Emergence 4
As the classes of the day ended, I found myself running out of the school at the fastest speeds I could manage. You never really truly appreciate being out of school till you have to be shoved back into it. Finding my way back home was actually more difficult than I would have thought, though more understandable than you would think given the fact I don’t know my own address.
Opening the door, I was greeted by the smile of my mother, taking her in once again since this morning she was a short Latina with straight brown bordering on orange hair, and a fox-like smile on her face. “So how did the first day go? Tell me everything.” She said as she walked from the kitchen to the living space.
Oh…I probably should have spent more time figuring out what I was going to say when I got home instead of planning a trip to the mall with someone who might not even show up.
“You know I think it was actually kind of standard considering the ways that first days usually go.” I said—yeah if finding out that you might explode if you touch the wrong person is standard…actually considering that I once fought deidara—as I sat down on the couch. “Though I do have a meetup planned with a new friend from school.” I said and almost instantly regretted it as my mother smiled like the fox that got into the hen house.
“Ooh this friend wouldn’t happen to be of the female variety, would they?” she said with a vulpine grin. For a woman who was convinced I was gay for most of my life—hell she’s half right—she was always more interested in the drama me dating someone could cause, and usually for her own sick entertainment of seeing me struggle to understand relationships. Though my poker face is evidently lacking as my palm strikes my head a few seconds later.
“Oh, so it is a girl! What’s her name?!” she practically shouts in my ear with the unrivaled glee of a housewife with too much time on her hands.
Oh, great this is happening now “look it’s not like that, she isn’t exactly what you’d call the popular sort. And besides she looked like she could use a friend.” I said as I made my way to the fridge to retrieve some form of carbonated beverage—another thing I missed from this time, soda like coke and Fanta—though the only soda I could find was something called Sierra wave. Maybe it’s an alternate dimension Sierra mist?
And credit to my mother where it is due, she picked up on what I probably didn’t even mean to let on about Taylor. “So, she’s being bullied?” she said the happy, bubbly ness of her attitude evaporating in seconds. “Look sweety I know that you like to help people when you can, but we talked about this. You can’t try and solve the problems of other people. And I know that you think that you need to help but it’s not your responsibility and you need to stop.” She said in a stern authoritative voice that meant she wasn’t having any more discussion about it.
What the hell? No seriously what the hell? I know my mom had to give me this talk back in. middle school back when I tried to pull shit like that, but what’s making her say this to me now? I moved past that mentality even in my first life quickly. So, I guess I really should be asking why she feels the need to tell this to me in high school when I should have moved past this way back when I was in my last year of middle school?
“Look mom…I’m not sure what you think I’m doing, but I’m trying to just make friends with someone I think I’ll get along with.” I said showing my conviction in my town, that even if she says that I’m not going I’ll sneak out. And hey worst come to worst I genjutsu her and sneak out that way.
My mother lets out an exasperated sigh, the one she would give me when I managed to sneak an animal into the house and managed to start taking care of it without her permission or help. She knows I’m going out and she’s elected to support me “fine if that’s what you say ill take your word for it.” She said reaching into her purse that was so conveniently stored on the coffee table…wait since when do we have a coffee table? “Look you can only spend two hundred. I’ll know if you go over. Take the chance to get more variety in to your wardrobe. I assume you’re going to the local mall?” she said as she handed me a plastic card. Oh, shit it’s a credit card, I haven’t seen one in so long.
“Thanks.” I said as I took the plastic card in my hand. “So, I guess I’ll be heading off then.” I said as I opened the door.
“Just come home at a reasonable hour.” She said as she made a shooing motion towards me.
Once more I opened the door and made my way outside down the winding stairs and once more into the city streets. Now I’m stuck with only one issue…where in the hell is the mall?
I can’t understand it. Why does It bother me so much? I’m Sophia Hess, shadow stalker, a fucking ward, why does it bother me so much!? The morning started off just like any other day, get up eat breakfast and go to school. Normal, then I saw him. That new kid who was hanging around that pissant Taylor.
Hell, he wasn’t even that good looking but I just felt…attracted to him, like I needed to know about him. So, I tried to get him to stick around me, and yes admittedly it did piss me off when he chose to walk around with that slut even if I told my friends, it didn’t. which leads me back to right now and why I’m in a shoot-out with a couple of gangster wannabes. Seriously it’s just pathetic, they keep shooting at me and the bullets either pass through or miss entirely.
Returning out of my breaker state I fire off two bolts—non-lethal—into the leaders left arm sending him to the ground screaming bloody murder. Must have dislocated it somehow.
Maybe the new kids some kind of master? No doesn’t make sense if he can control or manipulate people then why go for Taylor and not Emma?
Wow these guys really are pathetic, I only got a few shots in and they’re already running scared. Running after them I change into my breaker state as they fire back at me. Then one of the faster one’s grabs someone as were about to get into the streets from the alleys.
Shit, he has a hostage
Quickly I level my crossbow to the one who took the hostage…that is until I see who he’s got in his arms. The new kid from school.
