Looking perplexed at Okra's mention of having seen the potara tracker before, Spike mutters "How did? ... Is future Koko? ... Red Devil?" before snapping back to attention as Okra mentions needing an actual lab to help and how he might need to visit his mom. "Or we could use my workshop if you can't get ahold of your mom cus I know she's a busy woman who is pretty hard to get in touch with." Spike responds with before Okra said he'd repay him and koko for all the trouble he's caused them while looking guilty, but then he interrupted himself before Spike could question what he meant by that by saying that some people were coming. Spike feeling the Ki signatures Okra was likely talking about says "You're right, and I'm getting some bad vibes from their Ki. If they are coming for us, shouldn't we try to lure them out of the city to make sure there's no collateral damage if they attack us?" before floating up and gesturing towards the road out of west city.
✦ Kokoro would watch curiously as Okra inspected the tracker, waiting for what kind of input he would have on the device. It had amazed her earlier when Spike was originally building it, as she never had the opportunity to see these types of things. She would look back at Okra as he explained requiring a lab to progress. She wasn’t sure if this new invitation extended to her or if it was just for the Spike, being that he had done all of thew work while Kokoro had just helped with a few minor things. Either way, she was glad to hear that they would be continuing on with the tracker, it’s purpose being something Kokoro could tell was important to Spike. “No need to repay me. I swear. I promise you were no trouble at all.” She would shake her head, waving her hands nervous in a way as Okra brought up paying her back. She smiled at the sentiment, appreciating how sincere he was being but, she felt undeserving of such gratitude as her actions didn't warrant such a response. Her attention would shoot back to Spike as he brought up the question of a Red Devil known individual being a possible future version of herself. “Wait- You mean me?” she couldn’t help blurting out, especially since there was of question of her being linked. Her mind now racing at the thought of what exactly this “future” Okra had come from was like, or where she…if she was still even a part of it. Spike brought up going to his own workshop while Kokoro got up from the ground and dusted herself off. She wouldn’t want to intrude on their plans any further, and despite her curiosity, she'd experience some guilt if she pry them for an explanation. She was about say something along the lines of parting when a sudden aura would strike Kokoro. The heart shapes in her girl’s eyes widening as she picked up an array of negative emotions mixed with overwhelming hostility heading towards them. “I don’t like the feel of this…” Kokoro would murmur, clutching her card in her hand. Looking to both of the boy's reactions to the sudden presence they all felt. “…I don’t want any of the civilians in the city to get caught up…Let me go with you and help lure them out.”
Okra would look to them and sigh slightly. His eyes blinking as he felt the guilt growing more from their sympathy before he turned to the people around him and nodded. His hand would go to his side as he would attach the device to his side while they spoke of moving to get them away from location. Okra's finger trailed under his chin while walking to them speaking. "Judging from them heading straight to this location, they probably are trying to get a specific item. . .Or are trying to find the strongest powers on the planet, and with the numbers of them heading this way, I'm 78.3 percent sure it's the latter." He'd then walk towards Kokoro and put an arm around her hip and start floating upward with her. "Sorry for the intrusion Koko-chan." He'd call to her while trying to keep her close and looking over to Spike and nodding his head. "They don't seem like they'd be too much, so if you protect Koko-chan, I can . . . Show you what I can do, honorably." He'd murmur while looking down to his feet before ki surrounded him and he'd begin to fly away from the city. "Hold on tight!" He'd say while flying off.
"78.3? that's an oddly specific number." Spike thought as Okra lifted Kokoro and started to float up. "If you want me to protect her, why are you the one carrying her?" he then responded to Okra asking him to protect Kokoro while he took care of whoever was after them as Okra proceeded to fly off with Kokoro still in his arms. Spike then sighs and says "Ah crap baskets. He's flying off way too fast. I'm gonna have to fly faster then I've ever flown before if I wanna keep up." to himself before flying after them.
