The careless one

A dream unfolds, with a boy standing on a ancient round rock platform, with three paths – one on the right, one on the left and one in the middle. The ones on the sides are long paths, but the longest one is in the middle going upwards with stairs. The boy can make out a person sitting in the distance, but the sheer presence and pressure coming from that way, makes the boy scared to even take one step in any direction whatsoever. Yet suddenly the boy starts hearing the wind swinging chains from the left side. The sound of the chains calm him, but he still does not dare to go upwards, so he decides to go left, to the clacking sound of chain’s. He walks and walks, it seemed like for hours long and slowly he starts to make out an object that’s lodged straight into the ground. As he walks closer, it appears to be a japanese sword with the blade being chained down in a circle. The sword itself looks all metal, including the scabbard and handle. The handle has no wrist guard and in it’s place there is only a black dragon’s head with ruby eyes etched into the blade’s golden collar with the handle being a two tone, black and white metal. When the boy finally reaches the sword, it’s black dragons eyes light up in a vermilion red and the boy hears a voice behind him, that turns everything around him into a dark hallway with a horned, aged man sitting in chains. “This is no place for you” – he says. And as the boy tries to ask “Why?...” he loses conciousness and wakes up with a book on his face. His mother from downstairs calls “Hiro, wake up, breakfast is almost ready!” -Hiro slowly get’s up from his bed- “Okaay, I’m coming!” And as he checks his phone he realizes, he overslept. “Crap, I’m going to be late for the test.” Dresses up quickly and runs downstairs, deep in thought “If I don’t get on time for this test, I’ll have summer school, which means, listening to Juro sensei’s bad dad jokes. Plus, I won’t be able to work part-time at Youko-san’s as promised...” He quickly finishes his breakfast, half asleep. “By the way, your sister arrives today from her school exchange...” the mother says, but he already has went out the door before hearing it. “This boy...”

Akihiro arrives at Unoki station and check’s his phone “Five minutes to spare, SAFE!” He takes a glance to see if the train has arrived and sees a girl with short wavy hair and long eyelashes, thinking to himself “Wow, she looks cute”, but at that same moment she stares right back at him giving a look of annoyance and he hears a voice in his head “You look at me like that again and you’re dead!” Akihiro surprised by this “Wait,...Whaaaat? How am I hearing her? And isn’t death a little bit too much? She almost reminds me of my sister!” Suddenly a hooded figure runs past him, bumping his shoulder. He tries to check for the time again, but realizes that he doesn’t have his phone in the pocket. And sees the same hooded person running with his phone “Give back my phone!” As the person looks back at Akihiro, he gets knocked down and the savior turns out to be a student from his own school, but the way he acts, resembles a delinquent. “Hey, you!” Hiro: “Who? Me?” The delinquent: “Yes you, you idiot! It’s your phone isn’t it?!” Hiro: “Uhh, yes, yes it is.” The delinquent: “Well then you should take better care of it, no?” throws the phone at Hiro “And next time don’t zone out in a public place.” Hiro replies: “But there was a girl...” he tries to look at the girl again and sees nothing “right over there...” Baffled by this he turns back, to the delinquent, but he’s already walking inside the train as the door closes. Hiro: “I guess, I won’t get to thank him for it” And realizes that this was his train and the next one will be 10 minutes later. “Crap, now I’ll be late for sure!” Finally his train arrives and as he is heading closer to his stop at Unoki station he has headaching flashes of the dream he saw. “This dream, I keep seeing... It repeats all the time. It feels so real, but the ending is always the same. Me passing out as I try to grab the sword.” The sound of the automated voice of the train notifies that the train has arrived at Yaguchi station. Hiro still in deep thought “And the armored figure...” he gets his shoulder bumped snapping him out of it. “Oh, I need to get out!”

