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Children of Izanami: Contention is an article created by Achrones150. Use is allowed with the permission of the owner, with the exception of collaboration-created articles. |
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Justice[]
Arrest[]
"--in other news, the local librarian Aoi Taijiri was arrested yesterday on charges of espionage for a group that has been rumored to have appeared within Yūrei's capital city--"
Such was the news reporter on-screen of the Kurosaki's television, delivering his daily drawl of international news. Of course, not only would this be something within the Kurosaki home or within the capital city, but all around the civilization it would be broadcasted. Some would take it with a grain of salt, others would pay it with some interest and attention. There would be few, including Megami Kurosaki, that would pay it special interest and devotion.
And she was paying it her full attention - in the worst way.
She had dropped her remote, sinking within her chair as the reporter continued to blare off what had happened. She put her hands on her face, her elbows resting on her knees. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, willing to shut it out and deny it as a simple fabrication. But it was all true. Just a moment before she had left, Aoi had been arrested and apprehended by law enforcement, the library searched thoroughly. She could pick up words of the cameras being taken down and the library itself on temporary shut-down, but ther than that, her ears were deaf.
"What am I going to do....?" She asked bitterly to herself.
Miharu had just entered the room, carrying what looked like a stack of very heavy books. She hadn't heard the news, but she did hear what he mother had said.
"What are you going to do about what?" Miharu asked curiously.
Megami simply lifted her finger to point at the screen, the reporter still talking.
"--and according to interviews with the local police, they have revealed that the librarian has been making communications in secret using her own personal computer lab within the library. However, officials have re-assured the populace that network systems are under control and there is no danger of retaliatory hacking."
"Aoi, the library girl, was arrested for espionage...." Megami summed up, face still held in her hands.
"The sweet girl who always helps you out?" Miharu said, indignantly. "What are the police doing arresting someone like her? There are real criminals out there!"
It was a question that should've already been answered by the news reporter, who was now switching topics. "According to last night, we now have direct confirmation of a fierce gun battle between law enforcement and an unknown group confirmed to be of Arrancar origin. Several officers were killed, more are in critical condition and within the hospital. The attack was successfully halted, thanks to the efforts of Avaron Setsuko and her faithful police troopers." As he was speaking, there were pictures of the aftermath of the battle waged. Both corpses of dead police officers and what appeared to be hooded, white figures could be seen sprawled on the ground, along with several weapons as well.
Miharu looked at the screen with wide-eyes. "What in Hell's name...?" She blinked, trying to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "The police actually managed this...?" She had always been under the impression the law enforcement here was in competent.
"That's why the government chose them...." Megami muttered, lowering her arms back to the armrests on the chair. She leaned against its back, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. "Guess the soldiers have a reason to hold such a bitter rivalry towards them. There were no military forces involved in that particular fight. It was all done by the police."
"Back on subject though, what about Aoi?" Miharu asked. "Are you going to try and bail her out or something? There's no way she can be guilty of being involved with the bad guys."
"I am honestly not sure." Megami said miserably. "I really want to do something stupid at this point, but I know we'll all just get in more trouble if we do. The police have understanding of what they're doing, but I just don't want to believe Aoi was...." She trailed off.
"Which is why I believe they are incompetent." Miharu said, frowning. "They probably arrested Aoi so they could make it look like they're doing something." She started to walk upstairs with the books, calling down. "That's just what I think though."
"Yeah...." Megami muttered to herself, closing her eyes. She pushed herself out of the chair. "I'm going to question Kenta about this personally, figure out what's going on...." She walked over to the TV, turning it off. Then, after shrugging her shoulders, she turned around and exited her room. Hopefully, Kenta would not happen to be busy or one of the many officers in the hospital after what had happened.
"Wonder what Rukia thinks of this particular situation...." She muttered to herself, exiting the door and shutting it behind her.
