Cross Worlds

Chapter 3-1: "Enemies and Friends(?)" (Side- Reality)

"Should've known a pretty girl wouldn't want anything to do with me unless she had ulterior motives. I guess the prettiest smile really does hide the most foul of intentions..." I think to myself as I look at the three who knocked Roco and I out of the sky. The young man in the center steps forward, running a hand through his messy, mint green hair that's a bit longer than the average and glaring at me with his honey gold eyes. At the same time however, he wears a cocky grin on his face. My mind tells me that this pale, skinny man isn't a threat, but knowing the laws of this world, I'm inclined to think otherwise. My gut's telling me that he's the one who knocked Roco out of the sky.

"We just so happened to be at the guild when you were renewing your license... We were waiting for our friend here to get off work, and then spotted you. My instincts told me that you were the bastard I hate most in this world. Low and behold, I sent Aina to check you out, and bingo! I was right, you are Riku Fumiya. You almost fooled Aina back there, but when you reacted to her compliment with an urgent 'No can do', you pretty much gave off a lot of suspicion buddy." He facepalms and tilts his head back, laughing his ass off.

Thinking back to it, if I had responded to this Aina with an apology and a compliment of my own, she probably would've been fooled. I was way too flustered to think straight at the time. "If only I wasn't such a loser, I wouldn't be in this mess right now." I grit my teeth and clench the hilt of my wooden blade tightly. "Now's not the time for negative talk though... I need to think of a way out of this. Think Riku! Think!" All of a sudden, it hits me. "...He warned me about people like you."

The man suddenly stops laughing and looks over at me again. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm not the Riku Fumiya you hate so much. I'm just a guy who looks a hell of a lot like him and just so happens to share the same first name." I glare at the man.

"You don't honestly expect me to fall for that, do you Riku?" The man sighs and shakes his head. "I thought you were smarter than this."

"I'm not lying. Riku Fumiya is a kind man who let me stay at his home because this world rejected me. He taught me many things, gave me food and shelter, and has even offered me his ex license so I can have a source of income. My name may very well be Riku, but the Riku you all knew is long gone, probably worlds away by now. So for the last time, I don't have any idea who any of you are! Can't you sense that I don't have any magic?! Just let me be on my way!" Even though most of the stuff I said wasn't technically a lie, the group seems unfazed by the logic behind my words.

"Sensing magic isn't something people can do. Maybe he really isn't the Riku we know." Aina scoffs with amusement as the man walks over to me.

"Listen here bud, your little story sounds real truthful, lemme tell ya. There's just one problem with it." He smirks down at me devilishly and condescendingly. "Your little bird friend over there. Anyone and everyone knows that Riku Fumiya loves that little bird to death. The fact that that thing is here with you, and loyal enough to shield you from harm with its own body, I know that you're the real deal. And ya wanna know somethin else?" The guy gets real close to my face, his smile a bit more crazed. "Even if you weren't Riku Fumiya, I'd still kick your ass just for looking like him! Just to get a kick out of seeing what the bitch would look like, all beaten up and broken!"

My eyes widen with both a fear and an intensity in them. This guy is insane, no doubt about that. The two girls must also be a little crazy themselves to make a group with a guy like this. "I have to get us out of here somehow, and fast. But how..?!"

"Alright, I think we've both talked enough to the point we can understand each other now, right?" The man holds up his hand slightly. One thing about his choice of clothing that I found odd was the numerous belts strapped onto his clothing. Now, as I watch several small, metal spikes slipping out of each of the holes in the belts, I understand his fashion statement.