Knock, knock, knock.

"...Huh?" Lincoln said as he woke. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and sat up. He let out a large yawn, arching his back as he let it out. When it was finished, he bent forward, smacking his dry lips as he tasted his own morning breath. Food, he thought as he stood up. He shuffled over to his small fridge, opening it up as he grabbed some leftover cooked crab meat. He took a bite out of it as he scratched the top of his head.

Knock, knock, knock. The sound now got through to him, waking him up completely. He turned to the door with confusion. He never gave his family his address, so it wouldn't be them. And the mail company never came by here, much less up to his door.

"Lincoln-tan." He heard the robotic voice say. He blinked in surprise.

"Oh. She's back." He said. He walked over to the door, and opened it. Standing in the door way at least a foot over him was Twenty-three, looking down on him. She was wearing actual clothes now, a black hoodie with dark jeans and boots. Her dark eyes seemed a little different today, though. Though it interested him for a second, he waved it off as just something that she did.

"Hello again, Lincoln-tan." She said.

"Hey, you came b-"

"I returned because I could not in good conscience leave you alone." She said. Lincoln did not take not of that.

"Do you usually interrupt pe-"

"Not usually, no." She said. Lincoln was silent for a moment, waiting to see if she was going to talk again.

"One, if you're gonna be coming around here, you gotta stop that. Right now." He said. Twenty-three looked down.

"I see." She said. Lincoln scratched his cheek.

"So, what are you doing here?" He asked. Twenty-three perked up at that question.

"I would like to live with you." She said. Lincoln blinked, then frowned in annoyance.

"You came over just to free load?" He said. Twenty-three shifted in confusion.

"No, not at all. Being so young, I do not feel comfortable leaving you here to live on your own, no matter how strong you are. This time in your life is one were human interaction and companionship is a necessity. For your health, I shall live with you and be your friend." She said. Lincoln blinked.

"Still sounds off to me." He said. Twenty-three shook her head.

"I would pay half of the bills and rent, as well as do the shopping three days of the week and take over half of the chores." She said. Lincoln sighed. Even though it still sounding like she was just looking for a place to stay to him, he really could use the extra source of money around here. He couldn't live off ramen and udon his whole life. Still...

"You don't have to live with me to be my friend, you know." He said. Twenty-three nodded once.

"Yes, I understand that." She said. "However, your are under the legal age to be able to rent housing, much less pay bills and not attend school."

"I'm home-schooled." Lincoln said.

"There needs to be an adult to teach you at home." She said. Lincoln was silent for a moment.

"...I am self-taught." He said with fake confidence, glancing nervously to the side.

"Should the authorities discover your living conditions, you will most likely be evicted and put into a foster home, or sent back to your family." Lincoln looked at the cyborg with confusion, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"Then why not just tell them yourself? Isn't that what you're supposed to do?" He said.

"From what I have heard from former foster children, it is not a healthy environment to be in. And...I do not want you to go back to your family. I fear that you will suffer form similar neglect in the future." She said. Lincoln looked at her for a moment before sighing in defeat.

"I guess I don't have much choice do I?" He wasn't really asking her, more talking to himself. "...Fine, I guess."

"Thank you." She said, and bowed slightly. "You will not regret this."

"Yeah, sure. Just don't break anything!" He said, pointing his finger at her.

"Yes!" She yelled, and he sighed.

"It's too early for this." He said. He turned to grab some clothes from his closet. "Come on in, I guess. You live here now."

"Thank you." She said, coming in and sitting on the unmade futon, not caring for the messy blanket in her way.

Lincoln entered the bathroom, going through his morning ritual. There were few good things about living by himself. One of them was that he no longer had to wait in that ridiculously long line to get his turn, so he didn't have to worry about using up the hot water...most of the time. It took him around an hour to get ready on a good day in here, the only reason was because he could. He hated to rush in the mornings when he was eleven and younger, so this was a welcome change in his life. However, he figured he should hurry since he had Twenty-three. As he brushed his teeth, he looked at himself in the mirror, bags under his eyes.

I wonder what'll happen now. He thought to himself.

He had planned to participate in the next series of test tomorrow at noon, and if fate was good he would. He wondered if they would let him, or just take him for some silly kid...again.

"Lincoln-tan?!" He herd Twenty-three call form the living room. Lincoln rinsed out his mouth, spitting a mix of water and toothpaste into the sink.

"Why '-tan?'" He asked himself in almost a whisper. "YES?!" He yelled loud enough for her to hear.

"Have you decided on whether or not you are joining the Association?!" The cyborg asked him.

