[Episode 16: Anyone got a Plane?]
OP 4: This Is War by 30 Seconds to Mars.
Kazuma and Satsuki stand together against Ragyo, standing on a chessboard, pieces fall around them as they fight her, tears stream down Kazuma's face as good memories blaze into flame, burning away as he fights on, no matter how wounded he gets, he still walks by Satsuki's side, always there and always fighting. The end of the OP sees Kazuma finally standing before Ragyo...
And he charges in, blazing bright with Ryuken active.
By all accounts. The UK shouldn't be hard to get to. I mean, it's just an island. An island that's now infested with Mad-Maxian Brits. How Ryuko got over there was a mystery. Not only that, but we had no way to get over there ourselves. Satsuki barely slept last night and I had to hold her. She was whimpering, almost crying out loud. Whatever Ragyo did to her made her a shell.
She held my hand in a vice grip as we ambled towards Nonon's airfield. I found it near the coast between France and the UK. The thing was that Ryuko only let Nonon's plane over the channel, dropping off supplies at the coast and flying back. The other members of the Elite Four and the Sworn Brothers were in hiding. As far as I knew, Ira was down in Africa after finding a tunnel from Mt. Fuji to Kilimanjaro. He quickly started a rebellion down there with a quasi-spiritual air to him, he was known as a minor mountain god now.
Uzu was the wandering Monkey King. Mostly focused on protecting his home region of Northern Kanto. Then there's Takarada and his quest for 'Dosh' he's pulling a Rasputin in Russia right now. What about my sister? Back in Shiroi Haibara, expanding like crazy and giving Ragyo hell. She hits her hard and fast, right where it hurts. I just wish I could join her... Satsuki and I were wandering.
She was so different. So gentle and so scared. The bandages on either side of her temples came off and there were more scars. Puncture scars, on either side of her temples where Ragyo had sewn on her blindfold. Junketsu was lost. She looked so haunted. So confused and lost herself. If only I'd stuck around and just replaced her. Satsuki would already be well on her way to kicking Ragyo's ass.
Now it was like her fighting spirit and willpower had died. Her blue eyes would glass over and she'd huddle up against me. I had no idea what to do. She'd never touch Bakuzan. She'd just start shaking and sobbing. No matter how many times I stayed up fretting over her, it didn't make a dent. Ragyo broke her. Some days, Satsuki would be her normal, disciplinarian self, leading me instead of me leading her.
Other days, she'd cling to me, begging me to hold her. Even on some other days, she'd want to make out or have sex, in a very provocative and oddly similar way to her dear mother's style. I never caved when that happened, reminding her firmly and gently that I love her, but I'd rather not right now. She understood and would just settle for us cuddling.
Then she'd add in the 'Darlings' and the 'My loves' and the coup de gras: 'Kazuma, my love...' There was something about my name being said by her that made me want to tackle her and kiss her all over. Something about belonging to her sounded so good. Something I never felt with Ragyo. Something that made it perverse and off-putting.
Yet, I came to a realization and would always stop myself. I never asked her if she wanted me or not.
There was no love when Ragyo would say those things. There was plenty of love when Satsuki would. So much love was in those three words. Now we made camp just before the sun went down, we were close enough to the airfield to see it in the distance. It was small, borderline unnoticeable even if you squint. Which was good. That meant no one would be able to find it from the air.
Satsuki went off to change into something more comfortable. I still kept an eye on her. I never wanted to let her go again. I was worried that she'd run off somewhere. Not that she would. I think? I'm not exactly sure. she came back and sat against me.
"How're you feeling, Satsuki?" I asked.
"... Better," she muttered.
I smiled, "That's great!"
Her azure eyes showed that she was lying. I sighed and wrapped my arms around her, we were going to get through this. All of this damn nightmare was going to be over soon. I wanted it to be over. Ragyo was just making this world hell day by day. The COVERS took more and more lives. More and more people were turning to worse things.
Alcohol and drugs flowed like water, and suicide was commonplace. This world was without hope. Without a way to live. The bulb in the sky got bigger day by day. Seeing the hopelessness in the faces of the other people, the hopelessness I once felt... I resolved never to let anyone else feel it. I always received my pain. Always held it tight.
That way no one would see me break. Only Satsuki saw me break now. All the stress and sleepless nights. All the times I ran away from destiny's call. All of them were to run away from Ragyo, run from the only guardian I ever knew. Sometimes I had to realize that I had to put her down. Some days I wished Ragyo would just wake up and decide to not destroy us all.
That was just wishful thinking. I wanted everyone to drop their blades, sit down, and talk. I wanted to forgive her. But my mind wouldn't let me. My mind would never let me decide what I thought was best...
