Trouble

Twins

Toraburu
Lydia Barrientos

Prologue
The Fates looked at the lives of the Trouble Twins. The
blue haired girl and yellow haired boy with their pure

emerald eyes were destined to have lives of destruction,

sadness, abandonment, and melancholy. The Fates knew
that as of exactly 4 years from the twins birth, that they
would be abandoned in the Kiri no yama, the Mountain of
mist, where their destiny lie, but the twins would not
know until their 16th birthday. These precious twins
could be the heroes of the world. Until then, they needed
to learn how to use their powers. They must learn to be as
strong as needed- the lightning and the storm. Of course,
the other warriors played an important role in the heroes
lives, but they would come later on. But for now, the two
twins being born right this minute.

The new mother looked at her new twins sleeping

soundly in her arms. She smiled happily, fighting back
tears. She knew that in only 4 short years that they would
take them away. The blue-haired girl shifted and hugged
her blonde brother. The mother hoped that they would
protect each other and stay with each other no matter
what. Then she burst into tears. The children had no idea
what their fate would be. She couldnt stand the thoughts
of her new kids dying, but their future held destruction
and devastation. There was only 2 outcomes in this
pathetic prophecy: the kids failing and dying, or surviving
and saving the world. The mother had no idea why her
own husband would try to stop the kid from doing the
latter. What was going on? She soon fell asleep, exhausted
from everything going on.
A man came out of the shadows. He scowled hard at
the infants. We are only letting you live because of your
mother, shouldnt that be enough? It is up to you, but I
cant let you complete that prophecy. I cant and wont.

His expression at his children softened when they

woke up and looked at him with innocent eyes. He broke
away from their gaze and spat out, You are fated to die
anyway! Why should I even be concerned with you? A
single tear fell from his eyes before he turned on his heel
and stomped out of the room, slamming the door shut
hard.

Chapter 1
Arashi
Arashi
Mama was holding me tight. I didn't want to let her
go. In a few minutes I knew I was never going to see
Mama again. I was crying and Daiki just clutched to Mama
with a scared, frozen look on his face. Mama was sobbing
holding us with all her strength. A cloaked man was
growling.

"Time to go. The world waits for no one." He grabbed

Daiki and I by the arm and yanked away from Mama. Daiki
and I screamed and reached for her. Mama sobbed.
"I love you! I love you!" Her voice then faded, along
with my vision.
...........................................................
"Mama! Mama!" I had just woken up. It was cold and
dark. I was laying on the ground, wet grass under me. My
tiny 4 year old body was shaking.
"Daiki! Daiki? Daiki-" I couldn't stop crying or choking.
"Arashi where are you?" Daiki called faintly.
"I'm right here. Where is Mama?" But I already knew.
She was at the red building with Daddy.
Daiki found me. We sat still, back to back, for what
seemed like many hours.
"I love you Daiki."
"I love you too, Arashi."
"Let's never trust any adults ever again okay?"
"Yes. Absotutely!"
Considerably frozen and numb, I stood up shakily.
"Let's go find a new home."
We walked. And walked. And walked some more. It
was maybe morning when we found The Cave. It was dark
rock and almost perfectly rounded. A beautiful lake of
royal blue was about 10 feet away. With our last ounces of
strength we toppled into the cave, falling asleep instantly.
...........................................................
I woke up again. My sleep was filled with nightmares.
I missed Mama so much. I looked over to where Daiki was
still sleeping soundly. I scooted over and cuddled with
him, scared. We didn't know where we were. We just knew
that we were alone.
After a while I stood up. I poked Daiki until he woke
up. We went outside cautiously. It was amazing. The lake

sparkled in the late sun. Mountains surrounded us like a

bowl shape. Mist was pouring out everywhere and created
a mystifying scene. The last sunlight shone through the
mist and sparkled. At the mountain bases were fruit trees
of all kinds, as far as I could tell. I saw bananas and
oranges and an intriguing white misty fruit as well.
I heard Daiki's stomach growl. Then also mine. We
looked at each other and laughed. We ran over to the
trees and started to pick off all the fruits we recognised
but picked around the white fruit. Then we took all of our
fruits to the cave and sat down to eat. After we finished
eating, we tried to sleep again, but we just weren't tired.
We didn't have light, so we just sat in the cave. After a
minute, I started crying again. Daiki looked solemn for a
bit, but then came over and put on his tough face.
"Hey, don't be sad! After all, you still got me and I
ain't going anywhere anytime soon!"
I smiled weakly and hugged him.
"You'll never leave me, right? I love you Daiki."
"Of course not! I love you too, Arashi."
"Let's not remember this, it sucks to be sad!"
Daiki agreed.
We just sat there for a while. Then, I heard a sound. It
sounded like a strangled yelp. Daiki and I looked at each
other. My look said to stay in here while Daiki looked like
he wanted to go outside. I consented to the stare-down.
So we went outside. It was dark and was eerily quiet. A
rustle made me jump. I looked all around while Daiki
searched in bushes. Another yelp. Daiki sprang back as a
little tiger cub scooted out of a bush. It looked up at us
with huge shiny eyes. I instantly fell in love. Daiki stood
up and picked it up. We looked at it and our hearts
melted.
"Is it a he or she?" I asked, a little dazed.

Daiki looked under the belly. "Um I think it's a she."

