Chapter 51: A Taste of Your Own Medicine
When Shinichi opened his door, he found a greeting card lying on the floor of his foyer. He picked it up, and opened it. Suddenly, a holographic projection of the man he hated appeared before him.
"How do you like my surprise, BLACK 13?" gloated Gebok. "I'm sure you're enjoying this pleasant reunion with WHITE 14. I know I am. Oh, and I had your old room cleaned up for when you return, which I know you will. Well, see you soon, son!"
The message faded in a short round of static. Shinichi shook with rage as he tore the card to shreds.
"Doctor...Gebok..." he growled the name out like a curse.
Later that night, Mizore came to visit Shinichi. Since she was a very close friend of his, she like the other girls had received a copy of his room key. She came in, and could smell the scent of food cooking. "I'm here," she announced herself.
"Oh, Mizore-chan!" smiled Shinichi. "I'm just getting dinner ready. Would you like anything?"
"I just came to see you," she said as she looked around. She spotted an open notebook. Mizore picked up an open notebook from Shinichi's desk and scanned it. She read it, line-by-line, her eyes widening and eyebrows rising higher with each detail. As Shinichi exited the kitchen with the tray of food, Mizore quickly put the notebook back without him noticing.
Mizore sat down at the table in the middle of his room where he ate his dinner, which was just curry rice tonight. She didn't want to mention the fact that she'd read something private so she spoke up, "During the after-school meeting, everyone was giving suggestions for what our class attraction should be for the festival."
"Made a decision?" he asked.
"Not yet," Mizore shook her head. "We were hoping you could decide."
"You could've voted on it," he suggested.
"Our classmates seem to value your decision the most," she said. "They've come to respect you." And that respect was well-earned in fact. He had defeated Kuyou, one of the strongest Youkai in the school. That had earned him the respect of many of their peers.
"I'll see what I can do tomorrow," he shrugged. "So, is there anything else?"
"This weekend, we made plans to go to Mononoke Arcade with you," she said.
"Mononoke Arcade?" he asked. He hadn't heard of it before.
"It's a shopping district outside the school," she said.
"I thought we couldn't leave the school without permission?" he questioned.
"The human world," she corrected. "Mononoke Arcade is shopping district exclusively for Youkai."
Now that was something interesting. "Sounds fun," he said, smiling. Mizore reached up and caressed his face with her cold hands. "Mizore-chan?"
"You're still very upset," she studied him. "That girl hurt you."
'She's talking about Lina,' thought Shinichi. "I hurt her first. Whatever happens to me later just makes us even."
"It was not your fault," she said as she embraced him. Can't he just let the guilt go? It seemed he couldn't.
It was funny, really. Gebok had kidnapped him at a young age and turned him into a cyborg against his will. She had tried to trap him and take him back to her village against his will. Why didn't he hate her?
He didn't hate her because he understood that while her actions seemed malicious, her intentions behind them weren't. She simply wanted a husband who would love her and she thought he was the one since he seemed lonely like herself.
He still had nightmares, terrible dreams, of things he'd done, experienced and witnessed in GIN-SHOCKER. He recalled standing in attendance as a prisoner was tortured for information and then tortured to death. He recalled the warm blood that had splashed him at the time. Gebok had cut off his emotions so he didn't feel horrible about it when it happened, but now that he had access to his emotions, he felt disgust and horror at the things that had happened. He even did the torturing himself on occasion.
He had so much blood on his hands and nothing his friends said could convince him otherwise. Legally, he couldn't he held responsible for his actions since he had been manipulated and controlled like a puppet on strings. It still didn't change things.
Why couldn't he just allow himself to be happy? He couldn't because he didn't think he deserved to be happy.
Well, she wasn't going to leave before she gave him a moment of happiness. "Get up," she ordered.
"What?" he blinked.
"Get up on your feet," she ordered again, more forcefully this time. He didn't argue and stood up and Mizore pushed him onto his bed, much to his surprise.
"Mizore-chan?-!" he exclaimed as Mizore straddled him. She then lifted her sweater over her head and tossed it aside, revealing her black tank top.
She stretched her body flushed against his and looked him in the eye. "Shinichi, I chose you to become my future husband and the father of my children, don't you remember?"
"Yes, yes I do," he answered as he watched her take her lollipop out of her mouth before tossing it away.
"I think it's time we practiced some more," she said as she began to unbutton his shirt. She caressed the skin of his chest with her fingertips, causing him to groan. She loved the feel of his muscles under the palms of her hands. Ironically, this was the result of ten years of physical training and enhancements done by GIN-SHOCKER.
She kissed him and he responded in kind, kissing her back. His pants were starting to get tight and she could feel it under her panties. She smiled at his reaction and sat up to unbuckle his belt and unzipped his trousers. In one smooth movement, she pulled his trousers off and tossed them across the room. She did the same with his boxer shorts with joined his trousers on the floor as well. She pulled her tank top off and tossed it away as well.
The night was very enjoyable as both made one other feel good. It wasn't long before they both fell asleep. And that night, Shinichi had no nightmares.
The following day...
"What's that you got there, Shinichi?" Netto asked the elder Cyborg. Both boys were in the cafeteria having breakfast and he had been watching Shinichi write intensively on the notebook before him.
Shinichi sighed, "A journal; it's a compilation of my memories, and a list of all the things I've done." The school counselor, Morrigan Aensland, had recommended he start keeping one and write in it.
"All... of them?" Netto asked hesitantly.
"Every single one of them was something I remembered doing. All of my crimes and every horrible thing I did in my past," Shinichi told Netto. Netto opened his mouth to argue but Shinichi cut him off, "I know, you're going to tell me that it was BLACK 13, but it doesn't change the fact that I have all these memories in my head and all these feelings."
"You shouldn't feel any regret for those things. You were being controlled and manipulated," Netto rebuffed.
"Doesn't change the fact that they did happen. For everything I've done I should be executed, or at the very least locked up for life." Netto scowled before slamming his fist against Shinichi's skull. "Hey! What the hell!" Shinichi shouted, rubbing his forehead.
