Summer's here! Time to enjoy that sun! Actually, up here, it's not really sun, more like…um…clouds…and rain…Still, the sun comes out occasionally, and when it does, it is g-o-r-geous! Right, enough babbling! Onto the story!
Chapter 11
The Lucky Genius
"You? Fight us?" Etheline burst out laughing. "Such a sense of humour!"
"I'm serious." Ren said, wearing her usual blank expression. "See? Fire Shackles. Serious."
"I'm getting a bad feeling about this." Toshiro sighed, hanging his head. He knew he was going to regret letting Ren step in, and he was right. And yet, he could tell that just by looking at Ren, she wasn't messing around. Every sign told him that she was confident that she'll win. But, that didn't stop him from worrying about her.
"Alright, I'll humour you." Etheline said, half laughing. The sphere hovering in the air glowed, and out shot several thin, white lights, which landed on the ground around Ren, and in a blink of an eye, she was surrounded by many different Feathers, all of them low level, and as soon as the Feathers appeared, the sphere disappeared. Ren, however, did not look fazed, and merely glanced at the snarling monsters. "Someone of your level should have some trouble dealing with this many Feathers. There are twenty of them in total, and they're hungry for you blood."
"Twenty you say?"
"Twenty." Etheline confirmed.
"Um…I think you might want to recount."
"Oh?" Caleb raised an eyebrow in confusion. Ren looked back at Etheline and Caleb, and she smiled with narrow eyes.
"There's only fifteen of 'em." With one wave of her hand, several Feathers suddenly dissolved into ashes, much to the shock of Etheline and Caleb.
"Wh…What was that?" Toshiro stammered, wide eyed. "She just moved her hand and…"
"See?" Ren said, the Feather cores shooting to her outstretched hand. "Fifteen." Ren brought her hand down and counted the cores. Silence. "Ahaha! I mean twelve! Sorry! I must be having an off day!"
She underestimated her own strength? Etheline thought, wide eyed at what she had just witnessed. No, that can't be it. Nobody can be that dense. Was she bluffing? Is this the limits of her power, or is she already at the point where she is close to wielding the element of fire without the Shackles?
"And then…" Ren crossed her arms in front of her chest, where her fists glowed with an orange fire. Then, she thrust her arms up into the air, her palms pointing upwards, and there was a burst of orange fire surrounding Ren and the Feathers in a small dome shape. Even though Toshiro was a good few feet away from Ren, he could easily feel the heat from the fire. Then, the dome came as quickly as it went, and there was a black circle on the ground surrounding Ren, who lowered her arms, and a clatter of Feather cores was heard as they landed on the ground. Ren opened out her palm, the cores glowed, and they shot into her hand, turning them into gold.
"There were none." Ren said with a smile, dropping the cores into her drawstring bag. "Shiro, hold this." Ren threw the bag behind her, and Toshiro caught it, still a little stunned at Ren's display of power.
When…No…How did she get that strong? Toshiro thought. Is that even Ren?
"Can I fight you now?" Ren asked. "I've killed the Feathers. It was kind of easy, though. Will you be a bigger challenge?"
"You little…" Caleb growled, ready to fight her after her unintended act of arrogance, but Etheline's arm blocked his path.
"I've got this." Etheline took a few steps forward, ready to fight Ren. She had to find out if she was dense, lucky, a force to be reckoned with or, even worse, all of the above.
"Am I fighting you?" Ren asked, and Etheline confirmed with a nod. "Well, then…" Ren clasped her hands in front of her and bowed politely to Etheline. "Pleased to meet you." She straightened up, bringing her fists up with an excited smile. "Let's do our best!"
"Yes…Let's…" Etheline moved her hand behind her back, and waved her hand in a circle.
"Hm?" Ren looked down at the ground, noticing it pulse with a small, white circle. From the centre, a whip emerged slowly, hovering in front of Ren's eyes. "Oooo…" Ren's eyes couldn't help but follow the tip of the whip as it waved slowly in front of her, as though a snake were being charmed. Etheline took advantage of this distraction, and another whip appeared out of the ground and wrapped itself around her right ankle.
Gotcha! Etheline thought, grinning. The hand behind her back clenched into a fist, and the whip Ren was watching disappeared, and at the same time, the other whip tugged on her leg.
"Nya!" Ren exclaimed, tumbling and landing face first on the hard ground with a loud smack sound.
"Oooo…"Toshiro, Ichigo and Steph flinched at the sound.
"That sounded painful."
"Didn't you hear that, Ichigo? Of course it was painful!"
"Boys, please. Hey, Ren. Are you okay?"
"Uuuu…" Ren groaned, slowly sitting up on all fours. She looked up at Etheline, a little annoyed and with a huge, red mark on her forehead. "Aaaaahhhh…bitch, please."
I thought so. Etheline thought. This girl truly is dense. And lucky.
"I have such a headache." Ren muttered, rubbing her head while standing up again. "Why did you do that, lady? That wasn't nice!"
Of course not! Toshiro exclaimed in his thoughts, exasperated at Ren's naivety. She's evil!
"To test you. And clearly you are lucky to be alive."
"Yup! Lady Luck! That's me!" Ren said happily.
"However…" Etheline materialised two whips, one in each hand. "I'm here to stop your lucky streak. Permanently."
"Can we fight yet?" Ren asked, unfazed by the taunt.
"Oh, for the…Yes!" Etheline snapped, impatient.
"Yay!" Ren cheered, disappearing from the spot.
"Wha…" Etheline gasped.
"SHORYUKEN!" Ren yelled, punching Etheline under her chin, and the resulting blow created a trail of fire following her fist. Etheline shot up in the air from the blow, and she landed heavily on the ground a few metres away, her whips dissolving into white dust the moment they hit the ground.
"K.O." Steph yelled, ignoring how Toshiro and Ichigo were staring with wide eyes at Ren's speed. "You win!"
"Yatta!" Ren cried, jumping in the air in joy. "Great combo, Steph!"
"You little…" Etheline picked herself up off the ground, rubbing the graze on her face away. "Do not underestimate us!" Multiple pulses appeared in the sky behind Etheline, while Ren braced herself for what was to come. "The strength of White Raven…savour it thoroughly!" All at once, several dozen whips lashed out of the pulses at Ren.
"Ren!" Toshiro yelled, fighting the urge to step in and help. But, Ren stood at the same spot and smiled. Then, what she did amazed everybody; she dodged the lightning quick whips by jumping high up in the air. Some whips tried to strike up at her, but she avoided each one of them with swift dodges and flips, until she somersaulted through the air, and landed swiftly on the ground feet first.
