Expedition

 Saturday, November 18th, 8:52pm

 *Kin's Pov*

As I walked through the dense forest, leaves rustling underfoot, I couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement coursing through me.

I adjusted the strap of my satchel, glancing over at my sensei, Hirito Oxide, who marched beside me with a focused expression.

We were on a mission, one that Hirito took with utmost seriousness, but for me, it felt like an exhilarating game.

"Keep your senses sharp, Kin," Hirito said, his voice low and authoritative.

I nodded, feigning a solemn expression, but inwardly, I couldn't suppress a grin. The thrill of the chase, the adrenaline pumping through my veins, it was intoxicating.

Still, I respected Hirito's wisdom and experience. If he deemed this mission important, then I would do my best to assist him.

"Understood" I replied, my voice steady

We moved deeper into the forest, our eyes scanning the ground and surroundings for any signs of where the culprit went.

Hirito stopped, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the area. "How could someone who annihilates an entire village just leave this place without a trace."

Anger lacing his voice, "It just doesn't make any damn sense."

I crouched down, sifting through the fallen leaves and dirt, hoping to find even the smallest clue.

But there was nothing. No unusual energy, no disturbed ground, nothing.

Hirito sighed and turned to me. "We're missing something, Kin."

I stood up, brushing the dirt from my hands. "What do we do now?"

He scratches his hair and sighs loudly, "Let's head to the crater and see, there might be traces of Giyu's whereabouts."

My ears stiffen at the name "Giyu".

This what the first time I had heard the name of the person who committed this atrocitie.

But for some reason the name was familiar, I feel as if I had heard his name from somewhere but I just couldn't remember.

We begin marching onwards through the forest as we make our way towards the crater of the once large village.

The trees began to thin out, and the air grew heavier with the scent of scorched earth and decay.

Hirito's pace quickened as we neared the edge of the crater. We reached the edge of the crater and peered down. The sight was both awe-inspiring and horrifying.

The remnants of buildings and charred vegetation dotted the landscape, a dark reminder of the destruction that had taken place.

Hirito carefully descended into the crater, and I followed closely behind, mindful of my footing on the uneven terrain

The air was thick with the smell of ash and burnt wood, and the ground was littered with debris.

Hirito paused, scanning the area intently. "Look for anything out of the ordinary," he instructed.

I nodded and began my search, my eyes darting across the scorched earth for any clues.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything. This Giyu guy really vanished without a single trace.

I looked over at Hirito and visibly saw his anger. I knew he took his missions seriously but I couldn't help and wonder why he cared so much.

I mean, it's not like he knew these people. I sighed loudly and shrugged off the thoughts.

Not long after, the two of us reached the center of the crater, a very wide and flat circle outlining it.

In the direct center, there were shards of what looked to be a crystal of sorts. As I started at it, I couldn't help but feel drawn towards it. Almost wanting to touch it for myself.

Hirito must've noticed my trance because I felt a large smack go across my head.

"Focus Kin" His loud voice echoed

I rubbed the place where he smacked me and nodded.

Hirito crouches down next to the shards and examines them, "Has Tanaka taught you guys about these things yet?" He looks back at me.

I shake my head, "No he hasn't"

Hirito carefully picks a small shard off the ground, it's chaotic red shining brightly.

"This is what we call Matter Shards, they are formed whenever an excessive amount of Matter is used" He leans the shard closer to me.

"And as you can see, this isn't any regular Matter Shard. Wanna take a guess on what type of matter it is…"

Hirito stretches the shard towards me, I feel a sense of anticipation as it gets closer.

I extend my hand out and grab it from him. Instantly I felt a surge of matter within me rise, touching this shard must've resonated with something.

"CHAOS!!!" The dark voice of Yami yells out

Suddenly the shard begins to glow a bright orange, Hirito looks stunned at its glow.

As it glows brighter, I feel my own matter start to surge in response.

My eyes begin to shift into its amethyst purple while my hair turns jet black.

"THROW IT AWAY KIN!!! NOW!!!" Yami's instructs

I instantly toss the shard away, sending it hurling into the other side of the crater.

The surge of matter within me because to settle as I gain composure.

"What the hell was that?" I look over at Hirito whose just smiling

"It's what I call a primal reaction" he smirks

Damn you Hirito

Hirito clears his throat before speaking, "You see, when two or more primal matters come into contact with each other, they resonate with each other."

I scratch my head at his words, "So I'm guessing that Shard's chaos resonated with my dark matter?"

Hirito's eyes spark when he hears me say chaos, "Exactly!!! How did you know it was Chaos Matter?"

