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saikostories · 4 years

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Nanbaka - The Peculiar Guard pt3

“Any pain?”

“No…”

“Can you move your hands?”

“Yes…”

“Your recovery is as quick as always.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

Theodora bowed to the doctor in respect for all he’s done. However it was all the same. Once again she couldn’t feel anything. The numbness was back. Samon had came in the next day and asked about her condition. After some final testing, the doctor let her go. Now out of the hospital gown, she was now wearing just casual attire. An oversized black sleeved shirt, black skinny jeans, and black riding boots. Her hair hadn’t been brushed, causing it to be fluffy at the top and hang a little over her eyes.

To her she felt the most comfiest like this. She wasn’t having to hide herself anymore.

It’s the whole reason why Samon had to come. The Warden wanted to talk to her. She knew all too well. It was actually making her nervous and anxious to go. Theodora prepared herself for the deja vu of ‘you’re fired!’ in big bold letters with a stamp on her head. It was the inevitable to be honest. She just wished it wasn’t this way, or so soon.

“…I’m gonna be fired, huh?” Theodora muttered to Samon, keeping pace with him.

“I… can’t answer that…” Samon said quietly.

“Yep. I’m fired…” Theodora said like it was a confirmed statement.

“Hey, it might not happen.” Samon quickly intervene her negative thinking. “Maybe she will—”

“Samon.” Theodora cut him off, looking at him directly in the eye. “You know as well as anybody that my restrictions were as clear as daylight. No one must find out of my true gender. I must listen to the orders of my Supervisors at all times. My mask shall be worn 24/7, unless my Supervisors themselves take it off. Technically, I’ve broke each one of those rules once or twice already… She has every right to fire me.”

Samon hummed softly, unable to counter her claim. He could only sigh and put his hand on her head and ruffle her hair.

“Have some faith, will ya?” Samon grumbled. “You always tell people to be happy. Take your own damn advice for once, damnit. Even if you’re not in the same building with me, it’s still better having you around than anything else…”

Theodora just stared at Samon for a moment before smiling softly. “Good to know you haven’t changed a bit either…”

“Is that a good or bad thing?” Samon asked, looking almost defended.

“Who’s to say~”

“Oh, so now you go back to normal!”

“Heheh…!”

After some friendly jabs here and there, the two found themselves not too far from the Warden’s office. Samon lead her through the area and right to Head Quarters. Once they got to the room before the Warden’s office, Theodora spotted familiar faces. When she entered the room she noticed how it got really quiet. And she hated it.

Samon noticed this almost instantly. He ushered her forwards to the much dreaded Warden’s office. The Supervisor knocked on the door and waited for his call to be received. Hearing her voice, Samon opened the doors and gestured Theodora forwards. Very reluctantly, Theodora stepped forwards and walked in side until she was standing in front of the Warden’s desk. She held her sharp gaze, dreading the conversation itself.

“Good morning, Nicci. How is your body doing?” Asked the Warden, probably to get her relaxed and calm.

“I’m fine, ma'am…” Softly said Theodora. “The doctor told me I can do normal things besides stay soaking in water. Other than that, I can do whatever…”

“That’s good to hear.” Said the Warden. Her gaze sharpen, as if that was even possible, showing that she was now serious. “…You understand exactly why you’re here, yes?”

“Yes, ma'am…” Theodora nodded.

“Let’s go over it, shall we?” Spoke the Warden as she flipped open a file on her desk. “I gave you strict guidelines for you to follow. You were to do follow the orders of your Supervisors, not enter or access any high ranking areas, behave yourself as a good guard, wear the mask given to you 24/7 unless told so, and you were supposed to hide your gender from any and all inmates. You’ve broken about half of these rules within the few weeks of being here. Am I wrong?”

“No, ma'am…” Theodora said honestly.

“I gave you those rules to follow and yet you broke them.” Spoke the Warden with a bit of a growl at the end. “I would’ve just let this go, but in the end your identity as a female was revealed, especially to the inmates. That was our number one guideline that you had to follow. I understand that it was because of those burns and cuts, but you still got found out…”

Theodora kept her head down, her lips pressed tightly together, as she couldn’t deny the woman.

“I know it may seem unfair to you, but you must understand my position.” Stated the Warden. “Not only is it my job to keep this prison safe and running, but I can’t allow a woman working here as a guard. Maybe I can put you into a different job section, like the malls or even the lab research. But… I can’t allow you to be a guard anymore…”

“…!” Theodora’s body was very tense as her face contorted in pain, trying not to cry.

“Miss Warden, please, are you sure there’s nothing we can do?!” Samon suddenly exclaimed, shocking both women. “Theodora is a great kid. She works hard, she gets along with her coworkers, and the inmates even enjoy her. Hell, that chief at Building 13 had been asking about her yesterday in concern at the feast! You can’t fire her!”

“Are you saying that with assertion, or are you saying that because your emotions?” Asked the Warden, her hard gaze causing Samon to falter for a moment.

“E-everyone knows how she’s beneficial…” Samon said and was now standing next to Theodora. “She was able to stop No.15 from going berserk. If Hajime hadn’t beaten that kid half to death, Theodora would’ve gotten the kid to calm down and stop his rampage! We shouldn’t let her go just because of her gender!”

“So you want to have her stay and put her at a risk instead?” Harshly spoke the Warden before Samon could say anything else. He stopped, flinching at her tone. “There is a reason why we have Nanba, then the Nanba Women’s Prison. We cannot risk Theodora to be a guard here as a woman because any of the prisoners might lash out and assault her. I will not allow her to be placed on the line like that, and I know you wouldn’t want that either. This is a prison, not a playhouse. Theodora will pack her things and will be taken back to America.”

“T-then at least—”

“Samon, stop.” Theodora interrupted him, stopping him from causing more trouble. “You know better than anyone to question the Warden’s actions. She’s made her decision…”

“But where will you go?!” Samon asked her, his voice rising in anger. “You said it yourself that you don’t have anywhere else to go!”

“Samon,” Theodora grabbed both of his shoulders and forced him to look her in the eye. She smiled at him and spoke calmly. “Calm down… It’s sweet of you to try and allow me to stay, but we have to listen to the Warden. Her word is practically law here. I’m grateful for all of the wonderful things you’ve done for me, as well as everybody here. So, thank you for everything, and please just listen to the Warden…”

Samon stared at her for a moment, clearly hurt by this. His eyes darted all over her face, trying to find some sort of sign that she was just joking. But, as Theodora is in these situations, it’s clear she wasn’t. He could only tilt his head down, trying not to look at her again. Theodora could only try to stay together before turning to the Warden and bowed to her in thanks and respect.

“Thank you for everything, ma'am…” Theodora said calmly, still holding a smile on her face. “I am grateful for the risk you took with me and allowed me to be here. Just… may I ask one thing?”

“What is it?” Momoko raised a brow at her as Theodora stood up straight.

“It’s about… Inmates No.15 and No.634…” Theodora said softly. “After the interrogations once everything is clear up, please just… take care of them.”

“What do you mean?” Asked the Warden, her eyebrows raising slightly in surprise.

“This is just what I understand from their conversations…” Theodora said. “So, I may be wrong, or possibly right. But, from how I heard it, it’s clear that those two know each other. Musashi, No.634, provoked Jyugo, No.15, in order to gain some sort of information. He wanted Jyugo to go into a rage and reveal himself as a 'monster’ to everyone. I don’t know why he did that… Why he so strongly focused on Jyugo. But, from what I heard through bits and pieces, the main reason is for those shackles on Jyugo’s neck, wrists, and ankles. I think… I think that’s how Jyugo’s body could morph into blades…”

“The shackles, hm…?” The Warden leaned towards her and rested her lips against her hands. “Tell me, what else do you believe that happened?”

“Well…” Theodora thought for a moment. “Jyugo is kind of tricky to read, but it’s not hard for him to get along with someone. But… I never thought he had the capability to attack somebody. Clearly I heard Musashi spoke to him, and… Apparently, Jyugo took out Musashi’s eyes with those blades. This was in the past when they were cellmates, though… There’s that bit of a motive, but… I think he’s more or less after Jyugo’s shackles. I don’t know why, but, he wants them… Thing is, I don’t think it’s for good. Sorry I can’t be of much use…”

“I see…” Muttered the Warden. “Thank you for sharing that with me. Is there anything else you would like to say?”

“…Well, I never really did ask what I wanted…” Theodora looked her dead in the eye. “Please allow me to talk with the inmates of Cell 13 before I go. I want to make sure they’re alright… They have a right to know about my situation…”

“Why would you ask for that of all things?” Questioned the Warden. Even Samon looked curious.

“Those guys don’t trust just anybody, you know.” Theodora said as if it was obvious. “I know they have questions, and I know they’ll want answers… If you just kick me out of here without telling them a single thing, you’ll never gain their trust ever again. They can help Jyugo with his problems—I know they can. He’s just this troubled kid with this fucked up ability that we don’t even know anything about. But, if you lose their trust, they won’t ever tell a soul about the information they know. There’s a reason why they’re in Building 13… And I know they trust me… But I need your own trust, Ms. Hyakushiki, to talk to them and explain everything to them… They need trust, and I can provide it…”

The Warden held her gaze, silence taking over the room. Theodora was dead serious about it. It was clear from the expression she held. Samon could only stare at her in surprise at her sudden change in demeanor. 'Her eyes… They’ve got sparks in them again… Did she already bond with those guys so soon?’

"You do realize the risk of what you’re asking for, right?” The Warden asked her.

“Those boys wouldn’t dare lay a finger on me.” Theodora stated, as if offended by what the Warden was getting at. “Plus, they know quite well that I can knock them out in a matter of seconds if I have to. Yes, they’ve done some fucked up things in the past, but they’re still human. They’re good kids. But of course, officers like yourself find that hard to believe, am I right…?”

“Theodora, don’t anger the Warden…!” Samon hissed at her.

The Warden and Theodora had their eyes locked onto each other, neither of them faltering. After a long staring contest between the two, the Warden sighed loudly.

“…Fine.” She said. “But if anything happens, you’ll be responsible for it. But that won’t change the fact that you have to leave by the end of today.”

“I understand, ma'am.” Theodora nodded before bowing to her. “Thank you!”

“That’ll be all…” Muttered the Warden before spinning around in her chair so the back was facing them. “You’re officially fired from here on out, Theodora Nicci.”

“…Yes, ma'am.” Theodora said softly.

The Silverette turned around on the heels of her feet and rushed out of the room. Once she was out of the Warden’s office she paid no attention to the Supervisors in the room. She ran out of the room, wanting to get to Building 13 as soon as possible. The Supervisors in the room could only sigh, believing she was in an emotional state and ran off. When Samon exited the Warden’s office, they went to him for questions.

“It appears that she took the news harshly…” Muttered Kiji. “To be frank, I don’t blame her in the slightest…”

“Yeah, but it’s a little sad don’t chya think?” Mitsuru spoke up in his usually loud voice. “She looked forward to this job, but she ended up getting fired for being a woman. I just find that unfair.”

“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Samon inquired, looking almost insulted at their words. “Theodora understands perfectly well for why she was fired. Hell, she was prepared for it and had to calm me down. Plus, she was fired for breaking her guidelines and for becoming found out. You make it sound like she’s a fragile human being who just lost her mom.”

“But why did she run out of the room like she did?” Asked Kenshirou.

“She’s going back to Building 13 and talking with the inmates in Cell 13.” Samon stated with a sigh. “She convinced the Warden to let her talk to them. She wants to let them know of her circumstances and let them know about why it has to be this way. I can tell she’s doing it because she doesn’t want them to feel like she betrayed them or something… She’s always been like that…”

“So she’s not upset about being fired?” Asked Kiji, looking clearly surprised.

“Of course she’s upset.” Hajime spoke up, causing everyone to look at him. “She wanted nothing more than this job. Even I can see that. If she had a choice, she would probably stay here forever. She just trust those brats so damn much that she wants to give them a proper farewell, right?”

“Basically. And the fact that she has nowhere to go. She can’t get a job because she was an inmate… This was her lifeline.” Samon muttered. He couldn’t lie he was worried. Sure she could go back to her mothers but could she stay there forever? Knowing Theodora Samon had no doubt that her pride wouldn’t let her.

“ the poor girl…” Kiji spoke up, with an equally worried look.

“Talking about Theodora… she really hates your guts you know Hajime.” Samon said bitterly.

"What? Why?” Hajime looked at him, almost as if he was surprised.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'WHY’?!” Samon shouted at him. “YOU BEAT NO.15 RIGHT OUT OF HER HANDS WHEN SHE CLEARLY HAD HIM UNDER CONTROL! IF SHE DIDN’T SCREAM AT YOU TO GET OFF OF HIM THEN YOU PROBABLY WOULD’VE KILLED THE KID! SHE’S FUCKING PISSED, BUT DOESN’T SHOW IT!”

Hajime felt his eye twitched, knowing quite well that he was going to get lectured like a child. “I didn’t hit him that hard… I only used my fists…”

“Yeah well you could have used a rebound club”

‘Oh brother…’ Hajime thought. How he was going to fix this he really didn’t know.

***

'Cell 13, Cell 13…’

Theodora was running all over the halls.

As soon as she got off of the monorails she ran through Building 13. She didn’t want to waste another minute of not being able to talk to the guys. She strongly felt that they deserved to know everything that’s happened. They did see she was a woman after all. It only made sense to her. So, she proceeded running.

Weaving through the halls, she eventually made it to their cell. She was breathing softly through her mouth, trying to catch her breath as she stared at the sign. Cell 13. She could sense sudden nervousness in her stomach, but she knew this was right. Taking a step forwards, she knocked on the door and made sure her face could be seen through the bars.

“What? If it’s Hajime then forge—” Uno stood up, only to abruptly stop at the sight of a woman standing at the bars.

“What is it?” Rock asked, causing him and Nico to look over and repeat the same actions as Uno.

“Ahem… Um…” Theodora found herself picking at her helm of her shirt sleeves. “…Hey, guys… It’s Theo… Could I come in…?”

“Y-y-yeah, s-s-sure, totally!” Exclaimed Uno as his face turned beat red.

Theodora looked down the halls and made sure nobody was there. She then opened the door, since she had the keys still in her pockets, and entered the cell quickly. She closed it behind herself, not wanting to raise an alarm to Seitarou or Yamato. She backed away from the door before facing the group. They all just stared at her as if she was an alien species. It honestly didn’t make her feel any better and gave her deja vu moments…

“Can we… sit down and talk…?” She asked.

Not even a second later did they accept. She had been startled by their sudden response, but had calmed down quickly. Knowing she was restricted onto a time limit, she wanted to make sure she answered any and all of their questions. They all sat at a table. The three boys sat on one side while she sat on the other, facing them as an uncomfortable silence took over. Theodora knew they weren’t used to woman but this was on a whole new level of awkwardness…

“Soooo…” Rock spoke up, but trailed off as soon as he did so.

“You’re a…” Uno trailed off, his eyes darting everywhere but her.

“…A girl, right?” Nico finished the sentence.

“Yes, I am…” Theodora answered.

“It’s so weird to see you like this when we thought you were male…” Rock said honestly, scratching the back of his head. It actually caused her to smile slightly.

“I get that a lot…” She replied.

“So, we’re you here?” Nico asked, smiling as brightly as ever. “Did you take time off or something?”

Theodora’s face darkened and she frowned. “About that… I came here because… Because you all deserve answers. And, I have to do that now because I got fired from my job…”

“What?” Rock questioned, his eyes shooting wide open.

“Wait, you got fired?” Uno questioned, looking very shocked and possibly enraged.

“Let me explain, okay…?” She said softly, which appeared to calm everyone’s nerves. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. “As you all know, I have a criminal record. I first became an inmate at age 12 and at age 14 I had gotten thrown in Nanba Prison. I was released after 4 years and have been scouring for jobs ever since. You can’t gain money without work, after all. But, as all businesses would have it, they wanted nothing to do with me. Eventually I got a few jobs and began making money, but… it wasn’t enough. I became desperate, so I sent a request specifically to the Warden.”

“A request?” Questioned Nico.

“Yeah, for a job here…” Theodora said and continued. “She read my request and my resume and brought me here. After a lot of talking, she eventually gave me the job. But, on very strict conditions. I had to wear that black mask unless the Supervisors took it off of me, since the mask would only react to their finger prints. If the mask was harmed in the slightest, as if I were to try and take it off, the hooks around my ears would pierce right through my ears as punishment. I was restricted into high ranking areas and I couldn’t go anywhere without the Supervisor knowing. On top of it all, I had to disguise myself as a man instead of a woman if I wanted to become a guard here…”

“But, why go through so many lengths to be a guard of all things?” Rock asked.

“I was desperate…” Theodora admitted. “After I got out of prison I had been living with my family until I figured out what to do with myself. I was giving online classes to finish my education because I was thrown into prison for so long… I tried looking for jobs so I could live on my own, but everyone turned me down. Nobody wanted to associate themselves with a criminal. That’s just how the world goes…”

“But why did you dress up as a male guard?” Nico asked. “Couldn’t you have stayed as a woman, though?”

“Absolutely not.” Theodora shook her head at him. “If any of the male inmates found out, I would have been in major trouble. You have to understand, hardly any of these inmates have seen a woman for years. To have one in the prison as a guard, a person who interacts with them everyday, they wouldn’t hesitate to go after me… Whether it be for sexual or violent purposes, it was just too risky… So, the Warden instructed me to be a male inmate.”

“Hold on just a second!” Uno exclaimed, looking very puzzled. “You said you were an inmate in Nanba Prison for four years, right? How the hell did you stay as a prisoner if you were a woman this entire time?”

“Well, the guards didn’t even know I was a woman at first…” Theodora said and scratched the side of her cheek in an embarrassed manner. “Because of my body structure at the time, they just assumed I was male. They had no idea I was female until I was requested for a physical examine by the doctor a week after I was put there. That was when they found out…”

“How the hell did they mistake a woman for a man?” Rock asked, almost looking pissed.

“Well…” Theodora stared at her lap and uncomfortably shifted in place. “…I crossdressed as one all the time. I… even took a few hormone pills to try and change my gender…”

“Wait… What.” Uno murmured.

The three could only stare at her in bewilderment. Theodora sighed, not really wanting to explain that part of her history, but knew that she had to. 'I’m already this deep into it, so what the hell.’

“Ever since I was born… I was different.” Theodora stated. “Being diagnosed with HSAN and all, it was hard. Pills were a regular thing at home, and nobody really liked me. It’s ironic how so many people in prisons enjoy me, but never the outside world, eh? Hehe… Kind of pathetic. Anyway, getting back on track, remember that dark point I kept telling you guys about? How I kept mentioning it?”

The three nodded their heads in unison.

“Well… Part of that dark point was that I never liked myself…” Theodora admitted in a heavy manner. “I had a lot of mental and emotional pain, unable to make friends and had to rely on my family… But my family wasn’t enough… I began sneaking out of the house frequently and did some bad things… One of them involved me taking so hormone pills off of the street. I always had this grudge against myself for being a female I always hated the restrictions girls had compared to men. So, the more older and I got, the more of a man I wanted to be. If I could take back those moments, take back the pills and the running away, I would…”

“Why? What happened?” Nico asked innocently.

“I was an idiotic fool for trusting pills off of the street.” Theodora stated bluntly, clearly annoyed with herself as she told the story. “I was so stuck on wanting to be a man that I ended up fucking myself over. I followed a man I shouldn’t have. Theft, GBH, all of that I did because I was angry. People were living a life I wanted but couldn’t have. As strange as it sounds, I’m grateful for being thrown into Nanba Prison… They got me help when everybody thought I was hopeless in saving. The Doctor here helped give me the proper pills to regain my femininity and help me out of that dark state I was constantly in. Samon, the Supervisor of Building 5, was a big help in that, and I’m forever grateful for him… All the guards kept my gender a secret to everybody else, and hardly any inmates knew. Those who did kept quiet for my safety.”

“Wow, never thought prison guards could be so civil…” Grumbled Uno.

“Not all of them are bad…” Theodora smiled at him. “It’s just how you hold your perspective to them… But, I’m not hear the lecture about that… Anymore questions you guys have?”

“I do! I do!” Nico said and raised his hand in the air. “How come you’re so strong?”

“That's… honestly something we don’t know…” Theodora admitted. “I’m just freakishly strong. In the end my family and doctors just believed it was because of my inability to feel pain, causing myself to not really know how to control my anger. But, my father knew how to teach me, so he did his best to teach me how to hold back and all.”

“Alright, now I’ve got a question.” Uno spoke up and pointed at her. “Is your name really Theo? I mean, being a girl and all…"

“Yep.” Theodora nodded her head. “My name is actually TheodorA. But my last name was kept since I didn’t want to change it. Plus, if there was prisoners still here that knew me, I wanted them to realize it was me, just like I had with Shiro!.”

“Huh. So it’s easier to remember since there’s practically no change… That’s boring! You could have gone with something so cool! Like Roberto or Something.” Muttered Uno.

“And Uno’s any better?” Theodora raised a brow at him while smiling in amusement.

“S-shut up…!” Uno stuttered as his face immediately grew red.

