Archive of Our Own

Everyone knows how kind and gentle Kafka is.

Even as a kaiju, his touch is soft and caring.

Until that day,

They saw how truly fearsome he could be.

"Another gate is opening." Suited said through their earpiece. "But I can't get visual on anything. What about you guys?"

"Nothing on our end," Okonogi said as she typed. Her face twisted in worry, "No fortitude, no estimation. Just blank."

"That's not a good thing at all." Chester crossed his arms as he watched them, "Normally, we get estimations, or something to at least give us a hand on this upcoming fight."

Chester was asked to come to Japan to assist in some of the dimension gates. Sagan had asked time and time again to remain at home with his family, but it didn't help. He leaned back in his seat as his gaze focused on the screen above. Japan had been experiencing an influx of portals, with all the leaders present alongside their higher-ups on monitors to discuss future endeavors. This one was possibly entering the territory of the 2nd division. "What could…" His eyes shifted to Kafka, who was staring at the portal, his gaze narrowed, and he noticed the other clawing at his arm, "Kafka."

"Yeah?" He didn't turn his way.

"Do you sense something?" The others turned as Kafka bit his lip, as if afraid to say something, "Out of everyone here. You are the best candidate to speak if you do."

"It's…. not good, by no means…"

The older one frowned, "What do you mean?"

Kafka let out a sigh, "I can sense kaiju… You all know that, but I can sense them strongly in my kaiju form; the stronger the opponent, the more I can feel it in my normal form. Something.... I don't… know how to say it, but... Something in them is making me feel..." Kafka kept clawing at his arm roughly, breaking skin to the point that Hoshina had to reach out to stop him. "Pain? A constant burning sensation."

"What is painful, exactly?" Chester pushed gently, "Is it dire?"

Kafka shook his head. "Well, it might alarm you all, but" Hoshina let his claw go as he started relaxing, but his gaze was still on the gate in their monitors. "I can sense it in this form. The stronger the opponent, the more it seeps into my normal form. Usually, it's a sharp pain in my head, but this time it's my entire body. Like bugs crawling all over me, and needles are prickling on my body."

"That's bad… right?" Minase confirmed gently.

Kafka crossed his arms, "I'm not sure, but it's setting me off, big time."

They thought about what he said when Suited spoke, "Why not check it out? You've already been in one, right?"

"No." Ashiro shook her head, "It's too dangerous, and we aren't sending one of my men to the location alone."

"Come on!" Suited smiled and leaned forward, "It's not too bad! It's better this way. Hibino Kafka has the speed and power; actually, we don't know his limitations."

"That's exactly why we shouldn't send Kafka into the gate." Hoshina added, a frown evident on his face, "It's dangerous, not to mention, reckless."

"Or you two might be a bit protective of him?" A man with long white hair in a braid said as he leaned forward on camera, "Little brother, you do know this is the safest option, right?" He motioned to Kafka, whose gaze was still on the portal, but now was growing anxious, "Look at him. You two aren't thinking about what he wants." The two captains remained silent, knowing what Kafka would do.

Chester understood what they were thinking, putting a hand on their shoulder before turning to Kafka, "Sorry to ask. If you don't want to, you can deny."

"It's fine." Kafka placed a claw on the table and scratched it, "It's getting worse." He looked at Suited, "You also want data, correct?"

"Yup!" She nodded, and they heard typing, "If you give me bout an hour for you to get ready, I'll send over a drone with ya, so we can also keep watch and hear."

"Why not just send the drone then?" Soshiro asked, "If you're sending one in, then what's the point in sending Kafka too?"

Suited kept typing, "Cause a drone only goes so far. We tried time and time again, but once it nears, it no longer flies. It's still connected, but it won't proceed. Maybe with Kafka, it's actually go through and we can see what he sees?"

"It's okay, Vice Captain." Kafka smiled at the younger man, "I'll be fine."

Hoshina bit his lip and sighed, "Fine."

Word spread.

The others were just as against this idea.

The only way to get them to stop is if they are allowed to watch too, joining the meeting rooms that they switched to for more access to analyze the situation. Aoi and Haruichi watched from the seats beside Jura, as did Iharu and Reno beside their captain in the fourth division. Kikoru was standing with Akari and Hakua since they came with the Third Division for joint practice.

Soshiro walked with Kafka outside, ticked off about the whole situation, "I'm still against this whole ordeal."

"I know." Kafka turned to him as the swordsman handed him the drone, "I'm sorry, I know you just want me safe."

"I don't like when ya do reckless shit like this, ya idiot." Soshiro pulled the man down and rested his forehead against the other, "We still don't know if you keep transforming," His eyes opened slightly, "Will you come back to me? As yourself?"

"I know."

"Sometimes I wonder if you do," Soshiro murmured, then leaned forward to kiss him. "Just come back, Kafka."

