Reality's a Bitch(1x1 with KayKay)

[Chewy Rabbits]

Taking a seat on the bed herself, even Yukin couldn't manage to keep herself sitting straight, collapsing onto the bed in a rather ungraceful heap. She'd worry about appearances...tomorrow. But even as she laid down tired, she spoke to Nemo. She had to say something after getting some boy involved in this mess, even if by mistake.

"Are you alright, Nemo? I am sorry to have involved you in this. I only meant to defeat those thugs on the street, never to involve you in this world of terror, fighting, and bloodshed. However, once I have cleared them out and completed my mission, you will no longer have any connection to it. After tonight, I cannot recommend you stay with me any longer. Understood?"

Her voice was calm and gentle, but a little melancholy. She'd seen enough kids make the mistake of being born into this world of fighting and xenophobia. Born without a chance of being able to settle in with everyone else.

She wouldn't drag someone into it if she could help it.

Nemo winced as bandages were placed on him and his other wounds were tended to. But he couldn't help but let out a series of giggles either. Yukin was going from super awesome best friend to mother hen mode! Though it was admirable in of it itself how quickly she flicked the 'on' switch from kicking butt to caring about others. As she finished however, Nemo waved off her comment. "You did your best Yukin and that's all I can ask for!" Maybe he'd just take a nap and then he could go back to his parents in the morning or something!

But what Yukin said froze the boy and removed the smile from his face. His bottom lip quivered and his eyes watered as snot began to run down his nostrils. Was she serious? Had she really gone and disrupted his peachy mood with that?

"Y-You're so awesome, Yukin! H-How could you say something s-so stupid?!"

Clutching onto the covers, Nemo sharply turned away from Yukin. Showing his back to her, bandaged up it may have been from the blows he'd taken. But what Yukin had said struck him deeper than any weapon or fist could have. She was making the same mistake that all the grown-ups made when they assumed Nemo couldn't take the heat because he was just a kid! That he'd crack like an egg at the slightest show of serious business. He'd been told over and over to the point he'd probably be able to give Astaroth a speech on it how he shouldn't let his naivety overwhelm him. That seeing the world in shades of black and white would only blind him to the truth.

But didn't anybody think he was aware of this? He knew the world was more complex than good guys and bad guys. Even people who looked like good guys could end up becoming bad guys. But on the flipside even bad guys could become good guys. So what was wrong with how he saw things? There were good people and bad people and either one could become the other. That is why Nemo gave people like Rika a pass. He didn't endorse the likely brutal and merciless things she did and had probably done even before she met him. But he felt that deep down there was a person who cared about her friends and the people close to her. Maybe she had a family of her own? Maybe she was doing what she did to protect them or to help them? Nemo obviously didn't like the fact that this apparently included murdering Yukin but he didn't want to pretend like he had the whole picture. He just had a gut feeling and that's what he'd stick with.

Until Rika showed herself to be completely irredeemable, Nemo would keep trying at every turn to reach her however he could. She didn't have to do this! The way her and Yukin fought with such a near level of parity it was absolutely breathtaking! Why couldn't they have been friends so they could learn from each other without needing to threaten eachother's lives? Was friendship truly that hard to grasp? Or did she simply need a teacher on the matter? In that case Nemo would have been more than glad to be Rika's friend if she would have him.

Who knew? Maybe even that redhaired guy had his own set of morals and things that made him good and Nemo just hadn't seen them? He'd only been able to bare witness to the 'bad' side of Kouki and had been savaged by the teen rather brutally. Nemo wouldn't go out of his way to help him because he felt Kouki was rooted where he was and attempting to move him was an exercise in futility and Nemo imagined there was far more deserving people in the world in need of a friend than him.

But the point of the matter was that Nemo knew more than he might have let on despite his age. He may have wanted to be a hero like The Kid but even he knew when he got into trouble. He didn't think himself invincible or all-powerful. He saw himself as the only one willing to stand up for those who couldn't do it themselves. His strength didn't matter after that. His resolve would pull him through the day. Just as it had in his encounter with Rika and Kouki. He had stayed strong mentally while being broken physically and only broke down upon seeing Yukin go to great lengths to rescue him. He didn't need to be coddled like this! He didn't need to be turned away from one of his friends because things could simply get 'too dangerous!.' It wasn't fair at all!

Rising up to his feet, Nemo jabbed a fist right into the wall. Obviously, he wasn't strong enough to punch a hole through it. Instead all he had ended up doing was bruising his knuckle. But he didn't care a lick about the pain aching through his hand which pleaded with him to stop. Leaning against the wall with a hand pressed against it, Nemo spoke through clenched teeth as he held back the tears as best as he could.

"I know I'm just a kid, Yukin. I know things apparently get dangerous around you. Those people wanted you injured or worse and I don't even know why that is! There's a lot of things I don't know about you but I'll never know them if you push me away like this! I'm not just some bright-eyed punk kid with delusions of grandeur, Yukin! I-I know things could have gotten a whole lot worse before they got better! If you hadn't shown up when you did, Astaroth might have ripped those jerks limb from limb and they wouldn't have deserved i! They were dumb sure, idiots who probably never had a day of school. They didn't deserve to die! You came in and saved me without needing to severely hurt them or even kill them! You showed off your stuff and they fled into the night! But they could have beaten me up and tossed me to lay with the trash, maybe even stolen my toy sword and pawned it off somewhere. But I wouldn't blame anyone for what happened there. I saw someone being mistreated when they couldn't stand up for themselves and I acted." Nemo said as he continued to face away from Yukin, instead speaking to her while glancing over his shoulder.

"A true hero isn't the strongest man in the world or even the smartest man or even a man at all! It's someone who has the courage to stand up for what's wrong in the world and that's something I strive to be for everyone who shows potential to change for the better. I bet if those boys's mothers go them in line, they wouldn't be bothering anybody and while I couldn't be friends with them, I could at least walk past them on the street and so could others without getting into harm's way. The same goes for that eye-patch girl we fought against! Her moves were so graceful, it was almost like a beautiful dance between you and here with how agile you both were and with how much power you put into each blow! But she stopped the red-haired guy from hitting me any more and she didn't beat me when I didn't provide too much useful information. She just froze me from moving and I would have remained out of harm's way until I saw you in trouble and I acted. But I'm not naive enough to know if that you had been more heartless and decided not to show up, I wouldn't be here speaking to you, to Astaroth, to anyone."

The idea of losing his life was something that Nemo didn't think too much about. Not because it frightened him but simply because it felt morbid to think about something like that regularly. You enjoyed life and did what you wished with it and if people remebered you fondly then all the better. You could pass on knowing you made some people's lives better by being in them. But he knew that were people who didn't care about romanticized affairs like that and only kept around what was useful. If Nemo hadn't proved himself useful and Yukin hadn't showed up/Astaroth arrived too late, then he didn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out what's likely to have happened to him in the interim.

"TEN YEAR OLD BOY'S BODY FOUND IN DITCH. TAKEN BEFORE HIS TIME! WHO COULD HAVE BEEN BEHIND SUCH AN AWFUL DEED?"

That seemed like a likely headline or so Nemo figured. That's all the news seemed to talk about these days was people dying or the most mundane of things like what celebrity in America was doing. Part of the reason why Astaroth and Nemo both used the TV mainly for video games and movies! But Nemo knew that if he didn't have friends like Yukin and Asaroth to count on, he likely wouldn't even be standing here getting all worked up over it to begin with! Clenching his hands into knuckles, Nemo's nails dug so deeply into the palm of his hands that the bandages around them began to fade into a deep crimson.

"I don't want you to apologize, Yukin. You did nothing wrong by standing up for what was right. You did as I would have done and fought for someone who couldn't defend themselves. Just as a hero should do. I'm no fan of bloodshed or violence as I want to give everyone I can a chance at a good honest life. But I understand that there are people who will simply toss aside such things. But you don't have to push me away, Yukin! I still care about you and want to be your friend! It's all thanks to you and Astaroth that I'm still here! S-So d-don't push me away.."

Astaroth had heard every word between Nemo and Yukin. He was exhausted but he knew how much of a hot button topic this was for Nemo. Whether Yukin meant it as she had or not wasn't up to Astaroth to judge. He may have looked over Nemo but he was NOT the boy's parent. If Nemo wanted to make a decision and felt strong enough to do it then he could damn well do it. But there was nothing in the world Nemo hated more than an implication that him being a kid meant he couldn't handle stuff like this.

