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A Painful Reunion; Izzy
Topic Started: Mar 19 2009, 02:04 AM (1,269 Views)
Izzy
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AKA Vinny

He smoked. It wasn't apparent when you tried to smell him, but the young boy - maybe fifteen years old - was sitting on the roof of a house was steadily sending a stream of white smoke into the air. The little white cylinder at his lips puffed another cloud of smoke, before he realized it was burning the filter. Throwing it off onto the road, the figure huddled up into his clothes.

Eyes scanned the war-grazed streets. Only a few stray shells and the like had scarred this neighborhood. The boy sighed, and picked up his bag, and jumped down to the ground, skipping off the high cinderblock fence before hitting the ground. He looked around, and went on his way.

There was, however, a sudden burst of speed, the panting of someone who had spent a lot of time running. Turning around to face this person, the brown haired young boy saw the kitsune girl for the first time. He was out here, in the middle of two plain walls - no escape.

So instead, he called out to her.

"Hey, are you looking for someone? Playing hide and seek?"
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The sound of another voice almost caused her to jump out of her skin, almost. She turned toward the sound, she was relieved to see a young boy, instantly her body relaxed. His next words had her laughing a bit, it would appear as if she was, especially in her state. Lightly dusting herself off, so she appeared more presentable, she turned her attention back to the kid.

"Uh, yeah, something like that." A bit embarrassed, she remembered why she was running, it almost slipped her mind. But should she tell him who she was looking for? It seemed harmless. Maybe he would do what the others did, advise her turn back and hide. Shrugging her shoulders a bit, she went on with telling him what she was actually doing.

"I'm looking for Valjean, actually," She laughed then. Because she realized she didn't have a clue what exactly the guy looked like. Rubbing the back of her neck, she lightly shuffled her feet. "I don't know what he looks like but someone told me he would be around here...."

Tomo wasn't ready to tell him that she actually had a map, she didn't want to seem like some stalker.

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He looked her up and down, wondering if he should mess with this one too badly or not. She seemed to be a nice little girl, and he wondered if she would be better off not knowing who he was. Akira - the kid's taken name - smiled as she realized with a fluster at what she was doing.

"Who're you looking for, then?" He asked, quizzing her relentlessly. Valjean was leaning against a wall now, a good safe five meters or so from her, although he was sure that he could catch this little oddball of creation pretty quickly, unless she was hiding some sort of power. Th young man sighed as he listened to her, and only fractionally tilted his head towards her when she mentioned his name.

"Hmm... I think I've heard that name around... some military looking people were talking about him being around... I found his house once..." He mused, looking in the direction of Valjean's house. Pushing off the wall, he stood in the middle of the street, and began to walk towards the crossroads.

"I got some spare time, so do you want me to take you there?" He asked. It didn't seem as if he minded that she was trying to find a dangerous man.

Then again, she was looking for him.
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It would seem luck was on her side today! She had to stop herself from jumping with joy, why, even a tear of relief sprang to her golden eye. There was a god, and he had sent one of his angels, in the form of a young boy, to help her. As he started to walk, she started to skip behind him, clueless to the peril that may await her.

"Really? If you could, I would really appreciate it! You're the best." Tomo all but purred with gratitude, her mismatched eyes sparkling with suppressed glee. When he mentioned the military, she nodded her head, seeing as she escaped some herself. Of coarse she didn't mention this, she really didn't want to spook him or anything. "You're pretty brave to be out here, especially since there are crazy people out there trying to kill meta-humans. Unless you're just a regular ol' human kid."

"Which I really have nothing against." She quickly added, a small blush coming to her cheeks. As she looked around, Tomo kept an eye for those suspicious soldiers that had attacked her and Rai. Then something donned on her, she hadn't asked his name. How rude of her!

"Oh, I'm Tomoko by the way. Friends call me Tomo for short." She stuck her hand out to shake his, picking up the American greeting of people. "What's yours?"

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He looked at her, taking genuine pleasure from seeing her get so excited. It was so much more fun when you were able to cut down someone from a high. The fall was much more sharp... and all the more fun to watch. Valjean eyed the girl as she began to really get in on the fun. He smiled, and beckoned her to follow behind him.

"Alright then. Stick close and don't stray off. We'd better be careful, there are a bunch of people who like to cause trouble around here." Thankfully most of them were cautious, and would not attack groups - or even a single person, if they looked meta enough. He was more worried about any of those mercenaries, the ones who had placed him here - and contracted him, to a sense. His powers were useful, so they took advantage of him.

"Don't worry, I'm not normal." He grinned, before taking off at a slow walk. Such a naive little girl... should he teach her a very hard lesson in trust and the goodwill of others. He checked his jacket, the knife and the pistol inside. It was some salvage he had gotten from a soldier now wandering around as a ten year old brat, along with the rest of the gear inside the house.

