Hey everybody, I sincerely apologize for how long I've been gone for. Last year of high school ending in only a few weeks. Everything's stressful af.
One thing that's good is I got into a program I wanted to get into, but of course my Dad is someone who's all "What the fuck are you doing with your life?" since I wanna get into food instead of medical. Asian fail...aha who feels me?
Anyways, here's the next chapter, I'm sorry again, I wish I could make promises about uploading but not sure.
~.~
"Can't believe them, thinking that I'm crazy," I muttered as I went through the city, traveling by rooftops.
"I am perfectly sane!" I yelled at no one. I stopped on one of the highest buildings in the city.
"...great, I'm talking to myself!" I groaned, "Akan is making me look and sound mental...I gotta find him, prove to everyone I was right, and everything will go back to normal...right?" I sighed.
"Man, this was not what I thought my life would turn out like. I have to capture this bitch alive, or at least barely alive." I decided to go back to ground floor, changing into normal clothes. I wore a black hoodie, and blue jeans. I pulled my hood over my head and walked around for a bit, to clear my head.
~.~
"Your girlfriend is craaaazy," Beast Boy told Robin. After the Neko hero had left the building. Robin let out a large sigh.
"My question is, why did she go to the hideout in the first place?" Robin said. His team looked at each other for reasons. No one knowing the answer.
"We should make sure she doesn't hurt herself out there," Cyborg suggested, "If she really is crazy, we should keep her tied down at the tower."
"That's true..." Robin agreed, even though he didn't want to do that to his girlfriend.
"Robin, what's wrong with our friend?" Starfire asked.
"I'm not sure...there might be something over at Slade's hideout that might give us some sort of clue," Robin said, "Cyborg, you, Raven, and Starfire go to that hideout, me and Beast Boy will go after Kiyomi to make sure she doesn't get hurt." They all set out to do what they were told. Robin was on his motorcycle and BB was a bird flying through the sky, looking for their friend.
~.~
"Too much to think about, I hate life," I sighed. I looked up at the night sky...that was covered in dark clouds. I felt something wet fall on my cheek.
"...great," I said as it started pouring, heavily. I watched as other people who were out run for cover.
'Why bother?' I thought as I continued to walk in the rain, getting completely soaked, 'The weather is so fitting.' As I walked, I felt my hoodie grow heavier and heavier from the water. It was getting annoying. I tried to ignore the extra weight while walking around aimlessly. I stared at the ground as I walked. Either my mind was blank, or it was so crowed with thoughts that I couldn't keep up. I patrolled around the city for any possible suspicious activity. Even if its not cause by Akan, I could at least keep the city safe while I'm out here.
"Hey, Robin! She's down here!" I turned to the voice to meet eyes with a green raven.
"Wha-why are you following me?" I asked Beast Boy.
"To make sure you don't do anything to hurt yourself," Beast Boy told me, like it was obvious, "You should have seen Robin when he thought Slave was alive, he hurt himself pretty bad."
"Pft, cause Robin was affected by some kind of chemical. Also, Slade apparently turned out to be alive," I told the green bird, "With me, it's different. I wasn't affected by anything and I'm not crazy." I turned to continue going around the city when I was stopped by a certain teenage hero.
"Come on Kiyomi, lets just go home," Robin told me.
"How about no? I'm out here cause I know Akan is out there. Knowing that not only does that put me in danger, it puts the citizens in danger as well!" I told Robin.
"Man, she's got it bad," BB told Robin.
"Robin, come on you've got to believe me," I told him, taking his hand.
"Kiyomi...why don't we just go back to the tower and wait for the others to come back? Then we can get Cy to check up on you," Robin told me, holding both my hands. I scoffed, ripping my hands away from him.
"Tch, you do think I'm loopy! I thought...I can't believe you, out of everyone, would not believe me! I find out something important and all of a sudden I'm insane! Well you know what?! I don't needa deal with this shit!" I growled, running off, ducking into an alley to escape the two boys.
