Chapter 10: Atom And Eve
I
While Junshin was locked into battle with the Rank 5 Calamity Hydrokinetic, Hina was immediately by Junshin’s side, flying at light speed to land delicately next to Junshin as she stared at the Hydrokinetic with a stern gaze. She put her hands on her hips, posturing herself into a stance that made her seem bigger to intimidate, despite her small and lithe height. Junshin felt his heart swell with emotion, that Hina came for him…to protect him…though some part of him knew that he would have to protect has well, to be her equal and partner in this battle.

“Awh, look at your little sweetheart there,” the Hydrokinetic mocked Junshin. “Why don’t you come over here, darlin’?”

Hina glared, before she turned to Junshin.

“Junshin-kun, are you okay?”

Junshin nodded.

“I’m okay. Thanks.”

The Hydrokinetic stared at Junshin, then to HIna, before he said, “Awh, come on, don’t make me feel like the third wheel over here! But you know what, let me in on a little secret, Miss Kihara Hina of the ANGeLS.”

Hina turned to the Hydrokinetic, saying nothing, though the Hydrokinetic merely smirked.

“Now that I’ve got your attention, do you want to know who has killed your Mother?”

Hina’s hands clenched into fists, slowly clenching and unclenching.

“Well, it would lose it’s mystery and intrigue if I Just outright said it, but since I’m a nice guy, I will give you the information, for free, if you go on a date with me. How about that, darlin’?”

Junshin blazed with anger toward the Hydrokinetic, though Hina gestured with a hand for Junshin to calm down. He still felt the embers of fire and hatred toward the Hydrokinetic, though upon seeing Hina smile very calmly, Junshin felt the air chill around him as Hina took slow, deliberate steps toward the Hydrokinetic, who was grinning widely now.

“That’s right, babe, come on over here, I’ll show you a good time.”

Hina stopped in front of the Hydrokinetic, still smiling.

Then without warning she launched a supersonic punch in the solar plexus that caused him to crash several tiers underground, in a rapture of concrete and metalwork and pipes. Hina was still smiling, eyes closed, as she cracked and uncracked her knuckles repeatedly.

“Oh, Sir,” Hina said as that sardonic grin still weighed on her sweet face. “If you’re maidenless and don’t have anyone to comfort you, maybe you could start by getting better pick up lines. Because what girl in any dimension or universe would fawn over that?”

The Hydrokinetic remained still for a few moments, the water gushing all around him as he stared up contemplatvely with a dazed look on his face, before he readjusted himself into a floating position and hovered above their stationary poses on the ground, watching them from above like some cursed fallen angel come to damned mankind for their sins. To further this effectof biblical proportions, the vociferous gushing of water nad bent pipe work grunted and groaned and frothed, while the Hydrokinetic clapped his hands together in obvious approval toward Hina.

“Oh, very good! I like the guts on this one. I didn’t think you needed to hide behind the skirts of a girl to defend you, Fujimoto, but apparently she’s got more balls than you have.”

Junshin looked at the Hydrokinetic for a moment, before he said. “Hina, I want you to go somewhere safe. I can handle him.”

“And leave you alone to fight this guy?” Hina said as hse adjusted a fingerless glove against her hand, flexing and twisting it and snapping the cuff on her wrist. “No way! Besides, you need someone to look out for you, you know, Junshin-kun.”

“I would almost feel jealous if I weren’t in a committed relationship,” the Hydrokinetic said, running a hand through his hair. “Which is to my cause.”

“Your cause?” Junshin and Hina both chorused together.

The Hydrokinetic smirked.

“Duh. A cause to revolutionize Tokyo and make Psions first-class citizens and make the Naturals into second class citizens. Who says that they have the right to order us around?”

Junshin frowned. “We’re all human. Do we not all deserves the same rights and decency as living beings and humans?”

“What Junshin-kun said,” Hina said firmly, standing by his side and flexing her glove again. “Apparently I need to knock your head until you’ve finally clued in on something. People are not disposable. People are precious. You can’t be a misanthropic jerk and make it in life.”

“Oh, I’ve had plenty of time to self-reflect and philosophize the state of the world, darlin,” the Hydrokinetic said with a slight drawl. “Besides that, didn’t you ever think that you lived in a world full of deaf, dumb, blind, and mute people who don’t understand who you truly are? Why have room for these dead cells? They’re only the vestiges of evolution that is long overdue some pruning from the Tree of Life.”

