Yo. For some, this will be our first meeting. For others, our second. Perhaps third. Perhaps fourth. Who knows?
First, to explain the title. White Iaito. An Iaito is a blunt-edged blade used in the Iaido style, which emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to a sudden attack, while sheathing the blade just as quickly. It was shortened to Iai.
Anyway, this Fanfiction is Black Bullet so White Iaito. Bullet = gun. Iaito = sword. White because the main character's sword is white. And cause its the opposite color of black... kind of.
So, why am I doing a Fanfiction on Black Bullet?
It is definitely not because I like Lolis, which this is known far and wide for. Definitely not. Lolis are great and all, but I don't necessarily like them. So, as you can see, I definitely did not decide to randomly write this, because I like-
Jumping lightly back from a slash, I could only think about one thing: Lolis. Though I shouldn't really be thinking about them in this situation, I just couldn't help myself; some force forced me to think about them, for some random reason only known to it, as though to make an audience laugh, for reasons not known to myself.
Besides, what audience would that be?
In any case, Lolis were cute. You don't have to say anything else - they were simply cute.
B-but anyway, I have to focus! I was in a match, and getting distracted isn't something I normally do!
Shrugging away my thoughts, I faced my opponent, and straightened the hold on my sword.
My right hand was gripping the grip to my Iaito, a blunt-edged sword. My thumb was pressed against its guard, to keep the sword in its scabbard until I decide to strike, or when I find an opening in my opponent's defenses.
When It is time to strike, I gently lift the thumb from the guard, and-
Raising the thumb slightly upwards, I slashed horizontally, knocking my opponent's wooden sword, a Bokken, to the side. I then quickly sheathed my blade after the drawing and drew the blade once more, this time, raising it above my body, and letting it fall down to the ground, slashing vertically at my opponent, from above to down.
I, like last time, sheathed my blade after the action.
Each of the two strikes, took roughly one second of time to complete. At the same time. The first strike was roughly zero point forty-eight milliseconds, while the second that followed up was zero point thirty four milliseconds, a total of zero point eighty two milliseconds.
The Iaido style takes pride in its lightning quick drawing and sheathing of the sword.
The second strike hit against my opponent's left shoulder, causing him to stumble backward and falling onto his butt.
The force was great enough to fracture bones, but at the last second, I slowed the blade, letting it hit him lighter than when I swung it. It cost a few extra milliseconds - for both strikes - but I didn't mind that.
It was better than accidentally breaking a bone, that was for sure.
Sensei, who stood off to the side watching the engagement, nodded at the two of us. I raised from my lowered stance, which was basically just my legs spread apart and arms at my left side, where my sword was located, but it was a stance. The basic stance for the Iaido style that I was taught. My body was turned to the left, so that I strikes came at an angle, just like the Iaito sword I owned.
The blade extended from its guard, going straight up, but then angling backwards. Not so much that I was noticeable, but with a second glance, you would be able to tell it curved slightly.
Keeping my thumb on the guard of my sword, I bowed down to my opponent, who did the same to me. I then turned and faced Sensei, and bowed to him.
He nodded.
"Good match, Sol. At this point, you are more than good enough to take up the Shinken. So, how about it?" He asked with a lopsided grin. He knew my answer, and so did everyone in the room.
"Thank you for the praise, however, I much detest killing, so I'd rather stick to a blunt-edged blade, than an edged one." I answered with an even tone. It was a much practiced answer, one that Sensei already has memorized, since every time he asks me to take up the Shinken, I give the same words.
"Even with a blunt-edged blade, you can still kill if you strike right."
"Yes, you can." I answered him, as he eyed me amusingly. "However, it is up to the wielder to kill or not. With a Shinken, which has an edged blade, killing is unavoidable."
"Mhm." He answered, humming. "When you pick up a sword, it is up to you whether or not you will kill or not. Edged blade or not. It is the same with a gun, or spear, or bow."
"True. However, a blunted-edge makes me feel much better than a sharpened one. It makes me... feel more comfortable."
"That is true." He nodded sagely at my words. "Always trust the gut. If you feel as if the blunted-edge is better for you, then use it rather than the sharpened-edge. The gut is always right."
I gave the old man a bow. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go on home now. Someone has to cook for the folks back home, is that right?"
"Haha. Quite." He nodded, letting me go. His smile, however, was one of sadness.
Giving him a wide smile, I walked past him, and made my way to the changing rooms.
I was an amicable fellow, if I do say so myself. I didn't like to kill, though I didn't hate those who killed. It was their choice. My choice, however, will remain the same: I will not kill. I'd rather to use a blunted sword than a sharpened one.
The events that transpired to get me to this point, was something I didn't like to talk about.
Others who talk about me, describe me as someone who always looks to be happy. They say I radiate sunshine and happiness. However, deep inside, I was darkened by events that took place around me. Shaping me to what I am now. They cannot see my darkness, all except Sensei. Which is way I took up the Iaido style. The art of slashing faster than the eye could see, using a sword with a blunt-edge, with the risk of killing mostly gone, I could freely fight those who wished me and others harm.
I wasn't the hero-type of person who will help everyone. I know that I can't save everyone, and even if I tried, I would most likely fail and die in the process. Yes, I tried my best to help others, but I wasn't omnipotent. There was simply no way I could help everyone. I couldn't solve all of their problems, even by taking up the sword.
However, I will help everyone I can. That much will not chance, no matter where I am.
After I finished changing clothes, I looked into the mirror, making sure my outfit was on the right way.
I had gold-orange colored eyes and snow white hair, that fell loosely between my eyes. A small piece of hair, in the shape of a slouched antennae stood up from the top of my head. It was called a cowlick, or an ahoge. I wore a black, short-sleeved shirt, with a white hoodie over it with a black hood. I had on dark blue jeans, white shoes with black on the sides, and on my right hand, was a finger-less black glove. I wear the glove during matches, and outside of it, since It was my dominant hand, which I use to draw my sword.
