Following his shower, Tsuna came back to his room and dressed in his workout attire while Emiko moved his laptop onto the bed. She’s getting comfy already. Tsuna shifted his direction and headed back towards the door. He scanned the room for his shoes, nowhere in sight. In his search, he went to his closet and put his hand in it without looking. Is this? Its cylindrical shape had almost confused him for something inappropriate, but he had remembered that it was a cane that was a gift from his father that reappeared every time he’d thought he’d disposed of it.
You’ll never know when you’ll need this for safety. His mother’s voice said.
Tsuna exhaled a stressful sigh. “Emi, do you know where my shoes are?” Right as he turned to her, a blur of two objects came rushing across the room, knocking him square in the face.
Emiko arrogantly smirked. “Jerk.”
Tsuna couldn’t help but roll his eyes at his girlfriend’s childish tricks. “Damn.” He slipped his running shoes on and hustled out the door. Hard to think I’m working to settle with her. I know she can be mature, but she doesn’t like to show it.
Tsuna closed the door, rushed down the stairs and nearly out of the door before something caught his attention. It was a lone object in the center of a coffee table, a photo. A man and a woman embracing one another happily, as if there was nothing in the world that could tear them apart. He saw himself in both of them, the woman’s hair was long and black like his own, her Asian features were more prominent on her face than his though from a glance, overlooking their different skin tones, one could tell that they were related. Her odd gray eyes stuck out to him, somewhat envying the unique beauty of them. In the man he shared his burned skin tone, the man’s skin being slightly darker than his own. Eyes as brown as the dirt on a child’s tennis shoes. A surge of emotions gathered into his chest before he turned the photo on its face and departed.
His mind turned to other things, his employment situation, his finances. Things he didn’t want to think about, but in his current situation, had no choice but to. He no longer wanted to be a burden to his mother, who was, to his surprise, wealthy despite raising him alone. A cat as black as midnight took his attention, lying high in a tree, appearing as if it wanted to descend but couldn’t find its way. He extended his hand. “Psspss!” The animal glared at him with its beady black eyes, cautious of him as it clenched tighter to the wood. “Cmon cat, I’m trying to help you.” Tsuna reached his hand out. The cat loosened its grip and leaped to him, its claws scratching deep into his left hand. Tsuna recoiled as the cat then jumped off of him and onto the ground. “Geez!” A scratch of its head and a loud ‘meow’ and the cat took off down an alleyway. “That cut deep.” There was no pain or blood on the cut left by the animal. A closer look showed something white beneath the mark. “Cat probably stepped on bird crap. My day just gets better and better.”
A feather blew into his sight, drawing his vision to the right where a person in a strange feathery cloak glanced at him. The person turned back away, heading into an alleyway before he could get a better look at them. It’s far too hot for an outfit like that. What are they up to? His curiosity got the better of him, changing his direction and heading toward the alley where the person went. Gone.
Though the strange encounter confused him, he shrugged it off and left. Whatever. Hope they don’t pass out. Tsuna thought back to Emiko as he continued his walk. Emiko, she can get out of control occasionally, but the charisma she has made getting married sound pleasant. Part of me can’t believe that’s the same little Emiko from all those years ago. The rhythm in his heart doubled. A natural grin went from cheek to cheek. I have to get us a place. He realized she was the love of his life.
The boom-bap of a hip-hop beat came from behind him as a car went by. He expected the blaring music to silence as the car left, yet the music continued when it passed. It wasn’t common for anyone to be blasting music on a stereo, something he viewed as a public indecency, which narrowed down who the culprit was. “Takeda!” At the top of his lungs, he shouted a name. Birds scattered. The man’s attention flew towards the trees before his sunglasses slipped down to see who was ahead of him.
“Tachibana!” He clicked the stereo off and jogged to his side. “Pleasant seeing you before work, though I’d prefer not to. Looking at your face for longer than I need to. It kills me on the inside, you know?”
“Hilarious, but I’m off today.” Tsuna said as he checked the scratch left by the cat again. Hit at a certain angle of the sun’s rays, he was sure it sparkled. What was that? It’s still not bleeding either?
“Nasty looking cut you got there.” Takeda leaned over Tsuna’s shoulder to examine the wound. “Damn! You and your girl get into a fight? She find out you’ve been fapping to those mangas you buy?”
