Welcome back to Fate and Destiny! So far, Toshiro and Ren have encountered two of the monsters, and Ren made swift work of them. But, they are being followed by a mysterious man. Who is he? Let's find out, shall we?

Chapter 3

Feathers

Ren stared blankly at her computer screen, scanning through the photographs on there with regular clicks of her mouse. All of them contained monsters of different shapes, colours and abilities, yet she couldn't help but notice the characteristics they had in common. For example, their masks and their blood thirsty personalities.

"If they had any…" Ren muttered to herself. "It's been almost a week now, but it's all the same. They're all the same level. Maybe these are lower levels? I haven't come across any who are weaker, and they can all fire that weird blast." Ren leaned back against her desk chair. "Uuuu, this is making my head hurt. If I put this much effort into my school work, I'd be a genius by now." Ren leaned forward once again, resting her head on her hand while staring at all her photos again. "I'm bored." Ren glanced over at Toshiro. He was asleep on her sofa, his hands locked behind his head and a frown on his face.

He does look kinda cute asleep. Ren thought, smiling. What am I thinking? Ren shook her head quickly. Gotta go over the photos one more time. Her eyes widened as soon as she looked at one. Wait a sec… Ren grabbed her mouse and scrolled through them with quick clicks. This is…

"Oi, Shiro. Wake up. I've discovered something I think you need to know." Ren said loudly, looking over to the asleep Toshiro. "Hey, didn't you hear me? I said-"

"RANGIKU!" Toshiro yelled, sitting upright without any warning.

"Wah!" Ren recoiled in surprise. Unfortunately, she lost her balance on her chair and it collapsed backwards, making her tumble onto the floor.

"Huh? What was I dreaming about?" Toshiro looked over to Ren, who was still collapsed on the floor. "Oh. Sorry."

"Ow…" Ren winced, sitting up with a hand on her head.

"Are you okay?" Toshiro asked, standing up and offering Ren a hand up.

"Yeah. Not the first time I hit my head." Ren answered, taking Toshiro's hand and standing up. "Apologies aside, I've found something in the photos that you really need to see."

"What? What is it?" Toshiro asked, immediately attentive.

"Well…" Ren started, picking her chair up again and sitting down upon it. "In the photos of that monster with wings we saw, there wasn't anything suspicious at first. But, after that one, there is something rather unusual there."

"What are you saying?"

"Look here." Ren pointed at the computer monitor. Toshiro followed her finger, and his eyes widened. Behind the monster that was poised to attack was a street lamp, and behind that was a silhouette of a man.

"Who is that?" Toshiro asked, shocked.

"Look at the rest." Ren clicked her mouse button several times to more photographs. "The spider type. The bird type. The gorilla type. Even the snake one we saw yesterday. All of them after that first one we saw at school have the same guy. Except the one with wings." Ren stopped when the final photograph showed the last moments of a monster that looked like a giant lion. "See?" Ren pointed at a thick tree, where the same silhouette was. Ren looked over her shoulder straight at Toshiro. "Someone is following us."

"But who?" Toshiro wondered.

"Beats me." Ren shrugged.

"Whoever he is, we need to keep our guard up." Toshiro said, making eye contact with Ren, who after a moment's hesitation, looked away.

What the… Toshiro thought.

"If another monster shows up, then that guy will definitely be there. We'll wait until then. Agreed?" Ren asked.

"Uh…Yeah." Toshiro nodded, who was still thinking about the way Ren avoided eye contact with him.

"Oh, about that. I get nervous when I look into someone's eyes so I look away. It's complicated, though."

"Oh, okay." Toshiro said dismissively. "Hold on, what?"

"What?" Ren asked, confused.

"How did you know…How did you know what I was thinking?" Toshiro asked.

"I did?" Ren asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Yes. You just answered what I was thinking about."

"Really?"

"You don't remember?" Ren shook her head.

It's just like what happened in the office. Toshiro thought. Some kind of power comes through unexpectedly, and she forgets that she used it almost immediately after it happened.

