Chapter VIII: Ikazuchi Rairyuu... Not Quite the Typical Bully
On the following day, in Tokyo, Hyuga woke up early, as usual. Takeshi and Wakashimadzu had also risen early, for what so the threesome cleaned their room.
-Captain, what's that mark? -asked Takeshi when he saw the mark on his captain's back.
-Ah, a temporary tattoo I got –he answered, at ease.
-It's really complex. If you want my opinion, it looks permanent -Ken said, while he combed his spectacular hair.
-Nah. I'm not that stupid; I'll never have a permanent tattoo, 'cause if I regret it, there'd be no way back.
-That makes sense. Well, let's go have breakfast and go to class –Takeshi said, with his handbag ready. Hyuga and Ken followed the boy to the cafeteria, but there was a real problem: a boy with blond streaks in his hair had begun a fight with some members of the Toho Junior High Karate club, and the martial artists weren't safe and sound actually.
-Who is he? -said Takeshi, astonished as he noticed the bully.
-Ikazuchi Rairyuu from class 9-C. He's a rebel without cause -a girl that was near there said. -He defeated several Karate club members and he hasn't even begun to sweat.
-Rowdy dude, if I've ever seen one -Hyuga said curtly. Ken agreed, stock-still. However, there was no way to stop Rairyuu, or at least it seemed so. Several other martial artists tried to defeat him, unsuccessfully. However, weird jolts passed thru Kojiro, making him understand that he was the only one who could stop the bully.
-Where are you going, captain? -asked Takeshi, as Kojiro went to where Rairyuu was.
-Well, well, well, are ya a Karate club dude too? Save your shame and scram -said the bigheaded dude, smiling smugly.
-Hyuga-kun, don't do it! You already saw what he can do –exclaimed Ken, afraid, but nothing discouraged the suntanned soccer team player. Without further ado, he came closer to Rairyuu, and lifted him by the shirt's neck.
-Stop all this uproar or you'll have to face me.
-You don't scare me.
-I don't care if you're scared or not, but stop beating the Karate club members just for fun. Now get outta here and leave us alone -Hyuga wasn't really that furious, but he seemed to have an aura of fury around him. It He let go the blond-streaked bully without uttering a single word. Rairyuu immediately moved away from the place, not without making a rude gesture with his hand.
-How did you do it? -Ken asked, with eyes as big as soup plates.
-Let's say I've got a good way of convincing people. C'mon, let's go see what's for breakfast.
Kojiro, Ken and Takeshi went to the cafeteria, where they were serving a generous breakfast. They took their respective trays and sat down to eat.
Later, while they were in class, they were reading in silence. The teacher watched over the students to see who was finishing. Kojiro had finished reading, but since there was still time, he reread it. A while later...
-Please close the books -the teacher had a louder voice than some other people, so some of the students got scared, including our Archangel of he Fire. Just as had happened with Tsubasa, an energy wave flew by the whole classroom, making a poster fall.
-What happened? Why did that poster fall? -a girl said.
-The windows are closed, and the door too. How is it that it fell?
"Oh, drat... May one of the tacks be bent, for God' sakes..." -Hyuga, without leaving his serious semblance, was quite nervous, since he couldn't let get caught.
-Ah, some of the tacks were bent -a boy said when he tried to hang the poster. -Whoever put them doesn't know how to do it.
Hyuga sighed in relief when he heard that. Only Ken noticed it, and he asked him why he sighed in whispers.
-I dunno... I think I needed some air.
-Yeah right. Looks more like if you hide something.
-Believe whatever you want.
Later, in recess, Hyuga was with his friends, talking (if you can consider talking that he only listens while the others talk away…), when somebody came near them, quite angry.
-Hey, ya... Da one that lifted me by my shirt's neck before class.
-Now what, Ikazuchi? -Hyuga said, without looking.
-I want payback.
-Payback? You didn't fight with the captain -Sorimachi said, bored. –Go pick on someone else.
-it's not your business.
-Eirina's right. Why do you want revenge if there wasn't a fight? -Hyuga said dryly.
