Rain gently fell out of the sky as Elliot and Sukudo were seated on a bench near the entrance of the school while students were slowly making their way through the school doors. Sukudo was holding a gas station coffee with both her hands and slightly drinking from it while she asked Elliot, “Do you think real evil exists in the world? Like the kind you brought up last night from those fairytales.”
Elliot took a drag off his lit cigarette and said, “Unfortunately, I’ve seen it myself. It’s not like dark clouds of miasma or evil wizards. Real evil is born right inside the hearts of people. It can happen to anyone too. Whether it be greed, power, desires, or even the want to save people can spawn evil and hatred. When all these Esper abilities started appearing over time, it only enhanced people’s selfish wants and desires.” Eliot looked at Sukudo and smiled. He continued to say, “ As long as everyone works hard and works together, everyone will be able to defend themselves and help others when necessary. So always remember to stick up for one another no matter what. Even for Moyasu.” They both laughed for a minute as the rain started to beat down harder on them.
Elliot said, “I guess its time I got to my class. What do you have planned for today?”
Sukudo shrugged and said, “Nothing really. I was probably going to go back up to my room and listen to the rain and finish this book I’ve been reading.”
Elliot responded, “If you do end up going out, make sure to drag Liam with you. Besides running to the store, he hasn’t left much since he’s been on spring break.” Elliot walked into the school building while Sukudo sat in the rain for a little longer. After awhile she stood up and knelt down to the ground, a small whirlwind began to form under her, and she shot up in the air all the way to the roof and landed on top of the school. She saw Hikari standing on an opposite ledge with his arms crossed. He was wearing his sunglasses while the rain pounded against his face.
Sukudo asked, “Is it really necessary to be wearing those when it’s raining?”
While remaining perfectly still he said, “Some UV light makes it through the clouds believe it or not and I can still absorb it when it rains.”
Sukudo said back sarcastically, “Oh gee that’s really fascinating.”
Hikari asked, “Okay what gives, why is an old woman such as yourself bugging me?”
Sukudo got angry and said, “I’m only a few years older than you, dweeb. So. stop with the old woman stuff.” She turned around and headed for the door. “I’m going to see if Liam will take me to the mall and was going to see if you wanted to come along, since you’re his best friend or whatever, but I see maybe you’re just a little to young to hang out with the older chumps like us.”
Hikari jumped off the ledge and said, “Wait up! I accept your mall offer.” He took off his sunglasses and wiped the water off with his shirt while they went inside and down to the fifth floor. Liam was sitting on a couch watch the television while Sukudo and Hikari entered the room. They sat next to him on the couch and Sukudo said, “Liam, will you take us to the mall? My car doesn’t have insurance currently and I’d like to go shopping. When’s the last time you left the house other than to buy groceries?”
Liam started at the television and said, “My keys are on my dresser in my room. Go ahead and take it, just make sure you put gas in it.”
Sukudo looked at him with a disgusted look and said, “Gross, I don’t want to drive that grandpa mobile, you have to drive, Elliot’s orders.”
Liam looked at her and asked, “Did he really say that?”
Sukudo looked away from him and said, “Yeah something like that so let’s go!”
Hikari said, “I’ll drive the grandpa mobile, leave it to me.”
Liam stood up and turned the Television off and said, “No thank you, I guess I’ll drive. We can get some breakfast too.”
Hikari asked, “Wait, why can’t I drive?”
Liam responded, “Maybe because you’re nineteen and you never even once took the permit test let alone have a driver’s license.”
Hikari sat for a second and replied, “Good point, I can’t argue with that.” They all stood up and walked out into the hallway. Liam went and grabbed his keys and met everyone at the elevator. They descended down to the lobby of the school and walked outside. They crossed the school courtyard and walked into the parking garage. On the bottom floor, was Liam’s car. It was a raggedy Oldsmobile cutlass station wagon. Liam put his key in the door and fumbled with the lock and door handle for a moment.
Sukudo said, “I’m almost too embarrassed to get inside this thing.”
Liam responded while becoming irritated, “Well if I can’t get the door open no one is getting inside this thing!” The door suddenly unlocked, and Liam opened his door and sat in the driver seat. He leaned back and unlocked all the doors for Sukudo and Hikari. They both got inside and instantly smelled something foul.
Hikari asked, “What the hell is up with that stench man? It’s god awful.”
Liam laughed suddenly at Hikari’s question and said, “I don’t know man, this is the first time I’ve smelled it so I can only conclude its most likely coming from you.” Liam and Sukudo laughed at Hikari.
Hikari cried out, “Yeah right! It straight up smells like homeless people were having sex in here.”
Sukudo responded, “Smells more like moldy milk and a shitty diaper to me.”
Hikari chimed back in, “Yo Liam, you got a dead body in the trunk or something? Or maybe you wiped your ass on the seats?” Hikari and Sukudo kept laughing as Liam pulled the car out of the parking garage and off the school’s campus.
Liam said smiling, “I forgot how wonderful our conversations could be.” Liam adjusted his rearview mirror and continued to say, “To me, it kind of smells like Elliot’s trench coat.” Their laughter erupted in unison to Liam’s statement. The windshield started to become flooded with water as the rain started to fall more heavily. The windshield wipers frantically swayed back and forth, plowing large amounts of water out of the way, but it also seemed to be smearing the water across the windshield, blocking Liam’s view of the road.
