His Dark, Kind Soul
Author's Note: To quote Captain Jack Sparrow... Complications arose, ensued, were overcome. I give you the sixth chapter. Enjoy! Ü
Chapter 6: First Mate
Present day, Alice Academy, Natsume Hyuuga at age thirteen
"I'm not doing this stupid project."
"You have got to be kidding me," Ruka groaned as he followed his best friend from the lunch line to their table. "Natsume! This is really getting old."
"It's a waste of time."
"Don't use that argument. That's getting old too."
"Well, what do you want me to say?" Natsume asked coolly as they both took seats.
"How about, 'Sure Ruka, no problem. Let's get started,'" he responded sarcastically. Natsume leveled him with a stare. Their friends watched in fascination just as the argument reached a somewhat awkward level.
"If you want to finish it so badly, why don't you find another partner?"
"That's not how we work, you know that," Ruka said in exasperation. He couldn't believe Natsume would test loyalties now.
"Well, this is how I work. I don't do things that are useless."
"Just because it's Narumi who assigned it, doesn't mean it's useless. Come on Hyuuga," Ruka persisted. Momentarily reverting to last names was a danger signal. "Couldn't you do this one thing without being difficult?"
"One thing?" Natsume repeated. "Do you want to start counting debts now?"
"That's not what I said," he protested. "Why are you making it about that?"
"You started it."
"Would you stop being a jerk for five minutes?" Ruka snapped.
"Ruka!" Mikan gasped and the table that was silent before now went absolutely still. It was rare to see the two of them argue; rarer still for Ruka to actually lose his temper and raise his voice at Natsume. Yuu cleared his throat then got ready to arbitrate.
"Good idea Ruka," he said in a placating tone. "Why don't you both take five?"
"Can't you just—"
"I wouldn't have—"
"Opposite ends," Yuu barked in his Class Representative voice, "Now."
None of them really expected the top two to listen, which was why it was startling when Natsume suddenly grabbed his tray and walked off. Ruka glared at his back.
"Idiot," he muttered then he pierced his breakfast violently and shoved it in his mouth. It was clear he wasn't going to talk to any of them so nobody said a thing.
Natsume didn't bother to finish his lunch. He grabbed the apple then dumped the whole tray on the counter before heading for the doors. His fists clenched and unclenched in irritation. Ruka could be such a moron sometimes. In the whole Academy, he had known Natsume the longest and had always sided with him. However, Natsume had to admit that wasn't strictly true. There were moments when Ruka challenged him, stubbornly arguing a point even when Natsume got mad. Like today. Grudgingly, he had to acknowledge that those instances proved him to be his best friend because only Ruka Nogi could defy him the way he did and remain unharmed.
"Natsume! Hey, Natsume, wait up!" someone called. He glanced over his shoulder then suppressed a groan as Koko and Kitsuneme ran up to him.
"What do you want?"
"We wanted to show you our new timeline," Kitsuneme said excitedly.
Natsume stared at them. Clearly, these two had no idea what just went on inside the cafeteria. "Why are you making such a big deal over this?"
Koko and Kitsuneme exchanged a look. "We think reporting on famous alumni is a good project. Every batch goes through it at least once."
"It's almost a tradition," Kitsuneme put in. "And we're determined to turn in the best report ever."
"I hardly think so," Natsume muttered as he reached out and took the timeline. He only continued to entertain them out of sheer, morbid curiosity.
He scanned the paper with his trained eye and noted all the details they got wrong. Still, he couldn't deny that they did manage to plot some pretty accurate events and there lies the problem. If these two did any more digging, they just might uncover something that was already too dangerous for them to know…
"Maybe someone will even report on us one day," Koko went on proudly. "We'll be the two Alices who cracked the most Urban Legends in school."
"That would be awesome."
"This timeline is bogus," Natsume spoke at last as he handed the papers back. "You should just select another alumnus if you want a shred of truth in your report."
"But we've worked so hard already!"
"And you're so off base it's a miracle if you could even find your way back," Natsume said harshly. "Just give it a rest already. There are Alices who are way better than this guy. He's not as great as you think and his life wasn't as exciting as you imagine."
"But the Wolf—"
"Kira was nothing special," he cut in. "His stories were just exaggerated for students like you who need someone to believe in." His comment caught them off guard and this time it was their turn to stare. There was silence. Natsume turned away from the wounded looks they gave him. "Look, it's for your own good. This is rubbish."
Slowly Koko rolled up the papers then persisted in his usual, hardheaded way, "Regardless, are we even close?"
"Didn't you hear a word I said?"
"We heard you," Kitsuneme replied. "But listen, a few weeks ago we weren't even sure if he was real. Today, we know he is and we're sure he was the White Wolf. I bet by the time we deliver the report, we can prove at least some of these stories really happened."
"And besides, there's no turning back now," Koko persisted. "The paper is due next week. Just give us something to go on."
Stubborn fools, Natsume thought in frustration. No turning back. Risking life and limb for homework. Sometimes it was just so hard to protect someone who refused to listen. He scratched his head, thinking hard. With any luck, they'd already be too off tangent to discover the Academy's secrets. Hopefully, he could stir them off course for another week.
"Please Natsume."
Where should he begin? There were still a number of errors in there. Better just begin with the most harmless. He exhaled. "The Wolf didn't jump the ravine four times…"
They beamed at him.
