Chapter 49, Look to the Light

When I get up and let out a yawn, I look outside to see a bright morning starting. Arata, Will, I hope tayt you two are safe.

"Hiro, you awake?" Touya knocked at my door.

"Yeah." I answered and got up and took a quick bath.

I went to join him for breakfast. He moved into the spare dorm room since I was by myself here. Before Arata and Will came, I had been here with Andrew and Ethan. Alexis and Alistar had only moved in while Zhen, Liam and Reinhardt applied for this dorm after learning Arata was here.

This dorm was pretty lively with them here but now it's so quiet and it feels empty. I don't spend much of my time here anymore. After breakfast Touya and I went to class.

Every since the others left, the school has lost its lively manner for some reason. Lately it's been cloudy and cold. As I'm gazing outside the window I realize that no one had been tending to the flowers. Since the announcement of the Capricorn everyone had been on edge, and now it's even worse. The Lost Beasts, the ones that were sealed away have been revived. They're difficult to fight because all we have to go on is the informantion Arata gave us.

"Hey! Stop frowning!" Himari slaps my back.

"Ouch!" I complained as I glared at the blonde girl with emerald eyes and white skin in front of me.

"You've been tense lately, loosen up!" She laughed.

"Leave me be." I said and Lina came over and stared at me. "What?"

"I know you're worried but nothing good will come out of it." She said and I sighed.

"I know but..." I know I shouldn't be like this but... ever since Arata came into our daily lives there was always light in our gloomy lives.

People think Braves are people who are strong, who have no fear, no darkness but in reality that isn't true. Braves who are born to Brave Families are trained since birth to be the best. Failure isn't an option. Even if you tell us now to live our lives, we don't exactly know what to do.

I was lucky that my family wasn't like that. My parents wanted me to enjoy life and make friends but the people around me were all handshakers, shallow people who came to me with hidden intentions. It was Andrew and Will who truly wanted to be friends with me. We shared the same views, the same scenery, the same colorless world.

It was seven years ago that I noticed Will had changed. He had a shine in his eyes that I had never seen before. When I asked him if anything had changed he told me that he had a little brother. An adopted one that was unique from other childrens. It wasn't till the day that I saw him that I realized what Will meant by unique. He was bright, like the sun or beautiful, like the moon, but also very fragile, like a butterfly with wings made of glass.

It was then that I had felt what Will felt. Arata brought color to his world and he did the same to my own. Not just mine and Will, he filled our worlds with color. Everyone in school started to change after Arata was here. People began to smile more, the air that was heavy and tense became light and lively. The silent corridors became bright and busy. The school had begun changing, all thanks to Arata.

The school now is colorless again, the air heavier and tenser than before. Without any signs of light or happiness.

"Earth to Hiro, you there?" Teru, a boy with brown hair and white skin with green eyes asked.

"Yeah." I answered.

"Oh? Someone is tending to Arata's flowerbed." Touya said as he gazed outside the window. We all watched and saw Yuuki was watering them. "Oi! Yuuki, what are you doing?"

"Ah! Touya-senpai, I'm tending to Arata's flowerbed, giving them some water." He answered. "I thought Arata would be sad when he comes back to see that all the flowers he had planted with care had wilted and died."

"Oh? Need help?" Lina asked.

"No. I can handle this." He answered and went back to watering the plant and paused for a koment before turning to us. "But... if possible, can someone tend to the animals? I'm allergic to them so..."

"Ah! Leave that to me!" A girl from Course 3, Second Year said. She's the same year as Ethan and Liam. I think her name was Ami Tanaka. "Arata would be sad if anything happened to them. He cared for them everyday after all. making time in between classes "

"I'll help." I said.

I'm such a dummy. Instead of worrying about things here, I need to move foward. Arata promised he'd come back here with the others. We can't be like this.

"Alright!!" I shouted.

"Whoa?! What's up?!" Touya asked.

"Enough worrying about things! We shouldn't let what Arata had worked hard to take care of be left to waste!" I shouted. "Time to fix things! Time for a change of pace!"

"O-oi! Where are you going?" Himari asked.

"To bring some life back to this school." I answered and went out to to the hall ways and down to the broadcast room.

"Oh, Hiro, something wrong?" Moyu who was on broadcast duty asked.

"Mind if I make a quick announcement?" I asked and she smiled.

"Go on." She said.

"Thanks." I told her.

I took the mic and took a deep breathe before letting it out of my chest.

"Oi! Everyone, are you listening to me? I'm Hiro Greenhill, from Course 2, Class 3 - A, I'm making a major announcement to everyone!" I shouted. "Listen up cause I'm only going to say this once! Let stop this stupid and pointless act we're all doing."

The others burts into the room as I'm making my announcement and try to stop me.

"Arata left this school to us, we have to work hard and keep it alive. Arata came and planted something here, a seed of hope for all Braves, he gave it life and entrusted it to us when he left. Yet here we are, slowly killing the very seed he planted." I said as the holds on me started to weaken. "Everyond, I know it's been rough without Arata here, but let's not let this put out the hope Arata has lit in each and every one of us, let's bring some life back into our school and wait for Arata with smiles on our faces!"

For a second there's silence and the next second shouts of agreement filled the halls.

After that the teachers did scold me but the Principal said 'Good job' to me for some reason.

After that the halls began to come alive, the life beginning to return to our school as the dark and dreary atmosphere was replaced by smiles and laughter. Though I can't say everything - the uneasiness, the fear, the weakness - all those negative feelings that we felt are gone, I think we can be a little bit stronger now. We'll definitely protect this world that Arata and the others will return to. We'll move forward, Arata, to the place of hope and light.