↳ CHAPTER EIGHT:

PUNISH THE KING ↲

THURSDAY, 14 APRIL |MORNING

KAORI SAT IN CLASS UNINTERESTED AND TIRED. She rested her head on her hand while at least trying to listen to the class they had going on right now.

She spend her entire night in the Velvet Room again, which technically shouldn't tire her as her body still slept like normally, but staying there and trying to understand this new world was way harder than expected for her mind.

Kaori sighed and turned to look out the window, it was still foggy and grey outside. She didn't expect much else it was April after all, it isn't like the weather is doing anything else in that month.

The brunette turned her head again and looked ahead again, in front of her was still Ren, listening intently to their teacher and taking notes or so she hoped. Seeing as she couldn't bother to pay attention today, she hoped she could ask him for some notes, nobody else probably wants to share theirs with her.

Kaori yawned and covered her mouth with her hand, not wanting to make it evident to the teacher that she was almost sleeping.

She then felt a vibration in her jacket pocket. It was her phone. She looked around sneakily, looking if anyone was watching her before taking it out and reading the messages.

R⃣y⃣u⃣j⃣i⃣: So about witnesses...

R⃣y⃣u⃣j⃣i⃣: I was wondering if we could get something outta Takamaki.

K⃣a⃣o⃣r⃣i⃣: Why?

R⃣e⃣n⃣: Maybe since she's with Kamoshida?

R⃣y⃣u⃣j⃣i⃣: No, that ain't why.

R⃣y⃣u⃣j⃣i⃣: Just hear me out.

R⃣y⃣u⃣j⃣i⃣: You know how we didn't get a thing outta the volleyball team?

R⃣y⃣u⃣j⃣i⃣: I figured it'd be a good idea to talk to someone who knows them.

K⃣a⃣o⃣r⃣i⃣: Oh Yeah, Takamaki-san is befriended with Suzui-san, isn't she?

R⃣y⃣u⃣j⃣i⃣: Exactly!

R⃣y⃣u⃣j⃣i⃣: Anyways, I tried to talk to that girl during break, but I got nothing.

R⃣y⃣u⃣j⃣i⃣: That's why we should have Takamaki talk to her.

K⃣a⃣o⃣r⃣i⃣: But, she doesn't seem to like us right now. Just like the rest of the school

K⃣a⃣o⃣r⃣i⃣: it's going to be hard to convince her.

R⃣y⃣u⃣j⃣i⃣: You are right.

R⃣y⃣u⃣j⃣i⃣: Sorry. Lemme see what else I can come up with.

Kaori closed the chat and her phone and hid it under her textbook, so her teacher wouldn't see, in case Ryuji messaged them again about another idea of his.

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THURSDAY,14 APRIL|AFTER SCHOOL

After school had ended the three teens decided to meet up in the courtyard by the vending machines to discuss their next plan of actions.

Ryuji and Kaori where already there when Ren arrived a bit late, due to a run in with Suzui.

"Dammit. What the hell..." Ryuji said irritated, while Kaori looked concerned at him.

"Did you find someone?" The frizzy haired boy asked walking up to the two friends.

"Is that what it looks like?" Ryuji asked back angrily. He slammed his fist against the vending machine in frustration.

Kaori's jumped in surprise by the loud noise. Once she calmed down, she put a comforting hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"All of 'em kept sayin' the same shit Mishima was talkin' about... Kamoshida had to have told em' something! At this rate... It looks like we'll have to go to him directly."

"There's no point," Ren stated.

"I know..." Ryuji slowly put his hand in his pocket. Kaori removed her hand from his shoulder and looked over to Ren and then back to Ryuji.

"But isn't there something we can do?"  She questioned, "There has to be something, right?"

"How about a sneak attack?" Ren suggested with a shrug.

"That'd be fine if we could do it without gettin' caught, but... If we did, we'd be seriously done for," Ryuji said.

"You got any other ideas...?" Kaori asked.

"What if we tell the cops?" Ren suggested again after a bit of thinking.

"So you wanna tell 'em about the castle? They'd never believe us... Have any other ideas...?" Ryuji said irritated.

Kaori flashed Ren a sympathetic smile, "I think it was a good idea."

"What do we do...?" Ryuji mumbled to himself, ignoring the other two.

"Let's punish the king."

Kaori and Ryuji looked at Ren with wide eyes, "The king...?" Kaori asked.

"You mean that other world's Kamoshida?" Ryuji asked to clarify it for himself and Kaori, but mostly for himself.

The blond boy scratched the back of his head, "I didn't think of that, but... Is there any meaning to-"

"I finally found you..." A familiar voice interrupted them.

