Welcome to my first entry. I will be updating this story whenever my schedule allows me to, so sit back and enjoy the ride.
UPDATE 6/23/2021: As you no doubt have seen, I am reworking the story a little bit to add a bit more back story and to try to make sense of why certain events happen, since some events don't seem to have any cohesion or continuity after reading through my story multiple times over. So, the story will get somewhat of an overhaul. Most of the story will remain unchanged, but I'm fairly certain you'll be able to tell what is different from the original work.
In addition, there will be some new content to further flesh out the backstory between my OC and the Kisaragi cast, including why he needs to protect the Nine, even if they're not inside Heavenly Host.
Hope you enjoy the softly rebooted story.
DISCLAIMER: CORPSE PARTY AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE OWNED BY TEAM GRISGRIS/GRINDHOUSE. MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS, PACKER & JERICHO, ARE OWNED BY ME.
The theme song for Act One of this story will be My Demons by Starset.
ACT ONE
CHAPTER 1: FIRST CONTACT
Monday, June 30, 2008, 8 p.m.
(My Demons by Starset begins playing in the background)
It was a typical Monday night in downtown San Francisco, with the streets and sidewalks bustling with people who were either leaving or heading to work, grocery and window shopping, or enjoying a nice walk through the city. However, in one particular part of the City by the Bay, a dangerous situation involving the city's mayor was going down, a life-or-death situation.
Several masked criminals, wearing ski masks and packing automatic weaponry, including Uzis and an AK-47, had stormed City Hall and taken everyone inside hostage, including the mayor and his staff, and had killed several people while storming the building. The San Francisco police department was already on scene, with most of their officers taking up various positions on the street, while several of their sharpshooters took up positions on top of buildings directly facing the front of City Hall. The officer in charge, Lieutenant Jon Murphy, was giving instructions to each of his subordinates.
"I don't care what it takes. Get our boys in position near the front door!" the police lieutenant shouted, barking orders to each of his men.
Just then, a figure landed next to the lieutenant, making him jump in surprise. He appeared to be wearing a dark green leather jumpsuit. Over the jumpsuit, he was wearing chest plate armor that looked as though it was fashioned out of pure emerald, with a circular gold & sapphire badge attached on the upper right portion of his armor, near the base of his neck. He wore dark green gloves with the glass-like armor attached from the wrist to the back of his hands, and also donned a similar logo to the badge on the back. He also wore dark green pants with the same type of armor as the gloves attached to his thighs, with a gold belt around his waist, and a belt buckle that also donned the same logo. He was also wearing shoulder pads that looked to be made out of pure emerald, connected to a cape that extended down to his waist, attached to the chest armor by a gold chain. Three gold shield emblems were attached to the collar of his jumpsuit, signifying some kind of rank. He also wore knee pads and shin-high boots that also looked like they were made out of emerald. A long sheath was attached to his back by powerful magnets built into the sheath and his armor. A green helmet was covering his head, obscuring his identity. The lieutenant grunted and nodded to the armor-clad person.
"Knight-Paladin," the lieutenant greeted.
"Lieutenant Murphy," the emerald Knight replied. "What's the situation?"
"Looks like a couple of dirt bags wielding automatic guns broke into City Hall, and are now holding the mayor and his staff hostage. Three are confirmed dead," Murphy said.
"Why go to all this trouble?" the Knight-Paladin asked. "What could they possibly want with the mayor?"
"Apparently, they are a part of a gang known as the Crypt Keepers," Lt. Murphy explained. "One of their leaders is a prominent drug dealer in the area, heading one of the largest heroin markets in the west. They've demanded that he be released from prison, or else they'll kill the mayor and anyone else inside the building. They gave us an hour to meet their demands. We have less than ten minutes left."
"How many Keepers are there?" the emerald Knight asked.
"According to reports, there are four, possibly five Crypt Keepers inside," Lt. Murphy replied. "What do you plan to do?"
The Knight-Paladin turned his head toward the lieutenant.
"What we always do, lieutenant," he said. "Take out the trash."
"What do you want us to do in the meantime?" Murphy asked.
"Have your boys maintain their position, just in case the shit hits the fan," the Knight-Paladin ordered. "Try to keep their leader talking, keep them distracted. I'll head inside and take care of them."
"Understood," Murphy acknowledged, picking up a megaphone as the emerald-clad warrior quickly made his way up the stairs to the City Hall, but instead of going for the front door, he quickly made his way around to the side of the building, to avoid detection from the Crypt Keepers inside. Once the Knight was out of sight, Murphy lifted the megaphone up to his face. "Okay, Keepers, we'll give you what you want. Just don't hurt the mayor."
"First of all, don't fuck with us," the Keeper leader shouted from the window. "We're desperate men. Secondly, we want cases of beer delivered to us. And thirdly, we want our leader released! Ever since you put him behind bars, we've been struggling to survive out here! So no matter what it takes, you WILL deliver him to us!"
"Okay," Murphy replied, hoping to stall long enough for the Knight-Paladin to do his job.
Meanwhile, the emerald Knight had slipped into a side room through an open window, almost stumbling over several people who were taking refuge inside the room. One of them gasped in surprise, while the Knight quickly raised a finger to where his mouth would be, signaling them to remain silent. Looking toward the door, he could see several shadows moving back and forth from the crack at the bottom of the door, indicating there were at least two Crypt Keepers patrolling the hall outside the room he was currently in.
Reaching back, he slowly unsheathed his sword, revealing its diamond-edged blade. Crackles of electricity swarmed up and down the long blade. Raising the sword horizontally, the emerald-clad Knight waited for one of the shadows to pass by the door near his position, before quickly running his blade through the wall at head height. The move was instantly effective, as the blade plunged deep in the intended target's skull, causing him to shake violently in death throes before his arms dropped to his side, causing him to drop his weapon and catching the attention of his compatriot.
(Final Fantasy VII Remake's Let The Battles Begin begins playing in the background)
"What the Hell?!" he shouted as he ran for the door. As he opened it, weapon raised, he was met with a high kick right in the face, causing him to stumble backward and lose his weapon, as the Knight-Paladin stepped out from the room. Yelling in anger, the Keeper tried to take a swing at the Knight, but the emerald warrior easily caught his arm and twisted him back into the wall, causing him to smash into it face first.
Dazed, the thug tried to turn around and attack the Knight, only for him to grab both of the Keeper's hands and twist them upward at an unnatural angle, causing the thug to scream in pain, before suddenly jerking both hands downward, snapping both hands in half, and finishing the attack with a knee right to the face, causing blood to fly out of his nose as it was horribly broken from the hard contact with the armor-clad knee.
Making sure to finish his downed opponent, the Knight stepped over and stomped hard on the thug's face, shattering his skull with a sickening crunch as his movements ceased for good. Seeing that his foes were dead, the Knight-Paladin walked back into the room, motioning everyone to stay put as he extracted his sword from the wall and sheathed it, causing the body it was attached with to finally crumple to the ground.