"The name is Kira, by the way. Shutome Kira." Kira smiled, and shook her hand as he looked around to orient himself again. Then he took off again, cautiously looking around the corner to check for anyone before walking to the next. He guided them around for a a few minutes, taking the safest route he could think of, and finally arrived at a street.

"Here it is. Valjean's house is the third one down. Easiest way to get into the place is the empty lot beside it there; climb over the wall and jimmy open a window. Open the front door to let me in too, willya? I want to give him a surprise."
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Like a lamb to the slaughter, she followed him without a second thought. As she looked around, she couldn't help but wince at the damage the buildings had taken. Tomo didn't think people would stay around such a place, especially in its current condition. And if they did, they certainly weren't metas. No matter what, it seemed, she couldn't rid herself of her own grudge.

Why were humans so against them? They were alike in so many ways. Yes, there were some bad metas, but the same could be said about humans. But yet....they were the ones treated like monsters while the true abominations were set free. It just wasn't fair. Because of them, Rai was almost killed. She couldn't forgive them.

Meanwhile, lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't even noticed their arrival. That was until Kira spoke again, announcing their arrival. Looking around, she stared at the buildings and stopped when it came to rest on Valjean's hideout. As she listened to his instructions, she nodded her head once, a smile touching her lips.

"Alrighty, I will. Well, here I go." Running off, she climbed the wall with ease, as if she were born to do it, and scrambled toward the window. It took her a minute or two to pry the window open, from there, it was smooth sailing. Silently, she made it to the front door and opened it, giving Kira thumbs up.

"Easy peasy!"

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[Sorry, I should have told you about the fish-lines.]

He watched her as she walked in, and smiled to himself as he walked out to the front door, and waiting by leaning against the doorframe. Waited as he made a mental flyby of her making her way through. The bathroom she would have entered in was plain, simple. A little on the stinky side, as all bathrooms were, and the overwhelming smell of disinfectant. From there, she would obviously make her way into the spine of the house, the central hallway that split the house in half.

The house was plainly decorated, with few things to indicate that a villain had lived here. Mostly plain white walls, there were a few sturdy wooden doors to indicate a passageway through to another room, but he would have expected the naive little girl to rush for the entrance, the front door to let in the young man who had allowed her to find the person that she was looking for. Gratitude was such a hasty emotion. And then she would see the shoes and the slight dip in the floor, and recognize the front door.

And then she would have rushed for it.

He waited for the muffled shout as Tomoko stumbled upon the tripwire, set in the light of the skylighted entranceway. The morning sun would have lit up the floor, and the brilliant white light would have made it almost invisible. Which set off a (neatly arranged, if he could say so himself) arrangements of nets and fishlines. The pulleys, weights and levers of almost a month of hiding and boredom, the ankle-height tripwire would first drop a medium line net down from above, while a pulley dragged a heavier line out across the passageway and then down it as another line went up and across in the opposite direction, encircling a victim's knees. Also, he had painstakingly tested the system, so he was pretty sure it would work.

He knocked on the door, and called inside.

"Hey, are you alright in there!?"
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Confusion swept through her much like the wire that came around to her knees. She had been so close, the door within arm's reach. A trap? But by who? Had Valjean seen her coming? It took her her a few minutes to actually think of Kira. And why would she suspect him? He was the one who had been helpful, even showing her where was. And yet....how had he known which house exactly?

"Kira! Help, it's a booby trap!" She called, grappling with the wire tied around her knees. Luckily, her tails had been avoided in the crossfire and were now free to wag around. Tomo glanced around the place, seeing if anybody was inside, maybe someone who could help her. The young fox cursed and panted, looking for the source of her downfall. And sure enough, when she found it, the light played upon it's line.

"This guy is crafty, talk about a super villain."

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"Yeah. I know." The door swung open, and Kira let himself in. The flat little key was there for one moment before it disappeared into the folds of his collar-pocket. "Thanks for the compliment."

Gone now was the teenage boy, helpful like a boy scout and it was replaced by a still cheerful but much more sinister young man. He looked at her, and whistled as the door locked closed behind him. He was rather surprised that the trap had worked so well, but nonetheless he was never going to let on that such a thing had happened. Looking up at her, he reached up to brush the hair off her face, and smiled as he patted her cheek.

"Life lesson here, kid. Never rush into the fox's den. You're lucky this trap was non-lethal."

He walked over to the little shoe-drawer now, and pulled out a pair of handcuffs, which he quickly inspected before walking behind Tomoko and wrapping one around her wrist. As he bent her body to try and apply the other metal band, he now started thinking about what kind of action exactly he was going to do to her. Maybe he should just let her off with a life lesson? No, that would be too easy.

Then, he remembered that he had not yet learned her motive about the visit.

