Being a Kampfer does have its benefits. My injuries were severe, even as a Kampfer, but my healing was beyond what it had been. I had been a fast healer anyways, and thanks to learning to fall and being obsessive about certain things with skateboarding, I could keep track of the time it took to heal.
It goes without saying that with Shizuku's and Akane's expertise, my injuries heal relatively fast, considering what happened to me. It took nearly three and a half months total...And, for a month in total I had to stay in the bed. At least I am no longer in pain when I handle my business and moving around isn't going to split me wide open, literally.
My eyes also made a full recovery.
It is a positive in my long array of negatives.
Going to school in general is always a negative for me, but now it is a double negative. I just do not want to even entertain stepping foot back in that school. Shizuku and Akane rushed my recovery, so I could be crammed back into the school. So all hell can break loose in the hallway, and there's bullets, and orbs of light destroying everything.
Like I look forward to any of this bullshit, which is exactly what it is. The second negative is that I am going to be tested again. Some Kampfer or that same very one is going to make their presence known, or ambush me like the bitch with the gun did, and it won't even be one on one strictly speaking.
There is an unspoken rule to zip the lip about Kampfer stuff except with other Kampfer, but there are no rules specifying combat. How many, where, when, why, do we announce ourselves, do we not...Honestly the list is too damn long, but there are no parameters.
It's a free for all in that case.
In my case going to school will be horrible. It is not horrible for me, really. It is going to be horrible for the little runt that shot at Mikoto and I. It doesn't take a genius to know that the bitch goes to the same school as I do, that is why she got the jump on the two of us like she did. When I recognize her, I will attack her-I am going to curb stomp her.
For gashing my side, almost blinding me, and hurting Mikoto-I will kick all of her teeth out. There isn't a person or force capable of stopping me from doing just that. Payback will be thrown out, and I will feel glorious vindication when I see blood pour out the bitch's mouth.
Dealing with all of this, I can't even bother with Shizuku or Akane. I can't bother with looking at my assignments. I can't bother with thinking about my assignments. Quite frankly I shredded four assignments for stupid literature and history class with my bare hands. That isn't including my small part in the bigger homeroom class project.
Like we need to do projects in homeroom-what happened to nap time and just reading a book? Why do they have to try to be productive here? Not like any of us really give two cares about the project or the grade, homeroom is where we talk.
In Japan the students use homeroom as the hangout-as opposed to my old high school in the states, where we would skip homeroom, and when tickets started to be given out to whoever didn't show up, we just used that small window of time to nap.
I'm not even going to be able to nap again. Not until I've got my payback. Once I hammer the broad's face and leave her with a broken nose, the eye socket bone, and a bloody mouth. And, more to the point, I will not want to be in school.
We miles well start taking pieces out of Tokyo and going at each other's throats. Considering I am going to melee that bitch that shot at me and actually shot Mikoto, I need to go over a few things first before it comes time to make a grand ass out of myself.
All Kampfer take on one of three battle classes.
These are Zauber, Gewehr, and Schwert. Zauber is magic, or I liken it to energy. Gewehr is gun, rifle, or any other particular firearm. Schwert is sword or any bladed weapon, respectively.
As far as I know, and have experienced first hand myself-Kampfer do not have control over which battle class they belong to, nor what weapon they wield in that class.
The Zauber class is a magical or energy based class. Those, like me, classified as Zauber are able to summon and launch elemental projectiles. Zauber is elemental in nature, and draws power from the Contract Bracelet of its Kampfer. The element wielded by each Zauber is random, and they will be associated with that element permanently. However, since I was born in March-it is not chance or coincidence that my element happens to be water.
Another most important-if not the most important face is that Zauber users are able to generate their element at will, but they are not able to control or effect sources associated with that element. In my case, I will not be able to effect or use a stream. In Natsuru's case, she won't be able to effect a volcano.
According to Stubby Bear, Zauber is the hardest class to master, as it is not obvious for Kampfer on how to use them. There can be an activating item used by novice Kämpfer when learning to use Zauber, but he is highly against this-viewing it as a crutch.
Zauber is also, by no coincidece, the most destructive class among the three. Zauber attacks are both massive and explosive. Attacks can be hurled on a monolithic scale, or smaller attacks can also be generated, as I learned to do by making water spin my palm.
I am sure Natsuru is able to generate just enough fire to set off a fire alarm in school.
However, pinpoint strikes are not usually a trait seen in Zauber. Attacks are broad, cover range, distance, and perimeter. That isn't to say that I can't use pinpoint attacks, or whoever was shooting those balls of light at me, those were definitely pinpointed.
