The pitter-patter of rain could be heard around her as her hair sagged and started to shrink up in her face. She was running with all her might, her experience on the track team helping. A smile on her face since it was tensing up from adrenaline and fear simultaneously. She had to run as long as she could, and even hide, maybe.
...….
Akuma was panting in the rain and cursing in her head as her shoes were getting messed up from stepping in the puddles while trying to run further. She had gotten about a block or two away and was getting tired. She wouldn't let herself stop or slow down, though, that wasn't the type of person she was. The chill she'd felt down her back previously came back and she didn't dare to look behind her. She assumed the twins, the woman, or maybe both were chasing after her. The adrenaline rush was giving her more energy, she skid around the corner. She ran into the small corner store that was there. The cashier didn't care that a girl was pushing her black hair, which was obviously affected by the rain, out of her face and hiding behind the shelves. The woman walked in shortly after, and she definitely drew attention. The cashier was stunned in place, literally. She was barefoot, her expensive-looking anklet now visible, and had that same stupid smile on her face like she was chasing after the prey which just happened to be Akuma.
She began to run out of the store after ducking behind shelves and glanced at the twins waiting outside. She looked for an escape between the two of them. Time slowed down as she thought, the seconds went by slower for a moment, it felt like. She took a deep breath, hoping she was flexible enough and her knees didn't give out to pull what she had in mind of. She took off at full speed running towards the twins. They were right outside of the doors, but she used the rain to her advantage, even though she wasn't happy with what it did to her outfit and shoes. She slid between and underneath the two, bending herself in half like she was ducking underneath a pole. Her shoes creased and a tear fell mentally, thinking about how they were brand new but now ruined. A chill and her eyes widened before she turned around to meet sparkling silver eyes with a terrifyingly beautiful smirk on her face like she was getting ready to pounce. In all actuality, Akuma knew that if all three adults tried they could've caught her a while ago.
She kept running, even though she didn't like playing cat and mouse; especially when she was the mouse. She slipped before scurrying up and she was uncomfortable all of a sudden, feeling disrespected. A frown formed on her face, she wasn't being taken seriously. Even though she was panting like she was a dog, the woman walked in completely fine and gracefully. It made her angry, she hated it. She hated how when she was tired everybody else was fine because they had a force. Or how when she was struggling with something somebody would say how simple it was. It felt like somebody spat dead in her face, an insult. The laughter was there again before it halted. She stopped running and looked down, fists clenched. "Come get me." Her voice was shaky because she still had no idea what these people wanted or who they were, but she decided instead of running from it she would face it.
She heard clapping from in front of her and she looked up to see one of the twins, Archer, the tougher-looking one. He was scowling still but was clapping all the same. "You had a tango with our little demon heir, thank you for entertaining her so I don't have to pretend to be interested in the conversations they have." Akuma raised an eyebrow. These people couldn't be too much older than her by the looks of it. A hand was outstretched and placed in front of her by the one woman she'd just begun to dislike. "Thanks, but no thanks, I can walk-" Her sentence was cut short when she was knocked out instead of pulled up, Axel swinging him over her shoulder. "That was getting boring, Kuku!" A sigh escaped from the teal-haired woman's mouth, even while she was sighing before chuckling. "Archer, go get the damn heli, please?" She began putting back on her heels and straightening herself back out to look presentable. Archer came back landing the helicopter in the middle of the urban street 5 minutes later, although it didn't matter. People in a block's vicinity were all stopped from moving, preventing accidents and the like. This was Archer's doing, his force. Mind control, to be exact. He even had bits and pieces of precognition that'd leave his room destroyed, although it'd only happened a couple of times. Axel charged over to the helicopter and sat down, putting Akuma's unconscious body next to him, a pout obvious on his face. Amused, the woman stepped into the helicopter, standing and watching as they rose in altitude while people began to move again beneath them, oblivious as to what happened. Her hair was flowing to the side with the wind as she stood there, powerful and unmoving within the helicopter.
"Saku, we're here." An hour later was when Archer spoke next, landing the helicopter. The woman hummed in acknowledgment as she stepped out of the helicopter, laughing as Axel did the same thing with Akuma on his back, pout still evident. "What is it, Axel? You're pouting like I stole your favorite toy." He walked past her and got straight onto the jet, putting Akuma down and buckling her in. He ensured she was safe before sitting down in his own seat, reclining it a bit. Archer sat next to him smirking and holding his hand out towards him. "Pay up. We had a fair bet." Axel huffed before pulling out a 20-dollar bill and handing it to him. The jet took off and the silence was filled with laughs and playful banter. Akuma stirred slowly, yawning, and tensed up sensing how she was buckled into a seat of some sort. She relaxed slightly when she found out that she wasn't restrained, but buckled for her own safety. A look around to see both of the twins asleep, Axel leaning onto Archer's shoulder with Archer's head on top of his. "So where are we going? It has to be a while away since we're on an actual jet or something now." Saku turned, looking away from the window to Akuma, and yawned. "Not where are we going, but where are we arriving, should've been your question in all technicality. We're arriving at the top of my building in Tokyo, where you'll be meeting some people you'll be spending the next three years with." Akuma quirked her head up at that. Three years? She was getting confused instead of enlightened.
