Prologue #3

Midnight Disaster

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DAYTIME

OST - Becoming Friends, Finding Peace Party

DARK green eyes widened in surprise as the magenta-haired boy's eyes widened, having finally noticed us standing awkwardly in the corridor. Probably having decided that we were likely more normal than his original companions, he continued to walk over, waving.

"Hey there, nice to meet ya," he smiled in relief, "I'm assuming you guys are also Ultimates?"

"Yeah, we are," I agreed goodnaturedly, introducing myself, "My name's Murano. I'm also known as the Ultimate Bounty Hunter."

Ritsuki nodded. "Ritsuki Neikan," she greeted curtly, refusing to say anything else.

"Well, I'm Shion Raniero," he smirked, pointing at himself confidently, "Don't freak out now, but I'm the Ultimate Drug Lord."

"The Ultimate Drug Lord, huh?" I questioned in surprise, "That seems like a pretty dangerous talent to have."

Shion held up his index finger in response. "I could say the same thing about the Ultimate Bounty Hunter," he casually observed.

"Good point."

"If we had met under any other circumstances, we'd probably be enemies," he tilted his head, folding his hands behind it.

I grinned at the comment. "Yes, I couldn't imagine getting along with someone that definitely has a large sum on their head," I held up my hand in a fist, "Still, you seem pretty cool."

"Thanks," the Raniero proceeded to bump his fist against my own.

Curiously, he turned to face Ritsuki. "By the way, I don't think I caught your talent," he raised an eyebrow as he thought about it, scrutinizing the purple-haired girl, "What are you the Ultimate Pilot or something? Then again, that seems like it would be pretty useful..."

Wincing, she held her head in pain as she answered. "Possibly... I don't actually remember..."

It seemed that she didn't have enough time to think up a suitable answer.

"You don't remember your talent?" Shion's eyes widened at the revelation as he folded his arms before him, "That's awfully strange..."

"Hey, are you alright?" I questioned Ritsuki in concern, taking in her sickly expression, "You look a little pale."

She shook her head. "It actually hurts my head when I try to recall," she revealed.

"If you like, I can give you a few painkillers," Shion offered generously, gesturing to a black bag in the corner, "I have some with me right now."

Ritsuki narrowed her eyes. "Pardon me, but I'm not sure if I should be trusting the word of a renowned drug dealer," she replied scathingly, still clutching the side of her forehead.

Surprisingly, the Raniero didn't react to the comment, merely smiling as if he had expected it.

"You know, just because I'm a drug lord, doesn't mean that I only sell illegal drugs," he explained calmly with a patient demeanour, "That's what makes me Ultimate. I also specialise in the legal prescription and distribution of pharmaceuticals. It's a good cover."

"Wait... so you're also the Ultimate Pharmacist?" I wondered in confusion.

He shook his head. "In the end, I still have the title of the Ultimate Drug Lord," he finalized, "I just don't only distribute illegal items. I'm licensed to sell over-the-counter medicines."

Ritsuki's eyes widened. "I'm sorry for assuming then," she apologized, bowing at the waist, "I simply wasn't certain of your character..."

"It's fine..." Shion waved it off absentmindedly, "To be honest, I'd be surprised if you instantly trusted my words. Caution is key, after all. I'd probably warn you myself against it."

"In that case, I might take you up on your offer," she smiled, "We are going to be attending school together, after all."

"Take all the time you need to decide," he informed her with a wink, before gesturing for us to start walking with him.

"So Shion, what exactly were you doing when we ran into you?" I prompted a new conversation, recalling his odd demeanour.

"I was thinking about how I haven't seen any windows anywhere," the magenta-haired teen explained, holding a hand to his chin, "It's a good possibility that we might be closed off here. While I was standing there, that revolutionary girl, Nahoko, showed up along with that weird hypnotherapist, Hayato. I'd been trying to get rid of them ever since."

"I feel it for you, man," I expressed my sympathy, "I probably would have lost it if those two hung around me."

"You could say I'm kind of used to it by now," Shion sighed despondently, "I always seem to attract weird people to me like a magnet."