"I will."

Soshiro stayed outside as Kafka shifted and started hopping the building before shooting into the sky.

"Be careful."

The others watched as Kafka slipped their current monitor. Suddenly, his signature went haywire, before going silent."Suited?"

"Give him a moment."

Soshiro walked back in, his expression unreadable as he sat back down. A hand on his back, he looked to see Ebina placing a hand on his shoulder, though his expression was staring at the monitor, "Have faith in your partner."

"It's not that-"

"You're worried. I know. " Ebina eyes Soshiro quickly, "Everyone is. Let's put our faith into his hands, okay? You're partner might be reckless, but he is driven."

"Yes, sir."

They sat in silence, waiting for anything, then a soft voice glitched, "Ca… ou…. me?"

"Hibino Kafka, we can hear you, but you're cutting off." Director Itami spoke, "What's wrong?"

"No…Hold…."

There was a crash and, "Ah!"

"Kafka?" Soshiro called out worriedly, "What's happening?"

A low growl, then, "I tripped."

The room was silent before Reno let out a huff of laughter, "That would be you."

"Let me be, Ichikawa." The voice now strong and no longer cutting off, "I'm still a recent kaiju." There were sounds of walking, "Whoa."

"What?" Narumi said from his spot, "Suited, why aren't we able to see what he sees?"

"Give it a second! I'm trying…… It's online!" Suited pulled up the drone on their screens, "It flew next to Kafka as he stood on a cliffside, his eyes analyzed the area. It was deserted, barren. "Is this another planet?" She questioned.

Kafka growled as he jumped to another cliff point, and they watched as it broke; his claws gripped the rock before he jumped to another, the drone flying beside him. "It's different than the first one I entered, but this one feels more desolate." He looked into a hole, and his eyes shone as he looked inside, "It's strange. I can sense something, but I can't see anything."

As he kept going further, Reno called out, "Senpai! Don't stray too far from the portal."

Kafka turned around, and the drone followed. The portal was a ways away from him, now small and barely visible.

How fast was he going?"

"But-"

"Sorry, Hibino." Suited called out, "I can't track your location, so if you get lost, you get lost."

"Fine."Kafka turned back but ran around it to give the rest a visualization. "This is insane," Okonogi said as she typed, "Getting inside footage of a dimension gate."

"Thank you, Mr. Kaiju, for running it for us." Suited quipped, "I'll get ya an eye as a reward coming back."

Kafka made a face, evident on his sharp, toothy expression, "Gross."

"Come on! Ya like food, right? Have ya ever tried eating like a kaiju?"

Kafka halted to a stop and shifted out, breathing heavily, "I'm not fully Kaiju, Suited." He tried catching his breath and winced as he held his head, "Shit."

"Are you hurt, sir? Any injuries? Why are you out of your form?" Reno questioned rapidly.

"And here I thought my dear brother would be the one asking all the questions?" Soichiro said, though his gaze never left the monitor.

"Trust me. I want to." Soshiro gripped his arm tighter, "But seriously, Kafka. Why are you out of your form?"

"Habit." He looked around and smiled, "You know… This place looks like the Helldivers game. The one you wanted me to play with you, Captain Narumi."

The captain stood up and slammed his hands on top of the table, "YOU THINK SO TOO??" The man pointed at the monitor, "It looks like that one desolate planet we were stuck on, when those stupid spider aliens came and surrounded us."

"Yeah. They ambushed us, and we had-" His smile soon faded, the rest watched as he crouched and looked around at the side where he was originally running towards, "Shit…" The drone turned, and there were dozens of different-sized kaiju running his way, "That makes…. sense…"

"The pain in your body?"

"Yeah…"

"Kafka Hibino, turn back around and head back now." Director Itami called out, "Source has been found, now get back."

Kafka turned, and his eyes widened. The drone followed, and there were kaiju at all ends. "Kafka…" Soshiro called out worriedly.

They watched as Kafka's brows furrowed in worry as he looked around at all angles, "There's a slight issue…"

"There's no exit." Suited said for them. She typed rapidly, "What do you mean by a slight issue?"

Narumi frowned. " How come they aren't entering the portal?" They could see from the drone's angle how the kaiju skipped it to get closer to Kafka. "Their priority isn't entering it… but…"

Mina looked around the area, "Kafka, you might be their tar-"

An explosion hit the area Kafka was in, "KAKFA!" They shouted.

Some covered their mouths in worry, and some felt tears pricking their eyes, then, in the smoke, Kafka stood, half-transformed. The area around him was shattered, except for the spot where Kafka stood, as he crossed his arms to cover his face. His eyes flickered between the area as another explosion hit, and he dodged. One Kaiju flew at high speeds, going for a head-on collision, "Fortitude 9.5!" Okonogi shouted, "Officer Hibino!"