It's your fault. You decided to go with her instead of run. It's all your fault. Now Satsuki will never be the same. It's your fault that she ended up like this, your fault. Your Fault.
Your.
Fault.
Kazuma-Ragyo changed to Mom, her chest leaking blood, It's your fault I died...
Then to Nui, clenching her blade and looking down at me, Your fault that my childhood was ruined.
Ira and Uzu, Your fault we're stuck.
Takarada, Yer fault that my home's nothin' but ruins.
The last one, the golden eyes of my father, the olive skin and the harsh expression, It's all your fault, you did this. You did all of this. You killed me, the one time you didn't run and you killed me. What a failure you are...
"No, no, no, I'm trying! I'm trying!" I objected.
Oh? Where's the progress then? Are you waiting for something? Christmas maybe? When will you avenge me? Or avenge Satsuki?
I started to run, I wanted to hide. Let me hide. Let me hide!
Failure. Worthless. Weak. Broken.
'No, leave me alone!' I screamed in my mind. Trying to chase them out. I ran headlong into the night, grasping at my head. I wanted to keep running. I slammed into something and fell, seeing Satsuki standing there. Her eyes gazed into mine and I picked myself back up. She took me into her embrace. I found that... she was bare to the world, her long black hair billowing gently in the soft wind.
I noticed tiny raised horns telescoping out of her hair, like azure monoliths. It was a manifestation of her Life Fibers. Like Ryuko's streak or Ragyo's rainbow hair. In my case, my Gray Fiber arm and hair color represented my Gray Fibers. She leaned down, kissing my cheek, where tears were coursing down. Her lips were soft, her kiss gently drying my tears.
"Shh..." she soothed, her warm hands pulling Kibonochi off and exposing my chest to the cold night air. She pulled me into her arms, her warmth spreading to me.
"You couldn't sleep as well, hm?" she guessed.
I nodded, and she gently pulled me down to lay on the soft grass, in her warm arms, hearing her heartbeat so gentle and strong. She was back, the Satsuki I knew. She buried her face into my hair and closed her eyes, her rhythm softening.
"Do you want this?" she asked, pushing me back, I saw her perfect body, scarred and marred by hands not my own. God, I wanted her. Her eyes shined in the night and her horns too. They were cute, but I hoped they weren't permanent. I leaned up and touched them, feeling that they were hard, but when I squeezed one of them, Satsuki let out a loud moan.
"Kazuma... you sly dog..." she cooed, kissing me on the neck and biting down, sending waves of pleasure coursing through my body. I responded by tackling her, slamming her to the ground and kissing her passionately, my senses overridden by my lustful desires. I froze though, hesitating once more.
"Satsuki, do you want me?" I asked.
Satsuki answered by kissing me, pulling back long enough to say, "I've been wanting you for the past month..." And then I had her.
We woke up in each other's arms. remembering the love we made last night. Satsuki was smiling, her eyes shining in the morning light. Her horns were so adorable. They were small, but not too noticeable unless you weren't blind. I felt... good. Not on top of the world kind of good, but close. I finally had some measure of normalcy. Satsuki hugged me tightly and I hugged her back.
She did chase all those ghosts away... Anyway, our goal was in sight, and now all we needed to do was ask Nonon to ferry us over. We strode easily down to the airfield, finding a detachment of... Barbershoppe?! No, it was REVOCS! Nonon was being held a gunpoint and pissed off.
"Seriously guys, I need to get these supplies over..." she growled.
"Can it, Jakuzerae! We know that you're against Lady Ragyo!" one of the men yelled.
"Oh yeah? You wanna know why?" she snarked.
"No explanations! Either shut down or die! For your crimes against Lady Ragyo's great reign, we sentence you to death by COVER!" they snapped.
"Oh nooo... anything but that..." she feigned.
I stepped out of my cover, seeing Satsuki clenching the side of it, "Kazuma! Kazuma, come back!" she hissed.
Great, Ragyo made her a coward... well... she was literally in the dark for a month. So I can't fault her. I broke into a sprint, my eye focused on the REVOCS guys harassing Nonon. I unsheathed my swords, dashing in. I slashed through the guy's gun like butter. I continued to rip and tear, my eye darting around, finding target after target.
I was doing good work. I was doing what I promised myself. I promised to keep everyone alive. So here I was, dieseling the human soldiers of REVOCS. They weren't a challenge anymore, I was beyond them now. I stood, sheathing my blades and turning towards Nonon, who looked like she'd seen a ghost. Or two considering that Satsuki was currently choking a guy out.