"...dude, your girlfriend is crazy."
"You don't have to keep saying that, I think we can all clearly see that."
~.~
"This guy, out of everyone else, he doesn't believe me! I'm better off without him, the hell was I thinking?" I thought angrily. I looked up to see that I had walked to an abandoned park, far from the city. It was quiet...a little creepy but maybe it was because it was night, and most of the lamp posts around the park were either flickering or completely off. I stuffed my hands into the pocket of my hoodie and walked around it. I looked at the little rocking horse, it looked a little scuffed up, but it was kinda cute either way.
' "Onii-chan! Look! Look at me!" A little girl said, sitting on the horse, calling out to her brother. The horse was perfectly in tact, as if it was brand new.' I blinked, looking back at the horse.
'...okay, weird...what was that?' I wondered. I shook my head and continued to walk around. I noticed the yellow and orange seesaw. The colors were faded, the orange was a little more vivid than the yellow.
' "Onii-chan! Come play with me!" A little girl with black hair, tied into a pony tail, said as she tugged on her brothers arm. She brought him to the seesaw. the yellow and orange popped out. The colors were bright and vivid.' I rubbed my eyes and looked back at the seesaw. It was worn out and faded.
'...what is happening?' I wondered. I looked at the swings. The blue seats were all worn out, dirty, and some had broken seats.
'I'm just gonna sit,' I thought. I sat down on a blue swing.
' "Oni-chan! Push me!" A girl exclaimed, plopping herself on the the bright, sky blue seat on the swings. A person behind her began to push her, making her go higher and higher. She giggled in excitement.
"Mama! Papa!" She shouted to two adults who were sitting on a nearby bench, "Look at how high I am!"'
I blinked and got off the swings.
"...what is happening?" I wondered out loud, "This...is getting way too weird...wait...this is like those photos I saw..." I walked around the playground. I looked through my mind, remembering the photos.
"Those photos were taken here..."
~.~
"Man, it's dusty in here," Cyborg said, walking into the old lair of Slade.
"Maybe something here set her off, making her think Akan's alive. Same way Robin thought Slade was alive," Raven said.
"But, Slade turned out to be alive," Starfire pointed out.
"...lets just search for clues," Cyborg said. The three split up, searching through the hideout. Cyborg scanned the dust particles, seeing if there's anything unusual about it. Starfire flew up to the upper floor, seeing if there's anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. Raven scanned the main floor for anything off.
"Guys got anything?" Cyborg asked. Starfire flew down and shook her head.
"I don't see anything that could have affected out friend," she said.
"Everything seems normal, for an abandoned lair," Raven said, "you got anything?"
"Beside normal dust and a broken computer? Nothing here had affected her," Cy said. They sighed.
"Can't you do that thing that you did to Robin? When you went into his mind?" Cyborg asked.
"I could...but I'm not sure how much that'll help right now," Raven said.
"Should we go back?" Starfire asked.
"Lets contact Robin first," Raven said.
~.~
"How'd we loose her so fast?" Robin asked, looking around for the girl.
"She's ninja, duh," Beast Boy said. Before Robin could say anything, his communicator went off.
"Hello friends!" Starfire's voice was heard.
"Did you find her?" Cyborg asked.
"We did," Robin answered.
"But then we lost her," Beast Boy finished.
"Did you guys find anything there?" Robin asked.
"Nothing. Nothing here could have made her go bonkers," Cyborg said.
"That's strange...could it be?" Robin asked himself.
"Come on, there's no way he's alive. Unless he has the power to resurrect himself or that he has 9 lives," Cyborg told the leader.
"Well, if you guys can't find anything else, then go back to the tower. We're gonna try searching for her a little more," Robin told them. They nodded and ended the call.
