７月３０日 １９：５２
Haru Tokai saw the two men a mile away. They stood out like headlights in a fog despite the festival crowd. Two men, with more spirits attached to their souls than any he'd ever seen. The female spirits swirled around the men in a frenzy, unbeknownst to the chattering crowd. Occasionally something would set them off, and they'd rise high into the air, only to shoot back down towards the men with great force, whirring around them violently.
Haru followed behind quietly. He floated amongst the crowd, going with the flow as he kept a good distance away, trying not to be detected. The men were murderers and about to kill again if the spirits of the women they killed were this upset. He continued ahead, staring down the men icily. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a surgical mask and putting it on to give some discretion to his identity. Without trying to call too much attention to himself, he tried to flag down one of the furious spirits so he could talk to them.
"Hey mister."
Haru started at the voice, turning around quickly to the owner of the voice. A kid, still dressed in his elementary school gear, floated beside him, looking up at him expectantly. "So you can see me!"
Haru felt his heart sink as he realized the kid was dead. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew why, but hoped he was wrong. "Are you with them?"
The boy frowned and pointed at the men. "That's mama over there. Those men killed us."
Haru drew his lips in a line, discreetly clenching his fists as he looked upon the men with pure disgust.
"They're going to kill again," the boy announced with a jaded expression. It seemed he had been through this once or twice before.
"No, they're not," Haru promised, throwing up his hood and grabbing the boy's hand, hurrying to follow after the men.
"It's the woman over there," the boy pointed to a pretty woman in white, walking towards the riverbank with her son to watch the fireworks display. Tonight was a famous festival in Japan. Every year, during the summer, a magnificent display of fireworks would line the riverbanks for everyone to enjoy. As expected, two brilliant fireworks lit up the sky, drawing everyone's attention to the magnificent display.
Haru's eyes widened as he rushed forward, seeing the men in front do the same. The fireworks provided the perfect cover. One of them snuck behind the woman and drugged her with a chloroform rag. She passed out almost immediately, slumping in the man's arms as the other quickly retrieved her lower body. The two began to carry her out of sight, into the trees that lined the river bank.
Haru broke out of the dazzled crowd and sprinted after them as fast as he could. He flew through the trees, bulldozing through the branches and twigs that stood in his way. When he finally found them, the men glared at him contemptuously, brandishing knives in their hands.
"Looks like someone caught us," the man in the back said darkly. They moved to kill him, but Haru didn't wait for them to make a move first. Neither had the time to react as Haru pushed both back with a telekinetic wave.
"What the hell?"
"Take him out," the other ordered, coming after Haru with his knife. Haru jumped off the ground and rose into the air to safety. Making sure to stay under the cover of the trees, he applied telekinetic pressure to the second criminal, forcing him against the ground. He struggled against Haru's hold, but was unable to even lift a finger. Haru pushed harder, knocking the man out as he caved under the pressure.
Haru fell back to the ground and surveyed for the other man, but he had disappeared.
"Here," one of the spirits cried, pointing into the darkness of the trees. Haru turned, only to see a dagger coming his way. He avoided it nimby, extending his hand out towards the darkness at the same time. Hiis powers wrapped around his arm and extended with his hand, seizing the man and pulling him out of the trees. The man struggled frightenedly against Haru's invisible grip as he went behind him knocked him hard in the back of the skull. The man slumped and Haru released his powers, letting him fall to the floor.
Haru straightened up shakily, breathing in deeply as he tried to brush off his adrenaline. He went up to the surviving mother. She'd probably have a killer headache, but she was safe. Thanks to him.
Haru smiled to himself, swelling with pride at his first heroic act. He beamed at the ghost kid who helped him, receiving an equally bright smile back.
"You're amazing!" the kid pronounced, throwing his hands up and running around in circles.
"He can see us?" one of the other ghosts asked.
"Sir, if you can see us, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you!" another ghost said, approaching him carefully before falling to her knees and clasping her hands in prayer.
The other spirits followed suit, each thanking him passionately for his rescue. Haru's eyes widened, struck by the intensity of their gratitude.
"I just wanted to stop them from hurting anyone."
"Thanks to you, we can live in peace knowing these men will be out behind bars," an older spirit thanked, giving a wicked scorn towards the men.
"You have no idea how much it pained us to see them go after woman after woman and be powerless to stop it," another ghost said. "Thank you."
Haru became at a loss for words as he fully began to realize his actions had done far more than save just one life. An unknown feeling welled up inside of him, one he could not identify. He felt pride and hope, mixed with sorrow and grieving.
As he struggled to figure out his emotions, more rustling interrupted his thoughts. Fearfully, both he and the spirits prepared for the worst, for the appearance of perhaps another enemy, but what came was a tall, foreign woman accompanied by a small child.
"Mama!" the kid dashed forward and ran to his fallen mother. Haru froze, frightened of being caught in the act, even if he was the one doing the saving. The young woman looked between him and the child cautiously, assessing Haru's potential to be a threat. Not until her eyes landed on the fallen criminals, did she seem to relax.
"What happened here?"
Recovering himself, Haru retreated further into his hood, nervously debating if he should stay or run and hide. He had no time to decide, however, as the girl closed the distance between them and held his hand.
Haru blushed deeply, startled by the sudden contact. The girl studied his reaction carefully, before sighing in relief and letting go. "You're not an enemy, are you?"
She turned away from him and reassessed the scene as Haru was still too stricken to manage a response. The girl frowned as the young boy was still crying over his unconscious mother. She went to him and cradled him softly. "Don't worry. Your mother is okay. The nice man over there saved her. She's just a bit tired. I'll call an ambulance and police for her okay?"
