Two days later, The Destiny's Bounty, 2:34 pm
We were surprised to find our belongings untouched the day we regained the ship we call home. Nothing was damaged nor was anything dirty. It was as if the ship was cleaned instead of looted. I was even surprised to find money I had stuffed under my mattress untouched as well. I guess the pirates weren't as greedy as I believed...maybe. Maybe they didn't even know the Bounty was here. That would be more believable.
Over the course of two days, I broke up with Lloyd purely for the age gap deal. He understood though, saying that I should make sure I'm comfortable first. It isn't over forever though. I'll probably ask him out again when he's 18. As for now, we're best friends, and if we find someone else that's okay too. We aren't bound to each other for eternity after all, though sometimes the thought of that seems semi nice.
Sammie and Nathan made their relationship official, though the poor boy can't stop blushing crazily. Though, I know despite that good news, something's bothering Nathan. I can just tell by how he acts when he thinks he's alone. I wonder if it's Nya's accidental "death" that pecks at him, or maybe it's something else. I hope he doesn't beat himself up too much over it. Mistakes happen.
Other than those and Lilly and Kai's avoidance of each other, everything has functioned normally. The voice left me alone for a day, but it has popped back into my mind today, pointing out every suspicious flaw my friends make. At this point, I really am wondering if I'm aligned with the right people. Every now and then, it seems like I'm not. Perhaps I really am blind to the world.
Lilly stared up at the ceiling as I did today, silence between us both before she decided to sit up, her expression indecisive for a moment. "I really should apologize," she sighed, resting her chin on her knees. I raised an eyebrow. What?
"For what?" I asked, sitting up now.
"You know, the fight between Kai and I. I really should apologize for running off like that. Maybe we wouldn't have been picked off so easily if I just stayed," she reminded me. I looked at her as if she were crazy.
"Why apologize for something that wasn't your doing!? It's obviously Kai's fault! I don't even understand why you're giving him a second chance anymore!" I grumbled, to which Lilly looked away and rose to her feet.
"Both me and him are at fault here, Karma. We both did something that we must apologize for," she told me, "Besides, everyone deserves a second chance. Even those we view as evil."
She left me then, the silence afterwards letting her words sink in. Everyone deserves a second chance, even those we view as evil. Could I actually give my uncle a second chance perhaps? Maybe Sensei Wu? Maybe...(even though it makes me shiver in disgust)...I could give Alex a second chance? I mean, he is becoming...better I guess. No...I'd rather not.
Forgiveness is for the weak, Seiko. In this world, you must move ahead and destroy. Forgiveness will only waste your time on your path to domination.
(Lilly's P.O.V.)
First checking the deck to see if he was out cleaning, Lilly approached Kai's door, hesitating to knock. Should I? she though, before giving a light rap on the door. She waited a moment before the door opened, Kai with his disheveled hair standing on the other side. She began to sweat out of nervousness. What if this doesn't go well?
"We need to talk," Lilly told him. Kai snapped out of his slightly surprised look, nodding and stepping aside. She walked into his room, quietly shutting the door. She then waited a moment before speaking, making sure that he wanted to speak last. "Listen," the turquoise ninja finally spoke, "I'm...really sorry for running away that night. Our situation was dangerous and I was careless. I-"
"Lilly, you had every right to run away. I was a huge ass that night and it shouldn't be you apologizing, it should be me," he interrupted her, looking guilty, "I'm sorry for even saying that, but I could say sorry a thousand times and still feel like I haven't apologized enough. I shouldn't have said it all, and I wish I could go back to that night and change it all. I'm the one who put you in danger."
"No, I'm the one who ran away and I feel like you had the right to call me that. I was being very rude and harsh that even-"
"No, you didn't deserve to be called that!" Kai spoke over her again, looking more upset with himself, "Lilly, I don't know what kind of sick person twisted your head to make you think it's your fault, but either way it's my fault. I compared you to someone who's hurt you a lot and I can't ever be forgiven for that! Just...break up with me already! It's obvious I'll only hurt you at this point because I can't control my anger! Just...leave me already."
Lilly stood in silence for a moment before stepping towards Kai, her expression upset but sympathetic. "No...I won't leave you," she told him, to which Kai stared at her in confused surprise, "Though my mother has burned me on every second chance I gave her, I know you're much more trustworthy than her. Kai, I know you're a different person deep down, and that sometimes you let the rage you bottle up get the best of you, but nonetheless I know who you are. Nya knows who you are, and I know you aren't the kind of man you were that night."
"No, Lilly...stop. I keep messing up. Just...giv-"
"I'm not the kind of woman to give up, Kai, nor are you the kind of man to give up," she interrupted him, "I know you're better than what you were that night, and I'm willing to help you stop bottling your emotions. I still love you, and I'm not going to let your mistake from that night make me stop. Will I forget it? No. Will I forgive it? Yes. We all mistakes, Kai."
"I don't understand why you're giving me a second chance," Kai sniffed, his eyes watering, "I'm a jerk, an asshole, whatever you want to call me! Why do you even still stick around me?"
Lilly sighed, looking down at the floor before looking up in his eyes. "Because the day I first became a ninja you were the first person outside of Xavier and Yami to show me kindness. You were another example of how the world wasn't as scary as I though it was. That day I first met you, I saw something within your eyes. Something that told me you were more than your arrogant exterior. As much as I wanted to deny it, I fell in love with what I saw in your eyes and tried to hide it as much as I could...but as you can see my attempts to hide it were fruitless."
She smiled as he was speechless, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And to this day, I still see it in your eyes. The glimmer from the day I first met you, it's still there. It's just done a good job at hiding."
