By all that is holy, I am alive.
I must apologize, both for my un-explained absence, and for the fact that I'm going to… Not really explain why I've been gone, for something like… A year?
I will say this: I have been hospitalized, busy with work, as well as with personal events and issues, re-hospitalized, stuck in that 'I've been gone for so long, perhaps I should never upload/contact anything/anyone again' mindset, and, well… Look, I've been through a lot; I realize that it's no excuse for this, uh, 'abandonment of duty', but I am back, now.
Unfortunately, my life is still very complicated at this point, so, while I no longer have the amount of free time on my hands that I once had, I will be trying to participate from time to time, in any of the Twelve Shots of Summer and/or Shibuya Operation – Story Storm events, both of which I could only be a part of, thanks to Chronic Guardian, who, (along with a certain Akise Aru fangirl,) has been incessantly messaging me, asking about where I was, how I was doing, and when I would return, and I mean that in the best way possible.
It's astounding that they hadn't given up on me; it's been so long, and yet, I am, apparently, still worth attempting to contact; that fills me with so many feels, and I am honestly humbled.
In any case, I will state the following: I am not saying that I will be able to enter in any kind of weekly prompts; I may, but the odds aren't that great.
But I won't be dropping out like this, ever again… I hope.
With that, I'll direct you to the always-amazing Twelve Shots of Summer and Shibuya Operation – Story Storm Communities, and finally, deliver the (perhaps) long awaited final chapters of X Days -Marked-, which has been left on Dropbox, unfinished, for far, far too long, (btw, I lost a few laptops, as well; that was demotivating, (no excuses, self!))
To conclude:
To CG, Aviantei, and anyone else I have disappointed: I am sorry.
To anyone and everyone who is, for whatever reason, reading this… It's good to be back.
-ImamuraCross
P.S. Haven't written in a while! So, uh, if my 'style' seems different…
Well, that's why :P
P.P.S. I did have the overall plot and ending 'figured out', from the beginning, so it's not like anything's changed; the story will continue and conclude, roughly the same way it would've, had I not decided to swan off, like a spicy tuna roll.
Chapter IX
The rooftop of Pork City felt something like a warzone to Katy… The air seemed to crack and grind against itself, producing an unpleasant noise that, to her, was like hearing a tree trunk being crushed to splinters; the smell of burnt flesh passed by her, once or twice… Fragmentary shards of discarded Imagination swelled around her, rising up from Pork City Tower, and crashing down upon her with the force of a tsunami, sending a bolt of searing pain through her head…
At that moment… She had remembered.
She remembered something.
6th Day: Part II
Player Side
At that moment… I had remembered.
The moment that I had arrived… In this strange city.
Staring at the intimidating figure of the woman, the Reaper that could only be the Queen, A fuzzy vision flashed before me, as a sudden aching sting drove itself into my temples…
"I'll be off, then…!" Being the last one to get off, I took the time to smile and thank the bus driver, a somewhat girlish-looking man, before hopping out of the vehicle, into the 'wondrous world of Shibuya'… As it was described by the girl who had sat next to me.
BOOM!
I had scarcely touched the ground, when a deafening clap of thunder tore across the sky… I jumped, as the first drops of water began to rain down onto my unprotected body.
"Oh, that won't do…!" The driver chuckled, seeing my unamused, pouting face. "Quickly, if you'd wait in here for a moment…" He called for me to come back, with a wave, before standing, and walking to the back of the bus.
"Thank you, but…" I scampered back up the steps of the bus, glad that I had only been glanced by about a dozen raindrops; out of nowhere, some higher power had apparently decided to crash my arrival by summoning an unexpected thunderstorm for me to frustrate myself with: A veritable wall of water now stood between me, and Shibuya. "… Where are you going…?" I turned away from the sheet of rain, and watched the man, as he began searching through the now-vacant bus, looking for… Something.
"Just wait…" He briefly turned back to me, with a very expectant look on his face, which was obscured by a matted mess of platinum blond hair; a single, crisp blue eye was visible beneath the tangle…
While the driver's hands flew around the area, under the seats, over the overhead racks, and inside of the various luggage compartments, it struck me that he was dressed rather… 'Unusually', for an everyday bus driver: An extravagant black jacket rested upon his shoulders, over a short-sleeved, buttoned, white dress shirt, that enshrouded his relatively light build; a pair of grey, denim jeans, and white shoes, (Pegaso, perhaps,) made me wonder about his circumstances, 'working as a… Bus driver'… Wouldn't be the first thing that came to mind, if I had seen him on the street.
"Ah…! Wonderful!" I raised an eyebrow; immediately upon popping open another compartment, he had let out a satisfied sound, before reaching inside.
