Time flies when you’re having fun.
Or, in the Stars’ case, when you’re busy.
Months have passed since their last battle with the Roses at Kobayakawa, and things were already almost normal again. Aiko was back to her cheery, intelligent, averagely optimistic self. Kaji’s amusingly sarcastic remarks have made a comeback. Kamui had finished as the leader of the freshman year (with Aiko following closely in a matter of 0.02 in her average), therefore gaining even more fangirls for himself (much to his dismay). Hikaru and Sara did relatively well in school, despite the training they had on weekends. Yuki was totally done with her recovery, and is earning herself a place in the ice skating team.
Oh, yes. Time flies, indeed.
The minors have seemingly disappeared along with the Roses, so the Stars have had it easy. But still, with Ran being their sensei, no second was wasted in idleness.
But that didn’t mean they never had a break, either.
————–
“Kaji…”
“Ngh…”
“Kaji, wake up…”
“Go away, Ran…It’s way too early…”
A pause.
“Oh, do I sound like Sensei now? I didn’t know you thought my voice sounded like a man’s.”
Aiko smiled despite her raised eyebrow and sharp tone. Truth be told, she thought Kaji looked adorable when he slept. There was no trace of his confident grin, and his face was so peaceful, you wouldn’t think he was the fire-throwing leader of the Blue Stars when he was awake. Every time she saw him like this, Aiko would wish she wasn’t the one to disturb his sleep. But then, it would be worth it when he opened one eye and saw her, like what he was doing right now. But, instead of saying “Good morning” with that confident grin like he always did, he mumbled something incoherent and turned away from her. The smile on Aiko’s face fell. Well, that was first time that happened.
“Kaji,” she tried again, shaking him. Kaji didn’t move a muscle. “C’mon, Hino, it’s time to get your sleepy butt out of bed!”
“No,” he said, stubbornly pulling the blanket over his head.
“Oei, Kaji!”
The Star covered in sheets made no move to stand up. Finally giving up, Aiko sighed as she stood up from the bed. She stepped out of the room, combing her fingers through her hair.
“Trouble in paradise?”
Aiko scoffed, shaking her head. “I never thought it’d be possible, Yuki, but sometimes, he’s harder to wake than Oniichan.”
Yuki laughed as she poured tea for Aiko. “When it rains, it pours. Want me to try?”
“Oh, please do.”
After handing Aiko her tea, Yuki skipped off to Kaji’s room, while the Wind Angel went to sit by the window. She sighed as she sipped her tea. The morning was beautiful, no doubt about that. She even had the chance to see the sunrise earlier that morning. Man, it was magnificent. Cool breeze, white mountain, a clear view of the sunrise… Aiko felt like nothing could ruin her day.
And so, Kamui found her looking out the window with a pleasant smile gracing her face.
“Hey, Aiko…”
“Hao.”
“Is he ready yet?”
“Actually, Yuki’s—”
“EEYAAAAAARGH!!!!!”
Kamui and Aiko were both speechless as Kaji’s door flung open, and Yuki burst out of the room, almost rolling on the floor with laughter.
“Ohoh, mahahay goohoodness, Aiko!” she said. The grey-eyed Star blinked. She could barely make out what Yuki was saying…
“You-hu shoulda see-heen his fa-hace!!! It was PRICELESS!!!”
Kamui’s eyebrows rose, while Aiko grinned, totally curious of what Yuki just did. But she didn’t have to ask, though, for a very angry — and very wet — Fire Soul appeared on the doorway. And if Yuki wasn’t making such a comedy out of the scene, Kaji would have looked scary. Very, very scary.
“Yuki…” he said threateningly.
The girl abruptly stopped laughing, and she tried hard to be serious. But the corners of her mouth twitched, and Kamui was sure she would give in to the temptation in no time.
“Yes, Kaji?” she asked in her most innocent-sounding voice.
“Do you…have ANY idea…how impossibly cold that was?”
Yuki bit her lip, trying very hard not to laugh. But, alas, she failed.
“YES!”
Kamui shook his head as he watched Yuki literally roll on the floor this time. Aiko herself couldn’t help but laugh, though not as hysterically as her friend. Kaji threw up his hands in exasperation, and took off his polo shirt, wringing it in the sink.