A black cat with white paws and blue eyes walked up to the trio as they tried to find the owner of the voice.

"... You say something?" Ryuji asked the other two. Both of them shook their heads.

Suddenly the black cat jumped on to a near by table, "Don't think you can get away with not paying me back for helping you." 

"Wait, that voice... Is that you, Morgana?" Kaori wondered out loud stepping closer to the cat on the table.

The two boys followed suit.

"How dare you, up and leaving me the other day!" Morgana scolded them.

Kaori took a short step back at Morganas outburst, stumbling into Ren. She mumbled a quiet "sorry" before regaining her balance, taking a small step forward again and turning back to the weird situation at hand.

"The cat's talkin'!?" Ryuji asked freaked out.

"I am NOT a cat! This is just what happened when I came to this world! It was a lot of trouble finding you three."

Ryuji took another step towards the cat, "Wait... You came to our world!? Does that mean you've got a phone!?"

Morgana turned away from them and started to clean himself, "You don't need one when you're at my level. I did get pretty lost making my escape through."

"That aside, why can you talk!? You're a cat!" Ryuji shouted at it.

"How should I know!?" Morgana yelled back.

Ryuji turned to Kaori and Ren, "You hearin' this too...?"

"Meow?" The dark haired boy joked.

Kaori let out a small chuckle, but tried to covered it with her hand.

"This is no time to be jokin' around!" Ryuji said irritated once again.

"You guys are having a rough time of this, hm? I heard you mention something about witnesses," Morgana said in his usual cocky tone.

"Oh, shuddup."

"You know, I could tell you a thing or two what to do about Kamoshida," Morgana continued, while cleaning himself , "You were pretty close just a moment ago."

"God, that condescendin' attitude! This thing's gotta be Morgana!" Ryuji said.

"You were still doubting me!?" 

"Ack...! Quite down!" Ryuji whispered as he noticed two people walking around near them.

"We really have to be looking for a cat in a busy time like this...?" A teacher complained. 

"I just heard a meow somewhere near here. Didn't you hear it?" Someone else replied. 

"Make sure you check every nook and cranny around."

The two strangers left, and the four continued to talk.

"Meow...? Does that mean only we can understand what you're sayin'?" Ryuji asked Morgana.

"Looks like it," He replied.

"What the hell's goin' on...?" Ryuji asked, scratching the back of his head in confusion, "Anyways, what you were talkin' about earlier... Is it for real?"

"You're quite the skeptic for being an idiot."

"Hey, tell us more. Then again, this probably ain't the best place..." Ryuji said.

From one moment to another he grabbed Morgana roughly by his collar, Kaori screamed out in protest and quickly and gently ripped the cat from Ryuji's grip.

Morgana appreciated it and quickly snuggled into Kaori's arms, as she held the cat like a baby.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ryuji asked offended.

"What are you doing ?" She asked back, "He's a cat, you can't pick it up like that! You have to be more gentle."

"But he said it himself, he ain't a cat!" He said in protest pointing to Morgana resting safely in her arms, while glaring at Ryuji.

"Still, you shouldn't treat anybody like that..."

The blond boy rolled his eyes, "Fine, you're on cat duty. Don't let anyone see it, let's go to the roof. So we can continue to talk."

Kaori rolled her eyes also at Ryuji's instructions to her and nodded, Ren nodded too. The two boys went a head, while Kaori placed Morgana on to the table once more.

"Thank you!" Morgana spoke.

"No problem, it's just what I do," she replied taking her bag of her shoulder, "Ryuji may be my friend, but even I can admit that he's a real jerk sometimes. Besides I love cats."

Morgana wanted to protest again that he wasn't a cat, but for some reason he didn't mind when she said it. Maybe it was the gentle and loving tone she said it in.

She placed her school bag on to the table next to Morgana and opened it, "I know you aren't technically one, but still I can't walk around school with a cat on my arms, so just jump inside my bag and stay there until we're on the roof." Kaori explained mentioning to her bag with her delicate hands.

Morgana nodded and jumped in willingly, he immediately was hit by the smell of flowers and strawberries.

"Don't make a sound," Kaori warned Morgana as she closed the bag and threw it over her shoulder again. Ready to head to the roof.

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Once Kaori arrived on the roof, she placed her bag on to the floor and let Morgana hop out of it.

"And had a nice ride?" Ryuji asked still upset about Kaori taking the cats side.

The brunette rolled her eyes and picked up her bag from the floor, she then took a small breath and decided to ignore Ryuji, "You said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?" Kaori asked looking at Morgana.

