Chapter 9: Lances Promise

"What do you mean?" Lars said to Lance.

Besides there encounter in the morning, Lance had never conversed with the Lars before, yet there seemed to be an air of familiarity, or better yet finality among them.

Lars stood strong with a glare of frustration mixed with his usually dazed and confused look, while Lance stared down Lars with utter acrimony, with the usual arrogant complex arranged on his face.

"How?" Lance finally said breaking the silence

"How can someone like you a loser who could never do anything sudden, with no fight experience quickly analyze a situation and deconstruct an opponent's moves?" He said, giving Lars a skeptical eye "How!"

Lars took a stride forward toward his opponent.

"I... decided I wasn't going to be a loser anymore!" Lars retorted back at Lance

Lance turned his head slightly, squinting his eyes at the remark.

"What?" Lance questioned "What does that even mean? Is that some kind of joke? Are you mocking me?"

Lars shook his head in disappointment; he had no idea why he had expected Lance to gather anything out of what he just said.

"Being a loser or a winner isn't something you just decide? It takes work days months years even! How in the hell can you just have shift in your power out of nowhere! It doesn't make any sense!"

"Well..." Reggie said. "We are Shifters"

"Oh please! Shut up Reggie!" Lance yelled

Lance gave a disapproving glance to Lars, almost as if his eyes were yelling the words "Loser" at him, however. There was also something else in Lance's eyes Lars saw, something he was almost familiar with, but from that short moment he couldn't tell what it was.

"He's alone too... isn't he" Lars thought "He's like me, so why does he treat me like this?"

"I'm sorry I can't explain this better Lance, but lets just say the Axel you used to know is gone, as of today I'm reborn!"

"Cough! Cough!" Lars sputtered out, leaving a trail of blood coming from his lips.

"Look Man We don't have time for this! I've got to get Ax to Medical!" Reggie yelled

Lars walked towards Lance on Reggie's shoulder with his head hanging low, disappointed in their encounter. As he came within an inch of Lance he stared into his eyes giving Lance a look of disparity, as if Lance had failed him in some way, before walking past him.

Lance clenched his fist in rage as Lars passed him. "Why does this guy speak to me so familiarly?" Lance thought. He gritted his teeth, vexed at the arrogance of which he felt Lars had addressed him.

"Wait!" Shouted Lance catching Lars in his retreat.

"I know what you think" he said spitefully as he walked towards Lars. "You think there's something similar between you and me. You think we're the same, BUT YOUR WRONG!" Lance shouted at Lars.

Lars stood frozen in his tracks absorbing the animosity of Lance's outburst. It was as if Lance thought it was insulting to have anything in common with Lars.

"There's no way a loser like you, a child whose never known responsibility, who's never fought for their life like could ever understand me!"

Lars snapped the hood off his head revealing his shoddy blue hair and darted back toward Lance.

"You don't know a thing about me or what I've been through!" He screamed. "All you do is stare me down and make assumptions when you don't have any idea what's going on in my head! You have no idea!"

"Oh shut up!" Lance rebutted arrogantly. "You think your predicament is bad? Have you taken a look at the badlands you know the place where there is no S.P.A? There are people fighting to stay alive every day! Meanwhile your ass is falling asleep in class every day!!"

"Don't jump to conclusions! You think my life is all sunshine and rainbows? I'm fighting for my life right now and you can't even - "

"Enough!" Shouted Lance raising his hand. There was a new look in his eyes, one that had exceeded rage, one, that had developed into murderous intent. Lars'sstomach turned as he stared into Lances ghostly green eyes that penetrated his body.

As Lance's energy flowed through his body a memory flashed through his head.

(Lance remembered)

"Mother!"

"I will fight till my last breath for you my son because I believe one day you will save me"

(back to present)

"You've said quite enough Ax" said Lance clenching his hand into a fist.

Suddenly the air grew cold and the wind started to howl. Lance's eyes glistened as the wind began to blow hard against the trees creating a sinister howl.

"If you truly want to feel what it's like to be on the verge of death, if you truly want to be trapped in a battle of survival and be at the mercy of another that can certainly be arranged". Lance said coldly taking strides towards Lars.

Lars looked down, dropping his head.

Lance continued to stride forward with the turbulence of a great storm following his stride.

"So", Lars said "I keep looking for light but this darkness" he said looking up into the clouds, "This darkness is all I know."

He took one last gaze at the sky before looking up and smiling into Lances face.

"Be my guest" he said chillingly "I've already died once before! THere's nothing worse you can do to me that I haven't already faced!"

(Lance remembered)

"Life is sacred Lance so promise me you'll never say you want to hurt yourself again… There are many people in the world who want to die but can't, do you know why that is?"

