"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The woman who went by the infamous title The Nanny slowly paced back and forth with her hands on her hips. Her shoes clicked distinctively with each step she took.
Standing in front of her, MACE and Gurin all kept their hands up while being stripped of their belongings. Not that they had much lien wise, but their weapons could fetch a hefty price on the black market.
Letting out a small sound of annoyance as the green hoodie she wore was taken, Cheyenne narrowed her eyes at the child who folded it up. "You better be careful with that."
"Why? Is it magic?" He let out in a snarky tone before tossing Kagami's hoodie into the pile of stolen items.
If only he knew.
"I'm going to kill a child." Kris hissed as her headphones were taken. "I'm really, really going to kill a child."
"Don't even think about it." Elise shot her a glare before glancing at a young girl. "Why are you doing this though?"
The girl didn't even reply. Instead, she kept on walking.
Noticing a distant look in the girl's eyes, Kagami quickly glanced around and at the other children. It was like part of them wasn't even there. Like they were moving on someone else's auto pilot.
"So do you and your friends normally get in trouble like this?" Gurin whispered as she leaned over. "Should I just poof us away real quick or something? Well... I've never done more than two people."
Blinking once, the jadette's eyes grew wide. She had placed a few pieces together. Specifically the reason why this woman was called The Nanny. Glancing at her younger sister, a rush of adrenaline shot through her along with her insides twisting into knots.
Nannies were always good at making children listen.
"No! No, Gurin! Teleport now and go home!" She shouted while twisting around on her feet. Things had escalated out of her control.
The rest of her team all jumped at the sound of their leader shouting panicky. It was very unlike her. Glancing up, the young Monomane girl blinked. She gave her older sister a confused expression before softly shrugging. She was always told to go home when the fun began.
"You. Will. Stay. Here." The Nanny spoke with emphasis and a sinister smile. Seeing the younger jadette relax her shoulders, she softly began to snicker. "All. Of. You. Will. Stay." Her eyes narrowed.
With Gurin quietly listening without any sort of resistance, Kagami, Elise and Cheyenne all glanced around confused. They each waited for something, but nothing seemed to happen. Not to them at least.
Grimacing, Kris let out a sharp sound of pain. Reaching up, she placed both her hands on her head. "Ah... hah... wh-what the..." She clenched her jaw tight while closing her eyes. A loud thumping began to repeat over and over in her head followed by the same command to stay over and over.
Noticing this, The Nanny sighed. "Oh, disappointing. You're getting too told." She waved her hand before walking back to her makeshift throne. "Kill. Them." She paused for a moment then looked back at Gurin. "Kill. Your. Older. Sister." Her smile twisted.
"G-Guys..." Kris' voice shook. Hearing the words that were spoken, the pounding in her head grew louder. Dropping to one knee, she held onto her head tighter. "I-I... I got a really bad headache..." She hissed.
Seeing dozens of kids approaching, Kagami held out a hand to her two other friends. "Protect Kris! I'll-" She grunted a bit and stumbled as someone latched onto her back with her arms around her neck. In a blink of an eye, she disappeared.
"K-Kagami!" Elise held out a hand before slouching a little. With wide eyes, she eyed the redhead who was curled up from a headache and then looked up at Cheyenne. "So um..."
Slowly turning around, the Faunus gulped while standing back to back against her friend. The children around them were coming closer and with a terrifying look in their eyes. "Well uh, we could..." She trailed off a little before sighing. "Just dodge a lot. And keep them off Kris."
"Great." The brunet rolled her eyes. Placing a hand on Kris' shoulder, she inhaled. "Hold your breath." She mumbled before the two of them dodged away in a burst of smoke to avoid a child lunging at them.
"Well, do you have a better idea?!" Cheyenne shot her a glare as she jumped between several others who tried to grab at her.
"Plans are what Kagami does!" Elise grumbled as she helped Kris dodge away in another burst of smoke. "I do things impulsively and have luck on my side!"
"Kagami... Kagami! That's it!" The Faunus exclaimed with a smile.
"Huh...?" She blinked back while raising an eyebrow.
Dodging a few punches from a child, Cheyenne took a step back before leaping over another. Landing on her feet, she ran ahead and slipped to the side of a group before skidding to a stop beside her friends. "Her semblance." She whispered while keeping her head low. "It should be able to stop whatever that woman is doing. They don't seem like themselves. Like there's lights on but nobody's home. Like when Sanguine brainwashed Kagami."
"And she used her semblance to stop her the first time she tried." Elise's face lit up a little. "That's genius! You're a genius, Chey!"
"Except Kagami got poofed..." Kris groaned as she glanced up. With one eye closed, she tried her best to stand. Growling, she glared at the children coming closer. "How about... I just kick... all of their..." She groaned louder and stayed on her knees.
Glancing down at her, the farm girl sighed. "You know, it's probably best that you have this headache." She grabbed her shoulder as they both dashed away in smoke.