As he walked back out into the hall, two more Crypt Keepers, overhearing the commotion, ran into the hall and raised their weapons, Uzis equipped with silencers. They began firing on the Knight, but their bullets only ricocheted off of the emerald armor, not even phasing the Knight. As the bullets continued to fly, the Knight sheathed his sword and raised his hands, and electricity began to run up and down his arms. Seeing what was about to happen, the thugs stopped firing and turned to run away, but it was too late as the Knight shouted his attack.
"THUNDERBOLT!"
Suddenly, two bolts of lightning shot out from the Knight's hands and struck both Crypt Keepers mid-run, electrocuting them on the spot. When the lightning finally vanished, both bodies crumpled to the ground, both burnt to a crisp.
Satisfied that all of the leader's back-up was taken care of, the Knight-Paladin quickly made his way upstairs, where the bastard was holding the mayor and his staff hostage. As he approached the room they were in, it sounded like things had taken a turn for the worse, as the one remaining Keeper was now threatening to kill the mayor.
"Lieutenant, don't jerk me off!" the thug shouted. "When people jerk me off, I kill them! You want to see?!"
Everyone outside gasped in horror as the thug walked away from the window and back into the room, pointing his Uzi at the mayor.
"Get up, mayor!" the Keeper demanded. "Your adoring public wants to see you!"
As the Keeper roughly grabbed the mayor's collar and dragged him to his feet, the Knight had made his way to the open doorway, just in time to see the Keeper push the mayor to the window, his Uzi pointed right at his head. Without thinking, an emerald dagger appeared in the Knight's right hand.
"Nobody ever takes us seriously!" the Crypt Keeper shouted, as the crowd down below gasped in horror at what was about to happen. "Well, get serious now, and kiss the mayor's ass goodbye!"
As the thug's finger slowly squeezed the trigger, an emerald dagger suddenly penetrated his right hand, causing him to scream in pain and drop his Uzi as he tried to extract the dagger from his hand. Seizing the opportunity, the mayor and his staff quickly ran out of the room. After ensuring they were safely out, the Knight-Paladin ran into the room, quickly closing the gap on the remorseless killer. Just as the thug finally extracted the dagger from his hand, he looked up, only to have his face connect with an emerald-clad fist, causing blood and a few teeth to spit out of his mouth as he stumbled back into the wall. Looking up, he gasped in horror as he realized that standing in front of him was the Knight-Paladin, who was crouched in a Shaolin Fist fighting pose.
"I should've known YOU'D be the one to show up!" the Keeper shouted, as if knowing who this particular Knight was. "Considering YOU were the one who put our boss behind bars in the first place!"
"Your boss got off easy," the Knight retorted. "Which is more than I can say for you and your dead friends." The Keeper leader gasped as the Knight revealed that all of his back-up had been killed by his hand. "But don't worry. You'll be joining them soon enough."
"Never!" the Keeper shouted as he rushed forward and tried hitting the Knight with a punch. It connected with the Knight's helmet, but all it did was effectively shatter the thug's hand, causing him to cry out in pain. Chuckling to himself, the Knight retaliated by delivering a quick one-two combo to the killer's face, followed by a thrust kick that sent the thug through the door on the opposite side of where the Knight had entered from, causing him to land hard on his back, splintered wood covering his form.
As he struggled to get back to his feet, holding his hand in pain, a flash of light nearly blinded him, as he looked up and gasped in horror. The Knight-Paladin was now standing in front of him once again… and in both of his hands were two glowing orbs of light. Without saying a word, the Knight raised his hands and pointed them at the last surviving Crypt Keeper, and unleashed a powerful spell.
"SHINING HELIX!"
The energy from the Knight's hands suddenly exploded outward, in the form of two beams of light energy, swirling around each other in the form of a helix. The powerful attack slammed into the thug, sending him flying out the window. The last thing the Knight heard was the Keeper screaming in horror, before a loud thud silenced his cries for the last time.
Stepping up to the window, the Knight-Paladin looked down and gazed upon the broken body of the Crypt Keeper leader, who was now lying face down on the ground, his head twisted at an unnatural angle. Evidently, the bastard had landed head first on the ground and snapped his neck, killing him instantly.
Seeing that the crisis had been averted, the Knight turned around and walked away from the window, his mission now complete.
Several minutes later, news vans had converged on the chaotic scene in downtown San Francisco, with many reporters crowding around the mayor, each trying to get his take on what happened. After he finished explaining what happened, he finished with a line that resonated with everybody…
"On behalf of the city of San Francisco, I would like to extend a personal thank you to the Knights of the Covenant for saving my life, and the lives of my entire staff. We are eternally grateful for your service to this city."
Exactly who was the mayor referring to?
(Corpse Party's Shangri-La begins playing in the background)
There exists an organization, deep within the Presidio in the heart of San Francisco that is said to house the best warriors in the world, warriors imbued with supernatural powers… an organization known only as the Covenant, and the warriors in their employ are known to the public as the Knights of the Covenant.
Each of the Knights can control the power of one of the eight elements that make up the universe: Fire, Ice, Earth, Wind, Water, Lightning, Darkness & Light. Each element has its own unique advantages and disadvantages, as well as many different spells that the Knights train for years to master. In addition, each Knight wields a specific weapon of their choosing, imbued with the element they were gifted with. Each Knight is also required to master two forms of martial arts and throwing daggers, because they could only use their powers as much as their pool of Mana would let them. To compensate, each Knight was given elemental daggers imbued with their element to use as a last resort if the Mana pool within their bodies was depleted.
Mana is the energy source that fuels the Knights' elemental abilities, and the source of the Mana is believed to originate from the legendary artifact that the organization is named after: the Ark of the Covenant.
The Ark is a gold-covered wooden chest with a lid cover, described in the Book of Exodus as containing the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. According to various texts within the Hebrew Bible, it also contains the artifact of Moses' brother, Aaron's rod, and the source of the Knights' elemental power, the golden pot of Mana.
No one knows the exact location of the Ark, although it is suspected that it may be stored within the Covenant's New York branch, one of six locations housing Covenant headquarters, the others being Dallas, San Francisco, London, Berlin & Moscow.
Each Knight within the Covenant is identified by rank, with six different ranks determining authority…
Recruit: A new warrior assigned to the Covenant for training. In order to gain the rank of Knight, they must complete basic training, which includes mastering their element, a particular weapon, two martial arts styles, throwing daggers, and learning a skill which usually requires a college education, to further expand their usefulness. Identified by a single silver shield emblem on their collar.
Knight: The lowest rank of a full-fledged Knight. They are usually assigned to missions as back-up for higher ranking Knights, or as is often the case, recon and other low risk missions. Identified by a single gold shield emblem on their collar.
Healer: This rank is usually reserved for Knights who specialize in healing spells, usually those who control the elements of Water and Light. Identified by a ivory and ruby shield emblem on their collar.
Knight-Errant: The next rank up from a Knight, this rank grants a Knight more freedom with his abilities. These Knights are the most common rank seen in the Covenant, and as such, they are usually on the front line for major battles. Identified by two gold shield emblems on their collar.
