Ch5

Aqune sat on the corner of her bed, facing Buguese the next morning. The curtain between them was opened.

"So, you aren't hurt?"

"No," Aqune said, smiling at him reassuringly. She had been attempting to recount what she had witnessed at school. But Buguese seemed rather bothered by the part where she was chased by Buzzrays.

"Good, then," he answered. "But I told you to be careful. You can't fight, so you should have stayed away."

"At least now I don't have to hide that I know who they are," replied Aqune. "That must have an advantage."

"I suppose," Buguese answered. "But they told you nothing else?"

"Actually, they explained a little more," she responded. She wasn't sure if it was actually anything useful, however. "They said that they came here from another world. And I got to meet their spiders."

Buguese noted the fact that Hunter omitted actually being an Earthen. Not that it mattered either way.

"What was his spider like?" he simply asked.

"Well, I didn't get to see him in actual combat. But the spider… Shadow looked to be a very well-rounded type. I can at least tell that he believes himself to be powerful."

"Hmm… I see," Buguese replied. "Thank you." He walked closer to the girl, and gently brushed at her hair with his fingers. He still was concerned for her. Surprised by this gesture, Aqune was blushing slightly, but she didn't really mind it.

"Hey, Buguese…" she spoke up.

"What?"

"I know this isn't up to me, but… maybe we shouldn't attack the school anymore. I think people are becoming suspicious already."

She, Hunter and Corona had successfully moved the Buzzray corpses to a dumpster. Hunter explained that no one would really pay them mind, because the garbage was already full enough with disgusting school lunches that people preferred chucking over eating. And going through garbage in general was something most people wouldn't think to do. However, there was nothing that could be done about the damage dealt to the classroom. The three left the messy scene as it was, and that was that.

"Perhaps that is wise," he said, and abruptly backed away from Aqune a bit. "However, I intend to be the next one to face Hunter Steele. I don't care where we meet, even if it is at the school. All that matters is that I can defeat him, and get him out of our way. Then, we can take the Oracle Keys unhindered.

Hunter and Corona were back at the temple, where Lumen and Igneous were waiting. It was actually a surprise for the two there to see them approaching.

"You don't have school today?" Lumen wondered. He really hadn't a clue how it worked, but assumed it was an every day thing.

"Nope," Hunter said. "You see, normally, school is never open on Saturdays and Sundays. But today, we have off even on a Friday. But… there's also some bad news."

"What's that?" asked Igneous, already concerned.

"The reason school is closed is because yesterday, Insectors attacked it," Hunter explained. "Nobody was hurt, but they caused a lot of damage."

"And if people find out about Insectors, then they could find out about us too," Igneous said. "I see."

"Actually…" Corona spoke, looking a little embarrassed. "Somebody did find out about us anyway."

"Who?" wondered Igneous.

"A girl in our class named Aqune," Hunter said. "But she promised not to tell anyone, and I'm sure she meant it."

"If you're concerned, I did ask, and she said she wasn't going to do any experiments on us," Shadow explained.

"A girl?" Lumen asked, now suddenly interested. "Is she cute?"

"I don't think it matters if she's cute or not," Igneous said. "She could still be dangerous."

"But is she?" Lumen asked again.

"What do you mean, dangerous?" Hunter asked, ignoring Lumen.

"Even if she seems honest, she could decide to tell someone anyway," explained Igneous. "Or, if you let her become too close, the Insectors could target her, to get information on us. We don't want to endanger any Earthens while we're here."

"Maybe…" Corona said, as she tried to think it through.

"You guys should meet her," Hunter said. "Then you'll see what I mean. Don't you agree, Corona?"

"Uh… yeah, I don't see why not," she replied.

"Sounds good to me," Lumen said.

"On second thought, I'm not sure how we could meet her, though," Hunter commented, sweating. "Unless we actually go looking. I never even got her phone number or e-mail or anything."

None of the others were quite sure what Hunter was talking about. But they didn't feel the need to bother asking.

"Maybe that's for the best now," Igneous said. "Forgive me for still being a bit skeptical. Besides, we probably won't be staying here for too much longer. That's another good reason not to get too attached to anyone here."

Corona was a bit concerned to hear this.

"But what about Hunter? He's our teammate."

"That's true. He is an Earthen," Igneous realized.

"Don't worry. If you guys find a way back to the Inner World, I'm definitely coming with you!" Hunter declared.

"Really?" Shadow asked.

"Of course, really," Hunter replied. "Sorry if you're disappointed."

"That's not the issue," Shadow replied.

"Even though your home is here?" Igneous wondered.

"Yeah. Even then," he answered. "I mean, I'm happy enough just meeting all of you. That finally gave me the proof that the Inner World exists. But that's not the same as actually getting to see it."

Corona smiled. Well, that problem was solved, at least.

"Alright," Lumen spoke up. "Well, if you guys want to go find your new friend, go ahead. But for now, I'm going to stay here and nap. But I must warn you. If she's really cute, she's probably taken. Sadly, that's what always happens."

"Who ever said I was interested?!" Hunter yelled. He supposed Aqune was kind of attractive. But, probably not his type. Not that he even knew what his type was.

While Igneous had opted to stay back with Lumen, naturally, Corona once again was accompanying Hunter as he walked through the forest. She didn't need to ask, and Hunter didn't mind. He supposed the two of them just made a connection of sorts with each other right away. Being with her felt natural, whether they were fighting Insectors or struggling with school. Pretty good for someone he'd just met. Maybe he did have a type.

As they were walking, they heard a rustling sound from the bushes.

"An Insector?" Hunter wondered.

"Wait," Shadow instructed. He wasn't sure what it was, but whatever was on the other side didn't seem to be going anywhere.

Suddenly, Aqune rose from behind the bushes, having heard talking.

"Oh, it's only you," Corona said. She was glad that they didn't have to fight something. "But… what are you doing in the woods?"

"I'm collecting fruit," Aqune said, holding up a basket with many berries. "I've just been worried a lot lately, so I thought I would relax by cooking something. I was curious as to what kind of ingredients I could find here."

"I see," said Shadow.

"By the way, what are you guys doing here? Are you here to fight something?" She was of course well aware of Buguese's plans to fight them.

"No, it's nothing like that," Hunter answered. "We were just hiking. But, we were actually thinking of looking for you. And here you are."

"Thanks for thinking of me," she answered.

"Hey… umm, is there any way we can contact you?" Hunter asked. "Like a phone number or something?"

"A phone number…" Aqune paused, not entirely sure what that meant.

"Hunter, what's a phone number?" Corona asked, now that it was the second time he mentioned it.

"Umm…" Hunter was a bit surprised that she didn't know. Did the Inner World not have those? "You use it to contact people from far away."

"Oh, like a manacle," Corona said.

That made the idea a bit clearer to Aqune too, not that she ever contacted anyone with her manacle. She was thankful to Corona for asking.

"I don't actually have one," Aqune said. "I'm sorry."

"Alright then. Where do you live?" asked Hunter. He guessed some people might not have phones, just no one he'd met.

"Around here…" Aqune said. She tried to stay calm, but was a bit worried as to how to proceed.

"Okay, where around here?" asked Hunter.

"North," she said, which was technically true. "However, I'm not really allowed to have visitors. My family is somewhat… complicated. That's the reason I moved here in the first place. I'm sorry, but if you want to see me, it will have to be at school."

"Or if we run into you by chance," Corona added. "Like today."

"Yeah," Aqune answered.

"Spider Riders!"

In a tree up above stood Buguese, in his true Insector form.

Aqune was immediately concerned. She was sure he must have seen her as well. Still, she decided it was best to try and hide herself behind a tree. Buguese wouldn't want her involved anyway.

"Who are you?" Hunter asked, annoyed. He knew this man had to be an Insector, at the very least.

"I am Buguese of the Big Four," he answered. "And I am here to finish you off once and for all."

Buguese wished Aqune wasn't there to watch, but for now, just decided to pretend he hadn't seen her. At least she had been smart enough to move out of the way, he noticed.

"You wish!" Hunter said. "Shadow, let's get him!"

"Sounds good to me," Shadow replied.

"Oracle's power!"

"Oracle's Soul!" Corona transformed too, of course.

Buguese held his arm out.

"Come forth, Machine-Sector." An ant-like monster emerged.

