Chapter 2
War
"Talking"
"Thought"
"Inner/Demon Talking"
"Inner/Demon Thought"
"Move/Ability Talking"
"Move/Ability Thought"
(Story Begins)
"Oh no…" Ayato, in his National Demon costume, looked before him at the army of thugs pointing their weapons at him. Surrounded and covered in bright light, a combination of several cars, and hopelessly outnumbered by the thugs dressed in what seemed to be some tactical black uniform.
"Well, well, well, look who we have here? If it isn't the National Demon himself!" A man dressed in the same uniform clothing as his fellow men in black walked alongside two more men, one behind him on his left and one on his right, while looking at Ayato with his hands behind his back.
The man on his right had fair skin, just like him, but he had a red Mohawk and was slightly younger, likely in his late 20s. The man on his left had black skin and was bald but was very muscular when comparing the thickness of his arms to the others. Both men were holding AK rifles.
One intriguing part of his outfit was a stitched badge on his right chest; the badge had a skull and crossed bones.
"I gotta say, I wasn't expecting anybody, let alone the hero of National Island, to come here to greet us!" The man said.
"And you must be the guy who's causing all of this fuss with all these military weapons, right?" Ayato said back, trying to keep calm but panicked. Never had he been surrounded by this many men before. But like they say, there's a first time for everything.
"Who?" The man asked. "Me?" He continued. "Don't flatter me; you'll make me blush." The man said sarcastically. "I'm not the big cheese around here, just an honest guy trying to make an honest buck!".
"An honest buck with blood on it?" Ayato replied to the man with venom in his voice.
"Hey now, you pay your taxes, don't you? Do you know where that money goes to? The military. Making weapons of mass destruction designed for one purpose, and one purpose only, killing!" The man replied with a smile.
"I must admit, you have been a pest on our business. Stopping gangs, decreasing crime rates…" The man added. "Let me tell you a bit about supply and demand. We supply the weapons our buyers demand. Without our buyers, we have nothing." The man said. "And so far, all you've been doing is sabotaging our business…".
"But I have an idea! Why not share the profits, maybe something like fifteen-eighty-five? I'll give you a good word for my boss.".
"And be like you? A killer? No thanks, I'm good." Ayato said as he took a fighting stance, forcing the other gunmen to point and ready their weapons at Ayato. Sounds of clips clicking and guns loading were heard.
"Well, I guess I tried." The man said as he smiled continuously, but that smile turned into a slight frown. "Shoot him.".
The guns aimed and were ready to fire. "Uh oh…" Ayato thought nervously.
"FIRE!" The man yelled, and the men started releasing their bullets at Ayato.
Ayato jumped up, barely dodging the barrage of bullets that missed him. The bullets were shot at the warehouse.
Ayato jumped to the wall of the warehouse, where he then jumped again before another barrage of bullets narrowly missed him. Ayato had jumped within the army of men and used his chains to grab gun by gun, as many as he could, and once he did, he simultaneously threw the weapons all away into the sea.
His senses picked up, and he looked around again to see another legion of shotguns pointing at him as the other men who didn't have weapons backed away for the shotguns to have the action. Ayato jumped, dodging the bullets before landing on his hands and feet on the warehouse's wall. Where he then climbed up and got to the roof, but not before being shot by guns. Bullets narrowly missed him again. Luckily, he was out of the spotlight, which made it difficult for the thugs to hit him.
"I need another strategy to take these guys down!" Ayato thought to himself. "There's no way these are your average day thieves! These guys are good! Very good! Maybe they're mercenaries!" Ayato crouched on the roof, safe from the shooters on the ground, but not from the ones in the distance…
Some more mercenaries were not too far from Ayato, on another warehouse rooftop, but they had snipers. "Target on sight prepared to fire." One of the snipers said.
"I need to figure out a way to get them all…" Ayato said to himself. "Maybe if I were to stay here, they should climb up? If they do, I can take them on, one by one, and eventually, I should be able to stop them all?" Ayato placed his hand on his chin as he spoke. "It's slow, but it'll work. It has to-AGH!" SHOOT! In an instant, Ayato felt a bullet graze his shoulder, tearing off a little of his black hoodie and creating a slight scratch on his skin, making him bleed a little.
"What the?!" Ayato exclaimed as he looked behind when his senses suddenly picked up some danger in the distance. He then ducked, narrowly missing a bullet that was shot at him. He then jumped up, dodging another bullet.
Ayato dodged bullets left and right, likely from snipers from another building, but because it was so dark, he couldn't see where they were coming from. With no other choice, Ayato was forced to retreat to the ground again, where he then jumped from the ground and landed a few meters away as bullets were shot at him.
"I gotta figure out a way to get them to stop shooting!" Ayato thought to himself as he jumped before a large stack of crates. He moved to the side quickly as a few shots were fired at him, hitting the crate.
"STOP!" The man shouted at his subordinates. "Don't shoot that or any of the other crates! The munitions are in them! If there is so much as a spark, you could blow them all sky high, ALONG WITH US!" The man shouted worriedly at the last part of his sentence.
"Really?" Ayato looked behind himself to see the crates. "That's good. They can't shoot me while I'm with their stash. It may be dangerous, but at least they're not shooting me." Ayato said to himself quietly before returning his attention to the mercenaries.
"Get him!" The leader of the mercenaries ordered. A few mercenaries went after Ayato, using their weapons as clubs and pulling out knives to attack him.
Ayato dodged the attacks and fought against them, knocking them, throwing them, and using his black chains to tie them up and push them aside, but there were too many. Eventually, many mercenaries dog-piled on Ayato, completely covering him, until Ayato quickly lifted the pile of men and burst his way through by jumping up. Some more men came after Ayato, who then prepared himself to fight them.
"This is going nowhere…" The leader said. "Lure him away from the cache…" He ordered a few of his men. "Use the heavy artillery. We are going to need it." He finished with a smile.
Three men walked towards a much smaller crate and opened it, which revealed RPGs. They smiled as they grabbed the rocket launchers.
Meanwhile, Ayato was managing well against the mercenaries, but still, there was a troubling number of them. "I get rid of one. Three more take their place." Ayato said to himself.
