Reunited

Our bodies emerge out of the other side, Juna hair hanging over my face and my mask under her chin, close to poking her neck. Birds chirp to leaves rustling from strong wind. It feels my ears as Juna stares me down.

-She leans her head closer to my ear, breast flattening on my chest, "Get up... We're here."

She pushes off of me, taking out her contact lenses, legs laid out to the side of her, still continuing to sit on concrete, though she told me to get up.

Her pure white hair and vibrant purple eyes vanishes, returning to the dim blue ones, white hair fading to brown.

Now I'm the one staring at her, amazed by the difference between Juna Hikari and the hero Silence. They're polar opposites... When she's a hero, Juna facades a smile to be more trustworthy to the victims in peril, but the Juna here, she looks like she wouldn't give a dam if someone was to shout help.

"...Zen, your suite."

Right. -Standing up, I remove my mask, tossing it into my shadow.

"Hmf... Still super useful." Juna drops her eye contacts into my shadow, watching my ability eat the two small devices into nothing.

I press a button on my wrist, turning my armor under my sleeved hoodie into a small bracelet that clamps over my entire wrist tightly.

"Yeah, but it's difficult to grab things out of it without going to location..." I tug my hoodie. "Kind of like my uniform."

She eyes my shadow. "Here I thought you perfected that during summer school."

.... Even after all that training, this is the most I can do with my ability. Hell, I never met someone with my ability, making me start to think this is the best it can get. Transportation and defense.

"Welp, guess you should've worn your uniform under your costume, like I did."

Juna buttons her uniform shirt up, shifting her pants to fit her more.

There's nothing stopping me from peeking back home real quick to grab my uform out the closet, but orientation.

-"We should get going now."

Juna smacks the back of my shoulder, going to the school brick fence. She climbs to the top in a breeze jumping off to the other side.

The least I can do is this. -I jump through the trees shadow, appearing on the others side of the brick fence from Juns shadow.

-Her shoes clap backwards, stopping herself from falling on her ass, causing a group of kids to eye us for a short second.

"...Can you start giving me a heads up or something?" She's more annoyed than startle, adjusting her hair away from over her eye.

Seeing her jump like that is rare... She usually has a strong face on her twenty-four-seven, "Can't you take a joke."

I walk out in front of her, watching her pull at her hair again.

The school assembly building is a few feet away, everyone who took the actual entrance to the school grounds from the gate, passing us going into the building.

H.L.A grand hall is what they call it. The Hero Legue Acadamy, a high school dedicated to only those with ability, prone to establish the greatest upcoming heroes, training us for the chance outshine and bring better peace than those currently in rank.

Though that's the great scheme of things... The truth is, they pack us in a box, tagging our names into the system as they would a dog, all to ensure none of us can turn against the government.

This school purpose is to separate and maintain those with abilities... I only met a few people without powers throughout my entire time here; Ms. Jones and our old principal... What was that man's name again, Lucas something-

-A finger presses on the center of my chest, a girl, hair glittering green and eyes brightly resembling emeralds, stares me dead in my eyes, stopping me and Juna from entering the building.

"And where have you two been!" The girl who obviously has no idea of personal space pushes me back, poking at my chest in a fit. "-Ignored my call! -Went on a mission without me! -And even though we were at summer school, you avoided me! What's the deal, hm?"

Juna bats her eye, walking away from the commotion all together, entering the assembly on her own.

-"Yeah, look, I've been avoiding you, but it's not like you tried too hard to tag along on missions-

-"Th-That's because I'm a healer, not a fighter!" She lowers her hands to her waist, taking a breath, trying to calm herself despite being a barrel of emotions. "You and Juna..."

Whatever she did worked, she seems to snap back to her shy, flaky persona, cleaning the dirt out of her nails in a long silence.

"What about us?" I watch her tuck her head down, then glance back up at me.

"Whatever it's nothing." She leaves into the building, back turned to me without another word.

Honestly... Why do she even try? Ever since we met in middle school all I done is push her away. She looks annoyed now, but the next day, I'm sure she'll tackle me with a hug out of nowhere.

