—<5 days later, Morning, 5:30>—
Silence filled the hallways of the old school building. Frost clung to the windows, bending the early sunlight into pale, distorted streaks across the floor.
Tap.
Tap.
Footsteps cut through the quiet as Akeno made her way down the corridor, humming a soft tune. Her hair cascaded down her back, her ponytail ribbon bouncing lightly with every step. She reached the main door of the Occult Research Club and walked right past it without slowing down.
A few moments later, she stopped in front of a pair of doors marked by burned-off seals.
She placed her hands against them and gave a light push.
Creak~
On the other side was a dark room, thin rays of sunlight slipping through the curtains.
In the center of the room sat a coffin. She walked toward it and heard gentle snoring from within.
"My, my~" Akeno let out a soft sigh. "Even after five days… still sleeping in, hm?"
She felt along the grooves, moving toward the end of the coffin while listening to the breathing inside as if it were a beautiful melody.
'To think you don't know better by now…'
A smirk crept across her face, her violet eyes gaining an excited glint.
"That just won't do…"
She moved to the curtains and parted them, letting sunlight pour into the room.
She turned back toward the coffin, but her gaze swept across the room instead.
She'd been here a couple of times before, but she had never really gotten a good look.
After all, she hadn't been here to sightsee.
But now that she had the chance…
'Oh, my.'
The room had character; she'd give it that. Though "character" might be putting it kindly.
Her eyes landed on the picture frames lining the walls, each one featuring strangely posed, impossibly muscular men in crazy, colorful outfits.
'Foreign actors maybe?'
It was strange, but she wouldn't judge after all; everyone had their tastes. She of all people would know.
She tilted her head slightly, studying one particular frame with mild fascination.
She had seen this outfit before. More specifically, she had seen it on someone she knew quite well.
Her eyes landed back on the coffin. Then drifted downward to some clothes scattered across the floor.
A soft, knowing smile touched her lips.
'So that's where he's been getting his fashion sense lately.'
She glanced back at the frames, then at the clothes, then at the coffin.
'...Actually… Wow, that makes perfect sense.'
It had been bothering her quite a bit. After all, one does not just develop a random sense of style that bizarre overnight.
She lifted her hand and looked at her watch. 'Well, no time like the present.'
She started walking back toward the coffin, but before she could fully reach it, she stopped in her tracks.
"Awaken, my masters!" a voice cried from inside the coffin.
'That's not Gasper's voice… that's someone else's!' She put an arm up, lightning flickering to life just in case.
BOOM!
The coffin's lid shot open, flinging to the side and sending dust into the air. Through the haze, a figure propelled himself upward; he had no shirt, long blond hair waving in the wind, and his legs crossed in a sitting position!
Akeno narrowed her eyes.
There was no doubt in her mind.
IT WAS GASPER!
"AYAYA~YAIIIII~♪"
Gasper began spinning midair, moving as if he glided! Yet his wings weren't there!
TAP!
He landed, perfectly positioned for the sunlight to hit him.
Slowly, he turned. His eyes closed, then he spread his arms wide, the sun encapsulating his entire being.
His hair waved beautifully in the wind, as if carried by a gentle draft.
Then finally.
He opened his eyes.
His intense, deep crimson gaze bored into Akeno's very soul!
Yes! Yes! This was no longer Gasper Vladi, the Daywalker.
This was Gasper Vladi! The ultimate… uhhm… well, THE ULTIMATE SOMETHING!!
His hands slowly drifted upward as he narrowed his eyes aggressively! The radiance of his eyes surpassing that of the sun's!
A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Akeno's face. 'Well… he's theatrical today.'
Gasper blinked as his eyes adjusted.
"Oh… sup." He dropped his pose and hunched over, finally realizing who the hell was standing in front of him.
She gave him a soft smile and lifted her hand and waved.
He walked past her. Akeno followed his movements as he reached into his coffin, pulled out his phone, and silenced the alarm.
"So… time already… YAWN! …huh." Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.
He rubbed his eyes. "Man… I need some, uh, coffee or something."
