tsukinoageshio-blog

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

Returning from checking out the outer most wall with Nana, Tsukino had parted ways with her a few blocks back, continuing her own solemn search for clues diligently; It was only a matter of time however until she heard a beastly howl--it sounded like one that she knew--and followed it to the source: a familiar pair of glasses immediately catching her eye at the end of an alley, waving back at the wearer who had then called out to her. "A-Akio-san!" ---Wait a second. Ahoge-girl? How could she had answered to that so readily? Uh... Was that entirely a good or bad thing? Nicknames were always an affectionate gesture... was he really warming up to her?! Aah.... "Um, y-yes, I'm okay," she huffed, having jogged up to him with an eager expression. "--And Reizuki-kun is too! He just felt that it would be better to split up to gather more information... I just came back from checking out the wall."  She pointed in the direction she had came, really to nothing in particular except the almost black void that seemed to stretch into infinity past the building complexes. "It doesn't even look like it stretches any farther past Yoyogi Park.. I'm not even sure if Aoyama is still okay... I think we're boxed into a very small space within Tokyo. And there's nothing past the barrier, just water...  it's like being trapped in a giant fish bowl of air." She couldn't exactly convey her feelings, still torn over the potential danger for the lives of her parents and neighbors, wondering if, per chance, they were somewhere, in one of the various shelters strewn about for refugees... She wanted to look, but... "Wh-what about you?" Tsukino almost stuttered, trying to distract her thoughts from becoming too unpleasant. "What are you up to all alone? Is Yuuma-san okay?" Akio seemed to be fine for the most part; But that howl? Had he just wrapped up a fight? The ground was scorched here and there too...

day two;; desperate times

"Agi!"

The acrid smell of ash and burning flesh filled the air as the great fireball released from Garm’s maw met its target head-on. The demon—a Waira, according to the summoning app—screamed shrilly as the magical energy ate away at its hide, and lunged forward to slash a massive claw at the hound’s side. Garm moved to leap out of the way, a loud growl escaping it as the Waira’s talons caught its side.

"Don’t stop! Hit it again!" Akio commanded, raising an arm to his face in an attempt to shield himself from the dust and debris flying about as the two remaining demons did battle. The unmoving carcasses of several other monsters littered the otherwise empty lot, some still smoldering.

Since leaving his apartment, Akio had run into a grand total of nine demons—all small fry that had yielded little Macca, but that were good for fighting experience nonetheless…especially for Akio himself.

Because as it turned out, use of magic spells wasn’t limited to just demons; humans could use them, too, and though the most he could manage was a weak Zio at the moment, he had plans to hone that skill and make use of it. He couldn’t rely solely on demons, after all, because demons were just as capable of dying as humans were. If his partners were killed in battle, and he had no way of defending himself…things could get messy. Fast.

Akio slowly lowered his arm from his face when the Waira finally crumpled to the ground, quirking an eyebrow critically as he surveyed the scene. Feh… To think such a weak demon had nearly killed him… It was pathetic.

Garm dismissed itself with a howl, and once his companion had faded from view, the teen slipped his phone back into his pocket. A soft whistle escaped his lips as he ambled easily down an alleyway to the main road, hands stuck casually into his hoodie pocket.

For all intents and purposes, things had been going pretty well for him. Though they weren’t as concentrated in Aoyama as they were in deeper parts of the city, demons continued to spawn; and that was just fine by Akio. It would be trouble if he was jumped by a horde rather than just a few… Hm?

Akio paused at the mouth of the alleyway, squinting slightly down the street. Though this area had been largely abandoned, he could see one person approaching…and given a few seconds, he realized he’d recognize that frilly skirt and those stupid ribbons anywhere. What was her name again…? 

"Oi, Ahoge-girl," he called, a small smirk on his lips as he made his way onto the road. "Still alive, I see. Where’s your little friend? … Is he dead?"

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

"Nana-san..." that sort of powerful resolve really resonated with Tsukino giving her more hope than anything else today. Right, plenty of people were still willing to keep trying, and despite the tragedies that would befall them, they had to keep moving forward to find the answers they needed to get out of here... Though noted, the other's face was somewhat of a mess after that crying spell... "Eheheh, your nose is dripping," with a friendly chuckle, Tsukino pulled out one of her favorite handkerchiefs, the one with the cute pink pattern, and handed it over. She didn't necessarily need it back either; there were a lot more pressing matters than worrying about replacing a collectible cloth. Looking back through the road they came, Tsukino put her hands on her hips, wondering what else there would be to investigate now that the main source lead to nothing but a literal dead end. "Huh... We should probably look around for someone that might now something more about this right?" But the bigger question was, could a person had done this? Or was it the work of demons again? So many mysteries surrounding this bizarre situation; would they ever find out?

Day 2.

Nana’s tears dripped down the side of the invisible barrier along with her sweat and snot. She felt disgustingly exposed like this, and not just because of the fact that she had left herself open for demon attack by standing uselessly against the barrier the way she was. Even the feel of another human’s hand against her back made her want to curl into a ball and hide.

Would her mother really be happy that she was okay? Or did she curse her luck as she drowned, that she’d died because she had to leave home early every morning to support herself and her daughter? Not that she’d ever know the truth.

She was truly and completely alone now. If she were to be struck down right here, no one in the world would mourn her. Her father had been dead for some time now, her mother drowned in the destruction of the world, and the gang she’d once called family had abandoned her years ago. Even Kanon had shoved her away in the aftermath of that event. She didn’t even know if Kanon was still alive, and she realized she didn’t want to know.

Why? She kept revisiting that word. She always found herself visiting it in the face of death. Why had the world ended like this? Why had some god or demon flooded their world? Why had everyone been killed so easily, without a chance to resist? Why had her mother been killed so senselessly? Why, why, why, why, why?!

She heard Tsukino’s words somewhere, muffled by cotton as they were. She couldn’t give up. No. She wouldn’t give up. Not until she got an explanation. Not until she could eliminate that word from her vocabulary.

"I ain’t wastin’ nothin’," she said. “‘Cause now I gotta gripe wit’ whatever demon or god’s responsible fer doin’ this. I’m gonna find ‘em, and I’m gonna make ‘em explain why they did this. All o’ this."

She punched the wall one last time before straightening up. Her back ached from standing at such an awkward angle for such a long time. She wiped her hand against her nose, and then against the hem of her skirt, and she forced a particularly fake looking smile on her face. “Sorry. Ain’t a lotta people who see that side o’ me. Guess ya should count yerself lucky.”

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

"Otherwise, you’re going to end up like that Kasuga Ichiro."

Tsukino felt her pulse leap into her throat at that, getting caught and silencing her from saying anything more. She was starting to feel a bit sick, resisting from showing that weakness and gripping at the ends of her skirt. Reizuki was... right for the most part. Of course he was right. Sure she was strong in the sense of endurance and will, but when it came to something like this...  "Uh... Uh huh..." she forced herself to nod, casually slipping her gripped palm into her pocket and pulling out her mobile. It was best to just quit persisting while it was still easier to say goodbye. But as her only friend, she couldn't help but worry--she was already worrying. There were so many set backs to travelling alone... even if they did have demons, in the event of an ambush or something like Bishamonten again... Aah, Perhaps just spending as much time as she could with him now would fill the void, and stop the mother hen attitude, even if just for a little while... That said, it took quite a while to get the gist of all the programming. "Oh, I think I... understand?" She wanted to ask him if they could meet up again later, if they would see each other again after this... but the words failed to escape her lips, gulping down dry air before offering a wider smile. "Thanks, Reizuki-kun, I can probably take it from here then!"

Day 2

The outburst startled Reizuki, stunning him into silence.  Friends? Them? They had barely known each other for two days! And yet she was treating him like they had known each other their whole life!

It was confounding.  How could she so blindly trust someone whom she’d just met?