The plane landed and everybody got up, stretching. Akuma was, once again, thrown over Archer's shoulder as they got off the plane. Archer put her down and proceeded to ruffle her hair, which only earned him a dirty look. They all walked into the building and Akuma looked around. The building could be described in one word: Luxurious. From the glass chandelier that hung above them to the marble floors she was walking on. It even housed a glass elevator down to the bottom floors. She peered looking out the window and all she could muster was one word. "Wow." Saku laughed before grabbing her hand and yanking Akuma towards her. "Keep up or you'll get snatched." She stumbled, following behind the woman and her heels. Now that she looked closer, they were expensive designer. In fact, it seemed everything the trio was wearing was, even the sweatpants Axel had on. She was brought to a room with a door and pushed in. "I brought mine, she was the last one to get here." 4 other teens were staring at Akuma. She sat down next to a girl with forest green hair who seemed completely unbothered by the situation. She also didn't have a number signifying extra lives on her wrist. "Stop staring or you'll burn a hole into me. Visna. My name, I mean." She flinched, knowing she was caught. "Akuma. Sorry." The girl had never looked up from her game the entire time and was still chewing her gum. She waved Akuma off with one hand before the teal-haired woman spun around in a chair at the head of a table.
There were 6 other adults in the room as well. "Well then kiddos, would you like to know why you're here?" A girl with blonde hair nodded insistently with her leg bouncing. The woman laughed loudly and clapped. "If you so insist! You guys are the only 5 people on this planet who tested to be without a force or any extra lives by the government! Each of you probably thought you were the only one, but you certainly weren't. You'll be staying here for 3 years together, as your parents already agreed to it with some terms. Each of you has your own mentee to teach you some things and awaken your force!" She smiled throughout her whole explanation, and a girl with Auburn hair held her hand up. "But we tested to uh, not HAVE any forces. At all. What do you mean awakening them when we don't have any?" A short, blonde woman came up behind her and giggled. "But sweetie, everybody on this planet has one! You just tested to be without, and everybody knows some tests can be wrong. We just have to awaken it through training and such." She squeezed her shoulder and a tall boy with white hair shivered. Her smile was absolutely beautiful, but it sent shivers down Akuma's spine for some odd reason.
"I- I wanna go home! I don't belong here at all!" The blonde teen had spoken up and her green eyes were seemingly dulled. Axel flipped through a clipboard and stopped when he got to a certain paper, probably a list or file of some type. "I wonder who you're going to be with while you're here.." Archer stepped up to the girl before crouching in front of her on the couch. "You're here until we say you're not. Your parents transferred guardianship. You cannot run from this place, nor will we let you leave until this project is finished, Katashi." Akuma took note of how the girl visibly swallowed and looked to be on the verge of tears, but she also remembered her name and facial features. It also sounded like English wasn't her first language. There was a boy that, albeit Akuma hated to admit, was handsome with his white hair and mysterious blue streaks throughout it. "We're going to call names to match you with your mentors here for the next 3 years." The boy seemed to be trying to process what was happening while Katashi was fighting tears. "Azraq, come heerrreeee!" The cheery blonde was waving for the iridescent white and blue-haired teen to come to her; so his name was Azraq, she made a mental note of such. She was shorter than him, so she patted his head and leaned on his shoulder. "You're stuck with me for the next 3 years! My name is Laveinia, and I'm the youngest here." She stuck her chest out saying this, obviously proud of being able to say so. "Yeah, the only brat to be lucky enough to join at 17 because you're a battle freak, you're only 18." Laveinia then stuck her tongue out at Archer, who'd stated so.
Axel was next to say a name, seeming just as full of energy as before. "Aww, Katashi! It's okay kid, when you're with me, I'll make sure you're having a great time. Don't cry!" He started comforting the girl, flopping down next to her and patting her shoulder. Archer rolled his eyebrows before sighing and calling out. "Hanna, kid, you're with me. You have a force, believe it or not." By the time he'd spoken, it seemed like the girl, who was previously spaced out, had come to her senses and nodded before standing next to him. "Alright, I guess I have no choice but to find out!" She smiled whilst exclaiming so. Akuma was startled when the laughter came back full force in her head, the loudest it seemed to have ever been, and she clenched her teeth. Visna blew another bubblegum and hummed. "You alright, fluff ball?" Akuma had come to the realization that her hair was probably fluffy and messed up from it being wet. It never dried properly, and her train of thought was interrupted by a silver-haired woman speaking. There was no doubt that every adult in this room was gorgeous, but this woman had a different appeal. While Saku had an attention-stealing aura, this woman had the opposite. It was almost as if it made her presence faint but deadly if noticed. Akuma hadn't even realized she was there.
