Chapter 12: Peko's Pace, Gundham's Guile

Hope's Peak Academy

Outside Track Field

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Early Afternoon

Peko didn't often practice outside as she could find more peace and solace inside the training dojo within the Academy. That being said, she did occasionally desire a change of pace from her usual routine. Within the dojo, she did her typical routine of meditation and perfection of her sword technique. She had not missed a single day ever since she had picked up a sword; she knew that repetition breeded perfection, but repetition also breeded complacency, hence the desire to mix things up every so often.

Unfortunately, with so many rambunxious classmates, it was difficult to find a place where she could properly work on her sword skills. While she did have the ability to block out any and all distractions when the situation called for it, it was simply more convenient and less energy-consuming to find a location that was calm and serene, at least that's what experience had taught her. Hope's Peak Academy had only reinforced this way of thinking. That's why when she found the track field to be all but deserted, she was surprised, but thankful all the same. She took to her blade and began to swing.

Peko performed her swing so many times over and over as it was drilled into her mind. While she did indeed have talent with a sword, she combined this talent with hard word and effort and constant attention to detail. This combination was what allowed her to be able to fight at such a high level for her age. This combination was what allowed her to be the sword and shield for Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. This combination was what allowed her to become the Ultimate Swordswoman, a title that as prestigious as it was, meant very little to her in any way. This combination was what made her who she was. Swordsmanship was her life and she couldn't picture her life going any other way. This was where she belonged.

The sword wielder switched from constant swinging to a mental simulation. She could make out the forms of various enemies coming at her with killer intent. With all of her experience, skills, and talent at her disposal, she began to robotically dispatch each and every foe that she imagined. To any normal person not seeing what she was seeing, she was performing a deadly dance. Even if she did not have a metal blade, the bamboo seemed just as deadly as the real deal. It was elegant, practiced, and efficient. It could be described as a display of complete perfection with the sword.

Peko calmed herself once she finished off the last of her imagined foes. Being able to calm the nerves after a fight was important. Self-control kept the killer instinct from lashing out and doing too much damage. The last thing she wanted was to unintentionally hurt anyone that did not deserve to be hurt. She especially did not want to cause harm to her master in any way. Of course he would say that he would survive. His years of living with the clan had hardened him in ways that few men, let alone boys, had experienced. That was simply another reason for her to remain loyal to him.

Her senses then picked up on a presence nearby. She had almost missed it because she was so concentrated on her own training. Her reaction could be measure in a fraction of a second as she turned her blade and made a motion that was intended to connect with the neck. She stopped only when she saw for a moment who she was about to strike. Her bokken ceased mere centimeters from his skin. His face was etched with a look of fear, yet there appeared to be a semblance of control. Likely he could see the attack happening but couldn't react fast enough do anything other than take the hit had she not halted her attack.

"H-hi Peko." Hajime managed to sputter out.

"Hello, Hajime." Peko straightened herself out and nodded back to him. "What brings you out here?"

"I thought I'd just see what you were doing." Hajime took a step back and laughed nervously. "Now that I think about, not one of my greatest moments. I could've lost my head there."

"That's my fault." Peko responded, her blade held casually at her side. "I'm sorry for nearly hurting you."

"No harm done." His body language and his tone appeared to indicate that he harbored no ill will towards her. "I'll just be careful next time. I should've known better than to get too close to a swordswoman when she's training."

"I was too focused and failed to notice you." She shook her head to dissuade him from placing blame on himself. "I will endeavor to be more mindful of my surroundings."

Peko noticed that she and Hajime were making direct eye contact. His previous fears had vanished replaced with a thoughtful look, something that made her analyze him again. From their last conversation, the swordswoman had concluded that this boy was anything but normal. Her sentiment towards him still rang true, but now there was something else there that had not existed when she last spoke with him. In the past two weeks plus change, she had seen him in passing, enough time to exchange a brief greeting and then move on, so she had missed on this new observation. If she had to describe what she saw that was new, it was conviction. For what though, she could only guess, but it did put him in a different light, made him appear more pronounced than before.

"You seem different." Peko commented, giving voice to her thoughts. "I'm not sure how, but you have a fire in your eyes."

"Really? Me?" Hajime pointed at himself as if he didn't believe her. "I don't… feel any different."

"Yes, you are definitely different." The Ultimate Swordswoman nodded her head. "The fact that you seem unaware of this change yourself is unusual."

"Huh… well, that's good, right?" Hajime gandered, looking more confused. "You are talking about a good change, right?"

"Yes, I am." Peko agreed with him. "It's actually very impressive."