"You really have to stop beating yourself up for this bullshit. It's starting to get vexing," Netto frowned. "As unforgivable as the crimes you committed may be, you have to remember that you were just a puppet, being controlled by people who are sick enough to use kids to do their dirty work. You're just as much of a victim as everyone else you killed. You can avenge them by going after the ones really responsible. Am I right?"
Shinichi considered Netto's words. Even after knowing about his past, he and the others still vehemently tried to convince him that he still deserved redemption.
He believed them, though. They were right. What was the point in dying now? He still had so much to do.
"Yeah, you're right, and I don't plan on dying, not until Gebok and GIN-SHOCKER get what's coming to them," he resolved.
"And you can count on the rest of us to back you up," Netto nodded. It was sorta funny, really. Shinichi may not look it, but he wasn't all that mentally stable. He was lucky that he didn't wind up as some kind of murderous psychopath. The girls Shinichi met did a good job piecing his personality together. Each one seemed to put in a piece of herself into Shinichi's blank state, now that he thought about it. He had Outer Moka's kindness, Inner Moka's violent tendencies, Kurumu's protectiveness, Mizore's opened ear, and even Yukari's pervertedness. The more time he spent with them, the more their own individual personalities melded into him.
Ironic how a handful of monster girls were able to make him human.
"So, what's new?" Netto asked him, changing the subject.
"Me and the girls are gonna go to the Mononoke Arcade, this weekend," Shinichi answered, closing his book. "It's this shopping district that's outside the school. Mizore-chan suggested it could help me relax."
"Sounds like the right idea," Netto responded.
"Yeah, Kami knows I need it," Shinichi nodded. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he turned around and saw Leon. He was wearing a deep frown. "What is it?"
"You might need to see this," Leon told him.
"This is unbelieveable," Shinichi muttered to himself.
Right in front of him was Midou's blood stained mattress. The cause of the blood stain? A very noticeable wound that had the blood spilt out of his neck. The outcast Ayashi himself was very much dead, with his body sprawled out on the bed.
"We found him like this just moments ago," Leon explained. "Whoever did this managed to slip past the guards unnoticed. Hence, a very cunning infiltrator. Since you were the first one that ANTI-THESIS made contact with, I thought you should be the first to know."
Shinichi, being accustomed to blood, gore and violence, scrutinized the scene with an analytical eye. "There are no signs of a struggle so Midou was unconscious the whole time. The one who did this killed Midou with a single fatal wound since they didn't want to waste time. If the killer was able to slip past the guards, that would mean they have probably put on a disguise which the guards would not think is suspicious. The killer is either disguised as a nurse or a doctor. Considering Midou's personality, he might've been killed by someone out of revenge. However, if that were the case there would be more wounds as the killer would want to do more harm to Midou before killing him. The killer is thus someone from ANTI-THESIS, someone from his own group that was sent to silence him so that he would not expose any vital information about their organization."
"You can tell just from looking at this?" Netto asked.
"Experience," Shinichi answered simply. "I had been tasked before to silence members of GIN-SHOCKER who let themselves get captured by enemy forces." He abruptly said, "I need to go." He swiftly exited the room to take a few deep breaths outside. The scene, the blood and the body brought up bad memories. He stared at his hands and for an instant he thought he saw blood staining his fingertips. "There's no blood, there's no blood, there's no blood," he repeated and he closed his eyes. Opening them, he was relieved to see no blood on his palms.
The scene made him sick, which was ironic considering his past. Or did it make sense because of it?
Shinichi went to grab a drink from the vending machine when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around suddenly, he let out a sigh of relief as he saw that it was a cute looking nurse. She wore the nurse uniform which was a green dress with a skirt that reached down to her ankles with puffy shoulders and an apron, resembling a maid. She also wore a nurse's cap on her head with glasses. "Are you alright?" she asked. "You look a little pale."
"Just...just feeling a little under the weather," he said. "I just need a drink, that's all."
"Are you sure you don't need a doctor?" she asked.
"Nah, I'm fine. But thanks," he said, smiling.
"Well, if you're sure then I'll continue my rounds," she said before walking off.
Back at the scene of the crime, Leon combed his fingers through his hair with a sigh, "Guess he got bothered by this," he sighed. "I should've seen it coming." Leon had actually studied the body himself, discovering cause of death before calling Shinichi over. He just needed a second opinion. However, Leon was depressed since Midou had been killed while he was under custody. When he regained consciousness, he was to be questioned. Well, that was impossible now.
"Considering what we know about his past so far, it makes sense why he would want to get away from here as fast as possible," Netto sighed, leaning against the wall. "Still, if someone from ANTI-THESIS did silence Midou, then we're not dealing with your run of the mill gang of delinquents."
"Yeah, ANTI-THESIS is just as much a threat as I first thought, maybe even more," Leon nodded. "And what's worse is that they have a similar mindset as GIN-SHOCKER."
"No matter how they may deny it, Humans and Youkai are often the same," Netto acknowledged. "It's a Stand Alone Complex*."
"Kiko-sempai!" a girl with short blue hair seemed to shudder as she approached the alluring blonde, "C-can you join me and my friends for lunch?"
Kiko smiled as she patted her shoulder. "No, sorry I can't. I have plans with someone else already. Perhaps next time," she packed her bag and waved, "See you!" she waved before walking out of the classroom.
"Hyuu~," the girl seemed to blush, watching her go.
"Have you noticed that Kiko-sempai seems to be a lot more happier these days?" another girl asked.
"Yeah, it was since she claimed that freshman. Netto Kusanagi is his name, I think," said another. "She stopped hitting on other boys since he came here too."
"I wouldn't be surprised," said another girl, grinning, "He has a type of charm that seems to attract older women. He already has a harem a three girls. Maybe I should try to see him for myself." Most of the girls seemed agree with her. Meanwhile, the boys of the classroom were at the back, stewing under a dark cloud of woe.
