Me: Well, It's time to keep writing.

TK: And that's good or bad?

Me: We'll see.

CHAPTER 7

The Path of the Chosen One

"What the hell are we doing here?" TK said as he looked at his surroundings. A junkyard. He could notice the nearest soul was out of the 900 ft radius. That way nobody would interfere in Kazuo's happy hour. He looked at his watch. 6:30 PM.

"Are you nervous?"

"Not at all, Kazuo." TK answered trying to hide the fact that he was very nervous…and scared.

"Takeru…if you're nervous, don't try to hide it."

"Feelings just lead to mistakes."

"Oh, really? And weren't those feelings the ones that made you stronger? What about your training? It must have been a living hell. But, somehow you made it. Tell me, Takeru, what do you think gives humans the strength to fight adversity? It's the fusion of the feelings inside you heart, call them good feelings, or bad feelings. Takeru, don't accept what your masters told you as undeniable truths. You must believe in what you feel."

Takeru looked at his opponent. He had the same confident look he always has, and he was looking at him with a grin. Takeru hated that. He felt like a puppet in Kazuo little game.

"And why are you telling me that?"

"You see, Takeru. Using a human body gave me an ability I never had before." "Using a human body…what does that mean?" and that way, he remembered.

"And then…what if Evil takes possession of a human body?"

"Can he do that?" Mina nodded.

"Didn't your teachers tell you?"

"Nope. Now that's a problem. I wouldn't like anyone to die in that battle. But if it has to be done, it will be done."

"How macabre."

"I know. But that's the way of war."

"So, it happened. I must destroy an innocent human." TK had so many questions to ask him, but it seemed like Kazuo would answer them without even being asked.

"Now, I have the ability to dream, and desire, my friend Takeru. Before taking this body, my only intention was to destroy everything, and everyone. Now, I want to do it the right way, and I'll never have the battle I want if you're just an ignorant fool. That's why I want to teach you. I want to be your master, and then we'll see who is the strongest: Master or disciple."

"And what if I refuse to learn from you?"

"Then your life ends today." Kazuo said, as he created a black energy ball, that floated over his right hand. "So, Takeru, are you willing to learn the truth?"

Takeru was in a dilemma. He knew that if he refused, he wouldn't last two minutes. On the other side, if he accepted, what would Kazuo do with him?

"I guess I'll have to accept. Live today, so you can fight tomorrow."

"Ok. I'm willing to learn, Kazuo…if that's your real name."

"Oh, that's great. And, well, of course it isn't. But it's the name of the human this body belongs to."  Kazuo said, smiling, as always. "Ok, first lesson. This is something your teachers probably told you, but let's see how well you use it. Let's see how you can handle this."  Kazuo said as he threw the energy ball directly to Takeru's right arm.

"I summon the power of hope!" TK shouted, as the Staff of Hope appeared. Immediately, he batted the deadly sphere with it, and sent it back to its caster. Kazuo just crushed it with his hand. Takeru looked at his staff, as he had never used it before. It was wooden, and it was at least 7 ft long. It was a long stick that ended up in a circle with spikes around it, resembling a sun. In the middle of the circle, the biggest emerald he had ever seen. Big, shiny, and filled with a powerful aura. He smiled, as he admitted that he liked Mina's gift.

"Impressing, Takeru. The staff of Hope, I presume. Too bad this isn't a baseball game, so you better fight seriously or you'll get killed!" Kazuo shouted as he started running to fight him. TK thought fast. "Magic shield or physical block? Ah, whatever…." He said as he prepared to use his Staff as a defensive wall. And it was successful. With the staff great length, it was easy to block all of Kazuo's hits. "Good job, Takeru." Kazuo said, without stopping. "Let's see if you can follow me." And so, he increased his speed. Now it was harder for TK to block his opponent's attacks. "I'll never win if I keep protecting myself. We'll have to change his rhythm." Takeru tried swinging his staff to hit Kazuo's left ankle, but he jumped over him and fell behind him.

"That's the oldest trick, Takeru. Black Sphere!"

"Flame Shackles!" TK's plan was to block Kazuo's spell with a series of small explosions surrounding him, but he never thought about the imminent, huge explosion that was coming.

"This isn't good…!"

Mina looked at the wall clock. 11:00 PM, and TK still hadn't returned. It was raining outside. Rain, and it had been such a warm day. She was starting to think the worst.  "Will he…be defeated so soon? It's just not fair! TK doesn't stand a chance against him!" She tried to get those ideas out of her mind, but it was impossible. She jumped out of the couch, when she had been for the last 5 hours, and walked to the library. Something was calling her. When she got there, she found the reason. The crystal was glowing. She had a call. She activated the crystal, and the usual screen appeared in front of her. On the screen, her Master.

