Draco: Okay, this Copy-N-Paste function is just getting ridiculous. Just use the same layout as the Edit Document page! And dAmn it, DON'T DARE YOU TAKE THAT AS PROVOCATION TO CHANGE THE EDIT DOCUMENT PAGE! Mrgrgr... I've had enough of perfectly good sites messing with what works.

Hey, I've got sets of X's when everyone starts giving out phone numbers. I'm not going to bother coming up with phone numbers, so just put on your Willing Suspenders of Disbelief and suck it up, alright?

Also, a little implement from my dAmn work: When I first used the thalassa-shell Keychain, I accidentally referred to it as "Oathbinder" rather than "Oathkeeper". Naturally, that has a lot more sentimental use, so rather than change it, I made it a regular thing.

Also also, Van is going to have some slightly un-Van behaviour. This will become relevant at a later date.

Characters, weapons, origins © Square Enix and Disney. Monsters, setting, and encyclopedia © Akihisa Ikeda.


Chapter 52: Back To School

The team made their way back to the school entrance, taking the Starlet's Seven members with them. Kairi was atop the bike; the others had their weapons in hand. Xion had taken the time to wrap Ansem in ice, leaving Riku free to carry his blade.

Outside was the man in red that Locke had mentioned, with Slasher and his team surrounding him.

His torso was covered in a thick metal chestplate, with a curious, almost digital-looking design over his heart. His lower body was covered in long black cloth that closed itself, resembling a sort of elongated kilt, with three small pouches to his right, and draped across his shoulders was a long red cape; it circled his shoulders rather than attaching to the chestplate, but there was an angular cut in the front of the loop, trimmed with yellow, to prevent it from obscuring the design on his chest. His face was wrapped in crimson bandages, bar for his mouth and one amber eye, and a pair of belts ringed his helm, intersecting over his other eye - one across his helm as a sort of headband, the other meeting it at an angle that threatened to cover his mouth.

Kairi twisted one of Fenrir's handlebars, springing the blade slots open.

"Set down your arms," the man in red insisted. "I have no intention of harming you."

"And who exactly are you?" Kairi demanded.

The man narrowed his eye. "Darkness in Zero, or so I am known. I am the headmaster of Yokai Academy."

Kairi blinked. "Oh..." The guy in charge of the school... the headmonster? "Alright..."

She reached forward and twisted the handlebar again, causing the slots to slam shut as everyone else faded their weapons.

The headmaster glanced over the group. "Judging from the condition of the various seals upon your personages, I presume you have taken an encounter with the Seeker of Darkness?"

"Our seals?" Kairi glanced down at her holy lock, looking over the chains - and she was surprised to see that the two links that were looped onto the lock were scattered with cracks. "What in the...?"

"Don't judge mine by its condition," Roxas insisted. "I've had this for a couple years now."

"Yet the power it suppresses is freshly called upon," the headmaster observed.

Roxas shrugged. "Fair enough. Yeah, we kicked his ass. He was trying to slay us."

The headmaster only nodded. "Good. I had suspected that the Seeker of Darkness was not to be trusted, but the skills of his arcana are thousandfold my own, and allowing someone else to oversee the arcana has made my other tasks much easier. I fear now that I had let that convenience bias my judgement."

Naminé angled her head. "This school is an arcane recreation," she mused, "and the four-dimensional arcana has been locked. How were you able to find us?"

The observation prompted the headmaster to turn to her. "Naminé Kioku, correct?"

The witch nodded. "Yes."

"Your ability to detect arcana is impressive. Few students would be able to pick that up."

Now Darkness in Zero turned around.

"However, as headmaster, you'll find that being me... has its advantages."

+x+x+x+

The headmaster led the large group to another building, deep in the grounds of Yokai. It was a tall, ominous-looking structure, and as they stepped inside, they found the halls lit only by sparse candles suspended on the walls, casting long shadows.

Kairi had been allowed to remain on Fenrir as she followed the headmaster through the dark halls, at the head of the group of students. She managed to keep the wolfhound bike at a slow enough pace that she wasn't at risk of running the headmaster over - although it made turns less than easy - and as he approached a door at the solid end of the hallway, she was surprised to find that the doorway was wide enough for Fenrir to fit.

On the door was a golden nameplate, with jet-black writing upon it.

DiZ

The headmaster pushed the door open and stepped inside, beckoning for the others to follow.

