The Gladiator's Soul chapter 16

Previous chapter: The Gladiator's Soul chapter 15

As usual this story's author is as irregular and unpredictable as them, haha... To all of you who follow them here is a greeting, a very big hug from a mere amateur writer.

<<So many years have passed... since we were friends, she and I. The first ones were the best, the sweetest. Now, in spite of my young age, the days go by flying as I spy her dazzling smile.>>

Something was happening. Ever since several days ago Hime had not showed up at school. Neither I had seen her leave her house in that direction; the most she did was go for errands. Needless to say, in an accelerated course of such calibre, missing classes did not do any good to the students. I needed to find out what was happening... I must do it, but I did not want to talk to her. What if she hated me? And what if she did not hate me and the following hush tore my soul? Would I be able to stand it...?

I was surfing the internet, thoughtful. I felt like visiting the web of the bank where my parents deposited my allowance.

There was no allowance. Not this month, nor the last. And if...? Something fateful was brewing in my mind. Something dreadful.

Putting everything else aside for a moment, I took the telephone and called my parents.

<<The number you dialled doesn't exist...

… …

bip, bip, bip...>>

Breathing deeply I called once again. And twice. And more. I dialled the damn digits until my mind was about to collapse.

Of course. The money for Hime's education. It is not there anymore, the same as my allowance. And she is not going to ask me for it. She would never have done such a thing, and furthermore now it is impossible.

It is kind of funny how we people keep calm in some extreme situations. 'Sangfroid' or whatever it may be called, scared me to the same extent as it set me apart from a human being. At the moment I did not think of it, though. First of all I called the butler. I explained to him what happened and that I felt extremely grateful for his services. I paid him an amount (not that much) for his loyalty. “Thank you so much, you've served me well, if you ever need a favour don't hesitate to ring me...”

With this, the house was finally empty. The air staled in the lifeless mansion. Corridors and rooms were crossed by wandering, pained memories of a life that in other time was happy. Hime's screams, faces, mischief... The sad remembrance of her beauty (which excelled in my eyes) was like an old, ruined paint on all the walls of the house.

I knew what I had to do. I had my parent's bank account number, where Hime's course was paid from every month. I went to the bank and gave order that money were transferred to that account from mine.

After some days the girl started attending class anew. I felt quite relieved. But, on the other hand, I had almost no funds left. If I wanted Hime to continue the accelerated course, I needed to get money somehow.

I had to carry on training. That was the most important thing. Arriving to my appointment with Ulysses, with my head spinning like a merry-go-round, several strange, distorted things passed through it.

My master gave me a warm greeting, as always. The training started once more. My senses and all my basic qualities had been sharpened. Sometimes I ended up dead on my feet, because, according to Ulysses, 'a strong body is the base of everything'.

From time to time his gaze would turn melancholic and he would tell some stories about his past. How he used to fight in the arena, how the life of a 'gladiator' was... It did not sound pleasant at all, rather like fights among dogs.

That day, the topic awoke a special interest in me.

“And... did you get money?”

“For sure... people bet on the fighters, and if you won you got a part of the benefits. If you lost, now of course you would bring nothing but a good beating...”

<<You get money>>. Those words were deeply carved in my mind, because of some obvious reason I could not recall at the time.

He would also tell me very tragic things about gladiators. How some of them died in the arena, how others became useless, punch-drunk, one-handed or one-legged... it was an authentic slaughter. Nobody would even think of going there. But... <<you get money>> That thought would echo endlessly in my head.

My life and Hime's were back to normal (in my case, at least 'a sad normality'). Following her everywhere was my obsession and pastime. That day was pretty cloudy. She came back from school with her usual beauty. But, strangely, the usual pests were not chasing her, probably due to the bad weather. Without losing her charm she looked at herself every now and then, and touched up her face. The fact that such a cute, innocent girl was walking down the street in such a dark day seemed rather dangerous to me, if I were not around.

She passed near some vending machines, and bumped into a boy who was buying drinks. 'she bumped?' She was rather tripped up on purpose, from my privileged angle of view.

She fell to the ground and damaged her tights, one of her knees bleeding slightly.

“Ouch! You'd better go looking what you do, will you? You hurt me!”

