This. Filler. Sucks. O_O
Deirous shook his head and placed his open palm on his forehead, ?Ok, when I went to sleep the first time, Riku loses Soul Eater, the second time, Raiden loses Riku, is there some sort of conspiracy going on here??
Reina looked from Raiden, to Deirous, and back to Raiden, who was pacing back and forth with both of his hands on top of his head, ?Well, the town isn?t all that big, he has to still be in there.?
Raiden kept pacing around the small camp they had set up, ?No... no... whoever took him wanted him for a bounty. When you complete a bounty, you don?t wait for the person to come to you, you come to them.?
Reina shrugged in reply, ?The only people who would be looking for Riku is Akatsuki, and they aren?t exactly by-the-book. And even so, I doubt that Akatsuki would tell any outsider, especially bounty hunters who work for whoever offers the most, in on where they?re located.?
Raiden thought for a moment. She was right. Akatsuki would benefit more by coming to the hunter, and there was no way they?d tell whoever it was where to find them, assuming there was a definite place where they could be found. He assumed that their only means of contact would be via messenger hawk, so he assumed that it would buy them some time, a week at least.
?But how would we find the actual hunter...? Raiden wondered, and then he remembered the barkeep.
There was this ?code of hunters? of course, but this was still a village of survivalists, all of which would do anything just to see another day. The more pressing threat was what determined whether they would talk or not. But I direct threat, a sword-to-the-throat threat, would always be the most pressing. Raiden hated having to do this, but he found no other way.
He looked towards Reina and Deirous, ?We?re paying another visit to that tavern tonight,? he finally said.
~
Syrus watched as Riku flailed around in the corner, his arms tied by strongly chakra-imbued ropes that made it difficult for him to channel his own chakra in order to break out of them, trying desperately to break himself free of the ropes.
?I?m telling you, it?s no use,? Syrus said, laying on his back on a bed in the opposite corner of the room.
?That?s what you think,? Riku spat out, stopping for a moment to catch his breath and then continuing to try and break loose.
Syrus hadn?t seen any need to stop him from talking. Calls for help in this town weren?t exactly rare, and usually, they were never heeded. The ropes were tied behind his back, giving Riku no way to gnaw his way out, though even if they weren?t behind his back, the chakra imbued in them as well as the thickness of the rope made that almost impossible anyway.
Syrus nodded, ?An A for effort, but an F for progress,? he said, mocking Riku. ?Trust me; you?re not escaping how you did last time.?
Riku looked up towards the man, ?What do you mean...? then realization struck him, ?You?re that guy from the mountain!??
?Well duh!? Syrus said, genuinely annoyed by the boy?s ignorance, ?I mean, did you think I just captured you for the heck of it??
?Well you do seem like a pretty creepy guy,? Riku said, returning Syrus?s sarcastic behavior.
Syrus shrugged, ?Trust me, no matter what you say, I?ll be the one laughing when Akatsuki?s taking you to their place and when I?m living it up with the reward.?
Riku had just remembered that the bounty was because of Akatsuki, how they had been searching for him. He wanted to punch himself just then. Even though he couldn?t have known, he had walked right up to the hunter?s house!
?Loss for words?? Syrus said, ?I thought you would be.?
~
Deirous sat cross legged on his large hawk, looking over the side of it down onto the village, his head resting in his hand and a bored expression on his face, ?Why is it that this sounded so much more fun when you guys were explaining it??
Reina sat on the back of the clay bird, looking over the edge as well, but with much more enthusiasm and urgency, ?We?re not out here for fun. We have to keep an eye out for Riku just in case he leaves the town before Raiden comes out.?
?But why?d I have to do this instead of sleep. Riku?s not that important,? he said, ?Can?t we just leave him and add him to the list of people we need to avenge when we fight Akatsuki??
Reina glared at him, her eyes narrowed and unmoving, ?Very funny.?
Deirous blew out a puff of air, ?Did she have to come??
~
Raiden dropped down into the very same hole that Syrus had used earlier that day. More like yesterday by now actually, being a little past midnight. He stayed crouched as he made his way to the counter in the tavern, moving so that he went behind tables and chairs to avoid being detected by the barkeep. He looked around before approaching the man, and was satisfied to see that there were no assistants around, or anyone cleaning up the place. The tavern had no stairs, so he believed it safe to assume that it was only him and the tavern?s owner, who was standing near the counter, but on the side that customers usually sat, meaning that Raiden was directly behind him.
