Fanfic
Midnite Mystery
Chapter 1
It was nighttime at the Sohma House. Rin heard a small clatter at her window. Ignoring it, she started to go to sleep again. Then a small engine rumble came. Rin immediately shot to the window, finding Jim on his bike. She shot him a small smile before she got her helmet and rushed quietly down to him. "I thought you weren't coming tonight." Rin said as she got on. "Figured you'd like a surprise." Jim replied as he got the engine running. The two shot off into the night, heading towards their usual spot, a small hill near the river by the train tracks. "So, how's Akito treatin' you?" Jim asked, trying to get a conversation started. Rin sat quietly, and hugged her knees tighter to her. "Oh, Rin, that bad?" He said as he gave her a small hug. "No, she's just treating me almost as worse than Kyo. Plus, I'm kinda cold." Rin explained while quickly teasing. Jim chuckled as he gently draped his jacket over her, but then he grew quiet, thinking of what he should say. "Whaddya mean? Does she isolate you?""No, she doesn't do that. She just sorta-" Rin said before she grew quiet again and lay down on the hill. Jim was used to Rin's quietness, but he didn't like her this quiet. He slowly slid his arm to her bare feet, she had taken her boots off, and started to tickle her. "Jim, stop!" Rin shouted before laughing. Egged on by that, Jim tickled her more. "Jim!" "What?" "Stop!! I can't breathe!" "Really?" "Yes! Stop!" "Ok." Jim said as he put his hands up in surrender, while Rin lay, catching her breath. "You ok?" Jim asked as a small smile crept onto his face. "It's not funny, Jim." "I thought it was." "Of course you did." "It kinda was. You were laughing pretty hard." "Shut up." Rin scolded playfully as she shoved him before embracing him in a hug. "You know, the real reason Akito is being bitchy is cause you can't make me transform." "Wow, and she's mad, why? Cause she's jealous?" "Cause she's god, and she's just-" "Yeah, ok, I got it." Jim cut in. Suddenly, a dark car sped down the road in front of them. "Shit." Rin muttered."What?"Jim asked. Rin responded with a glare. "Oh, shit. We gotta-" "Go." Jim and Rin finished together. The two rushed to the bike, Rin shoving on her boots and putting on her helmet. "At the rate you're going, we're gonna have to take a shortcut." Jim thought playfully, knowing Rin could hear him. "Shut up." "Go." She added in exasperation. Jim expertly did a burnout on the bike, and shot towards the Sohma House. Near where he usually went straight, Jim veered right toward a hidden jump-like hill. "You're crazy." Rin thought. "We got to get you home, Rin." "Fine." Jim expertly hit the jump, and sped to the House. When they got to Rin's room, she jumped off the bike, kissed Jim, and scurried up to her room. Jim stayed to see her get into her room before he took off.
Chapter 2
The next day, at exactly 7 o'clock, Jim shot out of bed. He glanced at the clock on his bed stand. "Shit! I'm late for school!" He noticed a piece of paper by the clock. Picking it up, Jim read it. Jim, Scott is letting you borrow his bike, even though you used it last night. Get going to school-Haru. Thank you, Haru! Jim thought to himself before rushing out, grabbing a piece of toast and Scott's bike keys. Luckily, Jim made it to the schoolyard where Haru was waiting for him. "Dude, what the heck? Nice job of wakin' me up." Jim remarked playfully. "Hey, at least you made it." Haru answered while grabbing him, trying to mess up his hair. "Haru, stop! I tried to get it right! Come on!" Jim protested. "Oh, really?!" Haru replied slightly harsh. "Stop! Come on Haru, I'm serious!" Jim repeated while pulling away. "Fine." Haru relented, making Jim fall back onto the ground. Jim glared at Haru before he had a hand up. Jim playfully shoved him before checking his watch, knowing Rin should be arriving soon. Haru shoved Jim back, almost to the ground again, before he caught him. "Where's Rin? I thought she'd be here by now." Jim asked. "Well, after you left-" Haru started before getting quiet. "Damn, so, she got hit?" "More than hit. I mean, it's a small bruise, but you know." "Yeah, I got it. She's just scared. Dang, I guess no more excursions." Suddenly, a tall-orange haired boy walked up to Jim, trying to mess up his hair. Jim expertly dodged and pushed him. "What the hell, Jim?!" The guy yelled. "Nice timing, Ich." Jim and Haru said together. "Yeah, whatever. Jim, we still on for tonight?" "Oh, yeah, definitely. You got one for me?" "Yeah, Rukia ordered it." Ichigo handed Jim a cell phone. "Cool." Haru caught Jim's eye and silently asked, "Do I even wanna know?" Jim silently replied, "I'll tell you in class." Just then, the bell rang. Jim playfully jumped onto Ichigo, piggyback. "Dude, let go." "Why? You're carrying me to class." "As if. We don't have first class together. Now, get OFF!" "Fine." Jim jumped down quickly after he playfully tousled Ichigo's bright orange hair. Ichigo shoved Jim forward so he'd start running, which he did. Haru followed suit, and the two of them turned and waved back.
