I groaned. My head ached like crazy, and my neck was sore. My body felt so tired as I struggled to breathe. My limbs were numb and my legs were weak.
Taking a peak, I found myself back at the warehouse, inside one of the cages. Carefully turning my head, which caused me to flinch, I saw that on the other cages, people were being held captive as well.
"So, you caught them?" A cold tone alerted my senses. I closed my eyes and listened to them.
The footsteps grew closer and I could here someone else answering the man's question. My body tensed as I felt them right beside my cage, their presence seeming to flare up my instincts.
Quietly, I took a peak. They were hovering over the two unconscious people in the cage. One man sneered at their sight and the other chuckled. The one who sneered was wearing a business suit, with slick-back, brown hair. The other was wearing some sort of assassin's attire, with two daggers at either side of his hips.
The assassin-looking guy had ash-gray hair. His bright, blue eyes seemed to shine in the dark. While the business man examined the fallen, the assassin played with his daggers.
"So these are the one's..." The business man said. The assassin nodded and walked beside him.
"Yup, the one's that ruined the gunner deal" The assassin smiled viciously and I think I could see fangs glinting.
"Kill them and dispose of their bodies" The man stated and the assassin seemed to jump at his words. My eyes widened at that. I need to get out of here!
The man's void black eyes moved on to me and I quickly closed mine shut. My body trembled as I could feel their stare looming over me. I gulped as they remained silent. Do they know I'm awake!?
"And this child?" The man finally asked.
"He released the animals" The assassin answered "I don't know how though, when I got here, the guards were knocked out and I saw him nodding at the albino"
"Animal communication?" The man questioned and the assassin just shrugged.
"Well how old he may be, he costed us millions of dollars. Kill it" With that my breathing stopped and my mouth was about to scream. Oh god, I can't die! Again!
When they left the area, I finally released a sigh of relief. It was hard keeping still when people were literally ordering for your death right in front of you.
I opened my eyes and saw the two guys were still unconscious. I closed my eyes and focused on my power. I couldn't bear to move my hands, or any part of my body at this moment.
When the mist seeped out, I could feel the power rushing over me. However, as the familiar roar of the jaguar entered my ear, a tremendous pain swept across my chest.
It was as if the jaguar was to heavy for my body, as if it crushed it. I held back a scream as I released the jaguar and the mist disappeared. Oh god, I must be to weak!
I groaned again, my body was now starting to sweat. I was powerless. This never happened before, it must be that assassin. Whatever he did to me must have weakend my body so severely that I can't even handle a simple Ashe.
I lied down at the cage, the hope inside me slowly dimming. If I can't access my powers then it's bye bye for me. I wimpered at the thought of dying again. Will I be as lucky and reincarnate again?
Tears fell down my eyes as the memories of my parents flooded me. Not just the Takahashi's, but my first parents. The image of my first mom lying on a hospital bed entered my mind.
I clutched my eyes as I desperately tried to hide the feelings, but what's the use if I'm gonna die anyway? What's the point of all my training when I can't even make it to episode 1.
With that, the hope in me flickered. I replayed everything that happened to me, from my death to meeting my new parents. To the moment that I discovered my quirk, and meeting 4 of the main cast.
What your totally a hero!
Those words echoed in my mind as I remembered my first mom. Dying of cancer and I couldn't even bring myself to talk to her in her final moments. I was no hero, I ran away. I hid behind a door, to scared to face reality.
The tears were now streaming down as I felt my face drown. My mom, both of them loved me so much, but I couldn't repay one of them and now I won't with the new one. Remembering the moments up until now, my eyes flickered open.
"No..." I muttered with all of my strength. "I can't die now.."
My mind was now replaying my party from earlier. I never realized it before, but I do now. All of it was surrounded by the people I loved or grown to love.
Forcing all my strength, I grasped onto my totem and winced. I failed the last time, but I won't now. I'm gonna be a hero, someone who won't be shaken by fear. And for that to happen, I musn't die.
