[hr][i][h1][color=cornflowerblue]Shizuka Takashiro[/color], & [color=springgreen]Cindy Gabrielle Keagan[/color].[/h1]
[sub](Written in collaboration with [@Mr Allen J])[/sub][/i]

[hr][hider=Tsubasa Chronicle OST - prove yourself][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOP0AAb_R0s[/youtube][/hider][hr]

Cindy had to admit that it was hard as hell to traverse Knightdale taking the - you know - fucking district-wide blackout into account. She could only see so far. Only taking into account reference. Since she's spent almost her whole life in Knightdale Rows and quite awhile in her apartment, it wasn't that hard to tell that she was going the right way. She came up to her apartment, and the glass pane lowered to street level, and Cindy hopped off. Shizuka followed suit, somewhat disappointed that the ride was over. He quite enjoyed the feeling of flying - or rather, [i]hovering[/i] - in the sky. He made a mental note to practice more, practice harder, so that eventually he would be able to use his power to walk (or even run!) on air.

"Come on," She said as she ran off the pad to the door. She pulled out her keys, and looked behind her... "Oh no..." Cindy groaned. On the rooftops, she saw more glowing eyes. The same purple eyes that were the exact same as the monster they just killed. There were at least five. Okay, stay calm. All she has to do is hit up NEST or something, and pray that they can handle this.

There was a sentiment in her head which knew that it wouldn't be that easy.

"...We're gonna have to run, boy." She quickly opened the door and ran down the hallway - that kooky little bastard Shizuka better be behind her.

...And he was. Shizuka swore inwardly - he shouldn't have brushed off his gut feeling and dropped his guard when Cindy managed to kill just one of these monsters. "What the hell? These [i]minions[/i] are so fucking persistent!"

The five eyes appeared on the other side of the glass entrance. They used their claws to punch at the glass - eventually breaking through.

"You fuckers want in?!" Cindy shouted as she turned around. She pulled her hands back and pushed them outwards, sending the glass flying at them. There was a collection of screeching among the creatures. Implying that she did some damage. Cindy didn't even stay behind as she kept running down the hallway with her friend behind her. She ran up the stairs - but she heard one of the creatures running up right behind them.

Using quick thinking, Cindy created large shards of glass that levitated around her. When the creature - running on four legs like a cat, except it's body was much wider - ran up, it got pelted with heavy glass shards that dug it's way into it's body. Knocking it back down the stairs. Cindy pulled the glass back to her, as she kept running up the stairs. Creating more and more glass that floated off her body.

She couldn't do this forever.

In line with other Metahumans, Cindy's power was stamina-dependent, and she was getting a little fatigued with all this running and using her superpower. Not to mention the glass she was actively creating. Cindy made it up to the second floor of the complex. She ran down the hallway, hearing the sounds of the beasts, Cindy came up with an idea. She put the glass shards together, creating a little bomb (Lihua gave her this idea), and threw it down the hallway behind her.

"Pick up the pace!" Cindy shouted, running a little faster. Because this required [i]timing[/i].

"Oi, at least gimme a warning when you want to do that!" Shizuka gasped behind her, annoyed. He had been running in phased mode the whole time, dodging Cindy's sudden glass assaults [i]before[/i] him and the whipping tentacles [i]behind[/i] him. Whatever this crazy girl was planning now, he seriously didn't want to get caught in them.

"Well, I'm sorry! Let me just warn [i]them[/i], too!" Cindy shouted. When they got out of the way, the shards of glass violently exploded. Sending powerful shards of glass in all directions. Effectively creating a nail bomb. The beasts were shredded to bits, Cindy could hear their cries of pain from all the way from the hallway. What she didn't know is that she killed one, and it was dissolving. Any glass that came too close to Cindy was caught, and added back to her glass arsenal.

Shizuka stretched out a hand to grab for Cindy's arm, going intangible once more. They were near the end of the hallway - but who needed to stop to fumble with the door lock when you could just pass right through it? Besides, they didn't have any time to waste with four freaks still hot on their tails. "Don't breathe!" Those four were closing in, and he could feel that Cindy might be at her limits. They needed to rethink of another strategy.

