RAKURAI by: Ojo Joseph

CHAPTER 1

The beginning after the end

Seeing the alarm clock light up in red, Yato Shirou already knew what it meant. Black hair, above average height, green eyes and a weak-looking body. Nothing about him stood out. Nothing about him was extraordinary.He was just an average everyday high schooler who happened to be late for his first day in a new school. A foolish decision considering the fact that he was already halfway through his last year of high school but his case however was an exception. He froze in bed and pondered on the word that struck him a few seconds prior..

"Raijin…. huh?",

Like a fleeting memory that refused to go away..He could still hear it.. The unfamiliar voices in his head. Shirou suffered from brain damage as a child. Neither minor nor critical, but was the apparent cause of his constantly jumbled memories.Like faint clouds, they were everywhere. An absolute mess.Trying to trigger his memories could have various effects. From constant head throbs to fevers to difficulty in breathing. Even seizures were a possibility. Unfortunately for him, his immune system wasn't strong, so the severity would have been worse. He looked at the alarm clock once again.Realizing how much time he had wasted; he rushed out of his room and dashed into the bathroom.

"SHIROUUUUU!!!!!!"

" 'I heard you' for the tenth time."

As he rushed downstairs,Yuuki, his little Sister, successfully hid the irritated look she had on her face.

"We can't afford to be late."

"I'm out..Happy now?"

"You always take forever to get ready."

Remembering he forgot to check the mirror before walking downstairs, he stood his ground. At first glance, she might have seemed like one who loved being punctual, but she had her own reasons so in a sense, she was not that different from him.

"Yuuki, could you help me bring out the plates for breakfast?"

Yato Lisara, Shirou's mother sensed a bit of tension in the air and felt the need to dissolve it.

"Both of you are amazing."

Being weak from birth put him in a corner where he had less duties than the typical first born from a family of similar financial background so he never wasted the opportunity to slide in a compliment as a form of both appreciation and self responsibility. Whether or not the whole gesture was shallow or not was not clear to him but this was something necessary.This was his way of saying "I'm sorry for being so useless."

"That's so sweet. Would you care for some sandwiches???"

Yuuki sat down and stared at the both of them with the words, "What are you waiting for", written all over her face.

---Haaa…Sometimes I wish things could stay like this a bit longer.

He looked at Yuuki who seemed to be staring at him too, patiently waiting for his response. If he had said yes, he knew he would have been done for.

"No mum, uhh we would be late if we do."

He said those words frantically, hoping the red flag had disappeared but he was wrong.

"He's right."

Yuuki pointed this out while placing her hand on her chin, her ponytail moving along as she shook her head.

"Can I at least pack it up for you???"

"Yeah."

Lisara seemed rather disappointed by his decision but didn't say another word.

"I know."

She snapped her fingers with so much enthusiasm that it looked like she sprung up a brilliant idea but instead, she suddenly stuffed the sandwiches in his mouth while placing him in a headlock.

---Really?That was your plan?

"We can eat it on the way."

---Then why exactly are you choking me??

"Yuuki stop, he's choking."

Lisara,noticing his helplessness, hurriedly got him a glass of water. Yuuki finally released him from the headlock and made a "Tsk" sound. The red flag didn't vanish after all but this was quite unexpected.

---She's usually violent but not this violent. Did I do anything?

"We really need to get going now."

"Yeah, I agree."

She grabbed his left hand firmly and bolted through the front door in her usual style.

"Let's hurry or we'll miss the train."

---Before I could ask her to let go, she was already getting ready to do her signature jump out the front door. Moments like these make me wish I have a less energetic sister that wouldn't rush me all the time, it drains me an awful lot. I couldn't give two shits about school or being punctual or tardy so giving up precious sleep for the sake of punctuality is even more annoying.

"We could always use the bus."

"That won't do."

She shoved his suggestion aside like it was nothing and continued running till they reached the train station. Shirou started to wonder if she could realistically improve her cooking skills if she spent this much energy on it. A truly energetic and passionate girl, just like her mother. Shirou didn't have any of these traits..It'll be more accurate to say he had the opposite. They got on the train on time..Shirou paused to take a look at everyone on it and as usual, the multiple gazes made it difficult for him to relax.

