SATURDAY
"I still say you're having way too much fun with this." Naomi said with an annoyed tone. Issei turned to her with a curious expression, and then he chuckled.
Since it was the weekend, and seeing as they did not have school, Issei and Naomi entertained themselves by walking around the mall.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Issei replied. Naomi shook her head and scoffed.
"I just don't understand why you said yes to her. You could have just said no, and just left it at that."
Issei shook his head with a smirk, putting his hands in his pockets.
"But where's the fun in that? Besides, if Yuuma's planning something, which I'm sure she is, it's definitely going to be something interesting."
Naomi just sighed and shook her head.
"Why are we at the mall anyway?"
Issei smiled. "There was this awesome looking trench coat I saw on one of those clothing commercials. It looked so epic I wanted to get it. So that's why we're here."
Naomi raised an eyebrow. 'A trench coat?'
The pair stopped at a clothing store and entered it. As he walked around the store, Issei searched for the desired trench coat. He looked in the aisle featuring jackets and coats, and his eyes widened. A grin split his face as he rushed over, with Naomi rolling her eyes and following the eager young man.
Naomi's eyes widened at the design. It was a long black trench coat, with shoulder pads as a feature, with the collar flipped up. Issei turned around and smiled at her, pointing at the desired coat.
"What do you think, Naomi-chan?"
Naomi narrowed her eyes, and peered closer at the trench coat. Looking for the price tag, she peeled the paper up, and her eyes shot open.
"Issei, this thing costs $3,000!" Issei rose an eyebrow.
"Oh, is that all?" A look of shock came to Naomi's face.
"What do you mean is that all?"
Then her eyes narrowed.
"You're not expecting me to pay for this, are you?"
Issei blinked in confusion, and then he stifled a chuckle.
"Of course not. I brought some money." Naomi rose an eyebrow, daring Issei to prove her wrong.
"There's no way you have that much money on you." She said in firm disbelief. Issei gave her a smirk.
"Naomi-chan must not know me that well.." Naomi rose an eyebrow at his statement.
Issei put out his hand, and a whirl of energy emerged. As Naomi looked on in shock, Issei's smile grew, and he closed his hand, the energy fading between his fingers. He opened his hand, and Naomi's eyes shot wide open. A bundle of one hundred dollar bills was set in Issei's hands. Naomi shakily pointed to her friend's hand.
"I-is that-?" Issei grinned.
"Yep. Exactly $3,000." A thought came to him. "Oh wait, they'll probably tax it too."
Another hundred bill plopped onto his hand, and he smiled.
"'Yep, that should do it."
With a cheerful smile, he hastily grabbed the trench coat, and rushed over to the cashier, leaving the shell-shocked Naomi.
Issei's House
After paying for his new coat, and arousing Naomi out her shocked gaze, the pair went all the way back to Issei's house. The two went up to Issei's room, shutting the down behind them, and they sat in their respective seats, Issei in his bed, and Naomi in Issei's desk chair.
The pair sat in mutual silence for a minute, until Naomi turned to Issei with a questioning glance.
"Issei?" The young man's reply was a curious look.
"What...was that back there? Back at the store." Issei rose a eyebrow in confusion, causing Naomi to roll her eyes.
"When you made money suddenly appear in your hand." Issei just stared at her for a few seconds, and then he smiled.
"Naomi-chan." He began. "You've known me since we were kids. You know I'm different from others. Frankly, I'm surprised on how shocked you were when I showed you that technique at the store."
Naomi just shook her head.
"I've seen what you can do, Issei. You have super strength, super speed, and what from what you showed me earlier, the apparent ability to create anything out of nothingness. Is there any other power you have, or rather, are there more powers?"
Issei adopted a thoughtful look on his face. He sat up on his bed, crossing his arms in contemplation.
"Hmm. Well, aside from what you mentioned, not much that I know of. I can sense an individual's aura, which not only allows me to tell if they're human or not, but it also tells me when they're lying or telling the truth." He looked out towards his window, peering at the sky. He got up from his bed and walked toward his window. Looking at it for a few moments, he turned back to look at Naomi.
"I can change the weather...when I feel like it. Sometimes if the sky gets too dark, I can change it back to its appearance when it's covered with sunlight. And when it's raining, I can make the rain stop."
Naomi looked on in listening intent.
"I don't really know what other powers I have. They always arose whenever I felt upset about something." He turned to look at Naomi. "I've learned to control some of my powers since then, but I can't help the feeling that I have more in my disposal." Naomi stared at Issei quietly.
Issei walked back to his bed, sitting softly on it. A look of seriousness was etched on his face. He turned to his companion.
"Can I tell you something?" Naomi blinked, but then she nodded in assent. Issei got comfortable on his bed, and he turned his position towards Naomi.
"When I was younger, I used to have this really strange dream. First, there would be complete darkness, like it was completely void of anything. Then about 19 giant like figures would appear. As soon as they appeared, aspects of the world would suddenly just...become animated. Mountains, Seas of water, the Sky, Light, Darkness, and so many aspects would come to life."
