*A/N: It isn't decided whether or not this story will remain as a single relationship or add more to them, acting as a trio-kind or harem. I don't enjoy writing harem, but depending on the development I might decide whether or not it could end up that way. Thank you for reading and for the small views I've received.
End on the note.
Far outside the reach of any teleportation spell or clairvoyance, the lair of certain powerful beings continued to expand indefinitely. A humongous female demon, a classy lady with a yukata, and a block of a monster all seemed to hangout around a strange and shiny dark orb.
"So it was a success?" The tall figure questioned the short lady as she looked down to the floor, apparently reminiscing.
The dark, purple haired girl kneeling in front of the orb only nodded in response, humming to herself deep in thought.
In essence, corrupting someone already damned in the head like the ninja they had chosen as subject, wasn't that much of a success. The dark matter they induced in the Azuma's water only seemed to work weeks after the initial incubation, and it had taken a huge amount of effort and resources to get it to its final stages. Only after an already agitated matter of superiority and clan disagreement, and a little unlucky factors from the newest member of their enemy corporation, did the final curse begun to explode. All of this just for the damned commander to send the curse away in a single swift.
The girl in dark attire sighed before raising herself from the ground. It was no use. Unless they could find a way to gather anger and distort rage faster, there was no way they could use this new spell with guaranteed consistency.
Even then, the dark eyed girl was happy with the results. The corps were on the tip of their toes, chaos was spreading and their return was loudly announced, this time causing just as much disturbance.
"Jaku'un" She muttered and from out of nowhere a dark and slim shade appeared, "I need you to drop more of this on the corp's water supplies. The only way to progress with the experiment is to try it out on people with minds hard to actually persuade..." After a brief moment, she shook her head denial, "Although...too much experimenting may give out what we're trying to do here..." She took a vial of dark liquid out from her attire and stared at it.
The creature remained still, awaiting orders.
"Never mind, we'll need a clearer target before we can proceed. It's clear the commander will start taking more precautions. A stupid slip and we may lose all the progress we've made so far" The creature in return sighed, not content with remaining useless.
"For the time being, how about I create some distractions?" It suggested, bringing a smile up into the master's face.
"That could work, good idea" She praised the god-monster, and on a finger snap, it disappeared once again, melting within the floor.
The tall, well-built woman next to her frowned.
"Are we still staying cross armed? I don't think Jaku'un can take on the enemy with that ungodly woman still on the battlefield" She argued, but the woman in question remained unfazed.
"Whatever happens, he won't die, unlike-, well, unlike you know who" At the mention of their earlier loss, the giant woman grimaced again. She hadn't expected the death of her companion to affect her this much, but it still bit the back of her brain from time to time, "We need to divert the attention away from our main goal for the time being, and if having Jaku'un on the battlefield is the distraction we need, then so be it"
"But Shikoku-" The shorter girl glared back at her friend, immediately shutting her up.
"I won't allow any more casualties, you don't have to worry about him" Shikoku promised, anger quickly leaving her, "No mistakes will be committed, I-" The woman clenched her fist, her sharp nails digging into her skin. Were she a mere human, her hand would've been bleeding by then, "We will take revenge" She seethed, orbs shining brightly, "That's final"
The giant girl nodded, satisfied. Shikoku could be the brains of their family, but it still caught her off-guard whenever she acted beyond herself, berating them. Deep inside, Jouryuu knew that the death of Kuusetsu had bothered her the most, and it had been plenty of weeks before the shorter girl even showed herself to any of the other gods. She took fault of it, even if that couldn't be farther from the truth. Had Kuusetsu not been so reckless, she'd still be there with them.
Still, with another tear down her cheek, Jouryuu mourned the death of their dear friend.
—
"And this is my bathroom. You are free to use it whenever you like...no need to knock if I'm showering either"
The 5th unit's captain and the newest janitor of the Magical Elite Corps found themselves inside a clean, nitty room on top of one of the fanciest dorms available inside the HQ. The walls were green, windows on all four of them, and a beautiful king sized bed in the middle. There were two closets on both ends of the room, and even though there was a mirror and a dressing table, none of them displayed any personal items. It was clear the room wasn't used for anything else than quick visits from the chief herself, a thing which ticked off both Yakumo and Roku Denki.
"Well, you will need to knock when I'm using it, Chief" The dark haired boy stayed a distance away, sitting on a wooden chair next to the dressing table, and waited patiently as Yakumo Ezo took her time touring him around her designated room. It was at least four times bigger than his own, but with a bit of hope, he hoped that'd change before he had to move rooms once again.
His stuff had already been placed on a corner of the room (His idea) and both a towel and dark pajamas were sitting next to him, as his own body begged for a shower and quality soap. Going from average income to imprisoned had personally attacked Roku on a hygienic level, but now he was relieved to at least have a bathroom available.
"Fine, I'm just sayin~" The slim girl floated back to her humongous bed, "It's right handle for warm water, left for cold. Knock yourself out, Roku-chin" Out of apparently nowhere, she pulled out a small laptop and sat upright in the bed, stretching before turning the thing on.
Roku already knew heads of all units usually had daily paperwork to fulfill and issues to resolve within their members, but still, seeing Yakumo taking something with due seriousness was kinda off putting. Not wanting to disturb her though, he just stood up, cracked his neck and went inside the bathroom.
