Oh myyyy… Week 7, aaand my reviewing is going…
…
Ugh.
RIIIGHT!
SO!
Late again, but this should be the last time; I promises.
A friend was moving back to America; had to see her off and stuff d._.b
Let's kick it and rip it!
Chapter VII
The pawn isn't 'unique'.
The pawn isn't 'useful'.
The pawn, unlike any other given Piece, is just a follower of the pack, a member of the herd, just cannon fodder, waiting to be gunned down…
… But as previously discussed: The pawn has the capacity for growth. Once a pawn has reached its journey's end, it undergoes a change… A transformation into its new life.
In this sense, the pawn is stronger than even the queen… A full-fledged pawn can match strength of the queen, dwarfing the bishop and rook… But it can also take on the unpredictable properties of the knight, if need be…
5th Day
Player Side
"Take it."
Rather startled by the familiar female voice, I immediately leapt to my left, away from the White Hood; in doing so, I involuntarily disobeyed her command, releasing the golden staff, rather than 'taking it'. Staring the White Hood down, I developed a sudden urge to hit her with a Psych and run… But that would have been a foolish, foolish move… And so, I opted to talk to her, instead. Perhaps, I thought, I may be able to glean some answers. "… Who…" But before I could even start, I had stopped myself, feeling as if I had already asked that question… Had I?
My memory felt distorted.
The White Hood sighed, and looked down at the water-ridden ground of the tunnel, causing a tuft of bright vermillion hair to hang down, revealing itself from within the confines of her cloak… At last, I had something, (albeit, a very miniscule 'something',) that I could associate with this mysterious White Hood's body… Up until this point in time, I had seriously considered the possibility that the White Hood was some form of spectre… Or, of course, a Grim Reaper. "I didn't take it either, at first… So of course, you wouldn't, I suppose." The White Hood's voice sounded strangely resigned, as if, in not taking the staff, I had just caused her to lose some massive wager
"… What do you mean by that…?" My feet shuffled slightly, causing a rough, scraping noise to echo throughout the area.
"… Can't. It's painful, but…" She seemed to be struggling; holding her forehead in her palm, she shook her head from side to side. "… You'll understand… When you reach this point."
Just as I was forming a new question in my mind, the White Hood's hand moved behind her back, and…
Fwip…!
Faster than I could even blink, the White Hood had produced a tall, decorated, deadly-looking scythe, and menacingly planted it next to her. If her aim was to intimidate me, it was certainly effective; a thousand alarm bells went off in my head, as the 'Grim Reaper' theory pulled into the lead. I felt as though I could be bisected instantly, if by chance, the White Hood so wished.
"This time… You'll take it." Her words shook me; she spoke with no malice in her voice, no threat… But her voice carried such sureness, such unrivalled certainty that her words were nothing but truth… And it seemed to me that she was speaking of some hopeless inevitability, rather than a confident prediction… Like a young man looking you in the eyes, and pointing out that one day, you would most definitely… Die.
I had no particular inclination to antagonize the White Hood earlier, though with the appearance of the scythe, I now had the inclination to stay on very good terms with her; I couldn't remember the last time I was so terrified, (even if I had my Entry Fee, I still doubt that I would've remembered anything remotely comparable,) something about that scythe… In touching the Excalibur-staff, I had experienced a strange feeling of 'hope'… But simply looking at that scythe… My vision shimmered, fading like a mirage; I could hear and feel an unpleasant grinding from within my head; the air tasted like ash; my sense of balance had just abandoned ship…
… I… Felt an overwhelming despair from that scythe.
"… -shai…!"
"-i-san-… -kku Rame-… -Yotsu-… -shima-…"
"-aaaa-… -ire desu ne…"
"Ii n-… ga sur-…"
A familiar salty scent roused me; I felt the 'real world' materializing, as I left the other one behind to fade back into oblivion.
Hearing… Functional. I could hear chattering nearby; a vaguely familiar voice, accompanied by two childrens', and… Muki… I tried to call his name, but all that came out was a rasping breath… I would come back to that later.
Olfactory… Operational. Slowly breathing in, I immediately thought that I must have been in that old noodle restaurant; I could practically taste the ramen… (I briefly wondered how many other people would have used the word 'olfactory' in this context.)
Eyes... Working. I blinked twice, mentally ticking a third, small checkbox scribbled on a little notepad in my mind. I was lying on my back, staring at the ceiling, which was riddled with decorations, ranging from old Chinese lanterns to children's drawings to calligraphy samples to… What appeared to be a collection of sketches and notes for some kind of toy. "… 'The Ultima Slammer'…?" My voice, which was now in working order, read a caption before I could tell it do otherwise. "What is the world is that for…"
"TIN PIN SLAMMER!" Muki, who had somehow managed to sneak over to my side without me noticing, popped his head up, and yelled dramatically.
