As he walked to the car, Aichi gently put the kids' card in his bag. "I'm back. I told you I'll be quick," he said with a smile. He hopped on the back of the truck and sat beside the kids.
"Aichi, why do you have a bandage here?"
"Oh no! Why?!"
Aichi looked at what they were looking at. He forgot that about what had happened at school already. "Oh, this is nothing. There was an emergency while I was at school," he explained.
"Aichi, you still go to school?"
"You can say that... I go to school now. I'm in my first year of senior high school," Aichi responded.
"Oh! Can we be in the same class?"
"Yeah! Yeah! We want to!"
"Mmm… I think the homework will be a little hard for all of you," Aichi responded. "Don't worry, you'll make new friends at your new school. I'm sure you'll be fine," he encouraged them kindly. They soon made it to a building filled with kids and some adult caretakers.
"Lieutenant, you're back with more children," One of the caretakers greeted. She was holding laundry in her hands.
"Sorry for bring more kids. I know your hands are full," Aichi apologized to her.
"No. I am glad these kids are safe from the vampires," she responded happily.
"Don't cause trouble for the caretakers, okay?" Aichi said to the kids. All of them nodded and hugged him.
"Aichi! You're back!" Some more kids ran out of the building. There were a lot of them. "How was your expedition?"
"It went great. We have new friends for all of you," Aichi answered. The other kids stood behind him shyly. "It's okay, those kids were just like you. They were saved from a vampire camp and brought here too," he assured them with a kind smile.
"Make them feel welcome, okay?" Aichi asked.
"Okay!" The kids answered happily. They picked someone and partnered up. "Aichi, you're staying, aren't you?"
"I have homework to do, but I'll stay until you're all settled in," Aichi responded.
"Yay! We have so much to show you! Let's go!" All the kids took Aichi inside except for two older boys seeming to be in junior high.
"He is faking everything. I bet he thinks of us as burdens. If I just had his sword, I could be apart of the Moon Demon Company and be a leader of a unit," the boy said angrily.
"But he saved us… you shouldn't say stuff like that…" the boy beside him said nervously.
"He didn't save all of us. If he came sooner, then... they wouldn't have died!" The boy responded resentfully. They watched through the window to see Aichi having fun with the kids. The boy noticed that Aichi's sword sleeve wasn't strapped around him anymore. "Let's go."
"Where?"
They walked inside and looked in the living room to see Aichi's sword leaning on the wall. The boy held onto the sleeve and pulled out the sheathed sword. "What are you doing?" The timid boy whispered.
"If I had his power, I can do anything." He pulled out the sword from the sheath and screamed when his eyes were blinded by a light that no one else could see. Everyone heard the scream and ran to the source.
Aichi was the first to get there and saw that the boy dropped the sword and was rubbing his eyes. "Blaster Blade! Stop! Don't hurt him!" Aichi ordered. The boy continued to cry as a circle of electricity formed from below the boy. Aichi ran and pulled out the sword completely. The circle disappeared, but the boy's eyes were still burning.
"I'm here! Stop!" Aichi ordered again. The sword released a surge of electricity on his hand. He held his cries of pain and he knew he had to do something or else the boy would become blind. He braced himself as he stabbed his sword into his hand. It revealed a glowing white crest on the back of his hand.
"I release you from our contract," Aichi said before the crest dissolved. He pulled his sword out of his hand and moved his hand down the sword. The white sword turned black as he moved his hand down the length of the sword. When it was done, Aichi sheathed the sword and the boy calmed.
"Ritsuka! Why did you do that to Aichi?!" Ritsuka opened his eyes to see Aichi in front of him trying to hide his burnt and bloody hand from the kids.
"Are you okay, Ritsuka?" Aichi said while trying to hide his pain.
"Why did you do that?!" Ritsuka asked angrily.
"Blaster Blade wouldn't calm down. I had no other choice except dissolve the contract I had with him," Aichi answered. "I had to stab through the crest that seals our contract to break it," he added.
"Aichi, we need to stop the bleeding," Misaki said.
