Healing wounds

Chapter 3: New starts are never easy

"School?" Azhure asked with a surprised look on her face.

"Don't look so surprised," Nasuti replied. "We already talk about this before."

"Yes but---"

"No buts. You're going. I have already done the enrollment for the school the guys are going. It is also the same school as Rin and Aikyo. You won't feel alone there."

"Hmm… I thought it would be better for me to find a job instead."

"We have already talked about that too. There is no job you can do here with your magic abilities. You are in a non magic world and you need to blend in. School will help you get the knowledge to fit in and it will broaden your horizon too. I'm sure there's a job in our world that will suit you but for that, you need to study and go to school."

The magician nodded after a short sigh. Nasuti was very determined about her attending to school and there was nothing to do to make her reconsider this decision. Azhure complied with her demand, but she didn't know how she would blend in considering she didn't know anything about school or the Japanese history and society. She will need her spells to help her out…without anyone else knowing.

The discussion closed, the two girls went to buy Azhure's school supplies. As they were shopping, the princess surprised herself thinking about what her life would have been if Silver never came to her country. Would she have like to rule over a country? To deal with politics? Handling internal affairs and conflicts between the nobles and the average people? It was the first time she started to think about that. She still didn't realize that she had the chance to do what she wanted to do in life instead of just doing of what was asked of her.

"I think that's about everything. Now, let's get your uniform," Nasuti said as she looked at her list.

That stopped Azhure's reverie immediately.

"Uniform?" she asked.

***

Touma was preparing his books in the study when he saw the car arrived in the driveway and the girls walking out of it. He smiled and went downstairs to help them out with the packages.

"Hey," he said as he went to greet them. "How did it go?" He took a bag out of the trunk.

"It went well until it was time to try out her school uniform," sighed Nasuti. Just thinking of it gave her a headache.

"I said I was sorry!!!" Azhure told them with exasperation.

"I know but it wasn't necessary to kick the guy in the face."

"She what?" Touma couldn't help to ask, his eyes widen.

"He was a pervert!" the magician replied.

"He was taking your measures!" Nasuti answered back.

"He didn't have to be so close!"

"How are you supposed to take measures without being close?"

"And he gave me dirty looks all the time!"

"He was evaluating your shape for the uniform!"

"What's going on?" Shuu asked as he walked outside. "What's with the shouting?"

"Well," Touma started, "it seems that Azhure kick the guy who took her measures for her school uniform." Shuu blinked and started to laugh.

"Oh man, I would have LOVE to see this."

"It wasn't funny, Shuu!" Nasuti said, blushing of embarrassment. "I was the one stuck apologizing and everything!" The Kongo warrior just wiped a tear away and took four bags out of the trunk.

"You really don't have the easiest job," he told her with a grin. "But you're doing very well. I will at least help you out with the bags."

Azhure pouted at those words. Was she such a pain? Why did they bother with her then? Those guys were not making sense to her. She was so lost in her own thoughts that when she suddenly saw Touma's face a few centimeters from hers, she jumped back, surprised. The blue hair teenager just laughed at her reaction.

"Well then, since the horrible experience of shopping is behind you, are you ready to study?" he asked her, smiling.

"What?"

"You want to blend in at school and not be a fool, right? We have two weeks before the beginning of the class so we should try to at least give you as much knowledge about what you will currently study so you can keep up."

"But I heard you guys have homework to do. Don't you have better things to do?"

"I'm done with my homework. At this time of the year, I'm usually the one helping the others."

"Kind of odd for the youngest of the group, no?" Touma shrugged at those words.

"You know," he started to tell her as he was escorted her inside of the house, "if there's one thing we have learned while fighting Arago, it was to stay together and use our strengths to help each other. Age didn't matter. We liked that philosophy and we still apply it today. If the guys need help with their homework, I told them they could come ask me. Besides, it will be good practice for you too."

They put the bags in her room before going upstairs. As they walked pass Ryo's room, Azhure noticed it was close, unlike the door of the other bedrooms.

"Touma, what happened in that country you went to save Seiji?"

"Huh?" the dark blue warrior was lost in his thoughts, thinking what he should teach her first. The question was also unexpected. He thought the issue was closed long ago.

