A/N:This is just my outline of what will happen in Chapter 13! Alibaba heads for the Reim Gladiators, though, keep in mind that this Alibaba is a badass gang kid who doesn't take shit from anyone (as the last chapter showed.) He figures since he's here, he can unleash his manipulation tactics. Watch as Toto's stubborn but violent persona meets her equal in the form of Kida Masaomi. Is it a match made in heaven, or a match made in hell? Haha, the quote is true for my character, who is sort of...difficult with women, as you will see. Not a misogynist, just suffered from abuse by a woman and thus has difficulty dealing with them.
But if there is one aspect that Kida and Alibaba differ on, it's that Alibaba is too much of a marshmallow. He lets himself get pushed around and does nothing to change it. Kida doesn't put up with that shit. You try ordering him around, he'll kick your house down.
I just worry I make Kida look too OP but keep in mind, even starving, Kida does have muscle and is strong. Kida is also the kid who took a crowbar to the head and remained standing. It took several blows to bring him down. He also stood off against both Celty and Anri without any fear. Being a sociopath also makes him pretty fearless. Which is both going to work and not work for him here.
It is here where we see more of his cunning, devious side show. As such, he's more referring to himself as Kida here and less as Alibaba. Kida is his cunning, true side, of the "Shogun" side, and Alibaba is the mask.
Kida is more worn down here from the previous chapter (where he had to live through his memories of his mother's abuse of him, again.) That left him in excellent moral fiber and spirit.
""Men have sacrificed and crippled themselves physically and emotionally to feed, house, and protect women and children. None of their pain or achievement is registered in feminist rhetoric, which portrays men as oppressive and callous exploiters."
― Camille Paglia
Chapter 13 Kida encounters Toto
Kida Masaomi, now known as Alibaba, sighed as he wandered around the streets of this shitty place. Everyone he talked to ignored him, so he was pissed off as fuck, and hungry. He was going to resort to stealing something if no one would treat him like a human being. He'd been dumb enough to take that white-haired guy's advice...what was his name again? Shere Khan...no that was the tiger from that Disney movie...whatever the fuck his name was, he swore he was going to punch him through the ceiling when they next met.
Why the fuck would he need to go here to get physical training? He'd already had it, from Izaya, of all people. He was as lithe and quick as you could get. Plus, he was hungry as hell, these people were douches, and what else could you expect from a shitty-ass world like this where slavery was still allowed, gladiators were still a thing, and no human rights organizations existed?
Oh yeah, and no public bathrooms, no telephones, no radios, no tvs, and no internet. Fuck this. He'd rather be back home...than wasting time here. The former Shogun scoffed and kicked the ground, causing some dirt to fly into his face.
"Oh, fucking hell! So annoying!" He growled, swiping the sand off his face.
He glanced over, and noticed a person pointing and laughing at him.
He immediately shot them a death glare, and the person paled and ran for their lives, recognizing danger when they saw it coming.
"Fucking asshole." He grumbled. When Kida Masaomi was cursing, the gang members knew to run. He might be little, but that didn't mean he couldn't and wouldn't fuck you up. When he was in a good mood and wasn't cursing up a storm, he was happy. But when he was cursing or looking irritable, then you ran. Worst of all was when he smiled.
That meant impending hell was going to hit you.
His eyes widened in interest as he spotted food.
Oh, there was an opportunity, right there. Some food was lying there, untouched.
Kida dashed behind a corner, waiting, watching. Smiling widely, he quietly tiptoed over to the location of the food, hid under the table, and immediately swiped a piece of bread and tucked it under his clothing before melting back into the shadows.
'Are you sure this is a wise idea?' Dark asked.
'We'll be fine.' He chirped, taking out the bread and munching on it stealthily, chewing as slowly as possible, so it didn't look like he was eating. He was casual, and then the bread was gone. Kida felt some more strength come into his limbs. This was better. Unfortunately, the rest of it was already taken.
He spotted a cute girl up ahead, dark-haired...ooh, and he could see her boobs from this distance, too. Perhaps, if he asked nicely, she'd deliver him some nice food.
'She's pretty fucking cute.' He thought.
He wasn't quite sure why on earth he was referring to himself with his previous name. Perhaps that's because it's who he truly was, under the Alibaba mask.
