DISCLAIMER: CORPSE PARTY AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE OWNED BY TEAM GRISGRIS/GRINDHOUSE. KITT IS OWNED BY GLEN PRODUCTIONS, THE CREATORS OF KNIGHT RIDER CLASSIC. ZENKA IS OWNED BY AXEL THE MOON. MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS, PACKER, RUSH, QUACKENBUSH, TUNDRA, ANGEL, DUSTIN AND SYN ARE OWNED BY ME.
CHAPTER 39: SOULMATES III
(FF7: Crisis Core's The Price of Freedom begins playing in the background)
After everyone returned to the command post, all of the Knights, minus Angel, who was resting in one of the beds in the makeshift Infirmary, were working to figure out what their next move was. Eventually, curiosity got the best of Ayumi.
"Hey, do any of you guys know what happened to that monster?" the bluenette asked.
"Well, I performed some scans after everyone left and could find no trace of the polymorphic creature," Rush replied. "Its energy must be masked whenever it changes shape." The amethyst Knight lowered his head in disappointment. "That means we can't track it at all."
"So, how do we find it then?" Zenka asked.
Silently, everyone looked at each other, unsure of how to hunt an enemy which is impossible to find.
"Well, it looks like the only plan right now is to sit and wait for it to strike somewhere else," Rush suggested. Quackenbush glanced up at him with an annoyed look.
"THAT'S your plan? THAT'S your PLAN?!" the ruby Knight shouted. "I could bend over right now and pull a better plan out of my ass!"
"QUACKENBUSH!" Rush roared.
Shocked not only by Rush's tone, but also the current direction of his own attitude, Quackenbush sat down for the first time since they'd arrived at the command post, nearly two long hours ago.
"I'm sorry, Rush," he sighed. "I'm just a little tense right now."
"I fully understand that, John. I know you're upset about what that thing did to Angel," Rush replied. "We all want vengeance, but we have to be rational about it as well!"
"Rush, the likelihood of vengeance and rationality going hand in hand is next to nil," 'Seiko' joked. "KITT, what do think? You think we can find this creature?"
"At this point, Rush is right. I haven't been able to locate this creature anywhere, because it just blends into whatever environment it is surrounded by. I'd have better luck finding a needle in a haystack, since it has its own signature. In this case, the creature would be exactly like all the hay around it."
"That might prove useful as a way of defeating it," 'Seiko' replied. "We could lure it into an area where it becomes something relatively harmless so that we can destroy it. Of course, the plan would be easier if I had my powers, as I could easily destroy it with my Shining Helix, but unfortunately, that's no longer an option, so we need to come up with another way of disposing of it."
This entire time, Rush was watching 'Seiko' and 'Packer', and a thought went through his head at that moment.
"Wait a minute," he thought aloud, as he turned to his laptop and activated his Hazard Helm. "If I analyze the data I scanned earlier, I might be able to..." Rush again trailed off, lost in thought as he downloaded the data from his Helm into his laptop and he began to type madly at the keypad.
"What data?" Yoshiki asked.
"Give me a second…" Rush mumbled, still typing away. Suddenly, his computer beeped, and when he deactivated his Hazard Helm, the others could see the big smile on his face. "Well, I'll be damned."
"What is it?" 'Packer' asked. Rush turned to the others, the smile still evident on his face.
"I believe I may have found something pertaining to switching back Packer and Seiko," he replied.
Everyone's mouths dropped open at that moment, especially 'Packer' and 'Seiko'.
"What have you found?" 'Seiko' asked.
"Have you two noticed how much you've been acting like your original selves since we left the park?" Rush asked. "Packer took back the role of the comforter when Seiko broke down after seeing Angel injured, and even now, Packer was taking charge, trying to come up with a solution to our little monster problem." Rush paused for a moment. "Of course, I'm referring to your mental selves for simplicity's sake."
"Why do you think this is happening, Rush?" Dustin asked, cutting right to the chase.
"Well, this is only a hunch, but I think it has to do with the energy attack that the polymorph hit us with in the park," Rush explained. "I think it was merely a diversionary tactic to let it escape."
Quackenbush sneered.
"Seems all it ever does is hit and run..." he growled, fire burning in his eyes. Not wanting to lose his train of thought, Rush continued.
"According to my scans, it didn't do anything to us except shoot us off in different directions. When it hit Packer and Seiko, however, it extended the duration of their transition by about 50%."
'Packer' cocked an eyebrow as 'his' interest was piqued.
"So, what exactly are you saying?" 'he' asked.