Chapter 3
While Jim and Haru were in their class, Haru silently asked, "Well, you were gonna tell me?" "Yeah." Jim replied before taking a slurry of notes. "Come on, Jim." "Ok, ok, don't go Black on me, dude." "I'm not, just tell me." "Ok. Ever heard of Soul Reapers?" "What?" "Didn't think so. Ok, um, you know how me and Ich can see spirits?" "Whoa, I kinda figured Ich did, but you?! You can see ghosts?!" "Yeah, just stop screaming." "Sorry." "Ok, so me and Ich can see spirits, but we can also see Hollows." "What the heck?" "They're another type. Regular spirits are just that: normal. I mean, they just look human." "And what do Hollows look like, pets?" "Dude, it's not funny." "Sorry." "Ok, so Hollows are like, man, I wanna say evil, but they're not exactly-" "Friendly?" Haru finished. "Yeah, I mean, they're spirits that couldn't get into Heaven, so they run amok eating souls." "Geez, seriously? You're not pulling my leg?" "Dude, would I ever lie to you?" Jim replied as he took more notes. He looked at Haru, who was barely writing anything. "What, am I your personal note taker?" "Maybe." "You are so lucky we're in class now." "Why?" "You know." "Ok, fine. You were saying about Hollows? What do they look like?" "You don't wanna know." "Why?" "Cause you don't." "Seriously, why?" "Cause when a soul becomes a Hollow, if that person had family before they died, they'd-"Jim started before he took even more notes. "They'd what?" "They'd eat the other family members' souls." "Holy shit." "I know." "So how do Soul Reapers come in?" "Soul Reapers destroy Hollows and send regular souls to the Soul Society. And they're called Hollows because they're hollow inside." "Gee, that explains everything."
Chapter 4-The Climax...
Rin and Jim were in a secluded forest on horseback, Jim on a buckskin named Spirit, and Rin on a paint named Rain. Both were bareback with no reins. "So, did you pass the chuunin exam when it was here?" Rin asked. "Not exactly." Jim answered. "What's that supposed to mean?" "It means I didn't make it." Suddenly, the horses started shifting nervously. Rin and Jim shared a look that said, "I've got a bad feeling bout this." The two dismounted, looking about warily. Jim threw some scrolls at Rin, who caught them and put them into holders. Both brought out shuriken and kunai holders with sufficient amounts of each, and put them onto their respectful holders on their pockets. Jim took out his knuckle gloves he used for fighting and put them on. His fingers twitched almost in anticipation before a group of unknown ninjas appeared. Spirit and Rain ran away as Rin and Jim started fighting the group. It seemed to be only a few minutes until Rin screamed as she was grabbed by one of the ninjas. Shit. Jim thought as he tried to keep an eye on her. More ninjas swarmed onto the scene, making Jim's work harder. Suddenly, he caught Rin's scared look. "Don't worry, it's gonna be ok." He silently reassured her. Just then, Jim heard a shrill whistle above him in the trees. Looking up, he saw a blonde, shoulder-length haired man in black glaring at him. "Surrender the horse." Jim heard in his head. "And what if I refuse?" He answered back silently. "You can't." What the-? Jim thought before his world went black.
Chapter 5
The shrill call of a hawk woke Jim up. He slowly got up, took a quick look around him before he realized what had happened. "Shit!" Jim yelled as he pounded his fist into a tree. Tears of anger started flowing as he cursed quietly. How could I have let them do that?! Jim thought. I'm such an idiot! "Haru's gonna go Black for sure when I tell him." He muttered as he grabbed his hands-free walkie-talkie he used with just Haru. As Jim was getting it onto his ear, he noticed a piece of paper on the tree held up by a kunai knife. Carefully taking it down, he read it. Try taking the horse if you can. -Duragon. "Who the hell is he?" Jim muttered. Oh, shit, that was that blonde dude. He answered in thought. Reading the note again quietly, he pressed the button on the device that signaled a need to talk. "Dude, we got a major problem." Jim said after Haru answered. "What?" After Jim quickly explained, Haru exploded. "What the hell were you doing that made Rin get captured like that?!" "Haru, I was just doing my best to protect her." Jim stammered, before he added more strongly, "The leader dude left me a note. Name's Duragon, if it's any help." There was a pause. "Dude, we're screwed." "How?" "He's like the CEO of Mikado Group." "So?" "So, they've got one of the best security ever." "Like how good?" "We're talking like security robots, tons of cameras, geez, Zip would go crazy." There was another short pause as Jim thought to himself. "Jim, how many were there?" "About twenty, maybe thirty. I wasn't exactly counting." Jim replied after he let out a small sigh. "Shit, we are screwed." "Told ya." "Shut up, man." Short silence followed as Jim thought of options. "Well, I dunno what we're gonna do, but we can't exactly storm in right now-" "Cause you got your ass kicked."Haru finished, slightly harsh. "Shut UP! I know I screwed up and made a mistake, but I don't need you to take it out on me!" Jim shouted in impulsive anger. Turning off the headset for a small breather, he whistled shrilly, his call for Spirit to come. The buckskin did, slightly spooked. Jim started calming down Spirit before he broke down and cried, hard. After a couple minutes, Jim pressed the need to talk button after turning the headset back on. "Yeah, Jim?" "I need to get stronger before I can really take him on." "How long?" "I don't know. Just not now." Jim answered slightly shaky. "Ok, see you tomorrow." "Yeah."