“Ah... I'm sorry...” That was my Hime, apologizing and being as nice as ever. That made one be proud of her.

“What happened?” Three other boys showed up from behind the machines. Was that an ambush? Could they by any chance be acquaintances of the bullies from years ago? Or would it just be that her beauty was a sin and they could not stand it?

They grabbed her forcibly from her wrist and lifted her: “We're gonna teach you some manners, girl...”

<<I'm ready, there's no problem. I live for this.>> I put on a black balaclava that together with the dark clothes I used to wear became quite a camouflage uniform. I did not want to be recognized. Not by them, but by Hime. I did not want her to know anything about what I was doing. If she found out, I did not know how she would react...

I did not say a word. Punch. Hold. Other punch. In a moment all were battered on the ground. I only opened my mouth to say:

“If you guys get near her ever again, I'll kill you.” Next I grabbed her hand, which had been treated with no care at all. It seemed to be ok. I sighed in relief, I helped her to stand.

“Thanks, you saved me. Who are you?” She said. Her voice, which it had been long since I heard so close, drilled my chest from side to side among sloppy heartbeats. The warm touch of her hand, which I had taken in an impulse, only made the situation get worse. A part of me wanted to go with her, hug her and tell her “I love you, stay always with me...” but my cold mind did not let me down and as something was torn apart in me, I let her hand go without making a sound and ran off, turning the corner so that she could not follow me.

I did not know if I was sadder than normal... I had tasted the honey with these impure lips, again. But well, at least I had saved her. A strange anxiety swirled in my mind... Within the fight I could feel a presence, as if somebody were observing me from the shadows. I cannot say I saw them directly, but I knew someone was there.

My most paranoid suspects had been confirmed, they were laying in wait in every corner to attack her... Somehow I had a slight relief. <<It seems I am doing the correct thing...>> And at the same time I felt miserable, because my relief came from Hime's suffering. That is right. I had become a being that begged self-justification from the world... A being for whom the end justified the means.

Regarding my school life, it was somewhat better than before since nobody picked on me anymore. Everybody rather ignored me there, so I could describe it as 'practically non-existent'. The less I attracted attention, the much better for me.

The next day, at the time of going home I found something in my locker. It was a letter... The envelope had nothing written on it, so I just took the content out of it to read it:

<<I'm watching you.>> That was the only written. It seemed a threatening letter. I got a deja vu. But, if that someone observed me, possibly observed Hime as well... Was that blackmail? But they had not asked for anything... Maybe that someone would ask it later. Or maybe they just wanted revenge. At any rate, over the years I had gained too many enemies. If it were some of them, or their allies... I had been for so long apart from her, just to prevent this... 

Being near Hime would just put her at risk. But the event of that day together with that letter opened my eyes: <<They are going to use her to retaliate.>> Since the very first moment there was no exit. My idealistic mind was just drawing a scenery where everything would be 'perfect' (in an absurd sense of the word, of course ^^U).

All those who laid in wait would attack my weak spot. That is... <<my Hime>>. That was why she was attacked and would be again. Somehow I could not be sure at 100% if I was helping her with my behaviour or just causing her more trouble.

Then I understood I could not protect her every time. Not, unless... <<I stay always with her>>. But, how was I going to do such a thing? At that moment we where so distanced that the idea seemed to me as out of context as terrifying.

When I arrived home (after 'chasing Hime' as usual) a strange anxiety drove me to open the mailbox. There were the normal things, some letters of bills and the like. I took all at once indifferently, when... 'plock', something fell to the ground from among them. Out of curiosity I crouched down and picked it up. It looked like a card from some pub. On one of the faces there was a map of an area of the city, and a cross drawn with a pen marked some spot on it.

On the other face: <<Ask for Athena>>, handwritten, with a quick, casual style.

What was the meaning of that? Could it be part of the blackmailing started in my locker? It was not as if they were asking for something directly, but I felt I should go there and find out what that people were after.

Without a second thought I left towards there. Looking at the small map I tried to get as close as possible to where the cross (or whatever it represented) must have been. At a nearby spot there was a little antique shop. In the old window display under dim light lied figures of mythological characters. <<Athena>> was a Greek goddess. That could be the place I was looking for.