On my left side, hooked to the belt on my jeans, was a pure white sheathe, containing my sword, Amagumo or Rain Cloud.
It was an Iaito, of course, and it was around thirty inches in length, with the blade being about seventy two of those inches. It had a small, circular guard, with a white grip with small black diamonds going up and down it from the similarly white guard. The pommel was flat. The blade was also white, with a slight curve to it, making the blade go slightly backwards. There was a small gray rippling in the blade at the blunt-edge, running up and down the blade. The kanji for Rain Cloud was designed into the blade, right above the guard.
It was custom ordered, and it belonged to me. It was paid by my Sensei, since I lacked the necessary funds for the sword.
One day, I planned on making a name for this sword, so that the name will be placed into history, along with mine.
A name for a sword which has accomplished nothing, was meaningless. But a sword which has accomplished much, deserved a name, and though this sword was already named, I planned on making it be written into history.
But enough of that - It was something to show, not explain about.
After I finished inspecting my image, making sure everything was in place, I left the dojo and ran home, where I had to cook dinner for my family.
Though I said that, it wasn't like anyone but myself would be there... Maybe I'll bring some leftovers back to Sensei...
As I ran down the sidewalk, I noticed something strange.
Two people, one female, the other male, were angering next to an alleyway. As I neared the two, the male suddenly grabbed the woman, and pulled her into the alleyway.
Blinking, I quickly put two-to-two together, and came to a couple of possibilities: The man was either trying to rape the woman, steal her money, kill her, bring her somewhere, or something else that could be either good or bad.
However...
As the man yelled at the woman, I could see fear in her eyes.
It was definitely something not good.
Nobody else was in the street, and neither was there a car passing by.
Nodding my head, I lowered my stance slightly and ran towards the alleyway.
Coming to a stop near the alley, I took three deep breaths, and then ran around the corner, hand on the grip of my sword, with the thumb pressed down against the guard, I prepared myself.
What I saw, was the man holding a knife to the woman's neck, and forcing her into a wall.
Not knowing exactly what he was doing, I knew it was something bad.
"Stop!" I yelled at him, causing him to slightly flinch at the tone of my words. "Unhand that lady this instinct!" I yelled as if I was some kind of cliche Hero. Truthfully speaking, it was a line I always wanted to say. With a smile, I walked closer to the two, with my guard rising with each step I took.
"Huh? Who are you?" The man said, letting go of the woman.
Smiling wider, I came to a stop about ten feet from the man.
"Me? Just a random passerby carrying a sword."
The man eyed the sword. His face paled slightly after I said I was carrying a sword. It means he didn't notice it earlier. Then it was a wrong move to say that. Now his guard will be higher up and a surprise attack will be much more difficult to achieve.
"A sword?" He slowly repeated the words, as if he never heard them before. He raised his knife. "Obviously I am out of my league here, so how about I go ahead and drop my knife and..."
Just as his grip loosened on the knife, my muscles relaxed subconsciously. At that moment, his grip tightened on the shorter blade and he charged forward.
"An amateur with always be an amateur!" He snarled, a feral grin gracing his lips.
However, I only smiled wider.
Amagumo was a short sword. And so, I had to be close to attack my targets. A knife was even shorter. By letting my muscles relax subconsciously, I allowed the man to think I wasn't very competent with a sword yet, and tricked him into coming closer.
In his head, the simple action of relaxing subconsciously, means that I would be more likely to panic if he were to suddenly attack, as he just did.
However, the reality was very different.
Being one of the best in the Iaido dojo I frequented, I was very skilled in lightning-fast strikes.
And so...
"Iai Style: Dancing Tiger!" As he neared me, I shouted those words. I then drew my sword faster than the untrained eye could follow, I made one simple horizontal slash.
The blow landed against his stomach, which made vomit instantly rise to his mouth. However, before he could throw up his lunch, the force of my strike knocked him back and to the ground, his head hitting the ground, knocking him out. I then sheathed the sword faster than could be seen, and dropped my stance.
I then walked over to the now unconscious man, and flipped him over to the side, so he couldn't choke on his vomit.
Standing back up, I addressed the woman without turning to her.
"Well, he won't be able to cause you any trouble now, so-" Just as I was turning around, a hot feeling spread through my back.
Blinking, I stumbled forward slightly as something was stabbed through me. I then turned my head to look behind me, and found the woman that I saved from the man, holding a knife... that was now stuck into my back.
Smirking the woman took out the knife, and stabbed it into my back again.
Blood came out of my mouth and I fell to the ground, landing next to the man. The woman continued to stab my back.
"This. Is. For. Hitting. Him. Unconscious." She said with each stab. My eyes wide, I could do nothing against the attack; my body was already paralyzed with fear and pain. The approaching dread of death stopped the rest of my thoughts.
My eyelids became heavy, and with each stab, I felt my life leave my body, with the memories of my life flashing through my mind, faster than any strike I could ever make with the Iaido style.
"Die!" A final thrust, and it all ended.
My eyes dulled, and life no longer existed in my eyes.
My heart stopped beating, and my brain no longer functioned.
I was dead.
Dead.
The single word would send a shiver down my spine - when I was alive. But since I was dead, and could no longer feel my spine, I didn't feel the familiar feeling of a shiver.
The coldness that came with death was no longer there. Instead, it was replaced with nothingness.
The blood didn't warm me up; this was simply nothing.
It was neither cold nor warm.
It was nothing.
I couldn't see anything, nor hear anything. I had no feeling. It was as if I floated in an abyss of darkness, with nothing around me. A vast space of infinite in all directions. I couldn't move, nor could I think.
