VROOM VROOM ♦ job

Ah! Good ol' Motor City! The smell of rust, oil, grease, gasoline, carbon monoxide, and exhaust among all other things could be smelled as they filled the air! Izayuki did not particularly like coming here, but it was a decent change of scenery, and the surrounding sounds could always have their melodic rhythms. The grinding of gears, the twisting of mechanic parts, the buzzing of electricity, the churning of tires... the city had established a rhythm, and one was not to break it!

Walking down the sidewalks as traffic sped up and down the streets, the Ace of Black Rose turned the corner and approached her destination- a small, but fancy car dealership that was like a ghost town. Even the street outside was silent. There was nobody inside, except the anxious owner, who raced over to the front as Izayuki entered. "Oh, you're the mage I was expecting, right!? There is one other... after they arrive, I can give you the details on this phantom biker!" he said in his worried voice. He was a stout man, well-groomed and dressed in nice, professional clothing. A good salesman, obviously, but one who was unable to get the business he deserved. So... one other mage? She did not think that this 'biker' would be too hard, but help could always be appreciated. Would they be from her guild, or some stranger guild?

Spoiler:

That sudden, cold aura....
Izayuki was about to respond to the client and introduce herself before she noticed the magic aura as it came closer. Cold... and familiar. So familiar. Too familiar.
Suzuran!

Really, of all mages in the world, she had to be the one to come on this job? How unfortunate... Izayuki had taken note of how the strange woman was always scarce to be in her presence, and rarely around. She supposed that after the last ordeal, it was only natural. Izayuki had attacked the woman, after all, for bearing too striking a resemblance to Yukionna, the goddess of Ice and Cold, and her mentor. In fact... yes, that would work. She was a tanuki, after all. A yokai. She had absolutely no problem with pranking and tricking, even if it was a guildmate. Heck, almost anyone who knew her in the guild could vouch for that. "Reveal my identity to anyone, and you're dead," she threatened the client while flashing a devious toothy grin. As soon as she said that, she reached for her Bakedanuki abilities. She was a master of transformations, and today, she would have to live up to that title.

Finishing her shapeshifting, there stood an elegant woman in lavender-white Japanese garments, with long, flowing, beautiful pale hair, and ice-cold violet eyes. "Call me Yukionna," she said, gazing at the man with a malicious smile and daring and violent stare. She had managed to manipulate the sound of her voice to match the ice goddess's icy, dark, soft, and mature tone with her Bakedanuki perception manipulation. The client nodded in fear, straightening himself up before the other mage arrived. What had just happened? What was with this girl... well, now he knew which guild to not ask for help again.
Why had she not thought of this before? It was brilliant! Perfect for drilling Yukionna's spitting image and lookalike. Though Izayuki absolutely despised the form she was taking, so long as she did not stare into a mirror too long, she could not have too bad of a mental breakdown... hopefully.

And there she was- Suzuran. Her former target and current guildmate. As Suzuran entered, Izayuki stood in place, waiting for the lookalike of Yukionna to say something... five seconds. Five seconds passed then...
Mother!?

Wait, did Yukionna really have a child? A kid all her own? Who was the father then? It would not surprise Izayuki too much after the ordeal she had gone through with the ice goddess, but this answered so many questions... and asked even more than she originally had. Who was the father? What had driven the god to finally conceive and give birth to a child? And why was Suzuran even here? Would not Yukionna be training her child? Another thing that made literally no sense was the fact that Suzuran appeared to be a few years older than Izayuki physically... but never in her life had the Glacier God Slayer met her mentor's so called 'child'? So many puzzling questions... the confusion almost made her snap out of her transformation, but she forced to maintain it. She would have to tread carefully- she could not risk Suzuran suspecting her while she needed answers.

