Lelouch's first experience fighting an enemy Kampfer threatened to leave her reeling, and she wasn't even four minutes in. Mere seconds after the other Kampfer announced her intent, she was already moving towards Lelouch at speeds unseen and unheard of.
Idly, she realized that this Kampfer was easily faster than Suzaku. And before the thought could be completed, the Kampfer was more than halfway within arm's reach of her.
Lelouch let her arms fall to her sides, kept her gaze even with the enemy Kampfer's, and felt the pipes throughout the bathroom rupture as they were suddenly filled with ice. A clear wall formed between them, and the other Kampfer had retreated.
Inches away from Lelouch's face, a throwing knife rested in a line of frost reaching into the barrier and holding it in place.
"…More, then." The Kampfer hummed on the other side of the ice. At first, she seemed disappointed at the idea as she swayed from side to side and put a finger to her lips. "Oh well. A fight's a fight!" Her grin returned, wide and wild.
"You can't very well fight me from behind a wall." Lelouch spoke, "So what's your plan here?"
The Kampfer nodded. "That's true! I am a bit limited, buuut~ There's more than one way to skin a cat." The sound of footfalls echoed throughout the hallway behind the Kampfer, "No witnesses can mean a lot of things, you know."
Lelouch's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't try it."
"Oh? And why not?"
"Those who kill should be ready to die… and you don't sound like you're prepared for anything. In fact, I bet you don't even know who I am."
"You're a Kampfer." The young woman sighed in reply, "Talking about names like they matter – you have no idea, do you?" she chuckled, "God you're green."
Lelouch opened her mouth to reply, but stopped herself. That knife… was it glowing? Its mass abruptly vanished, and in the instant there was a gap in the ice it expanded. Blades of wind exploded out, shredding the barrier of ice to pieces. Shrapnel shards and blades of air tore towards her.
She ducked to the side, a bathroom stall taking the brunt of the explosion's force. But nevertheless, she felt herself being pushed through a wall. Lelouch collapsed on the other side of it, groaning in pain. "That…" she breathed, "That hurt."
"I should hope so!" cackled the Kampfer, "And anyway… if you're going to be such a buzzkill about it… my name's Elma! And I'm gonna go kill a few useless interlopers. Ta~!"
Lelouch barely had time to get back on her feet before Elma had fled from the room.
She took a deep breath and steadied herself against a wall. So, she was fighting a Kampfer who primarily used throwing daggers as a weapon. This same Kampfer had wind and air control – it wasn't clear how much control Elma had over wind, or to what extent, but her daggers could be made of air… which spoke of density manipulation.
The daggers could be stopped with ice. So they likely relied on significant force when thrown in order to actually do any damage. In conclusion, Elma was strong, fast, and had a versatile ability.
But… she either didn't know how to use it properly, or she'd never thought of some new way to abuse it. Elma ought to have had no problem killing Lelouch at that moment, she understood. After all, sucking the air out of a room would suffocate any target. So why the focus on the knives?
Either she was a sadist, which Lelouch wasn't about to take off the table… or there was a practical reason for it. Whatever the case, she needed a plan, and she needed to act soon.
Lelouch eyed her bracelet and placed a hand over it. For better or worse, she wasn't going to win this fight unless she used her weapon… and that meant drawing suspicion to her from the local law enforcement.
A sardonic smile crossed her face, and she couldn't help but let out a chuckle. The more things change, the more they stay the same… and it wasn't like she was unused to running from the law.
She gripped her bracelet, and let violet light take her form.
-x-
Aron Kozuki gripped his gun with either hand, his eyes surveying damage to the club. The pounding of electronic music resonated throughout each room, causing the walls to vibrate as he stepped past broken glass and observed scars drawn and cratered along the walls.
There was an abrupt cracking noise. Aron spun on his feet, pointing his gun back the way he came. Overhead lights had gone dark. With another snap, the next set of lights blackened, and then the next – a trail of darkness slowly crawled its way towards Aron.
With one more snap, the lights above his head and behind him flickered and died.
Footsteps echoed throughout the hall. With barely a thought, he pressed the side of his gun. An LED light blinked on, washing the hallway in brightness and casting away shadows.
The sound of footsteps echoed around a corner.