Suspicion[]
Half of the entire forest was now destroyed. Covered in ice, multiple trees frozen, others frozen and destroyed. At the center of all this destruction was Rukia Kuchiki. She was currently in her Bankai state, but it was deactivating, the ice wings crumbling around her, her sword returning to it's sealed state as she sheathed it. She looked over the destroyed forest area. With the move she had just performed, her spiritual energy could have been felt even by a spiritually aware monkey.
"It's finally ready."
"Rukia!"
It was within that moment, Megami's spiritual presence could be felt within the area. She appeared a good distance away, jogging towards the Kuchiki.
Rukia turned, surprise to hear someone calling her name. "Megami? Is something wrong?" It was hard to believe Megami would come looking for her if something wasn't wrong, especially given the current circumstances.
"Did you see the news?!" Megami allowed herself to stop at a certain distance away. "Aoi's been charged of espionage under the loyalty of Red Sun and has been arrested! Not to mention there was an attack on the city's coast by cultist Arrancar!"
"What?" She had expected something to be wrong, but two things, let alone an attack, she hadn't been expecting. "No, I haven't seen the news at all. I've been out here, training." That would explain the now destroyed surroundings. "First things first, why was Aoi arrested? Did the questions you went to ask make her guilty?"
"No...." Megami quickly shook her head. "They found out through chat logs. According to them, she was communicating directly with other Red Sun agents within the city and was one of the coordinators for the assault on the coasthead."
"So they needed a scapegoat." It wasn't a question, it was an accusation. "How much damage was done to the coast? Any casualties on our side?"
Did everyone have some sort of grudge against the police?
Megami flinched slightly at the tone Rukia took, but did not allow herself to comment on it. "Several officers were killed in the line of duty." She explained. "Several more were wounded and taken to the hospital for treatment..."
"And the Arrancar?"
"The soldiers that participated directly in the attack were all killed and accounted for. However, at least two leaders have escaped."
Rukia frowned. "More problems to add to our list it seems." She looked at Megami. "My question is, what are you going to do about your librarian friend?"
"What can I do?" Megami shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "I don't really have enough information on the situation at hand. Therefore, I'm not in a position to blame any side for any wrong doing. Aoi's my friend, but the police would have to have some logical reason for arresting her, after all."
Rukia frowned. "I think that's being optimistic. I'm not speaking out against the law enforcement here, but something about this just doesn't sit well with me."
"C'mon...." Megami put on a weak smile, her expression one of reassurance. "This isn't Seiten-sama's group we're dealing with anymore. That force was replaced long ago by the rebellion, who've been nothing more than honest and true. I think you're just being too negative about this..."
"Sorry. That's honestly not like me." Still, there was that nagging feeling she couldn't ignore...
"This situation's making us all tense, I suppose.... anyway...." Megami's expression faded into a more contemplative look. "That's all I stopped by for. I'm heading to the police office in order to question them personally about Aoi's arrest. Hopefully, I'll get more information than I did out of that news thing...."
"Alright." Rukia said. "I'd go with you, but I need to reverse the damage I did to this area before I leave. I hope you get decent answers."
"Yeah....me too...."
With that being said, Megami turned and walked off, disappearing as quickly as she had came.
Tensions[]
It wasn't often that Kenta got to enjoy sitting at his home, especially with what happened in the night before.
He was sitting in front of his TV screen with a small glass of champagne in one hand, half-lidded eyes analyzing the news as it relayed information about Aoi Taijiri's arrest as well as the battle against the Ahijados forces. His other arm was in a cast, having taken a blade straight through the bone courtesy of a cult member. He lifted the glass to his lips, quickly emptying the contents before setting the empty glass onto the armrest. His mind calculated the casualties - a little more than half of the police force involved in the fight, including himself, had been killed or wounded. The display of force by the Ahijados would definitely stir up distress within Yuurei itself among the populace. The captain had made it her own duty to inform the King of the happenings and to begin the evacuation process. In a few days, civilians would be moved en masse, and in three days the information given by the Soul Society Shinigami would be understood.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
His ears perked up at the sound of knocking at his front door. Slowly, he stood up, walking over to it and grabbing the knob. As he opened it, his eyes widened slightly at the sight. "Ah....Kurosaki-san." He noted, eyeing a rather solemn Megami Kurosaki as she stood. Her eyes were looking directly at him, almost as if she was accusing him of something. However, he remained calm under the stare, maintaining a casual attitude. "What can I do you for?"
