Midnight
See disclaimer in the Prologue
Kiri was lying on his back counting cracks in the ceiling, trying to still his jagged pulse and stifling half-murmured prayers, when out of nowhere his arm started to burn. Shocked, he stared down at himself, then struggled into a sitting position and pushed his blankets to his waist: His Knight's mark was glowing white-hot, and with its unfaltering light, sharp terror swept through his blood.
The distress call— The thought didn't get any further, because crippling pain ripped up his breastbone, curling around his heart and squeezing hard. Kiri gasped, clutched at his chest, and buckled, curling up tightly as first one, then two, then all of the monitors that were attached to him via the doctors' wires began to scream shrilly.
Fighting to stay conscious, Kiri sat up again, tore free of his flimsy restraints, and put his legs over the side of the bed. Outside his room, doctors were running back and forth. Panting shallowly, he watched them dizzily, then felt his heart literally stop when he saw the group of them rushing the gurney past the window.
He didn't see much: just a flash of torn green, and a pale, bloody hand on the sheets. But he knew instantly.
As a second wave of disabling agony slashed through his chest, Kiri grabbed for the spell card sitting on the sparse bedside table, his desperate fingers clutching twice on nothing before he was able to pull it towards him.
"An nall nithrac…" he barely managed to choke, then held it to his forehead, closing his eyes and screaming with every ounce of will in his body.
The next moment, a third convulsive clutch gripped him, carrying him over the edge of the bed to sprawl on the cold floor, unmoving.
---
Fabula was only a few blocks away when the immense pillar of light shot into the sky and the Knight's mark on her chest started to burn. Swearing bitterly, she put on speed, holding out both hands at her sides to summon her armament, a bright blur of blue and silver down the blackness of Lucretia's night.
When she collided with him, she sensed the taint running through his body and blood and leaped back, raising one hand into the air and calling out a string of harsh commands that sent streaks of light from around her body to his.
He flung out both arms to deflect the blows, but some of them hit, and the illumination was enough for Fabula to realize what Chaos had been doing. Gritting her teeth, she held out one chakram at her adversary, her eyes hard with hate.
"This is where it ends," she called decisively. "Release him now, or suffer the consequences!"
"…Or what?" he said, smiling darkly, clearly trying to taunt her with that familiar voice. "You wouldn't possibly attack, when you would only be hurting a colleague?"
"Tch." She narrowed her eyes and held her hand out, gathering power. "You might be surprised. After all… either way, he'll be well rid of you, won't he?"
"The justifications of your pathetic order never cease to fascinate me," he replied snidely, and raised both arms before him, turning his palms to the sky as power surged around him.
Fabula crooked her fingers; the light from the streetlamps hazed, flickered, and began to dance around her. When he gestured broadly to send his shadowed power at her, she only stared at him with scorn. The lights around her smote the tendrils down instantly.
Almost before she could see him do it, he rushed her—as it was, she was just able to sink back into a defensive stance in order to parry his heavy strike. She grabbed hold of his wrist, spun him around so that he was standing against her back, and jerked, sending him spinning over her hip to catch himself awkwardly. She shifted her weight to her toes, then dashed forward quickly, focusing her power for a kick that didn't quite graze his cheek—a warning shot, charged with more than enough power to let him know she was serious. He staggered from the blowback, then lashed out with an open-palm strike. Fabula leaned out of the way, but the rush of jagged air around his hand opened a wide cut down her cheekbone that began to bleed a few seconds later. Not giving him time to recover, she swept low and kicked his legs out from under him, sending him sprawling with a grunt.
"There's only so much you can do with a body that's not yours," she said softly, scathingly. "Actions that would be reflex to a man such as him are things you have to struggle and overcompensate for. Face it. You can't win against me." Blood was sliding hot and sticky from the side of her face down her throat and into the shoulder of her dress, dripping over her clavicle onto her Knight's mark and between her breasts. For now she ignored it, but it would be an annoying mess to clean later.
"…hmph." He got back to his feet slowly, but though she bent down into a tense stance in preparation for more battle, he ran the other way, attempting to disappear into the darkness of the side streets.
"You're not getting away from me!"
---
Dolk stood in the cold with a grim expression and a tight grip on his briefcase, waiting for the train to arrive. Usually, he liked the fact that he lived on the outskirts of Lucretia: It meant that while it took longer to get to work, he was able to see the rosy tinges of daylight on the horizon, an alien sight to the inner city. Ever since the time of the great dimensional rip that had been the culmination of That Incident, dawn had never fully risen on Lucretia, after all, and it bothered Dolk on a fundamental level. It was, he thought privately sometimes, like time had almost frozen over the city for all this time, and it was waiting for something to happen to move it forward again.
