Disclaimer: If I owned anything, it would be a car. Though if I did own the concept, money can buy cars right?
Authors Notes: Here we are again, I figured; why not keep the story moving in to the summer? I have a ways to go so I hope you stick with me in this lull of (relatively) dormant school and work yin-yang. In addition, a new vice has returned to me, a return to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas…truly modern art. I finally Star Wars as well, two words: wait, four words: "pretty good" and "more wookie". Anyway, on to what you came here for, the next act.
Dominus Grim
Chapter Nine: The Deep Air
Surrounds
'Smoldering' as a word can both be applied to people and objects in both the literal and figurative forms. In this situation, only the literal applied. The room and chamber that the Transportation duo now occupied was almost entirely turned to liquefied stone, some of it well into the vaporization stage. Smoke and ash completely covered some of what was once the gigantic space of air, with its source rasping with eyes closed and body heaving some.
"Is he, is he still alive?" Himiko asked Akabane, referring to the collapsed man at their feet. Akabane lifted his hat, looking down, who better to know if one lives or dies?
"Yes." Akabane stated rather curtly, not too much like his usual self. Realizing this himself, Akabane finished "…my dear Miss Himiko." Himiko looked to the Jackal but found no need to ask questions if only because any answer at all would do nothing to help their situation.
Coal, who up until that point had been screaming his lungs out, had finally collapsed from the exhaustion his body was denied to feel. Panting heavily, Coal brought his legs up into an almost fetal position, but then scraped his toes across the floor and brought himself back to his knees. The pain itself now back in full force, Coal fell over again, on top of the nub of what was once his right arm.
"Wait, you shouldn't be moving!" Himiko said, running over to help Coal, up. Hesitating a moment for fear of the heated aura that was present not two seconds ago, Himiko slowly touched and then grabbed Coals shoulders, finding her hands still there.
"Dr. Jackal we have to do something!" Himiko yelled at the amount of blood coming from Coals bloodied right stump. Akabane sauntered over with a smirk.
"Funny, I'm called 'Doctor' when a mans life is in danger." Looking down at Coal, Akabane crouched and found his former assailants face contorted in agony.
"What are we supposed to do? He's losing too much blood! Aka-"Himikos' somewhat hysterical ranting was cut.
"First use your sleep perfume to calm him down, more preferably to knock him unconscious." Akabane looked at the surprised Himiko who seemed to forget her ability to blink and speak concurrently. "Did I speak too fast?" Akabane couldn't help but smile, not entirely at the situation but rather at Himiko who reminded him of a nurse the Doctor of him worked with once.
"N-no, not at all." Soon upon inhalation of the scent, Coal was brought into a sleep. Not a sleep of peace, but a sleep of some relief at the very least. Reaching into the depths of his coat, Akabane brought out something resembling thread and needle. Bringing a scalpel to bare, Akabane began to deftly work on the various cuts and gashes around Coals body as well as cleaning and sewing up the remains of his right arm, shifting and instructing Himiko to move his body as the need required.
After about twenty or so minutes, the single scalpel retreated back into Akabanes hand. Lifting his own cut, burned but still more or less whole, and suffice to say limp left arm, Jackal retracted his left sleeve, he then brought out three scalpels in his right and proceeded to work on it, his neutral face holding back the pain of a surgery minus the anesthesia. Upon finishing with the makeshift bandages he applied and covering his arm, Akabane was a bit surprised to find Himiko wiping her mouth of that morning's breakfast.
"I suppose I should have told you to turn around?" He asked as Himiko smirked grimly.
"Ya think? Heh, I guess I just forgot that that 'Doctor' part of your name isn't just for show." sitting down for a rest, she then looked around at the smoking ruin of the room, as well as at the corpse that was once a homicidal clown. "In all seriousness though, it's not just your little impromptu surgery, it's…everything here I guess. Ever since we got here I've felt like I've been under one long continuous assault on my senses. It's a bit overwhelming."
"Yes, that sounds about right." Akabane said, tentatively moving his arm, flinching only a bit from the soreness.
"You heal fast." Himiko observed.
"Only in here my dear." Akabane responded with a smile to his rhyme. Looking over Himiko, Akabane decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Are you feeling alright Miss Himiko? Any wounds or gashes or whatnot?" Himikos' eyes widened.
"Uh, no thank you. I mean I received a few bruises from that bastard Phantom, and you know what the acceleration scent does to me, but I'll be fine. Just give me a few minutes to catch my breath." Adjusting the brim of his hat to view the Laughing Phantoms corpse, Akabane casually responded to Himiko
"As you wish." Walking over to the corpse and looking down, Akabane stared at it for a good while. Observing the twisted and contorted look plastered on the Laughing Phantom face, which had become a makeshift display for the scalpels implanted in it.
"He is dead, right?" Himiko asked, keeping a slight distance, her hands in the ready near her vials. Akabane let some air escape his lip.
"With him…one can never be certain." Himiko heard the small amount of, not hesitation, almost just an odd uncharacteristic pause in the Jackals speech. Realizing her own fatigue from the fight and the near impossible level of heat of the room that had yet to completely pass, Himiko sat down next to where Coals resting form was.
"What is it about this place? Even in Mugenjou, the worst weren't like this." Himiko stated more to herself than anyone else. Brief memories flashed before her eyes of the experiences of her life up until then, she then wondered, if things were different…
"I must admit, returning here is quickly putting me in a state I'd rather not be in." the Jackal said, lamenting the less than copious amounts of blood cascading from Phantoms cranium.
"Really? Jackal, I would assume you would love this place more than any other, I mean, you know, death is in pretty ready supply here." Akabane looked over at Himiko and smiled almost knowingly.
"That it is, but this is a place where control and things like professionalism are scattered to the wind. I don't like not being in control Miss Himiko, not at all." Himiko looked to Akabane, trying to extract any additional meaning from the statement.
"So, you learned those 'bloody' moves…here?"
"More like, perfected them." Cutting off the conversation was an odd noise, something that should be inappropriate and a cause for worries of death; it was the sound of sobbing.
"Who…is that Coal?" Himiko asked, looking now downward at Coals still unconscious body. His face, though the expression still somewhat lifeless, had twin trails of tears and some actions akin to sobbing, if only vaguely.
