Chapter 7 - Personal

School was so boring for me to be honest. If I hadn't been a straight A student I would've probably dropped out right now. That's right, I have full satisfaction of my self when I score great grades because it makes my dad really proud of me. It's the least I can do for what he has done for me all those years. It had been exactly a two days since I had that fight with Kidel. He hasn't called me yet even after I had sent him a voice mail. Who was I kidding? He wouldn't call me even if I pleaded a hundred times. The guilt really filled up my system now because I think I really hurt the guy. 

I sat down at the leftmost part of the class room and listened to my boring professor who was teaching Literature. To be honest, I had already read all this stuff on my free time before and listening to this guy just bored me to death, thankfully this is our last period for the day and after this class we're home free.  My head instead was filled with thoughts about the fight I had with Kidel. The guilt would not really leave me and I really hated that feeling. I was still daydreaming when suddenly I heard a loud slam in front of the classroom.

*THUD!!*

I looked in front and everyone was staring at me. It seems that the professor had called my attention to answer a question. He looked pissed at me for some reason, well it's not really my fault that he's a real boring dude.

"Lumina!" I heard him shout my name and in an instant I fell back to the reality of the world.

"Yes sir?" I had asked him.

"I asked you specifically the message being sent by the literature, Myth of Sisyphus." He had replied.

"It's a story that highlights the absurdity of life and how man can face up to the said absurdness of life." I had replied to him. He looked pissed because I got it right even without listening to him. 

"Correct." he said as he let out a large sigh. 

"Nice job Lumina, getting right in his face." my seatmate whispered to me. She was a bestfriend of mine, well one of the few anyway. I met her when we were 3rd grade and our friendship just bloomed ever since. Her name was Fiora, she was the same age as me and she had her brown hair let loose on her shoulders all the way to her back. Her eyes were also red in color, like a certain somebody whom I just reconciled with after 3 years. 

Fortunately the bell rang and classes ended. Students in the classroom stood up and left the room. I made my way towards the exit of the classroom and Fiora followed after me. We were now walking in the halls of the school.

"So Lumina, have any plans for today?" Fiora had asked me.

"Not really, I'll just go straight home again and probably do some homework." I told her.

"Damn girl, you need to get a life besides school." She had said to me. 

"I'll call you when I get one." I replied to her wittingly 

We walked towards our lockers to put our excess books in there so that we wouldn't bring much when we went home. Fiora met up with her boyfriend near the lockers. His hair was long like mine but was instead white. He had green eyes and was slightly taller than me and Fiora. 

"Paul!" I heard her shout as she gave him a hug and kiss.

I felt disgusted at the same time weird because of all the years me and Fiora have been best friends, I had never gotten used to her being all mushy and lovestruck like that. I was still putting my books in the locker until I saw a familiar face on the other end of the lockers. He had bandages on his face and scars on his eyes. His nose was still filled with cotton as he walked to his locker and put his books in also. It was Noire.

Fiora had gotten near me and whispered to me while looking at him. 

"You know what I heard? Noire got beaten up by a gangbanger near the Grand State District park. He tried to fight but he got bested and busted wide open." 

Fiora may had only heard about it, but I witnessed it myself. How Kidel beat up Noire without holding back. I thought at first he was doing it for me but then his blood lust kicked in.

"Rumor has it that it was the Crimson Eyed Demon that did him in." Paul had added. "I wouldn't want to fight that guy when worse comes to worst. I would just run away."

So people did refer to Kidel as the Crimson Eyed Demon. 

"Well that just serves him right for all the times that he tried to hit on you and almost hurt you here in school. Whoever that Crimson Demon whatever is, he put Noire in his place." Fiora had said to us.

I looked to where Noire is and I saw him looking at the three of us. He went near to me and said.

"You were luck Lumina, that you had that guy with you in the park. Otherwise I would have hurt ya after you slapped me like that." 

"Well it wouldn't have had happen if you hadn't been a persistent jerk." I replied to him.

"Yeah crawl back to your hole, gang banger." Paul and Fiora had said in unison.

