[IC] Magicka Academy II [Jakeozzy & Demon Shinobi]

[Demon Shinobi]

Azazel having reflected Misaki's initial so -called finisher moved laughed maniacally. "See?! It's useless!" Despite his power his arrogance would be his downfall as in his boasting he let his guard down not noticing the next oncoming attack. Unfortunately by the time he noticed it was too late. It hit head on. "Argh... Raahhh!!! You pitiful humans! How can you have so much power?!" He shouted as his body began to be eaten away. He let out a loud roar which seemed to dissipate along with his body. And soon there was nothing left. With the defeat of it's "owners" and the beating it'd taken the Castle soon began to crumble It would come down any second. Misa and Meli had to get out of there. Now.

[Jakeozzy]

"That's what power from the heart is..." Misaki said, stumbling as she then landed beside her best friend Melissa. "It's not like that stagnant black feeling that radiates from demons, is it?" She added, weakly smiling at Meli and offering her a fist bump. But before they could, the fricking ceiling began to crack, the walls shook and Misa was overcome with an indecisive feeling. "Uh.. What do we.. Meli! Do you have a form that can get us outta here quickly? I only have enough power left for a short-lived Vernier spell, so let's combine our efforts?" She suggested, some blue magic energy swirling around in her hand as she prepared to cast it.

[Demon Shinobi]

"Don't worry. I think I got it." Meli said as she summoned the last of her power. It could practically be seen swirling around her as she summoned a cheetah like beast. Only much bigger, more ferocious and quite obviously much stronger. She sighed panting a bit. "Okay. You and me Shi." She said smiling weakly as she pet the beast. It licked her cheek before the two fused leaving Meli in a cheetah like form. "Okay Misa. We've got one shot." She spoke before hoisting her bestie onto her back. "And then we can call Hana or Joey or someone and have them pick us up and get help for Ryuji." She said obviously needing the Vernier in order to move out because she was running on fumes.

cheetah Meli

[Jakeozzy]

As Misaki placed a hand on Melissa's back, a small wave of sky blue magic fused into her body. "It's now or never!" Misa called above the sound of destruction getting louder, hanging on tight as she knew this combination of magics would have a ridiculously speedy result. "Let's break the frickin' sound barrier!"

Wait. Misa thought, looking back at where Henry & Alex were previously laying. Either the rubble had already crushed them, or they were long gone. She tried to find Henry's scent amongst the ruin, but there was nothing there now. ...Nothing we can do about it.

[Demon Shinobi]

Meli sighed and shook her head closing her eyes. "I know." She said almost as if she'd read Misa's thoughts on Henry and Alex. "Just brace yourself." She said before shooting off causing a sonic boom due to the sheer speed of her cheetah form and the extra enhancements of the Vernier. She dodged any and all debris which may have crushed them under normal circumstances and leaped over any blocking her path. Just as the Castle came down she ended up outside coming to a sliding stopped causing much dirt to kick up. "Oh man... We made it... We're alive." She spoke as she reverted to her human form and dropped to her knees before turning her head to look at her friend. "We... Made it..." She said panting a bit.

[Jakeozzy]

"Gahahaha!! Take that fate! You can't touch us!" Misaki cheered, breaking into an almost evil laughter as the rest of the castle collapsed. And as if fate wasn't going to take that from her, a stray piece of concrete flew out from the falling ruin and smacked the girl on the side of the head, instantly knocking her unconscious with a look of disbelief plastered on her face.

Skyler flew out of the forest behind the girls and landed beside his owner, examining the damage. "This is what you get for tempting it, Misa..." He sighed, but realizing the damage wasn't that bad he smiled and petted her head. "Meli, I was supposed to tell you something. Aegis went heading back towards the Emiya mansion in London after restoring what power he could. I said I could fly him there, but he flew off himself with that weird magic he uses." The Exceed explained, "So... What do we do now?"

[Demon Shinobi]

Meli sighed. "Call... Joey." She said panting a little more about to pass out. She pulled Misa closer to her holding her friend tightly. "We need to get out of here... So we can get back and check on Ryuji." She said quietly before closing her eyes.

[Jakeozzy]

"Hey.. You're okay, right?! Meli!" Skyler's voice blurred through just as the girl passed out with her friend, leaving the cat alone to look after them. At least until help arrived...

---

Misaki gasped as she came to, staring up at a bright white ceiling for a few moments as reality began to fall back into place, "Where..."

"Damn it, Misa.. You had me worried." A familiar female voice told her, before she could feel a light kiss on her forehead. "Don't move around too much, you're still recovering. Everyone is okay, just relax."

Misa then sat up, examining Hana's face. There were tear streaks running down her cheeks, something Misa had never seen before. "Sis..."

