"Are you ready?"
"Yeah!.."
Itoshi paused, suddenly realizing what he had just agreed to.
"Wait, what?"
It was that same long evening in Saga. The chaos and noise of the raging battle had returned, filling the air with a relentless roar.
High above, U.W.D.S. reconnaissance drones zoomed past the dark evening skies, their blinking lights cutting through the gloom as the field men pushed forward.
"We gotta back up Ryujin!"
One of them hushed to his squad.
"Move it, move it!"
The number of Seele making landfall continued to increase, their numbers seemingly endless and their will unshattered.
"Forwards!!"
From the SPINE quarters, Miss Gigi stood her ground, remaining as calm as ever despite the mounting pressure. Her comms chirped with a steady beep-beep.
"Yes? Hachi?.. Enjoying the battle?"
The sound of a tongue clicking echoed from the other side of the line.
"Hell no," he answered flatly. "We've got new orders."
Miss Gigi blinked, her expression shifting slightly.
"Hoh?"
"W-w-w-wait!... What exactly do we do?"
Itoshi asked, still sitting on the rear seat of Ryujin's bike. He leaned forward, gripping the frame as the engine thrummed beneath them.
Ryujin sighed, the sound barely audible over the mechanical growl.
"I thought we'd synced for a bit there..."
He muttered before looking ahead.
"Perhaps..."
He thought to himself, glancing back at the scarecrow-masked boy behind him.
"Can you see where they are?"
The scarecrow giggled, a sharp, nervous sound.
"You kidding?!"
He paused, shaking his head.
"Even with the bright lights of this puppy,"
He said, tapping the roaring bike,
"I still can't see those bitches."
Ryujin looked ahead once more, his eyes narrowing.
"Ah... Look closely. You'll barely see their dim glow."
Under the scarecrow mask, Itoshi squinted until his eyes strained.
"I can barely see shit with this stupid mask on my head."
Ryujin shook his head at the complaint.
"Well then..."
A spear began to form in his right hand, the water swirling into a sharp, translucent point.
"Hold this."
He tossed the water-bound spear back toward Itoshi, who fumbled to catch it.
"W-wait! I can only use one arm to produce flame!"
Ryujin smirked, his gaze fixed on the path ahead.
"That's good. I can only use my right arm... Gotta keep my left hand on the clutch."
Just as he finished, he revved the bike once more, the engine screaming as he cracked his neck.
"Aw shit,"
Itoshi thought to himself, tightening his grip on the watery weapon.
Just like that, the bike surged forward, its roar reaching kilometers away—echoing all the way back to the hangar.
"Here you go!.. Rations!"
Aldrin hushed, tossing the supplies toward Kirashi and Tomori. They caught them with ease, showing no hesitation as they tore the packaging open and took a bite.
Aldrin took a bite of his own ration before handing one over to Kara.
"Here you go, Kara-san... This should be enough to let you recover a bit more of that energy."
Kara reached out for the ration. Her eyes were wide as she took it, but she didn't offer a single complaint about the meager meal.
"Sorry... That's all we could actually have during long battles,"
Aldrin said, his voice quiet.
Kara raised her head, still sitting there on the floor as she looked up at him.
"No, not at all!"
She shook her head quickly to dismiss his apology.
"I was prepared for this!"
She flashed a small smile, giving him a thumbs up to show she was holding up okay.
Aldrin smiled back, finally taking a seat next to Tomori. He settled in and took another bite of his own ration, trying to find a bit of comfort in the short break.
Tomori looked over at him, her expression shifting into one of suspicion. The cat ears on her head began to grow, twitching slightly as she watched him.
"N-not too close, man."
Aldrin chuckled, not wanting to cause any friction.
"My bad, my bad!"
Tomori waved her hand in the air, signaling for Aldrin to scoot a bit further away.
"Pssh pshh..."
Aldrin obliged, shifting his position on the floor, but he ended up moving a little too far away.
"Oi... N-Not too far, man,"
Tomori muttered. She raised a brow, her gaze fixed on him.
"Eh?.."
Aldrin raised a brow of his own, looking genuinely confused by the mixed signals.
Tomori squinted, her sunset-like eyes locked onto Aldrin.
"Just relax and eat, man..." she muttered. She pointed her half-bitten ration toward him for emphasis before she turned back to her food and took another bite.
As they cut through the endless dark, Itoshi gripped Ryujin's water-infused spear in his right hand. Steam rose from his palms the moment his skin made contact with the cool, swirling liquid of the weapon.