"Oh, and why were you looking for me, anyway? I don't remembering doing anything to you... until now, that is." A short chuckle as he went back to the shoelocker, grabbed a second set of cuffs and did up her ankles. They had already been tied together, he knew, but at least now he knew that she would be securely tied.
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"Kira?" She couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. Or more like, her mind was trying to catch up with what was happening. The boy in front of her appeared to be the same, and yet not. There seemed to be more of a sinister air about him, like the spider who managed to lure the fly into it's web. He fooled her and she never knew.

Tomo had never felt so betrayed in her short life. Kira had tricked her, but why? She had trusted him, so easily, she had laid her faith in him without a second thought. And now, she was being hand cuffed. Both her hands and ankles were now bound, her hair falling around her like some silk blanket, both her ears laying flat again her head.

Her head shot up in surprise.

"You? You're Valjean?" The young kitsune gaped, not quite believing what she was hearing. No wonder he had been so helpful. She played right into his hands, like a puppet. She now started to struggle, her tails whipping around frantically. Fire, she could melt these....

"You changed my friend Rai! And now....he's lost to me! Change him back! Bring back Rai!" She shouted, tears pooling behind her eyes. Fire started to erupt from her finger tips, even her hair started to rise with the built up energy.
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"Yep. Me." He smiled gently, the sinister shell melting back into a half-smile. It wasn't the friendly boy, but a complex meshing of both of them. His eyes still held that hint of danger, but the rest of his body was relaxed and unthreatening. It was something that he had taken a decade to prepare and perfect. Taking in the sight of his prisoner, he wondered what he would have to do to her. Hurt her would be the last option, she was simply too young for that. But she could still be dangerous, he had lost the factor of age when it came to sizing up the opposition.

Valjean watched as she began to struggle, and almost felt the rush of air as she began to gather power - a lot of it. He was surprised, but not unprepared. A quick right hook swung out. The punch was pulled, only to stun and destroy what concentration she would have been able to use to focus her power. It would have not been enough to knock her out or seriously injure her, although considering everything he would have to put an ice pack there later on.

"Calm down, Tomoko. Try that again and its going to hurt a lot more, believe me. I'm not out here to hurt you. I don't even know who Rai is. Is he your boyfriend or something? I don't ever remember killing anyone around here, so there's no need for you to be all angry at me. And think about it; if I get hurt or you kill me, who is going to bring your boyfriend back? Calm down, I just wanted to make sure you didn't do anything silly when you found out who I was."
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She wasn't surprised to see him strike, in fact, she would have been shocked if he hadn't. So, when the blow came, she went with it, past experience had her doing it on reflex. Like some air bag, she swung back around, both eyes wide as one glowed more than the other. Still, she continued to gather the fire, the flames licked dangerously around her hands.

"Physical pain doesn't bother me as much as emotional," She spat, something older passed behind her eyes, perhaps the essence of her past life. If anything, the punch seemed to fuel the fire, causing it to spark wildly momentarily. "But don't worry, I don't plan to hurt you.....much"

Then he mentioned Rai, a blush instantly coming to her face as she shouted her protest.

"He's my little brother!" Well, at least that's how she thought of him. The image of him on the bed injured had her biting her lip. Silly? Why the heck would she do something silly in a time like this? No, he had her all wrong. The place he struck was now only a dull ache, nothing compared to the bottled up rage that threatened to blind her.

"Because of you, he woke up confused and alone! I curse you!" She hissed and bucked, he tails lashing out at him like some weapon.

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His raised arm caught the tails, and he flicked them away.

"Because of me, he woke up alive. I think confused and alone is worth being alive." Valjean spat, and pulled out a large knife from the shoebox. With a sweep of his arm, he cut her down from the nets. Giving a small sigh, he looked at her and shook his head. He remembered Rai now. Or at least hopefully he did. The little white haired boy. He was the only one that she could have been referring to. The rest of his... hah, 'victims' had been men and warriors.

"Ten years was all I took from him, and what he gained... you've probably seen him, haven't you? Seen him lash out with his powers? Probably would have, a seven year old boy would have a lot of rage in him by now... I gave him power for those ten years. The power to fight... to survive."

He looked down at her, and gave a glance at the metal restraints. The alloy had been upgraded form normal to deal with high stress - was her fire enough to melt it? He grabbed the back of her kimono, and pulled her up. Valjean dragged her over to one of the doors, and introduced her to a well lit room.

"Calm down. I'm sorry for any pain I caused you and your... brother, was it? I don't see the resemblance." His voice was sincere now, regretful. But it was confused at the end. He still had the knife in his hands, though. Valjean put her down on a couch, and sat down in front of her. He tossed the knife aside. "But that boy - and I - needed to survive. I gave him a part of my life so that he could still keep his... do you not know the cost of using my powers?"
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She hadn't expected to be cut down just yet, she was holding out for his evil laugh, or even the evil plan most would announce at this time. But no such thing came. Instead, after she was cut down, a small 'eep' soon being produced. She rolled onto her back, so she wouldn't have the air crushed out of her. Tomo had no choice but to listen to him, and with each second, she wanted to shake her head and shout.