The office they entered into was a massive room, like one would hold a banquet in. At the far end was a desk of polished ebony, with an ornate, comfortable swivel chair of silver and velvet behind it; there were tall windows behind it, with black gossamer curtains thrown to the sides to reveal the night sky. Upon the left wall was a large door, marked with another plate.

School entry

"That door," Xion mused, pointing to it with her Key. "Is that...?"

"Yes," the headmaster confirmed. "This door acts as passage between the real school and this recreation designed as an arcane focal point. Pass through this, and you will be returned to the true Yokai Academy."

Setzer stepped forward. "What about my airship?" he mused.

The headmaster turned to him. "If you have urgent need of it," he informed the gambler, "then I can transport it to its exact location on the grounds of the real school, whereupon I'm certain that your rushed repairs will be sufficient to reach whatever goal you require it for. If this is not the case, then I ask that you leave it on these arcane grounds. I will repair it to maximum condition, and once it has been repaired, I will return it to the real cavern in which you kept it.

"Oh," Setzer mused. "Well, that seems more than fair, I guess."

Kairi turned Fenrir so that it was facing the door.

Then Darkness in Zero stepped forward and pushed the door open.

"On your way," he offered.

Slowly, Kairi pulled the accelerator, propelling Fenrir through the door.

+x+x+x+

The bizzare thing was that it didn't even feel like she had gone from an arcane fake to the real school. Indeed, all it felt like was that she was driving from one room to another. There was but one difference between the headmaster's office she had left and the office she had entered, and that was the door - to prevent a mirror effect, the door was on the right wall of the actual school.

Kairi brought Fenrir to a stop. "Well, then."

Footsteps caused her to turn as Sora stepped inside after her. Then Xion came through, then Roxas, then Naminé, and then Riku. Slasher, Hito, Saiai, Keru, Shijin, then Terra, Celes, Setzer, and Locke; the headmaster stepped through last as the door closed behind him.

Recreation entry

"So... we're back?" Xion murmured.

Just then, the door burst open, causing everyone to turn as Professors Leonheart and Heartilly stepped through. In Squall's hands was his gun-handled straight sword; on Rinoa's hand was a glove with a chakram stuck on it. The sight of Kairi and the other standing there caused both of their fight-ready expressions to break into sighs of relief as they lowered their weapons.

"Miss Chikai," Leon prompted. "You're alright."

Kairi scratched the back of her head. "I take it you weren't part of the effort to make me not alright," she mused.

Xion turned to Darkness in Zero. "There's a few people you're gonna want to deal with," she mused. "Larxene, Marluxia, and Axel weren't the only ones. We've also got-"

"I am aware," the headmaster insisted. "Xigbar Arrow, Xaldin Wyvern, Vexen Okan, Lexaeus Axe, Zexion Sakkaku, Axel Kasai, Saïx Luna, Demyx Prince, Luxord Fortune, Marluxia Scythe, Larxene Kaminari. I have them all trapped in the deep hall of this building.

Professor Leonheart blinked. "Hold on a moment," he mused. "Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Marluxia are teachers, Axel, Larxene, and Zexion are students, Xigbar and Saïx are our main defensive units, and Luxord runs the poker league. Demyx provides the biggest entertainment in Preternatural Street. You're saying they're all-?"

"Traitors to the goal of Yokai Academy," the headmaster confirmed, walking towards his desk. "And they have been for a long time now. Not in any attempt to corrupt the students, but rather a more direct approach."

Rinoa angled her head. "We're running on minimum staff as it is," she mused. "How are we going to run Yokai Academy when we're missing four teachers?"

Darkness in Zero sat down in his chair, as though uncertain himself.

"How, indeed...?"

A light chuckle emerged as he swiveled the chair around, looking out the window to the night sky that lay there.

+x+x+x+

Temporary Closure

Due to unforseen circumstances
resulting in a lack
of staff, Yokai
Academy will be temporarily closed
for an indefinite period of time.

During the school
closure, students
will return to
their homes and
refrain from any
unauthorized
activity.

This was written on the pamphlet that was handed out to every student in Yokai Academy the next day. Classes were shut down, but the students were given three days to pack up their things, grab what they wanted from the shops in Preternatural Street, and say goodbye to their friends.