But now, his distance from the hub of the city was a nuisance. He'd been rudely awakened by Kiri's desperate cry only ten minutes or so ago, and the bullet train would get him into town in another twenty or less, but there was no way for him to know exactly what had transpired and it was really worrying. Dolk continually tried to reestablish his telepathic connection with Kiri, but either the force of the Mystarian's call had used up all his ofuda's power, or something was happening in the hospital that kept Kiri from replying. Either way, he had to get there, and he had to get there yesterday. He hadn't been able to save Kiri from being attacked, but he had given his word that he would come if he was needed and didn't want to be too late.
Finally, there was a roar of wind, and the redeye pulled into the station with a hiss of steam as the brakes locked. Dolk adjusted his grip on his briefcase, pushed his glasses up on his nose, and stepped on when the doors slid open, electing to stand in the aisle rather than sit.
The train was relatively empty, what with it being the middle of the night. A few bored-looking businessmen were sitting in this car and the next, and a tall girl in a deep brown trenchcoat, driving gloves, and a bucket hat stood further down the aisle from him with her back to him. Still, if Dolk sat, he'd have all that more space to focus on fidgeting and worrying. Standing, he'd need to expend energy to brace himself against the train's movement.
There was a hiss as the doors closed, then that particular mechanical surge and hum as the power cells fixed throughout the train's frame charged and went off, sending them rocketing forward.
What, Dolk wondered to himself as the train roared down the track, could possibly have made Madoushi scream like that? He said to me himself that even when he was attacked, he never cried out. But just now, he called me with so much force it took a few minutes for me to be able to hear myself think again. So what could have happened? Or don't I even want to know the answer to that?
There were a few more moments of silence, and then there was an earsplitting sound of glass shattering, and many of the train's windows blasted inwards, crashing in a musical cascade into the aisle. Most of the passengers ducked with fearful or protesting cries, and Dolk stared incredulously as a figure in a long black coat with its hood pulled up seemed to fall through one of the windows into the aisle.
Barely half a breath later, there was a furious exclamation, the words lost in the roar of the wind, and Fabula swung in through one of the windows, sliding to a standstill on the broken glass that littered the car. Her face was cut, and the blood from the injury was soaking her side; her hands were also bleeding from where she'd grabbed the edges of glass to get herself inside, but she didn't seem to notice any of that. She was wearing what Dolk had always thought of as the Knight look, her expression hard and honed and decisive, and there was nothing short of sheer rage in her eyes.
"I told you there'd be no escaping me!" she yelled at the hooded man, and all hell broke loose.
There was a surge of power back and forth between the two of them, strong enough to shatter all the remaining glass in the compartment, more than enough to tell Dolk that not only was Fabula dead serious, but that she'd kill this man if she got half the chance. And that was more than enough to tell Dolk who he was looking at.
Drawing in a deep breath, he snapped his briefcase open and whipped out a stack of ofuda, slamming the briefcase shut and to the ground, setting one foot over it for good measure. Pulling the top card off the stack, he palmed the others in a circle, first lighting the inscription on the one he'd chosen, then positioning his hands in the jutsu, softly chanting the sutra so that he would be able to attack whenever Fabula—or her opponent—gave him the opportunity to do so.
Then the girl who'd been standing in front of him whipped off her coat, both it and her hat blown outside by the force of the wind. Dolk saw a flash of black at her wrist just as light exploded around her, taking the shape of bow and arrow that she aimed at the hooded man, loosing one ethereal shot, then several more. He danced back to avoid the rain of power, and then faded back through the window just as the train began to slow, pulling towards the station.
"…" Dolk held out his hand, and the deck of ofuda he'd been arming flew obediently back into it. Fabula shook her head, cursed softly, and then lightly flipped her injured hands at her sides as if starting to feel the sting of the cuts only now.
"Smarmy son of a bitch," the girl observed, glaring in the direction of the window where the man had disappeared as she let the bow of light in her hands fizzle out. "Who does he think he is, running away from a good fight like that? Coward."
So saying, she smoothed back her long, windblown pink hair, then turned towards Dolk and Fabula with a surprised-looking smile.
"Well, this sure is some reunion. I was hoping for something a little less violent, but… it's good to see you guys again, after so long."
---
The three of them had quite the reception when they reached the hospital—other police and security guards, most prominently Miles and Gaeus, were all over the waiting room, with several squad cars sitting in the lot with their lights still flashing. Hospital staff were running back and forth frantically, and one particularly white-faced clerk was sitting down and talking to a few officers Dolk didn't immediately recognize while they took notes.