-Gee, ya're good at talkin' and raisin' people by the neck, but ya escape as a coward when ya have to fight –said Rairyuu, a malicious smile on his face. But calling the 'Tiger' a coward was just like punching him in the face.
-Are you calling me a coward? –said Hyuga, standing up as tall as he was and looking with daggers in his eyes at Rairyuu. The rebel's smile widened and gave a spectacular jump back.
-C'mon, you wimp, fight with me!
-Guys, I'll be back.
Hyuga went peacefully towards Rairyuu, and to avoid people to come closer, he used the barrier that Tsubasa had used before.
-You're one of them, right? -Hyuga said, serious. Seemingly he had used his ability to read minds
-Whaddya mean?
-You're one of the black-winged beings.
-What are ya talkin' 'bout...? Doesn't make sense -and the boy attacked Hyuga, but Hyuga avoided the blow easily.
-Well, just forget it -and Hyuga used one of his potent slides to attack. However he had the same result as Rairyuu. Nonetheless, although the rebel was able to avoid the forward's slide attack, he couldn't avoid the following kick. Hyuga hit him on the back, sending him to the floor.
-You lost, and don't ask for paybacks. Scram -and after he vanished the barrier, Hyuga shook the powder off his uniform and returned with his friends.
-That was quick -Ken commented before drinking a sip of water.
-I only needed a kick.
-Definitively I don't know how do you do to avoid wasting time, captain -Kazuki said.
-Captain's issues -Takeshi answered, shrugging. In that moment the bell to enter class rang.
-Well, see you later, Sorimachi -Hyuga said, since the brown-haired boy belonged to another class, while he, Takeshi and Ken returned to their classroom.
Class passed by as usual, and fortunately Rairyuu didn't bother again, but Hyuga didn't do so well in the soccer training. They were taking a rest, between practices, but Kitadzume, the team's trainer was especially hard with Hyuga, since the latter was prone to escape from the school when furious.
-Captain, I think it's not fair that the trainer pushes you even more than the others -said Takeshi.
-Be quiet, or Kitadzume will get you for good -Kazuki said, covering Takeshi's mouth.
-Let him talk. After all it's his opinion, Eirina -Hyuga said curtly, receiving one of Kazuki's famous angry glances.
-Although you know well that if Kitadzume threatens to take the captaincy off you, it's because you ask for it -Ken said. He had always been the rational one of the group.
-Don't begin, Ken.
-Break's over! -the Toho trainer shouted. –We'll have a practice match, so prepare everything.
-Boss talked -Kazuki said, getting up and helping o Takeshi. –C'mon, guys, or you-know-who is going to shout at us, and I hate it when it happens.
-Yes, we know, Eirina –Takeshi said, making the brown-haired guy angry.
-I've told you so many times I already lost count to stop calling me Eirina!
-Stop arguing and let's get going -Hyuga said, with his best order voice. Immediately those that were beginning to argue stopped and all of them ran to the field.
The practice match wasn't so bad, but Kitadzume was never satisfied. The training ended, and the boys that resided in the school (that is to say those granted a scholarship and were from another city) went to their rooms to do their homework, changed clothes and leave or simply take a rest. Kojiro was doing homework in the library, when a chill ran down his spine –a clear sign that something bad was going to happen. He picked up his notebooks, left them in his room where Ken was taking a nap and went out of the Junior High. He ran around the streets of Tokyo until he arrived at an alley.
-C'mon, show yourself, Archangel of Thunder! -and while he watched everywhere, he used his powers to form the traditional barrier.
-Ya're very perceptive... Not even I would have known it if I were ya and luckily I'm not.
-You say that because you're weak or because you're a coward?
-Wrong answer; I say it because ya'll die -the Archangel of Thunder said, as he seized a lance. Taking advantage that he could fly, he attacked Hyuga, who stopped the attack with his daggers. Concentrating for an instant, he made his wings appear, and now both were in the same status.
-Take this! High Voltage! -the Archangel of Thunder, concentrating, extended his hands toward the sides, clapped them, rubbed quickly and directed his attack toward Hyuga. Unfortunately the Archangel of the Fire wasn't able to stop it on time and fell to the floor, wounded.
