by C. S. Cooper
Soul remained a moment, and turned to Maka.
“You should keep the Tumblr shit to a low around that one,” he said.
“Why? She’ll learn sooner or later,” spat Maka as she glared absentmindedly out the window.
“Prob’ly not,” said Soul. “This dad of hers might be great. Plus, she’s got a good boyfriend.” The albino leaned in closer. “You got at least one of those too,” he added, trying to encode his frustration into his glare. He didn’t remain to see if it got through, and left Maka alone to admire the torture tactics of the Alchemic Regiment. He caught up to Sakura, who was entreating Bravo to be allowed to call her family. The man sighed and directed her to the communications secretary of Regiment headquarters. From there, they had to go to some security officer, who sent her straight back to Bravo. They went around like that twice, winding up at the communications secretary again.
Soul could clearly see Sakura’s mounting distress, and finally snapped. His hand turned into a scythe blade, which he held to the secretary’s throat, and he snarled, “Give her a goddamn phone, or heads’ll roll. Got it?”
The horrified officer almost wet his pants. A man of Indian descent appeared and said, “No need for that, Soul Eater.” He motioned for Soul to release the man, and then turned to Sakura. “Miss Kinomoto, I am General Vasuman. I understand you wish to contact your family and appraise them of your father’s condition.” Sakura nodded, tears near her eyes. Vasuman’s expression softened. “Allow me to arrange a communiqué.”
Vasuman took them to speak with General Rodrigo, who was far too preoccupied with the impending interrogation of Moonface. He haphazardly gave permission, with a warning to consider security. Then Vasuman procured a laptop for the girl.
“Might I suggest you take the call somewhere private?” said the general. He led Sakura down through the Regiment headquarters to a containment room, not unlike that which held Moonface. Inside was Nathan, seated unrestrained on a sofa. He had an annoyed look on his face, as did Astrid who sat with him. Vasuman took his leave just as Xiaolang walked in. The Chinese boy wrung his hands with frustration.
“What’s the matter, Xiaolang?” asked Sakura in a monotone.
“Nothing, I’m just irritated,” said the boy. “It’s annoying sitting here and waiting.”
“Try doing it for six months,” said Nathan.
Xiaolang approached Nathan and growled, “You trying to one up me?”
“No, I was feeling for you,” retorted Nathan.
Xiaolang sighed and backed away with an apology. The atmosphere was tense following their arrival at Regiment headquarters. They’d gone through so many security checks, including searches of their bags. Xiaolang found it especially irritating when they tried to take the Silver Key fragment from him. It reminded him of why he’d not worked with the Regiment since meeting Astrid.
When Xiaolang looked at Sakura, much of his irritability went away. He hugged her as if she were a salve to a burn. Then he noticed the laptop in her hands.
“That general gave me this so I could call Big Brother,” said Sakura.
Nathan shot to his feet, as if he were starving and the laptop was an all-you-can-eat buffet. Astrid managed to restrain him and insisted that Sakura use the computer first. They booted up the device and opened the video chat app. Luckily, Touya was online, and he answered the call.
“Oi, Kaiju!” he said snidely. Sakura didn’t respond with her typical retort. The look on her face told him something was wrong. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
“Dad’s missing,” she said solemnly. “And … it’s … it’s partly because of me and my … you know.”
Touya stared blankly for a moment, and then chewed his lip thoughtfully. He grabbed his phone and typed a message.
“I’ll get Yuki over here,” he said. “You want Daidouji too?”
Sakura nodded. “Bring Kero too,” she said.
It was all in Japanese, so no one but Xiaolang could understand her. Everyone else just sat quietly while they spoke. Touya brought his laptop into the living room. Yukito and Tomoyo sat on the sofa beside him, with Kero on Tomoyo’s lap. Sakura explained everything calmly, doing her best to keep herself from breaking down.
The people on the other end took a moment to process everything. Yukito was the first to speak up.
“Where are you now?” he asked.
“Australia,” said Sakura. “I don’t know where. I’m with a group called the Alchemic Regiment.”
“What!?” growled Kero, sticking his head right into the camera. “You’re hanging out with that bunch?” He switched to English. “That must be a cell, eh? You got my Master locked in a cage, do ya?”