In one smooth motion, Raiden got up, withdrew his blade with one hand, and used his free
hand to slam the barkeep?s head on the counter. As he man had his head slammed down, Raiden brought the blade up so that it touched the back of his neck, only to the point that the man could feel it, but it made no cuts.
?When I let go, pick up your head, look me in the eye, and tell me who it was that took the sword I asked about yesterday. You?re going to tell me the one bounty hunter who would associate himself with the most dangerous of criminals, more powerful than S-classed, and would still be amongst the living. If you?re smart, you?ll tell me everything that you know, and if I find out you?re lying, I will return here, and I will kill you,? Raiden spoke. He talked quickly, subtly, and deadly all at the same time, sending a chill down the barkeep?s back as he spoke.
All thoughts of misleading the obviously dangerous young man escaped the tavern owner?s mind as he got up and looked in the man?s steely gaze, ?Syrus,? he said.
?More specific,? Raiden demanded, unsatisfied with the single word.
?The house in the far west corner of the city, that?s where he usually is. He?s a roamer, so I don?t know if that?s for sure. He often comes here just for information, but he?s the only possible bounty hunter who would go through the trouble of any sort of theft to find a single person,? the man said, talking so quickly that he was out of breath afterwards.
?Anything you?re leaving out?? Raiden said, putting his blade back up to the man?s neck to remind him that this wasn?t a request, but a demand.
The man shook his head and gulped, ?Nothing. He keeps to himself, but his reputation precedes him.?
Raiden nodded and took the blade from the petrified barkeep?s neck, ?Nice doing business with you.?
~
Deirous, Raiden, and Reina all stood atop the large clay bird as it loomed over Syrus?s apparent house. From the bird?s mouth, balls of clay dropped onto the roof of the house.
?What?re you doing!? Riku?s probably still in there,? Raiden yelled out him.
Deirous shrugged, ?I figured it?d be a good plan B for later.?
Raiden looked at the dangerous teenager, ?You wait out here, Reina and I will go in,? he said, thinking that Deirous would be more of a danger to them all than an asset.
~
Syrus looked up, hearing the clay that Deirous had deployed thud onto the top of his home, curious as to what it was. He looked towards Riku, already suspecting who it was, but curious as to how they found out. Seeing that the more pressing concern at the moment was how to stop whatever was going on, assuming that he wasn?t just being paranoid, he rushed to the corner of his small cabin that was opposite to the one Riku was standing in, where three weapons lay sprawled out on the floor: Soul Eater, and his hammer-axe dual weapons.
Picking up the hammer and axe and experimentally spinning them in his hands, he rushed out of his small home, going out of the main entrance rather than secretively using another one. Because whoever it was was apparently looking for him, he saw no reason to be inconspicuous, and staying inside would only limit his movements, should the adversity have a two, or more, to one advantage. Quickly turning, his eyes immediately locked on a giant hawk made of clay, with three people on it. Suddenly, he saw two of the three jumping down from it, recognizing one as the man from the tavern.
Syrus flipped backwards, jumping high to land on his house as the other two did the same, him going upwards and them going downwards.
?I see subtly isn?t your strong suit,? Syrus said, gripping the hammer tightly but spinning the axe as if he were preparing to send it flying.
In a flash, Raiden drew out his sword while Reina took out the katana and dagger combination she was accustomed to.
?So I suppose you?re here for that Riku kid hmm?? he said, stepping on the roof of his house lightly to indicate the boy?s location.
Raiden finally answered, ?There?s that, and maybe to kill you before then,? he said, holding the blade so that it ran diagonally across his body, ?Whichever seems more convenient.?
Syrus smiled wickedly as he quickly lunged out, throwing his axe before him and rushing in towards the two of them with his hammer coming in to bash both of their skulls close behind it.
~
Riku moved frantically, hearing their feet patting heavily against the ground, obviously a fight going on between his friends and Syrus. He squirmed desperately towards Soul Eater, hoping that somehow he could cut himself loose using its blade. But it was too far away for him to be able to reach.
But suddenly, Soul Eater disappeared, seeming to implode.
And equally as suddenly, it reappeared right in front of him.
