The Rustling of Bushes

Part Two: An Unlikely Ally

Prologue:

Spiravit's POV:

I hate him.

I wasn't sure why I felt this way.

Yea, I was more violent than others, always bossing them around to do what I wanted them to. And if they didn't comply... well I would give them a reason to. This was how I made my way to the top of the social pyramid, an unshakable existence. But I never felt contempt like this before. I didn't even have a good reason to feel this way, but something about him made me very angry. I did say that I would only alienate him... but I needed to get rid of these feelings.

So after he said something that really irked me, I didn't resist the urge to punch him in the face, "...And I certainly don't like that incessant yapping of yours!" I punched him square in the nose, causing him to buckle to the ground. But for some reason, I didn't feel any happiness with this development. I only felt fear, fear toward the strange aura I felt for a split second radiating from him. It was akin to an ancient beast, one that could rip my head off at any moment he pleased.

I decided to ignore that feeling, after all, if he were so powerful, then why would he just let me hit him? It must have been my imagination...? Oh, he's getting back up, well I'm definitely in the mood to pummel the face of someone I don't like.

So I did just that.

___________________________________________________________________________

I walked out of the room, an incredible feeling soaking my entire being. The feeling of knowing that I would become someone big. That was right, I was an A+ Talent. I always knew I was destined to become great from the start, but this really confirmed it. I opened the door and, with a stride in my step, walked out of the room where my destiny forever changed.

Normally I wouldn't act so high and mighty, especially in front of Pulchra, but now I had the right to. I was an A+ Talent for crying out loud. If that didn't give a couple of extra privileges, then what would?

I looked around the room with everyone's gaze on me and said with pride, "I have been blessed with an overall Talent grade of A+!" I looked around the room, deciding in my mind who would become good subjects as I said something clique. It was such a good moment, for my strength to be proven to all who dared not believe me, but it was ruined when I saw him. I really didn't like him, so why not play a little show and humiliate him? There was no way someone as weak as him could have a good Talent, so this should work.

I sneered at him and began to stretch my tongue, "Quis... oh Quis. I pity you..."

I was in the middle of making fun of his C- Talent when a voice pierced through the hall, "Just stop it, Spiravit. Can't you see you've humiliated him enough? Give the poor boy a break." It was Pulchra.

Ever since we were kids, I have harbored feelings for her. But every time I tried to express them, she would stop me. In fact, I wasn't the only one, others also have been rejected by her, and in such cold ways as well. So why was someone dubbed the "Ice Queen" by all men helping out one of these guys she hated so much?

Hmm, I must be thinking too much. She clearly had the same cold atmosphere she always had. She was probably just trying to get my attention, I have been blessed with a great future after all. What woman wouldn't want that in a man? So I decided to humor her and let this poor boy, who was probably destined to die cold and alone somewhere, go. Of course, I wouldn't do this without a lasting remark on his manhood. How about being saved by a girl? Yea, that would hurt even me-

"I don't know what you're talking about. I do not feel a single shred of anguish from being protected by a strong female," He said this with a blank stare as if there wasn't a thought behind his eyes. Just what was he talking about? That didn't get to him at all? Maybe he was stronger than I thought... or maybe he just held different views than me. He did come from somewhere else after all. I have heard that the Island Region usually has women in positions of power, so maybe he was from there?

I still didn't like him though. He was weak, yet he always said such powerful words. I hated nothing more than a guy who was all talk and no bite. I would visit him tonight and release some steam.

___________________________________________________________________________

I yawned while sitting in my seat. I didn't get much sleep last night because of how much difficulty I had tracking Quis down. That guy was as slippery as an eel, and what was with his sleeping schedule? Who goes to the library in the middle of the night?

I sighed. I wouldn't think much about it. Soon enough guys like him would be at my feet begging for just a sliver of my attention. And it all started here, in the Cultivation Classroom. Today was the first day of class, and from what I've heard, it's today that we learn how to cultivate, so I was reasonably excited. I would finish this lesson as soon as possible and then go to the Wood Genesis Essence area, and then my cultivation career would skyrocket. I might even be able to get past Gold Class with my Talent. Who's to say?