"It has to do with what this guy was talking about earlier. You'll need to attack his castle," Morgana informed pointing at Ren with his head.

"What do you mean...?" Ryuji asked.

"That castle is how Kamoshida views this school. He doesn't realize what happens in there, but it's deeply connected to the depths of his heart. Thus, if the castle disappears, it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida."

"What'd happen?"

"A palace is a manifestation of a person's distorted desires. So, if that castle were no more..."

"His desires would go too," Ren finished for Morgana.

"Precisely! You sure pick up on things fast!" Morgana complemented.

"For real? H-He's gonna turn good!? But... Is that really gettin' back at him?" Ryuji wondered.

"Erasing a palace essentially forcing the owner to have a change of heart. However, even though their warped wants disappear, the crimes they committed remain. Kamoshida will become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he'll confess them himself !"

"You for real? That's possible!?" Ryuji questioned happily.

"And since the Palace will no longer exists, he'll forget what we did there as well. Not only will we be able to bring Kamoshida down, but there won't even be a trace of our involvement."

"That's amazing! You are one incredible cat !" Ryuji happily said.

"True, except for the cat part !"

"So, how do we get rid of the palace ?" Kaori asked curiously.

"By stealing the Treasure held within," Morgana said.

"Stealing...?" Ryuji questioned.

"A Treasure...?" Kaori continued.

"I'll tell you more once you agree to go ahead with this. It's my most valuable, secret plan, after all. If you want to help me out, I'll gladly teach you. What's your call ?"

Ryuji looked over at the other two, "Our luck's runnin' dry lookin' for witnesses. Guess we have no choice but to go along..."

"You're right," Ren agreed. Kaori just nodded silently.

"... Good. Oh, right. There's one more thing I should tell you. If we erase a Palace, there is no doubt that the person's distorted desires will be erased as well. But desires are what we all need in order to survive. The will to sleep, eat, fall in love- those sorts of things."

"What're you gettin' at ?" Ryuji asked suspiciously.

"If all of those yearnings were to vanish, they'd be no different than someone who has shut down entirety. They may even die if they're not given proper care. So..."

"They might die....!?" Ryuji repeated shocked.

"Will you listen to everything I have to say first?"

"Would their death be our fault...?" 

"Aren't you determined enough to face those kinds of risk?" Morgana asked. 

Ryuji turned to Kaori and Ren once more, "Hey... What do you two think?" 

"We'll have to risk it, " Ren responded while readjusting his glasses.

Kaori stated silent and weighted down all of their options. The way things are going right now they are not going to have many options left, so this might be the only one.

"For real?!" Ryuji exclaimed.

Morgana turned away from the group, "Sheesh... I come all this way, and this is what I get. It's not like anyone will ever find out." 

Ryuji angrily stomped his foot on to the ground and turned to face Morgana,  "That's not the point! If we just go around secretly doin' whatever we want, we'd be no better than that effin' Kamoshida..."

"Isn't this your only option?" Morgana replied, "... I'll come back later. Make sure you've made your decision by then."

And with that the cat left the scene, leaving the three teens alone and with a new decision to make.

"Man, we're gettin' all worked up for nothing... Dammit!" Ryuji said, "I'll try and see if I can figure out another way... C'mon, let's get outta here."

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After that disastrous discussion on the rooftop, Ren and Kaori decided to go home together again.

Neither of them spoke a word, but seeing as they both were rather quiet personalities nothing else was expected.

Kaori, still wrestling with Morgana's idea or rather only option if they want to change something in this effin' school, sighed and shifted her schoolbag on her shoulder.

She didn't like the idea that they might be able to murder Kamoshida, but they only just might. And to be honest isn't the world better off without a shithead like him anyways?

Kaori shook her head, no that be wrong. Nobody deserves to die, not even him. Not to mention that her conscience wouldn't stop yelling at her for it.

"Are you okay?"

Kaori's head snapped up to look at Ren, who looked at her rather concerned and confused.

"Uh, what ?" Kaori asked back confused.

"You Just violently shook your head, if you hadn't noticed."

"Ohhh, yeah I'm fine. Just thinking about what Morgana said..." She trailed off, putting a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Are you scared? About what might happen I mean," He asked with his hands in his pockets.

"I'm always scared, I just- I just really don't want to be responsible for someone's death," Kaori replied as they started to walk down the steps to the subway station.

Ren nodded understandingly at her point,"Nobody does, but if we do it exactly right nothing will go wrong."

Kaori seems like the kind of person to Ren, who wouldn't take things like this lightly. But who could blame her, nobody takes things like these very lightly. They are talking about possible murder here.