To his knowledge Kira had only jumped the ravine thrice; and he didn't even do it on purpose the first time. Another Dangerous Ability student pushed him in, one he later came to know as a friend. The second time, as Natsume had revealed to Koko and Kitsuneme before, he used a glider. However, he didn't jump with the intention of clearing the gorge. Instead, Kira had plunged straight into a swirling mass of chaos that appeared at the bottom of the cliff. Kira was twelve-years-old then and yet he'd been the only one brave enough to jump into the vortex.
A vortex created by Mahiro Yotsuga when her Alice had gone haywire; and like everything or most things Kira Samushiro did, he didn't do it without purpose.
Five years ago, Training Hall, Natsume Hyuuga at age eight
Natsume remained in his position while Kira circled them one more time. The Wolf was trying to finish their formation for the next mission and so Kurt had simulated an illusion of their next site. The usually empty, cavernous training room was currently made to look like a wide coniferous forest. Kira made references and notes on the blueprint he carried then using a steel measuring tape, he measured the distance between him and Kunimitsu who stood on the other end of the room. Natsume yawned then sat on the floor, looking dully at the ceiling.
"Okay, I think we're almost done here," Kira grinned. He jogged over to Ironsmith and presented the new configuration. "What do you think? It could work, right?"
Kunimitsu's eyes scanned the page then he frowned and shook his head. "Oh, this isn't any good. This will never fly…"
"Why not?"
"You've formed a pentagon again," he pointed out as he returned the clipboard.
"No, I didn't," Kira denied looking closely at his design.
"The clock tower and the pine tree form points four and five."
"Oh."
"What's wrong with forming a pentagon?" Natsume wanted to know. His answer came a second later when Mahiro stepped into the room, took one look around and instantly shrieked.
"What? What?" Kira spun around, looking for signs of an unwanted enemy.
"You've done it again, you magnificent dolt!" Mahiro cried as she marched up to the Captain. She pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket, scribbled something on it then slapped it onto his forehead. "That should keep the bad luck at bay until you've corrected this atrocity."
Kira pulled off the paper. "Mahiro, relax—"
"Relax?" she repeated. "You just formed a five-pointed star! Oh, this will not do, this will not do at all. You might as well invite the Evil in for tea!" She snatched the paper from him and slapped it on his face for a second time. "Fix this!"
"What's going on?" Natsume asked in bewilderment.
"Mahiro's a believer," Kurt said, by way of explanation. He stepped out of position to take up a post by the door. The illusion dissipated as he did so.
"Of what?" Natsume persisted as Kira and Mahiro started discussing loudly with the latter making huge movements with her hands.
"Of everything," Kunimitsu laughed. He pulled Natsume over to Kurt to get him out of the firing line. "Chakras and bad omens, feng shui and fortune-telling, magic circles and enchantments… you name it. As you can see, Kira tries to accommodate her most of the time."
"I keep telling you, it's hard not to form a pentagon when there are five of us and we're trying to surround the enemy," Kira said in exasperation. "Unless you let me chop down the pine tree in the middle of the City Park, there's no way around it."
"Chop it down?" Mahiro said aghast, "You'd go so far as to hurt Mother Nature for this mission? You monster!"
Kira exhaled then bowed low as he gestured to the team. "Fine then, as you please."
"That's easy." Mahiro walked to Kunimitsu then dragged him to another spot in the room. "Ironsmith is an East temple so he shouldn't stand against the sun. Griffin is a West so he's stronger against bad omens. He should be in Fireboy's place. Fireboy should stand at the corner so that the good luck will bounce off his shoulders and hit you."
Kira glanced at the new formation then grimaced. "That's ridiculous."
"Oh no, it isn't."
"Yes, it is. Natsume is standing over a lake," Kira said then shoved the clipboard under her nose for her to see the actual site.
"Then freeze it."
"What?"
"Freeze it, put metal over it. I don't know, make it happen."
"I was making it happen," Kira said, running a hand down his face. "I was almost finished when you walked in."
"Well we can't use a pentagon Kira," Mahiro insisted. "It's bad luck and it'll channel all the negative energy straight to your skull."
"Oh, you mean like what's happening right now?" Kira muttered. "Look, what if I just put Kunimitsu at the clock tower and Natsume can stand with you at the intersection."
"That would form a spiral."
"So?"
"So a spiral would send a rush of uncontrollable energy—"
"Well, I can't bring Natsume with me," Kira interjected. "That would cause an imbalance and since I'm also a West temple, his life force would— oh, what the hell am I talking about?" He ripped the paper off the clipboard then exhaled loudly. "Sheridan, stand over there and let me think for a second. Your positive chi is giving me a headache."
Mahiro shrugged then shouted heka! and sprinkled Kira with colored confetti as though she was dispelling another evil spirit. She bounced over to the others while Kira started muttering to himself. A laugh escaped Natsume's lips and even Kurt chuckled. It was hard to take the Captain seriously with the spell paper still plastered on his forehead.
"I just can't win," he muttered as he made huge corrections on the board. "That cheerful, spoiled, insane little princess."
"I can hear you…"
"I know you can," Kira snapped back. Then he turned away as he finished making changes while the rest of the team started laughing.
