Just a warning, this chapter does contain an onscreen suicide. It's of a bad guy, but still, if that's something you can't handle, I'd advise being careful around the last third or so of this chapter.
Nothing is ever really as glamorous as it seems, not even the Golden Saucer. True in a metaphorical sense, considering its owner is a probable criminal and definite pervert, but also literally, physically. As bright as the gleaming outer facade is, behind the scenes it's just like any other entertainment venue. Consider the dancers' entrance, a single door of solid metal atop three concrete stairs. One lone light shines down above it, casting the rest of the alley into eerie half-lit shadows. Not generally a place one would be inclined to feel very safe.
Luckily for the girls employed to dance for the establishment, a large and intimidating bouncer guards the door. He stands against the world outside, guarding his charges and the premises from anyone with ill intent. Unfortunately, most bouncers aren't picked for their intellects.
"Sorry about how last minute this is," Azlyn apologizes, making sure to look extra innocent and vulnerable. The large overcoat she's wearing is a great help in that regard. "But our friends just called us up and told us about being sick. And sure it's supposed to be our night off, but…"
"Don't worry, little ladies," the bouncer, a huge man in dark jeans and a black t-shirt, assures them. It sounds a little condescending, but Azlyn ignores that. "I'm pretty new here myself. I'll just need to see your employee badges, and we'll be on our way."
The girls present the badges they'd spent a few hours carefully forging, hoping that their close enough reproductions will do the job. Yuffie had spent quite a while needling Vanille to get a look at hers so they could perfect a copy. The bartender had been reluctant at first, but a few reassurances that none of it would be traceable back to her had done the trick.
As do the fakes, which the bouncer gives a cursory examination of before handing them back to the girls. Azlyn, Yuffie, and LeBlanc file into the club, Kairi following once she's offered polite thanks to the large doorman. After all, he's just a man doing a job, and he seems quite sweet.
The club's backstage area is nothing to write home about, as most backstages are. Bare wooden floors, high ceilings with completely exposed rafters, harsh utilitarian lights casting a yellow glow over everything. A small staircase leads down to a door with 'Dressing Room' inscribed on a sign above it. Brighter, softer light spills out from the door, as well as the sound of women chatting.
"Okay, stage one down," Azlyn says, addressing her friends like some military general. "Next up is the difficult one."
"And maybe unnecessary," Kairi chimes in, raising her hand out of habit. "I mean, he always watches the show anyway, so why should we…"
"Now, Kairi," LeBlanc interrupts, "a plan's a plan. Besides, what could be the harm in a bit of extra reassurance, hm?"
"Reassurance to who?" Yuffie asks sardonically. "Us, or your own ego?"
"People!" Azlyn snaps, getting everyone's attention back where it should be. LeBlanc and Yuffie quell their impending argument, looking at the knight. "Rule number one of plan is that you don't start to argue the plan once the plan has begun. Clear?"
"Clear," Yuffie grumbles, doing her best to avoid the smug look LeBlanc is giving her.
"Like I said," the knight continues, heading for the stairs and reaching into the pocket of her overcoat, "this is the tricky part. Just let me handle everything."
The dressing room isn't particularly large, just big enough for a dozen young women to each have their own vanity. Lightbulbs around each mirror provide most of the illumination. Only six dancers currently occupy the space, putting on the final touches before their show. When four newcomers step into their midst, they know immediately.
"What are you doing here?" one dancer speaks up. She's appropriately stunning, short blonde hair curled round her heart-shaped face. Her lips, full and painted red, purse together as she looks over the girls. "I didn't hear about any new girls."
"And you won't," Azlyn says, looking over the dancers with a critical eye. "In fact, you never saw us." Reaching into her pocket, the knight pulls out a satchel that clinks as it moves. The dancers recognize the sound, perking up instantly. "My friends here are going to be part of the show tonight. Go along with it, and there's munny in it for each of you."
"How much?" asks a girl with long hair of a similar color to Sora.
Azlyn smirks. "How does twenty-five hundred apiece do it for you?"
"Three would…"
"Not a negotiation, honey," Azlyn declares with frightening authority. "You're gonna take it. Can't be any worse than the rate around here."
"True," admits Big Lips. The other girls murmur their assent, then start moving to get LeBlanc and Yuffie into the show's costumes. As to be expected, they don't consist of much more than a shiny bra and very short jean shorts. Yuffie makes a bit of a face, and LeBlanc is predictably unfazed. In fact, she may be currently wondering if there isn't any little thing she could do to make the outfit more scandalous.
"You going to be alright?" Kairi asks Yuffie, noting the face the ninja is making.
"Oh, this'll be cake," she replies, shrugging. In her current outfit, even Kairi can't help but notice some interesting new things about the ninja. "But I should be utilizing my awesome sneaky stealth skills, not part of the distraction."
"You're perfect for it," Azlyn says, an unmistakable quip in her voice. "After hearing you sing last night, I can confirm it's pretty distracting."
Yuffie rolls her eyes, good-natured as always about the playful insult. "Like you're on to talk. I distinctly remember one queen pulling off his fake boobs to cover his ears up when you were doing 'Don't Think Twice'."
Kairi, glad to be behind Azlyn and thus unseen, can't help but nod her agreement. For all of Azlyn's many strengths, vocals are not among them.
"It's just easier this way," Kairi chimes in, stepping between the pair. As playful as their argument is, this really isn't the time or place. "It's personal for Azlyn, and her plan to begin with, so she gets to go. And I, y'know, can magically break any lock within seconds."
"Yeah, I know," Yuffie concedes, still smiling. Truly it seems nothing can keep this ninja girl down. "Plus, someone needs to handle Miss Thing's ego."
"LeBlanc seems to know pretty well what she's doing," Kairi says. Indeed, the wealthy woman is already fitting in amongst the dancers like she's been part of the act her whole life. "Not that this all wouldn't be solved so much more quickly and safely if we'd just told Quistis that…"
"Again with that?" Azlyn groans, crossing her arms and giving the redhead a glare. "What did I say about questioning the plan while the plan's happening?"
