"What do you mean that you can no longer detect him?"
Standing tall in a military tent were Commander Haishi, Lieutenant Kou, and several other warriors. Haishi recently revealed that his headaches had mysteriously disappeared, while also clearing any visions from Mizuki's kidnapped eyes.
With his head tilted downward, Haishi took a quick intake of breath and said, "I can't feel Mizuki's connection any longer. I'm not sure what could've happened, but it's just gone."
Kou remained silent for numerous moments, contemplating her next set of words. "Then, how are we going to pursue the rogues?"
"We can't contact fellow villages if we ourselves can't give any coordinates. And searching on our own would only harm us in the long run." A High-Class warrior stated, his stern eyes gazing at Kou.
Haishi instinctively clenched his hands, closing his eyes, ashamed. The man was correct—rushing in without a sense of direction or intel would only demolish their ranks. Those rogues were strong, and getting outside help from neighboring villages would be near impossible when going in blind.
"So, what? We just tell the kids that their brother is gone for good!?" Kou hollered, warranting a gentle hand to grasp her shoulder.
Haishi opened his eyes, retracting his hand from Kou's shoulder. "We can't do anything, Kou. I hate to say it, but Mizuki could be dead. The Kekkan no Sosei was all that linked us together, and now it's gone."
The atmosphere thickened, the tent quieting instantly. Kou's shoulders sagged, failing to formulate any plans to rescue the mission. Sadly, not a single successful thought struck the Lieutenant.
Suddenly, Kou's eyes shot open. "Wait! What about the Buraunmajikku student that went missing? Tanjo, right?"
"Nozomu's kid?" Haishi questioned, arching an eyebrow at the brown-haired lieutenant.
Kou nodded hastily. "Yes! But, we saw him at Nozomu's house the day we disclosed our information about Mizuki! Don't you think it's a bit odd how shell-shocked that kid seemed just from potentially learning where Mizuki might be, then disappearing right after?"
"Kou… you're not assuming that the boy went after Mizuki, are you?" Haishi asked, craning his head to the side.
Kou's countenance steeled. "Well, if we can't find Mizuki, then why don't we dispatch the Signal Unit to look for Tanjo instead—he might lead us to Mizuki!"
"How would a teenager who didn't even graduate from the academy find the kid High-Class warriors can't even find?" The High-Class warrior from before spoke up, his voice permeating through Kou and Haishi's conversation.
Kou's eyes were then drawn to the warrior. "Both me and Haishi reviewed the scores of the students in the academy. Tanjo Nozomu had a collective IQ of 250! In what reality would a person with that high of intellect would stupidly chase after a lost cause!?"
Haishi, along with the other warriors, struggled to conjure a rebuttal. An intellect of 250 was stupendously high, especially for a teenager. For a mind that still had room to grow to eclipse the brains of even High-Class warriors was astounding, but…
"Why would we put all of our trust in one person? What if he doesn't find Mizuki?" The High-Class warrior asked, curiosity lacing his words.
Kou shot right back, "Then we should be glad to retrieve him at the very least upon discovering his location."
"She may be right," Haishi said, his voice reluctant. "Tanjo managed to sneak by our troops just to exit the village. Our men can sense beyond the forests, and yet a sixteen-year-old escaped. The kid has visible talent, and we should lock down on it."
The warriors in the tent stayed quiet, only the sound of clanking armor could be heard.
Without warning, a new warrior stepped forward, kneeling courteously. "As the Commander of the Signal Branch, I'd be honored to enact this new plan."
Haishi eyed the warrior lightly, sighing. "All right. Even if we can only procure Tanjo, it's better than giving up. Send all of our best trackers as soon as possible."
Kou smiled, a single tear escaping her eye. Kou berated herself for allowing her emotions to emerge. However, after managing to keep hope in finding both Mizuki and Tanjo roused glee within her.
'Soon, we'll bring back both of them—Then, Sona and Toshiro won't be so sad all the time.'
