I scanned the entire group while I drank my coffee. It took all my effort not to spit it back out. Forgot about the sugar again. It was bad enough that Yuuto was after my head to find Keith, but now Oni's risking our group to get caught by that damn russian network. This trip seemed to get better and better by the second.
"Relax, if none of Zhadhost's men came here, then there's nothing to worry about. They probably didn't even see who he was working for anyways. " Crimson reassured me. But that didn't seem to calm my nerves though.
Ash sighed, and stuffed the last bit of her omlet into her mouth. "If you truly want to worry about something, worry about Oni," She mumbled to me. "Sooner or later, he will realize he's not just a human, and we're not one at all. He's already suspicious of you and Nico, and he may be onto Sholto now."
I glanced at him. Other than the fact he was eating and talking like everyone else right now, I could see the faint outline of bags under his eyes. I pondered about what Ashrin said as I added a packet of sugar into my coffee. I did say I was going to tell him everything he needs to know about his family, but I also need him to be in his original form, like Skai. "The packet's empty, Vanitas. You can put it down now." Zane waved his hand in my face. I swatted it away.
"I know. I'm just thinking about something." Eli looked at me with confusion.
"Is it really that important?" he asked me. "I mean, we're gonna go home in about a week or so. After that, we won't need to worry about them at all."
"That's not what I'm worried about," I argued. "It's what Yuuto will do when he realizes that all the elites but Oni have disappeared. He might make him do things I know he will never be ready to do. He could have his mind torn apart and then be forced to put it back together himself. And after god knows how long, I'm afraid he might just-"
"-Turn into you." Sholto interrupted me. I nodded. He chuckled, and everyone else smiled.
"You really do act like a father, you know?" Crimson giggled. I lazily glared at them. "Oh shut up. We've got to get going and find those kids jobs." I got up, and everyone followed pursuit. "Come on. We don't have forever."
~~~
"Okay, so-" Eli pulled up a list of all the places I found that work under Yuuto's branch. "We should try the western side first, since it's the closest."
Zane rolled his eyes and scoffed. "The western side is on the other side of this city. We have to check the eastern side first, you numbskull!" He snatched the list from him and skimmed through it. "We're heading to 'Fierros Garage'. We might find something worthwhile for Jay." We started heading towards the north. Oni looked around him, amazed by how similar the city was to their home.
"This looks nothing like the movies!" Jay exclaimed. "I don't see any dirt homes anywhere!"
Eli laughed at that. "Those are just scenes needed for action movies. If there are any, it'd be on the country side of this country."
Mune seemed to be really busy with whatever was in his phone. I took a glance, and stared at him with disappointment. Here we were, trying to find them jobs so the rest of us could deal with Keith ourselves and get them home before we leave Earth, and this guy wants to play "Granny" while he's still alive? If he doesn't put that away before we get him a job, I will personally confiscate his phone and will only give it back when we leave Sonora.
I stopped and blinked. Oh god, I thought. "I really do act like a father." I whispered, mortified. Sholto called me before I fell behind, and I caught up to them. My mind started to think of how on Delta I managed to become a guardian to these kids. I'll never hear the end of it if Kori found out about this.
When we reached there, only Zane and Jay went in while the rest of us waited outside. I watched as a father with his two sons walk across the street, the children playing while their parent watched over him. It reminded me of my family, how we used to have that much fun, running around and hiding in the fields, not having a care in the world. I turned away and looked at Oni and Mune. I squeezed my arms, and took a deep breath. Just one more week with them, and then I'll be back at Carthya.
"Psst." I ignored it. Probably to someone else. "Psst. Hey, Vanitas!" I whipped my head to find Skai standing behind me, smiling like the dofus he is.
"What are you doing here?!" I whisper-yelled, gritting my teeth. Now was not the time to be bothering me. If Oni sees him- hell, if anyone sees him, we're screwed. I told Eli to keep an eye on the others while I dragged Skai into the alleyway. Some hobo noticed him and ran away, frightened. Who wouldn't be- he looked like a demon from hell, and his clothes didn't seem to be helping him right now. "You shouldn't be here, not when your brother's over there."
His smile turned into a frown. "You didn't tell him, did you?"
I sighed. "It's . . . harder than it looks," He glared at me. "It's not that I don't want to tell him, it's just that I need the right opportunity to tell him-" A scream erupted behind me. I growled, and turned to see who it was. Standing there in all his glory was Keith, his body swallowed in flames, looking at both me and Skai.
"Run." I warned him.
"But-"
"Just go!" He flinched, and climbed one of the buildings with ease before jumping over them. Keith watched him for a bit, before staring at me again.
"So," He hollered. "Long time no see, eh? Didn't think I'd meet you again as an enemy, Vanitas." I got Oni and Mune behind me.
"Call the girls," I commanded Mune. "Tell them we're at 828 Peñaloza street. Tell them that Keith's here too."