This guy was bad! The young fox had built him up as a person of pure evil, someone who preyed on the weak and possibly drowned a box of kittens. And yet, why were his words making sense? Why did her mind seem to agree with him? Rai did have power, enough to possibly take out a tank. As he was now, surviving was not a problem. And yet...

Tomo was startled out of her thoughts when she was placed on the couch, the cuffs still in place. The fire had receded from her wrists, barely visible, hovering at her fingertips. With her emotions and her mind clashing, she couldn't get a steady grip on it. As he spoke, she pursed her lips in frustration. She had a pretty good feeling what it caused him.

"Lemme guess.......your life?" It was a bit cliche` but that was as close of an answer he was going to get from her.

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He gave a wry smile. "In a way."

Family, friends, home. He had lost everything because of his powers. But that was pushed back to the depths of his mind as he looked into the young kitsune's eyes. "The cost is hard to explain... its like I lose a part of myself when I do that." He sighed, and looked at her. He could lie quite convincingly, but that wasn't much of a lie. He always lost a part of himself when he gave and took.

Looking at her, he sighed and walked over to her. "You really care for that guy, don't you?" He smiled, and reached into his pocket, before producing a small key. "Turn over." Valjean grabbed her shoulder, and gently rolled her over. Her wrist manacles were suddenly unlocked, and then he moved on to her ankles. "I think I can give you your boy back." He smiled, letting the years flow into her.

"Ten years, wasn't it? That's a bit too much so you better start calling him your older brother." Around that much, he estimated, before letting his power take over and do the rest of it all. Valjean began to shrink, his face growing younger as he changed, and soon a five year old boy was standing in front of her.

"Its the best I can do, so go... but... ah... you might want to grab some clothes. Third door to your right, big plaque on the left."
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She frowned at him, his smile making her a bit uncomfortable. Then she saw the key, her eyes instantly locking onto it. Tomo thought he would taunt her with the keys, her mind still clinging to the idea that he was all bad. All that went out the door when he started to turn her over, not even giving her a chance to move. This was insane!

"Wh-wha?!" She fumbled, shocked to see, well, actually feel, him unlocking the cuffs. The bad guy wasn't suppose to be a good guy. Her face even went beat red when he spoke again. It was a pure brother sister relationship! Brotherly love! That was all. Sputtering, she watched him go to her ankles. "As a brother!"

Then he mentioned years....

"Wait....what?" Then she felt her clothes get smaller, practically squeezing her dainty body. If she hadn't looked back down, she wouldn't have even noticed her sudden growth spurt. Her favorite kimono was now stretched to the point of tearing. Even more hair pooled over her shoulders, reaching her knees. Two more tails were even added.

Jumping up and onto the couch, as if a mouse suddenly appeared, she gawked at her own body. Staring in horror at the generous amount of boobage squeezing out from the top.

"Woah!" Then she stared down at the young boy on the floor, shocked to actually believe it was Valjean. She dived down then and scooped him up into her arms, hugging him to her chest. "Thank you!"

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He watched the transformation in earnest, and felt the years burn away from his own body. In a flash, his arm shot out and managed to snag her obi belt. That would stop her from strangling herself. His own rapidly shrinking body moving in jerky movements as it began to rearrange some very important parts. But it wasn't like he hadn't done this before. The short, brown haired boy pulled off his jacket and shuffled in his oversized pants over to a cupboard. Pulling it open, he quickly dragged out a larger kimono, a yukata he had worn once to a festival.

Throwing it to her, he walked back over to the drawers and slipped into a smaller version. Looking at the seventeen year old Tomoko was appealing, but only to a more... uh, mature mind. But right then he had to look less dangerous and more... uh, immature. Valjean smiled as she began to fluster about her 'brother'. She really did have something about that boy.

He gave a sharp cry as she scooped him up in her arms, and found himself enveloped in... ah, lets just leave it at enveloped, shall we? His childish arms waved around above his head as he began to fight for breath. Finally, he decided on the extreme measure of pinching her. Not anywhere sensitive, but it should have been enough for her attention.
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The pinch certainly got her attention. Pulling him away, she quickly apologized, the young girl forgetting how big she was.

"Ah, sorry! I got too excited, are you alright?" She asked, holding him out in front of her. Tomo quickly examined the boy, seeing now for herself exactly what it had cost him. Letting out a small whistle, she wondered if he would get big if he took on the years of an adult. Slowly, as if he were made of glass, she lowered him to the ground.

It was only then that she noticed the yukata that had been tossed at her. This only reminded her that her own favorite kimono was ruined, no longer able to fit her new body. Lifting it up, she then proceeded to take off her own stretched clothing. As she did so. she allowed herself to muse out loud. Of coarse, she still wasn't use to having...well, parts of her body sticky out.

