After another full day of travel and another night spent in the tent together, the two young Sentoki focused on getting back to their mission at hand. Aimee and Taiyo walked through the highlands silently, the tensions between the two of them filling the air. As they reached the edge of a forest and finished the second leg of their travels, Aimee finally broke the silence that weighed them down. "So what's with you? No stupid personal questions today?" She asked sarcastically with a bit of a scowl. "Nope," Taiyo said in a blunt reply as he smirked a bit and pulled one of the rolls from the bag he was carrying. "Well look who's finally learning to mind their own business," Aimee replied as she snatched the roll from his hands before he could eat it and took a bite, making Taiyo's face scrunch up in annoyance as he pulled a second roll from the bag. "Fine, I do have one question… how come you didn't say goodbye to Brooke when we left yesterday?" he asked her somewhat defiantly, poking at her a bit. Once again Aimee's demeanor seemed to soften for just a second as she looked back at Taiyo over her shoulder with something he had rarely seen from her, if ever; a genuine smile. "I promised Brooke we'd never say goodbye to each other… you wouldn't get it," She replied as she turned back around and kept walking ahead of him, and once again her answer had left him more confused than before he had asked. Despite Aimee's words before on how they would discuss their mission during their travel, the two of them spent the majority of the day in silence until they had finally arrived just outside of their destination: Ko'Gato Village.
"We Stop here." Aimee said sternly as the two of them looked at the outline of the Village just over a mile down the road. The glow of a foreboding red sunset had dropped behind the skyline as evening came about. "Why so far away?" Taiyo asked as Aimee started to venture off the path they had been on and into the small forest that surrounded them and the village. Letting out a sigh as if she expected him to already know the answer, she began to explain. "The marauders have moved into the village. They've taken over houses, businesses, and some of the public spaces. Not only that but they run a patrol around the village to try and keep out any assistance the village might get, AKA us." she said as kept making her way deeper into the forest following a trail of notched trees which Taiyo failed to notice. "And the Sentoki local guard have been overwhelmed and outnumbered?" Taiyo asked as he followed behind her. "So you did pay attention a little bit? Yeah, the Sentoki local guard of smaller villages aren't as equipped to deal with something like this, to be honest it's been quite some time since The Miruso Organization has tried to operate in Kamikochi like this, it's somewhat unprecedented," she continued to say, but something had perplexed Taiyo.
"So… and don't take this the wrong way, but… How come they're sending us for something like this? If it's so unprecedented, then why not send in a more experienced squad to deal with them right away?" He asked as he tried to catch up with her as she moved through the woods a bit faster than him. Aimee was surprised at his question, she hadn't expected him to be self-aware in regards to how green they were as Sentoki, herself included. "That's an odd question for the guy who begged for a more challenging mission, but there's a reason. Despite their presence in the Village, the Marauders haven't killed a single person and from what we can tell they're treating anybody they take hostage with dignity for the most part. As unlike them as it is, they're clearly trying to be diplomatic or 'play by the rules' in some twisted fashion. So in order to not turn this into a bigger problem, Hiro thought it best to respond to their presence with equal restraint, and that's where we come in." She finished saying as the two of them arrived at a small cleared out patch in the trees surrounding two large flat stones that rested against each other in such a way that it made a small enclave underneath them. "And until now all of the marauders have been without a Mesukiro as far as we can tell, but with the arrival of this Nikugan User 'Wyald Reeches' it seems as though they're looking to make a move, or at the very least trying to flex their strength." She said as she walked into the clearing and set her back down at the base of one of the massive boulders.
"Where are we exactly?" Taiyo asked as he looked around, there was evidence somebody had stayed here recently before them. "This is our home base for the time being," She replied as she knelt down and fixed a few of the stones that had fallen away from a small fireplace at the front of the enclave. "It's far enough away that it's out of the Marauders line of patrol, and if you sit at the top of the rocks, you can use a scope to see what's going on in the village," She added as she pointed up toward the top of the rock formation that sat just over the treeline. "I found this place about two months ago when I started the mission and it's been useful so far. We'll gather intel from here for a few days before we decide how to proceed. We need to learn how much of a threat their new ring leader is," Aimee said as she began to unpack her bag. "Got it." was all Taiyo responded with as he set down his bag and began to do the same. Aimee had expected him to either contest or complain but it was clear he was following her lead. "Maybe he actually took me seriously the other night…" Aimee thought to herself as she watched him help prepare the campsite. Surprisingly the rock formation was just tall enough for the tent to fit under, giving them a bit of extra protection from the strong winds that occasionally blew through the area along with the weather if it were to rain.