The place had a distinctive smell of lavender and soap, the same one the captain brandished wherever she went. The tub was wide and deep, cozy from just the look of it. Various scent options available to choose from and with a smart button a click away from filling the entire thing in less than a minute.
This is way too over my head He thought, sweat dropping. Reaching the handle behind him, he frowned, "This thing doesn't have a lock" He voiced his complains and only received snickering as a reply, forcing Roku to roll his eyes.
After a minute of wariness, he decided Yakumo couldn't possibly be that much of an airhead and peek on him, and with utmost care, he started removing his clothes. He'd make the bath quick and simple; zero chances taken.
One click and the tub started filling up, letting vapor go up to the roof and making Roku exhale in delight.
"Now this is what I was looking for..." He muttered to himself, allowing a little smile.
One foot inside then another one, and finally he found well deserved peace.
I still wanna go back home... Roku's eyes were looking straight to the ceiling, lost in thought. He missed his friends. And his younger brother. His guitar and what used to be his job. Nothing too fancy, merely a warehouse manager, sometimes even a deliverer. He missed volunteering, helping others...what he missed the most-,
A knot started forming in his throat and he coughed it away. That could wait, maybe for another day. He had a reason to be there, and after meeting a few people who actually gave a damn about him, he had somewhere to place his hopes in. Even Yakumo, or rather thanks to her and the blonde chief, he could actually see himself trying to hold to the job.
"Everything cool?" The aforementioned predator of a woman took the boy out of his train of thought. He had overstayed inside the tub, the wrinkles forming in his fingers a clear indication.
"Yeah, no problem. I'll get out in a second" He replied back , faking himself into normality and lifting his body up with a hand on the edge of the tub. Once his eyes scanned the room though, he cringed internally.
He had forgotten his clothes and towel.
"Uh..." He gulped, no way to skip this issue. Either he walked outside naked or asked Yakumo for help, taking a chance or not she wouldn't bother him more than needed.
He nodded to himself. The captain of the 5th unit could be a mature person if requested. No need to feel threatened.
"I'm sorry chief, I may need a bit of help here..." Almost immediately he could hear ruffling and feet rushing. He couldn't help but chuckle.
"What's up!?" She asked behind the door, already full alert. He was her top source of entertainment at that moment, he already knew that since the beginning.
Roku placed a hand on the door's handle, keeping it in place just for safety.
"I...left my stuff out on the chair, can I ask you to get it for me?" He inquired, half expecting for her to deny just to see him walk outside naked to retrieve his stuff. No need, he'd first wear his dirty clothes back on than doing that.
"No worries, I got it here already. I'm going in!" He felt the door push slightly and thanked the lord he had taken precautions.
To his surprise, the door didn't budge much. He had half expected to find himself on the ground from some sort of overwhelming strength, but the thing just moved forward and his own strength was enough to stop it.
"It's okay, just leave them in front of the door, I'll pick them up and get changed" He fought back and smiled once he felt no forcing from her part. Yakumo could be a lot of things, but at least Roku knew he could trust her on stuff like this. Mira, or rather one of her clones, had warned him back when they got attacked about Yakumo's antics, but so far he had seen none in action against him.
"Mm, fine!" He could even hear her pout, "I told you, no need to be so uptight around me, we're friends, aight!?" She concluded before placing the clothes in front of the door.
Roku could only laugh in return.
"Friends don't attempt to peek at their friends when enjoying a shower!" He attacked back and heard her pfft in return.
"Don't sweat the details" The purple haired chief replied before jumping back onto the bed, resuming her duties.
Roku took the chance, swiftly opened the door and retrieved the clothes, only showing his bare arm as he took hold of them.
Finally, without much issue, he slipped into sleeping wear and used his dirty shirt as a holder for all his other clothes. Dark pants and dark sleeve shirt, he emerged from the bathroom to find Yakumo still sitting on the center of her huge bed, typing away on a laptop.
He walked up to the chair he had been sitting on before and placed his clothes on it, before reaching for his huge backpack. The shuffle of stuff inside made Yakumo lift her eyes up with curiosity. Like she guessed though, Roku just took out a pack of cigarettes. It seemed like he had noticed the windows of her room lead to an open roofing area. It was tiles, but still solid enough to walk on (She already tested that)
"Thanks for the shower, Chief" He mentioned as he approached the nearest window, "I'll go out for a bit, if that's okay" Opening the window, he was met with nothingness. For the live of him, he hadn't realize the Mato zone had absolutely zero pleasant air circling. Almost like a death zone.
"Might join you...after finishing this" She muttered between tasks and reports, and Roku just nodded in return. He had no issue spending some time alone.
The moon was-, well, it was nowhere to be seen. Instead there was a dark hole where the moon used to be, almost like a parallel version of the normal world, but not even stars were on display. The sky, empty. It felt a little strange to smoke out there.
"Shit" Reaching into his pocket, the janitor realized he had left his zippo back in there. Sigh, this would take twice the effort for something stupid like smoking. Still, Roku knew at the end he'd need a hit and go back if he ignored the itch now, so with a frown he started walking back to the room.
Not announcing himself, he walked into the place through the window. To his dismay, he was met with the slim and fit bare naked back of the 5th unit's captain. She was apparently changing into comfier clothes or getting ready to take a shower. On either case, his breath hitched and immediately he turned around to look at nothing in specific, hoping the earth literally swallowed him whole.
