Chapter 13: Fury.

  “M-Mila are you okay? You don’t have to cry…” Aria said silently as she gently wrapped her arm around her.

  “It’s just... I said such horrible things to Takeoshi when he’s the one going through the most pain right now… I can’t forgive myself,” Mila said in between sniffles. “Korra was his partner and like a daughter to him. And now, Takeoshi has gone missing… What if he never comes back? It’d be all my fault!”

  “No it wouldn’t! The Head Captain said the Vice-Captains are on their way back. Takeoshi wouldn’t want us to comfort him so it’d be best if we just focus on the young master and our squads,” Aria said. “You would make everyone feel terrible if we saw how much this was affecting you so please hang in there…”

  The news of what had happened to Vice-Captain Korra had spread throughout the squads like wild-fire. Even though squad eleven was seen as the most intimidating and strongest squad, it was easy to tell just how devastated each member was. Other squads tried to approach them but they were all too prideful for their own good. Time went by for what felt like an eternity until Taiyo reappeared in the wide open wooden room. Everyone looked at him in shock as he had seemed to just appear out of thin air. Everyone knew what kind of training he was doing and how strong he was getting in just a single night. He held up a red flag and the golden flag of Captain Aria and threw it to the floor.

  “Ah, this is such a pain,” he shouted. Taiyo lightning strided next to Takara, the intense wind he created shocking even her. He frowned and bent down next to her.

  “You better run before I take that flag. Or don't, it makes my life much easier.”

  She let out a tired smile. Although it was unintentional, Taiyo had managed to spark a small light of hope for everyone present. Taiyo looked around and quickly read the room. He sighed and stood up again, taking a deep breath.

  “What’s with the depressing atmosphere here? You guys can’t just drag me into a life I didn’t want and then act like this,” he said. Taiyo looked over at the teary-eyed Mila who was now smiling slightly.

  Taiyo could feel his face burning up and he tried to quickly compose himself. He took a deep breath and turned towards Takara who had turned back to her task of looking through strange files while leaning on the wall.

  “Takara. What’s going on?” he said.

  Suddenly a fist came down on Taiyo’s head before Takara could say anything. Taiyo was forced to the ground in a split-second. He looked up to see a grinning Captain looking down on him,

  “That’s Captain Takara to you,” Drachen said, his fist covered in a purple smoke-like substance.

  “You didn’t have to hit him with your power,” Takara said with an eye-roll. “What if the Cage come while he’s incapacitated? What if they kidnap him?”

  “You’re overreacting. Jeison and squad six took care of the Cage. Right?” Drachen looked over at Jeison with an expectant look.

  Jeison was sitting next to Caelum and Mash at the broken down bar. They sat together playing a console on a TV above them. Caelum looked back with a bored expression, Mash who was sitting in his lap looked too while she silently sucked on a lollipop. Mash opened her mouth to say something but Caelum held a finger to his mouth and shushed her.

  “Watch this. This is going to be hilarious,” Caelum grinned.

  Mash giggled and nodded as they both turned around back to the game.

  “Actually I never got to them because we were called back so quickly,” Jeison said.

  “What?! So you’re saying you just ignored them? The Cage are going to be even more pissed, you psychopathic captain! Couldn’t you have dealt with it quickly?” Drachen shouted.

  “No,” Jeison said, his face getting serious. People were surprised by his sudden attitude but didn’t say anything. “If I attacked now I wouldn't be able to fully enjoy their screams.”

  “...”

  “...”

  “I’m going to kill you,” Drachen held up his fist and blew onto it. Purple smoke left his mouth and started to surround his hand as it whirled furiously.

  “Calm down, little lizard. Takeoshi is handling it now with some members of my squad. I did manage to catch a hostage from the Cage and I plan on torturing her until she breaks.”

  The entire room fell silent at Jeison’s words. Heads turned nervously as people slowly comprehended what had just come out of his mouth. Rio sighed and stood up, moving his dark hair from his face. He waved his hand to Caelum, grabbing his attention, and pointed to a room behind him.

  “Here,” He said as he walked away from the door. “I’m going to bed.”