"So, now that you're like this....Did you want to come with me and I could pass you off as a distant cousin?" She questioned, the young girl making her final last touches on the clothes she was given.

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Valjean watched her, his still adult mind enjoying himself. Sometimes watching someone else have a burst of joy was a little enjoyable in itself. The brown haired boy was let down and brushed down what was left of his clothes. He smiled up at the young woman, and turned around to let her dress in private... well, he did look out the corner of his eye.

Walking over to a shelf, he opened up and pulled out a whiteboard and a marker, before writing on it in quick, efficient strokes. Looking it over, he was satisfied with its shape and turned around to show her the board and its contents. His face was rather red from embarrassment.

Hanashi ga dekinai. Takai ne? I cannot speak. Its expensive, isn't it?

He smiled, and put it away. She offered to take him home, but he shook his head. He liked where he was, and nobody would realize he was intelligent until it was too late. Valjean would quickly be able to steal back the years that he had given her, maybe from some other poor unfortunate bastard. He sat down, feeling a little more tired now.

Iku yo. Boku wa nettai Go. I'm tired now.
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Tomo frowned, reading what he wrote with no problem. To leave him as he was now....it was stretching her nerves. Worry dragging on her mind, which was a long way from the rage she had felt earlier. It was weird how the bad guy became a good guy under a good five minutes. As she held her old kimono in her hands, she draped it over his shoulders.

The thing would no longer fit her own body anyway. So why not give it to someone who could use it.

Reading what was written next, she reluctantly started to walk to the door. Pausing halfway there, she lightly chewed on her bottom lip. Gawd, if this wasn't the worst case scenario of child abandonment, she didn't know what was. As she opened the door, she reached into her new yukata and tossed him the map, along with the pouch of gumdrops.

"I'll be back, even if I have to track your scent." She said before closing the door and walking away. Finding her way back was no problem, it was showing herself that would be troublesome. Rai's change was a shock, how would they react to her. Especially the power that came along with it...

Half way there, she went over several possible scenes. Mark would of coarse be mad, Rai, well, she wasn't sure how Rai would feel. Looking at her hands, she couldn't help but notice how dangerously sharp they were. She let out a low whistle in appreciation.

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The fact was, however, that Valjean wasn't a bad guy or a good guy. People could rarely be defined in such simple terms and he wasn't even part of those people in the first place. The guy simply wanted to enjoy life and... well, he was finding that an innocent's joy was much more enjoyable to watch... was it that black haired boy's effect on him? How that young man had fought so hard to people that he could just as easily have avoided? Must be his conscience.

The five year old cheeks blushed slightly as he felt her kimono wrap around his shoulders.

Onna no fuku da. Tsukau ga dekimasen. Its girl's clothes. I can't use it.

He caught the map, and then the gumdrops. He looked up at her, and smiled. Waving the girl goodbye, he smiled as she assured her she was going to be back. The boy would be gone later on. There would be no need to see him again, he would probably be a lot older by the end of the day. Looking around, he sighed as he walked over to the couch, his need to rest overwhelming him. Popping a gumdrop into his mouth, he began to chew it as sleep took over him.

- - - - -

Which brings us out to the hopelessly lost empath wandering the streets. He had lost Tomoko as they had been going off to the maze of houses, but he had seen the flare of panic that had lit up the world of emotions in his mind. Pain followed, then confusion. Issac broke out into a run. He was armed with his usual loadout of two swords, two pistols and a dozen knives that would cause a lot of people a lot of grief if they tried to fight him.

He was about to round the last corner. That little girl really did worry him, and he could - literally - understand her emotions and feelings. Maybe that was why he could make friends a lot of the time. She was giving the white haired boy a lot of worry, so it would probably be a bad thing if he didn't find her. Issac peered around the corner, and saw a young woman in a kimono.

His frown was a study of confusion. She was exactly the same in profile to the young girl that had run off, but her ages weren't... damn! A sudden flash of anger was all but tangible in the air as he realized it was Valjean again, causing trouble as always. It really was getting to to him on all possible levels. The boy had willy nilly changed a half dozen of his best friends and family, and basically caused a lot of grief between them. He had thought that Mark had done something about him... but it seemed that he had claimed another victim, who was pleased but worried. Guilty but satisfied.

Stepping around the corner, he held up a hand to draw her attention.

"Hey, weren't you the girl that ran out of Mark's place?"
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As she continued to inspect the rest of her body, she couldn't help but feel fortunate about her state, she was filled out rather nicely. Even the marks on her body stayed, including the ones on her face. There was one thing she wanted to see....

Just as she was ready to test out her fire, a sudden motion caught her eye. Tomo nearly jumped out of her skin when a black haired stranger appeared. She stared closer, or maybe it was that one guy who had given chase. And as he mentioned Mark, that only confirmed it. Dread built up. She felt like a kid who just got caught doing bad. A kid that was going to kid a good scolding.