"I wonder why that is..." Cheyenne thought to herself once again before jumping back to avoid a child who swung a baseball bat. Rolling her eyes, she sharply exhaled. "Wonderful."
Stumbling as she was teleported away, Kagami gritted her teeth and quickly glanced around. She was in a smaller drained pool now but still close enough to hear the shouting of fighting in the other. Taking a few deep breaths, she caught her balance and quickly looked over her shoulder with wide eyes.
Lunging at her, Gurin blankly stared.
"Gurin..." The older jadette held up a hand while quickly stepping back. "Gurin, list-hng!" She grunted as her sister disappeared and a pair of feet slammed into her back. Breathing out, she steadied herself and quickly looked behind her. "Gurin!" She shouted.
Completely ignoring her, the young girl teleported around her while keeping out of her line of sight. Waiting for her chance, she suddenly appeared in front of Kagami. Placing a hand on her chest, she shoved her back before disappearing again.
Stumbling back as she was shoved, she groaned a bit. Feeling something slide under her ankles, her eyes shot wide. Falling back, she grunted loudly as her back struck the floor with a thud. With the wind being knocked from her lungs, she glanced up with a mildly dazed look.
Crouched on the floor with her leg outstretched, Gurin narrowed her eyes. Softly breathing, she disappeared before reappearing in an instant mid air above her sister.
Quickly rolling away. the older jadette pushed herself to her hands and knees while looking over. Seeing her sister's feet land where her head was previously, she sighed and dropped her head. "Mom's so going to kill me..." She jumped up and away to avoid another attack. "I haven't even been home three days and she's already going to kill me!"
Standing up straight. the young girl slowly turned her head to face her. Her gaze locked with her sister's.
Staring for a moment, Kagami furrowed her brow. She knew that look in her sister's eyes. That look of watching yourself move without thinking. That look when you're doing something you don't want to but make no attempt to stop yourself.
Feeling her hands begin to tremble, she clenched her jaw and balled her hands into tight fists. Pushing away the memories of when she nearly killed her friends, she took a very deep breath and closed her eyes. And then she waited.
She didn't even try to fight back this time as she was knocked to the ground. Nor did she when a pair of knees dug into her chest. With a raspy breath, she opened one eye and glanced up.
Kneeling on top of her, Gurin tilted her head slightly before reaching out. Her small fingers wrapping around her sister's neck and squeezing tight.
Despite letting out a small sound, the older jadette didn't even flinch. Calmly reaching up, she placed her left hand on the side of her sister's head. Closing both her eyes once again, she relaxed. As a glow began to come from her left hand, her glowing tattoos began to form as she used her semblance. The sleeve of her racer jacket burned away into ash.
Feeling the fingers around her neck loosen, she softly exhaled while lowering her arm. As she opened her eyes, the glow from her arm faded. Seeing a look of terror rush across her little sister's face, she brought up her right hand and gently placed a hand on her chest. "Shh, sh, it's okay." She nodded a bit. "You don't have to apologize. I understand."
"B-But I..." Gurin slowly pulled away with wide eyes. Her knees were buckling just as much as her hands were trembling. "I was... I wanted to..." She trailed off as tears began to swell in her eyes.
"I know, I know." Kagami sighed as she got up. Stepping over, she knelt down in front of her. "I'm not used to having little kids around. It's just been my friends and I for a while." She took a deep breath and leaned in. "I'm sorry, but right now a bunch of kids and my friends need help." She placed a hand on her shoulder. "How much have you practiced using your Monomane gift?"
With a twisted smile, The Nanny sat on her throne as she watched Cheyenne endlessly try to avoid being hit while Elise struggled to keep both Kris and herself out of harm's way.
She ran the most perfect syndicate anyone could think of. No one would ever suspect a mere child of being a thief. Even if someone did, her mindless slaves could easily brush it off with their age. And if someone was smart enough to figure it all out, they wouldn't dare harm any of the children involved. All she had to do was send the children after them. It was perfect and she was benefiting greatly from it all. She couldn't ask for more in all honesty.
With a satisfied breath, she leaned back. She was already thinking of places to hide the bodies. Suddenly, her train of thought was interrupted by a sharp stabbing pain. Wincing, she jerked forward before glaring behind her. "What..." She trailed off. Somehow, one of her connections felt like it was severed.
"Ding dong." Kagami let out a quiet chuckle while standing on the other side of her.
Whipping her head around, The Nanny jumped to her feet and snarled.
Smiling, the jadette lightly waved her hand. Her tea green eyes were a shade darker than usual. "Distraction." She winked before suddenly disappearing in a blink of an eye.
"What!?" The woman shouted before quickly twisting her body around.
"Kagami!" Cheyenne shouted while jumping over a child. Looking around, she tried to find her leader. "I have an idea! Your semblance!"