XXX
With the moon hovering past the horizon, Tanjo strained his arms to push out one more blast.
"C'mon… purple!"
*BOOM!*
A beam of purple Aura Sense was then discharged from Tanjo's palms; a Genso-Kyu formed between both of his hands. His arms were in agony, a painful searing sensation flowing through his limbs. The boy swore he could feel his bones melting away.
"Nice work, Tanjo!" Asami praised, garnering the jet-black-haired boy's attention.
Tanjo slowly turned around. "Thank you—! Wait! Is that a chocolate bar!"
In Asami's hands was a rectangular bar of chocolate, with several visible bites taken out of it. The blue-haired woman hummed in response. "Yeah, it is."
Tanjo's eyes lit up. "Do you have any extras?"
The boy had not devoured anything since his departure from Buraun, the Old Man's meal is the only thing sitting in his stomach. Asami then shook her head, a smirk on her face.
"Hmmm… nope!" Asami answered, prompting Tanjo to groan ravenously.
Suddenly, Tanjo felt a small object smack him atop his head. Quickly grabbing it with his hand, the teenager took a glimpse at what he caught, only to smile in joy. It was another bar of chocolate!
"You did have one!" Tanjo cheered, tearing the wrapper to pieces.
Asami shrugged. "You're lucky I snagged some in Tani. I planned on saving those for the next town I'd go to."
Tanjo immediately bit into the snack but took surprisingly small bites. Asami grew curious, speaking up, "If you were so hungry, why are you taking rat-sized bites?"
"Might as well savor the bar so as to not run out so quickly." Tanjo said upon digesting pieces of the chocolate bar.
Asami nodded, her eyes drifting away mindlessly. The blue-haired woman briefly thought back to Tanjo's recent training. More specifically, his practice of expelling various beams of each Aura Sense. The woman shifted her head back toward Tanjo, her mouth parting to speak.
"Hey, I noticed that you tend to call out the color you wanted to shoot. I assume it's a mental thing, right?" Asami asked, storing her chocolate bar into her gray cloak.
Tanjo perked up at Asami's questioning, his head swaying back and forth. "It helped me visualize my blasts. After a few shots, it just became a habit."
"Weird," Asami voiced, folding her arms. "Not many call out their shots before attacking, with it being pretentious and all."
Tanjo frowned. "I don't intend for it to be a call-out. All I care about currently is using all four of my Aura Sense, so the thought never drifted my way."
Once again, Asami hummed in response. If the boy wished to use the four Aura Sense vocally, then she has no right to stop him. Although, she does hope that he doesn't yell out random colors during battle.
Battle… That reminds Asami of another problem.
"Hey, Tanjo. I've been thinking about it, but you wearing armor as a rogue isn't all that smart. After all, do you want your village to be accused of your actions? You'd also be discovered quite easily in a noisy hunk of steel." Asami claimed, watching Tanjo's expression morph into sadness.
Tanjo then murmured quietly, "The thought of being a rogue must've been repressed pretty far into the back of my mind for me to forget…"
"Don't hang yourself on it. I know where to get you some new gear. It'd feel ten times better than your stiff armor." Asami reassured, patting the boy's shoulder.
When hearing those words, Tanjo instantly thought about his headband and how Mr. Oshieru entrusted him with carrying it. Anxiety brimmed within the boy at the thought of being potentially forced to discard it.
"Uhm, if it isn't a problem—can I actually keep the headband?" Tanjo asked hesitantly, rubbing his vambrace nervously.
Asami glanced at the blue fabric fastened around Tanjo's head, watching as two loose strands that tied the headband together swayed in the wind. The blue-haired woman grinned, flicking the jet-black-haired boy's forehead softly.
"That's fine, Tanjo. Besides, with what you'll be wearing it won't matter much!"
XXX
Ooh, The Signal Branch is making moves! Will they find Tanjo, and will Tanjo even find Mizuki? And what will Tanjo be wearing? Who knows(except me!) Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_