Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Nightmares and Resolve 

“Well then, make your choice. The Sacrifice Core, or your precious Phaethon?” Hugo’s voice had a smug aura to it, the cold metal of his knife already lightly pressed down on Wise’s neck. The proxy’s eyes were wide, his breathing ragged and his heart beating rapidly. 

Vivian’s eyes went wide and her body tensed at Hugo’s words, both Lycaon and Anby briefly turned their gaze towards the super fan, curiosity in their eyes, but turned their gaze back towards their target.

“I know you took it!” Hugo growled and put more pressure on the Wise’s neck,”Don’t forget. I’m the one who taught you that!”

Vivian took a breath and tossed the Gem towards the thief, “...Okay. The core is yours. Just… leave Lord Phaethon Alone!”

“What a shame!” Hugo chuckled, “Did you really think I’d keep my promise?”

Wise felt the cold sting of steel and-

His eyes shot open, his breathing was ragged, a strand of sweat raced down the side of his face. He brought a hand to his throat and let out a breath when he found no injury. Still, his mind was restless, running through a million what ifs and other scenarios that had a… less than happy ending. Wise glanced over at his phone and saw the time, two in the morning. This was the third night in a row that he’s had that same nightmare, his mind seemed fixated on what had happened that day, what could have happened.

He let out a huff, closed his eyes, and tried to go back to sleep. His mind had other plans, it focused on the events of that rooftop. His mind repeated his nightmare again and again even going as far as how, had the worst come to pass, what the fallout would have been. How Belle would have been left all on her own, with no family left.

His eyes shot open again, a frown clear as day on his face. He stood up and grabbed his phone, putting on some sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt as he made his way out of his room. He stopped briefly to check in on Belle, who was sleeping soundly on her bed, somehow cuddling her entire comforter. He smiled and made his way downstairs to check on Vivian, their guest and former colleague of Hugo. She was mumbling something about how cute her ‘Lord Phaethon’ was. With a small blush on his cheeks Wise closed the staff room door and made his way outside to Sixth Street, already feeling a bit better from the relaxing aura his neighborhood seemed to give off in spades. 

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to walk up towards the metro station, his thoughts consumed by the events of the rooftop once more. Had Lycaon not been there, he wasn’t sure if the others present would have had the speed to free him, or stop Hugo. Wise reached the steps of the station and paused, he looked back at the way he came but… he didn’t want to go back yet, he wanted to think some more. He took a seat on the stairs leading up to the metro and took out his phone and opened his photos app. He swiped through his photos and smiled, despite all the dangers, close calls and chaos that had surrounded his life recently, it had all been worth it. He had gained incredible friends and made discoveries that he never thought he would have made. 

His finger stopped on a photo of Miyabi he had taken. It was a candid shot at Port Elpis, her gaze locked at something far off in the water while she recounted a story to him, there was a small smile on her face. A fond smile pulled at his lips, he always enjoyed his talks with Miyabi, she was a kind person who made it clear that she'd fight to protect the people she loved… he was counted amongst them.

His gaze dropped to the katana that was always on her person… a thought from before returned to the forefront of his mind… 

she’d fight to protect the people she loved.

His sister flashed into his mind, her smile could light up a room. Finally he stood up, a firm frown locked on his face, not one of sorrow or worry, but of resolve. He made his way back to Random Play and checked on Vivian and Belle once more, he plugged his phone back into the charger, got changed back into his pajamas and settled back into his bed. When he finally fell asleep, his dreams were happy ones filled with friends and family, devoid of the sorrow or nightmares he had been so familiar with for the past few nights.

—

The next morning Wise grabbed his phone and opened his contacts, quickly finding the person he wanted to talk to.

Wise: Miyabi?

Miyabi: Wise?

Miyabi: What is it?

Wise: I wanted to talk to you, ask you about a possible favor.

Miyabi: Oh? 

Miyabi: Is there somewhere you want to go to talk?

Wise: How about Port Elpis?

Miyabi: Then I’ll meet you at Port Elpis.

—

Miyabi stared out at the Hollow where the confrontation with Bringer had taken place, a frown pulled at her lips. That night had been… a rough one. Had it not been for her Proxy and his connections, they might not have won the day, who knows what could have happened if they had failed. Images flashed through her mind, the city, the people, her loved ones, Wise. The grip on the hilt of her katana tightened and her frown deepened. 

“I need to train harder.” She said under her breath, “I need to protect the ones I love.” 

Her ear twitched and she heard footsteps approach her, they were familiar footsteps, ones that brought a smile to her face. She turned to face the owner of those footsteps and saw Wise approaching her, he looked… worn out. He had bags under his eyes and a small frown on his lips. 

Her smile weakened at the sight, but she greeted him anyway, “it’s good to see you, Wise.” 

“It's nice to see you too, Miyabi.” He smiled. It did not reach his eyes. 

She tilted her head slightly, both out of curiosity of why was worn out and the nature of his worry, “You wanted to ask me something?”

Wise tensed up slightly, his arm brushed the back of his neck thanks to his nerves, but after a moment she watched him steel himself and take a breath.

“Could…” He trailed off for a moment, then took another breath, “Could you teach me how to fight?”

Miyabi’s eyes widened at his words, then her smile deepend and she nodded, “Of course.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: The First Steps

“Could…” Wise trailed off for a moment, he was scared she’d say no. If she did, he had no clue what he would do, where he would go, who he would talk to. Nevertheless, he steeled himself once more and asked, “Could you teach me how to fight?”

The Proxy watched as Miyabi’s eyes widened, a sense of relief filled his chest when she nodded, “Of course.”

He let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding, she had agreed. The best fighter in all of New Eridu, the Void Hunter Hoshimi Miyabi, his friend, was willing to take him under her wing and help him learn how to fight. He already knew, he was in very good hands!

“But first,” Miyabi’s words cut through Wise’s train of thought with an almost practiced ease, “Can you tell me why you want to learn? I thought you, as a proxy, didn’t need to fight? If you needed self defense courses I’m pretty sure Zhu Yuan and the Public Security would be able to point you in the right direction…” She crossed her arms and brought a hand to her chin, deep in thought, “I think Public Security even offers Self Defense courses through their community outreach programs…”

Wise smiled at her and made his way towards the edge of the pier, he leaned his weight against the railing and looked out at the water, “Recently my… Ether aptitude was increased and I was able to enter a Hollow while on a commission from a friend, during that mission we were double crossed by someone on our team,” He could see Miyabi frown in the corner of his eye, he turned his head to look at her, “The other Agents I were with were able to fight him to a standstill… that’s when he charged me, he held a knife to my throat.”

There was a silent gasp from Miyabi, her eyes dropped to his throat, silently checking for any new scars, fortunately she couldn’t see any.

“It was a close call, but my friend ended up killing him…” Wise’s gaze turned back out to the water, “T-there was no time to capture him alive, that’s what Lycaon told me after the fact, if he had I’d likely be…”

“I would have made the same decision as your friend.” Miyabi spoke up, “In a situation where the lives of loved ones are on the line, especially in a Hollow, there is no time to hesitate, no time for half measures, just decisive actions.”

Wise smiled slightly, then continued, “Since then I’ve been having nightmares, ones where I hadn’t survived that encounter, they’re like windows into a timeline I never want to occur.” 

“That’s why I want you to train me, I want to be able to protect myself and my loved ones.” He turned towards Miyabi, “With everything between the Exaltists, Etherials, the many gangs across the city and who knows what else, I want to be able to protect my loved ones, against any danger that might be around the corner, just like you do.”

“I see.” Miyabi said after a moment, “I’m sure you are aware but this will not be a short process, the only reason I am as strong as I am is that I have been training since I was very young. You will have a slower and possibly more difficult road, but I’m sure you’ll reach your goal and impress me nonetheless… you always do.”

“I understand, and I hope to continue to impress,” Wise smiled, “So, where do we start?”

“We start with you getting some rest.” Miyabi nodded her head towards his, “You have bags under your eyes, Wise, training while exhausted will only make you more exhausted,” She started to lead him back towards his car, “I also have some work in the office that I need to get done, Yanagi promised me melon bread if I get it done and my break will be over soon.”

Wise chuckled at her words, and leaned against the side of his car, “Well I hope the melon bread is as good as always.”

“Melon bread is always good.” Miyabi replied, absolute certainty in her voice, then she turned to face him, a fond smile on her lips, “Come by the office on Thursday, that’s when you’re free next right?” 

He gave her a nod.

“There is a gym in the headquarters, a way for our specialists to stay in top shape for field operations,” She informed wise, then almost as if she had sensed his next question she spoke again, “It shouldn’t be a problem for you to be seen working out in that gym, you’re officially a independent Hollow investigator who is contracted to work alongside Section 6, it’s only natural you would want to be able to keep up with us and be able to protect yourself in the dangerous jobs we do.”

Miyabi gave him a knowing smile.

Wise returned the smile, “Of course, I’m glad you understand Chief Hoshimi Miyabi, I’ll be there thursday,” He went to enter his car then stilled and turned back around to face her, “Want me to give you a lift to the office?”

“Sure,” Miyabi nodded, “Thank you.”

—

Miyabi waved as the Random Play van drove off, she turned and started to make her way towards the office, her mind wasn’t focused on where she was going, it was all muscle memory at this point, instead it was focused on the conversation she just had. He was eager and wanted to learn, that was already a point in his favor, but she had to make sure he wasn’t too eager, that would only hurt him in the long run. She would need to make sure he paced himself accordingly and not push his body too hard.

Despite the worries the story had given her, she was pleased by his resolve. He saw a problem, and like he always did, was going all out to find a solution. It was something she had always liked about her Proxy, even when they were both stuck in the Hollow and they were trapped, he knew the possibility of an arrest was high, so he had fixed the problem and came up with a plan. He once again had a problem and was once again working for a solution, this time she would finally be able to repay him for his help in the past, especially those messy situations when it came to her trances…

Like when he claimed to be her fiance to protect her…

“AHA! I was right!” Harumasa’s voice cut through her train of thought like a katana slicing through a melon, “Only her ‘fiance’  could make her blush like that!”

Miyabi’s eyes went wide and her blush intensified in embarrassment, “Stop it.”

“We can’t help it, Chief,” Yanagi’s calming voice spoke up from behind a mountain of paperwork, “You’re usually so stoic, we can’t help but notice when your emotions are written on your sleeve.”

“Oh come on chief, tell us why you’re blushing!” He let out a gasp, “Did he give you a goodbye kiss?”

Yanagi let out a disappointed sigh when a binder flew across the room and slammed into a screaming Harumasa. 

—

“So how did your talk with Miyabi go?” Belle asked.

Vivian’s eyes perked up from her phone, “You know Hoshimi Miyabi, like personally?”

“We do.” Wise confirmed and sat on the couch.

“As expected of my amazing Lord Phaethon,” The former thief praised, “I’m sure she’s positively charmed by your mere presence.”

Belle elbowed his shoulder and chuckled at his blushing face, “Well, was she wise~”

“I have no idea what you too are talking about,” He pushed Belle off of him, “I just wanted to ask her help in learning… some self defense.”

He felt the temperature of the room drop immediately, memories of the rooftop battle came back to their minds, the worry was clear on their faces. He took a breath and wrapped an arm around Belle.

“Listen, It's peace of mind, if there's a situation where I need to go into a Hollow I’ll be able to protect myself against most things,” He shrugged before he continued, “And if there's something I can't handle then… I’ll probably have enough endurance to get out of there without immediately being out of breath. Besides, you and Eous will always have my back!”

