Part 43 : Discovered

A strong breeze blew pass.

Amaya stood there, hair flowing along the breeze, partially covering her face but ever revealing her blood red eyes gleaming under the moonlight. It was dark but her eyes, as well as Kaze's were gleaming ever so deadly. Kaze's question still lingered in the breeze.

"You are Hana. Aren't you?"

Amaya stared at him, unsure of the reaction she should give him. But one thing was for sure: her ever steady eyes gave him the chills for asking her that question. Although he didn't show it, a little sense of fear ran up his spine. And for once, he was fearful of the breeze that surrounded them both even though he was a controller of winds and breezes.

After a long while, Amaya finally spoke. "How'd you know about Hana?"

"I've seen you before." Kaze said steadily, trying hard to not loose his composure due to the chilling breeze.

"When was that?" Amaya slanted her eyes. "As far as I remembered, you came after I left."

"Yes. But before I came, I met you in person." he said.

"Well I don't remember, then."

"Blue rose." Kaze said bluntly. "You were suppose to kill my neighbour. I picked up your rose without knowing. You came out of their house as if nothing happened and asked me to keep it."

Well, that does ring a bell. Amaya thought. Seems as though it happened before.

"And what does that got to do?" Amaya asked. "Don't tell me you joined the master because I was there?"

"NO!" he shot at her. Amaya just stared. He realized what he did. "Uhh.. I mean. No. But I did treat you as a senior-"

"You enjoy doing what you're doing?" Amaya cut him off rudely, not believing what she was hearing.

"Well, I.."

"Wow. You know what? Give it up. I don't want to have someone taking me as a role model. Especially concerning this bloody killing thing."

Kaze was speechless for a while. Amaya looked at his reaction and got angry at him.

"What is wrong with you?" she yelled. "Don't you have a heart? How can you just go round killing people without taking any shame in it. And taking me as a senior? Well this 'senior' of yours quit being an assassin because she couldn't take the killing anymore. I can't believe you. And what more after what you did to your friends you can actually talk like that to me-"

Kaze pounced at Amaya, slamming her against the wall. Amaya got a shock from that and her assassin instincts suddenly resurfaced. She turned the air around her hand into a stick and hit Kaze away the instant he slammed her against the wall.

Kaze flew a few feet away. His turn to be surprised. Amaya freaked out and ran over.

"Ah! I'm so sorry! Uhh.. Instinct flared up." she said apologetically.

"Forget it. Don't you dare ever mention anything about that accident." he glared at her. "I never wanted to kill. Was never what I wanted. The master brainwashed me and I didn't know what I was doing until I saw a rose. Remembered you. Thought about lots of things, but couldn't find an answer."

"Well let me give you an answer now." Amaya bent down. "Make up your mind. Get out of it. It's gonna be hard, and I'm definitely not helping you, but you've gotta do it. Just stop being controlled by him. It's disgusting. This," she punched his shoulder. "-is your body. It's YOURS. Not his. YOU've gotta take control of it."

"How?" Kaze asked.

Amaya put her finger on his forehead. "Your mind. Take control." she stood up. "Unless you want your friends to get hurt again."

"What friends?" he asked again.

"Kazu, Naru, Akira," she paused, turned around with her back facing him and said, "and me."

"You?" he frowned harder.

Amaya tied up her hair, turned to him and smiled. "Yes, and me." She jumped up the roof of a building and left.

"Wha-" Kaze exclaimed in shock. "Th-th-that's.... Amaya!"

********************************

"And where did you run off to?" Kazuki asked as Amaya came in through the front door.

"Ah.. haha. Visit... a friend?" she said weirdly.

"I know! Shiro! Right?" Narumi said.

Amaya stared at the floor, eyes wide with innocent smiles. She knew Kazuki and Akira were staring at her and she could sense the unpleasant auras coming from the both of them.

"Didn't I tell you not to run about?" Akira asked.
"Uh.. I didn't run.." Amaya said awkwardly, knowing well Kazuki could tell it was a lie.
"Oh really?" Kazuki went forward to her and pulled up her shirt, revealing her blood stained white shirt underneath. "What's this then?"

