CHAPTER 20

TOGETHER

Hikaru awoke with the sound of ocean waves caressing his ears, while squawking seagulls flew overhead. He sat up slowly, finding Kamari and Amber already awake, both sitting at his side. As Hikaru eyed them with a refreshed expression, they both laughed aloud.

“Did you have sweet dreams?’ Amber asked, her face overrun with joy. Hikaru frowned up while rubbingnhis head. “I know you’re annoyed, but you hardly sleep unless you’re injured so… I told Kamari we should let you rest.”

Hikaru wasn’t mad at all, it had been days since he got real rest. He looked at Kamari, and although he trusted much more, there were still minor doubts.

“What is it now?” Kamari said irritably. “Don’t tell me you still have questions.”

“I do,” Hikaru admitted.

“Well they’ll wait.”

“I’d rather you answer them now.”

“We won’t use all our free time babbling about where I’ve been,” Kamari said assertively. “Remember, I said that I’d train you. Also, we’ll need some battle tactics. ”

Kamari raised on his feet, and Hikaru and Amber did the same. There were a few people walking along the beach, so Hikaru presumed it likely to be early morning. Kamari stretched his left arm out and created a portal. “Come on,” he whispered. “We can’t train here with these norms around.”

“Why not?” Hikaru said lowly. “It’s not like they’ll see.”

Kamari stepped inside the passage, completely ignoring Hikaru’s every word. Amber walked in also, followed by Hikaru, who felt as though he were the odd man out. They all arrived at the Hawaiian forest, ankle deep in water. A small waterfall several feet high gently trickled down into the shallow area. Hikaru sighed as his sneakers flooded completely.

“Why did you take us here?” he complained.

“Because you understand nothing about your connection with the storm,” Kamari explained. “The people in that area wouldn’t have seen our powers, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be killed by them.” Kamari gazed down at the water below. “Do you even know the reason they can’t see our supernatural abilities?”

“I have an educated guess of course,” Hikaru quickly mentioned.

Kamari chuckled. “You really don’t know shit about the storm.”

“So what,” Hikaru replied dispassionately.

“Then you don’t care.”

“Perhaps I don’t.”

“It’s very reckless not communicating with the storm,” Kamari informed. “After all, it’s the source of knowledge for every question you have, and I know how much you value information.”

Hikaru thought back upon his only moment truly conversing with the dreamstorm, this memory marked how he’d first learned activation of his abnormally powerful white hakq, and he knew that Kamari spoke accurately on the matter— he needed to learn more.

Kamari turned his attention toward Amber. “Even you have a better relationship with the storm than Hikaru does.”

“No way, Hikaru’s much better with hakq than I am,” Amber said humbly.

“Way… up till now, Hikaru’s just been experimenting and making good guesses,” Kamari pointed out eagerly.

Hikaru shot an intensified glare at both of them, making sure that they saw his displeasure.

“You’ve always been very cleaver Hikaru, so don’t get discouraged by what I’m telling you,” Kamari said. “I can tell— you’re dangerous, and your potential is unlimited. You’ve defeated two powerful fighters depending on only your intellect, now think about what you’ll learn once you’ve connected with the storm.” Hikaru smirked. “Yes, I saw in the forest when you fell inside the dreamstorm state, and I knew you’d gain a lot out of it.”

Hikaru nodded in agreement, at first he’d struggled competing with fighters like Yuki and Amir, now he’d just defeated Nanu, a much more powerful opponent.

“Enough talking, it’s time we train,” Kamari said, making distance between himself and the others. “Hikaru, you’re first.” Kamari turned, facing Amber. “Train yourself for now, try doing it under that waterfall.”

She gave him a disgruntled look, but shrugged her shoulders, and began pacing toward the tiny trickling fountain. Turning his attention back on Hikaru, Kamari grinned at her reaction. Hikaru yawned.

“You shouldn’t be tired, we just got up,” Kamari said angrily.