“I-I guess you're right!” Belle slowly smiled again.

“If you ever need a sparring partner, you can always ask me, Lord Phaethon!” Vivian declared, “Sure, Miss Hoshimi may be a Void Hunter, but variety is the spice of life and knowing how to approach different enemies from different angles will be a benefit to you!”

Wise chuckled, “I’ll be sure to take you up on that when the time comes!”

“For now, it seems like my first training is going to him getting some rest,” He shrugged, “Miyabi wants me nice and well rested for what she has planned, she's probably gonna put me through the wringer.”

Belle chuckled.

Wise scowled

“Why are you such a gremlin?”

—

Miyabi would be lying if she said she didn’t appreciate the sight in front of her. Wise had foregone his usual outfit and had chosen to go with a sensible black T-Shirt, basketball shorts and running shoes. He was rather lanky but that was to be expected with his height and lifestyle, she knew he was something of a shut-in, both with the Video Store and his work as a Proxy… physical exercise wasn’t very high on his list of things to do, but that was about to change.

“Are you ready for today?” She started, “You made sure to eat and drink some water right?”

“Don’t worry, I made sure to eat and I even brought a bottle of water for after the workout,” He crossed his arms, “Speaking of the workout, what did you have planned?”

“I want to have you use just about every piece of equipment we have… if we can manage it,” Miyabi said, “That way you are at least familiar with every machine, even if we don’t end up using it in the end, after that I'll have you run some laps to test your endurance," She nodded to herself, satisfied with her own plan, "today is about seeing where you physically so I can narrow down what we need to work on.”

“That makes sense.” Wise nodded and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “Well, sorry if I don’t make it that far.”

“It is fine if you don’t.” Miyabi smiled, “Just do your best and we will make a plan accordingly.”

With those words, Wise and Miyabi made their way to the closest machine and began his training.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Sweating Bullets

By the time Wise had made it to the last piece of equipment, his entire body was on fire. Miyabi had been ruthless in her testing, having him do one set on almost every machine, despite how his body felt he had a sense of pride in accomplishing something he never thought possible. 

“One more, Wise.” Miyabi's voice pushed him to finish strong.

He grunted, pushed his legs away from his burning core and got his final rep on the leg press. He leaned back and took a breath, “Holy… wow, we really used all the machines…”

“Yes we did,” Miyabi smiled down at him, “You did great Wise, if I’m being honest. You did much better than I had assumed you would based on how skinny you are.”

Wise couldn't help but chuckle at her blunt statement as he got out of the Leg Press and stood, his legs felt like jelly. He figured he was out of shape but seeing just how out of shape he actually was… it was just a little embarrassing, he mentally shrugged, he was here to fix that so it wouldn't be a problem in the long run. 

“Not sure if I can run laps like this, Miyabi,” Wise confessed. He looked down at his legs. “My legs feel like jelly.”

 The Void Hunter looked at his legs and smiled, “That just means that you were taking your training seriously,” She then gestured over to a nearby bench, “Go sit down over there and take a break, I’ll be back in five or so minutes, use that time to get a break, we'll still run a lap or two.”

Wise nodded and did as he was told, he made his way over to the bench and sat down. He huffed and leaned his head back, “This is gonna be a long road, Wise… you got this.”

“You do.” 

The voice made Wise jump and he looked to the left, there he found Yanagi. The Section Six member was leaning against the wall and gave the confused Proxy a kind smile, “You're doing pretty good, I can tell Miyabi is happy.”

“You can?” Wise asked.

“You know how much Miyabi's life revolves around training, no matter how unusual that training may be,” Yanagi chuckled at the last part if her statement, “You’re new to this but you're putting your all into every exercise, even listening to the tips she's given you, don't beat yourself up at your current position, realize that there's only one direction you can go.”

“And that's up, right?” Wise.

“Precisely!” Yanagi confirmed with a smile, her eyes then turned towards the direction Miyabi had gone and she smiled, “Seems like you're gonna have a running partner.”

Wise followed her gaze and saw Miyabi making her way back towards them, he quickly noticed she was not in her usual attire. Instead of her usual Section 6 uniform she wore leggings and a tank top, both of which sported a H.A.N.D. logo, the only similarity between this outfit and her uniform was the belt which kept her blade attached to her person, as she had made clear it aught to do. 

It didn't take long for Miyabi to close the distance, there was a slight blush on her cheek from the stare had received from Wise, but nevertheless she spoke up, “I wanted to join you for your laps but felt it might be better to dress more appropriately,” He gaze turned towards the taller woman, “Are you joining as well Yanagi?” 

“I’ll pass, Chief,” Yanagi smiled, “Besides, Wise is your fiance , remember~”

  She chuckled at the way the two blushed, “I just came out here to remind you of the meeting in an hour, the one with the other section leads.”

“I won't be attending that meeting,” Miyabi closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, “It will interfere with my training.”

“If you don't go I’ll make sure you don't get any melon bread for a week.” Yanagi challenged. 

One of Miyabi's ears twitched, then she frowned, “You wouldn't dare.”

Yanagi didn't answer, she just smiled and walked away, “Have fun training, make sure Wise doesn't overdo it!”

There was a silence for a moment while Wise and Miyabi watched the Deputy Chief return to the office, the Proxy chuckled at the antics in front of him, “Do you really not go to meetings?” 

“It's part of my training,” Miyabi crossed her arms and nodded, “My training of how many consecutive meetings I can miss… but to threaten Melon Bread…” She went silent for a moment, “I’ll need to prepare some countermeasures.”

Wise chuckled again then stood up and stretched, “Alright, so time for some running?” 

Miyabi nodded, “Yes, follow me I’ll show you to the track.” 

The duo made their way up a stairwell to the second floor of the gym, which had a track along the outer edge which surrounded an obstacle course, which was most likely for agility training, in the center of the room. Once again Wise found himself impressed with H.A.N.D. and the level at which they wanted their agents to be at.

Miyabi and him walked over to the starting zone of the track, “You set the pace, I’ll follow your lead.” 

“Okay, I'll try to pace myself.” Wise started at a medium pace, taking a moment to remember the running Soldier Eleven had subjected him to on more than one occasion. His form was relatively good, his breathing stayed measured and even and he managed to make one full lap and continued onto his second.

While Wise focused on his breathing and pace, Miyabi watched him with a slightly narrowed gaze, despite doing an entire lap around the track he had kept his form, breathing, and pace even. If she was being honest, she was impressed. Just like before with the machines, he showed off his determination to follow through on the words he had spoken a few days prior.

A pleased smile pulled at the lips as they continued to run their laps.

—

Belle watched Wise collapse onto his bed and clock out from exhaustion, a small chuckle pulled at her lips and she shut the door to his room and made her way back downstairs where she saw Hoshimi Miyabi looking through the video tapes on display in the store. She had joined Wise on his drive home and finally got a good look at Random Play. According to what little she had told the siblings, life had been too busy between H.A.N.D. and PubSec’s bickering that had followed the Incident with Bringer and her training Wise had provided a convenient excuse.

“See anything that catches your eyes, Miss Hoshimi?” Vivian asked from behind the counter. A few days ago she had offered to work at the store as a mix between promoter and cashier, if only to stay within close proximity of her dearling Phaethon’s. To both her and Wise’s surprise however, she had proven capable at both ringing up customers and promoting the store.

“A Song of Swords?” Miyabi tapped her chin in thought, speaking only to herself, “Action and Romance… is that a good mix?”

“It tends to be popular,” Belle answered and drew the attention of the Void Hunter, “Do you want to rent that one?”

“It would be a fine film to watch,” Miyabi’s smile faltered slightly, “Sadly, I don’t have a way to watch this film at home, maybe I can return sometime soon and watch it then?”

“Of course you can!” Belle replied, her smile grew slightly as an idea formed in her head. She tried her best to remember the schedule Wise had given her regarding Miyabi’s schedule before she spoke again, “Wise has to watch the store for the next few days, but he should be free next tuesday, does that work for you.”

The Void Hunter was silent for a moment, she mentally checked her calendar and nodded, “It does… but should you be making plans for Wise?”

“It’s what he gets for falling asleep while he has a guest over,” Belle chuckled, “He won’t mind, he loves hanging out with you.”

“O-oh,” A small blush appeared on Miyabi’s face, “W-well tell him I love his company as well.”

“Of course!” Belle gave Miyabi a bright smile and rest her hands on her hips.

The Void Hunter gave the Proxy a thankful nod then she waved goodbye and made her way out of the store. A sense of pride and happiness surrounded her as she walked through a nearby alleyway and arrived on Seventh Street, where she found a Section Six car waiting for her, the passenger window rolled down and Soukaku’s beaming smile greeted the Fox Thiren.

“Miyabi!” The Oni was as excitable as ever, “How was training wise?”

“It was good,” Miyabi replied as she climbed into the back of the car, “Wise did everything I asked of him and managed to run more laps than I expected, it seems as though he’s had some cardio training before, or at least had someone show him some tricks in the past.”

“Yay!” Soukaku cheered at Miyabi’s appraisal, likely pleased that Wise had done such a good job.

“So Chief, you have Tuesday off,” Yanagi paused to make sure she was clear to make a turn, “Do you have any plans?”

“I do.” She confirmed, “Belle suggested I watch a movie with her Brother, I intend to do so.”

“I see,” Yanagi’s lips formed a pleased smile, it seemed as if Belle and herself wanted the same thing, “Happy to see you’re gonna be taking things easy after all, you and Wise can train harder next thursday then?”

Miyabi nodded and turned her eyes out towards the passing street lights, a smile still on her face, she couldn’t wait.

—

Back at the video store Vivian chuckled, “Playing matchmaker I see~”

“You know it!” Belle replied with a similar chuckle, “My brother is too dense for his own good, I got to help him in any way I can!”

“Hoshimi Miyabi…” Vivian was silent for a moment, her eyes watching the door the Void Hunter had left from, her small smile grew and she nodded, “Well as Phaethon’s biggest fan, you’ve got my blessing!”

Belle turned away from the shelf and tilted her head, “What?” 

“Hoshimi Miyabi, the youngest Void Hunter in New Eridu’s history, Leader of Section Six, and part of the legendary Hoshimi lineage,” Vivian raised a digit for every point she brought up, “Only someone as amazing like her is deserving of my precious Phaethon!”

Once more Belle chuckled, “Well I’m happy to have your support and I’m sure Wise will be when he finally realizes his own feelings.”

“Is he really that dense?” Vivian asked with a frown.

Belle howled in laughter, “Oh you have no idea!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Movies and Missions

To the untrained eye it looked as if Hoshimi Miyabi was the picture perfect definition of a Section Chief. She looked over reports and forms, signed where she needed and then moved them into corresponding piles. These actions had been all anyone who passed by the Section 6 office would have seen all morning, little did they know that her paperwork had already been looked at by her Deputy Chief. All Chief Hoshimi Miyabi had to do was check for Deputy Chief Tsukishiro Yanagi’s signature and sign her own name on the line above. This ease of work allowed Miyabi to focus her thoughts on much more important matters. 

Such as Wise and his training regimen.

It had been a few days since Wise and Miyabi had taken the first few steps in his training, he was now accustomed to the gym’s equipment and facilities. Everyone at H.A.N.D. wouldn’t bat an eye at the training either, it just made sense that the Hollow Investigator who was contracted by Section Six would want to be at their best. What had left Miyabi a tad stumped was the training itself, where should she start?

She signed another document and moved it to the pile, then took another one.

Her ears twitched as she continued to mull at the conundrum she attempted to answer.