"A girl..." I couldn't stop staring at her. "Let's name
her... Jinx? I like it!"
Daiki smiled. "I like it too."
...........................................................
In just a week Jinx had grown a foot. She was already
half as big as Daiki and I. She was so helpful. Our meals
now included fish from the lake and squirrels from the
trees.
........................................................... In a month Jinx
had grown to be twice as big as Daiki and I. Since our stillweak legs couldn't go far, Jinx let us ride on her back. We
started to explore farther and farther.
...........................................................
We did it! We found a way out of the mountains!
Instead we found ourselves staring over a rugged plain
that stretched over miles. We couldn't see any civilization.
We walked a little ways out, but the mist from the
mountains clung to us. It felt weird so we went back into
the mountains.
That night, we slept under the stars. It was beautiful
and heavenly.
...........................................................
It was late evening. Daiki and I are now 5 years old.
We were sitting in front of the lake, playing. It had
recently rained and the mud was splendid. I was building a
mud castle when a huge mud ball hit my face and slid all
the way down to my castle and ruined it. I slowly turned
my head and stared at Daiki with fire in my eyes.
"You should see yourself! You look-" his laughter
stopped when the gigantic mud ball hit his face. My
maniacal laughter replaced his.
"And so- we shall go to war!"

Daiki and I started throwing mud ball after mud ball

when one of his shocked me, literally!
"Ow! What was that for?" I picked up a mud clump
and threw it at Daiki.
"YOUCH!!! How-?" Fog seeped out of the mud that I
had just thrown, and mini storm clouds formed and
surrounded Daiki. I laughed, but was confused.
Daiki and I just stared at each other. Behind us Jinx
fainted.
...........................................................
Daiki and I laughed as we walked out of the
mountains. We were off to work as usual. We are now 10
years old. 5 years ago we found a way out of the
mountains and a shortcut through the plains to a city. It
so happens that the city we found is the capital of the
country, Kitache, and where a lot of criminals reside. That
is why on our first journey into town we decided we
wanted to be bounty hunters. After watching the unable
cops try to catch the bad guys in a robbery, Daiki and I
decided we would rid the town from all bad guys and get
paid doing it. Obviously, our natures didn't allow us to be
nice about it! That is why we are the most notorious
bounty hunters in all of Kitache. We definitely beat up the
criminals to teach them a lesson, but we never kill or
seriously injure anyone. On the side, people can also hire
us to find items too.
Somehow, trouble always seems to find us. That is
why everyone calls us the Toraburu Futago, aka the
trouble twins. Sometimes we even destroy tons of
buildings. You know when Daiki and I had the mud fight?
Well, after that, we kept discovering new abilities we had.
Through these past 5 years, we have noticed that Daiki is
lightning and I am storm.

What's odd is that I basically have any and every

storm type except for lightning but Daiki only has
lightning. But he can mix different elements in with his
lightning- metal (most powerful), water, fire, and
sometimes even plants. He is my hero.
Daiki is the strongest person I know. He has never
lost a fight yet! I am somewhat strong, my storms includerain, acid rain, dark rain, snow, thunder, hurricanes,
tsunamis, tornados... You get the idea. You might think I
would be the stronger twin, but I'm definitely not. I am out
of control with my storms and is usually the one
responsible for the broken buildings and lingering bad
weather. Daiki has perfect control of his lightning and has
perfected his skill.
So I have light blue hair with dark blue tips and a
short ponytail. Daiki has spiky electric yellow hair. We
both have emerald green eyes. The only possessions we
were left with, secretly from mother, are a gold forehead
band and a necklace. Both have emeralds set in them,
exactly like our eyes. Daiki and I have gone on many jobs
and are very reputable. Jinx really helps us out with
intimidation. We dont have any friends, not because we
are shy or anything, but because we dont give out trust
easily.
A few more things about us... We are close. If you
haven't noticed, we've been by ourselves since forever, it
seems. Also, we are super competitive, especially against
each other. Usually we go out on jobs as the deadly duo,
but sometimes we go separate. And when we do that, we
always compare how much money we earn. Somehow it is
always a tie, which frustrates us so much! I just have to
win against him one of these days!
But we totally love each other.

(On an unrelated note, last week, a giant panda

showed up at camp. We had to physically stop Jinx from
eating it. Well, I did. Daiki was too busy shaking and being
a baby. We got to even ride the panda! Daiki was shivering
and on the verge of a mental breakdown though. I love
pandas, they are so cute!)
Lately, I've heard rumors and whisperings all over
town. Apparently there is another bounty hunter duo
competing to be the best. It really makes me want to
challenge and beat them! The Swordsman and the
Runner...
Well, back to the present, Daiki and I are in town right
now. We are going to some rich womans house. She is
interviewing us to capture a criminal that might be coming
to her ball tomorrow night.
We were walking stealthily through the shadows
when Daiki punched me in the arm. And believe me, our
punches are hard!
"Got you! Spiderfly!" He laughed maniacally. Then he
laughed harder at my face. I looked and saw that, indeed,
a Spiderfly was flying nearby.
"Good, my favorite game!" I said under my breath, my
face twisted in a mischievous grin.
As we walked on, I kept a sharp lookout for any
Spiderflies. We turned onto Cosbio Avenue, where all the
rich people lived.
I spotted a red Spiderfly. I prepared my punch with
my freezing mist.
"Haha! Spiderfly!" Then I punched Daiki as hard as I
could, steam dissipating from his arm. I laughed.
Someone cleared his throat. "The Lady Calhoun is
waiting to interview you. Please follow me." A butler
dressed in a pressed tuxedo motioned for us to follow him.

