Followed by a Big Shadow and Heart
"Elphelt. Elphelt, are you okay?" Ramlethal asked her twin sister who is spacing out.
Elphelt is having some troubling thought about that woman Sin met four days ago when he missed training day with Sol, she never met the woman but something about her that made the young teen gear feel weird like Sin would pay more attention to that music performer than her as she pout her cheeks.
Then her thoughts were interrupted when Ramlethal pinched the cheek hard.
"Ow! Ram, what was that for?" Elphelt asked wincing from the pain.
"You appeared to be lost in thought and wouldn't respond to my voice, so I figured a little physically pain would bring you back to reality." Ramlethal explained.
"Oh, sorry about that… I guess I just had some thing that's been bother me, but I'm okay." Elphelt assured putting up her usually smile and two thumbs up.
"If you say so, though I think it would be wise to talk about it should you feel the need to it." Ramlethal said, letting her sister know that she's here for Elphelth.
"Thanks." Elphelt nodded.
(With Sin)
Sin is running along with his fellow classmates on the running track for today's gym exercise to push the students through the stamina to run faster and longer, and from the looks of it Sin is pulling two or three feet ahead of his class and completing the full five lap.
"Nicely done, Kiske, you're certainly getting better than before. I take it you've been keeping your body in shape after school." The gym teacher guessed.
"You could say that, Coach, I'm just trying to keep myself active now and then." Sin chuckled.
"With that kind of confident and speed in the legs, maybe you would join the track and field team." The gym teacher suggested.
"No thanks, I'm not into that kind of thing. I just like to enjoy life to the fullest." Sin smiled.
"I kinda figured you say that considering you never joined any clubs in the school. Go take a break for a few minutes and I'll call you up for another drill." The gym teacher said pointing his thumb at the small grassy hill.
"Sure thing, Coach." Sin said before walking away and laying on the grass.
High on top of the school rooftop staring down at the students from the edge very close to the fence, a long figure seems to be doing some people watching though his eyes have caught the sight of one certain blonde boy with an eyepatch.
Sin got called back by the gym teacher to run around the track again, only this time he'll be jumping on the obstacles along the way to see how high he can jump while running to help keep his balance.
"Okay, here goes nothing!" Sin grinned before he ran on the gym teacher's command.
Sin jump over the little running fences easily and even going over 15 feet far thanks to all that extra training he did with Sol and the girls though he had to wear those heavy weight gears around his ankle which made it very difficult to move around, but now his feet feels lighter than a feather almost like he could fly though at a short distance it was still a good feeling. Sin ran toward the last little running fence in attempt to jump over it like all the others, but suddenly something felt off as his leg got caught in the running fence and trip over.
"What the…?" Sin confused; the jump was strange as if something was… grabbing his leg for a moment.
"Hey Sin, you okay?" The gym teacher asked.
"Y-Yeah, just trip a little." Sin answered as he got up.
"Hey Coach, was that one set up higher than the others?" Sin asked.
"No, they're all set on the exact same height." The gym teacher answered.
"Huh, strange… I must've been distracted or something." Sin shrugged with a chuckle.
Back at the rooftop, the lone figure is gone like he just vanished from thin air.
"Hmm?" Elphelt looked in a direction to her left as she and Ramlethal are walking in the hallway together while carrying two boxes each.
"Is something wrong?" Ramlethal asked.
"I thought I felt something… strange around the school." Elphelt said, not sure if it was just her imagination or not.
"I did not detect any abnormal readings of any Gears here expect for Sol." Ramlethal informed.
"Guess I was just imagining it then." Elphelt shrugged before the sisters walk to take the boxes to the gym.
(Later)
"Okay, I got the noodles for mom and some of this squid ink too. She said she wanted to make an Italian dish that involves eating pasta with ink, sounds strange but I'm sure it tastes good." Sin hoped as he exits the grocery store with a little plastic bag in one hand.
Sin walks through the neighborhood on the route he would always take to getting home after school and doing some fun things like going to the arcade for a while, everything is peaceful seeing a few people walking by and little kids playing ball, but it would appear a shadow is stalking the young half-Gear boy.
Sin felt a strange feeling from behind and turns around wondering if there's someone following him only to find no one, then he heard a noise from the front and got in a defense position only to see a cat running along that tripped an empty glass bottle.