Kai sniffed again, tears now streaming from his eyes. He acted as though he didn't know they were there though, until the tears became bigger and he hid his face again, just as he had done during his sister's "death". Lilly wrapped her arms around his torso, hugging him as he sobbed. It's the first time she had ever seen him break down like this in the time she had known him. My words must have cracked open the glass bottle that held all of his emotion.
"I'm sorry," he cried again, burying his head in her shoulder. Lilly nodded, patting his back.
"It's alright, okay? Just, promise me to never keep it all bottled up again," she told him, pulling away. Kai nodded, wiping his eyes.
"Promise me something, too," he requested, his voice becoming less shaky, "Don't bottle yourself up either. I know you do the same,"
Caught off guard, Lilly looked surprised for a moment, then nodded. "I think it's about time I stopped hurting myself like that."
Kai nodded, then wiped his eyes again, hesitant to even rest a hand on her shoulder. "Do...y-"
"Yes, I still love you...you silly porcupine," she smiled, cupping his cheek with her hand. He smiled too now.
"And I still love you...you weird tomato," he said, the both of them giggling. Kai then hesitated again, as if he were unsure to do something.
"...Could I-?"
"Just do it," Lilly smiled, before the gap between them closed. Kai's lips met hers, and she almost felt as if she were at the train station again. She could almost feel the cold wind again and the scarf that hid her face from the elements. Two years may not be far to some, but to her it was nostalgia she had not felt in forever. It made her feel like an old woman recalling her teenage days.
Don't let this moment end, ever. Please.
Stiix Harbor, Alleyway, 11:56 pm
Alex trudged down the alleyway with the sword he stole from Nadakhan's temple dragging along the wooden ground, his hood hiding his tired face from those who had passed him before. He cursed with each step until he believed he was in a safe place, studying the sword for a moment before recalling his objective.
So he lied about being in Astor City. Great. Really shows me how trustworthy he is, he thought to himself, staring at his reflection in the crystalline blade. Slight dark circles were forming under his eyes and his hair was drooping now, it's red-to-light-orange fade interrupted by the dirt and sand that was caught in his hair. He cursed his boss for making him travel to Stiix mostly on foot. A bruise was now evident on his right cheek, a mark he gained from Karma the day he got the sword. He cursed her as well, rubbing his cheek.
"Let's get this over with," he whispered to himself before raising the sword and hitting himself on the head with it's blade. He quickly then shut his eyes, not wanting to see the spinning imagery for a second time. He waited until he could feel his limbs again before opening his eyes and seeing the world of green crystals again. Knowing he was being timed, he quickly searched for a man wearing a crimson hood, ignoring those who didn't match the description.
Within a few seconds, he spotted the crimson hood belonging to his boss and swam after him, getting frustrated with the slow anti-gravity as he moved. He pushed an unconscious woman out of the way, her dark, wavy hair reminding him of someone he had seen before. He ignored it though, his eyes locked on his boss. After a few more seconds of swimming, he grabbed his boss by the hood and swam back to the portal, keeping his eyes open for Nadakhan.
He reached the portal in no time, spotting Nadakhan trying to swim upwards below as he pushed his boss through the portal. Seeing as it was closing, Alex stuck his tongue out at the Djinn before pushing himself through the portal, his body becoming numb for a few seconds until he felt the splintery wood of the Stiix alleyways again. He jumped to his feet immediately, dusting himself off before turning to face the hooded man he called his boss. A gentle rain was falling as they stood there, common weather for Stiix that time of year.
"You filthy liar," Alex spoke finally, smiling, "You said you were in Astor City."
He couldn't see his boss's face, but could only imagine his expression. "I have to keep secrets sometimes. I didn't want you to get all heroic and try to save me."
The master of psion snickered. "No, I wouldn't have done that at all. You truly don't know me."
His boss snickered back. "That's true, but you don't know me either. The only thing I know about you is that you want to make a utopia and what you know about me is that I want to control the world too," he said, "We could always become teammates though, like a president and a vice president."
"I already agreed to that," Alex reminded his boss, "What I want to know is what your plan is and why you're making me use telepathy to transport your messages to the master of darkness. Are you being some sort of creeper or something?"
"She's the only other person I know who can control her powers with the Dark Arts," his boss informed him, "Besides, we go way back."
"Just who are you?" Alex asked, staring at the silhouette beneath the hood. His boss shifted, before swiping his hand and allowing snakelike purple line to shoot out of the ground and make a barrier above him to block the rain. Once he was sure he was safe, his boss pulled off his hood, revealing translucent green skin, greasy black hair pulled back in a ponytail, and sharp purple eyes that stared daggers at whoever they fell upon. It took Alex a moment to realize who he was.
"I'm Clouse Zheng, more formerly known as Chen Amjad's right-hand man and a master of the Dark Arts," he introduced himself, "I'm Karma's uncle and the once who should be leading her."
Alex blinked, then smiled, placing a hand on his hip. "Anything else?"
Clouse gave a bit of an annoyed look. "What?"
"Come on! Your only plan can't just be to lead your niece," Alex looked just as peeved as Clouse. The man sighed.
"You'll see, in time. For now, let's just focus on what I want," he said, "but I promise you that in time, you will get what you want."
Alex's smile returned, believing him.
"Great. When do we start?"
A/N: Holy mama meatball guys, I can't believe there's four volumes and this series and none of y'all are annoyed with my oc stories yet. Anyways, thank you for sticking around for volume 4! I do want to say that volume 5 is indeed the LAST story I will ever write for this series. Yes, all things must come to an end, and I don't want to write this forever as great as it sounds.
Anyways, I'm also going to improve volume 1's writing during this time and fix several plot holes that have bugged me since the beginning. I'm also going to fix some writing in Volume 2 and 3...so yeah, a whole lot of writing!
Anyways, thanks again and I'll see you guys again when Volume 5 arrives! ^^