"Yeah, I was going to take the test tomorrow!" He said. "Hey, you're in the Association, right?!"

"That is correct!" She said. He started changing his clothes, taking off his pajamas and putting on a plain white t-shirt and jeans.

"Any advice or anything on the test?!"

"I have no doubt you'll do exemplary on the physical exam, so I suggest you study for the written exam!" Lincoln splashed water on his face, making sure to scrub it deeply to get any dirt he might have gotten while he was asleep on it. He didn't feel like taking a shower this morning. He figured he was just take one tonight before he went to bed.

"There's a written exam?!" Lincoln yelled out.

"Yes. It's usually about the laws of the country, the heroics policy, and so forth!" She said.

Oh, I thought it was something academic. He thought. Though, there might be a bit of that mixed in there.

"Good to know! I should get studying then!" He said. He opened the bathroom door and stepped out, making sure to turn off the light behind him. Last time he forgot, it short-circuited his entire apartment. He didn't even know how that was possible.

"I could assist you, if you like." Twenty-three said. "I'm right here if you need help."

"What's with you acting buddy-buddy all of a sudden?" He asked. Twenty-three just shrugged in response, confusing Lincoln more. Lincoln sighed in exasperation. This was his life now. Well, better get her started. "A few ground rules. There are four shelves in the fridge and four cabinets. We get two each. Sunday through Tuesday, I clean the bathroom and living room, you get kitchen and balcony. Wednesday through Friday, it's reversed."

"What about the living space?" The female cyborg asked.

"Right. Obviously, I sleep on the futon. There's a room filled with a bunch of old boxes and stuff that never got picked up, so I guess we'll have to clear that out and get you a bed-"

"Wait, if there's another room, why have you not started using it?" She asked. Lincoln shrugged.

"Never found a reason to." He said.

"Well, I insist you take the room. I'm a legal adult, where as you-"She started, but Lincoln interrupted her.

"Who cares how old you are?!" He yelled, causing her to blink in surprise. Lincoln crossed his arms and frowned. "Besides, I have experience living with girls of all ages. It's better to give them their own personal space."

"Still, I could not in good conscience-"

"My house, my rules!"

"...All right!"

"Good. Now, the light in the bathroom's faulty, so if you leave it on too long, we'll lose all power in here for a while." He said. The cyborg nodded in understanding. "Don't nail anything to the walls, and don't scratch them up. The T.V. only gets news, and the far left part of the stove doesn't work."

"Okay." She said. Lincoln put a hand on his chin, trying to see if there was anything he was missing. "Lincoln-tan, when was the last time you went shopping?"

"Oh, I tried to go yesterday, but I had to do some hero work and ended up missing a sale." He said.

"Then, as your new room-mate, allow me to buy this week's groceries!" She stood up, holding a fist in the air as if she was delivering some heroic speech. Her eyes shined with as much determination as they could convey, her face stolid. Lincoln blinked, his face neutral. "I have recently seen a small sale for a market in Granda City!"

"Okay."


"But that doesn't make any sense!" She yelled, catching the attention of several nearby shoppers. "Why would they sell hot-dogs and hot-dog buns in an unmatched quantity!"

"I knew we should've stayed away form the international markets." Lincoln said, somewhat aware that Twenty-three wasn't listening. Lincoln grabbed a package of hot dogs and put them in his basket, making his way to the next isle.

"We would have to buy 12 bags of hot-dog buns and nine packages of hot-dogs to even it out!" Lincoln was about to say something, but there was a certain product on display that caught his eye.

"Hey, you said you get paid a lot, right?" He asked the cyborg, who took this time to turn away from her shopping troubles.

"That is correct. Why?" Lincoln pointed over to the product.

"Could you do me a favor and buy that?" He said.

"...A rice cooker?" She asked, confused. The rice cooker was set up on a glass display, surrounded by boxes of its brethren. To Lincoln, it was like an answer to an old prayer he forgot. It was had a bunch of buttons, and was small enough to be portable.

"What? Cooking rice in a pan is a pain. It's got a lot of different functions that would save me a lot of trouble." She said.

"Oh, right. I forgot that you cook your own meals." She sounded a little down at that, but Lincoln barely noticed. "I see no problem in purchasing that."

"Thanks, Twenty-three." He said, walking towards the display.

As he picked up the box carrying his new kitchen accessory, he heard a girlish squeal. Flinching in surprise, he turned and was shocked to see a small army of people were crowding Twenty-three, who seemed completely uncomfortable with all the new-found attention she was getting. Lincoln's face was neutral as the people started barraging her with a flurry of compliments and questions.