“Oh, this again? What is this the most crime riddled city in the U.S.?” he said so nonchalantly as a gun was leveled against his head that I had to do a double take and make sure I wasn’t mistaking who it was. “Look I don’t want any more trouble today. So, if you let me go, we can all go back to our normal lives.”
“Shut up!” the thug said as he shoved the barrel into the boy’s face. “we’re going to walk away! And you’re not going to follow us! Or Else!”
“Alright fine, I wanted to keep things civil but I have to meet a girl who has the self-confidence of a murphy bed and I don’t think being late will help that so I’m leaving!” He said as he walked backwards through the man holding him hostage…
WAIT THROUGH?
Doing a double take I saw correctly. The new kids a parahuman. Who apparently walks through people, well there goes my master theory.
“Not so fast!” the thug said as he pointed the gun at the boy’s head. “I’ve read parahuman studies the danton effect! If you can pass through me you can’t pass through this bullet.”
Ugh the guys a moron but he’s right…wait “its manton! You moron!”
“On that note!” schoolboy said as he slugged the thug in the face sending him flying a good few feet, as well as messing it up a good bit from what I managed to see of it. Okay so maybe adding superstrength to the list of his powers wouldn’t be a bad idea. Quickly moving into action, I shoot the thug to schoolboy’s right with a blow that knocks him clean off his feet and into the pavement. Finally, we both set our sights onto the last thug that had been involved in this woefully inept hostage taking attempt.
“o-okay look I-I’m surrendering!” he said dropping a knife he apparently had in his sleeve to the ground.
“Well, that was easy, and a complete waste of my time.” School boy was apparently really pleased with his work because he was looking around us at the thugs, and smiling “Heh heh which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice! Hahaha!” then he broke out laughing and slapping his knee
And he’s lost it. Great so his trigger event also probably drove him insane
“Are you good? Or do I have to ask for a padded cell?” I asked beginning to prepare myself for a fight.
Calming down from his laughing fit and whipping away a tear from his eye seriously a tear of laughter? “Huh oh yeah, I’m good it’s just I remembered this joke from a show. It’s basically a metaphor for all my fights today!” he said like it was the most obvious and funniest thing to happen today.
“Yeah, that’s real riveting stuff but, I’m going to have to ask you to come with me.” And as soon as the words left my mouth the jovial and fun look on his face disappeared and was replaced with a hard and stone like expression. And if it were coming from someone else it might have looked intimidating, but unfortunately for him he looked like what a middle schooler thought was an edgy face.
“Look you seem nice and I don’t want to disrespect someone putting in the work for a budget Casey jones cosplay. Not to mention from your point of view that you just helped me out of a tight spot, but I’m not going anywhere with you.” He said with a dull smile, taunting me to retaliate.
And admittedly not in my best moment I played right into his hands, and shot him in the shoulder. And with a bored look on his face the bolt sailed straight through it and into the street behind him.
“Okay so I’m going to assume that your slow, and don’t understand what happened about a minute ago with our friend with his teeth knocked out so I’m going to reeducate you.” He said as he began to run at me.
Well, this might as well be fun
Okay so picking a fight with the person who just “saved” me is honestly just a dick move but yet again I’m getting the vibe that I should be killing this person, and well she shot first.
Arriving within a few inches of her I launch a kick into her face, you know to get this over with in one punch. Only for it to pass right through her and exit the other side. Though it was rather odd as opposed to the body remaining mostly corporeal my opponent instead turned into a type of mist.
huh so this is how that feels…I think I owe Kakashi an apology this is going to be annoying. Okay first order of business finds out if she’s actually comprised of smoke. Pushing what chakra I had to my palms, a large plume of smoke filled the air for moments before it dissipated to reveal my gunbai fan. With all my physical strength I swung my fan attempting to blow the vigilante away while in their smoke form however there was no effect. Well aside from the smoke looking like it had its hands on its hips.
Why do I feel like I’m being condescended to right now?
“Look kid I’m a part of the wards and if you don’t want to get your ass sent to jail, you’ll stop and come with me.” The smoke said as it returned to being an actual person. Though I’m using the term person a lot looser than what I normally would.
Then again, I’ve had sake with suigetsu.
“Well good for you!” I said with a display of sarcastically rolling my eyes. “And just because we can’t touch each other doesn’t mean I can’t wreck your ass…ok that came out way more sexual than I wanted it to.”
My savior—yep still using that sarcastically—let out a bark of laughter “how are you going to do that? You know what screw it your dead meet.”
I let out a sigh as I close my eyes “well then if you won’t give up your pursuit, I truly am sorry.”
“KAMUI!” I yell as my left eye shoots open and as my opponent is decapitated through the vortex like portal.
Nearly collapsing to my knees, I let out a heave of breath “oh! I should have put her in a sealing scroll! Oh well I don’t have enough chakra to pull off a rewind now. Actually, I don’t have very much chakra left period. Whoo, I need to get to that mall and find a food court.”