Ryūji Enma

Rin slammed her fist against the cold metal bars, cursing under her breath. 

Her body practically vibrated with pent up energy, electricity crackling beneath her skin, unable to be released within the confines of the suppression system.

"This is unbelievable!" Rin yelled

"How can you just stand there calmly when we're trapped in this cage like animals Mei?" 

Mei met Rin's fiery gaze steadily. "Getting worked up won't help anything. We need to keep our heads and figure a way out of this."

Rin was ready to start another rant, when movement behind Mei caught her eye. She peered into the dimly lit corridor, disbelief crossing her face.

"Miyu?" Rin said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Mei turned, equally shocked to see their fellow enforcer standing outside the cell. Miyu gave them a small smile.

"Saki and I saw your fight with Chairman Kurosawa," she explained.

 "We couldn't let him lock you away, not when he's planning something terrible with this so-called Project K and also I know you might get angry but Sora killed Kaze..."

Rin's eyes widened, her anger momentarily forgotten. "You better stop telling lies now before I decide to electrocute you to death. Nobody can kill Kazu, he is in a league of his own."

Mei looked startled. "Sora killed Kaze? But how could he overpower someone so strong?"

Miyu bit her lip, her brows furrowed in concentration as she tried to make sense of it all. "To be honest, I'm still piecing together what happened," she admitted. 

"But I definitely remember Sora suppressing Kaze's powers when they fought. He even told us to leave and to say that Kaze was dead to the Agency."

She quickly worked the lock on the cell door and swung it open with a creak. Miyu gestured urgently towards the exit.

 "Look, let's not get caught up in this now. We need to focus on getting out of here first. Sora's coming back for us, so we should try to meet up with him and my sister Saki as soon as we can."

Rin clenched her jaw, hands balling into fists. The thought of Kaze at Sora's mercy made her blood boil. How dare he lay a hand on what belonged to her!

But Miyu was right, escape came first. Together they could overpower Kurosawa and Daichi. And once she deals with them, Rin would hunt Sora down and make him pay for taking Kaze's life.

"Okay, let's go," Rin said sharply, her voice laced with simmering rage. She would bide her time for now.

Rin led the charge, electricity once more dancing across her skin as the suppression system's effects wore off. She almost pitied the first guard to cross their path. Almost.

_____

Onboard the jet, slicing through clouds toward the Eclipse Agency, the atmosphere was thick with tension.

Kaze, displaying a fierce grip matching his intense stare, lifted Keito off the ground by his collar. Keito's leg, a visible sign of recent brutality, swayed beneath him as he let out cries mixed with pain and fear.

"So, you thought to use my DNA for Kurosawa's clone, did you?" Kaze said.

Usagi, always striving for harmony, clung to Kaze's leg, his voice laced with urgent pleas. "Kaze, please, have mercy! His legs are already broken; let him use his wheelchair."

Irritated, Kaze flung Keito into his wheelchair. Keito collapsed with a heavy sigh, "I'm sorry... I understand nothing can excuse my actions now."

"Damn right," Kaze snapped, turning to seethe silently in his seat.

Sora, till now engrossed in his book, only offered a cryptic smile.

"Enough, Kaze. Give him a chance to explain," Usagi insisted, his calm authority reaching even Kaze.

With a reluctant exhale, Kaze back down. Usagi then turned to Keito, signaling him to proceed. Shifting in his wheelchair, Keito inhaled deeply, his narrative winding back to days of untainted potential and friendships yet to be strained by the weights of ambition and betrayal.

"Kurosawa Mizuki and I... there was a time when we were inseparable, the best of friends. At 25, we collaborated in a lab, delving into the mysteries of anomalies, exploring why some people transformed while others remained unaffected."

"And your discoveries? How does one turn into an anomaly?" Usagi leaned in, captivated.

"We uncovered that it often starts with a mutation from birth. A peculiar cancer that, rather than killing, integrates with the host, evolving into something called "Anom-01", manifesting near the heart," Keito shared, his voice tinged with the thrill of that discovery.

Sora chimed in without looking up, "It's not as groundbreaking as he suggests."

Usagi, intrigued, prompted, "Explain?"

"Detecting Anom-01 wasn't new; the tech was there, However the tech was used primarily for cardiac issues. But Kurosawa, he repurposed it to identify Anom-01," Keito added, humility coloring his tone.

Kaze, leaning in with a sharp intensity, demanded, "Alright, spill it. What's this grand plan of his, and how did he go from lab coat scientist to a chairman lunatic?"

Sora paused his reading, drawn in by the unfolding story.

Keito took a moment, his gaze distant as if visualizing the past. "I'll never forget when Kurosawa Mizuki first opened up to me about his past.