"That is him,right. The psychotic murderer on the news???"

"Yeah. He got a haircut but that disgusting face is still the same. At least you should have done plastic surgery or something."

---I should have kept the length of my hair on the same level?

"He has some nerve using the train. Why isn't he banned from using public transportation?"

"If he wants to kill himself, he should go ahead. I don't want that lunatic anywhere near me."

He simply sat quietly alongside Yuuki as the noise slowly increased.With the scornful look on their faces, it was as though a demon had hopped on the train. Loud noises would have usually been prevented in consideration of everyone on the train but in this case, some people had thrown away their pride to ensure safety which was understandable to a certain degree.

---The media is the cause of all this.Feeding people with lies. Normally I wouldn't bother myself with such trifle matters but my current situation is as a result of the media searching for something 'news worthy'. That's the only reason I am here taking so many insults from strangers without having the right to fight back.

"Great, it seems like someone or something else caught their attention."

Shirou had to squint his eyes as he noticed something rather strange the second time. There were three men in black suits. They each entered the train using different doors and a girl with long, beautiful black hair walked in. Yuuki was right, something caught their attention. "So elegant" were the words he let out without knowing and Yuuki heard him.

"Ohhh are you checking her out???"

"Of course not."

She chuckled as he frantically denied the accusation.

"She must be related to someone really important, don't you think??Look, that is our school logo.She must be from our school."

"Isn't that Akate Misaka??"

"The daughter of Akate Sho??"

"What is she doing here?"

People began to whisper, and he started asking himself the same questions.

---Is this the right place to meet someone of high status like her??? Shouldn't she be in her fancy car with her chauffeur and some body guards??? Well the body guards are clearly visible but then back to my question, why is she here??

He began thinking of possible reasons for something as bizarre as this.. It was his nature.. He gave everything extra thought. Anything that made little sense to him was bothersome.. More bothersome than the energy he put in his attempts of uncovering the mystery itself.

"She's really pretty.Isn't she??"

---She is….

"I guess."

As she slowly walked towards their direction, the people opposite them got off their seats as she gently sat down in front of the both of them and crossed her legs.They did it of their own volition so there was no need to give much thought to any of that. Rather, it was her overwhelming presence that was note worthy. Similar to that of a goddess, keeping the demon in the shadow. For a brief moment, their eyes met. He looked the other way and urged himself not to look her way again. That strange moment where the eyes of two strangers meet was extremely embarrassing for him. Desperately avoiding eye contact and then failing was on another level of embarrassing. He could not get a proper look at her expression but it didn't seem like that of someone mocking another. It was a gentle smile.

"Shirou, look at the guy at the left."

"Yeah, I've been waiting for you to notice it.."

"You could have said something since."

"I wasn't completely sure."

He folded his arms as his gaze rested on the middle-aged man at the far corner. He had been up-skirting for the past 5 minutes with no one knowing. With his shades on, it would have been difficult to notice but the movement of his phone gave him away. His victim didn't even notice. She had her earplugs on and was currently pre occupied with her phone. The ideal victim in this sort of situation.

---Darn those short skirts.

While waiting for someone else to notice, he thought of what to do with this information. He wasn't exactly the hero type.. Time and time again, his sense of justice had done nothing but slap him right in the face. Enough to loosen his conviction. Enough to question it. Why give a powerless person such convictions??No powerless person could bring forth justice. No matter the desire, that was just the general rule. Being a by-passer wasn't much of a choice for him now but he didn't exactly want to leave it to Yuuki.A rather weak dilemma but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Maybe I should.."

Before she was done talking, he had already gone over to the girl with caution. The motion of the train was more of a reason to avoid closeness to anyone as he was still a target for the public.

---I already have a bad feeling about this.

"Uhh excuse me. There is a free seat over there.You can have it if you are tired of standing."

With a brief glance, she ignored him and looked the other way..She didn't even take off her earplugs or pause the music. She acknowledged his presence and moved away in disgust. With her bag pushing him slightly, he nearly lost his balance.

---I feel like…Utter garbage..At least I got what I wanted. The guy with the shades changed his sitting position to prevent suspicion, but I'm sure he got the message. I'm glad we have a goddess on board, I feel more comfortable that few people saw this embarrassing moment that I'll try to forget. Being the hero never works well for me..That's why I'll rather be a shadow..The non-existent pillar that shapes history..Doesn't sound so bad. On second thought, it really sounds weird. I'm glad I didn't say that out loud.

He took a quick glance at Yuuki, with a forced smile, signifying the odd effectiveness of the thoughtless action that controlled him. However, Misaka was in his field of vision so he undoubtedly saw her too and that grin she had on put him off. Perhaps he was looking too deep into it.They eventually got off the train and his sister seemed rather irked, but her reluctance to speak made things more difficult for him.

"The nerve of that girl. I had a feeling that something wrong was going to happen..She looks like the unappreciative type. We should have left her."

Yuuki always got upset on his behalf over things like this and there was no way of calming her down unless she chose to.

"It wasn't entirely wrong."

"So it was worth it?"

"I'm not saying that.Don't worry.You can forget about it."

"I won't. It's absolutely not fair. You tried your best to help her and she ignored you. Pushing you???After everything??"

"Well to her I seemed like a weirdo whose intentions were not clear."

---That's right..She had no idea she was being saved.

"Ughhhhh…As for you, what was that?"

"That was all I could come up with.."

"You should have let me handle it.Anyway, let's go"

She checked the time on her watch and nodded to herself while grabbing his hand again.She set her right leg in front of her left, ready to sprint through just like a refuelled car or a toy with a new set of batteries.They arrived at the school with some minutes to spare.

"So exhilarating"

---No..None of it was exhilarating, just exhausting. I'm already tired and school hasn't even started yet.

"I guess I'll see you later."

She went her separate way but he was still in front of the school gate, just staring at it. That was when he actually noticed he was unable to move. Akate high school.. One of the most(if not the most) prestigious schools in Tokyo..With a very low acceptance rate…The owner was a man too rich to care about quantity. Quality over quantity, I guess. That was the only reason he was specially selected and given a full scholarship along with his sister despite his messy reputation.

---I still wouldn't call myself "Lucky" or anything..Am I truly lucky??.. Say that to my face and I wouldn't find it funny…

Luck has always been an unfamiliar word for him. "You are lucky to have survived those flames." The first time those words struck his cords were a few months back when the tactlessness of a certain doctor spurred on nothing but uncertainty in his head. As he tried walking, he realized that something was holding him back. It was fear. What could be causing this sudden fear? Almost instantly, he regained composure and started walking again.

"Who is that guy??"

"He's that new transfer student."

"The one on the news right??"

"Yeah, I've seen his face before."

"Eww. Gross."

---Haaa.It has begun.My first day of school.

As he walked past the students in front of him. He could see the stares from beside him and he could hear the voices from behind him. The imagery had been set up exactly how he expected. Anything other than this might have been too much of a shock for him.He got to class just in time for homeroom.The regular rule of avoiding eye contact set in naturally. He's been used to the repeated action so much that he no longer needed reminders.The home room teacher walked in and nearly tripped on the way. She looked at him with a reassuring smile.

"Settle down everyone, home room is about to begin. Oh before we start, Akate kun, the Principal wants you in his office."

"I wonder what he could possibly want.Guess I'll find out."

He walked right past Shirou with nothing but a smirk on but Shirou didn't take any offence but was rather impressed. Perhaps it was his demeanor. A tall, muscular guy with blonde hair.

"My name is Hatsune Claudia. Try not to get bothered by what anyone says."

She looked at Shirou, giving him the go ahead. He walked to the front of the class and wrote his name on the board.

"My name is Yato Shirou...Uhmm..Looking forward to learning with all of you."

"Great. Let's make him feel comfortable."

She said this with so much enthusiasm that amid all this, he nearly let out a smile.

"He's half weirdo and half delinquent. How could we possibly do that?"

---Delinquent?? Just because I'm not a pumpkin head doesn't mean I'm a weirdo…Weirdo.. Haa…I hate him already.

Suddenly, the clamorous sounds of laughter filled the classroom. He was left puzzled as to what made them burst out in laughter.

"Decorum please."

She tried calming them down, but it didn't seem to work.

"I agree. How did he even manage to enter this school?? And why now? Do you know about the word 'timing'?"

"Itsuda, Hirada .I suggest the both of you keep quiet and listen to Hatsune-sensei."