Aron did not dry swallow. Though nervous, he continued forward and walked back the way he came. His gun pointed ahead, his aim straight and true – someone was here, and he was willing to bet just about anything that he was being toyed with.
"This is the police." His voice was stern. He did not tremble, he did not quake. "Come out with your hands up." Aron's hands were stiff as boards, keeping their grasp of his firearm.
As footsteps began running towards him from behind, he spun to meet the gaze of a terrified patron – she was a young woman with dark skin and grey hair. "Oh, officer, please help~!" She cried, "Some big scary man showed up and started stabbing people! It was sooo scary~!"
An easy smile settled onto Aron's face, "Don't worry, everything's fine. The KM Units are on their way, and I can have you outside before you know it…" But still, he didn't lower his gun. "But first, I'm going to have to ask you to come quietly."
"…Huh?"
"Your feet are covered in blood, your hands have calluses that indicate you work very frequently, and you're just the right height to drag a knife along these walls." Aron's gun clicked, "Do you think I'm an idiot?"
The girl's expression faded from confusion to annoyance. "…Ah, I see. So that's how it's going to be." She sighed, her arm moved, and suddenly Aron's light vanished with a loud snap.
He fired. Once, twice – but the bullets only struck the other side of the hallway. The grey-haired girl was gone.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he forced himself to tumble forward. He could hear as a knife sang through the air behind him and cut through the wall. Whoever this girl was, she'd enhanced at least some parts of her body with machinery…
He fired again. This time, his bullet hit something – he saw a flash of sparks as it was knocked out of the air by a swinging blade. That indicated significantly enhanced reflexes and some high-tier cybernetic augmentations.
Aron started backing up as he fired once more into the dark. Each pull of the trigger filled the hallway with bright, white light for only an instant before darkness returned. It was cramped and narrow, forcing Aron to feel his way backwards with his legs and feet as he fumbled about and fired once more.
The girl prowled towards him, casually swinging her arm back and forth to knock one bullet out of the air after another. As Aron made his way to the hallway's intersection, he began fleeing into the light.
A knife flew over his shoulder. He tumbled and rolled into a firing position, shooting behind him once more. Now that he could actually see her, this would be easier… or at least he thought it'd be easier. And yet, with each pull of the trigger, a sinking feeling began forming in his stomach.
This girl wasn't stalling in her movements, and certainly wasn't acting exhausted. Now that he got a good look at her, he couldn't see any surgical scars – so her skin was probably artificial, too. He wasn't just fighting some average cyborg that'd lost its mind – he was fighting someone who had some high tier equipment.
…This was beyond his abilities to deal with. But still, he fought.
"Honestly," the girl sighed, deflecting another bullet. "Isn't all this a little much? KM-Units? Really?" With a motion of her hand, she sliced an incoming bullet in half. Casually, she twirled the knife in her hand. "Those are for heavy duty threats, aren't they~? Do I really constitute that…? I don't know if I should be honored or bothered~"
Another bullet flew towards her. This one, she stopped in place with her knife – letting it dent against the flat of the blade and fall to the floor. "We can keep doing this all day, or you can lie down and take it." She breathed, "Your choice, big boy~"
Aron's gun clicked empty. He swore, turning and running the opposite direction.
She just sighed and shook her head. They always ran in the end, didn't they…? That was fine, though. She brought her hand up, holding her knife as she zeroed in on her target. He wouldn't have to worry about another damn thing when she was through with him…
Her wrist flicked, and the knife cut through the air. Guided by her power, it quickly found its way into Aron's shoulder. He gasped in agony, falling forward for a moment before catching himself and continuing his run around the next corner.
Aron had already pulled the knife free, and certainly wasn't looking behind him to see as it dissolved into thin air. A trail of blood dripped down his back, filling the hallway with a scent of iron.
With one hand, he'd pulled his radio out and was already calling for assistance. "Hostile cyborg on-site – advanced prosthesis, class A at least, where the hell are the KM-Units?" He snapped.
A crash of sound exploded throughout the halls as he was pursued. No bullets, no extra ammunition – he was outgunned, and he was cornered. If he didn't receive medical treatment, he wouldn't be surprised if that knife wound got to him.
The sad thing was that this probably wasn't the worst situation he'd ever been involved in. It was bad, sure, but at least he'd gone in armed this time.