The two of them made short work of setting up, managing to finish just as the sunset started to fall across the forest. Afterwards they both had climbed up either side of the rock formation and now sat just above the treeline, each of them equipped with a looking scope in hand, watching the skyline of the village for any activity. Ko'Gato Village, much like Rigora Town, was built over a break in the plateau with much of the town's infrastructure crossing the canyon and descending down the walls of each side, ending in a much larger port than what Rigora town had, filled with ships and trading vessels that supplied not only Ko'Gato village but many of the other surrounding towns as well. This setup of the village made it difficult for Aimee and Taiyo to see a good portion of the town, but fortunately for them the main building that the Marauders had taken over and were seemingly using as a main base of operations was directly in their line of sight, letting them keep track of everyone who went in and out. "So you've been doing all the recon up till now. That must mean you were the one who reported about this 'Wyald Reeches' guy in the first place right? How'd you find out about him?" Taiyo asked as the two of them peered through the extended scopes and at the quiet town. "A few of the people back in Rigora town have Ki crystals that are tuned for communication with family or friends inside of Ko'Gato village. They had been feeding me most of my information but on my last mission the communication went silent. I'm guessing the marauders likely found one of the crystals and went around confiscating the rest of them. The last report I got was about a Senpachi who had arrived with a new wave of marauders and was now running the show," Aimee finished explaining, making the depth of the situation a bit more clear to Taiyo, for the first time since the start of their mission he felt as though she was actually talking to him like a partner and not a rival.
"Do you have a description of him? It would definitely help if I knew who I was looking for," Taiyo replied. "He's an odd looking guy… he's just around my height with a decent build. I've spotted him a few times, usually wearing a black leather vest with cut-off sleeves as well as heavy black pants and combat boots. Plus… you can't miss his hair," Aimee said with a tone that almost seemed disappointed. "His hair? Taiyo replied with confusion, "What does he have a mohawk or something?" he asked her, trying to get a better image of the man they were looking for." "Nope. His hair is bright pink," She said with a sigh that showed her level of disdain. "You're kidding me right?" Taiyo replied in disbelief "I guess he will be hard to miss," Taiyo added as he went back to looking through his scope. "Oh! Oh shit I think I see him!" Taiyo exclaimed just a moment later as he nudged Aimee hard enough to almost knock her off the rock in his excitement. "Where??" Aimee asked as she scanned the horizon trying to find what Taiyo had spotted in the dim sunlight. "Right over by the main gate, it looks like they're starting one of those patrols," Taiyo added as he pointed in the right direction. "Aimee quickly scoped in on where he was pointing, only to confirm it was in fact the man they had been looking for. "That's weird though… I haven't seen Wyald join them for a regular patrol since he first arrived… I wonder why he- ""They have a kid with them!" Taiyo exclaimed, interrupting Aimee's words as he stood up and tried to get a better look. Aimee quickly pulled him back down below the treeline scolding his carelessness as she looked back through the scouting glass to see that Taiyo was correct once again .
Sitting in the front of the cart that Wyald and a few of his men had gathered in was a young boy no older than ten or eleven years old, shackled and cuffed. Clearly a citizen of the village they had taken prisoner. Taiyo gritted his teeth as he watched the men gather into the cart and set off. "The cart is being pulled by Kuduruu, they'll be able to finish the patrol rather quickly," Aimee said as she looked at the massive black and blue flightless bird that pulled the Miruso cart along. "Why the hell do they have that kid??" Taiyo asked angrily as his knuckles turned white from his grip on the scope. "They might be looking to expand their perimeter, and I'm guessing the kid knows the area so that's why they brought him along, he's also a good hostage," Aimee replied casually, almost as if she didn't care about the danger the child was in. The two of them watched for just about twenty minutes as the patrol cart made its way around the perimeter of the village, occasionally venturing into new areas of the forest that Aimee took notes of as they did. "They're getting a bit closer, maybe we should abandon camp for a bit so they don't discover us," Aimee said as she looked around the area a bit for another place they could hide out when all of sudden Taiyo burst out. "Aimee look!" He exclaimed as she pointed her sights back in the direction of the caravan. As she looked for the sight of Wyald's bright pink hair moving across the horizon, she finally spotted them stranded off the side of the road, the cart now flipped over as the men lay sprawled out across the ground. "What happened??" Aimee asked as she watched the men slowly stand up and try to flip the cart backover, meanwhile Wyald seemed to approach the young hostage who had been thrown from the cart in the commotion. "The road they were on ended abruptly, and I'm guessing the kid either didn't know or didn't tell 'em," Taiyo said as he looked on as well.
