"Why do you call me that? Have you come from China or whatever just to insult me at the expense of my mature decisions in November? Is that how ignorantly childish you are… Katie Karlo?"
Kima's fingers placed against her chest, a smug smirk painting her pink lips, a gentle exhalation slipping out her mouths. It was obvious what she was planning on doing, what with the way she taunted her. Kate gave no response, her eyes directed forward, lifeless within those azure orbs… all she could do was tighten her grip around the blade's handle. Just waiting for the right moment to slice at the face of the woman she called her former friend, or so it seemed…
"If that's your attempt at scaring me into fleeing, then we all know who's the real child here, coward. I can tell from your aura that the Ketsueki blade was collected from the museum when my grand-uncle's summoning finished. Meaning, you only have Whitney Myers' coin. The accumulated monsters you've gathered up to this point are the following: Kon and Loki. Kon is faster at offensive abilities and has a weaker defensive, so I'd have to be wary of its attacks while on the defense. Loki, on the other hand, is a zoner, preferring energy attacks by conjuring the shadow equivalent of 'fire.' Both are… not a problem."
Katie's deductions were right from her father himself, for it seemed that she'd inherited every bit of his intellectual deduction; a natural talent even when they were all Agents. But, now, she might have stood at his level, the Detective Prince of Justice who doubled as the Crow Assassin. Surely enough, Azazel Karlo, wherever his soul was- he was praising his daughter for such prowess, without even being a detective.
"I'll say, Kate, you've advanced so far in just a few months! I can tell your life energy output is just above the average; what it was before you went to train in China. You realize that most of it is thanks to the Blade's natural affinity for it, and so you've honed your body to the absolute limit of human training… hopefully, you're ready."
Kima clapped her hands together, thus summoning Kon by her side to conform together using the shadows cast by the moon behind, howling at the sight of the full moon. Myers exhaled carefully, another puddle of the darkness manifesting to her left leg, just peeking her fingers right into it so she could tear out a custom-made bow staff. Made just for her, suited entirely for her specific tastes, she couldn't help but chuckle softly…
'This feels much better than that Rivera sword.'
The werewolf sprinted ahead, scratching at the wooden floorboards, then pouncing ahead with a growl flaring into the air from its snout, Kate squinted right at it and scoffed. Just from that one look of hatred simply engraved into her eyes, directed outward to the enemy heading her way, it jumped back instinctually. Whimpering as if nothing but a house mutt, Kima grit her clenched teeth, just from appearing right behind the summoned canine.
Spinning the staff around her back then around her right, she gripped it with toe hands and directed it over her head to slam it downward at Kate's skull.
"You hate me that much… don't you?" Kate's words were chilling to the touch, the way a knife protrudes into skin then drawing blood from the stab, Kima couldn't help but lose the weight accumulated from the intended overhead strike.
She utilized this to her advantage, swiping the Blackened Blade out the snowy sheathe, an easy upward slash was enough to slice through the transparency of the staff and go for her chin. It seemed she'd just snapped herself back, for Myers had clenched her teeth, sliding on a snake emerging from another shadow puddle below her feet, not forward, but backward. Flipping back, her insoles touched against her wooden desk, crouching so her knees could touch against the furniture, she raised her hands to create a larger puddle… for more snakes to arise and fly ahead.
Moon shrugged at the challenge, spinning her katana around as if a child playing with a toy, from the way she looked around from side to side, she could tell who the one in control of this scenario was. All she needed to do… was knock her down.
'This is the best time…' A chance to directly show off the training she had slammed into her bones, the next millisecond passing, Katie's figure has been all but a transparent afterimage for where she once stood.
'Shit, she's fast!'
Like everything else was moving in slow-motion, Kate moved at speeds equivalent to that of how long it'd take a neck to snap, dragging the sword behind her, left hand tightened against the handle; she held no mercy as she swung the sword. Left, right, down, overhead. They slithered like nothing but bottom dwellers, easily reverted to puddles of blood in less than a second from a simple slash to the head. At this speed, even with her training, it was impossible to dodge the spray as blood splashed her cheek. However, even after ridding herself of the sliding nuisances, Moon turned her head to the wall, just to the right. Two more circle-shaped gateways to the shadow realm had opened, but this time, what arrived outward was a formidable opponent. Or rather, that's what she'd liked to believe.