~.~
I walked away from the playground, things were getting way too weird. I wandered around and found myself at the school I used to go to when I was on Slade's side. I snuck in and wandered through the halls. I walked upstairs to my old locker. Remembering the combo, and my curiosity to see if it was the same, I'm turned the lock to the numbers to see if it would open. To my surprise, it did. I opened the locker, only to see a single post-it note. I picked it up and read it.
"I know you were gonna come here, meet me on the roof. We have some things to discuss. -Akan"
"...creepy much?" I questioned. Of course, maybe this note was placed a long time ago. Maybe not. I decided to head to the roof either way. I put my guard up and slowly opened the door to the roof. Ahead of me, stood the red haired boy with his back facing me.
'...maybe I can sneak up on him,' I thought. I opened the door more, only for it to make a loud creak sound. Akan chuckled and turned around.
"What are you trying to do, kitten?" He smirked at his nickname for me. I have him a glare before closing the door behind me.
"Creep, how'd you know I was gonna be here? And how'd you know I'd go to my locker?" I asked.
"I noticed you walking around and decided to just follow," he said simply, "Then I saw you going towards the school, so I decided to go ahead of you. I had no idea if you were gonna go to your locker or not, but I thought that you'd probably go to the roof. I put a note there in case you did open your locker."
"...creeper," I accused, "What do you want?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"What I've wanted for a while," he told me, walking up to me, "For you, to be with me." I scoffed.
"Look, a relationship works when both sides agree to it. In this case, one agrees, while the other rather eat their own foot," I told him, "Plus, I ain't single no more."
"Ouch, painful," he said in a hurt voice, "Wait...what do you mean you aren't single?"
"What? You think you're the only guy who likes me? Or you think I cant fall in love?" I asked.
"Who is this person?" he asked.
"Not important," I said, crossing my arms.
"Well...whatever. Anyways, this isn't the only thing I needed to discuss with you."
"Tch, what else is there?" I asked.
"I wanted you to join me," he reminded me. I laughed.
"Not gonna happen," I told him, "In fact, how about you come with me, I arrest you, and people will see I'm not fucking insane!" He laughed and patted my head.
"Does everyone think you're insane?" He asked.
"The Titans think I'm crazy. I don't know, or care, if the citizens know," I shrugged, "Probably not. Now you gonna come with me or not?"
"No chance, kitten," he told me, "But really, all your Titan friends think you're crazy?"
"Yes, stop mentioning it," I growled.
"Ooh, someone's mad," Akan chuckled, "Everyone, even bird boy?"
"Ugh, especially that bird brain!" I shouted, clenching my fists.
"Some boyfriend," Akan said.
"Even if he wasn't, of all the people, he doesn't believe me!" I ranted, "...wait, how'd you know he and I were a thing?"
"I didn't," he smirked. I glared at him before sighing.
"My own fault," I said, sitting down at the edge of the roof.
"So they won't believe you unless you have proof?" He asked.
"Yes, now either let me arrest you, or we can fight, make this end painfully, and then arrest you," I told him, standing up.
"I don't like prison, it's boring," he whined, "I don't even get visits from my kitten."
"I'm not yours, I'm-"
"Robin's," he finished.
"I was gonna say I'm not an item," I told him.
"Oh."
"Alright, enough talk," I told him.
"But we were having so much fun!" Akan told me.
"Yeah, lets never do it again," I said, shooting long ice shards at him. He dodged and threw balls of flames at me. I dodged the and countered with a water attack. He quickly ducked, not only dodging the attack but hitting his hand on the roof, making the roof to shake and crumble underneath me. I leaped and balanced myself on the edge of the roof.
"...the school will question many many questions," I said.
"They got enough money to fix it," Akan said, lifting his hand. Concrete rose and went towards me. I dodged and dove into the shadows, concealing myself. I connected myself to his shadow, controlling his movements.
"Bet you forgot I could do this," I smirked.
"...actually yeah," he growled, trying to move.
"There, I can just make you walk to the tower and boom. They'll believe me," I smirked.
"You can't keep this up that long, can you?" Akan asked.
"...er...well..." I glared at him through the shadows.
