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[Closed] 404

Characters: Kanji Tatsumi and Naoto Shirogane
Location: Temuco, Chile
Rating: PG-13
Time: July 14th, Evening
Description: The children of Temuco, Chile are being killed in the night, but their corpses still walk the streets looking for victims of their own. Parents are desperate to keep their children safe, and they have pleaded with the Chilian government to help them.

Despite the... unexplained occurrence earlier in the day, it wasn't going to stop the two from heading out to Chile. It was a matter of getting out of their abrupt costume change though and finishing other arrangements.

Naoto didn't know how to describe it, but she was feeling better. It was as though the past week had never been. Strange, but there wasn't time to look into it or visit Shibusen to inquire. Though, everyone did seem to be active at the time of their departure. Perhaps they had been returned momentarily as well? Nonetheless, there was something she had to note when they arrived in Chile.

By now, she would transform and scan the area, but she looked at the hand she held. Trying again, she frowned when nothing happened, but she felt the resonation between them still. Nothing... Well, this was concerning.

"We'll have to ask around..."

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"On it," he replied quickly. His first time and he had to adapt and quickly. The zombies were being controlled in some way, like strings from a puppet-

Strings... He recalled seeing the grass move when the malevolent feeling began, and as he narrowed his eyes and focused, all while enhancing his Meister's senses, he pointed with a spark of comprehension.

"I see a wire... it goes under the fence. After that I hit a big-ass wall of somethin' hungry n' pretty excited to see us. Givin' off a lotta Madness. It's hangin' out in the neighbor's yard!"

"... I see."

Well, that was frustrating. It wanted to stay hidden while obviously being known. Suspected they wouldn't dare harm a child like all the others and yes, Naoto was hesitant. Still, a chill over her body and around the kunai suddenly made her consider.

She couldn't let the egg catch onto them just yet. Naoto continued the conversation through the link.

"We'll continue with the plan to draw it out. Any idea what your ability is yet?"

"I think so- somethin' in the core feels kinda like when Takeji Zaiten winds up with a Maziodyne," he replied, wondering how helpful the comparison was. But it felt like a big ball of charging static inside, a warm and stormy gold ready to be unleashed.

But he wouldn't get any more time to figure it out, as the child was moving quickly toward them, mouth agape and arms outstretched. From behind the fence was shuffling, feet moving to remain within range and maintain control of the doll.

"Hold on a sec- that weird wall's closer. S'like it's roped to the kid!"

"Is that right? Then perhaps I wasn't just seeing sparks earlier..." Lightning abilities from him, but what had become of her soul? It felt cold the longer the resonated.

No time to ponder as the kid came at them. Fortunately, it was only a child so the could easily stave them off. Even someone at Naoto's height, but the egg wasn't going to play so simple. She moved aside, not noticing how she left an ice trail.

"So it's range it limited. Very well..." There were many ways to use this roping to their advantage.

Her soul he couldn't figure out. But that chill was enough to make the typically-warm him rub his upper arms every now and again as he kept his eyes out on the surroundings. But Kanji's jaw clenched- what he wouldn't give for Soul Descent...!

But as the child moved closer, the pressure moved as well, until he watched the fence give, an all new figure appearing. It looked to be a shriveled old man, with long spindly fingers and gaunt, lifeless features of his own. From each finger dangled a string, shimmering a fine silver in the moonlight. One such string was attached to the boy that didn't want to let up. But the other strings were twitching and dancing as well.

"Gotta take him out quick- I can see the other strings and it looks like he's got somethin' at the end of all of 'em!"

"Does he? Then... We'll try something different."

Naoto was prepared for close combat in self-defensive terms. She slipped her kunai knife away and looked at the child. Control a puppet, you leave it limp. She moved around one side, but kept from the fence, looking how to do this.

Letting their soul spark again, she dashed on the energy and dropped into a low sweep to take the child down. Depending, she would pin him down and push Kanji's energy out to rush through his body and concentrate down that connection the egg made.

Curiosity sparked in him- what'd she have in mind?