Two widened hands the size of giants had exited to capture her, but it was easy to dodge. What with their enormous size, she jumped back, watching as the hands reverted to their homes. Unfortunately, a byproduct of this was Kima effectively distracting her, for she had vanished from her crouched stance atop her desk.
'Child's play,' Kate thought, throwing her sword to the ground so the tip could easily sink into the easily-penetrable wood, she raised her arm over the back of her head,
"You can't harm me with that dull metal," Commented Moon, for the sound of metallic shattering, what with multiple pieces flying elsewhere was the following audio as they cluttered the ground, Kima winced as she witnessed her attack fail. Her throat was groped by her enemy's muscular fingers, feeling the extremities' tips sink into her skin, it was like she could feel her breath whisk away from her lungs.
"You're PATHETIC!" Katie cried, feeling her veins start to reveal themselves from below her skin, carrying Kima overhead, then simply allowing her to fly out of her grip.
Myers could barely catch her balance in time. Even with doing so, what occurred next was something she never could've prepared for, as a hot pain had entered her left side. Now standing in front of her desk yet again, she realized the knuckles didn't sink into her skin, they just grazed her flesh- but even so... why did it hurt so bad? Maybe it was the way she followed up with a hearty punch to the face, breaking her nose in two, then another kick to the side, followed by a kick to the face's left side. Spit and blood flying out her face, Kima felt her consciousness slipping between a lovely slumber and a pained awakening, feeling as the thickened crimson liquid streamed out her shattered nostrils, tumbling to the right, seconds away from losing her balance once more.
Then, an elbow to the face, sending her back, breaking three ribs. Again, more blood came flying out her lips. Following that, a kick to the gut... this time, Kima could feel the edge of her desk entering her back, not like a knife, but like a bed's blanket enveloping her in warmth. Or maybe it wasn't the desk that gave her that feeling. Maybe it was the way she could feel her life force seething away with every passing second, every added blow.
"You've not only hurt June but Ace, too. You abandoned them when they most needed you, June, most of all. I'm sure Ace's hurt more than this, so be grateful. I won't kill you, I feel like leavin' you to marinate in your blood is good enough torture for you. But before that, I have a question to ask. The Crow attacked me at the Nest earlier today. Tell me what you know," Katie demanded, reaching her hand, extending out her fingers so the Blackened Blade could fly out the implanted position, the handle attracted to her hand.
"W...what makes you think I know... anythin..?" Kima's voice was strained, blood pouring out her nostrils, a cut on her forehead, another cut on her lips, Kate scoffed at the question given,
"What kinda stupid ass question is that? I'm not stupid, I know how you got to be rich so quickly. Do you think anyone gives a shit about your writings? The Bureau put you at the top because they think you're useful to them. I have a suspicion the Founder and the Head are working together for some secret goal, not to mention the Jester. There's a lot of variables that we don't know about, and I'm sure you're hiding them. Why is that?" Kate's voice could be mistaken for that of an angel's, in this delusionary state where differing between reality and dream seemed like such a chore, it was only then, with the mention of those infamous names did she come to realize where she was.
"As-sseme..ment..."
The purple-eyed girl's voice was barely distinguishable through heavy pants and attempts to blink. But Kate scratched at her chin, shaking her head, a sigh followed, and her fingers were attracted to Kim's nose. She stood knelt there, even after snapping it back into place. Maybe a sense of guilt- like she felt responsible, so she stood. But, that couldn't be it. As the night went on, the moon descended lower and lower, the darkness of the sky growing brighter with every passing hour, but it never mattered, for the two black-haired girls stood together, even as the blood dried and the bones healed.
"Do you know why I left them…? Why I left June at the court and I didn't break out Ace with her..?" Kima's voice was still weak, but distinguishable enough for Katie to tell what she'd said, leading her to jerk herself awake and open her eyes, lashes fluttering.