✦ The cards in her hand would disappear in a cloud of purple smoke as the three would reach an agreement. “I’m may not the best fighter but, I’ll do all I can to support!” the fortuneteller would chime in. “Just leave all- Wait, h-hold on now?!” Kokoro writhed as Okra suddenly reached over and snatched her. The girl about to say something in protest but she would stop upon witnessing the two of them lift off the ground. As Okra began to accelerate, Kokoro made an eep as she started to feel herself slip, her grasp on the boy tightening per his warning. The situation would make sense however, for a situation that needed the utmost haste, as there was no way Kokoro herself could fly at such a speed. “I appreciate the the lift, but let me carry myself back after this!”
✦ Returning from the Turtle Dojo, Kokoro would touch down in front of the shop door. With the snap of her fingers, the broom she had used to fly back would disappear in a puff of purple smoke. She would be surprised to find the front door locked. Perhaps Jiaozi had stepped out for a bit. She spends a few minutes just recapping. The last two days had flipped the girl's world on its head. From everything to do with the darkest day, to meeting Spike and Okra, the strange invaders in the wastelands, to finding out that Niku and Bao were involved in this ordeal as well. It made her realize there was still so much she had to learn about the world. Kokoro would let out a deep sigh, leaning back in her chair in the kitchen. This would be the end of these excuses though. Kokoro's hands rising to slap her cheeks lightly. She needed to get it together. It was time to stop thinking and start acting. She was a part of the team now and her friends were all depending on her.
"First things first." She said to herself, getting up and making her way down into the shop. She enters a dimly lit room. A small circular table sat in the center, surrounded by bookshelves filled with various stones, books, vials, and miscellaneous things. She takes a seat in the chair closest to the crystal ball which was set on there. Ever since she had been drawn into the vision from earlier, she couldn't get it out of her mind. Had it really been the Darkest Day? There were still so many questions she had. She needed confirmation of this first before she brought it up to the others. Jiaozi had taught her divine premonitions using mediums such as cards and crystals. However, she had never seen one on a large scale like before. There was no guarantee she could manifest it again just using one. Kokoro's tarot cards would manifest in her hands, using her ki to make each card float in front of her. Very carefully, she places five of her cards around the crystal ball. At the top behind her, The Tower. At each side, The World and The Judgement. And finally at the bottom closest to her, The Wheel of Fortune and The Hermit. This was an advanced technique. Not one is typically used by fortunetellers for the mass of energy and control it took to maintain. But this wasn’t some regular premonition either, and this might be the only way she could get more clarity on the things she had seen earlier. She would pause to ready herself, preparing her mental state for another dive. Her eyes would close, inhaling a deep breath and holding it there. After clearing her mind of anything outside the task at hand, the girl would exhale sharply. Her eyes would reopen as the words that came from her mouth next were that of a spell. The cards on the table would begin to slow with a soft light, a purple-colored line of ki connecting each one as it formed a star shape through the ball. She could already feel it happening as she gazed into the ball in front of her. The world around her would begin to grow hazy as something appeared to form within the crystal, almost sucking her field of vision towards it. Things around her would grow darker and darker. Until finally. the heart-shaped symbols in her eyes flipped. And suddenly it went all black.
Blinking, Kokoro would find herself no longer at the shop. Instead, she had returned to that dim world she had seen earlier at the dojo. However, things were a lot different this time. Instead of simply viewing bits and pieces of it, like watching clips on a screen, she was here. Of course, she wasn’t really here, it was more like an immersed specter, a ghost so to say. Her body glowed with a lavender light that set her apart from the rest of the dark world. It was still much better than what she had caught glimpses of earlier. The girl taking a few steps forwards to look at all the debris and rubble that surrounded her. She could hear buildings continuing to collapse in the background, but the lack of light would make it hard for her to see them in the distance. It was horrible here, but the thing that disturbed her most was the absence of anyone around. She could not see or sense the presence of anyone. Perhaps her powers didn’t work when she was in this state, but it still chilled her to the bone. What had happened to them? She had seen the outline of one person before but, this time no one was here. Was this the aftermath of the disaster? She gulps, clutching her arm as she tried to look around for any signs of life. She would take a few more steps when the twinkle of a familiar orange glow would catch her eyes. Crouching down, she would rediscover the pile of broken orange spheres. ”…Are these…the dragon balls…?” she try to reach out to touch them but her hand would just phase through. ”…And what happened to them…?” her face scan to look for any more clues as to what had happened. She was about to investigate more when suddenly, she heard a voice speak. The girl’s eyes widening when she realized it did not belong to the world around her, no, someone was talking to her directly.
