Shizuo rolled over to his side to turn off the piercing alarm coming from his phone, which sat atop the nightstand beside him. He was well rested, but the fuzziness of just waking up caused him to hold his head, inhaling and exhaling slowly. The time read seven o'clock, an hour before he would need to be ready for this year's orientation kickoff. His room was silent, as he had set a timer for his music to turn off after he fell asleep, leaving him alone to his thoughts as he rolled out of bed, dragging his phone along.
At some point last night, Shizuo had gotten up from his bed to set aside an outfit for today consisting of a solid cherry blossom pink muscle fit tee, black joggers, and black Vans. He brushed past the outfit that was laid out on his couch to make his way to the bathroom, turning the shower on to allow it time to warm up. As he waited, Shizuo strolled over to his fridge to see what he had. There were only two Reese's peanut butter cups and an unfinished strawberry Gatorade in the fridge, both leftovers from his flight into Arcadia. He didn't know what else to expect. Shizuo shrugged as he tossed one of the Reese's onto the counter and took out the Gatorade. Downing what was left of the Gatorade in one go, he turned to the Reese's, consuming the cups with one bite each. It wouldn't be the healthiest breakfast he's had, but at least it would be a tasty one.
Shizuo looked back to the bathroom to see that steam was already beginning to wisp out. He chuckled to himself as he reminisced of a time during his freshman year when somebody called the fire department on him after leaving his boiling hot shower on with the window open for too long. Shizuo stripped off his joggers and boxers before entering the bathroom and tossed them onto the floor of his room. His trash was still on the counter, but he made a mental note to get them later.
Shizuo switched the fan on to help with the steam and pulled back the shower curtain to test the water. It was hot. Very. And just how he liked it. Part of his abilities allowed him to withstand both hot and cold temperatures. Even when something was extreme, he had an idea of its relative discomfort to others, but was virtually unfazed by it himself. It was a nice ability to have when it came to requests that took place in otherwise uncomfortable climates, that is unless there was humidity involved. Shizuo hated humidity.
Shizuo cracked the window in the shower to help mitigate the steam and continued on to wash himself. His room layouts in the previous years were the inverse of what he ended up with this time around, so the shower head was on the opposite side of what he remembered, but it was a small detail he would get used to eventually. Having forgotten to play music while he showered, Shizuo's wash was shorter than usual, since he often got lost in the music. After stepping out of the shower and into the steam filled bathroom, Shizuo rubbed a circle with the side of a fist in his mirror to see himself. Bringing his fist to his side, he brought out his other and stared at himself, inhaling deeply. Flexing his muscles, Shizuo's body began to steam. For days he felt like needed a better start, he would dry himself off by greatly raising his internal temperature. The act was a sort of meditation for him, a short few seconds of focus, and a rather aggressive and extra way of starting his day to offset his usual collectedness to come. Shizuo made his way back into his room, making sure to throw away the trash on his counter on the way, and changed into the outfit he prepared. It was simple, but worked just fine for him.
Shizuo checked his phone as he slipped on his shoes, checking various social medias. Many of his friends and acquaintances had put on their stories announcing their return to Arcadia, to which some of them he replied to, asking if they needed a ride to the school or wanted to hang out. Riku had already been talking about a back to school party he wanted to throw the weekend after classes started, so Shizuo figured it would be good to get back in contact with returning friends so they'd be more inclined to accept their eventual invite. After sending a few messages out, Shizuo got up to brush his teeth, starting the last orders of business before he would head out for a quick breakfast with Riku and Keita, who he had yet to see since he arrived at the school. Shizuo finished up his morning routine by applying a toner to his face, a habit he picked up after being encouraged to do so by his girlfriend, Faith, who was a fashion and beauty-proficient esthetician in the making.
Shizuo continued to busy himself on his phone as he strolled down the familiar hallways of the school, traversing them to make his eventual way to the cafeteria. As he neared the entrance, Shizuo pocketed his phone and walked through the automatic glass doors, spotting Riku at the far end, between where food is served and the snack bar sat. Shizuo grinned and waved to his friend, who was looking up expectantly for his arrival. Riku stood and held his arms up over his head, letting out a drawn out "Heyyy!" Shizuo picked up the pace to close the distance between them, Riku pulling him into a bro embrace that he was more than happy to return. Riku gave a final squeeze before letting go and patting Shizuo on the shoulder, resuming his seat and looking up at his friend.
