AN: I do not own anything but my OC and my idea for the story..
Chapter Seven: Broken Realities
It was a warm pleasant afternoon at Tenbi Academy. The students of the unique institution filed out of their classrooms as the bell rang, signifying the start of the open lunch period. Some went off by themselves, most likely having already prepared a lunch the morning of, while others grouped together with their friends.
One particular group of girls walking through the hallways were busy chatting about the latest gossip of the school.
One brunette decided to start the conversation off, "So~, did any of you hear the latest rumor going around lately?"
"What rumor?"
"You know how Minori Rokujou and the rest of the members of Security Committee have been trying to recruit that one first year for weeks now? I think his name was Zane Oyama or something."
The group came to stop at a set of lockers near the front doors so they could gather some of their things. Another male teen student was idly rifling through his locker off to the side, with his features blocked by the opened locker door.
The male mumbled to himself as he rummaged through his locker, "Hmm, wonder what's in my 'mystery' bento today…"
The conversation between the girls continued, paying no heed to the young man, "Yeah! I heard that he's really strong. He took on Rokujou in a head-on duel and won on his first day here!"
"A lot of other students are saying that he even took on a small group of second-years when they challenged him a couple days ago."
One light auburn haired girl began to fret, "Oh my gosh! I hope everything turned out okay..."
The brunette smiled, winking at her distraught friends, "It sure did. He completely wiped the floor with'em!"
"Wow, so amazing~…"
The sole blond of the group spoke up, "I'm pretty sure I saw him walking down the hallway yesterday." She hugged herself under her large bosom, a heavy flush coming to her pale cheeks, "I swear when our eyes connected, I thought I was going to die under that intense gaze. Mmm~, he's so hot it burns!"
The young man at the side sneezed.
"That's beside the point!" Though, the brunette had to admit that she thought the same as a blush rose on her face as well, "Rumor has it that Minori, Aki, and Tomiko seem to have a thing for him. And the reason why they keep hounding him to join the Security Committee is so they could get 'closer' to him."
"Why would they want him?! Don't they already have Akaya in their group?"
The blond girl made a face, "Yeah, but, Akaya's totally a womanizer, though."
"Well, everyone knows that."
The random boy snorted quietly to himself, "Hmph. Doesn't stop women from wanting to sit on his face."
His snide comment goes on unheard.
"Doesn't anyone know if Oyama is even single?"
"A guy that hot, can't be."
The brunette developed a thoughtful expression, "No one's really sure…" she trailed off a bit as she thought of the mysterious teen, "People say that he's not known to actively talk to anyone; he usually keeps to himself. When some people do ask him about if he's still single, he says that he's trying to figure it out himself."
"Mmm~," the blond girl shuddered as she held her hands to her hot cheeks, "I certainly hope he's single. Lord only knows what's like to be in the embrace of those strong,muscly arms of his."
"Haaaaah…" They all sigh dreamily.
The conversation between the chatty young women was abruptly halted when they heard not-so-distant yelling and hurried footfalls echo through the hallway.
"Stop right there, bastard!"
"Yes, please, I think we all have gotten tired of your constant running!"
The group of girls looked down the hall where the yelling originated from and saw two of the male members of the Security Committee chasing after another male student. The other students in the hall quickly moved out of the way of the three boys as they rushed passed them. Gen Tagayashi and Akaya Kodai, respectively, were hot on the heels of the runaway while sweat and exhaustion were prevalent on their faces.
The runaway student, on the other hand, didn't even look winded.
"I don't think you know just how fast-" the boy grinned largely, "-I really am!"
The other male back at the lockers suddenly slammed his closed, attracting the attention of the girls as he walked passed them and into the hallway, hands in his pockets. They froze and their eyes widened as they realized just who was right next to them the entire time.
Zane sighed in slight irritation, "Good grief…"
"I'm fast as fuck, BOOIIII!"
Zane casually struck out an arm and closelined the running teen with enough force to rattle the lockers a bit. The young, unfortunate man was instantly knocked to the ground and rendered into an unconscious, twitching, groaning mass.
Zane remained standing over the teen with his hands in his pockets, an uninterested look on his face, "Oops."
Akaya and Gen finally stopped in front of the taller male and the Makensmith hunched over with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. Akaya only seemed slightly less winded than his companion as he had his hands on his hips and took more controlled breaths.
"Hah! Thanks once again for the assistance, Oyama-kun. But, contrary to what you just saw, the situation was completely under control." The smug smirk on his face was a bit shaky as he flamboyantly wiped the sweat from his brow.
Zane stared at him in silence for a several moments, before switching his sights to the other older teen who had yet to regain the ability breathe normally.
Poor guy.
Zane looked back at Akaya, "Riiight, because this guy," he nudged said unconscious guy with his foot, "completely dusting your asses was all a part of your 'master plan'."
Shots fired.
Akaya brought a hand to his chest dramatically, "Such cutting words! You wound me, Oyama-kun!"
