The Storm Prince And The Broken Heart

"She isn't supposed to be this special."

Tsubasa Raijin — a boy with electric violet eyes and silver-white hair streaked with bolts of blue — leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on nothing in particular. He was talking to Kira, a girl with sharp golden eyes and long, sleek black hair with golden highlights.

"I've been monitoring her lately," Tsubasa continued, scrolling through his phone. "She seems to have several people that wants to kill her. Or better still, eat her."

Tsubasa wasn't paying much attention. His whole concentration was on his phone, his thumbs moving rapidly across the screen.

"Yuri and Natsumi have a grudge against her," he said playfully. "She made Rai lose trust in them."

Kira giggled, sipping her orange juice through a straw.

"My God, they are really that desperate? What did they do?"

"Well, they shoved her head into the pond and gave her two mighty slaps. Then Rai caught them and, you know, cut all ties." He shrugged. "Rai is quite a handful. He takes things too seriously."

Kira set down her drink, her golden eyes gleaming with amusement.

"I cannot really blame him for this particular action. They deserved it."

Tsubasa rolled his eyes.

"That's right. How'd you know all this?"

Tsubasa stood up, a wild grin spreading across his face.

"What happens in the middle of a storm?" he asked.

Kira smiled.

"You never quit it, do you?"

He let out a dramatic sigh.

"I don't. And that's why I'm gonna see that human."

Kira crossed her legs, watching him with knowing eyes.

"Good luck with that."

Tsubasa's eyes glowed as his fingers crackled with lightning. He grinned.

"See ya later."

He zoomed off in a flash of blue light.

Kira stood up slowly, her smile fading into something more thoughtful.

"Even Tsubasa is interested in her now," she murmured. "That's special alright."

She walked away, her heels clicking against the stone floor.

In the half-breed dorm, Yuki was talking to Yuu.

"So how did you become a half-breed?" Yuki asked.

Yuu looked at Yuki and smiled faintly — but there was pain behind her eyes.

"Well, you never know you're a half-breed until your Veil Piercing."

Yuki looked curious.

"Veil Piercing? What's that?"

Yuu let out a long breath of air, her shoulders slumping.

"Well... it's hard to explain, but here goes nothing. For the Kitsune clan, our sacred book is called The Fox's Cunning."

Yuki was super attentive.

"So... how does that concern the Veil Piercing?"

Yuu used physical diagrams with her hands, trying to explain.

"It's the whole reason. Okay, here goes: the suspected half-breed is forced to stand in front of a magical mirror. The mirror shows their true self — fox features for pure blood, human features for half-blood."

Yuki's mind swelled with horror.

"Hold up a second — when they find out that you're half-breed, what will they do to you?"

Yuu began to cry.

"The punishment doesn't apply to us. Our parents are the ones to suffer!" Her voice cracked. "My mother and father's tails were cut off. Both of them. For the sake of raising me. My father was the only one in the entire Kitsune clan who had ten tails, but they were still ruthless. They cut them off!!"

Her face began to burn red with rage and grief.

"Yuu, calm down," Yuki said, reaching for her. "You're consuming a lot of energy. You could have a terrible headache."

Yuu continued to cry silently, her body trembling.

"I will never forgive them," she whispered.

Yuki's own eyes began to sting. The memory of her parents flashed back — her mother's slap, her stepfather's cold indifference, Hana's cruelty.

"Yuu, I understand how you feel completely," Yuki said softly. "But you have to forgive them. You have to move on."

Yuu turned and looked at her, her eyes burning with fury.

"Forgiveness you say?" she spat. "Did they forgive them?! Did they care?! Did they think or have the slightest thought of my feelings? How I will survive? Huh? Did they ever imagine? And now you want to forgive them?!"

Tears began falling from Yuki's eyes.

"Yuu, I've been there. The only thing running through your mind is revenge, but..."

She cried even harder.

"No, Yuki, understand me!" Yuu shouted. "Please listen closely to my cause!"

Yuki tried to touch her.

"Yuu, try to understand..."

Yuu stood up forcefully, knocking over a chair. The noise echoed through the dorm.

Akihiko stood up from the sofa.

"What was that?" he asked.

Zan stood up sharply.

"It's Yuu!" he said.

They all stood up and headed to Yuki's room, where they saw Yuu standing over Yuki, her face twisted with rage. Rei rushed forward and held her.

Akihiko pulled Yuu back by the arm, his ice-blue eyes cold.

"That's enough, Yuu," he said firmly. "You're not helping anyone."

Zan went to Yuki, kneeling beside her.

"Yuu, understand — she's not in a proper mindset," Zan said, his emerald eyes calm but firm. "She's sick. You're making her react."

Yuu broke out of Akihiko's grip, her eyes wild with tears.

"Listen to me, Zan!" she screamed. "Even if everyone doesn't, you should! Please!"

Zan looked at her, took a deep breath, and spoke calmly.

"Look, Yuu, she's gonna lose her mind if we don't attend to her. Please understand."

Yuki's memory began to flood in — the pain, the screams, the darkness. She was in agony. She began to hear whispers. She covered her ears and began to scream.

Zan's eyes had concern lingering. Akihiko looked furious

"Attend to her Zan," he said firmly. 

Akihiko grabbed Yuu's arm and pulled her toward the door.

"Come on, Yuu. You're coming with me."

Yuu struggled, but Akihiko was stronger. He dragged her out of the room and closed the door behind them.

Rei stayed, her silver-green eyes fixed on Yuki.

"Focus, Zan," Rei said quietly. "She'll be fine."

He nodded. Then he looked at Yuki, who was still terrified, her hands clamped over her ears, her body shaking.

"Why is she like this?" he muttered.

He touched her forehead, and his eyes glowed. He saw the memories — the slaps, the pond, the fear, the loneliness. He removed his hand. Her head was hot.

"That's too much," he whispered. "Even for her."

He hugged her tightly and brushed her head with his hand softly.

"It's okay," he murmured. "You're alright."

She began to calm down. Her eyes opened — they were bright red, tear-streaked, and exhausted.

Zan released the hug.

"You're alright. You're with us."

She left her ears. "Thanks, Zan."

He wiped the tears off her chin. She smiled warmly, still sobbing.

"You saw it, didn't you?" she asked.

He smiled at her.

"I did. But you're okay. You're not there. You're here with us. Remember that, okay?"

She stopped sobbing. Zan touched her chin, then her eye, and her temperature came back to normal.

"Thanks a lot, Zan," she whispered.

He waved his head from side to side playfully.

"Your welcome, Ki-ki."

She smiled. "Is that a pet name?"

He waved his head again, a playful grin on his face.

"Maybe. If you don't like it..."

She smiled again, her eyes bright.

"I love it."

They both stood up and headed toward the door. He held her playfully as they exited the room.

Outside, in the hallway, Akihiko had released Yuu. She stood against the wall, her face buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

Akihiko's expression softened. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yuu," he said quietly. "I know it hurts. I know you're angry. But Yuki didn't do anything to you. She's not your enemy."

Yuu looked up, her eyes red and swollen.

"She doesn't understand," she whispered. "None of you do."

"We do," Akihiko said. "We've all lost something. We've all been hurt. But taking it out on her won't fix anything."

Yuu said nothing. Her hands clenched into fists.

Then, quietly, she whispered:

"I'll make you pay, Yuki. I'll make you wish you didn't get enrolled here. I'll make you regret your existence."

She pushed past Akihiko and walked away.

Akihiko watched her go, his ice-blue eyes filled with concern.