"This time I don't believe I'll beat him, but I just can't die. If I could do something..." -and Hyuga ran until he was just under the Archangel of Thunder.
-What do you plan to do, a suicide attack?
-No; I'll only defeat you.
Remembering the fragment of pure fire that Tsubasa had given him, Kojiro removed those 'ties 'the gems of the daggers had, used his Fire Storm and attacked the Archangel while he defended himself from the blazes. The attack worked, as the Archangel of the Thunder fell to the floor. Immediately, in a commotion of feathers Hyuga caught his rival from behind, immobilizing him with a dagger very near the jugular.
-Admit your defeat -he said, their eyes sparking.
-I won't.
-You decide: or you surrender and escape, or die.
-I prefer to kill ya.
-C'mon, try it. With the tiniest movement my dagger will pierce your neck and the hemorrhage will be unstoppable. You will be bled white before you can say 'what?'. Take it or leave it; that's just the way it is.
-Well, ya won this time, but the next time, I swear I'll see your blood run -and in a commotion of black feathers the Black Archangel disappeared. Knowing how weird it'd be to see a lad with white wings, Kojiro turned again into a striped cat, and ran toward the Toho's doors. In ten minutes they would close the doors, what meant that the students that stayed outside and resided there would be severely punished. He ran to an alley, went back to his human form and went into the school casually.
-You almost got here late, huh, Hyuga? -the watchman said.
-I'm not that stupid so as to get here late.
-Well, good luck -and Hyuga entered his bedroom a while later. Ken and Takeshi were very worried for him.
-Where had you been? -asked Takeshi, crying with desperation.
-I left the school a while. I needed some fresh air.
-You should've warned us. We were looking for you in the whole school like crazy -Ken said, very annoyed. -Kazuki had even thought you had escaped again.
-Well, you can see I didn't do it. Did you already have dinner?
-No, not yet. Don't change the subject! Where were you?
-I already told you: I took a walk.
-We're not idiots, you know.
-I'm telling you the truth. It's your problem if you want to believe me. I'm gonna have dinner. Want to go? -Kojiro said, turning and going to the cafeteria, where dinner was being served. Ken and Takeshi looked at each other and followed Kojiro. While they walked obviously they met with Ikazuchi (Rumor said he came from Kansai) but he completely ignored them. When he saw the rebel's strange attitude, Ken thought he had been defeated, but not thanks to Hyuga.
-What's happening with that dude Ikazuchi? He seems to hear the captain -said Takeshi.
-Let him be; maybe he learned a lesson -Ken said, since Hyuga didn't want to talk... And mostly for the secret he had to keep. They arrived at the cafeteria, took their trays with the dinner and sat down to eat.
Later, after those who were granted a scholarship took a good bath, the three that came from Meiwa were in their room. Ken was correcting some details of Takeshi's Spanish homework, the younger one was on his bunk be, bored and about to fall asleep and Hyuga was finishing his duties.
-Takeshi, definitively you need intensive Spanish classes. 'Forgot' in Spanish is olvidó, not Oviedo, and you also wrote ' do' wrong. It's haz, not as.
-OK, OK, I know I'm a complete disaster for Spanish, but you don't have to kill me -the boy said, angry and almost about to be asleep.
-Don't begin to discuss, guys -Hyuga said dryly. –It's the third time that your comments startle me and I make the same mistake in my homework.
-Sorry, captain.
-Sorry, Hyuga-kun.
-And by the way, Takeshi, you wrote bad attention in your Spanish task; it's with a C, not with an S.
-How did you know it, captain? -asked Takeshi, shocked.
-I saw if from here.
-You never cease to surprise me, Hyuga-kun.
-That's the way I am -and Hyuga finally wrote what he wanted. He finished his homework, put away his books and went to bed, already under his covers.
-Night, guys -he said, covering his face since the light was still lit.
-You're gonna sleep now? You're usually the last one to fall asleep.
-I'm tired. Remember I had to ' fight' with Ikazuchi, and heck it was hard.
-You got that right.
Meanwhile, in another room, two of the three occupants were sleeping, but one was still thinking angrily although he was in his bed and with the light out.
