Hiya! Did you all have a good Easter? I know I did. Chocolate! One word; yum! But, it looks like Ren isn't going to have a good day today; an old...ahem... "friend" from the past has come back, and she isn't too eager to meet him again. But, Toshiro has also had a few premonitions about Nathan and Ren. Are they fake, or can our white haired captain really see into the future? Let's find out now!
Chapter 10
Ren to the Rescue
"Uuuu..." Ren groaned, a tired look on her face. She was dragging her feet with her arms hanging by her side and her bag barely hanging off her shoulder. She knew that this confrontation with Nathan was inevitable, and she knew how to handle it, but something about her wanted to delay the meeting of fate as much as possible. Toshiro and Ichigo, however, were already outside the common room door, yet Ren was several metres away from them.
"Hurry up, Ren. You're going to be late."
"No I'm not, Ichigo." Ren said in retaliation. "Registration isn't for fifteen minutes." Ren finally reached the two boys and sighed, hanging her head.
"What up with you?"
"Tired." Ren lied, saying the first excuse that came up in her mind.
That's not it. Toshiro thought. You're worried about something. That Nathan boy...you don't want to see him, do you? Why is that? And...Why won't you tell me? Toshiro looked up at Ren, who was staring at the door as if staring at it will make it disappear. You can trust me. We promised to help one another, so why won't you let me help?
"Well...here I go." Ren reached out to the door handle and clenched it. After hesitating, she took a deep breath and opened it, stepping into the room. "Morni-" Ren as interrupted as soon as a book was thrown at the wall, barely missing her. "Hey, who threw that?" Ren yelled. "Oh..." Ren immediately went calm after seeing the problem. Tom was glaring angrily at a boy sitting in front of him. A boy with blonde, spiky hair. Ren couldn't see the face, but she could recognise the hair anywhere. It was Nathan. And he was clearly causing trouble by opening up old wounds; there was an audience around the confrontation and everything.
"Say that again and you're dead!" Tom growled. Nathan, however, was unperturbed. He merely crossed his legs and smirked.
"Why? It's a free country. I can say what I want."
"You know just how to cross the line, don't you?"
"Geez..." Ren sighed. She dropped her bag by the bag racks and walked towards Tom. She eased her way through the crowd and gently pushed Tom away while keeping her back to Nathan. "That's enough, Tom. Don't go getting into a fight so early in the morning." She said sternly but gently at the same time.
"Ren..." Tom started, still a little angry, but after a while, he looked away and backed away from Ren, although his fists were still clenched.
"Ren?" Nathan raised an eyebrow and frowned at the familiar name. That frown soon turned into a smile. "Ah! Ren!" Nathan stood up with his hands in his pocket. Ren turned around to face him. He was every inch of how she remembered him; the unkept hair, the white trainers, the untucked shirt, everything about him was exactly the same as it was all those years ago.
"Good morning, Nathan." Ren said politely, though it didn't stop her from putting a hint of a mocking tone in her voice.
"Ren?" Toshiro cautiously stepped into the common room, observing the crowd that was behind Ren, and how she stared up at the boy who was a good two or one and a half feet taller than her.
"Long time no see, Conner."
"!" Toshiro's eyes widened at those familiar words.
"Long time no see, Conner."
That's what I heard yesterday. Toshiro thought, his eyes shining. So it was Nathan who said that. But, does that mean...? Toshiro thought back to the other visions, particularly of Ren crying. Were those premonitions?
"Toshiro? What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, noticing how he wasn't moving.
I can't let that happen. A determined look in his eyes, Toshiro walked straight towards the crowd, with a reluctant Ichigo following. Toshiro squeezed through the people until he was in front of them all. He was now looking at Ren's back and Nathan, who had a sneer that was close to a smirk on his face. The same face that Toshiro saw in his vision. Let's see what happens. Toshiro thought, narrowing his eyes. How will you act, Ren?
"Yes, it has been a long time." Ren said, her face expressionless. "Nearly three years."
"This place is still the crap hole it used to be."
"I suppose it's rather fitting for somebody like you."
"Oh? Pretty big talk coming from a blonde dimwit."
"Pretty big talk coming from a guy with more brawn than brain. And may I point out that you also have blonde hair?"
"Oho! You've grown up, Ren." Nathan said, never losing the smirk on his face.
"And I see you haven't. You had to run to your mummy so that you could come back to this school. Wasn't your last one good enough for you?"
"Nah. Nothing wrong with taking a trip down memory lane..." Nathan shifted his eyes to Tom. "Right, Tommy?"
"He's had his turn." Ren said quickly, sensing Tom tense up as though ready to fight. "It's just like you to put salt on old wounds, so are you going to do the same to me? After all, I was your favourite. Am I right?"
"Oh, yes, you were. You still are." Nathan reached out and stroked a finger down Ren's cheek, although there was no hint of gentleness in the gesture. "Especially now that you've become such a beautiful young woman. It's too bad that you cut your hair. It was so beautiful long." Ren slapped Nathan's hand away.
"Don't waste your pretty words on me. I don't think you know this, but your words won't hurt me as well as they used to."