Knight-Paladin: The next rank up from a Knight-Errant. This rank identifies a Knight as a commander on the battlefield, usually assigned to high-risk assignments, and serves as the leader of a platoon of Knights in a large-scale skirmish. Very few Knights ever attain this rank. Identified by three gold shield emblems on their collar.
Elite Knight: The highest rank a Knight of the Covenant can achieve. The promotion of a Knight-Paladin to Elite Knight is so rare, only six Knights in total have been bestowed this honor in the 200 year history of the Covenant. There can only be one Elite Knight within the Covenant at any given time. They are the best of the best, and as such, are assigned with near impossible tasks that no other human on Earth could possibly complete. They are the last line of defense of the Covenant. Identified by four gold shield emblems on their collar.
Each organization of the Covenant is governed by a High Master, usually a retired Knight-Paladin or higher whose powers faded away with old age. They would be voted into the position by their peers, and would remain in the position until death, upon which a new High Master would be decided upon.
Each Knight is assigned to a division within the Covenant based on the element they wield. As such, there are eight divisions within the Knights of the Covenant, each governed by a particular element…
The Knights of the Flame, governed by the element of Fire. They are identified by their ruby armor.
The Knights of the Arctic, governed by the element of Ice. They are identified by their sapphire armor.
The Knights of the Ocean, governed by the element of Water. They are identified by their lapis lazuli armor.
The Knights of the Gaia, governed by the element of Earth. There are two subdivisions within this school. The geomancers, who utilize boulders and rocks, are identified by their citrine armor. The biomancers, who utilize plant life, are identified by their emerald armor.
The Knights of the Gale, governed by the element of Wind. They are identified by their amethyst armor.
The Knights of the Storm, governed by the element of Lightning. They are identified by their onyx armor.
The Knights of the Eternal Night, governed by the element of Darkness. They are identified by their obsidian and garnet armor.
The Knights of the Heavenly Light, governed by the element of Light. They are identified by their ivory armor.
However, among these warriors is a young man who is not confined to any one of these schools, because he has attained mastery of all eight of the elements…
At the Covenant headquarters in San Francisco, all of the Knights had gathered at the Hall of Champions, a section of the building dedicated to the memory of the Knights who had fallen in battle. Among them was the emerald-clad Knight-Paladin who had saved the mayor of the city. Standing in front of him, holding a long sword, was the High Master of the San Francisco branch, Jericho Shields.
"It is a very proud day for me," Jericho said. "And a proud day in the history of the Covenant. My fellow Knights, in return for his unwavering sense of duty, and for rescuing the mayor of this fine city from the clutches of vile ruffians, I am proud to promote Knight-Paladin Packer to the highest rank a Knight can achieve… Elite Knight."
The Knight-Paladin, now identified as Packer, reached up and flipped a switch on his helmet, causing it to compact and disappear inside of his armor. He had short green hair, a green chinstrap beard, and emerald green eyes.
(Author's Note: This is what the helmets in Dead Space 2 & 3 do.)
"Kneel before me, young Packer," Jericho said. Packer nodded and knelt down in front of his High Master. "I hereby promote you to the rank of Elite Knight, and all of the privileges it provides. You are truly one of the finest Knights we've ever seen, and we hope you will continue to show your excellence to the Covenant."
"I won't let you down, High Master," Packer said, rising back up. Putting away his sword, Jericho reached into his pocket and brought out a gold shield emblem. Reaching up, he attached the emblem to his collar, next to the other three emblems, officially promoting Packer to the rank of Elite Knight.
"Fellow Knights, I present to you our seventh Elite Knight of the Covenant, the youngest to ever do so at the age of seventeen," Jericho announced. "The Anomaly Among Anomalies… Elite Knight Packer!"
The other Knights began cheering, clapping and congratulating Packer on his tremendous accomplishment.
So who exactly was this young man who had reached the pinnacle of Knighthood within the Covenant at such a young age?
KNIGHT OF THE COVENANT PROFILE
NAME: ?
CALLSIGN: Packer
AGE: 17
HEIGHT: 6' 1''
COVENANT RANK: Elite Knight
ELEMENT: Lightning, Fire, Ice, Water, Earth, Wind, and Light
MARTIAL ARTS STYLES: Shaolin Fist, Praying Mantis Kung Fu
WEAPON: Shiden (Long Sword with a diamond edged blade, imbued with the element of Lightning)
KNOWN SPELLS:
Immolation - A Level 1 Fire spell that is launched at an opponent in the shape of a giant X. Can catch an opponent on fire.
Pyro Punch - A Level 1 Fire spell in which the user engulfs their fist in a ball of fire and punches their opponent.
Sacred Fire - A Level 1 Fire spell in which the user charges up a giant fireball of great intensity and launches it at an opponent. Is capable of destroying weak wooden doors with ease and setting opponents on fire.
Ice Spreader - A Level 1 Ice spell in which the user charges up a giant ball of ice and launches it at an opponent, causing them to freeze in a block of ice.
Zero Punch - A Level 1 Ice spell in which the user engulfs their fist in jagged ice and punches their opponent.
Ice Beam - A Level 1 Ice spell that launches an icy cold beam of energy at an opponent. Can freeze opponents and solid objects in a layer of ice.
Earthquake - A Level 1 Earth spell in which the user slams their fist into the ground, causing massive tremors to erupt around them. Can discombobulate anyone within the spell's radius.
Stalagmite - A Level 1 Earth spell in which the user summons razor sharp stalagmites from the ground to impale their opponents.
Fissure - A Level 2 Earth Spell in which the user cracks open the earth, causing their opponents to fall into a deep crevice, killing them instantly.
Thunderbolt - A Level 1 Lightning spell in which the user launches a bolt of electricity at an opponent. Can kill ordinary humans instantly.
Volt Punch - A Level 1 Lightning spell in which the user engulfs their fist in electricity and punches their opponent.
Lightning Knee - A Level 1 Lightning spell in which the user powers the ball of their knee with electricity and attacks their opponent with a flying knee strike.
Vortex Shield - A Level 1 Wind spell in which the user engulfs themselves and anyone else within range inside a giant tornado, shielding them from oncoming attacks.
Mach Punch - A Level 1 Wind spell in which the user propels themselves at a high rate of speed using the element of Wind and punches their opponent.
Tidal Barrier - A Level 1 Water spell in which the user encases themselves in a water bubble, shielding them from oncoming attacks.
Hydroblast - A Level 1 Water spell in which the user blasts their opponent with a column of water that has the strength of a fire hose. Can also be used to propel themselves in various ways.
First Aid - A Level 1 Light spell in which the user summons a green ball of energy in their hand and runs it across their allies, healing their wounds.
Shining Sprint - A Level 1 Light spell in which the user engulfs their body in pure Light energy, allowing them to dash at super speed. Is a massive drain on Mana resources.
Miracle Punch - A Level 1 Light spell in which the user engulfs their fist in a holy energy and punches their opponent.
Angel Spark - A Level 1 Light spell in which the user powers up a ball of Light energy and launches it at their opponent.
Shining Helix - A Level 3 Light spell in which the user charges up two balls of holy energy and launches them both in the form of a helix at their opponent. Only the most adept of Light users can master this powerful spell.