"Coffee?" Akeno said, tone dry.
"I mean some of your amazing tea…" He wouldn't look her in the eye. "...But um… can you like put…" He raised his arms and opened them fully wide. "Like a shit ton of sugar?"
"Oh, I see… my tea is so bitter you have to drown it in sugar," she said sweetly, her face taking on an understanding yet hurt look.
GULP!
"NO!... I mean no… I just like it sweet, you know." He looked down. 'Is... she actually upset?' His head stayed lowered, but his eyes moved to her face. 'Great... now I feel like an ass... just perfect… Wait a second! I didn't do anything!'
Seeing his head lowered, Akeno couldn't help but giggle. She put her hand on his head. "I'm sorry; I just couldn't help myself. It's just too funny teasing my cutelittle junior." She slowly fixed up his bedhead.
His eyebrow twitched. "What… did you just… call me?" he said in a dangerously low tone.
Her smile only grew. "I said, my cute and little Junior~" she said in almost a whisper, but loud enough for him to hear.
'Oh no, she didn't.'
He pushed her hands off and backed up. "LITTLE!? WHO THE HELL YOU CALLING SO LITTLE YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO FIND HIM IN AN ANT COLONY!"
"Ufufufu~" she just couldn't stop herself.
He pointed at her, face flushed. "I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW, I'M STILL GROWING! YOU'LL SEE ONE DAY I'LL BE SO TALL YOUR NECK WILL BREAK FROM LOOKING UP SO MUCH!!"
"Oh, really? But you're barely 149 centi—"
"I'M FIVE FEET!"
'My my… Koneko was right. This truly is adorable.'
"Ufu~ yes, you are~," she said, looking at him with a pitiful look.
"YEAH RIGHT, LIKE I WOULD BELIEVE THAT HALF-ASSED SUR—"
"AHEM!" someone cleared their throat.
Huh?
They both turned to see Kiba standing at the entrance, hand covering his mouth. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Akeno-san, you said to be here at 5:40, and it's… well, 5:50."
Akeno's eyes widened in confusion. She checked her watch. "Oh my, it seems you're right… my apologies."
Kiba then turned to Gasper. "So are you ready?"
As Gasper's eyes looked at Kiba,
Images of a green-haired swordsman overlapped with Kiba's in Gasper's mind, then one of an old man with gray hair… a great loser.
"Yep!" Gasper nodded frantically, his eyes sparkling. 'Heheheeh~, it's really a swordsman in the flesh. Honestly, I never thought I'd see a real anime swordsman in real life!'
"Just hold on, let me grab a shirt." Gasper trotted over to a bundle of fabric on the floor. He scooped it up, gave it a quick, optimistic sniff, and shrugged. 'Should be good.'
"Got to say Gasper-kun…" Kiba looked at his physique. His eyes lingering on the star-shaped birthmark on his left shoulder. "I thought Bucho was playing a trick on me when she said you looked different… but wow."
"Well, you know, not much to do in a room, so I just did some push-ups, nothing major…" Gasper slid on a turquoise gridded shirt.
"But Kiba, don't be so uptight. Just call me Gasper; it feels weird when you add the 'kun' to it."
Kiba nodded. "Well, if it's fine with you, then sure, but I'm a bit confused. Why'd you ask Akeno-san to call me for?"
Gasper's brow shot up so high it nearly disappeared into his hairline. "HUH~"
He slowly turned his head toward Akeno. She didn't meet his gaze, instead choosing that exact moment to find a very interesting speck of dust on the far wall. She hummed a tiny, innocent tune, her eyes drifting toward the ceiling.
"Did you... not tell him?" Gasper asked, his voice flat with disbelief.
Akeno finally looked back, a playful smile dancing on her lips. "My, I must have forgotten. I was simply so focused on getting Kiba-kun here on time that the details just… slipped my mind."
"Yeah… sure, whatever you say." Gasper said, his tone completely dry.
Gasper sighed and looked at Kiba. "Well, I asked for you so we could spar."
Kiba let out a long, audible sigh. 'Oh, thank goodness. I thought it would be something much worse based on the way Akeno-san asked me.'