Tears built up then. She could picture Mark yelling at her, practically hear him telling her what a fool she had been.

"Y-yes....he's going to be mad at me, isn't he?" She said, her ears lowered, and her tails drooping.

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As she confirmed his suspicions, Issac's rapidly growing anxiety sudden deflated. He let out a sigh of relief and smiled. She was safe, she wasn't too badly hurt, and more importantly she wasn't with Valjean anymore.

"You do not know how much grief that idiot's given to us."

He approached her, rather cautiously as he wondered if she was okay - after all, he knew what a rapid change in age could do to one's powers. His own had exponentially increased his sensitivity to others, as well as amplified his ability to form objects from his thoughts and feelings. Issac Naku also remembered his family's changes, and shivered. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of this girl's amplified firepower. Literally.

More details of the young man became visible as he walked closer. He had a double holster arrangement on his right hip, from which two pistols were clearly visible. Also, on his left hip was a pair of swords - a katana and a wakizashi. Spread around those two large points of interest were knives of various shapes and sizes. His right arm - while sheathed in the sleeve of his jacket - was clearly bandaged up in medical gauze.

But her only reaction was to tear up and become worried, something which made Issac concerned.

"No, he's worried sick about you, actually. Almost decided to drag an entire assault team out here to find you. We'd better get you home quickly. From what I can tell, your friend Rai is the most upset."
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Her lower lip trembled, but she nodded her head and walked toward him. All her worry and anxiety soon fell to the pit of her stomach, a very unpleasant feeling. She couldn't remember the last time she got into trouble, maybe it was because she had learned her lesson. To the very point of forgetting. And now, she was reliving the feeling all over again.

Tomo quickly glued herself to Issac's back, a way to hide behind him until they arrived back at headquarters. It was a childish act, but dang it, she was scared. Even if Issac didn't think so, she believed someone was going to yell at her. It was a sort of a you-know-it's-coming, kind of feeling. Her tails were now waving frantically, nervous to the point that she might just break down.

"I'll just stay behind you....." She squeaked, burying her face against his back. "Please, lead the way."

All the while, she prepared herself for the worst. Scene 1, Rai might disown their friendship. Scene 2, Mark might send her back to her hateful family, where god knows what tortures await. Scene 3, she'll get a horrible spanking. Scene 4, ..... The list went on.

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He watched her, almost with sadness in his eyes as he saw her take herself apart in worry. Issac simply wondered why she didn't calm down... he was feeling her sadness just as much as she was, due to his own powers. Stepping towards her, he felt a little uncomfortable at the fact that he needed to remind himself that this was an eight year old kitsune, not... well, he'd guess her age at seventeen.

"Calm down... uh... my name's Issac. Yours?"

Issac tried to smile reassuringly, and looked around to gather his bearings, and began to head off again. They would have to be careful. It was nearly noon, and that was the time the morning patrols would be making their final sweeps. That would have been a bad thing if they ran into some. You just couldn't be more careful around here... it was like a battlefield.

"Alright. Follow me and... well, be careful."

Setting off, he could feel her worry chewing away at herself just behind him, and it was making him a bit concerned too. He turned around as he was walking, looking at her with an edge of worry on his face. He wasn't sure about what was wrong, so he couldn't help her out.

- - -- - -

Getting to the Marauder's apartment block was fine and easy, all considered, and Issac was soon closing the door shut behind him as he tailed behind Tomoko. Catching up to her, he lead her around to one of the empty apartments, where he was told that it would be the pair's house of sorts from now on. It was just under the roof, where Rai could have easy access to the tallest point of the apartment. Linda was considering giving him a sniper rifle and some training.

- - -- - -

Rai was sitting on the couch when he opened the door, trying not to pull at his dressings. Issac felt that Alice was around the corner, talking to Naru on the phone. Mark was sitting in his combat gear, shotgun across his lap as he tried for an excuse to go out and find her. Linda was at the computer, typing up the combat report. Issac glanced around, and both Rai and Mark knew what happened instantly.

"Tomoko!"

The white haired boy became a streak of lightning - literally - as he ran to the doorway and found Tomoko - or a young woman like her. He realized with a sudden drop of his stomach that Tomoko had been a victim to the same powers that had changed him. But she was alright. Despite the worried expression, a quick look-over seemed to show that she was just fine.

Rai's arms enfolded her in a hug, and he was almost crying as he made sure she was okay. With a sigh of relief, he smiled at her from under the bandages across his forehead. He pulled her close again as he let the worry bleed out of his system.

"Don't do that again... promise me that, okay?"

But the pressure on his chest - the worry about her - wasn't gone. He tried to breathe out, but couldn't... Rai looked down, and realized why. His cheeks - his entire body - seemed to brighten as blood flushed his face red. He let Tomoko go, arms falling down to either side. Staring at the floor would only result more attention to her, so Rai looked up at the ceiling.