She's so annoying... Clinging to me like this, even though she knows the rumors of my dad. It's like she's immune to the thought that I might suddenly snap and kill everyone, just as everyone think I will.

Even on missions, Meniko tends to heal me before anyone else and I pull my arm out of her hands each and every time. That girl is way too nice... Maybe dense is the right thing to say.

Being part of the group last to enter H.L.'s hall, students in the crowd already begins to uproar a wave of claps, light shutting off, focused only on the center stage.

Ms. Jones, one of the powerless people I mention before, nervously clears her throat before grabbing the microphone of the stand.

"G-Good morning"- Static shoots across the gymnasium, setting to flame all respect she could've gain at the begin of the school year.

Always so fickle... Don't get her wrong though, she's a pretty decent teacher to have, wielding a PHD in the study of abilities. Man, seeing I'm never on her good side, wish it was more bad things to say about her instead of just being a clumsy airhead.

I mean there was this rumor once about her, but I doubt that was as all true.

-"With that said, I'll like to introduce all of you to the new principal of H.L.A!!"

She calps her hand together, handing a man in a white fit suite the mic, putting it back onto the stand as he takes off his pimp like hat, putting it over his chest. He reveals his short straighten white hair, wearing a monachal on his left eye.

"Ahem, you may call me, Dr. Oswald, and I am a friend of your former principal, Govenor Lucas Vilary." The man clears his throat again, coughing out of the microphone direction.

Anyone with eye can see the man shouldn't be standing here in front of us. His other eye is missing, and his right leg is Nomada's Corp curtesy, a prosthetic leg.

"Students, I welcome you all into our walls with open arms, and I can only hope from here on, we thrive for an epidemic year."

The man let go of the mic, leaving those few words to settle on us, walking back to his seat.

Ms. Jones introduced numbers of other teachers and school consolers, breaking down the section of each building to the freshmen, explaining simple things like the school polices and expectation.

I haven't even become a senior yet, but I'm already getting sick of hearing the same thing for the third time. Why isn't orientation only for the freshmen and the idiots who somehow forgot basic school rules?

I found myself clapping along the crowd, subconsciously, as things seem to wrap up.

-"To start off your first day of school, just as every year before, I will now announce those who achieved their spot as the top ten in the school. These students are expected to attend the class number giving to you. My class."

The top ten... Not only for those who passed the written exams with flying colors, but for the ones who the government deems to have the highest potential to be outstanding heroes on graduation, becoming one of the top ten in state ranking.

We're treated as gold pieces, giving harder missions, training every day and an entire room to ourselves.

The lunchroom is way better than the public cafeteria, and our work is pretty much just hero related. Math, science esoterica, sprinkled in time to time.

-"Rank four, Zenith Norway." Ms. Jones calls out my name, the crowd from rapid clapping to muttering. "R-Rank three, Juna Hikari- And Rank two Komada Koi."

The crowd breaks away from there rumor filled gossip, back to clapping for rank two. Proof enough, that no matter how hard I try, I'm still seen as a ticking time bomb.

-"Finally, rank one, goes to no other than the rank two hero of our state, Nia Akashi!"

The crowd screams louder than her speaking through the microphone. This scenario plays out the same way every year, the mere mention of her name as well as my cousin Ella, shakes the meta. I bet Nia didn't even bother to show up at all today...

-The bell rings, signaling the end of orientation.

"Hope everyone have a wonderful day today! And please, those names that I called, please... Um... Come to room 405... Left wing..."

Everyone leaves out the entrance, giving no thought to the fact she was still speaking. Most of the teachers leave out behind us also.

Left wing of the H.L.A; 8:11 am:

I stand outside room 405, admiring the sun, looking though the large window frames in the hallway behind me. Oddly enough, it reminds me of the very same son my brother and Myune gazed at before everything was turned to ruins.

The calm before a storm... That's what I feel right now, hesitant to open a door of all things. If I'm like this right now, Juna anxiety... I hope it isn't acting up. Now days, she can handle being left by herself for thirty minutes, but any longer without me on her side, she snaps.

-Spotting the skyscraper, I'm reminded that Ella didn't say a word to me at all before leaving. I wonder if she's out on another mission or something. She never stops working so hard... Ella, she's probably running just like me.

