The Crystal Arrow

Luciel and I went to the statue, there was a crowd but they were blocked off by caution tape and special officers. The uniforms were black camo pants with a matching camp shirt and they had a silver badge with the letters SIUM.

"Wait I know that uniform," I said as I pushed through the crowd to get to the front. Luciel followed closely behind me. Once I got to the front I showed an officer my badge and he let me through.

"Director!" a familiar voice called out to me.

"Hey Hiro," I said as he approached me.

"I was just about to call Katsuo to ask-" Hiro looks towards Luciel who was standing beside me, Hiro's smile quickly disappears. "Who's this?" he said looking at Luciel up and down.

"This is Luciel, subject 5085," I said nonchalantly.

"I see, does Luciel have a last name?" Hiro said looking at him suspiciously.

"Any particular reason for your asking?" Luciel said looking annoyed with Hiro.

"I'm the Head of the Investigations Department so it's my job to investigate incidents caused by manifestations, and your aura spells out Tormentor," Hiro says giving Luciel an intimidating stare.

"Enough Hiro, let's not do this right now. Let's talk about the crystal arrow in your father's face," I said trying to get them to stop.

"Fine," Hiro said still glaring at Luciel, when he turned to me his expression softened and he smiled. "So far we gathered that the arrow was launched from Southwest direction but made an impact with the statue at 3 am. We've tried to get it out of there but it's completely stuck and we're only left with one question," Hiro explained to me.

"Alright, what's the question?" I asked looking at the arrow impaled into the statue's face.

"Are you free tomorrow night?" Hiro asked me holding a notepad, I sighed.

"No, I've got a deadline coming up,"

"How about next weekend?" Hiro asked giving me an innocent smile.

"Sorry she's with me," Luciel said with a smirk as Hiro looked annoyed.

"Hm he's not wrong I'll be experimenting with him all weekend," I said looking at the arrow, "And with this discovery here I'll be even busier, sorry Hiro but you know I don't do dates,"

"I'm aware but it doesn't hurt to try," he said with a sad smile.

"I'm sure it does for you though," I said crawling under the caution tape and proceeding to climb the statue to get to the arrow.

"Stings a little but I mean you might say yes one day plus lately I feel as though we've been getting close again," Hiro said starting to ramble on, not paying attention.

"Uh, Hiro was it?" Luciel asked watching me climb the statue looking concerned.

"Shut up Tormentor," Hiro snapped. "Actually Director there's something I want to tell you,"

"Speak your mind, Hiro," I said sitting onto the statue's head, trying to get a sample of it for research.

"Well, I feel as though, something in our relationship needs to change," he said.

"The only relationship we have is a friendship, Hiro," I shouted from on top of the statue.

"I know but I feel as though we could be more if you-"

"Sir!" An officer said cutting Hiro off.

"Not now, dismiss yourself," Hiro said looking at him annoyed.

"But sir," the officer said pointing up at me on the statue.

"Dismiss," Hiro said in a firm tone, and the officer walked away. "Anyway back to-" Hiro said turning around to where I was before climbing the statue. "Where'd she go?" Hiro asked Luciel, who just pointed upwards. Hiro looked up at me as I tried to take a sample of the arrow. "Director that's dangerous!" Hiro said yelling up at me.

"To further society one must take risks, Hiro," I said gripping the arrow since a sample wouldn't come off.

"Director get down from there," Hiro said worriedly. "Why are you just watching her?!" Hiro yelled at Luciel.

"Because if I told her anything she wouldn't listen. You told her to get down and look at her, trying to pull out the arrow, she's as good as dead from a fall at that height," Luciel sighed and walked around the statue. I pulled the arrow out of the statue with little to no effort.

"I got it out Hiro," I said holding the arrow, I tried to climb back down but lost my footing. I fell from the 60ft statue, I then felt a pair of arms underneath me. "Good catch," I said to Luciel as he floated down to the ground and put me down.

"Are you alright?!" Hiro said gripping my shoulders.

"Yeah I'm fine, and I thought the arrow was hard to get out of the statue?" I said holding up the arrow for him to take.

"It was, how did you-" Hiro took the arrow but it looked as though he was trying to carry a 50-ton bar.

"Quit joking around, Hiro," I said folding my arms.