“I like Theodora better than Theo.” Nico said and smiled at her. “It sounds nice! By the way, how many siblings do you have?”

“Three. I’m the oldest.” Theodora answered. “Two brothers, both twins, and one sister. They still live with my family.”

“If I do my math right… Does that mean you’re 20?” Uno asked.

“Yep. Almost 21” Theodora nodded.

“You’re older than me…!” Exclaimed Uno, somehow looking heartbroken and shocked.

“Of course I’m older than you. Technically, I’m not legally to be allowed to become a guard…” Theodora said softly. “You have to be at least 21, but the Warden let that slide. I’m actually surprised she didn’t use that against me, too…”

“Wait, if you’re leaving today that means…” Rock looked down at the table in a sad manner. “You can’t even say goodbye to Jyugo…”

The light atmosphere quickly became heavy. Everyone was looking down now, clearly feeling the heaviness of concern for Jyugo. Theodora was as stiff as ever, clearly upset by that fact. He was right. She couldn’t even say goodbye to Jyugo…

“Do you… Do you know if he’s alright…?” Uno asked her after gulping down the lump in his throat.

“…I wish I did…” Theodora replied softly, her eyes becoming hollow again. “Being the rank that I am, or… was… I have no authorization in knowing. All I really know is that he’s in critical condition and being kept in the underground cells… But, of course, no visitors are allowed… Not even I can get down there…”

“So, there’s nothing we can do for him, huh…?” Nico asked quietly.

“No… No, there is…” Theodora said firmly and gazed up at the three. “My deadline is today. I have to collect my belongings and go back to America. But, you three will be here for him. I need you to do me this big favor. Jyugo may or may not come back to Cell 13 because of the actions he had taken at the Tournament. Either way, I know you guys can get through to him. He’s not some monster that we have to hide from. He’s just a troubled kid who needs all the help he can get… And I know you three are the help he deserves… Can I trust you? To watch out for him, and keep him in line from using those weapons like he did?…”

“Do you even need to ask that?” Uno said and began smirking. “We know Jyugo better than anybody. Yeah, even we don’t know much about him, but like you said. He’s just a snot-nosed, bratty kid who needs all the help he can get. You just leave him to us, 'kay?”

Theodora stared at him for a moment before smiling at him. 'I knew I can rely on you guys… I know you can help him. I just know it…’

“But… do you really have to go…?” Nico asked softly, still looking upset.

“Yes, I do…” Theodora said and smiled sadly at the table. “The Warden’s words are basically law here. My deadline is the end of today. But, I know I need to be quicker than that. I… really should get going… before anybody else gets in trouble…”

“Grrr…” Uno fumed in his seat before slamming his fist on the table. “It’s not fair! If anybody should be fired it should be that damn demon Hajime! Why does it gotta be you…!? If anything you were the only one saving Jyugo’s ass! What the hell!”

“I know…” Theodora said, her tone cold and dark. This caused the boys to be silent and listen. “I know it’s unfair. I want nothing more than to stay here. I want to joke around, tell deep stories, rile the Supervisors up into fighting with me and just goofing around. But… that’s not how it is…”

“Aren’t you mad, though?” Rock asked her.

“Of course I am…!” She said shakily. “I’m sad that I have to leave… I’m sad I can’t tell Jyugo the things he should hear and hopefully make him understand… I’m angry at the Warden for not letting me stay because I am a woman. I’m angry that people don’t understand that many people here are just misunderstood and need help. But… most of all…” Her voice got deeper as her fist were tightly clenched, actually straining the bandages on her hands. “…I’m pissed at Hajime Sugoroku for practically putting Jyugo on his deathbed… Heartless bastard…”

Theodora practically sat there, fuming in her seat as her own body was shaking with rage. It actually caused the three before her to break out into a nervous sweat. But, they all could empathize with her, knowing exactly how she feels in different amounts. Just as fast as she had gotten angry, Theodora took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She relaxed and looked at the three with a hollow gaze.

“…I have to get going…” She said softly. “My ride to America is a long one… I have to contact my family and all. I’m sorry I couldn’t talk more to you all. None of you deserve this shit…”

“It’s not your fault.” Rock said calmly. “As harsh as it is, we understand where you’re coming from.”

“Yeah, thanks for visiting us!” Nico said cheerfully. “We’re really glad that you got to tell us your story!”

“And… Could you try and visit us sometime…?” Uno requested in almost a quiet manner. “We ain’t leavin’ this place anytime soon, so… yeah…”

“I wouldn’t mind visiting…” Theodora smiled warmly at them. She stood up slowly and bowed to them. “I thank you for listening.” She straightened. “…I put all of my faith in you. Tell Jyugo I’m sorry I couldn’t talk to him properly before going… I wanted to speak to him one more time before going…”

“Yeah, we’ll tell him…” Uno nodded to her.

“Thank you…” She said softly and turned towards the door. She stopped and looked at them again. “Just remember this for me, okay? Nobody’s born evil; it’s all in the perspective of the person who sees what’s wrong or right. Everybody deserves a second chance… Even a bunch of hopeless misfits like us. You all take care, okay?”

“You take care yourself.” Uno said and waved to her.

“Hit the best restaurant for me.” Rock said and waved.

“Bye-bye, Theodora!” Nico exclaimed and waved frantically.

Theodora giggled at them and waved lightly. “Goodbye…”

Opening the door, she stepped out of the cell and closed it behind her. She walked a few paces away before slapping her hands over her mouth, stopping to lean against the wall. Tears overflowed again and ran down her face and through her hands. She tried hard to stop it, or to at least muffle any type of sound from coming out. She had no idea why such an amount of tears were flowing from her eyes so quickly in such large amounts.

She just didn’t understand…

…But at the same time, she did.

***

“Here, this was all I could find…”

“Thank you, Seitarou.”

“Do you need help carrying anything?”

“Thank you, but no thank you, Yamato.”

The two men could only watch as Theodora packed a very small cardboard box. It was mostly of clothes, but there was a few items like photos or even a pin. She even packed the mask she was restricted in for memory purposes. She made sure to be constantly aware of it and keep it hidden from others just for safety precautions. She placed the last item in before putting the lid over the box. She turned to the two men and bowed to them in respect.

“Thank you again for everything. I am grateful for your compassion.” She said.

“There’s no need for that!” Seitarou said and had her straighten up. “We were just doing our jobs and being ourselves, after all. Even if you acted as a guy, you were still yourself through and through. It was nice having you around…”

“Mm…” Theodora averted her eyes for a moment, trying not to be sad anymore.

“You could always have a different job here, you know.” Yamato informed her. “I’m sure if you talked with the Warden she would allow for your stay!”

“It’s a nice thought, but I highly doubt it.” Theodora said softly. “I’d just be trouble and to be honest I want to be able to talk to the inmates, the guards… I don’t want to go back to being a lab rat. Even if I’m the one doing the testing.”

“You never told us what happened to land you in jail in the first place… you were only twelve weren’t you?” Seitarou asked. Theodora smiled weakly and nodded.

“Maybe you could visit sometime?” Seitarou suggested. “I’m sure plenty of inmates and guards wouldn’t mind that.”

“True…” Theodora nodded and smiled. 'But it would cost me a fortune to travel to Japan…’

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” Yamato asked her in clear concern. “We could always give you some money on hand if you need it.”

“No, no! I couldn’t!” Theodora rapidly waved her hands and shook her head. “Please, don’t! Keep your money and save it. I’m covered from the paycheck from this week. I’ll get by…”

“Take care, okay?” Seitarou said. “I’m sure you’ll find a job soon. With your personality and determination, anybody’s bound to hire you!”

'You forget the fact of my criminal record…’ Thought Theodora silently.

“Train hard! You’ll need those muscles in top shape to be ready for anything!” Yamato said and began flexing his own arms to emphasize his point.

Theodora let out an honest laugh and smiled at the two. “Thank you, again. I’m seriously grateful for your hospitality here…”

“You’re always welcomed to visit.” Seitarou said before leaning in and whispering to her. “Even though it’s against protocol, I’ll let you in and visit the inmates in their cells if you want.”

“S-seriously…?” She looked at him in shock. “You would really do that…?”

“Of course! You may have been an inmate in the past, but you will always be one of us!” Exclaimed Yamato with a cheerful laugh. “Nothing can change that, ha ha ha!”

“Guys…” Theodora covered her face with her hands. “You guys are making me want to cry…!”

“A-ah, please don’t! Did we say something offensive…!?” Seitarou panicked.

“N-no, no!” Theodora sniffled loudly and recollected herself. “I’m just… really thankful, is all…”

“Take care of yourself now!” Yamato said and lifted her box to her. “We’ll be waiting to see you again soon, I hope!”

“I-I’ll try…” Theodora smiled and took the box from him. “I can’t thank you enough…”

“It was nothing, seriously.” Seitarou said and waved his hand. “Have a safe trip back home, okay?”

Theodora nodded curtly to him, still smiling warmly. “Goodbye…”

“Goodbye, Ms. Nicci!” Saluted Yamato.

“Good luck!” Waved Seitarou.

Theodora waved softly at them before turning and exiting into the hall. She closed the door behind her and sighed heavily. It’s just been an emotional two days, that’s for sure. Pushing herself off of the door, she stared at the boxes in her hands and sighed again. It was really hard to let this place go considering she had plenty of good and bad memories here. But, she was grateful for them all.

Taking in a deep breath, she pushed herself off of the door and began walking down the hallway. She stood tall and had her chest slightly puffed out, trying to remain confident and strong. Even though it was a short time being a guard, she was happy for every minute she had of it.

Thinking through the memories, she couldn’t help but giggle at the fun ones. She remembered when coo the Guard Cat had accidentally walked against Seitarou’s leg and scared him so bad he fell out of his chair. Or when Yamato had bursted into the room and demanded group workouts, causing Seitarou and her to run away and hide from him until Hajime came. Or when Jyugo snuck out of his cell again and she witness him draw on Hajime’s sleeping face, but had said nothing and acted like she hadn’t witnessed it.

'It was fun while it lasted…’ She told herself as her smile returned onto her lips. ‘Time to go home.’

***

Days had passed since Theodora had left and gone back to America. Yet for some reason, the mood around the prison hadn’t lifted. Everyone knew that something was missing to the overal aura. There was Jyugo who was still unconscious and held up somewhere and now Theodora was gone. Building 13 cell 13 were quiet and didn’t even try to escape. How could they? It wasn’t fun without jyugo and without Theodora, Hajime was now boring.

Samon had watched her go. He gritted his teeth at the fact that he couldn’t stop her. What the warden had said was final. He had to leave it at that.

Hajime had come back from his three day suspension and had expected to come back to utter hell breaking loose. Yet there was nothing. Not a peep.

“Why is it so dull here…” he groaned with his hat over his face. He didn’t miss the usual escaping from cell 13 but he couldn’t deny he was bored.

“Did you finish all the extra paperwork handed back from the warden?” Seitarou asked. Hajime nodded.

“Did anything happen when I was gone?” Seitarou shook his head no. “Really? Not even one escape?”

“Nope. They just stayed in their cell.”

“Hmm…. what about you Theo?” Hajime turned around and saw the empty chair.

Damn it. He had forgotten that he no longer worked here.

“We got a post card from her.” Seitarou said as he took a small postcard from the desk. “Every building got one. She says she doing okay and that she wishes every one the best.”

“Oh? Where is she now?” Hajime said spinning on his chair and throwing his hat up and catching it.

“She’s back working on the farm. Apparently she’s sleeping in a small apartment of the barn with the horses, so she’s not homeless but it takes a cut out of her wages.” Hajime turned around to look at the voice from the door way.

“What the heck are you doing here?” Hajime asked the newly arrived Kijiwith a groan. He was bored but he really didn’t want the company of a feather-brained pheasant.

“I’m just dropping off some finished paperwork that I had to do because you were off for three days. I think it’s tragic. Working in the heat and with all the heavy machinery. The poor girl’s skin must be suffering…” Hajime growled and turned back to looking at the CCTV again.

“It’s not my problem. I told her not to go-“ Hajime couldn’t finish his sentence since Kiji had hit him on the head hard.

“SHUT YOUR TRAP! YOU CAN’T TALK SINCE YOU PRACTICALLY BEAT THAT INMATE TO DEATH! SHE HAD TO DO WHAT SHE DID OR IT WOULD HAVE BEEN YOU FIRED!” Hajime rubbed his head and groaned at how he was only doing his job. Kiji rolled his eyes and let out a sigh of desperation. “Seriously Hajime… half of the inmates are bored out of their minds because she’s gone. They seemed to have liked her a lot. It’s only a matter of time before they start a mini revolution unless we do SOMETHING. The warden is hearing all of it from the monkey and the dog… she really was useful in keeping inmates calm…”

“So?”

“SO? SO!? WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT A WAY OF BRINGING HER BACK FOR GOD’S SAKE!”

Hajime groaned again. He couldn’t lie that the inmates were a lot better staying in their cells but he also couldn’t hide the fact that he liked having Theo around. It meant a lot less work for him, and maybe he would feel a lot less guilty.

“If I don’t mind asking? What are you going to do?” Seitarou said softly. Kiji smiled and for some reason, Hajime had a reaaaally bad feeling about this.

***

“Do you really believe this’ll work…?”

“No idea but we’ve at least got to try!”

“You may want to calm those emotions of yours down. They might just ruin our chances of helping her…”

“All we have to do it talk, right? Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Of course you of all people would say that…”

The four Supervisors of Nanba Prison were making their way to the Warden’s office as fast as possible. They had each tried to convince the warden to bring Theodora back. The inmates weren’t moving from their cells at all. Not even to eat. When the guards did visit them, they were restless. It seems that Theodora had built up a much stronger bond than they had thought in just a small amount of time. It was key that she came back so the prison could go back to normal. As weird as it was for all four to agree on something, especially a human being who was a past inmate, they all can see a type of use for her abilities.

Even though this act might demote them, or even get the fired, they were still determined to do it. Well, mostly Samon. Practically everyone could see his growing fire of wanting to convince the Warden, and everyone knew why. He was an open book, basically.

Knowing Mitsuru was inside of the Warden’s office, the four went right on it without knocking. The entered just in time to see a red-face Warden with her fist up, ready to pulverize Mitsuru, only to stop at the sounds of the doors. The sight of her murderous intent was enough to make all of them shiver. The Warden Momoko stared at them for a moment before dropping Mitsuru onto the ground without a second thought.

“…It’s rather unusual to see you four barging into my office at once.” Calmly spoke the Warden as she sat back down in her chair to recollect herself. “Is something the matter that needs all of you four here…?”

“Yes, ma'am, there is…” Samon dared to spoke up, but it was clear he was nervous.

Mitsuru, now back onto his feet, patted Hajime’s shoulder and snickered loudly. “Good luck, brothaa!”

The dark skinned man walked out of the office cackling, making Hajime want to smash his skull in. Once he disappeared, they all focused their attention onto the Warden.

“It’s about Theodora Nicci.” Spoke Kiji.

“Nicci? Again? I have already made my decision and the answer is no. I am NOT bringing her back.” Momoko’s eye twitched at the name as she raised a brow at them.

“It’s not a question of whether we want her to stay-“ Kenshirou began.

“We need her to stay.” Hajime said interrupting him. Kenshirou growled at Hajime finishing his sentence.

“She doesn’t belong here in Nanba Prison. She’s just a criminal.”

“Please hear us out, Ms Warden, before you make any final decisions.” Kiji spoke up, trying to keep the conversation calm and civil. “We all have our reasons for being here. Please hear us out.”

The Warden stared at them with her sharp gaze before sighing softly. “Fine. Since you seem so intent on making your useless point valid, you may proceed…”

“I’ll go first.” Kenshirou said and stepped forwards. “After much debating, many of us Supervisors have agreed that we think it’s best for Theodora to stay. Looking at her capabilities, flaws and strengths, we all strongly believe that we can benefit from having her around.”

“We all have our own experiences with her, and some aren’t that great,” spoke Kiji. “But, that woman is something special… We all can see that, despite our different opinions about her.”

“If you saw her in action first hand, I can assure you that you would change your mind, ma'am.. though the inmates are supposed to stay in their cells, that is all the do. Some of them don’t even leave to eat or to exercise. They developed a bond with Theodora that made them calm and not feel the need to rebel against us. Now that’s gone, they’ve become restless and agitated and no matter how much force or power we show, nothing’s going to change without Nicci.” Samon spoke up, trying hard to keep his voice calm and not show emotion. "Theodora is…”

“Not supposed to be here.” The Warden stated harshly, shocking the group. “I understand that Nicci has the ability to connect to people. I know that. It’s the whole reason that I allowed her to be a guard in the first place. But, we agreed her gender be kept a secret, and that didn’t even last longer that three weeks. She got found out. And yes, I know it was from the attacks from both inmates No.15 and No.634. Because of that incident, I cannot allow her to stay in this Prison anymore.”

“May we ask why, ma'am?” Kiji asked, wanting to know her reasons.

“It’s pretty obvious why.” Momoko stated bluntly. “She’s a criminal. She was even our past inmate No.7 of Nanba Prison. Not only that, but I gave her strict guidelines for her to follow if she wanted to be a guard. Nicci broke almost all of them. She agreed to it, too. And, as for her to be a female, I cannot allow her to stay as a guard. There are too many risk of her getting injured or assaulted and I will not stand for it! I will not risk her own well being just because she’s 'nice’ to have around… You all are here, acting on your own emotions instead of reason. I will not allow such childish reasons to go against my own…”

“Now hold it right there.” Hajime spoke up, agitation clear in his voice, and shocking everyone by his blunt rudeness. “I was the one in charge of her this entire time. And I can assure you, ma'am, that she didn’t break any of her guidelines. She never touched any official documents, or went into high ranking areas. She always came for my permission to go somewhere, and that would usually either be the bathroom or the cafeteria. For the mask, I’m to blame for that. I took her mask off whenever she was in the office and told her to put it back on if she was to ever leave it. And she can’t be blamed for being born a female. She did her best to stay hidden and did a damn well job of it. I take full blame for her and her actions. I’m already suspended for three days as it is. If it means getting her ass back here and staying, then I’ll willingly will have it longer.”

Momoko stared at Hajime in utter shock. Hajime had always been one to keep his tone in a respectful manner towards the Warden, always to try and never offend her. So for him to go ahead and allow himself to curse right in front of her, talking directly at her, was utterly shocking. She couldn’t help but feel angry and possibly… jealousy?

“She is a criminal.” Momoko stated, clearly trying not to show her anger. “We don’t know if she might turn on us the moment she doesn’t like something. How do we know she won’t turn on us, or even the inmates? She is not to be trusted, and that’s that!” Momoko stood from her seat, glaring at each individual. “Theodora Nicci is fired from being a guard and will never be allowed to visit this island ever again. That is my orders…”

“She has every right to be here just as much as us!”

“She’s a well admesary and is sharply minded. Please, think about this for a moment, your Warden…!”

“That girl will not remain here any longer! That’s final!”

“But we can benefit from having her around! Please think about this properly, madame!”

The four Supervisors were all hotly arguing against the Warden, everyone on their feet and clearly fuming with different emotions. The Warden was staying stubborn and strong, but the four kept throwing facts at her barrier, trying to get through. It was clear that this argument was possibly getting out of hand already…

“Please think about this for one second, ma'am! Please!” Samon said and began listing everything he knew about Theodora. “This kid is amazing, okay? She’s sharp and clever, which is what caused her to be transferred into every building around. She knows how to act the part when given and she can damn well do it properly. Her strength can even rival Hajime’s, and that’s saying something! And what’s even more amazing than that is the fact that she can get anybody to trust her! That’s something hardly any of us can do, especially since we’re the guards!”

“She is a criminal and should have never came here!” Yelled the Warden. “How do you know she won’t turn against us and cause trouble just like she did in the past?!”

“Because I was the one to help her!” Samon exclaimed. “I got her out of that shit hole she was in! I got her back on the right path! Why? Because that was my job, and I care about that kid more than my own life!”

“See? This is what I meant!” Exclaimed the Warden. “Your emotions are all out of whack! None of you can even see straight…”

“We can see perfectly fine, Ms Warden,” Hajime stated as he tried not to growl. “Are you sure you’re not the one with your emotions out of whack? Because you aren’t even listening to what we’re trying to tell you!”

“Nicci is somebody we want as one of our guards…!” Kenshirou spoke up, his tone being a lot calmer than anybody else’s. “That girl has gotten us to crack multiple cases with over half of the inmates when she was in prison herself. She gathered intel all because she knew of the right things to say. If she can do that again, then we mind even be able to figure out this mystery with No.634 and No.25!”

“You want her to go underground?! Where all of the rapists and convicts are?!” Exclaimed the Warden. “She’ll get teared to shreds the moment she steps down there! She only got away with it back then because of those hormone pills she was taking to change her gender! But she’s still a woman! I will not risk her own safety by her staying!”

“Oh, please!” Kiji interjected, clearly being fired up himself. “Did you see how she fought against those two rogue inmates in the tournament? Or even when she fought Samon?! She can handle herself just fine! Hell, we all know she was holding back that entire time! She can do much worse damage if she wanted, and we all know that! Her being a woman is a pathetic excuse for her to not stay here, miss!”

