"Spiky-head! Spiky-head!"
The older boys' chant was a cruel mantra, ringing in the ears of their quarry with the finality of the Guardian Judge pronouncing the death sentence upon a criminal. The flame-haired boy who was their victim looked up at them, his fists and face clenched with a mixture of fury and terror.
As the bullies closed in, the younger boy threw a wild punch, only to gasp in pain as one of his tormentors seized his hand and began to crush it, slowly forcing him to his knees. ". urgh." he gasped, turning slightly pale as tears began to appear in his eyes. Laughing, the others crowded around and began to kick him.
"Stop that!"
The pain in the now-supine boy's body began to ease, as the blows stopped and his assailants slowly turned to face the newcomer. Even groggy with pain, he had to wonder how wise the person was to butt in. He could make out, vaguely, the form of a girl about his own age, with a head of plum-coloured hair and extremely large spectacles.
Apparently, the bullies shared his thoughts. One of them turned to the girl and sneered, "Get your nose outta this. None of your business."
The girl merely smiled, an unpleasant expression. "Wanna try taking on Lucca the Great?" The boy she had rescued, at least for a moment, tried to summon the breath to holler a warning, but it was too late. The first teenagers were already rushing at her. Then he gaped at what happened next, as the "harmless" girl pulled a little metal rod from her pocket. that proceeded to telescope into a pair of giant metal grasping pincers, each of which grabbed one of the older boys and flung them metres away, slamming into oak trees.
The remaining teenagers didn't hesitate before they fled, leaving the red-haired boy and the purple-haired girl alone. The former was now crying openly with relieved tension and remembered frustration, now that he no longer had to put on a brave face. His rescuer stepped forward, folding the pincers away and offering him a handkerchief, which he gladly accepted. "Don't worry, you'll be fine," she soothed. "They've learnt better than to mess with me! Gyahahaha!" He looked up at her, gratitude glowing in his face. "Th-thank you. What's your name?" "Lucca! The great and famous!" The boy managed a half-smile at this. "Right. Well, I'm Crono," he said, rising to his feet. "Great to meetcha, Crono! Ahh. I think this is gonna be the start of a long and beautiful friendship."
And with that thought foremost in their minds, the two children smiled at each other, before turning to walk away.
The End
The older boys' chant was a cruel mantra, ringing in the ears of their quarry with the finality of the Guardian Judge pronouncing the death sentence upon a criminal. The flame-haired boy who was their victim looked up at them, his fists and face clenched with a mixture of fury and terror.
As the bullies closed in, the younger boy threw a wild punch, only to gasp in pain as one of his tormentors seized his hand and began to crush it, slowly forcing him to his knees. ". urgh." he gasped, turning slightly pale as tears began to appear in his eyes. Laughing, the others crowded around and began to kick him.
"Stop that!"
The pain in the now-supine boy's body began to ease, as the blows stopped and his assailants slowly turned to face the newcomer. Even groggy with pain, he had to wonder how wise the person was to butt in. He could make out, vaguely, the form of a girl about his own age, with a head of plum-coloured hair and extremely large spectacles.
Apparently, the bullies shared his thoughts. One of them turned to the girl and sneered, "Get your nose outta this. None of your business."
The girl merely smiled, an unpleasant expression. "Wanna try taking on Lucca the Great?" The boy she had rescued, at least for a moment, tried to summon the breath to holler a warning, but it was too late. The first teenagers were already rushing at her. Then he gaped at what happened next, as the "harmless" girl pulled a little metal rod from her pocket. that proceeded to telescope into a pair of giant metal grasping pincers, each of which grabbed one of the older boys and flung them metres away, slamming into oak trees.
The remaining teenagers didn't hesitate before they fled, leaving the red-haired boy and the purple-haired girl alone. The former was now crying openly with relieved tension and remembered frustration, now that he no longer had to put on a brave face. His rescuer stepped forward, folding the pincers away and offering him a handkerchief, which he gladly accepted. "Don't worry, you'll be fine," she soothed. "They've learnt better than to mess with me! Gyahahaha!" He looked up at her, gratitude glowing in his face. "Th-thank you. What's your name?" "Lucca! The great and famous!" The boy managed a half-smile at this. "Right. Well, I'm Crono," he said, rising to his feet. "Great to meetcha, Crono! Ahh. I think this is gonna be the start of a long and beautiful friendship."
And with that thought foremost in their minds, the two children smiled at each other, before turning to walk away.
The End