The Mysterious Intruder (Part Three)

Night Ninety Five

Age 1991

The Nobles Manner...

The Vault...

Nick moved through the vault at a slow pace inching along the walls and peaking around the corners. For a moment a red scanner went across the vault scanning for life but Nick quickly closed his eyes and began to use his powers molding metal over his body and hiding himself in a large metal shell.

The scanner vanished not picking up any signs of life as the metal shell around Nick broke away.

"Phew... That tiny girl wasn't kidding... They got some hardcore tech even after being blasted away. I could understand wanting to keep your Bells hidden... After all being a Noble his family likely gathered this money in less than legal ways... But despite that this is... This is some serious protection..."

Nick inched towards the only vault left standing since Ken had blasted the other ones away. He was so slowly as he pressed his ear to the vault.

His eyes went wide when he could hear talking from the inside of the vault...

"This is so unfair!"

"Viper..."

"I'm bored!"

"Viper..."

"And to think my precious Ken came all the way to this vault but you made us hide in place, because you didn't think we could fight all of them at once!"

"Viper..."

"I wanted to eat her!"

Nick's eyes were wide as he listened in. 'Shit... Are these the assassins? I didn't know there were more than one... This must have been what Ken had smelled... They've been in the Noble's vault all this time. I need to get back and alert the others and get the Noble out of here before...'

"Viper!"

"...What!?"

"I can feel a third emotion nearby... Someone is outside of the vault..."

Nick's eyes went wide as he jumped back just in the nick of time as a hand fired through the vault door making a swipe towards the Vice-Captain but missing.

"Shit-"

The Vault door was ripped down as Viper came crashing out of the vault. Seconds later Turron slowly walked out of the hole.

"So much for cover..." Turron sighed.

Nick stared at both of them with wide eyes for a moment. He pointed his wooden blade at both of them. The blade slowly morphed into a metal as he backed up. "This isn't good... I'm not designed for close up battles like this... And two on one... I need to get the recruits and the Noble out of here..."

Viper fired forward as she ripped out a large black spike slashing it down towards Nick who managed to block the strike just in the nick of time. Nick deflected her blows as fast as he could as the metal covered his leg and he kicked out sending Viper flying back.

"A Seraphin!"

"That's right!" Viper laughed. "Keep this up and you may get me to evolve into my next stage. The Last Vice-Captain I fought got me to-"

Nick jumped forward swinging his sword out intending to slash her head clean off but was stopped when Turron created a blade of water and blocked Nick's strike.

"Don't think it'll be that easy." Turron said speaking in his drawn out voice. He slashed out as his sword became a whip of water and he cut into Nick's shoulder splitting it open and sending Nick flying back.

Nick breathed heavily as blood flowed out of his wound and he stared back and forth between the two. "Damn... I might be in a bit of trouble..."

"Allow me to assist you then." A loud voice announced. Nick looked up just in time seeing a large smoke flow out of the ground covering the area in mist and smoke. An arm wrapped around Nick dragging him away.

"You're the-" Nick stared at the Noble's Butler who was dragging the Vice-Captain away.

"You can call me Cloud..." The Butler said giving a half smirk. "I used to be an Enforcer too you know. I was on two Squads but when I saw that boy... Little Row I was reminded of my time on Okami Otoko's Squad. It was like when I saw Light once again... Row has grown up, and Light got younger. Okami would be so proud of that little boy all grown up and an Enforcer now..."

'You should try and understand our Captain's feelings... He doesn't mock you because he doesn't care about you. Rather he mocks you because he cares so damn much about you. He more than anyone knows the hardship of the path we walk. I think he would truly be happy if he found out you would be a normal boy and get a normal job. This is a cold dark world, filled with black skies, icy lands, and vast monsters. No place for an innocent child. That's why we the Enforcers take it all in. We'll hold all the burden and make sure no kid has to suffer the way you did ever again. And you can be sure that our Captain will do everything he can to keep this world safe. So idiots like you can carry on your dreams to the future.'

Cloud's smile grew for a moment as the smoke and mist covered the hallway fully. "Let us be off... We need to get you out of here Vice-Captain Nick Ale."

***

The Nobles Office...

William let out a small sigh as he stared out his window and down to the court yard below.

"It seems they found that little group of yours hiding in my Vault. It was a good idea to put you all there. That small girls nose will assume the blood she smelled was just you guys and not my little secret room underneath the vault. Still Cloud has gone and betrayed me. He left me alone to save that Enforcer. They'll be here soon to come get me."