Natsume often wondered how that odd group got thrown in together. There was something highly unlikely and yet so apt about the way they were teamed.
Kira and Kunimitsu had identical personalities so he could see he how those two became friends. However, there were moments when he recognized that they were so alike that it was curious how they ever got along. They were stubborn to a fault and sported the same arrogance. They had a tendency to ignore rules and both were quick to defend their friends. If there was ever a time when they weren't on each other's side, no doubt sparks flew.
By the time Natsume had met them they were already best friends. Excepting Marie, Kunimitsu had the best insight into Kira's warped personality. Their Captain had unpredictable moods and often it was Ironsmith who filled in the blanks for Natsume.
"Loyalty?" Kunimitsu once repeated his question in amusement. "We're loyal to the Wolf as we'd be loyal to our friends. Nothing more."
"But you never question his orders."
"It helps us survive," he replied without qualm. "My obedience for my life. I think it's a fair exchange." Natsume grunted. "Why do you ask? Has Kira been demanding you pledge your allegiance to him? He's been known to do that."
"Really?"
"No." Kunimitsu smiled. "So if he ever does, just slap him on the backside and that'll knock him back to sense…"
Kurt and Mahiro joined the Academy almost at the same time. He arrived a cold and unapproachable giant, not any different from what he was when Natsume met him. It was Mahiro who had changed immensely over the years for she came in violent and hostile. Back then, Kurt was uncontrollable. He was punished often and was a liability on missions. Mahiro was equally destructive and given their Alices several trainers were more than a little afraid of them. Since Kira and Kunimitsu were hardly obedient students, it would've been a nightmare to send out all four of them together.
But then a remarkable thing occurred. One of the research labs created a new controlling device that was supposed to amplify Alices. Several students were pulled out for the experiment, ones the Academy was willing to lose. That's how they came together. The three of them were guinea pigs. Kira was there as a safety measure. He volunteered for the job upon learning Kunimitsu might be placed in danger.
The device was tested on Kurt first and it nearly obliterated his reason. Kunimitsu came next and it froze the alloys inside his body, almost poisoning him. Mahiro was the third and the gadget caused her to open a gate to an unknown dimension. It spanned the whole canyon and sucked in everything within three meters like a vacuum. Eleven-year-old Mahiro was lost inside. The Academy was ready to let her go and would've closed the gate at the first chance. Without hesitation, Kira took a glider and plunged into the vortex. At twelve, he was already too valuable an investment to lose and so they kept it open until he could be retrieved.
Kira went in to fetch Mahiro when none of his seniors would. He pulled her to safety and whatever went on inside that vortex was enough for him to win her loyalty. When Kurt saw what he had done, he volunteered to accompany Kira on his next mission. It surprised all the handlers. Afterwards, he never chose another team; and because he chose Kira for his kindness and not his skill, Kira knew he found a good person in Kurt. Their friendship sprung from that.
"Serendipity isn't always about love," Mahiro would say years later when she shared their story with Natsume with gaps and omissions. "Sometimes, it's just about finding your place."
"And your place is with Kira?"
She tipped her head. "For now. I don't expect Griffin or Ironsmith to follow him forever. We're just not built that way. But while we're here it works. None of us ever functioned well with the others. In different ways, the Wolf won us over."
"Without anything in exchange?"
She smiled. "I wouldn't say that. After all, Kira didn't always have the disposition to be a Captain. So I like to think that in return, we had tamed him."
It was a truth Natsume didn't entirely believe. It couldn't be as simple as that. He realized then that the more he learned about the Wolf, the less he trusted him and yet the more he wanted to do so. Kira had his secrets and Natsume was too young and had come in too late to know all of them. Still, the Captain trusted him. He sensed it in his everyday training or the natural way he was involved in missions. Slowly, Samushiro was making him part of his team and he just couldn't decide whether he liked that or not.
"I don't understand why you're getting so worked up," Kunimitsu said irritably. "You survived, didn't you?"
"Dude, you fled," Kira responded crossly. "I turned around and you were on the other side of the room."
"I told you, I went to get a fire extinguisher!"
"What's going on?" Natsume asked Marie, the only sane one at the lunch table that day. She rolled her eyes and continued reading her book while she answered.
"Apparently, Kira accidentally set himself on fire this morning in the lab. He messed up an experiment and it kind of… well, exploded. Anyway, his jacket was in flames and as far as I can tell, Kunimitsu tried to stop it."
"By running ten feet away," Kira scoffed.
"The fire extinguisher was ten feet away," Kunimitsu retorted. "I don't see why you're being such an ass. You have an Ice Alice for crying out loud. You could have put it out yourself."
"I'm not supposed to use my Alice."
"And you're not supposed to put fourteen parts acids in a classroom beaker either," his friend shot back. "That's just dumb."
"I missed the decimal point, all right, honest mistake."
"Yeah, your mistake, so stop blaming me that you burst into flames."
Marie blew out her breath then clicked her tongue. She turned to Natsume and gave him a conspiratorial grin. "It's really all very stupid."
"My left arm was on fire—"
"Well how hard could it be to stop, drop, and roll?" Kunimitsu growled. "Or would it have been so bad if you had used your Alice for five seconds to save your life?"
"I avoid it when I can."
