Violence isn’t the answer, violet-ence is

Kato looked around bewildered. He was in some sort of desolate wasteland, jagged violet spires burst from the ground and further away great planes of rocks had been cleaved off the sides of mountains leading to broken quarry strewn miles across the ground, whilst bare striated cliffs watched over the depressing landscape.

“Sure, you didn’t want to choose blue? Would match the vibe,” Kato called out, “I mean this is just sad” Kato paced anxiously, “I am sure we can resolve this peacefully.” He spoke this time in a more normal tone, after all if this person could transport him to a different world they shouldn’t have any trouble with the more mundane things like a human hearing range.

“Really there’s no need to resort to such violet-ence” Kato laughed quietly, rubbing his hand son his wrists for a moment before speaking again “shoot, uh I mean sorry… I don’t mean to joke about your work, looks nice you’ve clearly put a lot of effort into the place.” Yet again silence was all that greeted him.

‘Starting to think the others could understand me, am I really this unapproachable?’

Before Kato could start feeling even more sorry for himself, a familiar trill broke out followed by the same husky, feminine voice from earlier, “are you really like this, I thought you were just trying to get under my skin” the disembodied voice shuddered.

“Uh I feel kind of bad now, it’s like bullying a little kid”

“Hey” Kato shouted out, unsure where that had come from.

“Hey yourself” the voice drawled back in a low suggestive tone, “Is that really what you wanted to say, not how did I get here or even where am I?” the laughter that accompanied was noticeably less menacing than before.

“Um, right, yeah that too” Kato replied taken aback, ‘did she not want to fight me?’

“If you must know we’re in the Dreamscape, basically a bridge between our respective minds and-”

“And the purple?” Kato interrupted

“Yes, it is purple well done” the voice responded with a sigh, “a real shame you have to die, would have been nice to have some comic relief around.” The voice muttered.

“Wait die?”

“Yes, a real shame.”

“I don’t consent”

“You don’t consent?”

“No”

“That’s not how this works”

A purple spear materialised ahead of him, a spiral of fog forming a rough helix around the shaft it quivered int the air for a moment before jumping towards him. Kato span, dodging to the side, “What the-” the spear turned around and arced back towards him, though it was noticeably less whole than it was before. The edge had turned pitted and was decaying in real time. Hues of colour bled into the environment, intermingling with the all-encompassing purple and creating something different, something new, a rich kaleidoscope pulsated in its wake.

The spear shot after him again, and Kato jumped narrowly avoiding the wicked serrated edge that the once smooth blade had become. “Can’t we talk about this” he called out desperately into the ether.

The spear turned again shooting towards him Kato desperately lunged to the side but it was too late, the spears’ course could was set and so was his, he closed his eyes, and and … “argh” a sharp pain erupted in his side, he exhaled fiercely.

‘Why did I think it would be a good idea to close my eyes?’ Kato groaned, turning to the side he had come down heavily, the spear lay several feet ahead of him, torn asunder and lying pitifully on the ground.

“What did you do” the once gentle voice, screamed in anger, “what are you!”

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Kato’s eyes narrowed it hadn’t seen fit to talk to him earlier, ‘who do they think they are, do they seriously think I’m so starved of interaction that I’ll just ignore everything that just happened and deign to respond to them?’

“I’m a human, uh I mean, I'm not talking to you … psycho” the last word he yelled.

“Who do you think you are? Just a mouse, who dares defy the natural order, you need to learn your place!”

The mist coalesced in front of him stripping away even from the mountainous cliffs in the distance until the world was left a flat colourless grey, the only sign it had ever been anything more was the dark amethyst purple that had now began to coagulate, thick rivulets forming from the gaseous cloud and merging, the form gradually shifting into the solid form of a woman.

“Finally showed yourself, hey, nice to meet you” Kato reached out a hand, ‘looks like I passed whatever test this was.’

The woman’s eyes blazed with wisteria fury, “do you think this was a game?” she spat. A thick globule of purple smeared the grey canvas stretching beneath them. A spear formed from nothing in her hands.