"We need to talk." Megami spoke. "It concerns Aoi...."
A brief silence for a moment. Then, Kenta allowed himself to nod in acknowledgement, stepping aside for her to enter. "Of course. Have a seat in the living room; I'll be right back." Then he turned and walked off, leaving her to step into the room and look around. It was clear that he certainly was no rich folk. Despite his serious and by the book nature, he lived like someone of the middle class. The furnishes, decor, furniture, and other items that made up the body of the house made that fact clear as crystal. Shutting the door behind her, she walked into the living room with a somewhat unsure gait, sitting down on the couch. Even though Kenta had willingly invited her in, she still felt somewhat uncomfortable to be in someone else's home.
Fortunately, Kenta was quick to come back. He stepped into the den, handing her a folder filled with a few papers. "Before you begin, I'd like you to take note of these. They're chat logs that we had managed to find during our daily checks of Yūrei's network." He took a seat in a chair near the couch, looking on as Megami opened up the folder and inspected the papers. "It's information relating to the attack last night, detailing exact locations, potential targets of opportinity, what have you..."
"But....why are you showing me this?" Megami questioned, eyebrow contorted in confusion.
"Because I knew you came here to defend her case."
That caused Megami's eyes to widen slightly. But Kenta seemed to pay no heed as he continued to speak, his hands lowered and folded while his elbows rested on his thighs. "I understand it's a tough time having to deal with one of your friends committing a crime such as Taijiri had done...." He said calmly. "But the police are not unjust in their movements. You may think of us negatively for doing our job, label us with names that we may or may not deserve.... but it's our duty to protect the interests of the city, no matter what the cost."
"But what would make you think that I thought negatively about the police?" Megami questioned him, clearly dumbfounded. "I don't blame anyone for what happened..."
"It's little hints like what you and Rukia gave me...." The police officer muttered, slowly getting out of his chair and walking towards the nearest wall, only to lean his back against it and fold his arms across his chest - as best as he could with. "It is exactly why I feared allowing the Kurosaki family to get involved within this scenario. After seeing how we work, it's quite obvious that you as well as your family, despite all these years, still hold resentment for the law enforcement. That was highly apparent in the Takahashi incident, where the Major and his squadmates were sent to Hueco Mundo during the hunt for Diosa. Prior to that meeting, Ahatake openly threatened and abritrarily acted during the midst of an important meeting between him and your Majesty. That clearly speaks to me that he in particular has no problem in challenging the society we have set."
"Hold on!" Megami immediately stood up, a somewhat indignant look on his face. "My husband can be unorthodox at times, but he's certainly not a traitor!"
"That's what you said with Taijiri, and look what happened."
Had Kenta's voice gotten colder? Involuntarily, the red-head took a step back, surprised at his tone. However, she was unnerved by the narrowed-eye stare he was giving her, a matching frown on his face. Any sympathy or feelings he would've had towards the matter had been swept away, replaced by the loneliness of cold logic. She looked away, unable to hold his stare for much longer. At that moment, a tense silence swept the room once more, the only sound within the house an overhead fan rotating slowly above their heads.
Kenta spoke again.
"Sometimes things happen for a reason." He stated simply, lowering his head and causing his bangs to overshadow his eyes. "We all understand how valuable you've been to us during the recent incidents that we've had. But now, things are different. The commander has ordered a strict "minimal civilian involvement" policy to be enforced, and that includes the likes of the Kurosaki. Rukia, however, chose to defy that order and ignore authority. I'm not going to sit here and just let the rules be broken little by little...." He pushed himself off of the wall, walking towards Megami, causing her to snap her head towards him in surprise. "I'm going to tell you this. This isn't your war anymore. It's the war of the ones who were with this society since the beginning of its creation, the ones who fought with their very lives and put their loyalty to it. So I ask for your sake that you continue to live your life instead of throwing it away to interfere in our affairs."
