Hinata was once more below ground. She was in her humanoid form, satchel and sword on her back, looking at a brand new cave she had found a couple of weeks earlier. It wasn't too far down, taking only ten minutes or less to find her way back into the forest. For now, the cave was rather enclosed, but she could easily feel that there were more paths that would open up if she broke through the back wall of the cave.
She hadn't visited the forest or the underground much since her last grand adventure, not until a couple of weeks back. The chikyuu kitsune had been concentrating more on training with her sword. She had hardly visited Byakuya or Wrex in all that time, nor had she seen any sign of Julius or the other two, the angel and the demon. Perhaps she had simply stayed away from everyone herself.
Hotaru was giving her trouble. She didn't understand why, but the genderless personification of her sword was different than when she had first met it. The training was vigorous, which she was fine with. It was the other commands that he gave that troubled her, enough that she stopped training a whole week, concentrating only on her schoolwork as well as her other neglected abilities. She had even visited Inari's temple, hoping for some sort of guidance.
For now, she was going to work on expanding this cave, head further down, perhaps find some precious stones and metals. She was becoming lax in her business as well. Maybe she simply had to forget about her sword for now.
It had been a long time since Julius was at sea for so long, but this marked only the second or third occurrence when he actually at sea. Down, down into the ocean's depths, Julius had weathered the salty crust that formed around him, the curious headbutts of sea creatures and their squirming limbs. He was searching, not for memories, like on the island, but for a physical thing. A keepsake he meant to pick on a few centuries ago, his duties to masters gone but not forgotten keeping him away from it. It'd taken him weeks, possibly months to finally find it. Wedged in a chasm, Julius' - or rather Dallin's master's prized ship. He'd found it, but getting it out was another task entirely.
Julius' abilities waned in water, his fire and his power of the earth, and risking throwing tectonic plates out of position because he waa trying to move a ship was too big a move to take. Julius knew he had to do something; he hadn't came across an ocean just to turn around empty-handed.
Eventually, Julius created a way.
As an animated mass of mud and the craftsmanship of the ship, Julius had remained, crawling ever-so-slowly across the ocean floor. Miraculum was his destination, and Julius had more than enough patience to make it there without destroying the ship or the islands he passed. Patient as he was, it did become tedious, being so careful, though Julius knew it was for good reason. The ship was old, but it'd held strong under the waves. Julius wanted it in as few pieces as possible, so slow was his only way to go.
That had been weeks ago, and today, closer to the surface than he'd been in what truly felt like months, Julius could almost feel Miraculum. He would've said taste, but Julius didn't have working tastebuds.
The closer he got, the stronger the tremors from his presence became. Originating from the ocean, the seismic waves throughout the ocean floor, spreading through land and into the ground.
It would have been impossible for Hinata not to feel the tremors. Maybe if she had been a vegetable, but even then, the Mori kitsune would argue that a carrot had life in it too. She, however, felt more life through rocks and metal, and right now the vibrations she felt were tremendous, like nothing she had felt before. This wasn't just an earthquake, nor was it furious like the snake had been. It was deliberate, almost like a giant tunnel-digging mole, and it was coming closer. Slowly but steadily, like the tortoise in those fables humans liked to tell.
She licked her lips, her ears flat, her tail down and tense. What was this? The earth below her wasn't saying much. Unlike trees, stone, soil, and metal never seemed to be as noisy as other elements were. The earth was strong, calm, a constant element for the most part. It was down to earth, pun intended.
Her hands curled into fists. "I'm going to see," she muttered to herself. She was tired of the mundane life she had been living these days. The snake and then the incidents with her sword spirit had caused her to become a little more cautious than she was used to. Hinata had always been a careful girl, but not to the extent that she would start feeling miserable about it!
Feeling decisive, she lifted both her hands. A rare grin spread showed itself on her face as she pushed forward in the air. "Katsu!" Even as the words escaped her, the earth pushed forward with the force of her bending, yielding itself to her manipulation as it created a tunnel as far as her eye could see.
"Mada mada!" It wasn't enough! She would continue on, spurred by her curiosity and a stirring sense of adventure.
Though it was impossible to tell from the outside, Julius had put an extra pep in the slow movements of the gigantic mass of wet earth. He couldn't help rushing, he was excited! The ocean was nice and all, perfect for a long think, or to collect some nifty novelties from ages ago, but it was high time to return to the surface world. Besides, his form had been bogged down with water for weeks, and that couldn't had been good for him.
The slight acceleration worked, and within an hour's time, Julius felt the shift from rock to sand under his mass' steps. As luck would have it, the greater mass around his actual form helped figure out where he was, the vibrations coming back much stronger than they used to. As close as Julius was, Miraculum was still very far away, the good thing about it was he was finally back to Greece. Saying he was on Greece was stretching the truth, however.
Julius finally breached the water as a spear-headed monolith of mud and rock carrying a gigantic ship on his back, not a trace of the volcanic veins that ran through his true body, buried deep beneath the layers of earth. Julius couldn't feel the sunlight, but he imagined it would've felt great on his body.
Crawling out of the ocean entirely, Julius' form gave a shudder, able to stop for the first time in a long time. He wouldn't stay long, lest humans come and inspect what came upon the shore. He only needed a moment to compose himself, then he would go underground.
Meanwhile, Hinata had decided to take a little break. The tunnel she had created so far was more than a couple of kilometers long. Even as she walked, she could feel the various other paths that were open all around her if she gave a push in another direction. However, that wasn't on her mind right now. Even when she had felt a precious gemstone near her, instead of stopping like her usual self and extracting it, she simply continued onward.
It was a little funny to watch if there had been anyone watching. The way she moved was fluid; in fact, it was quite reminiscent of a speed skater, boot clad feet moving through the tunnel as if it was made of ice, and she was wearing skates. Her head was low, ears pricked forward, hands curled into fists, which moved forward decisively with even stride she took. And with every such move, the tunnel extended once more.
Such continuous expansion was wearisome work, even for an earth kitsune... and especially for one who had been slacking from both her element as well as manipulating it. She let out a small sigh as she sat down on the ground, stretching out her legs, feet crossed at the ankles. She reached into her satchel, pulling out an apple, a pretty yellow and red thing. Her tail wagged as she took a bit of the crunchy, juicy fruit.
She could still feel it, the vibrations coming from far away. But for now, her stomach was wanting of food, so she remained where she was, chomping away on the fruit. She'd bet that her siblings would think she was stupid, but she didn't care.
As a person of fairly solid stuff, Julius took pride in his ability to keep going, no matter the situation he was out in. He didn't need food to sustain himself, nor air to catch his breath, yet he was was. Julius knew for a fact that months in an element that greatly opposed what he was made of had to have some effect on him, but he'd gone too far to stop to recover now. He could take a break when the ship was in place, and out of sight from humans.
Gathering his strength, Julius pressed into the ground, shifting rock and dirt alike around himself as if he were swimming through the earth. Taking extra care to close the hole he made behind him, Julius disappeared within the earth. It was dark, although Julius relied on his sense of the earth, but at least it was better than the ocean.
Trying to prevent as many tremors as he could in his underground travel, Julius could feel the aftershocks of himself, doing his best to stabilize the earth as to prevent sinkholes. He'd hate to leave a suspicious trail of them all the way back to Miraculum. Then what? Hades would probably throw him back to his home dimension himself.
While concerned with what he was doing, Julius couldn't help but notice the work of... something else. Far, far ahead, there were tunnels that failed to feel natural. They felt made, which was strange, considering the only thing Julius knew that could so that was that snake from way back. He hadn't felt any nests around the borders id Greece, so could he'd been right about his suggestion about the snake laying eggs?
Yikes, this could be bad, thought Julius, progressing still.
It wasn't too long before Hinata finished up the apple she had decided to snack open. Once done, she licked her fingers clean and then stood up, stretching out. The sheath on her back pressed against her as she did, reminding her of the way the spirit had been acting. It was so disconcerting. She wanted to be a protector, somebody that people looked up to, wanted to go to when they needed help! Instead, he was telling her that the sword needed to be soaked in blood... The innocent kind.
She swore in her native language as she straightened, a frown on her face. It didn't make sense, and it was pissing her off once more. Maybe she should have talked to Byakuya or Wrex about it. She felt ashamed to, however. What sort of person couldn't handle their own hand forged sword? It was shameful!
Frustration once more was beginning to boil within her. She growled momentarily but then stopped. The vibrations in the earth, they were definitely stronger now, not just that, they were headed toward Miraculum. Or in that particular direction. It was steady, it didn't seem dangerous, but who knew? She wasn't scared, if anything. The earth wouldn't fail her, that much she knew.
"Whatever is making all that noise is going to have to meet with me," she decided rather decisively. She took a breath to calm herself down, half tempted to meditate for further effect. Her senses were too spurred on, though. Onward she went, once more pushing the earth forward, creating her long underground tunnel. She wasn't sure how far she was from Miraculum, but at this moment. She hardly gave it a care.
As time went on, Julius got more and more confused by just what was going on. Something was tunnelling, at an alarming rate if his snake offspring theory was correct, but the thing that instantly disproved that was the lack of a body large enough to so such a thing. Deep as he was, it was easy to sense the vibrations in the earth, it was even easier to notice the footfalls in the tunnels.
It couldn't be, could if? Why would she be so far away from Miraculum, heading even further out? What was Hinata up to? If it was her, Julius corrected. It could be any earth manipulator with enough finesse not to bring the whole thing crashing down on their heads.