"Thanks to that attack, you've gained an extra three and a half days before you completely adapt mentally, and therefore your current phase has been readjusted to compensate," Rush continued. "With this new timeframe you've gone from the memory conflict phase back to when you were just becoming physically comfortable in your new bodies. If this all holds true, the rate at which you will adapt will have slowed down as well. With this in mind, I know how we can get Seiko and Packer back to normal, and get the shapechanger exactly where we want it."
The Kisaragi group looked at each other with excitement, but none more so than 'Packer' and 'Seiko'.
"I think I know what you're thinking of, Rush," 'Seiko' replied. "Two birds with one stone right?"
"Precisely," Rush retorted. "It is hunting us, and it prefers to isolate us for its attacks. When confronted by too many opponents, it flees. Also, this creature apparently has the ability to prolong the switching of Packer and Seiko, so theoretically a large enough attack can reverse the entire process. What we need to do is get it to attack Packer and Seiko directly with a powerful blast of energy. The best time to do that is apparently when it flees, so we have to lure it to a specific area, get it to attack, then scare it off as it does so it blasts Packer and Seiko. This will most likely be our only chance to reverse the process AND eliminate the creature."
"Rush, are you sure about this?" KITT asked. "This seems like a dangerous plan. The likelihood of Packer and Seiko becoming seriously injured is significant."
"Maybe so, but if it's our only chance, then we have to take it, but we're not going to just rush in without a plan," Quackenbush replied. He turned to 'Packer' and 'Seiko'. "Of course, this is all up to you two."
Without hesitation, 'Packer' and 'Seiko' looked at each other and nodded silently in approval.
"Alright then," Quackenbush said, before turning to Rush. "Where do we begin?"
Rush quickly pulled out his laptop and began typing away furiously.
"Well, since it frequents the park..." he began.
"Well, I certainly don't feel awkward at all," 'Seiko' scoffed sarcastically. With that, 'Seiko' sat up straight and rested on the back of the park bench instead of being nestled up against 'Packer'.
'Packer' put 'his' arm around 'Seiko'.
"Same here, but we have to appear like a normal couple, so if overacting gets the shapechanger's attention so it notices us, then we've got to play the parts," 'he' replied. 'Seiko' leaned on 'Packer' once more.
"I know, it just seems almost redundant to play the part of the girl when the end result of the whole thing is to end up as the exact opposite," 'she' laughed.
"Nobody ever said being a girl was easy, at least, not recently," 'Packer' replied, before 'he' paused. "Since it's late, this isn't going to be easy to do with only a few lamp posts for light. Let's go over the plan again."
"Alright," 'Seiko' retorted, going over the plan once more in 'her' head. "When the creature shows up, we have to lure it to the old wishing well just over that hill behind us. Dustin will be facing it, hidden behind a large tree. Quackenbush will be behind the restrooms to its left while Rush and Tundra will be hiding behind a fountain to its right. We run past the well which signals the Knights to surround it with Dustin performing his usual tricks to get behind it. You transform and we rush back in, giving it too many enemies to handle while everyone gets around behind it, leaving us as its focus. It blasts us, we switch back, and it tries to run but is stopped by the Knights behind it. They combine their spells and send it to Kingdom Come, and everything is back to normal." 'She' took a breath. "That's the plan, anyway."
"Personally, I prefer the back-up plan," 'Packer' chuckled.
'Seiko' raised 'her' eyebrows.
"Run like Hell?" 'she' asked, also chuckling.
"Yep!" 'Packer' laughed.
The two of them laughing caused them to fulfill their roles in an unexpected manner, and it was only because of the increased light that they noticed something was different.
"It's here!" 'Packer' shouted as 'he' jumped to 'his' feet, pulling 'Seiko' up as well. When they looked behind them, however, they saw nothing but the bench, hill and three lampposts.
Without looking towards 'Packer', 'Seiko' commented on the situation as 'she' drew 'her' pistols from their holsters.
"Aren't there supposed to be only two...?" 'she' inquired.
(Final Fantasy VII's Boss Battle Theme begins playing in the background)
BOSS FIGHT: POLYMORPHIC BEING
Before the sentence could be completed, the center lamppost suddenly grew an extra three feet in height and the glow from the bulb became practically blinding, and hot.
Having mentally rehearsed this hundreds of times already, 'Packer' and 'Seiko' began racing towards the hill, the hopping lamppost close behind them. 'Seiko' turned and fired a few rounds at the lamppost, but the bullets just ricocheted off its surface.
"I guess we won't have to worry about that lighting problem after all!" 'Seiko' yelled as 'she' tried to break the coming tension early.
As they made it over the top of the hill, they hit their stride and bolted towards the small well which was about thirty feet away. Not even bothering to look behind them, they each ran on one side of the well and passed the tree Dustin was hiding behind. Pausing only briefly to catch their breath, they could hear the Knights battling the creature.
