Hi guys! How are we all today? Good, I hope. Welcome back to Fate and Destiny. Last time, Toshiro and Ren fought and defeated a huge Feather after using a strange magic called Contact Union. Plus, the mysterious organization is starting to suspect Ren of being a reincarnation of someone! Not only that, but now Toshiro is their target! What will happen?
Chapter 5
Awakening
"We can kill the other one, right?" Sentaro asked.
"The other one? You mean that white haired boy." The silhouette was silent for a moment. "Ah, yes. Toshiro is his name, isn't it? That boy who is always with Ren. He is human, yet not human."
"What do you mean, mistress?" Sentaro asked, confused.
"It seems that he has great power within him and is not from Earth, yet when he arrived, those powers were taken from him. Now, he is just a human. It's possible that there is some form of…interference."
"In other words, he's powerless."
"Not quite. I'm sure you saw that spell he cast against the Feather. When he is with the girl, his powers are restored, but only temporarily. In short, if he were to be separated from that girl…"
"Then he is just a weak human." Sentaro finished.
"Precisely. Your job will be to confront these two, and don't let them get in contact with one another. Use that opportunity to corner that boy, and finish him."
"Understood." Sentaro nodded. "I assume you still do not want the girl dead?"
"No. Keep her alive. For now, that is. I'm sure Ren is her reincarnation. I just need more proof."
"Yes." Sentaro nodded.
"Take some feather shards with you. Also…"
"Yes?"
"Take Dixie with you."
…
"Alright, so I just have to whack the red balls?" Ren asked, holding a wooden rounders bat in her hands. Toshiro, on the other hand, was standing several metres away next to a machine that shot tennis balls, which contained red and white balls. Ren was dressed for sports, wearing a white tank top, blue denim shorts, blue and white sneakers and white knee high leg warmers which looked like something a high school girl would wear.
"Yes. Avoid the white ones. The red ones are Feathers."
"Got it." Ren nodded. She smirked, waving her bat a little. "Bring it!"
"Fine." Toshiro slammed a hand on the machine, pressing a button. It started up, and a red ball shot out towards Ren.
"Red!" Ren hit the ball so hard, it went all the way across the large field they were in. "Yes!" She clenched her fist triumphantly, but sweat dropped when she heard glass break. "Whoops. Do I lose marks for that?"
"No. But, you need to hit it hard enough to break the ball. If that was a Feather head, you would have barely dented it."
"How can I break a frikkin' baseball?" Ren exclaimed. "This thing is only made of wood!"
"Then get a metal one."
"We don't have metal bats here!" Ren yelled.
"Hey, Ren!"
"Huh?" Ren looked over her shoulder. "Oh, hi guys!" Ren beamed, running off to her left.
"Hey, get back here!" Toshiro yelled angrily.
"What are you doing out here?" Ren asked as soon as she reached her friends, Tom and Steph, who were dressed in more casual clothing. Tom, one of Ren's closest friends, had short curly blonde hair, and was just a little taller than Ren. Nonetheless, he was the type of boy who could get along with anybody.
"Oh, you know. It's the weekend, and the village can get a little boring." Tom answered.
"Yeah, same here." Ren said happily. "Me and Shiro are practising for…um…rounders."
"…" Toshiro glared at Ren while she chatted happily to Tom and Steph. Just to prove how Ren should get her priorities right, he pointed the still running ball shooter towards Ren.
"Ren…" Steph pointed at the ball machine, just as a white ball shot out.
"EYAH!" Ren yelled, hitting the ball so hard it broke. "Shiro, what was that for?" She shouted.
"Don't destroy the white ones!" Toshiro yelled back.
"Don't aim that thing at me!" Ren retaliated, pointing her bat at Toshiro. "I'm so sorry about Shiro, guys." Ren apologised.
"I'm just getting my priorities right!"
"Just come over here and stop yelling!" Ren shouted.
"Geez…" Toshiro grumbled, but he complied and shut down the machine, running to Ren's side.
"Why are you practising rounders? It's not like you?" Steph asked.
"Um…I dunno. I was bored."
"You know, you should be part of the rounders team at school."
"Oh, no, no! I'm not good enough for that!" Ren said, flustered after Tom's suggestion.
"Ren, we need to get going with training." Toshiro said as soon as he got to Ren's side.
"Yeah, yeah, just gimme a minute. Oh! That's right!" Ren smiled over at Tom, completely disregarding Toshiro's statement. "Tom, you've met Shiro, right?"
"No, I don't think I have." Tom outstretched a hand to Toshiro. "I'm Tom. Tom Barnes. Nice to meet you."
"Toshiro Hitsugaya." Toshiro grumbled, refusing to shake his hand. "Now that we know each other's names, I suggest you leave. We have more important things to take care of."
"Shiro! Don't be rude!" Ren smiled nervously at Steph and Tom. "I know. We have some spare bats. Wanna play?"
"Sure!" Steph beamed.
"What's the game?"
"Well, you've gotta hit the red balls out of that machine there, but you can't hit the white ones. Bonus points if you break 'em."