"I can only imagine, the horrors this man has seen and the disgusting atrocities that he committed under Phantoms control." Akabane said, an eye wandering to his left.
"So it's perfectly understandable…what should we do with him?" Himiko asked in mid motion to extending her hand to Coal, as some sort of more or less meaningless yet ingrained gesture of comfort.
"Well Miss Himiko, our job is to find the Dominus Grim and transport it to our client in Kyoto, correct?" Seeing her nod in the affirmative he continued; "Logically it would only slow us down having to carry a body with us…" waiting for the emotional outburst he expected, Jackal was pleasantly surprised to find Himiko waiting patiently for the rest. "However, leaving Coal-san here would be even more detrimental to us than if we took him."
"How so?" Himiko asked.
"Simply put: the creatures that we fought with earlier, those former men and women: "The Formers" as they are so affectionately referred to by some, would track and…inconvenience us."
"Then that would mean that, they're waiting for us." Himiko said, the realization occurring. The Formers were indeed there, watching and waiting just behind the walls and ceilings. "If we leave Coal, he'll be devoured, then they'll come after us, spurred on by the first meal or something?" Akabane smiled in that way he did.
"Something like that. Come, let us finish this job, I'll help you." Akabane and Himiko then took Coal, an arm over each of them and began their trek out of the utterly destroyed chamber, leaving behind a dead clown whose face was twisted in a horrid expression.
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"Shit, that all you got you flaming douche?" Ban remarked snidely, dodging yet another barrage of lit matches. His opponent, though a tad frustrated at his opponent's knack for being as fast as light, was still smiling into something like a snarl.
"I heard you're some kind of fighting genius, what the hell kind of genius does it take to call me 'flaming' from…lit matches?" Harukai yelled for emphasis. Ban raised an eyebrow, either that or a vein propped his eyebrow up.
"Tch, like you're worth true wit, hell you're not even worth the fucking Jokers wit." Ban mumbled, dashing back and forth, rebounding off the walls to avoid the matches and finally landing behind Harukai. "Nice mocking ya!" Ban yelled, shooting his right palm open, the deadly grip of the serpent lusting towards an easy victim.
"You intolerable ass." Harukai muttered in a smile in tune with the out of nowhere explosion of matches from his back. So many matches were fired, that for a brief moment that small space of chamber had semi-adequate lighting.
"Fuck!" Ban cursed, drawing his hand back and braking on his loafers again. Pushing every last bit of pride and strength into his legs, Ban launched himself with a speed that according to him (and begrudgedely a few others) rivaled even a certain Doctor. Unfortunately, pride and strength were proven insufficient, as Bans' shirt was now on fire in certain places.
"Something like a billion individual matches, never actually bothered to count them before. You are really some kind of disappointment." Harukai said, watching with a contemptuous voyeur's interest Ban hastily remove his white over-shirt and stamp out the flames.
"And you're really some kind of ass, a blind one too. You been down here too long mole boy." Ban said, looking over at his opponent with slightly more caution but all the same arrogance. Harukai waited for some kind of elaboration, but found none, at least not in the verbal sense. To answer his non-spoken query he suddenly felt some incredible pressure around various points of his body. Gasping a bit, he found or rather felt the blood begin to flow under his clothes.
"When did he…" Harukai thought, stumbling almost invisibly in his step. Seeing Ban smirk was all he needed. "I see, so you're fast. Good. I suppose you have to be fast to be a joke." Harukai said, dashing at Ban and smirking at his opponents fade into invisibility. Lacking his opponent's speed, Harukai had a sort of counterbalance, an innate ability to duck, pitch, and roll with great preciseness. Using this well-earned trait Harukai was able to match Ban in his next position in the cramped hall they were fighting in, even to his advantage; Harukai appeared before the surprised retrieval agent with a fist cocked.
"Lucky sonofabitch-"Ban managed to get out before getting silenced with quite the right cross. Skidding on his foot, Harukai brought his still suspended leg towards Ban, only to have him fade away again. Feeling the horrid pressure on his back this time, Harukai jerked out forward, part of his shirt along with some skin taken off as souvenir for an incomplete snakebite. Reaching between the loops of his belt Harukai lashed out at Ban with an oddly new looking Bowie knife.
"What happened to matches and fire, too hard my flaming brother?" Ban asked, the sarcasm dripping and hissing like froth.
"Still my theme faux man-chan." Harukai said, the edge of the knife glowing only slightly. Ban clenched his fists. Then, where Harukai had grazed the air with his knife, an almost whiplash of flame erupted, and by virtue of almost superhuman level speed alone, Ban dodged.
"What the hell!" he yelled. Harukai began laughing again, low deep, abrasive laughs that sounded like they were scraping the cobblestones of the Aku no Kami in their echo.
"Who needs anything, when you have fire?" Haruaki asked himself, bounding towards the man with the Evil Eye, his right hand with a bowie knife, his left with four matches.
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"Whoa, damn it! Can't we stop this?" Ginji asked or actually pleaded between dodging blade swipes. Though no stranger to fighting, especially fighting someone with blades, even the former Lightning Lord of the Infinity Fortress was having some trouble keeping his head on his shoulders. "Come…on…we…don't…have to…do this!" Ginji finally decided to strike back, though his fist was blocked by the blunt of Kanryu's gauntlet blade.
"You struck back." Kanryu stated, his already deeply monotone voice becoming metallic and detached through the breather of his gas mask.
"Only to defend, I knew you'd block." Ginji and Kanryu stood in that pose a few moments, waiting to see who would act first. "Why are you and your friends doing this?"
"You ask stupid questions, Raitei. You were the ones who intruded here." Ginji felt an invisible weight fall on his blond head.
"Well…uh…damn I guess you have a point?" Ginji was a bit confused, and without his partner to deduce, reason and explain everything to him, he was a tiny bit lost. His confused eyes quickly snapped to attention when Kanryu brought his other blade in a whirling arc. Jumping back, Ginji felt no less than half a dozen cuts of ever increasing depth on his chest, through his jacket, his shirt and finally stopping into his skin.
"He's fast, as fast as Ban? No way, hope you didn't hear that Ban-chan." Ginji thought with a smile, stepping back he charged forward, punching Kanryu again and again having his punch blocked.
"Aren't you going to ask? Why we're here?" Ginji asked, he and Kanryu in the same pose they were seconds ago.