"It's fine!" As it neared, Kafka slammed his fist into its nose, exploding the kaiju into guts. He crouched down and hissed. His pupils expanding, the teal they once recognized was now a pitch-black hole. As he looked around, the kaiju were coming in rapidly. He dodged each one, trying to make his way to the portal, only for a large-scale kaiju smashing its tail against Kafka and slam him onto the ground.

Everyone flinched as the tail lifted and Kafka was crushed onto he ground with an arm ripped off, "Senpai!" Reno shouted.

"Kafka! Can you hear us!" Soshiro shouted, "Kafka!"

"I…. Hear ya." His voice was gruff and lower. Through the drone, now zoomed in, they noticed his body re-morphing.

As he did, he saw the kaiju swing once more, but as it made contact, it exploded, smoke rising. A shadow in it, eyes piercing blue, and an image of what looked like a devil. Kafka jumped on its scales and rapidly climbed its hide. As he climbed to the top, he morphed his fists together and slammed them onto the other's head, bashing it in. The slam was so hard it sent a shockwave through the kaiju's body, exploding it as well. More guts exploded.

"That was a 9.6," Okonogi whispered.

"The same Fortitude that killed several captains and officers that year." Ogata reminded them. "And he dealt with it like a 1.1…"

Kafka let out steam as he looked around, his eyes flashing between red and cyan.

Control was starting to be difficult.

The kaiju within him was longing for the fight.

There was no way he could get home like this.

Not until his other half was satisfied.

"I'm sorry."

"Kafka?" Soshiro's eyes opened, "What-"

The man looked up, the one smile they had come to love now replaced with a twisted grin. His teeth elongated and sharpened. The scales on his back are also longer. The gentleness of the eyes, now replaced with a crazed expression, one that looked more bloodthirsty and violent. A low growl sounding like a laugh echoed through their mics, "Kill, Kill."

"Kafka!" Soshiro stood up in his seat, a hand on his shoulder, "Kafka, what the-"

"Kill, Kill." His laughter turned more twisted as his face widened, and they saw a crack forming under his eye. "Kill." Kafka chanted as the kaiju grew closer. His hands turned to claws, and the heard bones cracking to see them poking out of Kafka's suit.

He ran forward, now meeting the crowd of kaiju head-on. A piercing screech filled their ears; some clutched onto it, while some shouted as it felt like someone kicked them on the side of their head. It hurt, and that was just the roar.

A roar that wasn't even in the same dimension as them.

Kafka shot into the air and slammed his fist into one of the kaiju's which forced it into another two behind it, killing them quickly.

The half kaiju ran forward and climbed another large scale, similar in size to the large mushroom one that attacked them months ago. "Didn't he say it regenerates? "Minase turned to their Captain, "Won't he be adding more to his fight?"

"It does-"

Kafka ran towards the back and shredded the white spot on its back before blasting it with his mouth. The kaiju was struck down.

No other kaiju exited its body.

"Of course," Mina said as she cursed. "The regeneration part was small, meaning I couldn't hit it with my gun. Kafka destroyed the location and killed it in one shot."

"Captain Ashiro…" Haruichi pointed to the monitor, "He's not in control."

"Yeah, it-"

"No." He looked at his friend worriedly, "I mean. He has restraint here. Because there are people to save, buildings to keep from completely damaging, and…" He flinched as he heard Kafka's laughter, "No one… is holding him back."

Not a single sound was heard in that room except the sound of unhinged laughter coming from Kafka, who hadn't fully shifted. They could see his eyes sparkling, but it was twisted, filled with the desire to kill.

Like he wasn't human.

Their friend wasn't there.

Kafka hadn't felt this free in years.

He laughed, not knowing his laughter was morphed and ugly.

He was joyous, happy.

Unbounded by chains.

He jumped onto another kaiju that bit his leg and ripped it off, though he regenerated it quickly and slammed his leg right onto its face. Smashing through the skull. He could feel the warm blood in his feet as he followed it down to the earth and squished it, shattering the core he could reach.

As he looked around, he noticed many more coming his way.

He felt something rising in his body, like energy, and it tickled. He knew he was about to discharge a beam and aimed it onto one of the creatures, incinerating it completely before spinning around rapidly and attacking anything within reach. A full circle near him was decimated.

Kafka panted. His long tongue was out like a dog as he looked around the next circle coming way, way.

They were his size.

The man ran forward and collided. He grabbed one and, with his bare claws, ripped the corpse in half, covering him in its blood and gut before swinging its corpse onto the next few kaiju, killing them effectively.

His gaze was directed above where the portal was. Kafka pushed his blood-soaked hair back and licked it off his face. He realized at the beginning. He was the threat.

While they weren't coming to fight them in their dimension unless the honju entered, he was the alien in this dimension.

Meaning he was the threat.

If he dies, will they enter the portal and kill his friends?

No.

He can't allow that.

They already have the issue with Kaiju No. 9 to deal with.

At least here, he doesn't have to worry about fatal damage to anyone besides himself.

And he'll take FULL control of that advantage.

Soshiro's eyes widened. Kafka looked at them, the blood-soaked hair, licking his face, and a toothy smirk.

Why was that hot?

"Hoshina?" He turned and looked at his Captain, whose eyes widened, "Repeat that?"

Soshiro's eyes widened, and he looked forward, "That was very much accidental on my part."

Kafka tore another one apart and once more swung its body into a larger Kaiju, "He's ripping them like paper." Hakua said in shock. "H-how."

"No boundaries," Haruichi confirmed with a frown, "I told you guys, Kafka isn't being held back by anything. You saw that attack; it was at least 5km in length. If he did that here, then he would've destroyed many buildings and areas, right?"

Soshiro clenched his fists…

He could do that to him..

rip him apart,

shred him,

blow him up…

And yet, he gets the softest touch and claws raking his body.

Even covered in blood and guts… bodies filling his feet like in his vision…

This was still Kafka, right?

Another swing, but this time he missed.

Then they heard a crack.

Kafka twisted his body so violently that the sound alone made half the room flinch.

A spine shouldn’t scream, but his did, vertebrae splitting apart like cracking ice as his torso tore in two. Steam poured from the wound, hot and metallic, and before anyone could process it, he swung. The impact shattered the kaiju’s skull, spraying a mist of black and red across the rocks.

He stood there for a heartbeat, split open, breathing heavy, before his halves dragged themselves back together. Flesh rippled. Bone slithered. The sound was wet, hungry.

Then the swarm came.

Tiny kaiju launched at him from the shadows, screeching as they dug into his skin. Their claws sank deep, disappearing into muscle.
Kafka’s roar cut through the comms, not a shout, but a guttural, distorted shriek that rattled the audio into static.

“Kafka!” Soshiro shouted, but his voice barely cut through the noise.
Everyone else froze, watching in helpless horror as the creatures burrowed into Kafka’s flesh. His arms flailed; chunks of him were torn away.

When he finally ripped them off, the sound was wet and awful, a blend of tearing fabric and meat. He stood panting, half his face missing, one eye blinking through exposed sinew before it regenerated.

Even Suited, normally all smiles, had gone pale. “He’s, he’s reforming faster,” she whispered.

The swarm leaped again, and the screen filled with motion, claws, teeth, blood. Kafka disappeared under the mass of writhing bodies.

“Officer Hibino!” Suited’s voice broke as she checked his vitals. “His core’s still active, how is that possible?!”

A tremor shook the feed.

Then came the sound, the pop of bone forcing its way through skin.

Spikes erupted from Kafka’s back, slicing through the swarm in a spray of gore. A cloud of blood formed as hundreds of small bodies slid off the newly formed spikes, impaled and twitching.

Kafka straightened slowly, steam rising from his shoulders. His expression was no longer kind, just that same smile stretched too wide, teeth tinted red. His eyes glowed through the haze, burning cyan behind the blood.

One of the impaled kaiju still moved, writhing weakly. Kafka turned his head toward it, almost curious. Then, with a quiet, sickening snap, he bit through its skull and tore the head free.

The crunch echoed through the speakers. Someone gagged.

He swallowed.

Blood dripped down his chin in slow, heavy rivulets.

He licked his lips.

And smiled.

The parts that were once human, now fully kaiju. Then they heard a cracking as he shifted awkwardly and painfully.

The familiar kaiju was no longer there.

Blue was now blood red.

He jumped onto one of the large ones, charging in his direction, one familiar in their world, and scraped his long claws into its side and dragging it down. A huge gash opened, and they saw its core. Kafka yanked it out of its still-moving corpse, and they watched as he swallowed it, effectively killing it.

"That is disgusting." Akari said as she looked away, her face slightly green, "Why is he doing that?"

Soshiro noticed Reno looked nervous, and he narrowed his eyes, "You know something, Ichikawa?"

"Senpai…." They turned to him as he fiddled with Iharu's hand that he was holding, "Senpai has done this before…. with me…"

"What?" Mina turned to him sharply, "As in how?"

"Senpai can eat other kaiju and absorb their abilities. He's not unlocked how to, though, but I remember he ate this one kaiju and learned how to mimic their spike ability. That thing he did earlier." He watched as Kafka ate another core, his regeneration quickening, "He can also eat others, and quicken his regeneration pace. Did you not notice how earlier his regeneration was slowing down, but it's getting faster? It's caused by eating corpses, and corpse, it speeds it up, but he doesn't like doing it." He held Iharu's hand closer to his chest, "Senpai can still taste in that form. He doesn't like doing it because it's gross and says he can taste the raw meat."

They flinched when another kaiju screamed, a shrill, desperate sound that cut short with a wet crunch.

Kafka had his claws buried deep in its abdomen, muscles bulging as he tore through hide and sinew. The kaiju thrashed, its limbs clawing at him, but Kafka only dug deeper until his hand closed around something glowing. With a guttural snarl, he yanked the core free.

The creature convulsed once… then collapsed, a heap of meat and smoke.

On the monitor, his silhouette twitched, the dim light casting hellish shadows along his frame. The wounds on his back sealed shut with unnatural speed, tendons knitting together like tightening rope. Each regeneration came faster, almost eager.

Kafka jumped down from the carcass, landing with a quake; the ground beneath him cracked. Sparks began to pulse across his arms, faint at first, then bright enough to outline his shape in blue-white lightning.

“W–what’s happening to his body?” Suited whispered, her voice trembling.

Electricity crawled along his spine, his muscles spasming and swelling beneath the skin. Then, with a crack like thunder, his frame expanded. Bone split and reformed; scales tore through flesh in jagged patches. When the light dimmed, Kafka stood towering, a colossal version of himself, tail unfurling from his spine like a living whip.

Someone in the room gasped. The sound of his breathing filled their speaker, deep, animal, almost mechanical.

He moved with frightening speed for his size. The tail swung once, slicing through a cluster of kaiju, the impact splattering their remains across the rocky cliffs. A wave of red mist rose into the air.

One kaiju, twice Kafka’s height, lunged. Kafka caught it by the skull mid-charge. The pressure from his claws dented bone, then shattered it. The head burst between his fingers like overripe fruit.

Blood rained.

Kafka’s breathing slowed. He glanced down at the twitching corpse beneath him, then casually sank his claws into the gaping wound. He rummaged through it, the sound wet and obscene, before pulling the still-pulsing core from its chest.

He lifted it to his mouth, expression blank, and bit down.

A low hum rumbled from his chest, satisfaction twisted with hunger.

He let the corpse drop, its remains twitching in the dirt for a few seconds more before going still. Kafka turned away, licking the glowing residue from his claws as he walked deeper into the fog, tail dragging behind him, carving long gouges into the earth.

"Something weird." Reno said, "Senpai doesn't like to eat any parts other than the core, but he's eating the flesh and heads? Or something else?"

"Is that abnormal?" Haruichi asked.

"Like I said, Kafka can taste it. He avoids it unless it's the core, so why…"

They watched as he bit into the back of a spider-like kaiju, ripping its leg and swallowing it before launching himself into another. They could see as he ripped the flesh of another and swallowed it, licking his lips as if consuming his prey. The smile never once left his face, which was now dripping in blood. He swipes his tongue over, moving onto another.

"The number of kaiju is dwindling." Captain Narumi said as the drone followed Kafka. He's killed at least over 200 in less than 20 minutes."

They heard a roar. Kafka turned rapidly, and there was a larger kaiju. "That's a 9.9." Okonogi yelled out, "It's stronger than Officer Hibino."

Kafka crouched down, and electricity ran from his body, roaring back in challenge, "Kafka!" Soshiro shouted, "What are you doing?"

"I'll win."

It was the first time they’d heard him speak since that quiet, broken “sorry.”

But this voice… this voice wasn’t human.

It was warped, guttural, echoing from deep within his chest, and it froze every officer in place.

The smile slipped from his face as the two titans charged, colliding in a burst of flesh and thunder.

Claws raked across Kafka’s chest, carving deep trenches through his armor. A slab of meat tore free, falling with a heavy slap before dissolving into mist as his body began to regrow it. Kafka retaliated, sinking his teeth into the other kaiju’s spine; a crack rang out like breaking ice.

Then he was thrown back, crashing into a cluster of smaller kaiju. Their bodies exploded on impact, blood painting the ground in a nauseating spray. Kafka staggered up, just in time to have his arm torn clean from its socket.

But he didn’t scream. He lunged. His teeth found the other’s throat, ripping it open in one savage pull. Steam hissed from both regenerating bodies as they tore into each other, limbs shredding and reforming in a grotesque rhythm.

They slammed together again, horned heads colliding, spikes driving through flesh and bone. The sound was like wet stone grinding against metal.

A deep growl rumbled from Kafka’s throat before a sharp crack echoed, the other kaiju’s head twisted, and then came clean off in Kafka’s grip.

He swung it aside, tossing it into another creature. Electricity flared violently through his body, casting long shadows across the bloodied ground. Kafka raised a hand, charged with energy, and drove it through the enemy’s chest before tilting his head back.

The beam roared from his mouth, a column of blue-white fire that seared the air. Flesh charred, blackened, peeled away. When the kaiju’s core flickered, Kafka bit down on it, hard, crushing it between his teeth until it burst.

The battlefield fell silent.

The body twitched once. Then nothing. Suddenly, there was a beeping sound.

"Kafka Hibino!" Suited sat up in her seat, "The gate is closing! You need to get out now!"

Kafka turned back, but still a few kaiju tried fighting.

"Is he going to make it?" Iharu shouted as he felt Reno grip their intertwined hands tighter, shaking with fear and distress.

"A gate like that takes approximately 3 minutes to fully close," Sagan said as she saw Suited put the count down, "Hibino-san! Please, turn back!"

Kafka did as told, but a few kaiju leaped on his back; they watched as he shouted.

"2 minutes, Kafka!" Soshiro shouted.

The officer tilted his head back once more, a kaiju ripped at his throat as he charged.

He released a charge beam, killing anything in its path.

They could see even from the video feed how hot it was. How it charred anything, even rocks, and disintegrated kaiju as it did.

"30 seconds, Senpai!" Reno shouted.

Kafka turned and ran towards the portal. He could see from that point how much smaller it had gotten.

Would he make it?

As he ran, he passed the head of the powerful daikaiju he had fought. He paused and bit into it, confusing the JAKDF. "Kafka!" Soshiro shouted, "Why did you stop? Keep going!"

Kafka ran once more, his back now equipped with wings as he shot into the sky, and as he neared the portal, now smaller than a cat, "Kafka can't fit through that." Kikoru said, her eyes filled with tears."

"10 seconds!" Suited shouted.

They watched as Kafka's claws extended; they were shimmering the same color as the portal, and he slashed the gate; it widened once more, shocking them as he did. "Did he just…"

Kafka jumped onto the gate's ledge and grabbed the drone, not leaving any trace that people were there. Only the sea of blood and dead bodies in his waking path.

Soon, he was gone, and he cut off once more.

The portal closed behind him, but also in their world.

They waited in horror.

Was Kafka gone?

Stuck in between the gates?

Would he ever return?

Minutes had passed.

Their fear was becoming heavy in the air.

Soshiro felt a hand on his back as he hadn't budged, hoping his fears weren't evident.

Sniffles were heard, but everything had come crashing down.

They had just witnessed the power of Kaiju No. 8 with no restraints.

What good were they, if Kafka ever went wild?

If he ever chose to fight against them?

A piercing screech cut through everyone’s earpiece, shrill enough to make some wince.

“Another gate is opening,” came the report, shaky and breathless.

Chester straightened instantly. “Where? What’s the kaiju fortitude?”

“It’s… 9.8!” Okonogi replied, her voice rising in disbelief. “It’s Kafka Hibino’s signature!”

Soshiro’s heart dropped. “Where’s his location?”

“Here.”

The room went dead silent.

A jagged slash tore through empty air, splitting the space in the center of the command floor. Two enormous claws forced the rift wider, metal screeching, light bending. Something massive pushed through, a head, then shoulders, its eyes glowing a molten red, teeth glinting wet and sharp in the emergency lights.

Kafka.

He stepped through the tear, half-kaiju, half-man. His skin shimmered with shifting plates of armor; his claws glistened with fresh gore. His legs and hands were still monstrous, and his face, human yet not, was split by a maw of serrated teeth where his jaw should be. Blood streaked his body, some dried into dark crusts, some still dripping in heavy, slow trails that pattered onto the tile.

When he straightened to his full height, they could see it in his eyes, dark, bottomless, a void that swallowed the light. His usual smile was gone, replaced with a low, trembling snarl. Each breath came ragged, wet, as if his lungs were still learning to be human again.

Every step left a crimson footprint. The air smelled of iron and ozone; faint static crackled around him.

Soshiro didn’t hesitate. Despite the shouts behind him, despite the trembling in his hands, he ran toward Kafka.

“Kafka?” he called, his voice breaking halfway through the name.

The kaiju-man stopped, tilting his head, and for a heartbeat, no one breathed.

Then Soshiro reached him, cupped his face with shaking hands, ignoring the slick blood beneath his palms. “Are you still there?” he whispered.

Kafka blinked. For a moment, the red glow softened, and his shoulders slumped.

“I told you I’d come back,” he rasped. The snarl eased into something almost like a smile, still toothy, still monstrous, but familiar. Comforting. His voice was hoarse, distorted, and yet undeniably his.

“I’m sorry…” Kafka said, his breath trembling as he exhaled, “…if I scared you all.”

The words echoed, fragile in the silence that followed.

Soshiro felt his eyes well in tears, and he leaned forward, resting his head on the other's chest, despite the blood seeping from him, "You reckless moron…"

"Senpai." Reno called out from the monitor, "Can you turn back?"

Kafka nodded and shifted back to his human form. Blood was still on his body due to the half-transformation.