"I can guess, but even if you tell me, my view on the matter won't change. You left cuz you're selfish when Ace didn't do anything to hurt you… you were a disloyal piece of shit who abandoned them at the worst times in their lives. Do you think some cliché monologue about your motivations is enough to change my mind..?" Kate asked of her former comrade, raising her hand to emphasize her point,
Kima's vocals didn't intrude upon the air, for they stood silent momentarily, the duo allowing the slightest shimmer of the sun to shine upon their white faces… for the two girls moved their heads so they could stare into the eyes of one another, fully. It seemed that even despite what Moon declared, she spouted out what she believed the reasoning for leaving June at that court was.
"It felt like I wasn't myself- that I was just being dragged alongside someone else for the sake of their goals and not my own. Ace felt useless, he remembered Alex's teachings, then to make it up to him, he sought out the Key and intended to utilize it to achieve higher power, that way he could avenge or locate Alex, wherever he was on the Island. If there's a way to describe how I felt after fleeing Riverton, it would be 'freedom.' No more would I have the hot expectations of Alexander Amara weighing down on my shoulders about being the 'leader' of the Agents.
I didn't have to be the 'strongest' of you all anymore- in truth, I could just be myself and nothing more. In the end, however, I was tied down again by Ace's schemes and brought into another of these disastrous suicidal plans. It's not like I could've avoided it, so I just went along with it for the time being, and when it went the other way, I knew my reasoning was righteous. One way or another, everything leads to disaster. Even after you learned the truth about Riverton, nothing changed. We were exiled and forced to flee.
The mystery was hollow, another tool made for us to follow, and what came of it at the end was nothing but trash. I was the pawn of so many people, that I finally got the chance to be something more once he was gone, for he was no longer the man I came to love… just another pale imitation of the mentor I was forced to obey.
Don't you get it, Katie? We're all pawns to the same cycle, over and over and over again. We should be our people- women! Individuals who make their way to success, not have to rely on men or anyone else in general. That's the way things should be. Don't you… don't you agree?"
Kima's lengthy explanation had lasted until the sun peeked just the tiniest bit over the horizon. June, sound asleep wherever she was, while Ace couldn't help but slide his legs out of the bed he'd made, the snores of a woman he'd slept next to entering his ears as he looked out the window. It was such a beautiful thing to wake up; the morning sun, the chirping of birds, and glimpsing out the window, the calming emerald shade of the leaves attached to bark branches as they fluttered with the wind outside the apartment.
"I don't. Men- and women are equally terrible people. Alex and Ace both ensured that I accept what happened to me, that I grow from it and become a better person. Humans are sociable creatures, they need to interact with others to have meaningful lives, however, that doesn't mean social interaction with others isn't key to having a meaningful life. I love my cousins, I love my mentor, and I still love you. The expectations you speak of were not forced onto you, I know that Alex would've taken the role as the leader if he knew you were being troubled..." Katie revealed the sheathe of the Blade, letting the grip click as it slid within the confines of the snowy hide, she watched as it vanished out her hand,
"All the detriment in the world stems from a lack of individual ability. If you want to curse something, curse your incompetence. I, for one, am not gonna be a part of it."
As simply as she'd arrived, Katie went through the front door without a care in the world, picking up the dropped coat in front of the door, throwing it over her shoulder. Vanishing into the morning sun like a bird soaring into the orange sky at the sight of twilight, there remained only one. Kima Myers, left in a bloody, healing mess, seated in front of her desk with nothing left to do but wait. But even then, there was nothing she could do, but turn her head at the mention of her incompetence, the way she blamed everyone else but herself… running away from the slightest bit of happiness.
'I should've stood with everyone… I should've stood with you guys. I'm sorry- I'm so sorry. June, Ace.. please, forgive me when I return. But even now, I can't do anything but weep. All I am, in the end… is a pawn.'
A stray tear graced her cheek as the water's flow continued down the grassy riverbank, for even as the dragon passed by her window with a morning roar to awaken the sleeping residents of the Evolutionary Capital, she stood silent. For this was her reality... And despite everything she'd done to get here; she couldn't help- but hate it.
To Be Continued.