Destined to Collide - Inumaki Toge

46. The Four Tails

"Akihiko," Maguro called as the wind whipped against her face, the dreaded feeling came back at her in full swing. "Can you locate Inumaki Toge? We need to find him quickly."

The wolf glances back and looked at the anxious looks of his new mistress. This level of anxiousness, and he could feel the White Cloak vibrating in respond to the danger surrounding them. But at this rate of alarm, the danger should be very near, right next to them kind of near.

Unless...

The wolf snorted amidst its run towards the location with the loudest bangs. Sensing a strong cursed spirit's energy, the Fire Wolf flared up its fire and leaped into the air, flash stepping in the skies towards the destination of its new master's beloved.

"Your beloved, I assume?" Akihiko's voice rumbled deep, the sound vibrated underneath Maguro's hand. "With established White Link as well." Maguro gripped the fur around her new guardian wolf's neck tighter, her heart gave another jolt of fear when she heard another loud rumble at the far end of a learning hall in the forest.

It was where Toge was last seen on the camera footage. All questions on the strange Whites forgotten.

"Yes," Maguro answered without a falter in her voice, her eyes looking frantically at the direction of the destroyed building. She knew they are there. But the debris flew all over the place. They aren't able to get close to it at all. "Toge-kun, I love him most. I want him to be safe. I just want him to be safe. The rest too. I want them all to come back safely. This Cursed Spirit wasn't supposed to be here. The school was supposed to be safe for us."

The wolf remains quiet on what Maguro has said and continues to sprint towards the place with the most commotion. Tree roots flapped in the air destroyed the building and sending debris flying everywhere. This should be the place then. "The Mole I told you about, it wasn't from any of us."

Maguro recalled the Fire Wolf whispering to her about a Mole in the school, telling her that Gojo-sensei is suspecting the right thing. It was then she has unconsciously repeated what the Fire Wolf had told her out loud.

"I know," Maguro replied, thinking hard on the possibilities. "This didn't happen until the competition starts. If there is a Mole from one of us, this could have happened months before. The Mole is targeting one of us from Tokyo. Gojo-sensei, I'd presume. In all, none of us in the Tokyo side could be the Mole. Or else my 'internal alarm' would have rung. It has to be from Kyoto."

"That's a protection spell your grandmother weaved for you when you were born, young lady," Akihiko retorted back at the nickname she gave to a technique her family left for her upon their death and started to nag. "It has a name. It's called the White Cloak. Give it the respect it deserves, would ya? It's one of the reasons why I have four tails in this realm."

"What does the tails mean? And wasn't there supposed to be nine? And the Whites. What do they stand for?" Maguro asked, curiously looking behind her as the four white fluffy tails twists and turn beautifully in the air. She made a promise to herself that she must touch it with her hands one day.

The Wolf leaped away from a debris that came flying towards them, flicking one away from Maguro with one of its tails. At this rate, the Special Grade Cursed Spirit would sooner tear down the building by the time reinforcement arrived. They need to get everyone out of the veil quickly.

"Each of my tails manifest according to the number of techniques you have mastered. But yes, I can manifest up till nine only, but that doesn't mean your techniques limits at nine. As of now, you have conquered the Reverse Cursed Technique, The White Link, The Golden Veil and your so-called 'internal alarm' so to speak. And I insist for you to call it the White Cloak."

"Why the White Cloak though? I'm not wearing anything. And what's the White Link and Golden Veil? Wait, was the White Link...the mind connection thing?" Maguro asked many questions at once, her mind bursting with questions that she wanted answers to most. She never knew what she had inherited from her clan, and all these new names just made her have more questions on what she has already struggled to learn.

"It's not meant to be physical, Lady. The White Cloak is draped on your soul. Keeps the Unclean and the Unwanted away-"

Maguro intercepted, eager to know the answer. "Can I take it off?"

Akihiko answered patiently. The Fire Wolf knew of the questions the young head of the family wants to know the answers to. That is why he has manifested to her. To guide, and to teach her. "You can, but why would you do that?"

Inumaki Toge's face appeared in her mind at that question. "Maybe gift it to someone else."

"Always thinking of others but never your own self," Akihiko muttered, grumbling under its breath. "A pesky trait the Tsukigami carries in their bloodline, always meddling into business that causes your deaths. If you insist, my advice is for you to keep a portion of it for yourself should you ever do that. It isn't entirely just a thing. It's a piece of protection cloak that grows with you. A living heirloom, so to speak. So long as you have a portion of it, it will grow to be complete again. And it is very brilliant of you to guess the White Link is indeed the mind connection you have with the boy-"

"Inumaki Toge-kun," Maguro corrected the wolf. "I wanted to gift him the White Cloak. Is it possible?"

"Oh yes, plenty possible," the wolf closes its eyes and flicked another debris away from Maguro as it leaped closer to the building. "So, you've chosen the young heir to the Inumaki clan then? Very promising heir as well. Good choice. Destined to be with you, it seems as well. But first, he needs to survive this challenge."

As they get closer, Akihiko lightly landed on the roof a distance away from them silently. Maguro quickly got down from the wolf's back and ran towards Inumaki, just as the Cursed Speech User is moving towards the Special Grade creature.

Stay away from the creature, Akihiko voiced out in Maguro's mind. Get the Inumaki clan's heir out of here. Let us deal with this insolent creature who dared to hurt the heirs to the sorcerer's clans in Tokyo.

Maguro nodded. She understood that by 'us', it means Fushiguro and Maki, whom she saw is sneaking up the building roof via the pipe ducts. Maguro still can make it. She can get them out. Akihiko can distract the Special Grade Cursed Spirit.

Inumaki is just right there. So close. She can get them out. It will all be alright.

"Toge-" Maguro called out to him, but it was too late.

And it was then, Inumaki uses the last of his strength to call forth a command spell.