Chapter 27 : Unconscious
«Dentario Mall»
The sound of a revving machine was heard in the parking lot of the biggest mall in Hiltonia City. Two persons who rode the motorcycle disembarked. The two opened their helmets and revealed Takaya and Asahi, who were already equipped with their tactical gear suit. They checked their gear, making sure they were ready for the day.
Asahi shaded her eyes to look up at the bright sky. She took a deep breath and surveyed her surroundings, observing the people engaged in various activities.
"This Mall is huge, don't you agree?" After sight-seeing the mall's area Asahi was amazed by how big the mall is,
"Yeah... Huge enough for the four of us."
"Where are Sanna and Ai?"
"They're still on their way towards here. We better get inside and wait for them."
Takaya led the way toward the mall's entrance, with Asahi following closely behind. As they stepped inside, they found themselves surrounded by the usual hustle and bustle of a busy shopping center. Many people were walking around, some carrying bags. Although Takaya and Asahi were there for different reasons, this was a common sight. Takaya made his way over to a fast-food restaurant.
"Hey, let's grab some lunch before Sanna arrives here."
"Oh, I'm starving. That's a good idea. Let's go!"
Both of them ordered hamburgers along with french fries and soft drinks. After receiving their food, they walked over to a seat near the window to enjoy their meal and the view of the mall.
"It's been forever since I've had the chance to try out this new menu item!" exclaimed Asahi excitedly.
"You really do love hamburgers, don't you?" teased Takaya.
"Hey! The tastiest food ever created in this world is a hamburger and fries," retorted Asahi, defending her love for the classic fast food combo.
"I bet you will eat mine if I look away..."
"I'm not that type of theft, okay... but maybe you're right. Better watch it."
Asahi is a fan of hamburgers and fries and she joked around, which Takaya found to be normal. Asahi was being herself without any changes. After hearing something about her yesterday, Takaya felt comfortable talking to her like they normally would. They continued to eat their lunch together and replenish their energy.
While they were eating, Asahi noticed Takaya staring out the window, waiting for someone who hadn't arrived yet.
"Say, what do you think about Sanna?"
"She's cool. Reliable, skilled, and a fast learner."
"Oh come on, is your head only filled with work-related stuff? What do you think of her as a woman?"
"Hmmm, let's just say she is beautiful."
"All women are beautiful! You don't have any thoughts about her as a person? Like what she does, her personality, her appearance, or anything else?"
He takes a sip of his drink before answering Asahi's question.
"I think she's a caring person who is very patient and positive. She loves her sister, family, and friends very much. As a woman, she deserves someone reliable whom she can count on."
"She deserves someone like him. By the way, she also has a crush on you."
Upon hearing Asahi's statement, Takaya was so surprised he coughed and spat out his drink.
"What the- What is wrong with you?!"
He talks while coughing,
"What is wrong with you, you reacted too hard.."
"Well, I think that would help your life."
"What do you mean of live-"
Takaya coughed hard, trying to clear his throat. Asahi stood beside him, handing him a tissue to wipe the drool from his mouth.
"I think you look great together. Both of you are very passionate about something, not forgetting you are such a stubborn boy. You need someone to watch your actions."
"I'm not interested in bringing other people into my mess."
Asahi sits back at her place,
"But you are taking other people's mess with you. Don't you think it is about time to share your mess to someone else?"
"I don't see that as a great idea, and my mess is not an ordinary one to share."
"But no one here is having an ordinary mess though."
Small argument between the two is like fire and water. Asahi tries to burn his heart but Takaya tries to extinguish it. Both staring at each other eyes,
"Takaya, there are a lot of types of mess that you can share with anyone. Even though it is not important, it is still worth sharing and getting someone else's thoughts about it."
Takaya sees Asahi having a point, he let her thoughts go through his mind.
"Is this just me, or are you trying to act like you are actually older than me and very familiar with those kinds of things?"
"I'm older than you. And I'm trying to give you some advice before things change, not as you wanted."
"Although my life is already dark enough to share?"
Asahi wiping of her mouth, and gaze the sun once again from the dimmed window beside her,
"Everyone has darkness in their lives, that's why we need someone else to light up ours. Takaya, you can be the light for anyone else, forever as you want it, but you also need someone to light up your heart, so you can keep moving."
Asahi looked at his eyes once again,
"Just like the moon that brightens the world at night time, it also needs the sun to actually light up. Two things that worked together, and needed one another to work. So don't tell me you want to live like that forever. Try to open up yourself a little."
Takaya's eyes filled with motivation, seeing the word has the meaningful point for his life.