'Fucking smartass,' I thought. I used his shadow to constrict him then crawled out of the darkness.
"You and I both know this won't work on me," Akan told me, breaking out of the binds.
"Ugh, why are you torturing me like this?" I questioned, running towards him to attack.
"I'm just waiting til I get what I want," he told me, blocking my attack with a wall of concrete.
"Well, you want me, right?" I asked, sending a high kick to his head. He caught my leg.
"Yup," he told me. I pushed off his arm to get away from him.
"Well you can't have me," I growled.
"Why can Robin have you?" Akan asked me, crossing his arms.
"I'm not an item, stop acting like I am," I sighed.
"I honestly think you can do better," he told me. I laughed.
"Let me guess, with you?" I asked.
"Hey, it took him a while to actually go after you when you left," he pointed out, "And he keeps saying he'd help you control your blood lust, but that took a while, didn't it?"
"It's under control...ish..." I said sheepishly.
"And shouldn't he believe you, no matter what?"
"...shut up, it's unbelievable that you're alive," I told him.
"I dunno hun. I do believe you can do better, and he doesn't deserve you," he shrugged, "how long have you guys been together?"
"...a day...ish.."
"Not much trust in the beginning...tsk tsk tsk," he said, shaking his head. He walked over to me. I got ready for any attack he was gonna launch. To my surprise, he just poked my forehead.
"Tell me, when was the last time you had fun. By 'fun' I mean it. Not just small smiles and giggles. Literal fun," he asked.
"...well there was a party yesterday..." I started before pausing. I thought for a moment.
"I stayed in my room most of the time...so I guess it wasn't too fun," I said, thinking, "Well, I guess the last time I had a lot of fun...was around when I first met the Titans."
"Hmm..." He sat down on the ledge of the building, motioning me to sit beside him. I hesitated.
"Are you gonna push me?" I asked.
"Are you?" He asked. I shrugged and sat beside him, with a little space between us.
"So...what do you mean by when you met the Titans? Like when you first fought against them? Or with them?" Akan asked.
"Hmm...thinking back to when I first met them, if I block out the fact that Slade was ordering me to do stuff, I guess I can admit it was pretty fun going up against them," I said with a bit of a smirk, "But just hanging around them was fun too."
"But that was when you were a villain, sneaking around them," Akan pointed out.
"Tch, suggesting I go back to my villainous days?" I scoffed.
"You tell me," he shrugged.
"There's no way I'm gonna cause pain to innocent citizens," I told him.
"Who said anything about that?" Akan asked, "At this point, I'm not even asking/telling you to join me. You're your own person. If you became a villain again, you choose what to do, you know?" I blinked.
"...well, I guess...even if I did decide to choose to become a villain, what would I do? What would I wanna do? Take over the world is cliche and hard unless you're Raven's father," I said. He chuckled.
"That's up to you, hun," he told me, "But in all seriousness, think about what makes you happy. From what I've seen from evil Neko ninja, you had a lot of fun."
"I don't really wanna fight or anything...my blood lust is still...you know?" I sighed.
"That's something you can fix with help. But don't wait for it. Either find someone who will actually help you, or find a way to help yourself. Take initiative," he told me.
"Like who?" I asked sarcastically.
"To be honest, I would help you," he said, his tone was full of honesty, "I understand that you want that to stop, it's disturbing and scary when you snap. Also, Slade had told me about some parts of your powers you haven't unlocked."
"...you...? After all the mean things I've done to you?" I asked in a serious tone, "I've ignored you, fought with you, almost killed you, and you would help me. Wait, what do you mean by I have some powers that haven't been unlocked?"
"Yup," he nodded, "Probably makes me weird. Slade just told me a few things, I can't really explain much."
"In a way, yes, yes it does," I told him, "Powers as in I'm stronger than I already am? Kinda freaky...Also realize this doesn't mean I'm agreeing to any sort of deal."
