Author's Note
James: Hello everyone, and welcome to a very special story! As usual, I'm here(unwillingly) with my "lovely" and "dashing" co-writer, Alexis...God, why the hell did I agree to read this again? It's blatantly you just trying to show off how "cool" you are.
Alexis: Lovely and dashing...Are you feeling okay, dude?
James: Are you...Are you just trying to ignore the fact you gave me cue-cards to make you seem better than you actually are?!
Alexis: ...Uh...Hi audience! I'm Alexis, basically the most coolest dude you will ever meet!
James: That wasn't the correct grammar.
Alexis: Anyways, as you can tell from what you're reading...I'm the nicer of the two, and uh...Welcome to this new story we'll be working on! It's going to be...Magical!
James: That's a failure of foreshadowing, you know that, right?
Alexis: Stop being mean! You say something about it then!
James: I won't, because instead, all I'm going to say is...Enjoy the story everyone.
"...Have you ever thought about a world, where anything could exist, and anyone could become whatever they wished?"
"Now, I know it sounds like a stupid question, and trust me, it is...But as I've learned over the years, there aren't as many questions that are as dumb as they appear...Even if what I just said wasn't particularly intelligent either. But to explain why I would ask you this...Have you ever believed a world like that could actually exist?"
"Well, it does...In the form of the Lost Haven…"
"This place...It's one that lacks consistency to say the least. Across the land, things vary to a point where it's hard to believe you're even on the same planet sometimes."
"Across the land, are a variety of 'sectors', as most have come to call them. They're parts of land that have been given names, and then soon after, their reputation for what they're associated with begins to grow. Some sectors are associated with technology, some with wastelands, some even with...Nothing. But each of them is known for their differences in some way…"
"But the Westfield Sector...That's one associated with two things...An out of control mob...And it's complete isolation from the rest of the sectors."
"It's a place made up almost entirely of poor people, ones who don't make enough money to leave the sector, and honestly, that makes sense considering the design of the place. It's located out in the middle of nowhere, it has an infamous reputation among most, and most importantly of all, everything within the sector is specifically designed to keep people there."
"Whether it be only allowing people to be educated about subjects related to the sector, enforcing the fact that nobody should leave due to the many dangers outside of it, the fact that people start to get paid less if their plans of moving are revealed...It's just constantly reinforced into everyone's heads that they should stay there forever, and as such...Most do, and in the process, they start to completely block off anything unrelated to their sector."
"...However, that doesn't mean that things stay the same there all the time...Sometimes, a little change is bound to occur."
Birds could be heard chirping on the horizon as the sun slowly began to set, an almost peaceful atmosphere beginning to swallow anything in sight. What appeared to be a large city rested in the distance, as what appeared to be a narrow road led away from it and towards a nearby hill. All was calm in that moment, as a small, hooded figure began to walk over the horizon, her face completely blocked from sight.
She stared out at the city for just a moment, as she felt a smile form on her face, "...Another town has come before me...Thus, another day shall soon come for me to prove myself to this world."
"Another day has gone by...And I have still yet to accomplish anything of worth."
A yawn of exhaustion found itself exiting a tall boy, his slender arms stretching out for just a moment, before collapsing at his sides. His raven-colored hair fell in front of his face in that moment, where his eyes quickly caught the sight of a few grey hairs extending from it. A worn-out white button-up laid against him, and his black dress pants seemingly did the same against his long, narrow legs.
He mumbled something under his breath, before walking towards a kitchen and grabbing a mug from the counter. He walked over to the sink, turning the faucet on to pour water into the mug, turning it off while taking a sip. His eyes widened, quickly spitting out the water with a cough, wheezing out, "Of course I use hot water! Who even drinks hot water?!"
Groaning to himself, he dumped the water down the sink, turning his attention to the window in front of him, watching a group of children dressed in strange costumes, playing with sticks as they screamed bizarre words at one another. He watched them for a few minutes, muttering under his breath, "Why is it that kids have no worries at all? They get to play, make friends, and live for free." He looked down at himself, sighing deeply, "Yet the adults have to work in order to live…"
The boy turned away from the window, leaning against the sink with a frown, "Except me. I'm apparently too pathetic to keep a real job...Too pathetic to find a new one...So pathetic that I'm-"
The sound of a door slamming open was heard, causing the boy to visibly flinch. Loud footsteps could be heard stomping closer to him, before suddenly stopping once a tall, burly looking man stood across from him in the kitchen. The large man had a permanent scowl on his face, and his long black hair laid resting on his shoulders and running down his back. He scratched at his unshaven beard for a moment, only to soon take a seat after. The boy couldn't help but look over him for just a moment, only to stop once the man gave him a heavy glare, causing him to quickly look away.
