YOU Need to Get Ready!

Danchi sits on a wooden bench at the train station with his legs crossed and arms crossed, his sniper rifle inside a black case and laid on the floor.

A cigarette in his mouth emits a small trail of smoke as the sun beats down on his body. His eyes stay closed before opening again.

Danchi’s head leans back, and he thinks to himself - ‘’on to the next I guess...’’

He sighs, a plume of smoke breezing from his mouth as his eyes close again. This moment of serenity is short lived as he hears someone shouting.

He only catches words like ‘’wait!’’ or ‘’Made it!’’. Man... there being way too loud. He opens his eyes once more to look at the sound.

There is someone running towards him...who though? Danchi narrows his eyes as they try to focus on the blurry character moving towards him quickly, its silhouette blending into the blurry background

Yumo shouts angrily as he continues running - ‘’It's me you wonk eyed idiot! Can't you see me damn it?!’’

Danchi’s eyes finally adjust to see a sweaty Yumo, the sun beating down on his body and making the area around them give a relaxing hue.

Yumo now smiles softly as he notices Danchi sees him - ‘’I made it...’’

Danchi gets up with his rifle in its gun case hoisted over his shoulder and walks over to Yumo with a usual calm look, taking the cigarette out his mouth and breathing out smoke

Danchi with a cool tone - ‘’I wouldn’t be so happy yet, the holder division training camp isn’t kind to newbies like you’’

Danchi turns on his heel and expects Yumo to follow him, his hand slipping the cigarette back into his mouth. The wind blows behind Yumo, pushing him to take the steps towards his new life

Yumo walks after Danchi with one eyebrow raised in curiosity. the sun now slips behind the clouds as they make their way inside of the train that has just arrived at the station.

Sometime later, Danchi and Yumo are sat across from each other in the train. A small table in the middle of them holding some drinks on top that Danchi bought Yumo.

The train is quiet despite being decently full, the silence comfortable and relaxed. Yumo looks out the window as streets and buildings pass by. Yumo then turns his head to see Danchi looking down at his hands which are resting on his lap

Yumo with a neutral tone - ‘’so...what exactly is this training camp about?’’

Danchi’s multi colored eyes glide up to look at Yumo before he sits up a bit straighter

Danchi while crossing his arms, a small exhale escaping his lips - ‘’I think its best if I just fill you in on some other things before you start worrying about the camp’’

Yumo sits forward in his soft seat slightly, ready to listen to Danchi’s explanation, the wheels of the train quietly riding against the tracks

Danchi clears his throat - ‘’ I’m sure you know what current is right?

Yumo looks up, thinking for a moment with a puzzled look before his eyes light up and he nods and looks back at Danchi

Yumo – ‘’I'm pretty sure current is just our life energy, right? but we can’t use current naturally so...’’

Yumo looks at Danchi with another puzzle expression, his head resting in his hand.

Danchi nods – ‘’that's right. Current typically is unusable as it’s unstable for normal people.’’

The train stops at another train station, making Danchi pause as the train doors slide open with a mechanical whirr

Danchi turns his head to look at the people walking in - ‘’as you know anchor users are those with special powers. Those said special powers come from a special bond that can be formed with pretty much anything’’

Yumo stays quiet as Danchi explains though his eyes stay slightly wide, the train doors closing again and the wheels emitting a similar soft rumble as the soft chatter in the train continues

Danchi turns his head back to look at Yumo, his body eerily still - ‘’from that look on your face, you must be realising it’’

Yumo looks down at his hands which are resting on his knees and nod slightly, his eyes wide and a speck of sweat forming on his forehead. The swaying of the carriage makes him feel off balance.

Yumo swallows, his Adams apple bobbing up and down - ‘’yeah...I’ve really become an anchor user h-huh?’’

Danchi stares at Yumo with saying anything for a few beats, the soft chatter around them fading into the background as Yumo’s situation finally settles in for him.

Then, Danchi's hand slowly reaches out and he puts his hand on Yumo’s head and begins to gently pat his head

Danchi with an understanding tone - ‘’I’ve been there before Yumo, it isn't nice hearing you’ve become something so misunderstood’’

Yumo looks up with a surprised look, his black and purple hair ruffling at the pats

Danchi then smiles very slightly, the softness contrasting with his stiff body - ‘’don’t worry kid, you’ll catch on’’

Yumo’s heart flutters and sunlight shines through the train windows as hope begins to fill his body

Yumo smiles back and nods, his eyes closed as his doubts are momentarily quelled - ‘’yeah!’’

The train chugs on its tracks for a few more moments before finally pulling into Kyoto train station. Danchi and Yumo step off the train and into the bustling streets of Kyoto, the sun still high overhead but the looming buildings casting a shadow over the streets.

