"You showed too much, too much, too much!" Hibiyomi continued to cry out in a numbed darkness, a dusky noir of silent screams, screams that became so piercing – that they stopped entirely. His eyes widened, cracks of tension red greedily reached for his pure dark pupil, a stretched pointed oval of distorted sight. Daring dark chirped.
Derek, wide-eyed and filled with horror, was taken by surprise into a one-man rampage charged against his stomach. Hibiyomi tackled him straight into the back wall. The black haired boy winced as he plummeted to the plaster, thick sedimentary pieces of it cracking, falling to its despair, a suffering of loneliness that began at this moment. Plastered smoke hissed out, clouding Derek's senses more than they were. Shrubs of gray smoke began to invade half of the room, comfort pushed over the edge and fallen into fear, a sparse norm left readily diminished. Pulling himself up immediately and tediously, Derek spat out, "Hibiyomi, what're you doing!?" with a voice unstable.
"You showed too much!" the council repeated in a psychotic rage senselessly. Dust adjusted into smoke, mended to easy wisps of innocence. Derek, still finding himself in certain puzzlement, lay in his own rigid seat of plastered indent, arms flailed against and sprawled over a limbed set of cracks, body deep into the vertical ground with legs protruding out like pins and needles to a doll that just didn't belong, that just didn't work. Quickly, the council ran across the room, through the whispering smokes, past the hissing darkness, a daring fingering of light. He reeled in his fist, and then – and then!
A loud noise of impact. Pain seared, warmed, calmed, spread, died. Surprise filtered and dazed. Last shreds of dusty curtain were swept, slowly brushed into a fragile nonbeing, a broken glass of sea. Another presence entered without notice. Then came more, remaining unnoticed. Movement – it froze. Time – it went on, slowly, gracefully, consuming its own self, its own cost, lingering in the basaltic air with suspense, marrow darkness, a nonexistent halo of light. Eyes – they widened, in shock, in fear? But definitely in astonishment, a challenge brought up from the depths of unnoticed society, a disregarded people now protesting with compassion.
Looking up to meet eyes with the taller council, a boy with brown, protective and purposeful eyes locked into Hibiyomi's trapped psychosis. "You're Hibiyomi, huh?" a familiar eighteen year old spoke. It was as if he had appeared out of thin air! How amazing! How filled with awe this put into people's eyes, how much amazement it placed into a broken audience's hearts!
Derek stared beyond the boy's shoulder, staring into Hibiyomi's widened, stretched, abnormal eyes that were filled with daze, filled with trance, a trance of nothing, a trance of neurosis, a phobia of all things good. He stared past the red, and right into the dark. The dark that he could see clearly – faithfully. Eric…? Derek guessed, teeth clenched without energy, eyes shuddering in their intrusive walls. His hands froze; the plaster stuck onto the boy's skin, disallowing him to rise, paralyzing him in a lock of terror, a petrifying from hell. Hibiyomi said that I showed too much, he continued to think. I showed too much…what? "Eric," Derek called out, bringing himself out of his thoughts and paralysis. "What're you doing here?"
"Yes," Hibiyomi agreed, a bit calmer, yet his voice still raspy, still devious, still evil with dark, lusting attempts. "Why are you getting in the way?" Eric widened his eyes in shock as Hibiyomi angered his voice and pressed his held fist into the boy's palm, pushing him somewhat backward. Shoes scraped in resistance backward across the floor, slowly, unwillingly. "You show too much, too!" he cried out, now fully angry again. Hibiyomi's eyes widened more, red cracks reached more, grew more.
"Because," Eric said, trying to hold back the pressure of the locked fist. His voice seemed strained, abnormal, effortful. "Derek is someone I can… protect," he had finished the sentence with a purposeful difficulty. Derek, amazed and shocked, broadened his eyes.
"What?" Derek had to say something for himself. The rest of his words were found speechless, lost, and yet, somehow found in an absent colorfulness, a curtain of invisibility, the sense of movement there – just so barely you could almost feel it, touch it, breathe of it in nervous, tense grasps.
"Why should you care?" Hibiyomi continued with the pressure. "Why should you care about protecting? Like is just to kill, kill, kill!" he said in psychosis. "Otherwise, you will be killed!" At his words, Eric tried to pull back, but couldn't. Dark fingers began to crawl from his feet, his ankles. Crushing grasps of death withered around him, strolled upward with an unease, slowly dominating his body into a blackness of silhouette; an emptying of shadow, a soundless moon. He couldn't move any more. He had to be taken over. Derek, not knowing what to do and still pretty much struck with bolts of jolting lightning, stood there, watching, unable to move himself, with nothing holding him down.
