強い人と弱い人
The Strong and The Weak
Chapter 6 : An Introduction to Redー
Pale eyelids fluttered open revealing a pair of hazel colored eyes. The first thing Haruna observed was a wood ceiling with square designs and a window with purple drawn curtains letting in the sunlight. She made an attempt to remove herself from the coach she laid on, but she retired back with a throbbing pain that struck her abdomen. Wincing, she clutched her stomach and heaved in a heavy breath.
That fatty had no mercy whatsoever.
Her eyes scanned the building weakly. She was alone as far as she can tell. Her eyes followed the racks of unattended alcohol behind a bar. She had never one quite like this one before. It seemed a little 'foreign' to her. Not like she's ever been to one, but whenever she walked through town late at night she would curiously peek through bar windows as she passed by. The eighteen year old would study the faces of seated customers, who were usually men, as they chugged down a glass of beer and slam it back down onto the table with goofy grins. The Ashinaka attendee admitted that she considered drinking once or twice out of curiosity, but she always reminded herself at the right moment that she had to wait another three years.
The overall feel of this bar didn't seem like it housed visitors like the countless men she's seen, but then again... a bar is... Well, a bar.
It just had that 'home' kind of feel.
Abruptly, a door chime interrupting her thoughts and Haruna heard someone's shoes lightly tap onto the floor accompanied by the rustling of plastic bags.
"Ah." A man's voice met her ears,"You've came to? How are you feeling? You've been out for a good three hours."
"What ever happened to fatty and Yata-san?" She turned her attention away from the selection of beers and wines and asked the tall, blonde man with a pair of shades.
He gave an nervous, awkward laugh and scratched his head with the hand free of the cluster of plastic bags,"It sounds like you're doing better."
As if he had only realized what she had just said, the man asked with surprise as he tipped his head down and looked out to the girl with wide, brown orbs,"You know Yata-chan?!" He closed his eyes and smiled to himself,"Why didn't he tell us that he was acquainted with such a pretty girl."
"N-No, not technically," She pretended not to hear his last mumblings to himself and stuttered,"Him and some other guy actually... Uh..." The girl swallowed and grinned at him nervously,
"Assaulted me?"
The slam of the plastic bags hitting the bar's surface made her jump from her seat. Immediately, he remove his shades and hooked it to one of his pant's pockets. He gave a growl of irritation and quickly opened the door leading outside; poking his head out and asking someone with forced politeness,"Yata-chan. Please come inside right now." Even from the other side of the room, he could hear the boy's grumbles and protests from outside the door,"S-Shit... The jig is up- Kusanagi-san...!"
"Damn it, I said you better come inside this instant!" He went through the door and physically dragged him by the collar. The boy attempted to resist, but he kept a firm grip. Kusanagi threw him over to Haruna who blinked up at him in confusion.
"You told me that you found her lying like this at her apartment! I don't even want to ask you what really happened. Apologize right now."
"I-I didn't think it was a girl! H-Honestly...! Kamamoto-"
"Who was the one who brashly decided to go off on their own and allow this,"He gestured to her with his free hand,"To happen? I said that this girl might have information, but you go off running without even thinking. I'll have a talk with Kamamoto later." Kusanagi loosened his grip on Yata's collar and pinched his nose,"So you better apologize. It's a mature thing to do."
Sulking, Yata-san averted his gaze from her,"O-Okay." He ended up apologizing to a far wall,"I'm sorry."
"Look at her in the eye." The blonde demanded.
Hesitantly, he slowly turned his head to Haruna with a light red that began to dust his cheeks. He bowed down and pulled his beanie down over his eyes,"I-I'm sorry."
"Good enough." The man huffed. Nervously, her eyes flitted back and forth from Kusanagi to the bowing boy. He gave her a tender smile which she returned before addressing Yata,"I-It's fine...!" She accepted his apology with equal awkwardness. "Yata-san?" She called out to him,"Could I ask you something?" She asked sweetly.
Yata sprung up instantly to meet Kusanagi's expecting stare and looked back at the smiling girl blubbering,"I...U-Uh, sure." His eyes continued to flit back and forth from her face to the wood floor; his flushed cheeks burning an even brighter hue. Her eyebrows furrowed together and she stood up from the couch, still clutching her stomach; but she knew this would be worth it. She brought him into a tight headlock and sat back down onto the couch.
"O-Oi...! W-What the hell are you doing?!" He started to flail his arms around aimlessly.
