Ruby Red

19

The battle between Neighbors and Border continued to crash heavily on Mikado City. While the human organization began to gain the upper hand, the reveal of Humanoid Neighbors quickly stole that away from them.

I was currently rummaging through my dresser at Tamakoma's base, looking for the small item that I had hidden away so I wouldn't have to see it. The top drawer of my underwear was quickly tossed about and shoved back into place as I moved onto the next one. My shorts and t-shirts that had once been folded and stacked neatly were now in disarray which would definitely bother me when I returned.

I squatted down to look into the third drawer, which was also the second to last. After shoving around my socks, I heard something scrape against the wood inside the drawer. My pale hand dove into the area and gripped the plastic casing. I pulled it out and held it tightly as I sprinted back outside and toward the battle.

"Usami, where did that man go?!"

"He's currently infiltrated HQ and is attacking the engineers. You need to get there quickly."
"Roger!" I summoned several Grasshopper platforms to propel me as quickly through the air as possible. "Can you connect me to Kazama and Mikami?"

"Roger." The intercom had some interference static before finally releasing a soft voice that could only belong the Kazama Squad Operator.

"Hey, Mikami! It's Hanako! What happened to Kazama?"

"Trion invaded his body and destroyed his Trion Gland from the inside."

"Shit... As expected of the new Borboros user... Where is he now?"

"Kazama is right-"

"No! The Neighbor!" I jumped over buildings until I could finally see a clear shot to the base. I jumped onto the roof and peered into the center opening where I could see a hole in the sidewall. "Nevermind, I think I found him..."

"Be careful. Even your uncle is having a hard time..."

"I have different plans in mind..." My Tamakoma Trigger deactivated and I gulped, gripping the casing tightly. "Trigger on!" Navy blue instantly covered my body, but only for a split second before I disappeared. I slipped through the gaping hole in the wall and watched as the remnants of Kazama Squad defeated the Borboros user. His Trion body faded and revealed his casual clothing, however the wicked expression he wore had yet to disappeared.

Suddenly, a portal opened to reveal a woman that Hanako was quite familiar with. Mira stood daintily and had a deadpan expression as she stared down at her fallen comrade.

"I came for retrieval, Enedora. Seems like you got beaten badly." She reached out a hand for him. While she was distracted, I took my chance and slipped into her portal with Chameleon still activated so no one could see me. I made a quick shot toward the control panel and began accessing the system in an attempt to force them to leave.

On the outside, I heard people's confusion rising as she killed her comrade and only took his Black Trigger. Just as I was about to finish my job, black spikes pierced my Trion body and deactivated Chameleon so I was completely visible to everyone in my old Kazama Squad Trigger. "You think I wouldn't notice you, Hanae. Or should I say, Kaori?" The horned woman scowled at me with hatred in her eyes.

"Trigger off!" My Trion body disappeared revealing me in my clothes from earlier. I deactivated my Trigger so that I wouldn't be bailed out since all my efforts would have been for nothing. "I wish I'd had the chance to take you out while I was in Aftokrator. But I'll take you out now," I snarled as I ran her way, "Mira!"

Her eyes widened as she hadn't expected me to be so direct especially since I didn't have a Trion Body. My fist reared back and flew forward to release a deafening crack sound as it made contact with her jaw. She stumbled back but remained composed.

"You...!" She hadn't used her blades again like I had expected but instead went for a physical attack. She charged at me with fury gleaming in her eyes. I made a quick decision and slid underneath her while she was running, grabbing an ankle in the process and dragging her down to the ground. She fell with a thud and thrashed around as I crawled on top of her to cage her body.

My fist rained down on her face several times but left little damage because of her Trigger. As my fist lifted up for a final hit, my body stopped where it was as three shiny, black spikes slid through my torso. I looked down and saw my own blood drip off the spikes and onto the girl who smugly smirked up at me. Mira shoved my body over and into a portal that dropped me onto the floor of the Border room where everyone watched me.

Mira stood and cursed under her breath as she closed the portal, leaving me to bleed out. Shinoda was the first to run at me, sliding onto his knees to check my condition. He yelled my name and continuously asked for my reply, but everything was muffled in my ears. Things were blurry but I could make out a couple faces: Utagawa, Kikuchihara, and Suwa. Things began to fade out and my body became numb. I could barely feel hands lifting me up and running me down the halls, hopefully toward someone who could help me. I'd have to find out when I wake upー if I wake up.

赤

The dark room that met my opening eyes was far from what I was expecting. My hands planted firmly at my sides as I pushed myself to sit up with a groan. My hand rushed straight to my head as a throbbing pain pulsed in my cranium. A pained moan escaped my throat and alerted the person asleep in the chair across from where I lay. I looked over to find Kazama's tired eyes staring right back at mine. As soon as he comprehended the situation, they widened and he jolted out of his seat to hit a small button beside the door. Shortly after, nurses all rushed in and began asking me questions about my current state.

The entire time, my eyes stayed locked with Kazama's. After deeming that I was healthy and could be left alone to rest, the women all began to exit the room and left the two of us alone. Instead of the blank expression he held while there were people here, he had a look of anger and hatred as he stared at me. I gulped slightly.

"Where's my uncle?" I asked timidly in a hoarse voice.

"Working," he spat at me. I tore my eyes away as they began to water and looked at my hands which gripped at the fabric over my lap.

"The battle?"

"Ended four days ago." My eyes widened very slightly at the news of my several-day-slumber. "Why the hell did you do that?" I looked back up at him questioningly. "You ran away from the opponent! Then you return only to put yourself in danger! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I was trying to send them home-" I blinked rapidly to try and prevent the water in my eyes from escaping.

"No! All you did was get yourself hurt!" I flinched at his loud tone which hurt my ears. "Did you really think you could get in and out without getting caught?" A tiny whine escaped from my lips as I began to lightly sob. Kazama stopped speaking and just watched as my tears flew down my face in heavy streams. My hands rose to my face and covered it as all my emotions poured out.

"I'm sorry!" After that, the door opened and closed, leaving me in total silence other than my cries of sadness.

赤 

I am so close to finishing this story but I am having so much trouble. I hate making people out of character, but I feel like it would be impossible to get anywhere if I didn't change Kazama slightly. I'll try to keep him as close to his character as possible... hopefully.

Thank you all so much for your support. This is my most viewed story and I really appreciate all of you reading!