I walked up the steps of volcano high, trailing somewhat behind Naomi and Naser. I felt like a complete fool, to be completely honest. They weren’t even dragging me anymore, I didn’t HAVE to be there. I didn’t have to attend some random high school. I could easily run off and go live under an overpass or something while I work with the Yamato. I did not have to be here. I didn’t have to. It was stupid. But… and I don’t know why.. I still can’t explain it.. …but this high school felt important. Something was drawing me to this place. Something was telling me that if I wasn’t here. That if I ditched right now… I would be leaving everything to die. Metaphorically, at least. Metaphorically, I felt like I would be leaving people to their deaths. Like if I left, there would be grave danger regarding such an action. Something SUBCONSCIOUSLY! Was telling me that I had to be here. Well, there was also the requirement of being here. ‘If you don’t attend school I’m not letting you stay at my house’ says Naomi. Damn it all. But I… I had no idea that I actually would be sentencing people to their deaths, to be clear. I just felt like I would be. Which is weird, because the feeling… turned out to be correct. …Just another fun thing about being the protagonist, huh? …I shook my head, trying to wane myself of the ‘impending doom’ feeling. It wasn’t good for me, and it usually got me screwed up in combat. And screwing yourself up in combat because you’re afraid of dying is how you actually die. You can’t be an awkward nerd bumbling through a fight if you want to win. —What was I talking about? Right. I ended up in Spears’ office within around ten minutes. It was a nice little place. Photos of him and a dinosaur woman—probably his wife—were hung up at various different points. He had some trophie— Wait, his wife. His wife. He was… was he married to a dinosaur…? Were dinosaurs and humans allowed to intermingle? Was it considered beastiality, or was it perfectly legal? These were the real questions I needed answered. Not the important ones, like how I got here or why everyone is a walking dinosaur. And why there are some humans walking around. Wait, I’m an idiot! A human! Spears is a human! There are other humans around! Holy shit. Okay, so, it wasn’t just dinosaurs. That’s why Naomi and Naser didn’t question me more. That’s why they were just chill with me— because they’d seen humans before. I tried to reign myself in from the mind-blowing moment. He was still talking to me. Be cool. Be cool. “What’d you say your name was again?” The imposing man said, staring at me with his glasses tilted downward. His tall stature gave off an aura of power. But also… that of a high school principal. Yeah. He was both. I just narrowed my eyes. I wasn’t afraid of him. “Nero.” “Last name?” He asked, reading over a clipboard. His glasses looked like actual glasses now. “Uh.” I shat myself. “My last name?” I asked. Shit. I don’t have a last name. I never knew my parents. What was Credo’s last name? Fuck. I don’t think he had one either. “Well?” The principal asked. “I don’t have all day.” “I… uh..” I panicked, and said the first thing that came to mind. Probably due to the imposing stature of the man before me. “Ares.” “Ares? Your last name is… Ares?” He confirmed, looking up from his clipboard. I nodded, the sweat dripping. “Your last name is the name of the Greek God of War and Courage?” The principal asked, looking over his glasses again. He didn’t believe me. Shit. Fuck. Dam— “That’s… really cool.” I just smiled. “Thanks.” Phew. He did believe me. “But I’m not seeing that name in the system. And you don’t have a social security card… or a birth certificate.” The principal sighed, and then… get this. Get fucking this. The bastard KNEW. He knew. After a moment or so, he began talking about the most insane and unbelievable thing I’d ever heard uttered from someone’s lips. “Be straight with me, Nero. Are you from around here?” “Uh, no…?” I said. “New to the area.” What was he getting at? Watch this. “No, I mean… are you from this…” he cleared his throat, leaned in, and lowered his voice. Are you from this world?” He asked. My eyes widened. No way he figured me out already! “What?!” I shot from my seat. “How did-“ “Your arm, Nero.” I stopped. “You’re not fully human, someone with your name has never existed, and the island you said you were born on doesn’t even show up on Google. So either you’re completely insane-“ He slammed a fist down. “Or… you’re not from this world. I’ve watched my fair share of isekai, Nero. You can’t fool me here.” I just stood there, silent. How did… “Your silence tells me that I’m correct.” The principal smiled a smug smile. Should I tell him? Should I lie? How do… Well, actually… I don’t think I have a choice. It’s either I be honest with him or he thinks I’m a schizophrenic nutjob. And the former option seems preferable. “…Yeah. You’re right. I’m not from this world. I don’t exactly know how I got here, but I’m here now, and I had nowhere else to go.” I admitted. What wonderful motivation… “Well, then. Thank you for being honest.” He stood up from his chair, and put out his hand. “Welcome to volcano high.” I reached out with my left hand, and shook his. His grip was strong but mine was stronger. “Wow! You’re certainly a strong young man, aren’t you?” He laughed a deep laugh. I smiled my smug smile. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” “I’m sure I haven’t, especially given you have that giant sword on your back. That thing looks like it weighs a hundred pounds. Do you actually use it?” He inquired. “Huh?” I asked, turning around. Red Queen was on my back. “Oh, shit. I meant to take that off before I walked in here.” I muttered, but then turned back to face him. He asked me a question. “But yeah, I actually use it. The world I come from is infested with demons, and it’s my job to take them out. I use my sword, Red Queen, and my gun, Blue Rose; to help dispatch them.” I muttered, and pulled out the respective items. “Woah, woah!” Principal Spears put his hand out. “Nero, I don’t disbelieve you with the demon fighting, but I can’t allow you to have a firearm on school property. That’s highly illegal. The sword is a big enough risk as it is.” “O-Oh,” I said, and put the gun back in its holster. “Sorry. I’ve never actually been to a school. I got all my education from The Order of the Sword.” I explained. “The Order of the Sword?” He asked. “They’re the protectors of Fortuna. I work under them. Or at least, I used to…” I trailed off, feeling myself get angry. “Seems touchy!” The principal exclaimed, and put his hand on my shoulder. “Well, I’ll let you get back your friends. The school day is over, so just head back home.” He nodded. But then he remembered. “You… you DO have a home, right?” He asked. “I’m staying with Naomi, apparently.” I muttered. “Ah, that girl. She’s nice, isn’t she? It was probably her idea.” He laughed. “She sure can talk, but she is a charming young lady.” “Sure.” I shrugged. “I’m just appreciative she’s giving me a place to stay. Even if she just met me..” “Kid, she’d let Jason Voorhees crash on her couch. She’s the most selfless dino I’ve ever met.” He smiled. He seemed to really care for her. “Whatever you say, buddy. I don’t know her enough to get a real opinion, but I’ll let you know after tonight.” I chuckled. “That’s the spirit. Now go on, get outta here. School starts tomorrow at 9:00 am SHARP!” He yelled that last bit as I opened up the door to leave his office. I nodded, but the only goodbye I gave him was a two finger salute. Jeez. He seemed… eccentric. He nearly pile-drove me as soon as I walked into his office—not sure if I mentioned that. He seemed violent and impulsive. So… just my kinda guy! Shaking my head and laughing, I walked up to Naomi, who was waiting on a chair out near the main office. She seemed to be dozing off, so I snapped my fingers. “C’mon, I wasn’t in there that long.” She ‘snk’-ed, and her eyes shot open. She rubbed them as she stood up. “Ah, hey Nero. How did it go?” She smiled at me. “Went well. I’m enrolled in the school, at least.” I shrugged. “Good!” She smiled. “You wanna head home?” “Uh, sure..” I looked away, trailing off. “But uh, are you sure it’s alright?” I asked. “You just met me.” “Nero, it’s fine.” She put a hand on my shoulder. It was softer than Principal Spears’. “It’s really no trouble.” “Well, it’s just.” I felt myself getting flustered. Damn it. “Thanks, is all.” I muttered. I tried to remain aloof, but I’m sure she could see right through me. “Of course.” She said, softly. “Now come on!” She grabbed my hand and began to drag me. “My car is on the other side of the school. It’s not too far, but let’s not waste any more time.” “Alright,” I chuckled. Wait, car? “Wait. You have a car?” “Duh.” She said, laughing. “I’m eighteen years old. It would be weird for me not to have a car.” “…I don’t have a car.” “Yeah, because you’re SEVENTEEN, goofy.” She giggled. “Pretty easy to understand.” “Ah, she’s a comedian!” I exclaimed, waving my hand out in a grandeur fashion. “Shut up!” She laughed again. I smiled. We began to walk away, just us two. Forgot to mention but Naser had to head home; he did so before I ended up in Spears’ office. Not before giving Naomi a knife, though. I’m not sure what a small knife will do against me, but I’m glad he’s at least looking out for his girlfriend. He seems nice. All things considered, they were both nice. Naomi especially. Naomi really was a nice girl. She found me, checked if I was okay, enrolled me at her school, and gave me a place to stay. All things that can be considered really going above and beyond. At the time, I considered the possibility of being indebted to her for the rest of my life. And this is still the case. I wouldn’t have been able to get any kind of foot ahead in this world if I didn’t have her help. The only thing I had in my wallet were SpardaBucks; and that’s not legal tender in the Volcaldera Bluffs. On the island of Fortuna, sure, but not here. TL;DR: Without Naomi, I would’ve been fucked. Which is why, even as we drove home, I felt the need to say those words