Only his voice could be heard throughout the classroom. Rather impressive considering the fact that he did what the teacher couldn't.

---He seems like the authoritative figure here.

"Why.. you…"

"If there's anyone acting like the delinquent, then it's you,Itsuda."

—The good-looking blonde guy got back just in time..That was fast.

"There's nothing to gain from interrupting her."

"Yeah, you're right, Eric."

"Hirada, to answer your question..Due to personal reasons.."

"Personal reasons??Pff that's absurd."

"Did you say something??"

Hatsune scowled at him.His provocation got a suitable response. He turned away while some people laughed in silence.Seems like the tough guy act didn't work out after all.

"As I was saying, due to personal reasons he transferred here from Uzomi high school. That is rarely accepted in this school, but you see, Shirou's grades were absolutely astonishing. His entrance exam results broke all the previous records set with quite the margin.Something this class…no this school hasn't seen before..not once..not even in a blue moon so I suggest you don't look down on him."

All the eyes in the class fell on him and it felt like he was about to get lynched. The realization that he had most likely gained more enemies than he would have ever asked for hit, and it stung quite a bit.

"There's a free seat at the left."

---At least it's far off from the seat of the blonde guy so I feel some sort of relief.

Suddenly, a girl slid open the door and stopped to catch her breath. She also had long hair. It was very long and beautiful. With a pale texture, her light blonde hair was in array with her blue eyes. She looked as stunning as always.

"Brent san, late again."

"Haa I'm sorry about that."

As he walked up to his seat, the tension in the air thickened, but he still maintained composure. Suddenly, this strange aura filled the room. He turned around.

---Oh it's a girl. Just a girl… Her presence is overwhelmingly bright..

Hatsune sensei, with a sigh of resignation, pointed to her seat.

"Take a seat."

She walked over to the seat closest to his and stared at him for a while, but merely out of surprise. From her expression, it was as though she had seen an alien.

"Oh.A new student. At this time?"

After some seconds, she turned away and sat down.Perhaps she noticed how long she had been staring and decided to stop.

---There's nothing about her that stands out. Apart from her overwhelming beauty. She is just as beautiful as her(goddess) if not more beautiful. She looks like a normal teenage girl, but I know that there is more to it than that. There is something else..something distant but familiar that piques my interest.

"Let's get started, we have lost a lot of time and we still have lots to cover"

She reached for her book and started the lecture. The lecture didn't take long, unlike all the other classes he had that day.

---'Put your hand on a stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.' That was what Einstein said, and it seemed like that was the only thing that could explain what just happened. In any case, I would have loved to analyse everyone, but it'll be too boring. Besides, it's useless information.

He picked up a book from his bag.It was called 'Love fever'. It's one of the first books that Yuuki had written and given him to read. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite grasp it and left it out for a while. She gave him deadlines and always asked for his honest opinion, tasking him with a crucial set of responsibilities. 'You're my most valued reader so your opinion means a great deal to me'. That's what she always said. It definitely did put a smile on his face and gave him the motivation to read it. The bell rang, signifying the start of lunch break..Walking freely around the school would have been a tall order for Shirou so he quietly sat in the classroom and abandoned his usual spot on the rooftop.He took a liking to that setting due to the quietness that it brought him. Any rooftop would do according to him.

---The hell?? Where's my lunch?? Did I drop it somewhere..No, that can't be it..Then it must have been on the train..Maybe it slipped out..I should have noticed sooner. It did feel like the weight of my bag was less than normal, but then I didn't pay much attention to it. Wait, I went to the restroom a while back. That explains it, I guess. It's probably disposed of.

He looked down at the porcelain floor and finally decided to get something from the cafeteria but the urge to leave things as is held him firmly to his seat. Now he was left to choose between drawing attention to himself or staying quiet in the classroom with no food. His day couldn't get any worse.

"Here you go. You forgot this on the train."

The black-haired goddess from the previous encounter mysteriously appeared in front of him and dropped the lunch that she had been hiding behind her on his desk.She didn't look like she was planning on leaving just yet.

"Thanks."

He used this brief opportunity to look around and noticed everyone staring at the both of them. She had already drawn so much attention just by approaching him..What else could she possibly want?

