[Event AQ] Humpty Dumpty [Kazuki/X-mod]

[Kazuki]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Event Details}
Blindfolds Aplenty
+ Description: With everyone giving so much attention to the school festival, no one is going to give much attention if you put your focus on... other activities.
+ Find eggs or x-eggs to break: -3 Guardians, -2 Faberge, -2 Roost, +5
+ Try and take on x-eggs on your own: -2 Guardians, -2 Faberge, +2 Roost
+ Hunt down an x-character to eliminate: -2 Guardians, +2 Faberge, +1 Roost
+ Purify anything that attempts to break peace: +1 Guardians, -3 Faberge, +3 Roost
+ Invoke despair on those around you: -2 Guardians, -3 Faberge, -2 Roost, +3
+ Requirements: Tag for X-mod if needed

The Sports Festival was probably one of Kazuki's least favorite events of the entire year. There was always orientation, and then possibly a field trip. Depending on the school, there might be cultural festival of some type. None of those events required attendance though, and almost none of them required him to definitely participate. It was one thing to have students visit different booths or go on an excursion with their classmates, but it was another thing to force students to take an active role in doing whatever manual labor was showcased for parents and faculty alike. Kazuki wasn't a fan of sports in middle school and not much had changed since then. If anything, the school's overall enthusiasm towards being the very best of whatever was something he absolutely despised. They were bettering themselves, that he had to agree with, but the fact was that they weren't doing it to become well rounded people. They were doing it for the glory, for the fame, for the stupidity of writing 'I won a dumb bread eating competition' on their pathetic college applications.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

His parents had arrived earlier, supportive as always. His sister had run off to check the shops downtown with his mother while his father meditated back in the hotel room. They promised to catch up with him later once he was done with his duties. They were trying their hardest not to be a burden to him, unsure of how well the school was doing in fixing his personality. Once the event was over and the student contests were over, they'd take him out for dinner and catch up on all the happenings at home. Then afterwards, if he wasn't too tired, they'd take him around Otonoki to treat him to whatever candies or trinkets he might like for his room. If he wasn't too tired from the day's events he'd return with them to their hotel room to watch a silly family movie before heading back to his dorms for the night.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

His pleasant evening was still hours away though. The real focus was what was happening right at this very festival. He'd spent weeks cataloguing every single student at Seiyo Academy and now it was time to conduct a few... experiments of his own. He'd already had his first run in with the eggs, had an egg of his own after all, but there were some things he wanted to test. He'd noticed a growing trend in all the useless students he disliked the most. They all seemed to care only about despair and pulling others deeper into the bit of hell they were suffering from. For Kazuki this was an act of complete and utter heresy. It was one thing to lecture people on how little they were contributing to society, it was another to completely drag them down. After all, what was the point of insulting people if they didn't emerge stronger from it?

All the King's horses and all the King's men

Now he stood, prowling the hallways of the building and the corners of the fields, looking for little black eggs to experiment on. If those little demonic things were the source of corruption then it was his job as a chosen warrior of light and holiness to snuff them out. He didn't like those that bullied just for the sake of bullying. Still, he wasn't sure whether or not that would work. Once his rounds were over he would do another round of the classrooms and check on all the targets he marked. If they no longer stained others then he'd definitely be on the right path towards recover. Besides, who cared if a few people's dreams were shattered. If they were weak enough to fall that far then they really weren't worth saving.

Couldn't put Humpty together again

On his back was a bag of various sports equipment from different teams.  Bats, rackets, swords, balls - he had them all, and he fully intended to use every single one.  Smiling, he walked towards the a faint black speck in the distance.

Let the games begin.

Juon Keiko junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨

[junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨]

Lost. Lost. Lost. Lost. Lost.

It were lost.

Where were it?

Where had it gone?

Why weren't it here?

Where? Where? Where? Where?