Chapter 6
Jim went through the school day the next day calmly until lunch break. "Hey, Jim, haven't seen your girl with you in a while, did you guys finally break up?" A boy he found annoying sneered. "That's none of your business, William." Jim shot back, knowing he went by Will. "If she did, it was for the best." "What's that supposed to mean?!" "You know." "No, I don't. Wanna tell me?!" Jim fired back, getting more aggressive, shoving Will. Will shoved Jim back before Jim calmed himself down and started to walk away. "Guess you're nothin' without your girl." Will taunted. That's it, I can't take this. With that, Jim clenched his fists before swirling around to punch Will. It took Haru and Ichigo several minutes to get Jim off of Will, who was slightly freaked, with three bleeding scratches on each cheek. "Keep your claws in, Jim." Haru whispered quietly so only Jim could hear. Jim reluctantly obeyed. "Mr. Hawkins!" A shrill, authoritative voice called out behind them. Jim turned as he was thrown his backpack, which he caught in surprise. "Wha-?" He started to protest. "You're suspended. Out." Jim opened his mouth to protest again, but the teacher cut him off. "Get off the campus, or I will have to call your parents." Jim immediately shut his mouth, knowing that his abusive father would have a major fit if he found out. Haru and Ichigo gently moved him towards where he put his bike and nudged him forward. "I can do this myself, guys." Jim said quietly before he put on his backpack and started to storm off. It wasn't until he got to a stray soccer-ball that Jim heard Will yell, "No wonder she left him!" With that, Jim expertly got the ball juggling between his feet, and kicked it high above his head. He then did a perfect back-handspring to get the ball to barely miss Will's head. Jim heard Will yell, "Jesus Christ!" before he grinned in satisfaction and started walking.
Chapter 7
After Jim had given Scott his bike keys, he went to his room to pack a bag. I really need to get outta here. Jim thought as he packed a couple of outfits, and his pistols. Taking a breather from that, Jim lay on the roof above his room, chewing on a toothpick. Suddenly, a two-tailed, tan fox landed on the roof, making Jim sit up. He smiled as he pet the creature, until a small girl with wings flew down onto the roof. "Hey Angel." Jim said, knowing that her friends were nearby. The girl grabbed the fox and flew off. A few minutes later, a taller, older girl landed on the roof. "So, this is where you've been hanging." the girl said to Jim as she kicked his foot. Jim sat up, and flicked his toothpick at the girl. "Well, Max, maybe cause I got tired of you." "You sure it wasn't Gaz you got tired of?" "I dunno. But hey, if you're flyin' somewhere, I wouldn't mind joining." "Cool. Get your stuff and I'll tell the flock." Max flew off, and Jim swung back into his room, grabbed his bag, and wrote a note to Haru, telling him where he'd be, and put it on his door. He got onto a nearby tree branch before he furled out his black and silver falcon wings, flapped them twice and shot into the black sky. When they landed in a lush forest to take a breather, Jim groaned in slight pain. "Wow, Jim. You sprain a wing or something?" Max asked as she flapped her wings slowly to cool them down. "It's not funny, Max. I haven't flown that hard in a while. But I noticed that Angel here found Kilala." "You talkin' about that fox thing?" Fang, a boy with black clothes and black wings, asked curiously. "Yeah. So, where'd you find her?" "I don't really know, she just sort of appeared, and took a shine to Angel." Max explained. "It is a girl, right?" Iggi, a blonde blind boy, asked. "Hmm, a fox named Kilala, being a guy. That would be really weird Ig." Gazzi, Angel's brother, said as he pushed Iggi playfully. "Knock it off, guys." Max said sharply to them before she addressed everyone. "So, are we stayin' here, or should we try to hit a city?" "I'm fine with flying. My wing's all good now." Jim answered before looking at Angel and Nudge, an African American girl, who were playing with Kilala. Fang and Max looked at them too, before Fang commented. "I guess we could stay the night, and fly in the morning. The trees are spaced pretty well." "What are you, a plant specialist or something?" Max joked before she walked away to tell the others what the plan was.
Chapter 8
When Jim and the Flock arrived in the next town, it was nighttime again. They had planned out breaks to rest and eat. As they flew over a roof, Jim noticed something. "Guys, hold up." He called sort of softly as he stopped to hover. "What is it?" Max asked as she joined him. "Please don't say an Eraser." Fang added as he and the rest of the Flock joined Jim. "Check the roof there." All of them looked, seeing about five or so men, two with guns. "Oh, shi-" Fang started before the gunshot and Angel's fall. Without a word, Jim swooped down and grabbed Angel. Come on, Kilala. Jim thought before Kilala had turned into a bigger, rideable, flying fox. The Flock stared in amazement as she brought Angel to them. "Max, get the Flock outta here." Jim shouted. Max didn't respond, she looked hard at one of the men. "Max!" "Ari..." Max whispered loudly in disbelief before she fell. Fang froze, also in disbelief, before he quickly caught Max. "Fang." "Got it! Let's move, guys." Jim landed on the roof opposite the men and took off his bag. He grabbed a pair of knuckle gloves with special, wind-like designs on them, and put them on. No one hurts Angel and gets away with it. Jim thought as he saw Fang suddenly land beside him. Fang patted Jim's shoulder before he grabbed the bag and flew off. The men looked at Jim with maniacal smiles. "Got a stupid one here. He gets his friends away so-" One of them stated before Jim got in his face. "So I can what?" Jim asked fiercely. "I know you guys are Erasers. Hurry up so I can knock some sense into you." He added quickly. The men smiled even more maniacally as they slowly became wolf-men, Erasers. One of them cocked its gun before it dropped it as Jim slugged his nose. The rest of them ran forward. "Wind Tunnel!" Jim shouted as he held out his palms to them. A powerful gust of wind blew most of them away. "Say hello to my lil friend!!" Jim heard a familiar voice shout before a smoke bomb hit the roof, letting him fly out into the sky. "Gazzi, you are so-" "Brilliant?" "Stupid. Stupidly clever, though."
