Hostilities Anew

The last time I was here, might’ve been the moment I truly lost the last bit of hope I had in living. The last memory I had before I was all alone. And here I am again, in the company of a group I had only met a few days ago.

I look at myself in the mirror after toweling up, and I get to see how others perceive me after a very long time. I leave the changing room and into a room of mist, and make my way to wash myself before I head into the onsen. The open sky beaming blue above me while I settle myself on the stool while the showers next to me go off.

My slow pace is suddenly broken by a pair of hands touching my hair from the back.

“Fluffy” the engrossed Haru contemplates from behind me

“Oi, Haru-san…knock it off”

“You don’t have to get formal with me you know…and also, you always have your hood on, this is the first time I get to see the fluff you were hiding inside…..and it’s not like I could do anything while you were passed out when we found you”

“Well, it’s more annoying than anything. It grows fast even if I cut it short. And it gets in the way in fights.”

“I’d say you look better with your long hair though…Pass me your towel so I can keep your hair up. I’ll wash your back while you are at it”

Following a brief sigh “When halfway through the door I guess” I told myself…and I did exactly what she asked

“Hmmm?”

“What?”

“You don’t have a cute side to you don’t you, Yu-chan. Usually a girl would hesitate in a situation like this”

“Well, it’s not like I have anything to hide”

“That won’t do, Yu-chan. A girl’s body is her treasure.”

“Uh, sure…whatever that means”

She wrapped and put my hair up, and got ready to help me out

“All the scars on your back is making this harder than it needs to be…It’s like I’m washing sandpaper”

“That bad huh?”

But she persevered.

“There, all done”

And that allowed me to do the rest. She did have the point, the massive scar on my left flank has significantly more friction than the rest of my body.

“Is this how your skin is even in the real world Yu-chan?…..I don’t think even the guys have skin as tough as yours”

“It’s not that bad…It keeps me out of injuries more often”

“No…way…in…hell. You have a body many would kill for. You should really start taking care of it better.”

“Well I guess that is not for me” I said while shampooing my stubborn hair…but I guess raising my arms was the big mistake

Two arms which were not mine came through and gripped my front, causing me to shriek instinctively

“At least there is a couple of handfuls that are easy on the hands”

“Haru-san….Cut it out”

“Noope…at least not until you drop the formalities”

“Stop…Haru..”

“That’s better”

But another surprise lied in wait for us, just the next moment.

“Tatsuo-Nii, what are you and Haya-Nii doing?”…was that?

“Akira no, you are going to give us away-” And just as he said that, part of the bamboo wall separating the two sides gave way. Haru threw me a towel and grabbed one herself and went to check it out, only to reveal the two peeping toms lying on top of the wall

“Oh, Haru-san, Mano-san…Would you believe it if we said that we slipped and slid all the way across the room to the wall here” Tatsuo said chuckling nervously with Hayato sandwiching him on top

“Seriously? At least try to -” But I was interrupted almost immediately

“Yulia-san….Could you go get a head start and get into the onsen without me. I’ll be there just in a moment”

Yulia-san from Yu-chan? Oh now I know she is pissed. But she still was talking in her cheery tone.

“Oh well, I couldn’t be bothered anyways” I went back to my shower to rinse off, but that is when I suddenly heard the crackle of electricity

“Haru-san? How are you using your gear in a neutral zone?”

“Oh boys, I’m sure you have much bigger things to worry about right now”

I could hear Tatsuo and Hayato trying to pick themselves up from the slippery floor but failing miserably, and it was topped up by both receiving the bad end of both Haru and her taser, as their screams the moment later suggested.

I finished my washing and dipped myself into the Onsen and let out a long sigh of relief, what lay within was the company of the only girl of the kid group inside.

“Misa-chan, was it?”

She glimpsed at me and looked away….Fair enough since I am pretty much a stranger to her. I struggled to find the right words as I’m not exactly a social butterfly myself

“You like the place so far?”

She nodded yes

“That’s great….How did you end up with a group of boys anyways?”

And she immediately hid her head under water….Nicely done genius, now you put her in an uncomfortable spot.

My failed attempt of socializing was saved by Haru entering the dense steam cloud and into the Onsen. She took a seat right next to me and relaxed. She immediately read what had happened just after a few glimpses

“It’s not your fault Yu-chan, Misa-chan is still not used to this world”

“Are the guys okay?” I inquired

“I went easy on them….they won’t feel anything for a while, including my cooking today.”

“Actually, I think they would appreciate that,” I muttered instinctively.

“Hm? You said something?”

“Ah no, nothing…”

The atmosphere suddenly stood still for a moment, only the water dripping onto the stone floor near the wash area to be heard. But that moment of tranquility broke the moment Haru made a big splash once she jumped and wrapped her arms around Misa-chan from the back in an instant.

