Guess who? Here I come with chapter three. You guys should know who the gang will meet today. You know the drill: R&R!
Chapter 3: The Black Ninja, Alpheon.
X and his friends, along with Star and DMZ, were hanging outside the school building after class. A week has passed since Star told them her and DMZ's stories and they've been great friends since then. DMZ felt a bit unconfortable at first, but Zero changed that when he found out that DMZ was a pretty good fighter. Now the two sparred everyday.
"Jeez... Won't those two ever stop?" Pallette asked as she watched Zero and DMZ sparring.
"Guess not." Axl shrugged. "Zero loves sparring and the way he and DMZ fight, this could take a while."
"Finally! I found you!" A voice yelled.
The group watched the scene. A bulky teen was facing a boy: he was around seventeen years old with short, spikey silver hair and crimson eyes. He wore a red headband around his forehead, a black jacket, black jeans and sneakers.
"I heard you're a pretty good fighter." The bulky teen said clenching his fists. "I wanna see it for myself."
The teen just glared at him before walking away.
"Where do you think you're going!" The teen said throwing his fist at him.
With the blink of an eye, the boy fliped over him and pulled out a sharp knife. "Listen..." He said pointing the knife to the teen's neck. "Don't mess with me..."
The guy frozed. Everybody was looking at them now.
The headband teen sighed and put his knife back in his pocket before walking away.
The next day...
Everybody at school was talking about yesterday's incident.
"That was the first time I saw someone move like that." Alia said.
"So, the Black Ninja was challenged again." DMZ said crossing his arms.
The gang looked at DMZ. "That guy's the Black Ninja?" X asked.
"His name is Alpheon. We go to the same class." DMZ replied. "He's a loner. I did hear some people saying he's a real ninja, but no one really knows a lot about him."
"Well, with moves like those, I' woulnd't be surprised if he was ninja." Zero said crossing his arms.
The school bell rang. "We'll have to worry about that later." Layer said.
And so, the gang headed to their classes. On their way, Star and Alia talked while following X and DMZ. "So, suppose that guy's a real ninja. That makes him dangerous?" Star asked.
"Well... That knife he was holding looked quite sharp." Alia replied. "On the other hand, if he did want to hurt that guy, he wouldn't stop the way he did."
"Exactly." Star said looking at her. "That's why I don't believe in rumors."
Star was so distracted that she wasn't watching where she was going. Thanks to that, she bumped into someone. "WHOAH!" She yelled as she fell on her back.
"Star?" DMZ asked as he and X turned around.
Star rubbed her head. "Ow... That's what I get for not paying atention..."
"Are you okay? I'm really sorry about that." A voice said. "Here, let me help you."
Star felt herself being lifted. She glanced at the person and she and the others were quite surprised to see that she had bumped into Alpheon.
"I'm really sorry about that." Alpheon said. "I wasn't watching where I was going."
"Nah, that's okay." Star rubbed her head blushing. "It was my fault too. I wasn't paying attention either and..." The school bell rang again. "Oh-uh..."
"If we don't hurry, we're gonna get in trouble." X said.
"Wait." Alpheon said. Everybody looked at him. "You dropped this."
He gave Star her PET.
"Thanks." Star smiled. "See you around."
Star, Alia and X headed to their class. DMZ glanced at Alpheon before leaving as well. Alpheon sighed and headed to classroom.
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Alia, X and Star were packing their stuff while talking after class.
"So, we're going to study together this afternoon, right? We can study at my house." X suggested.
"Sounds great, but I need to buy some stuff first." Star said.
"We can go with you if you want, Star." Alia said. "You're still new around here, you know."
"Thanks, but I'll be fine, Alia." Star said. "I'll meet you at your house and then we go to X's."
X nodded. "Okay, Star. I'll meet you two at three."
Star agreed. The three left the classroom.
As they headed out to meet the others, the trio spotted Alpheon walking down the hallway. He glanced at them and walked away. "Sometimes he acts friendly and sometimes he acts distant..." Star thought. "Just who is he?"
"Hey, everyone!" Axl greeted them as he and the others walked towards them. "What's up?"
