SLAP!

Surprise was understatement, because Toshiro felt his entire system rang in that one strong hit that Megu made when her hand flew across his face. He almost took steps backwards because of the impact, and some of the people nearby gave them weird glances, then those youngsters who commented about couple having a quarrel.

He touched his left cheek which stung and felt warm, his dark brown eyes stared at Megumi with regret. He opened his mouth to say something but she beat him to it.

"Who says about falling in love?! Are you insane?!" Her voice was laced with anger but there was also hurt, "And just an FYI, I do not like you romantically" It was a lie, all of it, but she had to say it to mask the deep pain he caused after saying those words.

Megu pulled a medium-sized box out of her bag, "Here, I don't need that" She quickly took his hand and put the box in it, "I am going home and don't you dare follow me or I'll kick you" Waiting no more for his reaction or even response, she turned her back and took large steps away from him, her tears were about to go uncontrollable and she would not break down in front of that asshole.

Toshiro was rooted on the ground, teary eyes watching Megumi go and he dropped the box on the ground which contained a silver necklace with a white snowdrop pendant—it was his most favorite flower for it greatly reminded him of the one who held his heart.

What is wrong with me? Why did I do that?!

People began panicking in the park, their attention directed upwards and when he looked up, translucent violet covered the sky like a glass dome with markings on it. Those symbols are familiar, crap! Why didn't he sense it quickly?!

"This is why you sentinels should never get involved with relationships," A voice so loud spoke to him, "It gets you out of control and turn your mind fuzzy"

Buzzing sounds filled the air, the screams and panic floated in the wave of people in the park as three giant black murder hornets flew above, its stingers piercing three persons at the same time and devouring them afterwards.

"Surprise, surprise, sentinel" A tall male stood across him, clad in Huxley High uniform with dark blue eyes glinted with gold in the middle and his hair was wavy with black fringe.

Toshiro narrowed his eyes into slits, "Student Council Hamael Overden"

"I must say, you and your group are quite weak for not knowing who I am" A devious smirk formed on the other guy's lips, "I've been in this parade for quite some time, sentinel, but your dwelling in Mayumi and Megumi made you oblivious"

In the background, the giant murder hornets gathered more people, piling them up in one huge fishnet.

"You are August's brother" Toshiro gritted his teeth, internally he is distributing spiritual energy to his hands and weapons, the earlier misunderstanding with Megu almost sapped him out of focus. "The one who is wreaking havoc in Akaibara for so long"

Hamael shrugged, "Who else would I be?" The giant hornets flew to the sentinel's direction and attacked him with their stingers glowing with poison.

Toshiro dodged but since there's three, he wasn't able to get away from the third hornet that came on his side in surprise, though he evaded the stinger it grazed his neck a bit. His swords transformed into a pair of handguns and he began shooting spiritual bullets at their main bodies.

A loud buzzing and shrieking sounds came from the hovering giant hornets, though the spiritual bullets pierced through its bodies, the wounds quickly shifted close.

"Argh!" He crossed his arms in front of him, focusing his energy to form a shield but his bigger-than-life opponents beat him to it and him with its hard head. Toshiro was thrown mid-air but just before he could land back on the ground, another hornet popped behind him with its stinger ready.

A surprising stab followed by numbness spread in Toshiro's back after making contact with the stinger; his guns turned into one huge blade sword and he stabbed it on the hornet behind him and twisted it a bit to deepen the plunge.

It finally let go of the dark-haired sentinel, and with the poison now running in his veins, Toshiro fell limp on the ground and his sword clattering from his hand.

His vision is now slowly turning blurry but his last thoughts are still on Megumi.

I'm sorry...

-*-

Megumi wanted to go back to where she left Toshiro, her worry overtaking the anger and hurt she felt after what he did; the last words he said are still lingering in her head but now is not the time for her to dwell in the heartache (maybe, she'll do that later?), there are bigger issues that needs to be solve just like the hornets that began roaming above and the changes in the sky.

I need to sleep, gotta force myself to sleep! She thought, running back to the amusement park—thank Kami she chose to wear sneakers today. Please don't let anything bad—I hope I am not yet too late! Toshiro, dang I hate you right now seriously! But I still give a damn about you—SHIT!

The abrupt halt Megumi did send her backwards and down on the ground, she gaped her mouth open, eyes dilating in fear as she stared at the nightmare blocking the way.

It was a type of snake—gigantic with bright orange (almost brown) and black pattern on its scales, eyes were slit staring at her with two holes as its nose. The snake inhaled loudly, moving its slinky body, fully blocking her way to get back in the park.

"What in the world is this?!" She knew it's no python or anaconda, her mind recalling one of their lessons in Science that those two mentioned snakes have a different physical attribute and this one in front of her—seems to puff its body whenever it breathes.

