It was another clear day at Southern Cross Academy. So clear that the entire Night Flight Club came together outside to do some stretches in the courtyard. Even when basically the entire school was watching.
Sarina blows a whistle, "Alright everybody pair up!"
"I feel like the entire school is watching us." Niika reiterates.
"Probably because they are." Jaguar tells her, "Come on, don't be shy! You can be my partner since Tiger is still recuperating from yesterday." As she said that, Tiger waved to them from a nearby bench.
"Kazuma-kun, why don't you pair up with this guy?" Sugata starts to introduce the boy that just walked over, "This is Tsubasa Aoki. He's an honorary member. He's in the cycling club, but he's good with tech stuff. He usually handles things like setup, lighting, and sound." He then whispered, "Don't worry, he doesn't know. We've got a lot of honorary members like him, but there's still only a select few of us who know about Cybodies and the Glittering Crux."
"To be honest, I don't think they'd believe us if we told them..."
"Hi." Tsubasa says shyly.
"He'd do great on stage." Jaguar and Tiger, who jumped up when she saw him, said in unison. "You can never have enough handsome faces." Tsubasa backs away from them. but with each step he takes they follow.
"No way. Being backstage is plenty for me. I really can't act, so..."
"We'll hold your hand and guide you!~"
"Uh, No. That's...not..." Kazuma grabbed Tsubasa's arm.
"Would you guys stop it? You're embarrassing the poor guy! Besides, you should be sitting down Tiger-chan. You still need to recover." When Jaguar walked Tiger back to the bench, Kazuma rested in attention on Tsubasa. "And you! How do you think you're gonna appeal to the girls stuttering like that. You need to build up your confidence!"
"Sorry..."
"Its fine. That's exactly why Sarina is making us do these exercises. Let's go!"
"All right, put your back into it! The drama club's not just any culture club! Our plays are how we do battle!" Sarina shouted as everyone started stretching in pairs. Sarina paired with Wako, Takuto with Sugata, Niika with Jaguar, and Kazuma with Tsubasa.
"But why are we doing it outside?" Takuto complained.
"Fanservice, duh." Sarina deadpanned.
"Fanservice? Really?" He asked after observing all the students staring at them from the large windows above.
"My brother would kill me if he saw me right now. . ." Niika cried.
"Well just think about it. There's only an 99.5% chance that he won't see you before we're done~" Niika glared at him, "What?! Don't believe in the .5%!?"
"Hold on Kazuma, the sound guys need some help." Tsubasa said walking over to them. He then climbed a ladder to help them put speakers up.
Just then the ground started to rumble below them, "Whoa. Earthquake?"
"Tsubasa-kun!" Kazuma then looked at his new acquaintance. Tsubasa fell to the ground of the latter he had just climbed, almost hitting Kazuma in the process. If it wasn't for his first phase, he'd be on the ground injured just like Tsubasa. Kazuma then began to feel guilty that he did nothing to help cushion Tsubasa's fall.
"Daijoubu Tsubasa-kun?" Was the least he could ask. When Tsubasa barely responded, Kazuma was the first to volunteer to take him to the nurse and did so with Sugata's help.
_______________________
"Nee, Kazu-kun." Kazuma blushed slightly at the nickname he thought Niika had forgotten about, "I know that you stop time earlier somehow. How did you do that? Is it your first phase?"
"I'm not telling you." He told her bluntly, "But what about you? Have you figured out your first phase?"
Niika crossed her arms and pouted, "Hmph, I'm not telling you." Kazuma blushed a little more after seeing her expression.
"Touchè."
"Heh. Kazuma likes Miss Takashiro. Who would have thought?" Sugata closed the door behind him as he exited the nurse's office.
"Why would you say that Sugata-kun?" Niika asked completely clueless.
"Yeah, Why would you say that? Which is completely inaccurate by the way!" Kazuma stuttered making Sugata laugh wholeheartedly. Niika looked at him in confusion.
"So how is he?" Niika interrupted.
"Tsubasa? Right, he's fine. He's really lucky, all he has is a few bruises...and a lot of bandages..." He continued to laugh to himself.
"Is that so? Thank goodness." Kazuma sighed in relief.
Sugata crossed his arms, "Oh yeah, Miss Takashiro, Arata is also in there."
"What!?" Niika almost bolted inside after hearing that, but Sugata grabbed her by the arm.
"Arata told me not to tell you but, he knew I would tell on him anyway." Niika tried to get away, but to no avail, "So he wanted me to tell you not to worry about him and he'll promise to tell why later."
