A/N: And finally got something going for Under Night here. A few notes about this one.

1: I will be including a few characters that haven't really appeared in the English version of the game (most notably Phonon), so the characterization will be a bit more interpretative than usual.

2: You may notice the length of this chapter is much shorter than my usual fare. I'm aiming for shorter chapters than usual this time around. Hopefully, this will also result in quicker updates.

3: Yes, this is a ship fic. No, I'm not saying what the ship is just yet, beyond it involving Hyde. Mwahaha.

Staring at meaningless chicken-scratch on a chalkboard, Hyde groaned and fought to keep his eyes open. Everything ached; every limb weighed down: the aftermath of another goddamn four hours of training the day before. Sword practice, sprints, weights—anything that could help his physical ability, Linne ran him through. And instead of properly resting, here he sat in class, digesting none of what the teacher said or wrote. Great.

A yawn came, and he did his best to swallow it down. No, no, he needed to try and pay attention. The weekend was just around the corner; he could get all the rest he needed then. He leaned closer, attempting to read the board… What the hell was this? He understood nothing of what was written. Shit. His body heavy, he slumped down, resting his arms and chin on his desk. Well. Why bother? Why not just close his eyes for a few minutes…? No sooner had he closed his eyes than images burned through his mind, a memory of his entire life being turned upside down.

Red. Crimson red. Stretching into infinity. The sky. The ground, painted with blood. Dark buildings rose high into the unholy light, their lighted windows glaring like monstrous eyes. What the hell had happened?

Clutching his shoulder, Hyde Kido limped through the hellscape around him, acting only on instinct. Wherever he was, whatever had happened, he had to get out of this place. Blood streamed through shredded clothing, between his fingers, dripping to the ground in a trail any man or beast could follow… He stopped for a moment at the thought. Beasts. He had no idea what they were, but he recalled an elongated maw snapping its teeth his way.

Adrenaline shot through him. He was in danger; that monster could return at any time and finish him off. On tattered legs, he bolted blind, swaying and limping along the way. His cry of terror echoed through otherwise quiet alleys. His toe smashed into a street curb, and he tripped forward, skittering down the road.

For a full minute, Hyde could do nothing but lay on his back, staring at the blood red sky and panting. This had to be a nightmare. None of this could possibly be real. He couldn't die here…

A scream pierced the city, sending a shiver down Hyde's spine. Someone else was here, in this hell? His body all but moved on its own, lugging its way in the direction of the cry. In the distance, he saw it. Five feet tall, pitch black, winged arms outstretched. The same monster that had attacked him. And despite all logic, he just moved forward. Someone… someone was there, right? He had to find them…

A second monster flew in front of the first, and the scream sounded again. Panic laced Hyde's mind, and he bolted forward. What little sense he had remaining demanded to know what he planned to do; after all, just one of those things had overpowered him easily. There was nothing he could do, especially with a second one to fight.

But a single word burned inside his mind. He didn't know what it meant, or what it was. However, it represented so much to him. Hope. Power. Strength. And while he had no conscious idea of what it was, instinct guided him through, and he uttered that single divine word…

"Kido!" A piece of chalk launched like a missile struck him in the forehead. As he squawked and sat up, clutching the red spot left by the white stick, the teacher crossed her arms and glared at him from the front of the room. "Pay attention, unless you wish to stay after."

"Sorry, sorry…" Still rubbing his forehead, Hyde cast a glance to the side while tuning out the murmur of laughter around him. As expected, the white-haired kid by the window—Carmine, was it?—made no attempt to even look at what was being taught. Hyde scowled; why the hell didn't the teacher ever get on that guy's case, but just one slip-up from him…? No, no, that didn't matter. Shaking his head, he resumed scanning the board.

And so it went for the remainder of the class; while Hyde understood very little of the lesson, he at least managed to keep his eyes open and avoid further reprimand—or worse, an extended stay at the school, interfering with whatever Linne had planned for him. His shoulders drooped at the thought; training was going to suck today. As much as he wanted to put it off, he knew that slacking and pissing Linne off was a terrible idea. He slung his bag over a shoulder and began his trudge home, hoping that something would come up to delay this.

From the other end of the room, a girl watched him leave with concerned eyes. Orie considered for a minute, before picking up her own things and following him out the door, hoping to catch him alone here. True, she had only known him for a few weeks, but she could tell this wasn't like him at all. …Maybe. But still! She had to make sure he was alright, right? Yes, of course.

She sped up, seemingly unhindered by her heeled shoes as she did her best to catch up to her exhausted classmate. As she came out into the outer yard of the school, she watched him split from the rest of the crowd. Good; she could get a word in private with him now. She broke into a jog, lifted a hand up to her lips, and opened her mouth to call after him—

A moment later, Orie skidded to a stop. How she had not noticed the young girl clearly waiting for Hyde was beyond her; maybe it was just the girl's size? But either way, as Hyde fell into step beside her, Orie could only watch in silence for a moment. With a sigh, she turned and marched off in the opposite direction. A disappointment, to be sure, but she would be able to catch him the following morning. As she started her own way home, she found herself pondering who exactly that girl was; had Hyde ever suggested having a little sister? She took one last look over her shoulder, hoping in vain for some answer. But at this distance, none could come. She heaved a sigh and turned back away for the last time.