“Miiisa-chan. You don’t have to feel left out, you know. You can relax around your Onee-sans you know”.

Misa-chan was struggling to keep up with Haru’s hyperactivity, and I just took a moment to throw my arms up on the hot rock walls of the Onsen and take one good look at the sky. Closing my eyes and taking in the ambient silence calmed my mind, but the flashing voices of agony rear their ugly head.

“uuu-chan..Yuuu-chan” Through the screams and curses playing in my head, Haru’s voice pierced through slowly, to my response was opening my eyes and facing her

“You okay?” she asked me while Misa-chan was staring alongside

“Yeah…it’s just the fatigue. Sort of passed out for a second there?”

“You haven’t been sleeping well, have you?”

Can I keep anything hidden from this woman?

“….I”

“Well, I’m sure you can get some good night’s rest after we are done here tonight….anyways” she turned her attention back towards Misa-chan. I could almost see her eye’s sparkling through her round glasses when it came to making the reserved ones open up.

“Misa-chan….We are here for you in case you feel lonely, although…how did you end up here with the rest of the boys?”

She tried her hardest to put together the words

“It was S…Shun Nii-chan. I..I only wanted to stop him f..from going into this scary place. B…but, we couldn’t…couldn’t leave after I found him”

“Shun Nii-chan?....Aaaah, you are Shun-kun’s little sister. I see now.”

But pushed to her very limit, Misa-chan grabs her towel and rushes out of the Onsen into the dense mist

“Hey wait up, Misa-chaan” Haru getting her dramatic act on I see. But that left me as her only target

She joined over to my side and leant on the hot stones beside me

“You’ve ever done this before?”

“Hm?”

“You know, take a load off. And just, lose yourself to the sights of the sky or….whatever the hell that thing is up there”

“Last I did this was when I was little. But it’s only now I realize that it feels completely different when you do the same all-grown up. It’s like a moment you have to yourself after having to deal with all that is thrown at you”

I glance at her and he looks interested, but it didn’t feel right with me

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to preach”

“No,no…I’ve haven’t met anyone my age in here I could relate to. And besides, I want to get to know more about you….wait…do you think that’s what Misa-chan is feeling right now? Not having anyone like her to talk to?”

I took my hands off the stones and faced her “Haru look, I get that you want to be friends with me. But I will bring you guys nothing but misery just by even knowing you. Hayato-san, Tatsuo-san, you…even the little ones, they are all great people..that is something I am not”

And the next moment, we both went back to staring at the blue sphere

“You know Yu-chan…. I wasn’t going to tell anyone this but I feel like I could trust you with this. But the guys who you are chasing…I had a run-in with them before.”

That quickly got my attention, but I felt like I didn’t have to interrogate her

“Remember when I told you on that bridge that you reminded me of someone. She is someone that was close to me. We had a run in with those guys and….we ended up separated. We were together and the next thing I know, I wake up and she isn’t with me. I searched for weeks but found next to nothing. That’s how I ended up here”.

“Can I ask you one question?…you can choose not to answer if you want to” Haru continued

I thought about it for a few seconds, but considering she trusted me to about her story

“Depends on what it is”

“This scar” She slides her finger over the longest scar on my left flank, which was also the most important one of them all

“I still can’t figure out what would cause that”

“Fell into a fireplace…Thrown into one to be precise”

“Oh….my guess wasn’t even close to that”

“I was-” but just as I was going to give her a bit of insight into it, we were interrupted by the lady at the desk

“You all only got fifteen minutes left on the Onsen by the way”

And that seemed to send our conversation out of the window

“Well…lets forget about all that for now, and enjoy ourselves”

She settled down and we were able to take in the relaxing atmosphere till the time ran out

A few uneventful moments later, we found ourselves in the main lobby in bath robes till we dried up. The kids hogged the massage chairs and Tatsuo and Hayato were chugging down bottles of milk in tandem to each other. They finished their bottles and looked to be disappointed

“Manga lied to us, didn't it?” said Hayato, diverting his expression towards Tatsuo.

“Seriously, what were you expecting? To it to be real?”

The guys spotted us as we were approaching and Tatsuo quickly cowered behind Hayato the moment he saw Haru in front of them…yeaah, I can sort of understand their reaction right now.

Haru broke off from me for a moment and headed towards the vending machines near the massage chairs. This gave me a moment to reminisce about the last few moments I had with her…after our escape.

“Yu-chan, heads up” and a glass bottle flew at me which I managed to catch. The attendant was not a fan of what she did however”

“Excuse me deary, but one of those bottles breaks, you are cleaning it up, you hear me?”

