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The following is a fan-based

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Chapter 23: Lively Friendship (3)

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius

Cafeteria, it's a new day here at Prism Uni, lessons are just over and… I feel besieged by my own friends.

While I was deeply warmed by the fact that they were very interested in the matter, I was slowly growing rather frustrated with the way they were addressing the matter without paying much attention to me. Here I was, trying to catch their attention and remind them that I was still here with them.

"I mean, what kind of difficult training will Frankie have to go through?" Miles inquired with a curious and confused look.

I'm right here.

"I don't know much about the intensity, but when Dad started training me, he said that it depended on the clans," Hope partially replied. "It's not really easy to predict the kind of training specific Crests have their apprentices go through."

Guys. Please, just ask me.

"If it's the Death Clan, then I think it will be moderate but still fairly no-nonsense. Fairly standard to be fair considering how small it is compared to others, but way better than those that put too much emotional emphasis in their fighting," Vixy added.

…

Tiggs hummed. "So, will he learn any new super-powers or-"

"He will learn to harness his unique power, and then learn how to fight on his own without it. Sometimes these powers have limits, which is why it's imperative in most clans to have their acolytes trained in the basics of their respective combat styles," Shin explained with a nod. "Still, I believe Frankie trained in Boxing so he should be fine. What do you think, Naerie?"

The Bear Prime merely blinked, but decided to answer the question as bluntly as usual.

"I believe you could ask him," The young woman finally pointed out. "I don't see how ignoring the obvious source of the matter is actually productive to any of us."

Everyone turned to spare a surprised look at the blank-looking girl and then back at me. An awkward silence soon ensued and I felt slightly nervous due to the entire situation.

"Oh, I… I think we may have forgotten about him," Miles admitted sheepishly, voicing pretty much the thoughts of the rest of the group.

I was swiftly pulled in a hug by Tiggs. Despite their visible embarrassment the girl was the one that reacted earnestly and I returned the embrace without hesitation. I could see a nervous look on her face about this topic, but I gave her a kind smile.

"It's alright. I guess the news got all of you… excited." And forgetful. But the hug is more than enough of a compensation to be fair.

Traci purred, and I felt mellowing because of that vibration even though I was annoyed by the others' glances of amusement at the scene. Nonetheless, they didn't hold back when it came to interrogating me over what had happened yesterday.

"Still, I can't believe you are now being trained. How are you going to deal with both homework and work?" Hope asked and I turned to look at her.

"Professor Aken was quite blunt about it. We are going to train early in the morning during the weekends so that I have the time to handle the rest of my responsibilities. He mentioned that, while it's a must that I train, I shouldn't be skipping other things and that I had to only focus on sharpening what I already have, maybe learn some more to add to my style, and definitely expanding on my power."

"Which you mentioned was something like… copying your foes' style?"

"It's more like understanding it and applying to the fight with what my body could do. And I'm also more reactive when it comes to dodge attacks and counter anything thrown at me."

"For how long can you keep that power going?" Vixy inquired with a curious look.

"I don't know since I've only used it once, but I can say it's a little less than four minutes."

"And then?" She pressed on, clearly concerned about what happened next.

"And then I feel a little drained when I normally stop before that," I answered readily. "I don't know if the effects are worse than that if I go beyond my limits or if it just turns off before that can actually happen."

The Fox Prime nodded, thinking about it as the ball went to-

"Still, you had the chance to be with the High Prime and-"

"Professor Aken," I rushed in to crush Miles' teasing. His grin turned in a scowl at that reminder, but it was Hope that came up with a way to keep up that very detail with some information I had told them about but decided against expanding on it.

"What about that other individual in that room? I think you said… Gecko?"

"Geecku," Naerie corrected, nodding as she regaled me with a 'confused' look. "I'm still surprised you befriended her."

That comment left me frowning. "What do you mean?"

Surely she isn't trying to say that the girl is fairly-

"Yes, that."

…

"I suppose there is a point."

"About what?" Hope pressed on, eyes narrowing as she tried to make sense of what we just communicated. I quickly noticed the rest following her example and I felt particularly nervous about it. But just as I turned to glance at Naerie, the Bear Prime started to speak up about it.

"Geecku is a nudist."

…

"Ah," Vixy muttered, while I felt Tiggs' hold tighten at that revelation. I saw the group's gaze turn completely at me. "And you… were around her for a while? Alone too?"

