Aoba and Akira went back downstairs, holding their Allmates as they watched a new ad of a place called Platinum Jail, a place where everyone lives in absolute harmony or something. The creator was a man called Toue.
We're welcoming the executive director of the Toue Concern, Mr. Tatsuo Toue to the studio today. We're going to talk about the entertainment center, Platinum Jail, on Midorijima. And we'll try to get some other questions in. The interviewer explained.
Just do me a favor and ask me easy questions. Toue said.
Oh, dear, I wonder what I should start the questions with. The interviewer and Toue laughed.
Well, how about this? I'm more than ready about hitting some of the high points of creating Platinum Jail. I'm really excited about getting this off the ground. The screen switched to showing what Platinum Jail looks like. A well lit city with multiple screens and light all over, people wandering, I've always wanted to give the public the kind of place that perfectly caters to their pleasures.
And you honestly think you're achieving that?
I believe so. Perfect pleasure, as I call it, begins with an environment that frees them from worry. A worry free life creates peace an joy, leading to healthier minds and bodies. There are a lot of people who claim their happiness is a byproduct of the hardships they faced over time. But, I don't think that's true at all.
"Yeah, whatever. It's not like folks like us from the old town is going to be able to play around in this Platinum Jail he's created." Aoba said.
"This guy is so full of crap." Akira added, "He hides his true meaning behind things like pleasure and peace. But, really, he's taking away free will."
You've hit that right on the head, my dear. Toue continued, Perfect pleasure is the pathway to real happiness. Imagine if we could create environments like that all over. Just think about it. Violence as a concept would disappear forever. Platinum Jail is the first step in what I hope is progress to worldwide peace. Aoba clicked the T.V. off. Aoba groaned.
"Don't you think Platinum Jail is a good idea, Aoba?" Ren asked.
"Not really. If you were to out me on that television show right now, I would have to say that I actually have a lot of fun living where I am."
"Honestly?"
"Oh, yeah. Things are just--" He stopped as they heard the door open. Akira turned around and saw Tae coming back inside the house. Aoba and Akira approached her. She seemed...down. She turned around and looked to them.
"Hm?"
"What are you doing up? Are you sure you're okay, Grandma?" Aoba asked.
"I...uh...w-went to take some of the trash out." She replied. She took her shoes off.
"You should've asked one of us to take out the trash. You shouldn't push yourself."
"Yeah, yeah. All right, I'm going to bed. Good night." Aoba sighed.
"Good night." He said. Akira looked to Aoba.
"You picked that up too, right?" She asked. He nodded.
Aoba and Akira returned to Aoba's room. Aoba laid on his bed, Akira sat on the floor, leaning against his bed. They were silent, both thinking. Ren lifted his head.
"Aoba. Are you having another headache?" He asked.
"I'm good. Grandma's new medicine seems to be working pretty well on the headaches for now, I guess."
"Okay. You still look like you're kind of down, but you're not sick?"
"I'm sick of something. That one eyed jackass from Toue Concern was spouting off about perfect happiness and Platinum Jail. How can you find happiness in a place called 'jail'?"
"Shh! You hear that?" Akira asked. Aoba sat up and listened.
"Yurayura yurameku nami no ma ni .." Someone was singing. Aoba and Akira went to the sliding glass door and opened it.
"Master!" Someone's head suddenly appeared. Aoba and Akira screamed from surprise.
"Clear?!" Akira asked.
"Okay, dude. What are you doing out on my balcony so late?"
"Singing the Jellyfish Song, of course."
"Huh?"
Aoba and Akira joined Clear on the roof above the balcony. Clear had his umbrella out and it was open.
"So, tell me, what's the Jellyfish Song?" Aoba asked.
"My grandfather taught me all kinds of things about jellyfish when I lived with him. So, I made up this song." Aoba stared at him for a moment.
"I guess I really don't get it."
"Master, did you know..it's a known fact jellyfish are mostly made up of water. Isn't that interesting?" Aoba and Akira smiled.