"Clearly. I've been trash talking all the way through, and nothing. Impressive." Nathan leaned down to Ren's ear level, but Toshiro was close by, so he could hear everything he said, and he'd be lying if he said it didn't confuse him. "I guess your face is still a mask. Always has been. Always will be."
"Yeah." Ren responded. "I guess it is. But, I can act, you know. I can change my expression anytime I want, just like you guys." Ren placed a finger on Nathan's forehead and pushed him back up. "And here's an expression for you. Nyah!" Ren stuck her tongue out at Nathan and pulled down an eyelid.
"You cheeky mare." Nathan shook his head, still smiling. "Nothing gets to you, does it?"
"Not everything." Ren said, shrugging modestly. "If you push the right buttons, you might see the other side of me. And spoiler warnings, it's not gonna be pretty."
"She's just standing there and taking it." Ichigo said. "This guy's throwing insult after insult, and she isn't even taking the bait."
"That's Ren." A sixth former said, over hearing Ichigo. "She used to be so hot tempered; the smallest thing could get her angry. Now, she's as mild mannered as you get."
"Hm?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Well, I've seen her get angry a few times over small things."
"Of course. You two are family."
"So...what changed, Ren? What happened to my fiery girl?" Nathan asked.
"Excuse me?" Ren said, narrowing her eyes a little. "I don't remember ever being your girl. You're totally not my type."
"You still talk like an American? I guess some things never change."
"And I guess we're done talking." Ren said, looking to her left at the clock on the wall. It was just a little before eight thirty. "Registration is in five minutes. I shall be seeing you." Ren started to walk past Nathan, but he placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. Toshiro felt himself unconsciously clench his fists.
"Don't think you can get away that easily." Nathan's smirk was gone. Instead, it was an angry frown. "It's your fault I was kicked out of this school in the first place. Well, now I'm back. The boys and I weren't too pleased with what you did. Nobody likes a tattler, after all."
"I'd say I did everyone a favour when you got expelled. Now, let me go, or else I'll do everyone in this room another favour by decking you right here and now."
"You don't have the guts."
If you were a Feather, you'd be dog meat by now. Ren thought angrily.
"True. We are on school property. But be warned; push my buttons, and watch the heads turn."
"Hmph. Excuses. I see you're still the cowardly cry-baby you used to be when we were kids. So what will you do now? Cry to the teacher like you always did? I thought you were better than that, Ren."
"That has nothing to do with anything." Ren said, closing her eyes to control herself. She wanted to punch him in the face so badly, but right now, it was taking everything in her to hold back. Besides, sometimes, it was better to do nothing than something. "That was then, and this is now. Speaking of now, I'd appreciate it if you let go of me now."
"Make me." Nathan challenged.
That does it! Toshiro strode forwards and grabbed Nathan's arm. He glanced at Toshiro, who glared up at him. Ren, in return, was also a little surprised by Toshiro's intervention.
"She said let go." He said fiercely. "And I suggest you do what she says."
"Huh." Nathan's smirk returned out of amusement, and he let go of Ren, although Toshiro kept his grip on his arm. "I didn't know you had a little brother, Ren."
"He's my cousin." Ren turned around to face Nathan. "And he's the same age as me."
"Really? I guess people of short stature runs through the family."
"I'm not short. I'm average." Ren grumbled.
"So then, kiddo, why the fierce attitude all of a sudden?" Nathan asked, ruffling Toshiro's hair. Toshiro responded by gripping Nathan's arm so hard, Nathan flinched.
"You've said what you wanted to say, right? So get out of our sight, before I make your big nose even bigger."
"You heard him. Do one." Ren pointed at the door. "There's the door."
"..." Nathan glared at the faces of Toshiro and Ren angrily. "Tch." Nathan forced Toshiro's grip off his arm, clutching it. Before leaving, he pointed at his eyes, then at Ren and Toshiro, before turning around and leaving the common room, but not without slamming the door. Silence.
"Well...I'm glad I got that out of the way." Ren sighed. "Don't we all have somewhere to be?" Ren asked the spectators. With that, they all dispersed and went on their way, chattering among themselves. All except Ichigo, who joined Toshiro by his side.
"Nicely handled, Ren."
"Thanks, Ichigo."
"So, what's the deal between you two?" Toshiro asked, curious about how Ren and Nathan knew one another.
"We knew each other since we were kids. And, well, let's just say that we have an unpleasant history."
"I noticed." Toshio muttered.
"Ichigo, do you know where your form room is?" Ren asked, moving the topic swiftly on.
"He's not in our form?"
"No. He's fifteen, so I put him with the year ten's."
"But what if the Fea-" Toshiro just about stopped himself from saying Feathers.
"I gave him my mobile number. And, I have his. Plus, we have frees, so if we need to discuss something or fight anyone, or anything, we can find his classroom and pick him up. But, if you don't like Ichigo being in year ten, I could always change it."
"No." Toshiro shook his head. "Keep it like this for now."
Idiot...Toshiro thought.
"Alright, see you later." Ichigo waved over his shoulder and, slinging his blue bag over his shoulder, Ichigo walked off.
"Ren...you and Nathan..."
"Shiro, listen." Ren said, interrupting Toshiro. "I know you were trying to help, but you shouldn't make a fist in something that isn't your fight."