He'd only been stunned at seeing Astaroth do what he did to Rika because Astaroth had never needed a reason to go all out on an opponent like that. Most of Nemo's 'enemies' were bully kids or thugs that Astaroth could typically scare off most of the time. But Nemo would do everything in his power to assure that people were safe, despite his age!

@Kaykay

​

 

[Kaykay]

Yukin was a little stunned he'd called what she said stupid, but she could easily shrug something like that off. The problem was he was making a mistake she'd seen far too often. The error in his thinking had led to far more disasters than she wished to recount. The road to hell was paved with good intentions, as they said.

"Someone standing up without power is only asking to be cut down. Do you know why you are safe today? Because I am, to put it bluntly, strong. If I was weak, you already understand what would have happened tonight. If your friend was weaker, everyone in this room would, quite likely, be dead. To choose your battle carefully is the single best thing you can do for everyone."

She relaxed into her bed, her body weary. But she wasn't done speaking just yet.

"I know what you want to say. You would be willing to sacrifice your life for someone else. But you do nothing if you try to help, only to die or even make the situation worse. If I were to die, and for no other reason other than you wanted to save me you rushed in, only to die yourself, do you think I would be happy you died? That is nothing but selfishness. You cannot handle the idea of letting someone get hurt, so you get yourself hurt. But then you only make the others around you sad. A true sacrifice is making others happy, even if that means you must let the inevitable happen. Do you understand?"

Yukin reached her hand up to ruffle Nemo's hair. That was probably the most she'd spoken in at once in quite some time, though the fact she'd been alone in Japan meant that probably didn't count for much. But she didn't really want to be reprimanding him. For a young boy, he had shown rather commendable bravery and usage of Qi. He must have been strangely talented, or perhaps someone in his family was a martial artist? Regardless, it had been an impressive display from someone like him.

"If you wish to jump into this world of your own accord, then I will not and cannot stop you. However, you must promise me one thing." She raised up one finger in front of Nemo's face. "Unless you are certain you are capable of making the situation better, you will not act in a reckless manner. I do not wish to be the one who led you down the path of your ruin. No buts, ands, or ifs. Is that clear?"

She wrapped her arm around the boy, taking him in a kind of side hug as she laid on the bed and closed her eyes. She was so, so awfully tired after today...

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

"If you wish to jump into this world of your own accord, then I will not and cannot stop you. However, you must promise me one thing." She raised up one finger in front of Nemo's face. "Unless you are certain you are capable of making the situation better, you will not act in a reckless manner. I do not wish to be the one who led you down the path of your ruin. No buts, ands, or ifs. Is that clear?"

She wrapped her arm around the boy, taking him in a kind of side hug as she laid on the bed and closed her eyes. She was so, so awfully tired after today...

"I promise, Yukin. No more reckless behavior..."

Nemo froze up as Yukin began to ruffle his hair. She at least understood what he'd been getting at and that meant a lot to him. In the short time they'd known eachother, Nemo had looked up to Yukin and sure she spilled blood. Something Nemo didn't quite agree with. But she understood how to go about making people you care about happy. Leaning into the hug as Yukin held him close, he wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his head on her chest. It was almost disconcerting how comfortable he felt here compared to how he had felt back at the Bakushin base.

He had felt so cold, alone even though Rika was there the whole time. He didn't talk to her of course because what could he say? Small talk wouldn't reach out to the woman. But here he felt warm, with people who cared about him, safe and sound. But as he was about to drift off, he noticed how red his bandages were due to him clenching his hands too tightly. Gently rolling out of the bed, Nemo scampered off to the bathroom to change the bandages.

Closing the door behind him, Nemo stood on his tip-toes to look right in the mirror as he began to unwrap the bandages on his right hand. All the while thoughts continued to swirl around in his head. He promised Yukin that he'd keep a clearer head about things and think them through before acting so he didn't get in dangerous spots under the guise of just helping someone. It'd only end up getting him hurt and that didn't help anyone! Letting the bandages fall into the wastebin, Nemo looked at the gouges he had made in the palm of his hand with his nails. He'd gotten too worked up over something that Yukin had understood all along.

But he couldn't help it! He wanted to make everyone happy however he could! The consequences be damned! Removing the other set of bandages, Nemo scrounged around for a bottle of peroxide only to drop it to the ground as he glanced in the mirror and while most people weren't bothered by their reflection, Nemo tumbled back into the wall at what exactly stared back at him.

It looked just like him as a reflection should. But part of him seemed to be dissolving and he was entirely shrouded in shadows. Nemo couldn't even make out his reflection's own facial features. With the exception of course being the left eye which didn't seem like any eye Nemo had ever seen! What the heck was going on here with that?! The eye in question seemed to have a pentagram within it instead of a pupil of any kind and then Nemo heard a voice. One that sounded like a distorted mimicry of Nemo's own voice.

"͓͞He̬̮̭͖͖͔͔͠ḽ̬̦̞l҉͕o̶͉̞ ͢N̷̜e͈̫̞̣mo,̻̖̜ ̙͞p̡̘l̘e̬͜a̸̟s̸̹an̶̻̱̟̗̼t̢̝͇̥̯̤ ͎̝͇e͙͚̞̞n̜o̫͠u̲̮g͙̝h͇͉̣͍͔ ̩͈̲̣̫ț͎̩̻͙̰i̩̯̘̻͘m̛̰e̢̪̮̭͍̼̣ ̣͕̘̼͕̟͕͠t̞o̵̲̩͓͉̤ ̴̟̩͇̻̱m̞ȩ͈̟̼e̩͚̱͖͓̥͠ͅt̨̳ i̡̥s͍̹n̞̳'͕͖͇͝t̨̞̥͖͖̻̠̞ ̦̬̩͎̥̼̼i͕͚̺͓͘t?͕̦̗̝̗̫̀ ̮͓C̠͜ḷ̼̞̞͖͙e̶̺a̜̲̜̬n̜͉i͕͔̩͉n̖̭̭͎͔͎͟g͈͓̭̬͎̼̳̀ u͜p̸͎͉̹̣͉̹ ͎̙͍t̮͍̲͖͉h̲͙̮̠̺̟͝ͅo͍͔̘̻͈͔̕s̟͇͙e̝͇ ̻͉̭̹̤͜c̵͍̼̯͉̞̼̼ṷ̳̫̣̯̹̗t͍̠͚̭̦s ̪̱̮̪̲̯ͅơn͙̹̼̖̬͔̜ ̛̮̰̣̜̤y̙̪̯̠̦o̩̪ur͔̮͞ ̸̫̣͔͈͚̜h̼͔͈͉̯̬ͅa̢̺n̹̰̳̩̕ḓ͎̻̗͇͖,̭̖̥̲͓͕ ̭̺̬̲͡I̭̠̫͡ ̫́s҉͎͎̤͚e̼͎̗e̳̳̱̕ͅ.̞ ̲̮̪̞̤͚Ṋ̪͙̥͓̘͠a̫̪s̻̬̱̜͠t̯̼̠̝̱̦y̘̠̥̩̟̩͡ ̩͕st̙̪̻͖͙̞͟u̞͈͕ͅf̟͎͖̯̫͟f͇̭̥͖͍̜̺ ̹̦̺̬͉ͅf͖͟o҉͍r̫ ̟ͅs̜ṵ͖̼̹r̼̫͡ẹ̻̭͟.̦̀"̨̦̙͕̗̣̹̜


The voice shook Nemo down to the very fibre of his being. Was he simply having a nightmare? Closing his eyes and opening them, the shadow would have still been within the mirror as it tapped it's forearm almost impatiently.

