While walking on the sidewalk to the sanatorium, Naomi heard a gun cock.
"Finally found you scum, this is for betraying the Sumer-agh!" the soldier shouted.
When Naomi turned around, she at least expected to see the man passed out. He was, but permanently. Not only that, but his body was split clean in two, dead center in a pool of his own blood. Some of which made purple spots on the back of Naomi's blue shirt and sleeves.
The blood also caused some dark splotches to appear on the back of her pants while crimson dots could be seen on her boots. Even Naomi's hair showed evidence of the invisible massacre. That's when Naomi remembered Nori's message to her at QUILL.
If you don't come home right now, in the state you're in you can kill someone.
So, Naomi did the only thing she could think of to do in that moment: run. She didn't care if the Sumeragi found her again. She didn't care if she got arrested again either. Or exposed for her multiple Septimal abilities or discriminated by society.
She just knew that she had to get home before she did anything worse. And just as the thought crossed her mind, Naomi stopped. She didn't want to hurt anyone at home. Not her parents, her brother, Nori and certainly not her beloved little sister or Lola.
Or the housekeeper no matter how much her and Nori talked about it. But the faster she got home, the faster a solution could be found and then she wouldn't have to worry. It then began to rain.
My Hydro Pressure must've activated. Great way to hide and protect myself. No smart Sumeragi employee current or otherwise would come out in this weather. But all the employees they have right now are as brainless as jellyfish. I'd better hurry regardless before anything else happens. Naomi thought as she activated her Azure Striker to get home faster.
"Nooriii!" Naomi whimpered as she entered the sanatorium and ran to her favorite maid.
"Did something happen to you on the way here?" Nori theorized.
Naomi nodded as she cried, her face hidden by the side fabric of the top of Nori's uniform.
"Wait, is that blood!? Boss, w-what happened out there!?" Lola shrieked.
The sound of Lola's panicky voice caused Naomi's parents along with Copen and Mytyl to stop what they were doing and inspect the incident.
"It's alright sweetheart, I'm here, everything's going to be okay." Naomi's mother assured as she took over comforting Naomi so Nori could get things set up.
"Where did the blood come from? A Sumeragi spar?" Copen queried.
Naomi sniffled, wiped her nose with her left sleeve and turned to answer her brother.
"After Nori called me, I walked home from the office. As I was an eighth of a mile from here, I sensed a Sumeragi soldier behind me. Reminded me of you, actually. He was about to try and shoot me with his laser gun.
Telling me I was scum and about to die for betraying the Sumeragi. I didn't even move or do anything except breathe. But I heard a thud like a body falling and it sounded like the body fell in a rain puddle. It started raining on the way here so that's what I thought. Maybe he realized who he was up against and passed out from fear." Naomi droned.
"There's no way that a Sumeragi soldier would faint from the mere sight of her." Copen retorted.
"Copen, this is hardly the time." Nori corrected.
Since she finished her perviously given task, Nori was there for minutes before Copen noticed.
"B-but when I turned around, the soldiers body was in a puddle of his own blood. His body was split clean in two, organs and all. I, I, I just want to know what's going on!" Naomi cried.
"It's even worse than I thought, we may have to start the procedure early. Nori, I need you to call Waldo Schaeffer and see if he can contact my old assistant. We may need his help." Dr. Kamizono ordered.
Nori nodded before going downstairs into the basement to call Franz Hopper. Meanwhile, the others were talking at school with no sign of the Adept monitor.
"Has anyone seen Naomi today?" Yumi wondered.
"She was at my house this morning but I haven't seen her afterwards." Aelita answered.
"Hey, I've got an idea!" Odd smiled.
"It doesn't happen to start with four hours of and ends with detention does it?" Ulrich cackled.
"No, maybe Mr. Delmas knows why Naomi isn't here." odd commented.
"That's a good idea actually." Yumi stated.
When they were on break between classes, everyone went to see what happened to Naomi. Jeremy knocked on the secretarys door.
"Come in." Ms. Weber spoke.
the group entered the room.
"Did a girl with white hair and red and orange colored eyes come by today?" Jeremy queried.
"I'm afraid I haven't seen anyone with that appearance. I'll see if Mr. Delmas can tell you anything. Sir, Yumi Ishiyama, Aelita Stones, Ulrich Stern, Odd Della Robbia and Jeremy Belpois are here to ask you something." Ms. Weber answered.
The group entered the principals office and Jeremy talked to Mr. Delmas.
"Is there someone in particular you're looking for?" Mr. Delmas wondered.
"A girl with white hair and red and orange eyes going by the name of Naomi Kamizono hasn't come by your office today? She's a close friend of ours." Jeremy asked.
Mr. Delmas thoughtfully stroked his beard.
"I'm sorry to say but I haven't heard from her recently." Mr. Delmas apologized.
"Thank you sir." Jeremy thanked as he and the others left the building.
Just then, Aelita got a call from her father.
"Naomi's going under for surgery tonight." Franz announced.
"She what!?" Aelita gasped.