"No, frankly I don't care, my only real question is why you're talking so much, adds to your predictability I suppose." In a repeat movement of his action in the last standoff, Kanryu attacked Ginji with a whirling arc, only to be stopped by about one hundred and fifty thousand volts. Jumping back, and despite his usual evasive manners towards fighting, Ginji swiped his cheek with his thumb.
"Heh? Ya like that?" Ginji was answered by the total and complete disappearance of his electrical discharge. "What…" in front of him, all one hundred and fifty thousand volts had been dancing around, then on and then finally into Kanryus' body. A quickly dissipating glow was the only reminder that there was ever any power to begin with. "It's…you isn't it?" Kanryu looked at his opponent, his own yellowish glow now completely dissipating returning the hallway to darkness.
"At least you have the perception of Raitei the legend, I already told you my full name. So here's my epithet." Kanryu said, disappearing than reappearing above Ginji, bringing both blades down to bear on him. In reflex, Ginjis' electrical field erupted. Though usually an electrical force such as that would throw an opponent back, today fate decided to toy yet again with its favorite hard luck child. Sucking in and sucking down all the electrical forks of lightning into his person, Kanryu was slowed down only a tick as he completed his doubled bladed arc, to which Ginji could dodge, with only the first few layers of skin on his left leg as a trade.
"Kanryu no Kazaana. That is who I am." Ginji grimaced, his leg was throbbing and he could only imagine the amount of blood threatening to spill if only a little more pressure be applied.
"Kanryu…of the Black Hole?" it was starting to click, and though Ginji was not one to understand physics or any of its immutable laws such as how matter or energy cannot be destroyed or created over time but merely change shape or be taken somewhere else, he was starting to realize the true magnitude of the challenge ahead of him.
"Yes, Raitei, you're the legend, please don't disappoint me." Kanryu rushed and Ginji doubled back, the pain in his leg already hindering him a great deal. Imminent death in front of him, a death less immediate but still painful behind him, Ginji did his best to dodge the flurry of attacks from the dual blades. Finding his inhibited speed leading to more and more wounds which in turn led to even more castrating of his movements, Ginji in felt his heel hit the wall. Forcing his weight behind him and bounding towards Kanryu, Ginji went on the offensive, punching and kicking to the best of his ability. Breaking Kanryus' defense, Ginji landed several crosses and hooks to his masked adversary.
"Please listen to me, we're not here to fight, we only came here because we thought a friend of ours was in danger." Kanryu adjusted his head and waited for the gravity of the situation to hit Ginji.
"Wait…my hand…what the hell!" Ginji yelled as he finally realized that his right hand was stuck in Kanryus cheek, or whatever the gas mask was covering.
"If there's anything I can't stand it's a disappointment, I suppose I'm just immature that way. Regardless, when I said Black hole, the term applies to all matter, energy," Kanryu emphasized this by shooting off some of Ginjis' electricity in the opposite direction. "And solid matter, like your hand for instance." Kanryu emphasized this by slowly drawing in Ginjis' hand into his face. Ginji jerked and squirmed, suddenly quite concerned with the fact that he couldn't feel his own hand any more, like his arm suddenly just ended where Kanryus' mask began.
"Uh…ah…damn…it…" Ginji muttered, trying of all things to pull his arm out. Realizing the futility of shocking Kanryu with an electrical burst, Ginji was quickly feeling cornered. Seeing his opponents face quite closely now, Kanryu steadied himself.
"You're not much, but I guess you can live with one arm." Kanryu muttered bringing his right arm up, gauntlet blade and all. Seeing the slight glint the blade created as a result of the nigh non-existent light in the hallway, Ginjis mind, much like Ginjis body and personality, sparked.
"Worth a shot, just please don't be ceramic!" Ginji then focused the remainder of his electrical power on the rapidly descending blade.
"Now you're just being---what?" Kanryu yelled as his blade was stopped bare millimeters from Ginjis arm. Not giving his opponent the nanosecond time he needed to assess the situation Ginji mentally pushed, pulled, and contorted his electrical force to do all the same to Kanryu's blade. Startled, Kanryu attempted to step back. Just as he did, Ginji could feel his arm again, even within Kanryu. Deciding another risk was worth it, he drew his arm back out into the real world whole and all. "Damn it, now you show some damn brain!" Kanryu bellowed, ripping out his right gauntlet blade which at that point had become little more than a warped mess, or possibly modern art but that would have to wait. Tossing the now useless blade into the air, Kanryu grabbed it and shoved it in his chest, which in a situation very similar to Ginji's hand was merely absorbed.
"Oh, I get it, that black hole power thing of yours only works when you're standing still doesn't it?" Ginji guessed, astounding his opponent and to a possible greater degree himself with that observation.
"There's a depth to him I didn't see before, those eyes…and that other one, Mido. Harukai…don't over do it."
"Hey, so now that I now how to beat you, why don't we stop all this pointless fighting and just figure out why…" from beneath his mask, Kanryu smiled a little.
"Sorry, my friend and I have no time for nonsense like that, we fight and then-"
"Then what?" Ginji asked.
"Then, no more questions."
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A skidding noise, a quick shuffle and Ban had narrowly dodged a fiery barrier of matches.
"Tch, damn coward. Why the hell can't you fight me like a semi-human as opposed to all this barrier throwing strike from the dark crapola?" Ban asked the darkness, illuminated into a haunting yellow from all the fires. His eyes quickly narrowing, Ban crouched and jumped out of the way just as a fiery snake clamped its sunset colored mouth in the air. "What the hell! A snake? Real clever asshole." Ban said.
"Heh, just playing to my strengths. You're loud, girly looking, and have an ego as big as you wish your crotch were. You rush in, fighting, yelling and trying to prove how friggin great you are." Harukai came out of the darkness, a joint between his lips. "I pick and choose my moments for the kill, giving the instructions I need to…" Ban had appeared behind him. "Like a conductor…" Ban felt an intense heat from behind him; turning his head he found an entire fire dragon soaring towards him. With a grunt, Ban rolled out of the way and watched with anticipation as the dragon of flame flew right into Harukai.