"Really? I didn't know that. I guess it is interesting."
"I firmly believe that jellyfish dream when they're asleep."
"They dream?"
"Yes."
"Oh, yeah. I definitely don't know that." Akira smiled.
"You like jellyfish, Clear?"
"I do. I find them interesting." Akira chuckled.
"So, what's the umbrella for, Clear, huh?" Aoba asked. Clear looked up.
"It just looks like the stars are going to rain down." Aoba and Akira looked up.
"You've got to be kidding me," They stared up at the sky and Aoba smiled, "I mean, I don't even see any stars out tonight."
"By the way, Master..."
"Can you stop calling me 'Master', for Pete's sake?"
"But, why should I?"
"It just kind of makes me uncomfortable, you know? Just call me by name, all right?"
"But, you are my master, Master. So, I'll just be calling you 'Master'. Is that not okay...Master?"
"I'll learn to live with it, I guess."
"And if you would, please call me by the name my grandfather gave me. It's Clear."
"And what about me? Why call me 'Miss'?" Akira asked. Clear looked to her.
"Uh...well...I guess it's because...I forgot your name." Akira chuckled.
"Oh, I see. It's Akira. Akira Amaterasu."
"Miss...Akira...Can I call you that? Miss Akira?" Akira smiled again.
"You know, Clear...I like you. A lot. So polite and honest. That's not something a lot of people have, you know? You're special in that aspect."
"Oh? Clear flinched, but it was in a manner of surprise, "Thank you, Miss Akira. I appreciate that a lot. My grandfather told me that I am special, too."
"Well, he wasn't lying, I assure you."
"Are you talking about the grandfather that taught you all that stuff about jellyfish?" Aoba asked.
"Yes. But...he's asleep now."
"He's as--?" Aoba's eyes softened, "I get it."
"Oh, Clear. I'm sorry." Akira said, as she placed a hand to his arm.
"Master?"
"Hm?" Aoba asked.
"I'm certain you were thinking about what happiness really is, weren't you? Unless I'm mistaken."
"How did you know that?"
"I heard your voice, Master."
"Huh?"
"Why do you think everyone wants happiness, but they expect someone else to give it to them?"
"Uh..."
"Everyone's going to die one day. But you know...it just seems really strange that in a short life, people are hungry to be happy." Aoba hugged his legs and sighed.
"Well, I sure don't understand it. And I'm not sure if I will get it, either. I suppose people just think happiness is apart of living the best lives that they can, really. Thing is, no one can really imagine what things are going to be like after they die, so they grab for whatever happiness they can."
"They can't imagine it?"
"Well...it's not like any of us ever found out. And you kind of have to die to really know. So, I suppose people try to leave proof that they were alive through things they said and did. They believe that if people remember them, that they will have some sort of life after they've passed away."
"If they're remembered, they live?"
"To be honest, I don't really know what makes me or other people happy. You know, I just want to keep on having fun while I'm still alive, and not let it get complicated." Clear gasped, the set his umbrella down, shifting his body.
"Master!"
"Hm?"
"The way you think is wonderful! You've taught me something. Something important that I didn't know, Master." He leaned forward, causing Aoba to back up, "Thanks for teaching me something new! It's really great! And to thank you, I'd like to sing for you again. May I?" Aoba looked to Akira. She smiled and nodded. Aoba smiled and looked to Clear again.
"Yeah, sure. Your singing's nice. It really is." Clear looked back to the sky.
"My grandfather always said he was pleased to hear me sing too. I'd like to please you as well, Master. So, I'll sing. Right now, nothing would make me happier than to please someone by singing for them."
"Okay. You wouldn't happen to know any lullabies, would you?" Akira stretched her arms.
"I don't know, Aoba. I really like his Jellyfish Song. How about it, Clear? Can you sing that one for us?" Clear looked to her.
"Yes! Of course I can, Miss Akira."