"Just trying to keep perspective," Kairi replies, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. There's a time and place for dynamics and drama, and this isn't it. The Princess of Heart is worried enough as it is. As confident as she'd tried to sound, she can't help but feel unqualified for sneakiness.
"Yeah, sure," Azlyn says, trying to sound nonchalant. "Anyway, I guess we should…?"
"Best of luck, ladies!" LeBlanc yells entirely too boisterously, applying rouge and eyeliner with wild abandon. "We'll keep that fat scoundrel's eyes from prying!"
"Why do I feel like you two have the less dangerous part," Yuffie sighs. With a last wink and nod, she makes her way over to a makeup mirror and begins applying something showy.
Azlyn and Kairi slip out of the room, making their way through the rest of the club's backstage area. It isn't any more impressive, rather poorly lit and full of unfinished wood and concrete and metal. Quite drafty too, like the walls haven't been properly insulated. Leave it to a criminal to cut corners on contracting.
Eventually they find themselves somewhere a little nicer, warmer and lit by harsh white lamps. The halls become more cramped. The smells and noises of a working kitchen echo all around, nearly drowning out the steady beats that makes Kairi think of being inside a heart. Not literally, like she has been, but…
She sighs, unable to help it. Living the life she has seems to have totally ruined her on metaphors. Azlyn hears the quite complaint and raises a questioning eyebrow, but her companion shrugs it off. The look on the knight's face suggests she doesn't quite believe that it's actually nothing, but what are you going to do?
Even as simple and ordinary as the corridor seems, both girls are on high alert. Just because the man at the door didn't recognize them doesn't mean there's no chance of running into someone they could have tangled with last night. Or even just anyone wondering what two young women were doing wandering around behind the scenes of the club.
Azlyn notices first, her ears metaphorically perking up. A distinct voice has just joined the corridor's background noise. She looks ahead, trying to tune everything else out. Kairi stops beside her, and is just about to ask the knight about the sudden stop when she hears the voice too. The redhead instinctively moves a step closer to the wall. She only stops upon hitting a doorknob.
"I think it adds some flavor," says the voice that has the girls cautious. The voice of Short Thug, the one who'd started all the 'festivities' last night. He and his taller companion emerge from the kitchen, each carrying a piece of fruit. "Y'know, like the more the merrier, I say!"
"It may add flavor," Tall Goon replies, exasperated in the way a person can only be when they're having the same argument for the dozenth time, "but it's takin' years off yer life. Do ya know how long a security guy lasts in the business with a weak heart? Not long, my friend, not long!"
Kairi's reaction to the confirmation of suspicions is nearly instant. Her hand thrusts forward, opening to prepare for the appearance of her Keyblade. Azlyn notices her partner's strategy and reacts according to her own instincts, grabbing the redhead around the wrist. As unusual as the feeling is, Azlyn knows this isn't the right place or time for a fight.
Instead, she goes for stealth. With one hand still occupied with holding Kairi back, the knight uses the other to twist the doorknob open. With less gentility than perhaps she could have employed, she practically throws the redhead inside. A split second later, she slips in to join her.
"What was that?" Kairi hisses, untangling herself from some mops. They appear to be inside some kind of custodian closet. Shelves line the walls, full of the tools of the janitorial trade.
"Didn't need to start a fight there," Azlyn explains as she closes the door, grabbing the nearest mop and jamming it against the knob. "Someone from the kitchen would've heard, and then we'd be screwed."
"Oh, so now you're Miss Foresight?" the Princess of Heart shoots back, arms crossing over her chest.
Azlyn just shrugs. "Hey, I have my moments. Now, we just…"
A loud banging arises, cutting the blonde's explanation off. The door rattles, and a moment later Tall Thug's voice commandingly bellows, "Hey, you come outta there! What's the big idea here? We know it's you from last night. What part of banned don't ya get?"
"Well?" Kairi asks, with considerably more sarcasm than usual. "What's the plan now? Just hope they find something more interesting?"
"You got five seconds!" Short Thug declares. His furious voice is hardly dulled by the several inches of wood. "Or the door's coming down."
She doesn't know why, but suddenly Azlyn knows exactly how to play this out. Maybe it's a little crazy, and possibly kind of selfish, but it'll work. The best thing to do here is catch the thugs off guard, and she knows how.
"Sorry," she manages to whisper to Kairi before springing forward.
Short Thug, smaller but stockier, manages to bully the door down. He and his taller partner barge in a step, hands up and ready for anything. Combat danger-wise, of course. Not the sight they actually behold upon looking into the room. That would catch practically any (heterosexual) male off guard.
"Excuse me?" Azlyn says in her most reprimanding tone, the one she learned from Donald Duck. She gestures to Kairi. The incredibly-close-to-her Kairi. "Kinda in the middle of something here."
"Uh…" Short and Tall intone in unison, unsure of quite what to say here. The reason they barged in here has fallen out of their heads.
Exactly what Azlyn was hoping for. Quick as a snake, she's facing the thugs with her hands out. They snap into Tall and Short's windpipes, forcing air out and momentarily robbing the pair of their ability to breathe. She grabs the lapels of the big guy's suit and pulls him in, smashing his head against the small closet's far (relatively speaking) wall.
Short has almost recovered by the time his partner is out, his breath returning quickly. Just as he's about to shout something, Kairi regains her senses as well. She performs the same maneuver Azlyn just did, gaining the same positive result. The two thugs lay on the floor, thoroughly unconscious. Azlyn pulls the door shut, and once again the two girls are alone (in consciousness, anyway) in the closet.
"Brilliant," Kairi deadpans, making a show of wiping her lips off with one arm.
Azlyn watches her with no apparent concern, even waggling her eyebrows a bit. "Hey, did the trick. Plus, in the spirit if honesty I gotta tell ya that 'kiss a girl' was on my 'Things To Do Before I'm Married" list." She suddenly becomes less flippant, giving Kairi an honest questioning look. "You don't hate me more for that, do you?"
"No," the redhead replies, but not without some noticeable pausing. "I guess there wasn't much time for a heads-up."
"Score one for recklessness."
Kairi rolls her eyes, smiling fondly. "Yeah, okay. Sometimes it pays off. Sometimes you just have to go for it. I get that in a situation like this. Now if only there was someway to turn it off in the rest of your life."