Niika sighed as he let her loose, "Fine. But only if it's nothing~"
"NIIKA WATCH OUT!" Kazuma once again used his first phase not only to save himself, but Niika this time, pulling her backwards into his chest. The door they were standing in front of, the school nurse's office, had violently swung open and had almost hit the both of them. Sugata narrowly scooted over, because he was not really in the way.
"~serious?" Niika just barely finished her sentence.
"Was that Arata-kun? I didn't even hear him coming. You must have some good ears Kazuma." Sugata says looking in the direction of the runaway.
"Uh, Domo." Kazuma let go of Niika after seeing her against his form, making his face flushed completely.
"Ah, he ran away." The school nurse, Ms. Okamoto, said surfacing from the room as well.
"Kazuma, you are really red today. Maybe you should go get your temperature taken. I'm sure Ms. Okamoto would love to do that."
"Shut up, Sugata!" Sugata laughed once more.
'But seriously, was it just me or did Arata have a different....aura around him?' Sugata then thought, 'iie, maybe its just my imagination...' (*No)
___________________
Arata's POV
"You should really stop trying to hide it."
"Be quiet." I say quietly gripping onto my shirt. Ever since the earthquake, my chest started to feel tight. Almost a burning sensation, and I didn't know what to do.
"Its because your hiding it."
"I said be quiet you!" I went to the nurse think she would know how to help without looking at me. But she didn't seem to know anything about it. She said it might be heartburn...
"Which is not anywhere close to the real problem. The source of the earth quake combined with the guilt of your secrecy, it's not healthy on your body. If you'd just let me out..."
"Shut up! I don't want to hear anything else from you!" I clutched tightly onto my hair wanting to get rid of his voice, even though I know I can't.
I run to the science lab, which seems to be my only safe haven right now. Upon walking inside, I check to see if any of the chemicals inside the medicine cabinet were destroyed during the earthquake. "Nothing so far. Demo..." (*But)
"Can I help you with something?" Suddenly I felt a warm but slightly cold feeling around me, almost like an Autumn breeze. Turning around I find a black haired girl in a lab coat trying to glare at me through her glasses. For some reason, it didn't get to me at all. I actually felt relaxed just by looking at her, almost making me forget about the pain I was previously in.
"Miss Keito?" I say quietly, but she still heard me.
"Takashiro Arata-kun?" Her glare lighten upon me, but only slightly. "Call me anything you like, but please refrain from calling me Miss. Class president, Club President~"
"Then, Keito." Her glare seemed to disappear when I said her name without any honorifics. I smiled warmly, something I don't often do. "No objections huh? Keito it is then." I turned back to the cabinet before I saw her reaction.
"What are you doing here?"
"Checking on the bottles. I thought they may have been damaged in the earthquake. It seems like they're fine though."
"Yes, they are. Demo..." Keito stood beside me. I took a step back. "There are some missing."
"You noticed too?" She nodded.
"Someone has started taking chemicals from the club room without permission. We need to find a way to stop them."
"Really? That's awful. What exactly did they take?"
"A couple viles of hydrogen peroxide, but that really isn't the issue. I'm more concerned about the bottle of Mandrake they took."
"Mandrake?" I questioned.
"The Mandrake love potion. The captivating scent is able to enthrall the opposite sex. The only thing is it's fatal for a teenager to actually drink it and try to use its effect."
"So practically speaking, this potion is worthless to teens. But that means adults~"
"Precisely." I combed my hair back with my hand. "Arata-kun, if you see that bottle anywhere you need to let me know immediately."
"Yes ma'am." She then walked away into the back room, I take that as my time to leave the room.
"You like her."
"No I don't. I~"
"I know, there's only one girl you'll ever be attracted too...Bullshi~"
I leave the room as he starts to speak again and try to block him out of my mind. Once I do, there's another earthquake and right on cue, the pain returns. "Damn it." I murmur.
"It would be a lot easier to handle, if you'd just let me out and stop trying to hide the mark."
"Damare, Anaki." (*Shut up in a rude sense)
_______________
After School at a nearby food place... (Narrator's POV)
"Niika! There you are, you won't believe this!" Sarina waved her over, "Come here! Sit!"
"What's wrong?" Niika sat down next to her. All of the drama club members were there around them. She, Sarina, and Wako were on one side of the booth, Kazuma, Sugata and Takuto were on the other side respectively.
"Remember that new girl from earlier Hina-chan? She's gone crazy! Almost every guy in the school has gone completely head-over-heals in love with her!"
"I get she's popular, but she really have to flaunt it like she does?" Wako asks sipping her drink slowly.