The door was suddenly shut open, awakening me from my daydreaming. In ran the same person who greeted me as I walked into school today, the teacher of this classroom, Ms... Ms. Abow? No, it was Ms. Annu, yea, that sounded right. Attached to her hand though, was a familiar face. One that brought the malice out of me quicker than anyone ever could. It was Quis.

I couldn't do anything to him here though, so I would wait. It was alright if I waited. It wasn't like he was going anywhere either. I had all year to beat him up whenever I felt like it. For now, I should just focus on learning the method to cultivate and then... well, cultivate.

Two hours had passed, and the teacher was still rambling on. I had grown impatient an hour and a half ago, making classroom disruptions with my complaints. This teacher was just like the rest though, so why should I care if I was a little rude? She was only a Stone Class, and in about 6 months, I would have caught up to her if not overtaken her. I was a genius. A genius got special privileges.

"Ms. Annu it's not that I don't respect you as a Fruit Cultivator and possibly future elder of the sect..." Wait, why was my tone so respectful? I was a genius! A talented individual such as myself shouldn't have to be displeased, "...but you've been going on and on about things that I just don't see the purpose of! Please just tell us how to suck in Genesis Essence and get it over with! I don't want to be held in a classroom, doing nothing all day, when I could be cultivating!" I made sure to exclaim this next part. This way she couldn't just ignore me like she did before.

I waited for her to give up and let me leave early, knowledge in my hand, but that didn't happen. Instead, something I never expected to happen did.

Snap!

I felt a suffocating presence blanket my body, a presence that brought me so much fear, I couldn't even breathe. What was happening? Was I going to die? Was this how it all ends? I, a person with an A+ Talent, will die before I have even tasted Genesis Essence? No, I didn't want that to happen. I had so much to live for, but I couldn't do anything. This teacher held the difference between my continued survival and my death in the palm of her hand.

It was like this I learned an important lesson.

It doesn't matter how talented one is if one can't live long enough to reap that talent. From now on I would watch my tongue when talking to those stronger than me.

___________________________________________________________________________

I was extremely angry.

How dare he do something so wrong? Doesn't he know I was chasing Pulchra? It was only a matter of time before she fell into my palm, yet he was getting in the way.

It all started after the incident in the Cultivation School. At first, I thought he was done for. He forced Pulchra through something so disturbing, there was no way he would be able to live in this sect any longer and I would be at the front of this. I would defend Pulchra from this deviant and then she would finally see my charms... but that never happened.

Instead, Pulchra got even closer to him. It was often I heard others talking about them: "Have they kissed each other yet?", "Well, they must have! Just look at how often they go on walks together!", "What I'm wondering is if they have done anything more..."

The entire school talked as if they were already an item, it made me sick. I was the one with the Talent and strength, so why was Pulchra so close to that talentless outsider? It wasn't right! I wouldn't stand for it! At least that was what I thought, but I couldn't even beat Quis up. He was just too good at avoiding me.

I slammed the ground beneath me, causing the brown gas surrounding me to scatter a little.

Not only was I unable to catch Pulchra, but I was also unable to take out my frustrations on Quis.

I was starting to feel powerless.

___________________________________________________________________________

Well, this was a surprising twist.

In front of me stood Quis walking toward the school's front gate.

I had given up on looking for Quis this morning, instead just opting to focus on school, but if he presented himself on a silver platter... I wouldn't decline. I walked up to him, I thought about saying some clique line like normal, but I wasn't feeling it today. I only wanted to feel the satisfaction of being better than someone else again. Unfortunately, I was interrupted by Pulchra, again.

"Ah, there you are Quis... oh if it isn't Spiravit and his gang. You can get lost... Actually, could you stay here Spiravit? Just stop using Quis as a punching bag for a moment."

Huh? This was the first time she asked me to stay around. Even if it was for some other purpose, I was surprisingly happy with such a development. Maybe I had a shot to get with her.

The conversation between Pulchra and Quis brought me right back to reality. She wanted me there so I could spread her public apology and revitalize the name Quis.