"Two calls in less that two years. New record, Master."

"I have no time for your childish jokes, Mina." Tomari said. "I need to talk with the Chosen One." Mina sighed.

"It's Wednesday, 11:00 PM. Normal people are sleeping at this time."

"I don't care. Wake him up. It's urgent."

"Too bad, because he's not here." She said.

"Then call him. I already told you it's urgent."

"I don't think he can talk with you right now. He's very busy."

"I don't care about what he's doing, Mina!" Tomari said, angrily. "Just get him here, now!!" Those words made Mina lose her grip. And with tears on her beautiful eyes, she began shouting.

"He's fighting, for God's sake! And you don't care! He's just a mere soldier for you, but he's a human being! A precious human being! And he's getting himself killed right now, just to follow your orders! Evil is going to kill him, and there's nothing I can do…" when Mina finished, she was already crying. Tomari was shocked. He wasn't a human being, so he couldn't understand Mina's feelings. But Takeru was his student. His best student, and the idea of him, fighting against Evil, completely shocked him.

"He's already fighting…that's…that's terrible. Please, calm down, Mina."

"How!? How am I going to calm down!? TK will never be able to win…"

"Did…did you meet him, Mina?" Mina nodded, and tried to wipe her face, but she was still crying.

"Yes…pure darkness he is…over all of my expectations…his power….is unlimited…" Tomari was thinking.

"It's Evil. His only purpose is chaos. His powers are far beyond those of mortals."

"And, even knowing that, you sent a mere human to fight him!"

"Mina, Takeru is not a mere human. He's the Chosen One. His natural abilities also go beyond those of mortals."

"But he still doesn't know that!"

"That's why you have to teach him, Mina. Show him the true path."

"But…I don't want him to fight anymore…I love him." Tomari sighed. He didn't know a thing about love, but he understood what that sentence meant.

"He's special. That's why you love him."

"No! I love since he was a little child. He has something no other human has."

"That's the love of a sister, or a relative. Mina, you don't understand…"

"No, it's you who doesn't understand!" she shouted. "I love him! That's all I know!"

"…but…he doesn't love you, Mina. His heart already belongs to someone. I may not know anything about feelings, but I can recognize what's in his heart."

"I…I know that, too."

"Then…?"

"That's why the idea of watching him die hurts even more…he's giving away his life, and he can't even reveal his feelings to anyone."

Tomari was going to say something, when they heard the sound of a door closing. It was the front door. The magic master sighed in relief. Mina couldn't believe it.

"It seems like your love has returned." Mina nodded. Could it be possible? Was he able to defeat Evil?

"TK!" she shouted.

"I'm… on my way." A voice replied, slowly. "Don't…move…agh!" Mina could here something hitting the floor. TK falling on the floor. She rushed to open the door, and both sorcerers, the master and the woman, could see him.

"Oh, my Goodness…" Tomari said softly. Mina began crying again. TK had returned alive, that was true, but he could barely move. His clothes were filled with cuts and were practically torn apart. He had a cut on his forehead, and trails of blood covered most of his face. He was seeing with only one of his eyes, and his right leg was in a not very normal position. He tried to talk.

"Master…Master Tomari. How embarrassing is all this…I'm sorry I…can't welcome you…in the proper way….Mina, could you…help me get up?"

TK looked at Mina. She was crying.

"Mina…what's wrong? I'm asking you a favor…" Mina just cried, and hugged him.

"You're so stupid! You almost got killed! Don't do that ever again!" she said, and she kissed his cheek. Again, again and again.

"Mina…I'm…I'm ok…could you stop hugging me? That…that really hurts…" Mina released him.

"May I ask what happened, Takeru?" Tomari asked.

"I'd…I'd love to talk with you…master…but…I can barely speak…could you wait until…I heal my wounds?"

"Su…sure." The master answered.

"TK, you won't be able to go to school tomorrow."

"He must go." The master replied. "If he doesn't go, Evil will know how weak Takeru is."

"The master…is right…I must go…I just need something…to eat…I'm hungry…" Takeru said, and then he fainted.

"TK! TK!"

"Calm down, Mina." The master said. "He's just tired. Give him something to eat, and let him sleep. He'll be fine. We'll talk later." The old teacher waved good bye, and the screen disappeared. Mina wiped out her tears, and carried Takeru to his room.