I entered silently, the door made no sound. Neither bells, nor buzzers, nor squeals. I almost felt as if I were sneaking into the place. The décor was as mythological (or more) than the one shown in the window display. Behind a worn counter there was an old man. He had a beard, like those hermit in the mountains. A long, white beard. He was wrinkled, and looked focused on something he had under the counter.

I approached a little and my eyes caught a glimpse of his hands carving a wooden figure. It seemed a mythological character, what made me think I probably knew where the other ones had come from. Now the shop seemed to me a craft shop rather than an antique one.

“Good evening...” I said, “I'm looking for Athena.” The old man lifted his gaze. Those eyes seemed as piercing as a spear's tip.

“I see... and who asks for her?”

“...”

”...”

“Kotaro...”

Without taking his eyes off me with a face like 'of poker' he put his hand under the counter. And apathetic like a statue he carried on with his 'research' of me, until a couple of seconds later a kind of hatch opened behind the furniture.

“See. You can go through there...” The stone face had changed to a smile between evil and mocking. “Good luck, boy.”

I had already reached there, so without much hesitation I went towards the hatch and walked downstairs.

It would never occur to anybody to go there. Never... unless they were committed to her care.

 

The Gladiator's Soul by Ignacio Garcia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

The Gladiator's Soul chapter 15

Previous chapter: The Gladiator's Soul chapter 14

I left the hospital, and went walking with lifeless eyes down the street. I looked like a zombie heading to my house. I felt so lonely... tears fought to come out my dirty eyes, and a knot in my chest seemed to hold them in. So lonely... In spite of the flattery of the last days, I felt further and further from Hime. 

She was like a goddess, beautiful and bright on her pulpit. And I, the worst of her fanatics, with my my hands stained and my heart corrupted. At least I had managed to revenge her, and for sure the bullies would not come back to school for a long time. Finally I had found my paradox: I must remain near her to look after her, but far not to sully her.

A symbol of 'commitment' shone in my mind; I had promised to Ulysses: Once the brawl against the bullies were finished I had to keep going with my training, from zero. I would devote myself to the discipline to honour the debt I had towards Ulysses, who with his 'accelerated training' made me able to attain my target. And also to become stronger, so much as to prevent anything bad from happening to her ever.

<<Although I am alone...>>

<<...>>
<<...>>

<<... it's true. There is Ulysses. He'll be able to understand what I'm going through; after all, he's somebody that has fought a lot. And seems to have been through so much in his life...>>

I turned all of a sudden in my path, like a wind-up doll and headed towards the usual place of training. I did not know if he would be there, but I equally walked in that direction.

Reaching the meadow...

There he was, sitting, carving something in wood, with a knife. It was little before dusk.

“Hello!”

“Are you still alive...?”

“What a joker, aren't you?”

“And well... how was it?”

I made a long bow:

“Thanks, Master! I did it!”

“Master...? Jajaja...”

That was the first time I called him like that.

“Come on, come on, we don't need so many formalities... Anyway, you could've been much more effective and careful, but... let's say for a total rookie it wasn't bad...”

“Eh? How...? By any chance you saw me...?”

“Did you really think I wouldn't?”

I shrugged with a face of 'how would I know'.

“And... how are you feeling after the brawl...?”

As if he could see across me, his gaze told me he knew what was happening to me.

“Well...”

“Well? Spit it boy, don't make me impatient or it'll be worse...”

“It's... it's a little like...” I was blushing, I felt embarrassed to say it.

“... like I've sullied myself.”

“... you've sullied...? Look, boy, I'm here to help you, so don't feel awkward telling whatever, at least to me. If you don't explain it better, I won't be able to understand you.”

“Damn it! I've become a thug, like them, whereas my Hime keeps being pure... I feel I don't deserve her, that I've corrupted myself and won't ever be worthy of her. Maybe it seems nonsense to you...”

“Whatsoever, it's no nonsense. I can understand you perfectly, it's something inevitable, that I've felt many times, more than you can imagine.

“And then... what's the solution?”

“Solution? Boy, I warned you...” he glanced at my face and left that way: “whatever, there's no help now. Feeling far from your loved ones, from all you love, is inevitable.”

