Away from the Madding Crowd (chapter 33)

Shinko after wrapping the desk cloth around his waist jumped up onto the desk his legs crossing as he awaited the torture that was sure to come. He knew all too well the schedule that his abusers used to arrive. Their constant mocking him, degrading him. Even freed from the confines of the Life Fiber bands he took the punishment, his unsettled mind and bodily fatigue had almost shaped him in that regard.

Instead of anyone coming though there was nothing. The abusers had always been on point and punctual, it was easier to drive him insane that way. This delay was when he knew something was wrong.

'What? Where are they?' the black haired teenager winced.' They're missing out on their endgame,' Shinko chided, arms folding over his bare chest. He froze though feeling something powerful move through his body. Every tingle in his skin felt like pin pricks, goosebumps, much like his Kamui had when Satsuki donned Junketsu.

Then, after the sensation, there was noise. Vile screeching as if nails were going against a chalkboard or metal was slicing against metal. Explosions raced out through the air as he walked to the shattered window to figure out the cause of the sudden chaos. A red light flashed by his window sill before rippling off with a burst of wind a few hundred feet away. Cloth flew in the wind as if cut cleanly through without a hitch.

His blue eyes turned down towards the courtyard where dust was being kicked up by a vibrant purple motorcycle. Glares of red light seemed to trail off of the right side as the frames of the COVERs around the vehicle all split into scraps. A brown cloth covered the assailant, but he could tell that it was indeed a person with dark hair, hiroom's height though did not give him any advantage here.

'Not too many people are that dumb,' he snickered turning away from the window and back towards the hallway. He pushed through the doorway and did not look back, the noises of the blade swooshing through the air echoing in the emptiness.

He made it down to the large observation windows of the floor many of which were busted or cracked. It hit him that moment, and that in that sole moment, he knew the only other person stupid enough to headlong charge into a horde of COVERs.' Matoi must be pretty pissed finding out she's a special one like me. Pfft whatever she can fight for humanity all she wants. I'm done this false heroic bull,' his body shuddered in the blustering cold echoing through the hall.

In the courtyard...

"Nui Harime! Ragyo Kiryuin! Where the hell are you?!" Ryuko shouted her blade dancing through the air and continuing the butcher those worthless COVERs. Her teeth were grit feverishly as if she had been ill. Everything about the teenager seemed so off from normal except for that glimmer in her eye, that of a scorned young woman ready to tear apart everything that had been established.

A giggle light and bubbly sounded through the barren place. From behind the nearest COVER Nui Harime peered with her lone bright blue eye, a smile across her milky white skin. Her hands were clutching behind her back holding tightly to the purple companion of Ryuko's own Scissor Blade.

"Hey, Ryuko-chan I knew you'd come," Nui laughed as if they were too friends that had been separated. This airiness was definitely contrasting the serious grit that Ryuko had garnered to fight the accursed duo.

"Stop talking like we're old friends!" a lone red slash tore through the air. COVERs to the right and left of the teenager was all split horizontally freeing the people within who all crumpled to the floor.

"Aren't we though Ryuko-chan?" Nui tilted her head and asked with a broad smile. She was too light to be a threat many would have assumed but her feats were very plan to see." Come on you don't wanna fight us," the blonde giggled again.

"No, I'm here to take your head!" Ryuko lurched forward her blow coming down upon nothing but air as Nui simply spun out of the way. Landing softly a few feet away on the balls of her heels. The pink covered princess smiled before spinning the purple Scissor half of her own out towards Ryuko ready to engage when the next strike was thrown.

She puffed out her chest and sighed softly." You'll see soon Ryuko-chan what I mean," the blonde being laughed pointing the blade down in a defensive stance. Her swordsmanship was exceptionally well planned for a 'normal' teenaged girl.