Akaya then turned his body towards the group of young women that were still standing over by the lockers. He used his other hand to flip the hair from his lightly sweating forehead, creating a sparkling effect around him. He smiled at them with his usual charm, "Good evening, ladies~!"
"Hello Kodai-san." They all replied back with perfect synchronization and blandness.
The third-year pretty boy comically collapsed to his hands and knees as a figurative rain cloud hung over him, "What kind of greeting is that?" His voice genuinely seemed to be filled with despaired bewilderment.
After finally straightening himself out and getting his breathe under control again, Gen walked over to his friend and fellow club member and patted his back, "Hehe! I guess you're losing your touch, Akaya." He joked lightly.
The makensmith straightened back up and walked over to the downed troublemaker to strap a strange little mechanical device around the teen's ankle. "That should do it." He placed his hands in his pockets as he turned to look at Zane with small smirk on his lips, "Sorry about that. What 'Loverboy' over here meant to say was: 'We're sorry to inconvenience you and we appreciate the help'."
Zane shook his head in his own amusement, a ghost of a smile on his face, "Whatever, don't mention it." He pulled his left hand out of his pants pocket showing Gen the small, black floral designed bento box in his hand, "While I have the chance though, could you tell Tomiko and Aki that I said thanks for the food again?"
The upper classman began scratching his head, "Uh, sure."
With his business done there, Zane began walking away. Though, he did take a glace at the awestruck group of young women. They all stared right back at him as his intense silver eyes locked them in place.
He tilted his head forward a bit in a slight bow, "Good evening, ladies." His light, baritone voice passed through their ears as he continued walking away again.
The group of women suddenly collapsed to the ground in a heap, startling Gen. Each of the fainted girls had flushed faces and Gen was not sure if he was seeing things, but, he could have sworn that he saw steam coming out of their ears.
"Ahh… So cool~…" They all murmured faintly in a dreamy tone.
Gen could only stare on in a strange mix of amusement and irritation, "Lucky bastard." He began scratching his head some more, "I bet he doesn't even realize the kind of reactions he gets from the people around him."
Akaya moaned a bit louder, wallowing in his own depression.
"All right you big drama queen! Get up and help me get this guy to the nurse's office, would ya!"
…
A lone figure stood in the garden courtyard of Tenbi Academy. The sun was beginning to dip over the horizon, just before welcoming the darkness of the night. The sky was painted with mellow orange and dark red colors.
Students had already left for their respective dorms after their welcoming ceremonies. Most of the academy staff had already left as well, leaving the grounds nearly vacant.
This solitary figure stood alone in the middle of the courtyard in front of the fountain, looking at a single large marble stone tablet that stood taller than they did. Inscribed on the surface was a name: Zane Oyama.
In loving memory of Zane Oyama, Hero of Tenbi.
There was more inscribed after this sentence. The tablet continued to speak of how Zane Oyama showed such courage and strength throughout his attendance at the academy and how he showed his selfless heroism when he chose to sacrifice himself to save everyone else at Tenbi. He would always be remembered in everyone's hearts.
The figure's expression betrayed no emotion as they looked upon the memorial slab. Their fists clenched within the confines of their pockets.
In loving memory, huh?
They couldn't blame them for thinking that. It was completely understandable why this was here.
But…
Never again.
The figure placed a hand on the smooth surface of the marble slab, slowly running their palm over the inscriptions and small imperfections.
Just another reminder of their past weaknesses and broken promises.
I'm not as weak as I was back then. This time…
The fingers on the hand that were on the face of the memorial slab began digging further into the rock. Cracks began to grow from where the five fingers were pressed in, slowly expanding across the entire surface.
This time… I'm here to stay.
Muscles twitched and the sound of crumbling stone could be heard through the courtyard, echoing off the walls.
That is, if anyone else was there to hear it.
…
"You can't be serious!"
Four adults stood in the principal's office of Tenbi Academy. Warm, mellow light from the setting sun filtered through the large windows behind the large desk. One of the occupants, a woman with red hair tied by a ribbon, leaned against the edge of the oak surface. No longer was she wearing the professional suit and skirt that she had no choice but to wear during the welcoming ceremonies. Now she was donned in a orange and white tracksuit that was zipped down to just below the curve of her breasts. Instead of shoes, she wore slippers.
Minori Rokujou couldn't help the anxiety bubbling in her stomach as she gripped the edge of the desk that now belonged to her as the new principal of the school. She looked up towards the other three people in the room in front of her.
They were her oldest friends and closest comrades. Gen Tagayashi, Aki Nijou, and Tomiko Amado all stood by the couches and the coffee table in the middle of the room as they stared at her with varying degrees of disbelief.
Four years may have passed since that fateful day, yet, it seemed that the four friends haven't aged at all, aside of their maturity. Though, Gen did now sport a couple of scars on the right of his cheek, down towards his jaw. Along with the small stubble on his chin, he now tended to wear a headband to keep his trimmed light brown hair out of his eyes.
