Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Highschool DxD is owned by Fushimi Shobo, TNK, Funimation, and Ichiei Ishibumi. Please support the offical release.
Volume 1 Life 0: Death As A Human
*Riiiiiiiiiiiiing!*
*Riiiiiiiiiiiiing!*
*Riiiiiiiiiiiiing!*
*Riiiiiiiiiiiiing!*
The young man groaned at the sound of the incessant ringing phone next to him, yanking his consciousness out of the pleasant deep abyss even though it wanted nothing more than to drift endlessly forever. He curled up under his blanket, burying is face deeper into his pillow in order to escape the light of day. It was an evil light. An evil, EVIL light. Mornings like these, he wished he could just reach out and extinguish the giant orange fire in the sky that radiated it.
*Riiiiiiiiiiiiing!*
*Riiiiiiiiiiiiing!*
*Riiiiiiiiiiiiing!*
The young man in question was at least sixteen years of age, possessing spiky, dark-brown hair. He was of average height and possessed a build that was uncharacteristically athletic considering his young age. Over his eyes, he wore a deep-green sleeping mask
*Riiiiiiiiiiiiing!*
*Riiiiiiiiiiiiing!*
*Riiiiiiiiiiiiing!*
He groaned as the incessant ring buzzed in his ears. He half-assedly reached out with his hand, groping around for the grip of the phone plugged in next to him. It was made more difficult by the fact he kept slipping in and out of dreamland every five seconds or so.
It took about five minutes before his hand gripped the sturdy plastic of his house phone, lifting it up from the receiver-
-and slammed it right back down.
"Aaaah~" He let out a sigh of relief. "Much better~" He rolled over and threw his blankets back over his body.
*Riiiiiiiiiiiiing!*
*Riiiiiiiiiiiiing!*
*Riiiiiiiiiiiiing!*
The phone started ringing again.
The young man groaned. "Oh...Alright, alright already." He let out a heavy sigh as he pushed himself upright, stretching his arms. "Geez. How bothersome..." His hands absently felt over the mask on his face, lifting it up and placing it on his forehead, the blinding light causing him to blink several times until his eyes adjusted. He possessed black eyes with golden spots in the center, an odd color that even he had to acknowledge.
Once again, he lifted the phone from the receiver, this time placing it to his ear.
"Hello. You have reached the personal line of Ushiromiya "Ikki" Ikuse. I'm not in right now, but I promise to get back to you the moment I get back, so please leave a message after the beep. Beeeeeeeeeeeep."
[Ikki, I know you're there. You may as well answer now. If you don't, I will not hesitate to ring your phone again and again until you answer.]
"Well, I was never good in a war of attrition." Ikki immediately spoke up. "Especially not against a woman." He let a heavy yawn. "G'morning, Tsu-chan, what's up?"
[Ikki...]
"I know, I know. I have to get up."
[No, Ikki, I...]
Ikki pulled down one of the blinds. "Hm. It's a bit bright out this morning..."
[School started three hours ago.]
"...Oh." Ikki paused, releasing the blinds and letting them snap back into place. "...shit." He suddenly coughed into his fist, doing his damned well best to feign illness. "Well, I was just feeling sick and-"
[Ikki, your teacher said you couldn't miss any more full days.]
"Oh come on, Tsu-chan." His voice utterly lacked any amount of persuasive skill. "I'm keeping my grades up, so it's no big deal." He moved to lay back down on his bed, lifting up the sheets on his bed-
[You lay back down and it will be the last thing you do.]
He set his sheets back down. "So scary." He mumbled in a monotone.
If there were two things that Ikki knew Tsubaki Shinra hated, it would have had to been her dislike for those who skipped school and it was people who showed no motivation towards anything whatsoever.
So it was a wonder why Ikki was her best friend.
"OK, I get it." Ikki raised his other hand in surrender, sighing to himself. "I'll get dressed and head to school. Try to learn to be less uptight in that that period of time. Gotta go. Talk to you later."
[Now hold on a sec-!]
But Ikki had already slammed the phone right back down on the receiver with an audible CLANK. A small part of him stared longingly at the soft, comfortable bed before him, but he knew that, after that phone call, Tsubaki would have had a cow if he tried slipping back into bed. Knowing this, he started taking off his clothes, stripping down to his birthday suit, casually walking to the shower in the adjacent room with a new set of clothing underneath his arms.
One shower later, he was clean and dressed in the boys' student uniform of Kuoh Academy with the lack of the tie and his eye mask worn on his forehead as though they were a pair of sunglasses.
He was waiting in the kitchen, one hand in his pocket as he waited on the toaster next to him.
The toaster made a light popping sound before shooting a piece of toast into the air, the cooked bread quickly being snatched and placed into Ikki's mouth. He gave a pleased hum of approval before hefting his school bag over his shoulder. He strolled over to the front door and threw it open, letting more fresh air and sunlight flow into the house, but he paused at the edge.
Ikki turned his head and called out, "Ka-san! Tou-san! I'm leaving for school! I'll be back later!"
He knew not to expect any actual response. His parents spent all night working so they were hardly morning people.
"Love you too. Bye." Ikki said almost completely to himself.
With that, he left, locking the door behind him.
"Mr. Ushiromiya, how nice of you to join us today." The teacher greeted sarcastically. "Now that you've interrupted me right in the middle of class, would you be so kind as to take your seat?"
Ikki rolled his eyes at the teacher's not-so-subtle hostility. If it had been once or twice, nobody would probably have ever made a big deal about Ikki's attendance issues. However, Ikki has been CONSISTENTLY tardy or absent for school every single day since the semester started a good several weeks ago. He was either late and interrupted his teachers's lectures halfway through or he was absent entirely.
What Ikki thought REALLY pissed them off was his usual, nonchalant response. "Aye, Sensei." He gave a joking salute before taking his seat in the classroom.
"As I was saying," The teacher continued, "when you take the square root of-"
Several of the members of Ikki's class started mumbling amongst themselves.
"Geez, that Ushiromiya..."
"...Why bother coming to class at all? God knows I wouldn't if I was going to be so late already."
"How did such a slacker make the grades to even get into this school?"
"I just can't figure out what goes on in that head of his."
"He's cute, but he seems like trouble..."
And it was usually about ten seconds into "class mumblings" that Ikki usually dozed off. He just slid his mask over his eyes, laid his head down, and drifted off to sleep. It was something like a schedule of his. While most humans only took nine hours of sleep at most, Ikki had he habit of taking fifteen hours worth of sleep everyday. Whenever there was work to be done, he would normally sleep...
In fact, it wouldn't have been too crazy to say that, if it had not been for one annoyan-er-person, it was most likely that Ikki would have spent every minute of everyday sleeping all of his time away.
"Ikki, wake up."
Speaking of an annoyance/person.
"Mmmmnnnnn..." Ikki groaned in protest.
"You can sleep all you like at home, but it is absolutely prohibited while you're in the middle of class." The voice decreed, continuing to scold the lackadaisical boy. "Do you know how many complaints the staff have made about you snoring in the middle of a lesson?"
Ikki groaned again, lifting up his mask so he could stare lazily at the young woman who was speaking to him. "Well g'morning to you too, Tsu-chan."
Tsubaki Shinra was older by at least a year, being a young bespectacled woman with long straight black hair that extended all the way down to her knees with split bangs. It had a shine that could only be possessed by hair as silky and soft as silk itself. Even from where he sat, Ikki detected a faint scent of strawberries from her. He had spent many-a-days trying to figure out if it was some kind of perfume or a shampoo she used. Whatever it was, her scent was not too strong, but had a sort-of calming effect on him.
But perhaps the most noticeable feature that Tsubaki possessed was her heterochromic eyes, possessing a violet left eye and a light brown right eye.
