#and like i said for ishin like. there really was no hard part of this game

[todayisafridaynight]

what’s the hardest gameplay part in each Yakuza game.

yakuza 0 - i genuinely dont remember anything gameplay wise rom this game but i do remember that whenever ih ad to play as kiryu it made me upset cause he just feels sooooo Not Good in y0

yakuza kiwami 1 - jingu fight but its more annoying than hard

yakuza kiwami 2 - lmao none if you got muscle soda. if not than man in black kinda annoyin

yakuza 3 - tamashiro is a twat and sucks for a chapter 2 boss like bro i just got here what is this

yakuza 4 - the entire game because i have to restrain myself from destroying my console over this booty ass plot. munakata gameplay wise tho but again, more annoying than hard

yakuza 5 - lord i dont remember anything from this game either but ironically shinada also feels weirdly sluggish but im not even mad about it. it builds character

yakuza 6 - LMAO NONE OF IT

yakuza 7 - tendo and kiryu are fist fighting each other at the top of the millenium i cannot discern who's more troublesome to deal with

like a dragon ishin - i think i only really struggled with shinpachi but that's like. the beginning of the game i wasn't used to the controls/combos yet- second time around he wasn't a problem

[analysis-by-a-muffin]

RGG: Majima and Toxic Masculinity

It's really not like the writers themselves try desperately hard to force the audience to see Majima Goro as a totally heterosexual and completely straight acting man. However, some circles of the audience haven't gotten the memo and will harshly defend the honor of a man who's not real. As much as I've easily come across those that are accepting and fans that are queer themselves, I've also crossed paths with loud bi/homophobes who try to attack or pester those that don't see him the same way they do. In truth, I've never seen such a large concentration of people who are starkly against the notion that a fictional character could be bisexual or gay. (With a concerning amount of people who seem to outright refuse to believe bisexuality is even a viable orientation. He must be one or the other). And as I stated at the beginning, the writers aren't giving him a new girl every game. He's had less romantic interests of the opposite sex than Kiryu- a very un-horny man who's had at least four(or five) if you want to include his place in spinoff games Kenzan and Ishin.

It's nothing new to any fandom (and it's nothing new for me to bring it up), but it can still be upsetting and frustrating to watch bigoted people parade around a specific character in a series you enjoy. All while claiming they know them better than anyone else. I go through this with Sora from Kingdom Hearts who's another character that isn't exactly the poster child for traditional masculinity, and other characters of that specific variety.

Majima has only had two female love interests across the series so far, and we only see him interact with one of them while we're left up to the word of other characters outside his POV for the second interest. While he clearly cared a lot for Makoto, the Majima Saga of Kiwami 2 reveals she's started a family and will soon be living in another country. She's got her own life; a much better and happier one. Yet, she's still used by some as a prop for the sake of Majima being viewed as hetero, and some still want him to be hung up on a woman he loved over two decades ago. I can't deny that it starts to feel desperate and creepy. Him meeting her again just gave him a chance to see how well she's doing for herself and move on from that. I also can't deny it's frustrating to watch people treat Makoto in a way that completely denies her her own character in order to do what they think will make Majima happy.

As depicted by Goromi, and his pink dump trucks that debuted in Y3, Majima must be a fan of the flashiest shades of pink. Having a drag persona alone is something I think would turn certain fans away from him. It does to some small degree. Spinoffs like Dead Souls feature Majima being even more openly queer or disinterested in women than he is for the most part in the main games. While not canon, he's still depicted as being really into Daigo crossdressing and asking him if he's "ever thought of switchin sides." He gets genuinely disgruntled over not being able to kiss him, too. In Kenzan, he doesn't gain any feelings toward a woman he's lived with for a while, choosing to instead view her as a sister. (His treatment of the cabaret girls in 0 is similar. No attraction, just slightly younger women he views as if they're his daughters). Kiryu is the one who ends up with her for a year. This isn't even scratching the surface of multiple actions from Majima and things he's said during the main games. Viewing Majima as queer is nothing invalid, but at the same time, no one should be treated as if they have to pull out a novel to defend themselves from attackers.

The homophobia rears its ugly head in a format that I haven't seen jumped on a lot for other characters. "Majima isn't gay or bi. He's just crazy." It's the most absurd thing I've seen someone say on this topic to be honest about it. Shrugging away the perception of him not being straight by claiming any non-heteronormative behavior is the product of him just being a zany guy who seeks to strike fear and intimidate other men? Is he only stable minded when it involves women? That's sadly not all this mindset involves. There tends to be a push from those who aren't comfortable with their own orientations to not apply labels to characters. Claiming that queer people attaching queer labels to characters is wrong, but it's totally okay to call these same characters straight is hypocritical. Heterosexuality is also a label. Ironically, those with their own discomforts tend to praise and refer to Majima as a man who's just really comfortable with himself. Nothing more, nothing less.

All in all, people should be allowed to see this fictional character how they want. I have my grievances and disagreements with some fans, but the important thing is that I never go out of my way to start fights. Or start a random argument as if someone was waiting with baited breath to know my unasked for opinion.

[despair-ninja-everything-agency]

Oblivious

I swear I’m not obsessed or anything-

A fic for my Kara ga Gotoku AU. Took me 2 days and 2 restless nights to finish due to college. Title came from Fukan Fukuei’s ED theme. This is supposed to be my take on what happened after Millennium Tower exploded and basically a Nishiki-centric Yakuza re-imagine of Hollow Shrine.

Sorry if there’s oocness with some characters and, as always, if there’s any misspellings, redundancies, and grammatical errors. This is the longest fic I’ve made yet.

Before delving in, credits to @koikoikisses (sorry for tagging :,D) for the concept of Shikiya (Nishiki’s alternate personality). I just take my own spin on it for this AU.

Word Count: 5000+ words

Characters: Akira “Nishiki” Nishikiyama, Shikiya, Kazuma Kiryu, Sakamoto Ryoma (Yakuza Ishin), Miyamoto Musashi (Yakuza Kenzan)

Pairings: NiShikiya/AkiShiki, possible one-sided MusaShiki

Fic under the cut

When he opened his eyes, all he saw was nothing. He was floating aimlessly in this absolute void. He thought he was dead. Felt like he’s dead. Yet, another part of him felt alive. As if there were nothing life-threatening happened to him before.

Where am I?

He thinks to himself.

Why am I here?

Am I alive? Am I dead?

What had happened to him?

What of-

And then everything went white.

-o0o-

He abruptly sits up, panting heavily as if he had just running for a long time. Trying to calm himself, he looks around his vicinity. It’s night time. He’s in a hospital room. Smell of antiseptic enters his nostrils as he breaths in. He bows his head and closes his eyes once he calmed down, trying to recall what happened.

Someone shouted his name. No, not quite his name but close. Then a blinding flash and a loud boom. And then nothing.

He hears the door creaks open. Someone’s coming. Slowly, his eyes flutters open and his gaze directed to where the sound came from. The doctor, a nurse trails behind him, comes to check him up. He’s saying something but all that come out is nothing. Well, at least to him as he doesn’t bother to pay attention. He cranes his head to see the doctor. That’s when he sees it.

Writhing and glowing mass of red lines swarming on the two strangers. Anything beside them are blurred and muted, as if forcing him to look at them. They dance. Whispers on the back of his head beckons him to cut them off.

His eyes wide. His face paling. The sight of it is absolutely sickening. He looks away from them. The lines follow his gaze. Even after he tries to look a different direction, they still within his vision. He screams, clutching his head and screwing his eyes shut. Anything to get those foul sight away. The whispers come back, demanding him to look. The doctor tries to calm him down. He only screams louder, tears streaming down his cheek as he desperately cries for whatever it is to stop. He wails out that name, to that person he wishes is still there somewhere within him.

-o0o-

It took him an hour before he finally calmed down. The doctor and his nurse had left fifteen minutes earlier. The lines are still there, just not as loud and demanding as before. As he lays there, eyes on the ceiling, he wonders what was that. So many questions he’d like to answer yet nothing he could explain. He tiredly shrugs it off, closing his eyes and letting himself drift to sleep.

-o0o-

The same thing happens again the next time the doctor visits. He screws his eyes shut, trembling as he screams and cries.

Make it stop! Please!

He continues his lament.

Where is he? Where’s Nishiki?!

If the doctor is weirded out by that question, he doesn’t show it.

-o0o-

The third time it happened, he had tried to claw his eyes out. The doctor had no choice but to cover them with bandages.

In a way, he’s grateful. Sure, darkness can be lonely. But at least it’s better than seeing those things again.

Like this, he can finally calm down and think. How long had he been out? Is Yumi okay? What about the kid? What’s her name again? Haruka? What about Kiryu?

… What about Nishiki?

He sobs as he remembered. After that day he took over, the poor boy had been pulling himself away into the depths of the mind. He had believed that he would come back, first through his efforts then by Kiryu’s presence. However, it did nothing. That is, until the incident that night. Nishiki had surged out from his isolation and pulled the trigger, destroying the 10 billion yen with the bomb Yumi had set up before. If he hadn’t been dead before, the incident that night surely had killed him for good. Tears stained the bandage wet. He finally realizes one thing.

Akira Nishikiyama is dead.

And there’s nothing he can do but regret and cry, even if it’s not his strongest suit.

-o0o-

Kiryu has visited him today, asking if he’s getting better. He can only nods, not trusting himself to talk after three rounds of screaming and crying.

“Doctor said you asked for Nishiki,” the other man says matter-o-factly.

He steels himself. Ain’t that sound weird, coming from the mouth of supposedly Nishiki himself?

A chuckle breaks the relatively short silence.

“I suppose it’s to be expected”

Huh?

“If you’re not him, then who are you?”

Silence.

What is it with that question? Did Kiryu somehow know him and Nishiki were different? If so, how? How did he manage to know?

Not bother to dwell on those many questions swarming his head, he chooses to answer the other man with a hoarse croak instead.

“Shikiya”

-o0o-

Days pass by as he recovers from his wounds. Kiryu visits him once in a while. Most of the time, he takes Haruka with him. A pang of guilt pierces him when she tells him that Yumi died too that night. He apologizes to her, but she tells him it’s fine. He wonders how much of that is true to her.

At times, Kiryu visits him alone, having dropped Haruka to some trusted subordinates.

(Majima, of all people? Really, Kiryu?

You’ll be surprised if I told you what he’s like, Shikiya…)

During those times, they would chat freely without having to hide anything. They talk about life in general, what the outside world is currently like, and other mundane stuff. Kiryu asks him of himself, not as ‘Nishiki’ but as Shikiya. There are times that he would answer but the other times he just silent.

There’s something off… with Kiryu, though.

Sometimes, when they talk, his voice would sound soft and emotional. Kiryu by no mean a cold man, but he was never being one to be too emotional as well. Even if he cries, he still retains some coolness with him. This one’s different. He doesn’t know what it is, it’s just too uncharacteristically gentle and too sentimental to be Kiryu.