“But, then, I... Hime...-” He cut me off with the next he said:

“Fight for it. If you're going to fight, fight to protect what you love. Even if it drifts apart from you, even if you don't deserve it, even if you sweat blood and feel only pain, never -and I say never- lose your faith. If you are determined to walk the way, walk it up to the very end. Become strong, love more and protect harder what you love. This is the fighter's way. This is the fate you've chosen.”

I was left open-mouthed. The concept of Ulysses I held in my mind had utterly overturned. Ever since those events of the dog I had him as a heartless, cold being... but now I began to understand he had been through so much, really through many more things and surely worse than what I could have imagined. Things that I, at my young age, could still not conceive how they could make somebody suffer so much as to think like him.

The next thing was treasuring under lock and key the advice Ulysses just gave me. His seriousness when he said it suggested I should do so. Writing this now is easy, but back then I felt for the first time the bitter confirmation that I was alone it the world, and only Ulysses could understand me from then on.

The deep anguish swirled in my chest, opposing the light of hope my master radiated.

<<He is so... strong...>> Like a rock standing the impacts of the waves, like the tough core of the mineral that stands the erosion of the wind for centuries. That is the way Ulysses was.

I fell on my knees before him, overwhelmed by his greatness and strength, understanding my insignificance before his eyes.

<<And still... still he decided to train me...>>

And so, as that untitled knight without deserved, I swore my loyalty to him:

“A promise is a promise. From now on, I'll give my all at the training. No more complaints, no more long faces. I''ll obey what you order. In exchange, turn me into someone as strong as you.”

He smiled with kind demeanour: “As me...? I'm not strong, Kota; if I told you...”

His attitude changed and he patted my head: “Ok, tomorrow begins your true training. Until then, eat something and try to rest as much as possible.”

I nodded and said goodbye. I walked towards my house partly relaxed by his words, and partly excited. There was no place for despair in my life. After all, I had to become as strong as him. And my Hime existed. Indeed, that was the only thing I asked her. To exist. And moreover, every day she was better. Actually, everything in life changes so much depending on your point of view... it is something that, still today, as always, we all have to learn.

An absurd idea struck me on the way. I imagined Hime being my master, and the master being Hime...

“Hahahaha...” I could not help laughing aloud. If anybody saw me they could think I was crazy, but, who cares about that? After all the events I was still able to laugh.

In the days ahead I started from the very beginning the 'sensitive training', as well as all kinds of exercises and games Ulysses made me do to strengthen my body and sharpen my reflexes. Soon Hime was discharged form the hospital, and could return home. Fortunately she had a high level in her studies, and even in the accelerated course he could keep up thanks to notes a classmate was bringing her. It was fortunate that she had get used, at least a little, to dealing with the other children in her classroom. Because she had been as marginalized as me before...

I could sense something had changed in me after the assault to the bullies, and somehow she also began to notice it after recovering. Now since I did not have to go to the hospital to visit her, I felt a kind of barrier between us, as though I, in some way, were trying to set limits to our intimacy. Doubtlessly, that seemed to be what Ulysses had told me about.

Every day I accompanied her back and forth... but not like before. I followed her like an spy, taking care that she arrived safe and sound , to the school as well as her house. Not talking to her was so tough for me, but the remorse did not let me look at her eyes. Now I was another more bully. No; I was much worse than them, I was becoming something much more dangerous than those bullies. She, who was pure and crystal-clear as a mountain spring, could only be sullied by me.

Paradoxically, bit by bit I was capable to watch over and protect her. If some bully tried to avenge himself, if someone wanted to do something to her... I would be there to prevent it.

As soon as she was discharged, immediately she would come every morning to collect me at home, to go to school; but my butler would tell her I had gone early, while I hid silently in my house, like a coward.

And on weekends, I would just go training. That helped me to forget the pain... the shame I felt inwards, because I was leaving her abandoned. I avoided her so much that I did not know if I could consider myself her friend anymore. But I could not see her; no... Just thinking of it brewed a whirlpool of contradictory emotions that shook me like an earthquake.