Kiko walked through the hallways of the school with a light spring in each step. She was once again meeting Netto and the others for lunch, and she always enjoyed spending time with her future husband. It was so adorable watching him squirm whenever they teased him. He was just so adorable!
She walked into a corner, before bumping into someone. It was a rather tall and handsome man, and from the way he was dressed, he looked to be one of the doctors who worked in the hospital within the school property. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she blushed.
"It's quite alright," the doctor nodded with a slight smile, "Kiko Kurishima, was it?"
"Yes?" she frowned.
"You'll need to be careful," he told her, "The organisation, ANTI-THESIS, is targeting you guys."
"ANTI-THESIS?" Kiko frowned, "How do you know all this?" She had only heard of ANTI-THESIS once before. They were a group of hybrid Youkai who are often looked down upon other pureblood monsters. This made them create a gang of their own, where they would feel accepted. It was a very tragic tale, really.
"Why don't you come with me to my office?" the doctor gestured to the room next to him, "We can talk about it a little more there."
Kiko had a buzzing feeling in her head, telling her to watch out for something. Still, she slowly walked into doctor's office with the man right behind him. The room was rather dark. Very dark.
"So, what's this about ANTI-THESIS?" Kiko asked as the man closed the door behind him and switched on the lights.
"You are really careless, you know that," the doctor answered, his hands resting on a stool. "Girls like you should pay more attention to your surroundings when you're alone."
"I'm very aware of that," Kiko answered. "But how do you know so much about ANTI-THESIS? You just said that I was 'being targeted'."
"Silly girl," the doctor grunted, suddenly lifting the stool over his head, "The reason why I know is because-" he dashed forward and smashed stool on the counter where Kiko was just standing behind before moving out of the way, "-The one targeting you is me!"
"W-what?" Kiko gasped. "Damn it!" The doctor lunged again, this time in a speed Kiko was unable to match. Consequently, he grabbed her by the throat and pinned her down on the wall.
"I can't control my own body..." the doctor continued through gritted teeth. He pulled out a sharp looking syringe and it slightly squirted out some chemical. "An ANTI-THESIS spy... did something to me... and made me into some kind of puppet!"
"Wh... what?" Kiko choked out. The man's grip was too tight. She tried to punch the man several times on the head, but her human form wasn't enough.
"This "manipulation medicine" was what she used to put me under her control," he continued, the syringe moving closer to her neck, "Once you do what she wants, not a trace will be left. But... it also allows me to read her thoughts. She's going after your friends. The ones who challenged ANTI-THESIS!"
"Don't know what you're trying to pull but..." Kiko coughed, her eyes suddenly turning yellow. With a loud shout, she released an explosion of purple and blue energy, covering the room. As the light dimmed down, Kiko in her Night Elf form fell to her knees and coughed as she held her throat. Looking to the side, she saw the man sprawled across the floor. Getting up, she looked at the door as it suddenly slid open.
"Doctor, is something wrong?" the young nurse asked as she came in, "I thought I saw a bright flash." She blinked as she saw the doctor unconscious on the floor and Kiko shaking her head slightly.
"Oh, nurse!" Kiko began, "I need help! The doctor just attacked me and tried to inject me with some kind of strange medicine!"
"Oh my," the nurse suddenly frowned, her index finger suddenly lengthening into a sharp claw, "That's no good at all."
"Huh?" Kiko blinked. The nurse suddenly disappeared from her sight, and then she felt a sharp sting in her neck, the pressure spewing out the blood. "AHHH!"
"I guess you weren't such a cooperative patient, were you?" the nurse cooed as she pumped the substance into the struggling Elf. She had an iron grip around her, preventing and chance for escape. "We can't have that. The doctor's orders must always be followed."
"Wha... what..." Kiko was starting to feel numb. Her vision starting to grow dark. Weakly, she looked to where the doctor lied, "So... the doctor... was telling the truth...?" Her body could no longer move as she slumped to the ground.
The nurse removed her glasses and pulled out the ribbon from her brownish hair, letting it loose freely. Her face went from cute to beautiful in a short second, though the sinister look she had negated that beauty. She grinned manically at the unconscious Kiko. "That idiot Midou made a mistake when he tried to coax that Shinichi kid into joining us. Now our organisation has been crippled thanks to him. But I can fix it by offing all the threats to us. And you, my dear, will be the perfect scapegoat!"
"Hm..." Qiao muttered as she looked at her watch. "Kiko-chan sure is taking her sweet time, isn't she?" She, Netto, and Elle were waiting at the rooftops of the school for Kiko. Said girl had yet to show. This was very unusual, considering that Kiko was normally the first to arrive.
"Think she could've been preoccupied with something?" Netto asked.
"Perhaps," Elle answered. "But she could have at least called."
"I'll try her cell," Netto said finally, as he took out his cell phone to call her. With the ANTI-THESIS guys running around, not to mention GIN-SHOCKER, Netto felt a little on edge and distressed. "Kiko, come on and pick up," he murmured as the phone rang but he received no answer.
"She isn't answering?" Qiao asked.
"No, something's off," Netto frowned, "She wouldn't do something like that, would she?" A ring chime slowly faded in, alerting all three of them. It was a sound that they all recognized too.
"Ah, Kiko-chan!" Qiao smiled, turning to the exit that lead to the stairs. "What took you so long? We were wondering if your were going to-" she stopped as soon as she saw something that made her eyes widened.
It was indeed Kiko there, but there was also something very wrong. She was in her Night Elf form, and there was a splatter of blood stains on her left shoulder. Her eyes, as well as her body language, also looked very lifeless, and tears seemed to be coming out of them.
"Kiko?" Netto gasped, facing her, "What happened to you?"
"Stay back..." Kiko managed to muttered, her hand reaching forward, "I can't... control..."
"Kiko? What is it?" Netto asked slowly, cautiously walking to her. "What happened?"
SLASH!
"Woah!" Netto gasped, barely avoiding an energy blade that was thrown at him. The blade of blue and purple energy ripped through the ground before slicing a portion of the wall.
