Chapter 8: Coma. Part I

After a couple of weeks of relaxation and living their lives as regular Joes, the Kobayashi Crew has called a meeting in HQ in the hours of afternoon to report and review the steps ahead, let us not forget my friends that those who fight against them still lurk in the shadows, still want their blood. But that morning though, something happened.

Alexei Kovalev Kobayashi, adopted by Mr. Kobayashi when he was younger hence his last name as second last name of this child, walked toward his school in the Jubangai district. The city bus left him a few blocks near the school and he walked lazily toward it.

He walked checking the lunch Nessa had packed that morning before leaving:

-"Thermus of Nestea Lemon flavor, of course...check!, Chocolate chip cookies...check!...and what the heck is my lunch? (he stopped to check throughly) awww man!!! not salad and with my meat and mushrooms! why salad? whyyyyy???" he screamed putting his arms in the air for dramatic effect.

He sighed in frustration and he resumed walking, even more lazily now and muttering to himself. He then heard the bells of the school saying that the time to go into class was about.

-"Oyyy! I'm late!!!" He yelled as he ran toward the school, luckily it was only two blocks away. At the doors of the school grounds he stopped suddenly, looking above his shoulder slightly, he felt a presence near him.

His eyes went white suddenly and everything paused around him.

-"Show yourself" He said out loud. There was no response.

-"who are you?!" He said again louder, opening his hand in front of him and a sword appeared.

Someone walked toward him, slowly, as if in slow motion. He could not make out who it was. In his eyes now he only saw what was inside, good or bad, evil or holy, shades of souls, different mirrors.

In his eyes now he saw that the person was holy, not evil, a soul he had seen before.

-"Set..suna?" he whispered dumbfounded as his eyes suddenly went back to their normal color, and eveything around him resumed its motion, his sword hidden.

A girl with black hair passed walking beside him, and crossed to the other sidewalk, she skipped happily as if not caring about the cars that passed through. His eyes almost went out of its sockets, he felt dazed, confused, scared.

Then she was gone, as quick as she came...that's when he decided to pick up his mobile.


Richard lazily picked up his mobile and answered sipping slightly a cup of coffee.

-"You rang Alexei?"

-"Mate...dude..." Alexei could not speak at all, he was still in shock.

-"What is the matter Alex...talk to me, breathe..." Richard said frowning, a bit annoyed, thinking Alexei may be pulling a prank.

-"Set...suna..." Alexei finally blurted out.

-"Alexei, what are you talking about?"

-"She...is...alive" He said gasping and breathing between words.

Richard fell to his chair dumbfounded, his eyes in disbelief.

-"If you are pulling a sick prank I will have you sent to Siberia to train with the wolves!" He said suddenly, angry.

-"No joke (breathe) she passed right by me (breathe) at least her soul did..." he breathed easier now, shock subsiding, his voice hinting confusion.

-"Get in here...now!"

-"But Makki-sensei will kill me if I miss school today, not to mention Nessa-mama will have my head..." He started going on and on about weird punishments and exagerations, the shock apparently gone.

-"After school then...and don't tell anybody about the incident before you get here!" Richard said cutting the call short slightly annoyed. He still sat in his chair and looked at a picture he had on his desk of Setsuna. He smiled sadly, looking toward his phone and then to the picture again. He loved that picture, he had taken it in one of the training sessions of the team, somehow he relished on taking pictures of the team's form and sort of choreography in their training.

Setsuna waved at him in the picture smiling like a child as she always did, in the background Alexei was running away from an ice figure made by Yevgeni, who laughed on the ground heartily. It was one of those moments where the team was at ease in times of war.

For the first time in a long time...Richard cried.