Illusions

"Do you see it?" Toklo asked, standing on top of an electric pole.

"No," Alby said, looking at the man from the corner of his eyes, slightly annoyed. "Why are you following me anyway?"

"I am not." The man said sticking out his tongue. "I am following the sound of the scream. Just like you are."

"Is that in your patrol area?"

"Does it matter? You remember what the rule states." The man held out his finger and began reciting, "As long as an ally is within listening range of a cry for help, they must go, following their patrol route or not."

"I don't remember anything like that," Alby remarked, smelling the air. Where could she be? A scream can't just disappear like that. The sound usually leaves a trace.

"I am sure you don't even know there was a rule book in the first place." Toklo laughed, just as the scream came again. This time louder and even more desperate. "Oh? She's still alive?"

"I think it's in that direction," Alby said, pointed to his left. "Whoever this creature is … it is really good at making the voice echo everywhere."

"So you don't have a proper pinpoint," Toklo asked, smiling lazily while standing on top of the electric pole. "Well, there is nothing we can do about this. Let's just report that we couldn't find them."

"Toklo."

"Ok. Ok." The man sighed, a staff appearing in his hands. "Just because you asked, Alby."

"I didn't ask-"

"Shhh. I need to concentrate." Toklo said, closing his eyes as he twirled the staff in his hands above his head.

Annoyed, Alby stared at the man as little sound waves came out of his staff and into the skies like ripples on a disturbed water surface.

As much as Alby didn't like the man, he had to admit that he was a good asset as a tracker, but then, so is a GPS so …

"Found it!" The man said, putting his staff down and taking off in that direction, jumping from building to building, with Alby following close behind.

The two stopped in front of a small pond with bamboo trees all around it. The pond was quite big and had a stone statue in the middle of it, other than that, there was nothing else that could be seen.

"Are you sure this is it?" Alby asked, looking around the area. "I can smell anything."

"I know the scream came from here," Toklo said, looking around them, still holding the wooden staff with a lump at the top. "Have I ever been wrong?"

"Yes."

"This is the first time you saw me do this!" Toklo shouted, laughing. "Well, I can see why most people say that you are so unfriendly."

"If you know, why are you still here?" Alby asked, raising an eyebrow at the man just standing there, looking like a bored child.

"We haven't found the body yet."

"You seem so sure it is here but I don't see anything."

"We haven't checked the pond yet." As soon as Toklo said that, something jumped out of the pond and dragged the man into the waters as Alby stared blankly.

"Yah, I guess there is nothing is here," Alby said, staring at the still waters again. "Hey, Toklo. Come fast before I leave on my own."

Alby continued to stare at the water as ripples began to break the surface and a slimy, green creature crawled out of it as quickly as it could. Screaming and trembling in fear.

"Hmm?" Alby looked at the creature that looked like a slime and a human mated to give birth to that and got to his feet. "Come on, Toklo. Let's go."

"H-huh?" The creature asked, confused as hell.

"You bastard."

The two turned to the pond as the green-haired man stepped out of it, eyes glowing with a smile on his face though the smile was anything but friendly.

"Hmm? Two Toklos?" Alby asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked from one to the other.

"You-!" Toklo grabbed the man by the collar and began shaking him, "How the fuck do I look like that?!? What about me resembles THAT??"

"Toklo, don't be mean to your look alike," Alby said as he was being tossed back and forth by the collar.

The creature took the opportunity to try and run away but Toklo didn't let it escape as he threw his staff at it.

The staff turned into a cage, landing around the creature. It tried to run away through the tiny spaces but they burnt it instead.

"That is a holy weapon. I wouldn't do that if I were you." Toklo said, finally letting go of Alby who did not look the least bit phased. "Who are you?"

"Don't do that, Toklo," Alby said, walking to the creature and bending down to its height before turning back to the man. "Your family member will feel insulted you don't see the resemblance."

"Shut the fuck up!" Toklo sucked in a breath, forcing himself to calm down before talking to Alby once again. "Look, we need to find out what happened. I saw so many bones down there."

"A man-eater?" Alby asked, getting to his feet as he stared at the creature whimpering in the cage. "Are you going to kill it?"

"Depends. I need to know what it did." Toklo bent down to the height of the creature and glared at it. "What did you do? Tell me, depending on your answer, you will either live or die."

"Wouldn't that just prompt them to lie to you?"

"Do you have a better way of interrogating them then?" Toklo asked, turning to Alby, exasperated.

Looking at the creature, Alby continued to make eye contact with it before speaking, "You are a Kappa, aren't you?"

"No!" the creature said, indignant as it began to wipe the slime off its body to reveal skin. "I am a human!"

"Right," Alby said, not believing him a little bit nor was he trying to hide it. "Why were you grab Toklo? Did you want to see your family member so much?"

"Alby!"

"There is a monster in the waters." The boy said, frowning as he looked at the two. "That monster ate my mother and was going to eat me when you two came.

"I managed to escape its grasp but it could come out any minute. Let me out." The boy's face was finally visible as he tried to break through the bars. "I will escape or you kill it."

Alby and Toklo stared at the boy silently before exchanging looks with each other.

"Poor thing," Alby said, brows furrowing at the boy as he raised his sword at him. "I'll make this quick."

Before he could do anything, the water suddenly burst, flowing the entire area and the three with it.

"Alby!" Toklo shouted, searching for the man as desperately as a child would for their mother in the shopping mall. "Alby!"

Under the waters, Alby laid very, very still, feeling hands over his leg.

Gross. He thought, wanting to kick them off but managed to stop himself from doing that.

In the corner of his eyes, he could see the boy floating in the water, still as a statue. I need to get to him. Where is that Toklo?

I really don't do well in water. Alby sighed, suddenly hearing a very, very familiar voice in his ears. Oh no.

"Osbert~." The voice whispered, tickling his left ear as he could have sworn he felt hair brushing across the back of his neck.

Gentle hands wrapped ran through his hair, making the man almost release the breath he was holding in.

Stop it. Concentrate.

"It's been a while since we saw each other." The same familiar voice said, moving around him. "How are you doing? I missed you."

No, you don't. Alby thought, keeping a steady grip on his breathing, that he shouldn't be doing that at all. We barely even know each other. What is this bullshit?

"Did you miss me too?" The voice asked, hands tracing the muscles on his back. "I came because I could feel your desire to meet me again."

No. But I do have a lot of questions to ask you. Alby thought, closing his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest. What do I ask him first? About the gem? The kids? Hmmmmmm.

"Hey." The hand gripped his chin, making him look at the familiar half blue and half white hair and equally as mismatched eye colours. "Pay attention to me. I am right in front of you."

He is not wrong. Alby sighed in his head, rolling his eyes as he grabbed the person in front of him from the back of his head. Fine, let's take advantage of the situation.

Without warning, he smashed their lips together, startling the person in front of him.