September 19th, 2030

(POV: Third)

The event did not appear to shake Aibo Academy. One would imagine that, due to a buddyfight participant's death occurring within the city, the school would decrease the number of outdoor activities. No matter how you put it, there was a murderer at large. Ms. Fridrik took a leap in deciding that the murder was connected to the others, theorizing that the boss got back at disloyal subjects who acted out of line. Alvis couldn't help but think about how big of a leap that line of thinking was, but he had no podium to stand on. Last time he tried to talk to his boss, Fridrik almost blew a fuse. He knew that he couldn't get involved; as a member of the DMW, he could only go through the assignments given to him.

Sitri and Alvis were watching students from afar. They were waiting for Abigail to arrive with her buddy; she was running into some issues with traffic. Sitri looked over to his buddy to see the man nervously fiddling with his curly hair. His teeth bit into his lower lip as he winced at the mental battles happening in his head. He was thinking back to the scene when he and Sitri were finally there.

They recalled it so vividly; they both saw as Arkaid motioned them over to the remains Hoshi's corpse. However, she then quickly looked over to her buddy. Alvis remembered seeing Chase so visibly disturbed by the scene before him. He was like a statue, frozen stiff as his eyes stared emotionlessly at Hoshi's remains. Chase's mouth was slightly open, a dark shadow was cast across his eyes. Alvis noticed that his friend's hair was messed up and wild, the result of a man so terrified, so affected by the horrid scene, that he attempted to pull out his own hair. Alvis hated that scene, and that made Sitri hate everything even more. Alvis wasn't the only friend he had; to Sitri, Chase was an incredibly close friend that aided in the endeavor to make Alvis open up more. The fact that he had to witness Alvis seeing Chase in such an … unprotected state.

Alvis was so used to seeing CJ act rather blasé, mostly when it comes to how he returns back with snarky comments. Currently, Alvis chuckled, since it was only a short while ago that Sitri and him, comedically, told CJ about the monster and human doing the do. But now, as he relived the horrible memories, he could only watch as his friend almost … lost himself. It took ages for Arkaid to finally get Chase out of the room.

Everyone knew that it wasn't his fault; any buddyfighter that Hoshi lost to could've triggered Hoshi's anger. However, that didn't stop the boss from pinning it all on the poor man. Alvis gritted his teeth before slamming the bottom part of his fist into his right thigh. Sitri perked his right ear up as he looked over to his angered buddy. Sitri was worried, but he quickly turned his attention to Abigail. She finally arrived, swiftly carrying Borzoi in his SD form. Abigail called out to Alvis with concern. "Alvis!" That managed to snap the man out of it. He gasped before turning his eyes to the woman he cared quite deeply for. "Dammit, Alvis! Don't scare us like that. I don't want you to be punching yourself after all of this."

"I'm sorry," Alvis returned morosely. "I'm just… so fucking angry."

"I understand," Abigail quickly returned. "The boss is-"

"Being a complete tool!" Alvis yelled. His French accent was strong as he shouted out. Sitri placed a paw on his buddy's shoulder, gesturing him to calm down. Alvis took a deep breath before continuing. "… I just don't get her. Why did she have to pin it all on him? He didn't do anything wrong; he was just working with us. The buddy police even allowed it to happen!"

Abigail nodded, soon noticing that Borzoi was whimpering softly in her arms. "We've… actually been discussing that too…. Alvis, maybe we should be with CJ tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he's drinking, right?"

"I don't want to deal with him when he drinks," Alvis snorted. "I'll make a visit tomorrow when we know we have the time, but there's no way I'm seeing him tonight."

"But Arkaid's statements about how-"

"You know how he can get sometimes," Alvis quickly returned. "He's so… vulnerable, and he doesn't have a filter to save his life."

"Though he hasn't said anything terrible to us."

"Just knowing his vulnerability, and the fact he loses his filter, is enough to make me wary," Alvis replied. "What if he finally says something? What if, one day, he finally drinks too much? And then, he goes violent?"

"But he hasn't done that."

