Chapter 56: Never Betray Each Other
In the bustling ticket hall of Kosumo International Airport, Shizuku stood staring at the departure screens, waiting for Kai. She had been standing there for nearly half an hour, her placid gaze drifting over the changing flight numbers, when a finger poked her in the cheek.
She turned around. Kai was grinning at her, holding out a fruit smoothie.
"Here," he said, taking the empty seat beside her and sipping his own drink. "How's the recon?"
Shizuku took a sip. "It's good."
"Dora-D-Mon," Kai sighed. "I meant the flights."
"Oh." She blinked. "All flights to the Republic of Padokea are fully booked for today. We'd need a reservation. Other flights to the Yorubian continent don't leave until 5:00 PM. The earliest flight with seats available is to the Gukan'yu Kingdom, on the South Ames continent. Boarding starts in two hours."
Padokea was home to Heaven's Arena (East) and the Zoldyck Family estate (West).
Gukan'yu, on the other hand, was where the Hunter Association Headquarters and the Exam Sites were located.
"Let's do Gukan'yu," Kai decided, chewing on his straw. "Once we're there, we can transfer to Heaven's Arena later. Or just check out the Association."
"Okay." Shizuku nodded.
Kai fished his Hunter License out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Here. See if they give a discount."
...
Shizuku returned a few minutes later with two tickets. The Hunter License was indeed a cheat code; she hadn't even needed ID, and there was a dedicated VIP line for Pros.
When she got back, Kai was fiddling with a sleek, black velvet box. Inside, nestled in plush lining, were ten custom-made metal rings.
He picked out two: the "Jia" (Kai/Leader) ring, engraved with "Tendo", and the "Yi" (Shizuku/Second) ring, engraved with "Dora".
On the inside band of both rings was the etched Crescent Moon symbol.
Kai raised a finger, gathering a tiny, precise ball of Aura at the tip. He traced the inner crescent on both rings. The metal seemed to drink the Aura, and a dark gray Crescent Moon mark formed permanently on the metal.
Shizuku watched, curious.
Kai handed her the "Yi" ring and the box containing the other eight. "Here, Dora-D-Mon. Try it on."
She slipped the silver-hued ring onto her index finger. She twisted it so the "Yi" character faced out, which meant the inner Crescent Moon mark was now pressing directly against the sensitive skin of her finger pad.
"How does it work?"
"Honestly, it's my first time trying it this way, too," Kai admitted, slipping on his own "Jia" ring. He twisted it into place and focused.
Instantly, he felt a faint, resonant hum against his skin. It wasn't just the mark on his finger; he could sense the connection to the mark on her finger, a few feet away. A dedicated, private line.
Shizuku's eyes widened slightly. She felt it too.
Kai concentrated, "dialing" her specific mark in his mind.
{Test, test. Can you hear me?}
"I can hear..." Shizuku started to say aloud, then stopped. She closed her eyes, furrowing her brow in intense concentration.
A moment later, her voice echoed clearly in Kai's mind. {I can hear...}
She opened one eye, looking at him for confirmation.
{Loud and clear,} Kai "thought" back. {Listen. On my way to get the rings, I saw the Phantom Troupe. Three of them.}
Shizuku opened her mouth to speak, caught herself, and squeezed her eyes shut again. {I saw them too. Three of them...}
{Stop closing your eyes,} Kai chided gently. {It's a bad habit. You need to be able to do this while looking normal.}
Shizuku tried to keep her eyes open. She stared intensely at the ring on her finger, her brow furrowed. A long, awkward silence stretched between them.
Finally, her voice drifted into Kai's mind. {I forgot what I was going to say...}
They stared at each other in silence.
{Anyway,} Kai transmitted, {we have two hours. Let's find a place to sit and eat.}
{Okay.}
They found a fast-food joint on the second floor, ordered some fries and drinks, and sat down.
...
"Look at those two," a woman at a nearby table whispered to her friend. "They're so close... just staring into each other's eyes without saying a word."
"It must be that 'soulmate' connection," her friend sighed. "Communicating with just a look... I'm so jealous."
However, another patron scoffed. "How do you know they don't just hate each other and have nothing to say? Or that they're siblings?"
"Ugh, you're such a buzzkill! Look at her face! That confused expression is so cute..."
In reality, the telepathic conversation happening via the Crescent Moon marks was anything but romantic.
{Why are the Spiders at the airport? Trying to hijack an airship?}
{If that was the plan, they would have done it already...}
{True.} Kai nodded, sipping his soda. He looked at her, genuinely curious. {You said you wanted to find them. Since we saw them, why didn't you go talk to them?}
Shizuku didn't answer immediately. She just looked at him.
Kai smirked mentally. {Worried your Boss would get jealous? Haha.}
Shizuku's mental voice was calm and logical. {I'm curious about them, and they might be curious about me. But if we met... it might get complicated. Blinky is a rare, spatial Hatsu. They're thieves. If they see something they like, they take it.}
She looked him dead in the eye.
{Before, if I had no other choice, maybe I would have joined them. But not now,} she transmitted. She held up her hand, showing off the "Yi" ring. {Akatsuki Rule Number One: Listen to the Boss. Rule Number Two: Members help each other, don't interfere with each other, and never betray each other.}
Kai stared at her, stunned.
{You've thought this through more than I have... Shizuku, I admit it. You're the stronger one right now.} He tapped his cup against hers. {But you're all from Meteor City. Just a chat wouldn't lead to a fight, right? As long as you didn't show Blinky?}
Shizuku took a sip of her drink. {Because I'm from Meteor City... I know exactly what kind of people we are.}
{Fair point.} Kai nodded. He kept staring at her.
{What is it?} Shizuku asked.
{Ask me again.}
{What is it?}
{When you use the Moon to talk, your Aura around your head fluctuates slightly...} Kai paused. {Does mine do that?}
Shizuku focused Gyo on his eyes.
{Does mine do that?} Kai repeated the thought.
Shizuku nodded. {Yes. Your head-Aura ripples a little when you 'speak'.}
{Interesting. Okay, we have time. Let's test the range.}
{Okay.}
They stood up.
{I'll go east to the restrooms,} Kai transmitted. {You go west to the other restrooms. And put the ring box inside Blinky while you're at it.}
{Okay.}
They split up, walking in opposite directions across the vast terminal concourse. But even as the physical distance grew, their mental channel remained open, a silent conversation threading through the noise of the airport.
Kai was walking and chatting telepathically when a commotion broke out near the check-in counters. Someone was shouting. It sounded like someone's ticket had just been stolen...
(End of Chapter)