Ya know, it gets hard trying to keep up with just one of my stories. When you post more than one story, it can get pretty hard to keep up with the rest. Moreover, I can't stop coming up with story ideas.
My friend and his friend have given me ideas for one of my stories and I really want to use them to the best I can. Problem is, that I am working on more than just that story so my focus is all over the place. As much as I have trouble keeping up with my stories, I'll try to keep up.
Also, no harem. The harem choice is kinda overused, and I just don't know how to work something like this. Maybe I could do a one-shot or something, but I kinda want to do a story without a harem for once.
"Heroblade?" Ash asked as he stared at the man behind the desk.
"Yes, that's what you are the wielder of. And thanks to you, we no longer have to worry about our search, especially since you've brought it to an end."
"What? Wait, what are you talking about? What is this Heroblade thing?" The boy began to ask before the man pointed to his wrist. "Hold on, this thing?" He asked while moving his glove, revealing it.
"I'll answer your questions in just a second. If you wish to know, you'll have to know about the Witchblade first of all."
"And here we go again." The woman says.
"What you did last night? Has it ever happened before?" The man asks him.
"Not… that I know of." Ash tells him.
"Very well then. The Heroblade which you currently wield merely exists because of the Witchblade itself. It is known as the greatest weapon since the dawn of time. Whoever has the power to wield the Witchblade is said to have the power to control the world. Well, that's what the legends state anyway."
"Seriously? A legendary weapon? This sounds like something you'd hear in a comic book."
"Well, this is not a comic book, now is it? Wars have been committed over time in secrecy to gain control over it for power."
"Yeah, figured it was something like that."
"Huh? Wait, you're not surprised or anything?" The woman asked him.
"Not really, it happens a lot in some of the superhero shows and comic books. I've also seen a few anime like that as well." Ash says before he heard the man clear his throat.
"Good to know you have some idea of what you're getting into. I have more details about the past, but you're here to learn about the Heroblade, correct?"
"I just want to get some answers on what's going on. Anything would help."
"Very well. You see the Witchblade was very powerful, but at the same time, it's harder to control such power in the first place. Anyone who wielded it would have a drastic personality change. You might have seen what that was like first hand." The man says while gesturing towards the woman.
She groaned in annoyance. "So, that makes her the one who has the Witchblade?" Ash asked.
"Correct. As such, people have been trying to look for an alternative for centuries. However, rather than finding an alternative, they came together to create a weapon to counter it. That weapon is the Heroblade."
When he said that the boy looked toward his bracelet watching as it glowed a bit. "Okay, anything else I need to know."
"The Doji group did not have the Heroblade, however, we did manage to find the Witchblade. Then the Great Quake happened, and we ended up losing the Witchblade. Masane here was found at the null point which was where it was said to be." He says, gesturing to the woman. "However, it seems we weren't aware that the Heroblade was also nearby."
"...And…?"
"It seems that the Witchblade and Heroblade have protected you both from the destruction."
"Oh I see… wait if you knew I had the Heroblade, why didn't you come for me?"
"The Heroblade and Witchblade change the appearance of their wielders. Why they chose you, I cannot say. It was by sheer luck that we've been able to find you two, especially in the same place. Masane we have information on now that we know her, however, I have yet to know information about you."
"Okay, well, I don't exactly know anything about you guys either." The boy mentions.
"We can exchange information when I finish explaining." The man tells him as he looked a bit annoyed.
"Don't worry, it shouldn't be much longer." The woman assured him before the man continued.
"The thing about the Witchblade and the Heroblade is that they can't just bond with anyone. Only women are capable of wielding the Witchblade and the Heroblade is not restricted by a certain gender, however, it's had more male wielders than female. We don't know what conditions must be met, regardless they seem to have chosen you."
"... Wow… this is…" Ash was saying.
"A bit much? Yeah, you should have seen how I reacted when told about this." The woman now known as Masane says as she got up and held out a water bottle. "It'll sink in, in a moment."
"Um, thanks." He says while taking the bottle and taking a sip. "So, your name is Masane, right?"
"Yep, that's me. Masane Amaha. And you are?" She asked while sitting down.
"Ash Ketchum."