"But what if he does?!" Alvis screamed. "No; I'm not visiting him tonight. Fridays are his thing, and I know he'll go overboard tonight. Even if it's truly his first…" Alvis turned away. "I don't want to see it happen to someone I care about, especially not again."

"… Okay," Abigail softly murmured. "… Let's just do this then. No point stalling any longer."

Sitri proudly took advantage of the fact that he was in his normal form. He stood like a proud adult as he burst through a large door. After going through the school and asking for directions, the group was finally able to learn where Magoroku Shido was located. Upon opening the doors, they saw a blonde kid sitting at his desk. He appeared to be conversing with a buddy monster of his own. The creature resembled some sort of skeletal demon, with the main body being coated with shadow. The two horns, in addition to the torn cape it wore, established that this creature was something not to be messed with. However, the creature appeared to be rather comical in its inflections; the creature was cackling while the blonde kid was gritting his teeth at anger, most likely due to a comment he didn't like. The sound of the door being burst open broke the conversation up, stunning the kid into a fit of child-like anger. "H-Hey! What do you think you're doing barging into my room like that?!" The child complained like a spoiled child. After getting the report from Tasuku, the group knew that they found their guy. "I'm the president of the middle school student council! I demand you explain your entry!"

Sitri smirked. "Guess you're our guy. You're Magoroku Shido, right?"

"Y-Yes! And I demand that you tell me why you barged in like a bunch of barbarians!"

"God, Tasuku was right about you on every level. You complain like a child."

"T-Tasuku?! He sent you here?!" Shido's buddy monster was cackling behind the now frightened child. Upon closer inspection, the kid appeared to greatly value a sense of formality, but based on his reaction he only seemed to like it when things occurred in his favor. As he returned his composure, the group was able to pick up the childishly sly aspect of the kid's personality. He spoke with a pompous tongue that made most rich men and women cringe. The kid tightened the white gloves coating his hands before returning to the officers. He coughed, clearing his throat. "Never would I imagine that Tasuku would recommend your coming here. I guess my reputation precedes me."

"Of being a complete wimp."

Shido's composure, as expected, easily broke down. He curled his hands into fists, but he held them down at his sides like a pouting child. The voice that came from the child's throat appeared to crack as he spoke more nervously. "I have you know that I will not tolerate such behavior! I have connections! I can have pesky felines like yourself confiscated to never return!"

"Oh, a feline joke," Sitri returned with a snicker. "Grow up and just make a pussy joke, will ya?"

Abigail quickly interjected. "Okay, before you taint the poor kid's ears, I want to get this job done." Sitri backed off, allowing Abigail to take center stage. "We know that you've conversed with someone from The Will of Kyoya." Shido's body tensed up. It was easy to imagine the Master of the horrid gang to wince in disappointment upon seeing such a wimpy child. "We're looking for someone referred to as Master Eirik. We believe that there was a reason for him to reach you."

Shido crossed his arms, soon laughing in a snobbish manner. However, as he did so, his legs began to shake nervously. He was terrible at hiding the fear coursing through his body. One could only hope that he was sent to testify. He may only be 15, but Sitri wanted this kid to lie and commit perjury. "I can't i-imagine recognizing someone like that. Honestly, you think I would recognize them at all? And besides, how can I believe you're an officer? You're so fat, making you quite horrid to look at."

"… Them?"

Shido quickly covered his mouth. "O-Oh… Oh no."

Abigail couldn't help but chuckle to herself. "This is too easy. To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed." Abigail's cackling sent chills up Shido's spine. He quickly looked over to see Borzoi enveloping himself in a soft glow. He was definitely thinking of reverting to his original form. "I kinda wanted you to resist, especially after that fat comment. Go ahead. Resist. You're not a minor in this country, right? That means I can arrest you and get you jailed for … resisting."

Sitri looked over at her. "Don't do that."

"Hey, I'm only going to do something if he swings first," Abigail commented. "So come on, Shido Weirdo."

The kid's eyes widened. "Y-YOU CALLED ME THAT TOO?!"

"Ha! So they were Hoshi and Gale, right?"

"Um… Um!"