"Are you telling me to stay out of it?"
"Exactly. I'm grateful, but you've got to understand, Shiro. You can't help me. Not right now, anyway." Ren walked away from Toshiro, picking up her shoulder bag when arriving at the bag racks.
"Wait, so what about that promise we made to one another? Am I supposed to forget about that?" Toshiro demanded, feeling himself get angry at Ren's order. She made the promise too, and now she was just dismissing it as though it were nothing? She had some nerve!
"No. We can help one another in fighting the Feathers and White Raven, but right now...I can't see how you can help me. It's my fight, and I want to fight it alone." Ren slung her bag on her shoulder and walked past Toshiro towards the door.
"Don't think you can keep it secret from me. I'm going to find out sooner or later."
"It's none of your business, Shiro." Toshiro growled and clenched his fists, furious that Ren thinks she can order him around like that.
"Well, at least I don't read books about women from other planets!" Toshiro yelled without thinking. Immediately, Toshiro covered his mouth, mentally slapping himself for his stupidity and his immaturity. Ren stopped walking, her hand inches away from the door handle. What followed after Toshiro's outburst was an extremely tense silence.
"What did you say?" Ren asked without turning around. Toshiro heard the hint of anger in her voice. It was the same as in the shop and after the English lesson. Toshiro was immediately reminded of what Steph said to him.
"When someone mentions that subject around her, she gets angry. Scarily angry. Even in situations that are nothing to do with what she has."
"But, as soon as you see her like that, don't cross the line any further. As she says, it's complicated."
"I..." Toshiro started, hesitating about his response. After all, he had to choose his words carefully. One wrong move, and who knows what Ren might be capable of. "You know what I said."
"I guess I do." Ren said slowly. Gradually, her bag slipped off her shoulder, until it slid down her arm and on the ground. There was another silence, and Toshiro found himself feeling incredibly nervous, but he couldn't quite understand why. Swallowing his nerves, Toshiro slowly walked up to Ren, until he was just inches from her.
"Look, I-" But, Toshiro never got a chance to finish his sentence. Ren looked over her shoulder, and Toshiro saw a flash of anger in her eyes before Ren grabbed him by the front of his shirt with one hand, and pinned him against the wall with her other arm so hard, Toshiro felt his feet leave the ground. "H-Hey! Let me down! What are you doing? Ren! Why are you acting like this?" While Toshiro struggled and protested, Ren remained motionless, her hair hiding her eyes in shadows. "I want to get some damn answers! I'm trying to help you here but you keep shutting me out! I'm sick of you hiding things from me!"
"But, what about you, Shiro?" Ren asked with an eerie calmness in her voice that shut Toshiro up right away. It was a kind of calm that gave the impression Ren would go berserk at any minute. "Aren't you hiding things from me?"
"N-No! I'm not!"
"Really? You're not hiding anything from me?"
"No. Now can you please let me-"
"You're a liar."
"Wh...What?" Toshiro said, a little confused. "Ren, I'm not lying."
"Yes you are!" Ren yelled, a wild look in her eyes. That look made Toshiro go wide eyed. He was so stunned, in fact, that Toshiro didn't even notice that his hand was shaking. "You said earlier that I read books about women from another planet. I don't remember mentioning anything like that. It was a book I kept in that box. A box that you said you hadn't seen anything suspicious in. You lied about seeing nothing. Therefore, you're a liar."
"So...So what if I saw that book? I was tiding up after you carelessly knocked it over. And that's the truth. Why do you even have that box?"
"Everybody has their secrets, Shiro. Don't you have secrets?"
"..." Toshiro looked down, realising that Ren was right. He had no right to question the secrets Ren kept from him when he was keeping things from her at the same time.
"Just like you have secrets, so do I. Let's just keep it that way for now, okay?"
"Y...Yeah." Toshiro eventually said. With that, Ren let Toshiro's shirt go and removed her arm from his body, letting him slid back onto his feet. While Toshiro still recovered from that confrontation, Ren picked up her bag and left the room without saying a word, leaving Toshiro alone.
"I get the feeling I've met a dangerous person." Toshiro said out loud. He folded his arms. "But, what is there to get so angry about? I'll have to go deeper. Her friends are keeping tight lipped about her, and now that Ren's reacted like that, she's going to be even more careful. Wait a minute..."
"Why? That bastard has a record of tormenting the disabilities department at school. And now that he's coming back, well, you know...No, I won't let him know. I'll only tell him I'm that department's prefect if it comes to it. I have the gown, so I have the responsibility. Well, some of it."
"Ren said she is the prefect of the disabilities department in this school. Maybe the two are connected somehow. Ah, I need time to think." With that, Toshiro walked outside the common room and through the gate and outside the school. Pulling off his necktie, Toshiro walked down the path, placing his hands in his pockets, along with his tie. He was not in the mood to face Ren after what just happened, and was equally not in the mood for a lesson on politics.
Little did Toshiro know, there were several silhouettes watching Toshiro walk out of the school. They hid in the shadows, invisible to all.
"Leader, he's on the move." Gotam said, pulling down his hood.
"Perfect." The leader said. "We'll wait until he's somewhere more open." He looked behind him at the other hooded figures. "Prepare the Battle Barrier."
