Ut Simul Sint [Joint Training | Hebika and Shizuka| R]

[Hebika Nara]

Hebika was a bit curious when she overheard Shizuka talking on the phone, something of a habit she'd developed over the past few weeks with the woman. Of course the mention of a trip was something that piqued her interest. A trip? For Business? Of course there was a certain....aspect, to the call that she also picked up on. Some sort of subtle hint that there was something about this trip that wouldn't be a walk in the park, a level of danger that was held in Shizuka's voice as she spoke on the phone, masked almost completely by a formal business-like tone. 

Of course, when the woman siad nothing to her, she was, understandably, a bit put off. She had done her best to keep out of Shizuka's business for a while now, having noticed that now and again she stole off for goodness knew what, and she figured the woman was taking her time, waiting for a good moment to inform Hebika of what was going on. Not that she DOUBTED her human, which indeed Hebika did have some semblance of ownership, or at least some aspect of possessiveness. Shizuka was her human, or rather, she was Shizuka's. OF course she was not a toy, or a pet (she hoped) So it was quite unlike her previous humans. 

She digressed.

Thus when it did so come to pass for Shizuka's typical passive mention about going somewhere, Hebika simply  nodded in the affirmative, watching s they started to pack. OF course, she fell asleep halfway through packing, her face buried in her suitcase full of clothing, another suitcase of her other belongings like some sort of miniature bunker. She never DID pry as to what was in there. She always had her suspicions though. Well, in this case, she chose to occupy the third bag, which Shizuka sometimes didn't even take. 

Of course she had a plan, naturally. She made her way over to the clock, humming silently in her mind as she changed the alarm, making it a good hour later, robbing Shizuka of the leisure time she had before she had to leave. Enough time for them to rush to the airport, hastily p[ack the bag of clothing, and grab both her large lockbox of a bag, as well as the bag that contained Hebika. She'd seen it before, and had tested it beforehand. She had, on occasion, put some miscellaneous items in that third bag, and typically Shizuka would take it on mistake, thinking she has put something important in it. 

Really Hebika was rather proud of her plan, a pleased little giggle escaping her lips as she gave a roll of her shoulders, checking in on everything around them, putting a few of her own clothes in the bag before slipping in and zipping it shut, a smirk as she closed her eyes and began to drift off, confident that her plan would work. She had, at one point, back when she had first birthed this little emergency plan should she ever choose to accompany Shizuka, once worried that if she were to sneak into the third bag, Shizuka would notice the weight. However a certain test with some bowling balls and weights had proven that her rather freakishly strong companion had a considerably large margin for stimuli before noticing the difference. At least when she was in a rush.

As expected, the alarm went off, her eyes opening but her remaining silent, listening as Shizka mumbled about. Three..... Two.....One....
"SHIT!"
Ahhh there it was. Hebika smiled to herself as she heard the woman hastily pack the bag she'd fallen asleep in, grab the other two (herself included) , and stiffled herself from any audible laughter as she was carried roughly from the woman's room out to the car, pleased that he rlittle plan had worked, though wondering if perhaps she'd made it a bit too late as the woman was muttering worriedly under her breath. Oh well, Shizuka would get over it. 

The run through the airport was....amusing, she getting jostled about as Shizuka ran through the airport like a woman possessed, and finally she heard the sound of an airplane nearby, though a brief moment of surprise caught her as she realized it didn't sound like one of those commercial fliers. A private jet perhaps? How interesting indeed. Once Hebika sensed Shizuka relaxed, she assumed that she was boarding, the woman's gait was much more firm and relaxed. The slight incline, the sound of heels on stairs. And then they were alone, a soft huff of a sigh as Hebika felt herself being dropped.

She relaxed, remaining silent as she listened to Shizuka pant just a little, even with all her strength, carting the three bags around no doubt had left them a bit winded. And the soft 'boop' of the seatbelt light going on. Hebika waited, of course, until they were up in the air, counting off the seconds into her head as minutes went bye. Five... ten....fifteen..... and at long last, he would, very delicately, begin unzipping the bag from the inside, slooooowly peeking her head up and out of the bag, smiling as she noticed Shizuka's absolute look of utter shock as her best friend slipped out o her luggage.