Perhaps my soul was transferring to Heaven?
Or wherever souls went to.
But, with death comes life. Though I died, some good can happen, right? Perhaps everyone who was angry at me, would no longer hate me. My life was a hated one, but it was a life. And since most people were too scared to kill, I was only mocked.
Sighing a sigh that was impossible to sigh, I realized that I fell into a trap. Set up to kill me.
Taking advantage of my nature of helping those I see in trouble, I was led into a trap meant to kill me. The woman was the bait, the man was the distraction, and the woman was the real foe.
First they had the streets cleared. Then when they saw me, they acted as if they were fighting, where the woman either feigned fear, or actually felt it. Either way, I saw fear in her eyes; real or imaginary, It didn't matter. Moving on, when I was close enough to hear what they were yelling, the man grabbed the woman into the alleyway next to them. Then he pulled a knife and put it against her neck and waited.
Then I appeared, like the idiot I was.
I confronted the man, while thinking the woman wasn't a threat and just a victim.
The man leered me into a false sense of victory, but letting himself look the part of the idiot and fell to my blade, though he was just knocked out, it still hurt. He had to put up with a lot just for the act to work.
And as I was distracted by the man, making sure he was still breathing and wouldn't choke on his vomit, the woman sneaked up to being me, and stabbed me.
And stabbed.
And stabbed.
And stabbed.
She stabbed until I was dead.
Until I fell to the ground, and could no longer move and perhaps past that.
Maybe she was still stabbing that knife into my body.
Either way, I died.
At the young age of sixteen, hated teen Sol Laren died a tragic death, in which only a few people will be sad of. Sensei was the first who popped into my mind. He always took care of me, ever since my parents died. Or ran away. Either way, they were no longer around to support me.
It was because of him, that I took up the sword. Because of him that I lived through that night. Silently thanking him, I then stopped thinking about anything, letting oblivion come to me.
Whenever that would happen.
And so, I waited.
...
...
...
...
It was then, that a voice spoke to me.
"Solar Laren. Why did you pick up the Sword? The real reason?"
"..." The real reason...
Why did Sol Laren, self-proclaimed as someone who will always help someone in need, take up the sword?
Was it to help others?
Was it to kill?
What was it?
Why did such a monster pick up a blunted sword?
"It was..." I started, and stopped, as if searching for the forgotten words. "To protect..." I continued, but stopped. I could feel the voice wanting me to continue to speak, and so I did.
"To protect myself." I finished.
Sol Laren. A sixteen year old boy despised by many. Who only wants to help out others and be of use to society. He took up the sword, not to help others, but to protect himself.
But why was the blade blunted? Why did it have a blunt-edge?
It was, of course, to protect himself from himself.
The sword protected him from others and the bluntness protected him from himself.
He was scared of everyone. Himself included.
Why was he?
The only way to find the answer, is to look upon his forgotten past, a past that should and will be forgotten in time.
Surrounded in flames, the young boy known as Sol Laren, violently and ruthlessly killed his parents. From the witnesses who saw the act being finished, his name was forever put into history as a parent-killer. At the young age of seven, he killed his parents slowly, torturing them to death.
In his mind, he likes to believe that they either died when he was born, or left him.
But he knew the truth he wanted to avoid. He killed his parents. Letting his animal-like instincts out, he killed them slowly and methodically, as if he was slowly crushing an insect.
He used a blunt-edged sword to protect himself from himself.
He used a sword to protect himself against others.
But most importantly, he used a smile and a happy-go-lucky aura to fool himself.
If he ever lets that hideous and destructive aura out again, what would happen?
Who would he kill?
Even with a blunt sword, he didn't know the answer to that.
Even a sword with a blunted-edge can still kill, if used with enough force and skill.
Why did he take up a sword in the first case, if he wanted to avoid killing?
Because of others. The others wanted to kill him - since he was a monster that deserved death.
And at the age of seven, he almost did die. In the flames, Sensei appeared, and took him. He brought him to his own home, and raised him as a Son. The reasons were unknown, however, Sensei saved him from death, and so, he picked up the sword and the style his Sensei taught.
When he was old enough, he moved out of his Sensei's home and into an apartment. Slowly, he would pay back Sensei for all he has done.
However, now... it was impossible.
Sol Laren was dead. And the dead can't fulfill a promise. They can't accomplish deeds. They can't... exist.
And so when the voice said what it said next, Sol was confused and surprised.
"Would you like to be reborn?"
The voice asked him, with a slow, yet steady rhythm as it bounced from each word to the next.
"Starting from the age you died, would you like to continue your life, in a world where you never existed?"
The voice continued. My eyes, if they were there, would've widened at the offer, before being shut, closed up tight at the prospect of meeting those that killed him again. However, hearing the part where I would continue in a world I didn't exist in, made me open my eyes and stare back at the abyss.
"A world, though harder and much more difficult than your own world, where you can be free of any crime that has been committed by you yourself?"
"I..." I said out loud. The thought of being at this world - one where my crimes never existed was alluring. I wanted to go there, to start over. But... Could I? I was a...
"A world that needs you?"
That opened my eyes. A white light flashed in front of me, and I saw... images.
Monsters, was all I could describe them. They looked as if they were animals taken monster form. Giant spiders... lizards... sharks... and... was that a dragon? And...
"A world that needs... me?" I repeated. That thought sounded amazing... as if it was taken from a dream of a dream - a secluded spot only reserved for the best. But... was it true? Was I really needed?
"Make the choice now. Y/N"
A square box appeared in front of my face, and though I shouldn't be able to see it, I saw it plainly.
On my left, was YES and on my right, was NO.