"Yeah, I mean kissing random boys through the glass, blowing kisses, winking!? Not to mention sending a letter to almost every guy in our class. What she trying to do? Turn the school into her own reverse harem!?" Sugata smacked him in the back of the head with the letter he had got.
"*Urusai, otaku." (*you're too loud (another way of saying shut up))
"It's the smell." Takuto says looking at the window. "Its really potent, almost too potent..."
"The smell?" Niika repeats.
"I agree. But apparently it doesn't work on all the boys. It didn't work on us." Sugata points out.
"True." Kazuma sips his drink.
"What ever it is, when ever I smell it in the area, the North Island seems to shift." Wako says squeezing her cup.
"How do you know that? Oh, its because you're a maiden right? You can sense that kind of stuff?" She nodded at him.
Sarina placed a book on the table, "But back to the girl. Here, everyone take a look. I found it in the school yearbook. Except this one is over ten years old."
"Ten years old? But isn't that Hina-chan right there in that picture?" Niika points to it.
"Right, that's what I thought. But look at the name. This girl's name is Midori Okamoto."
"They do look the same. It has to be her." Kazuma stuck his tongue out, "The school nurse? Ew."
"But this is from years ago." Sugata tries to defend, "Maybe it's her niece or something."
Wako looks at him, "There's a Star Driver with a first phase that lets them turn back their age, remember?"
"That's right! So it really could be her...Ew." Sugata suck his tongue out too.
Kazuma rolled his eyes, "Copycat..."
"So it's the Crux. The nurse must be a part of it." Takuto pinched the bridge of his nose.
"That kind of power involves a strong distortion of spacetime. She must be causing the earthquakes by abusing it. Since the North Seal was broken, the North Island's volcano has been restless. In the worst case, it might even erupt."
Wako squeezed her cup tighter, "If this island were damaged by an eruption from the North Island, it would only get worse from there. If she doesn't even know that she's connected to the earthquakes, that would be even worse." Sarina covered Wako's hand with one of her own in a comforting way.
"A cybody can do damage like that?"
Kazuma looked at Niika seriously, "It can. And it can do much worse. Especially depending on the cybody. Which is why I suggest you should get more informed about what we're dealing with here before you even think about activating your cybody."
"True." Sugata agreed, "Compared to the rest of us, Miss Takashiro seems to be quite ignorant of the situation we're in." Niika looked down offended and hurt. What they said was true, but it still made her sad.
"So I'm the most uneducated and useless person out of everyone huh?" Niika felt tears developing in her eyes. Takuto frowned while everyone else just stared at her. At least until Sarina came to her rescue once again.
"But that's what you're here for! To become better educated about the Crux so you'll be able to help us out in the future." She told her smiling.
"Right. I didn't mean it like that, its just a lot we still need to inform you of." Sugata tried to cover for himself.
"Oh, I see..." Niika looked down sadly, then looks up seriously. "Then please start by answering this. If she is a member of the Crux, then she obviously has a motive behind what ever she's using her first phase for. But why send these letters to all the guys in our class? Why target the school like this?"
"I don't think they're necessarily targeting the school. Its more of most of the males within in it..." Sugata says. "The pretty boys, to be exact."
"You guys are thinking to much about this. Why would any girl send love letters to her favorite guy or guys?" Sarina then continues not waiting for an answer, "She's probably going to try to...do them."
"Do them?" The boys say in unison.
"Do them?" Wako and Niika do the same.
"Well then," Kazuma says standing up holding his letter in one hand, "Someone should go over there, and see what the Crux is really planning. I'll pretend to accept and go check it out."
Sarina narrowed her eyes, " I knew it, you did get one."
Wako narrowed her eyes too, "Just what were you planning to do with it?"
Sugata folds his arms and smirks, "Isn't it obvious? He was going to do her, of course."
"What?! That's not what I was gonna do!" Kazuma pleads, "I was just going to get any information I can on her and the~"
Takuto scoffed, "See? He really was going to do her."
Niika frowned, "You're a selfish person, Kazu-kun." Her words hit him like a sword in his chest.
"That's not true! The only one was interested in her is Takuto!"
"What!? Don't bring me into this!" Takuto when starts to sweat, Niika looks at him suspiciously.
"But you did!" Kazuma took out his phone, "He was even the first one to show me her picture before I met her. Look!" He showed the girls who all narrowed their eyes at messages Takuto had sent Kazuma.
"TAKUTO," Niika looked at the male who was trying to escape under the table. "YOU RED-HEADED BAKA!"
Then from her place on the booth she kicked him, exactly where the sun don't shine.
_________________
In the end Takuto was the one who ended up going. After their little conversation Kazuma lost his will to go. His pride was still in shock by Niika's words towards him. Besides, she wasn't his type anyway he told Sugata "allegedly".