"No, I need to create the contract again," Aichi responded as Kai wrapped his hand in some cloth.
"But you need to be at your strongest to create the contract, especially with such a powerful-" Misaki said.
"We can go now. There is still time in the day. Since you're bleeding already, we should get it done quickly," Kai said. Misaki ran to the car and made the call.
"Aichi! Don't go if you'll be in danger!"
"It's okay. It isn't a big deal. Trust me, I'll come back," Aichi assured softly.
"He was reckless again? He does know that his Cursed Gear isn't like most right?" It was Guren on the phone with Misaki.
"He knows, but he needs somewhere to create a new contract. The way Aichi explained it, it may be too destructive to create it in the city," Misaki explained to Guren.
Guren sighed. "Alright... I'll arrange your friends to guard the exit of the city. You should be able to get out, but you need to be careful to avoid the other guards. They are pretty loyal dogs."
"Thank you," Misaki thanked him before the call ended. "Let's go," she told the others. Kai, Misaki and Aichi ran to the car and got inside. The drove off as quickly as they could.
They got out of the car right at the border of the city. There was an emergency exit not too far from the heavily guarded main gates. They pushed it and found that it was unlocked. They walked through the door and saw Izaki and Morikawa right outside. "There is a old subway stop nearby, that should be secure enough for you to create your contract again," Izaki informed them.
"Are Naoki, Kamui and Miwa already here?" Misaki asked.
"We all came here as fast as we could. Luckily, Guren was able to make up good excuses to let us out for a little while," Morikawa answered. They ran to the subway opening and down an old staircase.
They saw the rest of the group waiting for them. They had Aichi's Moon Demon Company uniform with him. "Thanks, guys," Aichi thanked them Before changing into his uniform. Kai took Aichi's sword to a hole in the ground. He stabbed the sheath with the sword inside into the ground. Aichi stood in front of the sword and took a deep breath. "Everyone be careful," he warned the people around him. They all nodded and braced themselves. He unbandaged his wound and allow his blood to drop onto the sword.
"Come to me, a spirit of a far-off land," Aichi called. He used his bloody hand to pull the sword out of the sheath. The sword released an electric surge in the area and caused horizontal destruction around him. There was no pain to Aichi which surprised him.
"You seek my power once again?" The knight asked as he appeared right in front of Aichi.
"I could not allow you to hurt that boy anymore. You would not listen to me. I had no other choice," Aichi answered sadly.
"I do not take betrayal of my trust lightly," Blaster Blade responded seriously. For some reason, Aichi knew that he didn't want to hurt him. If he did, he would have died by now or at least seriously in pain.
"I am really sorry. I do not deserve your forgiveness..." Aichi responded sadly. "But I'll repeat it... I'm sorry that I betrayed you, Blaster Blade."
Blaster Blade looked at his eyes. He sighed and his expression softened. The electricity calmed around them. "Next time you dissolve our contract, you'll pay a high price," Blaster Blade responded pointing at Aichi's chest. "We will live together. I will stay with you until the end of your days."
"We shall now live as equals then. I'll listen to you and you'll listen to me," Aichi said with a smile. A light appeared on his left side with the crest symbol. When it was done, the sword turned white again and Aichi sheathed it.
"Bro! You did it!" Kamui exclaimed.
"What did he say? There was no fighting," Miwa asked.
"He said he doesn't take betrayal lightly. But he was willing to form a new one. He said, we will be together forever," Aichi said while looking at the sword with a smile.
"Where is the crest now?" Misaki asked. Aichi unbuttoned his jacket and undershirt. They looked found the crest on the left side of his chest.
"Looks like he meant it. If you want to dissolve the contract again, you'll need to stab right through your chest," Kai said.
"I don't think anything like that will happen again. I'll keep him in my sights from now on," Aichi responded.
"Let's get you taken care of," Misaki said while looking at Aichi's hand.
"I'll be fine," Aichi assured as he covered the wound with the cloth he used earlier. Suddenly the alarm rang at the gate.
"Vampire attack right now?!" Naoki asked.
