Chapter 91 - Graduation By Fire (Part 1)

The last remaining students of Shiroichi, against all odds, were trying to return to some semblance of the [Perfectly Normal] lives they'd enjoyed before the Flying Monkey attack. If only because they still needed merit points to fill the ever-growing voids in their stomachs. Even whilst many were still grieving the tragic loss of their schoolmates.

As CITA was being dragged along by Akari, she observed them: dragging their feet through the halls, looking lost and forlorn as they went through the same, tired old motions they were accustomed to.

These were regular acquaintances with whom she'd lived among, while undercover, ever since all this business first started. Ever since she'd learned that all of what once was the Ivory Quarter had been mysteriously wiped out; replaced by a High School, the former city's inhabitants gone forever.

Her chest grew heavy at the thought. For, just as she was created with a complex, thinking brain, so too had she been bestowed with a feeling heart. And it was because of this heart she could feel Akari was tense. Angry.

Furthermore, that it wasn't Akari anymore.

"Akira-kun…"

Teaching her how to cultivate was never the plan.

No words were exchanged until they reached the school auditorium, where Akira promptly flung CITA inside. Having her roll across the still sleek, polished wooden floor of the indoor basketball court. Causing all the students who were there, laxly [Jogging Laps] or attempting a [Four-pointer], to frantically flee.

"I can't believe we came all this way," said Akira, as CITA was pushing herself up on her arms, "and you're just some"—she gave a trailing, crazed laugh—"goody-two-shoes robot girl."

"Akira-kun!" CITA pleaded. "I can explai—"

Akira ran forward. Chi-kicking her in the chest, as she was about to rise, sending her flying into a distant set of bleachers. Leaving a sizable dent, with an ear-piercing sound of twisting metal.

"Save it!" Akira yelled. "I've got a score to settle with you, or anyone, who decides to dick around with me or my friends!"

CITA, despite her aching pains following the brutal launch, gave a warm smile. "I may be a 'robot girl,' but I can comprehend your pain, Akira-kun." She struggled to her feet, standing hunched atop one of the bleachers. When a set of jet boosters protruded from her back, lifting her in the air, then forward, to land softly upon the basketball court.

"Oh, yeah?" Akira raged. "How could you possibly know what I'm feeling?" He held up his arm, forming a disc of chi in the open palm. "You've never felt loss like I have!"

She launched the chi disc with a furious growl, but CITA rolled out of the way. Dodging it.

"Loss of control? Is that it, Akira-kun?"

"Stop fucking calling me by that!" How dare she attach such reverence to his name, despite how coldly she'd treated him. And how she'd lured Akira

"You're no better than that damn Oracle!"

There was no backing down, now, with Akira proceeding to use both hands at once to launch a streaming wild flurry of the disc-shaped chi blasts at CITA. Their strayed impacts creating a huge cloud of dust and debris, flooding the entire auditorium, as he scanned about warily at the sound of her voice:

"On every step of your journey, you've lost more of that which is most precious to you."

"Shut the hell up!" she growled through her gritted teeth. "That'd pure shit! You can't possibly know what it's like to go from being the world's richest, youngest, cutthroat playboy billionaire CEO to a…" —her voice lowered—"to a…"

"Normal person?" CITA interjected. "It is the very essence of Nirvana, to lose," she continued. "Wealth, and all other worldly possessions. Friends. Love. Identity. Comfort and control. It is a world that strips men of everything, then challenges them to survive. To earn their right to continue to exist."

However, her calm, matter-of-fact answer only made Akira more furious—making it sound even more like she was unable to relate to his dilemma. 

And besides that...

"Aren't video games supposed to be fun?!" Akira shouted, with bestial huffs and grunts as she proceeded to punch blindly into the debris cloud. Until, one of her flailing fists was blocked: by a massive steel-hard wall. Followed by a set of five immense, cold fingers clamping around her wrist in an inescapable hold.

"Your assessment that a game must be fun..." CITA could be heard saying in reply, from a far distance away, "is incorrect!" 

Then as the dust slowly cleared, Akira saw it: CITA's puppeteered protector, called [The Sentinel], with a firm grasp over her comparatively tiny hand. As CITA herself was positioned at a distance behind it, at the bottom of the bleachers. Carrying a serious expression as she stood there, with [Mana Threads] trailing from her fingers; in a dramatic, oddly flamboyant pose.

