[Original] New Beginnings: Chapter Thirteen

[sunrises]

This took long enough. ♥ I tried not to make it sound like filler, but I'm afraid it just explains stuff and basically sets up the plotline for the new arc.

Title: Ch 13: A Tangled Mess
Summary: And so begins a new mess for the magical world. Too bad they're not aware of it.
Claimer: All mine. o_o' Seriously. Please no stealing?

The silence was deafening. Kaijou wanted to scream from behind the bar, but he knew no one would be around to hear it. (The other employees didn't count!) For a Friday night, the empty tables weren't a good sign.

It was the end of the school year by now. All the kids should still be in town - or well, most of them should still be around. Kaijou didn't like it one bit. Where were his friends?

No one could use the school card now. Everyone could now come to the cafe whenever they wanted to.

"Why," He muttered to himself, crossing his arms. "Why aren't they here?"

"You haven't heard of us yet, my boy?"

The door suddenly opened; a figure walked through and grinned at the bartender. He sat down at the barstool. Kaijou studied him over. The guy couldn't be more than twenty seven years old. His skin was tanned from spending too much time in the sun, pale yellow hair covered his eyebrows... he could've been your typical surfer.

Well, if surfers wore glasses. He smiled up at Kaijou. "You have the Blue Breeze in?"

Kaijou stared him down. "No ID, no alcohol."

A card was thrown across the table. Kaijou seized it and read it over, "Nakamura Sabure?"

The surfer nodded, snapping his finger in rhythm to the song now blaring through the speakers. Strange. Kai didn't remember turning the music on that loudly before. Sabure snapped again, watching the teen with amused eyes.

"I've got proof. Now, will you hand over the Blue Breeze?"

Kaijou sighed, crossing his arms as he turned to pull a wine glass out. "You... do know what that means, right? Wanting alcohol and all for someone like you?"

"You don't have to give me the riot act, kid," Sabure sighed. "I know that alcohol translates into no magic for twenty four hours. Just give it already."

Sighing, Kaijou turned to make the drink. Snapping his fingers, he watched the orange juice seamlessly pour itself into the high glass. Then came the shot of rums, the bols blue, the sweet and sour mix, and pineapple juice to the top. He crossed his legs and snapped again to stir the drink. Making sure it was cold enough, he passed it to his lone customer.

"Here. What brings you to Sutori, anyways?"

Sabure gulped it down in one sip. Rubbing across his lips with his hands, he slowly replied, "Nothing else is open tonight. Haven't you noticed?"

Kaijou stared. "What do you mean? Last time I checked, there wasn't a festival tonight... or anything special..."

"Oh, you didn't hear about it after all. This ought to be interesting."

"Excuse me? You're not going to tell me what's going on after all that?"

"Jeez," Sabure sighed, twirling the glass in his hands. "You'd think that you had never heard of the monsters attacking. Everyone's closed up shop to fight them off."

Monsters? Attacking here? Kaijou slammed both hands onto the counter. "Why didn't you just say so earlier?"

"Don't demons have excellent hearing?"

"I've been too preoccupied with not going crazy, thanks very much," Kaijou rolled his eyes. "... I'm not going to close shop. The others have it covered."

An odd look appeared on Sabure's face. Did he - no way, he couldn't - actually want Kaijou to leave the place? The surfer lowered his glasses, staring back at the cocky demon.

"You're not afraid of it falling?"

"Nope," Kaijou scoffed. "This place has been around for hundreds of years. A little monster attack won't make it fall."

"You're proud of this place," Sabure wistfully smiled. "... Do you think this place will really be okay tonight?"

Kaijou stared back at him. Before his very eyes, the high glass fell to the floor. It shattered into millions of tiny pieces; Sabure flew past him like a blur and pinned the demon against the wall.

"W-wh-whaaa?"

Sabure demonically smiled. "Sutori'll fall tonight. I'll make sure of that."

One of the employees peeked in through the door. Sabure immediately blinked, staring back at her.

"What?"

The employee shivered, walking back into the back. "I-I didn't think that Kagemori-sama swung that way," She muttered, hurriedly locking the door behind her.

"Great," Kaijou groaned. "You made her think I'm gay."

"Oh? So you think more of your darling reputation than the cafe falling?"

"It's not that," The demon managed to cough out, squirming from under the surfer's iron grip. "I'd like to die with my reputation intact. That's all."

"So... you like your reputation. Would you like me to taint it some more?"

Kaijou groaned. The grip went even tighter... come on, he couldn't reach for his weapons this way. The door burst open at this moment. A redhead with two daggers walked through, pointing them at the surfer.

"Let go of him. Now."

Sabure turned his attention to the newcomer. "Oh. You come here often?"

Walking closer, the redhead nodded. "Let him go."

Sabure sighed. "Jeez. Do all middle-schoolers have one track minds?"

Kaijou and the redhead exchanged glances. Then, the lights went out. The wires ripped themselves from the walls, floating around the redhead. They shone brilliantly in red, matching his hair.

"I should have known," Sabure muttered, watching the lights flicker on and off. "You're Kinomiya Daisuke."

"Oh, you know my name? All the better when I take you down."

"You little brat--" Sabure instantly took one hand off Kaijou and aimed it at Daisuke. Yellow light started flowing around it, then dispersed to the flickering lights. He stared at the hand for what seemed like eternity.

"Haha," He muttered, staring at the broken shards. "I forgot. Alcohol."

Wires lashed out at the surfer. He turned to face the redhead and silently nodded. They wrapped around him; he winced in pain as his glasses slowly fell to the ground. A bow was tied behind his back.

And then his eyes closed. Dai turned to Kaijou with a smile. "You'd think he would have remembered to drink after he conquered you."

"Seriously," Kaijou sighed, shrugging with both hands out. "So, what's the special occasion? Take down any monsters?"

"Nah. I just wanted to bring my group from that project over for dinner."

Immediately, Kaijou's face darkened. "... You still consider them friends?"

Dai slowly nodded, pointing his daggers towards the wall to repair some of the damage he had caused earlier. The stray wires went back to their places; the wall almost appeared as normal.

"Of course," The redhead slowly replied, putting his daggers back into their sheaths. "We had our moments. It's not like I'm going to abandon you or Mari or Kaji..."

The door opened and five kids stared at the seemingly looming abyss between the two boys. Kaijou merely sighed, turning so his back faced the wall. "It's... all right, I guess, if you have dinner here. Please, don't forget me."

Dai ruefully smiled. "... What makes you think I'd forget you?"

"I don't know. But don't."

With that, the demon headed to the back of the restaurant. Shawn stared for a moment longer, then walked over to Dai.

"Did... something happen, yerf?"

Dai shrugged. "I'm not really sure. Whatever it may be, I hope it ends soon."

"Perhaps it might," Sabure softly spoke, wringing his hands in a futile attempt to esape. "Perhaps it might not."

The kids stared at him.

"... When did he come in," Kyr questioned, staring into his eyes. "He... looks familiar."

"I'm not sure," Dai responded just as softly. Kaijou motioned for them to come over to their table. Dai obediently followed, calling to his friends towards them. They followed, leaving the surfer behind.

None of them noticed the surfer finally breaking free from his digital prison. They failed to notice him calling his cell phone, responding softly, "I'm afraid to say I'll be spending some more time with these kids. They're smarter than they look. But they'll see what happens when they mess with Sin. All in due time, sir."