CHAPTER THREE

METAL FIGHTER'S ORIGINS

Two years ago, Jinhai was an unfortunate person. He stood out from the Japanese due to his dark skin and thick accent. This country was not used to foreigners, and he was frequently bullied as a result. When Jinhai first fought back and won, he'd believed that everything would be okay, that he could fight them all off. Sadly, reality is not so kind. Bullies are vermin, what they cannot beat with strength; they beat with numbers; like little piranhas nibbling away at a vast ox. He even went as far as to learn martial arts, but they always overwhelmed him with large numbers, some even using weapons. Almost every day he would drag himself home, limping pathetically, beaten and bloody. On one such night, it happened, the night he'd met them for the first time, the night that changed everything.

There were two of them, the man - a westerner; he had incredible presence about him, like a god or demon, barely contained within the shape of a man in the garb of a scientist. Accompanying him was a beautiful woman, wearing a black and purple martial arts Gi, her arms covered by chain mail and bracers; her presence akin to a sword against his throat. Immediately Jinhai was wary, these two were dangerous.

"You seem to be having a lot of trouble, don't you?" the man noted with a thin smile. "You train and fight, but they still beat you down each time. But your futile determination has intrigued me. If you're interested, I can show you how to become something more." Jinhai reached for the knife in his pocket. "You can become a being where numbers are meaningless, where there's no difference between one and a thousand opponents," Jinhai relaxed his grip on the knife upon hearing this.

The man's words were enticing and Jinhai was desperate, but he didn't readily fall for the stranger's nonsense. "How the hell can you do that?" Jinhai demanded. "Who are you?"

The man laughed. "How rude of me, my name's Siegfried. I am a researcher for a group that creates super-humans. I want you to become a test subject for it." He reached into his coat pulling out a long syringe; it contained a thick red liquid, which looked like blood. "This substance when injected into a human repeatedly over a period of time, forces a change in that person's body, granting them a unique power."

"That's bullshit!" Jinhai dismissed angrily, taking a step back from this madman. "Like I'd let someone stick me with a needle."

"You don't believe me?" Siegfried pondered with false disbelief, he seemed to be enjoying this. "Then I'll give you a demonstration...Melinda!" The woman stepped forward with military grace. "This is Melinda, an associate of mine. She already possesses one of these unique powers. Go on; attack her, see with your own eyes how she has broken the limits of normality."

Jinhai frowned at the man's words. Looking into Melinda's eyes, Jinhai felt a sinking feeling in his gut. This woman was incredibly strong, that much was obvious. "Are you blind? I'm all messed up. Did you really think I'd believe you if I lost to her?"

Hearing Jinhai's words, Siegfried's smile widened further, pleased by the boy's perception. "So you can tell that much, then I shall show you in another way. Boy, don't lose sight of her." With a morbid sense of curiosity, Jinhai decided to stay and see what this strange person was planning. He watched Melinda; she wasn't moving, not at all. Then something cold pressed up against his throat, impossible, he hadn't even blinked!

"You're dead," Melinda stoically stated, emphasising her victory by pressing the kunai even harder against Jinhai's throat, but not enough to draw his blood.

Jinhai was frozen in place, this wasn't some kind of high speed...This woman was still standing beside the smirking foreigner, a cruel smile now showing on her face. Jinhai awkwardly turned his head to see if it really was Melinda behind him. Then the blade's sharp edge bit into his neck, drawing a thin trickle of blood. His eyes widened, it was really her, the exact same woman!

Strangely the Melinda holding him suddenly vanished into motes of light. With the sudden lack of support, Jinhai fell to his knees. Breathing heavily, he felt a stinging pain. Touching his throat, he held up his palm to see a few drops of blood. "What is this?" he gasped out, mind racing at the impossibility before him.

"The future," Siegfried asserted confidently. "We are here to guide humanity to greater individual heights." He then gestured to his companion. "Take Melinda for instance, she is able to manipulate the minds of those around her. She invaded your mind and showed you an illusion."