“If we’re we’re talking about the Laws of Darwinism you certainly win the Darwin Awards,” Hina said sternly. “All life is precious. What will make you see that?”

“Oh really? Tell me, do you believe that a fetus is precious? What is your stance on that, darlin’?”

“This isn’t a political debate!” Hina said, clenching her hands into fists. “Besides, no matter what side you’re on, both would agree that Naturals have every right to live, just as we Psions do. It’s not only about political divisions and religious ties and racial barriers or whatever else you can think of that may temporarily come between people if they’re not willing to open up their hearts and minds—people are important. We Psions are no different from the Naturals. And Naturals should not be treated like cattle.”

“But you think it’s all right for the Naturals to control us?” the Hydrokinetic said as he still floated above them all, gushing forth water from his hands. “Tell me, what do you think a Natural actually is?”

“A Natural is someone who wasn’t born with psychic potential,” Hina said, glaring. “What of it? That doesn’t mean they deserve to be treated differently.”

“Well, entertain me with this, darlin’” the Hydrokinetic said. “What if the Naturals aren’t the underprivileged group that they claim to be? What if they do nothing but bend the rules and society’s rules, morals be damned, until everything goes their way, because they want control over the world and it’s because they don’t have any way of controlling people like us that they fear us, misunderstand us, hate us, resent us, wish to be us, so they make us subservient to their whims? The ANGeLS are nothing but the Prime Minister’s dogs…I would’ve thought a fellow human would have more self-respect for themselves, though clearly I was wrong.”

“Now wait just a minute,” Junshin snapped, though Hina held out a hand before she glanced at the Hydrokinetic.

“If you’re clearly so superior to the Naturals,” Hina said. “Why are you on the lowest rung of the criminal organization that you’re playing lapdog to?”

“I will advance in the ranks once I kidnap this guy,” the Hydrokinetic said with a slasher grin toward Junshin. “Once I have him in front of the Boss, the Boss will be sure to promote me.”

“Were you the one who sent that message to the ANGeLS office?” Hina said with a slight scoff. “Seems like you would do nothing but be your Boss’s glorified messenger boy.”

“I’m more than a glorified messenger boy, girl,” the Hydrokinetic said, still keeping that easy grin. “I am the trusted vanguard of our glorious master who is going to revolutionize Tokyo nad reform it from the foundations.”

Hina frowned, saying nothing in contempt, as the Hydrokinetic continued on with his spiel.

“What is the cost of a human life, you say? Why, they are nothing more than a statistic, one of the many that will shape the foundations of a greater cause. If people need to die, then so be it, but this will happen and Psions will reign as the superior race!”

Junshin frowned as well, folding his arms, before saying, “Why do you say thtat we’re the superior race and all that? Just because we have powers that we happen to be born with? The Naturals were the one who have made the great society that we live in today—without them we wouldn’t have a civilization, we wouldn’t have been born into this world. So what makes us so special and above the Naturals, other than the fact that you’re gloating about superpowers?”

“But we are special, Fujimoto,” the Hydrokinetic said. “Don’t you see? Naturals are beneath us. They deserve to be trodden underfoot and eliminated from society forever. WE Psions should reign as the superior race, the dominant race, the only race. Naturals do not understand us—they fear us. They try to suppress us. They try to cripple you ANGeLS with restraint and temperance. When you caused the Great Blaze of Tokyo on that fateful day, Junshin…bet you didn’t know that, now did ya, Miss Kihara?”

Hina looked surprised, before she turned to Junshin. “Junshin-kun?”

Junshin bowed his head, clenching his hands into fists. “It’s true.”

“See, he admits it,” the Hydrokinetic gloated, glorifying in the fact that pain was visible on Junshin’s face. “And he wasn’t even punished for it! No, his brother hid that fact from the world, taking the blame on himself for his little brother and became the Symbol of Peace to make up for such an atocity so that human memory would wipe out the stain and dark mark of his family history. Though as long as Junshin is alive, he is only a painful reminder of what a terror he can be when he’s unrestrained and unleashed.”

Junshin stood frozen, unsure what to do. He started to feel his chest and insides clench int oa vice grip, struggling to breathe.