"Well that's good for us I guess, they'll probably just head back after a mishap like that," Aimee said as she kept looking as well only to quickly notice Wyald's Ki flare up as he lorded over the young child in the distance. "He's not gonna- Taiyo!" Aimee shouted as she dropped her looking scope and rushed forward to grab Taiyo by the collar and pull him to the ground, instinctively activating her Ki as she did. Taiyo had made it to the edge of the clearing in less than a second, his red Ki flaring up as he launched from the rock before Aimee was able to get a hold of him. "Let me go Aimee! You saw what he was about to do to that kid!" Taiyo yelled as he tried to get away from her grip. "Shut up!" Aimee bellowed as she tossed him backwards towards the campsite, her anger now fuming as well in reaction to Taiyo's brash decision. "Are you stupid or something?? I already told you Miruso has clearly been careful to not kill any hostages or villagers! You can't just go rushing in every time it looks like someone might be hurt! We have a bigger mission here!" Aimee scolded him, trying not to raise her voice too much. "Are you kidding me?! So we're just supposed to watch as some criminal beats on a kid? That's how you run your missions??" Taiyo contested as he stood back up, His words enraging Aimee even more. "You idiot! What are you gonna do when you charge in and Wyald takes the kid hostage for real! Huh? How are you gonna stop him from killing the kid and escalating the whole situation then?!" Aimee seethed, her voice now just a bit louder than it was before. "I-" Taiyo began to protest, but he had no answer for how she had scolded him. "Exactly, that's what I-" Aimee froze in her tracks before finishing her words as a chill crept up her spine. During the short time she had spent berating taiyo she had failed to notice the presence that was now rapidly approaching from behind.
"You idiot! He sensed our Ki, get ready!" Aimee said as she whipped around the face the treeline and as she did, a pink glow began to show, weaving back and forth between the trees until it had broken through just a second later. "So they finally sent you!" A voice cried out as a man burst through the treeline and into the clearing. Standing before them now with bright pink hair and a pink aura to match was Wyald Reeches, the Senpachi they had been in search of. "I'm guessing it was this you were worried about?" Wyald belted as he held the young hostage by the collar out in front of himself. The child had clearly been beaten, his face and lips bloodied as the young boy shook with fear. An evil grin wiped across Wyald face as he taunted the Sentoki who had come looking for him. Chains and various buckles attached to his attire clinked together as Wyald began to pace around the clearing with the young boy in hand. His eyes darted back and forth between Taiyo and Aimee who both stood on guard and filled with anticipation. "I was wondering when the righteous and proud Sentoki would arrive! To be honest I'm a little disappointed in how long it took! Aren't you guys supposed to be protectors or something?" Wyald called out to them mockingly, before stopping in his tracks and giving the two of them a hateful scowl. "Well go ahead and protect this brat!" Wyald yelled as he took the young boy in his grip and launched his body into the air above their heads. "Dammit!" Taiyo yelled as watched the child's body fly above his head. Taiyo's eyes quickly flashed red as he launched himself upwards in an attempt to catch the boy, but before he could reach him, Wyald had rapidly appeared in his way once again. "He's that fast??" Taiyo thought to himself as he watched the screaming boy begin to fall back towards him but unable to reach him. "Grab the kid!" Aimee's voice yelled from below, and as Taiyo quickly looked down he briefly saw the sight of Aimee with her shoes kicked off and her hands on the ground, looking up toward Taiyo and Wyald. In a flash, Aimee had launched herself up to meet them, catching Wyald off guard with impressive speed of her own as she landed a blow in their opponent's gut and knocked him out of the way. Taiyo could only watch as Aimee seemed to take hold of the situation and now with the boy falling back towards him unblocked, Taiyo swiftly caught him before his feet had hit the ground. While Aimee and Wyald had disappeared somewhere behind the treeline, Taiyo quickly set down the young boy and broke the chains around his hands and feet. "Are these… Ki Chains?!" Taiyo thought to himself as he noticed the small stones embedded into each of the cuffs, meant to hinder and block the use of a prisoner's Ki while bound. To his surprise, as soon as the young boy's cuffs had been removed, his eyes began to glow bright blue. "Dont worry about me Mr. Sentoki!, the young boy said as he brushed himself off and seemed to rally himself a bit, "Go kick that guy's ass!" the child added before swiftly taking off into the woods, his light blue ki trailing off behind him as he disappeared.
Taiyo quickly turned his attention back to the direction Aimee and Wyald had taken off in, trying to get sight of them among the trees. Flashes of pink and orange exploded faster than Taiyo could keep track of and before long the two of them came bursting from the tree line and were embroiled in battle. Wyald was the first to emerge, his face twisted with excitement as he bounded across the clearing back in the direction he had come from. "After him!" Aimee exclaimed as she followed in pursuit almost faster than Taiyo could even see. Without hesitation Taiyo's Ki flared up and took off behind them, ducking and weaving in between the trees as he tried to keep sight of them. "Theyre both so fast!" Taiyo thought to himself in a panic, just barely able to keep up with the other two Nikugan users until they had eventually made it through the woods and ended up just outside the front gate of Ko'Gato village. As he rushed forward, Taiyo had failed to notice that Aimee had stopped pursuing their opponent and was now waiting at the edge of the treeline. With his speed and momentum, Taiyo burst out of the woods, hoping to be able to join the fight this time, but he was only met once again with the feeling of Aimee's hand on his collar and pulling him back. "He's baiting us!" Aimee yelled as she yanked Taiyo back into the trees and out of Wyald's line of sight, who now stood confidently under the archway of the main gate, waiting for the young Sentoki to approach.