The silver-haired woman pointed at Visna and Akuma nudged her, causing her to look up. "Sweet, I get the one who looks like a honey trap assassin." It was true that the woman was blessed with supermodel looks with her short silver hair and her hazel-colored eyes. Visna got up, still never looking up from her game, and stood next to her. She was the only one left, and Saku was the only other person there, smiling at her. She sighed, standing next to her. "And I'm stuck with you, right?" she groaned quietly. "You are, and you all have training partners." Saku was flicking at her nails while she spoke, no longer smiling. "But, uhm, there's an odd number of us?" Hanna spoke up once again, and this time, the silver-haired woman replied. "Hers." She pointed at Akuma while saying it and she tilted her head. "Hers is down the stairs." Akuma looked at Saku and yawned. "Why is she talking like that?" Saku simply shrugged. "She just woke up, I think. That's Mazania since she didn't say her name. Axel, Laveinia, you're paired together." The both of them high-fived and let out a small, drawn out, yes. "Archer, Mazania, you're paired. Let's go get your partner and sort out your hair, kid." And with that, Saku started walking out of the room, with Akuma scrambling behind her. She walked into an elevator and yanked Akuma in behind her, keeping a firm grip on her wrist. "Ow- what is wrong with you?! Let go! It's not like I can run away even if I wanted to!" She was shushed when they got to the 1st floor of the building, and Akuma saw the button to every floor after the 20th disappear when they'd just come down from what she believed to be the 27th floor. Puzzled, she looked out the elevator and her eyes widened.
The building was operating like a regular casino area with a restaurant and hotel for regular people. Saku was gripping her wrist so she didn't get lost. "Where's my partner? How old are they that they're in the casino?" Saku said nothing and continued to walk, humming. They got to what seemed to be a janitor's closet with a lock, which was suspicious to her. It was only then that Saku turned her silver eyes back to her and spoke again. "What you see past here is a secret and everything else you've witnessed today." She unlocked the door and walked in, seeing how the space wavered slightly, Akuma could only freeze in place while she was tugged in. There was another elevator going deeper, sure, but there was just time-space manipulation in front of her, which is only possible when you have three different forces strong enough to make it, and people with them cooperating together. Hell, sue her, she liked science and indulging herself in old phenomena and the history and facts with it. She'd only read of it in old books because it was said to cease happening due to the fact nobody had a time manipulation force strong enough within the last 50 years. She gaped and racked her brain. There was someone nearby who had a strong enough time-manipulating force to make, what essentially was, a portal. A time-space manipulation portal. She had only come back to her sentences when she was elbowed and looked up to see a boy in chains behind bars.
The boy had pure white hair, from what she could see. He had a chain wrapped around his ankle and was sitting against the wall in the dark. "Is this my partner from our promise, pretty lady?" His voice was smooth and oddly familiar sounding. He stepped out of the darkness and all Akuma could do was sigh. Were there only good-looking people here? "Thank you, partner. You're not too bad yourself." Saku chuckled and hummed. "I told you to stop calling me pretty lady." Akuma was screaming mentally about how dumb she was for saying her thoughts out loud again. She had a habit of doing so. It seemed she'd been cursing under her breath at herself with her hands covering her face. It felt like the air had been knocked out of her lungs when she did happen to finally uncover her face. The boy was standing much closer, as close as he could through bars, and Akuma finally got a good look at his face. He was leaning forwards, gripping the bars with his head slightly tilted. He was taller than her, maybe about 6'1? White hair with heterochromatic green and red eyes. Not only was he handsome, but his eyes were different, to say the very least. His green eye had a red X in place of a pupil inside and his green eye had a red circular shape instead. "Staring is rude." The boy hummed out in a sing-song voice. "Now now, introduce yourselves while I get the necessities." With that Saku was quick on her feet to leave the room, leaving the two teens alone. Akuma squinted at the boy before reaching her hand out. "Akuma, Akuma Kaorin. I don't know if you're a serial killer or something, but I guess you're my partner or whatever now. We should try to get along, and sorry about the staring, it's just your eyes-" The boy cut her off there, obviously avoiding the topic of his eyes. "I'm not a serial killer, and you can call me 18." He smiled and shook the hand she was holding out, reaching his arm through the bars.
Saku came back and tossed a necklace through the bars, which the boy put on, and then a key, which the boy caught and unlocked the chains on his ankle. "Is the necklace on completely?" The boy held his hands up and turned around to show the necklace fastened in the back. "Good, and now you. Put this on." A bracelet was tossed towards Akuma, which she caught and slid on by reflex. "Wait, what is this?" Her vision went blurry for a moment and she fell off balance, stumbling. "What is this?" Akuma asked again, tone now more stern and concerned. She really needed to stop acting so damn impulsively. "A restriction bracelet. All of you that are in this project have one." Saku was speaking while opening the door to the cell. The boy stepped out, rolling his ankle and yawning. "Can I shower now?" Saku nodded and crossed her arms expectantly. "Go on, do your thing. I don't feel like leading her through that crowd again." He laughed before looking back at Akuma, waving his hand and single-handedly opening a black hole. Akuma was laughing too for some odd reason, before she registered what happened. All of a sudden, her partner had become a lot harder to deal with than he already was, along with her already blood-pressure-rising self-announced mentor.