Rising Star, Kaito Kijomi

Well, this is more exhausting than I thought it’d be. Kaito kicked his feet back and forth, trying to combat boredom. He hunched forward and sighed dramatically, finding comfort in the warm breeze. What is taking them so long?

He glanced around the busy streets below, vigilantly looking for something specific, but gave up only after a few seconds. The thousands of people walking from place to place made him nauseous.

A few seconds later, Kaito reached for his radio earpiece and tried to channel someone, but received nothing. Exhausted, he peered towards a nearby restaurant with the aroma of cheeseburgers.

“Going for some food wouldn’t hurt, right?” He hesitated, not wanting to leave his post in case his target came across him. He shook his head momentarily and took another sigh, resting his head on his hand in defeat. “Never mind.”

A large sign above the entrance read: No paradigms allowed!

Never mind, not worth it anyway with all these damn humans nearby. Then it occurred to him, something that could take his mind off things. Isn’t it around this time that the billboard puts something on? Kaito thought to himself, looking towards a distant building from where he stood.

A news broadcast channel appeared, presented by the typical news lady in a suit and tie, accompanied by a petite co-host.

Noticing this, he crossed his legs and leaned forward, eager to cast off his boredom.

“Yesterday marked six years since the unfortunate catastrophe that was the Paradigm Siege, a terrifying war that shook two of the four capitals and our very city. Fortunately, we recovered faster than expected, but today, we’ve received an update from Lunar Province’s commanding secretaries about their missing weapons.” She promptly stated, swiftly lifting a document to read.

“The Paradigm Siege…” He whispered, a downhearted crack in his voice. He unwound his legs and tightened his hand’s grip on the heavy rim, unaware that he crushed a piece of it into powder. He took a slow, steady breath, snapping out of his daze.

Scratching his head, he returned to watching the news with a frown.

“And they said, quote ‘Regarding the Paradigm siege, a few weapons relating to the catastrophe were recently stolen. We have located the hideout of the suspects to be somewhere in Yokohama; thus, we kindly request your aid. We beg of you, put aside our differences and help us retrieve our belongings.’ She paused, catching her breath. ‘These weapons are dangerous in the wrong hands. People of Yokohama city, we humbly ask that you cooperate. Thank you.”

One of the sacred lands is asking for the help of a lame city like this one? Everyone should be honored, Kaito thought, chuckling to himself.

He narrowed his eyes slightly at the broadcast, tapping his hand repeatedly on the rim. A laugh escaped the reporter’s mouth, dropping the page just as fast. “I don’t get paid enough for this. I can’t believe paradigms are asking for our help? Talk about embarrassing!” She shoved her co-worker in glee, laughing continuously before the broadcast returned to colorful advertisements. Not that it contrasted against anything, there was enough color in the city.

He slammed his fist against the rim, crushing the other side of where he sat. “Are all humans really like this?”

As expected, the ruckus from below became more irritating, laughing and honking as if it were a festival. His face was irked at the sight, retreating off the broken rim to get away from the annoying sounds. Humans had always gotten on his nerves — loud, careless, always celebrating things they couldn’t comprehend. He hated that it still brought back faint memories. Even the stench was getting to him from far up, no longer a pure and fruity aroma, furthering his distance.

“Okay, now what do I do?” He walked back and forth, growing impatient for an order, then it occurred to him.

The news mentioned something about stolen weapons. Could it be that the suspects have something to do with our current mission? Kaito wondered, pausing for a moment as he glanced back at the loud billboard. Imagine what recognition we’d get if that were the case–

“Kaito! Earth to Kaito!” A static screech poked his ear, an urgent and commanding voice. “I frightened one of the targets toward your direction. Do not let him escape!”

He rushed over to the roof’s rear in a flash, glancing towards both ends of the street. He smirked happily, looking from side to side until he caught sight of an upcoming motorcycle.

He placed his finger on the earpiece. “Hey, before I retrieve the loot. Do you think there’s a chance it’s the missing property of Lunar Province?” He asked, stretching his arms diligently.

“Not a shot, idiot. There’s no way people could steal from one of the three capitals and survive to tell the tale.” Elena scoffed, taking pride in her statement.

“But what if there is a chance?” He added, always ready to compete with his sister.

“Let’s make a bet then.” She declared joyfully as Kaito crouched on top of the rim. “If I’m correct, you owe me your breakfast for a week.”

“If I win, then the room’s mine for two days.” Leaning forward, Kaito took a deep breath as the swerving motorcycle grew nearer. His hand tightened around the broken rim as if he were ready to pounce.

“Good luck, you’ll need it,” Elena said sarcastically, with immense explosions and loud chants in her distant background. “Anyways, I’m off to capture my share of dumb humans.” The connection cut off, leaving Kaito to focus.