Why did she look so…bothered by his words? 

He wouldn’t have cared normally, but this time, it left a bad taste in his mouth, as if he had gotten into an argument that left both sides feeling sour.  What an unpleasant, unwelcome feeling… He would’ve thought he’d never have to deal with it again.

"…What are you getting at?" he snapped.  "I’m just doing what I think is the smartest thing to do right now.  I’m just as lost as everyone else is, but I want to get to the bottom of this situation before we wind up dead."  He pulled his hood further over his head.  "Just because things turned out alright yesterday doesn’t mean that they will today.  You can’t rely on other people in a situation like this."  He looked at Tsukino sharply.  "Otherwise, you’re going to end up like that Kasuga Ichiro." 

"You know how to be strong on your own, don’t you? You wouldn’t have been able to summon a demon otherwise."

He stood up, looking down at the older girl.  ”If you’re having trouble understanding the new features, we can figure’em out together.  But after that, let’s split up. We’ll probably find out more that way.”

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

"Ah..it's not..." Tsukino almost lost the will to continue her statement before simply bursting out--she couldn't hold it in anymore, raising her voice by a margin. "That's not it at all!" Looking back to her partner with an almost stern look, her words echoed about the plain grey walls, earning a few angry and irritated mutterings from their neighbors. "--You're my friend, Reizuki-kun! I wouldn't want anything to happen to you! It's natural that I'm worried! I can't help it!" --Right..? All this talk about friendship and protection and she just wasn't sure how to go about it. She had always thought a kind gesture or two would do the trick... but she almost had to force herself to face the facts with this one; Maybe they just weren't compatible. Maybe she was just being a nuisance again... "But...." this time she complied and quieted, gaze taciturn as if she were a kicked puppy. She was being too forceful--wanting to simply be by Reizuki's side just to stifle her own loneliness.... that was selfish. What was she doing? It was almost no better than bullying. Taking a look at her own cell and relaying off the information being fed to her, it still didn't make much sense. She didn't get the demon summoning or anything of that sort... but Reizuki seemed confident. Perhaps she just had to be more trusting in his own abilities. Like he said, he didn't want to be babied... "Ahhhh, y-you're right, I'm sorry! You're right. You really are amazing Reizuki-kun! I mean, even yesterday you helped me a lot, especially during the fight against Bishamonten... you're really smart and level headed.. and you seem to know just what to do in any situation you know? I'm sure you'll be fine...!" --But would she be okay? Perhaps she was the one that needed the most help--the most guidance--in this society that had just fallen in on itself. But she had to stand on her own two legs and do what she could; It was all that she could do for now... "N-Nicaea(α).... huh... i-interesting..." Just having to force a smile and laugh nervously was making that pit of milk in her gut churn unfavorably; Sigh...

Day 2

Reizuki scrutinized Tsukino’s face as she spoke, though she refused to meet his gaze.  That was funny.  She always looked directly at him whenever she spoke to him.

He glanced down at the rations that she had brought.  There was just enough for two people… How had she managed to get so much from the people handing the supplies out if she had already eaten, like she said she had?

Still, she didn’t look particularly hungry.  Maybe she was the type who didn’t take solids for breakfast.  Yes, that was probably it.

…But why did Reizuki feel so bad about this?

He nibbled listlessly at the food, enjoying the brief silence before Tsukino spoke again.

"…Why? You don’t have to be worried about me.  I’m not a kid.  I can handle myself."

He looked up, meeting her eyes.  ”Worry more about yourself.  That’ll probably help you get through all this.  You don’t have to care so much about someone like me.”

It’s not like he didn’t appreciate it, but… No, what was he thinking?

He swallowed the last piece of the bread, rubbing the back of his hand against his mouth.  Even if he had had twice the amount as the other refugees, it was hardly satisfying.  Still, it was better than nothing.

"…I dunno," he said.  He hated to admit it, but he was quite at a loss too.  He glanced at the milk carton that Tsukino held, before settling into a sitting position. 

"I think we should split up," he said finally.  "We’ll cover more ground that way, and we might be able to find out more about what the hell’s going on with the city."  

Before she could protest, he took out his cellphone and flipped it open, the displayed screen being that of Nicaea(α) app.  ”We both have a demon we can use, right? We should be fine, even if we went our own separate ways.”

Something on his screen caught his eye.  ”Eh?” A new message? From Nicaea?

"…Huh.  Looks like we got some new stuff on the Nicaea(α) app.”  Demon Auction… And Demon Fusion? This was starting to get more and more fantastical, but…

"Looks like we’ll be able to get stronger demons this way.  We won’t really have to stick together."

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

"N-Nana-san...?" Tsukino flinched at the powerful jab the other took at the invisible barrier, almost afraid that it would have shattered under such a heavy fist, but, fortunately, gave no change. The emotions surrounding them were going haywire now--were these the true weighted burdens that Nana had been holding beneath that friendly smile? The reasoning behind wanting to see how far the wall went to... she had wanted to see if her family had been safe right? Too cruel... and yet, Tsukino was no different herself. Although it only got her thinking: her own mother and father, where were they? Without phone service or a subway working, it was impossible otherwise to be certain. Did the barrier even reach out to Aoyama? They were all still near Shinjuku now, though the barrier stopped just short of where the normal boundary leading into Shibuya would be... but were they gone too? Had the entire neighborhood been eaten up? Would... she really never see the faces of her beloved parents ever again...? Tears threatened to burn up into the corner of Tsukino's eyes as the despair clenched at her heart, fingers digging painfully into her breast as she took in a wavering breath--no, no, she had to be strong! There was still hope... there was still...! " Ah, I.... I'm so sorry.." was all she could manage to spout under her breath quietly, amber eyes forlorn as she gently pat Nana's back in reassurance. She had no right to be sad or push off her own sorrows when someone else was in so much critical mourning like this... It wouldn't have been right. There was always later... "I...I know it's not in my place to give advice but... because you're here and because you're still alive... you can't give up then right? I don't know what your circumstances are, but surely.. Your mom would be happy to know that you're all right... You can't waste your life now, Nana-san. You have to keep going for her, okay?"

Day 2.

They were approaching the wall far faster than Nana had expected. It had looked so much further away from a distance but they were getting so close to it now. She stopped a short distance away from the wall and stared out at where the road continued past the barrier. The depth of the water was too much for her to see anything outside in detail, but she didn’t need to see anything past the barrier anyways. She knew this road well enough to know what parts were dry and which parts were wet at this point and time.

She started walking up to Tsukino. “I think it’s g-gotta go through more parts of the city than this… I-I mean, they definitely managed to get all o’ the most populated parts o’ the city in the barrier from the looks o’ it…”

The most populated parts of the city. The parts with the apartments and the schools and the department stores but not the fucking suburbs, not the fucking parts of the city people’s families lived and worked in, just the parts with the trains and the skyscrapers and the parks, but no little houses and no little cafes and bars.

She touched her hand to the barrier. It felt just like glass.

"Yeah… I think this is all o’ this duh-district of th-the city it covers… pruh-probably covers s-some other… b-bits, but it doesn’t look like there’s, l-l-like… air bubbles or n-nothin’ out…"

Nana slammed her fist against the side of the barrier. Tears dribbled freely down her face.

"Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit! Damn it all!" she wailed as she pressed the top of her head to the barrier. “Why?! Why did this have t’ happen?!” She slammed her fist against it one more time and felt no sense of give. “Mom… my mom is out there, she worked out there, and now… now she’s…” She screamed and slammed her fist against the barrier a third time. Nana was barely conscious of Tsukino’s presence next to her.

She wanted to scream more, to cry and wail and ask forgiveness for whatever she’d done to deserve this situation. Now she knew how naive she’d been to think she’d just accepted her mother’s possible death. Nana’s wails began to subside into sobs as she leaned against the barrier and closed her eyes.