"My name is Akate Misaka.Nice to meet you."

---Yuuki is right.. She really is pretty.

"Nice to meet you too."

---I better think up the best method to end this conversation before I indirectly piss someone off. She's a goddess, after all. She must have followers too.

"I saw what you did back there on the train."

---So she noticed too. More importantly, why is she reminding me of the terrible incident that I am so desperately trying to forget???

"It was really nothing."

"I thought you were really cool."

---Is she being sarcastic? I better change the topic.

"Are you the class rep?"

"No..She's over the corner on the last row.Her name is Sayaka."

"Oh, I see."

"You're probably bummed out because of the way you are being treated on your first day, right?? It must be tough."

---Haaa I should have known from the start. It's pity.

'Thanks for the concern, but if you are being friendly to me out of pity, then I suggest you stop.' Those were the words he wanted to say, but he held them in and waited for things to get awkward instead. That was the natural way of ending an unwanted conversation. After all, it was nobody's responsibility to keep it from falling into awkwardness.

"I'm not showing pity or anything if that's what you think. I'm not that shallow."

She used his desk as a support system and pulled herself closer to his face. They could feel each other's breath.

---How did she read me so easily.. Like a book.. Perhaps my face was a dead giveaway, but I'm not that careless.

"Anyway, I'm looking forward to talking to you more. Lots more.."

She pulled herself back and returned to her seat but was stopped by the blonde guy from earlier. They both bear the Akate name, so they must be related.

"What are you doing???"

"You're blocking me."

Her glare was undoubtedly effective as he moved back a step or two.

"It's none of your business who I interact with."

She walked right past him, in the same manner he did earlier with Shirou, but with a smile rather than a smirk. He also smiled but clenched his fists, With his pride wounded, he briefly looked at Shirou before returning to his own seat.

"Hey, Wendy."

"Oh Misaka, I haven't seen you in a while."

---I wonder why she's wearing a forceful smile while she's talking to the light source,Brent san.It's really obvious.They seem rather close but also don't..

He thought of her as a "light source" since her smile was similar to light shining.

"You're right. Your timing is as bad as ever, I see."

"Haha that's right..You're still looking for attention. I heard about your train stunt. You just wanted more eyes on you, right? Well,how did it go??"

"Isn't it too presumptuous of you to assume that? I just wanted to do something different for a change and told myself why not??? It turned out to be worthwhile so I'm more than happy I did.Besides, what's the need for attention when I'm the most popular girl in school??Perhaps you've forgotten that or you're out of material… or you are simply jealous."

"Really???? Of what??"

"Do I need to spell it out?"

This seemingly harmless conversation had turned into a mini war of words. The classroom fell silent and just watched as this dragged on. Probably not the first time something in this manner had occurred.While this was going on, a teacher walked in. From the look on the face of the students, he was somewhat new.

"I think I'll be going to my seat now."

"Yeah, do that."

---I don't know what exactly that was, but I'll definitely love to watch it again.

"My name is Ogami Verell and I'll be your new literature teacher from now on. Pleased to meet you all.Anyway.."

As he made his introductory speech, there was an interruption coming from behind Shirou's desk.From the sound of the voice, it was undoubtedly male. Shirou fought the urge to look back but did so anyway. He raised his hand while already talking, which made the whole gesture quite pointless. Quite intriguing.

"Uhh sorry for interrupting, but are you really an alumnus just like Hatsune sensei?"

He played with his fingers on the front desk as he made a response.

"Yeah, as curious as I am to find out how you knew that, the lecture is more important.My aim is to make all of you better thinkers because most of you aren't articulate enough with your thoughts and how you express them.This is the ideal subject to help tackle that problem That's why I'm here to help.It'll be for a few months but let's try our best to get along.. Now, let's look at the essence of old Japanese tradition in the modern world. Has Japan really held on to its culture firmly despite modernization??"

"Yes, because Japan has one of the most prominent cultures around the world. Technology has changed for the better, but it has had no major influence on our Culture."

The person who replied the teacher was called Hirada, according to the blonde guy.

"Arguable but still you made a decent point….Okay, assuming what he said is correct, what would be the reason?"

"I'll say it's because our culture is something so fun and special, that making major changes isn't an option. Don't you agree?"

