Chapter 2: Steel Wing

I stared at him for a moment. Master? Who the hell was he talking about? Or rather...what the hell was he talking about? And what the hell did he want with me? I didn't know anything about him but I had a feeling that I was going to find out whether I liked it or not. But that didn't mean I wouldn't fight him. I never went willingly with anyone. That was my ass-like stubborn instinct kicking in, inherited from my mother and my grandmother.

This time I wrenched harder, trying to disengage my arm from his iron grip. I only succeeded on drawing even more attention and now people weren't even pretending on just walking by. The students were settling on watching the show with gaping jaws, wide eyes...I felt my face pinken even more...to the point where it, literally, hurt my face.

“ I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, so let go of me right now!”

Since there wasn’t really much of a point in continuing this silent farce, I yelled and I could see an eyebrow lift on his face. He must’ve thought that I was going to go quietly. Man…he really should’ve gotten to know a person before he tried to drag them off.

“It’d do you well to keep quiet and follow me. After all, I don’t think you know that your life is on the line…”

“What…?”

So now he was threatening me? I glared at him.

“I’ll give you ten seconds to let go of my arm, you bastard.” I growled and the whispers around us intensified.

“I don’t think she believes you, Akahito.”

A new voice. A younger sounding voice, yet undeniably male. Another man came into my line of view just behind “Akahito”.

“Oh my god…isn’t that the Kaisei uniform?”

“What’s a student from Kaisei doing in a slum school like this? Hey, that’s the Head Boy badge!”

He was a young boy. Well…not young, per se, but looked to be either my age or perhaps a year older. The blue-white vest, long-sleeved black shirt and the black trousers definitely marked him as a student from Japan’s most prestigious high school, Kaisei Academy. And there was that golden prefect badge on his vest…marking him Head Boy. Being Head Boy at any school was an honor…but to be the Head Boy at Kaisei? You had to be kidding me. What the hell was the Head Boy of Kaisei doing here?!

He had a slight smile on his face…the type of smile that could either turn joyful or malignant, and usually one had to look into the other’s eyes to finish gauging the person. However…that trick wasn’t going to work on Mr-Head-Boy-from-Kaisei. His eyes were partially hidden behind thick bangs that would looked ridiculous on anyone else, but on him, it looked strangely right. His hair was bleached to a shocking color of blonde that seemed to verge into a silver platinum that contrasted sharply with the coloring of his…bodyguard? The oddest thing about his hair…or rather his hairstyle…was the fact that his hair was caught up in a bun at the nape of his neck by a single blue-jewel studded silver rod that looked to be about a foot or so in length. It stuck out parallel in equal lengths to his shoulder and he caught me staring at his hair instead of struggling (like I should’ve) in Akahito’s grasp.

If anything…the people just seemed to multiply into a huge circle around us. A Kaisei student would’ve been enough to draw the attention of a LOT of people. Add to the factor of the Kaisei student being the Head Boy, his good-looking bodyguard, and the rebellious Hitomi, and you were lucky if the whole school didn’t converge on the spot like hungry vultures over road kill.

“You like my hair, then?” His voice brought me out of a daze and I shook my head, trying to regain my equilibrium. The slight smile on his lips had changed into a “I know something you don’t know” smirk and it made my uneasy. What was making him smile at me like that? I wanted to find out…even if I had to beat it out of him. However…there was something about the way he held himself that made me think that he wasn’t a stranger to self-defense. It was just the way his hands hung at his side…the way his shoulders seemed to square under the blue Kaisei uniform that was the envy of all.

His voice seemed to ooze self-confidence and I found myself not liking him. Yes…he was wonderful to look at…but I hated his personality. He was like a rose…but studded with poisonous thorns.

“Tell your gorilla to get his hands off of me.” I said quietly, finally deciding that the passive way might’ve been the best way out of this, rather sticky, situation. The crowd all drew in a collective gasp at my choice of words and I expected an outburst from Akahito who merely smiled, a copy of the smirk on Mr. Head Boy’s face.