He was just a regular guy who enjoyed women, and cherries. Maybe some cherries were here.
Confidently, he made his way up towards her, before he decided to test her clemency. Slowly, he dragged himself on the ground, acting sickly.
"Help me...please, give me some food." He begged.
Surely, she would help a sick beggar?
She blinked and stared at him for a few moments, before her eyes hardened with contempt. "Go away. There's no food here."
"But...But I'm poor. I need food! Give me some, please!" This was where he became more theatrical.
Then she did something even he wasn't expecting.
She grabbed his arm, hard, much harder than should be legally allowed, and started to swing him around. All right, this was getting fucking irritating.
The nice guy mask was going right the fuck off.
Who the fuck swings around an injured person?
"Toto will make sure you stay out-"
Kida immediately swung himself out of her arms and did a couple parkour gestures, landing on the ground, but whining as though he'd hurt himself, and sniffling. "Y-You hurt me! All I did was ask her for food, and she started hurting me! She tried to throw me around! Someone, please help me!" He begged, bawling.
Instantly, a red-haired man walked over, looking concerned.
"Toto, what's going on here? Why would you throw a homeless person around like this?"
The black-haired girl paled. "T-Toto was just doing her job. Besides, h-he begged Toto for food, and Toto told him to go away-"
"You would honestly turn away a poor person? That's disgusting, Toto." His eyes narrowed and then were filled with sympathy as they took in Kida, who was still fake sobbing.
"Thank you so much..." He said, actually thankful there was a nice person for once.
He got back up, rubbing his head. "You didn't have to do that, you hurt me!"
"Stop complaining about it, you stupid idiot! Toto should have thrown you higher."
Much to her surprise, he casually got back up, turning to face her with a wide grin on his face.
"You know what? You have a nice body and all, but you're a total bitch." He said cheerfully.
"W-What the?" She cried, totally bewildered by his sudden 180 in personality.
"I think I already hate you, which, given that you tried to murder me for simply speaking to you, is one hundred percent logical and rational. Ah, it's simply horrible. I just wonder...what King Sinbad will do if he learns you tried to swing around one of his favorite pupils." His eyes were glinting now.
"S-Sinbad?" She gasped, her face bright red. "Y-You're from Sindria?"
"Sure am. I'd be glad to tell him how well you guys are treating tourists here. Might impact your income a little bit, I'm sure, if I tell him how they're treating their homeless. So, Toto, was it? I could have you charged with attempted assault and battery, but I'll drop the charges if you...feed me." He said, smiling widely, pronouncing every word in a condescending, yet cheerful tone.
Her eyes widened and she backed away. "W-What the hell is wrong with you? Toto won't feed you, you lied to her and made her think you were poor-"
"I wonder how you would have treated a genuine poor person. Do you believe yourself above them? Disgusting. Which is why, if you don't want anyone finding out about this, feed me, okay, Miss Toto?" He purred, in an obnoxious tone.
"You're full of shit." She growled.
"Yeah? Well, you're a piece of shit, so I think I know just who I'm above. I came here to get training, and it feels real nice to meet an upstanding person who wants to murder the newest recruit." He chirped.
"All right." She growled.
Toto had never hated anyone as much as this rude boy. He'd insulted her, said she was a bitch, and worst of all...how the hell had he survived her throwing him? She'd seen him move, but then he was back on his feet.
What the hell was with his mood? It kept changing.
He was eagerly devouring the food, although not making a mess. He spied a red fruit and then his eyes lit up and he devoured it happily, his eyes shining.
"Ah...cherries, they're made in heaven, just for me." He moaned. "Thanks for the food, by the way. Maybe some time, I'll return the favor." He said cheerfully before grabbing the glass of wine that was before him, sniffing it and pushing it away. Yup, he could tell when drinks were drugged, he wasn't dumb. Izaya had had like a thousand assassination attempts by both Shizuo and mafioso members, so he'd trained Kida in that, too.
"I do so hope that wasn't drugged with anything. I'll pour myself my own glass, thank you." He said softly, asking for an alcohol, which was brought to him, and he poured it for himself and started to drink it.
"Why'd you waste that?"
"Ah, didn't you know? Never drink anything you haven't made yourself. People can slip things in it, like poison or drugs or ecstasy. Then you can fall unconscious and horrible shit can happen." He sniffed the drink and took a cautious sip. "Smells all right. That's good."
