Author's Note: So, this is my another update after a week. This chapter focuses on introduction and BRS' backstory. It also can be helpful for Steve to know her better. In other words, character interaction. I don't know if there are errors in this, but I'm doing my best. :)
Black Rock Shooter belongs to Huke & Good Smile Company
Captain America belongs to Marvel Entertainment, Joe Simon (R.I.P.), and Jack Kirby.
Inside the Designated S.H.I.E.L.D. Safehouse
At the kitchen, Sharon is preparing a pitchel of pineapple juice and 3 bento boxes for the three of them. At first, she was astonished about their guest; in order to find out how strong she was, she tried to punch BRS yet she blocked it using her left hand and she did a throw move, taking down Sharon. Steve chuckled on what he saw but BRS took her hand and helped her. And that was 15 minutes ago.
Sharon can't help it but to wonder and smiled a bit. "How can a girl look so fragile can be THAT strong? Well, I can say I'm impressed."
BRS was sitting on the couch, watching TV. She looked on the surroundings of this so-called "safehouse", yet it's a simple apartment with some convenient furniture and a flat screen TV on the wall. She looked on the floor and he saw Steve doing push-ups.
"Mr. Rogers, is that you always do, even you're a superhero of some sorts?" Rock asked.
"Of course", Steve replied. "If you want to be ready in any kind of battle, you need to be in shape mentally and physically, even I have the serum."
"Serum?" BRS asked.
"The Super-Soldier Serum." Sharon said as she brought a pitchel of pineapple juice with three glasses, and 3 bento boxes on a tray and she placed them on a table. "That makes him like… a perfect specimen of human development and conditioning. In other words, a perfect and strong man."
"Uh… what is that again?" BRS was dumbfounded because of the unexpected events.
Steve got up. "Hmmm… maybe I should be the one who will explain that to her later." Steve sat on the other couch facing BRS, then he gets his bento box and he handed the 2nd one to the Otherworlder. Sharon also got her bento and afterwards, they began to open the boxes and eat.
"Wow, I can't believe that this bento box is delicious!" BRS exclaimed. "Thanks!"
"Well, I just bought it in the store. I seldomly cooked meals due to my schedule." Sharon said.
"Our schedule." Steve corrected.
"Right." Sharon replied.
As he munched the food and drink some juice, Steve began to spoke at the twintailed girl. "So… you live in your own apartment, having a part-time job, loves to play basketball, and at the same time, goes to a middle school along with your friends." Then he inquired. "But isn't that… too hectic for you?"
"No, it's fine by me." BRS noted. "I'm always getting used to it. Us Otherworlders are always like that."
"Otherworlders? Is that the term for your kind?" Sharon inquired.
"Yes," BRS confirmed. "But I'll explain it later after we finish supper. I know that you want to know more about me but I also need to know from you. And that's fine."
"Go ahead, kid. Take your time." Steve told BRS. And Sharon smiled at the fact that this girl is also kind.
Ten minutes have passed and they have finished eating. BRS can't wait any longer for the answers. At the same time, Steve will finally know who she was and how a perennial fighter she was. For the both of them, it's a win-win situation. Sharon is eager to know more and she can get much information to help on foiling HYDRA's plans.
"Alright, you gonna ask me questions. So what's your first?" Steve began.
BRS remained calm and began her first question. "Who are the men who kidnapped Mato? And why would they want to kill me?"
"It was HYDRA." Steve answered.
"'Cut off one head, two more shall take its place', that is their motto." Sharon quoted. "HYDRA is an international terrorist organization that was bent on world domination and tries to establish a fascist New World Order. At first it was a Nazi research branch headed by Johann Schmidt during the days of World War II, but after the war, it expanded and it became one of the biggest terror groups in the world, with all the high-tech weaponry and technology they have to terrorize people and to further their goals."
BRS just nodded about the information she heard. She realized that there are dark forces that threaten humanity. She is living a normal life in the real world but she is ready to protect her friends and, if possible, to protect this world. BRS keeps on listening with a serious look on her face.
Steve stepped on the discussion. "Even I fought the Nazis during that time; HYDRA was a bigger threat as far as I could see. During the course of time and even today, their getting stronger and more threatening. But I'm here fighting to protect the innocent and stop them no matter what."
"So those guys are so-called terrorists who wield high-tech weapons and use innocents for the advancement of their goals." BRS put the pieces together. "So that's why Mato was kidnapped."
"Your friend?"Steve inquired.
"Yes, that was two days ago. Good thing that you helped me back there." BRS said as an appreciation of thanks. But she had thoughts on her mind. "But the question is… why? I'll save that question later…"
"Well, don't mention about it." Steve replied. "Wait, maybe it's time to tell your story?"
"My story?" BRS asked.
"Yes, because I want to know more about you, to be exact. To be honest, I also want to be your friend." Steve told her. "If something is bothering you, then don't worry."
