Lies in Deceptive Shadows

[skyacezero]

There was a slight hissing sound as Necrolon grabbed his arm. The tornado was starting to die down and sunlight was getting through. "Izanami's strength is waning," Izanagi said, holding a severely injured Izanami in his arms. "If you don't wish to be discovered, leave immediately," Izanagi suggested and vanished. Through small breaks in the tornado's wall, one could see that there was quite a crowd that had gathered outside. "We have to leave, now, Necrolon said and reverted back to Darryl to avoid further sunlight damage. "anyone got any ideas how to get out of here without drawing any more attention?" he asked.

As the tornado started dying down, Lilith and Lucifer were watching from a distance. "Figures, somehow that kid always comes out on top," Lucifer said boredly. "He'd best not get ahead of himself, that reaper was only an incomplete one, and he remains blissfully unaware of Keera's hidden intentions," Lilith said assuringly. Lucifer smirked an looked over to Lilith.

"I know that tone of voice, Lilith, you have an idea, don't you?" he said, and Lilith smiled deviously. "Lure them to the Hiroshima Peace Park tonight. Give them the hall of mirrors," she said. "And make it good," she added malicously.

"Oh, I'll make it better than good..." Lucifer said gleefully.

[Amara<3]

"We have to get out of here," Kaminari said. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"Good question," the Keera in the police suit said. The Keera in black smile.

"Fall back into shadows," she said, swiftly moving backward from them. "Go your own ways, and step in line with the crowd, but do it carefully. Then meet up later." With that she was gone. Keera nodded to everyone and did the same. Michi nodded back to Keera, and seeped away. Kaminari looked back to Darryl, and smiled.

"See you soon. There's a lot you know that we don't. I'm sure Keera has a lot of questions for later. After all, she's a police officer. It's her job to ask." Then she ducked around a corner.

[skyacezero]

"Go it," Darryl said, ducking into an alley and moving behind the crowd that was gathering. At the head of the crowd were armed soldiers telling the crowd to stay back as the tornado started dying down, stopped, the nfaded away. Almost everyone in the crowd had their cell phones out, taking pictures or recording videos of the event.Better get out of here... Darryl thought and turned to get away from the crowd.

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In the United States, on a survailance moniter, Darryl was seen moving away from the crowd from a bird's eye veiw. Several photographs of him were printed out and grabbed by a uniformed man. He left the room, went down the hall and entered an office and laid the photographs on the desk. "Sir, we've found him," the uniformed man said and the other, sitting at the desk took the photographs and looked at them.

"Where were these taken?" the man behind the desk asked.

"Two clicks east of Shinjuku, sir, the match was a hundred percent and we can have agents there within six hours," the man in front of the desk said. The man behind the desk lowered the photographs and his eyes narrowed.

"Make it happen," was all he said.

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As Darryl moved away from the crowd, he turned as he heard someone call his name and saw Sora and Marcelina running up to him. "Glad to see you two are alright," Darryl said. "Marcelina, is anything coming back to you at all?" he added.

(At the end of the prequel thread for this, Darrly is at the top of the CIA's Most Wanted list, in case you were wondering about the two guys at the desk in this post)

[Amara<3]

((No problem.))

"Yeah we're fine," Sora said quietly, looking back over her shoulder. Marcelina looked like she'd been in a horror movie and survived, but she shook her head, sadly.

"I still don't remember anything. I'm sorry Darryl."

The rest of the girls snaked their way back through the city, all but Keera, who went around the crowd and went back into it. "Out of the way, police," she ordered multiple times as she pushed her way back to the wreckage. "I said police, now move," she said angrily. "Let me through." What was she going to do once she got there? Speculate with other police? She knew exactly what happened. She'd been part of it. How would she be of any help without exposing herself for what she really was?

[skyacezero]

"Whadaya mean we can't go though?!" Kimura's familiar voice was heard at the front of the crowd. Sure enough, Kimura and Stick were at the front of the crowd, arguing with an SDF soldier. "I'm sorry, officer. The area's closed off until it's deemed safe," the soldier said.

"That tornado thing's stopped and it's gone! How could that not be safe?!" Kimura challenged as Stick held Kimura by the arm to prevent his partner from causing an incident.