”…You’re not supposed to be here…”
Meanwhile. back at the shop, Kokoro’s body would be fixed in a permanent state of gazing at the crystal ball. The girl not really moving other than to breathe. Some time would pass in this state, until all of a sudden, it was interrupted. The fortuneteller would gasp, blinking as the symbols in her eyes switched back to their regular position. The lines of ki connecting her cards dissipating as her connection was cut off at the same time. ”…I…gotta tell the others…” her breath was heavy and labored as she spoke. Clutching her chest, she could feel a deep pain begin to form. Despite her protests, her body couldn’t help to begin to feel her eyelids close. Her vision fading as her head sunk downwards. A crashing noise could be heard as Kokoro’s head hit the table. The crystal ball in the middle dislodging from its stand and rolling off wards. It would come to the edge of the table, teetering a bit before falling off, the sound of it shattering into pieces echoing through the shop.
Okra would walk through the abode with wrappings on his arms and a small blink as he passes the couch of which she lays several times. It seems that there were several bowls set on the table by it and his feet kept moving until he reached a wall and set a bowl on his knees. He'd await and watch as his legs crossed slowly. The man's mouth let out a light sigh while stirring the contents of the bowl and looking inside awaiting her to awaken. His hands moved to the spoon he had while looking at his own reflection within it. It had been a long time since he had returned to this place, and it seemed she had been out of commission for a bit after he arrived. Okra would keep seated across the room and look in his bowl of, "Cereal?". This wasn't what he was expecting it to be but he's gone through 9 boxes already ,and felt he could still go through more since the morning he was at his parents. Okra's eyes rose up every so often to check, but remained infatuated with the sweet crisp in the bowl as well.
✦ Orange eyes would begin to flutter open, a sign of the girls slow awakening. Her body would stir as she turned her head to gaze across the room. The living room? She could still recognize the room of her own home despite her semi-blury vision which seemed to be taking it's time to adjust. It felt strange to her to be here, as she had no recollection of coming up here. Last she remembered was heading down towards the shop, using the crystal ball and- Her hand would immediately reach towards her temples as a stinging pain began to ring through her head. As her sight finally adjusted, she would spot the familar black hair of the boy leaning against the wall. "...Okun...?" When had he gotten here? She would try to sit up properly but would be taken a back by how unatural heaviness her body felt. She would scan him more clearly. noticing the bowl in his lap he was eating from as well as the wrapping tied around his arms. "...Are you hurt...? I'll heal you up right away..." she would once again try to lift herself off the couch but either she underestimates or overestimated how much strength she needed, as the girl went toppling off the sofa and onto the floor.
His eyes would blink slowly as his spoon went to his mouth once more before hearing movement, and looking up. His gaze would lock on the waking girl as he slowly set his bowl to the side and put his spoon into his mouth. She was okay it seemed. His mouth let out a sigh in relief. She would adress him deliriously as he finished standing and stretching his knee a bit while nodding. "Koko-chan." He'd call to her while giving a light smile as he watched her wobble. Though her next set of words would catch him off. She saw his bandage on his arm and move. His eyes blinked and before he knew he was holding her between the couch and table, stopping her from hitting the floor while looking down to her and lifting her head up a bit while standing with her in his arms. "You shouldn't be worried about me. . .Rest yourself, Koko."
✦ It all happened so quickly that she had a hard time telling exactly what happened. The next thing she knew she was in the boy's arms. Kokoro's eyes would blink a few time while her mind tried to register the state she was in. She felt heavy and sluggish. Her sight never fully correcting itself. She was so confused. She hadn't felt like this earlier, so what had happened? Maybe she was coming down with a cold? She would hear the boy's request to take care of herself first, reminding her that she was still being held by him. The girl's face tinting with embarrassed as she looked up at him "Are you sure Okun? It'll only take a few second for me to heal you back up. I'll be just fine. You can put me down. Just having a bit of a rough morning is all." She try to explain, looking back towards the couch as a place to set her back.