KNOWN WEAPON TECHNIQUES:
Fire Slash - A Level 2 Fire weapon technique in which the user powers their weapon with the element of Fire and slashes at their opponent. Can catch opponents on fire.
Ice Slash - A Level 2 Ice weapon technique in which the user powers their weapon with the element of Ice and slashes at their opponent. Can freeze opponents solid.
Lightning Slash - A Level 2 Lightning weapon technique in which the user powers their weapon with the element of Lightning and slashes at their opponent. Can kill normal humans on impact.
Metal Slash - A Level 2 Earth weapon technique in which the user powers their weapon with the element of Earth and slashes at their opponent. Can slice through rock and metal objects with ease.
Aqua Slash - A Level 2 Water weapon technique in which the user powers their weapon with the element of Water and slashes at their opponent. Can dampen an opponent, leaving them vulnerable to Ice and Lightning spells.
Gust Slash - A Level 2 Wind weapon technique in which the user powers their weapon with the element of Wind and slashes at their opponent. The speed of the slash is so fast, most opponents won't see it coming until it is too late.
Miracle Slash - A Level 2 Light weapon technique in which the user powers their weapon with the element of Light and slashes at their opponent. The user can heal their wounds based on how much damage the spell inflicts.
Whirlwind - A Level 2 Wind weapon technique in which the user powers their weapon with the element of Wind and spins around like a cyclone, knocking back anything in its wake.
Astraea Lightning - A Level 3 Lightning weapon technique in which the user supercharges their weapon with Lightning. When fully charged, the user smashes their weapon against the ground, causing a massive vortex of electricity to erupt from it, electrocuting anything in its wake.
Climhazzard - A Level 4 non-elemental weapon technique in which the user supercharges their weapon with energy and smashes it against the ground, causing a powerful shockwave of energy to erupt from the point of impact.
Gigaslash - A Level 5 non-elemental weapon technique in which the user supercharges their weapon and begins furiously slashing at their opponent, before leaping into the air and coming down with one last powerful, vertical slash.
Known only as Packer, he has been considered by his peers as the greatest Knight to ever step foot in the hallowed halls of the Covenant. He never knew who his parents were, as he was orphaned as a child. As a result, he had no clue who he was, or what his real name is. Realizing he needed something to identify himself with, he took up the name Packer, but refused a last name as he had no family history to speak of.
After many orphanages took him in, he was eventually taken in by the Covenant at a young age when it was discovered he possessed supernatural powers, which wasn't so unusual for the Covenant. What was unusual was the fact that the young boy seemed to be able to wield all of the elements. The Knights of the Covenant each had one element they specialized in, but Packer was able to wield the powers of all eight elements: Fire, Ice, Lightning, Wind, Earth, Water, Darkness and Light, which no other Knight could do. Because he wasn't shackled to one school in particular, he was given a choice of what armor he wanted, a first in the history of the Covenant. To no one's surprise, due to the fact he had green hair and eyes, he chose to don the emerald armor. In fact, Packer's supernatural abilities were so unusually powerful, he was given the nickname 'The Anomaly Among Anomalies'.
As he grew older, he would develop these abilities into powerful offensive attacks, such as his Fire-based Immolation, Pyro Punch and Sacred Fire, his Ice-based Ice Spreader, Zero Punch and Ice Beam, his Earth-based Earthquake, Fissure, and Stalagmite, and his Lightning-based Thunderbolt, Volt Punch and Lightning Knee.
However, there was a catch. Like the other Knights, Packer's supernatural powers draw from a finite pool of Mana stored within his body. If he uses his powers too much and exhausts his mana, he will begin to suffer from fatigue, as his powers would then have to draw from his own life force, forcing Packer to use his powers sparingly until his body can naturally reproduce the Mana necessary to fuel his powers. To compensate for this, Packer would study various forms of martial arts, becoming a master of Shaolin Fist and Praying Mantis Kung Fu.
He also mastered two weapon arts: the throwing knives and the long sword. Hidden within Packer's uniform and armor were sets of throwing knives made of tempered glass. Each knife was imbued with a spell, with different effects ranging from explosions to blinding light. His long sword, a diamond-edged sword he forged himself, was imbued with the power of thunder and lightning, and he gave it the name Shiden.
He can also focus his supernatural powers into his sword, allowing him to use powerful elemental sword techniques, such as Fire Slash, Ice Slash, Lightning Slash, Metal Slash, Arcane Slash, Aqua Slash, Gust Slash, and Miracle Slash. In addition, he was also able to learn very powerful sword techniques that only those truly skilled with a sword could learn, such as Whirlwind, Astraea Lightning, Climhazzard and Gigaslash.
Packer also developed defensive supernatural abilities, such as his Wind-based Vortex Shield, which surrounds him in a tornado, blocking all incoming projectiles and sucking up his enemies into its vortex, and his Water-based Tidal Barrier, which acts as a massive wall between himself and his opponent, and Hydroblast, a powerful jet of water that he can use offensively and defensively. Offensively, it has the pushing power of a fire hose, knocking opponents down with relative ease. Defensively, he can use the powerful jet streams to propel himself in any direction he desires at a high rate of speed. He also developed what he calls the Shining Sprint, which uses the element of Light to allow him to run at super speed, but it is a massive drain on his Mana reserves. As a result, he only used the Shining Sprint for emergencies.
However, Packer's strongest and most developed element was Light, from which he developed some of his strongest attacks, such as the Miracle Punch, Angel Spark, and what he considers his most powerful attack, the Shining Helix.
He could also utilize the element of Darkness and the Arcane Arts that came with that particular school, but to do so, it required him to release his Arcane Knight form, a darker, more evil version of himself. By allowing his darker half to manifest itself, it allowed him to use powerful Arcane spells, such as his Darkness-based Dark Outburst, Arcane Punch, and Bloody Lance. However, becoming the Arcane Knight came with extreme risk, as the Malice-fueled element severely affected his temperament, causing him to lose some self-control and become more violent and instinct prone. As a result, Packer only transformed into the Arcane Knight in cases of extreme emergency.
Packer also possessed a rare psychic ability unrelated to his elemental powers. He had the ability to see flashes of the future, usually dangerous, life-threatening events moments before they took place. He dubbed this ability Future Sight, and considers this one of his most useful attributes. However, there were two main drawbacks to his Future Sight ability. First, he had no control over when it activated, usually when he least expects it, and usually a few seconds before the event actually occurred, although there were exceptions to this. Secondly, when he came out of Future Sight, it would leave him disoriented for a few seconds, giving opponents a chance to counter-attack.
In due time, Packer used these abilities to rise up through the ranks of the Covenant, eventually becoming an Elite Knight and its most prominent member by the age of seventeen. It was also around this time that his Future Sight ability developed an unexpected secondary effect, one that would lead Packer to his most dangerous mission to date.
Sunday, August 17th, 2008, 9:00 p.m.
