Chapter 12: Why do you fight? (Kyon)
Note: When you see [1], I recommend that you play your choice of battle music while reading this. It may greatly improve your overall reading experience. If you don't know what to use, I recommend "Emiya – Original Version" from Fate Stay/Night.
"Ngh…" Shana opened her eyes slowly. "What happened…?"
Looks like that explosion definitely hurt. Her face is really pale.
"You were unconscious for a while…" Ruby knelt down beside Shana. "Are you okay now?"
"I'm fine…" Shana tried to get up but Koizumi stopped her.
"Stay still for a bit. Before you lost consciousness, you seemed as if you were being controlled by someone else. Can you tell us what you remember?"
Shana's gaze fell upon the heavily injured Stella who was still healing. "Did I do this…?"
Koizumi shook his head. "It wasn't your fault. That's why we need to know what happened to you."
"Shana!" A voice called out from the distance. A kid about my age was running towards us.
"Yuji…?" Shana seemed to recognize him.
By the time the kid reached us, he was already exhausted and wheezing, completely out of breath. He must've run a marathon to get here.
"Thank goodness I found you." Yuji dropped down to his knees, relief sweeping over him. "Why did you run off all of sudden, and who are these people?"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up! Why is everyone asking me questions?!"
"Oh wait…" Yuji noticed me and Koizumi. "Weren't you two at the convention thing as well?" He looked directly at me and had a realization. "You were the guy who got nailed by that foam sword back during the intermission right?"
Oh jeez, that's a fine way to remember someone. Though I suppose since our interactions were limited I can overlook that…
"Yeah, that was me." I sigh.
"It's good to finally see some familiar faces." Yuji bowed towards Ruby and Stella. "I'm Yuji Sakai."
"Not to break up the introductions but…" Koizumi had this weird serious look on his face. It was really creepy, considering how he's usually grinning like an idiot.
"Sorry, I forgot." Yuji took a moment to catch his breath. "Up until now…"
According to Yuji, he and Shana went to sleep in the residencies, but woke up in a ruined building. After that, they tried to figure out where they were and wandered around. Eventually they were attacked by the same aliens that attacked me. They defeated anything they encountered but then all of a sudden Shana froze up, and shortly after she ran away, leaving Yuji very confused. So Yuji ran from where they were to here, which Yuji approximates as five kilometers. Apparently that was accumulation of all of the events that directed preceded our fight with Shana.
"That doesn't tell us anything though." I'm almost amused at how little we have to go on. I still know nothing about Haruhi, Nagato, or Miss Asahina. "All I'm getting is that we were living our ordinary lives and somehow we all ended up here."
"Wait, so…maybe I should tell everyone what happened before I got here?" Ruby exchanged glances with everyone.
"Yeah, definitely." Yuji nodded.
Ruby reintroduced herself to everyone, and said that she was on a mission somewhere when all of a sudden her surroundings changed into the ruins of San Francisco. The first thing she noticed was that at the very top of the ruined skyscraper in front of us there was a blonde haired woman wearing a black jumpsuit and some kind of exo-skeleton. She seemed to be looking for someone or something. Ruby was going to follow her but the woman jumped off the skyscraper in the other direction, and moments after she was attacked by Shana.
…How good of an eyesight would you need to notice that?
"Hmm…" Koizumi was contemplating something. "Going from memory, that description doesn't match anyone from the convention. This woman…we need to find her if we want to get a good grasp of our situation."
You don't mean that we're going to go after her?
"We don't have a clue where Nara is, so it is realistically our only choice." Koizumi tapped his communicator. "P.S.S. Call. Stella and I found traces of an unknown enemy. We're moving to conduct reconnaissance. Can you leave the motorcycle at these coordinates?...Uh-huh…Yeah I know…Sorry for the trouble, and thanks."
Koizumi looked satisfied. "Transportation should be prepared just in case. If you'd prefer flying of course…" Koizumi winks at me.
That's so creepy, man.
"What are we going to do?" Yuji inquired.
Shana stood up. The colour had returned to her face, and she looks ticked off. "We're going to find whoever did this."