Alvis gritted his teeth. "Oh, give me a break!" He stomped forward as his body angrily tensed up. The tenacity within him consumed the room, bringing everyone's attention to him. "I'm getting really sick of watching you whimper and stall! Tell us what Eirik looks like! If you don't, I'm going to send your ass to the police and tell them that you're involved with the murder!"

"W-WHAT?!"

"Yeah! You withholding information about the murderer could get you in some hot water! There's audio recording that identifies you! We could make you an accomplice if you keep withholding the man's identity!" He slammed his fist against the desk, almost roaring into Shido's face. It was like he took the feline aspects of Sitri for himself. The office was a jungle now, and Alvis was the king. Such ferocious yelling even sent the buddy monster away with fear. "Tell us who he is! NOW!"

Abigail, monotonously, stated the traits they were given by the student. However, during the statements, she couldn't help but chuckle a little bit upon recalling Shido nearly soiling himself with fear. However, they were definitely close to crossing a few lines by using the amount of fear they did in their interrogating. Still, they were right; Shido could've been sent away for being an 'accomplice' for hiding such key information. "Black, messy hair, long and wild. Purple eyes. Extremely-white skin. Defined chin and cheekbones, was wearing a…"

Alvis wasn't listening. Sitri noticed this too as he motioned his head, noticing that his buddy was staring into space. He saw Alvis muttering something to himself, but it was inaudible to even him. The feline couldn't put it together, but Alvis was consulting with himself. He needed to understand exactly why he did what he did. He wanted to completely understand why he lashed out like that. Fortunately, he was able to discard the idea that he interjected due to immense annoyance. He wasn't annoyed by the conversation, but he certainly wanted to move on from it.

What he wanted was to get this mystery solved, but he knew how seemingly pointless and guideless he was. He didn't want to keep following the guideless path forever. He came to Japan with his coworkers because they needed to help track down a murderer, and now that has turned into an investigation into The Will of Kyoya. The initial investigation is now being run on the boss's hunch. He hated that; he hated that he had let Chase get involved in something he shouldn't have. Alvis understood that this was a problem concerning The Will of Kyoya now, and even that was weakly held together with coincidental evidence. He couldn't help but feel like they were losing there way. "If we're going to keep doing this…," Alvis sighed quietly to himself. "… I don't want anyone else getting affected, not like this."

Liam was off on his own. His hands sagged in the pockets of his sweatshirt as he briskly made his way down the sidewalk. He appeared to ignore the rest of the world around him; his only focus was to go forward as the Buddy Police HQ began to get closer to him. He stopped for a moment as he surveyed the area around the headquarters. Things were rather off for him; many officers weren't standing at their usual posts around the building. He could only assume that the day was a busy one, especially with him knowing that they were looking for the murderer. Looking back at the scene he caused, he couldn't help but shudder. He couldn't believe that he could get that violent.

He tried to remember, but everything was so dark. Liam could only slash through the darkness, continuing his assault until Hoshi's cries were silenced. By the time he was able to actually see the results of his actions, it was when he came across CJ and Arkaid when they were on the scene. Liam held his right palm against his forehead, swearing at himself. "Such a damn idiot," he called himself. He knew he was too lucky. If Demios wasn't there to plan it so he could come across the scene later, there's no doubt in Liam's mind that he wouldn't have known what to do. This was the first time he killed another human being.

However, that was his last concern. He remembered how traumatized his friend was, and he especially remembered Ms. Fridrik giving Chase crap. Liam hated that; he wanted to slug that woman right across her face.

When he finally stopped thinking to himself, he noticed that he had entered the gate around the headquarters. From quite a distance away, he noticed a familiar dragon standing around in her normal form. It was Arkaid. She was sitting on a long, wooden bench as her tail sagged morosely on the ground. She appeared to be hunched over as her dress looked rugged and unkept. She appeared to be incredibly uneasy. Her eyes were stuck looking forward. As Liam drew closer, he could've sworn that he saw tears. However, before he could get an even closer look, Arkaid tensed up and regained her composure. She wiped her eyes with her right arm before making sure she was sitting up straight. Arkaid turned to the source of the noise, seeing Liam approaching. She took initiative, hoping that she could maintain the situation in a manner that would help her regain her formal composure even more. "H-How do you do, Liam Kieron? I didn't expect you to make your way to the Buddy Police Headquarters of all places."