"I know," Azlyn says, smiling bitterly. "I know I keep messing things up because I don't use my head. I know that I should look before I leap, that my actions affect others. I know it all."
"It isn't all bad, Azlyn," Kairi assures the knight, placing a hand on her shoulder. She stays a few steps back, though, just a small precaution against further surprise kissing. "In most of the situations you're used to, that kind of quick reaction can be useful. And you care enough to apologize, and do what you can to make amends."
The knight, a bit embarrassed as she always is when things get emotional, merely shrugs. "Well, I know pretty well how I am by now. And I don't want any of my bonehead moves to lose me my best friends."
"You'd never lose me," Kairi says, no longer caring about proper distances. She wraps an arm around her friend. "I just needed time to work it out. Anger isn't… Well, I'm not used to dealing with negative emotions like that. Not towards someone I care about." She sighs, and her next words have the distinct ring of a confession about them. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm even capable of being a normal person. This whole 'pure of heart' thing makes me feel like a real freak a lot of the time. Like, is anything about me real, or are all of my good qualities being reinforced by some cosmic destiny thing?"
"I don't know about that," Azlyn says, pulling her friend just a little closer for reassurance. "All I know Kairi, is that Princess of Heart or not, you are one kickass chick."
"Thanks, Azlyn." The girls hug, happy to have the unpleasantness behind them. Not long after, the sound of the club outside changes, the pounding beats dying a quick death. Moments later, the muffled sounds of amplified speech take their place.
"Show's starting," Kairi says, pulling away from Azlyn and giving the knight her best fierce look. "Which means it's showtime for us too." Looking down, she asks, "What should we do about these two?"
Azlyn shrugs. "They should keep. Just lock the door on our way out and hope the janitor doesn't have a great work ethic."
The girls creep back into the corridor, which is mercifully empty. The muffled sounds of the club's announcer continue to echo through the hall, but other than that and the light kitchen noise all is rather quiet. Making sure there are no witnesses, Kairi quickly locks the door with her Keyblade. That taken care of, they move on.
The corridor takes a sharp right turn just past the kitchen, and the adjoining short hallway contains only one door. But it's the right door for this job. Kairi and Azlyn quickly sneak over, encountering another easily-solved lock problem. This time, however, it's not a doorknob needing to be bypassed. Instead, Kairi taps her blade against a hand-sized metal panel. Several buttons light up, but Azlyn is only concerned with one of them.
Top floor. The penthouse suite, and Don Corneo's office.
As the door slides open, Azlyn frowns. Thinking about her actions and making plans are still foremost on the knight's mind. She follows Kairi into the small elevator still minorly troubled. Things are pretty much set at this point, but maybe she can sneak one last advantage in.
Even in the elevator, the girls can hear music rise once more as the stage show gets started. Azlyn can only imagine what LeBlanc has in mind to make the show more "distracting". Probably she doesn't want to know. It does hit her with an idea, though. With a quick, purposeful thought, she changes the appearance of her outfit to match that of the club's dancers. Kairi eyes her new wardrobe choice with some suspicion.
"May help us if we need to bluff," Azlyn explains quickly. "This Corneo jerk seems like the kind of guy who isn't above getting 'personal attention' from his employees."
Kairi's face only shows more disgust. "Ugh. There's got to be more we can do to this guy than just taking back your ring."
"Maybe there will be," Azlyn says, bumping her partner's shoulder. "Just gonna have to keep our eyes peeled while we're in the penthouse."
The elevator reaches their destination. A small ding chimes out just as the small box lurches to a stop, and not a moment later the door slides open smoothly. Though the girls hadn't given it much thought, the room they step out into fits almost perfectly into what they'd imagined. It's large and luxurious in a thoroughly ostentatious way. There are lots of animal prints handing around, a sunken entertainment area packed with plush furniture, and it smells distinctly musky. Large windows at the far wall provide a spectacular view of the city, and of course the old castle in the distance. It's dark, but occasionally one of the outside spotlights will wave past the window and illuminate the room for a blinding second.
"Okay, so the ring probably isn't just sitting around here," Azlyn says, stepping into the room. Kairi almost scuttles after her, still not one-hundred percent on the breaking and entering. "But he's gotta have some kinda safe, right?"
"Behind a painting?" Kairi suggests, thinking back to a few novels she'd read that included theft from high-class homes. "I mean, he'd have a safe there."
Azlyn gets halfway through a snort before realizing how indelicate that might come across as, aborting it and stumbling into an even stranger noise by sheer accident. "Sorry," she apologizes quickly. "It's just, that's such a… Like, I guess such a cliché thing to do? I dunno, I just figure this guy knows that's the kinda place people are bound to start with. No offense."
"No, none taken," Kairi says, glad that the darkness can hide her current frown. Well, it had sounded like a good idea to her.
"He's gotta have some kinda office," Azlyn says, scanning the room for a hallway. She finds it off to the left, and immediately starts off towards whatever it contains. Kairi follows her, though not without making one last inspection of the main room just in case.
The hall is relatively short, only two rooms with closed doors. Azlyn leans over the first one, reaching into her pocket and drawing out a small leather wallet. Opening it up, she selects two silver implements. Kairi stands over her, looking puzzled.
"What are you doing?" she asks, though she actually has a pretty good idea.
"I'm going to pick the lock," Az explains, coolly setting about her task.
Kairi's puzzled look turns to a frown. "Uh, you know that's kind of…"
The knight doesn't let her finish. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Nearly everybody else can just go around tapping doors and opening them up, so I figured I might as well learn my own way. Now, how about putting those powers to good use and checking the other room, huh?"
Kairi obliges, leaving the blonde to her task. It's just like Azlyn, to develop a skill out of sheer obstinacy. The redhead almost feels a little guilty now, doing this the easy way. "Hey," she reminds herself as Destiny's Embrace appears in a flash of light, "you use what you've got." With a simple tap and some willpower, she's in.