His accent: Crisp, if foreign, added another layer of mystery to the driver… Most strangely, possibly, was his gait; he walked like a man slightly intoxicated… Or at the very least, injured in the leg… Likely the reason for the carved, wooden cane that rested behind the driver seat of the bus.
"We have a winner…! Lucky for you." Chuckling, the man trotted over to me, and produced a flowery, green umbrella.
More than a little surprised, I held up my hands in front of myself, reluctant to take the umbrella. "Where did you get that…?"
"Passengers often leave things behind," he shrugged, before motioning around the vehicle's interior, his entire body swaying with every movement, (it was at this point that I considered the likelihood that the man merely enjoyed skipping and prancing everywhere, as opposed to the possible substance and/or injury induced possibilities.)
"Well, while that's very kind of you," I kept my hands where they were, and shook my head, refusing his offer as politely as I could, "I certainly can't accept it if it belongs to someone else; they could very well come back for it." I pointed out, turning to leave. Perhaps I won't get too wet if I simply run from shelter to shelter…
"She won't," he asserted, stopping me; he twirled the umbrella in front of me, insisting that I take it, "The girl who sat next to you; I know her. It'll take at least a day before she even realizes that it's missing." He laughed, continuing to dangle the umbrella in front of my face.
"Then… Why don't you return it, if you're acquainted with her?" I suggested, smiling. Raising my left hand, I extended my index finger, and tick-tock-ticked it from side to side in a gesture of disapproval. "… I'm sure that she'd like that." Finished, I began to turn again…
"Because you need it now, of course," he indicated the downpour outside with his head, not looking away from me, "I can buy her a new one, if she blames me." He spun the umbrella faster, a little impatient that I hadn't yet taken it, most likely.
"I wouldn't want you to waste your money on something so easily avoidable, but thank you for-"
"Nope!" He sang, cutting me off. "As a gentleman," he stressed the word, "I cannot allow you, young lady, to face that deluge unarmed. 'kay?" He finished on an amusingly out-of-character note.
On the one hand, I really did not want to take that girl's umbrella, but it was clear that the 'gentleman' really did not want me to leave the bus without it. "… Well, how about this?" I smirked, and lowered my hands, placing them on my hips, feeling cheeky. "I'll accept the umbrella, if you agree to meet me tomorrow, and take it back to the girl."
The gentleman looked rather stunned, as I had expected; maybe he would just drop the issue, if I twisted his arm a little… "…Seriously?" He gave me a quizzical look, and stopped twirling the umbrella. "You want to borrow the umbrella, and then make me return it to her…?" He summed up, his mouth hanging partially open.
"Something like that, yes." I nodded, enjoying the exchange.
"And you want to meet up with me tomorrow." He repeated, keeping his tone level.
"Tomorrow would be nice, if possible." I grinned.
After a moment's silence, the gentleman tucked the umbrella underneath his arm, and pulled out a pen, and began scribbling something onto a scrap of paper, no longer looking at me. "Look, miss, you have lovely eyes, and all that, but I make it a principle not to date passengers."
"Wh-!" I stuttered; caught off-guard, I felt my face flush. "I-I never said anything like that!" Flustered, I waved my hands up and down; oblivious, he continued to write on his little piece of paper. "I just wanted to give the umbrella back, that's all!"
"So… You don't want to go out with me?" He glanced up at me, a cocky expression on his face.
"N-No! Not at all!" I insisted, still waving my hands.
"Perhaps we shouldn't meet up tomorrow, then." He looked back down at his paper, scribbling away.
"Y-… Yes, that sounds fine." My hands slowed, as I began to wonder exactly what he was writing.
"Well then, would you, perhaps, prefer to return the umbrella personally, rather than meet me tomorrow?" He asked, accentuating the last word with a flick of his pen; he had finished writing.
"W-W-We don't have to meet!" Feeling my face turn completely red, I shook my head so fast that, in all likelihood, it appeared to him as a blur. "I can return it myself!" The words were out of my mouth before I realized… And then…
"Great! If you want to return it," his voice shifted upwards in pitch, back to his previous, chipper tone; pushing the umbrella into my hands, the gentleman held up the piece of paper, "you'll need her address; I've written it down here." He indicated with his finger. "Good luck!" With a mischievous chortle, the gentleman dropped the paper on top of the umbrella, and led me off the bus before I realized what was happening. "Whoops, let me get that for you…" Right before we stepped outside, he opened the umbrella, and handed it to me. "You have a good day now, miss." With a final, impish giggle, the man closed the bus doors, leaving me outside, and feeling that I had been quite… Made a fool out of. I was alone, though I was, admittedly, much drier than I would've been if he hadn't tricked me into accepting the umbrella.
After a moment of self-berating, I let out a long sigh, and checked the note; I didn't mind the errand so much as the fact that I was so easy to manipulate… At least the girl wasn't a complete stranger; the task would have proven far more awkward, if that were the case.