A jerk from Tsuna’s elbow knocked him back a foot. “Fuck off. The only reason I called you is because blasting that music will attract unwanted attention.”
“You’re right. Now that I’m traveling with a fellow delinquent, who knows the trouble that will come our way?! We should find a warehouse to hide in before the cops find terrors like us walking the streets!”
The stocky Takeda stood at the same height as Tsuna. Often he would tease him about his interests, but Tsuna knew him well enough to brush his words off. He and Takeda had a long history as birds of a feather, but it was rare that they flocked together.
“Talking about things you hardly know about is what earns you a foot up the ass, Takeda.” Tsuna turned his attention towards a passerby who, from his gaze, hurried to the other side of the street. “And stop calling me a delinquent. It’s harder for someone like me to escape that title with you constantly reminding everyone in the public area.”
“Take it up with Mr. Amagi. Did you know he calls the both of us delinquents behind our backs? You’d think admitting that we stole from him once or twice back in the day would establish some kind of trust now that we work for him. Did he deduct Yen from your pay when you started to?”
“No.”
His eyes went wide, throwing his free arm into the air. “What the hell! I lost a lot of money on that month’s pay! He clearly likes you more than he does me.”
“Yeah, I think he does, too. I choose not to bring stereos to work and make a bunch of noise like it’s the late 90s. It’s 2020, get some headphones. If you’re lucky, he’ll stop looking at you like you’re some kind of clown.”
Takeda’s proud shoulders eased as he gave Tsuna another glance. “Go on without me. I’m going back home real quick.” He took off, not allowing Tsuna to respond.
“Okay.” Tsuna said with a hint of carelessness.
Tsuna continued walking. I hope the night doesn’t drag for him. Nights are the slower shift, but maybe Mr. Amagi would let me work on my writing on my phone when I clock in. A drip of blood trickled down his knuckle from the cut the cat had left. With a finger, he swiped it and rubbed the blood between his fingers. That took its time. A woman walked toward him, though an exchange of looks changed that as she crossed the road. A car horn went off as the vehicle’s brakes screeched. The woman lost her footing and fell back, bracing herself as the car came to a stop before her. Tsuna hurried over to her, helping her off of the ground. “Are you okay? Be more careful when crossing the road. It’s usually busy this time of day.” The man inside his vehicle hollered.
“Get the hell off the road!”
The woman ran off without a word, leaving Tsuna shaking his head and returning to the sidewalk. His attention went back to the woman who was now across the road, noticing a large sign placed on the building behind her and a flurry of feathers that flew before it. There he saw them again, the person in the feathered cloak on top of the building. Staring at him. Time seemed to slow down, the engine of the cars went silent, the people on the street seemed to disappear. He blinked and suddenly time returned to normal, with the person vanishing again.
Who is that, and why are they following me? He inspected the sign that was now spread in its entirety on the building. “Come visit the historical Tachibana museum. Free summer tour once per person.”
He shared the name of the historical Tachibana Clan from the Sengoku and Edo periods of Japan, but was sure that he wasn’t a descendant since he had no other family on his mother’s side, to his knowledge. His grandparents passed before he was born and his mother was an only child. If she was one of them, she would have connections, wouldn’t she? Maybe then the people wouldn’t have treated him as an outsider. Like a delinquent. A sigh escaped his lips, then Tsuna began running.
***
As time went by, the sun slowly descended and a blue moon replaced it in the sky. A blue moon? Interesting. He had reached his home with its windows pitch black. “Emiko took my advice? I’ll have to buy her some sweets since she’s not being lazy.” Strange noises came to him as he approached the door, sounding similar to a struggle. Someones in the house? Mom! Tsuna turned his shoulder towards the door and prepared to charge in. Hold on, I’m sure I just heard something fall, too. It’s faint, so they’re just up the stairs. Mom’s room is downstairs. Tsuna cracked open the door, carefully leaving the door open in case he needed to make a fast break. A flicker of light glistened from up the stairs as he heard a door slam shut. On the tip of his toes, he moved swiftly, as he could now pinpoint where the infiltrator was. They’re in my room? What the hell? Another step and his foot slid forward. He grabbed onto the wall, keeping himself from falling. Shit! Why is the floor wet? He took a breath to recompose himself as he crept closer to the door and reached for its handle. His heart climbed up to his throat, then dropped into the sea of rage that swelled in his chest. “I’ll teach this bastard!” Fist clenched, Tsuna burst into the room. Emiko sat in front of his laptop drenched in water, but wrapped in a towel that covered her torso to her thighs. A headset sitting on her damp hair as she yelled into the microphone.