"You didn't expect me to check on CJ?"

Arkaid paused for a moment. She gasped at herself, finding it odd that her mind made an error in judgment in such a fashion. She shook her head before continuing on. "Of course. My apologies; I haven't been like myself as of late. I'm sure you can understand."

"Yeah," Liam replied. He approached Arkaid as the female dragon humanoid gestured Liam to take a seat. He complied, soon making himself comfortable. "What is CJ up to? Is he still being interrogated, like?"

"Not about the murder," Arkaid replied. "After you gave him the dreadful Dark Core Deck Case, CJ agreed to be a part of their experiments. He is to be analyzed and interviewed to see if the Deck Case is negatively affecting his mind."

Liam shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't see why. Yeah, they're 'dark' and stuff, but that's just a power to draw energy from."

"I've also had experience with the Disaster Force in the past, Liam," Arkaid replied in a solemn tone. "There are definitely 'signs' that the Disaster Force can affect the mind, but CJ is being tested to tell that even occasional use could affect the mind." Arkaid looked over, watching as Liam innocently looked back to her. "You don't appear to be affected in any way. It gives me hope for my precious buddy. However, his recent experience may affect him too much…."

Liam looked forward for a moment. "… Precious," he muttered to himself. He turned over to Arkaid, watching as she continued to maintain her regal tone and appearance. "You care a lot about him, huh?"

Arkaid nodded. "He and I are eternal partners. It is not surprising to think of him in such a way." Arkaid turned her head over. "Speaking of that, you now carry the same relationship with Demios. Where is that dragon anyways?"

"He's off to his gaff to meet up with a few guys, is all," Liam returned.

"… Gaff?"

"His home, Darkness Dragon World," Liam reiterated.

"Oh… oh, hohoh," Arkaid giggled slightly. "I must admit, and I apologize sincerely if I offend you in any way, but there are times where I cannot understand the … 'slang' in which you speak in."

"I'm Irish, so I'm not surprised," Liam shrugged his shoulders. "You calling me dumb?"

"Oh, not at all!" Arkaid quickly replied. "I must apologize. I did not mean to offend."

"It was a joke," Liam returned. His tone darkened a bit as he emphasized the last word.

"Oh… you were speaking jokingly?" After listening to her question, Liam nodded back. He could tell that Arkaid was feeling rather embarrassed from the experience. She wasn't used to how he talked yet, but that only made him want his friend to come out even faster. Arkaid looked over to him, finding Liam to be stuck in thought. It was then that another thought came into her mind. "Liam, do you plan on informing CJ about your initiation?"

"… Not sure," Liam replied quietly. He crossed his arms as he laid his back against the wooden bench. "I just… didn't like how he saw me, like."

"How he saw you?"

"You must've seen it, Arkaid," Liam sighed back. "He had to have pieced it together after my fight against Tasuku. Once I saw him, he appeared fine at first… but then I saw it; I saw him suddenly react. His eyes told me everything; his mind just clicked the way it normally does. He knew that I was initiated into the ritual, and I know that he knows how it's done, and how it's forbidden in Dragon World. He realized that I died, and I watched as he fell back in fear." Arkaid couldn't help but see Liam trembling as he spoke. "How can I go and just tell him about that when the first feeling he went through was complete fear? He's afraid of me."

"… Liam," Arkaid began to say. She motioned herself closer to the man before lowering her head. Her eyes were focused on his as she spoke calmly and rationally. "Upon discovering such information, the first thing I would experience is a relative form of shock. For a friend to suddenly find out that his friend has experienced death and joined the Purgatory Knights… Well, I find it rational to believe that he found the fact itself horrifying, not you."

"I just… I don't want to worry him," Liam returned back to her. "I already feel like a burden to everyone. The last thing I want to do is make things harder for him."