"Now, now Hibiyomi. Calm down," a new voice entered from a certain hall connecting the room. New eyes watched, watched and looked after, like a babysitter. More eyes widened. Shadows stopped creeping up tanned forelegs of innocence. Darkness gained the will to move, to dare once more. Daredevils they were, departed was light.
"Yeah, calm down. It's your first day back. Do you really want to spend it killing two Minors?" a different voice entered, a different, more familiar voice. "Hibiyomi," the sound of Hanabikai entered the room, calling out to his teammate. He had obviously gotten over his fear for his teammate. The brown-haired council entered the room with a confident stare, entering from a dark, narrow hall. Tsukansu entered beyond the darkness, face half hidden in shadows. Hibiyomi, still caught in a trance, glared, turned. Then, Hanabikai, as if reacting, turned backward to meet Tsukansu's eyes. They both stared into each other for a second, deeply, as if wanting to feel what was really there, what was really beneath those unlit lids, a second barrier worth breaking. "You can thank me later," Hanabikai whispered to him. Tsukansu, dazed, seemed confused. "For training Walter right after training Eric about the links for you." Tsukansu suddenly realized. Light bulbs popped and danced themselves alive in his mind. Eyes widened to allow light passage. Teeth lost energy to grind, construction not much worth it anymore. "Don't forget important things, Tsukansu," Hanabikai scolded.
Suddenly, water council's face still frozen, Kasumi Walter strolled past with the two councils, on the other side of the hallway now. He faced away from Tsukansu, as if he were really not there, a much taller man yet a less purposeful one. A shame of defeat from one many centuries younger filled certain air, certain inhales and exhales of tension brown, nervous anxiety. Tsukansu stared, as if begging for forgiveness. Walter pretended to ignore. The boy sneered inside his mind. Tsukansu, filled to the brim with guilt, heard it, deep in the corners of his mind; he knew what Walter must've been thinking. A hurt face wretched and distorted his mind and face.
Faces seemed to return to the scene that took place. Hibiyomi took long, hard glares into Tsukansu's eyes, then Hanabikai's, and then, finally, the mysterious ones of Walter. He gave each of them a long look, as if taking something from each of them, and then, turned back to Eric. He stared into his uncaring eyes, as if nothing was wrong, confident with passion. With a scoff, he pulled back his pressure fist, relieving Eric's palm of hateful pressing. The shadows at his forelegs drew themselves back in. Then, slowly, Hibiyomi walked, solemnly, towards his fellow councils. Nervous glares watched him, locked on him, tense tear drops of the body known as sweat came down in an unwanted, pathetic tearing. Eyes brought themselves to the corner as pointed oval ones stared straight into darkness above. Slowly, comfort sinking back into Derek's arms and legs, he brought himself to his feet, small nooks and crannies falling to the floor as the gravity began to take away and eat at his unwanted leisure. Dusting his clothes, his stare followed, along with Eric's. Everyone stared as soft, silent steps walked across the plaster ground, calmed position of movement. They seemed to all target the new arrival of the council, who also, put anxiety into other's emotions as he neared them.
Then, finally, and unnoticed, as if freezing time while still moving and putting it back, Hibiyomi past them without them knowing, even if their eyes were cold-hard on him. The soft shiver of footsteps began to slowly fade away, and comfort, confidence began to slowly shimmer itself into everyone's bodies until –
"Wait," a voice demanded. It was Eric. Frantic, accusing and fearful stares turned themselves to the eighteen year old boy. His eyes were hard into the narrow hallway Hibiyomi caught himself in, arms crossed in front of him, eyes narrow brown. His stance, tall and proud, legs straight and filled to the brim with a non-resistance, a strong will, a live purpose. Through the darkness, he could see many of the half-masked faces of other councils, standing against the wall, frantic poses wishing that Hibiyomi would get farther, farther away from them. Hibiyomi, reacting, stopped. He did not turn. He stopped. His footsteps, they froze into ice, heavy blocks of cinder cement. Silence filled the air like a filling of sweet, delectable cake. This was the first time no one wanted filling! They missed the clicking shoes, the emptiness of the doughnut. What was wrong with plain? Plan was fine – plain was good. "Do you really believe that living means killing and nothing else?" Eric asked, voice regular, unharmed.
A hoarse voice answered back, body's arms crossed in front of it as well. Nervous tension shot at the air, splitting it in half, blistering with an atomic radiation of danger, a sense of timid risk filled the gaping area. Many seconds passed, until finally, "Only for things that are in the way, yes," came the answer, a raspy, neighed voice. "This is how life is. It is pure balance."