Niika didn't trust Takuto going alone. Just the thought of it made her uneasy for some reason. So that night, she navigated herself among the trees like she had done nights before and followed Takuto to the spot where he was to meet Ms. Okamoto or Hina. Once there, she carefully climbed down the cliff and sat on a tree branch that was nearby.
"So you got my letter?" Hina asked after he sat down next to here on the bench.
Takuto showed her his letter, "It was pretty hard to resist."
"Was it?" She giggled.
"But the thing is, a lot of other guys got these. Even my friend Sugata." He took another letter out of his pocket, "This one was in Sugata's desk. How can I take you seriously, when you sent letters to other guys?"
"Oh its nothing to be concerned about." Hina told him, "It wasn't a lot, Just the ones I like."
"And how many do you like?"
Hina began to stroke his hand gently, "That's my secret!"
'Oh no!' Takuto began to think, 'Her scent is really starting to get to me! She actually smells good!'
Meanwhile in a tree looking down upon them, Niika scowled at both them. She had a feeling that Takuto would end up flirting with Hina, instead of interrogating her like he was suppose to. The way they were interacting with each other, made Niika's chest feel tight. "Tch, I thought he was just getting info~" Niika's cheeks puffed up with anger, "He really is a Baka..."
Niika eyes saddened as she came closer to the edge of the branch trying to get a better view. As soon as she started to move, there was another earthquake. Niika gasped at the violent shake and almost fell completely out of the tree. Her arm was the only thing that held her up. She was literally out on a limb.
Ignoring Hina, who had grabbed on to his arm tightly, Takuto sensed there was something wrong nearby. But by the time he decided to turn around and look, the ground had stopped shaking. He looked down at Hina, "That's been happening a lot recently. If the volcano up north blows, we're all in trouble."
Hina looked back at him seductively, despite what had just happened. "Don't think about scary things. Let's just have fun."
After getting back in the tree successfully, Niika looked at Hina trying to kiss Takuto then looked away in disgust. "Tch."
Takuto had indeed heard that. He smirked before resting his attention on Hina, 'Back to work as usual...' "Are you causing these earthquakes? This power of yours going to cause a disaster, if you didn't know."
Hina spoke between her puckered lips, "So what? Is causing earthquakes against school rules?"
"I guess not, but you know it could kill us. Right?"
When she stood up and Takuto stood too, "Let me tell you something. Whoever beats you is going to take command of the Glittering Crux!" Hina began to smirk sadistically, "The fights are only going to get harder. Prepare yourself, Galactic Pretty Boy!"
"I'm already prepared for anything you've got."
"I'm disappointed, though." She then says walking away, "I really wanted to get a taste of you."
Takuto sighed before sitting back down on the bench. He closed his eyes after stretching his arms and legs and jerking his head back. "She's gone now, you can stop eavesdropping."
Niika jumped down from the tree, "How long did you know?"
"The whole time." He says with looking, "You and I are connected, Midori no me. I'll always be able to sense where you are at anytime I please."
"Oh whatever. You probably heard me fall out of the tree when the earth shook." She crossed her arms looking at him. He tried to hold back a laugh.
"Tch, You fell? Ha! That's what you get for wanting to spy on me." Takuto says, "I told everyone I could handle the situation on my own. Why did you follow me? Were you that worried about me?"
"No." Niika says bluntly, "I knew you couldn't be serious enough to do what we told you so I followed you to make sure you stayed on task. That's all. But once again, you weren't. I knew I was going to find you and that slut flirting."
"Damn, you're not even ashamed of yourself are you?" Takuto finally looks up at her in amusement.
"No. I don't see a reason to be. I think it should be pretty obvious that I don't like Hina. Especially when she is actually an old woman using her first phase just to get teenage boys to fall for her."
"But that doesn't exactly make her a slut. So isn't that a little harsh?"
"Not in my opinion it isn't." She says turning away from him. She walked over to the edge of the cliff and leaned on the railing. When Takuto got back and stood beside her, Niika continued. "Flirting with the enemy, even wanting to 'do her'. Why do you always do such idiotic things? Why are you so selfish?" Takuto placed one hand on the railing while the other rested in his pocket.
"First of all, I'm not selfish. I wasn't flirting with her, she was coming on to me." Takuto tells her, "And more importantly, why do you care who I decide to flirt with? I could have pursued Hina if I wanted to. Its really none of your business." Niika scowled and gripped the railing tighter then she had been. Takuto noticed this and smiled, "But I didn't. Because she's not my type."
