Chapter 6:

The creature no longer a child smiled at them with an unnerving grin. Its body cracked open from the back, revealing grotesque, squirming tentacles that lashed out violently toward Kiana and the purple-haired girl.

Kiana swiftly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike. The purple-haired girl raised her wooden sword, parrying the first wave, but failed to notice another tentacle snaking silently behind her, ready to strike.

"Look out!" Kiana shouted.

She charged forward and tackled the girl, the two of them tumbling across the dirty subway floor in a tangled roll. They landed with Kiana straddling the girl, panting hard. She glanced toward the creature—its "arms" writhing with malicious intent.

"So all that was a lie?!" Kiana yelled, her voice trembling with a mix of rage and betrayal. "Your parents, the injuries—everything?!"

The monster tilted its head in a sickeningly innocent motion, lips curled into a jagged smile. "Lie? I never lied. Her parents are underground... just like her body's memories said they were." The voice distorted into a chorus of giggles. "Buried... so deep..."

"You—!" Kiana reached for her baseball bat but grabbed something unexpectedly soft and... squishy.

squishy

"Huh?" She blinked, only to realize her hand was pressing into the purple-haired girl's chest.

The girl's face flushed as she raised an eyebrow. "Can you let go of my chest now?"

"Ah—sorry!!" Kiana yelped, springing to her feet and clapping her hands together apologetically. 

"Dodge!" the girl shouted suddenly.

Kiana instinctively leapt backward, narrowly avoiding another tentacle whip from the creature.

"Stop dodging!!" the monster screeched, its voice overlapping with countless distorted echoes. More tentacles burst from its back, thrashing toward Kiana and the purple-haired girl like a swarm of hungry serpents.

Kiana ducked low, flipping over a fallen bench as the appendages cracked the wall behind her. Mei rolled to the side, her wooden sword slicing through the air to deflect the strikes—not that it did much damage. After all, it was just wood.

"Hey! Miss purple hair!" Kiana shouted as she slid under a strike and kicked off the ground to rebound back up. "I can't keep calling you purple hair forever! What’s your name?"

The girl blocked another tentacle with her bokken, the impact rattling her arms. "Mei. Raiden Mei!"

Kiana grinned in the middle of all the chaos. "Nice to meet ya, Mei! I'm Kiana!"

"You insects!!" the creature howled, enraged at their banter. "You're not even taking me seriously! Die!! Die!! Die!!"

The monster lunged, its once-childlike form now a writhing mess of limbs and rage. It slammed down with both clawed hands, tentacles flailing like whips to support its descent.

"Look out!" Mei shouted, leaping back as the floor cracked beneath the monster’s impact.

Kiana dove aside just in time, tumbling across the debris-strewn ground. Dust and shards of tile scattered into the air as the impact echoed through the empty station.

"Geez! You need to chill!" Kiana barked, gripping her bat tighter. She looked at Mei. "You sure that thing's human? It’s got more arms than a boss in a video game!"

Mei's eyes narrowed. "Definitely not human. But it still bleeds like a monster should... we just need to find the right spot."

The creature screeched again and readied another charge.

Kiana grinned. "Alright then, let’s find that weak spot!"

"Shut up, human!!!" the monster howled, its twisted voice echoing through the subway tunnel like a chorus of broken screams.

Kiana and Mei exchanged a glance—just a brief nod—but it was enough. They understood each other.

Kiana took off running straight at the creature, her white hair trailing behind her like a comet's tail.

"Tired of living? Hahaha!" the monster sneered, its tentacles snapping forward like javelins. "Then die!!"

One struck, grazing Kiana’s arm—blood trickled down, but she didn’t stop. She grit her teeth and pressed on, each footfall pounding harder than the last.

More tentacles lashed out, stabbing and slashing at her from every direction. But Kiana danced between them, each movement fluid, precise—like she’d done this a hundred times before.

The monster grew more furious. "Say something, human!! Scream! Beg!!"

Kiana smirked. "Should I? I thought you told me to shut up."

"DIE!!!"