"Well, I'm glad that you think that." The Reserve Course student reluctantly accepted her compliment. "But I still don't really get it."

"I'm certain that you'll be able to figure it out." She said. "I think it'll mean more to you if you can discover what's different about you yourself."

Peko had a firm stance when it came to interacting with others. She was a sword master, so of course she had the ability to judge a person by how well they fought with a sword, but she would never presume to judge a person based on any other skills or talents or abilities. Everyone else was far greater than she was at everything besides swordsmanship. She wouldn't deny this fact and she wasn't ashamed of it. Her talent served her young master and that was what mattered most. Her first and most important duty was to protect the heir to the Kuzuryuu clan at any cost, even her own life if necessary.

Be that as it may, she still had things that she wished could be different about herself. She knew that she was off putting to most people. She emitted an aura that had people generally steering clear of her. It was a miracle that she was able to find some camaraderie with the members of 77-B, but the idea that she could have connections beyond what she did have now was something she had mixed feelings about. Her relationship with her young master was precious to her, yet she couldn't help but admire everyone else that seemed to have more friends than she would ever have.

Peko remembered the first words that Fuyuhiko had conveyed to her when they first arrived at Hope's Peak Academy. Our professional relationship doesn't exist at Hope's Peak Academy. We're just fellow high school students now.

She recalled those words because for the first time since entering the academy, she had begun to reevaluate what was going on. At first, the words of her young master had hurt her. She assumed that he was intentionally distancing himself from her in order to punish her in a way. Now, she wasn't sure if that was his true intent at all.

"Well, I shouldn't keep you from your training." Hajime began to walk away. "I just wanted to see how things were going. It looks like you're okay."

She watched him leave, realizing that now she was alone, she didn't want to be alone. She had to act quickly.

"Wait!" Peko called out to her fellow high school student. "Do you… do you mind staying with me for a little while?"

"Um, sure, I guess, but what am I going to do?" Hajime raised an eyebrow at her request. "I mean, I'm not helping you with your training directly."

"I think… having someone around might be good for me." Peko had no rationale behind what she wanted, but she still tried to elaborate.

Hajime ran a hand through his hair and took a moment before answering. "Alright, I'll stick around. I'll just take a seat and get some homework done."

"Sure." Peko wouldn't deny him that.

The Ultimate Swordswoman continued her training while the Reserve Course student got his books out and settled down nearby to study. They didn't talk at all, but they didn't feel a need to either.

Hope - - - Despair

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Mid Afternoon

Gundham held a pumpkin seed up so that he could feed one of his Dark Devas of Destruction. His servant graciously accepted the offering before devouring it. The sight never failed to bring a warm feeling inside. Animals were so simple to understand and befriend, not like the humans that lived in this world. Humans were petty, weak, and ultimately tiny creatures in the flow of time. There were few individuals that were even worthy of notice let alone his companionship.

And speaking of companionship, it had been some time since he had made contact with another individual. His classmates in 77-B aside, he had little to no contact with anyone outside of Hope's Peak's main course let alone the reserve course or anyone outside of the academy grounds. Well, all except one.

Hajime Hinata was an anomaly among mortals. While Gundham considered his classmates to be below his own power, he would not deny that they were talented and skilled individuals. This Hajime was normal, yet he sought greater things than normality. He sought to rise above what he was on the surface. He fought to turn himself into something that could be admired and respected like the Ultimates of Hope's Peak. He was essentially trying to do what many would deem impossible. It was both admirable yet also foolish, but there was no need to voice such things to his new-found companion seeing as it served no use in their conversations. Another time maybe, but not now.

The Ultimate Breeder had been doing a considerable amount of pondering ever since his arrival to this academy. It wasn't something he partook in often. Though powerful as he was, philosophy had never been a strong suit of his despite the many views he held. The world was what it was and he was simply responding in kind. There were things in life that were certain and there were things in life that were not so certain. No matter what though, he vowed to never give up on life. He would always keep going.

"Hey, Gundham." That was Hajime's voice. "You look… busy."

"I am not." Gundham dismissed him. "Tell me, what brings you here before more, Hajime Hinata?"

"Just Hajime is fine." The Reserve Course student laughed. "And to answer your question, not much really."

"So I see." Gundham's mind began to formulate different things to say. "I will grant you the seat besides myself."

"Thanks." Hajime nodded and sat on the bench. "So… how are the Dark Devas doing?"

"They are well, all things considered, but they have recently been encroaching upon each other's' territories." Gundham explained, clearly remembering when they fought this morning. "I was required to sacrifice an arm to quell their rage."

"Huh… that sounds… intense." Hajime's eyes lingered on the bandaged arm. "I had no idea."