Chapter 9
When Jim and Gazzi got back to the Flock, Angel's wing was bandaged, and Max was leaning against a tree, sitting on a branch. Jim had grabbed two sodas from a shopping bag that Fang got, and tossed one to Max, who caught it in surprise. "Wanna talk?" Jim asked, leaning against the trunk. "He can't be alive. It's not possible." Max muttered, still in disbelief. "Well, Jeb's your dad, and you thought that was impossible." Jim pointed out as he opened his soda. "No, that's completely different. He felt like my dad before I knew. Ari's back from the dead." "Wasn't he seven?" "Yeah. Why?" Max asked as she looked down at Jim. "I dunno. He looked to be more like in his 20s." "He got Eraserfied." Max explained, laughing as Jim spit out the soda he was drinking in disbelief. "Wait. You mean he can turn into an Eraser?!" "Yeah." "So, he's been trying to kill you." "Yeah." "But he hasn't now because he died." "Yeah. Except he expired." "Wait, does that mean... he had an-" "Expiration date. Yeah, on his neck." They let silence take over for a minute or two before Max spoke again. "Thanks for what you did." "No prob." "No, really Jim. Thank you. If you hadn't done what you did, I don't know if we'd still be here." "Geez, Max. It really wasn't any problem. I just sorta thought on my feet." "Still. Thank you." "Come on, Max. Seriously, its not like I saved the world or any-Hey!" Jim said before he felt cold soda down his back. Max had climbed down quietly as Jim spoke and poured her soda on him. She laughed loudly and tried to drink her soda before Jim splashed some of his soda on her. "Hey!" She screamed in surprise. "See, now you know how I felt." "Man, I am so gonna kill you!" Max threatened playfully. He made a funny face at her, and she whipped out a wing menacingly. Max chased Jim around for a few minutes before Gazzi appeared. "Gaz, what is it?" Max asked. "Yeah, you look like you saw a ghost or something." Jim added. "Worse. Part of the School." "No way. Gaz, that's just not possible." Max stammered. "Could be why there are Erasers now. Where is it Gaz?" Jim pointed out. Gazzi had gotten the rest of the Flock, and they went to a secluded, white building. "Geez, Gaz. You weren't kidding." Fang stated. "Told you." Gazzi shot back. "Okay, so it is part of the School. But it looks like people are working here. So, I don't get how we could get in to check it out." Max explained. "God, you guys are slow!" Jim exclaimed suddenly, holding the entrance door open. "Dude, what did you do, and how did you do it?" Iggi asked incredulously as the Flock entered the building. "Easy. I just swiped a keycard from one of the guys on the roof." Max smiled as she shoved him, making Jim fall. Fang helped him up before they looked at a map of the building. Jim saw "Test Room" before he ran off to it, leaving the Flock to follow. The Test Room was a room with a glass window looking into another, white, room. In the other room, Jim saw a small girl covered in a blanket that he recognized. Kisa! He thought in surprise. Jim tapped the glass softly, making the girl look up. He waved, but she looked down again and turned around so her back faced him. Just then, the door opened, making Jim jump in surprise, and the Flock entered. "Wow, Jim. We scare you?" Max asked with a grin. "Aww, who's she?" Nudge asked, pointing to Kisa. "Her name's Kisa. She's...a friend." Jim explained softly. "Why'd you pause like that?" Fang asked. "Didn't think she'd be here. She's not exactly normal." "Like us, right?" Gazzi asked. Jim nodded in answer as he tapped the glass again. Kisa didn't move or do anything in response. "She's not usually like this." Jim stated. Suddenly, an alarm blared before the PA started. "Will the people in the Test Room please step into the hallway?" "I got a bad feeling about this." Fang stated shortly. Jim and the Flock went out of the room and waited. As Erasers started toward them, Jim turned to Gazzi. "Gaz, give me a smoke bomb." Gazzi haltingly gave him one, and Jim quickly took out a kunai with a firebomb. "Jim, what-?" Max started before Jim threw the bomb and kunai in quick succession. The Erasers disappeared behind a cloud of smoke that became a ball of fire. "Get outta here, guys. I'll meet up!" Jim shouted, shoving Max away. "Up and away through the window!" Max commanded before she broke the window. Fang and the rest of the Flock followed. Jim threw more kunai, making a fire in the building to start. He rushed into the Test Room again and punched the glass window. Jim looked wildly around before he heard the scared yowl of a tiger. "Kisa!" He shouted as he ran to grab her, folding the blanket around her. Jim ran out and jumped through the window. Flapping his falcon wings, Jim flew off to meet up with the Flock in the forest.
Chapter 10
"Jim!" Max called out as he landed. "Did you get Kisa?" Nudge asked. Jim nodded, out of breath, and unfolded the blanket, revealing a tiger cub. "That's Kisa?" Angel asked. "Yeah. Told you she's not normal." "So, was she done like us?" Fang asked curiously. "No. It's her family curse." "Curse?" Gazzi sputtered out before laughing, until Jim stopped him with a glare. "Yeah, her family's made up of the Chinese Zodiac." "So only twelve of them do this." "Are there any other girls like Kisa?" Nudge asked. "Yeah. There's Kagura the Boar, and there's Rin... the Horse." Jim said as he counted on his left hand. "Dude, you paused weirdly again." Fang commented. "And you're bleeding!" Max added. "Oh. I guess I didn't notice." Jim took off his jacket, and made the girls scream with disgust. He quickly washed his arm in a nearby stream and bandaged it using a spare shirt he had. Kilala was lying against a tree, and Jim sat next to her. She curled her tails around him protectively, letting him sleep there for the rest of the night.
