Master of the House, part 1: Another Side of Saturday
I do not own the RAILDEX universe
Author's notes:
Welcome dear readers, to the first part of the second sequel of my story He will Surely Save!
Our story has returned to the Saturday of Touma's many visitations.
There is always more to tell . . .
Enjoy!
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The air crackled with power around her bangs as she stood facing the boy on the bridge. He stood defiant against the display and locked his blue-gray eyes onto the brown of her own, reading the sense of defeat and despair within them. The spiky-haired boy would not yield, the resolution on that face told the girl all that she needed to know.
He stood unflinching when she released that power, the lightning crossing the gap between them in an instant. The boy felt his body go rigid and be thrown backwards from the force of the attack.
As he hit the pavement with enough force to rattle his bones, the sharp tang of ozone and scorched flesh invaded the boy's nostrils. The creeping darkness at the edges of his vision soon washed over all, and the boy felt nothing further . . . .
There was no knowing the amount of time he had spent in that darkness, but he gradually felt a sensation like a gentle rain falling on his face. Slowly the lids of his eyes were forced apart by his determined will to see and the light entered his sight again.
As the spiky-haired boy's vision cleared, he was greeted by the sight of the same brown-haired girl that had sent him to the ground only a few moments ago. The tears from her eyes ran in unbroken streams down her face before each drop broke reluctantly from it and landed on his own as she held his head in her shivering lap.
His heart broke to see the pain in her glistening brown eyes, but all he could do was watch as she shook and whimpered. She spoke to him with the halting and whispered voice of someone who had seen her world taken from her.
"Why . . . ?"
With muscles just on the edge of his control, the boy lifted his hand to her cheek and rested his fingers on her face.
"To dry the tears from these eyes, I would fight the world . . . "
His fingers brushed through her hair as they gently curled around the back of her head. He ignored the pain screaming out from his back as he raised his head up from her lap and gently pulled her face closer to his own.
Just before their lips made contact, he whispered one last time.
"For the smile on these lips I could forgive anything . . . ."
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It was a quiet late morning on Saturday when the trio of girls left the lobby of the hospital to delve the depths of a certain familiar set of corridors in search of Academy City's favorite misfortune magnet, Kamijo Touma. A Certain High School's beauty sempai, who went by the name of Kumokawa Seria, ushered a pair of dark-haired girls through the main doors. She grinned like a guide leading a tour as she pointed to a large plaque upon the nearby wall.
"Alright, ladies! All we need to do is follow the signs to Kamijo-san's room."
The school's most anticipated first year student, Fukiyose Seiri, twitched briefly when she read down the arrow-laden list her sempai had pointed out and turned to her companions.
"Does it bother anyone else that this hospital has permanently mounted signs pointing to his room?"
"You know him as well as I do . . . " Seria grinned and shook her head. "So no, not really."
Fukiyose made a gesture with her thumb over her shoulder back in the direction they had entered from, before continuing.
"How about the fact that the gift shop is selling maps to his room?"
The girl twitched once more when her friend, Himegami Aisa, pulled out the very map she had been referring to and, upon slowly unfolding it, made a brief show of perusing it. The girl with princess hair gave it an approving nod.
"These really are beautifully printed . . . "
"Again, not really." For the second time in as many minutes, Seria dismissed her kohai's question with a flippant toss of her head. "Now pick up the pace, we're on a schedule here!"
Fukiyose raised an eyebrow. "You seem rather eager to see Kamijo."
"You're damn right I am!" The beauty sempai pointed of in a random direction before continuing. "There's a certain yellow-headed witch that I need to get ahead of."
Before either of the other two girls were able to voice their confusion, a young man wearing slacks and a sweater vest strolled up to the trio of girls and began to casually ramble in their direction.
"Pardon me, ladies . . . " The boy let out a polite tone of voice as he passed his eyes between the three girls in front of him. "I'm looking for my cat."
His audience stood frozen upon the appearance of this new intruder in their midst and were unable to reply. He blithely continued, randomly glancing around the room as though he was expecting it to come flying at him.
"You may have seen her . . . . Two eyes like the forest and fur like a thunderstorm?"
Himegami was the first to recover her deadpan wit. "Who brings a cat to a hospital?"
The boy turned to her with a twinkle in his eye. "I do, but fear not, she's perfectly healthy!"