“Lets just get this over with,” Hikaru sighed. He hated depending on anyone for knowledge, even if it came from Kamari. “Well, what should I do already.”

“You can start by leaving that attitude where you found it,” Kamari shot back. “Then when you’re finished, power up.”

Hikaru’s face twisted up, but he didn’t respond with a negative come back. Using little effort, he powered up his hakq, flaring up in a radiant blue aura as the shallow water beneath his feet began swaying.

“Put more feeling into it!” Kamari shouted, watching the shallow water course wildly.

Hikaru made a more aggressive attempt at strengthening his energy, and it showed as the water turned faster.

“Does this give you a better idea of how your structural creation behaves?” Kamari yelled over the swishing sounds of the turning water. “Now power out!”

Hikaru toned his hakq down with little struggle.

“It almost flows like air currents,” Hikaru guessed.

Kamari gritted his teeth in impatience. “You should already know by now what your hakq’s similar to,” he fussed. Hikaru scratched his head in confusion. “Come on man, what happened when you pushed beyond your limits?”

“I felt heavy,” Hikaru explained. “Like my power weighed me down.”

“Great, now put it together,” Kamari sneered.

Hikaru’s expression filled with tension, he hated being the pupil, this usually occurred the other way around, him forcing Kamari to learn while mocking at his lack of enthusiasm.

“Your hakq flows like—”

“Water,” Hikaru said, finally figuring it out. “And that’s why it feels so heavy when I lose control!”

Kamari clapped briefly. “Now you see, your power grows denser once you’ve reached beyond your limitations.”

“And that’s why I feel so heavy, because of the currents, they flow wildly when I lose control, causing my energy to submerge me in its weight.”

“Exactly.” Kamari said patronizingly.

“But how do I prevent that from happening?” Hikaru asked.

“By not exceeding your limits.”

“And what if it’s life or death?”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“There is a way,” Kamari mentioned swiftly. “But I’ll only teach you if you make a vow and dismiss that white hakq, unless you’re at the point of no other options.”

Hikaru fell silent, not adamant about making such a pledge.

“Don’t tell me you’re so weak you need dependency on that power for every situation,” Kamari taunted.

“Fine then, teach me how and I’ll hold back from using it,” Hikaru boldly stated, taking Kamari’s scoffing as a challenge.

“There’s usually a negative reaction when overusing hakq—still—where there’s a will there’s always a way.”

“So tell me how,” Hikaru said restlessly.

“More of a show than a tell,” Kamari replied. “And I’ll need you standing near me without panicking.”

Hikaru paced toward Kamari, taking a stand in front of him. “Now what?” he asked.

Kamari didn’t respond, suddenly, steam poured from the shallow water, filling the area around them; blue flames shot out, igniting on top of the sizzling liquid. Hikaru almost panicked, but stayed just calm enough as the air around him grew hotter, until it felt as though he were inside a sauna, and beads of sweat slid down his flesh. Amber’s attention wavered from her training while she watched the blinding steam curiously. Hikaru noticed that there now existed no water enveloping Kamari’s feet, instead— there manifested thick blue liquid around them that slightly melted away at the now bare rocky surface.

“Now you see what my structural creation truly behaves like,” Kamari assumed.

He guessed correctly, Hikaru understood why Kamari possessed such a variety of techniques now; his hakq behaved like blazing lava, not a flame, which allowed him to melt structure down and form it into something anew, creating a multitude of various abilities. Hikaru desired further analyzation, but his breath shortened.

“Do you understand what’ll happen if I pushed this overboard?” Kamari posed.

“Yes… yeah,” Hikaru breathed out. “Turn it off!”

Kamari flared down, and the water flooded back in around their ankles. “Now you know what happens when I over flex my energy,” he said lightly. “It burns up the oxygen around me, which makes it impossible breathing.”

“I also noticed that you were breathing fine,” Hikaru pointed out.

“To neutralize this problem, I’ve learned redirecting heat outward from myself while leaving a pocket of air around me…”

“But your pure hakq has no structure, so explain how you’ve—”

“Stop wasting time analyzing my power.” Kamari interrupted. “Focus only on what you need and extract for yourself.”