Yakumo, of course, noticed.
"Ha! What were you saying?" The hyper woman skipped through the air, not once caring about her naked torso. Her hands placed themselves on both of his shoulders and even though Roku wasn't facing her in the slightest, she could see his reddened ears, "Something about friends not peeking on each other!?" Her grin was reaching from ear to ear. Devilish eyes closing mischievously.
"Look, it was a mistake. You...uh, you know I wouldn't do this" The dark haired boy defended himself, staying solidly in place against Yakumo's efforts to make him turn around and face her. If she were to use actual strength she may have been able to turn him, but for now he was safe, "And for the record, I'm sorry"
He knew deep down, she was only taking the chance to jest.
"Oh I'm not mad, Roku-chin" She patted the back of his head, "But if you wanted some candy you could've just asked" She added, embarrassing the guy further. She knew it was a mistake, but she'd take her time messing with him.
"I didn't... I just forgot my zippo, I wanted to have a smoke" Clearly Roku wasn't going to bend, "I just saw your back, nothing else. Don't worry, I'll be more careful now" Yakumo immediately pouted. This had backfire on her.
"Roku...I'm seriously not mad, I don't care about people seeing me in the nude, I've never had that issue" Mostly because it's only been women in here, she thought. Still she took a step back and gave him space. "You can turn around and look, I won't give a fuck. Trust me!" She tried. The guy could only sweat drop in reply.
"But it's me that doesn't like that, chief" He tried, and then went back on his words, "I mean, it's not that I don't like it...I-, fuck. Ok. Look, let's just move on, it was my mistake. I'll just get my lighter and be on the roof, okay?" At the end, he managed to regain posture. Slowly he started walking towards the chair without really even lifting his eyes a little, and the 5th chief just remained silent, wondering if pushing farther would jeopardize their friendship or if he was just trying too hard to be a gentleman. Then the question at the back of her head ringed again, asking herself, what was she aiming for with all the teasing?
With no clue found, she put her top back on her and shook her head to clear her mind.
"Relax, Roku-chin" She claimed, "I'm wearing something now. We cool now?" Quickly his eyes returned back to hers as he rummaged around the military bag.
"We were never not cool" The girl beamed at his words and once again took flight to give him a quick hug. Even expecting it, the crash almost took out the guy's air from his precious lungs,
Roku only reciprocated with some pats on her back before pushing her away like he always did.
Lighter in hand, he went on with his shenanigans.
Now with an excited Yakumo right behind him.
—
Ren Yamashiro found herself in her office, up to the temple with reports regarding behavior, requests for either repairs or construction, and a stand by clone of Mira in case anything happened while the others kept watch. On one of her sides were the reports and requests, and on the other, papers with names of those she already planned on designating for their newest security team. And on the middle of her desk, a card that made her dread the day entirely.
Fubuki is paying us a visit. She could only exhale in return. Admittedly, the head of the Azuma clan could be a pain in the ass even for someone like her. Her vocal ability, comprehension of position and overall authority had her bounded to whatever she pleased to say, moreso after the fiasco that had occurred a night prior. The ninja girl was already stable and healing, but Yakumo's wind did far more than just break an arm. It also affected muscle tissue and nerves, and those took longer to heal, even with their advanced healing mechanisms and peaches. For once in her life she had learned of a physical attack as disruptive as the wind user's, and could only wonder how much did the pervert of a woman actually held back during unit competitions.
The rumor that she could obliterate the entirety of Tokyo on a whim didn't sound so distant anymore.
Something ticked within Ren.
"Now where the hell is that damned Janitor!?" She screeched into the air, smacking the table and jump-scaring Mira's clone simultaneously. She remembered clearly ordering him to present himself at her office, and being already past seven in the morning, she found no excuses forgivable.
"W-Well, let's remember staff begins operations at eight-"
"I don't care! He's no-" But he was. Actually he was their newest staff. What was going on with her, spitting bullshit since yesterday? The paranoia was bringing her to exhaustion..., "Just..., I'll see just what is he up to..." She didn't care whether or not he could detect her sight. If he was sleeping, that was fine. Maybe Yakumo had done something with him. To be completely honest, she didn't give a damn.
Using her universal sight, she found the Janitor right where she had expected him...not to be.
"Why are you cooking so early in the morning, Roku-chin?" She already knew that Yakumo Ezo was half a bird in more ways than one, and waking up early was only one of her many traits. But she didn't expect to see the janitor being one for those antics as well. Less so when his shift started in more or less than an hour. In the kitchen, cooking who knows what on big amounts. Perhaps he did read his document with activities. Leaving breakfast ready for staff to deliver was only one of those tasks.
"Well, I need to visit the commander, and I wanted to leave this ready for the healing center. I bet they haven't blinked an eye since last night's events" Ren could only blink twice in return, perplexed, "On another note, why are you here, captain? I'm merely a helper, you could've slept a bit longer..." The guys eyes seemed slightly exhausted. Had they not rested yesterday? The dark haired girl's mind started running. Did they...?
"I couldn't sleep! I'd have rested better if you had shared the bed with me instead of bringing that ugly futon out" Ren knew she was joking, but knowing any other man would probably take an arm off to be with an elite corps member, let alone a unit's captain, she was continuously shocked at the new member's behavior. By all means, he wasn't a beast like the other member they had.