The room isn't terribly large, actually by most standards it's pretty cramped. There's quite a bit of furniture shoved inside for the square footage: a large desk made of dark wood, two chairs in front of that desk, and a large bookcase/wine cabinet sitting against the left wall. The wall behind the desk is a window, looking out to the club below. Hearing the music more clearly than ever now, Kairi lets her curiosity take over.
The scene below is somehow even more frenzied than it was last night, focused mostly in the area near the stage. Leblanc is clearly having the time of her life up there, singing some song about getting a man after midnight. The ladies of the club seem to share her sentiment, and there's all manner of tawdry behavior going on that Kairi is rather glad she can't make out in detail from up here. She starts focusing more closely on the crowd, trying to perhaps make out Don Corneo in all the chaos.
"Score!"
Kairi yelps, turning quickly with her hands raised defensively. Luckily, it's just Azlyn. The knight stands in the office door, looking amused. "Good, an office. This could be the ticket."
"Uh, yeah," the Princess of Heart replies, getting her breathing under control. "Well, uh, what was in your room?"
"Bedroom," the knight replies, striding in and giving the small room a once-over. "I looked under the bed and through some drawers, but there was nothing. I guess this is the place."
"Sure." No longer scared, Kairi turns back to the club below. She spots Corneo within a few moments, looking happy as a clam while a few ladies jump and dance near him. She continues looking, hoping to maybe spot his scary bodyguard as well.
"Got something here," Azlyn reports, crouched down at the base of the bookcase. She tugs on the handle of a double-door cabinet, firmly locked and unyielding. "In the interest of time, I'll let you handle this one."
Happy to be of assistance, Kairi crouches down once her partner has scooted over a sufficient distance. Tap, click, and she's in. But the doors pull apart to reveal yet another obstacle: a solid black safe. There's nothing too complex or electronic about it, just a black slab of solid metal with a silver handle-wheel and a small number-laden dial.
"It's no painting," Azlyn observes with some amusement. "Guess it gets the job done. Y'know, against not magical-unlocking-power types. Take 'er down, K."
It seems rather ridiculous, Kairi thinks as she prepares to power up again. Usually these kind of thieving affairs are described so excitingly, lots of hidden traps and quick thinking against the unexpected. While the Keyblade is certainly a useful tool, it sort of robs the process of its romance. Still, better than the "caught red-handed" alternative. Another tap, and it's open-safe-city.
Azlyn scoots back in, pushing Kairi enough to set off the redhead's balance. With a small jolt of impact, she falls back on her butt. The knight doesn't notice, too occupied with searching the safe. There's munny inside, obviously, several bags no doubt full of the small golden orbs. But Azlyn ignores them, not without a little effort on her part. There's a second, slim shelf higher up in the safe, and she searches there.
"Weird," she says after her hand is around something solid.
Kairi, recovered from her earlier pushing, leans in. "What did you find? The ring?"
"No," the knight reports. "But for some reason there's a book in here." She slides it out, revealing a fairly thick leatherbound tome. Full of curiosity she can't stem, Azlyn opens the book. The page is slightly yellowed, showing a grid of thin rectangles across it. Words are scribbled in ink in one column, while the next contains numbers and the sign for munny. Some items take up only one row, while others can go on for two or three, much more descriptive. "Is this, like, his diary?"
"I don't think so," Kairi says, looking over the page herself. "I've seen something like this before in my dad's office. It's called a ledger. You write down stuff you paid for or bought, to keep track of business and stuff."
"Wonder what kind of business this guy's into?" Azlyn says, suddenly more interested in a book than she has been the whole rest of her life.
"We can find out later," Kairi says, tapping her friend's shoulder to bring her back to reality. Looking over, Azlyn sees the redhead has her ring in hand.
"Awesome!" the knight declares, putting Corneo's ledger on the floor and reverently returning the symbol of Telary's love to her finger. It sparkles in the light reflected from the club. "Okay, looks like that's mission accomplished."
Kairi nods, feeling relieved. They still have to get out, of course, but at least their objective is in hand. Plus, there's the matter of this ledger, which the Restoration Committee would no doubt be interested in. Deciding to take a closer look, she picks the book up off the floor. That's when she notices something about it.
"Hey," Azlyn says, interrupting the redhead's thought process. It appears she's spotted the same oddness, leaning in close over the ledger. "What's this string here?" She touches it cautiously. "No, wait, it's a wire! Why would a wire be attached to…"
Kairi gasps, the thought hitting her first. She stands quickly, knocking Azlyn onto her butt much as she had been only a minute ago. "Az, we need to leave. Now."
"Well, sure we can," the knight concedes, pushing herself to her feet. "We got what we came for."
"And more trouble than we thought," Kairi mutters. Off Azlyn's puzzled look, she hurries to explain even as they walk briskly out of the office. "This wire was part of a circuit I think. It must be attached to something in the safe, and pulling it off broke the circuit. The only reason to do that is if you've got some kind of alarm rigged, and if that's the case…"
A familiar chime dings, freezing the girls in their tracks. They've just entered the living room, standing across the sunken middle area and directly facing the elevator. The elevator that slowly opens to reveal Don Corneo's bodyguard Rosso.
"Uh oh," Kairi manages to squeak out.
"How interesting," Rosso says, walking out of the elevator with an effortless grace that somehow manages to look deadly and lazy all at the same time. "I suspected there was mischief afoot when that hideous dance show came out even more hideous than before. I also suspected you would return here for your ring."
"Then why the non-security up here?" Azlyn asks, unable to help herself. She's not shifted into a battle stance yet, but her right hand is slowly drifting back towards her back pocket. "Why not just keep the ring on you?"
"Where would the fun be in that, child?" Rosso laughs, low and throaty and absolutely menacing. "Despair tastes so much sweeter when it rises from near-victory. You may have gotten into this penthouse, but you will not be leaving. Not in your current condition, that is."
"Oh, I bet," Azlyn says, sounding unimpressed. She even throws in an eye roll, completely dismissive. "Wouldn't be so sure though, honey. In case you didn't notice, we got the numbers."
Rosso spares a glance at Kairi. "So you do. But do not think for a moment, girl, that this gives you advantage. Don Corneo, disgusting worm though he is, employs me because I am the best there is. I have faced groups of three times your number and walked away victorious. Great heroines of the Restoration Committee or no, I will still put you down."