"Heading home," Roxas sighed as the group gathered in a small graveyard in the school woods - the same one where, on her third day at Yokai Academy, Kairi had been wrapped in flowers by Naminé's magic.

"Hard to believe it's come so soon," Xion admitted.

Sora sighed. "Well, now's as good a time as any," he mused.

Kairi nodded, turning to Roxas. "You," she stated. "You're human, too. Just like me."

Roxas rolled his eyes, drawing back the sleeve on his cloak to reveal the holy lock bound around his arm.

"Just like you," he admitted.

Naminé turned to Xion. "And you," she observed. "I'm guessing you're the one who pumped him full of blood?"

Xion nodded, raising her hand with one finger extended. Ice wrapped around that had, forming a long claw with a syringe-esque point that started at her finger. As Naminé watched, a cut opened at the tip of Xion's finger, slowly filling the claw with crimson.

"Something like that," she murmured.

Riku shook his head. "That doesn't make sense," he stated. "You're dominantly snowgirl. You've just got icefire. But Roxas..." here he turned to the three-tail. "You're all yoko. How does that work?"

Roxas leaned back against a grave, raising his gaze skyward.

"It didn't," he admitted. "Not at first. When it first got in, it was in desperation. I got a blade across my throat. Shi-oh pumped me full of blood, and I fought back. I didn't go berserk - vampire blood's the only one that does that. But I was unstable. So we found someone who could hook me up with a holy lock. Right there, I was like Shi-oh - all ice, just no need for water. Then we started making allies - a gang of fighters around a mountain called Northern Crater. They gave us a place to stay, a little food, little drink, and transport when we needed something else." He lowered his gaze.

"That was the giveaway - them driving us around in a Hummer."

Sora turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"Sooner or later," Xion admitted, "they found out what me and Rokusasu were. They put two and two together and figured a couple of ice monsters would fall quickly to a little blaze. So they trapped us inside, filled the sprinkler system with gasoline, and slipped a burning paper under the door." She shook her head. "The world lit on fire. I couldn't feel myself breathe. I would have died there... if it wasn't for what Rokusasu was willing to do."

Kairi turned to him. "What did you do?" she prompted.

Roxas raised his arm again - and this time, Kairi saw that most of the links of the holy chain were webbed with cracks - just like the lock-bound links on her own chain.

"I loosed the seal," he mused. "Just enough to let the blood run wild. That let me tap into the yoko side of the blood - controlling fire. I was able to get Shi-oh out of there and get her patched up. But after that, I wasn't able to control what blazes I was throwing. It was dangerous - I could never be sure if it was a burn or a chill that I was gonna throw. After a while, I managed to repair the seal, which helped it keep more to the ice, but still leaning towards the fox end of the form."

Riku tapped his foot lightly. "So what pushed it back over?" he mused.

Kairi knew. "The explosions," she guessed, turning to Xion. "Right?"

Sora turned. "What explosions?" he asked.

"Me and Rokusasu used to work with Organization XIII," Xion explained. "Axel, Larxene, Marluxia, all the rest - they sent us on missions. At one point they tried to get me to bomb my mom and dad's place - but we managed to get the explosives out and told Xigbar to detonate them. Rokusasu was holding the bag - so he got the brunt of the blast. The explosion triggered the yoko in his blood again - and this time it took him all the way. All yoko."

"Not quite," Roxas corrected. "I've still got a little ice. Quick-melts, wound-covers - ooh, and that blazing ice copy trick," he added, turning to Riku. "When I was playing that prince?"

"That was so badass," Riku admitted.

Kairi sighed, raising her own lock before her. "So if you know how these things work," she mused, "then... what do I have to fear if it goes awry?"

Roxas shook his head. "It won't," he said firmly. "With a proper lock, the suppression is solid. It's going to take a supernatural trigger to spur that power again. Or a blade to the throat. You'll be fine while you're in the human world."

"The human world..."

Kairi lowered her gaze, a grim smile rising on her expression.

"Hard to believe I'm actually going back..."

+x+x+x+

Days passed, bags were packed, and a lot of hype hit a lot of students right in the dual core. The Blackjack was repaired the day after the announcement, and Setzer had taken Locke, Celes, and Terra off of Yokai - with Terra promising to come back and catch up after she and the school were both back to top speed. Rinoa had apologized for being the one who was most responsible for putting Kairi in danger, albeit inadvertently, and Squall had told Kairi that she was more than welcome to come back for the next set of classes when things were cleared up. Rufus Shinra was found on the roof of the freshman dorms, tied up in a chair, with his spell papers suppressed; he took the first bus back to Edge, where Reno and Rude were relieved to see him.

