|{These Watery Wings <22> Of My Forged Fate}|

As Izuru made his way deeper into Rebel Town, he began looking for the cafe that was the designated meeting place. He did his best to blend in and not draw too much attention from anyone, human or demon. However, if Shinichi was nearby, he undoubtedly already knew about Izuru's arrival. But at the moment that didn't matter so much. Izuru's mission was to find and bring back some mysteriously powerful weapon. If he had a run-in with Shinichi then his number one priority would be escaping with the weapon, instead of defeating him...for once.
Finally, after a while of searching, Izuru spotted the small, homely cafe. He wasted no time in trudging his way down the sandy road towards the small building.
Unlike many of the other structures in the area, the wood had been painted a pale blue which was what aided in its finding.
Izuru was quick to enter the cafe's door, knowing that there wasn't time to waste. But as soon as he stepped in, he was hit with the strong smell of delicious coffee and tea mixed with the slight scent of lemon biscuits. It reminded him that he hadn't had a whole lot to eat and he was still very thirsty from crossing the desert. Sadly, his hunger would have to wait a little longer.
He began to look about the large room. There were little tables situated about randomly, only separated to make a straight walkway up to the counter. By the looks of it, the place didn't get much business and the lack of a person behind the counter stated it probably was short on hands as well. It was surprising that a cafe had even been started in the first place, taking into consideration how disorderly the town was.
"Izuru, over here."
Izuru looked from the counter over to his left side when he heard his name called. He spotted Priest Bruno and a girl in her late teens seated at a table in the corner. Priest Bruno waved him over and he obliged, soon sitting himself in the only empty chair at the quaint, little table.
"I was wondering if you were going to make it on time." Priest Bruno stated, picking up a cup of iced tea and taking a sip before setting it down again.
"Well, I wasn't exactly given plenty of time to get here. No matter. I'm here now. So care to fill me in?" Izuru asked, doing his best to avoid putting the conversation on hold any longer and letting his thirst get to him.
"You'd do best to get something to drink first. I don't care what the headmasters say. Even demons can't go without water for long." The girl said, catching Izuru's attention.
He looked over at her for the first time, already knowing who she was. She was Priestess Amila, no doubt about it. Her green eyes, which mirrored the color of the headmasters, was what gave her away if nothing else. Her hair, on the other hand, was a lustrous shade of burgundy and reminded Izuru of a bird's tail. It was clipped back and away from her eyes by two purple clips on one side whereas the back was shorter, spiked up and left to defy gravity. And like Bruno and the other trained priests and priestesses, Amila wore the Alliance coat. Although hers was a faded, dark red instead of the traditional dark blue.
"Thanks for the break, Amila. But we have no time to spare." Izuru stated, gently resting his arms on the table.
An overly fierce frown appeared on Amila's face, contorting her beautiful features. She then grabbed the cup of ice water that sat before her and sat it down before Izuru. He rolled his eyes at this but didn't bother taking a drink and turned to Priest Bruno, preparing to get things moving along. But as Izuru was about to learn, Amila wasn't one for giving up. She glared at Izuru before grabbing the glass of water and shoving it in his face.
"Drink it, you pathetic excuse for skin." She harshly ordered, suddenly making the air around the table grow stiff.
"Will you shut up if I do?" Izuru asked, causing Amila to groan.
She quickly stood up in a stubborn manner with the glass of water in hand. A nasty smirk spread over Amila's face as she proceeded to dump the cup of ice water on his head, to his sudden surprise and displeasure. The freezing water made Izuru jump and his teeth chatter slightly as it soaked his clothing and dripped on the floor. Although it was a bit refreshing, he was ticked off at Amila for doing something so stupid and useless. She immediately made it on his dislike list.
When the glass was empty, Amila gave an innocent looking grin and sat herself and the cup back down. She crossed her legs and rested her gaze on Izuru, who looked at her as if she was a few singers short of a choir. Priest Bruno, who was watching everything unfold, shook his head sadly before drinking his iced tea as if nothing special had happened.
"What did you do that for?! You crazy nutcase!" Izuru boldly hollered at her, but to no effect.
"You feel better now, don't you?" Amila asked in a sweet voice.