Other times, it’s the opposite. His tone would sound mischievous and mocking. Unlike the other voice, this one is completely out of character for it to be Kiryu. Too playful to be him. It is as if there’s venom every time he talks. He does realize it’s just for the show, that this voice does not always talk like this. Still, it makes his whole body shivers in uncertainty and rage. One time, that voice had the audacity to flirt with him. Shikiya wished his palm connected with the other man’s cheek the moment he swung it at him but part of him was relieved he didn’t hurt Kiryu over such trivial thing.

-o0o-

In a few days, he will be discharged from hospital. Most of his burnt scars has healed. Shikiya breaths a relieved sigh. He might need to go back to his mess of a family but he’s ready to face the consequences.

Even if it’s without Nishiki.

-o0o-

Kiryu had offered himself to stay by his side for the night. As always, Haruka was dropped somewhere else, this time by her own classmate’s house. Slumber party, he’d say. Shikiya couldn’t help but chuckle at the mental image.

“Y’know… I was wondering…”

That stupid cheerful voice again…

“Hmm?”

“I don’t remember you being blinded. Sure, you were in point blank position. But, if I’m not mistaken, the doctor said your head was intact. So how come you’re having bandages around your eyes?”

Shikiya’s blood runs cold. He hadn’t accounted that Kiryu would ask around for his condition, hoping he’d assumed the bandage was due to some kind of head trauma. Gotta find a plausible reason for it. He’s not ready to tell him it was to isolate himself from even taking a glimpse of those wretched vision.

“U-Umm… He said I got injured on the back”

Silence. He could almost practically feel Kiryu’s gaze on him. He gulps.

“Really?”

He nods.

Another silence.

Shikiya hopes the other man just dropped the subject already.

As the silence stretches far and wide, he sighs as he hears scraping sound of chair against tiles. Kiryu must’ve left for something. The window, maybe. Shikiya lets himself relaxes, leaning his back against the pillow propping behind him.

Something struggles to yank the bandages.

Panic shot through his entire system.

He pins his palms hard against the bandages, grounding it to his face. He cries out a protest.

“W-What are you doing?! Stop it!!”

Kiryu doesn’t listen, judging from the ever-increasing vigor in forcefully ripping the coverings away. Shikiya desperately clings to it, begging for him to not take it away from him.

As the last shred of the cloth falls onto his lap, Shikiya feels his hands being gripped and pried away from his face. He glares at the other man, barring his teeth threateningly. He would’ve maintained that look had his vision’s not being filled with that blurred, muted scene as before. Right in front of him, the same glaring red lines swims about, outlining a shape of a face.

Something different this time. Something that drains any color from Shikiya’s face.

A pair of dark, eerie grayish green eyes bore into his soul.

He squeezes his eyes shut, refusing to look into the nightmare before him.

“Oi! Look at me!”

He feels his body being shaken.

He still refuses to look.

Suddenly, the grip around his hands disappear. He chances himself a look. The lines outlining the other man get yanked as if some force had pushed them away from him. Both men pant raggedly. Silence falls once more, only being accompanied by their heaving breaths. The two watch each other as if having a staring contest.

The lines are still there but what were once eerie green eyes has been replaced by soft blue hue.

“Shikiya…”

The soft-spoken one…

The outline slowly approaches him, cautious not to agitate him too much. He scoots back but his ass already hits the bed’s headboard. Once the outline stands beside him, he looks up at it. His breaths already calm down a bit but it’s still clear from his expression that he’s still panicking inside.

A hand reaches out to his. He considers pulling away.

“Shiki… It’s okay…”

That voice… So gentle…

He flinches when they make contact.

“Close your eyes… Take a deep breath…”

He does so. One, two, three…

That hand squeezes gently against his.

So warm…

He slowly opens his eyes and looks to the side. Everything is back to normal, crisp and full of colors. The lines are gone. There, Kiryu gives him a concerned look. Soft blue hue glows from his eyes.

Was it always blue like that?

“Kiryu…?”

A blink.

Ethereal blue replaced with familiar brown.

“Shikiya…”

Sighing, he lets himself slumping against the headboard, his hand squeezes back at Kiryu’s.

“I’m sorry…”

No, please don’t apologize you idiot! It’s not your fault, it’s mine! I’m the one getting worked up over nothing!

But… was it really nothing…?

He feels like he wants to cry.

-o0o-

Kiryu had explained everything.

The visions… Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Allowing its user to see the lines of death, the concept of longevity given form. If you cut the line, its owner will cease to live.

Shikiya wouldn’t believe him the first time, thinking he was fucking with him.

Kiryu himself doesn’t seem to be sure about it as well.

He had another guy do the explaining again later.

It’s still him, red shirt and grey suit pants. The blazer had been hanging on the chair’s backrest. But his eyes are different. It glows soft blue from within, overshadowing its natural brown color. His tone, tender than Kiryu’s usual tone.

It’s him. The soft-spoken one.

His name is Sakamoto Ryoma.

Shikiya feels like he’s gonna faint. If Nishiki didn’t pay attention to history classes back at school, Shikiya would’ve think Kiryu’s fucking with him again. Too bad that wasn’t the case (and Kiryu’s shit at acting anyway).

The historical figure, who is currently possessing Kiryu (his descendant, for fuck sake! Shikiya wouldn’t have knew. Nishiki wouldn’t have known), reiterates what his host had explained before only in much more detail and confidence.

Silence ensues as Shikiya tries to process the information.

“Wow…” he whispered.

“Forgive me, Shikiya-kun. I know it’s too much for you to-“

“No, no! It’s okay, Sakamoto-san! It’s just… I didn’t expect to have such power”

“Please, Ryoma’s fine”

He nods.

Neither speaks after that.

Another awkward silence.

Shikiya’s the one breaking the silence this time.

“So, umm… Ryoma-san?”

“Hmm?”

“If you… Were you…”

Shikiya sighs.

“Yes?”

“Is there… someone else? Well, beside you and Kiryu, I mean…”

Ryoma blinks.

“What do you mean?”

Shikiya’s face heats up.

“I-I mean! There’s this… one. Back when I see nothing but darkness. He’s like, y’know? He has Kiryu’s voice but talk like a dick to me. Sounds like an asshole! Fucker keeps teasing me every time! Do you know that he once tried to flirt with me? N-Not like I like it or anything! I already have a crush!”

The not-quite Kiryu blinks before bursting into a laugh.

“D-Don’t laugh!” Shikiya bashfully reprimands.

“S-Sorry! It’s just- I know too well who are you talking about,” Ryoma answers once he calms down, wiping away the tear from the corner of his eye.

“Really? Who is it, then?”

The not-quite Kiryu clears his throat before looking at Shikiya with a serious expression, as if he wasn’t just laughing his ass off from the other’s minor inconvenience a second ago.

“Yes. But… Do you really want to see him? Last time you two together, it wasn’t a pleasant experience”

Shikiya frowns at that, recalling what happened last night. The forceful hands, how close his face was, how he sent shiver down his spine when their eyes meet even just for a moment and how it was distorted by his vision. Sighing, he closes his eyes and thinks. Ryoma patiently waits for him, not wanting to make the other man uncomfortable. A minute passed before Shikiya opens his eyes and looks back at Ryoma, nodding a confirmation.

It’s Ryoma’s turn to sigh and close his eyes. Shikiya watches expectantly and wonders. Who is the other man? What makes him so insufferable and yet so endearing?

Before he got his answers, the corner of Kiryu’s lip curls into a manic smile. When he opens his eyes, it glows eerie green. The same one Shikiya saw in his nightmarish vision. Shikiya’s body ceases its movement yet also shivering in anticipation. When he talks, it’s in the same annoying tone as Shikiya remembered.

“It’s been a while, Shikiya!”

The not-quite Kiryu brings up his thumb and forefinger to hold Shikiya’s chin with, causing the latter to flinch. He pushes his chin up, forcing the other to look at him.

“Didn’t know you miss me that much~!”

Fear is all Shikiya know at that moment, recalling the nightmare from earlier night. Noticing this, the not-quite Kiryu frowns and let go of his grip, sighing.

“Hey… Sorry about yesterday… I didn’t mean to scare you… I thought- If you face fear head on, you’d-“

A sigh.

“Look… I’m sorry… I promise something like that wouldn’t happen again…”

He doesn’t trust his words.

Rage-filled punch crashes against the side of Kiryu’s cheek, throwing him off his seat. Shikiya breaths heavily before realizing what he had done, looking at his fisted hand in horror.

“S-Sorry! I-I didn’t know what’s gotten into-“

Soft shuffling noises echo through the room as his victim gets up. Footsteps clacking against the floor, approaching him. And then…

SMACK!!

Red handprint forms on his pale cheek. His lips slightly ajar, stunned at the sudden slap.

“Fight me”

“Eh?”

He looks up at the other man. Gone was that playfulness. His expression devoid of emotion. It is as if he is a different person, yet the cold grayish green eyes staring back says otherwise.

“If you hate me that much, then it’s only fair for you to fight me”

An invitation. Every fiber of his being is screaming to turn it down. To brush it off and cowers in fear, even if it’s not like him to do such thing. Warning him that he wouldn’t stand a chance against the man before him.

Yet, he takes the bait. Turning his fear and sadness into anger, he springs out from his bed, hitting the man with such ferocity it leaves a bruise swelling. His vision blurs, red lines wrapping around his opponent.

Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Allowing its user to see the lines of death

Kiryu’s words echo on the back of his mind. Momentarily, panic courses through his body. However, he soon turns it into a manic desire. A desire to kill this man before him who had so rudely mock and taunt him.

If you cut the line, its owner will cease to live.

Let’s see if it’s true or not…

Shikiya frantically grabs anything sharp from the table beside him. Anything to cut those lines. His palm pressing against a cold metal surface.

Good, he thinks. This’ll do…

Murderous glint reflects on his eyes as he swings the object at the not-quite Kiryu. The other man dodges it, cruel smile spreads through his lips. His eyes show the same murderous glint as his are, a sight so out of place on Kiryu’s face he just wants to punch it out of disgust. It doesn’t matter, though, as the two set into a wild and fast-paced brawl. Shikiya moves swiftly, aiming for a slash, but his movements are frantic and erratic, going for nothing but the kill. The not-quite Kiryu, meanwhile, evades in such grace and finesse, occasionally throwing a defensive punch at his opponent. They both move as if it’s a choreographed dance except for the frenzied speed of each fighters. Crashes and thuds fill the room they’re in, ransacking it mercilessly with their exchanged blows.

Their fight concluded soon after, with Shikiya straddling Kiryu’s hips and looking down at him. His right hand clutching on the metal object tightly. Both fighters pant heavily, chests heaving from the adrenaline. Shikiya lifts his hands, clasping his fingers around the metal object. Rage-filled expression directed to his opponent, expression unreadable as he watches him. With a cry, he swings the object down…

…it stabs the tiled floor beside Kiryu’s head.

Bitter laugh escapes Shikiya’s mouth. His body trembles as he let out a soft sob.

