Purotekuta

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Akio and I get out of the way of Akihiko while he's creating the water spout. We don't want to get caught in the middle of it; if that happens the whole plan is off.
          The spout that Akihiko creates is massive. I can tell that he's trying his best to keep it powerful enough to suck up the villains in the water, but not too strong that it brings the boat with it. Akihiko has amazing strength and power with his affinity, but not so much at controlling that power and only using as much as he needs.
          An affinity is like a muscle; the more you use it, the more exhausted it gets. You can run out of strength to use your affinity, which can also drain you physically depending on the affinity that you have.
          The raging water spout sucks up all the villains, but I'm not sure that Akihiko can keep it going while he's in the air. Time to put that to the test. When he lets go of his concentration on the Water spout, it is going to fall apart. We won't have that much time to exit the area, but it should be enough.
          I look across Akihiko and meet eyes with Akio. I nod to him, and he nods back. As soon as Akihiko lets go of his control on the water spout, Akio and I rush in and swoop him off of his feet, taking off into the air.
          Our powerful wings are beating in unison, trying our best to keep us elevated and stable in the air. We're flying faster than I thought we would, increasing our chances of getting out of this rescue area. We have gotten past the water spout when I hear a small sound coming from behind us. It's quiet, but it's still there.
          I look behind us and see a shard of ice coming right for us. We have to block it, it's too close to dodge. I focus my affinity on my left hand and let go of Akihiko, only holding on to him with my right hand. I point my hand toward the shard of ice, and shoot a massive stream of blue fire, melting the shard. One of the villains must have been able to get a shot in while inside the water spout. We'll have to be more careful from now on.
          The water spout is getting weaker and weaker as we fly, and I can see that Akio is getting tired. I take both Akihiko's hands in mine and look at Akio.
          "Akio, let go," I yellow towards him, making sure he hears me.
          "What!?" He yells back, a terrified expression forming on his face. "But you're not going to be able to hold him on your own!"
          "Yes, I will," I assure him, "now let go! You'll be able to fly faster and get away."
          Akio looks at me, his eyes starting to water. "Don't worry about me," I tell him again. "I'll be fine! Now let go!" I shove Akio's hand off Akihiko's and take his full weight.
          Akio keeps flying at my speed, but I look at him with fierceness in my eyes, and he flies as fast as he can to the main area. As soon as he starts flying faster, I all my strength lent to me by my wolf characteristics into my arms and wings. I feel the surge of power coursing through me as the effect takes place and zoom forward, catching up with Akio.
          "Hajime! I didn't think-"
          "I told you not to worry about me!" I laugh. Akio smiles, but that smile is quickly wiped off of his face as he flies faster.
          We make it to the shore and land. I place Akihiko down gently, letting go of his arms. Akio and I land next to him. The three of us immediately start sprinting to get to the main area of the KKS to go and help Mr. Kaze and my father fight the villains that are there.
          We're all breathing heavily as we race to get there. Akihiko has to be exhausted from creating that water spout, I wonder if he's going to have enough strength to fight the villains here. He probably only has enough strength left to create a small earthquake or a thunderstorm. I wonder how everyone else is doing, I wonder to myself.
          Before I know it, we're already in the main area. Before we're in sight, I stop behind a bush so we can observe the situation. From what I can tell, not much has happened. I can see some of our classmates still here as well. They must not have been teleported like the rest of us.

          "Looks like we got here just in time," Akio and I look over to Akihiko. "It looks like Mr. Kaze and Tero are about to fight those villains, but look at the villain at the very back." We all look at the villain who first came out of the portal. He's staying behind the rest of his pals while they do the fighting. Either he's not that strong, or he's hiding his strength. Either way, we shouldn't underestimate him." My face hardens as I try to think of something to do.
          "I say we should stay here for a while longer and assess the situation more so we know what's going on and if we need to intervene at all." I look over at Akio, surprised at the sound of his voice. "We should only intervene if we deem it necessary." I nod and look back at the battle that is about to rage right in front of us. My gaze shifts to my Father, the look on his face worrying me. He doesn't look ready to fight at all, It's almost like he doesn't care. My face hardens into a scowl as I stare at my Father. If anyone besides a villain dies here, I'm going to kill him myself.
          "Well, well. If it isn't Tero, the number one protector." The villain that calls himself Akumu is smiling, an evil look in his eyes. "I would like you to meet my friends. They want to kill you just as much as I do."
          "What do you want with me? I don't even know who you are." Father doesn't look happy when he says that, and neither does Akumu.
          "You know, it always surprised me how much you don't care, Tero. You're still like that after all these years. Tell me, were you devastated by your eldest son's death?" Father's eyes grow wide, but tears never appear. Betrayer. Father's face forms into a sneer as he stares at Akumu.
          "What's it to you, villain?" Akumu smiles with a look on his face that doesn't sit right with me.
          "How did he die again? Suicide, right? I wonder why that is. Maybe, it was because of you, hm? Ever think about that? Or are you too self-centered to even realize?" Father's face hardens further, but tears never spring to his eyes. I can't believe him.
          "Just tell me what you want with me already! I'm getting impatient." Akumu's smile widens further as he raises his gaze to meet my Fathers.
          "You know, it's disappointing that you don't recognize your own son's face." Father's eyes widen, his stance uneven. The whole building seems to be holding its breath, a blanket of silence falling over everyone. Tears spring to my eyes as I try to hold back my sobs. What- What is he talking about? Kirai is dead.
          "What is this nonsense that is coming out of your mouth!? Kirai is dead, and has been for the past ten years!" Akumu starts to laugh softly, the smile on his face growing wider and wider.
          "Oh, Father. How could you not recognize me? I am Kirai. I'm disappointed in you. You couldn't recognize your son!" Kirai shakes his head, the same half-crazed smile on his face. "Especially since you were the one that witnessed me get these scars. That was the day before I supposedly died, wasn't it?" There are scars along the bottom of Kirai's jaw, all the way down to his collarbone, and probably past it. His arms are completely covered in scars as well. All of these scars are burn scars. Father told me that his affinity harmed him, but I didn't realize it harmed him this badly. Father growls slightly, his ears pinned back to his head and his tail stock-still.
          "You're going to pay for this, Kirai."
          "My, my, you haven't changed one bit, Father. Still as feisty as ever I see." The smile that was on Kirai's face falls as he turns serious. "If you want to fight me that badly, fine. Let's see how much I improved since last time."
          "Gladly."
          "Oh, but there's one thing I'm missing." Kirai whistles and one more thing emerges from the portal before it closes. I don't know what this creature is, but it isn't normal.
          "Meet my friend's invention. This creature has multiple affinities and was created to be able to defeat you. Such a bummer, too; the girl we had to use to create it was so beautiful. What was her name again? Nozomi?" I gasp, covering my mouth with my hand. Father snarls as Kirai, growling deep in his throat. "Now, I'm ready."