"What exactly is your type Takuto?" She asks him in a frustrated tone. Takuto then glanced at Niika out of corner of his eye, not answering her for a little while. "Well?"
A small smile picked at the corners of his lips, "She's someone I still don't know well enough, to know what my type really is."
"Heh? That makes no sense!" Niika pouts. Takuto's smile widened slightly.
"To you it doesn't, not yet anyway. But you'll get it, soon." Niika became annoyed, but decided not to argue further.
Suddenly the wind picked up and blew gentle around them. Niika leaned further against the railing, letting the breeze flow through her hair. "There it is again."
"There what is?"
"That breeze. You know the one you feel just before a new season begins. Its almost like a mix of the two seasons together, the one that just passed and the one that's coming. An old friend of mine once told me, "Its almost as if they're talking to each other." In this case, its Spring and Summer. Spring is telling Summer to come and make the flowers bloom some more, and Summer tells the Spring to leave so that she can do so." She smiled, "Just the feeling of it all is so calming and so peaceful. It helps me forget everything. Where I came from, where I am now...I can let it just take me away from it all." Niika lays back into the wind once it changes direction.
"It can do all of that?" Takuto blushes slightly. "Wow, I wish I could feel like that."
"Oh but you can!" Niika says taking his hand and putting it up against the wind, "Relax. Just close your eyes and let it embrace you. You'll see." Fighting the bigger blush on his face, Takuto did as Niika told him to. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and closed his eyes. When he started to reach out to feel it, Takuto jerked his hand back after feeling a tickling sensation on his fingertips. "Don't be afraid. It wouldn't hurt you. Just reach out and welcome it~" Takuto tried again. This time he welcomed the tingling feeling as it vibrated through his fingers.
"Amazing..." Takuto trails off opening his eyes. He felt the wind surround him then die down a bit.
Niika's smile brightened, "I know right!?" She asked her smile seeming more and more genuine. Takuto looked away in embarrassment. When Niika noticed she was still holding on to him, she let go blushing slightly. "Gomen, Takuto. I just...just uh~" Niika started messing with her fingers, at a loss for words.
Just then both of them hear someone grunting loudly on the beach below them and looked down. "Kazu-kun? What's he doing down there?"
"It looks like he's sparing, by himself." Takuto says, "That guy, his attacks are still so reckless."
"Takuto, you've got to give him some credit. He is a good fighter."
"Even so, the manner in which he fights is too out of control. If he's not careful, he could end up getting someone really hurt, with just one mistake. He could even hurt himself." Takuto tells her as they continue to look below them.
______________________
"Ah! Hah! Urrrr-ah!" Kazuma continued to grunt in frustration as he spared alone somewhere along the coast of the beach. He was so focused in getting his movements right, he didn't notice the boy that approached him.
"Fujimoto Kazuma-kun." The boy stood in front of him audaciously. Kazuma glanced over to find that it was Niika's brother.
"Takashiro Arata-kun!" He answers back playfully, "What are you doing out here?"
"I could ask you the same thing." Arata says bluntly, folding his arms.
"Oh just a little sparing. Gotta brush up on my skills!" Kazuma continues to speak in a whimsical tone. He was very amused at Arata straightforwardness, something that the boy wasn't normally capable of. Kazuma knew that Arata wanted something. "How about you, onii-san?"
"Heh? You're planning to fight someone?" Arata asks, ignoring his question. "Who that good of a fighter around here that you need to do a little training before facing them?"
Kazuma's expression darkened, but his tone stayed the same. "None of your business."
"What? I touched a nerve? Did I make you angry, Kazu-kun?" Kazuma raised an eyebrow at the nickname no one else bothered to call him but Niika.
'So this is about her?' He thought. "You're obviously here for a reason, Arata. What do you want?" Arata's expression stiffened. There was silence for a moment before Arata spoke again.
"Fight me."
"What?" Kazuma questioned, not expecting to hear that.
"I said Fight me. Is that to hard to understand?" He walked over to the set of wooden swords Kazuma had brought with him, picking out two. 'He's a dual wielder?'
"Arata-kun. You don't fight unless there's a really good reason for it. What are you trying to accomplish?"
"What I can't just help you spar? I'm not as weak as I look~" When both boys' eyes clashed, Arata dropped the innocence in his tone. "Fine. I want you to fight me right now, with everything you got. And if I win," Arata narrowed his eyes. "you'll stay away from my sister."
"What!?" Kazuma shouts, "Why? I haven't done anything wrong!"
"Its what you will do that concerns me." He says to him continuing to glare, "I need to protect Niika, but I can't do that with you and your little group of friends around. The less of you the better."
