Chapter 44: Pier 16 (Part 11)

Natsume Amadare knew what a hangover felt like. She also knew what a cocaine crash, bad trip and schizophrenic panic attack as a result of hallucinogenic injections felt like. As a point of contact for a fair amount of underworld dealings - the Underworld part was sometimes literal - she was intimately familiar with the effects and aftereffects of a wide range of substances, either as a result of interrogations or as a matter of fitting in with her chosen target.

Yet despite a plethora of experiences both good and bad she could never remember feeling so utterly exhausted, confused, achey yet simultaneously satisfied all at once, as if she had spent days doing nothing but cross-country marathons followed by eating and drinking her fill before falling into a coma.

"What…what happened?"

Slowly letting her gaze drift to the side she was greeted by the rather bewildering image of the notorious criminal Kuroka Toujou dozing in a chair right alongside her junior, Mai Nanase.

Clearly she had missed something if her subordinate was so peacefully resting right alongside a dangerous bounty. Letting her eyes drift closed once more she desperately tried to remember just what had occurred before she woke up in such a completely unknown scenario.

The mission…that's right. She had met with a Surveyor and Kairi alongside a number of other allies, they had investigated evidence of the unknown connection between Nomad and the Old Satan Faction, she had been captured by Creusery and the Incubus King, then…then what?

The Taimanin winced, her skull suddenly aching horrifically as images and sensations flashed in rapid succession, one after the other as she tried to make sense of it all.

Floating in a tube, watching a body - her body - rise up to meet the neck it had once been attached to, pain and euphoria combined into one medley of insanity, a large and demonic visage violating her again and again and again-

-Natsume shot upright, breath hitched and eyes wide as she realized with no shortage of horror that she had been captured during the course of the mission, subjected to interrogation and who knows how long isolation? What might she have given away and never known? Were her allies and comrades in any danger or-

"Welcome back to the land of the living, nya~!"

Blankly staring at the Yokai's face as Mai stirred from where she was resting Natsume calmly recited a few lines of poetry inside her head, grabbed her finger and gave a sharp yank as the joint separated with a muted POP!

"N-Natsume?! What's going, are you alright?!"

Lips briefly quirking at her now awake and panicking junior Natsume dully stared at her mangled digit, distantly responding, "Not to worry, that was just a test to see if I was trapped in an illusion or altered space of some kind. Memorized code words and a sharp jolt of pain tend to be good at dispelling such effects."

She offered the pair a humorless smile.

"Either this is reality or the illusion is strong enough that such methods won't work."

While Mai seemed crestfallen but nonetheless understanding of her senior's predicament Kuroka just rolled her eyes, complaining, "Geez, you black ops types are something else. Gimme the hand."

Wordlessly offering the damaged appendage Natsume was barely aware of the Yokai using some kind of mystic art to slot it back into place, soothing warmth replacing sharp pain.

"Geez, Cayman really did fuck your brains out if you're pulling stunts like this. Speaking of…"

Briefly wondering why Mai's face turned a deep shade of crimson at the comment she was spared further confusion as one of Kuroka's tails flicked a crumpled wrapper to a bed besides hers, the Yokai announcing, "Hey, up at em', sex machine~! Your sleeping beauty is awake."

A grumble that resembled an upset bear emanated from the mattress, blankets being tossed aside and revealing a blurry-eyed Cayman as he complained, "And this sleeping beauty needs his. Can't it wait?"

A tender moment passed, Natsume staring wide-eyed at the man as he confusedly asked, "Err…why is she staring at me like that?"

Any and all reservation about whether the world around her was real had faded the moment she laid eyes on the Surveyor she had briefly met, the Taimanin's heart pounding and body warming as his verdant eyes met her widened own, memory and sensation returning in a rush of heat as she remembered everything he had done to her, the wondrous euphoria and lust that had cleansed whatever debased and corrupted 'love' that had afflicted her mind settling over her like a comforting blanket.

She found she didn't mind the rare and unusual blush that adorned her skin, Cayman seeming to catch on to that fact as he offered her a knowing grin, nonetheless coming off as earnest as he said, "It's good to have you back with us, Natsume."