"Big talk," Azlyn says, still nonchalant. But now her hand has reached her back pocket, finding was she was looking for. "But trust me, you've never seen anyone like us."
Without any further warning, not the slightest twitch, Azlyn hurls her shield forward. The magically shrunken disc grows as it flies, straight on towards the crimson-haired bodyguard. The noise of its whirling motion echoes loudly through the empty room. Even as it whizzes toward her face, Rosso smiles. Finally, a proper challenge.
She dodges to the side, turning the motion into a pirouette as she goes. Her hand seems to twitch only slightly, and suddenly a weapon appears in her hand as if by magical. Two long, slightly curved red and black blades emerge from a silver handle. She points the weapon straight, firing a pair of shots from the hilt's built-in pistol.
Kairi moves almost as fast, Keyblade in hand and sweeping out to deflect the bullets. They ricochet off the magic blade, embedding themselves in the penthouse walls. With a deep, focusing breath, the Princess of Heart rushes forward. Her blade is already moving again, deflecting another pair of shots. She jumps to the smooth glass coffee table, and from there to Rosso directly.
The bodyguard practically bursts into a fit of giggling, even as she's angling her blade to block Kairi's downward chop. The blades clash with a loud noise. Kairi manages to drive her opponent's weapon down just an inch, but Rosso reacts quickly. The double-bladed sword seems to spin in her hand, the lower blade cutting up towards Kairi's face. The Princess of Heart manages to backpedal away from the strike, but only just barely.
Rosso moves forward again with a downward swing from the top blade. Kairi doesn't raise her own sword in response, instead leaping back a few feet. It gives Azlyn just enough room to jump in, shield already back in hand. The metal disc catches the bodyguard's blow with ease. The sound of metal-on-metal rings out through the apartment.
"Nifty sword you got there," Azlyn says through gritted teeth, adjusting her feet to avoid sliding on the plush carpet.
"My own design," Rosso practically gushes, not sounding half as labored as her opponent. "A useful tool for any job that needs doing."
The crimson-haired haired woman shifts again, using the same trick of spinning her weapon to bring the second blade to bear against her opponent's leg. Azlyn leaps sideways, spinning once through the air before landing on the couch's back.
Kairi moves against Rosso, swinging her Keyblade in from the side. The woman catches it, shifting her blade ever-so-slightly and bringing the gun barrel to bear against Kairi's head. The younger redhead gasps and disengages immediately, just barely extracting herself from the firing line. The bullet embeds itself in the ceiling with a loud crack of splintering wood.
Rosso adjusts her aim, but by then Azlyn's shield is once again in play. Bullets bounce off the disc's surface. After counting three, the knight takes a chance and hurls her weapon forward. Rosso squeezes off a final bullet, but it only hits the flying disc and whirs off harmlessly. A sweep of her sword knocks the projectile off course, but by then the girls are already moving.
Kairi jumps across the sunken floor, and Azlyn executes another side flip that puts her perfectly in line to snatch her deflected shield from the air. Another shot goes off, but once again it's deflected. The knight and Princess take off down the hall, Azlyn kicking the ledger hard enough to get it sliding along in front of them. As the pair turn into the office, Azlyn snatches the book off the floor.
Rosso's pursuit isn't immediate, which strikes Azlyn as important somehow. She thinks on it as she shoves the office door shut, Kairi immediately locking it.
"Can't anybody just have one sword?" Kairi declares exasperatedly. "And then the gun thing?"
"How many shots?" Azlyn asks, breathing labored despite her best efforts to control it.
"Ten," Kairi answers without a second thought.
Azlyn nods. Noticing her partner's confused look, the knight opens her mouth to explain. Just as the sound of a firing gun goes off from the door's other side. Luckily, it doesn't penetrate the wood. A red-black blade does, barely a second later. Thankfully by then the girls have moved to the doorway's edges.
"Eleven!" Kairi yells despite the close proximity.
"But ten before she has to reload," Azlyn declares, confident in her analysis. "Nine left now."
Once again, the bodyguard's blade pierces the door, just a bit left of the doorknob and lock plate.
"She's trying to get in!" Kairi notes, rather obviously.
"Not a lot of room to maneuver in here," Azlyn adds, examining the room while the door incurs yet another stab wound. This one goes above the lock plate, and it isn't hard to imagine Rosso's strategy from there.
Kairi almost replies, but before the words come out she spots the window overlooking the club. The music is back to the usual bass-heavy dance pop, but from the office here she can actually make out some of the lyrics.
You're getting me too many things, lately…
No time to focus on music though, as an idea overtakes her. The sharp sound of the door's lock plate finally being kicked out forestalls attempts at verbally conveying the plan to Azlyn. Instead, Kairi just grabs her friend by the wrist and starts running. She has to let go in order to leap up onto the desk, but by then Azlyn has caught up on the plan. The knight throws her shield ahead, shattering the window's glass and giving the girls the opening they need.
They jump, just as Rosso gets through the door and is able to bring her gun to bear. She fires three shots, which Kairi makes sure to note just in case, then snarls a few choice words. But by then, Azlyn and Kairi aren't exactly focused on her.
For all the loud music and distracted dancing, the crowd directly below the broken window are able to hear the crash. Several people scream, and all scramble to avoid the falling glass. And, of course, the two falling young women.
Kairi remains calm, forcing any fear she feels to the back of her mind. Normally a fall like this would be plenty cause for worry, but she has a secret weapon on her side. Namely, a few months of sporadic magic training with her wizard brother. All it takes is a small gesture and a simple incantation to give her and Azlyn all the weight of a falling feather. Somehow, the field manages to extend to most of the glass around them, giving the club patrons more time to flee.
The girls touch down gently, as if they'd merely stepped off a street curb instead of falling from at least fifteen feet. Once they've gotten used to solid grand, the pair look around. The club is in a fair amount of chaos, people gathering again in the performance area. Not for entertainment, but in panicked fear. The stage is clear, though several heads are poking out of the curtain curiously.