Taking a silent breath, Izayuki tried to recall Yukionna's speech style and character as much as possible without feeling it weigh too heavily on her emotions. It would not be too hard- she could play cold. "That is not any of your business," she said sternly, gazing down at Suzuran first disapprovingly, then simply non-expressively. "Suzuran... tell me again why you joined Black Rose?"
Direct and straight to the point- that was how Yukionna was, and thankfully, some of it had rubbed off on Izayuki.

"Ladies..." the client interrupted, wanting to get on with the serious matters at hand- the ghost rider. He did not know the history of the two, but the pink-haired girl who was now the older, colder woman... she definitely was a scary sort.

"Silence!" Izayuki commanded, recalling this tone and expression better than most. It was stern, solemn, and cold, but little else... yet so familiar, it made the tanuki almost want to cringe. "Speak, child..." she continued, turning her violet gaze back to Suzuran.

“To kill Izayuki and find a way to steal her power if I can.”
Those words seemed to silence everything around them but the present focus... penetrating deep as she tried to reconcile if what she was hearing was really true. The surprise was so great, her form instantly began to fade. First two silver ears protruded from the top of her head, followed by a large, round, fluffy tanuki tail out of her rump. "Dammit!"

As soon as she uttered the curse-word, the rest of her form fizzled to that of her 'in between' form. Human, only with raccoon dog features. "Suzuran.... why!?" Izayuki asked, taking a step back. She could feel her hands shaking from the mix of it all- the raw emotion beginning to consume her again. Yet she was powerless to do anything to the child of her mentor, Yukionna. Kakuma's necklace still had power there, and prevented the Glacier God Slayer from hurting the light-haired woman in any way, shape or form.
How could they be so blind? She had been right from the start! Even if Suzuran was not Yukionna, she was still dangerous and a threat!

"Ladies, please!" the client exclaimed, attempting to move forward in between the two. Instantly, Izayuki threw her hand up in the direction of the man, which caused him to freeze almost instantly. She was still trembling... How...? Why...?
Even so far away, she could never be free.

Not a few heartbeats had passed when Suzuran's cold fingers moved from her silver-furred ears to her human neck, slightly strangling her. With her strength, she did not feel much, but what to do now? She was still shaking, trembling like a weak animal in the presence of the predator. It did not help that Suzuran was the spitting image of Yukionna, the malevolent goddess who had beaten, tortured, defiled, and trained her...

She was in too much shock and surprise to move at first, but as soon as the ice spear was summoned above her head, targeting her brain, she snapped out of that frozen state of fear and back into action. The magic of the necklace could be felt, preventing her from doing any sort of harm to Suzuran. Still, that did not mean that she could or would not defend herself! Grimacing and giving a light grunt, Izayuki transformed into a 'flurry' of ice and snow and cold wind, as if she were some arctic dryad. In this form, she easily moved away from Suzuran and the spear, moving her fragments around the child of the ice goddess before rematerializing behind her. "Suzuran... stop this! Now!" Izayuki commanded, wondering if the cold woman had any respect for her at least as an ace of their guild, Black Rose. She summoned a few ice pikes and aimed them in Suzuran's direction, yet as soon as the magical necklace detected her aim for those magical spikes of ice, they vanished completely, fizzling out.

The spear was rotated in a mystical way, and came flying toward Izayuki at a fair speed, but no faster than she was. Not wanting to risk eating such a sharp attack in fear that the necklace might not allow it, the Glacier God Slayer gracefully moved aside and dodged it. Bad choice- she should have stopped it. The ice spear continued spinning out through the window and through the street... and from there, it hit somebody. A strange person on a motor bike, whose appearance almost seemed to be like that of a ghost. The job description... well... problem solved.

Now she had a bigger one to deal with.

Now she understood why she had not seen or heard any sign of Yukionna for so long- the goddess had ceased hunting her, and now was unleashing others to do her dirty work. Really, she could expect no less from the malevolent deity. "Enough of this, Suzuran!" Izayuki shouted, attempting to control herself better and stop the trembling. Regaining control of her Bakedanuki abilities, the Ace attempted to manipulate perceptions again with her illusions. It would cause no harm to Suzuran, as it had not in the past, but could potentially scare her off...
Using sheer willpower, Izayuki attempted to conjure a mirage of Yukionna a few meters away. "Suzuran- stop!" she had the image say, as she slowly back up with slow, soft steps. Would this cheap trick work on the child of Skadi?