"Neat." Ren looked at her hands. "I'm a little more agile than before. Whoops!" Ren hand springed backwards from another few whips. "Gotta stay focused."
She's fast… Toshiro thought, watching with amazement as Ren dodged all of the whip attacks with quick and agile gymnastic moves, flips and hand springs. And agile. She doesn't know the full power of those Shackles, yet she is still confident in herself. Just what is going through her mind?
I'm getting kinda hungry. Ren thought as she dodged. I wonder what's in the cafeteria today. Oh, yeah, it's Mexican food today; bleugh! Chilli con carne; double bleugh! I'm all for that minced meat and all, but do they have to have so many beans in it? What should I have instead? Sandwich? A salad? Or maybe a sandwich with salad? Good thing we have a self-serve salad bar at school. I hate it when they put tomatoes in the salad boxes. Yuck! Oh, I hope they serve tuna sandwiches! Should I go with tuna and sweet corn or tuna and cucumber? Ah, I hate difficult decisions! Then again, nothing wrong with a classic sarnie. I've got a craving for egg mayonnaise right now. Or maybe ham? Meh, I'll just see what there is.
"Hm?" Ren stopped dodging, landing back on her feet as the whips disappeared into white dust.
"How quaint." Etheline said with a small smile. "It seems you're more than just luck. You have some skill. I'm rather impressed, Zena."
"Um, you got my name wrong. It's Ren. Not Zena."
"Xena?" Steph repeated. "Isn't that the character in that TV show?"
"I thought the same thing, but no." Ren said, a little disbelieved. "This is a different Xena."
"Different how?"
"I dunno. They just are. I mean, they sound the same, but…ah, it's beyond me."
"…" Etheline slyly turned her gaze to Toshiro, who didn't notice the cold stare. She smiled. Quick as a flash, Etheline created another whip and cracked it towards Toshiro. Toshiro, hearing the crack, turned his head in the direction, and seeing the whip, instinctively brought his arms in front of him, but Ren appeared quick as a flash, clasping the tip in one hand.
"Ren…" Toshiro started.
"I think you need to go to Specsavers, love." Ren said to Etheline. "Shiro looks nothing like me. You should be aiming your little whips at me. Not at Shiro. At meeeee." Ren said the final few words slowly, just to get her point across. Ren dropped the whip, and turned around to face Toshiro. "You okay, Shiro?"
"Thanks to you, I am." Toshiro answered. Ren smiled happily.
"Don't worry, Shiro. I'll protect you. Those jerks won't lay a finger on you while I'm around." Ren spun around to Etheline again. "Could you not hold back, please?"
"Excuse me?" Etheline raised an eyebrow.
"I said don't hold back. I can tell this isn't all of your strength, so come at me." Ren stood in a fighting stance, smirking. "Or do I have to come at you?"
"Getting cocky, are we?" Etheline asked, smiling. "You should be careful. If you have those Shackles out for too long, someone as inexperienced as you could lose control."
"Really?" Ren said, relaxing her guard. "Oh, I don't want that to happen. Off they go." Ren tapped her heels once, and the Fire Shackles disappeared. Etheline sweat dropped a little at how gullible Ren was, even though what she said was a true fact. She would seriously take the advice of an enemy? Just how dense could this girl get?
"Ren!" Toshiro exclaimed, once again amazed at the level of her naivety.
"Hang on, hang on." Ren said quickly, trotting away from Toshiro. She stopped when she was several metres away from Etheline and the White Raven group. "You shouldn't underestimate me, Shiro. Same to you, lady." Ren glanced at Caleb. "And you too, mister." Ren smiled again, determined. "This girl is not a one trick pony."
"What?" Etheline said, puzzled. Ren slowly raised her arms up, and Etheline's eyes widened as she figured it out. "Wait…You don't mean… You can use more than one of the Shackles already?"
"Hopefully." Ren answered, crossing her arms in an X shape in front of her chest. Nothing happened for several seconds, but eventually, silvery smoke appeared around her wrists and ankles. Ren stared at this strange smoke, and she immediately knew what they were, even though she had never seen them before. "Sweeeeeeet!"
"Wind Shackles?" Etheline gasped. "Already?"
"Yup!" Ren responded cheerfully. Ren raised one arm up in the air, her palm outstretched as a small tornado twisted around her arm. "Now…eat this!" Ren brought her hand down, and several blades of wind shot towards Etheline, who barely managed to leap out of the way in time, leaving the wind blades to continue their path, and they sliced through a tree. In seconds, the tree collapsed into several pieces as though it were cheese.
"What power!" Etheline sharply turned to face Ren, but she was gone. "Where is she?"
"Weeeeee!" Ren suddenly whooshed behind Etheline, and back around to the front. Etheline saw that Ren wasn't walking, or even running. Her feet were inches from the ground, and the smoke around her ankles seemed more intense. She was literally gliding across the ground.
"Wahoo!" Ren back flipped in the air, and skidded backwards as though she were roller blading. "This is awesome! This is just like ice skating without the blades! Hmmm…now there's an idea."
"Don't get cocky!" Etheline, refusing to give up, created another whip, but before she could do anything, Ren glided towards her, jumped up and aimed a kick to her head, but Etheline leant back to avoid her foot. Her eyes widened. Before her eyes, she saw strands of black hair.
"My hair!" Etheline looked at the bangs of her hair. One side was slightly shorter than the other. She glared at Ren, who was balancing on one foot. Her other foot had wind in the shape of a blade at the sole of her shoe.
"Oh, come on. It'll grow back. Besides, I fixed your split ends. You should be thanking me."
"Rrrr…" Etheline growled, infuriated with Ren's personality. "Damn you!" The pulses in mid-air appeared once again, and Etheline unleashed a relentless attack on Ren with her whips. But now that she could glide across the ground, Ren dodged the whips even more effortlessly than before, all while humming Bolero to herself.
"Okay…She's defying death, but she's having fun at the same time." Toshiro said, following Ren's movements while becoming even more amazed by the second, both at her skills and her attitude to the whole situation.
"That's Ren." Steph said, who didn't seem at all fazed by Ren's skills. She had learnt to expect the unexpected when Ren is involved, but she was still impressed by Ren's powers. "But she looks like she's getting bored."
"What?" Ichigo started, confused. To him, it looked like Ren was having the time of her life, and yet her closest friend was saying Ren was getting bored?