The boy continued crying loudly as his mother slept quietly in the grass. The girl pulled out her phone, quickly relating what happened to the person on the other line. She stayed where she was with the child as she tucked her phone in her pocket and turned to him again. "The boy said some men took his mother this way. Judging the situation, you saved her, didn't you?"
"Y-yes," Haru stuttered, somehow embarrassed to admit his heroism.
"Shuhei," the rescued mother mumbled, coming to at the sound of her child's screams. The boy wiggled out of the girl's arms and ran to his mother, clinging and crying against her. The mother sat up, holding a hand to her head. "What happened?"
"Some very bad men tried to hurt you," the girl explained plainly. "The man there saved you."
"Oh!" the mother gasped as she recalled the events that happened. She clasped her hand over her mouth and sobbed, sickened by what the men almost did to her. She turned her surprised gaze to Haru, "Oh! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
She cried freely, continuing to thank him. Haru went quiet, once again taken aback by the power of which someone could feel. Again, the same feeling from before grew in him. He was able to identify it now. It was a sense of duty, one that made him want to save more people. His purpose was to protect people.
"You're welcome," he finally managed.
"Ma'am, can you walk?" the girl asked, bending down next to her.
"Yes," the mother said, slowly getting to her feet and picking her child up in her arms.
"I'm going to take them back up the bank and to the ambulance. Do you mind staying here and watching over those bastards until the police arrive?"
Haru nodded, berating himself silently for not thinking to help the mother. He turned away from them as the girl led them out. The ambulance and police had arrived and were already making their way down to meet them halfway.
"We'll take it from here," the paramedics said, moving in to help the woman and child.
"You're the girl who made the call?" the police asked.
"Yes. The men who attacked her are disarmed in the forest," she announced.
Nodding, one of the police officers broke off to detain the two while the other stayed behind and pulled out a notepad. "I'll need you to make a statement. Can you speak Japanese?"
"Yes," the girl said. She got that a lot because of her appearance, but she had studied enough in her home in America to manage simple conversations. "I came across the boy on the bridge. He was alone. At first I thought he was lost, but then he said his mother was taken. I lead him in the direction he said she was taken. By then, the men had been taken down by another man, around my age."
"Another guy, huh?" the police officer said, gaining an affirming nod from the girl.
"What's your name? I need it for the report."
"Zuzu Grey, sir."
"I got the two handcuffed down at the bank. Did you find out how they were knocked out?" the other officer asked as he ran back up to meet the two.
"There was no man there at the bank with them?" the first police officer asked as Zuzu held a surprised expression.
"A man? Didn't see one," the other officer said, scratching his head.
"Left the scene, huh? Can you describe him for me?"
"Tall," Zuzu began, wondering where to start. "In truth, he was wearing a hood and a mask. I could only see his eyes."
The officer sighed and set down his notepad. "Alright, well, we have your number from the call before. We'll contact you if we need anything more. You're free to go."
Zuzu nodded, bowing to the officers and taking her leave. Her mind went to the mysterious boy as she ran off to find him. She wondered why he had left when the officers came. She became overwhelmed by her curiosity as she scanned the streets for any sign of him.
"A boy like that," she wondered to herself, theorizing where he would go after an event like that.
Haru sighed to himself, staring at the yakitori skewers he ordered in silent contemplation as he thought about what happened. He was very happy with himself, but when the officers came, he ran. He didn't want his identity to be found out. He decided that if he was going to become a superhero, or at least, save a few people here and there, he'd have to keep his identity a secret.
Sighing, he removed his mask to eat his skewers. At nearly the same time, a hand suddenly slammed down on the table next to him. Haru nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound, swallowing a piece of chicken whole by mistake.
"Ha! Knew it was you!" Zuzu bragged as she came up next to him and sat herself down. Haru hammered on his chest, keeping himself from choking as the girl made herself comfortable. Ignoring his ordeal, the girl waved her hand, signaling towards the owner she was ready to order.
Haru coughed, clearing his throat as he finally passed the chicken. He reached for his water and drank heavily as he peeked at the girl. She was staring straight at him with an expectant look in her eyes. Haru froze, avoiding eye contact with her. Truthfully, he admitted to knowing the girl, though not personally. She was a foreign exchange student at his school. She, like all the other foreign kids, stood out amongst the university's population, making her easily recognizable to anyone in the school.
They never introduced themselves, but Haru wasn't keen on doing so anytime soon. He continued drinking his water, hoping the girl may leave it he didn't talk, but she waited patiently until finally, he had no more water to drink.
Haru coughed again, turning away from her as she scooted her seat closer. "Hey, why did you run away earlier?"
"No reason," Haru answered, ducking his head and avoiding eye contact with the girl.
"Liar," Zuzu accused, but let it go as she was served her food. She dug into one of the skewers happily as Haru contemplated an escape from his corner of the food stall.
"So how did you take down those criminals?"
"Luck, I guess?" Haru answered, mortified to be having this discussion. This was the precise reason he had run away from the police, to avoid an interrogation, and now here he was being confronted by his classmate.
"Luck is landing a punch or two. You took two men down," Zuzu pointed out, placing her skewer on her plate as she leaned in and observed him closer. "What's your name?"
"Haru."
"Mine's Zuzu," she introduced. "So, Haru, you aren't particularly muscularly, but you survived a fight like that without so much as a scratch."