Few seconds waited with a rigid worry, a timorous coil that felt like gunshot. "I see," Eric answered, the only one in the room, except Walter, who wasn't affected by Hibiyomi's immobility and stance. "In that case…" The attention of Hibiyomi was caught. His head turned a certain angle, somewhat, barely noticed. Eric waited few seconds once more to stuff the air with a suspense that went from lingering to hanging. "You're wrong," Eric put it bluntly, dully, complete, as if ending it then and there. Dark eyes wandered, narrowed into hateful slits in a flash, sudden grudge. Detestation radiated; tense worry made watching, masked councils timid. Unseen nervous habits began, resumed.
"What?" Hibiyomi said almost threateningly, coldly, a rasp of hoarseness filling his vocal chords. The darkness spiraled out of control. It soon gave way to nonexistence, a would-be light. Hard, nervous swallows fell to the pits of many stomachs.
"You're wrong," Eric repeated once more, even though he didn't have to. Frantic thoughts burst from people's minds, yet too afraid to emerge from broken lips. "There's no point in killing, in hurting, if you don't have a purpose to work for," Eric said calmly, as if it were nothing. How brave and admirable this boy was!
Hibiyomi sneered. The council was tickled with timorous coy. Just the sound of his scoff, the vibrations of his low disregard scared people in the area. Why? Why was he so… unwelcoming all of a sudden? No, people knew why. However, the real question remained: Why did it affect them so much? He put fear in a lion's eyes, sparse confidence into a tiger's teeth, a bashful nature to a vicious shark. He was like a poison that slowly spread through your body as he approached, just the presence of him freezing your blood to cold-hard, red-brick ice. Your eyes would be left frosted over with a red mist, a broad expression masked over your real face, a distorted wrinkling of hell, skin cold blue and misty with inescapable fog. "What do you know; you're just a kid!" Hibiyomi accused without turning. His position remained, bashing against mobility.
"I know more than you," Eric provoked. Councils widened their expressions. They thought this Minor crazy, either that, or very, very daring, and very, very confident, admirable.
Once more, Hibiyomi scoffed in ridicule. "You're really asking to get hurt," he said in a great tone, putting it bluntly. "Aren't you!?" he raised his voice. Councils jerked back. Walter stared with indifference, emotionless, arms crossed coolly, wrapped in boredom warmth. Eric did the same, yet he was pouring with emotion, eyes narrowed in determination, proof, not anger, but strife. Their spirits jumped from their eye sockets and ran, ran as far as they could, their wet feet coldly pressing against the hot, reverse ground, burning, burning with unsure feelings, burning with a resent that was filled with dark reigns of terror, fright, bashfulness. They ran, they ran for the train, they ran in the rain, the dark, rolling clouds of horrid whips, crashing lightning in the sky, scolding it, disciplining it much too many times. Life itself began to wander away, wires representing bonds, relationships cut severely, randomly, chosen from chance. Everything – everything fell apart, while it seemed to be that just everything remained the same. Glass mirrors of reality fell into broken shards, clattering into a many arsenal to the ground, glimmering with a sand dune of time, crashing into a broken speck of memory, lost words remained, whispering, whirling of rain continued – all this, and more, inside many hearts of people.
Quickly, Hibiyomi turned, and shot fright with invisible, mental and unintentional bullets. He turned, he spiraled, he ran. He reeled in his fist, and then, he punched. He punched as his punch of a million strikes was blocked – blocked by a confident hand, stalled by a purposeful, amazing, prodigy palm. Eyes – they narrowed. Hearts- they skipped beats, much too many beats, drained of compassion. A sense of every man for himself began. Then, with a counter, Eric reeled his own kick and barely missed Hibiyomi by inches, backing the council member backward. Both eyes narrowed into grudges – slits at each other. "Pretty strong," Hibiyomi complimented with no meaning. What had really gotten into him? People would like to know. "It seems you're just dying to fight, Kahibi Eric," Hibiyomi spoke with an invisible, nonexistent grin of mockery. This put a stop to many people's hearts, and filled many more others with fear, a fear that consumed more than a thousand knives ready to dive into your skin, your body, your bones, your veins, gushing at your brains, your life, your legs, your arms, your everything as your life slowly leaked out in lifeless tears that had been forgotten to be shed, now paying off their debt with a bloodstain luster, a forgotten being washed away with the tides of blood. 'So, then, why don't we?" Hibiyomi suggested.
"Hibiyomi," Hanabikai finally found his voice, daring himself as well, just like Eric had done. "What're you saying?" he demanded. Hanabikai's eyes narrowed meanly. Hibiyomi turned his head, stared at Hanabikai. The Fire Council's confidence quickly retreated before shattered, before split into a thousand pieces, an inability to repair.
"No," Eric stopped Hanabikai's thoughts. Hanabikai, surprised, stared into Eric's eyes. He was amazed at the levels of confidence, of fearlessness inside him. Even Hanabikai didn't have this kind of level – not even in his five-hundred-plus years of life! He had never experienced it, nor had he ever seen it! Until now. "If Hibiyomi wants to fight me, let him."