“Hey, healer! Do your job! The dungeon just started, and this worthless tank is here already kissing dirt! I don’t see you having to deal with a boss on you! Damage is too low! Does this mage even know their rotation!?”
Tsuna’s rage subsided, overran by confusion, frustration, and disappointment. “Final Aura Online.” The only video game he knew she played, a MMORPG.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Her head swiveled to her shoulder, sensing someone was behind her. She gave him a calm and quick glance before looking back at the screen as her character fell to the ground.
“One of the worst dungeon runs of my life. Get good, shitters.” She said before pressing the ‘alt’ and ‘f4’ keys. She then threw off her headset and jumped onto Tsuna. “Tsuna! You’re back!”
“Yes, I am. What the hell was that noise before I came in? Mom is probably still awake with all this noise in the house.”
Emiko gave an embarrassing smile. “Well, I was taking a shower. I unplugged the headset so I could hear when my dungeon queue would go off, and then it did. So, I grabbed a towel and ran out the door then…”
Tsuna snickered. “You fell on your ass, didn’t you?” He burst into laughter while grabbing his sides.
“Shut up! You’re not supposed to laugh at my pain! That horrible queue didn’t make it any better. The run didn’t last 5 minutes!”
A misty eyed Tsuna wiped his face before taking a deep breath. “Mom’s probably awake now. Tell her that story and she’ll get a better laugh than I did.”
“Oh, she left a few hours ago.”
His head tilted as one of his eyebrows leaped. “She left? Did she say where? The office rarely keeps her this late.”
“While I was in here sleeping, resting up for when you came back, she poked her head in. My amazing senses felt her presence, so I waved. She looked mad at first but said it was okay, then told me to pass a message to you.”
“Why didn’t she just text me? Fine. Go on then, what’s the message?”
“She said that she would not be home until late tonight, or maybe even tomorrow morning.” Emiko said, “But that was only the first part. She then said to remember that she loves you.”
An already confused Tsuna blinked in response. Why’s mom being so weird? A phone isn’t new to her since she’s practically on one all the time. Is she trying to be funny? “Thanks for passing the message, Emi. I’ll make breakfast for the three of us in the morning, but for now.” Tsuna walked over to his bed. “I’m going to take another shower, then head to bed.”
“Bed already! Bu-but don’t I deserve a reward today? It’s been such a long and boring day... I’ve been waiting for you to get back. So we can maybe get a workout?”
As he stepped away, he heard something hit the ground from where Emiko was standing. Blood surged to his head before he could take another step and he grit his teeth. Don’t turn around, you need to sleep. Don’t turn around, you need to sleep. As he chanted away in his head, he completely froze before his bed. An audible gulp echoed within the room and he could sense the devilish grin that Emiko had been giving him. He licked his lips. “Ten minutes. Give me ten minutes to rest. Put something on for now and it’ll be off again in eleven, so make it easy.”
“Deal!” She rushed over to his closet and dug through a corner where an extra stash of her clothing was stacked. Hopping into underwear and shorts then sliding on a tank-top, she bounced back into the room with the window pulling her attention. “Whoa, Tsuna! Did you see the moon on the way here?”
Tsuna’s face collapsed into his pillow before his body reached the bed. “Yeah, it was big and blue. I don’t think we’re in the window for one of those. I read it’s like two and a half years.”
“When was the last one?”
“I dunno.”
Emiko let out a sigh. “Stupid Tsuna… Tsuna! Tsuna!”
Tsuna sat up. “What are you yelling about?” Eyes fixed to something outside of the window, he watched her point a finger as she stepped back. He climbed out of bed and moved next to her, almost copying her sentiment once he had seen what she had been pointing at.
An object was floating in the air below the moon. It appeared in a disfigured shape as it flew over the city. A purple visage built up around it before the color dispersed and blanketed the area. A loud crash erupted from outside, sounding similar to explosions as they witnessed a rain of orbs descending from the sky.
