Scanning the other side was not bearing any fruit either. She really wasn't in her senses today... All the talk, all the information she'd gleaned the sudden interruption and the exhaustion from the journey was clouding her judgement. It took her a few seconds before she realized that her magic allowed her to create a lens that granted her X-ray vision. While Tsuru struggled with his naked eye, she employed her lens by pressing the palms of her hand over her tired eyes. Once she acquired her hyper vision, she scanned the bank opposite them. It was a little tough, but narrowing her eyes allowed her to extend her range just enough to scour through the trees. 'Hold up! I'm sorry...' she muttered, she wasn't used to being wrong, but clearly, today the girl was floundering more than usual, in fact perhaps more than ever.

Her silliness made her a little self-conscious, especially because Tsuru relied on her to make decisions sometimes and it was usually a burden she could bear with relative ease. Not to mention she was itching to take his offer and hop onto the cloud for the quick ride again, but fate demanded otherwise. She snapped her head towards the other side, now peering into the vast extension of trees that grew in a manner that made it difficult to trace the origin of a branch to the trunk... Just at the edge of her range, she noticed two figures sprint away. 'They're headed that way!' she said, pointing towards the dense forest, much like the parents had... Tsuru must've thought she's crazy.

'So either one... or both of them are mages too... Either that, or they have help she said.' she could have sworn, she noticed another figure, but she wasn't sure, since it was only a brief flickering presence, she didn't want to offer any extra information that may prove to be wrong. Get your head in the game, Aki. she thought. But in her weakness, she did gently grip his hands, instead of using it as leverage to hop onto the cloud, she tugged at him, beckoning him to join her on the ground instead. 'Let's go get 'em.'  

They held hands, it was apparently a completely practical and tactical decision, but deep in the realms of both their minds, they were aware that such a gesture would only hinder them and was in fact rather inefficient... Yet... They held hands. Akira didn't want to let it distract her too much, she also didn't want to let go though. 'I can see, but don't worry I'll guide you.' she responded softly, as they skipped towards the forest. If he really didn't want to be in her proximity anymore, she knew he had his own strange trick to see people if he wanted, but perhaps he didn't feel the need to employ that method now.

The flickering aura she'd noticed, reappeared. She narrowed her eyes as she quickened her pace, but slowly was veering off the path that she'd indicated before. She noticed the slight tug between their interlaced fingers as she moved a little more diagonally. 'Oh...' she said. 'Sorry, I just, I think I see someone there...' she said, now pointing at an angle to her initial gesture of direction a few moments ago. She paused, beckoning the healer to pause too. The Shimada left the decision up to him, about whether to continue on the path that may lead towards the couple or change course. Whether or not it was prudent to redirect their endeavors towards someone who may have seen something and be able to provide more information.

But first, she'd need to provide more insight about her own leanings. 'I, I'm not sure... But I think I saw a similar figure with the couple before.' she said hesitantly. Her palm grew just a little clammy because it mattered a little to her that she didn't come across as incompetent. 'I didn't say anything, because I thought it could be a glitch with my spell, but now I saw him again and I'm pretty sure it is him...' she muttered, chewing on her lip as she waited for him to offer his input.   

Akira looked a little solemn when he proposed that they split ways, but it was also her chance to remind herself of the actual purpose of this nighttime adventure. Luckily for her, the man began making a move towards the couple, so they were both headed in the same direction after all, although, considering Akira's detour she was a little behind her partner as they slipped into the thicket of the trees. She wouldn't need to bother with the spell at least, she shot forward as fast as she could to ensure she was at a distance that allowed her partner to hear her.

She still had her lenses on, it enabled her to see pretty clearly. She raced on after the healer, wondering if they'd ever catch up with the duo or not. He had cast his own mysterious spell finally. Was he mad that she wasn't doing a job well enough, that he was compelled to take matters into his own hand? Maybe, maybe not. A competitive surge took over as she ran along, was this truly the end of the brief moment they shared?

The third figure miraculously flickered and vanished again. 'This guy, he keeps vanishing.' she groaned, the sudden challenge in the task, finally lured her into taking this a little more seriously. 'We better not be chasing some random idiots...' she muttered, hoping that this would at least amount to something. Finally, they were close enough to be within earshot of the couple. She could see their features and she slowed down just a little bit. They seemed to be the same damn duo that the healer had sent back towards the populated areas, earlier today. And just like that, she heard a voice behind them. 'Are you two too, running off from disagreeing families? Let me help.' The voice was smooth and empathetic, but perhaps just because it was late, Aki felt an eerie sensation. She paused and hoped Tsuru would do the same. 'Er... yes. You mean there are more like us?' she lied, she wasn't too convincing, but since she merely had to support his assumption, things weren't as bad.  

'Of course of course.' the man replied and Aki just stood there shuffling her feet. 'Looks like you lost your man.' he pointed out, jerking his chin to indicate the absence of the healer. Akira swiftly swiveled to check what he meant and noticed Tsuru had continued to dash on after the couple. Probably for the best, they shouldn't lose sight of those two again. She had followed her instincts, or rather succumbed to her curiosity in chasing this third presence, who had found her, instead of the other way around. She was hoping to keep interaction to the minimum to avoid being caught out. 'It would seem so indeed.' she agreed.

Akira felt a little vulnerable under the prying gaze of this man. She cleared her throat just to shatter the strange silence that plagued the moment like a seemingly incurable disease. 'Are you talking about the two we were chasing?' she asked, trying to glean information now, if he was related to them, he would indeed be a good lead in determining how true the story was. 'Indeed.' the man replied simply, now a small half-smile playing on his lips. In the dappled moonlight, his face appeared sinister, but his actions had not betrayed any negative ulterior motives. She took a step back involuntarily and kept her eyes firmly on his form, meanwhile her left hand snaked behind her, towards the holster strapped on the right side of her hip. She was hoping to surreptitiously reach her weapon, just in case. 'Are you a relative? How do you know them?' she asked slowly.

'No need to be scared miss.' he said with a soft chuckle and then proceeded to respond to her question. 'I know them, because I intend to marry them off tonight.' he said, rather smoothly and politely. Aki's eyes widened. 'Oh?' is all she offered in response as she waited for him to explain more clearly himself. She really wasn't sure if they were in the right. If the two did love each other and were running off to get married, instead of handing them back to their families, shouldn't the Knights be tasked in helping them accomplish this task and aid in protecting them from the illogical wrath of their loved ones? 'There are some complications, but love knows no limits... Am I right? What's your story, young girl?' he asked. Now things were not looking so good, Aki didn't know how to keep this going. 'My er... boyfriend tells it much better than I do, why don't you wait here? And I'll go find him?' she asked.

'There will be no need for that, if he was after the other two, they all should be by the cherry blossom tree, that is where I asked them to wait for me, lets head there together shall we?'

Finding no reason to deny his request, Akira decided to follow him into the distance. Through the mana-made lens, she could see Tsuru and the girl hiding behind the aforementioned tree, but that other guy was nowhere in sight. Did the healer scare them off again? She cleared her throat another time, to warn the healer that they were approaching, things were definitely taking a turn for the unexpected.