Ssss…
The rain fell in an endless torrent, assaulting the top of my new, though soon-to-be-returned, umbrella, as I drew my gaze over the gentleman's neat handwriting. "… The Udagawa Back Streets… I think I know where that is…" (I didn't.) "… Hm?" As the paper began to dampen from the moist atmosphere, it became apparent that the gentleman had written something on the back, as well. I turned the note over, and…
[P.S. I'm free on Sundays :)]
Furiously, and, somewhat comically, I scrunched the paper into a ball, and flung it away; it played out a bit like a scene out of a manga, actually… Although the dramatic nature of my disposal was somewhat mitigated when I, irritated at myself for littering in a city that I had spent less than 5 minutes in, quickly ran over to the now-drenched wad of paper, and threw it into a nearby bin.
"Shibuya, huh…?" I spoke to myself, as I made my way through the crowd, to the Udagawa district. "… You're looking to be an interesting experience."
I have never since, made such an understatement as that.
Reaper Side
"Huh…!" The Rook eased up, slightly, noticing the Pawn experience some sort of headache. "Looks like they're here…" He noted, keeping his eyes on the four ex-Players.
"If you only noticed that now, I'm rather afraid for you, Rook." The Queen responded without batting an eye, and walked towards the newcomers.
"Watch it…!" Muki cautioned his teammates, sinking into a battle stance…
"Yo, yo, yo, Beat to da rescue, yo!" The blond-haired ex-Player, Daisukenojo 'Beat' Bito, launched himself at the Queen, before being intercepted by the Rook. "Rrgh! Move it, birdman!"
"Beat, watch out!" The shorter blonde, Beat's sister Raimu 'Rhyme' Bito's warning came just in time.
Swish!
The Bishop clicked her tongue, having failed to incapacitate her target in one strike… But it was only a minor setback; she would finish him, and his partner in a matter of moments.
"Thanks, Rhyme…!" Beat kicked off of the rooftop, retreating a few steps, as Rhyme ran up to join him.
"Hey, Skulls…" The Rook grinned, a spark in his eye, as golden Noise feathers enshrouded his right arm. "How about we take this to the Noise Plane?"
"Don't be foolish." The Bishop remarked bluntly. "We can easily finish them here."
"'Chess 101: Don't underestimate your opponent'… Or something like that, just ask his majesty when we have a moment." The Rook laughed. "Now, are you gonna share a Puck with me, or what?" He asked, as the Bito siblings began to sync up their energy.
"… Fine, just don't slow me down." And with the Bishop's reply, the four vanished into a void of black and yellow.
"They're… Ex-Players, how can they fight…?" Katy gasped out, both confused and worried, but also attempting to take her mind off of the surge of memories that had just resurfaced.
"Someone must have put a Reverse Reaper Decal up here… Those guys are all in the UG, right now…" Muki narrowed his eyes, looking both cautious and… Angered…?
"'Magokoro Muki', was it?" The Queen drew the katana from her waist as she advanced on the group. "You've caused quite a bit of trouble for CHECKMATE… You and your convoluted plans are something that I could honestly do without."
"Oh, I don't doubt it…" Muki returned.
"Then, you'll permit me…" The Queen brandished her blade, now only about ten paces away from Muki. "If I…"
"Muki!" Katy shouted.
But at that moment…
Swash!
"What…?" The Queen let out a small sound of surprise, her head only just avoiding a charging slash; the attacker, having completely missed its target, flew right by, before, amusingly, smacking into the elevator doors, and dropping into Hiro's hands, limp.
"Is…" Hiro gaped at the thing in his grasp. "Did a stuffed pig just-"
"Oooh, come on! Really!?" A shrill cry of irritation rang through the air; the five looked to the far side of the rooftop, where the only other two people were. "He's not a pig, okay? He's a cat! And his name's 'Mr. Mew'!" The girl with the glasses held her forehead in her hands, and started jumping up and down, as everyone stared, uncomprehendingly.
"Seems like it's still a piggy to most people… Sorry, Shiki." Neku chuckled, patting his partner, Shiki Misaki, on the back a few times.
Boing!
"Wah!" Hiro flinched, as Mr. Mew sprung back to life, shot him a disapproving look, (or at least, what could be seen as a 'disapproving look' from a stuffed toy,) and resumed its attack on the Queen.
"Creative, but…" With a triad of swings, Mr. Mew was neatly cut into seven, uneven pieces; wisps of stuffing were caught by the wind, as Mr. Mew's disarticulated form began to fall…
"Haaah!" Neku dashed towards the Queen, as Shiki punched the air, and yelled out.
"Multiply!"
Mr. Mew's collective visage glowed with a white light, before each dismembered part morphed into their own, full version of Mr. Mew; on cue, the seven stuffed felines latched onto the Queen, restricting her movement.