There is one crux with being a Zauber. We are offensive oriented or support. As fighting styles go, Zauber are agile and flexible, utilizing staccato, powerful strikes and fast advances that keeps our opponents off balance, however we have no way of defending ourselves from direct attacks.
As evident when I evaded the balls of explosive light.
We are usually at our best when fighting in tandem with a Kampfer of another class or the same class. And, that is true to the core. I felt much more confident and bold when I was fighting beside Akane, and oddly enough, when I was pushing my way for Shizuku.
Perhaps I have a limit on my overall growth or potential, as an individual Kampfer, but with Shizuku, Mikoto, Akane, and Natsuru, I can surpass my limits and reach my full potential...By relying on them as much as they must rely on me.
That could be hard since I like being independent-but I am not so prideful, that when faced with adversity or an impossible obstacle, that I won't look to others.
So, to sum up myself and Zaubers we are emotional, usually a contradiction in some form as Kampfer in relation to ourselves, we may have a limit we reach, and we must train rigorously and daily in order to utilize all of our gifts to their full potential.
Gewehr, as a class encompasses all types of small firearms, and when spoken is taken to mean gun. According to Stubby Bear, but one Kampfer can shoot light, so a Gewehr Kampfer having a sniper rifle, machine gun, or rocket launcher isn't exactly far fetched.
Certain physical limitations do not apply to Gewehr weapons. The weapon never jams nor ever runs out of ammunition. There is no need to clean the barrel and everything else, since the weapon would never misfire in the first place. Gewehr are able to summon their weapon through the Contract Bracelet, though I do not know if the amount is limited.
For example, whoever shot at Mikoto and I was using an SMG, there could be a Kampfer uses dual revolvers, dual SMGS, or something even crazier than that. But, if my memory serves me right and hasn't failed, Akane has only ever used one pistol at a time.
According the Stubby Bear this class is fairly simple to master, as its weapons are a relatively simple point and shoot rather than having to learn to harness the energy necessary by Zauber or the complicated techniques of the Schwert users.
This process is made even easier as since Gewehr do not have to learn how to tend to the gun, clean it, reload effectively, or chamber new rounds. Gewehr are generally more evasive, as users are more comfortable strafing and evading the attacks of other Kampfer while using their gun to keep enemies at a distance.
They can also block to some extent, as their guns are nearly indestructible, however the small margin they have to block with makes them avoid attacks rather than block them. Akane, thanks to her perverted bunny informing me, utilizes a Springfield Armory Loaded M1911-A1 pistol.
Schwert means sword, though as a class, it encompasses all bladed weapons. Like the Gewehr class, its users are able to summon their weapons through their Contract Bracelet. While Schwert weapons can be influenced by local culture, foreign and unconventional weapons can be used as well. Mikoto's katana, a sabre, a halberd, and there's Shizuku's dual knives.
While the concept of using blades is obvious to its users, learning the actual techniques necessary to wield their weapon effectively is the most difficult thing Schwerts must learn, so they can truly master their given weapons.
The Schwert class is a jack of-all trades class. Users employ various strategies ranging from an aggressive fighting stance to overwhelm an opponent, to a passive stance where they can avoid and deflect attacks, all the while waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
There are four factions-as far as I am aware.
Red, blue, white, and black.
All Kampfer have enhanced strength, enhanced speed, enhanced healing, enhanced reflexes, enhanced durability, enhanced flexibility, enhanced agility, enhanced dexterity, and enhanced power. We all have assistance from an Entrail Animal or as they like to call themselves, messengers.
The battle of the Kampfer is overseen by a group known as the Moderators, who they are, how they look, or anything along those lines is a mystery. All Kampfer are female, any males chosen will undergo a gender swap during transformation, as it has been proven with Natsuru and I. Kampfer also means fighter.
Blue Kampfer bracelet
Most Kampfer, when selected, are placed into one of two factions, easily identifiable as Red Kampfer or Blue Kampfer. The Contract Bracelet all Kampfer wear around their wrist will be colored to represent their alliance. Once placed, that Kämpfer must fight for their team. There is no penalty for betraying their faction and joining the other team, however, the Contract Bracelet will not change color to reflect this.
Once more all Kampfer obtain enhanced strength and speed when transformed. We can move extremely swiftly and jump incredibly high. I heard Akane mention that Red Kampfer are three times faster than the Blue Kampfer, but I can't be too sure about that as I have seen Akane and Shizuku move, in addition to myself, and we are all equally swift.