Julius felt it, though, the way the earth was moved. The motion was smooth, full of effort, and efficient. Strangely enough, it felt like Hinata's handiwork. Julius had moved the earth with her, their powers working towards a common goal, so he waa pretty sure he knew how she bent the earth.
Meeting underground, especially how he was now, wouldn't be practical. They were still far enough from most humans, no structures that Julius presumed were man-made above ground. Turning his focus there, Julius headed to the surface, purposely making a seismic ruckus to attract Hin- whoever it was to him.
Hinata had to admit, despite her habitual careful and serious nature, that this was exciting, invigorating even. She was so used to doing things by the book, with no unnecessary steps, that she hadn't realized the fun one had doing something for the heck of it.
Still, it wasn't like she had broken down all of the self-imposed barriers that restrained her from being an all out troublemaker like other kitsune and nogitsune. The tunnels she was digging, or rather, creating were strong and solid, not reckless and in danger of collapsing.
At one point she paused yet again, panting a little. She wiped at her brow, sighing. It did feel good to do some manual work that didn't just involve sitting in place. It reminded her of when she had started working at her brother's forge. It had been hard work, and get muscles had hurt for days afterwards, but she'd also felt accomplished.
As she shifted into her fox form, the earth felt even more connected and alive under her paws. The vibrations increased, and the felt almost purposeful. Curiosity was getting the better of her. If it was something dangerous, she could always escape. So, she focused her attention toward the seismic waves and started toward their source, tunneling upward. Her tail was wagging behind her. This had to be the same source of earth movement she had been feeling the whole time she'd been making her tunnels!
Given his immense size, it was expected for Julius to reach the surface before whoever was in the tunnels. As gracefully as he tries to emerge, there was only so much he could so to prevent uncalled for damages. Choosing an area large enough to hold him, Julius waited a moment longer to split the earth open, moving several groves of trees away. He crawled out of the fissure, accidentally kicking down a few trees when hia hindlegs came scrabbling out. 'Oops!' Oh, well. That was his fault, he'd admit it.
After he settled, Julius scattered his senses, feeling the being still in the earth moving upward. Good, that was a good sign. If they were following him that meant they had a certain level of intelligence. Although, a snake could have the same instinct, but...no. No more snake talk. That chapter of his life was over and done.
Julius, the part that controlled the goliath, squirmed. If it was the offspring of the snake, his scent associated with the death of it's parent, how would he act? Would he dip back into his old ways, savagery and chaos? Julius... didn't know. He hoped he wouldn't, hold the title of doing no harm higher than he had.
Shifting, the goliath's clumpy hull hardened, as if readying for an attack. Julius held onto to the hope of the creature being someone he knew, that didn't mean to get careless.
For a little while, Hinata paused in her upward tunneling, ears twitching nervously. Whatever was digging, or rather tunneling like her, had stopped. She set her paws down firmly on the ground, eyes closed as she concentrated and felt. The earth above had been torn. She could feel the remaining roots of unrooted trees, not due to themselves, but how the soil felt in the areas that they used to be in. Whoever or whatever she was chasing after was huge, that much was sure!
Should she go after it? If she had still been at Miraculum, she would have probably left it be and gone elsewhere, perhaps to study some more of maybe, finally, visit Byakuya or Wrex. However, she was so far away from her school now, pursuing after this... whatever it was! There was no reason to go back after all this effort.
Hinata opened her eyes and bounded forward, and as her paws hit the ground, the tunnel extended far, far ahead, finally breaking through the ground. It was only a few minutes later when she emerged, nose twitching as they took in the scents, ears doing the same, taking in the many sounds of nature. She cautiously looked around before shaking the dirt from her fur.
Her eyes caught sight of him. It was hard not to, to be honest. Her ears flattened, unsure. Was that...? She let out a bark, ready to run if she had to. Her nose, working overtime, could smell familiarity. Still, she wanted him to speak first.
Julius' defenses sharpened as the creature got closer, not moving, just waiting for it to show. With the distance between then measured in yards instead of miles, Julius could tell that whatever it was lacked the size he imagined. In fact, it felt small enough to be a small animal. And, as it turned out, it was. Not an animal, though, but a fox. A kitsune. Hinata. Julius had to laugh, the body of the goliath quivering, losing clumps of it's rocky crust in the tremors of Julius' mirth.
A fissure was made in the underbelly of the ship-carrier, Julius falling through the dirt, eventually sticking his head out to look at Hinata. "Oh, hey, Hinata," Julius greeted. Upside down, Julius pulled his legs free, one by one..until he fell. As he plummeted, Hinata might've heard an exasperated 'oh man' before the demon hit the ground, harmlessly. Flat on his back, Julius peered over at Hinata, lifting his hand in a polite wave.
"Nice to see you again, Hinata! It's been a while!"
Hinata watched, sitting down on her haunches, looking... well, it was hard to tell, since she didn't really have many expressions on her face when a fox. Her tail was sweeping across the ground, however, her eyes bright and ears perked.
"It has been!" she agreed telepathically. She was now grinning, her tongue almost lolling. Unable to contain herself, she raced forward, pausing only a second before jumping onto him. It was... a little odd for her to show this sort of affection, but one had to remember she was a kitsune who came from a big family, one that regularly tended to show their affection in a physical way. Hinata had always been much more serious about it all, but even she had her moments. She nuzzled him for a second before hastily moving off, landing next to the demon.
"Uh, konichiwa, Julius-san!" She had shifted to her humanoid form. She looked pretty much the same as always, though her bangs were a little unruly today, falling over her face, which was a slight tinge of red, realizing her action was a little too touchy-feely. "It has really been a while. I- I did miss you." No shame in admitting that, right? She sat down on her rump and crossed her legs, tail still smacking the ground behind her. "How have you been? I thought maybe you were gone for good..." Her ears flattened at the thought.
Laughing as Hinata playfully nuzzled him, Julius shook his head at the implication that he'd left. "No, I still live here." Sitting up, Julius rose to his feet, pointing to the giant just above their heads. "I just went to get something, that's all." Laughing again, Julius tapped into the earth, bending the legs of his goliath so Hinata to better see the ship on it's back. "I had to lug this thing through the ocean, and finding it was not easy, I'll tell you that."
Pulling the goliath further down, it simply sunk into the ground, dirt reuniting with the earth and rocks making their way, too. Propping the ship up with stone wedges, Julius looked jubilant. The size of the goliath had not been solely because of the extra protection it provided, but because the ship was absolutely massive. Even with the earth construct pulled away, the sheer bulk of it was extraordinary.
The ship, although covered in centuries' worth of seaweed and algae, looked in great shape. The hull was damaged, however, holes going straight through the ship in jagged breaks in the wood. The mast had broken off, somewhere between England, if Julius remembered correctly. All fixable, Julius was sure. He was pretty handy with tools.
Turning back to Hinata with the widest grin on his face, Julius just about cackled in excitement. "Isn't it great?"
Hinata grinned a little, hearing he still lived there. He was her friend and she didn't exactly want to lose one of the few friends she had! "I'm glad to hear that," she told him as she stood up as well, tilting her head back so that she could see where he was pointing. "What in Inari's name is that?"
She didn't have to wait long for the answer. She stared at the ship, eyes wide. Perhaps it was her age, or where she came from, but she had never seen an actual ship, especially one that looked like this! She moved back as the ship was finally settled on the ground, head shaking at the wonderous sight. While the wood and green life it wasn't much concern to her, she could feel the metal that had been used in keeping the ship together. It was still doing its job, and perhaps with a little help, the ship would be back to normal.
"It's... pretty amazing," she admitted, tearing her eyes away from the massive sea vessel to look at Julius. "Where did you find it? Did you really drag it all the way back without any help?" That was amazing in itself. She didn't know if she'd have the patience.
There were so many more questions she had, but she managed to keep a rein on them. For now anyway.
Eyes up to the sky, Julius tapped his foot and tried to remember where the ship had gone down at. "My captain was lost at sea, and the storm had taken us way off course, so I'm guessing we sunk somewhere near... China?" Snapping his fingers, Julius nodded. "Yep! Now I remember! Sunk by China, and I slowly made my way across the sea again until I hit Japan!" Grin getting even bigger, Julius beamed proudly. "It helps if you don't need to breathe, in my experience." The process had been completely exhausting, and even now Julius felt weak, but it was worth it finally have the ship again.
Looking back to the ship, Julius suddenly got an idea. Turning to Hinata, he chuckled and rubbed hia hands together. "Say Hinata? Would you like a tour? It won't be like it was some few hundred years ago, but I assure you it's still the holder of many wonders." Body dispersing, a trail of smoke and embers went through one of the numerous holes in the bottom of the ship, Julius reformed to stick his head out. "Come, come! I think I see some treasure!" His head went back in, an exclamation ringing out, then quiet, Julius coming back to the hole.
"Never mind," he said, hand coming out, holding a bright red crab, trying it's hardest to pinch Julius' hand. "In my defense, this thing in the dark looks a lot different."
"China? That's close to my home." Hinata was sure he already knew that, seeing he understood her when she spoke her language, but it was always nice to talk about something familiar, right? She couldn't help but chuckle, her face bright. It wasn't just because the conversation was intriguing, but also just being there with her friend. She had missed him! Hinata didn't make too many of her own bonds easily. When she did, she liked to be able to know if they were well. So, it had been a little depressing when Julius had been gone for so long without a word. Even the gems he had given her were still in her room, untouched.
"Breathing, I have to do that!" Her tail wagged even more. "I had to take a break while I was tunneling, but it was worth it. I just knew there as something curious about the vibrations I could feel. It's useful having my path." She looked a little sheepish; did he think she was silly to follow after vibrations? Well, she was glad she did, even if it was!