BRS had second thoughts about it. Yes, she is an Otherworlder who lives a normal life, but Steve also knew her other side: being a somewhat superhuman girl who wields a sword and big powerful cannon. But she realizes that the man who is in front of her, who helped her defeat those HYDRA culprits, and most of all, he is the man who is also known as Captain America. If this is the way to know more about this man, then so be it.
She took a deep breath. "Alright, my civilian name is Kuroi Hoshioka. I'm Kuroi Mato's supposed cousin due to our likeness, except that I have long uneven ponytailed hair. But in truth, I came from another dimension called the Otherworld. I was named… Black Rock Shooter."
"It seems you looked like a teenage girl." Sharon noted. "Anyway, did you have any date of birth or parents? And how do you look exactly like your friend?"
"I don't have one of those, even parents." BRS said. But she formed a smile on her lips about Sharon's other question. "In our world, we are called as other selves. I simply looked like Mato because she is my real world self."
"Something like a physical manifestation or should we say… a counterpart?" Sharon inquired.
"To be honest, it's something like that." BRS answered. "We Otherworlders exist in order to carry the pain of our real world selves. We have no feelings and we only act in instinct and all we do is to fight. As for me, it was my nature to carry Mato's pain; I was like a manifestation of her desire to help people, while ignoring her own pain; that's why it makes me stronger. And I started to kill anyone, setting them 'free' from their suffering. "
Sharon was dumbfounded a bit but Steve was an exception. He had encountered most supernatural entities. He encountered gods, friends and enemies alike; he got an ally in the thunder god Thor and he even faced an enemy in the form of Loki. But this was different: he is facing another mysterious being in the form of this young woman in front of him. He is keeping his eyes and ears as he listens to this young woman's story.
Sharon stepped in. "What do you mean by killing 'anyone'? Are you talking about your own kind?"
BRS explained. "If an Other Self was killed in battle, the pain of its real world self will disappear. But it will lose their memories of something or someone who caused them to suffer, whether it's your friends or loved ones; in other words, the real world self will just forget about him or her. I just did that, especially on the Other Self of Takanashi Yomi's friend."
"And then you killed that so-called Other Self?" Steve asked BRS.
"Mato tried to stop me. But it was too late." BRS replied.
"Wait, that girl?" Steve alarmed.
"Yes, Mato had succeeded on entering the Otherworld by going through my mindscape. She wanted to save Yomi by attempting to stop me from killing Yomi's Other Self but… like I said, it was too late. I stabbed that Other Self. Mato was shocked about this and the blue flame on my eye… turned into a purple one." BRS told them.
Both Americans were stunned about what BRS told them. "Whoa, that's unbelievable."
"Oh dear." Sharon gasped in horror. "It's like 'killing his feelings is also like murdering someone' type of thing, isn't it?"
"You are correct, Ms. Carter." BRS answered. "For example, if someone will kill me, then Mato will forget about someone, even her friends or someone close to her."
"So what happens next?" Steve inquired.
I'm starting to go rampant. And because of Mato's shock, I became… an insane being." BRS recounted.
"An insane… Black Rock Shooter?" Steve guessed.
"Yes, but wait, how do you know?" BRS asked him, surprised.
Steve shrugged. "Well, an intelligent guess."
BRS chuckled a bit shyly. But Steve reiterated. "So, you are supposed to carry Mato Kuroi's negative emotions and instead, you're doing just the opposite. More like an antithesis."
Then she held her breath and sighed as she continues her story. "You can say that. Back then, I was becoming more psychotic, bent on killing everyone that stands in my way. But because of the help of STR, another Otherworlder, Mato wakes up and tries to stop me but when I'm on the verge of killing STR, she succeeded."
"And then, what happened?" Steve asked.
"My conscience was put to sleep… as Mato took control of my body. She faced my insane part, all by herself. I was unable to help her since I passed out. But then, she managed to fight it… by pleading to hurt her."
"But why would she do that? She doesn't want to fight back?" Sharon inquired.
"She wants to be hurt properly. So instead, she took all the beating because she wants to be hurt without hurting anyone else. My insane self is beating her into a bloody pulp, even breaking her right leg." BRS told them. "But despite of her injuries, she fought back with a new resolve."
Then Sharon said, "You didn't even help her? How did-"
Steve turned to Sharon and cut her off. "Sharon, BRS was unconscious back then. What is she talking about is… it was Mato herself facing her own demons. And she had a bigger heart in order to face it."
Realizing this, Sharon took back her own words, "I understand. It seems she is brave and all that."
"Yeah, Mato was something." BRS noted. Then she continued. "Gun against gun. Shot after shot. The battle between Mato and IBRS was not just a gunfight but one who will be left standing. And then… a miracle happened."
"A miracle?" Steve asked.