"Nngh…?" The Queen, stunned by the sheer peculiarity of the situation, struggled to shake off the feline fighters, but…
"Shockwave!"
Swish!
Swish!
Slash!
Slash!
Clang!
Swash!
Neku stopped, having sprinted past the Queen, delivering a single Shockwave Psych to her ensnared body…
Kzzzt!
"Ugh!" A medium-sized gash formed on Neku's side, and began emitting static; he turned, keeping his eyes on the Queen.
"A good, strong, Psych… But you'll have to try harder, Neku Sakuraba." The Queen pulled the one remaining Mr. Mew off of her, and discarded it; the others lay at her feet, in pieces.
"… Heh." Neku, having kept a grim expression, suddenly grinned. "Maybe you shouldn't be too confident about yourself, lady…"
Kzzzt…!
In a similar fashion to Neku, the Queen's upper leg developed a thin cut "… Hm." Murmuring in displeasure, the Queen, though having sustained a flesh wound, whipped her katana through the air, clearly able to continue fighting.
"Did you see that, Hiro…?!" Koushi's eyes widened, as she pulled her brother close.
"What just…" Katy gripped her head even tighter, not quite believing what she had just seen.
"Yeah… Only just." Hiro's voice shook ever so slightly, as he held his elder sister's hand. "Right before the guy's Psych hit… She cut the piggies off her, deflected the Shockwave, and cut him…"
Katy gritted her teeth; her headache was subsiding. What kind of Reaper is she…!?
"Neku!" Shiki ran around the Queen, and knelt next to her partner, before pulling out a Pin.
"Don't bother," Muki advised, positioning himself between the two Players, and the Reaper, "Cure Drink's difficult to work outside of the Noise Plane… Focus your Imagination on something else."
"Well then," the swordswoman instantly spoke up, "in the interest of fairness…" The Queen flourished her sword, before raising it high; its tip pointing downwards. "Why don't we continue this over there?"
No-one had the chance to ask what she meant; nobody could object… Driving her sword through the stone beneath her, the Queen appeared to rip the very air open, producing a white void that drew everyone but Hiro and Koushi into the Noise Plane, and stranding the Tetsuyous on Pork City's lonely rooftop…
… That was… Until he showed up.
"Greetings!" A voice startled the two kids. "Looks like it's just us three…" It was friendly voice; one that would be used at some… Pleasant tea party, perhaps…
But it was laced with an underlying bloodlust… A predatory savageness that made the Tetsuyous' stomachs turn.
"You are…" Koushi drew in a sharp breath, and ran her eyes over the man.
"It's me, yes!" He laughed, adjusting his jacket to sit straight on his shoulders. "Bet you've all been waiting…" He raised his head; a single crimson iris, sparking with wickedness, managed to gaze out from beneath a mass of pale, tangled hair. "Knight, here. Reporting for duty…!" He added, with mischievous cackle.
"Wait… What did you just say?" Feeling a chill run down his back, Hiro tried to comprehend what the newcomer had just said.
If that man standing before us is truly the Knight… Koushi gripped Hiro's tiny hand in her own. … Things are much worse than we thought.
Player Side
How many times had I been thrown into battle, like this…?
Five times? Six?
Ten?
Twenty?
… Whatever the number, I had, by this point in the Reapers' Game, accustomed myself to the 'regulations' of battle in the Noise Plane; as the Queen locked eyes with me, a predator, ready to strike…
One: 'A slow Player is a dead Player'; land on your feet, and raise your guard, now…! I talked myself into a state of calm, ready for battle.
Reaper Side
The Queen immediately lunged for the nearest target: Katy. Just as the Player's boots made contact with the rooftop, the Queen's blade made contact with her skin…
Whoosh!
Katy spun on her heel, and whipped her head out of the way; surviving what would surely have been a fatal blow, albeit with a disturbingly visible graze across her jugular area; now facing away from the master swordswoman, Katy closed her eyes, and concentrated… A Light Puck quickly formed around her frame, before shooting backwards, towards her Partner.
Player Side
Two… 'A Player uses everything at their disposal'; besides Pins, take note of your surroundings; any number elements in the surrounding environment may be available to use to your advantage…
Reaper Side
Undeterred, the Queen wheeled to the left; her attack changed from a high stab into a low slash, aiming at her prey's right leg…
Swish!
Katy gritted her teeth, and sprung backwards, over the Queen; a good portion of Katy's skirt was left with a gaping hole, as she once again managed to avoid the Queen's strike… At that moment…
"Muki!"
Hearing the Player's cry, the Queen swiftly turned; seeing Muki jumping towards an airborne Katy, his leg swinging towards her in a sweeping kick, the Queen couldn't help but think that he was about to attack his own Partner…
"Alright, go!" With that one shout from Muki, the Queen understood.