Down the street, heading in the direction opposite of Orie, Hyde turned to glance at the girl walking in step with him. "Linne. Why're you at school?" Although Hyde did not show anything beyond fatigue, his mind lit with anxiety. All he could think was the no doubt vain hope she wasn't about to subject him to another training session from hell. After all, wasn't it her putting him through one the day before the reason he was so damn tired? "I thought we agreed—"

"That I wouldn't come here, yes. But it's important. Come on." The girl, sporting short brown hair and wearing a yellow hoodie with black bike shorts, grabbed Hyde by the wrist and pulled him along. With the hood pulled over as far as it would go, its shadows rendered her face inscrutable. "I should have realized this earlier, but you need to be careful about even coming to school here."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean there are probably others like yourself at the school. Maybe even in your class. Possibly hostile. You should be fine right now, but the next Night will probably reveal your identity." She turned and dug into him with a dagger glare. "Really, you should consider not coming here anymore."

"The hell? I can't do that!" Hyde yanked his wrist out of her grip, but followed along nonetheless. "Look, I said I'll help you, but I'm not…"

"No, you shouldn't if you care about your future. But you should also consider your life. You've been gifted a powerful weapon, but it's also a target on your back." Linne turned into an alleyway, away from any other passersby. She turned and looked Hyde over again. "And you clearly can't handle both training and school, anyways."

"I can handle it just fine, dammit! Just…" He broke into a yawn, defying his words. "Just not today…"

"…I'll take your word for it." Not that she sounded convinced in the slightest. "I'll keep your training light tonight; probably just conditioning. Your muscles aren't as developed as they need to be."

"Wha…" Hyde spluttered, almost coming to a stop. "I've only been training for three weeks here! What the hell are you expecting from me, anyways?"

"A lot. You're coming along well enough, though." And Linne gifted him a rare smile. "But you're still not strong enough to fight the Paradox. As you are now…"

"I'd be destroyed, yeah, I got you." Hyde hung his head back, staring up into the gray sky. Above, bands of clouds threatened rain. "Shit… next Hollow Night is Tuesday, isn't it?"

"…Yes." And just as fast as the smile had appeared, it vanished. "And don't call it by its name. Didn't I just say there could be others around?"

"…Sorry."

"Five days isn't enough time to shape you up, unfortunately. But you can at least lend support while we deal with Paradox. Probably." The alley spilled out into a street, and Linne turned onto the sidewalk, Hyde maintaining pace with her. "So I'll turn you over to Waldstein today."

All color drained from Hyde's face. "…Are you sure? I mean, how much can he train me when he can't even go outside?"

"You'd be surprised."

A few minutes later, they arrived at a perfectly normal looking house on a perfectly normal looking street. The white walled building rose a full two stories, towering above the shrubbery on the other side of the road. Nothing out of the ordinary in the least. However, as Hyde and Linne approached the front door, the former glanced around for anyone who could possibly be watching while he drew out his key. He opened the door the slightest sliver of a crack possible, let Linne in first, and then slipped in as well, closing the door behind him. "Hey, Waldstein."

"Back finally, eh?" A grinning face, grey skinned and maned like a white lion, greeted him from the nearest couch. The veritable giant shifted around to sit up, rather than lay on his side, legs dangling off the side from the knee down. Powerful muscle stretched as Waldstein leaned back in a deep yawn. "That means we can start training, right?"

"…Well, aren't you eager?" Hyde froze up. Come on, he'd just barely stepped through the door! He dropped his book bag off in a corner and went to take a seat on a chair across from Waldstein. "Can I get some rest first? And how're you gonna train me, anyways? You can't be seen."

"Don't worry about that, got the upper floor all set up for you." Laughing, Waldstein rose, walked over to Hyde and wrapped a massive palm around the smaller teen's upper arm. "You're too scrawny, boy. Hell, can't even call you a stick; you're barely even a twig! How're you gonna take down Paradox and Amnesia like that, eh? Come on, I'll whip you into shape."

As Waldstein started dragging Hyde over to the stairs, unfazed by his struggles, Linne sighed and shook her head. Her hand came up to pull off her hood, revealing her girlish face and short brown hair. "No, he needs a bit of rest. Unfortunately. Give him a few minutes before setting him through your weights."

"…You guys were planning on this all day, weren't you?" Hyde swiveled around as far as he could to glare at Linne. "Like hell you're keeping anything light!"

"I am. I was going to run you through combat drills after you finished with Waldstein. Now I'm not. Don't make me reconsider." She glanced off to the side, into the small kitchen at the back of the house. "…This means I'm stuck making dinner tonight, doesn't it?" And she wandered off into the back with a stream of disgruntled murmurs.

Hyde looked up at Waldstein, trying not to flinch as the giant's pure red eyes bored into his. Finally, with a sigh, Waldstein released his arm and turned to trudge upstairs. "Alright, alright, take a rest. Come up here whenever you're good and ready."

"Alright, I'll be up in about fifteen minutes." At long last able to relax, Hyde slumped into the chair once more, blew out a sigh, and stared up at the ceiling. Once again, the memory of the previous Hollow Night came to mind, and he shivered at the images it conjured.

In five days, he would face that nightmare again.