"I'm surprised you have such wonderful words. Is this you, or your other self?"
"That's rude! It's all me, you jerk."
Her face annoyed with Takaya's words, but she takes that as a light joke to fill the conversation and carry on.
<
Two girls with equipped gears walking together on the sidewalk of the mall. They are moving toward the mall side by side. It was Sanna and Ai. Rare for someone like Ai wants to come along on the mission.
"This was the first time to see you actually go on the mission."
Sanna complimented at Ai sudden changes thoughts,
"It was the first time I saw your change of expression."
"Huh?"
"Come on, everyone's know how useless you were the first time you came up to the academy. Now you are a totally reliable person, Sanna."
"Sorry for being useless. But why did you choose me for your team? You can just pick Takaya or Asahi for this?"
"Asahi is annoying, Takaya is a straightforward ass kid. So I can't stand both of them."
Sanna closes her mouth with her hand with a laugh on hearing what Ai just said. Found out that was hilarious.
"That isn't funny."
"It is! Gosh you are indeed cousins are weird."
"Well, we are indeed weird from the beginning. So be careful."
"Ai, you really don't have a sense of humor don't you??"
Ai just straight up walked without giving any thoughts about what Sanna just said. For some reason, she is very cold and very straight when talking to other people, her words often make other people uncomfortable with her.
"Say, Sanna. What do you think about Asahi?"
"To be totally honest, I agree with your saying. She is annoying."
"Not that. I mean her condition, and all of the things that happened."
Surprised by what Ai just asked her, Sanna stop her walk,
"I... don't know.. Honestly I talked about this with Saega not long ago about her, she says that Asahi is a confusion."
Ai quickly stops on hearing that,
"Confusion?"
"Yeah.. Frankly I can see what she meant about confusion, I feel that deep inside her she is hiding something from us. And everytime I see her, talking to her, she is like not a person who I talk to."
"You mean Asahi is not Asahi?"
Sanna grabs her other hand to hold it tightly on hearing Ai's thoughts,
"Yes.. Saega also said the same, or even worse she said that 'Her face is Asahi, but the truth is she is someone else. Just like a puppet on the string.' She said."
Quoting Saega's word, Sanna just realized that she talks nonsensical thing about her friend.
"That is just a wild thought that we talked about. Nothing serious at all. Just for-"
"But you did actually feel it?"
"I... "
Sanna couldn't react on Ai's question,
"If you don't, you wouldn't say much of this. After all, I always know that you are very sensitive among us. And you did think that I also know something that you guys don't. Did you?"
Her eyes widely opened after Ai guessed what she thought, She walked closely to Ai,
"Ai.. What do you know about Asahi?"
Ai dismissed Sanna's question and continued walking toward their destination. While Sanna feels weirded by Ai sudden changes of mood.
Both walking in the pedestrian toward the mall with none of them talking. For the first time ever Sanna interacting with Ai turns out to be awkward. Trying to focus on the mission she is still hanging with her own question. She couldn't stop thinking about it for the entire 15 minute walk to meet Takaya.
Near the mall entrance, Ai suddenly stops, surprising Sanna.
"I know a lot of things about her. But I hate to tell you that I'm not willing to say anything about it yet. Until everything is clear, you might be the first one I'll find."
Ai just said another puzzle for Sanna. Making her believe that Ai already knows something about Asahi's condition. She calms herself and tries to think straight and understand Ai's decision to not say anything to her at the moment.
From afar, a girl waved her hand up for both of them. Is Asahi trying to give them a sign that they are waiting. Ai and Sanna rush to meet her.
"What took you so long? It's been an hour, you know?" Asahi said that with a joking tone,
"May I remind you that we're walking." Ai reacted to Asahi's joke.
"Hey, They're here now. We should get going." Takaya said.
"Sanna, As we practice, cast your thing… uhh.." Asahi trying to get serious but she forgot her words
Sanna materialized her pistol and aiming it up to the sky,
"Distortion Wave!" Sanna casted the Distortion Wave, an ability to make her senses more sharp, the idea is to detect unusual presence other than 4 of them.
"Let's get moving." Takaya walks in the mall followed by the 3 girls behind him.
<
Empty. It is the only word that can only describe the sight at the 3rd floor of the mall. No shops are open, nor are the people in the area. Only a big dark hall that can be seen.
Asahi and Sanna walk around on their own, same as Takaya and Ai, separated into two teams to discover the floor. Yet they didn't find anything throughout their search for the Twins, Asahi feels something is off from the place,
"Weird…" Asahi said with a confused face drawn on her.