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

"Ah, yeah! Uh, thank you.." taking back her cardigan with a crooked smile, Tsukino soon felt the goosebumps along her bare arms melt away as the smooth fabric brushed against her skin, warming up almost instantly. That felt much better... "Oh, me?" she perked up, smoothing out the crinkles incessantly, "I already ate before you woke up!" a white lie, but she really wasn't starving just yet; Plus Reizuki really looked out of it--he needed a nice pick me up after yesterday. Beisdes, Tsukino was good at enduring--she had the strongest vitality out of anyone! At least that's what her P.E. teacher used to say.  "You didn't get to eat much last night, right? Go ahead and fill up! All I need is just this," she plucked up one of the milk cartons in gesture and began silently sipping it absentmindedly, looking away for good measure; As she watched the rest of the sluggish refugees try and go about their day, sighing, moaning and groaning as though all hopes were shattered, she resisted a sigh. It was so depressing... it was better than the bustling panic from yesterday but... "I'm really glad you're okay though; I was worried..." It was an afterthought that she spouted aloud more than anything, but a curve of relief tugged at her parched lips, taking a few more gulps of the hardly cold milk with a wince. It tasted like it had just been salvaged from it's expiration point, and to think that she was one of the first ones to snag breakfast... well, surely everything would be somewhat spoiled by now; There were no refrigerators in this building after all, and even though the lights were back on... everything was all so grim. Another bitter thought. Geez, this gloomy atmosphere was getting to her. "So... What do you want to do after this, Reizuki-kun?"

Day 2

The first thing Reizuki noticed when he stirred awake was the warmth, and then the pink at the corner of his eye.  Still waking up, the abnormalities barely registered—body felt incredibly heavy, and he could feel his body aching in protest at sleeping on the hard floor.  He slowly pushed himself onto his knees, reaching up to rub his eyes, and he could feel something sliding off his shoulders.  

Pink cloth pooled around his feet.  Wasn’t this Tsukino’s…?

"Good morning.. are you feeling any better, Reizuki-kun? I got us breakfast if you’re hungry."

Reizuki glanced at her, just barely managing to stifle a yawn.  It was true that he hadn’t had anything to eat since the previous morning… Yesterday felt like a distant nightmare, but it judging by the looks of things, the situation hadn’t changed.  That meant another long day of fighting demons.  He had to get something in him.  It wouldn’t do to faint from hunger in the middle of a battle.

"…’m fine.  I was never not okay," he said, reaching out to take a small portion of what had been laid out before him.  It was a lie, and he could tell that Tsukino was taking care to treat him like some delicate child.  He just could not muster up the energy to protest against that, though.

…When had she offered him her cardigan? Reizuki couldn’t remember.  It wasn’t on his shoulders when he drifted off into a fitful slumber, that much he could remember.  Had she given it to him when he was asleep? 

He slowly reached back and pulled it in front of him.  ”…This is yours, right? You’d better put it back on.”

But he couldn’t understand.  Why was she willing to give up so much for him? He just didn’t understand.

He stared distastefully at the rations, opting not to stew over his questions. They were rather bland-looking, but…given the situation, he couldn’t be picky. He took a small bite, swallowing it as quickly as he could so the taste wouldn’t linger.

He looked up at Tsukino.  ”…You’re taking some too, aren’t you?”

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

"Ah! Um...uh, I think I get the gist of it, Nana-san, eheh.." a small lie; In truth, Tsukino wasn't very fluent in the ways of politics, it all sounded like a bunch of strange words just strung together. For a moment or two she hadn't even been sure if her and Nana were speaking the same language.. Though with such lively banter going about, it made the trip less begrudging; They reached their destination quickly. The wall, or so they could call it, reached as far as their eyes could scale, right up to where the sky should have been, and spreading an amble chill down Tsukino's spine. It was tempting... "Should I....?" Without much prerogative, she took a small gulp and reached out, placing her hand against the surprisingly smooth surface--"Whoa... it's completely see through... it feels like glass..." noted, there was no sense of temperature either, not hot or cold... but just there. There was definitely something other wordly about this... Tsukino couldn't wrap her head around it, however. "I guess there's no getting past it; but I'm glad it's protecting us from all that water... we'd be crushed..." looking to her travelling mate and then past she sighed. "How far do you think it stretches to? Just this district in Tokyo, or...?"

Day 2.

"Samurakami Nana! That’s Samurakami with the kanji for ‘village above’ and Nana like the number," Nana said as she walked. Tsukino said she had some way to protect herself, and Nana decided to believe her for right now without asking too much about it. If it came down to her having to protect her on her own, well, she could handle that.

She looked up at the wall of the water as they walked. Such a torrential wall of water, enough to block out the sun… She’d never swam in anything but the school’s pool, but she knew that it took a lot of water for light to stop coming through. It was a good thing the lights were back on, now that she thought about it. It would have been a lot more dangerous inside the barrier if the blackout had continued for more than a day. Was the entire world outside flooded? With that much water all that would be left were the tallest mountains, and the flood had occurred overnight. There was no way anyone could have survived.

"Well… thinkin’ logically about how that kinda barrier coulda come about…" Nana said, putting a finger to her cheek as she spoke. "I think it’s a pretty safe bet it was meant t’ protect us. Because it either was made by magic or technology, right? If it was technology, the only people who had the kinda power t’ do somethin’ like that would be the government. So they know this kinda thing’s happenin’ soon and they rush t’ put up a magical barrier around the seat o’ government so there’s still a country when the world ends. Y’know, the same selfish shit they always do."

She continued walkin’ as she spoke. “The other option is… well, magic. Maybe the gods decided t’ help protect us after all. But that don’t explain what I saw on the phone yesterday…” Her voice got rather dark before regaining its former chipper tone. “Naw, it’s probably those old tarts in the government that did it wit’ all our taxpayer money ‘n’ shit. How’re ya holdin’ up, Tsukino-chan?” she suddenly asked.

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

"Thank you!" bowing politely, Tsukino felt a wash of relief as the young woman turned out to be surprisingly friendly; And that funny accent--was she Osakan? (She could only think of the Manzai on TV, suppressing a fit of laughter that built up in her stomach.) What a stroke of good luck! At least it hadn't run out just yet... "Uh, I'm Tsukino, by the way. Ageshio Tsukino, the pleasure's all mine!" Once they were acquainted properly, it was easier to travel together relaying the information they knew thus far from their experiences--though the other's inquiry did jolt Tsukino's paranoia--was she aware that people could tame demons too? If that wasn't the case, then that would certainly land Tsukino into some hot water later on... well, as long as it didn't have to come to summoning Garm then... "I-I do! Don't worry about me, I can pull us out of trouble if it comes! You can count on me!" --Because being dead weight was the absolutely last thing she wanted to be. As they drew closer and and closer to the boundary, a sharp chill ran down Tsukino's spine, memories of the previous day running rampant in the back of her subconscious; All of that water... it was frightening to think that such a magical force existed that could sustain long enough to hold it back. Come to think of it, how long would it last even..? "--It's scary... I mean, are we meant to be trapped, or did someone save us from all that water with this barrier...?"

Day 2.

The sound of someone’s voice made Nana turn, pivoting one foot to make a more stable stance as she moved to face Tsukino. At first she frowned. A high school girl? Looked about her age, too. What was someone like her doing wandering outside a shelter at a time like this? The look Nana gave her was not unlike that of a “street gang thug”… and then it was quickly replaced by a wide grin.

"Sure, why not! It’s better t’ do this stuff with another person, after all," Nana said. "We can watch each others’ backs and make sure we don’t get blindsided by a demon."

She looked toward the wall of water. “Yep, I’m makin’ my way toward that wall right there,” she said, answering Tsukino’s first question. “If we’re gonna survive in familiar territory, we gotta know just how much familiar territory we’ve got, after all. Ya got some way t’ defend yerself if someone big, mean, ‘n’ toothy comes runnin’?”