"I'm asking you what happened during the rescue mission. I know you didn't want me along but I want to know what happened still. Nasuti didn't give me the details but I know something happened. What's this whole thing with Luna? And…Seiji acts weird too."

Touma remained silent. His face took a very serious expression as he was pondering how to explain to her what happened. It was painful for him too even if he wasn't the one who suffered. When they crossed the door of the study, Touma closed it behind him and leaned against it, his arms folded on his chest.

"It all started at Ryo's birthday," he said. "Ryo and Nasuti noticed a report on television about an armor wrecking havoc in New York City, a big city in the United States. It was Seiji's armor. We were already suspicious about Seiji not coming to the party and the report only made us more worried. So we went to investigate. I was already in New York with Nasuti and Jun before the others to take some advance, considering we knew that Ryo would try to go without us to verify this. We got a lead on who took the pictures and I went to talk to him but he was dead. As I was inspecting the corpse, a young girl saw me and called me a murderer. I guess pulling the knife out of his chest wasn't the best of my ideas."

"You think?" Azhure couldn't help but blurted out.

"Anyway," Touma continue with a small sweatdrop, trying to ignore that comment, "that girl was Luna. I tried to talk to her but she ran away. She eventually caught up to me at the restaurant that Shuu's uncle owns and she tried to kill me. Ryo stopped her and let her go. Shuu wasn't too fond on the idea so he went out to eat burgers to pass his frustration. I went with him to make sure he wouldn't be too careless alone. It was then that Seiji's armor attacked the city, near our location. We ran to the site. It turns out it was empty…and it kicked our ass good." He shook his head. "Shin and Ryo came to help us and we learned that some wizard was controlling the armor somehow and told us where to find Seiji."

"And it was a trap."

"Obviously," he nodded. "Once Shuu and I recovered, we went to Chicago. Luna came along. She changed her mind about me when she saw me fighting Korin. She even helped us escape from the police after the fight. She somehow convinced Ryo to come along to Chicago. We had no choice to go anyway. The wizard kidnapped Nasuti and Jun while we were fighting the armor. We ended up having three friends to rescue." He straightened up. "So we got ambush at Chicago, managed to escape their trap thanks to Nasuti's and Jun's help. We freed Seiji but we all got captured. The wizard wanted to analyze our armors and use them for evil purposes." He sighed. "Jun was attacked by the wizard but Luna intervened, trying to avenge her brother at the same time. She saved Jun but was killed in the process. The distraction was enough to allow Jun and Nasuti to free us. We transformed, formed Kikoutei and Ryo destroyed the computer and the wizard at the same time."

"That's why…he felt responsible for her death. He allowed her to come and she got killed." Touma nodded.

"It would be a lie to say that he was the only one who was affected by her death. But he is the one who is suffering the most."

"And Seiji? What happened to him?"

"Well, it seems he was drugged and tricked into revealing his armor's secrets. Before we arrived, the armor was already used to kill a lot of innocent people. Knowing him, he must feel responsible for those deaths."

"But he's trying hard to move on," Azhure said, thinking about what he said about his morning routine a few days back.

"In both cases, they will be ok. They just need time to deal with it. They know we're here for them. Though I have the feeling we will have to remind them every once in a while, considering they are both proud warriors."

"You all are this way."

"Huh?"

"You've been keeping this for yourselves since you came back. It's the first time you actually talk to me since your return. I'm sure Aikyo doesn't know the full details yet and Rin won't know until me or Aikyo tell her. Your group…keeps things for itself. I don't know if it's because your men and it's your way to be strong or if it's just that we're not one of you, but you deal with your problems yourselves. You don't share them."

"But you're the same, aren't you?" Touma said after a few minutes of silence. He saw her blink at this statement. "I know something is bothering you." She lowered her gaze to the floor. "If you don't want to talk to me about it, it's ok. I won't force you. But…I would feel much more comfortable knowing that you have someone to talk to about it. You're not alone anymore. Don't be afraid to lean on us if you need it."

"Did Seiji talk to you?" She remembered that she fell asleep in front of him that morning after her nightmare. His presence made her so calm and it chased all the dark thoughts in her head that sleep quickly came back. She knew that he must have the feeling that something was wrong with her.