Bit by bit, like a woollen sweater is knitted, my life was becoming a day-to-day of chasing after Hime, going to school, following her back and training. From so much following her stealthily my fear to look and talk to her grew, and we drifted apart. If by any chance she saw me from afar I avoided her and pretended I went by another way; my love for her gave rise to an obsession. She was on a pedestal; beautiful, pure, intangible for me like the vapour. And I in my fervour kneeled like a miserable being, who sank further and further into the darkness.

My abilities were improving, though; I took the training really seriously. For me there were no days off, nor summer holidays. My only recognisable bond with Hime, apart from my iron faith, was the money my parents sent her monthly for her education. Certainly, my selfishness prevented me from thinking how she could feel.

I was a marginalized boy, but I could already defend myself. As for her, she slowly began to mingle with her classmates of the accelerated course. Like the name of the course said, she was getting away from me at the speed of a supersonic rocket; she bloomed whereas I remained at a standstill, always in the same place.

Although thinking about it, that was the logical thing to happen: Somebody like her, with talent for studying, surely could attend a good university, far from someone like me. If somebody ever tried to harm her, I took care they were dissuaded. I carried out my job as a bodyguard, more and more efficiently over time.

In this routine the months were going by, and they led into years. Hime was maturing slowly, like peaches in summer, or the cherries that evoked her rosy cheeks. As she became prettier she gained popularity in the school, in spite of being so poor. And at the same time I gradually vanished; standing out would not be in my interest since I was her 'guard'. Sometimes I thought the girl would no longer need a bodyguard, given the entourage of admirers usually trailed her.

Yes... The normal thing in this case would be to feel jealous, but I did not harbour any hope of being her friend openly, much less her boyfriend. Whatever happened, I would stay firm in my convictions as Ulysses told me; eternal devotee of the princess of the sunflowers. What life would provide me, nobody could know it.

Many a time, as soon as she managed to break free from the flock of pests following her, she would draw a little mirror and touched up her eyes, her lips... 

She had become so pretty, so girly and so charming... Now, more than ever, she seemed 'Hime'.

I must train.

The Gladiator's Soul chapter 14

 Previous chapter: The Gladiator's Soul chapter 13

They were five, no less. Luckily I knew the address of almost all of them. That night I could hardly sleep a wink, but I did not feel tired. I got up at five in the morning with my blood frozen. Every step I took that day, every breath of air I had, would be for my Hime. For her future, for her freedom… and for my revenge.

I had to catch them unaware in the way to the school. I had to take into account several of them could go together; in such case I would have to separate them before facing each of them, in order to have some possibility of success. Moreover, to avoid rising suspicions, I would have to arrive in class before it started, I could not afford the luxury of being late even one minute. In this way I would get my alibi.

Of course, I had made a plan beforehand. I would lay in wait for each one outside their houses, by order of distance to school. I guessed the ones living further would leave earlier than the ones living closer. All seemed as simple as the advertisements of washing powder on television: ‘you pour a little of this product, and your laundry will be shiny and like new…’

Quietly I got up, had breakfast and dressed in a dark colour. At 6 in the morning I was observing the moon, from my wide-open door. I stared at it wide-eyed, as if murmuring inwards a desperate prayer.

The satellite was the only witness of my ritual: I took the weapon Ulysses lent me, a kind of small baton, and concealed it within my attire. 

The early morning was cold and clear, already threatening with the first frosts. The cool air in my lungs filled me with optimism. Although the world turned into the worst hell, although there were demons like those five, Hime existed. She alone made the whole universe redeem itself and be worthy.

I took a stroll of reconnaissance, going over the whole route through the key points (the houses of the five) up to the school. Fortunately there was nobody. Besides, the cold weather was a wonderful excuse to wear a balaclava. After this loop I arrived the house of the first of them. It was approximately 7 in the morning. 

School started around 9, so I had calculated the first one would leave his house at 8. And so I searched for the best spot to lay an ambush for an hour, waiting with goose flesh and my nerves on edge for the first bully to appear through the fence. It was a single family home, which would ease my duty and prevent other neighbours from seeing me.

….

….

7:58…

7:59…

….

….

The last minute before 8:00 seemed never-ending, the seconds refused to go and remained lingering in the screen of my digital watch.

….

….

