“GOAL!”
The shrill sound of a whistle filled the air as a soccer game ends.
Kamui walked over to the faucets at the side of the field and opened one. For a while, he just stared at the running water, then he put his head under it. Afterwards, he combed his fingers through his hair and shook the excess water off.
“Good game, Toriyama.”
“Thank you, Yamazaki-sempai…”
Yamazaki smiled at the freshman beside him. “You fit the role of captain well. I see the players look up to you a lot, even though you’re younger than most of them,” he said as he washed his hands.
“But…I still think you should have been the captain, sempai. You WERE supposed—”
“Hey, what’s done is done. Besides, I think you’re doing a better job than I would’ve.”
“We’ll never know now, will we…”
“Heh. There you go again. All modest about yourself,” said the third-year, laughing as he dried his hands.
Yamazaki Shouji was next in line to be the soccer team captain, but he had an accident just before the previous year ended. His leg was injured, so the team’s manager, along with Yamazaki himself, decided that Kamui should take the be captain temporarily. But as the weeks passed, Yamazaki saw that Kamui can take the role as long as he, and the rest of the team, wanted to. Even now that Yamazaki’s leg had healed completely, he never regretted making that decision of making Kamui the official captain.
“Say…” Yamazaki started, looking around the field. “I don’t see your sister around. Doesn’t she always make her appearance around this time of the day?”
Kamui just shrugged.
————–
“Here…” Midori said as she handed bottled water to Aiko.
“Thanks.”
After several gulps of water, a slightly sweaty Aiko removed her ponytail and combed her fingers through her hair.
“Hey, Ai-chan…”
“Hm?”
“Are you sure you can run this much? I mean, shouldn’t you be resting or something?”
“I’m fine, Midori. It’s not like I had any broken bones or anything.” Aiko replied.
“I suppose… But do take care of yourself, huh?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Aiko sighed as she leaned her elbows on the bleachers. For five days now, Midori had been asking her the same question, and for five days now, she’s been giving the same answer. It’s a wonder why Midori still wasn’t fully convinced about Aiko’s health. True, she WAS tired that Monday, when everyone in school was either battering her with questions or staring at her, but after that, everything had returned to normal.
Too normal… Aiko thought as she sat up and gathered her hair back into a ponytail. She had returned to her original routine: school, track, friends and family, homework, sleep. She does leave about three hours of patrolling in the afternoon –and she hasn’t seen any minors yet — but aside from that, nothing really changed. Ran-sama even told her to report only on weekends and emergencies so her schedule won’t be too hectic.
Midori was saying something about the improvement of the guys’ track team the past week, but Aiko barely heard her. Her eyes had wandered to the trees near the tracks, and her thoughts had drifted to a certain maroon-eyed youth…
I wonder what he’s doing now. I haven’t seen him since Sunday night, she thought with a slight frown, subconsciously fingering her necklace.
“Excuse me, I DID do something, ok? I happened to unleash a fire wave, if you didn’t notice. Then I tried to fly after him when the coward flew off.”
Aiko remembered how everything had turned blue at the race. Maybe that was his flame wave that she “saw”. So he saved her, then. But that was his job as a Star, wasn’t it?
“I came to check if you were fine, you looked pretty shook up when the race ended.”
Do Stars have to check on every attacked individual? Aiko didn’t remember Ran saying anything like that…So did Kaji check on her by his own will? Did he actually care for her? Yuki did tell her that Monday about the truth behind the necklace, that it had been “Kaji’s treasure”, as Yuki put it, since they were young. She also told her why he gave it to her. Aiko smiled. Kaji could be so nice sometimes.
“Your right arm got numb just a few minutes ago. I don’t think it’ll last long, either.”
“Hellooo?”
Aiko jerked awake, turning to her manger. “Yeah?”
Midori’s eyebrows furrowed. “Are you all right?” She had noticed how Aiko had sunk into her thoughtful mood again.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine!” Aiko said quickly. She realized that the past few days, her train of thought would always sooner or later end up with Kaji… And if Midori noticed, there’d be trouble—
“What were you thinking so deeply about?”
“Nothing! I was just thinking of someone— ” Oops. Wrong move.
“Someone?” Midori asked with a curious smile. “Who?”
“Just someone I miss— ” MAJOR oops. In her head, Aiko kicked herself hard. She was trying so hard to end the discussion as soon as possible, that what she DIDN’T want to say slipped out of her mouth!
“Ooooh…who is it? C’mon, tell me!”
“Someone you don’t know, ok? I’d rather not talk about it.” There.
