The Enemy Beside Me + The Liar Beside Me (Book 1 and 2)

Chapter 19

'WHAT SHOULD WE DO to him, Mister?' Eien asks whilst we wait for Noritaka to open his eyes.

'We should bury him,' I answer.

'What?'

'I'm kidding.'

'It's not funny.'

'Yeah, sorry.'

How jammy are we that no one had witnessed how Noritaka attacked us and how Eien defeated the giant. I bet even without his lightning, Noritaka is still a formidable enemy.

And even if I hate how he'd struck me out of nowhere, I'm no idiot to deny that he knew what he was doing. Noritaka damaged me in the slightest painful way possible. Because if he meant to kill me, he could've done it with ease.

Both the kid and I struggled to lift him and lay him on the bench. Eien could've just lifted him in the air, but he said he didn't want to risk another chance. Someone could walk in.

Now that the person we'd sought after is here, we have no idea what to do next.

'Well, our job here is done. We can call the school and let them drag Noritaka's arse off there.'

Eien doesn't laugh. His face scrunches into concentration. It's funny, but then I realise what he's doing. 'Hey, stop that! You're trying to wake him up, ain't ya? My jaw still hurts, FYI!'

'But we can't stay here for too long. Our phones will beep soon. I'm aware this city doesn't believe much in QR codes, but you can never know...'

He's right. If we stay out here for too long, an officer might come in here and interrogate us. Even if we have our AIDE cards, how are we supposed to know they wouldn't question the authenticity of these cards?

Not to mention, we've got an unconscious natural-born citizen here.

So, with much reluctance, I say, 'Fine, wake him up.' I want to suggest that as soon as Noritaka wakes up, we run away, but Eien wouldn't listen. He thinks he can heal anybody's sorrow.

I watch him as he lays his hand on Noritaka's forehead and skims it to his chest. At first, nothing is happening. But Eien's eyes start to glow white and then blue again. 'Please, cover my head,' he says. Awkwardly, I try to cover his head with my hands, but he swats them away. Ungrateful midget.

My eyes dart to his neatly folded blazer on Noritaka's knees. When did he have the time to fold his blazer I have got no idea. I pluck it off with the tip of my fingers and conceal his whole head with it. This way, if anybody comes here, they won't see his gleaming eyes.

He does this for a minute until his hands fall back to his sides.

'I am done. Please give Noritaka-kun a minute or two.' Eien yawns soundlessly, covering his mouth with his open palm. 'I believe I've used too much of my energy today. Please give me a moment...' he says, sitting on the ground, cross-legged. He does look like a nun with the blazer still on his head.

'When you use your power, does it really drain you? I mean, I know what I saw when you healed me, and to be honest, it terrified me. It terrified me that I could've...' I pause, asking myself if I should say that word so carelessly. 'What I'm trying to say is, don't tire yourself like that again.'

He lolls his head and stares at me with disbelief. 'I have never met anyone who has never felt fatigued after using their power. Or perhaps it's solely me since I have never had the opportunity to utilise it to its fullness.' He pauses. 'That is right. Perhaps it is just me. My friend is naturally talented, whilst I have to work hard in secret.'

'Work hard? But I thought you were...I don't know. Like, super-powerful!'

Eien rubs his temples with his thumb. 'Aerokinesis might be, but I am not. I'm still studying and testing my potential. I am not like Anderson-kun, who, upon learning of his hydrokinesis, became unstoppable. He was exceptional that we had dreaded for his life.'

'Anderson? Declan Anderson has what?'

'Water manipulation.'

'Yeah, yeah, I know what 'Hydrokinesis' means, mate. I'm not a moron.But he can control water? Wow!'

A chill runs down my spine, literally, as the wind has become colder.

'Sorry, did I say something wrong?'

'No. You did not say anything amiss, Mister.'

'Jaxon. My name is Jaxon.'

'Yes, sorry, but I can't call you that.'

I frown. 'Why the hell not?'

He shrugs, lacing his fingers together. 'Please do not take it personally. I find it inappropriate. Calling somebody using their first name, especially someone older, is somewhat uncalled for.'

'But I'm giving you my permission!'

He casts his eyes down, pink painting his pale face. 'Jaxon...' His tongue protrudes slightly and retrieves inside his mouth, as though he is testing my name. 'It doesn't seem right. Anyway,' he says, brushing off the name issue, 'as I have said, you did not say anything wrong, so do not fret.'

'Well, OK then, But why is it suddenly so cold here? And don't say it ain't you because I know it's you.'

The kid dips his head. 'When you expressed that Anderson-kun's water manipulation is astounding, you were right. However, it is also one of the reasons why we have drifted apart.' He blinks, and for a moment, I thought he was crying. but his eyes remain dry. 'Sometimes I wish we were ordinary people. I wish we were normal.'

I stand there, staring at a small, lost kid. After everything he has done for me, I've almost forgotten that behind the void expressions and powerful ability, is a child seeking his best friend.

What exactly am I doing, I have got zero ideas. I kneel, levelling my face with Eien's face. Awkwardly, I place my hand on top of his head. 'Hey,' I say, prompting him to look at me. 'You're fine.'

Questions flash in his eyes. 'I am fine?'

'Yeah. You maybe aren't normal. Maybe we aren't in this world of people with no superpowers, but we're fine. I mean, yeah, I've got this pyrokinesis shit going on, but I'm still Jaxon Evans. You've got the...er, aerokinesis shit, but you're still Eien Uchiyama. We are fine.'

Eien stares up at my hand for a long time. He's not the usual Eien with no emotions, but rather a child who is unsure of what he should do. I, too, am confused. Should I remove my hand or let it rest there for a while?

Slowly, the kid closes his eyes. Slowly, my hand drifts to his shoulder. To my surprise, he leans his head against my hand with a tiny smile on his lips.