"This isn't a joke, Ikki." Tsubaki placed her hands on his hips. "If you keep slacking off like this, even your grades will begin to slip."
"Aaaaahhhhh..." Ikki whined. "How bothersome..." His attention beginning to slip, he kicked up his feet onto the desk and leaned back on his chair, rocking himself back and forth.
Tsubaki quickly grabbed his chair by the leg and forced the legs back against the ground. "Why is it you cannot remain focused for more than five seconds? Ikki, I am genuinely worried about your academic life. I get that you really enjoy your beauty sleep, but such a thing can't be healthy. I mean-"
And that was about where Ikki tuned her out. He knew she meant well, but her lectures were starting to become so repetitive that they all started sounding the same. 'Start staying awake more often', 'Focus on academics', 'Stop playing with that, you don't know where it's been', etc etc. He had learned that the trick to it was always saying "You're completely right." at the end of every one of the lectures. He saw her lips move, but the words would not reach his eardrums due to how effective he had been at tuning them out.
"-and another thing-"
Ikki's eyes widened slightly in interest, Ikki eyeing Tsubaki with new-found curiosity.
He stood up abruptly, causing Tsubaki to jump slightly from surprise. "Uh...Ikki...?" Heat rushed to her cheeks as Ikki suddenly started leaning in, looking as if he was examining something. "W-Why are you getting so close?"
Ikki rubbed his chin. "Hmmmm..."
"'Hmmmm'?" Tsubaki parroted, trying to discern her friend's thoughts. "Ikki, are you-"
In a flash, Ikki's arms lashed out, his hands open wide. His palms brushed up against Tsubaki's sizable bust, his fingers clamping down and tenderly feeling her womanly flesh, getting a feel for her soft, pillow-like mounds. Tsubaki could only let out shocked squeaks, her face lighting up red as Ikki expressionlessly squeezed and caressed her breasts as of they were some sort of fragile, alien objects that deserved the utmost reverence and affection. It was embarrassing for Tsubaki to hear moans and squeals as her breasts were casually and thoroughly groped by her friend.
"W-What are you doing?!"
She wasn't quite sure if she was embarrassed, humiliated, or excited (but not in just the "happy" meaning of the word). She tried to reach out to stop him, but her hands were trembling too much. She was half-certain she would break his neck by mistake.
This continued for two more minutes before Ikki finally released Tsubaki's captive breasts, straightening himself and rubbing the back of his neck.
"Hm, I was right. They've grown since before." Ikki noted with a mild, drowsy interest. "Maybe half an inch? Not sure. I might need to check more."
However, Tsubaki was not one to fall prey to the same "attack", quickly stepping away and covering her breasts to protect what little dignity she could muster in that situation.
"How bothersome..." Ikki mumbled to himself, frowning while he slipped deep into thought. "...If Tsu-chan's boobs get any bigger, she might start experiencing back pain and increased irritation..."
"Ikki!" Tsubaki cried out in embarrassment, quickly losing what little sense of calm she had. She raised her hand to slap him, but Ikki casually ducked, sliding around her in a way that only a professional ice skater could have done. "Would you please-"
"So you went with the blue lacy set this morning, huh?" He asked rhetorically, lifting up her skirt to examine her well-toned posterior. "I thought you surely would have gone for the black frills on a cold day like this...Then again, I doubt color doesn't make any difference when you're wearing these under your skirt."
"Ikki-"
"Personally, I never saw anything wrong with just normal, plain underwear."
"Ikki-!"
"I mean, unless a girl is intending to strip down to her skivvies or get naked, what's the point in stylizing? Who's gonna see'em? Ya know-"
"IKKI!" Tsubaki screamed at the top of her lungs, her face completely red. Ikki looked up, the same mild expression on his face. "We're still in the middle of a classroom!"
"Huh?" Ikki raised his head, looking as though he just noticed the other people who were in the room with him, the few males there staring at him with a mic of resentment and envy. "Huh, so we are."
Tsubaki crossed her arms, staring expectantly. "So could you please stop showcasing my undergarments?" Her trembling fists gave the not-so-subtle clue that her frustration was about to overpower her embarrassment.
"You know you can just call them "panties" like the rest of the world." Ikki suggested. "Calling them "undergarments" doesn't make a person any more sophisticated. Panties, underwear, undies, etc. Same thing, different name."
"Now." With a calm, but harsh single word, Tsubaki's order finally got through to Ikki's brain.
Pursing his lips, Ikki gently laid Tsubaki's skirt back down over her slender thighs. Normally, he was not one to be threatened or pressured, but not only did he respect Tsubaki as his friend, but also he knew very well not to disobey her when she used that tone. It was not fear, but rather knowing what she would do in response if he refused. The last time he disobeyed her after she used that tone was about three years ago...That was not a pleasant day for Ikuse Ushiromiya. He winced every time he thought back to it.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Ikki turned away. Any person with normal common sense would have realized that that had been the best time to shut one's own mouth. Any person with normal common sense would have known that anything more said in such a situation was just acting the part of the fool...
Ikki was not someone with normal common sense.
"I don't get what the big deal is. I've already seen you naked."
It was like someone dropped glass onto the ground, everyone going silent as it shattered into thousands of pieces. If people hadn't started paying attention when Tsubaki's blue, lacy panties were on display, they were certainly fully invested in the conversation by the time Ikki spoke.
[WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?]
Every other remaining student in the classroom were suddenly standing, gathering around in a cluttered circle around the two, Ikki still in his kneeling position on the ground as if nothing had happened. Nobody seemed to really acknowledge him and one person even accidentally stepped on him while trying to get in on the action. Ikki was half-sure that some of these people hadn't even heard what happened and just wanted to be part of the group.
"You mean Ushiromiya's seen Shinra-senpai naked!?"
"How can that be?!"
"Wait wait! Hold on!"
"Did he defile you, Senpai!?"
"Don't tell me he forced you?!"
"No way, they probably were going out!"
"That's even worse!"
"It's not like that!"
"Auuuuu! One of the five most beautiful girls has been taken!"
"Well, she could have done worse, I suppose."
"At least it wasn't one of those Perverted Duo jerks."
"Could everyone please listen-!"
"But still, I knew they were friendly, but I didn't know they did that already."
"W-What?!"
"Damn that Ushiromiya, that lucky sonnuvabitch!"
Again and again, Tsubaki tried to break into the conversation that seemed to be taking place around her, but she could not find an opening to speak her personal thoughts. It was made even worse by the fact that her rhetoric suffered quite a great deal due to how much she was being flustered. Normally, the young woman known as the Vice-President of the Student Council, Tsubaki Shinra, was calm and collected, quite capable of keeping her cool in a crowd, but when it came to the young woman known as the girl, Tsubaki Shinra, she was quite easily disconcerted by personal subjects such as romance.
It was like a cute, lovable hamster suddenly being surrounded by a group of humans, all of them pointing and making all sorts of noises that they did not understand.
Suffice to say, Tsubaki was silently praying (or she would have prayed) for anything, ANYTHING, to save her from that situation.
Her salvation came in the form of a single hand that broke straight through the massive wall of students, stealthily maneuvering past all of the bodies and latching onto Tsubaki's arm. Tsubaki instinctively hesitated at the light tug on her arm, but knew that flipping whoever was tugging her was no good, so she decided to accept the tugging sensation. She allowed herself to be taken by the strong pull of the hand's owner, breaking her free of the massive "beast" that was the student body and dragging her out the open door.
Tsubaki was slightly dazed so she did not immediately recognize her savior until he spoke.
"Dadadaaah." A drowsy, almost monotone voice sang out. "Ikki to the rescue."
The brown-haired teen didn't look cheerful, excited, or particularly heroic, but his expression gave off a slight feeling of satisfaction. He tightened his grasp on her hand, causing her to blush as he continued dragging her down the hall, away from all of the curious eyes that seemed to follow them.