With a shriek, the monster unleashed a full barrage—every tentacle hurled at once, a deadly wall of writhing flesh and fury.

But that was the moment Mei had waited for.

While Kiana drew the beast’s attention, Mei had circled behind it, silent as a shadow. Now, its back was wide open.

With a sharp cry, she lunged.

"Haaaah!"

Her bokken—worn and wooden, but unyielding in her grip—drove straight into the monster’s exposed back, piercing through the  flesh.

"How—?!" the monster gasped, jerking violently. It let out a distorted screech, its body convulsing.

Smoke-like tendrils of honkai energy burst from its wound, and it stumbled forward, collapsing to the ground with a crashing thud.

"AAAGH...!!"

Its voice faded into shrill static as it writhed on the floor, tentacles flailing one last time before falling limp.

Kiana stood panting, bat in hand, blood dripping from her arm. She looked at Mei, who leaned on her bokken, breathing hard.

"...Nice timing," Kiana said with a grin.

"You too," Mei replied, flicking the hair from her face. "You make a good distraction."

“H-Hurt… sister, help me…”

The broken, trembling voice echoed softly through the dim subway corridor. The creature—now once again taking the form of the innocent little girl—lay on the ground, wounded and pitiful.

Kiana and Mei both turned, their expressions unreadable.

The girl’s small frame shivered, blood pooling beneath her as she looked up with wide, tear-filled eyes. “Sister… please…”

Kiana took a slow step forward.

“Kiana,” Mei called, wary.

But Kiana didn’t stop. Her steps were calm, deliberate. The bat in her hand trembled slightly—but she kept walking.

“…Mei,” Kiana said quietly, “I know what I have to do.”

She stood over the girl now—the creature—who looked up with pleading eyes. “What are you doing, sister? You’re scaring me…”

Kiana raised her bat.

Mei’s eyes widened. A moment passed between them—and then Mei gave a silent nod.

The girl’s face twisted.

“Damn it!” the creature snapped, voice shifting back into that eerie, multi-toned rasp. “You humans—why don’t you just DIE already?!”

It began crawling away, panic rising in its voice. “I don’t want to die! No—no—stay away!!”

But Kiana didn’t waver.

Her blue eyes, once filled with warmth, now held only sorrow. “…If I had gotten to you sooner… maybe you wouldn’t have been taken by this thing.”

She gripped the bat tighter—and swung it down in one clean, powerful arc.

SPLASH.

Silence followed.

The monster’s body stilled, reverting to the form of the girl it once mimicked. Blood mixed with the cracked floor tiles beneath her.

Kiana dropped to her knees, breathing slowly. She looked down at the still figure, then quietly began gathering nearby rubble and debris.

To bury her.

Mei approached in silence, kneeling beside her. Without a word, she helped.

Stone by stone, they built a small mound. Not a perfect grave—but something. Something to mark the end.

Kiana placed the bat down gently beside it.

“…Sleep now,” she whispered.

And for a moment, there was only the sound of dust settling.

-------------------

A few moments later…

The flickering emergency lights inside the station cast long shadows across the empty room. Dust floated gently in the air, and a faint rumble could still be felt beneath the earth—echoes of the destruction above.

Kiana and Mei sat quietly in a dim corner of what used to be a maintenance office. The door was barricaded, the shattered window sealed with whatever scrap they could find.

Mei hugged her knees tightly, her head resting against them. Her hands trembled uncontrollably. No matter how tightly she clenched them, she couldn’t stop the shaking.

She had never experienced anything like this. One moment, she was an ordinary high school student. The next, her world shattered—monsters appeared, people died before her eyes… and she… she had killed. Her classmate, who turned into one of those things, lunging at her with hollow eyes. She didn’t want to remember it. She didn’t want to feel this.

Across the room, Kiana sat against the wall, phone in hand, currently getting an earful.

“WHAT?! Kiana!! That’s why I told you to stay put! You could’ve been killed!!” Theresa’s voice echoed from the phone, furious and full of worry.

“I know, I know! I’m staying still now! No need to yell!” Kiana whined, turning her head to the side to avoid her aunt’s withering glare through the screen.