Treasure? Her ears perked up, eyes following after Julius' voice once she saw he had reformed up in the ship. "Wait up!" she called, smacking the ground with the bottom of her foot. Immediately a pillar of earth rose beneath her, taking her up so that she was just a little lower than he was. "Ouch, that looks painful. Tasty though, crabs are good food. Show me inside, Julius-san, even crab is a treasure for one who is hungry!"
Tilting his head, Julius smiled at Hinata confirming a suspicion of his. "Really? I didn't go there again, I felt like I'd spent long enough away from here."
Pursing his lips, Julius shook his head. "No, it doesn't." Giving a pat to his chest, Julius puffed it out in false bravado. "I'm built a rock, Hinata! Nothing hurts me!" Well, not nothing. Just not crabs frustrated with being so far away from it's home. Placing the crab on the floor, it scuttled away, nipping at the waterlogged wood of the ship. Stepping away from the hole, Julius gave a spin and threw his arms out.
"Here we are! Lowest point of the ship, used to carry whatever loot my captain got, but mostly we just stored the alcohol down here." As expected of a ship of such ludicrous size, the bilge was easily the size of a small house. The ocean had taken away most of the treasure, quite of a few of the barrels remained, lodden and metal beyond rusted. Holes of fairly uniform size littered the place, through the floor, from above, allowing light to peer in from the deck. The work of cannons, Julius remembered. "Watch your step," he said in warning go Hinata.
Boots dragging through the layer of water on the floor, Hinata might've noticed it wasn't steaming like it usually did when Julius made contact. It was like he had gotten colder, even his red veins had faded, barely a glow under his skin.
Foot knocking into something with a more substantial weight, Julius stared down and crouched, hand dipping into the water, fingers rummaging around until he caught whatever hit his foot. Lifting it out the water, Julius giggled with glee at the gold token in his hand. Turning around, Julius presented it to Hinata. "See? Told you there was treasure here!"
Hinata didn't say it aloud, but the blatant wagging of her tail was enough to show that she was more than happy that he had decided to come back. She had her Onii-chan, and she did have Wrex, her teacher, but having a friend was different. She was sure the other two would agree as well. Well, Byakuya at least, seeing he had a dragon of all person's as a friend. As for Wrex, she wasn't too sure, seeing most of the time was training with him.
She chuckled a little at the rock comment, because whether he meant it as a pun or not, she found it funny enough. She watched the crab scuttle away, waving a hand in its direction. She was only the slightest bit disappointed in seeing it go; she'd probably ask the cook for crab legs one of these days. For now, however, it was time to explore the ship!
Hopping into the hole, she looked around, eyes widening to let in the light to let in through the sizeable missing bits of ship floor. She was definitely cautious as she walked. Sure, there was metal on the ship, but it was still different that being paws on the ground. It wasn't uncomfortable, but the separation could be felt, even if it wasn't too badly. She wondered how Julius seemed fine with it. Well, he had to right, seeing he had been on the ship himself for a while at least! Then again, he was way older than her. She quite expected him to feel comfortable with any element by now.
"What is it they say?" she mused as she followed him, giving a light laugh. "Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum?" Her boot splashed through the water, and for a moment, she was transported back to that fateful day in the tunnels, following after the snake. She looked from the water to Julius, and it was veritably impossible for an astute observer like Hinata to not notice the change in Julius.
She was just about to ask but paused when he crouched. "Nani?" she muttered, the water muddling her senses. Her eyes widened, and a grin made itself known on her face when she saw the gold in his hand. "Oh, splendid!" She reached out, taking hold of the coin. As always, the metal felt warm to her in comparison to others. Manipulating it was easy, as it was so soft in itself. She wrapped her hands around the coin, concentrated a little, and then opened it. It was now shaped like the Japanese kanji for 'friendship'.
"Eh... gomen," Hinata muttered, cheeks slightly red. "I couldn't resist." She held it out for him to take.
Julius had a feeling that Hinata could manipulate metals, given her earth path and all, but he'd yet to see a usage to really make sure. Shaping gold was impressive enough for him. Taking back the former gold token, Julius looked at it in an awed silence. "Wow, good job, Hinata! I didn't even know you could do that." Julius felt like he wasn't giving Hinata enough credit. Just because he'd been doing nothing for a while didn't mean the world stopped. Questions coming to mind, Julius began to wonder if Hinata was just as good with minerals.
Gold stored in the pocket right over his abdomen, Julius patted it to imply its safety. Well, so long as he didn't disperse without taking care to carry the gold with him. "Thank you, Hinata. That was awfully kind of you." Smiling, Julius stepped away, looking to the other puddles on the floor. Sensing earth in all it's forms was a skill Julius found much use in, but with the wood of the ship in his way, it just got turned to guess work. For all he knew, there was gold in all of them, or none. Julius had no clue.
Deep down, Julius felt a strange sense of nostalgia from being aboard the ship again. With that came a twinge of longing. The crew, who Julius had grown to care for, had been lost to the sea so many years again. Stopping near a sizable hole, Julius ran his fingers along the edge, soggy wood crumbling away. It was startling how lives could be taken away in a single moment. That fateful night, Julius had seen dread in the shape of cannon balls.
Chuckling to himself, Julius closed his eyes. "Oh, Angelica. Ever the stubborn one." The name of Dalin's captain was welcome on his tongue. She'd been a fierce and intimidating leader, land and sea alike had feared the sight of her flag. Her affinity for magic had lead her to conjure Dalin, then armed with all his powers and a horrid love for using them. Seeing the ship of his captain in such disarray was hard, even harder was walking through the site of her tragic death. Julius hopped over a puddle, a sad smile on his lips. He'd fix it. In her honor.
A flight of stairs that lead to the upper level stood stalwart in the middle of the room, just like Julius remembered. He didn't remember half of them missing, covered in algae and barnacles. Walking over to them, Julius hummed as he tested their strength, easily bending under his weight.
"Yikes. These stairs aren't as sturdy as I remember." Lower half turning into smoke, Julius launched himself forward, cracking the step right in half. Boots catching the edge of the top stairs, a distressed sound found its way out if Julius, swinging his arms forward to regain his balance.
Crouching, Julius called down to Hinata. "Next floor, kitchen and dining!"
Hinata looked a little less embarrassed at the compliment, smiling as the redness on her face faded some. "Thank you," she replied, tail swaying gently behind her. "Gold is pretty easy since it's already so soft... other metals can be harder but since I've been around them since I was a cub, it's easy." She rubbed her hands together, trying to remember the last time she had bent so much earth as she had today. "I've been slacking, though."
She decided not to focus too much on that, however, so she didn't say more about the subject. "Well, if I'm not kind to my friends, who am I going to be kind to, right? Besides, you did give me a whole lot more gems than I had expected." She hadn't done anything with them... yet. She had been too down in the dumps to do anything with them aside from setting them in a chest for later use. Well, perhaps today some inspiration would hit her. She could already see someone wanting to buy, say, a ship constructed from different gemstones.
But for the moment, it was best to actually observe the ship at hand rather than let her imagination run too far. She continued to follow after Julius, eyes taking in the sight. Her ears twitched, hearing the name he spoke. Angelica? That was a female name, wasn't it? She wondered if she was a pirate or an honest captain. She knew modern culture and stories made pirates sound so great, but were they truly? She had never really paid too much attention to history. She was tempted to ask Julius once more... but she worried. What if she asked something personal? After all, this ship had to mean a lot to him seeing how far out he had gone, and for so long, just to get it.
It was times like these, even when she was with her family, that she wished she wasn't so young and ignorant of the world.
Moving along, she watched as Julius made his way up, a little amused by how half his body was smoke. She wondered if she could do that. She hadn't tried much transforming. Illusions would be fine, but that wouldn't help her up. She nodded when he called down to her before reaching into a pocket, plonking a leaf on her head. An instant later, she had transformed herself into a sparrow-like bird... with the tail of a fox. She jumped into the air and flapped her wings, flying up to where Julius was, landing with a thump on the floor. She hadn't used this form in a very long while, so she wasn't quite used to it.
"I'm alright!" she chirped before shifting back to her humanoid for, once again looking embarrassed. "I've lost practice, it seems. Uhm..." She stood up, quickly dusting herself, ready to be shown around.
Julius gave Hinata a knowing look, having firsthand experience with how easy it was to get rusty on physical skills like changing his form. Shapeshifting was something Julius used often; turning to smoke, despite him losing form, fell into that category. Instead of laughing, Julius offered some advice. "Always put your good foot forward when changing shape, Hinata. Working from the bottom up helps you keep balanced." It had always worked for him in the past, but he was composed of earthen materials, and Hinata wasn't. Same practice, he was sure.
Turning away, Julius went back to being the designated guide for the ship. "Anyway, here we are in the dining area!" Though it'd seen better days, the remnants of the level stayed, but that could've been from the bolts holding the tables down. Sprawling until they reached the corners of the room, tables and the odd chair surrounded an equally big kitchen. The design was circular, the kitchen the center of the room. Stepping closer, Julius pushed chairs out if his way, taking stock of the busted ovens.
Tutting his tongue, Julius sighed, reaching out a hand to draw what salvageable metals he could. Trembling for a moment, the kitchen gave a lurch, seeming to crumble further into itself, particles of rust and traces of silverware suspended in the air. Julius released them, dropped to the floor without another thought. "Ah, man," Julius lamented. "So that needs to be replaced, and this wood didn't come cheap..." Julius wasn't talking about monetary cost, but rather the price it took to get the wood of his captain's specifics.