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

After their breakfast, Tsukino had been hesitant to part ways with Reizuki--it was wise to cover more ground and get more information this way, yes, but she couldn't help but become paranoid after yesterday's disaster. What if he got in trouble? What if she couldn't reach him in time...? There were people like Akio and Yuuma with demons that could pull him out of a pinch but... --All those people gathered around and not a single one had rescued Ichiro. Had society really fallen beyond salvation so quickly? No.. it had to have been a fluke.. a surge of panic in the masses! Surely not everyone was so... heartless? Shaking her head, Tsukino dispelled her mind of such thoughts, rubbing her own cheeks for good measure and continuing down the lonely sidewalk. There were a lot less people out today... probably because they were all scared of the demons--that or it was still so chilly and the air stagnant, not to mention the constant waft of smoke and oil hanging about; What an unpleasant combination. Up ahead, however, for the first time today, Tsukino finally saw another living person making their way forward, confidently, the deepest shade of green hair she'd ever seen gently flowing behind them as they avoided the surrounding debris. If not that, then what looked like a bokuto hanging from their shoulder also caught her attention; It wasn't one of those street gang thugs was it? Well, a greeting wouldn't hurt right? If it came to it, she always had her Garm...

"Ah, hey! Um, excuse me! Are you trying to see how far the wall goes? Can I come with you per chance?"

Day 2.

The temperature had fallen overnight, to the point that Nana had unrolled her sleeves in the night. It had to be from the water blanketing the city and blocking the sunlight above them. She slept in as long as she could before leaving the shelter, hunger gnawing at her stomach as she walked.

She couldn’t bring herself to take any more rations from the shelter. There were more worthy people who needed those things, people who couldn’t defend themselves and would likely remain there until they were forced to leave for some reason or another. Someone like her who had been granted with the power to summon demons deserved to remain on the outside and to fend for herself.

Her goal for today was the wall of water.

She hadn’t seen her mother’s name on the check-in list at the shelter. Her mother, who worked in that part of Tokyo where it ceased being skyscrapers and became rows of houses, always left for work before she woke up. By the time Nana had awoke the previous day, the world around them had already flooded.

It was entirely likely that the elder Samurakami had drowned. Somehow, Nana found herself accepting this fact without argument. She’d already lost one parent, so another one killed senselessly was nothing new. But maybe the barrier encompassed that part of the city where her mother worked. Maybe she just hadn’t gone to the same shelter she had. Maybe they could protect each other.

But she couldn’t find that out without reaching the wall of water.

So Nana walked down the middle of the empty road, a wooden sword slung over her shoulder, a cell phone clenched in her other hand, and she began to make her way toward the barrier.

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

Day 2

The night had been quick to cool down in weather; a factor that definitely played into the sun being blocked out by all that water above their heads... Somewhere around mid morning though, Tsukino was sure the temperature had dropped to somewhere at least near fall-like weather; And because of the flexibility in supplies, blankets and other warming materials had been passed out to those who needed it most--young children, the elderly, the sick--so those of Tsukino's generation and the young adults unanimously conceded in silence to the decree put out.  She sat huddled next to her small partner, being awoken at some point when his body began trembling incessantly in cold and gave a small sigh. She wasn't particularly freezing herself, but she didn't have many layers to offer... Ah well, she was used to jogging in the chilly morning with just her spring gym uniform on, she could tough it out! Taking off her pink cardigan, she pulled it over Reizuki like a small sheet and pet his hair gently for good measure. He was a good person, and she could see past his rough exterior to know that much. Ichiro's death had startled him something badly, and even if Tsukino had been effected in the same, she wouldn't dare show weakness when the other needed a firm support. She didn't mind. Sooner or later, Reizuki's shaking stopped and Tsukino was graced back into a light sleep. She hugged her arms closely for warmth, curling in tighter to retain her own body heat; It wasn't very comfortable to begin with, but it's not like this was permanent... She awoke a few hours later, Reizuki still conked out beside her and stretched silently with a big yawn. Her body still craved more rest, but to beat the line for breakfast before it got too out of hand, she'd better get up now while the hours were still early. Again, there wasn't much to take--some bread rolls and milk cartons--barely enough for all of the people here. It was heartbreaking to think about, everyone had different circumstances and problems, and already several groups were muttering among themselves, considering disconcerting the worse off for their own benefits... It only settled poorly with Tsukino as she quietly made her way back. Sitting back down beside her partner, he began to stir around, placing their breakfast on the floor between them. He looked really cute, all groggy like that, but she held her tongue. "Good morning.. are you feeling any better, Reizuki-kun? I got us breakfast if you're hungry."

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

"…What the hell are you talking about? We just barely got out of that last fight alive! And you’re ready to go rushing into another one?!" 

“… I’m sorry if it seemed like I was scolding you. I didn’t mean to… But I just want you to know that I understand how feel and I’m happy you want to save him but we’re in no position to help anyone else at the moment. So let’s leave this to someone who can help him, okay?”

“If you want to end up like this kid, be my guest. Go ahead and abandon your batty friend; give up on finding out what’s going on. I don’t care. But know that no one is going to come with you on some suicide mission."

--Huh? Tsukino could only blink incredulously from her small partner clamping down onto her shoulder desperately to the other two young men staring her down with mixed feelings. So it was unanimous then? No one had a problem ignoring the death clip and simply fending for themselves? For someone heavily injured like Yuuma, it was understandable, but Akio and Reizuki... Ichiro was tied to their fates, what if he had to be saved? They wouldn't have gotten this notification from Tico(α) if it wasn't important! They could also be in danger by disregarding it! "--But what if no one else steps up?" she managed to speak up, brows furrowing as she looked down to her cellphone again. "What if we're the only ones who can change the outcome? Everyone in the clip is running away while he gets killed... it's not fair! I can't sit well knowing that I can do something!" Even though it was reckless or seemingly rash, there was absolutely no way that she could leave it alone now--she couldn't forgive herself if she at least didn't try. Of course, the last thing she'd want is to part with her precious friend and new comrades but... "--I won't die, okay?" Carefully brushing Reizuki's hand off of her, Tsukino then gave it a slight squeeze in reassurance before reaching her final decision; And with a brave smile no less. "I won't die; and even if I do, that just means I was never meant to survive here in the first place. I'm sorry if this is really selfish of me but..." She hastily turned on her heel and began veering herself in the direction of the scene shown in the clip--Yoyogi Park. By foot it was going to take quite the sprint but if there was anything Tsukino was good at, that was running at full speed without tire. "--I'll definitely see you later!"

the 1st day

Reizuki let out a breath, his shoulders slumping.  Finally… Finally, everything was over.  Yuuma was safe, and they were all back together.  On top of that, they had a means to protect themselves now.  That was definitely welcome.

It wasn’t as if Reizuki liked this little ragtag group, though.  It just happened to make things easier.  He didn’t particularly care for any of its members, but it would’ve been terrible if one of them never returned.  

"I’m amazed you can be so chipper at a time like this," he said, giving Yuuma a quick glance.  "You look like crap.  Like someone decided to toss you into a meat grinder or something."  Well, they had all survived, so perhaps that was reason enough.

The shrill tone and sudden vibration of his phone that came moments later, augmented by the sound of the others’ phones, was so abrupt that Reizuki almost bit his tongue mid-speech.  Shit, he thought.  Seems as if he hadn’t quite recovered from the scare.  But that was neither here nor there—who was texting him at a time like this? He had never given his number to anyone, other than Tsukino… 

Trying not to look too visibly shaken, he flipped open his phone again, only to be met with the familiar ghastly interface.  What now? A feeling of dread began to surface within him as he proceeded through the site, and—

He couldn’t help but avert his gaze as the so-called “dead face image" played out. What a grisly sight… Was this real? It looked too authentic to not be, but a site that predicted the deaths of people was so far-fetched that, even having encountered demons, it was a little hard to believe… 

He glanced at the others—anything to avoid looking at the bloodied body on the screen—and his eyes were drawn to Tsukino, standing stark still and pale, her eyes wide as she stared at her screen.  