"Shut up!" Ryuko charged with a kick from the ground her weapon spinning in her hand. It came down at a forty five degree angle from the left meeting its counterpart with a heavy white spark that sent the ground cracking up and down for several yards. Pivoting the next strike at one hundred and eighty degrees followed missing marginally and Ryuko felt something like a pin jab into her arm but it was no longer there when she looked.

Nui quickly took the distraction as an advantage and began to wail away with precise strikes only increments of a degree off from the last just to keep Ryuko on her toes. It failed miserably as a single strike from the red blade rebounded any offense away by kicking the blonde off balance.

"Come on Ryuko you are just like us," Nui pouted as their blades danced through the air. Each contact seemed louder and brighter than the last as their tussle shifted across the entire courtyard. COVERs were being tossed around in either direction bursting into their human form as they were handily dealt with by the duo.

"Be quiet!" one push sent Nui twenty or so feet into the air where Ryuko quickly pressed her feet of the ground to catch her. In a leap of kangaroo proportions the feather haired teenager slashed across the sky finding the edge of her blade against the angled blade of her foe, their force rang out in a gale of wind the struggle clearly intensifying. More pins though seemed to press in along her nude frame she once again though did not find anything where she looked.

'SHINK!' one long slash ran down the edge of her blade sending a half-circle out from behind her the pressure lifting the ground. The half-human though shrugged it off and bounced the blonde attacker back with surprising grace and skill.

"You need to just die bitch!" Ryuko slashed dozens of times over. Each strike lit the edge of Nui's sword with a spark that exploded, but it failed to even deter the smaller blonde from any sort of combat. The ground was starting to crack as their engaging fight grew more intense, Ryuko anger was beginning to boil over and the complex was definitely not made for that.

One strike, a horizontal single armed slash, sent Nui crashing back an advantage to being an angry Life Fiber hybrid. The pink wearing girl looked up in shock as another strike came rushing in from above, it struck hard against her blade and a shock wave echoed out. The ground lifted several feet from its previous position and the air hummed briefly as Ryuko hung there adding pressure.

Like a snap though Nui was able to deflect the blow and trade in her own. With a series of scraping noises the two were quickly rolling in Nui's combination dust clouding up around them as their weapons race through the air in blurs of red and purple. Braced Ryuko was able to take on strikes that seemed endless from Nui the force of each sending her scraping back several feet.

"Ryuko-chan you can't win this one," Nui chided swinging her weapon rapidly and striking it against that of her red highlighted foe. Ryuko simply took the blow in stride with the rest and began meeting the strikes mid-air as if they were nothing special, the force rippling through the air in long screech.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" one swing, two swings, three, Ryuko started her comeback. Each one started to push Nui back the cloud of dust now rising up from behind the black haired fighter. Both of them were quickly covered completely in the thick clog of smoke their blades the only thing that could be seen and the exchange the only thing heard.

More pricks seemed to race through Ryuko's frame but that did not stop her. She went on and on pressing forward until Nui wasn early bent backwards taking the strike over the blade like they were getting stressful. Their power gap had closed for now but Nui was still just playing around while Ryuko was completely and utterly exerting herself perhaps even beyond her maximum. The screeches and screams of swords continued to ring out as the brawl kept on.

Then on and overhead swing everything stopped for Ryuko. Her arms raised for an overhead swing, that was good enough to cut down Nui's face, were held back as if threads to a marionette. Her legs failed to move when she pulled them. Her face even contorted the grit being yanked back into an uncomfortable smile. Her grip was even effected by these binds as each finger began to pry from the sword.

A rainbow exploded out over the entire area as did a small white light rising from the top of Satsuki's old tower. Forced by these threads Ryuko was turning to look at it the pressure of the aura unmistakable. Ragyo Kiryuin seemed like an angel of death atop the tower as the white light quickly took center stage as a garment rose up before her the red threads through Ryuko's body all aimed towards it.

"You bitch! You're next!" Ryuko shouted at her loudest. When she tried to budge and slash down to break the binding it failed. Instead her arms snapped over to the side as did her legs as if she was a puppet on a thread. The ruby blade in her hand dropped to the ground as Nui glared up at the tower with a giant smile; the witch atop it with one just a broad and crooked.