"Sound fun." Tom and Steph each grabbed a bat from the ground and joined Ren several feet away from the machine.
"Alright, Shiro. We're ready. Hit it!"
"…" With a reluctant sigh Toshiro pressed the button to start the machine again.
Half an hour later
"That was fun!" Steph said happily, linking arms with Ren. She has changed out of her sports gear, and was now dressed in denim overalls that had a skirt for a bottom, and underneath it was a white long sleeved top. She still wore her blue and white sneakers and leg warmers. Right now, Ren, Steph and Tom were walking through the town, while Toshiro trailed behind them with his hands in his pockets and his trademark frown on his face.
"Yeah, stuff's more fun when you're with friends." Tom said, smiling at Ren, who grinned back.
"That's true. You know, we should hang out more like this."
"Speaking of, I heard something you are not going to believe." Steph said, her voice lowering into a hushed whisper.
"Really? Tell, tell."
"Alright, well…" Tom and Ren leaned closer to Steph. Several seconds later, they burst out laughing.
"No way!" Tom gasped.
"That has totally made my day!" Ren proclaimed. Toshiro said nothing while Ren laughed.
"Oh, I've got one! Which video would you rather watch for a whole day? Nyan Cat or the Peanut Butter Jelly Time banana?" Tom asked.
"Peanut Butter Jelly." Ren answered immediately.
"Nyan Cat."
"Really?" Ren raised an eyebrow at Steph.
"Yeah. I think it's cute."
"So do I, but come on! The same song over and over again, watching a cat that looks like a pop tart fly across the sky farting rainbows is not my cup of tea for twenty four hours."
"So why Peanut Butter Jelly?" Steph asked.
"At least the song has different words to it."
"I agree with Ren."
"…" Steph hung her head.
"But Nyan Cat is cute. Can't deny that." Ren nodded her head in agreement to her own statement. Ren looked over her shoulder at Toshiro. "Hey. Shiro! Don't be shy!"
"I'm fine, Ren." Toshiro said dismissively. "Just leave me alone."
"Well, the offer's always open."
There haven't been any more Feathers appearing since that massive one. This training I'm putting Ren through is just a precaution. She's made good progress so far, so I can relax a little. But… Toshiro looked at his hand while he walked. For some reason, my powers temporarily return when I touch her. That's good, of course, but that could mean that the next time Sentaro attacks us, he'll try everything he can to separate us. Toshiro clenched his hand into a fist. I can't let that happen.
"Hey, Ren."
"Yeah, Steph?"
"Since when did you and Toshiro get on a first name basis?"
"Oh, well, it was quite recent, actually."
"Huh. You don't say."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just that…Toshiro may be distant family, but…"
"It seems to me like he just came out of nowhere." Tom finished for Steph.
"…" Ren said nothing in response, though she did unlink her arm from Steph's.
"What's wrong?" Steph asked.
They suspect something's wrong. Ren thought. I'm not sure what kind of magic I used in the headmaster's office, but it's wearing off on Tom and Steph. Why is that? What do I do?
"Ren?" Tom asked.
"Oh, nothing, nothing." Ren smiled. "Say, we're in the city centre now, right?"
"So we are!" Tom said. Sure enough, they four of them had arrived in a square right in the centre of the shops lining it on three sides, except for the path Ren and the others were on, which was the only side not covered with buildings. In the middle of it all was a square building surrounded by scaffolding and ladders, though there were no workers on the platforms today. In fact, that was nobody around at all.
"That's odd." Steph said, an eyebrow raised.
"What is?" Ren asked.
"There's nobody around." Tom looked at his watch.
"It's only four o'clock."
"What's wrong?" Toshiro asked, noticing how the three friends had stopped walking.
"It's like a ghost town here. But, King's Square is the busiest part of this city." Tom explained.
"Hey!" Ren yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Is anybody around?"
"Something's wrong." Steph said.
"Very wrong." Tom agreed.
"Shiro." Ren whispered, beckoning Toshiro to come to her, which he immediately did. "I think this is planned."
"So do I."
"You don't think a Feather is going to attack here, do you?"
"Probably. If so, we need to get your friends as far away as possible."
"Right." Ren nodded.
Clink!
"Eh?" Ren looked down at the ground. By her feet was a silver feather charm. "That charm…" Ren pulled out of the front pocket of her overalls the golden one. "That's just like the one we saw."
Clink!
Clink!
Clink!
"Rain?" Steph held her palm out, confused.
"No, it's metal." Tom said, crouching down to look at a charm. Before they knew it, Ren and the others were surrounded by silver feather charms.
"What's happening here?" Ren wondered out loud.
"!" Toshiro's eyes widened. He had just realised what the charms were.
"What's wrong?"
"Ren, these charms are the Feathers." Toshiro said quietly so that Tom and Steph couldn't hear them. "Your friends can see them, but as soon as they activate, their lives will be in danger. They can't see the actual Feathers."
"So these things are…their core?" Ren asked. Toshiro nodded. "Uh, oh."
"Ren?" Steph said.
"Tom. Steph. Get outta here."
"What?"
"Why?"