The second hand raised was the person behind Shirou.The most animated individual seated.

---He kept poking my chair during lunch, waiting for a reaction, but I ignored because I did not understand what he was trying to do.

"In simple terms, there is a balance between what is being accepted and what is being lost. I honestly don't know which is more. You'll probably be thinking of the relevance of the whole topic if at the end of the day you can't get any yes or no answers. It's about how you present your points.This is just a little introduction to what we will be doing and how we will be approaching different topics. I'll like you all to think of all major differences between Modernization and Westernization in full details.Your own words and your own approach. Make that your assignment. That's all for today."

With that, he adjusted his glasses and headed for the door but was stopped.

"So you're leaving?"

He was suddenly called out by the girl next to Shirou.

"Brent san, you see..My methods of teaching are quite unique but still effective. I can guarantee that.This is our first lesson so I'm starting with something light.Have a self study session."

---Do elite schools usually have self study sessions.Maybe?? Probably??

He took a look at the mixed expressions in the classroom as the teacher walked away and it was clear that everyone had something to say.

"I'll be taking your assignment next class."

He shut the door.

"What the heck was that about?"

"Itsuda, he did say his way of teaching was unique."

With nothing to do, he brought out the book he was reading earlier and continued when..

---The poking..Not again.. What is wrong with this guy??

He turned around, tossing out a fake smile in an attempt to hide his irritation.

"Hey…You're the new student, right? My name is Nagasime Lucas. You can call me Lucas."

---No, I can't. I'm not a fan of honorifics or other formalities, but first name right from the get go is weird.

"What should I call you..Yato?? Shirou??"

"You can call me whatever you want."

---Why the hell did I just say that????

"Then I'll call you Shirou from now on, nice to meet you, Shirou.Let's be friends."

He made a hand gesture, hoping for a fist bump while Shirou tried to shake hands, they eventually made a fist bump and Shirou's first impression on the class slowly changed and the fear in him slowly faded away.As the class was supposed to be having a private study session, only a few people actually studied, the rest of the class used the opportunity to do other things. From where he was, he could hear the voices of different people blending in. Starting with the blonde guy and his group.

---Well, they don't seem to be talking about me, but I still find the noise distracting.Blondie is talking about his love life.

"Yeah she was boring so I dumped her and went for her best friend instead."

"Whoa"

"You got caught?"

"Eventually but it was fun while it lasted. I couldn't care less.I'm sure she felt the same way."

"You know she probably didn't."

"Hey. Don't make me feel bad. You know I hate talking about heart break. Haha."

---On the other hand, it's light source and some other girls I don't know.

"No way, I also went there last week."

"I wish I could pick where we get to go for School field trips. It'll definitely be more fun. Don't you think?"

"Yeah. Your recommendations are the best, Wendy."

"There you go again, Rinta."

---There are already distinct groups and cliques. I was thinking of joining one and blending in. I don't want to stand out. I can't afford to stand out. Yeah, that's right.. Maybe it's too late.This is tougher than I thought.

At the end of class, everyone left the classroom, moving to their different clubs while Shirou was the only one in the classroom. There was a lot to process. His bitter-sweet first day experience. His classmates and their overwhelming personalities and the two most beautiful non relatives he had seen. At his old school, everyone was either an inferior or superior version of themselves. Simply said, they were just clones that had varied quality. He closed the classroom door and prepared to leave the school premises as he was club-less for the meantime.On the hallway, he stumbled into Nagasime Lucas and all the papers he was holding scattered across the hallway.

"Sorry about that."

"No, I should be the one apologizing."

"May I help with that?"

"Sure."

They packed them together.

"I should be going now. Student council meeting. What club are you in?"

"None at the moment."

"Is that so? Well, I could help you out with finding the perfect club."

"Su-Sure"

"Are you nervous??"

---Why is he asking me that? I was only shocked at how fast he answered the question.

"No"

He felt a vibration coming from his pockets and reached for his phone. He had about 3 messages from his sister. She was always uncompromising when it came to walking home together so without reading it, he already knew what she wanted to tell him.

"My sister is waiting for me, I better get going."

"Oh, alright then.Later"

As he strode along the hallway, Shirou had no choice but to sigh in intrigue.

---I'm pretty sure he has a mental age of 7.

