Battle of The Bands Arc

[Anonymous]

"Heh. You once again demonstrate that you're wiser than you appear, just like any reasonable person." Olguin selfmockingly said.

"Some weren't as wise as you, and they took this power. This terrible, terrible power." He clenched his hand, the sphere of icy energy fading away.

"Some need this power to survive." He sadly finished.

[Shukuen]

Leets blinked, looking at Olguin in slight confusion. "Really? What did you need to survive against?" he asked curiously.

[Anonymous]

"My own power. At one point in time it was feeding upon itself, and this was the only way out of being killed." Olguin indifferently shrugged.

****

"Magic appears to be the bane of all the people that live here." Tofu sighed as he lead Miyuki into his office and up onto the examination table.

Peering closely at her, he began to expertly examine her.

[Asrana]

Yui silently slipped out of bed, pulling on a robe to ward off the chill of the night.

Using methods she had practiced for years, she made her way behind her mother once she was past her doorway. Hoping the faint click of her door latch was lost amongst her mother's steps.

She couldn't wait to see him again.

[Anonymous]

Olguin breathed a heavy sigh of regret as he turned away from the anatomy chart.

"Something's off with the feel of the night, or it could be something is off with the clinic itself."

What could it be?

****

"Hmm...excellent. That leg will heal in no time at all." Tofu looked pensive. "Although that curse..."

[Bean Bandit]

Miyuki nodded...and, despite her own worries, did her best to put on a cheerful face.

"Don't worry, Sensei. Daddy talked about some mushrooms that could undo this...or I could try and find Jusenkyo, or something." she assured Tofu...or was she trying to convince herself?

The words sounded hollow and afraid, even to her own ears.

[Anonymous]

"Well, the forest that had those mushrooms may never be found again. You must also consider that it may have been destroyed." Tofu's expression grew grim as he remembered something he had read in the paper recently.

"And the entirety of China is in the grip of a bloody war, so Jusenkyo is not a safe place to go at this point in time."

"Perhaps visiting a temple may also help." Tofu suggested. "In these times, many gifted and powerful individuals have gone into the priesthood."

***

Kasumi descended the stairs in time for Olguin to turn towards the entrance. She felt her heart skip a beat as she considered his profile, then happily burst out.

"Olguin!"

[Asrana]

Yui silently descended behind her mother, her eyes searching for him.

She blushed only barely at the sight of Olguin. He looked...almost cold...

Blinking curiously, she waited in the background, smiling warmly. She wouldn't want to go in uninformed.

[Anonymous]

Olguin was just turning when he was engulfed by his aunt's giant, bonecrushing hug. The thing that raised his hackles was that there was a note of...desperation in it?

"Ack!" Olguin brilliantly responded as Kasumi started firing off rapid fire questions.

A few moments later, Kasumi finally noticed the distressed state of her nephew and slowly let him go with a firery red blush on her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry Olguin-chan." She murmured, "It's been entirely too long."

Olguin felt like an absolute ass when he saw the glimmer of tears in Kasumi's eyes. Which was doubled when he saw...Yui?

"We...we need to get reacquainted, yes!" She forced cheer into her tone as she turned towards Leets, "I'll make you two something to eat, yes."

With that, she slowly padded backupstairs.

"Um...Leets, just follow my aunt to the kitchen, okay? I'll join you in a bit."

[Bean Bandit]

Miyuki's control over herself nearly cracked, but she smiled a little as Tofu suggested an alternative.

She nodded. "I'll try, sensei. I don't want to have to go through this all over again."

She hesitated, chewing her bottom lip, and suddenly sounded every bit as vulerable as she looked.

"Ano...Sensei. Has-Has my mother mentioned me at all?"

She gripped the table she was sitting on tightly to disguise the sudden trembling of her hands.

[Asrana]

Yui hesitantly walked up to Olguin and looked into his eyes for a moment before hugging him, remaining silent for only a moment, "Welcom back, Olguin-kun..." Her voice was soft, slightly thick with emotion.

[Shukuen]

Leets looked curiously as his older companion was apparently being choked twice. Shrugging it off as some japanese custom, he followed the older woman upstairs as instructed.

[Anonymous]

Tofu carefully hid the wince that would've marred his features with every bit of his professionalism.

He had dearly wished he didn't have to tell her, but it wouldn't be right to hide the truth from her either.

"She has Miyuki-chan, but you won't like what kinds of things she has to say at all."

[Anonymous]

Olguin felt his worries ease slightly, and easily returned Yui's hug.

"Thank you, Yui-chan." Pulling back slightly, he fondly smiled at her.

"How are you?" He softly questioned, before a grinned crossed his features. "I hope my favorite cousin has been doing well."

[Bean Bandit]

Miyuki's face sank. She managed a shaky smile at Tofu, and a half-hearted mumble. "Oh."

She bowed her head, letting her hair obscure her eyes. Moments later, a trickle made it's way down the visible part of her cheek.