Miyabi herself had been trained almost since birth, she had been honed into a weapon before the Hollow Disaster had claimed her ancestral home and her mother with it.

Miyabi frowned but continued to think nonetheless.

Wise wouldn’t be able to reach her level, to even attempt that would only cause his body and mind harm, his body through overexertion and his mind through anger at not achieving a goal. She needed to aim a bit lower, something she herself was not good at. She had been trained to be the best, to be the sharpest blade New Eridu could count on against the Hollows, this need for… imperfections… was something wholly unfamiliar to her. 

She brought a hand to her chin and her frown deepened. 

To the outside observer it would seem as if she was deeply concerned with the document in her hands.

Instead she was concentrated on where to even approach training a friend and what angles she would need to approach it all from. Maybe a good place would be the weapon? Or maybe a better focus would be his physical conditioning first and foremost? 

Her hand left her chin, her thoughts still attempted to find the best solution to this problem of hers. Her index finger tapped her desk while she approached it from yet another angle, but with no more success than before.

Maybe she would need a second opinion.

“Chief?” A soft voice called out to her right.

Miyabi’s ears twitched and her head swiveled to Deputy Chief Tsukishiro Yanagi, “Yes?”

“Are you alright?” The taller woman asked, “You’ve been staring at that document for a few minutes now.”

“Oh?” The Void Hunter turned her eyes to the clock and noted that what Yanagi had said was indeed true, “I see, my thoughts must have gotten the better of me.”

Miyabi signed the document and set it aside, then turned her chair to face her subordinate, “Yanagi, how would you go about training someone who has not gone through any training before?”

“Is this about Wise?” Yanagi asked, Miyabi nodded and the taller woman tilted her head and thought for a moment, “I think I would focus more on his athleticism, from what I saw during his laps he has some athleticism there, you just need to help him hone it.”

Miyabi filed that information away for later, “I see.”

“Then there’s also the dieting,” Yanagi hummed, “He’ll need to shake off the bad eating habits he has and focus on healthy but filling meals, ones that will give his body the nutrients it needs.”

Miyabi nodded and once again filed this information, “I see, thanks Yanagi this is all very helpful.”

“Wise has helped us out many times in the past,” The woman gave Miyabi a bright smile, “It’s the least I could do to help him out.”

—

A few days later

—

Miyabi stepped off of the Metro and made her way up the stairs that led up to Sixth Street itself. She found the task to be a tad more difficult than usual, normally when she walked those around her made space for her, but right now that wasn’t the case. She was just another thieren in a crowd of New Eridu citizens, not the Chief of Section Six and the youngest Void Hunter in history. 

But what was the cause for this? If she had to guess, Yanagi’s camouflage worked. She had been told by the Deputy Chief that if she went to Sixth Street in her uniform it would attract far too much attention, much more than PUBSEC officers doing their usual inspections. Instead of her uniform, Yanagi had helped her find a much more casual outfit. It was a tan sweater with a matching hat with cut outs for Thieren ears and long brown skirt. She still had her katana in her person, but it was in a leather leather tube which was slung over her back.

She made it to the top of the stairs and saw Wise leaning against a wall near the exit of the stairwell, focus was on his phone so he didn’t notice her approach.

“Hello, Wise.” The Fox Thieren greeted with a warm smile, “What are you doing all the way out here? I know the way to Random Play.”

“I wanted to walk with you,” Wise said with a smile. He put his phone away and glanced at her clothes, “New outfit?”

“Yanagi thought something more… casual would make things easier for the two of us,” Miyabi explained, then with a quick glance around she smiled, “I think she was right.”

“Those Section Six uniforms do tend to stick out,” Wise nodded to himself, then turned his gaze back toward Miyabi, “You look good! The style suits you.”

Miyabi blushed slightly, “Thanks.” 

The duo made their way through Sixth Street, they took their time and Miyabi used the opportunity to appreciate the overall coziness of the neighborhood. While it was a tad crowded for a street of its size, the conversations and overall aura that the street gave off was one of a patient and welcoming warmth. The shopkeepers chatted with their customers like they were old friends, strangers on the street glanced at each other and gave each other a welcoming wave or friendly nod. She loved it all, it made sense Wise and Belle had made their home here. 

Wise held the door to Random Play open and Miyabi gave him her thanks before proceeding into the store and being welcomed inside by Belle.

“Welcome to Random Play, we got tons of-” Her gaze moved behind Miyabi to Wise, a smirk on his face, and then her eyes went wide, “-Videos… to choose…Miyabi?”

“Hello Belle.”

“Oh no…” An embarrassed blush crept over Belle’s features, “This is so embarrassing.”

“Didn’t recognize her did you?” Wise smiled and made his way to the counter, “Truth be told I probably wouldn’t have either if she hadn’t greeted me first.”

“How could that be?” Miyabi tilted her head in confusion, “You both see me more than the average person, how could you not recognize me?”

“That outfit gives you a much different…” Wise considered his words, “Vibe? Image?”

“You don’t have the same atmosphere as you do when your wearing your uniform,” Belle answered for her brother.

“Yeah,” Wise nodded, “Whereas you have a stoic air around you in uniform, this outfit gives off more… reserved demeanor, most people probably wouldn’t be able to recognize you without the stoic demeanor.”

“I see,” Miyabi nodded to herself and smiled, “It seems as though Yanagi’s camouflage worked… perhaps stealth training is in order.”

“You two go watch the movie,” Belle smiled, “I can handle things down here.”

“Thanks Belle.” Wise smiled.

“And?” The younger sibling smirked at her brother.

Wise huffed, “Thanks Belle, you’re the best sister in the whole wide world.”

“There you go!” Belle cheered.

Miyabi wondered if this was what it was like to have siblings.

Wise took Miyabi’s hand and led her upstairs, the act caused the Void Hunter to blush, unbeknownst to him.

“Feel free to take a look around while I finish setting everything up,” Wise told her, “Shouldn’t be more than a few minutes.”

“Okay.” Miyabi nodded, she took the leather tube which held her blade and rested it against the couch. Then she turned her eyes at the pictures and pins arranged on a sort of memory board and smiled.

The board was filled to the brim with photos and memorabilia, the photos showed off the many adventures Wise had gone through and the friends he had made. One was of the siblings and the Cunning Hares eating Hot Pot, another had members of Victoria’s Housekeeping and a hooded Woman Miyabi did not recognize. There was one that had been taken in a diner, most likely from the outer ring if the members of the Sons of Calydon were anything to go by. Finally there was the picture Belle had taken during the get together they had at Random Play not too long ago, a happy smile pulled at the Void Hunter’s lips.

Her eyes then moved to another thing on the memory board, a letter was pinned to the board, it had familiar handwriting, but was partially obscured by a dreamcatcher of some sort . Miyabi moved the dreamcatcher a bit to get a better look at the letter, her eyes widened a bit when she realized what it was.

“This letter,” She said, “You pinned it to your board?”

“Of course I did.” Wise answered immediately, the majority of his attention was still focused on getting the film ready, “Everything up there means something to me, your letter was no exception, your words… They made me happy, I wanted to treasure them like I would anything else that matters to me.”

He then turned his face towards Miyabi and smiled, “You mean a lot to me Miyabi.”

The Void Hunter felt her face heat up from her words. She glanced away and brought a hand to her chest, only to realize her heart was beating faster as well. She steeled herself and glanced back at Wise, “As do you to me.”

Her blush brightened when she said those words.

Wise also blushed, but brought his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat, then he turned his eyes towards the T.V. and nodded, “T-the film is all prepped, you ready to watch it?”

“Of Course.” Miyabi nodded, made her way to the couch, and sat down next to wise.

The Proxy took the remote and started the film, already she could feel the tension in her shoulders start to lessen. Was this couch magic, how was it able to force Miyabi off her guard? She glanced at wise and wondered.

How was he able to always make her feel so safe and comforted?

—

Location: Unknown

—

Hugo's eyes shot open and he took in a gasp of air, above him were bright fluorescent lights, those of a hospital room, the beep of nearby machines supported that observation. He sat up with a hiss of pain and looked down at his chest where a hole should have been, instead he found scarred flesh. He checked his own pulse and frowned, “How am I alive?” 

A voice spoke through the loudspeaker, “We saved you, you’re a valuable asset Hugo, it would have been a waste to see you go.”

Asset?

“I… fell into the Hollow…” Hugo remembered, “How did you find me before I became corrupted?”

“We have our ways,” Said another voice, this one a deep feminine voice, “We know the Hollows better than anyone.”

Hugo stilled for a moment, just who was speaking to him? He smiled and scanned the room, soon enough he found a camera. He stood up and bowed at it, “You have my thanks for saving me, I owe you a favor.”

“Hugo Vlad,” The same feminine voice spoke to him, “We would like to… cash in that favor right now, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh?” Hugo looked at the camera once again, a sly smirk on his face, “And what does this favor entail?”

A screen turned on next to him, it was a picture taken from the interior of the Ballet Twins, most likely a security camera. The image showed a familiar man, he was taller than average and had silver hair, it was Wise. His eyes widened once he recognized the Proxy.

“We want you to find Wise Arna,” The Woman spoke, “And learn all you can about him, his friends, relationships, occupation, Interknot account name, everything .”

 “And if I refuse?” Hugo asked.

“We fixed the hole in your chest,” The voice said, “We can easily replace it with a new one.”

An unnatural warmth filled Hugo’s chest and he let out a strangled gasp, he collapsed to his knees and clutched his chest, “Okay, okay!”

The burning slowly receded and Hugo gasped for air, his eyes were wide and his body shook at the realization of his position.

“I-” He gasped for another breath, “I accept.”

“Good.” The voice spoke, “But before we send you out on your mission, we should set some terms.”

A door opened to Hugo’s left and the thief turned to see who entered the room, his eyes went wide.

“You?”

The man smiled, it was a smile that was filled with greed, one that made it clear to Hugo, this man would use only as long as he was useful, “It’s been a long time, Hugo.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: Time for the basics

— A Few Days Later —

When Wise arrived as H.A.N.D. Headquarters he was met by Miyabi, she gave him a quick nod and matched his pace as he entered the building. The Proxy glanced at the Fox Thieren and smiled, “Good Morning, Miyabi!”

“Good Morning Wise,” She greeted back, “Did you sleep well?”

He shrugged, “I did, how about you?”

“I had restful sleep as well,” Miyabi responded, “Shall we get started?”

“Let’s do it.” Wise nodded with a smile and made his way into the locker rooms to change into his workout clothes. After a few minutes he returned to the gym and saw Miyabi had changed into hers as well, she observed a few other members of H.A.N.D. as they went about their own workouts with an analytical eye.

Perhaps this was a chance for her to silently train her coaching abilities? Wise wasn’t one hundred percent sure.

Her ear twitched and her gaze moved over to him, her smile reappeared immediately, “Wise, I want to try something new today.”

“Something new?”

She nodded, “We’ve been working on your overall fitness for the past few weeks, I think it’s about the time you look into weapons training.”

“Weapons training?” A hand drifted to Wise’s chin, “What kind of weapon do you want me to train with?”

“While I am most familiar with Katanas,” Her hand moved to rest on her family sword when she spoke, “The choice will ultimately be yours, I trained in many weapons when I was young and in the event that my training proves… inadequate…” The way Miyabi’s face twisted in displeasure at that made Wise internally chuckle, “... I am sure we could find someone who is experienced enough to help train you.”

Wise shook his head with a chuckle, “I’m sure your training would do just fine, Miyabi.”

That made the Fox Thieren smile. 

