Shadow within the Darkness
(Day 1)
By: Little Ucchan
Deep within the quiet walls of the household, all of its inhabitants were sound asleep dreaming pleasant dreams. All except one. A nightmarish reality plagued the subconscious of a young man, causing him to wake up with a gasp. He quickly sat up from his bed, trying desperately to grab a firm hold on reality. He tried to shake off the effects of his dream, but it was useless. It had already taken its toll on his body. He trembled uncontrollably, his breathing coming out in shallow gasps for air. He was dripping with sweat. His hair hung loosely around his face, a few golden strands falling into place over his right eye. His other visible eye was wide with fear.
It took a few minutes before Sage had finally calmed down. His breathing was now even, and his body was no longer tense. His cool demeanor had returned to him once again. But it only hid the fact that he was still shaking inside. Why did that dream bother him so much?
Almost on cue the dream flooded back to him without warning in a flash of distorted images. He shivered again. He had never experienced a dream that had this much of an affect on him. Maybe because it didn't feel like a dream. It was almost as if…it really happened. Sage kicked himself mentally. Baka. It didn't happen. I've never seen that place before. But one thing that Sage did know was real, the presence of the Dynasty. The energy emitting from those ninjas was the same as the Dynasty Soldiers. But they had defeated Talpa. Didn't they?
Sage glanced over at his nightstand, relieved to find the familiar green kanji orb sitting on a piece of folded cloth, where it always has been. He took it in his hand, feeling the warm soft glow of the orb as he played with it for a few seconds. Having the orb around was always comforting to him.
Placing the orb back on his nightstand, Sage glanced at the clock suddenly cursing under his breath. 4:30. There was no way that he would get back to sleep now. He thought about his dream again, about the fight with Talpa, about his friends. Talpa's return has been the center of everyone's dreams lately. They never meant anything. Everyone was just paranoid. Leaving it at that, Sage fell back into his bed. My dream is no different than anyone else. We're just worried, that's all. Tired of thinking, tired of worrying, Sage didn't realize just how tired he was, falling asleep within seconds, oblivious to anything surrounding him. Even the buzzing of an alarm clock that tried to wake him up for school.
***
8:20. Ten minutes. He had ten minutes to enter the school gates, grab his stuff from his locker, and get to class. It's all he had, but he would have to make do. But he had a long way to go before reaching the school. That was no problem. He was a fast runner. Under normal circumstances, he would have gotten there without breaking a sweat. This wasn't the case. Just a few seconds ago, the young man had raced out of his apartment complex half naked and without breakfast! He now had to take on the task of getting properly dressed while speeding towards school. He had just finished putting on his shirt and proceeded to slip on his jacket and fasten it, leaving both shirt and jacket collars unbuttoned. Luckily, he had already put on his shoes and socks. He didn't have to worry about those.
Once rounding a corner, the youth hastily slipped the handle of his book bag through his arm, pulling out a blue sweatband from his pocket. He slid it over his head and under his bangs to keep them from falling. It didn't help much. That one rebellious blue lock still fell defiantly between his midnight blue eyes.
Now all he had to do was roll up his sleeves up to his elbows, like he always does. While doing so, he spotted someone running ahead of him in the direction towards the school. So I'm not the only one late. Eager to see whom the student was Rowen quickened his pace. The figure in front of him was someone he knew all too well. A grin crept onto Rowen's face as he came up to the blonde's side.
"So, pretty boy Date in making a mad dash to school. This is a first."
"And this is your tenth, Rowen," Sage countered in between gasps, eyes still focused on the road ahead. "Don't tell me you were reading till midnight again?"
"No," he replied innocently. "I stayed up till two this time." Sage turned his head to stare at his friend, amazed. He knew all about how Rowen stayed up late at night reading and how his low blood pressure made him hard to wake up in the morning. Hard is not the word, try impossible. He should know. Being his roommate back at the Koji household, Sage had to take on the task of getting Rowen up in the morning. It was not something that he had looked forward to. In fact he often neglected his responsibility by slipping out of the house early in the morning, leaving Rowen happily snoring away.
"So, what reason do you have for being late?" Rowen asked. This wasn't like Sage at all. Of the five, he was always the first one at school. Then a thought clicked in his head. Giving Sage a mischievous grin, Rowen pressed on.
"Were you on the phone all night talking to a pretty girl?" Sage smiled at the thought.
"I wish."
"So what did happen?" Sage remained silent. He didn't want to talk about his dream. Not so soon anyway. Besides, he didn't want to worry Rowen. Seeing the grim expression on his friend's face, Rowen decided to switch the topic, making a mental note to ask Sage what's bothering him later. Rowen knew that this next topic would most likely interest the Flirt King of Han'a High.
"You know, there's a new transfer student that just arrived a few days ago. She's in my history class." Rowen purposely stressed the she, which certainly got Sage's attention.
"A new transfer student, eh? Well, I think that we should make her feel welcomed," Sage said with a twinkle in his eye. Lunch would be most interesting indeed.
