• Published 2nd Sep 2015
  • 2,221 Views, 54 Comments

Life Fiber Harmonize - Crystalis McCloud



Primordial Life Fiber Senketsu falls to a new planet in pursuit of a deadly foe.

  • ...
5
 54
 2,221

Take Your Stand

Light. It's so bright. Where am I? Who am I? Why can't I remember anything?

"Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of here. They won't get away with this."

Who's voice is that?

The sound of an explosion shook through the air. Dust and smoke blotted out the light as a pair of hands hurried the grab a glowing red sphere from its cold cylindrical container. The surface of the sphere, only just the size of a softball, pulsed and writhed as thousands of tiny threads glimmered brightly. Tiny stars of light flashed all over its surface as awareness slowly returned to the small entity.

Another explosion, this one much closer, clouded out all sight, and the mysterious rescuer made a break for some unseen destination. Sneakers squeaked on a smooth floor as he slid through an open doorway and into a hallway clear of the smog. It was then that the tiny orb could finally get a clear picture of the one that held it. Bolting down the hall like a bullet, clutching his prize tight, was a young man with deep green hair that parted down the middle and fell to his cheekbones with a slight wave and a more defined curl at the back of his neck. The runaway's stoney gray eyes were focused straight ahead with unwavering determination, his rather young, boyish facial features contorted in what seemed to be a mixture of fear and resolve. Perhaps most unusual, however, was how his skin matched his eyes. While a shade or two lighter, his skin was also a pale gray hue.

Why was that unusual? Were creatures like this supposed to look different? Couldn't remember. Best to focus on something else.

His blood. Even just through the skin of his hands, the little ball could feel the warm blood shooting through his veins like lightning. There was something else too. What was this feeling? This feeling of power flowing into his body from some outside source? It felt so familiar. Was it how he was able to run as fast as he was?

Whatever it was, the power felt wrong. There was a strange, almost sinister quality to it that felt so familiar, but it couldn't quite identify. Stranger still was the echo. As the power flowed into the boy, something flowed back. An unusual power that felt completely alien, laced with bio energy.

"That bastard! He took it! Don't let them get away!" a female voice bellowed from down other end of the hall.

"Shit," the boy cursed under his breath, "I thought I'd have at least half a minute more before they gathered their wits."

The hallway opened up into a large room. Stairs flanked either side and even more hallways seemed to stretch off in every direction. Banners hung from the ceiling, inscribed with the words "Crystal Prep Shadowbolts", and they framed two sets of glass doors that streamed in daylight from outside.

The boy didn't stop, charging the doors at full speed. He leaped towards them, and that strange, alien power inside him surged. An aura of green light, much like his hair, appeared on his forehead and strobed brightly.

... They were outside? The doors were behind them?

Did he just do that? How did he do that?

There was no time to analyze. Everything was moving too fast, and it was hard to remember anything with this barrage of familiar and foreign things.

The boy skidded to a halt, glancing back at the building they had just left. The elegant white structure almost seemed like it was covered in gemstone, befitting the banners within and the large embossed lettering over the entryway, which read "Crystal Prep Boarding School".

A school? Why does that feel so nostalgic?

"I swear I'll save it," the boy growled under breath before turning his eye down to the sphere. "With you, I know I can't lose. A Primordial Life Fiber that fights other Life Fibers."

A... Life Fiber? Yes, that's what I am.

They were running again, barrelling down sidewalks and through alleys. Cars on the streets seemed to be moving in slow motion at this pace, and other pedestrians were practically motionless, only feeling a gust of wind blow by them as the pair passed.

It was then that the spherical being took the chance to take in its rescuer's attire. He was wearing a jet black uniform with silver trimming that was studded with tiny, clear gems along the cuffs, hem, and lower pant legs. Most prominent, however, was the shimmering four-point star emblazoned across the chest.

