Chapter 13 — “Hunt For Justice”

Chapter 13 — “Hunt For Justice”

It was a peaceful day. Cats are stretching, and children are playing. People of Kyoto chat with each others without a single care in the world. One of the said pedestrian strolls across the ancient road with another, levitating next to him. Both have a wide smile across their face, without any hints of fear or discord. It was a normal day, with humans… being humans. It was all fine and well, before a group of suited man walk the same road. The group stares at the now uncomfortable pedestrians, as they continue their unwelcome walk.

Tension arises as the intimidation becomes a part of their journey. They begin to bark slurs, glares at couples, and go physical with the crowd — pulling men by their collar, whistling women as they pass by. As the crowd grown restless, one brave gentlemen finally voice their concern.

“Hey, be respectful!”

To which the group didn’t take it well. They stopped, as one of the mob approached him. With all of his courage, he stretches his arm.

“I do not want to cause any unnecessary damage.”

“You did, though. You threw some hurtful words to us.”

The man clicked his tongue, knowing no words would be efficient. With a flick of his finger, gust of winds blows the man away. Or so he thought the scenario would be. In the end, the breeze just passes through the mob’s annoyed face.

“You’re a Princi, aren’t you?” The mob brandishes his baton, approaching the powered man.

The man flinched. As he tried to make his getaway, the mob hit him from the back of his head. The man fell, as the mob straddle him.

“Don’t get cocky just because you have power! You may have cute little tricks of yours, but we — The SCF is experienced in handling your clumsy act!”

As the mob raised his baton again—

“That’s enough.” A deep voice echoes as thunder roars in the middle of a perfect noon.

The mob can’t deliver another blow. In fact, he can’t even move the baton any longer. A red haired girl held the other end of the baton. As if she was toying with a little kid, she kept it still while the mob tried his best to pull it off her. Then, with a little bit more effort, she crushed the baton with only her palm — shattering it to hundred of pieces

Thunder keeps on roaring as the leader of the separatist reveals himself, basking in the sunlight. He approaches the group of mob, as they started to poise their weapon. From knifes to guns — every equipment are pointed to the man.

“I trust you will only have problem with the one you have problem with?” His eyes are sharp into the crowd. Cham locked her sight with the mob, now had a paler lips for certain reasons.

“Stand down. You’re not even her plaything.” A voice comes from the middle of the group. Out from it is a face he hasn’t forgotten. Noah observed the man with the same tattered coat — and the yellowish haired boy, full of rage like the last time they met eye-to-eye.

The mob lowered his stance, complying. But his eyes are still met by the intense glare of Cham.

“You too, boss. Tell your girl to back off.” Bitter points his behind with his thumb.

“Cham.”

“I know. I won’t.”

She stands tall, refusing to back down. Her glares now averted to the group, pointing their gun to the aggressive girl.

Bitter sighs, “Kids, eh? They give such a low Return-on-Investment for such a high maintenance cost.” He observes his surrounding — the now empty road, and the positioning of the two troublesome adversaries, pinching the group from left and right.

“As parents, you shouldn’t have any expectation that you will be reimbursed for your care,”

“Then I’m lucky that I’m no parent,” Bitter smirked. He grabs a pack of chewing gum from his pockets, taps one out from the packaging, and throw one to his mouth. “So, how’s the girl? She caused problem yet?”

“No…”

“Good. That’s good.”

Bitter chews his gum without a single care to the rising tension, “Any plan on returning her to her rightful owner?”

“Depends.”

“Now that’s bad.”

Sounds of guns clicking echoes through the open land. The wind start to swirl — becoming more and more violent. The two opposite sound courses through the horizontal lines of the walk.

“Have you even asked for her, like, consent? Because I’m sure as hell she wouldn’t like to live with a bunch of terrorists.” Bitter’s chewing becomes more aggressive.

“You’re using her naivety for your own gain,”

“That didn’t really answer my question,”

“She’ll like it, eventually. Once the truth about the SCF opens her eyes.”

“She knows the truth and it did opened her eyes, alright? Our eyes. She knows the world isn’t a fair place in the first place and fate is a cruel mistress. It is just bad luck when you are born being too strong, and bad luck if you are born too weak. The world never accept ‘the extreme’, and it never will. And her decision to that truth is to accept, and bear with it. Day by day burying what she realises to be an impossibility to dream.”

“And you accept the truth, without ever trying to change it?”

“What, me against the world?” Bitter chuckled.

“For a daughter, I would.”

“I’ve seen it, yes,” Bitter scratched his head, “Lucky that I’m no father.”

Noah’s silence is deafening. The sky grows darker as thunderous clouds rumbling behind above them.

“I’ve heard enough,” Noah said, “and I know my answer,”

“Yeah, me too.” Bitter’s grabbed his holster, “Lemon?”

A soft command, yet with an opposite effect. With a single step, Lemon dashes to Bitter’s right — toward the empty, open ground. The unexpected dash doesn’t seem to have an objective, but Noah’s reaction tells the otherwise.

“Shem!” He yelled. He raises his hands toward Lemon.

Cham dashed through the thugs, readying her punch. As she was delivering the punch to Lemon’s face, Lemon twisted his shoulder — grabbingCham’s fist by his bare hand. The force stops, as he held her knuckles tight. The force, that should’ve shattered even a block of concrete.

Cham grunts, but as she tried to deliver a second blow, Lemon slam his shoulder to her body. With a single move, lift her whole body up and drops her on the ground. The Domini-level girl had her brain shook inside her skull, and Lemon prepared his fist.

Raging wind starts to blows the ground away, but it is too late. Lemon’s fist connects with the empty space, and reality snaps back. The road has long gone, and has become an ancient pathway — with hundreds of red torii gates all over the foot walk. The empty space in front of Lemon has revealed its true nature — a long, black haired lady guarding her face with her forearms.

“I see…you are really as troublesome as I heard, ‘Big Bro’.” The lady smirked with nervousness painted all over her face. The raging wind quiet down, as beam of sunlight strikes the ground back.

“Cham, Shem! Call for reinforcements!” As Noah raised his hands, A yellow oval sighted over the sky. With its appearance, spiralling wind starts to descend onto the earth.

“All units, be advised! Targets are Cham, Shem, and Noah of The Ark — one Domini-class and two Sera-class. Prepare for heavy artillery and gunfire!” Bitter reaches toward the now-formed formation of SCF personnels, as he directs his hands to them, “Let’s hunt them down good! Let’s —“