"…I… I want to help him.”

"…What the hell are you talking about?" He grabbed her shoulder.  "We just barely got out of that last fight alive! And you’re ready to go rushing into another one?!" With a terrifying demon like that, no less… Was she out of her mind?!

It wasn’t as if he could condone letting someone die, but… “Look, we should think this through.  If we try to play hero, we’re going to end up dead ourselves."

Anything to avoid fighting those things again.

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

"--You're alive! Ahaha!" Tsukino was overcome with a wash of relief as she sped up to the blind young man, letting slip a chuckle or two before cringing at the numerous amount of wounds along his thin body. But on contrary to how he looked, Yuuma really was something else--perhaps he had summoned a demon too? Yeah, that had to have been the case... but as long as he was alive, Tsukino had no complaints to issue forth. They could take what they could get, really, and even if it meant working with a higher force she knew nothing about, then so be it. "You look awful... but I'm so glad you're in one piece..." Taking out a handkerchief from her bag, she pat down a nasty looking cut along the bridge of his nose, stopping the blood flow for the most part by applying some pressure. he said he had some medical supplies right? Good thing he did, all Tsukino had were some meager bandages and disinfectant wipes--It wasn't too long after this train of thought began that Akio caught up and suggested that they not stick around for much longer, giving them all the more a stronger incentive to keep moving. With a unanimous agreement in silence, Tsukino then took the precious used fabric and wrapped it around Yuuma's injured palm, much to his own given warning, concealing the scrapes and frayed skin for good measure. "Don't worry, I'm not afraid of a little blood; Here, Yuuma-san--" Carefully hooking her arm around his, she offered a smile in solace, soon remembering that he wouldn't be able to see it anyway and coughing awkwardly. Ahh, well... hopefully he'd at least appreciate the gesture. The last thing she wanted was to come across as headstrong again. "You know, it's weird but, even if this is all really... frightening, for some reason, I can't feel scared. Like my brain can't react like it should be..." or in other words, she felt detached from her surroundings--it was all so crazy and farfetched that it seemed that at any moment, they'd all wake up from this chaotic dream sooner or later. Walking in a tired silence after that little spared two cents, Tsukino then heard what she then thought was a figment of her exhausted imagination--her phone went off with a sharp tone, relaying a message. But not only hers, but everyone else's around her too had soon went off! And all at the same time? What was this...? Snatching up her mobile, Tico(α) was present on her screen giving her sassy toned explanation per usual--A new Dead Face Image has been added! Nicaea(α) again...? Oh no... was this the rumored function of the app that everyone had been raving about? But why now of all times?! Fearing for the worst, she navigated into the inbox, only to find the name of someone she hadn't even met before--Kasuga Ichiro. With a trembling thumb, Tsukino played the video, only to let out a gasp of shock in response.  --Oh my god. This was awful.... So much blood... and he was killed so easily?! What in the world was that powerful looking demon?! And would they even stand a chance against something of that level?! Baffled for another moment or two, Tsukino then gained her resolve, closing the attachment. It was just as Tico(α) had said--a total stranger still bound by fate to them was now on the path towards his death. But if Tsukino now had a way to see into the future like this... then definitely, she had to act; if there was a chance she could stop this Ichiro from dying then she had to go to him before it was too late! "...I... I want to help him."

the 1st day

Finally, Reizuki thought, watching as Gagyson electrocuted the last of the demons into oblivion, leaving nothing but blackened flakes falling to the ground where the demons once stood.  There were no more demons in the immediate vicinity, and it took every ounce of Reizuki’s strength not to collapse on the spot once the adrenaline had faded.  He rested his hands on his knees, panting heavily.  

I’m still alive.  They were all still alive.  By some miracle, they had survived.

He barely had a moment to himself before someone seized his shoulders roughly. Having just had a near-death encounter, Reizuki yelped as he was spun around, only to come face-to-face with a rather fussy Tsukino.  

"H-hey—" He could barely get a word through with Tsukino touching his face and brushing his bangs away and scrutinizing him for any injuries.  The initial shock was quickly replaced by annoyance.  As well-meaning as she was, he sure hated being touched out of the blue.  "Stop that!"

She finally pulled away (though much to his irritation, it seemed his outburst had nothing to do with it—she hadn’t even heard him!), but she was frantic again none to soon.  That’s right… Yuuma had told them to run ahead.  He was still fighting a whole horde of demons on his own.  Was he dead…?

"…What about Akio?" Akio was… Ah, it looked like he had summoned a demon of his own, the same one as Tsukino.  Garm, was it…? The dog-like creature was tearing into the body of the demon that had had him pinned down not too long ago.  Not exactly a sight for the weak-stomached, but Reizuki was too exhausted and too relieved to care at the moment.  Akio was alright, so that left Yuuma’s fate up in the air.

"Alright, let’s hurry." He glanced at Akio.  "Hey, we’re going back." And without even waiting for the two, he turned on his heel, running back with Gagyson at his heels.  Sure enough, there were still demons around, though Gagyson dispatched them easily.  It seemed that Yuuma was handling himself quite well.  He too had summoned a demon of his own—a beige-coloured female demon with wings—which was quickly eliminating any demon that came too close to her master.

"Hey!" Reizuki called out to him as Gagyson flew ahead, sending down bolts of lightning on the opposing demons.  "Are you alright?!"

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

Demons. They were all summoning demons and fighting along side them against other demons--her, and Reizuki and even Akio thrice... It was crazy; like some sort of fantasy videogame that Tsukino used to play in Junior High. To think that not even a few hours ago she and so many others were about to board their respective morning train, and now... She was breathless and giddy with a sense of hapless anxiety and new found hope. She had a warm feeling spreading about her chest as she guided Garm with her clumsy instruction, taking down every enemy that attempted to even come near them. Amazing.. it was all so weird and scary but fantastic and exhilarating all at the same time! Once their opponents lay in waste to a pile of flames, Tsukino gasped out, feeling as if she had been holding her breath the entirety of the battle and wiped her sweaty brow with her sleeve--everyone saw that right? It hadn't just been a dream or a delusion? They really...? It was then that Garm dismissed itself with a vicious howl, dematerializing itself in a flashy display, just as it had came, and a new menu appearing on Tsukino's cell phone--a screen displaying Garm's likeness and what appeared to be several abilities, attributes and levels... This really all was just like a game! "Ah, Reizuki-kun!" heading over to her partner without a second thought, she seized him by the shoulders, looking over every square inch of him to make sure there was not even so much as a physical scratch to be found; She had been so worried... and that strong and genuine emotion had been enough to draw forth Garm in the first place. She was grateful to this series of dumb luck, however, giving another sigh once she was convinced that the other was all right. "Thank goodness..." With a tired smile, she released him slowly, taking a step back and resuming their usual sense of space as another reality quickly dawned on her. Oh no... there was still something else--the only reason they had escaped this far in the first place was...!   "Y-Yuuma-san! Yuuma-san is still---We have to go back--!"

the 1st day

Everything was happening too quickly.  These monsters—demons were swarming around them, he could barely register Yuuma’s and Tsukino’s voices, his mind was a frenzy of jumbled thoughts and Akio was struck down and there was blood oh god oh god oh god

What was going on? Why was this happening? Why were they being attacked? What could he do…!?

"…Hey!" Before he could stop her, Tsukino had charged forward at the demon that had pinned Akio down, only to be thrown back in a split second.  "…Tsukino!!"