The sight sparked a memory, and images flooded through the orb's consciousness. It saw hundreds, even thousands of humans wearing similar outfits, their fighting power enhanced beyond their limits. Garments of war, and they were called…

"Above you!" the sphere shouted.

As they had passed through another dark alley, the sky above was suddenly blotted out by thousands of tiny slivers soared overhead. The boy nearly stumbled over in surprise at the voice emanating from his cargo, but regained his composure quickly. He stopped running and looked up at the flurry as it began to rain down on them.

What is he doing? He can't outrun it, but just standing there won't help either.

The answer came as that power swelled in the boy again. He raised his hand, the light shining from his brow once more.

And was that a pair of ears on top of his head? When did those get there?

The power flowed out, condensing into a dome around them. The deadly cloud fell on them, and what turned out to be thousands of needles just splashed harmlessly over the translucent barrier. Once the last needle fell, the barrier vanished, and the ears atop the boy's head disappeared as well. He fell to one knee, gasping for breath. Making that simple dome must have taken a lot of strength. The flow of energy inside him had ebbed significantly after that little stunt.

Holding the sphere in front of him, the boy looked at it in disbelief. "You... Spoke?" he asked between ragged breaths.

It didn't answer. The situation was still unclear. All it knew was that it didn't want this boy to die. This boy felt like someone that could be trusted, but its memory was still too fuzzy for it to make a sound judgement call.

"I must say, I'm actually quite impressed," the female voice from before now rang out above them, turning the boy's head up to see a row of dark silhouettes. They lined the roof on one side of the alley, looking down on the pair. The one in the center stepped forward, but was still obscured in the shadows they cast. "Not many One Stars can manage the pony transformation, let alone using magic like that."

The flow of power in the boy picked back up again by a small margin. His blood was getting fired up, and it was feeding his strength. He leaped into the air, kicking off of the wall halfway up and landing on the opposite rooftop to stare down his enemies. "You know me, Suri Polomare, always trying to throw off the bell curve," he boasted, running his fingers through his hair.

From here, the shadows fell away from the row of enemies, revealing at least a dozen young humans wearing uniforms identical to the one on the boy. The four point stars on each of their chests gleamed as they stood ready to fight. The girl in the center, Suri Polomare, stood out from the rest. Her violet hair, bangs sweeping to one side over sharp brown eyes, was tied back into a bun with two big needles the size of chopsticks holding it up. Her skin was also a curiosity. It was a soft pink shade, completely different from the boy’s grey skin. She stood with a cocky smirk, hip popped to the side, and her hand resting on it.

She wore a slim, oriental style dress hugging her body. The black fabric was also studded with gems, these ones around the collar, arm straps, and the short hem of its skirt. Along the waistline was a sash with needles stitched vertically along the entire length. Unlike the others, however, this garment had two stars set over each breast, and these stars were an eerie dark red with a constant flow of brighter red threads over it.

Life Fibers. That garment had more of them than the others, making it far more dangerous. That's right, an outfit with a twenty percent Life Fiber composition. The ones with one star only had ten percent, including the one the boy was wearing. He was outmatched. There was no way his Goku Uniform could match a dozen One Stars and a Two Star.

Wait, Goku Uniforms? Yes, that was the name of the outfits. It was starting to come back. Memories of a long battle to protect a planet from the dangers of Life Fibers, and one foe in particular that was still very much alive.

That was my mission. I came to this world to stop her once and for all.

Suri lifted her hand from her hip, needles slowly appearing from behind her back as she reeled them out on a thread. "It's a shame to kill a student with so much talent with both magic and sewing," she mused, pulling another needle lined thread with her other hand. "If you hand over the Primordial Life Fiber and beg for your life, I might just be convinced to let you live. I'll just punish you for a few days and then force you to sew new Goku Uniforms for the rest of your life."

"Hah! That's never going to happen," the boy balked the offer. He widened his stance ever so slightly, his blood burning even more fiercely. "I'd never hear the end of it if I was forced to serve a second rate fake like you."

