Coming out of the back, Billy swiped through a scroll in tablet form. "Alright, Jayde. I think I got something simple for-" He cut himself off and stopped walking. He blinked several times while staring at his patrons who were all crowded around in a circle cheering. "Kaito." He exhaled.
"Whatever." He shrugged before kicking a chair over beside the group. He stepped up onto it and stood above the rest. "Let's get your bets in, ladies and gents! Five to enter, ten if you win!" He held up his scroll which already had a picture of Kaito on it. Next to it was a shadow person with a question mark on the body. "It's your homeboy up against," he gestured his hand in the direction of the jadette.
"Kagami!" Elise waved her arms. "What are you doing?!"
"Is that idiot your friend?" Pithaya shot her a look.
"Yeah? Why?" She crossed her arms and looked up at her. "Is that your dumb man?"
Her brow twitched slightly as she stepped up to stand over her. "She's the one that walked up and picked a fight with him!"
"She would never do something like that unless they deserved it!" Elise tried to stand up taller to no avail.
"Oh really?" Strands of her pink hair fell across her face. The tips of her hair were a floral green. "Who do you think you are, kid!?"
"Who do you think you are, lady?!" She shot back.
Standing near the bar, Jayde blankly stared and blinked as she watched the scene unfold. "I'm starting to realize why you four have no friends."
"Yeah..." Cheyenne trailed off with a heavy exhale. She stood next to her. "But, well, I guess, um..." She tried to say something positive. She sighed. "You get used to the chaos." She softly smiled.
"Kick his ass, Kagami!!" Kris shouted at the top of her lungs while hopping on top of Elise's shoulders. She was too short to see over the crowd while standing normally.
Kaito slipped easily between the endless barrage of punches that were sent his way. He smiled the whole time too. "You're pretty fast." He chuckled.
"And you're annoyingly faster." Kagami bared her teeth while trying to close the gap between them. But he was always one step ahead of her.
He chuckled more at that. He then quickly stepped back and around a table and kicked it towards her.
Her eyes widened and she jumped up and over it. Her hands caught the edge and she shifted its momentum so it would roll alongside its edge. Once it stopped, she flipped herself over and stood calmly on the edge.
Kaito smiled more. "Well you definitely have more balance than me. I'd probably lose if we were on a roof."
"Well lucky me. We're on the ground." She flashed a playful smile back while jumping down. She reached over and pulled the table upright. "Wouldn't want it to be too easy."
"Heh." He slowly started stepping closer while bringing up his fists. "You like to talk a lot, don't you?"
"What? Can't multitask?" She teased.
"I'd prefer to have all my focus on one thing." He started walking faster. "I'd rather have all my effort going to one place!" He lunged forward.
Kagami had to block his punch. He was too fast for her to dodge. She followed up with quick strikes of her own but she still couldn't connect with him.
Waiting for an opening, Kaito sent his fist straight into her stomach. Her defenses crippled and he sent a second punch square into her nose.
The jadette fell onto her back and skidded a few feet. She groaned. Her aura fizzled. She exhaled in defeat. "Dang it." She quickly sat up with her arms between her legs. "Dang it!" She shouted a little more frustrated.
"Aw, don't worry. You're not horrible." He crouched down and held out his hand. "I just have more years on you. It's nothing to be upset about."
"Still upset." She grabbed his hand.
"Yeah." He chuckled and shook her hand. "I would be too." He nodded. "Kaito."
"I've heard." She smiled. "Kagami."
"Hmph." Kaito stood while helping her to her feet. "So you've heard of me?" He narrowed his eyes only slightly. "Is that why you're here?"
"Well I mean, I didn't hear about you until like lunch today." She shrugged. "My friends and I were trying to find some work for lien so we can travel to Vale to deal with something."
"I see." He crossed his arms as the group around them began to disperse. He stared at her for a moment. He stared into her eyes. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her and gently placed his hand on the back of her head. "I didn't think there were any of us left..." His voice cracked.
"What?" She eyed him with a confused look.
"You..." He pulled away. "You haven't met him?"
"Wait, do you mean the Monomane that won't die?"
His eyes widened. "You have met him? You've met the Ancient Monomane?"
"No, not exactly." Kagami took a deep breath. "In a dream but in a dream that was real. I met him but he didn't meet me. It's complicated."
"But he knows you're alive?" He ran his fingers through his hair. "Dammit." He shook his head. "Dammit!"
She blinked a few times. "Have you actually met him?"
"Yes." Kaito took a deep breath before nodding. "It's a long story."
"Trust me, we'll make time for it." She gestured behind him towards her friends. Her head then slowly tilted as she saw Kris and Elise bickering with Pithaya. "Um?"
"Oh?" He crossed his arms while pushing his chest out. "Good. They're already friends."
