Kaze no Stigma:Volume2 Chapter 2
Kaze no Stigma Book 2 The Price of Soul
Chapter 2 – Assault – Determination After Removing All Doubts-
[actual title: 襲擊 -拋棄迷惘後的決心 -]
1
The youth’s arm is surrounded by a red flame.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
A scream that does not sound like one came out from the youth’s mouth.
So hot. In his mind, he can think of nothing except how hot it is, as if his heart is occupied by the red flame.
In order to extinguish the flame, he kept on rolling on the floor. On the other hand, a few kids are looking at his pathetic state.
To say kids, it is actually too broad a range. Among these people, the smallest are children around four or five years old, the biggest are fifteen or sixteen, and teenagers whose size can be said to be an adult.
The one thing common among them is their facial expression.
Mockery.
This group of kids is surrounding the youth whose body is covered in flames, laughing happily.
Their laughter came from within their hearts. Innocent and naïve, and cruel.
The type of cruelty from a kid that does not know how to differentiate right from wrong. Like plucking off the wings of a dragonfly, and laughing at how it struggles on the floor, they are mocking the youth who is struggling painfully in the same way.
“This guy is of the main family, yet he would still be burnt by fire!”
“How useless!”
“My father said before, this guy is a “humiliation to the clan”.”
“For someone as useless as you, you have no right to even bear the name of “Kannagi”!”
The youth hugs his burnt arm, and shows a painful expression, the kids continues to scold him one after another.
“It is my turn this time!”
A young girl around ten years old raises her hand to declare.
“Oh------ Go on, quickly!”
The kids cheer for her. The girl, encouraged, begins to hold her fist before her chest and concentrate.
“------Heh!”
Following the cute shout, right above the youth who shrinks to a lump, a red flame appears suddenly like a ghost flame.
The fire descends slowly, touching onto the back of the youth.
Ssssss!
“------!”
The sound of meat being toasted could be heard, the youth’s originally curled up body forcefully leans back at the same time. This scene has once again brought the mockery of the kids.
“It is my turn next!”
“I wanna go too!”
Both his legs, his back, his shoulder etc all were continuously tattooed by the ferocious flames. And upon each time, the youth’s body instinctively twitches, and gives off a bad burnt smell.
Even though this is a very cruel act, but they do not feel any guilt at all. Because to them, fire is not anything to be afraid of.
Even if they are put into a state like the youth, they would not feel any pain at all. Those with weaker “power”, maybe their clothes would be burnt, but their body would definitely not suffer any damage.
This is because their clan is blessed with fire’s protection.
Because of this, the kids are completely unaware of how scary fire is, and do not know the pains of being scorched by fire.
One is unable to imagine what they do not know. And because they are unable to imagine, so it is okay to them to place it upon others.
The youth endures alone, the innocent and naïve tortures of all the kids in the clan.
“Ah…… Ah……”
When they kids are finally satisfied, the youth was painfully struggling with a smoking body.
“Ah------ That was fun.”
“Bye bye, let’s play again next time.”
Everyone gives the continuously twitching body a merciless kick.
This is something they always do before leaving. In the end, the eldest big sized boy came out and steps on the youth’s head.
“……Hmm?”
“What is with透?”
Hearing this big sized boy------Kuga Toru give off a pathetic voice, the other kids turn back in surprise.
“You…… You dumb fool!”
The head that Toru originally stepped on forcefully, is now slowly lifted upwards. The youth uses his hands to support against the floor, and uses a posture with his four limbs on the ground to stare at Toru from below.
“You…… What are you trying to do……?”
Seeing those eyes filled with great killing desires, Toru is so scared he retreated backwards, but following that he feels ashamed of it, and became angry.
“What is that expression on you? A useless being that actually wants to resist!”
Toru summons a flame in his palm, and then throws it towards the youth angrily.
The youth gets up swiftly, and dodges the incoming flame. He drags his heavily wounded body, and dashes out at an incredible speed, closing in to Toru’s side.
“Wa…… Wah……”
He aims directly at the terrified Toru’s face, and uses all the strength in his body to strike him with his palm. Pachunk [sound of something breaking], his bridge[of nose] is broken.
“Toru!”
As the group of kids is surprised by the sudden accident, the youth once again beats two people. Following the impulse from his berserk state, his fist broke the two’s cheek bones and chins separately, letting them roll in pain like him.
“……Wu……Ah……!”
But everything ends right here. The burden this action did to his painful body is beyond the limits that can be supported mentally. His internal organs twitches, and the youth as if trying to spit everything out, is vomiting continuously.
“You…… How dare you……!”