The snake moved closer while Megu crawled backwards quickly, when it's just a few feet away, it shifted before her eyes—its body shrinking to human size and growing arms, legs and a head. When the transformation is over, Megu yelled.

"RIKI?!" A nanosecond of silence, "YOU'RE A SNAKE?!"

Riki folded his arms on his chest, "I'm a puff adder, duh" He rolled his eyes visibly and adjusted his glasses. A hint of the orange and black scales still remained on his skin and his eyes still has its slit.

"That's not really the point, you're still a snake" Megu stood up, hesitant and full of questions in her head, "What's the meaning of this? Why did you turn like that? What's going on? Did you know all along?"

Her friend's face turned neutral, void of any emotions or anything at all that'll give way to answers. "You asked a lot of questions, Megu and I am not going to answer those"

Tears welled in Megu's eyes, "Damn you! Why did you not tell me?! You're a traitor!" She curled her hands into fists.

"You should have not involved yourself with Toshiro" A deep scowl formed on Riki's face, "But I guess it was really inevitable since you reminded him a lot of his former flame..." He trailed off, "I cannot let you pass through, after all you are my meal today"

"WHAT?!"

As quick as a flash, Riki returned to his original adder form, with his snake-mouth wide opened he swiftly moved on Megu and successfully bit her on the shoulder; a scream erupted from her after his fangs dug deep in her skin, its venom leaked out and went in Megu's bloodstream.

-*-

Sweating and panting heavily, Subaru leaned on a post as his legs shook in fatigue, the whip he held is flickering and almost fading. He sported bruises and gashes all over him, narrow blood dripping from his left temple yet the fight is far from over.

He was at his limit and none of his attacks made it to the rats' master. Damn, Eins-Jeff!

The hideous creations screeched, circling around him and their glowing red eyes staring at him hungrily. The once lively streets of Akaibara looks like a wreck painted with death and bloodstains, many innocent lives taken away.

"What's the matter, sentinel?" The masked guy above asked mockingly, "Do you want to raise the white flag now?"

Focusing his remaining spiritual energy back to the whip, it began to glow candid again, "No I will never surrender, I rather die than go down on my knees" His weapon shifted its form into a lightning-shaped spear and threw it at the nearby mutated rat.

The weapon plunged in the sticky strange body with electric bolts spreading in it, black blood gushed out of the wound and a shriek erupted from the rat.

With a wave of his hand, the spear pulled away and returned in his grasp. His victory was short-lived when one of the freaky rats raised its talons and scratched him on the back.

"Aaahhh!!!" The long-haired sentinel tripped and fall face down, four long and deep gashes drawn behind him.

Kentaro appeared out of nowhere, standing near his fallen comrade; the tattoos on his body glowed as it appeared and he formed a barrier around them, preventing another attack.

"Sorry I got late" He hoisted Subaru up, "Everything is a total mess and Eins countered the shield I put in our home, I got locked"

The golden barrier remained around the two guardians as they started half walking and running away, all attempts of attacks from the rats are being deflected.

"You should have not come here, you're still not fully recovered" Subaru tried hard not to put all his weight on the blonde, but his body is already drained.

A smirk formed on Kentaro's lips, "Like I am going to leave you and Toshiro on your own, I am not going to be the damsel in our circle, man" He teased then his face morphed back to a scowl as he tilted up to the sky where Eins was watching them, "What are we going to do with that bastard?"

"We need to ask for reinforcement, there's no other way" Subaru's brows furrowed, "But with the shield around the city—"

"The other Sentinels will not get through and we will all die here of carnage," Kentaro completed.

-*-

Riki felt a hand touched his shoulder then it caressed his neck up to the side of his face; he felt tensed under the prince's touch, unusual for he always longed for intimate gestures from him before.

"Well done, Ri-kun" Hamael almost whispered on the orange-haired male's right ear, the endearment sounding like a threat coated in sweet. "You proved yourself worthy of redemption and forgiveness from me"

"Anything for you, Ham-sama" Yet his body opposed his words, Riki was far from being glad or happy in what he did and that was really weird. Isn't he doing this so Hamael will take him back again? But staring at Megumi's paralyzed form, as the poison made its way in her veins, the heaviness in Riki's chest simply doubled. "What are you going to do with her?"

A devious smirk curved on Hamael's lips, "Are you worried? I'll understand if you are since she is your friend but she got herself in deep trouble, beloved and that's reason enough to end her"

Riki closed his eyes for a nanosecond and swallowed, "Can you just erase her memory? It's the sentinel's fault not hers, he became attached to her first"

Hamael's hand held Riki's jaw tightly. "Is she more important than being with me again, beloved?" Dark blue eyes tinted with gold narrowed into slits.

"No, you are more important, I loved you and I still do" Riki slid his gaze away, unable to meet the prince's intense look. "I will do whatever you want me to do"