again. “I… I really can’t thank you enough, Naomi.” I muttered, looking out the window of her 2004 Toyota Corolla. It was getting dark already. “Really. I’m just some random-“ I sniffed the air. Ew. Demon blood. “Some, uh, random smelly-ass teenager that you found outside.” I laughed. “But you’ve already done a lot for me.” “Nero, I’m not going to lie and say it’s a little weird for me too. I don’t just take any old guy home with me.” She giggled. “But… trade secret, Nero? I’m really good at reading people.” She flicked her turn signal, and turned through a stop sign. “And you… you’ve got a good heart. It’s written all over you. I didn’t even have to get to know you to know it for a fact.” “But that’s—that’s bullshit!” I raised my voice slightly. “I smell like blood, I’ve got a big sword on my back, there’s a gun under my coat—!” I sputtered. “How… how can you trust me?” I asked, looking away again. “…because when I first saw you, you were crying.” She muttered. Her voice was so soft. “Huh?” I asked, snapping my head towards her. What did she say? Crying? “You were crying, Nero. You were… you were crying tears of… tears of regret.” My eyes widened. How… “Someone as strong-looking as you, as angry, as hot-headed and as tough as you… you were crying. You were crying over someone.” She kept her tone soft. “Whoever… whoever owned that necklace meant a lot to you. And I don’t know if.. if maybe you were the one that hurt them… but crazy people don’t feel regret. Psychos don’t… Nero, psychos don’t cry.” She laughed, but her voice was shaky. She was making herself emotional. I felt a little emotional too. “I… I guess they don’t. But..” “No buts.” She said, and put her car in park. Oh. We’re here. “You’re welcome, Nero. And I’m happy to have you.” She smiled, and opened her car door. I got out too. As I stood to my full height and looked around, I took notice of how nice the neighborhood was. It was nothing like I had ever really seen, but it looked… nice. It was a nice little spot. “But Nero?” Naomi asked. I turned to her, my vision no longer on the housing. “Yeah?” I asked. “Don’t prove me wrong.” I stayed silent for a second. Did she…? I coughed. I’m an idiot. I can’t blame her for that. “…yes, ma’am.” I responded, giving a salute. She giggled. “That’s all I ask.” We settled into a silence as we walked toward the front door of her house. The house itself was a nice little place. Single story, with a nice garden out front and some roses near the porch. There was an old basketball hoop attached to the front of it, so either Naomi had a brother or she used to play basketball. Probably that second thing, actually. She seems athletic. Could probably hold her own in a fight, if the situation were to call for such a thing. When Naomi let me into her home, her first order of business was to.. tell me to do something. Something important. “Nero, the shower is down the hall and on the right. Do you need a shirt and shorts or do you want to wear what you have on?” Naomi said, seemingly deciding my evening for me. “Huh? Shower?” I asked. “Oh, sure. And no I don’t need clothes— this is fine.” I nodded. I would’ve been offended if I didn’t completely and utterly agree with her. Yeah, I fuckin’ reeked. I had been running around all day swinging a big-ass sword, cutting demons in half, and sweating up a storm. My coat was drenched in wet snow and I had been frozen in complete ice on more than one occasion, and then I dried myself off with just the air, leaving the entirety of my person a soggy mess. Combine this with all of the demon blood and I really didn’t understand how Naomi could’ve spent time in a car with me, let alone trust me enough to invite me into her home. So, swallowing my pride, I stepped into the bathroom and put myself to the task of deciphering her hot and cold water controls. It was one knob, so it shouldn’t be too hard. Right? “Damn it, no, that’s…” I muttered as I turned it slightly in one direction. The water went from scalding to sub-zero. I turned it back. “Fuck! Hot!” I yelled, and removed my hand from the water. I growled. “Fucking dinosaurs.” I turned it a SMIDGE in the other direction, and then just said fuck it and jumped in. I could worry about the temperature later. I just wanted to get clean, and that would never happen if I kept jerking off the knob. …Kyrie’s necklace stuck to my skin as I felt the somewhat warm water cascade along my body, and the dirt of my entire day flow away with it. The blood, the guts, the grass, the pine needles and the rocks… all going down the drain. The water was turning a murky brown as I snorted softly at the turn of events. The turn of events being… my grand situation. I still needed to figure myself out. What better time than while I showered in someone else’s shower? “Okay, so…” I whispered, and rubbed away a dirt stain on my arm. “The Yamato, finicky as it is, was somehow able to open a portal to a different universe.” I spoke aloud, recapping my current life. “That’s pretty standard stuff. I, being an idiot, fell into my own portal, and it closed before I