"No! Well...sorta. But that's not the point! You- Ow! Ow! Ow!" Izuru suddenly squeezed his head between his hands and kept muttering his words of pain. When curiosity finally got to Bruno, he asked what was wrong.
"She gave me a damn brain freeze!!" Izuru cursed, soon smacking his forehead against the table. Shortly after he stopped, Amila uttered an apology for the brain freeze but not for her actions.
"When you're thirsty, you should get something to drink. You'll be useless if you suddenly collapse of dehydration. Sheesh! Besides...your head looked a bit swollen." Amila explained, soon earning a vicious and scarce glare from Izuru.
Priest Bruno had to put his cup down from the shock of the simple action. He had not once seen a glare like that since he had first met Izuru. And even then it hadn't been that outright mean.
"I hate you." Izuru stated simply. Amila grinned and faced Priest Bruno.
"Good. Now the feeling is mutual. So...what's the plan again?"
Priest Bruno rose an eyebrow at Amila, making a mental note to be cautious of the girl.
He then began to go over what was to be done. Whether it was to simply begin the mission or to ease the tension in the air, Izuru and Amila couldn't tell.
"Um... Well, first of all Izuru should read this report the headmasters gave me. Once that's done we can go looking for Lukiro." Priest Bruno explained, pulling out a rolled up piece of paper from within his jacket and giving it to Izuru.
Although the demon was still visibly angry, he quickly changed his tune and began reading over the report seriously.
Mission Overview:
Acquire the Enare Spear located in an underground temple on the far outskirts of Rebel Town. Our only clue as to the exact location of the spear is that it is east of the town. Once you obtain the weapon, return to the Divine Alliance HQ. Under no circumstances should the spear fall into enemy hands. If it must be destroyed to prevent this, then so be it.
Notes:
When you arrive at the stone gate of the temple that the Enare Spear is located in, you will be met with the weapon's guardian. He will not let anyone pass unless they use the key. He's unbeatable so this is the only way to get to the spear. Although we don't know much about the key, we can tell you that it will help greatly to have Lukiro and his companion with you.
Once you're inside the temple, remove the spear from its altar. But DO NOT touch it. Its power will most likely kill you in an instant. Once you have the weapon, conceal it and escape from the temple. Bring it immediately to the HQ in Aquais. If the spear ends up in someone else's hands, the mission fails.
Izuru stopped reading, his eyebrows raised in curiosity and confusion. He read over the note again, still finding himself falling short of answers. He finally returned the paper to Priest Bruno who put it back in his jacket.
"That is the vaguest explanation I've seen so far. What's with the guardian and key? No one said anything about having to get past a guardian." Izuru stated, making Amila quietly giggle next to him that went ignored.
"I know what you mean. As for the key, the headmasters only gave me one clue. They said it would appear when it was most needed. What that means, I can only guess." Bruno explained, drinking the last of his ice tea.
"In any case, we need to find Lukiro. Who knows, he may know where the key is." Amila said smoothly, soon standing up. Izuru and Bruno stood up as well, preparing to begin the mission.
This was going to be the beginning of a very crazy day and they had a lot depending on them and a lot against them. The fate of the human race was practically sitting on their shoulders. They had very little guidance as to what to do. They needed a key that they knew nothing about. They had to depend on the ex-friend of their worst enemy. And they had to get their job done quickly, quietly and efficiently.
"Oh, Priestess Amila? I should give you a fair warning. No one is going to come save you if you get in trouble." Izuru said as the three left the confines of the cafe.
Amila grinned.
"Fine with me, so long as you become my living shield. I heard Shinichi's shadow attacks can be pretty vicious. And don't worry, I won't regret anything if he kills you." Amila goaded, making Izuru clench his teeth. Whether it was to keep from saying anything or to keep from growing angry was anybody's guess.
"Did I mention that I hate you?" Izuru grouched out, making Bruno raise an eyebrow at his attitude.
"This is your second time. But who's counting?" Amila cheerily said, once again provoking Izuru.
"This is going to be a long day." Bruno muttered from the sidelines, choosing to walk ahead of the bickering pair.