As he exits the train he sees his best friend. “Yo, Aki” says the friend. Hiro replies: “Yo...wait not that, you do know you are going to be late for classes right?” In a careless voice the friend answers “Yeah, but it’s not like it’s the first time, right? Besides, how can I leave my best bud all by himself.” Hiro facepalms: “Ehhhh..., nevermind”, checks the time “If we run, we can atleast get through the gate on time.” The friend salutes: “Yes, capt’n!” They start running to school. On the way a conversation unfolds. Hiro asks: “So what was your real reason for meeting me at the station?” The friend answers: “You really think I would lie to you?” Hiro answers immediately: “YES” The friend: “Damn, not even a blink of an eye huh. Well, *sighs* it’s my mom... her health hasn’t been the best lately, so we decided that it’s best for me to do the deliveries.” Hiro thinks to himself -“So that’s the reason. Ever since the incident at their shop, his mom’s health has become quite delicate. And not having Kousuke-san by their side helping with everything, it can make it pretty taxing for Yuusuke and his mom.”- Hiro answers Yuusuke: “I see. I hope she’ll get better soon.” And Yuusuke happily replies “Thanks.” After which Hiro see’s the gate and calls out to Yuusuke: “Look there’s the gate! We might make it!” Meanwhile at the gate, the head of disciplinary commitee is slowly starting to close the gate. Yuusuke says to Hiro: “Maybe it’s just me, but isn’t the gate slowly closing?!” Hiro shocked by this says: “It’s all or nothing, we have to sprint or we won’t make it!” Both start sprinting full speed towards the gate. While at the gate a teacher comes out of the school and asks the disciplinary commitee if all students have arrived. And the head of the commitee answers: “All but two sensei.” The teacher asks: “It’s those two isn’t it?” And she replies: “Yes.” Suddenly everyone at the gate hears loud shouting “OAAAAAAAAAH!!!” from the distance. It’s Hiro and Yuusuke both rushing and screaming motivated to surpass their limits and reach the gate on time. And just as the gate is about to fully close they both fly through it. Only Hiro trips in the process -“A?!”- and front flips hitting the back of Yuusuke’s head with his forehead. Hiro screams in pain: “Man, that hurt!” and lifts up his head seeing the teacher with an angry grin on his face looking him dead in the eyes: “You know what this means for you right?” Hiro greets the teacher with a fake laugh: “Good morning, Kouga sensei!” The teacher answers: “Good morning to you too Akihiro-kun, I’ll see you in detention, together with Yuusuke kun over there.” Yuusuke replies with a thumbs up, while clutching his painfully blistering bruise from Hiro. The teacher sighs and says “What am I going to do with you two..” and leaves saying “I have a teacher’s meeting to attend to and you have classes to attend aswell, try not to be late for those.” and gives an order to the head of disciplinary commitee: “Aiwa-san make sure these two actually make to their classes and not wander off anywhere.” She answers: “Yes sensei, I’ll make sure of that.” Aiwa says to everyone from disciplinary commitee: “Everyone, you can go to your classes, I’ll take care of these two.” Everyone leaves and only the three of them are left. Aiwa shouts at Hiro: “This is the 10th time you’re late for classes Aki! How many times do I have to save your ass!” -Meanwhile Yuusuke is trying to slip by while Hiro being lectured.- “That includes you too Yuusuke!” says Aiwa. “One is always deep in thought he forgets everything, while the other is so carefree, not caring even a single bit about any repercussions.” Aiwa facepalms and sighs “You two are the definition of pain in the ass.” Yuusuke answers laughing: “That’s why we have our trusty comrade Aiwa, to look after us.” Aiwa reaches her hand out to Hiro to get him on his feet. As she helps him get up Hiro smiles saying: “Thanks Aiwa.” Aiwa slightly blushes and all of them head back to their classrooms. All three of them arrive just as the Geography lesson is about to start and the teacher is calling out all student’s names who are in class. The teacher calls out “Nakahara-san” and Aiwa opens the sliding door. “Oh, so glad for you to join us Nakahara-san.” Aiwa replies: “I apologize for being late teacher, there was a mishap’.” As the teacher asks “What mishap’?” he sees Yuusuke and Hiro appearing behind her back. “Oh, that mishap.” “Late as always, you two.” Hiro looks at the teacher and with a painful smile tries to laugh it off. “This is not laughing matter Masagu-kun, you’re affecting both our and your own livelyhoods. Actions have concequences.” says the teacher in a cold yet strict voice. “Take your seats, so that we can start the lecture.” All three of them go to their seats and the teacher has an announcement to make: “So, uhh, from today we will have a new student joining us.” The door opens again with the new student standing at the entrance. “Right on time, Benkei-san please come in and introduce yourself to your classmates” says the teacher. The student enters the classroom and as he is walking towards the teacher, the students start whispering - the girls: “Wow, he looks pretty handsome!”, “I heard he’s pretty good at Judo, even though his family wants him to pursue priesthood and quit it.”, “Priesthood? Wouldn’t that be a waste?”, “No, since he’s the only child left from the famous Benkei family of priests.”, “But didn’t someone say he was a illegitimate child of the father?”, “Yea, only no one knows who is his mothe-“ Suddenly, the student glares at the girls and the whispering stops. With an annoyed face the student introduces himself: “My name is Kira Benkei, I look forward to study with you!” The teacher follows him up: “Alright, we have one seat free over there, by the window, you can take it.” As Kira is walking towards his new seat, Hiro stops staring through the window and takes a glance at his new classmate. Their eyes link, but no one says a word. Kira takes the free seat behind Hiro and the class finally continues “Now everyone open page 98 on -Forgotten theories of the world-” says the teacher. Hiro opens the book and suddenly a shiwer goes down his spine, like if being watched. He takes a look through the window towards the direction he felt it from and sees a vague seethrough figure standing on the roof of one of the 4-story buildings near the school. But the moment he blinks, the figure has disappeared. “I could really use some sleep.” Hiro thinks to himself.