"… Some kind of game?" I answered without looking; far too tired to be, or even act, surprised.
"Well… Yeah. Tin Pin Slammer; you can find an app on our phones, if you look hard enough…" He settled down, and scratched the back of his head, looking rather disappointed at my lack of reaction. "… We're still waiting on the Mission, by the way."
"… We're all here, I suppose…?" Turning my head on its side, I could see that the children from yesterday were also present in Ramen Don with us.
"Ah!" The boy opened his mouth upon seeing me, and jabbed his sister. "Oneechan!" (I cursed fate for forcing me through this again… It appeared as though this shop had some sort of charm on it.) "Murasaki-san ga okitanda!" He shouted excitedly, continuing to poke his sister, until she looked over.
"… Sono toori desu ne…" She smiled warmly, and hopped off of her stool, before trotting over to me. "… How are you feeling, miss?"
"… 'Miss'…?" (I did my best to ignore the perceptible switch between understanding and not understanding her words.) "You don't have to address me in that manner…" My eyes rolled around in my skull for a moment, the blood, (if I even had blood… Everyone in the UG seemed to bleed static,) rushed through my head, pulling me from the clutches of sleep.
"Da-ka-ra." The boy punctuated each syllable with an exaggerated hand and/or head movement "'Oneesan' janakku te, 'Mu-ra-sa-ki-san' deshou…!" He stomped, and gave me a fond smile. "How're you feelin', Ms. Vio?"
"Excellent," Muki interjected, applauding the boy, "'Ms. Vio'; that is- I-… We're calling you that, now." He finished dramatically; it seemed as though he was trying a little too hard to lighten the mood…
At the time, I had instantly thought that the events of the day prior had taken a heavier toll on him than immediately apparent…
Reaper Side
The Bishop stared at the group of people assembled before her. 'Magokoro… Muki', hm? She considered the injured Player. "… Clever, aren't you?" She addressed Muki, a slight smirk on her face; a rare show of emotion.
"Am I…?" Muki tensed, continuing to hold his arm; he was all but certain that if he released it, the proverbial thread that it hung by would snap, and gravity would claim the limb from him altogether.
"'Check… Mate'?" Katy looked from the Bishop to Muki. "What's… And you're the 'Bishop'…? What is 'Checkmate'?"
"'CHECKMATE', dear Player," the Game Master flipped a hand through his hair, sounding a little like a bored lecturer, "is a group of rag-tag, chaos-causing, troublemaking, havoc-wreaking," the Game Master accompanied each word with a swing through the air, "scruffy-looking, rule-breaking, Banished, excommunicated, dirty, no-good renegade…" The Game Master twirled his one-handed sword around, before pointing it at the Bishop. "… Ex-Reapers." He leered at the Bishop. "… As I understand it, CHECKMATE's goal is to disturb the current Reaper hierarchy, and place their leader in charge of the UnderGround… A rather foolish plan, I would say." He added, a touch of spite in his words.
"Oh, of course…" The Bishop looked the Game Master over, calm and aloof. "… And you would know all about 'foolish plans', wouldn't you, 'Jack the Ripper'?"
"No more than you would, 'Black Cat'." 'Jack' responded evenly; the two of them looked ready to attack at any moment… But while Jack's attention was focused on the Bishop…
Fwoosh!
A sudden burst of air startled everyone, as the Player boy let out a war cry. "Haaah!" One hand clenched into a fist, and the other raised a Pin with a hand design, up high. The wind blowing through Dogenzaka suddenly became very strong, whipping up a mini-storm around the street; papers rolled around the district, like tumbleweeds in a hot, western gust; the people of the RealGround cried out in surprise hats, scarves, umbrellas and various other loose paraphernalia were blown away as the young Player readied his attack.
How is he using a Psych outside of a Noise encounter…?! Katy, taken aback by the vast climatic changes, had that one thought flit through her head. Before she could ask the question out loud, she remembered something that Muki had told her back during Day 2.
"Pyrokinesis!… Ugh…" Katy let her arm drop to her side. "Muki, I can't use my Psychs anymore… Do they have limited uses, perhaps?"
"Hmm… Yes and no," her Partner replied thoughtfully, "but the reason you can't use Pyrokinesis right now, is because Psychs can only be used during a Noise Erasure…Well…" He stopped momentarily, before flipping his Player Pin like a coin. "… With certain exceptions."