"What are you doing?-!" Qiao shouted on shock, "What's gotten into you?-!"
Blades of light suddenly appeared on Kiko's arms before she wordlessly charged at Qiao. The Huli Jing, with her inherited agility as well as her combat training, was quick and nimble enough to avoid the blades that came at her. Her experience and skills had taught her how to perceive any incoming attack. One swipe from her cut of a few hair strands from Qiao's bangs. Another swipe made a wide slash imprint on the wall just as she moved out of the way. Kiko made a thrust with her blade, only for Qiao to catch it underneath her arm. In this position, she would have easily broken Kiko's arm, but she didn't want to hurt her co-girlfriend.
Qiao studied Kiko's eyes critically before gasping. "She's under some kind of control! Someone did this to her!"
"What?" Netto gasped. Kiko suddenly bashed her head against Qiao's, causing the Fox to lose her grip and fall against the wall. Just as she was gaining her second wind, Kiko charged for the kill before Elle blurred to her side and hooked her arms together with hers. Moving around, she placed Kiko in a stranglehold lock.
"Sister Kiko, control yourself!" Elle pleaded, "You must fight it! Don't let whomever is doing this to you take control!"
Kiko suddenly stomped on Elle's foot, causing the Dragon to cry out from the shock. Taking advantage, she pulled her momentum together and threw Elle over her. The taller girl managed to recover quickly and slid over some meters just as she landed.
"Come on, Kiko!" Netto called, "Who did this to you? Tell us!"
Kiko's teeth seemed to gritt as she faced Netto and charged at him, the blades scraping across the ground. Netto grimaced as he assumed a defensive stance and prepared for her.
"OJOU-SAMA! I HAVE COME!"
Netto blinked as a sudden blur appeared before him. The tall man in a suit with a long silver ponytail produced a red blade on his arm, blocking Kiko's own blade before it could hit its mark.
"Huh?" Netto blinked.
"Forgive me for not coming here sooner," Sebastian frowned as the blades ground together, "But it appears that someone has temporarily broken my link with Ojou-sama when they attacked her."
"Wait, who are you?" Qiao asked.
"My name is Sebastian," the old man answered, "I am Ojou-sama's personal butler, as well as her bodyguard. I'm sure you all wish to investigate what happened to her as much as I do, but first..." he lifted his free arm, energy crackling around his two fingers. Swiftly, he pressed it against Kiko's forehead, causing a runic symbol to appear over it. Kiko's eyes widened as a sudden flash of light washed over her, returning her back to her human form. She moaned before falling unconscious into Sebastian's arms. The butler gently picked her up bridal-style.
"What did you do?" Netto asked.
"It is a spell that temporarily shuts down her nervous system, in which case it also shuts down Ojou-sama's abilities," Sebastian explained. "It is something that I can only use in emergencies, and this was certainly the case. Come, we must take her to the infirmary."
"Of course," Elle nodded.
The teenagers followed Sebastian as they went inside the school. Unknown to them, the nurse had been watching them from above on the roof the whole time. And she was rather displeased with how things went.
"Tch!" she frowned, rubbing her chin. "It seems I need to pull in a little more effort."
Kiko was brought to the infirmary, where they found Yokoshima lying in one of the infirmary beds. Apparently, he had an accident and slipped on the stairs and fell several flights. There was no damage, but a worried teacher had him sent to the infirmary to rest and heal. He just took it as a chance for some time off from school.
"Hey guys!" Yokoshima waved as he saw the group enter. "Hey, what happened to her?" he asked.
"Someone did something to Kiko that made her attack us," Elle answered. "What is worse is that she does not remember a thing."
"Really?" Yokoshima blinked. "Who do you think it could've been? It might've been GIN-SHOCKER, but on the other hand we may have another angry Youkai to deal with."
"Those could be the right possibilities," Netto nodded, placing his hands in his pockets as he thought. "But there's also this new group called ANTI-THESIS. The might be coming after us for revenge."
"Considering how Shinichi kicked their butts earlier, it's something that's extremely likely," Qiao said.
"Hey, if you want, I can help you guys investigate," Yokoshima offered. "I mean they're just a gang of delinquents, right?"
"You never know. But a search around the place sounds like a good idea," Netto nodded. He turned to the others, "Can you guys watch Kiko-chan while we take a look around?"
"We have you covered," Qiao nodded.
"Alright. Let's go, Yokoshima," the two boys walked off from the group and exited the room.
Netto and Yokoshima walked through the rather empty hallways of the hospital. He had a feeling that Midou's death and Kiko suddenly attacking him were related incidents so he was heading there to investigate and maybe find some clues.
"So, got any idea where she was before she started attacking you?" Yokoshima asked. "I mean there might be a clue there."
"I don't know about where she was," Netto scowled. "All I know is that whoever made her do this has to be stopped."
"I still think GIN-SHOCKER might be involved," said Yokoshima. "Being a Rider, you have a pretty huge target painted on your forehead. They'd want you eliminated."
"But wouldn't they want to eliminate you too?" Netto argued. "You're as much as a target as I am."
"They'd send their elite assassins to do the job," Yokoshima said.
"So what? I don't rank for elite treatment?" Netto joked.
"Trust me, when GIN-SHOCKER wants you dead, they'll do anything to make sure it happens," Yokoshima told him. "That's the way they work. They want no obstacles standing in their way."
"Yeah, well the ironic thing is that all they've been doing is make more of us want to stop them," Netto punctuated with a slam of his in his palm, "GIN-SHOCKER has made some very powerful people very angry. I've never heard Yuji actually say he wanted to murder someone before. Considering that Shinichi is his cousin, it's not surprising."
"I don't think anyone would want to destroy GIN-SHOCKER as much as Shinichi does, though," Yokoshima commented.
"Yeah, and he has the right after what they did to him," Netto nodded. "Of course, that's not to say that you and the others can't get a taste of what Shinichi's after too. After all, you were kidnapped and made into weapons just like him."