(Corpse Party's Snag begins playing in the background)
As Packer was walking through the halls of the Covenant after his latest mission, he passed by the training room. He looked inside and saw an interesting sight. Inside the training room, he saw High Master Jericho, and with him, was a young boy he didn't recognize. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit, has brown hair and brown eyes, and has a karambit symbol on his belt. A silver knight emblem could be seen on the collar of the jumpsuit, indicating that he was a new recruit. Packer could sense the Malice emanating from this particular recruit, meaning that this was someone who controlled the element of Darkness.
Letting out a small sigh, Packer walked into the room, catching the attention of Jericho and the young recruit, whose eyes widened in excitement upon seeing the young Elite Knight.
"Ah, Packer, it's good to see you," Jericho greeted. "I would like you to meet one of our newest recruits."
"My name's Cody," the recruit said, reaching out to shake Packer's hand. "You must be Packer, the Covenant's Elite Knight! I've heard so much about you!"
"Really?" Packer asked with a half smirk. "Anything good?"
"Oh, you bet!" Cody replied excitedly. "From what I've heard from the other Knights, you are the best Knight to ever step foot in the Covenant. That's why I hope to be like you one day!"
KNIGHT OF THE COVENANT PROFILE
NAME: Cody Benson
AGE: 15
HEIGHT: 5'11''
COVENANT RANK: Recruit
ELEMENT: Darkness
MARTIAL ARTS STYLES: Karate
WEAPON: Wolfsbane (Titanium ninjito sword with a wolf emblem on the hilt, imbued with the element of Darkness)
Karambit (Curved knife that resembles a claw)
KNOWN SPELLS: Unknown
KNOWN WEAPON TECHNIQUES: Unknown
"Well, you're going to have to wait your turn to be like me, Cody," Packer laughed. "Seeing as how there can only be one Elite Knight within the Covenant at any given time."
"I know," Cody replied. "But that's not going to stop me from trying to become one of the best Knights the Covenant has to offer. But I've got to learn to control my powers first. I have the element of Darkness within me, and from what I've been told, it may be the hardest element out of the eight to master, due to how much the Malice affects one's temperament."
"Indeed," Packer agreed, knowing how difficult it was for him to finally get a handle on his Arcane Knight form, and even then, he still had a hard time controlling the Malice-fueled transformation. Shaking that thought from his head, he gazed back up at the young recruit. "Well, I'm off to bed. It was nice to meet you, Cody."
"And you as well, Packer!" Cody beamed, shaking Packer's hand once more. Packer and Jericho nodded at each other, and Packer turned and walked out of the training facility, bound for his quarters.
Once he reached the door to his quarters, he pressed the button beside the door, causing it to slide open with a hiss. Letting out a yawn as he stepped into his room, Packer flopped down on his bed and pulled the covers over him. Within seconds, he was fast asleep.
However, it wouldn't be long before he would be bombarded with terrifying nightmares…
(Corpse Party's Title Theme begins playing in the background)
Several hours later, Packer began tossing and turning on his bed, caught in the middle of a terrible nightmare, except this was no ordinary nightmare. Suddenly, his eyes shot open, and his pupils turned a solid white, a sharp contrast to his normal emerald green.
It was the sign that his Future Sight ability had activated. And it was showing him many terrifying images…
After a bright flash of light, he found himself standing inside a rundown building. He couldn't exactly tell where he was, as it was unfamiliar to him. Looking forward, he could see what appeared to be a little girl, wearing a red dress. Her skin was a sickly pale color, and she had long black hair that extended past her shoulders. Her eyes looked hollow, no color emanating from them whatsoever. Then, she looked up at him, and seemed to smile at him, causing the hairs on the back of Packer's neck to stand up.
Then, his vision began fading in and out, as he was shown several individuals who appeared to be brutally murdered within this building, nine in all, with five teenage girls, three teenage boys, and one adult, all killed in a variety of gruesome manners.
Two young girls, one with curls, one with short brown hair, hung in two bathroom stalls…
A girl with brown hair in a short ponytail, smashed against a stone wall…
A boy with cobalt hair, lying on the ground outside the building, a victim of defenestration…
A young girl in a purple dress, with short purple hair, tied to a table, with her right eye gouged out and a knife wound in the center of her forehead…
A young woman, lying on the ground, buried by debris…
A boy with blonde hair, lying face down on the ground, a hole through the back of his head, leaving his brain on the outside…
A boy with short brown hair, lying on the ground, a pair of scissors embedded in his torso…
A girl with blue hair styled into two pigtails, a victim of being sucked into the pool's drain…
Why was he being shown these people in particular?
Then, his vision blurred momentarily, before he was then shown something that chilled his spine. He was back on Earth, but it was now in ruins. Spirits and undead creatures now walked the streets of cities that were once populated by the millions.
Packer looked up into the sky, and saw what looked to be a giant black hole in the sky. It appeared to be swallowing up the sky, filling it with nothing but black clouds and lighting, and in the center of the massive fissure… was the girl in the red dress that he saw before, an evil smile plastered on her features.
Then, before the images faded completely, he heard a woman's voice faintly echo in his mind…
'The answers you seek lie in Tenjin. Please hurry. You must stop her… If she succeeds in killing the nine individuals this time, your world will face ruination…'
Then, as suddenly as it began, the Future Sight ended, causing Packer to let out a loud gasp as he sat up, sweat pouring down his face. His mind raced as the woman's final words echoed in his mind.
"My world will face ruination?" Packer repeated the words to himself. "And killing them 'this time'? What could that mean?"
Knowing that he had more questions than answers, Packer quickly jumped out of bed and ran out of his quarters. He needed to warn the High Master, and quickly.
(Corpse Party's Deciding One's Destiny begins playing in the background)
After finding High Master Jericho in his office, Packer quickly explained to him what he had seen in his Future Sight. When he was finished, Jericho had a very concerned look on his face.
"If what you say is true, and I have no reason to believe it isn't based on your Future Sight's past history, then we must take this warning very seriously," Jericho said. "What else can you tell me about who you now call the Nine?"
"Well, the boys were wearing black uniforms, while the girls were wearing tan sailor outfits with blue skirts," Packer explained. "Usually the type of uniforms worn by Japanese students. Plus, the voice told me to come to Tenjin, which could mean Tenjin City, Japan. That's where the voice told me to go to find the answers I'm looking for."
"You get that, Rush?" Jericho asked into the phone that was activated on his desk.
"Yep. Give me one second," Rush replied on the phone. The two could hear the clicking sounds of a keyboard for several seconds, then heard a computer beep. "Got it. It appears that students with the uniforms Packer described go to a school called Kisaragi Academy in Tenjin City, Japan."
"Then that's where I need to go," Packer replied. Jericho nodded.
"Alright then," the High Master said. "Pack up your gear and be on the next flight to Japan. If this threat turns out to be true, then this planet is in serious danger. Go there, save the Nine and stop whatever is behind this at all costs."
"Understood," Packer answered, standing up and saluting Jericho before rushing out of the High Master's office to pack.
Monday, August 18th, 2008, 11:30 A.M.