"Nothing weird happened there-" I tried to defend myself, and then someone else quipped to add more to my side of things.

"Except for you two playing tag," Naerie mentioned without any reluctance. "And, as much as it might sound strange, I believe that was the calmest scenario that unplanned meeting would have taken."

"You..." Hope paused, unsure how to word things out about what she just heard. "Frankie, you played tag with a woman or-"

"Geecku can be quite infantile. Playing child-related games tend to calm her down most of the time," Naerie added with a calm tone. "I understand that you are perplexed about this tidbit, but I can confirm he wasn't part of anything obscene about it."

"And how are you so sure about it?" Tiggs asked with a confused look.

"Mother would have bragged about joining such an endeavor. Just for the… 'sake of being helpful'."

It was odd to imagine that the serious woman that helped me unlock the first bit of my power was actually capable of this much, but… I had to be honest and I knew that she wasn't exactly the same as her daughter. I could actually see that happening. Looking back at the final words offered by Ambar, I could see her being rather 'happy' about something that awkward unfolding, and I… Actually no. Since there was Professor Aken, things would have been plain weird and embarrassing. Surely enough to prevent any of that from escalating-

"She would have found a way."

…

I looked at Naerie and we both shared a long look aimed at each other. The others could only frown in utter confusion at what was happening through that mere look, and yet many things were 'shared' through it.

"My condolences."

Seriously, what kind of person was the High Prime. A pervert, I could understand, but how far can she actually go with that mind of hers I couldn't tell.

"I've learned to live with it," She remarked quietly. "But I will accept your humble words."

There was a brief pause of pure silence, but then Vixy spoke up again.

"So… what about now? Does that mean you will start training after the Parents' Visit Day?"

"That's the plan, yes," I quickly answered. "It would be best to wait to start training now that… well, some of the Crests are going to visit."

Some of the friends nodded, mostly because their parents were Crests and so they were well aware about this particular circumstance. I wasn't really sure how I was supposed to handle this situation without making a mess about it. I was lucky enough to have this explained to me by dad, and I was relieved when he took it upon himself to better explain the matter to mom. I knew this was going to slightly hurt him in the shortest, and I was quite certain mom was going to be annoyed that I didn't tell her personally but… I really wasn't up to handle her full and worried-driven fury.

Hopefully that wasn't going to backfire on me too harshly and… I had to still make some plans about it. Two days left and we were going to see what kind of madness was going to come out of this situation.

"By the way, are you all ready for that day?" Shin asked, a tiny smile on his face.

"Mom and Dad said they were bringing my sister with them," Hope answered first, an annoyed look plastered on her face. "I want to say I'm sorry in advance for how she acts. Joy can be quite… direct with her manners."

She seemed to really mean it, which was quite odd since she spoke rarely about her younger sibling. This girl, Joy, sounded to be quite the troublemaker, and I really wondered how much different than her big sister she actually was. I really couldn't imagine a mini-Hope running towards anything that was even just hinted to be dangerous.

"It's alright. I bet she'll be easier to hold a conversation with than my mother," Vixy quietly pointed out. "What about you, guys?"

"Mom and dad are stuck at work," Miles somberly muttered. "I guess I will tag along with the others."

Tiggs patted his back. "My mom will be happy to know about you."

"Same for my parents. Really, it's alright," I added with a smile.

He could only nod, but I could tell he was going to feel happier once that actually happened. I knew that mom was going to pamper him a lot, mostly because he gave off a clear attitude of someone left aimless when showing his true self. Miles had the potential and the determination, and he was just now taking steps into becoming a better individual for himself.

"Mom said she was going to bring Geecku," Naerie dropped this news to the rest of the table. "She said that 'she would feel guilty if she did not bring her to be with her newest friend'." I sighed, knowing that it was going to be a big day alright.

I was given another round of stares, this one less intense than the previous one, but still fairly embarrassing. My real worry was Geecku herself. I just couldn't imagine her reacting that well while being fully-clothed, mostly because she mentioned quite heatedly that she didn't like when she was forced to this kind of 'restraints'. Nonetheless, I doubted the High Prime was going to allow this reunion to happen if Geecku was truly planning to mess things up for everyone by being herself without any cautious step into the event.