"Except I wasn't a mindless robot who would blindly follow orders," Yokoshima shrugged. "But yeah, he'd better save some for me, cause I'd like to have some of th- WOAH!"
Yokoshima slipped on something slippery on the floor, causing him to fall flat on his back. Cursing to himself, he slowly got up. Netto helped him by the shoulders and got him standing back up.
"Since when was this floor slippery?" Netto frowned. He took a closer look at where Yokoshima slipped, and his eyes widened in shock. Yokoshima had slipped on a puddle of blood. He directed his eyes to where the puddle lead, and saw several people, patients most likely, sprawled out on the floor with wounds oozing out with a lot of blood. What is even stranger was that none of them appeared to be dead. Each of them could be seen breathing slightly. They were still alive, if only barely.
"What the hell happened?" Yokoshima gawked, looking at all the bodies before them.
"My, my. More pests to deal with?" a voice echoed from out in front of them. Yokoshima looked up and saw the nurse. She didn't look panicked and, well even if Yokoshima wasn't exactly sharp, he knew that there was definitely something wrong with her reaction. She was eyeing the two boys with a malice smile, resting her head on her hand.
"OK, she's way too calm for this situation. I mean she should either be screaming in horror, or trying to help these people, right?" Yokoshima remarked.
"My guess? She's the one who did this," Netto frowned.
"Bingo~!" the nurse grinned. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Mako Yakumaru, a Monstrel. I'm betting that you two are friends with that Shinichi boy, am I right? I was sent to kill him, but you two will be the next best thing."
"So, are you one of GIN-SHOCKER's assassins?" Yokoshima questioned.
"No, she said she's a Monstrel, a hybrid Youkai," Netto said. Leon had explained to him that hybrid monsters normally went by many names, "That means she's with ANTI-THESIS."
"ANTI-THESIS?" Yokoshima asked him, bewildered.
"Right again. Two for two," Mako smiled. "I really don't have anything against you boys, but you and your friends have been causing the morale of our members to become quite low lately, and my boss isn't very happy with that."
"Hey lady, you're the ones who started the whole thing!" Yokoshima yelled.
"That isn't my problem. I'm just doing my job," Mako shrugged. Once she snapped her fingers, the people that were once lying on the floor instantly shot up and faced the boys with lifeless expressions on their faces.
"What the hell?" Netto gasped. He and Yokoshima stood back to back as they found themselves surrounded. The Pillbug Cyborg was instantly reminded of many of the zombie movies he'd seen over the years.
"Play with them for a while, won't you?" Mako giggled to her slaves. The people suddenly became alert and started shambling towards the pair.
"This is... just like what happened to Kiko-chan!" Netto growled, looking at the movements at the patients. He glared at Mako, "You're the one who attacked Kiko-chan, weren't you!"
"Hm?" Mako blinked before recalling, "Oh yeah, I definitely was. I have the power to control anyone I want at will. Once I inject my fluid into a victim, they are mine to control. Though the fluid was very close to running out by the time that butler of hers did something to purge it completely. I'm still surprised that happened."
"And Midou! Did you have something to do with his death?" Netto accused.
"Humph! Losers can't be forgiven! That's the rule of ANTI-THESIS!" Mako declared. "I'm here to clean up the mess he made, starting with you two!"
"As if, bitch!" Yokoshima growled, before one of the patients took hold of his arm. "Hey! What are you doing! Let go!" he shouted as he tried to shake the man loose. A woman suddenly tackled him down and both carried him upwards. "Hey! Put me down, damn it!" he shouted. The slaves made moaning grunts as they swung Yokoshima around, before finally throwing him up and though the ceiling. His flight didn't stop as he was sent flying upwards several more floors and through the roof, thus sending him soaring through the sky.
"Yokoshima!" Netto shouted, struggling to get out of the slaves' grip. He too was being held up by them, so he couldn't do anything to stop the two patients from throwing him like a rag doll. He also had to refrain from using extreme force, since the people holding him down were victims of this twisted woman.
"Oh my, that was unexpected," Mako admitted, her face dumbfounded. Then she turned to face Netto with a grin, her fingers stretching into long, flexible claws, "But that doesn't matter right now. You can just be a good boy and die right here!" she laughed as she shot her claws at him. Netto grimaced as he saw the claws approaching, his Accelerated Vision allowing him to see them perfectly.
And it would have hit if a purple mystical barrier didn't appear right in front of him, causing the claws the bounce back.
"What's this?-!" Mako exclaimed, her claws retracting. A shadow suddenly blurred passed Netto, instantaneously knocking away the zombies that had Netto trapped.
"I heard everything! You're mine, bitch!" Kiko bellowed, dashing forward at the insane nurse. Launching her leg up, she placed a brutal kick that sent Mako flying back several feet. Gone was her prim and proper, ladylike behavior. She was absolutely pissed off and needed to take her anger out on someone. After learning what she'd done under the influence of Mako's control drug, she wanted to confront the woman for what she'd done. "Netto, are you alright?" she asked, turning to him.
Netto smiled as he rubbed his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm good. What about you?"
"I'm feeling better now. Much better." Kiko returned her gaze towards the fake nurse, "Now then, how about we take care of this bitch?"
"Yeah, let's go," Netto said, walking next to her as he summoned his Cyber Core.
Mako growled as she licked off the blood that poured out her her mouth. "I didn't expect for you to recover from my medicine so quickly," she said, getting to her feet. "I suppose you want to go rounds with me too, huh? You'll have some trouble with that." She pointed behind the couple, prompting them to turn around. They saw more of the zombies standing behind them, lifelessly. However, the zombies only stood for a second more before suddenly collapsing down. In the middle of it all was Sebastian, cracking his fists casually.
"Damn!" Mako cursed, "What kind of butler is he!-?"
"Is there anything else, Ojou-sama?" Sebastian asked, glaring at Mako.
"No, you can stand down, Sebastian," Kiko dismissed, assuming her true form, "We can handle her."