"Just go!" Ren yelled. Just as she turned around to face them, a charm by her feet glowed white, and in one second, it suddenly transformed into a huge Feather that had a red body and wings on its front legs.
"That's…" Toshiro gasped, recognising it as one of the Feathers they defeated.
"And there!" Ren pointed ahead of her. All around them, where there was a charm, a Feather transformed from it. Some of them were new, but the rest were all familiar to them. "These are the monsters in my photos."
"Ren, what's happening? Where did the charms go?" Steph asked, becoming more and more worried.
That's right. Ren thought. They can't see them. I have to get them out of here.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." Ren said quickly. She grabbed their arms, ready to run. "Let's go and-"
"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Steph screamed.
"What is that?" Tom yelled, his eyes wide.
"What?" Ren said.
"There's a monster behind you!" Steph yelled.
"I know!" Ren yelled.
"You know?"
"Yes, I know, and Shiro knows, but you two can somehow see them when you couldn't, so you have to shut up before they kill you!" Steph and Tom kept quiet. "There." Silence. "Wait, you can see them?"
"Ren, get them out of here now!" Toshiro shouted.
"Shiro, they can see them!"
"What?" Toshiro gasped. "How is that possible?"
"It's because of her."
"Eh?" Ren looked up, as did everyone else, at the scaffolding. Standing at the very top was Sentaro, still dressed in his dark cloak. He jumped high into the air, and landed on one knee on the ground with little effort between Ren and Toshiro.
"Sentaro." Toshiro said, narrowing his eyes.
"What do you want?" Ren demanded.
"You know him?" Tom asked.
"Oh, yeah. We go way back."
"Friends of yours?" Sentaro asked acidly.
"Yeah." Ren raised an arm in front of them. "And you're not touching them."
"They're nothing to do with me." Sentaro scoffed. "Even if they can see the Feathers, they are not my priority."
"Feathers? What's he talking about, Ren?" Tom asked.
"I'll explain later." Ren said quickly, not taking her stare away from Sentaro.
"Why are you here?" Toshiro demanded.
"To continue my mission of cleansing this world. Seeing as Ren has not fully awakened yet, this won't be a problem."
"Awakened?" Ren repeated, cocking her head to the side. "I'm already awake."
"You wouldn't understand. And frankly, neither do I."
"Baka." Ren grumbled.
"All I know is that you are a potential threat. A threat that will one day have to be eliminated. Your swift defeat of me took me off guard, but now that I know who you are, I am prepared."
"I defeated you?" Ren asked, confused. "I don't remember. And yes, I am Ren."
"As I said, you wouldn't understand. However, if at all possible, I would like to see you awaken." Sentaro turned his hooded head towards Toshiro, who flinched a little, but he quickly recovered and put his guard up, fists clenched. "As for you, you are clearly powerless against us. Unless she is with you, you are as helpless as a new born baby."
"So if I'm like this, then we can beat you?" Ren asked, standing by Toshiro's side.
"Wha…" Sentaro staggered back. "When did you…?"
"When you were talking to Shiro, I just ran next to him. You were so busy you didn't notice." Ren proceeded to pull down an eyelid and stick her tongue out.
"Could you please try and be more mature?" Toshiro asked, sighing.
"No choice, then." Sentaro muttered. "Dixie!"
"Huh?" Ren blinked. "Pixie? Why is there a pixie-" Before Ren could finish her sentence, a shadow leapt out of the scaffolding, charged through the sky towards her and kicked her in the face, which sent Ren flying and tumbling across the pavement.
"Ren!" Toshiro gasped, turning to face her. "Are you alright?"
"Gah! Oi!" Ren yelled, sitting up with an extremely annoyed expression on her face. "Sneak attacks are not cool, dude!" The shadow landed on the ground and stood up, placing one hand on their hip. On second glance, Ren realised that her assailant was a girl who was around the same age as her. "I mean, ma'am."
"Not a scratch on you. It looks like the awakening will be happening soon." The girl giggled wickedly behind her hand. "This should be fun." The girl in question was dressed as though she were from a gymnasts club, wearing a dark pink leotard with a single thick strap over her right shoulder, an electric blue scarf tied around her waist, matching pink legwarmers and white ballet pump shoes. Her black hair was tied to one side in a high ponytail, and her green eyes were outlined with mascara and blue eye liner. "My time is Dixie. It's a pleasure to meet you." She narrowed her thin eyebrows at Ren. "And now prepare to be defeated."
"Look, Pixie, I don't know why you're here, but I don't wanna fight you. Besides…" Ren picked herself off the ground. "I'm already awake. If I wasn't I'd be asleep."
"A simple minded human like you couldn't possibly understand."
"Hey, I know I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I'm not simple minded."
"Whatever. Prepare to loose, shorty."
"I'm not short! I'm average!" Ren yelled, a vein throbbing on her head and waving her fists above her head. Toshiro made a mental note; there is only one insult that Ren would never let slide.
"Let me get a closer look at you. I like to see my victim's faces when I fight them." Before Ren could react, Dixie's face was just inches from hers. "Hm. Not bad. I can see a resemblance. No wonder she's so interested in you."
"She?" Ren repeated.
