Chapter 4

            Uzario was not as lively as it normally was with the senior class having gone away for team training in the field. The seniors were doing everything they could to prepare for the coming exams. What they left behind was the rollbacks, the juniors, and the underclassmen.

 

            Even without the extra ruckus around, Uzario was still a school for battle, and the students all trained in their own ways day in and day out. Even into their free time.

 

            The awakening matches were over for the day, and the juniors were back inside the school to gather their things from their lecture hall. Hiro was about to leave when a silver haired boy placed his hand on his shoulder.

 

            "Hey Hiro! Today was so boring that I’ve been half asleep the whole time. Let me kick your a*s to wake myself up!"

 

            Clearly used to this sort of thing, Hiro turned around calmly and brushed the hand off. “I don’t have time to waste with you Kazuto. I’ll be leaving then.” And he started to do just that.

 

            Kazuto sighed. “That brat is no fun, I wanted to watch him bleed again!”

 

            A blonde girl spoke up. “Perhaps you would have a better chance of waking up if you picked a more worthy person to fight?”

 

            “Oh, Lisanna!” he walked over to her and started making curls in her hair with his finger. “And would that person be you my dear?” She tried to pull back, but he grabbed onto her hair. “Now hold on a second, I wasn’t done yet!”

 

            “Let me go!”

 

“Only if you agree to fight me! And the loser faces a consequence. Let’s say…. Oh I don’t know… The loser has to do…” he leaned in closer to her ear. “… anything the winner wants.” He then ran his hand down her back slowly.

 

            Her body shuddered. “Pervert! Just let me go!”

 

            His eyes grew harsh and he tightened his grip on her. “Such a waste. Such a waste! It’s such a waste for someone as weak as you to have these good looks!” He yanked harder on her hair. “You should be honored! Why would anyone be interested in you? You’re worthless! Just accept me!”

 

She tried throwing an elbow into his stomach only to feel a sudden rush of heat and weight as her own attack suddenly jabbed into her side. She let out a gasp and looked down to see a glowing yellow hand on her elbow forcing it into her ribs.

 

“Now look what you made me do. You need to apologize for making me waste my energy!”

 

            She coughed a little, but regained her composure. “Shut up you pervert. Just let me go.”

 

            “Weak people have no right to tell the strong what to do! If you want me to let you go, then beg me!!! Beg like a dog!!!”

 

            “Meh.”

 

            Kazuto turned his head. “Oh Hiro, I did not know you were still here. Did you want something? I’ll just finish up here and be right with you!” He kicked the back of Lisanna’s knee and she crumbled to the floor. Still griping her hair he shouted. “Now beg me to release you!” She just looked up with defiant eyes. He scowled and started to pull hard on her hair again. “It’s a shame since your hair is so beautiful, but I have to teach you to respect me, so I will rip it o-“

 

            The sudden gasping from the onlookers drew Kazuto’s attention away from the girl. He barely turned his head when his face met with a fist. The unexpected blow caused him to release Lisanna.

 

            Kazuto recovered quickly and squared up with his opponent. “What the f**k Hiro! I’ll kill you!”

 

            Hiro’s look was serious. “All I did was take you up on your offer. Let’s fight.”

 

            An angry Lisanna yelled out. “Get lost Hiro! I do not need your help!”

 

            Hiro looked over at her as if just seeing her for the first time. “Oh Lisanna. Sorry, where you busy with him? He had offered me a fight, so I thought I would accept it.”

 

            Now Kazuto had a demonic smirk on his face. “Bad choice Hiro.”

 

            The whole room warmed, and the air become heavy. Kazuto’s fist started to glow intensely, much more than when it was on Lisanna’s elbow.

 

            He spoke calmly. “Gravity shift.”

 

            With lightning speed, Kazuto surged forward, his fist dragging the rest of his body behind it. The fist smashed into Hiro’s chest and sent him flying into the back wall,. Kazuto, who had remained in constant contact with him, collapse his arm into a now glowing elbow that descended into the same spot that had just been hit. The wall behind Hiro shattered under the force. Papers, bags, and other classroom objects were strewn about from the wind generated by the blow.

 

            Students watched on in awe of Kazuto’s abilities. He possessed the power to change gravity, and its effect on his body. He could alter its force and even direction. By making it pull him towards his foes, and increasing its force of pull, he could accomplish attacks with blinding speed, and earth shattering power.

 

            Hiro coughed up a lot of blood, and his eyes dulled as he slumped to the ground.

 

            “You really are no fun Hiro… Now back to my business with the lady.” He turned and started to walk back to her.

 

A punch. An incredibly weak one thrown by someone who was out of strength, but it was a punch. It hit Kazuto in the back of the head. Hiro, who had managed his way back to his feet, then collapsed down onto one knee.

 

“I’m going to kill you!!!!” 