"They must have smelt Aichi's blood," Miwa said as vampires appeared running down the entrance.
"Good thing we brought our weapons." They all pulled out their Cursed Gears and fought them off. Aichi pulled out his sword as well, but was stopped by Kai.
"Kai! Let me help!" Aichi exclaimed.
"If soldiers guarding the gate see you, they'll tell 'him'. He'll never let you out on any mission after he finds out," Kai responded. He took Aichi's wrist and pulled him with him to an emergency staircase leading to the surface. Before they went outside, Kai pulled his jacket off and wrapped it around Aichi's hand.
They hid away as soldiers ran to the site. When the mass of soldiers ran past, Aichi and Kai snuck through the exit they came in from. They continued running and hiding until they reached their car. "Thank you, Kai," Aichi thanked.
"We'll get you back home and call a doctor we can trust," Kai said as he started the car and drove back home. Aichi wiped the handle of his sword with his jacket sleeve. "Aren't you surprised that he agreed with you without question or a fight?" Kai asked.
Aichi looked at the sword with a smile. "I don't know… I feel like we were meant to be together and I think he feels the same," he explained happily.
"If you say so. Don't lower your guard though," Kai said.
"I won't. But I feel like he wouldn't try take over my body anyway," Aichi responded. They soon made it to their house and Aichi went to the bathroom to wash up. He winced as the water touched his left hand. It hurt, but he made sure to wash the wound thoroughly. When the dried blood was washed off, he saw the fresh blood coming out. He finished washing up covered his wound with some cloth so that he can put on his clothes.
When he walked outside of the bathroom, he saw a doctor standing at the entrance to the house. "Sendou, I heard about your wound and came by quickly. The caretakers at the orphanage called for me. I will not speak of this with anyone," the doctor informed.
"Thank you for coming," Kai thanked. Aichi sat down on the kitchen table. Kai took a garbage bag and laid it out on the table for an easy clean up of the mess that would come.
"How much does it hurt?" The doctor asked as Aichi placed his hand on the garbage bag.
"It hurts quite a lot," Aichi responded. The doctor took off the cloth and saw the burns and the hole in his hand.
"It is a second-degree burn. It might leave a scar, but it will heal on its own. But this stab wound… I'll stitch it a little so that it is a smaller hole, but you'll need to let it close up a little before stitching it up completely."
"Okay," Aichi responded. The doctor took out a kit for stitching. He took out a needle and some thread for stitches. Aichi turned away as the doctor did his work. After finishing the sutures, the doctor wrapped a cloth around his hand lightly.
"The cloth is just to absorb the blood. Make sure to rinse it once in a while to clean out the dried blood. I'll come back in three days to see how you are doing. It might hurt a lot for a while, so here is a prescription for painkillers under Kai's name. You can take these for now," the doctor explained before handing some pills to Aichi. Kai brought a glass of water and Aichi swallowed the pills.
"Okay, thank you. I'll make sure to visit the orphanage soon to show them I'm alright," Aichi said before the doctor left.
"Do you need me to get painkillers now?" Kai asked while looking at the time.
"I'll be fine," Aichi assured him. He looked like he was in a great deal of pain every time he moved his hand.
"I'll be back with some medicine," Kai said as he took his jacket of the the clothes rack and walked outside.
"Thank you, Kai…" Aichi thanked him as he left. Aichi went to his room and laid on his bed. He was really tired after everything that happened that day, so he soon drifted to sleep.
While he was sleeping, Misaki and the others got back. They all looked unharmed, but it was strange that they came really late. "Man…! They really wanted to question us a lot didn't they?" Kamui commented while scratching his head frustratedly.
"At least they don't know about Aichi going there," Misaki said. She walked inside his room and saw him sleeping peacefully. The others watched from the opening.
"That kid really made a mess, didn't he?" Naoki commented with a frustrated sigh. Aichi's hand was dangling on the side with blood pooling on the cloth wrapped around his hand. There was a bucket on the ground to catch blood if the cloth got too damp.
