A/N: Oki, lemme explain this a little bit. This is a collection of one-shots for ZEXAL, mostly relating to Anxietyshipping in some way. They vary in length, genre, and rating, but nothing over T unless I state it or it's requested. They can also crossover into other fandoms, although this will be rare. Anyway, that's all. Enjoy this little series I've got for you. Also, you can request for me to elaborate on some of these one-shots by making them chapter stories. It all depends on the readers, however.

Title: Debts to the Past
Genre: Fantasy/Hurt/Comfort
Main Cast: Kaito, Droite, OC (Eiji Tenjou)
Rating: T
Warning(s): Violence, description of torture
Timeline: AU, dystopian, ZEXAL time
Summary: On a decaying Earth, Kaito Tenjou takes on a battle against his best friend, who was experimented on several years ago. His only wish is to get her back… but she's not the girl he knew back in the dog cage they grew up together in.
Note(s): Eiji means eternity in Japanese.

The street was dark, devoid of any light and life. The houses along the street showed abandonment, their interiors having been neglected of service and usage for nearly a century. Siding molded, and in some cases, eroding off. Paint chipped. Sidewalks cracked beyond repair and stained a sickly black from the acidic rain. The front yards, which used to contain lively grass, were covered in soot and ash. Any plants that had survived the eruption were dead within a few months, and now their carcasses littered every corner of this neighborhood. The tarmac of the road was rugged, damaged into a state of near ruin. Some street lights remained, yet their wires were cut and electricity no longer flowed through the dark cables.

His boots made loud clicking sounds as he walked down the street. Moonlight irises glowed as they swept around, taking in the shadows of the buildings and dead trees around him. The lunar object considered a legend throughout humanity's long history did not illuminate the surface of the decaying planet; it was simply gone, destroyed in a massive war years ago. The machine that had replaced the natural satellite had ceased function long ago, but it still remained, unable to send light down below. Of course, it wasn't like the dark clouds smothering the atmosphere were thick enough to let any light inside. Humankind was forced underground because of this, yet even then, their numbers dwindled.

The blonde frowned underneath his mask, pulling down his goggles so they hung around his neck. Kneeling down to a puddle of semi-dried liquid beneath one of his boots, he drew his fingers across the stain and brought it up to his eyes. Inspecting the mysterious fluid, he concluded that it had to be a few hours old; fresh, and indicating that what he was looking for was nearby. Wiping his hand on his trousers, he stood and continued on, placing his goggles back on. He reached for the sawed-off shotgun on his back, making sure that the specialized bullets were loaded within the twin barrels, and cocked it. He had customized the weapon himself, just for this moment.

Remembering back to the times when he was simply a subject within the scientists' care, he recalled the young girl that had been placed inside a dog cage beside him. She had been a year his elder, yet smaller than him and much thinner. They had been good friends from the start, and had even agreed to be reproduction experiments. The torture they endured was nothing to let go of, however. Endless hours of running on treadmills, electrocutions, fighting against robots, injections, and whippings marked both of their souls. Even with the birth of their son, Eiji, the past was hard to deal with, especially when she disappeared on the one year anniversary of them becoming parents.

Kaito had been thirteen then. Today, he was twenty, and his son was at his side, despite his father's warnings of death and fighting. The little boy (who was as sharp as a nail despite being, well, seven) held his small crossbow tightly, orange eyes aglow as he watched the surroundings warily. Eiji was aware of whom they were looking for, yet he did not resent either one of his parents for their fates turning up this way. It was simply a way of life now, and he had accepted that when his father had told him of his mother's disappearance.

Kaito stopped, holding out an arm to keep Eiji from moving forward. The boy stopped, preparing his crossbow with a bolt, and waited for his father's call. The blonde swept his gaze in front of them, listening to the eerie silence of the eternal night. A loud screech pierced the air, causing the child to jump slightly in fright. The streetlights that remained on either side of the street began to flash, even without electricity feeding their needs.