A current of air wrapped around the boy's arm; even the Bishop seemed mildly surprised, which, for such a stoic character, was the equivalent of anyone else yelling 'What!?'
From what Muki said, that boy must be using one of the weak, use-anytime Psychs, Katy thought quickly, raising her arms to shield her face from any airborne debris, if that is the case, then… Why is it so… Katy stepped back, wondering which Psych it was, that was an exception to the standard 'only-in-battle' Psych regulations… She got her answer.
"PSYYYCHOKINESIS!" The boy roared with the force of a hurricane, as he swung his arm downward, crushing the Game Master into the ground.
Player Side
Unbelievable… I stepped backwards, cautious of being caught up in whatever all-powerful Psych that the Player boy had to have been using… The very Earth seemed to shake; the sky seemed to darken as a miniature whirlwind formed around the boy. That's when it occurred to me: How was the boy using a Psych? When fighting the Noise, Players are drawn into the Noise Plane, where there is an ample supply of raw Imagination at one's disposal… But here, in the UnderGround, the number of usable Psychs are significantly lower, even in a city such as Shibuya. … If he's using a Psych… The only attack Psych I can think of is…!
"PSYYYCHOKINESIS!" The boy's cry tore through the sky; my eardrums vibrated in my head, as he swung his arm downwards, aiming straight at the Game Master…
BOOM!
The Reaper had only a split second to utter a tiny, "oh-" before being instantly crushed into the pavement by some invisible force; it was over in the amount of time that it would take to snap your fingers… As if an invisible steamroller had abruptly been dropped on top of him.
The very definition of a 'one-sided fight'.
"That was… Quite the surprise." I admitted to him as I sat upright. "That attack was rather impressive." Indeed, I felt myself being somewhat cautious of this boy; he could, perhaps, singlehandedly Erase anyone else, if he so chose.
"Yep… You're pretty strong, little dude." Muki laughed, patting him on top of the head, like a father praising a child… Or, better yet, an elder brother praising his younger brother.
"That's right! My noodle soups' flavour is pretty strong!" Ken Doi called from behind the counter; seemingly, he had misheard our conversation. "Good to see that young people can still enjoy old-fashioned noodles! Gahahahah!"
"That was nothin'!" He grinned, placing his hands on his hips. "Hiro Tetsuyou won't fall so easily to the likes of evil! Gahahahah!" As Hiro laughed out loud, I found myself looking at him in a new light: An unruly mass of short, red hair, (likely dyed,) covered his head, (spiking out like a manga character's would,) and a pair of white running shoes ensured that he would be able to move at top speed; a short-sleeved black t-shirt decorated with dynamic, dark green stripes, and a pair of navy-blue shorts showed off his skinny legs; one could not look at this boy, into his strong, rust-coloured eyes, and forget that he was, in fact… Just that.
A boy. Probably no more than 9 years old… As I stared at Hiro Tetsuyou, the horror of his situation began to worm its way back into my mind.
"What do you have to say to that, Koushi?" Muki chuckled.
"You really must be more careful, Hiro…" His Koushi, pulled him into a hug, and gave him a small shake. "He almost… You almost…" She bit her lip, before squeezing him even tighter.
'Koushi Tetsuyou'… Huh? My eyes moved to the little girl holding her brother… Certainly older than Hiro, but she didn't even look 12… An innocent child, wearing a white, frilled dress shirt and matching short skirt and strap-sandals; her glasses were large and round; silver-rimmed, complementing her metallic-grey eyes… Koushi's bob-cut hair was a warm shade of brunette, a rare instance of colour on her person, opposing her clean, bright-white attire. And now, I thought to myself, I can see that… Perhaps Hiro dyed his hair in an attempt to match his sister's… Very sweet. The only other accessory that Koushi Tetsuyou possessed was a single, ornate bangle… Thicker than the two that I owned… But undoubtedly crafted with equal skill and passion…
…That bangle would one day belong to me…
…
"I'm fine, sis…!" Hiro insisted, his face changing shade, due to the circulation, (if we even had circulation,) to his face being cut off. "It doesn't even hurt!" If his arms- no… If any part of his body was not being constricted at the time, I imagine that he would have tapped his stomach… Or something to that effect.
Further memories of yesterday's altercation began to surface…
Reaper Side
Impossible. The Bishop recoiled by about a millimetre; the Game Master had just been decimated in one shot by a single Player; a child, at that. That child could not have unleashed such a Psych… Psychokinesis could not do so much damage just like…
"One more!" Hiro whipped his arm to the right, then to the left. "PSYCHOKINESIS!" Hiro's Psych was barely observable; Jack was flung, faster than the eye could see, into the wall behind Hiro.
