”Your probably right. Whatever the storm was gave you all powers based on the zoo animals.” He supported Leslie’s theory without much humor.<br/><br/>He made sure not to give much away to the captured troublemaker. Not anymore, at least. His small blunder not a moment ago allowed him to say the Asian girl’s name aloud. It was a amateur mistake.<br/><br/>”No. I wasn’t hit by the lighting. I managed to jump out of the away before getting struck.” His mind didn’t process the fact that dodging lighting bolts wasn’t any small feat. Especially for someone who only trains to gain their power.<br/><br/>”I’ll let you guys know if anything feels off, however.” There could be a chance that being around so many lighting bolts could effect him in some way.<br/><br/>”We need to make sure no one else trapped, injured, or dead are unaccounted for. Odds are that the police will take a while with how far this storm is out.” Rakutsu talked about the possibility of death very casually. Nothing someone his age should do.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Rakutsu removed his gas masked after leaving the Zoo. Doing so confirmed his identity to the girls. They must have a lot of questions for him, but this wasn’t the time or place.<br/><br/>The school bus was destroyed during the storm, forcing them to truck it on foot. Their walk was spent with him at front, with his long strides, and with his silence. Not that his mind was the same.<br/><br/>The boy’s was spent in a near frightened state of mind. Any high from the danger left a while ago and remained were the remains of his secret double life. The dread built up the longer he put it all off.<br/><br/>What will he tell them and how? Should he leave out the details of his grandfather or only skim over them? Any and all details of what his training was went out the window. He doesn’t want them to know of the more gruesome days of his life. Not his classmates.<br/><br/>”That’s good. Won’t have much trouble going to school.” There was a faint hint of relief once the girls returned to their normal state of being. Before the storm hit. Having their life’s uprooted and destroyed by gaining drastic changes wouldn’t sit well with him. Not someone who focused so much on being a good student and role model for his under classmen. Having everything taken away by a unlucky accident....he wouldn’t know what to do.<br/><br/>”What?” Rakutsu turned and felt the dread piling up to new heights. The cause being the sight of his cousins sprinting for the little group.<br/><br/>”Well....” He was about to confirm his relationship to them, but the two beat him to the punch. His voice lost in the valley of large breasts.<br/><br/>”Enough of that!” Rakutsu forced himself away from the two’s hug with some edge to his voice. ”I’m fine! I’m fine. You two should have stayed home in the basement. Coming out here was too risky. I was just helping my classmates out of the Zoo.” He didn’t want the sisters to start babying him over this.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Rakutsu sat on a chair against the wall, watching the news with a focused yet uneasy expression. The steel mask of stoicism finally started to crack. Just a tiny bit. His foot tapped against the ground at a fast pace, like he was ready to jump out the chair at a moment’s notice.<br/><br/>He tried not to pay attention to the number of dead or missing from the incident. It was unavoidable, but still nerve wracking. Amazing how this is what gets a reaction from him. A boy, who has been trained to become desensitized to the sight and mention of death. It’s thanks to the suddenness of it all.<br/><br/>This wasn’t him going out to look for a fight or stopping gang bangers from shooting up a street. This was something that completely blindsided all of them. A event which uprooted his blissful illusion of a normal life and completely tore it up. There was a chance for normalcy, but only so slim.<br/><br/>It’s been a few days since the incident and everyone was still acting as if it just happened. Schools were closed for a small amount of time and people were weary of stepping out the front door. Reports of new meta humans came in each day, which added to the work load. His work load. It’s not just about drug dealers or biker gangs no more.<br/><br/>”I’m fine.” Rakutsu looked up from his seat and gave a harsh glare to Teruko. He wasn’t looking to be consoled or coddled over this. Not like a vulnerable child.<br/><br/>He took his phone and checked the message. There wasn’t even a need to reply. His mother was in the same building, so he’ll just walk into her room and answer her in person. ”Do what you want.” He answered after a tense moment of silence. Without waiting for the two, he got up and marched for his mom’s room. As if he was on a mission.<br/><br/><br/><br/>