Katy flipped over in mid-air, landed on Muki's outstretched leg, and kicked off, re-absorbing the Light Puck, and propelling herself towards the Queen, a Pin in hand.
Player Side
Three… 'A good Player keeps an ace up their sleeve'… Meaning… I thought to myself, as I hurtled towards the stoic Queen, signalling with my eyes to Muki, as I did so. … Deception is a legitimate strategy.
Reaper Side
"… Foolish." the Queen raised her blade, ready to cut down the Player flying towards her. "Did you really think that that would work?"
Katy eyed the Queen's weapon, and clenched the Pin tightly in her hand. "Pyrokinesis!" Like a roaring dragon, Katy unleashed a torrent of flame, enhanced by the reinforcing power of the Light Puck, sending it spiralling towards the Queen…
Wssshhh…!
Without so much as blinking, the Queen had countered; leaping skyward, directly towards Katy, the Queen had swiped at the air with such force, that the flames dispersed around her, vanishing into nothingness. "And now, you're defenceless." The Queen stated, calm as ever, as she flew toward the startled, airborne Player. She raised her weapon, and swung it in a clean, horizontal arc, aiming to decapitate Katy in one fell swoop.
Player Side
Four… I pushed myself to recall upon all of my battle experience; admittedly, it was a small well to draw from, as most of my fights were with simple Noise, but surely… There was more that I could use to my advantage… Unfortunately, the fact that the Light Puck had left me, along with the Pyrokinesis only served to further distract me. Four, A Player… Wait. Before I had the chance to form a new tactic, it occurred to me that my flame Psych had been blown away by a swing of the Queen's sword. Well, that's distressing… Unable to manoeuver myself whilst airborne, and not having enough time to Imagine a new Psych, I could only watch, as my opponent's arm coiled back, like a snake waiting to strike…
"And now, you're defenceless."
"Velocity Crash!"
Clang!
"You…!?" Finally, the Queen's perfect aura of composure cracked; her face twisted, ever-so-slightly, into an expression of disbelief, as Muki shot off of the rooftop, and rocketed past us, blasting her katana clean out of her hand. It spun through the air in an arc, before firmly planting itself in the stone, below, with a resounding thunk…
Now's our chance…!
"Magokoro, to the front!"
"Right there with you!"
Feeling the familiar, empowering sense of full synchronicity flowing through me-… No, through us, our movements became substantially more fluid.
The Queen, undeterred by the loss of her weapon, attempted to break my nose with a swift palm strike; regrettably for her, an attack of that calibre had no chance of even coming close to threatening me, anymore.
Seeing the Queen's palm rushing towards me, I tilted my head to the left, just enough to let her attack pass by me, harmlessly; unlike a few moments ago, where I had thought carefully about my every move, I was now almost moving solely on instinct. It didn't feel like I had actively 'avoided' her attack; more akin to the water in a river, passively flowing around a rock… It felt natural that my head should move out of the way, in fact, to imagine that it wouldn't seemed foolish. Regardless, I wasted no time in returning her assault; as we crashed into each other, I leaned backwards, and utilized her superior momentum to fling her upwards, towards Magokoro, and myself downwards, back to the rooftop.
CRUNCH!
I hit the rooftop hard, touching down with my right foot, before slamming my left knee and fist into the rooftop; the concrete cracked beneath me, sending a spider's web of splits and faults running outward from the stone around me. The fissures in the rooftop glowed white; through them, the Scramble Crossing could be seen, as could the Statue of Hachiko, the Udagawa District, Cat Street… The monochrome world of the Imaginary Plane stretched and shimmered; the environment shifting to a different part of Shibuya, every few seconds. Gathering myself, I recalled the last time that I had witnessed a Fusion. Magokoro used stone lances, Koushi had her light, and Hiro… Well, he seems to manage with brute force… High above me, Magokoro reversed direction, mid-air, and hurtled downward.
"Gaaghk…!" The Queen let out a strangled cry, as Magokoro viciously slammed his hand into the Queen's throat; his fingers coiled around her neck, as a snake would ensnare its prey, Magokoro continued to accelerate downwards, dragging the Queen along his wake.
Tendril-like streams of light formed around my body, enveloping me in their warmth, and filling me with Magokoro's power…
With a far greater impact than I, the Queen smashed into the rooftop with an unearthly sound; the concrete instantly caved and exploded into rubble.
Magokoro forced the Reaper downwards, powerfully driving her through each of Pork City's floors, before finally coming to a stop at the ground floor; the force of the two combatants uprooted several planks of its polished, wooden surface, kicking up dust, and sending splinters and shards of wood into the air.