Later, lunchtime starts and Hiro together with Yuusuke are on the school roof eating. Yuusuke says to Hiro: “So we got a new classmate today huh. I guess that means the guy from that seat won’t be returning any time soon.” Hiro: “Yeah.., it looks like it.” Yuusuke: “His accident was pretty freaky though. From what I heard, he was taking a short cut through the alleys between the 4-story buildings and never got through. Instead, people heard a loud scream and when they found him, he was pale like dead guy with a large claw mark on his back, from something like a bear.” Hiro gets a flashback of the figure he saw and thinks to him self: “Wasn’t it where I saw that?” And quietly keeps eating, while listening to Yuusuke. “Weirdest part is that there is no indication of why he went into coma, since the wound wasn’t too deep to threaten his life and nobody knows why he isn’t waking up. Recently, there has been an increase of similar attacks in alleys, with the attacker disappearing in an instant. I think for now it’s best to keep away from such places.” Hiro agrees: “True.” They finish eating and head back to the classroom, but as they open the roof door they see Kira opening it aswell. Hiro and Yuusuke pass by him and Hiro remembers about the incident at the train station and decides to speak up: “Umm, Benkei-san was it?” Kira annoyed replies while holding the door open: “What is it?” To which Hiro: “Thanks for phone.” Kira goes through the door saying: “Don’t mention it, just be careful next time.” and the door closes. Yuusuke asks Hiro about him as they are walking back: “You know that guy?” Hiro answers: “Kinda, he got me my phone back from a thief at my train station.” Yuusuke surprised: “Thief?! Why didn’t you say anything before?” Hiro replies: “Well I was busy getting to school on time, so it slipped my mind.” Yuusuke : “Really? With this kind of behaviour, it’s almost like you’re asking for trouble.”

“And troubles came.”