"See, I don't get that about you," Kunimitsu said, evidently aggravated. "You exhaust your power when we're on a mission. You don't even think twice when it comes to saving a civilian but inside the classroom, you're too much of an idiot to remember you're an Alice."
"It's not the same."
"Tell me something Samushiro," his friend went on, reverting to his last name. "If I had been the one on fire, would you have used your Alice?"
Kira grew silent. At length he exhaled, realizing he had just been put in his place. "I'd have run for the fire extinguisher too. All right, I get it. I'm sorry."
Kunimitsu's eyes narrowed then he suddenly stood up. "Yeah, you get my point. But you know something? I wished you'd have said yes instead."
"Was that some kind of test?" Kira demanded to his friend's back but he didn't respond and left them. Kira glanced at Marie in exasperation. "Why is he making it about that?"
"It's obvious, isn't it?" she answered, still studiously avoiding his eyes. "He thinks you're being too careless with your life and maybe your team's. You should at least value them as much as you do civilians."
"Meaning?"
Marie looked at him pointedly. "The correct answer would've been, 'Yes, I would use my Alice if you were on fire.' The fact that it didn't roll off your tongue kind of bothers me too." She closed her book then grabbed her bag. "Look, I'm late for Science, so I'll go ahead. And don't worry, I promise to pay attention to that elusive decimal point."
"Hn," Kira grunted then waved her off. When she had gone, he glanced at Natsume. "Do you think I'm careless with you guys?"
Natsume made a face. "I don't know. I always wish you'd pay less attention to me."
"Right, wrong person to ask," he muttered then nodded to Natsume's food. "Finish your lunch. We need to get back to class soon."
"Every captain needs a first mate, and you've got Kunimitsu," Mahiro stated as they crossed the quad later that day. She hadn't stopped talking since they met up half an hour ago. As usual, she was ready and willing to play cheerful mediator for the team. "He's had that job for years. As much as I want to, it's impossible for me to play yin to your incredibly complex yang."
"Why?"
"Because I'm a Capricorn," she said shortly. "And Kurt can't do it either."
"Because he's a Gemini?"
"Because he's too much of an introvert to even try," she said matter-of-factly. "Anyway, you know you two are just going to resolve this anyway so why don't you just take the shortcut and apologize?"
"I have nothing to apologize for," Kira argued. "He's the one being unreasonable. Tell your boyfriend to stop being so damn temperamental."
"Hmm… boyfriend, that's a good one," she laughed with good humor. "But that's not the issue here. I hate it when you guys quarrel over something so immature. It's so much harder to fix."
"Nobody asked to you step in and at any rate—"
Kira didn't get to finish his sentence because suddenly a person half his size and one third of his weight came barreling out of nowhere and knocked his torso with a shoulder. He was forced to take two steps backwards and he rasped in pain at the unexpected attack.
"Don't try to run Kira Samushiro!" came a juvenile voice. He opened his eyes and stared in comical disbelief at his diminutive assailant.
"What in the world—"
The boy was clearly from the Elementary division and right then he was pointing an accusing finger at Kira. He hurried on with just the slightest hesitation in his speech. "You're a jerk! You don't know how to treat people. I expected better from you because of what they say but they were all wrong. You're nothing but a phony!"
"I didn't know you had pint-sized enemies," Mahiro quipped and Kira quelled her with a look. The boy wasn't done.
"You think you're so great! But he's not doing any of this for you, you self-centered moron! He's doing it for his sister! So stop being such a slave-driver because if anything happens to my friend, I'll make you regret it!"
"Kid, I have no idea what you're talking about," Kira spoke then blinked. "I have no idea who you are."
"So what?" the little boy sneered. "You're going down!"
"What?"
"Fight me!"
"No!"
"I said fight me!"
"No way in hell," Kira retorted but he wouldn't listen.
"You'll pay for your sins Wolf!" he cried then charged. This time Kira caught his shoulders then hefted him backwards. The boy began thrashing about, trying to land a hit but Kira solved that simply by holding him at arm's length.
"Give it up. I'm not going to fight you."
"You're a coward!"
He rolled his eyes. "And you're incorrigible."
The boy growled then suddenly kicked him on the shin. Kira yelped and let go. Then the little horror made a diagonal slash in the air. Instantly white fluid dropped from the sky and dribbled down Kira's left shoulder. Mahiro gasped when she saw it then started giggling uncontrollably. Kira stared at his uniform coat in shock and annoyance.
"Bird dootie," Mahiro identified, "Excellent missile."
"Animal Pheromone Alice," Kira realized. He looked at the blonde boy with renewed curiosity. "Impressive but we'll get to that later. Why are you attacking me?"
He answered through his teeth. "Because you're a monster!"
"Too late to flatter him now," Mahiro put in.
"Don't goad him," Kira said irritably. "We can't underestimate a sugar-high kid that can control animals."
"I'll send an elephant running through here to finish you off!"
"Exactly," Kira said dryly.
Though highly unlikely that an African elephant could come careening through the quad, he was well aware that the Academy had other genetically enhanced creatures that this boy could manipulate. On some level, if he truly had a vicious streak in him, this boy was dangerous. But then, he could tell at a glance that there was nothing sinister about this assault. This boy was pure heart.
"Come on, let's hear it. What's your problem with me?"
"I told you, this is for your crimes!" He slashed the air again. This time Kira took three steps backwards to avoid two consecutive droppings.