"Oh, just a cat." Sin chuckled as the cat walks up to his leg and cuddle its body on him.
"Aw, aren't you just the cutest, I wish I could take you home with me though I'm a bit more of a dog lover." Sin said as he pets the cat on the head and taking out a little piece of ham he got and fed the cat.
"I wonder if Elphelt is interest in cats?" Sin asked himself before the cat ran off and he got back to heading home.
A few minutes later, Sin is just a few blocks away from home to enjoy some peaceful time with his family and looking forward to trying out the squid ink noodles for dinner.
However, from behind Sin felt his left shoulder being grabbed which spook him a bit and turns around to see who it is only to find no one there which was a major shock to the lightning boy before somehow being thrown to a wall.
"Ow, what the fuck was that?" Sin winced as he got up and making sure the grocery is safe otherwise, he would have to face his angry mom.
"Alright, who's out there? Come out!" Sin demanded but got no responds as he looks around trying to find the culprit.
"Damn, is this guy some sort of invisible Gear?" Sin asked.
"You are half correct about that." A man's voice said.
Sin quickly turn to where he thought the voice came from and shot a little lightning bolt from his finer like a gun, but the only thing he hit was a corner of a wall.
"I am in fact a Gear, but I'm not invisible." The man said.
Sin felt his arm being grabbed and another grab around his neck with a firm grip. Sin struggles to break free of whatever is holding him though he couldn't move his legs now as he felt them being bitten by something with sharp teeth making him groan in pain.
"(Damn it, how is this guy doing this… could it be those mind power things?)" Sin thought asked as he tries to figure out this Gear's power.
As he continues to struggle the unknown grip, his head turns around and his eyes widen upon seeing something that is unbelievable.
Sin's shadow is bigger than his normal shape because of the strange second shadow grabbing hold of it with red glowing eyes and its mouth is over his shadow's head.
"No way… my shadow?" Sin shocked.
"Indeed, I can control my shadow to attack other people's shadow like grabbing the arm and the owner gets grab as well because of how shadows are always mimicking the owner since the day they are born." The mysterious man explained as the monster shadow's grip on Sin's neck gets tighter.
"I see, then you won't mind giving your shadow a little light." Sin groaned as he made a fist with a thumb out and shot an electric shock at the shadow hoping that it would get off him.
And it worked at the shadow screech in pain forcing to let go of Sin's shadow and rolls away about a few feet.
"Impressive, you're one of the first few to have escaped my grip like that." The mysterious man complimented as the shadow monster growls in anger.
"Look buddy, I don't know what your deal is going after me, but I have to get home before mom starts to get worry and I might not be able to eat the squid ink noodles for dinner." Sin stated with electric currents emitting from his hand.
"I'm sorry to hear that because my shadow monster is also hungry, and it's been a few days since his last feeding." The mysterious man said and literally comes out of the shadow monster revealing himself.
He's a very attractive man, sporting long flowing hair, black sleeveless turtleneck, wears a blind fold to cover his eyes, and strong features overall. The shadow monster also appeared next to him with the glowing red eyes and has a strange symbol on the left side of its chest.
"I advise you to run right now because wasting time with me and my shadow will prove to be your downfall." The mysterious man warned.
(Music: Black Sheep, Sonata Arctica)
"Run? As if I run from someone who tried to kill me and something tells me if I let you go, you might do harm to other people too, so I hope you're to 'snack' on more of my lightning." Sin glared as he threw the grocery bag onto a light pole.
"Very well, don't say I didn't gave you a fair warning." The mysterious man said as his shadow monster roars.
"Well, you're about to learn that Sin Kiske never backs down from a fight." Sin smirked before shooting lightning bullets from his fingers.
The mysterious man simply raise a hand and a shadow shield appear blocking the electric shots and charge to Sin to ram him toward the wall behind him, but Sin quickly got out of the way letting the shadow shield ram to the wall and ran toward the man fast by enhancing his legs to move fast. Sin threw a thunder punch aiming for the face, but the mysterious man just stood there not worry about the incoming electric punch and he suddenly drop into the shadow to dodge and instantly reappeared behind him.
"Oh yes, my name is Zato-1. Hope you remember that before your death." Zato introduced himself.
Sin turns around getting an uppercut from Zato and big shadow spikes raise up adding the extra damage to the attack sending Sin up about fifteen feet in the air, Zato didn't stop there as he sent some shadow tentacles after the boy who recovered in time to see it and on instinct swing his arm to unleash a wave to lightning at the shadow tentacles destroying them.