  Caelum nodded and stood up as he walked over to Kendall with a grim look on his face. He hit him on the head lightly and looked over to Selene and Aria, nodding towards the captain’s quarters. Selene grabbed Mash’s hand with a smile and they both walked into the room with Aria tailing close behind.

  “What’s going on?” Kendall asked, looking up at Caelum.

  “Nothing. Nothing at all. Let’s just go to bed. Things are going to get a bit more complicated from here on out,” he said.

  ***

  Takeoshi moved at an incredible pace, his newly acquired speed rivaling that of Takara’s now as he traveled in a silent fury.

  ‘Who did it… I’ll find the one who killed Korra… my daughter… and crush them. I’ll break every bone in their body and impale them with the fragments.’

  His red eye gleamed furiously as he created a swirl of distorted gravity in the area in front of him, distorting the very fabric of space-time and creating the most effective yet unstable portal in the universe. If he had lost his focus for even a second, the device of his own creation would have inadvertently ripped his body apart. Yet, in his current state, this worry was as far away as the sun itself was to the earth. Such a thought that he would lose focus was an insult to his commitment to Korra. He would never falter in the pursuit to avenge his heart.

  This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

  ‘I’ll destroy this god forsaken country if I have to. Show yourself.’

  ***

  “The death of a Vice-Captain, a captain going missing, the looming threat for all out war against the Cage due to a kidnapping, and the status of the Head Captain's mission, this entire place is falling apart!” Takara shouted, throwing her hands in her face, shaking. Everyone had gone to bed except for her and a few stragglers. “Are the Chikarai of the Vitale Family so forsaken that not even one thing can go our way… At this rate, we’re going to be engulfed by our problems…”

  “What’s the issue Takara?” a voice called out to her.

  The exhausted captain turned the head to see a blurry individual with rust-colored orange hair and sharp yet calming midnight blue eyes.

  “Donna Seraphina?” Takara squinted.

  “Who’s that? You know you could at least try to make an effort to remember me if I’m going to be dragged into this mess,” Taiyo frowned. He extended out a chilled coffee to her in a sealed can.

  Takara shook her head and gave a polite nod and smile before taking the can and opening it.

  “That’s Captain Takara to you,” she smirked, mimicking Drachen tiredly. “What brings you here, Young Master? I would have been certain that you would have chosen to go to bed already.”

  “Well, things seem to really be falling apart around here. It’d be too much trouble to be left out of the loop and get behind.”

  “Please. I couldn’t possibly concern you with all of this. You’re simply too important to get involved in the affairs of your servants. Please just focus on your studies and training.”

  “Oh yeah, about that training,” Taiyo held up a golden flag as well as a red one. “The stress seems to have made you lower your guard. It’d be too much trouble to debate on whether or not this was a fair win so you decide, I don’t really care.”

  Takara’s eyes widened as she patted herself down looking for the flag before groaning in defeat and acceptance. She lowered her head onto the table and sighed. “It is my loss… The fact that I even let my guard down is a rookie-level mistake. Things are all falling out of order… .”

  Taiyo felt bad for once and avoided looking at her. He never knew what to do in these situations and could only sit there, occasionally looking at the defeated woman.

  “Ah! You’re such a pain. Don’t just sulk there, let me see those files you have.”

  “But Young Master, I do not have the luxury to do nothing-”

  “But I would never disobey you so if you must snoop, I will tell you anything,” he recited. “That’s what May said, right? Since you guys brought me here early, the plan was that you’d listen to me right? Stop being so irritating, let me figure things out here.”

  Takara didn’t know what to say, she was always so uptight and serious and yet even she was at a loss for words.

  “Go rest, Captain. You’ve done a lot and I want to try leading for once.”

  “Young Master…”

  Takara, who had taken her mask off earlier, didn’t realize she was exposing the stitch-patterned scars on her mouth. She gave a soft smile and stood up. Offering up a short but deep bow to him. She was preparing to lightning stride into the Captain’s quarters when Taiyo stopped her, handing over the crystalline mask to her.