Haru went silent, either from embarrassment or pure nerves. He was worried she was catching on to him. Zuzu observed him closer for another minute as he refused response. Finally, she smiled to herself and backed off. Pulling out her wallet, she took out a large amount of cash and placed it on the counter.
"Consider it a gift, as thanks for saving that woman today," she smiled lightly, fixing her hair and wiping her mouth with a napkin as she paid and left the shop without another word.
Haru breathed a huge sigh of relief as she left. His focus went to the money on the counter. He wasn't exactly sure what to do with it. Did it make him less of a hero if he accepted it?
Sighing, he pocketed the cash since he had no other option. God forbid he run into the girl again, but maybe he could return it one day without her notice.
He clucked his tongue and went back to eating quietly as he thought the events of the day over. It felt good to be a hero.
January, 20th, 2017. 6:33 pm.
Jump City was a big change for Frankie Garcia. She had hitched a ride from her dad's ranger friend after she left home. He had dropped her off in a small town outside the national park. Even then, she felt dizzy by the sudden change in environment. As someone who could empathically feel the health of the environment, the change was monumental. Even more so now, that she had finally arrived in Jump City. She'd have to take periodic breaks as she explored her new home, having to adjust to the new environment. She trekked through Jump City in a bit of a daze until finally making it down to the harbor.
"Woah," she breathed as just beyond the port, stood a grand, tower of a school atop a solitary island in the middle of the bay. The school itself was a gothic-styled piece of modern architecture. The way the building was designed allowed minimal view of the inside, despite the entire front being made of glass windows. They accomplished this by slicing the windows in triangular halves and replacing half the glass with a one-way visible, frosted aperture. This made the building sparkle like diamonds against the setting sun as the sky behind it radiated cool shades of orange and red.
Next to the main campus, she assumed were the dormitories. Built upon a lower level of the island the dorms were more hidden by the small forest around it. Aside from the dormitories being the same color as campus, she could not make much else out. She took a few steps closer and breathed in the salty, sea breeze. She sighed contentedly as the air came in clean. She was happy she would still be able to live amongst the trees and nature in her new home, even with the major size reduction. Feeling a little less nervous, she headed to her left where she assumed the docks and a boat to take her across would be. However, upon her arrival, she became a bit worried to see a crowd gathered at the end of the dock. Noticing a few reporters around, she instinctively pulled up the hood of her jacket to avoid being seen. Quietly weaving through the crowd, she made it to the front where she could see the crew of the ships hurriedly making repairs on the largest ferry.
"It's broken?" she wondered aloud, wondering what could've happened. As she said this another loud voice rose out over hers as a lively, young teen broke ahead of the crowd with a selfie stick.
"Okay, guys, as you can see behind me, the ferries have been shut down. Apparently, they're all going through repairs. Personally, I think it's a test from the League. But anyways, no ferries means no way of getting to the League Academy," he began and smiled at the camera. "Fortunately, for me though, I have ways of my own getting there."
"Young man, you there!" One of the reporters spoke up, "would you happen to be one of the new, young superhumans joining the League Academy?"
"Why, yes, I would," the boy grinned, introducing himself. "My name is Dorian Summers."
"Please, spare us a moment for an interview."
"Why, I'd love to. You can reference my YouTube channel, DorianSummers, for any questions. In the meantime, I'm needed elsewhere," he announced as he turned towards the bay and prepared to leap off. He waved and flashed a salute before running towards the side of the pier and jumping off over the barriers. Everyone surged forward to catch a glimpse of the boy, each thoroughly engaged with his performance. As they leaned over the railing, they could see the boy standing atop the water. He summoned a small wave to carry him across the ocean. He started off shaky, but quickly got the hang of it and was soon blasting through the waters at high-speed.
"Well, there you have it folks. New superheroes have arrived in Jump City," the reporter announced to their camera with a smile as the crowd cheered behind them.
"Get to the Academy on your own, huh?" Frankie thought aloud, having listened to the entire performance of the other hero. She strapped her bag tighter to her and made her way to an opening in the crowd against the barriers. She peered down into the waters, making sure she wanted to continue forward with her decision.
Apparently, she waited long enough for a kid next to her to find interest in her. She looked at the kid with a curious stare as it turned up at her with a stupidly, excited smile, thinking she would do something cool too. Frankie stifled a laugh and smiled back at the kid, raising one finger to her lips and signaling her to be quiet. She nimbly hopped atop the barrier and stared down into the ocean, before diving in.
"Was that another super?" the crowd behind her murmured as they each clamored to get a view of the girl who dived into the sea. Frankie looked back at them from beneath the waves and smirked. She wouldn't be taking such a flashy exit as her predecessor. Instead, she stuck beneath the waves and pressed herself against one of the pillars of the dock. Adjusting herself into a comfortable position, she pushed off from the pillar and darted through the water faster than the kid before her.
Back home, she didn't have a wide, open ocean to swim about freely. Before she knew it, she was grinning against the waves as she pushed herself to test how fast she could go. She darted back and forth, flexing the skills of her agility as well. Her training was soon cut short though, as she began to come up upon the shore of the island. She slowed, making it into the shallow water of the island before using her own power to heave herself ashore. She coughed with the unpleasant taste of saltwater and trekked into the sand, wringing out her clothes and hair along the way.
"Woah, holy crap!"
Frankie's eyes widened at the shout and she instinctively threw up her hood again. She peered out beneath her hood, spying the same boy from before not far off into the distance. He started running up to her, camera in hand. Frankie was glad she put up her hood.