Chapter 11
Kisa yowling was what woke Jim up the next morning. "Hey, Kis, some night, huh?" He greeted. She nodded and licked at his arm. "Kis, it's fine. I'll get over it." "Kisa, where are you?" Nudge called out suddenly. Kisa jumped into Jim's lap, trembling. "Kisa, come on. Nudge isn't going to hurt you. Nudge, she's over here!" Kisa yowled softly before Nudge ran up. "Hey, Jim. Didn't know she was with you." "Yeah, she was my little wake up alarm." "That's kind of you Kisa. Hey, Jim, what do the other girls look like? The ones you said." "Normal or transformed?" "Both." "Well, Kagura's a bit shorter than me, but she's sorta crazy, and she's a brown pig, that's a boar. And Rin's about Max's size, and she's a black horse." "But what's she like? Is she nice? Is she sweet? Is she-" Nudge blurted out before Kisa growled somewhat loudly. Jim calmed down Kisa before he spoke. "Nudge, I really don't want to talk about this right now. In fact, I think I need to take Kisa back home." "Oh. Okay." "Can you tell the flock I'll see 'em later?" "Sure." "Thanks Nudge." Jim stood up and got on Kilala. Both Kilala and Kisa rubbed against Nudge before they ran off and into the sky. When Jim got to Haru's, Kilala changed into her smaller form before he knocked on the door. "Hey Jim. Oh cool, you found Kisa." Haru greeted. "Yeah, and you won't believe where she was." After Jim quickly explained what happened, Haru nearly fell over in disbelief. "She was in a test room?!" "Yeah. But I dunno what for." "And you cut your arm." "Man, I started a fire that probably burned the building down, and-" "You just had to be a hero." "Shut up, man." Kisa was squirming in Jim's arms, and he put her down. She ran off behind a tree and came back normal. "Hey, Kis." Haru said, scooping her up into a hug. Kisa hugged him back before she broke down and cried.
Chapter 12
After Jim had brought Kisa back to her house, her mother pulled him aside to talk. "Thank you for keeping her safe." "It's no trouble." "Akito needs to see you in his meeting room. He said it was important." "Okay. Thanks for telling me." Jim left with a wave and ran to the meeting room. "Um, you wanted to see me, Akito-san?" Jim said when he entered. "Yes, Jim. I need to ask you something." "Okay." Akito turned and walked to Jim. "Where the hell is Isuzu?" "What?!" Jim asked in disbelief. "You heard me. Where he hell is she?" "I don't know." "You're lying." Akito said as he slapped Jim on the cheek. "Akito, I swear, I have no idea where she is!" "Yes you do! You're lying!" Akito screamed as he scratched Jim's cheek. "Akito, I-" "You're lying!" Akito kept screaming as he kept scratching Jim's face. He scratched extra hard as he swiped at Jim's left eye, making a bad scratch on his eyelid. Jim screamed out in pain and staggered back into Haru, who had came into the room with Hatori. Jim barely heard Hatori arguing with Akito, but he felt Haru help him out of the room. They went to Hatori's medical office, and Jim sat down, his hand covering his torn eyelid. "Okay, let's see the damage." Hatori said as he came in. He gently wiped the scratches and put bandages on them. Hatori saved the eyelid for last, but when he reached towards it, Jim pulled back, his hand still on it. "Jim, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just cleaning it up a bit." Hatori explained calmly. Jim slowly pulled his hand away, revealing a bleeding cut. Hatori took a cotton swab and cleaned the lid, letting Jim flinch away when he felt it hurt, while Haru took a washcloth and cleaned Jim's hand. "Man, what did you do with your arm?" Hatori asked curiously as he put a bandage on the eye. "Scratched it." Jim replied as he unwrapped his crude bandage, revealing red scars. "Yeah, some scratch. Want me to rewrap it?" Jim glared at Hatori before he smiled. After Jim was fixed up with a new bandage, he went back to Haru's and grabbed his stuff. "So I'll see you tomorrow at school?" Haru asked. "I dunno. Am I still suspended?" "I sorta told the- Jim, stop glaring at me like that." "You told the principal what?" "I told her that you were just sort of..." "What, Haru?" "That you were pining for Rin to get well." "What?!" "Come on, Jim, that's better than telling her that you're pissed off because you got- Stop glaring like that!" "Haru, god. You're just too much!" Jim exclaimed. "So, I'll be seeing you?" "Yeah."