"Tsk, tsk, that is no way to talk to your mother young lady," Ragyo chided her rainbow colored hair flashing about in the passing wind as lightning rolled in the background. Everything seemed so wrong as Ryuko felt her frame being tugged up towards the tower without a single person there yanking her." Don't worry though once you get dressed you will feel much better," her ruby lips parted with a smile.

"As if you stupid bitch!" her teeth gnashed at the threading it was pointless they were Life Fibers after all. Her feet left the ground a moment later and reeling effect grew stronger now that she could not grasp at the ground in a futile effort.

It was not until she was only a few feet away that she realized exactly what she was being pulled towards. It was indeed the Kamui that Satsuki had donned in the past, its primal eyes looking at her like a lion to a gazelle." Help! Someone! Anyone help! Let me go you stupid fucking bitch!" Ryuko shouted until the bitter end as she was now inches away from the possessive clothing.

Shinko was walking down the hall keeping himself hidden when COVERs were near and sneaking away when they did not feel him any longer. He stopped dead in his tracks when that rainbow light descended across the courtyard though, it was a natural fear that had been implanted into him.

His hard exterior was starting to crack when he saw the Kamui hanging in the air. Ryuko's struggling frame being brought near to it made his skin crawl much like Satsuki's whimpers for help had only days prior." Fight it Matoi!" he shouted aloud, instinctively. That resolve he had used to keep pressing on for so long was surfacing even though he tried to stamp down that 'human' part.

Unfortunately, such noise was drawing the attention of the COVERs he had just moved by. Their bulky white frame turned towards him with a glimmer of rage that someone was able to pass by their adept senses." My big mouth," he grunted looking for something to defend himself with. Nothing was left laying around he was as good as gone in this case.

'Scling! Clack! Slick!' noises of a knife cutting through vinyl-like fabric. A nude figure stood behind one of the falling COVERs a long mess of black-blue hair hanging down over their body while their hands were shackled tightly.

"Kurosaki?" Satsuki asked in awe hearing the screams for help on the outside. They were her sister's but nothing could save the girl she had lost so many years ago especially not now that she lacked the Bakuzan.

"You escaped?" he looked in shock at her. His voice was raspy and hardened by nights and days of not talking while hers was as strong as ever, not like the weakling he had heard cry out for help.

"I intend to yes. And you?" Satsuki looked seeing the COVERs quickly appearing at either end of the hallway. Her keen blue eyes did not look outside the white clothes that were quickly rounding the corner made her breaths grow more intense.

"I'm staying. There is something I need answered before I make that decision," he looked down at her toenails the only blades he had seen up close in a long time.' She was prepared for this. It is ridiculous that she has that will to go on,' Shinko commented seeing her body tense as they grew closer.

"Very well. I know you have answers to look for so I will not hold you from finding them," Satsuki bowed humbly as a blinding blue-white light reached out over the courtyard. Her tensed muscles loosened as the COVERs got closer giving them a very narrow means of escape." If truly you are like Ragyo Kiryuin don't let it shape who you become. Kurosaki, I do wish you luck, hopefully we will meet again on the winning side," the young woman kicked her left foot up and quickly dealt with the nearest five COVERs giving a narrow opening.

"Get going Satsuki, before they decide that one or two is not enough to stop you," Shinko snidely stated bolting through the opening quickly heading to the stairway their only means of escaping the incredible misfortune heading their way." I'm not an ally to humans either, because I am not a human. I'm a Life Fiber monster."

Satsuki smiled running close behind him." You can never give up on being something that defines you. For me that means being a Kiryuin and feeling the urge to serve the Life Fibers," Satsuki looked at him and sighed." And for you that means coming to terms with exactly who you want to be," she took a quick lead running down the steps, even after deprivation of practically everything Satsuki was something of a special entity.