"Give her a minute." Right after Steph said this, there were a couple of whacking sounds, and Ichigo and Toshiro were amazed to see that Etheline and Caleb were lying on the ground, defeated. Ren stood beside them, the smoke disappearing around her wrist and ankles. She dusted off her hands with a slightly satisfied expression on her face. Then, that face instantly turned into boredom.
"Bored now!" Ren said loudly. "I told these guys to not hold back, but they did just that. See, Shiro? I told you bad guys were hella arrogant!"
"Just like that she..." Ichigo started, but he couldn't finish his sentence. Toshiro, meanwhile, couldn't say a word let alone a sentence. All this time, Ren could've finished them off instantly, but she chose to play games with them. Unbelievable!
"Told ya." Steph folded her arms, smirking. "If Ren knows she can handle it, she tries to make it last as long as possible. But whatever the situation is, once Ren gets bored, she's outta there."
"Like Kenpachi." Ichigo said with a shiver
"I don't know what this Kenpachi is, but it sounds violent."
"You don't wanna know."
"But, just so you know, this is my first time seeing Ren in action, too. I'm just as surprised as you are. Well, not as surprised as Toshiro."
"W-What?" Toshiro snapped out of his trance after hearing his name
"Point proven."
"Wait. That other guy." Ichigo pointed at Gotam, who came out from the shadows and pulled down his hood to reveal an unreadable expression. Toshiro tried to read what he was thinking, but nothing was there. In fact, ever since Ren destroyed the Feathers, he'd been getting a strange feeling from the other members of White Raven. Something wasn't right. Still contemplating this, Toshiro continued to watch Gotam walk towards Etheline and Caleb.
"Stay out of this. We've got it." Etheline hissed angrily.
"I believe the order was for me to step in if things went wrong." Gotam said calmly. "Well, things have gone wrong. You two clearly underestimated her."
"..." Ren backed away from the two defeated members of White Raven as Gotam came closer and closer towards her. She was getting a very bad vibe from him, and she didn't like it one bit. Yet, it seemed to excite her as well.
I'm beginning to think I have issues. Ren thought, worried about her excitement.
"Step aside." Gotam ordered, stopping beside Caleb and Etheline. Etheline growled and attempted to attack, but an arm from Caleb blocked her path. She glared at him, but he simply shook his head.
"Tch." Etheline stood up and stomped back to the gazebo, suppressing her anger without much success. Caleb also stood up, though he was clearly a lot calmer than Etheline.
"We don't usually leave the dirty work to those weaker than us, but unlike Etheline, I admit my mistake. I leave you to clean up." With a playful smirk, Caleb patted Gotam's shoulder. "Show us how it's done, huh? Just be careful. That girl is like a firework."
"Firework." Ren repeated. "That's a new one! First a live wire, then a mask, and now a firework! Awesome!" She said brightly. "They are kinda scary, though." Caleb seemed a little surprised that Ren could hear him from that distance, but it confirmed what he meant about her being a firework.
"Exactly." Caleb said to Ren. "You're unpredictable. But, I like that in a girl." Caleb winked at Ren, stunning her a little.
"Are...you coming on to me?" Ren asked, confused. Caleb closed his eyes, smiling. He turned away and walked back towards the gazebo with the other members of the group, ignoring the fact that Etheline was scowling at him. "He didn't answer. Steph, what does that mean?" Ren asked, looking over her shoulder at Steph.
"Well, he didn't say yes or no." Steph said, bringing her hands up to shoulder height.
"So I guess it's ambiguous." Ren concluded. "And, I just used a big word!"
"Girl."
"Yeah?" Ren turned back around to Gotam, who still wore the same emotionless expression on his face.
"Turn your attention away from your friends and from my companions." Gotam said in a loud, clear voice. "I am your opponent."
"Uh huh." Ren said, not really paying attention to what he was saying. She had only just noticed the bumps on Gotam's head.
"What are you staring at?" Gotam asked. Ren didn't answer. She simply trotted over to Gotam and stood on her toes in front of him, staring at the strange bumps.
"Hey, mister, did you bump your head in two different places? There are bumps on it. Kinda big ones too." Ren dared to poke one with her finger.
"She's done it." Steph sighed.
"Done what?" Toshiro asked.
"Sometimes, Ren has no depth of boundaries or sensitivity, but most of the time, she knows the bounds. With these guys, though, I'd make an exception."
"It's complicated?" Toshiro asked.
"It's complicated."
"I see." Toshiro muttered, mentally making note of that observation. Sooner or later, these clues will come together to form something.
"Ari?" Ren blinked. She poked the bump a couple more times. "This is..." Gotam, meanwhile, was trying not to lose his patience. "Holy crap, you've got horns!" Ren exclaimed, jumping back in alarm.
"And there's the sensitivity problem." Steph said, matter-of-factly.
"Are you horrified?" Gotam asked simply. "Does my appearance repulse you?"
"Not really." Ren said bluntly. "If it's a problem, then just wear a wig."
That's not the point. Ichigo and Toshiro thought, sweat dropping.
"I see it would take more than a simple question for you to grasp who we really are. But, for now, let me introduce myself properly." An invisible breeze blew around Gotam, and Ren only reacted with a raised eyebrow on her usually blank expression.
This feeling. Toshiro thought. Is it...Is it spiritual pressure? No. That doesn't exist here. But, it feels so similar. What is it?
"We are an elite group of fighters among White Raven. The Twelve Masters." Gotam disappeared quick as a flash, shocking Ren. Suddenly, the ground around her cracked, and she jumped away just in time for it to explode.
"Nyaaaaa!" Ren exclaimed, staggering backwards from the dust. In the centre of it was Gotam, who was down on one knee, a fist in the centre of the cracks on the ground. But, the cracks were no longer there. Instead, they were replaced by a crater the size of a small house.
"One punch?" Toshiro gasped, amazed at his strength. "This guy is as strong as Zaraki, maybe even stronger!" Gotam stood up, and turned to face Ren again.
"And I am the Master of Strength, but you can call me...Gotam."
"Gotam, eh?" Ren said, unfazed by the display. "Well, then, Gotam, my name is Ren. Ren Conner." Once again, Ren clasped her hands and bowed politely to Gotam. "Pleased to meet you."
"Pleased to meet you." Gotam said, bowing his head to return the gesture in kind. "But first, I must take care of something." Gotam shifted his eyes towards Toshiro. Ren noticed this, and before anyone could react, Ren was already in front of him, an expression that was both angry and annoyed at the same time.
"Wah!" Steph staggered back, still not used to Ren's speed. Ichigo and Toshiro were equally as surprised.
That fast? Gotam thought.