Hunting the Hunter
Deirous shook his head and placed his open palm on his forehead, ?Ok, when I went to sleep the first time, Riku loses Soul Eater, the second time, Raiden loses Riku, is there some sort of conspiracy going on here??
Reina looked from Raiden, to Deirous, and back to Raiden, who was pacing back and forth with both of his hands on top of his head, ?Well, the town isn?t all that big, he has to still be in there.?
Raiden kept pacing around the small camp they had set up, ?No... no... whoever took him wanted him for a bounty. When you complete a bounty, you don?t wait for the person to come to you, you come to them.?
Reina shrugged in reply, ?The only people who would be looking for Riku is Akatsuki, and they aren?t exactly by-the-book. And even so, I doubt that Akatsuki would tell any outsider, especially bounty hunters who work for whoever offers the most, in on where they?re located.?
Raiden thought for a moment. She was right. Akatsuki would benefit more by coming to the hunter, and there was no way they?d tell whoever it was where to find them, assuming there was a definite place where they could be found. He assumed that their only means of contact would be via messenger hawk, so he assumed that it would buy them some time, a week at least.
?But how would we find the actual hunter...? Raiden wondered, and then he remembered the barkeep.
There was this ?code of hunters? of course, but this was still a village of survivalists, all of which would do anything just to see another day. The more pressing threat was what determined whether they would talk or not. But I direct threat, a sword-to-the-throat threat, would always be the most pressing. Raiden hated having to do this, but he found no other way.
He looked towards Reina and Deirous, ?We?re paying another visit to that tavern tonight,? he finally said.
~
Syrus watched as Riku flailed around in the corner, his arms tied by strongly chakra-imbued ropes that made it difficult for him to channel his own chakra in order to break out of them, trying desperately to break himself free of the ropes.
?I?m telling you, it?s no use,? Syrus said, laying on his back on a bed in the opposite corner of the room.
?That?s what you think,? Riku spat out, stopping for a moment to catch his breath and then continuing to try and break loose.
Syrus hadn?t seen any need to stop him from talking. Calls for help in this town weren?t exactly rare, and usually, they were never heeded. The ropes were tied behind his back, giving Riku no way to gnaw his way out, though even if they weren?t behind his back, the chakra imbued in them as well as the thickness of the rope made that almost impossible anyway.
Syrus nodded, ?An A for effort, but an F for progress,? he said, mocking Riku. ?Trust me; you?re not escaping how you did last time.?
Riku looked up towards the man, ?What do you mean...? then realization struck him, ?You?re that guy from the mountain!??
?Well duh!? Syrus said, genuinely annoyed by the boy?s ignorance, ?I mean, did you think I just captured you for the heck of it??
?Well you do seem like a pretty creepy guy,? Riku said, returning Syrus?s sarcastic behavior.
Syrus shrugged, ?Trust me, no matter what you say, I?ll be the one laughing when Akatsuki?s taking you to their place and when I?m living it up with the reward.?
Riku had just remembered that the bounty was because of Akatsuki, how they had been searching for him. He wanted to punch himself just then. Even though he couldn?t have known, he had walked right up to the hunter?s house!
?Loss for words?? Syrus said, ?I thought you would be.?
~
Deirous sat cross legged on his large hawk, looking over the side of it down onto the village, his head resting in his hand and a bored expression on his face, ?Why is it that this sounded so much more fun when you guys were explaining it??
Reina sat on the back of the clay bird, looking over the edge as well, but with much more enthusiasm and urgency, ?We?re not out here for fun. We have to keep an eye out for Riku just in case he leaves the town before Raiden comes out.?
?But why?d I have to do this instead of sleep. Riku?s not that important,? he said, ?Can?t we just leave him and add him to the list of people we need to avenge when we fight Akatsuki??
Reina glared at him, her eyes narrowed and unmoving, ?Very funny.?
Deirous blew out a puff of air, ?Did she have to come??
~
Raiden dropped down into the very same hole that Syrus had used earlier that day. More like yesterday by now actually, being a little past midnight. He stayed crouched as he made his way to the counter in the tavern, moving so that he went behind tables and chairs to avoid being detected by the barkeep. He looked around before approaching the man, and was satisfied to see that there were no assistants around, or anyone cleaning up the place. The tavern had no stairs, so he believed it safe to assume that it was only him and the tavern?s owner, who was standing near the counter, but on the side that customers usually sat, meaning that Raiden was directly behind him.