Daiki and I laughed as the butler made a disapproving

face at our playing. Daiki threw a small lightning bolt at
the ground near the butler's feet. (Hey, I never said we
were nice!)
His hair slightly ruffled, the butler led us to a huge
mansion and opened the door. He took us to the foyer. The
whole house was white, it seemed.
The butler led us through a long white hallway and
into a room of pure black, which seemed way out of place
against the pure white everywhere else. He gestured at
the black couches in the middle of the room and quickly
excused himself.
I sat down on the middle one and then Daiki did the
same. We put our arms around each other, trying to squish
the other more as a way to pass the time. After about 5
minutes a cloaked figure came into the room. The curtains
were closed and we could barely see anything. The figure
walked over to the couch across from us and sat down.
"Let's begin. What are your names?" A quiet voice
said from under the cloak.
Daiki and I stood up simultaneously.
I answered for us both. "My name is Arashi Wakahisa
and this is my brother, Daiki Wakahisa." We bowed our
torsos level to the floor.
"Very well. What makes you right for the job?"
Daiki answered, "I have lightning power."
"And I have storm powers." We both bowed again and
sat down.
"Very good. My daughter is having a ball tomorrow
night and I believe the notorious criminal, Fishigi, might
come." We had to strain to hear her quiet voice.
I cleared my throat. "What makes you think he will
come to your ball, if you don't mind me asking?"

Mrs. Calhoun replied, "Well, every year on the day of

my daughter's birthday, I take out my most precious
jewels and display them. Recently, I acquired a rare purple
diamond. I am going to display it as well. I have been
thinking that criminals from all over Kitache, especially
Fishigi, will be coming, and I want extra protective
security. I have guards, but I am also taking precautions
with supernatural ability-type employees."
Mrs. Calhoun cleared her throat and looked at us,
thinking.
"There are several other groups competing for this
job, for the reward is great. I need only one group. I want
you to meet them and work it out amongst yourselves.
That is all." She gestured towards the door, so we left.
The butler appeared. "Let me take you to the other
groups. Then you can reasonably choose what group gets
to be the special employees." He stopped at a courtyard
door and turns on his heel, walking away with his nose in
the air.
"No way we're gonna lose this job!" I cracked my
knuckles and chuckled at the thought of a competition.
Daiki grinned, getting that natural demonic
competitive look in his eyes.

Chapter 2
Daiki
Arashi looked so pumped up and was vibrating from
the sure-to-come excitement.
Awww she is just so adorable! That evil spark of
delight lit her eyes up like a firework. There was no way
we weren't going to get this job!
We went up to the door and kicked it open. As I
looked around at our competitors, I actually felt sorry that
they were gonna lose.
"Listen up! To settle this reasonably, we challenge all
of you to a race! A race where there is the only rule: to not
kill. Stand up and accept now, or you might as well go
home and forget about any of this!" I said, loudly, my
voice thunder. To add to the effect, I set my hair on
lightning and Arashi made a mini tornado spinning around
her body.
We really do have the intimidation act down, for
several group scampered out the door already. Only 3
other groups remained.

A tough looking group of 4 burly men in leather stood

hunched against the wall. Another group was a woman
and a kind looking grandpa with a tiny yapping dog.
The last group was a tall teenage boy with a hat
lowered over his face and a small girl smiling sweetly.
None of these groups could last much longer than an
hour or two of racing against us, although that kid with
the hat really irked me for some reason.
I mischievously smiled at Arashi and we did a flip over
to the middle of the room, where the other groups were.
One of the burly guys snarled and said quite rudely,
"let's start right now, ya delinquents! Where ya wanna
race ta anyway?"
Arashi stared him down, and making him back up, she
grinned. "The Long hill mountains. At dawn tomorrow,
make sure you are ready to be ground into the dirt with
my foot!" We back-flipped out of the courtyard and
jumped behind the wall, doing our 3-fingered salute
before disappearing. I could feel the kid with the hat
burning a hole into my chest as I lost sight of him.

Chapter 3
Arashi
I slept soundly that night. I was ready to kick butt
tomorrow, but the kid with the hat gave me an ominous
feeling.
In the morning, before dawn, we gathered our
sandals and headed out. We don't need much else.
As we ran toward the Long hill mountains, I thought
about how easy I could take down anyone, especially the
nerve-racking boy. I won't lose to anyone, ever! That
grandpa better be prepared to surrender or get hurt. I
mean, I wouldn't hurt an old person like that, but those
men looked like they didn't care if getting money meant to
break an old interfering man. I suppose I should take them
out first, especially since I have deep hatred for adults,
males especially.
I couldn't shake the 2 kids off my mind though. That
girl looked like a fragile teacup, innocent as well, but if
she had the guts to stay and race us, then she is brave, if
not naive. The boy on the other hand had a menacing aura
surrounding him. He had 2 swords on his back and yet, I
could feel that he had an unnatural power, rare even
among the lot of all of us unnatural folk. Daiki can have
him, as I'm more curious about the girl.
We arrived at the mountain exactly at the crack of
dawn. A second later, the boy and girl joined us.
After waiting impatiently for 5 more minutes, the
other 2 groups came. The woman with the old guy cleared
her throat and spoke loudly. "What kind of race us this?
What is the objective?"