There was an awkward silence, before the boy heard a gruff, "You stay home all day and you can't even cook a simple dinner for the only working man in this house?"
He gulped, quickly stuttering out, "I-I was getting to that! I was just-"
The man growled at this, slamming his fist against the table and causing the boy to let out a yelp. He looked over the younger man, saying, "You were doing what, Zetsu? Were you at work? No, because you don't have a job. You weren't looking for a job because you're still here, so what excuse do you have for not cooking anything?!"
Zetsu turned away, muttering, "I...I just overslept…It won't happen again, dad..."
His eyes began to twitch, as he stared down the boy, "Are you daring to tell me that you not only didn't look for a job, but you didn't make dinner just because you decided to be a bum by sleeping in the middle of the day?!"
The boy flinched once more, taking a small step back, "I-I looked all over town yesterday, no one is hiring! E-Except that pub down the corner, but they said I was too young and unappealing-"
The man growled at him, "That's because someone like you is unappealing." His son let out a meek whimper, as he shook his head for a moment, "...The fact that I allowed myself to love a woman who would dare spawn you is something I'll live with for the rest of my life, but if I'm forced to deal with you, then you better start pulling your weight. Otherwise," he pointed towards the door with narrowed eyes, "I'll just throw you out to live with all the other bums." The two simply stared at one another for a moment, as he asked, "Do we understand each other?"
He nodded slowly, sighing out loud, "I...I understand, but…" He bit his lip, letting out a groan in the process, "I literally just said there are no jobs here! How am I supposed to pull my weight?!"
His father stared at him for a moment, as he began to stand up, "Anymore excuses, and we both know what'll happen to you afterwards."
In that moment, Zetsu flinched, as he stared at his father in silence, "...I'll just...I-I'll prepare dinner now…"
Zetsu laid on his hard, uncomfortable bed, staring up at the cobwebbed ceiling in silence. After a few moments, the sound of a nearby bedroom door slamming shut echoed into his room, and in minutes, loud snoring erupted through the building. Groaning to himself, he glanced outside his window, staring up at the moon, "...What did I do to deserve this?"
He sat up, his eyes narrowing at the moon, "All I ever did was work hard and study for a good future. I never made friends, I never made enemies, I made sure everything was perfect to live perfectly, but now…" He heaved out a heavy sigh, placing a hand over his head, muttering out, "Now I have nothing...I have no job, no friends...No mom…I have nothing to live for…"
The boy rubbed away a stray tear, leaning against his headboard with a miserable frown, "I'm just a waste of space...A loser who's living off his dad...Maybe it would be best if I just...Go."
He pulled back the covers of his bed, turning towards the window once more, only to notice some type of shadow outside. Raising a brow at this, he slowly moved out of his bed, walking over to the windowsill and squinting his eyes in an attempt to get a better look.
As he was doing this, he soon realized that the very thing he was looking at was currently a short, hooded figure, who was currently staring out at something in the distance as it stood on top of a nearby building. He rose a brow at this, as he slowly began to find himself lifting up the window. Noticing the figure was still there, he called out, "H-Hey!"
The hooded figure froze up at this, before quickly casting a glance towards the boy. The figure stared at him in silence, their face completely obscured by the night, causing Zetsu to make out no real distinguishing features. After a moment though, they abruptly stood up and ran off, completely disappearing from his sight.
He stared on in confusion, his eyes set on where the figure once stood, whispering to himself, "...What did I just see?"
The morning sun rose in the sky, as Zetsu let out a long yawn, rubbing at his eyes as he trudged towards the kitchen. He stretched his arms for a moment, before glancing down at the fridge in front of him, "What to make…" After silently thinking to himself, he began to grin, "Maybe some chicken..."
Licking his lips slightly, he opened the up the fridge, noticing there wasn't any chicken inside, causing his grin to falter down, "...Out of chicken...And quite literally any other kind of meat…" He scratched the back of his head in thought, moving a hand into one of his pockets, pulling out a few coins and bills, "...I hope this will be enough to cover it."
Sighing to himself, he placed the money back into his pocket, turning towards the front door with a grumble, opening it and flinching from the brightness coming from the sun. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the change of lighting, he mumbled to himself, "I feel like a vampire...How dark is it inside that place?"
Zetsu let out a heavy breath for a moment, as he reluctantly muttered, "...I better not get robbed again."
With that, the boy began to slowly walk down a large road, finding himself in the middle of a large market sector. All around him, various different kinds of shops were trying to sell their products to the passing locals. As Zetsu slowly rolled his eyes at the various smiling vendors all around him, as he hummed out in confusion, "Where's the meat-"
"Meat! Get your fresh meat here! Nothing but the freshest meat in all the town!"
