Hey guys, yeah I just couldn't keep away.
If you have not read 'The Dark Knight of Chiba', please read that first to understand the context of this story.
This is to see one character's perspective throughout that journey.
It is going to brief and summarised. Hope you will enjoy.
Fire Queen No More
"Go! Get out of here! Run! Now!" It shouted at me, I turned and ran away. Fleeing from the sound of a brawl in the warehouse, a fight between a lecherous scum turned giant, and something, or someone. A person with a black hood and red eyes.
I just kept running, the sound of a brutal battle behind me made my abdomen feel so hollow. I was too scared to look back.
Slinging the bag on me, I continued to run.
I reached home, the keys shaking in my trembling hand unlocked the door and I went in. I felt hungry and thirsty, but I just could not find it me to go to the kitchen, I just went upstairs.
In the bathroom I did not bother removing my sweaty clothes off me. I just stepped in the shower and turned the water on.
The shower head rained the water down on me, the will in body left me and I stumbled back, leaning on the wall I slumped down to the floor.
My clothes soaked up and I hugged my legs close to my chest. The tears rolled down my cheeks, I clamped my eyes and cried.
It was just so horrible, I did not know what was going to happen to me back there. Would they just have their way and leave me broken? Would they kidnap me and take to somewhere I will never get out of? Would I have been killed right there?
I cried, even more, when I thought about those outcomes, but none of them came true, because I was saved by...I did not know what or who that was. That person in that black and red outfit, that hood, those red lenses.
Who was that person? I did not know, but he saved my life.
After that poor shower, I was in my room. The room was dark and cold, all I did in the night was curl in the corner and cry. I did not even want to go to school the next day, I just sobbed.
Days had passed since that horrible event in the warehouse and the class had finished the company tour in Makuhari Messe.
After apologizing to Hikio I made my way over to Yui and the rest of the group.
As the class and I were having lunch, I kept reflecting inside my mind. Hikio deserved an apology, he tried to warn me about something suspicious and I just threw it right in his face so rudely.
It made me wonder why I was so nasty to him before, he had been truthful all the time. He was only crude to me when I gave him the same crudeness first. He kept to himself but he never hurt anybody, there was nothing really wrong with that.
That nasty and naive behavior of mine was the whole reason why I went to the warehouse in the first place. And I almost paid the ultimate price if it were not for that person who got me out of trouble. I felt like I wanted to throttle myself for my mistake. I was so stupid and foolish.
Why did this have to happen to me? Did I have this coming I did not know. The only thing I could do now was just carry on.
There was something else, who was he? That person who saved me, one person came into mind, the person I actually came to the warehouse for. Was that you Hayato?
I just had a talk with that person again by the bridge, the one I had met in the warehouse, he would not even tell me what he name was. He had told me plenty of new things regarding what happened before, particularly who was the one who sent those guys into the warehouse.
Tori, or Bird. From what I understand he was a drug smuggler from America, Gotham City.
I had absolutely no idea what he wanted with me or whether someone else was telling this Bird smuggler from Gotham to get rid of me. But he was dead, and that only leaves so much more things in the dark.
But what I could do was what that person had told me. Be strong, for the people that I care for. That had led me to what I searching for in my phone out of curiosity, Bujinkan Ninjutsu. I did not know if I was in over my head thinking about trying to learn martial arts. But I just did not want what happened to me in that warehouse to happen again.
I could actually feel the muscles in my arms, and it hurt to even move an inch. It was crazy just how hard this martial arts and gym sports stuff was, I was in my bathroom, doubling over the toilet bowl and hurling up bile. What the hell was I thinking doing all this?
And I had to focus on my upcoming exams. Dammit Yumiko you should have waited until the exams were over.
After my rigorous shower i was on my bed unable to move, every limb ache in this process of muscle building. The room was dim with the table lamp being its only source of light.
It really hurt, but I just had to keep telling myself it was for the right reason.
This summer camp deal just keep getting worse. I was in the girls dorm, and Yukinoshita was still on my case.
"Look Yukinoshita, you're the one who's shooting down every idea at the dinner meeting but I don't see you coming up with anything." I told her.
"Well unlike you who would just conjure an idea without any proper thought or consideration, I'm choosing to lay out everything first before having a proper plan." Yukinoshita coldly argued.
"You know you just sound like you don't know what to do. You know you can just say that right?" I crossed my arms and said. "And you still want to just call me inferior."
"You are."
I decided to ask her, "Seriously what's your beef? You said you hate me? What's with you huh?"
She crossed her arms, "I'll put it plainly so you could understand. You have a foolish attitude and you see yourself above everyone else with no regard when in truth you are ridiculous, knowing nothing of people's problems."
I felt my fist clenching, the muscle in my forearm taking shape, I could feel my eyes forming a glare as a took step with my heel loudly impacting the floor. "Say that again, you don't know jack shit about me."
"Enough to know how distasteful you are. You intend to deny it?" Yukino did not back down.
I bit my lip, I yelled right at her, "What's your problem?! I didn't even do anything to you!"
I turned and stormed out of the cabin.
"Yumiko, wait! Come back!" I heard Yui calling for me as I walked off, but I did not want to stay there.
"Don't follow me!" I shouted as I went into the dark forest with the moonlight, I just needed to get away from there.
The Huntsman, that was his name. Huntsman huh? Someone who hunts criminals like a predator hunting a prey? Cool name, I guess.