CRASH!
The wall was instantly shattered as Jack's limp form was sent careening through it, and into the convenience store that it had previously housed; the few remaining RG people who had elected to remain outside screamed as the wall, to them, seemed to smash itself open. Luckily, the store in question didn't seem very popular; the only other person inside appeared to be the now-no-doubt-very-disgruntled owner.
"Ah." Hiro let out a single syllable. "… Guess I overdid it-" he started to laugh, as everyone stared at him… But at that precise moment…
Shunk…!
There was a flash of silver, and a spurt of static.
Hiro gasped as a sword flew out from the rubble, and headed straight for Koushi; without thinking, Hiro jumped in front, and was impaled through the abdomen; static issued from his wound as his sister was struck speechless, petrified at the scene before her.
"Watch it… Kid…" Jack emerged from beneath a pile of bricks, a cloud of dust swirling around him, his temple bleeding static.
"Hiro!" Koushi shrieked, and moved to pull Jack's blade out, however, before she could so much as touch it…
"Hah!" Hiro's hand effortlessly yanked the blade out of his own body, with about as much care as you would use when pulling a fork out of a chunk of meat. "… You wanna take me?" He taunted the Game Master, "… Or are you too scared to fight me, instead of attacking sis?" He finished, throwing the blade right back at its owner.
Jack didn't bother to dodge; despite the incredible velocity of his sword, Jack's arm merely swung horizontally, catching it out of the air. The Game Master twirled his blade a few times. "… Tch!" For the first time, he appeared irritated. "… Make no mistake, if that 'no attacking Players' rule didn't exist, you'd be dead right now."
"So you're scared, huh?" Hiro shot back in a fittingly childish manner.
"… No matter," Jack exhaled, regaining his composure, "I think, seeing as the Mission's finished, this Day should end right…" As he raised his hand, (it seemed as though he was about to snap his fingers,) the Bishop suddenly moved.
Swish!
"Ugh…!" The Game Master managed to move his head to the side, avoiding the Bishop's attack from decapitating him; she appeared to have a set of claws over her right hand… Not unlike a Noise's. "You're faster than I remember…!" Jack chuckled, jumping back. The Bishop merely stared at him, and continued her assault.
"Stop her!" Muki yelled, surprising everybody.
"What, you open your mouth for the first time in…" Hiro looked at Muki, confused. "… And that's what you say?"
"But… That's the enemy…!" The girl pointed at the Game Master, trying to reason with Muki.
"I know!" Muki spoke quickly. "But if that woman manages to take out the Game Master, CHECKMATE will…" He stopped, noting that no-one but him knew about CHECKMATE. "… Look, just… Please, trust me!" He insisted, taking out a Cure Drink Psych, and healing himself. "… I'm going, who's coming?"
The girl simply held Hiro, as if to say 'I'm not putting him in danger'.
Hiro looked torn.
And Katy…
…
…
…
"Katy…" Muki looked to his Partner. "Please…" He had never looked at her like this… A look of absolute desperation…
…
…
…
Player Side
I stared again at the Mission Mail in my hand.
[Bout V: Survive until the Day ends.]
Shortly after receiving it, there had been an extra message sent only, (I assume,) to us.
[P.S. With this brief respite, you'll forgive me if I call it even between us.]
Somehow, when I saw that, I had smiled… A very small smile, but the first real smile I had known in a while… To be honest, part of the reason that I was smiling was the fact that I had wondered if the extra message had been sent to everyone; the thought of a random Player receiving that 'P.S.' was surprisingly amusing… But there were more important matters at hand.
"… I think we should know, Muki," I sat at the counter with my three companions, and looked him straight in the eyes. "What exactly do you know about CHECKMATE? How long have you known about them? And… Why?" I stayed perfectly still, refusing to touch the bowl in front of me, at least, until I had the answers that I was looking for.
"Mzz Beeyo's waiyt, Bekk Gggai." Hiro agreed with a mouthful of noodles, nodding his head.
"We did end up fighting off that lady…" The girl noted before joining Hiro.
"… Alright, you three." Muki sighed. "I'll tell you… And, actually… I need your help." He gave the three of us a very serious look. "… I can't do this alone."
Reaper Side
"… Fine." Katy clenched her hands, and gritted her teeth. "I'll trust you… I may not know exactly what is happening, or why we're about to do this," she pulled three Pins out of her pouch, as the siblings began to protest, "but… I am in your debt; you've saved me more times than I can count, Muki… I can't let you go alone."
