After Maths Part 1

Night Two Hundred And Twenty Five

Age 1991

Gladious City...

"Things seem to be really slowing down now..." Hero Law noted from up on the arena where she stood. The smallest hint of a smile on her lips as she slipped her glass mask on over her face.

Down below in the snow field Ken's body was glowing as it seemed to start to change. At this point several other people were starting to wake up. Down in the stands Master Storm was slowly being dragged away. Everyone was in chaos and Olf, who had somehow avoided all the fighting, along with Leo, were doing their best to try and calm everyone down.

"It would seem no one was seriously injured either. Well... Other than that pink haired girl..." Hero noted looking towards Shelly.

Ken's body began to slowly shrink back down getting smaller and smaller until the form fully faded away and she collapsed into Shelly's arms, who in turn collapsed back, due to the fist sized hole in her stomach. Several recruits ran over to them to help them, while others began debating on rather or not Ken should be killed before she could lose control, but those people were quickly shot down by Hero, and Kitsune who gave some very, very, flammable reasons as to why that was a bad idea with their powers.

"A pity." Hero sighed turning around.

Down below in the arena while Master Storm was slowly being dragged down, several Medic Black Coats rushed in, and the sound of several ambulances could be heard as many of the Captains were put on stretchers.

And as he was slowly taken down stairs to an underground lab, Master Storm grinned.

"Well." He said quietly only allowing Zane, one of his four beasts to over hear him. "I guess... The games going to be starting for real soon. I'll say it now while I can. Check Orion. One more turn and it'll be Check Mate..."

Olf cleared his throat as he brought the microphone up to his lips. "Please everyone calm down! I know that there was a Bestia Macht, and you were all trapped in a box, and now all the Recruits are outside the arena, and there are Ambulances coming, as well as the fact that Master Storm is in hand cuffs, the Empress looks pissed, and almost all the Captains are beaten down pretty badly..."

"Yeah I don't think they're gonna be calm after you spouting off everything that went wrong..." Leo said flatly.

Olf elbowed him. "Please just everyone stay seated... Um... We're uh... We're... We're going on a... Break?" He asked looking towards Leo who just gave him a shrug. "Yeah... We're... Going on a break... Uh... Free food at the snack bar, and I promise we'll get back to you on what happened!" Strangely enough no one seemed to move from their seats.

"Weird..." Leo hummed. Every onlook was just seated. Staring... "Somebody should look into that..."

"What now..." Olf sighed. "I swear this is making me pissed..."

***

Several Hours Later...

Underground...

In a small metal room Lady Aka, the Empress of the Red Nation was seated. In front of her three holograms rested. One was white, one was green, and one was blue. On the holograms three mini people could be seen. Communication devices that allowed her to speak to her fellow Emperors. In the white one showed the image of a young man wearing Japanese styled robes. The White Emperor Shiroi. The Blue one showed a young woman wearing knight like armor. Bleue the Blue Emperor. And lastly the green one showed a woman in a lab coat. Vert the Green Emperor.

"Why have you all called." Lady Aka asked rubbing her eyes.

"Ask Shiroi." Vert said calmly. "He's the one who asked us all to speak."

"I'm interested what could be important you'd contact all of us?" Bleue nodded.

Shiroi let out a small chuckle as he blew on his smoke pipe that he held between his fingers, a small white marble inside of it, showing that it was his Equip type. He let out the puff of smoke as the three girls all stared at him waiting. "I just wanted to check in on Ms. Aka." He said giving the Emperor of the Red Nation a small grin. "After all. I heard you guys have been having some... Issues..."

"...What..." Aka asked in a calm manner. She was lucky they could see only her upper half though as her finger nails pierced the underside of her desk as she stared at him calmly.

"Well. I've been given some information on somethings." The Emperor noted as the other two girls now listened to him seemingly interested in this turn of events. "First it started with several failed programs. How many Trillions of Bells were spent on them alone? From trying to make new Equation types, to trying to bring back the dead, to trying to bring forth new warriors, to even cloning. None worked though right? All that money down the drain and they had to be shut down. Course that was when your father was the Emperor. You know before he was assassinated."

"Wasn't he assassinated while in the White Nation..." Vert asked.