Each flash shone upon a scaled creature. However, the two caught only glimpses of the beast until the streetlights shattered in unison, raining glass down onto the rotted pavement. A calamity of inhuman noises erupted from the creature shrouded in darkness, echoing off the houses and trees. A chilling wind blew past the two males. Eiji shivered, yet kept his attention on the beast he and his father had been trying to locate for six years.

"We have found you," Kaito spoke gently, lowering his mask and goggles, despite the toxic atmosphere. Eiji watched carefully as the blonde stepped forward with one foot, gesturing to the beast that they were here for it and it only. "How long has it been since we have last seen each other?"

A growl came in response, and a pair of orange eyes glowed from the shadows, as if illuminated from the inside of the creature's skull. Loud thumping, like that of a tail slapping the ground to deter others, sounded, yet Kaito was not deterred. He came forward again, to the point where his son reached out and tugged on the brown jacket the blonde possessed.

"Do you remember what happened to you?" Kaito inquired further, halting at Eiji's directive. "Well, Droite, do you!?"

A roar sounded, and the creature ran forward. Eiji's goggles displayed the beast in night-vision, and he caught the form of a flying reptile before it disappeared behind a collapsed house. The boy observed as his father turned towards the building. The creature's wings were fully spread, the large head hidden within the confines of the house.

"Droite, I am not leaving you," Kaito growled, directing his weapon at the dragon. His vision had been manipulated genetically so he could see in the dark of the planet, making location of his targets quite easy. Frowning hard, he watched the female creature tear her head from the house and open her jaws, snapping furiously. The girl he had known was no longer human, and perhaps she wasn't inside this beast that had been created in a lab.

Roaring, the dragon stepped forward, smashing the building into pieces. Her gaze swept over to Eiji, and she slowed in her threatening gait. Kaito took this as an opportunity to make peace with his friend.

"Droite, that's our son," he stated, lowering the gun and stepping aside to show the black-haired boy to his now dragon-mother. Eiji stared in awe as the violet dragon approached, overtaken by an instinct only females who had given birth to live young could understand. This beautiful… beast was once his human mother…? It was hard to believe, since the only parent he had known was his father. Eiji had only seen pictures of his mother. Seeing her in this twisted form made him sick, but he held his tongue and toughened up, just in case this dragon decided to try and kill him with her teeth.

"Eiji…" The growl was inhuman, yet sounded similar to a woman's voice. The dragon shook her head, caught up in memories she assumed didn't exist, and turned to Kaito, who had his shotgun pointed at her.

"Forgive me, Droite," he stated, before pulling the trigger. The sickening cry of the dragon as her neck bent with the impact made Eiji cringe, but he watched as the creature fell sideways and to the ground, bleeding from the twin bullets lodged within her windpipe. Moaning, the beast kicked her muscular legs, trying to escape the pain.

Kaito bit his lower lip as he loaded another pair of bullets into the shotgun. In order for his experimental bullets to work, they had to be shot six times into the female dragon's body. He took aim after cocking the gun once more, the loud blast causing his son to cover his small ears. The creature was paralyzed from the pain, wings flopped backwards, jaw slack, tongue hanging lifelessly on the tarmac. Another pair of the bullets to the tailed sealed the deal, and the blonde gently pushed Eiji back, shielding the child from the horrific process of changing back to human that the female would undertake if the bullets worked.

Screams. That was the only thing that could be heard for the next several minutes. Eiji covered his ears again and shut his eyes, willing the noises away. Despite his cold exterior, he was still very much a child at heart. Tears welled up in his eyes, but when his father gently tapped him on the shoulder, he opened his orange orbs and dropped his hands, turning to where the dragon had fallen.

There, in its spot, was a woman who appeared to be Kaito's age. She was curled up, and unconscious, but Eiji recognized her immediately. Smiling, he broke from his father and ran forward.

"Mother!"