"You're that girl from before! Jeez, you really gave me a scare. I wasn't expecting anyone to follow me. I figured you were a super by the way you stood in the crowd. Your body language showed you wanted to shy away from my uproar rather than see what I could do, but I didn't expect you to rise up out of the waves all Jason Voorhees on me!"
Frankie froze to her spot, eyes wide as the boy spoke so quickly she could barely even register what he was saying. She shook her head, regaining herself. She stood up straighter and angled her body where the camera would have a hard time filming her. "Sorry."
"No, no worries!" The boy laughed, raising up two hands. "It made for some good video quality. My name's Dorian. I'm an internet persona on YouTube who likes to show-off my powers. What's your name? How did you get here? What powers do you have?"
Frankie stopped her hike to get off the sandy shore as he introduced himself. She frowned and turned back towards him quickly, still keeping her identity hidden beneath her hood. "Are you sure you should be going around filming this and letting everyone know who we are and what exactly is going on here?"
Dorian paused, surprised by the edge in her tone, but he shrugged it off quickly and ran to catch up with her. "Well, you're not the first to tell me that. So how did you get here?"
"I swam," Frankie announced as she tried ignoring the boy and continued walking up the island.
"Swam?" the boy asked doubtfully, keeping pace with her.
"Yup," Frankie said, unwilling to give up more information whe she was being filmed for a public audience.
"Cool!" the boy exclaimed, accepting her bare response as an answer. "So, like, you superswim or something?"
"Look, sorry if I don't want to talk to you right now, but I'm drenched, and just want to get to the island so I can clean up and go to bed. I'm also none too interested in revealing my identity to the whole world just so you can have some followers, or whatever it is that YouTube gets," she barked out, finally making it onto solid ground, which lessened her irritability only slightly.
"Whoops, my bad," the boy backed off, holding his hands in the air again. He paid no mind to her cutting remarks, her harsh words bouncing off him like nothing. "Totally should've known when you avoided the camera. Got carried away. Here, let me help you. I can dry your clothes."
Frankie stopped as he pleaded an apology. She turned on her heel once again and gave him an expectant look beneath her hood as she waited.
"Okay, stand still," Dorian instructed, putting his camera down and focusing all his attention on Frankie. He held his hand out in front of him, gathering his concentration before pushing it forward. Although his goal was to push all the water Frankie had absorbed off her clothes, he succeeded only in pushing the poor girl off her feet and onto the ground.
"Oops! I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed, dashing to help her up. Frankie glared at him as she accepted the help, brushing off her now dirty bottoms.
"Let me try one more time! Swear I won't trip you!" Dorian begged and clasped his hands together. Frankie huffed and put her hands on his hips, figuring she might as well let him try.
"Okay, should've probably called the water forward instead of back," Dorian berated himself, once again holding his hand in front of him. This time he focused closely on Frankie and started closing his hand as if he was squeezing an invisible object. Upon his command, the water pulled off Frankie's clothes and gathered in a ball before Dorian's eyes.
Dorian laughed in pleasure, excitedly looking to Frankie for her reaction. Her clothes were still damp, but not nearly as soaking as they were before. "Not bad."
"Oh yeah!" Dorian exclaimed, throwing up his hands and jumping for joy. "I've got this hero thing in the bag!"
Frankie rolled her eyes and readjusted her bag. "Come on. You have to make it to the academy first before you start saying that."
"Never too early to start celebrating," Dorian countered, practically dancing alongside her as the pair hiked further up the island.
"So what can I call you? -No worries! Camera's off!" Dorian asked, before clarifying himself.
"Um, Muir," Frankie said, giving him her hero name since she wasn't too sure whether to disclose her real identity to him or not.
"Cool! Is that your superhero name?" Dorian asked animatedly.
"Um," Frankie paused, thinking to herself. She wasn't sure if it was her superhero name. She'd never have to introduce herself as a hero before, or hide her identity. She did think about it hypothetically once, as a kid. She ran around the woods calling herself Muir, after John Muir, who helped to preserve some of her favorite national forests. She'd almost forgotten about that time, until it suddenly popped back in her head when he asked the question. "Yeah, I guess."
"Sweet! Mine's Poseidon! You know, like king of the sea?" Dorian proclaimed proudly.
"I'm pretty sure that's Aquaman," Frankie commented, before realizing what she said could potentially hurt the boy's feelings. She looked back worriedly, but was surprised when he replied back happily.
"I know. That's why I'm going to surpass him one day, so the name can belong to me alone."
Frankie scoffed, "Some spunky kid you are."
Dorian nodded next to her, proudly admitting the trait. "So what's with the hood? Secret identity stuff? Major scar?"
Frankie laughed inwardly. Though he was quite boundless in energy, and she was sure he would no doubt annoy her in the future, Frankie had to admit his warm personality could probably rub off on anyone. "Well if the camera's off…"
Frankie dropped her hood and turned around to give him a good look at her face. She had short hair, still messy from the ocean. Her bangs stuck to her face, still a little bit wet, but that only brightened the dark green of her eyes. She was fairly tan, and her face was spattered with a number of freckles.
"Cool," Dorian commented, then sputtered with his words, "Um, no mask or hood for me to pull down. This is me."
Frankie rolled her eyes and shook her head as the two kept on, trading information with each other. It wasn't long before they got to the base of the school. Several people stood out front, talking amongst each other. Upon their arrival, the group turned their attention to them. One they instantly recognized as Black Canary broke from the group and came up to them. "Welcome, new students. Let me be the first one to congratulate you on your courage to come here during these trying times."