Hina stepped up, before she enveloped Junshin in a warm embrace that calmed Junshin’s nerves as his joints and muscles loosened and slackened in disarmed unguardedness. “Hina?”

“Hey,” Hina said with a small smile. “It doesn’t matter what your past is, Junshin-kun. I will never look down upon you for a something that you’re working hard on redeeming yourself for. That’s why you joined the ANGeLS, right? To save lives? To help others? Because that’s what we do. You’re committed to the cause of being a hero, so if you want to be that hero, you will stand tall and proud, because I think you will become as great as your brother or maybe even surpass him one day.”

‘What makes you so sure?” Junshin said.

Hina smiled.

“I know that you have the drive and will to become a hero like your brother, Junshin-kun. Besides that, I know that you’re working hard on your studies and your training everyday to become part of the ANGeLS. This may be your first mission, though, don’t let this lowlife minion deter you from your dreams.”

Junshin smiled back at Hina, before he said softly. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Hina then released her from her grip, before she turned to the Hydrokinetic and looked at him sternly. “You’re done playing mind games with Junshin-kun. Now that’s he found himself, now that he’s found the resolve to fight, we will fight you together and bring you down.”

“Oh?” the Hydrokinetic said. “I thought the ANGeLS always played fair?”

“The rules don’t apply to villains like you,” Hina said with a frown. “Besides that, didn’t you say that you were above such laws? So we will only treat you accordingly.”

“Oho?” The Hydrokinetic said, before he grinned widely. “Well, why don’t I introduce myself properly to you guys then. Imprint the name Nagisa Namikaze in your brains, because you will only have this opportunity to learn my names before I put you kiddos to sleep. Permanently.”

Hina and Junshin assumed fighting stances, giving scoffing expressions toward Nagisa who seemed very eager to get down with this battle. The wtaer around them gushed forth into skyscraper high geysers, and Nagisa floated down and settled on the concrete as his shoes clattered against the gravel and he widenecd his stance and held out a hand toward them, swiling a sphere of water around the palm of his hand and whirling it aroujnd his body with complete and utter control like it was an extension of his own body.

“Fujimoto!” Nagisa said, a fervor in his eyes that glazed with madness. “You may have lived a pleasant life despite the sins you’ve committed, though it’s about time that I drown you in the depths. Bury you in the brine, decorating the seabed with your corpse! Oh, how I looked toward to the day that I would present you to my Master and have my position rise higher in the organization.”

“So…” Hina said, frowning. “You’re still a glorified lapdog.”

“No no,” Nagisa said, putting a hand against his face and smirking. “I am so much more than that. Did you know that there is water and fluid in your bodies that I can manipulate and control too if you so desired? Hina is already using her atomokinesis to counteract my Hydrokinetic powers from affecting her, but you, Fujimoto, you didn’t notice, did you? What I’ve been doing?”

Junshin noticed the subtle effects of his own body heat causing his body to dehyrdate quicker, and on top of the Hyrdorkinetic manipulating the water in his body to deprive him of such a resource, Junshin was starting to feel dizzy and light headed. Hina was quick to provide healing supplements to Junshin, however, and supplied him with water in his body through a healing aura of touch and atomokinetic ability.

The Hydrokinetic clapped, before saying, “Miss Kihara, I applaud you! Though honestly how long can you stay fueling Junshin with your atomokinetic water supply and your own, I wonder, before you both suffer from the effects of dehydration?”

“We won’t let you win,” Junshin said, feeling thanks towards Hina who was providing him with the water supply that he needed.

“You may have Pyrokinetic abilities that nullify my Hydrokinetic abilities by drying up whatever water supply that I conjure up out of nothing or in the environment,” the Hydrokinetc said. “But I’m taking advantage of your natural body heat and body chemistry to cause dehydration and starve you out, Fujimoto. And on top of it all, I can thread some invisible strands of water through your skin with poison, sutures, slice open the skin, rupture you from the inside—yeah, I may not have fancy powers like your Kihara Hina, but I’ve honed my Hydrokinetic abilities so well that I’ve done things like this with ease!”

“So the question is,” Nagisa said with a widening grin. “Are you going to rely on that power? You can easily nullify whatever I do to you with insane regeneration and nullification of powers. You have the power of a God in your hands, Fujimoto, but not using it is foolish.”

“I never wanted to be a God,” Junshin said with a frown. “All I wanted…”

What did he want? A normal life? To save lives? To live up to his brother’s reputation and name? Junshin didn’t know himself. He could never erase the sin that he did those many years ago, true. But there are things he can do now to prevent another tragedy from happening. The Hydrokinetic, Nagisa Namikaze, was someone from the past who clearly remembered everything that Junshin did, despite everything that Kazuki did to help protect Junshin and take on his burdens and make up for his mistake.

Junshin bowed his head, clenching his hands into fists.

“Are people’s lives just toys to you?” Junshin said in a deadly calm voice.

“Eh?” Nagisa said, before he cocked his head, then grinned cheekily. “Who can say? But obviously, what do you mean by that, Fujimoto? Weren’t you the one who caused the Great Calamity of Tokyo so many years ago?”

“I’m a different person from then,” Junshin said.

“Maybe, but I would say that you haven’t changed into a better person,” Nagisa said mockingly. “You’re just a coward, through and through.”

“Junshin-kun is not a coward,” Hina said with biting words towards the Hydrokinetic. “He is fighting to protect Tokyo from the likes of you, after all. It may not erase everything that he did, though he’s trying, and we in the ANGeLS will help guide him along the way.”

“Bawh,” Nagisa said while shaking his head. “You’re all just a bunch of bores! I wanted some fun, I wanted some action! Though you’re crippled by restraint and morals that don’t let you let loose and cause destruction and blow this world apart from the foundations. The world is mostly water, you know—and it was on this atmosphere that life was created. But it’s also through the world’s waters and oceans that life can be taken away.”

“You think that we’re the bores?” Hina said. “We’re tired of hearing your maddening spiel about being superior to the Naturals and being blessed with powers. No, you were BORN with one, and to be someone great, you have to earn it. How does walking the path of a villain make you someone worthy of such powers that are meant to protect and help.”

“It is my choice to do whatever I want with my powers, right?” Nagisa said. “That’s the beauty of free will. If we were all to be perfect little angels, there would be nothing for you ANGeLS to fight…right?”

“Ideally we’d live in a society where we didn’t have crime,” Hina said while putting her hands on her hips.

“How sweetly idealistic,” the Hydrokinetic Nagisa said. “But unfortunately unrealistic. It’s human nature to manipulate, to act on their dark impulses, to aggressively gather resources and attain power for themselves. Do you think the indoctrination at SeRAPH is teaching you anything worthwhile except to suppress something that is naturally a part of you?”

“Our powers are mean to be used responsibly,” Hina said sternly. “Why do you think that we should use them to hurt and harm other people?”

“Because, my dear,” Nagisa said while wagging a finger at her. “That’s just human nature, isn’t it? Whether Natural or Psion.”

“We have to lead by example,” Hina said, though Junshin wondered by she was trying to talk-fu this guy when it was evident that he wasn’t willing to listen to reason or a viewpoint that was different from his power hungry point of view. “Protecting the weak. Helping others. Doing well by society. Otherwise what would be the point of our powers if we didn’t put them into check? Don’t you realize if you use your powers willy nilly that you would destroy society into a cave man like civilization and we would start from ground zero?”

“I personally don’t care for all this philosophical talk,” Nagisa said lazily. “But riddle me this. If the ANGeLS don’t believe in killing and believe in rehabilitation, then that means I have as many opportunities as I want to go and wreck havoc and destruction as I want, right?”

“We could always restrain you or imprison you,” Hina said, still frowning. “We don’t agree with what you criminals too, but even if it’s a life like yours, we don’t believe in capitol punishment.”

“Then why are you trying so hard to justify what Junshin did?” the Hydrokinetic said. “He killed far more lives than I.”

Hina clenched her hands into fists, saying nothing.

Junshin looked down, before saying, “It’s about the current choices that we make in the moment that matter, Nagisa. Unfortunately, you’re taking a wrong path…but we will stop you, if need be, and we’ll put you in jail.”

“But that’s just the rub, isn’t it?” the Hydrokinetic said. “How come you go free and there are Criminals locked up because of the potential harm they could cause? Do you think your Telepathic Corps are so faultless that they can easily predetermine a person’s fate and their actions of what they’ll do just by scouring their minds?”

“We usually let them go if they’ve proven they will take the proper rehabilitation methods and are carefully monitored so that they won’t act on impulse to harm,” Hina said. “Our system is not faultless. No system is. Though it’s the best that we’ve got at the moment, and it’s worked thus far for stopping villains like you.”

“Oh?” Nagisa said, before he reconsidered his point of view. “Why do you think that the ANGeLS are so righteous then, Miss Kihara Hina?”

“We try to do what is best for everyone,” Hina said. “Both Natural and Psion. You don’t care about the Naturals—you see them as inferior, as lesser, as people that are not worth saving. But to an ANGeLS member, we save all lives we can, including sparing those that may not deserve it, because that is what we do.”

“How incredibly naive!” Nagisa said with a widened smile. “That naivete is going to get you killed one day, you know.”

Junshin stepped forth.

“Enough talk. We’re going to take you down here.”

Nagisa shrugged. “Very well. If you’re going to be that way, then I shall oblige in kind. Come on then…show me what you’ve got!”

Hina continued supplying water into Junshin’s body so that he wouldn’t dehydrate from the Hydrokinetic’s constant onslaught of draining his body of the water he needed and taking advantage of his body heat to further dry and shrivel up. At first it seemed like Junshin was at a natural disadvantage here, though Junshin already had a plan to be able to counteract against the Hydrokinetic.

Junshin regulated his body heat so he did not dry up the water supply stores in his body with Hina helping him. He closed the gap between him and the Hydrokinetic, who seemed to brace himself for a telekinetic repel that manifested itself as a pair of ‘vectors that Junshin imagined as multiple hands extending from his body. They grasped and snatched toward the Hydrokinetic, who dodged the invisible hands that no Natural can see though a Psion can sense through the psi vibrations.

Junshin snatched out a vecor toward the Psion criminal, flying and hurtling toward his opponent at Mach speed while the enemy dodged and activated his own vectors and gushed forth water. Hina ran alongside Junshin, supplying him with the water that he needed through atomkinetical arrangement.

“You ANGeLS just don’t know when to quit!” Nagisa said.

“We don’t give up,” Junshin said quietly. “Because we have something precious to protect.”

“But what is so precious about the Naturals to you, Junshin Fujimoto?” the Hydrokinetic said as he spat out three bullets that Junshin dodged without barely moving his head, which shot into a nearby building and caused havoc, causing the concrete and steel and glass to crumble down. “What do you think about a people who fear you and resent you? Who wouldn’t spare you a second thought when you need THEIR help?”

“That doesn’t matter!” Junshin said, grasping his several launched vectors while flying in the air as the Hydrokinetic also launched himself in the air, shooting constantly stretching and grasping telekinetic arms with grasping hands that barely grasped against the Hydrokinetic, who launched his own invisible vectors of psi to deflect the trajectories of vectors and nullify Junshin’s pyorkinetic abilities at the same time. “We protect those who can’t protect themselves from people like you.”

“How foolish, how naive, how positively stupid!” the Hydrokinetic laughed. “Even as they resent you and won’t thank you for your actions, you still fight for them. What is the point? You’re known as the Massacre Psion of Tokyo that the Symbol of Peace Kazuki enlisted his services in the ANGeLS to erase your sins by performing heroic deeds. Do you really think that would be enough to wash all your sins away?”

Junshin reached a spectral vector to snatch at the Hydrokinetic again, who dodged the vector at a blinding speed. More hands from Junshin’s origin point started to grasp and snatch toward the Hydrokinetic as he sprinted toward Nagisa and hurtled more vectors, as the Hydrokinetic dodged them all. However, during the time that Junshin manipulated his various vectors, he also had some stray vectors grab some rubble and cocnrete and hurtle them toward the Hydrokinetic, trying to pelt the stone and concrete against him as the Hydrokinetic yet dodged once more.

“Hahaha, you will never catch me with your vectors!” the Hydrokinetic said. “Your brother Kazuki is said to be a master at vectorkinesis, isn’t he? He has the fastest launching vectors that can’t be detected except by the very best, but you are exuding too much power because you don’t have fine tuned control. You might be powerful, Fujimoto, but that makes you easy to read!”