‘Can’ believe I misjudged this so hard, oh well luck had to run out at some point.’ Kato raised his hands he was tired of running.

The woman laughed again; Kato flinched the sharp, abrasive sound catching him odd guard.

“You really think a mere mouse can best a wolf?” The woman laughed again.

Kato punched her.

She stumbled back.

Drip, drip, drip red met the grey.

The woman stared at him shocked, “you made me bleed.”

“You made yourself bleed” Kato stared her down.

They remained like this for a minute, eyes locked, each refusing to give an inch.

A slow smile crept across the woman’s face so the “mouse has a spine” her grin curved upwards “can’t say I'm too surprised after all I never called you a bug.” And with that the standoff was broken.

She pirouetted sharply, turning and darting to the side, her spearhead remaining locked on him. Kato’s head spun as she sprinted around him, his eyes flitting rapidly, tracking her.

He raised his arms into a guard, stilled his breathing and waited.

The spear darted forward, Kato raised a forearm, ‘stop the blade get her close’ Kato repeated the mantra to himself ‘at range you’re useless, take the blade to the arm grab her and whatever happens next happens.’

The vicious edge met Katos arm and shattered, Kato stared at his arm shocked all thought of a counter lost in his stupor.

“Impossible” the woman whispered, eyes widening. But the contrasting emotions warring across her features only lasted but a second, her strict demeanour taking over; years of battle honed against opponent after opponent refused to allow her emotions an inch.

She sprang backwards, every motion sharp and calculated eyeing him up as if her were prey. She crouched low, shifting her weight to her toes and launched herself forward.

Her body seemed to blur as she tore towards him. Mid-flight her hands transformed, delicate fingers morphing into long jagged claws, slicing through the air with a foul metallic screech.

Kato’s heart pounded in his chest it was now or never. Finding something deep inside him Kato acted his hand flew forward. Crack! The woman flew backwards, hurtling across the smooth grey floor, her body sprawling in a heap.

Falteringly she lifted her head, staring at him.

“You punched me” she said weakly, words broken intermittently by throaty coughs and shallow, ragged breaths.

Kato stared down at her, his hands trembling pulse still racing “Again.”

The woman let out an empty, hollow laugh “Again.” She bitterly smiled as she pushed herself up from the ground, “You are no Zero” her eyes narrowed, as if evaluating him. “Why does it say you are?”

“It?” Kato questioned.

“Funny” The woman exhaled, her voice thick with sarcasm. She spat to the side, a mixture of red and black smearing the grey.

Kato hesitated, taking in her words. Something gnawing away at him, he looked from the foul liquid to her. “Your colour it changed” he said, his voice quieter, almost to himself. Looking at her questioningly, he waited half expecting her to suddenly transform, morph into some blood red demon, clad in pitch black twisted armour moulded to her form. But nothing did, she was the same a broken bleeding woman barely standing on her own two feet.

“Funny” the woman said again, “you’ve made it clear your Dreams are stronger than mine, no need to rub it in my face, go ahead claim this place and end it all asshole.” She stared at him, her fury evident’ it twisted her features, turned up her cheeks, and curved her lips at a twisted inhuman angle and yet rage was not what Kato saw.

Pain hid behind soulful eyes, tears rimming curved edges, “well what are you waiting for, claim it, claim it all” her voice a hitched a single drop of purple splashed to the ground.

Kato looked at her confused, ‘were we not supposed to be fighting?’

“Um, are you alright?” he asked.

“Um, are you stupid, claim this place” the woman spoke her voice fraying barely choking the words out.

‘Just do what the crazy woman says and leave’ he thought, whatever her problem was it was no business of his.

“Fine, I claim this place.”

The change was sudden grey morphed into a fierce blood red. Vast mountains and lakes sprung from the plains. A sickly chill spread through the air, and yet it felt like home.

A black shadow grew across the newly formed valley, Kato turned gazing up, there hung from the sky by invisible robes, or some preternatural force rested a pitch-black sword.

He gulped, this, this was not what he had expected.

“There.” He stated. “Happy now?” Kato turned to face the woman.

But a hollowed, purple skull was all that stared back at him.