[Crio Lighthouse - Sadira's POV]
Sadira slowly woke up to soft voices coming from beyond the room. She recognized them as the old lady's and Lukiro's, which put her nerves at ease. She was able to tell that Lukiro was no longer at her side and to know that he wasn't far away assured her that all was safe.
It wasn't long until she decided to get up from her own makeshift bed beside the fireplace. She quickly noticed that Zaleth was up as well, sitting beside her and gazing into the fire's flickering gaze.
"Morning. I didn't believe Lukiro when he said you probably wouldn't be up for a while. Guess I was wrong." Zaleth said, a grin set on her face to hide the sadness that shined in her eyes.
Sadira noticed and sighed, bringing her legs up to her chest under the blanket and wrapping her arms around them.
"Are you worried about your fiance?" Sadira asked. Zaleth looked at the girl with a sad smile and nodded.
"I just hope he isn't getting into too much trouble. He's always been one for mischief." Zaleth explained, setting her eyes on the fire once again. Sadira suddenly grew a grin on her face.
"Aw, why not give the poor guy a break? I mean, he's probably worrying about you because you're always worrying too much. Here's my advice. Forget the guy for a little while. You just survived a boat wreck. I don't think he'll mind much." Sadira stated in an overly dramatic voice which caused Zaleth to grin.
"Now see, smiles are a good thing. Why am I the only one that seems to see that these days?" Sadira said once she had cheered the woman up. Zaleth shrugged as she let her smile slowly fade, dousing the room in silence.
A while later, Lukiro walked into the room with a plate of eggs and buttered bread.
"I thought I heard you up. Zombies are always loudest when they wake up from their deathly sleep." Lukiro joked, giving the plate to Sadira who teasingly frowned at him.
"Now, I know what you mean. I could hear you from clear in here." She playfully retorted before beginning to eat her breakfast. By the looks of it, both Lukiro and Zaleth had already had theirs.
Lukiro took a seat next to Sadira on the floor, his arms crossed in thought. Eventually, he spoke his mind.
"I was talking with the old lady just now. She says we should get to Rebel Town as soon as we're able to." Lukiro announced, making Sadira peer at him in confusion.
"I know she helped us out and all but...why exactly should we do as she says?" Sadira asked, although she knew it would be a good idea to get moving soon so they could catch Shinichi.
Lukiro looked at her with a shrug then turned his attention to the fireplace.
"We don't have to do what she says. But it would be a good idea. She's... She's like Etsuko." Lukiro faltered, his gaze soon dropping to the ground.
Sadira quickly fell silent. She knew she had to be careful with what she said but was unsure of what he meant. Etsuko was a touchy subject with him.
Apparently Zaleth could even tell as she didn't bother asking anything about Etsuko.
"What do you mean?" Sadira asked, tilting her head slightly. Lukiro shook his head and quickly cleared the air of gloom that had settled around him.
"Nothing. I'll tell you later. So... Do you think you'll be ready to go after you finish your breakfast?" Lukiro asked and Sadira nodded her head quickly.
"Yup! I just gotta stuff my face, thank the old lady for the food and get going."
"Maybe you should add, 'get dressed' to that list." Zaleth muttered, making Sadira blush. She had forgotten about that part.
"Yeah. That too." Sadira mumbled, embarrassed.
Some seriously thought provoking questions in the results (aka spoilers hints)!
Ok, yeah that wasn't very exciting. Entertaining and funny, yes. But plot fulfilling...not that much.
Or was it?
Izuru did seem awfully mad at Amila despite he's usually so cool headed. Could it be she simply did something shouldn't have? Or was it more of something she said? She did put a strong emphasis on "regret" but maybe it was nothing. Or maybe she knows about Izuru's past and intentionally pried to anger him. Could it be that Izuru regrets something he did long ago? Perhaps it's something to do with that ring he wears, Kame?
Or maybe even it goes farther back than that.
... Ok fine! I'll stop all the questioning and stuff. But seriously, don't take what I wrote up there lightly. I gave some serious hints to Izuru's past. Not to mention a large part of the bigger picture.
Uh, I really am getting attached to this story. ^_^ Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and I'll have some pictures up later. Even one of the Enare Spear (drew it myself XD).