Despite her irritation, Tsubaki couldn't help but feel impressed by Ikki's ability to shut out the wandering eyes of their peers.
Eventually, the two managed to escape whatever pursuit may have been made after them, concealing their bodies in a thick brushed on the right side of the main building. Hiding in the bushes may have been rather cliche, but if the useless plant was going to have any purpose, it may as well be used. Ikki practically hopped over the bush, dragging Tsubaki onto the ground with him, ducking both of their heads down, Tsubaki panting more than Ikki even though he practically carried her the entire way.
"That was..." Ikki paused. "...bothersome." He looked at Tsubaki. "Large groups crowding like that are really annoying. I don't get why all of hose guys were crowding around you anyway. Did they have some kind of malfunction? They all had weird looks on their faces." He paused again when he noticed Tsubaki wearing an incredulous look on her face.
"You are kidding me, right?" Tsubaki asked. "You told everyone that you saw me naked!"
Ikki tilted his head in confusion. "But I did."
"Yes, when we were kids." Tsubaki emphasized the last word of that sentence for good measure. "We were barely six years old!"
"Exactly my point." Ikki agreed. He gave a soft smile. "Your butt was even cuter back then."
"That. That right there." Tsubaki pointed out, trying to hide how flushed her face was. "You keep saying misleading things like that and people keep thinking we're doing lecherous things together. They are going to keep getting the wrong idea and assume we're boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Would that really be so bad?"
The words that came out of Ikki's mouth made the young woman's heart skip a beat. It was different from her previous embarrassment. What the words Ikki had said implied...she found it a bit overwhelming. She placed her hand over her heart, trying to slow it down by taking longer, deeper breaths, but found it continuing its irregular beat.
One thing that should be made known was the long-term relationship between Ikuse Ushiromiya and Tsubaki Shinra. The two had been best friends ever since the age of six. Even as their other friends came and went, moving on different paths with their lives, Tsubaki and Ikki never said goodbye. While how they became friends was something they kept them, they never hesitated to show their friendliness, more-so as a result of Ikki's lack of tact or thought. It was due to this lack of both of these that people came under so many misunderstandings...
"Ah. That was a joke." Ikki continued, a dull expression on his face.
A wave of irritation washed over Tsubaki, causing her previous frustration to return tenfold.
"Stop doing things like that." Tsubaki said, crossing her arms under her chest. Ikki seemed to lose what little concern he had left for the situation, laying back onto the grassy ground with his arms hanging behind his head to act as a pillow. He closed his eyes, whether he was actually napping or not being ambiguous. "I mean it, Ikki. I can't always be keeping my eye on you like in middle school. I have responsibilities now as the Student Council's Vice-President and I will be a lot more busy completing my duties with Sona."
It may have been her imagination, but Tsubaki could have sworn Ikki had made a light grunting sound. He popped one eye open. "Speaking of which, where is good ol' So-chan? I really would have thought you'd be hanging out with your new bosom-buddy in your free time." His voice carried an odd inflection to it. Somewhat different from his normal tone of voice.
"Well it's not really free time." Tsubaki pointed out, gesturing to the watch on her wrist which Ikki could have sworn she had not been wearing several minutes ago. "We're still in school, but it's time for lunch so I thought we could eat together."
"Don't have a lunch with me." Ikki said, quickly putting a damper on that idea. He closed his eye again, attempting to slip back into his self-induced coma. "Besides, I'm not hungry. I had a slice of toast an hour ago."
However, his attempt was halted when Tsubaki pinched his arm, yanking him right back from the border of unconsciousness. Ikki shot her an irritated look which was met with indifference.
"Well, it's just lucky for you that I brought enough for both of us." And, as if out of him air, Tsubaki suddenly produced a rather large bento box, sliding off the top and pulling out a pair of chopsticks. While she casually set up a blanket on the ground, Ikki couldn't help but frown at the sight despite how nonchalant she seemed.
Ikki raised his head, staring at her. "Where did you get that stuff?"
For a moment, he thought Tsubaki was giving him curious eyes, but then he noticed how her body twitched a little, as if she had been surprised. He felt he could have been mistaken due to how quickly her expression became calm and collected again. "You're mistaken." She turned away, looking as though Ikki had slighted her someway. She picked up an indiscernible morsel of food and placed it in her mouth, acting as though nothing happened.
She was hiding something.
Ikki wasn't sure what, but he had known Tsubaki long enough to know her "tell".
"I guess so." Ikki decided to ignore it, laying back down in the grass. It was no big deal whether she was lying or not. Food was food. He had neither the reason nor he interest in pursuing the matter any further. He wasn't usually perceptive about these types of things, so it was possible he had dozed off and failed to notice Tsubaki taking out a blanket and boxed lunch.
Tsubaki took another bite, averting her eyes from Ikki. "I don't know what you're going to eat with though." She said curtly. "I only have the one pair of chop sticks because I had been intending to eat alone."
Another lie. It would have been hard not to notice that the amount of food was far more than Tsubaki would normally eat.
"Then just share your chop sticks with me." There was a high amount of tension in the air and Ikki could almost sense his friend's heart skip a beat. "Relax, I brush three times a day. I don't have any kind of germs in my mouth."
"Th-Thats not the issue!" Tsubaki squeaked, her voice cracking from embarrassment. She picked up a piece of food and jabbed her sticks in Ikki's direction. "You really need to learn how to act more normally in-"
Her words were cut off. Faster than Tsubaki's eyes could follow, Ikki rose straight up, leaning in with an open mouth. He let out a loud sound like "Yumph!", closing his lips over the ends and licking the food between the two sticks into his mouth. He stared blankly into Tsubaki's own flustered eyes, completely neutral about the gesture he had just made as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"A-ah!" Tsubaki squeaked as Ikki slowly slid his mouth off of the two sticks. "W-What are you doing?!"
Ikki frowned. "I was eating." Again, he showed no qualms with what he just did. He smacked his lips, licking his chops like a hungry dog. "You're an excellent cook by the way. Honestly, I think this is the first time I've tasted your cooking, Tsu-chan." Tsubaki's face flushed deeply as Ikki opened his mouth. "More please." He was completely indifferent to the fact that he had just shared an indirect kiss wit Tsubaki.
"E-Eeeeeh?!" Tsubaki, on the other hand, was not. She pulled her hand away, taking deep breaths to calm her heart. She started patting her cheeks, trying to hide and subdue the violent blush coloring her face. "W-What are you doing?!"
"Hm?" Ikki tilted his head in confusion. "I'm asking you to feed me. You said we could share, right?" However, he only showed further confusion as Tsubaki's face turned redder than a tomato's. "Huh? Do you want me to feed you instead?" Tsubaki's face looked close to exploding as she opened her mouth to object. Ikki sighed. "I've never really fed someone before...how bothersome."With a swift movement of his hands, Ikki snatched Tsubaki's sticks from her hand, spinning them in his fingers before pointing them in her direction. He picked up a piece of food between the two sticks and extended it towards her mouth. "Say "Aaaaaah"."
He leaned forward, motioning for the frozen Tsubaki to take a bite. His face was getting uncomfortably close.
Just the thought of all of the inappropriate misunderstandings that could occur in such a situation felt like Ikki had reached into her chest and grasped her heart in his hand, treating it like a delicate, flawless gem. It felt like his eyes could see to the very core of her being.
There were numerous ways she could respond in a rational and proper manner-
"Waaaaaaaaaah!"
SLAP!
She responded in none of these ways.
Instead, Tsubaki brought her hand across Ikki's face, producing a loud noise that resounded throughout the air. Suddenly, Tsubaki was standing, accidentally knocking over the contents boxed lunch she had made all over the ground. Ikki sat there, rubbing his face with the same casual expression he usually wore.