Keith sucked in a deep breath, and blew. Fire sputed out of his mouth, and flew in our direction. I covered both of them and waited for the flames to engulf me, but they didn't. I slowly opened one eye to see Eli with a massive pile of water covering us. The flames covering Keith started to die down and disappear, revealing a face almost identical to Grai's.
Eli chucked the water at him, and started to collect water from the fire hydrants nearby. Keith only threw an equally powerful ball of fire, creating a fog between us. "I'm not here for much," He yelled from the other side. "Just my sister. Give her to me and I'll leave you alone. Heck, I'll even spare that human and hybrid behind you!" My eyes widened in shock.
Oni and Mune looked at me with fear and confusion. "What does he mean by hybrid?" Mune asked. I couldn't answer, because a phoenix flew in front of me and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me up to the sky.
I could feel it's claws digging into my skin, bleeding and burning me at the same time. I cried in pain, and tried to kick the damn bird. However, it dove straight down, plummeting me to my death. Ah shit, I thought as I shut my eyes and await Devian to get me.
Instead, it steaded itself and landed me on the ground gently. I looked around to find Ashrin and the girls looking at me and the scene. Crimson helped me up. "Eli's trying to fight him off, but I don't think he'll last much longer. I don't know if Zane's helping Eli or protecting the others."
"On it." Crimson ran into the smoke, disappearing almost immediately.
"Lina, stick with me. Vanitas, take me to Keith." Ashrin ordered.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't my dear old sister," Keith said. We could only see his shadow, but I was guessing he set himself aflame again. "You know, you really are a pain. We had to search for you and Nico for years. Turns out you landed on the planet you were supposed to go to, huh."
"Gee, thanks," Ash deadpanned. "I had this covered. I already sent a message to Dākushī where to meet me. He said he'd be here in about a week or so. So go away and let us do what we want to do."
"Is that so?" He smiled genuinely at her. "Then I'll leave you alone for now." He looked at me and grinned sinsterly. "But not without the hybrid." Lina seemed confused.
"Oni will not go with you!" I yelled. "He will stay with us, and will stay here on Earth forever!"
"Oh I don't think so." Keith chuckled. His body became ashes as a shadow horse ran through him. Zane appeared behind the creature, his eyes entirely black.
"Keith's gone," he informed, closing his eyes. "That was the last flame clone he made of himself." He opened them to show his normal jade green irises. "And to top it off, Oni's missing."
I cursed loudly. "Dammit! That shitface distracted us! Now what are we going to tell Yuuto? That man will kill me by the end of today." I grabbed my hair and tried as hard as I could to calm down.
"I could try to track them using the phoenix he made but," she thought about it.
"But what?"
"He would know if we were tracking him, and he might threaten to kill Oni."
"Vanitas!" Eli yelled. I looked in his direction to find Sholto and Skai standing there without a mask to cover to their features. "You gotta explain this to us. Now."
"Is that Oni and Sholto?!" Lina exclaimed.
"Oh god." I whispered. "I am so screwed."
~~~
Skai sipped on a cup of hot cocoa with whipped cream happily while Sholto lazily flicked his tail as his ears twitched to every sound. Mune, Jay, and Lina all stared at them with complete concentration.
"Let me get this straight-"
"So you're telling me-"
"You were Oni's pet? That's-"
"One at a time." Nico scolded them. Skai gasped, and picked up a lizard sticking to the window. Sholto growled at it, and started to hiss at it when it got closer.
"He's so cute!" He scratched under the lizard's head. "I'm gonna call you 'Pebbles.'" "Pebbles" Licked his eye and looked at me. The noise he made didn't make me less uncomfortable.
"I think I know how I can find my brother," He began. "Keith's definitely not leaving Mexico until he gets Ash, and there are tons of reptiles here, so finding him won't be hard."
"Reptiles like heat too, so they wouldn't have any trouble of sorts." Mune added.
"Exactly!" His positive attitude confused me. "And after we get him back, you are to properly introduce me to him."
Everyone looked at me suspiciously. "What?" I asked them. "I didn't know he had a twin, lay off of me."
"But that doesn't make sense." Mune said. "Not once has auntie Kettō told us about Skai, much less that their pet was also their guardian. And neither has she nor Oni shown us 'this' form before." He pointed at the lizard-talker.
"That's because Kettō uses a spray on both her and her son to hide their features. She's done this since they were born. However, since it couldn't work on Skai for some reason, she entrusted me in protecting him and taking him back to her family on Kyron, which is seven solar systems from here."
"Seven?!" Jay's eyes bulged out of his sockets. "You've got to be kidding me." Sholto rolled his eyes, and looked at Skai.
"Have they found him yet?" I could tell all the snakes and lizards near him were starting to disgust him.
"Almost. They've found a source of warmth somewhere in the Pinacate Peaks, but they aren't sure if it's Keith."
"Then let's go there immediately." I grabbed my jacket and left the room with everyone following pursuit.
Let's hope things go our way over there. I thought.