The Mutual Ally: The Juushin Resistance

Aoi was sitting on the porch outside, her sister next to her, rethinking about the events of last night.

"...how could he say that...?"

Kyuui, of course, was rather distraught, barely able to keep her emotions in after hearing those dreaded words that escaped her father's lips. She held her face in her hands, sobbing quietly in an attempt to relieve the pain. "...why would he say that about Mom...?" She continued to repeat the question like a broken record, a montra that seemed to never wish to silence itself.

Aoi sat there, Haiiro on her lap, as she looked off into space. She wasn't as disturbed about what her father had said as Kyuui was. He had tried to suffocate them all, Kyuui, herself, and Adela inside a cave, so it was common knowledge, to her anyway, that Taiki wasn't exactly fond on their mother. She relayed her thoughts to Kyuui.

"I thought he had changed from that..." Kyuui muttered hoarsely. "He was actually showing kindness towards her for once... he was being a true father to us both..." She couldn't bring herself to continue, and instead went on with sobbing quietly once more.

"I wish he had.." Aoi murmured, scratching Haiiro behind the ears. "I think he needs someone to help work him through this Hollow hatred of his."

"How...?"

"I don't know, since I've never heard of shrinks like that." Aoi replied. "I just wish someone could."

"....I can't help but wonder what Mom'll think..."

"Yeah...pity we never found her last night." Aoi sighed, still scratching Haiiro.

"What?!" That immediately alerted Kyuui from her troubled state. "She still didn't come home?!" She spoke in a rather alarmed manner.

"No." Aoi replied. "I'm beginning to wonder what the heck she's doing."

"....what if something happened to her?" Kyuui muttered, apprehension crawling into her mind once more.

"Kaa-chan is-" Right as Aoi was about to say that, the very woman in question strolled through the front gate, looking slightly annoyed.

"Mom!!!"

Immediately, Kyuui rushed forward, embracing the woman in a large hug. "We were sooo worried about you!" She said immediately. "You were so late, I thought something happened to you!" It would be her that was oblivious to Adela's obvious annoyance.

Adela smiled a strained smile as she embraced the elder daughter. Aoi walked over, holding Haiiro and it was she who caught her mother's facial expression. "Kaa-chan is something wrong?"

"In a way yes." Adela replied. "Where's Ahatake?"

"In the house." Aoi replied.

"Hm?" Kyuui released her mother in order to give her a puzzled look. "What about Ahatake-ojii?"

"I have to talk to him." Adela replied. "Come in if you like." She added, walking into the house.

"All right!" Kyuui was immediate to agree, eager to get her mind off of the trouble with Taiki any way possible. "C'mon, Aoi! Let's go inside!" She urged her sister.

Adela entered the room to see Ahatake sitting in a chair, reading the newspaper.

"Ahatake!"

Ahatake looked up, removing his reading glasses as he did do.

"Adela?" Ahatake said, smiling. "About time you got back. Where the heck have you been."

"Under questioning in jail." She said huffily.

"...huh?" A dumbfounded look was now on Kyuui's face, and she stared at Adela blankly. "...why?" Was the first intelligent question that came from her mouth.

Adela sat down in the nearest armchair. "Question on the whereabouts of Tereya. I heard she's dead, and yet when they took the body away, someone came and took it. They haven't an idea who it was, but because I was one of the last seen with her, they got to me first."

That drew a gasp from Kyuui. "Will that mean we'll be questioned, too?" She asked, frowning out of worry. "We all were with her, too!"

"We probably will be." Adela replied. "I'm not so sure. I'm more concerned about why someone took Tereya's body."

"Me too." Ahatake murmured. Could this be a good sign? Or something bad?

"Maybe Grandma's alive...?" Kyuui suggested half-heartedly, putting on a rather weak smile. Though, she she herself had doubted it; her body had suffered several bullet wounds to the chest when she finally went down. Stats didn't look too good in their favor, it seemed.

Ahatake smiled as well. "It is a possibility."

"What's this about Kaa-san being alive?"

It was Taiki.

He was leaning against one of the doorways that led to the room they were in, arms folded across his chest, and expression rather serious compared to his usually cheerful one.

Adela spoke up. "The police question me about her whereabouts. Apparently someone took her body from the ones that killed her and they don't know why."

Taiki looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. "Maybe some sort of processing? Preservation?" He suggested. "Maybe they wanted her body to remember the incident, or maybe they're some sick freaks who just love to..." He trailed off for a moment. "...you know."

Adela and Ahatake's eyes twitched and Aoi gagged and Kyuui gasped.

"Not funny Tou-san." Aoi muttered.

"Hey, I'm just throwing that out there...."

Adela shook her head to clear out the mental image. "I don't find it funny in the slightest, but I do think there is a chance she may be alive. If only she'd listened to me and gotten a job."

"I feel your pain." Ahatake replied.

Taiki smiled, obviously amused at the thought. "Well, if she is alive, maybe the people who saved her actually gave her one." He suggested. "Maybe she'll come back with a big ol, fat wad of cash because of all the hard work she's done!" It was obvious sarcasm; he knew Tereya wasn't that much of a hard worker.

Ahatake laughed. "Fat chance. Anyway, I think we should look into this."

Kyuui frowned. "How? The only ones that would know where she is would be the ones that got the body, as well as the officers. But, considering they're either dead or disappeared long from the scene..." She trailed off, letting the information sink in. Silently, Taiki praised himself for having such an influence on the girl.

"True...and I doubt whoever took her would be in a place that isn't built out of Seki Seki.." Ahatake murmured.

"Where should we start looking?" Taiki added. "How should we start looking?"

"Not sure. Considering the fact that wherever she is may be concealed with Seki Seki, she could be across the street and we wouldn't know."

Once again, Taiki scoffed. "Well, there goes the simple sensing..." He muttered in slight annoyance. "But, either way, I doubt the people who took her would hide in plain public. These officers are like hounds, after all."