“I… I can’t…”

He lets go of the object. Clatter fills the otherwise silent room before it too ceases its sound.

“Heh… It’s weird… I’ve been wanting to kill you for what you did… Been wanting to silence you for talking shit to me… And yet, I… I can’t…”

Another sob.

“Why can’t I kill you…? Why… Why don’t I wanna kill you?!”

The not-quite Kiryu’s face soften. The manic smirk and cold scowl have been replaced with as small sad smile. He brings up his hand to brush away Shikiya’s stray hair and cups his cheek. Shikiya flinches but lets him to do so, placing his hand on top of Kiryu’s. He hadn’t realized his flowing hair until now. Fuck! He must’ve look like Nishiki right now. The mental image is enough to make tears welling up his eyes, still unable to cope with the other’s passing. He feels sick for wearing the look of his fallen friend. Kiryu’s thumb swipes away the tear.

“You did good, kid…”

That’s all the other man offers him. He glances to his side, looking at the object that could be his downfall. Shikiya follows his gaze. His eyes go wide when he sees it, realization dawns to him.

A bent spoon lays non-threateningly against the tiled floor.

Shikiya had been trying to kill Kiryu with a goddamn spoon.

The idiocy doesn’t escape him. He laughs, softly at first before turning into a maniacal laugh and ends with a choked one. All the while Kiryu’s hand still attached to his cheek. Shikiya leans to the touch. He closes his eyes, sighing as waves after waves of emotion crashes against him.

“Hey…” He calls the other out in a whisper. “Can I… borrow your shoulder… for a bit?”

The not-quite Kiryu looks up at him and nods, groaning as he feels the shift in weight. Shikiya has laid himself on top of him, face buried against his shoulder. He’s too tired to cry, too tired to argue and talk. He inhales a generous amount of air. Smell of sweat and cologne enters his nostrils, lulling him to unconsciousness. He feels a hand combing through his soft, messy hair. Through Nishiki’s hair. Another pang of guilt stabs him, though he’s too exhausted to dwell on it.

“Musashi…”

Shikiya hums questioningly, muffled only by the fabric of Kiryu’s shirt. He doesn’t bother to look at the other in this state.

“Name’s Miyamoto Musashi”

He hums again, this time in content. He finally allows himself drifting to sleep, aware of Kiryu’s strong arms hugging him securely.

-o0o-

The hospital bill suddenly spikes up. Not from the increase of tax but from the property damage he and Kiryu had caused in his room earlier this morning. Shikiya had insisted he would be the one covering for the bill with the Nishikiyama family’s treasury but Kiryu didn’t listen, apologizing and promising the doctor to take responsibility for the damage they’d done. Just before he left, Kiryu – no, Musashi – had offered to teach him how to control the Mystic Eyes but he refused, not wanting to burden the other man with his problem.

(Wait, THE Miyamoto Musashi?! Kiryu, what the fuck is your family, man?! Are you secretly related to all of Japan’s most influential people?!

Shiki, believe me when I said I’m just as surprised as you… I never knew that until these two came into my life. Did Ryoma-no-niisan tell you he’s part of Shinsengumi as well?

But… Wasn’t Sakamoto Ryoma their enemy? How was he part of Shinsengumi?

Yeah… He’s also Saito Hajime…

He WHAT?!)

And after that, he’s left alone. The room had been cleaned from hazardous debris, though the broken and bent furniture are yet to be fixed. Shikiya sighed and laid back to his bed. So much had happened in such a short time. He shut his eyes, imagining Nishiki’s voice and presence. He wished the other half was still there with him but with everything that had happened? He doubted he’s still alive. Yet he kept on hoping, praying that he survived.

Frustrated, Shikiya forced himself to sleep, convincing himself to just forget it already.

-o0o-

When he opened his eyes, all he saw was nothing. He was floating aimlessly in this absolute void. He thought he was dead. Felt like he’s dead. Yet, another part of him felt alive. As if there were nothing life-threatening happened to him before.

           Where am I?

He thinks to himself.

Why am I here?

Am I alive? Am I dead?

What had happened to him?

What of-

His train of thoughts were interrupted by ghoulish wails in the distance. He looked around, finding nothing but complete darkness. Then he saw it. Writhing masses of restless spirits came into view. The macabre sight almost sending him running on his heels in fear. But then he heard something else, not quite an echoing wail of a spirit. Rather, a whimper of a lost soul trapped among the land of the dead.

Please!

Get away from me!

Leave me alone!

Swallowing, he cautiously approached the masses of death. Then he saw it. Black, slicked back hair. White suit and pants. A figure standing hunched. His back was facing him, hands clutching tightly at the hair it almost looked like it got ripped from its roots.

He recognized that look, recognized that voice.

As he drew closer, flashes of emotions struck him.

Regret. Sadness. Anger. Fear. Guilt. Pain. Anguish.

Loss.

Suddenly, he understood. As the ghouls closing in toward the lost soul, he took action.

Kicking. Punching. Biting. Stomping. Smashing.

He put everything into his being to protect this lost soul, distant yet familiar.

Then he saw it.

Red lines coiling around the ghouls.

He didn’t understand at first but he figured he’d find out as he went.

He noticed at last.

Spirits ceasing to exist once the lines were cut.

And so he did. Cutting every last visible line on the wretched spirits until there’s no more of them.

He looked back at the lost soul. Glaring red lines plastered on its being.

He shook his head.

No, I wouldn’t kill him.

After what I did to protect him.

I wouldn’t waste my effort just to end him.

The lines disappeared.

He approached the lost soul.

He hugged the poor soul.

He whispered the soul’s name.

Shikiya…

The one he had called tensed and slowly turns around, tears staining his pale cheeks as their gaze met.

Ni… Nishiki…

He smiled, wiping the other’s tears with his finger.

Heh… Who’s the crybaby now?

Shut up… You left me…

I know…

I thought you were gone…

I’m sorry…

I love you…

He kept on. Whispering apologies and sweet nothings. Inching his face closer and closer. Until their lips locked into a gentle kiss. Their eyes fluttered shut. Savoring the moment of tenderness. Never wanting to let go.

-o0o-

Shikiya wakes up gasping for air, eyes pried open as he darts his gaze everywhere in the room. Slowly, he sits up, comprehending on his dream in sleep.

There was darkness. Then the eldritch beings. Then silence. Then the familiar warmth. Then…

Part of him doesn’t believe it was real, brushing it off as a dream. He can’t sense him from within, so surely it can’t be real... Right?

But... Another part of him wants to believe it, clinging onto that sliver of hope. If so, then there’s one thing for sure…

Nishiki is in there somewhere.

Akira Nishikiyama is alive.

He calms down, fingertips ghosting over his lips. A tingling sensation and warmth send shiver down his spine as he remembers the kiss. He breaths, shutting his eyes as he replayed that scene, that feeling over and over in his mind.

-o0o-

The night before he’s officially discharged, he chances himself a look on a mirror. His face looks tired. There’re faint eyebags under his eyes. His hair’s in shambles yet neatly parted in the middle. Stray bangs framing his gaunt face.

He looks like shit.

He looks like Nishiki.

Sighing, he combs his hair backwards in hope to achieve his preferred slick back style. It doesn’t work, as strands of hair fall back to the parted style the moment his hand leaves the scalp. He exhales in frustration, slightly banging the mirror as he leans against it.

Soft thud disturbs the otherwise peaceful night. It comes from outside. Shikiya cautiously removed himself from the mirror and approaches the door. Before his hand touching the cold surface of the doorknob, someone barges in so suddenly.

A man… No, not a man. Foul stench fills the hospital room. Rotten flesh splats on the otherwise pristine floor below. His eyes unfocused, rotating unnaturally in different direction. He pauses for a moment, looking at Shikiya with that ghoulish eyes, before charging at him, knocking him against a wall. Shikiya feels a pair of decaying hands pressing against his neck, his windpipe, choking him. He struggles to pry it off, mind starting to become unfocused as air leaves his lungs steadily. He contemplates giving up and ceasing his struggle. What’s the point of living after everything that happened?

Then he remembers. He remembers the three distinct yet similar voices. He remembers the warmth of skin against skin. He remembers the gentler times. He remembers the smell of something other than hospital, something comforting.

He remembers that dream.

No… I can’t die here now.

Someone murmurs something in the back of his mind.

Live.

With renewed strength, Shikiya pushes the monster away. They hit the window, sending them plummeting to the ground below. Shikiya considers himself lucky as he gets up, although his burnt wounds start to feel sore. The monster stirs from its resting place before he rises from the ground, standing and turning to look at his prey in stumble. Shikiya panics, scenes from his nightmare threatens to fill in his vision. His body shakes as he takes a step back.

Use your Eyes.

Subconsciously, he does. His surroundings turn blurred and muted. Red angry lines wrap around the incoming monster.

Breath. Focus. Focus on killing your enemy.

He closes his eyes. He takes a deep breath. One, two, three…

He hears grasses scrunched under clumsy feet.

You can do this.

That voice, strangely comforting.

He finally calms down, opening his eyes to look at the monster sharply. He bends down and picks up a shard of glass before dashing at him. With one swift stroke, he slashed the monster, shriek in agony echoes through the night. In his vision, he had cut several lines mostly on the torso. Blood sprays from the monster, covering his assailant with the pungent liquid. Shikiya uses the blood to style his hair to the slick back style he’d been trying to get. His lips twitch into a sadistic smile. It’s been a long time since he feels the thrill of killings.

Abruptly, pain pulses in his head. The shard falls from his grip as he drops into his knees, clutching his head harshly. There’s something in there. Something that forces his soul to leave his body. He withholds, not wanting to be defeated so easily.

I’ll take care of it.

That’s when he feels himself being pulled into the depths of mind. He doesn’t see it but he can feel it. Warmth coursing through his being as familiar hands guiding him. His body moves in automaton, picking up the fallen shard and points its sharp end to his chest.

Trust me with this.

So he did, letting the shard stabs through his chest.

Strange… That doesn’t hurt at all.

Screams and wails overflowing his ears, yet it’s not his voice nor the voice that had been guiding him. The shard slides out with ease once the noises disappears into the night. His body feels light, as if the burden had been lifted from his shoulder. For a moment, he experiences peace.

Shikiya…

That voice whispered his name, gentle and serene. He whispers back, equally as soft.

Nishiki…

Tears pricking the corner of his eyes. He had missed that name for a long time. Ever since the day the older soul retreated into nothingness, returning briefly only to almost disappearing completely from within.

Strong yet tender arms ghosting around his body, hugging him from behind. Shikiya could sense Nishiki’s presence, even if he can’t see him. He rests a hand above Nishiki’s right above his heart. The heart beats steadily. He gazes upwards. Clear night sky speckled with twinkling stars greets his vision.

That’s the last thing he sees before he blacks out.

-o0o-

“How is he?”

“Hmm?”

