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Heartshield 01

Chapter 1 - Blaze: Told by Rui Habashira

Behind every great warrior, there's a weakness. I only have one. Her name is Mari Tanaka and I'd be lost without her. I remember the first time I met her. We were both fourteen. She wasn't anything compared to what she is now. She sat alone in the park with a sketchbook on her lap, staring blankly at the trees and twirling a piece of hair with a pencil. She was definitely American. Her strawberry blonde hair was wavy and hung down way past her shoulders, her green eyes hid behind black plastic frames, and she wore a green sweater, a blue skirt, high white socks, and brown high heeled boots.

"You lost, little girl?" I asked, stepping in her view. "This is my park after the street lights come on, kid."

"Really? Little girl? Kid? I bet you anything we're probably the same age." She said in rather impressive Japanese…for an American. "And I was getting ready to leave anyway. You can have your park." She stood up and began to walk away. I stretched out my arm, grabbed her, and pulled her back.

"I never said I was going to let you leave easy." I smirked.

"If you want to play this game, I'll play it." She wound her fist back and punched me hard in the nose. It was a rather strong hit, too. My hand flew up to my nose, and I could tell it was broken.

"You might want to watch yourself, Ginger. You messed with the wrong guy." I lifted her off the ground and waited to drain off of the fear in her eyes. But there was no fear, just a bored expression. "You know what? I'll let you go. Don't let me see you here after dark again. Understand?" I set her down.

She shrugged and walked away.

I seen her again a month later in the park, but this time she looked completely different. Her hair was purple and tied up in a wild ponytail, her glasses were gone, and she wore a black t-shirt and a pair of tight jeans with high black boots. This time, she wasn't drawing, but writing in a composition book. I don't know how I knew it was her, but I did.

"I thought I told you to stay away from here, Ginger?" I said as a I stepped in front of her. She looked up at me, rolled her eyes, and looked back down. I pulled her face up by her chin and sighed.

"Can I help you?" She shut her book and never looked away from my eyes.

"I thought we had an understanding."

"It's a public place. I don't care what kind of stupid gang you're in, Habashira."

"Wait, how do you know my name?" I stared her down.

"I just happen to know things." She swatted my hand away from her face and stood up. Something about the way her face contorted made me go from completely hating her, to falling in love with her in an instant.

"You know what? I think we got off on the wrong foot." I put my arm around her and smirked. "Since you already seem to know my name, why don't you tell me yours?"

"Mari Tanaka." She said stiffly.

We hung out together for a month before we finally got together, and it's been three years since then.

Now, I had this lovely angel meeting me at the park when she got out of school for the day. Zokugaku got out a little bit earlier than Harijaku, and I always had time to sit at the park as she walked with Youske, a guy I didn't like too much but had become Mari's best friend. He was a pretty big guy, about 6"3 and three times Mari's side. He was on the football team, the defensive lineman. He had broken up the almost all out brawl between myself and Blaze.

Oh, how I hated Blaze the mystery quarterback of the Harijaku Fireballs. He was a cocky, arrogant bastard. He could be a guy in Mari's life, a guy who maybe flirted with her in one of her classes, or winked at her from the field while she waited for Youske to finish practice.

"Hey, Rui!" I heard Mari call. There she stood in her school uniform. A black skirt, red blazer, white undershirt with a black bow, red knee socks, and black flats. Harijaku was a rather elite school, which was good for Mari because she had to be the smartest girl I'd ever met, even if she was half American. She stood on tiptoe to kiss me and waved at Youske.

"See you later, Mari. Oh, by the way. Blaze thought you looked cute today." He smirked and continued to walk.

Hearing those words made me angry. I tightened my grip on Mari and she pulled back. "Damn! What's your problem?" She put her hands over her arms and glared up at me.

"Sorry. It's just…stay away from Blaze." I sat back on my motorcycle and she got on behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"I can't make any promises." She said.

I turned back to her, suddenly angry at her. "What to mean you can't make any promises?"

She shot me a dirty look. She got off the back of my motorcycle and started to walk away. "Call me when you're done being an asshole."

"What's your problem?" I called. "You sneaking around with Blaze or something?"

"God Rui, you're so juvenile! So what if he's a great football player? Oh, and you want to know why I can't make any promises?" She narrowed her eyes even more. "No one knows who Blaze is!"

I brought my hand to cover my face. Of course, I was unnecessarily upsetting Mari and when she got like this, there was no going back. She ran to catch up with Youske, who immediately asked her what was wrong, when she told him he laughed and she shoved him into the side of a building. I'd just do what I always did, stop at her house with some roses, cook her dinner, and she'd be good as new.

And I did just that at about seven. I had the key to her apartment and when I opened the door, it was empty. I peeked back in her bedroom where I found her sitting at her vanity holding a towel against her body and talking on the phone. "I'm surprised I'm not puking up blood yet." She laughed into the phone. "But, damn. I can't believe you had to say that out loud. Blaze thought I looked cute today? He better think I look cute every day, I mean, if you think about it, he dresses me, doesn't he?"

What? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

She snorted, and proceeded to laugh. "No, I'll never tell him. Do you know how much he hates Blaze? And how would I go about that? Yo, Rui. Wanna know something? You know Blaze, the quarterback you hate so much? Yep, that's me. You got your ass handed to you by a girl. He has pride problems. Well, I better go in case Rui decides to come over." She hung up the phone and turned, and when she saw me, her heart jumped out of her chest. "Oh, shit. When did you get here?"

I had no clue what to say. I stared at her, unable to comprehend the information flying at me. I spent the whole Harijaku game trying to kill Blaze. There was no way Mari could be Blaze. But then, I thought about how tense she was Friday night, and how sore she looked Saturday. She even tried to fight be back, knowing it was me out on the field.

She bit her lip. "So, I guess my secret's out of the bag?" She stood up and took a step towards me. I wanted to step back, shove her away, but I couldn't move. "I didn't tell you for your own good. I didn't want to you take it easy on us if we ever played you, and I didn't want you to say anything to anyone. If the school board knew I was on the team, they'd kick me off immediately."

"I can't believe it. You're Blaze?" I stood frozen as she held up her towel with one hand and my hand in the other. "You've been lying to me for almost two years."

"Well, not really. You never stopped to ask "Hey, are you Blaze?" or anything like that." She chuckled nervously.

"Mari…I don't think I can be around you right now." I looked down at her.

"I understand." She looked away and tears rolled down her eyes. She turned completely away from me and clenched her fists. I tossed her house key onto her bed, and began to leave. I knew she didn't want me to say around and watch her cry.

"I'm sorry, Mari…but you're not at all who I thought you were. I can't be with a girl who thinks she has to keep secrets from me." I said before walking away from her for what could be the last time. But, I didn't want that daily after school peck to be the last kiss I'd possibly ever share with her.

"Rui, this can't be good-bye." She said called through the cracks of her voice. I heard the sound of her throwing on various articles of clothing before running to meet me back outside. There she stood in one of my t-shirts and a pair of shorts. We stood under the streetlight. "I won't play football anymore, I'll never keep another secret from you." She said, pulling on the sleeve of my jacket.

"Mari, please." I looked around. "We both have reputations to keep up."

"I don't care if everyone thinks I'm as tough as nails, that I don't have a heart. I love you! I love you and you love me too. You can't just throw that away because there's something about me you don't want. I won't be Blaze anymore. I'll resign tomorrow."

"Don't do that." I said, trying not to look at the tears falling from her eyes. I pulled her into a tight hug and let her cry into my chest. I looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone around. "You'll find another guy who loves you, Quarterback and all. I just can't handle this all right now, Mari. I'm not good enough for you to begin with. You go to one of the best High schools in Japan, you're this big talented artist, you play football. These past three years have been great."

"No, our three year anniversary is in two days." She pulled away from me and watched as I walked over to my motorcycle and sped away. "Fuck you, Rui Habashira!" She called after me. "Come get your shit tomorrow."

Sure, she was angry now, but things would soon get better for her. They usually did. She'd realize I wasn't the best option, or find all the flaws that made me a horrible person and she'd be grateful that I let her go. I loved Mari, and I always probably would, but it was unsettling knowing your girlfriend was probably one of the most feared quarterbacks in Japan.

Description
Heartshield 01

Chapter 1 - Blaze: Told by Rui Habashira

Behind every great warrior, there's a weakness. I only have one. Her name is Mari Tanaka and I'd be lost without her. I remember the first time I met her. We were both fourteen. She wasn't anything compared to what she is now. She sat alone in the park with a sketchbook on her lap, staring blankly at the trees and twirling a piece of hair with a pencil. She was definitely American. Her strawberry blonde hair was wavy and hung down way past her shoulders, her green eyes hid behind black plastic frames, and she wore a green sweater, a blue skirt, high white socks, and brown high heeled boots.

"You lost, little girl?" I asked, stepping in her view. "This is my park after the street lights come on, kid."

"Really? Little girl? Kid? I bet you anything we're probably the same age." She said in rather impressive Japanese…for an American. "And I was getting ready to leave anyway. You can have your park." She stood up and began to walk away. I stretched out my arm, grabbed her, and pulled her back.

"I never said I was going to let you leave easy." I smirked.

"If you want to play this game, I'll play it." She wound her fist back and punched me hard in the nose. It was a rather strong hit, too. My hand flew up to my nose, and I could tell it was broken.

"You might want to watch yourself, Ginger. You messed with the wrong guy." I lifted her off the ground and waited to drain off of the fear in her eyes. But there was no fear, just a bored expression. "You know what? I'll let you go. Don't let me see you here after dark again. Understand?" I set her down.

She shrugged and walked away.

I seen her again a month later in the park, but this time she looked completely different. Her hair was purple and tied up in a wild ponytail, her glasses were gone, and she wore a black t-shirt and a pair of tight jeans with high black boots. This time, she wasn't drawing, but writing in a composition book. I don't know how I knew it was her, but I did.

"I thought I told you to stay away from here, Ginger?" I said as a I stepped in front of her. She looked up at me, rolled her eyes, and looked back down. I pulled her face up by her chin and sighed.

"Can I help you?" She shut her book and never looked away from my eyes.

"I thought we had an understanding."

"It's a public place. I don't care what kind of stupid gang you're in, Habashira."

"Wait, how do you know my name?" I stared her down.

"I just happen to know things." She swatted my hand away from her face and stood up. Something about the way her face contorted made me go from completely hating her, to falling in love with her in an instant.

"You know what? I think we got off on the wrong foot." I put my arm around her and smirked. "Since you already seem to know my name, why don't you tell me yours?"

"Mari Tanaka." She said stiffly.

We hung out together for a month before we finally got together, and it's been three years since then.

Now, I had this lovely angel meeting me at the park when she got out of school for the day. Zokugaku got out a little bit earlier than Harijaku, and I always had time to sit at the park as she walked with Youske, a guy I didn't like too much but had become Mari's best friend. He was a pretty big guy, about 6"3 and three times Mari's side. He was on the football team, the defensive lineman. He had broken up the almost all out brawl between myself and Blaze.

Oh, how I hated Blaze the mystery quarterback of the Harijaku Fireballs. He was a cocky, arrogant bastard. He could be a guy in Mari's life, a guy who maybe flirted with her in one of her classes, or winked at her from the field while she waited for Youske to finish practice.

"Hey, Rui!" I heard Mari call. There she stood in her school uniform. A black skirt, red blazer, white undershirt with a black bow, red knee socks, and black flats. Harijaku was a rather elite school, which was good for Mari because she had to be the smartest girl I'd ever met, even if she was half American. She stood on tiptoe to kiss me and waved at Youske.

"See you later, Mari. Oh, by the way. Blaze thought you looked cute today." He smirked and continued to walk.

Hearing those words made me angry. I tightened my grip on Mari and she pulled back. "Damn! What's your problem?" She put her hands over her arms and glared up at me.

"Sorry. It's just…stay away from Blaze." I sat back on my motorcycle and she got on behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"I can't make any promises." She said.

I turned back to her, suddenly angry at her. "What to mean you can't make any promises?"

She shot me a dirty look. She got off the back of my motorcycle and started to walk away. "Call me when you're done being an asshole."

"What's your problem?" I called. "You sneaking around with Blaze or something?"

"God Rui, you're so juvenile! So what if he's a great football player? Oh, and you want to know why I can't make any promises?" She narrowed her eyes even more. "No one knows who Blaze is!"

I brought my hand to cover my face. Of course, I was unnecessarily upsetting Mari and when she got like this, there was no going back. She ran to catch up with Youske, who immediately asked her what was wrong, when she told him he laughed and she shoved him into the side of a building. I'd just do what I always did, stop at her house with some roses, cook her dinner, and she'd be good as new.

And I did just that at about seven. I had the key to her apartment and when I opened the door, it was empty. I peeked back in her bedroom where I found her sitting at her vanity holding a towel against her body and talking on the phone. "I'm surprised I'm not puking up blood yet." She laughed into the phone. "But, damn. I can't believe you had to say that out loud. Blaze thought I looked cute today? He better think I look cute every day, I mean, if you think about it, he dresses me, doesn't he?"

What? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

She snorted, and proceeded to laugh. "No, I'll never tell him. Do you know how much he hates Blaze? And how would I go about that? Yo, Rui. Wanna know something? You know Blaze, the quarterback you hate so much? Yep, that's me. You got your ass handed to you by a girl. He has pride problems. Well, I better go in case Rui decides to come over." She hung up the phone and turned, and when she saw me, her heart jumped out of her chest. "Oh, shit. When did you get here?"

I had no clue what to say. I stared at her, unable to comprehend the information flying at me. I spent the whole Harijaku game trying to kill Blaze. There was no way Mari could be Blaze. But then, I thought about how tense she was Friday night, and how sore she looked Saturday. She even tried to fight be back, knowing it was me out on the field.

She bit her lip. "So, I guess my secret's out of the bag?" She stood up and took a step towards me. I wanted to step back, shove her away, but I couldn't move. "I didn't tell you for your own good. I didn't want to you take it easy on us if we ever played you, and I didn't want you to say anything to anyone. If the school board knew I was on the team, they'd kick me off immediately."

"I can't believe it. You're Blaze?" I stood frozen as she held up her towel with one hand and my hand in the other. "You've been lying to me for almost two years."

"Well, not really. You never stopped to ask "Hey, are you Blaze?" or anything like that." She chuckled nervously.

"Mari…I don't think I can be around you right now." I looked down at her.

"I understand." She looked away and tears rolled down her eyes. She turned completely away from me and clenched her fists. I tossed her house key onto her bed, and began to leave. I knew she didn't want me to say around and watch her cry.

"I'm sorry, Mari…but you're not at all who I thought you were. I can't be with a girl who thinks she has to keep secrets from me." I said before walking away from her for what could be the last time. But, I didn't want that daily after school peck to be the last kiss I'd possibly ever share with her.

"Rui, this can't be good-bye." She said called through the cracks of her voice. I heard the sound of her throwing on various articles of clothing before running to meet me back outside. There she stood in one of my t-shirts and a pair of shorts. We stood under the streetlight. "I won't play football anymore, I'll never keep another secret from you." She said, pulling on the sleeve of my jacket.

"Mari, please." I looked around. "We both have reputations to keep up."

"I don't care if everyone thinks I'm as tough as nails, that I don't have a heart. I love you! I love you and you love me too. You can't just throw that away because there's something about me you don't want. I won't be Blaze anymore. I'll resign tomorrow."

"Don't do that." I said, trying not to look at the tears falling from her eyes. I pulled her into a tight hug and let her cry into my chest. I looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone around. "You'll find another guy who loves you, Quarterback and all. I just can't handle this all right now, Mari. I'm not good enough for you to begin with. You go to one of the best High schools in Japan, you're this big talented artist, you play football. These past three years have been great."

"No, our three year anniversary is in two days." She pulled away from me and watched as I walked over to my motorcycle and sped away. "Fuck you, Rui Habashira!" She called after me. "Come get your shit tomorrow."

Sure, she was angry now, but things would soon get better for her. They usually did. She'd realize I wasn't the best option, or find all the flaws that made me a horrible person and she'd be grateful that I let her go. I loved Mari, and I always probably would, but it was unsettling knowing your girlfriend was probably one of the most feared quarterbacks in Japan.