"Ready for the big day? We've got a lot in store for us this week!" Riku said, picking up and taking a bite out of his half-eaten apple.
Shizuo stepped backwards towards the snack bar, it not being too far as so they would have to halt their conversation. "For sure, man. I spent a bit of time rehearsing everything in my head before getting a good night's sleep, I think it's all going to go smoothly this year." Shizuo grabbed an apple, a pear, and a bottled smoothie that sat on ice from the snack bar, returning to and sitting across from Riku.
Shizuo, as the junior class president, was expected to host and speak at a few of the orientation events. At the first, main assembly, he would be splitting the explanation of the school's rules and policies with this year's president. Later on in the week, he would speak at various meetings and workshops, some of which included ASB for freshmen looking to get involved in student council and Impact, a mentorship program led by juniors and seniors to help usher in freshman and transfers to the new school. Shizuo and Riku were both mentors, meaning they would deal with a small group of four-to-five students, answering their questions and assisting them on an individual level if they needed it. Shizuo also held a leadership position in Impact, overseeing the progress of the junior mentors with their mentees.
"Of course, now that we've got some say in how things roll here, this year's going to be great," Riku added. He was also a part of student council along with Shizuo and Keita.
A pallid male entered the cafeteria. He was tall, standing at six-foot, three-inches, with a head of long, layered, silver hair that radiated with elegance. Wearing a slim-fit, long gray t-shirt, black joggers that ended in an elastic band mid calf, and black skater shoes, his piercing electric-blue eyes scanned the interior of the building he had just entered. The male was of a demonic nature and had the ability to sense all who were inside before entering, but unfamiliar scents and faces to him were what caught his attention. It was expected that there would be new students with the new year, but part of his observant nature pushed him to start matching these new faces and scents with each other as soon as possible.
Riku, who was positioned to face the entrance of the cafeteria, stood up to greet his friend in the same way he did with Shizuo.
"Heyyy!"
At Riku's cheering, Keita glanced up at him briefly before continuing his scan of the room as he passed by scarcely occupied tables. There were only about two dozen students in the grandly sized dining facilities from what he gathered, the majority of them he recognized. It didn't surprise him that there were less new students here at the time, he figured they'd still be recovering from the shock of the entirely new experience that merely being accepted to the GATE Academy brought. That, and the fact that the majority of them were probably still figuring out the layout of the campus.
As Keita approached his two friends, Riku stepped towards Keita for another bro embrace, however using his power of super speed in an attempt to catch the elusive demon. Keita, expecting as much, Folded back a few steps away from his enthusiastic friend. Folding was a form of teleportation exclusive to the specific line of noble demons from which he hailed.
Keita was born the younger of two sons to the Demon King Kannon, who ruled over the Demon Kingdom of Wind, Ventus. With a brother eight years his senior, Kaiser, he fell into his shadow, the shadow of a Demon King in the making. Keita was overlooked and compared poorly to his brother by others, who always showed great promise, but a supportive father and mother kept him grounded. Years later, Kaiser had abandoned their kingdom to join a sinister organization called the Dark Brigade, having his father killed in the advent of his reveal. Keita stepped up to the throne after his father's murder, but it was short lived, as Kannon soon returned to overthrow his brother with ease. With the help of a close friend, Keita escaped his prison and sought refuge on Earth, the GATE Academy serving as a safe haven to him in his hour of darkness.
Riku and Shizuo laughed at Keita's evasive maneuver, Riku bringing his arms back in and sitting himself down, "It was worth a shot. What's up, man?"
"Good morning, Keita," Shizuo said, looking up at his stoic friend, "You took longer than expected, why didn't you just Fold here?"
Keita pocketed his hands and stepped up to the edge of the table, coolly looking between his friend, "Good morning..." he said nonchalantly, "You should know by now I don't like expending energy unnecessarily, even if for a trivial trip across campus."
Shizuo shrugged, "You're right, I guess I should've expected nothing less!"
Keita sat besides Riku, who scooted over for him, so he could watch the students outside in the courtyard or any that decided to enter. Despite being powerful and low energy, Keita always remained on alert in case anything were to happen. An early life of unexpected trials led him to err on the side of caution.