"Not this time!" Taiyo bellowed as he broke free from Aimee's grip and pushed ahead toward the pink-haired Senpachi who stood there taunting him. Before he could reach Wyald, a booming sound rang out across the landscape causing Taiyo to look up and see the cannons that were mounted atop the wall in front of him which he had failed to notice before. Taiyo stopped in his tracks as the smoke from the cannon rose into the air. In an instant the cannonball struck the ground next to him, just narrowly missing and leaving a crater in the dirt. Taiyo looked up to see Wyald's taunting smile staring at him in the distance, even further fueling his anger and ambition, but before he could advance again, he felt something strike the back of his head, disorienting him for just a moment. After the blow taiyo was swept from his feet and dragged back into the woods by Aimee who promptly threw his body against a tree and planted her foot on his collar bone. "I should send you back right here and now!" She screamed in Taiyo's face as she bore down on him with her foot, almost crushing his collarbone. Taiyo yelled in both frustration and pain as he shoved Aimee's foot away and stood back up, "What's your problem?! We could have had him! You think I can't block or dodge a few cannonballs?" Taiyo yelled in reply as he started to make his way to the treeline once again. "Look you moron!" Those cannonballs are embedded with Ki crystals! You'd be blown apart if you tried to block one!" Aimee yelled as she stepped in front of him and pointed to the cannonball that was sitting on the ground out in the open area in front of them. "He was trying to bait us into chasing him for that exact reason and you fell for it!" She continued on as she began heading in the other direction, leaving Taiyo staring at the round metal ball in the distance that glimmered with the shards of Ki stone that had been fused into it. "Holy shit… if that had hit me… I'd be dead right now…" Taiyo thought to himself in disbelief as Aimee stormed away. "Shit… I messed up," Was the only thought Taiyo could summon as he turned around and followed his partner off into the woods.
"Aimee, wait up!" Taiyo shouted as he tried to follow her through the thick brush that surrounded them, eventually catching up to where she was walking. "Aimee look, I'm sorry I just didn't want the kid to-" "I knew you were gonna mess this mission up for me!" Aimee yelled as she spun around at him and snapped, her eyes blood shot and strained as if she were holding back tears. "Tell me why I shouldn't send you back right now?!" Aimee bellowed as she stood in front of him panting with frustration. Taiyo just looked at her as she stood before him seething, her face once again struck with the same kind of fear and anger that he had seen from her the day Hiro assigned him to the mission, and in that moment Taiyo knew for sure that there was something Aimee wasn't telling him. Taiyo did not respond, he simply dropped down to his knee and bowed his head the same as he had seen Aimee do to Hiro to that day. "You're right. I completely messed that up… but… Wyald's strong Aimee, you shouldn't face him by yourself," Taiyo said as he lifted his head and looked at her. "I promise, it won't happen again. No matter what happens from here on out, I'll follow your lead," Taiyo added as he bowed his head again, hoping she would accept his apology. Aimee stood over him still fuming with anger as she watched his attempt at a sincere apology. "Get up," She scolded him as she turned around and began to walk off. "We need to find a new vantage point…" She muttered in frustration as she walked away, seemingly accepting Taiyo's words despite how much she wanted to send him back home with his tail between his legs. She reluctantly knew in the back of her head that Taiyo was right, she couldn't take on Wyald alone.
After a few hours of searching around the dark, Taiyo and Aimee had finally found a spot amongst the trees where they could rest for the night. "We'll sleep here," Aimee said begrudgingly as they approached a small enclave she had found under the moonlight. "In the morning we can try and get our stuff from the campsite as long as it's not being patrolled," Aimee added as she walked into the small cave and immediately headed towards the back, laying down on the ground, and turning away from her partner. Taiyo could tell she had no interest in talking to him and he didn't blame her. Taiyo sat at the mouth of the small cavern as the night went by, the light from the red and silver moons that sat above Kamikochi shining down through the trees and giving him just enough light to not be left in pitch black darkness. The feeling of his failure gnawed away at him as he kept watch, his thoughts racing back and forth between his own confidence and the realities he had faced today. "That kid could have died… I could have died," Taiyo thought to himself as the wind moved through the trees above him. "Have… Have I been glorifying this whole thing? Being a Sentoki? I didn't make a single correct decision today… maybe I have no idea what im doing, regardless of being strong or not," He thought to himself as the night went on, and for the first time since he had earned the title of Sentoki, Taiyo began to question himself and his abilities.