"...Ow." He whined half-heartedly. "What was that for?"
Tsubaki looked taken aback, staring at her hand as if she wasn't sure what she had just done. "I-I...It...that..." She looked at Ikki, a series of odd noises emanating from her throat, but she spoke nothing coherent. Nothing forming an actual sentence.
"You alright, Tsu-chan?" Ikki asked, raising an eyebrow. He stood up, brushing himself off. "I don't think a person's face is supposed to look so red." He raised a hand to Tsubaki's forehead, faking her temperature. "And you're really burning up?"
"Eek!" Tsubaki let out a girlish squeak, backing up while waving off any further approach. "No no! I'm fine! Really! I-I just remembered-uh-I have some papers I forgot to fill out in the Student Council room! I should go do those! I'll see you later, Ikki! Bye!" With that rushed farewell, Tsubaki ran off from their hiding place, leaving behind one confused Kouhai and the scattered remains of a delicious boxed lunch.
Ikki just stared. "Man...What a waste of a boxed lunch."
Ikki stared in wonder as the sun started to set in the distance, a reddish-orange splashing all over the horizon, painting a beautiful and serene scene. It was times like that that Ikki wished he had a camera or some kind of phone. This was the type of image that he could imagine himself falling asleep under.
He had ended up walking home on his own after school that day. Tsubaki had told him that she had a lot more work than she thought and would not be able to accompany him on the walk home.
Her face flashed red again when she laid eyes on him and she wouldn't hold a very long conversation with him.
"I think..." Ikki thought to himself. "...that Tsu-chan might be mad at me..."
That thought made him feel sad. Ikki was not an emotionally expressive person, and he himself acknowledged that he was a bit slow sometimes, but he never intended to intentionally make Tsubaki mad. Maybe upset or flustered just because he deeply enjoyed how those were the only times she looked like a normal, cute girl, but never mad. Tsubaki had been his best friend for a long time and how she felt meant a lot to him.
After how she had started avoiding him after that afternoon, Ikki could not shake the distinct feeling that he had somehow done something wrong.
And until it became clearer as to how he upset her, he would continue to be haunted by that feeling.
"...Maybe she was giving me some kind of hint..." Ikki thought aloud, rubbing his chin, pausing on the bridge that he always crossed on his normal route. "...She's spending a lot of time with the Student Council...She even told me..."
Then his usually lazy eyes widened as if he realized something.
It was a realization so stunning that he felt stupid for having not considered it before.
"Tsu-chan was telling me to find someone else to devote all my time to." He decided. It was the only thing that made sense in his mind. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "...but I really don't care about meeting new people. How bothersome." But when he gave the matter a bit more thought, he frowned. "...but I really don't wanna make Tsu-chan any madder at me." And that was he deciding factor. "Alright. If it's for Tsu-chan, I guess I could try..."
But the thought of spending all of the extra time and effort to meet new people he probably wouldn't really care about made him groan.
"Tsu-chan is the only friend who puts up wth my sleep schedule willingly..." He resisted the urge to take a nap then and there to alleviate some of his mental exhaustion. This was the longest he had ever held a train of thought related to having a social life. "...how bothersome."
"E-Excuse me!" Ikki stopped in his tracks at the sound of an unfamiliar voice.
"Hm?"
He turned his head to face the girl addressing him, an attractive young woman about his age. She possessed dark hair like Tsubaki, but Ikki felt that Tsubaki's hair looked shinier and softer than this girl's. That didn't necessarily mean Ikki didn't find her attractive. She was rather beautiful, possessing curves and flawless skin like that of a model. Her uniform was not like that of Kuoh Academy, so Ikki had to assume she was from one of the other local schools.
The girl blushed nervously. "U-Um...are you Ikuse Ushiromiya?"
Ikki raised his hand, expression blank. "I prefer to be called "Ikki"."
The girl nodded. "O-OK, "Ikki"." The girl bowed politely. "My name is Y-Yuuma. Yuuma Amano."
There was a brief pause, Ikki continuing to stare at the newly-named "Yuuma" with his drowsy eyes. Then he turned his eyes to back in front of him. "Well, I don't know you...Bye." Waving farewell, he started walking away.
"W-Wait!" Yuuma called out. "I have something important to ask you!"
"Oh, OK. I'm coming back." Spinning 180 degrees, Ikki turned and walked back over to Yuuma. He shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling an odd atmosphere in the air around them as Yuuma twiddled her fingers. "Yes?"
"W-Well, I was wondering..." It was clear that whatever Yuuma was trying to ask was difficult to vocalize. "Will you be my boyfriend?!"
.
.
.
"...I can't tell if you're an idiot or not."
The sudden harsh words took Yuuma aback, leaving her looking as though she had been slapped. "W-What?" This had clearly not been the answer she had been expecting.
Ikki let out a loud yawn, scratching his cheek sleepily. He did not immediately respond, instead turning his sleepy gaze over to the setting sun. It was clear he was deep in thought, but what he was thinking would not have been clear to any observer. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath, eventually exhaling a little bit afterward. Then he looked back to Yuuma.
"Listen, Yuu-san," Ikki spoke to her with no sense of personal space, addressing her so casually, "just because you set up a confession like this like a scene from some girl-meets-boy romance manga, it doesn't mean you can just completely overlook the lack of initial chemistry or the lack of familiarity. Even if you know me through whatever means through which you learned about me, the fact I have never met you and know nothing about you presents a rather huge bump in the road for any hypothetical situation you and I were to pursue. So while I am not apathetic towards the amount of thought and feeling you put into setting up such a confession, I simply cannot accept it with our current relationship or lack thereof."
To say that Yuuma's head was spinning would have been a bit of an understatement. From what she had observed, the one known as Ushiromiya Ikuse was a, for lack of a better phrase, lackadaisical slacker. She had not been expecting such a thorough or well thought out response from him beyond "yes" or "no". This was an outcome she had not planned for.
Ikki sighed, closing his eyes. "That said, it would be really bothersome for me to just half-heartedly shoot you down like a pompous ass." Ikki opened his eyes again, looking at Yuuma. "So while I reject the idea of immediately becoming your boyfriend, I would not mind hanging out or something..." Ikki rubbed a chin. "...a "date" I think it could be referred to as..."
Yuuma's expression brightened considerably. "Really?!"
Ikki shrugged. "Sure. Why not?" It was not like he had any romantic interest in her, but he had been looking for someone knew to hang out with so Tsubaki would not be upset with him. This was a good opportunity. "Let's do it this weekend."
"A-Alright!" Yuuma agreed, running past Ikki in her excitement. "I-I'll see you then, Ikki!"
Before her departure, there was a sudden updraft, blowing her skirt upward and granting any people passing by a generous view of what laid underneath.
When she was out of sight, Ikki was once again alone to his own thoughts.
"Hmmmm..." He hummed to himself. "...Did not take her for the thong-wearing type." Then he placed a hand to his stomach, listening to his stomach gurgling, declaring its desire for be fed. "...That's right. I haven't eaten anything but toast today...I'm hungry...How bothersome."
He looked off into the horizon to where Yuuma disappeared. Then he turned on his heels and walked the other way.
"...I wanna be fed."
"...Welcome back, Tsu-chan."
Tsubaki could not believe the sight that awaited her when she got home that evening.
She had just finished a whole exhausting evening having to deal with her best friend's antics on top of her work as Vice-President of the Student Council as well as her other job. While she maintained her composure to the point of appearing as an ice queen to some, she was as much of a normal person as any other, equally prone to exhaustion like any other person. All she had wanted was to go home, make some dinner, and maybe watch some TV before bed.
And the moment she walked in the door to her apartment, there he is, laying in the middle of the carpet of her living room floor, laying about on his side as if he were the owner of this place.
"Ikki, what are you doing here?!"