"Good morning, Ka…what the hell happened to you!?" Davis said as he looked at his classmate. Kazuo looked very serious, contrasting with the smile he used to have. He had a cut on his forehead and the marks of several hits on his face. Davis remembered the scene that happened the day before. Kazuo and that boy Takeru had left school together.

"Did…did that boy Takeru do this to you!?"

"Don't worry, Davis. It's nothing." Kazuo answered, and tried to smile, but it just made his face ache.

"Oh, no. You're my classmate, and the moment I see that guy, I'll kick his ass real bad."

"No, thanks. I appreciate your concern, but I really think you shouldn't…"

"No, buts, Kazuo! I'm with you on this one!"

"May I ask you why you are so mad about this, Davis?" Davis never answered.

"It's just that…there's something I don't like about that guy…" Davis walked to his normal seat, and checked his bag. In the same moment, Kari walked through the door, and Davis' eyes acquired a big bright. A bright that Kazuo immediately noticed. And then he smiled.

"Good morning, Kari!" Kari smiled, and Davis' heart melt.

"Good morning, Davis."  She then looked at his other classmate. "Good mor…what the!?" Kari shouted. Everybody in the room looked at her. "S…sorry." Kazuo sighed. "Not again…"

"It's a long story."

"That guy named Takeru beat the crap out of poor Kazuo." Kari sighed.

"Is…is that true, Kazuo?"

"No, it's not. I won." Kazuo said proudly.

"Well, it doesn't seem like so." She replied.

"What do you mean?"

"See for yourself." The teacher entered the classroom, and all the students sat down. The professor began speaking.

"Good morning. Today, we have a new student. You may come in." All the students looked at TK while he walked in the classroom. He stopped next to the teacher, and the man continued talking.

"His name is Kirahashi Takeru. I hope you welcome him, and treat him with respect." Takeru bowed.

"Nice to meet you all. I hope we become best friends." He looked at his new classmates. Most of the girls were giggling and whispering to her friends. The guys were just studying him. Takeru recognized the lady who gave him her phone number the day before. She was waving her hand. He smiled at her, and she blushed. Then, he looked at Davis. He seemed angry, for a reason he ignored.  Next to him, he saw Kari. She was just…surprised. He tried to smile, but for some weird reason he couldn't. And finally, he saw his nemesis, who was staring at him. He looked pretty bad, and that made him smile. Then, he received a message.

"Quite impressing, Takeru." TK smiled.

"What's up, Kazuo?"

"Very improved healing abilities. Last time I saw you, you had several broken ribs and a broken leg, cuts on your body, and a very bad injure in your eye."

"It's the power of white magic. Something, that, of course, you'll never have."

"You can heal yourself, and I don't. That's an advantage. Let's see how well you use it."

The teacher interrupted his little conversation. "Mr. Kirahashi, you may seat next to Izumi." Takeru looked at the only empty seat in the classroom. It was just behind Kazuo, and next to the girl from yesterday, who seemed to be very excited with the idea of having such a cutie next to her. "It's gonna be a long year…" he thought as he walked to his desk.

Takeru looked at the blue sky, while he rested on a seat in the school's yard. "I'll have to get used to this again. It's been a while since I studied…normal subjects. I miss the Magic Academy." He thought, as he closed his eyes, and remembered his months in the World of Darkness, where he became who he is now. "In a day like this, I would be discussing about black magic with Tomari, or learning about the different types of magic weapons with Davalos. But now, I have to worry about Calculus and Physics. It's unfair…" he noticed there was someone next to him. He didn't need to open his eyes to know who his visitor was. He felt a warm sensation, he was used to feel. (N/A: Takari alert! Takari alert!)

"Hikari?" the girl looked at him with her eyes wide open. She sat next to him.

"How did you know? Your eyes are closed." He opened her eyes and looked at her beautiful face.

"I don't know. Somehow I could…feel it." He noticed that Kari had blushed. "Are you blushing, Hikari?" the girl tried to hide her face.

"No, I'm not!" But it was obvious that she had blushed even more. He knows her, and how she reacts.

"…anyway. What brings you here?" The girl recovered her usual self, and smiled at him. "Just like the old times…" he thought.

"Well, someone has to socialize with the new student, huh?"

"And why must that someone be you?"

"Can't a girl be interested in making a new friend?"

"Well, I guess you can…"

"Besides, you're on my seat." Kari said as she pointed to a note on it." Takeru read it aloud. "Kamiya Hikari. 23/08/2004…well, Hikari, you don't seem to be the only owner of this chair." He said, while looking at another note pretty close to the first one. He read it, too. "Takaishi Takeru. 23/08/2004"…oh, what a coincidence, both are from the same day…" Takeru looked at his partner, who seemed to be crying. In that moment, Takeru's heart broke in small pieces.

