BP: Whew! Just got off from homework. Yeah, I got a lot of homework this week. So, please bear with me if the chapter is short…
"Stacey, would you come on? You keep that up and you're going to make us late!" the girl said in a bored voice. (It's the same girl who rescued Ryoma. In this chapter, you'll find out who she is.). Stacey paid no attention to the girl. Grasping more firmly his notebook and hitching up his bag higher on his shoulder, he continued to concentrate on the roadway back to school. He lagged several feet behind her and a boy with emerald black hair and hazel eyes, attempting to keep the dirt from swelling with each step and drifting back upon his shiny black shoes and the cuff of his corduroy High School Division pants by lifting each foot high before setting it gently down again. Always meticulously neat, Stacey never allowed dirt or tears to mar anything he owned. Today was no exception.
"You keep it up and make us late for school, and Jinno-sensei's going to wear you out with his Electricity Alice." The girl 'threatened' in a monotonous voice, pulling with exasperation at the collar of her High School Division uniform.
"You go ahead and get dirty then." said Stacey. "Me, I'm going to stay clean."
"Bet Jinno-sensei's going to clean you later if you keep that up." The girl muttered.
The boy with emerald black hair and hazel eyes spoke up. "Ah, Shizuku, leave him be." said Ryoga.
"I did not say anything but-"
Ryoga cut Shizuku with a wicked look and she grew silent. His disposition had been increasingly sour lately. If Shizuku hadn't known the cause of it, she could have forgotten very easily that he was, at 17 years old, bigger than her and the fact that what she told him earlier did not please him. "It isn't really anyone's fault that your brother's in this Academy, Ryoga." said Shizuku. "I did not expect my younger cousin to be here as well." They reached the class, and sat down for Chemistry. Halfway through the Chemistry lesson, things took for an unexpected turn. The announcement buzzer rang through the P.A. system and a gruff male voice said, "Good morning, this is Principal Yukihira speaking. May I please see these following students: Shizuku Ameyuri and Ryoga Echizen from Class A. Please come to my office immediately. Thank you." There were some murmurings in the classroom after the announcement. The two of them were perfectly stunned. Why would the High School Principal call them? Are they in trouble?
"Come on, Shizuku. Let's go," Ryoga said as he stood up. Shizuku compelled and along with Ryoga, left the classroom.
Along the way down, they were discussing theories why the principal called them. They opened the door, and among them stood all of the Special Star students. The principal apparently needs help from all of them. (Yes, Shizuku's a Special Star. But she wears the Triple Star badge so as not to stand out.) Among them was the boy that she saved earlier. The said boy looked up, and saw Shizuku, and pointed at her. "You're the one who saved me the other day!" Ryoma exclaimed. Shizuku looked at her cousin and nodded. "Yes, I never thought you would be a Special Star like me." Before she could say anymore, the principal came in.
"Welcome. Have a seat," he said as he pointed to eight chairs in front of the desk. He himself sat behind his desk
They all sat down and looked at the headmaster to wait for him to speak.
"Before we begin, do any of you five gentlemen and three ladies have any questions?" he asked.
One of them rose up his hand and asked, "Sir, are we in trouble?"
The principal just smiled and reassured him, "Don't worry, none of you are in trouble."
"So, what do you call us here for?" said another.
"The Alice festival is coming up. I want all you principal students to keep watch of anything suspicious and take care of all the accidents that may happen during the festival. Use your energy Manipulation to keep them at bay if you have to , Shizuku." Shizuku nodded. "Use your Shadow Alice if you must, Ryoga. But no funny moves." Ryoga nodded as well. The meeting lasted for about two hours and by the time, it was dinnertime. Shizuku looked at Ryoga and nodded. She beckoned to Ryoma. Ryoma, curious, followed the two High School Division students. Fuji pulled at Tezuka's sleeve and they followed them. Once they were sure they (Ryoma, Ryoga and Shizuku) are alone, they turned to Ryoma. "It has been a long time…Ryo-chan." The girl gave Ryoma a soft smile. Ryoma immediately realized who that girl is. "Shizuku…onee-chan…" Shizuku's smile widened, and opened her arms for a hug. Ryoma threw himself to her, and they both hugged.