Amaya pulled her shirt back down. "I could sue you for sexual harassment."
"Try me." Kazuki challenged her. "Just because you can heal yourself doesn't mean you can mistreat your body like this. Can't you care for yourself first before caring about others?" Amaya just looked away. "Or is this how you're trying to redeem yourself from what you've done last time?"

"Hey," Akira stopped him. "That's enough." he told Kazuki. "Amaya," she ignored him. "Amaya," he repeated.
"What?" She said without looking at him.
"Stop doing things on your own," he said. "Look in front of you. You have three guys here to work with. We can all do this together."

Amaya glanced at Narumi. He smiled and nodded at her.
"We'll all help Shiro out of it no matter what it takes. Since we all have our own reasons to." Akira said.
"I don't." Kazuki pouted.
Akira slapped his shoulder. "I said we'll ALL help Shiro, no matter what it takes." he repeated.
"Okay. Okay. We'll all help, including me. Happy?" Kazuki said and looked at Amaya.

"Happy." She replied.

Part 42 : Realisation

Many weeks later.

"Amaya, can you walk faster? I don't wanna miss the bus and walk home!" Kazuki yelled from afar.
"Got it! Wait!" Amaya started to run but a hand seized hers. It was Akira.

"Hey." Akira said. "Shouldn't you be more careful not to run especially in that state of a body?"
"Ah." Amaya slowed down. "Ahaha.. I guess you're right?"

The four of them were discharged. Medical fees fully paid by the school.

"Where's Shiro?" Narumi asked.
"He ran off on his own again." Kazuki said. "I wonder what happened? I mean, he was still fine when I talked to him few weeks ago and then some random thing happened and the he stopped talking.."

"Wonder what happened." Akira said as well.

Couldn't it be... Because of what he did? Amaya thought.

"You're awfully quiet, Amaya." Kazuki said. "Something happened?"

"Ah? What? Me? No! Nothing at all!" Amaya said awkwardly. Then she realized all of them were looking at her suspiciously. "Ahh.. I said it was nothing...." she ran into the bus which just arrived.

Amaya took a seat with Akira next to her and Kazuki sat with Narumi at their side. Amaya silently looked out the window at the passing scenery.

Reminds me of that day, when he did that in the hospital room.. Wonder what's Shiro doing now.

When they reached home, it was already evening and Amaya went straight into her room and closed the door shut. Her wound had already recovered slightly less than fully thanks to Akira. She could run around if she wanted to but Akira kept stopping her, worried that she'll get into trouble again. Amaya locked the door and opened the window. She climbed onto the window frame and looked out.

"So this was how it felt like when he ran out of my room the first time I helped him huh?" Amaya said to herself remembering the time when she found Shiro, or more so Kaze in the alley with a bleeding head.

Amaya turned to look at her locked door. "It'll take a while till they find out I'm gone right?" she said to herself.

She jumped out and disappeared into the evening sun rays.

*********************

 "Kazu!! Kazu!! Akira! Akira!!!!" Narumi yelled.
"What?!" Kazuki shouted back as the two boys ran up the stairs to where Narumi was shouting from. Amaya's room.

"It's locked and she wouldn't answer no matter how many times I bang the door!"
"Move." Akira pushed Narumi aside. He took out a small pin from his wallet and picked open the door.
"Cool." Narumi said. Kazuki immediately pushed open the door only to find the room empty with the window opened.

"There she really did it." Akira breathed out a laugh and meddled with his hair.

*********************

Amaya let her hair down to tie it up again but the wind was considerably strong and her hair flowed along. She paused and looked up into the sky.

"Maybe I should leave it like this?" she said to herself. "Since people somehow don't recognize me when they see me with my hair down, somehow."

Amaya jumped up onto a medium high roof and ran along the roofs in the direction of Kaze's alley. Halfway there and she was already starting to not catch her breath.

"Not being Hana for so long has really taken a toll on me.." she thought to herself.
By the time she reached the alley next to Kaze's she wobbled down from the roof and nearly fell but managed to somehow land on a heap of plastic bags containing paper.

"What.. is this..." Amaya panted hardly. "Tired.. so easily.." She didn't bother getting up for a long time until she slowly caught back her breath.

When she finally steadied herself, she stood up and dusted herself. The wind was still blowing and it was a good thing, makes things easier to blow off.

Amaya slowly walked into the alley. the wind had somehow turned into a breeze in an instant she stepped into the alley.

