After locking up the library for the night, Jim drives Noir back to his apartment. As they step out of the car, however, they come across an unusual sight.
Over in the distance is a dot of pale blue, which appears to grow closer. As they stare, they begin to notice other things about it. Glowing eyes, which upon closer inspection appear to be part of some sort of headwear, its actual eyes concealed by a wave of cyan. A lanky humanoid body wearing a disheveled Raimon uniform. Most unusual, however, is its voice—or rather, voices—and disjointed speech mannerisms, as if it's talking to itself.
As the mysterious figure continues to walk in their direction, Jim pulls Noir behind him. If this… person… is like the one Sam witnessed, it could pose a threat. When that happens, he'll do whatever it takes to ensure Noir's well-being. But how? He has no weapons, and what athletic ability he had back in junior high dwindled with the years. He can try to pull off a special move, but as he pondered during that conversation with Sam, the possibility of doing that without a ball in sight is dubious. Perhaps if he concentrates hard enough…
Suddenly, the walking enigma stops, standing at arm's length of the two, and looks up at Jim. "Do I know you," it whispers, its voice like an echo of two different people speaking in harmony, performed to eerie effect. It turns its attention to Noir, who is peeking his head out from behind the taller man. "You… I've seen you before. You're Max's friend, aren't you?"
The voice's dynamics change slightly, creating an undercurrent of familiarity. With hesitance, he replies, "Yes…"
It tilts its head, then turns and walks away, muttering to itself. Jim, beginning to pity the poor creature, considers speaking up, but doesn't. As they watch it walk away, he's left with even more questions to mull over.
After leaving the lot, Kaidé continues to wander, exploring the familiar surroundings from a new perspective. While not capable of running as fast as Eunaga, he can still run faster than his individual parts, and his athleticism does not end there. At one point, he drops by the local park to practice his shooting skills. As he learns the hard way, his kicks are extremely powerful, without even executing a special move.
Looking at the destruction he created, his heart fills with glee. Kaiser has always wanted to become stronger, but his personal limitations always held him back. But now, with Adé's strengths adding to his own, he can finally achieve that dream. The question is, are they willing to sacrifice their individuality?
"Hey, you," an unfamiliar voice calls out to him. Turning around, he is blinded by a bright light, emitted from a flashlight held by a cop. "Park's closed. You better leave, or I'll…" The cop stops, their eyes shifting to the dented playground and bisected trees. "What the hell?" As they slowly start connecting the dots, a wave of fear washes over them, further perpetuated when Kaidé starts to approach.
The next morning, a park officer is reported to have died of blunt force trauma, as a group of students discover their bruised, mangled corpse amidst the wasteland once known as a bustling landscape for children to play. "… Police are speculating that this murder may have some connection to others in the area."
As the TV blares from the living room, Adé is paralyzed with fear as he tries to recount last night's memories.Why can't I remember? Why can't I remember anything? Out of options, he picks up his cell phone and sifts through his contacts until he finds the only other person he can talk to. "Hey, Eugene? It's me, Adé. We need to talk. Can we meet up somewhere today?"
Later, around noontime, he waits by the entrance to the arcade when Eugene comes running over. "I received your call. But why do you want us to meet here?" As he says this, he glances over his shoulder at the shady-looking alley cats lurking nearby.
Swallowing his nerves, Adé confesses. "It's Kaiser. He… I… We…" He leans in to Eugene's ear and whispers, "I think we must've killed a man."
His face pale with shock, he steps back. "No. It can't be…! Are you sure?"
"I dunno. I remember being at the park, an' seein' that cop's face. After that…" He bows his head in shame. "Everything's a blank. You don't think Kai did it, do you?"
Eugene bites his lower lip as he thinks of what to say next. "Not to say for sure, but it is possible he took over and did something. Even if it was him, there's nothing to prove it. Look, maybe this is a sign you should, you know, spend some time away from him."
Hearing this sends Adé into a panic. "I can't do that! What if he tries to kill himself again? I can't have his blood on my hands! I promised I'd be there to help him. I promised…"
Putting his hands on his shoulders, Eugene speaks in a soothing voice. "Adé, calm down. Listen to me. He will not die. He will live. He's survived without you before, he can do it again. Trust me, this will help him in the long run." He lifts the Geordie's head. "If not for your own sake, then do it for me. Please?" Tears streaming down his face, Adé nods.
Author's Note: Omigosh, omigosh, I am SO sorry for updating a day late! I just completely lost track of time, you have no idea how often that happens. (As of this typing, it's ~5-something AM Wednesday morning.) To make up for it, I'm throwing in this shorter chapter that's sort of tied into the last one.
Anyways, about this update, eh, I can't say much about it. The only really notable things about them are the park officer's fate and a potentially controversial reinterpretation of a character's body type. To comment on the former: While this may seem insignificant at first, it will play a significant role later in the story, mostly in the "character development" department (though it does tie into the murder mystery subplot as well). To comment on the latter: I've been making fanworks with overweight canon characters (and OCs) for a really long time, and trust me, compared to all the character assassination I've been dealing (literally and otherwise), making a character chubbier than the norm shouldn't be as big a deal. (If I sound a bit defensive, it's because I have gotten flack in the past for the apparent crime of making canon characters fat. As a result, I thought I'd get this bit out of the way, even it's 30+ chapters too late.)
Anyways, that's all I got to say this week. Next week will be a decntly-sized entry with plenty of sakka action and drama. (And another cute chubby boy, lol.)