"Well, find me when you find an answer," he said, getting up, "Good luck," then left the roof...or what was left of the roof.
"...what just happened...?" I asked myself. I shook my head.
"Stay focused, don't believe what he says," I told myself, "...shit I let him get away again." Looking down, on the ground was a slip of paper. I picked it up and saw numbers: It was his phone number.
~.~
I left the school, thoughts clouded my mind.
'First, information Slade had left for me, then Akan being alive, and my friends don't believe me...even Robin doesn't believe me...' I thought, '...never mind him for now...maybe I'll keep looking through those files...' I stopped and look up at the Titans tower. I sighed.
"I really don't wanna see anyone right now..." I quietly snuck back into the tower, into my room. I went to my door and locked it before going to my laptop.
"Alright, Slade...what else did you leave for me?" I wondered.
~.~
Robin sighed, looking over the city.
"Maybe we should just go back to the tower...she'll probably go back to the tower anyways," Beast Boy suggested.
"...I guess," Robin said, "I'm just worried about her."
"Come on, she'll probably forgive you for what you said," Beast Boy assured.
"I meant I'm worried about where she is. If she's acting like how I was when I thought I saw Slade everywhere, she could seriously get hurt," Robin explained.
"Well, she's smarter than you so she probably won't..." Beast Boy noticed the look Robin was giving him, "Er, never mind."
The duo started making their way back to the tower. It was silent between the two, Robin having his thoughts clouded with worry and concerns for Kiyomi.
~.~
I had looked back at the photos that I saw before. I was right, they were taken at that exact park. I scrolled through the files, finding more pictures. The only person I was able to fully recognize was myself in the photos as a child. The other people in the photos were all blurry to me, not recognizable.
"...why did he leave this for me?" I questioned as I kept looking through the file. I noticed a folder that I haven't been through yet. I clicked on it and inside was a message. I grabbed my water bottle that was beside my laptop and leaned back, taking a break. I took a long drink of water.
"...seems like a long message...so Slade, will you finally tell me why you gave me this? Will you finally answer a the questions I had from the past?" I questioned, staring at the screen.
~.~
"Did she come back?" Robin asked his team, walking into the tower.
"Nope," Raven told the leader.
"Meaning she's still wandering out there," Robin sighed.
"Maybe she's right, maybe that Akan guy is alive. There's nothing that could have made her hallucinate," Cyborg said.
"Come on, there is no way that guy is alive unless he made a contract with Raven's father," Robin told Cyborg, then turned to Raven, "No offence Raven." The cloaked girl shrugged.
"But that's only if he did die, what if he didn't die?" Beast Boy questioned.
"After Kiyomi went through with him? I saw what was left with him, after that bloody mess, I really doubt that he's alive," Robin told the green boy.
"Come on, Robin. I'm starting I believe she's telling the truth, no matter how crazy it sounds," Cyborg said.
"I gotta admit, I'm starting to believe her as well," Raven told them. Starfire nodded.
"How did you feel when no one believed you when you thought Slade was still alive?" The alien girl asked, "Friend Kiyomi must feel like that, maybe worse."
"...I-" Robin was cut off by the sound of footsteps. The team turned around to see the girl, who's location was suppose to be unknown, in the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge.
"...girl, when did you get in here?" Cyborg asked. Kiyomi pulled a piece of cake out of the fridge, and another water bottle.
"Hmm? I dunno, a while ago?" She shrugged, walking back to her room.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where do you think you're going?" Robin asked.
"To my room?" she said, "With cake? So I can eat it while I'm on my laptop?"
"You think, after all that, you can just sneak in, and act all normal?" Robin asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Was I suppose to act all crazy?" She questioned angrily. She opened the water bottle and threw it at him.
"If you think I'm crazy, I'll act crazy," she huffed.
"Friend, where were you?" Starfire asked. Kiyomi scoffed.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," the girl said.
"Actually, we're all considering that what you're saying is true," Raven said.