After checking the layout of the second floor, he discovered a shorter exit in the opposite direction.From a distance, he could see two figures.

---Oh my. Blondie and Light source. From the look on her face, things don't look so good.Great… the hero pops up and saves the day..Well I'm no hero and if anyone needs saving, it's me….Right…but.. I just can't stand him..

"I've told you already,I can't go out with you, I'm late for a club meeting so I have to go."

---She tried acting cold to create more distance between the two of them but it had the opposite effect. The act wasn't convincing enough. It only made him move closer to her but then he stopped and turned to Shirou who went closer. Rejection was inevitable for him. He already knew what her answer was going to be despite everything. Although he had a little bit of hope, Shirou's sudden interruption made that little light he saw in front of him darken.

"Are you lost or something?? The exit is the other way."

---There is actually one right next to you, dumbass.

"No, I just wanted to ask for more information about the student clubs, I'm really curious."

"Are you blind?"

---What am I doing? Also, why the heck is she giving me that look?

All her attempts to leave were failures so this opening that he created was the only one she could get without having to do much explaining so an appreciative smile was the least she could give. A silent thank you. She immediately put on a brave look and walked past the both of them.

"Eric,I'm done here.You know my answer."

"Wendy. Wait a minute."

Now that light had vanished because of him. In her helpless state, she left Shirou with him. He only had one thing he planned on doing at the moment and that was punishing Shirou for his interference. Without saying a word, he grabbed Shirou's collar, pushing him to the wall with only his right hand. His strength was on another level and his grip was no joke. Shirou just earned himself an inescapable battering.

---Great….Just great..At least he shouldn't touch the face. I wouldn't be able to hide that from my Mum.

"You did it on purpose, right?"

"Not the face."

"Are you testing me? Now I really feel like hitting you in the face. Infact, that's the only place I'm hitting."

---Reverse psychology works on him?? If that's the case, I should have said something else.Now he will happily leave my face in a mess. Why did I even say anything?

He gritted his teeth, getting ready to receive heavy punches to the face when…

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I should be the one asking you that."

The assertive, commanding student from class came to his rescue. From his physical appearance, he looks just as weak as Shirou. He must have some sort of power unless this confrontation would have been rather foolish.Akate finally dropped Shirou but didn't let go of his collar and grinned.

"Tell this human trash to mind his own business. Same goes for you."

He walked away and slammed the wall on his way to the stairs.

"Sorry that had to happen, he can be like that sometimes. Despite his seemingly gentle look, he is not the kind of person you should mess with."

"It's fine. I'm not hurt or anything."

They both went their separate ways.

"The name is Nagasime Harry, by the way."

"Mine is Yato."

---Yuuki is still waiting. I totally forgot about her.

He adjusted his roughened up shirt and headed outside where he met a rather displeased Yuuki. She stamped her feet on the ground emphasizing her displeasure.

"I'm sorry."

"You know how much I hate waiting."

For some reason, she stumped her feet three times.

"You know what you did..Well you could make it up to me by getting me some ice cream on the way home."

---Easy enough.

"There's an ice cream store nearby."

"You're really lucky that I don't get mad for long. Anyway how was it?"

He let it out without a moment's hesitation.The first thing that came to his mind.

"Weird."

"Hahahahahaha. What the heck??"

She laughed uncontrollably, and Shirou wondered if his first day of school was that much of a joke.

"So typical of you. Honestly, I saw it coming."

"I'll be lying if I said it was good because it wasn't.. in the slightest..When I thought of you and Mum I guess it became less unbearable."

"Shirou…"

While blushing, she hugged him tightly then playfully hit his chest.

---I'm used to this, and she's the reason I hate hugs.

"But I'm your sister, you know."

"What do you mean??"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

---She's teasing me again.

"Let's go already."

They both walked to the ice cream shop nearby without paying attention to anyone or anything around them.

"Don't tell me you fell in love on your first day of School."

"Don't make me laugh."

"C'mon you could always open up to me… This is a safe place, remember?"

"Why the hell do you sound like a therapist?"

And just like that, his first day in Akate high school came to an end.

It's in this same place that it all happened.