When they broke apart, Ryoma looked at the other high school student. "Aniki?" he cried out, surprised his brother is in there. When he was young, Ryoga was taken away by the academy, seeing he has an Alice. If he was not wrong, his Alice allows him to control someone's movement just by stepping on their shadow. Once both shadows are connected, Ryoga is able to force the opponent to mirror his movements, or perform any task by writing commands on the shadow. He now knew he had the Shadow Alice, as the Principal Yukihira mentioned it during the principal students meeting. Meanwhile, Fuji low-whistled. "I didn't know he had a brother and cousin in this school." Tezuka placed a finger on his lips, telling him to keep quiet, as the other three are still talking. "I guess all of us are taken away from our families because we are Alices, right?" said Shizuku sadly. "I sure miss my family…I want to go home…"
"I'm alright. Seigaku has shown many promising things and organized amazing events so far. Every day has been an interesting day for me. As long as I have the both of you, I can almost imagine home." Shizuku and Ryoga smiled. "You know, even without your family, you will always have us." Ryoga nodded. "Why don't we go for dinner together?"
When Ryoma heard the word dinner, he suddenly had an idea. "I know! You should meet my friends!" Ryoma replied excitedly, reverting to his cheerful personality, something he only shows to people he really trusts, dragging them to the cafeteria. Fuji signaled to Tezuka, and they went to the cafeteria as well, using the short way, so they reached the cafeteria before the trio.
"Oh, Echizen? Who are these two?" said Momo, before looking at the girl. "Hey, you're the one who saved Echizen!"
"Everyone, I wish to introduce my brother, Echizen Ryoga, and my cousin, Ameyuri Shizuku. Both of them are Special Stars like me, and we met at the Principal Students' meeting today."
"Thanks for taking care of my little brother in the Academy all this whole time." said Ryoga. Shizuku nodded her thanks, and they sat down next to Ryoma. "So, Shizuku, do you only have the Apathy Alice?" said Oishi. Oishi knew too well about her Apathy Alice, because his Pain Alice did not work on her. Shizuku shook her head. "I also have the Energy Manipulation and the Genjutsu Alice."
"What's that?" said Kikumaru.
"Energy Manipulation allows me to shoot icy cobalt blue energy from my hands that can be used as a physical attack or project a shield for protection. I am able to concentrate my energy to enhance my body's strength , speed, hearing , agility, endurance, flexibility and dexterity. This energy can also automatically protect me from extreme heat, especially fire. The Genjutsu Alice gives me an incredible talent for creating illusions. My talent in that field is such that the illusion is overwhelming. Furthermore, the illusion I can create is so powerful that it causes the brain to believe anything that happens to the victim within the illusion physically affect their body. This fearsome ability allows me to potentially kill my opponents just with illusion. Such frightening power is not without its drawbacks, however. I can rarely control the full extent of their abilities, and as such their subconscious will often regulate that power, leading to the creation of a second personality in control of that power. This personality then overwhelms my original, turning me into a monster that's a danger to everyone around them. That's why I wear this." She indicates five earrings on her ears. "It's for the Genjutsu Alice."
"Cool…" said the boys. "So, how about Ryoga's Alice?"
"Huh? It's just the Shadow Alice, Ghost Manipulation Alice and the Sensior Alice. Nothing Special…" but he was bugged by the others to tell them his Alices. They each told the group their Alices as well, mainly for Ryoga and Shizuku's benefit, and had a great time demonstrating their Alices.
Ryoma, for the first time, was laughing his heart out. He had never felt at home.
BP: Please note I only had 15 minutes so it may be bad. Please review, though!