"Illusion?" he muttered in a stunned whisper. "But I felt it, what about the blood?" Jinhai demanded, getting to his feet and presenting his bloody palm. He was frightened, though he wouldn't admit it. Who were these people, and was there any truth to their words? Could he become powerful enough so that he would never have to fear violence and bullying again?

"She possesses near absolute control over all of a person's senses." Siegfried explained, "…and that includes touch." Jinhai's hands were shaking in excitement "...and what blood were you talking about?"

Jinhai stared at his hand in disbelief, for the blood was gone. He felt his neck and there was no wound. "Y-You'll give me this power?" he asked, stunned.

"No, I have a much more suitable power for you," Siegfried replied, walking closer to Jinhai. "I will give you the ability of the contractor-mage Cring, which is the power to control all the metal around you. In a modern world where almost everything is made from metal, I daresay you can see its uses."

"Control all metal?" Jinhai murmured. Just like that villain from that American TV show, X something...

Siegfried gave him the syringe, placing it carefully into Jinhai's hands. "I'll leave the decision to you, if you want power, inject yourself with this, and when you do, contact me with this; it only has my number on it." He handed Jinhai a small black spherical phone. "If you decide not to, get rid of the syringe's contents and smash the communicator, there's no time limit, think it over." Siegfried smiled warmly, before he and Melinda walked away.

"This has got to be a dream, or have I fallen into some Manga or something?" Jinhai muttered.

"This is reality," Siegfried called back, and at in that moment, the air around them seemed to warp and between the blinking of an eye, they vanished.

The next four days became a blur of jumbled images as he thought on this new madness. If Jinhai had not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it, and now it felt as though there was a voice in the back of his head egging him to use the syringe. On the fourth day, Jinhai was jumped by a gang from Hirano high school. Three tackled him from behind, pinning him down before he had a chance to fight back. Another then proceeded to brutally stamp on Jinhai's head until he passed out.

Hours later, face swollen, bloodied, and bruised, Jinhai awoke, and painfully stumbled back home. He saw the occasional look of pity, but nobody dared to help him, a Gaijin like him. When he finally got back to his family's apartment, he had to deal with his parents. They'd both been shocked by his bloodied, battered state and questioned him incessantly, as if they could do anything for him but get the first aid kit.

By the time Jinhai had finally gotten past them, cleaned up and returned to his room, his mind was set. Opening his wardrobe, he reached into the back and pulled out the syringe and communicator that Siegfried had given him. "Why not, what have I got to lose at this point?" Sitting down on his bed with a wince, Jinhai removed the protective cover, and carefully inserted the bevel (needle) into his arm, and pushed down on the plunger. He bit his lip as the red liquid entered his bloodstream. It burned, and his chest began pounding fiercely, like how he imagined a heart attack to feel, and before he had time to regret his decision, Jinhai blacked out.

Waking up groggy and weak-kneed, Jinhai moved about in a daze until he finally recalled Siegfried's words. 'I must have been mad.' Laughing deliriously, Jinhai continued stumbling about his home until clarity gradually returned. A week later, Jinhai finally made the decision to call Siegfried. After his parents had left for work, Siegfried turned up at his door. He had come alone this time with another syringe containing the same red substance. After injecting himself again, Siegfried then explained to Jinhai how humans could gain supernatural powers through making a contract with and angel or demon. However to be chosen was a truly rare honour, those that were became the heroes, villains, legends, and demi-gods of the ancient, superstitious world.

But why should the glorious, inhuman power come to so few each generation? The Magistas thought so, and sought to duplicate these powers using science, which in the last century and onwards had seen rapid improvement, and after several lifetimes, their scientists found a way to give power to the masses, or at least them. However it required a sacrifice. They would graft flesh and inject blood taken from a contractor-mage, and along with a long treatment of unique chemicals and medications, they would forcefully adapt the body to produce aura. This aura would then react to donated flesh and blood and draw out the residual power within. Then over time and with practice, the 'faux-contractor' would be able to use that power.