Kiryu pays him a visit in the afternoon. He has heard the news that the patient Akira Nishikiyama had jumped off from his room and was found unconscious and caked in blood the next day on a clearing behind the hospital, along with an unidentified and mangled corpse. The doctor had decided to extend his stay for a day until he truly recovers. Now, they sit in the messy room, product of the duel a few days back and of that night’s scuffling.

“How’s the other guy?”

“Oh. He’s fine. Just exhausted. Poor guy must’ve gone through a lot after I disappeared”

Kiryu nods in understanding.

The man before him. The Koi. Kazama’s boy. Kiryu’s sworn brother. He’s looking out to the horizon, expression unreadable.

“Kiryu?”

“Yes?”

A pause.

“Thank you…For taking care of Shikiya while I’m gone”

Nishiki turns his head toward him, his lips formed into a grateful smile.

Kiryu couldn’t help but smiles back.

“Anything for my brother”

He’s sure his ancestors would agree with him.

FIN

[ynibytina]

Meet Spencer Kane!!!

I fell in love with Spencer Kane's voice when I heard his song "One Of THE Kind" on Youtube. The message of the song is simple: everyone is different, so stand out and be yourself, and don't be a bully. I recently got to interview this Kendallville, Indiana native that is a spokesperson for PACER's National Bully Prevention Center and also is just about to perform on the 2013 iShine Live tour. If you want to learn more about him, you can check out his personal website, YouTube channel, or Facebook & Twitter pages.

Favorite Musicians: Tobymac, Lecrae, Trip Lee, Jor'Dan Armstrong, Jason Derulo, Capital Kings, The Ground Above.

Favorite Movies: Ace Ventura Pet Detective (#1) & any action movies.

Favorite Books: I Am Number 4 Series.

Favorite Color: Blue.

Favorite Holiday: Christmas.

Mac or PC: Both.

Twitter or Facebook: Twitter.

Blackberry or iPhone: iPhone.

Chocolate or Vanilla: Vanilla.

Winter or Summer: Summer.

Pancakes or Waffles: Pancakes.

Math or Science: Math.

Past, Present, or Future: Present & Future.

What's your favorite song off your new EP besides "One of THE Kind?"

Move-In The Right Direction is my favorite on the EP because even though I wrote 4 of the 5 songs on the EP, that is the one which I was most involved in creating the music and overall production. The other songs I sang and gave input, but they were more directed by the Executive Producer and Producer. I like them all, but Move In The Right Direction was almost like I was able to help assemble each piece of the song the whole way through. The others I would sing my vocals and then kind of wait for the producer to give me a rough cut with music that I could critique and just kind of wait to see what happened. MITRD was very hands-on in the studio in Nashville for me and that will always be my best memory of this EP.

What made you realize you wanted to pursue a career in music?

I believe it was when I was 13 and auditioned for a local version of an Idol competition in my county. There were like over 100 people who tried out in my age category (under 16) and I made the top 10 and actually finished 2nd place. (The video of this performance is on my Youtube channel). I sang Sunday Morning by Maroon 5 and the judges of that competition were professional artists and voice trainers. They all said I did well. So when I look back and see that someone other than family felt I may have a chance to do something with music, it sort of made it easier to choose to pursue it. But even then and until the past 6 months, I was still not sure if it was something I'd do as a hobby or pursue professionally. Once I met with iShine in Nashville and Robert Beeson (founder of Essential Records who originally signed Jars of Clay and Third Day, and like the winner of 6 Grammys and a bunch of Dove Awards) I was told I had good potential. So, I guess that made it even more clear that I should take it more seriously. I'm such a jock athlete, it's been hard to walk away from a life in sports and dream of playing at the highest levels, but right now I'm just like taking it a step at a time and hopefully this upcoming tour starting on February 15 will make the picture even more clear. LOL.

What can you expect to see in the fourth season of iShine Knect?

The show is based on a school of performing arts and students who are talented in a lot of ways. It centers around The Rubyz, Mission 6 and a few other regulars. This new season was my first and I play myself in the show (Spencer Kane). I have a few episodes where I have more speaking lines than not, but many where I am just an extra in the background. I do know we filmed me performing my entire EP on stage at a concert at TBN Studios in Nashville the beginning of December 2012. I know they will be showing me singing on some episodes. I really liked the scripts and the topics of each show and think the over 1 million kids who tune in each week will like it too.

Your song "One of THE Kind" is about bullying. You recently became a spokesperson for PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center. How did that come along?

Yes. That song was based a lot on my own personal experiences in junior high and still even now being bullied for things. But it's also about some of the sad stories I've been told by fans around the world who face bullying in their own country just like here. Some places it's worse than here, but bullying is bullying. So the song is kind of my way of telling people to reach out and be kind and talk to people who may be hurting. PACER was a site that we submitted my song to in hopes they would tweet it or at least post a link on their site of the music video since it was based on what they are all about. That kind of led to a few phone calls from them to learn more about me and after a conference call with my manager in early December along with my dad and I, we sort of agreed to move forward in them helping me with bullying prevention curriculum to share at my live performances and them having me become a national spokesman for their organization. It's quite an honor since Demi Lovato has been their primary spokesperson for the past 5 or 6 years. They work with Disney and The Ellen Show as a partner against bullying, so it's really cool to know that they believe in my message enough to want to join together in our efforts to prevent bullying.

Someone once said write what you would want to perform over and over again. With that in mind, if you could only sing one song on stage (one of your own songs and one cover song), what would it be and why?

Great question. Right now I'd have to say "Be Alright" by Justin Bieber is one that I relate to and think I can sing well in a live performance. Reason To Be from my new EP is one that I actually like to sing because I believe the producer helped me to get the best out of my vocals on that song. I think people that hear the song really connect emotionally and in a live concert, that's what you really hope for.

What does a current day in your life look like?

Haha! Well, thank goodness right at the moment it's not been as crazy as it was from June until Christmas in 2012. But the tour is coming up in February and March and I'll be on the road for nearly 5 consecutive weeks and that will probably be crazy. But I'm a full-time H.S. student and varsity basketball player. I wake up early for school at like 6:15am and have to travel like 20 miles to get there one way. I usually have practice or a game 6 days a week, so I can usually plan on being up until 10pm working on homework, home chores, or cramming whatever other free time I have into something to do with music like chatting with fans online, or rehearsing music, writing music, listening to music, filming music videos or Vlogs, or even doing interviews or performances somewhere. Most people don't know HOW I fit my life in, but we seem to manage as a family right now. I'm sure my schedule after the tour may look different.

Besides music and sports, what do you like to do for fun?

I'm an Xbox gamer. I love playing online against friends or people I don't know. I'm very competitive so I like being able to try to beat my personal best score or be able to talk smack to a friend if I can manage to beat them. I play sports games or Call of Duty. Otherwise, I'm a movie guy. My parents and I watch a lot of movies when we have the time. I have a pretty beast-man cave in my basement where my dad and I just chill, so that's fun. Sometimes I go to the mall or hang with friends, but not very often.

What does your family think of your performances and how do they support you?

Well grandma's, of course, think I'm amazing. LOL. But honestly, my aunts and uncles are pretty supportive too. My best friend is my cousin Evan who is also 16 and he and I go to the same school. He is a huge supporter of me too. But my mom and dad are probably my biggest help. Dad owns a marketing company and is a photographer and videographer. He films all my music videos and edits them. He also does all my pictures so that is a huge help. He manages my marketing stuff like album cover art, and posters, and making my website. He like takes care of a lot of the business stuff for me like contracts and stuff. Mom is my cheerleader and is always checking out the "fangirls" to make sure they aren't up to something that will hurt her little boy. LOL. But I'd say that a lot of what I do with music is because God put me in a great family. My parents always try to make sure I have time to be a kid and have as normal a life as possible. So I guess that is a huge help too.

What's the best part about working with iShine?

I think the fact that I can be the artist I want to be and don't have to meet a stereotype that people expect when you're working with a Christian media group like iShine. I mean, the first time we ever met I explained that I'm definitely a Christian and always want my music to be morally positive, but I have NO plans or call to be a "Christian Artist". Like I don't envision me making albums of praise and worship type songs. It's not who I am or how I want to make music. iShine owners and management said they appreciated my sincerity and honesty and that it made them even more supportive of working with me. They believe my music will reach a broad group of young people who may or may not be Christians and that, I guess, is a good thing for them. So, they have been amazingly helpful in developing me and teaching me about the music industry. They let me work with Jeff Savage (Tobymac's Grammy Winning producer from the album Momentum and Diverse City and the writer of Irene and J Train). That alone was amazing to know I was working with him. He's awesome. He produced One of the Kind, 413 and Blue Sky from my new EP. So just working with him and then working with Zach Hall (producer of Newsboys "God is Not Dead" album) was also amazing. So I just think our goal in 2012 was to be able to work with professional and experienced producers who could help my music get to the next level, and iShine has definitely helped me to do that.

If you could perform anywhere in the world, where would you play and why?

I think anywhere in a huge venue with like 100,000 fans would be incredible. Even like 20,000 fans would be insane. I think the location isn't as important as knowing I would be able to perform for people who really wanted to see me perform. That's going to always be my goal. I love making music videos and seeing people like them on Youtube, but performing live in front of a huge audience would be fantastic.

[ranmaranting]

Why Ranma and Akane didn’t get married at the end

One of the most common complaints about the manga is the end and how Ranma and Akane didn’t tie the knot. My usual response to those complaints is that the story itself wasn’t about Ranma and Akane getting married, and it’s about their bond and the tension that their relationship haves due to misunderstanding and the other suitors. And once Ranma said his confession and Akane heard it via ishin denshin; and this time he didn’t take it back the tension between them is over.

 Which brings many people to the question why didn’t they get married at the end, and the answer is that there still too immature to get married. It would be a bad move on Takahashi part to get them married even though their still have their childish ways. You could argue that she could’ve continue writing the story until they have a reasonable amount of maturity, but as I said before the Ranma 1/2 series thrives on the tension between Ranma and Akane; and without the tension there’s really no story Takahashi could tell without retconning the confession which that would be a bad writing move for her part. But no worries theirs evidences in the manga, saying that they’ll get married and the statement that Takahashi* said about the pairing, so in a technical sense their married/canon.

*I still trying to find that report that Takahashi said about the pairings. It’s really hard to find, but it’s there.

** I would also like to point out that if you read Takahashi’s other mangas you will notice that Takahashi don’t marry teens until they get a little older and finish their schooling. So that may be another reason why she didn’t end the series with two teens in school getting married. 

[aliciagaliano]

Crossed Roads, chapter 9

Author's Note: One more chapter before this ends. You're getting one more answer there.

Also, when I first wrote this, I felt that I wouldn’t end this chapter because of how darn cringy it was for me, and it really gave me a hard time to redact whatever the hell I did once and improve this version one way or another with more details and other stuff... please kill me and end my suffering.

...

Disclaimer: Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs belongs to Sony Pictures Animations.

The respective OC's belongs to me.

...

I'm sick of the secrets Stood on the edge Tied to a noose And you came along and you cut me loose

Amsterdam - Coldplay

...