"He must be tired. Let's let him rest," Misaki said as she walked out of Aichi's room. The front door opened and Kai walked inside with a small plastic bag.
"You're back. They must have given you a hard time. Sorry," Kai apologized to them as he placed the bag on the table.
"No problem. As long as Aichi is alright," Miwa said. Misaki looked inside the bag and saw the painkillers, some bandages and other bottles with solution to clean the wound. Kai took out the bandages from the bag and walked to the bathroom. He took a bucket and filled it with some warm water. He picked up a cloth and the bucket, and made his way to Aichi's room.
The group watched as Kai walked to Aichi's bedside and looked at his hand. He looked up and saw that Aichi was still fast asleep. He gently unwrapped the cloth around his hand. When he did, Aichi slowly woke up from the sharp pain that came from the action. "Sorry. I need to wrap it properly, just deal with the pain for now," Kai informed him while being even more gentle.
"Did everyone come back…?" Aichi asked drowsily.
"Yeah, bro… We're right here," Kamui said. Aichi looked up and winced as Kai brushed his hand lightly with a wet cloth.
"That's a relief. I'm sorry for getting all of you into trouble. I should have kept a closer eye on the kids while I was there," Aichi apologized to them. He continued talking to try to keep his mind off of what Kai was doing. "That's right… I forgot to tell you guys... we were asked to train a new unit once they get their Cursed Gears. We can say 'no', so it is your choice," he explained.
"If we have a choice then I guess our great leader Hiragi didn't ask you to do this," Miwa commented as a joke.
"Colonal Ichinose asked you when we were at the hospital right?" Kai asked. Aichi nodded.
"We should do it! I don't mind teaching newbies the ropes," Kamui said while putting his hands together.
"Who else would teach these new guys properly?" Naoki agreed. Misaki and Miwa also nodded their heads.
"I guess we'll do it then. I'll tell him tomorrow after school," Aichi said.
"You're still going to go to school even with your injury?" Naoki asked outraged.
"It's not like I'm sick and it is on my left hand," Aichi responded. "Also, if I don't show up, General Hiragi will get suspicious," he added. That was a good enough reason for everyone. Kai finished up by wrapping his hand with a new bandage.
"Thank you, Kai," Aichi thanked him again as Kai got up.
"You should get some rest," Kai said.
"Right, let's let him rest," Misaki agreed. Everyone got out of the room to let Aichi sleep. After a short while, he did manage to fall back asleep.
The next day, Aichi got up early for school. He woke up much earlier than he usually would. It was so early that everyone was still sleeping. Aichi walked out of the hallway and looked at the kitchen table to see a lunch box, a note and supplies for his wound.
"Breakfast is in the fridge. If you're going to go out so early, you should at least eat it. Also wake me up so I can help you wash your wound and re-bandage it before you go. -Kai"
Aichi smiled and put the note down. He walked to the fridge, and pulled out a plate with some eggs and a sandwich on it. He ate it and put the dishes in the sink to wash later. "I think I can clean this alone. I don't want to wake him up," Aichi thought. He unwrapped his bandage and looked at the wound. It looked a little better than yesterday. He could see the sides that were stitched up were beginning to close up. He walked outside and used the alcohol to clean his wound. He held in his cries of pain so that he wouldn't wake up anyone.
While he was outside, a car drove into the street. Aichi was startled and looked at the vehicle while hiding his wound. The car stopped in front of his house and kids came out of the car. "Aichi!"
The caretakers also got out and smiled. "I am sorry for coming so soon, but the kids were restless," they apologized to him. The kids were hugging him from all around, so Aichi held his hand out in front of him so that they wouldn't touch it accidentally.
"Hey! Calm down. You'll wake up Kai and the others," Aichi said. The kids calmed down and told each other to be quiet.
"Here, let me help you with wrapping the bandages," a caretaker insisted. The kids dispersed and the caretaker took the bandage roll that was in his pocket.
"Thank you," Aichi thanked as she helped wrap it around his hand.
"Are you still going to school even with this injury?"