He offered a small, curious smile as he relaxed his posture. "I see. I'm always up for a match, but if I may ask, why me? Why not just ask Akeno-san to spar?"
"Because Akeno's a DIRTY MAGIC USE—!"
Crackle!
"..."
He turned slowly to see Akeno's hand covered in an electric aura over her mouth, giggling darkly.
His expression fell flat, and he turned to look at Kiba.
And Kiba looked back at him with pity.
"...because she is way too much for me to handle…"
Kiba cleared his throat. "Yeah… she can be like that, but, you know Akeno-san, always reliable."
"Yeah… well, the reason I asked for you specifically is because I need someone who fights up close. And what better choice than a swordsman?"
Gasper took several steps in Kiba's direction and put his hands on Kiba's shoulders.
Kiba blinked, unsure what this gesture was for.
"Hey Kiba… if it's not too rude, can I ask you a somewhat personal question?"
Kiba gave a smile. "I don't see why not, but if it's too personal…"
Gasper slowly lifted his head, revealing his eyes…
They were sparkling in anticipation!
"So how far have you gotten?!"
Kiba raised a brow. "Excuse me?"
"Oh, my bad." Gasper released his shoulders. "I mean, how far have you gone down the path of the sword?"
"The way Akeno was hyping you up, there's no way you're weak. I know that, but she didn't tell me much, but you have been training for years, so there's no way you don't have the basics down, you know. WAIT—OHMYGODCANYOUSHOTSWORDBEAMSOUTYOURSWORD!"
Kiba placed his hands on Gasper's shoulders. "Maybe go a bit slower there. I…didn't quite catch that."
"...sorry about that; I can get a bit crazy when swords are involved…" He looked away. 'At least the ones that aren't trying to kill me, of course.'
'Honestly… I might've walked the path of the sword myself, if not for the Jojo gacha… Ha~ maybe in another life…'
"Okay. I'm going to let you go now…" Kiba took his hands off and raised one finger. "One question at a time, alright?"
'Did he just Ask if I could use some kind of beaming sword?... No I must be imagining things'
"Ok, so can you do it? Can you use...a sword beam?" Gasper said, taking a sword stance and gripping the air as he swung multiple times.
Kiba's eyes widened slightly. 'So I'm not hearing things.'
"Sorry, but… I can't do that."
"Oh… I see." Gasper visibly deflated.
But then he came back to life!
"But that's fine! It's kind of advanced anyway. So… you never went down the path of sword beams, huh? Instead, you went down the route of sword intent." he said as if stating a fact.
Gasper nodded sagely.
"Truly you are a true master, Kiba."
Kiba blinked, a faint flush creeping across his cheeks. "Sorry, but… I have no idea of what you're talking about."
Gasper blinked several times.
"Oh…"
He started to sweat.
"My bad, then maybe that's too advanced?"
"Well then… your cutting steel and flying sword techniques must be incredible! To focus on mastering the basics first—that's the mark of a true master!"
The room fell into silence.
"That's what you've… been doing, right?"
The response was just more silence. "I'm…sorry, but I have never heard of those either, but cutting steel is nothing special, just a bit of reinforcement and the right sword, and it's pretty easy."
Gasper lowered his head and slowly put a hand on Kiba's right shoulder.
And slowly raised his head, looking at Kiba right in the eyes, a tear slowly slid down his face as he looked at him with pity.
Then Gasper pulled him into a tight hug. "It's ok, Kiba, i'm here now, it will all be ok…"
Kiba stood there and looked at Akeno; she shrugged.
And he looked back at Gasper. "Ah, thank you?"
Gasper broke the hug, tears streaming down his face. 'It's just too tragic!... He wasted all that time with no direction.' Then his eyes sharpened. 'But from what i can remember, he's got some serious potential, like an insane amount, if he were to train for real…'
'How far would he go?'
Gasper's eye shined. "AH HA! I got it." He patted Kiba's shoulders. "Kiba, will you be my training dumm—I mean, my permanent sparring partner? After all, we can both learn great things from each other."
