An Assassin's Respite

What Do I Say Now?

Kazuna opens his eyes and slowly picks himself up.

"How long was I out for?" He thinks to himself.

He looks over to the clock.

"It's only six. Guess I'll go ahead and take a shower now." He says.

Once Kazuna finishes showering and changes clothes, he hears someone coming through the front door. He goes to the living room and sees Momo.

"You know, you don't have to be so on guard every time you hear someone come through the door." Momo points out.

"Sorry, a force of habit," Kazuna replies.

"So, how is your body feeling?" Momo asks.

"I've been stiff all day, but since I took a nap, I'm not feeling any pain really," Kazuna answers.

"Good, I think that I'll do a quick physical, and depending on the results, I may allow you to go home." Momo states.

"I see, thank you for allowing me to intrude in your home for so long," Kazuna says with a bow.

"No, no, there's no need to thank me. You've done plenty to help me, and I see you as more of a friend over another patient." Momo responds with a smile.

"Thank you for your kindness." Kazuna reiterates.

"You're welcome. Now, let's head to my office." She says.

They both walk into the room that Kazuna was in when he first woke up. He takes a seat on the bed as Momo pulls out a stethoscope and checks his breathing and heartbeat. She has him move his arms and legs to see if there were any irregular movements.

Momo's power allowed her to see any inconsistencies in the human body. It was equivalent to a full-body examination in a few seconds but much more in-depth. Her power made her a renowned power researcher since she was able to understand more about people's power from her own. 

"Okay, you seem all good physically although, I would prefer if you refrained from using your power too much for a few more days. I'm not sure if your body can handle the strain at the moment." Momo states.

"Understood, anything else?" He asks as he puts his shirt back on.

"Nope, that's about it. I guess I can take you home after you gather your stuff." Momo finishes.

Kazuna nods as he leaves the room. Momo's eyes follow him until he leaves, then she grabs a notepad and pen from the pocket on her lab coat.

"Kazuna's vitality and recovery speed continue to amaze me. The damage he received from this most recent incident, along with how long he went without treatment, should have meant imminent death, but he not only survived but nearly recovered after only a week. He truly may lead to the answer of where powers originate." 

Momo puts away her notepad and pen and gets ready to take Kazuna to his house. 

"Alright, here we are," Momo notes as she stops in front of his house.

"Once again, thank you for all that you have done," Kazuna says before he gets out.

"You know, you could stand to be a little less formal and talk to people in a more relaxed manner," Momo states.

"I will be sure to give some thought to that," Kazuna says as he opens his door and walks into his home.

He walks around, slowly taking everything in.

"To think that there is a world where I never come back here." He mutters to himself.

"Feeling sentimental, are we?" Kirin asks.

"Maybe just a little," Kazuna responds.

"There's nothing wrong with that. It just shows that you're growing and changing," Bahamut states.

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" He asks.

"The wind of change can be sporadic at times. You will not know if it is for better or worse until the wind finishes blowing." Karma states.

"You and your philosophical takes," Kazuna says as he heads into the kitchen to prepare some food.

 "Oh yeah, that reminds me. You called us ally cats once didn't you," Kirin barks.

"What else could I do? It didn't feel right to say 'oh those are the bowls for my dragons,'" Kazuna replies.

 "It's still an unforgivable offense," Kirin snaps as he bites Kazuna's hand.

"Keep acting like a child, and you won't get any dinner," Kazuna states.

"Tch, I guess I"ll let it go for now," Kirin surrenders as he perches himself on the counter.

"Honestly, you're such a-" Kazuna stops as he hears something.

"You heard it as well?" Bahamut asks as he rests himself on Kazuna's shoulder.

"It's coming from upstairs," He notes, and he cautiously heads towards the noise.

Once he makes it up the stairs, he can recognize the noise as the shower.

"Is my mother still here? No, Kagura told me she left two days ago, she wouldn't still be around." He thinks to himself as he slowly reaches for the door.

The shower stops running just before he grabs the doorknob.