"… I'll tell you something, Liam," Arkaid slowly replied. Liam turned over, noticing that her voice was rather uneasy. He could tell that Arkaid was feeling hesitant about speaking this last detail. It was enough to tell him that he should listen. He turned towards her and looked her square in the eyes, giving her his full attention. "I believe that we may not be as different as I thought. If what you say is true, then … I must confess that I am rather afraid to be a burden to everyone, especially him."

"You?" Liam asked, finding himself confused at the mere utterance of such a sentence. "You're kidding me, right? Like… you're his buddy, and you have a great card skill, and I've seen you fight."

"What do you believe drove me to who I am now?" Arkaid asked back to him. Liam couldn't answer; he already knew why. That fear was driving her. "Ever since I was young, over 390 years ago, I wasn't like any other dragons. You know the rest of the Fifth Omni Cavalry dragons, as well as most other dragons in general. Most of them fight physically or carry an extremely muscular physique, even females such as myself. However…." Arkaid looked down at herself. She couldn't help but wince. "… I stood out too much. I didn't thirst for pure brawn, and I certainly didn't scuffle like the rest of the barbaric dragons around me. Instead, I sought knowledge. I loved learning about the history of Dragon World. Though, at the time, it wasn't really called that."

"It wasn't?"

"Dragon World was originally referred to as Huan-Ryoko. In our ancient tongue, it meant Home of the Dragons."

"And… from what I remember, we didn't really get the names of the other worlds until monsters were showing up all over, like."

"Exactly, but monsters associated with the Omni Lords, such as myself, could utilize our powers to traverse the worlds, but…." Arkaid turned away for a moment. "When I was a child, all I knew was my world… and, 300 years ago, the simple idea of there being other worlds was nothing but a tale. As a child, I wanted to keep researching such legends. I simply found myself overjoyed at examining artifacts that could trace back to other worlds, if we only could recognize them as such at the time."

"… But…"

Arkaid nodded. "But… as I've stated, I wasn't like the other dragons. It didn't take long before I found myself alone. No one wished to involve themselves with a dragon that persists in strictly studies whilst pursuing knowledge." Arkaid turned to Liam. "But that didn't mean I lacked the spirit for a dragon. If there was anyone in need, I would protect the person with my life, and get beaten to a pulp just trying."

Liam looked down at the ground before him. He kicked his feet against the bench as he curled his right hand into a strong fist. "… Dragons or not, I hate people who take advantage of others."

"No amount of hate can stop them," Arkaid replied calmly. "Dragon or not, they're still people. Besides, if it wasn't for the fact that I was placed in such unfortunate situations, then I may not have been discovered by my master. Benetnasche, now an ex-member of the Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragons… he was looking for a disciple, and he recognized that I shared the same interests as him. He introduced me to the others, began to educate me in the magical arts of Sand Alchemy, and struggled to keep up with him." Arkaid took in a long, deep breath before exhaling deeply. "I was finally given a purpose. I wasn't… useless anymore. I was finally able to find people that appreciated me and found my service welcoming. They need someone to utilize magic, and I was becoming the perfect candidate. I was finally able to look at myself and say that living a life of knowledge is not a pointless one. That is why I want you to understand this, Liam Kieron," Arkaid nodded to him, watching as the man anxiously looked away. "Liam, you need to use that as a means of changing yourself. Do you truly believe that you're a burden? Go out of your way to better yourself as an individual. Personally, I already believe that you're doing well, but self-criticism is essential to truly make us, as living, imperfect beings, able to reach a goal that somewhat resembles what we wish to be. I hope that you're able to break those shackles, Liam."

The man couldn't think of anything to respond back with. Liam could only watch as Arkaid calmly placed her hands on her lap. She looked back at the door to the headquarters, hoping that her buddy would return. Finally, Liam spoke up. He smiled softly as he maintained a quiet, softspoken voice. "Thank you… I'm glad CJ has a buddy like you."

"I'm definitely happy that he has a friend such as yourself," Arkaid replied with a slight smile. "I can tell that you care a lot about him. He's definitely played a great role in your life, so I understand that I am certainly fortunate."