-Before I gave any deeper thoughts on her, I open the door, entering the class.

"Zenith, you're late..." Ms. Jones have her arm crossed over the other, several of the students including Meniko and Juna, poking their head up, eyes on me. "It's the first day of school, can you at least show a little interest, Mr. Norway?"

I only see a few new for this year's selection, taking my spot next to Juna, who continues to fight her hair. "Did I miss anything?"

Ms. Jones stack a pack of paper on her desk angered, placing them back down. "No. There's nothing planned for today, read a book."

Funny how she sounds professional at the same time vividly throwing daggers at my chest. I could mess with her more, but the only thing I feel lie doing is sleeping off this hectic day.

-"Zen," Just when my mind almost drifted away on top of the desk, Meniko smacks her phone on top. "You heard Ella finished taking down Eternal, she's so freaking cool!"

Eternal? I lift my head up on hearing that thigs name. "Isn't this like the fifth time she had to fight that thing?"

"Each time is cooler than the last!" Meniko melts over the video, grinning, overly excited for my taste.

Seeing that Eternal managed to escape the binds of highly secured prisons is proof enough of the conspiracy that the government is becoming more flawed in the containment area.

-Meniko slides the phone under my arms. "Are you going to watch it?" She shows me begging eyes, pouting her lips. Honestly, she can be super childish at times.

Beside me, Juna fights her hair, continuing from this morning, constantly adjusting it to the side or flipping it back.

-"June, you cool?"

She stops in the motion of pulling her hair over behind her ear, giving me her full attention. "My hair been bothering me all day..."

I get up from my desk, pulling my chair up to her. Then taking her hair in my hands, I separate it into two sections, braiding over the other.

"After school, we can cut your hair back short," I let go of her hair, fully turning her messy long her hair into a French braid, touching the nape of her neck. "For now, this should do..."

I think I became to use to doing this girl hair for her...

"Ok..." Juna holds the French braid, amazed I was able to do it so quickly with little time, admiring it even in those blank emotionless eyes of hers.

"Zen, Zen, you should do me next! I wonder how I look in twin tails." Meniko hold her hair to me, jumping in line before anyone else.

Sadly, this's just one of many special treatments I show to only Juna. "Yeah, but no." I flat out reject Meniko.

"Cruel..." Meniko happy face falls into a pout, letting go her hair she parted for me to braid. "Hahh... Whatever. Ms. Jones, can I use the restroom?"

-"Yeah, but please return."

Juna glances at me, that same look she been constantly giving me all day, "You really pissed her off this time..."

I put my head back down on her desk. "We should've stayed on the skyscraper..."

Juna tilts her head. "I told you though, we have to be here..."

We do? "For what? To sit here and be bored out of our mind?"

"No... To graduate. Would you rather drop out?" Juna lays her head on my shoulder.

"You said so yourself, that we should fall..." I turn my head, touching nose o nose with Juna. "We already quite Vile's team. Do you really want to stay heroes?"

-She puts her finger on my cheek, lightly poking me, lit up by the sun behind her head. "I wonder," she whispers cracking a smile full of sorrow and hatred in her eyes. "If I have never met you, would my life have been better?"

- A loud crash shakes the building, windows bursting into shards and the floor crumbling down under us. Life itself gave me no time to process what she told me. - I fall onto my back, head hitting the back of concrete.

In a daze, I lift my head to fire around me, Juna far across away from me, lying unconscious in the middle of the gymnasium floor. I try to activate my portal, but out of nowhere, a man in a dragon like mask appears, twisting its head to glance over at me with their beading red eye.

-He's a monster! -Putting his hand on Juna face, right before taking her, crackling flames causing more of the damaged ceiling to crash on top of me, unable to react in time.

I can't save her, I can't get up, somethings holding me back... Not again, I can't let this happen again. -Get up! -Come on do something! -He took her!

-I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill him I'm going to kill him!!

-In the place of where that man took Juna, another figure stares at me, wearing a half Oni mask, lit in bright green flames.

Impossible... He looks like the spitting image of you... But it can't be... -Zel.