It didn't take long before the day of departure had arrived, and when it did, Riku, Kairi, Sora (on Fenrir), Xion, Roxas, and Naminé showed up at the bus stop as the sun was barely rising. There was a sign waiting for them when they got there:

The first student to board the bus will determine its first destination. All students with a desire to arrive at that destination are welcome to board the bus before it takes off. Once the bus returns, the next student to board will determine the next destination. This cycle will repeat until all students have been taken home.

"Hey, Kairi," Sora mused, prompting Kairi to turn. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to give us an address to stop by at?"

Kairi shook her head. "If my parents saw you guys," she said, "you would end up in a cage so fast you wouldn't even realize those were bars."

Naminé scoffed. "Come on, Kairi," she insisted, "we know how to keep our human guises."

"No," Kairi explained, "it's not that you're monsters."

Riku and Roxas exchanged glances, remembering Kairi's fistful of hundred-dollar bills from the summer vacation. "Haven't you at least got a cell phone we can call?" she prompted.

"My contract shut down just before I came here," Kairi sighed. "I wasn't sure if Yokai allowed cell phones, so I didn't bother refreshing it."

Xion gave her a pleading look. "Please, Kairi?" she whined. "We gotta keep in touch somehow."

Kairi shook her head. "I can't even remember my home phone anymore," she admitted. "Tell you what, you guys give me your contact info, I'm sure I can find a way to get to you."

Sora was the first to respond, handing what looked like a business card to Kairi. At the abundance of suspicious looks he got, the vampire only sighed. "I got them ready yesterday," he insisted. "There's one for each of you."

Kingdom Key
Seventh Heaven, Edge
XXX-XXX-XXXX

"Kingdom Key?" Kairi reprimanded, raising her gaze to Sora. The vamp only shrugged.

Xion drew out a notepad and pen and scrawled hers along, handing it to Kairi as well.

Xion Karui & Roxas Kaigara
Gainsborough residence, Wild Rose Valley
XXX-XXX-XXXX

"You're going back to your mom's place?" Kairi asked.

Xion nodded. "Yeah," she admitted. "I've got a lot of hell to make up for back home."

Naminé was next, handing Kairi what looked like the torn end of an envelope - there was the edge of a return address.

Naminé Kioku
140 XIII Street, Town of Oblivion
XXX-XXX-XXXX

"Country girl?" Kairi prompted.

"Witch's magic draws from nature," Naminé admitted. "It's something of a witch's colony."

Riku was up next.

Riku Kurai
Room 413, Miyamoto Complex
007 Morioka Ave, Oshirase City
XXX-XXX-XXXX

"Here," Riku prompted. "Take this, too."

He held out a small chain - dark steel links that looked like bricks. On the end of it was a small charm - a red heart tipped with a fleur-de-lis, filled with black. Kairi accepted the charm gratefully, slipping it into her pocket.

"Thanks, guys," Kairi mused. "I'll contact you when I can."

The other students had started to gather while they had been busy talking, so the group hadn't noticed; and now the bus pulled up at the turnaround, the door flying open to reveal the bus driver/informant waiting there.

"Who shall I drive first?"

The students started to rush forward, but Riku hit the stairs first, stepping up to the bus driver.

"Oshirase City, is it?"

Riku shook his head. "Nah," he admitted. "Take me to Altar Cave. I've got some fighting to catch up on."

The bus driver pulled a switch next to the steering wheel, prompting a panel above the windshield to flip over. The sight of the destination plate reading Altar Cave prompted a lot of students to start chatting.

"Kurai's going to Altar Cave!"

"Wasn't that number one on his best destinations list?"

"From the first Yokai Times issue!"

The crowd started rampaging again, and Kairi pulled her team away as the rush boarded the bus.

Riku was surprised when Slasher Kishi leapt on in his Ninja garb at the back of the crowd, kicking off the window and landing next to the werewolf. "You're coming?"

"And I'm not coming half-assed this time," Slasher countered.

Kurai chuckled, turning around. "You better be ready for a fight."

Slasher shook his head. "Born fighting. Lived ready."

Riku raised a hand above his helm.

"Hell yeah?"