The origins of the Blue and Red Kampfer began when the Moderators, an unknown, intended to cease bloodshed between two or more warring factions. Unable to reach a concession, the Moderators assigned young adults from the planet of Earth to act as their champions.
They would fight in their stead, and the victorious faction would be declared the winner. All the while Kampfer shed each other's blood over and over, while the Moderators just get to sit back and watch it all unfold and not have to dirty their hands.
I can only conclude that Sakura has always had a large involvement with the Kampfer, and importantly, the Moderators, despite not being a Kampfer herself. All known Kampfer in the area have an Entrail Animal as a Messenger , and all of these Entrail Animals can be traced back to Kaede in some way, shape, or form.
Which is strange because I'm born and raised in the states, and I have my own Entrail Animal-Stubby Bear, and have had him since I was a child. I can't confirm if Sakura gave it to me way back then, if I found it, or if her parents, possibly, gave it to me as a sort of present.
Did we do to the same grade school, or were we in the same grade for a year?
I can't remember...
I have no way to confirm that Kaede is directly responsible for initiating and furthering the Moderators' plans of us Kampfer killing each other, so I will just keep this bit of information to myself or share it with Shizuku, who must be coming to her own deductions..
While the Blue and Red Kampfer are intended to fight against one another, there have been instances in the past where rival Kampfer instead unite and make a stand against the Moderators themselves. History has repeated itself in that regard.
Their refusal to fight one another would result in a complication of the larger conflict that the Kampfer actually represent, and so this led to the creation of a third faction, the White Kämpfer.
The White Kampfer were created as a response to the rebellion of Blue and Red Kampfer against the Moderators. They are the policing force of the Moderators, as they ensure the continuing battle between the Blue Kampfer and the Red Kampfer. They ensure we keep killing each other instead of coexisting and being peaceful.
White Kämpfer can be of course be recognized by the Contract Bracelet they wear, which is neither blue nor red. They are not involved in the fight between the Blue and Red Kampfer, thus they are supposed to be, should be, neutral to either side in normal circumstances.
Their duties range from instigating peaceful Kampfer to entice them to fight, to removing entire rebel groups of Kampfer that intentionally go against the Moderators' wishes. As Kampfer themselves, they have access to all the powers and abilities that regular Kampfer have.
Unlike the Red and Blue Kampfer, however, they answer directly to the Moderators themselves. And, then there's me. The Black Kampfer. Stubby Bear won't go into too much detail about it, but he's made it clear, perhaps more so than other Kampfer-even if there were green Kampfer, I must fight. More over it seems like Black Kampfer snap and go on a rampage.
I am a good deal faster, I think, since I was able to avoid those balls of light as well as Shizuku's dual knives for a moment of time when that fight happened before. Although it could be the fact I am naturally swift, and being a Black Kampfer only enhances that one hundred fold.
Now, of course Shizuku, Akane, and Mikoto are either around me, or hovering around me to make sure none of my injuries are too severe and everything is healing like it is supposed to be. They are around me when I am lost in myself, drifting on my thoughts, riding the currents of possibilities in the future, and it just seems to be fitting.
After all, if Shizuku isn't derailing my train of thought, she takes over the engine and runs it right off the track so I can focus on her.
My power is growing. I can feel it. Ever since Stubby Bear and I focused on mental training I had learned much about the Kampfer and the unique powers we all wield. Physically, I feel stronger than ever before. In long distance runs I can sprint beyond my full speed for ten kilometers before I even began breathing heavily.
My reflexes are quicker, my mind and senses are sharper than I possibly could have imagined they'd be in my lifetime. When necessary I can channel the power of my Contract Bracelet through my body, giving my bursts of energy, allowing me to perform full flips from a standing position, survive jumps, as well as falls from incredible heights unscathed, and I leap vertically twenty meters or more if I go all out.
I am completely aware of my surroundings at all times, sensing the presence of others. I can even get a feel of their intentions, vague impressions of their very thoughts. I can move hundreds of pounds now, for every workout, and for longer periods. With each training lesson my power grows. It became easier and easier to command my power. And with each week, I realized I surpassed my previous achievements by a milestone.
More and more of my time was spent in the living room studying notes Stubby Bear had me write down, things I wrote down that he said that would be useful, nothing asinine. When I wasn't studying, I was meditating. I was never one for meditation, though I can sit still and reflect, going through motions like Piccolo in DBZ isn't my cup of tea.
Once I begin my training with Shizuku, I will no doubt be swept away by the intensity of each and every session. Absorbing the knowledge Stubby Bear would speak on, pertaining to the Kampfer, could be a cold and sterile pleasure. Meditation was no competition for the feeling of exhilaration and power I felt when actually using my power. I am a Black Kampfer. I am part of the pact between Kampfer to not kill each other.
