Dekker was in a clearing, working hard with the Bane of Life. It was a large, heavy and clumsy bade by comparison to Urumasa. It had been an extension of his being. It was like a part of him.
The Bane of Life was different though. It was a powerful blade, and it responded well to his movements, but still, there was something that did not feel right about it. He had already resigned himself to the fact that it was a broadsword, and not a nodachi as Urumasa had been when it first presented itself to him as its master. He heard a snap behind him and spun in his place, levelling his blade at neck level, but stopping just short of a decapitating stroke. It was Serrator.
"You're getting better." He commented.
"Speak quickly." Dekker warned him. "My thirst for battle..."
"It will be quenched soon." Serrator assured him. He started to pace. "Your time is soon to come."
"It better be." Dekker replied. As Serrator left though, Octoroo was watching. Now he had him, now he had something to tell Xandred. He was in negotioations with Dekker.
He found himself spun away roughly by unfamiliar hands. He looked up into an unfamiliar, angular, white face.
"Who are...?"
"What does my name matter to you?" Jindrax snapped. "Just know one thing. I am the master of blades, and while you may be a Nighlock..."
He threw a couple of knives with enough force to lodge into a nearby tree.
"I can and will carve you into calamari if you don't listen to me." He warned him. "I have an offer to make you."
Octoroo just nodded. While no stranger to battle, he did not favour it. He preferred to settle his disputes with cunning. Instead, he allowed the stranger to help him up and followed him dutifully, fearful of his new captor.
Back at the Shiba House, Mike and Kevin were enjoying the benefits of finally being free of their bonds, putting away the groceries. Mia and Emily were watching their respective fiancés, giggling to themselves.
"So, they're in synch now?" Jayden asked, arriving in the doorway.
"Yup." Mia commented as Mike threw a couple of water melons over his head, which Kevin caught instinctively.
"Then, I guess this taught them..."
"NO...!" Kevin called out as a carton of eggs shattered on the floor. Jayden just shrugged.
"I guess we can't expect miracles overnight." He commented. "Just tell them to get more eggs."
As he left, he was grabbed and thrust against a wall in the living room. He smiled, seeing that it was Antonio.
"You know, in that glue, I didn't get much chance to...
"Just shut up and kiss me." Jayden told him as he pressed his lips to Antonio's.
Jindrax took Octoroo to the forest just outside the city, and even knowing that it might not be the most sensible move, he brought him to the cave. After making sure no one was watching, he waved him inside.
Octoroo was shocked by what he saw. He knew that Dayu was likely still alive somewhere, but he didn't expect this. She was lying, motionless, almost completely immobilised by her apparent injuries. His nostrils caught the distinctive whiff of burnt bacon, the stench of burnt flesh. She looked to him and smiled.
"I bet you've dreamed of seeing me this way." She commented.
"Once or twice." He replied. The thought had been in his head way before the First World War, but Dayu had a habit of finding a way of being around those that made such thing impossible. "So, what is this?"
"I want to ask you a favour." She replied. His tentacles flared up as he snorted in reply.
"A favour?" He splurted, almost amused by the idea. "Perhaps..."
"If you haven't been keeping score, Serrator's gaining power all the time." Dayu reminded him. "Besides, as you may have noticed, I am not without allies."
Just to emphasise the point, Jindrax scraped the edge of one of his daggers against the rock, whetting it. He just looked to her.
"I'm listening." He told her.
"Serrator has found Dekker, this much I know." She told him.
"Dekker?" Octoroo squealed. "But..."
"I have no idea what he has planned for him, but needless to say it is not good." She continued. "I don't care about the human world, I honestly don't, but as long as he is free..."
"This is bad, it's...very bad!" Octoroo agreed. She knew he didn't care about her, or about Dekker, they were only a wrinkle in his plans. However, they were a BIG wrinkle, and he was unsure how to deal with them.
"You and I want the same thing." Dayu told him. "If you help me in my plan, I can return Dekker to me. Then, neither of us will be in the way of your plans."
"But you..."
"Do you think I give a rats' ass about your plans?" She screeched, so much so that she almost pulled her wounds open. "As long as I get Dekker, that's all I care about, even if it's only for a day."
"You have my word you'll have that." Otoroo replied, shaking her hand, confirming the deal. "Now, what do you know of Serrator's plans?"
The following day, Spike was walking to school when he bumped into Cody. He wasn't expecting that, Cody's school was at least a good 20 minute's walk from central.
"Um..."
"I thought we should talk about the stuff we discussed yesterday." Cody began. "Um...well...I really don't want to sound confrontational, but...I'm not going to give up the invitation I made to Vicky."
"Alright, I get that." Spike replied in a defeated sigh.
"I don't want to lose you as a friend." He added. "I just wanted..."
"Look, can we just play brutal, no fist-play, brutal honesty here?" Spike asked him. Cody just nodded, joining him on a low wall. "Yes, I hate the fact that you and Vicky are dating."
"We're n...!"
"I hate the fact that because I was a complete dumb ass, I didn't figure out until it was too late how amazing she is." Spike continued. "I meant what I said when we were connected by that...whatever it was."
Cody smiled a little.
"You're a good guy." Spike said with a shrug. "I guess if I'm losing her to anyone, then it's a good thing it's you."
"You don't know what that means to me." Cody replied, shaking his hand. "Now, if you will excuse me, it's about ten minutes to first class."