With those words, it seemed that Hiro's mind was made up. "… She's right, sis… He's our friend, we can't just leave him!" Gently pulling himself away from his sister, the boy stood up straight. "… I couldn't call myself your 'Hero' if I ran away crying… Right?"
"… If you insist." The girl stood up with the rest of the Players. "… But stay behind me, Hiro… If it gets too dangerous-"
"It won't…!" Katy spoke with a conviction that surprised even herself. "We are not losing this Game…" Her hands trembled with determination. "I won't lose… I refuse to lose…!" At that moment, Katy appeared as a towering, regal figure; majestic and commanding… The kind of person who could rally their forces against the enemy, and lead them to victory. "We are going to win this Game… We are all going to survive, and make it back home, safely… I promise you that." Her voice energized her compatriots, made them feel as though they really could not lose… And so… "Let's go!" With that shout, the four Players charged forward.
Player Side
Swish!
Swash!
The Game Master, 'Jack', and the Black Cat, 'The Bishop', continued to fight as we closed in; blows were traded at speeds my eyes could barely keep up with, and yet none of them ever found their mark.
The Game Master skilfully avoided the dancing, whirling claw of the Black Cat; each time it looked as though the Black Cat would actually land a strike, the Game Master would casually step aside, or twist his body, or move his head… Just… Some slight movement that, while rather simple, was also extremely efficient.
The Black Cat manoeuvred around far more than the Game Master, adding in feints, spins, flips, and somersaults… For each move the Game Master made, the Black Cat made four; her already complex movements were made harder to follow by her garments; her tattered black cloak and loose, white bandage ends swirled and fluttered around her, obscuring her form… Often, she would have moved behind the Game Master before I had even realized it.
Stab… Twist, flip, spin, push, claw… Dodge, slash… duck, charge, step, encircle, strike… Step, slice…
If we don't intervene, they'll eventually start to damage each other…
"Okay, plan!" Muki began to fire off instructions. "Engaging a hostile Reaper, even an excommunicated one," he pointed at the Black Cat as we continued to run, "will draw us into the Noise Plane."
"Where we fight Noise, yeah?" Hiro confirmed, as Muki continued to explain.
"This Pin here," Muki pulled out a pure black Pin, "this can temporarily Tune the two Noise Zones into one, hold on to this," he handed me the Pin, "we'll hit 'er with a Fusion, and end it in one swoop!"
"Understood!" The girl gripped Hiro's hand, and pulled out a pure white Pin.
"Wait!" I almost stumble…What was a 'Fusion'?
"Katy," Muki grabbed my hand… And of course, my cheeks flushed yet again… It seemed that I wouldn't acclimatize myself to that any time soon. "A Fusion's a Psych that both Partners use at once," he continued, oblivious to my discomfort, "just channel your Soul into this Pin," Muki held up his own white Pin, "it's just like a normal Psych, your one should be in your pouch… Ready?" In a situation with more time at hand, I might have said 'no'… But luckily, in the spur of the moment, I…
"… Alright, Come on!" I sped up, and the four of us crashed into the Black Cat; the last thing that I saw was the surprised face of the Game Master, before the world disappeared into a vortex of light.
"On one…!" Muki's foot slammed into the ground, propelling him straight towards the Black Cat, who had just begun to recover from the unexpected interruption. "… One! GO!" Muki grabbed onto the Black Cat's arm, and swung her around with a surprising strength, and threw her into the air, where Hiro had jumped up.
The Tetsuyou siblings suddenly began to glow with a fierce green incandescence, a chain of photons connecting the two; as the light grew more and more intense, Koushi Tetsuyou and Hiro Tetsuyou each shouted a battle cry, and commenced their assault.
"Light the way!"
"I'll blow you away!"
With a swipe of her hand, Koushi caused numerous chains of light to burst from the ground; the chains writhed through the air like a pit of snakes, and ensnared the Black Cat before she had a chance to move.
Hiro darted around the area, so fast that he was blinking in and out of my vision, leaving glowing spheres of energy along a multitude of each chain's links. With that, he leapt high into the air, and raised his hand; his sister did the same.
""Burst!"" They shouted in sync, causing the spheres wrapped around the Black Cat to detonate in sequence, instantly consuming her in a massive explosion.
"That's our cue!" Muki shouted from the far end of the street; during the Tetsuyous' attack, Muki had taken advantage of the Black Cat's immobility, and stabbed five stone lances around the area, forming a pentagon around her.