"He's definitely here." she whispered and jumped up to Kaze's room which she went before. The minute she jumped up, he was right there. Killer yellow eyes gleaming like a cat's in the moonlight.

"Kaze you-" Amaya began but a katana flew pass her face, cutting of a little of her hair.
Kaze stood up. Amaya didn't flinch a bit and could tell that he didn't recognize her. A little surprised, he asked her, "You seem to know about me, but, you're not afraid?"

"What's there to be afraid of, when you're just another victim of the accident on the bus?" she said calmly.
Kaze jumped at her and pushed her along with himself off the building and slammed her into another heap of plastic bags with paper inside.

"WHO'RE YOU?!" he yelled.
"Someone. But not from the master. Definitely not."
"You saw the whole thing?" he said, assuming she was one of the students from the trip.
"Yes I technically did." she said and slowly bent closely forward to him, "but don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
"Why should I trust you?" he asked.
"Because, I wouldn't be as stupid to risk my life telling others knowing well that you'll come after me if I did." Amaya said, playing along his assumptions which she already noticed. "Besides," she stood up. "if I did tell anyone, no one would've believed me right?"

"What'd you want?"
"Well for starters," Amaya said and put her hand on his shoulder. "I want- no. I need you to get off me. It hurts." she said calmly even though the half-healed wound was aching terribly again. Kaze immediately got off her and she stood up as quick as possible.

Amaya noticed Kaze staring at her.
"What?" she asked.
"You," he stepped closer to her. Very close to her. Amaya took half a step back in slight defense.
"What about me?" she frowned awkwardly.
"Those eyes." he said and paused. Kaze stared intently into her eyes.
"What about my eyes?" Amaya asked again, this time getting a little annoyed.
"Very familiar red eyes you have there." Kaze said.

Uneasiness fell on Amaya. Hana's eyes. she thought. Our eyes, us assassins, our eyes gleam in the dark. 
"What so familiar about them. They're just.. Red."
"You are that girl aren't you?" Kaze asked.
"What girl?"

"You are Hana. Aren't you?"

Part 41 : Awkward

"Yes it was him." Shiro said.
"and then?" Kazuki asked.
"You do know that you're gonna be in danger if I told you-"
"I said, I want the truth." Kazuki repeated again.

Shiro reluctantly glanced at Kazuki. Kazuki gestured Shiro to go on with his eyes.

He told him every single bit of what happened and choked out the part when he got controlled with much difficulty. He could remember what he did. Everything came back like a nightmare after he was treated. He could tell it wasn't just a dream because this wasn't the first time he's been controlled.

"Well," Kazuki said after a long pause when Shiro finished. "I guess it wasn't completely your fault."
"it's still mine.." Shiro said. "If only I was mentally stronger, physically better and a little wiser..."
"Look." Kazuki cut him. "Stop talking as if the world ended few hours ago. As if you're caring the burden of the world on your back, okay?

"Everyone received the fair share of wounds they could bear and no one died. Amaya and Akira fought with their lives on the line to protect the rest of our lives and to save yours. They saved you so that you'd have a hope for yourself to survive. At least respect them for their choice and don't be so depressed will you? They made their choice to save you at the expense of their lives so make your choice how you would repay them. And don't go avenging them now by going to the master. I'd beat you up if you did that."

Shiro sat there silently. Beat me up? I'd have killed you before your hands start to strike me. He laughed inside at the thought.

"I'll go rest till they wake up." Shiro stood and went into his room.
"boy with lots of issues." Kazuki shook his head and headed back into his room.

**************************

I'm, in the hospital again, right? Amaya thought to herself when she was conscious, not even wanting to take the effot to open her eyes. So I guess I survived. That means Shiro, he helped us right? He wouldn't have just saved me now, did he?

The thought of Shiro only saving her got her eyes opening in a flash, which she shut it back due to the light shining in from the windows. After a second slow attempt to open her eyes, she tilted her head to the side, hoping to find Akira. She did and was relived.

Amaya struggled herself up in a sitting position. Not a good idea. But she was already up and the long blade wound cutting through her body around her stomach area hurt so bad, she had to support her whole body weight with her hands.

After a while, she slowly let her body weight settle on her normal sitting position and leaned back.
Tempted to press the call button, she did. It was moments later when the doctor rushes in with a nurse behind him. Amaya was laid back down and rolled into a room for her checkup.