It frustrated Hikaru’s scientific mind that he couldn’t ask questions… but feeling it useless, he didn’t put up an argument.

“How do you suggest that I avoid the heavy density of my power?” Hikaru posed. “Obviously, redirecting the streaming currents will be impossible if I can’t control them to begin with.”

Kamari contemplated his answer.“You’ll need to focus on creating a wall of energy,” he said. “One that’s sealed tight enough that it can keep the liquid currents from trouncing you.”

He turned toward the trickling water fall as the steam around them began to lift.

“Where are you going?” Hikaru agitatedly asked.

“Helping Amber is a must as well.”

“And you’re just leaving me here so I can figure this all out alone.”

“Trust the storm if you truly desire higher learning.”

Kamari paced through the water toward Amber, leaving Hikaru almost clueless on what to do next. She saw him approaching and trotted forward, meeting halfway. With her hair soaked, a smile overran her face while she stared into Kamari’s eyes, feeling the coolness of being wet on a warm spring morning.

“Did you learn anything new?” Kamari asked.

Amber wiped her drenched hair out of her face. “Not really,” she answered shamefully.

“That’s alright,” Kamari stated quickly. “I only expected that you’d learn better control under the fall.” He stared at Amber’s drenched head. “Which doesn’t explain why you’re soaked, since you were suppose to prevent water from penetrating the shield.”

Amber continued smiling, half embarrassed while Kamari’s glare became more aggressive. “You were fooling around, weren’t you.”

Amber giggled slightly. “Sorry, but you didn’t explain.”

“You’ve gotta stop acting like a pup,” Kamari lectured. “You’re not that much younger than Hikaru and myself, and your help could make the difference in us surviving or dying.”

“I said I’m sorry,” Amber mumbled.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it… not when people are depending on you!”

Kamari’s rounding halted after he saw Amber look down, and they both stood without speaking a word. “I’ll make you realize how important you are so you don’t goof off.” Amber paused, motionless. “I’ve seen you assist Hikaru through this entire situation. If you hadn’t been so helpful, I would’ve had zero choice other than getting you both involved in my situation way before you were ready. So understand, I’m placing more and more pressure against you to insure that you stay very focused.”

“You, you are,” Amber stuttered.

“Yes, I am,” Kamari voiced calmly. “Understand, your structural creation behaves like durable paper— the bigger you make it, the more you’ll be able to crease it, giving complex form— and the longer you can endure, the longer you’ll withstand powerful attacks while in battle."

“So my training will require stamina,” Amber presumed.

“Exactly, endurance will be key for you, so I’m giving you the brunt of my attention,” Kamari said with a smirk showing. “Now, make a barrier of frozen ice around yourself.”

Making a barrier didn’t prove a difficult task for Amber, being that she’d once managed forming a complex dragon ice shaped sculpture while under pressure against Amir. The ice grew beneath her feet, until it encircled all around her in the form of a dome that continued spreading outward, forcing Kamari to keep taking steps away as its mass grew. After the shield grew fifteen feet in diameter, Kamari ignited his own heated energy, and melted a hole before stepping inside.

“I’ll try and burn through your shield, so keep your barrier growing in density!” he yelled.

Amber gave him a thumbs up, and the heated hakq spread out in a circle around the dome, melting away at it, while she concentrated hard, creating more ice that kept the force field stable. Kamari stepped back as the hole refilled with ice, and the shield thickened, then he intensified the blue flames, and the barrier began quickly melting, becoming smaller while the the shallow water steamed upward like a geyser.

(Oh yeah,) Kamari telepathically grunted. (If you flake and don’t give enough effort, I’ll let it burn you.) Amber frowned, failing at keeping focus, which greatly weakened her shield, and caused the blazing hakq to grow wilder. (I think you should concentrate less on me, and more on the shield.)

