The Way We Are (part 13 of 20)

Sugar and Spice

That isn’t to say that I completely hated the rainy season that struck the country every June. Actually, there was something oddly soothing about the constant pattering of water droplets hitting the manmade structures of the city. Simply put, it had a way of easing my mind.

I enjoyed a good storm every now and then; I just didn’t want to becaught in one, which seemed to be a very high possibility at the moment.

“You’d best not be thinking about it,” I threatened the ever-darkening clouds overhead.

I was currently seated outside of Fuuka Station, one of the many bus stations that spotted the area, watching and waiting for the next bus to come through to pick up it’s would-be passengers. It had just been two days ago that one of these very caravans had been in an accident. Specific details on what had actually happened were nonexistent to the general public, which only served to make my level of suspicion rise towards one very unwelcome possibility: Orphan. With that in mind, I had immediately sought out Sakomizu during the lunch break. I thought back on the conversation that had just taken place with the man an hour or so ago.

“Gathering flowers to send to Sawada-sensei?”

“So you heard about that too?”

“How could I not? It’s all over the news, and it’s the hottest topic amongst the students.”

“I see—“

“But considering the vague details of the crash, I assume that there’ssomething that someone doesn’t want the rest of the world to know about.”

“And that would be…?”

“...”

A sigh.

“…Yes, it’s their doing. Our men moved in for the cleanup. But Sawada-sensei’s unlucky, too…Well, it seems like the things have been taken care of and he has transferred to a regular hospital.”

“What about the Orphan?”

“Don’t know. However, there is evidence of battle. It’s a new HiME.”

I frowned at the thought.

Another one slipped through my fingers…or perhaps she was already at Fuuka? That is a possibility…I’m pretty certain there are more already here. I just wish I had a way of finding out who they were before things likethis happened.

There really wasn’t any point in thinking about it. It wasn’t like that was ever going to happen.

The visual image of going classroom-to-classroom asking all of the HiMEs to “please raise their hands” passed through my mind.

I almost smirked.

The familiar rumbling of a giant engine flooded my ears, breaking my trance, and I snapped my head in its direction. I looked on as the thing pulled up, dropped off it’s current passengers, picked up some new ones, and left to venture back into the city.

I sighed in agitated impatience.

No Orphan this time…It’s bound to show up sooner or later though.

Stifling a yawn, I pulled out my cell to check the time. School would be letting out in about another half hour, not that it really meant anything to me. Sitting back on the seat of my bike, I let myself relax a little since it would be another fifteen minutes before the next bus rolled through.

It was at times like this that I sometimes wished I had a car. Well, to be more specific, a radio would have been nice, especially since not having one only left we with my own thoughts, and let’s just say that my brain and I didn’t always have the most thrilling conversations.

This time, however, my mind was occupied with sifting through all the names of my female classmates and what little I knew about them. Did any of them particularly stick out in my mind? Not really. I hadn’t witnessed or heard of anyone doing anything spectacular or unnatural as of late. Of course, their powers might still have been dormant for now. They might have not yet awakened to their true selves…their true fate.

The fifteen minutes passed. Another bus came and went, and there was still no sign of an Orphan.

Beginning to consider just driving about the city to hunt the damn Orphan down, I convinced myself to just stay a little while longer. I waited the presumed time allotment again and this time, thanks to my intuition, I hit gold.

It was there, right in front of me, plastered to the side of the bus. The creature looked very much like an insect, which wasn’t much of a surprise since most Orphans tended to take on that appearance, or at least this held true to the ones I had encountered. The thing must have had some way of camouflaging itself to normal individuals…too bad for it I wasn’t normal.

I waited for the driver to acquire his new passengers before starting the engine of my Ducati. Giving the bus a moment to pull out of the station, I then took off in pursuit.

I can’t risk doing anything while still in the city…I’ll have to wait until we’ve reached a more remote area if I’m going to try to provoke the thing…

I followed the vehicle as nonchalantly as I possibly could and eventually we traveled to the outskirts the city; there were no buildings, no houses, just open road and trees. And then, suddenly, the bus swerved, tires screeching from the abrupt movement. I saw the passengers inside begin to stand from their seats, when all of a sudden there was a flash of purple from within and the back window cracked.