"Well, shit," Dolk murmured. There was little doubt as to what could have happened here.
"Hey, you guys—better late than never," Miles said, noticing them and waving them over. "Dolk, you need to move further in, seriously—you probably got word before any of us because you left that card with Madoushi, but you're just getting here now. That's pathetic. I'd better brief you with the basics now before you start getting too confused by hysterical workers."
"May as well get it over with," Dolk sighed. "So?"
"Our favorite bastard was lurking around down here, and happened to run into Kumo while he was coming back from a late-night shopping trip. There was an altercation—and, yes, another assault—but Kumo was able to get off the distress call. It lit up the entire block; there was no way you could miss it. Our perp took off pretty quick, so he slipped our nets, but we've got the perimeter on lockdown while Kumo's in surgery. They fought, so his injuries are pretty nasty—even with reconstructive surgery, his face will likely be scarred. Interestingly enough, Madoushi went into cardiac arrest shortly after Kumo was taken in. The former's in recovery right now, and the latter's still being worked on. Now what the hell happened to you?" Miles asked Fabula, crossing her arms. "Looks like you got in an argument with some sharp objects."
"Broken glass, actually," Fabula remarked conversationally. "I had the good fortune of encountering our runaway on my way to respond to the distress call. I obviously tried to get hold of him, and our fight took us onto the redeye train that these two happened to be on. He escaped, but I do have some important information for you regarding who and what we're dealing with here."
"Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure it can wait until we get you stitched up," Miles said shrewdly. "You're gonna faint if you lose too much blood."
Fabula glanced down at her hands as if she'd had to be reminded that she had any injuries at all. "If you insist. Still, as soon as I'm done, I need to talk to you all. If you'll excuse me? Dolk, Ai… I'm fairly sure you can handle the rest." With that, she was off and walking towards the inside of the hospital, her long silver hair trailing after her and splatters of blood pooling on the tile floor in her wake.
Miles shook her head after the Knight, wearing an expression of utter amazement. "…A ballsier woman I've never laid eyes on. Anyway, who have we got…" Turning to see Dolk's young companion for the first time, Miles fell silent and stared, her mouth hanging open.
"Uh… yeah. Long time no see—really, really long time no see," Ai said with a grin.
"If it's any consolation, I hardly recognized her at first either," Dolk put in helpfully, ruffling the girl's hair affectionately. "She's gotten so big in four years."
Lucretia hadn't seen hide or hair of Ai Hayakawa and her family since the conclusion of That Incident—they'd prudently skipped town as soon as their part in the affair was over. The girl who'd left the city had been small for her twelve years, with carefully arranged and often unusual hairstyles and a skeptic's air that often made her seem older than she was. Now, Ai was wearing her hair long and loose, and it fell thick and straight past her waist, as luridly pink as ever, and she had a grin on that said she was still adrenaline-rushing from the near battle on the train. She'd put on at least a foot and a half, and would probably top Lisa by an inch or two, despite the difference in their ages.
And another thing—Ai and her twin brother Yu had been entirely helpless during That Incident, caught in the gears of Chaos' machinations as they were. Judging by her actions on the train, that wasn't the case anymore.
And judging by her reappearance now of all times, there was little doubt as to how that was so.
"What are you doing out here?" Miles demanded, finding her tongue at last. "If you were on the train, you should know damn well that the Kontonkawas are getting active again…"
Ai pulled off her right glove and displayed her wrist to both police officers, her smile losing its giddiness and going hard, confident. "I was assigned here," she told them. "And you don't turn down orders. Besides, it's way past time to run away and hide. I made sure I learned how to defend myself properly while I was away. My partner's headed here too, but—she's tied up in Shinjuku, and probably won't make it for a good few more days."
Dolk nodded at Ai's explanation, still staring at the black Knight's mark on her fair skin soberly. It was only right that this girl, who owed so much to the Knights of the Round, had joined their order to stand up and defend those who were now as she'd been then.
"What about Yu?" he asked at last. "Did he become a Knight too, or…?"
Ai shook her head, shrugging. "Nah. Baby brother's staying in school like a good kid—he's gonna study medicine when he graduates, be a genius doctor and save lives in other ways. He's got power, too—he's just using it in a way he's better suited to. It's kinda just as well… he can't throw a punch worth beans, and I've only got a vague idea how to put on an Ace bandage."
"Are you sure you want to turn yourself into a target like this, though…? After all…" Miles let the sentence hang, still looking at Ai dubiously.