(Corpse Party's The Everyday begins playing in the background)
It was 11:30 A.M. in Tokyo, Japan. Packer stepped out of the plane that had landed at Tokyo International Airport. He was now wearing a dark green leather jacket, black pants, and green shoes with white trim.
It had been a long flight from San Francisco, but Packer didn't seem to mind. After all, studying Japanese history was one of his favorite pastimes, and he was now going to get to experience it for himself. Of course, he hadn't forgotten why he was here in the first place. A day prior to his arrival in Japan, Packer began having mind numbing nightmares about a group of nine people who were sent to a place that appeared to be inside an abandoned elementary school, and how they were met with gruesome ends at the hands of a mysterious girl in a red dress. In the end, none of the Nine survived the events that took place in the school.
Not long after their deaths, the dimensional fabric surrounding Earth began to weaken, until it was completely torn open, allowing the girl from his nightmares to explode her dark powers outward, giving her complete control of Earth. Because of this, High Master Jericho had sent his Elite Knight to Japan, to stop whoever or whatever was behind this at all costs.
Packer shifted the backpack on his shoulder, and walked out of the airport. The Covenant had arranged for a taxi to wait for him at the airport to take him to his new house, bought for him and completely furnished courtesy of the Covenant, which would be within walking distance of the school he would be enrolling in, Kisaragi Academy, near the city of Tenjin.
"It'd be nice if I could've come here for something other than official business…" Packer said to himself. "But I'll have the chance to enjoy myself in due time. For now, I need to get set up at my new home, and prepare myself for tomorrow."
Ironically, tomorrow was the first day of the new school year, so enrolling wouldn't be as awkward as it would've been if it had been midway through the year. One small problem he might encounter was the fact that he was an American student enrolling in a Japanese school, but fortunately, he spoke almost perfect Japanese, another trait he gained from his fascination of Japanese culture.
After several hours, the taxi stopped in front of his new house. Packer got out his wallet to pay the driver for the ride.
"No worries, sir," the driver said. "Your organization has already covered the bill for your ride here."
Packer smiled. He could always count on the Covenant to take care of him.
"Thanks for the lift," he said.
"No problem. You take care of yourself, now," the driver replied. Packer nodded, retrieved his belongings from the trunk of the taxi, and walked up the stairs of the front porch to his new home.
After he had everything situated and set up, Packer sat down on the couch in the living room and opened up his laptop. He took a moment to think about what he should write in his report to the Covenant, and then began typing. It was going to be a recurring theme every Sunday until the mission was complete. He finished his report and clicked "send". Satisfied, he reached over and took hold of his sword, sitting comfortably in its sheath. He slid the sword out and examined the blade. A bit of electricity discharged from the blade as he ran his hand across it.
"Shiden, my trusty sword…" he whispered. "I might have to rely on you a little bit more than usual this time around. I don't know what exactly it is I'm going to be facing, but whatever it is, I'll be ready."
Packer sheathed his sword and looked back at the laptop. On it were his instructions from his superiors, as well as where to begin searching for the individuals from his dreams, "the Nine" as he now calls them.
"Nine individuals, whose lives are tied to the fate of the entire planet," he said to himself. "If only I knew what your names were, it would certainly make my search a helluva lot easier."
He closed the laptop and ran a hand through his emerald green hair with a sigh.
"But I'll probably run into them tomorrow, so it's not really a big deal. But I can't help but wonder what makes these nine so important, and why are their lives tied to the fate of the planet anyway? None of this makes any sense."
He looked out his window at the sun setting on the horizon.
"But I'm sure the pieces will begin to fall into place as time goes on. For now, I'll just focus on getting integrated into my new school, and I'll go from there."
He reached over and grabbed the remote to the T.V. He turned it on and began channel surfing.
'It's a good thing I understand Japanese, otherwise I'd never be able to watch anything on Japanese T.V.,' he thought silently to himself. 'Of course, some of these shows are weird as Hell anyways, so it hardly makes a difference.' He chuckled. 'I wonder what the Nine are like. Hopefully, they're friendly, otherwise this mission's going to be a lot more complicated than I want it to be. If we're going to survive this ordeal, we're going to need to work together.'
Packer shook his head.
"The question is… where should I begin my search?" he asked himself. It was clear that Packer had more questions than answers at this point, and it was beginning to frustrate him a little.
'I need to relax. No use in getting frustrated over something that won't happen for some time, anyways,' the young Knight thought. He continued to channel surf until he eventually drifted off to sleep.
Monday, August 25th, 2008, 5:53 A.M.
Packer jerked from his sleep, sweating like a race horse. He looked over at the clock.
'5:53. It's about time for me to get ready for school,' he thought. He rubbed his eyes and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He knew why he was shaken from his sleep. He'd had another one of his nightmarish premonitions about Heavenly Host.
"These damn nightmares are getting worse with each passing day," he muttered to himself. He recalled one scene vividly, where he was standing in the middle of a restroom. In front of him, on their knees, was a girl. She was looking up at the same spot in front of them, in one of the stalls. Packer couldn't quite make out what her face looked like, but he could see she had tears in her eyes. After what seemed like an eternity of staring into the bathroom stall, the girl screamed, which woke Packer from his sleep.
"That last scene in my nightmare… it seems to have happened inside that school, but what was she looking at? Did something terrible happen or something? Man, this shit is getting weirder by the second. Hopefully, I can get a sense of who I'm looking for today."
After shaking the cobwebs from his head, he headed into the restroom to take a shower. It had been a week since he had first arrived in Tenjin, and he made sure to scout the school that he believed the Nine would be enrolled at, and made sure to enroll as a student himself, as a foreign exchange student. Today was his first day at Kisaragi Academy, and he wanted to make sure he gave a good first impression to the people there.
(Corpse Party's All Together begins playing in the background)
It was his first day at Kisaragi Academy, and Packer was a little nervous. It wasn't like it was his first time going to school, but he was an American enrolling in a Japanese school, so there would probably be some awkward moments, even though he spoke almost perfect Japanese. But he also knew that he had a job to do, and finding out who the Nine were was priority number one.
He stopped at one of the intersections. The light was red, so he had to wait for a moment. Packer adjusted his backpack and dark green sunglasses, waiting patiently for the light to change. After a few seconds, it changed to green, allowing Packer to continue on to school.
As Kisaragi Academy came into view, Packer could see many students, both male and female, walking through the front gate onto the school grounds. As he stepped through the gates himself, he moved off to the side so he wasn't in the way of everyone else and gazed up at the school he would now call his own. Pushing his sunglasses up onto his head, he let out a whistle as his eyes took in every detail, mesmerized by how well built and well-kept the building and the school grounds seemed to be.
"Hi, there. We haven't seen you around here before," someone behind him said in Japanese. Packer turned his head in the direction of the voice. There were two young boys around his height and age standing a few feet away, having just come in the front gate themselves. One was wearing a black jacket with black pants and a white and a red undershirt, with brown boots. He had platinum blonde hair and grey eyes. The other had short light brown hair and light brown eyes. He wore a white shirt with another blue shirt under it, gray pants, and white socks under blue and white sneakers.