“I swear, Yuki, I don’t know how I’ve put up with you all these years.”
“Because you love me, Oniichan?”
“Cute. But, no.”
“Umm…Kaji?” Aiko spoke up, noticing that Kaji was drenched from head to toe. She also noticed how he was slightly shivering. It was a wonder how he had spoken in such a normal voice. “Maybe you should change your clothes already. You might catch a cold.”
“He can dry himself can’t he?” Yuki said, finally starting to be subdued.
“Rookie, just what exactly did Ran feed Yuki this morning?”
The Wind Angel just shrugged as Kaji made his way back to his room. After Kaji’s door slammed shut, the hotel suite was silent, except for the clinking sound Kamui made in the small kitchen as he fixed himself a drink.
“Aah…” Yuki said with a satisfied smile. “That definitely made my morning…”
Aiko shook her head again. “Yuki, just how cold was the water you poured on him?”
“It isn’t that cold, really…”
“Yeah, I bet,” Kamui said sarcastically. “Tell me, Ice Maiden, how do you define ‘cold’? “
“Well, I suppose maybe I got carried away a bit…”
“You do know we’re on a snow-capped mountain right now, don’t you?”
Yuki bit her lip, suddenly feeling guilty. “Yes…”
When Kaji’s door opened again, a dry Fire Soul walked out. He had changed into a new pair of jeans and a black hooded jacket, which was opened as usual, revealing the grey shirt underneath. His mood, though, was still the same.
“Hey, Kaji, I’m sorry, OK?” Yuki tried, fiddling with the end of her braid.
“One day, Yuki…One day…” Kaji muttered, making his way to the balcony. “C’mon, Toriyama, let’s go.”
Kamui gulped what was left of his juice, then hurriedly followed Kaji out the door. When the boys had flown off, Yuki sighed.
“He’s really mad at me, huh?”
“He’ll get over it,” Aiko told her, sipping her tea. “Besides, it’s not like he’s never played a prank on anybody before.”
“I suppose…” Yuki said.
“Hey, Yuki?”
“Yeah?” The Ice Maiden looked at the grey-eyed girl by the window, and found her grinning.
“Was his reaction really that funny?”
A pause.
“Aiko, you have no idea.”
————–
The wind blew, and the clouds changed shape. Mai sighed as she shifted to a more comfortable position on the branch. She was playing with the clouds again, just as she always did every afternoon. But, unlike all the times before, she wasn’t lying down on the middle of the field. This time, she picked out the highest sturdy branch of the tallest tree they had. She discovered she had a much better view there, plus she felt it was more of a private place.
It wasn’t that she was a loner, but sometimes she just wanted to get away.
Actually, what she really wanted was go out. True, she had sneaked out several times the past few months (with Yuuji reprimanding her every time), but she couldn’t help it. She still wanted to go out. She liked it on the ground. There were so many interesting things there. Of course, she never got to do anything aside from look due to her lack of money.
But it didn’t really matter. All she wanted to do was get a breath of fresh air, and have a change of scenery. Mai frowned. Sometimes, she felt as if she was held like a prisoner in her own home.
“Mai-sama?” came a voice under her, disrupting her thoughts.
“Hai, Fuu-san?”
“I hate to interrupt you, but it’s time for your training.”
“Hai…”
Mai sat up, stretching, before she jumped down from branch to branch. She landed on the ground gingerly, crouching to decrease the momentum. When she stood up straight, she was half expecting to see Fuu already shooting wind spheres at her.
That’s why what she saw caught her by surprise.
Fuu was just standing there, looking even more surprised than Mai was.
Actually, there was something in her eyes that Mai couldn’t place.
The exaggerated version would have been horror.
Fuu blinked, making sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. Standing before her was, undoubtedly, Mai, Deathrose Princess. That is, if you closed your eyes and focused on her ki. But if your eyes were open, you’d see Kazetenshi Aiko, Blue Star Wind Angel.
Now, she already knew that the Wind Angel and Mai-sama looked alike, but this was WAY too creepy.
Fuu blinked again.
“Fuu-san?” the girl in front of her asked hesitantly. “Are you OK?”
“Uhh…” was all Fuu could say. “I’m… I’m sorry for staring, Mai-sama, but… I think my eyes are playing tricks on me.”