"̠̯T҉r͕͘y̗̟̗̦i̸͉͓͈ng͏̖̟̻̠̘ ̳͜t̺͈͚͓͕͙o҉͈͕̭ ̳̰͔̜̲sk̵̪̤̖͎̝͍͓i̞p͔̰͓̳͍̫ ̛̺̺̫͇̬o͙̥̣̳ͅͅu҉t̢ ̡̳̞̬̱̯ọ̤ͅn ͎̘̯͘ou̼̩̘̹̼r̸̰͕̺̥̦̤ ͙̖̦͍̥t͘a̶̘͉ͅl͇͎͍̪̬k ̥̰̮̘̪b̗͎͓͙̘e͇̗f̦͍̙̘̻̟o̺͍̳̖̰ṟ̼̟̥̟͚ͅe̥̻͈ ͇̤̤̱͓̺y̕o̷̘͇ͅu̷͚̫͉̗̥͖'͇̥͜v̻͎͚͖̟͕e̯͍͈̭̥̖̹͜ ̟͞e͉͎v̛̬͚̭̞e͓̜͇̩̲̱͡n̶ ̨̤g͎̫̣͈͖͎͓͝i̮͕̱̻͘ͅv͓̹̻e̹͇͓̲n̰̜̟͙̜̘͝ ͈̟͇̤m̬͖̞͕̱̟̱e̯̖̤͡ ̗a̬͕̖̯̗̦̠ ̙͙ŕè͚̮͉̲̳s͍̭͘p̫͎̣̼on̷͙̳̩̲s̤e̪̞?̢̝͓̙̱̠̘ͅ ̦͚͍͈I҉̺̙̣͕̮̪ ̛͓m͚̻̦͡ͅu͘s͏͇t͟ ̕s̖̘͕̣̥̖͖a̫͉̠͎ͅy̪̖͈͇͉͎ ̶t̮̹̪̺͔͔͉͟ha̸̬̤͉̻̰̯̞t̢͔'͚͍s͎͍̺͇ ̡̩̖̝̩̤q̠̲̬u̬̯͚it̪͝e̤̻̜̖̮̻ ̹̱́u̻͙̜͖͖͕̣͠n̗̟̝̗͡ͅ-͍̣h̶er̫̭̞̬͝o͓͓̣͚l͘i̦̼͚͎̰̗k̩̱e̷͚̩̳̗̭̯ ̸b̢̼̥̬̭͈̻ͅe҉̗̥h̼͚͚a̝v͔̹͈̠̩͈̤i̱͝o̥̹r̜,͡ ͖̗̦̳̱͚̖͟N͙͈͔͍e͙̜͔͟m̸̥̥͖o̙̪̲̱̼̘.̩̙̬.̶͚̮̰͍̻"̬̺̝̺̟͟


Whatever this thing may have been, Nemo couldn't scream for help. He knew that'd only wake up Yukin or Astaroth and he couldn't risk that. Besides, if this was some kind of nightmare then would he even be able to get help? Wincing as bloody continued to run from his right hand, Nemo glanced up at the mirror and yelled back. "Wh-Who are you? W-Why are you in Yukin's mirror?!"

The shadow didn't seem like it had expected any questions. Tapping rhythmically on it's chin, the shadow snickered. Which given tha it was a twisted mimicry of Nemo's laughter meant it was quite the disturbing sound.

"̫͔͜ͅH̬̗̖͎̗̮e͍̹͙͔̟̫h̴̼͇̖͇̫,̹̟̜͠ ҉w͚̝̟͚ͅe̱͈̟̱̼̮͔͝l̗̖̱̩l̛̗ ̦i̦̟͠t͔̬̺̗̜̲'҉̹̮̣s̶͇͎̠͕̠ ̫͓ó̦̟̺͕̰͎b̵͈̙v̹͇̘i͕̳͓̩o̗͘u͙̘͍̲̥s̯ ́ai͔̮͚̦͎ͅn̨͍̫̱̞͚'̫̰t͈̺̻ ̨̳̞̮̫̼͇i̴͎͈͍̜͔̟̣t̞̫̣̪?̴̼̩͚̖̫ ̹̣͎͖I'͖̣́m̲͈͈̪̤ ̧̯̺y̡̲͖o̷̘̫̗͖̖̩̝u̞̲!̠͔̘̩ ͏͉̼͚͙A͏͚s̸̯̥̖̱̗͖ ̦̩̟̹̺̪ͅf̻͍͖̰͇o̝̫̦̘͍͇r̪̭̟̜͙̘̺ ̛͓w̙h͉̦͔͍̰y̳̠͎̹͇ ̸̖̲̞̮I̵̞'̧͓̞̩m̡̰̺ ͡ẖ̥e̗̭̠̺̘͚̱r͈e?̩̻̪̜̩ ̧J̤̣͞u̳̱͠s͖̥t̳̭̦̳͓ ͓̩̪̙ͅw̹̘̖͡a̞̫͉n̞͖͕̜̮̘̣͠n̻͖̺̟̦a͕̪͉̬̠ ̧̲t̷̖̣̼̙͓a̬̣l̟̗̩̦̟̣͙k ̴̥̻̭̗t̼̰̜͠o͇͙͉͉͖ ̲͇͔͎̯Ṭ͉̰o̝̟̗͔̣͟k̳y̻̱̥͡o͙̯̪̭̗̩̟'̡s̭̝͓̝̞̥̜ ͎̖̻͍͝a̕ṣ̦̯͔̱̗p̳̩̘͍̫͖͝ͅi҉̪̗̻̦̻̱r̹͈̤͜í̞n͢g̰̜ͅ ̞͔̺͖̞h͠e̜͈̣̟͖͉̬͠r̡̫ó̩͖͔̯͎.̤͔͙̰̫ ̡͙͎M̙̰̲̬̮͉̺͟i̧̺͈̞̥̝̖g̶̝̬h̨̦̮̮ͅt̸̪̺̲̬ ̨̠͕̰̜̝̳̲as̭͕̳͕͕̲͠ ̵̤͎̥w̷̦è͉l̮̻͙̖̳͇̮l̤͖̠̥͜ͅ ̸̱̙g͕͎̪͈̹̤è͔̩̳͍͔̗ͅṱ̳͔̻̫̲ ̶a̪̘̺͇ ͏̙ͅc̷̩̫̟haͅt̪̰ ͇i̱͕͕͉̠̬̖n͈͚͎̯͖ ̟̘̖̙̖̯̲ḇ̴̼e͝f̻͙͚̱̱̜o̶̼̖̰̤̩̪̘r̼̥e̪̼̳̮͘ ̧͉̬̜̺̭͍͎y̛͕͉o͓̹̖͇̜̞̯u̶̟̟̤̥͇̭͚ l͙͕̥̹͙e͘ṭ̞̻ ̛̙͔̠̙t̷̙̝ͅha͘t̖̖̟ ͚͉̫ͅḙ̳͎͎g̞͉̖͈̩o ͇̝̯̞͞o̹̥̩̟̝͍͉f̙̠͉̩͢ ̙͖̦͖͖̜y̛̹̯̙o҉̺̘̠̠͇͖̬u̢̟̝r̛ ̝̙̪̤̣g̵̟͇̭͓̞ͅe̹͚͇t̠͍̬̮͔͞ ̝t̸ǫ ̴͎̳̰̜y͠o̫u̢͍̬̦̝̞̯r͕̜͜ ̷̺̭͕̜̤̹he̞̲̞̥a̦̞̥̦͎̫d҉͉͙̩̫.͏̹͍̙͎ ̘T̀h͚̳̤̺̗̰̀ẹ̝̜̞̬͞ ̺̫̤̫d̝͢ḙ͖̹͚a͓͍̣̥̬d̥̥̜͉̥̗́ ̧͔d͖̕o̟̳͈̥̦̪̠ń̙͎̣̳̙͍'̤͖t̴ ͕̫t̲a̼͕l͡k̥̼͔̘̣̫̫̀ ̀n̷̫̼͓̥͇e̯̲̤̪ͅa͝r̙͠l̢͖̻̼̺̳ͅͅy̼͟ ̟̹a̵̝̼̲s҉͚͍̯̖͉̜ ̠̲̺́m̘͍͇͈u͖̼̠̰̞̞̲c̫̲̯̠̟͙ḩ̘̯̠̩̹͍ a̺s̴ ̯ͅth̭͉͉̦ę͓̖̪̣̦͚ ̵͍̩̳l̪i̜̭͖̮͖͠v̴̱͎̱i̺n̩̹̗͎͎̥g,̢ͅ ̘h̲͈̜͓e̸̻̜̥h҉͚̭̙͔̲̠̠ ̜̼̫̼̪̤he҉͙̥


Nemo still didn't quite gel with what this thing was telling him. It had popped up in a mirror in lieu of his actual reflection and now it claimed to be him? There was no way that was true! Continuing to wrap up his right hand while keeping his attention focused on the shadow, Nemo scoffed. "Yeah? Do I turn into a shadow and get a weird eye at some point?" The boy asked as the hadow seemed to find his continued skepticism quite amusing.