In one smooth motion, Raiden got up, withdrew his blade with one hand, and used his free
hand to slam the barkeep?s head on the counter. As he man had his head slammed down, Raiden brought the blade up so that it touched the back of his neck, only to the point that the man could feel it, but it made no cuts.
?When I let go, pick up your head, look me in the eye, and tell me who it was that took the sword I asked about yesterday. You?re going to tell me the one bounty hunter who would associate himself with the most dangerous of criminals, more powerful than S-classed, and would still be amongst the living. If you?re smart, you?ll tell me everything that you know, and if I find out you?re lying, I will return here, and I will kill you,? Raiden spoke. He talked quickly, subtly, and deadly all at the same time, sending a chill down the barkeep?s back as he spoke.
All thoughts of misleading the obviously dangerous young man escaped the tavern owner?s mind as he got up and looked in the man?s steely gaze, ?Syrus,? he said.
?More specific,? Raiden demanded, unsatisfied with the single word.
?The house in the far west corner of the city, that?s where he usually is. He?s a roamer, so I don?t know if that?s for sure. He often comes here just for information, but he?s the only possible bounty hunter who would go through the trouble of any sort of theft to find a single person,? the man said, talking so quickly that he was out of breath afterwards.
?Anything you?re leaving out?? Raiden said, putting his blade back up to the man?s neck to remind him that this wasn?t a request, but a demand.
The man shook his head and gulped, ?Nothing. He keeps to himself, but his reputation precedes him.?
Raiden nodded and took the blade from the petrified barkeep?s neck, ?Nice doing business with you.?
~
Deirous, Raiden, and Reina all stood atop the large clay bird as it loomed over Syrus?s apparent house. From the bird?s mouth, balls of clay dropped onto the roof of the house.
?What?re you doing!? Riku?s probably still in there,? Raiden yelled out him.
Deirous shrugged, ?I figured it?d be a good plan B for later.?
Raiden looked at the dangerous teenager, ?You wait out here, Reina and I will go in,? he said, thinking that Deirous would be more of a danger to them all than an asset.
~
Syrus looked up, hearing the clay that Deirous had deployed thud onto the top of his home, curious as to what it was. He looked towards Riku, already suspecting who it was, but curious as to how they found out. Seeing that the more pressing concern at the moment was how to stop whatever was going on, assuming that he wasn?t just being paranoid, he rushed to the corner of his small cabin that was opposite to the one Riku was standing in, where three weapons lay sprawled out on the floor: Soul Eater, and his hammer-axe dual weapons.
Picking up the hammer and axe and experimentally spinning them in his hands, he rushed out of his small home, going out of the main entrance rather than secretively using another one. Because whoever it was was apparently looking for him, he saw no reason to be inconspicuous, and staying inside would only limit his movements, should the adversity have a two, or more, to one advantage. Quickly turning, his eyes immediately locked on a giant hawk made of clay, with three people on it. Suddenly, he saw two of the three jumping down from it, recognizing one as the man from the tavern.
Syrus flipped backwards, jumping high to land on his house as the other two did the same, him going upwards and them going downwards.
?I see subtly isn?t your strong suit,? Syrus said, gripping the hammer tightly but spinning the axe as if he were preparing to send it flying.
In a flash, Raiden drew out his sword while Reina took out the katana and dagger combination she was accustomed to.
?So I suppose you?re here for that Riku kid hmm?? he said, stepping on the roof of his house lightly to indicate the boy?s location.
Raiden finally answered, ?There?s that, and maybe to kill you before then,? he said, holding the blade so that it ran diagonally across his body, ?Whichever seems more convenient.?
Syrus smiled wickedly as he quickly lunged out, throwing his axe before him and rushing in towards the two of them with his hammer coming in to bash both of their skulls close behind it.
~
Riku moved frantically, hearing their feet patting heavily against the ground, obviously a fight going on between his friends and Syrus. He squirmed desperately towards Soul Eater, hoping that somehow he could cut himself loose using its blade. But it was too far away for him to be able to reach.
But suddenly, Soul Eater disappeared, seeming to implode.
And equally as suddenly, it reappeared right in front of him.
FIGHT!!!