Fukiyose put up her hand to get his attention.
"That's not really what– "
The boy's voice broke over hers as he resumed his two-sided monologue.
"I'm bringing her to meet someone." The boy began to gesture with his arms in a vaguely kung fu manner as he raised his voice. "The highest of the high! The point by which all revolves and yet nothing changes! You know what I mean."
Fukiyose tried to respond to the bizarre display. "We really don't . . . "
The boy waved his hand in front of his face without a care.
"Well, no matter." The group flinched when he suddenly pointed at them with a serious face. "Just choose the right side when he stands against you."
The girls were speechless as he brushed past them and continued his languid walk down the hallway.
"I passed the most interesting pair in the hallway on the way here . . . " The boy called back over his shoulder as he made his way away from them. "A blonde and a guy in leather carrying a ton of cookies. Just thought you'd like to know . . ."
The two younger girls shared a look of confusion as they watched their senior turn a ghastly shade of white. This was followed by a pair of dropped jaws when Seria turned without warning and took off like a shot down the hallway.
"Don't just stand there!" She shouted breathlessly over her shoulder as the girls watched her retreating into the distance. With a mutual shrug of the shoulders, they too took off in pursuit as her voice came wailing back to them.
"Reach deep into those jealous girl hearts and pump those stupid legs!"
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The silken sheets of the bed beneath him caressed his skin as he lay there, eyes closed in repose, the fingers of one hand just barely touching the skin of his right cheek.
The smooth sensation of bare skin near his feet brought his attention to them as his eyes finally opened and he saw her crouching at the foot of his bed. The silken waves of her golden hair flowed over her body like rays from the sun. They seemed to shimmer as she crawled closer to his face with a luxurious slowness, the touch of her slender fingers caressing the side of his body with each pass.
The gilded stars of her eyes were locked onto his own as she crept forward, the teasing smile on her lips beckoning for his touch.
As she came into reach, his fingers ran gently along her arms, tracing a path of shivering joy from her wrists, along her forearms, over the curve of her elbows and finishing just below her shoulders.
A muted moan escaped her lips as he pulled her closer to himself, his arms folding around her as they succumbed to the sensation of each other's skin.
She murmured in ecstasy as his fingers teased their way up her spine, before resting on the back of her neck.
"Touma-chan . . . "
She felt herself submitting to the pressure of his hand as it brought their faces ever closer to each other. The warmth of his breath tickled her ear for a moment as he whispered into it.
"Together we can forget what once was . . . right now is all I need . . . ."
With a final moan, her face turned to receive the gentle warmth of his lips.
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The blonde level five was nearly bouncing in glee as she led a group consisting of herself, a trio of dark-haired girls, and one sullen looking boy wearing leather away from Kamijo Touma's room. As she hummed a joyful but unsettling song to herself, the tide of annoyance continued to build in the group behind her until it was finally broken by a certain sporty girls grumbling.
"I still can't believe you lot." Fukiyose clenched her fist as she addressed the rest of the group. "Thinking about that kind of thing with Kamijo . . ."
Himegami sent her a calm tilt of the head. "All is fair in the game of capture the flag."
Seria nodded with a wicked grin.
"Agreed." She then pointed at the blonde at the front of the group. "And anyway, mental-girl here started it."
The Queen spun in place and planted her hands on her hips as she glared at the group.
"Really now! You witches think I would actually go through with it?" She tossed her head in scorn. "I'm insulted!"
She leaned forward as she continued, a teasing grin pulling at her lips.
"When Touma-chan and I finally become one, it's going to be entirely his idea, not mine!"
Feeling rewarded by the return salvo of dropped jaws, she placed her folded hands beside her cheek and murmured to herself with eyes falling closed.
"In the meantime, a little rubbing and kissing isn't going to kill him~"
Upon hearing this, Seria turned to the rest of group, raising her hand as she began to speak.
"All in favor of dunking her head in the lobby's decorative fountain on the way out?"
Misaki watched through one open eye as the remainder of the group, joined by several nurses and female patients in the hallway nearby, raised their hands in unison. The Queen did her best to look insulted before giving up a sweet giggle.
"Hmph! Jealousy is such an ugly thing~"
Fukiyose looked about ready to start shouting when the loud voice of an unfamiliar boy floated around the corner, startling them all.