"So what's the plan after orientation today?" Riku asked, "We hittin' up town? Everyone should be back by then."
"I could go for that," Shizuo replied, "I need to pick up Faith from the airport tonight anyways, so maybe a dinner before could work."
"Sweet, how are we going to get there though? My Jeep's not going to arrive for another few weeks and we can't bring Kane if he's coming along, since he can't fit in your car," Riku added with a chuckle.
"Damn," Shizuo said shortly, taking a bite into his pear, continuing after clearing his mouth, "How about we pick a place near the train station? There are plenty of good spots in the area. I'd hate to make you guys walk without me, but y'know, Faith."
"It's all good man," Riku reassured, reaching a hand out in mock comfort besides Shizuo's hand on the table, "It'll be hard, but I think we can handle a walk without you."
Shizuo laughed before slapping Riku's hand, "Shut up!" He checked his watch to keep an eye on the time. They still had plenty, but Shizuo figured it'd be good to be early than late.
"You getting anything to eat, Keita?" Shizuo asked his demonic friend.
Keita, who had seen enough, was then listening to his two friends' exchange, "I'm good. I had a smoothie before I got here."
"Cool," Shizuo said. Seeing that Riku was nearing the end of his apple, Shizuo stood up with the core of his pear, uneaten apple, and smoothie in hand. He'd finish his food on the way and while they waited. "I guess we can head over then, see what everyone's up to before it all kicks off."
Riku sprang up and turned to face a large trash can that sat next to the snack bar, shooting his apple core like a basketball into it. "Sounds good to me. Let's gooo!"
Keita rose last wordlessly and followed after his friends, Shizuo leading them to the Arena. The Arena is a large domed structure that sat at the back of the school, it's architecture reminiscent of the Roman Coliseum, but not a replica. Inside was a football field-sized in diameter white tile floor used as a contained environment for the use of powers. High walls encircled the tiled area, as well as dozens of rows of rising bleachers to provide seating for audiences. Teachers often held exercises and projects in the Arena, even assigning required training hours to be held there for students to complete outside of class. The Arena doubled as an auditorium and multipurpose room, usually preceded by the addition of a stage where speakers could stand. Along the interior of the Arena's walls laid a large hallway that led to various things, such as stairs to the bleachers, scattered booths, restrooms, rooms filled with equipment that could be pulled out, a control room, and small offices.
Shizuo and his friends followed behind a small crowd of new students trickling into the Arena. There were arrows made of yellow tape on the floor showing students the way to the bleachers, but Shizuo and friends continued onto the main floor. He noticed nobody was yet at the stage, save for a few staff, which was positioned closer to the entrance. For smaller events, the stage was set up closer to the bleachers. Seeing as everybody else was not yet out, they made their way back inside to one of the offices where they were told to meet.
"Hey! The arrows say we're supposed to go this way!" A higher-pitched male voice called out to the trio. The tone of the voice was "matter-of-factly" and caused the group to stop. Shizuo chuckled as he half turned back to face the confused student.
"It's al-"
"We know where we're going." Keita said shortly before continuing to walk ahead.
Riku waved a hand dismissively at the presumable freshman, who was a scrawny boy with a black bowl cut and thin metal-framed glasses dressed up in a white short sleeved button-up and beige slacks.
"Thanks! But don't worry about us. Like that guy said," Riku gestured back to Keita with his head, "We know where we're going!"
Smiles from Riku and Shizuo were given to hopefully put the student at ease as they followed after Keita, who had then reached the door to the office and was waiting. The freshman, who had frozen in a panic at Keita's chilling tone, shook himself out of his daze and returned to following the arrows that were so neatly laid out for him.
"Poor kid," Riku said, chuckling.
Keita opened the door for his friends as they approached him and waited for them to enter first. A six-person table that sat in the middle of the room was occupied while others filled the the room by standing behind them. Keita veered to the left to take his place in the unoccupied corner. Shizuo and Riku spotted four of their friends to the right of the room and walked over to join them, tossing his finished snacks into a trash can besides the door.
"Kane! What are you doing here?" Shizuo asked, caught off guard by seeing him there. He was neither in student council nor Impact, at least not to his knowledge.
