Hello, my fellow writers and readers. Yes, I'm not dead! Surprised? I wonder if it has anything to do with my 9-month absence. Well, moving on.
This is my second fanfiction (don't even try to look for my first; I've taken it down to revise it and make it the way I envisioned), and I intend to keep this one updated at least once a week. Of course, things can't always go as planned, so I don't intend to make any promises.
As you can probably tell, this fanfiction is based on the anime "Absolute Duo", which I really enjoyed due to the idea of souls becoming weapons. Don't even begin saying, "But there is a ton of anime out there just like this one…" Well, here's some news for you guys:
I usually watch dubbed anime, because it's so much easier to focus on the story and the animation instead of having to read the subtitles all the time. I understand the translation may be off quite a bit, but I really don't mind unless it's something crucial, like a very important piece of information that changes the entire plot.
I don't expect this FF to get many views, due to the low amount of FF's for Absolute Duo. Of course, I will be bending some of the rules set by the anime, making a few changes here and there for the sake of progression. Well, enough of my ranting.
On to the story!
Oh, one more thing.
I, SlayerOfShadowsAndDragons, do not and will never own the rights to Absolute Duo. This is a non-profit reproduction of the story with my own character added into the mix. Please do not attempt to sue me. You wouldn't get much out of me anyways. ._.
Chapter 1: Enrollment
He couldn't believe his eyes. He actually made it here. After all this time, he finally made it. Koryo Academy, a school dedicated to Blazes and learning how to fight with them. He wanted to sit down and soak it all in. The sky. The trees. The blooming flowers. The sounds of bells ringing. The girl with platinum hair flowing in the wind.
Wait a minute. The girl with platinum hair flowing in the wind?!
Before he could make sure he wasn't seeing things, a masculine voice called from behind. "Excuse me, sir?"
He turned around, now looking at a male student, one who didn't look much older than 16. He had ocean-blue eyes, which only complimented his short, blonde hair. The young male wore the same uniform that he wore, meaning he attended the same school, or at least, intended to enroll there as well. Judging from the way he talked, he came from England, making it easier to understand him.
"What's up? How can I help you?" he asked, not sure what the he wanted. He quickly glanced back to where the girl was before, only to find that she was no longer there. He sighed. 'Must've been my imagination' he thought. 'Though, I didn't know hormones could be that strong…'
"Uh, I was wondering where I could find the opening ceremony. I'm new here and, well, I don't know my way around." He glanced at the floor, perhaps in shame.
"Oh, well, you're not alone," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm actually new here too, so I don't know where anything is either." He smiled, trying to cheer up the first-year.
"R-really?!" he shouted in surprise. "Well, looks like we're on the same boat." The first-year snickered, dismissing the dark mood that had been there only a while ago. "Well, while we're here, why don't I introduce myself? My name is Richard. Richard Draco III."
He smiled, now that he and Richard could call themselves friends. "You can call me Pro," he said, a small smile visible on his face.
"Pro? Is that supposed to be a nickname?" Richard asked. He was frowning, almost like he was displeased with Pro's introduction.
"No," Pro answered, shaking his head. "That's my name. I've had it for as long as I remember."
"Well, Pro, I suggest we hurry. I noticed a pair of students walking by, and it seems they are also first-years. If what I'm thinking is correct-" Richard started, letting Pro finish the thought.
"If what you're thinking is correct, then we should follow them" Pro continued. He looked towards the academy, and, just like Richard said, there was a pair of students who were talking to one another. One of them was a girl. She had long, light brown hair tied into a ponytail with a green ribbon. She was wearing the female school uniform, her sleeves being a dark shade of blue. She seemed to be talking with the other student, who was a boy no older than Pro. He had short, dark brown hair, and was also wearing the same uniform as Pro was. There was something odd about him though, but Pro pushed it aside. 'Now I'm just paranoid,' he thought.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Richard, with a smile on his face. He grabbed Pro's sleeve and began dragging him towards the school, like a child would drag his parents into a candy stand.
Soon, they reached a building with a small sign in front of it. "Koryo Academy Opening Ceremony," Pro said, reading off of it. "Looks like this is the place." The building itself was big, impressing Pro with its size. It was sort of old-fashioned, making it seem like it had stood there for many decades.
