When Yumi, Junko and the girl arrived at the dojo, Yumi laid her down on a mat in the middle of the dojo inner training area. As he attended his own scrapes and bruises, Junko did a once over on the girl. She checked for any signs of a major injury. Yumi walked in having changed out of his school clothes, now wearing a dark green t-shirt, grey jeans and black boots, his usual attire when not at school.
Junko also changed the girl into some of her old clothes, when she was done looking over her wounds. She was now wearing a grey sweater, with a red skirt and her old leggings replaced by new ones. At least her black shoes were still in one piece, because they didn't have any extra in her size. Junko chose these clothes as it was the closest to wat the girl was wearing, before they got ripped.
"How's she doing? Anything we need to worry about?" Yumi said as he walked closer to Junko kneeling next to the girl, busy covering her in a blanket. Junko sighed before answering, "It seems there is no major damage, she probably just fainted from exhaustion. With some rest she should be as good as knew... She was lucky you showed up when you did, or things would have been much worse for her.
"You're making me sound like some kind of hero." Yumi looked down at the girl he now imagined as sleeping instead of being unconscious.
"It sounds like that, because that's what you are, Yumi." Junko said this almost as a whisper. Yumi did not respond instead he started heading in the general direction of the kitchen. Just before leaving the room, he turned around slightly, "Have you had lunch yet, I'm about to make some sandwiches if you want any.", then kept walking.
_....._
As the front door of the dojo slipped open, Mr. Nishi walked in as the smell of a stew greeted him from the direction of the kitchen. The sun was starting to make its final descent, hovering just above the horizon. As Mr. Nishi walked in placing his things at the door, he turned the corner and froze as he saw a strange girl sleeping in the middle of the room.
Leaning halfway out the entrance to the room he turned his head to the kitchen, calling out to anyone listening. "Can someone explain to me why there is a stranger sleeping in our house?"
Yumi was the first one to come out of the kitchen followed by Junko only half leaning out the kitchen wearing an apron. Yumi quickly walked over to Mr. Nishi greeting him with a respectful bow.
"We found her on our way home, she was being chased by some thugs and passed out. So, we brought her home concerned for her safety. She was lucky not to be badly injure, so Junko suggested we let her rest here until she wakes up."
"I see... If that's the case I guess, there's no problem." Mr. Nishi shrugged as he headed to the kitchen, leaving the girl to rest in peace. Yumi looked after him half in shock. He knew outside of school Mr. Nishi was a chill guy, but he didn't think he would accept the situation that easily. As Mr. Nishi got closer to the kitchen he called out to Junko, "So what's for dinner? It smells great!".
A few minutes later after Junko explained to her Father what happened Mr. Nishi suddenly asked, "Is it really her?". Junko kept working on the stew without looking up, "If those things that were chasing her is anything to go by. Then there's no doubt that, it's her.". Mr. Nishi sighed resting his chin on his hand while pondering the situation, with a knowing gleam in his eyes.
The next moment Junko spoke up next to him shocking him back to reality, "Dad, Yumi would you guys mind setting the table for dinner? The stews almost ready.". Mr. Nishi headed to the room when he stopped in the doorway. he was standing in the doorway of the room the girl was sleeping in, he frowned as he considered this predicament. "That might be a problem, as our mysterious girl is using the room currently."
Yumi came from down the hall as he stood next to Mr. Nishi, both looking at the girl currently sleep in the middle of the room as they pondered on what to do. Just as Yumi was about to make a suggestion, the girl suddenly stirred. "Our guest seems to have woken up." Mr. Nishi lightly said as he gave Yumi a slight nudge forward.
Yumi helped the girl sit upright as he said, "Glad to see you back in the land of the living.". He suddenly realized that this small joke might not have seemed as light hearted as he meant it. As he never smiled, whenever he made a joke, it would always seem sarcastic or as an insult. The girl on the other hand didn't really seem to notice. She simply looked around in a daze, until she finally rested her gaze on Yumi.
"It's you!?", the girl slightly tilted her head while looking at Yumi. This made him unsure if her comment was a statement or a question. So, he simply just answered, "I'm Yumeko Mori, but most people call me Yumi."
"My name is Athena,' her voice was soft and gentle, but with a hint of power, 'where are we?"
It took Yumi a while to register what she asked, as he was still stuck on the feeling her voice gave of.
"This used to be a martial arts dojo, now it's only a place to sleep at night." There was a hint of sadness in his voice.
"Use to be?", the girl, Athena, tilted her head the other way as she asked. This gesture made her look cute and like a little kitten, at least that's what Yumi thought. "The dojo currently has no master, and without a master there is no dojo." Athena seemed to ponder for a bit before replying to his answer. "Why don't you be its master? You were able to save me, so you must have skill."
Yumi blushed slightly as he blurted out, "No, I'm not that good. A dojo needs a true master and nothing less."
She simply nodded in understanding, "Thank you for saving me.". She gave him a gentle smile.
"No need to thank me, what kind of person would I be if I let a beautiful girl get hurt. Are you hungry we just finished making dinner if you would like to join us?", he asked remembering that they were about to set the table. She gently shook her head, "No, but thank you. I need to get back on my way."
"I understand your parents must probably be worried about you." Yumi seemed a little disappointed. He helped her stand up and when he was sure she could move without fainting again he let her go.
"So where are you headed young lady?", Mr. Nishi spoke for the first time since she woke up. She looked at him not having realized that he was there. "To the subway from there I should be able to get where I need to be."