Kane Korosu, a giant of a student standing at six-foot, eight-inches, towered behind Iris, Falen, and Mizu. Glowing green eyes hid behind his long, draping black hair that had a slight wave to it. Kane had control over a specific type of magic known as mana and the ability to create portals of varying sizes. In addition to his power set, Kane's natural hands were irregularly fit for combat, with long, curved, bone-like claws with an edge to their underside, essentially serving as blades, instead of fingers. Adorned in an all black getup consisting of a t-shirt, jeans, and boots, his figure was intimidating, but a sense of dark humor and light jabs set him up for an overall easygoing personality.
"I'm in Impact," Kane said, his clawed hands resting over his biceps with crossed arms. He doesn't intend to look daunting, but his clawed appendages made everyday tasks people take for granted a small challenge, including standing without accidentally scraping a wall. Kane didn't even have a phone due to scraping up every one he tried to hold until Shizuo had a custom aPhone made for his unique situation.
"No way, that's awesome, man," Shizuo said with a smile, "Well glad to have you on the team!"
Shizuo turned to Falen, who he was also surprised to see, "Let me guess, you also slipped into Impact too?"
Falen Asami was one of two demons, the other being Keita, currently attending the GATE Academy. Atop her head of long, layered, and wavy dark brunette hair sat a pair of black cat ears that were pierced with various studs and rings, a fluffy black tail to match. A pair of radiant, crimson eyes and silver studded nose accented her Mediterranean features, an enigmatic countenance to match that hinted at her other-worldly origins. With an attractively curvy figure and tanned tone, she stood at five-foot, five-inches. Today, she sported a rather extravagant outfit, not being afraid to stand out. She wore a zippered, black body suit, almost the look of a bustier, with a sweetheart neckline and two thin shoulder straps, two small, decorative belts hugging her midsection. Over her bodysuit she wore black distressed shorts, black garter thigh-highs underneath, and a pair of neatly laced, black platform combat boots, adding to her height. In her current apparel, the cat demon's black and gray flower tattoos located on the sides of her upper chest, reaching back over her shoulders, were exposed. Intentional with her words, Falen was cool, calm, and collected, keeping close to her group of friends. Her main power was the unique ability to "Flash Draw" weapons, being able to pull out a variety of elementally-themed or utility-based ones stored in her extensive arsenal from thin air. Enhanced physical attributes and the ability to keenly sense and smell others were also granted to her due to her demonic nature.
"Yes, Mizu convinced me to sign up last minute," Falen said with a half smile, wrapping an arm around one of her boyfriend's.
Mizu laughed lightly and shyly scratched the back of his head with his free hand, "I figured it would be a good opportunity to branch out and mentor the future of GATE."
Mizu Zangetsu was a long time friend of Shizuo's, sharing many classes since their freshmen year. Fair-skinned and standing at five-foot, six-inches, Mizu had a head of long, snow white hair that fell neatly into his face, barely reaching his deep, azure eyes. Having been raised in an elusive water monastery, Mizu has astute control over water and ice, as well as a resistance to cold temperatures. A bit reserved and socially awkward, the white-haired student does his best to be available and open with his friends. Mizu often wore colors themed to his skill set and today was no exception, sporting a light blue scarf over a solid white, long-sleeved shirt, faded blue jeans, and white shoes.
"Glad you think so, man. I turned some people down from joining because I was pretty sure they just wanted to hit on freshmen," Shizuo said with a laugh of his own.
"Let me guess, Jon and Pantera?" Iris chipped in wittily.
Iris Canter, an attractive, tall girl at five-foot, nine-inches was another long time friend of the group. Long and wavy light brunette hair draped elegantly behind her lightly sun kissed shoulders with small strands loosely falling between her eyes, which were a unique mix of purple and red, the top half being a deep purple and bottom, a dark red. Iris was a rare species of Blackblood werewolf with dark and earthen powers, controlling purely natural thing such as rocks and plants. Being a werewolf, she has the ability to shift into a large wolf. Additionally, her Blackbood roots allow her to harness it and enhance her powers over the dark and increase her overall ability, with the drawback of it possibly bringing her into a state of bloodlust. Witty, yet mature, her optimistic personality made her a fun friend to be around. For today's orientation, she wore a wide-neck, long-sleeve violet shirt with an extension that covered all but the tip of her index fingers, high-waisted white jean shorts, and low, pointed, white kitten heels.