"ICE BEAM!"
"FIREBALL!"
Transforming as quickly as possible, 'Packer', along with 'Seiko', turned to face the creature and complete the next stage of the plan.
What they saw was definitely not what they had planned for.
The lamppost wasn't a lamppost anymore, as it had now apparently taken on the form of the small hill. A ten foot tall grassy mound with arms and legs was now standing near the restroom. What was apparently the creature's left arm as well as a portion of the restroom's wall was covered in ice, having been hit by Tundra's Ice Beam, yet Tundra had apparently been thrown into the fountain and was knocked unconscious. A large stone portion was knocked loose due to Tundra's impact, letting the water flow out onto the ground, thankfully keeping his head above water level.
Quackenbush could not be seen, but his handiwork was clearly visible. The mound's right arm was ablaze after Quackenbush hit it with a Fireball, yet it didn't seem to bother the creature. Most likely it had adapted to it and its entire arm was now a combination of fire and a grassy knoll. As for Quackenbush, he had likely been knocked behind the restroom and out of view.
"THUNDERBO…"
Zenka, almost directly in front of 'Packer' and 'Seiko', was in the midst of firing a Thunderbolt attack when he was nearly buried by a flying mass of grass and dirt propelled from the creature.
Drawing 'his' Kobra pistols, 'Packer' ran towards the mound with 'Seiko' in tow, which now had one fire arm, one ice arm, and a base resembling the masonry of the well. They spotted Quackenbush lying on the ground holding his right ankle in pain, but they still couldn't account for the location of Dustin and Rush.
That didn't last long, though.
"AEROBLAST!"
A huge burst of yellow energy blasted through the creature's grassy torso, leaving a hole nearly four feet in diameter. Rush was standing several feet away, having blasted the creature with his strongest attack. Before he could fire again, the creature batted him towards the restrooms using its ice arm, knocking the amethyst Knight unconscious and causing a crack to form in the ice covered wall where he hit.
Realizing the impossibility of implementing Plan B with everybody unable to run away, an improvised Plan C was needed.
As Dustin tried to battle the creature with his Dragonsabre, 'Seiko' was almost dumbstruck as the creature began lumbering closer to the restrooms and the prone Rush.
"Look at how many things it is!" 'she' exclaimed.
'Packer' was also amazed, as he watched a section of the creature's front change to resemble the restroom's unfrozen wall. It was also getting closer and closer to Rush, who was still unconscious.
"We have to destroy it now, it might be weakened because of the numerous changes," 'Packer' realized.
"But if we do that, we lose our best chance at changing back!" 'Seiko' exclaimed.
"Either we destroy it or it destroys our friends," 'Packer' said darkly.
Without hesitation, 'Seiko' nodded in agreement.
"What's your plan?" 'she' asked.
"We need to lure the creature away from the others," 'Packer' explained.
"Got it!" 'Seiko' shouted, as 'she' and 'Packer' began running at the creature, guns blazing, but their bullets just kept ricocheting off its surface. Switching to the pump shotgun, 'Seiko' cocked a shell into the chamber and fired, blasting a sizable hole in its ice arm. Suddenly realizing something, 'Seiko' quickly turned to 'Packer'.
"Seiko, use one of my glass daggers, specifically my grenade dagger!" 'Seiko' shouted.
"Right!" 'Packer' replied, as a glass dagger appeared in 'his' hand. Wondering for a split second how 'he' did that, 'Packer' launched the dagger at the creature. The inexperience was clearly visible, as the dagger's explosion hit the creature as much as it did the wall. The desired effect was reached, however, as the brittle wall crumbled and the exposed plumbing began splashing onto the creature.
Dustin dropped down beside them and watched as the water did nothing except make the creature wet and somewhat dampen its flame arm. Its attention now diverted from its previous prey, it turned and began to focus on Dustin, 'Seiko' and 'Packer'. 'Seiko' stood 'her' ground.
"This could be our only chance to get it to change us back," 'she' realized.
'Packer' extracted Shiden from its sheath and held the sword ready in front of 'him'.
"It also may be our last chance to defeat it once and for all. We have to pick one or the other," 'Packer' replied.
"Well, we have to act fast. Countless lives are at stake," Dustin interjected.
Glancing at the property damage and injuries the creature had already inflicted, 'Seiko' and 'Packer' didn't even need to voice their decision to let the other know what it was.
"Any ideas?" Dustin asked.
"I may have one," 'Seiko' replied. "Dustin, one of your Dragon spells is a lightning attack. By combining that attack with the electricity from Shiden's blade and the fact that the creature is soaked with water, it may be enough to destroy the creature once and for all!"