"Yes, Leader."
...
Half an hour later
"Heya." Ren said, entering the common room again. She threw her bag on the nearest chair and sat down next to Steph.
"Well, somebody's feeling glum. Nathan?"
"Nathan." Ren nodded. Ren linked her hands on her lap, deep in thought. Toshiro had seen one book from her box. It probably wasn't much, but it still meant something to her. One false move and Toshiro would know everything about her before she'd even said a word. Why couldn't boys just be patient?
"So what's up with you and Toshiro? Isn't he with you?"
"I don't know where he is." Ren lounged back on her chair, staring up at the ceiling. "He mentioned something about you-know-what and...well..."
"You snapped, didn't you?"
"Yeah..." Ren said slowly.
"Are you going to apologise?"
"Of course. If I know where he is." Ren sat up and stood up out of her chair. "Right. I'm going to go look for him."
"What about class?"
"Free period."
"But after that you have life lear-"
"You-know-what."
"Right." Immediately after Steph said this, Ren's phone rang in the Caramelldansen ringtone
"Eh?" Ren placed her hand in her blazer pocket and took out her phone. "It's Shiro!" Ren tapped at the touch screen phone and brought it to her ear. "Whaddup." She was silent for a few seconds. Her eyes widened.
"Ren?" Steph said. Ren didn't answer. She immediately dialled her phone and held it up to her ear again.
"Ichigo. Common room. Now." Ren said urgently, and just like that, she hung up.
"What is it, Ren?"
"No time to explain. Gotta get moving." Ren responded, fidgeting nervously. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this. This is bad, very bad." Within seconds, Ichigo ran into the common room.
"I came as soon as you called. What's the matter?" Ichigo asked.
"It's Shiro. He needs us!"
"Is it White Raven?"
"Listen." With a couple of taps of her screen, Ren replayed the phone call Toshiro gave just a few seconds ago.
"Ren, get over here! It's White Raven! There are twelve of them! And they've brought Feathers with them! I'm at...um...I don't know where I am! There's a...uh...a river! And some kind of boat...I think it's a floating restaurant or something! Hurry! I can't hold out much longer!"
"There you are!"
"Dammit!" There was a click and the recording ended. Ichigo was utterly speechless. He'd never heard Toshiro sound so panicked before. He'd always been so calm and collected. Well, most of the time.
"No time to lose. Let's go!"
"Do you know where he is?" Ichigo asked. Ren paused. "You don't, do you?" Another pause.
"No." Ren sighed, hanging her head.
"Floating restaurant?" Steph said quietly. Her eyes widened. "I know where it is!"
"Then what are we waiting for?" Ichigo exclaimed.
"Lead the way, Steph!"
Hold on, Shiro. Ren thought. You protected me last time. This time, I will definitely protect you!
...
Earlier...
"Alright, what the hell? I know I came past here!" Toshiro exclaimed, his eyebrow twitching. He was staring up at the scaffolding covered building in King's Square, where he had been almost killed by Sentaro. If it weren't for Ren stepping in, who knows what would have happened to him. Of course, he already knew the answer to that. Ren saved his life. If Ren hadn't come through when he needed her most, then he wouldn't be standing here today.
"Ren..." Toshiro said quietly, thinking about how Ren had acted earlier. That behaviour...He had never seen Ren flip out like that before. It was unusual to say the least, but just how big is this secret? Still thinking, Toshiro walked off to his left, away from the scaffolding. It seemed too unpleasant for him to look at right now.
Besides, he still had to think about Ren, and what he was going to do. He couldn't stop his investigating, but he could see that he was almost at a dead end. If he was going to continue finding out about Ren, he would have to be more careful. Then again, maybe it's best if Toshiro just left well enough alone. Right now, he didn't know anymore. Even so, it still didn't give Ren an excuse to snap like that, whether it was to do with her secret or not. Or, maybe he shouldn't have been snooping around in the first place. No matter how much he looked at it, Toshiro still felt that he needed to respect Ren's feelings on this part. He shouldn't have mentioned that book he found. He shouldn't have pried into something that was none of his business. In truth, he could actually understand a little why Ren did what she did.
"Okay." Toshiro said, stopping in his tracks. "I probably should apologise to Ren. But...about Nathan...I just can't stay out of it. Sorry, Ren, but I can't sit and watch forever." Toshiro nodded to himself, confirming what he just said out loud. "Right. To the school." Toshiro turned around...and saw the same scaffolding covered building from before. "What? I've been walking in circles? I can't believe I'm lost! Okay, um..." Toshiro looked left and right, trying to remember which way it was back to the school. "Note to self: bring a map." Toshiro settled for following his instincts and went down the path on the left of the scaffolding. "Better yet, try not to multitask while walking. I really need to stop getting lost in my thoughts." Unbeknownst to Toshiro, Gotam was hiding in the shadows behind him.
He is almost in position. He thought. Activate the Battle Barrier.
Right. Several other voices responded.