Once we were done with the lunch break, we were out to face homework and then to our things. Today I didn't have any shift at work since Shark Bite was closed for a little renovation. Just to prepare the building to accommodate properly any major influx of clients coming from the particularly busy day.

The owner was clear that we had to be there for the afternoon so that we could help around to the higher demand for the day. Which meant that both Tiggs and I were going to chaperone our parents to the place and, may the Gods be with us, make sure they didn't cause any problem while in there. And as we went for our ways to finish the rest of the day, I was blissfully unaware that one of the girls had made plans for today right for me.

I went through the homework for Spanish and History, and then I was called by Vixy to get me as her sparring buddy for the late afternoon since she had some interest in testing out my current power. What I wasn't prepared about came in the form of a question that would be asked by the Fox Prime in the middle of our sparring. A simple yet fairly important question that put me in an awkward crossroad.

If only I had more time to think and… plan a way out of this without creating issues to everyone...

Sem hummed while staring out of the massive window of the Deputy Headmistress' office.

His back was turned to the currently-distracted woman, his eyes aimed down at the crowd of students that were slowly leaving the premises of Prism Uni for their own plans for today. Sighing, he turned around to glance at the Puma Prime. The woman silently studied the papers he had given her, and he was expecting some questions to come up out of that unusual request of his.

"So you have been cornered by Lady Ambar to potentially enroll your daughter?" The strict lady spoke with a calm voice. "I'm surprised you actually ended up accepting that end of the bargain. I don't recall you mentioning something that could have warranted that concession."

"That's because I didn't bring it up until now," He quietly remarked. "But let just say that I will be training someone akin to an acolyte for at least a year or two."

…

"I thought you were going to train Mr. Parker just for a few months," The woman pointed out, drawing a frown out of him.

"So you actually are aware of what drove me to accept this."

"Only because I've learned that I have to pay attention to your behavior whenever you are acting weirdly, Professor. I've known you long enough to spot when you are concerned and interested at the same time," She sharply rebutted. "And I can say that you haven't been honest with both the student and the High Prime."

A hint of surprise entered his face. He was caught off guard by the sudden opposition he met on this matter and… he had thought that he had dodged any possible issue on the matter. To be fair, he should've expected this from someone he had known for many years and that he had seen grow from a young girl to a refined and influential woman.

"I wish to train him-"

"And you will just train him," The Deputy Headmistress interrupted, standing up from her chair. "Twenty-three years ago, you would have easily brought me to accept even the silliest of plans but… I'm no longer an Acolyte, or even a Knight. The only reason I decided to hire you as a teacher in this fine college was to give you the chance of having a normal life without indulging in your own rights as a Crest. Which means no students should be used as some sort of platform to entertain past memories."

…

"It's not like that."

"Then please, enlighten me on this situation. What drove you to think that giving him this much training will actually help with the current circumstances?"

…

"Sem, I will never be able to stress long enough how indebted I am for giving me a chance to grow out of the streets and be here. I will always feel a deep sense of honor to have been chosen and… given this opportunity, but I have to do my duties not only as the Deputy Headmistress of Prism Uni but also as your friend to keep you from making any mistakes."

"And I will abide by any of your rules to avoid any issues between my obligations as Crest and as a Teacher."

"Then you shall keep the amount of time of training you have promised and offered to Lady Ambar and Mr. Parker respectively the same as you spoke about. I shan't have you ruin yourself out of… this absurd obsession with Mr. Parker's family."

"It's… It's not an obsession," The Lion Prime muttered. "At least, not one that aims to harm anyone."

"Then please. Explain. I want to understand why you, someone that values logic over emotional decisions, chose to pursue this kind of action."

Sem sighed, walking up to the table and sitting down by the chair in front of hers. Jacqueline sat down too, giving him a serious look as he pondered over the situation and how he was supposed to handle this little obstacle. In the end, the strongest idea turned out to be the truth itself. And so, knowing that he wasn't talking to a stranger, he spoke up without filter on the matter.

"Before Edward Parker died during the last fights against the Empire, he asked from me a single request. A request akin to the one I offer to those that wish to retire in peace and leave the Clan for good," The Death Crest explained, his tone gaining an extremely serious edge due to the topic being brought up. "The same I gave you, yet this time the request was… packed with something bigger than a mere leave. It wasn't a member walking away to seek peace within life, it was one parting with everything he owned and cared for to seek peace with death itself."