 

A blast of sound, heat, and light erupted from his forehead as he smashed it into Hiro’s face. The moment Hiro hit the ground and sprawled out face up, Kazuto descended on him. The gravity manipulator’s lower body glowed as he sat on Hiro’s stomach pinning him down. His fists became even brighter as they began to jackhammer into their victim’s face. Time and time again they made brutal impacts that shattered the wooden floorboards beneath the target, seven, eight, nine times and still going.

 

A still angry Lisanna yelled out. “Get off him Kazuto, that’s enough!”

 

He leered at the girl. “Well if you really want me to be done.” He got off the limp figure and started to head towards the girl. “Back to play time now.”

 

Lisanna started to back away only to bump into the edge of the ring of people. None of the crowd dared to interfere with what Kazuto was doing. The boy on the ground was more than enough of an example. They had no desire to be in a similar condition. So rather then helping her, they forced her back towards Kazuto, who in turn grabbed her arm.

 

“Let’s have some fun, just me and you!”

 

He started reaching for her breasts. Then Hiro grabbed him by the wrist, twisted Kazuto’s arm, and forced him to release the girl. As his arm bent upwards behind his back, Hiro stepped to his side with another hand against his shoulder. He introduced Kazuto to his knee. With a sickening crack and a scream of pain, Hiro collapsed again. Kazuto’s forehead was shining yellow as he stood up straight.

 

“I’m going to break you Hiro!”

 

His whole body erupted in yellow, and he sent a kick to the side of Hiro’s head. The sound from the contact was deafening. The body started to fly in the direction it was kicked, but Kazuto was already there in a flash. He dropped low to the ground, and sent a kick up into the small of Hiro’s back that sent him high into the air. Again Kazuto was already waiting him and then drove a knee into Hiro’s ribs. When they made contact with the ground, the sound of cracking bones was clear. The floorboards were punished under the impact, and the massive shockwave blew out the classroom windows.

 

Samakina was outside the school building, and looked up to the sound of the shattering glass. What the hell?

 

On the same side of the body as Hiro’s busted knee, Kazuto elbowed his shoulder to the effect of the same sickening crack. Screaming accompanied all of this.

 

He smiled at Hiro’s pain. “Enjoy.”

 

Kazuto got back up and started to move in the direction of a now horrified Lisanna. This time he kept one eye on Hiro. When he reached her, and was about to take his attention off the haphazard lump on the ground, it started to rise again.

 

“What the hell man! How can you still stand!?”

 

A clearly pained and labored voice chocked through the boy’s throat. “Get away from her! Our fight isn’t over yet!”

 

Lisanna was in a rage again. “Stop it Hiro! You have no reason to protect me! I can take care of myself!!!”

 

He looked at her with unreadable eyes. “This is my fight. That’s all the reason I need to keep going.”

 

Kazuto hammered his fist into the broken ribs of his opponent, who then coughed up a pool of blood on the floor he was now kneeling on. The crimson fluid soaked into the unfinished wood.

 

Hiro grimaced, planted one foot, and forced himself back to his feet. An elbow to the face spun him around as he hit the ground again.

 

The bystanders may not have cared for Hiro, but their faces were still contorted with all kinds of emotion over the brutality that the boy was enduring.

 

After a few seconds of lying there, Hiro tried to push himself up, only to have a heel planted between his shoulder blades forcing him down. Kazuto raised his foot back up, and sent it down again and again. A kick to his side flipped Hiro over.

 

“I had no idea you where this durable Hiro! I can break so much of you, and yet you still keep coming up for more! It’s fantastic!!!”

 

Hiro did a sit-up despite what was obviously extreme pain from his broken ribs, and then started to try and stand, just to fall back down. The fact that he was still conscious, let alone even alive, amazed everyone watching.

 

“Just stop Hiro! Why are you doing this?!” Lisanna screamed out.

 

The brown hair boy did something that shocked her. He looked right at her, put up a two-fingered salute, and smiled.

 

Crystal liquid welled up in her eyes. A single tear splashed on the back of her hand. She whispered softly. “I’m crying? Why?... Why?!”

 

He then stood up again and lunged at Kazuto.

 

The ground grew wet under the girl. Her voice was scarcely audible. “Why?... I don’t get it. Why?”

 

He probably never felt the impact of his face smashing into the ground after Kazuto’s glowing elbow drove down on the back of his head. The fight was over.

 

Kazuto would have continued beating the unconscious boy, but a powerful sensation bolted down his spine and lingered in the pit of his stomach. He began shaking.

 

Samakina entered the room. "Stop this now! Fight's over!" He motioned to all the students. “Get back to your dorms! Kazuto! Lisanna! That includes you too!”

 

The crowd vacated quickly. Although shaken, Lisanna managed to leave on her own.

 

Kazuto walked away furiously, but paused after he passed Samakina. He felt that sensation again. Fear. Kazuto looked back at the teacher clearing the students out, and quickly shook his head. "I must have put a little too much effort in that fight with Hiro." He resumed his walk to the dorm.

 

After he had vacated the room, Samakina took Hiro to the medical center himself. He looked down at the bloody, beaten, and broken body of the boy.  “… What are you?”