"I don't think friends are what they're thinking." She added.
Sitting at a table once everything had calmed down, Jayde pointed with a dark glass bottle towards Kagami. "So you have magic eyes." She nodded slowly before pointing at Kaito. "And so do you?"
"Yep." Both Monomanes nodded.
"Right." She nodded before taking a drink. "No wonder you're always winning fights without a semblance or aura." She mumbled.
"Right. Can you like explain that?" Kris waved her hand. She also had an unlabeled glass bottle. She ignored the glare Cheyenne was giving her as she took a small sip. When she did, her face paled and her eyes widened.
Seeing her start coughing, Elise reached over and grabbed the bottle. "It can't be that bad." She rolled her eyes before trying it as well. There was a moment of immediate regret.
"And this is why we don't drink alcohol." The Faunus reached over and took the bottle. She sniffed it and her nose crinkled before she slid it over beside Jayde.
Eyeing Pithaya, Kaito sighed. He had a new mug and was slowly drinking from it. "He took it." He sat back and clarified. "The Ancient Monomane stole my aura."
"But how? Why?" Kagami leaned forward.
"It's what he does. Usually he'll take your soul along with it but my mother helped me escape." He reached up and gently ran his fingers across his scar. "Barely."
He went quiet and took a deep breath before continuing. "My father would have dreams. Not like normal dreams. His semblance gave him clairvoyant dreams. But you know how dreams are foggy? That's the way his visions would be. So they didn't always make sense."
He shook his head. "Anyway, he had a dream about him. Saw the things he'd done..." He trailed off. "The Ancient Monomane would hunt down those of us that remained and steal our semblances and auras for himself. They're all for him in his mind. All for one. He's power hungry and crazy. And my father couldn't let it go on. Not when his family was in danger. Not when there was dishonor in his blood.
"So he deciphered his dream and we found our way to Menagerie. He lives out there underground in the unlivable deserts. I was but a boy back then but my father was convinced we could put an end to it all. He was wrong. His dream foretold his end, not the Ancient Monomane's."
Kaito took a heavy drink while leaning forward. "Once my father was gone, he came after me. He took my aura and came close to killing me. My mother got between us just in time. She shoved me through one of her portals just as he sent his coiled sword through her chest. And I ended up here. Alone but alive and far away from him." He clenched his jaw. "That's all she wanted for me."
He quickly sat back with a grin and held out his arms. "So here I live hidden among the sands. Untraceable and free from his madness."
"But... you can't just let someone like that-" Kagami started before quickly being cut off.
"You act like I haven't heard that before." Kaito snapped. "You can't go after him. It's a suicide mission. He will kill you without any regret."
"But-" She tried to speak again.
"No." He shook his head. "You and your friends will die. And then he'll find the rest of your family. And then me." He sat back and crossed his arms. "He won't stop until he has all of the Monomane power for himself. Him knowing you're alive is terrifying enough. You cannot ever set foot on Menagerie. Do you understand?"
Kagami stared at him for a moment before nodding.
"Promise me you won't go after him."
She nodded again.
"Good." He flashed his teeth and downed the rest of his drink. "I'm gonna go get another drink." He elbowed Pithaya. "Play nice."
She politely snarled back. Once he was gone, her attention locked on Kagami. "You need to heed his warning."
"I did." She replied.
"No, you didn't." She leaned across the table. "I was the one that found Kaito after his mother sent him here. I healed him. He was lucky. Lightning doesn't strike twice."
"He has to be held accountable for what he's done." Kagami narrowed her eyes. "If Kaito doesn't want to help, that's fine. I'll figure it out on my own."
"It seems history is repeating itself then." She shook her head. "Your honor blinds you and will kill you if you pursue him."
"Well it's a good thing she's not going after him alone then." Kris leaned forward. "She's got us."
"And we might not be ready just yet," Cheyenne started.
"But we'll sure as hell be one day." Elise finished. "And if Kagami asks us to go fight an immortal jerk that can't be beaten, we'll drop everything and follow her."
Glancing at her friends, the jadette softly smiled.
Pithaya scoffed with a shake of her head. "Your loyalty is impressive but it'll mean nothing when you're dead." She narrowed her eyes. "Do not bring it up to Kaito again. Do not ask for his help. It was hard enough on him the first time. He doesn't need to relive what happened."
"Understandable." Kagami exhaled while glancing down at her lap. Perhaps she could ask Jade for help. Her cousin Jade. If she'd even believe her that is.
"So," Kaito came back with a full mug and sat down. "What are you idiots going to do while here? This isn't exactly a vacation spot."
"What every lienless person in Vacuo does." Jayde finally chimed in after finishing the second bottle she had. "Work for it." She placed her scroll on the table with a smile and slid it over. "Welcome to the club. Billy's your new boss."