"No way! It's Black Canary!" Dorian squealed, fumbling for his camera and turning it on hastily. "Can you say that one more time for my subscribers?"
Black Canary's eyes widened in surprise by his forwardness. Eventually, she cleared her throat and settled for a brief 'welcome'. "Now, kids, what are your names?"
"Uh, do you mean our superhero names or our normal ones?" Dorian asked.
"I suspect most students will prefer to know everyone on a personal level. But if you'd prefer to keep your identity a secret, that's fine too," Canary informed.
"Dorian Summers."
"Um, you can just call me Muir for now," Frankie said, seeing as Dorian had continued his live recording.
"Great, well, let me introduce you to my colleagues," Canary said, gesturing to the group of adults that had now approached them.
"Turn the camera off, kid," a man who looked straight out of the military said, smiling predatory at the smaller boy.
"Sorry," Dorian mumbled, clearly intimidated as he powered down his device.
"This is, as you know, Red Tornado," Canary introduced one by one. "He and I will be the first Leaguers to join the academy and watch over you."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Red Tornado greeted.
Black Canary smiled and moved on to the next person. The woman wore a white lab coat over her normal clothes and looked near Black Canary's twin. She had long blonde hair, which she pulled back into an elegant bun, and sparkling blue eyes. However, her features held more warmth in their frame as she smiled up at the group. "This is Natalia Monroe. She will be the headmaster of our school."
"Pleasure to meet you," she smiled politely at them through red-painted lips. "Thank you for coming. I work under Senator Finch. She personally asked me to oversee the Academy's progress."
"Nice to meet you," the two younger ones greeted back.
Canary smiled at their response, though quickly frowned when she had to introduce the next three characters. "This is Mr. Fite and Mr. Maad. They're our security here, and will be teaching our physical education classes when I am not around."
"Security? In a school for superheroes?" Dorian joked, laughing at the absurdity of the thought.
"You never know kid. A school full of heroes can attract a lot of bad attention," the taller of the two pointed out, Mr. Fite.
"When you train and take on one of us, if you can beat us, then maybe you're joke is as funny as you think it is," the other said with a taunting smile, Mr. Maad.
Dorian held his tongue, giving the two an uneasy look as he began to reassess his initial thoughts on them. Black Canary frowned deeper, and moved on to introduce the last, before being cut off by him.
"You can call me Mr. Herrera. I'm your behavioral counselor," the largely built man from before introduced.
"Military?" Dorian asked with a horrified expression. The man, though not the largest he's seen, was certainly large in character, and his signature smirk was none too settling.
Herrera ticked his head to the side and shrugged, "If you want me to be."
Dorian inwardly shuddered, a bit worried now in exactly what he had signed up for. So far, it wasn't exactly what he was expecting.
"That's enough of introductions for now. I'll take you to your rooms," Canary announced, already heading towards a path that led to the forest.
"Sleep well," Ms. Monroe bid farewell cheerily as the two hurried after Canary, thankful to get out of the thick tension that surfaced with the last three.
"Government personnel," Black Canary explained once they were far enough away. "The school is a building project between the League and the new Department of Superhuman Affairs, headed by Senator Finch. Anyone who's not with the League is working for someone else with their own agendas."
"The creeps from before?" Dorian asked, keeping close to avoid being left behind.
"Yes," Canary confirmed. "Whatever reason you came here, you're going to need to stick by passionately. You've come here so, they already have everything they need to track you down and find you, so leaving now because of fear, is pointless. Welcome to the Academy."
Frankie sighed in deeply as she returned to her room and plopped down in her bed. She wore a white T-shirt and some plain shorts while all her things washed in the laundry room. She peered down at her clothes, the gym outfit provided by the school. On both the pieces, bore the school's insignia.
"Dedicated to justice, and saving those in need," Frankie read around the main symbol. In the center was a small embroidered sphere that resembled the Earth, surrounded by several exquisite rings. "What does this mean?"
Her musings were interrupted as a knock sounded on her door. She shot up quickly, bringing her feet up to her bed and crouching as she anticipated a threat. "Who is it?"
"Um, hi. My name is M'gann. I'm a new student here. I think we live across the hall from each other. I was hoping maybe we can be friends?" a sweet sounding girl introduced herself shyly from the other side of the door.
Frankie bristled with visible discomfort, but relaxed her position. She settled into a criss-cross seated position and folded her arms in front of her as she looked away from the door. "Um, yeah sure, come in."
The door opened to reveal Miss Martian standing in the doorway, nervously holding one arm as she managed a friendly wave.
"Oh," Frankie started, surprised by her appearance. She looked down, blushing slightly as she finished awkwardly, "You're green."
"Yeah," Megan laughed embarrassedly, "I'm Martian Manhunter's niece, M'gann M'orzz, but you can call me Megan. It's an Earth name."
"Okay," Frankie said, nodding, but still avoiding eye contact with the alien.
"Um, what's your name?"
"Oh, it's Muir," Frankie blushed, not quite used to introducing herself to others. Actually, the amount of time she had to do so could probably be counted with the number of fingers she had.
"Um, so what can you do?" Megan asked, attempting to fill the silence.
"Sorry, I'm not used to talking with so many people in one day," Frankie cut in, then blushed when she realized she completely missed the question.
"That's okay!" Megan put up her hands and waved them frantically. "I only know how to greet people through Earth television shows! You're actually the first person I've met."
Megan squeaked when she realized how lame she must've sounded. She clapped her hands to her mouth, hoping Frankie was hard of hearing.
