The Dream Shifter

Chapter 231

The Atlantean girl finally managed to stand up. It took far more strength than she thought necessary, but the strange boy defied logic. "Is it really that important to you?"

He looked up from his troubles at her. "You wouldn't understand. I'm Japanese, it's not easy to be this tall at my age! If I don't keep up my work I won't even reach two meters! Without my height what else do I have to make my character unique!"

"Actually, isn't height far too generic to be a unique character trait?"

Seiji's mouth dropped open. His mind started to realize something it never considered before. "My height's generic? I don't have my height?" It turned his world upside down. He had an image that he was supposed to have. If he did not have it? If he lacked it? What did that make him? "I'm generic? Even Yuki had more strength then me when we were younger. My height is all I have to stand out."

"Actually, you were stronger than me even then, I just made better use of what I had," commented Yuki inside Seiji's head. Yuki glanced over at someone else. "What? How else do you expect me to collect a paycheck after I've been unseen for more than twenty chapters?"

Everything began to sink in for Seiji. He slowly stood up. A shadow cast darkness over his eyes, leaving them unseen. Loose footing made him stagger a bit as he stepped forward. "…generic…" Seiji's next step pounded into the ground cracking along his impression. His hand tightened up into fists. Pulling his head back to set a stare on the girl, he looked oddly serious for a fight, despite his code (and the reason).

Seiji threw out his hand and pointed his finger across at the girl. "What's your name?"

"Eh?" she questioned, no longer certain if reality was stable with him anymore. However, the look in his eyes told her that he changed his mind. A fire in his eyes wanted a fight. "Nerine."

"Well Nerine, you wanted a fight, right? Seiji Tsuji will give you one!" He tightened his pointing hand back into a fist. "No one calls me a generic character! I make you regret those words! I don't care if you're a woman or a girl! My code won't allow such disrespect pass unanswered!" Apparently, his code included amendments about his character.

"What seriously?" yelled Yuki in disbelief. "We're starting a fight over how generic your character design is? I quit! Get yourself a different main character!"

Nerine (who finally had her name announced, she was really happy about that) lifted her arms up. She dropped into an offensive stance. Seiji still held many unknowns for her. It meant that she needed to test him and learn about him. The skill he showed off earlier had her concerned. She needed to understand it, but the look in his eyes told her that he saw her as a serious opponent. It melted away her doubt that saturated her body earlier. She could fight.

No movement further from Seiji made her wait. She thought the fight would begin, but he made no action. 'Why isn't he taking up a stance of any kind?' Her foot slid back digging up some of the grass as it pushed through.

"What are you waiting for? Come on."

'Is he mocking me by not taking a stance? I thought you were taking me serious!' Nerine charged forward no longer able to wait on him. She would not let him look down on her. She would show them. She would prove to him. One arm came back tightening her muscles as she ran towards Seiji. The metal around her forearm and hands groaned a bit in her overly tensed state. In the last meter, Nerine unleashed her power into her fists channeling through the metal.

Her fist would show him.

Nerine suddenly stopped, but did not know why. She blinked once and looked closely at Seiji. Her eyes scanned down him at her arm. Cracking and groaning of the metal complained to her. She felt it pressing against her arm. It dug in making her flinch a little and weaken in her legs. Her eyes widened to see that Seiji's hand caused it. "What?"

Seiji looked across at her almost looking disappointed with her. "I thought you wanted a serious fight. Change to something stronger."

Nerine suddenly stopped, but did not know why. She blinked once and looked closely at Seiji. Her eyes scanned down him at her arm. Cracking and groaning of the metal complained to her. She felt it pressing against her arm. It dug in making her flinch a little and weaken in her legs. Her eyes widened to see that Seiji's hand caused it. "What?"

Seiji looked across at her almost looking disappointed with her. "I thought you wanted a serious fight. Change to something stronger." He dug his fingers through her weapon as though it was paper. It drove through his point to her. The crushed edges of the metal stabbed into her wrists drawing up droplets of blood.

Faced with her arm crushed with her weapon, she made it disappear and removed her hand quickly before his hold clamped down. Nerine jumped back a step with one hand nursing her light wounds. She glanced slightly at them, needing to keep her attention on him. 'He's acting more serious, but controlled his strength… That could have broken every bone in my arm if he wanted it to…' New armored gauntlets appeared over her wrists ended in encapsulating her hand.

The new weapon was thinner than her last, but left no gaps in the metal. It was seamless and rigid with no movement in her hands. Tight design work carved through the metal giving it a smooth textured feel. While weak in appearance, it was stronger than the last.

However, Seiji doubted the sight of her new weapons. "I said to use something stronger. This is a serious fight you said." He crossed his arms waiting on her to comply.

"You're holding back your strength as well. You'd not being completely serious in this fight." Something bothered her about him. Nerine could not place her feeling, but she did not think him to be the same as her. 'That's impossible though… But such strength, what possible law could he be using to do that and at such proximity? He would have to be several times my superior…but my power's not disrupted by him at all… What is he?'

"I'm holding back for two reasons. You're not coming at me seriously yet…"

The fact that he did not give her a second reason nagged at her. Her uneasy intuition only grew stronger. She did not know if she wanted to approach the other reason. For all her complaining about him holding back, she felt a noticeable difference in his presence. Intent to fight, which was lacking before, clearly came from him. He was ready for her. It surprised her how different he felt when he wanted a fight.

Nerine held up her arms as proof of her resolve for the fight. "I assure that these are much stronger than the last pair. You won't break them so easily." Amongst her uncertainty in him, she forced a hardened expression for him. She needed the fight to begin and him to believe her. 'I've never met a person that wants a fight, but is so fair and honest about it…'

"Is that so?" questioned Seiji, still uncertain. He knew that she wanted to fight him for real since she started, but something told him that she still held back. Measuring her resolve, he felt her statement was an honest one. However, he knew that she still had more to show him. "Let's see if you can keep up for a warm up, then maybe you'll feel differently about holding back."

His remarked narrowed her eyes further. If the words came from anyone else, she would have immediately thought them arrogant. Yet she felt an eerie sense that he was not one for audacity. She sensed he had confidence in his ability and not unduly so either. 'I can't let this strange feeling take a hold of me! I finally have my fight!' Nerine tightened her hands within their metal prison. She pulled in all of her stray thoughts to focus solely on Seiji. Re-enforced in her determination, she closed her stance to prepare.

Nerine charged forward the moment she saw Seiji change his stance. He accepted her call. She brought her new weapons to bear on him. The moonlight flashed through her swift movement, but she came to a stop. It took her a moment to blink feeling confused. Her fist connected with him.

Two things bothered her. The fact that Seiji did not even block her attack made the first. Second came as the fact that it did nothing to him. She did not even feel a budge from him even though she struck him hard. Nerine would have been angry with him for not doing anything, if not for the fact that she made no progress against him. "Huh?" she uttered after all of the silence.

Seiji sighed a bit to himself. "This isn't enough!" He tapped his hand against her metal gauntlet. The force was minor, but it knocked her arm away and set her off balance.

She gritted her teeth through the strain on her joints. The whole thing caught her off guard. Nerine jumped back and changed weapons again. 'Still need more… how tough is he? I've been punching him for so long already…' Bulky and projected with holes along the back and front of the almost cylindrical construction, her new weapon seemed to appear unnecessary large for show. She lifted her arms up with no effort and charged forward.