7/7 Tu - Shirakawa Boulevard - Dark Hour - Fuuka
"So it looks like I'm running the show now."
"What the hell are you...!?"
"Why should I tell you? You'll be dead in a minute."
Kazuki-kun is acting differently; He's acting erratic, but terrifyingly violent. His reading is different than it usually is. And all this power… What is he?
"How dare you gaze at me, woman!?" He noticed me!? "...Maybe I should just kill you for looking at me!" Right as he raises his hand, his other hand grabs it, as though he's stopping himself. "You've gained some control over your body?" He turns away from me. What did he mean by "gained some control over your body"?
"Hey, will you hurry the hell up?" Kazuki-kun's opponent impatiently says.
"I forgot you're still alive?"
"Yeah, don't you count me out yet!"
They engage in hand-to-hand combat. Whatever is controlling Kazuki-kun is losing the battle, as his opponent is consecutively hitting him with a mix of fists and kicks. He then hit Kazuki's body with a flaming punch, knocking him back a bit.
"Ha, how was that? You ain't so tough now, are ya!?"
"Not bad, for a worm..." He disappeared, escaping Lucia's gaze. Locking onto his presence, he's standing next to his enemy. "...But such a pathetic display doesn't deserve praise."
He backhands the enemy, sending him flying across the rooftops. He follows him across the roofs at unbelievable speed, hitting him as he moves across the roofs. They crash into an apartment building. The enemy tries to defend himself by making a geyser of flames beneath Kazuki- kun's body. It launches him to the roof of the building. As Kazuki-kun's body stays in the air, his opponent shoots up towards him by using his flames. He strikes him and uses short bursts of explosions to change directions. Whatever is controlling Kazuki-Kun is just letting it happen, mounting no defense. Our enemy goes in for another hit. However, Kazuki-kun moves his hand. Right when the punch is about to connect, he grabs it. He then throws him back down at the apartment building; the throw alone is strong enough to make him go through 8 floors. He then lands on the rooftop, only to jump down to the bottom first floor. He's now facing his opponent, who is still alive.
"Is that it? Humans really are weak." He stomps his face with no warning. He does it again with no remorse. Each stomp is worse than the last, caking his opponent in his blood. He lets out a laugh that makes my spine curl and leaves disgusted. "Come on, come on, human. Where did all that energy go? Is barking all you can do, and if so, then I'll take you out like the whimpering dog you are."
He lifts his foot for one last stomp. This one is packed with more power. It'll kill him.
"Feel proud, you'll be a tribute to the oncoming massacre."
This is wrong, so wrong! That's not Kazuki-kun. He would never do something like this. This isn't him!
"Stop!" My voice strikes at him like lightning, making him jolt.
He immediately stops his attack, placing his foot back on the ground.
"...Count yourself lucky, brat," he tells him, irritation and disdain seeping from his voice.
He jumps up through the hole in the roof, landing on the edge of the apartment, allowing the wind to blow past his body. His eyes are directed at me. Once again, he vanishes without a trace. Where did he– My heart heavily pounds against my chest. He's standing in front of me, staring at me with murderous intent.
Lucia is protecting me, but the destructive power he displayed will surely break through my defense. He destroys Lucia with a single punch.
"...And to think, you dare tell me what to do. Such hubris warrants death..."
The feeling of bloodlust is real. He really will kill me if I don't do something.
"Kazuki-kun, if you can hear me, please snap out of it."
"Ignoring me is truly audacious. I'll have to punish you for such a slight against me."
"Please Kazuki-kun, don't allow this person to take control of your body like this, come back to us; come back to me..."
"You waste your breath for naught." He swipes his hand in empty space, only for the hotel to be damaged by some invincible force even I can't perceive. It slices through the building, from the bottom to the top of the building.
"I wonder if it killed everyone inside. Well, even if it didn't, it might have mortally wounded them," he cackles with delight. "Well, matters not. You're going to die now, so don't worry about them!" With a single punch, he'll kill me. I close my eyes, expecting my end. Seconds flow by… I'm still alive? I open my eyes to see his fist inches away from my face. "Tch, how disappointing. I suppose my time is over. Oh, well...I'll just have to look forward to killing you some other time, girl..."
"Kazuki-kun!?"
The yellow in Kazuki-kun's eyes returns to brown. He blinks his eyes, wearing a baffled expression.
"Kazuki-kun, are you okay!?"
"Huh, what the… What happened? Wa-wait! Where's Katsu!? Fuu-chan, what happened to Lucia? Bring her back, I don't want you out in the open like this."
He's back…he's really back!
"Kazuki-kun!"
I hug him, wrapping my arms tightly around him.
"Ah, what's going on!? Did something happen? We still have to worry about Katsu."
"Kazuki-kun, you already beat him."
"What? No, that doesn't make sense...I blacked out and now I'm..."
Does he not remember anything that happened? More importantly, what was that thing? The moment he switched out with whatever was controlling him, his energy signature changed. Now it's the way it usually is…
"Fuu-chan…what happened to the hotel?"
He stares dumbfounded at it, gawking at the extensive damage done to the building. How it's still standing is a miracle in itself.
"That was… Hang on a moment." I summon Lucia and run a scan of the building. Everyone, please be okay, please be okay… Yes! All of them are alive but severely injured. Nothing permanent, however, they need medical attention as soon as possible. Hm? Someone is coming from the hotel, a strong reading. It's Minako-chan.
I tensed up the second she stepped out of the front door, somewhat injured but better than everyone else. Kazuki-kun moves in front of me, ready for a fight.
"What happened out here?" she asks, not bothered by the torn up hotel.
"What about everyone else?" Kazuki-kun demands an answer from her.
"They're still alive, but they're banged up and could die if they're left alone. I think it's from whatever did that. They got pretty lucky, I'd say."
So callous, as if she couldn't care if they lived or died.
"This some sort of game to you!?" Kazuki-kun snaps at her.
"I never said anything of the sort."
"What the hell is wrong with you, then?"
"Nothing at all. I'm just done putting up a front around you and Yamagishi."
"A front?"
"Yes, an act. The person you got used to was an act, nothing more." She takes a seat against the outside wall. "I took care of the second shadow that was in there."
"There were two shadows in there," I exclaim.
"That's right, and I took care of it for you guys. I thought you would have sensed it by now; guess your abilities are weak."
Kazuki-kun stomps to Minako-chan. I stop him before he can take another step. Admittedly, it hurts me to hear that my abilities are weak, but I can't let him be provoked.
"The Dark Hour ends in a minute, but don't worry, I contacted Ikutsuki while I was in there. He's sending a specialized rescue team."
That's good news, but why would she do that? For that matter, why is she...
"What do you even want? Why did you even come back to the dorm?" Kazuki-kun asks for me.
"None of your concern, just know this: your life is in my hands. If I so wish, I can end it in the blink of an eye. So don't piss me off."
Kazuki-kun scoffs at her declaration. "I'm going to save everyone. Fuu-chan, wait here for the rescue team."
He heads into the wreckage without a second thought. I use Lucia to help him find our friends…