight sections that were labeled Areas A through H. Part of the duty as a shinobi was to perform routine patrols of the various sections of the city, with the available squads being sent on a rotating schedule. Certain areas of the city, such as the school, the neighborhoods, and the mall, were considered 'high risk' areas due to the amount of people that frequented these locations at any given time. Other shinobi could very well use those places to infiltrate and perform covert missions.
Tsubame steered her squad toward the area in the city that was marked 'G'. They sailed through the air and landed on top of the Shopper's Plaza entrance gate. "Okay, Ageha, you take the north wing. Yoshimitsu, you take the south wing. Meimei and Matsuri, I want you to cover the southern circle together. I will take the northern circle myself."
All four girls nodded, then leapt down from the build and took up their positions. Tsubame nodded to herself, then grinded down a drainage pipe to street level, deftly landing behind an arborvitae. She scanned the area to make sure no one had seen her and she entered the outdoor mall. Inside the food court, the silver-haired girl swiftly moved through the crowd. She dodged between people while surveying the food court. Currently, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but she was poised to react should the need arise.
Ageha moved through the aisles of the sporting goods store, but nothing suspicious was found. So, she moved on to the kitchenware retail. Meimei and Matsuri raced from one side of a thrift store to the next. Matsuri stopped suddenly and turned around to look behind her.
"What is it?" Meimei said.
"I thought I saw something," Matsuri responded quietly. "Perhaps it was nothing."
"Should we report this to Tsubame?"
"Probably not."
Matsuri and Meimei continued their patrol of the south wing of the mall.
Yoshimitsu darted around several street vendors. She peered around a table of phone accessories, then picked a bunny rabbit keychain off the table. "Ooh, this is cute," she cried out.
"Yoshimitsu, focus," Tsubame's voice crackled in her ear. "You can look at accessories when we're finished patrolling.
"Sorry, Tsu-chan," Yoshimitsu apologized putting the keychain back.
Tsubame looked left then right, but nothing out of the ordinary was found. She dashed from one picnic table to the next, taking care to avoid the people there. Standing behind a kiosk, she peered around it. Everything seemed in order, but she caught sight of something moving along the ground and jump into the bushes. She quietly crossed the food court to the line of bushes. After looking over the shrubbery, Tsubame found only the discarded bag to one of the stores stuck in the branches. At that moment, the silver-haired girl felt as if she was being watched. She spun around to see if there was anything suspicious, and saw a gleam from underneath one of the picnic tables. Quickly moving to the table, Tsubame looked under it only to find nothing. She scratched her head in confusion, certain there was something here just a second ago.
She considered calling the other four over to her position to briefly discuss the encounter, but dismissed the idea. It's entirely possible she was just spooking herself, and that she was trying to make something extraordinary out of the ordinary. After another minute of debating, Tsubame decided to forget the situation and then proceeded to check the public restrooms. From beneath one of the larger picnic tables in the center of the food court, a pair of green glowing eyes looked out at the world.
Across the city, Satou and Tobi made their way down the street in Blossom Heights. A couple of young boys holding action figures ran past them.
"Take that, Shining Knight!" one of them shouted. "You can't beat the Dark Master!"
"HA! You can't defeat justice!" the other boy shouted. "Shining Sword!"
The two laughed excitedly as they ran off into the distance.
"Heheh, I remember watching the Justice Knights as a kid," Satou chuckled.
"FOR JUSTICE!" Tobi cried out.
"FOR PEACE!" Satou added.
"THE JUSTICE KNIGHTS SHALL DEFEAT EVIL!" they both said in unison.
Satou and Tobi looked at each other then started to laugh.
"I can't believe you still know the Justice Knights creed," Satou said brushing back his hair.
"Are you kidding me? My younger brother watches that cartoon every Saturday morning," Tobi replied. "There's no way I wouldn't know the creed."
Satou and Tobi rounded the street corner and made their way down the inclined road. The sun was slowly creeping towards the horizon, and the two boys squinted in the glaring light.
"So, you excited about your big date tomorrow?" Tobi started.
"More nervous than excited," Satou answered. "I almost feel like puking, to be honest. I never thought someone like Esperanza-san would agree to go on a date with me. It practically feels like a dream."
(SMACK!) Tobi slapped Satou upside the head.
"OW! What was that for?!"
"Nope, not dreaming," Tobi said with a smirk.