I am part of the now, not the ancient past.
"You've made a full recovery, almost." Akane says, voice clear.
Her simple statement rouses me out of my contemplation and forces me to focus back on the muddled reality. It is not nearly as clear or vibrant as my internal world, a place I'd go where I'd meditate-where it is quiet and still-not noisy or chaotic.
"Wooo..." I look at her, arching my brow.
"Don't be like that. At least you can move now. Even if you have to go back to school, at least you don't have to lay around anymore." Natsuru reminds me, shaking his head for a brief moment.
I scowl at Natsuru, turning away from him. "I want to skateboard. I don't want to go to school."
"Is that what you did back in the states?" Akane asks, looking at me with a half drawn frown.
I just ignore the obvious look of slight disapproval. "Yeah. I'd skip and skate, or not even show up. My friends and I would hang out at a spot all day or go to their house and skate a rail."
I don't think I need to mention joints and blunts were exchanged.
"You won't be able to do that here...Well, at least with Shizuku being like she is. She'll want all of us to be in school, for obvious reasons."
Akane's statement reminds me I have to buy a whole new skateboard. I have to blast the broad in the face that shot at me. As a Kampfer, her statement reminds me of the sad reality. The sad reality that we must fight and shed the blood of one another.
Even if we don't want to fight-forces could work against us, that will inevitably, lead to our demise. If the White Kampfer decided not to fight, and then more color Kampfer would appear, and what if those Kampfer wish not to fight?
Will the Moderators show themselves finally?
Red, blue, black, and white Kampfer are enough. Honestly. I can't begin to fathom or imagine there being eight more Kampfer besides these four, all of them a different color, all of them a different faction, and all of them one of the three classes of Kampfer-with too many damn abilities to run through.
And, what happens if we all decide to work together instead of fight?
"Don't go getting any ideas, Andrew. Shizuku will make life more miserable for us with even more schemes...Things have gotten bad enough already with these recent events." Natsuru's voice is quite stern, I dare say, rigid.
Of course, I don't need to be reminded of that.
"Duly noted, Natsuru." I respond, nodding at him with half interest.
"Just the same...Don't strain yourself too much or you could cause one of your injuries to spaz out." Akane comments, tone calm.
"Seriously?" I ask getting up to move around. "You had to use spaz?"
"Considering how you were most of the time, and considering the injuries you got...Yes, I would say spaz out or spaz is quite fitting."
I shake my head and leave the bedroom. I trudge on through the halls of Shizuku's home, keeping my head down, making my way to the sitting room located on far side of the bedroom that was acting as a makeshift hospital room for Mikoto and I.
Studying my notes, reading Shizuku's collection of books, and doing what little homework I could had been the best way to supplement the teachings of Stubby Bear. The cold, quiet sitting room, just beside the warm and lively bedroom offers me only one place of refuge in Shizuku's entire home.
Not surprisingly, the massive room was empty save for the rows of shelves triple or quadruple stacked with books. Nobody else bothered to come in here except for me. Mikoto doesn't like reading, Natsuru only reads manga with intent, and Akane...Well, yeah, Akane is Akane.
Why waste time sticking your nose in a book when you can learn through actually doing and experience?
Even Shizuku would just skim the spines of the books, vaguely reading the summary or reading a few dozen pages before putting it away. Of course Shizuku could have read them all already, and it wasn't permissible to remove the books from this particular room, so I simply read within the confines of the room as well as studying and jotting down notes.
Yesterday I finally completed a rather long and detailed book about the Bakumatsu, and in particular the subject of Li Naosuke, I think his name was, being assassinated by outraged samurai or maybe it is more accurate to call them ronin.
I move slowly up and down the room, glancing at titles and authors, hoping to find something useful, letting my fingers skim across every spine. I'm so intent in my search for a book, that I fail to notice Shizuku, dressed in shorts and a t shirt, standing silently in the doorway, watching me.
Of course she doesn't say a word to me as I wander the archives, and I say nothing as the tall, beautiful Shizuku wanders into the room and hums almost absentmindedly.
Shizuku wasn't physically imposing. Tall, curvy, soft, strong, and athletic. Even under her skimpy sleep attire her muscles and curves are way too obvious. Her body is like an hourglass, but slimmer, and far more symmetrically pleasing.
Concentrating as I had been taught by Stubby Bear before I'd been shot at, I can feel the power in her. She is remarkably strong. Yet she didn't carry herself like one who was strong or powerful. Even here, away from the eyes of anyone else, she walks relaxed and at ease.