“Plus, she isn’t a criminal anymore!” Samon fired at the Warden. “You said it yourself, she’s a civilian now! Stop calling her a criminal when she has served her sentence two years ago!”

“That still doesn’t wipe her record clean, and I know about her terrifying strength!” Shouted the Warden. “Her HSAN is a problem and we all know it! She got her own body burnt when she fought No.634 and she kept fighting! She almost got killed by No.15 because she 'cares’ about him! I know there’s one thing to care about your inmates, but she makes it sound like they’re her own children! Which they are not! They are criminal who have been put into Nanba Prison for a damn good reason!”

“That’s why so many people trust her!” Hajime exclaimed. “The reason they get so attached to her is because she cares for them! Because she talks and listens to them! Remember the day she left this shity place? Even our worse prisoners were sobbing because she was gone! Hell, even Shiro, the chief from my Building, is glad to have her back in the prison!”

“I don’t care if she makes them feel better! This is a PRISON!” Shouted the Warden. “It’s suppose to be a shithole for everyone around! It’s suppose to teach these scum that this is what happens when you break the law! Not reward them!”

“Do you even realize all of the things that Theodora has done here?!” Samon exclaimed. “Not only did she figure out some cases for us, but she had also stopped people from killing themselves! She stopped a man from committing suicide! And that man was one of my guards! How many people do you know can say that, huh? She has stopped people from creating riots in the buildings! Hell, three of my own inmates that trust me have told me they’re glad to have her back because she had went out of her way to help them when nobody else wanted to! The week she got out of prison, I gained a letter from her, telling me she donated a bunch of her hair and blood. What criminal goes ahead and does that?!”

“We need her as an ally!” Interjected Kenshirou. “There are prisoners we have now that will refuse to talk and give us their full trust. If we have Theodora, she can gain us all of those things, and maybe even more!”

“And what happens if she gets hurt, huh? What happens then?” Growled the Warden. “She is still a woman, and will get targeted by everybody who finds out! You all are saying that you’re doing this for her, well—news flash—so am I! She was the first ever female prisoner to be placed in a prison full of men, and refused to go anywhere else. Everyday she was here I just waited for a report of her being assaulted. I waited for it, dreading it, because in any prison around the world, anything can happen. I will not have her stay here and relive that dreadful wait for a call or report that she was rape. I will not have that!”

“It never happened back then and it won’t happen now!” Samon said. “When it comes to putting her foot down about her body, she’ll break the ground when it comes to it! Even with her working here she has always been surrounded by guards. There was never a time she wasn’t safe with our care. Hell, Mitsuru had been using the cameras to keep an eye on her just for safe keeping! Theodora needs to stay here as a guard!”

“Why? Because of your pathetic excuse for feelings?!” Yelled the Warden. “I don’t care if she made you or others feel great because she 'cared’. We don’t know a single thing about what she’s thinking. For all we know, this entire thing could’ve been an act! She doesn’t care about you or anybody here, and that included everyone here!”

Everyone went quiet. Samon was shaking with rage at how unfair this was. When he received her postcard, he could tell that she was having a hard time. He could see the marks from where she had been crying. If anything she was barely hanging onto life. He need Theodora here. He needed to make sure that she was okay.

“You’re wrong…” Spoke up Samon. Everyone turned to look at him. Even Mitsuru who had just entered seemed surprised at the tone he was taking.

“That’s pretty cold for even you to say, Miss Hyakushiki.” Mitsuru said. “Not, I don’t interact with this kid a lot, but I’ll say for certain that you’re absolutely wrong when it comes to this kid.”

“You don’t know a damn thing about her, Ms Warden. If you did, then you would understand that she cares more about anybody in this damn building compared to anybody else! She cares about everybody here! The guards, the prisoners, the workers— she cares for them all. Her HSAN stops her from physically feeling object and temperature—not her feelings! She knows herself better than anybody here, and sometimes, She just needs a reminder of that. We all do sometimes… I respect you a lot, ma'am, and I know your job is stressful, but don’t you EVER tell me that She doesnt care, because you don’t know shit about her!” Every body stood there speechless. Samon had the most respect for her than any guard. For him to speak so out of turn and so boldly, it was like he was begging for his own death sentence. Samon couldn’t think properly. Theodora had to come back. Where she was, it wasn’t home. She wasn’t happy. She needed Nanba, and Nanba needed her.

“What did you just say?” Growled the Warden as she looked ready to kill.

“You have very good points as well in this argument, and I’m glad that you care enough for her own safety, but you’re just provoking us into giving you a reason to kick us out! You’re not listening to what we have to say! You’re hearing, but you just don’t want to give in and say you’re wrong!“

"He’s got ya there.” Mitsuru smirked and walked more into the room. “Listen, Ms. Hyakushiki. Nobody wants Theodora gone. Hell, she even managed to calm down a raging No.15. Lots of people trust her, and that in itself should be enough to make her stay. Give her another chance.”

“But…!” The Warden looked prepared to fight, but not words came from her mouth.

“This girl is someone you want as one of your guards.” Mitsuru said. “Heck, she even manage to surprise you when she came in here! I doubt there’s ever going to be another time where these four all agree on something without argument, okay? Even I think this is something you should do.”

“All we’re asking is to give Theodora another chance…!” Samon said, sounding very much calmer than before.

Momoko stood there in silence. She looked at each of their faces to see their serious expressions. It was clear that each one of them felt strongly about this decision. With a sigh, Momoko tilted her head down as she felt a smile suddenly pull on her lips.

“I see now…” She said calmly. “Guess I really was just blind with emotions…”

The Warden suddenly turned and went back to her desk. She sat down in her chair and wore a serious expression.

“As much as I don’t want to admit it… I may have been wrong.” Spoke the Warden, which honestly surprised Samon. “Like Mitsuru said, it’s very rare for the four of you to agree on something, much less willingly argue against me about it. That’s rather daring for you all… And, you all gave strong points.”

“So, does that mean…?” Kiji trailed off.

“Theodora Nicci.” The Warden spoke sternly, eyeing all the supervisors sharply. “She has her job back. If she’s so convincing as you five idiots say she is, then I trust that she’ll convince the inmates who saw her as a female to keep quiet about it. I only ask that she keep dressing as a male because there are many prisoners here who won’t hesitate to harm her if they discovered her true gender. She will still have to follow the guidelines I had given her and act like this whole event never happened. She will still be working in Building 13 under Hajime’s orders…”

"Y-yes, ma'am…” Sulked the group.

“As for the rest of you…” The Warden sharply glared at them. “You all get double the usual workload than usual for one week. “Samon you will go to America to get her. I expect her to be back by the end of the month ready to start up again. Think of it as punishment for rudely talking towards your superior as you have and barging in without my consent…”

“Hajime…” The man’s head perked up and stared at the Warden, signalling he was listening. “…You had confidence that she can help inmate No.15. Do you still have that confidence?”

“Yes, ma'am.” Hajime nodded her head. “I strongly believe if she was given a chance that She can convince him of behaving. He trusts her enough for her to get close to him. If She can just talk to him personally, then she can show him that what he did was wrong. I know with a bit of help, she can put him onto the right track. All She needs is time…”

“Hm…” The Warden seemed to ponder for a moment. “…After he wakes up from his coma and is properly interrogated, then she may talk to him again. I’ll count on her and you to make sure that he doesn’t use those blades against anybody, especially his fellow inmates.”

Hajime nodded obediently.

“Now get out of my office.” The Warden ordered and turned her chair to them. “We can’t have the Buildings left unattended forever…”

“Thank you, ma'am!” Everyone exclaimed suddenly, being slightly too loud.

The Warden simply waved her hand, telling them to get out. Once they were out did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“I knew we could do it…!” Samon exclaimed.

“You, Monkey… have a death wish.” Kiji said whilst looking into a small compact mirror.

“I can’t believe you spoke to the warden like that.” Kenshirou muttered with a shocked expression on his face.

“Believe me I was terrified that I would get fired instead…” Samon whined. “I can’t believe it worked though.” His mood instantly picking back up.

“Are you sure you two aren’t cut from the same cloth?” Kiji chuckled, who was smiling at himself through the mirror. “I’m just glad my makeup is still intact. I thought if I frowned any longer I would have become a hot mess…”

You’re always a hot mess.“ Hajime stated bluntly.

"You can never simply be nice, now can you?” Kiji scoffed at him.

“When are you leaving for America?” Kenshirou said in attempt to change the subject.

“Immediately.” Samon said putting a fist in his hand.

***

Working on a farm in Colorado was tough.

There was the heat.

The fields.

The bugs.

Theodora would spend hours plotting and cutting and harvesting. She worked so hard that she started to get blisters on her hands.

Samon had spent a total of three days trying to get there. He had a rough idea of where the farm was thanks to Theodora’s post cards. But he didn’t know how far away it would be from the main town. He pulled up at the bottom of the hill and looked up at the house standing at the top. It was a retro type house, with red and white beams that decked its framework. It looked like a typical American ranch with its white picket fence. As he began to walk up, he looked around himself. The area wasn’t half bad. There was plenty of open spaces and the views were a wonder. The problem was that it was just so hot.

As soon as he reached the top and looked down the driveway he couldn’t see Theodora. Instead his gaze met with another mans. A much shorter and rounder man, in a pair of dungarees and a white vest. With a cigarette in his mouth, he didn’t look like the most friendly man in the world. Yet Samon knew he had to talk to him at some point.

“Excuse me sir?” Samon began as he walked closer to the house and closer to the man who said nothing. “Are you the owner of this farm?”

“Who’s asking?” Samon stopped walking for a bit as he took in the man’s gruff voice.

“My name is Samon Gokuu and I’m looking for Miss Theodora Nicci.”

“Nicci? What the hell do you want with her?” He shouted whilst puffing on his cigarette. “She’s busy.”

“Well do you know where I might find her? I need to talk to her about something quite important.” The man stood there taking in Samon. For once he wasn’t in his usual Nanba Prison guard uniform. He was wearing a dark red shirt tucked in to a pair of black combat trousers and a pair of black doc Martins. The man sighed and nodded to the left.

“She’s in the fields. Walk that way and you might catch her. But make it quick. I ain’t payin’ for her to talk. Otherwise I’ll take it outta her pay. Got it?” Samon nodded. Clearly he wasn’t going to negotiate the terms of their encounter. If all went to plan, Theodora wouldn’t be in this job for long.

Samon walked for about half an hour before he spotted Theodora in the fields. At first it was hard to catch her since he couldn’t see much in the long grass. However, in the middle of the field, he could spot the familiar sight of silver hair and the sound of grass being sliced.

Theodora, had been cutting grass with an old scythe. She still had the same black jeans and matching riding boots as when she left Nanba. Expect for this time, she wore a light blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Samon watched her bring the scythe above her head and swing it down with ease. He marvelled at how strong she was. Scythes were extremely heavy. To be able to swing it without shaking or dropping it was impressive. As watched her, he could see thanks to her sleeves being rolled up her arms. They were bleeding. Even her knuckles were red and cut. Before he could say anything, Theodora stopped.

“What are you doing here Samon?” She turned around and swung the scythe so the wood rested on her back whilst she held it with her forearms. Samon had forgotten how good her hearing was.

“We need to talk.”

***

It was four hours later that Samon could finally talk to Theodora. Mostly because if she had stopped working, she wouldn’t have been payed. Now they both sat on the hay stack in the stables.

“This is where you sleep?” Samon asked looking around. “It stinks of horse shit. How can you even sleep?”

“With great ease. I work for so long in the fields that I’m just too tired to care.” Theodora said as she picked at a piece of straw. “I couldn’t find anywhere to stay. So at first I was just hiding. Then old man dick caught me and said that I could stay here as long as i did extra work. He’d charge rent out of my salary too. Called it interest. I call it drinking money.” Samon couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This was extortion. Theodora looked much paler as if she was going to collapse any minute now. Her body looked so jaunt and skinny, he honestly thought she was going to break in half.

“Have you been at least eating well?” Theodora stood up and walked over to the horses to give them a brush. ‘She was clearly avoiding the question’ Samon thought. “Nicci?” He repeated expectingly. She shook her head.

“I haven’t eaten in about a week.” Samon opened his eyes wide.

“Seriously?” Theodora nodded.

“The nearest store is 16 miles away. I’m not allowed to use the truck just in case I steal it and never come back, I mostly just take a slice of bread or a cheap bottle of wine from the kitchen when I really can’t take it. It’s not like he notices it. He’s drunk most of the time.” Once the horses were groomed, Theodora pulled out a cigarette packet from her back pocket and put it in between her teeth. Samon noticed it was the same kind that the man he had spoken to had. She had probably taken them when the man wasn’t looking.

“I didn’t realise you smoked.” Samon said. Theodora shrugged and went to sit on the hay stack in front. In the dim light Samon could see better how bad she looked. On the sleeves of her shirt, stains of blood had splattered. He also noticed that two of her fingers on her right hand had been taped together. “What happened to your fingers?” Theodora looked down at her fingers.

“I broke them.”

“You what?”

“I think it was in the wagon. I was loading something in and must have trapped them under one of the carts or something. Didn’t even notice it until a couple of days after I came. They should be okay now.”

“And your arms?” Theodora didn’t speak after that. Instead she just puffed on her cigarette and wiped the dry blood off with a wet sponge. He sighed and walked over to her. Taking the sponge, Theodora’s eyes grew wider. When she tried to take it back, Samon tapped her hand and continued cleaning her arms.

“What are you doing here Samon? It’s clearly not for a social call…”

“I’m here to tell you that you got your job back.”

“What?” Theodora couldn’t believe it. The warden gave her her job back? Why? When Samon was done he stared into her eyes. They really were something. They were the deepest blue he had ever seen. Theodora started back into his yellow eyes and a shiver went down her spine. “I can’t go back.”

“What? Why not!?” Samon said loudly.

“You know why not! After everything that happened…. do you honestly think I will be welcomed back with open arms? Look at me Samon, I’m a criminal and I always will be.”

Samon blinked a couple of times before scoffing at what she had said. “That is the most ridiculous shit that I have ever heard.” Theodora frowned at him as if to argue back. “No I’m serious Nicci. You and I both know that you love that job. You need that Job. We need you at that job..” Theodora made another confused expression, clearly not understanding what he meant. Samon sighed loudly and rolled his eyes.

‘How can she be so dense?’ He thought to himself.

“Listen okay?” Samon spoke up and was now kneeling in front of her. “After you ran out of the warden’s office, we couldn’t just let you walk away from here. So we each tried to convince the warden to let you stay. Unfortunately it didn’t work and since Hajime was on suspension we had to continue working. But the aura was so wretched there. Inmates were furious and demanding that you be reinstated… they wouldn’t come out of their cells to even eat. That’s how much of an impact you put on just being there.” Theodora’s eyes began to tear up as she listens to Samon.

“You’re a remarkable person really. Yes you tend to piss him off more than anybody and sometimes you can be a selfish brat….” Theodora laughed as Samon said this with a smile. “But you never really mean any harm. You’re still young and figuring things out in your life, but you’re much sharper than any normal human. The inmates tend to bond with you almost instantly and have such a vast amount of trust in you compared to anybody else.”

“But…. why….? The warden’s words are practically law there. Why don’t you guys just let go…?” Theodora questioned.

“Because… and in the words of that stupid gorilla… you’re an annoying, shitty brat that you made us care about. Look kid, you know the basic concept of the world better than anybody. But, you have this strong belief of showing people kindness and getting them to trust you. Ever since your four years in Nanba, we all noticed the drastic change in demeanour of all the prisoners there. As stupid as it sounds, you have a gift.” Theodora couldn’t believe what he was saying. Her tears spilled onto her cheeks as she shook her head and placed her hands on her arms.

“No… no… no I… you’ve got it all wrong I… I’m not… like that…”

“What I’m trying to say here is that you’re important okay?” Samon said in a fast manner, showing his desperateness. “You’re a good kid who had hit a dark path, alright? But you grew up and got out of that path. The day you left Nanba was like a phenomenon! Grown men were crying after you left. Grown fucking men who have done worse shit than you ever had. Your ability to bond with people is incredible, okay? And we all had agreed that the warden wasn’t seeing that. You even bonded with us without realisation. You’re a clever little girl who is able to sympathise with anybody you meet. Your morals somehow affect whoever you speak to, you know. It’s like you give them a piece of yourself to connect them. It’s nothing we’ve ever seen before.” Theodora laughed a little through her tears and Samon reached his hand up to wipe them away. He took her hands in his and looked at how beat up they were. She probably didn’t even feel how much they hurt her. Then again, she probably didn’t feel his hands either.

“Plus your HSAN is a hassle, but your strength is quite a strong suit of yours. Or at least from what I can see when you pushed that tractor up the hill as if it was nothing earlier on today. Your greatest talents are your own flaws. You’re emotional, even though you feel nothing. Your strength is enough to kill you, but you never die. Your speech causes chaos yet you can calm the most chaotic of people. As much as I have to do what the warden says, I don’t believe that you being gone is right.” Theodora stopped smiling. The warden didn’t want her there so how could she go back? What’s more… how could she have forgotten about the warden?

“H-h-hold on for a moment!” Theodora exclaimed, looking utterly shocked and in disbelief. “L-let’s think about this logically, o-okay….!? Look. I broke almost everyone of my guidelines. Even Hajime knows for a fact that I broke them. Hell,I even got my gender found out when that was my number one ticket out of that place! I have every reason to be fired!”

“No you don’t.” Samon said shaking his head defiantly. “You never touched a single document or went into a room of a high status. You always listened to what Hajime told you, even at the tournament. You jumped into that fight between those inmates because you knew they were going to kill each other, or, someone else entirely. Hajime took your mask off whenever you were in the office because that was the deal that you two had, just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean shit when it comes to this job, because you proved perfectly well that you can take down anybody if you wanted. There is no reason for you to be fired.”

“B-but…” Theodora couldn’t find any words to counter him.

“Look, Theodora….” Samon lifted her chin with his finger so she was staring directly into is eyes instead of at the ground. “You know perfectly well that us four supervisors hardly ever agree on a damn thing. But we all agree that you need to stay as a prison guard. You need to stay at Nanba. We need you.”

“N-no… No, you don’t…!” Theodora denied and shook her head. She stood up and ran out of the stables, palm on her forehead as she tried to calm down her breathing.

“What do you mean no?” Samon scoffed and followed her. “I think I gave plenty of reasons why you should stay.”

“L-look, you all know I’m a hot mess, okay?” Theodora spoke frantically, trying to counter his claims once again. “I’m just some… brat that can barely feel shit and who knows hot to act because, in case you haven’t already noticed, that’s all I do, okay? I act! Okay!? Hell, I don’t even know what’s true anymore! You don’t want me…!”

Samon fumed at her words. Without even hesitating, he punched her right in her jaw, knocking her to the ground. Theodora held her cheek and gazed at Samon in such disbelief and shock that not even she could fathom what to do.

“You did NOT just say that.” Samon growled at her, baring his teeth at her as he yelled. “Do you even realise what the hell you’re even fucking saying? ‘Can’t feel’? ‘Acts all the time’? Because I know that ain’t FUCKING TRUE! I know you better than anybody here, and you gave me this same type of shit five years ago alright? What did I say to you back then? Because I KNOW that you remember. WHAT DID I SAY!?!?”

“… ‘N-no one is incapable of feeling anything… it just matters on who acknowledges them or not’…” Theodora spoke softly as tears were welling up in her eyes. “Y-you t-told me to grow up, a-and figure it out… b-because no emotionless person would jump I-in front of a sword to save someone’s life…”

“And you grew up, didn’t you?” Samon yelled at her. “You grew up and figured it out. I know you did, because anybody who knows you can figure you out like a book. So don’t you fucking dare give me that acting shit, because I know that it isn’t true! You might not be able to ‘feel things’ but I know that you have the biggest fucking heart in this entire fucking country… plus japan. What did you promise me the day you were released from your sentence there?”

“That I wouldn’t go back down that path again…” she whispered quietly, but it was loud enough to hear.

“Get your ass up and say it again.” Samon ordered. “Stand up!”

Theodora slowly got up to her feet and Samon stood right in her face, continuing to shout at her. She just stood there, staring at him, seeing the raw emotions he was screaming at her.

“SAY IT AGAIN!!!” Samon shouted in her face “SAY IT ONE MORE GODDAMN TIME!!!”

“I-I won’t go down that path again…” she said a bit louder, her voice shaking with clear emotion.

“AGAIN!!!” Samon shouted one last time.

“I’M NOT GOING DOWN THAT PATH AGAIN!!!” She shouted back in his face

“GOOD!” He yelled. He took a step back, keeping eye contact, and dialled his voice down until it was soft. “You’ve already hit hell. Climb your ass out of that damn depression and prove to me that you’re not going down that road again…”

Theodora nodded her head, her lip quivering violently. She was clearly trying not to cry, her face contorted into a wide mix of emotions. Theodora tilted her head down and rubbed her eyes roughly with the palm of her hands, trying to push back the tears that just won’t stop falling down.