"What did he ask?" The Puma Prime inquired, intrigued by this backstory. "I really don't see how this all… matters now."

"In due time, Jackie," He mirthfully teased, gaining a snort out of the woman. Still, he continued to explain. "Edward asked for one thing. He asked for the safety of his family. He asked for me to promise him that I was going to make sure the demise of those he was leaving behind was natural and intended to be. And that Chaos wasn't going to be responsible for any more lives being claimed."

…

"Are you suggesting that Mr. Parker- Frankie will-"

"There is a high chance he will die to an Agent of Chaos. I can't say for sure who or precisely when, but I can say it will happen in less than three years from now and his possible killer is incredibly strong."

Jacqueline leaned back, an upset look now replacing her shocked one. "Which is why you want to train him. You wish to prevent his passing against Chaos. I thought your duty as the Guardian of Death would have prevented you from actually doing something like this."

"I have a higher duty in fighting Chaos. A duty that connects all Crests together in a higher bond than the one enforced by our natural element," Sem elaborated with a sigh. "Since Frankie's death is tied to Chaos, I will take steps to prevent it from happening."

"And you expect me to ease up after hearing this?" The woman asked with a frown. "How do I know you are telling the truth about this and..."

She stopped, her entire body screaming in panic as she felt her own magic acting up at a nearby threat. Eyes going wide, she could only stare at the true personification of Death itself staring at her with an annoyed look.

"When I mention the death of someone, never expect me to ever play with such details, Jacqueline. You're right, you are indebted to me, but you are also experienced with when I am serious and when I'm not. I will not add anything more to this. Take your decision, but expect repercussions if I get irked like this again. Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes."

The primal note in the voice was just enough to sell it. Sem didn't like being this serious and threatening to those he was close to. There have been plenty of times he had to hold back himself from behind 'deadly serious' and right now he couldn't help but snap at such reluctance to believe him.

The Lion Prime would have granted the benefit of the doubt if it was everything that wasn't related to the possible death of someone. But this case, of course, didn't allow him to even consider holding back. It was one of the few things he learned to accept as the sole truth, and he would never allow himself to lie about.

Not when so many have died in his arms, and he couldn't do anything to save them. He had the power, but he had the duty to be the guardian of that part of the cycle, not the breaker. He could still remember the last words of many but… there was something in what Edward said that stuck to him the most.

"Thank you."

He didn't part way with Life as a frightened lamb. He took the challenge of his demise with a bright smile and a satisfied look. He did what he had to do and… the pain of his loss was one of the greatest he had the unfortunate chance of experiencing.

And he would be damned if he broke the promise he had done to his old friend. Especially now that the young man was still away from reaching his full potential.

I huffed while dodging another strike from Vixy.

The girl was vicious with her blows and, since we were no longer bound to the rules of boxing, she was happily enjoying several advantages over my stance. I was still reluctant in throwing kicks around, just because I was unfamiliar with that concept within my fighting style. I knew that it was going to change in due time, but for now I was mostly stuck with my own fists.

Despite the boost allowed by my power, I was quite far from achieving a stalemate with the young woman. She was just more trained when it came to a freer style that exploited much of her flexibility. And, while it was true that she didn't train much against live opponents, she still trained her own body to keep up with the high requirements of her current stance. Very swift, very unforgiving, now I could easily see why the girl was this upset with her mother. If this was what the Crest of Fire tended to teach to her students and her own daughter, then I was really worried what kind of individual I was going to meet in two days.

The young woman was rather positive when it came to her father, but I was really uncertain that I was going to be someone I was going to have a quick and pleasant introduction to. I could tell she cared for him a lot, and I wouldn't expect any less in return from him. Since I knew how overprotective and caring fathers reacted when their daughters started to date someone, I was really unsure how to handle the awfully specific 'distraction' coming from the girl as we were busy in the fight itself.

"Do you want to date me?"

I stopped my punch, pausing just moments away from dropping my fist onto her face. A mirthful but nervous look on her face showed how much she expected for me to stop, just not when and if before landing that hit on her. I blinked, surprise piling up at that sudden query.

"What?"

"Date. Me. I want you to take me out for a date and-"

"W-Wait, hold on- where does this come from?"

I was stumped by this. Maybe it was because it was the boldest she had been in a long while and I wasn't exactly prepared to handle this kind of stuff knowing that the Parents' Visit day was around the corner. And I really didn't want to greet the Crest of Fire as the mother of my girlfriend.