They entered the building, and found there were many students already seated, sitting next to their friends or acquaintances. Oddly enough, they found a couple of seats next to each other, and quickly sat down as the ceremony was about to start. Slowly, but with an aura of confidence surrounding her, a small girl walked up to the podium on the stage. She had long, black hair and wore a dress that seemed too gothic for someone her age. Most strangers would've thought she was just playing a prank, but Pro could sense that this little girl was anything but a prankster.
She began to speak, her voice full of the same confidence that radiated from her. "I want to personally welcome all you new students to Koryo Academy. I'm Sakuya Tsukumo, the headmistress of this institution. Congratulations on making it here. To start things off, we'll be performing our traditional Qualification Ceremony." Pro suddenly got chills down his spine. 'Something about the last thing she said, it feels odd…'
"First, please take note of the person beside you because he or she will be your partner." Pro quickly glanced to his side, smiling at Richard while he did the same. "When I give the signal, you're all to rise and begin battling your partner." Our smiles quickly faded, turning back to the headmistress in surprise. It seemed like they weren't the only ones shocked, as the whole room began to whisper and complain.
"Only the winners will be permitted entrance. The loser's Lukifer will be removed and they'll be asked to leave the premises." Now the whole crowd was shouting out complaints, saying things about acceptance letters and that they didn't want to fight. "Oh, I should add that if your battle isn't over in 10 minutes, both you and your partner will fail."
Suddenly, the girl Pro had seen before, the one with the green ribbon, stood up and shouted, "Headmistress!" The little girl answered her. "Yes, you there." The girl quickly spoke her thoughts to the young headmistress. "Isn't it a bit extreme to kick us out just because we lost a battle?"
"If you can't pass the special entrance exam, then you don't belong here," replied the girl, her words having no warmth. "This test's purpose, and that of Koryo Academy's, is to teach you how to survive based on one simple rule: you must defeat others to stay alive."
"Yeah, but this is only our first day!" quickly shouted the brunette.
"You'll all be plunging head-first into soon enough, so what better time to start than right now?" asked the headmistress, a smile visible on her face. "You must've known you'd be engaging in battles when you first expressed interest in attending the academy."
Suddenly, the boy Pro had seen earlier stood up as well, and who would've guessed it was next to the same girl he had been hanging out with before.
"Excuse me, but can we switch partners?" he asked, probably not wanting to fight the girl next to him. 'Damn, why didn't I think of asking that' Pro cursed at himself, not sure what was wrong with him.
"No, and understand this: the person beside you now is your first enemy," she replied, just as coldly as before. Even the boy flinched as he heard those words. She quickly rose her voice, and an even bigger smile took hold of her face. "Now do battle! You are heaven chosen children, the El Seed! You've already been given all of the power you require. Use this soul power, your blaze to prove that you're worthy to enter this institution's hallowed halls!"
Soon enough, the whole room erupted into chaos as students began to fight for the schools entry slots. "Well, it seems that all these people are acting like wild animals. I don't really want to fight you, Richard. So what do you say we call this a draw?" asked Pro, turning around to face Richard, only to find he had disappeared. "Huh? Richard?" Suddenly, he heard a battle cry coming from above, and quickly glanced up. His eyes widened as he saw Richard falling towards him, two black and yellow kunai drawn and pointed towards him. He did a side-roll, narrowly dodging the attack, and landed on his feet, facing Richard. "What are you doing?" he asked, disbelief apparent in his voice.
"You see," began Richard, his voice colder and darker than before. "There is a certain someone whom I must repay, as they humiliated me before. I've sworn to humiliate them, as they once did to me. I will allow no one to stand in my way, not even you Pro." He suddenly launched forward, throwing one kunai and using the other as a dagger.
Pro sidestepped, the kunai missing its target, but Richard went in for the kill. As soon as Richard was in range, he pushed his hand forward, the kunai aiming for Pro's chest. However, Pro grabbed his wrist and, with one swift movement, pushed him to the ground and moved away.
"Why aren't you pulling out your Blaze?" asked Richard, having expected him to use his weapon by now. "You do know what's at stake here, correct?" He got up, fire appearing in his hands, and reformed the kunai.