The brown-haired boy let out a light yawn. "I was bored and I was hungry. Ergo, I wanted to hang out here. Didn't think you would have taken so long to get back though."
No, that wasn't quite right before.
It was not that Tsubaki couldn't believe that this was happening to her nor that she did not expect it on some level, but rather, she wanted to know why this happening to her. Why did her best friend since childhood have to be such an oddball?
"...You know you have no snacks here?" Ikki asked before rolling over, turning his attention towards the TV. "I went rummaging through your cabinets but all you had was a bunch of vegetables and seasonings. No meat or fruit anywhere."
"That's because I don't see the point in stocking up on such things when I live alone and expect to eat alone." Tsubaki said through grit teeth. "Besides, I don't like many fruits because I'm not into sweets. And I don't like meant because I am a vegetarian by choice. I don't enjoy eating things that have been alive. I would have thought you would have known that about me by now just like I thought you would have known that I don't like people dropping in unexpected."
An awkward silence ensued in the aftermath of her words.
Ikki turned his head halfway around, raising an eyebrow. "...So we're having a vegan dinner tonight?"
"Wha...I...uh...agh..." Tsubaki sputtered like a dying engine, increasingly frustrated by the current situation. "I...just..." She let out a heavy sigh. "Why can't you just eat dinner at your own house?"
"I don't know how to cook." Ikki answered with a shrug. "Ka-san and Tou-san are always busy after dark, so I don't have anyone to cook for me." He turned his head back towards the TV. "Besides, my house doesn't have a Tsu-chan, so it's boring. Even if I go hungry either way, I'd rather be hungry with Tsu-chan around rather than be hungry and bored without Tsu-chan."
Tsubaki pulled her glasses from her face, sighing as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can't you ask one of your other friends to make you dinner?" She had said it before she had even considered what she was saying.
""Other...friends"?" The brown-haired boy tilted his head to the side (a gesture that looked rather odd while he was laying on his side), as if Tsubaki had spoken in an alien language. Realizing this, he sat upright to increase the effectiveness of the gesture.
It was at that moment that Tsubaki realized she had brought about her own "defeat". She placed her glasses back over her eyes, wishing to simply put an end to the current situation. "Never mind. Just...Give me a second. I'll get dinner started in a few moments." Ikki stared at her in confusion, but Tsubaki couldn't have helped but feel slightly guilty. In her ears, it sounded as though she were insulting him or poking at his flaws.
Thus, she decided to fold her hand and make dinner. "Just be patient."
Ikki gave a tired smile, throwing his fists into the air. "Woo. Free dinner made by Tsu-chan." Then he fell backward onto the ground, arms still raised.
A small part of Tsubaki couldn't help but feel amused by her friend's reaction, unable to suppress a small smile. For Ikki,that was excitement usually. She blushed when she realized Ikki was in the room, quickly masking her smile with a cough. "I will get to it then, but please try not to make this a regular thing."
"No promises." Ikki said while giving her a cheap smile and a thumbs up.
It was hard to say that it was not the expected response.
This had become something of a routine for the two of them. Whenever Ikki was bored or hungry, he would crash at Tsubaki's house for fun and nourishment.
In a way, Tsubaki found it nice. As she put on her cooking apron, Tsubaki couldn't help but acknowledge how nice it was to have Ikki over. She could not count the number of nights she spent alone in her small apartment. It wasn't a horribly painful feeling, but it was hard not to notice. It started to fester and irritate her, and once those feelings faded, she was left with a bitter emptiness. Like every other living creature, Tsubaki enjoyed the company of another person.
No matter how annoyed she got, no matter how frustrated she became, and no matter how often she expressed the opposite, Tsubaki truly enjoyed Ikki's presence. It was the only time she was able to feel like a normal girl, completely different from how she felt when working with the Student Council.
She was so deep in thought that she hadn't even realized she had already brought out her cutting board and knife.
"Hey, Ikki, what flavor would you prefer in your meal?" Tsubaki called out from the kitchen, unaware of how much happiness her face was showing. "Even with just vegetables and grain, I can make almost any flavor shine in my cooking. Would you prefer sweet & sour? Spicy? Is there something specific you would like? I can make even meals made with soy taste like actual meat if that is all you're craving."
"...Cook however you wish." His tone gave the impression that he was close to taking a nap. Then again, that was just about how his voice always sounded. "I am a moocher, so cook what suits you."
"You are still a guest technically." Tsubaki pointed out, gathering some spices from her cabinets. "And since you're a guest, I-"
She froze mid-sentence as a sudden draft brushed against her posterior, the feeling of cloth vanishing from the back of her legs. She had experienced this feeling often enough to know what happened, but she still turned her head to confirm it.
Her skirt was lifted up for the second time that day, the offender responsible being the most obvious suspect.
Ikki was casually examining her underwear yet again, this time casually feeling up her lower posterior and her slender thighs. "Your muscles are feeling tight." There was the oddest tone of worry in his voice. "Have you been working out? Your body seemed more tense than normal."
Tsubaki tensed, not just from how invasive his fingers were, coming so close to her most private place, but also from his words. "Ikki...let go of my skirt." Her face lit up a light shade of pink.
"It's fine if you wanna work out now and then." Ikki said, still feeling up her thighs. "However, you shouldn't push yourself like this. If you cause your body too much stress, you might end up spraining or pulling something. You don't even need a workout anyway. From what I can tell, your body is in perfect condition and your figure is not lacking anywhere."
Having known him for so long, Tsubaki knew how his words were not intended as lecherous in the slightest, but it was hard to remember that when he was feeling every part of her lower body. Her breathing became heavy as her face started to flush red.
"Huh? Tsu-chan, are you feeling alright?" Ikki asked. "You're becoming really sweaty."
"Ikki." Tsubaki said in a familiar tone. "If you don't let go right now, I might end up letting go of this knife at an inappropriate time." There was a heavy thud as Tsubaki stabbed the tip of her knife deep into the cutting board, giving a large, emotionless smile.
Ikki did not like the terrifying aura surrounding Tsubaki. For whatever reason, she was more irritated than usual.
Without another word, Ikki casually lowered Tsubaki's skirt back over her butt.
"Now please wait in the living room until dinner is done." Tsubaki said in an irritable tone.
"Yes, ma'am." Ikki said with a light nod of his head. The affirmative response surprised Tsubaki more than if he had said no.
Normally, it would play out something like "Huh? What'd I do, Tsu-chan?" and then Tsubaki, of course, would have been required to play the role of the voice of reason and point out absolutely everything that Ikki had done wrong shortly before persisting in her usually fruitless quest to make him act more normally in society. For Ikki to actually say "Yes, ma'am" and then actually do it without complaint...it was odd.
She looked over her shoulder and, sure enough, Ikki had done as asked and went back to his little spot in middle of the living room, curled up into a little ball. He just seemed to be staring blankly at the TV.
It was...unsettling. Abnormal. It actually made Tsubaki more uncomfortable than when he was harassing her and feeling her out.
As she started cutting vegetables, she kept looking back over her shoulder to peek at her friend, still stationery on the carpet. Her mind, as divided as it was, caused her to almost cut off her fingers at least three or four time. If anyone from the Student Council saw her, she would have felt so embarrassed.
Even as she was putting her dish in the oven, she heard not a single peep from her friend. The only reason she was certain that he was still there was because she could still see him from the kitchen.
"Um...Ikki...?"
"Hm?" Ikki turn his head in curiosity. "Did I do something wrong?"
It could have been her imagination, but Tsubaki thought that his tone sounded hurt for a moment...like a wounded animal.
"Are...Are you alright?" Tsubaki asked, taking the mitts off of her hands. "You've been...awfully quiet." She hadn't meant to actually upset Ikki. She just didn't feel like putting up with his sexual harassment at the moment.
"Hm? I'm fine." Ikki said casually. "Still a little hungry."