"Use your knives! Try to draw him out!" The leader ordered, and soon, several men grouped together and slowly walked towards Ayato with their knives pointing directly at him.
Ayato slowly backed away from the group of men. "Now, guys, let's be cool; let's talk about this," Ayato said while walking backwards from the knives of the mercenaries.
As Ayato walked a distance on the port from the men, far from the crates he was standing close to earlier, a man was pointing his RPG at Ayato. The men stopped a distance from Ayato.
Suddenly, Ayato's eyes shot towards the direction of the man with the RPG, an instinct warning him of danger. Ayato's eyes widened in shock as the man with the RPG immediately opened fire upon Ayato. Ayato gasped slightly before jumping forward, right over the group of men with knives, as he narrowly missed the rocket hitting him.
BOOM! The rocket blew up a portion of the port before collapsing into the ocean.
Another man with a rocket launcher launched another load at Ayato, who then jumped away. BOOM! Ayato dodged the fiery explosion. Unfortunately for the man who pulled the trigger, he accidentally blew up the only escape route for the group of men on the port, who were unharmed, trapped on a single wooden platform. Soon, the fire gave way to the platform's structure, and the men jumped into the water, yelling and screaming as the thing fell apart.
"Oops…" The man said, regretting his actions.
"Let me show you how it's done!" The third man with an RPG came next to the previous one, as he pointed the rocket launcher at Ayato and launched the weapon at him. FWWWWWWWWW! The rocket was launched directly towards Ayato.
"OH, NO!" Ayato gasped loudly. Ayato quickly used his chains to grab the rocket, and with that, he did a 360, pulling the rocket and changing its trajectory as if he were swinging it. He then jumped up and threw the rocket directly into the ocean, where it blew up… BOOM! Water splashed everywhere.
Mercenaries once again pointed their handguns and AK rifles at Ayato and started shooting him. Ayato swung himself to the warehouse before almost being shot. As Ayato had swung himself, a single bullet from an AK rifle was shot directly into him, from his back and exiting through his abdomen. SHOOT! TK! Ayato gave an internal, painful groan as he landed on the roof but fell on his knees and head as he slightly held himself where the bullet had exited. His mask slightly moved to the side of his head, revealing his face. Luckily, no one could see his face since he was lying on the warehouse rooftop.
"Time to take this guy down once and for all!" The man with the mohawk said as he walked towards the crates and pulled out another RPG, preparing to shoot at Ayato the best chance he got.
Ayato groaned still but placed his mask back on before looking down at the edge of the front of the warehouse, where then the mercenaries started shooting him. Ayato then jumped up, despite the pain he was feeling, and landed right in front of a massive supply of weapons and ammunition, forcing the mercenaries to stop shooting.
"TAKE THIS!" The man with the mohawk said as he pointed the rocket at Ayato.
"NO!" Screamed the leader of the mercenaries as he attempted to run and stop his soldier from shooting the rocket.
"FIRE NOW!" The man with the mohawk said as he fired the rocket.
Ayato watched in shock as the rocket was fired at him. He then quickly dodged the rocket by jumping forward and almost rolling. Everything seemed to have slowed down for Ayato as he watched the rocket slowly hit the ammunition supply. And then…
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!
A massive explosion caused a shock wave and fiery aftermath that blew everyone away. Luckily, the fire didn't touch any of the mercenaries or Ayato, but they could still feel the intense heat of the blast. The fire went everywhere on the wooden docks, separating Ayato from the mercenaries, who panicked and immediately left.
"RETREAT!" The leader of the mercenaries yelled as he helped one of his men to get up and run away.
Ayato looked around, and he was circled by flames from almost every angle except for the sea. With no choice and nowhere to go, the warehouse was now on fire, and there was no safe place. Ayato took his chances, rushed, and dived into the sea, where he swam. SPLASH!
Ayato was underwater and surfaced near the docks, now on fire… SPLASH!
"Good thing I know how to swim…" Ayato said. Ayato looked at the burning docks; the mercenaries were now gone, leaving behind all their destroyed munitions and weapons. Soon, sirens from the National Island Fire Department were heard. Police arrived, and so did the ambulance, in case anyone was hurt.
With nothing left to do, Ayato had no choice but to swim away and swim to the closest yet uninhabited docks of the warehouse district. He then climbed up and began to swing away.
(Location: Kaze Residence)
Around half an hour after the disaster on the docks, we see Kayame and Nora walking down the district neighbourhood towards the Kaze house, where Ayato lives. It was dark, but they were still walking to his house.
"You're gonna speak to him?" Kayame asked, with his arms behind his hand like a pillow.
"Of course I am. We're going to apologize to Ayato." Nora said while walking in front of Ayato.
"We? If I remember, you were the one who was eating him alive!" Kayame pointed out, reminding Nora of what she had said to him earlier.
"I know. Look, I went too far. I should know what Ayato's been going through with everything going on, even his aunt. We're almost on that day, you know?" Nora said as she kept walking. "I'm sure he has a lot on his mind, but it wasn't fair for me to judge him," Nora added.
"You think he's upset at me?" Nora asked.
"You? Come on, this Ayato we're talking about. He's a dumbass but not the kind of guy that holds grudges, especially on his friends." Kayame assured to Nora. "Besides, he probably forgot about that already.".
"Yeah, maybe," Nora said.
Soon, the two ended up at Ayato's house. Nora knocked on Ayato's door. "I wonder if he's home?" Nora wondered as she had not received a reply from Ayato.
"Just open it," Kayame said to Nora.
"I can't, it's locked! I think…" Nora then turned the handle of the door, which surpassingly opened. "D-Did Ayato forget to lock his door?" Nora asked in surprise.
"Idiot, he doesn't understand that some guys could come in here and steal everything in the house!" Kayame complained as he walked right in.
"Like you maybe? We shouldn't go in without his permission!" Nora argued.
"Hey, when the door's always open, you always have permission," Kayame spoke. "That's what the saying means.".
"I have never heard anyone besides you say that until now," Nora said as she followed Kayame into the house. Once in the house, they saw no sign of Ayato or his parents. The latter wasn't a surprise, considering his parents' jobs.
