[Monday| September 3, 2012| 6:00 AM]
[Eyes of Zetsumu Tenha]
I had set my alarm to go off early but for some reason I don't feel like getting up. [It must be because of the weather getting colder and colder…] I muster up all my willpower and get out of bed, as I tidy up my sheets I plan what to do with breakfast for the three of us. "Well considering that they have to go to their respective home for their things something easy to prepare." I head downstairs and start to take out things from the fridge when I hear someone knocking at the door.
"Good morning, Tenha, we thought something like this would happen so we brought the stuff of your two lodgers last night. Pardon the intrusion~" the student council duo, Jihyou Ensui and Ryuu Kensai put down the uniforms and school bags of last night's guests. "And I suppose you're expecting free breakfast since you're already here?" I put on my apron and change some plans for our meal.
"How nice of you Tenha, if you had said so we should have dropped by earlier." Ensui takes a seat by the dinner table as I cook, and a few minutes later Genhou, and Amagawa-san wake up and join the two at the living room. "President Ensui don't you have anything else to do? I mean like in the student council or maybe the problem with those corrupt souls?"
Despite being the ruler of the Underworld as well as the student council president he seems to have a lot of free time on his hands. "I took care of the Underworld problems last night. And those corrupt souls wandering are harmless. By the way Tenha since we're at the topic now I'll explain how you're alive now."
"It's nothing major but since you yourself are an animated corpse with your soul still inside you, killed the Progenitor of War, Darokan, and gained his power, you now have your own infinite life force." Everyone's gazes suddenly shift to Ensui who was seated at the head of the table. "To put it into simple terms, you're a zombie that doesn't age. But if you get cut in a bad way you die instantly. Also to maintain your life force you have to hunt those corrupt souls."
He thoroughly explains to me how to keep myself alive and turns out that I still have to go out every night. "Now then, I'd like to ask the both of you but I'll start with Amagawa-san… why did you not kill Tenha when he was fighting Darokan?" he asks as Kensai and Genhou both head to the sink and wash the dishes that we used. "He spared me when I lost. And if I were to attack him while he was fighting Darokan it would be low of me to do so. And Zetsumu-kun has his reasons for sparing me, right?"
She looks at my direction followed by the same question from Ensui. "Why did I not end her back then… well I realized that even if I lived on her loss is still far to great compared to mine. Then I thought that if I take down Darokan things would be easier for her and Vechkra. But it seems we were at a bigger mess when I found out there were other progenitors in the war.�� I try to explain thoroughly without leaving even the smallest details.
"I see… I now conclude the reason for your actions, Amagawa Rinko, Zetsumu Tenha… it is none other than love!" he stands up dramatically and says this which almost made me spill my tea. "How in the world did you even come to that conclusion, President Jihyou Ensui-san?" I feel the same murderous intent as I did on the roof a few days ago and though her expression I can easily tell that Amagawa Rinko-sama is indeed annoyed. But it seems like the president himself isn't going to back down that easily as he grins further provoking Amagawa-san.
"Well would you look at the time… let's drop the conversation here guys or we'll all be late." Genhou shows the clock reading 7:00 AM breaking the tension between them and once things started to settle down we make our way to school, separately. With Amagawa-san taking a shortcut, and the student council duo walking the long way around, Genhou and I casually walk through my usual route. Arriving at school at around 7:45 in the morning Genhou left me at the gate and says he's going to the student council office saying he has some business to take care of before classes begin.
"Now then… people would probably have some bad comments on what Amagawa-san and I did last week but well… nothing we can do now." I enter the school building while I feel the stares some students along with their whispering I pay no heed to it. [Do everything normally. Act like how you usually do.] I try to act 'normal' but that doesn't even help much and as I open my shoe locker to change my shoes, out suddenly comes envelopes and letters falling to my feet.
[Are these all actual hate mail because of last week's incident?] I pick up the letters and notice that they have these… fancy designs. [Wait… could it possibly be that these aren't hate mail but rather…] I pick up the letters and arranged them all before placing them in my bag and heading towards my classroom where I was continuously greeted and congratulated by the other students I pass by.