Frankie smiled softly, feeling a bit more relieved after Megan's confession. "Oh, so I guess we're both pretty bad at this?"
"I guess so," Megan laughed. She shuffled her feet, still standing outside the door. "May I come in?"
"Oh! Yeah!" Frankie exclaimed, berating herself for not offering her entry sooner. She scooted down the bed, making room for Megan to sit down.
"So um, do you have any hobbies?" Megan asked as the girls slowly got to know one another, eventually becoming more comfortable with each other throughout the night. Meanwhile several other heroes were having a very hard time adjusting.
"Academy for superheroes? What a joke," Wally grumbled, throwing a rock into the forest as he, Robin, Emma and Kaldur sulked over their situation in the woods.
"It's just a school for wannabe kids to want to try a be like Superman," Emma scoffed, using her ring to summon the energy to crack a fallen log in half.
"Dislike it though you may, we all must guide these new students the way our mentors guided us," Aqualad said, standing off to the side with Robin as the other two vented.
"Not Red Arrow. He got out of it," Robin quipped, crossing his arms and simmering to himself.
"Arrow went rogue," Aqualad corrected.
"Yeah, well maybe we should've too," Robin growled out, still none too happy about being forced to attend school. "Being here means we're off the battlefield. We can't take down villains if we're stuck doing homework."
"I believe the League has plans for us they have yet to reveal," Aqualad said, hoping to dissuade Robin from his negative outlook.
"Aquaman tell you that?" Emma asked, tossing a will-projected knife in her hand as she spoke.
"No," Aqualad said, "just a feeling."
"Hmm," Emma taunted brattily as she turned away from him, still tossing the knife in her hand.
"What the hell is this kid doing?" Wally announced, his attention drawn to one of the dorm windows. The others turned their heads in that direction, where a familiar blond boy could be seen parading about his room with a video camera.
"What's he so happy about?" Emma turned up her nose at him, glaring at him.
"Want to find out?" Wally suggested devilishly. Emma gave him a smile of her own mischievous givings, causing Wally to stand.
"Leave the boy alone you two," Kaldur warned, but they were already on the move.
"It is our responsibility to train them," Kaldur tried again, following after them while Robin trailed behind. Again, he was ignored.
"We're heroes, not bullies. If you have some steam to blow off, I suggest you go to the training room," Kaldur scolded them sternly. The two stopped and shared a look. Kaldur sighed in relief. They were done going after the boy, though it seemed he still had a fight on his hands.
"Beach? Midnight?" Wally challenged his female associate.
"No," Emma shook her head and began to stalk off towards the girl's dormitory. "I'm done."
"What do you mean you're done?"
"I mean, Kaldur got me," Emma snapped. "I'll go along with the League. Teach the brats. I'm not a bully."
"So where does that leave me?" Wally shouted as everyone began to split up and retreat into their rooms.
"Go to bed, Wally," Robin said, walking off with Aqualad. Wally groaned aloud, throwing up his hands and stomping off after him. Afterall, tomorrow was their first day of school.
１月２０日 １４：３５
Japan itself doesn't have many places to live. Too many mountains. Which means the hills and valleys that are liveable are packed with people, and downtown Tokyo is the worst of it all. Haru watched the people scurry about the street like ants from his view in a cafe window. He estimated maybe a hundred people crossed his window every thirty seconds. He isn't not particularly fond of the bustle of the crowd, so he's happy to be tucked away in a cafe with a warm cup of tea.
"Everything okay? Girl catch your fancy?"
Haru soured at the joke and turned to throw a glare at the person seated across from him. Zuzu beamed back at him, a toothy smile broadcasting her mischevious intentions. She dropped her pencil on the table and stretched her arms out with a small moan.
Haru glanced back at her while her torso leaned over the table to stretch, her hands splayed out across his own work. The two were friends now. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she sat back up with a satisfied smile.
He looked back out the window as she turned to him, reminiscing about his second meeting with the girl. He tried to avoid her. He really did. Latched with the secret that he attended the same school as her, he truly did his best to remain hidden out of sight.
He lasted an hour.
She came out of her classroom just as he was passing by in the hallway. He remembered her expression. Pure, shocked excitement radiated from her as she gasped deeply with a smile on her face. He had a similar expression on his face, but his stemmed from the horror he felt at her discovery.
Of course, he tried to shake her off. Managed to that day, but the next, she found him again and sat herself beside him at lunch. She interrogated him each time, but he kept ignored every question, hoping she would get bored and leave. She didn't. Eventually, her ambushes became just that, and the two of them would quietly work on their respective classes in silence until Haru began to enjoy her company.
The two became friends quite naturally in their partnership. Occasionally, she would ask him to explain something in Japanese for her, or she would stare over his shoulder and correct his math homework when he was wrong. They talked smally, her, never bringing up the topic of that night. He learned a lot about her over time. Sometimes she would talk to him in tangent rambles while they did their work and he'd reply with his own information, usually one-worded answers said for the sake of building the conversation. She'd take him out too, get him out of his usual passings between school and home. Sometimes, she wanted to study elsewhere and he'd always accompany her. When they finished late at night, she'd get him to go get dinner with her. She was still hoping she could get him out to drink, but she hadn't managed to yet. And she probably would never, Haru smiled to himself. She even got him to go to the movies or shopping with her once or twice.
Despite their initial tensions, Haru found himself all too willing to go along with her adventures. For a time, he was wary of her. Each kindness he thought as some kind of ploy for him to open up. In hindsight, it probably was, but he was a weak and lonely child. Seeing ghosts and stuff, didn't exactly make him popular as a kid. He was always the weird one with a special fear of the few people in the school, teachers and students alike, with a ghost at their tail. As expected, he didn't grow up with many close friends, a factor she had taken advantage of.