I smiled wickedly, "it is an endurance race. The last

group with all its members still standing wins." I turned
toward the mountain. "Oh, and to be out you have to
surrender."
I heard snickering and the burly men saying 'yeah,
right!' and 'like I'm gonna surrender to to kids and and an
old guy'.
I smiled and mumbled under my breath, "just you
wait."
Daiki raised his hand and said, "at the mark,
everybody run off and then, when you see the lightning
bolt, we will start. Good luck to you all. Okay, 3,2,1, go!"
Then, as fast as a flash, Daiki and I were off. We really
have trained ourselves to run super fast, so we were
already at the top of the mountain when the burly guys
finally got we had started. Daiki waited a minute, then
sent up a huge bolt of lightning straight into the sky. We
high-fived each other and barreled into the thick forest
below. Not long after, we came across the group with the
dog.
I looked at Daiki and he nodded. I unleashed my mist
and had it surround them. We'd go easy on these guys.
Soon, the old man said "I surrender." My mist is really cold
after all.
"Arigato. Goodbye!" Daiki and I then jumped into the
trees, silently swinging branch to branch. I was looking for
the other 2 remaining groups.
At long last! We finally came upon the men group.
Noiselessly stepping, I went on and prepared to jump to
the branch right above the guy who looked like the leader.
I dropped right down onto his back and started to
unleash my acid rain, which I usually reserve for the really
bad criminals.

As each droplet of acid rain touched his skin, he

screamed in pain. (Don't worry, it just blisters for a day or
two, depending on the dosage.)
I waited for him to surrender, but he kept wailing in
agony. I sighed exasperatedly and turned my rain off, and
instead I gave him my mist. I front flipped off his back and
showered him in it, the coolness of it making the wounded
skin hurt less. But I punched him in the stomach and stood
over him with my arms crossed.
"Say it!" I said, making my voice scary and
unforgiving.
The guy was in a curled position and I had to listen
hard, but he found his voice. "I surrender! Please leave me
alone!"
Satisfied, I looks over at Daiki. He just was poking
anyone who came near him as he was lounging on the
grass. His hand was encased in lightning, so it had to hurt.
"If you don't do anything to seriously make them
surrender, then I'll have to do it myself." I said, laughing
at his innocent expression.
Daiki stood up, stretching. He looked at me with
bored eyes. "Fine, but to see them slowly give out is fun
too."
Then, with a huge sweep of his hand, Daiki sent a
wave of electricity at the last 3 guys. They went down like
bowling pins.
Rubbing his head, I said, "that's the brother I know!"
Laughing heartily, we walked a ways away when I
heard a soft, quick crunch of a leave.
Turning into a clearing covered with flowers, Daiki
said loudly, "we know you have been following us, girl,
now come out and fight us."
Another crunch and then the small girl appeared out
of thin air. I growled, for now I knew who we were dealing

with. This was 1 of the 2 bounty hunters that have been

popular lately.
That means this tiny girl had invisibility with
incredible speed. So that means her companion was the
Sword Man. Lame name for a teenage boy not much older
than Daiki and I. Apparently, these two have been working
together for a number of years in Spaulder, the town 25
miles north of here.
"What are you doing so far south, not have enough
challenge? This territory is claimed by us." I said with a
yawn. "Where's your companion?"
The girl smiled sweetly and said, "Konichiwa! My
name is Suiren and my partner's name is Alex. He is right
here!" He then pointed right behind her at the shadows.
The boy was leaning on a tree and fiddling with one black
and one white sword that hung on his back. He looked
straight at Daiki, his face blank, then looked up at the sky.
"We are here because this job pays a lot. We were
also hoping to meet the Toraburu Futago! I am guessing
you are them, because of how much you look alike!" The
girl, Suiren, said ever so sweetly.
Her partner, Alex, just grunted.
I looked at Daiki and frowned. "We don't look alike at
all! I have blue hair and he has yellow!"
Suiren just giggled. "You have the same eyes,
expressions, and posture. Right now, you even are folding
your arms and frowning the same way!"
I growled and scowled harder. "Let's get this over
with right now!"
Daiki and put our backs together and unfolded our
arms to put them in the ridiculous fighting position.
(Hey, life wouldn't be fun without acting like a weirdo,
right?)

Alex scoffed while Suiren giggled again. Alex came

out if the shadows and just stood side by side with Suiren.
Being impatient, I jumped and confronted the
annoying girl while Daiki stood still and locked eyes with
Alex. Daiki always wins stare-downs, so I knew he was
okay.
I turned toward Suiren. I realized I was glowering so I
bowed. When I came up, I was smiling. "Konichiwa! My
name is Arashi Wakahisa! I am so pleased to meet you!
How old are you? I am 12 right now!"
(If you can guess, I don't usually get to meet other
kids.)
Suiren seemed taken aback for a moment but then
smiled again. "Nice to meet you too! I don't usually meet
other kids, so this is nice! I am actually 10 right now, so
you are just a little older!"
"Now that we know about each other, let's start!" I
said.
"Alright! Catch me if you can!" She just then
disappeared and I heard a slight breeze from her moving
so fast. I chuckled.
I looked over at Daiki and realized they'd started
fighting already. Daiki was going strong for a moment, but
somehow was restrained by Alex's swords. His hat went
askew for just a second and I could feel a huge energy
surge. He is stronger than he looks! What power does he
have that make him so powerful?! I thought.
I felt a kick to my back. My vision turned black for just
a short moment and I swallowed some blood from biting
my tongue.
I closed my eyes and then reached out my hand and
actually caught Suiren, as she was running in dizzying
circles around me. She kept on squirming until I blasted
her with my freezing cold mist. Then she hung limply. I

gently set her against a tree and made sure she was
breathing normally.
I raised my arms and shouted in triumph. I looked
over at the other two only to have my mouth drop open.
Daiki was being shocked- with his own lightning!