Jinhai took the injections repeatedly. Then after three weeks, he found himself 'aware' of the metal around him, as if it was a living being, almost an extension of him. Soon he was able to move and manipulate the shape and density of metal, but only on a very small scale. Siegfried coached Jinhai on the basics for a time, and he quickly gained new strength as his capacity to contain, build, and manipulate aura grew. His desire to leave his weak bullied self behind drove Jinhai forward at a remarkable pace.

When Siegfried deemed his student competent, Jinhai finally got to enact his revenge. His first victims were the three ringleaders who had tormented him throughout middle school and high school. Their screams, their begging for mercy was an electric ecstasy. "I-I'm free! I'm finally free!" Jinhai declared to the sky when it was over, laughing like a lunatic.

Siegfried watched the slaughter with a satisfied smile. Everything was going according to his plan. Jinhai was an important pawn; in years to come he would be counting on Jinhai to help fulfil his own objectives. Not that Jinhai knew any of this, no, he was simply a beaten down dog with its leash finally cut, now free to maul and tear into flesh. The city of Osaka was soon awash with brutal murders and assaults, focused entirely of teen gangs, thugs, and school bullies. While his actions were both justified and horrendous, Jinhai was sure that the other kids were rooting for him, as their bullies disappeared one by one. Of course he couldn't tell anyone that he was the cause, however the satisfaction of cleansing society a little at a time was reward enough for Jinhai. In mere weeks, everyone who had bullied and beaten him was gone from this world.

He felt a wonderful thrill at being released from that hell, there was no more cruel words, no pranks or beatings, and day to day life became more than mere drudgery. Jinhai went to school without fear, without bullies hanging around, therefore his classmates were willing to interact with him. He was able to focus on his school work, and actually get to rest and eat during breaks. Slowly but surely, Jinhai regained the confidence that high school had stripped from him. However he still wanted to use his power, he had helped himself and whoever else had been tormenting by killing that scum. Why should he limit himself to punishing just those who had hurt him? There were so many evil people in this world. He could find meaning in these actions and finally become someone he wanted to be, he could become stronger, have both normalcy, and 'this.' It was then that Jinhai the 'Metal fighter' was born.

From then on, Jinhai crippled, he tortured, and he killed. Almost every night he would go out to track down thugs and bullies and make them victims. He quickly gained combat experience, and used his powers in more creative and impressive ways, but it became too easy, too quickly. Not long after, Jinhai decided to go after the villains of Japan, the criminal organisations, such as the Yakuza. This was rather more dangerous, so he would need to make more preparations. However this plan was put on hold by Siegfried, when Jinhai received a call from him on the odd rounded communicator. He scrambled to dig it out, and hurriedly answered it.

"Hello Jinhai-kun, it's been a while," Siegfried greeted him; however Jinhai noticed that the man's voice sounded strained.

"Yeah it has, how are you, are you back in Japan?" Jinhai asked in a hurry, happy to speak with the man who had given him a new lease on life.

"I'm managing," Siegfried replied. "But I've had a bit of trouble trying to find something I need for my research; sadly it's been taking longer than I'd like to locate it. However that is not what I'm calling you about. My spies have informed me that the NPA is aware of your little crusade, and what you are, so they have hired a contractor-mage to capture you, Jinhai-kun."

"Arrest me… So those guys from before were sent by the police?" Jinhai asked, recalling the weak contractor-mages who had attacked him once. He had beaten them easily and handed their bodies over to Siegfried to create more faux-contractors like himself.

"Indeed, they were sent by the NPA," Siegfried confirmed. "But this time, the situation is serious. Apparently the NPA has hired a contractor-mage from Grey Faction. I don't know which agent they'll send yet, but they're all monsters." Siegfried sounded worried, and a little knot of fear twisted in Jinhai's gut. He stubbornly suppressed it, superhuman beings like him were not supposed to feel fear.