He blinked in that moment, only for a warm smile to find itself on his face, as he let out a rare chuckle, "...Of course he's the one selling it."
Standing off to the side, just a bit away from the main strip where the other vendors were located, was a simple, large stand on its own. It had a large set-up of a of meats, including beef, pork, even horse, and yet, the only meat Zetsu was currently focusing on was the chicken.
But the real sight was the man running the stand, who himself stood at just under eight feet tall. The giant among men was a sight to behold to be sure, and his muscular build only further showcased the potential power he may be hiding. But to be honest, he really wasn't all that intimidating beyond that. He had olive brown skin, with his hair being a darker version of the same color, but to be honest, the main thing people paid attention to were his abnormally large eyes and gigantic mustache. A large maroon flat cap rested on top of his head, and just below his neck rested a similarly colored large scarf. His surprisingly heavy looking blue overalls and shirt only assisted his rather harmless appearance to be honest.
The man continued to call out for a bit, before his eyes abruptly landed on Zetsu, causing him to stare on in silence, abruptly screaming out in joy, "Zetsu! My favorite customer has arrived onto the block!"
Zetsu gave him a small wave, making his way towards his stand with an amused hum, "Hey Luigi, long time no see...Even if we saw each other just a few days ago-"
The shopkeeper bellowed out a large laugh, quickly leaning over to engulf the smaller boy into a tightly squeezed hug, swinging him around with little to no effort, "Do not say such nonsense! It feels as if I have not seen you in ages, my good friend! I am so very happy to see you again!"
He let out a muffled scream, struggling against his hold while patting his back roughly, "I-I get it! Y-You can let me down now, before you accidentally break my back!"
Luigi laughed once more, setting him down gently and giving him a hard pat on the back, "Sorry, sorry! This is why I tell you to put more meat on your bones, boy!" He then gestured to his array of meat products, "And lucky for you, I have plenty of meat to offer!"
Zetsu flinched slightly at the pat, groaning to himself while stretching his body, "Yeah, yeah I know...It's also why I came out here...I was looking to buy some chicken."
The man clasped his hands together with a wide smile, "Perfect! I have plenty of chicken to offer, Zetsu!" He gestured to a section of various packs of chicken, "There is the seasoned chicken, spicy chicken, non-fat chicken, boneless chicken, chicken wings-"
"Please, I'm doing nothing wrong! Leave me alone!"
Both men froze up at these words, Zetsu slowly turning to where he heard the voice, muttering to himself, "Not another one…"
Standing near an alleyway, a group of four men were currently surrounding a small, frail looking elderly woman. Each of the men were currently wearing bright white business suits and sunglasses, though the largest of the group was also wearing a fedora.
Said largest member began to approach the woman, giving her a crooked smile as he leaned in, "Yeah, well, the boss says differently. If he's right, which the boss usually is, you took out a small loan from him awhile back, and just outright ignored him since then." He abruptly grabbed onto her, pulling her close, "Did you honestly think you could just get away with not paying the boss back? Are you seriously that stupid, lady?"
Zetsu narrowed his eyes at the group, balling a single hand into a tight fist as he growled to himself, "That poor woman...She shouldn't be treated like this...I-I have to…" He bit his lip, hesitating with a low sigh, "...Someone has to help…"
The woman only continued to shake in the man's arms, as he bellowed out a chuckle, "...Hopefully this'll make you realize you don't mess with the wrong people." He slowly began to raise up his arm, clenching his hand into a fist.
"You! Larger man over there!"
The man rose a brow at the sound, causing him to glance off to the side at the noise, which similarly, Zetsu did. Standing just a bit away from the group was a small figure, almost entirely hidden by their large black cloak. After a moment, a feminine voice erupted from the cloaked figure, "Tell me...Where am I?"
Raising a brow at the figure, Zetsu blinked in realization, "Wait...That person...That's the same person I saw outside my window!"
The man continued to stare at the figure, allowing his smirk to grow larger as he dropped the woman, turning towards them in interest, "How about instead of asking stupid questions, kid, you grow a brain and scram already."
The figure stared at him, shaking their head in disinterest, "No. Tell me where I am."
He only continued to give her a look, as he let out a sigh. After a moment though, his smirk reformed, "Well...Welcome to Westfield, the place people only come to in order to take control, or be controlled." He let out a slight chuckle, which his associates soon began to join in on, "You see, the name's Kiyoyuki Takagi. I'm part of the folk who put these losers," he pointed at the elderly woman, "In their place. So tell me," he approached the figure, "Do you intend to be a commander, or a slave to them?"