Almost instantly, there was a flash of light from a tear drop shape on the ground in front of Gotam, and a beam of light shot up into the sky, where eleven other lights met at one central point. Just like that, a dome shape was formed around a small part of the city, where it went from glowing white to translucent, and Toshiro walked through the wall of the barrier, and he didn't even notice that he'd walked through anything. To him, the barrier was invisible. In fact, he hadn't even seen the flashes of light, nor had any of the townspeople around him.
"Now, we wait." Gotam said.
Ten minutes later...
"Ren told me to stay out of it, and I will respect that wish, but if something does happen, I have to help her." Toshiro said to himself as he continued walking. "And..." Toshiro remembered the visions of Ren that he had. "I have to stop them from coming true. I don't care if she and Nathan have history. I'm not going to let him make Ren cry." Toshiro stopped walking for a moment, and looked around to get his bearings. He was on a path by a riverside, and to his right was a boat that looked like a large canal boat, except that it had a ramp attached to it. A floating restaurant. What are the odds?
"Speaking of odd..." Toshiro started, looking around again. "Where is everybody?" He was right. There wasn't a soul to be seen. No people. No animals. Not even a single insect could be seen. All Toshiro could hear was the wind blowing through the grass, a gate creaking nearby, the tress rustling, and his own heart pounding. "Hello?" He called out. Nothing. He walked forward nervously, hoping that anybody could hear him. "Is anybody here?" Even when he was in the dead centre on this park, he still couldn't see anything or anyone around. It was like he was the only resident of this city left.
"Hold on..." Toshiro stopped walking just in front of a large, wooden gazebo.
"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.
"That was before we were attacked. And now there's another scenario right here." Toshiro said thoughtfully. "It can't be coincidence." Toshiro's eyes slowly widened as he realised what this meant. "Oh, no."
"We're only here for one person."
"Who?" Ren asked, suspicious.
"It's not Ren they're here for..."
"We're here…for that one." Dixie pointed a slender finger down to the ground, and straight at Toshiro, whose eyes widened.
"It's me!" Toshiro realised. "I'm the one they're after!" Toshiro looked left and right frantically, hoping that White Raven weren't already here. "And I'm who knows where while Ren's back at school. This isn't good. I have to get away from here!"
"Too late!"
"What?" Toshiro gasped, wide eyed. It came from behind him! He spun around, and there on top of the gazebo roof were twelve hooded figures. Toshiro spotted the crests of White Raven on them. "Damn..."
"My, what a cute little boy." One female figure purred. It was the woman whose voice sounded like a hiss.
"Dibs." Caleb proclaimed.
"Etheline. Caleb. That's enough." The leader said. "Remember why we're here."
"Yes, Leader." Caleb and the woman, now Etheline, bowed their heads.
So that guy's their leader? Toshiro thought, staring up at that figure. Is he the leader of the whole thing, or just this group?
"In light of your enthusiasm, I shall let you two take him on. Remember; we need to subdue him first." The leader looked over his shoulder at Gotam, who had his hood up. "Gotam will step in if anything happens. Go."
"Right!" Etheline, Caleb and Gotam leapt down from the gazebo and, just before their feet landed on the ground, they levitated for a moment, making small clouds of dust below their feet right before they finally touched down. Toshiro took several steps away from them, and even though he kept his guard up, it couldn't stop him from feeling a little afraid. Even if he could feel a little spirit energy inside him, it wasn't anywhere near enough to take them on. He needed help. Now! That was when he remembered. Ren had given him a phone yesterday. With her number on it! If he could make the call, he might just stand a chance. He needed an opportunity, though.
"Better step back, old timer." Caleb said to Gotam, who stood behind Etheline and Caleb, not saying a word. "We won't want our favourite messenger getting killed."
"Oh, please." Etheline scoffed. "With this weakling..." Etheline reached up to her hood, and in one fluid motion, threw her cloak off, finally revealing herself. She was a tall, young woman who was clearly well endowed, with a long dress that had different shades of green and was split on her left side, revealing much of her leg, and black high heeled shoes. She wore a bright red lipstick, had narrow, greyish blue eyes and long black hair just past her waist. She looked every bit a seductress. "We won't even need to use half our strength." She finished.
"Says the woman who stripped her disguise. Still..." Caleb reached up to his hood, and he pulled it down to reveal his face. His face was that of a young man with thick, messy brown hair, dark brown eyes, and Toshiro couldn't help but notice how his canines were a little sharper than usual. "There's nothing wrong with showing off."
"True." Etheline's eyes changed from greyish blue to golden brown with slits for pupils. "By the way, boy, don't try anything funny. If you do..." Out of nowhere, a sphere materialised in the air, and dropped into Etheline's outstretched hand. Toshiro's eyes widened. Floating inside the transparent sphere were silver Feather cores. He could see at least twenty of them inside it. "Then we'll release these Feathers to destroy the city. You don't want that, do you?"
Damn cowards! Toshiro thought angrily. If I fight back, they'll release the Feathers, but if I don't, they'll kill me. I have to call Ren. Now! Toshiro looked to the figures on the gazebo, then at the three people ready to kill him. I can't believe I'm about to try this...
"Go for it, Ren!" Toshiro yelled, staring to the left of the gazebo.
"What?" The leader looked behind him, as did everyone else. Toshiro took advantage of this and ran off as quickly and as quietly as possible. By the time the group realised the deception and turned back around, Toshiro was gone.