"Don't be so paranoid!" She yelped. "You're such an asshole."
"Yeah, and what's your excuse?" He said, his face was reddened slightly.
"See, you're a tactless-"
"Uh-huh."
"Insensitive-"
"How do you know that? I only reacted because you threw me." He said cheerfully.
"And a jerk!"
"No one would be happy with being thrown around, okay?" He said softly.
"Just fight me, you coward! I wanna punch that smug smile off your face!" Toto cried, trying to punch him, but he lazily turned his head to the side.
"You're too slow. Sorry, but you'll find I don't drink that much, because then you lose focus of everything." He said, having actually diluted it with water to distill the alcohol somewhat.
As he stood up, he turned to walk away.
"Wait, what's your name?" She asked.
"Alibaba, Prince of Balbadd." He said smoothly.
Everywhere, heads turned.
"Alibaba, did he say?"
"The prince of Balbadd?"
"Balbadd? What is he doing here?"
"Alibaba? The one who threw his brother off the throne and put in that guy?"
Whispers and suddenly cries were being thrown at him.
He cheerfully nodded and smiled at them.
"W-What an arrogant little!" She growled.
"Remember...sweetheart, you'll put up with me for a little while, and then, bam, I'm gone. Okay? I've put up with people like you, you're nothing compared to them. So please, do shut up and try to be a little nicer, okay? It doesn't do to be mean all the time." He said to her, softly, but with a menacing aura that was nothing short of disturbing.
What was with this guy? How was he so goddamned good at shutting down dissent and at switching tones?
"W-Who are you?"
He smiled. "Alibaba, Sinbad's emissary and here to train with the gladiators. Nice to meet you."
Toto couldn't believe she'd let herself get humiliated by that blond-haired brat. He was so smug and full of himself it pissed her off. Sure, he acted dumb, but he acted like he owned the place.
Worst of all was how he humiliated her in their first duel.
"If this duel doesn't have honor, I'm not partaking. I'm sorry, but all I see before me is a cheater. I can't use my magic, yet she can?" Kida said icily.
"She can, she belongs here!"
The boy scoffed. "If that's the way it is, then fuck it. I forfeit the match. I'm not dueling a cheater."
Toto's eyes narrowed. How dare he call her a cheater-he cheated with his emotions!
"Come back here and fight me like a man, you coward!" She yelped, aiming her fist at him.
But he just turned around quickly, and caught her fist in his hand, which remained in place.
What the fuck?
She couldn't back out of his grip. How was he so strong?
"Let go of me!"
"Only a coward strikes their opponent from behind. You're a true coward. You play dirty, then try to fight dirty when your opponent is unarmed. Since you're a woman, I'm going to let you off easy with just this." And like that, he firmly pushed her aside, before turning to walk away.
"Wait, you can't just leave!" Shambal called.
"Why shouldn't I? I've been disrespected, spat on and insulted since I got here. I didn't expect this to be full of dicks who love beating down others. I won't fight a coward. She's a coward who just so happens to be a girl. Her sex has nothing to do with it."
'Nothing to do with it?' Toto thought, wide-eyed.
"I refuse to be humiliated by a man!" She cried.
"...Oh, and I could have done a dirty trick there by cutting your armor. But that's below my standard, so I didn't. I suppose I'll stay, if I can fight her in a fist-fight."
Toto smiled. She could best him.
She charged at him with her bare hands.
He side-stepped.
She got him in the neck when he wasn't looking.
"Nice," He said softly, before he paused-and flicked her forehead, "I'm not in the mood to beat up a girl, so there you have it."
"Excellent speed and timing." Shambal said, "Your defiance is something to be concerned about."
"I'm all about honor. If there's no honor, there's no decent fight." He said, sticking his hands in his pockets. The boy looked like a true leader, speaking like that. He walked and held himself like a true fighter. Oh yes, this boy had seen combat before.
But how would a prince see such things?
Curious.
"You may stay here, Prince Alibaba."
"Thanks, you're not bad, old man." He said.
"Master...how come he didn't cut my armor?" She asked, gazing down at where her...her parts would have been displayed for others to see. The thought of such a thing happening made her cheeks heat up.