"̘͙̘͕̤W̹̲̳̝̗̮ͅe̤ĺ̠̯l҉̳̭̙,̨̱̠̝͍ ̖̪̭̼̜̱I̪̗̫̤͍͍ ̧g̱̝̩̮̞̲̤͟u̖̼e͚̪̱s̖̠͉̟̫̦s҉̺͎̭ͅ ̣̩̯͎͍́ͅy̨̮̝o̶͈̙̼̮̞ú ̟͇̦͕̰̮̫ca͘n̩͎̰̫̥̯ͅ ̶͙sa͙͢y͚ ̶̞͙̞̯͈t͇͖̜̯̪̟h͓͍a̻̱̹͓͉͙ͅt̺̭̹̪̭̯͉ ̜̥̲̝̤͙͙I̝̫̮̝̩̫͉̕'̲͍̺̣͖͚͖ṃ̦ ̢̼n̤̮̦̭̝̠̱͜o͏̩̝͉̫͔͕ͅt̤̪̙͖͈̝̤ ̱̣ͅa̩͓̣͇ ̳͢r̯͓͡e̮̻̬f̮̟͉͍l̲̝̮e͍c̪̗̼̤͟t͔͔͖̯̰͠į͖͇͎̠̲̬ơ̰͔̠n̻̞ ͏̖̝̯o͟f̱̩̙̹ ̬y҉̣o͏̺̥̖̬͓u̦̙̳̟̤͖ ̭̫̬̤͙a͕̠̮̬̲̣͢ș͓͓͇̩̤͎̀ ̳̩̠̖̩̮͎y̼̤͚̖̯̮o̤̱̺̣̖͡u̼̖̙̪ ͎̙̥̦̯̮̖s̨̲͍̜̤̥t͚a̺͚̮̻͡n̶d̩̭̭̭̫̻͜ ̵̦͚̯̜̖͈n̰̺͔̫̥ow̞͚ͅ.̧̫͎̺̼̪͔ ͚̝͕̟̕ͅB̗͖͕͍̥̗͢u̪̰̖͙ț̥͇̩́ ̺̮̱̩̘̠͔r̵aţ͙h͚ͅeŕ͓,͔̭͓͇ ̜͘a̯̤̙̕ ͇̗͎̲s͎i҉g̮͝n̬̹ ̵͙̰͎ͅof̜͕ ̲͓͖̗̗̘͈t͙̤͚̪͈̣̤͜h̳͎͎i͍̰̺̬͙ͅn̠̣͜g̯̖̼̠̜s̢͇̳ ̲͈̼̰̫͎̺y̪̩͎̻̠̺͢e͜t̞̭ͅ ̣̲̤͎̀t̜̯̦̬o̵̜ ̢̜̥̯̺p҉̩a̰̦̬͘s̴͖̬̟̦̫s̡͙̬̭̲̝̼.̩̪̻̪̠͘"̗̻̖͇̫̠̫͜


While the shadow might have found this whole affair to be quite amusing, the actual Nemo found it less so. If this was a nightmare then he wanted to wake up like right now! "I-I'd never become like you or even lose my eye! I promised Yukin I wouldn't do anything reckless!" So far as Nemo was concerned, promises might as well have been binding contracts between friends! The shadow didn't exactly appreciate defiance at this point. Extending it's hand forward, it seemed to snaked out from within the mirror and gripped Nemo by the collar as it lifted him off his feet.

"̵̜̳̺͉̬̞͈Y̶̦̖͕͖ͅͅo̟͖u̥͕̭̱̞͙ ̭̻͇̪t͖h͎̰͙̞̺̬̦i̢ͅn̲̲͖̰̰̹͟k̜ ̤̫̺̩̰̳͢y̞̝̩͓̖͚ͅou͜ ̞̪͠c̠͔̖a̠̟̠̕ͅn͔͜ ͖͚k͔̫͓͈͈e͈͓̞̪̯̮̣e͔̯̹p͡ ̶̰t̳̝̬̣̩̯̪o̧͈͈ ̳̤t͎͖̕h͈̳̬a͚̜͇̖̺t̴̳ ͏̜p̝̥r̛͓̘̮o͎̼̣̩̣m̸̪͎̺̞ͅi̪s̬͕̱͔̻̱̣e̤͚̝̙̫?̤̖͍̳̥̮ ̼̼Y҉͚͍̮o̭͉̣̝u̻͙̲͎'͎͈͙͉̲͙̟l͖l͇͙̠͙ ̫̥͉͍͡f̲̩̤̝̙̻ͅa̰͉̱̖̻̯ịl̵̬̹̫̦̘͎!̪͔̬̭̰̯̳ ̠̞̤̝͍̹͘Ǵi̵̘͚̺͇̠̲̬v̟̪̦͜e̪͙̦̦̮̫͟ ̪ṵ̣̭͉̲̞̬p̨̲̥̰̗͇ ̜̬͘y̫o͙̖̹̺͎̮͢u̟͈̰̞͙͟r̨̙̰ ͞f̬̙̝͞ͅr̝̯̣͜i̷̯͚̟̟̘͔e̪̜̤̪̭n̘̤d̤̖̝̤̰̳s͉̘ͅh̸i̛̺̳̜p̡̰̬ ̯͍̦͡w̳i͝t̡̗̬̻̤͔̖h̩̼ t̫̥h͍͍͠i͏s̨̺̦̜̗̭̥ͅ ̱̹̰̩͞w̟̝̖̗o̧̭̲m̯̻̝a̮͘n̷͉͎̩̻̙̯ ̯ͅa͎̞nd̠͔̟̱ ̜͔̟͎̬̝̥t̩͔̰h̕a̩̲̠̳ṯ̯̫͔̯̗ ̷̺̣̥͓̹̣d̙̺̦̻e̯͈̱͖̤͡m͇̖̖o̘͢n̠͔ͅ ̜̯͟a͚̩̹n͏̘̯̱̫̠͍̗d̸͓͓̯̳̫͓̫ ͘p̧̮̱ẹṛ͡h͖̫̹͓̲̘͔a҉p̼̯̹̲̖͎̭s͖ ̛̲̦y̳̹̝̼o͖̯̗̙̫͞u̫̜ ͞can̷͙̗͍̪ ̣͕͙̩̫͍͚ḁ͇̱̮͝vͅo̟̻̠̫͈̞ͅi̭̘̖͙̻d̫̰̺̟͡ ͕̞̻͙̳m̨̱͎ͅẹ̻̝͟!͔̣̪̺̘͈̙"͚ͅ ̪̼̤̣

The shadow yelled which shocked Nemo. This thing wanted it to stop being friends with Asaroth and Yukin because of the danger? He supposed he could understand given how Yukin's earlier speech had advised him to do the same. But he wouldn't do it! He refused to leave his friends behind!

"No!"

The hand dropped Nemo the floor and receded back into the mirror. Glancing down at Nemo, the shadow leered. "Then you've sealed your fate, boy." With that the pentagram would spin and everything went black for poor Nemo. But he'd soon find himself cuddling up against Yukin's chest while Astaroth was still snoozing on the couch. So it had been a dream after all! But as Nemo was about to drift back up to sleep, he noticed something about his bandaged hands.

Pulling them up to face level, Nemo noticed that the bandages were clean and no longer blood-stained. Which meant that he had changed them. Quickly reaching up to his eye, Nemo didn't feel anything different there. Other than it still stung due to it being a black eye and all. Quietly climbing out of bed, Nemo peeked into the bathroom and saw the bandages in the wastebin and the bottle of peroxide knocked to the floor. As things continued to grow more and more uneasy, Nemo peeked into the mirror to see if his eye had changed.

"...Nope. Still the same old eye." Hopping down, Nemo scampered off back to Yukin's bed and climbed under the covers. Getting as close as he could to Yukin, he clutched onto her for dear life. Something about all this had left the poor boy scared. What was going on and what was going to happen to him???

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

Yukin couldn't help but wake as Nemo clutched onto her. What was wrong? Bad dream, perhaps? Whatever it was, the boy wasn't looking so good.