I almost relented… I would have preferred to end this without any casualties, but at that moment, as the smoke cleared, I saw the Black Cat kneeling on the ground; she didn't seem nearly as damaged as I had expected.
Shiiing…!
That feeling of completeness had enshrouded me once more; the Light Puck connected me and Magokoro Muki, sharing our energy, and bouncing back and forth… I gripped the black Pin in my left hand, and ripped the white Pin out of my pouch with my right. Just like he said…
This was it.
"Check and Mate!"
"There's no escape!"
Muki's lances began to crackle with electricity, before linking themselves to each other with bright, cyan lasers; finally, a single ray began to whirl around the lance formation, faster and faster until it looked like a single, unmoving circle.
The Black Cat was trapped in Muki's pentagram array.
With a flick of his wrist, Muki engulfed the Black Cat in a column of light, burning so bright that she appeared to disintegrate into nothingness… But I knew that wasn't the case.
As the light became too bright, I closed my eyes, and flew forward, plunging into the radiant tower before; it didn't hurt… Rather, it felt warm… Welcoming.
I opened my eyes. Everything was white. "You're over…!" As I rapidly shortened the distance between me and my target, I found myself instinctually channelling all of my Will into the Black Pin… We were going to live.
For the first time, the Black Cat's composure was broken; her golden eyes widened in shock, as my own violet eyes glowed with a fierce drive. The black Pin began to change shape and colour… It elongated, turning golden, and developing carvings, and an intricate filigree running along its length; a spire-like contour formed on the bottom end, whilst a large ring with an 'X' of flat metal inside formed on the other end; the Large ring was decorated with a series of smaller rings, similar to a Japanese shakujou… Three rings in the top space of the X, three on the left, three on the right, and four on the bottom, divided into two pairs by the shaft of my new weapon…
It was that staff.
…
When I came to, I was lying on the ground, and the Black Cat had long since fled.
Apparently, I had very nearly incapacitated her, though I had passed out after my attack…
…Whatever it was.
It was… Not quite as paradigm-shattering as I had expected… But it was certainly far more serious that I had hoped.
"When I was in the RG… I could see the Game." Muki had said.
"'See the Game'?" The girl asked.
"Yeah… The UG, I could see Players, Reapers… All of it." Muki had a forlorn look on his face. "Death and destruction everywhere… Every day of my life, I saw things that no-one should ever see in their lifetime…"
"That… Must've been scary." Hiro looked at Muki, a concerned look on his face.
"… Why could you see the UG…?" I asked him; it didn't seem like a thing that could just… Happen.
"Who knows." Muki shrugged. "I hear that 'Soul' is composed of Will and Imagination… The higher your Soul is, the more sensitive you are to… 'Otherworldly things', let's say."
"So, like…" Hiro's face scrunched up in thought. "Psychics and fortune-tellers and stuff… They have a high 'Soul'?"
"Something like that," Muki smiled, although he neglected to mention that the majority of those practitioners were… Likely frauds. "That's probably why you're so strong, Hiro."
"Me? Why…?" Amusingly, Hiro attempted to act as though he was merely curious, but only intellectually, when it was completely obvious that he was in fact ecstatic at being called 'strong'; his face twitched multiple times as he attempted to stop himself from smiling.
"Younger people have higher Imagination," Muki explained, "think about it, children have an unrestricted view on the world; they spend their days pretending to be firemen, or policemen, or superheroes-"
"I don't 'pretend', I am a superhero!" Hiro thumped his chest with a fist. "Right, sis?" He looked to his right, an open-mouthed look of happiness on his face.
"Yes, of course." Koushi beamed back. "You're my hero, Hiro." She giggled.
"On the subject," Muki continued, "as people grow older, their Imagination generally lessens in… 'Force', shall we say. But, their ability to refine their Imagination strengthens."
"… And that's…" Hiro leaned forwards, no doubt waiting for Muki to elaborate. In particular on the word 'refine'.
"Ah… Think of it like… You have raw power… But I have, say… Technique." Muki gestured with his hands, driving the point home. "But back on the subject of CHECKMATE…" Muki shifted in his seat. "… I first heard the name in Udagawa. A man dressed in a black hood; he had kinda scraggly black hair… He was talking to this Persian guy…" Muki seemed uncomfortable; though it brought me no pleasure to see him so distressed… I wanted to hear what he had to say. "Up until this point in my life, I had… Miraculously managed to avoid attracting attention from the UG, but I suppose that… While I was listening to them…" Muki paused; his face turning ill-disposed "I… Guess I looked a little too obvious." He finished, suddenly sounding resigned.