Chapter 4
Daiki
Being suspended in the air with my own power hitting
me is not my ideal fight. I think I finally know what his
unnatural power is: telekinesis or mind control. I also
think that his hat helps conceal it, because when it almost
fell off, tremendous power surged from him. Now that his
hat was completely off, he controlled my body. My body
was involuntarily shaking and I couldn't stop because of
all the shocks. I looked over at Arashi to see how she was
doing, but she was already finished and staring at me with
horror. It has been so long since I have seen her so shaken
up.
I don't like her to be in pain, especially because of
me. I twisted and gained control of my leg just as Alex
brandished his swords at me. I somehow managed to kick
him in the jaw and his concentration was interrupted.
I fell to the ground and tried to get up. Static came
over me an I felt dizzy.
I would not lose so I grabbed Alex's hat from the
ground and shoved it onto his head and then with the last
of my strength, I shocked him as hard as could. Last thing
I remember from that fight is both of us slumping
unconscious to the ground.

Chapter 5

Arashi
I looked down at Daiki with concern, knowing he
would be fine, but still worrying.
Suiren had just woken and ran over to Alex's side.
Both of us looked at each other and smiled weakly. Then
for some reason I laughed. Then she laughed. For a long
time, neither of us could stop laughing, but when Daiki
mumbled something, my attention went immediately to
him.
"What'd you say just now?" I asked.
"Did we win?" He faintly asked, but I couldn't help
laughing again.
I looked at Daiki, then at Suiren, to Daiki again, then
at Alex. Daiki and I have rarely ever lost anything, but
these other two worked hard as well. I had to make some
kind of decision.
I suddenly had the impression of being watched.
Goosebumps popped up on my neck and arms. I looked
warily around the trees.
I knew. Frowning, I said, "come on out here butler!
Why were you watching us?"
The butler came out of the shadows with his hair
sticking up due the static still lingering.
"My lady requested me to follow you and see who you
decide will get the job. She wants to stronger people to
guard, so you two twins come with me." He said very
snootily, motioning impatiently with his hand.
I looked at the other two kids. Then I turned my head
towards Daiki and he nodded.
"All 4 of us will be getting this job. Oh, and a full
grown tiger will be accompanying us too. You can tell your
Lady that if she denies this, that she can kiss her precious

jewels goodbye because she won't be finding better

security anywhere else." I turned on my heel, leaving the
butler astonished at my words.
Daiki got up and followed me. We started to run down
the mountain and soon reached the bottom. I looked Daiki
and laughed at his appearance only to have him mock
mine too. Neither of us expected this much fun in this mini
fight.
All of a sudden, Suiren appeared behind us, out of
breath.
"Arigato. See you tomorrow!" She then ran off again.
"Is she excited about everything?" I asked,
admiringly.
"I guess. Let's just go home now, Jinx will be waiting."
Daiki answered, lost in thought about something.
So we headed home. When we got to the cave, we
ate. It was evening now. We went outside and looked at
the stars and the moon, falling asleep against each other.

Chapter 6
Daiki
When we woke up, I could tell we had slept too late:
we needed to get to the mansion as soon as possible. I

woke up Arashi and we grabbed a few fruits along with

our sandals as we hurried out of the mountain. If we were
late, it might scratch our reputation.
"Come on Jinx! We have to get going now!" Arashi
called. A few seconds later, she comes bounding up,
pausing only to allow us to hop on.
Jinx is big enough that we can both ride her
comfortably, and so while being late and having her faster
than us, she carried us all the way to the mansion.
Most people in town have seen her before, but a
running tiger still scares them I guess. The crowd parted
so we got to the mansion with less than a minute to spare.
We walked in and saw ball decorations being put up.
The butler came in an bowed to us before noticing Jinx.
"A tiger! A tiger!" He cried frantically.
Arashi scoffed. "I told you we were bringing our tiger,
Jinx! So where are the other two kids?"
"Over there." He said shakily.
Arashi and I walked over to where he pointed. Alex
had his head down, his hat covering his face. Suiren was
fidgeting restlessly and waved as we came near.
"Konichiwa! How are you? Are you ready to kick some
butt?" She literally pounced on Arashi as way of greeting.
They toppled onto the floor while I laughed.
"Ouch! Konichiwa, good, and I'm always ready to kick
some butt!" She said, rubbing Suiren's head and
chuckling.
The butler walked over and was holding 2 suspicious
bags. "My Lady requires two of you to go undercover
during the ball, and it seems that this is all that was in
hand right now."
He held out the bags to Suiren and Arashi. Ever
curious, I looked inside and with much dismay held up a

long dress. Arashi looked at it with confusion, and then

horror as she realized what it was.
I was on my knees laughing as she slumped to the
floor clutching the dress. Suiren was dancing around in
delight. Alex kept his hat down.
"D-d-do I have to wear this thing?" Arashi cried.
"Yes. You girls will keep on eye on the jewels while
pretending to be in the party. The two boys will be
covering the grounds." The butler sniffed as he walked
away.
Arashi left in a huff. Suiren ran after her and calling.
After they were gone I turned to Alex.
I cleared my throat. "Hey, sorry about yester-"
"Its fine." Alex kept his hat lowered over his face. "It
was a competition, right." He said, although it wasn't a
question.
Well he sure is social! I thought, remembering that I
used to be like him as well.
So we just stood there for hours it seemed, with an
uncomfortable silence. A while later, Arashi came back,
stomping with Suiren.
I took one look at Arashi and could not contain my
laughter. She glared at me hard, burning holes into my
head. I danced around with laughter while Suiren frowned
in confusion and Alex sniffed.
Suiren put her hands on her hips and said, "What are
you laughing at? Arashi looks beautiful!"
Clutching my sides, I said out of breath, "Arashi...in a
dress?! It is the most unnatural thing I have ever seen!
Just look at her, she is a tomboy!"
Suiren frowned harder while Arashi just walked over
to me, a demonic aura surrounding her as she stood by my
side. Then, with a force I have never seen or felt before,