She watched the rest of their bickering and used it as a distraction from the dread that was inevitably coming to her in a few hours, until once again Roku picked up her stare, this time strangely turning around to look at her right in the eye, as if he knew from which exact angle she was spying on them. She completely stopped afterwards.
This didn't scare her (not that anything would). Any decent peach user could know they were being watched via spells or incantation. But to think a newbie no-name would have the natural instinct to do such things as well...
Ren Yamashiro found herself suddenly...interested.
Very interested.
30 minutes later.
A knock on the door.
"You may come inside!" The commander yelled, having devoted herself to solve most requests and reports she had in her desk after being found out again by that janitor's gaze, so much that she had forgotten about their incoming briefing session.
The guy had managed to finish breakfast plus change attires for something more fitting to walk in front of her. She'd give him props for that. But she had not expected to see a full plate of fruits, bread, well-made eggs and a small piece of warm steak included with the guy. He was no kitchen staffer, and still he had brought this with him to her office.
Her stomach made a sound, but she'd never admit that.
"Greetings, commander. I hope your morning has gone well so far" Even his mannerisms were running accordingly, with zero room left to her to complain. She could detect Yakumo's presence right outside the door. Did she not wanna come in, or did the Janitor ask her not to disturb them?, "I thought you'd like some breakfast, but if that's not the case I can bring it to someone else after the brief-, oh" His eyes interrupted him, looking towards Mira's clone. Ren herself had forgotten she was there with her the entire time. "Good morning, 2nd unit's chief! I didn't see you there. I hope you're doing well. Good work on keeping a watch out, we managed to catch a glimpse of one of your clones last night patrolling around the gardens" Ren noticed the way his demeanor changed once again. She could accept that. The blonde chief had always been friendly with anyone deemed worthy, and establishing a friendship with the janitor wasn't too far sighted.
"Ou! Good morning, buddy. Hope you managed to catch some sleep last night!" The hearty girl, albeit a clone, still held her usual energetic self even after a night of no sleep whatsoever. The dark boy offered only a nod, before returning his sharp gaze back to the commander.
It was maybe the first time a man ever looked at her as directly as Roku did.
"Let's focus on what happened last night, shall we? What can you tell me, Roku Denki?" She ordered, entering full business mode. The lives of everyone involved were at stake if a miasma of evil like that ever went unnoticed by, and they needed to act quickly if they wanted to catch the 8 gods by surprise.
Mira held her surprise. Never had she ever seen the commander talk to a man through full name basis.
"Yes, ma'am" Roku took her hand gesture as an indication and placed the plates on her desk, only after she magically lifted and removed most of the papers on her desk. If Roku had thought of her as lazy or over confident, the mountains of paperwork showed how dedicated the woman actually was.
Immediately the commander picked up some toast as she let the janitor speak, occasionally picking some eggs or meat as she deemed satisfactory.
"The ninja..."
"That would be Homare Azuma to you, Roku Denki" The boy merely nodded in response.
"She seemed off since the beginning of the day, right there at the table meeting where you introduced me, commander" Ren in return lifted an eyebrow, inquiring him to continue, "She was twitchy all over, like an anxious kid before Christmas time. I didn't think any of it before, since I face anxiety at times as well, but maybe for someone of the Azuma clan it would be very much different" And it was, really. The Azuma were trained to never show emotion unless necessary, Himari and her sister an exception of course. Behaving on official meetings was at their core an obligation, even if the new head of the clan went a little more lenient on it than the last leader.
Roku cracked his neck and continued.
"She also had no actual reason to attack me. Don't get me wrong, I've faced gender abuse my entire life; but repercussions are big against those that practice them; I'd imagine the consequences to be far greater if practiced somewhere as important as the Mato Forces Headquarters" Ren couldn't help but smile with pride.
"And you'd be correct about that, young janitor. We don't tolerate abuse on this facility. She was going to face some infringement be it from my hand or the head of her clan after the second chief's report either way" Mira nodded, humming proudly.
"If I may-" Roku tried, but a lifted hand from the dark haired girl interrupted him.
"You don't have to worry, all repercussions have been lifted off. We all understand why, correct?"
"Yes, commander" His small smile told her he was happy with that answer, "Going back into topic" His eyes again turned that serious sharp gaze they brandished, probably since birth, "She was definitely paranoid, commander. At no moment had I disrespected Homare Azuma, yet I found myself on the floor after a mere piece of oxygen left my mouth. People can be mean and cruel. But to jeopardize the reputation of such a prestigious clan, only to attack a mere janitor? To me, it made no sense" Without even realizing it, both Ren and Mira kept nodding at the statements the janitor presented. The commander had to admit it. It was like talking to a younger Fubuki Azuma. Zero none sense, straight to business. Cordial. Powerful. Standing his ground. Ren would have to check the expedient later, but she'd bet the guy had some kind of military upbringing...
Then again, militia or any related to it were off limits on their request for a man made towards the government. Internally, the commander frowned.
Who was this man?
"Even then, I didn't think something was terribly off..." Ren was about to sigh, "Until revisiting the memory, that is" Roku fixed his neck once again and continued, "I know I'm not one to make requests, but don't you happen to own a picture of Homare Azuma? One that isn't recent, if possible" He didn't need to ask twice. No ego was allowed when it came to critical matters.
In a mere snap of a finger, a small book starting floating from her humongous library to her desk, automatically scrolling until it stopped on a certain page, hundreds of sheets away from first one.