"Already on it!" The jadette smiled at her while sliding behind a young boy. Her long hair wrapped around her body as she came to a stop. Grabbing his shoulder with her left hand, she closed her eyes.
Appearing beside both Kris and Elise, Gurin shakily smiled. "Hi." She waved her hand before reaching out. Much like her sister, her eyes were a shade darker as well. Breathing in, she very slowly exhaled while placing her hand on the redhead's back. As she closed her eyes, glowing marks appeared on her left arm.
With her headache fading, Kris let out a heavy huff and relaxed. "Oh gods..." She dropped her arms and lowered her head. With her mind finally clearing up, she could once again hear her own thoughts. And they weren't all good. "I'm going to kill her." She jerked her head up and glared at the woman behind all of this.
Glaring back, The Nanny grimaced as another strike of pain shot through her skull. Then another. Clenching her jaw, she growled as she stepped forward. "Why you-" She hissed while closing both her eyes as pain shot through her again.
"Heh." Kagami smiled at her as she teleported behind another child under her control. Touching the young girl's back, she closed her eyes and breathed out. Using her semblance, she purified her mind and removed the connection between the child and the woman. As she finished, she teleported away and behind another. Her sister did the same until there was no one else under The Nany's control.
Dropping to one knee as the last connection she held was cut, the woman clenched her jaw and grimaced. Pain was shooting through her head in a throbbing sensation now. As she closed her eyes, her brow twitched tremendously. "You... damn..." She slowly pushed herself up with weak and trembling limbs. "Every. One. Kill-" Grunting loudly, she was cut off as the heel of Kris' shoe struck the side of her head.
"That's for the headache, bitch!" The redhead snapped. Her shoulders rose and fell with each breath she took. Watching the woman fall to the ground and her aura shatter, she spun around on her feet and walked over towards the horde pile. Grumbling loudly, she snatched her wallet back up. "Bitch." She mumbled.
Panting softly, Kagami glanced around as her eyes went back to normal. The rest of the children all seemed dazed as they started to quietly speak to one another. Eyeing her sister, she walked over and knelt down beside her. "You good?"
Sitting on the floor, Gurin had her hands on her knees. Breathing heavily, she glanced up with a small nod. "Y-Yeah..." She nodded some more. As her eyes went back to normal, her aura flickered from overuse.
Smiling softly, she stood back up while holding out a hand towards her younger sister. "You did really well. I'm proud of you."
"Really...?" The young girl tilted her head. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her hand. She softly grunted as she was helped back up to her feet.
"Really." The older jadette nodded before stumbling back as her hoodie and sword was thrown at her face.
"You can talk all nice later!" Kris snapped as she slid her dual weapons onto her back. "I'd like to leave before I really do commit murder!"
"Okay, maybe take a few deep breaths." Cheyenne gently placed her hands on the redhead's shoulders.
"Well she... seems angry." Gurin blinked while lightly rubbing her arms.
Noticing this, Kagami glanced down at her hoodie before holding it out towards her. "Yeah. She has a short temper."
Smiling softly, the younger jadette reached out and grabbed the hoodie. Sliding it on over her head, she pulled it down. The sleeves were long enough to completely cover her hands.
"So what do we do now?" Elise asked while helping a boy steady himself. Looking over, she eyed the Nanny as she stumbled to her feet. "You know, you have to be one sick twisted person to do what you did." She pointed while taking a step in her direction. "Seriously! You mind controlled children! Children! To do crimes!"
"They're the ones... with underdeveloped brains." The woman groaned while rubbing her head. "Exploiting weaknesses for your own gain is hardly terrible. People do it all the time in fights." She cheekily smiled.
"They are KIDS!" Kris turned around to glare at her. "How are you just completely okay with that?!"
The Nanny shrugged. "If it works, don't break it." She fixed her clothes and patted the wrinkles out of them. "Now if you don't mind." She narrowed her eyes into a glare. "You five are going to hear from-"
"How long have I been here!?" A young girl interrupted her. Pure panic filled her voice.
"The things... I've done..." A boy looked at his hands with wide eyes.
"Do my parents know where I am??"
"I want to go home!"
"I was playing at the park. How did I get here?!"
"You made us do all those things for you!!" A teenage boy pointed at the overweight woman.
Going to intervene, Kagami held up a hand towards the crowd of children who were growing angry. She went to speak only for no words to escape her mouth as she watched all of them charge at the woman.
"Um...?" Elise took a step towards her friends and blinked.
Letting out a scream, The Nanny thrashed around as she was pulled to her hands and knees by the group. Soon, her body disappeared in a pile of children who were all clawing at her. Her pleading cries were falling into deaf ears as MACE and Gurin all watched in a mix of shock and horror.
Reaching out, Kagami clenched her jaw while placing her hand over her little sister's eyes. Still equally disturbed, Kris began to grin a little. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her scroll to record. Sighing softly, Cheyenne moved a hand over to gently push it down. It was time to leave.