What could he do!? He looked around frantically for something, anything that he could use to beat these monsters away, but there was no opening.  Yuuma was fighting a losing battle several paces behind, Akio was at the demon’s mercy, and Tsukino seemed to have been stunned by the impact and there was nothing, absolutely nothing that Reizuki could do…

Were they all going to die like this?

Just then, a sudden flash of light illuminated the area, startling him out of his mess of thoughts.  Shielding his face from the glare, he could only make out two silhouettes…

Tsukino?

The light subsided and raw panic shot through Reizuki again at the sight of a new demon, one that hadn’t been there seconds ago.  Where did it come from? It was right beside Tsukino it was going to tear her apart—

But it didn’t.  It turned on the surrounding demons, setting them aflame.  Was Tsukino directing it? How…!?

"God only knows what they are or where they came from, but I heard one girl say that one had come out of her friend’s cell phone before she got ripped to shreds."

Akio’s words echoed, strangely clear despite Reizuki’s hysteria.  His eyes fell on the cellphone, clasped tightly in Tsukino’s hand.  If she could do it, then maybe…!

He fumbled for his own cellphone, almost dropping it.  Tsukino’s demon had done well to ward off the surrounding demons, but more were appearing to take their place.  They’d be swarmed in no time again.  

He shook as he stared at the phone screen, at a loss as to what to do.  "Come on," he whispered.  "Come on…!" He shut his eyes, pressing his forehead to the phone.  "I don’t want to die… Not yet.  Not like this…!"  

For once, let me be useful to someone! 

Strong will to live confirmed.

"…?!"

The screen lit up suddenly, the words flashing across.  This interface was… This was Nicaea…!? Did it start up on its own?

Booting summoning app.

His own phone emitted a bright flash of its own, bursts of energy disturbing the air around them.  Something was materializing in front of Reizuki, in the column of light.  The creature’s shape was undefined at first, some sort of algorithms and nonsensical symbols visible in its staticky form, but those soon quickly faded, and in front of him was a large, fuchsia creature with a bird’s head and webbed wings and talons…

Reizuki could only stare at the beast.  "D…Demon…"

I̯̥͚͉̻͍̦ ͇̭͓̪̘̙ạ̻͍̘m̟͙̤̦̘̙̳ t̤h͓̝̖̫̩e̫̙ ͇̙̺F͚̺̗a͎̗͈l̮̰l̩͓͙e̦n̜͕, ̗G̹a̮͕g̱̪̝̗̺y̜̩͔͓̤̞��s̩̥͚̝̣͕o̳͙̰̞̳͇̟n̰̝͕̼.̘͓͍̬͚̜͍ ̹A̬r̝e̟̞̫̹̼̥̥ ͍̟̘͖̰̩̩y̩̩̦͇̤̲͎ou͍̙͓̖̰ ͎͇̖̞͙̟͍t̙̯̥̟̯o ̠̝̱̜͚͙̰b̤̠̤͉͕e ͓̟̟̥̟̙m̻̙̠y̰͉ ͔̘̲̥n͓̩e͙͇̲̫̦ͅw̤͓ ̲̥̘̙̟̬̫ma͇̙s̰̲̯̙̪̯t͕̝̞͉̣͔er͖?̲̰̟̼̼͇

Wait, then that meant…!

Reizuki turned on the approaching demons, directing his phone at the horde.  "Get them!!"

Without hesitation, the demon flew overhead, sending down bolts of electricity at any target within its range.  Some stopped in their tracks, frozen in position, no doubt stunned by the lightning.  But this wouldn’t be enough…

"Reizuki-kun!!"

He glanced back, never lowering his arm.  "Don’t lose focus! There’re more coming!"

Dammit…! Why were there so many!? It would be impossible for just him and Tsukino to fight them off…!

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

"But... Reizuki-kun--" Before Tsukino could force her objections, she was forcibly pulled by her said partner, having no choice but to give in to his persistance. He didn't want her to die, but given her concern to Yuuma's command continued to  rattle her to the core.He... was blind! Even if his senses were heightened more so than their own,  what could he do about these awful monsters that didn't even fight practically?! Her heart was slamming against her chest plate as she was half dragged, feet heavy behind her as her skin went pale. Never in her life had she felt the need to stop and turn back before anything she'd regret would happen... This was just wrong!

