Chapter Seven: How Shady! Dark Reunion!

AKARI SIGHED CONTENTLY AS SHE FOLLOWED KUSUO to their class for the day. The day had started out relatively all right, for her at least. Her brother hadn't woken her up as abruptly as he usually does, her dad made her favorite breakfast, and her mom had enough time to see them off to school for once. The day was actually turning out to have a good start for once. She wasn't in her usual slightly grumpy mood or had an urge to hide in the shadows like every other morning. Instead, she was completely content with how her day started out. She had a feeling that things would be quite all right today.

Just as the superpower duo was going to enter their classroom, the blue-haired boy that associated himself with them came over. He seemed to be quite jittery about something. Unprompted he turned and spoke to them, "You see, I've been summoned. I can't say more right now, but it's going to rock the world. I'll explain when the time comes." With that, he then turned and waddled away from them.

They watched him go in confusion, 'What?' Kusuo wondered, 'Did he make a friend or something?'

'Should we look into that or...?' Akari's eyes trailed after him before turning to her pink-haired friend with a little bit of worry swarming in her eyes. She knew how Kaidou could get himself hurt extremely easily, so she could help but want to look out for him. 

'Probably not.'

Akari's eyes rolled at his blatant uninterest in the mystery that is Kaido. Then again, she should have suspected that he wouldn't care. He barely cares about anyone besides himself, so it shouldn't be surprising to her. Come on, Akari, don't you remember who you're dealing with? 'What if it's something bad?'

Kusuo turned his bored eyes down to her, 'Do you really care?'

'Maybe a little...' Akari shrunk under his intense stare and looked away, 'I mean, he's a moron, you and I both know he could get hurt easily and by just about anything.' So what if she was looking out for him. Sure, she didn't get involved with people because she didn't want to gain attention, however, Kaido was a bit different. She was one of the only few people she considered to be at least an acquaintance. She even believed that Kusuo would think of the blue-haired boy as the same. That being said, she at least wanted to make sure that he was safe. God forbid he was going to end up getting himself into a situation where he was going to get hurt and Akari could have done something to stop it from happening, she would be disheartened. Akari hated dealing with people. However, the few that she did find endearing or tolerable were the ones she did not want to end up hurt in any way. So sue her if she wanted to keep an eye out for him. She was just being a decent human being.

Kusuo stared at her blankly for a long moment before mentally grumbling, 'You have a soft spot for him.'

'Not really.' Akari said and tilted her head in thought while placing a hand on her chin, 'He's kind of like a puppy, I guess.'

The two stood in silence for a moment as Kusuo contemplated slightly over it. Though from the corner of his eye he could see the expression on Akari's pale face. She obviously was trying to convince him with the pleading spark in her eyes. Most of the time he can say no to her, as he's done in the past many, many times. Yet as of recently, he's found that he's had a bit of a harder time saying 'no' to her. He had no idea why, and he didn't question it all that much. There was a small huff that came from him in annoyance, 'If this is just a waste of time, I'm blaming you.'

'You blame me for everything!' Akari whined like a child with a pouty lip.

Kusuo barely spared her a glance while walking away from her, as if he were superior to her. Which he most certainly believed. 'Because it's usually your fault.'

'Ku-kun!'

---

Kaido walked down the hallway by himself. Every once in a while he would look over his shoulder as if making sure that no one was following him. Though who would want to follow him around? All they'd see is him running around going on about his Jet-Black Wings persona, which wasn't that special. Though he was being followed, he just couldn't see Kusuo or Akari thanks to the shadow manipulator using the darkness to hide them. So maybe he did have a right to be paranoid since he was actually being followed around. 

Eventually, Kaido crept over to a door in an abandoned hallway. School was already over, so just about everyone should be headed home now. Unfortunately, Kusuo and Akari were not apart of the lucky group who got to go home since they were checking out what Kaido was doing. They watched as Kaido knocked on the door.

"Thurisaz, isaz, hagalaz," a voice asked from within the room.

Kaido answered back in the strange language, "Sowilo, gebo, fehu."

Once again there was a reply, "Ehwaz." Kaido then opened up the door and entered the small room with a table and empty chairs. Though at the head of the table sat a student wearing glasses, a hood over his head, and a bandana around his mouth and nose. Just before the door shut, a shadow slipped through the door just before it closed. The yellow eyes watch the scene from the corner of the room trying to figure out what was happening. The disguised student continued to speak, "You're here. You weren't followed, were you... Jet-Black Wings?"

So there was another kid who was willing to play around in Kaido's fantasy? Maybe Kusuo was right, Akari thought, maybe Kaido did somehow make a new friend...