I wouldn't be surprised if his job as a drug dealer led to his apparent charisma with the wrong type of people. At this point, it seemed pretty natural for weird or questionable individuals to gravitate towards him.

He smiled begrudgingly. "It probably is because of my job, isn't it?"

"I do think it might have had an effect on your personality in that regard," I admitted.

With a resigned sigh, he buried his face into his hands in obvious displeasure, seemingly trusting our ability to keep him from colliding with anything.

As we walked along, I began to notice something strange with the taller teenager. Behind him, a second pair of legs seemed to follow him along under his cloak, mimicking his every step. They appeared to be wearing a pair of heels from what I could see.

Bewildered, I squinted to get a closer look, observing a mound of orange, that I hadn't initially noticed, sticking out from under the garment.

Nudging Ritsuki, I wondered if I was the only one who was witnessing this.

"What is it?" she asked, her silver eyes glancing towards me in confusion.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one who sees that..." I stressed, pointing at the strange figure hanging on to Shion's back.

"Is that someone's head?" Ritsuki folded her arms, tilting her head in confusion.

Seeking an answer to my confusion, I crouched down as I walked, grabbing ahold on the right leg of this strange newcomer, feeling them flinch in shock, beginning to fumble.

"Uwaahhhh..." a small feminine voice screamed in surprise as they tripped, sending the Ultimate Drug Lord tumbling down to the ground with them.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," the magenta-haired teen groaned, rubbing his head from its hard collision with the floor, "What the heck?"

"Ah, sorry about that," I apologized, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly.

Ignoring both of us, Ritsuki marched over to the boy's fallen figure, throwing the back of his forest green cloak over the top of his head and revealing who laid underneath.

Lying on the ground before us, with arms wrapped tightly around the tanned boy's waist, was a girl with short orange hair cut in a bob. Long sleeves covered her arms as she wore a brown lolita dress with black stockings. A pair of brown heels were strapped on her feet.

She seemed to be lost in her own little world as she kept her eyes tightly shut, clutching Shion as if her life depended on it.

Shion stared over his shoulder in utter bewilderment.

"You've got a little something stuck right there," Ritsuki pointed towards the strange creature.

"Yeah-- I can see that much..." he attempted to pry the girl from off of him to no avail.

I raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Do you two know each other or something?"

The boy's eyes widened in realization as he slammed the side of his fist into his palm. "Now I remember... I told her that I'd help her to hide from anyone dangerous that we encountered," he explained, moving into a sitting position as the girl's grip slightly loosened around him, "After a while, I assumed she had already left."

"And you didn't even feel something latched on to you?"

Shion shrugged. "You'd be surprised how much you can forget about once you become accustomed to it," he raised a hand, "Those two lunatics back there kinda drowned out her presence."

I was beginning to think that Shion had developed a pretty amazing talent to be able to ignore the actions of so many eccentric individuals. He had managed to use that trait to the best of its ability-- and it had worked.

I had to ask him to teach me how to do that sometime.

"Who was she trying to hide from exactly?" I inquired, "Was there anyone specific?"

Dark green eyes flickered upwards as he held his chin in thought. "Who was it again...?" the Raniero pondered, "Ah, I think he was the Ultimate Gladiator. He was a pretty big guy... If he wanted to, he probably could have crushed my head with his bare hands."

The girl shivered at the memory, prompting Shion to pat her head comfortingly.

"To be honest, I'm pretty glad that he didn't stay," the drug dealer laughed nervously, "I don't know what I would have done with such an ominous presence looming over me."

I chuckled awkwardly, secretly glad that my talent didn't seem to be nearly as mentally demanding as Shion's.

Crouching down, I put a welcoming smile on my face. "Hey there, it's nice to meet you," I greeted, watching as the redhead opened her eyes tentatively to meet my gaze.

Her irises were a bright yellow colour.

"I'm not sure if you heard us before, but my name's Murano. I'm the Ultimate Bounty Hunter," I introduced myself, gesturing towards my other companion over my shoulder, "This here's my friend, Ritsuki. Would you mind telling us who you are? We won't hurt you-- I promise."

"...Pandora," the short teen finally muttered, seemingly believing my words, "My name is Pandora Ferrara and I'm the Ultimate Witness... I trust you. You have a nice presence..."

My eyes widened at the unusual response. "I haven't heard that one before..." I scratched my cheek in embarrassment, feeling the heat creeping up my neck, "Thanks, I guess."

Pandora nodded.

Seeing that I had her attention, I continued my train of thought. "It must have been a pretty hard experience to be in the presence of someone like the Ultimate Gladiator," I comforted her, "Shion's a pretty reliable guy, isn't he?"

"Yes," she agreed, her head bobbing up and down enthusiastically.

I could feel two pairs of curious eyes on my back as I continued to speak.

"Unfortunately, we do need to get a move on to the school's auditorium," I broke the news to her, paying close attention to her reaction, "You're free to stay with us if it makes you feel comfortable, but you're going to have to let go of Shion. Otherwise, he can't move nearly as fast as he should be able to. Alright?"

Pandora looked up at the teen in question for confirmation.

"He's right," Shion informed her gravely, "I know I promised you... but it is kinda inconvenient."

Understanding the situation, the redhead stood up, pinching my sleeve for comfort as she bowed towards Shion, closing her eyes.

"I'm sorry for being such a burden," she apologized, "I hadn't considered it from your point of view. Please forgive me."

Rising to his feet, the magenta-haired boy waved his hands furiously. "No, really, it's alright," he dissuaded her concern, "To be honest, I had forgotten that you were there! It wasn't that big of a deal.

I could feel an aura of depression next to me as Pandora seemed to mull over his lack of tact. She proceeded to partially hide behind me, staring at the small plants that peeked out from the floor of the hallway.

"Nice going," Ritsuki snorted with a crooked smile, "Now you've made her depressed."

"Ah," Shion realized what he had just said, "That didn't come out right..."

"No kidding," Pandora affirmed, biting her nail as her fingers proceeded to latch on to the bottom of my shirt.

I guess she really did find my presence to be comfortable. Otherwise, I didn't see why she had decided to cling to me instead.

Together we began walking once more through the hallway, attempting to follow the crude directions to the school's auditorium.

"It seems you've really taken a liking to Murano here," Shion commented, glancing at the Ultimate Witness.

Pandora nodded. "It's like I said, he has a nice presence."

I still wasn't sure what exactly she meant.

Ritsuki stared at us curiously, her hand on her chin. "You seem to be pretty good at dealing with children," she observed, "Do you have any siblings?"

I frowned at the question. "Two of them actually," I informed them, "though I used to have more..."

"I'm sorry if I brought up any bad memories," the purple-haired girl apologized.

"It's fine," I shook my head.

Pandora stared at me in concern as Shion averted his eyes, noticing the touchy subject.

As we entered the main hall, I could see a large grey sculpture that almost extended towards the ceiling. It was of a man dressed in a Victorian suit as he bowed slightly, a book held open in his right hand as he read its contents. His other hand extended upwards above his head theatrically, almost as if he was in the process of performing or teaching someone, giving the school the appearance of a place of avid learning.

However, this wasn't what surprised me.

It was the fact that a young red-haired girl was currently in the process of standing on his head as she had a death grip on his hand, straining to reach towards the security camera above.

"Careful, now!" a tan brown-haired girl warned loudly from the ground below, "You've almost got it!"

I was beginning to think that this school was stuffed to the brim with crazy people. All the individuals that I had encountered sure seemed to support it.

Finally, the girl managed to touch the camera. "I got it!" she yelled down to her comrade, pumping a fist on the air, "It's attached to the system!"

This was the moment when things took a turn for the worst.

Caught up in her success, the girl's foot slid off of the statue's head as she was sent free-falling to the ground, her burnt orange eyes widening in surprise.

"Sarada!" her friend shrieked in fear, her grip tightening on the laptop she held in her hands.

Flying into action, Shion ran away from the three of us as he skidded to a stop just as the redhead was about to hit the ground, softening her impact as she collided full force with the drug dealer. The two of them were sent tumbling into the wall as he held her tightly around the waist, groaning as his head bonked against the hard surface.

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