As much as Julius wished to honor her, making the trip across sea again didn't seem entirely worth it. Surely Greece had proper wood to substitute, it's not like it had to be seaworthy once more, only restored to a more appropriate image.
"Oh, well." Back to the tour. "This floor isn't exactly exciting, and the most interesting thing that ever happened here was when one of the cooks had fell overboard when we got boarded by pirates that one night." Shrugging, gave a very hard glare to the room. More holes, and even a cannonball lodged in the far wall. Must've struck metal, somehow. "Man, oh, man," Julius mumbled, the cannonball lifting from what had been it's place for the last few hundred years, drawn to Julius' waiting hand.
As expected, it was heavy, gritty with rust and easily manipulated. The crude metal had been briefly heated by the blast that fired it, warped slightly, not as round as it should be. "It's so weird being here again, it feels like a lifetime and a half has gone by.' Carrying the cannonball away, Julius gently placed it on the ground, sinking into the wood. "I think it's sadness, but I can't be sure..."
Hinata was still looking sheepish, but she recognized that Julius wasn't making fun of her, at least. She dusted off her knees before looking at him and nodding. She wasn't the sort to spurn good advice, and she supposed it made sense. Shifting to a bird was one thing, flying was another. Next time she'd keep that in mind. "Hai, and as they say, practice makes it perfect." She didn't actually believe that. Perfection wasn't something she believed was possible, not for her anyway, not until she lived more than a thousand years and had nine tails.
She interlaced her fingers, popping the joints as she looked around at the dining area. She had to admit, despite the rather worn look, it seemed pretty amazing. She could almost imagine setting sail on such a ship with her entire family, and coming to eat their meals together here. Well, perhaps if they were Ocean path kitsune, that would have been something that actually happened. Well, there was always the chance, wasn't there? She had many years and tails to accumulate, and with them, if she could, the thirteen kitsune paths.
"Wah!" She hadn't expected all of the metal to suddenly start moving, so she could only stare when she saw the metal pieces in the air. Her eyes turned to Julius, seeing he wasn't altogether satisfied with the state of the ship. Well, she supposed it was only normal that so many years under the ocean would have some effect. She wasn't about to say that aloud, though. She simply nodded, wondering what he was feeling right now. From what it seemed, not too pleased with the situation.
She shifted to her fox form and trotted closer to Julius, ears folded back as she slunk toward the cannonball, sniffing at it. She then looked to Julius, head tilted upward. "Julius-san," she said, "I can help you fix this up if you want. I'm not of Mori, I can't make wood do what I want, but I know how to build..." It sounded like a fun idea, though she wasn't sure how he would take it. "Even if it's not the same, it will be something of... the past and the future, together."
Hearing Hinata's generous offer, Julius smiled at the sentiment behind it. There was no way she could know what had happened in the ship, but Julius felt he was transparent to the point of her knowing it was hard for him, and for him that was interesting. Demons, at least the kind he was a part of, tended to be emotionally shallow. Sure, hellbeasts had emotions, they just weren't like those of higher or even lesser beings. A penchant for destruction and suffering, reveling in chaos, even the pleasures of a possessed body could offer. Thinking about it, Julius knew how those feelings still existed in him. What was so different between him and the countless others back in his realm?
Well, for starters, his like of destruction had mellowed out into a occasional urge to start a fire and see how it burned. Julius had been changed by his masters and the people who associated with them, as much as his old self would deny that, it was completely true. Julius had developed emotions, more human and less extreme. Happiness, for example, was something Julius picked up only a dew hundred years ago in the company of an impatient swordsman. Things had changed, and Julius was happy - what a lovely feeling - that he'd changed with it.
Turning to Hinata, Julius nodded, his smile not wide or toothy. It was just a smile, lips turned up, the appreciation in his wrinkles. "I'd like that, Hinata. Thank you." It would be a massive undertaking, even for him. Julius' powers had never included power over plant life, only the earth it grew in. In his current state, he had his doubts gaining those powers would be possible for him. Eyes flickering back to the cannonball, Julius had to laugh at himself. "This place was overdue for a makeover, anyway. Might be a long time after the fact, but hey, better late than never."
Metal of the kitchen suddenly bending and creaking, Julius raised his hands as he manipulated what was usable, forcing the jagged oieces into smoot surfaces stacked upon each other. The hole in the ceiling wasn't meant to be a viable passage, but for Julius, it was now. Walking towards the metal construction, Julius held it in the form of a staircase up to the next floor. "After you, Hinata. You won't have to change to get up these stairs," Julius commented, thumbs bending, stairs reflecting the motion with a barely there bend. "I think they're pretty sturdy."
Hinata grinned, tongue lolling now, clearly pleased that her offer was accepted. Her tail swept over the floor, sweeping the dust back and forth. She trotted over, pausing only to sniff at the leg of an old broken chair. "You can say that again," she chirped as she looked up at the demon. She could already see herself coming here when she had free time, getting both paws and hands dirty, fixing this ship up. It would be different than bending earth and rocks and metal. Perhaps she'd learn she had a knack for the Mori path?
The thought made her chuckle a little. Perhaps she was getting a little too overzealous. She did know that the next path she wished to learn was Kasai. She had the affinity for it, and she had been around fire quite enough to be more than comfortable with handling it.
"Ah?" Hinata looked a little surprised when she saw the metal Julius had collected beginning to move yet again. She was confused momentarily but then smiled inwardly. Of course! She wished she had thought of that earlier, but it was a passing thought only, her admiration taking place of envy. Ears twitching, her eyes followed the metal for a moment before she shut them, feeling the metal instead. It was comforting once more, and much less exhausting than creating a much too long tunnel earlier during the day.
Hearing Julius, she nodded her little head. "Hai, arigato!" she chirped, quickly heading to the stairs, and then up, taking the steps two by two, racing up and through the hole. "I'm up, Julius san!"
Taking a step forward, Julius nudged his fingers forward, the stairs collapsing upwards to lift Julius and fill the empty space in the floor. Pressing the metal into the yielding wood, Julius gave it a test stomp, bending, but not staying that way. "I guess that'll have to do for now. Better than accidentally falling in, I suppose." Anyway, where were they now? Looking around, Julius saw nothing but busted doors and half-sunken halls. "Ah," he said, remembering what floor they were on, "our private quarters." There was nothing interesting to be done here, not unless they wanted to rummage through the mess for whatever was left over, and that sounded more tedious than fun.
"Oh, man," Julius groaned, growing disheartened by the lack of entertainment his tour was providing. "I'm sorry, Hinata, this isn't shaping up to be fun at all." If anything, it was all a little depressing, but he wouldn't tell Hinata that. A little desperate for something to change the mood, Julius looked around the empty halls, seeing nothing particularly eye-catching. "Let's see, let's see, let's see..." First mate's room? No, nothing in there but a collection of love letters from his sweetheart out on a island far east. Bless his soul.
A plaque just reached out, grabbing Julius' attention. It was brassy, discolored, and five shades of ugly, but Julius would know the mark of his captain anywhere. Angelica's personal handiwork, made in metal by her command and engraved to the letter by Dalin. It was hard to believe it was still there. The pirates had stolen what they could before the ship inevitably sunk, it was kind of crazy.
Beckoning Hinata with a gesture, Julius pointed to the door, swallowing the molten flow in his mouth as he walked towards the door. "Hey, Hinata, let's go in there." With all his worded confidence, Julius felt as nervous as the day he almost let a ship hand fall overboard when he was meant to be watching the crew. Shaking in his boots, like his captain was about to break the contract and send him hurtling back to his blazing realm.
Nostalgia was a powerful thing.
Julius rested his hand on the door, on the plaque, not the knob. It was metal through and through, the wood swollen around the edges of the door. Finally, a challenge. Laughing a bit, Julius stepped to the side, bowing at the waist to Hinata as he gestured grandly to the door. "Would you be so kind as to do the honors?"
Hinata shook her head when Julius mentioned this current 'adventure' of not being fun at all. "That's not true," she said immediately. "I mean, even if it's different than what you expected, there's still the fact that no one's gotten to see a sunken ship like this so easily! It's interesting for me, really." Sure, she didn't know much about history, but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate what was before her.
Plus the fact that she got to see her friend after so long, after such a daunting last meeting as well. But she didn't mention that, guessing that Julius would have probably figured that part out. Her tail was wagging more than usual, after all.
She followed after Julius, shifting to her humanoid form so that she would have both height and the ability to use her hands. "With pleasure," she replied, interlocking her fingers as she stretched out her arms before her. Even as she did, she felt the metal. It was old, but she had felt much, much older substance before. This would be easy enough to manipulate.
She couldn't help it... she felt like showing off. Few enough appreciated the Earth path; a path like fire, heaven, or even lightning was thought as much more prestigious than those who liked to delve underground. She pushed her feet a little apart on the ground, steadying herself. Her hands, fingers now separated, were facing palm side toward the metal plaque. She then took a deep breath and closed her eyes, picturing what she wanted in her head.
Her eyes shot open."Katsu!" It came out as a tense whisper. Her hands pushed outwards, and as she did, the metal seemed to turn almost liquid, glistening in its current form. She waved a hand, and it moved, cutting through the wood like a very sharp blade runs through something incredibly soft. Soon enough, the wood fell free into the room that it had previously been hiding. The new doorway wasn't just an opening, it was shaped like a candle with a flame on top.
She dropped her hands, looking over at Julius. As she did, the plaque seemed to return to normal, settling on the ground. " Uh... there." She looked a little embarrassed, as well as slightly tuckered out.