"He's a strange young lad. But I believe he has a true gentlemanly spirit. That is why he let you off easy in that fight. He could have done real harm to you, yet he chose to just damage your pride and leave your modesty intact."
"He's sexist!" She cried.
"He saw you as another fighter he had to beat." Shambal said. "He will be an interesting addition, for sure."
"He's just an arrogant idiot!" She cried. "Toto refuses to see him again."
However, in the morning...suddenly the blond idiot was in her room.
"TOTOOOOOOO, TIME TO WAKE UP! THE SUN IS SHINING!" He cried.
"Shut up! Toto gets up when she needs to!" she growled, pressing her pillow on over her ears.
Was this her punishment? Now he was acting like an idiot again.
Who was this guy? Why was he able to change faces so often?
One second, he was an arrogant, condescending asshole, the next he was a friendly guy.
"Tottttttooooo. Aren't we buds now?" He said, poking his head in. Now that she got a good look at his face, his face looked different from any others she'd seen before. Why was his skin so tan? And his eyes looked different as well. His eyes were closer to a golden-brown than true gold.
It was then that she noticed the single odd point on his head, a tiny piece of hair sticking up.
"Shut up, I'm not waking up."
"Then I'll eat your food, you silly girl." He said, cackling darkly as he charged down the hall with impossible energy.
"What the hell is his problem?" She cried. "Is he an idiot or a genius idiot?"
She found him trying to smoke a cigarette.
"Nah, I'd rather not get cancer and die an early, painful death. Fuck that." He threw the cigarette on the ground and kicked it away.
"You don't smoke?" She asked, "It's supposed to be healthy."
"It's not. It shortens your life and makes your teeth look nasty. It also causes a sickness to grow inside you that kills you very fast." He said cheerfully.
"S-Sickness? What do you mean?" She cried.
"It's a secret." He chirped. "You know, you're still a bitch, but you're cute. Very cute."
"Eh-"
"Especially your hair. Looks like Kassim's."
"M-My hair?" She stammered, "I thought you were gonna mention my-"
"Ah, that area. Yeah, I looked there, but I'd much rather look at your face while talking to you."
She blinked, a little surprised by his sudden earnestness. "Aren't you a jerk?"
"Aren't I a human?" He said simply, "Look, I have my male desires, I'm a simple guy, I do look when I see boobs."
She slammed her fist against the wall.
He smiled. "Ah, just like Morgiana. Nostalgic. Anyhow, that's how I am."
Suddenly, he fell back on his side-and he was asleep. Sound asleep.
She shook him, but he slept solidly.
Around thirty minutes later, he awoke.
"Ah, looks like I just fell asleep. I suddenly do that sometimes."
She also noticed that he didn't blink very much, and he sometimes had an eerie stare.
"How come you don't blink?"
"Eh? Some of us just...don't count it enough to care?" He said in annoyance.
"Oh."
What a confusing boy.
Her heart was pounding, though.
No way...she couldn't be falling for this asshole. No way in hell. She'd sooner die than fall for him.
(Kida's POV of these events)
Well, he'd gotten here and managed to meet a bitch who swung him around for no reason. Humiliating her had been worth it. He loved calling others out on their bullshit, it was so much fun, he thought, as he ate his food.
He noticed the red-haired man from before watching him, along with a bunch of his friends. Wait, were they...Fanalis? He had no idea that there'd be any of them here. Not that he minded any. He smiled and nodded in the red-haired man's direction.
"Thanks!" He said, coming a little closer to them.
They stopped, glancing at him as though he were nuts, before the red-haired man nodded.
"It's no problem. I don't mind defending the people who can't stand up for themselves. Did you say you came from Sindria?"
"Yup! I came to train here!" He said, "But I certainly didn't expect to be thrown around like that. Is that girl always that way?" He asked.
"What, Toto? She can be a little feisty and protective, but give her time and she'll warm up to you. My name's Mu, by the way."
"I'm Alibaba, Alibaba Saluja." He said.
"You mean like that prince from Balbadd?" He asked.
"Yeah. That's me!" He chirped happily.
Mu hesitated. "It's going to be tough for someone like you to survive here. The gladiator training can be tough. You might have to fight her to get in."
Kida shot a look over at Toto, who was still fuming.
'Fight her, hm? Like hell. She'd probably cheat or something. This must be the land that fucking hates me for no real reason, knowing my luck.'