"This is Homare Azuma a year ago, winner of her unit's usual clan clash ritual" Ren stated, hand placed on top of the picture to add emphasis, "I'm hoping this is enough." But Roku didn't answer. His frowned face did the talking.
"It's just what I was afraid of, head master" The janitor stood up and approached both the commander and the book, leaning in so closely that both of their foreheads were inches apart. None of them cared. Their eyes were glued to the picture.
Roku placed a finger right below the blue haired girl's lips, making a point.
"The Homare Azuma introduced to me had especially darker lips. In fact, at the night of the event, I could see dark veins around her hidden eye, the one that is parched even on this picture. Not noticeable, but definitely there. Same could be said about their lips. Subtle dark veins, slightly darker skin...and one more thing" He took a step back, giving the commander space, "A familiar smell. One you find in exotic zoos around the country, reptile section"
Ren Yamashiro frowned.
"Snakes" The dark haired girl finished the sentence, clenching her fists. This was, then, very clearly a certain shuuki god's work. Shikoku. The bane of Ren Yamashiro's existence. Roku merely nodded, eyes so stern that the commander felt as if he shared her own worries, even without knowing the exact details.
The room fell silent for the both of them, as she tried compiling the information to form a plan to counter attack. Her worries kept attacking her focus though. For how long have they been at this?, How many are infected, if any at all? She couldn't think straight. If this was a distraction, then what were they aiming for? If this was the main attack, then why have they been hiding for the last three months? Ren kept forming ideas as her hand and mouth absently ate the rest of the grapes the janitor brought her.
Until a continuous clap of hands took them out of their trance.
"Wow! That's insane! You managed to pick up that much from two second encounters, buddy?" They both had forgotten Mira's clone was still very present and listening, "You have my utmost respect, I've known Homare Azuma for years and never noticed this. To be honest, I thought this was merely a change of style!" She laughed. Her hearty laugh lightening the stiffened mood that had embraced the room.
To Ren's surprise, Roku immediately left his current state of sharp seriousness to chuckle back at the blonde girl.
"I'm just doing my part. I can't kill Shuuki, can't cast spells, can't heal. If I could do anything to stop more people from suffering the way Homare Azuma did that night, I'd do so in an instant" The dark haired girl's eyes opened up slightly. She felt something she had never felt before, in her entire years of continuously breaking expectations and setting new worldwide records. Not from her parents, nor her teachers or her underlings.
Towards a mere powerless man, she had finally felt inherent and entirely well-deserved respect.
She couldn't muster words. There was no way to describe it...is this what Tenka meant, when she talked about newly found emotions? Respect...she had never-
"Well, let me change that, if Ren here allows it" The blonde girl once again kicked her out of her train of thought, "Meet me at the gardens, afternoon-," She placed a hand on top of her upper arm, flexing it and showcasing clean and pure muscle, "I will train you" A toothy grin. Endless enthusiasm. Stary eyes. Ren knew it better than anyone here, except probably Kyouka...
This was Mira Kamiunten at her finest.
Roku, for the first time in the commander's eyes, looked completely caught off guard. Eyes wide open, mouth agape. Somehow Ren fell glad the guy could actually react like this.
Trying to reply back, a door sliding open interrupted all three of them. A hyper energy bursting into the room in a way all of them knew was familiar.
"WHAAAT!?" Yakumo Ezo, chief of the 5th unit, perhaps in her most uncontrollable state, "You're training who!?" She pounced, attempting to attack (trap into entangling arms) a still shocked Roku Denki. A snap of a finger, and she found herself lifted into thin air.
Ren could be amicable and relaxed. But-,
"No disorder inside my office" She stated, voice so cold it sent shivers down the poor skin girl's spine. Roku merely nodded, knowing full well this wasn't directed at him, but rather at the ball of energy behind him.
Yakumo laughed sheepishly and scratched her ear, apologizing. Satisfied, Ren dropped her back on the floor.
"And regarding your sudden and unreported offer..."She directed her gaze and voice towards Mira's clone, who froze on her own feet, fear embracing her, "...I shall allow it, we'll look into the details later today", Yakumo beamed once again, this time really squeezing the life out of Roku, who kept pondering in retaliation what would be of himself now, having to do janitor duties PLUS training.
Whatever it be, if it meant comrades like this three, he wouldn't complain.
—
"For the last time, I don't think you could train me in any way or form, Chief" Yakumo and Roku were walking back to their room, one because they needed to change clothes into cleaner mode, and the other one merely following, bored.
"Well, you will need give me a right argument, otherwise I will help you. And that's an order" The purple haired woman was adamant on participating in the training sessions. She wanted to help her friend as much as possible. But when mentioned around the commander and the 2nd unit's captain, they both had laughed heartedly. Even Ren, who sometimes looked like a stone cold figure. Roku had just sheepishly scratched his ear and turned around, not really saying anything, further infuriating her. Why couldn't she help with his training? She was a unit's captain and proudly one of the strongest there was, no questions asked.
Roku sighing wasn't a sign that she liked, less so when he stopped to look at her with that gaze that both froze Yakumo on her feet and pierced her soul.