Vixy stood up, her posture at ease and confirming my unsure thoughts that the fight was actually over and giving me a good reason to calm down myself.

"Well, since we had been chasing around for a while, I thought it would have been just nice if we started giving some serious thought to that," The girl explained. "And I know you like me, so why not give it a go?"

Well, she wasn't wrong in thinking it would work. We were both chasing at the idea and stopping short from going through that step. In my case, I had to do so because I wasn't… I wasn't exactly in love with her. I found her attractive and hot, but I was also aware that someone else saw her more than that. Someone that genuinely loved her and was struggling to convey her emotions regarding this.

I just couldn't do this to Tiggs. She really meant all those words she told me and I was stuck in the most unflattering position. She knew this was a thing, and she had said she was fine since she trusted me when I told her that I wasn't truly into Vixy but…

At the same time, I can't be a jerk to Vixy. Not when she was genuinely interested in me.

"You mean as boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"I thought we could give a date first. A little after we're done with the visit from my parents since… I don't want dad to hound you for being too close to me," She explained calmly. "I can say you're not completely sold to the idea and… I think it's about being pushed into it."

That is part of it, yes. But not the entire package. Far from the full truth.

"Something like that, yes… but can I ask you why do you think this would work? I don't want to say I'm not interested but… I didn't expect it to take such a serious tone."

"Afraid?"

"Just for you," I admitted truthfully and Vixy sighed, maintaining a smile as she walked close to me.

"Well, I can say that I'm fairly sure about giving you a chance. Just as you are willing to consider giving me one," The Fox Prime replied, her hands pressing on my chest, her eyes aimed at mine. "So please, I know you want to."

I… I really didn't like the position I've been put in. One mistake and I make someone sad, cry, or overly-pissed. Not the best situation, but far from… a rare set of worse ones. I was still going to go for the simpler solution and the one I was sure to win through a careful plan. I could go on a date, then mess a few things and try to change her opinion.

This was the first time I tried to ruin a date with someone, and I was really unsure how to feel about the fact I wasn't prepared to do this. Maybe it was my good morality clashing with my gentleman-like manners. I was taught to be a good person, but alas I wasn't exactly capable of taking the best route without hurting people in the process.

But still… I had to do it.

"I guess we can try something like that," I replied with a small smile. "But you might end up with something quite cliché. I really didn't get the chance of finding anything rare or unique here at Prism."

She tilted her head, her smile widening as she took a nod and… leaned closer. I was caught surprised when her lips pressed onto mine. Nothing too serious but that peck still got me fairly surprised and she took full advantage of it as she pushed me on the ground. A blink, that's all I got before she was onto me and keeping that peck as long as possible. A chaste one, an inexperienced one. I could remember listening to Tiggs about Vixy having no experience whatsoever when it came to romance and… I could notice other elements that told me she was fairly unsure how to handle this advantage she had over me. We were mostly alone in the gym area, and the only ones there were distractedly training while listening to music.

It was technically just me and her and… that enabled her to be rather 'telling' of her interest. The kiss got a little more heated, and I had to return the favor to avoid awkwardness to come out of this. Eventually she had to pull out from the smooching, her face beet-red at having delivered such a strong first kiss.

A blink, then two, finally three and she spoke up. "Wow."

I could only smirk. "Yep."

Her eyes turned away as she collected her thoughts.

"That's like… way better than I thought."

"Glad that I was of help," I mirthfully replied and she looked back at me happily.

"I liked it."

I nodded.

"And I will probably do this more."

I could only frown as she lowered herself down for another smooching session. And again. And again. I wasn't unsure how she was finding the entire process exciting enough to get herself going at it for almost thirty minutes, but I wasn't exactly minding the time she was taking in enjoying the kissing. In fact, I would have been a hypocrite if I said otherwise.

It was a nice situation that was only turning sour at the constant rise of two big thoughts.

Tiggs and… Hope.

I'm so going to bash my head against something once I'm alone and away from trouble…

AN

Next section will be divided in two chapters. The Parents' Visit Day will be used as a conclusion to this arc and the beginning of the next one. So… who's ready to meet the Parents?

Me! Meeee!

...Ambar, you're one of the parents.

I know! But I want to see Grace and Tila after so long.

Oh right, this is when Tila comes by.

Yay!