"Did you finish?" Zuzu asked, popping a straw in her mouth and sipping her frappuccino. She peered over to his side of the table, inspecting his papers. Haru sighed and turned back to his work, begrudgingly going back to it before she could scold him. Yes, he thought, she was certainly his closest friend.
"How many of them are like us?" Zuzu said, staring at him focusedly. Haru flinched and glared at her, hard. The girl started, a blush rising to her cheeks as it became her turn to stare out the window.
"Sorry."
He sighed and sat back up in his chair, leaning back as he rubbed his temple. "Stay out of my head, Zu."
"I didn't read your thoughts," she broke her gaze from the glass panel and looked down, guiltily. "It just came to me, like reading it off your forehead."
Like him, Zuzu was abilitied. For a time after they got to know each other, they began to suspect each one of them of superpowers. She, of course, always had the night of the festival in the back of her head to give him suspicion, and she had a frightfully pinpoint intuition to give anyone a second guess if she was truly human.
Yet, neither spoke a word of it to the other, compliant to just remain as they were. However, that relationship changed in early December when Zuzu was on a date with another boy. Haru was patrolling the streets, clad in his new costume when he saw them. He was getting into hero work, doing small heroic acts here and there. He was getting a better feel for the night and his city when the two passed him. Neither noticed him as they walked past, talking and giggling with delight.
Curiosity drew him in as he trailed the blooming couple. Zuzu was popular at school, as were most of the foreign kids. Plenty of guys were eager to date the new girl, taking the chance to brag a new accomplishment.
Zuzu never talked to him about boys, not even other people. Haru found himself curious with the thought. What was she like when not with him?
Perfectly radiant, he thought. She gave bright smiles and all the right answers, enough to charm anyone off their feet in five minutes. He could see why the boy walking her home was hooked. Haru imagined if she gave him that kind of treatment, he'd probably fall for her too, but she didn't. The Zuzu he knew was reserved and calculating, but still able to emit a warm energy.
Lost in thought as he wondered about her personality towards him, he almost didn't notice when her partner pulled her into an alleyway. His heart leapt with fear as she disappeared into the dark with terror in her eyes. He jumped from the rooftop and ran after him. There were no spirits to fuel his power, but he had enough to stop her would-be-assailant. He turned to Zuzu who glared at the man hatefully. He had managed to rip her dress in the short amount of time he had grabbed her.
Haru stepped towards her, wanting to comfort his friend, but stopped himself. It was precisely because she was his friend that he couldn't approach her. He was afraid he'd give himself away. Without another thought, he turned on his heel to retreat when she called out to him.
"Wait."
Haru paused and turned around, using the darkness from the alley to further hide himself. He had a mask and hood on, only the skin from his neck being visible. He told himself there was no possible way she could recognize him, but he froze with fear when she stared at him carefully.
He sighed in relief as she shook it off and continued, "He'll do it again. We can't just leave him."
Haru remained silent, afraid his voice would give him away. Zuzu stared at him hard, waiting for his answer. When she saw it would not come tonight, she relented.
"If you care at all for justice, you will meet me here tomorrow night at one a.m."
She sauntered off, leaving Haru in despair. He saved his friend, yes, but he could do nothing else to shield her. Forced to wear the mask and keep his identity sealed, he let her leave in a mess.
The guilt washed over him in waves.
The next day he felt obliged to meet with her, hoping to check on her and amend his mistakes. He kept his head tucked down as he silently entered the alley. If it werent for his subtle ability to sense people's presence, he wouldn't have seen her. She was tucked into the corner, hidden by the shadows and deadly quiet.
"Don't get me wrong, this isn't revenge," Zuzu started, taking one step into the light. "It's to keep him from hurting someone else."
Haru nodded in reply. He was quiet by nature, but he felt a thick tension in the air. Even if he did find pleasure in the sound of his own voice, he imagined a nod would've been the best response.
Accepting his silent reply, she brushed past him and began to lead the way. How she knew where to go, Haru didn't know. Nor did he want to. He watched her back, following her like a shadow. He bit his lip contemplatively as he noticed her back was tense with anger. Though he didn't deny their schoolmate had to be stopped, he was becoming increasingly concerned as to what measures Zuzu had thought to take.
Still, he remained silent as they moved further away from the main city. They were in suburb areas now, their dark figures casting foreboding shadows against the quiet neighborhood.
"He lives here," Zuzu announced as she stopped in front of a modest house. Haru peered in through the cracks in the curtains. A family was gathered in the living room. He could see the children playing in front of the television while the adults chatted and drank nearby. He looked again, but didn't see their target.
Unease settling in his stomach, he turned to Zuzu. She was staring up at the upper window hard, her expression ice.
Frowning once more, Haru moved them to the neighbors roof across the street, beginning slowly so as not to alarm his friend. He was surprised how easily she accepted it, but noticed that was probably because she turned her attention right back on the window as soon as she was a few inches off the ground. Haru was glad he moved them across the street, worried she might do something rash. It certainly was in her character to do so.
The two could see him from their perch on the roof. He had fallen asleep in his room with the lights on. Vulnerable.
"Turn the lights off," she ordered as she narrowed her eyes.
Haru did as he was told, making the lights in his room flicker off. "What's your plan?"
She closed her eyes and dug in her jacket pocket, procuring a solitary rose in her hand. She held it out to him with an expectant look. "Can you place this on his desk?"