"Except for Robin," Cyborg said, pointing at the dripping wet leader.
"Oh, is that so?" she asked questionably, "Well, it wouldn't matter anyways. Whether or not you believe the next thing I say. Since he got away." She walked towards her room. She paused for a moment before going into her room.
"I was rendezvousing with Akan."
~.~
"Tch, this guy," I huffed, collapsing onto my bed. I stared at the ceiling.
"Hmm...maybe we shouldn't be together," I thought, "...I have no bad feelings about the thought of us breaking up, haha, less then three days. This relationship is already dones." I laughed.
"That's kinda sad," I thought out loud, "Maybe it would have been better if we just stayed friends." I sat up.
"Alright, lets go and read what Slade sent before I loose the urge to read it." I walked over to my desk. I slid my fingertips on the top of the laptop. I took a deep breath before opening it. I started reading.
'Akumu,
If you're reading this, it probably means you went back to the old hideout for some reason I don't really care for. That, and the fact that Akan failed to illuminate you. I guess it's a good thing you did, or else this would have been a waste of time. I don't regret having you at my side, but it was a good thing you left. I don't know how mad you are with me, nor do I care. You won't have to deal with me anymore, as will I with you. But there is one thing that you might want to know. The pictures you saw were from your childhood before you were taken in by me. If anything, the only person you would recognize is yourself. Before this makes you even more confused, you are alive, you are real. The book of life was just to change things about you, and to make you forget most of your past, thus giving yourself a new life. The other people on the photos are your parents, and your older brother. The reason why you don't recognize them is because of the book. It blurs out your memory of them. It also blurs out the memory of you in your parents' and brother's mind. They still remember you, they just don't recognize you. You may have passed them somewhere during your life, but you just didn't recognize them and you were to believe that they died in a fire. Now, you have a few choices to make. If you want to be with your family again, destroy the book of life. It won't destroy you. Once it's destroyed, you'll regain memory of your family again. But, you'll loose your powers that were given to you. Your powers to manipulate shadows, and your cat powers will still be there, since you were born with it. Your fighting skills will also stay with you. Other powers will disappear. Not only that, but you'll forget everything you've done with the Titans and me. You'll also forget that you even had powers. All you'll think about the Titans is that they are the teen heroes that have been keeping this city safe. And I was just a villain that harassed this city and the Titans. You'll think that throughout your life, you have been in school, lived in an apartment, and worked. Also, you were able to graduate early, due to the fact you had more than enough credits. Then you decided to go to Japan for a year, to learn more about your culture. Once the book is destroyed, Neko Ninja will no longer be seen. People will remember your existence, that hero would have just mysteriously disappeared. Either you get your family back, or you leave the book alone, and leave this message alone, and continue on with your life as a hero. The choice is yours.
- Slade'
I sat there in shock.
"...sooo...Uhhh...I...wow..." I stared at the screen, "That...that was quite a lot to take in..." I got up and went to my bed. I laid there for a moment to think.
"...what is my choice?" I wondered, "...do I leave my friends and quit being a hero? Or do I stay...and never be able to recognize my family?" I sighed, "Just...sleep on it for now...there's a lot to do tomorrow," I told myself. I closed my eyes and let myself fall asleep.
~.~
"What will you do, Neko?" Akan chuckled, laying on his bed, "The choice is yours..."
~.~
"You messed up, big time," BB mocked Robin, "She's more friendly with the enemy than you!" Robin gave a glare to the green boy, making Beast Boy turn into a turtle to hide in his shell in fear.
"All right, calm down,"cyborg said, "What we know now is that he's alive, and she's not crazy. That's good."
"He's not alive," Robin groaned.
"We'll figure it out," Cyborg said, "Let's just get some rest."
~.~
Hope you all enjoyed! I will try my best to upload more, but again, not sure.
Good luck to anyone graduating, don't feel pressured to do something you don't wanna do, and don't do anything stupid :p
Til next chapter
~Yukiyosh