Now he was speaking madness! "Eric!" Tsukansu had to protest, stepping up. His triangle of brown hair shifted in movement. Scolding eyes narrowed, voice suddenly and unexpectedly loud. Hibiyomi did not turn to show his prowess. He would now save it, save it for some real damage, some real hurt.
"I will not back down," Eric replied immediately with certain automaticity. "I will prove that fighting without a purpose is an incorrect way to go."
"Hold on- hold on!" Derek just had to protest. "Don't you think fighting is out of the blue, maybe?" the tanned, black-haired boy shot out loud, getting over his emotion just like his childhood had taught him.
"No," Eric bluntly answered without looking at Derek. He could feel his teammate about to protest even more, even more with words that were pointless to him at this point; both sides had already had their minds decided. It will happen.
"Maybe after this, I will 'calm down' as you say," Hibiyomi commented. This brought more people towards the idea. However, they still managed to think that such a way was wrong, incomplete, out of the blue and totally random, extreme, almost. No, not almost, in fact, it was much past extreme. It was extreme multiplied by a hyper of five! Maybe, maybe even ten! Maybe… maybe? Maybe not. Maybe it was not so random. Maybe it was not so extreme. Maybe, just maybe, it was the perfect idea. "Eric-san," the black-costumed council of shadow turned to stare deeply into the teenager. His attention was caught, with will. It showed no openings of weakness, just pure confidence, pure determination that would not be stopped, clearly showing Eric's beliefs. "I will teach you something more important than the concepts of your Half Spirit. I will show you… that you've shown too much of it." There went the crazy saying again, bursting in the air like a rocket's red glare. "Let's go," he demanded. "Now."
With that word, Hibiyomi turned back and began to walk into the hallway again, filling more fear and panic into councils' hearts, masked face frowning in an unsure feeling of uneasiness. "Hibiyomi!" one scolded.
"Be quiet," the walking council snapped. The voice was immediately shunned, exiled, pulled back.
Eric, stepping forward, seemed to be stopped by the dragging stares of Yomi Derek. Behind the black-haired boy lay a distorted, irregular crack on the wall that would remain unfixed. In days, it would heal itself. "I have to do this," Eric explained. Derek, stopping his pleading of eyes, pulled back. His eyes widened in question. Walter stared, showing no entry to his thoughts, to his emotions. Arms crossed in front of their respective body in defense, protection of some sort. "To prove him wrong," Eric went on. His voice, steady and strong, put belief into people's hearts. He began to walk away from Derek, who did not seem to beg and plead any longer with his dark eyes.
"How pointless," Hibiyomi muttered loudly on purpose under his breath. The two continued to walk, and stares, almighty stares watched their backs as they trailed off, not caring if the councils and Minors followed or not. Something big was about to begin. Something… off the charts.
Moments later after preparation of spreading gossip, the notice took to a large, extensive room – bigger than the one Teresa had been training in. It was wide, very, very wide – like a huge stadium filled with much too space. It was like this room had been built for this very battle of two beliefs that finally, finally intersected like a looping X of infinity.
Two hallways lead to the arena-type field. Plaster orange and darkness surrounded everything, just like everything else. Moldy orange was darkened, dimmed like the no-lights of polluted night. Darkness was swept into the corners of the room, blinding the pyramids of the room and creating further, apparent limits. From one narrow hall came the Councils, nervous and not quite ready to watch this… this Minor head off with a council! It was still outrageous to some. Others were indifferent. However, one thing was for certain. This would be a battle to remember for the rest of their lives. One filled to the thirsty lips with importance indeed. Relativity was on, a hundred percent. From the other hallway came the Minors, the majority of them, anyway. Teresa had still been training. She had still been working on this – this new move that she hadn't been able to master for three days!
Eric and Hibiyomi stood on their respective sides, Hibiyomi at the Minors' hall side, while Eric remained at the Councils' hall side. They positioned each other far away yet in front of each other, just a great distance away. Horizon was full of limit, yet the room was barren, empty without furniture – or people in these many, many years. All those years, these councils were confined to their one and only room. However, by far, this room now was one of the few gigantic, titanic rooms of the dimension. Although, even so, they seemed to be pulled out of the hat at random, just for the purpose of convenience! Amazing was this!
Eric… Hanabikai thought as he stood at the threshold of the end of the hall, fingers and limbs tense with a timid coy, a shifting emotion of anxiety, nervous stomachs churning and churning with acidic liquid, not quite at the level of nausea yet. Hanabikai stared at the Minor's back, as if he had turned away from him, the council now unwanted. The council's eyes sparkled with sympathy. What have you gotten yourself into?