I freeze for a moment, should I really tell him about Yami? I mean what's the worse it could do?

"Uh…well you see Tanaka Sensei had taught us that Chaos matter was very destructive so I just guessed that was a chaos shard…" I bravely save myself

Hirito smirks, "Well then, great guess."

The shard's glow faded into the distance, and I felt my heart rate slowly returning to normal.

"So now that you've resonated, I'm sure you can feel that your appearance has changed." Hirito points out the change in my hair and eyes.

I nod

"Be proud Kin, you're finally learning to control your dark matter, soon enough you may be able to fully master it if you train hard enough" Hirito begins walking towards me and smacks me on the shoulder.

"Let's get going, the sun will be setting soon."

I turn towards him and follow suit, "Right!!!"

With that, we began the trek back through the forest. The air felt cooler now that the sun was setting.

My mind raced with thoughts of the mission, the destruction we'd witnessed, and the power of the shard.

As we neared the edge of the forest, I turned to Hirito. "Sensei, why do you think Giyu did it? Annihilating an entire village… it seems senseless."

Hirito's eyes were distant, lost in thought. "Power, revenge, madness… It could be any number of reasons. What matters is that we stop him before he can do more harm."

We continued in silence, the gravity of the situation settling over us. Eventually, the forest thinned out, and the path to our base became clear.

From the outside, the base had a modest footprint, blending seamlessly with the surrounding environment.

The structure was a compact rectangle, measuring approximately 40 feet in length and 25 feet in width.

Its walls were composed of reinforced wooden planks, harvested from the dense forest, and treated to withstand the elements.

The roof, slightly sloped to prevent water accumulation, was made of tightly interwoven branches covered with a waterproof tarp, camouflaged with leaves and moss to avoid detection.

The base wasn't very big, but it was enough to fit the 14 of us who came on this mission.

I could see Jaki and Slade hanging out near the entrance of the base.

And at the same time, they noticed me and Hirito.

"Hey guys!!! Hirito and Kin are back!!!" Jaki yelled out.

Does he always have to make a big scene!!!

I sigh loudly, "You don't have to fan girl out whenever I arrive."

Jaki grinned at my comment, unfazed by my teasing. "Well, someone has to keep the morale high around here!" he said, clapping me on the back.

Hirito chuckles slightly, "Good work out there today Kin, I need to go speak about our findings so you guys enjoy yourselves."

Hirito walks into the base and shuts the door.

The 3 of us continue sitting outside as we watch the sunset before us.

Slade who was leaning against the wooden wall spoke up, "So did you guys find anything out there?"

I glanced over at Slade, "Nothing…well Hirito showed me some Matter Shards that were at the center of the crater."

Jaki's eyes widened with interest. "Matter Shards? That's rare. Did you touch any of them?"

I nodded, trying to keep my expression neutral. "Yeah, one of them. It was… intense. Hirito said it was Chaos Matter. It resonated with my dark matter."

Slade straightened, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Chaos Matter? That's dangerous stuff. You sure you're okay?"

I shrugged, "I'm fine honestly, to be honest I've never felt better."

"And why's that?" Jaki asks

I smirk, "Because I think I'm finally getting a hang of my Dark Matter!"

Jaki punched my shoulder lightly. "That's the spirit, Kin! You'll be a master in no time."

"Heh, maybe you'll finally be able to beat me Kin!!!" A very annoying voice says from above.

I look up and see Elijah sitting on the roof, "Are you sure you won't fall through the roof? You know because you're a lard ass!!!"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH KIN!!!" Elijah yells

I chuckle softly, annoying Elijah is something I always enjoyed.

 "So, where's everyone else?" I ask

 Elijah hops down from the roof and lands next to the 3 of us, he yawns obnoxiously loud. "Adrian, Eliza, and Ski are still out exploring with Hisashi Sensei, while Mia and Tifa are both down at the lake." 

 With a nod to Elijah's response, I stood up, stretching my limbs after the long trek. "I think I'll head down to the lake and check on Mia and Tifa."

Slade nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan. Maybe you'll find some peace and quiet down there."

Jaki grinned. "Or maybe you'll get to hang out with your lover Tifa again!!"

 I roll my eyes at Jaki's words, "Whatever you say dumbass"

 Leaving Slade, Jaki, and Elijah behind, I made my way through the forest trail leading to the lake. The sounds of nature enveloped me, soothing my senses after the intensity of our mission.

As I approached the lake, the tranquil sight greeted me. The water shimmered under the fading sunlight, and the gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the surrounding trees.