Hebika cleared her throat. "Now before you get mad.......I have cookies."

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

LATE!!! Late, late, late! She was running so late! Shizuka scrambled up out of the suitcase she fell asleep in, unable to remember how on Earth she got stuck there in the first place. She must have been exhausted, but she was known to fall asleep just about anywhere anyway. Shizuka whined and moaned in distress as she finished her packing, throwing whatever was left in her room on the floor back into one of her bags. She didn't care if she intended to bring it originally or not. She was running out of time and couldn't find any chance to spare. She buckled her heels on, thankful that the weather was warm outside and where she planned on going. The Bahamas was a rather popular destination and it had a fairly large branch of Xcution stationed there.

Shizuka ran over to her chauffeur as he opened up the trunk of the Lincoln limousine that was going to be her ride to the airport. The woman threw her luggage (literally threw it, she didn't know Hebika was inside) into the trunk and had her chauffeur close it as she nervously played with her hair and mumbled to herself about how much trouble she would be in if she were to be late. Being late to any formal business meeting was greatly punishable and she had no idea how this all happened in the first place. Her heart was racing and beating so loudly that she worried the rest of the world would be able to hear it. Shizuka closed her eyes and scrunched her eyebrows together as she worried about her future, unsure of how it would turn out.

They drove up to the drop off area in front of the airport and the driver got out, generously helping Shizuka remove her bags from the limousine. She thanked him profusely and rejected his offer to carry her bags for her, knowing that he wouldn't be able to handle the weight like she could. She waved goodbye and picked up her luggage, running as fast as she could to her gate. She approached the security check point and patiently waited in line, still holding her bags briefly before dropping them into buckets. As she predicted, the alarms went off on her contents and some people in line around her looked at her as the guards asked to see what was inside. Shizuka simply stuck her tongue out, displaying the X that was tattooed upon it.

The guards apologized and let her through without a fuss, causing slight confusion among the other people who waited to get their baggage checked. She was cheating just a little bit but she was wasting time. Besides, a lot of people who worked in airports were aware of Xcution and who the organization was, aside from them being an integral part of every day life for average humans. Shizuka nodded her thanks and continued on, trying to be fast but not fast enough to make people question her inhuman speed. She raised eyebrows anyway but not for any spiritual reasons. She was a cute girl so people had a tendency to look at her a lot. She was pretty immune to the stares, though. Thankfully.

In no time at all, Shizuka made it to the terminal and closed the distance between herself and a flight attendant who guarded the gate. The flight attendant asked for her ticket and Shizuka stuck her tongue out once again, showing her tattoo. The attendant also apologized, referring to Shizuka as 'milady' and allowing her passage on to the private jet. Once inside, Shizuka was able to relax. She dropped her bags on the floor next to one of seven chairs that she chose to sit in since it was labeled with the number two. Of course this jet was for the Seven Guns with a large flat screen television hooked up to the wall that played when they were being given mission information. This time, however, Shizuka was to go to the section leader directly and speak with him.

Shizuka slouched down in her seat as the jet took off, slowly rising into the sky. She was panting and trying to catch her breath when she heard a strange noise coming from below her. Her ears twitched in response to it as she tried to focus on what the noise was, realizing it sounded a lot like a zipper. Her eyes shot open and she quickly jerked her head diagonally to look down at her bag, seeing Hebika's face peek out. Her eyes widened in horror as Hebika smiled and cleared her throat. What was she doing here?! Shizuka never told Hebika anything about Xcution and she didn't even notice the fact that Hebika snuck on with her! Ugh, when did this even happen? It wasn't making sense! Hebika could be in serious danger and--

"Now before you get mad....... I have cookies."

"Are you kidding me?! Hebika, this isn't good! You were supposed to stay home and now you're on the private jet with me! Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! What am I going to do??"