"It's all right, Jade eyes." The bandaged boy greeted the boy at the head of the table, "I checked."

"Wait!" The other student, Jade eyes, exclaimed, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Kaido gasped, "Oh, right. There's a sacred Barrier around this room. If you don't perform the Chalice Ritual within 66 seconds, you'll be destroyed."

"That's right," Jade eyes nodded, taking this just as seriously as Kaido.

Kaido then hit a few strange poses before clapping twice, "Laguz!"

The atmosphere once again became extremely serious as Kaido sat down at the other end of the table. Akari watched from the corner of the room with her eyes dully glowing. Her shadowy form tilted her head while watching them in confusion. Jade eyes quirked an eyebrow, "Well? Are you still confused?"

"It's not that simple! It's like I'm stuck in a bad dream." Kaido exclaimed, "I was once an A-level soldier in the Dark Reunion. I discovered their true goal, the Human Sorting Plan. I stole the stone of destruction, Panalyze, and escaped. They came after me, but I used the forbidden secret technique to become a phantom, and entered my own body before I was even born. For crying out loud!" Akari blinked at his long explanation. 

Jade eyes deadpanned, "You look pleased."

"I'm not!" Kaido tried to deny though his voice showed how excited he was about this.

The other boy shook his head, "Anyway, it sounds like you've come to believe it." Was there any doubt that Kaido would believe that?

"I always knew I was different from other people," Kaido Shun -- Breed: Different.

Jade eyes continued on with their important meeting, "We need your power in order to destroy the Dark Reunion. We will assist you in recovering your memories."

Kaido tilted his head, "We? What do you mean? What are you saying?"

"There are four more here. All of them are phantoms." Jade eyes explained as if it were the most obvious thing ever. "Don't tell me you can't see them. If you can't, we're done here."

"Of course, I can!" Kaido frantically explained, "I was asking about their bodies."

"I see," the boy said with a small bit of skepticism in his voice, "That's right. Their bodies aren't here. The other members don't trust you yet."

"Really?"

"Speaking of which," Jade eyes spoke up, "did you perform the Sworn Friendship Purification?"

"I sure did," Kaido held up a notebook and handed it over to the other boy. Akari tried to get a peek into the book to see what was in it. Though it was kept close to their chests so she didn't even get to see once glance as to what was in it.

Jade eyes flipped through the pages of the book with wide eyes, "These answers are excellent. As expected for the Jet-Black Wings." Kaido puffed up in confidence, now that Jade eyes had built up his ego just a bit more. "They will surely accept you into their circle."

"Really? I'll do anything..."

"Get down!" Jade eyes suddenly shouted before making some hand signal, "Mannaz, ingwaz, wunjo!"

Kaido blinked in confusion, "What happened?"

The bandana-wearing boy turned to him dramatically, "The Dark Reunion sniffed out this place. We just got attacked."

"Attacked?" Kaido shouted out in alarm at the fantasy-level threat. Of course, there was no real threat that Akari or Kusuo could see. The only threat was how easily Kaido was falling for this. We love this boi, but he really is a moron sometimes.

"They got all four members," Jade eyes exclaimed.

Kaido gasped, "Even though they were phantoms?"

"Even though they were phantoms!" Jade eyes nodded, "We're in danger now. Help me make a stronger sacred barrier."

Kaido nodded his head, more than ready to help keep Dark Reunion away from their secret meeting. "Okay. What should I do?"

Jade eyes threw a bag onto the table, "Metal interferes with the sacred barrier. Take any metal you have on you, and put it in that bag made from a special cloth."

Without any question, Kaido started to do as instructed. Akari could already tell that this was nothing but a scam. She felt so bad that Kaido couldn't see it. His eighth-grade syndrome was so severe, that he couldn't even see what he was being played, how unfortunate. "Coins too?"

"Of course." Jade eyes said as Kaido pulled out any metal objects in his pocket. For some reason he had a harmonica and brass knuckles in his pocket... why? Jade eyes then exclaimed, "There's no time! Just put your whole wallet in there." Once Kaido's pockets were thoroughly empty of everything that was valuable, Jade eyes then walked over to him, "Okay! Now do what I do."

Kaido nodded his head, "Got it."

"Ansuz, jera!" Jade eyes shouted while hitting a pose that honestly reminded Akari of a k-pop band that she saw a while ago.

Kaido repeated, "Ansuz, jera."

Jade eyes hit another pose, "Ehwaz."

"Ehwaz."

It was silent for a moment. Nothing happened while Akari and Kusuo stared at the two bordley. For a moment, they shared a look with one another at the ridiculousness of the situation. 

The two then let out a sigh of relief, "Looks like we managed to do it."