"Nothing." Star shrugged. "So, everyone ready to go?"
The group nodded and they left.
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Star looked around. She had no idea where she was. "Great..." She muttered under her breath. "I'm lost."
She spotted a computer terminal. "Bingo!" She smirked.
Star headed to the terminal and connected her PET. She tried to access the city map, but it wasn't working. "Huh? What gives?" She looked at her PET monitor. A messenge was on the screen. "Damaged? But how did that...?"
Star remembered that she had bumped into Alpheon earlier and dropped her PET. "Great... Now what?"
Looking around while trying to find something to help her find her way, Star saw Alpheon walking down the street. "Maybe he can help me..." Star thought following him.
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X glanced at his watch. "They're late..."
"Maybe Star's still at Alia's place." Axl said. "Why don't you phone her?"
Suddenly, Zero's PET started beeping. "I've got it." He said picking it up. "Hello?"
DMZ's face appeared on the screen. "Hey, Zero."
"Hey there, buddy." Zero said. "What's up?"
"Is Star with you?" DMZ asked.
"Huh? No." Zero replied confused. "She was supposed to stop by though. Why?"
"Alia phoned me ten minutes ago asking if she was with me 'cause she got no answer from her PET." DMZ replied. "I also phoned her home and got no answer."
"Okay... That's odd." He said glancing at X and Axl.
"Wait..." X said out of the blue. "Star dropped her PET when she bumped into Alpheon this morning... It must've gotten damaged."
"Okay, but where could she be?" Axl asked.
"She told me she had to buy some stuff." X replied with a frown. "And since she's still new around this place..."
"She probably got lost." DMZ sighed. "Great..."
"Well, she can't be too far." Zero said.
X nodded. "DMZ, meet us in front of the school." He said. "We'll get the girls and look for Star together."
DMZ nodded and hung up.
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Star followed Alpheon as he walked down the street. "I should just walk up to him and ask him already." She thought. "Then again... I don't know how he'd react to that..."
Alpheon suddenly walked into an alley. "Guess I don't have another choice now..." Star thought.
Star walked into the alley, but Alpheon was nowhere to be seen. "Where'd he go?" She asked herself.
"Well, what do we have here?" A low, scruffy voice mused.
Star spunned around. Three strong looking punks walked into the alley. "Hey, sweetie, got lost?" One of them mocked.
Star slowly backed away. However, she triped over an empty can and fell on her back.
"Man... Today is just not my day..." She muttered under her breath. Star tried to get up, but her right ankle hurt.
"How do you like that boys?" The head punk mocked. "Looks like we'll have to teach this girl what happens when people invade our territory."
"Leave her alone!" A voice from the skies said.
The punks looked around. "What the? Who said that?"
"I did." Alpheon replied landing in front of Star. "She did nothing to you. Let her go."
"Heh, mind your own bussiness, boy." The leader laughed. "This alley is our domain and we don't like meddlers, so outta our way."
"Make me." Alpheon hissed.
"You asked for it!" The punk yelled throwing a punch at Alpheon.
The black ninja simply grabbed his fist. "Hmpf! Cheap shot." He said punching the punk across the face.
Star and the other punks were surprised with Alpheon's agility and strenght. "Awesome..." She thought.
The lead punk staggered back a bit rubbing his face. "Why you!" He roared.
The two other punks became hesitant due to what happened. "Don't just stand there, you bone-heads!" The leader yelled.
"But we're not boss…" One of them said.
"YEAH! Let's get him!" The other said.
"But then we'd be bone heads!" The first punk said.
"What?" The second asked.
" 'Cause the boss said." He replied.
The leader rolled his eyes. "Will you two stop arguing and get him!" He yelled.
"What's the matter? Can't you fight for yourself?" Alpheon mocked.
"You little!" The leader yelled. He tried to punch Alpheon again. The black ninja gave him a low kick sending him into the ground.
The other punks felt tension rising within them just after they saw their leader's butt being kicked by a kid.
"Uh.. B.. Boss?" One of the punks sttutered.
