Chapter:3

When it was around 5:23p.m, Damian returned to the grave stones where Gianna was still standing by. The siblings went to some other home that their parents had, which they inherited. The house was in a different forest and there was a river by it. As they entered the living room of the house, they noticed that the home was well kept, although there was some dust. Damian caught sight of a black piano, on the side it had inscribed on it in glowing purple letters, “Blossom”. Damian sat on the piano bench and gingerly pressed the keys, as he did so Damian smiled, it sounded exactly like his piano that got destroyed.

Damian proceeded to play a few improvised jazz pieces while his sister went to the kitchen, where Gianna found non-perishable foods and she got some crackers with spicy canned tuna. Damian and Gianna planned to go for some groceries the next day. Gianna walked in with her crackers and tuna and began dancing to Damian’s playing, with Damian occasionally laughing at his sister’s silly dance moves. Damian and Gianna went upstairs, found the location of the bedrooms and they took the ones that resembled their original bedrooms. Damian quickly fell asleep, Gianna on the other hand laid awake worrying about her little brother. Damian actually almost died after the use of the Hell Cloak, the only reason he did survive was because of a special doctor that was sent by the school that they were supposed to go to.

Soon enough, Gianna went to sleep, although quite reluctantly. The siblings woke up around 5:30a.m. to go to a mini-mart. When they returned home Gianna made pancakes, eggs and bacon and Damian went on to do a light cleaning around the house. While they were eating, Akiko suddenly appeared in front of them. Damian with a stuffed mouth asked,

“Hey, morning Akiko, what’s up, so why the visit?”

Akiko with a slight edge in her voice,

“I just came to tell you all to start packing, two days from now we will have to go to the school you got accepted into.”

Damian did not notice the small amount of exasperation in Akiko’s voice and so responded in a friendly manner,

“Okay cool, so how are you doing?”

“I was fine until I came here,” Akiko coolly responded.

“Oh well… I hope you feel better. It may be because of some dust around, I guess I should’ve cleaned around a little more thoroughly, sorry about that.”

Akiko sighed, Damian was too focused on his food to notice her passive aggressiveness. Gianna smiled; she took the fact that Damian was too distracted, as a compliment to her cooking. Akiko was not done trying in some way or another to get Damian’s attention, she went and quickly reached for one of the slices of bacon on Damian’s plate. Damian caught her hand and stared her in the eyes coolly,

“You should ask before you go in someone’s plate, especially if you are targeting something so precious like bacon.”

“What are you gonna do about it, what hit me? You can’t harm a girl,” Akiko taunted as she, with her other hand, took a piece of bacon and popped it into her mouth.

In a flash Damian hit a pressure point of Akiko’s that caused her to go limp. Damian smiled, clear satisfaction on his face,

“I believe in gender equality, ma’am. Also taking food off of my plate, without asking, is most of the time a death sentence; we have not been friends long enough for me to take such a grievous offense so lightly and therefore, you will enjoy your time on the floor for a little while.”

Akiko looked at Gianna as if to ask for support, Gianna shrugged her shoulders,

“Sorry, but he did warn you, very nicely in fact. Not even I mess with Damian’s food. Don’t worry, it should wear off in like ten minutes or something...I think.”

Akiko exhaled loudly, she absolutely regretted trying to push Damian’s buttons. Damian continued his cleaning of the house and while Damian swept the floor, he released Akiko from her paralysis. Akiko stood up exasperated and walked off huffing and puffing as she went to find Gianna. Damian finished an hour before lunch, and Damian decided that as it was his last few days in his town, so he wanted to order pizza from Romano’s, a local pizza place that Damian was very fond of. Ordered three different large pizzas; Hawaiian pizza, BBQ chicken pizza and a cheese pizza.

As soon as the pizza arrived Gianna and Akiko instantaneously appeared in the dining room. Damian set up the plates and just before Gianna could reach for a slice Damian squinted his eyes,

“Did you wash your hands, sis?”

Gianna nervously laughed and rushed to the bathroom, Akiko also followed. Damian shook his head, now that their mom was not there, Damian had the responsibility of ensuring that his sister washed her hands before touching the food. When Gianna and Akiko returned they rushed to the pizza boxes. When Gianna saw that there was a whole box of cheese pizza, she frowned,

“Really, cheese pizza? You couldn’t have gotten something just a little more...interesting?”

Damian looked at his sister nonchalantly and stuffed a piece of pizza in his mouth. Once Damian had good tasting food in his mouth, there could be a hurricane raging outside and Damian would be more preoccupied with stuffing his face. Damian made his lip quiver as he looked at the pizza,

“I’m going to miss you guys, I never said this because I knew that you knew but I guess I should now, I love you Romano’s Pizza.”

Gianna giggled,

“So you’re not going to propose to the pizza? I mean you are absolutely smitten and you are getting all emotional.I think you have a chance this time, so shoot your shot!”

Akiko started choking on her food while she laughed,

“Do you mind G? I am having a moment with the pizza and you are ruining the moment. I feel sorry for my dude Raijin, when he tries to make a romantic setting, you are gonna spoil it I am sure,” Damian retorted.