The child swept in from the right, moving like nobody his age should, but the controller hadn't expected Naoto to move as quickly as she had, the sweep knocking the legs out from under the pawn and taking him down. Pressure on the collarbone, the lower half to prevent all the possible maneuvers of recovery... Kanji nodded. Resonating granted understanding of use of the Weapon Form, and it looked like his was definitely sharing what he knew.

But there was a 'call' then, and he answered it, passing soul energy through the arm connected to the collarbone. With it the body came alive with sparks and thrashing as an electric current formed, but something else caught his attention as well- a rush of light thrummed through the 'cord' attached to the body.

"Nice one!" Attached by their little 'lifeline', the kishin egg's back went rigid, a howl of pain erupting from the throat. Its balance on the fence was gone, tumbling into the grass and revealing its further frailty. But empty eyes turned to the girl and the pressure grew.

"Damn it, is he callin' back-up!? ...One left, one right! I'll keep tabs on their moves- you jus' move like you've been crackin' skulls for years! We got this!"

At the yowl, she glanced out of her peripheral at the fence. It was a fool to thing this would keep it safe from her. The live spark dead, she grabbed the 'rope' connecting the boy and egg together and again, sent that lightning current down it.

"That's fine if it wants to call back up, but this one is going to pay now." More sparks to race down the line and fry the egg, but her grip became cold. The ice bolts froze the tether and raced along the line now to the surprise of the new Meister. She shot to her feet, shocked, but clutching line still.

"Where is...?" She whipped her head in the directions the other two eggs were supposed to be. Didn't look like they were visible yet. Then... was that her?

Kanji's back went rigid, feeling something cool passing over him for a moment. He looked left, looked right, but didn't notice anything different about the back-up coming in fast.

"Wait... s'that you? Your fingers were all chilly before that... that whatever it was happened." Because his Persona sure as hell couldn't really utilize ice. Couldn't Sumeragi, to some extent, along with fire?

But with a howl, two figures leaped over the fences to the left and right. The children were good to use for emotional purposes, but when a fight was to be had, you needed claws, fangs. The dogs had died long ago, but they were the perfect puppets to do some damage. Landing evenly on rotting paws, lips coated in a pinkish ooze, they braced themselves and sized up the new Meister.

"... It seems to be." Still, she was bewildered about the ice. Why ice in the first place when Sumeragi leaned more towards fire. It wasn't as though the ability was beyond learning, but it seemed random.

Stepped back from the child and its rope now frozen on the ground, she turned her body halfway to face the dogs, fingers chilled. They dare bring dead dogs to fight against her? Naoto would make them pay for such action. While they sized her up, she looked them over, keeping their resonation humming.

"I'll have to be quick on my feet for these two."

Hoo boy, he felt that spark just then. He couldn't help but think of Watson, and they had to beat this thing so that the poor dogs could resume their rest. But...

"Right. I'll keep ya light on your feet. But somethin's up with those dogs... I feel pressure comin' out of 'em too. I think the old dude's made 'em into kishin eggs somewhere down the line." He frowned. What ends would these things not go to?

The dogs howled, and moved at once, a pincer maneuver. If they could attack from both sides, then she'd have nowhere to run!

"So you suspect they're actually eggs? We'll find out one way..."

Eyes watching the two eggs, noticing how they came at her. Moving forward or back wasn't ideal; instead, she picked a dog and ran directly at it, hands sparking. Maybe she was going to attack, but instead, she dropped, sliding low at the dog, body low and heel out, ice adding to the momentum beneath her.

He could only nod. Eating innocent souls changed you if you weren't a Demon Weapon... it had to apply to animals too, and these dogs smelled of blood. They'd likely been used to kill the past victims. Canines were efficient hunters; not that frail old man who had to use puppets to get anywhere. He remained on the sidelines, tugging the frozen line that wasn't reacting, the child still in the grass again with no 'signal' passing through the ice.

The dogs leaped, so sure of their attack, but Naoto was quick. As she slid the dogs hurtled overhead and rammed facefirst into each other, both giving their yelps of pain before hitting the ground in a heap, scrabbling at each other to recover and circle back after her. The impact had broken a couple of teeth in one of the blood-soaked maws, but that didn't stop the constant snarling from half-rotten throats.