The other passengers all threw their hands in the air.

"Hell yeah!"

Riku only chuckled, slamming his fist into the barrier between the front seat and the stairs, prompting the driver to close the door and take off.

"Hell yeah."

+x+x+x+

It didn't take long for the bus to arrive at the out-of-the-way rock formation that housed Altar Cave, and Riku and the other fighter students stormed out of the bus like a breaking dam. As soon as the last passenger was clear, the bus took off, and Riku led the climbing effort to rise to the fight zone.

The monsters who were already there were surprised - and impressed - to see Riku pulling himself up. "Hey, Kurai!" one of them called. "You get kicked out of school already?"

Riku shook his head. "Nah," he insisted. "Staff ran low when they tried to kick my ass. Rather than head straight home, I decided to pop by here."

He raised his hands as the other monsters pulled themselves over the edge, Slasher dropping from the roof and landing at Riku's side.

"Brought some new friends..."

Then he pounded his fist into his palm as his fur began to tear out over his body.

"...and I brought some new tricks."

He raised his gaze and howled as the Yokai students gave battle cries.

"Who wants to get their ass kicked!?"

+x+x+x+

Xion and Roxas waited for a few more trips to pass before they decided it was their turn. Roxas gave Naminé a heartfelt farewell, and Xion left Sora a number and a nervous 'call me'; then they stepped on ahead of the others.

"Where to?"

Roxas glanced at Xion. "Maybe stopping at the Valley head-on isn't the best idea," he admitted.

"You're right," Xion agreed. "Take us to Altair, would you?"

The sign got another crowd of students to join them, but Roxas and Xion only took one of the back-most seats and closed up, waiting out the ride.

"Sorry about getting mad at you," Roxas admitted. "You know, at Lich Cavern."

"Wha-?" Xion rolled her eyes. "Rokusasu, there's no need to bring that up now."

Roxas sighed. "You still gonna call Sora when you get to your mom's place?"

Xion hesitated. "Not right away," she insisted. "Couple days to clear things up, first."

+x+x+x+

"Come on, Longinus, you can hit harder than that!"

Zack Fair and Leon Longinus were sparring in the ballroom of underground residence that he and Aerith had taken up in Wild Rose Valley. Zack was hitting hard, between his longsword and the five fire-furred tails lashing out from his waist, but Leon wasn't letting up, either, between his flaming broadsword on the defensive and the poison-flooded axe he used to strike. Aerith was watching from the side, her water-filled staff in hand, ready to heal should things get out of hand.

Leon lashed out with his sword, striking away a roundhouse blow from one tail and leaping over another before rushing forward with his axe raised over his head, but Zack only leapt up, setting one foot on the handle of the monstrel's axe and plowing his other into Leon's shoulder before leaping up, his tails lashing across the dark knight's back. A shout tore through Leon as he drove his weapon into the floor to support himself; then, as Zack landed with a spin to face him, he pushed himself off the blade with a roar, gripping the axe in two hands.

The door flew open as Maria rushed in, her bow in one hand and an arrow in the other.

"Master Fair! Mistress Gainsborough!"

Zack turned to the door in a shock, idly raising his sword to stop Leon's strike. Aerith turned towards the door as well as Maria hunched over for a moment, panting. "What is it, Maria?" Zack called.

Maria pushed herself to her feet. "There's a girl and a boy in black, asking to see you," she explained. "She said it was urgent."

Aerith glanced at Zack.

The ex-SOLDIER forced Leon's axe to the ground with one hand before discarding his sword, stepping forward with his tails still lashing around him. "Bring them here," he stated.

"Yes, Master Fair," Maria prompted. She turned and called down the hall for Firion before stepping inside, holding her bow at the ready.

Firion stepped in first, stepping to the other side; and Aerith let her staff fall to the floor when two figures in black cloaks stepped inside.

Xion raised her gaze to her parents, a soft smile on her face.

"Hello, Mom, Dad."

+x+x+x+

Naminé got on as soon as the bus came back from Xion and Roxas' trip, taking it to the Town of Oblivion without a crowd to join her. That left Sora and Kairi waiting on their own as the rest of the Yokai students left in a trickle.

It didn't take long until Kairi and Sora were on their own; Hito, Saiai, Shijin, and Keru had waited to the end, and the bus driver checked to see if Sora and Kairi were coming before he flipped the sign to read Town of Ur and took off into the tunnel.