"… But, there's one thing I need to ask you," Liam replied back.

"What do you wish to discuss?"

"For starters, you need to chill out, like," Liam started. Arkaid found herself rather confused at the question. "You look uptight as hell. Not only that, but I know you're putting in the effort to make yourself look professional and all that crap. There's no reason for you to do that around me, or CJ either. We're not gonna get on your case for being a bit more open. It just looks weird when everyone is enjoying themselves while you're trying to stay professional all the time."

Arkaid blinked back to him. She could only bring herself to shake her head. "I must say, I didn't expect such a demand. I appreciate the fact that you're concerned for me, but I am rather fine. I apologize for-"

"You didn't do anything wrong; don't apologize," Liam replied hastily. "… Still, I don't want you to hold too much crap inside. I've seen CJ try to do that, and it didn't end well for him."

"What do you mean?"

"I've known him for over ten years," Liam began quietly. He appeared to be against addressing such a matter, but something drove him to reveal more. "Up to six years, I never found CJ to be sad. One night, though, something, which stays between me and him, got to him. Not only was this the first time he had cried, but his weeps stick to me to this day." Liam got up from the bench, soon noticing something from afar. Arkaid turned around, soon seeing a familiar face exit the HQ. "Do you plan on telling him what you told me?" Arkaid shook her head no. Liam sighed. "… Alright… but don't keep crap piled up. The last thing I want CJ to think is that he could've prevented it and failed."

(POV: First)

It was a long… dreary… annoying process. Many questions were being asked to me, and each one was grinding at my brain the more I answered them. Yes, some questions were asked multiple times, and yes, some were actually starting to get to me. I hated the fact that the doctor was asking questions about the murder. I hated discussing the matter, especially when my responses could be considered to be 'effects' from the Dark Core Deck Case. If I'm suffering mental trauma from witnessing a murder, then I'm going to be affected in a different way. In my eyes, the 'tests' were now pointless; my mind was screwed up from witnessing such a horrid event to the point that, apparently, something was deemed wrong with me. I had a hard time seeing it; to me, I was acting same as always. But, apparently, something was off. It was getting to me.

Fortunately, I was able to see Arkaid and Liam waiting for me. Seeing them was enough to save the day for me. I found myself running over to them with a soft smile on my face. Although I was given a new surge of energy, I felt extremely exhausted and tired. It was like my mind was finally conquering my body yet, at any moment, my body could just turn off and send me to a deep sleep. Liam took notice of this instantly. "Yo, dude, you look awful."

"Gee, thanks, man," I sarcastically replied. "I couldn't get much sleep last night, after… you know."

"You at least doing okay, bro?"

"Yeah, yeah," I replied back. "I'm good, I'm fine and all that. I'm just a bit tired is all."

Arkaid looked over to me with noticeable doubt. She approached me, soon placing her left hand on my shoulder. She looked straight into my eyes, causing me to pull back a little bit. The sudden move made me feel rather awkward. She motioned closer before she was only a few inches from my face. I found myself leaning back in an odd way, making me almost lose balance. Finally, she released the pressure. She motioned back from me and things returned to what they were before. It was an odd turn of events; it was something I definitely did not expect to witness. To break the ice, I needed to say something. It was then that I noticed that Demios wasn't around. "Where's your buddy, Liam?"

"Off at his gaff."

"Do you know when he's coming back?"

"By tonight, I think," Liam returned. "He had to meet up with some guys. They're probably discussing something about their military. I should be there with him, but he told me to stay behind and check on you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. To be honest, I think he wanted to check on you too."

"Maybe he could stop over at my place tonight," I replied back. "… Actually," I began. I was smirking too hard, for a sudden idea popped into my mind. Arkaid looked over to me, tilting her head in confusion. I raised a brow back at her, smirking before I gestured using my right hand. I made a soft fist as I simulated taking a drink. It was then that I heard Arkaid giggle to herself as she covered her mouth with her right hand. I turned my attention back to Liam, watching as he felt extremely out of the loop. "Come on, Liam. We finally met up in real life. Don't you think it's a good time to … drink?"