“Geez… and I thought Hajime was harsh… to think you had it in you to explode like that. Do you abuse your inmates like this all the time?” Theodora teased.

“S-SHUT UP!” Samon shouted at her, looking very flustered. “YOU BASTARD DON’T KNOW SHIT!”

Theodora released a laugh, which sounded a lot like a sob. Samon softened his face as he looked at her, watching her cover her eyes as she was widely smiling, soft laughs escaping her lips. Her body was shaking and he was pretty sure she was crying again.

“Th-thank you!…” she whispered, her voice cracking at the very end. “Th-thank y-you!”

Samon’s lips parted a little in shock, before taking a breath and walking over to Theodora. Before she could say anything, samon’s arms had wrapped around her in a hug. She was much taller than him, so he rested his head on her shoulder. She kept quiet and listened to his soft breaths.

“You don’t need to cry anymore. I don’t know what happened when you left Nanba, or how you managed to get incarcerated at age 12… but you don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to. I hope maybe someday I can be trusted with that knowledge but as for now… hang in there a little longer okay?”

Theodora gulped down the lump in her throat and nodded to him.

Samon….

***

Samon had stayed the night at the farm since he hadn’t booked any accommodation. He had intially planned for Theodora to accept right away. He also didn’t expect the farm to be so far away. Instead he found himself lying in the hay, facing her, with one of the horse’s riding blankets draped over the both of them. He could tell that Theodora was cold by the way that she was shivering. He looked at her eyes. They really were an ocean blue. He also noticed that her hair had grown longer to just below her ears. It was still boyish short but longer than it used to be. He though it suited her well.

“I was seven when I met him.” Theodora’s voice broke the silence between them and Samon looked at her intently, prepared to listen. “I was coming home from school with cuts on my knees. He was there by the bus stop and I was all alone.”

‘Hey you.’ Theodora stopped and stared up at the man. He was a tall and skinny man. One that she hadn’t met before.

‘Me?’ She asked him whilst pointing to her chest.

“Yeah you. Come here.” Theodora stood still. She remembered school telling her about strange men that waited for little girls. If they met them, they were to run away. “I’m not going to bite you if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m a friend of you dad’s.”

“You know my dad?” She asked him. He smiled coyly and folded his arms.

“Sure I do. I used to work with him. What’s your name?” Theodora thought hard about this. If he did now her dad then surely he wasn’t a stranger…

“Theodora Nicci.”

“Theodora!? Well it’s me! Paul! I used to baby sit you when you were a baby! Don’t you remember me? Uncle Paul?” She shook her head and took a step back. He laughed a little and shook his head. “Of course you don’t. You were only two.” He crouched down to her level and gave her a small smile. “Do you still have that barbie I gave you for your third birthday? The one with the pink dress?” Theodora nodded.

“That’s my favourite one. Wait- you were at my party?”

The man nodded. “Did you have a clown?” Theodora thought for a bit and then nodded. “Well I was the clown!”

“He was way too good. He could pretend all he wanted. He just had to say certain things that would make me believe he truly was who he said he was. For example if I had a clown at my party like every other normal kid or if I had the most wanted toy by little girls. I didn’t have to know who he really was. I just had to have the idea planted into my head.” Samon’s heart was racing.

‘A child predator. That’s what she’s describing. That scum bag. That bastard.’ Samon thought over and over again.

“He was there everyday. At the bus stop. When I came home from school. He’d always bring me something nice too. Like ice cream or a flower or a new toy that I really wanted but couldn’t have. He was my only friend. Then one day I came home from school crying. That was the day people said I was a freak for not being able to feel anything, and because I was starting to become freakishly strong. They called me a boy and excluded me from everything. That’s when he gave them to me.”

“What are these?” Theodora asked as she spun the pill bottle in her fingers.

“They are magic. When you swallow these, you can be a boy. All those people that laughed at you and called you a freak… won’t be able to anymore. You’ll be a completely different person.”

Theodora widened her eyes in wonder and excitement. “Really? All those mean people will go away?” He nodded and carefully, Theodora put them in her pocket.

“Thank you Paul.” She said sweetly before giving him a hug.

“The more I took, the more it worked, or at least I thought it did. If anything, it would make me less hungry. When I did eat, all I wanted to do was throw up. Paul told me it was natural. That I just had to keep eating at least once a day. He also told me not to tell mom or dad. He said they wouldn’t understand and would try to stop me.” Theodora looked at her hands. They were shaking now. Samon reaches out and put one hand on hers as if to say that he was there. Theodora smiled and nodded, continuing her story.

“These pills seemed to have killed all the fat on me, making me much skinnier. I was naturally taller than most of the girls anyway. Eventually, he gave me new ones to try. I think he had created them and without questioning him I did. The side effect was that I became more rebellious. I’d sneak out now and again to meet up with him and his group of friends. They’d train me physically so I could get stronger and i at one point thought that they cared for me. Truth is they didn’t. He just used me as a lab rat and his cronie. I broke into several hospitals to steal medical supplies for him for his new drugs which obviously was tested on me. The new found energy from these street drugs meant that I got more and more… vicious. I’d vandalise and destroy things, steal for myself what I wanted and when someone pissed me off, I’d beat them up. Paul seemed so proud of me. Eventually… he asked me to do something.”

“You want me to what?”

“Come on Theodora… it’s not like you haven’t done it before… this’ll be eeeeaaaasyyyyy.”

“B-but I’m 11… I-I can’t do that…”

“Sure you can! Plus you’re going with two other people!” Paul could see the look of doubt on Theodora’s face. It was annoying him how pitiful she looked. “Theodora.” Paul called out sternly. She lifted her head to look at the man she thought to be her second father and the scowl he was giving her was frightening.

“Y-yes p-Paul?” She shivered as the look of disappointment grew on his face.

“Who has helped you become the person you wanted to be?”

“Y-you Paul.”

“Who has consistently looked out for you?”

“You P-Paul.”

“Who bought you toys and nice clothes and taught you the feeling of true happiness?”

“You Paul.”

“Exactly. So… you are going to go with the two men, and you are going to BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF THOSE TWO PEOPLE WHO OWE ME MONEY! You are going to GET THAT MONEY and BRING IT BACK TO ME. And you are going to make sure that THOSE PEOPLE KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO CROSS ME!!”

Theodora nodded and looked to the ground timidly. Paul sighed and walked up to her, crouching down.

“I’m sorry for yelling Theodora… but you need to learn that it isn’t fair that they get to feel happy and sadness and pain whilst you don’t. I’m doing this for you. I’m creating this world for you.” Theodora nodded and hugged Paul tightly.

“When we got to the house Paul had told us to go to, it turned out that one of the girls who went to my school lived there. It was her parents who owed Paul money.”

“Nicci…” Samon called our to her finally realising where she was going with this.

“I beat them up pretty bad. I’m not going to lie. There was blood everywhere. I was covered in it. I threw the first couple of punches. Just to get him to give us the money… which he did in the end. But there was something I was missing. I didn’t like how he felt fear and pain every time I hit him. I wanted to feel that but couldn’t… and it made me so angry so I just kept beating him and beating him.” Theodora let out a sob as she tried her best to make out the next few words. “Eventually I didn’t even know if he was alive or not. The next day… the next day…. I went into school and his daughter was there.”

“You monster! How could you do that to him!” The girl slapped Theodora in the face, causing everyone to stop and stare. “You’re nothing but a freak and a devil! I wish you didn’t exist!” The girl cried out loud in front of Theodora. Soon everyone was watching them and whispering. Anger boiled up inside Theodora.

“Leave me alone.” She said menacingly as she pushed the girl with her shoulder.

“Did you know he’s in the hospital because of you! Daddy might die because of you! You should be locked up! Hey! Are you even listening to me!? You don’t belong here! You belong in a ditch and forgotten!”

“SHUT UP!” Theodora spun in her heels and pushed her. Only… she pushed her too hard.

“She ended up falling over the stair railing and landing on the ground two floors down. She broke her leg, her arm and cracked her head open. I was so afraid that I ran all the way to Paul for comfort… or at least I would have. A dozen police cars were lined outside and arresting him. Turns out the drugs he was producing were killing people or making them go insane. I ran and a couple of weeks later after I turned 12, I was arrested and sent to a jail in North Carolina. You know the rest from then on…”

“Theodora… I… thank you for telling me… I honestly didn’t know…. that man that was dealing drugs at Nanba… the one that killed himself… was he?”

“No he was just some psycho drug addict. He wasn’t working for Paul.”

“Shit….”

“The sad thing is that when I was released from Nanba… I found out Paul had escaped from his jail in Chicago. He tracked me down and tried to get me to join him again. He had a new batch of drugs he wanted to test and with my new strength and increased ability to not feel anything, I was his target. Almost every day at my apartment, I got offers from Paul to join him. When I refused, I was shown what it was like to refuse Paul. I couldn’t feel any of it. But that’s what made it worse. It just reminded me of when I was little. How everyone could feel things that I couldn’t. At first I thought maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. If I got caught I could try to get sent to Nanba wheee life was at least okay. But then I remembered everything you told me, and all the time spent working with me to become a better person. So in desperation, I tried to go talk to Paul myself and tell him I was done. It seemed to have worked….”

“But?”

“But the people in the car that knocked me down and tried to drown me by throwing me into a lake had other ideas.”

Samon sat bolt up right and stared at Theodora. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He didn’t want to believe what he was hearing. For all he knew, Theodora could have relapsed or worse, could have died.

“No matter what I did, they kept coming after me. Eventually Paul got bored and said I had to pay him a sum of money for all that invested into me.”

“How much?”

“$275 000 dollars.”

“WHAT!?!” Theodora nodded.

“I didn’t have that kind of money obviously and I wasn’t about to steal for it. So I did what any body would do. I cut my hair and sold it. Alongside blood and almost all of my stuff in the apartment that I was renting. I even donated bone marrow… which got me some cash.”

“Bone marrow!?” Samon screeched in shock. Theodora nodded her head.

“It still wasn’t enough. So Paul did the next best thing. He every day for a year came to beat me up. All I could do was take it. Once the year was up I was free. I agreed and that’s what happened. Only he forgot to mention how he was going to do it… let’s just say that I’m glad I had HSAN or the pain would have killed me.”

Samon couldn’t speak. He had been trying to get Theodora to tell him her story ever since she had been first admitted as an inmate to Nanba. Now he officially realised why that was so hard for her.

“When that year was done, I decided enough was enough. I couldn’t trust that he would leave me alone. I also couldn’t trust that he wouldn’t track my family down. So When I became a guard at Nanba, I was relieved to hear that he had been put into custody again. This time for life, in Poland. So far everything’s been a-ok at home. So for once I can relax.”

Samon leaned back onto the hay and looked up. He couldn’t even fathom how much Theodora had been through. All because of this one man. It reminded him of Liang a bit and his story. Yet yours was still completely different, it still had some similarities.

“Theodora?”

“Hm?”

“Thanks for telling me.”

“Hm.”

“I mean it. I’m always worried about you. I’m always wondering if you’re okay or if you’re not. It hurts me when you don’t smile. I don’t know why but… I want you to always be happy. I want you to not be stressed or in danger… I… want to…” Samon couldn’t finish his sentence since theodora’s soft snores filled the room. He turned to look at her figure.

‘She looks…. so peaceful…” Samon thought. Slowly, he reached over and pushed a small silver strand of hair from the face behind her ear. ‘She looks kind of… beautiful… no! Snap out of it Samon…. you need to focus on getting her back to Nanba.’ As he watched her, he could feel his heart beating out of his chest. Anger fuelled him at the thought of Paul. He traced with his fingers slowly each scar that littered her arm. As he did, he couldn’t help thinking one final thing before sleep took him.

‘I’m not letting anybody hurt you like he did. I promise you.’

***

Everything was quiet at Nanba prison. It had been for days.

In cell 13…

“Unooooo…”

“Whaaaaaaaaat….?”

“Your move.”

Uno, Nico and rock were bored. There was nothing else to say other than that. They were bored and lonely and angry.

They had not seen Theodora.

Or Jyugo.

And Hajime who had been gone for three days seemed less and less fun to play around with when either of them weren’t there.

Instead they stuck to playing card games and eating candy bars that Nico had stashed one time from god knows where.

“Right roll call time….” the inmates heard Hajime call from down the hall. Instead they just huffed when they heard the familiar knocking on their inmate door.

“Go away Hajime.” Uno yelled without turning around. “Unless you brought Jyugo or Theo back we ain’t moving at all.

“Yeah! Not even to eat!” Nico shouted as he placed another card down in the pile in front of him.

“If we die here, it’s your fault for beating Jyugo up and making someone lose their job.” Rock said as he looked at his cards. “Damn it uno! You win every time!” He yelled as he slammed his cards down in defeat. The blond laughed and turned to Nico.

“Nicooooo?” The green haired inmate looked down at his cards and folded. Uno le tout a small whoop of joy at his win.

“Yes! That’s the game boys! I win, AGAIN!!! Hey Jyugo did you see that-“ uno looked to the side expecting to see the Japanese boy. When he didn’t, he lowered his head as a dark aura surrounded him. Rock and Nico sat with their own dark auras. “Damn it. I forgot. Jyugo isn’t here.”

“Where could our poor little Jyugo be?” Nico sand sadly.

“Probably lost and alone… tied up somewhere…” rock said.

“Wait a second…” uno snapped his head up and the other two inmates looked at him surprised. “Isn’t Hajime supposed to say something like ‘you guys are being ridiculous babies!’” Uno mimicked Hajime’s rough voice whilst scrunching his face and shoulders, stamping his foot and waving his arms in the air. Nico stood up and did the same expression.

“Yeah! Like ‘why can’t you ever stay in your cells!’”

“Or ‘you guys were trouble from the day you ever came here!’” Rock joined in.

“I DO NOT TALK LIKE THAT YOU STUPID BASTARDS!!” They heard Hajime yell behind them.

“Yes you do.” Uno said turning around to face Hajime. “You sound exactly like-“ uno stopped mid sentence and stared at the door of their cell.

“Uno? What’s the Matt-“ Nico said turning around and looking at the door too.

“Yeah, you stopped mid sen-…. oh.”

Standing in the doorway with their roll call clip board was Hajime….

And someone else.

A guard.

Who was overly skinny.

Kinda tall.

Silver hair that fell just below his ears and spiked up a bit at the ends.

With a black metal face mask.

“Hey guys…. I… I guess I’m back?” Theodora said softly through the mask, yet loud enough for everyone to hear. Silence rang out in the cell and Theodora could swear that if it continued like this, everyone would be able to hear her heart thumping in her chest.

Suddenly the room exploded into chaos.

“THEEEEEOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!”

Before Theodora had any time to stop them, they had wrapped her up in their arms and squeezing her as tightly as they could. It took them a couple of seconds to see that in by doing so… Theodora couldn’t breathe.

“Guys… can’t… breathe…” They all let go of Theo before they started questioning her. What happened? Where did she go? How was it like? She tried his best to answer as much as she could without Hajime growling at her in the background. But after a couple of minutes, it was evident that he wanted to go back.

“Come on. We’ve got work to do. I’m sure you will find another way to catch up with them later.” Hajime said as he began to leave the cell.

“Wait! How can you take Theo away from us! We’ve only just got him back!” Nico pleaded as he grabbed on to Theodora’s waist again.

“Jesus, they really do cling to you…” Hajime muttered. “Like a mother…” Theodora giggled awkwardly and tried to prise him off her.

“I’ve had three younger siblings and helped raise them.” Theodora said, trying not to be annoyed with what Hajime has said. “Of course I act this way, it’s like second nature. I’m only 20 years old and I’m already being called a mom, urgh…”

“It’s kind of hard for you to deny it when Nico’s clinging to you like that.” Uno said.

Finally she managed to get Nico off her waist and smiled at him. She really did remind her of her brothers and sister. Particularly Eva…

“So… what did I miss?” Theodora asked Hajime excitedly. After being away she was definitely excited to start up again. Hajime looked over at her and grumbled.

“I’m gonna be off for three days again, the warden asked me to deliver so documents to another prison regarding an inmate from building 2 that we just transferred out of here so you’ll be working with the other supervisors…” Theodora nodded and walked behind Hajime for a bit whilst looking at the hallways and cell doors that she missed.

Suddenly, Hajime stopped in the hallway and didn’t turn around. It almost made Theodora trip over him.

“It’s good to have you back, kid.” Theodora’s eyes widened. Never in her life did she expect Hajime of all people to say that. Theodora cleared her throat and opened her mouth to say something. The only problem was that no words came out. Hajime snickered and continued to walk.

As soon as the two guards entered the break room, Theodora couldn’t contain the surprise on his face as she saw all the supervisors waiting for her. She immediately ran up to Kiji and hugged him. She could smell how overly perfumed she was and for the first time, she could actually really say that she missed it.

“Samon told me what you did…. y-you guys…” Theodora let go of Kiji and looked at them all, looking as if he was ready to cry again. “Th-thank you… Thank you so much!”

“Aw, there’s waterworks!” Mitsuru laughed and held his arms out to give poor Theodora a hug. “Nobody likes a pretty lady crying! Wipe those those tears, girly. You’re back bein’ a guard!”

“I-I’m just h-happy is a-all…!” She stuttered after hugging him tightly. Kiji waved a white cloth at her.

“Imagine if my makeup were to start running! It would be awful dear, awful!”

“It always is awful” Hajime muttered behind Theo.”

“WILL YOU STOP CRITICISING MY BEAUTY! AT LEAST IM NOT BALD YOU GREAT BIG OAF!”

Theodora laughed at their interactions. She gave Kiji one last hug and thanked him. Kiji just awed at her and squeezed her tightly once again. Once out of his death grip, she went towards Kenshirou, staring up without a word. He just stared back, unsure of why she was directly in front of him. She held her arms out like a child, causing him to sigh deeply.

“Are you really 20?” He questioned, but allowed him to him him nonetheless.

“You know you love it…!” She whispered in a joking manner.

“That’s enjoy, now down.” Kenshirou said and got Theodora off him.

“You still give people dog commands? That’s weird man…” Samon commented to him.

Theodora now stood in front of Hajime, basically having the same situation with Kenshirou. But instead of putting her arms out, she just held out her fist up to him. Hajime sighed in relief and just bumped her fist. But before he could pull his wrist away, Theodora grabbed onto it and glared harshly at him.

“I know you’re going to be interrogating Jyugo after your trip.” She said in a soft, cold manner. “But if I find out that you hurt him in the slightest,I will beat you up so harshly that I’ll be thrown back into prison…”

“Yeah… got it…” Hajime muttered. She released his hand but still looked irritated.

“You still angered angered me and upset me, but…” she sighed softly. “I’m grateful that you helped defend me. Thank you…”

“Yeah, well, go thank Samon.” Hajime muttered. “Without his constant ranting of ‘it’s not fair!’ then it never wouldve happened. It was like he was a five year old…”

“You wanna fight, you bastard!?” Samon growled and shook his fist at him.

“Samon.” Theodora’s voice chimed, causing Samon to immediately look at her. “Thank you for everything…. you never give up on me and I’m grateful…”

“Yeah, well…” Samon scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed manner. “Seeing you in America just proved what I was worrying about… you weren’t living there… you were surviving. I couldn’t just let you be like that if I knew that I could at least try and do something…”

“Yeah, I bet you were sobbing.” Hajime said to Samon.

“You really are trying to fight me, aren’t you!?” Samon shouted at him.

Theodora grinned widely, looking like a child on Christmas Day. She loudly thanked them all before running out of the room as fast as possible to try and get some work done at least. The five men could only sigh and watch her go. For someone who says she can’t feel anything, she sure was beaming more than any person they had ever seen before.

***

Theodora smiled at the ceiling as she was leaning back in her chair. Yesterday, after getting her job back, she ran so fast to building thirteen that she almost broke the offic door by accident. Telling Yamato and Seitarou everything, they ended up hugging and congratulating her. Yamato even offered to take her drinking, since she was the legal age in Japan, but she politely declined.

In the end, them along with a few supervisors (Samon and Kiji of course) offered her dinner. She was pleasantly surprised at house it went. They weren’t bad at all to be around, but Yamato’s loudness from partially getting drunk, could have have been avoided. But, she had fun. After telling the two about her job and everything, that was when she went to the guys in cell 13 with Hajime.

It was actually a nice end to the day. But, it wasn’t fun going back and collecting her wages from the previous month that she had forgot to collect before she was fired. Theodora has made sure that the boys still referred to her as a ‘he’ and as ‘theo’. She still had guidelines after all. But that didn’t matter as long as she had her job.

“So.” Theodora spun her chair towards Seitarou to face him. “One of the other supervisors will be coming to the building to watch over it, right?”

“Yes that’s correct. Since Hajime is off on his three day trip, we need someone to cover for him.”

“Mm…” Theodora hummed. She still had a bit of a grudge against Hajime but, she couldn’t quite hate him. “I wonder who it will be…”

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?” A shrill cry came from outside.

“Huh? What was that?” Seitarou stared at the door in surprise.