Akeno let out a giggle as proof of her corruption taking place in real time.
Gasper looked to the side. 'Not to mention I need someone other than Crowley to spar with…' The thought just sent a cold chill up his spine. 'He… seriously does not know how to hold back… Just hope Saji is still alive over there."
Kiba just looked at Gasper's hopeful eyes. "...Sure…"
'It could be good practice after all,' Kiba thought. 'I don't really have anyone to spar with.'
"Cool, so first of all, no, you don't know the cutting steel technique. No hate, man, but it's not just cutting steel with a strong sword."
Gasper winked, stuck out his tongue, and gave a thumbs up. "But it's fine; stick with me, and I'll make a true swordsman out of you, believe it!"
Before Kiba could react, he grabbed his arm and shouted, "LET'S GO! AKENO—GYM TIME!"
Akeno sighed softly, but a small smile tugged at her lips. "Truly not one bland day with that boy around."
*****
—
"Ah~" Gasper exhaled, his cold breath being seen in the air.
He bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, shaking his whole body loose with each hop.
Then he shook out his arms and closed his eyes, tilting his face toward the sky.
He took a slow breath. The cold morning air filled his lungs.
"Hey, Gasper-kun," Kiba called from about half a basketball court away.
Gasper opened his eyes and looked straight at him. "...I told you not to call me that…but what's up?"
"Oh right… I'll keep it in mind." Kiba nodded. "But I had a question I wanted to ask."
Gasper stayed silent, eyes fixed on him.
"The techniques you talked about… are they real?"
Gasper nodded. "As real as you and me."
Kiba closed his eyes. 'Could it be he isn't just playing around then? Is there really more to it?'
"You said cutting steel is not literally cutting steel, so I'm guessing the flying sword technique you mentioned also isn't literal either, is it?"
Gasper gave him a thumbs up. "Correct, but if I were you, I wouldn't dwell on the flying sword thing just yet and would just try to get down the cutting steel first."
Kiba returned him a weak smile of his own. "Good to know… but I still have no idea what it is."
Gasper's eyes widened. "Oh, riiiigth… so you want to know?" he said, wiggling both his eyebrows playfully.
Kiba nodded. "If you wouldn't mind."
"Ok, listen up, my blonde brother." Gasper's face sharpened. "I'll try to explain it in simple terms, but just know that it is not really something that is learned but more… like something that is felt."
He put a hand on his chin. "But I can't say I've felt it myself; after all, I'm not a swordsman. But what I can do is try to guide you in the right direction. You cool with that?"
Kiba nodded slowly. 'Even if it turns out to be nothing, it's better than doing nothing anyway.'
Gasper exhaled, "Ok then… lesson one, Kiba… What matters more, the sword in your hand and the power it holds… or the user who wields it?"
"It's both," Kiba replied, without a hint of hesitation.
"Close…"
"...But the answer is neither."
Kiba's brows furrowed. "Neither?"
"Exactly, after all there are swordsmen in this world who can't even cut the thinnest piece of hair, yet those same swordsmen can cut through steel like it is the thinnest piece of paper, all while using the same blade."
Silence enveloped them both.
"But… that makes no sense," Kiba said, dumbfounded. "Wouldn't that just be technique in wielding a blade?"
A grin spread on Gasper's face. "Well, real—" He bit his tongue hard, stopping himself. "...sorry, but I can't tell you."
"But why? Would it not just be easier to?"
Gasper just looked away and spotted Akeno coming back with bottles of water.
"Nope, it would make it harder actually; remember, it's something you feel, not something you learn. It's like me giving you fish instead of teaching you how to change a tire."
Kiba blinked. "You mean teaching me how to fish?"
Gasper nodded. "Exactly, see, you get it."
Akeno arrived in front of them. "Are you two ready?"
"Yep."
"Yes."
She took a deep breath. "Alright then…"
"Hey Kiba."
"Yes?"
Gasper's smile faded, "don't hold back."
"...begin."
"I wasn't planning to."
←—TO BE CONTINUED—