Okra would hold her as she caught herself and his eyes went to her's. He'd finally notice it. He'd stare a bit while she started to regain herself a bit. She'd speak on healing him still though, his attention stayed on her eyes blinking slowly before calling out. "Your eyes. . .Have. . .Hearts?" He'd say before shaking his head a bit and placing her down on the couching once more and crouching next to her. "I. . .I meant I'm fine. Don't worry about me, I'm the one taking care of you here." He'd tell her while rising up to his feet and pushing the table closer to her. It seemed three bowls of cereal were set out while he stood at the foot of the couch awaiting her. "Eating helps keep your strength up."
✦ The girl would become nervous by the way Okra's eyes seemed to hone onto hers. The girl gulping nervously as she gazed back at him, neither of them saying a word as the color on Kokoro's face deepened. She would be taken aback at the mention of her eyes. Feeling the tension break a bit as he set her back down on the sofa. "Yeah...my eyes have always been rather unique. I think it's an effect of my ki. But truth be told, not a lot of people notice. So you're one of the few." She rub the back of her head while speaking, trying to lighten the mood. She quietly watches him push the table towards her with curiosity. Kokoro stared at the bowls of cereal set out in front of her, turning back at Okra momentarily as he instructed her to eat. "Ah, thank you." she nods her head before picking up the center one, stirring the contents a bit before taking a bit. Now that she thought about it, it had been almost a whole day since she had last eaten. Having been dragged around all day had left her with little time for things like eating. "It's good." she wasn't quite sure why she said this, it was cereal after all. But the thought behind it made the girl smile a bit as she continued to eat.
OKra watched as she set herself up while explaining her eyes. Though while she did, he'd move to sit beside her, putting his hands on his lap while leaning back on the couch. She began to eat, easing him a bit. The young man peered over to her while she smiled while eating saying it was good. He'd turn his head to look the otherway while his arms went behind his head. His teeth grit a bit while he felt himself a bit joyed that she was doing better, though it was the small victories he needed at the moment to keep him sane. "A person's eyes tells you alot about them. . .Yours were, softer than most I've encountered. They made me feel at ease." He would say while putting his hands back to his lap. There was nothing to do now, but await for her to finish and see what else he could do. ". . .about yesterday. . .You stood up for me and, no one really has, in the 7 months I've been here. . .It's been really hard when people are only nice as a facade or for benefit. But you really stuck your neck out for a stranger. Thanks, Koko-chan."
✦ Kokoro would take her time in finishing her bowl of cereal, eating slowly despite being quite famished after having avoided food for an entire day. But it was rude to eat too quickly in front of company and with the way she was feeling, eating too much might make her feel sicker. She set the empty bowl back on the table after she was finished. Her hand folding in her lap as heard him thank her for what had happened yesterday. ”Oh that? It’s really nothing hehe…” The girl would become a bit flustered at the sudden praise, rubbing the back of her head. ” Everyone makes mistakes, and we don’t always make the best decisions. So it’s hard for me to watch someone get put down for the things like that…I don’t think they meant bad either…and while I still might not understand everything that happened in the past…erm future, I guess? I just didn’t want you to feel like…you were by yourself…“ she would flash her signature smile at him, patting the boy’s shoulder reassuringly. ”Besides, you’re no stranger. You’re just as much of a friend as everyone else is, Okun. And friends stick up for each other.”
He'd smile at her while awaiting her to finish her meal. His leg crossing over the oher while she spoke up about how she considered him a friend. His eyes blinked slowly before looking down to his legs. "Friend huh? That's a nice change of pace." He'd murmur before looking up and sighing in relief. "But I'm glad all the same." He'd tell her while sitting up and forward looking to her as she pat his back. He'd cover his mouth a bit while looking off to the side again and hiding his expression. Though as he continued he'd state. "I think my morning was a bit rough, but this makes up for it. I got you back to health, and now I can. . .Just have a talk with someone who doesn't give me a feeling of murderous intent." He'd tell her while blinking slowly. His hand would then take to the back of his head and his teeth would grit. "But, how are you feeling. . .I shoulda asked a bit sooner."
