Baba Haru stood at the entrance to high school, the morning sun at his back.
“Well, the weekend is over now,” he said, “I wonder if Keiko will try anything or just ignore me?”
Footsteps caught his attention.
“There you are!” Keiko ran over, “You get to school later than I do.”
“Mae-san? You’re here?” Haru’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I am. What did you expect?” she asked.
He answered, “Being around me is social suicide. Everyone hates me.”
“Baba-san, I knew that even before I talked to you. If I cared what other people thought, I would have stayed away.”
“Oh…thanks,” Haru smiled.
As they walked through the halls, people gave Haru horrible looks. Their cold glares could turn water into ice.
A boy grabbed Haru and yanked him back, “What do you think you’re doing, walking next to her?”
“A pervert like you shouldn’t be anywhere near a woman as beautiful as Mae-san,” a short girl stated, “You must be planning something.”
Then the short girl felt a strong presence behind her. She turned around. Keiko was centimeters from her face with a sinister smile.
“What was that about Baba-san being a pervert?” Keiko asked, malice flooding her voice.
The girl said, “B-But Mae-san, you know what people say about him! What are you doing with him?”
“That’s none of your business,” she turned to the boy, “Now, release Baba-san or else.”
“You…” his face turned red, “Fine! But you’ll regret this! He’ll get you eventually!”
He did so and ran off, the girl following him.
“Thanks, Mae-san. Those people are troublesome,” Haru said.
“And I can’t have you getting in trouble,” Keiko leaned in and whispered with a smile, “I’ve seen what you can do to a vampire. They’d just be a stain on the wall if you got mad.”
Haru folded his arms and whispered back, “I wouldn’t do something like that, Mae-san. I’d at least leave a few bones.”
They both chuckled and went to class.
Noon came and the students in the class shot them with evil eyes. Keiko and Haru sat next to each other. Keiko pulled out his lunch box and Haru leaned over to look at it. His food was a type of bun. When Haru took a bite out of it, it showed that the interior was filled with mushrooms and spinach.
“I haven’t seen food like that before,” Keiko said.
“It’s pirozhki,” Haru explained, “A Russian food.”
“Do you like foreign food?” she asked.
He answered, “My grandmother’s Russian, so she makes Russian food. She told me that my father’s Russian as well and that’s why he was able to find her.”
Keiko blinked, “What?”
“I should clarify,” Haru scanned the classroom.
The other students weren’t out of earshot.
“Alright, come closer,” they leaned into each other, their shoulders bumping, and Haru spoke softly, “My grandmother is a famous witch called Baba Yaga. She isn’t my biological grandmother, but she raised me and taught me witchcraft.”
“Baba Yaga?” Keiko said, “I’ve heard of her before. Isn’t she dangerous?”
“Oh, she is. She’s…I’ll tell you about it later,” he sighed.
Keiko thought a moment before she said, “Actually, there’s something that I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while.”
“What is it?”
“Why are you a witch? You’re a man, so shouldn’t you be a wizard?”
“No, wizards practice a different form of magic and witch is a gender-neutral term,” Haru stated. “There have been plenty of male witches and men killed for witchcraft throughout history.”
“But most media portrays all witches as women,” Keiko said.
He scoffed, “It isn’t our fault that the media is sexist. Besides, these same films always portray witches as being burned. Some were, but most were just hung.”
Erik had listened in. When he heard who Haru’s grandmother was, he slammed his head into his desk over and over.
“That idiot…he just had to attack someone trained by Baba Yaga!” Erik groaned.
The school bell rang as the evening sunlight draped the town. Haru and Keiko walked into that sunlight as they exited the building.
“Hey, could you walk home with me again?” Keiko asked.
Haru answered, “Of course.”
“Thanks,” she smiled as she started walking, “Honestly, I feel a lot safer with you here. Knowing that there are things like vampires running around is a bit scary.”
“Then you really don’t know?” Haru stopped in his tracks.
She stopped too, “Know what?”
“Let’s get a bit further from the school. Someone could listen in here.”
He walked ahead of her at a rapid pace. Keiko followed him to an overlook. Haru’s head darted back and forth. They were alone. He stopped next to a bench.
“Mae-san. You might want to sit down for this,” he told her.
Keiko said, “Alright, Haru-kun.”
Her affectionate words sent a shock jolting down his spine for just a moment. Keiko’s face turned red like a tomato and covered her mouth when she saw Haru freeze. They fidgeted for a moment before she broke the silence.
“Ummmm, you wanted to tell me something?”
“Right! Keiko-chan,” Haru spoke, “You’re a supernatural creature.”
Shock overcame Keiko’s face.
“What? How is that possible? How did you know?” she blurted out.
He explained, “Back when we were in the forest, I sensed your power. It’s why I was willing to use magic in front of you.”
Keiko’s jaw dropped, “How could I not know?”
“It depends on the type of supernatural being you are. If you have magical talent but never got training, you could go your whole life without realizing your potential. Other powers take years to manifest. That’s common for hybrids of humans and non-human supernatural entities.”
“Then…I’m…” she looked at him, “Haru-kun, I don’t know what to do.”
“You could ask your family. They might know what type of supernatural blood flows through you,” Haru said.
Keiko took a deep breath, “Haru-kun, I can’t do that. My family…they’ve disowned me.”
Tears leaked from her eyes.
“I was supposed to be their heir, and I did everything I could to prepare for it. But it was too much. I couldn’t do it. I had to get the best grades, be the better than everyone at sword fighting, be the best at chess, be the absolute best at everything. It was too much. I couldn’t keep it up. And when I failed…they…they saw me as worthless. I…”
Haru took Keiko in his arms. She hugged him back. His embrace was warm and strong.
He spoke, “Keiko-chan, we’re in this together. Even if they’ve abandoned you, I won’t. I’ll help you through this.”
“Thank you, Haru-kun,” she said, “I won’t abandon you either.”
They released each other with a blush.
“It’s getting late. We can figure this out later,” Haru stated.
Keiko said, “Oh, of course. We’ll need a lot of time, right?”
“And I need to get some things ready. Now come on, let’s get you home. Then I can start making preparations.”
“I’ll count on you, Haru-kun,” Keiko told him, “And if you ever need me, I promise I won’t let you down.”
He nodded, “Then it’s decided. No matter what, we’ll make sure to not let each other down.”
Haru extended his hand and Keiko shook it.
Ved'ma Story 