The Fullbringer had gotten up and started pacing back and forth. She didn't know how Hebika got on the plane, or even in her luggage for that matter. Especially without her noticing! Well, actually, she couldn't sense energy for the life of her so Hebika sneaking around would have been easy. Still, she didn't want her best friend to get hurt and she was going to worry about her the entire time! Shizuka helped Hebika out of the bag and had her sit in the seat across from her, labeled with the number one. Sighing, Shizuka took a seat once again and rested her head against her hand. She didn't want Hebika to feel bad, because she knew the only real reason her friend would have tagged along is because she was just curious about what Shizuka did for a living.

"Okay. Alright. Hebika, you can stay with me but you have to say you're a Grunt or something for Xcution in the Japanese branch. That's the only way they'll let you through. Oh, and take this." Shizuka handed Hebika her Xcution business card. "When you flash this at the entrance, they'll allow you to go in. I get my permission by showing them my tattoo but you don't have one and I can't just draw one on you. That's my card, though, so keep it safe. It acts as a key and my tongue can't exactly open doors."

Shizuka played with her hair on the back of her head and scratched her neck a little bit, as well. She was obviously nervous but this was the first time she ever mentioned Xcution to Hebika. They were a pretty big organization and had a huge monopoly over most of the human world, but held within them a secret military with some of the strongest assassins and most powerful research programs. Yet, apparently, not the most stable security. Shizuka would just have to hope for the best now instead of worry over something that can no longer be prevented. She didn't want Hebika to regret going with her or anything since it was sweet that she wanted to come along in the first place. Still, she couldn't help but be concerned.

After what seemed like forever, the plane finally landed and Shizuka packed away the playing cards that she and Hebika were using to pass the time. The pilot stepped out of the cockpit once the jet settled and parked, greeting Shizuka as 'milady' and taking note of Hebika's appearance. Shizuka passed her off as a Grunt and, while a bit suspicious, the guards let the two of them pass. They had no choice but to trust a member of the XSG, right? Well, it worked for now so Shizuka shrugged it off. She grabbed Hebika's hand and rushed her over to the elevator where she dragged her inside and pushed the button for the 32nd floor. The Fullbringer sighed in relief and looking to her friend, laughing a bit.

"Well, we made it this far. Didn't seem too bad but just watch yourself a bit. The Bahamas Xcution branch is pretty chill but they're all extremely serious about their work. If anything, just keep silent and stick to one word answers if people talk to you, okay? If something goes wrong, I'll get you out of there."

She was probably scaring Hebika to bits but it would be okay. Xcution was fairly reasonable and the Bahamas branch favored Shizuka since she was a frequent visitor. Who wouldn't want to come back? It was the flipping Bahamas! A resort! That was really living the life, huh? Shizuka smiled to herself as the elevator made a ringing noise, signaling their arrival of the Head of the Branch's office. As Shizuka took Hebika's hand again, she walked slowly forward and entered the large double doors that left the long hallway and gave entrance to the large office. The doors opened automatically and invited the two of them inside. A fancy table was waiting for them that had two places set with plates, silverware and glasses. One spot was for Shizuka but the other spot was reserved for the branch's Head. When a woman walked in, Shizuka was both surprised and excited to see her.

"Evening, Shizuka. It's been a while since I've seen you."

"No way! You're the head of the Bahamas Xcution branch? That's amazing!" Shizuka squealed as she ran over to give the tall, blonde woman a hug. Her bright red eyes seemed to smile in her own form of excitement at the Fullbringer's embrace.

"It truly has been an exciting journey for me, but don't you dare think this means you can cut corners! I earned this position just as you earned yours. But I do have one question." The woman struck Hebika's gaze with her own intense one. "Who is this young lady?"

"Oh, her? Well, this is Hebika. She kind of tagged along with me on the trip by accident. Um, Hebika, this is my aunt, Momoko Akashiya. She married into a pretty wealthy family so she doesn't share the Sanamizu name like my mom and dad do."

"Shizuka, your father did a wonderful thing by taking your mother's name. I simply liked Akashiya better, though. It's nothing against my heritage!"

"Aww, I know! I just like teasing."