His body went cold, a numb sensation ran through his right hand as the cut glimmered a bright white. “Run!” Tsuna said when an ear-piercing screech shattered the window, forcing the two of them to cover their ears. Tsuna’s head felt like it was going to shatter to pieces as he watched Emiko fall to her knees. Through the window, a white light shined on them and obscured his vision. The floating object now headed in their direction. It unraveled, opening into the shape of a giant woman, looking down with her arms crossed over her bosom, slowly breaking from their petrified state. “Shit. That thing’s coming for us!” Tsuna trembled as he heard what sounded like people marching in unison or faint flapping. The noises were growing louder, something was getting closer. “Come on!” He pulled Emiko and ran into the closet. Moving her in first, he closed the door behind him and took a deep breath. Emiko panted, her face flushed red and visually in shock. He pulled her close.
“What’s happening, Tsuna! Y-your hand! It’s glowing!”
“I wish I could tell you why, but just stay calm, Emi. We’re going to be alright. I’ll keep you safe, I promise. Just stay with me.”
Speechless, she stared at him and trembled as if it were her last moment.
This light… When did it come from my hand? Could that be why it’s heading this way? If so, why are we sitting here?! If I’m what it wants, then I need to get Emiko away. I can’t lose her! But what about mom? I need to find her too! Tsuna pulled his phone from his pocket. “No signal.” What now? If we run, I put the both of us at risk. If I don’t, then something might happen to mom. What do I-! A third option popped into his head. He reached out for the cane tucked away in the corner and stood up as he adjusted his grip on the top, revealing a blade that sparkled a glint from his glowing hand. “We’re going to get out of here. That thing will find us if we keep hiding here. It sounds stupid, I know, but if they find us, I want you to run. Run as fast as you can. Besides, I think it’s after me.”
“How do you know that? You’re risking your life for nothing! We should wait for help!”
“Tell me who’s going to help us! Who’s going to stop some giant from finding us!”
Another crash nearby and a howl that spread through the night followed by screams from men and women outside.
Tsuna mustered up his courage. Hesitantly placing his hand on the door with his other hand gripping the cane tight. I have to protect mom. I have to protect Emiko. The people who saved me. I will keep them safe! He cracked open the door, finding the room unchanged except for the broken glass from the window. Distant screams plagued the outside along with ragged breathing, as if they had let hounds loose. Something was hunting people.
He eased out of the doorway, urging Emiko to follow, and peeked around in all directions. Tsuna crept his way towards the shattered window and could see enormous creatures flying outside, beasts on top of buildings descending below and attacking those who were unfortunate enough to be seen. Keep going! He pressed on. “Nothing seems to notice we’re here, but I think the house is empty. If we leave through the back, we should—” Without warning, something tackled him from the side, knocking him across the glass and causing him to drop the cane. One of the flying creatures had emerged from the shadow in the room’s corner. It had a half-human, half-bird appearance, but with large pitch-black wings extending from the upper part of their back, and solid white eyes. Its talons tried to grab hold of him. Tsuna avoided its talons and grabbed onto a large fragment of shattered glass that was lying nearby. He stabbed it into the creature’s leg, and it let out a deafening shriek. Emiko ran out of the closet and attacked it from behind with her fists. Her punches mangled the creature, distorting its shape, but every blow appeared ineffective. While the creature regained its shape, Tsuna reached for the cane, hearing a scream, then saw the creature turn around and lunge at Emiko. “No!” He grabbed the cane and whipped it into its neck, knocking the creature back as it stumbled into the wall. A swift motion disposed of the blade’s sheath, allowing Tsuna to stab into the monster’s neck. Pinned, it shook into a frenzy, jerking left and right while slowly evaporating into thin air. A shaken sigh escaped his lips as he felt Emiko pull at his arm.
“Are you okay, Tsuna? Be careful of the glass.”
“I’m fine. Are you okay?”
Emiko nodded and looked out of the window. “I think it called for help. That cry was loud enough for more to hear.”
“Then let’s get going before more show up.”
