The airs of the world:Shift - chapter 2

Chapter 2: Takahiro Hisashi!

The wolf like creature turned it's head to look at Alex.

“Are you alright?”

It spoke clearly and it's mouth moved with the words, a calm and collected voice. Alex just stood stock still and all he could do was slowly nod.

“Good,” The wolf said in a relieved tone of voice.

He turned to face Alexander's attacker who was just feet away, then took an offensive stance while keeping his sword parallel to his body.

“Oh wow! Interesting, the Wind Guardian himself showed up, wasn't expecting that!,” The man called out.

“My name's Shogo, nice to make your acquaintance,”

Suddenly the wolf shot forward like a rocket. He came up close Shogo and slashed from right to left. Shogo made a quick reaction and jumped back as fast as he could. The wolf stood up straight and whipped his sword back to his side and small drops of blood hit the ground.

“Whoa, close one,” Shogo said as he landed on the ground.

A perfect slash ran across his chest, cutting his coat and shirt and making a shallow flesh wound.

“Aww, I rather liked this coat,” Shogo said as he inspected the damage.

“Hey, what happened to the Wind Guardian never unsheathing his sword!? That's such misinformation, or, is there something special about that?”

Shogo raised his left hand and a circle that looked like the one from before formed in the air in front of his hand. Bits and pieces of the ground shattered and gathered around him.

“It's time to run a few tests!” Shogo called out.

All at once the stone weapons shot at the wolf, without hesitating he charged towards Shogo. Kicking and slashing the stone weapons away he edged closer the their attacker.

“Damn you're good at this!”

Shogo whipped his right arm in the direction of the wolf.

“Guess I should of expected that from the Wind Guardian!!”

The wolf effortlessly swipes away the stone weapons with his sword without slowing down.

“Huh?” Shogo said as the wolf edged closer to him.

“I think I know why,”

Shogo fired off another stone weapon, the wolf prepares for it but it flies past his head.

“What!?”

He turned towards Alexander who was a significant distance away. He slashed his sword from left to right and a circle that was different from the ones that Shogo made appeared in front of the wolf. With a gust of wind the stone weapon was forced to change direction and crashed into the house next to Alex.

“Agh!”

Alex fell to the ground and covered himself as the house was torn to shreds, glass and shards of wood flying in Alexander's general direction.

“Hah! You're like a book with a cover that ruins the ending!” Shogo called out with a laugh.

The wolf turned back to Shogo with an angry expression. He charges at Shogo again but at a higher rate of speed.

“I know what sets you off!” Shogo Jeered at the wolf.

More stone pieces formed around Shogo and like before he quickly shot them off. The wolf jumped a few inches off the ground, he was going so fast that it looked as though he was floating. He stretched his arms out away from his body and a circle appeared on the ground under him. All of the stone weapons suddenly stopped when they got near him and started spinning in a clockwise circle around him. He dug his right foot into the ground and charged towards Shogo. The circle disappeared and all of the weapons fell to the ground.

“Shit!” Shogo yelled out in fear.

The wolf got close enough to slash upwards at Shogo.

“AGH!”

Following his scream of pain blood spurted out of the deep wound that the wolf made. Shogo used the remaining strength he had to jump back away from the wolf.

“Huff...Crap that hurt...” Shogo said with a pained expression.

Shogo grabbed hold of his shoulder and a circle appeared on the ground under him.

“I was never...told how strong you were...”

Slowly Shogo started to sink into the circle.

“Guess that comes with the name...”

Shogo's body vanished without a trace and soon so did the circle. The wolf whipped his sword to the side again and more drops of blood hit the ground.

“Running away before explaining why he's here? That hardly seems fair,” The wolf said to himself.

“Oh!”

Suddenly as though he'd remembered something that he'd forgotten, the wolf ran towards Alexander.

“Are you alright?” He called out to Alex who just kept a glazed expression.

The wolf stopped a couple of feet away.

“Oh, right,”

He quickly bowed down towards Alexander.

“Takahiro Hisashi, nice to meet ya,” The wolf said.

Alexander was taken aback by this, how does he react? What kind of reaction would be right for this situation?

“What, are you?...”

Like Alexander's mind was put on autopilot he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Takahiro immediately stood up and looked around.

“Could I answer that somewhere more private, I don't know if it's a good idea for me to be seen by anyone else,” Takahiro answered as he scratched the side of his face.

“Uh, we can go to my house,”

Alex thought for a second, what did he just say? He thought that his mind was still on autopilot but nope, it was of his own will this time.

<What did I just say?> He thought.

“Really!?” Takahiro said with an expression that was covered in relief and excitement.