"Right. Okay, Reiji, now that you've told him about these things here, would you mind explaining what exactly has been going on?" She then asked the man. "You told me about these weapons, but you haven't explained why I act the way I do around him."
"I'm getting there. As you've probably noticed, the Heroblade is easier to control than the Witchblade. Likely due to it being manmade, though there does seem to be something that attracts the blades to each other." Reiji explained.
"You see, the Heroblade was originally made to fight off the Witchblade. In fact, the first few wielders had fought to the death. But over time, something started to change. That was when they started to feel an attraction towards each other." The man with glasses explained.
"Now, these attractions have varied from time to time. Some would see each other as comrades and would fight on the same side with one another. Sometimes though, they wouldn't be attracted and would again fight to the death. Judging by the interaction between you two, it seems to not be the latter."
"And that is?" Masane asked.
"It would appear as though the attraction between you two is rather, shall we say, sexual." The man with glasses says as the boy spat water out.
"WHAT?!" Both Ash and Masane say in shock.
"As stated, the Heroblade and Witchblade are currently attracted to each other sexually, and they also make their wielders feel the same with one another." Reiji explained.
"Woah, woah, woah! Hold up! Is this some kind of joke or something? This can't be right." Ash tried to protest.
"Yeah, this makes no sense whatsoever. If they really are like this, wouldn't they pick two people, I don't know, who are closer to the same age?" Masane asked.
"Exactly!"
"The blades couldn't care less about age. There's nothing I can do about it." Reiji explained again.
"I'm just saying, I'm kinda young to be dating an old lady." The boy stated.
"Old lady?! Excuse me, I am not that old, kid." The woman says, offended.
"Sorry, but you gotta admit I'm right. I'm not up for anything like this."
"Yeah, but it's rude you know."
"Okay, sorry. Look, this is not gonna work out. These things clearly chose the wrong people."
"Enough." Reiji says as they looked towards him. "You two can deny it all you want, but you have to accept it. Age or not, you two are the wielders of the Hero and Witchblade. There's nothing we can do about it."
Hearing that, Masane's head drops in disappointment as did Ash who rubbed his head. "You really sure about that?" He asked.
"You're gonna need each other anyway. Without the Heroblade user, the Witchblade user cannot survive." The man explained.
"As in…"
"To put things simply, before the Heroblade came along, the Witchblade had a drawback. If too much of its power were to be used then the body of whoever wields it will break down and die." The two looked shocked. "However, the Heroblade has an ability that can keep that from happening as long as they're together."
"... So if I don't wanna die-" Masane began to say.
"Oh, brother." Ash says with his hands on his face.
"Exactly. You two better prepare yourselves cause you're gonna see each other a lot, especially while working for me." Reiji explained.
"Hold it! What do you mean working for you? Since when were you, my boss?" Ash says.
"Ever since you arrived in my office, in our building, after obtaining something that you still have yet to adapt to. Your training starts tomorrow, Ash Ketchum. Like it or not." After he said that, the boy just stared for a few seconds before the woman groaned.
With that out of the way, the two were taken back to the helicopter and were said to be on their way back to wherever they lived. How did they know where they lived? Reiji looked up some information about them of course… which they had a bit of a problem with but wanted to get home, so just went with it.
They sat across from each other again. Completely uncomfortable, especially after the information they learned that day. The silence was all that filled the inside of the helicopter and the tension in the atmosphere was thickening with each second.
"Um…" Ash says, breaking the silence. "So, I guess, this won't be the last time we see each other."
"Definitely won't be the last." Masane sighed. "I just can't believe I'm being pulled into this. If it wasn't bad enough I'm supposed to be dating some kid, I don't even know anything about you."
"Don't need to tell me twice. These things are gonna be a pain for us."
"Man, I've only been in Tokyo for a few days, yet I get myself caught up in this mess."
Ash felt bad after hearing that. He has been living in Tokyo for a while now, but she had just arrived there for whatever reason. He thought a little small talk might not hurt. They had to get comfortable if they were gonna be around each other for who knows how long.
"So, what brings you to Tokyo?" He asked as she perked up. "Sorry, just thought… maybe we should get to know each other… ya know?" He then says.