"Yeah. If General Hiragi finds out he might not let me out of the city ever again," Aichi answered with a sigh. "I'll be fine. I'll heal," he assured her.
"Aichi… I'm sorry about getting you injured." Aichi turned to see Ritsuka standing there nervously. He looked like he was trying to act cool, but he really felt guilty about what happened.
"It's alright. I'll heal in no time," Aichi assured while holding out his hand with a smile.
"Did you get back your… you know…"
Aichi nodded with a smile and unbuttoned some of the top buttons of his dress shirt. He pulled it to the side and showed him the crest on his chest. "Next time, I might not get so lucky though," he said.
"You shouldn't have saved me!" Ritsuka exclaimed before running off. Aichi sighed and buttoned his shirt back up with his right hand.
"Ritsuka always thought of you as a role model. I'm sure he doesn't mean any harm. You were able to save people when you were his age and yet he still has to be protected by others."
"I'm not a role model… I don't even know everything that's going on around me. All the blood that General Hiragi takes from me… I don't even know what it is being used for," Aichi explained, sounding slightly frustrated.
"I'll try to find something. I have some friends from the lab. Of course we first met because he was looking for you when you ran away," the caretaker said with a giggle.
Aichi blushed and scratched his head. He laughed slightly and leaned back on the wall. "They have become extremely cautious… They strap me down on the bed now," he informed her with a sigh.
She looked at the time and shot up. "Sorry Aichi! We have to go to the school and register all the new kids. We have to go kids!" She exclaimed.
"Alright, I'll be heading out too," Aichi responded. They hurded all of the kids got in the car and they drove off. Aichi waved in their direction until they were out of sight. He walked back inside the house to pick up his bag, lunch box, and sword before heading out.
When he got to school, he noticed that people were whispering around him. In the hallways and even in his classroom, everyone was whispering. When Aichi sat down, a girl approached his seat. "Um… Sendou…"
Aichi turned and saw a girl. "Hello, um… You're Tachibana, right?" He asked.
"Yes! I'm surprised you remembered my name. So… thank you for saving me yesterday!" She thanked him with a bow.
Aichi smiled and waved his hands. "No. It was nothing. It's my job," he responded. The girl noticed the bandage around his hand.
"Your hand!"
"Oh! This is nothing. There was a small accident but it will recover quickly," Aichi assured her while hiding his hand.
"That's good. Actually... everyone was wondering why a person with a Cursed Gear is back in school," she said.
Aichi tried to think of an excuse, but he couldn't really think of one. "Um… I was asked to go back to school for the time being," he answered hesitantly.
"Oh! Sorry for asking! I guess the leader of unit wanted you to learn some more in school first," she apologized to him shyly.
"I am the leader of the unit… but I'll agree…" Aichi thought to himself. "I don't really mind going to school though," he responded. More students ran through the door looking ready to gossip.
"Sendou! You're still here!"
Aichi nodded. "Can we see your Cursed Gear? You looked so cool with it yesterday!"
"Um… okay," Aichi agreed. He pulled the sword and sheath of his sleeve gently and pulled out the sword.
"It really is a white Cursed Gear! So cool!"
"Alright everyone! Get to your seats! Today we'll be reviewing for tomorrow's test," the teacher informed everyone. Aichi sheathed his sword and put it back in the sleeve. He made sure to keep it close to him.
After class, Aichi was eating in his classroom with a small group of classmates when he suddenly got a call of his phone. "Yes, I am at school right now," he answered. "How did someone get into the Forbidden Chamber? Shouldn't there be people guarding it?" Aichi asked, sounding surprised. "Okay, I'll go check it out right now," he responded.
He stood up from his seat. "Hey! Where are you going?"
"Someone's in trouble," Aichi responded before running off. He pulled out an earpiece out of his pocket and put it on while running to the middle school building. He saw some middle school students and some JIDA soldiers standing in front of the staircase leading to the Forbidden Chamber.
"Lieutenant Sendou, you arrived," one of the soldiers greeted with a salute.
"What is the situation?" Aichi asked.