"I presume everyone else has a method of transportation. We're going to head on out past the skyscraper and see what we can find. Stella, you'll be taking Kyon with you. Head back towards where the trailer is and get the motorcycle."
"Understood."
I examined Stella. Her injuries have completely healed now. It feels crappy to be a burden to a girl, but I guess it can't be helped here. Oh, something that just came to mind…
"Hey Stella, did you know that Koiz- I mean Rothcol could use magic?" I completely forgot that magic shouldn't be allowed in a futuristic world like this…would this cause some sort of problem for us?
"Yes." Stella tilted her head slightly. "He is with us on all field missions because of that. I don't know what sorts of things were done to him to give him those powers though…"
I'll go under the assumption that some kind of memory altering process is at work here. Just like how Koizumi got Rothcol's memories, everyone else has had their memories changed accordingly.
"Well then." Koizumi took Ruby's hand, and a massive red sphere formed around the two of them.
"Whoa, wait, hey!" Ruby tried to protest, but Koizumi and Ruby were floating a couple of meters off the ground already. Ruby's eyes lit up with excitement again. "Wow…you can fly, too?"
You know, this whole knight in shining armour thing is really starting to irritate me. It's like seeing Taniguichi bragging about how he got a girlfriend back during Christmas. As if on cue, Yuji took Shana's hand, and fiery wings emerged from Shana's shoulders. Guess they're all set as well.
Koizumi and Ruby shot off towards the sky at an incomprehensible speed. Shana held Yuji in her arms and followed after them. I swear to the guys upstairs that I can hear Ruby's shout of exhilaration trailing off as Koiuzmi and Shana got further away.
Suddenly I'm swept off my feet.
"Wha-?"
Stella had picked me up and was carrying me bridal style.
"What the hell are you-"
Before I could say another word in protest, Stella had taken off in the direction that Koizumi told her to go. She was running so fast that I couldn't say anything out of fear of biting my tongue.
…..
When we reached the motorcycle, Stella set me down beside it.
"Don't do that to people without asking them first!" I protested with all of my might. Not that it matters much now since what's done is done.
"…" Our eyes meet.
Stella looks at me with somewhat timid eyes and…
"Did I do something wrong?"
In her eyes, I could see the same naiveté and innocence that a child should have. Maybe I shouldn't have been so angry; she probably hasn't had experience in dealing with people, especially considering her situation.
I take a deep breath. Then I speak. "When people are capable of walking on their own, don't do something like that. It's embarrassing for them."
"Embarrassing?" Stella took in what I said and thought about it for moment. "So, you don't feel good when I do that?"
The palm of my hand covers my face. She's not wrong, but she's not right either.
"I'll let Koi- I mean Rothcol explain that to you later. For now, we should catch up before they get too far away."
"Hmm." Stella mounts the motorcycle and revs it.
I have no choice but to sit behind her. And moreover if I don't want to fall off I have to hold her by the waist. Ugh….This is awkward. I sit directly behind Stella and slowly, I wrap my arms around her. If this were Miss Asahina in the driver's seat…actually I don't even want to imagine how that would turn out for me.
"Tally-ho." Stella floors the motorcycle, and it zooms with an alarmingly fast speed towards where Koizumi and Shana were headed.
This will be a blind search. The only clue we have is what Ruby told us. If I want any chance of finding the rest of the SOS Brigade, it'll have to start with this needle in a haystack.
…..
Driving through the ruins of San Francisco was a bumpy ride to say the least. Most of the roads were in ruins, to the point where they look just like blocks sticking out of the ground. Stella's definitely no pushover when it comes to navigating this kind of terrain though. Despite how often we'd be tossed into the air by the road she always managed to get back on track and avoid a collision. I suppose the scariest thing would be that she's dodging lasers fired at us by random aliens along the way as well. It's like something right out of a bullet hell game, except our hitboxes are not one pixel.
All of a sudden Stella took one hand off the motorcycle's hand to answer her communicator.
"Rothcol? Huh? What? Don't come closer?"
In the distance, I see a massive explosion. It's a distinctively different sound from the explosion that Koizumi's fireball makes. This can only mean…
"Stella, pick up the pace! We have to catch up to them." I urged Stella forward.
"But Rothcol said to not come closer…" Stella was conflicted between following Koizumi's order and mine.
"Stella, when your friends are in danger, you have to help them." I said firmly. She has to understand this, right?
"…I…understand…" Stella brought the motorcycle back up to top speed. She sounded reluctant. I guess this isn't the first time she was told to abandon an ally to survive.
As we flew over the last piece of road in our way and made it to an overpass, I see a horrifying sight.
Ruby, Shana, and Yuji are all sprawled out on the road. They're all grievously wounded too. I could see a red stain on Yuji's white shirt below his neck and Ruby had a gash in her side, likely caused by some sort of large blade. They weren't moving at all. I couldn't tell if they were alive or not.
Koizumi was standing in front of all of them protecting them. I realized with a shock what was happening; Koizumi's blood was draining because he was bleeding profusely from a wound on the lower left part of his stomach. There isn't much longer before he collapses. The sight of it squeezed out every last ounce of composure I had left.
"Koizumi! Hang in there!" I jumped off the bike and activated my jet pack, landing in front of Koizumi. His legs give out and he tumbles into my arms.
"Didn't I tell you to stay away?" Koizumi chuckled wearily. But contrary to his joking mood, he started coughing up blood soon after.
"Hang on." I rip off a part of his uniform to use as a compress. I've never seen anyone else so to death before. I'm not a doctor, but I have to try. I can't just let Koizumi die. I pressed the piece of cloth on his wound. It won't do much though; his wound is just as serious if not worse than everyone else's.
"You know, Miss Suzumiya wouldn't have wanted to you be in danger like this." As if those were his last words, Koizumi's eyelids shut. Is he gone…? No, he's still alive for now.
"Insolent pests…" A woman's voice came from on top of the overpass.
I look up. Blonde hair…black jumpsuit…an exo-skeleton that looked similar to the suit I have. Koizumi sure tracked her down quickly, but everything went to shit after that.
The woman's azure eyes pierce into my soul. I have never seen such a menacing gaze from anyone, not even Haruhi.
"You…" Swallowing my dread, I set Koizumi down and release my rifle from its compact form. "Why did you do this?" Considering how strong Koizumi is and how injured he is, he was definitely unprepared for her.
"I'm looking for someone. And if you all get in my way…" She raises some kind of handgun and aimed it at my heart. "You will die. I don't have time for this nonsense."
"Who are you?"
"Tch." The woman gritted her teeth in annoyance. "My name is Rivalea Fayanne. I'm looking for a Nara Hishikawa."
"Nara?" I repeated the name aloud. This woman wants to find him so badly that she's willing to kill anyone for it?
"You know him?" Rivalea jumped off the overpass and landed only a few meters from me.
"So what if I do?" I scowl at Rivalea. At this moment, Stella pulled up next to me and dismounted her vehicle.
Rivalea's index finger moved onto the trigger of her weapon. "If you value your life and the lives of your pitiful friends, you will answer me."
Upon seeing this blatant act of aggression, Stella materializes her massive cannon and assumes a fighting stance. A second handgun is drawn from its holster and its barrel is making a beeline to Stella's forehead.
I glance towards Koizumi and the others. Just from their injuries alone, all of them might…
"Stella…take care of Koizumi and the others." I make a risky decision, but at this rate none of us will escape. "Stop the bleeding if you can. I'll handle this."
Oh wait, I didn't say Rothcol. Well, she understands I bet.
Stella hesitates, but she does relent. Her weapon dissolves away as quickly as it appeared and she rushes to Koizumi's side. I don't know how good Stella's first aid skills are, but if both of us are fighting Koizumi and Ruby will bleed to death.
[1]
"So you challenge me without hesitation." Rivalea clicked her tongue and aimed both her weapons at me. "You are quite the cocky one. Why do you fight? Especially when you know how outmatched you are."
"I suggest…" I raised my rifle in response. "You worry about yourself."
I can't fight like Nagato or Koizumi. I've only got these memories that aren't mine as back up, and that definitely won't be enough if this Rivalea person can take out four combatants alone. I'm scared stiff right now. But if I can't win, I won't be able to find Haruhi and everyone will die.
I can't…let that happen.
"You fool." Two shots are discharged at me.
"!" Time slows down for me. Rivalea's weapons fire some sort of glowing projectile. One is traveling towards my stomach, the other towards my neck.
I sidestep the shot meant for my neck, but the one aimed for my stomach grazes me. Even with this suit I can feel the heat of the projectile. It's like being stabbed by a red hot fireplace iron..!
"Damn you…!" I fired my rifle. A burst of light appears, and where Rivalea once stood was a smoking crater. But I knew she had gotten out of the way in time. I just don't see her right now.
"Where are you looking?" Rivalea's voice came from behind me.
"!" Time slowed down for me again. I let my guard down and now she's in my blind spot. But this is also a chance for me to apprehend her if I play my cards right.
A blade strikes me on the right side. But Rivalea had underestimated my suit's durability. The blade connects but doesn't scratch the suit. I spin around to face her. Dropping my rifle, I grab the arm that's holding the sword.
"Tch…!" Rivalea tried to pull back, but she can't break free from my grip, and she can't shoot me when she's this close.
I throw a punch into her face. "Hah-!"
But before my punch could connect…
"Gah-?!" A lightning fast kick strikes my chest.
Before I could process what just happened, two more kicks assault me. I stagger backwards and almost lose my grip. I grit my teeth and refuse to let my opponent escape. I pull myself towards her.
My free arm flew towards Rivalea, accelerated by the suit's propulsion system. She ducks my punch, but I land a glancing blow.
"Ow….you're…annoying!" The heel of Rivalea's boots lights up with a red glow.
"Guh-?!" The next thing I knew was that I was hit with a hard impact in my stomach.
I flew backwards through the air and smashed into Stella's motorcycle. My vision was blurry, but I could feel dirt and concrete flying in all directions from the impact.
That knocked the wind out of me. The suit took most of the impact, but a sharp pain shot through my midsection. Just how strong was that kick? I couldn't even keep my grip on her. No, if we're talking about force alone, that should've been enough to pulverize all of my internal organs…!
"Maybe I underestimated you." Rivalea's sword is suddenly enveloped by a golden aura. She stabs the sword into the weapon that I dropped, rendering the rifle useless.
I get the instinctive feeling that the blade would even be able to cut through my suit now. Rivalea's faster and far stronger than I am, even though I have my suit. She's using some kind of martial art…and she's good at it too. It isn't just something made up on the spot.
Suddenly a sword is tossed at me from my left, and I manage to catch it by the handle. It's a blue katana…
"Stella." I glance over at the owner of the weapon. She nods at me, as if telling me "go on and win."
I couldn't help but grin slightly. Typically I've always been the one being protected. But right now, when the stakes are this high…
"It's no use." Rivalea drew her handgun and fired three shots at me.
I stand with my legs shoulder width apart and take a defense posture with the Iksa Blade…One, two, three glowing projectiles are deflected with ease.
"Don't push your luck, you bitch!" I taunted my enemy. With seething anger, I stared right back at her. In this sort of situation I hate it when people don't take me seriously.
In the blink of an eye, Rivalea was already in front of me with her sword upraised. "Don't fuck with me, boy!"
"!" I bring up my weapon quickly.
Sparks fly as our weapons collide. Regardless of how strong Rivalea's weapon is Stella's Iksa Blade is nigh indestructible. We're even matched here…!
"Hah-!" I swing the Iksa Blade with all of my might to stop each of Rivalea's attacks.
"Haaaa-!" But her attacks do not cease. Every attack I deflect is followed up by a blow seemingly twice as strong as the last one.
No matter how fast or in what way Rivalea swings her sword, I parry every blow. But I could definitely feel the strength behind her attacks. Each attack parried meant that I was being driven back step by step. Her attacks are so relentless and swift that I can't find an opening to counter attack. This is a definite indication of the difference in our swordsmanship. I grit my teeth in frustration, as pain begins attacking my arms. Shortly after, my grip on the Iksa Blade loosens.
"Did you really think your sword skill was superior to mine?!" Rivalea brought down a massive overhead strike, which I barely manage to stop by using my whole lower body to counter-act the force of her swing. My knees buckle slightly and I'm forced downwards.
"Go to hell!" I scream back at her. I force Rivalea's blade back and swing the Iksa Blade in a wide arc, forcing her to avoid the strike.
But no sooner did I regain my footing another vicious swing bends my arm at an unnatural angle. It was strong enough to break my arm…I have no choice but to allow the Iksa Blade fly out of my hands…!
Rivalea drew back her weapon and thrust forward, intending to finish the fight. But before her blade could impale me, a fireball came out of nowhere and exploded in front of her, forcing her to kick off the ground to gain distance away from me.
"Mind if I cut in?" Koizumi wore a mocking smile while holding another fireball in his hand. But I could tell that he wasn't ready to fight yet. He was still kneeling on the ground.
"Hyaa!" A flurry of rose petals flew through the air, and I saw the flash of a scythe in front of me. Rivalea deflects the mechanical scythe and sends its owner flying towards me.
Ruby lands just in front of me, breathing very heavily and wincing. She was clearly supressing her pain as even I could tell she was close to collapsing. She hadn't healed either. "Don't worry…I'm here with you." She smiles daringly regardless.
Rivalea looked at Stella, Koizumi, Ruby and then me. She let out an exasperated sigh. "I should've been more thorough."
Rivalea's blade retracts back into the sword's handle, and she holsters the weapon. She brings her hands close together, and a blinding blue light forms in between her palms. At the same time a barrier of some sort forms around Rivalea. The dirt and dust around her begin swirling as if they had been caught in a tornado. I could sense immense power emanating from her. Whatever her next attack is, we have to avoid it!
Koizumi threw his fireball and Ruby switched her scythe to gun mode and attacked Rivalea. But their attacks are stopped by the barrier. Rivalea stood uninjured like she was standing in the eye of a storm. The barrier drops and Rivalea extends her arms forward. A blast of blue light erupted from her hands, and it was directed towards Ruby and me!
I grabbed Ruby by the waist and used the jetpack attacked to the suit to quickly get us out of danger. I managed to avoid the blast, and looking behind me, everything caught in the blue light had turned obsidian black and smoldered. If that light catches you, you are dead for sure.
Rivalea separated her hands and both of her palms glowed with a blue light. One hand was pointed at Koizumi, the other at me and Ruby.
But before either palm released their devastating attack, Stella appeared behind Rivalea and swung the Iksa Blade at Rivalea's neck. Rivalea's body arced forward and dodged the attack and she pressed her palm into Stella's waist. Stella was blown off her feet and sent flying backwards, smoking from the attack. Stella hit the pavement hard and rolled to a stop.
"No!" I cried in horror.
"Absolute…Zero." Stella slowly got off the ground. She glared at Rivalea and materialized her cannon as the Iksa Blade by her feet dissolved away. Stella seemed completely uninjured somehow.
"You're in the way AND wasting my time." Suddenly Rivalea flew towards me and Ruby, with her sword drawn again. Ruby was in no position to avoid the attack and if I tried to get us both out one of us would be killed!
But the blade pierced neither me nor Ruby. For in between Ruby and Rivalea, Koizumi stood there. Rivalea's blade had run through his body and Koizumi had grabbed the blade, making sure Rivalea couldn't pull it out.
"No…Koizumi!" I my blood ran cold. The attack was certainly fatal. Even if Koizumi is an esper, there is no way he can survive such an attack!
Koizumi remained still in defiance like Benkei defending Yoshitsune at the Battle of Koromo River. And in this moment, Stella fired a massive projectile out of her cannon and Rivalea could not avoid it. Being hit by the massive cannonball-like rock, Rivalea was knocked away from Koizumi and was airborne for a few seconds before flying into a concrete wall.
Koizumi pulled Rivalea's sword out of his chest and threw it aside. I half expected him to turn around and smile at me. But then Koizumi fell over like a sack of rice, unmistakeably dead.
"Kyon…" Ruby became as white as a ghost, and I could see deep regret in her expression. "I'm…so sorry…"
I was too stunned to say anything. Koizumi gave his own life to protect us…
To be continued…