“Sorry about that, I’ll be more mindful next time” Haru instantly turned humble.

I look at the bottle and it turns out it’s the same thing the guys were chugging down.

“Thanks but, I don’t need-” but I immediately stopped knowing that she wouldn’t let me refuse anyways. Oh well, beats eating her cooking I guess….hope I didn’t think out loud this time.

I uncap the bottle, close my eyes and finish up the bottle in one go, I exhaled deeply after and opened my eyes to the sight of the guys observing me uncomfortably closely

“That last bit, do you think that’s it?” remarked Hayato

“No…you just have to accept the fact that manga lied to you”

“BOYS!?” and in came the scary Haru

“Eeeeh! We weren’t thinking about anything dirty Haru-san, we promise” Both of them said in unison while hugging each other

But she managed to let that go…luckily for them.

I managed to catch a glimpse at the little ones bickering away at the chairs. While Akira, Shun and Naoto were having the time of their lives, Misa-chan was all alone and secluded. Sort of reminded me of myself in the rag tag group my sister dragged me into.

“Wondering about Misa-chan? She had a falling out with Shun a couple of days ago. She’s not confident enough in her social skills, afraid that she might make everyone hate her. But between the two of them, I’d say they’ll come around. Siblings never stay mad with each other for too long” Tatsuo matched my line of sight and brought me up to speed on what was going on.

‘Siblings never stay mad at each other for long…ain’t that the truth’ I thought to myself

“We get started tomorrow. We need you at our side for the boss runs. Me or Hayato will get the quests from the Guild, pretty sure you wouldn’t want to walk into a den of people that are hunting for you”

That completely caught me off guard

“Hayato told me what happened earlier today…just to put your mind to ease, it doesn’t change anything…..Well, since we licked our wounds and greased our joints, how about we head back?”

“What are you? An old man?” Hayato interjected

“This old man still can do one better than you, Ishikawa…Not that you could keep up anyways” He countered while walking out the door with Hayato

“Oh you are on…Loser takes over the winner’s weekly chores for a month”

But the moment we all stepped out of the door, the horrors I kept suppressed came back in full force.

“Starting boss runs tomorrow are we?”….That voice….I could never forget it

The whole group looked at him, but I froze. I had my hood up as I do every time I am outside so he didn’t notice me at the back

“And you are?” Hayato asked

“Does the New World Order answer your question?”

“Tsk…What do you want?”.

“You better mind your tone before I rip your tongue out….I’m here to answer your request you put through the guild to take on PvE bosses. I’m here to tell you that there has been some developments in our policies, PvP clans attempting to take on PvE quests will be taxed triple. Rels and RP alike.”

But Tatsuo wasn’t having any of it. He closed the distance to that unhinged freak

“Look man, I appreciate you letting us know about your clan’s…personal policies. And our…well…specifically my…answer to that, is you take your rates, and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine….Are we clear?”

“You have no idea who you are dealing with do you?”

“Well, I don’t….but I am certain I have dealt with much….much worse”

“You really don’t want to do this….Tatsuo Kanamori”

I wasn’t looking at them, but I know from Tatsuo’s silence, he wasn’t expecting that. This was the last person I wanted to run into.

“I know who you all are, I can make sure all of you suffer much more than this place ever will….as a matter of fact, you got a pretty solid group here if I might say…..Hayato Ishikawa, the most notable of the bunch. And from the pairings, I’d say you are very close to the children back there….Akira Kanamori, Shun and Misa Takasu, the brother and sister pair….Naoto Senkouji. And I cannot forget Miss Nishiyama back there….Wait”

I could hear his footsteps grow closer, but I didn’t move. My rage was flaring up, and this was definitely a chance I couldn’t let go with any impulsive moves

“I only knew there were only seven in this clan….Who the hell are you?”

I waited patiently for my chance, and I had it the moment he grabbed my hood. I quickly drew my karambit and attempted to slice his fingers off, giving me a chance to go for the kill. But he read my attack and leaped back. He was in my range, but Haru and Hayato restrained me, saving him from being ripped apart. But that also clouded the fact I hadn’t realized that he had pulled my hood off, revealing myself to him.

I had managed to do some damage as he was bleeding from the hand he grabbed me, but he started laughing the moment he found out who I was

“WOW….I severely underestimated your clan. Not only do you have the midrange monster of the CGL, but you also have the prodigy mercenary? Looks like the jokes are on me for doubting Sawamura’s paranoia”.

“Yulia Mano…. been a while.”

“What’s the matter Roland? , didn’t you say that I was nothing compared to you? How about we put that to the test”

“Yu-chan, calm down”

“Let me go….That bastard isn’t leaving here alive” I demanded Haru and Hayato

Tatsuo turned towards me “Mano-san, let me handle this…please?”