The house had a large living room, kitchen, and other rooms. "I don't see Mister and Miss Kaze here, not much of a surprise," Nora added.
"Probably out on a business trip again," Kayame added.
"Let's check Ayato's room. Maybe he's in there," Nora said.
"Weren't you the one who said we shouldn't come in without permission?" Kayame asked with a sly smirk.
"Shut up. I'll blame you if he gets upset. Besides, his door was open. I wanna make sure he's okay." Nora said as she walked towards Ayato's room.
(Location: Ayato's Room)
Ayato's room was on the ground level of the house. It was somewhat of a hallway, considering the last homeowners decorated the house for there to be somewhat of an apartment room. Ayato's room was recently moved down here, so he has more freedom and responsibility.
Ayato, who had just swung to his house, unaware of Kayame's and Nora's presence, opened the window to his room and crawled in on the ceiling upside-down. Once he crawled in, he unstuck himself from the ceiling and landed on his feet on the ground, where he then removed his mask, hoodie, and T-shirt.
"Man, that stings…" Ayato quietly groaned as he looked at his wound from the gunshot not long ago. He saw his wound closing pretty quickly, black flames surrounding it as they began healing him, but the blood that leaked was still there.
Just then, Kayame and Nora opened Ayato's door slightly, and while it was dark in the room, the light emitting from their door revealed the National Demon's mask. They were shocked to see the hero of the island in Ayato's room. They even saw Ayato's silhouette but could not correctly identify him because it was dark.
"Is that the National Demon?" Nora asked quietly in shock.
"Yep," Kayame replied.
"What is he doing in Ayato's room?" Nora asked again.
"I don't know, but the National Demon has no good taste in this room." Kayame joked.
"This isn't the time for joking!" Nora harshly said as she slowly opened the door and sneaked in.
"What are you doing?" Kayame asked.
"I don't care if he's the island's hero! He doesn't get to barge into our friend's home!" Nora angrily said as she slowly approached Ayato.
"Nora, wait," Kayame said, but it was too late. Nora was too far ahead of him. Nora grabbed one of Ayato's ornaments, a glass Periodic Table decoration, and approached him from behind. Kayame sighed, went towards the light switch, and flicked it on.
The lights turned on just as Nora was about to hit Ayato with the glass ornament.
CLICK!
The room suddenly became bright. Ayato turned around and saw Kayame and Nora, who were frozen in shock. Nora, who had her arm lifted with the ornament, has her jaw opened in shock. Kayame was also shocked, but he was less than characterized by it than Nora was.
Ayato looked at his friends in shock, thinking of a way out of this situation.
"Ummm… I can explain." Ayato said.
The ornament slipped from Nora's hand and fell to the ground, making a sound. THUD! The ornament fell, but luckily, it was strong enough not to smash into pieces. "You're the National Demon," Nora said, still in shock.
"Ummm, no, I'm not." Ayato lied, but because he smiled, his friends immediately knew it.
"You are the National Demon," Nora said.
"Ummm, no, I'm not." Ayato lied.
"Dude, we just saw you getting change and-… Is that blood?" Kayame pointed at Ayato's abdomen, where there was still some blood on him.
"No, it's not, it's uhhh… Vimto, yes! I spilt some on me!" Ayato explained. (Author's Note: Vimto is a soft drink with fruits, sold popularly in England, and the drink itself is red.)
"While you were wearing a shirt?" Nora said.
"Okay. It is blood, you're right…" Ayato started to explain again. "But I had an accident!" Ayato said frantically.
"What kind of accident?" Kayame asked.
"A bullet shot me," Ayato replied, but immediately, he placed his hand over his mouth and realized his mistake. "Oh shi-!".
"YOU WERE SHOT?!" Nora screamed in shock.
"No, I wasn't!" Ayato exclaimed.
"I was! I was! I was! I was…" Ayato repeatedly said before sighing and giving up. Was there any point in lying to his friends anymore? They caught him in the act. They knew what he was doing. There is no more reason to lie.
Ayato sighed heavily before speaking to his friends. "Alright, guys… You got me.".
"It's true, I am the National Demon; I have been the National Demon since two-thousand and sixteen," Ayato admitted.
Nora, whose arms just slumped to her sides, was still in shock and said, "Now it all makes sense. Every time he showed up, you were gone. When you smelled like smoke, you were in the burning building a few days ago; the hero saved everyone inside. That means the bank yesterday was yours as well! You saved everyone!" Nora pointed at Ayato.
"Yeah, that's why I couldn't come and do the project with you two. I was so busy saving lives that I forgot about the project." Ayato explained.
"And then you were…" Nora stopped for a second, gasped, and then realized Ayato was bleeding and said, "You were shot?! We need to get you to a hospital now!" Nora said frantically.
"It's okay!" Ayato replied, trying to calm Nora down; he revealed his wound to his friends, only for their eyes to go wide at the sight. Ayato's wound was completely gone; all that was left was the blood on it but the wound was gone! Small black flames eventually disappeared when the wound was healed.
Kayame looked at Ayato in shock and said, "Instant regeneration.".
"Yeah, that's what I thought. I called it fast healing, but what you said makes better sense and sounds much cooler than what I said." Ayato said with a smile. "Every time I get hurt, no matter how serious the wound is, I always heal. And it heals well; I get no scars, permanent injuries, nothing; it's gone like it never even existed." Ayato explained. Ayato showed them the area of his wound, which was as good as new; as Ayato said, it never existed.
"I can't believe it…" Nora said as she moved closer to have a look. Ayato turned around and grabbed some tissues before wiping the blood off of his body.
"Since we're on the subject of your powers, mind telling us how you got them?" Kayame asked. "Like maybe a spider bite? Were you exposed to gamma radiation? You're an alien from another planet, and the sun gives you superpowers?" Kayame asked questions. "The last one would make sense to me." Kayame joked with a smirk on his face. (Author's Note: Everything Kayame said is a reference to the origins of Spider-Man, Hulk and Superman)
"Hahaha, very funny," Ayato said as he put his shirt back on. "The answer is no, no, and unfortunately, as cool as it sounds, no," Ayato replied as he zipped his hoodie back on. "Kind of a boring origin story, but… I got them when I turned thirteen.".
