Meika is My Best Friend: Fact or Fiction

“Rei, I didn’t know! Why are you on the news! Please, I want to hear you out, what is happening!”

She walked towards me, her eyes pleading and earnest.

“My uncle was attacked, an arch-monster took his eye. Please Rei!”

There wasn’t any essence clumping around her, but mine was and I was done chanting.

“PETRIFY!”

Meika took one more step towards me, and then froze; her lips tight, her eyes still looking kind.

“Your uncle is working with an Arch monster. It’s disguised as Doctor Kawaguchi; the real Dr. Kawaguchi is tied up in that ball. He already dispersed the arch monster, if he means on dispersing another one, he’s going to kill a human woman.”

Vice-captain Kirigaya nodded, backing me up.

“He’s trying to obtain a relic that will allow him to become an arch mage, and control who uses essence. To complete his plan of eradicating magical essence from the city-limits.”

“I know he’s your uncle Meika, but if you really don’t trust people with essence, and believe this is the way to do it. We can’t be friends anymore.”

My voice was shaky, I had no problem walking on clouds down a hundred feet to the ground. Confronting one of my only friends was much worse.

“He said that you told him we were looking into Dr. Kawaguchi, and that’s how he knew to wait for us. They were waiting for us to rescue Daichi, if he hadn’t known, Hyottoko would still be alive. Okame would never have had to become an arch monster.”

I choked up.

“I would never have to fight you.”

The vice-captain finished chanting her spell, and a blanket of essence covered Meika in thick friction, making it hard for her to move, but she was able to speak slowly.

“I didn’t know.”

Her mouth was twisted.

“I love monsters, I love magical essence. I didn’t know about the Doctor.”

Her head didn’t move much, but she couldn’t meet my eyes.

“Two years ago he asked me to watch Keisuke. I’ve been reporting to him in exchange for better missions for us.”

Tears welled up. We had ranked up so quickly.

“I wouldn’t have told him, if I knew he was crazy.”

She managed to look me in the eyes.

“He’s been kicking people out and locking people up all day.”

She took a deep breath, in spite of the friction.

“Please let me help.”

She had nothing more to say, but kept staring at me. Asaka looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

“So, what do you think?”

Meika was a party girl and a jokester, but she wasn’t a liar. She had my back on so many occasions. Would she really have tried to break into the MaMA with me if she was on the president’s side? She took the files on Daichi and gave them to us, was that a trap? No, I don’t think the president would’ve let us get that far, the flower of epiphanies was much too valuable.

“She’s a punk, but she’s not a liar. Even if it was because that jerk asked her, I’m glad someone else was watching over my brother.”

I took a deep breath.

“We don’t have time, and we need the help.”

“Alright, if you trust her I’m good with that.”

She stared down Meika hard though. Palming the hilt of her sword.

“I’m bringing up the rear, so don’t try anything.”

Meika slowly nodded, and then gasped as Asaka dropped her chant.

“Thanks Rei. Really I am sorry.”

I smiled at her.

“I know, I’m sorry for keeping stuff from you too. Wait til I tell you about my dad.”

Meika’s eyes grew wide.

“Rei what?”

I shook my head.

“That’ll have to wait. I’ll tell you everything later, plus I’m not going to see WhitePurple alone.”

She smiled back.

“What’s the plan?”

“We head to the roof.”

Meika nodded, we kept moving, the three of us began chanting. Meika covered us all in CAT-SUIT, veiling us in shadowy essence. Asaka’s essence made us faster and our footsteps quieter.

“SUGAR PLUM FAERIES.”

My fourth spell, Foam and Cream popped into existence. I sent them up ahead of us, they sent information back to me. Telling us which way was more crowded, or less guarded. If a part was damaged from the ruckus outside. We quickly made our way up through the building.

Looking out of the windows as we went, it was beautiful. In the morning sunrise, monsters flew around the building. Other monsters jumped from cloud to cloud, thanks to Kawakami. Casting their chants and filling the city with lights and colors. A Pillow-Kangaroo monster jumped by, turning clouds into quilts as it went. There was a large Lamp-Dragon monster, that was shining spotlights on the dancing monsters. Small little squirrel monsters of all kinds, ran down and around in a little pack, leaving nuts of their essence behind them.