The egg whizzed back and forth through the air, repeating the same word over and over again.
Lost. It was lost. It didn't know where it was. It was afraid. It was so afraid. It had been separated but it just wanted to go home where it belonged. But it would be hard. They wouldn't let it. They had been following it since it had appeared, cornering it and tailing it through the city. It had managed to find some peace at a school campus, hovering around the fields as the students wandered about. No one seemed to pay mind to the lone egg and that was enough for it for now. 

It had enjoyed hiding in between the students, finally getting a peace of mind. But it wouldn't last for long. The school was a magnet for trouble.

It would only take a few minutes before they resurfaced. 

Three X Eggs.

The three stuck together, hovering around one another in a circle as they came closer and closer to the campus. They almost seemed to be snickering softly to one another. No other words were spoken but their faint giggles and tittering like a pack of hyena. They were on the hunt.
They prowled through the field, slowly passing each student as they attempted to find the little toy they'd stumbled upon before. They hadn't had their fill of fun. They wanted to tease more. They wanted to pester more. They wanted to hurt more. 

How dare it. How dare it have such a pure dream. How dare it be happy.

They wouldn't allow it.

The white egg froze. It knew it'd been found. It's hiding place was no longer safe, it had to run! To anyone who could see the eggs, they could easily see the four eggs flying around the school campus. One after another as the bunch of them zipped from place to place. There seemed to be a day where the school was not overflowing with eggs. 

Well, if they kept up with it long enough. There's be one less egg to worry about it.

[Kazuki]

By the time Kazuki reached the small speck it had grown into a much larger problem.  From what he understood there were black eggs with X marks on them and then there was everything else.  The other eggs were all pure Heart's Eggs, eggs that were untouched and consisted of a person's true dreams.  One caused despair, the other caused hope.  It was also possible for the pure eggs to turn into X-eggs, given enough time or despair.  Kazuki wondered whether there was a strong correlation between the age or social standing of a person and the egg they managed to produce.  Perhaps the black eggs were more closely associated to third years who regretted growing up or younger children who were bullied.  Maybe there was no relation at all.  No matter what, he knew for a fact that the x-eggs were bad.

Very, very bad.  He was almost tempted to catch one but it would be impossible to check what kind of person it belonged to without it hatching.  He didn't have certain 'abilities' yet so a battle was out of the question.  For now, all he could do was fight what he could and avoid what he couldn't.  As he neared the scene of the crime, he noticed not one but three black eggs, all with the signature x on the front.  They seemed to be unhatched, unaccounted for, and most importantly unaware of his presence.  They also seemed to be targeting that one little egg, beautiful pure and lost in this maze of a school.  Poor thing was probably trying to get away from the three bullies and kept getting caught up in this mess.  Well, it didn't matter now.  He heard a whistle in the back, closer to the field.  It sounded like another event was starting.

Sliding the bag off his shoulder, Kazuki reached inside and pulled out a long, fairly new looking tennis racket.  He hadn't stolen it surprisingly enough, instead borrowing it from the local sports center down in town.  They'd been more than happy to lend it out when they heard he'd be using it for sports day activities and he was more than grateful to them for doing so.  Whistling quietly to himself, he gripped the bottom and swung it a few times for practice.  He may not be athletic but that didn't mean he was completely useless.  He did have some muscles from construction and renovating the temple and his legs were strong from all the running he did in town.

Pulling a tennis ball out from his bag, he threw it up in the air a few times and lined himself.  Closing one eye, he measured the distance between himself and the group of x-eggs, launching the ball up in the air and hitting it with his racket.  It flew straight towards the group of X-eggs, going at a fast speed from such a close distance.  "Serve," he said as it neared the group, following through with the motions as he let out a short whistle, almost like a master calling his pet.  He was no star tennis player, but in this situation that really didn't matter.  He reached into his bag again, pulling out another ball and serving it just as quickly as the first.  Then another came, then another until all 8 balls were launched at the group of X-eggs.  Even if all three managed to avoid the oncoming slaughter he stillhad plenty of tricks up his sleeve for them to experience.

[junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨]

It didn't take long for the black eggs to acknowledge the sudden third party now involved in their hunting trip. The ball flew towards the three, almost barely missing them but they moved quickly. Each one moving to a different side as they managed to avoid the ball altogether. It hadn't been a good move. All it had done was rattle the hornet nest.

The three stopped, turning their X to face Kazuki as if to glare at him. That was their mistake.

They hadn't anticipated the second ball, once again moving out of the way. One of them sadly was not as lucky as the second ball collided with one of the black eggs, cracking its shell as it was flung back by the impact. Suddenly filled with more anger, the other two accompanying the X egg began to shake slightly as if threatening to implode.

The two of them approached quickly, stopping with a distant distance between them as they unleashed a burst of furious negative energy. It whipped and lashed around in the air as it rolled towards Kazuki, the two attacks melding into one large tornado like air of negative energy.

They were not happy with him.

The third egg, now injured flanked behind the other two as they shielded it. They had fully lost interest in the white egg. They had a new toy to play with and they intended to play with him until he broke. The attack easily flung the other tennis balls to the side, shrinking in size a bit as it did so.

Noticing the three distracted the other egg attempted to quickly make its escape. But it hesitated. Why? It had its chance now! If it left the other three wouldn't find him for sure but...it didn't feel right...leaving that boy by himself. With a great leap of faith it raced in front of Kazuki, taking the brunt of the attack. before it's shell began to crack and fracture under the pressure before it finally shattered all together.

It was gone.

[Kazuki]

Kazuki whistled, noticing the ball collide with one of the eggs and send it back. He hadn't actually thought he'd hit a single one of them, though he did have to wonder how strong they were.  After all, it had just taken a tennis ball straight to the face and had emerged otherwise unbroken.  A small crack was nothing if it could still float around and fight.  He reached down to grab another tennis ball only for his hand to wave through empty air.  Apparently he'd gone through the stack quicker than he thought as he lobbed his tennis racket at the others.  They were starting to charge at him so he ran back to his bag to grab something else.

It was as if time moved slowly - he grabbed a golf club from one of the side pockets and upon turning around noticed all three eggs charging towards him.  He thought he wouldn't have time to react until the white egg flung itself in front and took the entirety of the attack.  Unlike the X-egg that survived a ball to the face this little creature shattered, tiny cracks dotting its surface before it burst under the pressure and fell in a sharp mess on the floor.  Kazuki stared at them for a second, crouching down and offering a quick prayer before scooping them up and sliding them into his pocket.  A necessary casualty in this war and one he probably would have caused later.  To be turned on by your own though?  Even Kazuki knew who to fight and who to stay away from and these X-eggs were just loads of problems.

Standing up, he twisted the golf club in his hands, grabbing a hold of it after the third turn and pointing it at the X-eggs.  "Listen you strange, pathetic pests.  I'm not really a sports guy but I don't want to break the good old sports festival spirit by bringing out my charms.  Let's keep this a clean battle, 'kay?" Kazuki dropped the club, walking towards them and gaining speed as he swung the club towards the small group.

"Now just stand still and be good little X-eggs.  If you put up a fight, I can't promise you I'll spare your friends," Not that he would.  They were all going to die, but at least he could do them the courtesy of a simple hand smash instead of being completely obliterated by a piece of sports equipment.  He wasn't a bad guy after all, he just hated weak people.

[junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨]

The three x eggs huddled together, snickering softly to one another. "Useless...useless...uselesssss...." They whispered to one another as they kept their distance from the young boy, at the very least they'd managed to get their first target. Though it had been faster than they would've liked, their job had been completed none the less. Meaning they were more than welcome to play with their other toy and they had plenty of reason to after the wounds they'd inflicted on one of their partners.

