Draco: Alright, I got this up faster than I thought. Alpha damn it, Cloud of Darkness! You and your whole crew! Also, I! HATE! ACTIVE! TIME! BATTLE!
Characters, weapons, origins © Square Enix and Disney. Monsters, setting, and encyclopedia © Akihisa Ikeda.
Chapter 9: Unmasked
"Kairi Chikai. Freshman. Leonheart's class. And she's human."
The words lingered in the air of the room. Larxene was staring at the shadows where the informant was standing. Kadaj had his twin-bladed Souba in his left hand in a forehand grip, and Yazoo and Loz both had their Velvet Nightmares out.
All of them had their gazes locked on Kairi's photo.
"Don't tell me... you're leading me on?"
The wooden ring was slipped under the informant's robe. "What if it's true?" he stated. "Any human who so much as sees this place is sentenced to death. And any monster, student or otherwise, who makes an ally out of them, is just as guilty. If one managed to pass off as a student..." A chuckle emerged from the shadows. "Well... Hope those things are sharp."
Kadaj closed his eyes, falling quiet for a moment. Then he whirled Souba to a backhand grip and drove it into its sheath. "How do we act on this?"
"When I pieced it together, I asked Professor Heartilly about it. 'How does one react if a human is found on school grounds?' And she told me, she said that the only thing we need fear from a human..."
The swordsman's eyes lit up, pulsing as the informant stepped forward.
"...is how far their blood will fly."
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"That went poorly."
Riku's observation spoke for everyone. The sun was setting on Yokai Academy, and everyone in the club room - including Roxas and Xion - was still recovering from the onslaught Larxene had put them through. Everyone had cuts an inch deep, or bruises from running into the ground. A lot of them had both.
Roxas sighed. Arriving late to the party meant he was the only one who hadn't been injured, but it was close. "Larxene is the worst opponent you could face," he muttered. "She's a sadist. Hardcore. Once or twice she'll do something for a reward, but she still marvels when she sees wounds across someone's skin."
"Kinda figured," Kairi murmured. Then she winced, a gasp of pain escaping her lips. "Not so hard, Naminé," she prompted.
Naminé pulled away briefly. "Sorry," she murmured. She went back to rubbing witch's balm into Kairi's back - where the most wounds were concentrated. The impact with the Monster Tree had driven a lot of cuts across Kairi's back, and that wasn't even starting with the amount strikes Larxene had landed proper.
Sora was quiet for a moment. "I just want to know why she attacked us in the first place," he muttered. "Even if it's for a reward... who would be sending her after us? And why?"
"Are you really that naive?"
Everyone spun to see the door hit the wall. Standing there was Kadaj Jenova, hand hooked on the twin-bladed katana at his hip. Behind him was Larxene Kaminari, who had her pseudo-knives braced in her claw position. The sight of them was enough to send everyone rising, drawing their weapons - even Naminé flipped open her sketchbook and touched her pencil to the paper.
Sora stepped forward. "What do you want, Kadaj?" he demanded. "If you're here because you've been training, I reccomend you-"
Kadaj raised his right hand. "Out of the way."
The second his hand connected with Sora's torso, the vampire was sent flying. He collided with the work table, crashed into a backflip, and skidded with his face on the floor before slamming into the wall.
The swordsman smirked, bringing his hand back. "I'm not here for any of you punks," he stated defiantly. "Chikai, you're coming with me."
His voice didn't sound like Kairi remembered it - a seeker's voice was swift and almost joking. This was dark and meancing, like someone who was set on a mission and had no qualms about who ate lead on his way. Riku stepped before her, raising his blade preparedly. "Not sure what kind of taser you're packing," he admitted, "but you can forget it. Kairi's done nothing and will do nothing that deserves her being taken away by-"
He didn't get the chance to throw that last insult - because at that moment, Kadaj gave a hearty laugh that cut him quiet. "So she's concealed herself that well?" he prompted. "You don't know what under that sweet face of hers?"
Riku raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" he snapped back.
Kadaj's eyes pulsated.
"Kairi Chikai stands accused... of being a human."
Everything in the room went still at that. Kairi's eyes went wide, and a chill a thousand times colder than anything Xion could throw went down her spine.