Naomi stared in amazement at Issei's description of his dream. But then she noticed Issei's face became slightly downcast, and that he was no longer looking at her, but at the ground. The young man continued his story.
"I don't know exactly what happened, but then the figures started combating with each other. Every impact each of them endured, a piece of the world began to dissolve away. I could see the natural disasters, the very same ones that newscasters report on. As parts of the world started to fade away, the same 19 giants stopped in their battle. And as I saw them looking around their surroundings, I felt that it wasn't their intention. I think they had realized that their fighting was starting to have destructive effect on the world."
Naomi's brown eyes were widened with absolute speechlessness. Issei then looked at her with a serious expression.
"Then something unusual happened. A pool of auras flowed around the giants. And they started to pull towards each other. In a flash, I had figured out they had combined into one single being."
Issei crossed his arms, closing his eyes in thought.
"I couldn't really make out the appearance of this new figure. But...I feel like I'm connected with it."
He opened his eyes, revealing a serious yet warm brown color.
"Next thing I knew, as soon as the figure appeared, the world started to regenerate. It was reforming, and I think it was because that fused being was rejuvenating it."
Issei sighed and he laid upon his bed.
"And that's it. The last thing I see, before the dream ends, is that fused giant turning to the center of the area around it, and...it's almost like it's looking at me."
Naomi didn't know what to say as she stared at Issei. She cast him a sad look.
'Is this what Issei feels? What he really thinks about? Is his cheerful yet annoying personality a facade?'
Naomi's thoughts were cut off as she heard a sigh from Issei. The young man got up from his bed and he gave a sad smile, turning to Naomi.
"But I guess that's how mystery works, huh Naomi-chan? There are just some things that I'm not aware of." He paused for a moment, and then his smile became wider. "Well, it's a good thing I like finding out new things, right?"
Naomi stared at Issei for a few moments, and then she smiled. No matter how annoying the young man was, Naomi always preferred a cheerful Issei. It always made her feel...warm. Of course, she wouldn't ever admit that to him. Issei would probably never let her forget it. She looked up at Issei, noticing the young man staring at his alarm clock. The time was 5:00 p.m. He held a mischievous grin on his face. Naomi raised an eyebrow, fighting back a amused smile.
"Something funny about the time, Issei?"
Issei shot her that familiar smirk, and he crossed his arms.
"In just 24 hours, Naomi-chan, the game starts." His smile grew. "I'm itching to see what happens. So many things, so many possible events could occur. And the best part about this is, I have a trick up my sleeve."
Naomi raised a thin eyebrow and crossed her arms, bringing her leg over the other.
"And what, pray tell, is this trick?"
Issei just gave her a chuckle, his brown eyes shining with amusement.
NEXT DAY/SUNDAY
Issei; clad in a white long sleeved button down open shirt and blue jeans, with the shirt covered by his newly bought black trench coat, looked down at his watch. He stood at a public area, where a series of restaurants, shops,and malls surrounded. Issei, with a bored expression, looked around the area. He then heard a female voice.
"Ise-kun!"
Issei turned to the front, and he smiled. Yuuma Amano ran across the street to get to him, and smiled at him warmly.
"Did I make you wait too long?" She asked. Issei shook his head with a smile, raising a hand up in dismissal.
"Nah, you're good. So are you ready?"
Yuuma nodded, and with that the two wandered off to continue with their date. Their date consisted of going to a restaurant, an ice cream palace, and lastly, a stroll to the park. As they walked together, Issei noticed Yuuma had sped her pace, stopping in front of the park fountain. She turned around, smiling sweetly at Issei.
"Ise-kun. There's something I want to do to celebrate our first ever date. Will you please hear it?" Issei inwardly smirked, and without Yuuma noticing, a spark of energy appeared in his palm. The energy faded, and then suddenly Issei's shadow started to move before fading away.
Issei pretended to look confused by blinking in surprise, and then he adopted a smile.
"Sure, Yuuma-chan. Go ahead."
Yuuma walked closer to Issei, with her head bowed. She then looked back up, and clearly says to him,
"Would you die for me?"
Issei's eyes shot open, when Yuuma's clothing disintegrated, a sign that she began to transform. She grew much taller, taking on a more mature physique, and her eyes changed, taking on a menacing, more evil look. Her clothing now consisted of black, strap-like objects, around and under her breasts, a thong-like piece held around her hips by three thin straps, gloves that ran right up her arms with small lengths of chains hanging from them, shoulder guard-like objects on her shoulders with three large spikes sprouting from her right shoulder, and black thigh-high heel boots. A pair of black wings sprouted from her back. Issei looked in shock, and his eyes widened further when a vibrating sound began to reach his ears. Yuuma was charging a fuchsia-purple spear of light, and directed it at Issei. As she looked upon the shocked boy, she smirked.
"Please die for me."
