NIGHT 65: M1-M10 HALLWAY

[his_legacy]

As soon as the intercom was through, Link was off at a sprint. He carried the pillow case,his flashlight, and the knife from the previous evening.

There were now two tasks to be accomplished: Supplies for Sora, and another clue in the X-Ray Room. Two birds with one stone in the medical wing. There wasn't a moment to lose.

Sora could already be gone by the time he returned.

[To here]

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[knightspirit]

This was cutting it close. ... Really close. He could see the blackness growing, spreading out and consuming everything, and Sora couldn't stay still any longer. It made things a little harder, and made it obvious that Kyousuke had reached the point he was putting himself in serious danger. Even so, it had to be done. If Sora got away before he finished, he wouldn't be the only one in trouble. Others could get attacked, and they'd probably fight back. ... They wouldn't know. Kyousuke knew the other boy was still there, trying not to give in, but he didn't look like a boy anymore, he looked like something else. And people tended to value their lives above everything.

He finished tying, and stepped back abruptly. He was starting to get seized with the urge to just run away, as fast he could, but he couldn't do that, so he ignored it. The best thing to do now was to close the door behind him, but for a moment he had to look on at the inky creature in front of him. ... Was Sora still in there? Could he even be saved like this? What if this meant it was already too late? ... That wouldn't get them anywhere, though. They'd just have to try.

[lighthearted]

The transformation was progressing more rapidly by the second, and by the time that Tsurugi was done, there was nothing of Sora left behind the creature's glowing yellow eyes. Even his hair and clothing had been consumed with black, and the wisps of darkness were rising off of him near constantly at that point.

Rational thought no longer existed. Sora was a Heartless now, the antithesis of everything he normally stood for. He'd turned into the very thing that he usually fought, and there was no stopping it now.

With his claws, he sliced the restraints around his wrists into ribbons, undoing all of the work that they'd put in to keep things safe. His ankles were freed through brute strength, as he pulled his legs apart from each other until the cloth ripped.

And then -- then he was free to hunt, and there was a perfect target right in front of him. Sora leapt off of the bed at an inhuman speed, literally pouncing for Tsurugi with clawed hands extended. He knocked the boy to the ground and started to dig his claws into Tsurugi's chest, hoping to get to the heart caged within.

[knightspirit]

Within seconds, everything they'd been trying to prevent was completely ruined. Kyousuke had certain instincts for things happening faster than he could control, but not the right kind. Something coming at him with this sort of speed meant either to hold his ground or break his way past; all his training didn't account for something trying to claw its way into him. He wasn't used to trying to block in quite that manner, either, so it was really no wonder he was overpowered before he could do much about it.

He exhaled sharply as he hit the floor, hands gripping at the ones tearing into him, struggling to try and prevent them from going any further. It didn't hurt as much as he would have thought because of the adrenaline, and he was used to pain, so that didn't disturb him too much. ... It was the sight of this ... black thing over him, and the blood that was beginning to seep out of his chest that really got to him.

"Stop!" he yelled out. If it were possible that Sora could still hear him through all this... But the creature was stronger than he was, and he grit his teeth. He had to get it off of him before he punctured something important. Pulling wasn't working, but with his leg power... He tried to kick the creature away, as hard as he could manage. A regular human would probably take some serious damage, but this thing wasn't human anymore, so who knew what it could withstand. He could only hope it was enough to get it off of him, but not injure it too seriously.

[lighthearted]

The blood that was drawn only seemed to throw Sora into more of a frenzy, the instincts that were now a part of him going into overdrive. If he clawed deeper, past the flesh and bone, he'd reach what he was looking for. Tsurugi was young, and while his life hadn't been simple, he'd overcome many obstacles, hadn't he? That meant his heart was strong and bright.

But a few things got in the way. When Tsurugi yelled at him, the Anti-Form flinched slightly, more from shock than because it caused him any pain. The kick was something the boy-turned-monster wasn't as ready for. Both of Tsurugi's feet managed to hit him in the gut, causing him to jump off of him for a moment.

But he wasn't going to give up that easily. On all fours now, he circled around Tsurugi at a dizzying pace before jumping toward him again, claws ready to continuing unlocking the door to Tsurugi's heart -- or, in cruder terms, to tear his chest open.

[knightspirit]

The kick didn't push the creature as far as Kyousuke would have liked, but it was at least enough enough to let him recover. Immediately, he pressed a hand to his chest, trying to stop the flow of blood. It didn't seem to be helping much, but he couldn't keep his focus there long enough tell, instead pulling himself to his feet and watching the thing circling around him at an incredible speed.

He had to do something, and fast. What, exactly, was the problem. He wasn't about to let himself get shred into, but he couldn't just attack the creature, when he had no idea how that would end up effecting Sora. It was a monster, but it was also still human. If he seriously injured it, and it came back in that state... But then, that might be his only option to stop it. He grit his teeth as he realized it. Was there at least some way he could buy some time...?

Back in the hall, there had been a moment where Sora had flinched away from the light, almost like it was painful. It was crazy, a longshot, but by this point, Kyousuke was just desperate enough to give it a try. At the creature jumped at him, he made a lunge for his flashlight, discarded amidst the shuffle, and shone it directly at it. He tried to brace himself as he did it; if by any chance this didn't work, he was about to get torn into again.

[lighthearted]

Right as the creature was about to land on top of Tsurugi, the light hit it straight-on, burning its eyes and its skin as it suddenly seized up, wanting to stop itself from moving any closer to that source. While it didn't make a sound of any sort, the way that it pulled away was enough of a clue that it wasn't interested in attacking Tsurugi any longer.

It had to decide what to do next, of course, and its yellow eyes darted around as it considered its options with the limited intelligence it had. There were hallways out there, ones that were dark and filled with prey that would be less prepared. It could go after them instead.

And so, without another action taken against Tsurugi, the thing that had once been Sora spun around and then bolted out of the room, causing the door to slam behind it. It scurried down the hall, already focused on other prospects.

[To here.]

[his_legacy]

[From here]

Link hardly even noticed at first as Sora slipped by him like a shadow. When he turned around, breathing heavily from the run, it took a moment for it to dawn on him that he was too late.

He nearly turned around to chase Sora down the main halls, but Link knew that he wouldn't be of any use lugging around this pillow case. So he made his way into his room, intending to leave the bag behind and run off after Sora. Maybe he could still be-

But that thought was interrupted by the sight of smeared blood around the room.

Huffing and puffing a little from the run, Link decided that he ought to keep the medical kit with him, instead. He left the tiny knives he had found in the medical wing, though, in his closet. He didn't need someone finding them who shouldn't be.

[To here]