"Grey Faction? What's so special about them?" Jinhai inquired, the other contractor-mages were nothing special. Siegfried sighed upon hearing Jinhai's words. He was certain he had warned Jinhai about them, a small group of elites that had almost destroyed the vast forces of the Magistas in a few short years. Both groups were still nursing their wounds, but it was clear the Magistas had lost the most. Almost all their contractor-mages and all of their military bases besides Headquarters had been lost to them. Magistas was increasingly forced to rely upon capturing independent or rival contractor-mages to mass produce faux-contractors; however their power almost never exceeded the original. Then too, these kidnappings often brought violent reprisals from their allies.

"They are more than what you can handle right now Jinhai-kun," Siegfried insisted over the phone. "You have to be cautious, especially if they send White Ghost after you." Siegfried silently recalled that fearsome individual and the destructive power that he wielded.

"White Ghost, is that a nickname?"

"Yes, just as the thugs call you the Metal Fighter, White Ghost is the codename he is known by. But listen to me Jinhai, if the intelligence I received is true, then you are in a lot of danger. I want you to leave as soon as possible, and no hunting criminals, is that understood?" Siegfried ordered. If Jinhai was killed it would be a massive setback, trying that 'experiment' with the original's flames was too much of a risk.

"Leave…you mean run away?" Jinhai muttered angrily, he wouldn't let himself be pushed around again. "I doubt this Grey Faction is that big of a deal, and even if they are, there's no way I'm running away."

"They are," Siegfried affirmed, before sighing in defeat. "I'll try to get there as soon as I can, but in the meantime be careful." The foolish boy was too confident. If Jinhai wouldn't run, then he would have to spirit Jinhai away by force if need be.

"Alright, don't worry; I'll be careful, jeez! I've gotta go, bye." Jinhai abruptly ended the call when his father knocked on the door. "What?" he angrily demanded, sounding like any other petulant teenager.

In the days that followed, Jinhai discovered that Siegfried's fears were indeed correct; a contractor-mage was stalking him. Jinhai caught the occasional glimpse of a man in a red jacket, but he was very good at concealing himself, and so far had avoided a confrontation. The man had even been watching Jinhai when he'd slaughtered the Hirano gang. But despite the faint flicker of doubt and fear Jinhai felt, he was also excited at the chance to test his powers against a stronger contractor-mage, to reaffirm his superiority, that he was no longer the weak, belittled victim.

Jinhai would show Siegfried that he was capable enough to handle this Grey Faction and the NPA, and his saviour would see how wrong he was. 'There was no way I'm going to lose!' That being said, Jinhai still made an extra effort in preparing his throwing weapons and homemade explosives. Jinhai had discovered that by infusing his energy and compressing it inside a metal object, and then releasing that energy all at once, it acted like a grenade, scattering razor sharp shards in every direction. Aoi's gang had seen its effectiveness first hand when he had turned their bats, knives, and makeshift weapons into explosives.

Once he had finished going over his inventory, Jinhai hid them inside his clothing, all of which had extra pockets, in the case of the inner pockets, he had taken the trouble to sew them in himself. Jinhai knew that he needed to be prepared or his life could be in danger. Siegfried obviously took these people seriously, and when it happened, Jinhai intended to be fully equipped. For Jinhai's metal manipulation, while powerful, it had weaknesses. He couldn't create from nothing as many contractor-mages could; he needed raw materials to work with. Without metal in his surroundings, he became significantly weaker. Luckily the city he lived in, Osaka, was a dense metal jungle, it was the perfect battleground for him. "Well, that's me done for tonight." Taking a break from his usual night time killings, Jinhai decided to rest up for the battle to come.

"According to the reports, Ata usually comes through this route several times a week as a tour guide. So we'll use this ridge to hide our approach as we ambush him from above and the side." A mechanical voice ordered the group, his distorted unnaturally due to the visor and helmet he wore, the rest of his physique was covered by matching black streamline armour, teeming with 'unknown' technology to aid in the hunt of their current prey.