“Okay follow me, we’re going to the sparring room,” She lead the way to a wing of the gym that Wise had never had the opportunity to explore yet, when they finally entered the room Wise took a moment to observe his surroundings.

Padded floors stretched over most of the large room and weapon racks lined the walls, the weapons on display within them gleamed under the fluorescent lights. As the duo made their way to a nearby weapon rack he finally nailed down the scent the smell of this room was, it was a mixture of metal and sweat, the result of the training done by the Agents within H.A.N.D.

Miyabi stopped next to a weapon rack and gestured towards it, “Do you have a weapon in mind?”

The Proxy glanced at the variety of weapons in front of him, halberds, swords, spears, axes, even a few guns on the wall next to the weapon rack, with made him tilt his head slightly.

Miyabi must have noticed, because she spoke up to explain it, “Those are paintball guns, but they simulate the weight and recoil of real guns so the Agents that use firearms in combat can also train here, in Zhu Yuan was a member of H.A.N.D. she’d train using those.”

“I see,” Wise nodded to himself and turned his gaze back towards the options laid out in front of him. 

His eyes moved through the different weapons once again and this time lingered on one in particular, he moved forward and grabbed the blade from the rack, the weight of the blade surprised him somewhat but he managed to hold it in his hands and gave it a closer look. It had a worn leather hilt without a crossguard, the grip of the hilt was molded with divots that fit his fingers perfectly. The blade itself was single edged and lacked a curve of any kind, it was shorter than a longsword but larger than a dagger. One feature that immediately grabbed his attention was on the backside of the blade, an almost primal detail, a portion of the blade had a jagged, saw-like edge.

“This is Anby’s sword,” Wise finally noted, “It’s the same kind of sword she uses, or used, not quite sure anymore.”

“It’s a New Eridu Defense Force blade,” Miyabi explained, “It’s an outdated model now, the newest models are more efficient with their energy integration, this one was really good at short powerful bursts compared to the newer ones.”

Wise thought to the difference in combat styles between Anby and Soldier Eleven, how the former preferred to use quick bursts of electric charge and how the latter had a more constant flame in her attacks. He nodded to himself upon the realization, “Maybe Nicole found one in a scrap yard somewhere and salvaged it for Anby?”

Miyabi nodded, “I think the same, they wouldn’t be hard to find when the switch happened and with how much falls into the hands of rebels, it wouldn’t surprise me if Nicole found one while going through scraps.”

Wise looked at his smudged reflection in the blade and frowned, a determined gleam in his eyes once more. He turned away from the weapon rack and swung the blade a few times, he appreciated how balanced the blade felt, even with the heft it had.

“I take it you’ve settled on that one?” Miyabi spoke up after a moment.

“Yes I did.” He turned towards her and smiled, “So where do we start.”

“The basics,” Miyabi explained and made her way towards a padded section of the floor, “Put the blade back in the rack for a moment.”

Wise did as he was told and followed her to the padded area and stood across from her, “What now?”

“Now…” Her eyes narrowed and her ears became more alert, her entire demeanor shifted, “Throw a punch.”

Wise’s eyes widened, “A-at you?”

“Yes.” Miyabi’s voice was resolute, “When I was being trained by my tutors they taught me this way, now I am doing the same. Throw a punch.”

The uncompromising look from Miyabi sent a nervous shiver down Wise’s spine, “O-okay…”

He slowly lifted his fists, then hesitated for a moment, this was Miyabi he was going to throw a punch at. He was sure there was at least a dozen ways she could throw him to the ground this very moment.

Miyabi’s ear twitched in irritation, “Wise-”

His breath hitched, and he threw the punch.

Miyabi’s eyes widened.

It was a fast punch.

It was also sloppy.

Her hand swatted his out of the air before she planted her palm squarely against his chest. The impact sent Wise into a stumble backwards, his feet got tangled under him and he hit the ground with a small thud.

Miyabi brought her hands behind her back and looked down at Wise, “Where did you go wrong?”

Wise groaned, his cheeks were flushed in embarrassment at how easily she took him down, even if he had expected it. He pushed himself upright and glanced at Miyabi, “Uh… my stance maybe? Or is it just fighting someone as strong as you to begin with?”

Miyabi’s stoic expression softened somewhat, she was pleased with Wise’s answer, “Correct on both accounts, your stance was unbalanced and made it extremely easy to knock you down, but you’re also at a major disadvantage fighting at someone above your level.”

“I’ve always heard that running is the best form of self-defense,” Wise chuckled as he gestured to his current position on the floor, “Especially if it's against someone you can’t beat.”

“That’s true,” Miyabi extended a hand and helped him up to his feet, a small frown then pulled at her lips, “But sometimes running isn’t an option and you’ll have to stand and fight, remember that ambush at Blazewood, you and the Cunning Hares had taken the only way of escape and Section Six had to stand and fight.”

“So we’re training to address all possibilities?”

“Exactly,” Miyabi’s smile grew larger, Wise was a quick learner, “As the saying goes, you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket, especially when it comes to fighting to protect your loved ones.”

The last part of that sentence had Wise perk up, his embarrassed blush faded somewhat and his determined demeanour returned, “What now?”

“Now we fix the mistakes you made, starting with your stance.” She explained, “Show me your stance again.”

Wise did as he was told, he raised his fists but he realized how uncertain he felt in this stance. Especially with the memory of her strike still fresh in his mind, now that he knew it was a bad stance it just felt… off. Miyabi stepped closer, her gaze was analytical and her movements precise, it was clear that she knew what to look for. She nudged his feet into a wider, more stable, stance. Her touch was firm, but not rough, she adjusted his hips so that his body presented a much smaller target. 

The Fox Thieren stepped back and took her own stance, it was clear at a glance her stance was perfect. It was the result of an entire life of training. Meanwhile his still had a somewhat awkward air to it. 

“Watch closely.” She threw a punch, her entire body flowed with the motion. There was power and control, it was more than a technique, it was second nature for her.

Wise frowned as he compared their abilities.

“Now, you try.”

The Proxy let out a small huff but did as he was told. He drew in a slow breath and braced himself. He reminded himself that he wasn't just mimicking her movement. He needed to try to feel it as well.

The threw the punch, his body flowed with the movement.

It wasn’t as picture perfect as Miyabi’s, but it was a noticeable improvement. 

Her stern gaze softened and she smiled slightly, “Good. Again.”

He punched.

“Again.”

He punched again, this time slightly better.

“Again.”

He threw yet another punch, once more there was a noticeable improvement, he was more accustomed with how to move his body, even if only slightly.

Miyabi’s gaze remained resolute, she made her way in front of him again and raised her own fists, “Let’s see if you can keep that up, feel free to experiment, I’ll teach you where you go wrong.”

Wise stiffened, the memory of what happened only a few moments earlier was still extremely fresh in his mind, “W-were gonna spar?”

“Practicing your form is one thing,” Miyabi said, her voice even, “But maintaining it under stress is another, don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.”

“If you say so.” Wise said with a frown. 

He jabbed at Miyabi, his fast was fast but she was faster!

She stepped out of the way and threw her own punch his way. 

He mimicked her and stepped out of the way of her jab, only for her to move closer and throw another punch. 

Her fist was a blur and slammed into her arm, he had raised it just in time. 

“Ow!” He grunted out. 

“You have better reach than I do,” Miyabi coached him, “Keep me at a distance.” 

“Okay, will d-”

Miyabi was on him once again, another jab sent him into a backpedal to keep his distance. 

She stepped closer and threw a jab.

He stepped back to avoid it. 

He grit his teeth and she kept the pressure on! 

She closed in and threw another punch, he blocked it clumsily and backed away yet again. 

He had to get back the initiative!

She stepped forward and threw yet another jab. 

Wise stepped to the side this time and threw a jab, she responded with a disappointed click of her tongue and ducked to the side of his punch.

Before he could realize what happened her palm slammed into his chest and he stumbled backward again. 

“Maintain your form, Wise,” Miyabi scolded him, “Next time I’ll throw you to the floor.” 

“Okay, I’ll remember that.” He felt a chill go up his spine from Miyabi's promise. 

He took a moment to catch his breath and got back into his stance, his eyes watching Miyabi's body as best he could. She was like a coiled spring ready to move at any moment. 

He saw her foot twitch and took his chance. 

He stepped forward and threw a punch. 

She ducked beneath it and slammed her fist into his ribs. 

Wise stumbled backwards, his breath was ragged and his side already felt sore from the punch, “This is you going easy on me?”

“Yes.” The Void Hunter responded, “I need to know how you think when fighting, so that I know what to correct next time, besides any opponents you face won't play nice.”

“I know.” Wise said with a breath, he raised his fists once more. 

He watched as Miyabi did the same and he tried to think of a plan. He didn't just want to get pummeled into the ground but he knew the chances of him even getting close to landing a clean punch wasn't a good one. 

She was faster than him, she was stronger than him, she had more experience than him. 

What could he do to-

Miyabi surged forward and threw a jab straight at face, “Ethereals don't wait for you to come up with a plan!”

Wise raised his arms in front of his face, this punch hurt.

Once again her was on the backfoot, Miyabi surged forward once more. 

Screw it. 

“My plan is no plan!”

He dropped his guard and lunged at Miyabi, his arms wrapped around her torso and tackled her to the ground.

The sudden declaration and lunge caught Miyabi flat footed, she had too much forward momentum to backpedal and was too deep into his guard to move out of the way. 

The second they hit the mat Miyabi used her strength and the momentum Wise had against him and flipped them over. In one fluid motion she straddled his hips, one hand pinned his dominant band to the floor the other reared back and ready to send her fist across his jaw. 

Her eyes blazed with determination. 

His with a mixture of fear and amazement. 

Her facade cracked, “Well done.”

“T-thanks…” Wise smiled. Then his eyes looked down and realized the position they were in and his cheeks flushed.

Miyabi saw him blush and followed his gaze in confusion, her own eyes widened, her cheeks flushed and she quickly got to her feet, “G-good job on the tackle, it was timed really well.”

Wise sat up and rubbed the back of his neck, “T-thanks, I think I can call that a victory… any notes, Miyabi?” 

“Hm?” She glanced over her shoulder at him once more, her blush still on her face. A mere moment later it was gone and her resolute expression returned, “You're decent at maintaining distance, but you tend to be too reactive and overthink.”

“Okay,” Wise mentally took note, “Be more proactive and try not to overthink.”

“Not the easiest thing in a fight but I’m sure you'll figure it out,” Miyabi smiled at Wise and helped him to his feet, “Maybe Yanagi would be good at that, she's always been the strategist of Section Six.” 

Wise tilted his head slightly, “We’ll talk to her after training I assume?” 

“Good idea.” Miyabi agreed. She then turned back towards the weapon rack, “Now then, it's time we got you used to handling a blade.” 

—

Random Play

—

Belle banged her head against the top of the front counter of Random Play, “I’m so bored!” 

It had been an incredibly slow day today, the only customers who had come in hadn't even done any small talk either! She couldn't even tease Wise about Miyabi since they were training today. 

“I’m boooooooored.” She groaned for what felt like the millionth time. 

The door slammed open, “Oh manager~” 

Belle perked up immediately, her rescuer from boredom had arrived! Billy Kid, the battle android strutted into the store and turned to look at her. He was practically bouncing off the wall

“Hey Billy!” Belle waved, “How are you doing today?” 

“I'm doing amazing!” He cheered and leaned against the counter, “We scored an absolutely HUGE commission today, Nicole sent me to ask if you two could help guide us through the Hollow?”

Belle took out a notebook and pen, “What's the commission?”

