[Syzygy; West City (Mishi's Inn 'abandoned']
"Every room in this place is empty," Zack muttered, kicking aside a pile of old newspapers. He glanced around, unimpressed. "What are you even looking for, Luv?"
Luv was kneeling, running his fingers over the floor with an intense look on his face. "Contamination..." he said, as though he'd just discovered something earth-shattering.
"Contamination?" Zack gave him a blank look. "You gotta be more specific, man. And... what, are you licking the floor?"
Luv didn't answer right away, too focused on his discovery. He scraped a bit more of the sticky substance onto his finger and tasted it. "Tastes foul."
Zack recoiled. "You actually ate that? Dude, what is wrong with you?"
Finally standing up, Luv turned toward him, his eyes locking onto Zack's with a serious glint. "You wanna know why we're here, right?"
Zack groaned. "Oh, definitely. I didn't sign up for a tour of creepy old buildings."
Luv pulled a small, shimmering golden feather from his pocket, holding it out for Zack to see. It glowed faintly, almost like it was from a dream. Zack blinked. "Is that... a bird feather? Wait—an angel?"
Luv nodded. "Exactly. An angel's feather."
Zack raised an eyebrow. "And where did you get that?"
Luv didn't smile, but his voice lowered, as if he was about to share something important. "A few days ago, when I found this feather, strange images started flashing in my mind... and one of them was of this place. This inn, it's been rumored to be where angels once lived. Or... well, something like them. That's why we're here."
Zack rubbed his temples. "Wait, we came here because of a rumor and your daydreams?"
Luv's lips curled into a half-smile. "Not just that. You know where my clothes went before this? I fought an angel."
Zack blinked, deadpan. "In bed or...?"
Luv shot him a flat look. "Not what you're thinking. I thought it was an angel... turns out, it was just an imitation."
"An imitation?" Zack couldn't help the skeptical tone. "And you fought it?"
"Yeah. She tore up my clothes and flew away," Luv said, glancing at the feather in his hand. "She was trying to find this but couldn't find it even after tearing my clothes."
Zack stared at the feather, his disbelief written all over his face. "Where were you even hiding it anyway?"
Luv sighed. "Don't think perverted things again. My 'serious mode' is on."
Zack crossed his arms. "Okay, okay. But why didn't you tell Cho, Chang, or Kiki about this? You just wanted to drag me into your mess?"
Luv gave a slight shrug. "They don't need to know. I needed someone from the information unit. If I asked the president, he'd get suspicious, so I figured... why not call some best men of the apostles for my personal help and I knew at least one member of the info unit would come."
Zack raised an eyebrow. "Why the info unit? Oh...I get it,"
Luv nodded. "Exactly. Because to contact Miss Ananya through you and to deliver this feather to her. I'm done dealing with... perverts that are after my body."
(Serious mode, my ass!) Zack cursed in his mind as he stared at the feather in his hand. "Why didn't you just meet with her yourself? Oh right-" He paused when his brain finally concluded the whole thing.
Luv waved his hand dismissively. "Do you think that shithead president or that man- slaughtering guy, Kai would let me? That guy's got a temper, and they don't allow any splinter to meet Ananya other than Kai. Even the Crime unit's leader never gets to talk to her even though they are colleagues. How does an outsider plus a splinter like me have a chance?"
Zack scratched his head. "Yeah, that tracks. So, you want me to deliver the feather... but what if something goes wrong?"
Luv looked completely unfazed. "Not my problem."
Zack groaned, balling his fists. "I swear, you're the worst."
Luv shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, you're doing me a favor."
Zack narrowed his eyes. "And if the president asks about our little adventure here?"
Luv smirked. "Tell him there were some strange reports. Maybe some rogue agents or something. And Kiki... well, you can blame her for messing up everything."
Zack raised a finger. "So we just cover for each other, and Kiki gets blamed for it?"
Luv's grin widened. "Exactly."
Zack threw his hands up. "I'll come up with something better. Don't worry."
Luv pouted. "But it was a good plan..."
Zack glared at the feather in his hand. "Yeah, sure. Great plan."
***
[Syzygy; Silentvale Cemetry]
After an hour of relentless fighting in the pouring rain, both the blonde and Kaia stood, panting and glaring at each other, drenched to the bone.
Kaia wiped rain from her face, mocking, "Is this all you've got?"
(Okay, five hits to the ribs. If they're broken, I'm seriously done for.)
The blonde growled, her voice cutting through the downpour. "Why not just admit defeat? Where do you get all this pride from, huh?"
(Did she just... catch up to my speed? Damn, she's quick.)
The blonde stood tall, trying to shake it off. She relaxed her stance and blinked, then raised an eyebrow. "Why are we fighting again?" Her voice barely cut through the rain, and just as she spoke, a sharp bloodlust sliced through the air. The blonde snapped into a defensive stance.
"Too late," Kaia whispered in her ear, her voice a breath, and in the next instant, she vanished. The blonde's eyes widened in shock as Kaia appeared right in front of her, moving faster than she could react.
Before she could even think, Kaia shoved her to the ground, pinning her hands to the wet earth. The blonde's wrists were suddenly bound. What the hell just happened?
Kaia stood up, stepping back. The rain began to ease, the dark clouds parting, and the sun's rays broke through. The blonde blinked up at her, confusion written all over her face. She feels... familiar, she thought, her gaze lingering on Kaia's face.
Kaia extended a hand, a grin on her face. "I took advantage of your distraction. Guess I won the bet." Her smile was radiant as the sunlight caught her features.
The blonde scowled, glaring at her tied wrists. "Why are my hands bound?"
Kaia shrugged casually. "I made a bet with Ananya. She told me to tie you up to win. You have my thanks." She patted the blonde's head like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Don't touch me," the blonde snapped, breaking the ropes with a burst of strength. Kaia stared at her, a bead of sweat rolling down her face.
"You said Ananya, right?" the blonde asked, her tone skeptical. "So you must be Kaia?"
Kaia grinned, unbothered. "Yep. I'm already that famous."
The blonde sighed, rolling her eyes. "So Ananya didn't mention my name, huh? Call me Yona."
There was a brief pause, Kaia blinking like her brain short-circuited. "Yo... na?" she repeated slowly.
Yona glared at her. "What's with the pause? If you've got something to say, spit it out."
Kaia snapped back to reality, rubbing the back of her neck. "That name sounds familiar. I think I've heard it before..." She paused, then her eyes sharpened. "Wait. You use magic, right? Why didn't you use it during our fight? And don't even try to act like you weren't the one who charged at me first."
Yona shifted uncomfortably, her nervousness almost visible. (How does she know I use magic? And why did I charge at her again? I swear I felt a deathly presence before—was that just my instincts kicking in?)
"The weather's nice today, huh, Junior?" Yona deflected, glancing away.
"Junior?" Kaia raised an eyebrow. "You're shorter than me."
Yona shot her a glare. "I'm older, okay?"
Kaia didn't buy it. "No way."
"24," Yona said, huffing.
"No way!" Kaia's jaw dropped. "Then treat me like a senior for defeating you even though I am younger. Kneel"
Yona turned, walking away without looking back. "That was one time. Follow me, I'll treat you."
As she walked, Yona's expression hardened, her mind already racing. (Next time, nothing's going to distract me. We'll see who wins then.)