"This thing weighs a ton, how did you carry it?" Hiro said still trying to carry the arrow, Luciel then picked up the arrow with no effort required.

"Strange," I said putting my hand on my chin and thinking for a bit.

"Hans!" Hiro called out and an officer stood by his side. "Take that arrow from this man here,"

"Yes sir," the officer said as Luciel handed him the arrow and just like Hiro, the officer had trouble carrying it.

"Here I'll take it back," Luciel said picking up the arrow with no effort. He then looked down at me with a suspicious look, I gave him a confused look back.

"There's obviously a connection here," Hiro said looking at the both of us.

"I'm glad you see it," Luciel says smirking, resting an arm on my head.

"Not that type of connection you idiot but there's obviously a reason that both of you have no trouble carrying that arrow," Hiro said looking at us. "Director isn't manifested so it's not that,"

"I'm also not a tormentor so that's out of the question," I said looking at Luciel, who yawned and looked back at me. "Is there anything you know about the arrow?"

"Actually no, this is the first time that there's been an arrow like this. Usually, they're just regular old arrows but as you can see this one is crystalized," Luciel said looking at the arrow.

"How would you know there's never been one like this? You don't look that old," Hiro said looking at Luciel suspiciously.

"Archer stories are passed from generation to generation, it's the one thing we refuse to let die," Luciel said.

"I'd like to hear those stories," I said looking up at him.

"No problem," Luciel said smiling at me.

"Sir!"

"What?" Hiro said turning around to face the officer.

"Your father is here," the officer said saluting.

Hiro sighed and said "Bring him over," the officer nodded and quickly left. "Seeing as none of us can take the arrow with us, Director please take care of it also if possible run some tests and get back to me,"

"Will do, Katsuo will be contacting you soon," I said taking my leave when someone called out to me.

"Is that little Director? Oh how you've grown," Hiro's father said joyfully.

"I'm not that short anymore, Mr. #1," I said to Hiro's father, who was the number 1 saviour and the statue vandalized was of him. "How is retirement treating you?"

"Well very well, how have you been? I heard about Aunt Yu, my condolences," he said in a sombre tone.

"I'm alright, she still watches over me," I said with a sad smile. About 6 months ago, my adopted mother who is Katsuo's aunt passed away peacefully in her sleep. She was sick and frankly, I saw this coming she had been suffering from sickness for 10 years. Hiro's father then looked over towards Luciel and his expression completely changed.

"Oh, and who might you be?" Hiro's father said puffing out his chest, trying to intimidate Luciel but it doesn't seem like it's working.

"Luciel," he said in an icy tone, it was obvious that Luciel didn't want to talk to him.

"What're you doing with Director?"

"He's a test subject of mine," I said butting in.

"A Tormentor?" Hiro's father said looking at me with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes sir, they're the most reliable test subjects," I said with a smile, Luciel looked uninterested and started walking off. "I should be going now, Katsuo doesn't know I'm here,"

"Very well, let him know I said hello,"

"I will, bye Mr. #1," I said running off to catch up with Luciel. "What happened back there?"

"Hm?" Luciel said looking down at me.

"With Hiro's dad?"

"Oh, I just had no interest talking to him," Luciel said straight to the point, after that he was silent and so was the walk back to the department. When we got back to the department, I filled Katsuo in on the situation at the statue.

"So what're you going to do now? Test yourself, the arrow, Luciel, and Mayumi?"

"No, I'm only one person that'd be impossible even for me," I said cupping my chin and closing my eyes. "Testing isn't you thing so I can't have you do it, Cher isn't good at any of this stuff so not her either,"

"Too bad they can't test themselves," Katsuo said pouring himself some coffee.

"That's it!"

"No,"

"But-"

"No,"

"Just hear-"

"No," Katsuo said drinking his coffee.

"Fine, I'll just do them one by one in the order of interest,"

"Don't forget about your meeting tomorrow," Katsuo said leaving the room.

"Crap, I forgot about that," I said remembering the meeting, it'll be more like a high school reunion to me. I had pitched the idea of a manifestation department to the government just before graduation and since I hadn't known a lot of people back I decided to ask my closest friends at the time. The pitch was a success and I made each friend a head of a department, but over time those friendships started to fade and we all grew apart. "This meeting better not suck ass, " I said ad I got up from the couch and went to work on that crystal arrow.