"Say, Shiro."

"Hn?"

"Do you ever…have any weird dreams?" Ren asked, glancing away.

"Weird?" Ren nodded. "Weird how?"

"Like…something you wouldn't normally expect in your dreams."

"Um…I dunno. Why are you asking me? Dreams are a girl thing. Ask your mother. Besides, it's probably just nothing."

"Yeah, I guess." Ren said, giving an unsure smile. "But…I just can't shake off this weird feeling." Ren gripped her arms. "See…I dreamt I was in the sky. I wasn't falling or nothing; I was…flying. I saw my own pair of wings in the dream. They were…beautiful. And in this dream, I remember feeling happy to be in the sky, flying free…and…I was seeing someone soon. Someone very dear to me…" Ren looked away, still clutching her arms. "I wonder who that was?" Ren thought out loud.

"…" Toshiro looked down at the ground, contemplating what Ren said. It certainly didn't sound like a regular dream. But Ren couldn't afford to have any doubts at this point. "I…I'm sure it's nothing."

"Yeah, you're right!" Ren exclaimed, grinning while placing a hand behind her head.

She sure shrugged that off quickly. Toshiro thought, sweat dropping.

"I'll ask Steph about it tomorrow at school. Remember, Shiro…" Ren placed her hands on her hips. "I want you to be friendly with everyone. You won't make friends like that."

"I don't want to make friends at your school. You're the only ally I need."

"Not allies. Friends. Friends! Very different!"

"Whatever!" Toshiro scoffed, walking past Ren to exit her study. He had a lot to think about tonight.

…

"And then I woke up." Ren finished. "Weird, huh?"

"Yeah, that is strange…" Steph agreed, already thinking about it. Toshiro, meanwhile, was sitting nearby in the common room, which was full of people in Ren and Steph's year. The television was on a music channel, and on full volume. But, the noise of the chatter almost completely drowned it out. Toshiro, Ren and Steph were in the kitchen area, with Ren and Steph sitting around a small table, and Toshiro wasn't too far away. Toshiro himself was eavesdropping on their conversation while pretending to read a book on theatre.

Let's see what she has to say…Toshiro thought, staring at Steph over the book while trying to loosen his necktie.

"Sounds like one of those dreams you'd have in an anime." Steph said cheerfully.

"Yeah!" Ren agreed happily.

Dammit, can't you be serious for one damn minute? Toshiro thought angrily, glaring at Ren.

"Wasn't there an anime like that?" Ren said thoughtfully.

"Kinda like a character that has dreams that are similar to another character's memories."

"Of course, that can't happen!" Ren dismissed the idea, waving her hand airily "But, the dream I had last night could make that true."

Last night? Toshiro thought. Abandoning his disguise, he slammed the book shut and listened fully to the conversation.

"Last night, I dreamt I was in this city. Everyone was smiling and laughing And that made me happy, too."

"Sounds like this isn't much to worry about if these are good dreams." Steph said.

"And Shiro was there."

"!" Both Toshiro and Steph couldn't hide their shock.

"Toshiro was in it?" Steph exclaimed, leaning closer to Ren.

"Well, not exactly. I mean, this guy looked a lot like him, but I could only see his back. Besides, right after I saw this guy, my alarm went off."

"So, it could have been a coincidence."

"Yeah, it could be."

"No." Toshiro said suddenly, standing up.

"Shiro?" Ren looked over her shoulder at Toshiro.

"We can't dismiss this as coincidence. Keep note of every dream you have from now on. It might be important."

"Um…okay." Steph said, confused. "I don't see how it's important, but…"

"Ahahaha!" Ren laughed nervously. "Shiro thinks I keep track of my dreams! Ahaha! He must be the type of guy who thinks that girls pay attention to dreams! You joker you!" Ren laughed, hooking an arm around his shoulder.

"Keep your gob zipped about you-know-what!" Ren whispered into his ear fiercely.