I was conflicted. I wanted Quis to feel the shame of what he did for the rest of his stay in this sect but at the same time I wanted to fulfill the request of Pulchra. These two ideals played tug of war in my thoughts for a while before I gritted my teeth and came to a decision.

I would complete Pulchra's request. Don't get me wrong, I still hated Quis down to the core, but if it meant me having an excuse to go to the girls' dorm to notify Pulchra of my success... during the dark. Then I would take it, no questions asked.

I sighed while walking away from the two.

Ah, the lengths even a genius such as myself would go to for a woman.

I really am a true man.

___________________________________________________________________________

Hehehe.

I laughed to myself as I positioned myself closer to the window connected to one of the girls' dormitory rooms. It was about that time when most of the girls would go to their room and begin the ritual of falling asleep. But there was a very important step in this ritual: They had to change first.

I have been doing this every night since we've been on campus. I mean, if given such an opportunity you have to take it. And I also was an A+ Talent individual, that position gave me certain privileges. Being able to do this should be one of them, and since I said so, it is.

I became deadly silent as the door opened and a girl walked in. Her name was Novem, she was my woman of choice today. She had a decent figure, her chest not too big, but big enough to excite. Her waist was slightly bigger than my ideal figure, but a little more Martial Arts Class would fix that right up, so I didn't mind... but her hips. Those hips sent shivers-

Crack!

I heard a twig snapping near me and immediately jumped into the hiding spot I made earlier in case something like this happened. I saw a familiar figure walk by, carrying what seemed to be another person on her back. Wait... I'd recognize that figure anywhere, it was the shy, yet voluptuous Capcis. And she was carrying someone on her back... it was Pulchra.

This was interesting... just what shady thing was going on? I began to imagine scenarios in my head. Maybe she was going to sell Pulchra to some shady people? Or perhaps she was getting revenge on Pulchra for being so apathetic recently... She could be planning to bury her alive in the hopes of becoming the most attractive girl on campus! If it were any of these, I could save her, becoming the night in shining armor. Then she would realize how great I was and then-

Snap!

Another stick broke under Capcis' shoe, taking me out of these fantasies and I thought about the situation logically. Why was the shy and softspoken Capcis carrying her sleeping friend somewhere who was acting despondent about everything recently... No matter how I looked at it, it was shady. I would follow her... and if something bad did happen to Pulchra... well, hehe. I would become the hero in one fell swoop.

I trailed behind Capcis as she struggled her way through the thick jungle. At one point she completely gave up on carrying Pulchra, and instead dragged her. Soon enough she reached her destination, and what I saw made my mind numb with anger.

Why the hell was Quis here?! Bad thoughts went through my mind, and I considered jumping out then and there to put a stop to whatever was happening. But I restrained myself. If Pulchra awoke to me beating up her friend, even I know that wouldn't go ever well. I needed to act when the time was right.

I watched over him and Capcis make humorous exchanges, carefully dissecting their words. By the time she left Quis and Pulchra alone, I was getting sick of how well Quis and Capcis were communicating. How did this outsider make Capcis talk like a normal person her age should? Whenever I tried to talk to her, she would just nervously ask me to go away.

I was about to curse Quis in my mind when he made a sudden movement. He went to go touch Pulchra. It was at this moment I was most focused. This was my chance. But... he just ended up nudging her awake. What was he doing? Doesn't he know that any girl who finds herself in this situation would definitely kill the guy who did this to her?

But as I watched the words stanched between the both of them, I realized a key difference between me and Quis. He had a goddamn good snake tongue. To be able to trick Pulchra into believing this was a dream, now that took skill. It kind of ticked me off to admit he was skillful in something, but at least I had more raw power than him. If I remember correctly, it was that old man that said, "All trickery in the face of true power is meaningless", or something like that. So I wouldn't worry about it.

I put my thoughts instead into focusing on the problem at hand. A depraved guy had successfully tricked a girl he liked into believing she was in a dream. If I were him... no, any reasonable guy would definitely... The point was, I should have my chance to save Pulchra soon. So I followed them as they walked through the jungle.

It was soon that they came to an open field, one with a ginormous tree in the center. It was a pretty cool tree, I would have to admit, but give me a couple of years and I could produce one even bigger than this one. Ah, that doesn't matter, what matters is that I have to observe this very carefully. If something happens when I'm distracted, then I'll miss my chance.