"We are unsure. We were told to stand outside and make sure no one else goes in."
Aichi nodded. "Okay, I'll check out the situation." He ran down the stairs and reached a door that was covered in spell tags.
When he opened the door, he saw a girl, and the brunette from yesterday inside. "Who are you?" The girl asked after noticing him walk in.
"Aichi Sendou, captain of the Sendou Squad of the Moon Demon Company," Aichi answered. He looked over the situation and saw Yu on the floor. "He touched the axe before I got here," he said worriedly. He jumped down to the floor and stood above Yu.
"How long has he been like this?" Aichi asked while kneeling down to check on him.
"Just a few minutes," the girl answered.
"He isn't taken over by the demon yet. He is still fighting," Aichi informed.
"What if he gets taken over by the demon?" The brunette boy asked, sounding very worried. Aichi stood up and unsheathed his sword.
"There will be no saving him. I'll do my best to get the axe out of his hands, but… let's hope his heart is strong enough to fight the demon," Aichi answered with a sigh. He stayed alert until Yu sat up. He looked at Yu closely before sheathing his sword. He turned to the girl and the brunette with a smile.
"It looks like he's alright," Aichi said before walking to the unconscious boy laying down on the ground. He looked like he was alright, but he couldn't be sure. "We should still get him checked out by a doctor." The girl and boy followed him to the door.
Aichi tapped his earpiece before pulling the boy up and gave him a shoulder. He looked dazed which worried him. "It's me. When I got here, the situation was already handled by a trainee from the middle school division. That's right… You should ask them for the details. Yes… there is one student that touched the Cursed Gear, so I need him to be taken to the hospital as soon as possible. I'm heading outside right now. Tell Colonel Guren that I think he is ready to start his training. Thank you, bye," he said before the call closed.
"I am going to take this boy to the hospital so that they can check on him. Return to your classes for now, but please explain what happened to Colonel Ichinose" Aichi ordered seriously as they exited the chamber.
"Yes!" Shinoa responded. As they were walking up the stairs, they noticed how Aichi's left hand was all bandaged up and was holding onto his sword and sheath lightly. When they got to the school area, the two boys and the soldiers were still there. He gently placed Yu on the ground and waited for paramedics to come in.
"I will overlook this once, but next time I will have to report it to my superiors. Do you understand?" Aichi asked with intimidating eyes.
"Yes…" They answered.
Aichi smiled and nodded. "Good. You were lucky that no one got hurt," he said. They heard sirens and saw an ambulance outside. Paramedics came into the school.
"First Lieutenant Sendou, we will take it from here. You can return to class," they said.
"Okay. He's already conscious, but it is best to stay cautious for now," Aichi responded as he took off his earpiece.
Aichi turned to Yu and the brunette. "Don't forget to report what happened to Guren. I think you'll be beginning your training soon," he said before leaving.
Shinoa watched as he walked out. "I don't know any Lieutenant named Aichi Sendou. He must not be well known by other members," she explained.
"That's weird. Right, Yu?" The brunette asked.
"I couldn't care less," Yu responded before heading back to class.
Meanwhile, Aichi returned to class. His next class already started so he was debating with himself on whether or not to enter. He took a breath and quietly slid open the door. He bowed his head as an apology. "I apologize for being late," he said politely.
"It is okay, Sendou. You had official business to take care of. Take your seat," the teacher assured him kindly.
"Thank you," Aichi thanked before taking his seat. He didn't want to disturb the class anymore so took notes and tried to get attention off of himself. His friend whispered to him, "you must have kicked butt! We saw the ambulance, you must have took care of it quickly."
"I didn't do anything. Someone else handled the situation before I got there," Aichi whispered back while he was writing.
"Someone else? Another member of the extermination unit?"
"He is one of the trainees," Aichi answered quietly.
"That's so cool! The trainee must be good," he exclaimed. The class was paused and they all looked at him. "Sorry, please continue," he said before everyone began laughing.