Realizing that they are not in the risk of being attacked, the kids become braver. In order to punish this useless thing that does not know his place, they start focusing their mental energy.
But------
“You all…… get lost.”
A weak yet furious voice stopped them. The people looked back in fear, and before their eyes is------
“I am going to slaughter you……”
A large amount of fresh blood flows out from his nose, Toru uses bloodshot eyes to stare at the youth. There is no reason left in those eyes.
“I am so going to slaughter you------!!”
An insane fury caused Toru’s abilities to increase several times. He stretches his right hand directly upwards, and summons a huge fireball that seems as if wrapped by a pair of hands.
“Go and die------!!”
The youth’s eyes did not even blink, and stares at the fireball the opponent gave off tightly. Despite his body unable to move at all, he does not give up. His eyes are just like a beast that is wounded, and searching for a weak spot in the enemy as his death approaches.
Kaboom!
“Hmph------ Now you know my strength!”
Seeing the youth wrapped in flames, Toru smiles.
The flame disperses gradually. And at the spot where the flame disappears, what appears is------
“------Ah ah?”
Opposite of what Toru had expected, the youth is still alive. His entire body is burnt till some parts are toasted black, but his limbs are still there, and successfully withstood against Toru’s flame.
This is because he used all of his “ki” to the very last drop to create a defense barrier, thus the youth managed to save his own life barely.
“You…… You asshole……”
Toru’s expression becomes even more sinister. If he is unable to even beat this youth who has no talent in En-Jutsu, he would be looked down upon and despised by others from now on.
“Arrogant thing!!”
The scream filled with unhappiness did not reach the youth’s ears. His body way beyond its limits, and to even spend all his “ki”, the youth is no different from a living dead man.[or a dead man that breathes?]
Even though the youth will die by merely leaving him there, but Toru intends to give him a fatal strike. Up against this kind of situation, the youth is helpless.
“------------------“
Kazuma suddenly opened his eyes. This is very rare to him, who usually refuses to wake up, and his consciousness is fully awakened in a moment.
That is right though, how is it possible to refuse to wake up after having a dream like that.
Kazuma maintains the posture that he woke up in, his face faced upwards and looking at the ceiling silently. His eyes do not even blink, and remains like this for thirty seconds.
“------But frankly speaking, what an uncomfortable dream.”
Kazuma closes his eyes, and spits out all the air in his lungs, giving off a moan.
That is something that happened exactly ten years ago. It can be said as a painful experience that can make one have nightmares from.
In the eighteen years he spent in the Kannagi household, that is the most painful experience. If no one came to put a stop to it in time, he might have died back then.
Even though he received the highest level of recovery Jutsus everyday, it took him one month to get back to normal.
But all these are not important----- To Kazuma, this is the first time he was defeated.
Not in terms of the injuries he received.
But to admit in his heart that he lost.
When he understood that if he cannot win against Kannagi’s flames, he would forever be a weakling, Kazuma gave up on fighting.
He gave in to those that mocked him.
From that day on, Kazuma kept on running. He does not resist, only begging miserably that the opponent lets him off. Enduring the countless mockeries, to be humiliated in public locations umpteen times.
But all these does not matter.
Because he no longer wants to taste that kind of misery.
“…… I can’t even forget that.”
Kazuma realizes that the past humiliations seems clear as if they happened yesterday, and begins murmuring to himself.
“I did not even mind it.”
Even now that he is back in Japan, he has never even thought about taking revenge on the Kannagi. Even though it is such a simple task.
To bend his pinky by three centimeters------ If the effort needed to kill Toru is converted to energy, that is probably how much is required. No matter how much strength he gained within this four years------
(…… That is weird?)
Kazuma’s line of thought stopped for a moment. He cannot remember how Toru looks like now.
“Have I not seen him yet?”
Even though he met groups of branch family Jutsushis several times in the past, but that time he had no time to verify one by one their identities, so he cannot be sure whether he has met Toru.
“……Oh whatever, it doesn’t matter.”
Tossing the question to the back of his mind, Kazuma covers himself with the blanket once more. Though he is fully awake, but there is nothing special to do, so he does not want to get up yet.
(Let’s get some more sleep……)
Alas, the heavens does not seem to agree with this degenerative decision.
Dulululululululululu------
Kazuma shows a irritated expression, and stares at the phone that kept on ringing.
What a subtle volume. The more he tries to ignore it, the louder it seems to get, yet it is not so loud that makes one want to go mad and wreck the phone.
“Damn it!”
Without any alternatives, Kazuma reaches out to get the phone. But he did not leave his bed, instead he brought the phone handset into the blanket that covers his entire body.
“……Who is it making a call so early in the morning.”