With the orange glow of the slow setting sun, the promised detention by Kouga-sensei ends, with only Hiro being in the class cleaning everything up. Hiro thinks to himself annoyed: “Why is it always me, the lucky one, who is stuck sitting here while Yuusuke runs off and never gets punished.” *sweeps the floor “He probably used one of his stupid accuses to go to the toilet and disappeared.” Hiro imagines Yuusuke smiling stupidly: “Tehee!” Mad, Hiro promises to himself as he clunches the broom: “Oh, he’s so gonna get it.” He finishes cleaning and goes to the teachers office to give the classroom keys back to Kouga-sensei. Hiro knocks on the door and opens it, seeing only her left in teachers office finishing her work for the day. “Oh, it’s you Hiro-kun. Have you finished up the cleaning?” says Kouga-sensei. “Yeah, here’s the key.” Hiro replies. “If only you would be this obedient all the time.” Kouga-sensei says in a slight disappointed voice. “Ever since you started hanging out with that friend Hano-san you’ve become more careless. It’s not like you to behave like this.” Hiro brushing it off, smiles towards Kouga-sensei: “Sorry about that, heh heh.” The teacher worried about him reiterates: “While I know you mean it, I’m gonna remind you of what I said in the morning, actions have concequences and the more careless you are the more they will take effect. Just promise me, you won’t do anything rash or careless, especially with the attacks becoming more wide spread.” Hiro sincerely replies: “I promise.” “Good,” says Kouga-sensei “as your mother’s friend, the least thing I want is her child getting hurt.” Feeling the overwhelming serious tone in the room, she tries to lighten it up: “Enough of that, it’s about time for us both to go home and relax, so you can give me those keys.” Hiro hands them up and is about to exit the teacher’s office. And Kouga-sensei offers: “If you want you can wait for me to finish up and I can take you back by car.” Hiro sincerely answers: “I’ll be fine Kouga-sensei, besides I have some things to pick up at the convenience store for my sister.” Kouga-sensei replies slightly worried about him: “Ok then, if you say so.” Hiro, exits the room waving with a shadow covering his back from the orange light shining through the window in front of him and he says: “I’ll see you later sensei!” Kouga-sensei thinks back to herself: “He’s so much like you both.”

Hiro exits the school premise and sees a student similar to the one in coma running from someone across the street. He was heading into the alley where the accident happened. Hiro yells out loudly: “Hey! You shouldn’t go there!” But to no awail, because He couldn’t hear it in open the sound of the countless cars passing. Seeing this he decides to go after him as soon as the cars on the road disappear. He runs after him in order to catch up as soon as possible, heading into the dark alleyway. He sees him turning left at the end of the alley and runs after him. He manages to catchup due to the dead end. “Are you alright?” says Hiro as he tries to grasp his shoulder, but instead his arm goes through him. The student turns around with face full in shock: “Behind you!” Hiro tries to turn around, but gets hit and flies into the corner. He tries to open his eyes in pain and sees a monster grabbing the student by his throat with it’s large claws. It looks humanlike, but warped. The student in fear begs the monster: “Please, I beg you! Let me go! I just want to go home!” The monster doesn’t seem to understand what he said, nor he looks aware of his surroundings. It’s more like it is doing it by instinct alone. Just as it is about to hit the students heart with it’s claws, its arm get blown off by what seems to be a glowing red arrow. A person jumps down for the rooftops. It’s the same girl from the train station, but with snow white hair and ruby eyes. Dressed in a short black coat, skirt and leggings, white turtleneck with a red checkered scarf tied around her neck and black heels she blows Hiro’s breath away. She takes the arrow and says: “Blood technique = Red blunt death” The arrow turns into a glowing red rod that she aims with her bow in hand and shoots at the monsters head. The rod hits the monster’s head and splashes it with blood and it gets followed up with an aftershock that blasts away the parts covered in blood. She turns around to Hiro: “Are you alright?” says the girl. But Hiro still in shock by what just happened, doesn’t even blink, stunned. She crouches to his face and waves her hand from left to right: “Wow, he’s still not moving.” She shouts: “Helllllooo, anyone in there?” Hiro, still looking blank in one direction says: “Black.” She not understanding what he meant by that, notices the angle of his eyes. And embarrased she slaps him so hard it can be heard from a far. “Sowwy.” Hiro says with swelling cheeks. “Man, here I was worried, hmpf!” the girl says with a pouting face. “You should really get up and get out of here. It’s not safe here.” with a serious face the girl says to Hiro. Suddenly in a blink of an eye, the girl gets stabbed by the extended claws of the cut off arm and coughs blood in Hiro’s face. The claws retract and she falls in Hiro’s lap. Hiro shouts at her franctically: “Hey. HEY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!” Barely hanging to her conciousness she commands Hiro: “Don’t worry about me, you need to get out of here. ASAP!” A voice appears in Hiro’s head: “I hoped it would never come to this...” Out of nowhere everything around Hiro has becomes pitch black and the sound of chains from before can be heard. Hiro remembers the sound: “It’s the chains again, just like in my dream. Who are you?!” The mysterious old man replies: “That is not important right now, what is important, is that your actions have led to this predicament. Being careless led you to come here and endanger not only yourself, but others as well. The girl beside you is now bleeding out and there is a 100% probability that you will be next” Hiro seeing the outcome and asks: “Then what can I do to make this right?” The mysterious old man answers: “Currently you have the worst option available, and that is to ask for my help.” Hiro surprised by this asks: “Why?” “Because..” -the mysterious old man explains- “It will change everything. You will be dragged into a rabbit hole that just get’s deeper and deeper with every step you take and without any return. The life you have now will be gone forever.” Hiro thinks for a second and asks a final question: “But will this save them?” The old man answers: “Yes.” Hiro immediately replies: “Then I think you already know my answer.” The old man: “Good, then take my hand and show me what it is to be careless.”