"You know, Gotam, people have compared me to lots of things in the past. And, they were not all good things. Wild animal. Live wire. Dangerous. Freak. And those are only to name a few. Of course, those comparisons have gotten nicer over the years. Yet, I have my own comparison." Ren smirked a little. "A predator."
"Predator?" Gotam repeated, curious.
"Yup." The Fire Shackles instantly appeared around Ren's ankles and wrists, generating fireballs around her fists. "I'm beautiful to look at..." Ren clasped her hands together, and a massive fireball appeared where Gotam stood, colouring the whole atmosphere a mixture of red and orange. While her friends were safe from Ren's fire, the heat from the attack was overwhelming. Yet, it was hard to believe that this was a little of Ren's power. The fire disappeared as quickly as it came, and Gotam still stood where he was, covered in a few burns, and the crater he created full of ashes and soot. He stared intently at Ren's determined expression, her hands still linked together. "But if you touch someone in my pack, then I'll frikkin' kill ya." Ren finished.
"..."Gotam said nothing, silently admiring Ren's determination.
"Listen, I know that you guys want to kill Shiro, although I don't know why. And frankly, I don't care." Ren narrowed her eyes, not her usual happy self. "But, Shiro is my friend. And I will always protect anyone I care about."
Friend... Toshiro thought, looking away. He really hadn't expected Ren to see him as a friend. And, he never thought about how he saw Ren. But the fact that Ren acknowledged him as a friend, well, he was touched.
"I see." Gotam said. "So...all I have to do is get rid of you before taking out that look-a-like."
"Are you sayin' he looks likes Ryuki?" Ren asked. "'Cos if you are, then that would make a lot of sense since he controlled Shiro and all." Ren placed a hand on Toshiro's shoulder. "Nevertheless, I'm still gonna stop you from killing him." Ren leaned over to Toshiro so that she was in whispering distance. "Keep your eyes peeled. I can sense a few Feathers around here." She whispered. Toshiro nodded in response. So he wasn't the only one who felt something strange.
"Me too." Steph whispered back. "I've been feeling something strange for a while now."
"Exactly. I'll deal with this guy, you guys keep watch." Ren leaned away from Toshiro, and looked back at Gotam.
"What were you talking about?" Gotam asked.
"Nunya business. So, you said you're the Master of Strength, huh?" Ren asked, quickly changing the subject. "Am I right in assuming its just physical strength?"
"Foolish girl." Gotam shook his head. "You have yet to grasp the full power of White Raven."
"Oh, I'm sorry. You seem to have mistaken me for someone who gives a damn. Oh! Snap!" Ren snapped her fingers, mistakenly creating a spark that flew off her fingers and blew up a tree right beside her. "Nya!" Ren jumped back, wide eyed at the hole that was now where the tree used to be. "Oops." She said sheepishly. She promptly made the Fire Shackles disappear, and she instantly felt the burning glare of Toshiro at the back of her head. "What? I said oops." Ren said, looking over her shoulder.
"That's not the point." While Toshiro gave a lecture to a bored Rena about controlling her power and thinking before acting, Gotam watched them in deep thought.
How strange. Gotam thought. That girl could only use the Shackles yesterday. She knows how to use them, yet she doesn't know how to use them. She really is a unique case. He looked at Toshiro. And that boy. He truly does resemble Ryuki, but has yet to demonstrate his abilities. Do they lie dormant within him, or was that appearance of Ryuki out of luck? I must find out.
"How's this?" Ren asked, the Wind Shackles appearing around her arms and legs.
"Better."
"Thank you. Now, if you don't mind, I need to finish this."
"Boy." Gotam said loudly. "I have a question for you."
"Who, me?" Toshiro asked, pointing at himself.
"Um, there's no need, fellas." Ren said nervously, trying to get Toshiro involved in this as little as possible.
"I must know. Do you have any abnormal abilities?" Gotam asked.
"Abnormal?"
"Yes. Something a human cannot do."
"I'm not a-" Ren quickly covered Toshiro's mouth, knowing that he was going to say something that would give him away, much to Toshiro's annoyance.
"Not a person with any abnormal abilities." Ren said quickly, forcing a smile. "Don't bring up the thing about you being a Soul Reaper. That will only cause more problems for us." Ren said quietly. She removed her hand from Toshiro's mouth, ignoring how irritated Toshiro looked. "I thought you said that I was to divert my attention away from my friends, yet you are doing the exact opposite. Are we gonna fight or what?"
"I asked a question, and I intend to get it answered." Gotam walked towards Toshiro, who cautiously took a couple steps back. But, Ren did not move away.
"Dammit, you bastard. No means no." Ren said firmly, Gotam outstretched an arm, and a sword shape appeared around his palm. "You get away from Shiro right...this...ins..." Ren trailed off as the weapon formed in Gotam's hand as soon as he was in touching distance to Ren and the others.
"How did he do that?" Steph said in disbelief.
"He brought it out already?" Caleb said, smirking.
"He certainly can get impatient when provoked." The leader said calmly.
"You were saying?" Gotam asked. In his hand was a scimitar sword with a golden coloured handle and blade. The hilt had two tear drop shapes on the top section, and it gleamed in the light. "You don't know what you're dealing with, girl." The sword gleamed again, and Ren flinched at her reflection in it.
"Uhhhh...yeeeeaaahhh..." Ren said slowly, glancing away. "I'll just be getting out of the way now."
"Ren!" Toshiro, Steph and Ichigo yelled out of disbelief.
"What? He's got a sword! How the hell am I supposed to compete with that?"
"Well, I don't know. You can use those Shackles. Think of something!"
"Ichigo's right, Ren. You've never let anyone beat you before. Are you going to start now?"
"That's encouraging and all, Steph, but I have Shackles, not weapons!" Ren exclaimed. "Look, unless a weapon of some sort materialises out of nowhere, I'm pretty much screwed." Almost as if on cue, the smoke around Ren's right wrist intensified, and seemed to glow silver. "Hello." Ren looked at her arm, watching the smoke. It spread around her hand, and in one flash, she was clutching a silver hand-held fan decorated with light blue swirls and orange tear drop shapes dotted here and there on the face. Ren folded the fan up, staring at this strange object. She unfolded it again as if checking it was real, running her finger along the edge. She instantly felt something sharp, like a knife. And, the fan looked as though it were made of wood, yet it felt as cold and as solid as steel. Ren closed it again, admiring it from every angle, even though she still wasn't sure if it was real or not.
"A fan?" Steph said, confused. "How will that help?"
"You're in my way." Gotam said simply, raising his sword up.