Aichi smiled. He hadn't gone to school for most of his life. He was always homeschooled in the lab in Shinjuku by a teacher. When he joined the Moon Demon Company, he moved to this city, Shibuya and went to a different school. However, in that school, he was closely watched by the general's most loyal soldiers. It felt nice to be in such a tense-free environment. It was a feeling he only got while out on expeditions with his squad.
At the end of the school day, Aichi walked outside the school grounds to head home. When he walked through the gates, he saw a member of Guren's squad was standing outside. "Oh! Lieutenant Sendou!" She called waving at Aichi. Everyone who heard the girl began whispering to each other.
"Lieutenant…?"
"No wonder he's so strong…"
Aichi blushed embarrassed and ran to her. "Lieutenant Hanayori… why are you here?" He asked quietly.
Hanayori smiled and leaned into his ear and playfully whispered, "Colonel Ichinose came to talk to the trainees personally. Also he would like to speak with you."
"Right now?" Aichi asked.
"Yes," she answered before guiding Aichi to a car that drove them to a hospital. Guren was waiting for them outside of the entrance.
"Lieutenant Colonel, you wanted to speak with me?" Aichi asked.
"I told you to quit it with the Lieutenant Colonel!" Guren shouted with an annoyed tone. Aichi held his arms up passively to say that he was sorry. "Anyway, I heard that you were wondering what your blood is being used for. Since you really wanted to know, I brought you here to show you," he explained as he walked inside the hospital. He took Aichi to a room with an unconscious girl inside.
"This girl…" Aichi said to himself before seeing a bag of blood hanging from a stand. A tube moved the blood to the girl's veins. "Is that my blood?" He asked.
"Yes. Your blood is special. It is the only thing that fights off the disease that this girl has. Whenever you give your blood in to the lab, you are saving this girl's life," Guren explained with a bored tone.
"Why are you telling me this?" Aichi asked. Guren flicked his forehead.
"So that you'll stop asking around. Did you think that guy wouldn't know you were? He wants you to follow his orders without question," Guren said sounding annoyed.
Aichi smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Guren," he thanked him happily. He thought a little bit and he had an question for him. "So were you the one that transferred me into that school?" He asked curiously.
Guren scratched his head. "Yeah? What? Isn't it better than being spied on all day?" He asked.
"No, it's not that… thank you. I like going to school right now and it must have been hard to persuade General Hiragi," Aichi answered childishly.
"Don't thank me. You'll pay me back by attending the training classes starting tomorrow. It is every day after school and you'll show them what it takes to be in the Moon Demon Company," Guren explained.
Aichi laughed nervously. "Are you trying to scare some of them off?" He asked.
"They have to learn from someone," Guren responded. He began walking to the exit but stopped when a boy walked inside.
"Colonel Ichinose, why are you here? Who is he?" The boy asked.
"I'm just showing the boy that provides the blood that is keeping sister alive what we've been doing with his blood," Guren responded before leaving.
The boy looked shocked and bowed in front of Aichi. "Thank you for saving my sister," he thanked him while in tears.
"It's nothing. I didn't even know about it until today," Aichi responded while putting his hand on his shoulder. "I should get going. I hope your sister gets better," he said kindly. The boy wiped his tears as Aichi pat him on the shoulder. When he calmed down, Aichi left the room and headed home.
Aichi soon returned home. He found that everyone wasn't home, he guessed that they were on a quick mission with the regular units. He first took a shower. After his shower, he took off his bandages and looked at the wound. It was closing up nicely and quickly. He first rinsed the wound before using the alcohol to clean it. He was still bleeding a lot. After he finished washing the wound, he wrapped it up again with his right hand.
"This needs to close up before they ask for my blood again," he said to himself while looking at the bandages. He walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. He found containers of food with a letter sitting on top of the container on the top shelf.