The figure continued to stare at him, only to state, "Neither. But thank you for description of place. Now I shall feel nothing when I inflict pain upon you."
Kiyoyuki rose a brow at this, muttering, "The hell did-" His words were cut off in that moment by the figure pushing forward, abruptly punching the man in the face, throwing him backwards a bit and right into his affiliates. They were quick to grab him, as he slowly rose his head once more, revealing blood now running down his nose and mouth.
Zetsu's jaw dropped at the scene, his eyes moving between the hooded figure and the man who recently got punched. After settling his eyes on the figure, he mumbled, "Is this person asking for a death wish?"
As he said this, Kiyoyuki seemed to slowly be getting out of his daze, as he began to scowl towards the girl, "You...You stupid freaking girl! Why the hell would you do something as stupid as that?!"
The figure stared at him in disinterest, as they stated, "Any pathetic man who would dare to use their power to harm such a weak lady is unfitting of any kind of mercy from me."
In that moment, a hand reached out of the cloak, abruptly ripping it off. Standing in front of the man stood a short girl...However, her appearance showcased something that he was entirely unfamiliar with. Her skin was tanned from its original pale color, and her long raven hair laid rest against her restless and messy, though it seemed like the middle section of it was a golden color, oddly appearing to bare a resemblance to a lightning bolt. However, the rest of her was certainly a standout to say the least.
This girl...She wasn't normal looking. In fact, she didn't even resemble a human all too much, and instead, bared more of an appearance similar to that of an...Animal perhaps? Her fingers were long and pointed, her teeth looked abnormally sharp, her eyes were an intoxicating diamond blue, though her pupils were so small that they were practically invisible. Her clothing looked cut up and torn, and while it appeared human on the surface, due to it simply being a yellow sweater and some blue jeans, the fabric themselves seemed bizarrely sturdier than what most were used to seeing. But the most bizarre of all, was the large armored chest plate laying on the front of her, alongside what appeared to be some metallic arm guards.
Zetsu stared at her in shock, looking over her appearance once more, slowly shaking his head, "It's a girl...A little, terrifying girl who's picking a fight with the wrong people...She's crazy!"
The men in question only stared at her in silence, the three behind the largest man currently shaking slightly. However, after a moment, Kiyoyuki muttered, "Who...Who are you?!"
In that moment, she gave the man a confident smirk, "I am the girl who shall show you the power of a true warrior…" In that moment, a single spark came from nowhere, oddly having come right from her hand, as she let out a boisterous, "For I am the great and powerful Tempest! And no unjust act shall make it by without me punishing it!"
Zetsu looked taken back from the yellow spark, muttering to himself, "...I stand corrected...She's not crazy...She's insane…"
The men stared at her for a moment, only for Kiyoyuki to scream out, "The hell are you idiots waiting for, get her already!"
At that, the three lackies let out their own screams, running towards her with raised fists. The frontrunner of the group threw a punch, only for the girl to quickly move out of the way of it, grabbing his arm soon after. In that moment, she threw the man over her shoulder and onto the ground, soon after snapping his arm as he let out a bloodcurdling scream, which was cut off upon the girl kicking him in the jaw, silencing him.
The two other men came to a halt at this, freezing for a moment, giving Tempest enough time to run up to him with a fist of her own, throwing it into his face and knocking him off balance. He began to fall towards the ground, only for her to grab onto his face, and in an instant, she threw it against the nearby wall, grinding it along it for just a second, before dropping him, causing his body to collapse into a pile of trash bags.
The last of the three only stared on in silence in that instant, until his eyes fell upon a nearby pipe in the wall. He quickly grabbed onto it, tearing it from the wall as he ran towards the girl, his eyes brimming with determination and fury as he raised it in the air. However, this gave Tempest the perfect chance to grab onto the arm as it was raised, squeezing it in that instant, hard enough to a point of him letting out a scream of pain, dropping the weapon in the process.
A crowd of people formed around the area, staring at the scene as Zetsu only stared in awe, flinching occasionally from the screams, "Just...What the hell am I looking at?" He only continued to stare at the girl, whispering to himself, "I can't look away from it though…"
The man continued to whimper as he forced his other hand to grip onto his arm, while the girl only looked on with a grin, as she placed her other hand against his face, "Now...You shall feel the true power of Tempest." She let out a cackle, and in that moment, her hand began to shake, and in the next, some sort of powerful shock erupted from her hand, as an area of electricity formed around his entire body. He continued to scream in pain as she shocked in, his body beginning to twitch and twist.
The crowd around Zetsu let out gasps of shock, as his eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of electricity, "What the hell...S-She can control electricity?!"