"Quiet a tragic event." Shiroi nodded his grin growing as Aka's blank expression didn't change. "But let's move on to events that have happened when our fair Red Maiden was in charge... In a year alone, the Enforcers, your Military force, have lost thousands of Black Coats, to Bestia Macht attacks, as well as losing several Enforcers. An entire city was nearly wiped out, and you're still fighting with a Terrorist group. That's not even getting into the events such as people turning into Bestia Macht, which you tried to keep under wraps, or more recently, as in today in fact your very own Master, the Leader of your group, turning crazy and having to be arrested."

"Master Storm has been arrested..." Bleue asked slowly. "The man who single handedly held back the forces of my Nation, the White, and the Green, is now arrested... You arrested the one man who was keeping your Nation from us..."

Aka didn't say anything. "So..." Vert asked. "If we were to attack now we wouldn't have to worry about that old man stopping us this time... For so long Red has stood unreachable from any of us thanks to that old man..."

"Master Storm is... No longer needed." Aka said a tone shift entering her voice. "...And... And if you think that just because that foolish old man is gone that we're any less Grand, then by all means. Let's have a War. But when the Red Nation wins, because it always wins, I won't be as generous as my Father or that Old man. I won't let any of you simply run off ignoring the issue as if nothing happened. I'll mount your heads on my wall, and I will utterly erase any Government not my own. In a few hundred years there will be no Red Nation. Only the Red World."

Bleue let out a snort. "Relax. I don't know about the other two but I have no interest in wiping you out. We've been dealing with our own matters. Though I am interested in how Shiroi got a hold of this information."

Shiroi simply let out a small chuckle. "Another tale for another time. Until then. It's been... Lovely talking to you ladies." He said. And before anyone could say anything else the devices turned off as the images faded.

Aka slowly leaned back letting out a sigh as she slowly looked up to the roof above. "...GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!" She yelled kicking her desk across her room and shattering it.

***

Some time later the Empress found herself descending a set of heavy stairs.

She was now in a large open metal room so far underground they were nearing the 'core' of the planet. Here... It was no Oleander City Prison. Nor was it Nightshade but... It would make due...

She stopped in a hallway when she found her Grandfather Master Aka. She walked over to stand by him. He was looking into the window of several rooms. It was a one way glass and each one was sectioned off from one another not allowing the others to see each other. In the rooms were Master Storm who was chained up from head to toe, upside down, in a room filled with several nuclear bombs, that would go off if he tried to escape. In the other rooms, the people weren't chained up. These people were all in their own room sitting at a metal table with a cup of water, and some simple chips to eat.

They were all the recruits and a few of the Captains.

Most people were rushed to the Hospital in the city so they could get instant medical care from either the Bestia Macht attack, or the fight with the Four Beasts. However those who weren't harmed now rested in here where they would be questioned on events so a verdict could be decided. A few of them were in rooms together. Such as the Four Beasts who all shared one room, Alpha, and Angel playing with a set of cards, while Zane was asleep, and Ward paced around the room. Next doors Hero, and Kitsune, who was still fused, rested. Next to them was Daughter in a room of her own, her eyes fixed on the wall that separated her and Hero.

And lastly also in her own room Ken rested.

There were several others as well. Many like Max, Hella, Lucy, and a few others.

"So... Have you talked to any of them yet?" Aka asked.

"A few... Not the ones you want to talk to. I saved them for you."

"Thanks..." Aka nodded. "Sera was one of the injured. She's in the hospital right now."

"I see."

Aka slowly reached out clicking a button. "I'm going to start with those two. You start with the four."

"Okay."

Meanwhile inside of the room Hero rested back in his chair letting out a sigh.

"Can you stop sighing." Kitsune asked annoyed.

"I'm bored."

"Well so am I?"

"So uh... When are you going to unfuse?" Hero asked.

"I uh... I kind of don't know how to..." Kitsune admitted sheepishly running her hand through her hair as she bowed her head blushing a little.

"Didn't you unfuse before?"

"Yeah but... That was because of a timelimit. It lasted less than five minuets and came undone... But I've been fused like this for nearly 5 hours now... And none of my power has faded... In fact I might be growing stronger. Like my soul is getting used to this body..."

"You might be stuck like that?"

"Don't say that!" Kitsune whined. "My dream is to find the perfect wife and have a heir! Like all Pure Blooded Nobles! Plus I'll never be able to pick up chicks."

"Guess you'll just have to find the perfect husband instead."

"I'm... I'm not going to randomly fall in love with you because I have Irene's soul as well right?" Kitsune asked fearfully.