"Whoa! That's cool." Sin said.
Sin lands on his feet and slams his fist to the ground sending the electric wave at Zato hoping to catch him off guard with an attack from below, but unfortunately, the shadow man saw this coming and quickly move away from the spot for the electric attack burst out. Zato decided it was his turn to charge at Sin and sending sharp shadow tentacles at him as he dodges them though Zato's arm comes out of one sharp tentacle grabbing Sin's arm pulling him closer for an elbow strike to the face and form a giant shadow hand behind Sin to smack him away.
"Your power is strong, and you seem to be adapting on how you fight as well, despite the lack of proper training." Zato commented.
"Heh, I'm just getting started!" Sin charged a powerful charge when he put both hands together above his head.
"This is something I just came up with now, so get ready." Sin excited.
"Seven Sea Thunder Wave" Sin slammed his electric fists to the ground and unleash a giant red-black lightning bolt wave straight at Zato.
The former just stood there witness the dark electric attack coming at him fast, as if the world has suddenly gone slow motion Zato's mouth form a small smile, and the electric wave exploded into a big shocking explosion and would definitely do more than shock a person out-cold getting hit by that.
(Music End)
"That was quite powerful." Zato said shocking Sin as his eyes widen.
He look to see where the attack and Zato are wondering if he survive that attack, and Sin discover Zato did more than survive as a round dome of darkness has shield him completely from the giant thunder attack and when the dome reform back into the shadow monster.
"If you have fought anyone else or perhaps a different Gear then maybe your attack wouldn't hurt, but it looks like facing me right now was a bad idea." Zato pointed out.
"The hell… I thought your shadow couldn't stand my lightning." Sin confused. His body starts to feel heavy from using too much energy into that attack.
"It's because of how much time has passed. Look at the sky." Zato pointed up revealing that it's already dark out here.
"It's nighttime already? Wait, does that mean…?" Sin paused not wanting to say what he just thought of out loud.
"Yes, my powers along with my shadow monster grows stronger the more darkness I'm in and can even endure your attacks even though light its one of my weakness." Zato bragged with a straight face as he starts to slowly walk toward Sin.
"Did I not tell you fighting me would be a waste of time?" Zato asked causing Sin to realize his mistake that he should've run when this bastard gave him the chance.
"Hey, tall dark and ugly!"
A gunshot was made from behind Zato and form a shadow shield behind him without even looking back, the shooter reveals herself to be Elphelt holding her gun.
"Get away from Sin!" Elphelt demanded.
"Elphelt? What are you doing here?" Sin asked surprise.
"Hmm, it would seem another Gear has appear to save you." Zato noticed as he look back at Elphelt.
"Elphelt, be careful! This guy is crazy strong with shadows, especially during dark times!" Sin warned.
"It would be wise to leave now or, huh?" Zato stopped himself as he became silent for a moment.
"Looks like fate has decided to spare you two from my shadow's hunger for tonight." Zato said confusing the two as he sinks down into the shadow.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! You're just gonna leave like that?" Sin asked.
"I've been called to go elsewhere, but I'm sure we will meet again, Half-Gear." Zato smirked before disappearing into the darkness.
"Sin! Are you okay, are you hurt anywhere?" Elphelt asked as she quickly run to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine… just exhausted though I guess it's a good thing he decided to leave." Sin chuckled.
"Hey, thanks for coming to my rescue, you were totally badass back there." Sin smiled making Elphelt smile while blushing.
"S-Sure, now let's get back you home." Elphelt stuttered as she helps Sin up and they talk together while her heart is beating faster than normal.
"(There's no doubt about it… I'm totally in love with Sin!)" Elphelt thought squealed.
KO a new chapter is done and hope you all enjoy it!
Sin has meet and fought Zato-1 with almost everything he got and the mysterious shadow man triumph over the boy and would've finish Sin off if Elphelt hadn't shown up to save him, though I think the fight still would've gone to Zato's favor if he was "called" to be somewhere. I'm sure this experience will help Sin realize that there are other strong Gears like Sol to face in the future while Elphelt has fully realize her feelings for Sin, let just hope she doesn't go overboard with that.
KO comment, favorite, and follow through of how this story will go!