"Most do not." Gundham didn't think much of it. "But this may not be the worst damage I receive. Perhaps one day, I will receive a more grave ailment. I may yet need to sacrifice more limbs."

"Well, I hope it doesn't come to that." Hajime grinned in a pained way. "That can't be good for your health."

"Fret not for my health, foolish mortal." Gundham deflected the concern for his well-being. "If I am called upon to make such sacrifices, then so be it."

Truthfully, it was no hassle when the Dark Devas of Destruction quarreled with each other over territory. It was nothing that he was not prepared to deal with. His title of Ultimate Breeder, while crude, was not granted to him for no reason. His research and understanding of the various species of Earth was impeccable. The concerns of Hajime Hinata, while unfounded, were far from offensive. Those lacking understanding in the proper caring of animal life could not be expected to fully grasp all the intricacies involved.

It was a shame that there was no one to truly be able to share his love of life with. While he had certainly encountered those who helped his endeavors all around the world, Gundham could not say that he had many close friends that also shared his passions and desires. The closest to him was Sonia Nevermind, he supposed, although he was well aware that she was more fascinated with his dark powers and more mysterious ways, though her love for the Four Dark Devas of Destruction was certainly not lacking.

"By the way, do you happen to know which of the Dark Devas has the largest body?" Gundham posed a question.

"Um, I think the Golden Hamster has the largest body." Hajime only hesitated for a brief moment.

"You are correct. They are indeed vast and quite formidable with their size." Gundham nodded his head. "It seems you have been listening."

"Well, I wouldn't be much of a friend if I didn't listen." Hajime looked slightly bemused. "We are friends, right?"

"You assume quite a bit about our relationship. Such a leap of logic could be described as either brave or foolish." Gundham chuckled a bit at this notion. "Yet I am more inclined to favor the former seeing as you have been… entertaining thus far."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It is the only rational thing to do."

Another lapse of silence came over the two teenage boys. It could not be called a comfortable silence, but neither could it be called an awkward silence. The best way to describe what was currently going on was like a truce between the two, an agreement. Between one that was average and one that was not so much, the number of topics with which they could make conversation was limited. Be that as it may, it did not mean that the two of them were resigned to doing nothing at all.

Gundham felt Cham-P on his shoulder and took the largest of the Dark Devas, placing him in front of his face. The master met the eyes of his servant and carefully watched and listened. The results were interesting.

"Yes, I see." Gundham's chortle was soft as he digested what was being asked of him. "Very well, I will see if he agrees."

From his viewpoint, Hajime looked intrigued by what was going on between the two of them. His curiosity was further ignited when the Ultimate Breeder extended the hand with Cham-P outwards towards him. Only a moment of thought followed before the Reserve Course student got what he was supposed to do.

"He wants me to take him?" Hajime confirmed for certain.

"Cham-P has taken a liking to you." Gundham looked somewhat impressed. "For what reason I know not, but he has spoken."

Eventually, the brown-haired boy gently extended his own palm face-up, prompting Cham-P to crawl onto the empty hand. The little guy took a moment to get his footing before settling his body down and closing his eyes.

"He wanted to sleep on my hand?" Hajime looked puzzled. "Why?"

"What does it matter why?" Gundham inquired with a thoughtful look. "Let fate do what it may."

The self-proclaimed Forbidden One observed as his opposite merely settled his palm into his lap and watched the sleeping hamster. Very rarely did one of the Four Dark Devas ever show even a fleeting interest in others. In fact, the number of times that that this had occurred could be counted on one hand. He attributed this behavior to his care being in-depth and personal, more so than that of the average keeper of pets. It was strange that one who knew only of handling the lowest of creatures possessed a magnetic pull that it would ensnare the likes of Cham-P. Such charisma could not possible belong to one who was so plain and so mundane.

"Are you certain you are not hiding a secret identity?" Gundham pressed.

"I… don't think so." Hajime raised an eyebrow. "I've always been me."

"And yet you are labelled as a Reserve Course student." Gundham pointed out. "I find your situation to be paradoxical to your abilities."

"I honestly don't know what to tell you." Hajime shrugged shoulders. "I'm just going about my days and making some cool friends along the way and maybe learning a thing or two."

Cham-P breathed softly while sleeping. With a light touch, he was petted lightly by Hajime, who smiled a sad smile.

"Trust me when I say this: I'm no Ultimate, no matter how much I wish I was. I just need to accept that for what it is… and yet, I can't just accept that this is where I have to be. I want to become more than I am. Everyone thinks that I'm overstepping my bounds. That just makes me want it more."