But... but she had to trust him right?! She had to do as she was told, right?! Damn, there were just too many factors tugging at her morals right now! Following behind Akio who had sped up ahead, it wasn't long before they were caught off guard, watching with widened eyes as he was stricken down with just the swipe of the demon's claws. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. It was just one disaster following another and Tsukino could no longer stay put; Rushing forward in a split second of pumping adrenaline, she was drawn to an abrupt stop as her fist did nothing to the approaching monster, nearly breaking her knuckles in the process as she too was thrown back with just a simple attack. She saw stars for a moment as her head hit the concrete, her cell phone falling idly from her pocket with a clammering sound, hearing Reziuki's voice behind her as they soon found themselves completely surrounded. From the once pure terror that had filled her mind with doubts now ran a cold hard frustration and sadness in her veins. Why was this happening? Were they really all going to die here? Was this their fate...?! Hands falling to her sides, she felt the smooth surface of her phone beneath her fingertips, slowly clasping her digits around it tightly as she wheezed out. "No... No everyone's..... I...." D͍̰̹̹̦̙̝̀́͜O̧̬̬̫͍̝̭̙͒ͧ̍ ͇͔̣̤͓̜ͪ̋͗̆ͯ͞ͅY̴̜͈̥̺̻͓̾͋̆̅̑̉͛O̭̓̕Ṷ͖̞̹͎ͯͤͮ̓̑ ̰̱͇̯̙̟̔ͣ̃̍͆́W̬̱̣͍͉͍̦ͤAͧͫ̏N͔͖̳̙̼͎͒ͪͯ͊͒̉ͧT͒҉̬ ̝̠͠P̔̓ͦO̸̹W̻̣̝͈̗̖̏̒̇͛E̛͎̹͔̘̰̿͋ͪ̒ͯ͒̉Ŕ͖̮͓,͕̰͕̫͔̯̑ ̦̬̖͍C͇͎͓̤̰͑̓H͑̅̄̓ͮ̚I̖̘̗̖̭ͫͨͫ̚͡L̠̳͉͚͎̬̬͐́Ḏ̞̙̭̩͐͆͞ ͖͙̩̔͐͘O͓̦͖̍͂ͧF ̟̼͇͎̬͚ͪ̔ͫ̆͆͂͜M̖̥A͓̬̯̩̒̋͑̉̒N̟̩̆ͩ͛̈́?̢̰̣͖̳̘̿ͤ̅̒ͯ̾ͅͅ A booming voice then entered her head in suggestion, rattling her body in a violent tremble. What was this? Surely it couldn't be an concussion or a figment of her imagination...? It was so odd and yet empowering; This warm and excitable sensation from deep within... "H-Help... I.... I want to fight...."  Tsukino mumbled weakly, watching numbly as time slowed; The group of demons upon them had suddenly decided on an all out attack, charging in towards them with a definite bout of bloodlust; No, no, this wasn't the end! She could still fight! She had to protect her only friend! At least this one life, she had to....! T͔̽E̲̫̲̭̘̽̇ͧL̸̦̺̺̲̺̜̔̐̓L̻̪͚͚͉̍ ̩̳͖̫͈̜͐ͅM̫̥̣͈̭̿E͎̯̱͙͋͘!̮͍̭̫̈́̀̆͌͆͢ͅ ̘͖͘ͅW̤͉̻H͍͈̬͔̥̻̊ͧ̅̃̿̉̿Ā̃͟T͓̥͓̣̭͈͑̊͛̒͗͐ͫ̀ ̙̻͌̾͝I̺͉̙̼̠̪ͧ͋̈́ͨS͔͉͓̃͒ͦ ̠͈͇͍͇̱̥͒̇̊T͓̞̫̲̩͈ͣ̒́ͅH̸̤͈͓̜̭͕̀̄͒̍͛̾Y̏̽ͫ̂͒ ̧̩̼͂ͬ̑͆̍̌W͇͕̤ͫ͋̍I͓͉̪̬͞S̲̩͕͎͙H̥̙̭̮͉͕̗?͓͉͌͑̊!͚̜̓̈́̋̀̿̏ ̦͓̞̞̂͋̉̃̂̃ͬ͡S͙͔͔̔ͥ̌̚͝H͓͓̺̫͍͆͆̽̒͊͘ͅͅȎ̓͗̊ͨ̍̒W̢̖̞̘͉̺͐̀ͤͦ̌ͫ ̦̘͙͇̅̅ͥ͐̋Ḿ̝͓͚̣̣̃��͐͌E̴͎ͩ͗͂̏͛̚ ̳̻͕̬͙̜ͯ̍̌T̼̥͇͋ͦ̾H̠̩̭̳̀Ỵ̑̂ͮ ̧̺͍̬͕̬ͥ̈͑ͅP̦̙̠O̴T̖̫̩͈̣̉̈̽E͆̈́ͣͪͣN̘͓̬̘̲̒ͮ̐̐͞T̠̱͙̘͓͕͑ͦ̈I̶̻͓̠̖̺̫ͬ͊ͨ̅̽Ä̖̃ͯͅL̠̳̹̮̞͍͕ͥ̂̂͒̒̄͜!̺̫̠̣̻ͨ͛ͅ "I WANT THE POWER TO FIGHT DEMONS!"  Crying out loudly from the pit of her soul, Tsukino's tightly clasped cellphone then burst out with a flash of bright light, surrounding her in a fluorescent display that shook the ground beneath her, a magical materialization of pure matter manifesting itself before her and taking shape into a proud looking crimson hound that gave a vicious roar, quaking the very air with its piercing howl. This was... I͉̗̺̣̪͍ ̜̦͙̣͎͕̱A̱̻M͕͓̗̖ͅ ̰͍̪̖T̹̭̣̗̬̰ͅH͇̱͉̺̘͕ͅE̠̭ ̥̦W͇I̝̩͈̫L̫̳̼D̬̻̻͚E͇̪͍͚R͉̰̻ͅ ̲͉̠̦GA̼̺̣͖̪͉͇R̬͉͔̪̞͚M͖̖͇̖̙̗ ,̗̮͖ H̤̦̙̗͈̥̠U̦̩̦̮̘N̪̥̭̩̙ṮI͙̠̤̯̺ͅṈ̫͉̺͖G̠̝ ̠̣̞̝D̦̩͙̥OG̜͔̯͚̮ͅ ̜̯O͔͚͙͖͓͖̪F̹̹̙̮ ̜̣̯̻̦N͕̝͙I͉F̭L̖̦H͎͉̘ͅE̲̺IM͚!͇̣̜̬̩ ̲͚͙͖ͅͅͅṰ̹̼͖̫̘͔H͇͇̖O̭͉̖U̟̱̹̱͍͙̻ ̻A̪̪R͇̗̥T ̫̣̪M̖̦̜̰͓Y̹̘͚̯̞ ͕̖̘̼̣M̫A͖̩S̲̠͈̟̜T̰͔̪͍̳̭E̞͙͔̙̭̺̫R̤̞̭̖.̻̜̺͔ ̖̲̱I͓̳̠̖ͅ ͎̱̲̦̣͓S̗̹̖H͙AL̟̪̫̪̙̥L̰ ̱͈̤̙̪͎̳E̤̼̱̗̼A̼͈T͖̯̯ T͔̥͉̘̲̭H̯̲̣̙̣Y͈̰̖͍͈͖ ̩͖E̪̫N̼̩͍E̯̳M͓̲͖̻̤̪̣I̠E̼̬̦̦ͅS̞̱ ̰̹W̼̳̞HO̺̮LE͈̙̜̻!̭̬̣̣̜̳ͅ

"GO! HURRY!" Not wasting the opportunity handed to her, Tsukino rose back to her feet and commanded the beast with her will, a strong blast of surging flames escaping from Garm's opening maw and scorching all in its path. Yes! This one... this demon was really on her side! If they could just keep this up then the other demons would relapse...! "Reizuki-kun!!"

the 1st day

Just their luck.  Reizuki really didn’t want to be going to anyone’s home, even for shelter—he hated owing people, and being indebted to someone like Granny Glasses left a bad taste in his mouth.  

Well, it’s not like they had a choice.  No one knew what was going on, so it was safer to group together…theoretically.  

Now that he thought about it, wouldn’t larger groups just make them more noticeable of a target for the so-called demons? Then again, travelling alone was no good… As much as he hated to admit it, he’d probably be a bit of a cowering mess if he were by himself.  They hadn’t seen any monsters yet, and Reizuki still wanted to doubt their existence, but anything could happen…

"Hey… what…. is that?"

Reizuki could hear the fear in Tsukino voice, a stark contrast to her usual bright and cheery tone, and his blood ran cold.  It was like her fear was contagious, and Reizuki didn’t want to risk looking over his shoulder, but he ventured a glance anyway—

monster

There was a monster staring at them, its no doubt hideous visage obscured by shadows, but its glowing eyes fully visible.  

Why hadn’t any of them noticed it before how long had it been watching them were there others behind it—these were all thoughts racing through Reizuki’s head and breakneck speed, jumbling up and tripping over themselves.  Reizuki himself stood stark still, staring back at the eyes fixated on the group, until Tsukino moved in front of him.

What the hell kind of nonsense was she spewing?!

"Don’t be stupid!" he hissed, grabbing her sleeve.  "What can you do against that thing? We have to run, now—" 

The silhouette moved suddenly.  It was advancing towards them quickly.  Were there others around? Reizuki didn’t know, he didn’t care to see, they had to get out of there fast now—

"Hey! C’mon…!" He tugged at Tsukino’s sleeve.  "Don’t just stand there! Move!"

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

"U-Understood!" Tsukino huffed, a new sense of determination filling her wide amber eyes. As long as she could gain a sense of morale from a confident group, it would be easy to persevere even in the face of total danger. "Thank you very much for looking out for us in the meantime; it's a lot easier to manage through all this craziness when you've got a couple extra pairs of eyes, haha..." Rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly, Tsukino nodded to Reizuki and started off behind Akio and Yuuma, keeping a good look out for any sort of feasible equipment to take hold of. Anything would do right? But even in the bustling streets, there wasn't much laying about besides the usual trash and rubble... But at least now they'd have a roof over their heads for good measure; they wouldn't have to stake it out in the outdoors or a make shift shelter. Akio sure was a courteous guy offering his place to them; Tsukino would have to be sure to repay the favor some time, definitely! They weren't too far from their said destination now, though it was obvious it felt as if they were being watched for some reason. Something lurking just at their heels but nothing in plain view whenever Tsukino looked over her shoulder. It was unnerving to be honest, and at the corner of her eye however, something definitely had moved; wriggled even and she froze dead in her tracks--There it was. It was something strangely built, too narrow and long to be a human, like something directly out of a nightmare--a snake like body, dark and fluid like, piercing eyes staring back at her from the shadows of the vacant side lot... "Hey... what.... is that?" Tsukino spoke just above a whisper, adrenaline beginning to rush throughout her veins as every hair stood on end. A bizarre creature... claws... Demons.... Reflexively, she moved in front of Reizuki, taking a protective stance as the monstrous form advanced upon them. She didn't have any physical weapon on her, how in the world was she going to defend her partner, more or less, herself?! Though, in the end, against something this large, what good would a plank of wood or metal even do? Knees threatening to buckle under her, Tsukino's grip reflexively fell to her phone in her cardigan pocket, palms growing clammy with sweat. What should they do? What.... "I... I'll distract it..." she uttered, brows furrowing. She wanted to scream, to escape and find a good hiding place, but she had an obligation right now; She'd be damned if she abandoned her group, especially Reizuki. "I'll distract it and you guys can run!"

the 1st day

Opting not to say anything else after voicing his doubts about the monster sighting, Reizuki proceeded to evaluate their apparently soon-to-be travelling companions.  Nara Akio seemed none too pleased to have Reizuki and Tsukino tagging along.  Saito Yuuma was nice enough, though potentially annoying, if the occasional dirty glances that Akio shot him were any indication.