Every so often a masked man in brown robes would appear, throwing a marble of Essence, causing a hole in the building, or incapacitating security chasing after them. The three rivers were in rare form.

As the holes would open up, the security would be exposed to the music. Hunters of lesser rank or willpower, would soften their expression and begin partying with the monsters. Looking out I saw that many of the monsters wore hats of all different kinds. The Hatman was skipping around giving out his hats to every monster in reach, placing one on a Snake made of Rubber bands. It didn’t seem like he had succumbed to the music rather he was willingly partying with the monsters.

Thor on the other hand was holding hands and dancing with a Monster made entirely of books. He then sat in its lap on a cloud while the story monster read to him. An expression of pure bliss over his face as he was taken over by Okame’s chant. Resize was also here, far below on the ground, as big as a three-story house. Next to him, a large bear made of honey feeding him straight from a beehive looking paw. The two of them letting monsters rest against their large bodies.

Hyottoko probably would’ve said he was happy to die if he got a funeral this grand. It was truly a festival worthy of the arch monster. People sharing a laugh and getting along. On the sidewalks and on the edges of the buildings, citizens had begun to gather, dancing and playing with the monsters. Monsters made of treats and drinks passed out refreshments. While other monsters styled people’s hair and changed their clothes into immaculate costumes. Most were offering to play or giving rides to the party guests.

I spotted my mother in her uniform, with her two sidekicks handing out treats of all kinds. Children and adults with a sweet tooth flocked to them.

I really would have to call her after this. I couldn’t imagine talking to her and not tell her what condition my father was in. I wasn’t like Keisuke; I couldn’t keep a secret like that to myself. He had been right next to me and didn’t say anything. I knew he had changed, but if I had picked up the phone call from my mother. I would’ve tattled like a little girl. I couldn’t be distracted right now. I had to make it up to Daichi who had risked so much for us, and paid so dearly.

I stared down at Okame playing and laughing like the master of ceremonies and smiled.

I remember deep in the middle of last night, I had woken up to Daichi and Keisuke laughing maniacally.

“Can you imagine the look on his face.”

“It’s going to be delicious.”

“My luck is finally turning around.”

“Our luck my friend.”

“Now how shall we use it.”

A mirror image of Okame, danced next to her. The twin musicians would dance and work their way around the building, their harmonies joking and laughing, playing with each other.

Keisuke had managed to summon a spell just like president Sukimoto’s, allowing him to create a perfect copy of someone. They decided they would have to use it on the thing the president would despise most. He probably still respected Kei to some degree, he was too narcissistic to compare himself to someone lower than him. Daichi was on his hit list, but there was someone that would make him even more mad. An arch-monster, specifically the sister of the one who changed his hair and ruined his plans.

I took in as much as I could of the fantastical scene but I needed to focus on getting to the roof. We had avoided most of them, Meika and Asaka would take care of any that we couldn’t. I would petrify, and use the claws that Meika provided to the best of my ability. If we were really in a bind, we would toss a mystery-marble. I was a platinum rank after all, I needed to pull my own weight. Foam and Cream had reported back, we were closing in on the top with a clear path.

As we rose to the observation deck. There weren’t many hunters left that hadn’t succumbed to the song of Okame and her copy, or had leapt off to engage in the masked attackers personally. There were only two.

A man in a short cape, leaned over the balcony gripping the rails tight with anger. The back of his head covered in curly red hair that were escaping the clutches of the gel he had lathered it in. A strap keeping the patch over his eye. President Sukimoto remained, blasting one of his thousand spells at the monsters that now flew and danced, swirling around his building.

Sitting on a chair in front of the clear plastic ball that contained a woman with a mask, was a lady in a lab coat. Her inhumane smile widened as she saw us emerge from below.

The Lady in the mask was tired, and unmoving. The shackles keeping the essence inside of her and sapping her strength. The unnatural copy started walking towards us. Her arms growing until they were mirror copies of the sword Vice-Captain Kirigaya held.

“I assume you all aren’t willing to negotiate.”

She kicked a lever.

Daichi’s sister’s prison: started rolling.