It's been like two and a half days from the fight between Maximus Panther and Alice with the victory of the latter; in those two and a half days she remained unconscious in the same way from when she was found floating in the ocean. Flint didn't hesitate in any moment from moving away, remaining close and only leaving when he really needed to do something else like getting something to eat or feeding Steve, who also remained by their side upon her chest curled in a furry ball.

The wait just felt… agonic in many senses of the word, he hated to wait to see if she would come back or if the thing of the three days from the first time wouldn't happen due the magnitude of the fight and the poor condition she got left afterwards. More than one people asked for her condition to his father, all he could reply is that she was supposedly doing it alright in the meantime…

Why he had the feeling of having a dejavu sensation all over again? But the only difference is that this time it was taking longer to reach that damn ending that felt like about to drive him insane. Besides of that, part of what happened before just remained in his head including how beaten she was until the end… to then think, how many times that happened before? It was a long story of physical and psychological abuse – as much the evidence told…

It felt like the wait was totally worthless and she ended up falling in a coma, the wait was tiring, there was nothing to do as his mind became blocked for any ideas for an invention, and at some point he gave up having fallen asleep next to her; it was afternoon around 4:00 PM, the sky was cloudy and the rest of the world seemed to lose its sense after the revelation of knowing they weren't alone in the universe. Incredibly enough, the girl started to regain her conscious, awakening her...

Alice opened her eyes, heavily as the first time, being in the room she found herself the very first time, after having put the succession of events straight in her head she looked to her bare hands shaking softly not actually understanding at all if what happened was a dream or really happened; so many things that happened made her unsure about what was going on and what not, and actually she was expecting to having been a dream and that fight didn't happen, neither the way she and he argued neither the fight...

Then for a moment she thought it was an actual dream and nothing happened, ignoring entirely the presence of the inventor there, even more when she covered her face and started to cry in silence… then she felt a hand upon her back rubbing it softly that made her whimper…

"Flint..." She said with her voice cracked, "I-I-I..."

When the girl saw Flint, the livid memories of how they argued horribly came back, how she ran away to the grasslands angrily and heartbroken... the fight against Maximus, all of that, even when she inadvertently attacked him... she felt very embarrassed by that last action, so much that she wanted to run again, but even if her body healed, she still didn't have enough energy to do so... the girl was breaking slowly while tears fell down her face all over again.

She was just desperate and scared at the same time, not knowing what to do, Flint put a hand on her shoulder, she looked at him with reddened eyes, when she realized, he hugged her and began to cry against his chest, he simply put his chin upon her head affectionately rubbing her back... "Don't worry my girl… the nightmare has passed..."

For a few minutes there was just a loud yet muffled sob against his chest until she eventually started to calm down, the inventor just felt saddened and touched by it, showing how human she actually was even with her… special abilities; and after calming down all she did was only look down as the top of her head was still against him, feeling too stressed for everything that happened, and even if he was comforting her she still wanted to run away.

"Alice please… calm down… nobody's angry at you, I promise..." He said, "They all have been asking for you for the last two days..." His fingers slowly went to the base of her neck, starting to massage that part slowly, it made her body shiver, yet slowly relax, "Come on… I'll get you something to eat first, then let's go upstairs to talk calmly, alright?" There was silence, then he felt her nodding slowly against his chest, still looking down. "Hey… can you look at me, please?" Her head pressed more to him, "Please, calm down… I'm really sorry for having said all of those hurtful things to you back then..."

Regardless her actions in battle, the guilty feeling in his chest remained as he still was unable to apologize properly to until that moment… despite everything that feeling of she being still angry at hurt about his actions were very present and he hated it… then he felt her arms wrapped around his body too and her hands gripping his lab coat again…

"I'm sorry for having ran away… and for all the troubles I caused to you..." She quietly mumbled, her body shivered again when he caressed her hair. He just kept easing his friend as much as possible until he offered her again to get something to eat and go to his lab, so a few minutes later they did; her legs were like jelly as well, but she managed to stabilize up.

There was a little sensation of repeating the first day they met but without Tim, who was at his shop covering his turn as usual; for now he served her some milk there was from when he went to the States a few days ago in a glass, she took it and drank everything plus another two rounds at the same time the inventor took his time to inform his father about her awakening and how she was feeling… for a moment he looked at her, she still seemed to feel pretty low… yeah, he was worried, maybe it felt like they went right back to the start where she was again that shy little girl that just woke up…

So… time to start all over again?

Whenever he tried to to make any kind of contact like rubbing her back or anything else she used to flinch slightly in response, yet never complained neither said something about being uncomfortable, actually it just felt like she was expecting him to be mean, yell, be rude to her… it never happened. He sighed softly knowing they went several steps back as she was enclosing herself once again in a similar way from a few days ago and it was annoying in his honest opinion; but it was what it was, the only thing left to do was try to talk to her…

"Liz…?" He said in a low voice, sounding concerned, the nickname caught her attention, "Calm down… alright? I just wanna talk to you… I-I think we both deserve to sort out some things and… I wanna know about your life too..." He took a pause, then continued, "Look… I'm... really sorry for all the things I told you early a couple of days ago… I was… you know, overwhelmed for all the thrills that happened with Henry and Alex and then you turn out to have that kind of abilities and strength… I wasn't thinking I was… stressed and I didn't mean anything I said..." He sniffed hard for a moment trying to calm himself down, "I know I already apologized but… I… I'm really sorry… I was having a bad day and all I did was release all that rage upon someone who really didn't deserve it… you've been so nice and understanding to me and I repaid everything to you by being a complete dick..."

At that point he was tearing up to then just cry out loud while covering his face between his hands feeling all his thoughts totally messed up, he tried to keep going and be fully honest to her as much as he could but no words came out anymore, sending him slowly to despair; only to feel her hand upon his left chest as she felt his heart beating hard against it…

"Ishin denshin… (1)" Somehow he understood what she meant with it, there weren't any more words coming from her after she said that, it wasn't necessary anymore.

In part there was a weight lifted out of his shoulders, his right hand went upon hers feeling it warm, to then pass back again to a tight hug. Once done with it, they headed to the laboratory, right when they were going to enter to the elevator her friends peeked over the fence as they saw the inventor get out of the house, about to ask him how she was feeling, smiling widely when they saw her wide awake again. Alice couldn't avoid looking down in evident shame as Flint placed a hand upon her shoulder, rubbing it softly.

"Hey Al! You're finally awake!" Cal said sounding happy, "How do you feel?"

She bit her lower lip for a moment, to then look up with a little smile, "I'm good… thank you..."

"That was so awesome!" Cassie exclaimed completely blown away, "You royally kicked the ass of that idiot! And when you came back overpowered he was like 'please don't kill me' and–!"

"Really, it wasn't a big deal..." She replied, kinda squeezing the arm of her friend like still feeling uncomfortable.

"It is a big deal!" Cal exclaimed, "Tell us everything! You owe us an explanation too and we really wanna know because that was hella freakin' awesome!"

"That'll be for another time," Said Flint with a smile, "Alice still needs a break."

Without hesitation the two kids left with an "okay" as a response, letting the inventor and the little girl get into the elevator and go upstairs; in every moment she held his arm tight not seeming to want to let go, even less when he indicated her to sit on his rooking chair to talk, but in any case she did, looking down as he got another chair for himself… she felt so awkward and ashamed, no words could come out her mouth as she seemed unable to find a place to start.

"I'm sorry Flint I… I don't… I don't want you to change the way you see the things involving me… and..."

Before she could continue, he took her hands…

"Look all I want now is just… hear your story and understand… I mean you come from the freaking space! There is more out there in the universe and… and… I need to understand your story, what are you doing here? Why are you so far from home and why was that man trying to kill you?"

"First of all I'm not from out there… my… father is… mom's an earthling and I am too… or at least from a different plane of this planet..." He didn't seem to understand correctly, or at least that's what he thought, "There are many places around the Earth, but some are in a different dimension… some are hidden… stuff like that..."

There were so many dimensions and worlds across the entire universe, stars, galaxies, civilizations, technologies… everything humankind has been questioning for a long time were actually real… even if he already saw how evident the existence of life outside the planet was ready, it was still completely mind-blowing indeed… then she said it: she was a hybrid between an alien and a human being.

How her parents met? He went to Earth around in the early 90's when he was sent to Earth for research purposes, what kind?

"Although they were this high-technological empire with many planets in hands, they didn't know what a Caesarean operation was..." She explained, "We all are born with what is referred as 'power unit' and when the units of the baby is bigger than the mother well… she dies..."

And it was a huge problem among them no matter how many more there were across the universe, even more as they were a barbarian kind that has been expanding themselves for years and years. When they heard about Caesarean operations being made on Earth what was the first thing they did? They sent their young, proud-ass, cranky and quite annoying prince along his best friend/bodyguard/kind-of-like-that to the green planet.

"Wait a second… what?!" He needed just one moment to understand correctly that last bit of information before his brain could entirely melt down, "You're saying that you're a..."

"That's why he called me 'little princess' so many times..." She simply replied, "We, Saiyans are meant to be barbarians, a race of fighters where and stuff like that… but some of us just ain't that way..." There was a heavy sigh for a moment, "I didn't want any of this..."

He felt like he understood somehow, she continued the story of her parents or at least all she knew about their relationship. They were together for years – classmates better said, he was a royal asshole, proud, irritant, a prick, stubborn… well the list was long actually, while she was always focused in her studies, trying to be kind to her friends and other stuff, also with a lot of personality whenever she got pissed or in an unpleasant situation, in a nutshell: they were almost the opposite from the other.

Then there were the stories she's been hearing about him that seemed just like a fairy tale as the reality she knew about him was completely different is that he was actually a caring-type of person who just couldn't show it as he "lacked of parental love" in his life, even if he had grinds with everybody and mostly with her mother… among all the things that happened during those college days, once he even defended her from an overprotective boyfriend who was already way too annoying to her…

Oh yes, their relationship was actually weird: it was mostly him teasing her, she getting angry, and then she managing to roast him as it became a non-stopping circle of love/hate… then in 1999, one night they ended up in his room doing having an adventure as nobody else was there and his companion was somewhere else to "give them space"… the version she got from her father's friend, it was because they were going to leave soon and he wanted to leave something…

Something?

A child…

The day after her mother was alone in her apartment thinking that everything was a dream, finding out a month later that she was pregnant… she was lucky that her parents were understanding and supportive about it, being happier for having a grandchild than because it wasn't an expected thing to happen, besides she was an adult too...

The day after her mother was alone in her apartment thinking that everything was a dream, finding out a month later that she was pregnant and alone… she was lucky that her parents were understanding and supportive about it, being happier for having a grandchild than because it wasn't an expected thing to happen, besides she was an adult too…

Nine months later, via Caesarean section, Helena Galiano got a baby girl named Alicia…

Did her father know about her? According to Link, (who was nowdays his right hand in duties), he always knew and even went to see her when her parents were away and she was asleep… the girl didn't know if she should actually believe that story or not due his cold as hell personality… she didn't know what to believe or what was the truth: if it was the story of what they told about her father or stick to his abusive-like behavior towards her…

"What does he does to you, Alice?" Her friend asked softly, yet worried, she just flinched a bit and sniffed.