Forcing herself not to feel like a giddy schoolgirl at those simple words - the Taimanin quickly realizing that the Surveyor must have done something to her mind with that strange technique of his - she nonetheless smiled and responded with, "It's good to be back, although I imagine there is a great deal of information and events I need to be caught up on. How long was I absent?"

"Not any longer than a month. And you'd be a hundred percent correct that a lot has occurred since Creusery and the incubus King absconded with your head."

Frowning at the implication Natsume suddenly started, worriedly asking, "What of Gosha Academy? Has anything happened to it after my capture?"

Mai spoke up, reassuring her with, "I personally informed Principal Asagi of what occurred and she took steps to mitigate the fallout, although I'm sure she will be happy to have you back in the fold once more."

Relaxing slightly at her comrade's words she allowed caution to wane in favor of curiosity, asking Cayman, "What manner of technique did you use upon me? While memory of my time under the Incubus King's sway is hazy I distinctly remember you being able to eliminate it and free me, something that to my knowledge hasn't occurred in a very long time indeed."

Shrugging in an indifferent manner - as if pushing back an incredibly pervasive and lingering technique was of no consequence whatsoever - he explained, "Suffice to say it's a tantric based ability not entirely dissimilar to the Incubus King's, although I'd like to think it's a bit more pure and enjoyable than his."

Allowing a small smile to adorn her lips Natsume bemusedly replied, "It certainly felt that way. So in short you fucked me back to proper health."

"Eh, more or less."

"And fuck was it hot. I should have gotten a recording of it, nya!"

"Give me a few days to recharge and I'll give you a firsthand taste, Kuroka."

Mai - red to the tips of her ears - quickly interjected with, "D-do we not have other topics to discuss at the moment?"

Cayman smirked at the younger Taimanin's reaction, nonetheless relenting as he said, "Fair enough. Take a moment to get cleaned up and eat something if you want, Mai can set up a line to Gosha Academy and you can get into contact with them and figure out what your next step is."

Accepting the offer with clear relief in her demeanor Natsume made to leave her bed-

-and halted, a disquieting thought manifesting within her mind.

Was this brain still her original one? Asagi had a number of memetic commands and phrases that had been hypnotically implanted into her subconsciousness specifically for situations like this but if her brain had been altered or changed…was she even herself even more? And what if additional alterations had been performed?

Forcing herself to take a calming breath the Taimanin sternly reminded herself that there was no point in worrying about something currently out of her control, the truth would be revealed in due time. Instead she turned to the bleary eyed Surveyor as he knuckled sleep away from his eyes, smiling as a quiet warmth seemed to do away with most of her fears.

"It seems I owe you a tremendous debt, Cayman Lute. Not only did you lead a rescue of me from a situation that would have brought great harm to my comrades but you also managed to do away with the malevolent influence of the Incubus King, despite the difficulty of such a task."

"Eh, it was no biggie."

He paused, seeming to consider those words.

"Okay, well maybe it was a biggie but seeing as how it fucked over our nominal enemies as well as increasing out own strength it was an all around win win."

He flopped back down onto the bed as if his strings had been cut, mumbling, "Wake me up when breakfast is served. I ain't cooking this morning."

"Then breakfast won't be served, heh heh~!"

Mustering up the effort to scowl at Kuroka for about a second Cayman promptly buried his face in blankets once more, Natsume slowly rising from the bed on stiff legs as she hugged the provided bathrobe tighter around her, Mai watching her progress closely while Kuroka teased, "Come on now, can't have you smelling like jizz when you say hi to everyone, to the baths we go~!"

Belatedly realizing that she did smell rather unpleasant Natsume agreed with a nod, rising to her momentarily unsteady feet as Mai moved forward to assist, the older Taimanin favoring her junior with a grateful nod as Kuroka led the way out of the room, tails swaying behind her as the robe-clad woman curiously mused, "I did not think to find a supposed criminal with quite the considerable bounty on her head working in seeming harmony with one of my own. Although considering the dearth of odd individuals Cayman worked with even before my capture I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at that."

