Kingdom Hearts Fragment Volume 1

(Chapter 2: The Awakening Part 2)

THWACK!

"Ah!"

Nozomi had swung her newly acquired long stick hard, sending Reno flying off his feet and onto the ground with a mighty slam! This made dust kick up from the playground floor. For it had turned out sadly as she had predicted, Wairu had failed to cast a spell and it had instead backfired on him. Which left him open to an attack by Reno, who, after sending him off his feet, had laughed at him and his pain, causing her to strike back hard.

Quiet, she watched as Rude and Elena ran to assist him. With a sigh, she bent down to Wairu, asking him with concern, "Are you okay?"

But as she tried to help with a hand down, he pushed it away, telling her, "Don't touch me!"

This made her stare at him with shocked wide eyes. As he got up fast, still covered in dust. She hadn't seen the look on his face, but she knew it couldn't be positive, for he wouldn't even look at her.

She watched him quietly as he finally went to grab his discarded hat. But before his fingers could meet its familiar soft blue material, it was quickly snatched up again!

"Hey!" Hearing Wairu cry this out, Nozomi saw that the one who had taken her friend's item was the head honcho of the group...Rufus.

In his long white puffer jacketcoat and grey trousers, with his stroked back blonde hair, he lookedat Wairu's distressed face tauntingly with a smug smile and blue eyes. He grabbed one end of the hat and pulled hard at it, tearing the seams apart!

Upset, Nozomi cried out, "Rufus, stop it!"

He ignored her, and-!

RRRIIIPPP!

The hat was torn, making it unwearable now. Rufus threw it down to the floor again before-!

STOMP!

He ground it hard into the floor with his black sneaker, destroying what resemblance of style it had left. Nozomi couldn't believe it! Mad, she shouted, "What did you do that for!? Why-!"

"Because nobody likes magic users around here," he mocked as he went past Wairu. Then finally, standing a little distance before Nozomi, he told her point blank," And nobody cares for a cursed child like you!"

Feeling a heavy pain in her heart, Nozomi bit her lip. Gripping the stick in her hand tightly, wanting to just-!

"Now, why don't you run on home to your empty parent-less shack? We've better things to do than conversing with negative space like you!" With that, he walked straight back to his gang.

Nozomi quiet was shocked at this. She didn't have parents, but to bring this up just to have a one-upon her! That was way too much! Angry, she recovered her nerve and started to charge forwards to confront Rufus!

"I hate this!"

It was then Wairu walked past her, upset and there she saw tears lining his eyes!

Her rage faded in seconds to be replaced with her concern again, she reached out to try and grab her friend, but he dodged her touch and ran away with his destroyed hat in hand, leaving through the school gate.