"Oh my god, it's Demon Cyborg!" The girl, who Lincoln thought was the one who squealed, said in an annoyingly high-pitched voice.

"The S-Class?!" One man said.

"I heard she was pretty, but this is incredible!" An old man said.

"Give me your autograph!"

"How is it to be a hero so strong?!"

As the people started to gather more, Lincoln just stood and stared at this spectacle. It was obvious that Twenty-three had no idea how to react or what to say, so she just stood frozen in spot, not moving an inch. She tried to be un-moved by this embarrassing scene, donning an intimidating guise as she hoped to scare the crowd away. While it was obvious to him what her intentions were, everyone else wasn't as perceptive as him.

"She looks so cool! She looks like she's about to go into battle!"

"Marry me!"

Guess she's busy, Lincoln thought with a mischievous smile as he walked away with his share of the groceries. Hope she's gonna be okay.

"Man, she's surrounded by people." He heard someone say. Glancing to the side, he was a girl no older than him standing in the middle of the market. She was shorter than him and wore a black dress that did almost nothing to cover her legs. "And after all this time I took to find her." Her curly green hair seemed to be constantly moving, even though there was no breeze inside this building. Lincoln stared at the strange girl, who seemed to finally realize that she was being stared at. "What the hell are you looking at?!" She yelled at him. Lincoln blinked in surprise.

She's rude. He thought. She crossed her arms and glared at him, turning her whole body to face him.

"Well?!" She yelled again. He blinked, trying to figure out what to say to this bizarre character. "Are you just gonna keep staring at me, brat?!"

"...You're weird." Lincoln said. Normally, he would have been completely livid at someone calling him a brat...but not someone who was probably only a year older than him. The girl froze for a second, before her glare came back and she screamed louder.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOU WINTER RABBIT?!" She yelled. Lincoln's eye twitched.

"Lincoln-tan! Could you please help me?!" He heard Twenty-three yelled. He looked over to her, seeing she was almost engulfed in the crowd. She looked so nervous she could pop at any moment. Lincoln had to keep himself form laughing. He forgot completly about the girl next to him

"Don't worry! You're doing great!" He said, smiling a little. She didn't answer as she glanced nervously around herself. "Just try not to be afraid! They can smell fear!"

"Liiiincoooooln-taaan!" She said. Somehow, the crowd still did not sense her nervousness, as they were too mesmerized by being around her to actually try and listen to her.

"Wow, I had no idea she was so popular." He said to himself. The girl next to him scoffed.

"I had no idea a shit-faced brat like you was so stupid." She said. Lincoln's eye twitched once again, and he frowned.

"Just what's your problem anyway?" He said, turning to her.

"My problem is that some creepy kid was staring at me." She harrumphed (like, she almost said the word "harrumph") and turned her head.

"You looked weird, that's all." He said, turning to see how Twenty-three was doing.

"Like you're one to talk!" She yelled, turning and pointing at him all at once.

"And who're you calling a kid. You're not that much older than me." Lincoln said, preparing to leave this annoying girl behind.

"I'm twenty-eight years old!" She yelled, her arms extended to the ground, ending in fists, a wild blush of anger spread over her face. Lincoln raised an eyebrow, but walked away without another word. Like he would believe something like that. There was no way in hell she was twenty-eight.

"Okay, here I come Twenty-three." He said, pushing his way slowly and carefully through the crowd. There were shouts of "Hey, wait your turn." And "What's the big deal?" Lincoln ignored them and pushed through. When he got to the final layer of the crowd, he found that they lest a small open area around Twenty-three. At least these people were smart enough not to try and touch her. He didn't know how strong she was, but he knew it was enough to hurt a normal person badly. And they knew that, too.

"Lincoln-tan, thank god!" She whispered. Over the loud praises of the crowd, he could barely hear her. Even though she was still wearing that fierce mask, her whole body quaked, and she looked like she was about to burst. Lincoln sighed, and grabbed her wrist.

"Come on, let's go."He said, dragging her hesitant body along. The crowd became confused with the sight of this, but were soon distracted by something else.

"...Wait...IS THAT S-CLASS RANK 2!" Someone yelled.

"Wow! Two S-classes in one day! This store is amazing!"

"She looks so scary in person!"

Lincoln couldn't see who they were talking about, but he was glad that the attention was on them and not on Twenty-three anymore. The people started to gather around this other person, allowing Lincoln to quickly slip Twenty-three past them.

"Get the hell off of me!" That familiar voice yelled. Lincoln would have stopped to recognize it, if he hadn't been so focused on paying for his items and leaving. He brought the cyborg to the cash register, who looked like she was about to burst at any given moment. He put their groceries on the conveyor, and reached for his wallet.

"This week's shopping was actually pretty cheap, so I guess I'll pay for it. You've been through enough today, I think." He said. Twenty-three did not answer, as she started to hyperventilate.

"Hey, there's Twenty-three again!" Someone yelled. Lincoln looked behind Twenty-three to see the crowd running towards them, kicking up dust as they made their way through the store.

"*Sigh* Let's go."


As they walked down the busy streets, catching the attention of almost every person they passed, Twenty-three had her head bowed.

"I'm so sorry!" She said. Lincoln waved her off.

"Don't be. If I was always bothered by people like that, I'm sure I would get upset, too." He said.

"I wasn't upset. I was terrified." She said. "And no matter how I felt, we had to abandon all the precious groceries, and your rice cooker! I am nothing but a burden on you!"

"Stop being sot melodramatic. It's weird." Lincoln said, looking around for a new market to shop at. One that preferably was not busy. He didn't feel like running all the way back home to get groceries.

But I'll have to run home anyways. He thought to himself.

"Still, I feel bad. This is not the first time this has happened, Akio." She said, lowering her head more in dejection. Lincoln glanced at her, raising an eyebrow.

"My name's Lincoln." He said. She perked up immediately, her face not doing anything to hide her embarrassment.

"R-right! Lincoln." She laughed awkwardly, before letting her head fall down again. "I'm no good around big groups of people, so I usually like to stay alone." Lincoln looked at her for a second. Thinking back, he realized he wasn't that different. He looked forward to make sure he didn't trip.

"I kinda get that. I'm no good with a lot of attention, either." He said as he walked. Twenty- three looked at him for a moment, then faced forward, smiling a little.

"I see."

"DEMON!" Someone yelled. Twenty-three jumped slightly, a look of panic on her face. Lincoln blinked in confusion, and turned to see where the voice was coming from.

The annoying girl with the green hair was coming this way, stepping fast. She had an angry pout on her face, and she seemed to somewhat glow in a green aura. Lincoln immediately frowned.

"Oh, it's her again." He said. Twenty-three said nothing as she turned, a look of fake content on her face. The green-haired girl stopped a couple feet from them, and crossed her arms.

"He-Hello, Tatsumaki." She said. "I would understand how you could be upset-"

"You're damn right I'm upset!" The girl yelled. "Our six-month anniversary was yesterday, and I don't even get a text!"

Anniversary? Lincoln thought in shock. Don't tell me Twenty-three is dating this weird kid. Unconsciously, Lincoln took a step away fro the cyborg. Twenty-three noticed this, and looked to the white-haired boy in panic.

"She's older than she looks!" She yelled desperately at him. Lincoln just gave her a side glance.

"Pervert."

"It's not perverted!"

"And why the hell and you hanging out with this buck-tooth brat?" Lincoln gritted his teeth as he looked at Tatsumaki with fire in his eyes.

"Who are you calling a brat, midget?!" He yelled back at her.

"What the hell did you say?! You're only a foot taller than me!" She yelled, leaning forward to put more power in her scream, uncrossing her arms.

"Please, stop. People are staring." Twenty-three said. Lincoln looked around and saw that it was true. A small crowd had gathered around, and were all staring at what was bound to be a spectacle to witness. Lincoln honestly could care less if people stared, but he didn't want to deal with Twenty-three having another nervous breakdown. So, Lincoln dejected him to defeat, sighing.

"Fine. I'm gonna go shopping back home. You can handle whatever it is you're doing here." He said.

"Right. I'll be back in about two hours." She said. He started walking, but suddenly thought of another rule to say, turning his head slightly to face her.

"Oh, and I better not come home one day and catch you doing anything...weird." He said. Twenty-three blushed hard.

"I'm not perverted!" She yelled desperately. Lincoln faced forward.

"Sure." He simply stated, before blasting off to Zendrant City.

As he ran, the buildings blurred around him, becoming a simple part of the background. He was sure he bothered a few people as he made his way, but he was only focused on getting as far away from that pervert as possible.

Geez, if I'd known she was into that kinda stuff, I would have never let her stay with me. He thought.


He was about ten seconds away from his usual market, when he saw another purple streak in the sky. Blinking in surprise, he stopped, looking at the sky where it had appeared.

There. He saw it again. It was too close to be a star, and in the middle of the day. He was going to keep going to the shop, but now he was too curios. Without missing a beat, he jumped up on top of the building as started to make his way over to where the streak was.