could try to jump back in. Thankfully, it spit out my sword. However, before I could even attempt to reopen the portal, someone found me and dragged me into a situation that..” I looked into a particular segment of grout on the shower wall. “…I’m not sure if I have any business being a part of.” I sighed. High school. I got enrolled in a high school. Why? Why did I go along with it? I didn’t need to. I guess I need something to do while I figure out how to get home, but what if it’s literally as easy as slicing the Yamato at the air again? What if I enrolled for no reason? What if I’m taking advantage of Naomi for NO REASON? I guess I can try opening the portal again later, when I’m not in the SHOWER, but my point stands. Sure, there was the unexplainable universal draw I felt towards the place, but what the fuck kind of motivator is that? I feel that pretty much all the goddamn time. And I’ve already put my head to not thinking about it. So that’s unrelated. Why did I decide to go along with all of this? Naomi forcing me to isn’t exactly an excuse. Sure, having room and board is nice, but homelessness is not my biggest concern right now. I can easily survive on my own. I got stuck in a situation, and I have no idea if I even need to be in it. Especially because now I can’t dedicate myself to getting back home as much as I would like. Which means that I can’t get to Kyrie as fast as I would like. …well, if there’s anything left to get back to, that is. Kyrie’s dead and… Credo.. we were fighting the last time we saw each other. I stayed silent as the water from the shower head washed away my tears. I don’t know why I was crying, but I was. I don’t know when it started either. It just.. did. Ugh. Men don’t cry. It’s weak. It looks weak—crying shows weakness. I’m not weak. I’m Nero. I’m cool as shit, I’m excellent with a firearm, my sword explodes… I’m a holy knight, and I protect people. …but I couldn’t protect Kyrie. Why… …why couldn’t I protect Kyrie? I tried so hard. I always try so hard. I’m always trying so fucking hard. But I can never protect anybody. Sanctus was shot and killed— right in front of me. Before I could even react. Sure, he’s alive and an asshole, but I still let him die. I’m always letting people die. Why… Why couldn’t I protect-! “Nero?” A feminine voice asked from outside the bathroom. Then there was a knock. “You alright in there? It’s been twenty minutes!” “Huh?” I asked. I wiped my eyes quickly, despite her not being able to see me. “Y-Yeah! I’m fine! I’ll just be a few more minutes.” I still needed to wash my hair and all. “Alright! I’m making dinner, so come to the kitchen when you’re done.” She said, her smile present in her tone. “Sounds good.” I muttered, not really caring if she was able to hear me or not. She probably didn’t, but I’m sure she understood. I looked away from the grout stain on the wall. I need to stop wallowing in my own misery. Ugh.. I finished up in the shower after another few minutes, feeling refreshed after a long day. My body smelled like coconuts and my hair smelled like flowers, but fuck it, smelling girly has never stopped me from kicking ass. How have I smelled girly before? Well, uh, sometimes Credo’s shampoo was all out. Can’t blame me, haha. Anyway. Stepping onto the rug in the shower and looking at myself in the mirror, I ran a comb through my hair, drying my body off as I did. I didn’t comb my hair into any kind of style, but I didn’t want it to be all curly and messed up. Once I finished with that, I got all of my clothes back on, and searched the drawers for a spare deodorant. My saving grace came in the form of an old can of Axe. It’s not my preferred method of applying deodorant, but it’ll do for now.. When I opened up the bathroom door and stepped out onto the hardwood, I was a new man. No longer was I smelly and gross, for now I was handsome and clean! I walked out and over to the kitchen shortly after. When I got there, I saw Naomi slaving away over a big pan on the stove. She… seemed to be making some kind of stir fry. But I figured I’d ask, just to make sure. “Whatcha makin’?” She jumped slightly, before turning and facing me. “Oh, hey! How was your shower?” “Great,” I responded, not worrying about the previous question. “I feel like I haven’t showered in ten years.” Naomi laughed. “Good! Glad you feel all clean. And, to answer your previous question, I’m making vegetable stir fry,” she stirred the pot. “It’s an old method, something my mom taught me years ago. Hope that’s alright.” “Oh, sure.” I chuckled. “I’m not gonna be picky. Not when someone is making me dinner.” Granted, I wish it had some meat, but I couldn’t complain. I couldn’t be picky. And be picky I didn’t! When she served that food, it tasted like the best food I’d had in years. I had seconds and thirds. How long had it been since I ate a proper meal? Not since breakfast that day, and— wait. Wait wait wait. Breakfast… breakfast WHICH day? How long was I fighting? I began to consider it. I encountered Dante for the first time around the evening. I fought all the way to