"Sogiita-san, where the hell are you?!" The pitch was wavering up and down a bit with each word. "You left me with your blasted cat and then disappeared!"
A weighty pause ensued.
"No, it is NOT a learning experience!" The exasperated voice continued "That cat hates me and you know it! It probably would have eaten me if Konori-san hadn't shown up!"
The girls peeked around the corner to find a nondescript boy yelling into his cellphone. Standing next to him was a busty girl wearing a green Judgment armband and holding on to a small gray cat. Fukiyose pointed at it and silently mouthed the word to Himegami, who nodded. The boy let out a slow breath as the person on the other end made their reply.
"Alright fine, we'll meet you there. Just stay put this time." The boy grumbled as he rubbed his face.
Seria whipered her thoughts to the Queen, who responded in kind.
"I think we found our Seven counter . . . "
"Agreed. Take it."
Upon hearing the snap of his cellphone being shut, the two girls stepped around the corner. The rest of the group quickly followed them as the elder dark-haired girl called out to the young man they had been eavesdropping upon just moments ago.
"Pardon me, are you Haratani Yabumi?"
The boy and girl were just about walk off, but turned about in surprise when they heard the call. As the small cat let out an angry sounding moan in the direction of the newcomers, the boy responded with a guarded tone.
"I am . . . "
The pair of beautiful manipulators sent him their most dazzling smiles as Seria continued with her questioning.
"Can we have a word with you for a moment?"
Yabumi's eyes slid slowly over the group before he responded.
" . . . Fine." He gave a reluctant nod before turning to the girl next to him. "Konori-san, why don't you go ahead? He's in the cafeteria on the second floor."
The bespectacled Judgment girl looked hesitant, but finally nodded and walked off. The boy turned back to the girl who had addressed him, she clasped her hands in front of herself and continued.
"You are friends with Seven, correct?"
His eyes narrowed. "I might be . . . "
Seria pointed the girl standing next to her. "Do you recognize Blondie here?"
Yabumi looked thoughtful for a moment before his eyes widened in recognition. They then fell back into a suspicious glare.
"It appears to be the girl that Sogiita was about to go ape on a few days ago . . . "
He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head defiantly at the group that had called him out.
"So what is this, some kind of revenge hit?" Yabumi sent them a little grin. "I should warn you, thanks to him, I'm a lot better at dodging and running than I look."
The two girls in front shook their heads in unison, strangely pleased looks upon their faces as they did so.
"No this is entirely peaceful, I assure you." Seria put her palms up in front of herself to diffuse the tension. "I just have a question to ask you."
"Then ask it."
She tilted her head and traced her fingers over her cheek. "Are you happy with how he is right now?"
The boy stood frozen in place, unable to make a reply.
"What if I told you that I could help you put him back to normal?"
Yabumi responded with a gruff mutter. "What's in it for you?"
"Many things." Seria smiled and placed her hand on the Queen's shoulder. "But I believe that you will find that everyone will be happier in the long run . . . ."
There was a long pause as the group collectively held their breath. Finally, the boy broke the silence with a sigh.
" . . . What do you need me to do?"
Seria and Misaki both stepped forward and placed a hand on the boy's shoulders.
"There's a small lounge back that way." Seria made a grand gesture with her hand down the hallway. "Why don't we all sit down and talk about it?"
". . . Fine."
With a gentle push, they ushered the boy forwards, sharing a brief smirk with each other as they led him back the way they came.
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Saturday evening found a certain wheelchair bound nitrogen esper nodding off from boredom in the dimly lit patient's lounge that had long since become her second home during her stay at the hospital. She was breathing softly as she rested her chin against the stuffed dolphin toy firmly clenched to her chest like a totem of innocence long since lost.
The slender girl twitched and opened a bleary eye when she heard the quiet rasping of a door being slid open. With the main lights turned off for the evening she could only barely make out the form of a small girl with short hair. When the identity of the individual became clear to her, she gave a frantic whisper in the girl's direction.
"Hey now! You're that boy's cousin, right?" Umidori pointed at the room the little girl had vacated. "Aren't you supposed to stay in bed?"
The terror laden eyes of the girl caught the available light for a moment before she relaxed, realizing the speaker was not a nurse. She reluctantly walked over when the other girl beckoned her.