I have every intention of paying back who shot at me, and anyone else who wants to throw in her...But, only once I'm certain I can beat them in one on one combat if need me. The ambush doesn't count, but the battle that will come afterwards, will be the one that counts.
I sought out Shizuku hoping to learn from my own mistakes as well as her mistakes. Seeing her now, strong and relaxed, I realize I might be able to get more from her than just simple training. Normally I would be wary of allying with someone, particularly someone as strong as Shizuku.
I've always preferred to work alone and just be alone in general. I know all too well how devastating the consequences of expected and unexpected betrayal can be. But Shizuku is vulnerable, exposed. She has been alone and desperate wanting a union. She is in no position to betray me, let alone anyone else.
If my logic is right I could surpass her if this training gets as intense as I think it will, using all of her knowledge and skills. Shaking my head, the muddled reality around me sharpens and I watch as she takes a book down from one of the shelves and walks slowly over to the tables.
She, of course waits until I finally settle myself in and begin my own reading. Shizuku takes a deep breath and runs her hand through her hair, letting her long tresses cascade down her shoulders and flicker around her for a few long seconds.
Then she puts on her most seductive smile.
She is clad in a pair of light blue shorts, her long legs are bare, and I can see her hamstrings tie into her glutes, and just wow, everything about her right now is showing her perfect symmetry. Her smile confirms my assumption that she hadn't known I was coming, and the speed with which she got up to close, lock the door, and shut all of the curtains confirmed my suspicions about her extraordinary physical prowess as a Schwert.
Before I fully realize what is happening, Shizuku is now done sealing the two of us together in the large, dark room. The little demented dimwit turns on a small light, closest to her, on a stand by the desk, and turned to glare me.
"Okay, before this gets too weird..."
I look at the sole beam of light in the room.
"Okay, correction...Before this gets to be like some Godfather shit, what the hell is going on?" I reiterate.
"What are you doing?" Shizuku asks, keeping her voice low.
I hesitate for a moment, uncertain. I have been thinking about her offer, and what she had said to me. I've decided she is right. I have to look out for myself, and the others, if we want to survive. That meant as a unit, we had to take out whoever is pushing the agenda.
"I want you to train me. I want you to teach me all you know about the art of Kampfer combat. I want you to be my sensei, and as much as I devote myself to you, I want you to devote yourself to bettering me."
Shizuku shakes her head, but I sense the brief hesitation before she did so.
"I do not know if you can handle it. I have made it very clear that I will not waste my time. That goes one hundred percent for wasting my time training you if it goes towards nothing. How will you continue the second day after I've bent you around like an octopus and squid for ten hours straight?"
"I didn't think you could be so gloomy, Shizuku. You can put me through the wringer and I'd still come back for more."
It is a blatant appeal to Shizuku's principles of rapport, and I can see by the gleam in her dark eyes she easily recognizes it for what it is.
She smiles, most likely amused by my boldness.
"True enough."
"The others don't have to know. It can be our secret." I point out, taking heart in the fact that Shizuku hadn't refused me yet.
"Train me in secret. We can meet at night, early morning, dawn, dusk...All you have to is pick the time and place."
"Why should I go this far and potentially waste my time? You ask for all of my teachings, swear you will endure no matter what, but what are you offering me in return?"
"You know me, Shizuku. You also know my potential. They thought that they could cast me aside. If I succeed now, they cannot take the credit for trying to break out unity. If I become an expert warrior for our cause, everyone will know you trained me. And if I fail, no one will ever suspect your part in this. You have nothing to lose."
"True. I have nothing to lose, but my time. You have a powerful will. A powerful will to fight. You proved that against me." Shizuku's lips creased in a sharp smile.
I can safely take it as a sign that, despite her words, she is seriously considering the offer.
"I won't lose my will, Even if you bend me to the point I'm screaming for mercy, and bend me beyond that point, I will endure. This is something I must do Shizuku, and you have to be the one to teach me. You have the most experience." I finally say.
"Very well, I can hear and feel your sincerity. But, I will test your resolution. I won't go easy on you or even consider it."
I nod, feeling some relief.
Shizuku nods a bit slower. "Why are you doing this exactly? Is it for our unity, or is there something else?"
This is my final test. Shizuku is pragmatic. Her talents and skills are reserved for one person, and only one, who would remain steadfast in loyalty. She wants more than proof that I'm truly ready for this. She wants proof that I am worthy.
"I want revenge..."
I pause, carefully considering my words.
