Cracks in Her Flame

Thorned vines burst from the sand and cracked across the arena.

Hale snapped his head up.

“Down!”

They split apart, sand spraying as the vines slammed into the spot where Ice Knight and Lava Kitten had been standing only seconds earlier.

A deep, ragged growl vibrated through the ring.

It came from a scruffy Norwegian Forest Cat, her fur threaded with strands of moss, claws sunk deep into the ground.

“Nyah! I’ll get you sooner or later!”

More vines erupted, and the crowd went wild as the speakers howled.

“MOSSWEAVER ISN’T GIVING THEM A SINGLE BREATH! CAN ICE KNIGHT AND LAVA KITTEN TURN THIS AROUND, NYA!?”

Hale turned to Koori.

“We need to close the distance somehow. Maybe we should...”

But before he could finish, fresh vines shot up from the ground, this time lined with razor-edged leaves that tore free and hurled toward them like flying blades.

“Stay away,” Koori murmured, not panicked, but calm, almost gentle.

“What are you planning?” Hale asked, but she didn’t answer.

Instead, she simply raised her hand.

Dark, molten light gathered in her palm, pulsed for a single breath, then burst forward in a blinding arc, burning through vines and blade-leaves as if they were paper.

The air flickered, and nothing remained but smoke and glowing scraps of plant matter.

The arena erupted.

Hale, however, stood rooted in place.

This isn’t like when we trained.

Her posture.

Her expression.

Her certainty.

Something about her is different...

A sharp whisper sliced through the air and cut Hales thoughts short.

“Too careless, nya.”

A kick slammed into Hale’s side, fast, precise and appearing from nowhere.

He was thrown across the sand, rolled, and came to a gasping halt.

A pitch-black Neko rose from a patch of shadow pooled on the ground, slender, pupils gleaming, footsteps soundless.

“TWILIGHTFANG EMERGES FROM THE SHADOWS AND CATCHES ICE KNIGHT COMPLETELY OFF-GUARD, NYA!”

Koori moved to rush toward him, but the ground shuddered before she could take a single step.

With a wet pop, bulbous mushrooms burst from the sand, barrel-sized, slick and glistening.

Mossweaver grinned wide.

“Where do you think you’re going? You stay right there!”

The mushrooms swelled.

A low rumble, then they burst, spraying sticky fibers that spread across the ground like clinging nets.

Within seconds, the air around Koori was thick with white-green spores.

She gasped beneath her mask, bracing herself as her vision blurred.

She spun, releasing a ring of flame, but instead of burning through the spores, the fire smothered instantly.

Mossweaver cackled.

“Nyahaha! These spores are fire-resistant! Your cute little flames won’t save you here! Good night, Lava Kitten!”

Koori collapsed to her knees, palms pressed flat against the ground.

“I… can do that… too…” she forced out.

A dull WHUMP pulsed through the arena.

The ground around Mossweaver began to churn, fine cracks spreading, and suddenly, clouds of volcanic gas erupted like a geyser.

“W-wa?!”

The gas wrapped around Mossweaver, dense and suffocating, while rough coughing echoed from Koori’s spore-choked side of the arena.

“OH, WHAT A TURNAROUND! LAVA KITTEN COUNTERS MOSSWEAVER WITH A TOXIC STRIKE OF HER OWN! WHO’S GOING TO LAST LONGER, NYA!?”

Eventually, the choking sounds faded, and both spores and gas thinned away.

On Koori’s side now stood a sealed cocoon of black basalt, streaked with glowing red lines.

Cracks spread across the stone, then it crumbled, and Koori stepped out unharmed.

On the opposite side, Mossweaver lay motionless and snoring in the sand.

The stadium erupted.

“INCREDIBLE! LAVA KITTEN SEALED HERSELF INSIDE A VOLCANIC COCOON TO SURVIVE THE SPORES WHILE MOSSWEAVER IS COMPLETELY OUT OF THE MATCH!”

Across the arena, the fight between Ice Knight and Twilightfang was still raging.

And Hale was being pushed back, hard.

Blades of condensed shadow sliced past his helmet, and another kick crashed into his ribs, hurling him against the arena’s edge.

Hale dragged frost up through his limbs, letting it rush across his body.

An icy armor solidified over his arms; a frozen blade took shape in his hand.

He hefted it, awkwardly and way too stiff.

Ice and shadow clashed, blades screeching, and Hale nearly lost his footing.

Damn it. I’m not built for close combat.

His breath hitched as he retreated, step by step, the boundary at his back.

“Got you now, nya!”

The shadow-cat lunged for the finishing strike that would send him out of the ring.

But Koori had already aimed.

“No one…” she whispered.

