It had been approximately an hour or two since Asuna's disappearance. Raizo and the others still got no word about the incident, if there was even one existing somewhere on the scene...
It happened that Natsuno and Nikki, too, joined the search group. Explaining the situation about mom and Asuna, the twins tried to handle it in bit of a mature way, although Nikki started tearing up. No one blamed her, after all - It's a natural emotion to be felt after a news such as this. Everyone was indeed troubled. No one told mom about Asuna's case though. In the end, mom would also be worried even though she hardly knew Asuna.
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*MIZORE'S POV*
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I couldn't believe Asuna had been taken away by some unknown being. She and Raizo were being targeted by someone for a while, but who? I felt careless to let her be... What was I thinking?
She was nowhere to be seen, no matter how much we searched... not even around the hospital grounds or at the nearby park. The whole nerves in my body were screaming with anxiety.
I don't usually show it often, but from the inside, I am not as composed as I seem. Sounds pretty cliche, huh? But it's true. I sometimes think that from amongst us, I may be the most easily-to-panic person. But in a situation like this, I remain calm so as not to create any trouble in our search. It's a bit of a misunderstanding trait. But still, one must always work without panicking, as I like to keep reminding myself.
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Raizo, on the other hand, was panicking like crazy - holding nothing back or showing no signs of even stopping.
"Where could she have run off to?! Ugh, this is so annoying...!" He shouted.
"...Calm down. Remember, we are all in this as well." Yuichi spoke calmly, trying to ease Raizo a little.
"Y-You just used the same sentence as before... Is that all you can say?! Use the same line over and over?!" Raizo shot back.
Yuichi turned away as he answered, "...I am merely stating the obvious and dealing with this coolly, unlike some panicked freak..."
Raizo's eyebrow twitched for a second before rushing forward in an attempt to punch Yuichi's face. However, before he could touch Yuichi, I stopped Raizo from my long, icy hand.
"That's enough, both of you! We are in the middle of a crisis here and you two are acting like a bunch of kids! Honestly..." I sighed in irritation as I dropped my hand back.
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A minute later, Raizo seemed to have calmed down and when I stole a glance at Yuichi, he looked as if nothing had ever happened.
Though we both are mostly together, I still don't fully understand Yuichi's emotions. It's like he has some sort of a shield around his mind that keeps troubles away or something... He always looks so unshaken no matter the situation and that is one reason why I admire him a lot.
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I still remember the nostalgic days when Yuichi and I were still kids. I remember it as clear as morning dew.
My first dad found Yuichi in his wolf form one day, stranded, and introduced him in our family. We all accepted him easily, since it was only me and mom - with me still being a girl of 5. It was also a new thing for me to be able to meet another inhuman being. I was really excited.
Since dad knew how to hide his own form, he taught Yuichi the same: to hide his ears and tail.
Back then, Yuichi used to be really like a lone wolf. He used to be such a scaredy cat, unlike me. I used to be more of a dare devil. I was the first to approach Yuichi. By exchanging my mini ice sculptures, I managed to bring Yuichi out of his sturdy shell. He used to be so impressed... I also showed him how my powers worked, and he used to show me his transformations as well. It was like we started sharing a bond inconceivable to a normal human.
But the day when mom and dad took us to live in the orphanage, I was scared and nervous out of my wits end. As for Yuichi... he surprisingly adapted fast. He started to tease me about being a scaredy cat when I used to be so daring. Nonetheless, I loved him for always being there for me and relaxing my nerves.
From then onwards, he really acted like a big brother. He always took care of me and in doing so, also became reserved since I asked him to never leave my side. I used to keep him to myself - well, I did turn to be a selfish kid back then...
He never chatted with anyone else but me, and later Raizo when he, too, joined the orphanage.
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We tried probing for information from the people nearby, but they didn't answer or even dare to stop. It was really unusual. Maybe the person is a sorcerer? It clearly looked like the people were somehow possessed... Their lifeless eyes staring ahead of their every step.
While we searched for clues, the last thing we found was a knife penetrating deep in the tree trunk at a rather peculiar angle. We had no idea who did that. The unease in my heart only grew larger. I only wish for Asuna's safety. She has to be alright. She has come this far. She mustn't give up yet to some amateur.