Meanwhile…

In a secret passage underground. In the great city of Quesetania,Quesur. Quesur,also known as the playground of the gods was a mysterious land of magic that had existed for over a Millennium, separated from the rest of the world. It continued it's growth and blessed the people with it's rich abundance of mana. Naragami Kuro awakened at long last. Pain stroke him like a bolt of lightning and vibrated all around his body. This sensation was proof that he was alive and fully conscious.

--Why is everywhere cold all of a sudden?

As he opened his eyes, he was met with a cold embrace, that which he was familiar with.This familiar scent too.He lifted his head to get a closer look at her, the one that he had left for so long.

"Thank goodness.Thank goodness..THANK GOODNESS"

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she held him tighter. As soon as she let go, he saw her face.Her glistering eyes highlighted all the emotions she had experienced. Joy, sadness, loneliness, pain..Pretty much everything she had gone through in a few seconds worth of display.

"Don't cry..I'm back."

She held back the tears and wiped her face dry. He then waited for her to regain composure and noticed the people kneeling before him.

-- I don't know any of them.

"Welcome back, Kuro. You've been gone for quite a while."

--I see. She used her magic to keep me alive.I know that strike killed me, no doubt about it. It must have been tough for her.Kira,I owe you my life.

"I owe you my….."

He took a look at his hands as he coughed out and he saw it.. blood…

"Just sit back and rest".

--I can't believe I'm in such a pathetic state.

"These are your new underlings. I gathered them myself. They are elite in their different fields but will prove their skills and usefulness to you in the near future.I'm sorry the numbers are low compared to what you would have liked, this was the best I could do with my telepathic communication."

"It's fine. They are more than enough. I can feel the intensity of their magical energy. They are not weak. You did a magnificent job, Kira"

"I am glad you think that."

"Let me do a little test."

"For what???"

"You'll see.."

He scanned the whole area and produced a very detailed structure of the passageway and even everything above them.

"If I may ask, my lord..What is that??"

"First of all, take off your masks. I can't trust those that I can't see."

"Yes, my lord."

They all said this in unison and took them off one by one while Kira wiped off the blood from his mouth with a cloth. However, there was one who gripped his mask firmly but didn't take it off.

"You.. Over there. I believe you heard me."

"My lord, I did. But you see, my face is too unsightly to be presented before you. That is why I have refused to take it off."

"Nonsense. Obey my instructions first before asking questions or making objections."

"Yes, my lord."

After taking it off, he raised his head slowly. The others looked away but Kuro kept his gaze on him. He stared at what was left of his face. Truly unsightly. Infact, those words were not enough to fully describe how horrible he looked. However..

"So this was what was so bad that you had to disobey me?"

"I am sorry, my lord. I will accept any punishment given to me."

"Luckily for you, I have nothing in mind and I don't want to leave your punishment pending so I'll let you go."

"I appreciate your gracious kindness, my lord."

"Also, Kira why are they calling me that???"

"I asked them to use that title. You don't like it??"

--It's weird.

"Not at all. Quite befitting.I would take your question now. This is just a tool that shows me where I am. Of course I can sense it but then to test the precision and accuracy of my magic, I make a pretty detailed image of the actual structure in my head. I'm guessing we are in Quesetania, right??"

"You are right, my lord."

"So this is how the Lunar sky temple looks even after all this time. I guess some things don't change after all, quite brave of you to keep me, a wanted criminal right under their noses. Like a provocation of sorts."

"I had no other options. There is a barrier here so even the best mage in Quesur couldn't undo it if they wanted to."

"I see. This image.It's not as detailed as I would have liked and I would have been able to do it quicker too."

"Kuro, you just awakened, there's no need for you to use your magic."

"Don't worry, this is a cinch.We still have some catching up to do."

--I escaped death by a hair's breadth thanks to her. I can't waste the opportunity I was given. I have to gather all of them before it's too late.All of the four legendary weapons of Sumire. Whoever stands in my way would be crushed.

"Call me Lord Nagami from now on. Get ready to give me your all and if that's not enough…Your very being."

His words echoed through the walls of the hide out and a glimpse of ugliness in the form of a sadistic smile was let out. A monster had been reborn.

( "---" represents the thoughts of the main character. "--" represents the thoughts of any other character. "[]" represents an important event, most likely past events. "{}" represents various sounds.)