"Yes. The mistress." Sentaro said.
"Mistress?" Ren said. "Oh! I get it!" Ren beamed, slamming a fist on her palm.
"Get what?" Toshiro asked.
"You're having an affair!" She proclaimed, pointing at Sentaro. There was a long, and awkward, silence.
"Tell me she didn't say that…" Tom muttered, sweat dropping.
"That's Ren." Steph said.
"Yes, yes, that totally makes sense. You're cheating on your wife with the mistress you mentioned."
"He is not having an affair!" Dixie exclaimed.
"Oh, so you're his wife then?" Ren asked, prompting Toshiro to bury his face in his hand with a groan. Sometimes, Ren could be so stupid. At this point, he was agreeing with Dixie; she really is simple minded.
"Enough is enough!" Dixie yelled. "Sentaro, you take the brat. I'll waste this bitch myself." She turned her attention back to Ren, advancing on her while she walked backwards from her.
"Hey, wait a sec. I don't wanna fight anybody." Ren protested. "I can't fight in a skirt."
"Too late!" Dixie yelled, jumping up and kicking Ren's head, but she ducked down just in time and began to run around the square, trying to avoid Dixie. She stopped when she reached the scaffolding and climbed up a ladder as fast as she could, until she reached a middle level. Dixie jumped up and landed in front of Ren without any effort. "So you'd rather fall and die, huh?"
"Actually I was avoiding you. This is a hard hat area." Ren pointed at a hard hat sign to show her point. "And by the way, that jumping thing you did. Wow. Just...wow."
"Argh! You're even more annoying than her!" Dixie yelled in frustration.
"You mean the mistress?" Ren asked.
"I mean the other you!"
"?"
"Never mind. Let's go!" Dixie charged at Ren, attacking her with a fury of martial arts moves, while Ren managed to dodge almost every single one, only getting a few grazes from those she missed.
"Not bad. For a human!" Dixie successfully kicked Ren in the stomach, sending her skidding across the wooden platform until she reached the edge, where she wobbled on one foot before regaining her balance.
"That was close." She muttered, not paying any attention to Dixie.
"Your destiny came to an end when you faced me."
"Dixie!" Sentaro shouted. "We can't!"
"But I want to!" Dixie yelled back. "It's not fair! I want to kill her! I want to kill her so badly!"
"So do it." Ren said simply. "I mean, it's not like she'll ever find out."
"You'll seriously give up your life?" Dixie asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Yeah." Ren nodded. "If you'll leave my friends alone."
"Oh, no. We're not interested in them. They are just easy prey for the Feathers." Dixie snapped her fingers. A round bird cage made of yellow bolts formed around Steph and Tom, trapping them.
"What's happening?"
"Don't touch the bars, Tom I've got a bad feeling about them."
"See? We're only here for one person."
"Who?" Ren asked, suspicious.
"We're here…for that one." Dixie pointed a slender finger down to the ground, and straight at Toshiro, whose eyes widened. They were after him? Of all people? But why?
"Shiro?" Ren gasped, following Dixie's finger.
"That's right." Dixie smirked, clenching her hand finger by finger into a fist. "Our mistress sees him as a problem that might grow if we don't take it out permanently." She pointed at Ren. "You, on the other hand, have to live. For now."
"…" Ren said nothing, staring down at the ground with her hair hiding her eyes. She didn't understand. Why Toshiro? She could understand if it was her, but Toshiro had nothing to do with this.
"So, now that you're separated, it's time we-" Dixie was interrupted when Ren suddenly punched her in the gut. She gasped and staggered at the blow, but then she was kicked across the platform again by Ren. She flipped off her back and onto her feet, wiping the graze on her face with an angry look.
"Fine." Ren said, her eyes narrow. "If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get. But don't get the wrong idea. I'm not doing this to satisfy you. I'm doing this for Shiro!"
"Heh." Dixie smirked. "Now we're talking. So let's do this!" With that said, Ren and Dixie charged at each other, each one trying to trade blows, yet not landing a single hit.
"Ren!" Toshiro broke into a run towards Ren, desperate to help her. However, he stopped when Sentaro stepped in front of him.
"You're not going anywhere." He said coldly. "I came here to complete a job." Sentaro grabbed Toshiro's right arm and hoisted him off the ground, ignoring his struggles. "And that is exactly what I'm going to do."
"Let me go! Put me down right now, damn it!" Toshiro demanded, struggling to break free of Sentaro's strong grip. Sentaro said nothing, but he responded by tightening his grip on Toshiro's arm, making him give a small cry of pain. He could have sworn he heard a crack from his arm. "I'm sorry. It's not my nature to harm children." He clenched his free hand into a fist and punched Toshiro in the stomach. Toshiro tasted blood in his mouth and felt all breath leave him, and the edges of his eyes were turning black. It took all of his willpower to stay awake. "However, if the mistress requests it, then I shall carry out her orders without question. Even if it is to kill a child."
"I…"
"Hm?"
"I am not a child!" Toshiro swung back and kicked Sentaro directly in the face, knocking him back and releasing his grip on Toshiro's arm, dropping him back onto the ground. He promptly sat up and checked his arm. It had red markings where Sentaro had grabbed him, but other than that, he could move it, even if it hurt. It wasn't broken, which relieved Toshiro. He stood back up onto his feet wiping the trickle of blood that fell from the corner of his mouth.
"Shiro!" Ren yelled down from the scaffolding, turning away from Dixie. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah!" Toshiro yelled back, though it hurt his ribs to shout. "I'm fine!"
"Don't look away!" Dixie yelled, charging towards Ren for another attack.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Ren jumped up into the air, missing Dixie's attack, and grabbed a hold of a pole just above her. She swung up and balanced on top of it, turning around so that she faced Dixie's back.
"What? Where is she?" Dixie hissed, looking left and right.
"Hey, Pixie!"
"Huh?" Dixie turned around, only to be met with two feet on her face, knocking her off the platform and landed heavily on the bricked pavement. Ren somersaulted on the pole and crouched on it like a cat.
"How did she do that?" Steph gasped, amazed.
"When we were little, we used to do gymnastics together." Tom answered. "I stopped before her, but she kept going for several years. I never thought I would see her skills in action."
"Hey, you haven't broken anything have you?" Ren shouted at Dixie.
"Why…you…" Dixie growled, sitting up slowly, and she glared at Ren, hatred filling her eyes. Ren, in response, grinned.
"Oh, that's good!" She said happily. "I don't have to feel bad now!" She jumped down from the pole and landed gracefully back onto her feet. Carefully, she held onto the edge of the platform she was standing on, hung down and begun to climb down it as though the scaffolding were a giant climbing frame.
"As she thought, you are just like her, Ren." Dixie said, smiling wickedly.
"I'm not interested in fighting you." Ren said, dropping down onto the ground. She turned around and walked several paces towards Dixie. "I just want to know one thing." Ren narrowed her eyes at Dixie. "Who is it that I am so similar to?"
"Huh?" Toshiro turned to look at Ren, overhearing what she said.
"Che. It looks like I said too much." Dixie scoffed, standing up. "If I told you that would ruin the fun." Dixie shifted her eyes to Sentaro, who was sitting up while adjusting the hood over his head. "Have you killed that brat yet?" She shouted.
"No…" He growled angrily. "But I'm going to now. He just made the mistake of marking my face!"
"Good. Feathers! Attack those humans in the cage!" At the command, the Feathers all turned their heads towards Steph and Tom, who could only cling to one another for comfort.
"Stop it!" Ren cried. "They're my friends! Please don't hurt them!" She cried out when Dixie came up behind her, grabbed the back of her shirt and restrained her hands behind her back.
"You're not going anywhere, little girl." She hissed.
"You said you weren't interested in them!"
"Really?" Dixie said, pretending to be surprised. "Did I say that?" Dixie grinned. "I lied!"
"Let her go!" Toshiro shouted. Out of nowhere, Sentaro's hand reached out and grabbed his head. Sentaro's hand was so massive that he was able to hold Toshiro's head easily in his palm. Again, Toshiro was lifted off the ground.
"Ren, watch closely as the friends around you die." Sentaro said. He looked over at Tom, Steph and the advancing Feathers. "Those humans will be lunch meat for the Feathers. And as for this one, you shall see how cruel I can be." He faced Ren, who was still a safe distance from him. He raised Toshiro up so that he faced Ren. "I shall execute him before your very eyes by crushing his skull. Like this." Sentaro proceeded to gradually tighten his hold on Toshiro's head. Toshiro instantly felt the pain in his head as though a thousand needles were being poked into his brain, and made him unable to move his arms or legs. Instead, Toshiro found himself screaming from the unbearable pain.
"Leave him alone!" Ren yelled.
"I don't think so, honey." Dixie let go of Ren's top, held her chin and forced her to look into her heavily made-up eyes. "Learn this lesson, and learn it well. Because this is what will happen to you and everything you love if you continue to mess with us.
"…" Ren hung her head as soon as Dixie let go and wrapped her arm around Ren's neck.
"Come on, Sentaro. I know you're stronger than that."
"Very well." Sentaro made his grip even tighter, which only made Toshiro scream louder. He felt his very skull threaten to crack under the pressure, and his eyes blacked out so that he could only barely see Ren and her friends. His throat and lungs hurt so much that his voice started to get hoarse. As Sentaro's grip tightened again, Toshiro heard another loud cracking sound, and he felt something trickle down the side of his head.
"Please…" Ren begged quietly. "I'll do anything. Just stop it."
"Nope!" Dixie sang. "Can't do that!"
"!" Ren looked at Tom and Steph as the Feathers were creeping slowly towards their prison. She then looked at Toshiro, who was in so much pain, he couldn't even scream anymore. Ren looked back and forth between each of her friends, trying to think of something, anything, she could do to save them. But, her desperation soon turned to rage. Pure, unspeakable rage. Her fists clenched in Dixie's grip, and her body shook. How dare they hurt her friends!
"I'll ask you one more time." Ren said angrily. "Stop it!"