Tomiko had grown her hair out so that it reached her waist with a purple hair band to keep it flowing backwards smoothly. The white short sleeved sweater and pink flowing skirt she wore did nothing to hide the mature, curvaceous body that she sported. Normally, her eyes would be closed in her usual ever-pleasant expression, but now, her eyes were wider than ever before.
Aki no longer kept her cerulean hair in twin pig tails, instead letting it flow down her back until it reach her rear. There were times where Minori became a bit irritated at how beautiful she had become even more over time. Instead of dressing more modestly, like Tomiko, she decided to wear a pink strapless top that was loosened enough to show a generous amount of cleavage. The mini brown skirt she wore did very little to cover her thighs. Like her father, Aki decided to work in the medical field while also still being able to be at Tenbi with her friends. So, in the end she became the academy's nurse.
Though, the lab coat she currently wore still did next to nothing to keep many men and some women from fantasizing about her.
Minori looked up towards the sole male in the room as his small outburst brought her out of her previous thoughts, "What makes you think that I'm not serious, Gen?"
"U-uh…" the makensmith hesitated in his reply for a moment, "Look. I know we've seen some crazy shit back then, but, we all know what we saw that day."
Tomiko closed her eyes again as she added to that statement, "Not only is it unthinkable, it's completely impossible. That… portal four years ago was closed the moment Zane fell in."
"Well, that just means that-"
Gen cut her off before she could speculate more, "For all we know, that could've been a one way trip! And even if – and that's a very big if – he was somehow able to find a way back; why now?" He swung his arms wide as if to question the very world they lived in, "Why did it take him four years to find a way back, huh?!" Anger and frustration filled his voice as this conversation began to dig deep into old wounds.
Aki looked at the male in concern as Tomiko spoke her piece in the same calm, neutral tone, "There hasn't been any recorded Maken users within the past few centuries that showed any capabilities similar to what we saw that day."
"I know the limitations of my the Maken that I build, and I know for damn sure that none of them could open holes in time and space. I may be good, but I'm not that good." Gen was normally a prideful person, especially when it came to his inventions.
But that didn't stop him from being a realist, though.
"And you said that this guy had a sword with him?!" he questioned further, "Where did it come from? The Zane we know didn't use weapons, he said it himself that he despised them."
Minori finally seemed to reach her boiling point as she slammed a hand onto her desk, screaming at Gen, "I KNOW WHAT I SAW!" The room shook at the volume of her voice, "I saw him fight that first year student today and I can say with certainty that his movements were exactly the same when we use to fight four years ago."
She remembered how her heart raced when she watched that fight. Back then, when Zane and her would always fight each other almost every day whenever she want to 'persuade' him to join Security Committee. No one else could get her heart racing like he did.
There wasn't any other man that could beat her in a fight; she also found herself getting bored during her fights with other women as well. But when Zane came into their lives, she quickly found herself getting completely outmatched and overpowered.
Instead of getting sore over it, though, she began admiring it. She was always known as the strongest back during her days in the academy and then he suddenly just 'shows up' and dominates her. Repeatedly. It wasn't until four years ago, a month before the incident, that he said something to her that changed that admiration into something… more…
…
Minori laid in the grass, left arm cradling her bruised stomach while she groaned from the pain. Her body was riddled with small scratches and bruises, along with dirt smudges on her skin and uniform. Her uniform was – once again – damaged beyond repair; only leaving enough left to cover her modesty to a certain degree.
She had lost. Again.
"Damn it…" her right hand clenched into a tight fist, fingers digging into the dirt along the way. Tears of utter frustration came to the verge of spilling from her eyes.
It was hopeless! For months she had been challenging Zane to duels to get him to join Maken Ki and yet every time, no matter how much training she did before hand, he would always wipe the floor with her whenever he got just a little serious. And yet, she could tell that deep, deep down… he was STILL holding back.
'At this rate… he'll just get bored and think that I'm just wasting his time! Damn it!"
She glanced over her shoulder when she heard the sound of grass being crinkling as the footfalls of her rival came closer.
She turn back away from the young man when he crouched to her downed form.
"Damn." She heard Zane curse under his breath, "It seems that I may have overdone it a bit, again. Sorry about that, Ri-Ri."
She still refused to look at him and remained in her own silence.
After a few moments she heard the grass rustle and briefly spotted his spiky hair peak into the corner of her vision. She immediately turned her face further away and almost into the dirt all in a effort to hide her anguished tears.
"Haaa…" She heard the young man sigh to himself before he spoke again, "Can you stand on your own?"
Minori thought about that question for a few moments while persisting to face away from him. Her whole body felt like one big bruise. She tried to twitch one of her toes only to flinch and muffle a groan as pain shot through her legs once more. She shook her head, no.
"All right, I guess I have no other choice then."
She almost didn't catch his mumbled words, 'Huh?'
She squealed in sudden surprise when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her upper back and under her knees. When she found herself lifted off the ground she finally turned her head to look up at him with her mouth agape.