"Like I said before, I don't want to fight you. Besides, when she said we had to defeat our opponents, I'm pretty sure she meant to knock them unconscious, not to cause severe wounds." Pro simply stood there, almost like there wasn't any fights happening around him. "I won't fight you, simply because of one reason: I will not fight someone who is close to me."
"Do you really believe I'm close to you?" asked Richard, his words laced with mirth. Pro nodded, his face as serious as his words. Richard simply frowned, and replied, "Then you are a bigger fool than I thought you were…" With that said, Richard threw both kunai at Pro, one aiming for his chest, while the other missed by a huge gap, almost as if it had slipped from his hands. Richard then proceeded to run towards Pro, determined to win the fight.
Pro sidestepped the kunai again, ready to push Richard to the ground. This time though, he didn't have to worry about Richard's other kunai. He prepared himself, and as soon as Richard was in range, he reached for his hand. As soon as his motion started, however, there was a small fire forming in Richard's hand. 'He's recalling the kunai he threw' thought Pro. 'It was a trick, for me to go directly for his hand instead of his wrist. Cunning.' The Blaze fully reformed, the point aimed at the center of Pro's hand. "I've got you now," said Richard, his voice full of confidence.
CLANG!
The sound of metal being deflected echoed around the room, catching the attention of all the students. They all turned around to find the source of the sound, and the whole room went silent. Richard was paralyzed in shock, his kunai on the floor next to his feet. In front of him, Pro stood, his hand holding onto Richard's, and his right arm covered in a night-black gauntlet, encrusted with cracks with blood-red energy flowing through them. "Soul-Thief," whispered Pro, but was heard by everyone as the room had remained silent the entire time. The kunai began to glow, and reduced themselves to dust. The dust then began to flow towards Pro's arm, and he let go of Richard. Three kunai formed themselves in Pro's hand, except they were sharper and thinner than Richard's, and instead of yellow, these kunai glowed the same shade of red as the gauntlet.
"This is one of the reasons I didn't want to fight you," Pro stated. "I knew that this would have to happen if I did. I truly hate having to disarm others, but I guess it's the only way to stop you from fighting me." He tossed the kunai in the air, catching them all with the same armored hand. "Of course, I'll only hold on to these until the fight is over. Afterwards, I'll give them back. I guess I win by default, as you're no longer able to continue fighting." He walked towards the wall, and simply leaned against it, not even noticing everyone had been watching him this entire time.
CLANG!
Another sound echoed around the room, and the whole room turned towards the source once again. This time, a young man with a yellow shield had deflected blue axe, saving a girl at the same time. Pro instantly recognized them as the pair that had spoken to the headmistress. 'These two again?' he thought.
"A shield? Is that your Blaze, Tor?" she asked, her voice full of surprise. 'So his name is Tor huh?' thought Pro. Taking a closer look, it seemed that the shield was no bigger than a buckler, and it had a large whole in the center of it. The shield itself ended in the same way a natural flame would, with a few spikes twisting themselves to the side, giving it the appearance of an actual fire.
"That's right," Tor replied. Looking at them, it appeared that they hadn't noticed that Pro himself had a gauntlet for a Blaze. The rest of the students began to whisper to one another, possibly wondering what was going on.
"But, a Blaze, your soul power, it's always supposed to manifest itself in the form of a weapon, isn't it?" she asked, her voice cracking.
Tor looked down, and spoke. "I guess that makes me an Irregular…"
The girl smiled and said, "Alright." She moved back a few steps. "I do appreciate you protecting me just then. However, as I told you, I have my reasons for being here. I'm sure you have your own as well." She lifted her sword and aimed it at Tor. "If you don't, then fall!" She dashed towards Tor, who froze for what seemed like a split-second, but enough for Pro to see it happen.
Tor blocked the girl's strike, sparks flying as the sword pushed against the shield. "I'm real sorry Imari," he said. "But I've got to be admitted here." His voice was sounded like he was struggling to keep himself from being pushed back. 'So her name is Imari' thought Pro. 'I keep learning all these names, but sadly, I won't see two of the owners from now on.'
"Oh, yeah? Well so do I!" she shouted, showing the same amount of determination as Tor. She began to push even harder, only for Tor to do the same. Suddenly, Tor gained the upper hand, and gave one final push, effectively disarming Imari and putting some distance between her and the sword.
