After the plane had landed on the runway in the rather defunct city in the middle of nowhere, Nate had suggested they get something to eat after the long plane ride. His stomach wasn't satiated with the small assortment of snacks they'd been supplied with on the plane, he needed real food.
"Assassins shouldn't eat on missions" Tsubaki had told him matter of factly. Black★Star nodded in agreement despite the loud sound that came from his stomach at the very thought of food.
The three departed into the tall woods far away from the nearly abandoned city, off to Cinder Castle, home of the witch Angela and her body guard Mifune.
As soon as they entered the tall woods, the demonic faces on the trees looking at them, Black★Star nodded to Tsubaki and she in turn nodded back. In an instant both had hopped into the tree tops and began jumping from large branch to large branch in the direction of the castle.
Nate stared up at them with his mouth agape.
"How the hell am I supposed to follow that?!" He yelled out loud to himself. He supposed he could teleport up there, but if he fell and couldn't teleport to the ground he'd most likely end up dead. Tsubaki and Black★Star were getting farther and farther into the distance. He had to figure out a plan of action.
As if on cue Excalibur's annoying voice sounded inside his mind, he even swore he saw the little white creature out of the corner of his eye and turned in circles trying to spot him. He really was losing his mind.
"FOOL! You're being passed up. The wings of Excalibur shall soar into the roaring dawn!!!"
The voice was unbearably loud in Nate's mind and he tried to cover his ears to silence it. Eventually it quieted down and he could hear himself think again.
'The wings of Excalibur huh?' Just what did any of it mean? Was Excalibur telling Nate that he could fly?
Nate thought back to he and Maka's scuffle with Blair, who was now staying at their apartment for some reason. He thought back to when he'd transformed fully into the sword, he'd had wings of light for a second as he floated.
"Turning into a sword won't help me right now though...hmmm" He thought about what he could possibly do in this situation, the gears of his mind turning. Till a figurative light bulb went off in his mind.
'Maybe I don't need to fully transform In order to fly? It's worth a try I guess.'
He spread his feet till they were about shoulder width apart and crouched. He breathed in slowly and out even slower. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the depths of his soul without awakening the annoying voice back to life.
In a flash he jumped into the air, and he expected to touch back down to the ground a moment later. Except that's not what happened.
He opened his eyes to see that he now floated a few feet off the ground and was getting higher. He tried to stop himself from ascending but had no luck and he only ascended faster. He eventually made it to the level of the tree tops that Black★Star and Tsubaki were jumping at.
He could see them in the distance, maybe around a couple hundred feet out from where he flew. He let out another sigh and closed his eyes again, trying to stop himself from flying to high. That's when he felt himself finally stop mid air right where he needed to be.
Nate looked to the wings at his back and sides. They were large and flat, made out of some sort of ethereal spirit energy that propelled him forward. "Guess having a guardian angel is good, but being one is even better haha."
He lowered himself to a high branch and placed a foot on it and looked out at the stretch of trees, he could barely see the top of Cinder Castle in the distance the same way Black★Star and Tsubaki were going. Now it was time for them to play catch up with him...
In an instant he began flying through the tree tops and blinding speeds, almost instantly blitzing by Black★Star and Tsubaki. He almost flew head first into Black★Star, which was only half an accident, and gave a wink to Tsubaki as he slowed down as he flew passed them.
"What the-No fair! We have to walk while this guy just flies. C'mon Tsubaki lets pick up the pace, now that we don't have to wait for him to catch up!!"
Before Nate could say anything Tsubaki and Black★Star disappeared from his view as they blitzed through the trees at an even faster speed than he could fly at. It seemed for all his powers and abilities, Nate still had very much to learn about being a ninja.
The trio played catch up and tree hop tag all the way to the castle, a bit of fun before the unseen storm before them.
Eventually they came to the outside steps of the castle, it was littered with countless floating kishin eggs, swords, and yellow police tap that said 'Keep Out'.
"What's with this place?" Black★Star said as he walked through the courtyard, Nate and Tsubaki behind him.
In a flash a tall man with long white hair in a white button-up shirt and a brown open jacket jumped down from an unforeseen vantage point and slashed down at Black★Star. He dodged the blow and backflipped all the way back till he stopped right where Tsubaki stood.
"It's been a rather busy...day" Mifune said as he stood before the trio, sword at the ready...
"Was it you? Did you kill all of Capone's men? If so you must be the bodyguard we heard about."
Mifune chewed on a strand of wheat between his teeth as if it were a cigarette as he said, "Have you come for the power of the witch Angela? Based on your answer I may have to cut you down..."