Zane looked right back at her with his usual calm and focused gaze. The sunlight reflected off from his grey eyes, making them shine with a dim silver light. He exhaled through his nose a bit as a small smile formed on his lips.
"You know something, Ri-Ri?" Zane began walking with her in his arms, "I don't really get you."
She closed her mouth as she became confused at his sudden statement. What did he mean by that?
"Most people I beat would usually give up, cuss me out, and never come back to fight me again, but, you're not like most people, are you?" His smile flattened back into a thin line of neutrality as he turned his gaze forward, "No matter how many times you get beat, you always get back up, just as determined as before."
Minori couldn't help the minor flushed heat spreading across her cheeks as he continued to speak of her with such… adoration? A stray thought lingered in her clouded mind, 'O-oh… oh god! Is this a confession?!'
"What did you call it once?... Oh! Your fighting spirit, right?" He looked back down at her for a split second and a small good-natured smirk formed on his lips.
"I think it's what I admire about you the most."
Bu-Bum Bu-Bum Bu-Bum
By this time, Minori had already brought both of her hands to cover her overheating face. 'Does he even know what he's doing when he says those things?!'
He chucked a bit as he continued to look forward toward the path through the academy grounds, "This is kinda like those situations where a unstoppable force meets an immovable object, isn't it? But, who knows," he returned his focused intense gaze to her, staring deep into her eyes, her soul, "maybe you'll be able to move me. One day."
…
"HEY! EARTH TO MINORI!"
Minori was startled out of her short flashback by the sudden shout. When she realized that she had been day dreaming she brought a hand over her sternum to steady the rapid beating of her heart. She then sighed as she looked at the man that interrupted her pleasant memories, "What?"
Gen stood back from her and dropped his hand that had been waving in front of the distracted woman's face, "I was saying before you decided to tune out that you are the only one out of the four of us that continued to believe that Zane was still alive."
"You have to let it go, Minori. Hanging on to that delusion will only make you more depressed." Tomiko remember the times when she and Aki had to comfort their close friend after one of her drinking binges.
Minori scowled and she turned her eyes to the last occupant in the room that had yet to speak, "What about you, Aki?" said woman jumped a little as the attention was suddenly brought to her, "You've been quiet for a while. What do you think of this?"
Aki looked down and folded her arms under her bosom in a nervous gesture. She didn't respond immediately and began to fidget a bit under everyone's gaze. She bit the edge of her lip as a thought came to her, "I really don't know what to think. I truly wanted to believe that he was still alive this whole time, but," she paused, "there was still a part of me that had a lot of doubt."
Minori, Tomiko, and Gen couldn't help but to sympathize with her. Zane had been with them through most of that school year. Within those few short months he had fought with them, bonded with them, he even bled with them. Zane place everyone else before himself when he chose so sacrifice himself to save everyone.
He was always like that; placing others before himself by placing himself before others as a way to protect them. Someone with that kind of strength could not be easily beaten or forgotten.
Aki continued as she remembered something, "My dad seems to be close to Zane-"
"That wasn't him." Gen interjected but was ignored.
"-maybe he knows what's really going on."
Just as Aki finished that sentence, a couple knocks could be heard on the main door of Minori's office.
Everyone turned to look at the door and Minori walked past them to greet whoever it was on the other side. She grabbed the knob, twisting it as she pulled the door open a bit.
She released a long breath before speaking, "It's about time you got here, old man!"
"What is with younger people today and feeling the incessant need to call me that? I'm not that old, yet."
The taller figure walked passed Minori when she opened the door wider and stood out of the way before she then closed it again. The three other occupants stood surprised at the distinguished figure now standing before them.
"Daddy?!"
Dr. Takehito Nijou turned slightly towards his daughter before offering a small smile and wave, "Hello Aki," he turned back towards the rest of the group, "Sorry for being a tad late. It took a bit longer to treat Kitsukawa-san than I was hoping." He shrugged haplessly, shaking his head a bit, "But I honestly should have expected this, my assistant does tent to go overboard from time to time."
Gen got over his initial surprise and decided to ask, "What are you doing here, though?"
The smile on older man's face dropped and tension filled the room.
After a few moments, Takehito spoke once again, "Other than the fact that Minori called me here beforehand, I came here to answer your questions on a certain someone's sudden… resurgence."
"Also, none of the things said here should ever leave this room. Are we clear?"
…
Haruko's mind was still in a haze as she walked along the concrete path that led to one of the dorms closer towards the town. Her initial intention was to go see if Takeru was fitting into his dorm room well, but, ever since what happened earlier today she wanted to also go make sure that Takeru was okay with it as well.
She wasn't even sure if she was completely fine herself…
…
"My name is Zane Oyama. Remember it so you'll know the name of the monster that beat you."
Everyone in the audience and near the podium could only stare in silent awe at the near invisible power behind his words. It even seemed to radiate off his very form. The only exceptions were Takehito and Inaho since they weren't awestruck like the rest of the crowd.