"Yup," Shizuo replied shortly, "But I didn't go over everyone's applications, so who knows who else slipped past me. Let's just hope no one weird, or else I might have to have a talk with them."
"Ah, right." Kane said lowly, "You're terrifying to talk to."
The group laughed at Kane's remark, but were cut short as Takashi Tsubasa, the student president, spoke up from his spot at the head of the table.
"All right everyone, gather 'round!" the charismatic blonde male called out, rising from his seat. The room took a second to settle as everyone positioned themselves to give Takashi their attention.
"Hope everyone had a great summer, but it's about time we turn around and get this new class of students thoroughly welcomed to the GATE Academy!" Takashi allowed a few seconds for some students to quiet down after they let out a variety of small cheers, "Now, everyone knows what they're doing, right? ASB officers, get ready to speak, and Impact mentors, just stand up there looking pretty until we release the students to you."
A majority of the students in the room started to talk amongst themselves, but Takashi didn't wait for them to silence. Instead, he pumped up his right fist and let out a cheer.
"Long Live GATE Academy!!"
The rest of the students caught on to their president's cry and repeated the phrase, pumping up their right fists as well.
"Long Live GATE Academy!!"
The cheer and raised fist were the motto and signature of the GATE Academy, a battle cry and reminder to take pride in the school and all of its glory.
The mass of students filed out of the room, with Shizuo and his friends of the first to exit, and made their way towards the floor of the Arena. Takashi has made his way to the front of the group, with Shizuo at his side, since he would be the co-host of this year's orientation.
Before coming onto the main floor, Shizuo looked to Takashi and held out a fist to him, speaking loudly over the cheers of his fellow upperclassmen.
"Let's rock and roll, Takashi!"
Takashi fist bumped Shizuo and yelled back, "Of course, man! Let's gooo!"
Takashi thrust open the grand doors of the Arena and turned his attention to the bleachers, waving his hands and smiling brightly, as did much of the rest of the incoming upperclassmen. The students in the bleachers, catching on to the new hype that was being brought into the Arena, slowly, but surely, joined in on the cheering.
As the upperclassmen approached the stage, a few staff were already present, standing besides a podium where a man stood at the mic.
Headmaster Wolfe, a faded blonde man in his mid-sixties, but looking no older than his mid-forties, stood proud at the podium, announcing the arrival of students. Exceptionally well-built for his age, standing at six-feet, two-inches, black aviators covered kind, amber eyes. Headmaster Wolfe was dressed business casually for today, wearing a solid, dark red t-shirt under a black blazer, black jeans, and black dress shoes.
With a warm voice, the Headmaster spoke, "And now, let this old man step down and allow this year's student president, student council, and Impact mentors to take the stage."
The Headmaster stepped to the side and smiled brightly as Takashi took stage and spoke into the mic.
"How's it going, class of 2020?!"
The cheers from the students in the bleachers rose and eventually died down as it became apparent that Takashi was about to start his welcome speech.
"Well I hope you all had a great summer and keep that same energy while you're here because, let me be the first to tell you, the fun never stops here at the GATE Academy! Congratulations on being accepted to an academy unlike no other, where you'll learn more about your powers, the meaning of community, and most importantly: yourself."
Takashi, who was leaning into the mic, stood up straight and fixed the angle of the mic.
"My name is Takashi Tsubasa and I'll be your student president for the year!"
Takashi glanced at Shizuo, leaning to the side to allow him space at the mic. Shizuo took a half step closer into it and spoke, looking up at the seated students.
"... and I'm Shizuo Akiro, your junior class president!"
Shizuo stepped away for Takashi to resume his introduction.
"... and together, we hope to be of use to you all, serving and helping when and where we can. Now as excited as I'm sure you all are, there are a few ground rules to this place. Now now, let me get through this, I know nobody wants to hear this, especially on their first day, but I promise you'll still have a good time here."
Takashi and Shizuo spent a brief amount time taking turns going over the various rules and guidelines of the school. Purposely short with their initial direction, the goal was to have them better explained and discussed with Impact. Impact was introduced and the students were instructed to come down to the Arena's floor to be split into groups of four to five randomly by the mentors. After a group was formed, the mentors would go on to take their new mentees wherever they wanted across campus to talk. Some decided to stay put after finding a spot while others chose to walk and talk, but in the end, a tour of the school was given to the new students.