"Very well," Sebastian bowed before dissipating in a flash of light.
"Now, if there's nothing else to talk about," Netto announced, "Henshin!"
"DIGITIZING."
Mako watched as Netto suddenly separated into digital squares and reformed back into a blue, bug-like armor. "What are you supposed to be?" Mako frowned. She had never seen a monster like that before.
"A Kamen Rider, that's all you need to know," Mega answered, bring out his Photon Debugger and holding it in a reversed grip, "Let me show you what I can do!"
Both Mega and Kiko charged at Mako, who growled as she lengthened her claws once more. She slashed out at the duo once they got close, her claws moving like sharp whips. Mega defended against the blows with his sword, and Kiko did the same with her twin blades. But even as the whip-like claws moved about with minds of their own, Mega and Kiko continued to move forward on Mako, who slowly began to retreat backwards. Kiko was faster to catch up with her and quickly lifted her leg up before smashing it down on Mako's head. Mako's face landed hard on the floor with a heavy thud.
"I suggest you stay down, unless you want another beating," Kiko glared.
"Shut up!" Mako spat, quickly lifting her head up and shooting her claws at Kiko. She jumped into the air and flipped over the claws, showing her flexibility and grace. She landed behind Mako, but the fake nurse turned around and shot more of her claws. Kiko jumped once more to gain distance away from the claws. She wall-kicked towards Mako and positioned her knee forward. At the rate she was going, she was going to slam her knee right into Mao's face. Mako waited as she came closer, and then smirked before pointing her fingers at the oncoming Night Elf. Kiko's eyes widened as she realized her folly. She crossed her arms to produce a barrier for protection and grunted as the claws struck it at point blank. The force caused her to fly backwards before Mega caught her safely.
"Take five, Kiko-chan," Mega told her. "I'll handle her." Kiko nodded and quickly moved out of his way. Mega rushed at Mako as she reacted fast and fired her claws at him again. He quickly jumped from wall to wall in order to avoid the strikes of the claws as they tore through the floor and walls. He adjusted his equilibrium and ran on the wall before jumping off and punching Mako across the face, sending her crashing into a wall. Mega flipped forward before extending his leg for a kick, and it would have struck if Mako didn't send her claws at the ceiling and used them like a grappling hook to help herself up. Mega's kick caused an even deeper hole through the wall.
"What a miss!" He cursed. He gagged as Mako came down on his back with a dropkick, knocking him through the hole. He fell down on his face with a thud.
"I don't sense any Youki on you," Mako frowned as she leaned down on Mega with a critical eye, "You can't be a Youkai. Was this the reason Midou did what he did?"
"What if it was?" Mega grunted before launching himself back on his feet, throwing Mako off of him.
Mako landed as she glared at Mega, "But why are you fighting for these Purebloods? They did horrible things to us, made us feel lower than dirt! All they do is abuse us!"
"Believe me woman, I know just how you feel," Mega answered. A hybrid monster he may not be, but he was something else that was very close to that. Those who had no common sense of their own saw him as a menace because of his status, and even tried to have him killed.
"And you still fight for them?-!" Mako accused. "Why?-!"
"Because Purebloods can learn," Mega answered simply, "And Monstrels can too!" He rammed into her and both flew out of the hole.
"Purebloods will always continue to treat us Hybrids like crap!" Mako roared as she stood up right, "That's the way it's always been, and the way it will always be!" She lashed out her claws and Mega continued jumping and running across the walls. "The elite Purebloods have always been the worse out of them all, Vampires especially! Just because they are among the strongest they see fit push us around!"
"Heard that one before!" Mega retorted, flipping back from another set of claws.
"And that's why... that's why ANTI-THESIS was formed!" Mako growled, continuing to fire her claws, "To get back at all the Pureblood Youkai who spurned us! To prove to everyone that we aren't going to put up with their crap any longer!"
"There are other ways to do that, but this isn't one of them!" Mega shouted, still avoiding the claws.
"What do you know?" Mako snapped, "You have a harem of Purebloods! How do you know they won't one day turn on you?"
"Trust me, I know they won't," Mega answered, landing in a crouch.
"Then you're a dead fool!" Mako screeched as she pulled back her arm. At that moment, a whip of light suddenly wrapped around Mako's arm, causing her to look back in shock. "Nani?-!" The whip pulled upwards and Mako was slammed into the ceiling. She dropped down and crashed down before picking herself up.
"If you think I would ever abandon Netto, then you must be more screwed up in the head then I thought," Kiko said with a frown, dispelling her energy whip. She had heard what Mako had been ranting about, and she was rather offended that she thought all Pureblood Youkai were all racist bigots. "I don't care if Netto isn't a Youkai. I just know that I'm in love with him. That's all."
"Thanks Kiko-chan," Mega smiled behind his helmet. He turned to face Mako and said, "It looks like you're just doing this to get a better life for yourself. Well, I do understand where you're coming from with all this, but I can't let this go on any longer. So to that end..." he tapped the core on his belt.
"FINAL DOWNLOAD."
Energy went out from the Cyber Core and went into the Crystal Transmitters on his right fist. Mega's fist clenched as binary codes encircled it. "Take this!" he shouted as he rushed at Mako. First he performed an uppercut to knock the Hybrid into the air and then followed up with several jabs to juggle her as he continued running. The speed of the jabs became faster as the binary codes spilled out with each hit. After one more jab, Mako was sent flipping through the air as Mega pumped more power into his fist.
"Now for the finish!" Mega yelled before dashing forward and sending one last punch at the midair woman. She was sent flying onto the ground with the energy racing through her body.
Mega shook his hand to get the buzzing out. While he didn't want to kill her, he didn't want her to go without punishment either. And that Final Download wasn't used at its full power, but it still packed a punch. No pun intended.
"Looks like I was late for the party," Leon said as he stepped next to Mega.
"Leon," Mega greeted.
"I take it she was the one who killed Midou?" he asked him.