Noire scoffed as he turned around with his hands in his pocket. Then it hit me, perhaps Kidel was right about people giving stereotypes to his kind of lifestyle and it just made me feel more guilty about the things I said to him.

"So you we're at the park when you saw him got beat up?" Fiora had asked me after the encounter with Noire.

"I was shopping for groceries when suddenly I had the urge to rest in the park. He just appeared afterwards and began to disrespect me in many ways." I replied.

"And this guy you were with as he said, was he the one who beat up Noire?" Paul had asked.

Before I answered the question Fiora had already interrupted with another one.

"You were with a guy?!" Fiora had asked "Who was he?" she added.

"He, was an old friend. It's been 3 years since I last saw him. We met days ago when I was in the main city square waiting while waiting for my dad." I replied to her.

"Ohh." Fiora had replied.

"Yo put me in the loop here. My question remains unanswered. This guy whom you were with, whom was your old friend and  whom you have not seen for 3 long years, beat up Noire?" Paul had asked

"Yeah." I had said to him.

"What did your friend look like?" he asked me further. This felt like an interrogation.

"Well he has red eyes and spiky blonde hair. Anyway why are you asking all this Paul?" I asked him.

"I'm just verifying and no doubt about it, this friend of yours is the Crimson Eyed Demon. Better not hang around him often Lumina, he's trouble." Paul had replied to me.

"How do you know all of this anyway?" Fiora had asked him. 

"My brother works in underground deals, you know selling weapons and stuff. I had heard a story from him about a guy who beat the s**t out of an entire gang just by himself. The man came to be known later as the Crimson Eyed Demon." Paul had told us.

Kidel must've been in deep waters more than I thought. He was actually dubbed in the underground as a demon? Plus he has flame powers. I can't believe the guy I knew once was now slipping off my hands and has now become a full fledged gang banger. I did not want to hear any more their talks about Kidel so I felt the urge to leave.

"Anyway see you tomorrow guys." I told them as I made my way out of my school.

The main city square was just walking distance from my school so I began to walk to the same spot that I had met Kidel in order to wait for my dad to pick me up like always. The streets now seem busier because it was already nearing the rush hour which usually starts at 5:00pm. I walked faster in order not to be carried by the sea of people. I was almost near the main city square and in a few moments I had finally made it. I let out a sigh and began walking to the bench, but as I got nearer I saw a familiar face and in an instant the guilt began crawling back to me.

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Kidel POV.

It had been dejavu all over again when I saw Lumina walk over to me. She was slow in walking so she didn't notice me entirely. She had her school uniform on just like the time I first met her or in that case I re-met her. I didn't even know what I was thinking coming to this place again without even calling her back on her cell, but I knew that I was at fault too. I misjudged her and I was guilty myself of hurting her two days ago. Well she hurt me too so we are practically even. Well if the time came for me to face her again, it would be now or never and I choose now.

I saw her walk closer to the bench and she was getting slower as well. I can sense guilt from her but in truth, she wouldn't have said those words. Moments later I heard her voice.

"Hey." She had said.

I looked at her and saw that she was looking at me. Those blue eyes of hers, made me get lost. Her eyes were so tranquil, so peaceful like the water in the sea flowing endlessly. I could look at those things forever if given the chance. Holy f**k what am I saying? This is not the time to get lost in her eyes. 

"U-u-u-uh.. yeah?" I stuttered like an idiot. F**k why am I acting like this? She's just a girl. A girl I met here again after three years.

"About the things I said." She had said as she looked down on the ground. She was playing with the keychain attached to her bag. 

I didn't say a word when she talked. It was like she was really trying hard to apologize to me. I also wanted to apologize to her just to put this matter behind the both of us. I hated beating around the bush so I may as well go first and say the words.

"I'm sorry." We both said in unison. Funny, I thought I was going to go first, but in truth, we had actually said those words together. We looked at each other a little while and then we both laughed. The tall wall that was built separating us now was shattered to pieces with those simple words.

"It's not your fault." I said to her. "I shouldn't have said those things." I added.

"Me too. I mean we haven't really taken the time to update each other about what we have been doing these past three years." Lumina had said. "You just disappeared with out trace." she had added.