"But I've never used your sword before, Packer," 'Packer' stated. "What if I miss?"
"That's a chance we have to take," Dustin retorted. "Let's do this."
As the creature began lumbering toward them, Dustin called upon the power of his dragon blood. Suddenly, his body began to glow with bright light, and his hands began to crackle with bright white electricity. When his power reached maximum capacity, he unleashed his most powerful Dragon spell.
"WHITE DRAGON LIGHTNING!"
Taking the form of an oriental dragon, the lightning blast shot toward the outstretched blade of Shiden. As the blade absorbed the attack, 'Packer' found it increasingly difficult to keep under control. Finally, with the blade reaching full power, 'he' pointed the blade at the polymorph and launched the enhanced White Dragon Lightning attack.
The lightning shot forth wildly, almost at random, from the tip of Shiden's blade and connected with the creature. However, instead of blowing a hole in it like Rush's Aeroblast did, the lightning sent the creature flying back towards the restrooms and into the exposed plumbing. Now completely doused by the gushing water, it was essentially electrocuted thanks to the continuous stream of lightning from Shiden. In a brilliant flash of light, the creature seemingly imploded, leaving behind a slight ripple in the air which only lasted for a fraction of a second.
Physically drained, 'Seiko' and 'Packer' walked to the broken wall to examine the area. A small puddle of... something... was sitting in part of the damaged metal plumbing. Before they could investigate further, a barely audible voice came from behind them.
"What... what happened to it?" asked a dazed Rush McCloud, who had finally come to.
'Seiko', still facing the broken wall, lowered 'her' head. Following a momentary pause, 'she' turned to face Rush, tears running freely down 'her' cheeks. After looking down at 'her' body and releasing a heartfelt sigh, 'she' finally gave Rush 'her' answer, the tears present even in 'her' trembling voice...
"We destroyed it…" 'she' murmured.
(FF7: Crisis Core's The Price of Freedom begins playing in the background)
Crying loudly, 'Seiko' crashed to 'her' knees after informing Rush of the shapechanger's demise, knocking over part of the broken plumbing in the process. 'Packer' let Shiden fall to the ground as 'he' fell against the remainder of the restroom's wall while trying to maintain 'his' balance.
"Wow, that's the second bathroom this thing destroyed today..." Dustin said to nobody in particular.
'Seiko' was looking down at 'herself'.
"My God... this... is permanent..." 'she' murmured. 'She' could hardly be understood because of the sporadic nature of 'her' words between 'her' crying.
"This may have been our best hope, but not-" Rush tried to say, but was interrupted as 'Seiko' pushed him away as 'she' started running towards the well. Loud heaving sounds could be heard as 'she' bent over its opening. Rush, landing on his rear-end, noticed something beside his right hand. It was some sort of liquid lying on top of the dirt.
"That's some sort of liquid, but it's maintaining its shape on the dirt..." Rush murmured.
As he activated the scanner inside his Hazard Helm and began analyzing the substance, 'Seiko' collapsed to the ground, presumably in shock.
The rest of the Knights, starting to come around, began to detransform. Zenka was covered in moss, grass and dirt, whereas Quackenbush was walking tentatively on his right ankle, using his Nanbanfu battle axe as a crutch. Tundra quickly approached the hyperventilating 'Seiko', while Dustin went to 'Packer', still leaning on the fragile wall.
"Sei-" Tundra began, before he sighed. "Packer? Please, just calm down. We saw everything, you guys did what you had to do."
'Seiko', still breathing rapidly, turned to stare at the sapphire Knight. She began to simply shake her head while repeatedly saying one word…
"No..." 'she' repeated over and over again.
Dustin's luck wasn't much better with 'Packer'. As the dragon Knight approached, he noticed 'Packer' slump to the ground, leaning against the wall behind 'him'. As 'he' did so, a small piece of metal pipe fell to the ground, spilling its contents. Dustin and 'Packer' were oblivious to it, but Rush saw... something... but he just continued working on his computer. Dustin just focused on 'Packer', however.
"Shinohara?" he asked. 'Packer' continued to stare off into space. "Shinohara, talk to me."
'Packer', eyes closed and breathing deeply, would only say one word…
"Forever..." 'he' repeated.
Once the damaged plumbing stopped spouting water, Zenka grew even more concerned.
"Guys, we've got to get out of here before someone comes to check out those noises we made, especially with half of us transformed and the other back in normal form," the onyx Knight warned.
"Zenka's right," Quackenbush added. "We need to head back to the command post and check on Angel anyway and report our mission's success to High Master Jericho."
"All right, then," Dustin replied as he looked to 'Packer' and 'Seiko'. "Come on you two, there still might be some hope. Let's head back to the command post and figure out what we can do."