Did… They discover him…? The thought crossed my mind, before I realized that it was… unlikely. No… If they discovered them, then they could have easily killed him… And he's still with all of us. Of course, I was then unaware about the nature of the Reapers' Game… I didn't realized how wrong I was until later… But more on that, later.
"Anyway," he continued, "all I know is that CHECKMATE is comprised of five members- 'scuse me for a moment," Muki turned away from me, and called out,
"Doi-san, kami to enpitsu ga arudaro, kashitekureyo!"
"Nn, hai, hai!" Ken Doi's voice called back. "Chotto mattekure, Magokoro-kun!" A moment later, he walked over, and handed Muki a paper and pencil.
"Ah, arigatou na." The two exchanged a quick smile, before Ken Doi returned to his storeroom.
"And… What is that for?" I watched Muki intently, as he began writing down a number of words; a list of chess pieces."
"CHECKMATE's members… are each assigned to positions following the chess piece ranking system…" He muttered, as his pencil scritch-scratched along the paper, drawing each piece next to a symbol. "I'm not entirely sure how they've done it… But each member of CHECKMATE has adopted the attributes of their respective chess piece; take…," Twirling his pen, Muki tapped the illustration of a Rook Piece accompanied with a sword and shield. "The Rook, Isshin Genkata; he's one of the guys that I saw talking in Udagawa," he added before continuing, "Inclusive Attack and Absolute Defence; a straightforward soldier," he explained, "Then there's…" He drew a cross over the picture of a Knight Piece next to a feathered wing. "The Knight… As far as I know, the Knight's attribute is Heightened Speed, Agility, and Reflexes; an unpredictable blitz fighter… I'm not sure who that is, though…" He scratched his head. "Anyway, the next one, you've all met, of course…" He indicated the Bishop Piece with a lightning bolt. "The Bishop, name unknown," he glanced over at all of us as he noted that last point, "her attribute is Reinforced Will and Boosted Imagination; perfect for strengthening support-type Psychs, for example… Cure Drink," Muki shrugged, pulling out his own Cure Drink Pin for us to see, "The Queen… She's dangerous," he looked at each of us, emphasizing the point, "naturally, the Queen's attribute is Attribute Assimilation," he drew out a long breath, circling the Queen Piece with his pen, before adding several lines to his diagram; the sword and shield, the wing, and the lightning bolt now all had arrows leading from them to the Queen Piece, "while not quite at the same level as the original attributes, the Queen can switch between utilizing the properties of the Rook, the Knight as well as the Bishop… Which brings us to the King." Muki stared at the King Piece on his paper, and drew a question mark next to it. "… His name is Goumaki Mushin… And as for his attribute… I can't imagine what it is, really…" He chuckled, and began writing down a few more words, finishing his list. "It's likely… Very strong… But anyway, here; take a look." Muki held up his completed list; I, along with Hiro and Koushi, began to study it.
CHECKMATE:
The King – Goumaki Mushin (無心傲真気)]
The Queen – [Identity Unknown]
The Bishop – The 'Black Cat' (黒猫)
The Knight – [Identity Unknown]
The Rook – Isshin Genkata (言騙一新)
The Pawn – [Unknown]
"Wait…" I cleared my throat, having not spoken for a while. "Who's… The 'Pawn'?"
"Yeah, Big Guy," Hiro cut in, "I thought you said 'five members'."
"I suppose…" Koushi ran a hand through her short hair. "The 'Pawn', like its name suggests, isn't a 'real' member; the Pawn is being used by CHECKMATE for some reason…?"
"Very good; A+ for you." Muki gave her a solemn smile. "The Pawn is someone that CHECKMATE is manipulating, tricking, someone that, however unknowingly, is being played into somehow aiding CHECKMATE… It must be a Player; the only reason that you would do this is to break the Game from the inside…" Muki rubbed his temples, now looking to be thinking very hard. "It would be someone that CHECKMATE's been in contact with… At least from after the Game began… Someone strong; strong enough to… Accidently 'break something important', as it were… If we can figure out who the Pawn is, then the Game becomes that much easier."
"And… That's what you wanted us to help you with?" I asked, attempting to take in all of the information that Muki had just dumped onto us.
"Actually, no… Muki suddenly looked very serious. "… CHECKMATE's aiming to take down the 'Composer'; essentially the… Ruler of Shibuya," he supplied, "The Composer resides past the Shibuya River."
"There's a river in Shibuya?!" All of a sudden, Hiro looked very excited; one might think that he had just been told that he was taking an excursion to the zoo.
