Chapter 6 – Raised Baton
Rin cried, "I killed him Shiro. I killed the both of them in cold blood."
Shiro was completely enraptured by the story and asked, "What happened then?" Rin painfully looked into the moonlit window.
"He got away. After everything, he ran away. All that was left was a dark insignia on a cobblestone path where he started everything. Even now I remember that sign – that wretched memory."
Rin downed another cup of whiskey. She wept once more and latched herself onto Shiro. Her hands squeezed his shirt until she began to rub his chest. The effects of the alcohol were obvious.
Kamatari leaned against the hard structure of the school, the sand stone ripped against his back. The sunlight sparkled amongst the remnants of raindrops that fell just an hour ago. The beautiful haze, displaying every brilliant shade of orange, red, and yellow cloaked the city, embracing it with its light. The fair skinned, handsome Jacob Hawthorne calmly stood at Kamatari's side, looking over the entire front yard of school. Children from freshmen to seniors busily went about their days, running, playing, laughing as if there was no end to the world.
Jacob's eyes twitched, he knew the truth about the days of this invincible world. He knew when it would end for him. As far as an adventure in education about the world would go, he could care less. His renaissance man style plagued him even though his growing group of fans glorified him to the point of almost deification. Kamatari's fist began to sparkle, his eyes glowed silver as they began to shift around uncomfortably. He was hesitant as he slowly slid down the wall, his own resolve melting with his voice.
"Hey. Jacob, do you know what magic is?"
Jacob looked down at Kamatari, drinking from a can labeled with some strange Japanese letters that did not form any coherent sentence.
"Magic? That's an odd question to ask."
Jacob slowly pulled out a packet of cigarettes. No matter how many times Kamatari insisted that he stop smoking, Jacob continued to do so. Nevertheless, Kamatari pulled out a silver lighter and lit Jacob's cigarette. He actually didn't know why he carried a lighter when he didn't smoke, perhaps it was because of his connection towards Jacob, or the need to be needed.
"I'm just asking."
A ring of hazy gray smoke came out in a ring, floating as if it were a cloud.
"Well, I can't say I don't know what that is, but it's just something those fraudulent magicians claim to use on TV right?"
Kamatari was hesitant, he didn't want to reveal anything to Jacob, but he had a feeling Jacob could already sense it.
"Don't worry Kamatari, I won't tell anyone."
The sudden comment threw Kamatari aback. He could not believe that Jacob was one of- one of them. No matter how many times they met, Kamatari couldn't even fathom how Jacob managed to elude all suspicions. Jacob continued to speak, spewing small gray rings of smoke.
"But I didn't know... you were into that. You won't get any girls that way Kamatari."
Suddenly, Kamatari felt sick, though he felt immediate relief thanks to the misunderstanding, but his emotions were flowing up and down, like a roller coaster. Jacob got off of the wall, his face was flushed, and walked off.
"I'll see you tomorrow Kamatari."
Kamatari nodded and lightly waved goodbye to the disappearing shadow of Jacob.
"See ya."
Kamatari slowly rose, he took Jacob off his list inside his head and felt a wave of relief. He looked at his digital watch and noticed it was time for archery practice. In the back of the school building lied a large gymnasium that boasted a large field purely devoted to the art of archery. Kamatari slowly brought himself to go to the large building at the side. The ancient Japanese architecture brought a sort of aura to the entire place. With the addition of a dead wood forest at the side, the place was more foreboding than it was enticing. Kamatari though about it, he didn't want to waste time now that according to his mother, the time for the next War was soon to begin. He completely turned around carrying his rather large bag and headed for the entrance. Light filtered through from the light canopy of wood in the forest, he looked up into the light as if it were the only thing he could hold onto. He heard the soft crackling of twigs along the dirt path. Right behind him stood a young girl, obviously Japanese in blood. Her eyes were a shade of deep brown and her raven hair flowed with the wind, surrounding her like a pair of black wings. Her soft skin reflected the soft light from the trees. She was a bit shorter than Kamatari, but what got his attention the most was the rather large pendant located conveniently between her breasts.
"Hi Kamatari."
"Hey. Are you going to practice Moyoko?"
Moyoko nodded happily and spun around, an angelic light consumed her. She had been a special person to Kamatari, a past that should be kept in secret. His memories reoccurred in his head, playing as if they were all part of a broken record stuck in time.
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[Two Years Ago
Kamatari's hard boots crunched into the dirt, the flickering lights from the street lamps hadn't bothered him. He acted as if they were a regular occurrence, but what seemed to bother him were the trees swaying, filled with light from the full moon, but completely dark otherwise. He had looked around, holding a preserved black glove that displayed a silver circle with five stars around it. He held onto that as if it were a dear gift to him, but more importantly, he held it as if life depended on it. Walking through the park, he noticed a glimpse of white light glistening off of something in the darkness. He walked quicker, knowing what that was exactly, he was not too blind to see that he was in danger. His heart beat quickened, the lights began to either shut off or shine extremely bright before blowing up. Kamatari couldn't control his own feelings, he had lost everything due to fear. Slowly, Kamatari heard footsteps behind him, the person holding a silver knife was walking towards him. Kamatari turned his head slightly, looking into the eyes of his pursuer. Those cold, hard eyes showed nothing, but the screams and pains his previous victims went through. Kamatari started to walk even faster, but he ran into a wall. Kamatari looked up and realized, it wasn't a wall, it was a monstrosity of a person. This giant had the body of a god, his height made it seem like Kamatari was not even as significant as a mere ant. A third pursuer came out of the dark, rustling bushes. He was scrawny, but it did not change the fact that he was probably the most dangerous out of all of them. The man carried a small pistol, armed and ready to kill. Everyone surrounded him, smiling as the giant created a fist and pounded it into his own hand. Kamatari grew frantic, the air around him swelled as he tried to find a solution, but there wasn't any.