The illusion off to the side obviously was not working on Suzuran. Once could only fall victim to her perception manipulation so many times before they realized it. Unfortunately, her cheap trick was seen through, and her guildmate was still attacking her. She could run away, yes, but to run away from a lower-ranked mage of her own guild? Hell, Izayuki would be running away from her pride as well. And as a tanuki, she had a lot of it.

As the energy bolt was sent at her, Izayuki narrowly escape just in the nick of time with a leap and land in a crouched position. Any split second behind, and she would have felt that heated attack. The shockwave of air hit her leg, but that was literally nothing. Frowning and standing up again, the Glacier God Slayer murmured the name of the next spell she was to use. It was simply one of defense, to perhaps confuse and distract Suzuran for a bit while she came up with a strategy. "Hiaki!" the ace's voice rang out as over fifty giant mirror made of her shiny, darkness-infused ice appeared. As the spell was cast, Izayuki took to hiding among them, keeping her focus on Suzuran to avoid her detection.

Hiaki:

Shaking. Her hands were still shaking as she reached into the pocket on the inside of her jacket to pull out the unique key. She had two- precious objects to her. This one had been stolen, admittedly, but for good reason... after all, it was shiny.
Suzuran could likely hear her louder breathing as she tried to keep her calm after all of the crushing realizations that had taken place. The ice-woman's words almost made Izayuki cringe- it was out of character for the doll-like child of Yukionna, but still unnerving. "I open the gate of the Invincible Man..." the mage began to summon, swiping the key down in a single stroke. Her enemy could definitely hear her now. "Come forth, Saitama!"

The bald-headed man instantly appeared in front of her, appearing as if he was ready for battle- all he needed were instructions. Reaching up for the strange-beaded necklace, the girl put her fingers in between the front of it and her neck, and stretched it out so it was visible. "Quick- I need you to hit me with whatever you got, and break this necklace!"

"Wait, but..."

"Do it!" Izayuki commanded in a shout, bracing herself for what was to be a painful impact. Uneagerly, the bald man went for a powerful punch, aiming for the necklace and the girl's neck. He had to trust that she was strong enough to survive it, because by normal means, he could easily snap her neck on accident. As his fist hit the necklace, which hit her hand, which moved into her neck. The force drove her back into the wall of a nearby building, which cratered upon impact. Saitama was gone. Quite a knockback...

Intense pain coursed throughout her body, making it feel as if every muscle were throbbing- especially the neck. Despite this, she was alive, and other than hurting everywhere with a few broken fingers, she was ready for action again. Forcing herself to her feet while cringing and grimacing, Izayuki faced Suzuran/Tony Stark's direction. The magic of the necklace was weakening... there was only one thing left to do. Flashing a devious, rebellious grin, Izayuki murmured quietly under her breath. "Hit me with your best shot~"

Spoiler:

What was this? A prank? An illusion? A possession? Izayuki did not understand, but gazed in confusion at the suit of armor that had once been Suzuran. A male voice... so strange. "I'm Izayuki Hyoujin, the Ace of Stigma of Black Rose," the young mage said, formally for once, narrowing pink orbs at the figure. Was this really her enemy? "I didn't do anything to you... but... Suzuran..."

Hell, why was she having to explain this? It made little to no sense at all. Resting her broken fingers on her right hand in her left palm, Izayuki continued to gaze suspiciously at the metallic armor. If this were some spell, it would not be too long before it wore off completely, right? Suzuran was only D rank, so her spells would not last nearly as long as some. Still, there was no such thing as too cautious. She had to wait for the child of the ice goddess, and then she could get what she wanted... fresh, sweet revenge. Yukionna would pay eventually, but for now, Suzuran was her target.

