The Unwitting Guardian Ch. 07A

"Ryna, Ryna! Wake up you lazy-ass lump!" called a voice from near Ryna. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the beautiful sight of Sensara's back, putting on a collared shirt that looked like part of a uniform, calling over her shoulder for him to get up.

"No way, I'm going back to sleep," he mumbled, turning away from her. He knew that she wouldn't give up, but he tried anyway.

"How can you even consider going in late to the first day of class! Grandfather would be appalled!" she exclaimed, buttoning her shirt up over her voluptuous breasts.

"You sure? Cuz Gramps seems like the guy who would skip the first day entirely," Ryna joked, chuckling. He didn't see Sensara roll her eyes, but he knew that she had anyway.

"Grandfather is a perfectly respectful and organized person, unlike a certain person I know," Sensara said with mock indignation. She momentarily forgot her efforts to get dressed and sat on the edge of the bed nearest to her stubborn boyfriend.

"Maybe if I had some... incentive..." Ryna said, only half-joking. He turned again, this time to face Sensara, and looked up into her eyes seductively.

"You do have an incentive! An education!" she exclaimed softly, placing her hand lightly on his face as she leaned down into a kiss. Slowly, and without breaking the kiss, she coaxed him into sitting up. Then, breaking the kiss, she teased "There's more if you'll get up,"

Ryna groaned with a resigned look on his face. "Fine, be like that. I'll get up, but only cuz' you asked so nicely." He got up and hurried about as he got dressed in the school's male uniform: a white collar shirt with the school's insignia on the breast pocket and black pants. He threw his trench coat on over top, and waited a couple minutes at the door for Sensara to appear. She looked gorgeous in her uniform, a short skirt the same black color as his pants and a white blouse, also with the school's logo over one of her breasts.

"Finished staring?" Sensara asked playfully.

"Staring? Me? Never! I would never think that you look really hot in that uniform or anything," Ryna said sarcastically, grabbing her hand as he pushed open the door of the dormitory.

"Wait a minute, aren't you taking a bag or something to carry stuff around?" Sensara asked, pulling him back into the room.

"Nope. I planned to be asleep today, so I won't be there to get anything." Ryna explained sarcastically. Sensara slapped his shoulder, muttering "asshole" playfully as she turned around to go find a bag. She came back a second later with an ugly light brown satchel, and held it out for him to take.

"Am I allowed to reject the bag?" Ryna asked, pointing to the bag in her hands.

"No, you are not." Sensara stated dangerously, her eyes daring him to refuse.

"Well, then it's a good thing you chose such a splendid bag!" Ryna lied as he took the bag's handle and flung it over his back. "Shall we be going?" he asked, taking her hand again. This time she consented, walking close to his side as they made their way out of the building.

"Well, it is at this juncture that you should take over leading us to the classes, as I have no idea where the fuck anything is around here," Ryna said overly formally as they exited the building.

"Sure darling, I'd be happy to lead you to the classrooms," Sensara answered sweetly, ignoring his profanity. She took the lead, walking across campus to a large building that resembled a "U" made from a white metal.

"This is the main school building," Sensara announced as they reached the door, "The library is behind this building, and the gym is next to the library."

"Alright, awesome. Now I just need to remember which homeroom I'm in, and we'll be all set," Ryna said, opening the door for Sensara.

"You're in class 1-X. I checked this morning, before you woke up. Be careful! I heard that there were a lot of tough guys in that class," Sensara warned, turning him to face her after they had gone through the door. There were people all over the lobby, looking awkward or conversing with friends.

"1-X? What the hell kinda class name is that? I thought I was in class C?" Ryna asked, putting his arms around her back.

"Did you read the school's pamphlet at all?" she asked, getting a quick shake of the head, "Well, the male classes are labelled X-Z, while the female classes are A-C. They are split because the two sexes get different educations," Sensara explained, returning the embrace by wrapping her arms around his neck. "Oh, and one more thing! Girls here tend to be a little arrogant because they are perceived as more important here at the academy,"

"Oh? And why is that?" Ryna asked quietly, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Aside from the fact that girls are just generally better," she said, making Ryna laugh softly, "The girls here are chosen specifically for their aptitude with a certain secret technology,"

"And I assume that girls are the only ones who can use the technology, otherwise there wouldn't be any reason for them to feel superior," Ryna said.