I clutched the totem in my chest and breathed deeply. With an exhale, my eyes glowed. The mist appeared and it danced around me. My body ached at the roar of the animals in my head.
Ok, Haru. You can't embrace the Ashe in your body so what can you do? My eyes darted around me until it landed on the cage at the center. My eyes widened as a thought came into my mind.
"I hope this works" I gritted my teeth as I closed my eyes.
I can summon the power, but I can't use it...well physically I hope. I sensed around me and and the mist enveloped my body. My eyes closed as I focused.
The darkness in my eyes was unsettling, but as I hardened my resolve, a flash of light envaded my sight. With that, I opened my eyes and I gasped.
Everywhere in the room, I could see a red haze engulfing the place. Wisps of the haze trailed off from the mass and it connected itself to the unconscious strangers.
'The Red!'
If I can't use the power in my body, then I'll just channel it.
I focused on the haze and envisioned myself grasping at it. The white mist around me began to dance as it trailed off. I smiled as the mist grabbed onto the haze and started drawing power.
I readied my body, the power of the red coursed through me and I bit back a scream. I then commanded the red to my limbs. My arms began to glow and the red's energy escaped onto the physical plane.
I cheered at the outcome as I felt like jumping up and down. As the energy gathered in front of me, I willed it to transform and just like that, the Ashe of the jaguar was now in front of me.
I wanted to scream, but of course I couldn't. I stared at the Ashe and as if it read my mind, it walked towards the barred cage and and slashed at it. With one swipe, the lock was broken and it was now open.
The jaguar went to me, and using its head, it gently raised me up. Using my strength, I pushed myself forward and rode the jaguar. The animal jumped off the cage and went to the unconscious bodies. Just like before, it broke open the lock.
Channeling the red again, I summoned two jaguars. The beasts took the bodies and walked beside us.
"Take them to the hospital" I ordered, the jaguars nodded and disappeared.
I turned to my Ashe and patted it on the neck. "Now, let's get out of here..." The Ashe nodded and ran outside.
But just as I made my way out, a wall of purple flames blocked our path. I screeched at the heat and ushered the jaguar to stand back.
The flames burned for a minute until it extinguished, to reveal the two men from before. The business man was staring at me intriguingly, while the assassin was snickering.
He fidgeted with his hands, as sparks of purple flames erupted from them.
"Just where do you think your going?" The assassin teased as he made his way forward. "Looks like you freed the other captives. Now you really need to die"
I stared at the assassin, my eyes unwavering as I uphold the promise i made. Don't be afraid Haru, don't succumb to fear!
I channeled the red and summoned a tiger and a falcon. With a mighty roar and screech, they appeared, earning the interest of the man even further.
The assassin only snickered at my summons as he took out two daggers. He readied himself and charged. The two Ashes roared and dashed towards him. The falcon flew up high while the tiger and tried to claw at him.
The assassin dodged this and tried to stab it with its dagger. To his surprise the dagger passed right through. I smirked at that, though it quickly disappeared as the assassin seemed unfazed. He aimed his palm and released a column of flames.
The tiger roared as the flames passed through it as well. Now, he's gotta be afraid. But to my shock, he seemed to nod at the event.
From above, the falcon screeched again and took him by the collar. As they flew up high, the flacon let go and he descended. As the assassin fell, the falcon raced towards him, talons at the ready.
The assassin spun around and released a torrent of flames, causing the flacon to miss him. The assassin landed safely in the ground as the Ashes stared at him.
"It seems these things are stronger than I thought." The assassin said as he walked towards me. "But I wonder..." The assassin paused as he stared at me. What is he thinking?
He raised his arms and released a tornado of flames, causing the Ashe to move aside. The flames burned everything around him and I failed to notice a glint of metal.
I tried to summon another Ashe for help when a pain appeared in my neck. The jaguar below me roared as it began to glitch.