“The client asked us to go into a hollow and retrieve a family heirloom, apparently it really matters because they're gonna pay fifty thousand dennies for it!” Billy danced in place, “They even paid half upfront so we could hire a good proxy since he wants it to be done perfectly!” 

“Twenty-five upfront?” Belle frowned as she wrote everything down, “And you want to hire us?” 

“You're the best in the business and we know we can rely on you two, plus we're gonna pay the fee upfront this time so you two don't have to add anything to our tab!” Billy crossed his arms and nodded profusely, “Speaking of, where's the other manager?” 

“He’s training.” Belle explained, her focus down on the notes. 

“Training?” Billy tilted his head, “Why? I thought he didn't care that much about working out.” 

Belle glanced up at Billy, “Did… Anby say what happened on that mission with Lycaon, Vivian and Hugo?”

“She said he double crossed you guys,” Billy glanced up as he recalled it all, “She did also mention that Wise was in danger but pulled through just fine.” 

“He was held at knifepoint,” Belle explained, “By Hugo… honestly it was kinda touch and go for a bit.” 

“Oh…” Billy stilled at that revelation, “Are you two okay, Belle?” 

“I’m… worried…” Belle admitted, “Wise is training and learning how to fight so if something like that happens again he can defend himself… or me if worst comes to worst.”

“Well if you ever need anything, or Wise ever wants some real Hollow diving experience you two know who to call.” 

Belle was silent for a moment, “Billy, how dangerous is this Hollow?” 

“From what little info we got on it it's a smaller hollow with nothing other than tyrfings,” Billy informed her, “If you're thinking of letting wise join us in there just remember, if things get dangerous we'll retreat and come back better prepared and without Wise.” 

That made Belle smile, “Thanks Billy! I’ll see what Wise has to say when he's back.” 

Belle waved goodbye to Billy, but her smile disappeared the moment the door closed. She looked down at her notes, twenty-five thousand upfront? For a family heirloom? In a hollow that isn't dangerous? Something didn't feel right…

She hoped she was wrong.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: Something's off…

“That does seem rather odd,” Wise agreed with Belle’s assessment of the commission, he had only arrived back at random play a few minutes ago, bruises still fresh and the sword he trained with attached to his hip. His hand drifted to his chin and he leaned back against the counter, “The client could just be really desperate…”

“But the Hollow is barely active,” Belle countered his suggestion. She restocked the shelves as she spoke, “If they're able to drop that many Dennies up front I assume they're well off enough to get their own carrot and hire the best hollow raiders on Inter-Knot.” 

“Which isn't the Cunning Hares.” Wise stated. 

It was a fact that the Cunning Hares knew themselves, they were more ‘middle of the pack’ when it came to Hollow Raiders on Inter-Knot. While they didn't advertise their Hollow Raiding services, Victoria Housekeeping was likely at the top spot with their efficiency, almost guaranteed success and lack of collateral damage. 

Which once again brought the question back to why the Cunning Hares?

“Does Nicole know how shady this is?” Wise asked instead. He walked over and took the now empty box from Belle and handed her one that was full of video tapes, “Even she has to know this is weird.” 

“She says that it's the publicity from the Vision Case paying off,” Belle sighed, “She agrees that it's odd but she's willing to give it a shot anyway. Though I think she's looking at it from the money angle.” 

“They do need the money,” Wise weighed and started to fill his box with films. 

A few moments passed where neither sibling spoke, both too absorbed in their own thoughts on the commission. Wise glanced at his sword, which leaned against the staff-only door inside its hilt, it was the same one Miyabi had trained him with, she told him to practice in his own time make the movements she taught him second nature.

“Do you…” Wise hesitated for a moment, then started again, “If we accept the commission, I could go and get Hollow Diving experience… what do you think.” 

Belle’s shoulders sunk and she turned to look at her brother, “Do you really think that's a smart idea? With how shady this all is? What if something goes wrong? What if you get stuck in the hollow?”

“You can come as Eous,” Wise countered, “That way you and Fairy are in the loop.” 

“Master, I am always in the loop.” Fairy stated, her robotic voice emanated from his cell phone, which was in his pocket. 

“Exactly.” Wise nodded to the A.I.’s words.

“However,” Fairy continued, “Second Assistant does bring up valid concerns, with how unusual this commission is it may be beneficial to be prepared.”

Wise watched Belle’s body perk up at Fairy’s words, happy that the artificial intelligence was on her side. 

Wise’s eyes went wide, “You're not worried about Ethereals, are you?”

“No.” Belle nodded, “What if Hugo is still out there? What if this is a way to get to you?” 

“The Cunning Hares are good fighters, Master,” Fairy began, “But in a fight Hugo, or someone of his skill, could gain enough of an advantage to harm you. Not to mention the chances of being ambushed in the Hollow.”

Wise’s hand found his chin once again and he bit the inside of his chin, “We could bring back up?” 

Belle frowned, “You really want to do this, don't you?” 

“If it's a trap and someone is trying to get to us, I’d rather be there to make sure the Cunning Hares make it out.” Wise said, “You could come as Eous and… Vivian could act as backup, maybe shadow us to keep an eye for any threats.” 

Belle stared at Wise, her eyes searching for any way to talk him out of it. She was met with a wall of determination and finally, she relented. 

“Okay…” She deflated, then she got to her feet and jabbed her finger into Wise’s chest, “But you gotta dress the part! I don't want you to be traced back to the video store if you run into any PubSec!”

Wise sighed, “I’ll wear something different than my usual clothes or my workout clothes, I’ll make it seem like I’m a totally different person, I promise.” 

—

A few days later

—

“Proxy? What are you wearing?”

Wise chucked at Nicole’s question and held the backdoor open for Eous, the Bangboo gave the cunning hares a series of ‘En-nah’s’ and waved his tiny arm at the Hollow Raiders. Nekomata and Billy waved back enthusiastically, Anby smiled and Nicole kept her gaze on the appalling outfit Wise currently had on.

The Proxy shut the back door to Random play and glanced down at his outfit. He had on white sneakers, jeans, a white button up with the top button undone, which showed a red undershirt. On top of that he had a denim Jacket underneath a red sweater vest. When he glanced back up at the leader of the Cunning Hares and shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck clearly a tad embarrassed. 

“Belle wanted me to wear something that didn't resemble my usual style, so I decided on a costume I wore a few years back for Halloween.” Wise explained. 

“Mark McSoar,” Anby explained, “That was a good movie. Good job on the outfit, it looks almost exactly like the costume the actor wore,” She frowned at the button up he had on, “You need a more accurate button up.” 

“Yeah,” Wise shrugged, “We tried but couldn't find one at the time, it was kinda last minute.” 

Anby shrugged and took a bite of a burger that hadn’t existed a moment ago, where she had hid it was a mystery to the universe itself.

“En neh nuh en neh (I think it looks amazing!),” Eous said cheerfully.

Billy walked up to Wise and handed him a blade identical to Anby’s, “We brought one of her spares, she has a couple just in case one is broken or gets lost inside a hollow.”

Wise took the blade and smiled, the felt reassured with the blade in his hand. He turned his gaze towards the white haired girl and smiled as he put the sword in it’s sheath, “Thanks for letting me borrow this Anby.” 

“It's nothing,” Anby said with a small smile, “We need the entire team at their best.” 

“You should have seen her, nya~” Nekomata appeared behind Wise, he jumped in surprise at her sudden presence, “She was very flattered that you asked for one of her swords!”

Anby stopped mid bite of her burger, “Nekomata.”

The cat thiren shook in fear.

“Everyone ready?” Nicole asked, when everyone nodded she turned to Android, “Billy get in the driver's seat, Proxy…” She gave his outfit a distasteful look, “We'll take you shopping after this.” 

“Yes Ma’am!” Wise chuckled and climbed in the car.

The Proxy pulled out his phone and checked Knock Knock for the latest update from Vivian, who had gone ahead to the entrance of the Hollow.

Vivian: Just arrived, nothing looks suspicious as of yet. I’m looking forward to seeing your skills in action my dearest Proxy!

Wise rolled his eyes slightly but couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his lips and typed out his response.

Wise: Keep an eye out, we’ll be there in twenty minutes or so. No matter what happens Belle and I will treat you to some hotpot for all the help you’ve given us lately.

Vivian: awbjkGW I-if you insist Lord Phaethon!

Wise chuckled slightly and slid his phone back into his pocket. His eyes slid over to Nicole, she was in the seat next to him and noticed the way she frowned at him. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at her, “Denny for your thoughts?”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Nicole grinned, her eyes turned down towards the pocket Wise had put his phone into, “What was that about?”

Wise was silent for a moment, should he tell the Cunning Hare’s they’d have a shadow? If something did go wrong it might be better for them if they did, plus…. His eyes slid over to Anby. He knew how good of a warrior she was, if she felt like there was a threat and acted fast, Vivian would probably be out of the fight. 

“We’re gonna have a friend of mine shadow us,” Wise confessed, “Belle and I think this entire commission has too many holes in it to be safe, Fairy thinks so as well, I’m sure you all can handle yourself so this is mostly just us being cautious.”

“Having backup should anything go wrong is a smart tactical choice.” Anby nodded, her gaze was focused on the stores they passed by as they drove. Her index finger tapped on her thigh, “Who is this friend?”

“Vivian,” Wise informed them, “You remember her, right Anby?”

“I do.” The girl smiled slightly, “If things do go wrong it will be good to have someone of her skill level on our side.”

The rest of the drive went smoothly, Wise gave a description of Vivian to the rest of the Cunning Hares and updated Vivian to make sure everyone was on the same page. From there it was a quiet drive with the radio blaring some new pop song that Wise didn’t really pay attention to, his thoughts were all focused on the upcoming raid. 

They were headed to the Mycenae Hollow, a companion Hollow to the Papago Hollow. It was in a unique spot geographically, on the edge of both New Eridu and the Outer Ring. While that location had made it extremely dangerous in the past, through multiple cullings lead by H.A.N.D. and the New Eridu Defense Force, it was now considered inactive and was harvesting energy for the city itself, courtesy of the Shiyu Pillars. That was another thing that made this entire commission weird, it had been half a decade since this Hollow had been made inactive, why was it only now the subject of a commission like this?

Wise huffed to himself, he needed to relax. If he continued to think like that he’d make himself stir crazy before they even arrived at the Hollow. He’d rather not make a fool of himself on this commission, especially if he did more jobs like this in the future.

It didn’t take much longer for the Cunning Hares to reach the Hollow after they got to the outskirts of the city, they parked the car nearby and made their way to the edge of the black mass that was the exterior of the Hollow. Wise nodded to Eous and sent a quick text to Belle, only moments later the Bangboo twitched and turned toward Wise.

“Feels weird to be piloting Eous again,” Belle chuckled, and pointed a stubby arm towards Wise,  “Especially since you hog all the commissions!”

“That might change soon,” Wise shrugged, ‘We’ll have to see how things go from here.”

“Did Vivian check in?” Anby asked.

“She did,” Belle’s voice answered while the bangboo nodded, “She told me she saw you all parking, she’s nearby.”

“She’ll be right behind us.” Wise smiled and rest a hand on the hilt of his borrowed sword.

Nicole crossed her arms and grinned, “Looks like it’s gonna be an interesting commission! Everyone ready?”

“Yep!” Wise said with a smile.

Billy vibrated with excitement, “You know it, Nicole!”

“Affirmative.” Anby said with a nod.

“Always ready, nyah!” Nekomata replied while she stretched.

“The H.D.D. is up and ready to get to work,” Belle’s Voice responded, “Let’s get to it!”

Nicole gave the entire group a nod, turned on her heel and passed through the Hollow’s edge. A light surrounded the silhouette of her body and a slight bubbling sound filled the silence in the air, she was now in the hollow.

Anby followed behind her without a moment's hesitation, Nekomata close on her heels.

“Don’t worry manager,” Billy said with a glance at Wise, “You’ll be fine!”

With those kind words Billy walked through the Hollow’s edge. 

Wise frowned in determination and followed the rest of the cunning hares. In the corner of his eyes he could see Belle’s bangboo form follow him through. He heard the bubbling noise as he crossed through the Hollow’s edge, a shiver went through his entire body and he felt weightless.

The next instant he felt his feet land on solid ground, though there was a difference in the air. It felt… heavy with Ether. The telltale signs of a Hollow’s interior, the ether rich environment that monsters called home and humanity harvested for energy.

“Still feels weird,” Wise concluded. He turned his gaze to the rest of the Cunning Hares, “Do you ever get used to that weightless feeling when crossing into a hollow?”

“Nope.” Anby replied.

“There’s always a bit of discomfort, not much we can do about it.” Nicole shrugged, then turned her gaze towards the interior of the Hollow, “Now then, let’s find our target!”

“Fairy found us a route,” Belle chimed in, her bangboo form took moved to the front of the group, “Follow me and please, keep a lookout, let’s make sure nothing gets a jump on us.”

“Awfully nervous aren’t we?” Nicole muttered to herself, a frown pulled at her lips.

The group then made their way deeper into the hollow. Belle was in the front of the group with Anby and Nekomata on either flank, behind them was Nicole and Wise, Billy brought up the rear. 

The group travelled in silence for a few minutes, the part of the Hollow they entered from was the outskirts of a suburb. As they travelled further in the open ground was replaced with ruined buildings with etheric corruption spread across the suburb. The buildings were worn down, the years had not been kind and the black crystal formations, the signs of etheric corruption, stuck up from the ground in clusters throughout the street, which forced the group to take a twisted and winding path deeper into the hollow. 

After nearly twenty minutes of silent walking, Nekomata broke the silence and started talking to Anby about movies. The white haired girl kept her head on a swivel but responded nonetheless, she answered the questions Nekomata had for her or corrected the cat thirens ‘incorrect takes’. While Belle led the group she did occasionally throw in her own opinion or act as a sort of tie breaker for the two.

Wise chuckled at the conversation, then felt Nicole bull at his sleeve and turned to look at the pink haired girl. There was a concerned frown on her face. The Proxy put a comforting hand on her shoulder, “You alright, Nicole?”

“I was but…” She let out a sigh, “I kinda brushed off your worries because of the sheer amount of dennies… but with how on edge you and Belle are… what if I made the wrong choice?”

“It’s okay, Nicole.” Wise smiled at the girl, “I’ve done my fair share of shady shady commissions, Belle and I are just on edge because of recent… events that we’ve gone through. Besides, I know how skilled you four are at fighting, I know that in the event that something goes wrong we’ll be able to fight out way out.”

Nicole’s frown weakened a bit, she turned her gaze upwards and met Wise’s, “But what if it’s something we can’t fight? What if we can’t run.”

“You’re one of the smartest people I know Nicole, you’re clever and you’re amazing at adapting to the circumstances,” Nicole blushed at the compliments while Wise squeezed her shoulder and continued, “You’ll lead us to victory or find us a way out and worst case scenario, Belle can call the Sons of Calydon since they owe us a favor.”

That made the pink haired girl’s eyebrows shoot up in shock, “They owe you a favor?”

“Cheesetopia,” Wise chuckled, “Belle and I helped them make it a success, Lucy really wants us to collect on that favor.”

“That sounds like her,” Billy laughed, “She hates having debts to repay, this one time I held onto a debt for so long she lo-”

“Etherials!” Anby’s voice boomed over the entire group.

By the time Wise’s gaze had moved, Anby and Nekomata had surged forward to meet the Etherials head on.

Wise took his own blade out and scowled at the ethereals, it looked like a normal pack of Tyrfings, roughly 8 or so?

“Manager, sit back and relax, we’ll take care of this!” Billy ordered and ran into the chaos of battle to offer Nekomata and Anby fire support.

Nicole crossed her arms and watched with a proud smile on her face, there was nothing like watching the Cunning Hares clean house!

Nekomata danced through the ethereals at a breakneck pace, her knives chipped away at the monsters and her small size allowed her to dance around the limbs and between the legs of her opponents. She was untouchable!

Billy circled the edge of the engagement; his shots were well placed and kept the etherial’s attention split between him and the other members of the Cunning Hares. Whenever the ethereals got close to surrounding a member of his team, he’d blitzed through the center of the fight, he spun like a top and fired as many rounds as possible. Once more, attention was split and the Cunning Hares were in control of the fight.

Finally there was Anby, she used the same weapon as Wise and he took great care to watch her moves with as much scrutiny as possible. Each swing was long and strong, her strikes were powerful and focused on the weak points of the ethereals with pinpoint accuracy. Every time she used her blade's elemental affinity it was to control the crowd and hit as many targets as possible.

It didn’t take long for the fight to come to an end, tryfings were the lowest form of Etherials and by far the most common. Throughout their time as Hollow Raiders the Cunning Hares had more than seen their fair share of tyrfings and had learned all the tips and tricks involved in taking them down. 

“Targets eliminated.” Anby reported in and sheathed her blade.

“Nyah~” Nekomata stretched her entire body out as much as she could, very similar to how inky did when he woke up from a nap, “That was a good warm up!”

“Good job everyone!” Billy cheered, “You two make for a great team!”

“Don’t sell yourself short Billy!” Belle’s voice said, her bangboo body jumped up and down in enthusiasm, “You did your job amazingly well!”

“How far are we from the target?” Nicole asked, a proud smile still on her face.

Belle was silent for a moment before her bangboo body then turned towards the pink haired leader, “We’re halfway there!”

“Well in that case, let’s get a move on!” Nicole marched past the three combatants, “The faster we get this done the faster we get our dennies!”

Billy chuckled at Nicole’s antics and followed behind her.

Anby wordlessly nodded and did the same.

Nekomata glanced at Wise and shrugged before she followed as well.

Wise took a step forward, then heard a clatter of metal. He whirled around and searched for the source of the noise. Behind him there was nothing but the same landscape as before, except for a metal bucket which rolled along the deserted street. He turned his body slightly and tightened the grip he had on his hilt. 

“Manager!” Billy’s voice called out from further up the road, “Did you drop something?”

Wise glanced back towards the group, “No I just…” 

He turned his gaze back towards the bucket and the road. His eyes gave it one more scan, he pulled the blade out slightly and bit the inside of his cheek, his gut told him there was something out there, but what if he was just on edge?

He sheathed his sword and jogged to catch up with the rest of the Cunning Hares with a nervous chuckle “Sorry about that, I got lost in my thoughts!”

Billy laughed and gave Wise a comforting pat on his back, “Don’t worry! It happens to Anby all the time!”

The silver haired proxy laughed at Billy’s remark.

Nicole meanwhile, glanced at Anby and then behind them.

They both frowned.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Trust Your Gut

“You alright, Proxy?” 

Nicole's voice pulled Wise out of his thoughts, he turned his gaze to her and gave her the best smile he could, “I’m fine.”

Her frown told him she didn't believe a word of it.

“Fine,” He sighed and glanced behind him for a moment, “I feel like we're being watched, since just after our fight with the Ethereals.”

Nicole didn't glance back, but she did increase her pace slightly, “What about our backup? Could it be them?” 

“Maybe?” Wise frowned, “No, if it was she wouldn't have made any noise.” 

“Are you sure?” 

Wise glanced at Nicole, he saw a desperation in her eyes, she didn't want this to be a trap, he could tell. But he knew in his gut something was wrong. The eerie vibe, the chills that went up his spine and the feeling of eyes watching him, it was too much for him to brush off. 

He nodded. 

Nicole sighed, “See if you can confirm, make it look convincing.” 

Wise nodded and jogged to catch up to the rest of the group, “One second, my bangboo needs to be tweaked real quick, I think there's something wrong with the display.”

“Make it quick, we're on the clock.” Nicole snapped at him, then she marched over to the front of the group and crossed her arms. Now next to Anby, she whispered, “I think we have a tail.” 

The white haired girl gave a tiny nod and glanced at Billy, the hand in her sword tightened its grip.

The Android moved his hands to his holsters casually, like he was simply resting his arms. 

Nekomata stretched again, but this time her ears moved to zero in on any type of movement she could find. 

Nicole gripped her suitcase just a bit tighter. 

“What's going on?” Belle whispered through Eous. 

“Run a scan real quick, where is Vivian compared to us?” Wise spoke as his hands opened a small wiring compartment next to Eous’ face plate, “I think we're being followed.”

After a moment Belle spoke again, “Vivian is where she said she would be, but there's another heat signature right next to her…”

“How long since she last updated you?” He asked, he narrowed his eye on a wire and pretended to fix it.

“Crap.” Belle said under her breath, “I forgot to check, It was just before you ran into that pack of Tryfings.” 

Wise’s shoulders slumped slightly, “Damn it.” 

“Well.” Nicole tapped her foot impatiently, her gaze moved around their surroundings, “Got an update for us proxy or are we just gonna sit here like sitting ducks?” 

Wise opened his mouth to give her a reply, but a different voice answered.

“Well look what we have here!” A sultry voice rang out. It sounded like it was coming from every direction at once, the echoes sent a shiver up Wise’s spine and he stood up, his gaze scanned the area in search of the source. 

The group readied their weapons and closed ranks, their backs to each other and their attention out towards their surroundings.

Nicole's briefcase clicked open and revealed its muzzle, her eyes scanned for any sign movement.

Anby was crouched slightly, she held her blade in a reverse grip. Her body was like a coiled spring and she was prepared to move at a moments notice. 

Billy held his guns up, prepared to give covering fire to his comrades. 

Nekomata’s ears twitched and moved, she had a nervous frown on her face but her eyes gleamed with determination. Her knives were already unsheathed and ready for action.

Finally there was Wise. He mimicked the pose Miyabi used to train him and held his blade out in front of him with a slight angle. He took in a nervous breath through his nose, counted to ten, then released it through his mouth, his nerves calmed down somewhat.

“The Cunning Hares,” The sultry voice spoke, “...plus one.”

Wise scowled. 

“You must be their proxy,” The voice decided, “Tell me, Proxy… what do you go by… perhaps you can do some work for me in the future.” 

Wise didn't answer.

“Icarus.” Anby stated, she glanced at Wise and gave him a comforting nod, “His name is Icarus.” 

“Icarus…” The voice echoed once more, “What an interesting name~”

Wise felt a sense of familiarity in the voice, he narrowed his eyes. 

“There.” Billy nodded toward a two story building. 

Wise turned his gaze towards the building and frowned. Standing there in a white construction outfit and in a basic exoskeleton was a familiar Rat Thieren, her blue eyes and sky smirk somehow made Wise feel even more nervous.

“We got more incoming!” Belle did her best to whisper, but the fear made that difficult. 

“What is she doing here?” Nicole asked. 

“Undercover maybe?” Wise replied with a glance, “Still, we’ll need to play the game.”

Nicole understood what he meant and stepped forward, “Well then, you obviously know who we are, who are you?” 

Jane chuckled and a half dozen men arrived all around them, all of them wore gear similar to Rat Thieren. 