Again with the holding breath? Cindy complied, and held her breath to the best of her ability. Shizuka pulled her through the door just in time - it groaned under the weight when one of the beasts rammed into it. [i]Okay, now what?[/i] They would need a place to at least catch their breath for all this madness, and he couldn't let Cindy to handle all those four creatures on her own, not after going through a shitstorm to bring down just two. "Ok, Meifeng's mum is a NEST agent, right? Do you have her number? Should we call her for help?" He still held on to Cindy - just in case they needed to phase out of this place immediately when the monsters got through the door, which could be any moment now. The hinges were screaming to break from the continuous body-slamming outside.

"Lihua lives in Central Valley - halfway across the city." Cindy said as she put her back against the door. The glass she was manipulating gracelessly fell onto the ground. There was no way that the Vuhongs could lend a hand.

"Who else do you know who's a NESTie and is [i]near here[/i]?"

"...You know, have you thought about that big ass building over the city? That's their Headquarters." Cindy said over the pounding. She wondered if she could get help from Lucy, or the Obotts - but Trevor wouldn't do shit. Only problem was that - even if they did call for help, they would have to hold them off, or at least find a good place to haul ass.

So, the NEST headquarters was nearby, but how the hell were they going to get there? And what's more, what about those four thingies beyond the door?

The door was breaking, and it wasn't going to be long before it breaks - Cindy knew it. Only choice was to haul ass.

"Forget about goddamn NEST then!" Guessed they were on their own. Shizuka sighed - he really hate to do the extra work. He would give this idea a shot, but that would mean he had to leave Cindy to fend the freaks off by herself. What other choices did he have? At least he could trust that girl to take care of her own back from the fight previously. "Now's your turn to distract them," he said jokingly.

"Huh?" Cindy had to ask. What the hell was this kooky boy up to this time? "Wait, what are you cookin' up?"

"You keep them busy, while I sneak up behind them, sticking them into the walls and the floor." A tentacle poked through the gap in the door, and Shizuka forced the door back harder to keep the tentacle out. "Probably won't kill them, but that should keep them still long enough for you to finish them all at one go instead of running around like a stupid cat and mouse game." Then he had another idea. "How about you give me a few glass bombs, and I can stick them right into their core?"

Shizuka had a point there. It's clear that they weren't losing them by running. Cindy nodded her head and glass started floating up into the air. They stuck together, and formed another glass bomb, and created a second one the same manner. She handed the non-pointy end to Shizuka. "...Just be careful." Cindy said. Okay, she just has to distract them...though, she could just reinforce the window, and be on her way. 

[i]Don't be silly... They'll just follow you...[/i]

Shizuka received the bombs from Cindy. "Deal." He moved away from the door - more tentacles were slipping through the widening gap. The door wasn't going to hold much longer. He ghosted through the door and face the first one on the other side. Before its glowing purple eye could refocus on the boy, Shizuka already put his fist through the eye and dropped the bomb in his hand inside the monster. He quickly moved out of the way, dashing towards the next target, the deafening explosion behind him telling him that his insane plan actually worked.

The monster screamed as the glass explosive went off inside of it. Horribly damaging its body. It wasn't long before it fell over, dissolving. The rest tried to attack Shizuka. He did the same to the second monster, and it soon met the same fate as the first - Plan B was a great success! Cindy only gave him two bombs, so for the remaining minions he would have to use Plan A. He ducked as the third creature thrashed angrily around the hallway, its tentacles slashing the air like whips. He managed to slip next to its orb-like body and placed his hands on its slippery armor, sinking it halfway into the ground. [i]Yuck - what the hell is this slime?[/i] While this wouldn't kill the creature right away, it's good enough to distract it with a dose of extreme pain by temporarily merging its interior organs with the concrete floor.

He wasn't so lucky with the last monster.

It caught him from behind with a tentacle - wrapping itself around his middle, tightening around him, trying to crush his rib-cage. "[i]Fuck you, bitch![/i]" He grimaced, then expanding his power to the creature and both of them began to fall into the ground. Once the monster was stuck to the ground he broke the link with it and phased out of its grasp, rolled away from it, panting heavily. He slowly raised a thumb into the air. "All...yours, C-Cindy."

Looked like Shizuka got this. Even with his strange ghost-like power, he was still capable of fighting. Though, the last part was down to Cindy, because Shizuka was obviously tired. Cindy was tired, too, but not tired enough to miss out on taking these last two freaks out. She pushed down what was left of the door (it was almost about to break, so even the skinnest girl could break it). She gathered all of the glass, and created a tornado of glass around their body. Simply by spinning her hands in a circle in front of her. Every sharp glass edge cut deeper into their flesh, and forced shards of glass inside. Up until the creatures downright dissolved. Which means it's over.