Gundham felt a strange feeling in his veins. He was not certain of what to say about the feeling other than it was ominous, like a feeling he had known before in his past. Thinking about his earlier years brought back some memories.

Isolation was a heavy burden.

Despair - - - Hope

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Late Afternoon

It wasn't often that Chisa found herself with little to do. Either she was gathering information about her mission or planning something in regards to her homeroom students. Both kept her incredibly busy, leaving her with little time to herself. What time she did have she reserved for time with Juzo. Today was a speedy day for her; she had gotten through her work load with surprising ease. She had also gone through whatever secure information she could find from Hope Peak's private archive. So far, she had nothing really new on that front. So now, it was just her and her thoughts.

It would be right to say that she was wandering, but it wouldn't be right to say she wasn't focused. These days, she was thinking about Hajime more and more. At this point, it wouldn't be inaccurate to say that keeping tabs on him had become something of a priority in her eyes. He just exudes so many emotions that she latched onto. Happiness, sadness, and everything else in-between. Not only that, but he was quite a hit with her students too, befriending them all in the span of weeks. In short, he was such an interesting person, so full of contradictions and unknowns.

Hajime might not think it himself, but he was far more proactive than he gave himself credit for. As far as Chisa knew, he was the only of only two students who had some form of contact with the Main Course student body. The only other exception was a Akari Sato, who was friends with Mahiru coincidentally enough, but that Sato girl only had Mahiru. Hajime had the entirety of a class that he had a connection with. There wasn't even a point to making a comparison seeing as Hajime was on an entirely different league than Sato.

And when the former Ultimate Housekeeper pondered, the more she began to become more sure that Hajime was definitely connected to Hope's Peak more than his status would have everyone believe. However, without hard evidence or irrefutable proof, she couldn't act without blowing her cover and she wasn't about to ask Kyousuke to lend aid. She had made a promise to herself that she needed pull her own weight and do what she came here to do. Juzo was her only alternative, but even his aid came with limits. Being head of security had him going places and performing duties completely separate from her own. She couldn't reasonably expect him to always have exactly what she needed when she needed it.

Chisa flipped open her phone to scroll down her list of contacts. Her eyes settled on Juzo's number. She stared at it for five seconds before selecting his number and putting her phone to her year.

"Sakakura here." Juzo answered.

"It's me." Chisa answered. "I… do you have time to talk."

"Ten minutes at most." Juzo reported. "I can't move from my place, so what's going on?"

"Well, that's just it." She sighed as she leaned back in her chair. "I've hit a dead end and I'm not really sure what's next. I was hoping you had an idea."

"You haven't found anything then." He seemed disappointed. "You know Kyousuke's not gonna be happy."

"Which is why I'm asking you for help." She replied back with a sigh. "I've been looking at everything, even things with a peripheral connection to the dark side. Pretty much all of it falls flat on its face. So unless you want me to tell Kyousuke that we're going nowhere, I need you to get me something."

"...something's bugging you, itsn't it?" Juzo's tone shifted into curiosity. "What's got your cage rattling?"

"It's nothing, at least for now." Chisa didn't want to go into details about it because it wasn't even relevant right now. "Is there anything you can do?"

"... I might have something. Meet me by the gates after classes have ended tomorrow."

"Got it. And thanks."

"Yeah, sure."

The teacher hung up her phone and placed it on her desk. Deciding that it was time to get up and do something other than nothing, she made her way out of the office space. With no set destination in mind, she resorted to just walking down the quiet hallways. Maybe if she kept going, she would find the inspiration she needed to get herself in gear and be productive. The fact that was even having to make an effort to try at all was not good. She had to get to the source of her troubles so she could make her next move.

Chisa passed by a row of windows looking over the track field. Her eyes wandered over, looking to see what students were making use of it at this time. It came as no surprise when she saw Akane and Nekomaru doing their thing. What was different was when she spotted Hajime who had joined them. Gone was his Reserve Course uniform replaced with a simple tracksuit. He looked to be heavily involved in one of their training regimens and quite invested in it. The shouting and screaming of the two Ultimates followed by his movements indicated that he was following their instructions.

Just look at Hajime. The Hope's Peak alumna scolded herself. He's better than you are. Come on girl, get yourself together. If you're going to preach to him, practice what you preach otherwise you're a hypocrite.

The fact that she cared just how much he thought of her spoke volumes about how much she wanted to maintain their relationship. It was something that she could have never anticipated when she first took this mission and now that she was thinking about it, her expression became grim. How much longer before she was forced to go beyond the point of no return? Would there come a time when she would have to do something that would be seen as a betrayal in Hajime's eyes? Could she live with that?