The black cat snickered, affectionately patting Mai's head as the younger Taimanin pushed her away with a mild look of irritation as the Yokai happily explained, "I've been giving her and the blondy some tips and tricks when it comes to fighting. The young and earnest ones are always so adorable and eager."

"You're not much older than Yumi and I."

"I'm old enough, nya~!"

The white-haired girl evidently decided to ignore the deflection as she turned to Natsume, begrudgingly explaining, "Kuroka and her sister have been somewhat useful in teaching a friend and myself on occasion. Even if they are very unprofessional."

"Better unprofessional than sealed up tighter than a super glued clam."

Watching the interaction with some amusement Natsume considered the fact that while she had only briefly worked with the younger Taimanin it was clear she had begun loosening up from the by the book rigidity she'd previously sported, calming down slightly and no longer insisting on a persona of cold efficiency.

"Well then I appreciate you looking after her, it's important for those still in the early stages of their careers to gain as much experience and knowledge as possible."

"Well, what can I say? I guess I'm just good at looking after little sister types, aren't I?"

Mai smoothly smacked away a hand that had been snaking forward to pinch her cheek, now openly displaying the slightly petulant scowl she'd gained from interacting with the Yokai as said Yokai pushed open a door, displaying a simple but nonetheless nicely spaced communal bath complete with large tub and few stalls around the perimeter, Mai reading Natsume's expression and inquisitive head tilt before explaining, "Most rooms have a personal bathroom, this is merely adjacent to the gym."

"Perhaps I should ask where we are, in that case."

"A big ol' warehouse the guy converted into a base of operations in a sort of isolated but not really part of the docks. It's a pretty cozy setup, nya."

The older woman nodded, flipping a nozzle and shucking her robe as hot water immediately began pouring into one of the booths, a collection of cheap but serviceable shampoos, conditioners and body washes available for her choosing as Mai hurriedly stated, "I will be in the main room if you need me, setting up a line of contact with Gosha," before quickly leaving the washroom.

"She's a shy one, isn't she?"

"Assuming nothing has changed in the time I've been away she was never a highly sociable sort, that includes topics such as intimacy or other pastimes. I also see that you aren't in any particular hurry to leave."

Glancing at Kuroka even as she gratefully let warm water and comforting pressure massage her skin Natsume noticed that the raven-haired woman wasn't even bothering to pretend not to check her out, disrobing in the process before occupying the shower next to hers while languidly explaining, "I'm still kinda a sticky mess after watching what Cayman did to you. Hey, did it feel as good as it looked?"

"It sounds as if he was willing to give you a firsthand experience, perhaps you should take him up on the offer?"

Natsume smiled, allowing a sultry tone to color her words.

"After all, I wouldn't want to spoil it."

"Heh heh, I get the feeling you and I are going to get along just fine."

"I feel something similar…why don't you begin with how you came to be in Cayman's employ?"

While she may have only now gotten back into the swing of things one thing the Taimanin was certain of was that people like Kuroka were never upfront with their true desires, always keeping their cards close to their chests…and seeing as how she owed Cayman a great deal the least she could do was discover if the Nekoshou sisters had any kind of hidden agenda that would conflict with his.

+90 REP, +10 AFC with Natsume Amadare [10/100]

"Damn. That's quite the boost, certainly nothing to sneeze at. I wonder if I'd get that same kind of increase if I used [Tantric Rejuvenation] on other people or most of that boost comes from the fact that I rescued her from mind slavery."

Slipping on a fresh shirt after getting out of the shower Cayman sighed in bliss as Till rubbed tiny circles onto his neck, working out the kinks and other knots that had formed as he mumbled, "Thanks for this like always, Princess. Who knew a few days of fighting, fucking headhunting and bloodsucking with only scattered naps and meals inbetween could leave a man so drained?"

"You're still feeling tired?"

"I'm probably going to be feeling tired for several days to come. This has been a bit of a rollercoaster from start to finish and I don't think we're quite over the finish line yet."

"Maybe you should just go on a vacation and let things sort themselves out~!"