"Four years ago, Yu and I didn't know what we were or even how to use the powers we had," Ai said simply. "Now we do. And we've chosen what we're going to do with them. We're beyond Chaos now—which I'm sure must really burn Kontonkawa's slimy ass." She grinned dangerously. "Don't worry so much, okay?"
Miles jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "In case Dolk and Fabula didn't enlighten you, we've got a Knight your age back in there," she said seriously. "The Kontonkawas' new lackey got hold of him. He's been brutalized, and we're not sure if the doctors here can fix it. Another Knight, one older than you, barely survived a similar attack. This guy's no lightweight. You sure you're up to that?"
Ai shrugged. "For what it's worth, I've got a year and a half's worth of hard combat experience. I've fought through the kinds of things only other Knights can imagine. I'm no lightweight, either."
There was a brief moment of silence in which Miles was probably realizing, as Dolk had, that in her years away Ai had grown up quickly. She wasn't the same girl anymore, and although her confident attitude was still brazen, it wore on her a lot more easily, as though she'd earned the right to act tough.
Dolk rested a hand on her shoulder, patted. Although his voice was sad, it was also proud as he told her, "Whatever the case, it's good to have you aboard."
There was another brief silence as Miles assumed a thoughtful expression and Ai shoved Dolk's hand away with a good-naturedly embarrassed grin. Police lights still flashed outside, and the clamor of officers talking to the hospital staff buzzed in the background, but Dolk paid little attention to it.
If the events from That Incident were starting to come full circle, then—it was probably only just that Ai should be here too, and work to close what had been opened because of her existence. No matter how young she still was, it felt fundamentally right to Dolk both as a policeman and as an ordinary man who'd also been involved.
Besides, if Ai had learned to fully control her powers, it would be too massive a help to turn down when dealing with the Kontonkawas and the evil they represented.
The warm silence was broken as the doors slid open hard and footsteps rang discordantly on the tile floors. Dolk turned, wondering what in the world had happened now, to see that it was Lisa who'd just burst in—Lisa with her hair down, her coat half-buttoned, her son Yuki asleep in one arm and her half-awake daughter Kasumi trailing at the end of the other. She was pale and had a frantic look in her eyes, and was clearly falling apart at the seams—Lisa, who always tried her best to shield negative emotions with a smile, no matter how fake or transparent it came out. Something was definitely wrong.
Before Dolk could ask aloud, Lisa crossed the room to him, Miles, and Ai.
"Kaze is gone," she burst out, panting—she'd apparently run straight here as fast as she'd been able to with Kasumi on the ground. "I woke up a little while ago with all the commotion and he wasn't in bed—looked around the house and he wasn't there—the door was open—if he's having another of his bad episodes—if the man we've been chasing is at large—"
Miles swore vibrantly, making Kasumi blink up at her with confusion. "We can't know if the son of a bitch was screwing around before he attacked Kumo… and this would be just the perfect time for a double attack, with all our people sitting here on the hospital…"
Lisa let out a sound that was half gasp and half sob; Dolk glared at Miles for panicking her further.
"I'm sure Kaze is fine, Lisa," he told her soothingly. "He knows how to take care of himself better than most, and since our perp tangled with Fabula, he's probably just been putting as much distance between himself and here as he can."
"Mooooooom, what's 'sum-of-a-bich' mean?" Kasumi asked, yanking Lisa's sleeve. Not really paying attention, she patted her daughter's head and told her to hush.
"This sure is a mess and a half, though," Miles remarked with a sigh. "We can't spare the people to search for Kaze right now, and whether he's been attacked or he's seen something suspicious or he's just spacing out, we can't just leave him around to fend for himself. And we can't send just one person out to look for him," she added, cutting Ai off—apparently she'd been ready to volunteer. "Kumo's proof enough that it's just not safe to anybody associated with the Knights to be alone at night."
Ai made a face and crossed her arms, but nodded, acknowledging the sense in the statement.
At that moment, Fabula rejoined them, sporting a butterfly bandage on her cheek and freshly wrapped hands. She looked none the worse for wear, and had cleaned up the blood on her chest, though it still stained the side of her dress.
"Lisa—you're here, and you've brought the children? That's good—it's not safe for you to be at home right now. And it's best that you're here to listen to what I have to say. Everyone, let's move out of the way of the police working here… we need to wait in Kiri's room until he wakes up for this. In the meantime, let's get the kids settled in a room of their own… Kasumi looks about ready to drop, poor thing. We can't have distractions, and they don't need to worry about this. I know who it is we're fighting."
:TBC:
