Chapter 05–Unordinary Hours of Our Lives
Well, this is a new record; being in the Principal's Office two times in a single day. Good job, Takeo. Takeo thought, feeling as if he had done an accomplishment from doing all of this. He was all bandaged up, and had a black eye from one of Ryoji's punches.
As Ryoji walked in there, the two boys stared at each intensely, Cobalt Comet and Sora were in the room alongside with Lino. Lino looked at them intimidatingly, the two boys discontinued their antagonistic staring contest as Lino continued on what Ryoji thought that the Principal was getting ready to expel the two of them. He grabbed his reading glasses telekinetically and began reading Takeo's record.
"I don't need to read your report sheet, Mr. Fukuazan.. I still don't understand on why. Why it is that you destined to engage in a brawl in the middle of the courtyard? For all I know, you should be in juvenile jail instead here in Surwick...." The Principal said while Takeo simply shrugged, the boy was aware of what he has done in the past but didn't care because he looked beyond to the future. Idris slammed his hand on Lino's Office, Ryoji was a little bit shocked to see a Teacher violently react to a student. "I have dedicated ten years of my life to this school. I have spend thousands of hours grading papers, lecturing, and this is I want I get!?!" Students not respecting me, some teachers talking about my family's past!?! I'm sorry, Mr.Saon; but I feel like we should expel both Ryoji and Takeo! Takeo has broken the rules too many times, and Mr.Kazama is a Heart-Bond! Heart-Bonds killed my wife and aren't to be trusted!!"
"Enough, Idris! They're still children, let them explain on this happened in the first place." Sora stated, look at the boys and calmly said; "Well, now, come on. Tell us."
There was a long silence, Takeo twiddled his thumb as Lino's patience has run its course, the atmosphere of the office was eerily upsetting.
"Well, it started because of a simple conversation gone south. Takeo thought I was talking to his girlfriend, so he punched Marcus because of that. I could've avoided the fight, yet I just felt like fighting with someone."
"This feels out of character for you, Ryoji Kazama."
"Then this shouldn't: Expel me. Not him." Ryoji confesses to the Principal sorrowfully, Takeo's eyes grew somewhat big, surprised on what he had confessed as Lino's handsome face grew stern, Sora's composed eyes focused on his book; reading it carefully as time passed.
"I've been given so many times of redemption, and I blew them each time...." Ryoji said, staring at his right scarred hand. He was waiting for the decision to be final as even the assistant principal, Uteshiki, entered in the office to see if everything was going smoothly as planned. He asked her on why she came to his desk in the first place, she said that it was the final period, she disappeared; like she was a mirage. Lino smiled and howled, like any dog would, a low-pitched one to be more accurate. Cobalt looked at him quizzically, and the Shinobi simply said nothing.
"Although I have just met you today, Mr. Kazama, I am simply blew away by your selflessness. The two of you won't be expelled. This was a hypothetical test in which the both of you passed fantastically. Incredible!! Ryoji, your unselfishness is what defines you from what I seen of you today. You were willing to throw yourself into the maws of failure today. I see potential in you, boy, much to Mr. Henshaw's dismay. This road that you are willing to be on will be a hard one to travel on. Are you ready to traverse;to become on what you said?"
Ryoji nodded yes, smiling happily as Takeo folded his arms. After another twenty minutes of Mr.Saon lecturing the demon lynx-fox boy.
Lino looked at Idris, the latter felt he was in trouble. "You're dismissed, Idris. I'll talk to you later."
"But-"
"I will talk to you later." His voice grew more irate, he had enough of Idris's petty jabs and warnings about Heart-Bond, he grew up with Heart-Bonds that were benign and lack the primal instincts their predecessors had millions of years ago.
Idris looked down and closed Lino's office nicely as the only two in his office was now Lino and Sora. The Shinobi with the periwinkle hair simply folded his arms. Lino could tell he was frowning underneath that mask of his. "He was being hysterical."
"I get that, sir. I do, but this kid is...different. I don't think he is what he says he is."
Lino looked at his employee, "Yes, I believe so as well. According from a friend who worked at the archives of Raven River, they never had a Ryoji Dragomir Kazama before it their school before the destruction."
"Do you think that he was sent by a villain?"
Lino nodded. "No—It's rare for a villain to muster the courage to attack Surwick through the usage of espionage and deception. The only ones they would are either dead or still hiding."
"What about Sarbello and his men? Are they a threat to the Realm?"
He laughed after Sora asked that ridiculous question. "Do not be so ridiculous now, Mr. Minami! Don Sarbello is simply a man—a man with grand delusions to use Prisms to go to Corheim!"
Sora was simply growing frustrated on why Lino did not take anything seriously right now. He took a deep breath. "Corheim is everyone's dream place to visit."
Lino dropped his smile and looked Sora very carefully with a glimpse of despair. "Listen to me very carefully now, Sora: Corheim is never to be visited by any outsider from any realm except residents of Corheim. The ones that are charged of the Realm of Heartz do not like anyone other than themselves. You can call them nationalists, if you like. Any Travel Runes that were connected to Corheim have been long destroyed. If there would be another War of the Realms—it will be Ragnarok here in Mid-World...Keep a close eye on this boy."
Sora took his order seriously and was about to leave his office before a question popped in his head. "About the boy—what do you see in him?"
"....A potential force of good."
————————————————————
Since the meeting was adjourned and Ryoji was walking around in the hallways, hoping to reach Akina's room without being jumped by Takeo. As he heard stiffing, he turned to see it was Takeo with his head down low.
"Damn you, Kazama!" Shouted Takeo, crying unbearably when he showed his face to his rival. "Think you're a goddamn hotshot!?! Huh!?! Next we fight, I will be the one who wins it all: Not you! I'm just getting started, you'll see!!! YOU'LL ALL SEE!!!" He ran faster than the speed of light, Ryoji felt bad as he finally reached his dormitory. He opened slowly and Marcus was hold an ice pack on the top of his head. "How you're holding up, Marcus?"
"Never better. Akina was worried sick about you..." Marcus groaned, Akina hugged Ryoji; scared to death with her embracing the Heart-Bond. "She smells nice....." Igneus said with a dry tone.
Shaddup and let me do the talking here...
Akina spoke with no stuttering. "Are you expelled from Surwick?"
Ryoji answered quickly. "No, it was a test. It's like Mr. Saon wanted us to fight..."
"Maybe it was to see your battle capabilities." Marcus theorized as Akina tilting her head in confusion, they dropped the subject altogether and enjoyed the rest of the day.
———————————————————————-
Meanwhile in a abandoned Victorian mansion a blocks from Zanark Town, there sat Mario as he gasped for air.
The sweet air that was almost out of his throat as the Young Thug known as Invictus swung on his arm with maximum effort with a metal baseball bat. He wanted to cry, for the pain was something he never felt. This feeling he was experiencing, it was not anger nor sadness; it was pure anger as the brutal beating was still active.
"Well, now, Mario," Invictus began to speak while wiping the blood off his blunt weapon, "Here is a lesson for you to remember; Never steal from Don Sarbello and also learn this: Know your place in this world." Mario should've remembered that he was the umbrella man; not Sarbello's number two man. He knew he was about to die now. A monitor turned on while Invictus resumed his onslaught on Mario.
"Pleaze, Mistah Sarbello! Please don't kills me!! I'm been yourz bezt mun-" Mario was quickly interrupted by Invictus punching him in the lower jaw, breaking it in the process.
"Tell me Mario; how in the hell did you manage to lose the Heartz prism?" The Gang Lord asked on the monitor, the man shivered excessively as Invictus looked up at him and said; "There was a boy who got in the way, his name was Ryoji Kazama. He said he was on his way to Surwick."
"Surwick, huh? Oh well, if the police is coming any minute now, it'll be nice by giving them a pleasant surprise, now would it; Invictus?"
"Yes sir." Invictus looked at Mario and asked him, "Fast or slow?"
The man teared up as Invictus shrugged and said in a sadistic tone, "you want it slow then..."
———A HOUR AND A MINUTE LATER———
The Sweeping Squad, or the Police Department of Arlingwin County came to the steps of the shabby mansion; there was two police officers that did a sweep block daily. One police officer was a young African-American woman with frizzy hair and a beautiful face to match. Her stern outlook is what defined her. Her partner was more older and more experienced, with eyes similar of the moon. They checked, but nothing came up on their sight.
"Damn, no sign of Sarbello or his henchman. Danses, what do we do?"
"First, we'll run a perimeter here and there is nothing that was left behind: We'll head back to the precinct, we've to interrogate that Gutter trash. Remember, Fiona?" Danses asked, she answered quickly with a yes. Her nose picked up something, something foul in the air; a stench that troubled her as it worsen. "Augh. What is that smell?"
"Smells like a dead person to me.."
A bloodied box was on the front porch, Fiona opened with caution and almost vomited. But she shallowed it and grimaced as Danses came on the shabby-looking porch and said; "Um, Gabe? We got a dead body over here!"
Now, Invictus, phase 5 of the plan has been initiated.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////
SEPTEMBER 16, 2018
After almost two months of studying and training to become a D-Rank Protector, Ryoji can smell the day where an F-Ranker like himself can become a D-Ranker; finally able to take real missions. Actually, he can taste it.
No more missions like going to the grocery store to pick up some turkey or helping out the elderly (Although Ryoji loved to help out the weak). They can actually do real stuff-like patrolling and fighting villains.
Graduation Day, like any normal school has when a student graduates. Ryoji was in class along with Akina and his arch-rival Takeo, fantasizing his promising future as the homeroom teacher, Sushi Dragon, was Ryoji daydreaming. But was hesitant to wake the Heart-Bond, so the pink cuisine like dragon with pinchers for hands picked up the room for the classmates to read. He saw something, or someone in his dreams. A girl with large wings of black overtook our protagonist's mind, saying something in Latin or a language Ryoji never heard about it, and with that in mind he knows that he'll graduate with ease. "Mr.Kazama!"
He woke up with some of his peers snickering as Sushi Dragon scolding him for daydreaming. "You're quite the dreamer, aren't you? It's good to have dreams: Not in class, though.. You have to work in order to get to live your dreams, Mr. Kazama."
His confidence was still unwavering, that's why he won that against Takeo.
When lunch came around, Akina and Marcus asked Ryoji if he can sit with them today.
Excited to sit with his fellow peers, he accepts her kind offer and sat with them in the cafeteria. The cafeteria was still the biggest lunch room Ryoji has ever seen in his twelve years of living. Every time he walked in there he felt proud to be officially affiliated with Surwick. It was adorned with purple banners, with sigils of the Principal on it. As well as other famous heroes, like Wrecker Walrus and Bloodlust. Ryoji gasped excitedly as he saw his favorite pizzeria chain, California Pizza Kitchen, was north of the gigantic cafeteria. "Oh my God, Ryoji: THEY have CPK!!!!!"
Unable to contain his joy as well as Igneus's, he ran to the line to get six personal slices of his favorite, Sicilian Pizza. He wanted to devour it, with his mouth drooling from the smell of his pizza.
"Hey Ryoji!" Yelled Marcus from a far distance, Ryoji turned towards Marcus, who was seen with a big smile and holding tray filled of Asian food. Ryoji meets up with them, Akina waved her pale hand as three other people sat beside her. The first one was Takeo and they have both learned to be civil with another now. The other two, a boy and a girl; he had never seen them before. The boy had curly hazelnut hair, wearing a red flannel and wore black glasses. His facial features were somewhat erratic, with a toothy grin like the Cheshire Cat and he was quite tall for his age.
The girl seemed to be a delinquent, with a blade of grass on her mouth. Her eyes were a color of a tango pink, also with a rebellious look to them, Ryoji could tell that she was a tomboyish girl with the streak of cruelty. She is kinda cute, for a ruffian, that is. Ryoji thought as he examined her a bit more. Her hair was as orange as a pumpkin in autumn, it was kept medium and extremely spiky. She seem disinterested in her food, pushing her delicious food away from here, Akina's smile grew bigger than life as her two favorite boys seated themselves.
"Well, Ryoji, I'm glad that you're sitting with us! I want you to meet my friends, they normally have different lunch than us, but that'll change once all of us are gonna be D-Rankers!!! First up, this is Taig Thomas!" Akina announced as Taig had his hand up, "Just to give you two heads up; it's "Taig", not Ty. It's Scottish."
"Okay."
"And second off, I love guns." He showed Ryoji a Colt Dragoon Revolver, Ryoji stared at the antique wide eyed as Taig further explained. "Sure the Dragoon Revolver is less riskier than the Walker Colts but my Dad's a Protector, but I'm hoping to become a Wrecker. Being the wrecking ball of the fleet, that's I'm hoping to be when I grow up. Plus, he kinda ordered me to have the Dragoon..." He finished with him scanning his rustic firearm, Akina continued with the introductions. "That's one sick ass gun, Ryoji!!"
Akina cleared her throat, she sat gracefully as Taig kept interrupting her.
It seems that her stuttering is gone, probably because she knows me for two months now. I'm glad I made a positive impact on her, even though I had met her for months now. Ryoji reminisced as Akina gave Taig a bruise. "Ryoji, this is Funka Burenji. Funka, Ryoji Dragonmir Kazama. She hoping to become a Protector, just like you. She is also one of my oldest friends and she kinda bites back." Akina introduced Funka, the orange-haired girl said quickly, "She's right about the "biting back" part." She closed her eyes and went back to sleep, Taig cackled happily and added; "Uh oh, Funka got some competition!" He jokes as she opened her unusual pupils and said in a daunting tone, "Shut the hell up Taig, before I shove that revolver of yours up in your ass. I don't have any competition." Taig backed off as everyone continued to eat their food, Ryoji's mouth melted as he consumed the freshly made Sicilian Pizza. Okay, then Funka: I guess that I will become competition. Ryoji declared inside his thoughts as Funka looked back at him.
Savoring every bite, Ryoji slowly ate it and went for his second slice. He was a slow eater. A large orb of light appeared, and it was none other than Ryoji's Heart; Igneus. Akina was perplexing slightly as the lizard quaffed two mammoth slices of Pizza, such a gluttonous creature as Ryoji grimaced.
"Do you have no manners?" Ryoji questioned with a hint of grimace, his Heart answered; "What can you expect it you kept me contained my two years of living inside your damned body?" Ryoji clenched his fist, raising it slowly to punch Igneus in the abdomen.
"So you're Igneus, Ryoji-i's He-eart?" Stuttered Akina, Igneus pointed at himself; evidence of his overbearing confidence. "That's right, name's Igneus Soter!! And you gurl, you are one pretty ass, bitc-" Igneus blatantly blurred out, Ryoji punched his stupidly young Heart in the arm. He roared in pain and shouted out; "ow!!! What the hell, Ryoji!?!"
"What did I say about disrespecting my friends? What did I tell you about your absurd behavior?"
Igneus opened his mouth to insult his Bonder, but Funka's hand exerted an tiny, pink explosion with pure energy. The dinosaur Heart was in awe, with Funka declaring; "You say something to Aki like that again; I'll make sure you go extinct. Understand?" Igneus nodded, afraid of what the young delinquent would do to him, and rest of the time was very civil. Only Igneus was still chewing loudly.
———MEANWHILE———
T Principal and Cobalt Comet were in a conference.
Idris Henshaw had a attractive figure about him, despite being 36-years-old. Cobalt knew what he did was wrong; yelling a kid because he was a Heart Bond. It stemmed from past trauma.
His late wife's name was Keisha, an American girl who met Idris while she was in U.K. She was studying to become a astrologist, to study what lies beyond our Earth.
When she was about to deliver her second child, Lilly, she died after Lilly was born from a mysterious Heart-Bond striking at her heart. It was instant death.
Now even though he is happy with Gnost, there is not a day that goes by without him thinking of her.
Lino looked at him gently as Cobalt Comet started to speak. "Sir, I must apologize for what I said to Mr. Kazama. Please forgive me-"
"I forgive you. But that's not the reason why I ask you to my office. You're suspended from your duties as a hero and a teacher here for eight months. I also suspended your husband so the both of you can go on a vacation. You should spend time with your daughters, spend time with Gnost. Don't take the path that I took." Lino said as he saw Idris's perplexed expressions." He continued on forging words with gold. "Look what happen to me, Idris. I lost my Wife in 2006, I lost my connections with my children because of me putting work over them. My duty is to this world—and that was the consequence for it. Kymbrea and Lilly aren't getting younger, Idris. Spend time with them, give them affection, like I should have...." Lino explained, Idris had his head down as Lino understood that Cobalt Comet... was once a younger him. Full of ambition and very much a workaholic.
"Okay, I accept my suspension. But who's going to take over my class?" Cobalt questioned.
Would it be Wrecker Walrus? No, he doesn't have the patience for it.
Kamakura? His old perverted self would be flirting with the girls? No—he would be doing that to the fifth-year students...Still: I wouldn't want him to be running my class.
I'm not sure on you are thinking—but I'm supposed to have at least 32 new D-Rankers.
Idris looked for all the possible candidates in his head, but he couldn't think of anyone. "Sora and Brandon, those two are the perfect candidates for your class. Now clear your desk, enjoy your girls. Spend time with them, it's been nearly 2 months since you last seen them." Lino ordered the Cobalt Armored Protector, he nodded reclusively as he left Lino Saon's office.
Sora and Brandon? I guess they'll be alright for my class.... Idris thought as he went to his classroom and opened his drawers in his desk in order to get everything set and ready.
Lino stared at an old photo of his old comrades from the 1900's, which was the only surviving photo in this world that had his beloved wife, Lada, his eyes begun to tear up. Lino was quite unusual for a Dachshund and all ordinary dogs. He was emotional, like a human. Sure, normal canines have strong feelings but a dog with insane amount of Aether, telekinetic powers, and every other superpower he obtained over the years hits all of the weird points.
My love.. I hope I did the right thing, for the things to come. My dear; please assist me during these hard times....
———10:20 p.m. ———
Later in night, as Ryoji almost fell asleep from the F-Classes he was taking for one last time. He laid on the bed that was lent by Akina and Marcus, who were sleeping soundly while he finished that essay that was due forty minutes from now. Now then: everything is done. My knees are clean, my hands washed throughly. There's nothing else to do now and it's 10:20. I'm not feeling too sleepy—
Ryoji thought as his mind went blank, his dreams became too real.
He opened his eyes, slowly as it was no more darkness when all things sleep. But he knew that he wasn't in his world anymore.
The skies produced terrible miasma and were eerily lavender as it terrified the Heart Bond. He knew that this was not Mid-World. The world was immersive, as well as the forest he was in. The trees and grasses were decayed and had wilted, there was no fauna to be seen. The ground spiraled into many black half-circles, with a small tuff of weed was still there. The weed had a small weird red light. He looked for his Heart and tried to synchronize with him, and waited.
Why is it not working? It worked out before.... Ryoji asked himself furiously inside his head as he saw a human being running away from something. As he walked carefully towards the man for directions, the man looked at sorrowfully; like he knew he was going to die a painful death.
The way of his eyes stared upon Ryoji, such astonishment. Something threw a large, alabaster tentacle at him, grabbed him ahold as he quickly perished into ashes.
No screaming, no last words.
Only a quick but agonizing death.
Ryoji was scared; a feeling that he doesn't have in his memory.
Why could he be afraid of such hallucination?
A creature so mysterious, that it did not resembled any fauna like a lion or a monkey from Earth.
Its shape did however; and looked as if a squid and other sea creatures were meshed together. It had twelve long slithering tentacles, with empyrean narrow, light-like teeth. The beast's body was cybernetic, black sigils were emblazoned on all the limbs of the abomination. Its eye was blood-curdling, the pupil had a red light and its sclera possessed millions black squares. The creature stared at Ryoji; analyzing his every move.
Ryoji threw a fireball at him, but one of the limbs doused with overwhelming strength.
It just took that fireball like it was nothing!?! I have no chance fighting alone...even if Igneus is taking his sweet time! Ryoji thought as he made for it, the creature was chasing him. He took a sharp turn to the right, and saw this abomination right on him. He had never seen no predator as bloodthirsty or so relenting as this...thing.
For almost six minutes in crawling through the trees and running on foot, the chase was almost reaching to a halt, as Ryoji crashed to the ground, the creature was coming closer and closer.