He chuckled at the idea, joking, "Inbetween Felicia, Natsume, the Yokai sisters and the Demon Trio with Rin thrown into the mix for good measure letting things sort themselves out will require a cleanup crew for the next several days."

"Ugh, you're probably right."

"Actually I might need to start taking into account the fact that all of these steadily increasing AFCs and the rest could lead to friction or worse. So far there hasn't been any signs of midnight jealousy murders and Till is totally on my side but is that going to remain the case? So far everyone's beef has been personality driven rather than based on their romantic pursuits but who knows how long that will last?"

The Surveyor quickly shook his head, resigning himself to just keeping a careful eye on things before contemplating the idea of a vacation as it honestly sounded pretty enticing.

He'd had precious little opportunity to really explore the place outside of Tokyo - and even then it was just a few of the surrounding districts - and was hyper curious what sort of diversions and means of entertainment would exist in a world like this one. After all, when multiple realms and acts of magic coincided into one unified mess he imagined Disneyland would look like a bargain bin in comparison.

"Thanks again for the massage, Till. You feel like eating anything in particular? My treat."

"I think everyone is going to be pretty hungry, not just me. Our schedules have been all over the place and they've mostly been eating leftovers or whatever ready made meals you bought while you were busy."

"What am, everyone's stay at home wife?"

The Fairy giggled, chirping, "You do make a pretty nice spread, Cayman."

"Great. Guess I volunteered myself for that role or we all go hungry, huh? Stir fry it is."

"Yes~! I'll go let everyone know!"

Till zoomed away as the Surveyor shook his head, musing, "Well at least it's nice to be appreciated," before he began collecting ingredients for what was sure to be a number of hungry mouths.

"Here we are, you have everything set up, Mai?"

"Yes, we need only begin the call."

Cayman graciously gestured with his hand, the pale-haired Taimanin inputting a long URL into one of the computers he had scattered about the place in order to facilitate a secure connection with Gosha Academy, Natsume seated between the younger woman and Cayman as he watched from the side, curious to see what the final result of the coming dialogue between their newest rescuee and Asagi would be…that and he was curious to finally see the flagship ninja herself. It was already interesting to see formerly 2D characters in real world rendering, getting to meet one of the more popular ones was just icing on the cake.

"There, we should be hearing from the principal in just a moment."

Natsume nodded at Mai's comment, the elder Taimanin seeming calm and composed but Cayman was able to spot the way her fingers nervously clenched the hem of her skirt, the woman having to borrow one of Yumi's outfits for the moment as she no doubt expected all kinds of consequences and fallout from her capture.

"Maybe I should buy a collection of gym clothes and other expandable stuff just for situations like these, since they seem to be happening a lot."

He allowed a mildly perverted smirk to color his features.

"Or maybe a bunch of body stockings. NowTHAT would be a feast for the eyes."

"Odd, usually the Principal is the definition of punctual…"

Snapping back to reality as Natsume gave the still connecting webpage a furrowed brow Cayman posed, "Well she's a busy woman, give it a minute. See, there it goes."

The page finished loading, bringing them to what looked like a bog standard voice chat page…and only a busy symbol, the same dull tones repeating over and over.

"Called it, she's busy. Why don't you…just…"

Brow furrowing as both women stared at the screen with growing expressions of apprehension he resignedly asked, "Alright, what's the latest bit of bad news?"

"That tone is code we learn during classes…Gosha Academy is under attack."

The Surveyor blinked, eventually heaving a sigh that nothing could ever be simple in this universe.

"Would you stop making doe eyes at those things?"

"But they're just so cool…"

Fighting back the urge to mock her friend for so perfectly exemplifying the stereotypical schoolgirl gawking over some shiny doodad Jinglei followed Yukikaze's gaze as she fawned and cooed towards a pair of admittedly nasty looking pistols that looked as if some mad scientist had crossed a super redhawk with a Christian metal band, both oversized guns sporting white and black color schemes and loaded with enough religious iconography and edgy designs to make any Goth wannabe cream themselves.