Making up a mind, I pressed a finger against the YES and the box disappeared.
"Excellent choice! As you appear in this world, you will be told of its events and classifications, languages, terms, and what-not, so as to not be confused. Of course, you won't know about everything, so you'll have to figure out the world yourself. I wish you luck in this new world. You'll need it."
Everything around me froze, and slowly, a white light came into view, swirling all around me. Closing my eyes from the sharp pain that felt like staring into the sun, I felt my body be reconstructed in a different form, and passed through a copying machine. After a few lurches, as if I was in a car and experiencing a lot of stops and bumps, every sensation stopped.
A few seconds later, and my body felt normal. I could feel the cold, hard ground underneath me, and when I opened my eyes, they widened.
Everything was passing by at an incredibly speed.
I saw everything as it happened.
Parents and children walked the streets.
Day turned into night.
Night turned into day.
I then saw the monsters appear - the Gastrea.
Taking the form of different animals, the monsters killed Humans and more Gastrea was created. I saw the Humans fight back, but lose.
I then saw the Humans rising back up, creating Monoliths that kept the Gastrea back, using Varanium.
And then, everything stopped.
When I opened my eyes next, I was standing in an alley.
With my newfound knowledge, I instantly recognized a few differences. One, was that in my pocket, was a wallet that contained the currency of this world, or rather, this region, was yen.
I was in the Tokyo Area, one of the remaining sanctums left for mankind in this world dominated by Gastrea.
Moving on from that... the alley I stood in was much different than the one I was killed in. Nobody else was in the alley besides myself.
Looking behind me, to see my back, I checked to see if my hoodie was damaged. Finding no stab wounds, I smiled. I really was given a second chance in a different world.
I stared up at the darkening sky. The sun was slowly falling from the sky, and the moon was slowly rising in it.
I should probably go find a place to stay.
Moving out of the alley, I began walking in a random direction.
{Later}
After a few minutes, I came to a stop standing in front of a small apartment complex. Before I went in, however, I reached into my back pocket and took out my wallet. Opening it, I counted the amount of money inside, which came out to be a total of ten, one thousand yen bills, for a total of ten thousand yen. I also found an I.D. with my name and picture on it. Sol Laren. After I checked the wallet for anything else, I put it away and walked into the building.
Walking over to the front desk, I talked to the landlord, and came to a price of one thousand yen a month. Accepting the deal, I took room 203 on the second floor, third door on the right.
Walking up the stairs, and made my way to my new room.
I unlocked the door with the set of keys the man gave me, and took a look over my room. It had a total of three rooms, a room off to the set, which was the bathroom, behind a wooden door, the main room, which held a small table, four cushions around it, and a small T.V. standing on a wooden box. To the opposite side of the bathroom, on my left, was a sliding screen door, which led me to the bedroom. A futon rested on the ground. There wasn't much else in that room. Going back into the main room, I noticed a small cooking area next to the door, which held a small fridge, a stove, and dishwasher. Going into the bathroom, I noticed a washing machine to my right, and through a thin sliding door, which you could barely see through, I saw a small bath, though still big enough to hold at least two people, and off to the side, a sink and toilet. There was a small place left alone so that you could wash your hair and body before going into the bath, with the appropriate bathing equipment lined up on a shack, along with a yellow duck.
Going back into the main room, I took a look outside of the balcony. I saw the city outside of the apartment, and across the balcony, was a clothes line to hang up your clothes to dry.
There was also a closet in the bedroom to put your clothes in, as well as a drawer. That was pretty much everything in the apartment room.
Nodding my head, I sat down on one of the cushions, and stared up at the ceiling.
Gastrea. Monsters with the DNA of animals that nearly wiped out Humanity in 2021, ten years ago. However, before Humanity could fall, several giant Monoliths were built, which kept the Gastrea out, using Varanium which they hated and were weak to.
I was in the Tokyo Area in Japan, where the first Monoliths were built.
That was everything I knew.
It wasn't much, but it was the general knowledge, obviously minus a few things that I have to figure out.
Such as, is there an organization to fight back against the Gastrea? Special abilities and weapons?
As for the weapons, Varanium is the first thing to come to mind to fight with. If the Gastrea is weak to it, then it is the best weapon possible. That being said, my sword, Amagumo, was a blade made of steel, and would be less effective to fight them with. That means, that I have to find some kind of way to reforge it into a Varanium blade, keeping the blunt-edge if at all possible.
However, that was a chore for another day. The sun was going down, so if at all possible, I'd really rather go to sleep.
Moving into the next room, I laid down on the futon, laying the covers over my body. I stared up at the dark ceiling, and closed my eyes.
Before I fell asleep, I heard myself murmur, "...A new start, huh?" I quickly fell asleep, and only the sounds of my dull breathing could be heard.
The next day, I began my search. First order of business, is to search for a library! I needed to understand more about the history of this new world, about the Gastrea, and any organization that fights them. Learning about Varanium is also a must, in order to upgrade my own blade.
I patted the hilt of the sword lightly with my left hand. I had it strapped around my waist, in my usual spot. If a Gastrea shows up, I'll at least be able to defend myself until he someone shows up to deal with the Gastrea, or I get away.
The idea of the Gastrea deciding to leave me alone, was thrown out of the window, since their only goal was to destroy Humanity.
I walked down the streets, looking from left to right. I was searching for the library.
But after a couple minutes of walking, I decided to ask someone.
*Ahem* I cleared my throat, getting the attention of a Mother and her Daughter walking through the street. "Do you perhaps know where a library is located, do you?" I asked the two.
The Mother blinked, but answered nevertheless. "The Tokyo Metropolitan Library is what you are lookin' for then. If you go down the street over there, and take a..."