"Oh... uh... I guess you've grown..."

The rest of the room shared a silent round of laughter, their eyes alight with a normally break-down amount of laughter.
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"Tomoko..." She said shyly, blinking up at him with mismatched eyes. During the walk there, Tomo was silent. A spanking, that was what she imagined Mark giving her. That's what her papa did whenever she acted badly. Especially when she was being selfish. And that was exactly what she did today.

So, once they were inside, she slowly stepped out from behind Issac. She hadn't even seen Rai, all she felt was the sudden gust of air billowing towards her. After that, she found herself in the arms of Rai, crushed to her friends chest. Which had her new found parts smooshed up top, almost spilling out of the yukata. Now she knew what Valjean had suffered when she hugged him.

Then he released her, and the air whooshed out of her, failed by a gasp of air.

"Missed you too," She breathed, sucking in air and letting it out. God, she would never appreciate air more than when she was hugged by Rai. Fixing the front of her robe, mainly pushing her boobs back inside the material. "Yep, not as tall as you though, but I've gained some feet."

She laughed a bit, rubbing the back of her neck.

"And look, I got two more tails!" Bring up her huge fluff of tails, she held up the new ones.

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All of the occupants in the room had some kind smile on their face, whether of amusement or embarrassment. Mark himself had relaxed and gone to put his shotgun and assorted weapons away. There was a small clinking noise before a crash as he missed something.

Linda walked up to them grinning, and held up some clothes. They were plain, but would fit the young woman until they got time to hit the mall and find her some more suitable garments. For a top was simply a sleeveless turtleneck, big enough to fit the much more developed seventeen year old. Pants were thick of the baggy kind, which would reach down to her shins.

"You might need these." She grinned.

Rai's red face was soon glancing for something else to look at, and settled with her face.

"He got you too, didn't he?" Well, something inside him was liking the changes that the man had wrought on Tomoko, and his blush began to fade as he accepted a glass of water from Alice. Issac got tossed a bottle of water and then another, for Tomoko.

Two more tails? What did that mean? But Rai wasn't going to show his ignorance as he smiled.

"That's great." He smiled, and tried to keep his gaze from wandering to other things that got more to them.
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She smiled.

Tomo took the clothes offered to her, glad to have something to change into. As he ears twitched, she glanced up when Rai spoke again. Indeed, Valjean had gotten her. But she had found him, without even knowing it was him. From there, well, it was history.

"Yeah, he was actually nice about it." The young girl laughed a bit and rubbed the back of her neck. As her tails switched about, she smiled brightly at him. Quickly, she ran into one of the rooms to change. It took her about a few minutes. When she came out, she was tugging the shirt down into place.

"That's better." Tomo beamed as she walked back to Rai.

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He smiled back, and waited for her as she walked off to get changed.

Then he sat back down, looking around the new apartment. It was Japanese styled, so there was little in the way of furnishings. Since nobody lived here anyway, Mark had told him that they could live in here as long as they didn't cause any more trouble than necessary.

"Really?" He was surprised that this supposed 'bad guy' was actually rather nice about how he had changed her into a seventeen year old girl. Looking at Mark and Issac, the two young men updated Rai on who and what Valjean was. As Issac put it:

"There's no malice in what he does... only a sick pleasure in seeing people freak out. He usually changes people back, but I guess you ran away before he got the chance."

The three young men - and the two women - looked up to greet Tomoko back. Mark gave a small cough for attention, and looked at Tomoko.

"Uh, well... how are you feeling? I mean, when Rai got changed his powers went nuts, apparently... so how about you?"
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"I feel fine, I haven't felt anything out of the normal." She said, her tails moving around in a flurry. That was a half truth. On the inside, she could note the change. Practically feel the increased power. But the question was, could she control it? With her fire, she could summon it to the palm of her hand with no problem.

"You know what sounds good right now? Pizza! I'm starved, all that running and changing has made me hungry," Tomo said looking at Mark, both her ears perked forward. She licked her bottom lip, the thought of it conjuring the taste to her mouth. Looking to Rai, she balanced herself on the heels of her feet. "Did you want me to try and burn something to see if my fire fluctuates?"

Tilting her head to the side, she continued to stare at Mark.

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"No... uh. It would be a very bad idea." There was enough explosives and miscellaneous ordnance around in the Marauders apartment building that could - from what Shiro told him - level most of the city block they were sat in, as well as make sure that it would be raining concrete for a few days afterwards. Mark did not want to see if that was true.

"Pizza? Sounds good." He smiled, and walked off to order some to be run over to their house. Mark looked out the window, and wondered about a good target. "Although I can take you over to the Arena at AHS to check if your fire has improved. Rai, you need more target practice too." He quickly made a mental note to do that as he dialed in the numbers for the pizza hut.