"Even with this equipment, our powers, and the element of surprise, are we going to be a match for him?" asked one of his group, who were like-wise knightly armoured. "You've heard what the Elders and Siegfried said about this geezer – he's the strongest elemental type contractor-mage in the world."

"You really need to have more confidence in yourself," noted a third imitation knight, who was higher up the rocky terrain, surveying the surroundings. "We're all as strong as an S-rank. No matter how strong Ata is; he's only one man. We'll definitely get him."

"Yeah, I guess," laughed the second knight. "But you know what I'm like, I can't help but worry."

"The reputation of the 'Lightning God' bothers you that much?"

"Yeah..."

"It's a bullshit alias, compared to our Seraph powers; he's nothing but a worm!" the first knight declared with ignorant vigour, finally they were able to test their powers in real combat. It was here within this vast skeletal landscape that these free would do battle with Abdalla Ata, a former elite of the Sun Battalion. The hidden fangs of the Magistas were drawing ever closer. Abdalla was not their only target.

"Hmm...Morning already?" a sleep addled voice muttered from beneath their sheets. Groggily Jinhai regarded his surroundings, wincing as the light broke between the curtains. Swearing under his breath, knowing it was morning; Jinhai left the warmth of his bed behind him, casting off the shackles of sleep. After a cold shower, and now feeling somewhat more fresh and alert, Jinhai did a quick inventory of all his metal scraps and carefully stored them within his clothing for the day ahead. Satisfied that he was fully equipped, Jinhai headed to the kitchen.

Jinhai spotted his father as he entered the kitchen; hunched over the table, his eyes bloodshot, bagged, and tired. Jinhai's eyes narrowed with distaste upon seeing the wretch of a man who had sired him. His father was average in height, but years of stress had worn away his stature until he was as skinny as a rail and as intimidating as mouse. His chin was protrusive, and skin heavily lined with wrinkles, he wore a crumpled, food-pitted brown suit. Currently his father was nursing a mug of black coffee, hoping the caffeine would drag him through another day. His father was the pitiful sort that bullies would love, weak and cowardly, it was little wonder that Jinhai didn't feel he could rely on his father prior to his powers.

Ignoring the passing urge to hit his father, Jinhai simply strode past him, going to the other side of the kitchen without exchanging a single word. Stopping in front of the nearest cupboard Jinhai took out a pot of instant ramen, not in the mood to bother cooking anything proper. After waiting impatiently for a few minutes for the ramen to cook, he returned to the table, lightly plopping down in the chair opposite his father. Grabbing two chopsticks from the centre of the table, he gathered some noodles between them, lifting them up to his lips, pausing just briefly to spare a grunt as a greeting.

His father, lost in his own thoughts, was startled by the noise and hastily looked up. Though obviously exhausted, his face lit up as he noticed his son sitting there, a complete contrast to how his son regarded him. "Ohiyo son, sleep well?" he asked warmly, taking another sip of his coffee. Bitter.

"Tough night at work, Otou-san?" Jinhai asked between mouthfuls, the aged man let out a loud sigh.

"If only it was that," he replied, giving his son a thin lipped smile, a meagre mask to his mood, which dwindled at the thought of the previous night.

"So what happened? You look like shit." Jinhai asked, completely lacking tact.

Jinhai's father regarded his son's penetrating gaze, realising that Jinhai wouldn't let him change the subject. He decided to tell his son, though he knew Jinhai wouldn't like it. Taking a deep breath he began. "I had to go to a meeting last night..." Immediately Jinhai felt his spirits drop; he knew exactly what his father had been doing at this 'meeting.' "I had to see your mother and that leech of a lawyer to finalise the divorce."

Jinhai's eyes hardened, his hands forming fists, causing his chopsticks to break in two with an audible 'snap.' The sound startled his father, head snapping up to meet his son's gaze. He was taken aback by the anger that showed in his son's eyes - intense, white-hot fury.