So I enhanced my focus and watched them carefully, although I was pretty far away, so I couldn't hear anything they were saying except for the occasional scream or loud laughter. About an hour passed like this.

I was confused, to say the least. Not only had Quis not made a move on Pulchra, but Pulchra hadn't even figured out this was a dream, otherwise she would have dumped him on the spot... wait. If they were on bad terms... then why did Pulchra think she could have a dream like this, and then continue it? I didn't know the answer, but I knew it would make me upset.

Suddenly, they made a move and began to walk toward the forest. Of course, I followed them. It was less me wanting to show up as a hero, but making sure I could interview if anything happened. I would be damned if I let my future wife lose her virginity to this loser instead of me. And, honestly, judging by the atmosphere I felt from Pulchra, that was a real possibility.

I've known Pulchra for a while, so I was decent at reading her at this point. She was definitely in heat right now, for what reason I know not, nor do I care. I would make sure nothing happened, whether that meant indirect or direct contact.

I tailed them all the way to the campus walls when I saw Pulchra do something amazing. She opened a hidden door within the fence. That was an incredible discovery, now if I wanted to release steam- I mean practice my skills on some beasts in the jungle, I could. I copied Pulchra's movements and words before exiting the campus and following them across the open field.

I was extra careful not to be caught during this, keeping a good distance from the two. Once they got to the jungle I was able to catch my breath a little, with me being able to hide in a shrub and all of that. I positioned myself in a bush near the two of them, close enough to hear words and pounce when needed, but far enough so they wouldn't see me if they looked at the right angle.

Oh wow, she was taking off her clothes. I really chose correctly to follow them. Not only did I get to rip the two of them apart with my next actions, but I would also get a show while I was at it.

I had the perfect plan. I would use the recording device that my grandma gave me, and then I would expose the two of them. It doesn't seem like it would do much, but I knew the reality behind the L'Amour family. Pulchra's grandfather had a big say in everything family-related, so if he caught wind of this relationship between the two of them... well, it wouldn't end pretty.

I turned on the recording device and got ready to collect the evidence I needed. Pulchra got closer to Quis, she even said such words as "I love you." Ahhh, young love, so sweet, so blind. Don't you see that the person you need to be with is me Pulchra? It's alright, I'm sure your grandfather will be happy to explain this to you after I show him this.

Well, that was probably enough. I got ready to go ahead and put a stop to the two of them, I already collected all the evidence I needed, so I would obviously cockblock Quis.

Vwoosh!

Just as I was about to use my Fruit to disrupt the two of them, I heard a burst of wind blow past my cheek. Huh? I put my hand to my cheek to see what that liquid I felt cascading down was. When I pulled my hand back up to see blood, I felt my stomach drop. Something was wrong, very wrong.

I looked back up at the two of them and my eyes went wide. In the previously perfect neck of Pulchra was a gaping hole. 'That shouldn't be there,' I thought such stupid thoughts at that time and then looked at the perpetrator.

He looked at the silver moon that floated in the night sky. His white hair, slightly stained with blood, and his deep ocean eyes. Was this the same Quis I knew? No... I felt this before. This was the same aura I felt when I first punched him. The aura of death.

I looked at Quis a moment longer before my eyes glided back to the corpse that lay on the cold ground. A puddle of blood had already formed beneath her body, creating an interesting color scheme with her slightly tanned, yet still beautiful white skin...?

A shiver went down my spine as realization stirred within me. Just what was I doing? Admiring the interesting view of a dead body? And not just any dead body, it was the dead body of the girl I've courted since a little boy.

I watched the blood flow a little longer, my mind devoid of thought.

I then turned my attention to the hole in her neck, nothing thought-provoking there.

I looked at the man standing above the dead body, now that got me thinking.

For the first time, I wasn't angry when I looked at him.

I wasn't sure why, but when I looked at the blood dripping down my face, the blood dripping down Pulchra's neck, and then the blood dripping down Quis' hair, it made me feel something I'd never felt toward Quis before.

I felt respect.

End of Prologue