Sanna, who walked in front of her, stopped and turned her head at Asahi, "What is it?"
Asahi walks beside Sanna and shines her flashlight around her only to see walls,
"I don't feel anything wrong here… Is just like a normal place." Out of her clumsy attitude, Asahi always has a sensitive feeling over something especially when she is in this type of situation.
Asahi touches her ear communication device to inform the other team, "This is Asahi, it seems the place is normal. No sight of weird activity in here." she said.
A sound of disrupting noises blows into her ear. It seems the communication didn't reach the other team.
"Now that is weird.." Asahi smiled at Sanna.
"I also have not felt anything since we got here. Maybe they are not here anymore after they know now we are going after them.." Sanna thoughts are logically acceptable. No way for someone that rogue will stay at the same place after they know their being in search for.
"Agree.." Asahi shines her light again around her one more time to making sure again there is no sight of the Twins,
-
"Seems even with all of your power you still even can notice me standing in here, Sanna."
A girl's voice suddenly comes from nowhere echoing around the hall. Both Sanna and Asahi were surprised, looking around them to see where the person was talking to them.
"Show yourself!"
Sanna shouts at the person, Asahi even notices Sanna is somehow changing mood after hearing the voice. Yet she never saw Sanna that angry before.
Sound of footsteps are coming toward them from afar -
"Easy there kid. don't you miss me?"
Asahi step in front of Sanna, knowing that the situation might be dangerous,
"Step back Asahi" Sanna said, pulling Asahi's hand.
"Sanna-"
A bullet hits an invisible barrier around her so fast even Asahi can't see it coming. Sanna pulls Asahi to her back followed by continuously shooting, only for Sanna to block the bullet with bare hand very quickly. She opened her hand and a sand of bullets fell from her hand.
"Impressive. You've trained well…" The voice is getting closer and closer.
A cold breeze stings Asahi's skin, for the first time ever she sees Sanna being seriously changed that far drive by the situation she does not yet understand. The only idea she had was that Sanna was already familiar with the person.
"Asahi, no matter what happens, try to not immediately attack. She will anticipate everything we do."
Sanna warns Asahi about the person's ability to anticipate every action they will do. Again Asahi is convinced that Sanna actually knows about the person.
"You have grown aware of me aren't you, Sanna?" the person said that revealing her true face, a short light golden hair, with an ornament in her forehead. The person's eyes are somehow similar to Sanna. Wearing a black beautiful open shoulder dress with a light golden line and long sleeves ended with black gloves. Black overlayed with white skirt and long stocking.
The person smiling toward Sanna with a deep stare, Asahi for the first time ever shaken to see someone who she never ever thought to suddenly appears. Sanna on the other hand is driven by anger and she mostly keeps her stand.
"What are you doing here?" Sanna asked the person.
"I'm here to see what my little sister was doing."
On hearing that Asahi understands why Sanna is angry, the person is actually Sanna's older sister, "Kanna… Meguma…" Asahi said.
Kanna slightly gazes at Asahi, "Ah… I know you." In the flash Kanna is already in Asahi's back and hugging her neck. Even makes Sanna surprised to see her move.
"KANNA! LET HER GO!" Sanna reacts to Kanna trying to pull Asahi but loses her grip and strength while Kanna also pulls back to make distance with Sanna. Sanna tries to run toward them, Kanna looks at Sanna and suddenly changes her expression.widen her eyes with glowing gold eyes "Pain." With that, Sanna stops running and falls on her knees. Feeling an incredible pain all over her body.
"Telekinesis?! What did you do!? Stop it!" Asahi trying to break loose from Kanna. But her difference in strength didn't make it.
"You are the smart one. Although I feel the same presence as her on you..." Kanna said.
"Her?!"
"But your appearance is very different from what I imagined." Kanna pulls Asahi's hair.
"Let me go!" Asahi tries as hard as she can to break loose from Kanna.
Kanna sees a string of Asahi's dark brown hair, "Ah… I knew it." She let Asahi go and stopped her telekinesis at Sanna. Asahi runs quickly toward Sanna holding her.
Once again Kanna looks toward Asahi with the same expression before she telekinesis to Sanna, "You can hide forever."
Asahi look back at Kanna,
"Wake."
Suddenly Asahi felt extreme pain on her head. She lets go of Sanna and holds her head trying to hold the pain inside her head.
"Gah..aaaahh!!" Asahi screamed in pain.
"Kanna! Stop it!" Sanna still on her recovery shouted to Kanna,
"No. You should watch the 'Princess' awakens."