She didn't seem startled when she found out there was someone else in the room, only a bit confused. She looked like she was trying to figure something out, when Mr. Nishi spoke again, "The nearest subway isn't too far, but it is getting dark. Why don't you let Yumi take you? You don't mind, do you Yumi?". Before Athena could refuse, Yumi said, "Sure no problem, let me just get my coat. You guys better leave some of that stew for me, for when I get back."
"Then you better hurry back, or it will all be gone." Mr. Nishi joked with a grin. As Yumi took his coat from the rack he looked back at Athena. He past her a purple scarf. "Its cold out this should help, think of it as a gift." She took it and wrapped it around her neck, hiding a small smile and her blushing cheeks.
Yumi didn't see this and after a few seconds of silence he asked, "You ready to go? Like Mr. Nishi said it's gonna be dark soon." Athena bowed and said her goodbyes as she and Yumi walked out the door heading to the nearest subway station.
_....._
On the way they didn't really talk much, so they walked in awkward silence till they got to the station. As they got closer Athena suddenly spoke up, "Thank you again for saving me and for walking me to the station. Not a lot of people would do so much for someone they barely know."
Yumi blushed slightly as this comment caught him off guard.
"It's no problem I just did what I thou..." Yumi trailed off as he suddenly felt something wasn't right. As they walked down the stairs of the subway, Yumi suddenly realized there wasn't a soul in sight.
"Is it usually this quite at the substation?", Yumi asked as he looked around. They both stood still as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
Athena was the first to speak after a few moments. "Something's not right. Even at night it wouldn't be this empty at the station." That's when they saw a couple of shadows moving forward from behind the pillars and corners of the station. Yumi froze in place as he looked closer at the bottom of the pillars, barley hidden behind them. There lay things that looked like bodies, in pools of red liquid.
Yumi didn't want to believe it, but he knew it was so quiet before because the people that were meant to be there could no longer make noise. The shadows started taking shape and he could see it between the figures that were emerging, was the thugs that were chasing Athena earlier today. Yumi couldn't move or even make a sound.
"Stay back, it's too dangerous with so many of them. I'll handle it." Yumi hardly registered what Athena said. Before he could react, Yumi saw something that could not be humanly possible. Athena was covered in a golden light, as her appearance and outfit started to change.
Her already dark hair became darker and a red streak formed on the left side of her hair. Her grey eyes became clear blue, and a sword and shield appeared in her hands. Her clothes changed into something like a modern take on Greek warrior clothing. It had a red underlining fabric, adorned with gold plate like armour and Greek sandals, the scarf became a tiara with the image of a helmet on the front.
Yumi was speechless, not because he didn't know what to make of what he saw, but because all that went thru his mind was; 'She is so beautiful'. In the blink of an eye if was as if someone completely different was standing next to him. The next moment she vanished, as he heard weapons clashing. He saw Athena amid the thugs, that seemed to appear more beast like then human suddenly.
Yumi just stared as Athena and the thugs clashed in the subway. The battle sounded more like an ancient warrior fighting beasts and monsters than, a girl and thugs. Yumi was so lost in what was happening and fear that he didn't realize something was getting closer from behind him. The man had a spear and a look in his eyes that screamed slaughter.
In the middle of the fight Athena noticed this man creeping behind Yumi out of the condor of her eye. She tried to warn Yumi, but instead of trying to get away. He turned around to look at the man, and she knew he would be too slow to getaway no. She ignored the guys in front of her and rushed over, with some of the other thugs being in the way she knew there was only one thing she could do.
Just as the spear came down on Yumi, he saw a flash of light an Athena was in front of him. Her shield deflected the spear slightly of course but was late and weak to stop it. So, Athena use her body as a second shield, as the spear pierced her chest and barley missed her hart. Before the man could pull away, Athena slashed down with her sword and the guy burst into black mist.
Yumi caught Athena as she fell to the ground. He held her in his arms as he was on his knees, tears starting to form in his eyes. Athena looked up at him as she put her hand on his face saying, "At least in the end I could do one last good thing. I am so happy I could meet someone as good hearted as you." Athena closed her eyes as Yumi held her as her breath became shallow and heart beat started to slow.
The thug started coming closer, with murder in their eyes and maniacal laughter on their lips. At this point Yumi couldn't care he looked at Athena's face as he cried thinking to himself; 'If only I was stronger, if Only I could fight against the darkness. I could have saved her, I could have saved my father. The darkness will always win, without strength fighting only means death. Not for me, but for the people I care about. I do I keep trying to fight, why am I so weak. I can't save anybody.'
As the thugs got closer an arrow that appears to be made of light shot out from the stairway, hitting the guy in front. It caused a slight shock wave that pushed the other back. Yumi looked up at the stairs. He could hardly believe his eyes when he saw who it was, coming down the subway stairs. Two more arrows shot out and pushed the thugs back even further, as the first one hit it target and the second missed and landed in front of the group.
It was Mr. Nishi, but he looked slightly different. His grey hair replaced by golden locks and his blue eyes turned golden almost glowing. He wore something that looked like a videogames light armour, it was light blue and white rimmed. His entire body seemed to give of a glow as he held a bow with arrows appearing out of nowhere, aiming the group of thugs.
As he got closer he spoke to Yumi, "You must be confused about what's going on, Yumi. Athena and I are the true god of Greek mythologies. I am Zeus, the first of the god, these people before you are not human. They are monsters cloaked in human forms to the human eye. It has been the duty of us god to cleanse the word of these beast, as they are the true cause of all the evil in this world."
Yumi simply stared blankly at Zeus as he continued, "All the things that go wrong in this world are because of them. They are the darkness of this word you're always talking about. I know this must be a lot to take in right now, but do you wish to save Athena?" Yumi broke free from his frozen state and nodded his head firmly as he said, "If there is still a chance that I can save her I want to try."