"I'm worried about Onii-chan . . . " The girl muttered as Umidori placed her dolphin on the nearby table and re-positioned herself in her chair. "The nurses wouldn't let me see him when I woke up an hour ago."
The nitrogen esper turned her head away in embarrassment. "Yeah, stuff happened earlier . . . ."
Seeing the girl's worried look, Umidori waved off her concern.
"You know about the broken leg, right?" The little girl nodded. "Then don't worry. He'll be fixed in a few days."
The little girl's tiny fists clenched as she pouted, an annoyed tone issuing from her quivering lips.
"But I want to see Onii-chan . . . "
Umidori noticed the air around the impudent little girl beginning to shimmer and flinched backwards a bit.
"Hey, easy now!" The dolphin-loving esper flailed her hands about like she was trying to fight off a large bear. "Put it away! He had a busy day and needs some rest, that's all!"
The little girl let out a tiny cry of disappointment, but otherwise relaxed. Umidori sighed in relief when the shimmering faded away and muttered to herself under her breath.
"That brings back some unpleasant memories . . . "
She then flinched in surprise when the little girl grabbed her arm and whispered frantically in her ear.
"Someone's going into Onii-chan's room!"
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The lean and wiry girl with the boyishly short, spiky red hair had been sorting through a pile of papers when she felt it. She stiffened when the pair of strong hands took a hold of her shoulders from behind and then relaxed as they began to firmly massage them.
She dropped the papers onto the table in front of her and melted backwards into the other person's grip, the flush of her cheeks matching the same fiery shade as her hair.
The earthy masculine scent of his body teased her senses as he slid his arms around her and embraced her closely. She felt the lean and hard muscles of his torso pressing into her back, the heat from his skin soaking into her trembling body.
The proud girl struggled to maintain her dignity by not letting out a moan of pleasure when he gently pressed his hand against the firm tension of her stomach, his other hand tracing the subtle curve of her hip. This proved impossible when the boy traced his lower lip over the sensitive edge of her ear.
The throaty purr from her lips was uncontrollable . . .
" . . . H–hero-sama . . . ."
The boy only held her closer as she tilted her head back to gaze into the warm blue shade of his eyes. She nearly drooled when he licked his lips and leaned a little bit forwards to gently nip the skin at the base of her neck. After a moment he withdrew again to whisper soft words into her ear.
"Please don't change at all . . . I am yours alone . . . "
The girl felt her knees buckling in ecstasy as he gently turned her face to receive his kiss.
"Yours alone . . . ."
. . .
A young woman with pale skin and a halo of icy-blue hair strewn about her pillow opened a pair of blood-red eyes, glaring out into the darkness of the bedroom.
Without ceremony, she pulled her upper body into a sitting position and hissed out to another person who listened with a shivering feeling inside.
"That was one too far."
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The two girls in the hospital lounge watched as a person, holding a cat, silently slid open the door to Touma's room and entered, closing the door behind them. The girls shivered when the cat's glowing green eyes met theirs just before the door slid shut. Otohime hugged herself and began to whimper.
"Looking at that person made the back of my eyes hurt . . . "
Umidori nodded silently.
"Something isn't right here . . . " She wheeled herself forward, waving the little girl into line behind her. "Come on."
The pair approached the door with the utmost caution, doing their best to avoid making even the slightest sound as they reached it. Umidori leaned forward, but could only make out the barest fragments of an unfamiliar male voice.
" –Acknowledge th– and I – humbled . . . "
The girls shift as close as they dared, struggling to make out his words.
" – Missy – city at – like ants – unpunished far too long –"
The umber-haired little girl's eyes widened in fear. She reached for the door handle, but was stopped by a firm grip on her arm.
"I promised that boy that I would keep an eye on you!" Umidori whispered firmly in her ear. "At least step back while I rush in."
"But – "
Umidori shook her head. "If you hear a fight break out, just run in and use that crazy power of yours on him."
The little girl tilted her head. "What crazy power?"
" . . . You're kidding right!?"
When the little girl simply continued blinking in confusion, Umidori sighed quietly in frustration.
"I guess I'm in this alone then . . . "
The girl's heads snapped towards the door when the unknown young man's voice rang out through it with perfect clarity, as though he was addressing them directly. Umidori frantically waved the other girl back towards her room. In shock, the little girl complied as quietly as she was able.
