Ogami Rei

Of course, she was once normal. But at the moment, such a situation was a fleeting dream, a compromise never to be reached. In fact, the fact that she was a normal human being was all but an illusion. Ignorance is bliss, and that was how she - Sakura Sakurakouji lived happy days without knowing a thing…

…until she met a certain raven haired young man called Rei Ogami.

Sakura was certain the he was probably back in their homeworld, going about his business with his form of justice. A sigh escaped her lips. Just by staying here in this world made her feel like Ogami was going to be disappointed with her. How was she going to defeat him if she was to be trapped in Somnia?

A moment passed before the purple-haired girl shook her head and raised a fist into the air. “This isn’t the time to act depressed!” Yes…that’s right. Even if I’m not in my own world anymore, I’ll keep my promise. I won’t lose to Ogami no matter what!

With a new spring in her step, Sakura strode forward with her head held up high. Even if she was not on Earth anymore, she will uphold her justice, and when the time comes...

Then as if fate had lent a hand to her, a bloodcurdling scream interrupted her from her thoughts.

She leapt forward without thinking, letting instinct take over before common sense. The remaining shreds of blue flame that had erupted from the origin of the unsettling noise mad her heart beat wildly. Could it be…is it really?

It would seem that once again, Sakura’s instincts was right. A raven haired young man bathed in blue flame, stood before her, surrounded by men wielding guns. In a blink of an eye, Sakura jumped into the air and hit the nearest goon with a flying kick. Taken by surprise, the rest of the goons were not able to react swiftly and was rendered unconscious with a flurry of throws and kicks. The last goon was pummeled into the ground, and in response, Sakura’s hair flowed downwards, letting it cover her face.

"Heh sorry" 

As he was about to move, someone dashed in and knocked out the thugs cold. This was something that had happened in the past and an almost nostalgic feeling took over him. There was no way that he could meet with her of all people in this place so why was it actually her? He thought for a second that this was too absurd to be reality but he wasn't dreamwalking right now so it had to be. In any case, he needed to be certain.]

. . .

[Without saying a word, he walked up towards the girl and if anyone knew the kind of past these two had, they would think that he was going to hug her in a dramatic reunion but instead of that, he started pulling her cheeks.]

Hmm... It does feel real.

[Why pinching his own cheeks when he could do so with her's instead? In any case, he knew that he wasn't imagining things now and that she was actually in front of him so he couldn't help but sigh.]

Politics won't be of much help here, you dumb girl.

Sakura looked at the man’s glazed eyes and she gently rolled the man onto his back. She tilted the man’s head back so that his airways would be open. Gingerly, Sakura pressed around for the sweet spot on the man’s chest. Clasping her hands together over the man’s heart, but before she could start, the man’s body went limp. 

Sakura loomed over the man’s body. When she felt no pulse, she took in a deep breath and held it. After a bit, Sakura slowly let it out. 

For a minute he considered doing the latter but then again, if his body disappeared, it would mean he would be treated as missing and then his family would take longer to know what happened to him, if they even realized at all.

In the end, Ogami decided to leave the body there so at least his family would be notified and they could properly bury him.]

There's nothing left you can do. Leave the rest to the police and let's go before they arrive and start asking what happened.

But before she could get a deep breath in, she could hear a commotion coming from nearby. Sakura sprang to her feet and ran in the direction of the voices. She decided to cut through the thicket. 

As Sakura emerged from the bushes, she saw the familiar blue flame which she had seen so many times before. 

“Ogami!” she screamed, then clenching her teeth. But Sakura had been mere moments too late. The blue flames had reached their targets and in seconds they had turned to ash. 

Sakura stepped further into the clearing and saw the beaten man lying on the ground. She rushed to his side and hesitated to touch the man. She leaned her head down to his mouth and stared at the man’s chest. Albeit weak and shallow, Sakura could feel the man’s breaths on her ear. 

“Do not worry sir! We will make sure that you make it out okay!” she said as she gathered up one of his gnarled hands. Sakura gave it a tiny squeeze, feeling whatever warmth was left. 

However, since these thugs picked a part of the park that wasn't so easily seen, it was a bit harder that someone called an ambulance and that they managed to get in time to save the man.]

It's too late, he won't live.

“Oh no, I’m sorry…! This must be important to you…” She picked it up and held it out, smiling back at him. Of course his fake smile was enough to fool her. Kobato was too dense to see through it.

My name's Rei Ogami, it's a pleasure to meet you Kobato-san.

[Ogami took the paper back and pressed it better between the book he was carrying so it didn't go out flying again with the wind.]

Excuse mt rudeness but perhaps you know of any good place to sit and do some homework around here?

There was no easy way to explain something that was commonly known as a gut feeling. Even to Dlanor, such a sensation was more instinctive than conscious; thoughts that simply occurred. Maybe it was simply the combination of her observation skills and all the training she had received to be able to quickly work her way through a mystery, to craft theories. Yet, this wasn’t that kind of situation; it was meant to be something natural and ordinary. Maybe a vague sense of paranoia was the cause of it all. So, while the ideas ran through her head, the angel remained serene, watching as the blue-eyed teen scribbled on his notebook.