"I want to destroy whoever ambushed Mikoto and I. But, I also want to have the power to be able to protect myself while being able to support and bolster our group. I need your teachings in order to accomplish this to the best of my abilities."
Shizuku smiles in lively satisfaction at my answer. "We will begin. But, first I will warn you...And, I will only give you this warning once."
I blink a little and cock my head. "You are warning me?"
"Oh yes...As a precaution, just in case something happens...Or you change your mind about who's side you are on."
Normally I'd make a retort, but I can feel the gravity of those very words. I can feel the promise, not the threat, to do possible harm. The betrayal Shizuku herself would experience from me flipping sides, and the pure anger she'd also feel-I can feel in her words.
Yes, a warning.
A very good warning to be sure, but I keep my silence so she can continue.
Taking a deep breath, Shizuku gets up and moves around for about a minute. Once she wanders around enough, she makes her way towards me, and gently, but firmly places her hands on my thighs. Her hands are right by my knees, and three of her fingers clench around the back of them.
"Shizuku..." I say, just above a whisper.
I do not know if she wants to turn me into a sandwich and eat me right now, or actually sit here and have what is to be a short, but tense conversation...If I can even call it that.
"Don't worry. My hands are here so I can make a point." She replies, tone and voice even.
I look into her eyes, and just stare, waiting.
"You are beautiful. You are pulchritudinous. You are bonny and winsome. However, even if you are appealing to my eyes, physically speaking...You better not become beautiful and perfidious. That would be quite a problem for me."
Shizuku's tone makes it clear she is serious. If I become perfidious, it would be quite a problem for Shizuku, in fact it could be her biggest problem.
"What does perfidious even mean?" I question, arching my brow.
"Deceitful and untrustworthy. You being so appealing would be quite fitting if you are perfidious or have an inclination to be this way."
"Shizuku I wouldn't-"
I can't even finish-Shizuku cuts me right off.
"If you were threatened with your life, to betray me, Akane, Natsuru, Mikoto-our group and our pact. That is one possibility of you becoming so treacherous. If you were surrounded by enemies and they gave you two choices...Join us or die..."
I really don't want to concede with this, but I will. For one I know Shizuku is just being cautious and thinking many steps ahead. Second, I know if either of those two things happened to me, and I couldn't fight it out-I'd be inclined to be perfidious and betray my group.
It's possible...
I don't wish to die, for any reasons...
I'm loyal, but not to a fault...
I enjoy living, thank you.
"Okay, I get it..." I nod slowly, conceding with Shizuku before her eyes get too sharp.
"If you do betray me...If you betray our group. I will take you into my basement, I'll lift you up by your throat while you kick your arms and legs to no avail, and feed you to the gargoyle that I keep there."
I look at Shizuku, feeling a whirlpool of emotions. On one hand there is flippancy-I want to blow the warning off, but at the same time, because it is a warning, I don't want to blow it off. There is fear and caution swirling through me as well, nestling deep in my gut.
I can't believe what Shizuku is telling me.
"You have a pet gargoyle?"
"I never said it was a pet, Andrew. Would you care to go and look in the basement? I'm sure he wouldn't mind saying hi to you."
The fear comes back, pulsing through me like a heartbeat. I want to swallow but I can't. My mouth is too dry. I want to speak, but I'm paralyzed and I can't move. Disbelief is flashing through me for a singular moment before it relays back to fear.
I don't want to test her theory...
I don't even want to go into her basement...
"No, no...Point proven. We don't have to go to your creepy basement."
I nod, hoping I convey my feelings accordingly, hoping Shizuku is understanding them fully as well, so that we aren't taking a trip into the dark and creep basement.
"Good. Good. We could start right now, if you like."
Shizuku is smiling, making her already remarkable features even more attractive. In the past, when she really got in this mood, I would only see her from a distance. It wouldn't last, but it didn't start from up close right away, because up close she can literally take my breath away.
As she sweeps into the seat beside me once more, the faintest whiff of perfume tickles my nose, causing my heart to quicken briefly.
"Andrew..."
She whispers, speaking softly even though there is no one else in the room to be disturbed by our conversation.
"Yes?"
"I've been waiting for this moment."
Her statement catches me by surprise.
"What moment are you talking about? More importantly why are you putting on the suspense and disbelief?"
She places a hand on my forearm, clenching at my elbow.
"You gratify me. I need you. I need your help against whatever is to come."
Her closeness and her alluring fragrance almost makes my head spin. It takes me several moments to compose myself, but once I do, her sudden interest in me is obvious. Maybe some news of the Moderators reached her ears.
