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 Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 2:29 am
At long last, the grunt called Nakura was out of his casts and fully healed. Healed in terms of his physical body, at least. His mental state was quite another matter entirely. He hadn't been to see the Rocket's therapist, nor did he have any plans to. For, as it happened, the grunt found his disrupted mental state somewhat motivating.
For the first time since their discussion about Seth, Faleen and Izaya stood on opposing sides with opposing viewpoints. At Aila's memorial, she had demonstrated this quite clearly when her partner had asked her opinion and she had refused to give it. In the face of an Elite, Faleen seemed to think her opinion didn't matter.
This was one thing that burned the informant up. She wasn't even willing to state her own opinion, and as the grunt had once read somewhere, 'he who stands for nothing falls for everything'. Was his agent partner really so willing to be so compliant that she wouldn't even question orders?
True, the agent had intervened enough to ask Elite Agent Kunai to hold off on her... discipline of the grunt. For that, Nakura was grateful. Still, he didn't like the way she was almost grovelling and apologizing for his actions while defending him as if they were something to be ashamed of - like a parent apologizing for the ignorant behavior of their child. The grunt wasn't the least bit sorry about what he'd done.
Unlike a child, he had known exactly what he had been doing, fully aware of the consequences. Each of his actions had had specific meaning to them. He didn't regret them a bit, either, except for having expected Faleen to agree with him. How wrong he had been to assume such a thing. He still had so much to learn about her.
She wasn't the only one, either. It was said that one should keep their friends close and their enemies closer - a saying that Izaya liked to live by. Still, even though so much time had passed, the grunt still couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what had motivated Asch to give Aila's necklace to the stolen Vaporeon. He liked to tell himself that the teen had done it to piss him off.
Of course, Nakura knew deep down that this was not the case at all. Technically, he himself had given up any rights he had on the necklace at all when he gave the pendant up to the red-head, so Asch could have done whatever he'd wanted with it. Izaya would have never imagined it would have wound up around the neck of a pokemon, however.
This troubled him, and the very fact that it troubled him only troubled him even more. Nakura told himself he wasn't supposed to concern himself about trivial things like this - like individual human beings - much less get upset over them. His guilt would not leave him be, however. Although Izaya had implied that Aila's death had been Asch's fault when they had last met at Aila's memorial, Izaya knew very well that her injury and resulting expiration was the fault of his own failures.
Was he about to let anyone realize he felt this way? Not likely. Hence, the next best thing - attack Aila's partner as a form of 'revenge'. As if Asch hadn't suffered enough for not having been by his partner during the mission she passed away on, Izaya had to add insult to injury.
He told himself the 'revenge' was for Asch having sullied Aila's name by giving her necklace to a mere, stolen pokemon to wear. In the back of his mind, though, he just really disliked the idea that Asch might have been closer to Aila before she died than he had been. They must have known each other better and been actual friends, unlike that silly, one-sided friendship she had forced upon Izaya before the mission. It was a form of jealousy mixed in with the guilt, but he was too prideful to admit it to anyone; especially himself.
Thus, though there was no one Izaya was more angry with than himself, he felt an absurd need to take out his pent-up feelings on Asch. Misery loved company, after all, and if he could bring the teenager down to his level, all the better. Asch had already seemed like a pretty melancholy individual to begin with, so it didn't seem too difficult a goal to accomplish. One day, though, because he knew it wasn't really Asch's fault but his own...perhaps one day he would make it up to the red-head.
For now, however, the grunt's emotions had a complete and utter hold on him.
He had already planned out a lot of it in advance. Since their department had been seriously lacking in members, Asch had been working his tail off trying to pick up the slack. Due to this knowledge, Izaya had a guess that the teen wouldn't be so difficult to knock out. Having sent out his Spiritomb, Celty, out into the corridor ahead of him, he had asked her to use Hypnosis on the red-head, if only to 'help him out'. Celty hesitated at first, but after noticing how tired the young man looked, easily complied.