Near the shore, I spotted Mia and Tifa sitting together, their feet dangling in the water as they chatted animatedly.

"Tifa! Mia!" I called out as I approached, waving to get their attention.

Tifa turned towards me with her usual bright smile, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Well, well, if it isn't Kin!"

Mia waved from her spot next to Tifa. "Hey, Kin! We're just enjoying the peacefulness of the lake. How was your mission with Hirito?"

I settled down on the grass next to them, feeling the tension of the day slowly melt away. "Nothing really happened, we couldn't find a single lead on this Giyu guy, but Hirito showed me the Chaos Shards that were in the crater."

 Tifa's eyebrows raised in interest. "Chaos Shards? That sounds intriguing. What were they like?"

 I leaned back, recounting the encounter with the shard and its chaotic resonance with my dark matter. "It was…overwhelming...when I held it, I felt my body surge and flow with so much energy. Hirito said it was the cause of my Dark Matter resonating with the Chaos Matter."

Mia nodded thoughtfully. "That's good to hear, Kin. It sounds like you're making progress."

 Tifa grinned. "Yeah, soon you'll be a force to be reckoned with!"

 As the sun got closer to disappearing, Mia decided to excuse herself and head back to base. Tifa and I remained by the lake, enjoying the tranquil atmosphere.

 Tifa leaned back, her feet trailing in the water. There was a brief moment of silence between us, but it wasn't awkward. Maybe it's because I've known her since we were practically born, so silence such as this didn't bother me.

 As we sat there by the tranquil lake, the sky transitioning from dusk to night, I couldn't help but feel a sense of calm wash over me. Tifa's presence beside me only added to the serenity of the moment.

 She turns on her side and her red beautiful eyes gaze at me, "It's nice, isn't it? Yk, just laying here looking at the night sky." 

 I nod at her words as I continue gazing at the stars forming.

 A soft smile gracing her lips. "It's moments like these that make everything else seem insignificant."

I found myself drawn to her words, the way she spoke with such sincerity and warmth.

As the stars began to sprinkle the sky with their gentle glow, I found myself stealing glances at Tifa, admiring the way the moonlight danced across her features, casting a soft, ethereal glow.

Lost in my thoughts, I barely noticed when our hands brushed against each other, a fleeting touch that sent a shiver down my spine.

Tifa's eyes met mine, a flicker of surprise crossing her face before she looked away, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.

I quickly withdrew my hand, feeling the heat rise to my own cheeks. "Sorry," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

But Tifa simply smiled, her gaze warm and understanding. "It's okay, Kin. It was just an accident."

 I quickly sit up and stretch, "We should get going!" I exclaim

As we reluctantly rose from our tranquil spot by the lake, the night embracing us with its gentle embrace, Tifa and I began our leisurely stroll back towards the base.

The path through the forest was bathed in the soft glow of moonlight, casting elongated shadows across the forest floor. The sound of rustling leaves and chirping crickets filled the air, adding to the serene atmosphere.

As we walked side by side, a comfortable silence settled between us, broken only by the occasional sound of our footsteps crunching on the forest floor. It was a peaceful moment, one that I wished could last forever.

But soon enough, the outline of our base came into view, its modest structure illuminated by the soft glow of lanterns hanging by the entrance.

As we approached, the familiar voices of our friends reached our ears, laughter and chatter echoing through the night air.

"Hey, look who's back!" Jaki exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear as he spotted us.

Adrian and Elijah glanced up from their game of cards, offering us friendly nods of acknowledgment. Slade and Ski were engrossed in their usual lovey dovey conversation by the entrance, but they both turned to greet us with warm smiles.

 "Hey guys!" Tifa greeted, her voice filled with warmth and affection.

 We exchanged greetings and caught up on the latest happenings at the base as we made our way inside, the warmth of camaraderie enveloping us like a comforting embrace.

 As we settled down for dinner, surrounded by the laughter and chatter of our friends, I couldn't help but wonder if this is all we had to do for missions. Because if so, being a protector of Insomnia Kingdom was going to be easy!!!

 A few hours go by, I sit outside the base near the trucks that we drove here in. Glaring at the night sky, I take a deep breathe in before exhaling.

 "So, are you going to be quiet or are you going to explain what happened earlier Yami." I say out loud.

 "I need to stretch anyways" Suddenly I feel a rush of energy pass through me and purple lightning sparks in front of me.

 Forming within the sparks is Yami. His Tall lean frame glimmering under the moon light, his long black hair looking so rough yet formal. 

 His Amethyst eyes glare into mine, our gazes locked with each other.

 "Well then, let's talk!!"

 End of Chapter 6