I gagged as blood seeped out of my mouth. I looked to my neck, eyes widened as a knife had been plunged deep into the skin. Blood pooled out and I collapsed to the ground.
The jaguar roared as it disappeared. The other two Ashes did the same as they also vanished into the wind. The assassin watched over me with a satisfied smile on his face.
I struggled to breath as the blood began to choke me. My eyes blurred as I desperately tried to tap into the red. The assassin walked slowly towards me as he giggled at my sight.
He played with his daggers as he readied himself to finish me once and for all. But as he got near, the man in the suit signalled for him to stop. He walked in front of my sight and smiled.
"You have e exactly ten seconds before you die. Promise your loyalty to me and I will save you" The man stared, earning a confused glare from the assassin. I looked at him with rage as I squirmed on the ground.
"Come on. Tick tock..." He looked at his watched and I just wanted to claw at him right there. My vision was now darkening as I tried to fight back.
Come on, come on!
Just as the seconds were up, I pushed with all my might and a familiar spark ignited within me. Ignoring the pain, I called forth my power as the mist enveloped me once again. The two men were clearly shocked as they watched the mist dance around me.
It swirled around until it transformed into a worm.
"A worm?" The assassin joked, but his smile faltered as he watched the cut in my throat disappear and the life in my eyes return.
"What the..." The man in the suit asked, while the assassin just stared in shock.
As the mist dissipated, I stood up and shook my head. I looked at them, their eyes still wondering how I survived.
"Regenerative abilities of flatworms are really interesting am I right?" I said as the assassin brandished his daggers.
"Interesting..." The man thought as the assassin dashed towards me. Seeing him, I swallowed the pain in my body and summoned another Ashe.
As his daggers collided with me, the form of the armadillo appeared. Upon contact, the dagger shattered. The assassin was caught off guard as the armadillo turned into a ball and lunged at him full force.
Thrown to the other side, I tapped into the red and summoned 5 more animals by my side. The place was now filled with roars as the eyes of the jaguar, falcon, chameleon, elephant, and cheetah stared at them.
The man clicked his tongue as he clapped his hands. Nine swords appeared around him, they swirled like a revolver and with one flick, they fired.
Just like wind, they raced through the air, but I smirked, the swords stopped in their tracks. The swords fell to the ground and disappeared. The man gasped as I chuckled at his surprise, leaving no room to think I motioned my animals to attack.
The assassin sent blast after blast, but it wouldn't hit. Soon the trunk of the elephant hit him in the abdomen and flung him to a wall. The man in the suit was next as the cheetah circled around him, avoiding the swords he sent. Tired with that, the chameleon appeared behind him and slapped him to the side.
The jaguar caught the man and tossed him back. Like a ball, the flacon caught him and flew him to the air. With a push from its talons the man was sent to the ground. Before he reached the earth, the elephant readied its trunk and batted him mid-air. He was sent flying right to the assassin.
Seeing them coughing hard, I tapped into the red and drew in pure, primal energy. The energy around me gathered and as they saw what was coming. The energy gathered to a single point and with that, released. Like a laser, it tore through the air and collided with the two.
In a burst of white light, the building exploded from the laser, leaving the bodies of the two men. They struggled to breath as they suffered from third degree burns.
"It's over...." I spoke, the adrenaline now left my body and pain returned.
I looked at them, my eyes showed no emotion as I took a piece of rope and tied them there. The police would be here any second as the explosion pretty much shook the entire area.
I looked on to the Ashes aroud me. I smiled at them and said: "Thank you..."
The Ashes nodded, seeming to understand my gratitude towards them. Their mist danced around as it slowly started to fade.
With that, they disappeared, leaving the falcon and me alone. Hearing the sirens of the police at the distance, I chuckled. I looked at the two men one more time and clicked my tongue.
"Hope you rot in jail"
I turned around and climbed on top of the falcon. With a screech, the bird spread its wings and flew. We left the warehouse and disappeared into the skies, leaving tiny wisps of white smoke in its wake.