Shizuka giggled and hugged her aunt tightly. It truly was a surprise but she knew her aunt played some part in Xcution even before she did. Still, knowing that she was related to one of the higher ups, even if the only role she played was to keep the branch running, was awesome. She hoped Hebika wouldn't be too timid, though. Shizuka explained who her aunt was and what her importance was during her training as she grew up, and even told the story about how she got her shoes. Momoko smiled and laughed with her niece, pleased to see the results of her training. Momoko didn't have any spiritual powers the way Shizuka did, but she was a skilled fighter and weapons master. She just tried avoiding conflict for the most part.

"So, Aunt Momo. Why did you summon me?"

"Well, my dear, there has been a slight issue with Shinigami lately." Momoko growled, similar to how Shizuka would when angered. "They managed to get their hands on some of our research and plan to experiment on another species."

"Ugh, great. Just what we needed. Those stupid killers... What species is it?"

"They have started running these tests on, well..." Momoko looked at Hebika and then glanced away awkwardly. "They started running them on Mod Souls."

Shizuka's eyes widened. How did they manage to get their hands on Mod Souls? Most of them were still only in pill form, unable to find a host to use as a temporary body. Unless the experiments were being done on those pills. Shizuka let go of her aunt and stepped back, crushing her hands into fists. She wasn't about to let an innocent race be destroyed because of some Shinigami idiots thinking they have a right to play with their lives. The Fullbringer growled and sat in her designated chair, motioning for Hebika to sit next to her. This was going to be a tough story to hear, but she sat patiently and waited for Momoko to finish explaining the mission. Hebika and Shizuka were going to go to the heart of the Bahamas and locate a small research facility, eventually taking it down and whoever was inside it. She wasn't going to leave any survivors if she had anything to do about it.

[Hebika Nara]

Hebika simply smiled calmly as Shizuka began to pace, those soft black eyes of hers (courtesy of a few contacts) following the gorgeous woman as they moved back and forth, leaning in her seat for a moment, letting her chin rest in the soft bed of her palm as she simply let her spiritual pressure rise, letting her light aura wash over Shizuka as they fretted and fretted over their friend, the Mod Soul simply letting her pressure bathe her friend in that warm friendly glow before she slowly got to her feet and gave a roll of her shoulders.

Making her way over to the stressing Blonde, Hebika took a moment to simply be a bit more...brave than she otherwise would be. Slipping into Shizuka's lap, she reached up, and gently took hold of the woman's chin, lightly moving their head so that they were looking Hebika in the eyes, a calm, warm smile on the Mod soul's face as she began to speak calmly and confidently to the fullbringer.

"Shizuka, I understand your concern. And I know that this is unexpected," She stated firmly, leaning in, their faces but a few centimeters apart as gently, the blonde would begin slowly running the edge of her thumb along the woman's cheek, soothingly caressing the soft flesh as she sought to soothe the woman with every aspect of her presence. "I am not weak. I am not defenseless. And to be quite frank, I am considerably harder to kill than you are." She noted with a soft chuckle.

A brief moment of laughter before she resumed. "That being said. You're important to me. You're my human. And even if perhaps I am no longer your toy....literally speaking." She paused, letting a coy, suggestive smile creep across her lips as she playfully ran her index finger over the human's lips, as if to imply just what sort of metaphorical toy she might be to Shizuka. " I still am here for you. You give me purpose, and I simply wish to express that purpose through action. Now, given the situation, I am sure you're well aware that I am a people person. I assure you that everything will be ok." she noted, giving the woman a peck on the lips before returning to her seat. 

Of course, she delivered as well. She noticed one thing in particular about Xcution: There was no recognition. It was a surprisingly more under-the-table organization than she had known. So when Shizuka went through that lovely explanation as to what role she would be taking, she simply smiled and accepted the card, giving the woman a coy look before she simply made her way to the bathroom. Of course, when she emerged she seemed almost an entirely different individual. 



There was so much that a simple dye job and some acting skills could do for a person. And really, her usual friendly, calm, sweet, motherly aura actually worked in her favor. It was simple really, all she had to do was maintain it, and add a little bit of her own unhinged twist to it. That warmth suddenly turned into an uncomfortable heat in the pit of one's stomach, and the normally pleasant Mod Soul was more than given an aura of command and authority. Simply looking in Shizuka's direction, that typically warm aura of hers somehow seemed sickeningly sweet, as if Hebika would sing them a lullaby as she choked them to death.