"Thirteen? Like a birthday wish?" Kayame asked.
"No, I wished for the Amazing Spider-Man movie on Blue Ray," Ayato replied. (Author's Note: Amazing Spider-Man was released in 2012, a Reboot of the Live Action Franchise starring Andrew Garfield).
"It was weird though. Around a week after I turned thirteen, I started to hear stuff almost as if I were hearing it. And that's not all…" Ayato said. "I felt every time I was going to have an accident, my senses would pick it up and stop me from making the accident. I started to feel stronger; at first, I could only lift about fifty kilograms by myself with ease, but then the next, I knew I could lift a car tyre with one hand, and then I could almost lift a car. And then I started to develop this…" Ayato showed them his hand, which started to envelop a black flame. "I'm not so sure what this is, but I'm guessing this is some sort of fire," Ayato said. "But for some reason, it doesn't feel hot," Ayato said.
"So basically, these powers just came to you?" Kayame asked.
"Yes, they did," Ayato replied.
"And no one in your family knows about this, right?" Kayame asked.
"Well, except for my uncle, Miyamoto," Ayato replied.
"Your uncle knows this?" Nora asked.
"Yes," Ayato replied.
"And how does he deal with it?" Kayame asked.
"Well, interestingly, he's cool with it," Ayato replied.
"Your uncle, a Dojo manager for sword-fighting, doesn't mind?" Kayame asked again, this time with a dumbfounded look to him.
"Yes. It's true." Ayato replied.
"Listen, guys, I lied to you two and wanted to tell you repeatedly. I was just worried that if I told either of you about this, you would be a target for some bad guys, and I made quite a few today. I just wanted to help…" Ayato says sadly.
"Hey, it's okay," Nora said. "We'll keep it a secret. I was upset that you missed nearly all our lessons and meetings; I didn't know you were saving lives." Nora said.
"Neither did I," Kayame added.
"Knowing you're there saving people, we know it's good enough," Nora said.
"Thanks guys…" Ayato said.
Just then, Kayame turned the TV on after looking at his phone and switched to National Island News, where a female reporter appeared in front of the warehouse ruins. Ayato was in the abandoned Warehouse district.
"In other news, reports of a firefight in an abandoned warehouse by the docks were heard, and as you can see behind me, firefighters have managed to control most of the fire from the building. Police are investigating as we speak, but there have been no reported fatalities from the fire." The woman said, as behind her were firefighters spraying water on what was left of the fire in the warehouse while police were looking around for clues.
"While it is unknown how the fire started, some citizens report that the National Demon had been spotted around the area earlier; there were reports about potential activities regarding illegal weapons being sold on the streets, suggesting the National Demon was here looking for clues but somehow everything went sideways." She continued.
"Reports of bullets and some about hearing explosions such as rockets were heard on the docks. We'll await the police for further information; stay tuned." She finished as the screen changed to the prominent anchorman who began speaking.
Kayame and Nora looked at Ayato with the latter looking at him with wide eyes and asked, "You had something to do with this, right?".
"It's a long story…" Ayato said as he began explaining.
(Location: National Island Police Station)
Not far from the National Island bank was a police station that was currently busy due to the recent activities with military-grade weapons.
Inside, the station was busy; police were moving people around, mainly those breaking the law and those who bought illegal military weapons. Inside an interrogation room was the leader of the bank heist, foiled by Ayato, sitting on a chair with his hands cuffed to the table before him.
"So, let's recap…" A man with darkish hair, fair skin, and green eyes in his 30s said he wore a blue shirt, grey jeans, and black shoes. "You went to National Island Bank, you attempted to steal probably around three to four million dollars, you attempted to shoot one of the hostages, the hero of the island comes in, saves the day, kicks your ass, and then you attempted to shoot a grenade launcher at the hostages, giving the bank a new coat of red paint, but the hero saves the day and stops you escaping and then here you are, anything else I missed Dan?" The man spoke to his right to his partner as he crossed his arms; he was slightly shorter than, had blond hair, short, fair skin, sky blue eyes, a black tie over a white shirt, sleeves rolled up, suit grey pants and black shoes. His hands were currently in his pockets.
"Yep, Stevens, that sounds about right." The man known as Dan said as he looked at the suspect.
"You know, so far, we got reports about people using military-grade machines, guns and shotguns, but not your case. No, we don't have any reports from your case! You are the first to hold a grenade launcher on the island against innocent people. So please, humour me. Where did you get it?" Stevens asked sarcastically.
"I told you before; I got the grenade launcher from some guy, okay? I don't know what he looked like; he was in a grey van with no markings, only black windows. He offered me a price for the launcher, and I paid him, and that's it. He wore a biker suit. You know? One of those suits those badass bikers wear in TV shows and movies?" The suspect said as he looked at the detectives. "Anyway, he offered me a price; I paid, got a crew, and went to the bank. I don't know his name; I doubt he's at the same place I last saw him. He wore a helmet, and I couldn't tell what he looked like. I don't even know if he was he! Maybe she had a distorted voice, and I couldn't tell." The suspect finished.
The detectives closed the door and left the suspect behind at the desk. "Great, still nothing on this guy," Stevens said.
"Or girl," Dan added.
"You know what I mean," Stevens said as he walked down the white halls of the station. "A few weeks of interrogations of cases like this and still we have no idea who is selling these weapons and where they are coming from. All we have are theories and a load of nothing, not even a scent." Stevens said as he was annoyed.
"This is getting dangerous, first a grenade launcher and now…" Stevens and Dan walked into a room where evidence was held and examined, and both reached towards a small tarp-covered table with something underneath. "This," Stevens said as he grabbed the tarp and took it off, revealing a damaged RPG, burnt and wet from the fight at the warehouse.
"Whoever is supplying them, they're bringing some more high-end equipment. The better the product, the higher the price." Dan said, inspecting the RPG.
"And the more blood that spills everywhere on the island," Stevens added.