"Man, ironic doesn't even do it justice. Just sad I suppose." Ban took out a cigarette and fumbled in his pockets for his lighter, forgetting for a moment any emotional connection he had to it out of sheer laziness and need for nicotine, Ban lit his cigarette in one of the hall ways' many fires. Except, when he looked for a fire, he found all the flames were quickly wafting and drifting towards the dragons landing point. "Heh, this place suits the Jackal. Unpredictable bastards, and a psychotic environment…jeez I don't even have HEVN to blame for this one." Ban considered attacking the column of flame ahead of him but doubted even with his speed he'd be able to escape unscathed.
"Akabane is a different species from you…" Harukai said as all the flames of the room now reabsorbed into his hands leaving the room dark and quickly cooling.
"Don't I know it…" Ban said with some pride. "Not so different." Ban casually let out some smoke.
"Let me finish faux man, Akabane is a different species from you…and me. He has the same kind of blood that runs through these walls." Ban felt his breath catch.
"What…did you say…blood in the-"Harukai grinned as he saw his moment, sending out a bakers dozen of matches. Muttering a curse, Ban dodged again and brought his Snakebite to bear against Harukai. Using his Bowie knife and his own considerable agility, Harukai was able to parry and block a good number of the attacks. However, the Jagan Mans' speed, even slightly inhibited from his battle, was in the end too much for the matchstick user. His blocks and defense overrun, Harukai was punched a couple times across the face and kicked against the wall. "And now the Bowie!" Ban yelled grabbing the hunter's knife just above the hilt in his two hundred kilogram grip.
"Disproving the fighting genius, it's great fun." Harukai stated, some blood trailing from his lips. Ban wondered about this and also why just as he began to squeeze the knife did he feel an intense burn.
"Shit, you ignited the blade?" before he could retaliate, Harukai forced all the heat from the blade into an explosion towards Ban. Being forced back and left with next to no options Ban thrust his cursed arm into the fire with the force of a snake deity. Through a miracle that some might see as supernatural, the fire was forced back.
"Ya gonna follow? Or you going to test your grip like a bride?" Harukai quipped as the wall behind him almost instantly turned to sand. Hands made out of glass and dirt than grabbed the match man and pulled him through, still smirking of course.
"You fuc-" before Ban could finish his poem, a hole appeared under him, and perhaps if he was in the best state of mind or if he hadn't been ducking and dodging fire and flames before that, he might have jumped the hole. But as it was, the trap hole that appeared like an eye opening perfectly surprised him, and perfectly enraged him.
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Ginji had never heard the song "Once bitten twice shy" but he had heard of it, and for some reason this has only now occurred to him. Probably because Kanryu was moving so fast, shifting between being seen and unseen that Ginji couldn't focus his magnetism on him like the previous clash that he was thinking of this odd relic of eighties American music.
"Kanryu-san…please…" Ginji said, straining his eyes as best he could to decipher the movement patterns of his opponent only to find the pain from his leg wound, and the additional pain from all the latest cuts and slashes Kanryu was giving him, retarding his movements to the point of hopelessness. Knowing the futility of shooting off an electric burst, Ginji did the next best thing, focused his electrical charge and pulled himself towards and onto a wall. Finding himself stuck, Ginji grinned stupidly yet innocently.
"Darn, guess I didn't think that one through." Coming out of his unseen movements, Kanryu looked at his now wall bound opponent.
"You cannot be serious…how did you rule Lower Town?" Ginji tried his best to shrug but found his shoulders stuck like the rest of his body to the wall. Kanryu then reached into his chest and took out a now newly reshaped and re-sharpened blade, affixing it to his right gauntlet he began to advance on Ginji, this time slowly. To the shocked look Ginji was giving him, Kanryu oddly enough felt the need for explanation despite intending to end Ginji's life.
"The kazaana within me has both the properties of a black and white hole…essentially anything that goes in has the potential to come out, if I will it." Ginji looked on.
"How can you possibly control that kind of force?" the former leader of the Volts asked, continuing his advance, Kanryu answered.
"Trial and…error I suppose." Ginji noted the pause in his voice.
"It must've been tough." The blond said, his eyes fixed onto some faraway place.
"On the others, not me." Kanryu finished, disappearing again, reappearing again in mid swing above Ginji. Ginji looked up at Kanryu with a somewhat serene smile on his face.
"Even if I can't see your face, I can tell by your voice and your actions…it hasn't been easy…for that I'm sorry." To Kanryus' great surprise the wall Ginji was statically attached too fell apart much like a tower puzzle with a sadistic child taking out some of the structurally important parts. Landing within the dusty cloud of debris, Kanryu looked around, sensing for any aura fluctuations. Then, again much to his surprise and now to his chagrin, the cloud parted to reveal a cluster of electrical energy.
"Oh spare me Raitei; haven't we danced this waltz before?" Kanryu asked, disregarding the rapidly increasing aura of his opponent. Ginji looked at him, a similar smile from before still playing on his lips.
"I said I was sorry Kanryu-san, and I meant it. That apology includes this too!" Ginji yelled flaring his electrical field and sending the metallic wall minerals he had extracted jetting towards Kanryu. So shocked was Kanryu that he instinctively drew his foot back before a half dozen metallic bits drove into it, his movement triggered he was now easy prey for the rest of the metallic junks. Normally being hit with tiny remains of anything should cause nothing more than superficial damage, but if said material was now a finely honed metal shard, then the damage caused will more than definitely surpass the superficial. This fact was made abundantly clear to Kanryu whose already ripped clothes were now being serrated to bits; obviously some skin was removed along with the cloth. Regaining his bearings, Kanryu started darting between the miniscule metal bolts, but found that despite his speed his pathway to the source, Ginji, was repeatedly being blocked.
"Damn, you choose to now to be creative." The black-hole man mumbled to himself, knowing that his best option to clear the room was to unleash his kazaana but to do that would mean standing perfectly still which of course in this situation was an unacceptable choice of actions. Continuing to dart back and forth, to and fro, Kanryu knew he had to do something before his speed began to wane.
"Kanryu-san…" Ginji began from behind his electrical field, which was behind the metallic cloud.
"Raitei, you are-" Kanryu was about to counter, about to make his move but soon found himself narrowly dodging a small crimson object, which hit the floor with the force of a sedan through wet tissue paper.
"H-huh? Who are you guys?" Ginji asked, his aura faltering slightly due to his confusion. The sight itself was indeed confusing, one man, rather a boy barely hitting puberty and a much taller man covered completely in a black shawl save his face.