'Hmm… these two seem oddly familiar to me…' Packer thought silently to himself.
"I just moved here last week. I used to live in San Francisco, but I decided to come here to Japan, broaden my horizons," Packer replied in Japanese with a smile. "The name's Packer. Pleased to meet you."
The two boys glanced over at each other, surprised that a young American boy knew how to speak their language. The blonde-haired boy glanced back at Packer and extended his hand. Packer grasped it in a firm handshake. He felt a slight bit of familiarity, causing the hairs on his neck to stand up.
"Yoshiki Kishinuma. This is Satoshi Mochida," Yoshiki greeted. Satoshi shook Packer's hand as well.
"Nice to meet you, Packer," he said with a smile.
"Likewise," Packer responded. Suddenly, his memory activated, and he recognized these two as being two of the boys from his Future Sight. He internally smiled.
'So, these are two of the Nine. So far, so good, and we haven't even gone inside the school yet,' he thought.
"Do you have a last name?" Yoshiki asked.
"No. I was orphaned as an infant, so I was taken in by a local orphanage. I was sent to many foster homes, but I never really had a steady family to call my own, and besides, I didn't really get along with any of them, so I guess you could say I became my own man when I turned fifteen. Since I have no family or no way of knowing who my real parents are, I decided to go without a last name, and it suits me just fine," Packer explained, of course leaving out the part where he was a supernatural warrior for a secret organization.
"Wow. I'd say you've had it pretty hard, but you seem to be getting along fine," Satoshi replied, astonished by Packer's story.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Not bad for a seventeen year old, eh?" Packer replied with a shrug. Yoshiki and Satoshi nodded in response.
"So, you enrolling here at Kisaragi?" Yoshiki inquired.
"Yes, I am," Packer replied.
"No kidding? Well, that's pretty cool to hear. Looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on," Satoshi exclaimed.
'A lot more than you think, Mochida…' Packer thought to himself.
"Do you know what class you're in?" Satoshi asked.
"I think they told me it was class 2-9," Packer replied.
"No shit? That means you're in the same class as us. How ironic is that?" Yoshiki said with a laugh.
"Yeah, irony is pretty weird sometimes," Packer said with a shrug.
After talking for a minute, the three of them went inside Kisaragi Academy. Needless to say, Packer was impressed by what he had seen so far.
"So, this is Kisaragi Academy, eh? Not bad," he said with a whistle.
"Best school I've ever been to, and that's saying something," Yoshiki replied with a laugh. After walking down the hallway a bit, Packer stopped at the office.
"Well, I see you guys in a bit. I've got to stop by and pick up my uniform." Packer said.
"Okeydokey. We'll see you in class." Satoshi replied, and he and Yoshiki headed to their homeroom. Packer smiled.
"I think I might like it here," he murmured to himself. With that, Packer turned and headed into the office to collect his uniform.
Packer walked into classroom 2-9, now decked out in his new uniform. Like Yoshiki's, Packer's uniform was a coal black color, complete with his name badge pinned to it. He took his seat next to Yoshiki and Satoshi. There were still a few minutes before the bell rang for class. He took a minute and looked around the class.
His eyes fell on a girl sitting behind Yoshiki. She had amber eyes and long brown hair that were styled into two curls on both sides of her head, just beneath her ears. She also wore a white barrette on the left side of her head. Like all the other girls in the school, she wore a tan-colored sailor outfit with a blue collar and lighter blue cuffs. Her uniform also consisted of a yellow bow held by a blue brooch to the top, and a blue pleated skirt. Packer found himself trying to hold back a blush.
'Wow, she's pretty,' Packer thought to himself. The girl looked over at him, and he quickly turned away, cheeks red from being caught staring. The girl tilted her head and smiled at him.
"I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new here?" she asked. Packer looked back at her and nodded.
"Yeah, this is my first day here," Packer replied a little shyly. "I'm a foreign exchange student from San Francisco." The girl let a surprised expression cross her face, before she smiled even more broadly at him, causing Packer's face to heat up slightly.
"Well, I'll just have to do my best to make you feel comfortable around here," she beamed. Packer chuckled.
'She's certainly energetic, that's for damn sure…' Packer thought.
"The name's Packer. Pleased to meet you," he said.
"Seiko Shinohara. So, it's just Packer, huh?" the girl inquired.
Her face suddenly struck a nerve with Packer, causing him to go back into his memory banks. His eyes widened as he recognized Seiko as one of the girls from his Future Sight.
'Seiko Shinohara… another one of the Nine…' the young Knight thought.
"Yeah, it's a long story…" he began.
Just then, a girl with short brown hair and brown eyes came into the classroom. Seiko shrieked at the person.
"Naomi! Over here!" she exclaimed. Packer looked over at the girl, and his eyes widened again as he recognized her.
'Naomi… another one of the girls from the Nine,' the green-haired Knight thought. 'Wait a second…' His eyes widened as he recalled one of his nightmares from the previous night, in particular, the one with the girl kneeling in front of the bathroom stall. 'She must be the girl in that particular part of my dream…'
Naomi walked over to where they were sitting.
"Jeez, Seiko, could you be any louder?" Naomi asked. Seiko just giggled in response.
"Sorry, Naomi. I'm just so excited to see you, that's all," the hyperactive girl replied.
"It hasn't been that long since we saw each other, Seiko…" Naomi sighed. Packer shook his head, trying to hold back a grin.
Naomi then noticed the green-haired, green eyed boy sitting in between Yoshiki and Satoshi.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't even notice you. My name is Naomi Nakashima. And you are?" she asked.
"The name is Packer. Pleased to meet you," Packer replied.
Naomi arched an eyebrow.
"What, you don't…" she began.
"Have a last name?" he finished. "No. It's a long story. I'm sure Kishinuma or Mochida will explain later if I don't." Seiko and Naomi looked at each other, eyebrows raised.
"Wow, so you guys just met and are already friends? How does that work?" Seiko asked.
"Let's just say, we became friends at light speed," Packer said with a shrug. The girls giggled at his response, while Satoshi and Yoshiki shook their heads while grinning.
"So, I'm a bit of a comedian. I like ribbing my friends from time to time," Packer explained.
"Really? You should see what Shinohara does with Nakashima on a regular basis," Yoshiki said with a laugh. Naomi blushed.
"Kishinuma, he doesn't need to know that," she replied.
"Yeah, but it's more fun if he does, Naomi," Seiko replied with a sinister giggle. Naomi just groaned.
'Yep, I think things are going to be pretty interesting around here,' Packer thought with a smile.
"Hey, guys!"
Everybody looked up. Three students were walking toward them. One was a girl with dull green eyes, medium long brown hair styled into a small ponytail at the top right side of her head, held by a hair tie with two pink spheres. Her bangs were kept back with two orange barrettes.
Standing next to her was a tall boy with cobalt blue hair and green eyes, also wearing glasses. Like the other male students of Kisaragi Academy, he wore a black gakuran uniform, his student ID pinned to his left, blue uwabaki slippers and dark red socks. Next to him was a girl with blue eyes and long blue hair styled into two pigtails, held with red hair ties.