Aoba and Akira returned to Aoba's room. Akira decided to sleep in Aoba's room, sleeping on the floor. They both were able to fall into a peaceful sleep as Clear sang his song.
Akira found herself back at Mizuki's base. All of his guys were sitting around and she saw Mizuki standing at the stairs, staring at the Morphine tag art that had been painted all over the place. His wide eyes narrowed and then he turned to Akira. His expression turned into a look of apology and guilt.
"Akira...I'm sorry." He said.
Akira gasped and quickly sat up, panting.
"Akira? What's wrong?" Saki asked, sitting up.
"I don't know. But...I feel really sick."
"Are you ill?"
"No. It's the kind of sick you feel before something bad happens," She looked to Aoba and she stood up, shaking him awake, "Hey, Aoba? Wake up." He groaned and opened his eyes. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"Mmm...morning, Akira. What's wrong?"
"Aoba. I got another nightmare. Something is really wrong. I need to go and see Mizuki today, all right?" Aoba became more alert.
"What? Oh, never mind. Okay, you go. I'll cover your job, too. Call me, okay?" Akira nodded, then she grabbed her coat, slipped it on, and left the room, heading out.
Akira raced to Mizuki's base, her mind racing. She prayed that Mizuki was still there. Saki clung to her.
"What happened this time, Akira?" Saki asked.
"Mizuki was just staring at the Morphine tag art, but he looked so shocked. I do not like this feeling, Saki. I swear, if something has happened to him..." She tried to call him on her watch, but after a couple of rings, the signal dropped. She gritted her teeth, "Oh, please be there, Mizuki."
Akira finally arrived at Dry Juice's base, but it was completely empty. And all she saw was tag art of Morphine all over the place. Akira gasped, her heart beginning to race.
"Mizuki! Mizuki!" She ran on, looking all around, but neither Mizuki or his guys were anywhere to be seen. Akira's eyes filled with tears. "Mizuki!!" She screamed, before covering her mouth. Her eye caught something. She looked at it and saw something lying on the ground. She went to it and she picked it up. It was a pendant that she had given to Mizuki, about two months ago. Akira gasped and looked around.
"No..." She whimpered, the tears in her eyes flowing down her face.
"Akira?" She heard someone call to her. She looked over and saw Koujaku and a couple of his guys approaching. Akira clenched the pendant.
"He's...he's..." She couldn't bring herself to say it. She sobbed and raced to Koujaku, throwing her arms around him. He embraced her in a comforting way. She gripped his kimono tightly, sobbing.
"Shh, shh. It's okay. Calm down, Akira," He looked to the two guys beside him, "See if you can find any traces." They nodded and dispersed out, while Koujaku brought Akira to the stairs so she could sit down. He sat beside her, his arms around her shoulders, "It'll be all right, Akira. We'll find him, okay? I promise." Akira looked up to him.
"Morphine did this! It's that vision I keep getting. There's no other explanation for this, Koujaku!" She sobbed again, "Oh, Mizuki..." She leaned into Koujaku again. He sighed and then called up Aoba.
"Koujaku." Aoba said.
"Aoba, get here quick. We're at Dry Juice's base."
Eventually, Koujaku got up and left Akira on the stairs, for he had to talk with his guys. Akira sat on the stairs, holding the pendant in her hand.
Mizuki... She thought. She gritted her teeth and clenched her hand tightly. Saki jumped on her lap and sat down. Akira opened her eyes and looked to her Allmate. Saki gave her a sympathetic look. Akira sighed and then hugged her.
"I wish I could do something to help." Saki said. Akira ran her fingers through Saki's fur.
"You're doing enough. Thank you, Saki." Akira heard Aoba call out Koujaku's name. She looked over to them.
"What happened here?" Aoba asked.
"It's Mizuki. He's disappeared," Koujaku replied. He stepped aside and looked to Akira, "She's really torn up about it, Aoba. At this point, she probably blames herself, because she kept getting those visions." Aoba eyes softened and he walked to Akira. She looked up to him and her eyes followed him as he knelt down. He placed a hand on her leg.
