The Night Shift of [redacted]

First Glance

        11pm. The mall was dark, with that faint scent of cleaner lingering in the cool, night air. Brown eyes scanned the large hallways he roamed in, peeking into individual stores to make sure nothing lurked within the shadows inside. His black hair now down on his head, rather the usual spiked-up look he usually possessed. His pale skin was illuminated by the moonlight shining in through the skylights above him, through the windows lining the walls on the raised levels of the building. It had been a Friday and Noya had stayed fully until practice ended. Tanaka seemed to have dropped his behaviors, much to his relief, and he continued his life as he had been. The second year froze when he heard footsteps, he looked over in the direction of the steady 'click click click' of a guard's shoes. He ran, his footsteps rapidly thumping through the abandoned darkness of [redacted] mall. Noya felt a sharp heat atop his collarbone, only to realize that it was that damned necklace he had been given just nights prior to this. Instead of acknowledging this, he ignored the heat and ran into a bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

        Once inside, Yuu turned to the mirror and saw that it was its usual, reflective self. A wave of relief flooded over him as he sank down against the wall until he was sitting against the wall. His legs were drawn up lazily, his breathing ragged as he listened for stray sounds and movements. Inside his chest, the feeling of his heart pounding against his ribcage was very noticeable, in fact the pulsing of his heart in his ears seemed like it'd attract an entity. Noya checked his watch. 11:20. '11:50 I gotta go... just half an hour... just half an hour and I'm good.' he thought to himself, reassuring himself that tonight would be like any other night, that tonight he'd survive again and be able to slumber away the remainder of the night in the comforts of his bed. The necklace remained hot against his collarbone, providing warmth against the cool air of the mall's bathroom, though he found it a little uncomfortable. However, he knew better than to try and take it off, knowing that one day he may need it, so he left it on and had dealt with the questions from his parents, relieved that none of the team had noticed or questioned him on the new accessory. Noya gently lifted the pendant, checking for the weight, releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding. He felt the same, few grams of weight he felt throughout the past few days.

        As he listened to the soft 'drip drip drip' of the faucets, the soft nighttime sounds of the empty mall, his mind kept a sharp awareness of the seconds ticking by him as he sat in the bathroom. Nishinoya took a breath as he took another look at his watch, annoyed that it was only 11:35, only 3 minutes had passed since the last time he checked the time. A gasp left him as the necklace's charm grew to be several pounds, but only for a second, before it developed a warm glow and floated inches from his face. The glowing aura around the piece of metal pulsed, tempting him to remove the necklace, wield his weapon, to take its grip within his hands. His pupils dilated as he stared, a strong impulse griping him, urging him to take the weapons granted to him, to hold the weapon and fight. Without thinking, his hands drifted to that little clasp holding the chain around his neck, as if something had possessed him. His mind raced with adrenaline, his body was quaking as he felt a surge of energy, such a powerful kick of adrenaline... a push so powerful it scared him, it was even stronger than that rush, that slap of eagerness before a match. Clumsily, small fingers undid the clasp. Short legs guided a small frame to its feet, small but strong arms reaching out as the charm expanded... Before Noya could process anything, a long, beautiful scythe stood steadily in his hands...

        The weapon was about a foot and a half above his height, just a bit above that damned Russian he had met what felt like ages ago. The handle itself was a shiny, glowing gold, a black strip of leather wrapped around it's handle where his hands sat firm, wrapped around the golden handle tight. Looking up, his eyes widened as he saw the blade. The blade was almost the size of his arm, he could sense the power behind it, could sense the careful craftsmanship that was put behind its construction. It was a pure white... a purer white than Noya could have ever imagined, glowing in that holy white of the land of which it was made in. It felt like an eternity he stood there, gawking at the weapon he had worn as such a dainty trinket for those days... appalled at the sheer power he could sense from it, amazed that so much power had remained condensed, unknown while worn around his neck. Once Noya remembered just why he had this weapon out in the first place, it eradicated any sort of greed or hunger he could have developed just by seeing the blade. Noya then turned to the door, his mind grounded by the reminder of his situation. He took one last glance at his watch: 11:45. Another 5 minutes before he could leave. While waiting, the bathroom underwent through a thorough inspection by Noya, who had gripped the scythe tight. Then a thought occurred to him, in such a poorly timed situation... 'I just got to wield the strongest, coolest thing I have ever laid eyes on, the coolest thing I have ever TOUCHED... in a fucking bathroom in a closed mall, at like, 11:35 at night. Wow.'