Disclaimer: I don't own MTNN
Notes: Neuro's POV. Notes to reviewers at end. Hey guys, sorry for the wait again. And now I'm going to be out of country for a month. I'm going to Ireland for the first time and to Lithuania for my second time! So I doubt I'll be able to write, and if I do I won't have my laptop but it'd be on my phone. So I apologize for spelling mistakes and the like ahead of time. I also won't be able to respond to comments seeing how my time will be extremely limited. Sorry. I will respond to all comments when I return though.
As some have guessed, this is going to be the last arc of Balance. But I'll save my goodbyes until the last chapter.
I am planning an epilogue, as well as two omakes(of questionable quality) and a question answering authors note. Feel free to ask any questions to myself, and the characters. I thought it would be interesting to offer the readers the chance to ask the characters any questions they like, though no promises on how the satisfyingly the characters will answer. You know I can rarely control them. Sorry if it's a lame or stupid idea, but I know I've wanted to ask questions to the characters before, but felt a little silly doing so. So I'm getting any awkwardness out in the open right now.
I hope you enjoy what chapters I have posted, and I apologize for leaving a bit of a cliff hanger. Yes, I was kind of planning to. If you want to find out what happens you'll just have to wait and see. (^_^) Thank you so much for your kind patience, and I hope I make this arc a worthy ending forall of you who have stuck with me for so long, as well as those who recently took the time to read this story.
I knew it was a trap.
I could smell it the second the door flew open.
Not a single alarm, not a single guard came running at me, and the building was far too dark for a human to see inside of it.
But I could smell Yako's blood even stronger now, and there was no doubt it was coming from inside.
I walked in without hesitating.
How did they know I'd be able to track Yako's blood?
Or was it Yako in there?
I doubted it.
It was too lightly guarded.
Masa wouldn't go through all the trouble of kidnapping Yako if he didn't want to keep her.
So it was likely just some of her blood waiting for me in there.
The halls were lined with cameras.
He was watching me.
I was sure of this.
Was this a test?
But then what was he testing?
My tracking abilities?
Or was it me he was testing at all?
Was Yako on the other side of those cameras?
I glanced at one.
If so what reason did he have for showing her my navigating thorough a building?
A large room opened up before me, and I saw the source of the scent in the middle of the room.
I picked it up.
Yako.
It was definitely an article of her clothing, and it was dyed red with blood.
How much could humans bleed out before they died?
I didn't know.
But I did know Masa was not going to get away with shedding so much as a drop of Yako's blood.
I searched the room, looking for a hint of who might have been here, or where they may have come from.
When suddenly I smelled fire.
Turning to face the source it was suddenly completely on me.
One of the things I'm most resistant to happens to be fire, and this felt as gentle as a spring rain to me.
Before the building collapsed.
I looked up as the ceiling fell towards me.
Not that I had time to go anywhere safe.
The ceiling hit me full force, and I let out a breath with the impact.
I really was feeling weak lately.
I waited until the building settled before pushing myself up, noting the faint smell of my own blood and the throbbing pain in my stomach.
The wound the female fox had given me had opened again.
With a hiss I pushed the wall of stone off of me, dust turning my coat light grey.
Brushing it off, I looked down at my free hand, the blood stained cloth still in it.
Perhaps this would be something to go on.
But for some reason I doubted it.
I did find it interesting Masa had tried to kill me.
Was it his fear of me because of my actions last time?
Or was it to demoralize Yako?
Either way his plan had failed.
And he probably knew it by now.
I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, only to realize it had been completely crushed. I dropped it, leaving it to sit on the destroyed building.
I would have to find a pay phone.
Or a human with a cell phone.
Whichever I found first.
.
.
.
It was a human.
A rather reluctant human.
But they quickly got over their reluctance and I was soon calling Slave number two.
Of course I had all the numbers memorized.
I didn't even have contacts in my phone.
"Who is this?!"
"Who do you think?"