"No, Yata-san."
She felt him tap her arm as she tightened the hold that encircled him around his neck,"The question is: What the hell are you doing?!" The student council member heard him give out a loud sign of confusion,"Hah?!" She continued,"Don't screw with me! Delivery my ass! And are you hard of hearing?! You didn't think I was a girl?! If you really, really wanted to kick my ass, you should've said it straight out-because I would've greeted you with a fist without hesitation- and HOMRA?! Come on! You still look like you're in middle school. You're too young to be playing punks and gang-"
Her arm was shoved away briskly with brute force and Yata-san removed himself from her arms; glaring at her with an expression filled with both hurt and anger,"You...! It's not punks and gangsters! HOMRA is...!"
Kusanagi placed a hand on Yata's shoulder and told him gently,"Yata-chan, could you help out Kamamoto for me? He should be over at the nearest convenience store. I asked him to get a couple things, but he might need some help carrying it back."
"Kusanagi-san, I-"
"Yata-chan. I'd greatly appreciate it if you went. We also have a young lady to tend to if you haven't forgotten."
Wordlessly, he snatched the skateboard that leaned against the bar. He threw it to the ground giving an audible clack that echoed throughout room. The boy gave her one last grim look before skating out; leaving the door wide open. She still caught a glimpse of the bright crimson that colored his face like a tomato. She was probably just imagining things out of tiredness, but she thought she saw red sparks fly out of the skateboard wheels as they turned.
Kusanagi placed the shades back over his eyes and ruffled his hair,"How many times have I told him not to skate inside the bar?" He sighed to himself,"Please don't mind him, he doesn't really think about the consequences before jumping into... Trouble."
"I don't mind at all. He just caused me the absence that will surely have me fail my morning class. No big deal."
"Your sarcasm is appalling, young lady." He laughed,"What's your name?"
"Haruna Aigasa."
"Ah. Nice to meet you, Aigasa-chan." He introduced himself,"Izumo Kusanagi, the owner of the bar."
"Kusanagi-san," She stared at the bar stools at her far left,"I've never seen one quite like this before. It's a bit impressive." Izumo placed his hands on his hips and looked to the ceiling,"You think? This was actually imported from England." He said proudly,"Cost me a fortune."
"Sounds like you say that all the time."
"Of course. It's been my baby for eight years already."
"This is a big baby you have here." She leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes. "That boy wasn't really from HOMRA, right?" Haruna opened an eyelid and stared back at the blonde man who started rummaging through the plastic bags.
"Huh? Oh, you mean Yata-chan?" He lifted his head as if he was thinking,"Believe it or not, he's actually our vanguard."
You got to be kidding me.
"Your... vanguard?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing,"When you mean 'our', do you mean..." She thought the middle schooler's claims of being a part of HOMRA were jokes. "You don't actually mean HOMRA, HOMRA?" She was was expecting ruffians wielding guns and knives with women under each arm. "You probably thought of us as armed pimps, huh? It's not a surprising thought though." He chuckled,"After all, we fight in more... Unorthodox methods compared to clans like Scepter 4." Haruna remembered the swords positioned at the hip of each person's blue uniform; inviting shivers that ran through her spine.
"What is HOMRA and Scepter 4?" The curious student asked as she untied her hair and placed it over a shoulder. She had asked Saruhiko the same question, but the girl hoped that she would receive a more thorough answer from the man in front of her. Izumo brought out a small, metal lighter and played with it in between his fingers,"Are you familiar with the clans here in Shizume City, Aigasa-chan?" She shook her head and clasped her hands together in her lap. "I know very little."
"Like?"
She was silent for a moment before admitting to him,"Actually, nothing."
"Would you like to see what we can do?" He asked, flipping his lighter open,"Would you like to see the reason why so many people fear us?"
She watched the lighter as it emitted a tiny flame. Her gaze moved over to the smile that Izumo had produced and back to the small lighter. She watched curiously as the flame flickered a bit; wavering back and forth. Her eyes widened as she watched the tiny fire grow bigger and bigger into a fireball that he transferred to his pointer finger.
"H-Hey. That's dangerous..." She spoke up nervously, but when she realized it didn't scorch him, she was clearly mesmerized. The unwavering smile remained. Neither did he show any sign of pain. "How are you doing this...?" She whispered softly,"So the rumors are true."