Astrid, Nathan, and Soul looked up in confusion. When Kero demanded they show themselves, they moved into the view of Sakura’s camera. Xiaolang joined them.
“Brat!” exclaimed Kero upon seeing Xiaolang’s face. “You led my Sakura into the hands of these nincompoops?”
“Nincompoops?” replied Astrid. She shook her head. “What is this? Why am I talking to a teddy bear?”
“That’s a teddy bear?” mumbled Nathan.
Kero fumed, “I ain’t no teddy bear!”
“And he sounds like he’s from Queens,” chortled Soul.
“Say that again, you albino creampuff,” snarled Kero. “I’ll obliterate you, if my name isn’t Kerberus!”
Sakura winced and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Kero, could you please stop?”
“Kero?” chuckled Nathan. “As in kerosene?”
“Nathan, don’t antagonise him,” muttered Sakura.
Astrid pursed her lips and thought a moment. Then she said, “Speaking of which, Kerberus is the name of the dog that guards the Gates of Hell. The Greeks called it the hellhound.”
“And this hellhound’ll knock you on your butt with a rocket launcher!” proclaimed Kero.
The mention of a rocket launcher elicited a recollection in both Nathan and Soul’s mind. They exchanged glances and read each other’s thoughts. Then they turned to the screen, utterly mortified at the image of the flying plush toy, and exclaimed, “You’re Hellhound99?”
Kero grinned ecstatically. He posed like a rock-star and yelled, “My reputation precedes me! I guess you’re the third-rates I’ve been butt-kicking up and down the Internet!” The plush toy proceeded to wave his backside in front of the camera.
Sakura buried her face in her hands and moaned, “He does this whenever he wins a game.”
Nathan glanced at the stressed girl and folded his arms. He glared at the screen and said, “Kero, has anyone ever told you you’re a total douchebag?”
“Yes!” bellowed Xiaolang and Touya simultaneously.
Suddenly, Kero flew straight into Tomoyo’s arms and sobbed on her shoulder. He wailed in Japanese, which was a welcome change for Tomoyo who didn’t speak English.
While Kero threw a tantrum, Yukito leaned forward and asked, “Sakura, do you need us to come?” He gave her an earnest gaze that told her there were people who cared for her. But even if Sakura knew where exactly they were, she didn’t want her friends involved in a fight with flesh-eating monsters.
She didn’t even want herself involved.
“No, it’s best that you stay where you are,” she stammered. “I want you, Yue, and Kero to look after Tomoyo and Big Brother. Okay?”
“Will do,” said Kero, quickly recovering from his sulking.
“Sakura,” Tomoyo began. “You have the bag I gave you?” Though it was pixelated, Sakura could see the characteristic gleam in her best friend’s eyes. But she’d left the bag in Hong Kong! She decided to lie, and nodded with a smile. Tomoyo grinned excitedly. “Oh, if only I were there to record it all,” the dark-haired girl exclaimed.
“Record what?” asked Sakura.
“Your battle alongside your new allies, of course!” said Tomoyo. Sakura almost fell off her chair with dismay.
They finished their call soon after. It had lifted Sakura’s
spirits enough that she was able to smile again. She stood up from the laptop and embraced Xiaolang. Meanwhile, Nathan swooped in front of the laptop and entered someone else’s username.
“Who’re you lookin’ for?” asked Soul.
“My sister,” said Nathan. He found the username, but the girl wasn’t online. He sighed with disappointment and looked for another name. This one was online, and he made a call. On the display, a shirtless boy about Nathan’s age scratched his ruffled hair and rubbed his tired eyes. He looked closely at the image feed, and his eyes widened in amazement.
“Jesus!” he screeched. Then he raced out of the room, leaving Nathan shocked. Through the feed, he could hear yelling and confused shrieks. Then the boy pulled two more people into the camera view.
“Holy shit!” screamed the shorter blonde with glasses. “Nathan!”
“Where are you?” exclaimed the taller boy.
“Can’t really tell ya,” said Nathan. “How’ve you guys been?”
“Forget us!” snapped the first boy. “What’re you doing? Fightin’ homers, I hope.”