Reaper Side
That man… He has no self-restraint…! The Queen's entire body convulsed in pain, as she attempted to pull herself from the impact crater, in which she lay. "'Magokoro Muki'… Hah…!" She spat the name out with distain, and coughed. She disliked it, the paper-thin alias that he used; the complete lack of effort that was put into the pseudonym irked her to no end.
This was no trivial matter, the result of this conflict would determine the fate of Shibuya… No. The Queen thought about what 'Muki' had said, when he had grabbed her by the throat.
"Try harder…!"
He wants me to 'try harder'…? The Queen repeated, finally managing to prise herself from a prone position, into a sitting one. Unusually vicious of him- Suddenly, a chill ran down the Queen's back; the impervious cloud of dust surrounding her was blown away in an instant, as a figure landed in front of her.
Katy's left eye seemed to glow with a malevolent light, leaving a trail of violet behind it, whenever she moved her head. Raising her left arm, she opened her hand, and directed her palm at the Queen; white sparks coursed up and down the limb, as if waiting to be released, like a beast in a cage…
They're still in Fusion…! The Queen grew alarmed, as she struggled to move her body, prepare a Psych, call her sword back to her… Anything.
The energy around Katy's hand began to shine with an otherworldly radiance, as she prepared to eradicate the Reaper immobilized in front of her; Magokoro's overwhelming fury coursed through her, blurring her vision, and making her shake.
"Burn."
With that word, Katy prepared to end the Fusion, and expel all of her latent energy onto the Queen; the light grew stronger, and larger; warping in shape, it was no longer a warm, comforting light, it was now harsh, incendiary… But then, it faded away. "Hah… Hah…" Katy fell to her knee, and drew in a couple of sharp breaths, holding her side, in pain. A high-pitched, screeching noise wormed its way into her head, paralysing her.
The Queen, not letting the opportunity slip away, re-summoned her sword from the roof, and prepared to finish off the kneeling Player, as Katy was struck by another vision…
Player Side
The rain refused to let up… A constant, never-ending stream of water splattered against the umbrella, gracing my ears with that familiar, pleasant sound of 'not being drenched'.
I suppose… I thought back to the bus driver, who I had recently dubbed 'Mr. Gentleman'. … It's fortunate that he was so pushy… 'else I certainly would not be this dry… Thankfully, my well-made boots kept my feet as dry as my head; walking towards the A-East district, (stopping only to take in the lovely view of a Shibuya's iconic 104 Building,) I decided that it would be best to confirm my surroundings with a local. "Excuse me…!" I timidly called out, approaching a girl with short, bubblegum-pink hair who had just walked out of a nearby noodle restaurant. That's an... Interesting outfit. It could have been that she was some sort of cosplayer; I had certainly seen attire more outlandish than hers. In any case, the lady having apparently not heard me, kept walking. "Erm… Excuse me…!" I walked a little faster, and called out a little louder, but to no avail; the girl continued on her way. … Perhaps she's… Ignoring me…? The thought crossed my mind, but I decided to hold off on reaching any conclusions, and instead, ran up beside her, ensuring that she could see me, before speaking once more, "um… Sorry to bother you, but could you please tell me if this is…" I quickly looked around, signifying that I was unsure about where I was. "… The Dogenzaka district…? Am I correct in saying that A-East is-"
"Nanka…" The girl looked at me with a surprised expression, stopped walking, and pointed at herself. "… Kimi wa… Atashi no koto ga mieru, ka…?" Her eyes grew wide, as my own narrowed; could she, possibly, be a foreigner…?
"Uh…" Uncomfortable, I shuffled around, unable to do anything but stare back at her. "… I'm sorry, do you… Not speak-"
"Hey!"
A cheerful call caught my attention; turning around, I found myself face-to-face with another girl with pink hair, although this girl's was slightly closer to a light shade of red, than the bright pink of the other girl. Hair-dyeing is a 'yes' in Shibuya, it seems…
"What's up? You need directions or something?" The new girl giggled, and adjusted her pin-decorated cap.
"Oh, yes, thank you," relieved, I turned, to tell the bubblegum-pink haired girl to disregard me. But… "… Huh?" In the short amount of time that I had looked away, the she had vanished. … Very peculiar. Was my exact thought, I believe. "… Did you see her leave?" I asked the new girl, curious.
"Huh? Ummm…" Glacing behind me, and placing her finger on her chin, the girl considered my question for a few seconds, before… "… Who, exactly?" She answered with another girlish giggle.
"… Nobody." Despite my burning desire to know where she had disappeared to, and how she had done it, I decided to let the issue rest… For now. "I must apologize, I'm new here; my mind's rather scattered…" I placed my cheek in my hand, and tilted my head to the side… Not entirely lying.