“I’ll check it out.” Theodora said and stood up.

Grabbing her mask, she attached it to her face and exited the room. She went to the source of the shouts, knowing quite well that it came from cell 13. It was hard to not detect their voices really. Popping her head into the room, she saw Kenshirou standing in their cell. ‘Ooooh, so he’s the supervisor for today….damn it.’

“DORA!” Shouted Nico.

“Huh?” Kenshirou looked bewildered as Nico ran past him and to the door where Theodora stood.

“Uh…!” Theodora was surprised by his actions, watching him once again cling to her waist while giggling wildly. “Nico I told you to call me theo!”

“But Dora is so much cuter!” Argued Nico. “Don’t you agree?”

“I’m a guard. I’m not supposed to be cute.” Theodora started while sweat dropping at him.

“Hajime was right… you are like a mom…” Kenshirou murmured. Theodora laughed awkwardly and tried to pry the green haired inmate off her again. “anyways what are you doing here.” Kenshirou asked her. “Don’t you have paperwork to do?”

“I’ve already done half of it.” Theodora said calmly. “Plus, I heard the guys scream and came to investigate. Turns out it was just you, so yeah….”

“I feel like I should be insulted…” Kenshirou murmered again. “Well, since you’re here, you might as well help me.”

“Hm…?” Theodora tilted her head, showing that she was listening.

“Right here it says that no.25 has an appointment with the doctors for his medication.” Stated kenshirou, showing her the paper. “Since he’s literally attached to your hip, could you take him down?”

“Stop saying stuff that refers me to a mom.” She said in clear irritation.

“Yo, Theo! Take us with you!” Uno said with a raised hand.

“Yeah, we haven’t done it in a while.” Rock added.

“You two will stay here.” Kenshirou instructed, glaring at them sharply. “Only no.25 has a doctor’s appointment. If you have medical troubles you can schedule your own!”

“What? It’s not like we’re going to do anything!” Exclaimed uno.

“Plus, we’ve done this before. It isn’t anything unusual.” Rock said.

“They’re my emotional support group!” Nico said, still clinging to Theodora’s waist.

“Can you let go now, Nico?” Theodora asked him. “You’re making it kinda hard to stand…”

Kenshirou seemed to ponder about letting them stay or go. Personally, Theodora didn’t want them coming. It happened one time and she got so angry with them in the end that she gave them all good whacks to the head. Needless to say, they hadn’t requested to go since they knew her only as the annoying newbie guard.

“Just stay here.” She sighed. “It’ll be easier for me that way. Plus, I rather not find a sign on my back that says ‘but kisser’ in all capital letters… I’m lookin’ at you, Uno. Don’t even try denyin’ it.”

The long haired male looked shocked, but didn’t even try fighting him about it. Theodora patted nico’s head, causing him to look up at her in curiosity.

“Come on. Let’s go get your medicine.” She said.

“Okay!” Nico said, finally releasing his monkey-like grip and skipping merrily away.

Theodora could only sigh and followed him out of the door. He acted just like his younger sister, Eva, if not exactly like her. Even though he was sometimes a handful, Theodora couldn’t help but smile at Nico and eva’s similarities.

Carefully, Theodora lead Nico to the doctor’s office. As they walked, Nico engaged Theodora into some small talk. At first it was just light hearted, talking about shows and whatnot. But the next question Nico asked caused Theodora to frown deeply.

“Hey, is Jyugo okay?” Nico had asked.

“… I wouldn’t know. They’re keeping him away from people—islolating him. I can’t go see him until Hajime gets back.”

“Dora… sorry, Theo….” Nico spoke softly. Theodora hummed, showing she was listening. “… what’s going to happen to Jyugo…?”

“I don’t know…” Theodora said quietly. “As hard as it is, we’re going to have to put our faith into Hajime for now…” Theodora crossed her arms. “But the warden wants me to talk to him… try to rehabilitate him, in a sense. If I can get him to trust me, I can get him out of that shitty place.”

“So you’ll help me?” Nico asked, trying to summarise what she said.”

Theodora nodded. “Yes, of course.” She ruffled nico’s hair “I care about you guys. I want to help you all in anyway I can. I’ll tell you everything I know, in hopes that one day, you’ll do the same in return…”

Nico tilted his head up, staring at Theodora in slight confusion. She’s not much for catching onto hidden meanings and such, but she did feel like there was a second meaning behind Theodora’s words. Like she was referring to something. It was kind of… off… but before he could ask, they had already made it to the infirmary. Theodora knocked on the door before entering, Nico, following closely behind her.

“Excuse me, Dr. Otogi, it’s Nicci.” Theodora spoke up. “I came here to bring Nico from cell 13, building 13, to you for his daily check ups.”

“Fine…” sighed the elderly man. “I’ll be with him in a moment or two…”

Theodora’s eye shifted towards the other figures in the room. They were two familiar boys that had fought against building 13 in the tournament. Those two would be honey and trois. Theodora was curious as to why they were here, but didn’t question it.

“Hey you’re the pretty boys who lost to Uno in tournament, huh?” Nico said loudly.

‘Of course he would point that out…’ Theodora felt her eye twitch. ‘Sometimes I really do wonder if he’s actually 16… then again, I know men who are even more childish than that, but they have their excuses…. still irrititating though….’

“Quiet, you…!” Snapped the one known as honey.

“Why’re you guys here?” Nico asked, all threatening intent going past his head.

“The injuries we sustained from hyakunin isshu haven’t been healing well.” Said trois as he and honey gazed at their fingers.

“How can you be injured from that…?” Theodora raised a brow, bewildered by his claim.

“It’s pretty bad. Take a look.” He said and held a magnifying glass to them.

Theo took it and held it close to his finger. She and Nico tried observing the supposed injury, but even she was having difficulty finding it. Nico pointed it out and Theodora could only feel her eye twitching in annoyance.

“How many millimetres long do you think that is?” Nico questioned.

“They’ll need to create an even tinier measurement in order to tell.” Theodora sarcastically said and put the magnifying glass down. “Some injury that is. There’s no need to even be here with itty bitty cuts like that.”

“We know, but Kiji insisted that we come here.” Honey said after sighing.

‘Why am I not surprised?’ Theodora thought to herself. “Let me guess…” Theodora adjusted her voice so her could mock kiji’s voice. “‘Upupupu! We wouldn’t want your precious skin to scar now, would we? Upupupu!’ Some shitty reason like that, right?”

“You nailed it…!” Honey said, shaking as both inmates tried not to laugh.

“That was remarkably similar…!” Trois said, trying not to laugh himself.

“When it comes to mimicking, I’m one hell of a guard.” Theodora said and winked at Nico, causing him to silently gasp and grin. She looked to the two inmates and began to take off her white gloves. “Let me show you guys what real sounds look like. Nico, go do your check up, okay?”

“Okay!” He nodded and went to dr. Otogi.

Taking off her white gloves and rolling up her sleeves, she revealed her scarred arms. The two inmates gasped at her, even touching her skin to feel how rough and scarred it was. It was clear they were disturbed, but also fascinated by it.

“I always thought scars would be rough” said trois.

“The rest of the skin is rough, but when following the scars, they’re actually soft.” Honey pointed out.

“How did you get so many?” Questioned trois.

“Eh, not really sure.” Theodora shrugged and pulled her arms away and began to fix her sleeves and gloves. “Some from fights, others from working on a farm with heavy equipment and the rest are just little accidents I stumbled into.”

“How are all those ‘little accidents’?” Questioned honey, finding his casual behaviour about it odd.

“You’re talking Tom a Nicci, don’t question it.” Stated dr, otogi as he had been hearing the entire conversation. “He’s got a genetic disease called HSAN, or hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy. It’s a sort of disease that interferes with his nerves from allowing him to feel anything, if you were to give him an ice cube or a burning coal to hold, he wouldn’t know the difference. He’s unable to feel a single thing in his body.”

“Really? I’ve heard about it, but I never really knew what to make of it.” Trois said, clearly surprised.

“Yeah, it’s pretty uncommon.” Theodora said and shrugged. “I get into accidents at lot, a lot of times finding strange cuts or bruises from bumping into things without realising it. I was a real hassle for dr. Otogi when I first got here.”

“And you still are.” Scoffed the old man as he was examining Nico carefully. “You’re just as freakish as this kid here.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Theodora asked, crossing her arms as she didn’t enjoy the words that he used.

“What, you don’t know?” He questioned her. “This kid is affected by those factors around him. He can mimic anybody despite any and all factors. But, it’s nothing to be proud of. Being as weak as he is and all, it’s a miracle that he isn’t dead. You know how deadly qigong is. The medicine he takes prevents him from doing that. When he remembers to take it that is…”

“Hehe… yeeeeaaaah, sorry about that.” Apologised Nico in an embarrassed manner.

“I see.” Said Trois. “So that’s how he was able to fight so well…”

“Remind me not to get on his bad side….” said Honey.

“I promise to take them next time! So, can I have my medicine today, please?” Asked Nico towards the doctor.

“Jeez…” signed the old man before he turned his head to an opened door. “Hey kaguya, can you bring in no.25’s medicine?”

“Yes, doctor.” Spoke a robotic voice.

With a few whirls of gears and a bit of metal clinking, out of the room stood a woman with a tray, holding a bag on top. Well, not a human woman. Kaguya was a machine, created by the doctor and scientist of Nanba prison… the otogi couple. She looked as pink and shiny as always to Theo…. and, as always, the men flocked to her like magnets.

“I’ve brought the requested medicine.” Spoke the Android.

“Woo-hoo! Thank you as always, kaguya!” Exclaimed Nico as he went for his medicine. “What’s today’s flavour?”

“Today’s flavour is ‘cheap candies’.” Replied the robot.

“Yay!” Cheered Nico. “Can I rest my head on your lap again, kaguya?”

“If you’d lend me your hand, I would kiss it.” Honey said as he was down on one knee in a bow.

“Would you care to join us for some tea this afternoon?” Asked Trois, smirking flirtatiously at her.

“And so we can match, I must ask… what colour panties do you plan to wear?” Honey asked passionately.

“I would like to know the type of fashion and percentage of lace used in your bra.” Trois said seductively.

“Trois! Don’t you think that is a bit of over kill to ask her for her bra type?” Honey asked, a frown appearing on his face.

“At least I kept it above the waist.”

“WHAT KIND OF PERVERTS ARE YOU!?!?!?” Shouted Theodora, baffled that someone would even dare as to ask a woman about her undergarments.

“You stay away from my daughter or I’ll dissect all of you!” Threatened the doctor, causing the three to scurry away from him.

“Nico, promise me you’ll stay away from those two.” Theodora spoke softly but also very seriously to him, whilst pinching the bridge of her nose in dispair.

“Um, okay.” Nico innocently nodded, unsure as to why she seemed so protective.

“C’mon, we’re goin’” Theodora said. “Thank you dr. Otogi for your service. We’ll be going now!”

“Hold it, you. How have been the burns on your hands?” Dr. Otogi interrogated her.

“No pain, swelling, or any of the above.” Theodora stayed quickly. “If anything happens, you’ll be the first to know. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

Theo quickly got out of the infirmary with Nico, making their way back to his cell. She could only imagine the vein on her forehead throbbing in irritation. Usually she was one to be okay with something perverted once in a while, but asking a woman about her underwear for a date, regardless if she was human or not, was most definitely not one of them! As she silently imagined beating the two inmate’s heads in, Nico was tossing his medication in as if it was candy. After a while of walking, Theodora noticed that her hands were throbbing. She really had to be wary of that from now on.

“Hey Theo?” Nico spoke up.

“Hm…?” She hummed out, trying to calm himself down.

“Dr. Otogi said you got burns on your hands. Is that why you’re all bandaged up?” Nico asked.

“It used to be… but from working on the farm it made the burns blister. I also broke my finger so I was trying to keep it straight but it’s all better now.” Theodora looked down at her hands. “I bet if I had the proper nerves, I would be feeling pain, but uh.. you know… I don’t.”

“I can’t imagine what it would be like to grow up without feeling pain…” Nico said, causing Theodora to become quiet. “… what was it like?”

“You know how you get pins and needles in your leg and you can’t feel it or move it for a bit?” Nico nodded. “Well it’s a bit like that… except I can move and it’s all over my body.”

“Woah… how did you cope?”

“… that’s a question for another time, okay?” Theodora said softly. “I’m not too comfortable with talking about that…”

“Oh, okay. Sorry” Nico said looking down at his feet.

“No need to apologise.” Theodora said. A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes as she looked down at him. “hey… when we get back to the cell, want to distract Uno for me while I fill up a bucket of water to dump on him?”

“Totally!” Nico exclaimed.

Theodora laughed and high fives him. She wrapped her arm around nico’s shoulder and ruffled his hair as they walked, laughing together as they schemed. Theodora couldn’t help but relate to Nico to his sister Eva, but she knew there were still a lot of differences between them. If anything, Nico would probably be the closest one of the four in cell 13 to relate to her. She couldn’t help but think of him as another little brother.

***

“here you go, Coo.”

“Mreow~~~”

Theodora fed Coo his lunch. Since Hajime was gone, she took it upon herself to feed coo the cat. Coo had taken a liking to her since Hajime had left. She was rather pleased when he stroked against her leg for attention, or laid in her lap while she sat at her desk. No matter what, animals always had a liking to her compared to humans. It was a mutual feeling she held when growing up, but that was understandable. She was wise about it now and has finally found an ability to respect people now.

Just as she stood up from feeding coo, the door to the office swung open by a crying Seitarou. She held her arms out and watched as Seitarou fell into them, clinging to her like a lost child. Honestly, she was used to it at this point.

“Why is everybody so mean to me!?” Sobbed the older man.

“Hey, what’s wrong, Seitarou?” She asked calmly.

“I-I went, to go check on Cell 13,” sniffed Seitarou through gasps of breaths, “and I-I found Building T-Three’s S-S-Supervisor there. A-and, and, AND THEY YELLED AT ME! I only asked if there was a-anything they needed was all…!”

“Again…?” Theodora sighed and stroked Seitarou’s hair, knowing to just let him sob it out. “Just sit down and I’ll go talk to them, okay? I have some gum in my pocket. Want some?”

“S-sure… Thank you, Th-Theo…” Stuttered Seitarou as she gave him a piece of gum.

“Stay here, okay?” She said kindly before exiting the room.

Once out of there, she marched towards Cell 13 and began rolling her sleeves up. She entered, seeing Kiji arguing with Uno. Just catching a small amount of the argument was enough to set her off. She sharply looked at Rock and Nico, seeing them stiffen under her cold gaze.

“Did you two yell at Seitarou?” She asked as Uno and Kiji didn’t even notice her there.

“Nope. It was them.” Nico said and ratted out Uno and Kiji.

“We’re innocent about it this time, we swear.” Rock said, also pointing at Kiji and Uno.

“Thank you.” She turned away from the two.

Not even a second later she marched right over to the two. She went ahead and punched each of their heads, causing the two to hit the ground and hold their heads in pain. An irk mark was clear as daylight on her head.

“That’s for causing Seitarou to cry, AGAIN!” She said and marched towards the door, stopping and pointing right at them. “And for your information, your talk about being more handsome is pathetic. Please take your heads out of your egotistical asses and bring it to your IQ’s. Oh, wait! That’s six feet under the ground! Now you have something to cry about, so go sob it to your imaginary girlfriends, because we all know neither of you got any!”

Theodora, having said what she said, stepped out of the room and slammed the door shut. Clapping her hand together as if to get the dust off of them, she walked right back to the office. Kiji and Uno sulked in the corner, holding the bright red lumps on their heads.

“So brutal…” Uno sobbed softly.

“To think he would hit me too, uhohoho…!” Sobbed Kiji.

“I’ve never seen Theo look so angry…” Rock murmured to Nico. “I’ve seen him annoyed and all, but this…?”

“Yeah, he’s pretty protective of everyone.” Nico whispered back to him. “he told me he always beat up the neighborhood bullies who hurt his siblings…”

“Oh, I get it.” Rock said. “He imagines us as his siblings. He is really strict, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he even disciplined his own siblings…”

Nico nodded his head, agreeing with what Rock said.

But neither Uno or Kiji heard as they were pitying themselves from Theodora’s harshness. To be frank, the two inmates agreed that they both deserved it. Even if Theodora went a bit too far…

***

“…Then I insulted them.”

“Damn, you’re as brutal as ever, eehehe!”

Today was now day three of Hajime’s suspension. And, to be quite frank, Alloisia was so glad that it was Samon. If it was somebody like Mao Nimajita, the Supervisor of Building 2, she was quite confident that she would kill somebody. Theodora explained her run in with Kiji yesterday, having to rant to somebody about it, and Samon was snickering along at her tale.

“Anyways, getting back on track.” Samon coughed into his hand to wipe the smirk off of his face. “Was there any trouble with the inmates besides that?”

“Nope.” Theodora shook her head. “They’ve been good… Except for two newbies who began fighting in the cafeteria yesterday, but Shiro took care of it. The cafeteria can always be trusted to him if anything going on.”

“I don’t doubt it…” Samon said, when in reality he was flat out lying. “…So, how’s it like to have your job back, eh?”

“It feels good.” Theodora said, smiling at the ground, not like he could see. “Very good…”

Samon hummed out just as they got to Cell 13. Using her key, Theodora opened the cell for him. But when he saw how the inmates were inside, he instantly became fuming. If there was one thing Samon hated, it would be lazy inmates.

“GET UP YOU LAZY PUNKS!” He shouted at the three.

“E-easy, Samon!” Theodora said and began blocking his way so he didn’t strangle anybody. “Calm down, man! Kiji went on an angry rant on them yesterday, and it was basically my fault. I had to kick Kiji out of the Cell by one in the morning because he was literally causing them to—”

Theodora stopped at the sound of loud footsteps. Even Samon stopped as they wondered where it was coming from. As if it was a sudden spell, the three inmates yelped in horror and scrammed out of their beds. Just as the two guards began wondering what was going on, they were suddenly shoved to either side as none other than Yamato busted through the door.

“KNOCK KNOCK, GENTLEMEN!” Greeted the noisy Japanese man. “HOW ARE YOU?! ARE YOU ALL READY FOR SOME MORNING TRAINING?!”

Yamato gazed around the room, find the inmates nowhere to be found. Samon and Theodora just stared up at Yamato from their spots on the floor.

“Hold on, they aren’t home.” Yamato’s voice dialed down as he turned to leave. “I must be hearing voices, then. I guess i’ll go then, until next time!”

“Hey, hey, hey, hey!” Samon shot up and grabbed Yamato’s shoulder to stop him. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, Yamato!”

“Inmates…” Samon pulled Nico out from his hiding spot. “Out of their cells?” He opened a closet to reveal Rock.

Holding his infamous staff, Samon exhaled and slammed the end of it against the ground. This caused Uno to fall from his hiding spot, which was the ceiling. Theodora, back onto her feet, could only gaze at where he had been on the ceiling in confusion.

“You know that’s not possible, Yamato.” Samon said to the other male. “This is Nanba Prison, after all.”

“The hell did he get up there…?” Theodora wondered to herself in shock.

“Oh! There you are, guys!” Happily exclaimed Yamato as he marched closer to the three. “Let’s move onto the training course, shall we?!”

“Don’t make us, I’m begging you!” Uno exclaimed desperately. “I get so sore the next day, don’t make me do it!”

“Exercising is supposed to be leisurely!” Exclaimed Rock while Nico trembled behind the two under a blanket.

“What type of exercises is Yamato making them do…?” Samon asked.

“Deathly brutal ones…” Theodora said darkly, paling herself at the thought of exercising.

“If it’s coming from you then it must be human torture!” Samon exclaimed, shocked by her claim.

“No, not really.” Replied a voice from behind them.

Startled, they both whirled around to see the familiar masked face of Tsukumo, or inmate No.99. Theodora relaxed at the sight of him while Samon was still stiff as a board.

“WHO THE HELL’RE YOU!?” Samon yelled at him.

“My name is Tsukumo, but my designated number is 99.” Said the supposed 'ninja’.

“No.99 loves to exercise, so he’s always with me at this time of day.” Explained Yamato. “He’s very passionate about exercising, it’s fantastic!”

“A Japanese man must train constantly!” Said Tsukumo while nodding. “Yamato’s exercising routine is perfect for my training!”

“Here they go again, the Japanese freaks…” Muttered Uno.

Samon paled at hearing them say that, astonished they were so serious about it. He looked at Theodora to see her standing right behind him, clearly not wanting to join their training.

“I like exercising, I really do, but not when it comes to Yamato…” She said softly so only Samon heard. “I like Yamato and all, great guy really, but he terrifies the shit outta me…”

“Oh, come now, Theo! You’re wonderful when it comes to training! Nothing can reach your limits!” Complimented Yamato, trying to get her to join.

“Nobody can humanly reach his limits because he doesn’t physically give himself any.” Samon stated bluntly as she hid behind him. “Nicci will physically train until he literally drops. By then, he has to be taken to the medics for making himself go unconcious. He won’t be joining your training.”

"THANK YOU!” She exclaimed, still clinging onto Samon.