"Look, we're ending a hazmat team in to sweep the area, and then when they give the green light, we'll start letting people in, until then, the area is closed off, now please move along!" the soldier said and Kimura just rasied his arms then immediately lowered them in defeat and walked away, catching sight of Keera.

"Oh, hey Keera," Kimura said, followed by Stick. "It's good to see you again, ma'am," Stick said in his usual polite tone.


"They must've done a better job than I thought if you still can't remember anything," Darryl said, and a clapping sound behind Marcelina and Sora was heard. The source was Lucifer, clapping his hands and approaching them.

"Nicely done, I thought for sure we had you thins time," Lucifer said as he approached and Darryl suddenly got into a defensive stance. "Oh, come on. I'm not here to fight yet, I'm here to invite you and your....harem to a fun-filled night at the Hiroshima peace park, Lucifer said, his 'harem' remark earing a rather nasty look from Sora.

"What makes you think we'd go? It's pretty obvious you're going to try and kill us once we're there," Darryl said.

"Oh you saw right though me, of course, I wouldn't kill you right away, where would the fun in that be?" Lucifer said in a faux hurt tone of voice. "However, I know you're going to come..." Lucifer snapped his fingers and right off the bat, an Avatar landed right in front of Sora and a blade pertruded from it's wrists and it rammed both of them into Sora's stomach, kicker her away and grabbed Marcelina, who started struggling against the Avatar's grip. "Because I'm taking her for as collateral. Fail to show up and, well you get the idea, later!" Lucifer said as a dark vortex eveloped him, the Avatar, and Marcelina, then vanished.

"Stop!" Darryl stated toward the vortex, but didn't get there in time. He then turned his attention to Sora. "Sora! Sora, hang on!" he said, struggling to figure out what to do with her wounds.

[Amara<3]

Keera smiled sadly, and nodded to Kimura and Stick. She walked past them quickly with a 'one second' gesture and went to the soldier. "Excuse me, we're police officers. I don't care what people think they saw, we have just as much right to be in there as you soldiers do. We don't need you guys screwing up the scene before we get to look at it." One of the squad soldiers touched a person that had been charcoaled, and it burst into dust and floated to the ground. She pointed and let her arm fall, making a smack on her leg. "Did you just see that? You need to let us in to get pictures, at the very least before your people destroy everything else."


Sora sat up slowly, holding her wounds. She was taking deep breaths and raised a bloody hand to Darryl so he wouldn't make a scene. She let out a breath and winced. "I'll be fine. It was just unexpected," she said, trying to smile. "He really didn't need to do that. I'm not as powerful as everyone takes me for," she laughed and doubled over. "We need to get out of here before someone finds us and calls for help."

[skyacezero]

Darryl got Sora's arm arond his shoulders and helped her away. "Looks like everyone's attention was forward, I don't think anyone saw," Darryl said as soon as they were clear and out of sight. "Is there any way we can contact the others? Can one of them heal you?" Darryl asked.

"Look if it were up to me, I'dve let the police in a long time ago, but I have my orders," the SDF soldier said. "The are is under lockdown nothing gets in unless the higher-ups give the go ahead," he finished, until a man in sunglasses and a grey business suit with a black tie stepped forward from around Keera and flashed a badge. Keera only caught a glimpse of it, the badge was a shield with the omega symbol on it.

"Okay, you're cleared to go in," the soldier stepped aside and the man casually walked past him.

"Wait, you're stopping us, but not him? What gives?" Kimura said aggrevatedly.

"He has special clearance and command radioed ahead that he was coming," the soldier said.

"So, who is he?" Kimura challenged.

"I don't know, all I do know is that he's some special agent from the United States. Look, I can understand your frustration, but I'm only doing my job," the soldier said.

"Yeah. But you're keeping us from doing ours!" Kimura's voice started raising in volume.

[Amara<3]

Keera looked frustrated, and decided to take a different approach. She was going to get rid of evidence if she could get past the security, but it was time for something else. Acting like a human only lasted for so long. Sorry guys, I don't think it's good for pictures to actually be taken, she thought, as a huge, as a wind blew in from the west, like a nasty, tropical storm - but cold. As it rushed through the crowd, nearly knocking people over, Keera stayed perfectly still and her hair swept to the side as the ashen people began to blow away. The ashes turned to dust in the wind and disappeared without a trace, being carried miles away in the direction of the ocean.