'Angel Clipper', as they had been labeled when retrieved from a Magus Sealing Designate who had apparently decided to dabble in firearms to lethal effect. The things were still under the testing and experimentation phase with only limited field use thus far.

"And speaking of limited field use…"

"Hey, hasn't my application been approved yet?!"

"You were first in line when we got those things, Mizuki. But inbetween your missions and make up classes you slipped out of the top billet, if I make exceptions for you now I'm going to start having to make exceptions for everyone."

"But, but…I'm the best dual-wielder in the academy! Who else is going to properly put those beauties through their paces?!"

"The other Taimanin who put their names down directly after you. Stop giving me grief over rules I didn't make or I'm punting you to the bottom of the list."

Yukikaze grumbled but relented nonetheless, the scarred and burly quartermaster rolling his eyes before getting back to looking after the extensive collection of weapons, armors and artifacts he was in charge of as Jinglei could no longer hold back a smirk, teasing, "So did you get your way?"

"Shut up, I don't make fun of you when you get told no."

"You absolutely do. And what's so special about these things anyway? Aren't your weapons custom made to compliment your abilities?"

"Yeah, they help me channel my powers without frying everyone nearby but these are special. They can absorb ambient energy in order to create and fire specially produced Holy or Demonic energy. Oh, and did I mention that ambient energy includes Taima particles~? I'm basically a walking factory of bullets for these things!"

Sighing in defeat as her mentally deranged friend seemed excited to handle highly dangerous and experimental technology Jinglei instead performed a final few stretches and acrobatics, nodding in satisfaction that her suit was in prime condition before heading to the changing rooms-

BOOM!

-and immediately leapt into action as a terrific explosion rocked the academy, wails of emergency sirens starting up a second later as they grabbed their equipment of choice.

Explosions weren't that rare in an academy of ninjas that wielded Extranatural abilities. An explosion of that size and power along with the alarms going off was a pretty solid indication that things had flown off the rails rather swiftly.

"C'mon, let's head outside!"

The armorer was already on the phone and receiving orders which left the pair of Taimanin free to do as they wanted, both rushing outside and grimacing at the carnage that was immediately visible. One of the outer supply sheds where gym equipment and cleaning supplies were stored had gone up in a massive plume of smoke while the sounds of gunfire, spellcraft and general din of combat sounded off in the distance as enormous arrays of runic formations hovered overhead, the academy's more esoteric defenses - installed by a few trusted allies - at full power as roars and hisses quickly joined the fray, the academy's trained defense beasts rushing to join the melee.

"Weird, the defenses are all intact and the guard beasts are rushing in from every angle so they weren't attacked before everything kicked off…did these creeps teleport in or something?"

"Who cares, let's just charge in and show these assholes what happens when they try to get fancy with their strats!"

"Would it kill you to stop and think for once? Who has anything to gain by sneaking past all of our protections only to blow up a storage shed and - if the sounds are any indication - get slaughtered by all the guards and faculty? There's another angle to this, Yukikaze."

"Well fine then, Miss Intelligence! If you're so smart why don't you figure out where this supposed other attack is coming from!"

Resisting the urge to smack the Lightning Taimanin Jinglei instead narrowed her eyes, gazing around the area as she tried to spot if anything was out of the ordinary…and pointed towards a slim, almost unnoticeable gap in the barrier as she stated, "That's a textbook escape route, opposite of where the commotion is and hard to spot at first glance. Come on, let's keep an eye on it."

"Ugh, fine…hopefully I get the chance to use these or I'm going to be pissed at you, Su!"

"Use what-or for the love of!"

Hefting the Angel Clippers in her hands the Chinese Taimanin complained, "When did you get the chance to grab those?!"

"When the guy wasn't looking. C'mon, let's hurry!"

Sighing in resignation Jinglei nonetheless raced after her comrade, already resigned to the fact that she was going to be carrying her home in a stretcher when those weapons inevitably backfired and injured or crippled her.

It was even more surprising that the pink-haired Taimanin had been so on the spot with her assumption as the sound of rustling grass and leaves briefly matched their own, both Taimanin skidding to a halt as the other group did as well, sticking to cover behind the various trees and shrubbery as the pair of young woman met each other's eyes, Jinglei silently motioning with her hand their game plan.