But really, what was the point of introducing himself? One member of the duo wasn’t too keen on having them tag along, so they wouldn’t be seeing much more of each other—

"…And my friend here is Teizuki Renjin! Thank you for having us!"

He deserved a lot of credit for not kicking the girl in the shins right then and there, if he said so himself—rather hypocritical of him, seeing as he called her a giraffe not too long ago, but those were but trifling details.  

“Reizuki," he said, not even bothering to mask the annoyance in his voice.  "Tenjin Reizuki.  Not that ‘Teizuki Renjin’ crap you just said."

He scoffed, shoving his hands into his coat pockets and looking away.  "I dunno if you should be thanking them.  Mr. Four Eyes doesn’t seem to want us around.  Wouldn’t want to be a bother to them, huh?"

He paused.  

Something was moving in the distance.  He could barely make out a silhouette—multiple silhouettes?—approaching them.  

They didn’t look human.

"…Hey, we should get out of here, shouldn’t we? It’s not safe here."

It’s not like he was taking back what he had said, but no matter how irritating, no one really deserved to die a dog’s death in a place like this.

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

"Oh... I-I guess so," at least the Nicaea(α) suggestion hadn't been completely far fetched; perhaps it would serve them well to keep it close at hand as a major clue to all of this madness springing about. It hadn't proved as very useful to Tsukino or Reizuki just yet, but perhaps in the coming future... Ah.

Weapons... Well now that they really had no choice, it seemed like the best precaution to take. Though considering that these monsters were probably supernaturally strong... it seemed almost counterproductive (what good would a bat or stick do against something that could take down a whole train?). But things were definitely as out of hand as they seemed; The inevitability that their circumstances were threatening to plunge into an outbreak of violence troubled Tsukino--they were going to be defending themselves against these so called monsters--demons--right? How could they be so sure that this wouldn't escalate into a conflict between humans too? Sure, it was just all careless pushing and shoving in the streets now but... Ugh.--Such pessimistic thoughts were beginning to spring a headache. No matter how well of an optimist Tsukino could convince herself to be, this sort of heavy situation was really wearing her limits thin. She didn't want to this of society resorting to such things; She wanted to believe in those around her that they would find a way to fix things and find out what exactly was going on. They had to stick together... there was no one else to rely on, after all. "Yuuma-san..." Tsukino finally spoke again as their introductions went underway; Saito Yuuma: a really beautiful looking young man who also pegged himself as blind. From a first glance, it was hardly noticeable, but getting a better look at his unblinking, clear eyes, it was very much there. How hadn't she seen it before? But certainly, he was filled with a strong resolve to push forward; Something Tsukino could very well bring herself to admire. "And Akio-san?" the glasses wearing young man. Reizuki seemed deftly on edge whenever he spoke, but he seemed friendly and knowledgeable. Tsukino would definitely try to not become a burden for him and lean on his advice (for now at least). "Ah.. I'm Ageshio Tsukino! A third year in high school!" she bowed formally, straightening up as a reflexively wide smile spread upon her face. Though on cue where Reizuki should have spoken up, he didn't, and without thinking, Tsukino went ahead and took the favor without permission--"And my friend here is Teizuki Renjin!"--ultimately failing without having even noticed. "Thank you for having us!"

the 1st day

Well so much for letting them down gently. Yuuma should’ve known that Akio wasn’t one for such nonsense but still, it was just one of those things he would have to get used to. It seemed like the two in front of them didn’t seem too horrified about the idea. The boy seemed skeptic if anything, but from how they both checked his phone when Akio mentioned that someone had said that the monsters come from her phone could mean that they were considering it as a possibility.

Yuuma listened to what the boy said and concluded that the direction they had come from most likely haven’t been too infested with the monsters yet, so it only made sense that they’d be a little skeptical. It would also make sense why most people don’t seem too panicked around here either.

“Well we’ve encountered some before and managed to fend them off. However the number of demons has been increasing lately so that’s why we’ve been searching for weapons that we could use for self defense if we need it. As for the reason why people have been relatively calm despite having monsters running about… I suppose it’s because there isn’t that many monsters running about here yet. Or those who have seen them were… rather unlucky.”

He paused to do a quick check on their surroundings and to catch his breath before continuing to answer the girl’s question about Nicaea.

“As for Nicaea, it’s the app that shows the deaths of your friends if I remember correctly. It seems like the app is involved with the appearance of demons and with what’s been happening lately. You don’t have to worry too much about demons popping out of your phones for now though, because your friend hasn’t gotten a death clip of you dying because of some demons right? So for now you don’t need to worry too much about monsters for now.”

Yuuma smiled a bit before continuing.

“Am I right to assume that neither of you currently carry weapons nor have anything to defend yourselves with right? It’s getting pretty dangerous and running into one of those monsters without anything to protect yourself would be bad so let’s go find some weapons—-“

A distant sound caught his attention before he could finish and the sound made him tense. He turned his head in the direction of the sound and felt a bit of fear from it. Turning his attention back to the two and to Akio he decided that he was going to have to get them all to safety for now.

“Anyway! Let’s move out of this alley first we’re like sitting ducks here!” Yuuma laughed a little before leading Akio out and gesturing to the other two to follow. After they were somewhere relatively quiet Yuuma stopped before turning to the two. “I’m sorry I forgot to tell you, my name’s Saito Yuuma and I’m… blind so my hearing is a bit better than most people. That means I can keep us away from most danger but sometimes it’ll be unavoidable.”

Yuuma nudged Akio’s should gently for him to introduce himself and quickly whispered, “Just let them tag along for now.”

[tsukinoageshio-blog]

Monsters coming out of cell phones? But through what means? Apprehensively, at the same time Reizuki checked his own, Tsukino pulled out her mobile and looked at the main home menu--still nothing out of the ordinary, but no bars as well. It was safe to assume that they weren't going to get any service any time soon--like the young man in glasses had said, "--the flooding outside probably wiped out any nearby power plants and service stations," but did that then entail that the flooding had wiped out everything else outside of the barrier too? This raised too many questions in Tsukino's head: How far had it spread? Was anyone on the way to rescue them? Was this just a problem for Japan, or...?

At that, already pursed lips formed a pin straight line as Tsukino clutched the edge of her skirt with her free hand, the other sticking tight to her phone with overwhelming apprehension. She had to be more honest with herself, this stuff was terrifying. She could only follow the minor inquisitions that Reizuki brought up in turn, subconsciously standing a little closer to him. It was only the minor reference that got her to snap out of her stupor and nearly sputter out loud-- --Giraffe...? H-how mean! It had been some time since someone had actually teased her as such (and out in the open too!); was it because of her height?! That was even worse! Now wasn't exactly the time to be getting all self conscious either... But before she could call it out, however, she had a sudden, variant thought. Of course, it was so far fetched and far from home that it wasn't even worth mentioning but... now that she had her phone out... "I... don't really mean to interrupt, but what about this Nicaea(α) thing? Have you guys heard of it at all?"

It seemed suspicious enough, and considering all of the bizarre and unexplainable commotion happening today, it was worth bringing up, if only as an enhancement towards their conversation.

the 1st day