"If I voice my thoughts, will you get mad?" He asked, immediately receiving plenty of no's as a reply. Roku merely leaned on a wall around the hallway and frowned for a second, "Listen, Chief...you can be there for us and spar with us, no questions asked. But helping me with more than that would be crazy. The reason for that being your own relationship with your peach's blessing" Yakumo's eyes opened a little, surprised at his reply, "You float around endlessly, use the sky and winds to your everyday movement and desires. In fact, nobody I've met so far other than the commander uses their powers the way you do. You flow with them, you carry things with them, make them help you with meaningless chores. You are one with the wind; both in personality and in reality. I don't-, I cannot hope to ever have that kind of power, no matter the circumstances" Yakumo wanted to object but for the life of her couldn't find the words for it. As she had already learned, what Roku said had only truth in it. She couldn't even fathom a life without her blessing anymore.
Roku continued.
"I like the enthusiasm. I like the fact you care, 'cuz really, not many people in this world do, let alone women" For the first time, the dark haired boy initiated contact with her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
It felt strangely good for some reason.
"But I think it's better to leave it to someone who could only relay on their blessing once they became strong enough for it to count, Chief" He concluded, not once skipping a beat. She hadn't really thought about that in such a way, but it made sense. Sure she was very flexible and almost a contortionist, even without her blessing, but the slim girl didn't think that would really help Roku much.
Feeling defeated, she nodded twice his way.
"That's...fine" she managed, "I guess you're right" And really, she had known him for two days, and Roku had never been on the wrong so far. Looking up, she met his gaze and for once it wasn't serious or sharp, but soft and understanding. She felt a little taken aback.
"So are we cool?" He quietly asked the purple haired girl, immediately reigniting her energy and cheerful expression. What!? This was never a fight.
"We were never not cool!" Yakumo used the exact same words he did last night, grinning from ear to ear. She'd give it to him, Roku had a way with words she hadn't witnessed before, and most of the time had her within the palm of his hand. She didn't mind, "But I'm still joining you all for a session. I'll ask Mira how I can help you, I'm not physically as strong as her but I betcha' I have a trick or two I can show you, Roku-chin" The 5th unit's chief wanted to squeeze him once again, but fought against the desire. She'd have time later, and Roku's hand was still laying on her shoulder. She felt jolts of electricity coming just from that simple touch.
"Sure. But it's still a bit before the meeting. For now, I got some places to clean, and I wouldn't wanna bother you" Roku left and continued his walk towards the chief's designated room, if only to retrieve his cleaning clothes. Yakumo of course followed him suit, not caring.
"I'll help you out. In my unit we take turns to take care of things, since we don't have a caretaker" She flexed her arm, "I'm a nitty cleaner even if I may not look like it" Roku chuckled. If anything, she did look like a good cleaner. Her room for all her antics was always impeccable.
"Let's hope the commander doesn't neck me after knowing I'm having a unit's chief help me out with cleaning duties" Roku exhaled and the wind user merely laughed hard. She knew so long her own duties and paperwork was fulfilled, Ren wouldn't give a damn about what she did.
They reached the room quite quickly after Yakumo picked up the pace, throttling while humming. Roku didn't throttle, but the girl would stop to let him catch up from time to time, making him chuckle internally. The woman was at least his age, but she acted like a younger teenager most of the time. He was sure she had her serious moments, but overall, she seemed quite laid back.
Roku changed just as fast as they got there, wearing now white clothes and a bandana on his head, just like the paper had described. This was the janitors general uniform, and as long as he was working on cleaning duty, he'd need to wear it. Personally, he hated white, and dark-black colors were together squally his go to for anything be it formal or informal. On either case, he was ready...but not before-
"You're going to the roof?" Yakumo was laying on her bed, playing with wind on her hands before she saw Roku opening the window once again.
"Still got time" He declared, shrugging. Yakumo could see him playing with his zippo absently on his other hand, eyes still looking at her.
It took her a second to realize he was waiting for her. Immediately the wind user got on her feet with a single jump, rainbow of a smile on her face. Yes she'd join him. Gladly.
A clint of a sound, flame and then smoke could be seen coming out of the roof top. Finally a bit of a break.
"Mm, you do smoke quite often" Yakumo commented, dangling her feet as she sat at the edge of the roof. Roku wasn't as easy going with heights, instead leaning on the wall next to the window. She always enjoyed the view and taking in the air around. He couldn't relate.
"Yeah, once or twice a day at the very least" He answered with honesty. They had been together for most of the day and also yesterday, so there was no point in hiding it. It may be a bit of an issue, but he wasn't ready to tackle it just yet, "You don't like it?"
"Well...I'm not gonna say I like the fact that you smoke" She turned around, her back facing the edge of the tiles now, not caring whether or not she fell. It gave Roku a bout of anxiety, "It harms you. But I'm not your mom and I bet you already know this. So no, personally it doesn't lessen how I see you" She grinned and he nodded towards her, taking another puff. She had to accept it...the way he inhaled the cigarette and the way he let out the smoke moved something within her. She'd heard girls talking about how hot the late chief Yumeji looked when she smoked. Now Yakumo kind of understood why.
"I can accept that" He smiled half a smile her way, further proving her point. "If you ever mind the smell, let me know. I try to hide it well" And he did. Yakumo had already seen him spray cologne every time he finished smoking, moving and shifting his clothes so a lot of the smell came off. She could also tell it didn't actually remove all of it, but you'd need to be really close to notice.