"There a reason you're waiting?" Kairi asked.

Sora shook his head. "Not particularly," he mused. "Why?"

Now Kairi only narrowed her gaze at him. "You're gonna try and follow me, aren't you?"

"What?" Sora prompted. "Look, I-"

His crown lashed up and slapped him in the face.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Busted," she reprimanded.

Sora set a hand on his nose. "Come on, Kairi, why don't you want us to come see your place? Is that really going to-?"

The human girl shook her head. "Sora, you go to Seventh Heaven. I'll call you. I might visit you. But my place is an absolute hell and you're fully capable of kicking a devil square in the face backwards."

"But Kairi-!"

With a roll of her eyes, Kairi reached forward and set a hand on the center of the rosario embedded in his crown. "Van," she prompted, "can you help me convince this guy?"

The cross-mark on the charm lit up - and when Van spoke, Kairi heard him speak.

Kairi, you're hiding something. You can't exactly cover that up. But Sora, everyone's got something they want to keep under wraps. Whatever it is, she's hiding it for a reason.

Sora rolled his eyes. "Come on, Van!"

Friends are willing to let friends keep secrets. You not gonna hold up to that?

"...Fine," Sora sighed.

He lifted Kairi's hand off the rosario as the bus came through; then he pulled himself to his feet and clambered onto Fenrir. The sun was starting to set behind him, and with a light smile he turned to face Kairi.

"Can you at least give me a drink to remember you by?" he prompted.

The question prompted Kairi to laugh, stepping towards him. "Go for it," she insisted, brushing her hair out of the way.

Sora's teeth briefly sharpened themselves, and Kairi closed her eyes as she felt his fangs break her skin. Her free hand drifted up his chest until it connected with his rosario again.

"See ya, clawslinger."

See ya, snack tray.

Then Sora pulled his teeth out of Kairi's flesh, and the human girl released her hair as he started Fenrir.

"See ya, Keyslinger."

Sora looked like he was about to say something, but he cut himself off, lowering his gaze like he was thinking. His rosario gleamed briefly, and he turned and kicked open one of the compartments on Fenrir. "Almost forgot," he said to Kairi as he reached in.

Kairi angled her head to one side. "Forgot... what?"

The compartment closed as he turned to Kairi, handing her a small plastic bag. "A little something to remember me by."

Confused, Kairi accepted the bag. Looking inside, she was amazed by what she found there. "Wha... Sora...!"

She reached in and drew out a familiar-looking luminescent blush.

"Chibi Vampire?" she asked, turning to face him.

Sora nodded. "I don't think you finished reading," he mused. "Promise me you'll give those back when you're done?"

Kairi hesitated for a moment; then she rushed forward, throwing her arms around Sora in a tight hug.

"It's an oathbinder."

They stood there for a long moment; then Kairi pulled away as Sora gripped both of Fenrir's handlebars.

"Goodbye, Kairi."

He twisted the accelerator, and Fenrir howled as he rocketed forward, diving into the darkness of the tunnel.

For a moment, he just let the bike howl, flying through the darkness; then his expression became one of confusion. Slowly, he raised a hand to his lips, the taste of Kairi's blood still on his tongue.

"Was that just me," he asked his crown, "or...?"

No. I could tell. Her blood... it's changed. There's something different about it. I can't put it into words, but...

Sora sighed, raising his gaze to the darkness.

"I'll have to talk with her about it," he mused. "Take me home!"

The light lit up at the end of the tunnel; and Sora reared Fenrir as it howled out of the tunnel. The ruins of Midgar emerged around him, and Sora brought the bike back down as he twisted through the ruined city streets. It didn't take long for him to arrive at the bridge; no traffic, as per usual, so he only revved Fenrir to double highway speed, taking the lower route to hit the tunnel until he started to approach Edge.

He slowed the bike down just enough to safely get around the corners until he arrived at Seventh Heaven.

Tifa was working behind the counter when he stepped in - business seemed to be slowing down at last, because the customers didn't overflow the area this time. As he took a seat, Tifa hardly noticed - she was washing dishes and seemed to have a pair of earbuds plugged in.

Sora only reached over the counter and grabbed a can of tomato juice, cracking it open with a grin.

"Does anyone actually order this stuff?"

The voice caused Tifa to raise her gaze, a startled gasp passing through her lips as she spun to face Sora.