It’s inside?!

I immediately summoned my element in my right hand while steadily maintaining control of my bike with the other. I waited until I saw the Orphan appear in the window again before I took my shot, shattering the glass of the back window in the process. The thing screamed as I apparently hit it, and the next thing I knew it was slithering out the new exit I had just made and on to the top of the vehicle. I took aim and fired again, but this time the monster dodged, and in the process tipped the bus onto the wheels on it’s left side. It hung there for what seemed like several seconds before spilling onto its side, still sliding from its momentum. Before it could fall, however, the Orphan was sure to abandon ship and lunge straight for me.

Oh shit—!

The thing landed right in front of me, causing me to swerve around the impending strike, but right towards the now stationary bus. I shoved off my bike with all the power I could muster, sending myself flying through the air before hitting pavement and tumbling several feet before finally coming to a rest. Rolling onto my stomach, I materialized my other pistol and began rapidly firing at the creature. Pulling myself to my feet as I continued my onslaught, the Orphan took off, seeking shelter further up the hill. I immediately pursued, not letting up on either trigger until it disappeared from my sight.

Damn it’s fast!

I tried to continue, but when I turned the corner it was nowhere to be seen. I clicked my tongue in annoyance before grimacing from the sudden shot of pain that shot through my left arm and shoulder. Thinking that it might have doubled back, I turned and began making the trek back down to where the bus and my motorcycle lay.

Guess I landed harder than I thought…I figured that thing would be weakened a little if another HiME fought it…I guess if she’d just awakened she wouldn’t be much of a match for it—Huh? Mai…What is she doing here?

As soon as the orange-haired HiME noticed me, she immediately ran to my side, a look of pure concern taking over her features, “Kuga-san…”

“Damn, it escaped,” I muttered after seeing that the Orphan wasn’t here either.

The sound of approaching sirens caused us both to turn towards their source, and sure enough, three ambulances soon came into view.

“They’re fast, as expected,” I remarked in no surprise as I glanced over the wreckage.

Tsk, so much for that bike…

Ignoring the thought, I began walking in the opposite direction, “Come.”

“Eh?”

“Hurry up,” I ordered.

The two of us made it up the hill, and once we were out of sight, we climbed up to the wooded area above the accident scene to spy on the “emergency crew” that quickly got to work on loading victims into their vehicles. There was even a line of suited men to block off the area while firemen doused the bus that had caught fire from the leaking fuel.

“Who are those men?” Mai questioned, not averting her gaze from the bustle below.

Deciding that there was no point in holding back any information now, I went ahead an answered, “They’re from a group called the First District. They’re gathering the HiME’s to the Academy. Besides, that ambulance is a fake.”

The girl snapped her head around, “Huh?!”

“They take the patients to the hospital that they control, and make them forget everything they saw.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“I don’t know what you think of your powers,” I began, meeting her gaze, “but this is the reality for us HiMEs.”

Sure, it might have sounded a little harsh, and not needed to be professed so bluntly, but when it came to the First District and anything dealing with the HiMEs there really was no room for fluffy cushioning. Mai needed to know this information. All the HiMEs needed to know this information. I might not be aware of who they all were at the moment, but I could at least warn the ones that I did know.

Once the First District men had completed their clean up and loaded all the bystanders and workers into their various vehicles, they disappeared as quickly as they had come. Seeing no further reason to stick around, I moved to get up.

“Where are you going?” Mai asked, her voice somewhat shaky, causing me to pause.

“Back home. There’s nothing else to do here.”

“But—!”

“I suggest you do the same,” I cut her off, turning my gaze skyward, “it looks like it’s going to rain any time now.”

The redhead remained silent as I walked deeper into the woods. After I had put some distance between us, I called upon my child, and once he had appeared and changed over to flight mode, I hopped on Duran’s back and flew towards the city.

“I need a new bike.”

“Another one?!”

“…Yes.”

A sigh, “Fine, but don’t think it’ll be as easy this time.”

“What? Why not?”

“We got lucky last time. I bet Amuro will have to get one shipped here this time around.”

“And how long will that take?”

“Mmm…probably a day or two if you’re willing to pay the money for overnight shipping.”