"How the heck am I supposed to know when you call from an unfamiliar number?! You got anything?!"
"Obviously you don't. Masa just tried to kill me. Figure out who owns the warehouse at this address and get some people down here to clear away the wreckage."
I gave him the address.
"WAIT-WHAT?! ARE YOU OK?!"
"Obviously."
"Did you say wreckage?! DID YOU LEVEL A BUILDING?!"
"No Masa did. On my head."
"AND YOU'RE FINE?!"
"I don't have time to waste on you. Hurry up and do it."
I hung up, turning to smile at the human I had borrowed the phone from.
"Thank you so much."
They barely got a squeak out before grabbing their phone and running off.
And when I had taken the trouble to thank them.
I'd just have to remember not to waste my breath like that in the future.
Before I headed back where there were more witnesses I fixed my blood and dust stained clothes.
I didn't have time to explain myself to curious and busy-body worms.
The wound in my stomach was draining most of my healing power, but I was able to superficially heal the visible wounds.
What if Slave number two had came with me? Jun? Would they have survived?
I didn't think so.
Well, if I was with them they would have of course.
I would have made more of an effort to stop the ceiling from falling. But as it was it used less energy to just take the hit square on then to do something about it.
And less damage.
The only notable injuries were a broken spine and cracked skull.
And the spine was already mostly healed. Though quite honestly it should have been healed by now.
With a hiss I walked across the street, cars screeching to a halt and horns honking as I made it to the other side.
I had forgotten to wait for the green light without Yako with me.
Well, more damage would be done to the car then to me if I got hit.
I felt the wound in my stomach throb. I had taken too much energy away from healing it.
If only I had gotten a meal before Yako was kidnapped, or had used less energy to fight the female fox.
But it does no good to wonder about the what ifs, and Yako didn't have time to wait for me to get a decent puzzle to eat.
I would just have to use my growling stomach as extra incentive to find her.
A trick Yako would completely understand, if not entirely approve.
My grip tightened on the cloth in my hand, the one soaked in Yako's blood.
Before I was merely going to show Masa a monster.
Now I was going to show him hell.
Note2: Actually, I don't believe in hell. I learned recently from a friend who is one of Jehovah's Witnesses that the bible teaches when you're dead it's a sleep-like state. I do have great respect for the bible, so I think it's words have merit. Just an interesting side note. (^_^)
Encuentrame: Lol. I guess she's gotten a bit used to it. And now you can see just how mad Neuro is. I certainly wouldn't want to mess with him. O.O Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! (^_^)
honeyvonbuny: Ahahahahahha! I figured no one would be fooled. Masa was though. O.O But he doesn't know Neuro's track record. (^_-) Yako wasn't fooled either. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!
p. aghea: Lol. Neuro's rubbing off on Yako! I hope you enjoyed this update as well. I figured I should upload a months worth of chapters. I've been writing non-stop for the past week. Glad to hear it, and cool! That is really awesome! Lol. You definitely really like MTNN. I thought it was just me who had dreams in cartoon. None of my friends do... I'm glad you like it so much. (^_^) I never was one for school. Too much crap I didn't care about being shoved into my brain. I usually forgot the boring stuff right away. Though science stuck with me pretty well. Congratz! That is truly amazing! And this coming from the girl who still has trouble spelling some fifth grade level words. (-_-) You may have noticed from my writing. I'm guessing a guy teacher? Or just an extremely sweet female. I'm sure they'll be just as excited as you! Keep up the good work! And thank you so much for reading and reviewing!
Nadia42: I think Neuro's too angry to care by now. (-_-;) Thank you! And thank you for reading and reviewing!