They arrived at the bottom of the stairs.

The brunette sighed, "I know, and I know the chance is very slim. I just-"

Kaori was cut off by familiar yelling, she stopped in her tracks and so did Ren.

"Will you please give it a rest!? I told you, I'm not feeling up to it..." They both knew that voice, it belonged  to Ann Takamaki.

The two teens looked at each other and nodded, they rounded the corner, only to find Ann in the middle of the sea of people, talking loudly on the phone.

"Wait, what...!? That's not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher!?" Ann shouted furiously, "This has nothing to do with Shiho! Ah..."

The person on the other line hung up on her, Ann then stared at her phone screen in disbelief and shock.

She crouched down on the floor with a few light tears in her blue eyes. She started to whisper to herself, "Shiho's... Starting position..."

Ren and Kaori looked at another again and decided to walk up to the almost crying girl.

She clearly was upset about something, probably concerning Kamoshida and apparently Suzui-san too if they listened correctly.

Not that they meant to eavesdrop, it just sort a happens. They were at the right place in the right time, kinda like in an anime or a video game.

It wasn't too long until Ann noticed them, she jumped up in surprise and asked them, "Wait... Were you listening?"

"Not on purpose," Ren responded casually.

Ann rolled her eyes, "Haven't you heard of privacy?" She asked a bit harsher than intended. She then took a deep breath, thinking about what she just said, "... No, I was out of line. Sorry."

Kaori smiled sympathetically at her and took a tissue out of her bag and handed it to the blond, "Here, it's okay you're clearly upset."

Ann smiled at her old friend and wiped some tears away with the tissue, "So how much did you hear...?"

"Just something about a friend," Ren answered again, looking at Kaori, who nodded along.

"Shiho..." Ann mumbled under her breath, now being upset again.

"It's nothing at all. Nothing..."

From one moment to another Ann took off and left the duo.

Kaori and Ren stared after her, "Shouldn't we run after her?" Ren asked.

Kaori nodded and together the two started running after the blonde, which sounded way easier than it actually was.

As usual the station was filled to the brim with various people, who had their own business to attend to, not to mention Kaori's below average athletic skills. Not even after five minutes of running she already run out of breath.

She mentioned with her hand for Ren to go on without her, while she caught her breath for a minute or technically a few minutes.

Ryuji used to always make fun of her for that. She was an amazing student, the only unsatisfying grade she ever got was in P.E her parents didn't mind though or more like didn't care.

Kaori shook her head and stood up straight again, thinking she can catch up to them again.

She started to run again, only to be colliding with a body not even a second later.

Kaori fell to the floor with her thud and so did her bag, spilling all her things on the floor as well.

The brunette rubbed her head and looked around the floor to see most of her things scatter around the floor. She sighed and frantically started to collect the things around her.

Only this could happen to her, she silently cursed herself, she must have forgotten to close her bag after giving Ann that tissue.

She hastily threw some notebooks into her black school bag.

Next she went to reach for her pastel coloured pencil case, when a black gloved hand reached for it as well.

Kaori pulled her hand quickly away and let her eyes travel upwards to find the face of the mysterious stranger.

He was a rather pleasant looking boy, with longish brown hair and soft brown eyes. He was dressed very fancy and rather well for someone his age, assuming of course that he was around her age.

Kaori stared at him for a second, he felt kind of familiar to her, but maybe that's because she probably just ran into him a minute ago.

The stranger still held the pencil case in his hand and wanted to hand it to her. He had one of the most sincere smiles on his face Kaori had ever seen on a person before, it felt trustworthy.

Hesitantly she grabbed it from him and tucked it inside her bag, "Thank you," she mumbled while picking up the other things laying around.

The stranger helped and once they were finish stood up from their place on the ground.

Kaori swung her bag around her shoulder and looked at the stranger.

Her chance to catch up to Ren and Ann are zero now, she might as well catch her subway back home.

She sighed, "Thank you for helping me, and sorry for running into you," she said to the stranger, rubbing her arm.

He only smiled and chuckled, "No worries, I like to help. Besides I wasn't looking where I was going either."

Kaori looked at him curiously, even his voice was perfectly pleasant to listen to. This guy is so perfect it's almost unbelievable.

"Well, I guess we're both at fault then," she replied also with an awkward chuckle.

"It might seem so, well I need to get going now. I certainly hope to see you again someday, Kaori Watanabe."

Kaori's eyes widened in shook and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"That's your name isn't it? It was written on your pencil case."

Kaori only nodded with red tinted cheeks and bid goodbye to the handsome stranger.

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