"Ok! I'll let you know!" In fact, he took out a small bottle and sprayed his neck and sides a bite his cigarette long ago burnt out and stashed, "You want a short cut? My treat" Yakumo offered, wind already forming on one hand.
Roku prepared himself and nodded, still losing a bit of breath when he started levitating.
"Where to, customer!?" The 5th unit's captain played taxi and for once Roku laughed loudly, almost kicking her out of character. He never really laughed much, well, not in the few hours she had got to spend with the guy.
"The Onzen area, need to clean the bathrooms and check temperatures" Roku replied, sighing. Not quite looking forward to cleaning floors and checking vapor, but still ready, "If you may, dear driver" Yakumo beamed before signaling off, playing accordingly. Her wind took them both up into the sky before flying off to where she knew the hot showers were, always setting a speed high enough to be fun for the both of them but not so much that Roku could fear for his life.
Roku still could hardly believe he was flying.
—
Thursday afternoon.
Mira sat down on the grass, meditating in the middle of the grand garden behind the headquarters as she waited patiently. At first, she had been baffled by her clone's actions, volunteering to train the new janitor guy. She didn't hate Roku Denki, but to expect such a change in perspective...if she hadn't heard it from her own clone, she'd have had a hard time believing it. But the commander had allowed it, laid down the paperwork and actually called him for his full name when she briefed Mira. So it could only be true. Seeing Ren so cooperative towards a man was crazy.
A Fire started burning up in her chest. Excited, she clashed her fist with her open palm. She had originally asked for a guy that could fight, not because she thought he'd magically be stronger than her, but because she wanted something unique. The first male trooper of the corps, in her unit. That'd give her an edge against Kyouka, more when her own male member relayed solely on his captain's peach blessing. Roku may not be able to reach lengths the way Yuki's slave form did, nor have flight or incredible power depending on the master. But she could upgrade the guy to his ultimate form. If at least to fight off low level Shuuki or protect staff from monsters or attacks. By
"Ou!" She yelled, increasingly excited, looking around to see if the aforementioned guy was anywhere to be seen. She knew he had tasks to complete, but afternoon had reached, and she wanted to believe he was someone who wouldn't waste other people's time.
A scream of joy on top of her brought the blonde yankee out of her thoughts. Lifting up her eyes to look at they sky, she managed to see two figures falling at dangerous speed.
"YOO MIRAAA" The 2nd's chief could only cringe at the level of hyper energy incoming her way. It was Yakumo Ezo and...
Was that Roku Denki free falling right beside her!?
"This was not a good idea! Not a good idea at all, Chief!" The guy seemed scared out of his mind, falling so fast his cheeks filled up with air comically. If it wasn't for the fear in his eyes, Mira would think he was actually having fun.
In less than a second, with a single hand movement, Yakumo landed safely on the earth whilst slowing down Roku's fall with tremendous mastery. For all her stupidity and perversion, the 5th unit's chief affinity with her blessing far surpassed her own. Roku himself seemed already used to it, landing with both his feet on the ground. Once the chant ended, he still kneeled down the grass, almost kissing it.
"How'd you like that, Roku-chin?" Smug face, jester personality. Somehow the janitor had managed to bring out the real Yakumo Ezo in less than a day.
"Cool. We're never doing it again" The dark haired boy declared, finally standing up and fixing out his clothes. He effectively ignored the wind user's pouts and complains, directing his sharp gaze towards Mira, "2nd unit's captain, it's an honor. I believe your clone already informed you...?"
"Been briefed, buddy" She nodded proudly, "And you can drop the act, I don't enjoy formalities anyhow" She added, gaining a happy nod out of both Roku and Yakumo. "Why are you here, lecherous woman?" She challenged the purple haired girl, who just crossed her arms and faced her.
"I'm here to oversee this training. I know you get too excited at times, and I wouldn't want anything to happen to our newest member!" Roku sweat dropped. She had been practicing this excuse all day long while he cleaned the onzen, so much that he realized she had somehow messed up. She was here to participate, not oversee. Still, he guessed it was good enough of an excuse.
Mira on the other hand twitched with anger.
"Who do you think I am!? I'd never harm any members of the corps. That's finale" She jumped up from her sitting position, tidying up her attire, "If you are here to oversee anything, you might as well join Roku Denki. Whatever you thought we'd be doing; you got one thing wrong" She stomped her foot on the grass, making the earth tremble, "From this moment forward, peach blessing abilities are not allowed"
To her surprise, Yakumo merely nodded in acceptance, almost as if she already knew this was gonna happen. She guessed Roku had already cleared out misconceptions the crazy woman may have regarding training.
With a nod, she continued.
"We'll be having a light spar" Yakumo wanted to complain, but she interrupted her with a hand, "Nothing serious. I'll be going easy on you, Roku Denki. You too for that matter, pervert" The purple haired girl mocked her with a tongue out and a middle finger, but remained quiet.
The blonde woman created clones, one designated for each of them. Suddenly it became clear to Roku why she'd be the best trainer there was. Mira could sustain damage and continuously keep on letting them try new movements and strategies without tiring herself out.
"You got any martial training before, buddy?" She knew the question had been asked before, but the way his eyes looked told Mira and her years of street fighting that, somehow, this guy wasn't cold on the feet. In fact, these were the eyes of someone without a single fear of punches or pain.
Yakumo on the other hand looked slightly panicked, never in her life having fought using only her fists.