"Lightning n' ice... not bad. A'right, here they come! You feel an urge to swing one way or kick in another, do it! Don't give 'em a goddamn inch!"

"If I go after one, keep an eye on the other."

She changed her stance, waiting for the dogs to make the first move, mind racing. Lightning, ice, which one would make their functions cease faster? Either way, powers would have to be compounded; maybe she would have to consider a fusion of both.

"... Perhaps alternative tactics will be necessary..." Again, Naoto moved suddenly, fists balled and sparking. She came to swing at one and then flip and aim a kick at the other.

"Got it!"

It was a tangle, and he loved a good tangle. Three bodies on the move, steps made with half a care as each had plans to rough up the other in any way possible. The messy, chaotic way about was always exciting as hell to him, though as Kanji's heart raced, he wondered what part of it was over the fight, and what part it was over how one of the fighters moved...

He balled a fist and bulked up the follow through, and with a crack her punch connected, cleanly dislocating the jaw with a sharp yelp. But his eyes had turned as the dog sought to take advantage of her focus on that first. The kick met the chest, sending the dog airborne before somersaulting over the grass, bouncing twice.

"I'm down for a change-up! ...I wanna see what kinda Resonance Attack we got goin' this way, but let's save it for the scrawny prick on the fence!"

Naoto didn't like fights this confrontational, but she had been taught. Her grandfather thought it would be important and she understood. Being a detective was dangerous. Shiroganes were private investigators, called upon for the impossible and nary were they often confronted. Often, the case was assumed dropped and they worked without giving away much. She knew though, her father and mother had gotten in fights before as had her grandfather. It happened and that was life sometimes.

"A Resonance? Let's get a hand on what we can do now first..."

The second dog rolling, she could focus on the first. She pursued it, the chill going down her arm again as she struck again; left, right, then a kick up into the sky like she would were it a Shadow.

She had a point, but he was pretty curious about if they could perform a Resonance Attack. If they could, what would it be? Still, it'd be pretty damn pointless if they went and got themselves killed over a question.

Kanji kept a bead on the fallen dog as Naoto turned her assault on the first. The chill rushed through him and he applied a little punch to the back of that rush of power. See how this dog likes a little souped-up ice punch!

Where her fists met was crystallization, frosty fur with a perfect fist-shaped indentation, and maybe a few crystals on the pants after that solid airward knock in the ribs. The dog hit the house and fell in a heap, but-

"Other one's coming! Keep the arm bent even and throw an elbow. Uh, the left!" Nothing said 'fuck you' like a counterattack without so much as looking back. Their friend on the fence was looking awfully pissed that this pair was being so difficult.

She hadn't expected the dog to fly that far, but heard Kanji's warning. Naoto remained still, waiting as the frost and spark came down her arm. She could feel the pressure as the dog drew closer.

Once in range, she snapped her arm back, elbow thrusting directly at the dog as it came to bite her. It was a snap and pop as both lightning and ice tried to fell the beast, but mingled. Frozen bolts of charged energy rushed into the dog and she spun around, another kick ready for this one too.

They could mix!? News to him, though he'd come to learn that plenty was possible from the moment Beauty and the Beast first initiated. The dog got to learn plenty, too, with an elbow in the mush. When it also got a kick to the front for its troubles, there was something akin to the sound of a cord snapping as the dog went down, and made no attempt to get back up.

The cord shimmered as it receded to its owner, and the dog twitched before it burst into smoke and shadows, leaving that telltale red orb behind. Kanji lowered an eyebrow. So that's one puppet down. But the other was just getting back on its feet, ready for more, and the grass was moving, like snakes moved throughout past them. One such wire coiled around the soul, absorbing it on its way through with the tip glowing a soft yet angry red.

"...The hell's-" The pressure increased and Kanji had to exert a bit of force to push it all back before they both lost their minds. The dog endured in its undeath as the wires entered its joints, embedding and growing taut, but it was the red-ripped wire jabbing into the skull that changed everything: A black smoke oozing from its nostrils and mouth, the dog began to twist and change, growing into something of a dire wolf more than some family pet. The hollowed-out eyes grew small dot-like pupils of red that turned to them, burning and smoking as the old man on the fence applauded in delight.