He grumbles with a tone that is like sighing. Even though it is already late in the morning.
“Hello?”
A lazy voice, allowing anyone to tell that he has only just woke up, but his relaxed consciousness is continuously pondering the courteous[or polite, with manners?] reply from the other end.
“------Oh?”
This time, Kazuma is fully awake. The face that came out from the blanket suddenly, there is no sign of tiredness now.
“Today? Ah, sure. I am looking forward to it.”
Kazuma answers politely, and then hangs up. He flips the blanket open and crawls out, stretching his lazy back.
With that usual complacent smile on his face, Kazuma mutters.
“------Looks like it’s gonna be a busy day.”
2
This is something that happened when school ends, on the way back home.
Ayano’s eyes stops upon a small shadow walking ahead about ten meters away.
“Hey------“
She was just about to call out to it when she kept it within herself, and uses the expression of a prank to look at the shadow.
That person has not noticed Ayano’s presence at all. Ayano creeps in on the person’s back slowly, step by step.
“Wa wah!”
She stands right behind, suddenly hugging the target tight as if wanting to surround that whole small figure. Against the youth who is in her embrace giving off a cute scream and struggling with all his might, Ayano skillfully secures all his joints.
“Sis…… Sister!?”
“Completely unguarded, this means you still require more training, Ren.”
“To say this now is really…… Anyway just let me go first, sister.”
“No way------ Free yourself with your own might!”
Looking at the way the two are fooling around, passer-bys can’t help but give a faint bitter smile.
This is because just from their appearance, they are like a rare and beautiful pair of “sisters”. Even though one of them looks like only around the age of ten, but they still are still pleasing to the eyes.
“Sis……Sister is really……!”
Realizing the gaze from the people, Ren’s face reddens in a moment. No matter how his appearance may be, he is after all a twelve year old boy. It is not weird to feel shy to be physically in touch with a female at this age.
“Gee------ What is sister thinking!”
After finally getting out from her binds, Ren questions Ayano as he pants.
However, that expression with wet eyes looking up instead makes one feel that he is really cute, and is not scary at all.
This look would most probably not even be feared by a three year old.
“Ahahaha! Sorry sorry, this is a display of love for Ren too.”
Of course, Ayano is not in the least afraid. She pats Ren’s shoulder, and cheekily dissolves Ren’s complaints.
“Gee------!”
Ren became really unhappy, and his face tangles up instantly.
This method is very effective. Unlike earlier, because this is just too cute, so there is no way to ignore him.
“I am really sorry, how about I treat you to a meal?”
“I will not let you change the focal point.”
Ren’s mood does not seem to get any better. He turns his head to the side, not wanting to meet with Ayano’s eyes.
Ayano uses both her hands to grab Ren’s head, and forces him to turn his face back towards her.
“If you still will not listen------
She places her face closer slowly, almost touching his nose.
“I will kiss you then [insert heart shape here]”
“Wahhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
This is how easily the youth is being played in the palm.
“Huh? So that kind of thing happened.”
On the second floor of the hamburger shop before the station, the two are chatting about the topic regarding the victory banquet a few days earlier.
Hearing Ren’s innocent reaction, Ayano shows an evil smile and answers..
“Yeah, when Ren was asleep.”
“……Gee, don’t bring that up anymore!”
Ren’s cheeks flush red, he was asleep on that day all the way until the banquet ended. The shock and shame when he woke up on Ayano’s legs shows no sign of subsiding even after three days.
He felt for the first time what it means to “really want to dig a hole in the ground and hide within”.
“What should I do if father knows about this……”
Seeing the uneasy Ren, Ayano grabs a French fry in her hand and says with ease..
“What else can you do? He already knows doesn’t he? There seems to be quite a number of people visiting him these few days.”
Ren’s father Genma did not participate in the battle against the Fuga clan, but instead he lost in the quarrel among the father and son, and is still in the hospital resting at the moment.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
Ren lies on the table, hugs his head and moans.
Genma who is very strict towards himself or others, is even more strict towards his relatives. It is not hard to imagine what his reaction would be when he hears of his son’s blunder [or gaffe].
“That is enough, don’t be so down.”
“But I am so down.”
Ren uses an incomparably downhearted voice to reproach Ayano who is giving an irresponsible remark.
“Because once father is angry, he is really strict.”
“……I guess!”
Ayano uses an ambiguous tone to reply. Whether he would be angry is another matter, the impression of a “friendly Genma” is way beyond her imagination already.
(Will that guy smile before Ren’s face?)
.------ Even though she has only seen him mocking or laughing whole-heartedly.
“When the time comes, you can just push everything to Kazuma.”
“To put the blame on others, father would become even angrier.”