"He's always yelling at me for being weak..." She said in a low, cracked voice, "He's always repeating me that I'm weak and useless and… that he can't believe I'm his daughter..." She sniffed hard cleaning some tears from her face, "That I don't actually deserve to… be… a Saiyan..."

Placing his hands around her arms he felt her shaking in rage, like trying to tone it down and keep talking but all she was doing was burn inside without letting it get out… it made him feel quite helpless again, and he kind of shattered when she started to yell how much she hated her father so damn much and how she wished to not be any related to him in any way because all that it brought her in the last two years was pure and utter pain to her life.

He ultimately tried to calm her down when her hair started to levitate and the sound of a panicked Steve were heard around by hugging her tight and letting all the sorrow get out, making her cry hard and loud once again… now he actually felt bad for complaining about his relationship with his father… after a few minutes everything went back to normal as she regained control upon her emotions. How come her dad thought she was weak?! She wasn't at all in his opinion…

But that came to another realization: her father was wide stronger than her…

Then, if the problem with Max against him as far he had understood with the entire fucking affair, then why attacking a young girl?

There was a revenge in-between, that's what he allowed him to know as he talked about his race disappearing from the face of the universe, and at the same time she didn't have anything to do there at all even if he was completely decided to end her life. He was a space jerk who dragged her to their adult stuff (even if, as much as he could say for his appearance, was in his early 20's), which gave him to the conclusion back in the moment that the panther man was weaker than her father, but he was stronger than her, so it was (supposed to be) easier to get ridden of her…

It still made his blood boil… so. Damn. Hard.

And of course, any living, sentient being in the universe with a minimal level of common sense would agree that it was an injustice… then just have in mind that she wasn't the only one in the world – even the universe… gosh, reality just hit his face way too hard again, reminding him that there was brand more evil outside the island and the planet itself… how saddening, wasn't it? Before even daring to ask what the hell was going on at that side he had to massage his temples for a long while trying to calm down, process and digest what he already knew.

Then he realized there was something out of place…

"So… your mom didn't know about your father's provenance, right?" She gave a soft nod, petting Steve gently, "And if I understand this part correctly despite you didn't say it explicitly but maybe this is more an assumption of mine so I might be wrong, they haven't seen nor talked to each other in years, am I wrong?" She remained silent for a while, then shook her head a bit, "So I'm right..." She nodded again, "If that's the case, can you explain what is going on there? Your mom and your family got zero clues about your powers neither that you interact with your father, how?"

She shrugged in response.

"It's… very complicated… my powers never showed up when I was younger…" She explained, "He just popped up in my life a few days before I turned eight..."

She was taken to his home planet without her mother's knowledge (as much as she asked her father how she wouldn't find out, he refused to explain back then), where gravity was few ten or twenty times heavier than Earth with two suns, two moons, the full moon was only seen every eight years (at the time he arrived, the cycle was going back there) and the color of the sky had pink and yellow tones.

In a first moment everything was so awesome as the little – naive and innocent girl she was at the time: her father was a king, she was a princess and everything should've gone well after despite the coldness of him, she would live in a giant palace placed at the top of a cliff sustained by a giant pillar, own a room of the size of a two-floored house… and she wouldn't need to be like an earthling princess either.

When did everything go downhill? When she didn't show traits to be… like them maybe…

"You've seen my tail… right…?" She asked him, he nodded seeing it moving to the sides looking stressed again, "Well… uh… when full-moon hits its zenith the tail reacts at it… it's like being a werewolf… but instead of a human-sized wolf we turn into giant apes..."

The word was quite relative in size until something in his mind told him to think about a mythical giant, all he could say was a simple "Oh..."

"Yeah… and guess what else..."

He thought about it for a moment and bit his cheeks softly… he wasn't sure about the answer.

"You… you couldn't…?"

He noticed stress in her reaction towards his mid-answer, her hands were shaking once again, "A few ones knew about my real provenance… I was in a group of other kids that were going to turn into apes for their first time and… even if I was staring directly to the moon I…"

"You were the odd one..." He completed, getting a surprised look from her, "I understand… and you know that… you felt so out of place and weird to look like them but not being able to do the same as them and you wonder why..." He looked down and cleaned his face a bit, sniffing hard, "Sorry… keep going..."

"You are right… I… I didn't understand why I was the odd one like– uh… I mean my tail didn't grow until I went to Sadala with my father but… n-none of them ever thought that… uh… I'd be that… different…" Both Flint and Steve proceeded to try to ease her again as she was starting to shake again, "They… they realized I even wasn't from the planet but from somewhere else… and right there they're… like supremacist..."

A sector didn't like her at all for her hybrid blood, constantly mocking for being unable to become a giant ape, for being weaker than other kids, for pretending to be an actual Saiyan… how she was a mistake… and her father didn't help either, often becoming silent whenever she told him about people making fun of her instead of helping out somehow; of course that grew a constant anger and frustration inside in her, even more because at the time she wasn't even scratching the expectations of the king during their trainings, and instead of getting tips to be better she just got indifference and what looked like disappointment…

There were times she wanted to quit and go back to her life on Earth as if nothing ever happened, but for some reason she kept enduring and trying to learn how to become stronger – not just physically, but mentally to understand and learn better and faster… the second part kinda worked right, by someone inexperienced as her, she was fast by making strategies and learning movements from her rivals, which brought acknowledgment to her person after winning a tournament similar to the Olympic Games at the age of eight years… and for some time, it also kind of eased the tension between her and the king.

Then this shit happened…

A group equivalent to what white supremacists were, broke into the palace somehow, their leader was older, a general, the group consisted of young men following his ideals, thinking that they had to get ridden of her at the same time they were planning a coup d'etat towards their monarch for mixing his pure blood with another race…

"Woah, woah, hold on a minute..." Flint interrupted, "They kidnapped you?!"

"I was sleeping..." She sniffed hard as she was tearing up a lot, "They were all around me when I woke up… I tried to fight back but one of them hit my neck and I lost my conscience..."

Her friend grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, Steve quickly got on her shoulders as she stood up, then sat on his lap and hugged him tight, sobbing hard in the process; he caressed her hair softly as she curled in a ball against his chest, a few minutes later she started to calm down again… God, that must been a hell of a ride… from several…

"You're safe here Alice… keep talking to me..." He said concerned, "Just keep telling me everything, you'll start to feel better eventually, alright? We're safe… you're safe… I can say it's hard to go back there, but trust me, it'll be okay..."

It took a while again to get her calmed down, even with her stuttering she managed to keep going with her story.

"When I… when I woke up again I was far away… from planet Sadala… they had to tie me up to be sure that I wouldn't be able to escape… they called my father to go after me or..." She gulped softly, "Or I'd die..."

She didn't actually think he would go and save her, even less because it was in this volcano-like planet far, far away from her previous location: lava, volcanic rocks and a black sky covered with the smoke of the chimneys, the place itself looked like it was going self-destroy itself at some point, and according to some rumours, some of the worse criminals were taken there due its location and because there was something in its core that made the planet slowly start to suck the energy of any living being around the orbit…

They called it Anur Vladias, or The Dark Zone.

Why going to a place that dangerous if they could've all died? Well, it was their way to try to stand a chance against someone stronger than them, that's why.

And what seemed to be an eternal and terrifying wait became her joy when he actually went to save her, hearing him screaming a loud, raging "Where is my daughter?!" outside; she saw him using a combat armor and a red cape. Even if he showed to care about her, in the daytime she still wonders if he did it because of a genuine concern of his or just because to avoid problems with her mother if she died; although, he did seem genuinely angry towards the people who dared to take away his daughter.

Of course the young ones were easy to defeat as they were relatively unexperienced compared to their king, who didn't show signs of tiredness yet, at the same time it didn't mean he wasn't getting affected by the strange no-death situation of the planet, he was doing it as fast as he could before running out of energy.

At the point he went to that golden transformation she showed against Maximus, referred as the super Saiyan, she realized he started to feel the lack of energy in that point which could only worsen up the situation. To add more to the plot, the man who orchestrated her kidnapping made a ball of energy on a hand, once tossed to the sky it became bigger, and out of sudden there was a giant ape roaring…

"The thing is… when creating the artificial moon, the power of the user decreases to certain point for putting a lot of power in the technique. It should've been easier for dad to win but… somehow… it wasn't… he was losing..."

"And what about you…?"

.

Flashback

June 8th, 2008. Anur Vladias

Among all the many things that happened to her in the very few months since she descended to the hell that was being the daughter of a proud king, target of many people's laughs and discrimination for his half-blood provenance, exhaustive trainings, pretty much no recognition for her advances as a warrior and other things, maybe this experience, for a young age was much more than stressing and frightening.

For hours she's been trying to set her arms free and get out from the small, round space pod where she was trapped in, already having tried everything in her mind to do so, but alas, nothing was working. With all the fear she even did lose hopes on escaping alive or getting rescued by anybody as if they'd even care about that little hybrid-mistake until his father arrived with pure rage, almost having killed the frightened young ones of the group that realized their mistakes and finally going behind the person behind the entire affair happening.

And now she was witnessing how her father was being crushed by a giant ape even after the first went to a fourth form of the super saiyan where he looked more like a man-ape with red fur around his upper body and including arms, cursing under his breath about his bad luck about the affair and how he already needed to win before it could get any worse than it was.

King Vegeta IV was having a very bad time.

Naturally he was bigger, stronger, better and faster than any other warrior of his race, he was at the top of them with four versions of the super saiyan – an accomplishment never before, yet somehow it wasn't being enough to win this battle, and the worse part is that his opponent still didn't start to show any signs of tiredness unlike the king, who was slowly reaching that part. Even if his movements were still as fast and powerful as they should be, it was clear if he kept going it'd be the end. The only reason he kept going was to end all of it for once.

In the slightest chance he got to distract his pair by shooting an energy beam to his face leaving him blind and stunned for a while, he quickly he went to take her out from that pod by pressing a hidden button under the window, making the door of the pod open up, taking her out and releasing her wrists.

"Dad!" She whimpered and hugged him tight for his biggest surprise, even if he could be cold, he returned the hug seeming relieved to see her alright.

"We have to go right now, Sharotto. This place is dangerous for all of us." He said, "We will be alright… I promise..." Among all the things he's ever done, maybe that was the first time he was behaving like an actual father.

