Chereads / Vansu's Voyage / Chapter 28 - Patrol

Chapter 28 - Patrol

Hitsu, Nox, and Juno walked down the steps of the Future Veins guildhall, down the short pathway, and onto the sidewalk. The three walked close to one another as they made their way down the street. Nox followed behind Hitsu, deciding mentally that he should take the lead. Nox looked at the people as they walked by. Some looked at Hitsu with amazement and excitement as if he were a celebrity. Those people also found themselves looking at Nox with intrigue and confusion, likely surprised there was a new hero.

"You seem pretty well known," Nox said to Hitsu as they walked.

"Of course I am," Hitsu said, "the Future Veins are pretty popular around this area."

As they walked Nox noticed that the busy city didn't seem as threatening as it did before. The crowded sidewalks now felt more organized and the towering buildings felt somehow smaller. Nox's focus however was not on the city, but on Hitsu. She could feel her excitement building. This would be the first time she saw a hero on patrol, what would he do? Stop a robbery? Fight a criminal? Rescue a civilian?

"Miss Funai!" Hitsu said happily before he and Juno made their way to the side of an elderly lady. She stood outside of a small convince store and seemed happy to see the two.

"He's going to talk to an old lady?" Nox thought, "Patrol sure is exciting."

Nox made her way to the store to join them and began to overhear their conversation.

"I'm sorry," Miss Funai said, "I don't have any treats for you today."

"Did he seriously come over here for free snacks?" Nox thought.

"No need to apologize," Hitsu said, "besides, I'm more concerned with that."

As Nox approached she noticed that the front window of the convince store was smashed, a giant hole in the glass left only shards in the window frame.

"Oh that," Miss Funai said sadly, "I'm afraid some local children thought it was funny to throw a rock through my window. I haven't been able to open the store because I've had to clean up all morning."

"That's awful," Nox said.

"Agreed," Hitsu responded, "do you have a dance that can help?"

"Actually I do," Nox responded.

As Nox positioned herself for her dance she overheard Miss Funai ask Hitsu a question.

"Hitsu, who is that girl?" she asked.

"Hitsu?" Hitsu responded, "Who's that?"

"Oh, um, Vansu," Miss Funai corrected herself, "who is that girl?"

"That's Queen," he finally answered, "our newest member."

"You have a new member?" Miss Funai said surprised.

"Yep," Hitsu responded, "and she's crazy strong."

Excited to prove Hitsu right, Nox began her dance. As she twirled and swayed she moved her hands rhythmically like a clock.

"Rewind," she whispered.

Instantly the broken window began to repair itself. From inside of the store glass shards began to float out of the dustpan they were swept into. They floated carefully to the broken window and the remains that stayed in the window frame. The glass shards positioned themselves in the window like a jigsaw puzzle, filling in the openings as they went. Once all the shards were in place and the window was whole again Nox concluded her dance with a small bow. Nox stared at the ground and waited for the panic and anxiety to set in, but it never did.

"I did it," Nox thought, "I'm not afraid."

Nox raised her head to see that a small crowd had formed. They all stared ahead in awe as Nox looked around awkwardly. Soon the crowd began to clap and cheer for Nox. Embarrassed, Nox made her way back to Hitsu and Miss Funai. For minutes she was profusely thanked and promised treats at a later day by the elderly lady. Eventually, Hitsu managed to get the two out of the conversation and back on patrol.

"So how do you feel?" Hitsu asked as they walked down the sidewalk.

"I feel... Good," Nox replied.

"That's what it feels like to help people," Hitsu said, "and that's what we do."

"I think I can get used to this," Nox said as they continued down the street.

...

Hitsu looked up to a nearby building that displayed a newscast. In the bottom corner of the newscast read the current time.

"Hey Queen," he said to his fellow hero, "only a bit longer and we'll call it a day."

"Alright," Nox replied exhausted. Over the last several hours the pair had been all over the city. Throughout the day they couldn't find a trace of crime and instead spent the day helping people. Helping carry an elderly man's groceries, getting a child's toy out of a tree, helping direct traffic, they had done it all.

"Is something wrong?" Hitsu asked.

"I didn't expect this to be so tiring," Nox answered, "I also didn't expect it to be so peaceful around here."

"Is that a bad thing?" Hitsu asked.

"What do you mean?" Nox replied.

"Well, most people would want a lot of crimes so they could have an exciting day," Hitsu said, "but I want the problems around here to stay minor. If our biggest problem is some vandals running around that means the city is peaceful and people are happy. As a hero I think that should be what I want, I should want to help an old man instead of stopping a shadow invasion."

Once again Nox found herself smiling at Hitsu's words. "Jeez, you really can do no harm."

"I'm taking that as a compliment," Hitsu said as they started to walk back towards the Future Veins guild.

"I never said it was an in-" Nox stopped in her tracks. As she talked she turned her head to the side and peeked down a nearby alleyway. What she saw made her eyes widen in fear. In the middle of the alleyway stood two people, one pushed against a building, and the other holding him in place. That part that stopped Nox was the gleaming blade in the aggressor's hand, the sharp end was held only inches from the man's neck. Hitsu quickly realized something was wrong and rushed to Nox's side. His face soon looked like Nox's as they both saw the scene before them, the sight unseen to anyone else.

"That man," Nox thought as she watched the blade grow closer and closer to the man's neck, "he's going to die..."

"...Unless we help."

...

End of Episode 28