"Ren, look out! "Toshiro yelled, snapping Ren out of her little daydream in time to look up at the lowering sword.
"Eek!" Ren squeaked, raising her arms up by instinct, and as the sword was brought down, it hit Ren's new fan, and the sound from that clash was like two swords in contact.
"What the..." Steph stammered.
"That feeble looking fan..."
"Blocked his attack?" Toshiro finished, amazed. Ren opened one eye, and it was her turn to be surprised. Gotam tried to cut through the fan, to no avail. Ren planted a foot on Gotam, and shoved him away from her, staring at her fan again. Amazing! It looked flimsy, yet it was like a sword.
"Aw, yeah!" Ren exclaimed, grinning.
"Wow, this girl is one surprise after another." Caleb said, smiling.
"This girl is also our enemy." Etheline hissed. Caleb held his hands up with closed eyes as a sign of surrender, still smiling.
"Nya!" Ren staggered back as Gotam pounced towards her with his sword ready to slice her in two, never losing his calm expression. Quickly, Ren did the first thing that came to her head; she opened the fan out and swept it across in front of her, and a tornado shot out at Gotam. He held his sword in front of him, the tornado blast hitting it directly, yet blades of wind kept cutting away at his cloak.
"Incredible!" Steph gasped, while Ichigo and Toshiro were once again amazed at Ren's abilities.
"I know, right?" Ren yelled happily, over hearing and trying to look as if she knew what she was doing. "Now, what happens when I do this?" Ren threw the fan towards Gotam. It spun through the air with a loud whirring sound, making the air it went past whistle. Gotam heard the whistle, and glanced up at the fan, yet he was unable to block due to the tornado he was still trying to hold back. The fan scratched him on the shoulder, distracting him long enough to drop his guard, and the tornado blasted him across the ground, leaving a muddy trail in his wake.
"And there he goes!" Steph yelled, shielding her eyes as she watched Gotam go. Ren whistled, catching her fan as it flew back towards her like a boomerang. She had to admit it; it was pretty impressive what she just did. She looked at her fan, about to fold it back, but stopped herself. Something didn't seem right. She expected there to be a little blood on it, but instead, there was not a drop of red anywhere. Instead, she saw something grey that looked like liquid, yet when she touched it, it felt like it was already dried up. What was that stuff? Shrugging it off, Ren folded the fan up, and it disappeared in a puff of smoke along with the Wind Shackles. She'll think about that later.
"That was..." Toshiro began, still unable to process what had just happened.
"Incredible is what it was! I've never-" Ren raised an arm up in front of Ichigo, stopping him from finishing his sentence. "Ren?"
"He's coming back." Ren said, staring at the dirt trail leading to Gotam. Sure enough, a figure was rapidly coming back up the path, and it swooped up into the air with large wings upon its back. That figure was Gotam, and he now had large, white wings.
"Wings?" Toshiro gasped.
"Just like..."
"Ryuki." Steph finished, interrupting Ichigo.
"Ryuki?" Toshiro repeated. "Ryuki did this?"
"Yeah." Steph looked away from Gotam and at Toshiro. "When Ryuki took control of you, he was able to grow these wings on his back."
"But my clothes were-"
"They're retractable, so they don't harm the clothing. Apparently, the wings appear from these markings on his back; the same markings that Ren has."
"Markings..." Toshiro said quietly, glancing behind him momentarily. It was just like Zena told him. But, he doesn't have the markings, yet when Ryuki controlled him, they were right there, and as soon as Toshiro returned, they were gone. What could this mean? That aside, since the fight began, Toshiro had been feeling a small burning on his back, and it only happened when Ren used any of her powers. Most of the time, he felt it when Ren had used her Fire Shackles, so he dismissed it as heat from the fire, but now that it happened when she was using the Wind Shackles, he wasn't so sure. At this point, nothing seemed to make sense to Toshiro anymore.
"Hey, no fair! I can't do that yet! Get back down here!" Ren yelled, stamping her feet and waving her arms in the air.
"Ren, could you please not be childish for one minute?" Ichigo asked, exasperated.
"But he's flying! I can't fly like him! It's not fair!" Ren yelled, still throwing her tantrum and ignoring what Ichigo said completely.
"Ren, when you're done throwing a fit, we could do with you getting back into action." Steph said calmly, seeing the exasperated faces of the boys. Besides, she had to show them the right way to deal with Ren during one of her unpredictable moments.
"Huh? Oh, right." Ren immediately stopped yelling and stamping, and looked up at Gotam.
Just like that? Ichigo and Toshiro thought at the same time.
"Well, he's got wings, and I haven't. This is a real head scratcher." Ren said thoughtfully, holding her chin and tapping her foot. "I got it!" Ren tapped her fist on her palm, finally coming up with an idea. "I'll need these." Ren tapped her heels together, and her Fire Shackles reappeared. However, before she could do anything, Gotam was right in front of her, just inches away from her face. "Nya!" Ren braced herself just in time for Gotam to deliver a powerful punch on her stomach. Ren gasped as she felt all the air leave her, and she was sent flying across the ground, slamming into a wall about fifteen metres away.
"Ren!" Toshiro yelled, turning around to the cloud of dust. He then saw the golden sword from Gotam underneath his chin, and the tips of his wings encased the two of them, giving Toshiro no means of escape. But, Toshiro was more concerned with the sword he was holding; even the slightest movement from either of them would get him killed.
"Get away from him!" Steph yelled, but a mere glance from Gotam spooked Steph enough into backing away, but Ichigo wasn't intimidated. He tried to punch Gotam on his head, but he ducked down swiftly and one light kick from him was enough to force Ichigo straight at a tree several metres away, which he hit with such force that it snapped like a twig.
"Ichigo!" Steph immediately ran to Ichigo and helped him to sit up. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Ichigo said with a slight stagger, but a hand on the ground stopped him from falling.
Damn...Ichigo thought, struggling to sit up again with his free hand on his stomach. That was just a little of his strength. That title does have some meaning after all. If so, then just how strong is he? Can we...Can we beat him?
"Now, I believe you have a question to answer." Gotam said, turning back to Toshiro, who couldn't take his eyes away from the sword. He knew he had to get away. Every muscle in his body screamed at him to run, but he couldn't move. He felt as though he was glued to the spot. "Tell me. If you have no abnormal abilities, then how can you see the Feathers?" Toshiro couldn't help but feel relieved that they don't know Ichigo and Ren's friend can see the Feathers, too. That would put them in unnecessary danger. But, right now, he was in even more danger. One wrong move and he would be a corpse. "Well?"