Without a word, both 'Packer' and 'Seiko' slowly got up and began to walk back toward the parking lot where KITT was waiting, along with several of the Knights. Quackenbush noticed that Rush was still analyzing the mysterious substance.
"Rush? What are you doing?" the ruby Knight asked. Rush looked up almost as if he was startled.
"Hmm? Oh, I just found this fascinating liquid on the ground and I was just going to collect a sample," the amethyst Knight replied. As he used a piece of piping that was fused shut at one end to scoop up the unknown material, he noticed Quackenbush leaning on his axe for support. "Are YOU alright, John?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just a little sore, that's all," Quackenbush replied.
Not convinced, Rush quickly scanned Quackenbush's injured ankle with his Hazard Helm.
"Well, it's not broken, or even sprained," he said. "Looks like you simply twisted it. Just go easy on it and it should be fine in a day or two."
Quackenbush couldn't help but smile at his red-haired friend.
"Thanks, McCloud," he replied. "I don't know what we'd do without your expertise."
Rush replied with a smile of his own, albeit a worried one.
"I only wish that I can find a way to help Packer and Shinohara before it's too late…" he murmured.
LATER, AT THE COMMAND POST...
"I can stay, too," Ayumi said as she hung up the receiver. "My parents wanted me to be with everyone anyway because of what happened to Angel, and since tomorrow's Saturday, we won't have to worry about school."
"So that's everybody, then," Rush replied. Everyone had decided that spending the night at the command post would make it easier on Packer and Seiko, and each other.
Naomi walked from the bathroom, closing the door behind her. As she did, she nearly bumped into Dustin exiting the bedroom across the hall in a similar fashion.
Morishige thought to himself, "That's weird timing."
An ice pack on his ankle, Quackenbush was the first to speak.
"So... how are they?" he inquired.
Naomi and Dustin looked at each other as they sat on the couch. Naomi nodded to Dustin.
"You first," she said.
Dustin leaned back on the couch.
"If you insist," he replied, before looking toward the group. "Shinohara's taking it pretty hard. She's just sitting in there refusing to do anything right now." Dustin looked towards Ayumi. "Even though she's trapped as Packer, I still think you should go talk to her, girl to girl. It might help bring her around."
"I'll do that, after Nakashima-san fills us in on Packer-kun," Ayumi replied.
"He's nearly a complete disaster," Naomi said. "He listened to everything I had to say, but I don't think he actually heard any of it. He refused all my insistence to eat anything as well, and has thrown up numerous times now. I'm going to wait a few minutes before I check on him again." Naomi also turned to Ayumi. "You can go ahead now."
As Ayumi stood and began to walk toward the bedroom, both its door and the bathroom door opened, and out stepped 'Seiko' and 'Packer', face-to-face.
Morishige thought to himself once more, "That's just bad timing."
'Packer' slowly walked to the empty space on the couch beside Dustin, while Ayumi helped the wobbly 'Seiko' to the chair she just rose from, 'her' face whiter than 'her' blouse.
"We're staying over with you guys tonight," Mayu began. "We're here for you, you know that."
'Seiko' looked up at Mayu, surprising everyone with the look on 'her' face. Never before had anyone seen such a defeated look on the brunette. After a failed attempt at a smile, 'she' resumed staring at the floor.
Quackenbush stood and began gingerly heading towards the kitchen.
"If there aren't any objections, I'll fix us something to eat," he declared. "After two battles and nothing to eat, I'm definitely hungry. Any preferences?"
With "Nah" and "Not really" being the only responses, Quackenbush entered the kitchen and began working away. Hungry or not, his friends knew that he was actually desperate to get his mind off of Angel for the time being.
Zenka picked up a small glass jar on the coffee table. Contained within was the strange material found at the battle site.
"Rush, have you determined what exactly this substance is yet? I've never seen anything like it in my career as a Knight," he said.
"No, not yet, and my Hazard Helm's scanner nearly crashed when I tried inputting some data from it," Rush replied. "I may have to use the computer at Covenant headquarters back in San Francisco to properly analyze it."
"You can do that later though," Yoshiki replied. "Right now, we might as well work out sleeping arrangements while we wait. Shinohara and Packer get first choice of course, and then we'll spread out on the couch, the floor, and..."
'Seiko', however, wasn't paying attention at all, as 'she' leaned towards Naomi seated on the couch beside 'her'.
"I think you'd better tell me those things you mentioned earlier that I'd need to know about being a girl now…" 'she' whispered.
Saturday, February 14th, 2009, 9:02 A.M.
(Corpse Party's Good Friends begins playing in the background)
It was the morning of Valentine's Day, with some of the Kisaragi group getting breakfast from Dustin, as he was in the kitchen cooking some eggs.