"I swear to you, we will find him. We will bring him back to you." Akira nodded.
"Thank you, Aoba." She stood up and put the pendant in her pocket. She looked to Koujaku, "Give us the story, Koujaku. Did he tell you anything?"
"I've been trying to get in touch with him since yesterday. No dice. I came to check on him. And I found this here." He glanced around.
"I received another vision this morning. This," She gestured to the multiple tag arts around, "This is exactly what I saw in the vision. And I got an awful sick feeling. That's why I rushed here."
"Let's look for him. My guys will scan out the area far and wide. We'll find him, Akira." Koujaku assured. Akira nodded and she looked to Aoba.
"Come on."
"Right." She grabbed his hand and they took off into a run, searching all day and even into the night. However, no matter where they went, all they saw were Morphine's tag art. Morphine had erased and re-tagged everything. There were many possibilities of their disappearance, but hopefully being Spirited Away wasn't one of them. After hours and hours of relentless searching, Aoba and Akira met up with Koujaku and his gang again at Dry Juice's base.
"Where the hell are they?" Aoba asked.
"It's not like they just grabbed all their gear an picked a new territory." Koujaku added. Akira clenched her hand. Koujaku looked around, "Oh, shit. Look at that." Aoba and Akira looked over by the stairs and they saw blood. Akira gasped and turned pale white and she lost her strength in her legs. She whimpered and fell back, but Koujaku managed to catch her.
"Oh, hey. Easy. Easy. There you go." He knelt down, allowing her to sit down.
"Oh, God." She whimpered, folding her hands and bringing them to her mouth. She was shaking. Koujaku rubbed her shoulder.
"You're okay. It's not to say that's his blood."
"Well now," Came a voice. Aoba, Akira, and Koujaku looked over and saw Virus and Trip standing there, "Fancy meeting you two here, Aoba, Akira. What brings you two out?"
"Hey, Aoba, Akira." Trip said, waving, "Good to see you again."
"Trip and Virus." Aoba said, "What are you guys doing here?"
"Me and the Tripster are actually running things around here." Virus answered, taking steps toward them. Koujaku narrowed his eyes.
"Yakuza clowns," He said. His guys got on high alert, ready to fight if need be, "Aoba, don't tell me you're actually hanging out with these guys."
"I don't hang with them. And I met Trip and Virus before they joined up anyway. I met the two of them when you were off the island." Koujaku sighed.
"Actually, the four of us have been pretty close for awhile, now." Virus said.
"That's right. Works got nothing to do with it." Trip added. Virus looked to Akira.
"Oh, my. You don't look so well, Akira. You okay?" Akira looked up to him, then she turned her head away.
"Give her a break, guys. She's had a rough day." Aoba informed.
"I know there are a lot jerks that do what we do, but I'm proud to say that we've never used violence or broken the law. We're just taking a look around the block, like we usually do. It's a pleasure to meet you." Virus said to Koujaku.
"Yakuza are still Yakuza. Be as friendly as you want to be, but once you've fall in with the mob," Koujaku narrowed his eyes, "It corrupts you all the way down to the bone."
"Maybe, but think about this for a minute, okay? The difference between the cops and the crooks on the island isn't a whole lot. Am I right? You're a street gang leader yourself, aren't you, Koujaku? I'm sure you have a friend or two to keep the local cops off your back."
"It's not like everyone in the police department is in the business of organized crime. There are some honest ones out there, too."
"Well, it looks like you actually went and made my point for me about what I do. We're your friendly neighborhood, Yakuza." Trip laughed in agreement.
"Do you know anything at all about what happened to the guys of Dry Juice?" Aoba asked.
"Looks like we're the only ones here, doesn't it?" Trip asked scanning the area.
"That's right. It's like they all disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Virus asked.