"Search the area." Gotam ordered. "He can't have gone far."
"Right!" Caleb and Etheline ran off, Etheline to her left, and Caleb to his right.
"That little bastard's gonna get it now!" Etheline growled, stopping in between two trees, looking left and right, and then running off again. But, she didn't notice that Toshiro was sitting in the tree just above where Etheline previously was, out of reach and away from prying eyes.
"That was close." Toshiro sighed, relieved. "Thanks, Ren. I owe you one. Now is my chance." Toshiro stood up and, keeping one hand on the tree trunk for balance, took the phone out of his pocket, staring at the screen for a moment. "Trouble is Ren might not be in the mood to even see me, let alone help me. Well, whatever. I can make up for whatever I did later. Right now, I need you."
"Where is he?" Toshiro heard Etheline yell
"Calm down. He's here somewhere."
"Don't tell me to calm down, Caleb! If I don't find him soon, I'm going to level this place!"
"Damn!" Toshiro quickly turned the screen on and tapped the icon that brought the dialling screen up. "Hold down two." Toshiro did so, and soon, it was ringing up Ren. He brought the phone to his ear, listening for a sign that Ren was answering. But, all he heard was a dialling tone to show that the phone was still ringing. "Come on...Come on..." Toshiro muttered. He had never been more impatient with a phone than he was now. After what felt like forever to him, he heard a click. "Yes!"
"Whaddup."
"Ren, get over here! It's White Raven! There are twelve of them! And they've brought Feathers with them!" Toshiro said quickly in a hushed voice, knowing he didn't have much time to make this call. He had to tell her right away about what was going on and where he was. His life literally depended on it! "I'm at...um...I don't know where I am! There's a...uh..." Toshiro frantically thought of a landmark or two that Ren might know of. "A river! And some kind of boat...I think it's a floating restaurant or something! Hurry! I can't hold out much longer!"
"There you are!" Etheline proclaimed, looking up the tree and straight at Toshiro.
"Dammit!" Toshiro cursed, hanging up the phone and quickly pocketing it again before Etheline could see it.
Now, all I have to do is stay alive long enough for Ren to get here. If she gets here. Toshiro thought.
"What the..." Toshiro noticed how the branches in the tree were getting transparent, and then becoming solid again, and then transparent, then solid and this was repeated over and over again. "What is this?" The tree suddenly went transparent, and stayed like that, causing Toshiro to fall and land heavily on the ground. "It disappeared?" Toshiro looked up at the invisible tree...but it was right there in front of him. Solid as solid can be.
"Looks like somebody is a little clumsy." Etheline sang.
How did she do that? Toshiro thought. I know that tree disappeared; otherwise I wouldn't have fallen off. But I'm staring at it right now! What happened?
"Ah, ah, ah." Etheline tutted, grabbing the back of Toshiro's shirt and hoisting him back on his feet, pushing him away from her so hard, Toshiro nearly fell over again, but he recovered and turned to face her. "Don't go getting distracted. After all, you have bigger things to worry about. Mainly, your life. A life that I'm about to end." The orb that Etheline was holding moved from her hand and hovered in the air next to her head. In her right hand, she outstretched her fingers, and a long whip materialised in her hand. She cracked it at Toshiro's feet, and he couldn't help but jump back. "Oh, I love it. Keep it up!"
"Don't forget about me." Caleb brought his hand to his face with a smirk, and his nails lengthened into finger long talons. With one swift movement, the claws fired at Toshiro, who didn't even notice them with his back turned. But, he soon sensed them behind him and managed to jump out of the way just in time, but that didn't stop him from getting scratched across the cheek by a fifth one. Before he even had time to react, Etheline had one arm underneath his chin. Toshiro tried to move her arm, but to no avail.
"Yes, don't stop. Your fear and desperation is so...invigorating." Etheline leaned down to the cut on Toshiro's face and licked the blood from it. Toshiro felt his hair stand on end as her tongue touched him.
"Get away from me!" Toshiro cried out, pushing Etheline away from him, a very freaked out look on his face. Getting excited by his desperation, he could understand. But, licking his blood? That was just disgusting! And creepy!
"Mmm, that was tasty." Etheline said, licking her lips, which only freaked Toshiro out even more.
"Ha-ha-ha! Look at his face!" Caleb burst out laughing, pointing at Toshiro.
I have a little spirit energy back. Toshiro thought, trying to think of some form of battle strategy other than dodging. I can cast low level kido spells, but it won't be enough to stop these monsters. Then again, if I do something, anything, then those Feathers will be released, and I won't be able to take them on myself. What do I do? Toshiro clenched his fists. What do I do? Think. Think!
"Ha!" Etheline cracked her whip to a distracted Toshiro, and the whip wrapped around his right wrist tightly.
"What?" Toshiro tried to pull free from the whip, but it only tightened.
"The more you struggle, the tighter it gets." Etheline grinned wickedly at him. The whip she just used hovered out of her hand. Another whip materialised in Etheline's hand, and before Toshiro knew it, his left wrist was bound, too. Then, out of nowhere, a third whip bound his wrists behind his back. The three whip handles pinned into the ground behind Toshiro like tent pegs.