"That woman," Jinhai breathed out aggressively, emphasizing his words for effect. "Was not my Okaa-san, she was merely your 'second wife.' Don't go calling her my mother, seeing as you ruined everything just as we were starting to get on." The words spilled angrily from his lips, while his father; taking another sip of his coffee, regarded his son sadly.

"You never forgave me and your mother Yumi, did you, Jinhai-kun?" His father's voice wavering, he couldn't stand seeing his son with so much hate inside of him.

"No." Jinhai immediately responded, putting an instant end to the conversation. Not wishing to be in his father's company any longer, he quickly scoffed down the remainder of his breakfast. Jumping to his feet, Jinhai grabbed his jacket, muttering a brief goodbye and headed for the door.

His father glanced at the time, '9:04am.' Noticing his son's lack of a uniform, he hesitantly enquired, "What about school?"

"Who cares about that shitty place?" Jinhai snapped, storming off. His father sighed loudly, closing his eyes and laying his head on the table. Moments later he heard the front door being heaved open and slamming shut with a mighty crash. 'I've really messed things up, haven't I, son?' he thought regretfully.

Jinhai stormed out of the apartment, furious. His swift yet heavy step echoed loudly with each impassioned stamp upon the concrete. "Stupid bastard, having to bring that up, it's bad enough..." he muttered while going down the stairs linked to street level. "...That he ruined things with mother, then he gets divorced to his second wife... just as I was starting to get used to having Himeiko-san around." His face twisted with anger, people walking by recoiled from his face; a mask of fury. Jinhai was oblivious to the looks. He might be a killer, but that had been born from a bullied, beaten and depressed teenager. Even possessing great magical power, those emotional wounds didn't simply vanish or fade as some psychologists would have you believe. You had to live with the pain and overcome it, but gaining magic as he did; he possessed a much easy way of dealing with his pain, though certainly not a healthy alternative.

Jinhai's thoughts occupied by angry memories, he failed to notice, fast approaching him was a burly red haired teenager – lean, cocky faced, with a certain strut to his step. His hair was gelled and slicked back, the dye he used was gaudy and obvious. He wore a black high school uniform, black jacket and trousers with a gold trim at its edges. The redhead noticed Jinhai approaching, however he expected Jinhai to step aside as his peers did. Passing each other, their shoulders knocked, causing him to stumble. Jinhai, preoccupied with his own thoughts, scarcely noticed the light collision and continued on his way. The redhead however was not used to being ignored. His fist clenched tight, he spun around, facing Jinhai, who did not realise the affront he had caused. "Watch where the hell ya going, loser!"

Jinhai paused in mid step, startled out of his thoughts. So somebody wanted to play tough guy with him? A large predatory grin forming on his face as the redhead called out to him. Well at least he could vent his anger from earlier. Still not acknowledging the redhead, Jinhai reached into one of his front pockets, smoothly drawing out a rusted triangular piece of scrap metal. Jinhai infused the tiniest amount of his aura into the metal, it changed colour, becoming silvery, smooth and above all else – sharp.

Hearing no response the redhead hurried forward, reaching out, he roughly grabbed Jinhai by the shoulder, and yanked him back a step. "You'd better apologize to me, and make it a good one, unless you want your head smashed in." Shrugging off his hand, Jinhai turned to face him, his eyes burning into the redhead's own. Sadly not all humans have the sense to know that they're out of their depth, and though taken aback by the intensity of Jinhai's stare, he wasn't intimidated. "No apology huh? Your loss," he immediately lashed out with a jab.

"Loser," Jinhai muttered, ducking under the punch. The redhead then screamed in agony as Jinhai stabbed him through the hand, the spurting blood staining the pavement beneath them. More blood gushed out as Jinhai pulled it out with a sharp twist, widening the hole and creating a crimson glove, he stared at his hand in disbelief, collapsing to his knees sobbing.