“Nup,” said Nathan. “Mostly, I’ve been eating Astrid’s Anzac biscuits.”
Astrid poked her head into the view and waved.
“Hey guys,” she said warmly.
The first boy glared at her and said, “You’ve been lookin’ after him, like I told ya?”
“Yes, Klein,” said Astrid. “You really should confess your love for him.”
Klein rolled his eyes and gave her the finger.
Nathan grinned and glanced at the others in the room. He beckoned them into view of the camera and introduced them. He pointed to Klein and said, “This is Klein Stevens, my oldest mate.” He pointed at the shorter boy with the glasses and said, “This is Paul Cuyper, and that taller dude is Jessie Nelson. These’re friends of mine from school.”
“And they know about you?” asked Soul. Nathan nodded.
“Oi, who’s the red-eyed dude?” asked Klein.
“Call me Soul Eater,” said Soul.
“You a warrior like Astrid and Nathan?” asked Jessie.
“Something like that,” said Soul, but divulged nothing more.
Nathan pointed out Sakura and Xiaolang, and introduced them. Jessie recognised them as the kids from the Cardcaptor videos, and all the boys were equally shocked to realise said videos were more like documentaries.
“We’ve sorta gotten together to track down one of the homunculi who attacked the school a few months back, remember?” said Nathan. The boys nodded stoically at the recollection. “The Regiment’s also been trying to get the Kakugane out of my chest,” Nathan went on. “So far nothing.”
“Who cares?” exclaimed Klein. “You should be using that power to kick arse.”
Astrid glared at Nathan. “Now I know where you get it from.”
“And you too, Astrid,” said Klein.
Paul interjected, “And since you’ve got allies there with you, it’s like you’re forming a bit of a team there. You should go all out.”
Soul chortled, “I think you’re goin’ a bit off the rails, mate.” The boys on the screen laughed.
“Remember what I said, Nathan,” said Klein. “The world should see you for what you are. You guys should make something of this, ya know.”
Astrid waved him off. “That’s a bit too far, Klein. Soul and Xiaolang’s organisations don’t really mix well.”
“But we are,” muttered Soul, his eyes fixed on the battle-scarred girl.
Nathan quickly changed the subject. “Klein, is Ariadne there?”
“I’d’ve brought her in if she was,” said Klein. “She hasn’t been back to school since the L.X.E. attacked. I figured your parents took her.”
“And she hasn’t called?” asked Nathan hopefully. Klein shook his head. Nathan sighed. “She’s not online either. If you get in touch, let her know I’m thinking about her. Okay?”
“Got it, mate,” said Klein.
“You just figure out your stuff, alright?” said Jessie.
“And forget about the cricket ball too,” urged Paul.
Nathan harrumphed, “Will do.”
The call ended. Nathan leaned back in the chair and sighed contently. He felt Astrid grip his hand warmly, and he squeezed it in reply.
“What’s this about a cricket ball?” asked Sakura. Nathan just waved her off.
Soul couldn’t stop grinning. A line of drool leaked between his sharp teeth, and he chuckled, “Sounds pretty cool though … a team.” The other four smiled at the thought, though Astrid and Xiaolang were less enthused than Sakura and Nathan.
Sakura yawned and plonked down on the sofa next to Nathan. Soul sat on the arm of the sofa and leaned back against the cushions. Astrid and Xiaolang exchanged glances, and then said, “Who wants a drink?”
The other three gave their requests, and Astrid led Xiaolang to the vending machines. They exchanged coins for the desired products, and then made their way back to Nathan’s holding cell.
“She must’ve really got you,” said Astrid, a cheeky smile riding on her lips.
“Like a wrecking ball,” replied Xiaolang. Then he shot a sly glance at his old friend. “But you! I never saw you smile so easily before. And what’s this about you baking cookies? You once said you’d never go into a kitchen! What did Nathan do to you?”
“What do you mean, do to me?” cried Astrid, her hand clasped over her chest.
“You know I didn’t mean that,” said Xiaolang, blushing slightly.
Astrid sighed and thought about her experiences over the last two years. Despite all the insanity, she couldn’t help but smile at every single shenanigan, each catastrophe, and every pain Nathan caused her. Because, she had to admit, it had been the most fun she’d ever had.