Suri's eyebrow twitched violently at the verbal jab. "What did you just call me?! I am Suri Polomare, President of Crystal Prep High School’s Fashion Club," she shrieked flinging her arms forward and sending a flurry of needles at him, "and I will not be mocked by a nobody like you!"

The boy's forehead lit with the green aura again, and the triangular ears also appeared on his head as he called on his power. Another barrier formed in front of him, and the thousands of needles pelted it relentlessly. The boy's eyes narrowed and his tone dropped as he replied, "And I won't be beaten by the likes of you. I won't let my plans be ruined." His brave show did well to hide to fact that defending against her attack was draining his strength to dangerous lows.

The assault stopped, and Suri scoffed, "You have big plans, do you? Hardly a worry when you can't even make a clean getaway. Did you even realize that every Goku Uniform that we've manufactured has a tracking device planted in it? You can't get away without that uniform, and you can't get away with it on. You were screwed from the start."

"Oh?" the boy said in mock surprise. He reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a thin little microchip. "You mean this? I found this weeks ago. Been keeping it for just such an occasion."

Suri's eyes went wide when she saw the chip, reeling out three needle-covered threads from behind her back. "So you wanted us to follow you? What can you hope to do, anyway? Your puny little One Star Uniform can't hold a candle to my Sewing Spec Needlework Enhancing Two Star Goku Uniform!"

She was right. He was near the end of his rope, even if he didn't show it, and there were a dozen One Star Uniforms and the Two Star to contend with. Even so, his heart rate was only slightly elevated; not nearly the rapid thumping that would be normal for a losing situation. He had something planned, the Life Fiber sphere could tell.

The boy crushed the chip in his hand, smiling as he simply stated, "I think my big brothers would have to disagree with that, Suri. They call this sort of thing a trap for a reason."

Right on que, twelve shadows leaped into view behind the enemy. The landed on the heads of each One Star and kicked off of their faces, knocking them flat on their asses. With a showy flip in the air, each new arrival landed in a row beside the boy. They stood and turned to face the enemy, each wearing a uniform with a hood sewn on, keeping their faces hidden. These white outfits were also Goku Uniforms, with a dark gray star on their chests.

Most surprisingly, however, was how the boy's power grew exponentially in their presence. What was a pond was now a river, flowing through him even greater than before. The ears on his head even stayed this time, instead of vanishing as they had before.

It was Suri's turn to narrow her eyes, eying the new arrivals. "So you managed to cobble together some Goku Uniforms of your own, huh? Where the hell did you manage to find enough Life Fibers to make them?" she asked, teeth gritting together.

"Not to sound like a cliche, but none of your damn business," the boy retorted, eying the other side warily as the enemy One Stars got to their feet. All of them were sporting fresh shoe prints on their faces.

Suri sighed, placing a hand on her hip again while casually playing with her three lines of thread in the other. "Looks like you're more prepared than I thought, but exactly what do you hope to accomplish here? Even all of you combined can't match my Two Star Uniform, and you went to a lot of trouble to get me here. Do you think that if you can take me out, then it'll halt the use of Life Fibers for a while?"

"How cute. You think it's all about you," the boy chuckled. "No, my other objective, besides stealing the Primordial Life Fiber, was to recruit some real talent." The boy raised his hand, his glow surrounding it, and then the One Stars to Suri's right. With a flick of his wrist, the six of them were sent flying, revealing a young girl cowering in fear. "Coco Pommel, it's time to break free and fight this evil that's taking hold of our school. Are you going to be Suri's coffee girl forever, or are you going to weave the clothes that will lead us to victory over the Life Fibers?"

The girl glanced up from behind long bangs colored with alternating stripes of a gentle aqua and white, her sky blue eyes darting over to Suri and them back to the boy. She wore a different uniform from the rest, this one a blue-gray blouse with a maroon jacket that bore a mark of a silver shield with a black bolt. With it was a matching maroon skirt plaided with stripes of lilac and gold. Her hand subconsciously drifted up to touch a hairband adorned with I red false flower, and she stammered, "E-Emmy, I--"

She could barely get that much out before a huge needle the size of a dagger sunk into the concrete at her feet, thrown by Suri. She was cut short and let out a little yelp of surprise.