"What's wrong princess? You look like you saw Liam Corbet." Odd remarked.
Aelita put the phone on speaker.
"Dr. Kamizono just called me to see if I could reach out to his old assistant. It seems he needs help with Naomi's operation to seal an unstable Septima of hers. It was discovered today and she now has a total of fifteen Septimas. Azure Striker, Angered Explosion, Muse, Metallion, Spiral, Hydro Pressure, Psychokinesis, Gravity, Radiant Fetters, Rebirth, the plant Septima, Hot and Cold, Permafrost, Overclock and the same body rupturing Septima as Ratpor. That's the one that was discovered today." Franz elucidated.
"Is the operation already underway?" Yumi pondered.
"It'll be tonight while Naomi's sleeping, she's already under enough stress from what I've heard." Franz responded.
"Can it be removed?" Aelita asked.
"None of them can be removed. Since the time of the Septimas appearances are unknown." Franz stated.
"What made the Septima known?" Ulrich queried.
"It was found through some blood on a paper from a papercut she obtained. How Naomi figured it out was, well, that appears to be an entirely different way." Franz explained.
"How did she figure it out? Did someone tell her?" Yumi theorized.
She, unfortunately, found out on her own." Franz sighed.
"That sounds bad, what happened?" Aelita asked.
"Naomi was walking home after she received a call from Nori saying she had a volatile Septima that needed to be sealed. And that if she didn't return home in the state she was in Naomi could kill someone. On the way, a Sumeragi soldier caught sight of Naomi. He was about to shoot her from behind when the soldier appeared to be cleaved vertically in two.
It was a clean cut and it happened practically in the blink of an eye. Naomi had blood spots splattered across the back of her hair, shirt, pants and boots. When she turned around Naomi realized what Nori meant." Franz elucidated.
Everyone had panic stricken faces.
"Thank you for letting us know daddy, I'll be home later. I love you." Aelita thanked.
"I love you too seetheart." Franz answered as he ended the call.
"Maybe one of us should try and call Naomi to check on her." Odd suggested.
Yumi dialed Naomi's number as the phone rang. Naomi had Lola on her lap while sitting in her chair facing the door with her head down.
"H-hello?" Naomi stuttered nervously.
"Hey, we heard what happened. Are you okay?" Yumi worried.
"If ya haven't noticed I'm able ta kill someone just by thinkin' it so I don't wanna think 'bout anyone for fear a slicin' 'em in half." Naomi whispered.
"Did you find out the source of the Septima?" Yumi hoped.
Naomi shook her head as she looked at Lola.
"Nothin' yet on that. All I can think a is the Sumeragi implanted it." Naomi guessed.
"Can you let us know what you find out?" Yumi asked.
"I'll call you tomorrow." Naomi confirmed before ending the call.
Naomi put her phone on the desk as she rolled Lola between her hands. Naomi, Copen and Mytyl ate lunch together.
"You want some extra broccoli sis?" Mytyl offered as she pushed a bowl of broccoli towards Naomi who shook her head.
"Can't even think a eatin' righ' now. Here, you can have whatever ya want off my plate. An' a good way ta eat foods ya hate without sufferin' is ta hold your breath. I know it sounds crazy but the air carries scent an' taste molecules or, the point is it works." Naomi commented as she shoved her tray to Mytyl who gladly ate Naomi's sandwich and mini sweet potato pie.
"You have to eat something." Copen remarked.
"Think about, if your EX Weapons were a part of you that you couldn't get rid of no matter how hard you tried, you'd be cool with it right? But the thing is, would you be aight if you suddenly got one without warning and accidentally killed someone withouth meaning to or having to lift a finger? That's it, I'm goin stay with GV an' Joule. I'll be back tomorrow mornin'." Naomi huffed as she went to pick up her phone and call gunvolt.
"You can't leave, dad said you need to stay here tonight so that Septima can get checked out." Copen denied.
"What I need is to get away from it all. A Glaive is a total waste. Wait, where's my gun!?" Naomi added.
The more she looked around for her weapon, the more Naomi worried she lost it. Thinking she knew where it went, Naomi went down to the basement to find it on the table with Nori and her father talking. Naomi stormed over and grabbed it, huffed, walked off and sat down in the top left corner of the room with her legs criss-crossed while hugging her sword-gun hybrid (that was currenlty a sword). Naomi saw khaki pants in her field of vision to the direct left of her.
"The boss would be mad if I got a Glaive, especially my work issued weapon. He'd think I'm working for the Sumeragi." Naomi complained.
"I have to get started working on this, you can call Asimov and tell him. I'm sure he'll understand." Dr. Kamizono notified.
Naomi got up with the sword handle in her left hand, walked over to place it on the table and admitted defeat as she placed it on the workbench. Muttering under her brath how she thought it was dumb, stupid and "a waste of everyones time." After sighing, Naomi set up an audio call with her boss.
"Zeno told me you left earlier for some unknown reason. Can you fill me in on what happened?" Asimov spoke.