Chapter 13
Jim had gotten to school before Haru and leaned on the front gate's pillar to wait. He wore his usual outfit, but had on sunglasses to hide his eyelid. "Oh, dude, what happened to you?!" Jim heard Will shout to him. Jim didn't answer, but shifted his weight to his other foot. "Dude, I asked you a question." Jim stayed quiet as he checked his watch. "Dude..." "What, Will?" Jim snapped. "Just wondering what you did to your arm." "Scratched it." "And why are you wearing sunglasses?" "What is this, 20 Questions? I'm wearing them 'cause I feel like it." Just then, Haru came walking into the schoolyard, and Jim walked away from Will with Haru. "So I saw you had a nice-" "You told him that excuse, didn't you?" Jim cut in. "Maybe." "I'm going home." Jim stated shortly as he started to walk away. "Jim, come on! Please. Yeah, I told Will that excuse, but he sounded really concerned about it." Haru explained as he grabbed Jim's arm to stop him. Jim stopped walking, but he grinned mischievously at Haru. "Jim..." "What'll you give me if I show Will-" "Jim, you took the bandage off?" "No! But that would be funny if- Haru, I'm kidding. Stop looking at me like that." Haru pulled Jim to mess up his hair, with Jim protesting loudly, before the bell rang. "Mr. Hawkins. If you could join the class, that would be good." Jim heard the teacher say suddenly. He jumped in slight surprise and sat up, making most of the class laugh. "What was the question?" Jim stammered, full alert now. "You know that there's a rule for no sunglasses, so I would appreciate it if you would take them off." "I, um, can't really do that. I, uh, injured my eye, and..." "Jim, I'm sorry. You know I don't make the rules here." Jim exhaled slowly as he took off his sunglasses, his bandage making the class gasp in surprise, and the guys talking loudly. The teacher shushed them before she went to her desk and gave Jim notes. "Now, if anyone wants to ask Jim, they can do so, after class." The teacher announced.
Chapter 14
Jim hurried out of school as soon as the bell rang. As he walked to his bike, some guys, Will included, walked up to him and asked him about his eye. He glared at them coldly, making them back off. Jim went back to Hatori to check his eye. "Let's see it. Eyes heal fairly fast." Hatori said when he arrived. Jim took off his glasses and Hatori carefully removed the bandage. "Yeah, I think you can open the eye now. It looks better, just a little scar." Jim tested his eye by blinking a couple of times before thanking Hatori and leaving. Jim went to the West Hill Academy for Gifted Children, where he knew that it was a school for mutants with powers. He put his backpack in his room before he went to find Logan, one of the professors. "Logan, I need the Danger Room." Jim said when he saw Logan. "Geez, Jim, are you like okay for it?" Logan asked, noticing Jim's eye and arm. "Yeah, I'm fine. Can you set me up?" "Sure. Just like a mission, or what?" "Just a normal repeating enemy thing." They went to a big computer room with an adjoining room with a small computer. Logan pointed that Jim could go into the bigger room, and gave a signal for the room to start. Jim waited for the room to get set up by stretching his muscles. When the program began, the white room was now a virtual street with ten guys surrounding Jim.
Chapter 15
After Jim had finished with the Danger Room, he went outside to a large meadow, where Spirit was. He whistled for Spirit, who came to him. Jim got on, and rode Spirit to Haru's. "So, I'm getting Rin. I'm not waiting any longer." "You sure?" "Yeah." Jim was riding Spirit bareback through some woods, when suddenly he was ambushed by a group of Duragon's henchmen. Luckily Jim spurred Spirit into a gallop and got a lead. "Just like the canyon ride with Little Creek, Spirit." Jim projected. Spirit answered with a snort and led a henchman towards a small opening between two trees. Jim spun around, whipped out his shifting staff, and stuck it between the two trees where the henchman whacked into it, and fell off his horse. Jim dismounted Spirit after telling him to keep running on, and ran to get his staff. When he grabbed it, he saw another henchman ahead. Jim dashed at him, jumped, and did a spin kick to knock him off his horse. He then ran back to Spirit and remounted. The two ran until the forest ended and were in a field. It wasn't until they were halfway across when Spirit reared, obviously spooked. "Easy, no one's here. They're still in the woods." Jim calmed Spirit. The horse pulled at Jim's leg, motioning him to get off. "What? What is it?" Jim spoke to Spirit silently, waiting for a response. "Check the ground in front." He crouched and felt the ground. "What are you talking about? It's fine." "No it's not. Punch it really hard." "You sure?" Spirit pinned back his ears in response. Without a word, Jim struck the ground with his fist. The earth cracked, then slowly crumbled away, leaving a large ravine. "Wow." "Yeah. Didn't I tell you?" Jim was silent for a few minutes, working out a plan. "Spirit, I really hate to say it, but I'm gonna have to be bait." "No. No, no, and no." While Spirit was arguing, he had created a Shadow clone. "Oh. You meant like that." "What? You'd really think I'd get captured, again." "No. But I won't help." "Come on, Spirit. This'll work. Those last times I was screwing around. They'll only capture me because I'm the one he wants." Jim said aloud. Spirit snorted and flicked his ears. With that, the clone mounted Spirit and headed back into the woods. Jim got his battle Buso Renkin into its ready state before he called Tails. "Tails, I need you to get the X Tornado over here." "Jim, where are you? It's not Eggman, is it?" "No, its not. Look, I can't explain. Just get the Tornado here." "But where are you?" "Come on Tails, you rigged my cellphone with a GPS tracker." "Oh, right. Ok, but there's a big ravine. Are you sure the Tornado can fit?" "Yes Tails, I checked. Now get over here, and tell Sonic to bring six wireless radios." "Six? Why-?" "Tails, I told you, I can't explain. Just get here!" Jim cut in forcefully before he hung up. It was mere seconds before Sonic showed up. "Sounded a bit harsh there." Sonic commented as he handed Jim the radios. "Didn't really mean to be." Sonic nodded in understanding. The two had backtracked about halfway towards the forest, where a group of henchmen rushed out. Without a word, Sonic had rushed onto Jim's back. He laughed before he radioed Tails. "What's your ETA?" "Two minutes." "Whatcha think? Good head-start?" Jim asked Sonic. "Should be enough." With that, Jim started running towards the ravine again. It was when the X Tornado appeared that Jim jumped and grabbed the handles so he and Sonic could stay on. Jim quickly figured out where his Shadow clone was. "Tails, this is gonna be weird, but you're gonna hear my voice, but its not me on the plane." "Like a computer?" "Yeah, sorta." Jim got his feet secured so he could make hand signs. "So, you gave your phone to someone so you can track them?" Sonic asked. "Sorta. It's really kind of complicated." With that, Jim used careful hand signs to make his Shadow clone talk to Tails. Tails gave a thumbs up to signal that he tracked it. Jim made the Shadow Clone hang up before speaking to Tails. "What's the location?" "Near some train station in Fate." "I know where that is! Drop me off there!" "Gotcha." "Don't worry, there's a huge plaza."