"Breathe in for 5 seconds, and exhale for 10. Relax your body, do not think. Empty your mind. Allow sleep to retake you."

Giving him a bit of advice, she closed her eyes to drift back to sleep herself. She gave him the advice she had been given as a young girl, and that she had passed on to those with whom she had traveled. It wasn't uncommon for some of the worse things they faced to cause their younger members to fear. Fear that created monstrosities in their dreams, threatening to overtake their sanity.

But with the right breathing and manipulation of Qi, a peaceful, restful sleep could be achieved in any circumstance.

Like before, Yukin was up and about at 7 AM, preparing breakfast. Unless it was necessary to do otherwise, she tended to stick to her preset, usual schedule. A coffee for herself, and three omelettes this time. She wasn't so impolite so as to leave out the freeloader on her couch. If he even ate human food, anyway. She left them heated up, waiting for the others to wake up before eating herself as she sipped her coffee.

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

"Breathe in for 5 seconds, and exhale for 10. Relax your body, do not think. Empty your mind. Allow sleep to retake you."

Giving him a bit of advice, she closed her eyes to drift back to sleep herself. She gave him the advice she had been given as a young girl, and that she had passed on to those with whom she had traveled. It wasn't uncommon for some of the worse things they faced to cause their younger members to fear. Fear that created monstrosities in their dreams, threatening to overtake their sanity.

Nemo couldn't say anything in response to Yukin's words but he appreciated them all the same. He looked to Yukin as someone he could trust. Someone he would always look out for and she'd do the same for him. She was the pillar that others would have to measure up to in terms of what they'd do for someone they cared about. Yukin was at the top because she'd storm into a base filled with bad guys just to save him! As Nemo tried to empty his mind however, all he could remember was the shadow creature from the mirror who warned him of things to come.

Would Nemo lose his eye? That sounded absolutely horrifying! Nemo had only ever gotten into fights before but nobody had ever been sick enough to do something like that. It made Nemo want to stay up all night worrying about it. But he knew that wouldn't do anybody any good. Yukin and Astaroth would be able to see how ragged the boy would seem if he were to stay up all night. Which is why Nemo nuzzled his head in as best as he could into Yukin's chest(flat as it was :|||)and eventually fell into a deep slumber himself.

As the night passed and the crack of the morning sunlight began to bleed in through the shattered windows, Nemo and Astaroth both rose up. Astaroth had managed to finish healing up entirely with the exception of his horn which took longer for some reason. But he still felt pretty rejuvenated! Nemo wished the same could have been said for him. As both made their way to the kitchen, it was clear that despite his best efforts, Nemo still looked rather tired.

Not yet noticing his friend's poor state, Astaroth stared hungrily at the omelette. As a demon you didn't really get meals in Hell and well whenever he got hungry? Astaroth usually just loitered around a slaughterhouse and whenever fresh meat went missing, s'not like he knew where it went.

But something relatively mundane as omelettes? He hadn't gotten a chance to eat something like this since...Since before he became a demon, when he was still human. Before he could dig his claws into it however, he looked towards Yukin and clasped his claws together as he bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you for the meal. I will most humbly enjoy it. I'll uh...Also get started on those repairs today as well."

His thanks given, Astaroth tore into the omelette and much to his delight, they were delicious. The way the cheese and everything else rolled down his throat felt great! It was Astaroth was halfway through his that he noticed how Nemo hadn't even touched his. Raising his tail up, he gently poked the side of Nemo's forehead with his tail's tip as he tilted his head and gestured to the plate.

"You feeling okay Lil Buddy? You usually love breakfast, what's eatin ya?"

Nemo smiled at the concern but the smile quickly faded as he shrugged his shoulders. "I...I just had a bad dream last night is all. Though I'm not really sure it was a dream. It felt so real.."

"...Dreams, huh? Can't say I have too many of those myself. What was it about this one that bothered you so much?" Astaroth supposed that was a lie on his part.

He didn't exactly get much of a chance to sleep while he was down below. Couldn't embrace the constant suffering while you were asleep after all. But the time that he did get to sleep? He didn't bother trying to dream about things. Whether they be good or bad, he'd been through enough that seeing illusions of what he wished could have been only hurt him more than any torture. But Nemo was often so vivid with his dreams! He could tell the demon how each dream went and what happened in it! So what was it about this one that had him so bugged?

"I went up to change the bandages on my hand and then as I was in the middle of it? There was this thing in the mirror. It looked just like me only kind of like a Shadow-me. But it had this one eye that seemed to have a pentagram in it and it warned me that if I didn't stop being friends with you guys, it'd lead me down on a path of pain! I told it I'd never leave my friends and then it told me I'd pay a price.." Nemo's hand slowly moved up to his left eye.

"I thought it was just a dream since I was in bed with Yukin again. But then I noticed the bandages on my hand were new and I guess I got scared.." Nemo muttered as Astaroth frowned. This really didn't sound like any kind of dream Nemo had ever had before. He couldn't blame the guy for being afraid after what happened yesterday but this shadow mimicry of him with some kind of demonic eye? It made the demon shift uncomfortably in his seat. "Well, dream or no dream, I won't let anything hurt you Nemo..."

"Thanks..I know I can trust the two of you."

Quietly digging into his omelettes at last, Nemo seemed a little better. But he still wasn't his usual excited self that much was evident.

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

"See to it that you do."

Yukin began to eat once they were both awake and at the table. For her this was simply what she tended to make in the mornings, so she picked and ate at it without a word. It was almost robotic how she ate it, though it was hard for one to explain why. Perhaps it was the almost inhuman grace of her movements, or the way her face and posture hardly moved a bit, shifting just the minimum about necessary to eat properly.

But as Nemo spoke his mind about what had happened to him the previous night, she set down her fork.

"You are your own worst enemy, this much is true. This also means you have the greatest control over the greatest obstacle of your life. I will not say you will never get hurt and never lose your eye, or even that your dream was incorrect, but in the end it is up to you."

The swordswoman finished her meal and coffee and stood up from the table. What would today bring? Should she immediately resume her hunt of the Bakushin, or take some time to rest? Perhaps playing it safe would be the way to go, but he'd have to think on it more.

"Do not forget, to join my world is to willingly go along a path of pain. I say it again for your own good. Unless you wish to fight, you should go home. There are things beyond my and your demon's power."

She didn't like having to talk to him like that given his obvious bad mood, but he was still a kid. He'd make a reckless decision without thinking hard enough about the consequences.

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

The swordswoman finished her meal and coffee and stood up from the table. What would today bring? Should she immediately resume her hunt of the Bakushin, or take some time to rest? Perhaps playing it safe would be the way to go, but he'd have to think on it more.

"Do not forget, to join my world is to willingly go along a path of pain. I say it again for your own good. Unless you wish to fight, you should go home. There are things beyond my and your demon's power."

She didn't like having to talk to him like that given his obvious bad mood, but he was still a kid. He'd make a reckless decision without thinking hard enough about the consequences.

Nemo had finished his omelettes but didn't get up from his seat as he heard Yukin's words. Any other child likely wouldn't have been in Nemo's position or would have even survived being in his shoes. Yukin was fully aware of that and wanted to make it abundantly clear just what could happen so as not to lure Nemo into a false sense of security or to sugarcoat things for him. Yukin seemed like the kind of person who'd state things as they were and wouldn't make up excuses or fabricate things. Nemo could respect that. Though in this case, all it did was leave him deep in thought. He still had his sword at home.

Sure, it was just a toy and it wasn't as if he could actually hurt anybody with it. Well, lethally in any case. But any weapon worked and so long as he could put up some modicum of defense, he knew that eventually Astaroth or Yukin would be able to come and back him up. But was he really getting in over his head? Tackling threats like dumb thugs was one thing, taking on evil martial artists who had a serious grudge against one of your best friend was another thing entirely. One that may have been way out of his depth.

"You know something, Yukin? You're absolutely right. No one can predict the future. Not me, not you, not Astaroth. So making guarantees like that would only serve to be painful if they aren't kept to. So I'll just do my best to avoid something like that. But whether it's with an eye or without one, their's one thing that'll always be certain."