He wished Mu a good day and walked off, having drawn curious stares from other people.
"Oniisan, he holds himself like a fighter." The red-haired woman beside Mu said. "He's so calm."
"I know. He's tougher than he looks. But will he survive the training here?"
Kida didn't appreciate being gossiped about, but it seemed to be a thing here. Great, he was the outcast here. He'd have to either keep the persona up or else drop the mask and win himself some goddamned respect.
Either way, he thought there was just a chilly reception here, which pissed him off. They saw him as a loser. He didn't like being underestimated. Still, he smiled and moved on. Except for that annoying girl, Toto.
"Toto," He called out to the girl in the crowded room, "I'd like for us to battle for real."
Toto stared, before her eyes widened. "You!"
"I was sent here to train as a gladiator. Who do I have to battle to get in?" He said, his eyes full of the usual confidence he had. Let's just say his Shogun instincts were kicking into full gear.
The old man seated next to her smiled. "You can battle Toto..."
All right, he could ace this one easily with his powers-
"You can't use your djinn equip powers in this fight."
What the fuck?
A simple sword fight? With the grudge she held against him, that was sure going to go well.
As long as she didn't cheat in any way, he'd be fine. He drew his blade, swinging it around a couple times, looking clueless. Looking clueless was a great way to lower your opponent's opinion of you, making it even harder for them to predict how good you were in a fight.
If you showed your true face all the time, you became stupid and easy to beat.
"All right, as long as this is an honorable duel, I accept." He said lightly, shooting her a glance.
She frowned, before raising out her own sword.
"I must warn you, she is very good, young man." The old man said.
Kida just nodded in his direction, before concentrating.
He moved forward, just as she did, and then their blades met, and then the battle began. So far, she was pretty easy to read, fast, light on her feet, and also arrogant. She seemed to think she was above him. Too bad. He knew
'I'm a master at reading how you act, girl.'
As he raised his blade above her, suddenly he was hit in the face by something.
'What the-'
What the fuck was that?
Why did his skin look like it had prematurely aged?
It was then that he saw that her body was glowing.
Was she using some kind of power?
"This is Toto's specialty: her magoi ability!"
Magoi...wait a minute.
Wait a fucking minute.
He stopped, glancing at his sword, then at her. He'd been told not to use his own powers, and yet here she was freely using her own? What happened to an honest match? This was disgusting, and even he, a sociopath, was offended.
Not only did she not give a damn about hurting him, (which he took offense with), but she didn't care about following her own damned morals. At least stick to your morals.
"This is the end of you!" She growled, moving forward with her blade.
He didn't move. He simply stood there.
"Move, you idiot!" She growled, aiming her blade close to his face.
He calmly ducked his head away, then aimed his blade up casually in front of him, as though this were no big deal. "No. I won't."
"Fight me!" She growled.
He paused before saying simply, "I forfeit. This match isn't fair or honorable."
The crowd went silent, stunned.
"W-What the hell?" Toto cried.
"I expected a simple sword fight when he told us to use only our swords. Yet here you are, using your own magoi to attack me instead of your own sword fighting skills. That's cheating, isn't it?" He pointed out.
"Toto can do what she wants, it's her place." A voice said.
More boos were heard from the audience.
So they didn't like him. That's all right, he'll just have to make them respect him.
"All right then, I see how it is. If there's no honor in a true battle, then I refuse to fight it. I'm leaving now, bye." He said flippantly, as he turned to walk away.
The old man looked stunned. "But you can't just leave!"
"Get back here, you coward!" Toto screamed.
That did it.
Every ounce of self-control he had snapped, and in its place was boiling, blazing, ice-cold rage. Nobody...nobody called him a coward.
He stopped, and that was before he sensed her presence, charging at him, trying to punch him. Too bad, he wasn't going to let her get away with her shit that easily. He could pretend to be hit, but he wasn't going to play puppet for these people.
He turned slowly around, and casually put up his own fist, blocking it easily, before his fist grabbed onto her arm in a firm, tight grip. He aimed a cold glare in her direction.
"Attacking someone while his back is turned...that's a cowardly tactic, but then again, everything you've done so far has been cowardly. Cheat in your match, attack me from behind and then try to beat the shit out of me for begging for food. I see what kind of person you are." He said softly.
She looked at him, wide-eyed, before struggling.