Mai’s eyebrows furrowed, but then she said “Oh, that’s right!” in understanding. Fuu blinked again as the Princess laughed, then flipped her hair.
“You like it?”
“Like…’it’, Mai-sama?” Fuu asked, totally bewildered.
Mai nodded. “I asked Kaori-san to get me hair dye the other day. Blue hair’s so cool, ne?”
Hair dye…
“But I didn’t want my hair to look too weird, so I picked this dark shade. Oh, and then I asked Maya-chan to get me contact lenses. She got me several colors, but I liked grey best…” Mai said excitedly, seemingly oblivious that Fuu was near to panic just a few moments ago. “What do you think?”
“Uh…”
OK, so Mai-sama didn’t transform into Wind Angel overnight.
That’s a relief.
“Are you OK, Fuu-san?” Mai asked again when the other girl didn’t say anything else.
Fuu smiled politely, shaking her head at herself.
Like, duh, of COURSE it’s hair dye and contacts…
“Yes, Mai-sama, I’m OK… Shall we get to training now?”
————–
It was half past noon.
Kamui huffed as he landed on the balcony of their hotel room. He slid the glass door open, then paused when he saw no one in the sitting room.
“Yuki?” he called. He slid the door close as he stepped inside. “Aiko? You guys here?” he called again.
“Yeah, just a sec!” came Aiko’s voice from inside the girls’ room.
“I’ll be in my room, ‘k?” he called back.
“Ok!”
Kamui made his way to the guys’ room, took off his jacket, and went to comb his wind-blown hair. He blinked at his reflection in the small mirror, frowning.
“Maybe I should get a haircut,” he mumbled, running his fingers through the black bangs framing his eyes.
“I don’t know how your fangirls are gonna react to that,” came a voice at the doorway.
Kamui rolled his eyes as he turned around.
“Aiko, you know as well as I do that I don’t ca—”
Kamui froze in mid-sentence, his eyes widening. The comb that fell from his hand went unnoticed.
He just stared.
While the black-haired, brown-eyed girl at the doorway smiled at him.
“Hao…” she said.
Kamui closed his mouth, then opened it again in an attempt to say something (anything), only to close it once more. When he tried to speak again, only a weak “Wha?” escaped his lips.
“Like it?”
Kamui blinked himself awake, then bent down to pick up the fallen comb.
“I’m not sure…” he answered honestly.
“What? Why?”
“Because you look like someone I know…” he said without thinking.
“Oh, do I? Lessee… Maybe I look like someone named Kazetenshi Aiko?”
Kamui raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, silly me! I‘m Kazetenshi Aiko!”
“Haha.”
Aiko smiled and sat down on the bed, as Kamui went back to combing his hair.
“How’s training?”
“It’s not like you weren’t there this morning…”
“A lot can happen in 5 hours— I mean, 10 hours— I mean…” Aiko stopped, shaking her head. “You know what I mean.”
“I suppose… But nothing BIG happened. I mean, Hikaru’s gotten better since the last I saw him use the Light, but I think you already know that…”
“Ehe. Yeah. Any progress on his flight?”
“Not much. Although, he can fly faster than Sara can run… But it’s still not enough…”
“What about Sara?”
“She still can’t read minds at will. But Ran says it’s OK, since it isn’t her main ability, anyways.”
Aiko nodded, remembering her own training. “I really hope they won’t get discouraged or anything.”
“Nah. I don’t think so. With Kaji’s most convenient -ahem- encouragements, I don’t think they feel any real pressure or anything.”
“That’s Kaji for you,” Aiko said, shaking her head.
Kamui nodded with a laugh. “Yeah… So, got any more questions?”
Aiko thought for a moment as Kamui waited, leaning on the desk.
“Yeah…” she finally said, grinning.
Aiko just smiled as Kamui raked his fingers through his hair for the last time.
“So who do I look like?” Kamui blinked. “Huh?”
“You said earlier that I looked like someone you know.”
Oh, that…
“So, who was it?” Aiko asked again.
“Someone.”
“That’s so helpful, Kamui.”
“Forget it, you don’t know her anyways,” Kamui said, waving his hand dismissively.