"And I said no." Dixie responded with a sadistic giggle. In that instant, the Feathers pounced towards Steph and Tom with ear splitting roars, and that was Ren finally snapped.
"I TOLD YOU TO STOP IT!" Ren screamed at the top of her lungs. What happened next was so fast; it was almost like a dream. As soon as Ren screamed, there was a huge burst of white light that made Dixie let go of her, where she floated off the ground for several seconds before being sent flying straight into Sentaro. The light rapidly spread to the edges of the city, making a wind almost strong enough to be a hurricane to blow through the surroundings. This wind was what sent Sentaro and Dixie colliding into one another and into a building hard enough to knock them unconscious, and it was this wind that made Toshiro's limp body drift with the wind, until he rammed into a lamp post and landed on the ground, unmoving. Likewise, when the white light reached Tom and Steph, their cage instantly dissolved, and the Feathers collapsed around them, writhing in agony.
"What's happening?" Steph yelled over the roar of the wind.
"Whatever it is, it doesn't matter right now. Toshiro is in trouble!" Tom dashed through the wind and in less than ten paces, he was kneeling by Toshiro's side. "Toshiro! Toshiro, wake up!" He yelled, shaking his shoulder. No response. He placed two fingers on Toshiro's neck.
Good. Tom thought. He's still alive.
"Steph, help me." Tom instructed. Steph nodded. Tom and Steph each grabbed an arm and hooked it around their shoulders. They stood up, and they were both carrying Toshiro. "The wind's dying down." Sure enough, the light retreated back towards Ren, until it was a thick column of white light just in front of the scaffolding in the centre of the square. The wind still blew around them; the monsters were still in pain, and everywhere outside of the column of light still seemed to have a faint white glow.
"Just what is going on here?" Steph whispered. "And where's Ren?"
"Nn…"
"Oh?" Tom looked at Toshiro, who was stirring towards consciousness. "Toshiro, are you alright?" Toshiro's response was opening his eyes. The edges were still black, and everything was blurry, but the focus gradually came back, and his eyes met the relieved faces of Steph and Tom.
"Thank goodness." Steph sighed.
"Can you stand?" Tom asked, letting go of Toshiro's arm. After some hesitation, Steph did the same. Toshiro staggered a little as soon as Steph let go of his body. "Whoa, there." Tom grasped his shoulders before he could fall to the ground. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Toshiro insisted, shrugging off Tom's hands. In truth, Toshiro knew that he was badly injured, and he could feel his head swimming. Personally, he thought it a miracle that he was even standing up. "What about you? Did those monsters injure you?"
"No." Steph shook her head.
"Good." Toshiro glanced around him, and his eyes widened. "Ren! Where's Ren?"
"I think she's…she's over there." Tom said slowly, pointing at the column of light. Sure enough, there was a shadow in the light. This shadow looked very much like a person, and was lying back in mid-air as though they were lying on a bed, their arms dangling by their sides. This shadow was slowly and gradually getting higher and higher in the air. Toshiro narrowed his eyes at the shadow, trying to see anyone there who was familiar to him. And there was. The person floating inside the column was…
"Ren!" Toshiro shouted. "What's she doing up there?"
"I don't know!" Tom yelled, bringing his hands up to shoulder height. "She just screamed for those two to stop it, and then there was a flash of white light. I don't know what it was, but it knocked those two out cold!" Tom indicated the unconscious bodies of Dixie and Sentaro, where they had rammed into the wall of a building so hard, they dented it.
"Why isn't she stopping?" Steph asked. "She's just going higher and higher." A shockwave suddenly rang out through the city, knocking Tom and Steph off their feet, and prompting Toshiro to cling for dear life onto a street lamp to stay upright.
"That does it! I'm bringing her down!" Tom climbed back onto his feet and ran towards the column of light and Ren.
"Tom! Wait!" Steph yelled. Too late. There was a rumbling noise, and the column of light pulsed, forcing Toshiro back to where he started, landing heavily on the ground. "Tom!"
"What…What a shockwave…" Tom groaned, sitting up.
"Are you alright?" Toshiro asked, even though he was more concerned about Ren right now.
"Yes, but I can't get any closer." Tom looked at Toshiro. "What now? You know more about this than us? What do we do?"
That light destroyed the cage these two were trapped in. Toshiro thought, analysing the situation. And it knocked Sentaro and that girl out. The Feathers seem to be in a lot of pain, too. Whenever someone tries to go near it, they are forced back. And with every second, Ren is only getting higher. If we don't act quickly, she'll be out of reach.
"Watch out!"
"!" Toshiro looked to his right, just as a Feather that looked like a giant spider shot a web at him through the tip of its mask. It wound itself around Toshiro's injured arm, making him wince. However, before the Feather could do anything else, another shockwave travelled through the area, destroying the Feather in a shower of ashes, and its charm blew through the wind until it landed several metres away. Toshiro somehow knew that that charm was important, so without hesitation, he moved away from the lamppost and ran towards the charm
"Toshiro, get back! You'll be attacked too!" Tom yelled. Toshiro ignored him, and as soon as he got to the charm, he picked it up. Nothing happened, and the wind still blew through the air.
