Purotekuta

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

A few weeks have passed since the first day of school, and it seems that everyone is settling in nicely. We've come up with some dorm rules and customs, and some precedents have also been set in place. One of these precedents being I cook breakfast and dinner for everyone. Nobody else in our dorm house can cook other than me, so it was bound to happen anyway.
          Akio is getting used to everyone in the class and has even started making small talk with our classmates. I haven't trusted anyone else in the class with my friendship at the same level as Akio, but I'm getting there.
          We all left the dorm house a while back, and are now finding our seats in homeroom while waiting for Mr. Kaze to arrive. Akio and I always stay near the back of the group when we walk to the classroom, but I have a feeling that's not what he wants.
          He has always stuck around me, and whenever he leaves my side it's not for more than five minutes. I am the last one to take my seat, and just as I sit down, Mr. Kaze walks into the classroom looking as tired as always.
          "Alright, class, today is an unusual day for you all. We will be meeting the fire protector, Tero, at the Kyujo Kunren Shisetsu, or the KKS for short. The KKS is a training facility that young protectors go to in order to learn how the rescuing proportion of being a protector works. If your affinity is best suited for protecting, then I strongly suggest you spend more time at the KKS outside of school," he grumbles. Mr. Kaze looks over the class, then sighs as Akihiko raises his hand to ask a question.
          "Excuse me, Mr. Kaze?" He asks.
          "Yes, Akihiko? What do you need?" he groans.
          "What about the ones in this class that don't have an affinity suited for rescue work? What do we do then?"
          Mr. Kaze sighs and rolls his eyes. "You will not only be learning how to rescue the innocents in the heat of battle, but you will also be training to work together as a team. You will have to know each other's affinities like the back of your hand and learn who is best suited for each job during an attack," My. Kaze answers reluctantly.
          Akihiko smiles and nods his head. "Thank you, Mr. Kaze!" Mr. Kaze nods and turns back to the rest of the class.
          "Alright, everyone, please make your way to the bus that is waiting outside," he instructs. "The KKS is outside the grounds of Mamoru High School, so we will have to be cautious."
          The class is silent for a few seconds before Mr. Kaze walks out of the classroom, signaling for us to follow him to the bus. I stand up and go to follow Mr. Kaze, Akio not far behind.

The bus we were on was odd; half of us were sitting on the floor facing each other, and the other half were in the seats.
          We've arrived at the KKS, and the first thing I see when I walk off the bus is my father, stern as ever, standing next to Mr. Kaze. My mood immediately darkens, and I can feel my old ways coming back. I close my mouth, keep the neutral mask on, and straighten my posture. Akio notices but doesn't say anything; he just holds my hand tighter, comfortingly.
          "Alright, class. I would like you to meet Tero, the number one protector in Japan," Mr. Kaze grumbles, holding out a hand next to him and gesturing to the man on his left.
          It's not hard to tell that Father is trying his best to keep the disgusted sneer off his face as he nods to the class. Father and Mr. Kaze turn around, and we follow them into the building of the KKS.
          As soon as I step into the building, I can see there are many different sections of the KKS, each one for a different kind of rescue training. From here, I can see building fires, water rescues, and mudslides. There isn't anybody in the building at the moment except for us, since they closed the KKS for today's trip.
          "Alright everyone, welcome to the KKS. There are going to be a few rules that you will have to follow when you are here," Mr. Kaze says, turning to face us. "There is no roughhousing with other students unless it is for a training experience, which is unlikely since this is a rescue training facility." Mr. Kaze looks pointedly at Ikar. Ikari scoffs and turns his gaze to the left. "This is not a playground, and nothing here is a toy to be messed with. Other than that, everything else is allowed. If we think of something else that should be a rule, we will inform you. Now, go off and choose an area to train for. There will be people there to help you-" He pauses mid-sentence. Something made Mr. Kaze stop talking. What did he notice?
          Then I feel it, the sense of the air swirling around us. Before I have a chance blink, a swirling portal opens at the far side of the KKS behind Father and Mr. Kaze.
          "Woah! What is that!? Is this part of the training?" Akihiko shouts. He looks worried at the portal as it grows larger. What could be so big that it needs a portal that large to fit through?
          "No, this is not a part of the training. Stay back, and don't get involved," Mr. Kaze demands, his hands launching to the knives strapped to his thighs.
          The class tenses up, and Father's hand lights up in a burst of scorching hot flames.
          A person walks through the portal.
          Then another, and another. So many of them. What could they want here? There have to be at least fifty of them!
          The first person who walked through the portal looks familiar somehow, but I can't place it. He has the same face shape as Kirai. No, that's impossible. He committed suicide; he's dead. Tears spring to my eyes, but I quickly blink them back.
          "Hello, Tero," he growls in a hoarse voice. "It's nice to see you again. We've been looking forward to meeting you in person." The guy who spoke has a smirk on his face, and the aura radiating off of him is nothing to be messed with. "My name is Akumu, and I am here to kill you," he growls, pleased.
          Father stands his ground, his ears pinned against his head, Mr. Kaze standing next to him. Mr. Kaze turns his head toward us but never takes his eyes off the villains.
          "Listen to me carefully," he whispers. "You need to get out of here. They can't leave the KKS without setting off the alarm to alert Mamoru High School. I need all of you to evacuate the building, and the fastest one of you to go and alert the school." The class nods and turns to run out the doors.
          My wings are standing on end, and my ears are pinned back against my head. I don't know what to do. My body is frozen. But why? Why am I reacting this way?!
          "Oh, Kaze," Akumu chides. "It's nice to see that you tried to get the message back to the school, but I'm afraid I can't let that happen."
          A portal opens up under our feet, and we fall through. The next thing I know, I am on a boat in the middle of the water with Akio and Akihiko. My expression hardens as I realize what they did, and why.
          "They must not know our affinities or how powerful we are, so they separated us into the different rescue sections, where they have placed villains that specialize in that area of expertise," I explain quickly. "We can't let them know what we can do unless it is completely necessary." I look over the edge of the boat and into the water, confirming my suspicions. "It looks like they have villains that have an affinity related to water, but they're not making a move yet. They don't want to show us what they can do, but they are ready to attack whenever they can," I state.
          I look back at Akio and Akihiko, creating a plan in my head. It might just work. I signal with my hands for them to come into a huddle so I can explain to them what we're going to do.
          "You have a plan, Hajime?" Akihiko asks. I look at him and nod.
          "Okay, so here's what we're going to do," I say. "Akihiko, you can control natural disasters, right?" He nods. "I am going to need you to create a tornado with immense power. It will turn into a water spout, and bring all the villains sitting in the water with it. Akio and I will fly us out of here so we can assist with the villains in the main area.
          "Wait, Akio and you?" Akihiko asks confused. "But you don't have wings, how are you going to fly?"
          I look at Akio and meet his eyes. He nods, and I nod back.
          "Can I trust you, Akihiko?" I ask.
          "Of course! What do you need to trust me with?"
          I reveal my wings, and stretch them out, flexing them to get ready to carry him. Akihiko's mouth gapes open as he stares at me in shock. He quickly regains his control and nods.
          "You can count on me to keep your secret, Hajime," he promises.
          "Thank you, Akihiko."
          I shift my gaze over to Akio. "Akio, do you think you'll be strong enough to help carry Akihiko across the water in those conditions?" Akio nods, a determined look on his face. I can see the fear that is hiding underneath his determination, and that worries me. He'll be alright, I'm going to protect him. "Alright then, let's do this."