“It wasn’t what he did to me,” she said pensively. “It’s what I did to him. I gave him a new life with that Kakugane, and he gave me a new life in return.”
She raised her eyes to meet Xiaolang’s gaze, and saw her friend grinning.
“Sounds like you found your Number One,” he said. Astrid turned away, fuming and blushing, which only invited more teasing. “Astrid and Nathan, sittin’ in a tree …”
“Shut up!” grumbled Astrid.
They made it back to Nathan’s holding cell just as Maka came storming in. The irate blonde blew her bangs out of her face and exclaimed, “What are all you doing, just lounging about? And drinking soda while you’re at it?”
“We’re waitin’, Maka,” said Soul. “Not much we can do until they get Moonface to talk.”
“Well, Bravo and Papa are interrogating him now,” said Maka prissily.
“Let me know how it goes then,” said Nathan. “I’m stuck in here.”
Sakura recalled the image of Moonface in the interrogation chamber, and shuddered at the thought. She declined to go. Xiaolang opted to stay with his girlfriend. Astrid preferred to keep an eye on Nathan after his earlier stunt. Soul simply moaned, “Interrogations ain’t cool.”
Maka groaned, “Are you being serious? The fate of the world could be at stake. And you just want to wait around?”
“Hey, when Bravo gets the location of Moonface’s base, then we’ll go,” said Soul. He tossed her a can of soda. “In the meantime, chill, girl.”
Maka rolled her eyes, but fatigue weighied her down. She finally sat down on the sofa with the rest of the group, and sipped her drink.
Chapter 14: Interrogation
Spirit and Bravo gazed through the annular window, straight at Moonface. The homunculus writhed with discomfort, but still kept a wide grin. Bravo silently wondered if that was Nikolaev’s only expression, regardless of whether he was happy or in white-hot agony.
“I don’t like this,” said Spirit, crossing his arms. “He looks like he’s having the time of his life. He’s worse than my first meister.” The man shuddered at the recollection.
“All that means is he’s a masochist,” said Bravo.
“No, it
’s more than that,” said Spirit. “I just think he’s leading you on. I mean, you had a tough time taking him on at that school. And then the son of the Lee Clan, who’s magic isn’t even at full power, manages to take him out?”
“Mind you, Moonface had a Kakugane when he fought me,” said Bravo. “So far, our intelligence suggests the L.X.E. remnants have only conventional weapons. No match for a magician even as novice as Kinomoto.”
Spirit shrugged, “Good point.” He huffed. “Well, I’m a little inexperienced with homunculi, so I’ll let you take first swing.”
“That was the plan,” said Bravo, shooting the Demon Weapon a glance that yelled, “Stay off my turf!” He entered a code into the panel beside the door, which slid open with a hiss. The gnashing of Moonface’s teeth reverberated through the cell, but that only excited Bravo even more.
“Moon! Fancy that! A Demon Weapon working with an Alchemic Warrior,” rasped the homunculus. He leaned as far forward as he could and sniffed at Spirit. “Oooh, and a Death Scythe no less.”
Bravo procured his Kakugane from his pocket and activated it. A metal jacket formed over his body. Then he threw a meteoric punch across Moonface’s cheek. The creature gurgled black blood and spat out a tooth.
“I see your interrogation methods haven’t changed,” groaned the homunculus. “Last time I was caught, I escaped because one of those delectable … dumb-faces got too close.” The noise had evidently reached a new level of pain for him, and he found it difficult to concentrate. “Got my hands on a Kakugane and kaboom! Bye-bye, Restigouche!”
“Where’s Shaula Gorgon?” snarled Bravo.
“In my pants!” retorted Moonface.
Bravo threw another swipe, knocking more teeth from the homunculus’ mouth. They quickly regenerated, completing his immovable grin.
“Where is Shaula Gorgon?” Bravo repeated. Moonface shrugged, and Bravo hit him again.
The homunculus continued to giggle as Bravo hit him harder and harder, black blood dribbling from between his teeth. His chuckles mixed in with agonised gasps and wails, yet they persisted. Moonface eyed Spirit, whose lips were pursed with concern.
“You don’t like this anymore than I do,” grumbled Moonface.