"Excuse me…did I say something wrong?" the girl tried was about to apologize, when a voice shouted from afar.

"Hey! What are you doing to Kari!?" Of course, it was Davis, who ran all the way to the seat, grabbed Takeru, threw him to the nearest tree he found, and then grabbed his green jacket.

"Tell me! What were you doing to her!?" Davis shouted. There were already 10 people looking at the upcoming fight, and the number was increasing.

"Davis, please don't ruin my first day at school."

"Talk!"

"Davis, he wasn't doing anything!" Kari shouted. She looked at the crowd, and she saw Yolei and Cody looking at her. Well, Yolei looking at her and Cody looking at the two boys, the threat and the threatened.

"Don't protect him, Kari!" Davis shouted. "I know he was doing something to you! You're just being nice to him! And this bastard makes you cry! Now, talk! Or I'll make you talk!" Davis said as he released his left hand and prepared to hit Takeru's face.

"I'll ask it nicely. Please, Davis, let me go."

"Shut up and talk!" (TK: Isn't that contradictory, Daneel? N/A: Oh, come on, Takeru. It's Davis!)

"I'll ask again. Davis, could you please LET ME GO?"

"Davis, leave him alone!" Kari shouted in the verge of tears. (TK: Wasn't she already crying? N/A: Shut up! Stop MSTing my fanfic!) Takeru knew Davis was going to attack him. "Now or never!" He quickly used his right hand and grabbed Davis' neck. He immediately got released. Then, he used his right hand's strength and threw Davis to the grass.

"I'm sorry, Davis, but I asked nicely and you didn't listen. The lady already told you I wasn't doing anything." Takeru noticed tears on Davis' face. Tears of humiliation. Takeru walked next to Kari. "I'm really sorry if I said something wrong. I hope I can get your forgiveness." Then, he walked away. Yolei ran next to Davis.

"Are you ok, Davis?" she said as she saw the tears on her friend's face.

"What makes you think I'm ok!?" Cody looked at Hikari with a worried looked, as she was looking at Takeru. "Should I tell her? No…she must realize by herself…" he looked at the walking Takeru. "You have changed, TK. Why?" But Kari had thoughts of her own.

"So calm, yet so aggressive. Strong, intelligent, charming. Is he…Am I…? There's…there's something I don't understand…"

That night, TK was resting on his bed, thinking. But not about homework, or school. He had much more important things to think about. There's something he couldn't get off his mind. The fight he had with Kazuo. "I…I learned so many things…I never thought I'd admit it, but he's quite a good teacher…" Someone was knocking the door.

"Yes, Mina?"

"Dinner is ready!"

"Sorry, but I'm not hungry…" Mina opened the door.

"I thought I put the ´please do not enter´ sign on the door, Mina"

"I'm sorry, but I heard you aren't hungry, and that worries me." Mina lay on the bed, next to TK, and then hugged him.

"Please Mina, don't…" but it was too late. She softly licked his right ear's lobe, and then she softly bit it. Takeru did his best to ignore her. Next, she laid her head on his chest, and began to caress it with her hand. Then, her hand went further down, and down (TK: *switches rating to R* N/A: *switches back to PG-13* don't worry, Taki! TK: *stares*), until Takeru stopped her.

"Mina, don't." the woman sighed.

"Well, I guess today is not the day."

"Mina, no day is the day." Mina sighed again.

"What troubles you, TK?" she said, while she hugged him. "At least he allows me to hug him…"

"Nothing…just thinking."

"Takeru…" she said as she closed her eyes. Watching her being so…nice to him always make him think about Kari. Yeah, maybe Kari never kissed him or loved him in such ways, but she treated him as a very special person. It was as if she always knew what was in his heart, and helped him solve all of his problems. Watching Mina made him love Kari even more.

"What?"

"You'll never tell me what happened yesterday, right?" Mina opened her eyes and looked at her friend. His serious expression had returned. The injures on his body might have healed, but Kazuo left an important scar in Takeru's heart. He had lost some of his self-confidence. "Well, I don't care." She continued. "As long as you're here." TK hugged her and watched her fall asleep. And then, he began thinking. Thinking about his lesson.