Hikari rolled his window down and stuck his head out of it, still wearing his sunglasses and said, “Alright bro, keep going straight and slowly come to a stop. You have a red light about forty or so feet in front of you.” The rain was splashing into his face while he continued on saying, “Okay, you’re almost there, like ten feet away.” Liam came to a stop perfectly at the red light, threw the car in park, and jumped out and touched both wipers with each of his hands. A small gold glow came from his palms as the rubber on the wipers seemed to be restored. He jumped back in the car before the light turned green and as he fastened his seat belt, a body came crashing through the windshield and landed in his lap.
In Liam’s lap laid an unconscious girl. She had long black hair and was only what seemed like a white medical gown. She had cuts from flying through the windshield that didn’t seem to bad, but in her lower abdomen was a large laceration that most likely needed medical attention. Liam and Sukudo looked out through the shattered windshield in shock and saw a tiny, cloaked figure floating towards them surrounded by an orange aura. The cloaked figure was floating about six feet off the ground. Their legs dangled from underneath their cloak while they dragged a large scythe across the pavement. The screech of the scythe’s blade being dragged across the street, eerily loomed in the air while they approached the car. Liam couldn’t see their face because their hood was up, but he could definitely tell it was a girl by her tiny figure and skirt poking out from underneath her cloak. Her scythe suddenly emitted an orange glow as it viciously spun toward them. Sukudo quickly raised her hand and created a burst of air so powerful it blew everyone out of the car before the scythe came tearing through it completely severing it in half. While Liam held the girl tightly, himself, Sukudo, and Hikari were all blown in different directions, slamming into parked cars up and down the street near the intersection.
Hikari stood to his feet and picked up his sunglasses that had fallen off in the commotion and put them back on. He faced the floating girl and shouted, “What the hell was that for you jerk off! You almost completely killed us!” He held up his hands and a beam of white light shot out of them towards the girl who threw the scythe. Before it hit her, she raised a small orange shield she had manifested and deflected the light up into the sky. As the beam of light shot upward it pierced some rain clouds momentarily, letting a ray of sunlight shine through as it slowly closed up by the coverage of more clouds. By the time the girl deflected the attack, Hikari had already advanced close enough to her that he jumped up into the air and hit her with a spin kick that sent her flying backwards and down into the pavement. As she hit the ground, her scythe was spinning off the ground back toward her and at the last second before it would have hit Hikari, Sukudo came flying in like a gust of wind and slashed the scythe out of the way with one of her katanas. The scythe spun up into the air and the blade sliced into the side of a building and became stuck.
Sukudo quickly drew her other katana and tossed It to Hikari. Sukudo said, I think it’s best if you take that for now.”
Hikari caught the sword and nodded to her. They both took a defensive stance as the scythe broke free and spun back into the girl’s hand as she began to stand. Her scythe was at least two feet taller than her as she was standing straight up. She took her hood down with her free hand and two pink pigtails came popping out from under her hood. In an almost childlike voice she said, “I can’t believe you just hit a girl. Have you no shame?”
Hikari shouted back at her, “Who the hell are you? Who is that girl? And most importantly, why the hell did you destroy the grandpa mobile? Now we’ll never know what the smell was!”
The girl ignored Hikari and kept saying, “Striking a woman is a serious offense!”
Hikari continued to ignore her and shouted, “Are you even listening to me you little brat?! Why is a child dragging around a scythe? Didn’t your parents teach you not to run around with sharp things?”
The girl grew annoyed and interrupted him, “If you ask any more questions, I’ll be forced to eliminate you all! Hand over that specimen and then I can punish you!” She pointed at the girl in Liam’s arms.
“And if I refuse?” Hikari asked with a smile.
The girl looked at him and smiled back as she said playfully, “Then I’ll cut you into tiny pieces and feed you to my koi fish silly!” As the girl finished her sentence, Sukudo shot behind her in a gust of wind and stabbed inward at her chest while Hikari attacked from the opposite side, swinging horizontally at the girl. The girl twirled around quickly with her scythe outstretched in front of her and it smashed into both their swords with a force so strong it sent them both backwards. Cars up and down the street started to glow orange and suddenly started flying toward them with a great speed. Hikari raised his free hand and energy blasts of light shot out of his hand hitting the flying cars causing them to explode. Hot fiery wreckage came crashing into the street as the girl started to float back into the air. She raised her staff and flung it toward Liam and the unconscious girl. The scythe spun through the air with a great force behind it. Liam raised his hand, and the moment the blade of the scythe started to cut into his hand, the scything suddenly turned into sand and sprinkled onto the ground as the rain washed it away.
The girl watched as the sand washed down the gutters in the road and started to cry loudly like a child. Sukudo and Hikari stood in the street while the girl awkwardly continued to cry. She shouted out suddenly, “You big bullies! I can’t believe you destroyed my precious baby!” She began to fly higher into the sky, and they could hear her crying and shouting as she slowly disappeared. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrrFUw2dm8