It was both exciting and nerve-racking to see Hinata open the door, even more so when Julius realized she wasn't just opening it; Julius could feel the metal being warped, changed by the power of Hinata's ability. Julius trusted Hinata, and it wasn't like she was going to do more damage than hundreds of years worth of sea water did, so what was there to worry about? Well, nothing, really, Julius just felt weird about entering his captain's private room. Dalin's captain, not Julius'. That was a lifetime ago, a quite a few identities, too.
Snapping out of his thoughts but the muted clatter of the plaque hitting the ground, Julius looked up, a quiet gasp at the shape had been carved into. A candle, how cute. Grinning, Julius gave Hinata an pat on the back, proud of her finesse with the metal. "Well done, Hinata!" As happy as he was with the results, Julius was bound to notice the fatigue in Hinata's features. Grin faltering, Julius took his hand from Hinata's back, thinking back to her tunneling from earlier.
From the ship, Julius roughly estimated that they were quite a few miles from Miraculum, she had to be exhausted from it all. It was easy to forget, but Hinata wasn't like Julius; she was flesh and blood and needed adequate rest and recovery from outlandish feats, he just didn't. Humming his concern, Julius didn't risk hurting the mood by bothering Hinata with his thoughts.
He'd do the heavy lifting, so to speak. Stepping into the room, Julius nodded his head to the door. "Come, come! I want to see what's in here!" Julius held himself as a fairly proficient actor; a perk of creating new identities when he so much as crossed into another continent. He was worried for Hinata, and letting her take it easy for a while wouldn't hurt the tour.
The room was dark, much less so now that Julius had entered it, but it could really had done with more light. Rubbing his hands together, Julius tried to get a spark, becoming confused when he couldn't even make an ember. Stopping, Julius stared down at his palms, at his red veins and how they didn't look so hot. Grumbling, Julius clapped his hands, trying to spark again.
"Guess all that salt water wasn't very good for me..." Evidently not. Now that he needed his fire, it became clear his body had been messed up by weeks of contact with water. He was barely hot, an uncomfortable, almost human temperature throughout his form.
A glimmer, orange and brief, Julius breathed easier. At last. Fire crawling from his palms, Julius shuddered at the welcome heat, clothes and hair alike set aflame, standing still as it warmed him to his core. "Oh, that's so much better." Breathing, not only through his mouth, but with his entire body, Julius absorbed his flames and oxygen together, heating himself rapidly. Body glowing like it used to, Julius rubbed away the soot on his hands, hands flexing away the excess. "I feel better," Julius said, looking over his shoulder to Hinata, eyes moving around the room. Brighter, but it could need some more light.
Hand igniting, Julius reached with his free hand and popped it right off, a new hand emerging from the stump almost immediately. Forming his old hand into a slimmer, longer shape, it soon took the form of a staff of sorts. The fire had absorbed into the length, glowing without fire, a makeshift light bulb from Julius' own body. Waving it around, Julius stared in awe of the room, mouthing words without saying anything coherent.
"Wow..." The room, Dalin's captain's room, it was almost pristine. Sure, the water damage was apparent, but compared to the rest of the ship, it was decent. Shelves, dipping with the weight of chests both large and small, scrolls and maps muddled and fragile floating in puddles on the floor, Angelica's desk sat in the middle of the room. Chair tipped over but not very damaged, it rested against the desk, obvious locks and latches on the sides of it. Julius remembered why; it was also a chest, keeping the most precious treasures of Angelica.
As surprised as he was, Julius had a guest, Hinata was supposed to be having fun. "Well," Julius started, disbelieving at - everything. "I wasn't expecting all of this! Hinata, you decide what we look over first, but, uh, please be careful. This place looks pretty delicate." Other than that, she could go wild.
Hinata blinked at the compliment, and then smiled back, well, grinning really, so that it was almost mirroring Julius'. She felt proud of herself, she felt proud that she had managed to make that old metal cut through the wood so flawlessly, and then bring it back to its plaque form. She hardly cared that she was a little exhausted. It was worth it, seeing that grin again! Ears perked up and forward, tail wagging up a storm behind her, red on the cheeks. She looked almost like a little girl for that moment.
Maybe it was selfish of her, but one of the reasons she had decided to move away from home and come out to Miraculum was so that she could feel this sort of pride and joy. At home, with six other siblings who were older than her and five that were younger, most of what she did was unnoticed. The family unit was like a well-tuned clock, every gear working to further the function of the clock. Maybe the others were happy with it? Maybe they had found other ways to express themselves? But for quiet and serious Hinata, who was normally wrought to express her opinions and feelings, living like that would mean never even attempting to make her dreams come true.
Lost in her thoughts for the moment, it took her a moment to hear Julius calling her. "Hai!" she replied, hurrying in after him. She looked around, sniffing, ears twitching for sounds. It all smelled the same, different materials and metals, rust, salt, lots of salt. She couldn't see much, her eyes weren't the best of her sense, so she widened them as much as she could.
"Hm?" She looked toward Julius when she heard him speak again. "Oh... I was wondering about that..." She sounded a little worried, but it didn't last long, especially when he lit on fire right before her eyes. She hastily stepped back, though she was smiling widely. That was more like it! She stood back, hands clenched into fists due to excitement. "Sugoi!You- you look better! Ureshi desu!" She had to contain herself from heading over and giving him a big and undignified hug. Thankfully, Julius had right then just made a staff... out of his own hand. That had to be the weirdest thing she had ever seen. It was awesome.
With the light, she was now able to see most of what the room offered. She headed forward, unsure where they should start. Her hands were out, itching to bend some more metal. She didn't, however, not wanting to ruin anything. "How about the desk?" she decided. She looked over at Julius, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe there's some treasure maps around, or even other stuff... Well, what do you think?"
Julius felt much better now that he had some decent fire in him, and Hinata seemed to responding in turn with her own enthusiasm. Laughing, Julius shrugged his shoulders, his body much less stiff now that he was closer to his regular temperature. "I guess I just needed to warm up some. The sea is really cold place, you kno- oof!" Taken by surprise when Hinata rushed forward to hug him, Julius frozen - how ironic - in place before he realized what was going on and polite hugged her back. "Ha," he chuckled, "I'm alright now. Really."
How long had it been since he was forced to reconfigure himself? It had to be nearing two decades by his own count, but Julius' perception of time had never been the best. Time passed differently in the realm he came from, and there were no clocks back there, only times of being summoned and times when he wasn't. His last contract had ended on a note of freedom, but that was a story for another time.
"The desk?" Julius parroted, blinking over at the intricate thing. Why not, really? Angelica had been a woman of discovery and boldness beyond compare, and she was very finicky over the treatment of her personal items. She wouldn't want them to rust away in some waterlogged chest forever, not after the trouble she went through to get them. Nodding, Julius agreed with Hinata's choice. "Sure thing!" Whatever it was, Julius would store it in his personal space, just like with the rest of his summoner's things.
Shining the light from his handmade torch onto the desk, Julius gave it a look. The metal was warped, pressure from the expanding wood putting a great strain on the metallic buckles and locks that kept it closed. It would be a small challenge to open it without destroying anything precious, one Julius almost offered Hinata, catching his tongue before he could say. Hinata was tired, and what kind of host would he be if he let her wear herself out? Not a good one, Julius was sure.
Letting go of the staff, it hovered by Julius' side, still under his control even after being detached from his physical form. Stretching his arms out, Julius popped the rocky joints in his hands, preparing himself to open up the desk. Julius felt around the metal, bent out of their proper shape and rusted through; it would take but a tug to split them into pieces. Julius did just so.
Fingers working in the air like he was touching the metal, it peeled off the desk in coils, spiraling strips curling around the sides. The locks were easy enough, but Julius went a step further and picked them, chambers unyielding and tough after centuries of disuse. One by one, the locks fell free, the latches dropping with them.
Julius stood straight, his stance shifted into a wider one without noticing. The chest wasn't hard to crack open, it was the reality that this was his captain's chest he was opening. What a thrill. "Alright, that should do it." Walking over to the chest, Julius placed his hand on the lid, looking over his shoulder to Hinata. "Let's do it together, Hinata. I'm sure this is going to be pretty interesting!"
"Julius-san, if I was petty, I would be so jealous of you right now." Hinata chuckled, shaking her head. It was amazing to watch someone handle metal as easy as he did. Sure, she was good in her own right, but it wasn't the same as the earth and rocks, it took more effort, at least on her part. She had been reckless today, and for the time being, she was fine with relaxing and letting someone else show her how its done... even if she was itching to make use of the spirals of metal that he had removed from the desk.
"Your captain sure knew what she was doing," she muttered, tail wagging as she put her hands on the chest as well. Her eyes closed, and she felt inside. There was something there, but she couldn't tell what exactly. It was different, interfering almost. Normally she would have a hint or two, but not today. "Huh... I can't tell what's in here." Her ears folded slightly, slightly disgruntled, and the wag in her tail wavered.
Interesting, interesting...
Hinata's tail stiffened, and this time her ears flattened completely, rusty red against jet black. She knew that voice almost as well as her own. Why was it speaking to her right now? Her katana wasn't even out of the sheath. No, no she didn't want to hear it!
There is something in there, the voice continued, sounding curious, almost excited. Hinata, you should take it for yourself. Take me out, let's show that person who is the boss, who is the most powerful one here-
"Stop it," she growled, hands up and pressed against her head. "Go away... leave me alone." This was not a good time, not when she was having an adventure, a fun one, with her friend!
