Chapter 07: Once Bitten, Twice Shy
-----Kenji-----
The tea is bitter and has an odd taste, probably owing to its age. After the first horrid sip, I pantomime the act of drinking while the girl in front of me rambles, hoping not to offend her. She doesnât seem to mind the tea though, maybe being a werewolf has given her a stronger stomach than me.
âSo where did you come from, Kenji? Why are you here? Are you having fun? Are those girls always so angry?â She fires off questions faster than I can answer so when she stops to breathe, I take the advantage.
âMy friends and I arenât from around here but we heard this school was
haunted so we thought weâd check it ou-- Wait, angry girls?â
âHaunted? Silly Kenji! Thereâs no such thing as ghosts! But yeah, the one who shoots things and the one with the sword!â She grins, accompanying her explanation with finger pistols and a sword mime.
âOh! Shiina and Molly. Those are my friends. You didnât⌠hurt them, did you?â
âThey were pretty mean.â Hanako rubs her shoulder with a glum expression. âShooty girl hit me. Sword girl couldnât even scratch me though!â Her expression switches to a prideful grin for dodging Mollyâs attacks
âRiiiight. I should let them know Iâm okay.â I raise my wrist only to find my bracelet missing. Hanako giggles and brandishes her own wrist in front of her, revealing that sheâs now wearing it.
âWhy do you wear a bracelet, Kenji? This is for
girls, you silly boy!â
âUm, could I have that back please? I kind of need it to talk to my friends.â I offer my hand out and she holds her arm close to her chest.
âOooooh! A friendship bracelet! Thatâs so cool! Does that mean Iâm your friend now, Kenji?â Her eyes light up as she goes on a tangent. This is like trying to waltz through a mine-field⌠I better play along.
âSure. We can be friends.â I smile and she blushes.
âIâve not had a friend in a long timeâŚâ She mutters, her eyes lowering as she slides the crate with the tea set out from between us. âEspecially not a
boy friendâŚâ Oh god, I donât like where this is going. She crawls towards me until her face is barely an inch or two from mine.
âUm, Hanako⌠Youâre a little close, donât you think?â I chuckle nervously and her eyes stare at my lips. Iâm going to have to risk using my powersâŚ
âWhoops! Sorry! Keep forgetting my manners, donât I?â She bolts upright to sit on her knees between my legs. Sheâs still far too close for my liking but at least sheâs not trying to kiss me.
âItâs okay, really. But would you mind if I used the bracelet for a second? You can still wear it, I just want to let my friends know Iâm okay. They were probably worried about me, thatâs why they were angry.â I explain with a cautious smile as the girl looks from me to the bracelet and back to me. She offers up her wrist and I gently take it, activating the holo-display. Hanakoâs eyes light up in wonder as I turn it to face me and select the communicator option, receiving nothing but static.
âMaybe theyâre trying to call you?â She offers with a chuckle and I smile warily. No comms is a worrying prospect. I close the display and let go of Hanakoâs wrist. She rubs it with a blush and I ease myself onto my feet.
âThanks anyway, Hanako. Would you like to keep it? I guess I could get another one from Yuuko. Though I bet sheâll give me hell for just giving it awayâŚâ I rub the back of my neck and stretch my shoulder blades.
âY-youâre not going, are you?â She hops onto her feet and stands between me and the door, holding her arm close to her chest.
âSorry, but if I canât reach my friends through
that, then Iâm going to have to find them. Hey, would you like to come along and meet them?â I offer sincerely. We were meant to find the source of the mysterious goings-on and I did, soooo⌠mission accomplished, right?
âN-no. Youâre
not leaving. I just got you. You
canât leave me alone!â She thrashes her head from side to side and begins growling. Her eyes are becoming a sickly yellow as she advances on me.
âHanako⌠Please⌠Youâre not going to h-hurt your friend, right?â I ask nervously as I step backwards, catching my feet on something underfoot and tumbling onto my back. She steps over me and drops onto me, straddling my waist.
âHanako!
Get off me!â I try to push her off but she forces my arms down either side of my head. Sheâs really strongâŚ
âKenjiâŚ
Please donât leaveâŚâ The yellow in her eyes fades as she pleads in a whisper, inching closer to my face again. â
Just stayâŚ
Iâm so lonely.â
âH-how long have you been like this?â I ask, desperate to distract her from forcing herself on me.
âThree years. Three
long years. No human conversation, no human
contact⌠Just me, trapped in this school. Itâs not so bad. But now itâs better. Youâre here.â
âWouldnât you like to leave though? You can come with us! With my team!â Iâm clutching at straws now. If sheâs this unhinged, not to mention her being a werewolf, would any of the others accept her?
âT-team?â She eases back but sheâs still got me pinned underneath her legs.
âWhen I said weâre not from around here⌠I meant weâre not from your world. Weâre
all from different worlds. We travel through the multiverse, from Earth to Earth, fixing things.â
âYouâre⌠Fixers? Are you going to fix me? Is that why youâre here? Am IâŚ
broken?â She asks, looking hurt at the implication.
âDo
you think youâre broken?â I ask, cautiously sitting up and rubbing her shoulder gently. She averts her eyes and nods meekly. I can't leave her here. It wouldn't be right.
"Do you want to come with us?"
âPlease.â
-----Molly-----
Bloody hell, my thighs are killing me. Iâm running on fumes right now and Shin is just standing there like he hasnât been keeping up with me this entire time.
âKzzt⌠Lo?⌠Ca⌠Guys⌠Hello? Can you guys read me?â Kenjiâs voice chirps from mine and Shinâs bracelets. Heâs okay!
âMr Setou? What a relief! Are you alright?â Shin answers and I bolt upright to look at the screen.