Megami remained silent.
"I'll be informing the commander of this little development concerning the policy. I have my job to do, after all...in the meantime...." He turned around, walking off. "Why don't you do your family a favor and give them my advice. It would be good for all of us...."
"He said what!?" Miharu's face was red with anger, her cheeks puffed again. "He thinks we have a grudge against the law enforcement?" Megami had come back to tell her daughter and Daiyaku the news. Needless to say, Miharu was less than pleased with what she heard.
"I think he's right, at least about some of us." Daiyaku said, trying to get her to sit. "Ahatake himself is no fan of them, and Miharu, you've stated you find the police at least to be incompetent."
Megami looked away, an eyebrow raised in contemplation. "He does hold a point... and, honestly, considering how much fighting potential we've shown while we were living in this society, it would seem somewhat normal to be wary of our loyalties considering recent actions. Not to mention, threatening a high-ranking official in front of a government leader doesn't exactly relieve that tension." She added sagely.
"But the king trusts Tō-san." Was Miharu's response. "Or I think he does. If the King trusts us, why shouldn't the police?"
"The King has a passion for democracy and open voice. He trusts us because we had helped him and the city out in its greatest time of need." Megami said. "But the police, even knowing that fact, still have their duty to root out threats to the peace. Any sign of disdain or distrust towards authority can be taken as one of the beginning signs for criminal activity. It's just the natural way that the civil guard acts."
"I want to go slap some sense into them..." Miharu said, frowning. "They're just making me dislike them more..."
"I don't think they care." Daiyaku told her, sighing. "So, Megami, what now? Do we actually take his advice?"
"Like I said, the feelings toward us would be considered natural at this point." The red-haired woman said, directing her gaze back towards the two younger people. "Unless we want to agitate these moments, I suggest we stay clear of any more investigation into this matter. Got it?"
"Of course." Daiyaku replied politely. His tone was perfectly innocent, his smile equally so. A vein throbbed in Miharu's forehead. "Fine..."
"Good. Now, that's all I needed you for. You can leave now...."
Daiyaku got up and motioned for Miharu to follow him, which she did, albeit reluctantly. As soon as they were out of earshot of Megami, Miharu turned to Daiyaku. "I want to go investigate the police."
It took a moment for this to register with Daiyaku. "Wait a minute, what?"
"I. Want. To. Go. Investigate. The. Police." She repeated, slower this time. "I find it suspicious that they don't trust the family, when this family has probably done more for this entire region than the police themselves."
Daiyaku frowned. As much as he loved the girl, when she got irritated, she could be downright irritating. "And what will you do if you get caught?"
"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it." She said, confirming that she had no idea.
"And what are you looking for?"
"Anything incriminating."
Daiyaku was getting his headache now, because she was being very vague. "Fine, fine." They went back downstairs, Miharu decided it was best to lie her way through and hope her mother didn't figure anything out. "Kā-san, Daiyaku and I will be heading out for a bit."
Her mother had taken to resting on the couch. "All righty, dear, have fun and try to stay out of trouble....." She replied immediately, waving a hand behind resting it back on her stomach.
"So easy." She muttered as she and Daiyaku walked out the door. "Now...to find the police station." They set off, Daiyaku already sure this plan would fall apart easily. Miharu was simply irritated and decided to work it off in the most reckless way she could think up, which was sneaking into the police station to find "incriminating" evidence against them.
"Just to be sure I heard you right, you haven't a clue what you're looking for at all?" Daiyaku asked.
"Not at all." Miharu replied cheerfully. "I just want to find something to bust these idiots." It didn't take them long to reach the police station, but Miharu let Daiyaku to the side of the building. "We're going in."
"How?" Daiyaku had resigned himself to her little insanity now, and decided to play along.