Aiko returned her gaze at the trees, and Midori noticed she had a rather sad and confused look on her face. This made her want even more to ask, but decided against it.
I guess I miss him, then, the grey-eyed girl thought, her brain registering what she unconsciously said out loud earlier. But it’s been just five days! And besides, she was going to see him later that night, right? But, Aiko realized: she did miss him… a LOT. It was hard not to. He was with her everyday the past year, training her or just…being with her for no reason at all.
Aiko sighed. She can be so fickle sometimes. When she was at Ran’s, she missed her family and friends. And now she’s back with them, she misses Kaji, Yuki and Ran…
But Aiko’s musings were cut when she felt her heart pounding in her chest. It wasn’t the excited kind of pounding…Not the fast kind. Her heart was beating at its normal rate, except it was so loud Aiko heard it, and she swore Midori could, too. Aiko looked at Midori, but her friend was looking over a chart with Rei beside her.
“How do you know when there will be an attack?” she had asked Ran. “I mean, you can’t guard everyone all the time, right?”
“You just know,” Ran had said. “It changes from Star to Star. Maybe you’ll know where to go, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll know -when- to go, maybe you won’t. It could be both, it could be neither. In any case, you just -know-.”
And right now, Aiko felt as if she knew exactly where to go, and that she had to go there immediately. She opened her duffel bag and started to put on her jogging pants over her shorts.
“Ai-chan?”
“Sorry, Midori, I gotta go now,” Aiko said. “Tell ‘niichan I went ahead, ok? And get him to bring my bag. Thanks!”
“But Aiko—!”
.
.
Kamui swung his bag over his shoulder as he made his way down the halls. He turned to look at the gate when he saw Aiko running out the school. He was about to continue on his way when he did a double-take. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw someone following her. Someone abnormally dark…
What the…
.
.
Aiko turned around an alley and became unvisible, kicking the ground as she did. She flew just above the rooftops, making sure she can see the minors in case she passed by them. Aiko tried to remember what Ran-sensei had taught her during training. One of which was that they should try to use just enough of their powers to defeat the enemy.
Save your energy for the last attack. Okay, Aiko. Get your stuff together. This is it!
“There!” Aiko told herself as she neared one of the by-roads. As she got nearer, she noticed an old woman walking alone. Aiko suddenly stopped and landed on a roof. She looked around. Seeing no one else, she blinked at the old lady carrying groceries below her.
“This old lady?” she asked no one in particular. It was odd… Deathrose collects to get energies, right? Then, why such an old woman like this?
Geez. Why don’t you go and help her carry her things? Aiko scolded herself. She was about to hop down the roof when a minor suddenly sped towards the old lady. For an instant, Aiko froze.
Ran-sensei had described minors as the “not-so-powerful Roses”. Nobody on Blue Star knows what they are exactly. They didn’t look like humans: sure, they had arms, legs, a torso and a head, but they were completely black. They seem to have eyes, ears and noses, too, but you can’t really make out their features.
They all look the same to me, Yuki had told Aiko once.
And what Aiko was facing now completely fit the other Stars’ descriptions of them. Aiko snapped herself out of her thoughts and quickly went into action. Shoving off the slight fear of touching something that looks so ominous, Aiko flew fast towards ‘obaasan’ and turned to face the minor. It was obviously surprised with her presence as it abruptly stopped. Aiko kept glaring at the minor several feet away from her. The wind blew as no one, except the other lady, was moving a muscle. Aiko waited until the woman turned around the corner. When she did…
Aiko moved to charge at the minor, but it beat her to it. It was already moving towards her! The minor swept a fist at her, but she avoids it and jumps sidewards, hoping to lead the minor away from the woman. Unknown to her, though, it had already forgotten about the old lady.
The minor attacked Aiko again, throwing a roundhouse kick. Aiko blocked it easily and took hold of its ankle, preparing to slam it to the ground. But the minor had lifted its other foot to kick her. Taken by surprise, Aiko let go of the ankle, and jumped quickly backward, but the minor was quicker. It immediately took Aiko’s shoulders, and thrust its knee on Aiko’s stomach. Aiko coughed in pain and shock, and felt herself falling on her hands and knees.
Kaji’s voice echoed in Aiko’s mind. They may not have special abilities, but if you underestimate them, they can kick your butt easily.
Breathing hard, Aiko sensed the minor take a few steps away from her, then stop. She looked up to see that, indeed, the minor was there, looking at her, as if waiting for her to stand up.
THAT…is your biggest mistake, buddy.
It was time to get serious.
“KYAAA!!!” Aiko charged towards the minor, and threw a punch at it. It blocked the punch, then kicked her. Aiko blocked it as well.