He chuckled while he doused the cut in his hand with a HP vial.

“Looks like you still have fond memories of our time together, Yulia. As a matter of fact so did I, especially when Sawamura was having his way with your-”

“You say one more word about her you son of a bitch, I’ll gut you where you stand”

He pointed his gun at me, attempting to finish me off “Don’t worry, Minami is next when I find her”

He fired a shot but Tatsuo reacted to it. He jumped in front and planted his sword in the ground, which turned into an energy barrier of sorts, which stopped the bullet in its tracks. The barrier dissipated the moment he pulled it out from the ground and judging by the blue glowing line near its edge, I was sure this was the first time I'd seen his Cyber-Gear.

“Out of the way, Kanamori. And maybe I’ll consider sparing the rest of you” He said, pointing his gun at Tatsuo now.

“Is that a gamble you really want to take?” Tatsuo retorted

“Huh?”

“Acting like bigshots and you don’t even know the night rules…..All your clan is a bunch of cowards playing the threat of the number’s advantage to intimidate others…..But look around you for a second…You think anyone out here right now is afraid of you?.”

Tatsuo closed the distance to Roland and continued “Without numbers, you are nothing… If you really are the real deal, you would have your own actions to do the talking…..All I see is a scared dog riding the name of the New World Order to get things done…..And let's say you do bring an army….you did the research yourself. Do you really want to count on going against one of the best players in the world and another who took a building full of you out and lived to tell the tale? Even right now, I know you are afraid of Mano-san and that’s why….I tell my friends to let her go, and even you know that you won’t stand a chance……So here’s the deal…Roland. You let us do our thing, and I’ll make sure you don’t have worry about Mano-san ripping your throat out.…Now….why don’t you run back to your boss so he can pat you in the head and tell you how much of a good boy you are….better yet, he might even give you a bone”

“Title of his sex tape……Sorry” Hayato and his attempts at untimely humor

Tatsuo glimpses at Hayato gets back up after he finished up with Roland, he turns his back and talked to the group.

“Come on guys, we already spent way too much time here….and Mano-san, let him go for now” and he slaps Hayato in the head while he passed him

“Seriously? Read the room for once will you?”

“Come on, it’s not like you usually walk into those” Hayato replied

“TATSUO KANAMORI!” Roland exclaimed from the behind us

“You have made a very dangerous enemy today….and mark my words, you will regret it”

“I’ll be waiting….and one last thing. You mess with any of us, you answer to all of us. Keep that in mind” Tatsuo replied to his threat

Against my judgment to skin him where he stood, the group managed to escort me away without letting me come to that. A short moment later we all boarded the empty L-Train

“You shouldn’t let him go, he’ll just-”

“As much as I wanted to shoot him where he stood Mano-san, we would’ve been shot down like dogs afterwards”

“Huh?” I expressed my confusion as I couldn’t see Roland doing that much on his lonesome

“Rule 1 of night-time. You get seen killing someone, you get gunned down by everyone around you…. Shoot first, ask questions never….Look lets just ignore those Shephard Clan idiots….we got a big day ahead of us….Lets be in our A game.”

“It’s not that easy, Kanamori-san. Not only did you antagonize a psychopath, but now him and the one leading the clan will now know I’m alive and is here with this group”

“I understand…..but those asshats have a lot more to worry about than us. He’s only one guy-”

“But he is one of the worst of the bunch….all I will say, is that he holds grudges, and he takes pleasure in seeing others suffer”

Haru quietly whispered to us “Yu-chan, Tatsuo-san”

Turns out the kids were listening in and they are puzzled on what is going on, and as usual, Tatsuo was quick on the defuse

“Oh, me and Nee-san here are practicing some lines to strike fear into our enemies….Right, Mano-san” Tatsuo signals me to play along

“Uh…yeah…exactly” and it seems the kids managed to buy it

The rest of the journey back was an uneventful one, but as soon as the kids ran back to their rooms, Tatsuo took charge of the adults again.

“Alright, plan…Me and Hayato get the quest in the morning, we meet up at the Lower-Sector Central Square by 8:00. We talk about roles before we enter the dungeon….And Mano-san. It’s time to properly let you in”

Tatsuo brings up his interface and fiddles with it, which pops up mine. ‘You have been invited to a clan: Falcons of War’ it said

Terrible naming sense aside, I lifted my hand to accept it, but I hesitated for a moment. ‘Am I sure? Once I decide, there is no going back’ I asked myself. But these people had shown me nothing but kindness, as my father used to say, the ones who value who they are no matter what they are put through.

But unlike last time….I decided to listen to him