"But then why just focusing on me?"
"Oh no, please don't be offended by this. You're just who I'm starting with."
"Arata don't do it."
'Not you again. Go away.'
"I'm serious this time, Arata. Don't fight him, its a really bad idea."
'And why is that?'
"Because to be honest, he'll beat you."
'Why you little~'
"Not only that, but his heart, its half black."
For the first time Arata decided to listen to what Anaki was saying. He stared at Kazuma, who was starting to snicker loudly. "So? You think you can be beat me and I'll leave her alone? That's all there is to it huh?"
"Kazuma's heart, it's has so much darkness in, it covers half of his heart. I don't know what made him so corrupt, Alphonse, his cybody, never mentioned it to me so don't ask, but someone with that type of angry lurking inside of him is dangerous."
"You vaguely amuse me, Takashiro Arata. I'll give you that!" Kazuma's voice had deepened like it did in Zero Time, but he continued to speak impishly. Almost as if he was starting to go mad. "Usually I don't waist my time on pathetic stubborn people like you. But your aggressiveness amuses me. The fact that you're getting cocky about this amuses me further." Kazuma takes a starting position, "If you think you can really beat me, try me. This'll be fun."
'His cybody Alphonse? Wait, Kazuma's a Star Driver?!'
"Uh duh. Can't you see his mark right there on his chest?"
Arata frowned at Anaki's know-it-all attitude. He did indeed faintly see Kazuma's mark glowing dark violet under his shirt. 'Hold on, isn't that the mark of Galactic Man of Mystery? You mean to tell me that this guy is all that important?'
"Very important! He's one of the 4 Legendary Star Drivers, like you. And also like you, he's really powerful, and from what I can sense he's got skill too! That's why I'm telling you to back off. But...he insulted you just now, didn't he?"
"What are you staring at Arata-kun? What are you waiting for? A whistle?" Kazuma shouted to him, ready and waiting. Arata narrowed his eyes again and readied himself as well.
'That's right. Which is why I definitely won't back down now.'
"I get it. You don't want it to sound like you're weak. Get em', Arata!"
"Okay~" With that, Arata launched himself Kazuma, engaging battle.
Niika jumped over the railing beginning to climb down the side of the cliff towards the beach.
"Niika! That's dangerous!" Takuto tells her. When she doesn't listen, he begins to follow her. When they reached beach level, they stopped a short distance away and continued to watch the fight.
It was a like fencing for the two boys. The first person to be touched with a blade lost. They did this 3 times. The first point went to Kazuma, the second to Arata. But the 3rd battle...
"What's wrong Arata? Can't keep up!?" Kazuma shouted between thrust, "You look like you can barely hold on to that sword!" He said attacking one of Arata's swords more than the other. 'He's a dual wielder, if I can get rid of one of his blades, this duel is over.'
"Oh really?!" Arata shouted back, "Then why haven't you knocked it out of my hand yet?"
"You were saying?" Kazuma says with sly smirk on his face after successfully, "Since you're a dual wielder, this is the end for you. I WIN."
"When did I ever say I was a dual wielder?" Arata eyes held a certain gleam that made Kazuma gasp in surprise, "I can fight with one sword, just as well as I can fight with two!" Arata then began to attack Kazuma a lot more fiercer than before. With each time there blades crossed, Kazuma began to lose balance as Arata attacks were forcing him backwards. Somewhere a long the lines, Arata picked up the sword he had lost and once again attacked him with both swords. But as he did, his attacks became a little reckless, almost like Kazuma's was. This was an advantage for Kazuma, Arata was leaving himself wide open. Kazuma suddenly tripped and his knees hit the sand. Just then Arata raised his blades higher, "Final Blow!"
Arata swung the blades and trapped Kazuma's head in a X shape. Kazuma grimaced, "Looks like, I WIN." Arata leaned forward, "Now stay away from~" Arata stop mid sentence, feeling something hard pressed against his torso.
"Not quite." Kazuma grins as Arata realizes that his sword was underneath him, aimed at his stomach. "Looks like its a draw." He backs up and stands up facing Arata, who was still dumb founded that Kazuma had got him. "So, I guess I'll still be hanging around you sister. You won't be the only one protecting her." Kazuma smiled mockingly before holding his hand out for a hand shake, "So let's get along, nee?" Arata scowled at his hand still in confusion. His expression then darkened as his bangs fell in front of his face. He reached his hand out to him, but when he did, he only slapped Kazuma's hand away. He stared at him seriously, "Why you gotta be so rude?"
Arata then looked at him straight in the eye, his tone of voice menacing. "I won't get along with you!"