“Oh, fine! But next time you will be joining us, Alan!” Declared Yamato. “We’ll turn up the heat of it just for you to feel the burn of training hard!”

“PLEASE DON’T!” Theodora and the four inmates yelled in horror.

“Hey, is everything okay in here?” Seitarou popped his head in. “I heard loud yelling, is everybody okay?”

“By the why, do any of you guys heard of how Jyugo’s condition is?” Asked Tsukumo.

“I’m afraid we have…” Uno said, speaking in a heavy tone. “I’m afraid he came down with a terrible case of 'idiopathic-raw-oyster-tremer-cell syndrome.’”

“That sounds quite serious.” Tsukumo said.

'HE’S BUYING THAT BULLSHIT?!’ Theodora screamed in her head in shock at his idiocy.

“The doctors tried everything they can do but in the end…” Nico trailed off, his voice beginning to shake.

“Don’t tell me he…!” Tsukumo’s eyes went wide in shock.

“Don’t sugar coat it…” Uno whimpered, as if prepared to sob.

“He’s dead…” Whispered Rock.

“Such a tragic loss…!” Sniffled Nico.

“Let us spend this day in mourning…” Spoke Uno.

“Jyugo…! No…!” Tsukumo tried not to cry.

“Well, even training can wait for some things…” Yamato said, clasping his hands together in prayer.

“Our condolences…” Seitarou said, doing the same.

“You…” Theodora fumed and punched Uno, Nico, and Rock in the head. “…JERKS!”

They all cried out and held their heads in pain. Theodora was utterly fuming at this point. She understands that they want to get out of training, but they could’ve used a better method! She never likes it when people joke about deaths, especially ones that aren’t even true!

“Don’t fuckin’ make lies like that, you pieces of shit!” She yelled at them, her voice drawing out a strange type of city/italian accent. “There’s nothin’ I hate more than lies like that, you hear me?!” She then pointed at the others except Samon. “And you three! Don’t believe every effin’ word that comes outta their mouths, got it? Jyugo’s still in a coma recoverin’ just fine, okay? He ain’t dead.”

“Oh, that’s relieving.” Tsukumo said, now calming down and turning back to normal.

“And you three…!” She turned to them and grabbed them all by the back of their collars, beginning to drag them away. “I ain’t done with you yet. Think of this trainin’ as punishment for pissin’ me off!”

“Let us go! We’re sorry, okay?!” Begged Uno as he began to try and struggle against her, now becoming irritated by her. “What the hell’s with that accent anyways?! It’s like you’re entirely a different person!”

“Blame my mutha…” Theodora muttered, thinking about how her italian mother talks.

“What, this is just how I talk!” She would exclaim every time Theodora pointed it out. “Everybody in the family talks like this, al'ight. My mutha always talked like this, your aunt always talks like this, y—hey. What'da gigglin’ for?… So what if my 'talk’ sounds like 'chalk!’ *sigh* Child of mine… Just you watch, the olda you get, the more your Italian side will show, capisce?”

“Oh, splendid!” Exclaimed Yamato from behind her, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Good to know we’re all joining! Let’s start off with the usual push ups, sit ups, then running, huh? Then we can go straight for the balance beams, ah ha ha ha!”

'I can’t believe I got myself into this…’ Theodora murmured in her thoughts. 'I am not prepared for “the burn"… My hands have already had enough of that. I’m not joining, but these bastards are…’

***

"Oh, Supervisor! It’s good to see you after three days.”

“Please don’t leave again…”

“Why? Were there any problems while I was gone?”

“No, I guess… The three didn’t find out anything, but it was stressful…”

Today was finally the day that Hajime would come back from his trip. Theodora never thought she would be glad to see Hajime back again. After yesterday she felt guilty about harming the guys, but she was very defensive when it comes to saying stuff like 'someone died’ when in reality they’re completely fine. Plus they were trying to use it as an excuse to escape training, which was something she will not stand for.

But afterwards she ended up getting teased by Samon because she went 'mafia’ on them. It was a huge inside joke between them and a few inmates. But she honestly can’t say she was too proud of it. Either way, she was just grateful Hajime was back. But… she was concern for Jyugo.

“Of course. This job isn’t some luxury after all.” Hajime told her, probably jabbing at the fact she was almost fired. “I’m assuming you took care of most of the hard work?”

“…Kinda, I guess.” She shrugged her shoulders. “The inmates of Cell 13 have been real feisty lately. Well, Uno has been. The other two have been honestly quiet. It’s quite clear that they’re concerned for Jyugo…”

“Speaking of No.15, are you going to see him, sir?” Seitarou asked.

“Yep.” Hajime said and looked at Theodora. “But, I’ve got a job for you to do.”

“Huh…?” She lifted her head up, confused as to why he would say that.

“C'mon.” He gestured her to follow him, which she immediately did. “Head over to Building 4. I spoke to Kenshirou a bit earlier today, and he said he wanted you to come with him to speak to No.634.”

“What? Why?” Theodora asked, almost in a defensive manner. “That guy fried my hands, and almost cost me my job. I’ve got nothing to say to that brat…”

“Yeah, well,” Hajime sighed in clear annoyance. “Kenshirou begs to differ. I think he only wants you to go and talk with him because of 'your way with words’. If you can get that guy to trust you, then we might be able to interrogate with him properly.”

“You guys put way too much faith into my words.” Theodora groaned softly behind him. “You make it sound like I can make people trust me by blinking my eyes. It takes time for them to put their faith into me. Hell, it took Jyugo a week or two to trust me.”

“Yeah, because you kissed the kid.” Hajime shot at her. “Of course he would hardly trust you after that. He thought you were a man who was trying to sexually assault him.”

Theodora made a noise in the back of her throat, clearly displeased he brought that up. She was really hoping he would let that go. Releasing a sigh to calm herself and a scratch to her head, she got back on track of the conversation.

“…Fine. I’ll go see Kenshirou.” She grumbled reluctantly. “He’s in Building 4, yeah? I’m guessing his little arsonist is being held tightly underground over there. But I swear to god, if he even tries torching me again, I’ll make sure it’ll be forever impossible for him to procreate ever again…”

Hajime silently cringed at her claim, remembering how she had kicked No.634 so hard that practically every man felt that pain. Didn’t help that she’s got inhumain strength…

Eventually she departed with Hajime and went to Building 4 as quick as she could. Getting there she was greeted by his guard dogs. As tempted as she was to pet them, she refrained from doing so. They kinda have a grudge against her anyways so that’s out of the question…

Walking through Building 4, she went straight down to the Underground, knowing exactly how to get there. After all, she did get thrown down once in awhile. Once she descended downwards, she was quick to find Kenshirou standing at the entranced into the underground. She could only assume he was waiting on her.

“I see that you finally arrived.” Kenshirou said, as if he was annoyed with her. “Took you long enough for you to get here…”

“It isn’t like my building is your next door neighbor, Kenshirou.” She said calmly. “Anyways, you wanted me to come to help interrogate…?”

“That’s right.” Kenshirou nodded to her. “But, let me do the talking. If you feel the need to interject then go ahead. If you could get No.634 to trust you well enough, then we would be in a bit of an advantage. You tend to have the ability to rub your emotions onto people, so if you can do that here and make him calm, we might just get somewhere…”

“So, I’m practically worthless here.” Theodora said bluntly. “I know you’re great at your own interrogations and all, but I find it hard to believe that you just want my help to make friends with him. Is there something else you want from me?”

“Not really.” Kenshirou said. “But, I wouldn’t mind a second opinion on the matter. Think of it as your training as an officer. No.634 refuses to talk unless he can talk to No.15.” This grabbed her attention. “Hajime will be interrogating No.15 while we’ll be doing the same to No.634. We’ll allow the two to talk, but…” He holds up a large walkie-talkie. “Not face to face, of course. After that, I’m sure we can grill him of everything he knows…”

“…Okay, I see you strategie…” Theodora muttered. “But what happens if the conversation goes sour? What’ll we do if either of them go out of whack?”

“That’s why you’re here.” Kenshirou said simply. “I’ll be relying on you to keep the conversation calm. Can I trust you enough to turn the conversation around if it starts getting bad?”

“…Yeah, alright.” Theodora nodded. “I’ll do my best to keep it calm and peaceful. If it’s through the walkie, I can probably calm Jyugo down too if it gets bad. I don’t want Hajime hurting him again… I’ll follow your lead…”

Kenshirou nodded to her before turning around. She quietly followed him through the underground. There honestly wasn’t many inmates underground, but there was enough to make her be careful. Once they got to Musashi’s cell, she was surprised he didn’t really appear to be… hostile. He was restrained to the wall, unable to really escape. She wondered if he could melt those cuffs off if he wanted to…

“No.634, are you comfortable in there?” Kenshirou spoke coldly, knowing not to let his guard down with this guy.

“Yeah, if I think this could get any more dark, wet, and tight I’d think I’d be stuck in your ass.” Commented Musashi with a smirk clear as day on his face. “Makes me miss the good old days in solitary.”

“File a formal complaint. And how did you know it was dark?” Questioned Kenshirou.

“Lucky guess.” Musashi shrugged. He paused, as if listening carefully. “Who’s the second one—the guy behind you? I know that ain’t Jyugo… Did you bring a bodyguard for protection? How cute.”

“Nah, he just figured that he should bring the bitch who destroyed your balls.” Theodora said snarkily, her own smirk curling onto her lips.

Musashi made a sound and jolted against his restraints, as if trying to move away from her. It honestly made her feel delighted he was uncomfortable with her, but it wasn’t why she was here. Theodora sighed, wiping away any hatred emotions she had and stayed calm. Kenshirou would beat her ass if she riled the inmate up.

“Look. We’ll give you a chance to talk to Jyugo, but only on the condition to tell us everything that we want to know.” Theodora said, now becoming serious. “Don’t leave a single detail out. I wanna hear everything you know…”

“Fine. That was our deal from the start anyways.” Musashi said. “Now can you girls hurry it along? I want to hear Jyugo talk, not you.”

'Yeah, he’s a little shit…’ Theodora thought and looked to Kenshirou. The older man took out the walkie-talkie and placed it right to the outside of the cell. He informed Musashi that this will be how he can talk to Jyugo. Turning it on, Musashi waited a moment before he could talk.

“Hi, Jyugo. Can you hear me?” Called out Musashi, as if he was taunting him. “I guess you’re still in the infirmary, huh? Enjoy that bed while you can…”

“Get to the point, 634.” Kenshirou ordered him. “If this is just a social call I’ll end it.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I’ll talk.” Sighed the inmate. “I’ll just cut the crap and let it all out now, alright. What I’m lookin’ to talk about, it the man with the scar. You said you were lookin’ for him, right? Well, to tell him the truth, so am I. I was wondering how much you know about him. How old is he? Have you heard his voice, or seen his face? Whatcha got?”

“No, I don’t.” Growled Jyugo’s voice from the walkie. “That’s what I was hoping to learn from you… I know he has a scar on his neck, and that he’s the one who put me into these 'shackles.’ Aside from that, nothing.”

“Well, boo.” Musashi said and hanged his head as if disappointed. “I kinda figure that it would be all you would tell me, but I figured it was worth checking.”

'You bastard…! You destroyed an entire area and provoked the kid just to have some talk?! What the hell…!’ Theodora fumed in her thoughts.

“The whole reason you want to find this guy is for him to take those shackles off you, right?” Musashi questioned him. “That’s all you want?”

“That’s right.” Jyugo replied, his tone sounding bored or flat. “If he can get these things off, there’s nothing that’ll stop me from getting these things off…”

“So he bust off your shackles and then what? You’re done?” Musashi asked him.

“Yeah…” Jyugo replied. Theodora found that rather strange.

Musashi chuckled, only to go out into full out laughter. He was kicking his feet in the air like it was the most hilarious thing he’s heard in decades. But, Theodora could tell he was pissed…

“That’s all you want?!” Musashi yelled at him through the walkie. “You seriously hulked out on me and blew your cover over something that STUPID?! Ha! If you wanted those damn things off than you might as well cut your hands and feet off! Oh right, there’s one on you neck. Ahahaha!”

Theodora was about to slam her fist against the bars, but was stopped by Kenshirou. She glared at him, seeing that he was telling her 'no’. Getting the point, she pulled her arm away, and listened to Musashi.

“I knew somethin’ was off about you!” Musashi growled at Jyugo. “You got no use for those shackles, Jyugo. I really wish you’d let me have 'em…!”

“Musashi, why’re you so obsessed with taking my shackles?” Jyugo asked. “What do you want them for?”

“Ahahaha!” Laughed Musashi. “The shackles themselves don’t mean anything to me. If it means to an end, that’s all. All they are is a way to get closer to that man, and when I make sure that I do, I can kill him!”

Jyugo made a surprised sound, probably surprised by Musashi’s declaration. “You want to KILL him…? Why take it that far…?”

“When he first put those shackles on you and forced you to take that form, what did you think…?” Musashi asked. “You felt like a monster, right? I felt the same… The difference is that I’ve been like that for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t a power, per say. For all practical purposes, I was diseased. You can’t imagine who I had to suffer through the peculiar constitution I was born with…!”

Theodora had calmed by Musashi’s words, now finding this story interesting. But at the same time, it made her feel like she could empathize with him. 'Maybe… Just maybe…’

“I was in constant pain, afraid of the next explosion.” Musashi continued. “Then the man with the scar showed up. He said he was a scientist, and promised to release me of my suffering. But that wasn’t what he planned to do. He just wanted to use my physical idiosyncrasy for his own research…”

“That can’t be… Your powers are way beyond science…” Jyugo whispered in clear shock.

“Think about who we’re dealing with here, Jyugo.” Musashi said. “Those shackles he slapped you with are beyond science, too. Beyond normal science, anyways. But he isn’t normal—augmenting the human body means nothing to him! I started out as a freak, but once he was done with me I turned into a bonafide monster… Straight from the fires of hell and able to control them… I tried torching his ass, but he sliced right through my flames with those same blades of yours, Jyugo. That’s how I lost my right eye, too… That’s how it went down for me. Kinda feels like we’re in a support group, right?”

“Are you saying… the man with the scar had a pair of shackles like mine…?” Jyugo questioned.

“You got it.” Musashi smirked. “His blades were exactly like yours, and I would know.”

“You’re telling me there are two sets of these things…?!” Growled Jyugo before he screamed in anger. “DAMN HIM…!”

“Do you understand what I want those shackles now?” Musashi asked him.

“Yeah… I get it…” Jyugo muttered, still probably seeming with anger. “You need a way to match his power…”

“Bingo~” Musashi sang. “You have a very special weapon, Jyugo… The only blades in the world that can cut through my flames. Imagine if I had that weapon! With it and my fire, I’d be pretty strong. If I can use his own tool against him along with my fire, I could manage to take him down, don’t chya think?”

“That’s some stupidly optimistic thinking.” Jyugo stated bluntly. “You don’t even know if that’s possible.”

“I don’t care…” Musashi said. “If there’s even a chance of success, then I’ll use it to end his life. He won’t get away with what he’s done. I’ll make him pay. And if I die too, so be it. As long as I get to murder that bastard first… I’m willing to walk myself to the gallows! Well, that’s how I used to think…”

“What.” Theodora spoke up, clearly surprised by his sudden change in attitude and speech.

“Wait… is that…?”

“It’s impossible now. I can’t light up anymore.” Musashi answered and shrugged casually, not letting Jyugo wonder if Theodora was there. “It’s pretty weird. It’s all a little fuzzy but, I think the doctors here put something in me. I don’t know what, like a… computer chip? When it detects the heat given off before ignition it automatically suppresses my powers. I actually tried, of course, but I can’t seem to trigger it. It was an old coot and an old hag with a sailor’s mouth.”

'OF COURSE IT WAS THEM!’ Theodora facepalmed, knowing she shouldn’t be at all surprised. 'But… I would be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved by it… At least I can be at ease, knowing he can’t harm any innocents in an escape attempt…’

“Seriously…? They can do something like that?” Jyugo questioned.

“It’s the Otogi couple, of course they can.” Theodora found herself speaking up as she was rubbing her own head in irritation. “Always developing new technology—never satisfied with how it is now. As much as I’m grateful for them, I’m just as annoyed that they’re still the same old bats that they are…”

“Ha! Sounds like you got some personal problems of your own.” Musashi said.

“Well, that isn’t wrong…” Theodora murmured, finally calming down.

“Is… Is that Theo… As in, the guard Theo…?” Jyugo questioned.

The girl sighed softly and bent down to the ground next to the walkie-talkie. “Yeah, it’s me. Good to know you’re as flat sounding as ever.”

“Why’re you over there…?!” Jyugo asked, suddenly seeming fired up.

“It’s not like I wanna be.” Theodora replied calmly. “Since I’m a newbie still I was brought down here for an 'example’. Believe me, I rather be other there and seeing how you’re doing than over here…”

“O-oh…” Murmured Jyugo. “A-anyways, back to the topic here. Musashi, what’re you getting at here? I don’t get your point in all this. If you know it’s impossible then why’re you all telling me this now?”

“I don’t know. Guess I just felt like it?” Musashi said and shrugged, clearly having a deeper meaning to his words. “Maybe I was just curious in you learning about all this would make you feel? I’ll catch ya later, sweety~”

Theodora clicked the walkie-talkie off, annoyed that Jyugo is oblivious as ever. Grabbing the object, she handed it to Kenshirou as her mind whirled with the information Musashi gave. It actually made a lot of sense, but it angered her that they caused so much trouble that could’ve been avoided. They’re lucky that nobody got hurt with their recklessness.

“Hey, Inu, mind letting these cuffs off?” Musashi called out to them. “My arms hurt and I’m tired.”

“Idiot, I can’t do that.” Kenshirou snapped at him, angered by his rudeness.

“…Inu, eh?” Theodora smirked at Kenshirou. “Sounds perfect to me.”

“Don’t encourage him, you’re a guard, not an inmate anymore.” Snapped the man.

“Oh, just because I’m a guard doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop teasin’ you guys.” She said and waved at him. It was clear Kenshirou was regretting bringing her here. “Anyways, you might as well let the dude out of those cuffs. He can’t use his powers, much less fight either of us. Plus, he might be more willing to tell us more if you let him out of the cuffs…”

Kenshirou stared at her for a moment before turning to the nearby control panels. “If anything goes wrong, you’re to blame…”

“I’ll be surprised if you don’t blame me.” She commented, watching as the cuffs released Musashi’s arms.

“Phew… This feels way better.” Musashi said, rubbing his arms and wrist and standing from his spot. “Thanks.”

“Now, time for you to hold your end of the deal.” Theodora said colding, surprising the man. “Now, this is what I understand from your story. You were born with the problem of human combustion and it was a nuisance to your life. After a lot of incidents, you got caught by the police, right? That man with the scar explicitly targeted you because of your powers. Any idea why?”

“Hell if I know.” Musashi responded, stepping closer to the bars. “I think he was just usin’ me as a toy. Something to make time go by…”

“Hm…” Theodora clicked her tongue, clearly not believing it. “You’re smart, right? Think with that head of yours. What made you a target? How did you get caught by the police, and how many of those incidence happen? I don’t believe that the guy who messed with your body is your only grudge against him. I find it hard to believe that one man can simple do all this hell without the slightest bit of help. Was there something that stood out, did he have an accomplice, did he have a strange accent—we need to know, Musashi. So, tell me every. Single. Detail.”

“You’re straight forwards,” Musashi comment and smirked again. “Fine… You really wanna know that bad? Well, I’ll tell you…”

Musashi went into detail, just like Theodora ordered him to do. She actually sat down on the ground and listened, hearing about how he grew up and how he had a harsh life. She really did begin to empathize with him. Yes, it was hard going through being called a freak, but it didn’t sound so bad until he got to college. It really did go down to hell from there on. Once he finished his tale, she honestly pitied him. Seeing him, sitting down cross legged just like she was reminded her of a child. He was just some broken kid who got his life practically ruined by a selfish, inhumain person…

“…All of that was true, not like I can prove it.” Musashi finished his story. “The prison ended up burning down. There’s no evidence of what happened there. I don’t really expect you to believe me… I lost at any chance of revenge once my flames were taken from me. But knowing that is strangely relaxing… That’s not to say my thirst for revenge is finished. But if I’m being honest, I wish I came here a lot sooner… Just kidding.”

“No, I believe you.” Theodora stated, clearly shocking the man. “I know when a person’s lying. And, you’re being down right honest. You did what I asked and kept our deal. Plus… with your information, and whatever information Jyugo may have, we can commend an investigation to be taken place and hunt down that bastard who did this to you guys. Who knows how many people he harmed…”

“Wait, hold on.” Musashi spoke up. “You seriously trust me? Just like that? No interrogation, or even threats of violence?”

“Why would I do that?” Theodora asked him. “Us guards aren’t here to beat the living shit out of you guys. Our jobs are to make sure you follow the rules and protect you from any sort of threats. That’s our job. I care about the inmates here, alright? I care about every single person who can be changed for the better. Not everyone here is some psychopathic douche who needs to be restrained and kept away from the world. There are people out there, just like you, who grew up a shitty life and either got framed or went down a dark road. I know because I went through a lot of shit you went through.”