"God I hope not." Hero hummed. He didn't really seem to care. Or at least he showed little emotions compared to the panic on Kitsune's face. It was strange. Her body was a mix of Kitsune's and Irene's but her soul... It was mostly Kitsune from what she could tell. She had all his memories and feelings. Only a bit of Irene would get through as she'd see glimpses of something... "I suppose fusing next to Ken could have caused this."

"It could have?"

"I don't know. I'm just spit balling. I mean you used Mantra which is from the Void. Same as my Crest. And Seraphins are connected to the Void. Plus each strike she threw out was warping the space around her so it's possible part of the Void was pulled into our world when you fused. Rules work in weird ways there so the fusion could have been altered in some ways."

"I feel like you made that up..."

"Just spit balling."

"God I hope I turn back soon." Kitsune sighed dropping her face into her hands.

Before they could say more the door to the room they were in slowly opened up sliding off of the wall. They both looked up finding Empress Aka was walking into the room.

"Yo." Hero said giving a half wave.

"Yo."

"Don't address each other like that! Be more formal!" Kitsune said startled at the casual way the two were talking to.

"Glad you came." Hero said.

"You are?" Aka asked.

"Yeah. Your Grandfather would kick my ass for this." He said his right arm shifting into his white metal clawed form as he stabbed it out and ripped a chunk of the wall off allowing Daughter to enter. "But I doubt you'll care."

"Noted." Aka said watching as Hero's arm turned back and he took his childs hand. For a moment she frowned staring at Daughter. "Though... I doubt you'll want your kid here for what we discuss."

"Daughter wants to be with Father!" Daughter announced.

"It's about Ken right..." Kitsune asked slowly.

"...Who are you?"

Kitsune fell back landing on her back. She jumped up to her feet her eyes twitching. "Kitsune... Kitsune Nine?"

"Oh? You were a girl all along?"

"No."

"Oh... Now I'm confused."

"Same." Kitsune shook her head her frown growing. "But that's it isn't it. You want to discuss Ken."

"Yes." Aka nodded making Hero, Kitsune, and Daughter all frown. "You see. We're taking a great risk letting the Beast of Hunger walk around." She said. "After all that's a Duke level Bestia Macht in human form... And today... Ms. Red showed she could jump to Duke... I don't really know why Master Storm cared about Daughter so much. The crazy old man was rambling on about Multiverses and a Squid." She said making Hero and Kitsune wince. "Whatever the case I've agreed to let Daughter live as you, Hero Law, seem to be able to restrain her power with your Crest."

"That's right." Hero said placing his hand over Daughters head as a small red portal opened on the palm of his hand and some red mist slowly pulled off of her. "I can absorb her Bestia Macht like powers. Though only hers... It's because I made her with my Crest."

"That's what I was wondering..." Aka sighed. "You see. Ken Red can't control that power. And unlike Daughter we don't have someone that can drain it... Also unlike Daughter she isn't loyal to anyone. She's not a weapon we can use."

"You better be careful with your next words..." Hero said slowly.

"...So... I'm debating on rather I should kill Ken or not." Aka smiled. The table flipped as Hero, and Kitsune, were on their feet in seconds, Hero's arm in its clawed form, while the icy blue flames formed off of Kitsune's body and they stared down the woman.

"Not a chance."

"Calm down." Aka said waving her hand down gently. "I'd kill her if she didn't have a use. But she does."

"She does?"

"Yes. Ken Red might not have power that she can control. She might not be loyal to us. And we might not have a way to control her or knock her out of that form... As it stands she's all but useless to us right now. That said... She does have one use. You Two. You two are very loyal to her and would do anything to insure she lived right?"

"I don't like where this is going..." Kitsune said.

Aka gave a grin. "With that weird fusion power I'd be willing to let Ken live as long as I have your insured promise you'll remain on the Enforcers Kitsune Nine. And... When the time comes you'll be loyal to me."

"S... Sure? I guess?" Kitsune nodded.

"I see." Hero nodded. "In exchange for letting Ken live, you want us to be loyal to you, and remain good little pawns right?"

"Not exactly." Aka said shaking her head. "I want Kitsune to remain loyal to me, and my new Enforcers, and I'm using Ken for that. But for you Hero. I have a different offer. I'll let Ken live and stay on the Enforcers for one thing."

"And that would be?"

"I want to have a child with you!"