"Who... who are you guys?"
Kamatari hand began to spark. As Kamatari prepared to put on his glove, the man with the pistol shot it, causing it to fly out of Kamatari's hand.
"Why are you here?"
The man that had first followed him held his knife in the sky, as if trying to rip open a hole through the moonlight. His eyes reflected the glimmer of the full moon, almost projecting every person he had killed into the park.
"We are the Hunters. Magi like you are to die."
"Magi? What on earth are you talking about?"
Kamatari tried to hide his right hand, it began to spark even more, so he placed it in his pocket, accepting the painful bolts of electricity.
"Don't play stupid. We know your bloodline. We are a faction of the church based in Europe. If I don't kill you, sooner or later, my brethren will."
Kamatari saw the scrawny man hold up the pistol while the first pursuer rushed at him with the knife. The giant stood there laughing at Kamatari..
"Now die Magus!"
Kamatari pulled out his hand, the mixture of fear, hatred, and a wish for self-preservation flooded his emotions completely. Electricity coursed his arm. The hand that had been sparking now shot out jets of bright blue onto the floor. Man with the silver knife made a slashing movement. Kamatari screamed. His left arm had been completely ripped apart by the knife, his blood splattered onto the sandstone path. His ability to control himself completely collapsed.
Kamatari's eyes grew a brilliant bright aqua. His clothes began to flow around as if a sudden gust of wind constantly moved them around.
"I have to... I need the glove..."
Before Kamatari could get the glove, the man with the pistol shot it away again. Kamatari's vision began to blur.
"No... not again... Stay back... Damn you, don't come out."
His entire body acted as a lightning rod, his soul unleashed itself from the confining bounds Kamatari had placed on it with magic. The binds snapped in half, his inner self steamed out, clouding his own ability to think rationally. Now, the tables had turned, the pursuers began to back away, never expecting this part of Kamatari. A fading red hue mixed with the blue electricity coursing through his body, then the red hue consumed him completely. His eyes were now the color of blood.
"Who in the hell are you? What the hell are you?" the knife-wielding man shouted.
Kamatari's normal voice synchronized with a new one. His voice lowered to the sound of growling.
"Hell has no place for the likes of me."
The giant spit on the grass in disgust and ran straight to Kamatari. The demonic presence of Kamatari didn't seem to phase the giant, but it was unfortunate for that man. Kamatari saw him coming and turned around. Kamatari raised his arm up limply almost like a sick marionette doll. Immediately, a large red ball formed in his hand, the air wrapped around him, warping around the crimson ball.
"Foolish mortal."
A beam of red light shot out through the darkness, burning everything as it went. Entire trees were disintegrated by the bolt. The man who stood before him saw a giant hole inside his body – he was in too much shock to speak. Then he was suddenly consumed in a burning red fire. His screams pierced the calm of the night. The gurgling blood in his throat ended the calm with an even more sickening sound.
Before the other men could escape, all of them met the same fate. Their bodies turned into ash and flew away into the wind. Kamatari struggled to fight off the other part of him. His red hued lightning subsided back into his body. Before the demonic version of himself became sealed it spoke a couple chilling words to him.
"You'll need me again someday. I saved your life."
With that, Kamatari fainted, gasping for air as he fell down. As his vision faded, he saw someone running to him, he couldn't recognize the face or the voice, but the only thing he knew was that it was a girl.
"Kamatari!"
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[Moyoko's House – Two Years Ago
Kamatari's eyes fluttered, he looked around to see that he was safe, everything was back to normal, but then he realized that he had never seen the room before. There were a couple stuffed animals on the side of the walls, ranging from a pink unicorn to a small black puppy. He immediately sat up in a hurry, but felt sudden pangs of pain running up and down his arm. The nerves felt like they were set ablaze. In the front of the door was his classmate, Moyoko Ayo. Her soft black hair rolled down her shoulders, the white blouse seemed to accentuate her already nice physique. She smiled in front of Kamatari, that golden, pure smile.
"Are you awake Kamatari?" she kindly asked.
Still phased, Kamatari responded, "Moyoko? What am I doing here?"
"Oh, I found you laying on the ground in the park. So I brought you here. You have a giant knife cut on your arm."
Kamatari was cautious, he didn't know whether Moyoko had completely seen everything, if she had, then there would be a lot of explaining to do, but if she didn't, then everything would be fine. His heart thumped once more as he looked for his glove.
"Hey, Moyoko, when did you come?"
Moyoko smiled as she set down a tea set with two cups; one for Kamatari and one for herself.
"I was coming from the grocery store and I saw you fall..."
"Was there anyone around me?"
Moyoko's deep brown eyes stared into Kamatari's. She didn't understand what Kamatari was asking since she personally did not see anyone. Kamatari quickly looked away. He started to blush after staring at Moyoko's face.
"No... I thought you cut yourself."
Everything Kamatari had thought of was crushed. He was sure Moyoko wouldn't understand, but he didn't want to be seen as some idiotic suicidal person, even more so, a hopeless one who doesn't know how to kill himself.
"Someone attacked me, that's all."
"Oh! We should call the police, I found a clue though."
Moyoko's innocence was a rush of relief for Kamatari. The energy spikes in his hand subsided, allowing him to relax. Moyoko pulled out a black glove with two bullet holes in it, but the Tohsaka insignia on the glove hadn't been altered in any way.
"Ah, no that's mine. Thanks Moyoko."
"No problem!"