When she came to again, she found herself in a normal room with Kazuki and Narumi. Kazuki was asleep, she could tell and Narumi was still unconscious. Her major wound didn't hurt as badly as before, but recalling how bad it hurt the first time, she remained still in her sleeping position.

It wasn't long till Shiro came in. Seeing him coming in, she pretended to be unconscious or sleeping (whichever that was), before he fully came in to see her awake. All Amaya could do was to hear.

She heard Shiro pacing right past Kazuki and Narumi and heading straight for her. She remained as still as a log. She felt a hand caressing her hair.

"Well, at least I didn't hurt your head or you might loose your hair during the operation." Shiro's voice came, soft and swift just like how he is when he's Kaze, but somehow warm.

Amaya couldn't stop herself from thinking nonsense which she knew very well.
Can't it be, he likes me?
Er. No. What nonsense are you spouting?
He could you know, the way he caressed your hair.
It's just hair, goodness.
But his warm and soft voice, never shown to anyone but shown to the 'unconscious' you..
That's cause he doesn't know that I'm awake right?
Exactly why he doesn't show it because you're awake every other time he sees you...

Amaya stopped. What felt like a kiss landed on her forehead.

What, was that?

"I'm very sorry I did this.." Shiro said, sitting on a chair next to her bed. "Kazuki told me not to get depressed about it but I can't help it.. It's like only if I was more intelligent, and stronger, and more firm-!" Shiro jerked back in shock (maybe a little sense of horror in it as well).

Amaya couldn't stand his blabbering for long and had grabbed his hand which he buried his face with. Shiro stared at Amaya as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Ah. You," Amaya began and felt very awkward, remembering that he was Kaze. "Don't think like that, ever again." she continued and slowly let go of his hand.

Shiro frowned. He was angry because he felt so embarrassed at what he did and said.
Wait.. How long has she been awake? Since I came in? Then the kiss-

"Gosh, you were talking so much and I had to be disturbed by your blabbering..." Amaya said, suggesting she woke up because of Shiro's talking.

I'll assume she doesn't know about it.

"Don't worry. You stay here in hospital and rest well. Once all five of us are ready to be discharged, we'll go home together." Amaya said, feeling a chill run up her spine as she remembered the alley they first battled in.

"Home?" Shiro echoed.
"You can stay over if you liked." Amaya tried to force a smile despite her tired body.
"Stay over?" Shiro echoed again. This time feeling really like a robot.
"Unless, it's better and safer for you to stay in he alley, by all means."

"Whatever." Shiro had his emotionless, cold character on again for whatever reason he had. He stood up and left the room.

"Ah, there he goes again."

Part 40 : Regret

"E-EMERGENCY!!!!!" Shiro yelled into the public phone a distance away. "HURRY!"

***************************

"A bus accident occurred at the south road of shintaro region yesterday evening. The bus, which was believed to have lost control due to engine and break malfunctioning, skidded along the road before overturning a few times. No deaths have been confirmed but there are a total of  25 casualties including the bus driver....."

Shiro sat outside the hospital room of Kazuki and Narumi. He had half healed himself but ran out of strength to heal Amaya and Akira. Both of them were in the Intensive Care Unit due to their severe injuries.

He was regretting and blaming himself for everything that had happened.

If only I had been stronger. I would have been able to prevent master from controlling me. I wouldn't have hurt all of them.

The doctor came out of the ICU room. Shiro stood up immediately.

"Dont worry." he said. "They're both recovering at a very fast speed. Their immune system seems to be extraordinarily strong. Two or three days more and they'll be out of ICU. You should go in to your room to rest more." he walked away.

"rest?" Shiro said. "After all I did and he expects me to REST?!"
"What else, if not rest?"
Shiro jerked up. Kazuki! "When did you-!"
"Keep it down will you?" Kazuki said.

A moment of silence.

"What happened?" Kazuki questioned.
"The bus malfunctioned and then accident." Shiro replied.
"Oh really? That's exactly what they said in the news I heard from the radio in my room." Kazuki said, a little pissed off. "You don't expect me to believe the bus just malfunctioned for no reason and then it skids, overturns a few times with no result of deaths and only Amaya and Akira suffered the craziest wounds? What am I, an idiot?"