"Damn it..."
He thought to himself, his jaw tightening.
"Just like I guessed. I can't use flame with Ryujin's water spear thingy in my palms... only my left hand will be useful."
He looked ahead into the darkness, bracing himself. Just as the thought finished, a piercing screech echoed through the dark field.
GURAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!
"Light 'em up, Itoshi,"
Ryujin ordered, his voice steady despite the bone-chilling sound.
The scarecrow's left hand sparked with a brilliant blue hue.
Psk! psk!
"Ready!"
Just as Itoshi's palm began to glow, a Seele lunged toward the bike from the shadows. Its mouth gaped wide, large enough to swallow a person whole.
Ryujin banked the bike hard, the tires screaming as he barely dodged the creature's reach.
"That one's behind us now..."
Ryujin muttered, checking his periphery.
"You ok back there?"
"Ye!"
Itoshi answered, gripping the bike with his knees.
His comms chirped twice.
BEEP! BEEP!
"Four ahead of you."
"Copy that, Miss Gigi!"
Ryujin followed up. He suddenly squeezed the bike's clutch, causing the machine to lose speed rapidly.
The sudden deceleration threw Itoshi forward, his head thumping against the back of Ryujin's head.
"Ouch!"
Itoshi shouted, rubbing his forehead through his mask.
But Ryujin was unfazed. He rose his right hand, a water snake forming from his palm and coiling into the air.
"Keep that fire burning, Itoshi!"
As the bike carved through the field and slowed to a crawl, Itoshi sparked his flames once more, the blue light illuminating the mud.
"All good!"
Ryujin whipped the water snake like a lash, the liquid strike hitting seven Seele at once—four Wind-types and three Flame-types.
The Flame-types evaporated instantly upon contact with Ryujin's gift. The four Wind-types, however, were snared, dragged upward as they followed the trajectory of the water snake. Ryujin twisted his arm and jumped forward, launching himself off the bike.
He flew a few meters into the air just as the bike came to a halt. Time seemed to slow down. Four human-sized Seele glowed a sickly green, all bound tightly by the water snake.
"GRAAAAAAAGH!!!!!"
Ryujin shouted, his eyes locked onto Itoshi. With a powerful heave, he threw the water snake—and the Seele still bound to it—directly at Itoshi.
"WA-WA-WA-W-WAAAIT!!!"
Itoshi panicked.
"GARDENIA!!!"
Out of pure instinct, he thrust his left palm upward. His blue flame burst forth, blooming into the shape of a massive gardenia flower.
The Seele landed directly into the heart of the blue fire. Itoshi balanced the heavy bike with his feet, the water spear still clutched in his right hand.
"RRAAAAAAAGHHH!!!!!!!" he roared.
The creatures screeched and flailed, their forms dissolving as the blue heat consumed them.
Eventually, the field went quiet. The Wind-type Seele were gone.
Itoshi's flame died out, his breath coming in heavy, ragged gasps as smoke rose from his mouth and his left palm. He slumped forward, resting his left elbow on the gas tank to catch his breath.
Ryujin landed in the mud nearby, completely unbothered by his fancy clothes getting dirty. He stood straight and looked back at Itoshi with a teasing smile.
"Shocked you a bit, didn't I?"
He paused.
"And.. Gardenia?"
"I..."
Itoshi hushed, his breathing still labored.
"I... I thought I was gonna die..."
He quickly raised his head, pointing to Ryujin.
"I was thinking about the flower! Don't judge!"
As they spoke, a sudden rustle came from the tall grass. Itoshi didn't hesitate; he lunged and threw Ryujin's water-bound spear toward the source of the sound.
PWAK!
Something was hit in the dark. A Seele screeched one last time before the sound of a dying flame echoed through the night.
"Ah... So that's why you gave that to me..."
Itoshi muttered, realizing the spear's purpose as a projectile.
"Nah... I just wanted to fight with one hand.. Though I can't really.. Nevermind," Ryujin barely clarified, his voice trailing off as he turned to the dark.
He turned to Ryujin, a slight flash of panic crossing his face.
"Oh! Let me go get it back!"
Before Itoshi could stand up, Ryujin placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll go get it... Fire this baby up."
Itoshi pulled off his mask, flashing a wide smile and a thumbs up. He gripped the handlebars and twisted the throttle.
VRRRRRROOOMMMMMMM!
"WOHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Itoshi shouted, feeling the raw power of the engine vibrating through his arms.
Ryujin hopped onto the back this time, a quiet smile on his face as he watched the fifteen-year-old enjoy the thrill of riding a combustible bike that was supposed to have been eradicated from the world long ago.
As they cut through the damp fields, they zoomed past a couple of field men who hadn't even noticed their approach until the roar of the engine was upon them. The soldiers locked their eyes onto the bike, watching in disbelief as Itoshi screamed in pure joy.
"W-what the hell are they doing?!... Your allies are dying and you're having fun?!"
One of them shouted, his voice cracking with exhaustion.
Another soldier clicked his tongue in disgust.
"Tsk... flame-gifteds..."
He paused, shaking his head before turning to his comms.
"Report to HQ that they're on their way back."
At that exact instant, a red flare gun lit up the sky.
It was bright—blindingly so. As the light bathed the landscape, time seemed to slow down, and the true chaos of the night began to surface. The red glow revealed the horror left in the wake of the Seele: fresh blood staining the mud, torn limbs, missing jaws, and fly-infested bodies.
The remains were spread across the once-green field, leaving behind no evidence of what had specifically taken these men's lives beyond the sheer brutality of the scene.
From the darkness, a red beast watched the flare as it soared from the skies. It quickly covered it's face as it retreated back into the shadows.
"Follow that, Itoshi,"
Ryujin ordered, his voice losing its teasing edge as he looked at the light.
"That'll be our exit."
Itoshi nodded, pulling his scarecrow mask back down over his face to hide his expression.
As the red flare slowly faded into a dull ember, they noticed the remaining field men pushing forward through the carnage. The soldiers waved the bike through as it passed them by.
"Squad regroup at the hangar!"
They shouted, passing the order down the line as the bike streaked toward safety.
In the noise of the hangar—Aldrin, Tomori, Kara, and Kirashi remained quiet. They leaned against the cold metal, enjoying the only food they could have for the night, resting and recovering their strength.
In their silence, the roar of the bike's engine finally reached them.
Kara flinched at the sound. She quickly stood up and peered out of the hangar, where she saw the blinding white lights of the motorcycle cutting through the dark.
She squinted, shielding her eyes with her palm as the others watched her, Tomori standing just behind her shoulder.
The bike surged into the hangar, and to everyone's surprise, Itoshi was the one at the handles.
"What the hell!"
Kirashi shouted, jumping to his feet.
"Nah! How can you drive?!"
Itoshi pulled off his mask, a cheeky smile written all over his face.
"Only strong ones will know," he smirked.
Kirashi scoffed and looked away.
"Fine... Green is my color... You rode a green bike..."
He looked back at Itoshi with a flat expression.
"You basically rode me."
Itoshi squinted his eyes, looking completely confused while Ryujin stepped off to speak with Aldrin.
"How the hell does that make any sense?!"
As the banter between Itoshi and Kirashi continued, Kara muttered under her breath,
"He's okay..."
She suddenly remembered the state Itoshi had been in when he first arrived. He had looked like he'd lost himself—like a beast hungry for murder. He hadn't looked like the Koya she knew.
Tomori suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder from behind.
"Kara-san?.."
Kara turned quickly to Tomori, blinking twice to clear her thoughts.
"Are you okay?.." Tomori asked quietly.
Kara blinked again, waving her hands frantically.
"Y-yes! I'm A-OK!"
Then, a sudden tap landed on Kara's shoulder. It was Itoshi. Up close, the wounds from the massive Seele they had fought were clear.
"Kara... healing..."
He asked, his voice low.
Hearing this, Tomori and Kirashi flinched, their heads snapping toward the blue-haired girl.
Kara smiled, her eyes locked onto Itoshi's fiery red ones.
"Ok! Sit down for a bit!"
"Sankyu..."
Itoshi slumped against the wall as Kara offered him a ration. Kirashi and Tomori exchanged worried glances, but no words escaped their lips.
Itoshi took the ration and took a bite.
"It's bland..."
He muttered.
Kara gave him a soft karate bonk on the head before muttering, "Deal with it!" At that instant, the familiar, gentle glow of healing magic appeared between them once more.
Kirashi and Tomori kept their heads low, while Aldrin's eyes remained locked onto the pair. Nearby, Ryujin walked off into a quieter area of the hangar, leaving the squad to their rest.
~~~To be Continued~~~