Nemo stepped off from his seat and pushed his chair in as he carried his plate off to the sink. Placing it in the sink, Nemo turned the water on to wash it off before making his way back to Yukin with a warm smile on his face. It seemed like her mini-speech had brought back some of Nemo's usual excitable charm. Wrapping his arms around Yukin's waist, Nemo leaned in and kissed her cheek again. Just a sign of how much he had appreciated her last comment. Even if it had left him with more questions than answers.

"You'll always be one of my best friends."

Stepping back, Nemo looked down at himself however and frowned. "But you two can't do this on your own. I want to be there with you guys! But I can't do it as plain ol vanilla Nemo. I need to become stronger. I'll talk to you guys later!" With that Nemo quickly made his way out the front door. Letting it slam shut behind him, Astaroth sighed. The boy had only ever wanted to do right by those he considered close friends. Which was just about anybody who didn't take his good natured attitude and smack him in the face with it.

He was also understandably worried about Nemo walking around alone again. But given the Bakushin likely had more important things to tend to than beating the piss out of a child again, Nemo would be safe. Plus his parents had been worried sick about him and getting him back to them as soon as possible likely would have been at the top of the priority list. At least as far as Astaroth's concerns went. Though as he finished off his own meal, Astaroth rose to his feet and glanced down at Yukin.

"You're honest with the boy. You don't bother to hide things if they may be hard for him to hear. I can respect that you do that." Astaroth stated truthfully as he started towards the still very much broken windows. "He looks up to you and while it isn't my place to tell the boy what he can't or can do, you don't seem bad. You let him stay here, risk your life to save him, and even make him breakfast."

But there was still some lingering doubt within Astaroth. Who were those guys from yesterday and when would they strike again? Why did they have a grudge against Yukin and would Nemo and him be targets now as well? All very poignant questions and ones that likely needed answers pronto.

But first he had obligations to sort out.

"...I don't know how to fix this."

@Kaykay

​

 

[Kaykay]

Yukin could only nod as Nemo seemed to take her words to heart. If he understood he needed to grow stronger before trying to jump into such a dangerous world, then the rest was up to him and his environment. Before she could start to do anything else, though, Nemo's demon friend stood up as well. At his words, she slowly shook her head.

"I suppose I know nothing of the age of demons, but if you are to act as his guardian, it is entirely your place to tell the boy what he can or cannot do. A child without guidance is nothing more than either a target or a ticking time bomb. It would be foolish of you to stay inactive. Your inactivity only brings harm upon the boy, after all."

But after those words of advice, a more immediate problem arrived.

"You...what? You look like this, but you are still a man, are you not? You cannot even repair a window?"

She rubbed her temple with one hand, closing her eyes and looking slightly stressed out. If he had the finances, he'd have already paid her in all likelihood. Those who would be exiled from the normal workings of society had little use for money, after all. She didn't really mind getting someone else to patch up the place, but it felt wrong letting him just get away with breaking property like that.

Taking out her cell phone, she soon called someone and began speaking in Chinese.

"Jiang-ge? Are you busy?"

"Ah, Zheng-er! Nah, I'm pretty bored actually. I ain't had a mission or fight in weeks, man! When'll the old geezer let me decide this stuff on my own, huh?"

"Perhaps when you are not such a child. However, child, I do have a request of you."

"Dammit you never call about anything except business." A sigh was audible over the phone. "Well, what do you want?"

"Window repairs."

"...Huh?"

"I need you to tell someone how to repair a window."

"...Are you serious? No, wait, no need to answer that. Sorry Zheng-er, but this sounds like the most boring thing in the history of, uh, doing nothing. Can't you just get a repairman to do the job?"

"No. Do it. In Japanese."

"In a foreign language too?! You're too demanding!"

With that, she tossed the phone over to Astaroth, changing to Japanese once again. "This should give you the requisite knowledge to fix this. Please get started."

Jiang would begin to give Astaroth instructions in rather rugged Japanese.

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

With that, she tossed the phone over to Astaroth, changing to Japanese once again. "This should give you the requisite knowledge to fix this. Please get started."

Jiang would begin to give Astaroth instructions in rather rugged Japanese.

"Look, you don't exactly keep up with basic home repair while you're in Hell, alright? The only things you learn there are suffering and lots of it." Astaroth grumbled as he looked at the broken windows. Most broken windows went unchecked back when he was alive. It was just the sort of thing you took for granted and would take rather than getting hurt yourself. But as a demon, Astaroth had no point in keeping those kinds of talents on hand. He didn't even sleep in a house! He took to rooftops, alleyways, even the slaughterhouses where he picked up meat.

"What??"

Astaroth muttered in disbelief as Yukin handed him the phone. Wrapping the phone around with his tail, Astaroth held it towards his ear as he looked at the window. "Okay, okay, slow down a bit!" The demon exclaimed as he finally went to work. It took quite a while. As a matter of fact it took so long that if this were an anime, it'd probably need something like this to transition.

Eventually, Astaroth would have finished with some glass shards stuck here and there in his forearms. That and he had quite the headache from having instructions given to him like this! Why did this chick mind the broken windows so much anyway? Astaroth would have appreciated the cool breeze. But the job was done and Astaroth had paid his debt so far as he was concerned. Dropping the phone back into Yukin's hands, Astaroth slumped down onto her couch.

If Nemo somehow broke his window? Then it wasn't going to even be up for argument. He was fixing that damn window himself. Astaroth had no business doing repairs but a debt was a debt. But annoying work aside, Astaroth did have a rather serious reason as to why he had stayed behind. Those people who had taken Nemo weren't ordinary thugs or even any kind of ordinary gang. Far too powerful for that sort of low level pettiness that those folks usually partook in. These guys had a plan and even an underground base of operations.

Well, had being the key word there. It didn't look too good as the three of them were flying out of there. But in case they ever showed up again since the red head in particular seemed like he'd have quite the hard on for revenge, he wanted to know more. He had to know more so he could protect Nemo!

"Hey, Yukin. You got a second to talk? About those guys we fought...?"

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

Despite the, well, complications, the job was done. She hadn't even stuck around in her apartment the whole time, going out to buy supplies and even lunch in the meantime. But even then the job hadn't been complete. In fact, she had enough time to get some daily training in, doing unarmed forms whilst the large demon busied about.

As he finally finished up, she took a seat at the kitchen table, holding her hand out with a soft blue glow as she healed up the minor wounds that Astaroth had sustained from the window job. But hopefully, he'd learned his lesson from all that work. One shouldn't destroy thoughtlessly.

When Astaroth popped a question on her, however, her expression grew ever so slightly more solemn. Not so much that it was too obvious, but there was a definite change there. She sat at the table, gesturing for Astaroth to take a seat as well.

"It is a long story, if you do not mind." Yukin already understood what it likely was that he wanted to speak of. He probably knew nothing of the Bakushin, only engaging because of the fact they had captured Nemo. Since she had already fought alongside him, it wouldn't hurt anything to inform him about certain issues of the world.

"I do not know how long you have been a denizen of this world and not of hell, but martial artists, both like myself and the organization with which we have essentially declared war, are not currently favored in society. They fear us, they fear our abilities and the potential havoc that could be caused were they to go unchecked."

She took a brief pause to fully gather her thoughts, trying to put it as briefly and coherently as possible for the demon.

"The organization with which we did battle are known as the Bakushin Sect. They are the primary sect of Japan, seeking to fight against the prejudice set against us. However, they, like most of the modern sects, are willing to work outside of the law, terrorize people. To them, the rest of humanity is scum. The reason I am here in Japan is to flush them out. Such sects only raise the tension between us and humans. They must be eliminated. Is there anything which I have failed to cover?"

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

"I do not know how long you have been a denizen of this world and not of hell, but martial artists, both like myself and the organization with which we have essentially declared war, are not currently favored in society. They fear us, they fear our abilities and the potential havoc that could be caused were they to go unchecked."

She took a brief pause to fully gather her thoughts, trying to put it as briefly and coherently as possible for the demon.

"The organization with which we did battle are known as the Bakushin Sect. They are the primary sect of Japan, seeking to fight against the prejudice set against us. However, they, like most of the modern sects, are willing to work outside of the law, terrorize people. To them, the rest of humanity is scum. The reason I am here in Japan is to flush them out. Such sects only raise the tension between us and humans. They must be eliminated. Is there anything which I have failed to cover?"

"...Huh. How the hell do you do that anyway?"