“Really…?” Musashi mumbled in disbelief.

“Mm-hm…” She nodded her head. “Ever heard of hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy, or HSAN? It’s a genetic disease that prevents me from sensing the difference between hot and cold, soft or rough. I can hardly feel pain and my 'limits’ are inhumanly high because I can’t give myself any. I’m a freak who can’t feel shit. People hated me as I grew up since I couldn’t control my strength properly. The only ones who cared and supported me would be my family. I’ve been tested on by many doctors, most wondering just how it works or, just seeing what I can do. My dad, who’s actually an immigrant, knew how to help me. My mother sometimes lost her temper with me, but would come back and try again with me. Growing up as a freak was hard since nobody liked me. Eventually I went down a dark path and ended up in prison multiple times. Then, I ended up in Nanba. They straightened me out and I served my sentence. Now, here I am, working as a guard and doing a lot better.”

“That’s almost comical to hear.” Musashi said. “Sounds too good to be true. Are you seriously not lyin’?”

“Believe what you wish.” Theodora shrugged. “But just know that I never lie about my past. By the way, you said you were born in Germany, right?”

“Yeah, what of it?” Musashi asked.

“How’s it like over there?” She asked, her eyes holding a type of shine to them. “My mom is italian while my father was an immigrant from Germany. He’s told us stories about living there, so I’m genuinely curious about it.”

“Seriously…?” Musashi looked so puzzled and confused. “How does this conversation go from you telling about how you can empathize with me, to you being fascinated by me being raised in Germany?”

“Who knows.” Theodora innocently shrugged while smiling. “I’m just some freak after all, but that’s okay. I learned my mistakes and paid the price for them. Now, it’s up to me to make up all the time I wasted in jail.”

“Huh…” Musashi shook his head at her. “You really are strange. Especially from being a criminal and becoming a guard. That’s some type of shit you’d hear in a show or somethin’.”

“Recently I’ve been getting that a lot, too, haha.” Theodora chuckled in amusement. “But, just know that you’re honestly not alone, okay? You said you wanted revenge on the man with the scar. Well… Help us figure out more about him and that accomplice of his. If something comes to mind—an accent, or the type of cologne he wears—tell us. If you want your revenge so bad, help us throw that guy’s ass in jail.”

“Huh…?” Musashi looked confused, or at least surprised by her.

“What he says is true.” Kenshirou finally spoke up after so long. “Seeing your abilities and No.15’s blades are enough proof that your story is true. I’d be a damn fool if I didn’t believe it. Also, it wouldn’t be the first rumor that I’ve heard of inmates being used for human experience. In fact, that was the subject I was working on in my days with the police.”

“Seriously?” Musashi looked surprised. “If that’s true then why…”

“Why haven’t I done something about it?” Kenshirou finished his sentence before explaining. “Because much like you I was unable to convince anyone that it was real. I recovered numerous reports of my findings but the accounts I gathered were rejected. My superiors labeled them as 'baseless rumors.’ Over time, I gathered this was a subject they weren’t interested in. I know a cover up when I see one. My hands were tied as a policeman so I resigned—continued my investigation as a correctional officer. I won’t stop until I expose the truth.”

“So you’re willing to go that far, eh?” Musashi said, looking amused. “I guess the time will be well worth it when you showed them you were right.”

“Wrong~” Theodora sang, catching Musashi off guard. “You honestly don’t know a damn thing about Kenshirou if you believe that’s the case…”

“Whadda mean?” Musashi asked.

“I will not turn my eye to wanted corruption.” Kenshirou stated. “There are crimes worse than perverting the justice system for personal gain. And these experiments are in flagrant disregard of human rights. Such acts are grossly immoral… I swore an oath to uphold the law. These repulsive criminals will not be allowed to walk free! They must face justice…!”

“You’re getting kind of intense…” Musashi commented. “You might care about this more than I do.”

“Good to know you’re finally catching on.” Theodora jokingly said and got back onto her feet. “Even I can’t allow something like that to happen any longer. Turning people into criminals just to use for their own personal gain… It’s sickening. Those bastard do deserve to die, but not until they pay for it in a court of law and are imprisoned themselves. No matter what, justice will always prevail in the end…”

“The people who did this to you…” Kenshirou kneeled down and held out his hand to Musashi. “…They will be punished, I swear it.”

“I’ve been hiding this since I’ve got here, and there are plenty of reasons why I might lie to you…” Musashi said, clearly confused. “Why take me and my word for it?”

“You’re basically all we have.” Theodora stated calmly. “You’re just a victim in this, just like many others. I don’t doubt that you could be lying, but I rather take your word or it. I want your words to be true. Because if they are, it just means that we have the ability now to go after those men and punish them for their wrong doings. We’re putting our bets on you, Musashi. But we can’t do that, if you don’t trust us…”

Musashi was silent for a moment, seeming to contemplate what they were saying. Eventually, his usual smirk found it’s way back onto his face.

“Huh…” He muttered. “Ever since I was put in your care, there’s something I’ve always thought… I’ve been wanting to say this for a while now…” Musashi had his hand into a fist and placed it onto Kenshirou’s open palm. “…You’re way too serious, man.”

Theodora could only smirk, glad that he actually put his trust in them. She could tell that even Kenshirou was content with what he said.

“It wasn’t easy but you finally learned how to shake.” Kenshirou said, surprising the two next to him. “Good boy.”

“Wait a minute, what do you mean 'learn to shake’!?” Musashi asked. “I am not a dog to teach tricks to!”

“It was a joke.” Kenshirou said.

“No one’s laughing!” Musashi exclaimed.

“Actually, I’m laughing,” Theodora giggled, having her arm hugging her stomach.

“THEN STOP LAUGHING!” He yelled at her, causing her to laugh even louder. He pulled his hand away from Kenshirou, placing it on his head, and sighed. “Ugh… You sound like such a girl but it’s hard to tell…”

“Huh…?” Theodora immediately stopped and listened to him.

“What do you mean by that?” Kenshirou questioned.

“You said before you were the person who kicked me where the sun doesn’t shine, right?” Musashi said pointing at Theodora. “Back then you yelled at me for calling you a 'woman’. Then you come here and say that you are. But… I’m just not getting that. Your voice isn’t much help since you change your pitch all the time, and the vibrations from the ground is just… weird. So, tell me the trust: are you a girl or a boy?”

“I’m not allowed to answer that, but…” Theodora bent down and grabbed his arm, placing it right under the sleeve of her left arm. “…Are the vibrations telling you now?”

Musashi waited a moment before letting out a soft surprise sound. Theodora just chuckled and pulled her arm away, holding her hands behind her back and straightening up. She looked to Kenshirou as he stood up as well.

“May I go back to my building now?” She asked him.

“Yes, you may.” Kenshirou nodded. “I’ll lead you out of here.”

“Alright.” She looked to Musashi. “Goodbye, Musashi. Maybe if Kenshioru will allow it I’ll try to visit again.”

“I’ll think about it…” Muttered the man before walking.

Theodora rolled her eyes and began following him. They didn’t speak until they were out of the underground. Since Musashi’s senses are rather heightened, she didn’t want him knowing what she was saying to Kenshirou.

“That went surprisingly well.” She commented.

“Yes it did.” Kenshirou agreed and looked down at her. “It appears that, once again, you have gain the trust of another inmate by just talking. You truly are something…”

“Yeah, well…” Theodora sighed. “You probably would’ve gotten your results without me. I still don’t get why you wanted me to come down…”

“Because…” Kenshirou eyed her sharply. “You have the ability to help rehabilitate the inmates. That’s why I asked for your help.”

Theodora just stared back at him, surprised by his answer. She never really had much faith in her 'ability’ because it’s just her casually talking. They make it sound like a big deal when all she does is just treating them like a human being. Looking away from Kenshirou, she gazed at the hall before her.

“…I’ll be honest,” she spoke up. “I wanted to punch him so hard for doing what he did. Hurting Jyugo, destroying the stadium—seriously, what the hell! If he just wanted to talk to him about it he should’ve just talked to him, damnit!”

“For once, I agree…” Kenshirou muttered. “But, we did get a lot more information than we asked for. Enough to make it into a case…”

“Want me to make a report?” Theodora asked him.

“Please do.” Kenshirou said, looking her dead in the eye. “I’ll need all the support I can get on this. I trust that you will try gathering information yourself…?”

“Leave it to me…” She said smirking at him. 'That bastard’s gonna pay for hurting Jyugo and Musashi the way he did. I bet there’s countless other victims, too… I’ll make him pay, just you watch…’

***

Scribble scribble scribble.

“Aaaaand done…!”

Theodora leaned back into her chair, putting her hands on her face and groaning into them. As soon as she got back to Building 13 she began writing diligently on that report Kenshirou asked her to do. She wanted it done as soon as possible. She closed the report and clipped it together so the papers wouldn’t escape the folder. The story she learned from Musashi had left a bad taste in her mouth.

A man who is only known for the 'scar on his neck’. It was horizontal, then was crossed with three lines going down. As if someone sliced him on the back of the neck. 'It’s quite a dangerous place to get injured in…’ He’s a scientist, or doctor. Either way, he is highly intelligent. Probably disturbed as well, but no one can see it. To classify him, the word would have to be 'sociopath’. He’s very disturbed but he doesn’t show it, and probably has lots of awards and is well respected.

But for his associate… 'Elf’… He’s probably one as well. But, he is just an underling from how Musashi talked. He ruined Musashi’s life, wasting his time on going to the same college and trapping Musashi to a life of crime. He likes blabbing his mouth, and gets carried away with it. 'But I think it’s more to it than that…’

“Oi, Nicci.”

“Huh?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Theodora spun around in her chair to see that Hajime called her. She pushed her lingering thoughts on Musashi’s past and focused on Hajime instead. She hadn’t seen him since he told her to go see Kenshirou this morning. It was already past lunch.

“Yeah, Hajime?” She questioned, showing her attention was on him.

“An inmate just requested to talk to you.” Hajime said and thrusted his thumb over his shoulder. “He requested to talk in private with you, so keep your radio on if something happens. He’s waiting in one of the vacant cells down the hall. It’s Cell 123.”

“They want to talk…?” Theodora muttered, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. “Who’s asking for me?”

“The idiot asked me not to say…” Grumbled Hajime. “Don’t worry. This is someone you get along with, so don’t worry. I can’t believe I’m doing this for him…”

“O-kaaaay…” Theodora muttered before standing up. “Strange, but whatever. I’ll go see the person, whoever the hell it is…”

“Hold it.” Hajime order as she was about to walk by.

She stopped and faced him, only to watch his hands grab either side of her mask and take it off. She was bewildered by he would do that considering the fact that the Warden used it as a reason to fire her! It’s only been four days since then, she wants to keep her job, thank you!

“W-what’re you—”

“You have a knack for yapping your mouth off.” Hajime stated bluntly. “Plus, I figured you might want this off when talking to the kid. You’re still staying in Building 13, so it’s not like the Warden will see. Not get going.”

“Uh… Alright…” Theodora muttered softly.

Being genuinely confused, she exited the office and went towards Cell 123. As she walked to the cell, her mind began whirling in confusion. Why would ask for her specifically? All the inmates know her by now, and all of them tolerate her, so it could be anyone. Hajime said 'kid,’ so that limits it down. But who could it—

Theodora found herself right outside of the cell. She stared at the sign before looking at the door. He said he knew the person, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t have her guard down. Being cautious, she grabbed her key and opened the door. Stepping inside of the cell, she was shocked to see who was in it.

“Oh, you came.” Spoke none other than Jyugo. “Took you long enough…”

She blinked at him, unable to respond.

“U-um… You… uh…” Jyugo felt like his skin was burning under her eyes.

The door behind her swung close, locking the two inside. Jyugo stared back at her, wondering what was going on with her. She just… wasn’t talking. Standing there, staring. It was honestly creeping him out and making him feel more nervous than before.

“Are you just gonna stand there all day, or…?” Jyugo spoke, wanting her to do something.

“JYUGO!” She basically screeched, startling the poor boy.

Theodora lunged forwards, wrapping her arms tightly around Jyugo, almost knocking him down to the ground. Jyugo could help but feel flustered. Even when he saw the guys again none of them showed him affection such as this. Plus, nobody ever hugged him like this so…

“Are you okay!?” She asked, pulling back and cupping both of his cheeks. “You’ve been out for days! I’m not seeing scars, so that’s good… Did Hajime hurt? I swear to god I’ll skin that bald gorilla—”

“H-hey, take it ease!” Jyugo exclaimed, trying to calm her down. “I’m fine, I’m fine! If I wasn’t okay I wouldn’t be out of the Underground cells by now…”

Theodora was quiet for a moment before hugging him again. Jyugo, not really knowing what to do, just kinda wrapped his arms around her in an awkward manner.

“I’m so glad you’re okay…!” She whispered to him. She pulled away and held his shoulders so he would still be looking at her. “You had me worried for so long. I thought Hajime really killed you for a moment there… Thank god you’re fine, ugh…”

“U-uh, yeah, s-sorry…” Jyugo muttered.

Theodora smiled widely at him and laughed lightly. She released his shoulders and stepped back. “Sorry, about that. I, uh… couldn’t help it. I’m just… I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“I-it’s fine…” Jyugo said. “I saw the guys earlier… They told me a lot about you. Uh… I heard you lost your job when I was still out of it…”

“Oh, yeah, that…” Theodora frowned before smiling. “Yeah, that’s a bit of a long story… Which, you honestly deserve to know. So, um, where to start…”

“Wait,” Jyugo spoke up a bit louder than before, causing Theodora to stare at him and let him talk. “I, uh… I need to say this, to you especially. I’m sorry, for everything… At the New Year’s festival I went completely berserk and tried to harm everybody. I swung at you so many times, and yet you still kept trying to stop me and calm me down… I hurt your hands, trying to… hurt Uno… I’m a complete idiot, and I have no idea how to make that up to you. So, please…” He bent down to the ground in a begging position, his head practically touching the floor. “…Please allow me to start over…”

Theodora stared at him for a moment. She got onto her knees and tapped his head, forcing Jyugo to look up at her. She smiled widely at him, completely catching him off guard.

“It takes a lot for someone to admit that they were wrong.” She said, her voice soft and calming. “For you to come here and explicitly tell that to me directly takes a lot of courage. I commend you for that.” Her hand went to the side of his head and ruffled his hair affectionately. “I’ve already forgiven you, Jyugo. I never blamed you in the first place. Don’t you worry about any of it, okay?”

Jyugo could only stare at her in shock. He tilted his head down, his body beginning to tremble as he tried not to cry again, especially in front of her. Theodora, taking notice, wrapped her arms around him again while chuckling.

“It’s okay.” She said softly to him. “Sometimes we all need to just cry. Just let it out, Jyugo, let it out…”

Now it was basically impossible to keep it in anymore.

Jyugo hid his face against her collarbone, tears just falling down his face again as he was sobbing another round. His hands were grabbing fistfulls of her jacket as if it was his lifeline. Theodora just held him, listening to his violent sobs and cries. She was rubbing his back, just like she would do to anybody really, while her other hand stroked his short black hair.

She didn’t dare to move until Jyugo did. She stayed in that position with him for who knows how long. Eventually, he eased up, his eyes not watering anymore and he became very quiet. The only thing Theodora could hear would be his breathing through his mouth, but that was understandable. The grip on her jacket was released and now lightly placed on her back. The teen’s head just rested against her chest, once again hearing and quietly listening to her heartbeat.

'It’s so… calmly… and warm…’ He thought, unable to really comprehend anything.

Theodora just kept stroking his hair while her other hand rubbed his back up and down. It was a deja vu moment for her, remembering how her siblings would always cry. It was literal instinct at this point in time of what to do. Eventually Jyugo pulled away, hiding his face by looking at the ground as his bangs concealed his face.

“S-sorry…” He whispered softly.

“Don’t apologize. It’s okay.” Theodora said and patted his head twice, causing him to look at her. “To be honest, I’m used to it thanks to Seitarou…”

Jyugo let out a small laugh, putting his hand against his face to hide it. Theodora giggled softly with him and tugged on her sleeve. She forced his head up to face her as she wiped his eyes from the tear stains and any snot that hanged.

“Don’t worry about anything, okay?” She said softly to him. “I bet the guys did the same as me. But, I doubt about of them let you sob it out, huh? Sometimes we just need to let it out, you know? So don’t be afraid to cry. You’re human, Jyugo. You have every right as a living being to cry. Do you feel better now?”

“Yeah… Thanks…” Muttered Jyugo as he wiped his own face with his sleeve. “I didn’t mean to ruin your jacket…”

“Ah, screw it.” She said and began to take it off. “It needed a washing anyways. Don’t matter to me. I’ve got five of them.”

“Wha… Why so many?” Jyugo asked.

“I keep ruining them.” Theodora said and got her jacket off and placed it next to her. “I keep getting snagged by corners without realizing and I end up ripping them. I’ve ruined about three this past week. Three. Seitarou was so shocked to see just how ruined they got he said I could cosplay as a walking zombie.”

Jyugo chuckled at her tale, finding it ridiculous how she managed to do that. “That’s a lot of money, huh?”

“Oh well.” Theodora shrugged and rolled her eyes.

The teen eventually stopped laughing and instead began to stare at her. “You… really are a woman, huh?”

“Yes, I am…” Theodora nodded her head. She took her hat off and began ruffle her short hair. “If I wanted to be a guard, I would have to conceal my identity. This is a prison full of men, so it was for my own safety. I talked to the others about it and they promised to keep silent about it. Back when I was 15 I took a dark road and tried to physically change my gender, which didn’t work out so well. My gender was hidden from everyone until exams came, then I was found out. I refused to get moved, so the guards ended up keeping it a secret and I continued to act like a male for four years. Once my sentence was served, I went back to being a normal female.”

“Sheesh… That sounds harsh.” Jyugo muttered.

“Not as bad as some other things but, eh.” Theodora shrugged. “By the way, my real name is TheodorA, not Theodore. But, since I’m still a guard here, you will have to call me Theo still. Nico doesn’t listen and keeps calling me Dora, but, whatever…”

“Theodora…” Jyugo tried the name out. “Not really much change from Theodore I guess…”

“I had to keep my gender a secret, but I ended up getting revealed thanks to the tournament, Because of that, I was fired. But, thanks to a lot of Supervisors, they convinced the Warden to let me stay. I’m glad because… I really wanted to see you again.”

Jyugo stiffened immediately, his face beginning to turn red. He tilted his head down, hoping to god that she didn’t notice.

“R-really now…” Jyugo mumbled.

“But, I’m going to be honest…” Theodora said calmly, but looked very serious. “You scared the shit out of me back there. I thought you were going to die by Hajime’s hands… And… Your eyes weren’t at all the same… I now understand your rage, and why you acted that way, but… Never do that again!”

Jyugo flinched at her tone, suddenly finding himself being scolded by her.

“You could’ve hurt somebody, badly!” She continued to rant. “I know Musashi provoked you and hurt you, but you shouldn’t have done that! I’m glad nobody was harmed, and this ended up better than I imagined it to, but you seriously caused a mess! If someone provokes you, don’t act out on your feelings. Never act out on your feelings like that every again, okay? Emotions always blind your way of thinking. Promise me you won’t do that ever again!”

“I promise…” Jyugo said, keeping eye contact with her. “I’m sorry for scaring you and everybody else like that…”

“Well…” Her voice softened and she ruffled his hair again. “I’m just glad you’re allowed back here. It would’ve been annoying go down in those underground cells. It take a full twenty minutes to get down there, and that’s subtracting the walking!”

Jyugo just stared at her grinning face. It was so weird to him how she kept ruffling his hair, speaking so soft and nicely. It was beyond his understanding to why she cared so much. He knew it was 'her job,’ but it was much more than that. It was like… she had known him for years. Like she grew with him. He never really had this much affection given to him in one day. As weird as it was, he didn't… hate it. He couldn’t understand the beating in his chest as he stared at her. It was just too confusing…

…But, he knew he liked it.

“Hello, Theo. It’s been a while.”

“Indeed it has. How’s Building 5 for ya?”

“It’s been the same.”

“Good.”

Theodora was surprised by the sudden call from Rock this morning. She had went over to see what was up, only for him to ask to bring Liang over for lunch. He explained to her how he wanted to show Liang just why he wanted a stone over. Even though probably would’ve scoffed at his request, Theodora willingly agreed to it. She even worked a bit of her charm to get Samon to agree to it, much to his dismay. So, here she was, bring Liang to Building 13. It’s been a long while since she’d talked to him.

“I’m still trying to understand why I’ve been requested…” Muttered Liang, clearly suspicious of Rock’s intent.

“Rock isn’t trying to pick a fight, alright?” Alloisia said calmly, knowing what he was thinking. “He just simply wants to have lunch with you and talk. Nothing wrong with that.”

“But he is my rival! Rivals don’t eat and talk like a bunch of women!” Liang said.

“Oi.” Theodora sharply glared at him, causing Liang to stiffen.