“Do whatever it takes, just get me one…quickly.”

To leave no room for argument, I hung up on Yamada as soon as the last word was out of mouth.

Now that that was taken care of, I threw my cell onto the bed and walked over to the bathroom. Retrieving the medical kit out of the cabinet beneath the sink, I placed it on the counter before taking a seat on the toilet, unzipping my leather suit in the process. I pealed it down to my waist, hissing when I pulled the material over my injured left arm. Taking a look to assess the damage, I was relieved to see that there was only some bruising and slight swelling. I hastily wrapped the area before lumbering back downstairs to get some ice to put on it as well. Before doing so, however, I made myself a quick sandwich, which was a rather difficult task considering I really only had one hand to work with. Once I had done so, not forgetting to add the appropriate amount of mayo, I fixed a bag of ice and plopped down on the couch to relax for once.

“Ah!” I quietly yelped as I placed the bag on my injured shoulder. No matter how many times I had done the action, the initial sting from the cold always made me twitch.

I turned on the TV, flipping over to the local news station before finally taking a bite out of my sandwich. Sure enough, there was a story about the latest bus crash, and of course there were quite a few specifics left out.

“Those First District bastards sure know how to cover their ass…They probably have people in the media for situations like this…” I bitterly mused out loud as I finished my dinner.

They really are everywhere, Yamada said it himself. And they could be anyone…I mean, if a guy like Sakomizu can be in their organization…

I nearly laughed at the thought.

…I wonder why that man is leaking information to me…against his own well being too…

As my thoughts continued to wander, my eyelids began to get heavier and heavier, and before long, I was out like a light.

“Huh?” I sleepily grumbled as I picked up the item.

The events of last night flooded my memory when I looked over the now melted bag of ice. I was honestly surprised, and relieved, that the thing hadn’t leaked all over the couch and me during the night, but I certainly wasn’t complaining about missing out on the cleanup.

Sitting up, I removed the medical wrap from my shoulder and was quite pleased to see that the swelling had gone down considerably during the night, just leaving the bruising to remind me of the tumble from yesterday. I tested my arm’s movement and found that I could do so relatively comfortably and without making it look awkward in the process.

Well, that’s good. Maybe it won’t be so obvious at school…although skipping first period would probably be a smart idea, I don’t know how apt my shoulder is to swim just yet…Speaking of, I wonder what time it is…

I turned my attention to the TV and squinted at the little box telling the current time and temperature.

“Five o’clock?! Geez…Well, I guess I did go to sleep earlier than usual, but still…”

Slightly begrudged at the hours of sleep I had deprived myself of, I made my way upstairs to get cleaned up for the day ahead.

A few hours, a shower, and a bowl of cereal later I dressed myself in my uniform, gathered my things, and set out the door. Since I didn’t have my motorcycle, and refused to use any form of public transportation when it could clearly be avoided, I sneaked off into the damp woods to call upon my other mode of transportation…

I allowed Duran to drop me off at the spot where I usually parked my bike before telling him to disperse, not without giving my child a thankful pat on the muzzle for his service.

Since first period was still in session, the walk up to the school was quiet and peaceful, the only real sounds being the occasional splash and the distant murmur of students at the pool where I should have been at the moment. I went ahead and ventured inside, making my way to the student council room to kill the remaining ten minutes until my next class. The door was locked, as expected, but not for too long. It really wasn’t that hard to pick the lock with the right tools and maneuverability, and soon enough I let myself in, sliding the door shut behind me before I walked over to Shizuru’s desk, threw my bag on it’s top, and promptly sat down in her swivel chair, leaning back to stare up at the ceiling.

I sat there for a few minutes before boredom got the better of me and I began to look for something to entertain myself with. Observing the oak desk in front of me, I happened to notice that one of the drawers was slightly ajar, and curiosity taking over, I reached down to open it the rest of the way. The thing was relatively deep and seemingly housed quite a few items by the feel of it. Peering inside, I inspected the said contents.

Pens, pencils, scissors…paper, stapler and staples…chalk…emergency tea supply. That doesn’t surprise me…Huh?

I shoved my hand into the draw to retrieve a white envelope, and once I pulled it out, I looked it over. Shrugging, and choosing to throw out the fact that it was really none of my business, I opened the thing anyway.

A wedding invitation? What’s this about…Takahashi Ayame and Suzuki Hiroshi…Saturday, June 23 at ten o’clock…Fuuka Shrine…

The sound of a key sliding into the lock just outside the door grabbed my attention, and panic immediately set in. A string of profanities cruised through my head, a few managing to escape me, as I hastily tried to stuff the card back into its envelope. I wasn’t fast enough, however, and was soon met with surprised crimson eyes.

“Natsuki?”

Shit, I’ve been had.

“Uh…”

“What are you doing here?” Shizuru questioned as she walked over to me, “What are you looking at?”

Quick, think fast.

“Um…”

So much for that…

Noticing the opened drawer, the girl then glanced at the object in my hand. It wasn’t that hard for her to put two and two together, “Ara, going through my things, hm?”

“I wasn’t really—! I mean, I didn’t mean to—! Eh…I’m sorry…”

The Kyoto beauty merely chuckled at me, “Is Natsuki really that interested in me? You could just ask, you know…”

“…I was just bored…” I grumbled.

“And your first choice was to sift through my desk?”

I remained silent as my cheeks colored, pouting apologetically.

“Don’t worry, I’m not angry,” Shizuru informed me. “What is it that you were looking at anyway?”

I handed her the card, “Wedding invitation.”

“Oh yes, Mr. Suzuki’s son. The ceremony’s next weekend if I remember correctly.”

“You know the family?”

“Not really,” Shizuru began, “Mr. Suzuki’s one of the school directors, so Reito-san and I were asked to attend on behalf of the school.”

“Hmm…Does that mean the Rijichou will be attending as well?”

“Yes, I do believe that Kazahana-sama will be present.”

“I see…” I stated.

This might be my chance to sneak into her residence to have a look around…

Ever since the first time I had taken foot inside of that mansion I had wanted to go back to look around. There was just something…off about it. The house was eerily quiet, and I just couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more in the residence than meets the eye. The only problem was that I never knew when its current occupants, Kazahana Mashiro and her maid Himeno Fumi, would be present. The Rijichou had offered to speak with me on matters dealing with the HiME, but I knew she would never reveal what I was truly looking for. The last thing I wanted was for that creepily matured kid to be questioning me on the reasons for my inquires, so that left me with the sole option of breaking in when no one was around, and it seemed, if Shizuru was correct, that in about two weeks that chance would finally present itself to me.

Before giving Shizuru the opportunity to question me on my interest in the school director, I quickly continued, “That must suck to have to waste your Saturday at some dumb ceremony.”

“I don’t think it’s dumb. Weddings are beautiful…two people professing their love for one another like that.”

I sighed, “So you’re one of those hopeless romantic girls too, huh?”

“I guess you could say that,” the burgundy eyed girl replied with a sweet smile.

I could only shake my head, “I’m sure your fan club would just love to know that.”

“Is that a threat, Natsuki? Or is it just jealousy?”

I chose to ignore that last bit.

Standing, I began making my way towards the door, “Bah…I guess I’d better be off to class. It would be horrible if the Seitokaichou herself made one of her fellow students late.”

Shizuru chuckled at my sarcasm while placing a hand on her cheek, “Unthinkable.”

“Well, see you later.”

“Goodbye, Natsuki. And promise me you’ll stay for all of your classes today, hm?”

I merely waved her off as I exited the room.

Today was the day. As much as I loathed the idea of waking up early on a Saturday, it was unavoidable today. I made sure to eat a little something before slipping into my biker suit, grabbing my helmet, and walking out the door. Thankfully I had a motorcycle in my possession again and had so for a little over a week.

Yamada had been a day off in his prediction of its arrival.

I threatened to not pay him for it.

In the end I got a small discount.

Had I missed my baby? Maybe just a little…

Straddling the masterpiece, I shot off towards the school. After I had parked in my usual spot, I quickly and quietly snaked my way to the director’s residence. Figuring that the garden was the route with the most cover, I immediately headed in its direction.

There was a light breeze blowing through the air, carrying off delicate petals in various hues of pink. I couldn’t help but think of that first day Shizuru and I met as I crept through the walkways, trying to keep low in case anyone should be around, even though I highly doubted there would be. Or at least I believed so until I heard voices off in the distance.

I quickly detoured off the brick path and onto the freshly cut grass. Positioning myself behind the nearest tree, I was completely stunned at what I witnessed.

Kazahana Mashiro…Himeno Fumi…and Homura Nagi. All present and accounted for. Having a nice little morning chat in the school gardens.

The hell? What’s this about…

I mentally smacked my inner voice to make it shut up for the moment and focused in on the conversation that was taking place just a few yards away. The Rijichou’s voice was the first to become clear.

“…so it’s at the Fuuka Shrine…”

“The seal’s not broken yet, but it seems to be only a matter of time,”Nagi answered.

“I see.”

“It’s a good opportunity to take care of it, so I don’t plan on getting involved.”

A pause.

“You look very nice, Mashiro-sama,” Fumi piped in

The serious conversation seemed to end at this point, and averting my attention, I cursed at my own belatedness.

Dammit…what were they talking about? A seal? At the Fuuka Shrine? Wait a minute…that’s where that wedding’s being held today!

I gritted my teeth together.

Shit…this is my opportunity to get into the director’s residence…but the shrine…Is something bad going to happen there? Eh, this is Fuuka…bad and worse are the only things we know around here…

“…The ceremony’s next weekend…”

“…Reito-san and I were asked to attend on behalf of the school…”

My eyes widened as the voice echoed through my head.

I could clearly see Shizuru smiling at me as she spoke the words.

Shoving myself from the tree, I sprinted towards my motorcycle as fast as my legs could carry me.

I promised I wouldn’t let you get involved with this…as long as I’m still standing, that holds true…Shizuru…

It wasn’t long before I was blazing down the road towards the shrine. Luckily it was a pretty well known site in the area, so even I knew where it was located. The problem was actually getting there. As soon as I got remotely close to the place, traffic immediately came to a near stand still. I sure was glad to have HiME reflexes as I slammed on the brakes before I could ram into the back of the fancy looking car in front of me. Planting my feet on the ground, I tried to see just how far back I was stuck.

Let’s just say I wasn’t happy with what I saw.

Making a last second decision, I veered off the road and into the woods. Once I was a ways in, I cut the engine, booted the kickstand, and dismounted.

“Duran!”

The metallic beast appeared before me already in his flight mode as if he could read my thoughts. I sprung onto his back and the two of us jetted up the hill towards the shrine. As we ascended, I could vaguely see huddles of people in front of the building through the line of trees, but the sound of an explosion further up drove me onward.

I pulled up just in time to see Minagi Mikoto strike a giant rock-like creature, back flipping off the thing to take up a defensive position in front of a familiar redhead.

How come these two are always right in the middle of any trouble?!

Jumping from Duran’s back, I ran towards the two girls, my Child close behind after he had returned to his normal form. I watched as the Orphan reared back, and I quickly summoned my element to blast off one of its four arms before he could try to extend it towards my fellow HiMEs.

“Kuga-san!” Mai yelled out.

“Damn, I was too late,” I whispered to myself. It seemed like I had been saying that a lot lately…Was I slacking off?

Before I could even address my own questioning thought, the monster took a giant step, successfully shaking the earth and sending both Mai and Mikoto flying. I shot another round at the thing to try to divert it’s attention so the two could recover, and it worked a little too well as the Orphan decided to strike out at me next. Duran and I easily dodged the assault and promptly made our way over to the others.

“Hey, summon your Child,” I ordered Mai.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” she shot back at me.

“Do you want to get the guests out front involved?!”

Sure, I was worried about the rest of the guest…Shizuru just happened to be at the very top of that list…

“You’re kidding, aren’t you? What are you going to do if that Kagutsuchi starts going berserk?”

“What’s the point of making a contract with something you can’t control?!” I retorted, clearly agitated by this point.

“It couldn’t have been helped!” the redhead protested.

Our little dispute was interrupted when the Orphan decided to stomp at us again, sending all three of us soaring backwards. As soon as we landed, the rock monster positioned itself to crush us with his palm. I watched in horror as the grey object of my imminent demise came rocketing down towards me, and I tightly shut my eyes.

