(Discontinued) CORHEIM Year One Volume 1: The New Heart in Town

Chapter Pet

Chapter 05–Unordinary Hours of Our Lives
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Well, this is a new record; being in the Principal's Office two times in a single day. Good job, Takeo. Takeo thought, feeling as if he had done an accomplishment from doing all of this. He was all bandaged up, and had a black eye from one of Ryoji's punches.
As Ryoji walked in there, the two boys stared at each intensely, Cobalt Comet and Sora were in the room alongside with Lino. Lino looked at them intimidatingly, the two boys discontinued their antagonistic staring contest as Lino continued on what Ryoji thought that the Principal was getting ready to expel the two of them. He grabbed his reading glasses telekinetically and began reading Takeo's record.
"I don't need to read your report sheet, Mr. Fukuazan.. I still don't understand on why it is that you destined to engage in a brawl in the middle of the courtyard. You should be in juvenile jail instead here in Surwick...." The Principal said while Takeo simply shrugged, the boy was aware of what he has done in the past but didn't care because he looked beyond to the future. Idris slammed his hand on Lino's Office, Ryoji was a little bit shocked to see a Teacher violently react to a student. "I have dedicated ten years of my life to this school. I have spend thousands of hours grading papers, lecturing, and this is I want I get!?!" Students not respecting me, some teachers talking about my family's past!?! I'm sorry, Mr.Saon; but I feel like we should expel both Ryoji and Takeo! Takeo has broken the rules too many times, and Mr.Kazama is a Heart-Bond! Heart-Bonds killed my wife and aren't to be trusted!!"
"Enough, Idris! They're still children, let them explain on this happened in the first place." Sora stated, look at the boys and calmly said; "Well, now, come on. Tell us."
There was a long silence, Takeo twiddled his thumb as Lino's patience has run its course, the atmosphere of the office was eerily upsetting.
"Well, it started because of a simple conversation gone south. Takeo thought I was talking to his girlfriend, so he punched Marcus because of that. I could've avoided the fight, yet I just felt like fighting with someone."
"This feels out of character for you, Ryoji Kazama."
"Then this shouldn't: Expel me. Not him." Ryoji confesses to the Principal sorrowfully, Takeo's eyes grew somewhat big, surprised on what he had confessed as Lino's handsome face grew stern, Sora's composed eyes focused on his book; reading it carefully as time passed.
"I've been given so many times of redemption, and I blew them each time...." Ryoji said, staring at his right scarred hand. He was waiting for the decision to be final as even the assistant principal, Uteshiki, entered in the office to see if everything was going smoothly as planned. He asked her on why she came to his desk in the first place, she said that it was the final period, she disappeared; like she was a mirage. Lino smiled and howled, like any dog would, a low-pitched one to be more accurate. Cobalt looked at him quizzically, and the Shinobi simply said nothing.
"Although I have just met you today, Mr. Kazama, I am simply blew away. The two of you won't be expelled. This was a hypothetical test in which the both of you passed fantastically. Incredible!! Ryoji, your unselfishness is what defines you from what I seen of you today. You were willing to throw yourself into the maws of failure today. I see potential in you, boy, much to Mr. Henshaw's dismay. This road that you are willing to be on will be a hard one to travel on. Are you ready to traverse;to become on what you said?"
Ryoji nodded yes, smiling happily as Takeo folded his arms. After another twenty minutes of Mr.Saon lecturing the demon lynx-fox boy.
Lino looked at Idris, the latter felt he was in trouble. "You're dismissed, Idris. I'll talk to you later."
"But-"
"I will talk to you later." His voice grew more irate, he had enough of Idris's petty jabs and warnings about Heart-Bond, he grew up with Heart-Bonds that were benign and lack the primal instincts their predecessors had millions of years ago.
Idris looked down and closed Lino's office nicely as the only two in his office was now Lino and Sora. The Shinobi with the periwinkle hair simply folded his arms. Lino could tell he was frowning underneath that mask of his. "He was being hysterical."
"I get that, sir. I do, but this kid is...different. I don't think he is what he says he is."