"I don't know." Toshiro said firmly, trying not to make himself come across as afraid.
"I'm afraid you will have to be clearer. If not, then..." Gotam did not finish his sentence. Instead, he pressed his sword closer to Toshiro's neck, and he immediately felt the sharp edge. That cold metal made Toshiro almost break into a sweat.
"I don't know." Toshiro said again, this time with much more fierceness. He was determined not to let Gotam intimidate him, although he hated to admit that he was doing a good job. He was already unwilling to move.
"Don't lie to me. If Ryuki controlled you, then you must be able to use his abilities. Can you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." And he wasn't lying. He honestly wasn't sure if the premonitions were Ryuki's ability or not, as part of him still thought, and wished, they were his imagination.
"I see." Gotam said, believing Toshiro. Toshiro closed his eyes, momentarily relieved. "Therefore, it would be okay to kill you. And your friend is out of commission, so nobody can save you."
"..." Toshiro ignored what Gotam said, his attention drawn to the dust cloud that Ren was in. Either his eyes were playing tricks on him, or it seemed to glow a faint shade of orange. Suddenly, there was an explosion in that cloud, and something came rocketing towards him. Toshiro quickly elbowed Gotam in the gut, pushed the sword away from his throat and jumped away from Gotam, hitting the ground with his hands on his head. Gotam, his hands over where Toshiro hit him, looked up, and he quickly saw Ren speeding straight for him. Before he could even think of blocking, Ren swiftly kneed him under his chin, sending him flying back, but he recovered and promptly took off into the air, remaining a good few hundred feet in the air.
"What the..." Toshiro sat up, wondering what exactly that commotion was. And, there he saw Ren, except she was hovering just a couple metres from the ground. The Fire Shackles around her ankles were much fiercer than before; so fierce, Toshiro couldn't even see Ren's feet. "Ren! Are you...flying?"
"Yup!" Ren said happily. "Whoops." Ren wobbled a little in the air, but she soon regained control before she could fall to the ground. "I don't know how to use the wings yet, so I thought I'd improvise. It's kinda iffy, but it'll do."
"I'm sorry I keep getting into danger." Toshiro apologised. "You must be getting tired of saving me."
"Not really." Ren said with a shrug. She smiled her happy smile. "I'll always protect my friends." When Ren said the word 'friends', Toshiro felt something sting inside him. Again, he was affected by the fact Ren acknowledged him as a friend. "Now, if you don't mind, I've got some business to finish. Steph?"
"Yes?" Steph said, quickly attentive.
"Could you and Ichigo take care of Shiro for me?"
"Of course." Steph pulled Ichigo onto his feet, and they went to Toshiro's side, helping him off the ground.
"Just hang tight for a while, 'kay? I'll be right back." Ren looked up at Gotam, who looked back at her, his expression still as unreadable as ever.
"Be careful, Ren. This guy is really strong."
"I know, Ichigo. In case you forgot, he punched me in the gut. Anyway, I'm always careful."
You could've fooled me. Toshiro thought, knowing first hand that Ren was far from cautious.
"To infinity...AND BEYOND!" With that yell, Ren shot up into the sky like a rocket, leaving behind some smoke and making the others cough and splutter until he smoke cleared away. As soon as she had rocketed up into the sky, Toshiro felt that burning feeling on his back. It didn't hurt, but it was to an extent that he couldn't ignore it as easily as before.
"I totally knew Ren was going to say that." Steph sighed, fanning away the rest of the smoke.
"Who would have thought that she could be so resourceful?"
"That's Ren."
"Yeah. Who knew?" Toshiro said, not paying proper attention to the conversation. He was more drawn to Ren as she flew up to Gotam, who waited patiently.
"Nice." Ren said, looking down at the ground. "Nya!" She quickly looked up again after realising how high up she was. "Right. Gotam. Gotta fight Gotam. Focus, Ren. Focus." Ren muttered to herself, tapping her head with her fist. "Wah!" She lost balance again, and she dropped a few feet down before regaining control and continuing on her path. "Also, remember to maintain balance. Man, I've never been good at physics." She reached the point where she was flying at the same level as Gotam, who was a few metres away from her. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It seems your friend is of no use to me. Therefore, you and I can have the match you want."
"Whoa, I don't want to fight." Ren protested, bringing her hands up. "I just wanted you to stay away from Shiro. I-Whoa-oa-oa-oa!" Ren stopped herself, loosing balance on one leg, and ended up wobbling on one leg while flapping her arms until the Shackles on her left leg was the same as her right leg, and Ren was floating with no problems. "Sorry about that." Ren smiled sheepishly at Gotam, who said and did nothing in response. "Anyway, if a fight is what you want, then that's fine. But, if I win, you don't touch Shiro again."
"Done." Gotam nodded. "I have lost interest in him, anyway."
"So, what if you win?" Ren asked.
"Nothing. I feel there is no need to make pointless bets."
"Uuuu, you're so boring." Ren frowned.
"What's going on?" Steph asked, shielding her eyes to look up at Gotam and Ren. "They're just standing there. I mean, floating there."
"Ren doesn't look like she can control her Shackles in the air. And this guy is too strong for her. She doesn't stand a chance."
"..." Toshiro said nothing, staring up at Ren so intently, he forgot to blink, and only did so once his eyes started to ache. What was Ren thinking? She couldn't control her Shackles that well, yet Gotam seemed to have much more experience than her. What was she going to do?
"Well, then…" Gotam held his sword in both hands. "Here I come." With one flap of his wings, Gotam was gliding quickly towards Ren.
"What the… Whoa!" Ren shot up a couple metres just in time to avoid a sword swing, and uneasily dodged some stabbing attacks, and each time, Ren wobbled a bit in the air. "Wow. You're good."
"Thank you. However, you're inexperience has left you wide open." Gotam slashed at Ren, and this time, he was successful. The sword scratched Ren just below her collar bone. It wasn't deep, but it was still enough for some blood to ooze out.
"He got her!" Ichigo gasped, seeing the blood on Ren's body. Even Steph was surprised.
"Ren…" Toshiro said quietly, concern all over his face.
"Dang it!" Ren cursed, poking her cut with her finger. "I am not having you scar my youthful skin!" Almost as if on cue, her cut regenerated. But, from now on, she was going to have to be careful. This guy wasn't holding back like the other two were. "Kya!" Suddenly, Ren lost balance and fell down towards the ground, prompting alarmed reactions from Toshiro and Ichigo, yet Ren still seemed pretty calm. Ren increased the intensity of the Fire Shackles, and they slowed Ren down with a skidding sound, and stopped just before she landed in a tree feet first. Although, she was so close, one of the leaves caught fire at the tip. Ren sighed from relief. "I'm okay!" She shouted out to everyone before noticing the leaf. "Wah! I'm not destroying another tree!" Ren licked her fingers and put out the fire on the leaf, saving the tree. "Now. Back to Gotam!" Ren blasted off once again, leaving a trail of smoke behind her. Again, Toshiro felt the burning on his back, and this time, it was so intense, it made him flinch a little.