she punched me in the stomach. Frozen mist and rain

dissipated from that area.
Alex laughed while Suiren gasped. I leaned over
keeling, holding my stomach. Never before I have I felt so
much pain.
"Never tell anyone else about this dress, got it?"
Arashi leaned over me and seethed. I muttered out a 'yes'
and satisfied she turned to walk away. With her back to all
of us, she threw down the fancy shoes and said, same
goes for you two."

Chapter 7
Arashi
"Stupid dress! Why can't I be on patrol? Why do I
have to dance and wear this thing?" I said, irritated.
I was all by myself in the dark courtyard. The ball was
going to start soon, and here I was, feeling bad about
myself.
Then I realized, it is just a job, I don't have to do this!
But then, I thought with resignation, Toraburu Futago's
reputation would be ruined. Backing down from this
simple of a job would label us wimps and then Suiren and

Alex would take over our work! I stood up with confidence.

I have to keep them in my sight at all times.
I ran over to the ballroom, losing my balance and
almost landing flat on my back due to the dress's long
hem.
I growled and lifted it up and huffed with indignation.
I stomped to the ballroom and blindly walked into Alex. I
sniffed and stepped around him.
He caught my arm and said, I can sense you are up
to something. Dont be foolish." He lifted his hat and I
gasped. His eyes were a startling blue and I was
mesmerized.
"Hey, Arashi! There you are! Where were you? Never
mind, but I am sorry about earlier!" Daiki ran over with a
big grin on his face.
I snapped out of it and looked coldly at Daiki. Then I
walked away.
Hearing soft voices, I sensed that they were talking
about me and I coughed loudly. They stopped talking
abruptly and Daiki laughed timidly.
"Ha ha! Sorry!"
I stormed away. Suiren came over and started talking,
but I wasnt listening.
Who did they think they are? This Alex was trouble,
pure trouble! Im going to humiliate him! Right in front of
everybody! It has to be perfect though I am going to
have to wait. Until then, Im going to watch him. Watch
him like a hawk until the perfect moment arrives. IAre you okay, Arashi? Suiren asked gently, shaking
me out of my reverie. You know hes just trying to be
friendly, right? He probably wants to be friends with you!
Friends? Who needs friends? I dont have any and I
am fine! I will never, ever become friends with these
weirdos!

Chapter 8
Arashi
(5 years later)
Im catching up to you weirdos! I yelled, laughing.
17-year-old Alex said, Well, you better watch out or
Im gonna beat you!
Daiki shouted with glee. You can bet Im going to
win!
Thats not going to happen, Daiki! 13-year-old
Suiren said, wiping out several of the armed men at once.
Her score just went up by 70!
Hey! You sneak! I laughed, knocking out at least 20
men of the army we were up against with a small tornado.
We were on a job, hired by the government itself, to
go up against the Hiron Army. The neighboring city, Hiron,
had been threatening Kitache lately with unproved
murders and trashing the city. The governor had just come
to the 4 of us yesterday, on his knees begging for us to

take them out. War was declared and Im pretty sure they
were surprised to see 4 teenagers standing before them.
Suiren Tsukino is really small, even for her age, and
she looks really fragile because she is always wearing a
dress like she is in a tea party. She has bright pink hair
always set in two long ponytails. Her eyes are a beautiful
amethyst color. She is terrifyingly powerful with her
invisibility and super speed.
Alex Ridgell is super tall, (I am so jealous!) and he has
curly black hair. He has gorgeous (Shush, dont tell him I
said that) blue sapphire eyes. He always wears a straw hat
because it contains his telekinesis. Although he is almost
unstoppable with his power, he only uses his swords,
which he has named Khin and Khan. One is pure white and
one is pure black. I think they might have some hidden
power, but if so, Alex hasnt used them yet Anyway he is
the kind of strong and silent kind of guy.
Then there is Daiki and I. We are 15 years old. We
have emerald green eyes. We are huge troublemakers, but
also well-known, respected, and feared bounty hunters.
Alex and Suiren have been living with us in our cave in the
mountains since we met 5 years ago. We kind of hit it off
even though we fight all of the time, kind of like siblings.
Back to the present, the 4 of us are actually
competing to see who gets the more men down. We have
already wiped out 7,000 of the 10,000 man-army. Suiren is
so far in first place with 3,000, Alex coming up second
with 2,000, and Daiki and I are infuriatingly evenly
matched with 1000 each. Of course, all of the men are
okay, just knocked out, thanks to our no-killing rule. The
mayor is hoping that the Hiron officials in command of the
assault will surrender when they see how their own
powerful army is easily plowed through by 4 kids.