"Yeah. You're safe now." Hana said as she tearfully wrapped her arms around her little sister, treasuring her. "Don't make me worry like that ever again!"

Misa gripped Hana's arm and smiled, "Why worry? We're an invincible bunch..." She laughed weakly.

Aegis was standing beside Ryuji's bed, with a bandaged and plastered Rico sitting there smiling like an idiot. Despite the whole crew nearly biting the dust, everything worked out alright in the end... Well, they were all alive - that's what mattered to Rico.

Skyler was curled up in a ball on Melissa, awake and watching the 'bigger cat' with a proud smile. He tried to share the same enthusiasm as Rico had right now.

[Demon Shinobi]

Meli opened her eyes glad that everything had passed. "This is just great. So much better now." She said with a smile as she looked over to see Misa. "We did it. And everyone is fine." She said before a small cough was heard. "Right... Everyone is completely fine. Nobody got hurt." Ryuji said just barely conscious and covered from head to toe in bandages. Even his arm have been reattached. The doctor was amazed at the ease with which it was possible. Still it would take him a few more healing treatments before he actually was ready to be able to walk around and train again. Of course,this would most likely just lead to another power up for him. And he knew what he was gonna do with it. He was going to go after the council when he was 100%. "Nobody likes a whiner." Meli said as she forced herself to her feet holding Skyler. "You shouldn't be up." Ryuji commented. "Right right." She said before crawling into Misa's bed. "Just getting more comfortable." She said as she snuggled up to her bestie. "I think I hurt my everything." She said causing Ryuji to glance over. "I'm so sorry for your pain. Would you like a band-aid?" He said sarcastically. He was glad they were okay though. No matter what he said or how he behaved he was glad everyone was alive and well. Mostly.

[Jakeozzy]

"Hehe, that's typical ain't it? Ryuji got crushed, I nearly got cut in two, and you girls are whining over some scratches!" Rico joked, rubbing the back of his head.

Misa struggled into a sitting position with Hana's help so she could get a better look at everyone. She used one arm to hug Meli. "Well, I'm indebted to Ryu now..." She said, smiling over at him. "I'm only here right now because of what you said to me."

Rico looked confused at this. The hell exactly happened when they went after Henry and co? He knew a godlike monster smashed Ryuji, but he didn't know anything beyond that. "You finally kissed or something?" He chuckled.

Misa immediately blushed and sent a small roar blowing Rico off his chair, "We thought we were gonna die! It was.. it couldn't be helped?!" She said, obviously flustered on the topic. She didn't want to deny anything, or say it was all true outright. Hana used this moment to leave the room and could be heard squealing in excitement outside the mansion's infirmary.

"I was just kidding.. But wow. That's great, you guys!" Rico cheered picking himself back up.

Aegis rolled his eyes boredly on the whole love subject, his expression ice cold like always.

[Demon Shinobi]

Ryuji sighed before glancing at Misa. He couldn't really flash a smile or anything what with much of his head covered in bandages, but at least he could talk. "Listen. You don't owe me anything. Anything I said or did was for me. To make sure if we did go I wouldn't have any regrets. And technically... It wasn't our first kiss." He said ending it on a light note until he realized the first kiss was meant to be a secret. They couldn't even run to escape any questioning and such. "And with that... I think I'll rest..." He said a bit nervous as he closed his eyes.

Meli giggled to herself quietly burying her fact into Misaki's arm. "Us too." She added pulling Misaki back into a laying position.

---

"Right... I know dad... Everyone will need to go into hiding for a while because of the new information." Joseph said having a sort of private meeting with his parents. "I'm thinking I can keep Hana in line with the plan and Melissa can hold on to Misaki. You two should be able to keep Ryuji and Aegis busy too." The conversation was serious. No wonder it was being held in secret.

"Just be sure not to tip any of them off as to the reason why we're going into hiding. I'm planning on having Kurai and the rest of Dragonblood do a bit of digging and what not." Jonathan said calmly as he glanced at Ryoko. "Ryoko is going to create some scene tomorrow about wanting a vacation. It was her..." Ryoko slugged her husband's arm.

"Everything should go well as long as they all can be kept in line. Now if you'll excuse me I have a Doctor to call. He'll help Ryuji heal in just one more treatment. It'll be best to have everyone in good condition in order to plan for battle should we be found and attacked.

[Jakeozzy]

"Yeah..." Misaki said, closing her eyes with a calm smile on her face, "We can finally rest."

Aegis pushed himself off the wall as Misa went to sleep. He didn't say a thing. Rico followed him wondering what was up, but the ex-Council Mage didn't pay any attention. After they left the infirmary, the green-haired of the two boys stopped the other by pulling on his shoulder. Aegis' eyes flicked back to him, "...What?"

"You look like you're on a mission or something. Cool down, man." Rico told him half-seriously, taking his hand away.