the castle, which took until night time. And then I fought through the forest, during the day, and then it never became night again. So I was awake for nearly a full day. Which… explains my ravenous hunger. “I’m glad you liked it, Nero.” Naomi laughed. “Of course!” I said, no longer thinking about how long it had truly been without food. “This is amazing! You definitely know how to make a good stir fry.” I picked at the food, and put another piece of broccoli into my mouth. “Mm.” “Oh, uh— th-thank you.” She smiled, and blushed. “I don’t cook for other people a lot, so.. I’m glad you like it.” I smiled at her, and gave her a nod. I didn’t really need to say anything else. —-…—- A few hours later, I lied on top of the guest room bed, reduced to nothing but a pair of boxer briefs and an undershirt. I normally sleep in just the briefs, but given I was staying at someone’s house, I wore the shirt. Just for the sake of decency. However, I lied awake because.. I couldn’t sleep. Even though I hadn’t slept in probably days, I didn’t feel like I could actually get to bed. Not from any kind of weird ‘haha I’m too excited to go to bed’ but mostly from… fear. Yeah, fear. I had actually began to think about my situation, and it was messing with me. I was in a world I didn’t get, in a place I didn’t recognize, sleeping in the bed of a house owned by someone I’d never met before today. It was all terribly unfamiliar, and it was freaking me out. After another few minutes of lying alone in a dark room, I groaned and sat up. I rubbed my hair out of my eyes as I blinked myself back into focus. The bland room around me served as a good grounding point; yet I was more interested in the knick-knacks I’d left strewn about. Red Queen propped up on the closet door, Blue Rose on the night stand, my jacket thrown on the chair at the end of the bed. It was… giving me an idea. Since I can’t sleep. I might as well get ahead. I rubbed my eyes one last time, threw the blankets to the side, and went about grabbing my gear. It only took around five minutes before I was fully prepped to leave the house. I didn’t put on my entire outfit— had I done that, it would’ve taken much longer. My holsters and hooded vest jacket thing would’ve just been a pain. So nah, I just kept it simple. Undershirt, coat, jeans, boots. A somewhat normal outfit, and I was ready to bounce. Yet, not wanting to make Naomi worry, I just decided to open up my window to get out of the house. I could easily make an escape through there, given it didn’t have a screen or anything. So that’s what I did. Middle of the night and I was sneaking out of a stranger’s house to go swing my sword at trees. Yeah, trees. There was a forest near Naomi’s house that I could go and spend some time in. It didn’t take long to traverse my way over there; it was only around a five minute walk. When I finally got to a good spot, I commented as such. “Here’s good..” I muttered, looking around at a wider area of forest. Less trees, yet still striking area. It was perfect. Taking Red Queen off my back, I pulled her trigger, and revved her engine. The sword lit up in flames as I smirked. “Back in action.” Looking across the field at a perfectly innocent tree, I got into position. “BEGONE!” I yelled, and streaked across the field, my sword slashing the entire tree in half. Haha! Call me a lumberjack the way I destroyed that thing. I began to swing my sword all around, but while keeping a form. I wasn’t swinging wildly and randomly, yet I was still letting out my energy. It was how I usually trained. Kicking off a tree and jumping into the air, I revved my sword and slammed it into the roots of a tree. “DOUBLE DOWN!” I pulled my sword out of the ground, and swung at a nearby bush. It was cut through like butter. “HAH!” I laughed, and swung around again. “HYEAH! ERRAAGH!” I exerted. Hell yeah! After around ten minutes of wildly swinging, I decided I needed to actually try. I needed to actually work on shit. So, I felt myself grasp for power. I reached down deep inside me, and… pulled out the Yamato. I kept myself fired up, but now… I was focusing. You needed to focus when using the Yamato. This was my mistake earlier. So, now being a focused Nero, I set about considering where I wanted to go. I was going to try and travel. I just want to go… five feet to the left. I swung the sword, attempting to visualize where I was going to go. Trying to open a portal. … …Nothing happened. “…huh?” I whispered. Why didn’t it work? I tried again. And then again. “Five feet!” I yelled, and slashed the air. Nothing. Fuck. “Five feet to the left!” I slashed. I was getting weaker, and the sword was disappearing. “Naomi’s house!” I tried in a last-ditch effort to make a portal. Nope. “Fuck!” I felt my energy drain out fully, and the Yamato disappeared. I was left standing alone in a field, surrounded by broken wood and trees. “…damn it.” I muttered. At this rate, how the fuck was I going to get home? [POST-NOTES] bwuhhhh… weird chapter kinda. still no real outline for this story. just having fun. thanks for reading.