She had come to see me in person on my first day of school, hoping I might join her pact, to keep her from falling victim to a similar failure someone she knew did.
"I can help you. I don't know how much help I'll be." I say, turning away from her and burying my face in my book.
The hand on my elbow gently squeezes, and I look up again. Shizuku leans in closer, and I find myself staring right into her violet irises.
"Please...Just listen to what I have to say."
I nod, not confident that I'd even be able to speak while she is pressing herself so close against me. I close the book and turn slightly in my chair to better face Shizuku. The bodacious woman gives a grateful sigh and leans back slightly.
"I know what happened to you in the library. I know what happened to you and Mikoto. I know whoever did it, and anyone affiliated with this person believes that woman destroyed you and Mikoto...That somehow the defeat ended your existence. I can see you believe it, too."
Shizuku's face takes on an expression of sorrow.
It is not pity, thankfully.
I never want that from anyone-especially from Shizuku. She is showing genuine concern, even regret as she speaks. When I content myself to be silent and wait for a reply, she takes a deep breath and continues on, seemingly catching something in my eyes.
"They're wrong. You can't just lose your ability. None of us can. Being a Kampfer is who we are. It's part of our being. I heard accounts of what happened in the library, and you managed to evade swiftly. That showed what you were capable of then. It revealed your potential, but not your true potential. It proved you were blessed with a gift."
She pauses.
Her gaze is intense.
"You don't want to squander that gift. We both know better than to do that. I can sense the power inside you."
I nod, shrugging a little.
"The power is there, but my ability to control it is lacking in comparison to the overall size, in some aspects. I feel like the more I try to concentrate the water inward, so it spirals, the greater the strain is for me to maintain control. I don't want to just launch monsoons of devastation or city-wide floods, I want to be able to use concentrated attacks, with the same potency as those attacks being on a massive scale."
"Explain?"
"I can cause the same amount of damage to my opponent, without causing any backlash damage to the environment around me.
"Asking for a bit much there...But, I think that's possible given your potential. You have no restraint, so you don't manage your output. But, then again, you wouldn't know about any moderation at the moment...That could be your biggest problem, not focus, not intensity, but exercising restraint, more than control." Shizuku explains, her voice gentle.
"If I had a gun or a bladed weapon, it'd be different and you know it. I can fire three bullets instead of unloading, or I can just take a Nodachi and carve it right through a wall. I don't have physical weapons...At times my power comes down to my emotional state. I flooded your whole office and some of that floor at school because I was steaming with indignation."
"Exactly, Andrew. That is your greatest strength and your greatest gift."
Her hand is warm.
I can feel the heat radiating through her fingertips.
"That realization made me think though, and worries me. I'm not exactly confrontational or quick to get angry-like boiling over with rage type of emotions. I can get that way though, because we all have our limits...I just don't want to..."
"Give me your hands." Shizuku's tone is warm, and I hesitate a minute before reaching out.
She clasps my palms with both her hands.
"What does sitting here and-"
"Just calm yourself and close your eyes." She orders in the same gentle tone, even as she shuts her own.
I do as I am told.
In the darkness I am aware of not only how tightly she clenches my hands, but also how tightly I clench her own hands in response. We are squeezing flesh so hard I can feel the beating of her heart through her palms, and I am certain she can feel mine.
Shizuku's heart quickens, and my already racing heart accelerates in response. Then, I feel a tingling in her fingers, something beyond...Mere physical contact. It's like there's a true spark igniting between the two of us through simple touch.
She is reaching out with...Her energy?
Her will?
I don't know, but I know what I am feeling.
"Come with me, Andrew." She whispers.
Suddenly it feels as if...I am falling from a long ways off...No, not falling, falling isn't nowhere near accurate to describe this sensation. This is more akin to diving from the heavens. The pressure is so great that it pulls me.
I'm swooping down into a great abyss, the black emptiness inside me closes around me. My body is numb. I lose all sensation. Any sense of my physicality is gone, and I am more, so much more, and fleeting.
I can no longer feel Shizuku's warm hands wrapped around my own. I can't even know and don't even know if she is still sitting in front of me.
For this moment...
I am alone in an infinite void.
"We Kampfer are emotion, Andrew."
Shizuku's words come to me from a long way off, faint, but unmistakable.
"Happiness, anger, hate, unity, spite, love, lust. Positive and negative...These are what make us strong. These are what activate our powers. For us Kampfer there is only emotion. We are creatures of passion and emotion."
Her words are louder now, loud enough to drown out the drumming of my heart.
"Your passion is there. You don't even have to seek it out. You don't have to reclaim it."