"Phasing right through." Miharu drew her sword, and, in a surprise move that Daiyaku couldn't help but think she did because she felt like it, stabbed them both. There was no pain from the blade as it entered his body, and he didn't feel her draw it out. "Now we go in." She said, simply walking straight though the wall.
"It's official, she's gone insane." Daiyaku thought as he too followed her through the wall. They found themselves in a darker room, and there was a monitoring camera over head. "Can that see us?"
"I'm not sure." Miharu replied. She walked over to it, waving.
It was something that one with sense should have been trying to avoid doing.
The camera, which had been making slow and deliberate motions as it monitored the room, now focused itself on the waving Miharu. Within the surveillance room, the view of the camera was monitored on a screen, which was steadily overlooked by an operator - a woman, specifically. The operator looked over her shoulder, a rather confused look on her face. "Uhm.... sir? You might want to take a look at this..."
"What, what is it?" Immediately, a grey-haired young male in a rather casual attire of a black tank top and grey jeans briskly walked over to the screen. He leaned over her shoulder, and they both resumed to looking at the two that had suddenly appeared. "The hell? We didn't have anyone scheduled to be in that room.... get a zoom-in." The operator immediately complied, pressing a button.
Within the room, Miharu and Daiyaku could see the lens concentrating into a smaller form as well as producing a slight "zooming" noise in order to signal its function.
"I'm going to go off on a limb and assume that it can see us." Daiyaku said, noticing the camera's new motion. "Stop that waving and do something." He hissed.
"Fine, fine." She drew her sword again. "Improvise. Kyūmu." From her sword came a small pulse that spread throughout the entirety of the building. Every security monitor's image became blurred and distorted, including the one trained on Miharu and Daiyaku. "That should make us invisible to their lenses." Miharu said, sheathing her sword again. "Let's just hope it worked."
"!!!!"
Both of the observer's eyes widened as the screen abruptly went into a static mode. Murmurs of shock and disbelief rang across the room as other monitors went hay-wire as well. The apparent boss gritted his teeth in annoyance, letting out a frustrated grunt as he glared at the screen. The operator he had spoken to was fixated on it, pressing a set of keys in order to get it working again. "Can't get a lock on the room for some reason...." She muttered. "She's done something to directly interfere with the cameras...."
Immediately, the boss jerked a finger towards his earpiece and clicked it on. "Squad K-10, there's an unknown individual within your area in Room B8!" He said sharply. "Breach and patrol, capture whoever is inside!" He immediately shut off the earpiece, turning towards all of the operators within the surveillance room. "All of you, try and unclog the interference we're getting! We may have an unwanted agent within the base!"
Outside the interrogation room they were in, a set of police officers took positions outside the door, the ones that had clearly been radioed by the boss. The squad leader spoke up. "Breach and clear. Get a flashbang ready." One of the nearby officers nodded, whipping out a flash bomb in order to throw into the room.
"And now they're onto us." Daiyaku said, groaning. "Miharu, I'm setting two rules right now. 1) You will never head an infiltration mission ever again. 2) We will never take you on an infiltration mission ever again."
"Where's the fun without a little chase?" Miharu asked, grinning.
"I'd agree with you...if we were doing the chasing dammit!" Daiyaku replied in frustration. "They're after us, I can feel spiritual pressure on the alert everywhere."
"And if we come across any of them, we let them sleep." Miharu suggested as if it would be so easy.
WHAM!
The door immediately was forced open with a swift kick, followed by the throw of the grenade. All of these motions were made with a swift and deliberation motion, no hesitation or mistake made....
BANG!
The grenade went off, enveloping the targets within its brief light. The officers poured in, their guns aimed.
Miharu and Daiyaku had been concealed inside a barrier of Miharu's creation the moment they door had been kicked in, which, while it didn't protect them from the glare of the light, allowed them a safe place to remain in while their eyes recovered.
"Flash bombs!?" Daiyaku thought as his eyes adjusted. "Bastards..."
"See, this is where the fun begins!" Miharu insisted, depsite the fact that her eyes were just as afflicted as Daiyaku's.