"Stop that! It's gross."
"It's cool," Mahiro corrected, clearly impressed, "I didn't know pigeons could poop at will."
"You're not helping."
"Oh come on Kira, he's only a child. And besides that, he's adorable."
"Don't call me adorable!" the boy burst out, still using the same irate tone. "I'm here to get you back for hurting my best friend!"
"Why are you such an angry little boy?" Kira asked in exasperation. There was a flash of recognition. "You're Natsume's friend, aren't you?"
"So you do know what I'm talking about!" the kid exclaimed, taking his question as a form of confession. "You admit that you hurt my best friend!"
"I didn't say that," Kira said striving for patience and a semblance of order. This was getting wearisome. "What's your name? Introduce yourself properly. I'm asking as your senior."
He scowled deeply. "Ruka Nogi, your worst nightmare."
Mahiro laughed again. "He's such a cutie!"
"All right Nogi, would you calm down a bit?" Kira said, ignoring his disloyal subordinate. It was time to get to the root of all this. "Did Natsume tell you I was being cruel to him?"
"No," Ruka said grudgingly after a momentary pause.
"Did he send you to drop turd on me?"
"No."
"So given what I know of Natsume and I'm sure you know it as well, won't he be displeased that you're here spoiling for a fight?" Ruka's eyes narrowed but he didn't answer. Kira nodded. "That's what I thought."
"Regardless!" he shouted with renewed vigor. "Of course Natsume wouldn't send me! He wants to fight alone! But that doesn't mean I won't be there for him. Besides, that's not the issue here! The problem is you!"
Mahiro smiled. "He's very focused, isn't he?" Ruka raised his arm to fire bird dung again. This time she used her Alice to suddenly appear next to him and catch his wrist in time. "That's quite enough young man."
"Look, we know how your Alice works," Kira began when Ruka tried to struggle. "At your age and training level, there's no way you can incite an animal without embarrassing yourself. These damn pigeons were probably romanced beforehand. By my estimate you only have roughly two or three of them left up there. What are you planning to do when you run out?"
"I was going to bring in a dog to pee on your shoes," Ruka said scornfully. Kira and Mahiro shared a look of amusement. He was so much like Fireboy. The captain sobered first then signaled Mahiro to release him.
"Natsume is lucky to have a friend like you," he said softly then dropped to one knee so that he could look Ruka in the eye.
Clearly, he hadn't expected Kira to do that and so he took a deliberate step back. It was very telling and Kira wondered just how much unkindness he and Natsume had witnessed ever since they stepped inside the school.
"I know what you're worried about. I went through the same thing at roughly the same age. I also wouldn't send my friends out to fight if I had a choice. But we don't. What I can give you now is my word that I would do everything within my power to keep your friend safe."
Ruka flinched as though Kira had landed a physical blow instead of trying to comfort him. He looked away. "Darn it, Natsume was right about you."
"Oh?"
"He said you're a blithering sap," he snapped, chin coming back up. "We're not finished Wolf. I'll walk away today but I have my eye on you."
Kira came back to his feet and grinned. "Agreed." Then he glanced at his spoiled coat and frowned. "This is never coming off."
"At least he didn't aim for your face," Mahiro said with glee.
"I missed," Ruka said smugly.
Kira turned to glare at the little boy but instead he found himself admiring his actions. Natsume had a good future ahead if he could inspire such loyalty at eight years old. Then suddenly he remembered something else Ruka had mentioned when he had first riled into him. Knowing what he did about the Academy, it seemed likely but he didn't want to believe it…
"Nogi, is Natsume's sister here in the Academy?"
The question made him start. "I didn't— I never— that is…"
Ruka ended up stammering and not quite giving them information but that reaction was enough to confirm it. Kira cursed while Mahiro's hand flew to her lips in genuine dread.
"Oh no…"
It was typical for the Dangerous Ability Class to have two or three missions going on in one night. There were enough of them after all. What came as a surprise was that their team was divided. Mahiro and Kurt were sent to the metropolis and were teamed with three other students for a sting operation. Kira and Kunimitsu were sent outside the district to infiltrate a corporate building. Kira seemed suspicious that the team was divided but he made no objections. However, when Natsume was assigned to Kurt's team, he immediately spoke up.
"The Dwarf stays with me," he said with finality. Natsume scowled at the nickname.
Davies raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say you could negotiate."
In front of half the Class, Kira continued to contest the assignment. "He stays with me or he doesn't go at all. What use would a kid be in a sting operation? He'd be found out."
"The plans are already laid out."
Kira flipped through the pages provided to them then made rapid calculations that only a seasoned fighter could do. "Send Kazuma to the metropolis. Kouji can handle the retrieval operation at half past nine as soon as Mihotoke is done at the coast. We'll finish up as well and meet up before midnight to help with the load."
"You think Kouji is enough for the Peraut Estate?"
"He's with Narumi after all."
"What if something goes wrong and you're delayed?"
"I'll make it to the coast on time," Kira said in confidence.
"By train?"
"By sky," came his mysterious response. Davies gave him a look akin to pride, as though to tell everyone that this is the level they should all attain. The murmurs began, which the two ignored and all the while Natsume kept silent.
"Aren't you tiring yourself out, Wolf?"