Chapter 16
Soon, the X Tornado landed, and Jim waved to them as they took off again. He quickly got ahold of the bouncers he knew, Xion, Volt, and Kou, and told them to meet him. He also did this for Haru, and Max and the Flock. Jim leaned on the fountain as he waited. Soon, Xion, Volt and Kou appeared. "Please don't say it's Dominique again." Xion stated bluntly. "It's not. I need to tell you guys something really weird to explain why I called." Jim replied. "I think a person turning into a robot or panther is weird enough." Kou playfully remarked. Jim quickly explained the Sohma curse to them. "Ok, scratch what I said before." Kou said seriously. "But you have to swear you won't tell anyone." Jim stated. They did a special group handshake to seal the promise. Soon after, Haru joined them, and then Max and the Flock. Jim got all of them situated with the plan before he handed all of them radios and explained who was on what channel. Jim, Xion, Volt, Kou, and Haru quickly entered the station as Max and the Flock took to the skies, supplying aerial coverage. Jim quickly stopped before an entrance to the trains and swore. "Damn guards." "What'd you expect? Two or three?" Kou playfully asked. The others glared at him while Jim thought of a plan. Quickly noticing an abandoned skateboard, Jim grabbed it and skated off a distance, sticking to the shadows. A few minutes later, he returned as quickly as he left. "What the hell was that about?" Haru quietly asked. "Chill. I got us a distraction." Soon the group heard a loud commotion of shouts and spray paint. "Let's go, it's clear." Jim said as he ran. Haru and the others followed quickly. Jim and the group jumped the ticket kiosks, and ran towards the slowly moving train. "I hate this." Xion muttered as he and Jim ran to jump onto the back, where the others were. Jim quickly grabbed an abandoned keycard from the ground as he neared the end of the station. He put on a burst of speed before he jumped for the train. His foot barely caught the ledge before Haru grabbed him. The others let Jim catch his breath for a couple minutes before he started for the ladder to get on top. The others stood in shock before Haru followed. Kou and Volt went next, leaving Xion. "C'mon, Xion." Jim urged. "No way." "Come on. We're gonna detach the end. "No fuckin way." "Damn it, Xion, get your ass up here!!" Jim yelled. "Whoa, Jim, a little harsh here?" Haru asked silently. "Haru, you know I'm not losing her again. Ever."
Chapter 17
With that, Jim jumped onto the next car, the others rushing to catch up. After Jim had used the keycard he picked up to detach the fuel cars, they waited for the right moment to sneak off of the train. Unfortunately, the guards caught them, and they fought them off. The had just walked a couple feet away when Jim spoke. "We gotta get to the Galeos to get to Rin." Xion suddenly punched Jim with suppressed anger, making him knock into the opposite wall. "Don't mention that name, ever." Xion stated coldly. "Xion, I don't give a goddamn care in the world about what the hell happened on that ship. We have to get on it to get to Rin." Jim said while he wiped some blood from his nose. Both Volt and Kou had to keep Xion back from Jim. Xion was silent, but spoke with his eyes to Jim, "You say that name again and I'll kill you." "Okay, we gotta get an Air carrier or somethin'." Jim said, walking fast. Volt easily kept Xion back as he lectured. "You know, he's got his own problems. But he knows what happened here. So-" "Stay sharp." Xion cut in irritably. "And focused." Volt quickly before they ran to catch up to the others. "Took you long enough." Kou commented. Volt shoved him slightly. Suddenly, Jim popped out on the other side of the railing. "What took you so long? We're burning daylight here." "Don't tell me you can fly." Xion stated. "If I could fly, I'd have wings." Xion smiled as he pushed Jim, revealing a stolen Air Carrier that Haru controlled. "Come on, seriously, we are seriously wasting time here. Get on." They had flown for a couple of minutes, Jim playing with Kilala, who had come with Haru, before Jim swore again and ducked. "Get down!" He whispered loudly for the group to hear. Jim had spotted a lone watchman on a hover-board moving slowly next to their Air Carrier. When he was slightly in front of the Air Carrier, Jim ran and jumped onto the back of the board, catapulting the watchman onto the Carrier. The group shared a laugh before Jim backtracked to where the Flock had followed them. "You guys holding up okay?" Jim greeted. "Yeah, we're fine." Max answered. "Cool. Just stay here, and I will radio if I need you." "Gotcha." "You gonna scout ahead?" Fang asked as Jim turned to leave. "Um, yeah." He replied slightly hesitantly before he waved and went back to the Air Carrier. As Jim slowly flew past the Air Carrier, he caught Haru's eye and tapped his radio, signaling that he could be reached on it. Haru nodded before Kilala jumped onto the board.