Heat gathered in her hands, pulsing in waves through the ground beneath her.

“…hurts him!”

A molten projectile burst from the earth, blazing forward and slamming into Twilightfang’s side with devastating force.

“NYAAA!!”

The Neko was launched several meters past the arena edge, flipping twice before crashing into the dust near the lowest spectator seats.

A red signal flashed.

“TEAM ICE KNIGHT & LAVA KITTEN WINS!”

The arena exploded with cheers.

Hale stood frozen, the ice blade still raised.

Then his gaze found Koori who stood motionless.

No tension. 

No uncertainty.

Just that glittering look behind her mask.

At him.

And through the mark pulsed that same strange warmth; insistent and unfamiliar.

What… is that feeling she resonates?

Then she moved, slowly at first, until she broke into a run.

When she reached him, she threw her arms around his body.

“W-what are you doing!?” Hale sputtered caught off guard.

And clinging tightly to him, she didn’t let go, as the speakers roared.

“OH WOW! LOOKS LIKE ICE KNIGHT AND LAVA KITTEN ARE MUCH CLOSER THAN WE THOUGHT, NYA!!”

***

As the sun dipped low and the chaos of the tournament faded outside, the Literature Club room lay in muted, amber light.

Dust drifted lazily in the glow of the windows; the old wall clock ticked softly.

Normally, it was a peaceful place.

Today, it felt tight.

Hale sat at the table, helmet beside him, fingers interlaced.

Hiro stood at the window, glasses low on his nose, expression unreadable.

Finally, Hale spoke quietly, almost just to break the suffocating silence.

“So no news about that Tadamori?”

Hiro didn’t look up. He simply shook his head once.

“Getting information on a Neko as a human is already difficult… but a federal officer?” He snorted softly. “No chance.”

Hale dragged a tired hand through his hair.

“Damn it. Just knowing she’s out there watching us… it makes it hard to enjoy our second win.”

Hiro crossed his arms.

“That’s exactly what I was afraid of from the beginning.”

“She seemed to want us to advance in the tournament… but why? Is she just toying with us?”

“I hate saying this,” Hiro murmured, “but before she does anything, we need to consider our options.”

“Options…?” Hale stared at him. “You don’t mean…”

Hiro’s tone hardened, still calm, but edged.

“If she reports you to the Department, it won’t just be over for you.”

He leaned forward.

“Have you thought about that? I’m not just talking about Koori-chan. Or me. Or Kawashima-san.”

His eyes narrowed.

“Nyansei High is under government surveillance. If you’re exposed, every human at this school pays the price.”

Hale swallowed, jaw clenching.

“Even so… we can’t just...”

He broke off. 

His gaze shifted, thinking.

Then his face lit up slightly.

“Wait. We don’t need to take her out permanently. If we could just remove her from the picture during the tournament, just until we finish our plan...”

Hiro rubbed his chin, considering.

“…Theoretically. But she’s not some ordinary student.”

“A Rank IV. A Domei. That’s an entirely different league from the qualifiers. Capturing her alive would be nearly impossible.”

Hale exhaled heavily.

“So either way, we can’t avoid a fight… And since we have no information on her location or movements, there’s only one thing left for us to do…”

Hiro nodded grimly.

“…wait for her next move.”

At that moment, a soft knock echoed through the room.

The door opened a crack, and Koori stepped inside.

Hale spun around.

“Koori? You’re still here, I thought you were…”

But she simply shook her head.

“I want to speak with you.”

Her voice was calm.

Not uncertain.

Not shy.

Hiro straightened and nodded once. “Then I’ll leave the room to you.”

Slipping into his jacket, he shot Hale a barely noticeable look, a blend of see you later and be careful before he left.

Silence settled after the door closed with a soft click.

Hale stood frozen, as if rooted to the floor.

He had seen Koori a thousand times since their first encounter on Mount Fuji, but never like this.

She didn’t look frightened, not childishly curious, like most days.

Her shoulders were relaxed, her gaze steady, clear and direct.

As if she knew exactly what she wanted.

And through the mark on his skin, he felt that warmth again, close, pulsing, insistent.

He had to swallow twice before words came.

“Koori… is everything… alright?”

She didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she slowly reached into the pocket of her bag.

Hale’s heart stumbled.

She pulled out a small white envelope and held it with both hands, carefully, almost reverently, as if it were something fragile.

Her eyes dipped for a single moment, then lifted again, firm and unflinching.

“I… have something for you.”

Hale’s eyes flew wide.

No. No way.

It can’t be.

Koori stepped closer, bowed, and extended the envelope toward him.

“Please…” Her voice trembled just a little. “Take it.”

Hale’s breath stopped.

And something sharp, like a blade, drove straight into his chest.