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Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:46 pm
Despite how Izaya had reacted towards him during the memorial, Asch was completely unsuspecting. He hadn't really had the time to think about it anyway. What with the fact that he had to cover for several members of the infiltration department, including Izaya himself. It was from one such mission that he'd finally made it back to base and was making his way to his room, hoping to get some rest before getting food and then heading out on the next one. It seemed like an endless conveyor belt of jobs.
Drooping eyelids and a slightly slouched posture were the only things that gave away Asch's fatigue as he made his way back to his room. It was late, and there likely wasn't anyone around, so he wasn't trying to put up as much of a front as he usually would.
Once reaching his room, the red head took out his keycard and swipe it through the slot. A soft click indicating that the door had been unlocked. Asch then pushed the door open and proceeded inside, starting to remove the belt that held his sword as well.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 8:17 am
The Spiritomb that had been sent to seek out Asch had waited patiently by the door of his room to emerge. Once he had swiped his keycard and entered the room, the Odd Keystone levitated and followed in after. Celty glanced around cautiously, knowing full well that Asch's pokemon were likely to be near by.
She didn't want them to get the wrong idea by her sneaking into the room. After all, she was there to help their trainer, not harm him. At least that's what she believed. As soon as the man turned around, she would have to act fast - just like the time Izumi had just spotted her at the pokemon contest in Sandalwood. She just hoped she would be as lucky with the accuracy of her attack as she had been then.
Meanwhile, Grunt Nakura leaned against the wall some ways down the corridor, pretending to check his cell phone. He kept an ear out for any activity that might have been occurring in the agent's room, catching the faint sound of what was probably Asch removing his belt and sheath. Nakura imagined the sword must have been pretty heavy, especially for something the young man carried around all day. He couldn't picture the red-headed teen using it much, either. Perhaps it was another sentimental keepsake of his.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 9:26 am
The only Pokemon present in the room was Vahy'n, the stolen Vaporeon. The others were tucked away safely in their pokeballs. Asch had not yet decided to actually bring Vahy'n with him anywhere outside the base. However, as Asch entered his room and set the sword aside, he paused and frowned, feeling as if something was out of place.
He turned around and immediately spotted the odd keystone. "What the..."
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 12:49 pm
The Spiritomb, who had emerged from the keystone to levitate into the room, reacted quickly with Hypnosis once Asch turned around. She was a little surprised that the agent's pokemon weren't visible in the room, but having learned about the Unova pokemon and their illusionary abilities when Izaya was researching them, she still kept an eye out. "Spirrr..." she apologized quietly, feeling a little foolish and guilty for having caught the young man off-guard. Still, it was supposed to be for his own good. She tried to make sure that if he fell, it would be on the bed.
Izaya, hearing Asch's voice and then Celty's cry, walked casually by the room to peer inside. If things had gone according to plan, he could quickly sneak in, but if not, he could always keep walking and seem like an innocent passer-by.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:47 pm
"... hell..." Asch muttered as the Spiritomb went into action, using its hypnosis on him. He barely had time to process what was going on before, and finish his sentence, before it took affect.
There was a soft thud as Asch quickly and soundly fell asleep under the Spiritomb's hypnotic powers. In a way he certainly did need the rest, but this wasn't exactly what he had in mind.
As Izaya passed by the room, he would see the red head slumped halfway over his bed, just as Celty had intended.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 2:42 pm
Though Celty seemed to have accomplished her mission, neither her nor her trainer were aware of the one pokemon who was out and about within the room. They didn't have a proper view of the desk that Vahy'n usually stayed under and thus were not aware of her presence. Nakura did want to make certain that Tyke and Saber weren't hidden in the room, though, so he entered quickly and quietly before releasing his twin purrloin to scout the place, closing the door behind him.
"Good girl, Celty," he told her, smiling as he withdrew the dark-and-ghost-type. "I'm sure Asch-kun will be ever so grateful to us for making him rest. Unexpected as it was. Wouldn't want him to end up like Aila-chan, working his butt off, now would we...?" Laughing to himself as Mairu and Kururi explored, the grunt warned them not to touch anything unnecessary or leave any trace of the presence there behind. With that, he left them to their own devices, not wanting to bother with them any more than necessary.