"The water stopped. I don't want to go against Momo's advice and use my power, but I must prepare myself for anything." Kazuna notes as he opens the door.

Once he opens the door and looks inside, he was faced with a scenario that he wasn't prepared for at all. Standing in the middle of the bathroom was Ria, who was completely nude after getting out of the shower. Her eyes turn to him, and they stare at each other in silence for a brief moment. Slowly, Ria's face turns bright red, and she lets out a shriek as she goes invisible.

Kazuna closes the door without saying a word. He stands there for a couple of seconds before he clears his throat.

"Ria, what are you doing in my house?" Kazuna asks.

There's silence for a minute before she answers.

"I-I wanted it to be a surprise, but I didn't know you were going to be home so soon. Momo was supposed to let me know when she was going to send you home." Ria answers, her voice getting a little quieter as she sopke.

Kazuna thinks back to a conversation he had with Momo on the way there.

"I feel like I forgot something," Momo said.

"Do you think it's important?" Kazuna asked.

"No, not really," Momo replied with a smile as she parks in front of his house.

"That woman," Kazuna says to himself. He places a palm on his forehead and sighs before speaking.

"So, what's the surprise?" He asks.

Ria opens the bathroom door now fully dressed, although her face was still a little red. 

"I'm going to be living here from now on." She states while outstretching her arms.

"And who decided that I might ask?" He asks.

"Me, of course," She answers as she starts to walk downstairs.

"Do I not have a say in who lives in my home?" He asks as he follows her down the stairs.

"Not when you used funds from the clan to purchase said home," She retorts as she opens the refrigerator.

"She does have a point," Bahamut says.

"Whose side are you on anyway?" Kazuna asks.

"The correct side," Ria says as she lounges on the couch.

"So, what made you come to this decision?" Kazuna asks as he takes a seat next to her.

"I finally found you, there's no way that I'm ever going to let you out of my sight ever again," She answers with a serious look.

"You know, you could have just got an apartment," Kazuna replies.

"It seemed like a waste of money when we could just live together, you know, like old times," She says as she rests her head on Kazuna's lap.

"These aren't the old times anymore," He says.

"Does that mean you're gonna leave me again?" She asks sadly.

Kazuna is silent for a moment.

"No, it doesn't," He replies as he rests his hand on her head, giving in to the pressure she had placed on him.

They sit there for a while until Kazuna notices that Ria's breath has evened out.

"I can't believe she fell asleep." He whispers.

He picks her up and carries her upstairs to one of the guest rooms. He opens the door to the room across from him and couldn't even be surprised to see that Ria had already claimed and decorated it. He gently sets her on the bed and covers her with her blanket and brushes her hair back.

"Thank you, Ria, for always believing in me," He says to himself as he closes the door and heads to his room.

He opens the curtains on his window. 

"Hm, Kagura's room is across from mine?" He says.

"You didn't know?" Karma asks.

"This is the first time I've opened this window," He answers.

He begins to close the curtains but notices Kagura looking at a picture. He takes a closer look and sees that it's the picture of her father and that she had tears in her eyes. He quickly closes the curtains in anger, not at her, but at himself for being so blind.

"How could I be so stupid. Did I really think that she took all the information we told her and continued normally? Of course, she would be struggling mentally, and I just did my best to ignore that idea instead of confronting it." He says to himself in anger.

He grits his teeth and clenches his fists.

"To think that she spent the past few days worrying about me and hiding her pain, while I ignored her problems. Some friend I am." He whispers.

The next day before Kazuna left for school, he searched the house for Ria, who seemingly disappeared.

"She goes on this long spiel about not letting me out of her sights, and then she ups and disappears." He says to himself.

"Maybe she has plans unlike someone I know," Kirin suggests.

"Can it," Kazuna replies as he turns Kirin back into a blade.

"I don't like the fact that she disappeared, she's definitely planning something else," He states as he leaves.

He walks out and notices Kagura waiting for him, and he remembers what he saw yesterday.

"Are you okay?" Kagura asks.