The tense atmosphere was abruptly ended when Zane closed his only visible eye and pulled the bandana over the top half of his face fully.
He turned his head, as if to look over his shoulder, towards the renowned doctor and mentor, "Hey, old man!" The smirk on his face grew when he saw how the older man held his face in his hand.
Takehito peaked up at his assistant with one eye as if he sensed his hidden gaze. His eye then narrowed into a slight glare at the younger man, "God-"
"I'llleavetheresttoya, later!" Zane's form suddenly blurred from existence.
"-damnit." The older man couldn't help but rub his forehead in mild frustration.
The crowd of students began speaking amongst themselves with fervor.
"Holy crap, dude! Did you see that?!" one male called out in astonishment as he shook another male student by the shoulders.
"Yeah, I know man! I saw it too! Now would you please STOP SHAKING ME!"
A few girls swooned, "Who would've thought the Hero of Tenbi was so handsome and cool~…"
"So hardcore~!"
"Uhh, guys?!" Some male and female students turned to look over at where a couple of other male students were standing by the wall that Shogo Kitsukawa was still embedded in. "We could use a little help here, please!"
A large hulking figure walked past the young man, his form easily towering over the shorter teen. The other boy closer to the wall couldn't help but gulp at the intense gaze of the larger teen from the shadow of his visor.
"Step aside please, I've got it from here."
The shorter boy did as he was told and stepped away as the giant moved in front of the unconscious Shogo. Kai Kurigasa tipped his visor over his dark eyes and sighed in resignation, "Haaaah. Now you've really gone in over your head, huh, aniki…"
"Amaya-san!"
Haruko was pulled out of her fogged mind by the shout from the President of the Student Council Security Division, Furan Takaki. She blinked and yelped in fright, "Y-Yes?!"
Furan had her arms folded under breasts in a dignified manner as she regarded Haruko with a scrutinizing stare, "As Vice President of the Leadership Committee, you're expected to uphold the peace and order of this academy and set an example for the rest of the student body." She adjusted her glasses with a finger, light briefly reflecting off them, "Am I wrong?"
"No ma'am."
"Alright then. Since you know what your position entails, you wouldn't mind getting your head out of the clouds and assist me in reorganizing everything, right?"
"O-Oh! Sorry, I'll get right on it!"
Just as she took a single step forward, a swift breeze and the brief feeling of fingers grazed the back of her collar and neck. Her instincts flared with alarm and she reached for the spot to catch the offending hand… only to be left with nothing but a slip of a folded paper.
'What in the world?!' She blinked as she took the slip into her grasp and brought it into her vision. She quickly took note of words written on it.
We will talk soon.
…
Haruko placed a hand over her heart as she tried to calm its rapid beating. Just the mere thought of talking to Zane brought on waves of anxiety. It'd been nearly four years since she last talked to him; everyone had thought he'd been dead this whole time!
What questions would she even ask him? How was he alive? What happened to cause him to disappear for so long and how did he come back?
Why… a brief flash of memory of hollow, dull grey pools passed through her mind. Why did his eyes look so cold and lifeless?
Once upon a time, those very same eyes were brimming with life and warmth. Where did it all go? She was so confused!
She placed a hand on her forehead, "What am I going to do?" She whispered lowly to herself.
"Um, Miss?"
Once again taken out of her thoughts, her attention was pulled to a shorter, more modest woman that was sweeping leaves off the path by the gates for the dorms, "O-Oh sorry, yes?" She really needed to pull herself together, she had been getting distracted a lot lately.
"Is everything alright?" The modest lady looked at her in concern, "You had a pretty distraught look on your face just a moment ago."
"Oh!" Haruko felt so embarrassed. How could she have been so obvious?! "It's nothing really! I just have a lot of things on my mind is all." It wasn't like it's any of your business to begin with, Ms. Nosy.
"A young girl like you shouldn't have to worry so much. All that worry will only bring stress and stress brings unnecessary wrinkles."
"I appreciate your concern, ma'am, but I must get going now. See ya!" With that, Haruko briskly walked up the stairs.
As she stopped at the door to what she was told was Takeru's dorm room, she took a few moments to breathe and compose her fluttering thoughts, "Haaah." Here goes…
She knocked of the wooden surface twice.
Haruko could then hear a masculine call of "Coming!" from behind the door before the door was opened to reveal Takeru.
Both of his eyebrows rose high when he saw his childhood friend standing in front of his door, "Oh! Hey Haruko. What brings you here?"
"We need to talk, Takeru." Her tone was solemn and resigned while her expression was serious.
"Alright, give me just one minute-"
"No! I'm coming in right now." Her patience snapped a bit as she walked passed him into the dorm.
Takeru moved out of the way of her path, he remembered how pushy she got when she lost her patience, "Okay! Okay. Suit yourself."
He closed the door behind them and the outside air was once again filled with reigning silence.