"Zetsumu-san does there seem to be a problem? You have been shaking your head and sighing a while ago." our teacher calls my attention as I was reading the letters in secret. "Well you see… never mind, it's nothing." She says something I cannot understand as I sit back down. And while the lecture continues so does the problematic letters which I continue to read, this time quietly.
Upon reaching nearly half of the letters I begin to wonder [Why do most of them sound like I'm sick or something?] the letters were about encouraging morale something along the lines of 'you can do it' and 'with willpower all is possible' and the likes. I continue through our second period and manage to finish them all before it ends.
"What happened since I was gone? Everyone's saying congratulations to me since I first got here." I ask our class rep as our second period ends. "I think this video would explain better than I would, Zetsumu-kun." She holds out her phone which plays a video first showing the emblem of our school followed by dramatic music then student council president standing in the school auditorium about to give a speech…
"Good morning fellow students of Yoka academy. As you all have seen yesterday two students namely Zetsumu Tenha and Amagawa Rinko have caused an uproar by fighting those strange things that tried to enter our school building. I ask of you to please do not alienate them as their tasked in fighting for the world and the peace we all enjoy. They are fighting an unseen war where they may not return. So I ask you, fellow students of Yoka academy to wish them the best of luck so that they may both return as heroes."
As the video comes to an end I stare at the class rep's black phone screen dumbfounded at what Ensui just did. "Zetsumu-kun your mouth is hanging…" I look at her as I return the phone still unable to understand what I watched. "Well what's important is that both of you are back and unharmed right? We won't ask what you did or where you fought, it was the class' decision." I nod at our class rep seated in front of me who turns back to face the chalkboard as our third subject in the morning starts.
"You going somewhere for lunch, Tenha?" Genhou asks me as the bell rings signaling our lunch break. "I'm headed at my usual spot on the roof you can come if you like." He nods and we make our way towards the rooftop where the cool wind greets us as I open the metal door. The rooftop was empty as usual as we take a seat on one of the benches.
"Here have some of mine." I offer him some of the food in my lunch; I intentionally made some extra in case I get company up here. "You know, I got a call from my superior last night. He asked about any progress and well I reported almost everything that had happened." He says while we were eating "Really? So does this mean you're going to be sent back?" I ask him, "Quite the opposite actually, they told me to stay here and continue doing my job which is observing."
"Then it seems that we'll all be seeing at night while cleaning up corrupt souls." I say as I am almost done with my meal. "By the way, the president said something interesting earlier this morning. I too am interested as to why you didn't kill Amagawa-san."
"Well I'm not really sure what to answer to that… I mean she is beautiful and all but this attraction I have towards her… I am not sure if they're feelings of affection or just an attraction to living things because well… I'm a zombie. And I may pose a threat in the worst case scenario." I stand up and stretch my arms as I explain, "Don't worry; I'll shoot you in the head if that ever happens, because what are friends for?"
His words send a chill down my spine, the way he says it so casually with a smile is just… "But didn't the president told you that you're technically an Underworld being and not a zombie?" he stands up and walk towards the fence overlooking the entire school. "Well there's a possibility that I'd go berserk but I'll leave that as a slight chance. Man, what is with that noise?" We continue talking but the peaceful scenery is somehow being ruined by shouting on the lower floor.
"I can guess what, or rather who the reason behind that ruckus is but I'll-" he stops midsentence as the noise downstairs also start to calm down. "Tenha I just remembered I had to do something, but before I do that I'd like you to ask yourself one thing. What do you think of Amagawa-san?" Patting my shoulder he opens the steel door making a sound as it closes.
"What do I think of Amagawa-san…?" I look up to the sky where the clouds slowly pass by. "Well she is indeed pretty, and I've seen different sides of her in the past week. And when we weren't fighting, even if she kept that cold front up… she still has her own charm." My thoughts kept going as I say more things about her at the empty rooftop, until I reach a conclusion, "She's a good friend. Yep, I'll leave it at that to not complicate things…"
"Quite the choice of words you have there, Zetsumu-kun." Startled by the familiar voice behind me I quickly turn around to confirm my suspicions. "A-Amagawa-san… how long have you been there? And why didn't I hear the door opening earlier?" A wind blows as she adjusts her long black hair while I asked her. "I have been here for a while now and as for the door, I met Fukuki-kun as he was about to go down." I heave a sigh and shake my head at this coincidental meeting we are having now.
"So… uh… what brings you here?" With lunch break almost over it seems that she has no plans on eating up here, "Did I not ask you if I could stay here? Honestly the people downstairs are so rowdy I cannot even eat my lunch in peace." She sits down on the nearby bench, brings out some yakisoba bread, and starts to eat. [So she was the cause of the commotion earlier…] "Hey Amagawa-san I haven't asked you yet but why would you choose the roof of all places?"
"Isn't it obvious, Zetsumu-kun? This is the only place where I can eat without having to deal with the noise around me." She finishes her food rather quickly and stands next to me near the fence. "You sure have a lot of fans around…" boys and girls alike seem to be attracted to her but there are still those who dislike her for various reasons I may or may not know. "You seem to be quite popular as of late too, Zetsumu-kun." With what we did last week our reputation among our classmates and even on the other year levels suddenly went up, while the occasional haters are there it doesn't really bother anyone. "Well a lot of people are saying 'congratulations' and stuff, I guess we really did well changing fate." We overlook the school grounds on the rooftop where the autumn wind blows by the two of us.
"What do you plan to do now, Zetsumu-kun?" She asks me as her hair flows by the wind, "I'll continue to live the way I am now. I mean hey, I'm a zombie and you're a witch. Nothing else to worry about besides the harmless corrupt souls wandering around, we can cleanse them one by one right?" she nods, not saying anything as the clouds overhead slowly pass by.
"If you don't like the way I said it let me rephrase it so it would match our past lives." I clear my throat and face her. "I may not be the strongest warrior amidst this chaotic world we call our home. But I will do what I can to protect you as a knight, my princess." I kneel on one knee in front of her, as I reach in Darokan's memories I found out that he and Vechkra had quite a past together.
"Very well, until this chaos ends you will be the only one who would protect me before I get back what I have lost. Now, rise my knight for we shall see this world rebuilt." I take her outstretched hand and she pulls me up. "It is quite the coincidence that Darokan and Vechkra had almost the same position as us before they met president Ensui." I dust by pants off as we continue to stare at the blue sky. "Either it was merely coincidence or fate doesn't mean a thing for me. What's important is that we're here now, and everything that has happened was real."
The sides of her lips slightly move upward as she smiles yet again. "It was all real alright and probably the president is going to ask us to help him find his other five friends soon. But we'll handle it right?" she nods then the bell rings signifying the end of our lunch break. "Well… I guess I'll be seeing you later, Amagawa-san. Oh by the way I decided to join the student council." I say as we head towards the door, "I have already gave them a request form to join. And I'll drop by Nanami-san's café after school, see you there Zetsumu-kun." She waves at me as we part ways at the hallway and make our way to our respective classrooms.
"Yep you're accepted here anytime, now just fill in these forms and return them to me tomorrow, then you're officially a student council member. I will assign your position when you're done with those forms" with the afternoon classes done I head towards the student council office and talk with the president. "Hah, no matter what position you give me my job remains unchanged doesn't it?" I bow as I take the forms and hear a knock from the door. "Now, now Tenha you and Kensai are practically the best people for the job. Now could you please open the door?"
"Fukuki Genhou, student council treasurer returning from duty!" my classmate, Genhou, who I haven't seen since lunch appears at the door. "Good job with the archery club Genhou, their president sent you a thank you present as well." He sits down on one of the desks then collapses for some reason. "I probably want to know what he's been doing all afternoon but I'll ask something different… since when was he part of the student council?!" with unexpected turns of events that had happened I found myself in the past this seems to be the most outrageous, considering both of their real identities. I later found out that he was a member since this morning."
"Hmm… so Fukuki-kun is also in the student council. It seems we've become quite a group." Amagawa-san comments as she eats a special parfait I just served. "Yeah well his job was to observe the Underworld's ruler, and what better way to do it than join his organization? I'll be going now other customers are waiting." I make round trips from the counter and each customers tables for around half an hour before finally getting a short time to rest.
"Quite the full house we have today. Is something going on boss Nanami?" I ask her as she steps out the kitchen and man the counter. "Something IS going on today. And it's your return to the business!" I tilt my head at her overly enthusiastic reply heard by almost everyone in the café. "I don't seem to follow boss… what do you mean my return?" "You see, Tenha-kun, you've been gone for almost a straight week here at the store. And some of the usual customers asked me if something bad happened to you or something, and I said that I'd mail them if you're back so… there you have it." I have been sighing a lot for one day but nonetheless it's for a good reason.
"Here, take these for your dinner. Good job and take care on the way home Tenha-kun." I leave the café at 8:00, later than my regular shift would last due to the number of customers going in. "Nanami-san seems to treat you like an attraction for the guests rather than a working part time employee." I nod to Amagawa-san who seems to be waiting for my shift to end. "What do you plan to do now Zetsumu-kun, get back home?" "Normally I would but I'm going to visit my parents first, you can come with me if you like and we can have dinner there as well." She nods as we make our way towards the cemetery stopping by a convenience store to get some offerings for them.
"I'm here again, mom, dad. This time I brought a friend of mine who was with me for the past week. It was crazy with all the things we've been through and yet here we are. Also here's some food." We arrive to the south part of the town where my parents rest. I lay one of the bowls we bought earlier in front of the grave as I introduce Amagawa-san who may think that I have something wrong with my head, however she goes in front of the gravestone and takes a deep breath.
"Good evening parents of Zetsumu-kun. I am Amagawa Rinko, a school mate of your son of the same year. If you were still here I am sure you would be proud of your son. He has helped me on more than one instance. I owe your son my life for that I thank you." She bows deeply and doesn't move for a while. [Even I can feel her sincerity. Guess like it was a good idea to bring her here after all…]
We sit down on the ground, leaning on the tree in front of the gravestone Amagawa-san and I begin to eat, sharing the food Nanami-san gave me along with the beef teriyaki she bought at the convenience store. "You don't seem to be bothered by me talking when no one answers…" "They are your parents, Zetsumu-kun. And they seem to have watched over you in the past week well enough that you didn't join them." Her harsh or rather extremely honest words don't seem to change even when we're like this, thus we continue to eat our dinner at the quiet cemetery and clean up after we finished.
"Any other plans, Zetsumu-kun?" Amagawa-san asks as I throw away the plastics that we have used, "Nothing much… I guess I'll stay at home and rest. The past week wore me out so much with all that had happened you know. Well maybe tomorrow I'll be back to normal and hut some corrupt souls again." "I see, then I guess I'll see you tomorrow like always." She says as we walk under the moonlight, "I'll be at the rooftop except on rainy days, expect to find me at the classroom if it ever rains. Or you can just mail me if there's anything you need." Arriving at the station I wait for her to get on her train home and once she does I too make my way home.
"Tadaima." I say and as usual I get no answer, but still with all that had happened to me I am thankful for all of it. "I died and got a temporary life to fight in a war I never knew was happening. I nearly killed and got killed by my actions but after all that here I am…" I take off my clothes and head to the shower while recalling the events of the past week. "I made a lot of friends and learned a lot of things…" I sound like a grade school student telling stories to his parents as I relax in the bath. "Live your life to the fullest eh… I guess I finally realize what you meant, dad…" drying myself with a towel I look out the night sky from my room's window. And as I lay in bed and prepare to sleep I think of the days to come…
[We all live under the same sky. As our days continue to go on and seasons continue to change. I know that these peace filled days won't last forever but we are here now and we will continue to be here as the beginning our story concludes here the rest will told for another day.]
~The End~