"I think, given how apologetic people seemed when finding out who you worked for, this personality and look will serve us just fine, would it not?" She ventured, slowly tilting her head, even if that warm smile on Hebikas face almost dared Shizuka to disagree. A bit of a oppressive meneuver, but well, Hebika was a fantastic actor, and she was simply trying to put Shizuka at ease that nobody was going to question her. 

As they made their way to the airport, she decided upon a very specific manner of being around Shizuka. She walked very deliberately and precisely. always making it so that Shizuka was between her and whomever they encountered, such that it almost seemed like Shizuka was escorting Hebika, for the safety of others, as opposed to Hebika's own safety. As they exited the plane and took note of the pilot, and when the pilot failed to address Hebika in the same manner, the woman simply smiled, sweetly and gave a soft. "Hello."


In that single word, Hebika put every ounce of her hatred, so cleverly concealed under that thin layer of sweet motherly warmth, as if those words were fat, engorged sacks of flesh, barely containing millions of spiders, whose tiny little legs could be seen crawling under the skin. The Pilot was sweating a little as he greeted her in reply, but with a Ma'am peppered in there. There was a distinct difference, in that Hebika seemed much older, 'Milady' was what you called your girlfriend when you wanted to get laid. When you were staring at your principle, begging to keep your permanent record unblemished, you said 'ma'am'. And indeed, the pilot, and those they cencountered subsequently, would find SO terrifying, was how warm and calm the woman made them feel. 

EVERYTHING about how hebika acted, spoke, and carried herself exuded a sort of danger that crawled under the skin, but the fact that she somehow made them calm and comfortable was unnerving, artificial, forced, and that only drove that fear and discomfort deeper and deeper into a person's psyche, like a furbee or a doll whose eyes were too big. Or an animal with beautiful, vivid coloring. Just looking at it made you suspect it was poisonous. 

Shizuka hardly scaredly scared Hebika of course. She was in her role. She was becomming the character she was portraying. She didn't get scared. She didn't feel fear, she took her own fear and with a spoonful of sugar, dripped it down the throats of those she encountered. Of course, she toned it down as they reached the resort, and no longer did they encounter anyone that would be seen as an obstacle in their way. 

Of course, that changed when they spotted the woman, and she kept that inky look on her face right up until shizuka greeted this Aunt Momo with such enthusiasm. And immediately all of that dreadful warmth vanished, her spiritual pressure went to nothing, and she simply smiled, normally as they were in the office and she remained behind as Shizuka went forth and greeted this lovely tall woman who seemed to be Shizuka's aunt. With a sheepish smile, Hebika nodded and bowed her head lightly to the woman as a sign of respect. 

"The pleasure is all mine Madame." She greeted the woman calmly and casually, contrary to Shizuka's worries, she was quite comfortable, already she was begining to do to this woman what she did to every human. She started picking at the woman's mind, taking her in. How she held herself, how she talked, how she walked, how she spoke, her word use, all taking it into account and making it a part of herself as she already could almost feel little bits and peices of the woman within herself, a taste of what this Momo woman was like. How she operated. And for the moment, Hebika approved. 

"You're such a flatterer Shizuka." Hebika stated softly, making her way over to the blonde and leaning in to put an arm around the taller blonde in a friendly hug, of course opting out of doing anything suggestive. The last thing she needed to do was to feel up the woman's neice infront of her. She kept the hug platonic and simply remained casually off to the side, hands behind her back in an almost military fashion as she simply....listened in. Letting the two of them talk. That is, until it was specified that the shinigami were testing on mod souls. 

Crkrkrkik

The soft sound of Hebika's head rotating to the side, the boens in her neck popping as they released excess fluid in a sickening crackling noise. But she said nothing, simpyl sitting there as she had to act less and less, and that horrible, unpleasantness made its way back to her aura, only....this time it was not an act as her hatred for shinigami slowly seeped its way ut of her very pores. 