“Even if you can read my movements, you can only keep focused for so long and eventually you’ll wear out,” Junshin said. “This is a war of attrition, to see who lasts the longest.”

Junshin then empowered his vectors with burning flames that seared and sparked, and the Hydrokinetic started to sweat as a manic grin spread across his face. “Had a few tricks up your sleeve, do you? I guess the ANGeLS really can do everything, as they say! But if that were try, why weren’t they able to stop the Calamity of Tokyo?”

“True, there are still some sins I need to pay for,” Junshin said softly as he flew and continued to streak his flame enhanced vectors toward the Nagisa, who used his own water enhanced vectors to grab against Junshin’s vectors and quelled the flames. Steam sizzled as water dried up, though the vectors from the Hydro’s side also nullfied Junshin’s flames, but it was this calculation that Junshin was counting on to wear the Hydrokinetic down. The more things he focused and concentrated on, using his abilities and calculating the math and understanding the underlying fundamental principles of making his powers work to make them manifest in reality only put a strain on his brain, and his concentration can only keep up for so long until his mind and body and stamina wore out. “That doesn’t give you a right to harm anyone here.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Nagisa said in a somber tone. “You hurt people and got away with it. I don’t buy the excuse that you were ‘under the influence of something else’ and that you were a child. Naughty children should be punished, and it looks like you haven’t grown up since then, Fujimoto!”

“I’m trying to protect lives now,” Junshin said. “For every life, for every soul, that I save, I make up for the mistakes that I’ve done in the past. I will save every life that I can, that is within reach, because my brother would do it without hesitation!”

Junshin guided Nagisa toward a certain location while Hina followed Junshin, using her own vectors which manifested not as hands but as glowing globules of water inside his bloodstream that he felt energize and hydrate him, forming constructs of water on a fundamental level that counteracted Nagisa’s dehydration method. It may seem like Hina was taking secondary role as a Healer, though Junshin also knew how dangerous and how much potential Hina wielded at her disposal with her Rank 5 Atomokinesis—she simply had a gentle heart that wasn’t meant to hurt, so she put her stock and attention into supporting and helping others.

“Junshin-kun!” Hina cried out. “Whatever you do, don’t let this guy get to your head!”

“I’m fine, Hina,” Junshin said with a small smile, before Hydrokinetic hurtled closer toward him and launched a punch toward his face, which Junshin deflected with a flame-enhanced aura that immediately manifested to defend Junshin. The Hydro’s hand reddened and burned, though he recovered quickly and used healing Hydrokinetic a bilities to balm the burn and shook his hand as the Hydro smiled.

“You know what you’re afraid of, Junshin? You’re afraid of PAIN. I do not fear it. I live no it. I thrive on it. I seek it out to become stronger and toughen my mentality! But you, you run away and cower from pain. I will make sure that you will know pain—mental, physical, and spiritual—and I will take away everything that is precious to you!”

Nagisa then laughed maniacally as he gushed more geysers of water surged for a tidal wave of water from the oceans, thee liquid swelling and stretching and forming an arch that was going to crash down with horrific force that would upend the concrete. Hina maintained the barrier that stopped time and only enclosed the Hydro, Hina, and Jushin within sos no Naturals or anyone else would be harmed—though the thing about this enclosed space, despite there being no damage in the real Tokyo, meant they could not escape until Hina’s barrier broke or Nagisa physically wore himself out and escaped to recover his wounds. Though Junshin knew and felt relieved that people wouldn’t be harmed, and he could fight to his heart’s content against the Hydrokinetic that claimed he was a Calamity of the World.

“You’re going to regret threatening our home,” Junshin said seriously. “The people, the place we call home—it is all precious. A life dies…but a life is born. When a life is born, people celebrate the person entering the world vulnerable and needing to be sheltered and protected until they become old enough to exert independence and self will.”

Hydrokinetic smiled a slahsher smile. “You know what, Fujimoto?” I don’t like you.”

The Hydrokinetic formed a construct of pure solid water, manifesting his vectors into a sphere of water that surrounded Hina and trapped her inside. SHe immediately manifested an atomokinetic barrier to defend herself from drowning by making a psychic construct of a pink scuba diving suit, though she was cut off from Junshin as the Hydro grinned.

“Checkmate, Fujimoto,” the Hydro said.