Yeah, I know it was my fault. I tried to forget my past life to the point of putting her behind me. Never knew that I had become a stuck up jerk over the years. I guess I was proven wrong about my view towards society. There were still people like her around which made life sort of interesting.

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Lumina POV

I got my apology off my chest and finally we're in good terms again. We said nothing at a moment and there I stared at him. His spiky hair really made him stand out, I bet that in a sea of people you could still spot him no matter what. His eyes, those blood red eyes of his which were fire red. They were calm and at the same time, they were burning hot. It was as if he looked at you, your insides will burn immediately. If given a chance, I could look at those eyes forever. 

He then turned and looked at me and I immediately looked away from him, because he might think that I'm a weirdo. Crap I felt my cheeks burn up. Is it because of this guy? No, that's impossible we're just friends, but I guess he doesn't consider me one for now because we had just met after three long years.

Out of impulse I grabbed his hand and intertwined my pinky with his. I saw his reaction and he almost got freaked out but he didn't move.

"So....Friends?" I asked him

"Yeah I guess." He replied bluntly. My hand was still on his when I noticed it and I immediately removed it afterwards. What the hell was I doing? Then I saw him look at me closer like he was examining me and stuff. He then let out a smug face.

"You're blushing." He teased me.

"No I'm not!" I replied as I gave him a strong punch on his arm.

"Ow! I just came from an injury you know!" Kidel had replied towards me as he rubbed his arm to soothe the pain.

"And you still owe me." I said bluntly. I was returning to my witty self while talking to him.

"Last time I heard I already paid my debt to you." Kidel said to me as he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah but you didn't push the cart to my house which makes your debt still up." I said to torment him. 

"You ditched me at the park, not my fault." He replied bluntly and I punched his arm again. I could get used to this.

"Ouch!" He shouted.

"So you still owe me all in all." I reminded him.

"Yeah yeah. I'll find a way to pay you back." Kidel had said to me.

"You'd better!" I shouted at him but then I stopped as he was slowly putting his face in front of me. He was looking at me fiercely and I was actually petrified to be honest. I felt my cheeks burn again as our faces had little space in between it. I closed my eyes and thought that he was going to kiss me, but he didn't. I opened my eyes and saw his face. It had a smirk in it and I just had  to punch his arm again.

"How's that for a payment?" He had said to me laughing.

"Not funny." I replied to him.

"Whatever Ms. Blush face." he said to me and for the first time ever, I was actually speechless around him.

Before I could say anything else I saw my dad's car arrive and parked in front of us. I stood up and faced Kidel.

"Well see you around." I said to him.

"Try not to think of me too much." Kidel had said to me in return.

"You wish!" I shouted at him as I got on the car of my dad and he began to drive back home. My dad now was looking at me and noticed that I was extra happy.

"So Lumina, how was your day?" he asked me.

"Perfect." I said as I relaxed in my dad's car.

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KIdel POV

Lumina had already left with her dad in his car and I thought that It was time that I made my way back to the Silver Shadow den. I had already started walking towards the gang den and whilst doing that I came to realize two things; First, it was kinda fun messing with Lumina and second, I might actually have feelings for her. Crap, I can;t go soft like this, I'm the Crimson Eyed Demon, feared by many and will be feared by more due to my new Fire Manipulator skills, but at the same time, I was actually having fun spending time with her.

I was getting close to the gang den now and when I got there something surprising that got my attention. I saw some of my members beat up particularly Hide, Raven, and Samiel. They were lying on the floor like doormats. I lifted Samiel up and put him inside the gang den and sat him down to a chair. I also assisted the other two who were beat up. Looks like Raziel, Marzein and Trexaus were not here during the skirmish. They were probably still doing business outside of the gang to further our connections.

"Crap...got ambushed by The Dragon Clan...they f*****g now our hideout...." Samiel had tried to speak. "Tried to fight...but too many..." he added.

"F**k...Now it's personal..." I said as I lit my hands with blue flame. I'd better bring the gang together now because now, it's time for the Gang Kai.