You know, this whole chapter sounded better in my head...
Once outside the building, Nono took a left down the sidewalk, dozing through anything in her way. The now concerned small mob followed at a distance, watching her run down people, trip over cartons, and smack into poles. Well, one pole, but it looked painful.
“Well, I know I’ma be putting my power to work later…” Aibon helped a hapless businessman to his feet. The group had just realized that none of them were in disguise and people were beginning to stare.
“I hope she knows what she’s doing.” Miki was sounding a little stressed, side stepping an avalanche of fruit.
The group followed Nono through a maze of sidewalks, alleyways and finally into a burned out husk of a building. The door was blocked, but Reina spotted Nono climbing into a second story window.
“How the hell did she get up there?” Erika shaded her eyes with her hand, watching Nono’s feet disappear into the darkness.
“I’ll get her!” Yui turned and scampered up the side of the building like a monkey. The others just watched in silence.
“How the hell did she get up there?!” Erika started pulling at her hair.
Reina felt a sort of dull rage settle in her stomach and marched back over to examine the front door. It looked normal, if a little charred around the edges, but something was behind it, keeping it from being opened. Standing about ten feet away, the door looked like it was personally challenging Reina, teasing her. She wasn’t going to take that!
With a shout, Reina charged full speed at the door, shoulder down in the ramming position. The others had followed her and watched wide eyed as she slammed into the door, completely obliterating it and continuing into the building. Erika jogged through the opening after her, ending up in a small entranceway.
“Reina? Are you alright?” Reina was sprawled out face down on the floor, not even bothering to move. Erika started tugging her to her feet, Eri right on her heels.
“What did you do?” Makoto stared at the splinters that used to be a door in shock.
“You know, that didn’t hurt one bit.” The now upright Reina wiped a smudge of dirt from her cheek, leaning lightly against Erika.
Aibon walked over, poking Reina in the shoulder. “With the force that you hit the door, you should have dislocated something.”
“I’m telling you, it doesn’t-.” A scream from upstairs interrupted Reina’s complaint and the group took off, spotting some stairs in the next room.
The mob followed the noises to a catwalk high above the conveyor belts and furnaces of the factory they were in. The sight that greeted them was a frantic Nono being slowly pulled into a deep shadow and Yui, with her tail wrapped tightly around a railing, trying desperately to pull her free.
Without thinking, Reina marched over and grabbed Nono’s arm, effortlessly yanking her out of harm’s way. With nothing to keep her balanced, Yui fell to the ground in a heap. Reina scooped both girls up and walked casually back to the gaping group of do-gooders.
“Um, okay, that was….something.” Even Miki couldn’t say anything witty.
“It was waiting for us.” Yui panted out, seeming comfortable in her place under Reina’s arm.
“In the shadows?” Reina asked, setting both girls gently back on the ground and stepped back into the group.
“No, it is the shadows.” Nono suddenly dropped to the ground, something dark shooting just over her head and narrowly missing impaling Yui, who back flipped out of the way.
“What are we supposed to do about it?” Yossui asked, shuffling the ‘unarmed’ mob into the safety of the stairwell.
“Just hold him still, I’ll do the rest!” It had Nono’s voice, but the person who was speaking was very obviously not Nono. Eyes glowing, the undead girl began making deliberate motions with her hands, signing runes in the air.
Acting mostly on instinct of the commands, Yui and Reina began to circle around the room, searching for the right shadow. A black fist darting out from a darkened corner was deftly caught by Yui’s quick tail. Then the hand started pulling her in.
“Ah! Help!” Yui dropped to all fours and dug her claws into the ground, slowing her trip backwards. The noise her efforts made had everyone wincing in pain and grabbing their ears, even the shadow man.
Reina took advantage of his distraction by grasping his arm and yanking him into the open. He was tall, standing a towering six and a half feet, and thin as a rail. Reina twisted his arm behind his back and had him kneeling on the ground, ready for Nono to do with as she pleased. He struggled valiantly against her hold, but Reina was much stronger.
“I just need another second.” Nono gritted her teeth, her voice giving the effect that another person was talking just behind her.
“Well hurry up!” Reina strained against her wriggling captive.
Nono made a motion as if she was pulling the air towards her and Reina felt the shadow man beginning to, literally, slip through her fingers. At first she was alarmed, but then realized that it was Nono’s doing. The shadow started screaming frantically in another language as fear set in.
Suddenly, he flew right out of Reina’s hold, straight at Nono’s body, and disappeared somewhere inside her. The force of the impact sent Nono to the ground in a heap.
“Nono!” Aibon was by her side in an instant, checking over her friend. She was a little upset to find that she wasn’t breathing. “Wake up!” Forgetting for the moment that her powers were healing, Aibon struck the center of Nono’s chest hard, relieved when the older girl started coughing.
“Ow.” Nono dully got out between breaths. Aibon gently hugged her friend, careful not to hurt her anymore.
“Are you alright? You kinda had us worried.” Miki crouched down beside the two, lightly touching Nono’s hair, a sign that she had been more worried than previously indicated.
“Yeah, I’m okay, just wasn’t expecting that to happen.” Nono pushed Aibon away and slowly got to her feet, rubbing her back gingerly. “Ah, that’s going to bruise.”
“I’ll fix it later.” Aibon waved her hand, taking three of Nono’s fingers in a gentle grip; that something passed between them again.
For a minute, the group all just stood around looking at each other, “Um, now what?” Yossui scratched the back of her head, shoving a hand in her pocket.
“Um, home?” Erika started walking down the stairs, “Work’s over, the day is done, and I’m hungry. Hmm, maybe a western restaurant instead.”
“Ooo! Western? Count me in!” Yui bounded down after her, nearly running into Erika’s shoulder.
After that, the others all started to break up. Miki invited everyone for yakiniku on her and Makoto, Reina, and Eri, who’d been unusually quiet the whole day, agreed. Rika begged off, saying that she had plans and Yossui just wasn’t hungry. Aibon and Nono said that they were just going to head back home and sleep. Their answer brought shock and horror.
“The terrible Two Top aren’t hungry? What is the world coming to?” Makoto giggled, poking Nono in the side.
“Well, at least I’ll leave the restaurant with my wallet in tact.” Miki patted the two on the head as she passed.
“Not if I have anything to say about it.” Makoto was quick on her heels with the remaining Rokkies not far behind.
Aibon and Nono took a cab from the first street corner they came across and rode in silence to their shared apartment. In silence, they rode the elevator to their floor, entered their home, and took off their shoes by the door. By unspoken agreement, they began stripping off their clothes on the way to the bedroom, leaving them in a trail behind them and only pausing when it was necessary.
Finally naked, both girls stood in Aibon’s bedroom in front of her queen size bed and just stared at each other. There was no fear or uncertainty, only confidence and decisiveness. Nono reached out to gently caress Aibon’s cheek, and they fell into each other with passion.
---The ending.... it's just.... I dunno...
Topic: Justice, Death and the Fool (Read 17918 times)