He was badly injured. His legs didn't respond to his brain's orders, as they were too tired to keep evading Kazuo's attacks. Fire, Ice, Lightning, he had tried with his entire arsenal, but no visible scratch appeared on his opponent's body. On the other side, his body had reached the limit. He wouldn't be able to handle this battle anymore. He looked at his watch. It had stopped working at 10:15 PM. They had been fighting for almost 4 hours, and man he was tired.

"What's wrong, Takeru? Can't you get up? Too bad. Humans have that problem. Cut his legs, and they won't be able to do anything. Not even escape. I just cut your legs, Takeru. They aren't working anymore, nor am I wrong. Maybe you have some ´secret weapon´ you haven't showed to me."

"Shut…shut up!" Kazuo just sighed, and continued with his speech.

"First lesson: Trust your instincts. What the hell made you think you could avoid my attacks? If you can't protect yourself, you should have tried to attack me first. Now you can do nothing. You can't attack, and you can't protect yourself. You're worthless." Kazuo walked slowly. When he was in front of Takeru, he lifted him with his telekinesis. Next, he hit TK on the stomach. Takeru gasped as he tried to recover the lost air. He was still floating.

"Lesson number two: DO NOT trust your body. Your body is weak, and can be easily destroyed. I don't need any weapons to rip you heart off your chest, as your skin is weak and soft. And now you're probably wondering. Can I do that too? Of course you can! With this body, I'm as weak as you! But you wouldn't do it, would you? No, because it's the body of an innocent boy. NOBODY IS INNOCENT!!! Did you get that!? You'll die because you're weak…" Then, he created a small energy ball, which he placed it front of Takeru. He smiled, and made the sphere to explode, sending TK dozens of feet away, only to be stopped by the cold, metallic carcass of an old Chevy.

"Lesson number three: Do not, and listen to me because this is important, do not trust in your masters. They only say what they believe in, and you must not accept their beliefs as truths. You must find out your own truth, you get that!? They taught you Elemental Magic, who the hell needs Elemental Magic!? What made them think that a Fireball could hurt me, the Evil itself!?" Kazuo shouted. And then it began to rain. "You must learn REAL magic! Magic of creation and magic of destruction! Tell me, Takeru. Do you know how to make rain? Do you know how to make the moon cover the sun and fill the world in eternal darkness!? Do you know how to control the ever-floating objects in space, and send them here for catastrophic damage!? I do, Takeru, I do! And your stupid teachers still think you can defeat me with a little spark!" Kazuo seemed very angry, and the rain, and the thunders helped create the dramatic effect of his words in Takeru's ears. He saw how Kazuo raised his hand, and multiple beams of dark energy fell from the sky, turning the old, useless car into ashes. When he noticed, he was lying on the floor. He could feel how his body claimed for energy, how it was bleeding internally. He tried to get up, but it was impossible. His right leg was broken. He looked next to him, and found his weapon, the Staff of Hope. He reached with his left hand, and then used all of his energy to get up. And he began to walk. Kazuo was laughing.

"So you can still get up and walk, huh? But, tell me, Takeru, what can you do now?"

The sound of a thunder echoed in Takeru's ears. He was just in front of Kazuo, but he couldn't look at his eyes. On of them was injured, and he felt so humiliated. He looked at the floor, which was more a mud field than a hard surface. He had to do something, not to win, because it was impossible, but for his honor. He gathered all of his energy, and with a loud scream, he attack with his staff. Had he succeeded? He looked forward. Kazuo was lying on a big pile of junk and he had a cut on his forehead. But Takeru hadn't finished. In an orgy of hatred and rage, he unleashed a magic attack. Horde after horde of fireballs stroke at his enemy with devastating effects. Two minutes later, the smoke had disappeared, and Takeru that everything was destroyed. Everything but Kazuo. He fell on his knees and began crying. There was nothing else to do.

"Pretty impressive, Takeru. I couldn't sense your moves, so your attack caught me by surprise. You're indeed a fast learner. Now go home. You look terrible."

Takeru looked how Kazuo walked away. He had survived, but not before accepting the total defeat. He fell on the floor, and cried. He just wanted to cry.

Me: I'm done, TK!

TK: Oooookay.

Me: What do you think?

TK: Hmmmm, dunno.

Me: You probably have these opposite feelings thing. Happiness for kicking Davis' ass but sadness for being totally humiliated.

TK: ……sort of. So, what's next?

Me: Well, we'll see some old-fashioned action scenes.

TK: Old-fashioned, huh? I like that, even if I have no idea what of what does that mean.

Any reviews, comments, suggestions, flames are accepted, but that doesn't mean I'll like them. Thanks to those who have sent reviews and e-mails. I appreciate it A LOT. See ya!