"Yeah, don't worry. Dinner is cooking now, so it should be a little while longer." Tsubaki took a seat on her couch, feeling slightly self-conscious with Ikki looking up at her from his spot on the carpet. "I hope it's to your tastes."
"If it's you, I'm sure it will be delicious." Ikki said with an upbeat tone.
Again, they descended into silence, Ikki easily returning his attention to the TV. He didn't seem affected by the silence in the slightest.
Tsubaki grasped her knees, tightening her grip from her increasing nervousness. However, she said nothing. If nothing was wrong, than bringing up the issue would only cause an actual problem while, if something was wrong and she said nothing, Ikki would only suffer in silence with the matter unresolved.
"Tsu-chan, are you mad at me?" The sudden question quickly snapped Tsubaki out of her thoughts, drawing her eyes back to Ikki on the ground. "You keep staring at me and I feel like I made you mad at me again."
"Oh no no no!" Tsubaki quickly said, her face turning redder with each passing second. "It's just...I...well..." Words were failing her at the time she needed them most. "Uh...well..." Then an idea popped into her brain. "W-What if we went out this weekend, huh?! I-I mean, between my work and your...We just haven't done it in a while, you know?! W-We're still friends and w-we should hang out normally like we used to and-"
"No can do."
His response caught Tsubaki off-guard. She had been expecting something like "I dunno. Sounds like a lot of walking around...How bothersome." or "Meh. If it's with Tsu-chan, it could be fun.". Neither of these responses was the one he used. He didn't even say anything that was along those lines. "...Why not?" Her two-word-question sounded heavier when she said it aloud.
Ikki frowned. "Well, I have plans. I got asked out on a date by a pretty girl wearing a thong and we're hanging out this weekend."
There was an especially long pause, Ikki giving Tsubaki the same blank face full of confusion that she had been expecting. He clearly showed no sign of revising what he said.
The taste of blood filled Tsubaki's mouth as she accidentally bit her cheek open. "...So a pretty girl wearing a thong asked you out on a date...?"
"Essentially." Again, Ikki failed to understand his blunder, staring at Tsubaki's face with curiosity and confusion. Then his expression became pensive. "I think it was a black thong...a bit risqué for walking around in public when I think about it..." He rubbed his chin, thinking on it further. "Although...when I really think about it, it seemed too solid to seem like normal lingerie..."
Tsubaki just stared, mouth agape.
"Know what? I might be going out on a limb, but I think it might have been leather..." He theorized, speaking almost to himself. "A leather thong isn't too crazy, right? I mean, I think there are some people who have that kind of fetish for leather...Maybe she's into S&M...Oh God, I think I agreed to go out with a sexual sadist...How bothersome...Meh, I think I can take her in case she tries to force my into anything." He finally turned his gaze back to his friend. "What do you think, Tsu-chan? You think I can take her if she's trying to force me into S&M?"
He was met by harsh silence, Tsubaki staring blankly at the wall behind Ikki.
"Tsu-chan?" Ikki crawled up to her, staring her right in the eyes. "Yoo-hoo, Tsu-chan?" He waved a hand right in front of Tsubaki's face. "Anyone there?"
BEEP BEEP BEEP
"Tsu-chaaaan, dinner's done."
Silence.
"...is it alright if I go ahead and eat?"
More silence.
"...I'll take that as a yes. Thanks for the meal."
And for the rest of dinner that night, Tsubaki Shinra remained frozen with that same shocked expression on her face.
Ikki had been at least fifteen minutes early from what he figured.
He was far from a punctual sort of man, but he had been taught that it was simply bad manners to keep a woman waiting...
That and he wanted to buy some ice cream while he waited for his "date".
He was just wandering around the general meeting area, keeping both eyes and ears open as he licked his slowly-melting vanilla cone. If anything, it looked like his "date" would be the one running late. Not that he minded.
It was a fairly uneventful evening in general for Ikki...well, except for the one incident...
"Somebody! Catch that flyer!"
A female voice alerted Ikki to his surroundings. For a brief moment, he thought something exciting was going on, that he was going to be broken out of the monotone of this dull, ordinary day. When he turned his head, he saw an unfamiliar-looking woman dressed in some sort of odd, bat-themed cosplay. It would have been a lie to say she wasn't very attractive. She was running for some reason though and desperation was on her face.
"You! Please catch that flyer for me!"
At first, Ikki assumed that the woman was talking to someone else, but then she said, "Yes, you! The boy with the dull face! Please help me!"
Realizing he was, in fact, being address, Ikki rolled his eyes, scanning through the air until his eyes caught sight of a small sheet of paper flying through the air, carried on the late-winter breeze.
The muscles in his arms and legs tensed, his eyes locking onto the paper as if it were the only thing in the world at the moment. And, with a lightning-fast movement, Ikki leaped surprisingly high into the air and lashed out with his hand, letting his fingers slip over the edge of the paper and letting gravity drag both of the, back towards the ground. Without fail, he managed to obtain the flyer the bat girl had been so determined to catch.
"I wonder what the fuss is about..." After all, she could have just printed more at her home printer or at the store or something like that.
Curious, Ikki turned over the paper to the other side, raising an eyebrow as he glimpsed the seemingly alien language written inside, the letters arranged in special places on or around a crimson-red occult-looking magic circle. On it, a single sentence - "Your dream will be granted!" - was written. Ikki couldn't help but frown at the sight of the occult symbols, as if irritated, shortly before succumbing to boredom once more.
"Thank you very much!" The bat girl finally caught up to him, smiling brightly. "You really saved me there!"
Ikki wordlessly handed the piece of paper over to the girl and brushed a hand through his hair. "Does that mean I get a kiss or something?" The question had quite obviously been a jest (even Ikki knows how to make one), but he was fully unprepared when the bat girl leaned forward and actually kissed him on the cheek, leaving him stunned for several moments.
"It's the least I could do after you helped me!" The bat girl continued as if nothing had happened, still smiling. "Master would have been upset if I had lost any of these~!"
"I see." Ikki noted without much enthusiasm. "Well, if I were you, I would keep that kind of stuff on the D.L."
For the first time, the bat girl seemed alarmed. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean...Kuoh Town isn't particularly Christian, but still..." Ikki paused. He leaned in and whispered into the girl's ear. "...I don't think anybody is too sweet on Satanists. What with the occult magic circles and all that sin-looking stuff, people might get the wrong impression...How bothersome."
"Wha-but-I-!"
However, Ikki started making a "move on" gesture with his hand. "You can go. You're secret is safe with me. I'm less than religious, so it's all cool."
It looked as though the bat girl was about to object again, but apparently let it go, giving off a pleasant sigh. "You're a very interesting boy and, as thanks for helping me out, I want you to take this!" The girl handed Ikki another flyer, exactly the same as the one she had lost moments before. "Really, I insist!"
Ikki eyed the woman as if she had one or two screws loose, but the girl seemed just as sane as he and showed not the slightest amount of apprehension. Ikki was the type to believe in people (to a degree), so he eventually came to decide that he saw no harm in accepting the gift, placing it carefully in his pocket.
The girl curtsied politely. "Thank you very much! Have a good day!"
And, before Ikki could voice further objections, the girl disappeared. She quite literally disappeared, having vanished into the gathering crowds around them as if she were some kind of ninja.
A part of Ikki wanted to drop everything and go after her, but any and all attempts were discontinued as a soft hand placed itself on his shoulder.
"HWAH!" As if by some martial artist instinct, Ikki lashed out and grabbed the arm, using the person's arm as a lever to throw them over his shoulder and onto the ground in front of him. "Never sneak up on m-"
"Ow!" A familiar voice cried in complaint. "That's some greeting!" The voice, while somewhat pained, sounded rather amused at the same time.