"That was close," Kaido wiped his brow as if that was exhausting. 

"You should go now."

Kaido was more than happy to have the Jet-Black Wings help a comrade with defeating Dark Reunion. Though he did need his things back, "Okay. Can I have my money back?"

Jade eyes shook his head, "No can do. The sacred barrier is unstable. It's too dangerous."

Kaidou deflated, "But my wallet and my pass..."

"Thanks for your help. I could have died without you." Jade eyes cut him off, "That's our Jet-Black Wings. You're our savior."

"It wasn't a big deal," this Jade Eyes kid really knew how to stroke Kaidou's ego. One mention of the Jet-Black Wings helping save someone, playing right into his fantasy, and Kaidou would do just about anything to gain that validation again. It was kind of sad how this guy was playing Kaido so easily.

Jade eyes then pushed Kaido out the door, "Come again this time tomorrow." He shut the door in the blue-haired boy's face, "And don't forget the Sworn Friendship Purification."

"Sure," Kaido nodded his head before waddling off into the distance. Even while still in the room, Akari could tell that Kaido was more than elated with having someone else to play along with his fantasy as he most likely had a bit of pep in his step.

Now alone, or at least he thought so, "Jade eyes" pulled off his disguise with a hearty laugh, "Talk about delusions of grandeur!" He laughed, "This is just a book for homework. All I had to do was play along with him. He even handed over his wallet." While his plan was full-proof, he didn't even account for the super-powered teens who would be annoyed that he had played a trick on their... acquaintance.

'That's just straight-up mean.' Akari thought darkly as she and Kusuo continued to hide in the room while listening to the boy. Kusuo stuck himself on the ceiling out of sight while Akari stuck to the wall in her shadowy form. All this guy had done was play along with Kaido's fantasy to get what he wanted from him. How horrible did you have to be to do such a thing? Of course, Kaido fell for it so easily, all he really wanted was a friend to play along with him! So his moronic nature was susceptible to being taken advantage of by those who were willing to play him.

"The Dark Reunion? Good luck working on my homework!" The boy cackled in delight. His obvious enjoyment with having deceived Kaido was certainly pissing Akari off so much. She doesn't usually get involved with things like this since she had barely any friends. However, to know that someone as stupid and naive as Kaidou was being taken advantage of was rightfully making her angry. His joyous emotion disappointed once the lights suddenly turned off on him. "Did the power just go out?"

'No.' Kusuo said mentally as he suddenly appeared behind the imposter, 'It's Dark Reunion.' The shadows in the room seemed to grow thicker, like oil, and spilled across the floor as if it were paint. It slowly inched closer and closer to the deceiving teen as a pair of glowing yellow eyes glared down at him from within the inky darkness. The boy then screamed in terror.

---

The next day, Kaido made it his mission to find Kusuo as soon as he could. He was more than excited to bring his friend to the meeting, which was obvious from how his thoughts were only thinking about the meeting. Eventually, Kaido was able to corner Kusuo, "Saiki, you're coming with me to our secret meeting?!"

Kusuo grimaced through just followed after the other boy. 'I'd rather not.' He could already tell that Akari would want to go, so he'd have no choice. That and if he didn't, she may end up taking his coffee jelly privileges from him. He would certainly not sacrifices getting to eat the Watanabe coffee jelly. It was one of the best coffee jellies he's ever had. Though don't tell Akari that, she might just tease him for it. 

Speaking of the shadow manipulator, she suddenly appeared at Kusuo's side. Well, to Kaido it looked as though she suddenly materialized out of nowhere, but she's been there the entire time. "Can I come as well, Kaido-san?"

Kaido jumped and started to stutter. "A-Ah, Watanabe-chan!" Even in her presence, his cheeks were starting to turn just a light shade of pink. While Akari was quite a cute girl, she wasn't necessarily on the level of goddess-like beauty as Teruhashi, though that didn't mean she couldn't affect people to some extent. Akari was at least somewhat aware of how she could fluster some people just by looking at them, but she didn't care enough to exploit that or anything. Besides, it rarely happened because she never really grabbed attention because of her power. "O-O-Of course you can come with! I would be b-best to show you to k-keep you safe from Dark Reunion!"

Akari nodded her head as Kaido started to lead the pair down the hallway towards the room that he had been in the other day. "Don't tell anyone yet. This affects the whole world." They approached the door and found that it was slightly ajar, "What? It's open." The teens entered the room and found that the room was trashed with the table overturned and curtains torn. "What's going on?" A certain marking on the wall then caught Kaido's attention causing him to gasp, "That's the mark of the Dark Reunion. Are they following me even now?"

Behind him, Akari and Kusuo shared a look with each other, "Correct."