A sound of a door. A door was open. A door was closed. Footsteps approaching. The latch of the gate is cranked. The gate opens with the squeal of some dying bird…

Runners, a tracksuit trouser. A sweater. A head, turning as the gate closes. Heartbeats hit my throat, which fought my hermetic mouth over the control of my voice. Still as a statue, with my skin frozen; my body was an igloo of ice,and inside was everything else. I saw his visage sideways as he closed the latch. It was him, without a doubt.

The next seconds (or tenths, who knows?) went by like a momentary dream, one of those you have when you fall asleep on the table after lunch. With the baton in my hand, and without making a sound, I leaped on him, his hand still on the latch. At the same time he turned his face towards me, and I followed the steps my master taught me. Blow with all my might to the solar plexus, or to one side. As he writhed confused I injured his neck before doing the same on one ankle. <<This one will surely be out of circulation for a good while>>, silently I headed jogging to the next house.

Each one would be worse than the previous, I had no doubt about that. As I approached the school the houses were giving way to few-storey buildings, and later to taller ones. Where there were so many neighbours I could have problems... and coincidentally the monster who gave Hime the beating was the last one. But since the first turned out so quick and clean, my spirit had arose. Maybe it was possible, after all.

The second one lived also in a house, but it was attached and had some neighbours living in the next doors. It was around 8:10 when I took the exact location I had planned. Seemingly I felt somewhat more relaxed than the first time, as well as steady. Again: Open the door, open the gate, close the gate... <<Wait. The door wasn't closed...>> Somebody must have been at the door, presumably his mother.

It closed. I quietly approached him from behind and carried out my work. Hard blow in the middle of his back stopping his breathing, and as he fought to catch it back I knocked him off, and injured his knee. Nobody could say I was fighting in a fair or honest fashion, but... <<IF IT'S FOR HIME, IT'S OK>>.

At 8:20 I had arrived the third one's house. Things were changing quite a lot here, there were no longer houses but about 5-storey buildings. Although I had already decided a place where I could lay lurking, the dangers there were many more and worse. Already the sun was appearing in the horizon, there was too much light. A businessman dressed in a suit leaving from here, a well-dressed girl from there... Meanwhile I lied hidden. In this case I did not find a safe place near the doorway so I was staring from a distance.

Now his gate was opening... What a letdown, it was not him, but a labourer. And after that one... <<Bingo!>> I could see my target going out. At this time there was already too many people in the streets, attacking him in public view in such an open place was not an option... So clad in my 'clothes for cold weather' I trailed him from afar. He turned a couple of corners, arrived another doorway and... horror. He had gone to collect another of the bullies. I could not take them on one by one any more... <<can I...?>>

By chance there was a providential void in the street at that instant, and without a second thought, I made a detour to approach him from his back. Hard blow on the nape and two injuries, and left him sitting at the door of some nearby premises, on the side of the other one's doorway. I hid in a door on the other side of it.

In few instants the fourth was leaving from his building. He called his minion: “Hey! Where are you?” Next he looked at the pavement and saw the legs extended in one side. He came closer: “Come on, don't be lazy, buddy... Hey! Are you OK? Is anything wrong...?” Before he could say anything else he was already breathless from my unexpected blow. I injured his neck and knee, whatever could take him away from the school. I left just there the two bodies laying and withdrew through the closest corner, running along a route of little-traffic alleys towards the last house.

<<Four out of five. It's already four out of five...>> I could barely believe it. My watch displayed 8:45, and maybe I would not arrive in time to surprise the last one. I felt somewhat tired from the other four, and my night awake was starting to take its toll on me...

<<... And what if he has already left for school...?>> That was a risk I had to take. I could not rush to school and come back to run into him. That could be more dangerous. <<If I don't catch him today, there'll be more days...>>

I was about to place myself in the previously planned spot, when:

“Aaaahhh!” An old woman fell, just in front of the doorway, and seemed to be seriously injured. Helping her was really risky, but... there was no one else, and... if Hime knew I had not helped her, she would not feel proud of me, all the contrary. Finally I went out of my hideout and helped the lady.

“Are you ok...?”

“Auch, auch, auch... Thank you, youngster. I am already very old and my body is not up to this things...”

…

…

The gate opened.

The gate closed.