Once she was done, Nonon tackled me, with a scream of relief and tears. I hugged her back. She was always the crier out of the four of us. It was me, Satsuki, Nonon, and Kaneo. We were all childhood friends.
"You big dumb worm! You pulled a disappearing act on us!" she sobbed, whipping me on the head with her baton.
"Ouch! Sorry..." I sighed.
"Still! I'm glad you're mostly intact! Wait... NO! No way! SATSY!" Nonon screamed, noticing Satsuki standing there awkwardly. She tackled her, hugging her tightly and laugh-crying.
"You're alive!" she sobbed.
"Uhm... of course, I am...?" Satsuki mumbled. Nonon broke away.
"Explain, wormie," she demanded.
"Uh... let's just say she's still recovering from some MAJOR coddling..." I said.
She knew our code words well, and nodded, "Damn, what's going on with the horns?" she asked.
"That's an expression of her Life Fibers, a lot like her mom's hair..." I whispered.
"Oh," Nonon grunted, clenching her hands into fists. She grit her teeth, I heard them creak.
"I'm gonna kick her ass! I'mma kick it so hard that it'll go into orbit! Where to? I'm gonna help!" She yelled.
"The UK, we're gettin' Ryuko first, then Ira and Uzu, then Takarada and my sis," I explained. Nonon smiled.
"Okay, but be warned, Ryuko's got one HELL of an army backing her. They're all chomping at the bit to get to Ragyo, but there's no way to get their massive war vehicles anywhere without Ragyo's COVER cannons givin' them hell... It was the same for Nui. She tried to attack Ragyo's base... well... c'mon inside an' I'll show ya what's left of her army..." Nonon explained, my surprise at my sister's survival overshadowed by my worry. The last time we saw each other was when she blew up at me for not crying about Mom.
We went inside the nearby hangar, seeing about twenty or so men and women each bustling around, seeing a bed at the center, seeing my sister laying in it, her eyes were closed and she was bandaged up around her head, arms, and legs. Doc Mankanshoku, his wife, and his son all attended her. I spotted Barber staying ever loyal at my sister's bedside, holding her hand.
"There she is, she's been comatose ever since the attack. She wanted to find you and assumed that Ragyo knew where you were... then the massacre happened..." Nonon sighed, I started forwards, seeing the shocked faces of her men and women, seeing Barber's shocked expression as I knelt by her other side, feeling the pain through her Gray Fibers, they were small and weak, not like mine.
We can share our pain. I could hurt myself and Nui would be healed. I started to cry, seeing every death she had to endure, seeing all the horrors she saw. I buried my face into my arms. My only family left, and she suffered for me. She almost died... for me.
I sobbed, holding her tightly, "D-don' worry... big brother's here... he's... he's gonna..." I stuttered.
I felt her shift, "K-kazzy?" she mumbled, opening her eyes. I looked up and saw her smile.
"KAZZY!" she squealed, squeezing me in a death-grip. I guess she forgave me, but I saw her raise her hand and slap me on my head.
"OW!" I snarled.
"You stupid poophead! You had me worried! I thought Ragyo got you!" she yelled. Squeezing me in a hug again. I hugged her back just as hard and long. I was so relieved that she was okay. She was the annoying little sister, but she was all I had in terms of my real family. I pulled away and smirked.
"Don't go runnin' off without me, okay?" I asked.
Nui grinned, her eyes twinkling, "Sure... you're gonna go runnin' off to take the glory..." she pouted.
"Okay! I'm gonna come with!" she decided. Barber rose.
"No, Miss Nui, you can't, not in your condition!" he said.
"Awww... c'mon, Kazzy..." she sighed, pleading with me.
"No, Barber is right. You're hurt and we need someone to stay back that's essential personnel, not to mention your resemblance to Harime would probably make Ryuko have another meltdown," I reasoned. Nui still pouted but relented. Satsuki watched me walk away with a pondering expression on her face.
"What's it like having a little sister?" she wondered.
"Eh, nothing special. More like trying not to fight each other over some stupid crap that happened a day, a month, a year, or a decade ago... Or there are the ones you barely see without the other one. Then... the ones who... ugh, okay, let's not get into that last one!" I spat, I think Satsuki knew what the last type was because she started to shudder.
She hugged herself and I realized what was happening. Nonon was out of the loop.
"Uh... what's happening to her?" she asked.
"She's fine, it's just a bad dream," I assured, wrapping my arms around Satsuki, who buried her face into the crook of my neck, her warm breath shuddering out, her whimpering surprised everyone there.
"Don't... don't... don't..." she mewed, her arms wrapping around me and squeezing, I carried her out and still held her until her whimpers quieted down. I was lucky that she didn't go ballistic. Sometimes she'd claw and bite, her horns would extend when that happened, so they were dependent on her mood. It was odd, seeing Satsuki with horns of all things.