"You're the one who accepted four missions in one night," Kira returned. "You can have Griffin and Sheridan but I'm taking Fireboy with me."
"What would Natsume's role be in your mission?"
Kira rolled up the papers in his hands and stood up. "I've already found something for him. Are we dismissed?"
Davies chuckled at his high-handedness though not unkindly, "Dismissed."
And so Kira got his way and the Dangerous Ability Class dispersed, once again overwhelmed by the Wolf's display. Out the door, Mahiro squeezed Natsume's shoulder encouragingly then she glanced at Kunimitsu and blew him a saucy kiss.
"See you later, boyfriend," she said playfully. "Don't stay out too late." Then she pranced away with Kurt in tow after the latter had conversed briefly with Kira. Kunimitsu watched them leave, shaking his head at her antics.
"Ready to go?" Kira called to both of them and they turned.
"You said you have a part for me?" Natsume prodded.
"Yes," was his cryptic reply. He said it in his cold voice and so Natsume knew that he was putting up his front as the White Wolf in all his severity.
The role he had on that mission was the biggest he was given thus far. After trading Kazuma for Natsume, Kira had to deviate from the mission parameters and so a new plan was set out. It cut their mission by four steps and would save them at least an hour. Natsume realized how much leeway the Academy truly gave Kira, seeing as how he was allowed to change the plan as they went along. The two other persons who came with them were Jade, a first year high school student who had the unique ability of breaking down objects into the most basic elements and Static, a second year middle school student who could control electronic objects.
His seniors managed to break in and clear the way for him. Natsume's role was to enter a room on the forty-seventh floor and retrieve a package the size of a breadbox that would be positioned on a prominent plinth. Thanks to the resourcefulness of his teammates, he managed to get to the room without tripping alarms or facing any of the guards. He finished the task and as arranged he found his escape route prepared at the balcony. Without fear, he held on to the device attached to the rope thrown by a grappling gun and he slid easily to the ground. He tumbled to cushion his fall then burned the rope right after landing. It disintegrated at once, the ashes blowing with the wind. Then he ran to meet up with the rest of his team who had all done their part and were now waiting for their last member to join them.
"Fireboy sighted," Static muttered as he ran up to them. Natsume scowled at her for the needless use of the codename.
"That was almost too easy," Ironsmith commented.
"Yeah," Wolf murmured in deep thought. "Way too easy."
"Give it here," Jade said and he crouched down in front of Natsume to check. He traced a hand over the box then muttered, "Carbon… that'd be the diamonds… steel… as expected…" He was about to stand again when his hand stilled over the corner. "Wait, that's not right… there's also some kind of trinitrate… paraffin… cyclonite…"
The last word hit home and the Wolf and Ironsmith's gaze met in a look of alarm as they recognized that last ingredient from their Chemistry class.
Jade also reared back, recognizing the object for what it was. "Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine! It's an IED!"
"What?" Natsume asked.
"A bomb!" Ironsmith cried and with a wave of his arm he pulled the box out of Natsume's arms with his Alice and flung it into the sky.
The box exploded, obviously detonated by an unseen opponent. They all hit the ground. Ironsmith was closest to the blast and the shock wave following it sent metal shards flying towards him in a vicious rain. The White Wolf leapt to his feet and sent ice flying over his friend to protect him. The metal and fire hit the ice, keeping the person beneath unharmed. The street was illuminated for seconds before the light and smoke died leaving a burning stench.
They all came to their feet just as the Wolf's ice dissipated above them into fresh rain. Ironsmith glanced at his Captain and an unspoken truce passed between them.
"You'd have done the same," Wolf said simply, "Civilian or not."
"What the hell was that?" Static hissed. The Wolf looked grimly at the sky, contemplating the box that had nearly snuffed them all out. Then before he could answer other sounds began not far off. Security was arriving and that was another cause for alarm.
And so that was also the night Natsume first learned about the window. The blast had triggered bedlam in the area and so the team was forced to run. Evidently, something had gone terribly wrong and Kira only had enough time to shout, "Thirty minutes!" before everyone broke off in different directions. They would regroup at a predetermined place. Natsume was about to rush off too when the Wolf suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around. Kira sprinted down the street, clearly expecting him to follow. He hesitated only for a moment then hurried after his Captain.
If Kira was anxious about the safety of his team, he didn't show it. To Natsume's confusion, instead of hiding or at the very least running far away from the site, Kira brought Natsume to a small, well-lighted arch dam situated in the vicinity of the building they had broken into. Staying there was imprudent and very unlike the Wolf.
"Will the others join us here?"
"You already know the answer to that," Kira responded calmly, certain that Natsume was aware that this wasn't where they would regroup. Then he turned to the dam to take in the sight, clearly unperturbed by the turn of events.
The walls curved upstream, surrounding a massive crevice with steep fortifications made of rock. The waters crashed against the dam in a ferocious flood and a powerful vapor rose up from the base of the spillway. Kira shut his eyes and absorbed the deafening roar of the artificial waves, letting it have its cathartic effect on him.
When he was six years old, the Academy sent him here on his first mission. He was compelled to freeze the waters at the floodgates while his seniors went about their work at the base of the structure. He had succeeded in freezing this wide expanse and it became the first proof of his ability. The water stayed frozen for five days and the event came to be known as a freak calamity. At the end of the mission, he collapsed and so that was also the night he learned that his Alice had consequences.