MilissaRukia: Aw~! Thank you! Here's more! (^_^) *sigh* Neuro always goes for the extreme when he's angry. And they probably just know she can't get out of the room, and Masa doesn't care if she wanders around in it. He's really self confident that way. They go a bit overboard. Ah well, you'll just have to read the other chapters to find out. Thank YOU for reading them. (^_^) Nah, I'm sure your readers understand. And sometimes when you don't feel like writing there's nothing you can do about it. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!
teonik04: And here's even more chapters for ya! (^_^) Thank you so much! Sorry the update took awhile. Thank you for reading and reviewing!
lunebloodmoon666: Lol. Masa has no idea who he messed with. And hopefully more good things on the way! Hope you enjoyed the update! Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Mimi MC: Aw! Thank you so much! Well, the updates take a bit of time. Sorry about that. Hope you continue to love the story, and thank you for taking the time to review as well as read it. (^_^)
soshi185: Hello Soshi. (^_^) Yes, of course I remember you! Don't worry about feeling guilty, I always feel bad it takes me so long to update. Lol. It's under a new name, so how would you be able to find it? Lol. I completely understand. (^_^) I'm so glad you got the chance to read it though! Ahahaha. I had to read the other story before I wrote again too. Thank you for taking the time to do so. (^_^)
Aw! Thank you! I did consider having Yako meet Aya, and a few other prisoners she put behind bars, but I was worried I wouldn't be able to capture the characters correctly, and feared what Neuro would do if I left her in there for too long. So in the end I made it shorter then I planned. I do like Aya a lot too. (^_^)
Lol. I'm just pairing everyone up aren't I? I'm so glad you like her! I always hate it when people obnoixously force their OC on readers, or on regular characters. I feared I was doing the same thing. Well, perhaps I was just more subtle about it. *shifty eyes*Ahahahaha. I completely agree with the poor Godai comment. At least he seems to enjoy his torture.
I'm glad it wasn't boring to learn more about an OC, and Nomaen actually gave me the Bermuda Triangle idea. I'm glad she did. (^_^)
Yay! Glad you're liking it! Yeah, Neuro definitely has changed. (-_-;) But I'm chalking it up to being in love with Yako and acting like it's completely normal. It seems like people are buying it. (^_-) Well, they kinda had a kiss...ok, it wasn't a real kiss. We'll have to see what Kira can do about it. (^_^)
Aahahahaha. No, I don't have authors block, I'm just leaving the country. O.O lol. But I'll really try to write there. I really will. No promises though...
Yep, it is. And actually, Masa doesn't really want Yako dead. He wants her on his side. Two of the Four Generals wanted her dead, the ones who weren't Masa and Godai. Well, Godai's known as the Dark Monarch now. And yes, I named him that just so Kira could give him butterfly themed gifts. xP You're right about it not being him but he was involved.
Of course! Dennis Lehane? O.o That sounds interesting. I'll look him up. Thank you (^_^) Sorry, I don't think I'm going to be able to write those versions. Sorry. :/ I still thank you very much for recommending them. I love mysteries. (^_^)
Ahaha. Yep, all girl so far. I'm really not that surprised though.
Sorry for the wait, hope you enjoy the new chapters! Thank you! Your English is fine! I assumed it was your native tongue. Which maybe it is and you just think you have bad grammar. O.O Thank you! And thank you for reading and reviewing! It's nice to hear from you again!
Kageryuu: Thank you thank you! (#^_^#) (Supposed to be blushing)
I'm so glad you started from the beginning! I fear if you started with this story it wouldn't make much sense. Uwah! I'm so very glad you liked it so much! And that you didn't find it boring! Lol, if you love the series you've come to the right site. (^_^) Everyone here loves the series so much they wanted more so much they wrote more themselves.
Hmm. It's kind of interesting when I write, for while I have goals, or things I know have to happen. But the parts in between-sometimes whole chapters-come from me imagining myself as that character and how I would react. It's one reason why I feel writing is so personal. It's literally a piece of you on the pages. It's awesome that you write! And I always think writers tend to more critical when reading then those who don't write. So I am extremely thankful you like my work. (^_^) I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you continue to enjoy it! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review!