"For someone who was disappointed by the great Lightning Lord you seem to be having quite the trouble with him." Hirutsuai said, not even bothering to hide his coldly smiling lips behind his characteristic black cloth. Kanryu looked to Hirutsuai and his ward, and then back to the confusedly blinking Ginji.
"…You too Luther-san?" Kanryu asked, Luther nodded in the affirmative, further confusing Ginji who was still wondering about this little boy with the ice cold glare set into his face. Then, as if the day wasn't so pleasantly normal enough, Kanryu turned on his heel towards Ginji, bowed and began to walk off back into the wall from whence he came.
"Raitei, or former Raitei, I sincerely hope next time you abandon the glass in front of your eyes." Ginji finally broke out of his confusion, and stepped towards the retreating Kanryu, his aura lessening slightly.
"Kanryu-san wait-" but before he could finish, a gold pocket watch lashed out like the tongue of a serpent nearly lobbing off the arm Ginji was extending. Only by honed instincts did Ginji manage to pull back, but not without some bloody chain cuts on his wrist adorned with some odd gold shavings.
"Don't worry Ginji Amano, unlike Okita-san, we're not under the mistaken impression that you're still the Raitei." Hirutsuai said, flipping his watch up and down like a rich mans yo-yo. Though only slight Ginji could notice the stoic mans icy blue eyes drifting towards Luther than to him.
"Uh, that's good I guess…" Ginji began, not liking the trickling chill he was getting as a result from the mans aura. His aura still flaring, Ginji was fairly confident in his chances, even if the other aura he was sensing was immense, but then, the other one, the child got up. "You're not going to fight me too are you? I really don't want to hit a little kid!" Ginji said, feeling almost like going tare, but holding back for fear of what his opponent's reaction might be. The "kid" in question responded by brushing some of the almost violet bangs from his face and focusing his dark purple irises on Ginji.
"I wonder Amano-san, how strong is that 'innocence' you protect yourself with?" Luther said, his voice betraying more than his bodily appearance ever could. Ginji flinched a bit, not quite knowing how to approach the boy from here.
"I don't understand, we just want our friend back…for her to be safe, why are you all attacking us?" Ginji brought the electrical field around him up again, along with the metallic bits still magnetized.
"It's simple Amano-san, we're all bloody vicious animals who don't know any better than to attack and rip apart all who cross into our territory." The former Lightning Emperor kept darting his eyes back and forth from Luther to Hirutsuai and back again, wondering which would attack first, or in the worst possible situation if both attacked first, then the gravity of the statement hit him.
"That's not true, you don't have to do any of tha-"
"Of course we do, and since you've been cast down here with us, the curse of inhibitions has been lifted." Luther said, his eyes beginning to glow and the air in the hallway started to pick up into little dust devils around him. Almost in response the hall began to shift and change. The walls narrowed and contorted in all sorts of structurally impossible directions and angles, as did the ever widening and twisting ceilings. If this was too passable, hands began appearing from between every cobblestone on the floor and from each crack in the wall and ceiling. The hands grabbed and groped the air, as voices or rather sounds from behind mouthed something either in another language or merely something completely incomprehensible.
Despite everything he had seen and done as the Lightning Emperor of the Infinity Fortress, all the horrible experiences he had both dealt out and experienced, Ginji Amano began to sweat and couldn't help but gulp back some growing fear.
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Though not that far behind him where the walls, ceilings and general physical structure of the hallways was called into question, the hall where Kanryu was walking now was normal, relatively of course. Besides his ego, his body was only marginally bruised and any energy loss was completely superficial and quickly recovered.
"The Raitei, he is nothing like I thought he would be. This is not necessarily a bad thing, their was something in him though…something that if I had had only a little more time…pushed a little further, a little harder…"
"Ah, Kanryu-san." Kanryu was brought out of his ruminations by the tomboyish girl waiting just as she was leaning, almost casually despite the chaos around her.
"Shizuka-san, I almost forgot you were here." Kanryu said stopping for a moment and looking over his shoulder. Shizuka smiled a bit within her usual scowl.
"Feeling a bit cheated?" Kanryu looked at her again.
"I suppose, I had only just begun to discover something…but then I…" Kanryu stopped himself, realizing he was drawing dangerously close to something else, oddly similar to the nature of his abilities.
"You could have refused them, Hirutsuai and Luther, you could have done what you wished." Kanryu kept staring at her, pondering the meaning behind her words and his actions.
"I weighed the choices, incurring the wrath of Hirutsuai is nothing worth consideration, but Luther…choices being choices I'd rather maintain whatever tenuous sanity I have left." Looking back down the hall, he continued. "Should I feel sorry for him?" Kanryu asked out loud, Shizuka was fairly certain the question was not directed at her, but as was her nature she answered anyway.
"It's only natural I guess, to feel a little sympathy for a man or more like a child as he is, about to be exposed to the mind of that cold demon." It was only then Kanryu muttered an actual response to Shizuka's statement.
"Siberia…" then he looked at Shizuka again. "I would hardly consider us human anymore, no one beyond these walls ever did."
"What are we then, if not human?" Shizuka asked, standing upright and facing Kanryu. Despite the literal menagerie of warped, hybrid and otherwise unusual animals surrounding the two awaiting the command of the woman in the bandanna, Kanryu was not intimidated, nor was Shizuka of the man who could draw matter into himself.
"We are…we are the ones not blessed, the ones either spit on by Him for some grievous inconceivable sin that we either did or was done to us by those blessed or we are simply those who were ignored by his ever watchful eye, those simply born to survive, to give praise to those he blessed and act as the walkways and stepping stones for their greatness, the fodder for those who live to be great, we are their sustenance, we are empty vessels by His will." One of Shizuka's eyebrows twitched.
"You honestly believe that?"
"I've had time to think on it, within these walls anyway." Kanryu replied.
"Like I said before, it's only natural to feel sorry for someone. I'm sorry Kanryu-san." An almost resigned Shizuka said.
"You disagree, with everything in this world we have…" Kanryu began to ask.
"This is a universe of chaotic happenstance, what happens is the result of a long series of branched events that started with the 'birth', the beginning. What we are guided by are thoughts and instincts created from the completely random sewing together of chemicals, opinions and the ongoing history we create for ourselves, nothing more." Kanryu looked at her for few moments then looked around.