" . . . I will decide how far is too far."
Umidori had just turned back, readying herself to throw the door open, when the overwhelming presence within the room suddenly vanished without a trace. She looked down at her clenched fist for a moment before finally wheeling herself around to the room where the little girl had concealed herself. Umidor felt a little disgusted with herself.
"Whoever he was, he just vanished."
Otohime peaked around the other girl at her cousin's room. "Is Onii-chan, okay?"
The other girl nodded with a sour expression.
"Considering that I never heard him speak, I'm guessing that he isn't awake." Umidor pointed a thumb over her shoulder. "The alarms would have gone off if there was a problem."
When the little girl continued to twitch and look around her, Umidori stiffly placed her hand on her shoulder and gave it a little squeeze to reassure her.
"I promised Touma-kun that I would look after you until you were released on Monday." She gave the little girl a gentle push into her room. "Right now the both of you need your sleep."
A sour expression crossed Otohime's face.
"Yes, auntie . . . "
"If you stop making that face, I'll bring you to see him first thing tomorrow morning." Umidori grinned and held up her fist. "If anyone says otherwise, I'll shove a nitrogen burst up their keister!"
With a smile finally returning to her face, the little girl let out an adorable giggle and nodded. When the door to the room finally closed, Umidori slumped down in her chair and muttered up at the ceiling.
"I better be well rewarded for this, Touma-kun . . . "
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"That was one too far."
Those blood red eyes twitched briefly before continuing.
"We both saw that . . ." The girl shook her head violently as the memory came back, her blue hair flying every which way before finally settling back down. "It just kept getting worse, didn't it?"
She paused for a moment as if listening.
"And I say that that whole 'I just want everyone to be happy' is nothing but loser talk!"
The air seemed to turn sour for a moment.
"Answer me this one thing: were you ever satisfied with anything we just saw?"
The girl paused.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. The question is, what are WE going to do about it?"
" . . . Sterling-san?" A groggy voice groaned out from the bed next to the blue-haired girl's. "It's so late . . . is something wrong?"
The girl flinched for a moment before turning her head in the dark.
"It's nothing, Rutile-san, just a bad dream . . . "
The girl heard a groan from the other bed and felt a dark grin pulling against her lips.
"Since we're both awake, can you tell me something?"
She continued blithely past the other girl's muttered protests.
"How has the Queen been doing lately?"
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Author's Notes:
And there you have it!
I would like to thank Hikari Storm for lending me the names and likenesses of Sterling and Rutile. Some parts of them will be familiar, and others less so, but I hope to integrate their spirit into my own little corner of the TAMNI universe. There will be divergence in characterization, so be aware . . .
I'll also say that Sterling wasn't the only one having those dreams . . . .
In the third dream, Touma quotes the song 'Pug' by the Smashing Pumpkins. I couldn't help myself.
Sogiita appears in all his cryptic splendor to toy with Seria's group. Note that they did not recognize him.
Poor Yabumi is getting in way over his head . . . .
We also get to confirm the listener outside the door to Touma's room during Sogiita's visit.
Thank you to all who have read, followed, favored, and reviewed!
Reviews:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sargent Crash: Glad you are enjoying Yabumi! The idea of a normal, serious person hanging out with Sogiita seemed like it would be ripe with humor.
Loopsy: Spin that web!
Agent Nine: Inspiration struck and we now have a second part of The Heat from Her Skin. It will be updated sporadically since, unlike the other three sequels, I do not have a defined plot for it. That said you can expect to see it updated a few more times . . .
Dimak: True, I don't think Touma would every really act like that outside of a dream (or drunkenness) . . . . Sterling did see all three dreams, my note above was implying that she wasn't the only one that received them. As for Yabumi, Misaki and Seria understand that Sogiita cannot be taken head on. Sterling will be explored further, her back story will be similar to A Frozen Flower, but most of the rest of Hikari Storm's work will be extensively altered to fit or simply ignored. My Sterling will be an AU Sterling after all.
whwsms: The craziness! I can't get it out of my head!
Guest:It is possible they were out of the statues at the time, or perhaps she just planned to buy one on the way out . . . .
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I'll be updating A Sky of Falling Stars next, so stay tuned!
Until then,
Lets get writing!