It'd been months since he'd last made a hell hound!

Watching the dog turn into a soul was a relief, but her eyebrow ticked when the soul was snatched up. She shot a cold look at the old egg on the fence, but watched as the soul was injected into the second dog having come around finally.

The Madness came pounding at them, but Naoto just leered through it, feeling Kanji fight it off. Her own soul, used to the assault, flared to fight it off as well. Annoyed, yes, she was, but there wasn't anger and she didn't show a hint of fear as the dog changed. Frankly, they had faced worse. This wasn't as big as those Minotaur Shadows they had faced and she just merely took a stance again, feeling the lightning and ice come again.

"Let's do this fast..."

"Tch... ain't that cute? He's havin' a damn ball over there, thinkin' he's got us on the ropes with his trick." He was thinking exactly along those lines. Bigger? Meaner? Faster? Oh yeah. They've faced quite a bit. Did the geezer know they had 90+ souls under their belt? Of course he didn't.

Kanji's soul flared as he pumped himself up. Naoto just may be feeling like she could lift a car clean over her head right about now.

"Fast sounds good! Pummel that prick!" And bigger meant slower, too. The quick Naoto versus the bigger, heavier hellhound? Gonna be a goddamn bloodbath.

"I really wasn't planning on using this knowledge, but utilizing whatever advantages we have is best."

Kanji probably already knew, her thoughts breaking down the dog's structure as she brought out her kunai knife again. Thicken its body as it wants, wedging this little weapon in so lightning or ice could pass wasn't going to be that hard.

Soul flaring back in response, she let the energy reach the metal weapon before she finally made that rush. She had to stay alert in case the dog tried something new. It was an egg; you couldn't automatically assume it wouldn't expel something new.

She drew the kunai and his suspicions were confirmed. Part of him wanted to wince, but the dog had already had enough done to him- it was time to put the poor thing to rest and not be messed with any more.

The wolf braced as she raced in, chest inflating as it took a deep breath. With the sharp howl came what felt like a wall of madness, wavering in the air around them as Kanji clutched his head and felt something akin to nails against the brain, so unprepared for the sudden spike that he hadn't raised his defenses. The sunglasses flickered once, but he threw down a mental wall to shut the wavelength from touching the innermost parts of his own soul to play upon his own weaknesses, and like an arm coming forward to block, he sent a wave to soften the blow to Naoto's as much as he possibly could. It was just in time on his end- he'd heard the kids in third grade laughing at him for a moment, but it quietly faded.

Ugh, it's like that fucking bat all over again!

The Madness wavelength crashed into her, bringing back memories instantly, but she had pushed them down before. Being told of her parents' demise, hearing the sympathy and those attempts to empathize, and then the stares as she tried to become a detective. If anything, it was her Shadow attempting to worm its way in that was the most distracting, but Kanji was helping her push back. Last year, she confronted it and finally said so what if she was a woman? She was going to be a detective...

"You have me, Kanji!"

So, with a push of energy from Kanji, she pushed through the Madness and sprung at wolf, using momentum to deliver a powerful kick at its lower jaw to shut it up.

He hated the sound, he hated it so much... but Kanji looked up, an arm outstretched as he fought to push back the black mire.

She was right. He always found himself thinking back sometimes, remembering that she was the only one who had never shown any fear or disappointment in him. When the rest of their group and even his mother fled in fear or sighed and shook her head and apologized for her boy respectively, one person had stepped right up completely unfazed.

"I-I do...! And you got me, too!" Really, how grateful was he to have her? He couldn't even put it to words. Something deep in the pit of his soul sounded off and the black, inky muck couldn't even come close any more. He bared his teeth and he gave that extra bit of oomph, that kick met with an arc of electricity dancing down the leg and through when it connected, causing the wolf's body to twitch as the howl was silenced.

"No chance for a counter; let's finish it!"

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