“Some say that those who become fearless are the most dangerous ones for they can cut down gods from their seats.”

“It’s not far from the truth, but still wrong.”

“It is the careless,"

"for they are not binded by the rule of consequence and invoke the unknown."

Hiro carefully lays the girl down and takes her bow. The girl urges him not to: “Stop, if you use it you might die…” Hiro assures the girl: “Don’t worry everything will be okay now.” He looks at the monster who was shot before and has almost fully regenerated. Hiro asks the girl: “If I destroy all of his body, will he be able to regenerate?” The girl answers: “No, but to do it you would need a great amount power." “That’s all I need to know.” says Hiro. “I hope you remember the deal old man.” “I do.” -says the old man- “And you can call me Ryuu.” Hiro replies: “Ok, Ryuu, so what now?” Ryuu says to Hiro: “Now draw the bow just like she did and repeat the line she said before.” As Hiro draws the bow read steam starts to evaporate. The girl notices the smell of blood in the air and thinks to herself: “Is he boiling his blood? No, that’s the accumulated blood from his cuts and bruises on his body, the steam is simply evaporating it.” Suddenly a small outline can be seen forming where the arrow should be. And suddenly a steam combusts and flames appear where the steam was, both on his body and in his hand shaped as an arrow. The bow is reshaping and is growling like a wild wolf. The girl shocked thinks to herself: “That’s my armament, it’s impossible to draw it out by another user besides the owner who it is forged to. How did he do that?” He draws it back as hard as he can and says: “Blood technique = Red blunt death…”. And the arrow shoots out in a flash letting out a fast and faint sound. The arrow goes through the monster completely obliterating it just from the first impact and the aftershock of the wind disintegrates anything that might have been left of it sounding like a large and heavy clap. The nearby building walls crack from the shockwave. Hiro feeling drowsy looks at the girl and says: “See, I told you it would be ok.” He notices that the girl is looking shocked at him. He can’t feel his right arm and takes a glance at it. It’s gone, obliterated from the sheer strength of the shot and he passes out. Hearing the girl’s voice fainting out slowly: “Wake up! Don’t die on me! Not yet! WAKE UP!” He passes out from blood loss.