"Let go of me, you stupid man! Men like you are all the same! You're just an arrogant, selfish coward! Fight me!" She screamed.
He didn't let go, he just instead firmly pushed her back, avoiding any areas on her body, and instead turned to the audience, who was still booing somewhat, but was otherwise silent.
"I'm done. I don't need to waste my time with people who will try to hit me and be dishonest. I came here hoping to find some decent fighters, but instead I find a coward and true cheater. Scum." He said, casually walking away.
"Young man, Toto is not scum! If you really want to prove your worth, fight her."
Right, fight a woman, but if you do fight her, you're a chickenshit abuser. Some fucking logic right there.
Kida turned around, an icy look on his face. "Make it a plain fist fight."
Toto gasped, "You're on, you arrogant asshole! I'll wipe that smile off your face!"
He wasn't smiling-he was smirking. It was a cold, calculating smirk.
He just stood there, receiving a punch to the shoulder. He was expecting that.
He backed away from her before noticing the straps to her armor. He could...no, he couldn't do that. That was low and not for him. He stopped, and smiled thinly before punching her in the lower jaw.
Toto was startled and backed away. "W-What, that didn't even hurt at all!"
He sighed. "You're a woman, you're also my opponent. I can't hurt a woman even if she is my opponent. That's just not gentlemanly." He shrugged.
That drew some cheers from the crowd.
"Am I in?" He asked, turning to the old man.
The old man studied him from head to toe. "Fine. You can join, Mr. Alibaba."
"Great." He said, shooting a cold stare at Toto as he walked away, to his new quarters.
This was lovely. He was with people that hated his very existence. What was next, they sacrificed him to some giant animal? Nah, they weren't that crazy. But wait...didn't gladiators fight animals?
The door banged open a short while later and the witch came back.
"Hey, you! You cheated! Why didn't you hurt me? That barely hurt at all! Are you a coward?"
"No," He said quietly, "I was ensuring you would not be hurt. Women are weaker than men are physically, so one punch in the wrong spot and you could be permanently hurt. It sounds sexist, I know, but seriously, I really don't like you. Just leave me alone, please." He said softly.
"Toto...Toto is sorry!" She said, in a mock sort of way.
"Oh, really?" Kida said, turning around to study her, with a skeptical grin on his face. "I suppose sorry excuses your poor-ass treatment of me." He said grimly.
She winced. "What is your problem? You come in here, act entitled, and act like you're better than everyone else-"
He did not think that. Though he was selfish and self-consumed, he actually had a lack of confidence in himself.
He gritted his teeth together.
"Well! Talk to me!"
He slammed his book shut, a sound that echoed throughout the room, and turned around to face her, a calm smile on his face. "Look," He said, his voice icy and filled with anger, "I don't give a flying fuck what you think. I haven't since you tried to kill me, and then you're angry with me for defending myself against you? You're also angry with me for trying not to fight and beat up a woman, because doing that always ends well for a guy like me. I took it easy on you and didn't even hurt you at all. Yet, you're complaining about me being angry about being beaten up. I have every right to be angry at you. You're a giant hypocrite and you need to learn beating others up is not the answer to things. How would you feel if that were done to you? I don't think you'd appreciate being told to stop being angry, right?"
Toto gasped, and nodded mutely, looking a little guilty. "I-"
She backed away.
"That is why, I'm asking you now, to shut your fucking condescending mouth, Toto, until I hear a true and genuine apology from your lips. I have no interest in speaking to someone who calls me a coward and a liar. Just go away for now." He said assertively.
She blinked, and seemed very frustrated."Alibaba...I'm sorry! Don't throw me out now."
"I need time alone!" He snapped.
She walked out of the room, but not before smashing the lamp in the room with her bare hands.
"That was a pain in the ass." He complained.
Was it really worth coming here?
He thought about it, decided fuck it, and instead rolled over and went to sleep.
He did expect months of backbreaking training. He got that, but much to their surprise, he came out a lot better than they expected, although there were many times he got clobbered. Usually with sword training, he was much weaker with that than with his fists.
Toto kept trying to reach out to him for some fucking reason, but he kept pushing her aside, citing anything, any possible excuse to make her leave him alone. Any woman who fucking hit him was gone. Goodbye. There had been no reason for her to treat him like that.