"How're the eggs, everyone?" Dustin asked.
"Great, Dustin, I didn't know you were such a good cook!" Satoshi exclaimed, taking a bite of his eggs.
Dustin smiled and turned back to the stove.
"When you live on your own, it gets to be a 'nasty' habit," he joked.
Trying not to smile, he again turned and put a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Mayu.
"Oh, yes, 'truly' horrible," she replied. She couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Dustin."
Dustin once more turned to the stove.
"Now, Shinohara, I don't care what you say, you barely ate anything last night, so you ARE having something for breakfast," he declared. "Either you tell me which kind you want or I choose for you."
'Packer', twiddling a fork, finally gave in.
"Alright, I'll have scrambled, thanks," 'he' replied.
"Alright, then. Anyone know what kind Rush or Packer will want?" Dustin asked.
"Sunny side up for me, thank you, but I'm not sure about Packer," Rush replied as he entered the small kitchen.
"Packer will want over-easy, they're his favorite," 'Packer' spoke up.
"Thanks, Shinohara," Dustin said as Naomi walked into the kitchen as well and sat down beside 'Packer'.
"How is he?" 'Packer' asked her as Rush took a seat beside 'him' on the other side.
"You never told Packer what girls do in the morning on a daily basis, did you?" Naomi inquired.
"No," 'Packer' retorted.
"Lucky bastard..." Dustin mumbled.
"Well, he nearly fainted a few times when I started going into the details," Naomi chuckled. "Thankfully, he hasn't thrown up since last night before dinner."
"That's good," 'Packer' murmured. Rush pulled out his laptop and began typing away on it.
"Don't worry, Shinohara," Rush said. "I've given this situation my full attention. I'm gonna analyze everything we have on the creature until we find a way to revert the two of you back to normal. There has to be something that we've missed…"
"No talk, eat," Dustin said as he placed a plate of eggs in front of Rush. He was fairly surprised when he saw him continue typing away and eating at the same time, even though he knew he shouldn't have been. "I can't believe you can keep going like this with only a few hours of sleep!"
Rush simply continued without losing a beat.
"Multitasking at its finest," he managed to say between bites. "Besides, this is our top priority right now."
Dustin nodded as he turned back to the stove.
"Yours and Packer's are almost done, Shinohara," Dustin said.
'Packer' stood and started toward the fridge.
"OK, I'll just get me some orange juice. I wonder what Packer will want?" 'he' wondered out loud.
"Orange juice is fine for me as well, Seiko."
All eyes turned towards the new voice as 'Seiko' slowly walked into the room, with despair so authentic it seemed premeditated. Dressed in clothes identical to those 'she' wore last night, she took a seat across from 'Packer' as 'he' sat back down with two glasses of orange juice.
"Perfect timing," Dustin announced as he placed the scrambled eggs in front of 'Packer' and the over-easy eggs in front of 'Seiko', who closed 'her' eyes as 'her' face again went a ghastly white. However, 'she' was quick to cast aside any fears by speaking almost immediately afterwards.
"I'm okay. It's alright, just still a little light-headed, that's all," 'she' said.
'Packer' and 'Seiko' both slowly began to eat their eggs, but after only a few bites did they both look to Dustin curiously.
"What? What's wrong?" Dustin asked.
'Seiko' picked at the plate with 'her' fork.
"Mine taste funny," 'she' said.
"Mine, too," 'Packer' said as well.
"That's strange, everyone else's are fine, aren't they?" Dustin asked. Everyone nodded their heads positively, causing Dustin greater confusion.
Rush, realizing the issue, picked up both 'Packer' and 'Seiko's' plates and switched them, placing the scrambled eggs in front of 'Seiko' and the over-easy ones in front of 'Packer'.
"Oh... right..." was their only reply.
As they ate, the next few minutes were completely silent, save for the soft clicking of Rush's computer keypad. After the dishes were piled away, everyone looked quizzically at one another for an idea of what to do for the next couple hours.
Just then, Angel walked into the kitchen, letting out a small yawn.
"Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!" she declared. Quackenbush smiled as he walked up and gave her a small kiss.
"It is Valentine's Day, isn't it?" he chuckled. At that moment, 'Seiko' blinked a couple of times, as 'she' felt a weird feeling come over 'her'… a weird, but familiar feeling.
"Yep," Angel chuckled, before stopping as she noticed something odd on the table. "Um… why is the jar on the coffee table glowing?"
"What? OH!" Rush exclaimed as he quickly rushed over to the glass jar which contained the still unknown substance. Only now it was giving off a brilliant yet dark green light.