"Yeah, and we were her next targets," Mega nodded. "She won't be getting up for a while though."
"Right, I'll take it from here," Leon nodded. He walked up to Mako and placed the Anti-Youki Cuffs on her to cancel her powers. What he didn't notice though, was that Mako had slipped a button from out of her sleeve. Without hesitation, she pressed it.
BRRUZZZZZT!
Leon flinched and grunted as Mako was suddenly covered in a short flash of electricity, the full force of it causing her to scream out. When the electricity died out, Mako slumped to unconsciousness. Frowning, Leon pulled Mako's hair up to view the back of her neck, where the electricity came from. There, he saw two connected nodes hooked to the back of her neck. They both looked brunt, and static spilled out of them slightly.
"Damn it," Leon frowned, "She erased her memory."
Meanwhile, with Yokoshima, he'd been sent airborne and was flying helplessly through the air when he suddenly crashed into glass and went tumbling before landing face first on a floor.
"Ow... epic faceplant," Yokoshima muttered, slowly getting up to his knees. He saw himself in someone's dorm room. Blinking, he turned to see the hole where he had entered when he crashed through the balcony's screen door.
"Wow, talk about distance," he remarked. "Those zombies really threw me far." Youkai did generally have very high strength levels compared to humans. He suddenly flinched at the sound of a door opening. Slowly, he turned around to the entrance to see the apparent owner of the room.
It was a girl around his height, and she was very cute too. She had a curvy figure which her uniform hugged around, and had white stockings that covered her long legs. She had purple eyes, with long white hair that was tied at the base of her skull with a yellow ribbon. And she was staring blankly at Yokoshima.
Yokoshima laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "You might be wondering why I'm in your room. Let me first say that it was not voluntary."
The girl closed the door behind her as she approached Yokoshima before leaning down at him with her eyes locked with his. Yokoshima gulped, praying that she wasn't one of the mermaids that wanted to eat his soul. She took him by the chin and turned his head as if to look at him closely. "Hmm... a little on the skinny side, but it's not a deal breaker. Not to mention you're pretty cute overall."
"Why thank you!" Yokoshima beamed.
"Yeah, you have real potential," the girl smiled, licking her lips, "Factoring in any future growth spurts I think you'll do just fine!" She slammed her palm against his chest, causing him to gawk as he was suddenly sent flying on the the girl's bed. Before he could get himself up, she pounced on top of him and pinned him down.
"Wh-what?" Yokoshima blinked in shock. "Hey, lemme go! Lemme go!" He struggled to break free, but it seemed that this girl was stronger than even him.
"I'm Shiroha Himegami," she introduced, "I'm going to make you into my Destined One. Don't try to struggle either, it'll be more enjoyable if you just accepted it." She didn't say anything more as she closed the gap between their lips.
CRASH!
An armor-plated sphere came rolling out of the dorm after it smashed the door open and it turned towards the stairs with Shiroha chasing after it.
"Hey come back here!" she cried.
"Stay away from me, crazy lady!" Armadillo shouted as he rolled away from her. He went for the stairs and bounced as he rolled down the staircase to escape. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and Shiroha as physically possible. However, considering they were in the same school, she was likely to find him again.
Shiroha smirked as she watched him roll away. "Oh, I so love it when they play hard to get." It was time to go manhunting.
Mako had used the device attached to her neck to erase her memories of ANTI-THESIS in case she ever got caught. It was a failsafe she created for herself to avoid anyone to learn about ANTI-THESIS secrets and at the same time make sure that no one would come after her life. As for Kiko, she needed to take time off from school so as to recover and make sure that she was alright again.
Kiko was on the couch, reading a book when she heard a knock on her door. "Yes?" she answered. The door opened slowly and Netto stepped inside. "Ah, Netto!"
"Hey Kiko-chan," Netto smiled, "You weren't at school today so I was hoping that you were alright."
"I am," Kiko smiled, setting her book down. "And I'm glad you came." She got up and walked up to Netto. She pushed him against the door and closed it behind him, locking it. "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you," she whispered softly, wrapping her arms around him.
"It's no problem," Netto answered, feeling somewhat hot with her chest pressed against his.
Kiko sighed as she nuzzled his neck gently with her mouth. "I knew you would say that. But... can I ask you something?"
"What is it?" Netto asked. She removed her face from his neck and looked him into the eye.
"Can we make love?" she asked finally.
"Wh-what?" he uttered, surprised by the request.
Kiko nodded, "I want you to be my first. You're the only one I can give myself to. And besides," she smiled devilishly, "You're adorable when you're being submissive."
She grabbed hold of his jacket and took him to her bed, but not before removing his sneakers. He was shoved on the center and she quickly mounted onto his waist. She pressed their bodies together and hovered her head slightly above his. She smoothly stroked her hands up his back, cupped his face and brought her own face close, giving him a sensuous lick to the edge of his lips then sliding it down into his mouth in a savoring gesture before starting to grind her hips against his.
Netto rubbed his hands against her back as Kiko purred within the kiss, and then slid them down on her firm rear and gave it a gentle rub down.
Kiko broke the kiss and moaned softly as she felt the feeling of his hands roaming down on her backside, her waist still rubbing his. "Oh, Netto," Kiko moaned, "You're so good at this~."
"Yeah," Netto smiled, still clutching her fingers against her rear, "This is also how Qiao-chan likes it too."
"So I've heard," Kiko smiled back as she licked her lips. "And she also told me how you like it whenever she does this," she dove into Netto's neck and started licking and sucking his skin. Netto suddenly shivered as a surge of passion coursed through his body. "Ah...! Kiko!" Netto gasped as his sempai continued to suck his neck. This wasn't like anything he felt before. This feeling was rushing through his body.
Kiko removed her mouth from his neck and placed it against his ear. "It's a special compound that all Elves have in our saliva whenever we mate. It causes the skin to become sensitive to pleasure and intensifies the lust and passion of our mates and can even paralyze them when we suck on any part of their skin," she answered with a coo in her voice, her fingers combing through his hair. She gave the earlobe a gentle lick and even a nibble, causing him to shudder. She then placed her hand on his nether-region, rubbing it gently, making him squirm. "And you're already hard. It does that too."