"Great," Keera muttered, trying to act a little angry. "Now there's only damn charcoal spots in the roads."


"No, I'll be fine. The only one that can heal anyone is Kaori," Sora said softly. "The more the air gets to the wound, the sooner I'll be healed anyway. No need to get concerned or anything," she tried to joke, even though it wasn't the time. Marcelina was gone. Keera had her job to do. The others were, well, who knows where. Maybe intergrating themselves into the masses by now. She would just simply have to wait.

[skyacezero]

"What was that?!" Kimura said as he straightened up. He looked over the now bare scene, save for people in hazmat suits getting to their feet from the blast of cold air. "Well great, there goes the evidence," he added, looking at the soldier. "Bet you wished you let us in now, huh?" Kimura asked defiantly.


Darryl took notice of the sudden surge of cold air, and peeked around the corner to investigate. Something flakey landed on his cheek and he brought his finger up to wipe it off. After doing so, he noticed that it left a black streak on his finger. "Ash?" he thought out loud. "Sora, are sudden gusts of cold air normal this time of year?" he asked.


At the Hiroshima peace memorial, Marcelina was suspended over the memorial in a bubble, shouting at all the passerbys to help her. Meanwhile, Lucifer was on the ground below her, looking quite aggrevated, actually. "I told you, this area's spatially sealed, noone can see of hear us, so just shut up already!" he barked at her.

[Amara<3]

"Screw you!" Marcelina yelled at Lucifer defiantly. "What do you think this is going to prove? How could you do that to Sora?! She didn't do anything!"


Sora let the air blow past her, through her, healing her. She felt Keera's power suddenly slip through her, and she knew what had just transpired. Keera wiped the area of any evidence that could have been used to prove there were such things as demons, something greater than humans. Was that part of her job description now?

She shook her head no, to be honest with Darryl as he asked. "They weren't where I come from, anyway. Which is the same area but about five hundred years ago. Things could change, I guess. Why?"


"We still need to get in there and try to get something," Keera said, trying her best to look defeated. "Could you tell those idiots to hurry up?" she asked the guy blocking their way. "Before the city blows away, would be nice."

[skyacezero]

The SDF soldier finally releneted and stood aside. "Very well, law all law enforcement is cleared to enter," he said. Kimura gave him a light 'about time' shove as he brushed past the soldier with Stick following. He stopped just a few yards in, taking in the dilapitated wasteland that had once been a city.

"Doesn't make any sense... what could've caused this?" He asked


"I asked because I think Keera just cleared the area of evidence," Darryl said and turned back to Sora, he still had a black ash streak on his cheek. "Looks like your wound healed, you doing okay now?" he asked as he extened his hand to help her up.


Lucifer was almost irritated to the point where he wanted to abandon the plan and just kill Marcelina on the spot, but he knew he couldn't, so he might as well explain to keep her quiet, if even for a moment. "It's going to prove Darryl's predictability, he's going to come after you, and that's where he's going to meet his endless torment, then he'll be begging for his death," Lucifer said. "As for that girl who was with him, Sora, was it? She was a demon and Darryl is a human, so at the time, that made her a more viable threat,"

[Amara<3]

"Beats me," Keera said as she walked over to them, past the soldier with a smile that said she looked down on him and could have forced her way into the scene if she had wanted to. "Best take some time to look for evidence of... whatever it may have been. There has to be something in way of a clue."


"Yeah, it was Keera. I felt her power in the wind. It's probably best the humans never be able to figure this out, though. I don't know much about this era, but these people look like they'd run scared at the thought of demons, and then try to banish them with magic or something," Sora said back to Darryl, taking his hand. Once up, she dusted off her back and butt. "These humans look very scared of anything they can't explain, or see. I can feel their fear in the wind, it's mixed with Keera's power."


"She's just an air demon. There's barely anything about her that's a threat. The word demon is probably is the only thing that's threatening about her! Why do you want Darryl to die anyway? If he's just a human, what could you possibly want from him? Or are you afraid of him?" Marcelina taunted Lucifer, knowing she could for the time being. "That's something, a group of demons afraid of a human! If anyone is to be feared, it's that demon police officer."