"You want that worthless little pipsqueak? You really are crazy," she said with a boastful laugh. "What good would someone like her be?"

"You would know, wouldn't you?" the boy smirked, raising his hand. Another pulse of power ran through his body, and his hair started to grow. From the back of his hairline, behind his neck, a distinct ponytail formed. His forehead and hand also glowed with the green aura again. Was he doing something with it? Nothing seemed to be happening.

"Don't think that I don't know what you've done to Coco, you bitch. You make her work her fingers to the bone sewing designs you steal from her or others. You take the credit for work you only have a small hand in at best, and use them to climb up while you do nothing but push her down into the dirt," he continued. More and more anger laced his voice, and his heated blood really started to boil. "I know for a fact that she even designed the very uniform that you're wearing. The one you've claimed to be your own masterpiece. You're a liar and a cheat that uses others to get ahead! I won't let you use her anymore!"

Coco's eyes filled with tears as she softly spoke, "Emmy."

"You hypocrite!" Suri shouted back, her nerves clearly fraying. "You won't let me use her? Well what about you? You just want her so that she can make uniforms for you instead of us!"

"I am not like you!" the boy roared back. "I am not forcing anything on her, nor will I exploit her like you have. I know that I need her, though. I want her as my comrade, not my servant!"

Suri moved faster than the boy could react. She stepped right behind Coco, grabbing her by her wrist and twisting it mercilessly behind her back. The meek girl gave a short scream of pain before she felt the tip of another large needle pressed against her throat, silencing her instantly.

"You need her so bad?" Suri asked, a distinct venom in her voice. "Maybe I should just kill her so that you can never have her? I have no need for her now that I have this Two Star Uniform." Her statement was punctuated by her own transformation. Triangular ears formed atop her head, and a ponytail extended out from the bottom of her hair bun.

The Life Fiber could feel the boy's heart quite literally skipped a beat in shock. He recovered and narrowed his eyes at Suri as he growled, "Don't even think you can bluff me. That uniform may enhance your physical abilities; your needlework and sewing, but even Life Fibers can't make you a better designer. You still need her to design new Goku Uniforms for you. You wouldn't dare get rid of your proverbial gravy train."

It was a bad situation, even if the boy was right. There was no way he could stop Suri from killing Coco if she really intended to, and even if she didn't, there was no way he could free Coco like this. His power may have increased somehow in the presence of his "brothers" but that wasn't enough to match Suri. It was obvious. But what could be done?

A voice echoed through the consciousness of the Primordial Life Fiber. A voice that screamed out with an infectious battle fury, stirring blood that lay sleeping in the depths of its being. Blood it had drank and made part of itself. The blood of the one who had worn him, just as he was worn by her.

That was right. He wasn't just an it. He was more than that. The memories were coming back, reignited by the voice in his mind and the fire this boy had displayed. He remembered who he was, and everything he was capable of.

Thank you, Ryuko.

Understanding what he could do; what he had to do, the Life Fiber spoke to the boy,"I can help you save her."

The boy turned his eye to the sphere in his hand, and found it staring back. A single eye opened on it, looking up at him. The eye had bright yellow sclera, and two iris, the outer red, and the inner orange, with a yellow pupil at its center. The Life fiber spoke again, saying, "Only you can hear me right now, so don't say anything. Don't show that I have awakened. If you want to save that girl, then you have to do exactly what I say. If you understand, then clench your teeth."

Just as instructed, the boy's teeth snapped together, and he returned his glaring gaze to Suri. It was his only option, really. If he wanted to save Coco, then he had no choice. Still, it was far from a safe, easy road.