Regarding the younger man on the bed, he put his hands on his hips and sighed. "Poor Asch-kun...working so hard.You need a break. Why don't we take a load off? I bet that ridiculous length of hair slows you down considerably..."
With some effort, the skinny man attempted to pull Asch off the bed, hoping Celty's Hyponosis attack was as powerful as he thought. She was the most experienced in using it since she favored it over her attacks that actually harmed her targets. He doubted Asch was a very heavy sleeper, though, so he would have to hope the teen's fatigue was strong enough to keep him under for a while and he would have to work fast.
Half carrying, half dragging Agent Asch into the bathroom that Aila and he had once shared, Izaya grabbed a chair. With a considerable amount of trouble, attempted to seat the red-head upright in front of the mirror. The grunt then bound the teen's arms, waist, and legs to the chair's arms, back, and legs using a good length or rope he had found prior in a janitorial supply closet, sealing the rope and reinforcing it with a secondary binding of duct tape; also found in the closet.
He then grabbed the shower curtain from behind them, ripping it of its hooks without a second thought before draping it around Asch's unconscious form, using one of the hooks to fasten it around his neck. In the end, it served as a makeshift cape to protect Asch's clothing - just as if they were in a professional hair salon. One that took captive prisoners and cut their hair without their permission.
With his victim secure, Grunt Nakura carefully gathered Asch's long, red locks in his hands and gently tugged it from between the teen's back and the chair, allowing it to drape over the back of the chair instead. He stared at it for a minute, wondering why a young man, especially one with Asch's pride, would keep it so long. It had added to the subject of his ridicule during the Halloween party, and yet he still kept it as it was. Izaya doubted the busy agent even had the proper time to care for it any more.
He'll be thanking me when this is over, the grunt mentally mused to himself. In time, he'll thank me. Besides, it's not as though it'll never grow back. The informant stuck his hand into a parka pocket and retrieved his brand new flickblade, flipping it out so that it reflected the light. He beamed at their reflections in the mirror. "Let's see just how much like your 'twin' you really look..."
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 4:31 pm
Asch was completely out as Izaya dragged him across the room and then dumped him in a chair. The red head merely sat there, slumped over, as he was tied up. Izaya's words falling on deaf ears until after the shower curtain was draped around him. That's when he started to stir.
It went from silence and black to a foggy feeling, hearing someone's voice as if they were underwater. It was like waking up, except not really, since the state had been forced. More like waking up after being completely unconscious.
"Ugh..." was the first thing that came out of his mouth as his green eyes started to open. He knew where he was... in his own bathroom. But how the hell did he get here, and why was he sitting? He tried to get up, but soon figured out that he couldn't. He then realized he couldn't move at all, and this caused him to snap awake completely as he struggled, finding that he'd been tied down.
"What the hell is going on?!" he demanded, feeling a tug on his hair and turning his head to try and look over his shoulder.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 9:18 pm
"Whoops!" A slender man with a knife in his hand jerked his hand up suddenly when Asch abruptly turned his head. "Careful, Asch-kun! I almost cut the tip of your ear off!" He had hurriedly hid his other hand behind his back when the teenager had turned, but what it was holding peeked out from behind the grunt's back. It was a hank of long, red hair.
"You've been working so hard lately, and I just wanted to make it up to you. You know, with how you've been running around left to right with that heavy sword and those yards of hair...I thought you could stand to lose a few pounds." He tapped his chin lightly with his blade, staring up at the ceiling as if in thought.
"So I asked myself, 'what can I do to help Asch-kun? He's got so much physical and metaphorical weight on his shoulders for such a young person...' And then it hit me. Even if you need your sword for protection, your hair would only get in the way." He beamed happily, like a child ready to present an A+ to a parent. "So I decided to give you a haircut!" And with that, he held up the thick lock of hair in his grasp.
It wasn't all cut; not yet, at least. Izaya had just parted the first section when Asch had come to, so he had only sliced off about a fourth of the agent's cascading locks. It was in the back too, so it wasn't all that easy to see just where it had been cut up to from Asch's view in the mirror ahead of him. By the length of the hair that Izaya presented, however, it looked like a fair amount. In fact, it was just about the difference that had been between Asch's and Luke's lengths.