"Someone is selling weapons on this island, someone high up. It has to be the black market; I cannot think of any way how anybody could sell weapons like this to people." Stevens explained. "If we found out where they were selling these weapons, maybe we could stop them," Stevens said.
"And the gang war that's going isn't doing us any favours either," Steven said.
(Location: Kaze Residence)
"And then I jumped into the sea and swam away." Ayato finished his story with his friends.
"I can't believe you tried to fight an entire army yourself," Kayame added.
"I didn't know an army of those guys was waiting for me," Ayato said. "Still, I didn't realize how prepared they were. They were not your average Joe; they weren't some guys who stole cash from a cashier and run away with it; they were skilled, knew what to do, and were very strong. I think they were military." Ayato said.
"From what you said, they sound like they're military…" Nora said while sitting on a white sofa and working on Ayato's Acer Laptop. (Author's Note: Acer is a laptop brand.)
"What are you looking for?" Kayame asked.
"Leads on the case," Nora replied.
"You're looking for leads on the laptop?" Ayato asked.
"You were looking for a lead based on a reporter's words. Look where you ended up." Nora's eyes looked at Ayato before returning her attention to the laptop. "And besides, if we're gonna get to the bottom of this, we need to figure out a plan to stop these weapons," Nora said.
"We? There's no we, just me. I can't put you two through this danger!" Ayato argued as he stood up from the Sofa.
"And look how that's turning out for you," Nora said, looking at Ayato. "You were shot and surrounded by probably ex-military soldiers; you're lucky to come back alive!" Nora argued as she returned her attention to the laptop.
"And besides, the situation is more serious than you think…" Nora added.
"What do you mean?" Both Ayato and Kayame asked in unison.
"Seriously?! You two don't know? There's a war going on, a gang war!" Nora reminded.
"A gang war?" Ayato asked.
"Obviously! It's been on the news for the last couple of days! You haven't heard?!" Nora said in shock as she looked at Ayato and Kayame this time.
"Well… I'm more of a seeing-to-know kind of person…" Ayato replied embarrassingly.
"I don't see the news too often." Kayame bluntly replied.
"Well, you should; it's important," Nora said.
"Since you two don't know anything about it, I'll tell you…" Nora started as she returned her attention to the laptop. "A few days ago, a gang war started between these two gangs, the Los Conquistadores, in English known as the Conquerors, a Spanish gang, and the Big Boys, an American-styled gang. The son of the leader of Los Conquistadores was killed by a sniper bullet, believed by the news and the mafia by one of the members of the Big Boys, considering they have long-term rivalry…" Nora explained. "At the same time, the daughter of the boss of the Nig Boys was murdered a day after the previous one, believed to be a revenge kill by the Los Conquistadores." Nora continued. "Since these gangs have been at war, and they've been using military-grade weapons, around the same time as the increase of military weapons being sold to criminals." Nora finished her explanation.
"I see, so all of this is connected!" Ayato said as he sat back down on his Sofa.
"According to police reports, the bullets that were used were the same ones as sniper uses for both murders," Nora added to her explanation.
"I don't know about you, but I think something smells fishy," Kayame said; he sniffed a bit and realized it was Ayato. He looked at him. "I meant metaphorically, not literally." He gave a deadpanned expression to Ayato.
"I don't smell like this on purpose, you know," Ayato said back in slight annoyance.
"I mean that the son and the daughter of two gangs being killed by a sniper at almost the same time, that doesn't sound like a plot from any one of the gangs at all," Kayame said. "And who would benefit from this killing besides the people Ayato met tonight?".
"I know what you mean," Nora said, looking at Kayame and returning her attention to the laptop again. She sighed in frustration. "But I can't find anything useful on the internet…".
"Maybe I could find them if I go back to the abandoned warehouse district?" Ayato said as he looked at Kayame.
"I doubt it. After what you just pulled, those guys probably moved house, and if not, it would be stupid to put more gear in the same place. They probably have more warehouses someplace else." Kayame explained.
"Hey, since we're being honest about everything, I got something to say…" Kayame said as he was about to talk but was interrupted by Nora.
While Ayato and Kayame were talking, Nora was looking at her phone and found an anonymous email. She tapped on it and saw something interesting; she then sent the email to Ayato and looked at it on Ayato's laptop.
"Guys, look!" Nora said frantically. Ayato and Kayame moved towards her and looked at the laptop.
"I don't know who sent it, but I got an email about those weapons!" Nora said.
"Wait! You got an email from who?" Ayato asked.
"I don't know! But that's not important right now! I got an email regarding a location for another warehouse!" Nora said. "Probably one filled with weapons like the one you burned down," Nora added.
"First off, I didn't burn it down!" Ayato said. "Secondly, that's great!" Ayato cheered. "Now, all I have to do is check it out and then call the police and-.".
"Hang on a second! You check it out?!" Nora said in slight anger. "No!" She spoke. "WE check it out." She added.
"Guys, I appreciate you guys wanting to help me, but you must understand this is dangerous. I'm telling you, you DO NOT want any part of this." Ayato warned his friends while holding his mask.
"No, you have to understand!" Nora harshly said, standing from the Sofa. "You cannot just bail out on us whenever you want! When we became friends, we said we'd always stick together!" Nora argued.
"That was before I got powers! Before I got into a hero gig! Before, I practically fought off an entire army of mercenaries that tried to kill me!" Ayato argued back.
"And you know why?! Because you tried to do this alone!" Nora argued again.
"Guys! I can't let you come with me! If you come with me and something happens, I can't live alone!" Ayato argued.
Nora was about to retort, but Kayame beat her to the punch. "And you don't think your friends feel the same way?" Kayame asked as he stood from the Sofa.
"Yes, but-!".
"But nothing." Kayame cut Ayato off his sentence. "You got your ass kicked by a bunch of goons and shot at. What happens when your parents come home and find out that you died trying to protect this island, huh? How would Nora and I feel knowing that we could've helped, but you were an arrogant knucklehead who got himself killed." Kayame said as he began to walk towards Ayato until he was faced with him. "Remember when we used to pick fights with bullies, you got your ass kicked half the time, and I always got to come and save your ass from danger. You think a bunch of guys with guns will stop me from helping you!" Kayame said. "DO YA!" He yelled.