"Do you really want to take that kind of gamble with little Coco's life?" Suri goaded, nicking Coco's neck with the tip of her needle and letting a small drop of blood run along its length. "Would you really risk her dying if you defy me?"

Her words were ignored as the Life Fiber spoke again, "You should know as well as I do that you can't beat her with your uniform, but together we can change that. You have to be willing to put everything on the line, though. Your life most importantly. There's no guarantee you can handle it."

There were twenty five One Star Uniforms present. A dozen on the side of this Crystal Prep place, and then the boy and his dozen supposed brothers that stood silent and at the ready on either side of him. Between all of them, there should just barely be enough Life Fibers to make this work. "I need you to use that strange power of yours to pull all of the enemy One Stars in close, and I will take case of the rest. I will give you my power, enough to take her on, but it won't hold long with so little material."

The boy hefted the orb up and down gently, a silent confirmation.

Suri took no notice, only seeing the boy staring her down wordlessly. "Pathetic. You show your hand like this and end up stuck. A fool like you is no threat to us."

Something strange happened after she said that. The boy relaxed completely. There was still fire in his blood, but all apprehension left his body. He smiled down at the orb and said, "She's already safe. Thanks for the offer anyway."

"What?"

She was safe? What was he talking about?

Suri looked doubly perplexed, looking at the boy like he was crazy. "Safe? Who are you even talking to?"

The meaning of his strange words was made clear as the very air began to waver and ripple all around. The truth of the situation changed as Coco Pommel began to evaporate into wisps of green fog, vanishing from Suri's grasp, much to her shock and outrage. Even as Coco vanished, however, she reappeared next to the boy, clutching his arm tight in apprehension as she took shape.

Suddenly without her leverage, Suri's eyes darted between Coco and the boy. She wasn't the only one, though, as the Life Fiber's eye did the same.

"What the hell is this trickery?" Suri demanded, her teeth gritting together

Coco clutched the boy's arm tighter as he raised up his glowing hand. A cocky grin spread across his face as he answered, "Did you really think that my talents were in sewing and fashion, Suri? It's a very handy skill, yes, but I honestly have no passion for stuff like that." He waved his hand, and two duplicates of himself took shape from the same foggy energy. Together, the three of their voices overlapped as they continued, "I am a guardian of lies. I create something from nothing, and nothing from something; bewildering my enemies to render truth intangible with visions of deceit. There are none that can match my powers of illusion, and I will use this magic to end the scourge of Life Fibers on our planet!" Another sweep of his hand, and the replicas vanished into a haze.

There was that word again; magic. Suri had said it before as well. So this world actually had something like that? Real magic for casting spells like in fantasy stories? It seemed like Life Fibers were the key to tapping into it too.

This world really was different from home.

It also explained what happened too. Before Suri had grabbed Coco, the boy had already started to work his magic, hiding her while creating a false image in her place. It was probably safe to assume that one of the "brothers" was cloaked and replaced in order to retrieve Coco from the other roof. It had all been an act; a show put on to keep Suri unawares.

The Life Fiber had to marvel at the execution. There wasn't even a word spoken to the subordinates, if one indeed did play a part in it. The magic on display was impressive as well. While there was no telling how difficult it actually was to perform, the boy had clearly created an illusion that not only fooled the eyes and ears, but had even felt tangible to Suri. A simple image, like a hologram, would not have fooled her once she tried to grab Coco by the wrist. It had to have taken incredible attention to detail to recreate the tactile sensations and have the illusion move in perfect time with the action. It was hard to imagine it not being an impressive feat, and he hardly seemed strained from it.

No wonder he seemed so confident and unworried, aside from when he had been putting on the act. With a power like this, even escaping would be a simple matter. A One Star Uniform still couldn't hurt a Two Star, but all the strength in the world wouldn't allow Suri to see through the boy's magic. He had all the cards from the start.

"An illusionist," Suri growled under her breath, bringing reality back into focus. "All that means is that you are a coward that hides behind tricks. That kind of power won't stop anything!"