It's not hard. Hotaru's voice was almost cajoling, as if a teacher was speaking to a student who was being unruly. Just let me help you, be your hands. This is what you wanted, isn't it? You wanted to learn how to use me. I can teach you first hand. Just take me out, and get rid of this person. We can take him on-
"Go away!" Hinata's hands were no longer on the chest, now clenched in fists. The metal that Julius had peeled away was quivering as she tried to keep control over herself. Strangely enough, here seemed to be a black aura surrounding the katana on her back. "Ugh... gomen Julius-san." She moved back. "Something is wrong..."
"Oh, you'll know soon enough!" Julius exclaimed, biting his lip as he stared down at the chest, deciding to have some fun with opening it. "Ready? One, two, and..." It was open, as easy as just lifting the lid up. As apparent by the locks that kept it shut, the chest was sturdy, but it was not watertight. Inside it was wet, but not overly so, thankfully.
Rolled into the lower corner of the chest was a bright cerulean sphere, something that looked like one would need both hands to fully grasp it. In the light of the torch, it glimmered with darker tones, blue looking black.
"Ta-da! There it is!" Hunching over, Julius reached down and scooped up the sphere, holding it aloft for Hinata's viewing. "This is the captain's prized possession, the very thing that let her get so feared!" Julius explained with a giggling glee. "With this, the very seas fell to her command, allowing her to manipulate the water itself! And that's not all it can do, Hinata, it can also control the weather!"
Julius had seen Angelica rise storms and snow flurries out of thin air with the object, trapping rival ships in sheets of ice when they tried to board her vessel. Julius had no idea where she got it, and he didn't give it to her, nor did it feel demonic in nature. Perhaps it was just a mystery not meant to be solved. Regardless of its origin, it was a fantastic tool to have at sea. In hindsight, Julius wished he opened the chest up sooner and saved himself the trip.
Balancing the sphere in one hand, Julius stared into its surface, blinking at his warped reflection. "I wonder if it's still working. What do you think, Hinata?" Catching Hinata freeze in the corner of his eye, Julius turned to look at her, raising a brow at her. "Hinata? Are you okay?" Julius couldn't place his finger on it, but he had the feeling they weren't alone, or Hinata wasn't alone. Breathing hard, Julius threw his spirit out, a fiery aura filling the room in a flash of heat. It retracted, Julius standing uneasy before Hinata.
"Hinata, is your sword... bothering you?" Julius could sense it, a presence that felt all too malicious to be anything remotely beneficial to Hinata in her sword. It had the feeling of darkness, and Julius knew what that felt like. As Hinata stepped back, Julius stayed where he was. "Hinata, tell me what's wrong. What happened while I was away?" Adjusting the sphere in his arms, Julius took a hissing breath.
The sphere, Julius thought. If something was attempting to control Hinata, the sphere could not fall into it's hands. Throwing it back into the chest, Julius shut the lid and began binding it shut with the metal he tore off, struggling a bit when he felt Hinata's own power settle on the pieces. What was going on? Standing abruptly, Julius gave Hinata a piercing glare, staring at the sword on her back. "Reveal yourself, spirit, before I cast you out myself!"
"It's-" Hinata blinked. How did Julius know? She turned her head for a second, looking behind herself. Her eyes widened, seeing that black aura. A wave of repulsion brew in her like nausea; she literally felt sick, looking at that... thing. It hurt her to even think of it with such disgust. She had mined underground for the metal herself. She had forged the sword the sword in her brother's smithy, with his help. She had used this blade for the last one year, hoping to better herself, to find the spirit within. She had meditated until she finally met Hotaru... and then everything had turned over on its head. Nothing was as she had imagined. All the pride she had felt... all gone, replaced by the desire for things to simply return to how they were.
She reached back, grabbing at the hilt of her sword, yanking upward. Even as she pulled it out of its sheath, she could feel something was terribly wrong. It felt dirty, greasy, as if she hadn't taken care of it in a very long time. In fact, she had only just pulled it out of the sheath when she let it go. shaking her hands as if some nasty creepy crawly was crawling over her fingers. Her eyes were watering as she hurried back, trying to focus on the blade, which clattered to the ground.
It stayed there for a mere second before rising in the air once more. It spun slowly, though quickly gained momentum, faster and faster until it could no longer be seen aside from a blur. When it seemed it could spin no faster, there was an exploding sound. It wasn't very loud, nor was it scary. In fact, it was a very clear "Ka-boom!", enunciated clearly by a rather gender neutral voice.
In the sword's stead, there now stood a figure. To all eyes, the resemblance to Hinata was quite uncanny, from the height to the face shape to the eyes. However the clothes were different, as were certain planes and angles to the face, and then the body as well. Hinata was a tomboy, true, but she still had the build of a female. This figure, well, it was hard to tell whether it was male or not. Androgynous would be best used.
Grinning, the figure gave a flourishing bow. "You called, Tsuneo? Fancy meeting you here of all places!" A high pitched laughed escaped the figure. Meanwhile, the features were beginning to looked rather foxlike, and where there had been no fox ears and tail, know there was a rusty pair on their head, and five tails in the back. They? No, it seemed the figure was now a he.
"Ho-Hotaru- you're not Hotaru!" Hinata looked panicked, for once. This wasn't the spirit of her soul! He looked just like that malicious fox-like creature that had attacked her and Wrex in the forest!
There was undoubtedly something at work within Hinata's blade, something that was strong enough to cause her physical discomfort had to dealt with immediately. As Hinata threw down her blade, Julius was visibly surprised at the way it levitated by itself, spinning into a lethal blur in the air. Would it seek him out for provoking it? If it was possessing the blade, Julius would rather be the one impaled; such an injury would easily kill Hinata, he'd take the blow if he could.
The blade took no action that seemed so bloodthirsty, it didn't so anything at all, actually. There was a person where the sword was, similar to Hinata in height, androgynous in appearance and... familiar. Julius lost his breath when the person called him that name, his former life recalled in a single moment. Julius remembered the person clearly, what they were and what they'd sought out back in Japan. Julius couldn't take his eyes off the person - no, the nogitsune.
"You!" Julius' tongue felt like it had turned sharp, voice suddenly a fearsome hiss. In a leap that turned him into a smoldering body of flame, Julius reformed in front of Hinata, guarding her from whatever the nogitsune had planned. "What are doing here, nogitsune!? Answer me, now!" Just the sight of the yokai made Julius' form want to tear him apart, fire curling out from his mouth, bursts of crimson heating the air.
If the nogitsune wanted a fight it had certainly got Julius at the right time and place. He was with someone he cared about, surrounded by flammable material and far too riled up for his own good. It was sickening how same it was to that time, so many years ago. What did it want? What had it done to Hinata's blade and what did it want from her? Growling, Julius bit down on his tongue, teeth sinking through the stone. "Surely you didn't cross an ocean for a rematch, right?" Again, Julius' fire creeped out, hair raising as it caught ablaze.
He had to get Hinata out. Before he could do anything, she had to leave. The nogitsune was dangerous, crafty and underhanded, it would use Hinata for its own gain if it could. As far as Julius could tell, there was nothing binding the nogitsune to Hinata directly, but there was her sword. Julius gasped, a fire sparking to life in his mouth. Her sword. The spirit of her sword, Hotaru, what had been done to it!
"You're out of place, nogitsune," Julius growled, "The sword belongs to another spirit, and you're uninvited."
Hinata could only stare at Julius, well, at his back, really. She was shocked, not only from Hotaru turning into someone completely different, but that Julius seemed to know No-chan, or at least that he was a nogitsune! And... what was that name that he had been called? Tsuneo? She didn't recall ever hearing that name before! What in Inari's name was happening? Tears were forming in her eyes. No, this wasn't how she had envisioned seeing her friend again! It was wrong, it wasn't fair!
The Nogitsune seemed rather pleased with the whole affair, a giggling laugh escaping him. He even clapped his hands for effect. "Ah, ah, ah! Tsuneo-chan, is that the way to greet an old rival? Haaah." He let out a sigh, shaking his head as if he was filled with sudden sorrow. "Even the last time you came to me with such temper! But he's not here anymore, hm? It's just you and me now... and that little fox behind you."
He pointed a finger in Hinata's general direction, a grin practically splitting his face in half. The kitsune growled, angry and ashamed of herself. How could she be such a coward! She couldn't just hide behind Julius! This was her problem, not his... But... No-chan seemed to know him. They had met before.
"Julius-san," she whispered. Her hand was reaching into her satchel, ready to pull out some sort of weapon, maybe the scythe that Wrex had given her. "How do you know him?"
"I can tell you that story!" The nogitsune cackled, looking rather pleased with the prospect. He had completely ignored Julius when he had mentioned the sword wasn't his. Or perhaps he simply hadn't cared much. Instead, he seemed rather happy to paint a rancid picture of the demon. "Much like this, pretty little kitsune! We both wanted the same thing, and we fought, hard!" He looked slightly disgruntled now. "Last time he won. This time though..." His grin was back. "This time I'm the winner!" Once more his laughed rang through the air.
Hinata seemed to have had enough. She called whatever loose metal was around to her, forming a very brittle blade, which she immediately flung toward No-Chan. It immediately caught fire and fell to the ground. "Tsk, temper, temper," he crooned.
Julius couldn't stop Hinata from flinging the blade, and he was disgusted at himself for feeling relief at the short end of the flimsy weapon. The nogitsune was dangerous, even by his old self's standards. Julius, he was weak, soul a pitiful husk of what it used to be. The fury he'd brought down back then was nothing more than a distant memory now. Creeping closer to Hinata, making himself into a shield if need be, Julius tried to come up with a plan of attack on the nogitsune.