Except for his hand, which once had a scaly patch, now larger, covering more of the back of his hand. Soshiro reached out to touch it. "It's getting worse…"

"Yeah…" Kafka turned to where Suited was on the monitor, "Did…" He struggled out, "Did you get your data?"

"On the kaiju and you?" She said as she typed, "Yeah. It was insane." She let out a relieved sigh, "I'm glad you're safe."

"Ehhh?" He cocked his head teasingly, though he flinched slightly at the pain, "Not gonna gift me an eye? I'd accept a claw."

She pouted, "It would have been better if ya gave me something from that dimension. Some of those kaiju were really cool, but I can't test on them if we can't get them here for me to inspect."

"You're in Tokyo, right?"

"Yeah. I'm at my lab, why?"

He pulled away from Soshiro and shifted back to Kaiju No. 8.

They heard a gagging sound before Kafka vomited some kaiju parts he had eaten, while on the other side, still dripping in blood and some saliva.

Akari ran out the door, covering her face. Some others looked green as Kafka turned back around. He motioned to the pile of flesh and parts with a grand motion, though swayed slightly, forcing Soshiro to run forward and steady him, "A gift."

Her eyes sparkled, "You got those for me?"

"Yep!"He shifted back, though gagging slightly, "I stored them in my stomach to bring back."

"You can do that, sir?" Reno questioned.

"Yeah. I can store stuff in my stomach." He gagged once more, covering his mouth, "I still hate that taste."

"Hibino-san, that's gross!" Akari said, entering the room, "Couldn't you have warned us.

"If I gotta suffer this, so will you." He said with a slight sarcasm.

Chester looked at the pile of flesh and let out an approving hum, "At least this will give us some idea of other kaiju we haven't met without needing to fight them first. Some of those kaiju were interesting." He turned to Kafka and smiled, "Thank you for doing this for us."

"Of course." Kafka smiled. "At least the pain is gone too."

Soshiro tugged sharply at Kafka’s wrist, his patience fraying. “Come on, you need to shower and get out of that blood.”

Kafka tilted his head, smiling faintly. “It ain’t that bad!”

The Vice Captain’s eye twitched. He gestured to the trail of footprints and puddles Kafka was leaving in his wake. “There’s blood everywhere!” His voice cracked slightly, more exasperated than angry. “Shower. Now.”

Kafka pouted, shoulders slumping. “Fine…”

He barely took a step before someone screamed,

“VICE CAPTAIN!”

Soshiro spun around just in time to see a blur of motion, a small, feral kaiju lunging for his throat. He didn’t even have time to raise his sword.

Then crack.

The thing exploded midair, Kafka’s fist driving straight through it. Blood sprayed across the walls, painting a red streak down the floor tiles. The stench hit them a second later, acidic and coppery.

Soshiro froze, blinking as droplets hit his cheek. He turned toward Kafka.

Kafka’s eyes had gone black again, pure void, and his teeth had returned, jagged and glistening under the light. His knuckles dripped with thick, dark blood.

He exhaled slowly, then flicked his tongue across his cheek to lap up the splatter, then licked his claws. The gesture was almost lazy… almost sensual.

Soshiro’s voice came out as a strained whisper. “What the fuck.”

Kafka blinked, tilting his head with a sheepish grin. “Ahh…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Are you okay, Soshiro? Those things melt your face off if they latch on. Hurts like hell, too, burns through armor.” His tone was light, as if he hadn’t just crushed a creature barehanded. “Nothing hit you, right?”

Soshiro shook his head mutely.

“Good.” Kafka smiled, relief softening his monstrous features, just barely.

Narumi stepped closer, scanning the room. “Where the hell did it come from? I didn’t see it either.”

“It probably latched onto Kafka when he came through the portal,” Suited said, already packing up her gear. “Waiting to strike when he dropped his guard.”

They all turned toward Kafka again. He was still standing in the middle of the bloodstained floor, breathing steadily, eyes slowly fading back to teal. The air around him still hummed faintly with static.

Soshiro exhaled shakily and muttered, “You’re still taking that shower.”

Kafka grinned, fangs catching the light. “Fine." He leaned forward and ran his tongue against his partner, "You have blood on your cheek."

Chester let out a huff of laughter as he watched Kafka licking Soshiro with his long tongue. Wiping the blood off the other's face while the other was blushing hard. It should have been weird, but everything that just happened, it was nice to see Kafka back to normal…. or as normal as one gets… "Go on, you two. Make sure Kafka gets rest. I'm sure that regeneration must have taken quite a bit of energy."

"It did."

"Rest. We'll take it from here."

"Rest well, Kafka," Aoi said from the monitor, "Drink lots of fluids and don't do too much."

"And don't eat, you might reject it, so let your body return to normal before trying to eat, "Haruichi called out."

Iharu pushed Reno out of the monitor, "And don't worry too much, Ain't no one's opinions changed of you. Don't overthink anything again, old man!"