However baseless Chisa's worries were, she still had them. God knew that she was hoping and praying that Hajime had nothing to do with Hope's Peak and its dark side. If only he was a simple high school student who had the good fortune of meeting up with wonderful and talented people. Then she would never have to live with the possible guilt of harming him. Between following the desire of Kyousuke and following what was right, she would always choose the former. She believed in the object of her affections more than anyone in the world. She doubted he wanted to harm students, but there was no telling what he would do if she could confirm her suspicions.

From where she was standing, she continued to watch her students train some more. They looked to be having so much fun. It was nostalgic for her and it brought back so many memories. Between herself, Kyousuke, and Juzo, everything was pretty good. There was no thinking about the future of the academy. It was just teenagers being teenagers, a simple time that she sometimes longed for, but in the end, she understood the necessity for change. Hope's Peak Academy needed it. The students of today would be a much different breed than the students of many years to come.

The vision of a better tomorrow was already in motion as Kyosuke moved to reach the position of Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. Jin Kirigiri was probably already aware of this. The man wasn't the headmaster for nothing. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if Kirigiri was already moving his own pieces into place in order to shore up his position. The man had an unusual fixation on talent and the fact that he seemed to be supportive of a talentless student was too strange.

Chisa still had little to nothing to work with, so right now it would be in her best interest if she did something to let off a bit of stress. The last thing she needed was to be in a fit. Maybe there was some cleaning she could do in the classroom now that she thought about it. Although this was a job that could be left to the cleaning staff, she decided that one day of work on her part was fine. If anyone asked, she would merely reference her own talent.

All she needed now was to get all of her cleaning equipment, which was a lot.

Hope - - - Despair

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Evening

Hajime settled down on his bed and groaned in agony. Today's workout had been extremely punishing. Working muscles that he normally never used was a literal pain and no doubt that pain would be amplified tomorrow all day. More than once, he had to remind himself that he had chosen to endure this for the sake of self-improvement and he had to stick to it. He couldn't very well just quit now.

At least Nekomaru had told him to take it easy tomorrow and not do anything to strenuous. Hajime would certainly try not to overextend himself, but with all the things he had to do and all the things he wanted to do, he could make no guarantees. He had classes tomorrow and he wouldn't skip school on account of being sore. It would look bad no matter how he framed it.

Hajime gazed to his desk to find his homework and textbooks stacked together. He had managed to get it all done before his meetup with the Ultimate Gymnast and the Ultimate Team Manager so that was one less thing to worry about. Unlike other schools, Hope's Peak Academy ran year-round with the only break being when the school year ended and the next year began from April to May. It might be considered unreasonable to not allow Hope's Peak students a break, but considering that the academy was a near-unbreakable promise of success, it was easy to endure a few years without vacations. That same mentality applied to both the Main Course and the Reserve Course, even if the latter wasn't going the exact same benefits. Even having the name attached to a student was a wonderful prospect for colleges.

It was fortunate that the brown-haired boy had a couple of options before him. In his time spent with the Ultimates, he had nearly forgotten that he had a choice to make and at one point, the answer seemed really clear, but now he wasn't so sure. If he became the Ultimate Hope, he would indeed gain talent, but it wouldn't be by his own initiative. It wouldn't be by his own hard work. It wouldn't be anything of his own doing.

On the other hand, when it came to personally developing himself, there was no certainty or constant that would allow him to play the game for as long as he wished. Braving it on his own came with it the risk of many failures, some of which he wasn't sure if he could endure given who he was. He liked to think that he was capable of more than people thought he was, but was he truly capable?

Hajime needed more time to figure out who he was and what he wanted from himself. Once, he had pledged to himself that he wanted to become part of something bigger than himself, something that had meaning to the world. He needed to reevaluate that pledge and consider if it was what he still wanted from the bottom of his heart. If he couldn't be sure, then perhaps it was time to move on.

He sat up and looked out the window at the sunset. Could he ever shine as brightly?

It's been a while since I last updated this story and I sincerely apologize. A lot of things have been going on and lots of things are still going on, so I'm not exactly sure how often I can update, but I'll be sure not to let this story go. I've put too much into it to just forget about it.

Gundham and Peko haven't been featured for a while, so I thought I'd get some more time for them. In fact, now that almost all of Class 77-B has at interacted with Hajime at least once, now it's time to establish the relationships as well as move the plot forward. Keep in mind that this story is all about long-term story-telling. Think about it like this: the journey is emphasized more so that the destination is just as impacting.

So what did you all think? Reviews and feedback is appreciated. Grammar issues will be fixed as I see them pop up.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

"A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself."

Jim Morrison