"I've been told it tastes like dried blood."

"Fangs!" Tifa cheered quietly, drying her hands on her skirt and stepping forward to throw an arm around Sora. "What are you doing back here?"

"Yokai got shut down," Sora said quietly. "Couple of liars on the staff list, and not enough people to split the difference. Where's Cloud?"

Tifa shook her head. "He and Marlene went to visit Barret and Shinra," she whispered. "Old sorcerer said he might be able to help suppress the whole 'thunder beast' issue."

Sora nodded. "Alright," he mused. "I'm gonna go unpack. You think Cloud'll mind if I use his laptop for a bit?"

"Of course not," Tifa insisted. "You need something?"

"Just a little research," Sora insisted.

He stepped around the counter and made his way into the residential area of the bar. He found Cloud's office before long, with his laptop sitting open on his desk and logged in already. With a roll of his eyes, Sora set his bags down by the door and took a seat before the desk.

Moving quickly, he opened up Cloud's phonebook program. More than once Cloud had had to check up with a client who hadn't left their number, and he started getting sick of waiting for the site to load (Seventh Heaven had a shoddy internet connection); so, he had downloaded the site's 'connection free' program version. He updated it whenever he had time to kill, and it looked like it had just finished an update. Knowing it would be the most recent version, Sora thought for a moment about what would give him the best results.

Then he reached forward and keyed it in.

Chikai

He tapped enter and leaned back, hooking his hands behind his head with a grin. Whatever Kairi was hiding, Sora was certain that either she or her parents would respond when he ended up dialing her home.

Searching active numbers...

Sora's grin fell when that search finished.

No active numbers found for "Chikai"

Searching recently deactivated numbers...

Then his hands fell when that search finished.

No recently deactivated numbers found for "Chikai"

Searching inactive numbers...

Sora blinked. "What the...?"

No inactive numbers found for "Chikai"

Total numbers found: 0

+x+x+x+

Kairi waited until Fenrir's howl had faded from the tunnel; once the void of darkness had gone quiet, she knelt down and picked up her bags, slipping the Chibi Vampire volumes into her biggest bag. Then she rose, making her way towards the bus with an unsettling disposition. The door opened just as she approached, and she stepped inside to find the bus driver waiting for her.

"Did you choose to be the last one to head home?"

The human girl shook her head. "Just end of the news club," she corrected. "End of the school just came up."

She took the seat opposite the first one behind the driver, setting her bags on it before sitting down and setting her hands on her lap.

"Do you have a destination in mind?"

Kairi lowered her gaze to the holy lock bound around her arm. "Just..." She shook her head. "Just drop me off where you picked me up."

The bus driver turned, glancing at Kairi as though curious; then he turned back forward, closed the door, and set his foot on the pedal, bringing the bus around to dive into the Tunnel of the Fourth Dimension.

Sitting in the darkness, Kairi had not to do but think. After a long moment, she found herself looking at her reflection in the bus' window.

"It's... it's kind of funny."

The bus driver glanced at her in the rear-view mirror.

"What do you mean?"

Kairi sighed as the bus came out of the tunnel. "At the start of the year, I... I spent so much time wondering, 'Is this what I want? Should I just go back to the human world?' And now, I'm going back, no fanfare, no celebration..."

She snickered half-heartedly, turning to face the driver's reflection. "...and I don't know what I thought I was supposed to look forward to."

The bus driver chuckled slowly, turning his gaze back to the road.

"I cannot answer that question."

Then the bus began to slow, catching Kairi off guard.

"We have arrived."

Kairi glanced out the window for a moment as a stop was reached before closing her eyes with a sigh. "So we have."

She got to her feet, picking up her bags and starting out. She was stopped when she saw the door was closed, and was about to speak when the bus driver held something out to her.

"Keep this on you."

Kairi accepted it, looking over it - it was a Yokai Academy advertising pamphlet. "Seriously?" she asked, turning to face the driver. He only nodded in response.

"Take care, child."

A grim smile rose on Kairi's face. "Care doesn't come free in this world."

She threw her bags over her shoulder, holding the paper in front of her as she stepped off the bus; then the driver closed the door behind her and arced the vehicle into a U-turn, taking off towards the tunnel he had come from.

And leaving Kairi at the roadside, bags and pamphlet in hand.


Draco: Because I'm evil like that.