"Exactly. Anyway, the bell will ring soon, so we should get to class," Sensara said, breaking the embrace and running off down one of the side hallways. Ryna stood in the lobby for a couple minutes before he made his way down the opposite hallway toward the male classrooms. He reached a rather beat-up looking sliding door with a marker reading "1-X". He slid the door open, revealing a very low-tech and traditional appearing classroom. It had wooden desks lined up in about 6 rows of 5 until about 2 meters from the front desk, where a familiar ball-like humanoid sat.

Ignoring the various guys who had looked up when he had entered, he walked straight up to the desk. "Mr. Deep Roy! What a surprise! I look forward to the coming year," Ryna extended his hand to the orange man.

"Oh joy, you're in my class. Just sit down, and we can get started with class," he said tiredly, ignoring Ryna's outstretched hand. Ryna turned, taking a window seat in the second row from the front. It was then that he looked around, examining his classmates. There were only about 10 other people in the room, and all of them looked slightly older than him. Except for a beaming Raas who made his way over to sit next to him.

"Ey mon! I didn't know you were in this class too!" he said enthusiastically. Ryna was rather relieved that he knew someone in his class.

"Yeah, wassup!" Ryna exclaimed.

"I'm doin good, mon!" he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "But this class is knowed for its, eh, combat prowess and... readiness to fight. It might be hard to get along with everyone else if that is true."

Before Ryna could respond, the teacher floated up out of his chair, allowing him to look down on the class. "I guess that's everyone who'll be coming today. My name is Zander Feuran, your homeroom teacher. Unfortunately, I already know most of you in here, seeing as you were here last year as well. I want to make it through at least the first week before we have a violent incident, okay?"

"Yo, Zander! I thought they'd reassign you to a different class after all the complaints you filed last year!" A bald guy sitting on top of a desk in the middle of the classroom yelled out.

"Yes well, not everything goes the way you want, does it, Mr. Juras. Because there are only, what? Two new kids? I'll just let you all do introductions on your own time. Instead, I'll go over what the headmaster gave me earlier," the teacher said, looking around the classroom briefly.

"As I hope all of you know, this is the Vanguard Training Academy, or Van-cademy for short. It is here that the future generations of the Vanguard Defence Force are trained. The school is divided into Male and Female due to the required differences in the curriculum. The girls learn to operate–"

"Zander, we heard all this shit last year!" one of the kids on the desks next to the bald kid interrupted.

"What an astute observation Michael! If you didn't know, I am required to read this every year, regardless of your personal feelings about it." Mr. Zander retorted, trying to keep his anger from overflowing. "Now, were was I? Oh right, The girls learn to operate the advanced Limit Removal System, as well as various other things consistent with officer training in the Armed Forces. You boys have been split up into the three based off your own affinities. Class Z is for those with skills pertaining to information-gathering and stealth, and Class Y is for those with abilities that give them an edge while operating vehicles and machinery. Finally, Class X, this class, is for those who have shown themselves exceedingly capable in combat. Your curriculum will revolve around combat styles, familiarity with every weapon system in use by the VDF, as well as those used by the Federation Navy, Army, and Marines. Good luck in your training, though I hope you never have to use it. -Headmaster Iures."

"Yo, teach! That was the exact same one as last year! I thought that the headmaster wrote a new one every year!" the bald kid exclaimed.

"Usually he does, but he wasn't there at this morning's staff meeting, so none of the new ones were passed out to the teachers," Mr. Zander explained, his patience growing thin. The mention of Iures missing drew a chuckle from Ryna, though.

"Then you should have, like, ad-libbed it, or something!" one of the other guys joked. The other guys laughed, a full laugh that grated against Mr. Zander's nerves even further.

"If you idiots are so smart, then why didn't you pass last year, huh? I'm not going to deal with it this year! You all have a self-study session until I get back," Mr. Zander huffed angrily as he began floating toward the classroom door.

"But Zander! We don't know what to self-study about!" one of the other guys near the back said sarcastically.

"I don't care, I'm not going to be your teacher anymore after this!" he yelled as he floated out into the hallway.

"Well, that was great, you pissed off Mr. Deep Roy the first ten minutes of the class!" Ryna remarked. The bald kid, apparently the leader, came over and sat on the desk in front of him.

"Relax newbie, he'll be back. He just needs to blow off some steam. After all, this is the second year we all have been in his class," he said in a friendly tone.

"You guys failed last year?" Ryna asked, not quite managing to contain his laughter.

"That funny to ya, huh newbie? You got some nerve, coming in and making fun of Juras Lairn, the leader of the Shining Fangs!" he exclaimed with an over-inflated sense of importance.

"I think your gang name is a little cliche, don'tcha think?" Ryna asked sarcastically, openly laughing now. Even Raas was chuckling a little bit.

"Alright newbie, if you think you can make fun of me, let's see what you got!" Juras challenged. His followers had been following intently, and began cheering.

"If you wanna get your ass kicked, that really isn't my problem," Ryna provoked, standing up and stretching his back.

"Let's go and get this over with now! In the gym behind the school, 10 minutes, be there!" Juras exclaimed, leaving the room. The other guys in the classroom also left excitedly.

"You sure this is a good idea mon? This be their second year here, so they got a year of experience on ya'! This could get ugly for you, just saying," Raas warned, worried.

"Thanks for the support Raas. If I end this now, then I won't have to deal with it the rest of the year, and next year if they pass. Besides, I won't lose, Sensara would never forgive me," Ryna joked, making his way to the door as they talked. The rest of the walk to the Gym was silent as Ryna pretended to be mentally preparing for the fight, and Raas worried for his friend.

They arrived in the gym, a large domed building made from the same sculpted white metal as the school building. They entered through a large set of double doors, and were greeted by the sight of a rough box marked by crudely applied white paint on the wooden floor. Juras stood in the center of the box, waiting for Ryna's arrival.

"Hello ya little punk. I'm about to administer a beat-down, but pay attention to the rules anyway. Rule #1, no weapons. Rule #2, the match ends when one of us isn't able to fight anymore, or gives up. And Finally, Rule #3: the winner of this fight will be the new leader of the Shining Fangs. Get it? Got it? Good, get in here so we can start," Juras explained, motioning him forward.

"I don't know why you called your gang to watch this fight. This is going to end rather anticlimactically," Ryna remarked as he stepped into the box. He didn't bother taking up a fighting stance, instead leaving his hands in his pockets.

"Is that so? You plan to give up that early?" Juras taunted.

"Listen, why don't we just end this now? I can see that you're a good guy, kinda. I don't like beating up nice guys, so just give up now," Ryna demanded, sincerely trying to get the other man to back off.

"Too late now, you bastard! I won't let you take pity on me!" he yelled as he charged, his fist flying straight at Ryna's throat. Ryna jumped, easily clearing his head, and landed behind him. His elbow flew back, smashing against Juras' neck, knocking him out cold instantly.

"As I said, anticlimactic. Now, I'm gonna go to the library to 'self-study'," Ryna remarked, starting toward the door.

"Wait a minute, you just beat our leader, so you're the leader of the Shining Fang's now!" one of the spectators called out.

"I don't particularly give a fuck, do whatever the hell you guys want," Ryna said, annoyed.

"That isn't how it works! The gang's rules state that the gang's leader always be surrounded by lesser gang members for his protection. Therefore, we need to follow you," said a bookish looking guy near the back of the crowd. As he spoke, the others made way for him to step up to the front, allowing Ryna a better look at the man. He was tall for a human, with icy blue eyes and spiky brown hair. When he reached the front, he started speaking again.

"My name is Ulgo, I'm the Shining Fang's lawkeeper. I have served since this gang's founding, and I won't allow you to come in and screw everything up because you don't want to be a part of the gang." he announced passionately.

"What the hell kind of gang has a 'lawkeeper'? And why are you all so attached to the goddamn gang?" Ryna asked, confused and angry at the same time.

"We have a lawkeeper so that we won't hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it!" a short, feline-like blue-skinned humanoid yelled.

"Yeah, and we love this gang cuz it's our family here at Van-cademy!" a taller, tan humanoid with a large white afro explained.

"O.K., so you guys are a self-righteous family-gang? Like the Mafia? Am I understanding this right?" Ryna asked.

They all nodded.

"And I am the newest member of this family?" Ryna asked again, incredulous.

Another round of nods.

"And I'm not allowed to quit, I presume." Ryna stated, rather than ask.