Almost like he was worried that Alex would still be too afraid of Takahiro to let him anywhere near his house.

“Yeah,”

For reasons that Alex could no explain he answered Takahiro's excited gaze with a yes. A smile lit up Takahiro's face, he looked completely harmless like this, like he could, or wouldn't hurt anyone even if his own life was at stake.




Takahiro sat carefully on the floor of Alexander's house in the effort to avoid siting on his own tail. He looked around in astonishment at the beautiful furniture that filled the room, but his attention was drawn to some boxes that laid across from him.

“Here, all we have is water right now,”

Alex handed Takahiro a glass cup that was filled half way with crystal clear water and then sat down on the couch in front of him.

“Thanks,” Takahiro said.

“You still haven't explained things yet,” Alex said.

Takahiro's expression turned to worry, almost as if he's afraid of something.

“There are Six Dimensions, this one and Five Elemental ones, in order, Wind, Lightning, Fire, Ice and Earth,” Takahiro explained.

“All circling this Dimension, and in each one lives creatures like me known as Elemental Animals, one of those Elemental Animals is chosen to be an Elemental Guardian and find a human who was chosen to be their Elemental Soul,”

“Guardian? Meaning, you're the Guardian of the Wind Dimension?” Alex interrupted.

“Yes, and you're my Elemental soul...” Takahiro answered.

Alex laid his head back on the couch and stared at the ceiling.

“This is weird, why was I chosen,” Alex asked.

“I don't know...” And Takahiro answered.

Alex sat up right and looked at Takahiro.

“What do we have to do?”

“I don't know....”

Alex sighed.

“So, you know almost nothing about this?”

“Yes,” Takahiro said with a crestfallen expression.

Alex sighed again then looked at Takahiro, he could see some sort of marking on Takahiro's right arm that branched down from his bicep to the back of his hand.

“Hey, what's that?” Alex asked while pointing at it.

“Oh, this is my branding, it's proof that I'm an Elemental Guardian, you should have one too,”

Alex looked at his right arm and lifted up his sleeve, sure enough there was a similar marking on his right bicep, though it seemed incomplete compared to Takahiro's.

“Well crap, guess I have no other choice but to believe you now,” Alex said.

Takahiro looked up at Alex with a quizzical expression.

“I was born to scientists, discerning logic is in my blood, just think, you're a real walking and      talking er, anthro wolf, and I have a marking that proofs what you're saying, unless this is an elaborate plot by the Duodecim to kidnap me, tattoo my arm and make me see hallucinations that talks to me,” Alex said in a sarcastic tone of voice.

“Anthro?” Takahiro asked.

“I just said a crap ton of words and the only one you take from them is anthro?” Alex as he glowered at Takahiro.

*Click*

In a start Alex and Takahiro quickly stand up as they hear the front door open then close.

“Alex?” Calls a young female voice from the front of the house.

“Crap it's Kana!” Alex says in a panic.

“Kana?” Takahiro asks.

“My 10 year old sister, I forgot that she was on her way from school,”

A young girl with long brown hair and wearing a grade school uniform walks into the room that Alex and Takahiro are in.

“My after school class ended early so I-”

Kana froze in place and dropped her book bag on the floor, her eyes fixed on Takahiro. Alex was worried that Kana might be scared of Takahiro, he never even put any thought into how he was going to work out this situation. Kana started to slowly walk towards Takahiro and he knelt down to her level.

“Hi, my name's Takahiro Hisashi, nice to meet ya,” He said.

Kana got up close to him and, to Alex and Takahiro's surprise lifted up her right hand and placed it on the side of Takahiro's face. Kana looked almost amazed as she rubbed the side of his face, then suddenly she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

“Uh,”

Takahiro was taken aback by Kana's reaction, Alex on the other hand was completely shocked. Kana let go of Takahiro and stepped back.

“What was that for?” Takahiro asked.

“I don't know, I just feel like you're very kind,” Kana answered.

“You're not scary, and your voice was calm, I know that you won't hurt me,”

Alex sighed then plopped onto the couch.

“Right, Kana has this strange ability to see what kind of a person she's looking at, using their way of speech and the way they look, it's kinda weird actually,” Alex said in a blithe tone of voice.

“Hey, it's not weird, you're so mean Alex!” Kana said angrily.

Alex chuckled for a minute then stood up quickly and looked at Takahiro and Kana with a carefree expression.

“Well, while you explain things Hiro-”

“Wha- Hiro?” Takahiro suddenly questioned.

“I'm gonna find someplace where you can stay in the house, maybe a spare bed,” Alex continued, ignoring Takahiro's sudden response.

<Things are going to get weirder, I can feel it,> Alex thought as he walked to his room.