After what felt like a minute, she stopped shocking the poor fool, letting go of him soon after. He stood in place for a moment, only to fall backwards in the next, landing in front of Kiyoyuki as he stared up in obvious pain. The man shook where he stood, as he looked on at the girl, "W-What...W-What the hell are you?!"
She smirked at his words, as what appeared to be two spheres of electricity formed over her hands, "I...Am the great and powerful Tempest...I am everything you pathetic humans are not. I am strong! I have power! And most importantly," her grin grew sadistically, "...I am dangerous!"
Kiyoyuki stared on in silence...Only to let out a scream of terror, pushing past the elderly woman nearby and running down the alleyway close to him, determined to get away from the scene as fast as he possibly could. In that moment, Tempest let out a laugh, quickly running towards the alleyway herself, giving chase to the man, as her laughter echoing down the long, narrow pathway.
The crowd of people stared on in shock, talking amongst themselves for a moment, before slowly walking away and returning back to their own personal duties. As this happened, however, Zetsu just...Stared on, in absolute awe at what had happened before him. He continued to simply stare, before flinching upon feeling a cold tap against his head, causing him to take a quick step back and glare at the shopkeeper holding a package of chicken, "L-Luigi!"
The man shrugged, waving the package in front of him, "I am very sorry, Zetsu, but you looked like you were in another world. I wanted to know if you still wanted chicken or not."
He stared at him in disbelief, gesturing towards the now empty space near the alleyway, "We just saw a girl take out a group of thugs single handedly! And all you can talk about is...Is chicken?! How are you so calm about what just happened?!"
Luigi smiled at this, letting out a chuckle, "Oh Zetsu, that sorta thing means very little to me. It was just a little girl who put big bad men in their place, nothing more."
The boy gave him a look, quickly saying, "Luigi...That girl was controlling lightning! She summoned it out from her hands like some sort of...Alien! She wasn't human!"
He nodded, humming as he tapped his chin, "Yes...In fact, I believe she could have been an Eosroir."
Zetsu gave him a questionable look, deadpanning out, "Eosroir? What the hell is that?"
The man let out a laugh, grinning at the boy, "Are you so unaware of the other species of this land? I'd blame education, but I am not so petty." He let out another laugh, before smiling at Zetsu, "You see, Eosroir are powerful warriors, who haven't got the modern luxuries of me and you. They can actually be best compared to prehistoric cavemen. But unlike them...These warriors have powerful electric prowess. They have learned to basically control it."
He rose a brow, crossing his arms with a look of confusion, "Wait...If that's true, which it most likely is because I saw it with my own two eyes, then how did they even gain those type of powers?"
Luigi let out a sigh, shrugging after a moment, "I do not have all the answers, Zetsu. But I believe that like so many species similar to our own, they began as normal humans, but have evolved over the years to become something quite different. In her case, perhaps her species gained their electrical powers overtime, and she's lucky enough to have them. Though I'm not quite sure myself honestly...The world is confusing like that, no?"
The boy stared up at him in silence, sighing out, "But...How am I barely seeing this now? I thought I learned everything there is to know about this world, so how is this all new to me?"
He stared down at the boy, stating, "Because Zetsu...You have never seen the outside of this place. You have never been taught anything related to anything other than this place. You have lived and breathed this place all your life while being unaware of the outside world, and everyone else who lives here is the same. And up until now...You didn't particularly care about anything outside this place either."
Zetsu frowned at this, staring down at the packaged chicken in thought, "So there's still more things to learn about in the outside world…" He quickly placed a few coins and bills on top of the counter, grabbing the chicken and turning to walk away, giving a small wave to the shopkeeper as he did so, "Thanks for the talk and the chicken, Luigi! Keep the change!"
Luigi glanced down at the money in front of him, quickly calling out, "But you gave me exact change!" He didn't get a response as the boy simply ran off, causing him to let out an amused chuckle, "Such a strange young man…"
Inside of his kitchen, Zetsu unpackaged the chicken, washing them off under water with an absent minded smile, humming to himself, "Never in a million years would I have imagined I would see what I saw today. I can't imagine not going to the market and missing out on that."
He placed the chicken into a small bowl that was filled with flour, coating it up with the powder as he looked out the window, "Hmm...Eosroir...What a strange name. There are things- Or people out there who can control lightning…" He tapped his chin in thought, muttering to himself, "I wonder if there's more like that...Like those who can control ice or even fire! Maybe animals actually talk and live as I do...There could be large, fire breathing moths out there for all I know!"