"Isn't that the stuff you found after the monster was destroyed?" Angel asked.
"Yes, but it hasn't done this yet!" Rush yelled. Nana then looked outside. Her eyes widening at what she saw, she now made an unusual announcement.
"Has anyone else noticed that nobody outside the house is moving?" she said.
(Corpse Party's Strange Time Theme begins playing in the background)
Everyone looked outside and gasped. Everyone outside, including people walking on the sidewalk and driving in their cars, seemed to be stopped in mid-motion.
"I thought I felt something unusual a second ago," 'Seiko' said. "It was the feeling of time being stopped. I've felt it a few times before."
"But why is it happening now?" Yoshiki asked, perturbed.
"Perhaps I can answer that."
Everyone was startled by the sound of a woman's voice in the already crowded living room. Standing a few feet away was a woman who looked of Chinese descent. She was wearing armor that had a mix of black and red. She had long black hair with tints of red in it. She was carrying her death scythe, Timekey, in her hands, and her belt buckle resembled a skull and crossbones. She also had the sapphire shield emblem of the Covenant on her chest, near her neck.
"Syn!" 'Seiko' exclaimed.
"Well, if it isn't the dark mistress herself," Quackenbush joked.
KNIGHT OF THE COVENANT PROFILE
NAME: Susan Rayne
CALLSIGN: Syn
AGE: 23
HEIGHT: 5' 1''
COVENANT RANK: Knight-Paladin
ELEMENT: Darkness
MARTIAL ARTS STYLES: Tai Chi, Tiger Fist
WEAPON: Timekey (Death Scythe imbued with the element of Darkness, Time and Malice)
KNOWN SPELLS:
Dark Sphere - A Level 1 Darkness spell in which the user summons a sphere with a purple glyph that staggers the target before exploding and damaging anyone around them.
Arcane Punch - A Level 1 Darkness spell in which the user engulfs their fist in Darkness and Malice and punches their opponent.
Dark Outburst - A Level 1 Darkness spell in which the user builds up Dark power within and explodes it outward, knocking back anything in range.
Bloody Lance - A Level 3 Darkness spell in which the user summons a giant lance powered with Darkness and Malice and throws it at their opponent. It detonates upon impact with a solid wall or ground.
Nightshade Beam - A Level 4 Darkness spell that can only be used when the user becomes overcharged with Dark energy and must expel it from their body. This spell allows the user to focus the overcharge into a single focused beam that can devastate an opponent. Completely drains Dark energy.
Dark Star - A Level 4 Darkness spell in which the user fires a red star-like projectile at an opponent or group of opponents, where upon contact detonates in a massive Dark-powered explosion.
KNOWN WEAPON TECHNIQUES:
Scythe Slash - A Level 1 non-elemental weapon technique in which a scythe user jumps in the air, spins around and swings their scythe in a horizontal slash at about waist height, typically slicing opponents in half.
Dark Laser - A Level 1 Darkness weapon technique in which a large ball of dark energy forms at the tip of the user's weapon, dealing several rapid hits to any enemies directly in front of them.
Malice Slash - A Level 2 Darkness weapon technique in which the user powers their weapon with the element of Darkness and Malice and slashes at their opponent.
Final Justice - A Level 4 Darkness weapon technique in which the user swings their weapon in two wide slashes along the ground, followed by a final upward slash, leaving a trail of temporal energy behind as the user lifts themself and the enemy high into the air.
"Hello to you too, John," Syn replied as she walked forward, her pose always seeming to draw a commanding presence. "I believe I have the answers you seek." She walked to Rush and took the glass jar. She held it up so everyone in the room could easily see the glowing substance. "Temporal plasma. When a rip in the timestream occurs, this is occasionally left behind."
"How occasionally?" Rush asked.
"Only when I intervene and damage is done to an important entity," Syn replied. "I will answer your second question before you even ask; it is glowing because you and this entire room are now outside the timestream, causing the plasma to act as a sort of warning beacon so I can retrieve it easily."
All semblance of uneasiness had now disappeared from 'Seiko's' face.
"You sent that shapechanger, didn't you?" 'she' inquired.
Syn placed the jar of temporal plasma back on the coffee table.
"Yes, and I am now going to explain why to you," the time Knight retorted. She leaned on her scythe, known only to a few as a timekey. "After my assisting Packer on numerous occasions, I had too many variables in my calculations to yield proper results. I had to eliminate those variables, and the only way possible would be to validate the necessity of those numerous interventions, the very reason for the variables' existence."
"Numerous?" 'Seiko' repeated. "I only remember a couple of times when you've appeared."
"It's only natural that you'd forget most of them," Syn chuckled. "Helps keep the timestream in sync."