He leapt over a table and hid behind a bar. It was covered in broken glass and alcohol, spattering and staining the floor and wood with multi-colored fluids and a myriad of scents. But alcohol was a good thing in a situation like this. Keeping his back to a reflective bit of glass, he got started at dressing his injury.
"Oh mister officer~? Where are you hiding~?" cooed the girl as she stepped into the room. One foot in front of the other, she resembled a panther as she hunted for her prey. Her eyes were narrow, a cool smile slipping its way onto her face.
As she walked, she found herself stopping near one of the large sound systems in the corner. Speakers reached the ceiling, the pounding of techno drums continuing to echo and resonate… "Let's turn that down and switch to something with more charm…" Her fingers ran across the dials, "Hmm… how about… oh, that's a cute one."
…Something clicked in the machine.
The girl turned her back to it and began walking towards the blood stained trail. "Hear it? Listen closely. Camille Saint-Saens… The Danse Macabre. I hear they use it in all those movies these days…" Her eyes trailed across the floor as she continued her even pace.
"So you're a fan of history?" She heard the voice loud and clear from behind the bar, and the grin on her face sharpened all the more. "Or at least, of older music."
"Of course! They don't make it like they used to. And, sure, it's a little loud for this, but that's fine. It's why I started it around the two and a half minute… mark…" She paused and stared.
Aron's jacket rested behind the bar. His radio rested next to the jacket, plugged into the wall. But the man was nowhere in sight.
K'pop
Elma's head popped up, her eyes wide as she spun and searched for the sound. Aron watched her, a bottle of vodka in one hand. Stuffed into the bottle was a torn off sleeve, lit aflame. In his other hand, he held a microphone from the DJ's stage.
"You tuned the microphone to your radio's frequency – Oh, I really don't like you." The Kampfer sighed as Aron threw the bottle at her. "I appreciate the effort, but I can deflect bullets." She threw a knife at the Molotov cocktail. The glass shattered, and though burning alcohol fell to the floor, it was nowhere near her. "What did that accomplish?"
Aron smirked. "It distracted you."
Elma tilted her head in confusion. Then, she smelled something. Something burning… behind her…?! She turned her head and saw a plume of smoke exit the torn up jacket she'd seen only moments before. The outlet under the bar – Aron had clipped a cable and jury rigged a bomb?!
"Just a little something from my mother's days as a revolutionary," Aron said. "I couldn't help but pick up a detail or two from her stories." The radio clicked and whined, and all the alcohol behind the bar ignited and exploded. The classical music cut off as the sound systems failed across the board.
Elma was thrown away from the blast. Glass cut across her skin as Aron turned and fled the scene. She swore and stood. "That bastard." She hissed, knives appearing in her hands. "I'll kill him."
She started charging towards where the police officer had fled the scene, but a hand wrapped in black armor caught her wrist. "You'll be doing no such thing."
Elma's eyes widened. "A KM-Unit?!" She gasped, "Or… no. You… You bloody Kampfer…!"
Lelouch met her gaze through the lens of a miniaturized Knightmare Suit with an impassionate, collected expression. "You lose, Elma."
Gone was the outfit that Lelouch had worn on her way to the club. In its place, a suit of armor wrested on her form. Ergonomically designed, sleek in shape and form, no part of it was left unarmored or uncovered. Her breasts pressed uncomfortably against her chest, but her body was perfectly protected in the suit.
A golden trim lined either arm. Wheels rested at the heels of either foot, pressing into the floor as Lelouch leveraged her weight against Elma. Up close like this, it was plain to see that Lelouch was taller than the other Kampfer by almost a foot.
Bright golden shoulder plates glinted in the light of the fires lit by Aron, and as Elma summoned up wind to tear through the metal… Lelouch was already pulling her up. Effortlessly, Lelouch had lifted Elma into the air and kicked her in the side with flexibility she never realized she had.
Only then did Lelouch let go of her, letting the other Kampfer fly through the air and tumble into a wall. Elma spat blood and stood on shaky feet, her eyes wide, alert, and animalistic. "You… To think you'd have such a busted weapon…"
Gold and black dominated her vision, cast and surrounded in flame. Yet with a wave of Lelouch's arm, the sprinklers finally exploded as water turned to ice and snuffed out the light. All that remained in that dark was the occasional glint of Lelouch's armor.