When Kira opened his eyes, he found Natsume blatantly staring at him with a decidedly wary expression. He sat down with the end of his sneakers barely grazing the edge of the walk. "Relax Fireboy. We have twenty minutes to pass."
"What are we doing here?"
"I thought you'd enjoy the view."
"Aren't we going to talk about what hap—?"
"Shut up and look over there," Kira cut in. He nodded to the corner of the dam, where concrete met rock and where near the edge a long jagged crack ran down the wall.
"It's breaking apart?"
"No, it isn't," the Captain spoke softly. "Nor will it ever. One of ours made sure of it ten years ago. It took seven different Alices, in fifteen steps for twenty-seven hours spread out in four consecutive nights." There was a mixture of pride and irony in his voice. "This dam will outlast every other structure in the area. You'd think it takes a team of professional engineers to achieve that feat. You'd be mistaken. It's the work of seven students."
"And you were one of them?"
"I was just here on the first and last night," Kira answered. He carefully omitted the fact that he was sent to the infirmary in between. "My part wasn't that hard. But I'm glad I was there because this was an achievement. You want to accomplish something, you get a professional. If you want greatness, you get an Alice."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I wanted to show you that not everything we do is wicked," he said evenly. "At times we get work like this… and do some good."
Natsume grew silent then sat down next to his Captain. "I don't care about that."
"Hn… I knew you'd say that but I thought I'd give it a shot," Kira smiled faintly.
That response was warranted. After all, how do you convince a child who's been treated so roughly of the kindness of his seniors? Had he been in Natsume's place, he'd throw those words back in his face too. Yet, Kira was quite certain that what he said just now did matter; that it did help a bit because Natsume was a good kid even if he adamantly hid the fact.
Kira heaved a breath. "You know, I learned some interesting stuff these past days. Really interesting." He paused. Natsume didn't respond. "Want to hear?"
"No."
"I'll tell you anyway," he said blithely. "A couple of months ago, there was a new student who got everyone talking. See, the school officials wouldn't shut up about him. They said his Alice was exceptional. They said there hasn't been anyone like him in ten years."
"A hotshot."
"Like you wouldn't believe," he said with amusement. "Story goes that the kid created a fire that burned down a whole village." Natsume stiffened. "He was condemned for it. Feared even. But the Alice officials were elated by his achievement."
"What are you getting at?"
"Funny thing, see, I did some research and turns out… he didn't do it."
"Shut up."
"Turns out, he was only taking the blame for someone important to him." Kira turned to face him. "Turns out, you're really not a bad kid. You're moody, but you're far from bad."
"You can't tell anyone—"
"I don't intend to," he interrupted. "Anyway, I looked into this for one reason. I found your sister."
Natsume snapped around to stare at Kira. His eyes were filled with such anxiety and sorrow that the Wolf was moved. "Is she safe?"
"She's unharmed." He was sorry that was all he had to say. "They're keeping her with one of the principals. They meant what they said. Her safety depends on you."
"Those jerks."
"They're bastards Natsume," Kira said with such feeling that it startled his companion. "But you have to believe that even with them holding that card, you're not helpless."
"Why did you do this?"
"I thought you'd want some assurance about her. I figured none of them would have bothered to tell you that."
"And in exchange, I suppose you want my allegiance."
"Damn kid, what is it with you and allegiance?" Kira snorted. "Why would I need that from you? Counting debts is useless between friends. I did this, because I want to, because like we keep telling you, you're one of us so we need to keep an eye out for each other in the way we know how. Let me ask you something, do you still think I'm a bad guy?"
It was so difficult to answer. At school, there was nothing wicked about him but outside of it, Natsume had every reason to fear him. How many times had he seen Kira fire at an enemy? He's proven that he was capable of hurting other people. Yet there was restraint there and the devoted way Kira shielded his team wasn't something Natsume took for granted. Like many of the Dangerous Ability students, he maintained two characters. Neither was real or fake. The mixture of both kept them sane. Kira wasn't bad in the strict sense. None of them were.
"I think you're schizo, but it works for you," he said at last. Kira chuckled. "How did you find out about my sister?"
"I met the most persistent Somatic student whose insolence had a striking resemblance to yours," he said wryly. He leaned back on his arms, smiling now at the memory. "Your best friend, I gather."
"Ruka," Natsume muttered, sounding disgruntled. "Shouldn't we head back? The others will be looking for us."
"We'll risk it," the Wolf replied. He realized the kid was eager to confront his meddling best friend. No need to hurry that along. "If we don't make it back in time, Mitsu will take care of things for us."
"Why would he do that?"
It made Kira smile. "Because he's my first mate."
"But I thought you guys were fighting."
He grinned before responding with humor. "Yes, but we didn't break up."
"That's really gross." Kira snickered. Natsume's brows drew together. "Why do you trust him?"
"I trust all of you."
"Him more so than the rest of us," Natsume persisted. "Why?"
"Because he gave me a black eye."
"You're really weird."
"We were just a little older than you are right now," Kira ventured to share. He checked his watch, noting that there was no need to hurry back just yet. "He was new to the Academy and we got into a fight. He punched me and sent me flying over the cliff. I grabbed his shirt and he fell in too. We used our Alices to survive."