Lino looked at his employee, "Yes, I believe so as well. According from a friend who worked at the archives of Raven River, they never had a Ryoji Dragomir Kazama before it their school before the destruction."
"Do you think that he was sent by a villain?"
Lino nodded. "No—It's rare for a villain to muster the courage to attack  Surwick through the usage of espionage and deception. The only ones they would are either dead or still hiding."
"What about Sarbello and his men? Are they a threat to the Realm?"
He laughed after Sora asked that ridiculous question. "Do not be so ridiculous now, Mr. Minami! Don Sarbello is simply a man—a man with grand delusions to use Prisms to go to Corheim!"
Sora was simply growing frustrated on why Lino did not take anything seriously right now. He took a deep breath. "Corheim is everyone's dream place to visit."
Lino dropped his smile and looked Sora very carefully with a glimpse of despair. "Listen to me very carefully now, Sora: Corheim is never to be visited by any outsider from any realm except residents of Corheim. The ones that are charged of the Realm of Heartz do not like anyone other than themselves. You can call them nationalists, if you like. Any Travel Runes that were connected to Corheim have been long destroyed. If there would be another War of the Realms—it will be Ragnarok here in Mid-World......Keep a close eye on this boy."
Sora took his order seriously and was about to leave his office before a question popped in his head. "About the boy—what do you see in him?"
".......A potential force of good."
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Since the meeting was adjourned and Ryoji was walking around in the hallways, hoping to reach Akina's room without being jumped by Takeo. As he heard stiffing, he turned to see it was Takeo with his head down low.
"Damn you, Kazama!" Shouted Takeo, crying unbearably when he showed his face to his rival. "Think you're a goddamn hotshot!?! Huh!?! Next we fight, I will be the one who wins: Not you! I'm just getting started, you'll see!!! YOU'LL ALL SEE!!!" He ran faster than the speed of light, Ryoji felt bad as he finally reached his dormitory. He opened slowly and Marcus was hold an ice pack on the top of his head. "How you're holding up, Marcus?"
"Never better. Akina was worried sick about you..." Marcus groaned, Akina hugged Ryoji; scared to death with her embracing the Heart-Bond. "She smells nice....." Igneus said with a dry tone.
Shaddup and let me do the talking here...
Akina spoke with no stuttering. "Are you expelled from Surwick?"
Ryoji answered quickly. "No, it was a test. It's like Mr. Saon wanted us to fight..."
"Maybe it was to see your battle capabilities." Marcus theorized as Akina tilting her head in confusion, they dropped the subject altogether and enjoyed the rest of the day.
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Meanwhile in a abandoned Victorian mansion a blocks from Zanark Town, there sat Mario as he gasped for air.
The sweet air that was almost out of his throat as the Young Thug known as Invictus swung on his arm with maximum effort with a metal baseball bat. He wanted to cry, for the pain was something he never felt. This feeling he was experiencing, it was not anger nor sadness; it was pure anger as the brutal beating was still active.
"Well, now, Mario," Invictus began to speak while wiping the blood off his blunt weapon, "Here is a lesson for you to remember; Never steal from Don Sarbello and also learn this: Know your place in this world." Mario should've remembered that he was the umbrella man; not Sarbello's number two man. He knew he was about to die now. A monitor turned on while Invictus resumed his onslaught on Mario.
"Pleaze, Mistah Sarbello! Please don't kills me!! I'm been yourz bezt mun-" Mario was quickly interrupted by Invictus punching him in the lower jaw, breaking it in the process.
"Tell me Mario; how in the hell did you manage to lose the Heartz prism?" The Gang Lord asked on the monitor, the man shivered excessively as Invictus looked up at him and said; "There was a boy who got in the way, his name was Ryoji Kazama. He said he was on his way to Surwick."
"Surwick, huh? Oh well, if the police is coming any minute now, it'll be nice by giving them a pleasant surprise, now would it; Invictus?"
"Yes sir." Invictus looked at Mario and asked him, "Fast or slow?"
The man teared up as Invictus shrugged and said in a sadistic tone, "you want it slow then..."