After a short explanation of how to get there, a bowed lightly to the two. "Thank you for your help." Bending back up, I took the chance to lightly ruffle up the small girl's hair, and with a smile, walked away with a short wave.
"You have a good day now!" The Mother yelled after me, a smile on her face. Her Daughter was pouting as she fixed her hair.
I chuckled to myself and went about my day.
I followed the instructions given me to a letter. I turned right, walked past a turn, then went left. I continued past three streets, then turned to the right, where I had to walk up a small hill. A right turn resulted from that, and then I took the first left I saw.
I followed her instructions, and yet, I ended up lost anyway.
"Did she say to go right after two or three streets?" I asked myself. "Or was it earlier? Was it left instead of right? Or maybe I had to keep going?"
Needless to say, I wasn't the best at directions.
Sighing, I stopped and leaned against a brick building that appeared to be some kind of apartment.
Where do I go from here?" I whispered, thinking back to my conversation with the Mother. Maybe I should've had her write down the instructions...
Either way, I just had to keep walking. It should be in this area. Hopefully.
With that thought it mind, I continued forward, walking past citizens walking in the opposite direction, children running around, and even a stray cat that stared at me from where it was perched atop of a tree branch.
As I walked, I started to notice that the buildings started to become less taken care of. Cracks ran through the walls, and I saw less people. The people I did see, however, wore more scraggly clothes - either they were homeless, or poor.
Frowning, I walked forward. Rounding a corner, I saw something that widened my eyes.
Three men, were beating up a little girl.
They were stomping on her, and she wasn't trying to do anything against them. I saw one of them spat at her. Mouth slightly agape, I stared at the scene for a few seconds, before I moved.
I surprised myself with that.
I moved without thinking. With no plan in my head, I just rushed forward.
I drew my blade, and slid it back in its sheathe, with a metallic hiss.
With the 'kur-chink' sound made louder due to my force, the men stopped what they were doing, and stared at me.
Blinking, the man in the middle opened his mouth to say something, but he instead collapsed to the ground, spit and vomit coming out of his mouth.
"What the...?" The one on the left, closest to me, said. Moving my eyes to him, I drew my blade for the second time, and in less than a second, I knocked the remaining two guys down to the ground. The sword hissed as I slowly sheathed it.
The drawing was too fast to see, but I made sure they could see me returning it to its sheathe, its scabbard, or saya.
Blinking in confusion to the action, the two men then collapsed like the first, though the third one was actually unconscious.
I then moved forward, and grabbed the wrist of the girl, and pulled her away from the downed three men. I picked her up, into a bridal-style hold, and ran away from the scene with her in my arms.
Though I didn't look at her face, I could see the faint blush underneath the blood that spilled down from her head.
Smiling sadly, I rushed away from the area, and to a deserted building, where I placed the girl down, leaning her against a wall. The building was empty, so it was either leaning against the wall, or on the floor.
I sat down in front of her, and moved the hair out of her eyes, looking for any sign of injury.
She had a cut on her forehead. She had some bruises on her arms, and her legs from what I could see. I would check the rest of her, but one, I wasn't a doctor, and two, that wouldn't be proper.
She had light blue eyes, with small pupils, and short, light brown hair, with the side of her hair falling down to her shoulders, just past her ears. She wore a mainly black and white Gothic Lolita style clothing, with a short skirt and short-sleeves, with a pearl-choker with a pink heart attached to it on the front, hanging down in front of her neck. She wore black shoes with white laces tied on it, and a white headband, in the shape of a lunar moon in her hair, with a black flower on the right end of the band.
After I took a few more seconds to make sure she was okay, I smiled. "Are you okay?" I asked.
The girl stared up at my face, resisting the urge to also smile. The edges of her lips quivered up and down. Seeing that, I pictured the girl as a generally energetic girl, with an outgoing personality.
"I'm fine." She said, a smile finally breaking out over her face. "Though, I would've been okay." Her smile changed to a frown.
I blinked. "What do you mean?" I asked her.
"Well, because of what I am, injuries like that usually heal in the span of a couple of hours."
"What do you mean, 'injuries like that'? Do you mean that you were beaten up multiple times?"
"Yes, but-"
I clicked my tongue. "I knew I should've hit them a few more times, maybe find a way to contact the Police... In fact, I should still be able to do so..."
"S-stop!" She said, grabbing my arm, taking me away from my thoughts. "You don't have to do that!"
"Why? They hurt a little girl - they should be put in jail!"
"They won't."
"What?"
"They won't be put to jail." I titled my head, actually confused. Why wouldn't they be placed in jail for hurting a little girl?
"What do you mean by that?" I asked her.
"I'm a..." She started, but looked away. Motioning her to continue, she closed her eyes. "Cursed Child."
I blinked at the unfamiliar word. I knew what a curse was, and what child meant. But the two together was something I haven't heard before, and by the way she said it, it sounds as if there are more of these 'Cursed Children' walking around. Why were they cursed?
"I don't understand." I said honestly. The girl opened her eyes, and stared at me. She was shaking slightly before I said that, which meant that she was waiting for me to hit her - which meant that Cursed Children are hated and probably beaten at sight. I understood a few things about what being a 'Cursed Child' was, just from hearing her say it, and how she braced herself for me to hit her.
Maybe she thought she was a normal girl, and went to her rescue, only to find out she was a Cursed Child, and then would beat her and leave her alone to die.
However, I knew next to nothing about this world. And so, I couldn't understand why a Cursed Child was hated. In fact, I would also be classified as a Cursed Child, since I killed my own parents. But that is neither here, nor there.
"A Cursed Child..." She barely said above a whisper. "Is a young girl who possess the Gastrea Virus." Gastrea Virus. A term I actually recognized. Basically, to my understanding, was what made the Gastrea. Once the virus reached more than fifty percent in a human, they would turn into a Gastrea.