“Y-you know I don’t mean any disrespect.” Liang defended himself to escape her anger. “I’ve seen most women in my country gossip to each other than men do. You know me well enough to know I respect all women…”

“Just makin’ sure…” Theodora muttered before looking forwards again. “But seriously, stop worrying about Rock. He’s honestly a good guy. I don’t know what happened between you two, but I think he wants to make up for it. At least sit down and see what he has to say, okay?”

“Hm…” Liang looked away from her and glared at the walls. “…Fine. I’ll see what he wants…”

Theodora smirked at him knowing he could see it (it was lunch after all so she could have the mask off), but Liang could tell she had a type of smugness in her eyes. They arrived to Building 13’s cafeteria and Rock immediately spots them. He waved them over, sitting with the rest of Cell 13, and Theodora escorts Liang over, much to his dismay. She even took a seat next to him to hopefully make Liang a little more at ease.

“Thanks for comin’!” Rock said, smiling widely.

“Not like I had much of a choice…” Liang murmured and eyed Theodora before looking back at him. “What do you want?”

“Here,” Rock held a slice of pizza out to Liang, which puzzled him. “Give it a taste!”

“If you brought me here to eat pizza, I’ll have you know that the Chief in Building 5 makes that, too.” Liang stated.

“And I’m sure he does it when he can but without a stoneoven it doesn’t compare.” Rock said with a smirk.

“Stone oven…” Liang murmured, clearly displeased by the word.

“That’s the prize Rock wanted from winning the New Year’s Tournament.” Jyugo said as he and Uno were watching him.

“Yeah, I remember…” Liang muttered.

“It took them a long time but they finally finished installing it!” Uno said.

“Is that so…?” Liang said and eyed Theodora as if to confirm it.

“Yeah, it took a while to do it.” Theodora nodded. “I heard they almost burned the kitchen down trying to instal it correctly. The Old Man would’ve given those guys more hell that Shiro could possibly do, hehehe…!”

“This piece was cut from the very first pizza that came out of that oven—you’re looking at a piece of history.” Rock said as Shiro came over and loomed over Liang. “Shiro was really excited to make it. See? Look at how happy he is!”

Theodora looked up at Shiro’s face, then at Liang’s. She couldn’t help but snicker softly at his fearful expression.

“That’s his happy face…?” Liang whispered, obviously intimidated by him.

“Hurry. Take a bite while it’s still hot.” Rock urged him.

Theodora, knowing Liang was being stubborn, rolled her eyes and grabbed a piece herself. Knowing he was watching her in confusion, she took a bite of it since she hadn’t tried it herself. Her eyes widened in clear surprise, not really expecting it to taste so good.

“Oh, wow, this is good!” She exclaimed, looking joyful. “I honestly didn’t expect that. It reminds me of home.” She looked to Shiro and gave him a thumbs up. “I compliments go to you, my good sir!”

Shiro just nodded to her in appreciation. Liang could only stare at her as if she betrayed him, his eye twitching in annoyance. She just shrugged at him innocently.

“What? I can’t deny good food when I taste it!” She exclaimed. “Eating is probably my favorite time of the day. You know about my condition.”

“Oh, right…” Liang muttered.

“Wait, you mean the HSAN?” Rock asked, causing Theodora to nod. “RIght, right, right! You said something about only to be able to feel things with your tongue, right?”

“Mm-hm.” She nodded. “When I was a kid I was a big foody because of that. Since I can only sense with my tongue, breakfast, lunch and dinner became my favorite parts of the day. But seriously, Liang, try it. It’s good, I swear!”

“You did get brought here, after all. "Jyugo spoke up, grabbing Liang’s attention. "The least you can do is give it a try.”

Liang became a bit silent after that. In a sort of reluctance, Liang took the slice from Rock’s hand and examined it. Slowly, he brought the slice to his mouth and took a bite, the group watching intensely for his reaction. His eyes widened in shock as he swallowed.

“Delicious…!” He exclaimed softly.

“Isn’t it though?!” Rock exclaimed, becoming so excited he was standing up from his seat. “Pizza baked in a stone oven has a superior taste, texture, and even smells better! And that’s just the start. You can cook bread, meats—anything! I’ve been dreaming about this for ages. I’m glad they could let you come here so I can show you why. Thanks again, Theo.”

“You are very welcomed.” Theodora said, spinning her hand and raising into the air as if bowing.

“Ah ha ha! This is delicious indeed!” Yamato exclaimed. He was sitting at the end of the table, eating a slice of pizza with chopsticks along with a gigantic bowl of rice.

“That bowl’s huge, Yamato…” Theodora murmured, staring at him in shock. “Just… Why’re you eating that with your pizza?”

“You get it, we Japanese eat rice with everything!” Yamato exclaimed through a mouth full of rice.

“No, no I do not considering I am American and not at all Japanese.” Theodora stated firmly. “Hell, I don’t even look Japanese, have you seen my arms in the sun!”

“At any rate, we’re pretty lucky we get to eat food this good.” Uno said and turned to Rock. “I appreciate it, Rock.”

“No prob!” Said the big guy, grinning cheerfully.

'Rock is honestly a gigantic kid.’ Theodora thought as she stared at his expression. 'He kinda is underappreciated. I should fix that some time. I bet he wouldn’t mind it if I tried giving him some recipes to keep…’ As she thought that, Rock went on a huge rant of why he enjoys a stone oven so much. Liang looked overwhelmed by his attitude.

“I feel like Rock wants to become Shiro’s apprentice someday.” Uno said, looking towards Liang.

“I can definitely see that…” Stated Liang.

“That would actually be awesome if that happened…” Theodora said quietly, clearly enjoying that idea.

Hearing a few familiar stomps, she looked up to see Shiro walking over to them. He came up behind Liang and placed a very familiar container in front of him. Theodora recognized it as a bamboo steam basket. They had those everywhere in Building 5. Shiro placed it in front of him and lifted the lid up, revealing two large pieces of food.

“Are those…” Liang could only stare at them in surprise.

“I told Shiro you were coming over, so he learned how to make Chinese food.” Rock explained.

“They’re peach buns…” Liang reached for one and held it. He slowly brought it to his mouth and took a bite. He looked shocked, only for his face to show total bliss. “So good… It taste like I’m visiting home.”

Theodora couldn’t help but grin at his expression. Seeing Liang’s happy expression was always something she cherished seeing. Back when she was in Building 5 she has alway tried to get him smiling since he was so serious all the time. 'Everyone deserves a type or laugh or smile sometimes…’

“Good job, Shiro! A Chinese native just complimented your cooking!” Rock exclaimed to the man.

Even Shiro’s face turned red with appreciation, glad he could get such a praise. Theodora couldn’t help but laugh at his expression, glad to two over-serious men could be joyed today.

“You know… I don’t think I’ve ever sat down to enjoy eating like this.” Liang said in realization.

“Seriously?” Jyugo questioned, obviously surprised by his words.

“I’ve always looked at the consumption of food as a chore,” Liang said. “One essential to retaining my training regiment.” Shiro began to pour a cup of tea for him. “But taking in the aesthetics of a meal, enjoying its aroma and flavor…” Liang smiled and picked up the cup of tea. “It’s a nice use of time.”

“I’m glad.” Rock said, catching Liang’s attention. “You’ve lost weight since the two of us first met, right? I was worried when I saw you at the tournament. This should help, though. The only thing you get from fighting are injured and people who are pissed at ya. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had plenty of those. I’m over all that.”

“Oh yeah?” Jyugo questioned.

“I did the math and eating’s way better.” Rock said. “When you eat you get full—that feels awesome. And everyone smiles when they eat something good. We get to eat something tasty everyday—we should count ourselves lucky.”

“A-fucking-men!” Theodora said and slapped the table, causing Uno to snort and start laughing. She then elbowed Liang. “And you didn’t want to come. Someone just got proven wrong.”

“Yes,” Liang chuckled lightly at her. “You always did have a way of being right all the time…”

“I wouldn’t say that, but…” Theodora shrugged jokingly, laughing when Liang pushed her shoulder to knock her down.

“Anyways, Rock…” Liang looked back at him with a serious expression. “I’m sorry for what I said in our fight. I called your dream ridiculous—but I was wrong.” Liang stood up from his spot and gave a short bow. “Xie xie. The meal was delicious. Thanks for sharing.”

'That’s my queue.’ Theodora stood up herself. Being the guard who took him here, she had to be the one to bring him back. She waved at the boy’s goodbye before turning to catch up to Liang with ease. Once she was beside him and copying his pace, she was glad to see the soft smile on his face.

“…Was that so hard?” She said to him with a big smirk. Liang laughed softly.

“No, I gues not…” He said before lifting his head and smiled at her. “I’m glad you brought me. Thank you, Theodora.”

“If you want, I’m sure I can get the Old Man in Building 5 to cook you peach buns.” She said and winked at him.

“No, no.” Liang lifted his hand up and waved it. “You already pulled enough strings as it is. I’m just grateful that I could taste a bit of home away from home today…”

Theodora smiled at him before looking forwards again. “Okay…”

A comfortable silence fell between them, walking side by side back to Building 5.

“Why do I have to come now?”

“Because I was directly ordered to go get you.”

“They why did you allow Qi to come?”

“Because I can.”

“Good to know you’ve been the same as always, Theo.”

Theodora just shrugged at Qi’s comment. After bringing Liang back to his cell Hajime had contacted her on her radio. He asked her to bring Upa down towards a gaming room because Nico asked for it. Thankfully she hadn’t left the building otherwise she’d be annoyed as all hell.

Turning back around, she went to go get Upa. But, of course, Qi decided to come along. Why? To get out of work. As much as she shouldn’t let him off of the hook, she allowed it this once. It’s been awhile since she’s seen them so why not? Upa clearly disagreed with her, but she obviously ignored his complaints. Once she got to this new game room of Nico’s, she was utterly shocked by the sight.

It was a gigantic arcade room. From what she knew, this was his reward from the tournament. She knew he wanted the latest games but she had no idea they’d go this out of hand with it. It was actually a pleasant surprise for her.

“What the heck…?” Muttered Upa as he did not seemed pleased. “Did you seriously bring me here in the middle of my meditation? What the hell, Theo.”

“Hey, I just listen to orders, don’t blame me.” Theodora said flatly and held her hands up in defense. “…But you gotta admit, this place is pretty cool.”

“MASTEEEER!” Nico suddenly came into view, flailing his hands in excitement as Upa went behind Alloisia’s leg at his sudden appearance. “COME ON, LET’S PLAY SOME GAMES!”

“WHOA, slow it down, kid!” Upa shouted, having his arms out ready to attack him. “I do not recall agreeing to be your master!”

“But you did say you’d think about it if I beat you in the tournament.” Nico said to him a lot calmer than before.

“Yeah, well I did think about it. I decided I don’t want to.” Upa stated harshly.

“Huh?!” Nico exclaimed in shock.

“Could you be anymore harsher on the kid, jeez, Upa…” Theodora groaned and rubbed her head at his usual behavior.

“Yeah, what’s your hold up?” Qi questioned him.

“Maybe that’s because you aren’t a qigong master.” Upa retorted.

“Ah, yes, because of course that is the case.” Theodora said sarcastically and bent her upper body more towards Upa’s height. “Seriously, Upa. If you keep being this nitpicky you’ll never gain a disciple to teach.”

“You don’t know that!” Upa snapped at her. “And stop bending forwards like that, I get that you’re tall! Stop rubbing it in my face!”

Theodora could only roll her eyes and shake her head at his usual antics. She straightened up, only now realizing the rest of Cell 13 was here as well. It honestly shouldn’t surprise her. The group hardly goes anywhere without each other.

“Hey, you there.” Jyugo spoke up and pointed at Qi. “You’re the guy who slept at the top spinning event.”

Qi stiffened, being guilty as charged.

“What? You tagged along uninvited to get out of work?” Rock questioned, hitting the nail on the head.

“Kinda scummy…” Uno commented.

“Why’re you calling me scummy? You only just met me!” Qi said.

'But… it is kinda truuuue…’ Theodora thought but didn’t dare say it. As she thought that she heard a familiar frustrated monkey-like screech. She turned, knowing exactly who it was, only to hear the familiar voice of Kazari. She turned back around and pretended she heard nothing, knowing it would be easier that way.

When she did turn back around, she saw that everyone fled to their own devices. Seeing that they would all stay here, Theodora began to look around the place. It’s been a long time since she had been around so many games. Passing by a few she smiled softly.

'I remember all of these types of games…’ She thought to herself. 'It’s been so long, too. I wonder if that place is still standing in my old hometown…?’

“Having fun?” A voice snapped her out of thought.

Turning her head, she spotted Jyugo behind her. She shrugged and looked back to the game she had her hand on as she recalled a few memories.

“I guess…” She replied to him. “It’s been years since I’ve played a videogame… When I was younger I always snuck out of my house… Most of the time I went to the local arcade in my town. I always carried a bag of coins with me so I could play. I was utterly addicted to it…” She looked and smiled at him. “Those were some good memories…”

“Huh…” Jyugo muttered and turned his head, watching Uno and Rock battle it out on some dancing game.

“I’m surprised you aren’t playing any.” Theodora said and faced him, catching Jyugo off guard. “Why aren’t you playing any games? They’re all fun. You should go join the others.”

“I… rather not…” Jyugo muttered, looking away from her.

“How come…?” Theodora crossed her arms, genuinely looking concerned. “Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing like that.” Jyugo shook his head. He gazed at the floor as he looked embarrassed. “It’s just, that… I don’t know how…”

Theodora blinked her eyes owlishly for a moment before smiling softly. “Want me to teach you then?”

“Huh?” His head shot up. It was now his turn to blink owlishly at her.

“I’ll teach you how to play some games if you like.” She offered. “I haven’t played any in years, so I’m pretty rusty. But I can definitely teach you the simple concepts if you want.”

“Uh, no thanks.” Jyugo said and looked away from her. “I’m fine just watching…”

“…Okay.” She said and shrugged, knowing to just leave him be. “If you ever want somebody to teach you anything, you can always ask me. I’m willing to help.”

“Why though…?” Jyugo asked her, clearly surprised by her words. “You always want to help so much… Why is that?”

“Well…” Theodora gazed softly at the ground, having a bit of a melancholy expression on her face. “…I’ve always had people helping me as a little kid. Still to this day, I need a little help with thing every now and then. I guess you could say… I just want to simply make up for the times so many people have helped me. I like helping people. It makes me glad to see them happy…”

“Oh…” Jyugo muttered, understanding her point of view.

“If you ever change your mind about those games, just ask, 'kay?” She said and winked at him.

Theodora turned and walked to a different game. Jyugo was so thankfully she turned after that, because he was damn well positive his face was redder than a fire hydrant. He literally spun around and leaned against a gaming system to get his head together so he would stop blushing!

Unaware of his situation, Theodora went around the place. She was fascinated with every gaming system they got and placed it here. It was really impressive. Eventually she stopped at a machine she hadn’t seen in years. It was one of those claw machines where you have to try and get a prize. She saw the guys surrounding it while Jyugo was on the stick. She walked over to see what was up, only to see Jyugo luck out and drop the object.

“You touched it that time.” Nico said to hopefully make him not so upset. But that wasn’t happening with Rock’s mocking laughter.

“You really are trash at everything but jailbreaking, Jyugo.” Uno stated bluntly.

“C'mon, give 'im a break.” Theodora said and nudged Uno’s arm with her elbow. “These machines are hard. I lost plenty of times to these things. They aren’t easy in the slightest.”

“For you that is.” Uno commented and tugged Jyugo aside. “Here, let me show you how.” Uno began controlling the machine. “Look, it’s all about your angle. You wanna grab the head straight.”

They watched in amazement as Uno gained one of the plushies. It went down the little shoot and Theodora grabbed it out of the slot since she was standing right there. Her eyes widened as her mouth went into a wide grin.

“Oh my god, it’s a mini Jyugo!” She exclaimed and laughed a little. “Are there mini us’s in there…!? However made these deserves a high five, oh my god!”

“Yeah, there’s a bunch in here.” Uno said and instantly spotted one and went right for it. “Hey, I think I spotted a mini Nico.”

The little doll went down the shoot and Nico grabbed it. Theodora gaped in amazement at the little, adorable details on the dolls. She honestly couldn’t help the gushing feeling she had. She was a sucker for small things.

“Whoa! That’s so cool!” Nico exclaimed as Uno stood by, grinning happily to himself.

“They really did an amazing job here.” Theodora said happily as she was trying to remain as a calm headed adult.

“Hey, is that what I think it is?” Jyugo questioned and pointed at a plushy inside.

“I think it is!” Uno said and went after it. He gained yet again another plushy. Jyugo took it out and held it out.

“It’s a mini Theo.” He stated.

“Aaah! It’s so cute!” Theodora couldn’t help but loudly gush over the plushy, gazing at it in his hands. “They put a little mask on and everything! Oh my god…!”

Uno, Jyugo, and Rock stood there with shocked expressions written all over their faces. Nico ran off somewhere, trying to look for Upa, but that didn’t stop him from hearing Theodora’s exclaim. The older woman looked up from the plushies, her smiling face now falling as she suddenly looked horrified in realization.

“…I just squealed, didn’t I…?” She whispered softly.

They all nodded their heads.

“…Fuck.” She hissed, turning away from them and bit her finger as her face turned red.

“…THAT WAS ADORABLE!” Uno exclaimed, suddenly hugging Theodora, which shocked her as she became stiff as a board. “I will get you anything if you make that face again, I swear to god! That was so fUCKING CUTE!”

“W-what the hell…!?” Theodora muttered and got out of his arms, looking immensely uncomfortable.

“You never act girlish like that in front of us! That was the most cutest thing coming from you!” Uno said quickly and all in one breath. He was trying to hug her again, but Theodora’s arm was out to prevent him from getting closer. “Come here, you deserve another hug!”

“N-no! Fuck off!” She exclaimed, her voice getting deeper as her face was all red. “I am anything BUT cute! Are you on crack or something?! AND STOP TRYING TO HUG ME!”

“Well, Uno kinda has a point…” Rock murmured as he, indeed, found Theodora’s squeal cute.

“Nope! That’s it!” She immediately turned and climbed onto one of the gaming consoles to get away from Uno. “STOP SAYING I’M CUTE, DAMNIT!”

“Are you always like this when showered in affection?” Uno asked her, trying to poke the air at her. “You’ll willingly hug anybody but when it’s the other way around you freak out. What’s up with you? I know you’re weird but this makes you even weirder.”

“I-I’m not used to it, okay?!” She yelled at him. “Lay off, will ya?!”

Uno just laughed at her, finding her reaction utterly hilarious. The same can’t be said from Jyugo as he watched the entire thing silently, trying not to burn holes into Uno’s head. Now this feeling was something he could do without…

“Come on, Master! You should play with us, too!” Nico said, grabbing everyone’s attention as Upa turned away from him.

“I don’t want to.” Upa said, being the stubborn goat he was.

“Aw, but it’s really fun, I promise!” Nico whined, trying to convince him into joining.

“Heh. I guess he’s scared he can’t do it!” Uno taunted loudly.

“No, I totally could!” Upa exclaimed, now facing Uno for mocking him. “Such a simple task is beneath me.”

Seeing this action take place, Theodora put her hands under her armpits and began flapping her arms like a bird while making chicken noises at him. She was still sitting on top of the game consoles cross legged with the little Jyugo plush in her lap.

“Bawk! Bawk! Bawk, bawk, baaaaaawk!” She taunted towards Upa.

“What was that?!” Upa growled at her and pointed directly at her. “You’re supposed to be the peaceful one, aren’t you?!”

“Sorry, what?” She said as a smug smirk took place on her face. “I couldn’t hear you over the BAWK! BAWK!”

“That’s it!” Upa stomped on the ground and marched over to the claw machine. “I’ll show you both who the real chickens are!”

“Oh, please do.” Uno said and leaned against the machines Theodora sat on.

Theodora leaned forwards, her arms around the Jyugo plushy, officially hiding it from view as it remained in her lap. Upa went for a plushy, but it slipped out of the claw. It was silent for a moment before Upa threatened to obliterate the machine, both Rock and Nico having to restrain and stop him. Upa grew very frustrated, his temper being nothing more than a hair trigger.

“I forgot how intense he gets with these things…” Theodora murmured as she was stoic faced again, ready to jump into action if she must.

“What do you find so amusing!?” Upa yelled at Nico, who stood right next to him.

“You look like you’re having fun, that’s all.” Nico replied.

“AAH I’M NOT ENJOYING MYSELF EVEN REMOTELY! I JUST REALLY HATE LOSING, OKAY?!” Upa shouted and slammed against the machine, causing the plushy he grabbed the fall through.

He became quiet at the realization of winning the plushy. Which happened to be a mini version of himself. Almost dumbfounded, Upa bent down and grabbed the little plushy.

“You got it on your second try, way to go!” Complimented Nico.

“Heh… That was… easy…” Upa said, smiling at the doll.

Theodora couldn’t help but smile herself. Upa is honestly hard to handle, but Nico seemed to be just doing fine with that. She couldn’t help just imagine what it would be like if Nico kept doing stuff like this with Upa. 'Nico’s a pretty special individual… I wonder…

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