She would lead and draw fire, Yukikaze would finish them off. Nice and simple.

The former intelligence officer took a slow breath, focusing on where she'd last heard the opposing party-

-and took off at a dead sprint, fists flaring with ebon Dragon fire as she rounded a tree and got a brief glimpse of their targets, just now preparing to respond to their moves at a frantic and delayed pace. Two Succubus and an Injuu, its tentacles already rushing to assault her as she swung her arm in a knife strike, burning the flesh to ash and further closing the distance as the more humanoid women unfurled their bat-like wings and took to the air in a bid to escape their assault.

A poor decision as Yukikaze let loose with her newfound weapon, white-tinged blasts of what Jinglei guessed was Holy Lightning striking one of the Succubus and turning her to drifting motes of soot and embers as the other panicked, releasing some kind of pink haze across the area that caused the Taimanin's will to briefly weaken, her lips parting and tongue salivating-

-before Draconic fury and iron will dispelled the lustful effects in less than a second, the girl coiling her legs to pursue the fleeing Succubus who she now noticed was carrying something hefty tucked under her arm, only stopping when instincts had her leap to the side, lips pursing in annoyance as the Injuu all but launched itself at her in a whirlwind of grasping flesh and amorous intent, obviously having been driven berserk by the Succubus' aura.

"Give me…a clear shot!"

Jinglei nodded at Yukikaze's strained words-

-and almost found herself entangled in the Demon's grasp as she caught sight of her partner collapsed against a tree, sweating from every pore and grabbing her head in evident pain.

"Dammit, it's those alterations Under Eden made to her!"

No doubt exacerbated by the Succubus spell or intrinsic power, Jinglei figured. But she could worry about her friend as soon as she got rid of the rampaging Demon currently trying to turn her into its personal sleeve of choice, dancing away from its winding appendages and allowing Yukikaze a clear line of fire, the Lightning Taimanin feeding some kind of black and pink-tinged energy into the more demonic looking Angel-Clipper before pulling the trigger and launching a condensed sphere of blackness into the unsuspecting Injuu.

Which promptly burst into fast disintegrating chunks of flesh and guts, whatever corrosive energy it had been struck by working fast. It also afforded the Taimanin the chance to race after the escaped Succubus, fighting back the urge to check on her ally. Despite her immaturity and brashness Yukikaze was tough as nails, she'd be fine until she could perform a more thorough examination.

Unfortunately a short sprint through the forest revealed that the Succubus who had fled was long gone, slipping past the hole in the barrier and even going so far as to seal it shut, leaving the trail cold as the girl scowled in frustration, checking the perimeter only long enough to confirm there was nothing left behind before running back to check on Yukikaze. And what she found didn't exactly fill her with reassurance.

"You look terrible."

"Thanks, I hadn't noticed."

Dry swallowing one of her emergency medicines Yukikaze looked as if she'd been put through the wringer, hair matted over her face and chest heaving for air as her limbs trembled uncontrollably. Angel-Clippers long having slipped from her grasp.

"I might have overused these things a bit."

"I told you to be careful. And what was that last round you fired, it didn't look like one you've used before."

"Well since it was the more evil looking one I figured I could use that lust state the Succubus put me in to power it more effectively. Turns out I was right although it was, uh…draining."

Jinglei shook her head in a sort of fond disbelief at how ridiculous her roommate could act, replying, "Well I guess I'm going to have to carry you back. And unfortunately one of them got away before I could chase them down, whatever they came for they likely got it."

"Shit. Nice to know I feel like garbage for nothing."

Rolling her eyes the pink-haired Taimanin placed her comrade on her back, raising an eyebrow as Yukikaze moaned briefly.

"W-watch where you touch, still a bit sensitive over here!"

"Stop being so self-conscious, we need to hurry back and let everyone know what happened, it sounds like the battle is over."

Jinglei grimaced as she began running back as fast as she could.

"I bet whatever it is will have to do with Cayman. Call it an intelligence officer's gut feeling."

"I don't take sucker bets."