“I hope I am not causing you any INCONVENIENCES.” The lavender-haired girl commented before reaching over to take the sketch, letting her gaze linger over the traces and identifying the marked spots. It was detailed enough for her to be able to make her way around for the time being. As the other asked her whether there was something else she needed, the angel looked upwards towards him once more.

“There is one THING. I’d like to properly thank the person that has assisted me so, could I ask for your NAME?”

Don't worry, it's no inconvenience.

[Next thing he was asked, was for his name. His real name was something he discarded a long time ago when he decided to become a Code:Breaker. Still his last name remained the same but his identity as Code:06 was one that he only revealed to those he judged as evil.]

There's no need to thank me for such a small action. My name is Rei Ogami and it's a pleasure to meet you Knox-san.

It was perhaps just a way to give her time to readjust to her duties, or maybe even a way for her to recover the Great Court’s trust after such a disastrous assignment. She supposed it was a necessity, given the fact that she had been dispatched to eliminate Beatrice and she had, instead, let the witch go. It hurt her pride, but that hurt was nowhere near the joy she had felt when she realized this was the happy ending that the golden haired woman wanted. 

Still, this mission seemed simple enough for Dlanor to even have the wish to complain, let alone let it ruin her current mood. A generic school setting was it? The angel had to admit the idea seemed appealing after what little she managed to understand about them from the memories related to Erika’s small game. Yet, she was only here to investigate whether or not the pieces that were brought here from their respective kakeras were being manipulated by a theatergoer, or if this was just a natural, albeit bizarre, phenomenon.

And so the angel found herself treading the unfamiliar corridors, golden eyes taking in the features of the numerous students gathered around. Were they not supposed to be in a class? Seemed she had arrived just in time for the next course to start. That left the question of where her classroom was.

Realizing there was hardly any reason to be reserved, the child glanced around in order to find someone she could approach to ask for directions. Soon enough, she spotted someone. Although unable to put the sensation into words, something seemed noteworthy of the individual, whether their physical appearance or just their presence. Maybe both, but that wasn’t a problem at the moment. So, with slow and calm steps, she approached the other, golden eyes gazing upwards before she spoke.

Still, from time to time it seemed that there was this inevitable contact with other students that he had to cope with. Were it not for the time he had spent with Sakura and how much she had tried to make him a more ordinary human, he would be completely detached from human interaction. Since this seemed to be another one of those times where he was in front of such human interactions, he stopped and smiled towards the girl who just asked all of that.]

Don't worry. I was the same when I first arrived at these facilities.

Let me make a quick drawing.

[Seeing through Ogami's smile was a feat that not many people were able to and it might take someone who could feel other's emotions or some sort of supernatural ability to achieve said feat since he had practiced his smiles so that he could perfectly blend in with the students with as little interaction as needed but had no real pleasure in smiling.

Ogami finished a quick sketch and torn the page of one of his notebooks and handed it to the girl.]

Here, I hope this helps. Is there anything else you need?

Winter; the metaphorical sleep of nature, the hibernation of the flowers, and the absence of greenery. The season of hot cocoa and scarves. Noses turn red in the icy air, and everyone bundles themselves in their winter garments. 

To some, winter is viewed as a burden, a cold time when everything calms, and lulls into quietness. There isn’t as much to do without the warmth of the summer time. But, to Kobato, the always optimistic Kobato, winter time is just as lovely as summer time, and nothing can put a damper on her bubbly outlook.

It seemed like it had only been yesterday that Kobato had set foot on the grounds of Tancho Academy, and only yesterday had it been warm and sunny. Everyone was going to the beach, eating ice cream, and running around half-dressed. 

These days though, in the wake of the winter time, many of the students preferred to stay inside at all times possible, away from the cold. The only times they dared venture out was when they needed to rush from one building to the other, in between classes and clubs and so-on. 

Kobato often found herself watching them from her place below one of the many courtyard’s trees while she ate her lunch, thinking about how wonderful it would be to make friends with them as they passed her by. If only she knew how, without being too forward.

This was one of those days, a calm and dreary one. Many people passed her, just as they always did, almost habitually even. Some of the faces were familiar, faces Kobato had seen every day. She had no names to place with those familiar faces. And still, even today, all she could do was watch. 

In any case, since he was supposed to do his homework, he was currently looking for a quiet place to do some reading first and then start on his essay. Ogami was holding a book on Japanese military history and he had a paper inside it with the notes on what topics he was supposed to make the essay and the details of the work when suddenly a gust of wind blew the paper away from him and he decided to follow it but couldn't bother to run so he just walked at a bit of a fast pace towards it until it was stuck on some girl's face.]

Ah, I'm sorry, could I get back that paper?