It all began with a peculiar meeting by the bridge at sunset. He was there, hiding, trying to escape a group of kids who were after him. The way he talked about the woman he met at that moment, you could tell she held a special place in his heart."

Keito let out a sigh before he went on.

"Then, he shared something even more personal. He wasn't like other kids at ten years old; he didn't really play games. Instead, he had this intense curiosity about surgery.

He'd take apart dolls, pretending to operate on them, and, unsettlingly, he once tried to turn this curiosity towards other kids. That led to a serious accident where a child got hurt but thankfully survived. 

Usagi's expression shifted to one of understanding. "That explains how he discovered Anom-01," he commented, putting the pieces together.

Keito's voice softened, reflecting a blend of melancholy and admiration. "You're right. It was his passion for surgery and his knack for technology that led him to repurpose a medical device, unlocking the secrets of Anom-01."

Keito gently nudged his glasses back into place, his tone softening as he shared more. "As for his past... well, after all that transpired, his parents reached their limit. They couldn't cope, so they placed him in a psychiatric ward for ten years.

 The person who emerged at twenty years of age was transformed. He had this presence, you know? It was as if he filled the entire space around him with a negative aura. 

There was this undeniable respect and fear he commanded from everyone—both the staff and the other patients felt it. Clearly, he was no ordinary individual."

Kaze, with a spark of intensity, pressed on, "So, what's the story with this woman Kurosawa mentioned, huh?"

Keito leaned in, "You know, years after we first talked about her, Kurosawa Mizuki mentioned that woman from the bridge again. But this time, he said something that really threw me for a loop—he wanted to marry her. 'Marry her?' I couldn't help but ask, 'What makes her so unique?' 

He actually chuckled at that, and said 'She is quite relatable.' 

Then he shared something even more remarkable about their connection. Despite how he always masked his pain with a smile, she saw right through it.

 'Your smile might fool others, but I can hear your heart screaming in agony,' she had said to him. I was baffled, 'How could she possibly know that?' i Said to Kurosawa

His respect for her was undeniable as he explained that she had a special talent of knowing how people felt deep down.

Her talent to truly see him, to understand the depth of his pain and still accept him, gave him something he'd been longing for his entire life—a genuine sense of solace and acceptance.

Sora broke the quiet curiosity in his voice, "Who was that woman, exactly?"

"I believe her name was Himari Raina," Keito said, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

 "She was striking, with blonde hair, fair skin adorned with tribal tattoos, and captivating silver eyes. Oddly enough, she bore a resemblance to the man who had sealed her away."

"Wait, someone actually sealed her away?" Usagi asked, leaning forward, his curiosity piqued.

"Yeah, well I don't know the story that well but the guy responsible is Ryūji Enma. He's known as an S+ Rank threat, pretty much off the charts. Back then, the agency kept all his info under wraps, so only a handful of people even knew he existed," Keito explained.

"Let me get this straight, Kurosawa kicked off Project K just to take a swing at Ryūji Enma and free Himari?" Kaze asked.

The room fell silent, acknowledging the enormity of their task. Usagi was the first to break the silence, "Perhaps there's a way to reason with Kurosawa so we can help him out."

Kaze was skeptical. "Doubtful. My last encounter with Kurosawa showed he's not one for a reason. We'll have to demonstrate our point through strength."

The group silently agreed, each lost in thought about the challenge ahead.

Sora, with sudden intensity, conjured a shadow blade, pointing it at Keito's throat. "I hope you all remember I'm here under two conditions," he said, his gaze shifting between Keito and Kaze.

 "First, for Keito to create an enhanced S-23 serum. And second," his blade now aimed at Kaze, "for a rematch with you, Kaze. I can wait until after our current mission."

Kaze couldn't help but smile at the challenge. "Beating you again? Sure, I'm up for it."

Usagi, with a sense of urgency, quickly laid out the plan. "First things first, we need to get a new bracelet to stabilize my anolity. Sora, we're also on the hunt for that S-23 serum for you."

"Let's not overlook Mei and Rin and also my two colleagues Miyu and Saki. Sure, things are... complicated with Keito, but right now, we need every ally we can muster." Sora said.

Sora looked at the window and said, "it seems we made it."

As they finally touched down on the Eclipse Agency's rooftop, the team slipped into enforcer vests they found on the jet. 

Kaze, focusing his energy, conjured a swirling vortex directly beneath them, opening a passage into the heart of the agency.

"Just brace yourselves," Kaze warned, as they descended rapidly through the opening.

Moments before hitting the ground, Kaze's voice cut through, 

「Graviton Surge!」

Suddenly, the sensation of falling vanished, replaced by a gentle float as Kaze manipulated gravity to soften their landing.

They touched down with ease, regrouping quickly, their minds and bodies ready for whatever lay ahead.