"Come on, let's go and get this kid."
"What do you mean let's go, we cannot do that." Misa was bewildered by what she heard.
"What, why not?" Akito looked at the shocked face of the woman in front of him.
"We need to inform Tomoki Shimura-san, he could get those people. He has the authority to do that."
Misa wanted to help the kid too but there are rules that she had to follow. She can't just head straight into danger, that was not what she had been taught. And Misa was very sure she was not authorized to do that.
"Are you hearing yourself right now, we don't have time for this. By the time Shimura-san who is on the other side of the village get here, those men might leave. They know that this little girl has ran away and might inform someone, so they might act faster. We need to go right now; we can't take any chances."
Akito was in a shock right now looking at the equally shell-shocked woman for different reasons. What's the use of being powerful if you can't help the innocents. He thought that Misaki was not like one of those snobby showy cultivators, he wished she wasn't.
"But the protocol does not..."
"Why in god's name are you thinking about protocol right now." Akito burst out angrily which caused Misa to take a step back as she sensed the dense Qi surrounding her.
"A kid's life is in danger; we need to act right now. If we wait for Tomoki-san, it might be too late." It took all of his will power to keep his flaming Qi from bursting out.
"Come on, you know this is the right thing to do." Akito coaxed her further.
Misa looked at Aki and she knew that, what he was saying was right. But for someone like her, who has not even been to a single mission in her life, this was a frightening situation. She really wanted to help the kid but she herself has never been in any situation where she had to face something dangerous.
Misa was scared for the kid and herself. She looked at Akito who was standing their tall, oozing with power, ready to face anything that may come to him. He looked determined to go and save the kid.
Misa wished that she was also that brave but she wasn't. Even then, she cannot just sit back.
As Aki said they will have to go for the kid. She will have to face her fear. A life was at stake here and she has to buckle up and do it. She was Misaki Tokugawa and there's nothing she cannot achieve if she put her mind into it. Giving herself a good pep talk she decided to agree with him.
"Alright…..alright…..we can do this. But we have to send this kid to get Tomoki-san." Aki almost had a smile blooming in but it vanished immediately when she repeated the same thing.
"We don't have time to travel back and forth." For the umpteenth time he repeated again.
"I said the kid not us."
"What do you mean?" Aki asked her confused because if they send the kid away who was going to guide them.
Misa crouched in front of the kid and spoke calmly hoping not to scare her again.
"Listen, do you know where the patrol office is. It's right near the shop which sells cloth fabrics."
"How is this going to help us." He muttered from the side.
"Shut it for a moment." She turned and shot him a scathing look, Aki raised his hands and backed away. Misa asked the kid again, "Tell me do you know what I am talking about."
"Yes, I have seen that place."
"Good I want you to go there and find Tomoki Shimura. If he is not there, then someone with the surname Shimura and tell him about the situation and also tell them that Misaki Tokugawa has gone after them. Can you do that for me."
Misa asked her calmy as she squeezed her shoulders in comfort. The child looked so tired and she was thin and frail that Misa wondered if sending her was the right decision.
"Yes."
"Remember very well don't go to anyone else, only Shimura. Okay?"
"They are not going to believe the kid." Aki spoke again. People tend to judge others by their appearances and looking at the kid he didn't think anyone in that office was going to believe her.
"Umm...." She pondered about it, he had a point though, no one was going to believe that she was helping the kid. But she had an idea what to do.
"Take this and show it to them, he will understand what I meant." Misa said as she passed the Tokugawa clan sigil to her hand.
"It's the Tokugawa clan sigil, it cannot be removed from me without my permission as it's infused with my Qi and it belongs to only members of Tokugawa clan." Misa explained to the confused person beside him.
"Now go fast ...Wait come back, I need to ask you something." She stopped the child who almost took off when she urged her.
"Do you have anything that Yuji gave you perhaps." The child pondered for some time then untied her hair producing a small red ribbon from it.
"He gave me this ribbon yesterday; I don't know if it will help."
"It will thank you, now go fast." She ushered the kid away and turned towards the boy who was giving her an annoyed glare.
"Well genius tell me how are you going to find the kid, now that you have let the one source that we had go away." Misa rolled her eyes at him as she dusted off her clothes.
"I have someone, he will track the kid out." Misa concentrated her Qi on her familiar bond to pull her familiar to her. With a small pop a Class 5 mythical beast appeared in front of them. Who immediately sensed its owner and barrelled into her sniffing and licking her all over.
"Aww...Mori-kun, I missed you too." Misa rubbed her familiar's face affectionately who licked her palms as if asking for treats.
Aki looked at her familiar and Mori appeared to be a canine breed mythical beast. As per his name Mori had a mix of green and white fur in his body with bright green eyes but it was very small that he could easily hold it in his hands.
"I don't have any food right now but after this small work, I will buy you something ya...." Mori rolled around the ground then bumped her hand as if saying yes. "Good boy."
"Now Mori-kun, I want you to track a small boy okay, try sniffing him out from this." Misa asked her familiar as she brought out the red ribbon the small girl gave her for him to sniff.
"There might be multiple smells in that." Aki piped in thinking that the beast might get confused with multiple smells.
"He is an intelligent boy and he is my familiar. He knows who I am talking about." Misa answered him confidently. True to her words Mori-kun took some time to concentrate but soon he let out a sharp bark implying he found a trail.
"Come on let's go."
to be continued---------
Sneak Peak:
"You have fought before right?"
"Of course, I have. How could you have thought otherwise. I fight daily with my master, sometimes with Asami and even with my brother."
"In a real fight?" Aki asked again dreading the answer.
"Of course, they were real."
"Misaki-san, I am talking about the real fight not the one with set rules in a fighting arena." The dramatic way in which her face changed and how she looked away not meeting his eyes was enough indication for Aki.
"You haven't, have you?"
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