Ayato remained silent; he didn't know what to say; he was just shocked, and so was Nora. "Well… I was, you know… I just…" Ayato didn't know what to say.
"Either way, we're coming with you, and that's that," Kayame said. "Got a problem with that?" He asked, daring Ayato to say something against him, but he did not.
"No," Ayato said.
"Good," Kayame said. "Now we leave." Kayame turned to leave through the door but stopped when Ayato spoke to him.
"Thank you, Kayame," Ayato said with a smile, knowing how much his friend cared about him. No matter what Kayame was like, he was a good friend in the heart, and Nora knew that, too, which is why she also smiled at Kayame.
(Location: Unknown, Specific Location: Warehouse)
In another warehouse, in a disclosed location, men wearing the same uniform as the ones who attacked Ayato at the warehouse district were moving crates and stashing weapons in them with forklifts and so on.
In an office, where a figure was watching all the work being done, it turned around and sat on a desk in a slightly messy office room. The figure was a man in his 40s with fair skin; he was bald and wore a black and white suit with a black tie to match it; he had an average figure.
"So…" The man spoke in an intelligent accent. "You mind telling me what happened?" He asked the three men who were standing up across his desk.
The three men were the leader who attacked Ayato, along with the muscular man with dark skin and the one with the mohawk.
"Well, Skullcrusher, I'm waiting…" The man in the suit said as he laid back on his chair.
The leader, now identified by his codename Skullcrusher, stepped forward and spoke, "Well, things kind of took an unexpected turn when the National Demon appeared and attacked us. We shot him, but I think we only managed to shoot one bullet through him.".
"And then you, King and Fire Hawk kept missing?" The man asked, with a raised eyebrow. Before Skullcrusher could answer, the man said, "Let me rephrase that. You and King kept missing, but Fire Hawk shot a rocket at our stockade of merchandise, blowing it up.".
He pointed at the man with the mohawk, now identified as Fire Hawk, leaving the one with the muscles referred to as King.
"We understand you are angry, but-." Skullcrusher was cut off again by the man.
"I got one word for you…" The man said. "Four." He spoke in a calm expression.
"Four?" Skullcrusher asked.
"Four million." The man replied. "That's Four MILLION dollars' worth of supplies." The man spoke, yelling at the word "Million" at the three.
"I know that's a lot-.".
"That's not just a lot…" The man said, sounding angrier than calm. "That's four million dollars off of our PROFIT!" He yelled at the last part of his sentence, slowly raising his voice until he hit the ceiling.
"One guy! Fifty men! And a team of specialists! And you only got ONE shot at the National Demon!" the man angrily said, pointing his index finger at the men to refer to the number one while emphasizing "One".
"That's four million dollars down the drain!" The man said. "That's four million dollars loss of profit!" The man continued. "Along with an entire warehouse! Luckily, we have three of those! Now two!" The man said.
"We did everything we could! Okay!" Skullcrusher said with agitation. "The National Demon, he's too fast and nimble! We could barely get a shot!".
"That's no excuse!" The man harshly said. "Tonight, we have an important mission! Once everything goes down how it's supposed to, we make more than a quick buck on this! And if the National Demon gets in the way, we can kiss that goodbye! And if you three can't handle it, I'll have to get the professional!" The man said as he grabbed his phone from his pocket and searched the contacts on his list.
Skullcrusher looked surprised and said, "You don't, him? Do you?".
"Yes, him." Replied the man.
(Location: Junkyard)
In a junkyard far from the city and near the desert region of National Island were three cans lined up perfectly next to each other; one was shot-BANG! And the can flew a distance away.
The shot belonged to a sniper, a man in his late 20s with silver hair that reached down his chin, fair skin, and dark eyes. He wore a black bandana, covering most of his hair besides the last few strands, tied in the back. He wore a tactical black outfit. He had a grey utility belt on with two handguns, two army daggers, ammunition and more.
The man felt his right pocket vibrating and pulled out a burner phone, which he then recognized the number immediately.
"Operative Nightshade, nice to hear from you so soon…" The man said in a calm tone while using his high-tech sniper rifle to shoot another one of the cans. He was located far from the junkyard, around 3 Km from the cans. "I'd take it this isn't a social call?".
"We're in a situation Killshot." The man, now known as Nightshade, spoke on the phone.
"So, I heard. It's hard not to notice the news reporting about an explosion in a warehouse district blowing up a stockade of reported illegal weapons. Your handiwork?" The man spoke with the sniper rifle, now identified as Killshot.
"My boys caused some trouble for me! But not as much trouble as the National Demon is causing us!" Nightshade said with a hint of anger in his voice. "He's disrupting our trade, putting our customers behind bars and allowing the authorities to confiscate our merchandise. He recently was involved in a warehouse explosion, OUR warehouse, which cost me four million dollars! The National Demon is becoming a real pain, I tell you!" Nightshade said in anger.
BANG! Another Can was shot from its position.
"And what does this have to do with me?" Spoke Killshot with a smile, knowing what this conversation meant.
"You should know; I need you to deal with this guy." Replied Nightshade.
"I hope he proves to be much more of a challenge than the last two targets I killed." BANG! Killshot shot another Can from its position. He then aimed his sniper rifle far beyond the junkyard, about 3 more Km away from the junkyard, towards the desert on a rocky area, where another Can was located. "The son of a Spanish gang was easy, partying and getting drunk while dancing. He could've just worn a target on his back and shirt that said, "Shoot Me" …" Killshot said. "And the girl was also easy, being on a limousine going three miles an hour while dancing with her friends. Both were easy targets." Killshot finished his sentence.
"Trust me, this guy is the real deal." Spoke Nightshade. "Some of my men are the elite, former elite US soldiers, and they could barely give this guy a scratch." Added Nightshade.
"I'll tell you what, you kill this hero for me, then I'll triple your salary. Just make sure it's done tonight!" Ordered Nightshade with a serious tone.
Killshot looked away from his scope and phone, but his finger was still on the trigger. "Oh, you can keep the money…" Said Killshot. "I just want to kill." BANG!