…
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Well… that was until a loud feminine yell pierced the air of the dorm complex, shattering the peaceful atmosphere.
…
"Aaaagh..." Zane stretched his arms wide as he walked by one of the large forest parks in Tenbi that had a small lake next to it. The crisp night air provided a steady yet slow breeze.
It felt so very gratifying.
"The cool air feels really good right now," he spoke out loud to no one in particular, "My blood's still simmering a bit from that fight earlier today."
The moon's image reflected off the surface of the water like a mirror, not even a single ripple could disturb it's majesty. Zane took note of this and halted his gait to lean on the railing to look over the water. The serenity of it all was just to good to pass up.
He tilted his head to his left, as if he was listening to something being spoken. No one could guess what he was possibly listening for, there wasn't anyone else around him. He chuckled a bit to an unspoken response.
"I truly missed being able to do stuff like this, ya know. Enjoying the moment, I mean." He kept his gaze forward over the moon-lit lake as he leaned on the guard rail, "It helped me think whenever I was confused about something back then. Give it some time, you'll find yourself enjoying it soon enough."
He was also glad that no one else was here right now, otherwise, people would start to think that he was crazy or something. They wouldn't be completely wrong, though.
Gods! It felt so good to be back home.
He breathed deep through his nose. Then exhaled.
"I smell," his smile twisted into a minute smirk, "cherry blossom perfume."
He turned around just as a shadowed figure lunged at him from the tree line. The figure swung at his neck with a short katana, the light of the moon reflected off the blade as is it flashed through the air.
The edge of the blade came to a sudden halt just mere inches from Zane's throat as he held the blade in his left hand's firm grasp. The figure gasped softly.
The soft voice of a woman…
His lips twitched for a split second before it fell back into a calm smile. Gotta calm it down, can't afford to get too excited right now. "Well, aren't you rude for trying to spy on me while I'm trying to have some privacy. Whatever happened to safe space?"
The blade cracked in his fierce grip before he fully clinched his fist, shattering the sword into shards of useless metal. The unidentified female assailant immediately tried to leap back but quickly found her movement seized as she felt the strong arm of the man wrap behind her waist.
Zane brought her into his chest, her generously large bosom squishing into his broad and sturdy chest. The obscured woman placed her hands on his chest to keep from getting completely smothered and was forced to look up to her captor when he took her chin in his other hand; his grip firm, yet gentle.
"I can tell that you're using your maken to hide your identity from me. Unfortunately for you though," he felt slight resistance as he tilted her head to the right a bit, exposing the smooth skin of her neck. He then brought his face down to her neck, the warmth of his breath a stark contrast to the chill of the night air. He could practically feel her heart beat quickening.
"That won't work on something that doesn't need their eyes to see, Tomiko. It's a shame, though," his voice had a rasp undertone that tingled against her flesh, "I would have loved to see you in this sexy ninja outfit."
He placed his lips on the vein in her neck and the woman felt her own body lock up against her own will. "N-no wait-"
"Pulse."
Bu-Bum!
"Hynn~!"
A sudden wave of raw power and heat forced it's way throughout her body, starting from the spot on her neck that he was kissing. It travelled in all directions; from the surface of her skin, all along the fibers of her muscles, bouncing off and rattling each bone. It even traveled through and around her brain, causing her mind to loop around in a pleasure induced delirium.
It felt as if she was body of water that had been disturbed by a single large ripple that rebounded from the tips of her fingers and toes back to where his lips were connected to her neck.
I-it's too... much! "NNGHAAAAAAHHH~!" She threw her head back, cheeks flushed neon red, as a powerful moan forced itself out from her very core. Her eyes rolled upwards as her mouth fell open in ecstasy.
The ground shook and a small portion of the sidewalk next to the two suddenly cracked. Tomiko was in too much of a daze to notice but Zane was still quite coherent enough to hear it. He whipped his head to look at where the small crater had appeared.
The area around the crater still seemed empty to a normal outside observer, but Zane could sense the blatant killing intent fill the air in the form of faint dark miasma.
He sweat dropped. Great! Now she's mad…
"Let go of her you son-of-a-bitch!"
"Oh?-Pwuuh!" Zane was staggered back by a powerful haymaker to his face from a silver gauntlet-clad fist. Gen Tagayashi then caught Tomiko before she could hit the ground.
Zane was knocked back with enough force to dent the railing behind him. He gripped it with his right hand as he leaned on it and rubbed his smoking reddened cheek with gritted teeth, "Aaagh!-WHAT THE FUCK, GEN?! Christ, that actually stings!"
Gen stayed silent as he glared at the slightly peeved man. He lifted his left gauntleted arm, examining it in its entirety. Nothing looked inheritably wrong with it, it was a beautiful, yet, simplistic piece of armor; polished silver with small jade gems on each knuckle with a larger one on the back of the hand.
