I do not own Black Bullet or any of the characters. Hey, uh, really sorry this was never posted. I actually had this finished almost a year ago and just forgot to throw it up. my bad.

Race

Rentaro sprinted through the trees, wet leaves and branches slapping him in the face, blood running down his face from several scratches from the branches. As he ran, he gasped for breath. Sprinting through a jungle for several miles was not his idea of a fun time. Neither was being chased by a group of Level III Gastrea. Finally he skidded to a stop, spinning and extending his knuckle blade while drawing his pistol. He had removed his magazine with all five of his remaining bullets to keep himself from wasting them. However, that said, he didn't have much of a choice since he was up against twenty Gastrea alone. He had left the others behind when the gastrea had come dangerously close to attacking Enju, who had collapsed. Now, he had to kill them all alone.

Rentaro leapt into the air, flipping as a massive snake shot under him. He crashed down on top of a praying mantis, Varanium leg first, then spun, punching a giant gorilla with spider legs growing out of its sides and blasted it away. Then, he ducked as spiderwebbing flew over his head, ensnaring the snake before Rentaro spun, slashing the spider as it leapt at him. He spun again, pistol blade blocking a second praying mantis's blade. The moment it hit, the mantis swiped with the other. Rentaro leapt into the air, allowing the blade to slash several legs off a centipede with lobster claws big enough to crush Rentaro's entire body. Rentaro flipped, knuckle blade splitting the mantis's head. He landed behind it as it fell forward and looked around. More Gastrea were appearing out of the trees now. It seemed as though he had attracted even more to his little group as he had been running. The centipede sped at him from one side as three monkey like gastrea with black and glowing yellow bodies charged at him from the other side. Rentaro rolled out of the way of one of the centipede's claws and the three monkeys leapt on him. Before they could do anything, he slashed two and kicked the other, launching it into the centipede's claw where it was crushed. Rentaro stood as the centipede charged again. Rentaro sprinted at it then dropped to his back, sliding under it and slashing it open with his pistol blade.

At the last second before it collapsed, he slid out from under it, rolling to his feet and spinning, slashing a fourth monkey Gastrea as it leapt at him. He leapt into the air over a snake then landed on its back, driving his knuckle blade into its head, killing it. Just as it died, a massive blob-like gastrea smashed him aside with a pair of tentacles. He crashed into the ground, groaning before standing and turning to it. It reached out at him with two more tentacles and he ducked under them, slashing them with his pistol and removing them. They sprayed a thick black liquid and the Gastrea shrieked, its entire body jiggling as it did. Then, Rentaro darted forward, slashing it several times while being careful to stay clear of the liquid that flooded out of it. Finally he dove behind a massive Firefly gastrea that had landed to try and bite it with is mouth full of pointed teeth. Just as he landed, the blob exploded, the firefly shielding him. He spun, killing the gastrea just as Tamaki sprinted out of the trees, tearing through several Gastrea before spinning to a stop beside Rentaro. Rentaro turned away from him and they watched the Gastrea around him silently.

"You're a fast runner when you're worried," Tamaki said. "Yuzuki is watching them. They're safe."

Rentaro nodded as a stage IV crocodile Gastrea the size of an elephant charged out of the trees at them.

"Jump!" Rentaro shouted, leaping into the air.

Tamaki dove to the side, standing in time to attack a group of monkey Gastrea while Rentaro flipped in mid air, Varanium leg beginning to spit blue flames before he streaked downward, blasting the crocodile into the ground, killing it.

"There's an awful lot of them," Rentaro stated as he and Tamaki got back to back again.

"Feel like racing to the area?" Tamaki asked.

"Not with the others alone," Rentaro stated.

"Yuzuki is leading them around us to the area," Tamaki stated. "They'll meet us there."

"You sure about that?" Rentaro asked, slashing a pair of bee Gastrea out of the air.

"Positive," Tamaki nodded.

"Aright," Rentaro nodded. "Let's race."

He turned, both of them sprinting toward the area, leaping over the ring of Gastrea before landing at a dead sprint. As they ran, the Gastrea crashed through the trees after them. However, try as they might, the Gastrea were unable to catch up. After a bit, Gastrea began to give up on the chase as fresh ones began to join. Tamaki and Rentaro both began to slow, their energy quickly dropping as their chest burned for more oxygen than they could give it. Finally they slowed to a stop in a clearing about three miles away. They couldn't run any longer. But hey, ten miles wasn't bad. It was more than Rentaro expected. They stood back to back, waiting for Gastrea to charge them. Silence filled the world around them. Rentaro swallowed hard as they waited.

"Where did they go?" Tamaki asked.

Rentaro shook his head, looking around. Then, something came out of the bushes. Initiators, followed by Promotors. Rentaro sighed in relief as he and Tamaki relaxed.

"Who are you?" a Promotor demanded, holding his broadsword to Rentaro's throat.

He wore a Varanium chest plate over his bare and clearly heavily muscled torso, fingerless black gloves with Varanium knuckles, blue jeans with Varanium knee pads, and black combat boots.

"My name is Rentaro Satomi," Rentaro stated. "I'm a Civil Security Promotor of the Tokyo Area."

"My name is Tamaki Katagiri," Tamaki said. "Tokyo Area Civil Security Promotor."

"Where are your Initiators?" the Promotor sneered, clearly not believing them.

"Here," Enju said as she landed on his sword, kneeling as Tina and Yuzuki stepped out of the bushes.

Instantly, three Initiators leapt at Enju, slashing at her with Varanium Katanas while two attacked Tina, one with a large Varanium mallet and the other with a set of Varanium claws with four loops at their base for her fingers. Before the attacks could land, Rentaro was using his Varanium arm to block the swords aimed at Enju and Tamaki was blocking the claws and mallet with his knuckles.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?" Rentaro growled.

"They could both transform at any moment," one of the Initiators reported.

"So?" Rentaro growled. "That's no reason to attack them."

"I don't know how they do it in your area, but in ours, Initiators are killed when they get dangerously close to turning," the Promotor with the broadsword stated.

"I'm not letting you hurt Enju or Tina," Rentaro snarled. "We're here because we were informed there was a kidney ready for transport."

"Oh, you're that guy," the Promotor snorted. "Well, the kidney's yours. But our rule about Initiators stands. They're not allowed into the area."

"Fine," Rentaro said. "Give me the Kidney and we'll leave. May I also have some Varanium Bullets for my pistol?"

"Sure," the Promotor snorted. "Why not?"

He motioned for Rentaro to follow and Rentaro nodded, looking to Tamaki who nodded, silently agreeing to stay with Enju and the others. Then, Rentaro followed the Promotors and Initiators back to their area.

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