Gianna’s nostrils flared and then she almost whispered,

“I am this close to killing you Damian, so keep going and you will die young.”

Damian raised his eyebrow and grinned,

“Oh so you can make little jabs at my love life but I can’t about yours? Seems kind of unjust if you ask me.”

Gianna gave a hearty laugh, she couldn’t argue with Damian’s reasoning. Damian, Akiko and Gianna continued eating and talking. Damian took three slices on his plate and went to his bedroom. He took out the tablet that was the digital journal his father had given him and placed it onto the desk that he had in his room. Damian put the tablet on and the tablet went on to do a biometric scan on Damian. When the system completed the security protocols it was given, it asked for Damian to create a password. Damian chose to make the password:ILoVeHawaIian piZza3000.

Damian decided to pack the clothes that their parents had left there in the house for them. Damian, when he was done, went to his sister’s room and looked like every natural disaster in history had rocked the room. Damian stood there speechless as he saw his sister nonchalantly find a shirt that was under several layers of other clothes. When Damian’s mouth was able to finally find itself he exclaimed,

“What the heck! How can you find anything in this crap?”

Damian immediately started neatening up the room, with a horrified Gianna saying,

“What are you doing? You are ruining the order that I have around here, now I won’t be able to find anything!”

“What part of this is ordered, this is the visual representation of chaos of the century?”

Damian looked at Akiko for an explanation, who simply shrugged her shoulders, she was as confused as he was. Damian continued to clean the room despite the loud protests of his sister. When Damian finished, what he would describe to be like fightin the next World War single handedly, he was absolutely exhausted. He was so exhausted that he simply walked out of the room and went towards his room. Damian did not know what wore him out more, the actual cleaning or his sister’s endless barrage of protests. Damian knocked out as his face came into contact with his pillow.

Damian found himself in a dream where he was surrounded by thick darkness and purple flames appeared, revealing a walkway. Damian stopped in front two doors, the same that Gianna encountered. Damian’s Gakushanome activated and it crackled with purple electricity. As the electricity touched the door it steadily opened. Damian was unable to see what was on the other side and he therefore slowly walked through. As he walked in, a blinding light hit him and as he recovered from the blinding light a strange scene was laid before him.

Damian walked on red sand and he momentarily tripped at certain times, large as jagged pieces of stone poked out in his path. Damian continued walking and then looked up to see a large building with a bright light shooting out of its roof. The building looked ancient and it had definitely seen better days. When Damian reached by its entrance two thick doors were in front of him. As he touched the doors an incoherent voice boomed,

“Hey what are you doing here? We have no appointments here and I am currently busy right now. Come another time please, opening hours are...whenever the heck we decide we want to see you and it is not right now!”

Damian instaneousley found himself in his bed producing enough sweat to make the Sahara desert an oasis. He cursed under his breath. Damian could not stop thinking of the evocative dream and before he knew it, the sun was rising from the horizon. He laid on his bed for an hour, then he dragged himself to his bathroom where he washed up. Damian went downstairs and found Gianna and Akiko making breakfast together. Gianna turned to say a hearty, ‘good morning’, to her brother but she stopped midway.

“What the hell happened to you, little bro? You look like you got run over, blown up and then ran over again?”Gianna exclaimed.

“I can’t look that bad...I did wash up,”Damian groaned.

“You must have been wrestling with a bear while you were washing up,” Akiko teased as she flipped a pancake.

“Bruh, cut it out. I woke up at some ungodly hour and I could not sleep for anything. Before I knew it the sun was singing, good mornin’ super freakeshly loud! It was just way too darn early for the sun to be burning my retinas the way it did, it should be illegal, if you ask me.”

“Damian, that is some next level sleep deprivation you got there. Just sit there by the table and wait, I will make you a frappe with extra shots of espresso.”

Damian thanked his sister and stumbled to the dining table and took a seat. A few minutes later Damian had a hearty breakfast and enough coffee to satisfy a caffeine junkie for a week. After breakfast, Damian and Gianna sat in their living room and watched some anime and Akiko left to do some errands. As an hour passed, Damian realised he was bored and thus went to his room. He took out the diary and listened to his father’s message. Damian fought back the tears and as he did he found himself back in front of the building in his dream. A voice boomed,

“Damn it kid! I told you we will call you.”

Damian shrugged and responded,

“I really don’t care about this whole appointment thing because I found myself here when I didn’t ask to be here. So are you bringing me here and then acting like you aren’t?

Damian did not hear a response and continued,

“Are you like some tsundere or something? If you wanna talk or feel a little lonely just say so, no need to make this into some special op.”

The voice came again with obvious anger hanging in each word,

“You insolent child, how dare you call me a tsundere and I am very much not lonely!”

Damian rolled his eyes and shouted,

“Get to the point oh mighty one and please enlighten my oh so ignorant self as I have no idea as to the heck is going on right now and I don’t wanna drag this out.”

The voice bellowed,

“Would you look at that I have a meeting to attend to, goodbye!”

Damian was yet again in his room, but this time he was not covered in sweat. Damian cursed, he was absolutely jaded with the voice from that weird place. Damian decided to concentrate on ensuring that he packed all his bags and that there was nothing that he was missing.