"Stop right where you are!!!" The squad leader yelled, pistol raised towards the two. "Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air!!!" All six squad members performed a secured position around the entrance in order to ensure their targets didn't escape.
They didn't reply immediately, not until their eyes settled, which didn't take too long. "Oh boy..." Miharu frowned, as her eyes and Daiyaku's finally settled. She let down the barrier. "And, am I to assume that if we don't surrender, you'll shoot?"
"We will use force if you don't comply!" The officer said immediately, just to keep from provoking the targets into actually using their weapons. However, one of the side officers rolled his eyes at what he presumed to be a rather stupid question.
"I see, I see." Miharu vanished, appearing next to the speaking officer with astounding speed. She gripped the gun he was holding, and twisted it towards him as if it was made of rubber. "Get bent." She said, smiling, before striking him swiftly in the neck. "One down. Five to go."
"Oh boy..." Daiyaku murmured. "I suppose I should get in on this..."
"Get her!!!"
Knowing that shooting within such an environment would be a rather reckless way to deal with the situation, the five quickly moved at her. The ones nearest to her quickly sheathed their pistols and attacked her using hand-to-hand in an attempt to subdue her quickly.
Miharu didn't move, and each of the officers attempts to attack passed through her. She hadn't yet removed the ability to phase through things.
"How do you think we got in here?" She asked. "Daiyaku!"
He immersed himself in lighting, through the use of Shindō #2, Ōnaminagare, and, through the use of his enhanced speed, appeared next to the closest officer, slamming his knee into the man's gut, before delivering a swift chop to the next, leaving only three remaining officers standing.
Now it was obvious that they weren't going to suceed in their goal.
With their leader knocked out, as well as two more officers down for the count, all the remaining three could do was stand defensively, despite knowing that they didn't stand a chance against the invaders. One of them manage to speak up to them. "Why are you even here?" He demanded, a slightly nervous tone within his edge. "Aren't you the kid of the Kurosakis? Why are you intruding and trespassing?"
"Quite simple. You all have angered me. You don't trust us, so I'm curious as to why. I am going to investigate this entire place from top to bottom, look through databases until I find either something to get back at you on or a reason why." She said, and it was said in a manner as if it explained everything.
"Now that I think about it, we could have walked straight in and asked them why." Daiyaku thought to himself. Too late for that now.
The speaking police officer now wore a look of disbelief on his face. "Kid...." He said, putting on a calm edge to his tone. He raised up a hand in order to emphasize. "I don't know who told you whatever, but the only reason any police officer would mistrust you is simply because you trespassed and assaulted federal personnel. This has been quite the misunderstanding. Let's just put our weapons down and talk about this...."
Miharu's eyes narrowed, while Daiyaku breathed a sigh of relief. "At least someone's being reasonable. Why don't we take him up on his offer Miharu?"
Miharu looked like she would much rather go back to beating them into a pulp. "Fine." She said, looking as if the words were stuck in her throat. "Let's talk about this."
Immediately, the three remaining officers lowered their stances, relieved that they would not have to fight an unstoppable enemy. Two of them quickly moved to check on the status of the officers, while the one who had spoken to them walked up to the two. "I'll take you both to a waiting room right away while I notify the commander in order to speak with you." He told them, giving a slight bow before turning on his heel. "Follow me, please...."
Miharu frowned, making sure she didn't deactivate the phasing ability she had bestowed them with, and kept a tight grip on her sheathed sword, she followed, Daiyaku releasing the Ōnaminagare spell as he followed as well.
The trip was rather uneventful. The police officer did not bother to speak to them anymore, his gait rather relaxed now that the situation seemed fine and done with. Mentally, he kept on his alert. Because of the simple fact that Miharu seemed ready to draw her sword and kill at any given minute or escape to another place, he found it necessary to keep himself prepared for what happened. However, as they passed by more populated areas, nervous whispers began to run amuck and indirectly tossed towards the three. It seemed that everyone did not share that particular police officer's sentiments....