“You reckless little brat! Sigh... Just—stay where you are. I’ve already sent rescue units to your coordinates. They’ll be there soon,” Theresa said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Kiana peeked at Mei, then suddenly brightened. “Oh yeah! Aunt, I found another survivor!”

She scooted over next to Mei, leaning against her side playfully.

“Ta-da! This is Mei. Don’t be fooled by her calm face—she’s been totally badass,” Kiana said with a grin. “Oh, and by the way, this scary-looking woman on the phone who sounds like a kindergartener? That’s my aunt. She might look like a five-year-old, but she’s actually an ancient hag.”

Mei blinked. “Eh? Won’t she be mad if you say that to her face?”

Kiana gave a confident nod, “Why would she be mad? It’s the truth, Mei!”

From the phone, Theresa’s eyes twitched. “Kiana... Kiana... You even dare say that out loud—while I’m still on the line?!”

Kiana froze. “Oh… right. You were still—on…”

Theresa sighed heavily, muttering something under her breath about troublesome nieces.

She then turned her attention to Mei, her expression softening. “You… you’re Raiden Ryoma’s daughter, aren’t you?”

Mei’s eyes widened in surprise. She hesitated, then slowly nodded. “You know my father?”

“It was just a guess at first,” Theresa said, her voice more composed now. “But the resemblance… it’s strong. You carry yourself like him.”

Mei looked down. The mention of her father stirred something in her chest—grief, hope, fear. She hadn’t seen him since that accident happen.

Theresa’s eyes softened further. “He’s a good man. If he’s out there… he’ll be doing everything he can to protect you.”

Mei clenched her fists again—but this time, they shook just a little less.

Kiana gave her a gentle nudge. “Hey, don’t worry. We’re gonna get out of here. And when we do, we’ll find him.”

"Yes..." Mei replied softly, her voice calm but uncertain.

Theresa’s voice came through the phone, steady and reassuring."If it’s your father, you don’t have to worry. He’ll be alright. He’s not the type to go down easily."

Mei managed a faint smile. “That sounds like him.”

Kiana tilted her head, looking between the two. “Wait—Mei’s dad is that impressive? Is he, like… a big shot or something?”

Theresa let out a long, tired sigh. "Kiana… have you even read any of the articles and briefing books I gave you?"

“I… did?” Kiana said, clearly bluffing, her eyes darting away guiltily.

"Unbelievable," Theresa muttered. "That’s it. When you’re out of there, I’m putting you on double study sessions for a whole week!"

“What?! That’s abuse! I have rights! I’m calling my lawyer!” Kiana protested dramatically, throwing her hands up.

Theresa ignored her, her tone turning more informative."Raiden Ryoma—Mei’s father—is the president of ME Corp. The very phone you’re using right now? Made by her family's company."

Kiana blinked. “Wait, wait—what?! Mei’s a rich lady?! A real ojou-sama?!”

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement. “No wonder your chest is so squish—”

Thwack!

Before she could finish that sentence, Mei’s face turned crimson and she swiftly delivered a sharp karate chop to the top of Kiana’s head.

“Oww!” Kiana yelped, more out of playfulness than pain, rubbing the sore spot with a sheepish grin.

But Mei’s smile faded. She looked down, her voice quieter.“…But not anymore.”

Kiana looked at her, eyes softening as she caught the shift in tone. Even Theresa paused on the other end, the silence hanging heavy.

Mei didn’t elaborate, but the weight in her words said enough.

Kiana reached over and gently bumped her shoulder against Mei’s. “Hey. Doesn’t matter what you had or didn’t have. You’re still awesome.”

Mei blinked, surprised by Kiana’s words.

“And now that I know you’re rich,” Kiana added with a grin, “you have to treat me to ice cream after all this is over.”

A faint laugh slipped out of Mei’s lips—light, genuine, and for a moment, the heaviness in her chest felt a little lighter.

Even Theresa cracked a smile from the screen.“She’s hopeless, huh?” she said.

“Hopelessly charming,” Kiana corrected, pointing to herself with pride.

(A/n: stop the rizzing kiana)