Feeling exhausted, Amber became incapable of make out anything but the ice around her, and the blurry heated hakq that grew ever so close to getting inside, as the heat it produced started penetrating the forcefield. There was no mistaking it now, she understood that Kamari seriously harbored no intention of halting the commence of training for her own weakness.

(Kamari wait!) She panicked.

(Now now— if you freakout— you’ll never keep safe.) Kamari smirked maliciously.

Amber now understood everything Kai warned her about previously, she’d been too trusting, and now her life hung in the balance of someone she barely knew that showed no indications of letting her survive if she failed. She realized that this vital situation featured as no more than a mere game for Kamari, and fell on both knees, horrified that these were possibly her last moments.

(Feeling sorry for yourself already. Huh…guess I overestimated you. And all that talk about you caring for Hikaru is a lie.)

(You’re wrong!)

“Then show me!” Kamari shouted. “Show me you’ll survive and be there for him!”

With desperation coursing through her veins, Amber placed both of her hands against the ice beneath her, and surged with more hakq than she’d ever felt, causing the barrier to shoot outward, growing larger once again. Kamari didn’t seem impressed by this feat, instead, he heightened the intensity of his blue flames, and quickly melted away at the ice, causing much diminishment with minimal effort. Amber continued giving it her all, and for the first time, she exceeded her limitations. The dome ceased in growth, and instead, the ice grew flat over the water like an ice skating rink.

Kamari telegraphed his thoughts. (Well done.)

He extinguish his energy and Amber immediately gave out, allowing her forehead to touch the ice while she rested on all fours, breathing heavily. Kamari gracefully walked across the frozen water toward the dome that surrounded her. Placing one hand against it, he melted the shield, then approached as Amber raised her head up and faced him.

She sniffled woefully, then her expression twisted up in rage. “I’ll kill you!”

Amber raced at Kamari, her arms extended for his throat. He quickly grasped her wrist, and they turned in circles on the ice, until both slipped, and came crashing down on the hard surface. Managing to land on top, Amber clawed viciously while Kamari continued holding her arms at bay.

“Get off or I’ll throw you off!” Kamari yelled angrily, but Amber didn’t yield for a second, and finally, she managed digging her fingernails into his arms.

Using her own momentum against her, Kamari wrestled Amber on the ice, and pinned down her left arm while glaring furiously. A flash of light caught his attention. Glancing forward, he spotted white hakq radiating in the distance.

“Let go,” Kamari shouted assertively. But Amber kept fighting, gripping his shirt in her fingers while he struggled getting up without causing his sleeve to rip. “Hikaru’s using that crazy power again!”

Amber stopped, and they got up, swiftly spotting bright energy illuminating in the daylight.

“Lets go,” Kamari said hurriedly.

Both ran off the ice and raced through the water. Approaching land, each could make out Hikaru’s figure in the distance. Kamari used his velocity combined with phasing and jetted forward through the greenery. Quickly reaching Hikaru, he planted his feet firmly on the ground, stopping on a dime.

“What are you doing!” Kamari yelled.

Hikaru powered down, pulled his hakq tightly around his flesh, and emanated a bright lining of energy that surrounded his body.

“What does it look like I’m doing,” he laughed.

They approached each other.

“I thought we had a deal.”

“Well the deal’s off.”

Amber arrived, and she stared at them squaring off with foul expressions.

“You guys,” she said softly. “Don’t…”

Kamari turned his back, and walked toward a large rock. He took a seat down on it, and Amber watched him give no effort in talking Hikaru down. She faced her partner, but couldn’t find any words either.

“So, is this the awkward treatment!” Hikaru rounded on them both.

“No,” Amber replied quickly. “We just want your better well being.”

“Like any of us could ever be safe,” Hikaru ranted. He walked toward Kamari. “You know this is my greatest power, so help me learn control of it.”

“Fine,” Kamari said dispassionately. “If that’s what you want.”

Hikaru’s demeanor lit up like the aura around him. Finally, he would be able to freely dabble in what rightfully belonged with him.