Rikunai: Genesis

Chapter Two: Into the Branches

Tiomoyo's team leaped through the forest over rocks and low-hanging branches as they scouted out the area where they were going to make their base camp, as the faster they set up a functioning headquarters the faster they gained their hostage and progressed through the exercise.

"Kiki..." Tiomoyo asked as he caught up with her. She was far faster than anyone in the class, and maybe even the school, but she had dramatically slowed down her pace to stay with her team.

"Hm? Who- Oh, Tiomoyo."

"You... You know who I am?"

"Of course I do!" Kiki's face lit up with a smile as she winked.

"...How?"

"Amy has been absolutely raving about just how cool you are." Kiki chuckled as she covered her mouth, her sarcastic joke bringing her great amusement.

Tiomoyo grumbled as he was reminded of her. "I see." Amy Nakata, daughter of Masako Nakata and the inheritor of the Storm-form Ryoku Seidou. She was considered the third strongest in their class, but this was primarily due to her obsessive need to constantly train to the point of negative effects. She constantly teased Tiomoyo for various reasons, so much so that it was even on the level of bullying, however, she never actually resorted to physical violence. Tiomoyo didn't know if it was because he was an orphan, her nobility, her superiority, or a combination of the three, but she always made him her target.

"Pst, dumbass." Amy dropped down beside Tiomoyo as she ducked under a branch.

Speak of the devil.

"Yes, Amy?"

"Is that attitude I'm sensing?"

"Please, for the love of Christ."

"Awww, are you not in a good mood? Lighten up, I'm just messing with you."

Kiki looked to her side as she sighed. She didn't like Amy either, but her close relationship with her due to their parents forced her to be around her quite a bit. "Amy, could you not? I'm trying to talk to him."

Amy cinched her face as she cringed in disgust. "Really? Him?"

"Yes, him, and if you wouldn't mind." Kiki flicked her index finger behind her arm as she used Psychic-form to bend a tree branch down suddenly and trip Amy, causing her to eat dirt. Tiomoyo chuckled and nodded to Kiki.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Anyways, what were you talking about?"

"You can fly, right, and make lasers, and beams, and all kinds of stuff. I know you are the leader, but..."

"You think I'd be a good scout?"

"Well, I don't think just that, I mean, you obviously are-"

"Yeah, sure, I'll go scout, good thinking! As the leader, I guess I have to have a second-in-command, right?" Kiki winked as she blasted off into the sky, leaving everyone still in their tracks, staring at Tiomoyo.

"W-What?!" Tiomoyo had no idea how to lead, and he definitely wasn't powerful enough to lead an assault. He had no idea what he was doing. He wasn't a leader. He was a nobody.

***

Sasame dropped to her knees as the group settled in a clearing. She pulled out a large piece of paper and started mapping out the general area of the clearing so she could draw up how to set up basic defenses as quickly as possible.

Kaya walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder, startling her.

"Kaya, what the hell?!! You don't just scare the soul out of people like that!" Sasame rolled up the fresh map and tucked it into her backpack.