Its visor, a dark purple, glowed and leered at her. "Elma." Lelouch spoke, taking full advantage of her body's new voice and the synthesizer provided by the suit summoned through her power. "How many innocent people have you killed? Five? Ten? And for what…" With a grand gesture, Lelouch spread her arms and drew Elma's attention to the rest of the building. "This? For more destruction? You disgust me."
Elma held a baffled look, staring at Lelouch as if she resembled some strange, twisted animal that had descended from the heavens. She made to speak, then chortled, and laughed. She held her sides and shook her head as she helplessly guffawed. "You… pfft– hahahaha~! Haha~! Oh, ohoho~ You really think that high-mindedly? You're serious?"
She stood and twirled her knives once more. "We are Kampfer. We live, and breathe, to fight and die. You're gonna talk to me like, what, you're more than that? Piss off." Elma scoffed, "It's all about the red team and the blue team. Nobody stands for anything, nobody has a reason. You fight, or you die. And if you die, then nothing you did matters anyway! Nobody's gonna remember us. The good or the bad."
Elma glared at Lelouch, "Why have a reason? That'd mean pretending to be all nice and cheery~" The smile on her face was almost plastic in how fake it looked, and how quickly it melted into a snarl. "Just cut to the point, skip everything in between, and be honest about it. It's the same for all you reds, isn't it?"
Casually, Lelouch held up her wrist. "Actually… it isn't." There, resting on the outermost layer of the armor, her black band shone violet. "You are fighting the wrong opponent – I have come," Lelouch swept out her arm, "To end the battle between the Red and Blue Kampfer!"
Grandiose speeches, flash and substance, shock and awe – to Lelouch, the world was but an amazing stage for her to perform upon. What difference was there between her earliest performances as Zero and this display before her now? The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.
Yet as Elma steeled herself, Lelouch found her only regret was that she didn't know this woman enough to get through to her. "So there's another side to all of this…?" Elma spoke, "In that case… that just means there's another team I get to help cut down!" She charged, wind licking at her ankles as she walked and soared through the air towards Lelouch.
Lelouch held up an arm, forcing Elma to kick off of it as she threw a pair of knives at the armored Kampfer. Lelouch's wheels spun – landspinners – easily catching tile and pulling her away from the blades that tore into the floor in front of her and exploded into wind.
Shattered tile and ice fell around her as she spun and kicked at Elma. Yet Elma was quick to dodge – "You have such an amazing toy~!" She crooned, "But you're new at it! Painfully, awkwardly new! Am I your first Kampfer?!" She snapped, blades of wind exploding before they even left her hands.
They became as invisible knives, tearing through the darkness in desperate bids to dig into Lelouch's armor and force her back. Yet even as they struck and scratched deeply, Lelouch let loose cables and claws – slash harkens – that dug into the ceiling and drew her up.
Elma, dancing on the air, could only feel her eyes widen as Lelouch's golden knee flew up and struck her in the gut. She gasped, the wind knocked free from her. But still, she fought. She forced herself to spin in the air, to swing at Lelouch with yet another knife formed from thin air.
Yet Lelouch's hand came down and struck the blade out of her hand. Her wrist was shattered as she was forced to fall, her back impacting the floor and cratering it. She rolled and tumbled. Lelouch landed on two feet and began stepping towards Elma. "You keep forcing my hand," Lelouch stated aloud, "You resemble exactly the sort of person I've sworn to fight, but you're desperate. There is a reason behind your actions."
"Oh shut up." Elma snapped, wind coalescing at her fingertips as she flung out her hands and forced Lelouch back a step. She forced herself back on her feet, blood trailing from the many injuries that decorated her damaged body. "You think you know everything–"
"I don't know." Lelouch interrupted her. "I know painfully little of this situation. And nobody around me seems willing to inform me – but if you know as much as you imply you do, then explain. Why are we fighting? Why fight for your side in all of this? Just because you're blue? Just because you're told to? Or perhaps… the reason is more base than that."
"…" Elma spoke no words as wind swirled around her arms, as knives formed in her hands and vortexes began spiraling past the blades. Swords of wind cut into the floor, as if becoming denser. "You really don't know?" She asked with eerie calm. "You have no idea at all?"