-I swear ya're gonna pay it, ya damn soccer team captain. Nobody defeats Ikazuchi Rairyuu that easily... -the boy said, furious. However, what had him angrier was 'the other' defeat: the one that had suffered in the Archangel of the Fire's hands.
"Well, whatever. But if Shinobu finds out, he'll kill me. Anyway, I swore take revenge on this defeat."
-Got to sleep, Ikazuchi -one of his partners said.
-Yeah, yeah, whatever...
Meantime, in Shizuoka, Tsubasa was about to sleep. It had been a rather calm day, without fights or trouble, although the training had been harder than the usual, as a soccer game was getting closer. During the morning, in the recess he had commented to Sanae about what had happened the previous night.
-You told your mom? I bet three thousand yen Shiro scolded you as never before.
-No bet. I had to do it. She scared me, I let free the wave unintentionally, and since the window was closed I couldn't make her believe it had been the wind. She had also been suspecting about me the whole time, and well, I was already sick of lying to her -had been his answer.
-Sure, I get it, but did you tell her to keep the secret, right?
-If I didn't, you think Shiro would've left me alive?
-Goooooood point.
-At any rate, it'll be better to talk this later –was the last thing Sanae said before going back to class. However, Tsubasa didn't even know why he spoke so easily with her, if every time he saw her his stomach made an Overhead with his heart. Yawning widely, he tucked himself in the blankets, turned off his lamp and closed his eyes. Although he didn't find it difficult to be deeply asleep, he dreamt of the soccer game again... and with his best friend who had grown wings.
And just on the other side of the world...
-Hey, Misaki-kun, what's up with you? Haven't you slept well? -a shorthaired girl asked to a very tired lad.
-Actually I haven't, Azumi-san. I've had the same dream again -answered the brown-haired, honey-sweet guy.
-Oh, the same dream again? I insist that maybe it's a signal of things going to happen. And if it is the case, I recommend you to be careful.
-I doubt it, because in my dreams it's the time of the shoguns. And that was centuries ago.
-Anyhow, let's go to class. Recess is over, Misaki-kun.
Both teens entered the classroom. The class at that hour wasn't the best, as several of the students were in fact getting drowsy by the lunch and the heat. Taro belonged to them.
-Misaki-kun, wake up -Azumi said, as she was exactly behind the boy. –The teacher will scold you if you don't.
-I'm awake, Azumi-san, but I am very tired... -Taro did what he could to keep himself awake. His will won, since he also knew that if he slept he'd dream of that battle again. Class ended, and there wasn't any soccer training due to the intense heat.
-Let me help you get to your house, Misaki-kun. You're dead on your feet and you'd fall asleep in the middle of Paris.
-Don't worry, Azumi-san. I can make it without any trouble.
-You know what they say: forewarned is forearmed. C'mon, I'll help you -and Azumi went along with the boy to his house.
Meanwhile, in Germany, Genzo was training with his team. They had eaten a rather light lunch, and the weather was great for some training, but he didn't feel well. Thanks to having had the same dream over and over again he had insomnia, and subsequently a strong headache.
-Genzo, what's wrong with you? You don't usually go on without your cap on -his best friend, Herman Kaltz, said.
-Got a huge headache, Herman.
-And why?
-Insomnia. I've been dreaming the same thing during nights, and I can't sleep because of it -Genzo said while he passed the ball.
-What do you dream? Dreaming the same thing for nights in a row is not normal by any means.
-I dream of a battle among winged beings. Some with white wings, others with black wings, and an old friend is there too... Although I just can't explain myself about it.
-Have you tried to listen to music, or read a book before sleeping?
-No. Doesn't work with me...
-Try it. Maybe you'll be able to sleep well with that.
-I hope so, although I have the impression that that dream's warning me of something.
-How come? -Herman received the ball again and passed it swiftly.
-That maybe I'm involved in that battle... Although thinking it twice, it would be stupid.
Genzo passed the ball to Kaltz, but didn't control his strength and Kaltz couldn't catch the ball.
-Hey, careful. You almost hit somebody. Your insomnia's killing you, buddy.
-Yeah. I only hope I can sleep better tonight 'cause I can't miss the next game.
-You got that right, dude.