Quickly letting out a deep breath, he placed the chicken onto a pan filled with oil, flinching slightly at the sizzling pop that came out of it, as he leaned against the nearby counter, "And that girl...Not only did she control lightning, but she was so fast, and so strong!" He looked over himself, chuckling weakly to himself, "...It really puts me to shame, but she's not human so a girl being physically stronger than me doesn't hurt that much!"
Zetsu frowned to himself, glancing over at the rest of the unwashed chicken near him, "All I'm good for is cooking and I can't even land a job as a simple fry cook or something…" Sighing softly, he looked up at the ceiling, "...I'm glad I went to the market today. If I didn't, then I don't think I would have had another moment to see what I saw...I probably won't have another one, since I'm here...Sheltered away from the rest of the world."
As he thought to himself, he noticed a cloud of black smoke rise above him, causing him to raise a brow and sniff the air, mumbling out, "...Smoke?" He glanced over towards the stove, only for his eyes to widen upon noticing the pan was engulfed in searing hot flames, causing him to let out a scream, "F-F-Fire! Ahhhhhhhh!"
A series of groans began to echo down to alleyway, as a few doctors looked over three unconscious bodies in it. Just outside the alley though, a tall looking woman, dressed in a tight-looking police uniform, was looking over some kind of crime scene. She had long and beautiful scarlet hair, and her eyes were bright green. Her body was matured and a sight for the eyes, but her appearance also gave off her youth as well. The officer was the definition of a sight to be sure, though in that moment, she was currently observing a different sight.
The woman knelt down near one of the bodies, placing a hand over his chest with a frown, "It's hard to believe how three men ended up like this."
"Eh, they were three pathetic men, so honestly, doesn't surprise me all too much."
She rose a brow at this, turning to see a fellow officer nearby. However, unlike her, he was a large, scrawny-looking man with unhealthily pale skin. His greyish black hair was a complete mess, and his violet eyes lacked the emotion she was used to seeing in others. He gave her a look, asking, "Sylvia, I don't get why the hell you're so interested in this. Fights between mobs happen all the time is this failure of a town."
Sylvia gave him a confused look, sighing to herself while slowly standing back up, "Yes, it does happen all the time, but it's our jobs to find out how to prevent it."
He rolled his eyes, pulling out a small package from his pocket, "Oh yeah, because this department has done a real good job of doing that." After a moment, he pulled a cigarette from the package, quickly placing it in his mouth as he reached for his lighter, "Besides, even if we found out whoever the hell did this, then what?"
The woman grinned at this, crossing her arms with her eyes shining, "Then we take them in, question them on their knowledge of the other gangs, and keep them locked up for assault! U-Unless it was self defense then…" She was silent for a moment, a small frown set on her face, before blinking in realization, "Oh! There has to be some eyewitnesses to determine that!"
The man groaned, rolling his eyes as he stated, "Oh give it a rest, Sylvia. All that crap you're spewing on locking them up will never happen. Whenever criminals get caught in this place, they get out in days through less than innocent means. By this point, it's easier to just stop caring."
She stared at him for a moment, her eyes slowly narrowing as she marched up to him, "You can't say things like that, officer Droog!"
He rose a brow, before groaning out, "Would you stop calling me 'officer Droog' already. It was cute at first, but now it's just plain annoying that you do it so often."
Sylvia flinched slightly, bowing her head down with a mumble, "S-Sorry off- Erm...Droog. I was just trying to be respectful…"
Droog rolled his eyes at this, letting out a low groan once more, giving the crime scene a quick glance, "...Sylvia, are you sure you really want to catch the freaks who did this? Sorta seems like a heavy job for a rookie."
The woman quickly nodded at this, giving him a look of pure determination, "Of course I do, sir! I want nothing more than to see the civilians here smile, and to live a peaceful life under our supervision! Once we show them that we're capable of catching villains, then they'll place their trust in us to protect them!"
He gave her another look at this, letting out a sigh, "...Then I'll do a little research into this then. If it'll give you something to do, may as well help out. Not like anything else of worth happens around here."
She stared at him in silence, a grin slowly beginning to form as she tackled the man in a tight hug, "T-Thank you so much, sir! I promise I will not let you down on this case! We're gonna be heroes to this town!"
However, he seemed unaffected by this, deadpanning, "No, we'll be momentary distractions from their useless lives...Now please let go of me, I'm trying to have a smoke here."
Sylvia quickly released him, letting out an awkward cough as she turned away, "S-Sorry sir, it won't happen again."
"The hell do you mean by that, exactly?"
Kiyoyuki gulped, as he reluctantly muttered into the phone, "S-She destroyed them, boss...They didn't even stand a chance…"
Low growling came through the phone in that instant, as he heard, "You dare tell me that some miserable brat was able to take down three of my men...And you expect me to believe it too?!"