"I'm not. I'm preparing, because I know what must be done. So does Ryuji, and so do you." Aegis vaguely explained, turning to face Rico who looked at the ground. "You were going to become an Enforcer, weren't you? The embodiment of justice in this mortal world we live in. No - they would make you an instrument in their game. I've been puppeteered, and you can't reach your goal in life. The Council has taken from us, so we must take from them. I don't need to tell you why Ryuji will fight too."

"Misa, her family and her clan... Ryuji's clan too, right? Everyone got hurt by them in some way. But it's a huge organisation - you're preparing to commit suicide, pal." Rico chuckled.

"Alone, yes. With the last of the Shirahama clan, and you? We'll stand a chance. We need to destroy the corrupt before the whole world becomes their plaything." Aegis concluded with, before turning away and leaving Rico with his thoughts. Tired, Rico just went back into the infirmary, climbed into his bed and lay there wondering how serious Aegis was.

---

In another part of the world though, the corrupted Magic Council wasn't a concern. Two hooded/cloaked figures approached a large mansion hidden away in the Bavarian hills (Southern Germany). There was an hour or so until the sun went down. The two had come a long way to find this seeming unremarkable mansion. It was the home of a nobleman, a man who used to be on the Council, retired now. For a retired old man, he sure had a lot of guards... All wielding the mass-production staves that the Shades had put on the Black Market. As the two passed through the gate, a number of guards moved to escort them to the lobby.

This was.. an unscheduled visit. As such, the guards were taking precautionary measures.

The figure with bright pink hair falling out of her hood smirked slightly, and the guns' hammers underneath her cloak could be heard clicking back. "Tamotsu. Quiet, or loud?" She asked. Their task was to reach the Councilor by any means possible...

[Demon Shinobi]

"We'll decide when the time comes." Tamotsu said calmly before sniffing the air. "It'll probably be soon." He added having gotten a whiff of something that was by no means good. "Keep you're guard up." He instructed. Obviously things wouldn't be so quiet. They never were when Tamotsu was involved. "Let's just try to make things go as smoothly as possible.

---

Ryuji drifted off to sleep. As did Meli. it was peaceful. So nice compared to the constant fight. Not that Ryuji didn't like a little action. They were all in the same boat.

---

Joseph haing finished the meeting with his parents was laying down in his and Hana's room. "It shouldn't be too hard to talk her into it." He said to himself in a whisper. He didn't like the feeling. There was a storm coming. Perhaps a year or two of relative peace was asking for a bit much. At least for Mages anyway.

[Jakeozzy]

"We're dealing with the Shades here, things never go smoothly." Luka said cheerfully, as if they weren't walking straight into a hornets nest. Usually she wouldn't have a partner to watch her back, so she felt more confident with Tamotsu here. Still felt a little guilty about pulling him away from his students though...

Four guards finally began to escort the two mysterious mages toward the door, not in a threatening manner though. The Guard Captain gave the two a quick glance over, commanding them, "Reveal yourselves."

"We're here to see ex-councillor Voss. Our identities must remain disclosed at his request... Surely you were told of our imminent arrival?"

"I can't let-" The man was interrupted.

"We have a tight schedule to keep, Captain. If you keep us from Lord Voss, you'll be the one suffering at the end of the day." Luka let that sink in for a moment, then, "...You know what happens to incompetent fools in our employment." She sounded dead cold, just like you'd expect a dark mage to.

"...My apologies, milady, for any inconvenience I caused you." The guard captain said. He sounded very sincere now, not in a demanding mood any longer. "Please go ahead."

Luka was actually pretty surprised that worked! And she didn't realise she could sound so evil! "Pathetic worm..." She muttered darkly to add effect, then entered the mansion. Once Tamotsu was in and the doors were shut, Luka threw her hood back, looking stunned but proud, "That felt good!"

---

As if on cue, Hana entered her & Joseph's room, requipping into a white dressing gown. "Ah... I never thought I would see the day. Misa isn't the type many guys are into, y'know? The type that could casually break your arms if you weren't careful..." She said with a calm grin, "No one accepted me because of that, too. And then you came along, not giving a damn who I was. It might be physically to do with strength, but nobody wanted to approach a 'monster'. I've never thanked you for treating me like a human being." Her smile began to fade as she sat on the bed, thoughts drifting to home. Just how many were dead.. and did any escape?

[Demon Shinobi]

Joseph couldn't help but smile when he heard Hana. "Hey she's growing up. Besides, there's somebody for everyone. Misaki just happens to have two people." He said laughing a bit referring to Ryuji and Melissa. "But you know... Really I should be the one to thank you." He said calmly as he sat up and looked at her. "I've never been as happy as I am now that I'm with you." He said before pulling her a bit closer. He'd noticed her smile vanish. She was unhappy which made him unhappy. A curse of marriage in a sense. Of course, it made talking and problem solving easier.