"Well, if you must know, it's to spend a new life here. I know it's still pretty destroyed, but it doesn't seem so bad at the very least. They really fixed up the place since I was last there. Although, I didn't think that this would be happening of all things."
"That would make two of us then. I've been here a little longer, but I'm with my cousins and things have been good… and now I don't know what to think."
"Guess that 'would' make two of us then."
"Yeah, I'm not exactly up for something like this either… although it's more of the fighting killer robots thing than anything else."
Masane chuckled a bit. "No kidding, I'm not up for something like this either. I'm even less accepting considering that we're forced into… I mean… you know."
"I know." Ash scratched his head while still thinking of something to say. "Hey, Mr. uh… sorry, what's your name?"
"Apologies for not introducing myself earlier." The man says as he turned. "My name is Hiroki Segawa. You can call me whatever you wish to though." He says kindly with a smile.
"Okay, Mr. Segawa. Can we stop about a block away from my apartment? I don't wanna wake my cousins up if they're asleep."
"It shouldn't be a problem. Are you sure you're alright to walk?"
"Eh, I can walk a block."
"Very well then."
"Thanks." The boy says as he tried to think of something before Masane beats him to it.
"How old are they exactly?"
"Well, one's close to my age, however, I have two that are about thirteen or fourteen years old."
"You kinda make it sound like they're younger than they are."
"I guess I do."
"Y'know speaking of age, I did expect you to be older than you are because of-"
"When I was transformed into that thing? Yeah, considering how much older I looked when I transformed… you get the idea." He says as they shared.
"Yeah… can't believe the situation I'm in now."
Ash couldn't think of anything to say after that, but luckily he didn't need to think of anything. "Alright, we're a block away from your apartment like you said." Hiroki says before the helicopter door opened. "Farewell for now. I'm sure we'll see each other sometime soon."
"I kinda figured." Ash says as he got up and walked to the door. "So uh… this isn't gonna be the last time we see each other either, huh?" He says to Masane.
"We don't exactly have much of a choice, but at least you're nice. See ya around, kid." She tells him.
"Yeah, see ya."
Ash then jumped down from the helicopter and watched as they began to take off before sighing to himself. Then he groaned in annoyance before taking off his hat and ruffling through his head. Was he seriously gonna be forced into a relationship? Especially with a woman who he barely even knows and was several years older than him?
"... This is my life now…" He sighed while putting his hat back on and began his walk back home.
After all that happened, he didn't know what he was supposed to think about after that. He wondered if he was gonna actually adjust to this. Then he looked down at the Heroblade which was not glowing at the moment. He didn't think that some kind of bracelet would force him into this kind of situation, but if he were to argue against it, it might give him a headache.
Well, he was a little happy to learn that said blade did save him from the Great Quake and it was said to be easier to control anyway. When he reached his apartment, he waited for a second and took out his phone, texting his cousin.
Ash: Hello, I'm home.
He waited for a bit… then he saw that she was typing.
Kira: Alright, just wait
Then he waited a bit while putting his phone away as he waited. There were some footsteps and shuffling heard from the inside before the door opened and Kira was there.
"So, you're finally back." She says before allowing him in. "Still don't wanna talk about it?"
"Well, uh… it's uh, kinda complicated." He tells her before thinking. 'What am I doing? Come on, think of something.' He breathed in before breathing out.
"Alright, I won't bug you on it. But can you at least tell us when you're gonna be staying out late?"
"Yeah, I can promise that. Besides, I think I'm gonna be going out late a lot more than you think."
"Huh?" She asks, confused.
"Nevermind, I'll explain tomorrow."
(Doji Industries)
Reiji was sitting in his office organizing papers before his phone starts ringing. Without even looking towards it, it pressed to answer while putting it on speaker. As he went back to sorting he heard a feminine voice from the other side.
"It's been a long time." That caught his attention.
"Now why would you be calling me?" He asked in a monotone voice.
"Why the Witchblade. Seems as though a new bearer has been chosen."
"So it appears."
"Don't be coy, I know you have her. Just as I know Doji Industries is incapable of controlling the Witchblade. I believe I may be in a position to help you, Reiji."
"Your personal assistance? Or that of an NSWF employee." He asked with a raised brow.
"Does it really matter?"