A demented, bloodshot glare trained on me. His face was covered except for his eyes, but I felt he could recognize me. The bully who did that to Hime, the worst of all them, there he was gutting me with those piercing pupils, as if seeing even inside of my bones. Smiling with a terrifying face he punched my stomach, the lady and I fell to the ground. He stepped on me, kicked me, following took me, shook me, threw me like a rag... 

Everything was lost already. My strength was failing. I was not strong enough to protect her. Why... why did she have to suffer, such a beautiful being... why... tears murky with rage stained my clothes, the ground, marked the territory of the massacre.

As I was being stripped of my last hopes a thud was heard, and the bully turned back. The lady had hit him with her cane! Without a second thought, he went after her like a blind, enraged gorilla, and drawing strength from... (I will never know where I drew it from) I took my baton and hit him, with all my might, straight on the nape. 

When he came down unconscious there was no longer hatred in me, nor thirst for revenge, nor anything. I felt ashamed by the fact that only the fear of death had overwhelmed me at the end. I was not who she deserved, I was not who could look after her. I injured his body hard and my knees gave in, falling to the ground with tears of impotence.

“Madam, are you ok...?”

“Yes, boy, thanks a lot for protecting me.”

“But I can't... I can't protect anybody.”

And in my mind echoed Ulysses' words: <<You must be cold, ruthless and methodical,, you mustn't get distracted from your target for any reason, or it could cost you dearly>>.

A bitter lesson, matched with a sweeter one. Because I helped the lady the bully had caught me unaware, but but in exchange she had helped me... and as a result, I was now with my body wrecked, full of wounds and bruises. But... <<But... Hime would be proud that I helped the lady...>>

No. Nothing worked. Helping the lady at that moment and place had been an error. I did not seek her being proud of me... whatsoever, I could become the most despicable being in the universe, only for her sake.

It was 8:56, and I was dressed all in black, the balaclava and all messed up. It would be practically impossible not to be deemed suspicious with such an attire.

“Madam...”

“Yes, boy?”

“I need a very important favour.”

The old lady lent me clothes she had from her grandchildren, it was a casual outfit that would come in handy to disguise. Regarding the wounds in my face, she put some plasters on them, and since almost nobody talked to me at school surely I would not be asked what had happened.

When I left her house it was already past 9, I would not arrive in time. I ran with all my body aching, the sweat made my wounds sting even more.

I arrived school panting like a dog, but then inside I walked trying to pretend (as if I arrived late for laziness that day, or something like that...) I went quietly upstairs to my classroom, and when I entered I saw big letters on the blackboard: 'ABSENT TEACHER', and below: 'SELF-STUDY: READ PAGES 35 AND 36 OF THE BOOK'.I thanked god, in a sigh that made some classmates turn back to look at me, and I drew my book from my desk.

The rest of the classes were like always, or so they would had been if I had not been falling asleep for some whiles in them all. Anyway nobody paid attention to me, what played in my favour this time. When classes were over I went home to rest, I did not want anything but to sleep.

Yet Hime would want to see me, she would be worried because of what I told her the previous day, and how I acted. And how was I supposed to meet her, with my face bruised, with my hands full of wounds, drenched with hatred and revenge? I knew nothing... just collapsed on my bed seized by exhaustion. I could not think anymore. Lately I had not seen the butler much... I do not know why that idea came up to my cloudy mind. And following I fell asleep.

I woke up drooling, the pillow wet, and feeling disoriented. A mouth-watering smell floated in the air; my stomach roared, I had eaten nothing since breakfast. I went to the kitchen, and apparently the butler had made lunch. <<It's true, I get the feeling that this butler is here less and less...>>

Without musing longer over that subject I got down to eat like a starving animal. I had dreamed I was an apiarist looking after bees, and I put on some kind of space suit... And suddenly I recalled I had to go to visit Hime... But I could not go, I could not go unless... <<Of course! My dream!>> As soon as I finished eating I passed by a pharmacy and bought rubber gloves. Then by a shop of special work gear, and there I got a special mask for toxic gases and things alike.

I put everything on and entered the hospital in this fashion. I went up to Hime's floor, and the nurses in charge of her froze staring at me:

“Hey! Where do you think you're going?”