"Again, I'm sorry," said Tor in such a low voice, even Pro had a hard time hearing it in the silent room. Tor's arm began to glow, and he punched Imari. She attempted to block his attack with her arms, but instead, was sent as far as her sword had landed. 'Damn. What a punch' thought Pro. 'I'd hate to get hit by that.'
"Time's up people!" said the headmistress. Pro had nearly forgotten about her. "As I mentioned, only the victors will be permitted entry." The chaos that had been in the room not even a few minutes ago was now gone, and all the students helped each other get back on their feet. "I will now leave you with these parting words." Pro walked up to Richard, who was on his knees and staring at his hands. Pro grabbed the kunai, and placed them in Richard's hands, where they returned to their original yellow glow, and became duller and thicker.
"You victors, congratulations. May you all someday reach Absolute Duo." With that said, the headmistress walked off the podium, and disappeared behind the curtains, and the students began to walk outside.
When Pro regarded the students, about half of them had their heads down and their shoulders slumped. 'I hate to have to admit it, but some people aren't cut out for this kind of stuff' thought Pro.
He was Richard walking away from the school gate, and he ran towards him. "Hey, Richard!" he called, but Richard didn't even turn towards him. Instead, he continued walking away, as if he had heard nothing. "Damn. The first friend I get and I make him my enemy." Pro cursed at himself. Sure, maybe he had gotten a little cocky, but he did try to stop Richard from fighting him.
He turned to look at his side, and saw none other than Tor talking to Imari. He didn't want to eavesdrop, but what he heard caught his attention.
"Well, you know, since Blazes are weapons produced by your soul, I supposed souls are the only thing they can hurt, so that would leave the body untouched." Tor was talking as if it was the most common knowledge out there, which it wasn't since Blazes were still under research.
"So is that why you were holding back in there?" asked Imari, getting a little too close to Tor's face.
Tor blushed lightly and responded, "I didn't use the full power of my Blaze because I was afraid I might hurt you Imari."
'Sounds way too much like you like her, Tor' thought Pro. 'Be careful with saying words like that. Don't want people getting the wrong idea, do you Tor?'
"Well, that was very sweet of you," said Imari. 'That's exactly what I meant…' thought Pro, a small smile forming on his face. "However, you can't do that anymore." This caught Tor by surprise, judging from his face. "It doesn't matter what your power is or how strong or weak your opponent may be. If you lose once then that's it. That's the kind of world that's out there waiting for us. And once you lose, there are no do-overs." She quickly began skipping towards the gate. She stopped and winked at him. "Congrats at making it in, Tor." She then turned around, and walked away slowly.
"I'm so sorry, Richard," whispered Pro. "Maybe you had some vendetta to settle, or someone you wanted to help. Maybe what you could've used was some more training." Pro clenched his fists, and slowly reopened them. "But if one thing's for sure, it's that you let your emotions control you, and that would've gotten you killed." He looked up at the blue sky, clear of any clouds, unlike his mind. "You weren't ready for what's out there, and so, it was my fate to stop you from getting in over your head." He let a frown form on his face, and stared as a few birds flew past. "The world is a cruel place, and you weren't ready to face it. But even so, a fire is able to start in the coldest of winters. I hope you light your own fire, and I hope that instead of a cold path filled with resent and vengeance, you find a path that will lead you to the future." He let a smile take over his face. "Richard, I hope we can meet each other soon, and I wish you the best of luck." With that said, Pro began to walk towards the classrooms, only to hear the sound of a helicopter fly overhead. Pro was curious about it, but before he could think about it any longer, the 5 minute warning bell rang, bringing Pro back to reality. He began to run towards the classrooms at a regulated pace, not wanting to be late on the first day.
Well, there you have it. My OC, Richard is gone. Done. The end.
I'm just kidding. (Though, would he be considered an OC? Maybe, but not a major OC)
Anyways, as I described above, Pro's Blaze is a gauntlet on his right arm. Yup. That's it.
…
Or is it!?
Anyways, as any other writer would say, please review and follow if you believe you'll enjoy the story. Please, no flames as I'm still new to this, writing-a-FanFiction kind of thing.
Also, before I forget, there will be a pairing in the story. Actually two, but the other one is a secondary. It will be OCxJulie and TorxLilith. No hate for that, but, if you don't like the pairings, you could always write your own FF. Anyways, I'll see you guys in the future.