"The last thing I want is a repeat of what happened years ago."
"So many years, who remembers the details?"
"The truth never fades. Speaking of… I apologize, but you're incorrect. We have not located the Witchblade. It was good to hear from you again though."
"Reiji-"
Before the woman on the phone could say anything else he ended the call. Then he placed down the papers before sighing and looking out his window.
'All this time and she's still after the Witchblade.' He thought to himself before gripping his. 'I guess on the plus side though, she doesn't know we have the Heroblade.' He turned back to his desk. 'I won't let you have it…'
(Next Day)
"YOU GOT A JOB?!" Kira yelled after what her older cousin told her.
"Uh, yeah. I told you it'd be complicated." Ash tells her while tying his shoes.
"No way… Are you for real? Is it a big company? What kind of position did you get?"
"Well, nothing really special. Just need to take calls, organize papers, something like that."
"Is that why you've been out all those nights?" She then asks as he stood up.
"Partly. The day before yesterday when I was out had something to do with it. Last night, I just lost track of time."
"Oh, I see."
"But yeah, I'm gonna be out a lot more than you think. It won't come as too much of a surprise as to why I'm coming back so late."
"Yeah, but it's still gonna be hard to get used to. Especially since with all the murders."
"Don't worry, I'm not dead yet am I?" He asked with a smile.
"You're gonna really tell us something like that?"
"Still, I'll be fine. Just gonna be coming back later than usual."
"Wait really?" Leaf asked.
"Ash, how long are you gonna be gone?" Red also asked, looking worried.
"I haven't been told my hours yet. They said they'd call me when they need me." Ash explained.
"You don't even have a schedule yet?" Kira asked.
"I just got told that I got it recently. I'm sure I'll get one soon enough. Anyways, I'm gonna head out. Do you guys need anything?" He then asked.
"Well, not really."
"Okay, I'll get you guys something if I can. Bye." He says while opening the door.
"Alright, bye. Be careful." Kira says waving back to him.
"Bye, Ash!" The two say while waving before he closed the door.
When Ash was outside he breathed a sigh of relief before looking out into the distance. 'Do I really wanna drag them into this?' He thought to himself before pulling his hat down to cover his face. "Ugh, maybe I should probably see how Mariko is doing." He says as he takes a trip down the street.
As he was walking, he looked at his wrist. 'This Heroblade thing doesn't seem to be acting up. Guess that's a good sign.' Then his thoughts went to Masane. 'I mean, she is kinda beautiful, but I'm not even eighteen yet. The least these things could've done was choose people close to the same age. Then again, I'd probably feel bad if anyone else had gotten these.'
He sighed after that he found himself coming close to his friend's dinner. Before he could go in though, he got a call from someone.
"Hello?" he says after answering it.
"Hello, Mr. Ketchum." He heard a familiar voice and groaned a bit.
"Yeah, hello Mr. Segawa. So, what's the snitch?"
"Oh, sounds like you already know what I was gonna explain."
"Not really, but I can take a hint."
"Well, it's involving you and Ms. Amaha's next mission. Your next X-con target to be specific."
"Lay it on me." The boy says while leaning against the wall.
"Classification: Type EM. You've taken down one of these last night, however, there's more to it than just that. Already we have a special team tracking them down. We have a specially designed cellphone that I'd like to give you when we meet up."
"Alright, I'm listening."
"On some occasions, you may run into one or more on your own. If an X-con is in your vicinity, the Blades should detect it. That'll conclude this briefing. We'll be counting on you."
"Really unbelievable."
"Is there anything you'd like to say before I hang up?"
"Nah, I think I'm good. Just… it's gonna be a while before I adjust to all this."
"Understandable. I'll contact you for more details later. For now, good luck."
"Yeah, bye." The boy hung up then put his phone away and put his hand on his face. "Welp, now I'm gonna have a work phone and a co-worker I'll have an awkward relationship with. Great." He said sarcastically before going into the diner.
"Okay, sounds good. I'll call you when I've made a decision." He heard Mariko say as she hung up the phone.
"After all this…" An old man says.
"Wait, what's going on?" The boy asked.
"Oh, hey there, Ash. It's been a while since I've seen you here." The man then says as he gets up and walks over to him.