Shinko kept to himself pondering everything when something caught his senses. It was familiar and foreign at the same time like a passing memory from a day at the beach or something of the sort." You are just full of neat lies to tell yourself. Keep going then Satsuki fight for your cause," he remarked following along as they made it to the ground floor landing.

"They are not lies Kurosaki, I assure you. You may not admit it but you are still human," she kicked through the ground floor door as the white light continued to shine out from the courtyard." I will fight for my cause until the bitter end. And I know that you will fight too, because you are not Ragyo Kiryuin and there is still a human heart within your chest. You're a rebel with a desire to reach your own goals and that base desire it what will keep you fighting these monsters," she exited in typical fashion leaving Shinko standing there.

The feeling of deja vu got stronger for some reason. It was like someone was calling to him from somewhere, a dark place that had its recesses but it was indeed calling to him. His hands clenched at his burning head as the feeling turned into a familiar voice that was growing louder as if shouting towards him.

'Shinko come and find me!' it roared out. It was a well mannered voice of decent tone and regard. One that he had heard consistently for several months and one he had grown accustomed to.

"You are dead! My brain is just messing with me! Satsuki's words just got to me," he shouted clutching at his skull in absolute agony. The voice though kept ringing as if it were not just a passing memory getting to him.

'You cannot believe those lies that were fed to you! You are Shinko Kurosaki, one woman's words should not break you, you are a human!' it hissed out again that voice of his dead Kamui. It was loud and clear in his mind as it had been forever.

"Shut it you are just a piece of my imagination. I have to survive looking for nothing is only going to get my killed. I should just follow Ragyo I'll be safer that way," he shrugged his shoulders and grabbed his head tightly. The burning sensation slowly faded away and he looked up again this time heading towards his own survival.

'Shinko please! Look for me!' the voice of Sentokitsu continued to shout to his former wearer. Shinko stood up and glared out towards the door shaking the thought from his mind once more.

"You are dead! Just leave me alone!" Shinko roared leaning back the headaches growing far worst. It was as if he was being attacked by his Kamui even though there was obviously distance between them. His frame fell to both knees as the pain in his skull grew more intense than prior, everything started to fade away into blackness as a looming presence rang in the air.

'Shinko please find me, please,' the Kamui repeated as the human faded into complete unconsciousness unable to continue. The teen's body shivered as the air rippled with a hidden pressure. A blinding light shone in through the wide open door as something or someone flew off in a jet-like impact. There was something incredible on the horizon.

His mind was a murky black forest with nothing to determine where or when the location was. Shinko though found himself standing in the 'center' of the location with no knowledge on how or why he was there. Something though was there lurking in the darkness, it was hungry and snarling like some savage beast.

He looked to his right and a red spidering thread was glowing. Its pulsating frame mimicking a heart's beats and its shifting shape almost mocking a body. The teen felt it though around him the presence of an aura that was completely overwhelming. Ragyo must have been nearby whatever that meant.

'Shinko!' once again the voice of his diseased Kamui thundered out through his consciousness. It was grating to hear again a mockery of his biggest failure. However the two green dots in the distance proved that there was no such disembodied voice anymore.

"Sento you're dead because of me! I get it please just let me move on," the black haired teenager responded with a shout. Ragyo had dropped a lot of facts upon him and the Kiryuin silver tongue was making it hard to discern fiction from the truth.

'You are not a full human. I knew that a long time ago but you were so confident in me telling you the truth would have been flattery,' the Kamui's spirit remarked the green eyes glowing brighter. Shinko clung close to the floating thread its beating growing more and more erratic.' You can not deny though that our Fusion put both of us above something like human and clothes,' the apparition had another valid point.

"A level more than anything that either would be able to do alone," Shinko finished having felt the same way in that position. The Kamui had never failed him, he failed it. Shinko stared out knowing the complete nonsense that was being spoken in that very moment." And then human error got involved. You ended up dead because of me," he remarked to the dead Life Fiber being.