"What's wrong, Toshiro?" Steph asked, noticing him flinching.
"Nothing." Toshiro answered. "I'm fine."
"Sorry about that. Again." Ren apologised as soon as she got back to Gotam in the air, who looked neither patient nor impatient.
"You obviously cannot control your Shackles as well as you thought.
"Yeah, I guess." Ren said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. Gotam saw this distraction, and charged towards Ren once again. "Ah! You're attacking! No time to move! I can't block either! You got meeee! Ren yelled dramatically. She smirked. "Just kidding." Ren suddenly disappeared in a flash, just as Gotam's sword slashed where she previously was.
"What?" Gotam said in alarm.
"Where did she go?" Ichigo said, voicing what everyone was thinking.
How can she disappear like that? Gotam thought, looking left and right.
"Yo, Gotam! Up here!"
"!" Gotam looked up, and he saw Ren several feet above him.
"Hiiiii!" Ren said cheerfully, waving playfully at him. Then, just like that, she disappeared again.
Where has she gone this time? Gotam thought. He never thought Ren would be able to move that quickly. In fact, he never thought any human could move that quickly.
"GERONIMOOOOOOOO!" Before Gotam could defend himself, a foot met him in the face, and he hit the ground in three seconds flat with a huge explosion of dust. "Wahoo!" Ren back flipped in the air, waving her fists above her head. "Man, if Guile's Theme was playing in the background, this would be epiiiiic!" Ren stopped herself, a little surprised at her reference. "Oooo, wow, I really need to stay off Street Fighter games for a while."
"But…she…how…" Ichigo stammered, trying to get a word in edgeways. Gotam, who staggered back onto his feet covered in dust, was in just as much disbelief. How can someone who cannot control her Shackles be able to land a hit on him?
"Bwahahahahaha!" Ren burst out laughing, clutching her sides. "That look on your face! Priceless. Priceless!"
"Why is she…?" Toshiro started.
"You fell for it! You fell for it!" Ren yelled, pointing at Gotam. "I can use these bad boys easy peasy lemon squeasy! I just acted like a jackass so you'd let your guard down! Hahaha! Only an idiot would fall for that!" Ren carried on laughing, while Ichigo and Toshiro had blank expressions on their faces.
"Heh heh." Steph chuckled, smiling. "I should have known that Ren would do something like that. She is an actress, after all. Guess you two were worried about nothing." Steph got no response. She turned around to face them, and was amused and confused when she saw Toshiro and Ichigo on their hands and knees with hung heads, suddenly gloomy. "Um, guys?"
"It was…a trick?" Ichigo muttered.
"She had me completely fooled." Toshiro muttered.
"Oh. So, you fell for it too."
"You mean you didn't?" Toshiro and Ichigo exclaimed, snapping their heads up to look at Steph.
"Well…no. But, I've known Ren longer than you, and I know she is an incurable prankster. Although I wasn't counting on her getting injured like that. But, she can regenerate, so it's fine, right?" With that, Toshiro and Ichigo groaned, and collapsed on the ground.
"..." Gotam picked himself up off the ground, using his sword as support, while Ren slowly hovered down to the ground, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, the Fire Shackles disappeared.
"So, do you still want to continue?" Ren asked. "'Cos if you do, then I might not be able to hold back." After she spoke, Ren raised an eyebrow in confusion. She could see the cut she made more clearly now that she was closer to him. It had vanished, and instead, there was some kind of grey line on it. The same kind of grey that was on her fan. What was that? Was it a healing ointment? Or maybe some dust? Neither seemed likely, so what was it?
"I can still fight." Gotam answered, breaking Ren away from her train of thought. She'll worry about that grey stuff later.
"Alrighty, then. Let's get to it!" Ren said happily, clapping her hands together. In that moment, there was a yellow spark. "What the..." Several more sparks appeared around her wrists, and when she looked down at the ground, Ren saw several more sparks around her ankles. With a little burst of light, the sparks were more permanent and solid, and appeared around her wrists and ankles.
"Another Elemental Shackle?" Etheline exclaimed from disbelief.
"A wotsit now?" Ren asked, over hearing.
"Elemental Shackles." Gotam answered, but his expression had lost some of the calmness that it usually held. "Of all things that could happen, this is the most impossible. A human can wield not one, but three Elemental Shackles!"
"So, what are these then?" Ren asked herself, looking at her new Shackles. In that instant, Ren immediately knew. She couldn't explain why or how, but something knew exactly what these were and how to use them. "Lightning? Lightning!" Ren exclaimed. She glanced up at Gotam. "I think I have an idea." Ren said slowly, smiling.
"She's got that look on her face." Steph said with a smile. "Better sit up, boys. You're about to see a show."
"Huh?" Toshiro and Ichigo stood up, shrugging off the embarrassment of falling for Ren's trick for the time being.
"What? Is that lightning?"
"Isn't she afraid of lightning?"
"Ren's not afraid of lightning. She's afraid of thunderstorms." Steph pointed out. "Especially the thunder part."
What's she going to do? Gotam thought, raising his sword up. His wings glowed and then retracted back into his back. Toshiro saw this, and noticed that, sure enough, the cloak on his back was unharmed. It seems Steph was right. But, what does this mean for him? Since Ryuki could use the wings and Toshiro was already receiving premonitions, then he would naturally get the wings too. But, he didn't have the markings, so that was impossible. But if it was impossible, then why did his back keep burning?
"Here I go!" Ren yelled cheerfully, moving to her right, and she disappeared.
She's gone. Gotam thought, not letting his face betray his emotions.
Tap!
"!" Gotam looked over his shoulder after hearing that sound. Nothing.
Tap!
Gotam looked to his left right away, slashing his sword in that direction, but he only sliced the air. What trickery was this?
Tap!
Tap!
Tap!
Tap! Tap! Tap!
"!" This time, Gotam saw it. He saw Ren appear, and then disappear as quickly as she came, yet it was long enough for her foot to touch the ground, hence the tapping. He then saw Ren appear again in front of him, yet this time, she was going the opposite direction. He then saw another Ren. And another. And another. And yet another. And in seconds, he was surrounded by dozens of Ren's, all of them circling him in different directions, and all of them with the same smile on her face.