âJust a bump to the head, nothing I canât handle. Can you guys meet me at the main gates?â
We sign off and rush to the lower floors, running into Shiina and Lilly along the way. They seem just as elated to hear Kenjiâs alive as we are. As we approach the school's gates, we see Kenji; his head is bandaged and heâs waving alongside a girl cloaked in his uniform jacket.
âSorry for making you guys worry!â He grins sheepishly and Shiina pounces on him, throwing her arms around his neck. She hugs him tight before slapping his arm hard.
âI was worried sick, you
jackass and you were off picking up girls!?â Shiina gestures to the girl beside him who giggles. She offers a hand out to Shiina who shakes it.
âI picked
him up actually, but you were there for that. Good job hitting me, shooty girl.â She cheerily says and Shiina looks around confused.
âHave we met?â Wait, it couldnât beâŚ
âEveryone get back!â I cry out and, to their credit, they seem to trust me enough to take a few steps back. All except Kenji. âHurricane Blossom:
Kusanagi!â
âMolls, what the fuck are you doing?â Shiina shouts while the others look at me just as confused as I pull the latest addition to my arsenal from the weapon realm and bring it to bear against the girl.
âSheâs the werewolf! Kenji, move your {arse}!â I order and he looks to the girl and shakes his head.
âNo. I promised that weâd help her.â He stands a little in front of her. Is he crazy?
âSheâs the
enemy!â
âSheâs lost and confused, Molly. She hasnât hurt anyone!â
âShe attacked you!â I respond, gripping the katana tighter.
âI knocked
myself out on a light pole! She was just taking me to her den to treat the cut on my forehead when you showed up.â He counters, Shiina laughing unintentionally.
âYou really are useless, arenât you Kenny?â Shiina guffaws.
âShe attacked me and Shiina!â I get back on topic and the girl shakes her head.
âN-no⌠I never did. I only dodged. You attacked
me, if anything.â She states adamantly. Well, yeah, I guess thatâs what happened but sheâsâŚ
âYes, sheâs the werewolf but Iâve already seen that sheâs in control of it.â Kenji says before patting the girl on the shoulder. âItâs okay, Hanako. I know you wonât hurt them.â
âOh my!â Shinâs gasp draws my attention and he approaches the girl. âExcuse me, miss. Is your name Hanako Ikezawa by any chance?â
âY-yes? Do I know you?â Her answer makes Shin smile broadly and chuckle.
âNo, but Iâve met you before. On another world. Weâre friends, actually.â He answers and her face lights up.
âYou really are from parallel worlds! Thatâs so cool! Are you guys Fixers like Kenji said?â She takes Shinâs hand and shakes it vigorously.
â
Fixers? Did you decide on a team name without consulting us, Kenji?â Lilly chuckles, folding her arms.
âAh, no, Hanako came up with it, I guessâŚâ
âI quite like it. Weâd been struggling to think of a name for our little group so thank you, Miss Ikezawa.â Shin smiles and I just canât take any more of this⌠bullshit.
âWhat the hell is
wrong with you people? Sheâs a monster!â My knuckles are turning white as I grip the hilt of my summoned blade. Kenji narrows his eyes and strides towards me. Shiina, seeing his expression, rushes to his side.
âKenny, donât. She didnât--â Before she can finish her sentence, Kenji has pressed his chest against the tip of Kusanagi.
âOn our world, some people consider me and Shiina to be monsters too. Are you going to kill
us as well, Molly?â
âN-no, of course not. You guys are--â
âThis girl lost her family, has been alone for three god damn years and you want to kill her just for being something she didnât choose to be? I thought you were supposed to be a hero.â His words cut me deeper than any wound Iâve ever received in my time as a champion.
This isnât my world⌠Sheâs clearly not the same kind of ravenous beasts Iâve encountered before but⌠No, she didnât retaliate when she could have and she even helped Kenji. Whatever my hang-ups⌠I shouldnât take it out on her. Plus, if sheâs a Hanako, she
canât be bad, right?
âIâm s-sorry. I justâŚâ I relax my muscles and Kenji places a hand on my shoulder. â
I have a thing with werewolves.â I admit quietly.
âItâs okay, Molly, but can you do me a favour?â He asks and I nod solemnly. âThink you can use Kusanagai to clear a path through that wolfsbane? Hanakoâs been trapped here because that stuff.â
I follow his pointed finger to the flowers just outside the gates. Sheâs been a prisoner here all this time tooâŚ
âOn it, Kenji.â I nod and step through the gates. I twist the blade through the air, summoning a gust before spreading it around in a horizontal arc, decimating the gardens.
âWow! That was so cool, sword girl!â Hanako pops up out of nowhere and grins at me. Why do I get the feeling her isolation has left her with no real sense of personal space?
âUm, no problem⌠Listen, if youâre coming with us, Iâll tell you about the whys and wherefores about⌠well, Iâll explain later but for now, Iâm sorry for being such a cow.â I ramble, trying to apologise.
âThatâs okay, sword-girl! Iâm sorry for being a wolf.â She smiles and her earnest apology makes me laugh a little. Even though itâs hard to swallow my pride for doing what I thought was right, sheâs kinda sweet. I bet all Hanakos are sweethearts though.
âAlright, Hanako. Letâs go have a chat with Yuuko.â Kenji grins as he leads Hanako out through the gates. Shiina bounces alongside him and starts cracking jokes.
âOh! We could say she followed us home!
Pleeeease, Yuuko, can we keep her?â
Lilly gives me a smile and I sigh heavily. I trust Kenjiâs judgement but I canât help but feelâŚ
I bend down and pick up one of the wolfsbane flowers, pocketing it while the others arenât looking. I sheathe Kusanagi once more and return it to the arsenal before calling out to my team.
âHold up, you lot!â