Linda nodded her agreement. "And we should also register you two there - you need to get your powers under control."
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"Yay! Pizza!" She cheered throwing her arms up in the air. Tomo smile brightly and was about to follow Mark out, just so she could tell him the choice of toppings she wanted. But as they mentioned target practicing, both ears perked up in curiosity. The young fox placed herself beside her friend as Linda spoke.

"But my powers are under control!" She whined, not at all liking the idea of going to school. Rai would fit it, he appeared human enough. While she on the other hand, would stick out like a sore thumb. Tomo had been home schooled, considering the fact that she was different and not many schools took in those of her kind. Pouting, she skipped over to where Mark was.

Still not use to her body, she jumped on Mark's back.

"I want bacon for my topping!" The young girl chirped.

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Rai flushed as he watched her bounce up and down, Mark smiled softly as he walked over to the phone. At least Tomoko kept her innocence. She wasn't much like Raikou, who had to grow up so quickly in the battlefield just a few kilometers away. He quickly reached into his pocket, pulling out a small rubber band and wrapping it around his hair, tying off his shock of blond hair into a short, brushlike tail.

"But you can improve. Learn new tricks. Get even better. You don't just train until you get it right. You train until you never get it wrong." Lina repeated the age-old axiom to the girl, talking about her own training in her youth. But she saw that Tomoko needed more to get her going. She turned to Mark, who was already on the phone.

"Also... well, its easy to fit in at AHS. They got all sorts there."

Mark was ordering a meatlovers when Tomoko hit him. He staggered, quickly compensating for the sudden application of weight and reassured the phone operator that he was okay. Turning to Tomoko, the blond mercenary managed to keep his balance.

"Okay. I don't want you for mine, though!"
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"Baconbaconbaconbaconbaconbacon!" She continued to repeat, just to make sure he got her choice of topping. The young fox really didn't like hamburger bits, it always tasted funny. As she hung onto his back, she slung her arms around his neck to hold on. Ears pricked forward, she listened in on the call to make sure he didn't miss anything.

"Whatta ya mean you don't want me for you?" She was confused. A thought came to her then, lifting up one hand,s eh waved toward Rai. "Rai! Dog pile on Mark!"

She couldn't help but laugh.

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"As my topping!"

He was enjoying the roughhousing as he spun around and tried to keep her off his back, but she had a good wraparound on his neck, and he began to choke.

"Agh..."

Mark leaned forward, his arm shooting up and grabbing her wrist before flipping her over his shoulder and throwing her down. But his Ghost Arms formed, wrapping around her falling body and stopping her down before she hit the ground, forming a soft cushion for her to land on.

Rai gasped as Mark executed an almost flawless throw, and gave an awed stare as he watched it happen.

"You got to teach me how to do that."
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And then she went flying, if only for a split second. It was kinda fun. His ghost arms caught her before she could hit the ground, making it a softer landing and a much appreciated one at that. Blinking a few times, as she stared up at him, she slowly got to her feet. A bright smile on her face.

"That was fun! Do it again!" And then she jumped on him, practically throwing all her weight on him. Looking at Rai, she waved him over. A funny feeling fluttered inside her stomach when she had fallen. It was the same feeling whenever she spinned around in circles for a long time. She very much enjoyed that feeling.

"Will they teach us how to do that at that school?" Tomo questioned. School was school, no matter what form it came in. Which meant she would have to wear some stupid uniform.

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He was attacked again, and Mark again took it well. His entire life had been geared towards close ranged combat. Twisting his waist, he grabbed Tomoko and tripped her, his Ghost Arms grabbing her ankles and whipping her around, forcing her to land on her back - softly, as another cushion of Arms softened her fall.

Rai was attacking him now in this mock fight, leaping forward to tackle him like Tomoko did. He tackled mid-air, and found himself sailing into the couch. Mark was up again, his body centered around his hands, which were up at about chest level.

"No, but I can. Only if you go to school, though." He dangled that offer in front of her, and saw that Rai had recovered enough to try attacking him again. Mark wasn't so gentle with the boy, and slapped away the punch that came. His right leg stepped behind Rai's feet, and Mark elbowed him backwards in the ribs.

"First thing you should learn is that every mistake hurts. Get used to it." He smiled kindly, and held out a hand for Rai.
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And like any piece of bait dangled in front of her, she took it.

"Okay! I'll go then!" Tomo finally said, allowing herself to be held by those phantom arms. She giggled, stretching out her legs and tails before she got back up. Though in order to avoid Rai, she quickly scrambled out of the way. When she whirled around, a small wince was soon formed. Right in the rib cage.

"Ouch." Even though she wasn't the one who had been struck.

Walking over to the two of them, she couldn't help but grin at the boy. Going to school was a small price to pay in order to learn how to fight. But as soon as anyone so much as looked at her funny, she was going to burn them to a crisp. Which brought her attention back to her fire.

"When do we sign up? I also need new clothes in that case...." She frowned, dreading the trip already.

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