Yakuza | DISCONTINUED | 2023 VERSION AVAILABLE NOW

Who Is She?

Edited on May 2 2016, 2:22 PM

"I'm sorry for that."

"What? Oh, this?" Ace lightly touches the bandage on his head where Akira had hit him with a mallet not very long ago, and laughs to himself. "It's nothing. Certains heal when they're around Sirens, right?"

Akira's eyes went downcast and darker, a painful stab of recollection shooting through her mind as the image, the feeling, the experience of that night where she was poisoned and scared from her first mission with him and his brother.

"Yeah..."

"Imoto-chan?" both of them faced up and see Amira, linked arms with Yamera clad in an equally formal tuxedo and a heartwarming smile. Akira and Ace stood up, and the latter bowed formally to the both of them through Yamera telling him not to.

"We can't help but hear your conversation." Amira says, gesticulating to her companion animatedly, "Certain?"

"Yes." Ace nods, and Akira felt his hesitance. Smiling brighter, she nodded, "I didn't mean to pry, but when did you meet? I was not made aware of you as earlier as I preferred."

"It's my fault, nee-sama. I've been very preoccupied with jobs and giving him that," she jerked her thumb awkwardly to his head injury, "and it made me unable to tell anyone that I've found my Certain."

"In any case, I hope the best for you two and I expect you dancing in no time." Departing with a beautiful smile, Amira and Yamera were the first to start the dance as the music changed into a more formal theme. Ace inched over until there was a small distance between his and Akira's shoulders, "Is she a Siren too?"

"Yeah. Why don't we get some drinks first, I'll tell you all about it."

"I got it, don't worry." Ace took off, and albeit reluctant, Akira didn't follow. She knew she was acting quite strange; being mad at him for coming but allowing him to be seen by the family and all. Despite all that, there was something about this ordeal that seemed in place for her, as if having a problem with Ace, her actual second Siren, was meant to happen. His reason about coming here was being more and more believable. By now, Akira learned not to judge.

"How did you know I liked grape wine?"

"Wild guess." Ace shrugged, sitting back with her. He got the same drink, "It felt too right to be true when I was deliberating it."

"Urges of a Certain, I see." She smiled a bit more, and Ace laughed a little louder. "There we go! Don't be serious all the time!" Akira took a sharp breath, recognizing her own faults. She just looked away to the dancefloor seeing the twins dance with other girls, the married couples in the family dance, and a lot of other people around and about.

"I've just been very on edge lately."

"I can tell." He replied back, and leaned forward with his arm on his knee, "You're not working, so I don't understand what can be the matter of your discomfort."

"What do you know about Sirens?" Akira faced him again as he sat straighter. She and Ace stubbornly stared at each other until the latter broke it, seeing that she wasn't in place to talk about her reason. "What I'm getting so far is that you're different from the rest, given that I only interacted with your sister."

"What's your Nen type?" she questioned next, taking a sip from her glass as Ace fastens his collar, "Transmutation."

"Conjuration-Specialization." Ace's eyes widened in sudden shock, his rapid heartbeats reverberating in Akira's hearing and own chest as if her own. "Really? That's how you hit me in the head and burned my wrist."

"Yeah, sorry about that as well. " She laughed, "The laser beam was my telekinesis, but the mallet was my Conjuration ability. I didn't even knew I can Manipulate stuff without gestures now." She sighed, discreetly disregarding the fact that from the corner of the room, Illumi would be watching the whole thing unfold from his eyes, and would be hearing what she was about to say so it was more tense for her than she had imagined.

"Want to dance?" Ace invited for quite some time, and Amira jerked her head the slightest bit their way with a smile. "Yeah." Offering a brighter smile, she got up from her seat and put her right hand in Ace's own. As they tread among the sea of other people, her traitor eyes managed to glance at Illumi's shadowed silhouette from across the room and see his frown. She looked back before her as Ace's right hand finds her waist, her left hand reflexively setting on his right shoulder as their other hands clasp tighter. A waltz then came over the room as people take their focus to the two of them.

"Ace, is this a good thing?"

"It's just your charisma, Akira. It's okay." He replied back. Though reluctant, Akira stood by his words and continued to go along the flow with him.

"Is it too late to tell you that you look beautiful?" that cheeky, joking tone was back in his voice all of a sudden and Akira didn't stifle a giggle, "Is it too late to tell you that you look handsome?"

"Nah." Both of them said at the same time, causing a quiet laughing fit between them. Meanwhile, the twins frowned from another corner of the room, reacting to a signal that was given to them by a nod as they leave the ballroom, concealing their presences.

"What? What is it?" Ace too, followed her searching eyes, but she just shook it off, "Must be nothing..."

But even as they continue dancing, having a great time, mingling with other people, and getting to know each other more, Ace could feel that Akira was being more on edge than ever, and it wasn't just because of Illumi. Eventually he excused himself and a few moments later, Akira went out to a balcony and saw the moon high up in the night sky.

"Must be pretty late..."

A sharp sound then filled her ears as she staggered slightly by surprise. Eyes swimming in a confused crimson and chestnut mix, she noticed someone standing in the forest. From the looks of it, a teenager with blue eyes and red hair because she was standing perfectly still and was looking straight at her. She lifted her hand and waved slowly.

The elder redhead found herself doing the exact same thing.