"I do love to make an entrance," Azlyn declares, grinning at the frightened bystanders. That only ignites a new round of fear in most of them. "C'mon, maybe if we get a move on…"
"Stop right there!"
A group of musclebound men in suits charge across the floor, reaching into their jacket pockets and producing some kind of metal batons. Azlyn dimly recognizes a face or two from the previous night, and from their sudden looks they recognize her just the same. Commendably, it doesn't deter them from carrying out their duty.
"Run?" Kairi suggests, but by then it's too late. Azlyn is running alright, but toward the enemies rather than away. Kairi decides not to even roll her eyes. After all, in for a munny and all that. Still, they should probably work out some kind of exit strategy, at least before Rosso shows up again.
There's a dull thud behind Kairi, and in the scant microseconds before she turns to face it, the girl realizes that she'd made a mistake. That jump from above would be devastating, if not suicidal for anyone to attempt non-magically. She had figured Rosso would realize this and take the elevator back down. If the red-black blade swinging at her in deceptively slow motion is any indicator, that was a faulty assumption.
Kairi hurls herself back, taking in the sight of Rosso's snarling visage as she flips. It's not a perfectly executed move, and she lands harder on her ankle than intended. The minor pain of a possible sprain flares up for a second, but she resolves to ignore it. There are more pressing matters to focus on at this moment. And all around, the music plays on.
Hold me, whatever lies beyond this morning…
"Resourceful," Rosso says, sounding strangely congratulatory as she attempts to once again remove Kairi's head from her shoulders. The girl backs up again, avoiding decapitation only minutely. "Without a doubt desperate, but you had things in hand. A shame you weren't as clever planning all of this."
As Kairi blocks a blow, she can't help but acknowledge the older woman's point. For all her talk of thoroughness and planning, this operation is almost Soraesque in its reliance on unnaturally smooth luck. Of course, for him it always seems to come through.
The Princess of Heart pivots from the inevitable reverse blow, knocking the second blade back with a quick strike of her own. For the first time, she steps to press an attack to Rosso. The bodyguard blocks it with her top blade, then uses the lower to counter Kairi's followup.
Kairi ducks down, barely noticing Rosso positioning her gun barrel before the crimson-haired woman fires off two rounds. She goes for the legs, but once again the bodyguard shows her skill and effectiveness with the double blade, deflecting the Keyblade. Kairi rolls backward, avoiding the upward swing of the blade just in time.
It's not the smartest move though, forcing her to expend time getting to her feet. Time she definitely wouldn't have if Yuffie didn't take this moment to make her move. As Kairi rises to standing, she sees Rosso spin and use her blades to block a trio of shuriken flying toward her.
The redhead rushes forward, drawing her blade back for a strike while her opponent is distracted. No such luck, as Rosso fires off a shot to startle and confuse Yuffie before turning and committing herself fully to a block.
"Another friend of yours, girl?" the bodyguard asks with mocking sweetness. Her eerily blood red eyes light up, though that may just be an effect of the club's shifting color lighting. "Another opponent to challenge Rosso the Crimson? Oh, what an evening this is shaping up to be!"
She spins away, briefly stabbing the bottom blade at Kairi before spinning her whole weapon, another pair of shuriken flying off into the dancefloor with dulled momentum. She fires again at Yuffie, then turns to block Kairi's swing at her back with the top blade. Multitasking hardly seems a problem for this woman.
When you walk away, you don't hear me say…
There has to be some way to gain an advantage. Kairi turns her opponent's blade aside, removing one hand from her weapon's grip to fling a ball of white light at Rosso's head. The bodyguard finally pulls a startled look, backpedaling away from the magical attack.
Given a moment, Kairi throws a glance over to her companions. Azlyn, back in her usual attire, has her hands full with the security men, dodging batons and fists with centimeters to spare. The knight thrusts out her palm into the chest of one man, sending him stumbling back into his cohort. Then she wraps one hand around another guy's baton and pulls him down into the fist of her left hand. The man goes limp, and she quickly pivots and uses his spine to block off more blows from the other men. Things seem to be working well for the knight at the moment, which is good.
Rosso is back on her feet and steady, Kairi just barely hearing the sound of a shot going off. She dives left, then keeps running as another bullet whizzes by. Logically she's unsure how she can outrun the projectiles, but she doesn't let that stop her. Hearing another shot, and seeing the bar only a few feet away, the redhead pivots and deflects the next bullet into the floor.
Rosso charges, her weapon held back for a strike as soon as she reaches Kairi. But the Princess of Heart is ready, jumping back and flipping over once to let the blade pass harmlessly below her. She lands firmly on the bar, a few glasses rattling from the impact. Rosso shoots, but Kairi deflects. Snarling, the older woman performs her own leap onto the bar. Kairi pivots out of the way, and for a moment the two women merely stare daggers at each other from across the countertop. Beneath it, Vanille curses her luck.
Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight….
It's hard to let it go
Rosso swings first, but Kairi knocks the blow aside, quickly twisting her Keyblade to block the reprisal from below. The she has to twist again to block the high blade, in a cycle that repeats three times before the combatants finally settle into a lock.
"Kairi!"
The redhead hears Azlyn calling, her voice coming closer. Kairi knows she has to get out of the way, a sudden instinct taking her over. Drawing from a reservoir of strength she didn't know she had, Kairi manages to push her opponent back, breaking the lock and giving herself an opening to leap sideways off the bar. She hits the ground with a light impact, and keeps backpedaling. Rosso's gaze follows her, the woman's snarl deepening.
Then Azlyn hits the bar, landing atop her shield. The metal disc loses no momentum, continuing forward. With her head down and shoulders set, Azlyn rams into Rosso. The bodyguard grunts, falling backwards off the bar and landing loudly. She quickly turns the fall into a backward roll, endeavoring to get back on her feet.
Kairi rushes, intent on getting to her opponent before she can set her balance. But Rosso is ready for the strategy, firing off a shot at the Keyblade wielder. Unprepared, Kairi is forced to dodge rather than deflect, killing her own momentum. But Azlyn is there to pick up the slack, leaping off the bar from a running start and snapping a hard kick into Rosso's face. The crimson-haired woman is once again unbalanced, teetering back a pair of steps. Kairi runs after her, not willing to lose another advantage.