"Oh, cool!" The girl nodded vigorously with an understanding smile on her face. "Yeah, I totally get that; you did look kinda lost, just standing there, staring off into space like that…"
"…"
"Anyway! Directions, right?" She pulled out a pink cell-phone, and scratched the back of her head.
"Ah, yes, of course. Is that," I pointed behind me, "the correct way to A-East?"
"That's all?" Laughing yet again, the girl stowed her phone away, "yeah, A-East is just around that corner. Don't worry; you'd have to try to miss it."
"That's good to hear," I breathed a sigh of relief, and offered my hand, "many thanks."
"No worries!" Grasping my hand, the girl shook it up and down in an energetic manner. "I'm Eri; if you ever come up with any more super-easy questions like that, I'll be happy to answer them!"
Smiling, I opened my mouth to introduce myself… To say my name…
… What would I have said, if I had spoken just a little sooner?
"Oh!" Eri gasped as her phone went off; giving me a quick, apologetic look, Eri practically ripped it back out, and brought it to her ear. "… Shiki! I'm-… What!?" Reacting rather dramatically, Eri mouthed a remorseful 'sorry, gotta go', to me, before running back towards the 104 Building, gesticulated wildly. "No! I defs didn't forget!… Okay, I did forget, but I'm not gonna be late, okay? … Alright, so I'm a tiny bit late, but…"
"…" Unsure of what course of action to take, I merely stood there, watching Eri, until she was out of earshot. "… Well." I spoke to myself, finally. "Onwards to Udagawa, then."
After arriving in A-East, I had instantly stopped, confused; I had expected some kind of side lane to the Udagawa Back Streets, though the path continued on, unbroken, to a rather open area… Certainly not 'Back Streets' material. Just then, two men, in a red hoodie, and a black hoodie, respectively, walked out of the Concert Stage. Perfect. Seizing the opportunity, I jogged towards them, waving. "Ah… Hello…!"I greeted them as I skidded to a halt; my boots splish-splashing in the rainfall.
"… You know her, BJ?" The Red Hood looked me over, before talking to his friend.
"Pffft… Tenho, please." The Black Hood, 'BJ', waved the Red Hood, 'Tenho', off. "I got Yashiro; I don't need any other girl." He chuckled, confident, before turning to me. "… No offense, miss."
"No, no, it's fine." I smiled, enjoying the diverse range of people that Shibuya had already offered me. "I admire your devotion." I added, grinning.
"Hah, they're not together or nothin'," Tenho laughed, "he's just had a crush on her for ages."
"Dude!" BJ shot Tenho an angry look, and quickly turned back to me. "… It's not for 'ages', okay?"
"Well, now I really admire your devotion!" I laughed along with Tenho for a moment, as BJ sulked.
"… So, what'd you want, anyway?" Tenho asked, after calming down.
"Well… I was just wondering…" I indicated the direction that I had come from. "I walked up here from the Scramble Crossing; where's the way to Udagawa…?"
"Oh, nah… Sorry, girl." The Red Hood pointed towards the Scramble Crossing. "Udagawa's the other way. From the Scramble, you prob'ly should have gone up Centre Street… Definitely not up this way."
"… Right. Thank you." My posture slumped, slightly, as I lowered my head, staring at my feet.
"If you want to get back to the Scramble, though," The Black Hood piped up, "keep going in this direction, past the Shibukyu Main Store area; it's faster."
"… Hm."
After a quick word of thanks, I began to walk off… But something stopped me in my tracks.
"Yo, Tenho!… CAWWF!… Beej! What're you- CAWWF! CAWWF!"
I heard a rough, cough-riddled voice from behind me, and instinctively turned around.
"Nothing much." Tenho replied to the newcomer: A man in punk-fashion, with pale, blond hair that was styled into long, slender spikes. "Just giving this tourist a few directions."
"Well, if you're done, let's get back- CAWWF!... Ugh…" The man grimaced, before popping a couple of cough drops out of a small container, and throwing them into his mouth, rather unceremoniously. "… Let's get back to practice!" He instructed, clapping Tenho and BJ on the back, in a gung-ho manner.
"Oh, that was you playing?" Reflexively, I had asked the question without thinking; from afar, I had heard loud, metal music being played, but I had not given any thought as to who had actually been playing.
"What, you heard us?" The punk's eyes snapped to me, looking rather fierce.
"No, no!" Realizing that I may have sounded like I was saying something like 'ugh, that was you playing?'. I quickly waved my free hand from side to side in a bid to calm the punk. "I mean… I liked your music! I was saying 'ooh, lovely! That was you playing?'" I insisted, being completely honest.
At this, the man's eyes narrowed. "Huh… Really?"
"Yes, really!" I insisted. "It was… Charged; energetic. Very… Metal." I finished, slightly unsure of my choice of words.