He flinched at this, quickly screaming out, "I-I'm telling the truth, boss! P-Please…" He glanced around his location for a moment, a single solitary street corner, "...Please don't sick Sanjo on me...I promise I'm telling the truth, so don't send that freak my way!"
"Too late, he was planning on that happening regardless of whether you succeeded or not today."
Kiyoyuki felt himself grow weak in that moment, as he reluctantly began to turn around. Standing nearby, a large muscular man with long, flowing black hair, and a similarly large beard was staring him down...It was Sanjo Ji-Hwan...Father to Zetsu Ji-Hwan. He stared at the gangster, smirking slightly, "Though I'm not gonna lie, you messing up just means I won't have to feel bad about this now."
The man let out a scream in that moment, dropping his phone onto the ground as he nervously backed up against the wall, "P-Please, I beg you, don't kill me! I-I'll pay you double what the boss is paying me this month, just don't-"
He was quickly silenced by a large hand wrapping around his throat, pushing him against the wall as he slowly began to lose his breath. Sanjo stared down the man for a moment, growling out, "Relax Kiyo, the boss don't want me to kill 'ya. However...He did want me to teach you a lesson…"
In that moment, Kiyoyuki could feel the man's hand growing warmer, and seconds later, it felt almost boiling. The man's hair began to turn a softer color, almost resembling a bright orange, and in seconds...He saw it burst into flames. His eyes turned a blistering red color, as he slowly lifted his other hand, showing that it had now become consumed in fire, as he smirked at him, "And sadly for you...This lesson is a permanent one."
It was silent for a second, but soon, a blood curdling scream echoed across the entirety of Westfield.
Zetsu's screams had only become louder as he tried to put out the fire to the best of his ability, and eventually, it finally began to simmer down, allowing him to let out a relieved sigh, "Oh thank goodness...I was so close to calling the fire department." He looked down at the completely burnt chicken, flinching upon noticing how inedible it looked, "...Well that was a waste of a chicken."
He looked over the pan, noticing it was nearly melted down, the handle still sizzling from the fire as he frowned, "So much for reusing that…" In that moment, he heard some knocking at the door, causing him to raise a brow, "...It's too early for dad to get home...Who the hell is that?"
Walking towards the door, he placed a hesitant hand on the doorknob, slowly twisting it and pulling open the door, only to be faced with two police officers. They stared at him, before the woman gave him a smile, asking, "Good afternoon, sir. I am officer Sylvia Columbo," she gestured to the skinny man next to her, "And this is my partner, Axel Droog."
He gave her a questionable look, "Okay...Why are you here? O-Oh god, don't tell me someone called over the fire, it's taken care of!"
Droog rose a brow, muttering, "No, you freaking idiot."
This caused the boy to recoil back in shock, as Sylvia cleared her throat, "We were hoping to ask you some questions concerning an event that happened earlier today."
Zetsu looked between them, slowly opening the door more to allow them in, "Um...S-Sure. I'm guessing it's what happened with those thugs, right-" He let out a surprised yelp once the female officer moved closer to his face, "W-Whoa!"
She was quickly pulled back by Droog, with him muttering, "Sheesh, calm down there. You're treating it like you're gonna kiss the guy, and no offense to the kid, but he doesn't exactly look like your type."
Her eyes widened at his words, turning to him with her face reddening in embarrassment, "K-Kiss?! N-No, not at all! I-I was just excited that we found someone who was a-at the scene and I was just leaning close to get a better listen! I-I promise you, I would never do such an act like that towards this child, sir!"
Zetsu was silent at this, a bright blush on his face as he gave the officers a slightly offended look, "So...Am I going to get questioned or are you two going to continue to belittle my existence?"
Droog hummed for a moment, smirking at him mockingly, "Technically I'm here to do both," he nodded towards Sylvia, "But she's here to do the former."
The female officer gave him a pout, letting out a deep breath as she turned her attention towards Zetsu, "So you were at the scene of the crime, correct?"
He nodded at this, "Well...Yeah. I was buying chicken from my friend Luigi's stand, and then it happened...W-Well, it didn't happen, but the events leading towards it happening did happen."
Sylvia hummed, pulling out a small notepad to write it down, "Can you explain to us what you saw?"
Droog pushed past the kid soon after, taking a seat on the nearby couch, "Was it a gang fight? I have a bet on that going on with some of the guys back at the station."
The female officer facepalmed at this, as Zetsu tapped his chin in thought, "N-No it wasn't a gang fight to be exact...A gang was picking on this elderly woman, and someone completely new to town just stepped in."