The bodyguard's deflection is clumsy but strong, the force knocking Kairi aside a few steps. Rosso attempts to quickly press the advantage, but Azlyn's shield knocks her blade and allows Kairi a moment to recover. The Princess of Heart does so remarkably well, pivoting and landing a solid blow against her opponent's chest. It's enough to send Rosso sliding across the smooth floor. She quickly grinds to a halt with her heels, reversing and chopping a downward blow at Kairi.
Azlyn is already there by the time the blade falls, catching the blow smoothly on the face of her shield. While the knight struggles to hold back, Kairi puts herself in for final moves. By the time the knight drops her shield, she's ready to go. Swinging out, she lands another hit against Rosso's chest. Backing off, she allows Azlyn to catch the retaliatory swing. From there, it's rinse and repeat two more times, the combatants moving across the floor and towards the stairs. After the third blow against her the bodyguard adapts, spinning to the side.
No such luck there, as Kairi simply casts another ball of light in her direction. It impacts against the older woman's chest, singeing the front of her suit and drawing out the first sound of real pain she's made in the course of the entire fight. And it doesn't let up, Azlyn flinging her shield to hit the same spot. With the bodyguard distracted by the sheer damage, Kairi has an easy time rushing her fast enough to lands one last blow to the chest. Rosso goes down hard, her weapon clattering to the floor beside him.
"Who's hopeless now?" Kairi asks with confidence, placing the tip of her Keyblade at her fallen opponent's neck.
"Bitch!" Azlyn enthusiastically adds, for flavor. It echoes in the large room, which Kairi only now notices is devoid of any partygoers. Apparently a sword/gun fight in the middle of everything will do that to a place.
"Tricks!" Rosso spits back, her voice raspy, just on the verge of collapsing completely. "If it were not for your little friend and your magic, I would have been victorious! You could not overcome me by strength alone! I remain unbeaten, unbroken, un…"
"Un-oying," Azlyn interrupts, rolling her eyes. Kairi allows herself a small grimace at the pun. "Look, Crimson Wave, ya got beat. You're not the best, never was and never will be. Sorry it took you this long to figure it out."
Rosso the Crimson has no more words. Snarling animalistically, she grabs her weapon off the floor, leaping up into a backflip as she does. She lands perfectly, aiming straight for Kairi. The redhead raises her Keyblade, ready to deflect. But the shot never comes. Instead, Rosso merely nods to a spot behind the girls. Raising her shield in case a deflection is needed, Azlyn turns to follow the gesture.
Don Corneo is, at no one's fault but his own, a fairly comical man to look at. The ridiculous quiff, froggy features, and overdone ensemble sell the man as someone trying his damnedest to look not only important, but dangerous. Trying and failing. But the thing is, Don Corneo is dangerous. A point being hammered home at this moment, as he stands with a gun in his hand. Just behind him, two of the security men hold Yuffie and LeBlanc tightly.
"My, my, ladies," he says, chuckling like the kindly old man he most certainly is not, "all this violence is rather unbecoming of such lovely young women, is it not?" He gestures with the gun to LeBlanc, who is giving him a sneer that looks as if it could melt the man into the floor. "Even your companion with the lovely voice attempted to assault me in the chaos you caused."
"I knocked you down with one punch!" LeBlanc rages, fighting against her captor. "If it weren't for your goons, I would've…"
A shot rings out, silencing the wealthy woman's anger. Luckily, it's only fired harmlessly into the air. "A warning," Corneo says with a surprising amount of venom. "The next round I fire will not be directed at the ceiling."
"Okay, you're the big man, we get it," Azlyn snarls. "So, what now? Something disgustingly sexual, I can only imagine."
"On the contrary, dear," the criminal continues, clearly relishing the moment. "I really needn't do anything more than I have already. Once the authorities arrive…"
"That's your plan?" the knight says, nearly snorting from amusement. "Call the cops on us? I don't know if you know this, but we're kinda tight with them already."
Don Corneo shrugs. "Maybe so. But 'tight' or not, I can't believe the Defense Force will be able to look the other way once faced with your crimes. My penthouse destroyed, my safe opened and emptied of its contents, my people and patrons assaulted… Sounds like quite a litany of larceny, to my ears."
"Yeah, well…" Azlyn starts, only to find she isn't sure what to say.
"You started all this!" Kairi yells, glaring at the criminal. "Kicking us out for no good reason last night, taking Azlyn's ring. We just wanted back what was ours."
"And what a way to go about it," Corneo replies with no apparent concern. "If you are as well-connected to the Defense Force as you say, why go to all this trouble? Certainly it would be a simple thing to file a report?"
It takes actual physical effort for Kairi not to whisper "I told you so" to Azlyn. Honestly she doesn't really have to, it's more than implied given circumstances.
"Well, now I'm never gonna hear the end of this," Azlyn mutters darkly. "So what, now we just stand around and wait for Quistis to come arrest our asses?"
"It will be a few minutes, I fear," Corneo explains, his eyes rolling. "I was only able to place the call a few minutes ago, and response time is rather lax in these confusing initial days for the Defense Force."
"So, we got time, is what you're saying?" Azlyn continues, with the slow and confident air of someone who has a plan in mind.
"What?"
"Better make the most of it, then." Grinning like a loon, the knight gives Kairi her best mischievous smile. "Light it up!"
Before anyone else can react, Kairi's free hand spreads wide. A brilliant white light shines forth from it, like the sun coming out through heavy clouds. Corneo and his people snarl in fear and alarm, unprepared and blinded.
When the light fades, Yuffie and LeBlanc's captors are on the ground groaning in pain. Without the threat of Corneo's gun, they'd been easy targets. The man himself is practically on his knees, doubled over with one forearm shielding his eyes. Azlyn rushes him, kicking his gun across the floor. Even Rosso is momentarily in disarray.
Only momentarily, however.
The bodyguards springs forward without warning, weapon raise to cleave Kairi in two. The Princess of Heart, disoriented herself from the massive outpouring of energy, barely manages to block the attack. She finds herself forced down on one knee, struggling against the older woman's strength and superior leverage.