Aichi, this is your food for the next few days. We were called on a mission in short notice so we won't be back for a few days. If you run out of food before we come back, go eat over at the orphanage or buy something. Don't use the kitchen! -Misaki
Aichi put down the letter and sighed. He took out a container of food and microwaved it to eat. He sat on the dining table alone. He smiled sadly since he hasn't felt so alone for a while. Images of himself sitting alone in the lab four years ago appeared in his mind. He used to eat alone every day in a small windowless room. "Don't be sad. I'm not alone anymore," he reminded himself. He forced himself to smile as he took the first bite. "That's right… not alone anymore…"
Suddenly, there were knocks on the door. Aichi stood up and opened the door. "Aichi!" A high voice called. Aichi looked down and saw some kids.
"Hello, why are you here? How did you get here?" Aichi asked while kneeling down to their height. He smiled warmly as if his sense of loneliness disappeared.
"We came to see you again! Those people that were taking care of us said that you were going to be alone for a while, so we wanted to keep you company!" The kids said happily.
"You shouldn't have. I'm used to being alone, so you don't have to worry about me," Aichi assured them.
"Three years ago, you were pretty shaken when you had to be alone," a caretaker teased while walking to him.
"Really?! Really? Really?" The kids asked excitedly. They were hoping to hear a story of Aichi's past.
Aichi blushed and looked away. "That's only because I was alone for two years before I found my friends," he said.
"What do you mean, Aichi? Why were you lonely?" The kids asked sadly.
"I was always inside. There were some people that would never allow me to go outside, but don't feel bad for me. You guys had it worse," Aichi explained to them.
"Aichi, did you just start eating?" The caretaker asked after noticing the container on the table.
Aichi stood up and nodded. "That's right. I was eating when you guys got here," he answered. He invited them inside, his sword was on the living room table with his school bag.
"Sorry, Aichi. Can I leave them here for a little while? I need to run an errand," the caretaker asked.
"Alright," Aichi agreed.
"Okay, kids! Don't cause trouble for Aichi, okay?" She asked seriously.
"Okay! We promise!" The kids responded. "Bye, Miss. Yuri!" Yuri left the house after hearing them promise.
"How have you all been? Do you like your new home?" Aichi asked.
The kids nodded. "Everyone is so nice! We've been having fun, except for what happened…"
Aichi looked at his hand. "I'm getting better. It shouldn't take long before it is as good as new," he assured them. He walked to the kitchen and took his food to the living room. "You should do homework. You have some, don't you?" He asked.
"But we don't wanna!" The kids whined.
"I'll help you with it. There's nothing fun to do here anyways. And I need to eat, so it is the best time," Aichi insisted with a smile as he took a bite of his food.
"For Aichi!" They told themselves encouragingly. They pulled their workbooks out of their backpacks and put it on the table to work on. Aichi smiled and continued eating. Sometimes he would help them with the homework when they asked him, but otherwise, he would just watch them.
"Aichi, are you staying here alone?" The kids asked when they were about to leave to go back home.
Aichi smiled and brushed his hand through their hair. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," he reassured them with a bitter smile.
"Thanks for taking care of them, Aichi. Sorry to take time out of your day," Yuri apologized to him.
"They didn't cause any trouble at all," Aichi responded. She took the kids to the car and drove off. Aichi waved at them as they left. He sighed and walked back inside. He walked to the kitchen and took some painkillers before doing his homework. He breezed through the homework and went to bed early.
He laid there for a little while unable to fall asleep.
"I wonder if everyone's alright," he wondered to himself. He pulled out his sword and looked at it. "I wish I could've gone with them…" he said as he fell asleep.
Here is Chapter 2! Super fast right?
I hope you guys enjoyed it! ^-^ This one is really fun to write since Aichi is able to be treated like a child for some character interactions, and an adult for others. I know some sections may be repeatative, but I hope you guys enjoyed it none-the-less!
Also, if there is any grammar errors or parts that don't make sense, very sorry! I do not enjoy editing, so I read it over, add and fix in one go! This is for all my stories so I am very sorry!
I'm not done writing this story just yet, so as always, you can check out my progress on my profile! At the time of editing this chapter, I am working on chapter 6. So there uploads may slow down when we get closer to that chapter!
Anyways, next chapter will be up soon! I have nothing better to do while I'm stuck at home, so make sure to stay tuned!