Ryu takes a deep breath before walking into the dark room with all the files she could find reading through them, she found nothing related to what he is asking for, and she's left with a week.
If by the end of the next week she doesn't have what he needs she can forget immortality her life will end right then and there.
"I found more files, but none of them talk about you getting your memories back, are you sure this is not just an unexpected side effect? They probably don't know you don't know who you are."
He turns around and rolls his eyes, "You have until next week to help me get my memories back."
She sighs and makes a call to one of her contacts that is helping her get these files, "He doesn't care how he just wants his memories back, start rounding up all the people we might need for this. Start with the Roc police station."
"Yes Mam."
~
Yuno and Setsuno glare at Tachibana, Ackerman, Sensen, Kai and Hitori, their summer vacation was supposed to be just the two of them, but instead everyone tagged along and the Jet is a bit crowded
"Why the hell did you tag along? You're supposed to be at home you're pregnant."
"And you won't let me forget it I want to go on vacation too."
Setsuno and Yuno mutter profanities watching Ackerman and Sensen have a senseless back and forth.
Kai and Tori are sleeping like there's no tomorrow and Tachibana is working while claiming to be on vacation.
"You know, we have enough Parachutes for all of you. Kai and Tori can sleep on a comfy bed. The two of you can end the fight by going back together, and Tachibana can work at his desk that he left behind at the Palace."
Yuno nods in agreeance with Setsuno
Tachibana narrows his eyes, "First of all, you're a bad influence on Yuno and I don't trust you with her. Ackerman goes where I go, and Sensen goes where he goes. Kai is here to watch Tori while the rest of us go to the bar and get our party on."
Kai wakes up and narrows his eyes at Tachibana, "Did you just say you're going to get your party on?"
Yuno snorts and looks out the window stifling a laugh.
"The closest thing I've seen the boss come to getting his party on is taking a sip of whiskey."
Ackerman laughs and fist bumps Setsuno for the accuracy of his joke.
"Actually, there is that one time we went clubbing." Tachibana stops typing and glares at Ackerman who ignores him, "He was so wasted Yuno watched him all night worried he was going to die.
"She called every two minutes. I think she was still a new employee at the time. Sensen wasn't there for some reason she had better things to do." Ackerman narrows his eyes at her.
He specifically told her to be there because he and Tachibana went out for drinks a whole bunch of times together, and truth is, Tachibana is a light weight. The worst part is that he's a serious drunk, in fact he's more up tight drunk than sober.
"In my defence Yuno volunteered to sub in for the night. I didn't expect you guys to come back from a club after 2 hours sloshed like you'd been there all week."
Kai shakes his head leaning back in his seat.
Tori wakes up and looks freaked out.
Tachibana puts the laptop away and Tori runs into his arms.
Tachibana glares at Ackerman patting Tori on the back hoping to rock him to sleep before he gets cheeky with him.
"I blame this on your crappy driving, do you need to cross every red light?" Tachibana looks at Ackerman who's smirking.
Tori won't get in a car without Tachibana on board, he and Snow already wrecked 3 of Tachibana's cars throwing a tantrum.
"I am so, sorry." Ackerman apologises with an amused expression on his face
"At least say it like you mean it." Tori comments and everyone laughs. they did not expect that from him at all He looks around and Tachibana notices he's looking for Snow.
"Snowy!" He gives Tachibana the 'you better bring my dog over here or I'm crying till next week' look.
"Hitori, he's sleeping, the sad part is that he's going to wake up." Tachibana hates the dog, he doesn't want to see it, he doesn't want to be seen around it, just looking at the mutt rubs him the wrong way.
"You know, this feels like one of those school trips where you'd have more fun on the bus then the actual trip." Kai comments and Setsuno sits up and nods.
"Dude, that was me on every school trip. I always had more fun on the bus then the trip the only thing I remember about being off the bus is the food."
"No surprise there all you ever do is eat."
Setsuno glares at Yuno and she looks out the window, "I'm not the one putting on weight."
Yuno turns and grabs a fist full of Setsuno's hair putting him in a headlock, "Apologise you jerk." He apologises tapping her forearm
The plane lands and the rented car takes them to the Villa. Tori stands in front of the big building holding Snow in his arms carrying his little backpack.
"Don't you think you went overboard?" Everyone asks Tachibana before scattering and picking rooms.
Tori follows Kai they always have fun together at night while everyone is sleeping. Sensen had a one track mind, food is the only reason she tagged along for the trip.
Setsuno slings an arm over Yuno's shoulder, "So fatso, what time are we going out tonight?"
Tachibana pulls them apart and stretches out his arms putting some distance between Yuno and Setsuno, "Not happening, she'll be yours tomorrow."
Tachibana takes Yuno's hand to the bedroom, "This is why Setsuno doesn't like you, you always interrupt our fun."
"Tch, he can join the club."
~
Ryu steps onto the elevator hitting the top floor button headed to the roof of the building, "Bino" He turns around and she crosses her arms, "Do you have what I need?"