"Not so much fun when the trash fights back, is it?" laughed Jinhai, his mood already much improved. Kicking him onto his back, Jinhai strolled away with a smile. Several passers-by who had witnessed what happened hastened to stem the bleeding. Jinhai wasn't worried about being reported. As to him this was a cowardly city, its pride and backbone long since lost from common people due to political corruption and crime, even the kids running around like wannabe Yakuza. Regardless, it wasn't likely he would ever be staring down the barrel of a cop's gun, and even if that happened, bullets were useless against him.

Whilst this was taking place, Jinhai was being observed from a distance via the aid of binoculars. Atop a four-story building, a pair of blue-grey eyes watched their prey. Leaning against a balcony rail, Andrew watched his target move further away. "Temper, temper..." he gently chided.

A little while later Jinhai paid a trip to his local convenience store, slowly moving down the aisles, manoeuvring around the other customers by habit while looking for his favourite snacks and soda. Occasionally he would look about for other students from his school, as they had taken to informing the teachers when he skipped lessons. When he missed them due to being beaten to a bloody pulp, nobody cared. But now that no longer happened to him, all of a sudden his attendance mystically mattered to the school. Poxy hypocrites.

From the corner of his eye, Jinhai spotted two students approaching, heading down the aisle, wearing his school's uniform. 'Ah shit!' he cursed, Jinhai turned his back to them in the hopes they wouldn't notice him. As over the last few weeks rumours had spread into the school that he'd been getting into fights and winning, not that the gossips knew the truth. Unfortunately a survivor from one of his bloody vendettas had spread the news and many had begun to openly avoid him and downright fear him. Jinhai didn't like that; only the trash of this world needed to fear him.

However luck wasn't his side today, as these words reached his ears. "Isn't that Leawa-kun?" announced the schoolgirl, a short girl with dyed blond hair, dark brown eyes and an athletic build.

"Hmm you mean our old Kohai from the Aikido club?" asked her friend; a scrawny teenager with narrow features and a bowl haircut. He turned to confirm his friend's exclamation with his own eyes. There were differences certainly, particularly in the way he held himself, tall and confident; quite different from before. "I think it might be...Jin-chan, is that you skulking about over there?" Jinhai stiffened in surprise at being addressed with the feminine suffix 'chan.'

Jinhai was genuinely caught off guard; only a handful of people had ever called him that, his mother being one of them, however this voice was male, and a young one to boot. The only man who'd called him that was an odd hyperactive Senpai. He'd helped Jinhai during his time at the Aikido club, when he had first begun learning how to defend himself from all the thugs that bullied him. 'Oh god, not him!' Jinhai thought, not wanting to meet them with his emotions still chaotic from earlier. Glancing over his shoulder, he recognised them both. The one who had called out to him was named Akizen Toushi and the girl standing next to him was called Yun Hinowa.

They had helped him in the club, and even dragged him along to social events. He hadn't seen them since he'd returned from training with Siegfried. Jinhai had been far too absorbed in his goals and his battles which had stained the streets red. Despite that, Jinhai was disappointed in himself that he hadn't recognised them immediately. Jinhai approached the two, latching a friendly smile onto his cheeks, feigning surprise. "Akizen-senpai, it's been awhile, hasn't it?"

Toushi's face lit up with a smile. Jinhai had remembered him after all, though they hadn't seen each other since Jinhai had quit the club all of a sudden, declaring that he no longer needed it. That had been almost a year ago. "It's been ages, hasn't it? I haven't seen even a peek of you since you left the dojo." Toushi replied, and despite his friendly manner, Jinhai noted a faint undertone of disappointment; they hadn't parted on the best of terms after all.

"Yeah, long time no see, how have you been?" Jinhai asked, continuing the pointless exchange called a conversation. He was a different man now; he no longer held any love for these people, he had his calling, but his senpai were among the few who had never tried to harass or harm him, so he would make the effort to be polite.

"I can't really complain for much, except for the graduation exams of course, being in my final year of high school isn't as much fun as I thought it would be."

"I see..." Jinhai quietly replied.