[skyacezero]

"Well, it's natural for us to be scared of anything that can't be explained," Darryl said. "Unless you've seeen enough of it to the point where it seems normal," he added. Darryl took a quick peak around the corner and saw an abandoned information kiosk. Looking over the pamphlets and booklets, he tried to find a map, but it was all written in kanji.
"Hey, Sora. Can you help me out? I can't read any of this. Do you see anything labeled as a map?" he said.

"I don't see how we're even gonna find anything, I don't even know where to start looking," Kimura said, then his radio went off. "Attention. All officers are to report back to their stations for an emergency breifing. A code black has been issued to all law enforcement agencies in the country. I say again, all officers report back to their stations, a code black has been issued."
Kimura's eyes widened in disbeleif. "A code black? Seriously?" he said almost quietly.

(Sorry for taking so long. I've been trying to balance work and school, and that has not been an easy task.)

[Amara<3]

"A code black... seriously?" Keera asked, standing up straight after taking a picture of the hole in the ground where the reaper had been. She wanted this for herself, so she'd make some copies later once they were developed. "Well, let's go, then. Obviously it's important."


Sora smiled at Darryl and walked over to the pamphlets. She glanced over them quickly and picked out one and opened it up to a map. "Are we looking for somewhere specific?" she asked, looking over the streets, trying to locate where they were. "I... don't actually understand this map the greatest. I can read it and all, but I have no idea where we are on it."

[skyacezero]

After getting a ride with Kimura and Stick and arriving at the precinct, seemingly every officer in the area had gathered in the conference room.
"Is everyone present? Good," Cheif Nasaki said. "Now for those who don't know, a code black means that a known terrorist was just identified in the country," he explained.
"Now, wait a minute!" one of the officers said. "How did a terrorist get in here? He can't have just waltzed in without customs recognizing him,"
Chief Nasaki sighed. "We're still trying to figure that part out. In the meantime, the dossiers on the table contain all the known information on the terrorist," Nasaki referred to the manilla folders on the conference table. "They were sent over from the Central Intelligence Agency in America, the terrorist apparently originated from their country," Nasaki said as Kimura took a folder.
"That's a first," Kimura said as he opened it. "Is this some kind of joke?!" he asked looking up from the folder.
Nasaki shook his head. "I'm afraid not," he grimaced.
Keera took a folder and upon opening it, her eyes widened in shock. The dossier was Darryl's.

"I don't think it has to be specific, but look for areas labeled 'Shinjuku' and look for how far it is from an area labeled 'Hiroshima'," Darryl said. "Lucifer did say that he'd be waiting with Marcelina at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial," he added. "In the meantime, is there anyway to find everyone else?"

"Maybe I can help?" a voice said as the map was taken by a woman in a beige business suit. "You're looking for Shinjuku and Hiroshima, correct?" her voice was oddly familiar.
"You're awfully calm considering what just happened down the road..." Darryl said suspiciously. The woman smiled sheepishly.
"Nothing like that comes as a shock to be. Besides..." she said and there was a momentary flash and the woman was replaced by the bounty hunter from earlier. "The gods did want me to keep an eye on their investment, and I aim to do just that," she added.

"For your information, Darryl isn't human, he's a-!" Lucifer stopped in mid shout and chuckled slightly. "Oops, that one almost slipped completely out..." he said sheepishly.
"And how is our worm on a hook doing?" a new voice above Marcelina's bubble said.
"Well, aside from irritating the hell out of me, one can only hope she does her job," Lucifer said and the source of the voice, an avatar, floated in front of Marcelina upside-down in the air.
"Well, well," it said and removed it's mask, revealing Chrissy's face. "Small world, isn't it, Consuela?" she said mockingly.

(Darryl's Dossier
Name: Dandridge, Darryl J.
Age: 16, currently 18
Height: 160 cm
Weight: 64 kg
Father: Dandridge, Warren H. *deceased
Mother: Dandridge, Abigail C. *missing since 1993 presumed dead
Charges:
Multiple counts of first degree murder
Espionage
Acts of domestic terrorism
Attempt to incite global nuclear warfare)