Astaroth popped up another question as Yukin healed his minor wounds. Who knew that working with glass would end up leaving a few cuts or perhaps even more? But he'd have to wait for the answer to that question as he listened intently to Yukin's words. Once she had finished, he wrapped his tail around his waist as he leaned forward and clasped his claws together.

"I get where they're coming from. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not going to be killing people just for being different from me, but I wasn't always like this. I was a human just like you and just like these Bakushin guys. But in the time that I spent as a mortal, I'd seen the depths to which humanity can sink and how it can all go so wrong. Dying and ending up as demon didn't really do wonders for my opinion."

Uncurling his tail, Astaroth coiled it up as he closed his eyes and sighed. It'd take a moment before he resumed speaking. "But that said, you and the boy have shown me that humanity's not all bad. It's got some gems worth protecting and me and others of my my kind will do anything in my power to make sure he lives a good life. One unmarred by tragedy and foolish mistakes that hurt others like we did when we weren't..." Astartoth looked over his claws and growled.

"When we didn't look like monsters on the outside. So what they're doing isn't right. I understand what it's like to feel prejudice. I imagine if I showed myself off to other humans, they'd want to cut me up and see what makes me tick. But murdering anyone who stands in your way isn't the right way to find equality nor is branding them as monsters..I've seen that while humanity as a whole may have it's things that turn me off. It's people like you and Nemo who try to keep the good in the world that makes you guys worth keeping around, heh, heh."

Rising from his seat, Astaroth looked over at Yukin while pushing in his chair with his tail. "Thanks for telling me. You need help to bring these guys down? You just let me know."

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

Yukin nodded as Astaroth shared his thoughts on the ideology of the Bakushin. Those of her sect saw it the same way, they were all human, and to eliminate them would make them no better than monsters. They could coexist, they were sure of it. It was what they fought for, the reason they had to fight against the other sects. Those sects only served to widen the gap between them and everyone else.

She stood up as well, pushing her chair under the table as he did.

"You are welcome. And I suppose assistance would not be unappreciated. I planned to initiate a search today for other Bakushin Sect bases, so if you wish to come with then I will not stop you."

Slipping on her white jacket, she headed out the door, locking it after her assuming Astaroth followed her out, whether in his shadow form or normally.

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

"You are welcome. And I suppose assistance would not be unappreciated. I planned to initiate a search today for other Bakushin Sect bases, so if you wish to come with then I will not stop you."

Slipping on her white jacket, she headed out the door, locking it after her assuming Astaroth followed her out, whether in his shadow form or normally.

"If it means preventing more needless deaths and stopping these bastards from possibly trying to hurt Nemo again? Hell yeah, you can count me in."

Astaroth exclaimed boldly as he coiled his tail up. This was a welcome departure from how their first meeting had gone. With the two of them at eachother's throats with Astaroth ready to strike her down in order to protect Nemo due to his initial mistrust of Yukin and she was ready to do the same. But after he literally stuck his neck out and lent an arm and a horn in order to help her out, the two had become more comfortable. Or well, that's how Astaroth saw it at least.

Would she have still healed him if she was wary of him being a big bad monster? One that gobbled up everyone else but kept poor Nemo alone? Maybe she did still think that and saw him as just dumb muscle to have tag along on these kinds of missions. He may have been able to control hellfire and had super strength, healing, and a razor sharp tail. But despite all that he wasn't a mind reader and with someone who seemed to have quite the mysterious past like Yukin? It was even harder to tell what someone like her thought.

But he wasn't going to probe the woman with questions. Least of all when she had helped him rescue the most important person in his life, gave him food and even let him lay on her couch! The first time Astaroth had done so since before he'd lost his humanity. But for as good as he felt with Yukin and Nemo? The rest of humanity likely wouldn't be as kind. So shifting into his shadow form, he'd make his way out and moved alongside Yukin's own shadow as he glanced up at her.

"Ready for some snooping, Boss."

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

Yukin didn't make any visible signs of recognizing his presence, but it did feel good to not be flying it solo, even if her companion was some strange demon she'd just met the other day by him breaking into her home. She pulled her hood over her head and expanded her senses, immediately beginning to scan for any unusual activity. Any Qi that was too large, activity of something simply too large scale to attribute to anything else, or otherwise.

She had gone on patrol for about an hour before she sensed something. Or rather, she'd detected it from the start, but now it was clear exactly what it was. There was a group following her, 3 men and 3 women. They were underestimating her Qi sense, staying about half a kilometer away from her, a distance within her range. None of them felt particularly strong to her, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful. There was no need to rush straight into battle blindly.

"7'o clock, third floor of the building."

Little was said, but hopefully the message was clear enough. She didn't know if the demon heard things while he was in this...shadow form, or whatever it was, but it was worth a shot at least.

Her Qi began to rise, and like the wind, she was gone. She'd closed the distance between her and the ones who were watching her in an instant, drawing her sword in the process. It was almost as if she'd teleported there even. The six seemed alarmed, immediately raising their fists and taking a fighting position. With their fighting spirits heightened, Yukin could feel the Qi they had. They had to be martial artists, and given they were tracking her like this, that meant they were the Bakushin. Otherwise they would have simply explained what they were doing. Yukin didn't plan to give them much room to fight back, though. With a single flare of her aura, the six quaked as if struck by lightning.

Then began her dance. A single step in closed the distance between her and the closest man. With one clean stroke, his head was separated from his body before he could even hope to react. Without even looking, Yukin moved on to the next opponent. Her foot found its way into her gut before a sword strike removed the life from her body, bisecting her precisely at the waist. There were no reservations in Yukin's moves as she reaped the lives of the foes before them. The others still couldn't even react to her speed, allowing her to swiftly step through and cut through all four of the others in one, long swing.

It was like watching a bird soar through the air, her blade her wings as it mowed down the enemies like weeds. But even as she finished them off, she never once let down her guard. For there was another one who was trying to conceal their presence.

"Was your plan to hide like a coward as I finished your men?"

A rather large man, though still small when compared with the monstrous Astaroth, stepped out from a dark corner of the room.

"I care not for them. Replaceable pawns. I crave for your blood upon my hands."

Despite the bloodthirsty way he spoke, his voice was calm and serene, if a bit gruff. But soon his own aura flared as he took out two nunchuks, spinning them at such a rapid speed that Yukin could feel the wind coming from them.

"I am Gold Tiger. Loathe the day you made the Bakushin your enemy!"

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

"I care not for them. Replaceable pawns. I crave for your blood upon my hands."

Despite the bloodthirsty way he spoke, his voice was calm and serene, if a bit gruff. But soon his own aura flared as he took out two nunchuks, spinning them at such a rapid speed that Yukin could feel the wind coming from them.

"I am Gold Tiger. Loathe the day you made the Bakushin your enemy!"

Man, just when he couldn't think that this human's movements couldn't get any more graceful. She went and pulled something like this out of her hat. The fluidity of her movements was something he could only dream of replicating. Or any demon for that matter. Not that most demons were simpletons but they didn't see the need for any kind of finesse when you were normally a monster armed with fangs and claws. But as he remained little more than a shadow on the wall, he'd watch as Yukin called out the apparent leader of this group of Bakushin.

The guy certainly wasn't a shrimp that's for damn sure. Astaroth had mowed through plenty of grunts at that last base. Most of them looked to be in their mid to late teens and were in shape but weren't nearly as built and as tough as this guy right here. Of course, that's probably why he was the boss. Ain't nobody got the balls to try and tell him different. But Astaroth was at least grateful for Yukin taking care of the trash.

Meant things would go by a lot quicker if they simply focused their efforts all on this guy. Which is why his shadow appeared on the ground beside Yukin and two claws reached out of the shadow and gripped onto the ground as he started to pull himself out. His muscles bulged and his skin was pale like that of a corpse's complexion. But saliva dripped from his fangs as he stared down the brute and coiled up his tail.

"Tiger, eh? Well, I think it's time to declaw this pussycat..."

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

Gold Tiger seemed somewhat surprised by the sudden appearance of Astaroth, but he wasn't intimidated in the least. A man larger than himself, at least if he could call this thing a man, was a welcome change of pace.

"So you, too, seek to stop the utopia of martial arts? Then slay you I shall, beast!"

"I shall not permit that."

