Hello! Yeah, this is a day late, but believe it or not, I do have a life outside of fanfiction. I can sense your disbelief. Actually, I just found this manga Liar Game, and I got addicted. I read 7 chapters, looked at the clock, and thought, "Holy crap, it's that late?! I totally didn't notice!" I'm on chapter 53 right now, and I still love it! Also, to add to that, FF's being horrible and not letting me update!
6 more reviews! That makes me very happy. I'm glad that this story is finally gaining a little popularity.
dotYui: How do you review so fast? I'm always at least a day late when I review yours (which I really love, by the way). Every once in a while, my school still gives us a half day, but it's really only an hour and a half less. Which is still better than normal, but they're not very frequent. We used to get half days for midterms, but because of the sixth grader's parents, who don't think the kids are responsible enough to be home alone (which I personally agree with, but still), we don't have those anymore. Instead, we have "½ year tests", which are basically the same test minus the rest of the day off. I hate them. Moving on, I'm glad you like the arc. Retsu's going to have a very unique weapon, which I have already thought up. I hope you like it when it shows up!
YaoiFanGirl2ndnature: Glad you like the story. Who that girl is, why she's here, etc. will all be answered in either this chapter or at a later point in the story, when they become relevant. Feel free to say if you have anymore questions. I'm planning for Kurohana to be a bit of an anti-hero/very controversial character, so pay close attention to her.
Blakk Magic: Wow, you read fast! Truth be told, I have a general idea about what's going to happen in the next, like, 30 chapters or more, depending on how long it takes to write. After all, I thought this arc was only going to be 3 chapters, and it turned into 6. But the key word in that is idea. I don't really plan the details beforehand, I just kind of write whatever I think up in that moment. The hardest thing about writing is keeping your characters in characters (followed closely by the hell known as editing), so I'm glad you think that they're okay. I didn't get around to reading your story yet because of reading Liar Game, but I saw the summary, and it looks good. I'll try to read it before my next update!
Fuuki Inchou Ange: I like serious stories too, but I'm not really good at writing them. This arc's probably about as serious as it's going to get for a while. I love the KHR characters, but you're right; there's so many of them that they make it really hard to make an original character! It's okay for an OC to be like Fran. He's cool. Yume is a very mysterious person, so her personality is going to be hard to categorize. Hope you like mysterious people!
monochromez: I don't like having to wait too long for updates on my favorite stories, so I don't like having to make you guys wait either. Who am I kidding, I'm such a hypocrite. I haven't updated my other story in over 2 weeks, which really isn't that bad in retrospect, but I still don't like it. I just can't think up any ideas for it! I'm happy that you liked the dictating part, as I was worried that it wasn't really flowing that well. It's good to hear that I'm keeping you entertained!
Reborn22: Lal Milch, huh? I hadn't really thought about it, but it's not a bad comparison. I like her for the most part though, so that's okay. ^^
Wow, I write long responses. Maybe too long. Tell me if you think so, and I'll shorten them. Now, onto the story!
Our Sky
Chapter 12: Demon 6: Tora
Last Time:
Kurohana was smirking down at Retsu, but there was a certain softness in her eyes, one that showed she wasn't quite as heartless as she wanted everyone to believe. Yume, she began. I believe the idiot just kicked us out.
Yume gave her other half a strange look, but said nothing. When she was good and ready, Kurohana would tell her what she was thinking, and not a minute sooner. Kurohana always took things at her own pace, and hated to be rushed.
"With my dying will," she heard Retsu start. Both girls looked down. "I'll protect our future."
~OS~
Retsu charged, staff raised, at the girl. He was surprisingly quiet for dying will mode, not making a sound except for his footsteps pounding against the floor. The girl's reflexes were fast; she countered before he even reached her. Their weapons clashed with a loud clacking sound.
"Do you really think you stand a chance against me?" she asked in a bored voice. "I've defeated opponents far stronger than you with my eyes closed, not to mention that before today, I doubt you've ever held a weapon."
Violet eyes met her gaze unflinchingly, flames of determination burning in their depths. "I will defeat you!" he cried, pushing forward with his weapon. The girl held her ground, but the added force on her arms was taking its toll. She re-adjusted her stance, and strengthened her hold on her staff. Retsu's opponent was so focused on the deadlock that she failed to notice his leg sweeping towards her until it was too late. The boy knocked her feet out from under her, causing her to fall to the ground with a thud.
"That was dirty," she stated as she pushed herself to her feet, apparently unfazed. "Well, I suppose that's to be expected from the mafia."
"I am not a member of the mafia!" the teen shouted. The girl raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "I am me!"
Yume, who was watching from her position above his head, sweat dropped. What's that supposed to mean? she asked. Kurohana smirked, a few snickers escaping from behind her lips.
Who knows? was the red eyed girl's only response. Yume glared, but her companion had already turned her attention back to the fight. C'mon, idiot, she silently urged. Remember the plan.
As if he had heard her, Retsu looked down at the weapon in his hand. He remembered that he was supposed to destroy it, but how? Burn it? The boy thought about the flame on his head, and wondered if maybe he could channel some of it into his hands. Could he do that?
Almost as if on cue, a faint orange glow began to gather around his hands, answering his question. He smiled. This was a useful discovery.
He wasn't the only one who noticed though. From her position across from him, his opponent saw it too. Realizing his intentions, she did a very unexpected thing; the girl panicked. "No!" she cried, a small glimmer of fear showing in her eyes. In a desperate lunge, she reached for the staff. Retsu yanked the weapon towards him, successfully stopping the attempt, but his concentration was broken. The light around his hands began to fade.