Kazuna realizes that he had just been standing there in a daze.

"No, I'm fine. I just forgot something. Kagura, you can go on ahead, I'll catch up," He says as he goes back into his house.

Kagura looks at his door for a few seconds with a confused expression before she shrugs it off and walks to school. Kazuna watches her walk away through his window before he sits at his doorway.

"Are you sure you want to go about it this way?" Bahamut asks.

"I'm not sure if I can do this any other way," Kazuna replies.

"Maybe you should just confront her about it," Bahamut suggests.

"I'm sure that I would just make it worse," He answers.

"Probably," Kirin states.

"Thanks once again for your insightful advice," Kazuna says sarcastically.

He waits there for a few more minutes before he decides to leave for school. He arrives and takes his seat just before the bell rings.

"You were almost late, was what you forgot that important?" Kagura asks.

Before he could answer, Ms. Saugoma walked in and silenced everyone.

"Alright class, today we have a transfer student. Come on in." Ms. Saugoma says as Ria walks in.

A look of pure disbelief passes over Kazuna's face.

"I guess this is the important thing you forgot," Kagura says.

"Hey everyone, my name is Ria Tatsumi," Ria says once she finishes writing her name on the board. She looks over at Kazuna, gives him a broad smile and waves.

"I guess you can take a seat next to Kazuna," Ms. Saugoma says, but Ria had already made her way to her seat.

"As I said, Kachi, I'm not going to let you out of my sights," She says with a smile.

Matt turns around to face Kazuna.

"Kachi, huh?" He says with a sly smile.

Kazuna gives him a look so cold that it sends shivers down Matt's spine.

"Okay, I guess I won't call you that anymore," He says as he slowly turns back around.

"Rimi, what are you doing here?" Kazuna asks.

"That's a pretty dumb question coming from you. I'm here to go to school," Ria answers.

"But how did you get in, our class is already full," Kazuna asks.

"Ms. Asuka seemed fine with it; she said 'obviously you have what it takes to be in this school, after all, you did train with Kazuna, so I'll make an exception.'" Ria states.

"Well, if that's the case, I can give you a tour of the school," Kagura suggests.

"That's okay, Kazuna can give me a tour," Ria says.

"But it's my duty as class rep," Kagura argues.

"Is there something wrong with Kazuna showing me around?" Ria asks.

Kagura pauses for a moment, trying to think of an argument.

"No, there isn't," She finally says in defeat.

"Then it's settled," Ria says with a victorious smile.

"Wait, wait, wait, I don't remember agreeing to anything," Kazuna states.

"Yeah, besides, Kazuna isn't fully recovered yet, so he shouldn't be putting any unnecessary strain on his body," Kagura says, happy to have a sound argument at her disposal.

"I know Kazuna's body better than anyone that isn't him, and I would never put him in any situation that could cause him harm. Why do you care so much about his body anyway?" Ria snaps back.

"Ah, w-well, of course, I would worry about a friend," Kagura answers while slightly blushing.

Hearing Kagura call him a friend made Kazuna remember he needed to find a reason for him not to walk home with her. He sits there trying to think of a way to go back separately, somewhat tuning out Kagura and Ria's argument.

"Whatever you say, princess," Ria teases.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Kagura asks.

"I have my reasons," Ria answers.

Kazuna decides to use this chance.

"Sorry Kagura, but knowing her there's no way she's going to drop it." Kazuna states.

"Okay," Kagura says, defeated.

Ria just sits there with a wide grin on her face.

"I can show you around after school. Knowing you, if I showed you around after homeroom or during lunch, you'd forget everything throughout the day. Sorry Kagura, but we won't be able to walk home together today," Kazuna states.

"That's okay," Kagura says, although she looks a little disappointed.

They go through their classes with Kagura shooting side glances at Ria until lunch arrives. On their way to the cafeteria, a possible point of conflict passed through Kazuna's mind, and once he sat down at their table, his theory was confirmed. He looks to his left and see's Ria sitting in Kagura's spot. Kagura approaches the table and freezes at the end of the table.