Yumo watches as Danchi quickly slips another cigarette into his mouth and lights it. Yumo’s eyebrows furrow as he wonders whether to take action or not.

Yumo with a quiet voice - ‘’you should...really slow down on smoking those. There really bad for your lungs’’

Danchi doesn’t turn his head as he continues walking with his one in his pocket and the other keeping his rifle case slung over his shoulder

Danchi – ‘’thanks. I can manage though’’

His tone simple but to Yumo this is a big milestone. Yumo nods but huffs from his nose proudly and stands slightly taller, acting as if he just achieved something great.

As they walk for a few more minutes, Danchi calls down a taxi. Yumo and Danchi sit in the back seat with the rifle being placed into the boot prior.

The taxi driver turns his head with a smile as if he’s going to talk to them but stops when he notices Danchi who is looking at the driver with his blank stare.

The drivers smile slowly gets replaced with an unsure look and he turns around to murmur - ‘’where ya headed?’’

The driver’s voice dips, a clear contrast to how he first presented himself

Yumo raises an eyebrow and looks at Danchi who seems unphased by the change in demeanour from the driver. Yumo thinks how he would feel if someone clearly wasn’t comfortable with just his presence alone. Is Danchi maybe...used to this?

Danchi with a similarly unphased tone- ‘’Kyoto prefecture’’

The driver doesn’t react but shifts uncomfortable in his seat as he begins driving through the busy streets.

Yumo continues to stare at Danchi, now a pang of worry hitting his chest. He tries to ignore it and looks out the window, watching as the main part of Kyoto slowly drifts away as they reach a highway.

The taxi drives through the highway and onto a road through a lush forest that casts shadow overhead from the luscious green leaves.

Yumo looks out the window, he hasn’t seen nature look so calming in a long time...why did he do that too himself?

Eventually, the taxi reaches Kyoto prefecture, a place with much smaller buildings but with a great view of the seaside. Danchi gets out of the car to go grab his rifle case from the back while he lets Yumo pay for the taxi with the money that he handed him.

Yumo then pays and follows Danchi out of the taxi, the driver looking slightly relieved now that they’ve left the taxi.

Yumo raises his hand – ‘’thank you-’’

But before he can finish his thanks, the taxi driver speeds off down the road and out of view. Yumo looks up at Danchi and this time Danchi sighs, pulling another cigarette from his pocket and lighting it in his mouth.

Yumo frowns until Danchi turns his head, causing Yumo to stand slightly straighter and wipe the frown from his face

Danchi with a cool tone, puffing some smoke from his mouth – ‘’since were almost at the camp, guess I should explain how it works’’

Yumo’s eyes remain trained on Danchi as he turns and begins walking. Yumo quickly follows suit, now taking in the scenery as the warm air breezes through his hair.

They both walk a few steps before Danchi begins to explain

Danchi - ‘’the training camp is split into 7 weeks. For the first six weeks, you’ll be training your body, mind and your knowledge on current and anchors.’’

Yumo looks up the roofs of the buildings in thought then nods slowly but looks slightly confused

Yumo - ‘’right...I understand mostly everything but why are we training our mind?’’

Danchi stops and slowly turns to Yumo with an intense look on his face.

Some civilians pass before Danchi speaks - ‘’because you won't survive with your current mind set. Being an anchor user doesn’t just mean you get to be a superhero’’

Danchi looks away from Yumo with a hint of remembrance in his gaze, a flash of blood in the snow shuttering in his mind before it melts away quickly into indifference

Danchi – ‘’people who are as hungry as you to protect others don’t survive in this line of work. You need to learn that...which you will’’

Danchi now turns more hurriedly and begins walking

Yumo feels more nervous than ever, a knot in his stomach tying tight. He looks down at the floor and squeezes his hands tightly, the wind dying down as his posture goes rigid.

Yumo shouts to Danchi – ‘’Your wrong...You’ll see’’

Danchi stops walking but doesn’t turn around

Yumo continues - ‘’I’m gonna save so many fricking people that I’m gonna get an honor roll for being a total bad ass!’’

Yumo looks up with an angry and motivated smile, a vein on his temple form and his hands still squeezed tight. On looker's stare at Yumo with either shock, confusion or curiosity.

Danchi takes the cigarette out of his mouth and puts it on the floor before snuffing it out with his boot

Danchi with a slight smile but nonchalant tone –’’ then you better pass the training camp tournament. It's the only way you can get into the holder division’’

Danchi continues walking on and all Yumo’s bravado and motivation sinks away as he stutters out

Yumo - ‘’h-huh? Training camp tournament? What do you mean?’’

Danchi doesn’t respond and keeps walking on which makes Yumo angry as he runs after him

Yumo - ‘’slow up and answer me asshole!’’