"Seiji?" Touma asked, surprised. Why would she talk to Seiji before me? The thought made him frown a little; a hint of jealousy was peeking in his heart without he was aware of it. "No, he didn't."

"I still dream of him you know…" she finally said after another awkward silence.

"Of Seiji?!?"

"No! Silver!" she replied with her cheeks red.

"Oh… Why? He's dead. Why would he still haunt you?"

"I…I don't know." She held her head. "He's there every night, mocking me, saying I don't deserve to be here…"

"Don't listen to him." He walked toward her and put his hand on her shoulder. "You deserve a good life and you deserve good friends. And stop thinking you're not one of us. You are. You're our friend. We… No, actually it was I who didn't want you to come along to look for Seiji."

"What? Why?" she quickly looked up to him.

"Your fight is over. I want you to live a normal life, one without fighting."

"You can't take that decision for me!"

"If I can take the fighting away from you, I will and this is what I did when we went to New York without telling you. The guys and I don't have a choice. Our armors will always bring conflict."

"You can't ask someone who can fight to sit back and watch you get hurt. You think that will make me feel alright? That's going to help me? Well guess again, genius!"

"Azhure, you have to understand—"

"Understand what? If I can help, I will. You're my first real friends in a long time. Don't screw this up by pushing me away!"

"Pushing you away? You're the one who keeps your distance from us! You ran away from us! For NO reason! I had to trick you to get you back here! It's kind of hard to feel appreciated!"

"I was scared ok?!"

"Scared of what?"

"That I wouldn't belong here! That would you betray me! That I would only be trouble for you all! And I was right! I embarrassed Nasuti today and Shuu qualified looking after me as being a horrible job!"

"Don't put words in his mouth! That's not what he meant!" She doesn't have the easiest job because she's looking after all of us. Not just you.

"I shouldn't have come back," she said with bitterness, turning her eyes away from him. That sentence made Touma's blood boiled.

"Fine! If you hate it that much, leave! Run away again! That's all you seem to be good at!" But as those words escaped his lips, he felt horrible and he regretted them immediately. But it was too late. Azhure pushed him away as she ran out of the study, went downstairs and slammed the entrance door behind her. Out of exasperation, Touma went to his own room and slammed the door as well.

"You know," Orion started to say as he passed his head through Touma's door, but his sentence was cut short as he received a deadly glare from Touma which even gave the ghost a shiver down his ghostly spine. "Right. Shutting up now," he concluded before vanishing again.

The hours passed. The sun vanished behind the horizon and Touma didn't come out of his room. Finally, Seiji judged he must have calmed down since the afternoon so he knocked and entered the room. He found his friend lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Knowing Touma, he probably didn't move since he walked into the room. He was always like this when he was mad and trying to calm down.

"That was quite a show," Seiji said as he walked toward his own bed and sat on it. He saw Touma closed his eyes, like he was acknowledging Seiji's presence but didn't respond. Chances are that he didn't know what to answer to that. "Have you calmed down yet?"

"Yeah…"

"So what did she say to make you lost your temper like that?"

"It wasn't just what she said. It's just the way she is sometimes. And today, it was just the last straw. I couldn't take it and I just…blurred out everything I had on my mind."

"It happens to have fights between friends."

"Hn. She doesn't see us as friends, Seiji. I doubt she ever will."

"You're too emotionally involved."

"I guess…"

"She thinks of us as friends. Or she would have tortured you already to find the location of her other sai, right?" he said with a small grin. The thought made Touma's angry mask cracked as a small smile appeared on his lips.

"I don't picture her to be the torturing type." Seiji chuckled at this response.

"Will you come with us? She hasn't come back and we're going to look for her. Rin and Aikyo are here to help."

"Oh great… They're not going to yell at me for this, are they?"

"We can only hope," Seiji replied with a small grin.

When the duo walked downstairs, everyone was waiting for them. Rin even brought Shiro to help out though Shuu didn't look that thrilled at the idea. No one really knew why but only the Troopers were able to tell. Rin gave Touma a hard look but Aikyo told her to stop. Touma sighed of relief and caught the flashlight that was tossed to him. It was one of the unused flashlights Nasuti bought when they were thinking about how to defeat themselves from Silver's slimes. The occasion to use them never arose and tonight was the perfect occasion now that the sun was gone.