"Damn..." Toshiro cursed, trying but failing to pull himself free.
"Now you can't do anything." Caleb smirked at Toshiro, joining Etheline by her side. "No magic. No fists. Nothing."
"That reminds me." Etheline pointed her right palm at Toshiro. At first, nothing happened. Then, two whips shot out of the ground, each one binding one of Toshiro's ankles. The handles remained invisible underground, literally giving Toshiro no way out. He was trapped. "NOW you can't do anything."
"I guess you shouldn't have brought this thing out." Caleb tapped a couple times at the orb hovering next to Etheline. "If you'd kept it hidden, this guy could've fought back, and it'd be more exciting."
"But what will he do? He can't do anything unless that woman is with her."
They don't know about the Amber? Toshiro thought, glancing down at his right trouser pocket, where the Amber was safely hidden away. It doesn't seem like they can sense spirit energy either. But, Dixie said something about sensing purified Feather cores. And Ren is carrying some right now! She could be coming this way now, and they'll know she's here before she arrives! I may not be able to fight, but maybe I can distract them for a while...
"Well, come on. Let's get this over with." Caleb's nails lengthened and sharpened into claws again.
"Right. Then, we can deal with that woman in peace."
"That woman?"Toshiro repeated. "You mean Ren, don't you?"
"So what if it is her?" Caleb challenged.
"What do you want her for?" Toshiro asked. He thought that he may as well try and get some answers while distracting them, and then he can tell Ren as soon as she arrives. This way, he'll be killing two birds with one stone. "You might as well tell me. After all, I'm about to die right here and now. There's no way I'd be able to tell Ren if I'm dead."
"Very well." Caleb said with a shrug. "We may as well put your mind at ease while you're still alive."
"What I know is that Ren looks like Princess Zena, who I gather is a dangerous person. At least, in your perspective. As far as I know, Zena isn't that dangerous at all."
"You're wrong about that." Etheline interjected. "Both Zena and your friend are more dangerous than you can imagine. Zena's power is beyond anything you and I can ever dream of reaching. That power is what Ren possesses, and it is deadly in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to control it. If something were to go wrong..."
"Boom." Caleb whispered into Toshiro's ear, making him almost jump out of his skin. Then, Caleb vanished as quickly as he appeared and was back to Etheline's side in a blink of an eye.
"Thank you, Caleb, for your little demonstration." Etheline said with closed eyes, controlling her patience. She reopened her eyes and continued. "Therefore, to prevent chaos from happening, we must find out if she has the exact same powers as Zena or not. If so, then we must do whatever we can to make sure she doesn't go out of control. We could always try to kill her, but then, there is a high chance that her power will be released. If that happens, well, as Caleb said, boom."
"I can understand that. But..." Toshiro narrowed his eyes at Etheline, determined to get his question answered once and for all. "Why do I have to die? I'm no threat to you."
"Oh, but you are." Etheline said with a flirty smile. "See, you remind us of someone. Someone powerful." Etheline waved a hand to her right side. A green circle-like shape appeared in the air next to her that was just bigger than her head. A blurred image was inside it, and Toshiro watched as it gradually came into focus. What he saw made him almost speechless.
"That's..." Toshiro started, wide eyed. But, he couldn't even finish his sentence. In that image, he was looking at the head shot of another him. Except, this him had a mischievous smile on his face, and his hair was a little bit longer and just over halfway past collar length. While the spikes in his hair looked exactly the same as Toshiro's, the longer bit of hair near his neck was tied in a thin ponytail with a blue ribbon. But, other than the subtle differences, Toshiro couldn't deny the fact that this person looked exactly like him.
"Human, meet Ryuki." Caleb indicated the image. "Recognise him? This is Zena's Heavenly Guardian, and you look just like him. Just like she is gaining Zena's powers, our mistress thinks you might do the same with Ryuki's own powers."
Ryuki's powers? Toshiro thought. Does that mean...the premonitions...Is that Ryuki's ability?
"One problem we can handle, but two is another matter." Etheline continued. "Zena and Ryuki are a deadly duo, and if these two were to come together at this crucial point, then all our plans would be for nothing. That is why we must nip the problem while it is still in the bud." Caleb vanished from where he was, and reappeared in front of Toshiro, who was still in shock about the revelation of his similarities to Ryuki. Caleb raised his clawed hand up in the air, where the tips gleamed in the sun.
"Now that we have that out the way, it's time for you to die."
Damn! Toshiro thought, looking up at Caleb's grinning face. I couldn't distract them long enough! Toshiro closed his eyes, bracing himself for the worst. Ren...Where are you?
"Nighty night, ki-"
THWAK!
"Eh?" Toshiro opened his eyes. Caleb had suddenly had a foot kick him in the face by a person hidden by shadows. That person kicked Caleb away from them and landed on one knee on the ground, sending Caleb tumbling back to Etheline.
"What the..." Caleb sat up, rubbing the new bruise on his nose. "Who is that?" The person stood up in front of Toshiro, the shadows clearing away. That person was...
"Ren!" Toshiro said, feeling himself smile from relief. Ren stared at Caleb and Etheline and Caleb, a frown on her face.
"It's that woman." Etheline said.