I wondered if it was different for everyone. Ragyo, of course, had her hair. Matoi had the same kind of thing. Would Dr. Matoi have the horns? I remember vaguely that Dad had an oddly soft patch of skin on his elbow that felt like my arm now. Mom had the odd soft spot too. I looked down at Satsuki.
"Alright, I think it's time to head off!" I called Nonon, who was taxiing the plane out of one of the hangars. It was pink, with a menacing amount of guns on it with the words VALKYRIE ONE on the side. It looked like a B-24 bomber and a Cessna had a baby, then that baby had a baby with a Spitfire. Valkyrie One was a beauty. Weighed down with guns I bet.
We boarded and Nonon smiled, "Well then, here we go! Operation Break the Rainbow is a go!" she chirped. I couldn't fight the goofy smile on my face, we were really doing it! We were gonna save the world! I couldn't help but feel childishly giddy and Satsuki mirrored my excitement with a soft smile. I sat down and watched the clouds whiz by.
"How'd you get ahold of this baby?" I asked.
"Ryuko souped it up for me, she's good with machines..." Nonon sighed.
"So, what have you been doing, Kazuma?" she wondered.
"Wandering. The only thing I'm remotely good at without getting fucked, literally or figuratively," I sighed, hearing Nonon laugh. Satsuki reached over and squeezed my hand.
"I don't like that she touched you... Ragyo hurt you. You're mine," she stated simply, glaring over at me, her horns getting a little taller. I smiled weakly, her proclamation making me feel odd.
That phrase, 'You're mine' was the same phrase Ragyo used to justify her torture of me, a shock of something hit me in my mind. THAT memory was unrepressed. I had to forget it. I had to repress it again...
You're mine. Kazuma...
A cold hand.
Mm...
A cold hand.
This is what people in love do, Kazuma...
I remember fighting. I remember anger. I remember her. She was just... smiling... holding my little body down, I fought my way towards him. If I couldn't save myself... what kind of man would I be then? I ran, I reached out, my fingertips just brushing his. No. Not this time. Not on my watch! I won't let the little me that trusted her so purely down!
"Ma..." he said, before being locked in a kiss that we didn't want. Held in arms that we used to love being held in. Now they were like a vice. Holding us close, holding the little me so tightly. He struggled, only serving for Ragyo to just hold tighter, to force herself deeper.
I still reached out, still just barely grabbing hold. I won't let myself down. I won't let her tear him away. I was tired of the demons, I was tired of being held back. I was so tired. I grabbed hold of Ragyo, my eye burning with tears.
Never again.
Never. Again.
You're nothing.
Nothing.
I held the pain tight. I held it for too long. Now it was time to let it go. I forced her off of the other me. The little me was curled into a little ball, naked and scared. I was only a child, and I wrapped my arms around him. I held him close, feeling his sobs against my chest. Staring at Ragyo as she glared at me.
"Not this time. Not this time, Ragyo," I snarled.
Little Me clung onto me so tightly. I held him.
"It's alright... no one is gonna hurt you..." I assured.
"Where's... where's Satsy?" he asked.
"She's in her room... and waiting. She loves you, y'know that?" I asked.
"Yeah... and she's hurt too..." the little me sniffed.
"Yeah, and we love her, right?" I wondered.
"Mm-hm!" he agreed, nodding.
Ragyo raged towards us, and I stood up, the memory fading to dust, leaving only me standing against the woman who ruined my life. Who ruined so many lives, not just my own.
"I won't let you keep this pain in me!" I yelled, walking up and punching her square in the face, grabbing on and headbutting her. I smiled, closing my eye, feeling the rush of air.
"I receive this pain! I receive this pain! I let it become my past! TO PAVE THE WAY TO A BRIGHTER FUTURE! I AM KAZUMA KAGUYA: THE DRAGON! AND I WON'T ET ANYONE ELSE FEEL IT! SO DIE!" I yelled, being jolted awake by a loud explosion.
"What the hell?! What's goin' on?" I asked.
"COVER cannons! They've taken out two engines!" Nonon yelled.
"How many do we have?" I asked.
"Two, dipshit!" Nonon yelled. We were falling out of the sky, and Satsuki took Bakuzan from me.
"HANG ON TO SOMETHING, YOU TWO! WE'RE COMIN' IN HOT!" Nonon roared. I braced myself, binding Satsuki and yanking her over to me. I shut my eye...
{Next Time: In the Den of the Warboys!}
A.N: I have another Kill la Kill story called Love equals Hatred, check it out, too!