Haru was suspicious, but sensing no harm, he gave his assistance. The rose floated out of her hand as he used his telekinesis to push the rose safely across the street. It paused outside the window as he opened it. Moving some papers aside, he set the rose atop some schoolbooks and turned to Zuzu expectantly.
'Thank you.'
She smiled at him weakly, her lips never moving. Haru sat frozen to his spot as her voice continued in his head.
'I suppose you and me are going to have some things to talk about, won't we, Haru?'
Zuzu smiled a bit wider as Haru gaped like a fish beneath his mask. She turned back to her attacker, the brown of her eyes turning stone black as she focused on the man inside.
The next moment, she was in his head. Whatever pleasant dream he was having vanished as the interior of his mind shook violently with her own fury placed inside. His consciousness warped as Zuzu painted a scene of pure horror for him to relive over and over.
Haru was frantic by the time she returned. Zuzu groaned and held her head, swaying slightly as she returned to reality. Her headache was only slighted more as Haru's panicked thoughts echoed in her head, "Relax, Haru. Your secret's safe with me."
'How long have you known?' Zuzu reeled as all of Haru's thoughts stabilized, forming into one question and slamming it into her own consciousness.
"Ow," Zuzu complained and held her head again, "Please no more psychic abilities. I'm drained."
"How did you find out?" Haru pressed, ripping off his mask to reveal a very unhappy look.
"Yesterday, after you saved me. Though, I had my own suspicions before," Zuzu replied, settling down, seeing as this would last longer than their normal conversations.
"You can read minds?" Haru guessed, still visibly upset. Zuzu paused to note how much he was talking. But in a situation like this, she supposed it was appropriate.
"I can," she confirmed.
"So you invaded my privacy?" he frowned and folded his arms.
"Not on purpose!" she defended. "Last night was deja vu. You reminded me of the night we first met, and since I'm empathic too, I noticed you were very upset. So I pushed myself into your head a little bit to confirm my thoughts."
"Zuzu, that's invading my privacy," Haru informed angrily.
"I don't have the best control," Zuzu admitted with a look of defeat. "When I saw your name and mine in your thoughts I got sucked in."
"So you knew this entire time?"
"Yes."
Haru remained silent. Zuzu didn't have to be abilitied to know he was simmering inside. She turned up her gaze and huffed exasperatedly, "Why are you mad?"
Haru frowned deeply, but couldn't answer. "I don't know."
"Is there any reason me knowing about you is a bad thing? Or you, me?"
Haru fidgeted in his seat as he mulled it over. Zuzu closed her eyes as she felt a question rise in his head.
"No, I won't tell your secret," Zuzu cut him off before he could voice it. She hit him as an afterthought. "Who do you think I am?"
"Stop reading my mind," he snapped, rubbing his sore arm.
"Stop projecting your thoughts like a flashlight in the dark," Zuzu countered.
Haru's lips twitched in annoyance as he bit back a snarky reply. Zuzu also backed down after sensing him do the same. She took a deep breath and sighed, leaning against the roof. He was still projecting his thoughts like some kind of damn beacon. She rolled her eyes, and looked to the sky as she agreed with him. "Yeah, we do have a lot to learn."
Haru smiled to himself at the memory. At the time he was quite infuriated, but now he looked back at it fondly. The two of them only bonded more over their shared secret, and now, they were able to train with each other. It only made them stronger.
"Still have trouble staying out of heads?" he teased, smirking softly.
"Just yours," Zuzu frowned at the joke, biting her straw in annoyance as she narrowed her eyes. Haru smiled to himself as he started back on his work. Zuzu scowled at him, setting down her drink on the table. She reached for her bag, digging inside until she found her wallet.
"Do you want anything?"
Haru shook his head in response, never taking his eyes off his work. Zuzu nodded and left without another word, going to the front counter to purchase a pastry.
Haru jotted down answers quietly, trying to focus on his work again. He and Zuzu had a big project coming up and he was in charge of the display while she filled out the powerpoint. Of course, he didn't have to put so much effort in as he was, but he wanted to make sure they got an A. As he was planning out how to construct a decent presentation, a sudden rise in ghoulish energy stormed through the coffee shop.
Haru gagged, nearly choking as his body absorbed the energy suddenly. Adrenaline rushed through him with the steep incline of his powers. He shot out of his seat, looking around for the source wildly. He felt his blood run cold as he laid eyes on the creature. Monstrous and hairy, it looked every part a demon as it crouched beside the counter next to Zuzu.
Zuzu remained oblivious to the threat as she smiled sweetly to the waitress and took her serving of cake graciously. Haru opened his mouth to warn her, but fear blocked the words from coming out. As Zuzu turned to come back to their table, her head snapped up as she honed in on his fear.
He felt her presence in his mind instantly as she searched for a cause of his fear. With stunned horror, she found the pieces to make a picture. She froze, petrified to the spot as the demon leaned his bulbous body down towards her and whispered something in her ear.
Glassware shattered against the floor as Zuzu lost her grip and screamed in terror. Haru snapped to attention, projecting his powers around her like a shield. She had turned the cafe's entire attention on her, but a second later, a horrible boom sounded from outside, causing the whole building to shake in violent quakes. Haru started, ignoring the explosion and racing towards Zuzu as he wondered what the hell was going on.
A/N: So what do you guys think so far? I'd love if you left me a review for one of my longer chapters. I'm really curious what you all think of the world I'm setting up. Hopefully you like it.
I'm still accepting OC's. Send them in!
Hope to update in another week.