____________
FAR AWAY...
"Open the Cybercasket! APPRIVOISE!"
___________
Mau yuki wa hoshi no kakera tentai ni te wo nobashite
ikikau negai kanjiteiru ne
subete wa ima MONOKUROOMU no naka...
"Oh no." Niika clutched her chest and gasped in pain, alerting everyone she was there. Takuto ran over to support her, but Kazuma was closer.
"Niika, daijoubu?" He asked her worriedly, seeing her mark glow. He did not know about the painful part of this process. The boys marks all glowed at once, "Its your first phase, isn't it?" She nodded slightly. Just then there was an earthquake, but the two barely noticed. "It can make you hurt this bad?!"
"Niika-cha~ah!"
Takuto stopped in his tracks to see Arata face down on the sand, "ARATA-KUN!" He tried to help him to sit up, but was rejected by Arata's hand.
"D-Don't come near me!" Arata told him also clutching his shirt in pain. Takuto became suspicious as the other two had become aware of the situation. Kazuma came over with Niika in his arms. "I said go away!" He shouted turning away from them.
"Onii-chan~" Niika started to say but trailed off in pain.
Kazuma cradled her slightly to try and sooth her, "See, your sister is concerned about you. You should tell us what's going on..."
"You're the last person I want to hear that from!!! Don't lecture me on what I need to do!~"
"WELL SOMEBODY NEEDS TO!"
"Anaki~" Arata's eyes widened.
"I WON'T LET YOU HIDE THIS ANYMORE! YOU WON'T DESTROY YOUR BODY BECAUSE YOU WANT TO HIDE THIS FROM EVERYONE INCLUDING PEOPLE CLOSE TO YOU! YOU'RE GOING TO SHOW THEM THE TRUTH, AND ITS GOING TO BE TODAY!"
A golden light illuminated from Arata's chest. A mark in the shape of a Z and a backwards Z reflected onto the sand. The boys only stared at Arata in disbelief.
"TODAY ARATA. YOU WILL NOW SEE ZERO TIME!"
Niika twitched before she opened her glowing green eyes, "The door to another dimension has been opened..."
_______________
"What...is...this...?"
Trapped inside a bubble, Arata questioned Anaki while scanning the area around him. He knew he was in a whole new world far away for where they were.
"This is it Arata! We're in Zero Time! Its just how I remember it to be..."
Arata looked around the place. The sky made it look like they were in space, while the ground, which looked like glass, reflected the sky making it seem like the space continued forever. Then in the middle of the sky was this contraption of gears with symbols in the center of them. And on the ground below it, a robot?
"NOT ROBOT! CYBODY! LIKE ME!"
"Wait, that's what a cybody looks like?" Arata asked.
"Yeah, but don't worry about what that thing is, it's not important. Besides it's not even that pretty. I've seen better ones, LIKE MYSELF!"
"Damare, Anaki."
"Sexy Blue Eyes has entered Zero Time? Now I've seen it all! Not that its a bad thing..." A shiver went down Arata's spine as he turned around to see someone behind him.
"No way, Watanabe-san?"
"That's President to you! As of right now at least." She smirked as Arata's eyes bulged at her uniform.
"That...outfit..." Arata's closed his eyes trying to hide his embarrassment. President got closer to him.
"Seductive right?" Arata turned away from her.
"ARATA, GET AWAY FROM HER! SHE'S PART OF THE CRUX! REMEMBER THE ORGANIZATION AFTER YOUR SISTER!?"
"Are you serious?"
"YES! SEE HER PIN? ITS THEIR SYMBOL!"
Arata looked at the pin and frowned, "Very creative..."
"Oh you like it? I thought it was always pretty bland...but it gives me certification to drive Betraida." She flipped her hair back, "Which reminds me, who's your cybody Arata?"
"Well..."
"DON'T TELL HER ANYTHING! FRIEND OR NOT, SHE'S STILL AN ENEMY HERE!"
"...None of your business." He heard Anaki sigh mentally.
"Always so cold, aren't you Arata?"
"I'm approaching The South Maiden." They then heard and directed there attention down below. The cybody was moving towards someone in a bubble which he realized was his classmate Wako.
"So she's the South Maiden. Damn Arata, everyone you've met must have a role to play in this..."
"Damare, Anaki."
"...and there he is." Watanabe-san murmured. It was then Arata saw it. Way down below the cybody, he was 3 figures, one of them was being carried.
"Takuto. Kazuma. And Niika..."
"I knew it! They must be them! The other 3 legendary star drivers!"
"I'll handle this one. Take care of Midori no me, Kazuma."