Punch, block, kick, block, punch, punch, jump, kick, block.
Then, Aiko felt something behind her. Ducking quickly, she saw that another minor has arrived, and that it had already thrown a punch at her. In her squatted position, she swiftly swept her leg on its feet, making it fall down, giving Aiko advantage to attack the first one again. She turned around the other minor, and this time, she hit its back twice with each of her open palms, with an added touch of wind pressure, yelling “HAH!” as she did. As Ran had told her it would, the minor disappeared as Aiko defeated it.
“ONE DOWN!” she yelled happily, boosting her fighting spirit for the next opponent. Aiko took on a fighting stance as she waited for the remaining minor to attack, but, to her surprise, the minor flew away.
“HEY!” She yelled, then followed it. There was no way she was going to let this minor off.
————–
“Oniisan!”
“Hey Sara.”
Sara came running up to her brother as he stepped outside the school gate. She stopped in front of him, panting. “Maaa…Good thing I caught you here…Sensei talked to us after the practice and it took SO long!”
“Ah.”
She looked up to see Kamui. Alone. “Hey…Where’s Ai-chan?”
“She left already,” he replied, and started to walk home. Sara walked with him.
“Again? Where HAS she been disappearing to these days?”
“Beats me.”
Sara narrowed her eyes at her brother. He was especially quiet today. “Oniisan…Is something wrong?”
“Just tired.”
A pause.
“And?”
“And what?”
“Aside from that?” Sara pushed.
Kamui looked at her, then smiled. “I can’t keep anything from you, can I?”
“Nope! Your face shows too much of the things you want to hide.” Sara said, pointing her index finger to his nose.
“Well…it’s just that..”
Sara waited patiently. Sheesh…what’s with the dramatic pause?
“I think I’ve been seeing things recently,” he started hesistantly. “OK, so I always see things,” he added as if Sara had contradicted him, “but it’s getting more frequent by the day…”
“What things?”
“Before we went to Chiba, I saw someone looking at us from the trees beside Aiko’s house, but Aiko didn’t see it when I asked her.” Kamui said, looking at the sky. “And just today, when I saw Ai-chan run out the gate, I thought I saw…”
He trailed off, his eyes widening. He saw a flying person… And several meters behind him was another one, that, to Kamui, looked like…
A girl?
Sara saw surprise on his face, and followed his line of vision. She didn’t see anything but the sky, though. “Oniichan?”
Kamui tore his eyes from the sky. “Did you see?”
“See what?”
When Kamui looked up again, there wasn’t anything. His eyebrows furrowed, then he sighed.
Sara patted her brother’s back. “You ARE tired, aren’t you?”
Kamui pressed the bridge of his nose. “Yeah…that must be it.” What is WRONG with you, Toriyama?!
————–
Where the heck is it going?
Aiko had been following the minor for several minutes now. They had already passed by the school again, and they were now heading in the direction of the park.Finally, she thought as the minor stopped. She continued flying, and her eyebrows furrowed as she saw what it was looking down at: there were 10 or so minors at the park below.
“What the—”
Her sentence was cut short as three things happened in about three seconds: First, she saw what kept the minors busy, her eyes widening at what she saw.
Next, for some reason even she doesn’t know, Aiko turned to look at the minor she had been following. She saw that it was going to throw something that looked like a shuriken towards him.
Aiko flew full speed towards him, noticing along the way that a certain blue-haired girl was there, too.
“KAJI LOOK OUT!!!”
“HAA!!” Kaji yelled loudly as he hit a minor at the back of the neck.
I guess I have to use fire on these morons after all, he thought. He and Yuki had been surprised that the minors that each of them were following led them to this park. And he was even more surprised when around 9 of them showed up. Why didn’t the REAL Roses come if they wanted a confrontation with the Stars? Kaji seriously thought that the Roses were up to something. Maybe they were going to tire the Stars first, and then make their appearance!
That’s very likely…
Making a conclusion, he didn’t want to use his flame on the minors, and he resigned to using his bare fists. Yuki agreed, as well, but they had been fighting like this for around 10 minutes now! If he was fighting with one minor, that was just peanuts. But ten? It gave the minors Kaji and Yuki already “hit” enough time to recover before attacking again, while the other minors were at them.
I’m getting impatient here. What EXACTLY are they waiting for?
“KAJI LOOK OUT!!!”
Kaji turned sharply as he heard his name being called with urgency. His eyes widened as he saw Aiko flying FAST towards him, arm extended. He didn’t have any time to respond as Aiko had pushed him, and then cried out in pain as the shuriken hit her upper arm.