"That's my spot," Kagura mumbles.

"Ria, do you mind?" Kazuna asks, but Ria grabs Kazuna's arm in defiance.

"There's a spot at the end of the table, right?" Ria counters.

Kagura looks between her spot that was occupied by Ria and the place at the end of the table.

"Although I like the idea of moving Kagura to the end of the table, why do you get to sit next to Kazuna?" Yua questions.

"Because I'm me, and you aren't," Ria answers.

"Tch, you know, I thought that I could get to like you, not so sure about that now," Yua says through gritted teeth.

"Kazuna, are you not going to say anything?" Kagura asks, hoping he would take her side.

"I feel as though no matter what I say, at least two of you are going to be upset," He answers.

"Smart choice. The way I see it, it's like watching a fight between a lion, a tiger, and a bear," Matt says.

"Why don't you all play rock, paper, scissors," Emiko suggests.

"Why don't you all -" Kazuna starts to say, but Ria covers his mouth.

"That sounds like a great idea," Ria says.

The girls play their game, and the results are precisely what Kazuna had expected. Ria won the spot next to him, Yua kept her place, and Kagura was stuck sitting at the end of the table.

"This is why I tried to suggest something else. I knew that Ria had an advantage," Kazuna states.

"How so? Did she cheat?" Yua asks, agitated by the outcome.

"No, she was just trained to be able to read people. She probably knew what you all were going to play before you played it," Kazuna explains.

"Then we should decide this some other way," Yua complains.

"I don't know about you all, but I would like to eat my food before lunch is over," Kazuna states.

"Wha-, Kagura, you've been awfully quiet, surely you have something to say?" Yua asks.

But Kagura was already eating and seemed to be lost in thought.

"Why is Kazuna allowing Ria to have her way? When Yua tried to do what Ria was doing, Kazuna stopped her right away. Not just this, but him not walking to or from school with me and showing her around the school over me showing her. Why didn't he ask for me to come along? It's all so odd." Kagura thinks to herself as she tries to make sense of Kazuna's change in character.

Seeing Kagura like that, Yua decides to accept her defeat and sits and eats as well. The rest of the day went the same as lunch with Ria having her way and Kazuna letting himself be dragged along. The situation continued to puzzle Kagura. Before she knew it, the day was over. 

She wanted to approach Kazuna, but she wasn't sure what she would approach him about. She lets out a sigh, gathers her things, and decides to leave the conversation for a different time.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Kagura says, and Kazuna nods in response.

She waits outside the classroom door for a few seconds, hoping that Kazuna says something, but, much to her dismay, he remained silent, so she leaves.

Once Ria gathers all of her things, Kazuna shows her around following the same route Kagura used when she showed him around. It took more time for Kazuna to show Ria around than when Kagura showed him around since she was much more accustomed to the school than he was.

"This place is massive," Ria notes as Kazuna finishes showing her around.

"That's what I thought when I was showed around," Kazuna says.

"Sorry, Kazuna, but I'll probably still get lost at times. I'm not as good as you at remembering places as you are," Ria says.

"That's okay, remember what grandfather said, 'It's okay to have weaknesses, just don't let them hold you down,'" Kazuna says.

"Right," Ria says. Kazuna's words had lifted her spirits. 

They make their way home with Kazuna forcing her to pay close attention to the surrounding area to ensure she wouldn't get lost if she ever found herself alone in the town. 

Once they enter their house, Kagura stops peeking through her curtains.

"They're living together?" Kagura says to herself while slightly blushing.

"Two high school students of d-different genders l-living together. W-without any s-supervision." As she continues to think about their situation, her face gets redder and redder.

She stands at the window, seemingly overheating until her mother taps her shoulder.

"You okay?" She asks.

"Huh, oh, uh, yes, I'm fine," Kagura stutters.

She quickly makes her way to her room and paces in circles. 