"We just got here and found out all the Dry Juice tags had been spray painted over and there wasn't anyone here to ask about it. And what's even weirder is that only the Morphine tags are here."
"Who are Morphine?" Virus asked.
"Are you talking about that mythical group that people are talking about, like it's some kind of monster?" Trip questioned.
"That's them. I mean, it could actually be possible that someone did something to the Dry Juice guys and made it look like Morphine carried out the attack." Aoba explained.
"This looks kind of brutal, don't you think? An entire gang just disappears at once? This who scenario sounds like something you'd read in a strange horror novel." Virus said.
"That's what I mean. So, what?"
"Yeah, I get it. You've painted a pretty clear picture for us, now. We'll give you a buzz, if something comes up, while we're looking."
"Thanks for that."
"The crazy thing is that a lot of out guys are starting to see more things like this happening. Just be careful, Aoba."
"There's a lot going about this situation and we don't have the complete picture on just yet." Trip stated.
"I'm sure you don't really give a damn about what happens to anyone in the Ribsteiz gang. Are you going to do something about it, or not?"
"Remember, you're in the middle of my territory and all of this is happening in my city. Like it or not, we both have a common goal here in mind. Finding out who's really behind this. And they can call themselves Morphine or whatever they want to. I don't want them trashing my territory anymore than you do. Attracting my attention isn't smart, wouldn't you say?" Virus explained. Koujaku scoffed. Akira grasped ahold of his kimono. He looked down to her. She shook her head, slightly. He calmed down a little more, "Anyway, it's time for the two of us to take our leave now. I promise I'll call you if we find anything at all."
"Yeah, thanks." Aoba said. Virus and Trip started to walk away, but they stopped.
"Aoba," Virus turned his head to look back, "Take good care of Akira. She's really not looking too well." Aoba looked to Akira, who was still holding onto Koujaku, shaking and pale as a ghost.
The group left Dry Juice's base and went into some back alleys, thinking about their next move.
"Damn, this is some crazy shit." Koujaku stated.
"I don't know where to start. It's weird." Aoba said. Akira was sitting on the ground, her back against a building. She was suddenly startled as a cube jumped onto her hand. She gasped, "Huh? You again?" Akira looked up and saw that Noiz was behind Aoba.
"They're going to be starting another one here pretty soon. You'd better think about fighting again." Noiz stated.
"And why should he?" Koujaku questioned, "You don't give up, do you? Aoba and Akira said they don't want to do it anymore."
"I wasn't talking to you, jackass!" Noiz snapped, "And I'm well aware she doesn't want to play anymore. We talked."
"What the hell?!" One of Koujaku's guys yelled, but Koujaku put an arm out to stop him.
"Don't bother. You better watch what you say, little boy."
"But, it's the truth." Noiz replied.
"And you're exhausting all the good will I've got."
"Whatever."
"Talking to you really makes me want to put an end to all your little Rhyme heads!"
"I don't give a damn. Show me someone who likes you Ribsteiz creeps an it'll be the first." Aoba put his hands up.
"Hey, guys! Take it easy, okay?" He pleaded.
"Stupid Rib. What kind of an idiot fights with his hands and feet nowadays? That's right. You do."
"Nobody ever achieved anything by screwing around with some dumbass VR game! You don't know a damn thing!" Koujaku yelled.
"Hey!" Aoba shouted.
"I guess I can't count on a caveman to talk about anything, can I? You want me to send smoke signals?"
"You think I'm going to take that from a guy who looks like a giant toilet brush?!"
"At least I know how to use the toilet."
"Is that right? That doesn't explain why you have a diaper on your head, does it?" Noiz suddenly adjusted some metal fingerless gloves that covered his knuckles and wrist.
"Okay. I'm done." One of Noiz's guys spoke.
"Sounds good to me. Bye." The second one added as they walked off.
"Are you ready to back up your words with some action?" Koujaku challenged, starting to take his sword off of his back.