"Is that why your lips taste sweet?" Netto asked.
"You could say that," Kiko smiled. She soon started to remove his jacket, untie his tie, and unbutton his shirt. "And I'm not done yet," she continued. She removed his shirt and saw his well toned chest and muscled arms. Kiko eyed the muscles lustfully before diving down and started to kiss and lick his chest and nipples, causing Netto to grunt louder and toss back his head slightly as he held her close. Kiko opened her eyes slightly to look at his flushing expression.
"I think you've had enough enjoyment," she smiled as she sat up. She moved to his side and laid down on her back. "Now it's your turn," she smiled at him.
Now Netto was beginning to feel awkward. Usually he'd be the one on the bottom while Qiao was the more dominant one. Even before they both took each other's virginity, she was always on top. Still, Netto didn't want to disappoint. He hovered on top of her and resumed the kiss as his hands began to roam all over her body. His hands landed on her breasts and gave them a gentle squeeze.
Kiko moaned as she felt him squeezing her breasts. His touch was gentle as he caressed her body through her clothing. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gently glided his fingers down the back of his neck. Netto felt a hot, electric sensation in his back as Kiko drew little circles with her finger while softly cooing in the kiss.
He broke the kiss and gazed at her. She looked like a blushing bride on the first night of a honeymoon, gazing at him with her half-lidded green eyes and her sensual smile. He removed the ribbon from her collar and undid the buttons on her blouse to expose her pink bra. Seeing that it could be unhooked at the front, Netto removed it. His eyes slightly widened at the fullness of her breast. They weren't too big or too small. They were just the perfect size, looked very firm, and her pink nipples had already gotten hard.
Kiko giggled slightly at his flushed face, "You like?" she asked him.
"You're... beautiful," Netto admitted slowly. He moved into her valley and gave it small licks, causing her to gasp sharply and arch her back. He trailed the kisses and licks to her left nipple and began sucking on it slightly. His hand played with her free breast, fondling it and softly pinching the nipples. Kiko moaned and cradled his head closer, wanting him to get more into it.
"Ah~... N-Netto... that's it...do that~..." Kiko shivered.
Netto continued to play with her breasts while Kiko moaned in delight as she entangled her hands in his hair. Her heart raced as she moved her fingers down to the back of his neck. It just felt so right.
They continued to please each other before Kiko finally let go of her virginity. She mostly took the lead of things, but she didn't mind it. In fact, she preferred, it. Also, in the midst of their lovemaking, she accidentally changed into her true form. But Netto thought it made her look all the more sexy, who wouldn't think that a Night Elf dressed in nothing more than her opened blouse, hiked up skirt, pantyhose and shoes wasn't sexy? After a pre-climax makeout session, they lied together and entangled their fingers, now with Kiko on top of him. They both still connected to each to feel the other's warmth.
"It's gotten quite late, Netto dear," Kiko said in a gentle whisper. "Why don't you spend the night here? We're having sirloin steak tonight."
"Yeah, that sounds nice," Netto nodded.
"And after that, maybe we can take a nice bath together, and then go for one more round before bed?" she added with smirk.
"A good idea too," Netto smiled, though the flush on his face was unmistakable.
Kiko smiled. He was just too cute for words. He was handsome, submissive, and downright fuckable. But all around, a brave boy. He was one of a kind.
*Stand Alone Complex:While originally intended to "underscore the dilemmas and concerns that people would face if they relied too heavily on the new communications infrastructure," Stand Alone Complex eventually came to represent a phenomenon where unrelated, yet very similar actions of individuals create a seemingly concerted effort. This term was invented by Motoko Kusanagi.
TAILSMO4EVER: Originally, there was going to be two lemons in this chapter, but thanks to that site-wide scare caused by the admins, we had to make it cleaner. At least we left a little lime for you guys. They can't punish us for softcore stuff. Hope you guys enjoyed this addition, because there's still more to come. Stay tune!
Omake: DO NOT TOUCH
"Hello? Anybody home?" Yokoshima asked as he opened the door to the Newspaper Club's clubroom. "Hm, nobody's here." He then zeroed in on a plate of piping hot cookies. "Wow..." He sniffed the air and strode over to the plate which was just sitting there on a desk. "Cookies."
There was a sign attached to the plate which read, "DO NOT TOUCH. KURUMU."
Now here was the moral dilemma. He could take one and nobody would notice, or just leave the cookies and not get a chance. Maybe nobody was coming back. If he ate them now he'd save them from going stale.
Suddenly, a Chibi-Shogo appeared, dressed as an Angel and sitting on his right shoulder. "Don't even think about it, Yokoshima. Those cookies don't belong to you."
Then a Chibi-Misato popped up on his left shoulder in a Devil outfit, urging, "Come on, just grab a cookie. It's not like she can't make anymore."
A Chibi-Shinichi appeared sitting next to Chibi-Shogo. "Hey, how come we're sitting on Yokoshima's shoulders?"
"I'm trying to convince Yokoshima not to eat those cookies," said Chibi-Shogo.
A Chibi-Daichi appeared to sit next to Chibi-Misato, "Just eat the stupid cookie."
The two sides were starting to argue and Yokoshima was confused. Then Chibi-Chiaki appeared, grabbed the sign, and smacked Yokoshima in the face with it, sending the Chibis flying off his shoulders. He pointed at the sign, then at Yokoshima, and back at the sign, before putting the sign back and marching off.
Yokoshima shook his head. "Oh, screw it! I'll just have one." He grabbed one cookie just as Kurumu was coming in. She then saw Yokoshima with a cookie in hand, almost putting it in his mouth.
"CAN'T YOU READ!-?" she screamed.
"What the hell happened to you?" Shinichi asked. Yokoshima had scratch marks all over his face.
"Mind the signs," Yokoshima groaned.