"How unusual.... given that Mod souls were created by shinigami....how long it must have been that they are so unfamiliar with their own product these days." Hebika piped in, the restrained rage audible in her voice as she took a slow, meticulous breath before she chuckled softly. "I do apologize, don't mind me...please.... continue as you were." She assured Shizuka's aunt, though those eyes were now very fixed upon the woman as she waited for them to tell her what it was the shinigami were doing.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

"I am aware of their origins and intended purpose. However, not all Mod Souls were destroyed, as I'm sure you're well aware, Hebika." Momoko glanced over in her direction, making fierce eye contact. "Some of them were saved for research purposes and were stowed away in various containers for safe-keeping. We've caught word that they have been doing certain experiments on the remaining ones, attempting to create basic personality clones of various powerful people. For example, they even managed to alter one who acted as a clone for the President of the United States."

"Okay, but what does that mean? If it's just a clone, the President has to be around somewhere, right?"

"Not exactly. These Mod Souls don't eject the soul of the body they inhabit. They take control of it and eventually corrode it away into nothing, fully obtaining the body they were put inside. In the process, it begins to deteriorate the body, as well. Then, whatever organization is running this will put one of their own into power instead."

"Oh, good. I was worried that our lives were getting easier."

Shizuka looked over at Hebika, taking note of the strange vibe she was getting from her friend. She knew this probably bothered Hebika more than she would be willing to admit, and Shizuka couldn't blame her. If Fullbringers were being tortured and abused for their power, it would definitely make Shizuka uncomfortable since she was one. The blonde woman lowered her heterochromatic eyes in sadness, able to feel some of the anger that Hebika was emitting. She was a wonderful actor but she was Shizuka's best friend. It would be hard to keep anything hidden from her for too long, especially when Shizuka had her level of empathy. Momoko finished explaining the mission, telling the two girls that they needed to go to the research facility and shut it down. Shizuka nodded and went over to Hebika, taking her hand.

Once the details on location were discussed, Shizuka kept her hold on Hebika's hand and pulled her out of the room, thanking her aunt for the information. She was livid. Everything the Shinigami did made her angry and this was just icing on the cake. It was probably more personal to Hebika since she was a Mod Soul, but Shizuka just couldn't stand them in general. They did nothing but ruin lives all over the place and almost every encounter she's had with them ended in something bad. She remembered the first time she ever met Hebika in her little snake toy form as the two of them bravely fought off those Shinigami together. It was a good feeling to be able to kill those that she hated.

Still, she couldn't shake the hate even if she tried. "Hebika, my aunt said that these things are in an abandoned factory on a deserted island off the eastern side of the mainlands. We're going to go there. We have to take the remaining Mod Souls and figure out what to do with them ourselves but it just doesn't feel right to me to destroy them when we don't know if they're defective or not, you know?"

Shizuka pondered the thought. She truly didn't want to risk any lives, real or artificial. She liked Mod Souls and appreciated them more then humans, for the most part. It was strange but humans always seemed more artificial than Mod Souls and it really should be the other way around. She was just pretty worked up about this whole thing, really. It was unsettling. But Shizuka took Hebika to the abandoned research facility in what seemed like no time at all, especially since she was lost in her own mind just talking to herself the whole time. When she realized she was ignoring her friend, she apologized and asked for forgiveness for being so rude. Hebika was probably upset about this, too, and Shizuka was neglecting that.

The factory warehouse was on a small island about three miles away from the mainlands. The island was beautiful and tropical but contaminated by the disgusting architecture that was the building. Shizuka's ears twitched as she heard people actually working around inside. She waved off the boat that took the two of them to where they needed to be, laughing quietly to herself at the fact that she really could block out almost everyone around her since she hardly remembered even taking the boat itself. Still, she needed to focus now. There was no time for her to be lost in her own thoughts anymore. She turned to Hebika and smiled gently, trying to appear calm. She could feel Hebika's own aura washing over her, whether she was doing it on purpose or not. It was just calming being around her.

"What do you say, Hebika? Should we attack first and ask questions later? We do need to interrogate, after all."

Who knows? Maybe these Shinigami aren't the only ones doing this. Shizuka sighed. She seriously hoped that wasn't the case.

[Amagai Kuchiki]

48 paragraphs = 240 TP