Chapter 18
As Jim was slowly turning the board side to side, having fun with Kilala, he spotted a hallway with the words "Test Room" painted on the wall. "Jim? What are you doing?" Jim heard Haru in his mind. "I'm getting Rin." He replied as he turned toward the hallway. "Jim, you don't know what's there." "Yes I do, Haru, I can just tell." "Okay. If you have Kilala, then just be careful." "No, Haru, I'm gonna be stu-Man, can't anyone take a joke?" "Just go." Jim quickly got off the board near the entrance of the hallway and started running, Kilala on his shoulder. In another hallway, Jim stopped before a doorway. "Rin? Talk to me. It's Jim." He projected, waiting for something. "Wrong one. Some dog guy is in that one." "Care to tell me-" "Near the hangar." "Thanks. Hang tight." Curiously, Jim peeked through the window on the door. In the room, Jim saw a white haired boy about nineteen with claws and dog ears. No friggin way!! Inuyasha?! After looking around for guards, Jim tapped the window. The boy looked at him sleepily before he was snapped awake by Jim kicking the door open. The boy looked at Jim warily before he spotted Kilala. He quickly walked to Jim, but was tackled by Kilala in her bigger form. Jim laughed a little before he got Kilala off and gave the boy a hand up. He didn't say thank you, but walked out of the room. Jim stared at his back before the boy stopped and pulled out a sheathed sword. Jim caught the sword in surprise before the boy spoke. "You're going to need that." "Thanks Inuyasha."
Chapter 19
With the sword bouncing on his back, Jim continued on through the hallway, Kilala at his heels. In a brnching hallway, Jim thought he saw a pair of eyes. He turned his head to look, but noticed they were gone, before he tripped. The sword slipped out and clattered on the floor ahead of Jim. He began reaching for it before he was dragged to his feet. A pair of guards held Jim tightly as a third guard picked up the sword. "Either we have a thief, or we have an intruder." The guard commented as he walked to Jim. Jim was silent, but he glared angrily. "Boys, God fucking hates you." A voice rang out. The two guards loosened their grip on Jim before multiple smoke bombs burst, covering them. Jim quickly grabbed the sword from the single guard and ran on into the hallway. Stopping to catch his breath, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Jim started to run, but the hand tightened. "Easy, kid." Jim whipped his head to look back and found Volt.
Chapter 20
After Jim had talked to Haru, Xion, and Kou, he tightened the sword before he started walking. He put on his wind design gloves before Haru stopped him. Jim shook off his hand and walked faster. "I need to do this on my own." Jim told Haru silently. "Okay, but be careful. Seems there's guards everywhere." No shit. Jim thought before he took off running, Kilala by his side. When Jim got to Rin's door, he caught his breath. Suddenly an alarm blared and nearby guards swarmed to Jim. The door that Jim was leaning his hand on opened and made him fall. All he heard was "Intruder!" before he rushed at the sound and dug claws into the guard and threw him at the door. The weapon Jim had put into a standby form activated, protecting him. "Jim!" Rin shouted from a cage, making him snap into action. Jim grabbed the keys to open the door, grabbed Rin's hand, and they ran out of the room. He pulled Rin to where he put down his hover-board, and let go of her hand. "Why are we stopping? What's wrong?" Rin asked. Jim was silent, waiting for something. Then he heard it, a shrill whistle from below. Finally. "Rin, I'll take care of them. Just jump." "What?! Jim, that's a 20 foot drop, I-" "Rin, just do it." The guards that Jim and Rin had outran suddenly appeared. Jim used his left hand to keep Rin back as he grabbed the sword with his right. The guards with large staffs came up running, before Jim started drawing the sword. "Jim?" Rin cautiously spoke. "I'm sorry." "Jim, wha-?" "Wind Tunnel!" He shouted before he fully drew the sword out. Rin was blown over the rail but was caught by Fang. "Fang, you got her?" "Yeah, got her." "Then go. I'll catch up." The guards who ran at Jim were blocked by the sword. "What kind of thing is that?" They stammered. "It can't be a sword." "Meet Tetsusaiga. Your worst enemy." Jim said, grinning maniacally.
Chapter 21
"Jim, where are you?" Rin called silently. Suddenly Jim appeared on his hover-board. Fang quickly put Rin onto the board before they escaped out of Mikado. When Rin had been taken to her room on the Sohma estate, Haru cleaned her scratches while Jim waited, leaning on a tree. Rin went to him, but shied from his arms, a fierce look on her face. "What? What's wr-" "Why didn't you not see Akito?" "Rin, what's-" "You didn't have to see her! You could've just left!" "Rin-" "But you did! You did see her and got hurt! That's all she does!" Rin's eyes started to fill with tears as she gently touched Jim's scar. Jim reached and took her hand, gently pulling Rin into a hug, letting her cry on his shoulder.
Chapter 22
The next day, Jim arrived at the schoolyard first. He only had to wait a few minutes before Haru came running up. "Some night, huh?" "You can say that again." "Some ni-Okay, I get it." Haru playfully grabbed Jim and started to mess up his hair before Rin walked up. Jim and Rin shared a smile before the bell rang and they walked to class.