"What else do you want me to say?!" Shiro raised his voice.
"I want the truth." Kazuki said.
"That's all I have to say." Shiro replied.

"It was that master am I right?" Kazuki said in a low voice.

WHAT?! HOW'D HE KNOW?!!

"What master?" Shiro kept his straight face.
"Oh don't go hiding it from me or Narumi, we both already know about you, Amaya and Akira."
Shiro remained silent.
"Now, what happened?" Kazuki repeated.
Shiro glaced at him.
"What happened after the bus overturned?"

Part 39 : Erased

Kaze threw Swift at Amaya non-stop. Every weapon Amaya changed from the air turned back to air after coming in contact with Swift, and most of the time when Kaze was near her when this happened, he would shove, kick or push her aside.

Both of them were highly-trained, quick-reaction assassins. Even though Amaya hadn't been doing all this "crap" (as she called it), she still hadn't completely loss her skills and speed. Kaze would have been no match for her if she was in her days as Hana. Now he was just as good as Amaya because of her absence in training.

Meanwhile, all Sora could do was to stare at the too-fast-motion-for-him battle between his two friends and holding up the barrier while boiling with anger inside his heart towards the master.

"Do you know?" the master suddenly spoke. "Your little girl-friend's dying as we speak?"

"Shut up!" Sora yelled, refusing to look at him.
"It's true." the master continued as if Sora didn't say anything.

"Hana can change any amount of air she wants into any sort of weapon. Plus, she is way more expierenced than Kaze. Of course, I wouldn't be so silly as to let her win so easily.

"There was something I gave to Kaze to rub on Swift before this battle began. It's a special powder especially made to control Hana's powers."

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me right, Sora. That powder limits the number of weapons Hana can transform everytime her weapons come in contact with Swift. When it hits Swift, it changes back into air and Hana wouldn't be able to transform air into that weapon for two weeks."

"That's very simple minded of you." Sora smirked. "Has anyone ever told you how big the world is? And how many different weapons there are in it?"

"Ha! You're the one who's simple minded, Sora!" the master roared arogantly. "I've not finished my explaination yet. When the weapon turns back, it doesn't just only turns back into air. It turns into POISON air."

Hearing this, Sora shot his eye back to Amaya and Kaze. Amaya looked terribly green and weak.

It must be the poison!

"Yes, Sora. The poison is killing her." the master said in a rather deceiving tone.

He was confused now. He should keep holding the barrier, but he needed to save Amaya. He just bit his tongue and rush out of the barrier.

"AMAYA!!!!"

"You idiot!" Amaya shouted.

WHOOSSHHH!!!!! BOOOMMM!!!!

A smoke screen was let out by Sora in his attempt to save Amaya.

A minute's silence.

When the smoke started to faded away, there the three friends were. Kaze unconcious but still standing with his hand holding a sword that pierced through Amaya's right upper ribs which came out from her back pointing at Sora which stood with one end of Swift planted nicely into his back.

"At last, I can rest in peace knowing that the three people I trained to erase people who betrayed me have erased each other in more ways than one."

He took his leave and vanished.

Kaze slowly woke up from the master's control. He was himself again. He noticed his hand was stretched out holding on to something.

"Amaya!" he shouted when he saw what he was holding.

"I-I'm g-glad you're bac---" Amaya fell down on her side.

"Akira!!!"

"Why are you so stupid?" Sora said breathlessly and fell forward.

Part 38 : Betray

"Sora and Hana. What a coincidence that you both know each other." the master said as he walked towards them.

He was drapped in a piece of dark red cloak. His eyes were of those that were arrogant. The sight of him pissed Amaya off.

"Don't act dumb, you piece of crap." Amaya yelled angrily.
"If you say I'm a piece of crap, I should be dumb right?" the master answered with a seemingly underestimating look.

Amaya grabbed thin air with her right hand and a sword instantly appeared.

"Hm. Using your transfomative powers against me?" the master smirked.

KA-BOOM!!!!

The bus exploded.

"Oh well." the master said in the smoke. "All that training and to have to kill them. It was all for nothing, I suppose." he started walking away.

"Nothing?"

The master stopped and turned around.