"!" Toshiro was so amazed by this sight that he didn't even notice that his mouth was hanging open.
"Wow!" Steph said slowly.
"That's my trick." Ichigo grumbled, although he was as amazed as everyone watching.
"She's so fast!" Etheline gasped, amazed.
"Like I said, she's unpredictable." Caleb said with a smirk.
"Indeed."The leader said thoughtfully.
"..." Gotam closed his eyes, focusing on the sounds around him. He heard the wind, the trees, the breathing of Ren's friends, and even the whooshing sounds the many Ren's made, but none of what he wanted. Then, he heard it.
Tap!
"There!" Gotam yelled, snapping his eyes open, and making a stab attack with his sword. It hit a Ren, and she stopped moving. However, she disappeared right away. "What?"
"Oooo, so close. But, no dice!" Gotam's eyes widened. Ren was balancing on one foot on his sword, still smiling. The rest of the Ren's disappeared without a sound.
After images? Gotam thought. She's that fast?
"I'd better end this quickly. It's break time soon, and I am NOT missing out on the donuts!" Red raised her leg up, and her heel hit the back of Gotam's head, and the kicked him under the chin with the same leg, sending him flying. Ren back flipped once in the air and landed neatly with her arms outstretched. Gotam planted one hand on the ground and skidded to a stop, and looked up at Ren, his calm face replaced with an angry one.
No choice. He thought, His hand clenched into a fist, and it glowed red.
"Gotam!" The leader yelled.
"!" Everyone, except the remaining Twelve Masters, looked at the leader. Gotam instantly made the red glow around his fist disappear. Ren, likewise, made her Shackles disappear. This prompted Steph to run to Ren's side, followed shortly by Ichigo and Toshiro.
"That's enough." The leader said, his voice quiet again. "You must not use that. Not here.
That? Ren thought, narrowing her eyes a little.
"My apologies, Leader." Gotam apologised, standing up and bowing his head.
"Accepted." The leader turned his head to Ren. "Girl."
"Me?" Ren asked, her usual innocent look on her face.
"Yes. This battle belongs to you. For now."
"Really?" Ren said. She faintly made out the leader nod. "Yay!"
"However, before we go, there is something we must do." The leader looked down at a figure to his left of average height. The figure looked up at him, and he cocked his head a little to his right. The figure nodded, and jumped from the gazebo. She levitated for a moment above the ground before touching down without making a sound.
"Stay back, Shiro." Ren said, raising an arm in front of him.
"I am not here for him." The figure said, the voice sounding like that of a teenage girl at least the same age as Ren, but it seemed a little less upbeat than Ren's. Almost gloomy. "I am here for you. You are clearly a unique case, possibly more so than that boy you call your friend."
"I don't "call" him my friend, he is my friend!" Ren protested, sounding a little bit insulted. Again, Toshiro felt something sting inside him at that word.
"That is not the point. You are dense, yet you show the spark of intelligence. A truly special kind of genius. But, that does not bother me. What bothers me is your smile. You are always happy. You see the fun in everything. You are a positive character." The figure raised her right hand up to her left shoulder. "That is a mistake I shall correct." She waved her hand to Ren, and a spiral of black smoke appeared from around her wrist, heading straight towards Ren.
"Get out the way!" Ren pushed Toshiro, Ichigo and Steph away from her, and she brought her arms up to her head just in time for the smoke to engulf her in a black fog that still had some gaps in it so she wasn't completely invisible.
"Ren!" Toshiro yelled.
"Are you okay?" Steph asked, worried out of her mind. The smoke disappeared after a few seconds, but Ren still had her arms up. She opened one eye, and then both. She looked at her hands, then her arms. Nothing. She looked up at the figure, a blank look on her face. The figure hesitated for a moment. After a few seconds, she brought her hand to her shoulder again, and she waved it to Ren firing another spiral of smoke at Ren. Again, it engulfed her, yet all Ren did this time was fan it away, still wearing her blank expression. There was another silence. Ren had a blank face, Toshiro had a blank face, Ichigo had a blank face, Steph had a blank face, and doubtless, the Twelve Masters would have had a blank face.
"?" Ren cocked her head to the side, confused. "Um, was that meant to tickle?"
Why? The figure thought, shocked. Why isn't my spell working on her? Nobody can resist my magic!
"..." Toshiro stared at the figure. Unlike the other members, this girls hood wasn't hiding much of her face. He squinted a little, trying to see if he could see her face. Sure enough, he could make out a pair of green eyes, and a few bangs of black hair, as well as the almost sad expression on her face. The girl looked at him, and with a gasp, she pulled her hood down a little, hiding her eyes. She turned around and walked over to Gotam, who had stood up.
"We're leaving." She said. Gotam nodded, and they walked over to the gazebo, not saying a word. Ren side stepped back to her friends, ready to defend them. The leader looked over to Ren.
That girl defeated a group of Feathers, two of my subordinates and overpowered Gotam, of all people. Truly, this girl is a lucky genius.
"I bid you farewell." The leader said simply as soon as Gotam and the other girl reached the rest of the Twelve Masters. With that, they all disappeared in flashed of white light. Silence followed.
"Well!" Ren said loudly, dusting her hands off as though nothing had happened. "Who's up for going to the canteen? I'm starving!"
"Sure!" Steph said happily, linking arms with Ren.
"Wait, what about them?" Ichigo protested.
"They're gone now, so they're not really any of my concern."
"Of course they are! Who knows when they might come back?"
"We'll just deal with it when they do get here." Ren said simply.
"Exactly." Steph agreed.
"Now, are you gonna get something from the canteen or what? They open in five minutes."
"Fine." Ichigo sighed, giving up. He glanced over at Toshiro, who was staring at the gazebo. "Come on, Toshiro. Let's go."
"Yeah." Toshiro finally looked away from the gazebo and walked over to Ichigo, and together, the four of them walked back towards the school. Already, the bustle and chatter of town people could be heard in the distance, along with the sound of cars. Everything was returning to normal. Toshiro couldn't even feel the burning on his back anymore, but it still left the question of why it happened. Also...
"That is a mistake I shall correct."
What did she mean by that? Toshiro thought.
There you have it, you guys! I've been pretty busy recently, with my driving test and an anime convention up in Manchester, plus I'm jetting off on a study abroad trip for a few months, but I will not disappoint you lovely lovely people by stopping my chapter updates, for I am taking my laptop with me1 Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, stay tuned for more, and have a gr8 summer!