And then, suddenly…

Crash!

I could feel little pebbles of rubble pounding against my body and I instinctively brought my arms up to shield myself. When I finally opened my eyes, a voice rang through my ears, but I couldn’t locate the source immediately, leaving me to confusedly swivel my head back and forth in search of the source.

“Orphan, an existence that threatens mankind. Men spend days in agony from the fear. However, a girl with a passionate heart has arrived from among them…Her name is…HiME of the Violent Wind, Sugiura Midori!”

I gazed on, absolutely dumbfounded as I stared at the proprietor of the little speech I had just heard.

Is she really…striking a pose…?

“Eh! Midori-chan?!” Mai exclaimed in absolute shock, pointing at the woman in question.

Don’t tell me you know this person too…why do they all have to be so weird?!

Not two seconds later, said weird person was standing right in front of us, somehow using the Orphan as a path from the cliff she had just previously been standing on.

“You’re all too naïve,” the woman continued her spill, “It’s our duty as HiMEs to save the world from Orphans. Hesitation in the face of evil is unnecessary. Quarrelling with a teammate is the last thing you want to do! There are key words to saving the world…They are justice, love, and friendship!”

“Friendship?” Mai repeated as she, Mikoto and I proceeded to exchange skeptical looks.

“Well fine. Leave this to me,” the golden-eyed HiME professed. “Come out, Iron Fang! Gakutenou!”

The woman slammed her halberd into the ground and the wind around us instantaneously picked up. A small tornado formed before our eyes, and when I dispersed, a striking red and yellow beast stood in its place.

“Gakutenou?” the rest of us echoed at the sight of the Child.

The thing didn’t look like any animal in particular. It had a general body like any four-legged creature. Its head was practically a lance, a yellow tail sat atop this that ended with a similar structure as the head, and it had three giant grey spikes emitting from both of its shoulders.

It was what happened next that surprised me. I watched as the thing transformed into a chariot of sorts at the woman’s command, sprinting at full speed as she launched herself onto it’s back. The Child dashed forward…and right through the Orphan, leaving a hole right in the middle of the monster that exploded immediately afterwards. The woman dismounted and struck yet another victory pose.

“Justice wins!” the HiME professed, her hand in a fist as she watched on.

She’s a good fighter, this Midori, but…she sure does like to talk…and pose…a lot…

“Midori-chan…” Mai mumbled.

The dark orange haired woman turned and approached us, “Ah! Mai-chan, I didn’t know a fellow co-worker was a HiME as well. And your friends here are too, huh?”

“Well…yeah…” the busty girl replied somewhat sheepishly while rubbing the back of her neck.

“And you two are?”

“This is Minagi Mikoto,” Mai answered for the dark haired girl who quietly nodded.

I squinted when the woman turned to me next, “Kuga.”

“Kuga…?”

I sighed in annoyance, “Natsuki.”

Midori then stepped forward and threw her arm around my shoulder with a wide grin on her face. Needless to say, my own visage was nowhere near mirroring hers…

“Well, well! Looks like we’re all teammates in the battle against the Orphans now. How about we go get acquainted over a couple of beers, what do you say? The first round’s on me!”

I harrumphed as I shoved her arm off of me, “If you haven’t noticed, the rest of us are under age.”

“What’s beer?” I heard Mikoto inquire and Mai, being the big sister that she was, was quick to spaz and try to explain to the younger girl that it was something “bad” and “to never be consumed…EVER”.

I had to admit that the thought of that animalistic girl totally intoxicated made me shudder as well.

“You guys are no fun,” Midori complained, “You need to learn to live a little!”

“Yeah, that’s the idea…” I muttered as I massaged my temples.

“Besides, Mikoto and I need to get back to the ceremony anyway,” Mai returned with an avid excuse.

“Oh yeah! There is a wedding today, isn’t there? Mind if I come along?” Midori asked.

“Um…I-I guess…” the redhead stuttered out, obviously not thinking it was her place to invite this random person to someone else’s wedding.

“Thanks! What about you Ku—Kuga? Hey, where are you going?”

“Home!” I yelled back over my shoulder as I continued to walk away as quickly as possible.

And I though Mai and Mikoto were a handful…