Chapter 3: Soubi
With only a week before my latest assignment was due, and with no subject to paint, I had to think of something before I had no time left. After I finally decided to paint a wilting lily scene, Kio burst in the door.
"I'm back!" he grinned. Still contemplating whether I should use violet or blue paint to start with, I answered Kio's loud entrance.
"Back so soon?" I asked. Kio set something down, something larger than a couple bags of groceries. It was odd that Kio would be back from work so early, too. I looked up from my paints, still undecided. Then, I saw him: Kalel Tsukino, a student who attended the Sentouki school from which I graduated.
I've known Kio for some time now. He's always been the type of person who does crazy things, especially to himself. But, what he did is the worst thing he could possibly do.
Then, Kalel's arrival made sense. A few days ago, Ritsu-sensei called me, warning me about a team that had freshly graduated from the Sentouki school. Sensei's voice was very cocky, full of pride. He seemed confident that these fresh students had the strength to defeat me and complete the mission that several pairs have failed to complete. Their name, he told me, is Bloodless, "One without blood." It's a fearsome name to give a new team. A name such as Bloodless is usually reserved for students of the pure-blood vampiric races. At first I panicked, thinking that Kalel was most likely one of Bloodless, but then it dawned on me.
The Fighter that Kio brought home isn't of vampire heritage. Kalel's fair features are the complete opposite of the dark traits of vampires. Pure-blood vampire students, at least the ones I've known in the past, had dark hair that was nearly the color of an eclipse. Their eyes teeth are longer than the average human's, all the better to pierce the neck of their victim and drain his blood. Kalel, though, isn't darkly colored. His blond hair is nearly white, and when he grins there are no fangs protruding from his lips. But, still, his eyes glitter with the blood lust of a vampire.
At the moment Kio sat him at his feet, the moment Kalel looked at me, he released his barrier. It was rather large for a small Fighting unit, too large to be natural. His eyes, curse them! They taunted me mercilessly. In Kalel, I saw my sensei. And, to no surprise, Kalel's golden ears were pierced with black butterflies. Sensei had marked him.
"What's he doing here?" I asked. Kio, completely unaware of what the problem was, proudly told me that his guest was a "girl" he decided to bring home! I shook my head and pulled Kio aside.
"That's not a girl, Kio," I whispered. Kio's face dropped. He looked like he was about ready to cry. But, that expression didn't stay for long. It seemed as though he finally realized what I had said, and he frantically glanced back and forth between his hands and Kalel. Then, Kalel sat up, his ears twitching playfully.
"Ah, Soubi," he grinned, baring his teeth, "so you remember me?" Kio gasped and grabbed at his own hair. He shook his head, muttering, "No, no, no! This day couldn't get any worse. How do they know?" Kalel continued to grin, well-aware that Kio was naïve to the fact that I myself am a Fighter unit. He was plotting something, something I couldn't figure out. He's a dangerous child, and he'll grow stronger once he's met up with his Sacrifice.
Though, when I looked closer at Kalel, I noticed a pattern on his neck: the tip of a crescent moon. Just above it there were two holes evenly spaced apart, like some sort of animal bite. But, I did figure out Kalel's true name. He is Luminescence, "Shining light of the moon." Still, I'm suspicious of those marks above his name as well as his involvement with Ritsu-sensei.