"This is really stupid. When I'm in the mood to kick your ass, so I'll crush you!"
"You won't be crushing anything, when I'm done with you, boy!" Aoba rushed between them.
"Come on, man! Why are you letting this guy get under your skin?" He questioned.
"Sorry, Aoba. You want to talk trash about me? Then you better be ready to pay the piper." Koujaku said.
"Whatever." Noiz answered. Koujaku tossed his sword back and one of his guys caught it.
"Noiz! For the love of God, will you take it easy, before he tries to cut your head off?!" Aoba pleaded.
"I'm not the one who came here looking for a fight, all right?"
"Hey, wait a minute!" Koujaku raced toward Noiz and made a strike, but Noiz dodged it, then he threw a punch, but Koujaku stopped him. They kept throwing punches, "Koujaku! Noiz!"
Akira finally staggered to her feet and she raced forward. She was done with this. Just as Koujaku came at Noiz with a punch, Akira pushed Noiz out of the way and Koujaku couldn't stop, therefore he struck Akira right in the side. She gasped and coughed. The impact sent her flying a couple of feet and she hit the ground, then skid across it a little, before she finally came to a stop. Koujaku gasped, realizing why he just did. Akira slowly pushed herself up, holding her side. She coughed up a little bit of blood.
"Akira!" Aoba called. He rushed to her side and helped her sit up.
"Ow." She whimpered.
"Jeez. Why would you do that? How bad are you hurt?" Akira shook her head.
"I'm fine."
"Akira, I..." Koujaku said. She looked up to him and shook her head.
"It's okay, Koujaku. I knew what would happen if I got between you two."
"What in the hell are you doing?!" A voice called from a megaphone. Akira gasped and everyone looked at the other side of the alley, seeing the police were here, along with Akushima.
"Oh, shit!" Aoba exclaimed.
"Oh, no!" Akira added.
"Looks like I found me a fight. Rhyme heads and Ribsteiz all in one place! So, who wants to be the first one to die?"
"Don't think I'm done, dude." Noiz warned, looking to Aoba. Then he took off.
"This way, Aoba!" Koujaku said.
"Yeah!" Aoba picked Akira up and they rushed out of the alley.
"I've got something to tell you, but it's going to have to wait, until we get to your place!"
"Sounds good!" Koujaku changed directions to help throw the cops off their trail.
"You better not run from me!" Akushima yelled through his megaphone.
Aoba and Akira managed to get out of the cops reach and Aoba finally set Akira down and he took a breather.
"Damn it." He said.
"Sorry, Aoba. Are you okay?" Akira asked.
"Yeah. Are you?" She nodded.
"It's just a bruise." Suddenly, Aoba's watch began to ring. He clicked on it and a screen opened as he received the mail.
"The Kidnapped Princess?" He asked, reading the mail's title, "Is this spam?" He clicked on his watch to delete it. But, as soon as he did, it rang again and he received the same mail. He tried to delete it again, but he only got it again. "Oh, come on." He kept trying to delete it, but he only kept getting them again, "Give me a break. Enough is enough already!" Even after he stopped deleting the mails, he kept receiving them. "Damn it all." He opened his bag, "Wake up." Ren opened his eyes, then he lifted his head.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"There's something wrong with my email. This message just won't delete." He showed Ren the continuous incoming messages.
"Let me have a look at it. One moment, please." He scanned the screen. "Analysis complete. It's not a virus. But, I'm still taking a few precautions, just in case it's something I've never seen before."
"Couldn't you just put a little something in the firewall to keep them from getting to me?"
"I appears that the sender is connected directly to your mail server. I can't stop that from here."
"Are you kidding? It's like they're harassing me."
"Maybe opening it will stop them from mail bombing you."
"Uh...are you sure it's okay to open it?"
"Let Saki scan it, too." Akira suggested. Aoba showed Saki the screen. She scanned it.
"Analysis complete. Ren's right. There's no virus. You should be in the clear."