The third egg's cracks still remained, gradually growing as it moved. Small pieces slowly chipping from the cracks that grew on its shell. It wouldn't take much to shatter it as well, the other x-eggs knew that, causing them to up their defense in front of the second year. It wasn't hard to tell he wasn't done trying to put an end to their fun.

They snickered and giggled to one another, hovering in circles in the air before eventually deciding against staying in one spot. They spun around the club he'd pulled out, snickering before they flew away further down the field.

"Over here! No over here! Over here!" They chirped, calling out to him as the three zipped back and forth between one another. Their snickers and giggles continued, almost as if they simply couldn't stop being amused with Kazuki's attempts to get rid of them. They were most certainly going to drag out this encounter as long as they possibly could.

What was the fun in running off now?

[Kazuki]

Kazuki didn't expect to hit them, not with how little hand eye coordination he had. Targets were easy from long range but up close and personal was really not his thing. Not that it seemed like he'd need much assistance breaking all three. From the looks of it the cracked one was slowly caving in, crumbling piece by piece until it broke fully. He had to wear them down at most and hope that another one wouldn't come out of the cracks of the wall somewhere. It really was a shame that he didn't have that white egg still, he could have used it to rally them up.

Tempted to bring out his charms, he held back his reflex to just blast them out of the sky and instead watched as they flew over towards the field. If he ever needed another reason to break them apart it would be simply because they made him actually exercise. He had purposefully chosen to break them so he could avoid the spirited rallies white team was putting on. He really, really didn't want to have to run more than he had to. Sighing and shaking his head like a troubled parent, he dropped the golf club and grabbed his bag, hoisting it up over his shoulder to stroll over to them.

His pace was slow as he took his time to catch up, enjoying the warm sun beating down on him. If he ever wanted to get rid of this tan he'd have to stay out of the sun for most of the year and pray to god it would fade with the darkness. By graduation he might actually be back to his pale, black haired self.

Unless dear Momoka had other plans, that is.

"Now, now, don't all run at me at once," he said sarcastically, dropping the bag once he was closer to pull out a baseball glove and some balls. He did play baseball for a short time in elementary school when his parents thought getting involved was 'right for him'. He was absolutely terrible at catching them, but throwing he could manage.

Now ten years later, he pulled his arm back and pitched one at the group of noisy eggs. "You guys really are too funny," he said, juggling another two before throwing them, "Here you are playing games while your poor little students are trying to win whatever it is sports festivals are about. No wonder they coughed you up and spit you out, who'd want some lame wishes like you guys anyway."

[junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨]

The three continued to move together in a group, changing places with one another as they kept their distance. They snickered and giggled, watching Kazuki chase them back and forth as they moved around the fields. It was so amusing!! It was so much fun!! It was definitely more thrilling than changing that pathetic pile of a dust that dare call itself a Heart's Egg. It was obvious where that had gotten it. Exactly what it deserved.

They watched as Kazuki attempted yet another feeble attack, pitching two of the baseballs in their direction. They moved in their usual pattern moving out of the path of the balls. Only...one of them wasn't fast enough.

The balls collided with one of the X eggs, one after another. The baseball pushed with force against the egg's shell until the cracks it already wore began to rapidly grow until the second impact broke it all together all at once. With two almost shrieks the other two X eggs flew around in the air in what seemed to be a heated frenzy. Their cocky actions resulting in the extinguishing of one of their team mates. They turned to face Kazuki once again with what could be assumed as hated looks with an egg could "look".

They charged at him, quickly spinning around him. The two flew dangerously close to him, swaying in and out around his arms and legs before pulling back and unleashing another variety of attacks. Small bursts of negative energy rolled up together as they flung themselves at him like falling stars.

They spat out a few more blasts before zipping closer to a group of students, knocking into one or two of them as they unbalanced them resulting in multiple slip ups much to the students' disappointment. They giggled and snickered, continuing to throw students off one by one. They were done keeping to themselves, it was time to share this fun and despair with the others !