Soon, they reached the said waiting room, a full set of chairs lined up against the wall next to an office door. The officer motioned to two of those particular chairs. "Have a seat. She'll be with you shortly." He instructed them, before heading inside the office and shutting the door behind him.
Daiyaku took a seat, Miharu was more cautious, standing next to the chair instead, eying the door. Nothing happened to the chairs however when Daiyaku sat, but Miharu wouldn't sit.
Daiyaku sighed. "Take a seat Miharu, they're not going to bite."
"I'm good." Miharu said, frowning.
Daiyaku looked at her, his eyes narrowing for a moment. "Miharu, you oughtta calm down. Someone is coming in to speak with us, and for all I know, your bad attitude could just add to the reasons they have to throw us in prison."
"Reasons?" Miharu looked surprised.
Daiyaku sighed again. It was becoming the most common noise emitted from him. "We snuck into the police station, messed with their security cameras, and put the beatdown on several officers. That is grounds for arrest I believe. So, whatever you do, at least act like you normally do, 'cuz this attitude is not you."
"Fine, Daiyaku." Miharu replied, her facial expression relaxing. "I'll put on my happy face, but I won't sit."
"That'll work." He smiled.
At that moment, the door popped open, and the officer stepped out to hold open the door. "The commander'll see you now." He said, motioning for them to go inside. Once they did so, and as they were walking through the doorway, they would see an orange-haired woman in her early twenties sitting with her hands folded across her desk. At any other moment, she would've had a rather relaxed expression in order to welcome the ones in and put them at ease, start off with a few words of greeting and then get right down to business.
But as of this moment, Avaron Setsuko, commander of the police force of Yūrei, had a stern and angry look on her face that could only be matched by that of a professional business head who would be angered in such an internal incident. Her narrowed eyes were fixed onto the two as they came in, and she shifted herself a little as she waited for them to sit down.
Daiyaku could tell this and waited for Miharu to do the woman the common courtesy of sitting but he knew she wouldn't. Daiyaku frowned and turned to Avaron. "I'm sorry ma'am, but Miharu seems to want to stand."
"Dear, if it helps you any...." Avaron said firmly, a dry tone within a slightly irritated voice. "That chair doesn't have any explosives, energy drainers, poison producing machines, or anything that would actually affect and/or kill you. 'Course, that's really not the reason why we're here...." She closed her eyes, leaning back against the chair. "Let me relay the charges against you: illegal entry into a private-owned and federal area, carrying unauthorized weapons in an unauthorized area, resisting arrest, assault of police personnel, and sabotage of government-owned equipment. What do you have to say to defend yourself?"
Daiyaku yawned. " Told you." He said in a dry voice.
Miharu glared at him for a moment. "Nothing to say I guess. I was merely irritated with you all. My mother came home saying the police don't trust our family. Our family has probably done more for this region than the police themselves, yet you don't trust us. And the arrest of the Aoi girl was bothering me, she seemed so nice, not at all like she was capable of doing anything that warranted arrest." She was speaking so much and so fast, Daiyaku was wondering if she was breathing at all. "So, I decided to go into the police station, hopefully unseen, and go through the computers here, I wanted to look for anything incriminating against you guys, but I was stupid enough to wave at the camera instead of disable them and cloak ourselves before we even got in here, so your boys found us, we had a little scuffle, and here were are, chatting with you."
"Where did your mother get such information from?" Avaron asked immediately.
"Kenta or something." Miharu said. "Does it matter?" She looked curious.
"Just curious. Now...." Avaron opened her eyes to a half-lidded position, leaning forward in the chair again. "Did your mother also authorize this little.... "conspiracy uncovering attempt" you were trying to do?"
"No, she told us that the family would keep out of the entire investigation going on because Kenta said you don't trust us." Miharu replied honestly. "All we told her was we were goin' out."