As she thought- a simple spell that was not so simple. At least the timing had been consistent, but while that one man seemed to have the potential to be friendly, now she was facing her enemy once again. No words were said; a desperation was in the air. Suzuran needed to kill Izayuki. Izayuki needed to stop Suzuran. In the end, she would not only be protecting herself, but her guildmates as well- her family.

The ice spear was summoned, and that was exactly what the Glacier God Slayer was wanting. Suzuran aimed keenly- for the chest, the heart, a vital organ. But right now, she would have to use all of her focus as the student of the goddess of ice and put her power and skills on the highest peak she could. Narrowing her eyes as the spear was launched, Izayuki focused her Freezing Aura on slowing the ice pike down enough so she could see it clearly, and adjust her positioning as so.
The ice spear of Suzuran would never pierce her heart and end her life.
It would release Izayuki's power.

The necklace shattered into many tiny splinters and dissolved almost instantly, and with the spear still whizzing through the air, Izayuki opened her mouth to allow the ice of the pike to turn into energy and find its way to the God Slayer. She was the queen of ice- it all was in her control, and she could eat it and use it as energy- that was the power that Yukionna had given her, and it would not be taken away so easily. With her offensive power and spells now effective on Suzuran again, Izayuki attempted to use one of her most frightening and terrifying B rank spells on her opponent.
Closing her eyes for a brief second before throwing up her hand in the light-haired woman's direction, Izayuki said the name of the spell to call it to use. "Hiatsu."

In that instant, she would begin to freeze the water molecules inside of Suzuran and build ice pressure. Water expands when moving to its solid state, and that very fact would prove quite agonizing and painful when inside of a person. This was no more than that woman deserved- a slow and painful death.

Spoiler:

HP: 350/450
MP: 75/90%
Hiatsu: Deals -60HP Damage.

It did not matter?
...if she killed her.

She already knew that she was being hunted by the ice goddess! She already had vowed to eventually kill her to stop the continuing cycle of fear. Every night, her dreams were haunted by those memories, and her hatred rekindled by her constant terror of Yukionna. The words were empty to Izayuki. Meaningless. Here she had family, and would go through great lengths to protect them. And if the goddess made another? She would kill them too. Nothing would touch her. Nothing would touch what she loved.

Hiatsu, or Ice Pressure, was one terrifying spell. The pressure would deliver so much pain, but all Izayuki could do was stand back and coldly watch as Suzuran screamed out in agony. It was not enough to kill her, but definitely would shake her up a bit and deal a fair amount of damage. As the spell ever so slightly subsided, Suzuran instantly retaliated. A horrible creature now, which could reflect the nature of her mother, if anything. But what happened next was completely unpredictable... what horrendous powers had Skadi bestowed on her 'child'?
Blinking once, pink eyes widened and pupils dilated as she realized what stood before her.

The greatest fear of hers, and she who provoked the insane nightmares... Yukionna... the one who tortured, defiled, and trained Izayuki...
was not there.

Trembling. Shaking. She was frozen on the spot- unable to move, and hardly able to breathe. How...? This was not happening..!
But it was.

A shadow from a history and past drenched in darkness and plagued with strings of oppression. Standing before her was not a gross creature, or even Suzuran.
Brown hair. Brown eyes. A delicate build. A cold, dark aura.
Her. Herself.
Iza.

No! But her hair was dyed a bright pink from natural ginger! Her eyes were an unnatural, but stunning shade of pink that inspired the coloring of silky hair! She...
Why was this happening?

"NO!" Izayuki screamed out, closing her eyes and wishing the figure to vanish. It was like she was standing in a mirror- but the self she was seeing was that of her past self. After she had managed to escape Yukionna's icy world and realm in Iceberg, she somehow mustered the power to lock away the darkness in her emotions from the defiled memories in her old form, while she sprung into life and a new shape and body. But now this other one was back.