"Pardon the intrusion!" Ren said happily, waving at Etheline and Caleb. She promptly turned around to face Toshiro. "Hey, Shiro. You alright?"
"What took you so long?"
"Sorry." Ren apologised sheepishly. "We came as fast as we could. I didn't know where that boat you mentioned was, so I had Steph lead the way. Ichigo's here, too, so you can relax now. They're just behind me. Hang on, I'll get you out of those ropes." Ren crouched down behind Toshiro to unbind his wrists. "Um...I mean whips...Damn, these things are stubborn...Hang on...There we go!" Toshiro felt two whips fall away from his arms. While Ren went to his right ankle, Toshiro focused on the whip on his left arm. "So, are you hurt at all?"
"I'm fine. You came just in time." Toshiro answered, shaking off the final whip on his left ankle, finally free. He turned back to Ren, rubbing his wrists. "Ren, you see that sphere floating next to the woman?"
"Yeah, I saw it earlier. What is that?"
"That contains Feather cores. I can't tell exactly how many though, but she threatened to release them if I attacked. I could only stall them for you to get here." Toshiro glanced away for a moment. "To be honest, I thought you wouldn't come after what happened today."
"..." Ren pouted at Toshiro in response. She then proceeded to karate chop Toshiro on his head lightly.
"Ow." Toshiro said flatly.
"Don't' run off on your own again." Ren said sternly. "That aside, I can't believe you thought I would leave you hanging."
"I..."
"I said it once before, but I guess you didn't hear me clearly enough, so I'll say it again." Ren smiled her smile at Toshiro. "If I abandon a friend in need, then I have no right to call myself their friend."
"Right...I guess I forgot that."
"Anyway, I'm sorry for flipping out." Ren apologised.
"Eh?"
"It's er..."
"It's complicated, right?" Toshiro asked, half joking.
"Yeah!" Ren said happily. "We can sort that out later, though. Right now, we have bigger things to deal with."
"Hey!" Etheline yelled. "We were in the middle of something here!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, in a minute." Ren said quickly, waving her hand dismissively at them. She paused. "Who the heck are those guys?" Ren asked, pointing a thumb over her shoulder at Caleb and Etheline, prompting Toshiro to roll his eyes.
"All I know is that they're with White Raven. Those guys over there on that gazebo are with them, too."
"Oh, great. New people to play with." Ren muttered sarcastically, glancing at the other members of White Raven. "And I now know what a gazebo is." Another eye roll from Toshiro.
"That woman can summon whips from thin air, and as far as I know, the man can turn his nails into claws."
"Hmmm." Ren folded her arms. "They could be holding back. If I know bad guys, they're hella arrogant, so they hold back against opponents who they deem as weak, only for the good guys to kick they're ass!" Ren punched a fist in her palm as she finished speaking. All the way through Toshiro and Ren's conversation, Etheline was getting more and more angry, until she snapped and summoned a whip in her hand.
"Stop ignoring me!" She roared, cracking her whip towards Ren. But, Ren grabbed the whip with one hand without turning around, much to Etheline and Caleb's shock. Ren looked over her shoulder at Etheline, a very annoyed expression on her face.
"Ma'am." Ren started. "I will fight you in a minute." Ren then clenched the whip so hard, it crumbled, until she finally dropped the rest of the whip on the ground, while Etheline and Caleb stared with dumbfounded expressions.
"What?" Toshiro gasped. "You're not seriously going to take them on, are you?"
"Why not?" Ren asked, an innocent look on her face. "They nearly killed you."
"Yes, and that's precisely why you shouldn't face them!" Toshiro exclaimed. "They'll tear you apart!"
"How do you know that I won't be the one who tears them apart?" Ren asked. "Right, guys"? Ren looked over Toshiro's shoulder at Steph and Ichigo, who were just running up to them.
"Yeah." Steph agreed, beaming. "Trust her. If Ren says she can do it, then she can do it."
"Fine." Toshiro sighed, defeated. "Do what you want. I can't change your mind if you're this determined."
"Yay!" Ren said happily. "Thank you, Shiro!" Ren turned around and trotted away from the others, and only stopped when she was a few feet away from Etheline and Caleb. "So, who's going first?"
"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this." Toshiro muttered.
"Don't worry about it, Toshiro." Ichigo reassured. "You should have more faith in her."
"Well, she did send that guy flying..."
"There you go!" Steph said happily. "She's tougher than she looks, so just sit back and relax."
"I can't sit back and relax if Ren is facing two opponents at once! One, I'm okay with, but two? And she doesn't even know what their abilities are!"
"She'll figure it out. She always does."
"But-"
"O, ye of little faith!" Ren exclaimed, over hearing the conversation. "Take Steph's advice, Shiro." Ren looked back at Etheline and Caleb, who glared at her, but she smiled in response, unfazed. "This is the enemy. This is my duty to protect my friends. This is my time to shine. And you know what else?" Ren tapped her heels together once, and her Fire Shackles appeared around her ankles and wrists. Her smile became more confident. "This is Ren to the rescue."
Well, that sure took a while! And I just realised that I kinda broke the fourth wall at the end...Anyway, Ren gets some action! Will she be victorious? Find out next time!