And with that she thrust the light spear forward, intending to stab Issei. However, Yuuma failed to notice Issei's fearful expression slowly, but surely, morphing into a downright mischievous smirk. As soon as the light spear came in contact with Issei, it immediately disintegrated.
"WHAT?!"
If one were to see Yuuma's face right now, they would have collapsed in pure hilarity. Yuuma's violet eyes widened to the size of softballs, unable to believe what she had just witnessed.
'No, that should have killed him! It dissolved like it was nothing to him!'
She looked up, and felt an immediate chill in her spine. Issei held a smile bordering on complete cheekiness.
"I win, Yuuma-chan."
With a single blink of Issei's eye, Yuuma was suddenly blown away from a powerful invisible force. Issei smiled as he released a huge surge of energy from his body. Yuuma crashed into the park fountain, getting drenched from the water, and rubbing her sore head. As she coughed water out of her throat, she looked at Issei in shock.
"What in the hell is going on?! You should be dead right now!"
Issei's smile grew as he pointed to Yuuma.
"What's going on, Yuuma-chan, is that I beat you at your own game."
Yuuma gave him a confused yet horrified expression, prompting Issei to explain himself, albeit with a smirk.
"I knew something was up when you came to me and Naomi at the bridge on Friday. I admit I was a little taken aback on how well you could pull off the innocent and dainty girl act. But you made some mistakes." He lifted up one finger.
"One, you forced your blush. I've seen a whole number of girls at my school blush, and I can tell you right now, they're genuine. Yours on the other hand wasn't real at all. I could sense your body temperature, and it was nowhere near the point when a person blushes." He held up a second finger, his smirk growing wider.
"Second, you asked me out on a date. You and I, up until this point, have never met one another before. And believe me, I would have remembered your face, if we had known each other previously. Now, when you had asked me to go on a date with you, I tried to imagine a couple of possibilities on why, a girl who I have never met before in my life, would ask me out. There was so many possibilities and outcomes to think of, I couldn't choose which one."
His smirk grew even more wider, sending an even profound chill up Yuuma's spine. He held up a third finger.
"And that's when I found it. Your name. Yuuma Amano. When it's in a correct order, your name means "Heaven's Evening Daze." How fitting." He looked up at the sky and smiled.
"Don't you agree, Issei?"
Yuuma's eyes widened with confusion.
'Issei? What is he talking about? Wait, is this not him?'
To her horror, she heard another voice make itself known.
"As a matter of fact, kuroun, it does sound fitting." Yuuma looked up in horror to see the original Issei hovering down towards the two, before setting his feet on the ground next to his clone. Yuuma shook with absolute shock.
"WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"
Both Issei and his clone winced at the woman's piercing scream. Then the original Issei smiled.
"You didn't see that coming, did you Yuuma-chan?" Yuuma looked back and forth between the two Isseis.
"I don't understand!" Issei smirked, and looked to his clone.
"It's simple. Before you attempted to kill me, I created a clone in my place, in order to see what would happen as the end result. Since you weren't looking at me directly, you didn't notice me charging my energy. And I got a good result. I gotta say kuroun, you did a good job."
The Issei clone grinned, pleased with his creator's praise, and he faded away into pools of energy, before being reabsorbed into Issei. Feeling his energy returning, Issei turned to look Yuuma in the eyes, before flashing her a leered smirk.
"Now there's just one thing left." Issei said as he walked closer to Yuuma who was still in the park fountain. The girl shook in fear, afraid of what Issei was going to do. Issei's smirk grew.
"The reason you tried to kill me in the first place."
Yuuma shook in absolute terror, and Issei, with a smirk, released a vast surge of energy, causing Yuuma to gulp sharply.
At Issei's House
Naomi sat worryingly in Issei's living room, glancing at the clock ever so frequently. She looked at the house phone, contemplating whether or not to call Issei. Her nervousness rising, she reached up to grab the phone, and was stopped when she heard the doorbell ring. Blinking in surprise, she got up to answer it.
Naomi opened the door, and was ready to greet the person, before her instincts took over. She ducked just in time as a large object flew just above her. She winced when she heard the object crash into the wall with a thud. Naomi turned around quickly to see the cracked wall, and a young woman with black hair and violet eyes. Her eyes widened in shock as she recognized her.
'Is that Yuuma?'
Naomi had noticed something different about the girl. She noted Yuuma was now taller, and she was dressed in a revealing S&M sort of outfit, and she possessed what appeared to be black wings. She jumped when she heard a chuckle from outside.
"Looks like we've got company."
Immeditaly recognizing the voice, Naomi turned around, her brown eyes widening in astonishment at the source of the voice.
From outside, Issei smirked as he put his hands in his pockets. With a delighted air about him, he looked at the groaning Yuuma sliding down the wall. Chuckling in amusement, Issei turned back to look at the shell-shocked Naomi. His smile widened at her face.
"What a way to start a greeting, eh Naomi-chan?"
Note:
Kuroun means clone in Japanese.