Without losing any more time he got her in his arms and started to run away to not drag the attention of the giant ape, who was still agonizing for the pain in his face after that hit from the king, the latter held the girl so tight in his arms as she was looking upon his shoulder towards the giant ape frightened…

Why not flying? He didn't have enough energy, there was a ship outside the orbit of the planet awaiting for his call. And, if anyone's wondering, he didn't want to leave, but there wasn't another choice as much as he hated that, his main priority was put her in a safe place first, recover a little bit and then end with that man afterwards…

She turned around to see how the ship, which had a strange resemblance to a bracelet because of the round "arms" of the ship, segmented in six equal parts each one met again without touching each other, leaving a large space of twenty meters long between the "arms" that ended in arrow points, with the walls of that part being totally soft, with energy panels all upon the plain surface, telling to the alien crew that the ship had a cannon incorporated in it. There was a ramp down ready to get them up, she looked back again, they were close from escaping…

The giant ape saw that and charged energy in his mouth...

"Dad watch out!"

There she felt him pushing down her head in a desperate attempt of protecting her life from the attack at the same time a bright light blinded them for a while…

There was darkness for a while where she became confused of what happened, she felt something – someone upon her; mid-key heavy, slowly she crawled out, finding herself still there. Turning around she looked at her father: unconscious, back to normal and hurt… she tried to wake him up, he wasn't responding…

"That's what our 'king' gets for mixing with a human!" The giant ape growled, surprisingly, "This is what happens when you are weak!"

"Dad… please… wake up..." There was nothing more than fear filling her inside, from the very deep down taking over her entire self, "Please… wake up… I'm sorry..." She sniffed, tears were falling non-stopping from her eyes.

She felt helpless, horrible, like a complete useless weight for everybody around… she was weak, stupid, lacking of total experience fighting, of the power needed to defeat someone like that man… there was despair, fear, she was screaming loud and hard underneath, was everything lost?

"Now that I'm getting rid from all of you, I will fucking find that human who gave you birth and kill her right in front of you! Then I will destroy the Earth!" The said by the giant ape hit her core way too hard, from fear it passed to a growing rage inside feeling like a burning fire spreading wildly.

Something snapped, she didn't know what. There was energy accumulating in her inside growing and growing uncontrollably, giving her a weird sensation going up in her spine; the pebbles around started to shake and then float up in the air, the volcanoes around the area erupted furiously letting out the lava straight to the black sky ragingly, the black clouds reacted to the strange chain reaction of the nature with loud thunders and quick lightnings…

People inside the ship were staring surprised to the scene, even more because her hair started to float, switching between a gold-like color and her dark brown constantly, her hands were gripping the remaining clothes of the back of his bleeding father who was barely alive and totally out while the rocky soil under her knees was cracking in a crater, ceding to the crushing growing power…

Broooooooooooom!

At the same time she let out a loud scream of rage at the very top of her lungs, a powerful, destructive shockwave was released, first the wave, then the powerful explosion turned dust the pebbles and rocks around the area. Her hair became a bright golden color as she was also surrounded by an aura of the same color, quite spiked up, looking up straight to the red eyes of the giant beast, her eyes became sky-blue filled with so much rage… a few tears were still around the corners, slowly fading away showing full rage.

"Impossible! There can't be another…!" The ape mumbled shocked, "You won't beat me anyways you filthy hybrid!"

She launched another loud, angry scream of rage and disappear from view, out of sudden she was right in front of him. Little time he had to react before feeling a sharp pain from a blow straight to his snout, which stunned him for a few moments, another blow was felt again on the other side of his face, and the thing that almost brought her the victory in three movements was a powerful blow straight to his throat.

As I said: almost.

He gagged for a while trying to recover his breath, quickly launching his hand towards her in a desperate attempt of grabbing her, and fast as a fly about to get smashed, she dodged and ran on his arms, again back to his face. He expected her for running out of energy quickly, but it didn't happen at all, quite the opposite: her blows were becoming harder and her movements faster.

The battle ended after she tossed this powerful energy blast that consumed the giant ape, as being the first time she ever went to that form and she wasn't used to a high energy consumption, she fell unconscious, but being catch by Link…

End of transmission

"When I woke up again I was in my room with a headache… the man who tried to kill me and my father got taken back too and was executed and the others… well… they were luckier and learned their lesson..." She ended.

He remained silent for a long while, again processing the story she told him about that affair…

"Why didn't they believe when you turned into the super-something?" He asked curious.

"There is a legend that says that every 1000 years a super warrior is born," She started to explain, "This being is the most powerful among all of them, it's the legend of the Super Saiyan… my dad was the first ever to reach that transformation like a decade ago…? And I'm the second one..."

"With eight years…!?" He was surprised, "But as you reached such kind of power at a young age, doesn't that means that maybe you are that warrior of this millennium? Just putting in mind that even if your father is the first one it doesn't means he's the person the legend has talked about."

She just let out a soft, almost sarcastic chuckle in response…

"Someone as pity as me can't be the person a legend like that is talking about..."

"Alice you can reach the second and third transformation your father can use and you're just ten years old. You are powerful enough to keep Maximus away from you for some time, maybe in this life you are, but you just haven't reached that power yet." She didn't answer this time, "Anyway, how did you meet Maximus? And how did you end up here in the island?"

Once again she started to shake…

"After my father learned I could turn into a super saiyan, his trainings became more of a hell… the first time he showed me how to do it, it took me… three or four days to learn how to transform myself without any more complications… so… one day… I escaped..."

Far, far away from everything to a safer place needing a break from his hellish, draining trainings she ended up in a distant planet, with some money she got saved and her royal provenance as a secret, ended in a little bar getting some food before tracing a route back to Earth in an effort to avoid and mislead the king and his army from getting her back.

This tall dude with cat-like ears appeared when she was getting something to eat, at first he didn't realize a thing despite the fact she seemed oddly familiar due a certain resemblance to her father, showing at first askance to her for looking like a saiyan until he somehow realized she actually was one – even if she was a hybrid, to then become a murder attempt when she dropped an insignia of the royal family: a red anchor-like insignia

This tall dude with cat-like ears appeared when she was getting something to eat, at first he didn't realize a thing despite the fact she seemed oddly familiar due a certain resemblance to her father, showing at first askance to her for looking like a saiyan until he somehow realized she actually was one – even if she was a hybrid, to then become a murder attempt when she dropped an insignia of the royal family: a red anchor-like insignia with three arrows at the left, right and up in a V, the line between the hook and the upper part was segmented in two, and the semi-circle at the bottom as the hook, with two half arrows at the ends.

"He started to attack you only for having that?" He asked, disappointed but not surprised at all at that point, "What does your family got to do there?"

"My grandfather declared them the war a couple of years before I was born after series of events that leaded to a genocide..." She explained, "Max did survive because he wasn't there when it happened, he was like… my age maybe… two years later my grandfather died and… well… he swore revenge against the royal family… so when he met me, he thought it'd be a 'nice place to start'… and it only added more problems to me..."

She didn't just unlock the other two transformations out of rage and despair (barely being able to maintain the third version) but get heavier training sessions that were draining both physically and mentally only to not end barely alive in another fight. Her father wasn't being any understanding about her lack of experience, constantly rushing and pushing her to the very limits, often ending in a medical capsule that uses a special liquid to heal any physical wound both outside and inside in a thing of a couple of hours depending of how bad the state of the person was, to then go all over again through the same process.

That was spiralling towards madness, faster for her for being a child. The plan was increase her powers as they got a special something that allows them to increase their power levels after receiving a large amount of damage, adjust to the enemy's battle tactics, and a few other extras that made them malleable specially for fighting… it kinda got limitations: self-inflicted wounds didn't help at all, and a constant, repeated use of this innate ability only could bring less progress than before.

It became futile.

"Woah..." That's all the inventor could say in that moment, she was still on his lap against his chest, as if she felt safe right there hearing his beating heart. "And… you escaped from there again before ending here, am I wrong…?" She nodded.

"We were having a training… he was pushing my limits all over again… he was mentally pushing me to the limits and… was calling me weak… that I worth nothing and… you know… stuff like that..." Her hands were holding his shirt tight as she started to tear up again, "I snapped..."

The thing she remembered from that day was the way she snapped before everything just became blurry, but as much as they have told her in the aftermath was that she completely lost her mind in an explosion of rage, how half of the palace suffered severe damage and how around a hundred people plus the king in his third form had to do everything to put her under control. For what?

To wake up in a cell, heavily chained like a monster that was totally out of control. Afraid and confused, impotent… alone…

She couldn't keep going, getting into a panic attack, being his turn to calm her down… think about the story, then remember his own words back then that morning, calling her a monster… his arms closed tighter around her, sniffing hard feeling way too dumb all again; the story so far was already unbelievable, now knowing how crazy her actual life was just made him feel dumber by how he treated her after saving him from the bullies… and yes, maybe she already forgave him twice for it, but he still couldn't get over it… at least not yet.

"It's alright Alice… don't forget we're here now… just keep going..."

"My father went to see me and…" She sniffed, sobbing softly, "I asked him to… to get me out of there… I was so scared and confused… I just wanted to go home… he told me that I was in jail and that I'd be there for an undefined amount of time… I pleaded him to not leave..."

"But he did..." She nodded, "I'm so sorry Al… how long did you stay down there?"

"Around a week… I guess Link released me on purpose as he was the last person to see me and even left a key… so in secret I left and made my way back home..."

Stealing a pod, disconnecting the tracker of it she programmed the coordinates back to Earth, which would be a long trip of around a day or so, landing on the dark side of the moon, ready to fly into the atmosphere, get back home and keep going on with her life as if nothing ever happened, neither the existence of her powers, aliens, the outer space nor her father and his race. Enough was enough, she was sick tired of everything and all she needed was a prolonged break and peace, get her feet down to earth (ironically), focus in stuff that kids of her age would… only to stumble upon Max, who apparently did follow her or it was a casualty.

She pleaded him to let her go because she wanted to avoid any kind of confrontation, he didn't listen as usual.

They fought, she was trying to get away, he didn't let her…

She didn't want to fight anymore. Period.

"Such a whiny little piece of shit..." She remembered him hissing, repeating it also out loud, feeling a ghost grip around her wrist, "And you call yourself a–"

"I told him that I'm not like them… and how I hate to be related to them... because I'm only paying for the broken plates..." There she looked straight to his eyes, "I told him he's a coward for downloading his rage on me… he punched my face..."

"Come on! Fight! Struggle! I don't fucking care but do something!" He shouted, she didn't reply, which just brought out an angry groan, "Ah! You're so pity! Tell me what's your purpose in this life!" She didn't understand that leaving him without reply, holding her neck tight and making her look to his eyes. "What is your true purpose in this meaningless life?!"

"I still didn't understand what he meant… I think I'm so empty and… meaningless..."

"Who you fucking are! Why are you still alive and why are you still fucking fighting me! You have none asides of the natural instinct of living, and that's so pathetic and pity that only makes me feel angry!"

She felt to have none... still lacking an answer to him, with a drifted off gaze. The man gave a spin and tossed her away towards the void of the cold space where she was expecting to die in a few seconds... a burning feeling got her body as she was dragged away. For moments she only felt pain and didn't hear anything…

Out of sudden there was some light as her eyes barely adjusted to the light, seeing the blue sky of the Earth, then, her body hit the water… she felt the cold, dark sea wrapping its arms around her, pulling her down to the deep while the surface was becoming distant; the aching pain of her wounds due the salt didn't matter, she didn't care whatever could happen now, only wanting to die…

"I didn't know who I was… why I was alive… why all of this was happening to me… I was just allowed me get swallowed in the sea..."