"I had no intention of telling. Besides, I thought you would be the type of person who would tell her about it."

"What's that meant to mean, huh?" Ren exclaimed.

"Is something wrong?" Steph asked.

"Oh, nothing, nothing, nothing." Ren reassured, shaking her head with a nervous smile.

"!" Toshiro glanced out a window in the common room.

"Shiro? Ah!" Ren gasped when Toshiro grabbed her arm and ran outside with her in tow. "Hey, what gives?" Toshiro let go of her arm and stopped running as soon as they were out of the school grounds, and were facing a road in front of the school.

"Do you feel that?" Toshiro asked.

"Fell what?" Ren asked.

"The feeling that…we're being watched." Toshiro narrowed his eyes. "That guy is here."

"…" Ren was silent, as was Toshiro.

"Let's go somewhere quiet." Ren whispered. "We don't want to confront him here." Ren discreetly pointed down the road. "There's a park over there. Follow me." Ren walked to her left, with Toshiro following her.

He's here. Toshiro thought. He's definitely following us. It's sooner than I thought. But why now?

"This way." Ren walked through a black gate and onto a footpath through a group of trees.

If he reveals himself, we have a lot of questions to ask him.

"This will do." Ren stopped when they were in a circle surrounded by trees.

"Now what do we do?" Toshiro asked.

"Shhh." Ren hissed. "Listen." Silence. There was not a sound to be heard. In fact, it was so quiet, Toshiro could hear his own heart beating. But, in a brief second, there was the sound of leaves rustling which made Toshiro jolt.

"He's followed us." Toshiro said quietly. "We need to handle this delicately. One false move and-"

"Hello! Who goes there? You've been following us, haven't you?" Ren asked happily.

"You idiot!" Toshiro yelled. There was another rustle of leaves. Sure enough, a dark black boot stepped out of the trees and hedges, followed by the whole body. A man stood before Toshiro and Ren, wearing a brown tattered cloak with the hood hiding his face with shadows.

"How did you know I was following you?" The man asked.

"We saw you in the photos we took of your monster." Ren answered. "Are you their ring leader?"

"One of many. But, I am merely a foot soldier. Nonetheless, I know you would be no match for me."

"Well, Shiro might not be a match. I mean, he's pretty powerless right now." Ren said bluntly.

"Don't broadcast it!" Toshiro snapped.

That girl… The man thought. She is definitely the one who is destroying the monsters I send. And that boy is an accomplice of hers. He seems to be no threat. And yet…there is something about them I don't like. They seem familiar, somehow.

"So you are sending monsters?" Ren asked. The man nodded, confirming her question. "Why? Why are you sending them? Who are you? More importantly, why can I sense them?"

She can sense them? The man thought, stepping back in shock. That's impossible! It explains why she can see them, but to actually fight and destroy them! That is something impossible for a human.

"You…can sense them?"

"Yeah." Ren nodded. "Shiro can, too. Though he wasn't able to before."

"Again, you're giving him too much information." Toshiro sighed.

"So's he." Ren pointed out.

"In answer to your other question, my name is Sentaro. The monsters we send have a name. They are called Feathers."

"Feathers?" Ren repeated.

"Yes. Their name will become clear in good time, but they are tools in our organisation to cleanse this world and rebuild it anew."

"So they're, like, demolition balls?" Ren asked. "'Cos if you're trying to rebuild this place like you say you are, then you need to stop destroying stuff with 'em."

"You would not understand. You are a mere human who is in the way of our mission."

"But you're invading my home!" Ren shouted. "I won't allow you to continue with what you're doing!"

"What right do you have to tell us what to do?" Sentaro demanded.

"I can because I can kill these Feathers or whatever they are."

"There is another reason why we summon the Feathers here."

"Eh?" Ren blinked.

"We are looking for something. Or rather…someone."

"Someone?" Toshiro repeated. "Who?"

I knew it. Ren thought. I knew those monsters were looking for something.