“Rookie!”
Not noticing the fact that the minors actually stopped attacking, Kaji flew quickly to catch Aiko as she started to fall. He didn’t have the chance to be relieved as he heard Yuki’s voice.
“KAJI! MINORS!”
Kaji looked up to see that all of the minors were now moving towards them.
“Aww GREAT!” Kaji yelled in frustration. He didn’t have any other choice, but…
“Yuki! Out of the way!” The second he saw Yuki fly several meters away from his line of vision, Kaji opened his right palm and unleashed a HUGE flame wave. Although a few had jumped out of the way when Yuki did, most of the minors were caught in the fire. When they were gone — the minors that escaped had flown off already — Kaji still kept himself alert. But something told him that his guess earlier was wrong. Trusting his instincts, Kaji finally sighed in relief.
“Kaji…”
Kaji looked down at the exhausted Aiko. Her breathing was shallow, and she was clutching his shirt tight.
“Is she all right?” Yuki asked as she arrived beside them.
“I’m fine…” Aiko said.
“C’mon, let’s get back to Ran’s…” Kaji said.
“No, wait…” Aiko pushed herself off of Kaji, and tried to at least float in the air.
“Aiko, what’re you doing? Don’t strain yourself…” Yuki said.
“There were still minors that got away…”
“So?” Kaji asked.
“So we go after them!”
“No we don’t.”
“But Kaji—!”
“Didn’t you notice how they went for you when you were hit? You’ve already got a wound— “
“I can take care of myself!”
“Don’t try to be such a heroine—”
“I’m not trying to— “
“We CAN’T risk losing you!!!”
“‘K…” was all Aiko could manage as she started to collapse again. Kaji caught her and nodded to Yuki.
————–
At the palace, Ran has just finished tending to Aiko’s wound. The skin on Aiko’s arm was as good as new. It was as if nothing happened! That was what Aiko liked about Ran’s healing powers. Not only was the pain lessened — it’s too bad it isn’t completely gone — but it also looked OK. That way, she won’t have to explain to her dad and brother.
“We have to find someone who can take care of wounds down there.” Ran said as he stood up.
Ran had spoken silently, almost to himself, but Aiko heard him. She looked out the window in disappointment. She knew what Ran meant. Wounds made by Deathrose shuriken are a different kind of wound. Human medicine won’t help heal it. But she can’t go back to Ran every time she’s wounded. It was OK when it was only Kaji and Yuki, since they don’t go home to anyone on the ground, and they can spend the night anywhere. Aiko, on the other hand, had a family to go and live with.
“Well, then. Now that’s done, you should rest, Aiko. Why don’t you take her home later, Yuki?”
“Hai.”
“Do take care of that wound OK, Aiko? If you aggravate it, it’ll open again.”
Yuki stood up as Aiko nodded. Ran then headed out the room.
“I’ll come back later. Will an hour be enough?”
Again, Aiko just nodded silently.
“Aiko,” Yuki started. She waited for the other girl to look up at her, then continued, “You did very well today.”
Aiko smirked bitterly. “My first defense and I get wounded already.”
“Nobody gets out clean the first time, Aiko, no matter how good anybody is at anything. Nobody’s perfect. We all have weaknesses. That’s why we’re a team, right? We help each other out.”
Aiko sighed, then leaned back on her pillows. “I guess.”
“Besides, the target wasn’t taken, right? That’s what’s important…”
Aiko only nodded. Yuki gave her a small smile as she opened the door to step out of the room. She closed the door behind her, her smile fading completely. Her blue eyes took on a serious look as she glanced at the boy leaning on the wall beside her.
“You needed to hear that, too, y’know,” she said.
Kaji said nothing, and his eyes remained closed.
“Rookie or not, what she did was just natural for anyone who cares for anybody in danger,” Yuki continued. “Don’t go blaming yourself for her condition, either.”
Kaji said nothing as he pulled himself up and walked away. Yuki sighed.
“Hard-headed as always.”
————–
Next on Blue Star:
Midori notices how her friend isn’t herself the past week, and Rei decides to do an interview with Kamui. Meanwhile, during a defense, Kaji and Aiko have another one of their little arguments…except this time, it’s not so “little” anymore…
Life is short. Don’t waste it on sentimentality!!!
Episode 6: Rookie
————–
From the Author:
If anyone’s wondering, Aiko is Blue Child. ‘Ai’ means blue, and ‘ko’ means child. Yes, I know that most of you are thinking that ‘ai’ means ‘love’, but it can also mean ‘blue’ if you write it in hiragana.