After what he told me when I went back to the warehouse, I felt even more alone. Because I did not know what to do and I could not confer with anyone. Just hang on tight and keep the people I care for safe.
"If not me, then who?" His words came into my mind. I just wanted to bury myself underground when I asked him if he was Hayato. So stupid. Hell he could be a vampire for all I know, but not likely.
It also made me realize, my embarrassing crush and obsession with Hayato was used against me. A simply love letter and I nabbed the bait to the warehouse, I still could not get over it. I am aware it was not Hayato's fault, I just needed to be smarter.
Whoever was responsible for this crime, I only count on the Huntsman to hunt them down. And I need to do my part in looking after my friends, and family.
After that meeting with Hiratsuka-sensei with Hayato and Hikio, I felt like I want to just punch through a wall as stupid as it seemed. The one that caused this whole mess attacked the school, and now I could not go to the Kyoto trip.
I found myself leaning on the water tower, glaring at the coast with the sunset. I would never thought that a girl like me would be brooding. But I suppose I was a different girl back then.
I reached into my pocket and pulled it out. I peered into it, this object that I picked up during the fight between that giant and the Huntsman.
It was sleek, but the edges were blunt. It was black and metallic. The Huntsman threw this at the giant's face to stop his attack.
It looked like a shuriken, but shaped like a bat? Like that one from America, that Gotham City?
I was sure Huntsman would not mind me keeping this, he would probably prefer me keeping it instead of the police seizing it, at least I think so.
But if it is like a bat, does that mean the Huntsman knew the Batman too?
Hiratsuka-sensei's class ended, I had to go to the bathroom again to check on that cut on my cheek. Looking at myself in the mirror, I could a small bead of blood oozing out of the pink cut.
That clown lady, I could not believe she attacked the school again and she got away. And it was possible that she was a student, but who the hell could it be?
The door opened and from the mirror I saw who it was. Sagami Minami and her two friends
"Oh hi Miura." Minami gave a wave.
"Hey." I greeted, more occupied by the cut on my face.
"So, how was your time with Hayato?" She asked, looking a bit smug.
"What?" I turned my head to her.
"Ah must be nice, spending time alone with Hayato in school huh?" She actually snickered as did her friends.
"No. It wasn't." I said to her. That clown woman was terrorizing everything.
"Ah right, because of, that cut huh? Poor thing, everyone in school might be taking note of it already." She said, leading me to get a little ticked. She went on, "Do you think Hayato might not be too keen with that cut on your face?"
I step forward and frowned at her, "What do you want?"
She twirled her fringe with her fingers and said, "You also seem to be hanging out with that freak also huh? Did he ruin your time too?"
"Who are you talking about?" I asked, hoping she did not mean Huntsman.
"That creep, Hikitani obviously." She crossed her arms. "That insect."
"Whatever Sagami." I groaned, "And he's not a freak. You don't go around just talking shit about people you don't know."
"Are you kidding Miura? You should know what he did to Hayato on the roof, and to me." She placed a hand on her own chest.
"The way I see it, he told you the facts, which apparently you still won't admit it." I retorted, noticing my flat tone. Minami's eyes blinked twice, her face looked like she had just taken a blow.
She recovered from that and spat, "Oh? Taking his side, I don't think Hayato will like that. Maybe he would go for me now hmm? Since you seem to be comfortable with that loser, loser." Now she was really testing me.
"Whatever." I said.
"Whatever?" She looked taken aback, "What you don't care about Hayato anymore?"
I was not about to grace her with an answer, with a shake of my head I went past her.
"We're not done." She said, she stood in a challenging stance and I was pissed at it. A vein popped in my forehead. All she did was glare at me, and I was not going to have it from her. Her two friends were starting to look intimidated now, they were stepping back.
"You want to back off. Now, Sagami." I snarled, before I knew it my face was forming a glare...like his. My eyes narrowed, my fringe shading my eyes and my mouth giving an intimidating scowl...like his.
I can see in her eyes, a sliver of a tremble. Now she gritted her teeth and raised a hand.
"You are not the hot one now! It's you who needs back down bitch!"
Her palm was closing in on my face, but it did not come to impact when a hand grabbed her wrist, my hand.
She gasped seeing her slap being blocked in defense, and she started to wince in pain as out of retaliation, my grip tightened like a vice, now they all noticed my muscles in my arm. Her bratty face started to shiver when she saw my angered face.
The stark difference between a hissy fit, and absolute rage.
"You want to try that again Sagami?!" I raised my voice, and she shrieked. But then I let go, she stepped back immediately holding her wrist in pain. I did not bother looking at her shocked friends and left the bathroom.
Her face, her frightened face. It was almost like mine back then, and I could not bear seeing that. Or worse, being responsible for that.
So long had passed since that horrible time in the warehouse. I was in the classroom, reading up on the latest news regarding the Huntsman.
How crazy was it that I am the one who has actually seen him more than anyone else? Just who could he be?
It was definitely not Hayato, hell it could be anyone. A police officer, a soldier, a vampire? Ok, not the last one.
Hmm, I did wonder. How did he know that I would be in the warehouse? Well Huntsman did say he was there at the time already, but hmm...what if he knew about me before that? And how else coud he have come to the school to save us so fast?
Well, other than Hayato. There was another person who would know, but I highly doubted it. I mean come on, It could not be right? Could it? Did he fit the role, the personality, the mystery? Well, if I can find the Huntsman again than maybe I can ask him.
Is it you? Are you the Huntsman?
Hikio?
Thanks for reading.