  “You didn’t want anyone to see your scars, right? The modern ninja woman looks nice but there’s no particular reason to wear it all of the time unless you’re hiding something.”

  Takara covered her mouth in surprise and quickly took the mask back before turning around and putting it back on.

  “I-I only wear it for efficiency purposes. Always being prepared for a mission is the most important thing for a Chikarai, don’t misunderstand.”

  “Whatever you say,” he rolled his eyes.

  Takara bowed once more and disappeared faster than he could blink.

  ‘You’ve changed since coming here,’ Fiamma said within his mind.

  ‘I don’t think I have,’ Taiyo thought. ‘You’re imagining things.’

  ‘Of course you’ve changed. I can feel all of the changes you’ve gone through as well. I’m just slowly becoming more honest with these changes than you’re willing to admit’

  ‘So you’re telling me you’re like a mirror of my inner state?’

  ‘More like a window. I can feel you becoming more gentle yet you’re not willing to suddenly become the nice person you are deep down. I don’t reflect who you are on the outside anymore, thanks to you, I’ve become more of a glimpse into who you really are and for that, I thank you. You’re not so bad for such a dishonest and troublesome master.’

  ‘When did you get so soft, Fiamma? Maybe all of the hits you’ve taken from Jeison and Takeoshi are really setting in now.’

  ‘Yeah right. As if getting thrown around a bit will hurt any more than being abandoned for 16 years. I still have a lot in me!’

  Taiyo smirked and sat against the wall, shifting through the many papers Takara had left out. Reading through all of the pressing matters at hand, he had learned the true state of the Head Captain’s Mission. Currently, the strongest member of his ‘servants’, if he could really be allowed to call such a demon that, was the Head Captain Adira Katzeve, the Priestess of Justice who governs over life itself. Adira didn’t have a squadron of her own or members that directly reported to her alone. However, if the situation called for it, she has the power and authority to summon anyone within the organization, no questions asked. That includes other captains as well as their squad members that are under them. At the present moment, the only people who didn’t fall under her jurisdiction were himself because he’s technically the heir even if he isn’t the strongest, Lyra, and Kendall. In theory, he should be able to mobilize the entire place but whether or not everyone truly recognized him as a leader is the true question. He may be able to take out a lot of people with bloodlust, but after that, his fighting skill can only temporarily match up to a Lieutenant’s when he’s under extreme pressure or other conditions. There’s absolutely no way he could subdue any captain or even a vice-captain.

  “Adira Katzeve…” Taiyo said. “It’ll be a real problem to have her suddenly change her mind if she doesn’t want to obey me… Plus the situation of the Cage territorial dispute and kidnapping ordeal… Takara is quite a nuisance if she’s been piling all of these problems onto her own shoulders.”

  “So, what’s the plan then, oh all powerful leader?” Fiamma asked, forming from a pillar of white flames that appeared before him.

  “Well between Takeoshi going out to meet with the Head Captain to get his revenge on Korra’s killer, the Cage situation, and our training, we should prioritize getting done with the Cage. We’ll deal with the prisoner the lunatic captain captured first and have this situation sorted out before Adira gets back.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Fiamma nodded.

  “Alright, let’s finish everything in the morning. All of these loose threads are giving me a headache. We’ll be done with everything soon enough,” Taiyo walked to Fiamma and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, releasing a heavy sigh as he did.

  “What’s up, young master?” she asked, her voice softening. She put an arm around him and kneeled down slowly, taking them both to the ground on their knees.

  “Sorry, this is really weird but could I stay like this for a bit? If not, I’ll go to bed.”

  “No, I don't mind at all,” she said in an uncharacteristically soft manner.

  “If you’re supposed to be who I really am… Would I do this for someone else too?” his arms dropped allowing for him to be fully embraced by her. She gently stroked his hair. She was warm. So, so, so, warm; like a nice blanket or fire on Christmas eve.

  “Only for the ones you truly care for,” she said gently. “I know we’ve been constantly hitting the gas pedals ever since Jeison brought us here so I never got to say this… But I’m so grateful you’re okay…”

  “... You too, Fia. You too.”