Light began to build in the large gem, so much light in fact that it started to become blinding. Gen was forced to close his eyes from the intensity of the light. Zane remained by the railing with a small frown, but, stayed silent while this was occurring. Cracks began to form on the surface of the metal and arcs of red trailed around the gems.
Gen flinched as the gauntlet exploded off his arm in a shower of shards of metal and light. His eyes widened, a few beads of sweat dripped from his brow, "Well, I'll be damned…"
"Are you satisfied now?"
"Huh?"
Gen's eyes turned towards Zane as the man was now casually leaning against the dented railing. Both of his hands gripped the rail, the damage to his cheek nowhere to be seen. Zane smirked at his old friend's mildly confused expression.
"I kinda figured that Takehito would have told you guys what had happened to me and how I got back." Zane chuckled to himself a bit, "Knowing how hard-headed you tended to be, I fully expected you to come to me directly to get confirm things for yourself."
Gen scoffed, "Che! Know me that well, do ya?"
"Yup!" Zane raised the index finger of his left hand, "That maken you used just now proves it. Don't you remember? Out of everyone in school, you were the only one to figure out the secret to my strength."
He then pointed at Gen, "You built that thing from scratch and punched me with it four years ago."
Yeah, Gen remembered. He couldn't forget something like that. After weeks of observing Zane and a little prying into his medical records that he had swiped from Takehito. It wasn't easy, though. The man kept his secrets more guarded than buried titanium vault.
With the information he had gathered, Gen came up with the theory that the source of Zane's strength came from the Element he circulated through his body. Gen then created the gauntlet to absorb concentrated Element on contact and empower the user. After testing it on Minori a couple times he challenged Zane a duel; once he landed a single punch, the thing sparked with red light and exploded.
Gen couldn't remember much afterwards, but after waking up in the nurses office, Takehito told him that Zane had beat him into the ground with enough force to shake a small portion of the campus. He had to be directly treated by the doctor himself. No one had ever seen the powerful teen so angry.
It was terrifying.
Zane had also been absent for the rest of that day and the next day. No one had known where the boy had been. It wasn't till a couple days after that he came back to class and continued his usual routine after apologizing to Gen and asking if they could be friends afterwards.
I used that old thing again hoping to get the same result, Gen chuckled to himself, a worn smile formed on his lips, Looks like even I can still be naive.
"Yeah, I also vaguely recall how you apparently almost beat me into bloody paste." Gen shifted his grip on the still comatose Tomiko as he placed her on the ground gently and stood up, "You still hadn't told us why you had disappeared after."
An awkward silence permeated the night air. Zane then responded, his expression solemn.
"Sorry about that, Gen. I…" he trailed off a bit before resuming, "I had some, uh… personal things that I had to deal with before I faced everyone again. Don't dig into it too much, okay?"
"All right, man. I understand."
Zane tightened his left hand into a fist, "I shouldn't have lost control like that…" His knuckles popped as his fist tightened further. I could've easily killed you back then.
The metal of the railing began to groan faintly in his right fist. He could feel his power rising against his will as whispers tickled his ears, invading his mind.
Kill... Destroy... Dominate.
Veins popped up under the skin of his arm and fist as tried to reign in his chaotic energy.
Have to… cut this conversation short…
"By the way," Zane's attention was brought back to his old friend, his physical and mental turmoil going unnoticed, "You wouldn't mind undoing whatever it is you did to Tomiko, would ya? She's completely limp and carrying her home would be a serious pain."
"Can't help ya there, bud." Zane placed his other hand on the railing as he leaned back again before shrugging, "The reason she's like that is because her body had grown unaccustomed to my pulse."
Gen raised a brow, "You're pulse?"
Zane smirked a bit, "It's a technique I came up with a while back to help with physical therapy. By channeling power through my body and a small dose into another person, I can use my heartbeat to send a gentle pulse through their entire body to ease the tension of the bones and muscles. Although…" he turned his head to the drooling, unconscious woman that had been reduced to a blissful limp mess.
"I don't get why she turns out like this, though." He scratched the side of his head in genuine ignorance, "She use to ask of it from me a few times back then. She wasn't so loud during those times…"
Such a weak and insignificant human. He dares to strike us?! END HIM! Wrap your hand around his neck and squeeze. It would be oh so easy…
Zane grunted lowly as his heart pounded painfully in his chest, but he held his composer and endured.
Aah, then we can continue where we left off with that woman… Such supple flesh… She couldn't resist us!
Veins bulged on his temple as his body heat rose. His breath became ragged, small plumes of steam puffed from his slightly parted lips. A fog encroached upon his mind, his moral thoughts and restraints fading.
"Hey, Zane! Are you okay there, man?" Gen asked in concern. He could obviously tell that something was wrong with his friend. Did I actually injure him somehow?
Gen took a step towards him.
Murderous rage burst forth from the fog clouding Zane's mind.
TEAR HIM TO SHREDS!
Stay back! Zane yelled out to Gen in his mind. He gritted his teeth, growling.