Daiki just used his lightning-plant attack to knock out

100 more men. To catch up, I brought out my mist and
froze about a 100 men. Why cant I beat him!? So
frustrating!
Suiren brought down a couple hundred down with a
quick sweep. She doesnt even have to be invisible dealing
with this easy prey.
Alex was just letting any man come near him and then
he would knock him out with his sheathed swords.
After 10 more short minutes, we stood before the
Hiron officials with cameras, probably for the Hiron
government to see what was going on live. Alex slid his
swords into the back-sheathes while Suiren blew away
steam coming off her fingers and smiled slyly. Daiki and I
glowered over the adults. Then the four of us folded our
arms and laughed, almost insanely. The adults fell back
and had shocked, irreplaceable looks on their faces. Then I
grabbed ones shirt and pulled him close.
Are you going to cooperate or will we have to have a
one-on-one chat, Mr. Official? With the last two words, I
accented the syllables with malice. Some of the other guys
tried to pull him back, but Daiki held them off.
After a while, a voice came from the cameras
speaker. We will surrender this time, but be warned we
never forgive, and we never forget.
The four of us laughed. Alex responded with a
chuckle, Neither do I!
The officials clambered away, with only a couple of
frightened back glances. Daiki and I high-fived while
Suiren squished Alex with a tight hug.
Seriously! This wasnt even a challenge! Daiki
laughed.
But just then, Jinx came bounding up to us, her fur
standing on end.

Chapter 9
Suiren
Oh no! Jinx doesnt usually have her fur stand on end
unless something is wrong
Arashi rushed over to her and squatted down. She
patted her nose and crooned. Whats wrong, Jinx? Jinx
panted and dropped a scroll from her mouth at Arashis
feet.
Arashi picked it up and unrolled it. Her triumphant
expression changed to one of confusion, then horror. She
dropped the scroll and hopped on Jinxs back. Daiki knew
the drill and jumped on too. Jinx then ran towards the
town.
Alex bent over and picked up the dropped scroll. I
rushed to him as he read it. He raised his head and looked
at the town, troubled deeply. I snatched the scroll as well
and read it. My mouth dropped open in horror. It said:
Army was distraction
City in chaos
They are looking for your home
Please he

I gasped and Alex grabbed my hand and pulled me

towards the city. After I regained my senses, I picked up
the pace and started running by myself. Alex was pulled
instead, now dead weight. We soon caught up with Jinx.
Arashi was grinding her teeth in obvious self-anger.
She does this to herself too much. Its not her fault
if anything, its all of our faults gats! This now seems
too obvious! We were all blinded by pride!
Daiki was fuming. Alex was clenching his fists so tight
they turned white. I realized that I digging my nails into
my palms so tight, blood flowed down and blew behind us
as we ran. I looked up again just to see the city in flames.
Oh gats! I tripped and fell on my knees, ripping my
dress. I brushed away my hair from my face and stared at
the burning city, unmoving.
Alex held out his hand and pulled me up. Twins and
Renny, go ahead and look for survivors. Put out the flame!
The scroll said they are looking for our home, so I will
check it out! GO!
No! I am faster! I will go and check it out and try to
hurry back. I heard myself saying, running off towards
the mountain as fast as I could. My legs were numb as I
ran, Alex calling out for me to be careful

Chapter 10
Daiki
I ran off to the west. Arashi rushed to the south. And
Alex took to the north. I ripped apart crumbled buildings
with inhuman strength as guilt coursed through my veins.
I looked for survivors, but all I could see were charred
bodies, various sizes, lying everywhere. I grabbed a
rusted bucket from the ground and ran to the nearest
well. I tried to put out the fire, but it was raging and the
water barely made a dent.
Falling to my knees in despair, tears ran down my face
as never before. I was supposed to be the tough one, yet I
couldnt even move my rubbery legs. I then sensed
another presence and looked up. A couple of people were
a little ways in the distance. I stood up quickly to help
them, but soon saw they were the adversaries. They were
laughing and pouring something on the flames, making
them bigger.
Realizing it was gasoline, I started to run towards
them, my anger growing bit by bit. The flames clinged to
me and I absorbed it gratefully and mixed it into my
lightning, feeling my energy restore. I ran faster. I saw
them sensing me and before they could react, I jumpkicked the closest guy. Noticing they both had purple
cloaks on, I reached for the hood to pull it back, but
another guy stopped me.
Who are you! I screamed, furious.
A distorted voice came out from under one of the

Cloaks. Are you Daiki Wakahisa?

I was stunned. Then I understood: they did this
because they were looking for me? So what if I am? What
gave you the right to do this? I tried to punch one, but he
easily deflected me and twisted my arms behind my back.
You are coming with us. Where is your sister?
I struggled restlessly against the hold. You will never
get my sister, you idiots! Why do you want us?
Your father wants to have a talk with you and your
sister. They both said in unison.
I froze. My father? Impossible right? After 11 years
he wants to talk with us? Wait, he did this to my city,
looking for me?
I screamed and with a sudden burst of strength, I
broke free from the Cloaks hold. I turned around and hit
him squarely in the face. I felt metal and heard my hand
break. My hand erupted in burning pain, but I didnt stop.
I whirled around and kicked the two Cloaks to the ground.
I picked one up and seethed.
Tell this to my father! If he wanted to meet with me,
then all he had to do was ask! You killed innocent citizens!
Tell him that I will find him and make him pay!
The Cloak turned around and lowered his hood slowly.
Underneath was a gray metal mask with green lines
painted in a diamond shape. He clicked on a button on the
side and spoke again, this time his voice sounded human,
not metallic.
My name is Jarred. I will tell your father what you
said, but he isnt one to mess with. I will give you a
choice. He then ripped off his mask to reveal a sadistic,
grinning face.
His eye glinted with a vicious malice. His mouth was
creepily twisted. He had dark orange eyes. He had an