***
Not once did Tsuna’s mind stray from his goal. Bodies laying in the streets; blood splattered against the walls and cars only made him more determined to find his mother. The dark creatures had slowed the floating woman down by similar to the one that had attacked them. They weren’t on the same side. It swiped at creatures by the dozen, knocking them into buildings and evaporating any that fell into her bright gaze. Tsuna led Emiko to a dark alley between buildings where they rested until they were ready to move again. This is horrible. These people… killed by those monsters. “This shouldn’t have happened.”
“Tsuna, you’re talking crazy. There’s no way we would’ve known this was going to happen.” Emiko said. “This is a phenomenon, some shit that nobody’s dealt with! Don’t blame yourself!”
Deep inside, he believed her, but every glance at the white light in his hand made him think otherwise. He covered his hand. “Whatever this is, is the reason. It has to be. You don’t have it. We’ve never heard of something like this. It’s like I’m wearing a tracking device. That thing will follow me until it has me.”
“You’re not going alone, if that’s what you’re thinking! At first, I was worried but that we’ve survived an attack once gives me hope we can survive another! What you did back there gave me hope, Tsuna. It’s like you said, we’ll be alright. As long as we’re together, we’ll be alright.”
Her words rekindled his resolve, bringing a smile to his face. “Stay with me, Emiko. I have a plan.”
She nodded intently, listening closely.
“We need to get to my job. There are people who are working overnight and I’m certain they locked the place up when things started hitting the fan. The more people we have, the more likely our chance of surviving. But also the chances of us getting caught. We’ll figure out something from there.”
“Let’s go then. I’m ready when you are!”
The two of them ran out into the streets, Tsuna noticing almost instantly that the giant woman had caught sight of them and flew in their direction.
A chill ran up his spine as the giant’s light swung in their direction. “Shit! That was too soon!” The flapping of wings over the buildings and heavy steps rushing down the street came next. Creatures of different shapes and sizes surrounded him and Emiko. “That plan didn’t last. No matter what, don’t leave my side!” Out of the darkness, one of the more massive creatures rushed them, grabbing Tsuna and took to the skies. Emiko could do nothing but scream as she watched Tsuna being taken away from her.
“Tsuna!”
They doused the hope he had in his heart with a wave of despair. The monsters surrounding her were getting closer and he could only watch. Tsuna swung wildly, swaying through the skies as the beast took him higher. The giants ray of light shone on them, the creature let out a terrible cry as the dark dripped away like paint and released him in order to escape. Tsuna’s body fell numb. He was now thousands of feet above Yanagawa. The air rushing around his body, the deafening wind piercing his ears, until he crashed into a building and down to its first floor.
The adrenaline in his body raged like an untamed fire, his anger coming first before his questioning of how he’d survived the fall. “What the hell is happening? This isn’t any dream! Why me?” Covered in debris, the light in his hand now pulsed. As this was happening, he felt a rush of energy overflowing his body, giving him the strength to stand up. “I feel…” The giant stood hundreds of feet over him, her eyes now human-like, with pupils moving around the area he landed. Slowly, it raised its leg, intending to snuff the life left in him. Tsuna clenched the fist where the light shined and pulled it back, waiting for the foot to fall. “If I die, I die fighting!”
The foot fell like a guillotine, dropping before his eyes. As the giant’s attempt on his life drew closer, time had appeared to slow down along with his body. A swing of his fist slowly approached his attacker, each moment a pulse along his arm traveled further towards his fist until it connected. The clash of blows halted one another, Tsuna holding under the weight on the colossus. The woman’s stone face shifted from one of sternness to one of surprise. Tsuna swayed her leg, it landing to his side. Light embraced his fist as he pulled back and attacked the giant’s foot, the light rippling through to her leg. More human-like expressions appeared on the woman’s face. She now appeared enraged.
The light around Tsuna’s hand grew larger than his body, it raising itself into the air. He now realized that everything that’s happened was his blame to take. “This is for everyone!” A hum echoed from his hand as if it had responded to him, the light bursting into smaller beams and spreading throughout the city.
The woman’s mouth broke open, a scream reverberating through its insides as it desperately reached out for him. Before her eyes, Tsuna was falling again, into a void that opened below his feet.
The reality he knew faded away as Tsuna’s vision warped between darkness and light, blending together in a mesh of hysteria and euphoria. The energy in his body slipped away, along with his senses. He closed his eyes, hoping he would wake up from this nightmare. “Mom. Emiko.”