Like with the others, these three caused light bulbs of familiarity to go off in Packer's head, as he acknowledged that these were three more people of the so-called Nine from his visions.
"Packer, this is Mayu Suzumoto, Sakutaro Morishige, and Ayumi Shinozaki," Naomi explained.
"Greetings, everyone. The name is Packer. Pleased to meet all of you," Packer responded.
"What, no last name?" Mayu asked.
Packer sighed.
"No last name. I'll explain later," he replied.
"Well, it was nice to meet you, Packer-kun. I'm the class representative of 2-9, so if you have any questions at all, feel free to ask," Ayumi said before taking her seat, along with Mayu and Morishige.
'Suzumoto, Morishige, and Shinozaki. That's seven of the Nine I've now met…' Packer thought. The bell rang, and into the classroom walked their homeroom teacher's assistant. She had brown, medium short hair and purple eyes. She is wearing cyan earrings, a light pink shirt with a darker one under it, an indigo skirt, black high-heels and a necklace with a panda ornament.
"Who's that?" Packer asked, seeing that she was the adult member of the Nine from his Future Sight.
"That's Ms. Shishido, our homeroom teacher's assistant," Satoshi explained. "We usually call her Yui-sensei, though."
"I see…" Packer said.
'So, there's one more of the Nine I haven't met yet. The little girl…' he thought. 'Probably won't get a chance to meet her right now. According to Rush, the uniform she wears is the same one the junior high school students wear. I wonder who she is.' The classroom got quiet as the teacher walked up to the podium. 'Show time.'
(Corpse Party's Good Friends begins playing in the background)
It was a whirlwind first day for Packer at Kisaragi Academy. He recalled the day's events after school had let out for the day. After introducing himself to his new classmates, the teacher had asked Satoshi to show Packer around the campus to help him familiarize himself with it. He got his fair share of unusual looks, mostly due to the fact that he was an American, but he also got some winks from some of the girls as well.
"Seems like a few of the girls have taken notice of you," Satoshi laughed. Satoshi was walking home from school with Packer. Yoshiki had stayed behind to help their other friends with school projects, which was unusual considering Yoshiki's reputation. Packer just shrugged.
"I really don't see why. I'm not that handsome," he replied.
"Hey, I usually say that about myself. You trying to steal my material?" Satoshi laughed.
"If I did, I didn't mean to. I guess I'm just being modest again," Packer replied. Satoshi just chuckled.
"So, Packer, forgive me for prying a bit here, but I noticed you were a bit shy around Shinohara. Why is that?" Satoshi asked. Packer glanced over at Satoshi for a moment, and then turned away, his face slightly red. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Well… I might have a slight crush on her, maybe…" he said nervously.
"Well, I have to warn you, Shinohara can be a bit… what's the word… flamboyant at times, especially around Naomi," Satoshi said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, I noticed. So, first name basis with Nakashima, eh? Looks like you're showing the same type of feelings toward Nakashima that I am towards Shinohara, Mochida," Packer replied with a sly smile. Now it was Satoshi's turn to be embarrassed.
"Ah, well… we've been friends since kindergarten, and… admittedly, I am kind of fond of Naomi," he replied, face red as a tomato. Packer chuckled.
"I thought as much. So, if you've known her this long, why haven't you asked her out yet?" he asked. Satoshi's face turned an even deeper shade of crimson.
"I'm…well, I'm just not… very good at that… sort of thing. I mean, how am I supposed to ask her? Do I just flat out tell her, or imply that I am interested or what? Besides that, what if she's not even interested in me? I don't know if I could take that kind of rejection," Satoshi admitted.
Packer ran his hand through his green hair, absorbing what Satoshi had told him.
"Well, you never know until you ask. Judging from what you've told me, I'd say you two would make a perfect match. I'd ask her out and see what she says," Packer suggested. Satoshi stopped and looked at Packer for a second.
"You know, Packer, you're making this all sound so easy. I just wish I wasn't so scared," he replied. Packer stopped as well, looked at Satoshi, and put his hand on his shoulder.
"Mochida, there's nothing to be scared of. All it takes is a little self-confidence. Trust me on this," he explained. Satoshi arched in eyebrow.
"Does that mean you're going to ask Shinohara out as well?" Satoshi asked.
"Well, I have an excuse. I've only known you all for one day. You, on the other hand, have known Nakashima for years. I can't believe you feel this strongly for her, yet you haven't even made a move yet, and besides, I can't say I blame you for having a crush on her. Admittedly, she is a very attractive girl," Packer explained.
Satoshi stood there with eyes wide, taking in what Packer was saying.
'Man, he knows a lot more than I gave him credit for, and he seems like a cool guy. I think we may become really good friends…' he thought.
"You're right. I'll… think about it, okay?" he asked, cheeks still red. Packer chuckled.
"Sounds good to me," the green-haired boy replied. "So, why exactly did Kishinuma stay behind?"
"I think he said he's helping the girls with some class project. Wonder what got him motivated to do that," Satoshi wondered.
"Maybe he's got a crush on one of the girls," Packer said with a chuckle. Satoshi glanced at Packer worriedly.
"You don't think…" Satoshi began.
"Nah, I don't think it's our crushes. If I had to place a bet, I'd say he has his eyes set on our class representative," Packer replied with a smile. Satoshi's eyes widened.
"He has a crush on Shinozaki?! Really?!" Satoshi exclaimed. Packer shrugged.
"I'm not really sure, but considering that Suzumoto and Morishige seem to be tightly knit, it would make sense for Kishinuma to be head over heels for Shinozaki. I get the feeling there's a deep rooted friendship between them, although I'd say Yoshiki is wanting more than that. At least, that's the feeling I'm getting, anyway," Packer replied.
"Wow…" Satoshi said, astonished by what he just heard.
"So, what's Kishinuma's story, anyway?" Packer inquired. "I get the feeling he's had a bit of a troubled past."
"Well, you'd be right," Satoshi replied. "He and his parents got into a fight about two years ago, and as a result, they kicked him out. He's been forced to survive on his own ever since. He used to be a bit of a trouble maker at school, but ever since we managed to get him to join our friend group, he's changed his ways dramatically, and I and he became really good friends. In fact, I'm the only one he's on a first name basis with."
"Interesting," Packer replied. "Sounds like he's had a rough time, but at least he is trying to make the most of a bad situation."
"Pretty much," Satoshi agreed.
They stopped in front of Packer's new house.
"So this is where you live, huh?" Satoshi asked.
"Yep, and it's all taken care of, too," Packer replied.
"Nice. Well, I'll see you at school tomorrow, Packer," Satoshi said.
"Okeydokey. See you, Mochida," Packer replied.
Satoshi continued down the sidewalk toward his home, while Packer walked up the stairs to his apartment.
"Yep, my time here is going to be very interesting, indeed," Packer said to himself. He walked up the stairs of his porch and into his home, shutting the door behind him.
Author's Note: Don't be surprised if you see some minor differences in all of the chapters currently in this story, as I'm in the process of proofreading and fixing minor errors, as well as moving and adding some things here and there.