She was back.

Opening her eyes and gazing down at her shaking hands, Izayuki realized the slightest difference in her fingertips.

She had let go.

Brown hair. Brown eyes, surely. A form slightly shorter than before, about an inch, and seemingly younger as well, like a mid-teen girl, contrasting from her older teen self...
It had happened. She did not know how, but it had. And it was not her enemy's magic that had physically changed her shape, but simply her ideals, emotions, and essence as a person made unstable after all that had occurred that day. Guising as Yukionna. Learning the truth about Suzuran. Being hit by S rank magic. Fighting Suzuran. Torturing her guildmate. She had been stretched in all aspects- mind, body, and soul.

She was back.

And because of that, all of it came back. Every piece. Every memory. Every tiny detail. Even scrap or shred of darkness returned. Eyes glowed crimson as they opened again, glaring directly at Suzuran, the child of that monster. Her enemy. Her tanuki ears and tail were present, alongside fierce claws and fangs. Nothing was left to leash the bitterness, rage, hatred, and darkness that had been abandoned and lock in this form. She was here, after all. She was surrounded by it all. Dashing forward at astonishing speeds, Izayuki leaped and lashed out at Suzuran, aiming many blind slashes with her claws. There were no words. She was a beast- a yokai. And she was out for blood. And if that could not be found? Heh, the sound of torment filling the air would do nicely.

No blood. Darn.
The crimson substance would have been more than satisfying for the emotionally and mentally tormented yokai beast. Even her eyes were no longer a shade of deep amber-brown, but instead were glowing a monstrous red. Not only was she just a tanuki yokai, but a majo as well. A witch. If she kept this up, it would not be much longer until she felt deeper, finding true madness, perhaps. One could say she was closely akin to a demon in this rage, yet in a way, it was far from that.

The enemy before her kept moving between the form of Scarecrow, and that of herself. Her first self. Part of her subconscious was beginning to realize that this was a hallucination, but with nothing but raw instinct being the one in control, the tanuki was beyond unstable. Human and common logic and sense no longer applied. It never applied to the average animal, after all.
Her target had gone limp, but Izayuki could tell that he was not yet dead. He, or she, still had magic power active within them, that could be detected despite the rage- and that made the yokai all the more angrier.

Taking a step back, the Glacier God Slayer summoned fifty splinters of ice a couple of meters above her opponent. Staring down coldly through crimson eyes, Izayuki allowed the needles to rain down towards Scarecrow/Suzuran, shooting down like bullets. Whether or not her target had dodged or taken the hit, the yokai would still leap forward to attempt to shred at him even more with her claws. The idea of literal overkill did not faze her- if anything, the very thought of it was sweet.

And just like that, standing before her were shards of ice, as if a giant mirror had been broken before her and its fragments scattered over the pavement. Only, these scattered bits were still cold, and still alive. She could tell a while back that Suzuran was no human, and this further proved that she was nothing but an Ice Elemental. However, the tanuki could not see that through her hazy mind. Logic and facts no longer applied- every single action was based on instinct, and nothing more.

Those crystals of cold ice were in pain, but Izayuki did not know that, nor care. As she gazed down with little expression, save for the coldness in her glowing red eyes, she saw the mess as only one thing. Food. In a way- a source of power and energy. She was the Glacier God Slayer, after all, and she ate ice pretty much daily at her leisure. But when it came to ice like this, surely it would give her a fair boost of energy, more so than simple icecubes could. But then again, that was not on her mind. It was not about power. This was about getting back at the one whose face became the primary source of all emotional darkness in her tainted memories. Opening her mouth, the yokai would attempt to manipulate the energy of the ice, and thus bring the element to her, without her needing to touch it. A meal fit for a victor... after this, she could solely focus on Yukionna and killing the ice goddess... and destroying anyone who decided to get in her way.

"Iza... no..."

Nothing could reach her right now- even her soul was blocked off to any voice of reason.