'I told you already that I am not dead. Nui Harime tried to pick me apart but nothing worked,' the Kamui stopped as if chilled. He felt presences that were not the most joyous ever.' She stitched me to a board and hung me on the wall like a trophy. I'm still there by the way. I know what they are planning Shinko,' Sentokitsu reminded, his physical form must have still existed.

'You are kidding me. In the stitching room right? Just like I dreamed about when I went to sleep," he dismissed the claims of any validity. He had dreamed it all just like he thought." I must be tricking myself, I should have known you weren't really here," the teen bluffed looking at the green eyes in the darkness.

'You are a fool if you think you will survive without help,' Sentokitsu huffed. The Kamui was clearly fed up with listening to the absolutely ridiculous claims of his wearer.

"I'm one of those monsters like Ragyo if anything I'll survive," he snickered trying to wake himself up. Though nothing changed he did not snap out of this 'dream' all the attempt did was hurt.

'No, you are Shinko Kurosaki. You have rallied against oppression the entire path of your life. One woman should not break your spirit and your resolve,' the Kamui went on. The purpose was clear and that was to snap the teenager out of this daze that had cast itself over his mind and heart, the hate for humanity and self-loathing.' Of course you also were born as an 'enlightened one' that was what they called you right? Start acting like someone with sense then,' Sentokitsu shouted.

"Enlightened by the fact I am part human, part Life Fiber. My purpose is to help Ragyo," he grunted coming to realization.

'That is if you hang close to that red thread of fate. Your father tried to break away but he failed,' Sentokitsu remarked remembering the headstone.' You though can unravel everything being a human-hybrid means your path is far from pre-planned. Cut the cord and unwind the patchwork Ragyo has on the world,' Sentokitsu remarked.

"Yeah right. No one alone can take on Ragyo Kiryuin, not even Ryuko," he stood firm to his fleeing ideal. The world was a big place by the time full control happened he would have at least lived a few more years.

'No one said that you had to fight her alone. You don't have to stand alone. Hundreds of people are out there willing to help you. Satsuki herself is willing to back you or do you not remember that?' the piece of clothing posed a very fair point.

"Great more misplaced confidence. I am not the answer to everyone's problem. She can have all the confidence she wants, but Ryuko was just eaten by Junketsu so I can't fight anyone now. I need the safety of Ragyo Kiryuin," he complained that was until the Kamui's frame appeared from the darkness.

He had changed again this time into something way different. A white shirt with glowing eyes of the most righteous emerald green highlighted at the shoulders and sides with red stripes that ran down to where the belt of trousers would be.' There is more safety than what Ragyo provides. Did you forget the protection that comes with wearing me Shinko?' the long sleeve of his right side reached up.

"I'd still fail everyone," he commented staring at the gesture disgusted.

'You said it before your follies are my follies. My flaws are yours. Shinko we when we use Life Fiber Fusion are not Shinko and Sentokitsu anymore. We are the chimera, your strength and fighting spirit and my thinking nature and unleashed energy. Two spirits one being,' he explained the sleeve still hanging up there.

"And if I lose, you lose. I cannot have that burden on his shoulders," Shinko explained turning felt it though that drawing presence of his Kamui still there.

'Without anyone to defend though you do not have to hold back. Ryuko getting eaten by Junketsu, as you put it, made her our enemy,' Sentokitsu explained as Shinko froze.' You have nothing left to control your power and no reason to hamper it yourself. If you Ryuko's our enemy we're going to take her down like anyone else in our way. This world is ours to save,' the Kamui said.

"Or destroy," Shinko smiled running a hand through his black mess of spiky hair. It was followed by a blinding white light exploded out sending Shinko reeling back with both eyes closed tightly. It was like staring at Satsuki and Ragyo at the same time.

The sun seems to be setting even though one of heroes finds their path again. Ryuko though is on the track for destruction once again, though what path of destruction will it be destruction of herself or of everything except?

Thanks for reading folks,

~Herodan