In response to her words my emotions well up fiercely.
I can feel a spark...
Nothing but a faint flicker of light and heat in the cold void.
I lunge out and grasp the flame with every ounce of will I have, and for one brief instant I feel the ferocious power burning through me.
Then I let go, and it is gone...
Snuffed out as if I...Imagined it.
I didn't imagine that ferocious power that was rampant.
It was real.
I felt it.
I had a firm hold of it.
Slowly, I bring myself to open my eyes, feeling more than a little tired, like I have awoken from a dream that happened before my eyes.
From the expression on Shizuku's face, she must have felt something like I did, too.
"How...Where...When did you learn to do that, Shizuku?" I ask trying to keep the desperation out of my voice.
"My...Senpai taught me when I was studying under her...When I first became a Kampfer...I couldn't summon my weapons once. I was still relatively new to being a Kampfer when it happened. My mind simply couldn't cope with something so brutal. To have these gifts, but to use them in fights...My mind created a wall to protect itself..."
I nod, remaining fervently silent so she can continue.
"You must break through the walls you've built around your mind as well as the walls that you could be building right now. You have to go back to the beginning and the basics, just simply calling on your power and bringing it forth into reality."
"So I do like some avatar water-bending? How would I even do that?"
"Training?"
Of course Shizuku answers, as if it is obvious.
"How else would you learn how to move water with your spirit, will, body, mind, and emotions working as one?"
The hope inside me doesn't dwindle, but I understand to even perform half of such a feat, will be a feat in of itself since benders could use the elements of their bending nature, around them. Whereas I cannot use surrounding water...
I think...
"That sort of training would take me ten years at least. I may even have to go with a more fluid and evasive fighting style as well, and I don't want to play defense all the time. That comes down to a battle of endurance and attrition."
"I will train you. Your time will be a fraction of ten years. I can share with you everything I learned from my Senpai and Entrails Animal about the Kampfer, and whatever I learn from here on out...I will make sure to inform you of it as well."
I nod.
Naturally, Shizuku probably knows much more about the Kampfer and our abilities, certain aspects of those abilities that are still new to me. That is not out of the realm of reason, and the same can probably be said for Akane if she were to teach me.
At the very least I will learn more with Shizuku's help than without it. I could learn even more with Akane teaching me as well, but...
I guess I'll wait on that for the moment.
"Are you doing this for the same reasons that I am?" I question, giving her a careful once over.
She gives a sly smile. "Still don't trust me? You shouldn't completely trust me. I made this pact to ascertain certain things with our situation. I can't do it on my own. Every risk I take, or any single person takes, including you, in this pact, will have an affect and effect on all of us."
"Are you trying to fight the Moderators, Shizuku?" I mutter, tasting the horrific disbelief on my tongue.
"I don't believe they will get involved...They will keep delegating orders to someone else on this planet. They must have a very powerful ally, and there are others not quite as strong as this person, who are completely loyal to this person. If I'm ever going to challenge him or her, I need somebody on my side. Somebody strong. Somebody like you."
Her reasons make sense, I'm grateful she will train me, but there is still one thing I must speak on, even if it is a little moronic on my part.
"You're taking an awful risk."
"Risks are the only way to claim the rewards. Besides, I don't care what the students at school or those in our pact think about you and I. In the end those who survive are the ones who can resolve to give up their head and keep their composure in the midst of that terror."
It takes me a second to realize why her words sound so familiar. It's similar to something I heard in a manga or anime, but it can actually go further than that. It can be applied practically right at this very moment.
In the end each of us Kampfer are in the battle alone. The survivors are those who know how to compose themselves under great duress.
"You help me, and I'll help you." I say, extending my hand.
She clasps it in her own, and then she tries to stand up and leave.
No.
That was just a little too simple, even if there were a few threats in there.
I hold my grip, surely forcing her to sit back down. There is a glint in her eye, not quite dangerous, there is a warning on principles alone, but I don't let go.
"What happened to your Senpai?" I ask, keeping my voice and expression soft.
Her own expression softens, and she shakes her head briefly. She extends her free hand and places it gently on my cheek.
"I don't think I'm quite ready to share that with you."
I nod.
I have no intention of pushing her to tell me, and I already know that I haven't earned the right to get that close to her for her to reveal such sensitive information.
The hand on my cheek fells away, and I let go of her arm in response to the warmth fading.
She gives me one last appraising glance, then walks away with slow, purposeful strides. She never glances back, but I'm content to follow her swaying hips until she is out of sight.
Shizuku knows I am watching her make her exit.
Men and women always watch her, after all.
She is used to it.