From what she said, I knew her age and came up with more info than she said.
She was ten years old, since Gastrea first appeared ten years ago. Judging by what she said, a Cursed Child was only female. Since the Gastrea appeared ten years ago, the oldest should only be ten, maybe eleven in the rarest of cases.
"I see. But how does that make you Cursed?" I asked. Either it was that they would turn into a Gastrea, but perhaps there was another reason to it being called that.
"By having this Virus, we possess superhuman abilities." She explained. "It makes us not human... Gastrea. But we can control it, keeping us from becoming Gastrea."
After she said that, her eyes changed to red. "These red eyes, are one of the results from the Gastrea Virus. We are monsters, and treated as such." She finished.
"Monsters, huh?" I echoed. The girl stared at me after I said that, confused.
"Why aren't you-"
"Not yelling at you? Hitting you? Attacking you? Calling you a monster, an abomination? Well, because I'm a monster too." I gave her a thin smile.
"W-what?" She said, not understanding.
"Everyone has a past. A past that defines them of who they are." Though my past does not exist in this world, it is still my past. "And my past... makes me a monster. Maybe even more of a monster than the Cursed Children." I sent her a warm smile, though my eyes did not reflect the warmth.
I then noticed that the bruises on her arms were nearly gone. So, superhuman abilities, huh? Judging from that, then Cursed Children, based on what I see, have the ability to heal much faster than regular humans. They are probably stronger and faster as well.
If I fought a trained Cursed Child, would I win? How strong were they? Was I fast enough to fight them, strong enough?
Shaking my head, I dismissed these thoughts. Why would I have to fight a little girl, superhuman or not?
"Either way, monster or no monster, I could never hurt such a cute girl like yourself."
She blushed at that comment. Pulling her hair upwards to check on her head injury, I saw that the cut was already gone.
I whistled. "Pretty impressive. The wounds are already pretty much gone. Didn't you say it would take only a few hours?" I asked the Cursed Child was clarification.
"I wasn't beaten as much as usual, so it was much faster."
"I see. So you're beaten for long enough that all of your wounds heal in a couple of hours." Clenching my teeth, I tried my hardest not to be overcome by rage. Beating a young girl for such a long time, even if she has superhuman recovery speed, that she would completely heal herself in a couple of hours, is completely unacceptable - even if it was just one punch, it is just too much. They were lucky I didn't know about that, or I may have killed them.
"Um..." Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked down at the young girl. "Are you okay?" She asked, worried about what I was thinking about.
"Oh, yes. I'm fine. Thank you for asking." I gave her a pat on the head. "Anyway, I planned on heading to the library today, but instead, I got lost and met you. I don't really feel like going there now, so I'd rather just head back home... what are you going to do?"
"Me?" She asked, pointing to herself.
"Yeah. Will you be okay by yourself? Do you want to come over to my place for a little while until you're all healed up, or what?"
"..." She was silent. Her gaze dropped down to the ground. I thought I heard her whisper, 'What do I do...?' But I dismissed it as my imagination. Then, she suddenly looked up at me, a confidant expression on her face. "I'll go with you." She said. I smiled down at her.
"Very well then." I stood up and held my hand down for her. She grabbed the hand, and I helped pull her up. "Now, before we head there... could you explain to me where we are? I have no idea how to get back from here!" With a smile plastered on my face, the small girl could only sigh.
"Oh, right. I forgot." She looked back up at me. "My name is Sol Laren." I looked at her with an expectant look on my face. She looked away.
"I... don't have a name." She answered, fidgeting slightly.
"Oh, I see..." I stared at her, and looked her up and down, searching for a name to call her by. My eyes stopped on her lunar-like headband. After a few seconds, I grinned. "Then, how about Luna?"
"Luna?"
"Your new name. How do you like it?" Smiling down at her, I waited for her answer. She smiled and blushed at me.
"I like it. Luna, huh? Luna. Luna!" She moved her head from side to side as she said her new name. It looked like flowers were blooming next to her with how happy she was. She must really like having a name.
Looking down, I thought about how hard it must have been to not have a name. I felt like it would be something that labelled you as someone that was nonexistent - with no purpose in life. A name told who you were. Without a name... you were nothing.
Staring down at my own blade, I wondered about my future. Will I prove that my sword should have its name? Or will the blade split into two, failing before it achieved its biggest accomplishment? I didn't know my future, so there was no way to know what would happen.
However, there was one thing I knew: I will stop this abuse towards the Cursed Children, even if I had to sacrifice my life to do so. Perhaps that was my mission here... Or maybe, that was only part of it?
A few hours later, we arrived at my humble abode. When the two of us entered the apartment complex, we were met by the landlord, who demanded to know who the girl I was with was.
I answered easily, without missing a beat. "Yes, she is my little sister. Luna Laren. See, I had went searching for a place to stay for the two of us, since we just arrived here. So I had to go pick her up earlier today. Luna, say hello to Mr. Freshley."
"H-hello." She bowed politely.
The landlord blinked at the politeness. Then he looked from her to me, then back to her. "You don't share too many features..." He said, but I smiled in response.
"She was adopted. Her Mom was a friend of mine, before she... you know." I stopped smiling and feigned a sad look.
"Oh, right, right. You're right. How rude of me. I'll change the label of the room later. Ms. Luna was it? I'll add her to the registry... just know, that for a child, you will have to pay an additional five-hundred yen."
"I'll make sure to pay you the money at the end of the month." I bowed my head lightly to him. "Now, if you'll excuse us..." He nodded and walked over to the registry, where he marked her name down underneath mine. The two of us walked up the stairs and to my room, which I unlocked, letting her in first.