And then he showed up by taking her out...

Even if she witnessed worse shit than him, he still felt reflected in her life, she began to shatter way more than before, to proceed to sob harder than before; all she did was grip his arm as he hugged tighter and keep crying, Steve also made an effort to calm her down too, again.

For ten minutes all she did was cry until there was nothing left to sob… she felt lighter in certain way, having needed to let it out for so long under his point of view; there were still some questions he had in mind, but maybe it'd be nice to not do it for now. Her silence and her breathing tuned down made him think for a moment that she fell unconscious as a mechanism of self-defence of her brain to avoid more traumas to her mental stability, which was evidently fragile since the very first moment you meet her, she just cuddled more in response…

"Uh… I still have some other questions like how your mom knows nothing about this, where did you get that sword and what the material is or what is that plasticized piece of paper… or even how did you meet Coldplay…" He said, both trying to see if she was still await and if she would reply to him.

"One…: dad gave me that sword after showing interest in weapons… Link convinced him to do it..." She replied hoarse, "It's made of a hard material called adamantium… check on the internet… they only exists in outer space… two: the piece of paper is to set an illusion to hide my tail… third: I have no idea… but it's better for her to know nothing… and fourth: it happened a month after the kidnapping thing… I came across one of their concerts a couple of years ago and… I stuck around..." He felt her smiling a bit, yet she still felt so blue…

Placing her back on the swivel chair, he pulled out a mirror and placed it to one side, then grabbed the chair and dragged it in front of the mirror. She had her head down still feeling so petty and quite miserable, the young man softly proceeded to put his hands on her cheeks and raised her gaze towards the mirror, the face of the girl was red by tears, she seemed emotionally drained to look away, unable to do it...

"Alicia, tell me: what you see there?"

She looked at her reflection, reluctantly, her hands became fists with rage underneath like wanting to shatter it to pieces, and simply not feeling any right she said:

"I see a waste who cannot do anything without risking to people who she loves... carrying the weight of the errors of her family..."

"No... and that's not what I see..." Flint began with love in his voice, in the very same way her mother would've done it, "What I see is a girl who wants to do things by herself... who doesn't wants anyone's help to carry her world… it's a girl with a pretty fragile heart... which doesn't was anyone to worry for her even if deep down you need it... t's someone who doesn't know to who she can rely for their experiences... and who need rely to get ahead... someone who also knows the little things of life... and who is beautiful inside and out...

Alice gazed at her reflection, tears began to fall again, and a slight smile curved on its face, grabbed the hands of Flint and squeezed them, the young man was surprised that it actually worked, and felt very happy that she was trying to, hadn't given account of shooting star had granted him his wish…

"Thank you so much Flint… you don't know how… this means to me… so much..." She whimpered sounding happy, relieved...

"Why are you even thanking me? I should thank you for sticking around with me… even if I treated you like shit before..." He said, turning her around and cleaning her cheeks from the tears, "Come on, Alice you're the nicest person I've met in literally years, I'm actually surprised that life just enraged towards you in this way… you're nice, you care for the people you love, and if they won't see what you really are and worth then… they're just fucking stupid and blind to not realize what they're missing… and you know what? I'm not even sorry for meeting you. Actually you are the best thing that happened to me in so long… and I'm so grateful for meeting you… and..." Slowly he got away and grabbed the smithereens of her broken heart, then got close back to her and lend them to her, "I'm still so sorry for what I said… I… I tried to fix this… but..."

Her hands got upon the back of his and closed them, there was this bright light inside his, when he opened them again carefully, he saw the broken heart back to normal, as if it never broke at all… more questions came to his mind in that moment.

"I already forgave you… I couldn't be mad at you even if I tried..."

The girl gave a yelp when he suddenly gave her the tightest hug of the day with the crystal heart in a hand, it was a something she couldn't deny at all…

"I love you so much Al… so please… don't leave me alone..."

Her arms wrapped tighter around him.

"I won't… I promise..." She cleaned up her face seeming better, as if all the long chat lifted up a weight from her shoulders, the change of mood was felt by Steve, who became joyful, "And if you still have questions just keep going… we still have a long time here..."

He sat down and took a deep breath…

"So how did you do that? I mean fix it like that?"

"It's… uh… complicated… I mean my powers somehow can fix things… I discovered that once when I broke something made of porcelain at my grandma's house… just a random thing that happened… I learned how to control it and even use it in a greater scale..." Her gaze went out the window with a little smile, "It's like… going back in time or something like that…? It can go to a previous state or even further behind… it's weird..."

"I can tell..." He said, "Can I have powers like you?" The question clearly made her surprised, "This might sound crazy but when you lost control, well I felt this strange energy emanating… it made me feel so… powerful… that I could beat the entire world with a hand… it's weird isn't it! I just thought… maybe you can teach me… and yeah I'm a man of science, and I witnessed a fight of two aliens, my best friend is half alien and there is a brand different and greater world outside this planet! My-my mind has been expanded and..." If there was something that could make an accurate vision of his head was how it blew away, she chuckled softly.

"I think I can try..." Maybe the thing that was making him happier in that moment was seeing her smile without fear, "And… can… can you tell me what did I do when… when I lost control…? But please tell me everything… don't… don't hide anything..."

That made her little smile vanish, even if he preferred to hide the events and move on, it was something that couldn't be hidden away as maybe someone else would tell her sooner or later, so he did and told her how she completely lost control becoming this beast with dark energy and how Earth was nearly compromised twice because of a massive energy ball… and, unavoidable was telling her how she nearly killed him in the process… she looked down and completely embarrassed, passing back to that process of calming her down.

"Hey, hey… that energy wasn't you, I'm completely sure about that… so tell me the truth about this too..."

.

Flashback Two days ago…

Her way towards where her friend was (at the same time she could even feel the energy of the inventor next to two people she wanted to punch again) slower than a snail, barely being able to stand up, needing to lean against walls to keep on moving and fighting against the burning desire of falling down unconscious without caring anything else in the universe…

Flint was the only priority crossing her mind in that moment, even if meant dying in the process of protecting him from Maximus.

Very deep down in her mind in her subconscious, her conscience she just woke up, finding herself in a very dark place. A dim light was illuminating the darkness present, she was lying in a puddle of water upside down, half of her face outside feeling way too tired to move a little bit showing her mental weariness... then her body was being pulled up from there ground, being lifted it, looking down she saw shadows around her waist and down.

From the darkness a couple of eyes red popped out, with a monstrous white line of sharp teeth… then a large figure emerged, showing this large black snout. It was a Japanese dragon: it had a crocodile head with long deer horns, a long serpent body with dark violet scales like lizards, salamander snout, eagle claws, long dark beige lion manes at both sides of where his neck started, very long catfish whiskers, the lower part of his body had also a beige-cream tone with two red lines putting a limit of his upper and lower part. His tail was lost in the darkness...

"Gururu… you finally came down here to visit me..." His voice was deep, somehow familiar too.

"Who are you…?" She asked weakly, "I… I've heard you before..."

"My name is Drakon, Alice. I can give you power to finish him," Said the dragon with a demonic voice, "if you borrow me your body, I will take care of the rest for good..."

All she knew is that he wasn't using his tiny arms to get her but the shadows themselves, a shadow hand was opening one of the eyes of the girl, her body then arrived to where Maximus was torturing Flint, when the images came to the consciousness of the girl, they popped in the form of a screen on one side, feeling how negative emotions started to take over her and the shadows were surrounding her more...

"Flint... I need... save him..." She said weakly stretching an arm towards the screen, seeing how he was being punched in his stomach mercilessly, "I need… to save him…!"

"But you have no energy, little girl..."

He slowly placed Alice on the floor, she fell to a side tired still both physically and mentally, so she couldn't remain standing up. She looked helplessly like Tim how Maximus tortured her best friend; a few tears out of her eyes, the dark power engulfed her again, and the demon came out of the darkness quickly wrapping around the girl, who just looked forward, then said:

"If you don't want your friend to die, I'll pay you with my energy… what do you choose? His death or my offer…?"

At that point there was nothing to lose, right?

"What do you need…?"

End transmission

"So… I let him take over and… the rest is history already… I completely lost my conscience afterwards… I don't remember what did I do..."

The little last story just brought, again, many more questions than before…

"This Drakon thing… is uh… inside you then…?" She shrugged in response, "You've seen him before?"

"He's what sometimes makes me explode… back when I was eight I heard him… he just… triggered it…? Again when I first fought Max too… I think… and a couple of weeks ago when I exploded in Sadala too… but this is the first time I've ever seen him..."

"Maybe your enhanced healing powers got something to do with him… it kinda makes sense… I guess..." Again, she just shrugged in response, "Then that's the entire story… right?"

"Pretty much… I guess..."

He rubbed her back in a way to comfort, the crystal heart was still in one of his hands, looking at it he placed it back on his night stand, deciding to fix the base later. A little bit of his drawer was open, letting him peek inside. He saw the folded photograph inside, all he did was silently open it and unfold it to show again the picture of that fourteen years old girl he used to know as Marlene O'Neil, with him next to her looking like a couple… he looked happy, dressing an actual tuxedo suit as she wore a pretty aquamarine dress in what looked like a Valentine's dance…

His hands started to shake, then looked at Alice petting Steve on his head…

He couldn't take it any longer.

"Liz, I… I want to take you somewhere..." He said, his voice trembling, folding the photograph again and putting it next to the frame of his mother, "Can we…?"

Alice was staring at him confused and curious, tilting her head to a side softly...

"Where…?"

"You'll see it soon..." She walked to him as the monkey got down, grabbing his hand in a silent way to accept, "Ishin denshin..."

She nodded with a smile in response knowing that he could learn a lot from her… before leaving he called Tim to let him know that she was all right and they'd take a little walk, and after talking awhile, Flint hung up and lifted the girl on his back taking out from her some giggles, taking the elevator in that way. Steve stayed in the lab to avoid any further problems just in case...

Down the streets the people looked to Flint and Alice, both felt uncomfortable by the stare of everyone, then... heard an applause, then two, then five, and then everyone in the place were applauding, some even whistled joyfully. Earl watched with a smile to the duo... Cassie and Cal watched them pass with happiness, while Brent, simply smiled as Alex and Henry just took a step back, meaning a pause for an indefinite time to their teasing...

The duo were heroes, and they had all the respect of the people... for now.

...

(1) Ishin-denshin: Denotes a form of interpersonal communication through unspoken mutual understanding. This four-character compound literally translates as "what the mind thinks, the heart transmits". Sometimes translated into English as "telepathy" or "sympathy", ishin-denshin is also commonly rendered as "heart-to-heart communication" or "tacit understanding".