"Geez, you didn't have to hit me so hard."
"No, but I felt like it. Keep you from getting a big head."
"Riiight," Satou said rubbing the back of his skull. "Is there anyone you're interested in asking out?"
(Snort) "Me? No way," Tobi answered quickly. "I'm way too busy anyhow."
"Busy? You? Come on, I've know you since we were seven. How are you too busy?"
"I've got…things I need to take care of…" Tobi said trailing off.
"Uh-huh, 'things'," Satou rolled his eyes. "What about that Midoriya girl? I know you keep looking at her."
"Only because I'm trying to find the right angle to photograph her," he said a little too quickly.
They passed by the public bath, where a homeless man sat on the curb muttering to himself. "Dem flahin' people, ah tell ya. Der effryware. Hypnotize ya, make ya do crazy things. Scrahmble yar braihn."
"Geez, will the city do nothing about that?" Satou said, nodding to the homeless man.
"Well, he's not hurting anyone. Usually just sits somewhere and talks to himself."
"Yeah, but how long until he does attack someone in a drunken stupor? What then?"
Tobi shrugged, "Let the authorities deal with it?"
They rounded a corner and Tobi stopped them in front of an old looking building.
"Alright, here we are. 'Fujiyama's Specialty Repair and More'," Tobi said, presenting the shop like some kind of tour guide.
"This place looks like a dump."
"Oh, it is. Make no mistake. But this is the only place I would go for camera repairs."
"Speaking of which, why don't you just take it to the store you purchased it from? I'm sure they would fix it for a reasonable price," Satou asked raising an eyebrow.
"I don't doubt they would. But what I need fixed, no underpaid store clerk be able to accommodate."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I've done more than a little customization to this device. And this dump of a store is the only place I can possible take it for repairs. At least, without having to go two towns over."
As Satou and Tobi enter the shop, Satou immediately noticed the stench of mildew, air freshener, and one other scent he didn't want to identify. He stifled a sneeze causing his eyes to water.
"Oh, man. What died in here? It smells like my grandmother's taxidermized pet dog," He said. Looking around, the place seemed to resemble a pawn shop more than anything else.
"Knowing this place, probably a rat. Or ten," Tobi made his way to the front counter and banged on it. "Hey, old man Fujiyama! You in here?!"
There was a loud thud and an old man came shuffling to the front room. "Clearly I'm here. Seeing as the 'open' sign is on outside, and the door was unlocked," The man answered in a gruff, irritated voice. Old man Fujiyama looked to be in his seventies, maybe older. He was hunched over, and had an ungainly gait to his walk. His skin had a leathery look to it as if he had been dried out in the sun for too long. The hair on his head was a grey so light it was almost white, and had receded to the point of near baldness. He also had a goatee to match. A bent cigarette dangled from his mouth and a thin band of smoke trailed off the end. He had dark eyes that had seen many things, and bushy eyebrows just above them. A pair of thick glasses were balanced on his nose. Yoshito Fujiyama was the very image of a crotchety old man. Down to the turquoise track suit and sensible shoes he wore. "Oh, well, if it isn't my favorite customer. How can I be of service to you today?" He said to Tobi with an obvious air of disdain.
Tobi proceeded to extract his camera from his bag and handed it to the old man. "I think there's a crack in the lens that I fitted the camera with. Every time I take a picture, there's a weird distortion."
Fujiyama took the camera and unscrewed the lens off. He removed his glasses and out on a pair of crafting glasses, then peered at the machine. "Ah, here we go. It's not a crack, but a scratch. The distortion would be the same though," He said scratching his goatee. "So, what do you want me to do?"
"Uh, I want to do your job and fix it," Tobi said indignantly. "I mean, it shouldn't be too hard if it's just a scratch, right?"
The old man pulled the crafting glasses off his face and put his regular glasses back on. He blinked at Tobi a few times and shook his head. "No, boy, it's not just a scratch. You've got a piece of technology that you had customized yourself. So, the repairs will be different. I think this camera is different from the last one. Which, if I recall, you broke as well."
"For the last time, old man, I didn't break the camera, someone ran into me, making me drop it on the pavement," Tobi fumed trying not to lose his temper. "And, of course this one is different. It's the newest model."
Satou just stood there and watched the exchange happen, unsure what he should be doing. He felt a buzz from his pocket and pulled his phone out.