More nods.

"You guys suck, you know that? I'm going to the library, and I don't wish to be disturbed by you weirdos, so how do I do that, Mr. Lawkeeper?" Ryna asked.

"My name is Ulgo. And you would need to appoint someone else into a position of power for us to guard. Someone in the gang already, mind you, and who has proven their ability to be a good leader," Ulgo explained.

"Alright, I assign Juras as my second in command, go hang out with him." Ryna announced disinterestedly, already leaving for the library. He ignored their excited shouts as he made his way into the peaceful sanctuary. The library was almost empty, save for a couple librarians running around here and there. He sat down at a far table after grabbing a book on ancient martial arts styles from across the galaxy titled "Fighting Before Space".

"Those idiots really went and made me the head of their stupid gang. What the hell! This is only my first fucking day at school too!" Ryna mumbled to himself, only half-reading the textbook in front of him. Behind him, a melodious voice spoke up.

"Oh how terrible, to be respected on the first day of school!" the voice said sarcastically. Ryna turned to address the person, but there was no one behind him.

"Great, now I'm going insane," he muttered under his breath. He turned back around and began reading his book again.

"Not insane... simply unobservant," the voice said again. Ryna realized she was a girl, judging from the pitch. Ryna saw a flicker of movement to his right and whirled, reaching out at the same time. His hand made contact with what felt like a piece of cloth for a brief second.

But a second was all he needed. His fingers clamped down on the invisible cloth and pulled. The cloth pulled away easily, revealing a younger girl about a foot shorter than him, adorned with dark black form-fitting robes. A mask was pulled back, revealing her face, a small, roundish affair topped by short auburn hair. She was blushing slightly from being caught, averting her green eyes from him.

"Clearly not as unobservant as we thought, huh?" Ryna asked with a smirk.

"Fine, you caught me. You want a medal or something?" she asked sarcastically, trying to regain her composure.

"Not really, but it would be nice if you could tell me why exactly you were messing me from behind an invisible piece of cloth," Ryna said. He didn't phrase it like a demand, but his tone reassured her that it was.

"First off, it isn't invisible, it has millions of tiny cameras and screens that show what is behind me on the front, so it looks like I'm not there–" she began.

"I'm really not interested in the cloth," Ryna interjected.

"–and second, I was sent here to deliver something if I deemed you worthy," she finished, ignoring his interruption.

"That is great. Next time tell them to use UPS. Those guys don't hide from the recipients of their packages. Plus they bring that huge sense of anticipation when you see they brought you a package. All in all, a much better experience than Ninja Delivery Services, or whoever the hell you're with," Ryna said, folding his arms across his chest.

"I am not a delivery service, you rude-ass monkey!" she exclaimed angrily.

"SSHHHHHH!!" commanded a passing librarian.

"Right, well, deliver the package then, ms..." Ryna whispered. He had forgotten he was in the library.

"No way. I'm not giving you the package or my name," the ninja-girl replied, obstinately refusing to make eye-contact.

"Hmmm... Okay then, have fun explaining to your boss that you failed your delivery. And mention that the whole cosplay thing is fine, but not in public," Ryna answered, refusing to get angry. He sat down and began reading again. They stayed like that for about ten minutes before she cracked and talked.

"We're not a delivery service, idiot. I can't believe how rude you've been," she announced suddenly.

"You are delivering a package, right? Therefore, you are currently performing the duties of a delivery service," Ryna replied, not even looking up from his book.

"I am a member of the Haira Family. We have been serving the Harcourt Family for over a thousand generations, or didn't you get that far in your studies?" she sneered.

"I think that you are missing some vital parts of the equation here Miss. I was banished from the Harcourt Family when I was, like, 3. And the Diuwel race in general. I haven't even seen another one since then," Ryna said, laughing.

"What?! Then why was I sent to give you Naek's Scroll?" she muttered to herself, unconsciously touching the bag on her back.

"Naek's Scroll? What's that?" Ryna asked, curious.

"Umm... Nothing. It's is nothing, absolutely nothing," the ninja-girl said, backing away as Ryna stood up.

"Is it some sort of instructional guide for getting through puberty written by my ancestors?" Ryna joked. The girl laughed, momentarily dropping her guard. Ryna saw the drop and instantly he was behind her, hands in her bag.