Spike found his jaw swinging open as Cody sprinted at a wall, catching onto a bare-visable ledge, before propelling himself onto the rooftops. As easily as he could walk, he started leaping from one rooftop to another.
"Well, I guess now I know how he's been getting between schools." Spike commented. "Maybe he'll teach me that trick one day."
With that, he went into the school, preparing for the day ahead.
Back in the cave, Octoroo was sitting with Dayu, while Toxica tended to her wounds. Jindrax was a safe distance, but was holding s couple of swords just to make a point.
"Alright, so you think...?"
"No, I know it." She interrupted him weakly. "It will take me a while to recover, maybe a few more days, but I need you to help me."
"How?" He snorted. "You spent much of your time..."
"I survived any way I could." Dayu interrupted him. "You, Xandred, I really couldn't care less who wins the battle for the underworld! Guarantee that Dekker and I will be safe, and I'll...I'll do anything you ask."
"I will hold you to that." Octoroo replied, realising how potentially powerful having Dekker and Dayu under his command would be. He shook her hand to seal the deal. "What can I do?"
"I know where Urumasa is." She informed him. "I earned these injuries trying to get it. Let Dekker know where it is, and I guarantee, he will be out of your concerns forever."
"And where is it?" He asked her. Although he knew he needed this trump card, he was not willing to just flaunt it. A trump card was best played by surprise.
"Her Majesty's Nava Base Clyde." She informed him, unable to do anything other than tell him what she knew. Although she wanted to do this herself, she knew she would not be healthy enough in time. "Scotland, it's a naval base called Faslane."
"What do you want in exchange?" Octroroo asked her.
"Once this is done, whatever happens, Dekker and I are off-limits." She told him with authority, despite the fact she was only sitting upright because Toxic was holding her. "Dekker and I are off limits, you do with the world whatever you damn well please."
Octoroo just smiled.
"Agreed." He replied, disappearing into a gap. Dayu hated this part of the plan, she hated the plan, but in the end, if she could have Dekker, her Dekker, back in her arms, even for a moment, then the centuries spent would be worth it.
At Central High School, Spike was walking with his friends, laughing and joking around. A little way away, Melanie was opening her own locker, when a troupe of cheerleaders arrived behind her. Suddenly, one of them dumped the contents of a full slushie over the back of her head.
Mal drew the attention of the others, indicating the incident. He had kept his promise, he hadn't told anyone about Melanie's situation, not even his closest friends.
"What the fuck!" She screamed, incensed at the slight.
"We all know about you." One of the football players stated. "By the way, my dad was planning to retire next year. Now, thanks to your old man, he has to work for the next five years!"
With that, he splatted her in the face with another slushie.
"Oh, by the way, there are open tryouts for the head cheerleader position." One of the cheerleaders announced. "Show up if you'd like, but..."
With that, she dumped another slushie over Melanie. Five others did the same, leaving her shivering. They all ran over.
"What the hell do you want?" She screamed at them.
"What the hell was that about?" Spike asked her.
"They don't like me alright?" She blurted out. She looked to Mal, who already knew about her situation. Hell, anyone that read newspapers knew what her situation was. The fact Spike didn't know said that Mal had kept his promise.
"Yeah, they don't like me either!" Jimmy interjected. "I've never had a slushie..."
"Fuck you!" She screamed, storming off to the bathroom to clean up. Spike just shrugged.
"I guess Karma does come around." He commented. He noticed that Mal wasn't laughing as he said this. Indeed, he was, if anything, annoyed.
"Mal...?"
"I'll catch you up later." He assured them. Just then, he ran into the restrooms behind Melanie.
As he got there, despite it being the Girl's bathroom, Mal just defiantly waved off the girls leaving, seeing that Melanie was there, trying to rinse what was left of the slushie out of her hair.
"I..."
"Get away!" Melanie screamed at him.
"But..."
"I said get away!" She reiterated. Mal did what he could, backing away.
"Uh...what we were talking about last night..."
"Yeah I bet you and your friends had a really good fucking laugh at..."
"I never told anyone, I swear." He interrupted her. Melanie was just looking into the mirror.
"They found out, I'm finished." She said, with a distinctly weak tone in her voice. "They know."
"Look, things look bad..."
Before he could say anything more, she took a razor from her bag, and smashed it on the edge of the sink. He started to move, but Melanie picked up one of the blades, and held it up.
"Melanie..."
"Go ahead!" She screamed at him. "Go ahead and tell me life's worth living! Go ahead and tell me that things will get better!"
"Melanie..."
"By now everyone know!" She screamed at him. "Everyone fucking knows! That guy, yeah, my dad probably fucked him over! The others, by now, everyone will have heard!"
"Melanie..."
"Don't try and tell me it's all worth it!" She whimpered. "I...I..I'm just tired...I can't do this anymore."
With that, she dragged the razor across her wrist. Mal was stunned seeing this, but as she did it to her other wrist, he ran at her, tackling her to the ground. Melanie tried to fight him, but he resisted. He did what he could, but while she was fighting him, there was little he could do. Eventually, once he was already covered in her blood, he managed to grab one of her wrists and hold it tightly. A janitor came in, and dropped his mop.
"What the..
"CALL AN AMBULANCE!" Mal implored him.
"Uh..."
"JUST CALL A FUCKING AMBULANCE!" He screamed again. Mal held Melanie, hoping what he was doing...anything he could do, would help. She was the queen bitch of the school, or at least, she had been. Now, she was nothing, and he was the only one there to see how she planned to deal with it.