Among the thick grey smoke, a big ball of blue light was shinning. It was a barrier created by Akira. But we must call him Sora now that he's in Sora's clothing. Inside the barrier, all the students on the bus were there, still unconcious of course.

"Ah. I see. It was for something alright. It was for fighting back, fighting against me after all. Wouldn't you say so, Hana?"

"SHUT UP YOU BASTARD!!! I'M NOT HANA ANYMORE!!!" Amaya yelled as she ran out of the barrier and charged towards him.

"Amaya, you idiot! Come back here!!" Sora shouted.

"ARRGHHH!!!" Amaya was hit by something coming her way. She was thrown back in front of the barrier.

"Get inside now!" Sora shouted again.

Amaya stood up. "No."
"What?! Are you crazy? He's not fighting alone! It's like he has someone new to help him!"

"No. He's not new. It's Shiro." Amaya said.
"Kaze?!"

Now all the smoke from the explosion had faded away. True to what Amaya said, next to the master stood a tall boy with his face masked from his nose down. It was Shiro in his assassin uniform. His cold yellow eyes that killed many were staring deadly at the two of them.

"Shiro! What's wrong with you?! Why are you helping that useless person?!" Sora yelled in disbelief.

"There's no point talking to him, Sora." Amaya said as she wiped the blood from her mouth. Kaze hit her hard with his giant boomerang in the face.

"Why?"

"He's been controlled."

"Ah! I see you have a brain that can think after all. Unlike this guy here who, well, isn't that smart. I understand now why you didn't want to stay in the academy last time. I think I might start regretting for giving you the power to change the amount of air you want into weapons." the master laughed.

"Enough!" Amaya said as she changed the sword she was holding into a lance. "Come here Kaze! I'll tear you apart for not using your stupid brain!"

Kaze rubbed the end of his boomerang, Swift with poison adn threw it at Amaya. It flew right on top of her as she bent down. She ran towards Kaze and was about to hit him when Swift appeared flying right behind her. Amaya swung the lance she was holding to detour Swift's direction.

As Swift hit the ground, the lance vanished and turned back into air.

"What?!" Amaya exclaimed. Kaze kicked Amaya aside.

"AMAYA!" Sora shouted.

"Don't you dare come here! Stay where you are and keep that barrier on!" Amaya yelled.

Why did the lance dissappear when it hit Swift?!

"Putting it together?" the master asked. "Better watch your back and get up!"

CRASH!!!!

Part 37 : Crashed

Amaya was half awake by now that it was an hour and a half later when she first fell asleep. Something was shaking her. A guy's voice was calling her name.

"Amaya. Hey Amaya wake up! Amaya!!"

Amaya opened her eyes slowly. After adjusting a while to the light, she noticed her head was lying on something, or more so someone's shoulder. She shot back up to her normal sitting position. Oh man! Shiro's shoulder.

Somehow (Amaya didn'nt know why but most of us do) her face started heating up.

"We," Shiro said, "We're gonna reach the school soon. Teacher said it. Hey-"

"Tell me," Amaya interrupted.
"What?"

"How long did you plan on fooling me?"
"I wasn't fooling you, I was just-" suddenly he stopped.

"What?" Amaya asked. She too suddenly stopped. The master?

Amaya knelt on her seat and looked over at Akira. Just as Akira had eye contact with her, the bus crashed into something all of a sudden and threw Amaya somewhere to the front. The bus rolled over a few times and landed back how a bus' supposed to be.

"Amaya!" Akira called.

Amaya was around the front. She dizzily turned to face up. There was shattered glass all over her. It was all over the floor. She put her arm over her forehead. I promise I sensed the master.
"Amaya!" she heard Akira calling her as she heard him scrambling over to her. "You okay?"

"Kind of, I guess." she said. Now she was in her right mind. "You don't seem hurt at all."

"Neither do you." Akira replied.
"Where's Shiro?"

They both stood up and walked towards the back of the bus while looking for Shiro. Everyone was bloody and unconcious with glass all over them.

Amaya saw Kazuki and Narumi lying on the floor.

Weird, she thought. They're not hurt at all as well!

"Where's Shiro?!" Amaya asked again.
"I don't know! He's not here!" Akira answered.

They both started to panick a little.

"Sora! Hana!"

Akira and Amaya turned towards the front of the bus in horror.

The master!