Yukin's calm, gentle voice still somehow managed to fill the bloodied room. Her cold glare pierced through the short-lived battlefield. Despite her unimposing stature, her presence was unmistakably heavy. She lowered her hood and gripped her sword with both hands, holding out in front of her to face the man's spinning nunchucks.

"Ha! It is fitting a traitor like you should side with a beast! Then I will slay the both of you, here and now!"

Without hesitation, the man stepped towards both of his opponents with a speed one wouldn't expect from one of his stature. One swing was aimed at Yukin's head, prompting the swordswoman to duck under it and thrust her sword forwards towards his chest. But he wasn't so slow as to be caught off guard by that. Shifting his body, he simultaneously avoided it and lashed out with a powerful strike with his other nunchuck at Astaroth!

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

"Ha! It is fitting a traitor like you should side with a beast! Then I will slay the both of you, here and now!"

Without hesitation, the man stepped towards both of his opponents with a speed one wouldn't expect from one of his stature. One swing was aimed at Yukin's head, prompting the swordswoman to duck under it and thrust her sword forwards towards his chest. But he wasn't so slow as to be caught off guard by that. Shifting his body, he simultaneously avoided it and lashed out with a powerful strike with his other nunchuck at Astaroth!

Astaroth had to give his opponent one thing. He was certainly fast on his feet despite his brutish-like appearance. Though the attitude he had almost made the demon wish he was fighting Red-Hair again. At least that guy switched up his taunts now and again. This guy went on and on like a broken record about slaying this and that. Well, if he wanted a damn fight so bad? Then who was Astaroth to refuse? Standing his ground as the nunchuck came in, Astaroth raised his left arm to brace for the incoming blow.

*Thwack!*

The blow certainly shook Astaroth down to his core and the ground beneath his talons was shattered. Leaving the demon standing in little more than a crater with black blood oozing from his forearm as he bared his fangs at the bastard. The blow had cracked the armor-like substance on Astaroth's claws and as one could imagine the feeling wasn't too pleasant. But Astaroth wasn't about to call it quits because of a little pain!

If he couldn't handle what this guy was dishing out, then what the hell had he been doing all that time down below? Gripping onto the nunchuck, Astaroth stared down Tiger with a devious grin upon his face as his own aura began to flare and his muscles bulged as if they were on the verge of exploding!

"You wanna see a goddamn beast? I'll show you one! Straight from the fire and brimstone of Hell's fiery gates itself!"

Hellfire began to surge from the claw holding the nunchuck and soon Astaroth intended to coat the weapon itself in the flame as his tail coiled up behind him. Raising one of his talons, Astaroth sought to smash it right into Tiger's gut to send him skidding back as Astaroth released his hold on the nunchuck. This guy relied on weapons which almost felt like a step down from Red-Hair. At least that guy wasn't afraid to use his hands and feet. This guy thought he'd get by clocking him with that thing?

Well, he had another thing coming for underestimating a warrior of Hell! The demonic aura surged around Astaroth, almost resembling a ring of hellfire in it's manifestation as Astaroth got onto all fours and barreled forward with his tail letting loose a rapid fire of stings! He'd pluck out this bastard's heart!

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

Gold Tiger grunted as Astaroth slammed his talon into his gut. His layer of Qi protected him from being eviscerated and his weapon from being incinerated, but the sheer force of the blow sent him skidding backwards a bit. He gritted his teeth as his muscles tensed, absorbing the hit.

"Then slay you I will, hellspawn!"

His nunchucks picked up in speed as Astaroth struck with his prehensile tail, quickly matching the demon's strikes. Powerful blows knocked aside attack after attack, the man even moving closer towards the demon as he fended off the attacks. But his advance was halted by the swing of a blade, which he narrowly ducked under. Yukin wasn't finished with that, however. She lashed out with a knee aimed straight at his ducking face.

Bringing both parts of one of his nunchuks together, he clasped them in his hand as he blocked her strike with the condensed weapon. Then he lashed upwards, unfolding the nunchuck as it flew up at her face. She leaned back to avoid it, but it still managed to clip her jaw, stunning her for an instant.

Taking advantage of the opening, Gold Tiger began to swing his other nunchuck, but it was anything but an ordinary strike. The air itself seemed to shift around his weapon, creating a vacuum that quite literally pulled Yukin towards his attack! But she managed to bring her sword to her side in time, her blade clashing against the blunt weapons before the vacuum's pull disappeared.

"...Air dance...?"

She'd heard of the technique before, but hadn't ever fought anyone who'd seriously decided on something like nunchucks as their weapon of choice. Blades were more deadly, spears had greater range, and of course there were modern things like firearms and bombs. But for those dedicated to the weapons, their flexibility combined with the natural fluidity of martial arts made for an utterly unpredictable fighting pattern. A freeform way to fight, as if a dance done in the air, free of gravity.

This man, despite his rather hulking look, managed such a style.

Without answering her musings, the man began spinning around his nunchucks once more!

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

She'd heard of the technique before, but hadn't ever fought anyone who'd seriously decided on something like nunchucks as their weapon of choice. Blades were more deadly, spears had greater range, and of course there were modern things like firearms and bombs. But for those dedicated to the weapons, their flexibility combined with the natural fluidity of martial arts made for an utterly unpredictable fighting pattern. A freeform way to fight, as if a dance done in the air, free of gravity.

This man, despite his rather hulking look, managed such a style.

Without answering her musings, the man began spinning around his nunchucks once more!

"What a shithead.."

Astaroth managed to mutter out as his tail's stings were deflected by these damn nunchucks! He'd been stabbed, shot, even had a couple of baseball bats broken on his back. Yet here he was being stymied to what basically amounted to some wood attached to another piece of wood with a metal chain. Real threatening that was and that's made him actually gaining ground so terrible! He should have been able to shatter these damn things with one swing of his tail! As Yukin came in for the save however, Astaroth flapped his wings to let out a gust of wind to get some distance.

This guy was quicker on the draw than Astaroth had been anticipating and that was proving to be quite the sore spot. If he was going to defeat this guy then he had to get past those damn nunchucks! The issue was that despite this guy looking like Arnie in his prime, he could still move quicker than expected and when you were trying to get the jump on someone, being quicker than them was usually necessary.

Noticing Yukin's surprised reaction to this guy's 'air dance' or whatever, Astaroth only grew more incensed. So this guy could shake his weapons around a bit and pull people in. Big deal, that one guy could channel energy into his legs and damn near shattered Astaroth's arm with one good kick. This guy just managed to crack the armor on Astaroth's forearm. Engulfing his claws in hellfire, Astaroth bared his fangs at Tiger.

"Dance your way outta this, punk!"

Digging up tracts in the ground as he bounded forward, Astaroth reared back his right claw as he tried to close the distance between him and Tiger. This guy wanted to suck him in using that fancy air dance or whatever? Then he'd take whatever came along with him! Which included a nice claw-full of hellfire right to the face!

@Kaykay

​

 

[Kaykay]

Noticing Astaroth come in with flames once more, Gold Tiger began to spin his nunchucks once more. Fire worked on the principle of heating up a fuel so that it will reach its ignition temperature, a chemical reaction between oxygen and fuel. Naturally, on earth, oxygen is plentiful, making fire a constant possibility outside of bodies of water and the rain.

But what if one could take away oxygen?

The vacuum capable of pulling people in was exactly that. A vacuum, by definition, meant that there was no air in that space. It moved so fast that all the air in the area was moved, forcing air to come back to fill that void. This was what caused the pulling effect on everything in the area.

So when he swung his nunchucks and created that vacuum, the fire around Astaroth's claws disappeared. His nunchucks infused with Qi, he crashed one nunchuck into his claw from above, parrying the strike downward, before swinging for the head with his other weapon!

Yukin stepped in with her blade to block once again, her blade glowing a light blue from her Qi. Then her leg thrust forward, aiming to strike Gold Tiger's solar plexus. A strike there would wind anyone, allowing easy follow up and forcing a long recovery time from the damage.

Naturally, a fighter like him was aware of that. Hardening his chest, he managed to deflect her kick, which was weakened by her being off-balance thanks to having to block an attack first.

"Neijia...looks are certainly deceiving."

"Only a fool will fight purely based on appearance!"

It seemed even getting a scratch on this guy was proving to be a difficult task, despite his almost comical style of speech.

@Chewy Rabbits​