"No mother, why is that?"

"Because they have someone important to them… So when you say you want to hurt yourself it means that there's no one important to you…It means you have nothing or no one to live for, or no one who would care if you were hurt or gone... It means that I…"

The wind grew silent, and with those words the scene returned to the silent battleground that was previously established. The howling winds had subsided and in their place a stunning stillness washed over the two.

Lance quickly turned away from Lars catching his breath. Somewhere in that conversation he had lost his breath, or rather he had forgotten to take it in!

He was so baffled he couldn't even look at Lars after hearing such a thing. "This kid", he thought as his fist tightened "he really knows how to get under my skin."

"Damn it" Lance said, gritting his teeth. As much as he had to, he hated backing down, how could he fight someone who was on their way to a hospital wing? What was the point in that? As pissed off as he was Lance was no bully, but he couldn't leave things as they were either.

"Axel" he said as he walked away. "At the S.P.A exams" he said, stopping briefly. "I'll beat you senseless for that nonsense you just sputtered out!"

"What?" Lars said, confused as his heart raced.

"get stronger" said Lance.

"If you truly have changed and that last bout wasn't luck get stronger… and then seek me out. I will leave you so beaten and so broken you'll never dare say things like becoming an S.P.A colonel or some nonsense ever again! I'm going to make you say it with your own mouth."

Lars was shaken by Lance's words. Lance was challenging him? Did that mean they were equals?

This time it was Lars who was frustrated, he gave Lance a wide-eyed stare into the depths of his soul trying to read the situation.

"Make me say what?" Lars uttered in an irritated tone

Lance stopped walking and turned around staring at Lars defiantly.

"That you are in over your head! And that loser like you has no business becoming a colonel!"

As he uttered the words a cool breeze brushed passed the two as they exchanged looks. Somewhere in the conversation it seemed they had come to some sort of understanding of each other. Lance was secretly amazed by Lars's progress and now saw him as a rival.

After the breeze had passed they stared back at each other with the same looks as before. Both seemingly frustrated at why the other "was the way they were".

"After that, you can challenge me as many times as you want, and each time I'll show you what it's like to fight for your life" Lance continued. "You will spend the rest of your life clinging to life waiting for your chance to beat me! But until that day comes don't you ever say your going to become a colonel or some shit like that again! What good is that dream if you can't even beat me!"

Lance made a fist at Lars before turning around.

"And if you've got a problem with that, talk with your fist! Your thoughts won't reach me any other way!" He said shaking his fist walking away.

Lance put it all together. "This guy is so arrogant he doesn't even want to acknowledge my progress but still ants to fight But it doesn't explain why he wants to confront me about it. Maybe… just maybe…" Thought Lars

"OK", Lars said grinning

"I'll fight you under one condition!" Lars proclaimed confidently.

"You're giving me conditions?" Lance laughed grabbing his forehead

"And what would that be?"

"If I win... you have to become my friend"

Lance stopped laughing, and froze shooting a shocked look at Lars.

"Friend?" Lance said

"After all that... this guy wants to be my friend…" thought Lance

"I've never had a friend before… And I certainly don't need one now do I? What am I thinking? Friends with this loser? I'D RATHER"-

Lance caught himself. He would never wish death upon himself even as a joke. He knew better than anyone the value of life. Why was it that this blue haired imbecile caused him to think so irrationally? That stupid look in his eyes, the depressed presence he carried. Usually Lance couldn't care less about those who surrounded him. But this kid made him so livid with frustration he could barely control it. He had to release this anger and discharge it on Lars, only then would he be free of this rage.

It was at that moment Lance realized this was the first time he had felt any emotion at all towards another person other than his mother. Allowing himself to get mad only meant he cared in some way what this kid said.

"You know what", he thought "Why do I even care?" He took a breath calming himself and continued walking on.

"Fine with me" Lance said, doubtfully walking away. "You'll never beat me anyway."

Lars's grin widened with the coolness of Lance's remark and clenched his fist in excitement at the challenge.

"I know" said Lars grinning, "I just wanted to give you every reason not to hold back!"

Lance paused as he approached the stairs to the bleachers shooting one last glare toward Lars. The light that had poured out from the clouds had now illuminated the entire walkway, just barely reaching Lance's face for Lars to see.

Much to Lars's surprise it wasn't a look of enmity or contempt. Though Lars could only see half of his face he could see Lance was smiling!

"Heh this guy", thought Lance in both frustration and amusement. "He really knows how to get under my skin."

"Did Lance Nozuka the strongest Shifter in the school just make you his rival?" Reggie said scratching his head.

"I guess so, but I'm not going to be anyone's rival if I don't get to medical soon!" Lars said