"...[i]Thank God![/i]" Cindy loudly shouted as she knelt forward, putting her hands on her knees. She was panting just as much as Shizuka. "...Thank you." She said, in between her pants. She wasn't sure if there were anymore out there.

Once his breathing had calmed down, Shizuka got up, looking around to make sure that this was truly over (well, at least for now). "My sixth sense is telling me that we're safe at the moment. Why are they chasing you anyway?"

"Uh, yeah. Up until the army shows up." Cindy muttered underneath her breath. Shizuka asked about why this happened. Man, if Cindy knew the answer to that... Cindy let out a sigh. "I have no god damn idea." She answered his question as blankly as it gets. "I just ran out real fast to go get my phone..."

Cindy thought about it for a moment. The rain...it had to be connected to the rain. None of this happened until it rained. However, that's a while another discussion. Far as Cindy remembered, Shizuka was from Chinatown...which was a bridge away. She latched onto his wrist. "Actually, I'm not letting you head out in the dead of the night, with these damn freakshows running around... You're spending the night with me." Then she realized what she just said. "...And not in [i]that[/i] way, yo!"

Shizuka raised an eyebrow when Cindy gripped on his wrist, but he couldn't hold back his urge to laugh at what she said. "Thanks for the concern and [i]gracious[/i] invitation, but I'm not a kid, [i]yo[/i]!"

"But you're definitely kooky, and [i]that[/i] warrants a little extra supervision." Cindy answered, putting her hands on her hips, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

The power to Knightdale Rows came right back on. Looks like Verthaven's technicians work fast...but she totally could have used the power like [i]ten[/i] minutes ago. Cindy could finally take a look around - and she realized something was wrong. She looked at the door that was broken down.

"Um..." Cindy said. "That wasn't my apartment...they're going to be soooo pissed."

"Who cares? At least we're still alive, and that's way more important than a damn door."

"You're not going to be the one they bitch at, and [i]you[/i] ain't going to be the one paying..." Cindy trailed off when she realized something. She remembered that she had suffered a great loss. "...Speaking of which - you better be paying for that [i]scooter[/i], too! Because I heard, clear as day, that [i]you'd[/i] pay for it."

[i]She still remembers.[/i] Shizuka raised his hands in defeat, but he didn't wipe the smirk off his face. "Yeah I did, but as you know I just arrived here not long ago, so I'm afraid I don't have the money right now. I promise I'll pay you back eventually, I swear!" He slipped out of her grasp and turned to leave.

Cindy let out a sigh. Firmly planting her hands on her hips and shaking her head. Insurance will probably cover the scooter - if she can come up with a good story... Hmmm, maybe she crashed it while trying to dodge a jackass in the road? Whatever. As Shizuka walked off, Cindy didn't say another word to him - though, she was tempted to ask what the hell he was doing in Knightdale in the first place. She'd rather be asking what the hell just happened.

Shizuka stopped in his tracks. Speaking of money... He walked back towards Cindy. "Hey, you work in that Candy Club that Trevor brought us to where we first met? How much is the pay?"

He's asking about [i]that[/i] of all times? [i]I swear, there's something wrong with this boy.[/i] Cindy thought to herself, briefly wondering if all the Japanese were this eccentric (or at least that twin of his). "Yeah, my Dad owns it. He gives me like fifty dollars a week to work there..." Cindy trailed off as she narrowed her eyes, "...Why?"

That's more than the allowance that what Akemi gave the twins for helping out with her boring (not to mention, [i]tiring[/i]) cleaning job. "That settles it. If I work there, you can deduct your bike money from my salary."

An interesting proposal... Cindy would definitely have to think about it. "I'll have to talk about it with my dad, I guess. He might be down for it long as he doesn't have to buy me another scooter." Cindy shrugged, letting out an exhale. "...You know, I'm sorry about some of the things I said back there... Uh, it was..." Cindy trailed off again. Realizing that it was essentially redundant.

He waved off Cindy's apology. "And I don't mind staying for the night. I'm dead tired anyway."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go..." Before they walked off to her apartment, the girl turned her head to the window. It was raining harder than she ever seen before. What was out there...?

"...[i]This city is weird as all hell[/i]," Cindy muttered.