"Where is Harukai?"
"He drew Mido away, I can send some of my animals to find him or…" Shizuka trailed off.
"No, he almost never accepts my help, you could imagine what he would do if you so much as dared." Shizuka lightly chuckled.
"Yes I do." Kanryu was about to walk off after that but than stopped on his heels and turned to Shizuka.
"Shizuka-san, you're stronger than me and Harukai, at this juncture anyway, why didn't you step in and kill the retrievers?" Shizuka thought and considered her answer for a bit before replying. She then gave her answer as she was walking away, towards the fight still going on, her animals following her.
"The best answer I can give you I guess is…I just didn't feel like it, you know?"
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"Chaotic happenstance? My Shizuka, where did you pick up such interesting profanity?" Kusano said, his fingers still gliding and speeding over the keys on the keyboard, inputting and analyzing data. On the screen, images and text were being displayed at incredible rates a second, with Kusano's pupils darting back and forth to take it all in. "That 'chaotic happenstance' as you mention it is only a theory, and only partly exists due to His will, even if it is an incomplete creation, one never fully utilized…like me…and like the rest of us one might think…what about you Judas?" no one responded, at least no one that could be heard with human ears or even seen with human eyes.
"I wonder, how far have we truly gone as a race, how far if we haven't even escaped the Lord's wrath, if He has the ability reduce whatever meager accomplishments we've managed to nothingness…why bother continue existing?" again, no response but the home of the computers, the glow of the monitors, and the continued clicking and clacking of the keyboard.
"I suppose that's why I admire you Judas, you were willing to sacrifice yourself, bring about the ascension of another, sully yourself…but you're not finished, that I know for sure." A drop falling could be heard making a miniscule splash in a puddle within the stone crack right next to Kusano.
"Betrayal is inconsequential and memory, perhaps His as well is fleeting. Let's see…" one click brought a cavalcade of windows on the screen, then a red glowing box. "…Hmm, what you have to offer to the void…" on some of the other screens, were Kusano was looking too every few seconds, several faces and figures began to appear and wander into the different respective areas.
"Ah, now it gets interesting…"
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A flick, a curse and mumbling, cursing and flicking until finally, fire. Lifting the old lighter to his cancer stick, Ban mumbled.
"Damn it, I got careless and now I lost Ginji…shit…friggin Himiko…" sitting down, Ban attempted to relax his nerves, slowly taking in the nicotine and puffing out the smoke. "And just where the hell did that freak with the matches go…least he gave off some fucking light." Ban muttered, kind of regretting not appreciating Ginji being a human flashlight. Adjusting his shades, Ban took a look around himself. Apparently, falling through a hole in some non-visible ceiling, and letting all the force be absorbed by your legs can make your situation very conducive to sitting down. Breathing steadily, more smoke casually poured from Bans lips and nose.
"Hard to imagine, but this place has me nervous…me. This presence it gives off, and what that Harukai bastard said…is it possible…is this building really something akin to Akabane?" tapping the broken stone pillar he was sitting on to break off some ash from the cigarette, Ban realized that besides the pillar he knew he was sitting on, the rest of the room, if it was even a room, was enshrouded in complete vast bluish darkness.
"Well, I never got anything by standing still, it's only by moving do things start to hit the shitter, so…" Ban having sufficiently rested enough, got off the pillar and landed the few feet below it. "Let the shit fly." He said walking into the darkness, reaching out to the best of his ability guide his way. Striding over the bits and pieces of debris, both structural and otherwise, Ban felt a bit of trepidation. The further he walked, the less rocks and building refuse he had to step over and the more soft and more life like debris he had to step over. "Oh yeah, like where this is going." Ban thought to himself, soon finding that it was useless to sidestep the softer parts now that they seemed to take up most of the ground he was walking on. Deciding that respecting what seemed to be dead was a luxury he could not afford, Ban began to step as gently as he could on the soft masses, not liking at all the sickening feeling of his foot sinking into whatever it was he was stepping on, or actually, in.
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Carrying a load, any load no matter the weight, will wear on a person. And in this case, with the load happening to be a fairly tall, fairly heavy man, the wear was quickly bringing tear.
"Would you like to rest Miss Himiko?" Akabane said, for her benefit than for his, at least that's what he wanted to present to her. Himiko, both seeing through this from past experience and from not liking or not used to be treated like glass replied.
"Why, is Doctor Jackal getting tired already?" Himiko smirked from beneath the shoulder she was supporting. From Coals other shoulder, Akabane smiled himself.
"Are you implying something Lady Poison?" he asked, fully aware of the lady's wit that could rival her some of her perfumes in its acidity.
"Oh no, just that maybe the great Kuroudo Akabane should hit the gym a little more often, that's all."
"For someone who seems to have men bashing down her door, I'm so very grateful for the advice." Akabane coolly replied, his smile adding to the obvious jibe. Himiko brushed him off with a laugh.
"The last thing I need right now is a hindrance like that…" Himiko said, not totally sure of that one.
"Perfectly understandable." Akabane replied. Then, their burden shifted on their shoulders, groaning.
"Is Coal-san, will he be alright?" Himiko asked, slightly concerned if only because of the pity she felt.
"Not to sound like an actual doctor on American Television, but 'We've done all we can.' All we can do now is wait and see." The two continued to walk down the widening and narrowing hallway, just walking or just squeezing, depending on the need. Taking a step, Himiko suddenly drew back as a burst of flame shot up into the air.
"Damn it, what the hell is up with this place. Next you'll tell me wounds heal faster here but you can still get cancer die here, right!" A frustrated Himiko yelled, both to and not towards Akabane.
"Actually, save for the strong willed all have a choice here." That caught Himiko off guard. Wanting explanation and a slight break, the two set Coal down against a wall. Surveying where they were now the two Transporters found themselves at the top of a rather large and imposing staircase that of course descended downwards into darkness. What was odd though was the purplish bluish hue now adorning the walls and even the air around them.
"Here, one can either let themselves go, in body, mind, and soul and become one of those…The Formers." Himiko drew a breath. "Or, those who aren't strong willed can…" Akabane trailed off.
"Doctor Jackal?" Himiko asked. Akabane took a deep breath, almost a sigh.