He only wished Saki could be here. Saki would've slapped her and chewed her out in that cold, cool way of hers. Saki was scary when she was angry.
He knew she'd let herself get caught on purpose...but surely she hadn't wished for him to die.
He knew that much. She had been a pawn, as he had, in Izaya's schemes.
Still, she was a much better girl than this one, that was for sure.
He'd take Kougyoku over this girl. Oh, if Kougyoku had witnessed that, she would have taken her sword out and washed her away with Vinea. Or Morgiana would have destroyed the entire stadium with her legs.
Come to think of it, there'd been no word from his supposed friend from the Kou Empire. She probably didn't even know he was here. Oh well, he needed someone to complain to, he supposed, so he took out his scroll and started writing a note to her, before also writing one to Aladdin, and sending it. Besides, she was nice enough, she would support him no matter what. Those kinds of companions were hard to find. Though he was using her without any remorse, he did miss seeing a friendly face.
She wasn't a bad girl, compared to Toto.
He'd never imagined he'd meet a girl as violent and cruel as his mother. It pissed him off.
Unlike his persona, no one fucked with Kida Masaomi. Everyone in his gang knew better than to piss him off. Little though he might have been, he could and would kick your ass if you messed with him. He was a little kid with a lot of pent-up rage...that manifested itself in the worst possible way. When he smiled, that was an indication that he would erupt like a volcano. He stored up all his anger and remained dormant...and then the volcano erupted, destroying everything in its path...in an icy, cold way.
His anger was not boiling rage, it was the worst kind, the icy, cold kind. It was a trait unique to sociopaths. Find the one thing they're weak at, and exploit it, then they'll utterly set their sights on destroying you in the worst way possible.
That was when he turned over, causing his cell phone to fall out of its holding place on his pocket. Only it was suddenly crackling...like it was on. What the fuck.
He swore that thing had died so long ago, yet here it was, crackling and on.
He picked it up quickly, hiding it, surprised but barely able to believe his eyes, as he scanned the messages page. There were a ton of messages to his inbox. The wifi bar, of course, was xed out completely. He was amazed he was even able to use this thing.
Was it...was it the magic screwing around with it?
The inbox held messages from Saki, Izaya...and...Mikado?
'Dear Masaomi, I know you're out there somewhere, I keep on dreaming about you, and you're doing odd things. It's insane, I know. But are you there? You never answer my calls and your apartment went up for sale ages ago, but I kept some of your old stuff. Please message me back.'
Hope suddenly flooded through his heart. If he was seeing these...perhaps..perhaps he could contact Mikado!
Sending a message just gave him an...ERROR message.
"Fuck." He grumbled, playing with the keys.
That was before he tried something. He tried putting in Mikado's number...he heard the phone ringing...but then static ensued. Just what he needed.
Kida was about to close the crazy phone and forget all about it when a voice he hadn't heard in five fucking years cracked over the line: "...Hello? Who is this?"
He could barely make it out, but it was there.
"Mikado, it's me, Masaomi!" He cried.
The static was still there, but the voice let out a gasp, followed by, "M-Masaomi!?" before the line went dead.
Eyes wide, he stared at the device, which suddenly went dead again, as though it had never worked at all. This should not be happening. Holy shit. Was someone working with magic on some device like a cell phone? If so, that would explain why his device had suddenly started working.
He'd just heard his best friend...er, his boyfriend...(not that he knew about that...) on the other end. He sounded a bit deeper, but he still had that squeaky tone that he knew as Mikado.
He started crying tears of relief, before wondering why he got so emotional over Mikado.
The door opened at that point and Kida immediately stashed his phone away, but Toto saw.
"What's that you got there?"
"Nothing." He said in annoyance, "Who said you could come in?"
"I heard some odd noises in here. And you talking to yourself." She said.
"I'm slightly crazy!" He chirped. "So what if I am?"
"I was concerned." She said in annoyance.
Still, his heart was pounding faster...and faster, and he immediately blushed. Goddammit...dirty thoughts again. He would deal with those later.
"Why are you blushing?" She asked.
"None of your business." He said through gritted teeth.
Sooner or later, he received a letter back from Aladdin, excitedly talking about his adventures at Magnostadt. Kida couldn't help but think of Harry Potter while reading it, and laughed.