“Boys,” Jane chuckled, “They've gotten too close to our hideout, let's show them some hospitality~”

They all chuckled. 

Then they charged. 

It took an instant for chaos to take control. 

The gangsters charged at the Cunning Hares and were quickly met with bullets, a blade crackling with electricity, and a pair of daggers. 

Anby parried the punches sent at her from the exoskeleton enhanced gangsters, while the weight of their attacks were too much to block outright, she could redirect them. 

Nekomata danced around each punch, her agility and daggers allowed her to weave through her opponents, her daggers cut through mechanical joints, threw the enemy off balance, and gave the Cunning Hares an advantage. 

A hailstorm of bullets flew outwards in every direction, courtesy of the battle android. Billy’s well placed shots pierced the armor of the gangsters and gave Nekomata and Anby more time to do their work against their enemies. 

“You four always impress~” Jane said with a smirk, her gaze slid from the fighting to the two remaining members of the party, “The Cunning Hares, mediocre Hollow Raiders, amazing fighters, you have good taste in escorts, Icarus.”

Wise opened his mouth to respond.

The silver glint of her dagger stopped his response in its tracks

It raced towards his face. 

Wise stepped back and slid his sword out of his scabbard. 

The parry was clumsy, the butt of his hilt knocked her dagger upwards, but the cold kiss of steel bit at his hand nonetheless. 

Jane narrowed her gaze on Wise. 

Nicole's briefcase slammed into the Rat Thieren’s gut and threw her backwards. 

“Since when could you react that fast?!” The pink haired hollow raider’s eyes were wide in surprise, but locked on their opponent.

Her briefcase lurched open and hissed with a mechanical whirr and revealed the barrel of her cannon. The entire briefcase hummed with etheric energy in a clear threat to anyone who wished to do her harm. 

“Been training a bit.” Wise held his blade out in front of him, just as Miyabi had taught him, he winced at the pain which pulsed from the cut just above his wrist, “That parry could have been better…” 

“Actually, I think it was rather good,” Jane chuckled. 

Once more she charged forwards. 

Nicole fired several rounds from her gun, which Jane effortlessly dodged. 

“Stand still!” The pink haired girl growled. 

Jane sidestepped another blast. 

Nicole growled and closed the gunport on her briefcase, she tightened her grip and swung it around at Jane.

The rat ducked underneath the briefcase and spun around, her heel slammed into Nicole's side and sent her to the ground. 

Jane, without missing a beat, turned on her heel and surged towards the Proxy, “So you've been training?” 

Her first thrust went towards his shoulder. 

He stepped to the side and sent his blade in a riposte. 

She spun away from the thrust with little effort, her leg swung around and slammed into the back of his knee, he dropped to the ground with a growl. 

“Good footwork,” She praised, “Work on your speed.” 

She sent another thrust of her dagger his way. 

Wise leapt forward to avoid the thrust, his wrist slammed against the asphalt and he winced at the pain, nevertheless he scrambled to his feet. 

Only to be met with a heavy boot to the gut. 

He was thrown into the door of a nearby building, the years and wear of the elements on it made it collapse from his weight, he fell backwards and landed painfully on some rubble. 

“That looked painful~” Jane smirked at Wise as she entered the building. The fighting between the gang and the rest of the Cunning Hares sounded distant now, muffled thanks to the walls of the abandoned house. The Rat Thieren glanced over her shoulder and frowned, then turned and stared down ar Wise, “What are you doing here, Manager?” 

Wise felt some of the tension in his body release, “Okay, so you are undercover.”

“Of course I am!” The Rat’s frown deepened, “Did you really think I was trying to kill you?”

The Proxy let out a nervous chuckle and scratched his cheek, he glanced away from Jane’s critical glare. He cleared his throat and glanced back up at the scowling Thieren, “N-no.”

Jane huffed and walked over to a nearby wall and leaned her weight against it, “PubSec is trying to figure out how our equipment is getting smuggled to gangs and rebels in the Outer Ring, this group seems to be in the mix.”

“Isn’t this Outer Ring territory?” Wise pushed himself back to his feet, “Shouldn’t this be the job of the Sons of Caledon?”

“They’re too busy running the Outer Ring, besides, PubSec has a job to do out here as well.” Jane informed him. She glanced back at the doorway for a moment, then turned back towards him, “You haven’t answered me.”

“Hm?” He met her gaze once more. “What do you mean?”

“What are you doing in a Hollow,” Her scowl returned, “I thought your Ether Aptitude was horrible.”

“Long story short it's better now and the commission the Cunning Hares took was sketchy so Belle and I decided to help them out,” Wise explained as quickly as he could, “As for what I’m doing inside the hollow, I’ve been training and wanted to put my skills to use.” 

Jane stared at him for a moment, then turned her eyes away and crossed her arms, “Well keep training, you're lucky it was me that fought you.” 

Just as Wise was about to answer, a silver and green streak shot into the room and Anby swung her blade at Jane's gut. 

The Rat Thiren scrambled backward, her dagger managed to stop the swing in its tracks, but the force behind the swing itself still transferred to Jane. 

Wise watched as she was thrown back, off her feet, but managed to use the momentum of the blow to roll backwards and back onto her feet in a graceful backflip. 

“Gotta say cutie, you have an arm like a cannon~” Jane winked at Anby, who did not react in the slightest to the rat Thieren's antics. 

“Are you okay, Manager?” Anby asked, her eyes were still glued to her opponent. 

“I’m fine,” Wise told the Agent while he got to his feet and took out his sword once more. He nodded towards Jane,  “She's a friend, she's undercover, let's help her out and make it look convincing.” 

“Oh manager~” Jane laughed, her daggers were held on either side of her and her body was coiled like a spring, “You're too kind!” 

She surged forward, a large grin on her lips.

Anby swung at Jane's head, but the swing was just a touch too high and Jane easily ducked beneath the swing. 

Now under the blade Jane thrust her daggers towards Anby. 

The silver haired swordsman had enough time to step out of the path of the blades. 

It was then that Wise charged in, Jane’s arms were still extended and she was open. 

He sent a downward swing towards her head, his angle was slightly off and allowed the Rat to spin away from the attack. 

As she did so her tail grabbed the Proxy’s wrist and, with surprising strength, pulled his sword out from his hands, “Not a good idea to lose that~”

Wise frowned at the tease and charged forward, the aggression behind the action surprised Jane. She tried to avoid the grabble, but the cramped house limited her movements. 

His arms found their way around her waist and his momentum sent the two of them tumbling onto the asphalt of the road outside. 

The fight was still going on, but it was clear a stalemate had developed. 

Nicole and Billy stood behind an old abandoned car and used it as cover. Billy fired several rounds to keep the gangsters punned while Nicole swung around and fired a charged blast from her briefcase. 

From the brief moment Wise could catch a glimpse, it looked as though Nekomata was sitting behind the car as well, pressing a bandage against her thigh. 

“Jane!” One of the gangsters called out, the grabble had made enough noise for them to be noticed, even with the nearby gunfire, “We need to get out of here!”

Wise brought up a fist to throw a punch at the pinned Jane, but she reversed grapple in the blink of an eye.

Now the Proxy was under her and moved so that he was under her, she winced and gave him a sympathetic wince “Sorry about this, manager.”

Wise’s eyes went wide and her right hook slammed into his jaw. 

Everything went black. 

-_-_-_-_-

He opened his eyes with a wince, everything was so bright! Good lord he had a headache. She slowly sat up and squinted at his surroundings, he was in his room, his outfit he wore during the commission was on the foot of his bed, even from where he sat he could tell the fight had taken it's toll on the outfit. 

His mind finally remembered Jane’s punch and he opened his jaw and flexed the muscles, he winced at how sore it felt. 

“To be fair,” He sighed, “That was a good punch.” 

“You're lucky, you know that?” A cold voice spoke beside him.

Wise tensed up and after a moment turned his eyes towards the source of the voice, where he found Hoshimi Miyabi. Her hands were balled into fists in her lap and a frown pulled at her lips, “What were you thinking?”

“What are you doing here?” Wise’s mind reeled at her presence, on one hand he was glad to see Miyabi, on the other hand a pit had formed in his stomach. A sense of guilt washed over him.

“Nicole texted me,” She informed him, her icy tone made Wise wince, “She was aware that I was training you and let me know you had gotten injured in a hollow.” 

Wise frowned, “It wasn't-”

“Wise.” Her tone shut him up in an instant, “Please, don't. Just…” She let out a sigh and turned her gaze to the floor, “Remember that time, where I told you not to make me sad?” 

He nodded. 

“What Nicole told me,” Miyabi took in a breath, her hands tightened their grip on her skirt, “I was scared , I was so worried it was gonna be a horrible injury, something you wouldn't be able to recover from…” 

Wise didn't say anything, he waited for her to continue. 

“I’m happy you're okay,” She took a breath, her voice had a vulnerability to it that surprised Wise, “But I’m sad that you didn't tell me you were going to do something this potentially dangerous ahead of time.” 

“I’m sorry, Miyabi.” Wise didn't meet her eyes, he couldn't.

The fox girl was silent.

The weight of her silence seemed to only grow with each passing second, until finally she let out a huff and stood up, “And yet… I still feel sad.” 

Before Wise could contemplate her words, she turned on her heel and marched out of the room, the silence filled it once more and he stared down at his bandaged wrist and frowned. 

He heard Miyabi's muffled voice thank Belle and then the closing of the front door to Random Play. A sense of shame pooled in his gut and he laid back down, a frown pulled at his lips. 

He sighed and closed his eyes. 

When next he opened his eyes it was dark in his room, he had fallen back asleep and the sun had long since slid past the horizon. He sat there for a few moments, his mind replayed the words Miyabi had said to him on repeat. 

He had made her worried. 

He had made her sad. 

He gripped his bedsheets and frowned. 

With a huff, Wise got to his feet, “I need to clear my head.” 

He got dressed in his running shoes and black sweatpants and made his way downstairs. He walked past the staff room on his way out, briefly noting that it was cracked open, but he paid it no mind. 

Then he heard someone sniffle. 

His feet slowed to a stop. 

Without a second thought he turned back around and pushed the door further open, “Vivian?” 

He heard a gasp, “L-lord…” She took a breath, “Wise?”

Her voice was quiet and very fragile, as if she would shatter into pieces at any second. He made his way into the pitch black room, his years of living here guided him, and he sat down on the couch. 

“Are you okay, Vivian?” Wise turned his eyes in her direction and smiled. 

“N-no…” Wise could hear the frown in her voice. 

He tilted his head, “Are you injured?”

“I failed you, Wise…” her weight shifted on the couch, she couldn't face him, “You needed me and I wasn't there to help.” 

Her voice was raw and he couldn't bear it. 

“Vivian, you weren't the only one who messed up,” He chuckled, “We all walked into a trap.”

“But I wasn't there to play my part!” Her voice was barely above a whisper, “Y-you could have…”

“Hey,” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a one armed hug. She leaned into his hug, “I’m fine, a scratch and a bruise here and there, but I’m not hurt.” 

“But I was supposed to…” Her breath was shaking, “What if you had…” She turned around and buried her head into his chest, “What if he had done something to you!” 

Wise wrapped his arms around her in a protective hug and rubbed comforting circles into her back, “I’m fine, I’m here, Vivian.” 

Her body shook from the silent sobbing, he felt his thin shirt get damp from her tears but he didn't mind. He had done a similar thing for Belle on more than one occasion, the byproduct of being an older brother and pseudo parent rolled into one. 

“If it makes you feel any better,” He began, “I don't plan on going out into a Hollow for the foreseeable future.” 