“Hello, I'm Kotaro, Hime's friend, and I'm coming to visit her...”

“But... what's with that look? This isn't the proper way to enter a hospital!”

“...”

“Please... I need to go in like this... understand...”

“No way, masks out!”

One of the nurses pulled it off me, and they saw my battered face.

“My god... what happened to you?”

“Please... don't tell her anything... I'm begging you...”

“You have some nerve, such a problem child... Alright, go in with the look you want. We'll play along, but don't mess it up too much.”

“Thanks!” I vowed showing extreme gratitude. In this posture one of the nurses spanked me: “Come on! Go in before I change my mind...” On my injured body that mild slap caused pain, but I concealed it in order not to worry them more and make a real problem.

With the momentum from that slap I reached Hime's room door and opened it. She looked at 'whatever was entering the room' with her eyes wide open, with a bewildered face.

“Help!”

“No, Hime, calm! It's me, Kota!”

“Ehhhh? And what's with that mask...? and with those gloves?”

“The thing is...”

“The thing is... what?”

“The thing is... I've caught a very contagious virus, and I have to use this mask and gloves not to pass it on to anybody.

“Ahhhhh!” She almost ran out of breath... “For real? And you are very sick? You aren't going to recover?”

“Yes, don't worry, the virus just lasts one day.”

<<What a whopper. I don't know if she's going to believe this...>>

The girl looked at me incredulous, winking one eye...

“Emergency...!” The nurses came in, with a perfect timing:

“Emergency! There's a very contagious virus in the city! Boy, don't even think about taking that mask off, we don't want more infected!”

I stood at attention and greeted: “Yes, ma'am!”

We exchanged brief winks before they left the room: “That's the way, soldier!”

Now she did seem to have believed it. We were some time talking, and played some games.

“Ah, by the way...” Hime seemed to remember something.

“Yes...?”

“How did the exam go?”

<<Damn it! I had totally forgotten I told her that about the exam...>> I was dazed and happy spending my time with her, and had lowered my guard.

“The thing is... it was suspended...”

“What? You failed it?”

“No, it was postponed, due to the virus' outbreak.”

“And talking about that virus, is it serious?

“No, nothing to worry about. It just causes some symptoms like, suddenly, you feel an irremediable desire to hug and kiss...”

“How's that?! And you go around hugging and kissing everyone? Even that old teacher you like touching her ass?”

“No, there's a medicine they delivered this morning at school, that quells the symptoms. That's true, it's time to take it...”

I had everything planned beforehand, so I had brought a caramel tablet pretending it was the medicine. I dug it from my pocket so that she saw it, before taking it.

Hime's gaze drifted from side to side, like a bit nervous, and then fixed it on me, as if she could read me like an open book.

“And, apart from those symptoms, it has some more serious one...?”

“No, none else...”

“Then...” She blushed slightly.

“Eh...?”

“Then... don't take it.”

“But, the virus...”

“You can take it when you leave, right?”

“Ah, right...”

“So don't take it now.”

She seemed to have gained confidence, she was not so ashamed. She won, so I put the sweet away back into my pocket.

I do not know if Hime really has the ability to read my thoughts, or what, but I thanked heaven thousands of times for that. Without having to contain my feelings I jumped on her, hugged her really tight and kissed her on the forehead with my mask, next she lifted her head all of a sudden and my kiss landed on her lips.

That looked really comical, kissing her with my mask as if I were some kind of alien, ha, ha, ha... Well, technically, rather than kissing her 'I scrubbed my mask against her face', like a pig seeking truffles, ha, ha, ha...

I could not tell her what had happened that day, but at last... at last she comforted me.

“Why are you crying...?”

“Don't worry, it's just another symptom of the virus I forgot to tell you about...”

It got late, and I had to go.

“Kotarooooo!”

“Yes, ma'am!”

“Don't forget to take the medicine before leaving...”

“At your service!”

I drew the tablet from my pocket, lifted slightly the mask and put it in my mouth.

The girl really had now a good face, and I must say, behind the mask I was the same. When I left the room I thanked the nurses appropriately.

“Not at all, but take care of those injuries.”

The story continues here: The Gladiator's Soul chapter 15