"How?"
"It's not a short story. That was before I became White Wolf and he Ironsmith," he said evasively. "That reminds me, we still have to decide on your codename. Seems to me you loathe Fireboy and that's really starting to stick."
"Can't you come up with anything better?"
"Like what?"
"Like something that doesn't tell everyone what I can do."
Kira pretended to ponder. "Okay, I think we'll call you… Black Fire."
"You're really no good at this," Natsume said in disgust.
"Sparky?"
"Do I look like a dog?"
"Little Fang, Smokey, Cocky Little Bastard?"
"You're making fun of me."
"A bit, yeah," Kira quipped, still studying Natsume fondly. He still looked as defiant as he did on that first night in Davies' office when they met, but he had also grown much since then. This boy was really promising. The Academy would never break him. One day, he may even have his own team. Why not? He already had his first mate. Kira stretched his arms over his head, more relaxed now. "I'll think of something. We need something flashy for you."
Natsume snorted. "What do I get to call you?"
"I already have a code name." Kira grinned. "But you get to call me Aniki."
"No thanks," Natsume said, sounding highly affronted. Kira laughed again then gave him a pat on the head as though he was a cat.
Present day, Alice Academy, Natsume Hyuuga at age thirteen
He could have been staring at the clock tower for hours. He wasn't sure. But Natsume knew that he had been looking at it for a very long time. As though in a trance, a single memory kept playing itself over and over in his head. It was of that night he wanted to forget, the one that had haunted his dreams for weeks when he was eight years old and was banished only after a long series of sometimes horrific missions supplanted its place in his head.
Remember those who have fallen.
That was the last task the Wolf had given him and he had purposely failed because after a while it became too painful and too arduous to keep remembering. But that afternoon, Koko somehow broke through his defenses.
"So he jumped into the vortex and ended up in another dimension?!"
"That's the coolest thing I ever heard!"
"Yeah, well," Natsume muttered. He had the feeling these two were easily impressed. "That's the last time I help you two."
"Thanks Natsume," Koko beamed. "This will really help."
"Yeah," Kitsuneme agreed then turned to his partner. "Come on. We need to do some more digging."
They started discussing and so Natsume turned to leave them. He hadn't gotten far when Koko called out to him again.
"Hey Natsume, all those other Alices, the ones you say are better than Samushiro… why don't you do a report about them?"
He snorted. "I'd rather not."
"How come? If they're even cooler than the Wolf, then I'd like to hear their stories too."
"There won't be any happy endings," he said bluntly but Koko looked unfazed.
"That doesn't matter," he persisted. "Anyway, we're not graded on the ending. We're just supposed to report on how things happened…"
After that exchange, Natsume went to sit upon a high branch of a Sakura tree, intending to read but instead his manga lay forgotten upon his chest and the half-eaten apple was strewn on the ground below. Natsume stared at the clock tower a minute longer.
Remember those who have fallen.
That was the problem, wasn't it? This homework was making him remember everything. The Captain… his first mate… that wanton believer… a reticent giant…
"Can I talk to you?" came a voice and Natsume glanced down to see his own first mate standing at the base of the tree.
"Go right ahead," he said roughly although he wasn't at all feeling the same animosity towards Ruka that he had felt at lunch.
"Would you come down at least?"
"I can hear you just fine."
Ruka's response was a weary sigh. "So you're not done being difficult?"
Natsume thought about it for a moment. "I am." Then to Ruka's surprise, he jumped down. "We're not splitting up, right?"
"What?" Ruka sounded flummoxed.
Natsume smiled with irony. "Nothing. Are you still mad about what I said?"
Realizing his best friend was in a very rare, penitent mood, Ruka decided to play along. "It's not what you said, it's how you said it…"
It was Natsume's turn to be startled. "Huh?"
"Forget it," Ruka chuckled. "Look, we're cool. If you don't want to do the project, I'll take a failing grade with you. I'm sure you have your reasons so it's okay."
"What changed your mind?"
"Well, I figured, we could have easily aced this project since we've both been around for a long time and probably know more about the campus than the rest of the class combined. But you refuse to even give a halfhearted effort which tells me you're taking this homework seriously." Ruka looked solemn. "So if you somehow arrived at the decision that you don't want to take part in this, I'm guessing your reasons are probably very deep or very dark. If that, as your best friend, I'm going to have to understand."
Natsume could only stare after that long speech from his best friend. This guy was such a wonder, his loyalty off the charts. It didn't matter how many arguments they had. It was practically a given that they would stand by each other for as long as time allowed.
"You figured all that out by yourself, did you?" he spoke at last.
"Yeah. So like I said, we're cool," Ruka said lightly then he turned towards the path. Natsume followed and they began to walk back to the main building.
Natsume pondered it for a long while then took one more glance at the clock tower. Somehow, the project didn't seem so burdensome anymore. After all, it was already set into motion because he was starting to recall everything.
"Ruka?" Natsume began when they were near the doors. Behind him, the clock tower still loomed like a dark beacon. "It's okay."
"Okay, what?"
"I'll do the assignment."
Ruka looked startled then perplexed. "In one week?"
"That's all we ever needed," Natsume assured him. Then he injected some humor in his tone. "Koko and Kitsuneme's methods are way over the top."