"So what about you, Jinhai?" Toushi enquired. "Didn't the second year exams begin last week? Us third years got the morning off school so you guys wouldn't be disturbed...so how did it go?" Toushi continued, his voice gaining a serious note to it. Inwardly Jinhai sighed. 'So he did want to talk about me avoiding school, why am I not surprised.' Now he understood why Toushi had come to talk to him after all this time. "Well..." Jinhai began awkwardly, trying to piece together something plausible, before a thought struck him like a physical blow. "You see, my father's having another divorce..." he began, planning to use that excuse as a reason for bunking off school, and then build his lie from there.

However a cry of, "Oh you poor thing!" interrupted him, as Yun impulsively rushed forward to embrace Jinhai.

"Yun-senpai, nice to see you, finally joining the conversation?" he asked the pretty girl, grinning cheekily.

"Now, now, enough of that!" Yun admonished sternly, although the small grin on her face ruined the image of sternness. "So...your father is breaking up with his wife?" she asked hesitantly.

"...Well actually it's the other way around." Jinhai replied, absently scratching the back of his head. "I guess my father's not too good when it comes to keeping a woman happy," his voice held a hint of genuine sadness to it.

"Is that why you haven't been coming to school?" Yun asked. "We've been worried about you."

Toushi, who stood behind her, nodded in agreement. "Yeah that's right!" he exclaimed, much louder than intended and startling a few fellow customers.

"Even if though you've quit our club, you're still our kouhai and friend, how could we not worry?" said Yun softly with a kindness that Jinhai could only associate with her. "Especially..." she continued, a little hesitantly, "With all these rumours saying that you've being getting into fights with gangs."

'Ah, so that's what they wanted to talk about,' Jinhai realised.

Toushi chose that moment to impishly add to the conversation. "Not that I could imagine our hopeless, bullied underclassman doing something so scary." He said, clapping Jinhai lightly on the shoulder, laughing. Not noticing how Jinhai's shoulder stiffened at the contact, supressing the urge to lash out, a common reflex for active fighters and soldiers.

"…Yeah." Jinhai agreed, feeling awkward, unsure of how to reply, avoiding school and his only two friends in order to hunt and kill bullies and thugs. Doing little else besides plotting, preparing equipment, and fighting had left him feeling 'apart' from normal people, along with normal conversation. As most of his verbal exchanges had been with his enemies, brief and filled with mutual hate. Jinhai was surprised just how out of touch he was becoming with reality since obtaining his powers. But then could contractor-mages like him fit in with humans anyway? Jinhai didn't know, and he didn't want to think about it.

"So Jin-chan," Toushi prompted with a subtle narrowing of his eyes. "With that outfit I'd say it's safe to assume you're not going to school today?" and thereby disrupting Jinhai from his thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"Well I don't see your school uniform," Toushi prompted, gesturing to Jinhai's clothing.

"Yeah, there's something I need to take care of, I have someone important to meet, so I can't go today."

"Is it something to do with the divorce?" Yun tentatively enquired.

"No," Jinhai replied, smirking slightly at how far from the truth her guess was.

"Off to fool around with some pretty girl?" Yun quipped, winking suggestively, making him blush. Jinhai considered blurting out that it was a guy he was meeting or rather hunting. But that would have elicited further misunderstandings and teasing from a romantic like Yun.

Jinhai made a show of checking the time before announcing, "I'm gonna be late, it was great talking to you two, if I have time maybe I'll pop into the club's dojo – later!" Jinhai hurried off, almost forgetting his basket as he fled, leaving Toushi and Yun a little bewildered. They watched him leave, before carrying on with their own shopping.

Unknown to them, another individual had watched Jinhai leave, a giant of a man standing in line to buy his groceries. 'That's surprising,' he thought, not expecting the serial killer to have ordinary friends, most who gained power became isolated with their superiority. 'It's a good thing this mission doesn't require his death then.'

"Umm...excuse me sir," said the cashier. "Your items please," gesturing to the man's basket. Andrew laughed, embarrassed.

"Yes of course."

CHAPTER END