“Good.” Her voice was muffled thanks to his shirt.

“And if, for whatever reason I do have to,” He frowned at the thought, “You'll be right at my side to protect me from whatever dangers are in there.”

She was silent for a moment, her grip on him tightened and she seemed to steel herself. 

“Wise?” 

He hummed a response. 

“He was there…” She confessed, “He knocked me out to stop me from being able to give you backup.”

Wise's eyes widened, the realization began to dawn on him “He?” 

“Hugo.” Her voice was a whisper, “He's alive.” 

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Comfort and Warnings

A long yawn filled the hall leading to the Section 6 office, Yanagi’s eyes still felt heavy despite the drive to H.A.N.D headquarters. If she had to guess as to why, it would be the combination of staying late to finish some paperwork and staying up even later to take care of Soukaku. The poor little Oni had eaten something that gave her a stomach bug, luckily, it seemed to have been mostly taken care of with some sleep, but that didn't stop Yanagi from demanding she stay 

home and rest up.

Hopefully, the pantry would have survivors left by the time she got home. 

The Deputy Chief stopped in her tracks, pulled out her phone, and sent a quick text to both Wise and Soukaku, asking Wise if he could check up on her and telling Soukaku that her favorite big brother might be stopping by later and to save some snacks for him.

Hopefully, that helps some of the pantry survive the day.

She smiled to herself and kept walking. Duty calls, and the mountain of paperwork wouldn't wait for her, so she'd better get started early and get Chief Miyabi’s paperwork done first and foremost!

The tall woman turned the corner and entered Section Six’s office, looked at her desk, and saw a surprisingly short mountain of paperwork. 

She made her way and gave Miyabi a nod, “Good morning, chief.”

She awkwardly froze, hovering just over the cushion of her office chair. 

Miyabi was here.

Early.

She was reading a document. 

Was that a pen in her hand? 

Was she writing notes in the margins?!

Yanagi took her glasses off and cleaned them before looking again. To her absolute shock, she still saw the chief behind her desk, actually working.

Miyabi was here, at work early, doing her work, writing notes to herself, completely focused. 

Had the world ended when she wasn't looking?

The woman adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat, “Chief?” 

“Hm?” She hummed in response, her attention clearly on the paper in front of her.

The Deputy Chief hesitated for a moment before she spoke, “Are you… feeling alright?”

“Why would I not be?” The fox thiren responded. 

“Well, you typically don't take work this seriously,” Yanagi explained, “Or come this early.” 

“Hm.” was Miyabi’s response. 

The Deputy Chief once again watched the fox thiren with a frown, it seemed like she was too busy with her work to actually answer her. Yanagi’s eyes watched her superior read the documents in front of her. After working with the fox thiren for so long, she had found a few tells that could inform her how Miyabi was truly feeling. She saw the way her lips curved ever so slightly downward, the way her ears would occasionally twitch, the way her eyes looked through the paper at something far away. 

Yanagi glanced at the clock on the wall and stood up, “Chief, we still have half an hour before we need to clock in, I’m gonna go grab some coffee from the break room. Do you want to come with me?” 

“Hm,” Miyabi hummed, then she blinked and finally exited her stupor,  "Sure.”

She got up from her desk and joined Yanagi. The duo exited the office and made their way down the hall towards the breakroom of the H.A.N.D. headquarters. As they walked, Yanagi gave Miyabi a sideways glance and noticed her eyes were once again focused on something far away. 

“Out with it.” 

Yanagi winced at the uncharacteristically harsh edge on Miyabi’s words. 

She cleared her throat, “So, I take it something is bothering you?”

“No.” The fox thiren denied and glanced away. 

“Chief…” Yanagi sighed. She needed to get to the heart of the issue, “Is it something to do with Wise?” 

That stopped Miyabi in her tracks. 

Yanagi stopped a half step later and looked at the fox thiren, the typically stoic-to-a-fault chief of Section Six, who had a massive frown on her face. 

It was kind of cute. 

But enough of those thoughts for now! 

The Deputy Chief reached out and gave the shorter woman a comforting squeeze on her shoulder, “Do you… want to talk about it?” 

The Fox thiren glanced away and her frown deepened, “I… I’m not sure.” 

Yanagi tilted her head slightly and gave the shorter girl a comforting smile, “If it helps, venting out your frustrations can be helpful. I could give you some advice if you want, but if you need me to, I can just listen.”

Migabi let out a frustrated huff and brushed the Deputy Chief’s hand off her shoulder, “Wise… did something… unwise.”

“Oh?” If it wasn't for how irritated Miyabi was, Yanagi knew she would have chuckled at the unintentional pun.

The fox thiren walked around Yanagi and continued down the hall towards the break room as she explained, “From my understanding, his Ether Aptitude got better and he went on a commission with the Cunning Hares, you remember them, right?”

“I do,” Yanagi nods, a fond smile pulled at her lips at the memory of their antics after the defeat of Bringer, “A bit rough around the edges, but they mean well.” 

The fox thieren was silent for a moment, then took a breath and continued, “Wise got injured, luckily nothing that requires a hospital visit, but… he still got hurt.” 

Now it all made sense. 

Wise was a very important person to Miyabi, he had helped her on more than one occasion. From things as serious as her momentary loss of control of Tailless to helping her with that tabloid reporter in Lumina Square, not to mention the training sessions that they've done together. This must have shocked Miyabi, and someone of her caliber can… get used to the sensation of fearlessness. 

“Oh, Chief,” The Deputy Chief pulled Miyabi into a hug, “Just remember, he's okay now.”

“But it could have gone worse,” Miyabi’s muffled voice said, “He could have gotten even more injured, or worse…” Her hands balled into fists, and her scowl only got worse, “Yanagi… why am I thinking like this? I don't usually think like this!”

Yanagi pulled back from the hug but kept her hands on Miyabi's shoulders, giving the chief another comforting squeeze, “You feel this way because you care deeply for Wise, and he put himself in danger, you worry because you can't help it.”

“But I care about Section Six as well,” The Chief scowled down at her feet. Her voice had a frustrated edge to it, “Why don't I feel this same worry in my chest when you all put yourselves in danger?” 

“Miyabi, look at me.” Yanagi waited until the Fox Thieren did as she asked before she continued, “You don't worry because you know we are all capable fighters and we have each other's back, you know you can help us win or help us get out if the odds are too high.”

She took a breath. 

“You don't have that same certainty with Wise, sure you've trained him and I know he's a quick learner but as you've said before training and real life experience are two different things,” She let go of the shorter woman and crossed her arms with a frown, “And if I had to hazard a guess, Wise hadn't told you he was doing this until after it all went down, did he?” 

“He did not,” Miyabi confirmed. 

Yanagi let out a frustrated huff, “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’ll most likely be giving him a piece of my mind later today.”

Miyabi tilted her head, a confused expression took over her features, “You will?” 

“I asked him to check up on Soukaku for me. If my luck is good enough, he'll still be there during my lunch break,” Yanagi smiled, “I’ll have a ten-minute window to let him know how worried he made you.”

“I was quite worried when I found out,” Miyabi confirmed with a nod.

“You can come if you want," Yanagi offered. "I’m sure it would do some good.”

“I…” Miyabi hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, “I need to figure things out in my head and collect my thoughts before I talk to him next. I want to be clear with him when I next speak to him… I can't be that way right now.”

“That's fine, I’ll make sure to let him know that his next training session will be painful!” Yanagi laughed. 

Finally, a tiny smile returned to Miyabi's face, “Please do, I want him to know I won't be pulling my punches as much anymore.”

With a chuckle, they finally entered the break room and looked at the coffee machine, only to find a sticky note with four words on it. 

The Coffee Machine is Broken. - Jordan, Section 2

Yanagi sighed. 

This was gonna be a long day.

-_-_-_-_-_-

A few hours later

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Wise put the last plate in the dishwasher and closed it. The carnage was over, and most of the pantry had survived. When he had gotten a text to check in on a sick Soukaku, he had expected to wrangle the little Oni’s appetite, and he had been correct, luckily for him, she was still feeling a little off from being sick the previous night and as a result didn’t have quite the same appetite as she usually did.

The mountain of dishes he had just washed didn’t really get that point across, though. 

Wise took a moment to wash his hands and dried them before he walked to Soukaku’s room and gave her a quick check. After such a hearty meal, she had gotten tuckered out and decided to take a nap. From what he could see, she was already asleep and in the depths of a pleasant dream.

The little Oni shifted a little bit in her bed, “Mmm… red bean buns… come here please…”

Wise chuckled and gently shut the door, a smile pulled at his lips as his thoughts drifted to many years ago when he would tuck Belle into bed. Oh, how the time has passed since then.

He returned to the living room just as he heard a key unlock the front door and Yanagi step inside, “Ah, manager! How’s Soukaku doing?”

“She’s doing good,” He said with a nod, “Had a pretty big lunch all things considered, so she’ll probably sleep the rest of the stomach bug tonight.”

“That’s good to hear.” Yanagi walked over to the island, put her bag down, and took a breath. “She’s taking a nap right now?”

Wise nodded with an affirmative hum and leaned against the counter across from Yanagi.

“Good, that gives me a chance to talk to you without worrying about Soukaku.” Yanagi mirrored Wise’s pose, “What you did, going into that Hollow, was reckless.”

“Oh, this conversation,” Wise winced at his words, but didn’t get a chance to rephrase.

“Oh, really?” The Deputy Chief scoffed, “You could have died, Wise. Do you realize how many people that would have hurt?”

“I do-”

Her frown deepened, and she cut him off, “And you don’t care?” 

“Of course I care!” Wise defended, “That’s exactly why I went into the Hollow in the first place.”

“So I’ve heard.” She pinched her nose, irritation clear on her face.

“Yanagi, trust me,” The Proxy frowned, “had I known things were going to get that bad, I wouldn’t have gone in.” 

“Hindsight is twenty-twenty, Wise,” Yanagi shot his words down immediately, “I’m sure you already know that from your proxy work, but it’s different when you’re actually inside a Hollow, ask your friends and they’d tell you the same.”

Wise nodded, “I’m sure they would.”

“Look, you made Miyabi scared,” Her eyes meet his from across the kitchen, “I’ve never seen her get scared like that before.”

“I know.” His eyes dropped to the floor.

The Deputy Chief took a breath, “She…”

She loves you, wise. That's what she wanted to say, but it was not her place to step into her friend's relationship like that.

“She really cares about you,” Yanagi decided instead, “She told me to relay a message to you, the next training session is going to be rough.”

“Oh…” Wise chuckled, “Oh, I’m gonna be feeling it for days, aren’t I?”

The Deputy Chief laughed and rounded the Island, finally closing the distance with Wise and giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze, “Oh, she will.”

“Thanks for the warning.” He nodded.

“The kid gloves are off, Wise,” Yanagi leaned in and whispered into his ear with a cold, authoritative voice that gave him no room for negotiation, “If you scare Miyabi like that again, I’ll train you myself, and I won’t be as forgiving as Miyabi is.”

Wise felt a shiver go up his spine, “Y-yanagi?”

“Am I clear?” Her voice was still as cold as ice.

Wise nodded quickly, “C-crystal!”

“Good!” Yanagi was back to her usual self in an instant, “Now then, let’s see if any Red Bean Buns are left!”

Wise watched as she walked away, he would have shown her where the ones that survived Soukaku’s feast were. But his legs had turned to jelly in response to the words Yanagi had spoken. He needs to get his act together, not just to keep his friends and family from being hurt, but to spare himself the wrath of a disapproving Yanagi.