"Fine, jackass! You win!" Aoba yelled to his watch, "I can always get myself another data watch." Suddenly, the messages stopped, "What's this? No, seriously."
"The data appears to be a game." Ren informed.
"So, there's a game in it? Wait. Just like the last one?" The data finished uploading and it was the same game. 'Silent Oath', "That's lame. It looks like the same one, too. There's no start button, just speeds. Ren. It's not doing anything at all. Nothing."
"It might be like the one you got the other day."
"Some kind of demo? Two of the same game I can't play taking up space on my watch. Great. Or...maybe not. What's going on?" It appeared to be a character getting taken away by bats. Then it's taken to what looks like a shack or something. Then, it was finished, "If that was a game, it didn't make any sense at all."
"Definitely."
"And now I gotta clean a bunch of spam off my watch. I'm definitely not happy at all. Let's call it a night, okay?" Suddenly, someone walked in front of them. It looked like...
"Mizuki?" Akira asked.
"Mizuki? Uh, hey, wait up, man!" Aoba called. He placed his hand to his shoulder, but as he turned around, it wasn't Mizuki, "Sorry about that." Akira brought a hand to her chest, sighing.
"Oh, Mizuki..." She whispered.
Aoba and Akira began to make their way home, but they were at a stop, for they weren't clear to walk the crosswalk. The whole thing of today was flooding through their minds. A car horn beeped and startled them.
"Aoba? Akira? Are you okay?" Ren asked.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Aoba answered, "I better call Grandma, now." He pulled up the number and clicked call. It rang and it continued to ring.
"She hasn't picked up yet?" Ren asked.
"Grandma. Pick up already, will you, please?" The call dropped, "Damn it!"
"Maybe she's taking a bath." Akira suggested.
"I don't want to chance it. Especially after today." Akira nodded and she took Aoba's hand. They began to run home.
After a long run, they finally arrived and to their shock, the door was unlocked. Aoba flew the door open.
"Grandma!" He called.
"Tae?!" Akira yelled. All the lights were off and it was silent. Akira put Saki in Aoba's bag with Ren and he zipped it up.
"Grandma?" Aoba took a step in, but his foot kicked something. They looked down and saw that it was the holder for umbrellas and canes. Akira gasped. Aoba rushed in, Akira right behind him. They went to the dining room first, "Grandma?! Where are you?"
"Tae? Answer us, please?" Akira walked down the hall a little to search further in. Aoba looked down as he saw bodies of people on the floor. He checked them, but none of them were guys he knew. He sighed with relief.
"Thank God, it's not her." However, he recognized that on their necks were the Morphine tags, "Morphine's tag art!" Aoba gasped and checked another, but he was of Morphine, too, "Another one." He gasped, "Akira! We need to--" He turned around, only to be met by a tall man. He sprang to his feet, "What did you do with her?!" He didn't answer, "You better tell me where she is, bastard!"
"Aoba!" Akira cried as she rushed back, but she stopped as she saw that Aoba was surrounded. The one in a long coat suddenly advanced on Aoba and punched him right in the abdomen. He groaned and his vision blurred.
"Damn you..." He collapsed onto the floor. Akira gasped and the man who punched Aoba looked back to her. She let out another gasp and she turned, starting to run Just as she reached the door, she was grabbed her by the collar of her coat. He pulled her back and covered her nose and mouth. She struggled to get free, whimpering and panting heavily. He held her down with no issue. Akira's struggles were growing weaker, but her shaking and heavy breathing weren't. She whimpered and tears flowed down her eyes. She was losing air and she wasn't getting enough to breathe. It was causing her to panic and her anxiety was rising higher than she has ever felt it go before. She gripped his coat sleeve tightly and whimpered again, tears pouring out from the corners of her eyes.
"Stop struggling. It'll be worse for you if you fight me." Akira's eyes were closing and she felt extremely light headed and weak. Her vision blurred and slowly faded to black as her consciousness was stolen away.