He rose a brow at this, before beginning to smirk, "Good, that means I just made a few grand off those morons then." He let out a low chuckle, stating, "Anybody who'd actually bother to look at the evidence could realize it was too clean anyways." As he was saying this, he noticed the shocked expression on Sylvia's face, "...What?"
She stared at him in disbelief, pushing past Zetsu and pointing at him in annoyance, "Y-You never told me that! Why would you keep something like that from me?"
The man hummed to himself for a moment, as he began to smirk, "Because it's fun to see your overreactions to my bull...Sorta just like that."
Sylvia groaned, stuttering out, "T-That's not very professional, sir!"
He shrugged, stating, "Never said I was professional."
"Excuse me…" Both officers turned towards the voice, noticing Zetsu giving them an awkward look, "...Are you still going to question me, or should I just get some tea ready for...Whatever you two are talking about."
Blushing in embarrassment at this, Sylvia quickly bowed her head down, "I-I am so sorry. I just have one more question for you," She stood up straighter, pulling up her notepad while narrowing her eyes at him, "Do you remember what the attacker looked like? Age, hair color, clothing, gender...All of the above? It will be of great help for our search!"
Zetsu stared at her for a moment, slowly glancing away, "Um...It was a really short girl." He noticed her expecting gaze, causing him to sigh, "Um...Wild blue eyes...Weird clothing and some type of armor plate- Just...You'll know when you see her. She doesn't look like she's from here."
Droog rose a brow, letting out a scoff as he stood up, "Please, since when does anyone not from around here show up? This guy's obviously full of crap."
His eyes twitched in annoyance, quickly saying, "You have to believe me! I'm telling the truth! Compared to everyone here, she stands out like a...Like a sunflower in a field of corn!"
The man gave him a look, deadpanning, "Pretty sure you wouldn't see a sunflower in a field of corn, kid."
As he let out a groan, the female cop was sketching something in the notepad, before giving him a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, sir. We're going to keep your testimony with us, just in case," She held up the notepad, showing off a drawing of a stick figure, "We also have an accurate sketch of what you just described, so nothing will get past our eyes!"
Zetsu stared at the poorly drawn figure, sighing out, "Okay...Sure. Good luck with your investigation, officers. If that's all, then I would like to go back to cooking before my dad gets back."
Sylvia gave him a mock salute, before grabbing a hold of her partner's arm to pull him up, "Come on, let's go question a few more people."
Before he could even say a thing, Droog was already being pulled out of the house, as he gave the kid a harsh look, "I better not have to show up here again, kid. Because if I do, I doubt it'll be due to you being a witness."
He flinched at his words, watching as the door closed behind him. After a moment alone, he ran a hand through his hair, before muttering, "What the hell was that all about?"
Walking towards the window, he watched the officers speed off in their police car, rolling his eyes to himself. He was about to turn back towards the kitchen, only to stop upon noticing a familiar cloaked figure standing on one of the buildings nearby. He stared up at it in silence, slowly giving it a meek wave. At this, the cloaked figure quickly disappeared.
He stared up at the figure, as he slowly began to smile to himself, "...I clearly have a lot left to learn...I now realize that." He looked off to the side for a moment, as the smile widened into a grin, "...Thank you Tempest...For giving me a new purpose in life...To learn about the outside world...And you."
On the roof of a nearby building, a cloaked figure continued to write things into a journal, her arms completely masked by the large gloves covering everything from sight. Her cloak was a pale yellow color, and unlike the figure that had entranced the town this day, she was far more unnotable. In fact, most people probably wouldn't notice her at all. That boy below probably just got lucky these past two nights.
She continued to write into the book, until after a moment, she stopped. She quickly closed the journal, not daring to let it reopen, as she began to stare up at the sky, "...In silence, you realize a lot of what to come...But around the sounds of triumph...The sounds of disorder begin to form as well, and nobody can truly predict that…"
The figure took a glance towards the other building, noticing a large man entering his apartment in a hurry, as she looked on, "...That boy has a lot to realize...I wonder if in the end, these realizations will be the death of him...Or a birth to a new life…"
"...I guess we'll just have to see…"
James: And with that, the first chapter of the story is complete, but to say we got a lot left to go would be an understatement.
Alexis: I think this was a pretty good chapter though. We saw chicken, fight scenes, fire destroying chicken...And other stuff.
James: ...You weren't paying all that much attention, were you?
Alexis: Uh...Can we go back to the cards? You know, the ones where you compliment me and stuff.
James: ...Anyways, please be sure to leave your thoughts when you can. I know for a fact this chapter wasn't perfect by any means, in fact, it had plenty of flaws, so your thoughts mean a lot. And with that said...Seeya.