The silence during Syn's momentary pause seemed to last a lifetime instead of a single inhalation of air.
"Because my interference in the timestream created these variables, I had to factor in an outside variable that would bear no effect on the actual timestream," she continued, pausing only momentarily as she picked up the jar. "That's why this appeared after my shapechanger was destroyed."
"But, what was the creature's exact purpose?" Rush asked. Syn looked at Rush and smiled.
"Your calculations about the decreasing monster attacks was what I used to determine a viable timeframe for its insertion," Syn explained. "It was sent to follow you, essentially. However, something went wrong when I sent it in and it began to fail its original purposes. It was simply a monitor, not a monster, although its abilities gave it the appearance of one." Syn got a look of sorrow on her face as she continued. "It continued to trail you, but it failed to conceal itself effectively. Your conclusions were correct, it does mimic the area is occupies, and it does flee when discovered. However, once it left the command post and entered the park, it became confined to that area. I'm still trying to figure that one out."
With confidence filling 'his' voice, as well as a hint of hope, 'Packer' stood up and confronted Syn.
"You told that shapechanger to switch us. Why?" 'he' demanded.
Syn looked directly at 'him'.
"Oh, it didn't switch you, I did. Its job was to monitor the change for me," she said matter-of-factly.
"What about the blast that hit Seiko and Packer, though?" Naomi asked. "If you never gave it the power to switch them, then why did that energy affect their changes?"
Syn merely shrugged her shoulders.
"Another mystery," she sighed.
'Seiko' was now walking around as much as the confined room would allow.
"So let me get this straight," 'she' began. "You put Seiko in my body and me into her's, you send a creature to hunt and watch us, it somehow loses control, and then you show up after we destroy it? Why didn't you just pull it out of the timestream once it lost control?"
"Strict orders from High Master Jericho, no further involvement was allowed," Syn retorted.
"Figures Jericho would have a hand in this," Quackenbush murmured.
"He must've had a good reason, though," Angel assured.
"Even with the shapechanger misbehaving, it still served its purpose, so I had no valid reason to interfere," Syn continued. "Anything else would fracture the timestream even more so with it in the weak state it was in. Once you destroyed it, however, it became useless. I then had to consult another source."
"Another source?" 'Seiko' repeated.
Syn looked at the brunette.
"Yes," she answered, looking back and forth between 'Seiko' and 'Packer'. "Your future selves."
"What? Can you-"
Syn was quick to interrupt 'Seiko' before 'she' finished 'her' question.
"No, I cannot tell you any details, we've gone over this before, you know," Syn retorted.
Dejected, 'Seiko' rolled 'her' eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, makes the timeline too unstable, putting the space-time continuum at risk... something I've only heard a couple thousand times…" 'she' muttered.
"Yes, but after confirming my theory, I was able to eliminate the excess variables. Only then was the timestream deemed strong enough for me to appear directly," Syn finished.
"What did you have to find out?" Dustin asked.
"I had to see if the answer would be united or divided," Syn replied.
"If what would be united or divided? What was the equation about?" 'Packer' asked.
Syn answered 'Packer' by placing her right hand on 'his' left shoulder, and her left one on 'Seiko's' right. After looking the both of them in the eye, she smiled and said...
"Your destiny."
In a bright flash of light blocking everyone's vision, Syn had disappeared.
Naomi looked around. The jar of temporal plasma was also missing, and everything outside had resumed their normal activity.
(Corpse Party's And Comfort begins playing in the background)
What really got her attention was Seiko and Packer.
They were looking at themselves, and once they looked each other, smiles crept onto both of their faces. He picked her up into a huge hug and shouted, "Seiko!", to which she responded, "Packer!"
Ayumi, her face nearly glowing, looked on in amazement.
"Does... does that mean...?" the bluenette asked.
In unison, the giddy couple yelled a resounding "YES!"
"Oh, thank goodness," Morishige sighed, now sitting beside Mayu on the couch. "Now maybe we can take things easy for a while."
"But what about those monster attacks, and the reason for the shapechanger's confusion?" Rush asked. "Not even Syn could answer that."
Seiko, beaming as Packer set her down, yet reluctant to leave his arms, was quick to respond.
"Right now, I don't care what happens, I just want to enjoy the rest of this weekend like we were supposed to!" she beamed. She playfully punched Packer's shoulder and said in a low masculine tone, "Right, Packer?"
Packer reeled from the 'blow' and spoke in a deliberately high-pitched voice.
"Oh, of course, Seiko!" he said, chuckling afterwards.
Everyone was content at merely watching at the young lovers in each other's playful embrace. Angel let out a small, contented sigh.
"Happy Valentine's Day, indeed," she whispered.