"Ah. Sorry, Yuu-san." Ikki apologized, offering his hand to the girl now sitting on the ground courtesy of Ikki. "My parents made me take self-defense classes when I was little, so sometimes reflex takes over when someone sneaks up on me from behind." Yuuma grabbed Ikki's hand and used it to pull herself back up to her feet.
Yuuma managed an understanding smile before her expression became confused. "However, can I ask why your parents made you take self-defense classes? I-"
A hand appeared in front of her, Ikki gesturing for Yuuma to stop. "It's a long story involving a geezer who talked about breasts to little kids in my neighborhood. My parents said I could take the self-defense classes I wanted if I stopped asking him for candy." He made a weak fist pump. "So it was a victory for me. Woo."
The expression on Yuuma's face slowly shifted from confusion to curiosity, as if Ikki was some sort of anomaly. "Okaaaay..." She paused, Ikki ignorant of the awkward silence they were in. "So are you ready to-"
Her words were cut off by the sound of the revving of a motorcycle engine that deafened all other sounds.
"STOP! Thief! Purse-snatcher!"
"Everybody out of my way!"
Ikki casually turned his head to the sight of an approaching motorcycle, the driver having one hand on the bike handle and other hand clutching the strap of a pink purse floating on the harsh breeze blowing past him.
"Somebody, please! My purse!"
"Ikki, we should get out of the way. Like now!" Yuuma was tugging on Ikki's sleeve, nervously motioning him to flee. The purse-snatcher was speeding forward without a care for public safety, running on and off the side walk and into the street and back again. He was also speeding in Ikki's direction, turning the handles on his bike twice as he attempted to increase his speed.
Ikki looked from the purse-snatcher to a crying woman in the distance and then at the criminal's bike. He placed a calm hand on Yuuma's shoulder. "Hold that thought please." Leaving Yuuma with a look of even deeper confusion, Ikki walked off, moving over to the other side of the road where a large tree had been standing. As it was winter, its branches had become more brittle and many larger ones laid on the ground around the tree trunk.
Several of the other civilians gave him curious looks as he searched through the branches, sometimes picking one up before throwing it back. However, it took a mere few seconds before he picked up a particularly large branch, rushing back to Yuuma when the sound of the motor became even louder.
"What are you-" Ikki put a finger to Yuuma's lips, silencing her.
"One more second."
"Out of my way, cock-suckeeeers!" The purse-snatcher screamed with manic glee. "HAHAHAHA! Maybe next time-" The good-for-nothing thief's words were cut off when a thick, heavy tree branch was thrown right in front of his bike's front wheel, causing the wheel to stick, the body of the bike flipping forward and catapulting its driver through the air. "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-"
The only thing that saved the man from breaking something by crashing into the ground was an outstretched arm that mercilessly clotheslined him. He let out a long squeak like a rubber duck as all of the wind was knocked out of him, gravity taking hold and pulling him forcefully onto the ground.
The thief let out a long groan-like whine as he laid motionless on the ground.
With an indifferent expression, Ikki joined the small crowd that began to gather around the downed man, everyone looking down on him. "You do know I can punish you more right now by stepping on your nads, right?"
A whine was the man's affirmative response.
"But I'm not gonna do that, coz you're going to go return that purse to its rightful owner." Ikki continued. "I bet you're gonna think twice about stealing from people, huh?"
"Uh...hnnn..."
"And you're going to give me the keys to your motorcycle for making me waste my time with you."
A hand stretched upward, clutching a set of keys in-between his fingers.
Ikki let out a sleepy smile, casually snatching the keys from the man's shaking hand. "And don't let me catch you ever stealing again. Otherwise, next time, I'll let you keep flying and break your neck on impact. And I would prefer not to because it would be too bothersome."
The faint scent of fear-induced urine filled the air.
With that, Ikki stood up straight, spinning around his ill-gotten(?) keys around on his index finger while whistling a cheerful tune. He listened to he jingle-jangle of the keys banging against each other as he walked back over to Yuuma, the dark-haired girl staring in shock and awe.
For the first time in a long while, Ikki let a new kind of smile cross his face. A smirk full of mischief.
"Yuu-san, whatever we were doing before," He lifted up the downed motorcycle, sticking the keys into the ignition, "now we're doing it with a motorcycle."
Before much objection could be made, Ikki grasped Yuuma's hand, pulling her to sit on the back of the seat, wrapping her arms around Ikki's torso and leaning against him for support. She hesitated when Ikki turned they key, starting up the bike.
"Um...Ikki?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you ever...driven a motorcycle before?"
"Nope." Ikki revved up the engine. "But there's a first time for everything."
Without a second thought, he increased the bike's speed drastically.
"OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!"
Only a womanly scream could be heard over the roar of the engine.
The day...it had been less boring than Ikki had thought it would have been.
He had been expecting something dull or boring, but it had been fairly pleasant. He had never had the experience of going on an actual date. He hung out with Tsubaki before and had played with a lot of friends when he was little, but never before had it been anything resembling a date. He was certain that none of the other girls he had ever known possessed any kind of romantic attraction towards him.
He and Yuuma had had quite a bit of fun on their motorcycle stolen from a thief.
After the initial terror, Yuuma had grown accustomed to the feeling of the wind on her back, her hair blown in the breeze. She had clung to Ikki in abject terror, but once she became used to it, she quickly became comfortable, nuzzling her face against the back of Ikki's neck. The two had been able to do significantly more activities than Ikki had originally planned.
They went to a clothing store, the arcade (Ikki pwned Dance Dance Revolution), another clothing store where they bought bathing suits, and then they drove along the side of a local lake, having gone swimming for about an hour before Yuuma claimed to have gotten cramps. From there, they went riding until the wind dried them off and then changed back into their normal clothes.
And once that was done, they decided to shared and enjoy a nice sundae together using the last of Ikki's allowance.
Throughout the course of the date, Ikki experienced an odd discomfort around Yuuma, like she was glaring daggers at him when his back was turned, but that feeling gradually faded over the course of the evening. Yuuma had spent most of the time screaming, laughing, or smiling.
Ikki didn't have much experience, but he assumed he had done well.
The date came to an end at a romantic setting, by the water fountain in the local park as the sun slowly descended into the horizon.
Yuuma let go of Ikki's hand walking over to the water fountain with her hands behind her back. She turned back to Ikki, a soft smile on her face. "Hey, Ikki."
The young man snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Yuuma's voice. "Yeah, Yuu-chan?" Over the course of their date, Ikki had come to decide that he liked Yuuma to start addressing her more friendly than before despite how informal he had already been acting.
Yuuma walked closer to Ikki, allowing him to feel her chest press against his. "There is something I want to do to celebrate our first date. Can you listen to my wish?"
"Hm? Oh, sure." Ikki said it without much thinking, unsure of how one would conclude a date.
Yuuma continued smiling as she brought her lips close to Ikki's ear and whispered the words that changed his life and sealed his fate.
"Will you die for me?" The tone of her voice sent chills down Ikki's spine.
Ikki casually poked Yuuma in the forehead, pushing her away. "You wish I liked you that much."
"I'm afraid you have no say in the matter, Ikki." She said it with a disturbing finality in her voice.
Then giant, black wings sprouted from her back. Large, black, feathery wings. Her clothes seemed to vanish, being replaced with what appeared to be some sort of S&M outfit with a cut off chain on her left arm. Her hair and eyes were the same color if not a bit darker now. She then started to flap her wings. The black feathers from her wings floated in the air before dropping down to my feet. At first Ikki almost mistook her for some sort of Angel, but from the look of her wings, he somehow knew differently. She wasn't an Angel, but she wasn't some sort of demon either. He knew that for sure. He was too focused on being confused to really focus on her outfit which did not leave much to the imagination.