Even without looking, the sniper rifle shot from afar and hit the Can dead centre, causing it to fall to the ground. BANG!
(Location: Abandoned Industry Sector)
Ayato, Kayame, and Nora, who had walked for the last hour towards the abandoned industry area, walked towards the path of yet another abandoned warehouse.
"And this blue stuff that comes out of my hands and feet allows me to stick to walls and stuff." Ayato finished a conversation with Kayame.
"Blue stuff? Why not this black stuff?" Kayame asked.
"I don't know, but I know it's probably another power," Ayato replied.
"Alright, we're here," Nora said as she stopped and looked at the three-story warehouse by the street. A few lights were on, but trucks were parked next to it.
"You sure this is the place?" Ayato asked.
"Do you think someone would work at this time of night and in an abandoned warehouse?" Nora asked. "And look at this truck." She walked towards one of the trucks and pointed at them. "They are designed to carry heavy cargo, something heavier than construction materials." She spoke.
"This probably is the place," Kayame said.
"Alright, here's what we do; I check it out. You two are waiting out here." Ayato ordered as he was prepared to go in and walk. But then Nora stepped up and quickly grabbed Ayato by his arm.
"No way!" Nora argued. "I thought we discussed this; we don't split apart!" She harshly said.
"So, you wanna come in with me to another warehouse full of mercenaries and get shot?" Ayato asked, knowing the answer to that question.
Nora opened her mouth, prepared to retort, but she couldn't, and instead said, "Alright, you have a point.".
"If anything goes wrong, I want you two to call the cops, okay? I won't be long." With that said, Ayato put on his mask, jumped onto the warehouse wall, and snuck in through a window.
"I hope he knows what he's doing," Nora worriedly said.
"I doubt it," Kayame said.
Meanwhile, inside the Warehouse, Ayato had just climbed through the window and looked around. This ware was slightly bigger than the last one he went into, but it had more stock in it, more crates to the point it was stacked in scaffolding like those warehouses from Amazon; he couldn't believe how many crates there were, at least a hundred or so on.
"So many, it's like they're going to war; I have to stop this somehow," Ayato said quietly as he began looking around the warehouse, landing on a thin beam where the lights were walking along it.
However, despite the quiet entry Ayato took, his presence did not go unnoticed, as Killshot, who was on the roof, looking through a window, held his sniper rifle at Ayato.
"Sir, do we attack now?" asked a mercenary through an earpiece Killshot was wearing.
"No, not yet, attack only if I miss," Killshot ordered.
"I'm surprised how easy I got in. You don't think they would have extra security after what happened!" Ayato suddenly sensed danger and jumped away. BANG! A bullet just missed Ayato, hitting the thin beam.
"He dodged it. He's good. I rarely miss from this distance." Killshot smiled. "Attack.".
"HE'S HERE!" A mercenary yelled.
"FIND HIM!" Another one yelled.
"SHOOT HIM!" Another mercenary yelled.
"Oh no…" Ayato sighed as he prepared himself.
Meanwhile, outside…
"Welp, it seems like Ayato got caught," Kayame said, arms crossed.
"I'm calling the police!" Nora said as she took her iPhone out and dialled the emergency service numbers.
"You do that, I'll check out Ayato and help him," Kayame said as he began to walk towards the warehouse.
"Okay. WAIT A MINUTE KAYAME!" Nora said, realizing Kayame was heading into danger and attempted to stop him, but he ignored her and left.
"I'll be back," Kayame said.
"Kayame!" Nora growled.
Kayame kicked through an emergency fire exit; even though the doors only opened from the inside, he managed to break it upon entry.
Kayame looked up to see Ayato dodging and swinging, narrowly missing the bullets fired by the mercenaries. Ayato landed, used his black chains to tie some mercenaries up while dodging some shots, and took away their weapons with some of his chains.
Kayame had watched briefly and noticed two mercenaries sneaking behind Ayato. Considering Ayato was busy fighting a group of mercenaries, he wouldn't notice them pointing their rifles at him behind him.
Kayame rushed behind the crates, making sure no one saw him or noticed his presence; he sneaked behind the two mercenaries and quickly knocked one out with a single hit. The other mercenary noticed it, but it was too late; Kayame punched him in the face so fast he barely had a look at Kayame's face. Unfortunately, he accidentally pulled the trigger of his rifle.
BANG! BOOM! From the mercenary's rifle was shot a flurry of bullets that hit one of the crates, likely an explosive crate, blowing it up and causing fire to spread in the warehouse.
Ayato noticed it and looked at the fire; he then saw Kayame.
"What are you doing here?!" Ayato called.
"Helping you!" Kayame said. "You're welcome!".
"Honestly, and he was criticizing me about blowing up warehouses…" Ayato commented, but then he sensed something and turned around and saw Killshot looking at him.
Killshot had his sniper rifle over his shoulder before dropping it to the ground.
"So, you're the hero of this island, huh?" Killshot asked as he looked at Ayato with an unnerved and emotionless expression, but his eyes were narrowed.
"I gotta say, kid, for a person who acts like a hero, you gave a few of these guys a run for their money…" Killshot said that the fire continued to spread while mercenaries were leaving the warehouse.
"I kept missing my shots on you; that barely happens with me around; you're good," Killshot said as he pulled out his dagger. "If long-range combat won't do, then close range must be enough." He said as he held his knife tightly.
Ayato held his fists up and prepared to fight. "So, you're going to fight me with a knife? Let me tell you something, buddy…" Ayato said as he began walking towards Killshot. "I've fought quite a few guys before who fought me at close range, and hardly any of them managed to land a hit. You think you could-?".
Killshot instantly grabbed something from his utility belt and threw a small grey ball at Ayato, smaller than a gumball. Ayato dodged it when his senses picked it up, believing it to be a small knife or sharp object, but then he saw the shape of it and wondered.
The small grey ball then crumbled and blew into dust, covering Ayato's eyes and face and preventing him from seeing anybody. Killshot ran and attempted to stab Ayato.