"Are we sure it's only my little brother and Officer Ichikawa who mother hens him? It seems like you have quite a group of coddling underlings."

"You get used to it." Kafka had a sheepish smile.

Soshiro pulled him out of the room as he waved at them, "Sorry about the pile of guts!"

"I don't need help!" Kafka said as water was splashed onto him, "Pfft.. I can shower myself."

"No can do, mister," Soshiro said as he stood behind his boyfriend and lathered his hair, scrubbing his scalp gently. "You got quite a lot of blood on ya, and I ain't sleeping with you if you aren't 100% to my standards."

"You have high standards."

"And you reach all of them." He kissed his cheek. He took and sniff, "That stinky smell is off of ya now, that's good."

Once they finished showering, passing all of Soshiro's checks, they entered the hot springs together, and Soshiro leaned back on Kafka's chest. The other not speaking, "What's wrong?"

"Did… I scare you?" Kafka said, looking away, "I was in control, but I also wasn't. Like I knew what I was doing, but… everyone was watching…"

"Of course, I was scared," Soshiro said as he turned around to face Kafka, his eyes opened slightly. I was more scared that you would be killed there." He shuddered. "Seeing you getting ripped and eaten while alive. I was scared that you wouldn't come back home. That was the last memory of you being killed on screen.

He felt a hand brush his cheeks, not realizing he was crying. Kafka leaned forward and kissed him, before pulling him closer to his chest. Soshiro felt tears prickle and let them down, sobbing in his partner's chest, "I can't stop you, but please… Don't ever scare me like that."

"I can't promise you that, but… I'll do my best."

"Hey… Kafka?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind… staying with me for the week? I don't think I won't be able to get that image out of my mind for a few days."

"I'm in Koto Ward, though?"

"I'll rent a hotel for the week. One in the middle between the bases. Just don't leave me."

"Of course."

Soshiro knew there was no way those images would leave his mind soon. Kafka’s shouts, the snapping of flesh, the smell of blood, they haunted every corner of his thoughts. His chest tightened at the memory, and he feared falling asleep more than anything.

The hotel room was quiet, save for the low hum of the city outside. Soshiro lay on the bed, clutching Kafka as he purred softly, arms wrapping around his waist, holding him like an anchor. The warmth seeping into Soshiro’s chest was almost painful, but comforting all the same.

“I… I never want to see you like that again,” he whispered, voice trembling. Kafka shifted slightly, pressing his forehead to Soshiro’s chest, eyes opening in a slow, steady blink that somehow said everything. "Sorry… If I woke-"

“I’m here,” Kafka murmured, voice rough but soft. “It's okay, Soshiro. I’m not going anywhere.”

Soshiro let himself relax a fraction. He buried his face in Kafka’s shoulder, inhaling the faint metallic tang of blood that still clung to him, now mixed with soap and warmth. “I… I can’t get it out of my head. Watching you… like that…” His words cracked, choking on the memory.

Kafka’s hands, calloused from training, ran soothingly down his back. He leaned closer, his cheek pressed against Soshiro’s chest, heartbeat steady and warm beneath him. “I know,” he said gently. “I know it was bad. But you’re here now. I’m here. Safe.”

Soshiro felt tears prick his eyes again, but this time, he didn’t push them away. Kafka scooted up and lay equally to Soshiro, resting his forehead against the other, and smiled lazily. “Let it out,” he murmured, “I’ve got you.”

For hours, they lay together like that, Kafka murmuring small, almost mundane things about the missions he had in the First Division, about the city, about the festivals coming up, all soft distractions to pull Soshiro back from the edge. Every so often, Kafka would press his lips to the crown of Soshiro’s head or run a hand through his hair, grounding him in the present.

Soshiro clung to him, letting the warmth and steady rhythm of Kafka’s chest work its slow magic over his fear. Each soft rumble of a purr, each brush of fingers against tense muscles, was a reminder: no matter what he’d seen, no matter how real the horror had been, Kafka was alive. And more than that, he was with him.

He wouldn't sleep much over the past few nights. Even sometimes, Kafka would get a late-night call from one of the young officers, who also couldn't sleep. They would talk until Kafka lulled them to sleep, and Soshiro watched as his boyfriend protected the kids, no matter the distance.

Soshiro finally allowed himself to drift, arms tightening reflexively around Kafka, tears leaving tiny streaks down his cheeks. Kafka’s chin rested on his head, and he whispered, “You can sleep. I’ve got you. Always.”

Even as nightmares clawed at him in the darkness, Soshiro felt the anchor of Kafka’s body beside him, the warmth of his hands on his arms, the gentle pressure of reassurance. The world was still dangerous, still horrifying, but here, in this room, in this quiet intimacy, he could breathe. And he could fight another day.