"Okay, think logically, Kazuna isn't the type of person to do illicit things with a girl just because they're alone together. But, they are childhood friends, so maybe this is different. No, I didn't get the feeling that Kazuna had those types of feelings for her, or, does he?" She thinks.

She hears a knock at her door.

"Yes," She says in response.

Her mother walks in, closing the door behind her.

"Just wanted to check up on you and see if you're okay," She says.

"Oh, sorry for worrying you. I just have a lot on my mind," Kagura answers.

"You want to talk about it?" Her mother asks as she sits on her bed. 

Kagura follows her lead and sits down as well.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to," She says in response.

"So, what's bothering you?" Her mother asks.

"Well, it's just that, it feels like Kazuna's avoiding me," She states.

"Why do you think that?" Her mother asks.

"He avoided walking to school with me this morning, and he let Ria take my seat at lunch. He also didn't invite me to help give Ria a tour of the school and just told me to walk home alone," Kagura answers.

"Maybe he's just trying to help Ria feel more comfortable," Her mother suggests.

"Then why didn't he say so? I would have gladly backed off if that were the case. Besides, he seemed just as surprised as the rest of us when Ria walked into our class as a transfer student," Kagura states.

"You do have a point. Have you considered just approaching him about this?" Her mother asks.

"I didn't want to approach him with assumptions," Kagura answers.

"How about this, tomorrow you ask him why he's being so distant. Kazuna doesn't fully understand how to deal with his emotions, let alone of others," Her mother offers in advice.

"I guess that would be better than doing nothing," Kagura says.

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow you are going to talk to Kazuna about this," Her mother says while heading for the door.

"Thank you, mom," Kagura says.

"Anytime dear," Her mother says as she closes the door.

"Since I'm going to confront Kazuna, there's no point in sitting her overthinking it." She says, getting up to take a shower and head to bed. 

The next day, Kagura stands in front of Kazuna's door with the resolve to face Kazuna. She goes to knock on his door but stops as she hears him talking.

"Ria! Hurry up; we're going to be late." He shouts.

"Why do we have to wake up so early?" Ria complains.

Suddenly;y, the door is swung open, and Kagura is surprisingly close to Kazuna.

"Oh, Kagura, sorry, Ria wouldn't wake up. You should probably go on ahead, or you'll be late along with us," Kazuna says.

"No, I understand. She's not used to waking up this early. I guess I'll see you at school then," Kagura says as she leaves.

Kazuna gives her a nod as he closes the door and continues to rush Ria.

Today went the same as yesterday. Kazuna always found reasons to distance himself from Kagura, making it impossible for her to have a one-on-one conversation with him. Once again, it was the end of the school day, and she hadn't been able to isolate him, but she knew she had one more chance.

"Kazuna, are you ready to head home?" She asks once she has her things gathered.

"Sorry, I have to do rounds, I won't be leaving for another hour," Kazuna says.

"Oh, I see," Kagura says with a sad look on her face. The more time passed, the more she felt that Kazuna really was avoiding her. 

Kagura exits the classroom, leaving Kazuna alone.

"I'll ask once more, are you sure you want to do it this way?" Bahamut asks.

"Chasing away what few friends you have doesn't seem smart," Kirin adds.

Kazuna ignores them and does his rounds with Akihiro for about an hour.

"That should do it. Kazuna, you can head home now," Akihiro says.

"Understood," Kazuna says in response.

"We'll do that same thing Friday," She says as he walks around.

Kazuna gives her wave in response. He reaches the front gate and sees Kagura waiting for him.

"Have you been there since school ended?" He asks.

"Yes, I needed to talk with you," Kagura says.,

"What did you need to talk about?" He asks.

Kagura puts a hand to her chest, closes her eyes, and takes a long deep breath before opening her eyes again with a determined look.

"Have you been avoiding me?" She asks with a serious look on her face.

A look of dread passes across Kazuna's face as he realizes that there's no way he can talk himself out of this. He'll have to talk about things he had no idea about and the thought that his incompetence could lead to issues with her was something he truly wanted to avoid.