"Aren't you happy?" he asked gleefully. "Now you can match your twin! Natalia can think whatever she wants of you; it won't matter anymore if she confuses you for Lukey-chan or not. Oh, and you won't be teased for being a girl anymore, and you don't have to take hour-long showers or worry about brushing out whatever gunk gets into it on missions...doesn't your head feel lighter already? Ooh, we should do more!"
With a pleasant smile, the informant put aside the locks he had been holding and gently took the other fourth of the back section of Asch's hair in his hand, readying his flickblade in his other. "You know, I bet you could donate this to some wig-making factory or something."
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 5:49 am
Asch continued to struggled and fight against his bonds, even though he knew he couldn't free himself. However, he realized just who his captor was when the skinny man spoke up and Asch finally saw him in the mirror.
"YOU!" He shouted angrily, struggling all the more and ignoring the fact that his ear had almost been sliced.
He glared at Izaya's reflection in the mirror, gritting his teeth as his captor babbled on. But green eyes widened and Asch gaped like a fish as it was made known what the asian man's intentions were. He... cut his hair?! Asch stared at the long length of red hair, unable to speak or move for a few moments. How... how dare he! How could... why would anyone do that?!
It wasn't until Izaya spoke of Natalia and donating it to wig factory that Asch finally found his voice.
"Y-you b*****d! STOP!"
This was a nightmare come true.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:04 am
Izaya's grin broadened at Asch's exclamation, acknowledging recognition of his identity. Though he had been working very had to feign a positive and cheerful demeanor, the grunt couldn't help the small hint of malice that shone in his smile. He looked up from his work and met the emerald eyes that stared back at him from the mirror.
"What's the matter?" he asked at the teen's shocked expression. "I think it looks better this way. Besides, what's the use of having a twin if you don't look like him? That's no fun at all." His blade sliced through the second fourth of the young man's red hair, quickly and efficiently. Izaya had a hunch that Asch's bewildered state wouldn't last for long, and he wanted to take advantage of the fact that the young man was keeping still. It wouldn't have been safe to cut while he was thrashing about; especially while physical injury was not the informant's intention at all.
"You know, Asch-kun," Nakura began more seriously, keeping his gaze fixed on his work after hearing the agent stutter. "You never actually told me why you kept your hair long. In fact, I wonder if anyone at all besides you knows." Ignoring the man's protests, he delicately separated a third section - the locks that framed the side of Asch's face, so that he would be able to see where his captor was cutting. "If you had only just been a little more communicative and open, maybe I would have known you didn't want it cut. And here I thought I was doing you a favor. Communication is very important within teams, you know. Unlike name-calling."
He paused in his actions, his flickblade held upright in the hand opposite the one holding Asch's hair. "Feel like sharing?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 9:19 am
Asch could only stare in disbelief as more of his hair was chopped away, his eyes as wide as saucers. For a few moments at least. The shock seemed to give way to rage as he started to thrash around.
"I DON'T WANT TO LOOK LIKE HIM!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. But at this point, he wasn't exactly going to have a choice. There was only one strip of long hair left, and even if Izaya didn't cut it... it would have to be removed anyway.
This was cruel and unusual... it was torture! What had he ever done to Izaya to merit this?! ... Aside from trying to beat the pulp out of him while he was laid up. STILL! This was war now.
"I'm going to kill you!" he shouted at Izaya, glaring at the reflection in the mirror with such intensity it seemed as if he wanted to make it explode. "I don't care that Aila saved your life! I'm going to kill you!"
As Izaya lifted his blade again, the red head went still, glaring daggers anew. Feel like sharing?! "Go to hell!" he snarled viciously.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 11:38 am
The grunt swept the hand armed with the flickblade back when Asch began to thrash around. He couldn't help but be reminded of the pokemon move called Thrash, since the agent's struggle was just as violent if not more so than any pokemon's. Izaya tsked, clicking his tongue in disapproval.
"Asch-kun, don't you know it's the inside that counts, not the outside?" the older man consoled the teen gently, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. "Appearance is only skin-deep. What does it matter if you look like him? You'll still be the strong, independent, stubborn, sentimental, hot-headed juvenile of a Rocket you always were."