Mom [Hey where are you?]
Satou [hanging out with Tobi. I'll be home later]
Mom [okay text me when youre on your way home. Love you]
He put his phone away just as Fujiyama was walking to the back muttering something under his breath.
"Everything okay?"
"Ugh, I guess," Tobi grumbled. "Fujiyama says he'll check the back to see if he has a part to fit the camera."
"Is it important or something?"
"Not really," Tobi sighed, rubbing his eyes. "But it can be…difficult to acquire."
Satou looked around the bizarre shop. In addition to several photography cameras, a video camera, a VCR and music player devices, the venue also had other odd assortment of items. A suit samurai armor stood in the corner, old scrolls were sitting on a shelf, and what looked to be an urn, tied shut with many paper tags pasted to the outside, was being used as a paper weight. The store was littered with objects that probably belonged in a museum.
In Shopper's Plaza, Ageha's team continued their patrol of the area. Tsubame called everyone back to the food court to report anything out of the ordinary.
"So, anything to report, devochki?" She asked of them.
"Nada," Ageha answered.
"Nope-a-rooney," Yoshimitsu said energetically.
"No, but, well…" Meimei scratching her head.
"You saw something, yes?"
"I thought I had seen something," Matsuri answered in a soft voice. "But there was nothing. It could have been my imagination."
Tsubame pulled at her bottom lip as she thought. "It could've been someone casting some genjutsu, trying to hide. I'm going to rotate the patrol. Ageha, you and I will take the southern circle; Yoshimitsu, I want you to take the food court; Matsuri, you'll have the north wing; Meimei, will patrol the south wing."
"Roger!" The four girls said in unison, and split off to their respective zones.
Ageha and Tsubame dashed to the southern circle of the Shopper's Plaza. They split up at one side of the area and met back up at the opposite end.
"Anything?" Tsubame asked.
Ageha shook her head. "Do you think she was mistaken?"
Tsubame pulled at her lip, "I don't know. Matsuri is usually on point with these kinds of things. Something feels off, though."
"I agree," Ageha said. "With the incident from yesterday, something does feel quite right."
Meanwhile, in the food court, Yoshimitsu moved 'all sneaky-like', trying to spot anyone or anything suspicious. Several skulls with sinister glowing green eyes and razor-sharp teeth bounced beneath a picnic table. One of them scuttled out into the open and began snapping at people who passed. More skulls hopped out from beneath the table and spat green balls of fire around the place. They hissed and clacked their teeth noisily.
Yoshimitsu saw the escalating situation and called for the rest of her squad. "Guys, get over to the food court," she yelled into her wrist watch. "We've got a problem!"
The other four girls quickly arrived at the scene. "What happened?" Tsubame asked immediately.
"I don't know," Yoshimitsu said franticly. "One minute everything's fine, and the next…" she points to the skulls that were bouncing around the middle of the food court.
"Quick!" Tsubame shouted. "Put up a barrier.
All five girls surrounded the picnic table and made several hand signs. With that, a barrier was erected around the five people, rendering them undetectable from the rest of the shoppers. Even if someone were to approach the area, they would suddenly be stricken with the urge to move away from it.
The hissing and clacking noise from beneath the picnic table became louder. Tsubame motioned to Yoshimitsu, who inched towards the table. With one swift movement, she kicked the table over, revealing a large collection of living skulls. The skulls fell silent at the sudden change in lighting. Several seconds pass, and the girls nervously exchanged glances. A crumpled-up piece of paper blew past in the breeze, and one of the skulls let out a cry that sounded like a strangled scream then spat a fireball. Tsubame quickly responded by producing twin curved sabers and slicing through the green flame. The skulls all scurried forward at an unexpectedly fast pace. The four other girls produced their own weapons; Ageha had a rose vine wrap up her left arm and down her right leg; electricity crackled around Yoshimitsu and two blue pompoms appeared in her hands; Matsuri made a slashing motion with her left hand and a decorated tomahawk was produced; Meimei held her hands up in the air as if she was holding two dinner trays, and two pork-shaped buns appeared. All five girls charged at the throng of living skulls.
In the southern ring of the outlet mall, however, a girl with sandy blonde hair strutted through crowd.