***
Laura Kinoku, the newest addition to Han'a High, weaved her way through the lunch crowd to a desolated table. Through the bustle and laughter that filled the cafeteria, she couldn't help but feel that all eyes were on her. All of the eyes that belong to the boys, that is. Laura sighed in disgust. Why are they so immature?! It really is a shame that girls mature faster than boys. This is one of the reasons why she absolutely despised men. She always kept them at a distance, as with the other inhabitants of Han'a High.
She has left quite the impression on the school in the few hours that she was there, regardless of her attempts to keep a low profile. Most described her as a tomboy. Well, that was partly true, except that there was nothing tomboyish about her other that her hatred for people of the opposite sex. Many people also took into consideration the fact that she excelled in the art of combat. But other than that she was a normal, average girl. Why do they think that I'm a tomboy? I certainly don't act like a guy. The male population would agree that she definitely didn't look like a tomboy either. A long slender figure, Laura reached the decent height of 5'4'' with long ash brown hair always kept in a high ponytail and piercing light hazel colored eyes. The odd contrast between the two colors is what drew boys to her, and her feisty attitude and skill in the arts is what sends them back crying.
She already had sent three boys to the infirmary because they tried to hit on her. It was clearly self defense, besides those guys deserved it. She smiled as the memory came back to her. They just didn't know when to quit, and when one of them had come too close…well let's just say that he won't be looking at girls with that eye of his for a while. No boy would dare come close to me now. If they do, then I guess they're extremely dense. Her plan to keep away unwanted pests was working. But it didn't quite work on one particular blonde haired boy sitting across the cafeteria.
Upon sitting down at his usual table, Sage had taken the time to eye the new girl from his seat. He noticed how pretty she was, and the fact that she was sitting alone. Good, then no one will disturb us. He suppressed a smile as he turned his attention towards his friends. Cye was swatting Kento's hands away as he tried to grab some food from Cye's homemade lunch.
"Kento! I'm warning you! Stay away from my food!" Cye yelled, hitting Kento's wrist for a third time.
"Aw, c'mon Cye! Just one little taste!"
"No Kento! Eat your own food!"
"But Cye, your cooking is the best! C'mon, one taste," Kento begged, giving Cye the puppy dog look, his eyes as wide as saucers. Cye hesitated, not knowing what to say. All the while, Ryo was observing the two, a small grin at the corner of his mouth. He was debating whether or not he should intervene.
"Cye let Kento have a taste. He misses your cooking. In fact, we all do," Ryo finally said looking towards Sage for approval. He nodded in agreement. Cye's cooking was very good. One of the best that he has ever tasted.
"Oh, all right," Cye finally gave in. "Just stop looking at me like that." Kento's face beamed. He looked just like a little kid would when receiving a present. Ryo and Sage had to laugh.
"Even after all we've been through, some things just never change," Ryo stated. Sage agreed and looked towards the blue-haired boy sitting next to him. He raised a quizzical brow towards Rowen's direction.
"Speaking of habits that die hard…Rowen, what are you reading now?" Sage asked, a bit annoyed that his friend took this time to read.
"Oh, just a book on Japanese History," he replied without looking up from his book. Everyone decided to leave him alone at that point. The guys knew better than to interfere with Rowen and his first love.
Sage had glanced over to the table that the girl was at. I think it's time to go. He slowly got up and made his way towards her. Cye, noticing the direction in which his friend was going, made an attempt to stop him.
"Sage I wouldn't…" he started but was cut off by Kento.
"Aw, let him be. If he wants to flirt let him flirt."
"But…"
"You know better than to get in his way," Ryo jumped in. After a few seconds, Cye declined.
"We should at least watch out for him," Cye had said, looking towards the table again. Sage had already begun to talk to the girl. She doesn't look very happy. Noticing the concerned look on Cye's face, the others (including Rowen) looked towards the table.
"I don't see anything wrong," Rowen said, placing his book down.
"Just watch."
***
Laura was calmly eating her salad when she noticed the presence of a young man. Only one word came to mind as she stopped eating to face him. Idiot.
"Hi. I couldn't help but notice such a pretty girl like you sitting here by yourself. Do you mind if I join you?" the blonde haired man asked. Laura knew at that moment exactly where this conversation was headed. She was about to tell him off when she stopped. This actually might be fun. Let's just see what he has to say. Laura didn't reply, which the man took as an okay to sit down across from her.
"I haven't introduced myself. My name is Sage Date," he began. She smiled. Cute, but still an idiot. Sage thought that she was smiling at him and continued.
"What might your name be?" Sage stared intently in her eyes. He had not noticed the beauty in them from where he sat before. The color was an unusual shade of brown, so light, almost transparent. It was in sharp contrast to her dark brown hair. It made her appear mysterious and intriguing.