"Are you… Sure, Mr. Muki?" The girl seemed uncertain.
"Well, it's not well-known… But it exists." Muki looked at each of us in a determined manner.
I had sat perfectly still for quite a while, now; listening to everything that he had to say, accepting believing everything as true, accepting the reality of the situation, and acting accordingly in a calm, collected manner… But the next thing that he said managed to throw me off-balance.
"I have no doubt that CHECKMATE can break through the defences leading up to the Composer… But if we can get there first, we can cut them off." He proposed, confident as ever.
"… You want us to break into the Composer's territory… Before CHECKMATE can?" Koushi confirmed.
"What's the plan after that, Big Guy?" Hiro lightly banged his hands on the table in anticipation.
"… I'm stronger than I look… And I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." Muki smiled. "I'm sure this will go exactly according to keikaku- oh, and Katy," Muki turned to me with an odd smile. "'Keikaku' means 'Plan'."
To this Day, I am still not entirely certain of what that smile meant "… Yes, thank you for that." I gave him a withering look, and sighed. Perhaps I should finally eat… I am running low on energy… Soup-soaked noodles are better than no noodles. "Thank you very much, Mr. Ken Doi," I bowed, though he could neither see nor hear me, and began to eat, (have I mentioned that Ken Doi didn't ever charge Muki, and by extension, me, and the Tetsuyou siblings for anything that he served us? Because it seemed that he was doing that…)
As I started on my 'Mystic Ramen', Koushi called Muki away from me and Hiro, and began talking… It was then that the possibility occurred to me…
What if… I thought. What if… Muki is CHECKMATE's Pawn…? I slowly stopped eating, and looked over to Muki, who laughed, still conversing about something with Koushi. 'It must be a Player'… 'It would be someone that CHECKMATE's been in contact with'… 'Someone strong'… Muki seemed to pass on all criteria… And so my worries deepened. If Muki's plan to break into the Composer's territory was predicted by CHECKMATE… I have to warn him. My hand moved to push my body up… But I stopped. … No… What if I'm wrong? What if CHECKMATE wants someone to stop Muki…? Maybe this plan needs to happen…
What was I supposed to do?
Reaper Side
Magokoro Muki was taken aback; he knew that the elder Tetsuyou was sharp, especially for a 11 year old… And yet, this was beyond his expectations. "I'm sorry… Could you repeat the question?" Muki chuckled, half-amused, half-impressed.
"Why did you lie to her?" She asked him, unassuming. "She's your Partner; shouldn't she know that you… Didn't meet CHECKMATE like that?" The child stared into Muki's eyes, unwavering. "… It didn't really sound like that 'I see dead people' thing was true either…"
"You're really something, telling that I'm lying from my face." Muki laughed, but quickly grew quiet. "… She can't know. It's for her own good." He looked at Katy sadly, then back at his conversational partner. "Sometimes… You need to keep secrets to protect people… Understand?"
"I… I guess." The girl looked at the ground. "I… Suppose that's correct, Mr. Muki… I'm sorry."
"No, please. Don't be." Muki waved his hand, and smiled.
"… But in that case… What's this thing that you can't tell her…?" Koushi pressed, her curiousity getting the better of her. "I promise I won't tell her," she quickly mentioned, "but… I just want to know… If that's okay."
Muki stared at the girl before him for a moment or so, and then laughed a sad, quiet sort of laugh to himself. "… I'm an Angel."
"Wha-a-at…!?" The girl, brought a hand to her mouth, her quiet voice shaking in surprise. "Why-… What do you mean you're an… 'Angel'?"
"… Nothing." Muki said finally, smiling again. "… It was just a bad joke."
5th Day – Promotion
Oh, my! Plot!
Actual plot! :D
So, I'm about to do the 'obligatory SOSS ad', so if you don't want to read it, I understand XD
This story is part of a program called Shibuya Operation – Story Storm, (if you've read this many chapters and only found out about it now… Where were you looking…?)
Essentially, I, along with my prestigious colleagues have been periodically writing chapters on our respective stories for the past 7 Weeks, (wow… 7 Weeks :O) in the attempt to be… Awesome.
I believe we are succeeding.
*UBER FISTPUMP*
Check out the Shibuya Operation – Story Storm Community for more goodness!
You know you want to.
-X
P.S. I was totally going to have Hiro point out that the Pawn was, "Kind of like Xion in Organization XIII!" XD
… I don't know… I might have a Kingdom Hearts crossover done at some point, so… I didn't want to break the fourth wall in regards to it :P