The orb was safe, for now. If the nogitsune wanted to use that, Julius could at least keep it away from him by taking hold of the metal he'd wrapped around it. But, it seemed like he wasn't even interested in the chest, but in Hinata. They'd fought for Haruo, would they fight for Hinata? He wasn't in service to any being anymore, did the nogitsune think he was bound to Hinata?
Julius yearned to incinerate the nogitsune, to cook him through and through, wipe that grin off his face for the last time. Julius held himself back, swallowing back his fire. Hinata was near, too near. The ship would light up like a match if he fought with fire, and he'd destroy it completely if he used the earth. The metal on the ship was almost useless, rusty and warped, too far away to use as weapons. What was he to do?
Julius laughed, at the peril of his and Hinata's situation and at his own uselessness. "Well, it looks like you've got me outgunned, No-chan!" Julius gave the nogitsune a grin of his own, teeth grit and bared. "Your timing's as great as ever, I see!" Julius' grin shrunk, almost looking bored.
"I'm sorry to tell you this, but I've always been kind of a sore loser." In his palm, Julius had etched a sigil in his stony flesh, a scarlet light running through the grooves like blood. In a flash of fire and smoke, Julius had summoned a sword; it was curved along the middle, black like it'd been burnt and glowing hot.
Julius lunged at No-chan, dispersing until he was nothing more than a smoky haze wielding the strange sword. A portion of the haze went around Hinata like a cloak, alive and meant to protect her.
"Heehee!" No-chan seemed positively jubilant. "I knew you were here, Tsuneo I just didn't care, not until I realized who this little one was cavorting with." He sighed a little, shaking his head, seeing the sword that had been summoned. "Now, now, I let you have the last one. Can't I have this one? You don't understand Tsuneo-chan, her Onii-chan bothered me a little too much, I need to have my revenge! You understand hm?"
Hinata could only watch, frustrated and angry, unable to do anything. This wasn't how things were supposed to go! Growling, she shifted to her fox form, hunkering closer to the ground. Well, even if she couldn't fight and wasn't close to her element, she still had other powers at her disposal! Her paws flattened against the ground, shoulders stiff as she concentrated hard. Illusion was a part of her power she rarely used, ever since she had come to this school. Well, now was the time!
To No-Chan and Julius, they would be able to see four other Julius' lunging toward the nogitsune. They seemed solid, even sounded real! There were only two differences, however; there was no scent to them, nor was there any literal shape. Anyone could simply walk through and the illusion would break. Hinata was counting on Julius' scent and his knowledge of kitsune lore would keep him from getting confused.
No-chan's grin dissipated and turned into an angry snarl, seeing the illusions. Immediately he shifted into his fox form, a dark five tail fox with glinting red eyes, darkness gathering behind him, fire at the tips of his tail. He barely managed to dodge Julius, sending strange shadows and flames in his direction. "Nice trick, girl, but I am the master of illusions here!" He sent a large ball of fire toward her as well, which she could only watch as it came closer, not wanting to leave the haze that Julius had covered her with.
Julius gave a glance to the doubles of himself that appeared during his jump, unfortunately the nogitsune saw through them before he could strike.
Sword impaling the far wall, Julius quickly rematerialized around the sword, grabbing it just as the nogitsune's peculiar attack reached him. At the same time, Hinata was in danger. He had to act fast, even if it meant damaging his form." That won't work!" Drawing back his arm and blade, Julius struck out against the wave of fire, his burning sword suddenly absorbing the fire cast at him. Julius had no choice but to simply bear the blunt of darkness, but his counter was satisfying enough.
Just as fast as the nogitsune had sent out the fire, Julius gave it back; with a precise swing of his blade, he released a blast of fire, hoping this one was just too fast for the creature. It seemed things were the other way around. The nogitsune had targeted Hinata, a rolling blast of fire sent her way. Julius was fast, faster than his appearance made it seem, but the distance was impossible to close from where he was. Luckily, Julius had seen an attack on Hinata coming.
The haze that surrounded the kitsune shot towards the ball of fire, smothering it as it consumed the flames, growing as bright as Julius himself with the stolen fire. The haze grew darker, an honest smokescreen by now. With the threat removed, the smokescreen went back around Hinata, obscuring her from view...and making a way for her to escape. The smokescreen was hot, but it was contained within itself, it also had a portion of Julius' awareness to guide it. Under Hinata's feet, it was burning a hole through the hole as quietly as it could, the odd creak of wet wood drying out was unavoidable.
Brandishing his sword, Julius sped towards the nogitsune with a fire on his heels, aiming for his tails this time. Just as he was about to strike, Julius' form flickered, reverting to a haze that doubled then tripled around the nogitsune. They carried the scent of him, even the sword seemed real, glinting metal flashing with fire.
No-Chan growled in anger, unable to decipher where Julius was due to the now tripled haze. He lashed out at one with a fiery paw, his face contorted with rage. Unfortunately for him, it was the wrong haze. There was a shriek of pain and anger as the sword managed to cut off two of his tails leaving him with only three. They flew through the air, disintegrating and turning into ash before falling to the ground.
"You... will... pay!" The nogitsune snarled, looking practically rabid, saliva frothing at his jowls and dripping at the floor. Around him, shadows were whirling, looking like long tentacles writhing in pain. They stilled for a moment before elongating, trying to grab at Julius and Hinata, though it was clear from their movements that they didn't know where the two even were.
"Julius!" Hinata yelled. She could tell there was a pathway opening for her, but she was wrought to take it. She couldn't just leave him, not after they just met again! And his ship, he had spent so long to find it. It couldn't be destroyed, not like this! What could they do? Even with two tails gone, No-Chan was still no pushover!
If only she could... "Julius! You should know our weaknesses! Take it from him!" She was sure that the demon knew about the kitsune ball that every kitsune had. No-Chan would surely have his as well... but where? She couldn't tell from here. If they could only get hold of it, they would be able to ensure control over him!
As the shadows closed in around Julius, the demon found some brief pleasure in the nogitsune's blistering rage. It wasn't invincible, Julius knew that all too well, but it was crafty and he couldn't afford to get cocky when Hinata was still around. Fire, billowing like a furnace in his chest, blew out through minutely made slits in his flesh. If the shadows were truly just shadows, perhaps the light of his fire would chase them back against the walls.
Julius hoped his desperation wasn't coming across so transparent, his focus split between battling the nogitsune and protecting Hinata all at once. He was stronger all those years ago, his powers were at their max and now he was - weak. He couldn't let it show.
Eyes flickering back to Hinata, Julius immediately knew what she was referring to, suddenly glaring at the nogitsune with a renewed flame in his eyes. The ball, the kitsune ball. If he could get his hands on it, the fight would be won. From the looks of things, he'd have to rely on strategy instead of powering his way through the creature. Sword held aloft, Julius' form shuddered, casting out a smoky mirage of himself at the nogitsune, rushing through it with his sword seeking the remaining tails on his body.
"You cocky bastard!" No-Chan snarled. He was angry, furious, but there was something else there as well, something he hadn't felt in a very long time.
Fear.
Maybe he had felt it a hundred years ago? No, definitely a longer time than that, a few centuries, probably. Ever since his complete transformation to a kitsune, joining ties with the dark side, becoming a creature of evil, all sense of fear had been shoved to the side. He was powerful, he could hurt whoever he wished, laugh at their pain and suffering, and be none the worse for it. It was they who pleaded, cried, screamed, they who bled and they who died.
This time it was different. The evil being felt the cold spike of fear, and it ignited his anger further, the flames and shadows growing erratic around him. The problem was that he was giving in to what he was feeling rather than remain impartial, aloof. And when that happened, mistakes were made.
He leaped forward, forgetting to defend himself. A scream of rage turned to pain as he felt his tails being sliced from his body, until there was only one remaining. The shadows surrounding him decreased, as did the flames, and as well his size, almost instantaneously. In fact, he was almost the same size as Hinata!
As the shadows surrounding him nearly dissipated, there was the sound of something falling to the ground, something grey in colour. A small marble-like ball.
Sword cleaving through the nogitsune's tails once more, Julius shortly dispersed, gathering himself with his feet firmly planted on the floor. Although he hid it well, Julius was scared. He was winning against someone as crafty as No-chan. It didn't sit right, but right now he couldn't afford to spend much time thinking about it. The nogitsune still had one left, he had to be weakened enough to finish off.
The sound of something rolling caught Julius' attention, eyes snapping from the line tail of the nogitsune to the object that had fell. Julius' eyes burned hot, like blazing coals in their sockets. The ball, at last.
Julius spared not a single second before turning to smoke, a fast and slick form that curled around the fallen ball. A fist, made out of the smoke, the cloud stretching away from the spot, manifesting in front of Hinata with his sword aimed at the nogitsune. In his clenched fist, the ball was subjected to a great heat, the flames only stoked by Julius' fury.
"That's enough, nogitsune," Julius said lowly, the look on his face alone enough to say he wasn't taking any chances. "Stop this, or I'll destroy your ball." Half of him wanted to destroy it anyway, even with the nogitsune under his control. He didn't deserve to live, not when he was going to cause nothing but strife whenever he went. He needed to be stopped, he needed to be killed, once and for all.
It would be so easy. With his ball taken away, the nogitsune would have no choice but to stay there and let himself be killed. It'd been so long since Julius had killed like that, with nothing but his bare hands, molten fingers and sizzling organs spilling around him. It'd been so long, and that was for the better. The nogitsune was a disgusting creature, one that had to be stopped, but Julius wasn't sure if he could bring himself to fall back into his old ways. To be that demon again, a merciless hellbeast.