A letter from Kougyoku arrived as well, excitedly asking him how his days were there, and that she'd heard good things about that country, but had never been there. Along with a bunch of blah blah blah things about the weather, about how Judar stole her hairpin, about how she missed Hakuryuu-chan and missed seeing him and Lord Sinbad, but she'd see him soon enough.
He stared at that one before wondering why exactly Morgiana hadn't written him back. Had something happened? He glared before rolling over and falling asleep, still so excited about the idea of Mikado being able to communicate with him.
Mikado was still in stunned silence.
He'd received a call from a familiar number. The name on the other end said Masaomi Kida. He'd answered, but no one answered, at first, then as Mikado was going to hang up, a voice said his name, in barely audible Japanese, scratchier and deeper than he recalled, but very much Masaomi, "Mikado, it's me, Masaomi!"
Then the line went dead, leaving Mikado fearful for several reasons.
Was he being held hostage? Was he kidnapped? Why had he talked so desperately? Either way, he was so relieved to hear that his friend was alive that he'd cried himself to sleep. There were no more calls from the mysterious number, though various text messages arrived, but were greeted with "corrupted file" when he tried to open them.
Where would he be that phones didn't work?
Some other country that didn't have wifi?
Mikado blinked and pulled up the web on his phone and searched.
No satisfying results, just like he figured.
His phone buzzed at midnight. Blinking in confusion, Mikado looked at his phone. The caller was, once again, Masaomi Kida. Again, the static was there, but a barely whispered voice could be heard saying a series of words Mikado could barely make out.
"...Mikado...I'm...trapped..."
Trapped? He had been kidnapped!
"In...the...past. Dimension..."
That was all he deciphered. The rest was gobbledegook.
"Trapped in the past? What does he mean by that?" Mikado muttered.
'Wait...dimension? Like...like another reality? M-Masaomi's in another reality? That can't be possible!'
He decided to talk to the proper authorities on nonsense about this. Thankfully, they were easily found.
"Um, Karisawa-san...what would I do if a friend has fallen into another dimension?"
Erika looked up, her eyes wide. "Try to contact them, of course! They might try to contact you! Or you can use a time machine to get to them! Anything's possible! Who's this about? Is this a manga?"
"No...look." He showed her the phone messages that were clearly labeled "Masaomi Kida" and her mouth thinned.
"This could be an elaborate practical joke. It's pretty sick to be masquerading as Kida-kun."
"H-He sounded just like Kida...there's no way anyone can replicate him." Mikado begged.
"So you think Masaomi went into another dimension?" Walker said, "That would explain why he just vanished like that. How'd it happen? Black-hole? Magical gate? Door?"
"I don't know, he just left me a message, saying he was trapped in another world." He said, "I knew you guys might believe me."
"Yep, I definitely believe it." Erika said, "Nothing's too impossible. So, if Kida-kun's in another world, we can either wait for him to come back, or else we can get him out ourselves." She searched through piles of manga, and one in particular landed in Walker's hands.
"Hey, I like this one!" He said.
"Doesn't that character look like Kida?" Mikado pointed out.
Erika and Walker stopped, stared at the page, and then their eyes bugged out.
"HOLY SHIT, KIDA'S IN A MANGA UNIVERSE! THAT IS SO COOL!" Erika yelped.
"Guys..." Mikado muttered.
"I wonder if he's using the sword and stuff..." Walker said.
"Keep this among yourselves, okay? Just...just let me know when you can come up with something that will help me find him. I'm just glad he's alive."
"He's out there living a badass life, Mikado. You should join him. You two can go on boyfriend adventures."
"B-B-Boyfriend?" Mikado cried.
"He always did walk around and talk about you with a blush on his face." Walker said, "He was so cute, too."
"Yeah, it was all like did you see what Mikado did today? Mikado is amazing! He had the biggest crush on you!" Erika chirped.
Mikado's eyes were wide and his face reddened significantly. "R-really?"
"Oh yeah, he probably is dialing you to tell you he loves you or something! Either that or else he wants to leave that world." Erika said matter of factly.
Mikado left, a bit frazzled by those words.
'Masaomi's in another dimension...in a manga world? Yeah, right. But that would explain those odd dreams...but him, being in love with me? That's the only part I can't believe.'
He rolled over, staring at the ceiling. "Masaomi...come back soon."