Suddenly, as if by some divine intervention, the section of the railing Zane had been leaning on groaned loudly as the top bar broke off. As Zane had been leaning on it for leisure support and his rational mind being clouded, he wasn't prepared when his weight carried him backwards.
"Zane!"
"AH!"
There was a loud splash as Zane fell into the lake.
Gen jogged over to the edge when he saw him floating on the surface of the water facing towards the night sky. Zane's visible expression was completely blank as he floated there. Both men let a, somewhat awkward, silence pass between them for several moments…
…
…That was until Zane began spewing water from his mouth like a fountain. It was actually quite comical.
"Pffff-haahahaha!" Gen broke out in hysterical laughter, hunching over to hold his gut, "Oh my god! That has to be," he inhaled a gasped breath, "the funniest thing that could've happened just now! So anti-climactic! Haha!"
After spitting the rest of the water out of his mouth and standing up, he blew some hot air out of his nose like a peeved bull. He folded his arms while frowning at his old friend, "Yeah, well joke's on you! I had already planned on taking a dip in the lake!"
"No you didn't! And you might as well just stop right there too; we both know that you can't talk smack when you get flustered."
Zane scoffed, "Shut up! Shouldn't you be taking Tomiko to Aki or something? She's been knocked out for so long now that I'm actually getting worried."
Gen waved him off halfheartedly as he turned back towards where he laid the female teacher, "Yeah, yeah! I got it!" As he heaved her on his back, making sure to keep proper grip of her legs, he called back out to soaked man, "And Zane?"
"Hmm?"
"It's great to have you back."
"…"
Zane remained silent before Gen continued on his way with Tomiko resting on his back. He waited until they were out of earshot before sighing. He raised his right hand to rub the back of his neck as an familiar ache lingered for a second there.
Is it really a good thing that I'm back, though?...
With little effort, he leaped out of the lake and back onto the sidewalk. The water on he skin and clothing began to hiss and sizzle it evaporated off his body at an increasing rate. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as his lips tilted down in a slight scowl, "Tohru."
Just as he called out that name, a beautiful and busty blond woman with long twin pigtails in a stereotypical maid outfit suddenly seemed to pop into existence next to him. Her fiery draconic eyes gazing at him in fretting concern.
"Are you all right, Mr. Zane?"
A crimson bolt of energy arched around his form for a split second as multiple veins in his neck bulged, "Take us… home."
Without hesitation she hurriedly created a portal under the both of them, "Of course, right away!"
Just as the two dropped in and the portal closed behind them, another figure that had been casually sitting at a bench a few yards away whistled lowly to himself; his features mostly obscured by the darkness of the night.
"Well, well… this is certainly different." The anonymous man smirked amusingly.
"Hmm… Let's see where this path leads."
…
As soon as Zane and Tohru landed in the living room of his apartment, the young man collapsed into the waiting arms and large bosom of another woman that wore a black tank-top with mini-jean pants and black stockings.
A lock of her vibrant light green hair tickled hos nose as he tried to look back up to the smiling, ethereal woman. His teeth began to sharpen and pierce his own gums as he grit them in restraint. He struggled with his next words, the little sliver of rational sanity slipping from his mind once more, "Lu… coa-" She cut him of softly by pacing a delicate finger on his lips.
"Shhh. You did well to hold on this long, Z-Baby. Don't say anything more. Just let Tohru and I help you ease your burdens." Tohru came up next to them, a hot blush on her cheeks while she held one of his hands to her breast.
Lucoa placed a hand on his right cheek and gently pulled the bandana from his head.
Zane's eye's were wide, once grey pools now flaring sinister red. Sharp demonic crisscross pupils expanded and contracted at random intervals and his breath became ragged and raspy, steam puffing out of his mouth with each exhale.
Lucoa opened her left eye, forcing him to stare back into a golden pupil surround by a pool of amethyst.
"Sleep now, my love~." His vision began to blur and fade as a soft voice filled his mind, the echo of it drowning out everything else, "Tonight we'll sate that insatiable hunger."
His vision faded to black and he was conscious no more.
…
AN: Curse my incessant need to procrastinate! I'm sorry that it took me months to get this chapter out. I'm still a relatively new writer and I need to learn to dedicate time to this better.
I would like to say that I enjoy the positive reviews that you guys are posting. It shows that I'm doing okay so far, but, don't be afraid to point something out if you feel that it might hurt the story, okay?
I would also like to thank my friend Soleneus for suffering with the beta'ing of the story so far. Not All of them have been beta'ed yet. So there are still some chapters that still might need tweaking.
For those who don't know, yes, I did borrow a few more characters from another anime. Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. For those who are fans of the show, I will try my best to do those characters justice. Let me know if you feel that I'm doing something wrong, but, also keep in mind that they might act differently because of the different circumstances that they have to deal with.
For those who play Xbox One, me and Soleneus play on it as well. So if you want to chill with us and hear me bitch and rage hilariously on Destiny 2, I go by AustinYeeeed.
Until next time!