"Oh, I am sorry about that, it's just the book is quite a ways away." Himiko thought about this, and her sore shoulder.
"Out of curiosity, how do you know where the book is?" to this, Akabane smiled again.
"Simple, I know who has the book, he knows that I know and he is letting his aura flare with reckless abandon."
"We're being led down a trail…" Himiko thought to herself. Waiting in the relative peace that the top of the massive stairs afforded them, a distant wailing that seemed to hook into the light fog creating an atmosphere of a distant horror, working its away not towards them, but rather around them, circling and waiting.
Feeling a bit odd, Akabane perked his ears and analyzed his surroundings without making it look like he was analyzing his surroundings, which basically meant concealing it with a smile. On his shoulder, The Jackal felt something crawling up towards his neck, waiting until it was bare millimeters from his neck. Akabane then sliced it to fibers without having looked he moved at all.
"…Akabane? Was that a…?" Himiko began.
"Noose." Akabane responded. Realizing then that their feelings were right all along. Almost falling, The Formers collapsed from the ceilings, some even from the walls themselves by way of revolving panels and trap doors. In tenths of a second, Himiko had chosen her scent and a moment later she was on her feet. What stopped any sort of preemptive measure on the part of Lady Poison was the view of her partner, Doctor Jackal completely unarmed despite the myriad of weapons within himself. "Doctor Jackal…The Formers…they…" Himiko herself trailed off as it dawned on her that the formerly human zombies around them were not attacking, or even moving, in fact besides a little odd swaying back and forth, The Formers were remaining perfectly still. And in the center of it all, Akabane was holding his hat with one hand, directing it so that he could view the world through its slit.
"Kuroudo Akabane, now you're called 'Doctor' Jackal? What a sad state of affairs, eh?" came the grittily vicious voice. Due to the echo of the chamber, the Transporters were unable to locate the man by sound, only by his gigantic aura that almost literally filled the room. Himiko then felt the bile rise in her stomach for the umpteenth time that day.
"That…bloodlust…it's just pouring out like a broken faucet!" She thought to herself, holding back the vomit, looking to Akabane. "Whoever this is, it's like Akabane if he forced the viciousness out of him." Then from the ceiling a body, hung by a noose traditionally with the noose around the neck lowered into the mass of Formers.
"Kuroudo…Kuroudo…Kuroudo…" came the voice. From above the heads of the Formers, the curved edge of something appeared as well as a head. The Formers then parted to the motion of the tool being waved.
"Welcome back to us Akabane." Came the voice of the tall lanky man, dressed like a scarecrow, noose dangling from neck. From beneath his straw farmers hat, so oversized that only his curved lips and disturbingly ivory teeth could be seen. Hefting his seven foot scythe, Himiko noticed the Formers take another few steps back, and so she as well felt the urge to do so as well, yet didn't when she found Akabane not moving at all.
"Dr. Jackal?" she asked, slowly and calmly reaching for a vial, needing a defense should the situation turn truly bad.
"Hangman-san, still staying so lovingly true to your theme I see?" Akabane said, looking at this new arrival. Himiko looked back and forth from the two figures realizing with a sickening feeling that she was no longer looking at two men.
"Oh…my Jackal, my Jackal. You've come back…and I don't even care why." Hangman said, bringing his tongue to the head of his scythe and running it over, his tongue revealing itself to be quite long. Himiko looked over to the still unconscious Coal, concerned for his safety with all the Formers, the apparently named Hangman, and as the seconds wore on, the Jackal.
"Miss Himiko…go to Coal-san and protect him…the Formers are looking hungry to the point of disobeying…is it you Hangman-san?" Akabane asked, the smile from his beneath his hat slit masking a similar horror to the one right in front of him. Hangman took a few steps forward.
"Yes…they're obeying me…and yes if hungry enough or just bored enough they'll go after anything. But they'd never obey me like they'd obey and love you..." Hangman said. Admiring Akabanes reflection in the scythe blade, Hangman then looked to him, the part of his face not obscured by the hat, namely his lips, was contorted in a look of utter ecstasy. Himiko moved back slightly, not wanting to make any sudden movements, it would seem this whole place was some kind of powder keg.
"Damn, completely ringed." Himiko muttered, not liking the tactical disadvantage her brain had processed from being surrounded. Then there was the disturbing realization that her scents may or may not work on the Formers. Feeling sweat trickle down her neck, Himiko was curious, she was nervous that was for sure, but nowhere near that nervous. A group of about four and what added up to half Formers burst into flames, quickly burned down to ash before they could flail.
"Coal-san?" Himiko knew, and saw from where the Formers used to be was indeed Coal holding his open outstretched left palm.
"Oh well, a few Formers here, a few Formers there…it really doesn't matter at all…you see, they've won the race, they're already dead." Hangman said, looking at the semi fallen Coal with some familiarity. "No small feat, handicapping the outcast fuck over there…again, meaningless excrement." The scarecrow man said, twirling the noose about his neck between two of his fingers.
"Really? Your manner of speech has improved somewhat in the past dozen or so years since I have been gone. Tell me, what is important to you at this particular junction we find ourselves in, Hangman-kun?" Akabane asked, shifting one hand into his coat pocket and one outward, four scalpels extending slowly. Hangman took another few steps forward, and then stopped. Sliding one foot forward slightly, he looked at the scalpels with curiosity for a moment then responded.
"What's important to me, you ask? You have some gall to ask me that…" hefting his scythe, he then positioned it so that his right arm was holding the back of the scythe, and his left hand was outstretched near the front, open palmed, steadying it. "You know what I want from you, what I need from you." Himiko, who had been slowly making her move towards the half-conscious Coal, turned her head back to the confrontation. Much like Lady Poison, the Formers were watching this little standoff, still swaying as if from an unseen breeze.
"Still so cheeky…I pray that what you are referring too is not-" Akabane was almost literally cut off. Hangman yelled, closing the distance between himself and the Jackal before a breath could be taken.
"The title!"
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"Man, how much further down this fucking rabbit hole do I have to go before something worth my time happens?" Ban pondered, making his way across the soft uneven ground that popped and crunched under him, knowing full well what it most likely was. Seemingly reaching a plateau, Ban stuck his foot out only to find the hill of whatever it was he was walking on had ended. Sticking his foot back down, Ban made his way downhill, slowly and carefully, his instincts guiding him.