"Like, OMG. She was all like, and I was like, shut up," the girl looked at her freshly manicured nails and sneered. "I think that salon biotch screwed up my manicu-HEY!" she cried out suddenly as someone ran into her. The girl turned to yell at the culprit, but they were already gone, and a paper spell tag was stuck to the girl's back. "Nah, just some rando bumped into me. I know, right. So rude. Uh, hey. Can I call you back? I'm feeling a bit dizzy." The girl's face was flush, and her eyes began to glaze over. "Oh man, what hit me?"
The girl collapsed onto the concrete floor as the spell tag glowed with a menacing red energy. After a second, the girl began to radiate with the same sinister energy.
In the food court, the five kunoichi handled the horde of living skulls. Yoshimitsu leapt up in the air and brought her heel down on a cluster, letting off a shower of stars and electricity on impact. Tsubame shot forward while swiping her sabers horizontally. Meimei flipped and jumped between several skulls before tossing a bun bomb at them. A group of skulls circled Ageha, but she merely smirked and spun around, causing a whirlwind of pink rose petals. Matsuri tossed her tomahawk into the and deftly caught it, which glowed a faint red color. She rushed toward a bunch of skulls and began smacking them with her weapon, causing it to glow brighter, until she finally swung it downward hitting the concrete, creating a small pillar of fire.
"Why-won't-these-things-just-stop?!" Yoshimitsu cried out between back hand springs. She crushed several living skulls beneath her feet, but more just seemed to keep coming.
"I know," Tsubame yelled, side stepping a fireball before dispatching a line of skulls. "I kill one, but ten more take its place. There's no end to this."
Ageha unraveled the rose vine, snatched a skull with it and slammed it into a group of them. "Well, they can't just be coming from nowhere. We need to find the source."
Matsuri smashed her tomahawk into a skull then swung it down, causing a pillar of water to shoot up this time. She stopped when she noticed that the water on the ground was moving toward a cluster of skulls. She followed it, destroying skulls in the process, until she came across a storm drain. Matsuri cleared the storm drain of the skulls that were surrounding it and quickly peered down it. Inside was some kind of pulsating mass that kept spitting out skulls.
"I found the source!" Matsuri cried out to her fellow ninjas.
Tsubame dashed over to the storm drain to investigate. "Whoa! Never seen anything like that before. Hey, Meimei!"
The Chinese girl threw a bomb then turned towards Tsubame.
"Think you can toss a bomb down here?!" the twin tail girl pointed at the storm drain.
Meimei nodded and weaved her way to her leader. "Will this do?" she held up a bun bomb the size of a normal pork bun.
"Yeah, that should be fine."
"Anytime now!" Yoshimitsu cried out, now resorting to punching the living skulls.
Meimei dropped the bomb down the storm drain, and the three girls quickly moved away from it. There was a minor explosion, and a gout of flame shot out of the hole. Tsubame rushed to the drain to make sure the weird mass was eliminated.
"All good," she said, giving a thumb's up.
Back in the southern ring, several people had gathered around the collapsed girl, whispering to each other. Her body started to convulse as it emitted the sinister red energy. One man began reaching out towards her in an effort to help.
"Hey, miss? You alright?"
The girl noticed the people standing around her and sat up. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!" She screamed and the man recoiled in horror. The girl's face had been warped into something monstrous. Her mouth was now a gaping maw with several sharp teeth lining it, and six extra eyes had sprouted around her original two. She stood up and spun around. "WHAT ARE YOU ALL LOOKING AT!"
Right then, the girl stopped convulsing, and the red energy condensed around her like a cocoon. It shuddered and then a creature from one's nightmares burst forth. The girl had transformed into an enormous ten feet tall human-spider hybrid. The abdomen was black with glowing red streaks running across it. Eight long, spindly legs jut out from underneath, ending in razor sharp blades. The human portion of the spider monster had sickening white skin, her hands had transformed into black claws with glowing red tips. The monster let out a deafening shriek.
The five shinobi finished cleaning up the rest of the living skulls and dissolved the barrier. "Well, that takes care of that." Tsubame said clapping her hands together.
At that moment, they heard a blood curdling scream and then cries of terror from multiple people.
"What was that?" Yoshimitsu wondered aloud.
They all dashed to the southern half of the Shopper's Plaza to find the giant spider monster. It swiped at people and let out a horrifying shriek.
"Any suggestions?" Meimei said.
"Like what?" Tsubame answered. "We've never dealt with giant human-spider monsters before."