"This is your home?" She asked, looking around, a big smile on her face.
"Yeah. Sorry if it is too small though."
"It doesn't matter..."
"And sorry if you were offended when I called you my little sister and gave you my last name..." I said quickly, remembering what I had done without her permission.
"It's okay..." She easily answer, hiding her face from me. "Little Sister, huh... I think I can get used to that." Giggling, she slid open the doors to the bedroom.
"Oh, and there is only one futon, so I'll have to buy another one later. Though I have no idea where a store that sell them are..." The last part I muttered, too low for the Cursed Child to hear.
"It's okay. I can sleep with you." That answer left me blushing, but I quickly shook my head to dispel such thoughts. She was ten. I was sixteen. It was just like having a little sister sleep with you... I calmed myself down with that. In fact, she kind of is now my little sister, since she now has my last name, and a first name I gave her...
I should really stop looking for libraries; I feel as if I'll be finding lots of little sisters on my quest to find a library.
"A-anyway," I said, shaking my head. "I'll get dinner ready soon, so just make yourself comfortable."
"'Kay!" She cheered, pumping a fist upwards. She then jumped down on one of the four cushions and waited for dinner to be done.
{Later}
"So, as you can probably tell by our earlier conversation, I'm pretty stupid."
She nodded, not arguing against it. My feelings were slightly hurt, but I ignored them for now.
"I know some things, such as about the Gastrea, the Monoliths, and Varanium. I now know about the Cursed Children. So can you tell me, is there anything else I should know about?"
She nodded. "You should know about the Civil Security Corporation Especially the IISO, or International Initiator Supervising Organization." I tilted my head in confusion. "They assign an Initiator to a Promoter, and team them together to fight the Gastrea."
"I see. So they are the organization protecting Humanity."
"Yes." She answered. "So if you want to upgrade your steel-bladed sword, to a Varanium one, then you should go to them. Of course, you'll need to have a contract with an Initiator in order to have access to Varanium."
"Initiator?"
"A Cursed Child." She said quickly. "You will be known as a Promoter."
"I see. What if I don't have a someone to make a contract with?"
"Then you will be assigned an Initiator that doesn't have a Promoter."
"Hm."
"Of course, if you go there, I am going with you."
"Is that jealously I detect in your voice?"
"N-no, Baka!" She yelled, swinging her fists randomly around. I chuckled at her antics. She coughed, and calmed down. "A-anyway. The Civil Security Corporation is specialized in fighting the Gastrea, so by joining them, you will have to be strong. Um... I'm pretty sure that there is a Ranking given to the pairs, that determine how strong they are. The closer to the number one they are, the more dangerous they are."
"I got it." I said, thinking about what she told me. "Then, the best thing to do, is to join up with one of the corporations, right? Do you know the nearest one to this location?"
"Uhm... I'm pretty sure it was called Morisawa Civil Security Corporation, but they are pretty big, so we probably wouldn't be accepted with them with our lack of skill and accomplishment."
"Then what should we do?"
"..." She didn't answer. It wasn't like we knew how to join them, anyway. Was there a headquarters of some sort that we go to, to apply at? Maybe the best course of action would be to create our own Corporation... The Laren Civil Security Corporation. The Sol Civil Security Corporation. Sighing, I laid down against the floor, staring up at the ceiling. The sun was going down and I was too lazy to go find another futon.
"Since the sun is going down, let's call it a day. You can take the futon, I'll just sleep-"
"No." She denied. "You'll catch a cold, so..."
I am not a criminal. I am not a pervert.
After saying a couple of holy prayers to some God or other, I relented. Luna will not let me sleep on the cold floor, so I'll have to sleep in the futon... with her. At least until I find another futon...
If I knew this was going to happen, I would've asked for a room with two futon in it...
I sighed. Okay. Then, we'll go to the IISO, and sign up to be an Initiator and a Promoter. We'll probably also have to open up our own Corporation, so I should be prepared for that...
If we can't find one to join, that is.
The next day, we made our way to IISO. It was a pretty big and expensive building, so it was relatively easy to find.
We walked into the building, through its automatically opening sliding doors. I was just a little amazed. Just a little.
Walking over to the front receptionist, I rang the bell. A few seconds later, the woman took her eyes off a computer monitor and stared at me.
"Hello and welcome to IISO." She greeted with a light bow of the head. "How may I help you?"
"Yes, um, I don't know how to ask this, but I would like to become a Promoter?"
Her eyes left mine and glanced at Luna. Then she looked back up at mine.
"Will that be your Initiator standing right next to you?"
"Yes!" Luna answered for me, sticking out her flat chest.
"I see." She looked back at her computer and clicked a few times and typed. "Okay then. There will be a physical test for the Promoter, and then an interview. If you pass you will become a Promoter. As for your Initiator, she will have to receive a shot to make sure she is stable. Of course, you will have to sign up right now..." She passed me a clipboard and pen. "After the shot, she will go through her own physical examination. Once both tests are over, you will officially become a pair. Then, you will have to decide which Organization to join, or create your own. Of course, there is a few of ten thousand yen to create your own."
Thinking about my wallet, I had exactly ten thousand. However, in two weeks, I needed one thousand five-hundred yen to stay at my apartment. And so, if I do decide to make my own Corporation, I'll have to quickly gain some money...
"Okay, then..." I quickly signed my own name, and afterwards, passed the clipboard to Luna, who signed her own name, though much slower, to make sure she doesn't mess up. She passed it back to me, and I checked the name. Finding it good, I gave it to the waiting woman, who read through the names, and typed on her keyboard at the same time.
"Very well then. Sol, please report to..."
And so, I began my tests.
{Later}
The physical exam was nothing special.
They asked what weapon, if there is one, that I was proficient in using, and I showed them my Iaito. They asked about the blunt-edge, but I told them it is my preferred style.