He could only think to say one thing. "So you are into S&M." He fist pumped. "Called it." But not even Ikki could ignore the ominous mood in the air. Yuuma said nothi, but rather, stared emptily at the mere human standing beneath her. Ikki sighed, realizing he could not deny the mood any longer. "This isn't the part of the story where I get laid...is it?"
"No, I'm afraid not." Yuuma answered. "Everything since the moment we met had been leading up to this point." She outstretched her hand, a bright red light appearing in the palm of her hand. "Everything was leading up to here and now, you dying by my hand at sunset."
Ikki frowned. "Yeah, but what about-" He paused, his eyes widening. "Oh! "Yuuma". I get it." He gave a light chuckle. "That's pretty funny."
The black-winged woman let out a light smile, nodding. "Yes, I did intend that sort of irony. That was why I chose that name." There was a hint of mocking in her voice, but a hint of uncertainty as well. "I guess I thought it would have been funny, pointing it out as you took your last breath."
"Well, I won't lie," Ikki said, "that's kind of a bitch move."
He was surprisingly not as upset as he thought he would have been considering the given situation. As he was clearly seeing that Yuuma was flying using black, feathery wings, he had no doubt she also possessed the power to kill him. It was only a matter of when the countdown on his death clock hit zero. Perhaps he recognized the futility in screaming or shouting or getting pissed off about what was happening. Or maybe he didn't care for Yuuma as much as he had thought, something that troubled him.
What actually did surprise him was that Yuuma neither confirmed nor denied Ikki's accusation. She materialized a weapon from the red light she created. A spear. She had created a red spear of light out of thin air, thoroughly crushing any notion that she wasn't an actual inhuman being. Not a monster, but not a human either.
"I honestly hadn't expected to have had as much fun as I did." Yuuma admitted, brandishing her spear in a hostile manner all while maintaining casual conversation. "For a human, you really knew how to entertain me. So thanks for showing are a good time. And as thanks, I will permit you some final words before you die, an honor I do not normally grant to those I kill. Any last requests at all?"
"How generous." With a small sigh, Ikki dropped to the ground, crossing his legs. He gave a lazy smile. "I suppose letting me live is out of the question, huh?"
"Afraid so."
"And if I try to run, you'll just hunt me down and kill me anyway?"
"Along with anyone who harbors you as per my objective."
Ikki let out a groan, brushing his hand through his hair again. "How bothersome." Even if he somehow managed to escape and hide at home or with Tsubaki, he would only end up getting them hurt. He was not a particularly noble person. He had no care for things such as chivalry or honor or anything of the sort.
But he loved his family. He loved his friends. Getting them hurt because he was acting cowardly was not what he desired.
"I'm surprised by how calmly you're taking this." Yuuma said, a hint of grudging respect in her voice. "Most men would have been trembling in their boots, begging for mercy and crying about their many regrets. I admire that kind of bravery." With these words, Yuuma lowered her back to the ground, stepping toward the sitting boy.
"Nah. It's nothing of the sort." Ikki denied. "I'm the kind of guy who avoids most types of conflict. I hate fighting because somebody loses either way, so I prefer to run if it's a choice. If anything, I'm the most cowardly type of person. I hate working because it's so bothersome and only do work so as to do it efficiently and only so I can get it done quickly. I don't run from death nor do I run towards it. I'm the kind of guy who likes to take things at my own pace and do as I please." Ikki sighed. "And if I have no option other than death, then so be it."
Yuuma stared at Ikki passively, showing no emotion of any kind. "Well said." She raised her spear. "Farewell, Ikuse Ushiromiya."
"I already told you. It's "Ikki"." The boy let out one final sigh. "...How bothersome."
And then Yuuma ran the spear through his chest.
"Sorry, Ikki." Yuuma apologized. "You were a threat to us, so we decided to get rid of you early. If you want to hold a grudge, then hate the God who put the Sacred Gear inside you. I hope you find peace in the next world."
And so Ikki sat there, watching as Yuuma spread her wings and took off into the sky.
The spear gradually vanished from Ikki's chest, allowing fresh blood to spew from it like a geyser, numerous organs and arteries likely ripped apart by the inhuman weapon that Yuuma had used.
"...I wish I hadn't tried sounding so cool..." Ikki whined in his mind, clutching a hand around the hole in his chest. "This really...really hurts..."
The pain was so intense that it was almost numbing. Ikki wasn't sure, but he felt he should have died lying down. Somehow, that seemed less painful than letting blood drip down his chest and into his lap.
"Tsu-chan's probably gonna... be pissed that I died without...her permission..." Every breath was more agonizing than the last. One of the waves of pain was enough to jolt him, causing him to fall flat against the ground, arms spread out. "...Tou-san and Ka-san are probably...going to work now...they won't know I'm dead...til they get home...How bothersome..."
In spite of everything Ikki had said before, he was more afraid than he had ever been in his life.
He was dying.
He was dying and there was nothing he could do about it.
And he was dying alone, as all living things we're fated to meet their end.
That terrified him more than anything else. Ikki never told another living soul, but, despite his appearance and behavior, even he had something he actually feared more than even death itself.
Being alone. He would die and not a single person would know until it was too late. There would be no comfort. No final words for the people he loved most.
It would be like pulling the plug once and for all.
With the last bit of strength he could muster, Ikki extended his hand towards the Heavens, hoping, praying, for anyone to give him some final comfort.
"If I could have one wish...I would really like to not die..."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a brilliant, almost blinding light fill his vision.
He felt another presence close by. It was new...unfamiliar.
"Looks like you are dying. Your wound...oh my, looks like something interesting is happening to you. So it's you… This truly is interesting." She was laughing as if she found something interesting.
"Absolutely...hysterical..." Ikki thought bitterly, his thoughts becoming more fragmented as more time passed.
A calm, gentle hand grasped his. "If you are dying, then I'll pick it up...Your life that is." Her hand was so warm and tender. "From now, you will live for me."
Before Ikki lost consciousness, he saw gorgeous, red hair a crimson-red color, like blood.
I hope you all go easy on me. This is the first time I've ever written an actual story story. I've written essays and short stories, but nothing like an actual series or anything. I only wrote this because a majority of the series in this genre aren't very good. Or they're very good but have very, very bad grammar. People need betareaders or spelling-checkers at the very least.
So yeah, Ikuse "Ikki" Ushiromiya is my protagonist and quite the slacker. His character design was based off of Jin Mo-ri from God of Highschool, one of my favorite series. I didn't really base his personality off of anyone. Some people said he sounded like Shikamaru, but I dunno. I was never a fan of Naruto. Too many flashbacks.
Anyway, I would like to give a small shout-out to all of the authors and stories that inspired me to finally get off my ass and write this son of a bitch:
-CrimsonBlade11, author of two favorites, Humanity's Aegis and Bloodstained Omamori.
-DarkAkatsuk1, author of Highschool DxD: Lost Reflections.
-Makoto x Chelia, author of The Harem Queen, The Younger Brother, The Devilish Vampire King, and several other great stories.
-ahsoei, author of Dragons and Heroes: Legacy.
-Houki Minami, author of DxD: Яe-birth.
-Retributus, author of High School DxD: The Tale of the Gutsy Sekiryuutei, another one of my favorites that I hold as highly as Bloodstained Omamori for its comical ability and fresh spin on the DxD plot.
-Finally, Shirou Fujimura, who physically helped me write this, who is the author of Devil Reborn Redux. I would say Vanishing Dragon of Leviathan, but I just don't really like it. Maybe if he rewrote it with Shirou (character) being stronger, but...in that story, he is kind of everyone's bitch. It's just not to my taste, sorry. I liked the original Devil Reborn mainly because of the Fate/Stay Night references, but I also deeply enjoy Devil Reborn Redux and Sorry, Babe, I Just Ain't That Kind of Hero. Thanks, Shirou.
Please R&R.