"Someone who is believed to be dead. Someone with unbelievable power. Someone who, if they are alive, will get in the way of out plans."

"Sooo… the police?" Ren suggested. She folded her arms in thought. "Nah, one of the Feathers appeared near the police station ages ago. So, maybe, the mayor? Or the prime minister. If it's that one, then you're in the wrong place."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Yeah, you're right. I wouldn't." Ren admitted. "But, this planet is my home, so I want to understand why you want to do this."

"That is something you shall never know." Sentaro raised an arm in front of him. "Now that you know this, I shall have to kill you."

"Then why tell us in the first place?" Ren asked.

"Because you shall be dead before you can do anything with that information." Sentaro's hand glowed with an orange aura.

"Grrr." Toshiro reached for the sword that would be strapped to his back, but his hand grasped nothing. "Damn."

"Hee." Ren grinned.

"Don't look at me like that!" Toshiro yelled. "We're being attacked here!"

"Um…what do you say to running?" Ren asked.

"Run?"

"Yup. I don't think I can fight this guy." Ren said sheepishly.

"Die!" Sentaro yelled, charging towards them.

"Fine! Let's go!" However, before Toshiro could make a move, Sentaro skidded in front of him, preventing him from moving.

"You're not going anywhere. I have a feeling you and your friend will cause a lot of trouble in the future." Sentaro raised his right fist, ready to strike.

I can't move… Toshiro thought, staring up at the fist with wide eyes. I can't do anything to fight back. Toshiro felt his arm shake, and firmly grasped it to stop the trembling. Dammit, get a hold of yourself.

"Feel that? That's fear." The aura around the fist grew more intense, and before Toshiro could react, the fist came in contact with his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Toshiro was whisked off his feet and landed heavily on the ground, skidding across it before halting to a stop. Toshiro flinched on the ground, a hand over the red marking on his shirt as his tie burnt into ashes.

"Shiro!" Ren cried, running to Toshiro's side. "Are you hurt?" Ren touched Toshiro's shoulder as he coughed and struggled to breathe.

Damn…What a punch. Almost as strong as Zaraki's. With what little strength he had left, he opened one eye and glared at Sentaro, who was towering over the two of them. This guy is meant to be a foot soldier?

"That was too easy." Once again, Sentaro aimed a punch, this time at Ren. "Now it's your turn."

"Get away from here." Toshiro choked, struggling to sit up, but his body refused to support his weight, and his arms gave out underneath him.

"No! I'm not leaving you behind!" Ren insisted.

"Just go. I'm not…I'm not important."

"Don't say that!" Ren shouted. "You're important to me! Because you're…"

"?" Toshiro looked at Ren with both of his eyes weakly.

"Because you're my friend!" Ren yelled.

"Vanish from this world!" Sentaro's punch went towards Ren, who was unaware of this.

"Get down!" Toshiro yelled, with what little air he had.

Wham!

"Huh?" Sentaro said in confusion. His punch had made contact with Ren, but she was still by Toshiro's side and hadn't moved an inch. Instead, his large, muscular hand was held in her hand. Ren, on the other hand, had her hair hiding her eyes. "What is this?" Sentaro tried to remove his hand, but Ren had a firm grip on it. "Let go of me!"

"So…" Ren started, standing up while still keeping her hold on Sentaro. "You have come back. It's certainly been a while."

"Who…Who are you?" Sentaro demanded. Ren looked up at Sentaro, and he flinched. There was a different look in her eyes, and there were now four white vertical dots on her forehead.

"Your worst nightmare." She said, smirking. With one arm, she raised Sentaro up in the air and threw him onto the ground, denting it with a huge crater.

What on…Toshiro thought, managing to sit up on his arms. What is this? He looked over to Ren, who was staring down at Sentaro while he stood up. Who is that girl?

"Why are you here?" Ren demanded calmly. "Are you here to perform your "cleansing"?"