"So you also lied to your mother." Avaron concluded, slowly allowing herself to stand up from the chair. "This leaves me to either two options. One...." She pressed her hands onto the desk, giving them a look that stated she meant business. "This can remain between the three of us, and you two can leave with a punishment that will be termed for a total of three months.... or I can inform your mother, relay your actions here, and leave everything within her hands. Your choice."
Miharu frowned. Taking a moment to think back on the last time she and her mother had gotten into a disagreement, she could agree with herself that it wasn't worth letting her mother know about this. "Tch...fine, I'll let this remain between us, since it's not worth letting my mother know this."
Daiyaku sighed with relief. He half expected Miharu to fly into a rage from an unknown cause again and attack the woman. Thank God for whatever remained of the girl's self control.
"Good. Now, hold still...."
Immediately, Avaron slid her hands in a drawer within the desk between them, whipping out two black collars. "These...." She stated. "....will keep you from molding your spiritual energy in any way. The amount of energy you attempt to use is proportionate to the amount of pain you will feel. A small amount of energy used will result in nothing but a small sting, but if you try something that utilizes considerable energy.... even you'd fall unconscious from the pain." She released the collars, and they vanished in the air.... only to re-appear around the necks of Daiyaku and Miharu, securing themselves. "They're next to impossible to break or remove, but if you do happen to do one or the other, that will send a signal back to me to let you know you prefer to have your mother notified."
"You're a bastard." Miharu muttered.
"What she meant to say was, thank you for not arresting us ma'am." Daiyaku said politely.
Surprisingly, Avaron put on a smile. "The correct term, kid, would be "bitch"." She answered coolly to Miharu, her tone expressing amusement by her words. "Do make sure to remember that, and I hope not to see either of you again in this setting."
Daiyaku couldn't help but laugh. "Before we leave I have a question. How do we explain these things?" He gestured at the collars.
"They're only seeable to the wearer once they're active. They were made specifically for these types of situations." Avaron explained.
"Convenient." Daiyaku remarked. "Well, once again, thanks for not arresting us." He turned to Miharu. "Let's go before you do something else that gets us in trouble with these guys."
"Fine..." Miharu muttered, exiting the room with Daiyaku.
As they shut the door behind her, Avaron closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. Reaching over on the phone on her desk, she took it off of the receiver and typed in a few numbers. Then, she waited for a moment before stating, "Hello, Amaya? Patch me through to Kenta Sonoda, please...."
Getting home took awhile because they couldn't utilize Shunpo due to the collars, and when they finally arrived, they collapsed onto the sofa in the living room, not even aware if Megami was there or not.
"....it's nice to know that I'm loved, but..."
Coincidentally, Megami was also lying on the sofa, having fallen asleep on her side. However, she had been swiftly awoken by the careless Daiyaku and Miharu had fallen on her. Her eyes had immediately turned themselves towards the two, and she didn't allow herself to move, but instead granted her voice permission to speak her good-hearted surprise. She did sweatdrop at the apparent antics on her part.
At the sound of her voice, Miharu and Daiyaku immediately jumped up, hitting the wall by accident.
"K-Kā-san!" Miharu was surprised.
"Sorry Megami-san." Daiyaku spoke more calmly, but his normally pale face was pink. "We decided to walk back, and we just got tired. We should have looked before we collapsed."
Megami slowly allowed herself to shift into a sitting position, waving a hand with an expression of cheery understanding. "Oh, it's no problem, you don't have to apologize for anything!" She assured them. "I'm just glad I didn't drift off myself sooner than expected, otherwise I would've been frightened right out of my skin!"
Daiyaku gave a weak laugh, Miharu's mouth merely twitched. "I think we should go on up then, since we're so tired we're collapsing. She said, and she did look tired, more like she had been trying to run around the country. Daiyaku knew why. She'd spent the entire walk over trying to overload the collar. Naturally, her attempts failed, and it was merely coupled with the automated voice that belonged to Avaron herself taunting her. Daiyaku himself had given in and tried as well. His efforts had been no better.
"Fair enough!" Megami said, lowering her hand back down and resting back on the sofa. "Rest easy, you two...."