"I don't."
"…Kampfers require stimulation," Elma lifted the blades. "Dancing is one option. But considering we're in a war, the other is even easier." Something manic glinted in her eyes, "There's a romance to be found in killing to survive, and a freedom to be found in never being remembered. A purpose, an end, a means… it's all there."
Lelouch sighed as she let ice surround her form in a thin layer – just thick enough to deflect the worst of Elma's attack… but Elma never struck at her. Instead, the swords impacted the ground and exploded into wind. Dust and debris tore towards Lelouch. She brought up an arm, instinctively shielding herself from the attack.
By the end of it, a massive hole stretched across the floor and led beneath the city. "…Really? The sewers?" Lelouch exhaled, "So that's how it's gonna be."
-x-
Elma panted as she fled, blood trickling from her body with every other step. How humiliating, how discouraging… her first fight of the night and she was beaten by someone who didn't know up from down or left from right… She gritted her teeth in frustration, one hand steadily scrolling through a long list of options.
She needed something to calm herself down. Maybe something from the orchestra? Giuseppe Tartini's work always did a fine job calming her nerves.
The devil's fiddle played and echoed throughout the passage. Grime and mold clung to brickwork that had been laid at least a century before. Modern lights hung from a ceiling, and the hum of her phone kept her comforted as she continued her long walk. Her injuries would heal, as they always did.
It would take a day, maybe two.
Kampfers never went down easily.
Her feet carried her down the passage until she reached an opening. Sludge poured out and fell hundreds of feet into water far, far below. This would make for a fine jump off point…
Metal clanged behind her. Elma clenched her fists… and the music stopped as her phone shattered in her grip. "…Oh darn." She looked over her shoulder to see Lelouch standing there in gold and black armor. "You followed me this far? That's some dedication."
The sun was setting. Or… was it rising? She'd destroyed her phone, so it wasn't like she could check the time.
"You killed several people today. And every time I've asked you, you dodged the question or danced around the issue. You keep saying you don't care because you'll be forgotten… but do you want that to happen? Do you want to disappear?"
Elma didn't look at Lelouch. Her gaze fixed on the sun. Its soft, orange glow cast its light across the bay. She shut her eyes. "No Kampfer does. But that won't matter in a few minutes."
Her bracelet was blinking. Bright blue flashes indicated her power was waning. Had she exhausted herself so much against one man and one Kampfer? It was shameful is what it was. A deep, curling, twisting part of her cringed at the notion of it all… and for once, every part of her agreed on the proper course of action.
"When one becomes a Kampfer, they change. Each transformation, they become a different person. They look different, act different, sound different – but you'd think for how distinct Kampfer are that they'd be remembered." Elma breathed, "They aren't. Not a single one. Because all Kampfer are eventually slain, until what remains are whispers of a myth."
"That doesn't have to happen to you."
"No." Elma sighed, "It does. I've had my fun. And… you know, I don't think I'm me anymore, anyway. I died when I got this bracelet," she lifted her arm, "What's dying again matter, anyway?" Elma chuckled, "I… I can't keep track of myself anymore. This is for the best."
For only a moment longer, she watched the sun. Then, she spun and struck at Lelouch.
Anticipating the attack, Lelouch fired back. A spear of ice flung its way from the waters and through Elma's side. She spat blood, coughed, and stepped back. One foot grazed the ledge, and she looked at Lelouch with wide eyes. A happy smile crossed her face – for once looking completely genuine.
"Ah…" she exhaled, "Darn. I… barely got anywhere, did I…?" Her skin was paling from blood loss. "Hey… prove me wrong. Can you do that much?" Blood dribbled down her lips, "That'd be… great. I… know I didn't have a good first impression… but… remember me, won't you?"
She stepped back again, and fell.
Lost as she was to the waves and ocean, her vision swam until it ceased. All she saw was the black armored hand reaching out to grab her before it fell through her and she ceased to be.
All the while, Lelouch felt her eyes widen as the deceased Kampfer vanished from view beneath the waves. With a blink of her eyes, the corpse ceased to exist. She swam to the surface, searching left and right for some proof of the deceased Kampfer's existence… and far off in the distance, where previously there was the sound of chaos and swarming rescue vehicles, there was silence.
-x-
End Eisritter Ch. 004