Walking and walking down, Ban thought he could descend no further until his foot hit something hard, something structural and man-made. "The floor, good." Ban thought, looking behind him if not quite to sure what was there. Hearing something, Ban perked his ears as best he could. Luckily whatever sound was being made was not coming from behind the hill or in any other direction that would make him ascend that again. Realizing that the noises were voices, and that were only some ways directly in front of him, Ban proceeded forward. At this point the floor was mostly clean, save the occasional pile of whatever it was Ban was hoping to spare his loafers.
"Bon tache, bonne foi. De bon augure…tch?" the voice of the man in black, his black pony tail in odd juxtaposition with the gold cross earring dangling from his ear, said, in all black, trench coat, shirt, pants etc. With the exception of his face, the only change of color was the single red cross on his chest. Adjusting his modern looking glasses, the man looked at the cause of his interruption, sauntering into view with a cigarette dangling from his lips.
"Yo, am I interrupting something or what?" Ban asked, not entirely liking the fact that this man, whoever he was, speaking French or some derivation of it, was able to find and see him so easily. Though he was speaking a foreign language at the time, Ban was fairly sure that to be here, he had to know some Japanese.
"Ah, very good very good. I knew if my associate and I caused enough of a…what's that word? Ruckus, we'd attract something, from the looks of you…" the man narrowed his eyes at Ban from the top of whatever it was he was standing on. "It looks like we attracted the devils own rat." A vein popped on Bans forehead, he had been attacked and insulted too much too often today, well, if he were anyone else this might have been true.
"What! Who the fuck do you think you are you all black Goth bastard? What's wrong, life so unfair down in the suburbs that you have to rebel, if you're going to rebel, do it right! Get a Nirvana t-shirt and-" from behind his rant and himself, Ban felt a presence. Turning around and jumping back quickly Ban was surprised to find a woman standing there.
"Whoa, who are you? Why you hanging around this creepy fu-Wait, what's your name?" the girl, who was quite attractive, looked at Ban, opening her mouth slightly, then brought her fingers to her lips. Despite all the weirdness of the day, this stuck Ban as being the oddest, women usually had no problems talking or being with him, in his mind anyway.
"Her name is Joanette, and despite the taint brought on her from her own selfishness she is still too pure hearted and good for trash." Ban looked over his shoulder, a little concerned that this man had approached him so quickly with barely any sounds giving away his movements. Then, he could have been distracted from having looked at Joanettes figure, but that is not really germane to the topic and so it goes. Sensing the approaching mans growing power, in addition to something else, Ban backed away slowly from the pair, expecting one or both to attack.
"Joanette huh? And who the hell are you? That cross says you're a priest, but from that presence you're giving off I find it a bit hard to believe you're just a simple preacher." His foot hitting something Ban looked down, lighting his lighter, Ban realized what it was he had been walking on.
"My name is Father Corsair of the Vatican Church…" Ban then knew what those piles were, what that mountain was. They were corpses of those creatures, those former men and women that occupy this building. With a smile, the priest stated his epithet.
"To those who revel in sin, I am the Vicious Cross."
To Be Continued
Authors Notes: Well as of this writing, school is just about done, that's good, and it can't come soon enough. I can say without a doubt that this year has been one of my worst in every way I can think of right now, despite what everyone has told me, thus proving once and for all that most people are idiots. Also as of this writing, I have beaten Grand Theft Auto San Andreas and have now moved on to Vice City, maybe by next writing I'll be done with that (I take long enough either way.) Well anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, on to the reviews.
Rabid Lola: Hey, thanks for reviewing, and curse you for seeing through my clever ruse…or something like that. As for your remarks regarding Kusano, you'll soon see just why he thinks like he does and how he can do all that he is capable of (foreshadowing a little?) As for Corsair, well, wouldn't want to spoil anything right? For Akabanes arm, no it didn't burn off, and that was my fault for not being descriptive enough, my apologies. Thank you for sympathizing with Coal, I tried to make his plight a sad one, and believe me certain stories (maybe his, maybe not) will get more sad as the whole arc goes on. For the honorifics I appreciate the concern and I might take you up on it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and are ready (to wait) for the next one! Heh, kidding (I hope). Before I forget, I'd just like to say I read your story "Wait" and enjoyed it immensely, just was too lazy to review.
Mayumi-san: Glad to see you liked my story so far, thanks for reviewing and I hope you stick around for the long run! Also, I wait with bated breath (too much Brit Lit) for the next chapter of 'Gemstone Waltz'.
Atropos' Knife: Hey, glad to see you welcoming my triumphant return! And I'm equally glad to see you enjoy the antics of everyone's favorite psychopathic clown, as for his fate…well we'll just have to see huh? For the spelling hiccups, well here's a whole other chapter for you to sink your teeth into, enjoy! I'm kidding of course, and I really appreciate the errors pointed out to me, how the hell else will I get any better at this? I'm happy Coals less than happy circumstances reached you and thank you for the comments regarding the themes of the story. I've got more to go as far as the length and the depth of what is discussed so just give me time. For Corsair and the timing of the Pope, come on even I'm not that devious…well maybe but that wasn't my intention. As for Ginji, you wouldn't believe how hard it is for me to write for him, getting that blend of naïveté and hardened instinct just right, surprisingly despite his depth Ban is an easier character for me to write. Believe me, Jackal and Himikos troubles have only just begun to escalate. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter as much, or better, that works too.
Sylerna: Thank you kindly for your review and Jackal appreciation, why he isn't the main guy in Get Backers is beyond me…then I guess you'd have to call it 'Transporters' instead…or maybe just 'J'. I hope to hear from you again on this chapter and I will most definetly read one of your Get Backers works…or any works I'm sure its all good! Thank you much.
Kore Yan: Hello there, I once again appreciate your review and your questions. The Laughing Phantom dead? Yes, of course, most definitely, he got stabbed in the face…you see Longest Yard yet? Heh, never mind. And no, Akabane still has both much feared arms, it's nothing on your part so please forgive my vagueness in my writing, happens too much for my liking. Hope you liked what you saw here and I hope to hear your opinions again.
Well, here we are at the end…I'm beat. Movies to see, games to play, colleges to flunk out of. I'll see you all when I see you, whenever that is.