Nothing. Toshiro thought. I got even further than he did, and nothing happened.
"Did you see how that monster got destroyed?" Steph asked Tom.
"It's almost like she's protecting us."
Protecting us? Toshiro's eyes widened. Of course! Ren went into that state wanting to save us, and she did just that when I was attacked just now. But why me? Why can I get further than her friends? Toshiro clenched his hand over the charm in his hand. Whatever the case… Toshiro looked up at Ren, who was now level with the halfway point of the scaffolding covered building. I'm the only one who can stop this! With that, Toshiro ran forward, even though it hurt his body.
"Toshiro!"
"Wait!" Toshiro ignored their yells, and pocketing the charm, carried on running. All around him, he saw Feathers writhing and screaming in agony. One such Feather tried to attack him with a clawed hand, but he swiftly ducked underneath it and carried on running. Whatever happened, he had to get to Ren.
After what felt like forever to him, Toshiro saw the scaffolding through the light. He grabbed onto one of the bars, and he instantly felt the wind pick up speed. He knew that he had reached the centre. He looked up, and there he saw Ren's body floating up towards the sky. Immediately, Toshiro knew that he didn't have much time left. Even though his body ached, he gripped tightly onto the bars and climbed up them. Even when the wind's speed and strength increased, he never lost his grip of footing, and carried on climbing, ignoring the ringing in his ears from the storm. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at Ren. She was just a little higher up, as she had now become almost level with the top of the scaffolding, and Toshiro was only metres away. Clenching his teeth, Toshiro summoned what strength he had left and carried on climbing. Eventually, the top was in reach, and he held on as with only his determination preventing him from falling and climbed onto the wooden platform. He tried to stand up, but ended up collapsing under the force of the wind. It was now so strong that he could barely even move. He looked across to the edge he had just climbed up. Slowly, he saw Ren's body floating into view. Even in this dire situation, Toshiro couldn't help but notice how peaceful Ren looked. Almost as though she were asleep…Toshiro quickly shook this off, and proceeded to try and stand up. He held onto a bar of scaffolding behind him to support himself until he was standing on his two feet. He counted his lucky stars that the platform was small and that Ren was only two metres away.
If I can just grab her hand…Toshiro thought. He clenched the scaffolding behind him tightly, and with his good left arm, he reached out towards Ren. He was just out of reach, so he edged himself closer towards her. No matter what, he knew that, if he let go of the bar behind him for even a split second, he would surely die. He moved his front foot forward once again, and his fingers just scraped across Ren's hand.
I touched her! But, this is as close I can get. I have no choice…
"Ren!" Toshiro yelled, letting go of the scaffolding. Immediately, he lunged forward and grabbed Ren's hand. In that instant, the wind immediately stopped, and Ren's eyes opened wide with a gasp. Suddenly, the white column disappeared, but the Feathers were still in agony. Tom and Steph looked up at the scaffolding, still unable to comprehend what happened. Ren's body straightened out until her feet landed gently on the wooden platform just on the left of Toshiro.
"What happened?" Dixie moaned, sitting up, along with Sentaro.
"Dixie, look!" Sentaro pointed up at Ren. "It's…It's her!"
"No way!"
"She's awakened…" Sentaro muttered, standing up. "She's awakened!" He yelled triumphantly.
"Eh?" Toshiro looked at Ren's face. Her face was focused on the ground, and at the suffering Feathers. That was when Toshiro spotted them. There, on her forehead, were the same dots he saw during the first confrontation with Sentaro.
As soon as you see the markings on my forehead, you will know it is me."
So it's her again… Toshiro thought.
"Let's finish her!" Dixie decided, grinning. However, Ren turned her gaze to Dixie and glared at her. Dixie flinched, and her whole body shook. In that stare, there was something she had not seen in a long time. The intent to kill.
"Both of you. Get out of here this instant." Ren's voice said in Dixie's and Sentaro's heads. "If you refuse, then you will be my opponent."
"S-Sentaro! Let's go!" Dixie yelled.
"Right!" Sentaro agreed without hesitating.
"This isn't over!" Dixie yelled, and the two of them disappeared in a flash of orange light.
"Phew." Ren sighed, closing her eyes. "It's over." She opened her eyes and looked at the feathers once again. They all gave one final scream, and they too dissolved into ashes, leaving their charms to clatter onto the ground. Ren outstretched her arm. The charms all glowed and shot towards her hand like fireworks. Several charms, at least twenty, landed in her palm, and they all turned gold. "Purified." Ren said, placing them in her front pocket. "Huh?" Ren looked down at her right hand. She noticed that someone was holding it. She lifted her head to look at the face of that person. There was Toshiro, looking straight at her.
"Hello." He said. "You saved my life last time we met."
"!" As soon as she saw his face, the strange girl gasped with wide eyes. She let go of Toshiro's hand and stood back away from him.
"What's wrong?" Toshiro asked. She said nothing, and only stared at him in shock.
"R…"
"Hm?" The girl was almost too shocked to speak, and could only utter that one sound. But, she soon managed to form it into a word. A word that would, one day, carry great meaning to Toshiro and to almost every question in his mind. A word that was about to be whispered by this strange girl in Ren's body.