earring in his left ear. His dark brown hair was slightly
spiky.
He cocked his head slightly to the right and spoke.
His voice sent shivers down my spine. Either you can
come calmly and I wont have to kill anymore innocent
people, or you can make trouble and I will kill all of the
hostages back at camp. You choose. He smiled even more
evilly.
I didnt even hesitate. Trouble is my middle name! I
then kicked Jarred in his side and he was temporarily
stunned. I looked around for a split second before running
for the treeline.
Their camp must be in the trees, where it is safe from
the fire. I must find the hostages he was talking about! A
shocking thought crossed my mind. What if this was still a
trap? Is there really any hostages?
I paused in my running for a second, but noticing fire
going out a ways away. That must be Arashi with her
storms. Looking at the growing distinguished area gave
me hope. Arashi is a fighter so I should be too. I cant face
her if I fail. I cant put out fire, so Ill have to save the
survivors.
I took off running again. I reached the treeline
unexpectedly quick and tripped. I wiped off the dirt and
sprung up. I heard distorted voices shouting. So I am
probably going the right way if they are following me like
this! I thought triumphantly and ran even faster.
After a couple minutes I heard voices again, except
these voices were human. I heard children crying, mothers
were comforting their children, and then moaning.
I had reached the camp. There was blood and ashes
everywhere.

Chapter 11
Suiren
I reached the mountain in a couple of minutes. Why is
there people looking for our home?
My thoughts were interrupted with a bang. I tripped
onto the ground with a loud crash. My chin hit the ground
and got scraped up badly. My vision was growing fuzzy. I
got back up, slowly, and tried to run for the cave. It was
growing darker and darker. I couldnt even see the lake
until I felt it.
I ran right it without noticing. Now freezing as well, I
could hardly move. My vision was growing fuzzier by the
minute. The last thing I saw before I blacked out
completely was a purple figure pulling me out of the
water.
......
I cracked open my eyes painfully. I felt so dirty from
tripping so much. My dress was damp and torn. My head
and chin hurt so much, I could hardly stand it. My arms
felt restrained. In the dark, I couldnt see too well, but I
sensed a rope.
Im tied up? How did this happen? Gats! I blacked out!
Oh no! The city! I felt tears escape my eyes and fall from
my cheeks. This is because of us. The culprits did this
because they were looking for our home!
A hand caressed my cheek and wiped off my tears.
Startled, I drew back. A figure in a purple cloak was sitting
there, a metal mask under the hood. Freaked out, I yelped
loudly.
Shush! The person said, its quiet voice distorted.
Do you want to be captured? The others are looking for

you. Tell me where the cave you live in and you can go
free.
Indignant, I said, No way!
Another metallic voice shouted, Rave! Did you find
the cave and the girl?
I assume it must be Rave with me who spoke, No,
sir! I will keep looking!
He met my eyes and took out a dagger. I gasped, but
he only cut the ropes of which I was tied. He whispered,
Run, run back to the city. I am so sorry. There is a camp
of hostages, they will need your help. Go now! They need
you! With that, he pushed me towards the opening of the
mountain. I looked at him one more time, seeing him walk
around our hidden cave by the lake.
I ran back towards the city, feeling useless. I couldnt
find out what I was supposed, and what if I get there too
late? Then I will have done nothing!
After reaching the city, now basically put out, I went
searching for the hostages. I searched for a while but
found nothing. I felt so lonely. Where are all of the others?
A loud bang startled me. Arashi came running up to
me and yanked on my hand to stop me. My legs just
stopped moving then. I hugged Arashi hard.
Where are the hostages? Did you find them
already? I said, forcing out the words.
Arashi rubbed her stomach and looked at me weirdly.
What hostages? So far, I havent even seen any
survivors. Her expression hardened. Her eyes grew
steely and she grinded her teeth.
Confused, I replied, But the cloaked person said
there was a camp of hostages.
Arashi grasped my shoulders and said sharply, What
cloaked person? Tell me what happened while you were
there!

I told Arashi everything had happened. Did he say

why he wanted to know where we lived? Whats so special
about a worn cave? She demanded.
I dont know! I cried.
Arashi started running, and then I did too. I could tell
she was looking for the camp. I could see her thinking
hard, coming up with a plan. Inside, I was screaming at
myself for being so useless.
To make matters worse, I tripped again. Arashi looked
back at me with an irritated look on her face, but soon
saw I was crying and bleeding.
Hey, are you okay? Arashi crooned, holding me in
her arms. She rubbed my head and fixed my ponytails.
She looked at my chin with concern.
Its nothing. Lets go, the hostages need us. I
mumbled.
I tried to get up, but my legs wouldnt work right.
Arashi picked me up and started running again. Soon we
met with Alex and he carried me instead.
Are you okay, Suiren? What happened? You are
hurt! He said, his eyes wide.
I told him everything and Arashi explained we were
looking for the camp of hostages. Alex nodded in
understanding.
He asked, Where is Daiki? I havent seen him.
Arashi nodded, thinking hard. He might have already
found the camp. Come on, lets go.
We took off running. Alex suggested that we should
look for it in the trees, where it went untouched from the
fire. We did, and smelt blood. We soon found the camp,
and indeed there was wounded citizens everywhere. But
Daiki wasnt anywhere to be seen.

Chapter 12
Daiki
I was locked in combat with the guard of the camp. He
was also wearing a purple cloak.
I prepared to strike him with a roundhouse kick
accompanied by lightning, but got caught under the chin
with a metal baton. I flew back and hit my head hard on
the ground. Stars shot in front of my eyes.