One thing I noticed from the tilted knife is that this person doesn't do well with aims which means that he or she fights somewhat blindly.
"Oomphhh...! Hey! The knife won't budge!" Natsuno moaned as he tried pulling the knife.
"Rock solid, eh? Lemme try." Raizo mused as he gripped the knife with a confident smile.
After a few seconds, Raizo too, started to get tired from pulling it with his hand constantly slipping off due to sweat.
"This isn't good... The person seems to be way stronger than we anticipated." Nikki spoke as she held her chin.
We all nodded in agreement with dark expressions. I balled my fists.
"Yuichi, can you still try sniffing from the tree trunk?" I asked.
"...Mmmm... ...I doubt it will be easy though. ...Countless number of living things have touched this tree and I can smell different scents all jumbled up."
"You should at least try! How can you be so sure it is really impossible?!" Raizo asked with a rebuffed tone.
Yuichi glared at him once before giving out a long, exasperating sigh.
"...You are getting on my nerves today a lot..." Yuichi muttered.
Raizo just huffed his cheeks as he looked away in disdain.
"Haaa... We have no time for fights. Asuna's life is at stake here! We should at least cooperate with each other to find her quick!" I stated.
"Yeah, Mii-nee is right." Nikki agreed. Natsuno nodded.
In the end, Yuichi reluctantly agreed as a bright, blue light enveloped his entire body. Once the light dimmed, two big white ears and three tails could be seen. Yuichi transformed into his wolf form.
In the past, I remembered Yuichi mentioning to me that he had been hunted down due to his rare and exotic species. I don't know the exact details since Yuichi never spoke past that. There seems to be more to his previous life, even when he was just a kid...
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Yuichi drew closer to the tree, closed his eyes and concentrated as he started sniffing. It felt like forever that he stood there, as still as untouched water.
"Ughh, why are you--" Raizo angrily marched towards Yuichi, but I held out my arm in order to stop him.
"I think you are crossing the line Raizo." I eyed him seriously as I spoke in a stern manner.
Raizo dropped his eyebrows in anger as he swiftly turned around before walking forward.
"W-Where are you going, Rai-nii?"
Nikki asked, but Raizo simply shoved her out of the way as he answered, "I am going to search for her! You guys are taking way too long."
"What?! You can't do that! Not without a plan!" Natsuno warned.
"Heh..." Raizo started, "I don't have the patience to take my sweet time in searching for Asuna. Got it?"
With that, Raizo turned into a reaper and used his scythe to make a cut in the air for a portal.
"Wait, Raizo! Don't be so hasty! We do--" I was cut short by Yuichi.
"...Leave him be. ...I can sense a change in him right now."
With that, Raizo disappeared in the portal while Yuichi went back to sniffing.
(Raizo... why are you so unusual today? It's like you are a different person sometimes. I hope... nothing bad happens.)
Yuichi finally managed to pick up the right scent as he looked the opposite way of the hospital.
"Did you find her?" I asked as I approached him.
He nodded slightly, and gave a short response, "...There, in the forest."
"Then let's go!" Natsuno beamed as he raised his fist in the air.
Nikki nodded cheerfully as they took off into the air.
"...Let's go. ...We don't have much time for the both of them." Yuichi whispered to me.
"Yeah. Especially since someone is after Raizo as well as Asuna..."
"...Right."
(I guess he is also worried about Raizo in his own way...)
Yuichi ran like lightning as I took advantage of my ice powers to build a path to slide on. Since I wasn't as fast as Yuichi, he did halt his steps from time to time for me to catch up.
Quiet and thoughtful... He has always been that way, which makes me feel like I can rely on him as much as I need to.
(I just hope Asuna is alright and that Raizo has found her by now. It would be troubling if something happened to him as well. We already have our hands full.)
Yuichi, and I ran through a nearby forest while Natsuno and Nikki glided in the now cloudy grey sky. I had already understood that the person who took Asuna lives in the deep part of this murky forest, since we just kept straying deeper and deeper.
How creepy...
The humidity made my head spin a little, but I couldn't tell that to Yuichi. I will just overburden him like that. I also hope it is a minor one or just my imagination getting to me...