He throws the disk at her, "Rex Kazama, he's your little brothers roommate he knows where you can find Roc Yamaguchi. he's an A ranked memory manipulator so I'm guessing it's strong enough to go as far back as you need him to go."
"Thanks."
"Whatever." Bino walks past her going back to his place. He flops on the couch and his phone rings it's Kai and Tori they call as often as Yuno lately.
"Hey, did you see Ryu? I forgot to ask you to tell her happy birthday."
"I'll deliver the message don't worry about it, how is Yuno doing? She called me an hour ago saying you guys just arrived."
"Yeah, this place is amazing I can't wait to explore it tomorrow. We just wanted to see if you were still alive I mean a job at the new ARC is super dangerous.
"I'm glad you got something to put food on the table and still doesn't conflict with your passion for cars."
Bino nods slightly chuckling to himself, "Man, never thought I'd hear you talk like that, you're all grown up now and in my mind you're still the same kid I had to chase around the neighbourhood for streaking."
Kai snorts and Tori snatches the phone from him, "Hello." Snow licks the screen and Kai takes the phone back.
"No." Tori screams and Bino watches Kai continue like it's nothing.
"Shouldn't you try to calm him?"
"Nope, ignoring him is more effective, anyway foods ready bye, say hi to Ryu if you see her again."
"Sure thing."
Bino hangs up getting up from the couch, his door opens. Ryu walks in with a tall male with blue eyes and long white hair with black finger nails and a cross tattoo on his throat.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you that Kai says happy birthday." Bino relays the message walking towards the kitchen.
"Well, this is why you're in this predicament he doesn't trust you and bad things happen to the people he doesn't trust. I hope you understand that it's nothing personal I'm just avoiding the afterlife. I hope you have fun for the both of us when you get there."
The tall male walks towards Bino and slits his throat, "Mind keeping the monologuing to yourself, I said we get in and out not get in and have a casual chat with the guy."
"He didn't have to die."
"You don't have to live."
She looks away and takes in her surroundings one last time closing the door to her past, there's no going back now.
"I smell your grief, I thought you didn't have any attachments to the people around you."
She walks past him not saying anything she's not in a talking mood but before she walks away she turns to him.
"What you think and what you feel are two different things sometimes I don't care how old you are, but you'll pay for this he was my best friend, my only friend."
The male growls Ryu is not phased. She turns and walks away staring at the bracelet on her wrist Bino gave it to her last week, a gift from Yuno for her birthday since they were going on vacation this week.
"Tch, you idiot. I don't need your stupid gifts." A shadow circles her repeatedly confusing her for a moment she looks up and the shadow wipes a stray tear away, "I did not cut him deep enough he's still alive, and escaped."
He walks next to her with his hands in his pockets she gives him a confused look and he sighs, "I am not after humans, if you have a list of especially important ones to you I'll keep a note or whatever."
"What do you mean you're not after humans?"
"It's best you stay out of this, your Empress is a liar she knew what she was doing when she turned me mortal.
"The little accident that occurred to give Humans abilities was no accident she's throwing you all under the bus to confuse me on who's friend or foe, which is why I need my memories back to stop the senseless bloodshed."
"Hey, you just remembered something, you never mentioned the Empress before nor did the files say anything about the Empress being involved in any of this."
"She is more than involved she started this. I was a normal Aztec, the most powerful healer in existence there was nothing I could not heal until she came to me and asked if I had the cure for death.
"Just like you she thought she needed an eternity to get this life thing right I worked tirelessly trying to figure it out, but I knew it was impossible so I gave up and kept living my life." He stops in his tracks his memories flooding in.
"Do you remember your name?"
He looks at Ryu and chuckles, "Izumi Lin"
Ryu furrows her brows and crosses her arms, "So what? We're related?"
"Yes, as an Aztec we believed in drawing power from the elements hence why this immortality thing was nothing but a pipe dream to me, there is day and night, there is good and bad, fire and water.
"Nature has a beginning and an end so I came up with a theory that immortality will not be found in the natural, as far as people were concerned our healing was super natural, but it wasn't.
"The real supernatural was lurking out there.
"Eventually I became an immortal, from there I gave the Empress immortality, but for each person it manifests in a different shape or form.
"For others they received immortality as shape shifters, others like the Empress as witches, she took my grimoire and used it to make herself the powerful Empress she is today
"Eventually things got out of hand and I fixed things by creating loopholes in their immortality, hence why wolves and vampires are instinctively enemies or the stake to the heart actually works
"There are many types of creatures out there, I've been using celestial events to come back and wipe them all out. It was never my intention to spark wars and conflicts but it's the only way I knew how to wipe them out in large numbers.
"Humans always get caught up in all this. I honestly want nothing to do with your kind I was once human. I just want things to be the way they they should be."
Ryu shakes her head and generates a water ball, "Things will never be the same, this isn't something you can fix. This world is beyond repair you need a different life purpose for yourself."
"I've been obsessing over this for more than a 1000 years I don't think your one line pep talk will talk me out of anything."
"Like I'd waste my time giving you a pep talk or believing you."