Julius gripped the ball tighter. "This is your last warning, nogitsune. Leave."
Everything seemed to come to a standstill for No-Chan as soon as he felt his ball was no longer in his control. The fear was clear on his face, his fiery eyes staring at Julius as he backed away, stumbling until he fell on his behind.
"Give that back!" he yapped, the sound of his once menacing and mocking voice weak. He needed his ball, it was his, they couldn't just take it from him! What had happened? How did he miscalculate so badly?!
What if he crushed the ball? What if, worse, Julius decided to torture him? Use him for his own gain?
What if Julius killed him?
It was all things No-Chan would do, which is why he was so sure Julius would take his revenge on him in a similar manner.
And yet, he was completely wrong. He heard Julius' warning and was flabbergasted. Leave? His eyes swerved to Hinata, who sidled forward, now shifting to her humanoid form, eyes narrowed as she placed a hand on the fist of smoke. It seemed she had already calculated that the nogitsune may come their way in a last desperate attempt.
"Leave," she echoed, her voice weak in comparison to Julius'. Her eyes, however, were as hard as the metals she could bend.
A shrill cry escaped the nogitsune; he turned into a wisp of dark, impenetrable shadows, rushing through the cracks in the ship like water being suctioned by an outside force.
There was silence for a moment, and then Hinata spoke. "We did it!" She grinned, though it faltered as she remembered exactly what she'd lost. "My katana…" It was a blow. She had made it herself, from the mining of the ore to the forging of the weapon. And what of Hotaru? For the time being, she could no longer feel him.
Her head drooped, as did her tail, though her hand remained on the fist of smoke.
Julius remained silent as the nogitsune protested the taking of his ball, his eyes dark with the fire burning within him, his grip only getting tighter around the ball in his hand. It took every iota of self-control not to crush the ball then and there, leave the nogitsune without it. He couldn't, he wouldn't, but the nogitsune didn't know that. Julius' glare left him for a single instant as Hinata spoke, obviously scared but showing strength in her words. Julius felt proud, a secondary flame igniting in him.
"Won't ask a third time, No-chan." Julius might've been weak, but Hinata was only growing stronger. Together, they'd be able to take down the nogitsune without his ball. Julius would rather not have it come to that, but it was a matter of life and death. He wouldn't hesitate, he only hoped Hinata felt the same way.
Perhaps he knew it was outnumbered, outgunned and just shit out of luck, but the nogitsune left. Scratch that, he ran, a coward all the while. Julius nearly expected the creature to come back, wanting his ball back and willing to go through him and Hinata to do that. However, no such thing happened. He was gone, and it looked like he was staying that way.
Julius drew a breath he didn't need, but felt like he had to have. He expelled smoke on the exhale, dropping to one knee and making a sizable dent in the sagging floorboards. Sword clattering to the ground, Julius kept his grip tight on the ball, his internal temperature lowering as he wound down from the literal heat of battle. Julius wasn't hurt, not as much as the nogitsune was, anyway, but he was incredibly relieved the fight was over. Hinata was safe, and the ball was his.
Hearing Hinata's optimistic cry, Julius raised his head, looking stunned before a smile came to his face. They won. They actually beat him. "You're damn right we did!" The second wave of emotion Julius felt was one of guilt, his smile falling from the devastated look on Hinata's face. Her sword, there wasn't any trace of it as far as Julius could tell. The nogitsune had seemingly destroyed it when it appeared. "Hinata, I'm... I'm so sorry." His hand turned, gripping Hinata's in a gentle squeeze.
"I'm sorry."
Hinata tried hard not to tear up, and she succeeded. Keeping her emotions off her face was an easy enough task. However, since she was not a human, but a kitsune with fox bits, it was quite easy to tell she wasn't feeling too cheery, what with her flat ears and low and still tail. "It's... just a sword," she finally muttered, her free hand tightening momentarily before slackening. No, it seemed this was a blow she couldn't just brush away. She let out a breath, eyes unable to look up yet.
"It's just I made it myself," she continued, as if wanting to justify why she was feeling bad. "With my aniki's help." She took another quick breath, finally looking up at Julius, eyes bright with unshed water, looking sad yet earnest. "It took a lot of effort, a lot of work. I- I should have taken better care of Hotaru. If I had, then nothing of this sort would have happened." Her eyes lowered yet again, filled with shame. "Because I wasn't careful, the ship was ruined, you were attacked..."
It hadn't been the first time she was attacked either. If only she had managed to finish No-Chan in the forest that day! Instead, she had let him get away, giving him the time to possess her sword. And now, even that was gone. Perhaps it was all deserved. Perhaps Inari-sama was telling her that she didn't deserve a katana in the first place.
The thought made her feel terrible, but how else was she to explain all that took place?
Eyes softening at Hinata's lament, Julius brought his gaze down to her empty hand, scanning over the room to the first of many scorch marks on the floor. Where it happened, where Hinata's blade was destroyed by an enemy Julius - no, Tsuneo thought had been dealt with lifetimes ago. The blame didn't fall on Hinata, and...it wasn't his, either. Hands smoldering fists at his sides, Julius fought the roar of magma in his body, throat bobbing with the swell of stone briefly giving in to the heat. Slowly, Julius grew cold, calmer.
"Hinata, this isn't your fault," Julius began, taking a cautious step away from her, watching how the floor nearly burned under the heat of his boot. Not so calm, just refined fury. "I know it can seem like it, but it's not. Neither of us are at fault for the actions of some thing." Hands spreading over chest, Julius lifted it, stance adjusting to place it down on the sinking floor as softly as he could. Sighing, Julius unfurled his grip on the ball, staring down at it with a ignited anger. Just as soon as the look came, it was gone, Julius taking his gaze off of it.
The nogitsune was still out there. Weak, but Julius knew that didn't make it any less dangerous. This wasn't over.
Stare back on Hinata, Julius felt something in him ache at the sight of her devastation over the loss of her blade. When the nogitsune has first emerged, Hinata had called it a name, horrified that the nogitsune wasn't who she thought. So, a spirit had resided in her blade. Julius bit back a hiss, tongue threatening to lash out between his teeth. The nogitsune had destroyed the blade, and likely, the spirit within it.
The gravity of the situation suddenly fell on Julius, and he was left feeling hurt.
"Hinata..." Julius whispered, reaching towards her, eyes glassy with emotion.
Hinata couldn't see how it wasn't her fault. She head dropped even lower, chin pressed against her chin, tears spilling from her eyes and down her cheeks as she tried to cry silently. She should have been more careful, she should have been more away of what had possessed her sword! She had met that nogitsune once before, she knew it had practically killed her brother's friend. How could she not have expected it to come and finish the job?
"I-I'm sorry," she managed, gulping to keep her voice from cracking, to keep the sob from overwhelming her. "But- it is my fault. I was an idiot. And I ruined everything! My sword is gone, Hotaru is gone!" Saying it out loud was the last straw, and Hinata crumped to her feet, landing right before Julius. Her hands were pressed against her wet face, body heaving as almost soundless cries and gasps escaped the kitsune. She had never felt so overwhelmed before, so shattered. Her entire life had been busy with hard work, but there was always something good in the end.
"I f-f-failed," she gasped from behind her hands. They moved down to clench just below her wet, red eyes. She stared at Julius, the look in her eyes akin to fear, regret, grief, and worse of all, hopelessness. She didn't know what to do or whether there was anything to be done. It was as if the sword had been the results of her dreams, wishes and striving, and someone had brutally crushed them into dust.
How could she face her big brother? How could she face Byakuya? How could she even face Julius? "I've ruined everything..." she repeated. "I've even ruined the ship you spent so much time to find and bring back. I'm the worst, I'm the worst..."
Julius sighed. Well, this wasn't the victory he'd hoped for, not in the slighest. While the things that had been destroyed on his half could all easily be replaced or fixed, there was no bringing back Hinata's sword. It was gone, and from the looks of it, it's lost had hurt her more deeply than the nogitsune ever could. How hadn't he noticed it before? It's presence was a putrid and horrendous thing, it was obvious when it emerged, but why couldn't he detect it when it counted?
Had his powers waned that much?
A fire was brewing under his skin, one that was only fueled by his frustration and failure to protect not only Hinata, but her sword as well. It ached, the wounds he'd sustained melding together from the heat he was generating. Julius let the heat pass through his body, spreading through the floor and air and evaporating some of the water. It was his version of breathing, truly breathing; not the occasional intake of oxygen he did.
He was calm, better yet, he was beginning to accept what had happened. Emotional detachment had served him well back then, but now, he utilized sympathy with much better results. He'd missed the nogitsune in Hinata's blade, and because of his mistake, she'd lost it and it was his fault. He was fine with that. Hinata, as she should be, was mourning, but she was starting to spiral. Julius had to remedy that to the best of his ability.
Julius watched Hinata drop down with genuine hurt in his eyes. He had to do something. "Hinata," he spoke quietly, not trying to overwhelm her. "Hinata, just breathe. Listen to me, and breathe." Hinata would feel a warm body around hers, Julius crouching down to wrap her up in a hug. He let his eyes clothes, hands over Hinata's back.
"You didn't fail anything or anyone, Hinata. This - this wasn't a test, this was an act of survival and you won that. And, unfortunately, you lost someone because of it, and I know it hurts, but it's not your fault." Julius held her tight.
"You'll be okay."