---

Tamotsu remained silent deciding to let Luka handle it and play off the role of the silent muscle. The Brawn to her brain in a sense. And it was smart. It worked after all right. As he passed the Captain he shot a glare along with a small growl at the man who flinched and cringed in fear. Once the door was closed he sighed and pushed Luka forward a bit. "It's not over yet." He was oddly serious. Maybe it was just the effect chasing the Shade's had on him. He wanted this badly. To destroy them for the death of his brother. "Now where is he?" He asked looking around as he sniffed at the air.

[Jakeozzy]

"Nine outta ten times the evil boss is in the largest, most decorative or picturesque part of the mansion." Luka said, nodding as if to confirm what she just said. Hey, it was true! "Couldn't get any more cliche if you tried, you old coot." She murmured, starting on up the main corridor and towards a grand hall. If he wasn't there, then he was in some kind of underground laboratory. If this place even had one of those... "Wow... I just realized. You could call a lot of villains 'mainstream' these days. I mean look at this place. How many places do you raid that look almost exactly the same, with the same layout, same ridiculous gullible guard force and.. god damn it, the first thing this guy will say is "How did you get in here?!", right?"

---

Hana put her arms around Joseph and buried her head in his neck, "...To think, our clan has been protecting the Council for centuries. And then in the blink of an eye..." She sighed, trying not to think about it any longer. She couldn't help but wonder if Heise, his mother and her father were alright. Hana & Misaki's mother had disappeared a long time ago, so she would likely be off the council's radar.. if she was alive. Somewhere.

[Demon Shinobi]

"Oh come on. He can NOT be that cliche..." Tamotsu said laughing a bit. He was kind of hoping he was right. That would just be sad. What did these guys do? Watching a cheesy hero villain movie for reference? But technically were't they just as cheesy? They did like the same things the heroes did to get to the villain. "Oh god." He commented on the realization. "Lets just hurry okay?"

---

Joseph held Hana. "We'll pull through. But for now we're going to need to play it safe. We'll stay with my parents and plan our counterattack." He said calmly. That wasn't technically a lie. They would be planning and preparing, but it was mostly going to be handled by dragon blood while Hana and Misa stayed kept under lock and key.

[Jakeozzy]

Luka grinned and nodded, leading the way to what seemed to be a large office. The doors were open. Maybe the guy had been notified of their arrival? Or maybe he just liked having his doors open! Luka thought she was overanalyzing the situation and went on inside to find an elderly man sleeping on his desk. This.. wasn't what was expected. This was nothing like a cliche meeting of heroes and villain! He didn't even look that tough!

"Um..." Luka scratched her cheek nervously, "...Should we wake him up? I mean... We need information from him..." she chuckled slowly, unsure how to go about this now that the situation had changed. The seriousness just wasn't there anymore.

[Demon Shinobi]

Tamotsu really wasn't sure what to do. "Maybe... Maybe I'll just um..." He broke a piece off a nearby coat rack and began to poke the old man's head. "Hey... Hey old man." He said actually now kind of wishing this had been cliche. might have actually been fun that way.

[Jakeozzy]

"Huh.. Wha?" The supposed traitor lifted his head off the desk and waited for his vision to unblur. When he saw Tamotsu and Luka, he just stared at them wondering what this was all about. "...What do you two want?" He asked them, as if he hadn't done anything wrong at all.

"...Hi! We're here to ask you some questions... Okay, fuck it. Truth: we're here to interrogate you. Spill everything you've got on the Shades. We know you're affiliated with them." Luka said rather bluntly, the old man burying his head in the desk again boredly.

"I'd rather you just leave, otherwise the ensuing battle will wreck my beautiful home," The old guy murmured, looking up at Tamotsu and Luka once more, "They're using me. This collar I have on..." He said, pulling his shirt's collar down to reveal a runed collar. "Prevents me from using magic. Don't try to help me, and don't seek the Shades anymore. Fortunately for you two, the man tasked with my arrest and manipulation is none other than 'Kuro Shade' - he doesn't like to kill without absolute reason to. I can assure you he can hear or see us at the moment, so I would like you to leave before unnecessary blood is shed."

Luka raised an eyebrow and looked at Tamotsu, then her eyes darted around the room trying to find spy holes, cameras, anything. "If what you say is true, we've got one hell of a Guns Mage to fight. It's my duty as an Enforcer to take him into custody, or take him down. As for you - I'm not convinced you're on our side, so you're not walking away either."

"I'm acting so casually because there's no way out of this. I've tried to run, don't you see? We're all in Kuro's web right now..." The ex-councilor sighed. "But if you leave, all should be well. If you try to free me, or refuse to leave, I can't promise you will leave here in one piece."