"What's the matter? Ya chicken or sumthin?" The leader snapped getting up.
Alpheon sighed. "You guys are all the same. Will you leave her alone or do I have to hurt you so that you don't forget?" He asked clenching his fists.
"RUN!" The leader yelled.
The punks ran and the ninja stood there watching them run but he suddenly fainted.
"Alpheon!" Star yelled. She crawled towards him and placed a hand on his forehead. "He's out cold... I wonder what happened..."
Star kept trying to wake up the black ninja for some minutes. Finally, Alpheon's eyes fluttered open. "Ugh... Wha?" He groaned. "You..."
"Name's Star. Thanks for the help." Star smiled blushing. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah... I guess so..." Alpheon said getting into a sitting position. "I guess I've been pushing myself a little bit too hard lately..."
"So, you passed out due fatigue?" Star asked.
"Yeah..." Alpheon rubbed the back of his head. "I think I've overdone training..."
"Training? So, you're a real ninja?" Star asked surprised.
"Pretty much..." Alpheon replied getting up. "Listen, how about we go somewhere else so we can talk about it?"
"Sounds good to me." Star said. She tried to get up. "Ugh... No good... My ankle hurts..."
"It looks like you've twisted it..." Alpheon stated. "Don't worry. I'll take you to the school's nursery."
Without saying anything else, he picked Star up. "Wha?" Star blushed.
"Hold tight. I'm taking the high road." Alpheon said. He swiftly climbed an emergency stairway to reach the the rooftop. "Here we go!"
Star was in awe as Alpheon carried her while he ran across the rooftops."Wow... I've got a rooftop tour with a real ninja!" She thought. "Wait til I tell the gang about this!"
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X and the gang stood in front of X's place. They had searched everywhere, but they just couldn't find her.
"We've searched the whole neighborhood..." Alia said.
"There must be some place we haven't thought on looking..." Layer said. "She couldn't just have vanished in the air..."
The group became silent as they tried to figure out where their friend could be.
Axl suddenly looked up. "What the!" He said. "Guys, look!"
The gang looked up. They saw Alpheon running across the rooftops while carrying someone.
"Whoa... Was that...?" Pallette asked.
"No doubt about it. It was Alpheon." Zero replied.
"And he was carrying Star!" DMZ said. "I'm sure it was her."
"He headed to the school." X said. "If we hurry, we might be able to catch up."
The others nodded. The group ran off.
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Star and Alpheon were at the school's nursery. "Hmm... It doesn't look serious, Star." The nurse said examning Star's ankle. "I'll bandage it so it'll heal fine."
"Okay." Star said as the nurse wrapped her ankle with some bandages.
"There you go." She said. "Now, your ankle might feel a bit sore for a few days, but it'll be fine."
"Thanks, ma'am." Star said getting off the examination table. She glanced at Alpheon. "Well, shall we get going?"
Alpheon nodded and the two walked out of the nursery building. "So, what are you going to do now, Star?" Alpheon asked.
"Well, I need to find my friends." Star replied. "They're probably worried about me since I didn't phone or something."
"Any ideas where they might be now?" Alpheon asked.
"Star!" They heard someone calling.
"That answers your question?" Star said as she saw X and the others ran towards them. "Hey guys!"
"We've searched all over for you. Are you okay?" X asked.
"Except for my ankle, I'm fine." Star replied.
"What happened?" Alia asked.
"Well... I got lost..." Star blushed. "I didn't called you guys for help 'cause my PET's not working. Anyway, while I was trying to find my way back I had a run in with some punks... If it wasn't for Alpheon, I'd be in a huge mess."
"He helped you out?" Axl asked. Alpheon nodded.
"Yup, you should've seen it! He beat a punk with a single punch and a low kick!" Star said with a smirk. "The other two turned out to be two big chickens and they ran away. After that, Alpheon brought me to the nursery to have my ankle checked."
"So that's why he was carrying you." Layer pointed out.
"Huh? You saw us?" Alpheon asked.
"Yeah. On the rooftops." Pallette said. "You're pretty agile."
"Now I see why people call you the Black Ninja." Zero said.