“……That is true, this kind of people is really hard to deal with.”
“Awuuuuuuuuuh!”
Ren spreads himself on the table and moans.
“------Huh?”
This is all just a coincidence.
If he lifted his upper body, his view would be blocked by the branches that are protruding out, causing him to be unable to see that place. Just because he took on the posture of placing his entire cheek almost pasted on the table, so Ren is lucky enough to witness the scene before his eyes.
“What is it?”
“That person……”
Ayano lowers her head to look at the direction that Ren guided her to.
At the end of where she can see------ A female is standing there.
That is a beautiful woman that would make everyone mesmerized. A clean pure white coat with shiny black hair, the two creates a great contrast makes her even more attractive.
Ayano smiles at Ren with an evil thought in mind.
“What a beautiful person, you know her?”
Ren ignores her, but mutters..
“That person, isn’t that Sister Misao……”
“Eh eh------?”
Ayano quickly turns her head back to observe the female downstairs more closely. After a few seconds------
“It seems to be her……”
Indeed, that is Misao Ogami. However, she is completely different from how she was three days ago.
Just the fact that she is not wearing a kimono, she is completely different from the impression she gives. Even though she had known Misao ever since she was little, but in her memory, this is the first time seeing her wear a western outfit.
Perhaps because of that, the shank displayed from below her coat looks exceptionally gorgeous.
To describe it in a single word, it would be coquettish. Though she always seems plain normally, as if she wants to be buried in the surrounding crowds, but now she is giving people an unbelievably magnificent impression.
Actually, within the five minutes that the two stared silently at her, there has already been three men that came to try to hit on her.
Misao uses an extremely sedate attitude to refuse them. As she had given them face in her speech, the men did not pester her, but left briskly.
If this scene is to be seen by Nanase and Yukari, Ayano would most probably be coldly rebutted [actual text: 吐槽] saying “learn from her”.
After looking at her dumbfoundedly for a while, Ren grumbles saying..
“She seems to be waiting for someone.”
“This------ is really surprising.”
Ayano’s tone sounds as though she still cannot believe it. Because this is very different from the way she imagined earlier.
“Is it a date?”
“…… Is it not?”
For a girl like Misao, she would most probably not dress up in such a manner to meet a friend of the same gender!
Ayano becomes more and more interested.
“I wonder who is she dating?”
She drinks her orange juice, and observes outside the window, showing great interest in it. The way she looks, anyone looking at her from the side would think she is very suspicious.
“…… Sister.”
Ren looks at the Ayano who is spying on Misao with a bitter smile, he himself follows to observe the outside. At this moment, the other party appears.
“------Brother?”
He can’t help but doubt his own eyes. But, that is indeed Ren’s brother Kazuma. He does not seem to be coincidentally passing by, the proof being Misao showing a smile at this moment, and ran towards Kazuma.
Before Ren who is dumbfounded like a wooden chicken, the two intimately hold hands and walks off.
After the two disappears from view, Ren is still staring at the scenery outside the window dumbly. That is an absolutely impossible combination, because to Misao, Kazuma is “the man who killed brother”.
It was a faint sound that got Ren back to his senses.
Puchunk. [sound of something being squashed]
A light and soft something was being squashed, a sound that cannot be any more usual, but hearing it gives one an uneasy feeling instead.
Ren faces Ayano while on tenterhooks. As he does not dare to look directly at her, thus he shifts his eyes from below, following the table up in Ayano’s direction.
The first thing that came into his eyes is Ayano’s hand.
The tender fingers grips the paper cup that still has orange juice in it, and directly forms the shape of a fist. The orange juice spills out, and forms a patch of orange colored ocean. The fries and hamburger are soaked completely, and is no longer edible.[or makes one unable to swallow it down]
Ayano’s hand crackles. That is the sound of the ice that was unable to escape from the paper cup being crushed at the inner part of her palm. The tightly held hand trembles continuously.
Ren is so scared he does not dare to lift his head.
Even though he does not know the reason why, but Ayano is currently in extreme anger. If he is not careful enough, he might become her target.
Pak!
Suddenly, Ayano slaps on the table and stands up.
“------Argh!”
Facing Ren who shrinks his body, Ayano tells him softly..
“……I am going to follow them.”
“……Huh?”
Before Ren can open his mouth to question, Ayano has already ran out of the shop.
“Wait…… Wait a minute……”
Ren hurriedly takes up their plates, and passes it to the big sister shop assistant [or female shop assistant who is elder than Ren?] who is standing before the rubbish bin waiting at one go.
“Thank you for your patronage.”
With his back facing the shop assistant who is showing a professional smile------ Ren swifting runs towards the toilet.