Kazuma scoffed, "You better know what you're doing this time, Galactic Pretty Boy." (MPK:*still has to laugh.) Once at safety, Takuto transformed.
"APPRIVOISE!" Takuto disappeared when Tauburn appeared from the ground. Takuto appeared inside the blue orb upon the cybody's chest, "Dazzling the stage! Ginga Bishounen! Tauburn!"
"SUGOI* TAUBURN! He still got it after all this time..."
"DAMARE, ANAKI."
"See it Arata? There it is, the hidden 22nd Cybody, the legendary Tauburn." Watanabe-san told him, "It gives me chills every time it comes out."
"And Takuto drives that thing?"
"Yup! He's Galactic Pretty Boy!"
"Wow! That was amazing!" The driver of the unknown cybody, "Too bad this is the end for you...Galactic Pretty Boy!"
"Star Sword, Emeraude!" Tauburn pulled out the green energy sword, "And now, something I didn't get to do last time!" He glance at Kazuma in the corner, receiving a glare back. "Star Sword Saphir!"
"He had another sword this whole time?!" Watanabe-san shouted.
"Come now, let me have a taste!" The driver of the unknown cybody shouted when Tauburn attacked. The cybody somehow rolled into an armadillo like shell, protecting itself from the attacks.
"She must have realized that the combined force of the two star swords is too much for her cybody to handle. Tch, always hiding." Kazuma muttered watching only a little bit of what was going on. He was more concerned about the unconscious girl that laid in his arms. "Niika...Niika? Wake up." He told her softly seeing her flinch a little. When she opened her emerald eyes, he sighed in relief. "Thank god. I know that getting to Zero Time takes a little out of you, but it shouldn't take so much out of you that you fall unconscious. Daijoubu?" He asked her if she was feeling well.
Niika removed Kazuma's hand from her forehead, she was more worried about what was happening. "What's going on?"
"We're in Zero Time. Takuto is fighting again, although it's Hina this time. And she's going even wilder with her first phase." Niika stood with Kazuma's help and began to watch the battle scene.
"She can see the future," Kazuma looked at her questioningly, "That cybody, it seems to give her the power to see several seconds into the future in Zero Time. It's an unbeatable advantage!"
"A psychic cybody?"
"I can see you! I can see you!" The driver shouts multiple times annoying everyone. At the right time, she goes in for an attack. "Arm Bomber!" Tauburn is sent back flying several times.
"Takuto seems to be getting his ass kicked again. " Kazuma growls, "That moron, can he ever do anything by himself?" He starts to activate his mark when Niika stops him.
"Wait! I think...he can handle this one." He puts his arm down, "Look."
"Mode change!" After a few seconds, the unknown cybody and its driver become idle and completely silent.
"She stopped?" Arata asked in confusion.
"That sculpted chest... Mmm, slender waist! Ooh, what'll be next... " Everyone began to hear murmurs coming from it, "The collarbones...His arms and neck...So Yummmmy..."
"No way...Is she getting distracted? By Takuto?!" Niika made a face.
"Galactic Pretty Boy, now is your chance! Destroy it while she's distracted!" Kazuma shouted.
"Right! I'll fight with all I've got!" Takuto moved his energy swords into position, "Flair! Galactic. Cross. Slash!"
"Oh crap! Oops!" The driver shouted as Tauburn swung at the unknown cybody, slicing it perfectly into half. It then blew up as Tauburn turned around to see what damage he had done.
"Wait, what? That's it, Seriously?"
When Zero Time started to disappeared Anaki's voice began to ring in Arata's ear.
"See Arata? This is what Zero Time is like. One of these days, you and I will fight with the Crux like that. So be prepared."
And then everything went blank.
_________________
Arata opened his eyes just in time to see the light of his mark fade away. He was back where he was kneeling on the sand by the ocean's currents. "Anaki..." He murmured, "So this is what you mean?"
"Who is Anaki?" He turned around to face the inquisitive red head who had his arms folded. Standing next to him, his sister who was now standing thanks to the person next to her, Kazuma. They were all staring at him on the ground with their arms folded, minus Niika, her hands were on her hips. Arata was able to see each person's cybody mark now, probably because it finally had been was activated. That also meant that they could see his as well. He sighed in defeat, knowing that he could hide his mark no longer.
"So, the 3 of you are the other Legendary Star Drivers, huh?" Arata stood up and backed up enough so he was just enough eye distance away from everyone. "Then Kazuma was right, I was wrong. It looks like, we're all going to have to learn...to get along."
"So then it is true." Kazuma glared at him.
"Onii-chan, are you a Star Driver?"
And so the adventure of life goes on.