• Chapter 9 Delay

    I made it back to Kimari-san’s apartment. I entered through an open window. Meia-san was sitting at the table near by.

    “Okarinasai Yuroto-kun,” she said.

    “Domo,” I responded. I folded my wings and stood there for a while. Kimari-san walked in soon after.

    “You ready Yuroto-kun?” he asked.

    “Hai,” I responded. Just as he was about to transform a cold blast of air swept through the room. As it got colder and colder, our breath was visible. Kimari-san clutched his arms from the sheer cold. As did Meia-san. I however was unaffected. I have a natural fire aura around me that protects me form the cold. I looked around trying to find the source. My eyes shifted back and forth scanning the room. That’s when I saw a, what looked like, a continueous burst of cold air coming from under the door. I spread my wings and began flapping. Circulating hot air all over the room. He two negated each other. As the cold air stopped, I slowed my wings. Just as I did so, the front door turned into solid ice. Once frozen solid it shattered into millions of shards. There stood a figure with his hand outstretched. He wore a light blue vest with fur coming out of the arm holes. Under the vest was a white shirt with the kanji of ice in light blue with another in dark blue right behind it. He wore sweat pants held up by a belt that attached to a massive sword on his back. His eyes were a icy blue behind a pair of black horn-rimmed glasses. He smirked as he stared me down,

    “Knock knock,” he said playfully. He reached behind himself and pulled forth his sword. A massive zanbato made completely of ice. Its edge gleamed as he prepared to swing it. I quickly grabbed the sheath of my sword and prepared for batto-jutsu. We swung at the same time. My blade erupted into a fireiery inferno. Combating the ice that his zanbato was oozing off. The clash broke and I prepared to go Phoenix form. Just as I was about to say the call, a stone spear came twords me from behind me. I dodged and grabbed it in mid-air. Throwing it back from wince it came. Jonuku came charging in through the window. Ruki was not far off. Great, 3 dragons, 3 phoenix. Kimari-san and Meia-san finally got warmed up and stood by me.

    “I’ll take the stone guy,” I said.

    “Dibs on the ice-fiend,” Kimari-san called.

    “Which means plant-girl is all mine,” Meia-san.

    “Fushicho Kaihen!” We called. Our powers rushing to the surface. We stood before the three of them and pounced. I dragged Jonuku outside via the window. We fell for a while. My wings opened and slowed my fall. We both landed on our feet. I drew my sword and he made a spear of stone. He charged me wielding the new spear. I dodged to the left and parried with my sword. We fought back and forth, exchanging blows back and forth. The tide of battle continued to shift till we started using elemental powers. Jonuku rammed his hands into the ground and pulled it up, sending a shockwave surging twords me. Instead of leaping to avoid it, I thrust my sword into the ground and split the wave in half. I pulled my sword up and a burst of flames shot out of the hole. I channeled it into my sword, surrounding my blade in a swirling vortex of fire. I brandished my blade and swung hard.

    “Kaji no jutsu: Phoenix Helix!” I called as the flames shot off my blade. It split into two seprete blasts that revolved around each other, then combining into the shape of a giant fire bird. Jonuku created a wall around him and blocked most of the attack. I charged up to the wall and pierced it with my sword. I pulled my sword down and divided the wall in half. Waiting was Jonuku with a Cross Bow attached to his forearm aimed at me. I dodged the arrow and whipped around with a roundhouse to his head. It was blocked by his other arm. I jumped back and shot off several small fire blasts at him. He dodged them and sent more arrows my way. I dodged them well enough. Catching one with my hand and breaking it. I tossed my sword to the ground and he did his cross bow. We charged at each other, fists flying. He was a better fighter then I thought. He used Shaolin-style fightning to counter my fox style.

    “Since when were you a strong fighter?” he asked me.


    “When are you gonna SHUT THE ******** UP!?!” I screamed back at him. My punch missed its mark. He dodged the punch and grabbed me by my arm. Dragging me over his shoulder. He made spikes rise from the ground before I hit the ground. I rolled at the last second and avoided the spikes. My left wing smacked him in the face. Distracting him for a second. I broke out of his arm lock and countered with my own. I slamed him to the ground and pulled him by his shirt and threw him into a wall.

    “Is that the best you can do?” He asked. He smirked. He looked down. My eyes followed to see my feet trapped in the ground. He broke free and started to unload on my chest and stomach. I did my best to cover up but it wasn’t working. His hands were coated in stone and repeatedly rammed into my ribcage. I started bleeding from my mouth. My eyes were getting deem. He wound up for a huge right hand. I dodged the best I could and avoided the punch. I trapped his arm under my own and delivered a powerful right to his temple. Slamming him back into the ground. I broke my legs free and took to the sky. I landed in a tree. Jonuku looked up at me with a fiery glare. I retuned it with my own.

    “We’re pulling back!” I heard Ruki shout from the distance. Jonuku seemed to melt into the ground and disappear from view. I was battered, bloody, and limping. My right wing was broken. But I was alive. Meia-san and Kimari-san came into my view.

    “You ok?” Kimari-san asked. I just looked at him holding my shoulder.

    “Obligatory question. Sorry,” he said with a smile.

    “I’ll be ok in a couple hours,” I said looking at my broken wing. I started to limp away.

    “Where are you going Yuroto-kun?” Meia-san asked.

    “To where I use to be,” I said looking back. I walked for hours. Searching for the one place that would feel more real to me then any other place. I finally made my way to an old ally way. I looked at the ground. There was a writing in kanji.

    “ 暗闇に光を転換” it read. This was the spot. The spot 3 years ago. The first time I ever felt that light had faded from my being and been replaced by the void of darkness. I sat down. My memories flooding my mind. I remembered my child hood. My parents. My old friends. Being able to smile carefree. As if the world was just one big playground. Not thinking of fighting for my life. Not thinking of being a savior of Japan. Not thinking of anything. Just living, like a normal kid. That was also the time when reality b***h slapped me in the face. I was never the same after that night. I curled up and held my knees to my body tightly.

    “My life sucks,” I said aloud. I didn’t care if anyone heard me or not.

    “If it sucks so much then why do you keep going?” I heard someone say next to me. It was the girl in the white Kimono from Kyoto.

    “What? Who are you?” I asked. She smiled and looked me in the eye. Her green eyes. Come to think of it Meia-san has green eyes. I finally put 2 and 2 together.

    “Wataro-san,” I said with a slight smile. “So you were the girl I rescued that night.”

    “Bingo Yuroto-kun. I followed you here. And I figured that you would be feeling really shitty about now,” she said with a smile.

    “You seem to think you know me,” I replied to her. She smiled.

    “I know enough. I also know that you fell for Mizono-san in Kyoto,” she said teasing me. My face flushed bright red.

    “H-h-how do you know that?” I asked her.

    “I have the ability to read people’s feelings and gauge how much one person likes the other. And I came to the conclusion that if the moment ever came, you would give your life for her’s. That’s very noble, and romantic of you Yuroto-kun,” she said winking. My face kept flushing.

    “One thing bothers me though; there seems to be something all of us as Phoenix members lack. Do you know what it is?” she asked. I looked twords the sky.

    “That is a story that dates back before we were even thoughts in our parents’ heads. It begins with the creation of the gods,” I said closing my eyes. My body began to glow and resinate with a red light. It engulfed me and Meia-san. Sending us on a trip into our past.

    “How are you doing this?” she asked.

    “Because the Phoenix, Fushi, lives in me. I can show you his past,” I said, my eyes glowing with a red light. Our journey showed us the expanse of the world. And within this clouded realm the story began.

    End of chapter 9