Laura tried to look at anything else but his eyes. Something about them unnerved her. How they were such a pale hue. She has never seen someone with lavender eyes before. And his hair, how it fell over his right eye like that. Sage Date? So this is the Flirt King himself. Laura could see why girls flocked to him. There was something in his appearance that lured girls to him. Nonetheless, he's still a guy.
"Laura Kinoku," she replied.
"Well Ms. Kinoku, so how do you like our school so far?" Laura was tiring of this little conversation. She didn't feel like talking. I shouldn't really complain. At least he's keeping his distance. And he's polite.
"It's okay." Laura didn't know how to respond just yet. She wanted to get rid of this guy, but how. She didn't want to strike him. He didn't do anything, yet. Besides, he was too cute for that. Laura had to admit that much about his looks. Still, I can't let him down gently. He obviously hasn't had any rejection from what I've heard. Time to bring his pride down, just a little. "Sage…Date, right?"
"Yes, that's my name."
"I've been hearing a few things about you, even though I've only spent a few hours at this school. Could you clarify it for me?" Sage stared at her for a moment. The conversation was not going in the direction that he had planned. Now he was the one being interrogated.
"Um, sure. What have you been hearing?"
"Do you really own the title of 'Flirt King' here in Han'a High?"
"Yes, I do," he replied after a few seconds. Where was this conversation headed?
"Tell me, how do you manage to flirt with every girl in school?"
"Well…" Sage stuttered. Why was this girl asking him these questions? He didn't get it. He didn't like her tone of voice either. Laura saw his confused expression. Time to move in for the kill.
"Because let me tell you Date-san, I am the one girl who won't subdue to your charms." With that statement she rose from her seat, grabbing her tray and book bag. "I despise men, especially pretty boys like you who think that they can have any girl they come across." Laura got up and left a bewildered Sage staring back at her. She dumped the contents of her tray in the wastebasket and proceeded to walk out of the cafeteria. Before leaving, she called over her shoulder at Sage.
"Sayonara…pretty boy!"
***
Sage sat at the table in shock. He felt the anger well up inside of him. I don't believe that girl! I didn't do anything wrong and she had the nerve to brush me off like that. Just who does she think she is?! Sage didn't get a chance to think about it anymore as two hands playfully grabbed him by the shoulder.
"So, Flirt King got dumped! Who'd have thought that I would live to see the day?!" Kento whispered mockingly into Sage's ear. Sage felt his face grow hot as the others joined him at the table. Great! This is just what I need!
"Hey, keep it down, will you!?" Sage commanded in a rough whisper as Kento took the seat next to him. Ryo and the others were sitting on the opposite end.
"What?! Don't want anyone else to hear how you got dumped?" Kento teased. If looks could kill, Kento would have had a one-way ticket straight to hell, if Sage had his way. Rowen, seeing the look that Sage was giving Kento, tried to calm him down.
"Hey, chill out! You really shouldn't be upset over this." At that remark, Sage in turn glared at Rowen.
"And why not?!" he asked hotly.
"If you would just calm down for a moment we'd tell you," Ryo said. Letting out a deep breath that he didn't realize he was holding in, Sage started to relax like Ryo had suggested. Once he was calm again he looked towards each of his friends, waiting for an answer.
"I would have told you sooner but you had already walked off," Cye said.
"Tell me what?"
"Well, she's kind of the tomboy type."
"She doesn't look like a tomboy to me," Rowen interrupted.
"Well, she's the kind that hates all men. She has already sent three guys to the infirmary. One with a black eye and a missing tooth, another with a fractured wrist and loose shoulder joints, and the last one is still out cold from taking a hit at a certain spot that I neglect to mention at this moment," Cye explained. The other guys winced at the thought, each turning a pale color. After everyone regained their composure Kento spoke up.
"Oh man, Sage you're lucky. She didn't even swing at you."
"Well, keep in mind that these three did offend her. From what I've heard she was let off clean. It was self defense."
"Some self defense," Ryo sneered.
"But why does she hate men?" Rowen questioned.
"I don't know. But she's also cold-hearted to women as well. She doesn't talk to anyone unless she's spoken to," Cye replied. The others grew silent, not having any more to say on the subject. The fact that this girl not only hated men, but also was rude towards everyone she came across got Sage thinking. She obviously wanted to keep everyone away, but why? Normally when someone is distant and quiet, it's because they're shy. She's definitely not shy, that's for sure. Sage's thoughts had ended when he heard the warning bell sound, signaling that lunch was over. All five of them got up and moved towards their original table.
"Don't think too much about it," Ryo told Sage upon noticing how quiet he was. "You can't have them all."
"I know that. But why do you think she acts the way she does? It's as if she doesn't want to make any friends."
"I don't know. But maybe you should just leave her alone. If she doesn't want to be nice then that's her problem. You shouldn't worry yourself over nothing you know." Sage wasn't about to take Ryo's advice. His curiosity drove him to find out the reason behind Laura's cold behavior, especially towards men. He really should have listened to Ryo. Sage would realize (a little too late) that he was better off leaving that particular girl alone.