"Games are, first and foremost, supposed to be a challenge!"

And with that, she gestured with her arms to control the Sentinel: lifting Akira by her arm, then slamming her onto the floor on its opposing side.

"Guh!" Akira cried out in pain.

The Sentinel then made a move to smash her again, but a hurried chi blast fired at its chest was enough to flinch it, making it lose its grip—relinquishing her. Landing her on "all fours," rearing aggressively as a Squell would. 

"I won't fall for your act," she snarled. "All this niceness, saving our lives and shit—you're obviously planning something!"

"You're allowing your emotions to cloud your reason."

Akira then made a lunge at the Sentinel.

It held up its arms, expecting her to try to latch onto its face.

However, that wasn't her plan.

She perched atop one of its upheld arms. Then, by kicking off it with her chi-enhanced legs, she propelled herself fast and high into the air—toward CITA, seeing her eyes widen upon this realization. 

The devastating punch shattered through CITA's arm as she feebly attempted to block it. Landing a stunning blow, squarely against her cheek.

Without her Sentinel by her side, she was completely defenseless.

"Akira-kun—" Her words were silenced by a blow to the mouth, shattered pieces of her hard-coated skin raining down from her chin as tears were streaming down Akira's.

It was then that the Shiroichi shook, as though from a high-magnitude earthquake. And although it was brief—lasting a mere second or so—Vash, who had been lying in rest beside Kanna, on the floor of the student council room, abruptly stood up in alarm.

"That's not normal," he said staunchly.

Kanna rose up beside him, covering herself in her discarded blouse as she shot him a worried glance. "What was that?" she asked. "An earthquake…?"

Vash licked his lips, a fearful look to his eyes.

"We have to rejoin with the others," he said. Already scrambling to put on his clothes and reaching for the door, as Kanna watched in confusion.

"Vash!" Kanna pleaded. "Is it another monster attack?"

At this time, Keiko had run to the school rooftop after she was only able to catch small, fleeting glimpses through the windows: of the gigantic, black-winged creature that was circling the Shiroichi.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, then running out the door, she barely hid back behind it in time to avoid a blast of fire.

'So, it's big. It flies. And...it breathes fire?!'

There was no way. It couldn't be—

But then, she heard its piercing roar rip through the clouded skies, as she gingerly peeked out through a small gap in the door to see: opening it gradually, to take in a full view of the Shiroichi's latest threat.

"A fucking dragon?!" she yelled—such was her disbelief, as she stood at the center of the rooftop gazing up; taking in the ominous magnificence of its glistening, scaly black, long snakelike form as it wove through the foggy atmosphere upon multiple sets of membranous, flesh-pink wings. A gaping, razor-fanged maw from whence its fearsome, alien cries and streams of an all-consuming fire were produced.

"Technically, it's a wyvern," said CITA, as she suddenly appeared; phasing up through the floor at Keiko's side.

"CITA-san! Your face, it's—"

"Never mind my injuries. I am assured 'right as rain,''' she quickly said, even though huge chunks of her metal flesh were chipped and broken away from her neck and lower jaw, revealing an oily black endoskeleton. Then adding, as she lifted her stalwart gaze toward the wyvern, "presently, we have a 'very large fish to fry.'"

Vash and Kanna joined the two shortly after, sharing in Keiko's incredulity:

"N-n-no way!" Vash exclaimed. "How're we supposed to fight something that freaking huge?" To which Kanna added: "And without any of our weapons! Puny little chi blasts and fireballs won't be enough..."

Keiko scoffed, grimacing. At a total loss.

But then, her face brightened as she suddenly remembered what Tooki-san had instructed her to do. Something that may be their only chance at survival:

'Gather the others. Have them hold up they're [Shiroichi Watches].'

"Everyone...I might know a way out of this," she said, grinning. However, her relieved expression then quickly changed back to one of fear upon glancing across their three expectant, curious faces.

Specifically, because one was missing.

"Where's Akira?" she gasped.

"Momentarily detained," was all CITA sharply uttered, with a look of guilt and dismay.. Earning confused looks.