William looked back up as his smirk grew and he saw the figure in the white robes and wooden mask.

"You know what to do right?"

The figure gave a small bow for a moment as they slowly drew their sword.

***

The Hotel...

The Hall ways...

Both the rivals rocketed forward sword, and claws, slashing out as flames, and sound, echoed out meeting Reapers bones. It was a short dance, but a dance none the less as they attacked the man head on with everything they had, and yet it still wasn't enough as he easily blocked their strikes and stabbed out with his own spikes of bones that jutted out of him, waves of black needles firing into both teens.

"A pity..." Reaper hissed slamming the blunt of his blade into Kitsune's head and throwing the teen head first into a wall. "I expected more from you, younger brother of Jin. I guess you're brother inherited all the talent. As for you Row-"

"Rage Cannon!" Hero yelled as his arm morphed into the gun and he slammed the barrel into the man's chest firing with everything he had unleashing a massive beam of energy that enveloped the man. Hero breathed heavily as his arm reverted back to normal. His eyes slowly widened with fear when a hand reached out of the smoldering crater of ash and smoke and gripped the top of his head.

"As for you Row..." Reaper said again not even damaged from the attack. His grip began to tighten around Hero's head making him scream out in pain. "I can't believe Mr. Hyde thought you were going to be the one to inherit the title of God... It isn't fair... You and Vil got so much attention! I was your older brother and yet they all ignored me!" He roared. "Hero! Piero! Mr. Hyde! Even our Father Orion! All of them looked past me and stared at you and Vil... I'm glad Piero burnt down that fucking lab! I'm glad Vil died! The only mistake that was made that day was you surviving that hell hole!" He screamed.

"I... Have no... C... Clue... What you're talking... About?" Hero gasped. His vision began to blur and blood began to trickle out of the top of his head as Reaper began to squeeze. Hero began to reach into his pajama suit. 'The black box...' He thought with some panic. 'I need to use it... I have it with me at all times. I need to use it now before he-' Reaper dropped his sword grabbing Hero's arm and pinning it in place as his other head continued to hold him up.

"I'm not talking to you 'Hero'" He said in a mocking tone. "I want to talk to my 'little' brother... I want to talk to Row... So wake the hell up-"

"That's enough!" A loud voice cried out.

Reaper and Hero both went silent as they both turned and saw Irene slowly getting back up to her feet. She wobbled slightly but managed to look the skeleton in the eye.

"I'm giving you one chance... Leave..." She hissed.

Reaper's skull seemed to morph into a sneer as he dropped Hero and grabbed his sword.

"Or what..."

Irene took a deep breath and they both watched as a thin black aura covered her body, and her hair and eyes changed to snow white, and ruby red.

Ice began to cover her middle finger for a moment and there was a quiet cracking sound as her finger shattered into ice breaking away.

"Full... Rising Dawn..."

"Irene your hair is... And your finger just-" Hero was cut off as a wave of ice covered the entire hallway for a moment as the black aura around Irene grew in size. It was like when he nearly turned into that Fallen thing but something was off. It was more like it was in control...

Reaper's eyes were wide as he stared at the girl. "You... You're the daughter of that man aren't you... That power. Damn you Row!"

"What the hell did I do?" Hero yelled.

"They used you to do this! Just like how they used the Dreamer Crest to make the Power you have in your right arm, they used it to modify an Equation... It was the first time they ever tried to do it... They wanted to know if they could pass on the power of the Dragon Clan to anyone... The Risen Dawn... In the end they discovered they couldn't but that person was able to do something new... They made their own Dragon... They made the power that Orion had..."

Irene took a deep breath, the air coming out as a white mist as the entire hallway was now covered in snow and ice. She brought her left arm up which was the hand that still had all its fingers as something began to form. Large ice wings formed on her back and her left arm was covered in a layer of ice like armor as something began to form in front of her.

It started at the base forming the legs first then worked its way up forming a body and a pair of large clawed hands and a head. A Giant white dragon made of ice and snow with a pair of glowing ruby red eyes. A collar was around its neck with a leash of ice that was in Irene's hand.

"What the hell!" Hero said with wide eyes.

Irene gritted her teeth as she cracked the leash and the beast made out of ice let out a roar. Kitsune slowly let out a groan as he looked up and stared at it.