"You don't seem as surprised as I expected." He admitted to her,"There's actually seven kings with seven different auras." Izumo described it to her,"Each king is capable of bestowing the powers they have to other people; who become their clansmen. HOMRA is made up of clansmen with the red aura. Scepter 4 is a clan with the blue aura under their king, Reisi Munakata." He closed the lighter shut and lit a smoke with the fire that burned at the tip of his finger. He closed his hand into a fist, dispelling the flame along with Haruna's trance,"Who I'm sure that you've already met."
"I am a vassal; with Yata-chan and Kamamoto along with with many more under the third king, our king, Mikoto Suoh."
As he placed the cigarette between his lips, she swore she saw tiny fireballs flying out slowly and disappear into the floor without a trace. He pointed to her stomach and inhaled before letting out a cloud of smoke,"Does it still hurt?" She gave a silent nod. Izumo went back to the plastic bags and brought out several packets of ice. He threw it to her from the bar and she barely caught them with a few fumbles. She gave a nod of appreciation and clutched it to her body.
Her deep curiosity of Scepter 4 and HOMRA was growing dangerously. She wondered if the stupid fish was bestowed with the blue aura as he was a part of that 'police force that deals with certain affairs'. A certain question popped up into her mind regarding yesterday's happenings,"How did you know I had contact with Scepter 4?" She asked,"I'm assuming you guys don't like them very much. You don't spy on them, do you?"
He waved his hands in front him and protested,"I get my information from other clansmen, I don't do anything beyond that. Both Scepter 4 and HOMRA- I think that we're after the same things. The motives aren't the same, but..." He trailed off. Haruna stared out into space and responded with a low hum,"So you're the 'intel guy'." A man with this kind considerate demeanor didn't suit being in the 'front lines'.
"I'm just as capable when I'm fighting too, just so you know. And Aigasa-chan?"
Haruna shifted her attention over to Izumo who seemed entertained,
"I just want to clear up something with you before you get another wrong idea. Yata-chan is a good kid. He acts tough, but in reality he's a bit sensitive; especially when it comes to our, you know, affiliation."
Izumo removed the cigarette from his lips and blew out another cloud of smoke,
"He's nineteen."
The whole building immediately rang out with a nervous fit of giggles,"H-Haha! Kusanagi-san, please. Stop it!" Her shaky laughter trailed off a bit and she stared at him with overwhelming intensity; it was as if she was piercing his eyeballs through his pair of shades. "He's my height and he looks super scrawny-" She grabbed her hair at the roots and shut her eyes closed,"Ah! I thought he was in middle school! Oh no, this is embarrassing!"
"Kusanagi-san, what do I do?!" She let go of her hair and balled them into fists in her lap,"What do I do?! I was so rude to him! Oh God, he's older than me...! What do I do?! Wait. Why should I even care? He threatened to burn my apartment down! That bastard-"
The bartender simply laughed at her.
Scepter 4, Main Control Room
"Yes. This is Fushimi." His eyes lit up as he listened to the other line,"Yes. I see. The apartment? Alright."
As soon as the young man ended the call, an unusual smile grazed his lips.
"What have you gotten yourself into now," He chuckled to himself,
"Mi-sa-ki?"
A/N: Haruna has finally seen the red aura in her own eyes and received a tiny crash course on auras and clans.
I'm really hoping I didn't screw up Kusanagi's character and made him OOC.
That would be utterly devastating.
Guest: Thank you! I'm so very glad that spring break is here. it's too bad that yours had ended though! D;
Thank you again for your review! :)
Eruyuu4 and M0no: Yup, chapter 1 and 5 was short. I wanted to separate Saruhiko's and Haruna's point of views so I placed them into separate chapters, 1 and 2. But the time has come for bigger chapters! Huzzah! I attempted to make this even longer than I intended for you guys! Thank you for your reviews! ;)
SmileRen, Eryn Goddess of Chaos and RheishaM: I'm on the same boat. I'm very disappointed in Yata as well. I made him verbally abuse Haruna. ; u ; *cries* He didn't know it was girl?! How could he not after all those exchanges behind the door?! Geez... At least I made Kamamoto the one who punched her... E-Ehehehehe... Haaa...
tohru15: Merci!
Je ne parle pas très bien le Français.
*falls to the ground and cries* I confess to partially using an online translator and dictionary.
But I'm very glad that you're enjoying it so far.
Misaki is quite the man when it comes to women, h-haha.
I hope I can continue with your interests intact as well. :)
Cheshire neko chan: Thank you for your review! I hope you liked it!
See you guys again later this week. C: