A/N: Hey everyone! Welcome back to The Dragon and the Marlin!
Once again, Italian sentences are translated in round brackets. To distinguish the two languages, everything said/ thought in Italian will be in italics.
Have fun reading, and I hope you'll enjoy it. Please read and review!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs.
Chapter 2 – His way of life and her convictions
"Beep! Beep! Beep!" the digital alarm rung.
A hand slapped the alarm shut, and a black-haired head rose from the sheets.
"Ugh, same thing every morning. I'll never get used to this." Kuromi said grumpily before standing up and heading to the bathroom. When she got out, she sat down and started combing her hair, thinking about the events that had occurred the day before.
"They've been getting more aggressive lately; just what are they trying to accomplish? And that boy, Asahi Shiina, they got him real good. I wonder if he's alright; I should check on him later, just to be sure."
After she was done, she got dressed in her uniform, took her bag, and made her way downstairs.
Kuromi walked into the kitchen, not surprised that she was alone. Her parents were never home when she woke up. They were already at work and came back pretty late. She decided not to think about it too much, and noticing that it was already time to leave, she just grabbed a toast and left, locking the door behind her.
When she arrived at school, she sat down in her seat and looked over to the other side of the room. Asahi was already sitting there, talking and laughing with the other boys. Apparently, they wanted to eat out together after school.
"He seems alright, despite the beating he took. I just hope he plans on listening to me and not staying out when it gets dark," Kuromi thought, while also thinking that she needed to talk to the others and tell them to be more vigilant on the streets from now on. "I'll convene a meeting tonight to discuss the events of the last few weeks and, if necessary, even come out more often myself."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the classroom, the boys were questioning Asahi about his injuries.
"Hey Shiina, what happened to you anyway? You look awful." One of them asked only now, noticing Asahi's bruises.
"Oh, these? I'd love to tell you I got them from some epic fight, but it was more of a one-sided brawl. I wanted to help some kid who was surrounded by three older guys; strangely enough, they were all dressed the same and-"
Now even the other boys started paying attention to Asahi's story, who were suddenly very interested upon hearing about the culprits.
"A brawl? You must be pretty carefree for you to talk about it so easily. And they were dressed the same? What were they wearing?" interrupted another, seemingly knowing something more about the subject.
"I did get out of it mildly, so I guess it wasn't that bad. About the clothing, they were all dressed in white with black tiger stripes." Asahi told him, a bit taken aback by his questions.
"I knew it! There's no doubt; those were members of the Torakiba!"
"Tora-what?"
"Torakiba," he repeated. "A gang of high schoolers who lurk in the dark and mostly target the younger and weaker ones. But there is one thing I don't get: If you encountered the Torakiba, how did you make it out with only a few bruises?"
"Well, they did get me good, and I was completely at their mercy, but then someone saved me," the redhead continued with his thoughts on the blonde beauty he had met the night before, "a blond girl, armed with a wooden sword, completely dressed in black, and a medical mask that covered her face."
Even though Asahi's description was rather vague, his classmates seemed to know exactly who he was talking about.
"For real? The black dragon came to your rescue? It's rare for her to show up and handle things herself. Usually, she sends some of her guys. You got the devil's own luck, man."
Surprise spread on Asahi's face, and his eyes widened as he heard his friend speak so specifically about his savior. The mysterious girl really seemed to be well-known in the area, just as she told him the night before. Now he had gotten curious and wanted to know more.
"You seem to know a lot about her. Just who is she, and why does she walk around at night like some sort of vigilante?" he inquired further.
"It's because she is a vigilante; rather, she's the leader of a vigilante group. They're called Tatsukiba, and they're kind of the rival gang of the Torakiba, who protect those that are attacked by the latter. They mostly wander around at night; that's why you shouldn't stay out too late," he informed the redhead.
"Speaking of which, what were you still doing at that hour anyway, Shiina?"
"I'm not familiar with the area yet, so I wanted to walk around to get acquainted with it and," he sighed, thinking about how careless it was of him to get so lost in thought, to even lose track of time. "I was so lost in thought that I didn't even notice how long I'd been walking around until I heard these screams. I tried to help that boy, but as soon as they noticed me, they turned their attention and aggression on me, until the black dragon came along.
It all happened so fast, and when I lowered my arms to see what was going on, the members of the Torakiba were lying on the ground, wincing in pain. One of them recognized her and told the other two they didn't stand a chance against her and that they should run while they still could. After they were gone, she helped me up, accompanied me home, and told me to be careful from now on." Asahi finished.
But before one of the guys could ask him more, the homeroom/classic literature teacher walked in, so everyone had to go back to their seats, and Asahi was kind of glad the interrogation was over.
"Listen up, class! We're starting with a partner assignment. First, I will determine who is partnered with whom, and then I'll proceed to explain the essay."
Asahi then remembered his black-haired classmate he wanted to talk to. This time, he needed to be faster if he wanted to stop her from leaving so quickly again. Even though she wasn't the most talkative person, she seemed to be a nice girl. He didn't know why, but he felt a kind of familiarity with her, and when her eyes met his, the feeling grew even stronger.
"...Shiina and Ryujin. That should be everyone. Now about the assignment..." The teacher began to distribute the topics to the partner groups and explain the task.
Once again, Asahi was ripped out of his thoughts when he heard the teacher call his and his partner's names. Ryujin. Kuromi Ryujin. It was her. She was his partner. "That's perfect! That's my chance to talk to her, and who knows, maybe I can convince her to become my friend!" he thought excitedly, but before he could move on to sit with her, one of his friends, who was on his way to his own partner, grabbed his arm, stopping him in the process.
"Hey, good luck; you'll need it. Get away as soon as you can." His friend whispered so that only he could hear it.
Asahi couldn't believe his ears. He was talking about Kuromi like she was some kind of demon when she was a normal girl, just like everyone else. He appreciated him and the others, but he didn't appreciate someone being left out just for being "different," so he was going to seize the chance to talk to her and hopefully learn more about the girl.
"Thanks, but I don't need luck to have a friendly conversation with my essay partner." Asahi returned, pulling his arm away, freeing it from the grip of his friend, who only mumbled a quiet "Hmpf, don't say I didn't try to warn you."
Ignoring his comment Asahi grabbed a chair and sat down in front of Kuromi, who was already waiting for him and was already reading the essay the teacher had laid on their table.
"So, um...I'm Asahi Shiina; it's nice to meet you, Ryujin." He introduced himself politely.
Kuromi only mouthed a quiet "Mhm" without even looking up from her paper to face the boy.
It went on like that for the rest of the day, with Kuromi only speaking to Asahi if it was absolutely necessary. Before they knew it, the bell rang, signaling the end of their final class.
Asahi had hoped to catch his black-haired classmate before she disappeared, but once again he had no luck, and even though she was right beside him, he couldn't ask her anything besides questions about their tasks.
"Hey Shiina, you coming, man?"
Right. He wanted to eat out with the boys after class. It nearly slipped his mind, so it was a good thing the other boy reminded him.
"I should call it a day after that. I don't want to get in trouble again; I don't want to worry mom either, so I should pay attention to the clock this time." Asahi thought before catching up to his friends and leaving the classroom.
Meanwhile, Kuromi was standing on the rooftop, watching the students leave through the front gate. She was scanning the crowd for a head of messy red hair, which she didn't take long to recognize.
"He's leaving, and he's with his friends; that's reassuring. I hope he makes good on his word and goes home early, or else I would have to bail him out again," she thought while making her way towards the gate herself.
"Speaking of which, why did that kid try to talk to me so persistently? Did he notice anything already? No, that's impossible. I was careful. Then again, he's incredibly nosy, a quality that practically only makes it easier for the Torakiba to target him. Asahi Shiina, you're an incredible fool, but just like all the others, you stand under our protection, so nothing will happen to you again under my watch." She finished, noticing she had already passed the gate, but continued to walk towards her house, this time in silence.
By the time she arrived in front of her home, she heard a ring come from her pocket. Kuromi pulled out her phone and looked at the caller ID. Noticing who it was, she picked up and spoke in a serious tone.
"You've got perfect timing like always, Shi-chan. I'm calling a gathering tonight; make sure everyone shows up. We need to discuss the recent events."
"And like always, you already know what I wanted to tell you, Romi-chan. Leave it to me; everyone will be there tonight. I'll see you then.~" answered a sweet, silvery voice.
Kuromi hung up satisfied, knowing she could always count on her friend to take care of things for her. With that thought out of the way, she opened the door and let herself in. She made herself something to eat and took off to her room to rest until it was time for the gathering.
A few hours later, at the abandoned warehouse...
Chatter could be heard from the usually empty building; as discussed, the entire Tatsukiba group was present and was impatiently waiting for the arrival of their leader.
Meanwhile...
A black-clothed figure was standing outside a house close to the abandoned warehouse she was headed to, but first she wanted to check if her classmate had done as she told him and was at home with his family by now. Much to her satisfaction, he was.
"What a troublesome and yet interesting fella ya are, Asahi Shiina. I even go out of my way to check personally if you're safe; you better not cause me any other inconveniences." She affirmed, sounding annoyed, if it weren't for her smile betraying her and showing clear amusement on her face.
The black dragon took one last look inside the Shiina household before turning around and starting to walk towards the hideout, where her fellow "dragons" were waiting for her.
Back at the hideout...
The dragons were growing more impatient by the minute. They were all complaining about their boss taking so long, something they would've never dared to say aloud when she was around, but to their relief, soon a blonde girl entered the warehouse and climbed on top of a box so that everyone could see and hear her well.
"Enough," she simply said, silencing everyone in the hall and turning their attention to her.
As soon as everyone had quieted down, the second-in-command stepped forward and greeted their leader first, followed by everyone else.
"You have finally arrived. We've been waiting for you, boss. With your permission, the gathering will now begin."
"Yes, thank you, white dragon, and I apologize for my delay, but there was some business I had to take care of before coming here. Let's start with the reports." The black dragon declared, moving her gaze towards one of her most trusted companions in front of her, equally dressed in black but with a dark blue mask. "blue dragon, step forward." She ordered.
The others stepped aside so that the boy could pass. He got down on both knees and sat down on his legs, resting his fists on them and looking up at his leader.
"Blue dragon, at your service, boss. The northern district had an increase in attacks of about 30% prior to the holidays, of which about 4% occurred in the last 2 days; the western and southern districts had an increase of 20% and the eastern of 10%." He reported accurately.
"Thank you, blue dragon. Now, rise and step back." The boy followed her command and returned to his post.
"That's no good; the school is in the northern district, but why concentrate their attacks there? Just what are you aiming for, Taiga?" She mused while rubbing her chin, but came to no logical response. Either way, the blonde had to act first and think second. She would worry about their motives later.
"Everyone," she spoke up again, "I want you to strengthen the defenses in every district, especially the north. Red dragon and brown dragon, I want you and your squads in the west. Silver dragon and gray dragon, you take on the east. Purple dragon and rainbow dragon, you and your squads will look after the south. And lastly, the blue dragon, the white dragon, and myself, the black dragon, us and our squads, will be watching the north." She finished splitting their forces as equal in strength and numbers as possible, with four members in each squad, including their leaders.
The subordinates (drakes) joined their respective leaders (dragons) upon hearing the instructions of their boss and nodded in agreement.
Kuromi nodded too, understanding that everyone knew what their task was from now on. "Very well, everyone knows what they have to do. I trust each of you will fulfill his or her role to the best of his or her abilities, and with this ends our gathering, you're all free to go now. And always remember our creed, "Noi proteggiamo coloro che non possono proteggersi da soli!" (We protect those who cannot protect themselves!) The young leader calls out to the crowd in front of her while raising her fist in the air.
The dragons repeated after her and imitated her pose before splitting up and leaving for their respective homes.
Ending the gathering with her speech, Kuromi jumped down from the box; she was standing on and was about to leave as well, but she noticed someone else other than herself still being there, so she turned around to face said person.
"I should've known you'd still be here, Shi-chan. What is it you want to tell me?" She told her white-haired friend, whom she knew all along, that it was her.
"You know exactly what I'm going to ask you, Romi-chan. Where were you before the gathering? It must've been something really important for you of all the people to be late, which, if I recall correctly...oh right! It has never happened since you became our leader. There are also rumors that you acted on your own last night, when you should've at least called your squad to back you up. Just what on earth were you thinking, Romi-chan? That was dangerous!" The slightly taller girl scolded her superior, like she was her mother, or at least that's what the blonde and the other dragons always called her, since she always took care of everyone and reprimanded them when they did something out of line, like right now.
"Well, first," Kuromi started. "Like I said, I had business to take care of since things got more personal; that's why I was late for the very first time. Second, I wasn't really thinking, as there was no time to do so. I was just wandering around until I heard some screams, so I ran out to that boy's rescue. You know exactly that I never hesitate to help someone in need, and third, calling for my squad would've taken too much time, so I took them on myself. There were only three of them anyway, so it was a cinch, and besides that boy," she paused for a moment, "he's in my class, as it seems. I went to his house to check if he listened to me and stayed home when it got dark, and it seems he did; I came here right after." And with that, she finished telling her story.
Mashiro only looked at her with widened eyes and a worried expression, worried mostly for her friend's identity being discovered. "You can't be serious! He's your classmate? What if he recognizes you somehow? What will you do then? Why do you always have to be so reckless when it comes to others, Romi-chan?" she continued lecturing her friend.
"Shi-chan, calm down! Listen, I know you're worried, and you say that because you care, but I can handle this. He'll never know that his classmate Kuromi Ryujin and his savior, the black dragon, are the same person. I stay away from him as often as possible anyway, so no more worries, kay?" Kuromi reassured her second-in-command, who was freaking out way too much for her liking.
"Okay, if you say so, then I have no other choice but to believe you-" Shiro sighed before looking at her wristwatch, noticing that it's really late and they should both be going home. "Damn, we need to leave; it's so late again. Take care of yourself, Romi-chan, and watch out on your way home. I'll see you tomorrow." She told the blonde before storming off into the darkness of the night.
Kuromi waved at her friend and shouted "you too" afterwards. Picking up her wooden sword, she finally left as well, wanting nothing more than to sleep as soon as she got home.
Back at home, Kuromi snuck in as silently as possible so she wouldn't wake her parents. Much to her misfortune, she wasn't alone this time.
Asia Ryujin is a beautiful woman with shoulder-length black hair and ash gray eyes. This woman was Kuromi's mother, who was standing in the kitchen with her arms crossed in front of her chest, clearly annoyed that her daughter came home so late again on a school day, no less.
"Do you have any idea how worried I've been, young lady? It's pitch-dark outside, and the streets are dangerous at this hour!" She lectured her child, but she did so while taking into account that her husband was sleeping and didn't want to wake him. "Were you with them again? Do you think that getting into fights in the streets is any kind of justice? Then let me tell you something: if it's not, then why? Why do you do something so reckless and stupid? Answer me, Amanda!"
It seemed like Kuromi couldn't escape being chewed out several times today. First her friend, and now her mother, and for similar reasons at that. Also, her mother was the only one who called her by her middle name, Amanda, which came from her mother's Italian side.
And boy, did her Italian side show, especially when she felt strong emotions, like right now.
"Lo faccio per il bene dei più deboli Madre, non perché mi piace fare del male agli altri." (I do it for the sake of the weak mother, not because I like causing harm to others.) She responded, strongly believing in those words she spoke: "Now, I'm tired, so I'll go to sleep. You should do the same, mother. Good night." She finished speaking Japanese again, climbing up the stairs to her room, and getting ready to go to bed.
Asia sighed exasperatedly, but she was also extremely worried for her only daughter. It couldn't be otherwise, thinking back on the life she led. She and her husband tried for a long time to talk her out of this, but they never succeeded, and so they're both at a loss for what they could do. Asia would need to talk to him about it again; it couldn't go on like this, and with that thought in mind, she made her way upstairs as well, finally going to bed herself.
A/N: That was chapter 2, and this time I wanted to give more insight on the two rival groups and what their motives are, but is that really everything, or is there more to them than meets the eye? Continue reading to find out, and stay tuned for the next chapter of The Dragon and the Marlin! I hope you liked it. Please read and review, and I'll see you guys next time!