"...a little bit" The guy answer, hesitantly. He rolled up his sleeves slowly, the dark long sleeve shirt he wore leaving a lot of hidden messages. Did he use baggy close on purpose?
"My clones die on a single punch, but you'll need to be able to make it hurt before that happens" She smirked, clone readying up, "Hit me once and I'll re-think our choices, you too, Yakumo" The purple haired woman gulped in response. She knew what Mira was capable of doing on one on one fights, her overall gorilla strength and instincts, and had no desire on finding out whether or not she could land a hand on the yankee.
Unlike Yakumo though, Roku remained calm, both fists lifted at a correct distance from each other, eyes focused.
In a flash, the clone sped up, running straight towards the dark haired boy and throwing a right kick straight to the right side of his neck. Roku merely evaded, dropping down before bringing his head back up, not losing his pose. The Yankee could only smile in return. This game would be fun.
A barrage of attacks followed, using all of her arsenal against the boy with fast punches, quick jabs and even leg swipes. To her surprise, most were evaded and some even blocked away. This wasn't her full strength, but apparently he had somewhere learned how to deflect the force of attacks. Roku never aimed to take one full force. In fact, for any punch she threw the guy either tried retaliating or create distance, two of which the clone never allowed. Fifteen minutes of this, and Mira could actually see Yakumo almost done with the fight, dead exhausted.
Even then, the clone continued, not once leaving an open opportunity to actually let the guy counter attack. Until the first fist connected; the force so strong on Roku's cheek that a smack could be heard all throughout the garden and headquarters. It had even pushed the guy a bit to the back, his feet dragging from the power.
For a second, Mira feared the clone had gotten frustrated and actually dealt lasting damage, Yakumo already on the floor and panting but chanting a wind spell with a bit of anger. Her own clone still standing and looking at her smugly (clearly, their spar had been very different that the one in front of them)
A second later, a perplexed yankee stared as her clone turned around and gave her own creator a thumbs up before melting onto the ground and dissipating, revealing a Roku Denki still standing solidly on his feet( even though he was rubbing his very bruised cheek.
"That hurt like a bitch" He declared, spitting some blood before fixing his neck. In an instant the wind user dropped her chant and skipped right towards the guy, scanning him all around to check for injuries. None sustained. She still attempted to squeeze the life out of Roku, to which he only replied with a small smile and a nod, confirming that he was indeed O.K.
"Did...huh?" The Yankee could only cough in confusion, "Did you take that hit on purpose?" She didn't need to ask; her eyes had already understood what just happened. Seeing no opening from her clone, Roku used the only tactic that Mira knew worked agains her, a bad habit back from her thuggish days.
Trading blows.
"I thought you said you couldn't fight!" Yakumo exclaimed,also surprised. Her arm and belly had marks of punches on them, having served more as a punching bag than anything else against Mira's clone. Her eyes stayed glued to the boy in front of her as he successfully evaded most if not all of the attacks the clone had tried on her. It was insane.
"I said I didn't like fighting, not that I couldn't fight" He replied back, earning a mocking tongue in return. Returning his gaze back onto the stunned Yankee, he continued, "Damn, 2nd's Chief. You fight like the guys around the corner of my district, if I can be a little honest" He added, earning a laugh from her part, "Albeit more ferociously and with far more brains. I saw no openings. You are truly a master of your craft" He pointed at his bruised cheek, which continued painfully pulsing. One real hit and Roku probably wouldn't be able to tell day from night for at least a few weeks.
Mira couldn't help but blush at the compliment, turning into her usual stuttering mess when it came to anything different than her job or her hobbies.
"T-Thanks, buddy" She finally regained her composure and fixed her signature hat, "I couldn't believe my eyes. You have a great technique...just who the hell trained you?" Roku's eyes went strangely cold and both chief's noticed, immediately realizing this was a no-go zone for the dark haired guy.
"I...don't like talking about this matters, if you don't mind..." He replied back, eyes averting and looking at anywhere in particular. Yakumo could only frown in response, realizing this was the first time Roku had decided to drop his eyes from anyone's gaze. Mira only nodded with due respect and coughed, trying to lighten up the mood a little.
"No biggie, I was just wondering. You were Perfecto, so much that my clone probably over extended a little bit...I'll take the blame on that one, heh." She laughed sheepishly and Roku nodded in return, "Let's get that checked out, shall we?" She said, noticing Yakumo panting, clearly drained from a merely fifteen minute fight.
"Just a second" The dark haired guy interrupted, hand up in the air. He didn't look as exhausted...or even tired in the slightest, "I need some pointers...the fight was quick but I still need a bit of tips here and there...mostly, I couldn't find clear opening-, I had to take a hit to give you one, and-,..." The boy continued talking, filling Mira with pride and eagerness. This was it. Her first disciple. Finally she'd be able to train someone.
Her fire was turning into a damn volcano.
Without a single moment a doubt she joined the guy, who was always followed by the 5th's chief as if she was his shadow, and exchanged tips and information about the small fight they had, even having Yakumo ask for directions after her humbling initiation.
From the top of the tower straight above them, Ren Yamashiro could be seen leaning on the edge of a window, clearly having spied over the entire exchange the two chief's had around the janitor. With a smile, she nodded to herself and turned around, ready to continue her duties.
Roku Denki.
Clearly an interesting man.
PD. Edited for grammar corrections.
Zexalsaiyan39, thank you for the reviews :)