"It was Mato who did it. Most of the Other Selves came and helped her to defeat my insane side. And because of that, our realms were merged into one dimension. And then, Mato and Yuu, the human self of STR, were brought back in the real world." And she concluded by saying, "Then the rest is history."
"So all because of Mato, your world has changed." Sharon stated. "That's really nice."
"To be honest, us Otherworlders have no feelings and we only act on instinct. But we can never fight on someone that we hate." Then she formed a smile on her lips. "In the end, we love our counterparts and our only wish is to protect them. And I can never lie to someone that I love. And then I said to myself 'I will continue to bear the pain; I will continue to fight in this world'. But when I said that, it will be a different one. And… most of us are starting to gain emotions, especially my friends. And you know, 4 of us have decided to live a normal life in the real world. That is because… we want to get closer on our counterparts, which are, also our friends. And it's really wonderful."
Steve can't help but to came forward and touched her shoulder. "What you tell us is wonderful. I have no clue of some things but what matters is… I really know who you are. You're just more than a persona of someone. You are all just like us human beings: those who have emotions and even those who have courage and the will to fight, the ability to love and care for other people; even making friends."
He continued. "What Mato did back there is more like a battle of wills. She wanted to get hurt because she doesn't want to run away from it and decided to face them. With that, she defeated that dark side of yours and it changed your world. And because of that young girl, you even know how to live a normal life and wanted to learn new things and what it feels like to help others. It seems you're developing a sense of justice, with the help of your human friends. And… someone trying to take the pain away and then you're just running away from it is not what freedom is. And it's not even true strength."
BRS blinked on Steve's statement. Yes, she admit that she became powerful because of Mato's desire but everything became haywire, especially at the point of becoming insane. Now Rock will try to listen to what Steve meant.
"What do you mean by that?" BRS inquired.
"It is really hurting for one person to experience pain and suffering. But problems exist not to dwell on them but to solve them. No matter how many times you stumble or you fall, you need to stand up and say 'I can do this!' even with the help of those who are precious to you. Freedom is not about doing the things you want. It's like taking an opportunity. An opportunity to strive, to become the best that you ever want to be and can do the right thing, not just for yourself but for others as well. If you give in to your pain, you give in to your weakness. Overcoming your pain, overcoming your weakness is like you're striving to become a better person."
"I believe in God, who is the Maker of all life, you and me." Steve said as he pointed on BRS. Then he used both hands to make an illustration. "Our problems are like a box. You look on all 4 corners and then you feeling hopeless you say to yourself 'There is no way! I can't do this!' But if you look up in the sky…" Steve looked up. "…and you see how wide and vast it was, you will realize that God is far bigger than all of your problems."
"I'm sorry, but I don't believe in God." BRS said but she pointed out instead. "But… it seems you have a point. But for beings like us, the more the problems the girls face, the more we carry them and unleash our full potential since it's our nature. But things are different right now, not only for our human friends, but also for us. I even learned how to deal with my own problems, whether it was technical or emotional; and how to solve them. I learned a lot from Mato, and from everyone else."
"I respect on your disbelief in God, but that's ok for me." Steve noted. And then he smiled as he looked again on the twintailed girl. "I can even consider you as His creature. That's because you can walk, talk, and even feel. You are human to me. One who has positive and negative emotions makes us human. Standing up, being strong and to fight for what is right makes us being human. At times of failure, at times of sorrow, and at times of despair, there is light of hope that is coming from something or even on us. And we can say 'We can.'"
BRS fully understood this. Since she is gaining emotions, especially due to the fact that STR also lived in the real world and her closeness to Mato, she is starting to feel pain on her own and learned how to deal with problems. The best thing is she is catching up and Mato, Yomi, Kagari, Yuu, and even Saya were there to help them. Life is full of ups and downs, yes. But above all, life is colorful and beautiful. STR has experienced it when she switched with Yuu and even the others can, including her. No matter what happens, she is ready to face the challenges to come. But the best thing is… she is not alone.
Sharon can't help but to form a smile on her lips. It seems that the two can get along together at all. She knows who Steve is; not only he is known for his stand as a superhero but he is also known for his values. "I can't wait what will happen next." She said to herself.
"Uh, Shooter." Steve called.
"Yes?"
"Let's go outside." Steve said with a smile. "I will tell you about my hardship. My pain. My struggle. My story."
Author's Note: This is the end of chapter 9. Since BRS have told her backstory, it was Steve's turn to tell his. Currently working on those, including the flashbacks, since it will be very long. It will have 2 parts: one which it will be based on "Captain America: The First Avenger" while the second part will be based on "The Avengers", both will be on Cap's POV. And yes, I will watch "The Avengers" today so I will enjoy the ride and at the same time, I will get some ideas. Don't worry, I will do my best to deliver
Read and review. I'll see you later, guys!
