Shu felt the blaze of fire blow past him as he raised a wall of water, steam filling the area. He dropped the wall, turned a small part of it into a dull knife, then dashed behind Yuki to try to attack her.
Yuki couldn't see him, but she felt the mist shift behind her and sidestepped to avoid the impending attack. She quickly pivoted on her heel and threw a fire punch at Shu, striking him in the gut. She felt water put out the fire as soon as she made contact. He had made a plate of water out of the knife just before she had punched him. The next thing she knew, he was behind her and held the blunt side of a knife to her neck.
"I win," Shu said smugly.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I still won last time."
"That was a tie."
"Sure. Keep telling yourself that."
"Well you didn't win, and neither did I, so I think that counts as a draw. I blocked that huge blast of fire you threw at me."
"That was pure luck. If your powers didn't awaken, then you would've been a well-done steak. And you haven't been able to use your powers unless there's a source of liquid water around you ever since then. If the battle went on, who says you would've been able to do that again? I definitely would've won."
"Ah, whatever. I still won this time, so last time doesn't matter."
As soon as Shu finished speaking, Ryu appeared in front of them.
"You look terrible. What happened?" Yuki asked, worriedly.
"You know that hallway you two found a month ago? Well, we have bad news about it. We ran into someone during our investigation. He was able to control the dismembered limbs as if they were puppets. We have reason to believe that the blood is what he uses to control them. We also believe that he can not control a living being because he seemed to make no effort to control us. I want you two to stay out of this. He is a high A rank threat at minimum. Possibly even S," Ryu looked at the two with worry deep in his eyes.
"Understood. I also believe you and Aiko, along with other high rankers, will be busy with this, so don't be afraid to ask us for help with less dangerous missions. We just moved up to rank C with your recommendation because of how efficiently we complete missions and how quickly we are learning to control our powers," Yuki was concerned for the man who acted as her uncle and wanted to help him.
"Thank you. I should have a mission for you two tomorrow. I'll meet you guys in Aiko's office."
"See you then," Shu nodded.
Yuki stayed silent and nodded as well, watching as Ryu took off.
Yuki and Shu were in Aiko's office before the sun rose over the mountains. Ryu opened the door and yawned, wiping his eyes. He froze as he saw his students.
"You two sure are early. Shu, I can understand, but Yuki up early? That's a new one."
"He had to drag me out of bed. I was still half asleep until we were out the door. I usually wake up 30 minutes before I have to so I can just lay there and make myself feel like I got more rest," Yuki looked like she wanted to go back to sleep. She decided getting a new mission was more important though.
Ryu went over to the desk and grabbed a folder with multiple pieces of paper sticking out of it.
"These should be enough to keep you two busy for a month. There are various difficulty missions in there, ranging from E to C. We decided it would be better to save any that were too easy for the other squads from your year. But there is a special mission we have planned for you today. You will be going on your first collaborative mission. You will be joining Kira and Yuna on a C rank mission outside the village walls. Aiko and I would accompany you, but as you know, we are a bit busy with the Puppet Master. Instead, we will send a high ranking official of the law force with you four. He will be watching from the shadows and only help if you need it. You will meet team 99 at the southern gate at noon. Pack for a week long trip. Good luck you two."
"Understood. Thank you Ryu," the pair responded simultaneously.
"Hello! I'm Yuna! This is Kira! What are your names?" The girl named Yuna had shoulder length yellow hair and wore clothes that resembled the academy uniform, but were a decent bit different.
"Nice to meet you," Kira said curtly. She had fluffy, long, dust colored hair, and wore another upgraded version of the academy uniform, modified to look like hunters' clothing.
"Yuki. And this is Shu," Yuki was just wearing her plain, intentionally messy academy uniform and her fingerless gloves, her raven hair absorbing the light, rather than reflecting it.
Shu wore a neatly put together, standard uniform.
A man with messy, dark brown hair walked up to them. He wore a crimson cloak, and wore a special uniform that they recognized as belonging to the chief of the police force.
"Hello there. I am going to be your escort. I was recently promoted to chief after the previous guy retired. Let's get going."
As they crossed the threshold, the atmosphere shifted from one of protection, to one of freedom. The gate closed behind them, leaving the village behind.