Lowering his other hand to give his scabbard a little shake, he quickly reviews the road on the other side. He then took his hand to accompany the other, leaning further forward until he hovered over the vast distance between the building and the ground. Still focused on the approaching runaway, he braced himself.

Three, two — his grin sharpened —one! Kaito counted in his mind, leaping from his spot the moment the motorcyclist rushed by, almost running over the pedestrians.

Just as fast as he soared, his hand grabbed the back seat’s handle, his legs skipping over the rough road as he tried to find his footing. Though his strength managed to withstand the collisions below, the motorcycle was too fast to stop with strength alone.

“Hey, filthy paradigm, get away from me!” The motorcyclist shouted in fear, noticing Kaito’s unusual size and abilities. He rapidly reached for his hip and pulled out a Glock, firing at him repeatedly.

Faster than the bullets, Kaito immediately reached for his hip too, summoning his katana in the blink of an eye. In the blink of an eye, all the bullets were cut in half by the blade. An emission of aura, a violet shade, came from the weapon’s edge.

In shock, the guy began to panic, and the ride became further unpredictable. Kaito placed his blade in front of him, facing downwards, as the traffic began to increase. Stabilizing his footing against the street, he put himself behind the motorcycle’s shape to decrease any further destruction.

The man glanced back and forth, his hands searching around the motor’s handle for something. In response, Kaito began his search for the safest stopping point, but could find none, leaving him with the realization he couldn’t seize both of his objectives.

Damn it, the loot or the damn human?! I can’t choose. Kaito tried to remain calm, lowering his katana to the side right beside the tires.

Autopilot engaged. Spoke the motorcycle, allowing the rider to put on some thick insulating gloves that were patched with additional buttons and wires.

“You three are the most annoying rats ever! I can’t wait to see the boss's face when he finds out I took one of them out.” He exclaimed proudly, turning around to reach him. The volts formed between his palms, leaping from finger to finger.

Kaito weaved the first strike, drawing his blade back into his scabbard as the man lunged at him for another attempt.

Shock! The electrocution sprouted through his body like venomous vines, rendering him somewhat unable to move. “What the hell–” The man exclaimed in shock.

Kaito grinned once more.

In the fraction of a second, he pushed through the shocking sensation and grabbed the motor’s back handle with both his hands. He leaped into the air, sustaining his weight, and raised his feet towards the man.

The shoes bashed into his torso, sending the man flying into a nearby store, crashing through clean glass with a loud clatter.

Recovering from the recoil, he rapidly pinned his feet onto the back and reached for the thick container. Having his hands on the handle, he leaped off the speeding motorcycle and braced for impact. His shoulders took all the impact against the building’s brick wall; nothing too grave came from it other than some faint bruises.

He took a sigh of relief, the case successfully retrieved. But as he began approaching the spot he kicked the escapee into, around a block away, a crowd began to form around him. Glares around his every corner, eyes on his every breath, and whispers on his shadow.

He froze in place, glancing between the many instigators.

His breathing began to quiver as they grew closer.

What am I doing? Why can’t I move? Kaito’s thoughts bit at him as his fingers twitched, regaining control of himself.

He took a deep breath, regaining his formality. “Sorry, humans, I gotta go now.”

Right as the crowd grew further enraged by his statement, he withdrew his blade with the other hand and pointed it up towards the air. He slightly angled it, summoning a faint beam of light towards the sky.

Looking at all the riled adults and furious citizens made him content, but once he glanced at the terrified children, his theatrics came to a slow halt. One in particular, with black hair and a slightly malnourished appearance, made him think of a memory from a long time past.

A memory flashing by: a crying young girl, clinging tightly to a warm piece of bread. Similar in almost every way to the one he just saw, only the memory was of a paradigm, littered with scars and bandages.

Flash! Shocked with a new balance, he suddenly stumbled over his feet, maneuvering his feet to save himself. Luckily, someone caught him from behind and helped him stand up, noticing he had been transported a few blocks away.

“Yo, Kaito! That was quite the crowd you gathered back there.” A chill voice called out as Kaito caught his breath, placing the container on the roof where they stood. “Freezing up like that was totally embarrassing, man.”

“Says you, Souta. No one’s more embarrassing than you.” He chuckled, smiling in relief.

“Hey, idiot. What happened to you back there?” Elena asked him impatiently, tapping her foot repeatedly.

“What do you mean?” Puzzled, he looked at his friend before looking back at her.

“You froze like a statue for a second there.” She closed the distance and narrowed her eyes, exhaling disappointingly.

“That was nothing, don’t worry.” He waved both his hands in denial.

“Spill it, now,” Elena demanded, a sharp rise in her voice.