Said words were met with a death threat, which immediately brought the usual, ambiguous smile back to the informant's face. "If you can, you're welcome to try when we're done here. But you know, you're not the first to have wanted me dead - even if you are the first to want to kill me over a haircut." He chuckled at the idea of such a petty crime. "There's a reason I've lived this long, Asch-kun. And, as experienced and mature as you are, you're still a good several years younger than me."
Patting the top of the agent's head in a condescending manner, he sighed. "I don't think they would even throw me in the brig for something as trivial as this. You're the only one who's making such a big deal about it. It's not even as though I'm doing something as demeaning as shaving you bald!" The grunt paused a moment to picture the mental image, giggling under his breath and running a hand through his own hair.
"I probably should have asked you about why you kept your hair long before I started cutting - maybe you should have been more likely to talk." Slice. "Then again, considering all the long, intimate talks we've had prior to now, maybe not." Dropping the last lock into the trash, he flicked his blade closed and put it back into his pocket. He then began to sweep up the stray strands on the floor with a broom and dusting pan he had also borrowed from the janitorial closet. "It's a shame; I really wanted to know why. Hmm. Maybe Natalia-chan can tell me. We should go visit her together and show off your new look~!"
Beaming at the red-head in the mirror, Izaya's crimson eyes glinted spitefully as he admired his handiwork. That's what you get for keeping me in the dark about everything, Agent Asch. Informants don't like info kept from them. Nothing about why Aila's necklace was on the Vaporeon. Nothing about why Natalia knew him. Nothing about what he felt about Aila. But Izaya was determined to find answers no matter what. For now, his avenging of Aila's sullied memory was complete.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 1:30 pm
It may have been petty, but obviously Asch's hair had been very important to him, and that was reason alone to be angry. Not to mention that he'd been knocked out by a Spiritomb and tied to a chair, being forced to endure this humiliation. Asch was blind with rage, and after he calmed down, he'd probably think more rationally about this... but until then.
Slice. The rest was gone and a scream peeled from Asch's throat, sounding more like an enraged roar, that could be heard all the way out into the hall. While at the same time rocking back and forth in his chair in his futile attempt to get free. The only thing it managed to accomplish was to topple the chair backwards. Asch landed with a painful thud on the floor, now forced to stare up at his captor.
"SHUT UP!"
If Izaya thought that this was going to make Asch more likely to talk, about anything, he was sorely mistaken.
Also, aside from his bangs still being slicked back, Asch looked exactly like his twin. It was amazing how much hair could make a difference in one's appearance.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 2:59 pm
"Arceus, you can really be loud when you want to, huh? And all this time I thought you were just the silent, seething type," Izaya noted at Asch's scream. He had to jump backward to avoid the chair falling on him when the agent rocked it hard enough to hit the floor. It seemed the man's hair meant a great deal more to him than the grunt had originally suspected. Asch was going berserk.
And yet...if Asch thought that this was going to make Izaya less likely to talk about anything, he was sorely mistaken.
"Ouch. Now look what you went and did," Nakura scolded, crouching over the fallen teen. "That couldn't have felt good. On the other hand, aside from looking like Luke, now you're acting like him too! Doing stupid things to give yourself away...and for what? More damage to yourself. Hmm..."
He stared at Asch a while longer before reaching out a hand to mess with his bangs. "There, that's better. I'll bet you could even infiltrate the trainers now and steal all their pokemon if you wanted. They trust so easily, don't they? And now you have the perfect disguise. This must be why you're part of our department."
He laughed. "I never understood before how you were an agent specializing in stealth and being under cover when you had such tell-tale hair and clothing, stubborn as you were to keep it the same. But now you can match your pokemon in your ability to disguise yourself!" Nakura tilted his head, smiling fondly at Asch. "If only we had some of his clothing...mm, I suppose we could 'borrow' a few things from his wardrobe if we follow him home and maybe abduct him..."
It was getting harder and harder to tell if the plans Izaya was blabbing about were actually serious things to attempt in the future in his mind or if he was merely spouting ideas on a whim to see how Asch reacted to them.
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