Konnichi wa minna-san! It's time for chapter 14!

Chapter 14:

Powers And Precautions

"You've never actually seen me fight, have you?" I asked, an amused smile crossing my face as I stood in the large clearing.

"now that you mention it, no I haven't" he said, scratching the back of his head.

"KYAA!!"

"did you hear that?"

"yea" I answered.

"please get away!"

Then that familiar rustic, coppery smell filled my nostrils.

"tenma wait!!" ichijo called after me, but I kept running. Looking for the source. 'this time, don't let me be too late.'

"the smells getting stronger" I said to myself as I ran deeper into the shadowed forest. But then I stopped cold.

"heh heh"

"who's there?!" I shouted into the steadily darkening forest. "so you've finally come.." I heard a woman's voice call.

Turning around, I saw a girl with long, beautiful black-violet hair, trapped tightly to an old tree by thick, strong vines. I took in a sharp breath when the woman raised her head. 'she looks just like…'

"you?" the woman finished, smiling gently at me. "where's that girl, the one who screamed?" I asked.

"tenma, there was no girl, well not really. It was me who screamed for you just now, or rather, you yourself were screaming." the woman said.

"what the hell are you talking about!?"

"doesn't this place look familiar at all to you?" she questioned, motioning her one hand that wasn't trapped by vines around the area.

"vaguely, but it just looks all the same as the way I came." I said, pointing behind me.

The vines then receded from the woman's figure, and she began to walk deeper into the dark forest.

"wait! Where are you going!?" I shouted after her, confusion evident in my tone.

She stopped and faced me, sending me a stare only a pureblood could muster. "Do you want to know why so many have sought after your life?"

"I already know why!" I shouted at her, tears brimming in my eyes.

"No, you don't"

"how do you know?" I shouted back.

She appeared in front of me, gently touching my face. "if you did, you wouldn't be blaming yourself…"

"why are you saying that!? It is my fault!"

Faster than I could react, she lifted her hand, and struck the side of my face. "quit thinking like that!" she shouted, sending me a fearsome glare.

"who the hell are you to tell me?"

"I am you, or what you should be." she said, her voice no more than a whisper.

"oh yea, the what the hell's your name?" I asked, pissed off.

"tenma reikumei Seijun" she answered, a proud smile on her face.

"but that's…."

"The name you were given at birth?" she finished for me.

"you should look up" she said.

I followed her instruction, and saw the beautiful full moon. "I am you, I am your memories, your determination, for you tenma, I am the full moon."

That one sure struck a cord. "f-full moon?"

"basically yea, when your friend called you the moon, she related you to the new and full moon right?"

I nodded shakily.

"I am the full moon, you are the new moon, if you can understand that." she said calmly.

"but I don't! I don't understand!" I shouted at her.

The woman soon began to vanish. "please wait!" I shouted, millions of questions coursing through me. "what did you mean!?"

"let him in tenma, then you can ask me whatever you want next time you're here" she called to me.

"but I don't know where 'here' is!"

"you will find me again, but for now, the young man is worried, searching everywhere. Go find him, tell him you're alright." and with that she vanished.

"tenma!!"

"I'm over here!" I shouted, still trying to grasp the situation.

Ichijo came out of a gap between the trees. He ran up to me, and I could see dirt smudges on his face and uniform. "tenma-chan, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"what happened to you?" I asked, stifling a laugh at the sight.

"hey now, that's my question!" he retorted, his breathing labored.

"I just…" I trailed off, looking over at the vine-covered tree, the woman was gone, and no trace she was even there could be found.

"tenma?" he called, waving his hand in front of my face.

"it's noth-" I cut myself off, the woman's words echoing in my ears. 'let him in tenma, you need to'

He looked disappointed, but turned back in the school's direction. "we should be heading back"

Then, without thinking about it, -if I had, I wouldn't have even dared- I walked up to him as he walked away, and grabbed the back of his uniform, the words on the tip of my tongue.

"w-wait" 'I have to tell him something, if I don't, I don't want to think about what might happen…'

I heard him sigh. "what is it?" he asked, his tone almost bored.

I stayed silent, still in shock of his change in attitude.

He turned around, and looked at me with cold eyes. I felt myself tense. "what tenma?"

I backed up, releasing my grip. "I knew I shouldn't have tried to tell you…" I let my hair cover my face, trying to hide the tears that began to streak my pale skin.

-ichijo's pov-

'she shut me out again dammit!' I mentally shouted to myself.

Then as I walked, I felt her grab my uniform. "what tenma?" my voice was cold, but for once, I felt I could care less.

She backed up, away from me. "I knew I shouldn't have tried to tell you…"

Her words cut through me like I had just been attacked with my own weapon.

"tenma? What is it?" I coaxed, though the fear of her silence weighed heavily on me.

She looked up at me, here cheeks streaked with tears. "nevermind! You won't fucking listen to me anyways! You're an ass! …I thought…" she paused, taking a deep breath.

I felt like trash, no, that was far too kind for what I'd just done to her.

"…I thought, since saying I could tell you…but I guess that was just a lie…" she finished, her body shaking more with every sob she took.

I quickly closed the gap between us, wrapping my arms around her tightly.

"no, I wasn't lying. I meant every word!" I said, tightening my grip slightly. "you can tell me whatever you want, I don't care how meaningless it is to you, you can say it to me. Even if it's just to me." a little tighter.

"t-takuma let go…" I heard her mutter quietly.

My head snapped back to reality, an I loosened my grip, but still held her in a loose embrace.

"you have one hell of a grip, you realize?" she asked humorously, coughing slightly.

"sorry but- hey are you alright?" I asked suddenly. Her coughing hadn't stopped, but had gotten worse, blood soon following it.

"takuma…" she choked out through her coughing.

"what is it? What's wrong!?"

She collapsed onto the grass, smiling slightly. "I just let my emotions get the better of me, that's all"