“The name’s Tsubasa. Tofukuji Tsubasa.”

Tofukuji…Tofukuji…It sounded so familiar but I couldn’t seem to place the name…

Just then, the truth slapped me across the face, almost leaving my breathless in its windless wake.

“Tofukuji! You’re Ayame’s older brother!” I breathed and he bowed as I stared at him in disbelief for the second time in less than five minutes.

“The one and only. I presume my sister has spoken to you of me?” He asked and all I could do was nod while staring at him. His sister?! Talk about him?! Ayame adored her brother and made him sound like some sort of benevolent being…but who was this cold student who stood before me? He was so different to Ayame. Ice to her sunlight…But she had not mentioned that he was Head Boy!

He laughed and then said, “Believe me. My sister had told me much about you, Hitomi --.”

He stopped in mid-sentence and paused. Then, after a split second, he stuck his hand into his pants pocket and withdrew a vibrating cell phone that was the size of my middle finger. Talk about being technologically advanced. My cell phone was the twice the size and weight (probably) of his phone and I had only bought it a week ago…

“Hello.”

A pause and then a change came over his face. The smile (or smirk…whatever you cared to call it) was gone from his face and was replaced with an expression that was nearly impossible to read in its blandness. But there was this aura emanating from him…an altogether demonic aura that seemed to taint everything it touched.

“So…he’s actually gone and done it, then?”

Silence. His bodyguard released my wrist and I rubbed it with my other hand as I watched Tsubasa. I didn’t know that it had been my one chance to escape and I stayed like a fool.

“I already have the girl. See to it that you keep me informed about everything.”

He snapped down the cover of his cell phone without waiting for a reply. Was I the girl he was referring to? Just what the hell was going on? Was anyone going to enlighten me?!

Apparently not…

Turning to Akahito, the bodyguard tilted his head slightly to one side as Tsubasa whispered in his ear. I had all but forgotten the crowd that was still circling us and then Tsubasa looked back at me.

“You need to come with me.” He said abruptly and turned on his heel, walking away. In the distance, I saw a black car stationed at the curb and I saw another man in black jump out of the front to open the back door for Tsubasa. He stepped back in and Akahito grasped my wrist again. This time, his grasp was hard and I knew there was no way in hell that I could weasel my way out this time.

“Wait…where are we going?!” I yelled as he dragged me toward the car. The students did nothing…stupid idiots. The best I could hope for was the some one, ANYONE, could see this kidnapping for what it was, and run for the teachers. Not like anyone could rescue me now, though…

Akahito opened the back door and shoved me into the dark, leather interior without a word. Slamming the door in my face, he turned and stepped into the front of the car.

Pounding on the window, I screamed for help.

“Please!! Let me out, right now!!”

Just then, a hand sneaked out of the darkness and wound itself around my neck. I was pulled sharply to a hard chest and someone whispered in my ear.

I had forgotten about Tsubasa.

“Shut up, you fool. No one can save you now.”

The car started and I watched as the school and the crowd vanished as feet after feet were eaten away by the wheels of my elegant, yet dark, trap.

“Please! If it’s a ransom you want, my mother doesn’t have much!” I pleaded and Tsubasa whispered into my ear again, causing odd shivers to run up and down my spine. His arm was still anchored around my neck, but I found that I could still breathe comfortably.

‘Alright…so he won’t kill me. Well…not right now, at least.’ I thought with some degree of relief, although it wasn’t much.

“You’re wrong. Your mother had too much and she paid with her life. If you don’t leave this area with us now, you’ll pay the same price.” He whispered and I froze in his hold.

“My mother…?” I whispered. My mother…? What was he talking about? She was…dead? He was joking! This had to be a big joke that Ayame was playing on me! God…how I hoped I was right about this!

“I’m the only one who can save you now.” He whispered…but this time…he was gentler…

“What…what are you talking about…?”

And in that dark interior of the luxury car…Tsubasa told me all.