"It's not a nickname I'm proud of." Alpheon said frowning. "People fear you and treat you as an outcast. They don't even try to understand you."
"I can understand that." DMZ said. "So, how did you become the black ninja?"
"Well... I rarely talk with people. And I also used to go to a ninja dojo." Alpheon started.
"A Ninja dojo?" X asked.
"Yeah. Most people don't know, but there's a ninjitsu master that is also a survivor from the Hollow War. He teaches orphans the art of ninjitsu." Alpheon explained before frowning. "I mean... He used to. Two months ago he passed away. He was like a father to me..."
"I'm sorry to hear that..." Pallette said.
"That's okay." Alpheon smiled weakly. "Anyway, the reason people call me Black Ninja is, besides the fact that I'm a ninjitsu student, is because I don't socialize at all. It's kinda hard trying to get to know other people when you don't even know yourself."
"What do you mean?" Axl asked.
"I have no memory of my childhood." Alpheon replied. "I'm an orphan like most teens here, but I don't even know my true name!"
The gang exchanged glances.
"Several months ago, I was found by an old man inside a dark alley. He said that I was out cold with several bruises on my body and a huge wound on my head... This man, who took me in and nursed me back to health, named me Alpheon." Alpheon said glancing at the sky. "I can't remember anything that happened before that... All I have from my past is this headband I wear. I can't remember who gave it to me, but I wear it hoping it'll help me find who I truly am.."
Silence fell over the group of teens. "So, you're always alone because you're trying to figure out who you really are." Zero finally said.
"Yeah... I try to avoid getting into trouble, but it doens't work sometimes." Alpheon said.
"Like yesterday?" DMZ crossed his arms.
"Yeah." Alpheon rubbed the back of his head. "That guy's been annoying me for a while... I tried to ignore him, but he wouldn't stop. I got sick of that, but I didn't want to fight him, so I scared him with my knife."
"Take it from me, I know how you feel." Star said. Alpheon looked at her confused. Star giggled. "Don't let the pretty face fool ya. I also have a knack for getting into trouble."
Alpheon chuckled at that. "I noticed." He said before sighing.
"Are you okay?" Alia asked.
"Yeah... Just a bit tired." Alpheon replied. "I haven't slept well lately and I've been training harder too. It's been like that since my master passed away..."
"Being hard with yourself won't help you know." Layer said.
"I know, but eversince sensei passed away, I've felt more alone than usual." Alpheon said. "Training would make me forget the sadness for a while, but it'd come back when I went to bed."
"Well, you don't have to be sad anymore." Star said out of the blue.
Alpheon glanced at her, confused. "Star?"
"You're a friendly and caring guy, Alpheon. I've already noticed that when you bumped into me this morning. And the way you protected me from those scums and carried me so I could get my ankle checked proved that." Star said. "I want to be your friend. I know nothing can replace the love and care your sensei gave to you, but maybe some friendship can heal the loneliness you feel and, who knows, even help you regain your memory."
Alpheon stared at her surprised. "Star... I... Thanks..." He smiled.
"Well, a friend of Star's a friend of mine." Axl grinned as he patted Alpheon's back.
"I agree." X said smiling. "You can hang out with us if you want, Alpheon. We'd be more than happy to have you as our friend."
The others nodded. Alpheon could only smile. "Thanks, everyone."
"Then it's settled. We have a new member in our group." Zero said. "At least I should finally have a new challenge when I spar."
Pallette rolled her eyes. "Zero, can't you think about something else beside sparring?"
"Hey, I'm a fighter. And fighters need challenges." Zero shrugged. "Besides, if Alpheon trains with me and DMZ, he won't push himself too hard."
"He has a point you know." Alia said.
"Heh, okay, but I won't go easy on you 'cause you're my friends." Alpheon said smirking.
"As if you needed to do that." DMZ said.
Layer sighed. "Boys... What are we gonna do with you?"
"Guess we gotta live with them." Star giggled.
The gang laughed. Everything was okay and they had made a new friend as well. It was funny how everything had turned out in the end.
I really like how this one turned out. Stay tuned for more!