Aiko pouted as she followed Kamui out of the room, and was about to try again when he spoke.
“Where’s Yuki?”
“She went to Ran’s a few minutes before you arrived. Didn’t you see her?”
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m not.”
Kamui groaned. “Perfect. I’m going back there now.”
“Why’re you looking for her, anyways?”
“Ran sent me here to get her.”
Aiko bit her lip. “Aww, poor baby…”
“Don’t start, Kazetenshi.”
Aiko laughed, then patted Kamui’s back. “Fly safely.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“I mean it.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Aiko stuck her tongue out at Kamui as he laughed and stepped out into the balcony. When he looked back at her, Aiko was at the doorway, and she was smiling at him. The snow from outside seemed to give her face a soft white light, and her now raven hair looked even darker. He grinned at her, and gave her a small wave, before kicking the ground and flying off.
And, as he flew, a thought crossed his mind, making him stop in surprise.
Man, Aiko looked beautiful.
————–
Hikaru frowned as his feet touched the floor.
“Dammit.”
“Don’t worry, Hikaru-kun… It really takes a while to get it, but once you do, it’ll be really easy.”
Hikaru looked at the blue-haired girl beside him and tried to smile.
“Yes, I’m sure…” he said, barely restraining himself from sighing in frustration. Maybe this was one of the side effects of being a Star without dying: being a slow learner. “How long was it before Aiko learned how to fly?”
“Hikaru-kun, it’s not good to compare—”
“Just…” the brown-haired boy interrupted, “how long?”
“Well…” Yuki hesitated. “I think…”
Hikaru raised his eyebrows. “You think…?”
“I think a little less than a month.”
“Super.”
“But she had always trained the whole day, and she had stayed here for one whole year!” Yuki quickly told him.
“Yeah, but I‘ve been training for several months now. And don’t try to tell me that I didn’t get to train as much as she did. Remember that Ran’s controlling time so that an hour on the ground is equivalent to two here.”
Yuki bit her lip. Hikaru was obviously having one of those days when nothing he did seemed right. And she couldn’t seem to get him out of it. In situations like this, only one person can help. And, as if on cue, the man spoke.
“Well, that’s true… You haven’t been training as much as she did. But, what the heck. At least you can control your element now, right? And you can fight OK, plus you can turn invisible already. Flying’s your only problem, and I’m sure we can handle that. Don’t worry too much ’bout it.”
Yuki nodded as the maroon-eyed youth at the doorway grinned at their trainee.
Blue Star Fire Soul has entered the building.
“But—”
“No buts, ayt, Kazetenshi? If you remember, we’re the experts here. Not you.”
“I know, but—”
“I said no buts.” Kaji repeated.
Hikaru rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mastah! I will do my be— OW!!!“
“That’s the spirit!”
“Mattaku, Hino,” he muttered as he massaged his shoulder.
Kaji just blinked at Hikaru’s deathglare. “What bothers your equilibrium now, Grasshopper?”
“You didn’t have to slap my back THAT hard.”
“I know,” Kaji said, smirking. “I just wanted to.”
Yuki blinked when Hikaru’s face turned dark.
“You…” he hissed.
“Oooh, is that a challenge?” Kaji said, still smirking.
“You bet, Hino.”
“Well, then, Sir Kazetenshi, I humbly accept! En guard! “
Hikaru’s fist missed Kaji’s face by centimeters. Fire Soul just kept smirking as he took another step backwards, thereby dodging Hikaru’s next attack by millimeters. When he read that Hikaru’s next move would be a kick, he leapt in the air and stayed there.
Hikaru promptly leapt up even higher than Kaji and, with a battle cry on his lips, threw a fist back and punched his opponent.
And missed.
“Whoa!”
And lost his aerial balance…
Yuki winced as Hikaru hit the floor with a thud. That has GOT to hurt.
“Oei, Kazetenshi, you still alive?” Kaji called from mid-air.
“Yeah…” Hikaru said as he picked himself from the ground. “And I’m gonna kick your butt!”
Hikaru leapt up into the air again, throwing another punch at Kaji. This time, he could’ve hit him if the other boy didn’t block his attack. Yuki watched in wonder as swift kicks and punches were exchanged in the air.
Until Kaji dodged a punch instead of blocking it, making Hikaru lose his balance…
“Gyaaa!”
…and fall on the floor again.
But then, he was in mid-air fighting Kaji in a second.
Yuki shook her head as she exited the training room and made her way to Sara’s room. Kaji sure had a unique way of training people. She can’t help but smile as the boys’ voices echoed in the hall.
“Hah! Is that all you got, Kazetenshi? C’mon, bring it on!”
“You bet I will, Hino— Whoa!”
-thud-
————–
Aiko hummed as she walked down the street. It was already three o’clock, and it’ll be her turn to train Sara in an earth hour. It was cool, Aiko thought, that the Roses chose this time to lie low. First of all, they could train Hikaru and Sara without panicking too much about minors running around. And secondly, they were able to go to the mountain to watch the skiing competitions and the Tokyo Figure Skating Open, where Yuki (along with several others in her club) was a contestant. Aiko entered the grocery store with a smile on her face. Yup! This vacation was going great!
Aiko stopped in her tracks, though, when, she saw something across the road.
She blinked.
Was that… a minor?!
Hastily returning the bag of chips she was holding, Aiko ran outside. But the minor was gone. Aiko clenched her fists, making sure her ki was still hidden.
Blast it. Of all the times for an attack…
“Tsk.”
Even though she honestly didn’t want to, Aiko kicked the ground and flew. Her black hair flowed freely behind her, and her bangs whipped at her face. And, for a second, Aiko rejoiced at the fact that she had been training Sara. At least she was still in shape! And her flying was still good, too. Turning her focus back to the situation at hand, Aiko narrowed her eyes and flew faster.
Aiko frowned, noticing how the road she was following was leaving the resort and was heading towards the highway.
Finally, the sound of a siren reached her ears.
She spotted the ambulance speeding down the road. She figured it was heading towards the hospital in the town a bit lower down the mountain. Aiko looked over her shoulder, her eyebrows furrowing at the fact that no minors were anywhere in sight. Her head swiveled back to the road, though, when the sound of screeching tires pierced the air.
The van swerved, and was moving off the road…
“YA!!!”
Aiko instinctively went ahead of the van and summoned the wind, practically throwing the van back onto the road in panic. Breathing heavily, she quickly went to the van. She felt all color leave her face when she passed by the driver.
There was no life ki.
She flung the door open and checked the driver’s pulse.
No way.
With dread filling her insides, Aiko ran to the back and threw the double doors open. A man in his twenties was lying down on the stretcher, a woman that had been sitting beside him was now half-lying over him, her hand still held in his. The two nurses were both unconscious.
No life ki.
Not deciding to give up, Aiko went to each of them as fast as she could.
Aiko’s own heart pounded in her rib cage.
She didn’t even notice that her necklace glowing.
She felt blood go back to her head in a most unpleasant way.
Everyone was dead.
————–
This is so weird…
“Toriyama.”
What on earth was that?
“Toriyama!”
It isn’t an attack, is it?
“OEI! TORIYAMA!”
“What?!”
Kamui blinked when Kaji raised an eyebrow at him. Finally remembering where he was, Kamui looked around the table. Sara, Yuki, Ran and Hikaru were all looking at him oddly.
For a moment, everyone was silent. And then Kaji stood up, reached across the dinner table, and hit Kamui’s head.
“HEY!”
“Oh, good,” Kaji said as he sat back down. “Glad to know you’re finally awake.”
Again, Kamui blinked. “Awake…?”
“You’ve been staring at your plate for the last two minutes, Oniichan,” Sara told him.
“Oh…” was all Kamui could say.
Yuki put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him a bit. “Oei, don’t go spacing out again.”
Kamui smiled slightly at the blue-haired girl beside him. “Uh…yeah…”
“Is something wrong, Kamui?” Ran asked.
“It’s… It’s nothing.”
“No, it’s not. Out with it, Oniichan.”
Kamui hesitated for a moment.
“Well…it’s just…I felt something.”
Ran’s eyebrows furrowed. “Something like what?”
“Is it an attack?”
“I’m not sure, Sara…”
“Sensei,” Kaji suddenly spoke up. “The time dilation won’t affect how we sense possible attacks and ki flares, right?”
“No, it won’t. It’s not supposed to. You’re not saying that—”
“Didn’t you guys feeling anything?” Kamui asked.
Everyone else in the room shook their heads. After a moment, Yuki stood up.
“I’ll go check on Aiko.”
“You don’t have to, Yuki, I… Maybe it’s just my imagination.”
The blue-haired girl nodded, but she still left her chair.
“I’m going to check anyways, just to make sure. Excuse me.”
Yuki sighed as she crossed the main hall. It was true that she didn’t sense anything. Even right now, she wasn’t sensing anything different. But that look in Kamui’s eyes as he stared at his plate somehow scared her. She shrugged as she kicked the floor. Sure, maybe he DID just imagine it, but—
Yuki’s train of thought was cut short when she crossed the barrier from Ran’s to the outside.
The wind wasn’t the only thing that hit her.
A barrage of sensations filled her, telling her several things at the same time: an attack, a HUGE number of minors, a ki she didn’t recognize flaring up…
And Aiko screaming.
————–
“KYAAAAAA!!!!”
Aiko wasn’t aiming anymore when she threw the wind spheres. But, really, she didn’t have to. No matter where she looked, no matter where she aimed, minors were surrounding her. She had never seen this many minors in one place. It was as if there was a black cloud surrounding her, kicks and punches were coming at her from every direcion imaginable. She gritted her teeth as she shot any kind of wind she can muster. But she was not making any progress. She felt like Neo fighting a hundred Agent Smiths. The minors just didn’t seem to have an end to them!
Kick, punch, wind sphere, block, jump, punch, wind wave, dodge, punch, kick, BREATHE.
Aiko was breathing heavily, only then realizing how high they were up in the clouds. She wasn’t sure if she was having a hard time breathing because the air was already thin, or maybe because she was just plain exhausted. She had no idea how long they’ve been fighting…But she knew she won’t be able to keep this up long. She had better get rid of all these minors before she gets too tired…Absently, she wondered when the minors would start throwing shuriken at her.
Dodge, wind wave, block, kick, kick, BREATHE. Concentrate…
Aiko didn’t let herself be distracted when a distant thunder rumbled. She gritted her teeth as she threw another set of wind spheres. Bring it on. If Kaori was to come, then she was to come. If Aiko was to be defeated today, then she was—
Aiko suddenly stopped when an idea hit her.
Kaori wasn’t the only one with power over lightning, was she?
Aiko mentally slapped her head. So busy was everyone over Yuki, Hikaru and Sara the past few days, Aiko had forgotten that she had another element at all! But…how was she supposed to use it, now? She never DID try to use lightning after her fight with Kaori. But then again, they were high up in the clouds. And in the clouds, there was…electric charge…
Aiko barely had time to dodge another minor’s attack. She clenched her fists, praying that her idea would work. She stepped away from another minor, kicking it, before she closed her eyes and mustered all her willpower. She felt something on her shoulder, but she ignored it.
Come on…
Actually, Aiko tried to ignore everything. She felt hands grabbbing her arms and throwing her around, but she didn’t move a muscle to stop them. She needed her full concentration for her plan to work. She felt something hot on her back, but she tried to ignore that, too.
Come on…
Her fists were now shaking, her limbs were now starting to get numb. Aiko shut her eyes so tight, she already felt moisture seeping out of them. The minors’ blows were starting to really hurt (but at the same time, she couldn’t feel them at all), and , if she didn’t know that minors were the ones throwing her around, she would have easily thought she was being raped. Her lip stung (she imagined it must be bleeding by now from all the slaps and punches she received), and the only thing keeping her ‘airborne’ was the fact that the minors haven’t let go of her hand as they beat her up. She was starting to wonder when they were going to stop, seeing that their opponent had already seemingly given up. Of course, in reality, Aiko hadn’t given up. She was mighty close to it, but not yet.
Aiko tried not to scream as she felt her arm practically breaking as another minor kicked her.
Darn it, give me SWORD, will you?!
Aiko’s eyes snapped open when she felt something in her hand. She barely resisted the urge to jump around with joy.
It was a hot, searing, blazing, electricity-crackling sword!