The boy's eyes twinkled with mischief as he held up the sphere in his hand, making it no secret now as he spoke to it. "We could just run away now, but her voice is really pissing me off. How about you? Want to go ahead and help me kick her ass before we go? We'll be able to net some extra Life Fibers at the same time."

There was no reason to pretend to be dormant now. Everything was already guaranteed to work out, and this would just be icing on the cake. Plus, to be honest, Suri really had pissed the Life Fiber off, and he admired the honest resolve that the boy had displayed. He was reminded of another girl he had known back on his planet, one that also did everything she could to rebel against Life Fibers. Another girl whose blood he still felt in his core.

"Yes, it would be my honor to be worn by you," he answered loud and clear for all to hear. "Just don't blame me if the strain of my power is too much for you."

"I'd expect nothing less from a Kamui, even an incomplete one. I’ll be fine, though."

"Shit, it's awake already?" Suri gasped. She turned her glare to the One Stars that flanked her and screamed, "Get them now! Retrieve the Primordial Life Fiber and Coco Pommel! Kill the rest!"

Even as the enemies leaped forward, the boy kept his gaze on the sphere in his hand, meeting the unblinking gaze of the entity. He asked casually, "Well, since I'm going to be wearing you, I should probably ask your name, shouldn't I?"

His name. The name Ryuko gave him.

"I am Senketsu. What is yours?"

A surprisingly gleeful grin spread across the boy's face as he answered, "Pleasure to meet you, Senketsu. My name is Emerald Mist." When the enemy was right overhead, descending to strike, the magic in him pulsed out, wrapping them all in his aura and trapping them. "You can call me Emerl."

Perfect. They were all in range.

Senketsu floated up from Emerl's hand, every fiber beginning to glow and brilliant stars of light flashing all over his surface. He called upon his most important power as a weapon against other Life Fibers; the power of absorption. He found a hold in the frail One Star Uniforms and pulled with every ounce of his will. He yanked the Life Fibers free from them, even as the threads clung to the desire to hold their forms as clothing.

The bright red threads of Life Fibers shot out from the Uniforms and attached to Senketsu. Threads from the enemy uniforms, the twelve brothers, and from Emerl's uniform all fed into Senketsu, making him grow larger. In no time, the last bit of Life Fiber left the uniforms and all of them fell to tatters. Their wearers were stripped to nothing but their underwear, and the enemy students all fell into the alley with a scream and a painful crash.

Emerl's brothers moved in that instant as well. One of them grabbed Coco, and all of them retreated before their faces could even be seen. They ran to the next alley just behind them and leaped down to make their escape.

That was curious. They weren't even phased a bit, even though they hadn't known the plan. They'd even beat a strategic retreat with Coco that was perfectly timed. How had they known to do that without a word from Emerl?

No, that wasn't important right now. It was time to weave these Life Fibers. There weren't many, but it was enough to barely complete his basic foundation, even if he wouldn't have full strength, Senketsu would take on the form of a Kamui, a garment of pure Life Fibers, once more.

Suri's expression had slowly turned from one of anger to fear. She had no backup now, and she watched in horror as Senketsu slowly wrapped himself around Emerl's body. The glowing fibers writhed and flowed like living fluid over his skin, and on his shoulders, Senketsu's two eyes took shape. The luminous threads took no definite shape, however, only a small bit over his hand truly solidifying. They took the shape of a red, fingerless glove with decorative metal plates on the knuckles and a cuff with a sliding pin mechanism.

"Use the Seki Tekko to give me your blood and release our power!" Senketsu yelled.

"No, this can't be happening! I won't let you have that power! I won't let you beat me!" Suri screamed. She reached back to pull out a line of needled threads on each finger, a panicked, crazy look in her eyes. She threw the needles forward in the largest flurry yet, one that would have obliterated Emerl's barriers before.

He and Senketsu stood firm, and he lifted his hand to turn the glove's pin, slide it, and pull it free.

"Life Fiber Harmonize!"