Now it was Retsu's turn to panic. "Come back!" he shouted at his hands, trying to remember the feeling of the flames around them. The color stopped fading, and he had a moment of celebration before he was cut off by a punch aimed for his gut. He backpedaled, focusing all of his thoughts on the flickering warmth in his hands. It strengthened slowly, heating with painful slowness.
Meanwhile, the girl was aiming frantic attacks at him, cool facade gone. She could feel her control over the body weakening, which meant that Retsu was succeeding with burning the metal. She had to stop him somehow, or else she'd disappear!
Yume and Kurohana could feel her hold on their body slipping too. They watched the fight with excitement.
What do you say to helping the kid out a little? Kurohana suggested with a savage grin.
I was just about to ask you the same thing. Though much less visible, Yume's aggressive side was also coming to light at the prospect of being able to reclaim her body.
As one, they swooped forward, diving towards the fight. Each grabbed hold of one of the other girl's arms, focusing their energy into regaining control. At the spots where their hands touched, the black tattoos began to disappear, evaporating into the air before being swept away. Their captive struggled frantically, desperately trying to break free from the girls only she could see. But it was to no avail.
Between Retsu burning the staff and Yume and Kurohana forcing her out, she was weakening. Her escape attempts became less frequent. The wooden staff dropped from her grip, falling to the floor uselessly. She slumped to her knees, barely finding the energy to raise her head to face the white haired boy in front of her.
"But how?" she spat out harshly. The last of the marks were disappearing, signaling that her time was coming to an end. But she couldn't let this go. "I'm so much stronger than you. You're weak. Why did I lose?"
"I have no doubt that you would have won if it had been a fair fight," Retsu replied quietly, returning to normal now that his task was done. The charred piece of metal fell to the ground at his feet, utterly unrecognizable. That was how hot the dying will flames were. "But you lost your cool. You lost sight of your appointed task, and you got sloppy. Plus, you chose to fight all three of us by yourself."
"Three?" she whispered, barely able to keep her eyes open. "There's only you here."
You seem to have forgotten about someone. Yume's voice echoed in her head.
Try two someones, Kurohana added. Both were safely back in the body, ready to regain it the moment that she disappeared.
"This is not the last you'll see of me," the girl threatened through gritted teeth. "Consider yourselves lucky that I was the first one you met. The others are so much more powerful, and as soon as they learn what happened to me, they'll come after you. So enjoy the peace you have for now. And be ready to die."
"Who are you?" Retsu asked. "What others?"
"My name is Tora," the girl smirked. "I am one of the 6 Zodiacs. As for who we are...well, I'll let you figure that out for yourselves." She fell forward, her last words barely over a whisper. But they all heard them. "Good luck, little Vongola. You're going to need it."
"The 6 Zodiacs?" he repeated, but it was too late. She was already gone.
~OS~
"Hm?" Jun opened his eyes groggily, unsure of where he was. The last thing he remembered was Kurohana disappearing, then an intense pain in the back of his head. Then, the world went black. He was lying on the ground somewhere, that he knew.
"'Bout time you woke up," a voice said from somewhere above him. An annoyingly familiar voice.
"Kazuki?" the sprinter tried to sit up, but was hit with the most intense headache he'd ever felt. He fell to the ground with a gasp, clutching his head in pain.
"You okay?" the blonde asked worriedly.
"No, I'm not okay!" Jun snapped. "I just got hit in the back of the head with a metal staff! How the hell do you think I feel?"
"Jeez, you're mean when you wake up!" Kazuki complained. Jun was about to retort, but his attention was caught by something going on across the room. He lifted his head, temporarily ignoring the ache in the back of it, to look over. His companion followed his gaze, seriousness apparent on his face. "Oh, that."
Kurohana was kneeling a few feet in front of Retsu. They were talking about something, but the conversation was too quiet for the two to hear. The girl swayed once, then fell forward, a smirk on her face.
"6 Zodiacs?" Retsu asked, but received no answer. He kicked what appeared to be a burnt piece of metal, swearing colorfully. Then, he remembered them. "Kazuki? Jun? Are you guys okay?"
"Why do people ask that question?" Jun asked to no one in particular. "It's completely redundant!"
"Sorry," the white haired boy muttered. "You don't have to be so mean about it though."
"Oh, he's just cranky when he wakes up," Kazuki said cheerfully.
"Retsu," a squeaky voice called from behind them. "I think you should take a look at this."
He walked over, then looked to where Reborn was pointing. He was gesturing to the girl's hands, and Retsu gasped at what he saw. Imbedded in them were tiny silver spikes, each no more than a half a centimeter wide. The skin surrounding the spikes was blackened, and the coloring showed no signs of disappearing. She hadn't woken up yet, which led the teen to believe that something was wrong.
"What are those?" he murmured. The other two boys had followed him, and were now gaping at the wounds too.
"That's not normal," Kazuki pointed out, for lack of anything better to say. Jun was too shocked to even comment on the statement.
"Reborn, what should we do?" Retsu asked, feeling panic rising up in his chest. Wasn't this over yet? They'd beaten Tora, so what was was going on?
The baby was silent for a moment. "Take her back to your house," he finally ordered. "There's someone there who may be able to help."
And thus, the Demon Arc comes to a close. But Yume and Kurohana's story is far from over. Who are the 6 Zodiacs? What was Tora? Is Yume going to be okay? Some of these questions will be answered next chapter (hopefully).