Then, they had me demonstrate some of my skill, against a flying target that constantly moved. It was best described as a kind of drone. I easily hit it from the air, but I didn't break it, much to the surprise of the examiners.
After that, I was forced to do push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and the like, so they can see how strong I am. They measured my body as well, took my height, and weight, some of my blood, and pee, strangely.
They ran through a couple more exercises, but in the end, I think I passed.
I was sent to the interview after that.
They asked me the basic questions, such as, why I wanted to be a Promoter. Why I wanted to fight the Gastrea. Whether or not I'll be a good addition to their numbers. Those kinds of boring things.
When they stopped questioning me, I was sent back to the lobby. A few minutes later, Luna came back. After that, we waited for our results.
After an hour of waiting, we were called to the front desk, and the woman from before told us... That we passed.
Luna celebrated by jumping upwards, but I stayed as calm as I always was.
She then asked what we wanted to do - create our own Organization, or join an existing one. I had enough time to think about it, and in the end, I decided...
"I would like to create my own." I said to her. Luna was slightly surprised, but she quickly agreed with a nod of her head.
"Very well then." She typed a few things into her computer. "What would you like to call it? Where is it located? Number?"
"It will be called, Iaido Civil Security Organization. It is located..."
Of course it was where I lived. Where else would it be? And for number... well, my cell phone was the only choice.
When I appeared in this world, I had discovered a new cell phone on my person. Did I mention that? Probably not. I rarely think about my own cell phone, so it probably slipped my mind.
Of course, she asked for my I.D. and I gave it to her. After that, told me to wait a few moments, and she left the room. When she came back, she gave me back my I.D. card. On it, was a new set of words: Iaido Civil Security Organization. It showed proof that I was apart of the Organization. Nodding my thanks, I left the building and headed on home, where I was forced to negotiate with my landlord.
After a while of arguing, we were granted the room for use of living, and for the location of our newly made Organization.
However the price was bumped up to two thousand yen a month. I really have to make some more money and stat...
After that, the two of us went back to our home, our apartment room, and sat down next to the table.
"Ahhh..." Luna yawned, stretching her limbs. "I'm pretty tired."
"Yeah, me too." I stretched back my arms and my legs under the table. "It was pretty tiring. But we'll have to work hard tomorrow. We have about two weeks until we have to pay the landlord and I have nothing left."
"But at least now we'll be able to get some work and profit!" She said, smiling.
I turned on the T.V. using the remote, and it was showing a picture of a woman. She looked pretty important.
"Hey, Luna. Who is that?" I asked, referring to the woman.
"Hm? Her? She is the leader of the Tokyo Area - Seitenshi."
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" I asked.
"Forgot." She stated, lying down on her side. I just sighed.
"Well, whatever. The landlord will get something painted up front, showing that the Iaido Civil Security Organization is located here. That will help us get jobs. Plus, thanks to my handy dandy cell phone, I can get jobs easily."
"Mhmhm."
"She told me that after we take care of a job, that we will get payed by the police, so I should go to them afterwards. If I leave the scene after the job is finished, then more often than not, I will not get payed. They will just argue with me. Or, that is how I see it. They'll 'forget' all about the job, so it will be better to just report the job's completion as soon as possible, so we can get payed."
"Right!" She readily agreed, sitting up. "But don't you think, that even in that situation, that it is possible that we won't get payed?"
"Oh, we will get payed. If we don't... then, I'll just knock a few heads." Luna giggled, and I smiled. "Of course, I'm just kidding."
"Oh, oh!" She said, raising her hand. "How about a bath?"
"A bath? Sounds great~"
"Then, let's take one together!"
"Sure, let's take one toge-" If I went to drink something, I would've spat it out. "W-what!?" I shouted, face red.
"We have to take a bath together or else the bill will increase!"
Oh, yeah... there was that... the whole, the more electricity and water you use, the more you have to pay. Though it isn't a major increase, it was still an increase, which might tip the price to too high to pay... I'll either have to convince the landlord to let me pay the rest the next month, or get kicked out...
What do I do? Take a path with Luna... or after her? You know what? I'll just do the sane choice.
"Sorry, but I think you should take it first, before me..."
"Boo!" Shooing her away, she ran to the bathroom. That reminds me, I should really get some pajamas...
And yes, we have no pajamas. Our clothes will start to stink at this rate...
Then, hopefully tomorrow we get a job, and get enough money for: A futon, clothes for me, clothes for Luna, pajamas for me, and pajamas for Luna.
There is also the case of getting my sword upgraded. It was free for first time use, so currently, my sword was being remade. Though, I asked if they could keep the blade its same white, but they said it would be difficult to keep the original color.
I'm just praying that the blade will still be white when it gets back to me tomorrow...
Hello everyone! So what did you think of that?
Anyway, moving past the amount of hate, I have a surprise! Today is my BIRTHDAY! So, yeah. I'm older now! Yay and all that!
Moving past the boos, now, let me explain this story!
I did it because I like Lolis! Okay, you found me out, so I might as well just admit it! But moving past that, there is a plot! For now, it is just work for the new corporation, however, I will then start in the Anime, and move past it to its original source! What was it? Manga? Light Novel? I'd rather if it was a light novel... Let me look it up real quick!
Okay, then, light novel it is! :D
So, moving past that, the character's goal.
The first part of it was already revealed, though it is more optional. To stop the hate of the Cursed Children. Will he be able to do it? Find out maybe. As for the main reason for why he was brought into this world?
You will find that out in the future!
If you enjoyed this and want to see the continuation, then please follow. If you really loved this series, then favorite. If you want to send me some feedback, drop in a review down below, or PM me
So, for now, goodbye!