Luckily, Ayato dodged the knife, barely getting a scratch, but then Killshot grabbed another knife from his utility belt and tried to stab Ayato. Luckily, Ayato's senses kicked in, forcing him to move away from Killshot. "That was close!" Ayato thought to himself as he wiped his eyes behind his mask.
"You're pretty strong, kid, but strength doesn't mean anything if you don't know what to do with it," Killshot said.
"Kid?" Ayato questioned.
"You think I believe you're a grown man? With that height and build? You're a kid. You may go this whole island fooled, but you're just a kid." Explained Killshot.
"Did he just call me short?!" Ayato angrily thought but pushed that aside and stayed focused.
"And you're just some hired muscle," Ayato said as an insult. "Man, that sounds better in my head…" Ayato whispered to himself.
"There are perks for the job, and you're one of them," Killshot said as he threw another pellet from the right side of his utility belt, the same size and colour as the smoke screen he threw at Ayato.
Ayato dodged the pellet and kept his eyes on it while rushing towards Killshot. "Same trick twice!" Ayato commented.
But then Killshot attempted to stab Ayato, which he almost did if Ayato didn't turn his attention to him and gasped and barely side-stepped from Killshot, barely missing the knife. The pellet that was thrown landed on the ground.
"Never repeat the same strategy twice; always have a backup plan," Killshot commented, as he then swayed his other knife at Ayato, tearing off a cloth of the hoodie but missing the shirt.
"So fast!" Ayato gasped. Ayato, now within arm's length of Killshot, attempted to punch him.
Killshot grabbed Ayato's arm, flipped him, and used Ayato's strength against him, using the momentum Ayato used for his punch and threw him to the ground.
"Like I said, you're just a kid," Killshot said as he then held his knife over Ayato, preparing to stab him.
Kayame rushed towards Killshot, believing to have the element of surprise, and charged towards him.
Only for the unthinkable to happen…
STAB!
Ayato's eyes widened in shock, and fear.
Kayame stopped, looking shocked as he looked at his chest as the knife was in up to the hilt inside of his chest, and with ease, Killshot pulled his knife out of Kayame, Killshot then kicked Kayame, sending him to the ground where his head it it hard, knocking him uncioncuis as he closed his eyes.
Ayato grew shocked and kicked with two feet, supported by his hands on the ground, at Killshot, who was launched a distance away. He landed on his feet and prepared himself, but then a beam fell, separating him from Ayato and Kayame.
Seeing the fire intensify, Killshot immediately took his sniper rifle and left the warehouse, not before giving Ayato another glance before leaving.
Ayato watched as Killshot left; he then went to Kayame's body and shook him, only to receive no response.
Ayato panicked and gave a massive yell.
"KAYAME!"
To Be Continued.
(Opening song, brought to you by NICO Touches The Walls, Hologram, lyrics)
Masshiro na keshiki ni ima sasowarete
The scene opens with Ayato's back facing the audience, standing on a tower in his hero costume, looking at the rising sun, blinding the views while the camera zooms in on him.
Boku wa yuku yo mada minu sekai e, whoa-oh-oh
Just as the camera zooms in on Ayato's back, it flies past his shoulder and turns to face him, but only his necklace and zooms in, where it shows Ayato holding his necklace with his right hand.
The title Fairy Worlds is shown.
[Verse 1]
Maigo no mama tabi shiteita
Nezumiiro no sora no shita
Higawari no chizu
Ikutsumo no yume ga nijiindeita
Itsuka wa sa
Chippoke na boku no kono hohaba demo
Ano kumo no mukou made ikeru ka na
So far, scenes of the story are revealed chronologically before eventually coming to Kayame and Nora and seeing Ayato's true identity in his room.
[Pre-Chorus]
Tsuyogatte
Kizutsuita kokoro sukashita you ni
Furidashita amatsubutachi ga
Ranhansha kurikaesu
Characters such as Stevens, Dan, Killshot, Fire Hawk, King, Skullcrusher and Nightshade are revealed one by one in their introduction scenes of the chapter.
[Chorus]
Massugu na hikari ga kousa shite
Ikusaki mo tsugenu mama
Dokomademo tsukinukeru
Awai zanzou
Ryoume ni yakitsukete
Todoku hazu nanda
Mada minu sekai e
The rest of the scenes are revealed as the chapter ends, with the final scene being Ayato putting on his costume and swinging into action.
The camera pans out of the now-burning warehouse.
"Right now, everything seems to be going awry; what am I supposed to do, sir?" A woman asked in her car, watching the warehouse burning. "Right away, sir, I'll do just that." She said as she put the phone down.
(Omake: Monologuing)
In a dark and damp city…
Crime never sleeps…
I am the night…
I am vengeance!
And only one man shall change the world…
And that man is…
Me…
Ayato Usagi Kaze…
CLICK! The lights turn on in Ayato's bedroom, revealing Kayame and Nora. "What are you doing?" Kayame asked.
"I'm trying to my hero monologue!" Ayato said.
"In the middle of the day, pull some blinds up, man!" Nora argued as she pulled Ayato's blinds up, revealing the sun.
Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry it's been a while since the first chapter was uploaded. I am here now and uploading again. I decided I will try to upload at least 1 chapter of any of my stories every two weeks. I'm gonna try to upload as regularly as possible. Starting now, I'll upload a chapter of any of my stories every two weeks, and maybe, if I'm fast enough and lucky enough, I'll upload a chapter by the following week.
There is so much I want to do for this story and more, and I hope to achieve this quickly.
Let's have applause for my very first reviewee, kuroshiragami0, who might be my first follower and person who favourite this story.
I try to perfect my writing and so forth, and story telling, so if this chapter may seem boring or if there's some inconsistency with the story please inform me in the reviews so I can fix it in upcoming chapters to fill those holes in. I have been rewatching anime such One Piece and Bleach so my story telling is inspired by those stories to make it interesting.
Next chapter I have a huge announcement to make, I won't make it here because I want to build up the suspense and do some planning before announcing it, it will be special I guarantee you, so please stay tuned for the next chapter, which should be uploaded either next week or the week after that.
Again PLEASE READ AND REVIEW.
I hope you enjoyed the story.
Thanks dudes😊.