Yuffie moves to help, but Azlyn holds out an arm to stop her. "She's got this."
"Weak!" Rosso practically spits, driving even harder against the redhead. Even with the twisted look of hatred on her face, she's giggling like a schoolgirl. "I am Rosso the Crimson, the strongest there has ever been! I will not be defeated!"
"Yes," Kairi grits out, reaching into the deepest reservoirs of her personal strength. "You will!" With all the might available to her, the Princess of Heart shoves her opponent back.
Rosso stumbles, all her rage evaporating into disbelief. As Kairi stands, the crimson-haired woman does the only thing she can. Points and shoots. But Kairi deflects the bullet almost offhandedly, standing tall and proud.
"Give up!" she demands, blade held in front of her. "You won't beat me with your sword, and all you've got left is one bullet. It's over!"
Rosso starts once, almost fitfully. Then, an odd calm comes over the woman, her enraged expression melting into an odd sort of tranquility. She stands at her full height, tall and proud with weapon in hand.
"Over?" she repeats, sounding spacey and a little disbelieving. "Yes, I suppose it is, girl. After all, all that is left is one bullet, hm? My last bullet." She stiffens, lifting her weapon one-handed. Kairi tenses at the sight, but stops when the strange gun/sword hybrid's barrel comes to rest against Rosso the Crimson's heart. "I will not be beaten by the likes of you, girl. There is only one who can defeat me. The only one who would ever be worthy."
Then, without another word, she pulls the trigger. A loud noise, muffled by cloth and flesh, rings out across the room. Then, still looking serene as can be, Rosso falls back to the floor. After that, she moves no longer.
"Oh, shit!" Azlyn exclaims, looking over the woman's corpse with a mixture of surprise and fear. "I said she was crazy but… Yeesh."
Kairi is even more stunned, dropping her Keyblade to the floor. She definitely hadn't meant for this to be the outcome of tonight. As antagonistic and cruel as Rosso the Crimson had been… Some sights just aren't pretty no matter who you're looking upon.
For some reason that surely boils down to being a sadistic asshole, Don Corneo laughs. The kind of sick, unreserved laugh that can only come from someone who can't let his emotions out any other way.
"This is the perfect ending, I think," he says, still chuckling. "Not only have you ransacked my home and business, but you killed my enforcer." He looks straight up at Azlyn, reveling in the moment. "What good will your connections do you now, bitch?"
"Not much, I'm afraid," Azlyn replies, sighing dramatically. "Luckily, I've got a little something with me here that I know will help me out." With a self-satisfied smirk that rivals Corneo's, she reaches into her jacket and pulls out a leatherbound book. From the way the Don practically chokes at the sight, he knows what it is.
He quickly goes from dumbfounded to outraged. He leaps off his feet, jumping at Azlyn with both hands and screaming incoherently. She gives him a solid stiff arm that sends him crashing back to the ground.
"You were the one all high and mighty about us pinching into your safe, dumbass," the knight practically crows, holding the book high. "Did you actually forget what it was you put in there in the first place?"
"It wasn't supposed to…" Corneo stammers, his hands twitching as if there's an invisible throat between them. "I had it in the… Rosso! That psychotic moron!"
Azlyn shrugs, taking a deep breath like she's just smelled the world's most delicious meal cooking. "I guess she was a little too confident. Y'know, before the end and everything. She figured she could use your ledger as a trap and then kick our asses to get it back. Or maybe she assumed we'd leave it behind once she showed up. Luckily, I have a little something called foresight."
Though still a bit in shock, Kairi can't help but give her friend a grin. So, apparently all the things she's been saying have gotten through the knight's thick skull.
"So, time for a new story, I think," Azlyn continues, starting to pace slowly around the prostrate Corneo. "I'm not the most creative girl in the worlds, but I'm sure that between you and me we'll be able to come through with a good explanation for all this. As long as Quistis gets her story, you'll get your book back." She sticks her hand right in the Don's face, an air of mocking about the gesture. "We got a deal?"
KH-KH-KH
Quistis is skeptical of the whole thing. A reasonable attitude, considering all the bold-faced lies flying around. But in the end, she can only accept Don Corneo's explanation. Kairi didn't end up catching all of it, but it had something to do with Rosso going off the deep end.
The sight of the crimson-haired woman's self-imposed execution still haunts her. Azlyn had reassured her, pointing out that it was the nasty woman's own choice and there was nothing Kairi could have done except let herself be killed instead. It's not much consolation, but it will do for the moment.
"Well, that was certainly a highlight of my nightlife experience!" LeBlanc exclaims, after the Defense Force has finished their questions. "I do love the stage."
"I barely got to do anything!" Yuffie complains loudly, kicking viciously at the pavement. "And nobody even told me I look hot in this outfit!"
"Certainly a party to remember," Azlyn adds. She stands with one arm around Kairi's shoulder, grinning like a loon. "They say the bachelorette party is your last night of freedom. Well, I sure as hell felt free tonight!"
"I'll say," Kairi adds, wiping her lips pointedly. Her friend just laughs, making a playful kissy face at the girl. She smacks the knight back, eyes rolling. "But y'know what's weird? I still kinda have a buzz!"
"I was going to say!" LeBlanc chimes in.
"A few more rounds of karaoke would be cool," Yuffie adds, smiling.
"Cool with me!" Azlyn agrees wholeheartedly. Still, she turns to Kairi with a questioning look. "Does that sound good with you?"
The Princess of Heart nods, and the rest of the party sends up a cheer. They make their way down the street, happy to return to the scene of their fun last night. And without any lingering resentments or budding feuds, this night promises to be even better than the last.
Girl's side is done, and it all turned out basically exactly as I envisioned. Which I could say the same for the other side, but I've managed to work out an acceptable ending to that to. Hopefully it'll make work on that last chapter easier, because I'm hoping either the end of Life Goes On or the beginning of Keys to the Kingdom III can be posted by Christmas. Fingers crossed.
Shoutouts are in order for Nightwing2013 and DJ Scales. Scales is a newcomer to reviewing the series so a warm welcome and thanks to him. Until next time, which God willing won't be far from now.