"Why should I answer to a dead girl?" Sentaro yelled, aiming another glowing orange punch at Ren, who effortlessly caught it. With her other hand, she pushed Sentaro away from her with such force, the fabric around that area blew away, leaving a dark red handprint on his bare skin as Sentaro skidded on the ground.

"This match is over. I shall spare your life. Murder is wrong." Sentaro sat up weakly, glaring at Ren. "When you get back to your leader…" Ren raised a hand up to shoulder height. A light blue bird made from energy materialised on top of her palm. "Give them this message for me." She gently blew on the bird. It spread its wings and flew through the air towards Sentaro. When it landed on his forehead, the bird glowed and entered his head.

"!" Sentaro let out a gasp after several seconds. He scrambled across the ground and away from Ren, who placed a hand on her hip. "You…You're…"

"Heh." Ren smirked.

"I will be back!" Sentaro yelled, and after glowing orange, disappeared from sight.

"Bye!" Ren said cheerfully, waving goodbye.

"Hey. You."

"Eh?" Toshiro staggered onto his feet, with one hand still over the area where Sentaro punched him.

"Who…Who are you?" Toshiro asked. "And how did you defeat that guy?"

"It's a long story." She answered without turning around. "But all I can tell you is that, right now, I am not the girl you hang around with. I am someone else.

"Then give her back." Toshiro demanded. "Urgh." Toshiro flinched, clutching his injury.

"Don't push yourself." The girl said. "That wound is quite serious for a human like you."

"This would be nothing if I had powers." Toshiro muttered to himself, ashamed that someone had to protect him.

"Here." Ren threw a white energy ball behind her at Toshiro. The ball entered his body through the injury. Almost instantly, Toshiro felt no more pain in his body.

"My…My body…" Toshiro looked at his hands in disbelief.

"There. I healed you. It should stop hurting now."

"I see. Thank you." Toshiro folded his arms. "Now, give her back."

"Okay. But, this won't be the last time you shall see me." She closed her eyes. "As soon as you see the markings on my forehead, you will know it is me. Besides, I rather like this Earth."

"Huh?" Toshiro said, confused. "What do you mean, by that?" Toshiro asked, grabbing her shoulder.

"Eh?" She looked over at Toshiro. In that instant, the dots on her forehead vanished from sight. "Oh, Shiro!"

"!" Toshiro gasped from surprise.

"Where did that Sentaro guy go?" Ren asked, looking left and right. "Oh! But you're hurt!"

"Not anymore, I'm not."

"But your uniform is a mess now. Damn."

She can't remember. Toshiro thought. Figured as much.

"It's fine." Toshiro sighed. "It's nearly the end of the day, anyway. It doesn't matter."

"It does to me, though!" Ren whined.

"Let's go." Toshiro began to walk away back to the school.

"Ah! Wait for me, Shiro!"

For a few minutes, she was acting like someone else. No…She WAS someone else. But who? And what does this person know about these Feathers, and the organisation they are from? Toshiro frowned in thought. Just what the hell is going on here?

…

Elsewhere, in a dark room, there was a large, dark purple sphere, illuminated by a spot light. Inside this sphere was a silhouette of a woman with long hair. Sentaro teleported underneath the spotlight, and got down on one knee before the sphere.

"I have returned."

"You were defeated." The person said. The voice sounded like that of a woman, yet it seemed inhuman.

"Yes, but the girl left behind a message." Sentaro materialised the blue bird. "See for yourself." Sentaro forced the bird to fly into the sphere, where it disappeared into tiny lights. After a while, the person inside gasped.

"Is this true?"

"I'm not sure yet. But, that does look like the kind of message her people would use, so I'm sure she is the real deal."

"Test them one more time. And this time…" Sentaro looked under his hood at the silhouette. He could have sworn he saw the mysterious woman smile. "Make sure to use that Feather."

There you have it! Looks like Ren has the case of Multiple Personality Disorder! And there is a mastermind behind it all! So, what exactly is that Feather? Lemme tell ya, guys, it's gonna be a pretty cool one!