"Ryuki!"
"!" Toshiro's eyes widened. Ryuki? What was Ryuki? As soon as she said this word, the dots vanished, and Ren was back to normal.
"Huh?" Ren looked left and right. "What am I doing here?" She looked at the still stunned Toshiro. "What are you doing here?" Ren looked down at the ground, and soon realised she was at the top of the scaffolding. "WAAAAAAH!" She yelled, waving her arms up and down. She clung to the scaffolding. "Why the heck am I all the way up here?" She whimpered. In one second, Ren finally figured it out. She looked at Toshiro. "I did it again, didn't I?" She asked flatly. Toshiro nodded after a moment. "Figures."
"Ren!"
"Oh?" Ren beamed a soon as she saw Tom and Steph run towards the scaffolding. "Thank god! You're okay!"
"Don't worry! We'll get you down!" Steph yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth.
"Thanks!" Ren yelled back, refusing to let go of the scaffolding.
"I've found a ladder!"
Several minutes later
"I'm glad that's over." Steph sighed as soon as Ren stepped off the ladder, Toshiro following close behind.
"You said it." Ren agreed.
"But…"
"Hm?" Ren looked over to Tom, who hesitated before continuing.
"But, I have a feeling that we may have found out something we shouldn't have."
"Yeah…I guess you did." Ren said quietly, looking down at the ground. What would she do now? Her friends had discovered something that she was trying to protect them from. She knew that there was no use in hiding it, but if she told them, then their lives would be in danger, especially if they could just see the Feathers today.
"What happened, Ren?" Steph asked, concerned.
"If I tell you, will you promise to keep it to yourselves?" Ren asked.
"Absolutely!" Tom said right away.
"I'll take it to the grave!"
"Good." Ren gave a small smile. "I'll tell you over the phone tonight. I can use three way calls. I don't want to tell you here. I hope you understand."
"Of course." Steph said, smiling.
"Tell us when you're ready."
"Thank you."
"Well…We'll talk to you tonight!" Steph said happily.
"Yup!" Ren said in an equally happy tone.
"See ya!" Steph linked her arm with Tom's and walked down the street, waving over their shoulders at Ren, who waved back.
"If you tell them you're only putting their lives in danger." Toshiro pointed out.
"I know. But, I can't act like nothing happened. They saw monsters, Shiro. Even I would have a hard time forgetting that." She turned around to face Toshiro. "I have to tell them. It's the right thing to do."
"I see…" Toshiro said, looking away from Ren. In truth, he was still shaken by what that girl said to him. Who or what was Ryuki? "Huh?" Toshiro was brought back to earth when Ren placed a hand on his head.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Ren asked, concern all over her face. "That jerk Sentaro almost crushed your skull. You could have died. And there's your arm, too. And that punch he gave you." Ren moved her hand to his forehead, checking for a temperature. "I think we should take you to the hospital."
"I told you, I'm fine." Toshiro shrugged off Ren's hand with his arm, but he had forgotten that it was still injured, and immediately clutched it as shocks of pain went through it.
"You're not fine." Ren insisted. "We need you to get medical attention. I know it's probably not serious, but it will reassure me if we go." Ren held Toshiro left hand, knowing how injured his right one was. "Please, Shiro?"
"…" Toshiro hesitated. How could he refuse Ren when she looked so concerned over him? "Fine. Let's go."
…
"See? I knew it wasn't serious!" Ren said happily as she walked out of the automatic doors leading to inside the hospital. Toshiro was with her, his head wrapped in a small headband of bandages, as was his right arm. Underneath his shirt, there were several more bandages across his chest. He thought the hospital was unnecessary, and only went to reassure Ren, but he felt relieved now that his body didn't hurt.
"Feel better now?" Toshiro asked.
"Yup!" Ren grinned. "Now, we should probably head home."
"Oh, Ren?" Toshiro said. Ren stopped walking.
"Yes?" Ren turned around to face Toshiro.
"Does…" Toshiro started, unable to believe that he was about to ask this. "Does the word 'Ryuki' mean anything to you?"
"Ryuki?" Ren repeated. "Hmmm…No, I don't know anybody called Ryuki. But, it sounds like a pun."
"A pun? On what?" Toshiro asked, though he somehow knew he would regret it.
"Weeeeeell… Ryu means dragon, and Yuki means snow, so the name means Snow Dragon, or Dragon of Snow!" Ren folded her arms and nodded, satisfied with her explanation. Toshiro, on the other hand, sweat dropped. He was right to regret asking. Ren clearly knew nothing. "Why do you ask?"
"Nothing." Toshiro lied. "Forget it."
Now there are even more questions that need to be answered. Toshiro thought.
So, there you have it. Now, there are even more questions to be answered. Who is the girl who takes over Ren? Why did she call Toshiro Ryuki? Who are Dixie and Sentaro? What is their motive for wanting Ren and Toshiro dead? All this and more will soon be answered…but not in the next chapter! Sorry, guys! You're gonna have to stay tuned for later chapters if you wanna find out! Hee hee!