"… Rock…!" After a long pause, a small grin formed on the punk's face. "Well guys, I guess we can take a break, then." He nodded slowly, giving his friends a look of approval, before running back into the Concert Stage.
"… Hah," as soon as the punk had left, Tenho let out a small laugh, "thanks, girl."
"Hm?" I looked from Tenho, to BJ, and back; seeing my curious expression, the red-hooded man clarified.
"Our bandmate, 777," he sighed, indicating the now-absent punk with a jerk of his thumb, "he's been ridin' us pretty hard…"
"We have a concert comin' up; he's kinda edgy." His friend chimed in.
"Oh, I see…" I fumbled, unsure of how to end the conversation… Now the other girl's style of dress makes sense, at least... She has the same kind of accessory that this band has… A fan, maybe? After, perhaps, a few seconds of thought, I settled on the 'quick, fast break' method. "Well… Best of luck!" I squeaked, before jogging back, towards the Scramble; my boots still kicking water up from the ground, with each step I took.
Reaper Side
"… Hey, BJ…" Tenho lowered his voice, to a more serious register.
"What's up?" BJ turned towards him, unsure what to make of his demeanour.
"…We're all in the UG, right now, yeah?"
"Uh, well… We…" BJ stopped, realizing what had just happened. "… That chick… Definitely didn't look like a Player…"
Tenho drew in a slow, shaky breath, and pulled out his cell. "Maybe we should call this in…"
Player Side
"… That's disappointing."
Huh…? In an instant, I was kicked back into the present, and immediately afterwards, I was, quite literally, kicked back, into Magokoro Muki.
Reaper Side
Driven to her knee, Katy had frozen; her mind appeared to wander elsewhere, if only for the briefest of moments.
The Queen's blade remained poised above Katy's head, ready to dispatch the young girl, at its wielder's will. "… Hmph." With a dissatisfied scowl, the Queen lowered her sword, before addressing the incapacitated girl before her. "… That's disappointing."
Katy seemed to register the swordswoman's words a moment too late, as the Queen's leg struck out, winding her, and sending her flying backwards, into the waiting arms of Magokoro Muki.
"Whuff!" Muki grunted, as the force of catching his partner's petite frame drove the air out of his lungs. "Gotcha!"
"Appreciated…" Katy managed to thank him, as she collected her thoughts, and got her breath back.
"… You know, you're heavier than you look." Muki commented, wondering whether he had already made the joke earlier, or not.
"… Appreciated." Katy repeated in the exact same tone, loosening herself from Muki's embrace, and regaining her balance. "Did she just…" Whispering to herself, Katy observed the Queen as she swung her sword a few times, before pointing it at the duo, ready to continue fighting. She had an opportunity to finish me, there… Didn't she?
Before Katy could further think it out, Muki spoke up, once more. "Watch it; she's stitched our Zones together; the two of us might physically be in the same area, but she'll be able to retain her full power, rather than halving it, and splitting herself between the two of us."
"Oh… Alright…?" Katy nodded, hesitantly, only now realizing that she was, for the first time, fighting in the same physical space as her Partner. But… What just… Perhaps it wasn't all that important… Maybe she was just overthinking it… But Katy felt a strange idea creeping up her back: It was almost as though the Queen had deliberately spared her…
"So… You want me to 'try harder'… 'Magokoro Muki'?" The Queen focused herself, seeing only Muki and Katy in front of her. "You always were a little too unpredictable, 'Magokoro Muki'. It's no wonder that the Angels cast you out."
"That the… What…?" Katy looked from the Queen, back to her Partner.
"… That's rather harsh, Queenie." Muki chuckled.
"Well, as you've requested…" The Queen exhaled sharply, sending a shockwave of Soul, outward. "I will now, 'try harder'."
"Magokoro…" Katy took his hand into her own, subconsciously, wary of the oncoming assault.
"It's fine…" Muki grinned, reassuring her, "They've had more than enough time to prepare, by now.
"… 'They'?"
"Go, Mr. Mew!"
"Get her, Piggy!"
Just as Katy began to wonder about the whereabouts of Neku and Shiki, a flash of light cast itself throughout the battlefield. The gigantic, plush arm of Mr. Mew descended from above, and crushed the Queen where she stood.
6th Day: Part II – EndGame
You know, I was going to extend this chapter, a bit longer, but I think that I've kept you all waiting long enough… Don't you?
Well, I'll try to release the next chapter within, like, a month, but no promises!
I can't guarantee any kind of frequent updating, unfortunately…
I hope you enjoyed this, if even a little bit, and, I know it's a bit late, depending on your time zone, but…
Happy New Year, everyone :D
-ImamuraCross
P.S. The trail that Katy's eye was leaving behind it? Think of the Zone effect from Kuroko no Basket, but less like electricity, and more like… thin streams of flame? XD