"We'll take this out as easily as the last one," Shadow said, confident. "Spider Threads!" Though he fired threads in its direction, the bug broke them before it could be caught.

"Venus, help him!" Corona instructed.

"Of course!" Now it was hit from two sides.

"It's working!" Hunter exclaimed.

However, the ant cut itself lose.

"No way!"

Buguese laughed in amusement. "Fools."

Then, the ant's stomach opened, and cannonballs shot from it. While the Spider Riders managed to dodge, the balls hit the trees and ground with a small impact. Even the tree Aqune hid behind was shaking. She decided she'd have to move elsewhere, although it would make her presence obvious again.

Hunter noticed what had happened. He didn't think the attack near her was intentional, but he certainly didn't trust his opponent either. "Don't even think about hurting her!" he demanded.

"Aqune is not my target," Buguese answered, annoyed. "You are!" He only realized after saying it that he probably shouldn't have called her by name.

"How do you know who she is?" Corona asked.

"I know many things," Buguese replied. "But I have no intention of hurting her."

More cannonballs appeared. This time, Hunter and Corona were too distracted to dodge.

Aqune cringed, watching them get hit. The girl had climbed up a tree a short distance away. She could see the fight clearly, but likely wouldn't get hurt from there, unless the whole tree was knocked down.

Both Hunter and Corona stood, but they were a bit sore.

"We have to finish it before it can fire again," Corona decided. She shot off an arrow. But the arrow merely deflected off the metal.

"My turn!" Unfortunately, Hunter's attack was equally unproductive.

"I honestly thought you'd put up a better fight than that," mocked Buguese. "I guess you're nothing to worry about after all."

"No! I'll never give up!" Hunter yelled. He narrowly avoided a cannonball, which shot his way, thanks to a quick leap from Shadow.

"Hunter, I have an idea!" Shadow said.

"What?!"

"When it opens up to fire! That's when we should attack. It would become vulnerable on the inside, where its mechanisms would be."

"It's worth a try," Hunter said. "Shadow, jump in the air. I need to be right on its level. If we can match the timing when it opens, then I can strike."

"Understood," the spider replied.

Concentrating, hoping his timing was right, Shadow took to the air. The plate was starting to open.

"Full Air!" yelled Hunter. When the dust from his attack cleared, the machine was cracked. It then split in half, each piece crashing to the ground.

"Great job, Hunter!" Corona said. She wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"How is that possible?!" Buguese shouted. He was furious. The Insector's first thought was to jump down and kill the both of them himself. Rather, he regretted not doing that from the start. But Aqune was watching. He could see her clearly from across the trees. Even on the chance she didn't interfere… it was too complicated.

"Hunter Steele, Corona, I must ask you one thing," Buguese said.

"And what's that?" Hunter asked, annoyed. "Why don't you just come down and face me, you coward?!"

"I would be glad to… another time," he answered. "I only want to know one thing. Why did you Spider Riders follow us here to this world?"

"To stop whatever you're planning, of course," answered Corona.

"We had no idea you even wanted to go to this world," Shadow added. "We came across you by chance!"

"I see. Then you are as ignorant as ever," Buguese answered. Satisfied, he took off.

The Riders might have tried following him, but then Aqune came down from the tree and ran to them.

"I'm glad you're both okay," she said.

"Yeah, you too," Corona replied. "If he knows about you, you have to be careful. Buguese is a lot more dangerous than Buzzrays."

"Yes, I know," Aqune replied. "But thanks for the advice." She knew him a lot better than them. She was sharing a room with him even, but thought it was best not to explain all of that. "Alright, well… I'll see you around. I still have something to cook." Aqune picked up her basket from the ground.

'It would be nice if I could share it with them,' she thought. 'Maybe another day.'

"Aqune…" someone was calling her name. Aqune was afraid, but turned her head. Standing right behind her was that man. She screamed.

Then, she woke in her bed.

'Who is he? Why do I keep seeing him, even in my dreams?'

"Aqune, what's wrong?" Buguese appeared before her.

"I had a dream," she said worriedly. "That man… he was calling me." The girl then wrapped her arms around Buguese, pressing her head against his body. She was afraid, but why, if it was of someone she'd never even met?