Kadaj drew his blade as he stepped towards Kairi. "Well?" he prompted. "What have you been doing here? Gathering intel? Tracking weaknesses?" He raised his blade to Kairi's neck. "Or are you just waiting for the right moment to call in the cavalry?"
Riku shook his head. "Shut your mouth," he snapped. "That all a load of Minotaur shit. Right Kairi?"
No response.
He turned towards her. "...Kairi?"
Kairi wasn't moving. Her breath was faint, and her eyes were wide and locked on Kadaj's blade.
Kadaj only smirked. "Kaminari, grab her! Don't wanna make a mess in here."
Larxene grabbed Kairi from behind, her knives cutting into Kairi's shoulder as she pulled her out of her seat. Kadaj smirked as the sadist dragged Kairi out of the room and turned to the others for only a moment more.
"I'll be back for the rest of you later."
Kairi didn't react, her body unable to do anything but follow Kadaj out of the room and out of the school. Her mind could only focus on one question.
How did he find out?
+x+x+x+
"Sora. Wake up."
The vampire opened his eyes. He was sitting upright at one of the desks of their work setup. "Huh...? What happened?" He winced, reaching for his shoulder. "Did I fall asleep?"
Riku cuffed him in the back of the head. The others were already in front of him. "You passed out when Kadaj hit you with that taser trick of his," he replied. "More or less."
The whole event came rushing back to Sora - the confrontation, the exposure - and he surged to his feet unwarningly. "Kairi! Where'd they take Kairi?"
Everyone in the news club looked displeased about that question. Riku in particular only scoffed. "After that, it hardly matters."
Sora smacked him. Across the face.
Naminé's mouth dropped open.
Riku did not take kindly to the slap. He punched Sora in the arm. A second passed; then Riku winced and gripped his hand. "Ow," he muttered. "That hurt."
"Shut up," Sora snapped. "Where did Kadaj take Kairi?"
"It doesn't matter," Riku stated harshly. "Did you hear what he said? Kairi's-"
Sora cut him off by raising his index finger. "Riku Kurai, you're going to answer my question before I hurl you and your fur through the window seperately."
Xion shuddered.
Riku glared at him for a moment before giving a huff. "I don't know why I even bother."
"I don't have time to waste bickering with you," Sora stated, turning away. He turned and took off.
The werewolf watched his back until it vanished around the door.
Then he sighed, turning to the window.
"He has a point," Naminé stated, turning to Riku.
"Stow it," Riku stated. "I'm not throwing myself in this fire."
"Why not?" Naminé demanded.
Riku rolled his eyes, not turning around. "Naminé, Kairi's a human. Natural enemy to monsters. Yokai Academy was created for a reason. If the human world finds out about us, we can and will be hunted down."
Naminé shook her head. "Riku, you can't really believe that. Kairi's been fighting for us. She's thrown herself in harm's way for us."
"Then what about her wounds?" Riku snapped. "Her bandages are on for months at a time. And her blood... damn it, this explains everything! Sora's been after Kairi because of her blood. Her human blood. Why didn't I see it? Sora knows about this. I don't care what Kairi's done for us, I'm not getting mixed up in this..."
He trailed off. "Naminé?"
When he didn't get a response, he turned around to see he was alone.
"Oh, for the love of Feymarch..."
+x+x+x+
Kairi hardly reacted to anything as Larxene and Kadaj led her across the school grounds. The sun had set, and there was no one out - no one would react to her screams. It wasn't long before they arrived at an old, castle-esque structure of stone. Yazoo and Loz were both at the door - and each of them had a Velvet Nightmare in their hands - Yazoo in his left, Loz in his right.
Somehow, she managed to choke out a question. "What is this place?"
The knives from Larxene's hands raised cuts as the hand caught her shoulder, but Kadaj stopped her. "Relax, Kaminari," he insisted. "Can't drill out the little human girl for asking a question, can we?" He brushed Kairi's face. "This is the old Yokai dungeon," he mused, answering her question. "Top-security, underground layout, adamantite across the bars - it's got all the favourite setups." His voice started to lighten. "They used to bring monsters here - when they caused too much havoc, or if they killed someone in the human world..."
He spun and drew his twin-blade katana, shattering the old, rusted chains in front of the gate doors. His voice was dark again as he turned, his eyes pulsating. "Let's take a little tour, shall we?"
He stepped through the gates, and Larxene kicked Kairi in the back of the leg, causing her to start forward.
As she stepped inside, Kairi could have sworn she heard tortured shouts - roars and screeches of monsters as Kadaj led her past the cells. At one point they found themselves in a dead-end arrangement of seven cells - and in the one that formed the dead end was a huge skeleton.
Kairi gasped.
Kadaj chuckled. "Big bones, aren't they?" he mused. "Not big enough to be a troll, though. Slug monster, maybe?" He smirked. "Hey, you gotta see this." He sheathed his blade, causing Larxene to take a step back. Kairi followed suit. The Jenova swordsman raised his left hand so it crossed his chest, bent so that his hand crossed his forehead, and Kairi saw a light begin to shine, centered in his forearm. He swept his hand down, aiming at the bones, and a rifle pulse of white energy flew from his hand, impaling the skeleton in the forehead. Nothing happened for a beat; then the bones began to rattle, and for a horrifying moment Kairi saw them wrapped in flesh, forming a huge creature with the face and horns of a bull.
A hearty laugh emerged from Kadaj as he lowered his hand. "Oh, man, they had a Minotaur in here!" he called.
A scream from Kairi sounded as Larxene drove her knives into the human girl's arm. "Enough playing around," Larxene snapped to Kadaj. "We're here for a reason."
Kadaj had a smirk on his face as a light hiss passed through his lips. "Alright, then," he mused, stepping up to Kairi. "Why don't you show us, Kairi? Unveil your real self. Show us what you really are." He smirked. "Easy, right? If you really belong here as a student of Yokai Academy."
Kairi gasped as Larxene pulled her knives out of her arm. She fell to the floor, her breath heavy.
"Come on!" the sadist snapped. "Dropping a simple human guise isn't that hard! Are you afraid? Are you forgetful?"
A pair of blades embedded themselves in Kairi's hand, wrenching a scream that could curdle ichor as Kadaj dropped at her side.
His eyes pulsed menacingly. "Or are you one of them?"
"Back off."
Kairi's eyes widened at the voice.
Larxene spun, and Kadaj raised his gaze to see a single figure standing there, cutting off the only way out.
In his hands was a Keyblade.
"Sora..."
+x+x+x+
"Kind of reckless, don't you think?"
Naminé came to a stop and spun to see Xion chasing after her. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"I'm sorry to be the one to say this," Xion admitted, "but you're not that strong in a fight. Don't you think going in without help is going to be a bit of a problem?"
The which angled her hand from side to side. "Maybe so," Naminé admitted, "but my supply of allies was kind of limited. You can come along, but I can't count on Riku to do anything."
"Excuse me?"
Both of them turned to see Riku leaning on a gravestone. "Hey, I'm not the one barging in there like a fool. That's Larxene Kaminari and the Jenova brothers. If they've got a human trapped in there, it's not my problem."
"That's it," Naminé muttered. "I'm sick of you acting all high-and-mighty just because you get a little blurry when dark out isn't a black sky. What, do you expect me to sit around here and wait for Kairi to get killed? I don't care how fast you move or how shaggy you get - I am not going to let her die in there."
"You want to go deal with Kadaj?" Riku prompted. "Go ahead. I'm not going to stop you."
Naminé gave a confronting nod. "Then we understand each other." She turned away.
Riku stopped her. "But answer me this," he added. "It all adds up. No matter how you look at it, Kairi is human - and she's after your vampire to boot. Why would you go in there? Give me a reason."
The question caused Naminé to stop in her tracks. A small smile rose on her face as she turned to Riku.
"Because she's pure."
A jolt coursed across the werewolf at that.
"And that's something none of us can claim."
Riku had no proper response. He watched as Naminé turned, dashing away - and Xion only glanced once at him before following suit.
+x+x+x+
Kadaj pulled his blade out of Kairi's hand, wrenching another scream from her as he and Larxene got to their feet. "Impressive," he admitted. "Didn't think you'd be able to get in here for your little human until I heard a gunshot.
Sora whirled his Keyblade in hand, arcing into a spin before dashing forward with a straight-arm thrust. Larxene saw it coming and tried to sidestep, but Sora managed to catch her in the side before lashing out with a quick three-hit combo that knocked her into one of the cells. Kadaj dashed forward, but Sora caught the backhand strike on his Key and whirled around before driving the teeth into Kadaj's side, crashing him into the bars of another as he tumbled away from the confrontation zone.
He stepped towards Kairi as the human girl rolled over to face him. "Can you stand?" he asked. "Come on. Let's go."
Energy behind him caused him to spin, raising his Keyblade as Kadaj reached forward. He caught the open-palm blow on the shaft of the Key, causing it to fly out of his hand. Sora glanced at his hand for a moment before looking forward and kneeing Kadaj in the gut, following it up with a thrust-kick that sent him flying back. Kadaj's eyes blazed as he reached forward.
"Hold it."
Sora came to an abrupt stop. He knew that voice.
A tap of something on stone, matching footsteps like someone walking with a staff - and Kairi saw him looming out of the shadows menacingly. His garments had changed - such a bright robe, white and blazing red - and in his hands was a staff rather than a sword, but it was the same fighter; the same ice-on-pavement hair, alternating strands of black and white, and the same cold green eyes.
Slasher Kishi grinned. "Didn't we agree that they were my kill?"
Sora growled. "You... You're the one... who ratted us out!"
"Oh, please," Slasher taunted. "Don't blame me for what you were begging for in the first place. A human has no place at Yokai Academy. Our natural enemy - unwilling to change their beliefs. Any monster who would side with a human..."
He raised his staff, a glow emerging from around him.
"...deserves death!"
Sora braced himself to guard.
And twin blades ran themselves through Slasher's arm, causing the warrior to shout.
Kadaj was standing there, with his blade outstretched. How he managed to have the handle in his left hand and the blade in Slasher's right arm and no one having noticed before was beyond Sora. The Jenova warrior picked him up simply by lifting the blade above eye level, causing the staff to fall to the ground as he hurled Slasher across the floor.
"Hands off, brat," Kadaj growled. "I said it already - if you got a problem with Chikai, get in line." He turned to Sora again, whirling his weapon in hand before impaling it in the staff, splicing it in two.
Sora braced his Key back, only to arc into a spin and hurl it forward, whirling towards Kadaj as the swordsman braced to guard in the wrong direction. The teeth of the Key drove into his weapon hand, causing him to drop his twin katana; as he braced himself to go hand to hand, it arced towards him again and hit him in the back.
A shifting behind Sora caused him to turn to see Kairi struggling to stand. No, not even to stand - to so much as keep her face off the ground. Kadaj saw this and growled, his eyes pulsating like a heartbeat.
"You're still fighting, eh, Chikai?" the sadist mused. "Didn't think you had it in you."
Kairi grit her teeth. "If you're going to kill me," she snapped, "kill me. But leave. Sora. Alone."
Kadaj smirked. "He's the one who barreled himself into this," he countered. "If he's willing to step back..."
"Then that's two obstacles instead of three."
Everyone turned to see Naminé and Xion standing there. Naminé already had her pencil on her paper; and Xion's right hand was wrapped in claws of ice.
+x+x+x+
Two minutes earlier
Yazoo and Loz saw the two girls coming from a mile away. The snowgirl looked like such a contrast next to Kioku - hair, clothes - yet side by side, you would think they were sisters. The Jenova brothers exchanged glances and smirked - this was going to be too easy.
As the girls came close, Loz raised his Velvet Nightmare and fired.
It passed right between them.
Neither of them slowed down.
Yazoo glared at the brute and raised his own Velvet Nightmare, the barrel connecting with Kioku's face. Loz embarassedly did the same with the snowgirl.
Both of them fired.
A shattering sound emerged from the two girls as they started sliding backwards, causing Yazoo to lower his weapon. Loz braced his left arm before him, pulling a catch on his Dual Hound as the handle rolled into his hand. The girls slid to a stop about a ten meters away and turned towards them.
The right half of Naminé's face was missing.
So was the left half of Xion's.
Both of them started forward. Yazoo acted instantly; he and Loz raised their Velvet Nightmares and went into rapid fire mode. The girls didn't even try to dodge; most of the shots impacted upon them, the bullets tearing jagged fragments off of their figures until they were close enough for Yazoo to step forward and kiss one of them - except that their faces were demolished.
The gunslinger panicked; he lashed out with the blade edge of his Velvet Nightmare - an act that should have torn open Naminé's arm, cut into her side. But Naminé's hand only swept out, catching the weapon in the crook between her thumb and her palm.
Ice began to race up that arm, starting at the shoulder and coursing over the limb until it was a single, wicked blade; and Naminé arced it around to slice Yazoo in half.
There was a blur of blue; then Kioku's figure shattered into a flurry of ice fragments. Loz was standing at Yazoo's right, staring in horror at where Xion and Naminé had just been.
The ice fragments proceeded to needle themselves into Loz's right arm, causing him to give a howl of pain as his Velvet Nightmare fell to the ground.
Yazoo's gaze shot up, his eyes wide, and he raised his own Velvet Nightmare, aiming left and right before seeing Naminé leaning against a solitary tree nearby. She was sketching, and Xion was watching them intently, one of her hands wrapped in icy claws.
"What else have you got in your bag of tricks?" Naminé asked as she swept her pencil off the page, causing the ice to melt.
"That was nothing," Xion countered. "Watch this." She raised her clawed hand, and bolts of icy fire began to tear from her palm, flying towards the Jenova brothers. Loz raised his pile bunker to try and nullify the flames, but the ice quick-froze across his body - he started running, but by then there was enough frost upon his figure for Xion to quickly wrap him in solid ice. Yazoo was panicking.
Naminé raised an eyebrow, closing her sketchbook as she and Xion started towards the door. "That's all?" she asked.
"Not that," Xion defended as Yazoo raised his Velvet Nightmare. "This."
Yazoo reached to pull the trigger... and a solid fist of ice slugged him in the face.
+x+x+x+
A low growl passed through Kadaj's teeth as he smirked. "So," he mused. "We've got a witch. We've got a snow fairy. We've got a vampire. And you're all willing to protect Chikai. Is that right?"
"Um, yeah, about that?"
Everyone turned to see a familiar figure standing in the doorway with a dragon's wing slung over his shoulder. "You're one short."
Naminé's eyes widened. "You?!" she exclaimed. "But you said..."
"I know what I said," Riku snapped back. "You think just because I move fast and flirt a little bit means I can't change my mind?" A smirk rose on his face as he turned to Kadaj. "And guess what the moon looks like out there."
Naminé and Xion exchanged glances and stepped back as Riku levelled Soul Eater next to his eyes.
Kadaj's face was blazing as he whirled his twin katana to a forehand grip. "You fools!" he shouted. "You make a friend out of a human! You don't even try to deny her identity! And you shield her! Our school's happy flock... and you protect the black sheep!"
Riku's glare intensified as his form began to shift. Fur coursed across his skin, and his shoes burst as his feet transformed into feral paws. Claws tore from his fingers, menacing bloodred as his face began to elongate.
"I'm not protecting you."
He shot forward, his blade surging down menacingly. Kadaj acted seven seconds ahead and finished three, raising his blade so that Riku's strike slid between the katanas - and when it connected with the hilt, he flexed his wrist to twist it, trying to pull Soul Eater out of the werewolf's hands.
Then his claws hooked themselves in Kadaj's chest.
The dragon wingblade ripped through the hilt of Kadaj's weapon, digging into his hand as Riku arced into a spin, pulling Kadaj out of the air before hurling him towards the wall that was sitting behind Sora and Kairi. The brick barrier shattered, causing him to tumble into a wide-open area that looked like it was designed for a brawl. Actually, tumble isn't the right word; the Jenova swordsman kept going, colliding with a pile of rubble on the other side of the room.
Two katanas fell to the ground at Riku's side as he propped his wingblade on his shoulder again.
"Next time, behave."
Everyone was gaping at him incredulously as a black mist volted from his hand, his fingers parting as Soul Eater vanished from it.
Sora smiled, turning to Kairi, who was still struggling to rise. "You see this?" he whispered. "You see what they're doing? They know you're human, Kairi. But they came to help you."
Kairi closed her eyes, a smile rising on her own face.
At the edge of the arena, Slasher was watching the events, unnoticed in the shadows. Well played, Chikai, he mused. But enough blabbity blab.
Darkness flared on the other side of the wall, and everyone spun as Kadaj got to his feet.
Now, let's get to the main act!
Draco: You see that cliff? That's me hanging you off it. Hope you all enjoy!