"What the hell did I miss-"

The Dragons wings came out as Irene let go of the leash and it blasted forward at a fast speed ripping up the hallway around it. The ice dragon roared as it threw out a massive punch that blasted the air around it. Reaper brought his sword up blocking the strike but ice quickly covered the blade and his sword shattered in a mere seconds.

"Damn you!" He yelled forming large black claws on his hands. He slashed out cutting into the ice dragon and ripping its arm off. "Take that!"

"It's ice..." Was all Irene said as the dragon simply froze the area around where its arm was re-growing a new limb. "I can just fix it back up."

"D... Damn you-"

The beast unleashed a barrage of attacks in a single instant blowing what ever was left of the hallway up.

Reaper let out a loud yell of pain as ice covered his body and his arms shattered into shards of black dust. It threw out one more punch as Reaper was blasted back hitting the back wall and breaking straight through it as he fell towards the ground below now outside of the hotel.

"I... Is it over?" Kitsune asked slowly.

There was a loud crashing sound as Dawson came crashing through.

"I heard a loud noise- What the hell!" He yelled when he saw Irene and her giant ice dragon. "I feel like I missed something-"

"Who the hell am I about to kill for waking me- What the hell!" Sif yelled with wide eyes as she also came crashing through.

"Oh good... Reaper's effect is gone." Hero sighed.

Irene let out a sigh as her snow hair reverted ack to blonde and her blue eyes changed back to icy blue. The dragon shattered to dust as her eyes rolled back and she fell forward about to hit the ground but was stopped when Hero jumped forward and grabbed her.

"Irene!" He yelled catching her. He stared down at her looking down at her right hand. The skin on it was heavily cracked and frozen over. Her middle finger was gone having shattered off of her from whatever that power had been. "Oh Irene..."

"What the hell happened?" Dawson asked with wide eyes.

Kitsune slowly stumbled up as he grabbed Ken's upper half and placed it next to her lower half. Small white tendrils seeped out as she began to be put back together. He let out a sigh as he kicked Light waking the boy up.

"Get up. We won."

"What?" Light asked jumping up. "What happens? Did I use my secret powers?"

"What?"

"Seriously what happened?" Dawson yelled.

Hero frowned as he stared down at the injured Irene. "Wake up... Wake... Up?"

'I'm not talking to you 'Hero'I want to talk to my 'little' brother... I want to talk to Row... So wake the hell up...'

***

Outside The Nobles Manner...

"Oh I can't believe there were assassins in my manner!" William yelled with wide eyes as he was dragged out of his manner by Nick and Cloud. Behind them Emma, Sera, Lucy, and Serenity were running with them.

"This isn't good..." Serenity muttered.

"Well yeah! We were sleeping with the assassins!" Sera yelled.

"Don't say it like that..." Lucy sighed.

"I wasn't talking about that..." Serenity said shaking her head as a large frown covered her face. "The people Vice Captain Nick fought were a part of the Organization... If they're truly the assassins we were supposed to stop then we are way under powered... We assumed it was just some rouge Equation user... We need to get some serious back up right now..."

"To think they were in the same house as us..." Emma sighed shaking her head.

"We must get the Lord out of here..." Cloud said nodding his head as he continued to make a mist around the field they were fleeing in. "This way is-"

There was a loud crashing sound as the group stopped and stared ahead. A figure stood in front of them covered in white Robes and wearing a wooden mask. In their hands they held a silver long sword.

"We got company..." Serenity hissed.

Emma jumped forward swinging her chainsaw out as it roared to life and slashing at where the man was. Only for her to swing out and hit open air.

"What! He's gone-"

Serenity's eyes went wide as she turned. "Nick look-"

Blood sprayed out hitting the snow as Nick's left arm flew off. Nick let out a scream of agony and pain as he collapsed onto the ground grabbing his injured arm.

"Nick!" Serenity yelled running over to him. The three other recruits stood there in shock as the figure in the white robe raised his sword up pointing it at them once again.

"Who the hell is this guy?" William yelled stepping away.

Cloud stood there for a moment before stepping forward. "Enforcers. Get the Lord and your injured Vice Captain out of here. I'll hold him off."

"You saw him teleport right?" Emma asked with wide eyes. "No way you can beat him."

A small smile crossed onto Cloud's face. "I won't die here..." He said simply. 'Row... You've grown into a fine young man... I look forward to being able to talk with you again... And... I need to tell you what really happened to Okami Otoko...' He thought.

The white figure raised his blade up as Cloud's mist seeped out around him.

"Get ready. You face a former member of Squad One!"