The hypothesis was that Azhure was in the woods. The city was still too intimidating for her so she would most likely take refuge in the big forest behind the house. Small groups were formed: Shuu and Ryo would go with Byakuen around the rocky terrain, Shiro and Rin would expect the west side, Aikyo and Shin would go around the lake then north and Touma, Seiji and Nasuti would go east. After they made sure that everyone's cell phones were working properly, each group went to their searching zone.

Finally, more than two hours later, Seiji's group found her. She made a fire and the light helped them find her meters away. Touma told Seiji and Nasuti to stay behind for he wanted to deal with this matter himself. He was glad to be lucky enough to have found her first. His friends respected his choice and let him go. When the archer was far enough to not hear them, Nasuti turned to Seiji.

"Do you think they will be alright?" she asked him. The blond nodded.

"If she didn't want us to find her, she would have left already. I think she's just lost."

"She never thought of what she will do once Silver is dead."

"She's a bit silly like that, yes," Seiji approved. Nasuti sweatdropped. "Now she's giving us a lot of trouble but I think she will be fine. It's easy to adjust to new things at her age."

"You talk like she was a little kid. She's about your age, Seiji." The Trooper just watched his friend from a distance and didn't reply. "But you Seiji… When you will be alright?"

"No one asked me that lately…" he finally said after a few seconds.

"You almost had signs all over you that were saying 'Don't ask me if I will be alright. I will be.' When we first came back, you kept a lot to yourself. We didn't know what to do."

"That's because you can't do much about it. I killed innocent people, Nasuti. My armor did it. I was responsible of that power and I failed to keep it from evil."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Seiji. It could have happened to any of the guys."

"But no to me." He glanced at her and saw her worried look. To reassure her, he gave her one of his usual calm smiles. "I will be alright, Nasuti. I will get over this. Trust me, alright?" It was enough to calm her anxiety but her worry didn't leave.

In the meantime, Touma advanced carefully in the forest, getting closer to Azhure. He finally reached her camp fire site from her left. Her legs were pulled to her chest and she was staring at the fire with a sad expression. There was no doubt she heard him but she didn't move. He wasn't sure how to start but he knew he had to say something. So he kneeled down next to her and turned off his flashlight.

"I'm sorry…about what I said," he told her. "It was uncalled for and I know it hurt you. I didn't mean it."

"No, you meant it."

"Azhure..."

"I'm sorry, Touma," she told him as she kept staring at the fire. "I don't know why I run away. Maybe…I was scared to not belong. Or maybe…I hoped you would all go after me to make me feel wanted. I was so happy when you found me at the lake shore. But I thought 'Do I deserve to be happy?' Pathetic, don't you think?" she said rolling her eyes. "Maybe I did that to punish myself. I don't know," she sighed. "Silver is right about me. I'm just someone who wants to feel wanted or needed."

"Stop thinking he knew you, Azhure," Touma told her firmly. "He's dead. And there's nothing wrong with feeling wanted. You once said that people didn't like you on other worlds because you failed to stop Silver."

"Well…not everyone but I can't say I have lots of friends on the other worlds I visited…"

"To feel like you belong somewhere is something important. You know, before I met the guys, I never had any real friends. I'm a teenager with a QI of 250. Everyone treated me like an adult…until I met Ryo and the others. It wasn't during the best of circumstances but I would never change it. To be their friend is very precious to me."

"It's…ok to feel wanted?"

"You have the right to feel you belong somewhere," he smiled at her and held out his hand to her just like he did at the lake shore. "Give us a try, alright? For real. If you really feel like you don't belong here, that you're not happy, tell us and we'll throw you a party you will not forget before you search for your place, ok?"

This time, she took his hand without hesitation. She reached for it slowly and gently squeezed, a warm feeling overwhelming her heart. She extinguished the fire with a water spell (it took her three times and Touma tried really hard to not laugh) and they joined the others. As Seiji and Touma reached for their cell phone to tell the good news to everyone, Nasuti turned around to look at Azhure who was walking behind them, still holding Touma's hand. A shy smile was her lips. Nasuti sighed of relief, thinking they will not have to worry about that kind of situation again.

However, Azhure's nightmares didn't stop.