Heart-Bond... In order to escape the grasp of the Reaper, take a left in the Ever Perishable Forest..... A quiet but mighty voice over flooded Ryoji's mind, Ryoji obeyed it and took a sharp left turn to the Ever Perishable Forest.
After the cybernetic monster was nowhere to be seen, a Maine Coon with a dark grayish pelt stood above him.
"Young hero, what is thy name?" The feline asked, Ryoji looked up and said in a frightened tone. "My name is Ryoji Dragomir Kazama and I want to get out of this stupid dream!" The talking cat stared at him amusedly and stated; "Thou shall give you the exit of this damnation. Allow me to interrupt thy. My name. It is Malux. As a denizen of this world, Thou must vocalize that this is not a simple dream. The man, he unfortunately, was slaughtered right in front of you. Do not fret, I have used a magic spell so the Reaper cannot track you as long as this magic barrier is activated. But your courage didn't fade away, it's seems you have killed before. Correct, young squirt?"
He dodged the question that this Malux asked. "What the hell is your problem!?! You let an innocent man like him die and letting me live to see?!? And what is this Reaper you keep mentioning, you bastard!?!" He roared, his brown eyes started to tear up. The talking cat smiled with such delight.
"Such vulgar language from a young child, especially coming from a Heart-Bond. Very well then, thou will answer one of thy questions for now."
"One?!"
"Yes, one. A Reaper is a foul creature that lack any intellectual ability to think for itself, only to kill prey by its slithering tentacles constricting the poor victim with the teeth it has on their limbs. Even if the Reapers touch you for more than 15 measly seconds, you will go into a coma where sleep; is eternal. I cannot recall what they used to be called... 'Tis a quizzical title for those mindless beasts....Anyway I shall open the gate to leave thy dream now, Mr. Kazama. Farewell to thee, and shall we encounter one other in the dawn of a new day..." Malux said his goodbyes.
He woke up.
Ryoji sluggishly opened his eyes as he saw on his alarm clock that it was 7:00 a.m.
It was also SEPTEMBER 17, 2018
Akina opened the door and slammed it with great strength while opening up the drapes, revealing the beautiful day. "Time to get up, Ryoji!!"
Ryoji yawned loudly as he asked, "What's so special about this day?"
"Oh, you know what day it is, grouchyhead!! It's Graduation Day!!!"
"Wait...What the hell is Graduation Day!!?!?!??!"
———Track 05 Ended———
CHARACTER PROFILE:
SURWICK STUDENT: FUNKA BERUNJI (13)
LIVING PINK VOLCANO
BIRTHDAY: 4-10
HEIGHT: 5'0
LIKES: Her friends, helping others in need, being in charge, Doritos Spicy and Sweet Chili Chips, her battle prowess
DISLIKES: Her dad, suspicious people like Ryoji, sweet food
THE INSIDE STORY:
So, Funka Berunji. Funka in her first year is a far outcry from the older version of her that was shown in Chapter Nula. She's angry at the world and has started on her emancipation away from her father, Captain Molotov, the No.14 Hero of the N.U.S.N. She is filthy rich but hangs around with normal people because she absolutely hates the wealthy.
She was blessed being born with excellent powers, as well as having incredible intellect and can fight incredibly well. She went in recommended and scored an S+ on the Practical and scored an 93 on the Written Exam.
Loves the Doritos Spicy and Sweet Chili to the point where she can eat 4 bags in a week. It never gets old for her.
She has a long way to go before she truly becomes Funka Redbird Berunji.
P.S. Her middle name, Redbird, is never going to be mentioned due to paying a pivotal role in the later years of her life.
CHARACTER PROFILE:
SURWICK STUDENT: TAIG THOMAS (13)
GUNS BLAZIN'
BIRTHDAY: 6-13
HEIGHT: 5'6
LIKES: Fights, Guns and Weapons, being hectic, heavy metal
DISLIKES: Villains, pointless fighting, racism, emo music
THE INSIDE STORY:
A bonafide gun-blazer, Taig Thomas favorite weapons to use are guns with a lot of firepower and good recoil, and he has been friends with Akina for almost three years and been hanging around with them ever since.
He was born in Kingsville, Texas. Moved to the N.U.S.N. due to an ongoing investigation that involves a hit on his family.