“HA! Now we’re talking!” she exclaimed right before she stabbed the minor in front of her, making it disappear in an instant. Her injuries momentarily forgotten, Aiko couldn’t erase the smile on her face as she slashed several minors behind her. Weaving through a bunch of minors, she eliminated them with quick slashes of her sword. She narrowed her eyes when the other minors (or were they new arrivals?) were starting to move towards her again. She smirked. It was payback time. Clutching her new sword, Aiko flapped her wings and charged.
But then she stopped, eyes widening.
She flapped her WHAT?!
Aiko didn’t stop herself from screaming when something sliced her arm. The sword in her hand disappeared as Aiko held on her throbbing wound. It had been a shuriken.
Well, there ya go. The shuriken finally comes. I gotta stop being amazed at my own powers, she thought, blinking her eyes to stop her vision from blurring.
When she looked up, the black cloud was starting to envelope her again. Aiko bit her lip.
Better think of something, Wind Angel. Think of something fast.
————–
Kaji gritted his teeth as he flew, cursing how far Ran’s place was from the resort they were staying in. Of all the times for an attack! It was great that Kamui sensed something while they were eating, and it was good that Sara noticed him staring at his plate, and it was VERY good that Yuki decided to go outside. Otherwise—
“Kaji!” came Yuki’s voice ahead of him. “Up there!”
Kaji blinked, squinting up where Yuki was pointing.high up amidst the gray clouds, several kilometers away from them was… a black cloud?
“Minors,” Kamui said absently as he flew beside him.
Narrowing his eyes, Kaji flew faster.
“Come on, guys, let’s hur—-”
Kaji’s sentence was cut short when a something exploded, causing all three Stars to stop flying and shield their eyes from the blinding light.
When the light subsided, Kaji opened one eye, blinking. The black cloud was gone, and a shimmering, bluish white speck replaced it. Well, it looked like a speck from where they were. Kaji didn’t even want to guess what (or who) that speck was.
He just flew towards it as fast as he could.
————–
Aiko was able to breathe freely when she opened her eyes. Nothing black was in sight. She could see the clouds, she couild see the mountain below…She exhaled in relief. She didn’t know what happened, really… Desperate times call for desperate measures, they all say. But, she supposed she was too desperate to notice what ‘measure’ she had used this time. Remembering something, Aiko looked over her shoulder. The wings weren’t there anymore.
Had they been there at all?
Aiko blinked, only then noticing that she was surrounded by a soft blue light.
Man…Recently, I notice things a bit later than I should, don’t I? she thought randomly.
Suddenly, Aiko felt very, very tired. But before she had a chance to fight against exhaustion, she was already falling…
“AIKO!”
————–
Next on Blue Star
Hikaru returns from training only to find that things have changed. Insults are thrown, sentences are oozing with sarcasm, and some people are being ignored. Is Blue Star going to fall apart just when he had finally joined?
“OK. What on earth happened while I was gone?”
Episode 18: Meeting
————–
From the Author:
Clarification: No, Kaji and Yuki aren’t really brother and sister. Ayt? Ayt.
OK, I’m going to be honest. I had a VERY hard time writing that last part, starting from the time Aiko saw the first minor. I had a hard time because…when I was writing the first draft, I thought it sucked. When I rewrote it, I thought something was missing. When I edited it, I STILL thought something was missing. Somehow, I felt that the action wasn’t enough. I thought the way I wrote it won’t take the reader into the story. And this episode was supposed to be exciting! I wanted to ponder over it more, but…oh, well…
-ahem- Hyper mode: ON! -evil grin- OHohoho! I’ll say it once, I’ll say it again. Kaji’s so cute when I make fun of him!
Kaji: HEY!!!!!
As much as I had a hard time writing the last part, the first part came so naturally!
Kaji: Oei…
Nyehehe…But I still love Kaji-kun, though. -glomp!-
Kaji: GAK!!!
Review Topics:
1.) Mai and Aiko both deciding to dye their hair and wear contacts, and their coincidental choice of color.
2.) Aiko’s newly discovered power, and her behavior regarding that
3.) The fact that everyone at the palace (except for Kamui) didn’t sense anything. What’s your take on that?
4.) The implied possible pairing in this episode There’s another possible pairing I’ve been hinting for the past two or three episodes, but I’m not sure if I’ll even go with it. Take your guess on what these pairings are, ok? -grin-