"Yeah, it's good to see you again, Mr. Cho." He says while shaking his hand.
"My, I think you've gotten bigger since the last time."
"Thanks. Anyways, what is going on here? What was that call?"
"We're being evicted, kid. We only got one year before they tear this building down." Mariko tells him.
"What?! Why are they doing that?" He asked, shocked.
"Something about reorganizing the city or some shit, I don't know."
"What a world, huh?" Cho cried.
"Just as I predicted…" Naōmi says in a quiet tone.
"But what are you gonna do then? Where are you going to go?" Ash asked, worried for them.
"Hell do I know. I've already got enough problems as is and the last thing I need is this." She tells him as he looked down in disappointment.
'You've got to be kidding me. Are they trying to put her out of business?' He thought to himself.
"Hello, everybody!" He then hears before everyone turned their attention to the door, and see what looked like a little blue-haired girl who ran up to the counter.
"Don't even try." Mariko says as the little girl got onto the chair.
"I'm a paying customer!" She says in her young voice.
The woman sighed before taking her cigar out. "Alright, what'll it be."
"Pudding ala mode, please! With extra fruit!" She then asked as the woman looked annoyed. "But the menu says-"
"Fine, just shut up." She says before she got started on the order.
"Hey, little Rihoko! I missed you!" Cho then says happily.
"Hello there, Mr. Cho!" She says happily to him.
"Oh, are you new here?" Ash then asked as the girl looked at him.
"Oh, yeah. Me and mom just came to Tokyo a few days ago and we've been trying to find a place to stay. Do you also live here?" She asked him with a smile.
"No, I come here to visit."
"Trust me, she was a pain when I first found her. Her mother is even more of a pain." Mariko tells him.
"Jeez, sounds pretty harsh."
"Once you meet her, you'll understand what I mean."
"Anyways, your name is Rihoko, right?" The boy asked as the little girl nodded. "My name is Ash. Nice to meet you." He says with a thumbs up.
"Nice to meet you, Ash. You're really kind." She says happily which made him smile.
"So, Rihoko, where's your ma? Is she here?" Cho then asked.
"Oh, yeah, she-" Before she could say else-
"Riko!" The boy froze when he heard a familiar voice. "Now how did I know I'd find you here?!" He heard her say angry.
"But mom, I-"
"I told you this place is off limits! We're going home now!" He heard as a familiar arm with a familiar bracelet grabbed the little girl's arm.
"Yeah, but mom, I really like it here!" Rihoko tried to argue.
'Wait, mom?' He thought to himself, freaking out about who it could be.
"What did I say!"
"Yeah, but-" As Rihoko was saying he looked up.
"She'll only rent to a…" Then he saw the face of the woman, who paused when she saw his face. "... Busi...ness…"
Then there was a short pause before their eyes widened. "YOU?!" They yelled at each other.
"What the-What are you doing here?!" Ash stammered out.
"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?!" Masane was the next to say.
"Wait, do you know him, mom?" Rihoko asked with a brow raised.
"I uh…" The woman couldn't say.
"Hold on, kid, do you know this skank?" Mariko asked while looking at him.
"I… well…" The boy just sighed.
"Ugh… he's sort of… my co-worker." Masane says.
"Huh?" Was the only response he had.
"Co-worker? When did you get a job?" Mariko asked.
"I uh… t-that's kinda the reason I was coming here, to tell you that… but then… you know?" He says before there was another pause.
"You get the idea. Wait, is this where you're staying?" The brown-haired woman asked.
"No, I'm just here for a visit is all. I usually come by here every once and a while."
"Oh, well that makes sense since she'd only rent out to a business."
'The hell does she know about that?'
"Well, doesn't matter now, can't rent out to ya if I wanted to." Mariko spoke up. "Just got a call out of the blue from some guy from the real estate industry. I've made my decision."
"So you're gonna rent out the room?" Rihoko asked. "You've decided already?"
"Just now in fact."
"Are you sure?"
"Persistent much?! Unlike you and your mother this is a legitimate business."
"What's the name of the business?"
Mariko groaned in annoyance before grabbing a piece of paper. "They're called Odd Job Amaha."
Hearing that, Ash, Rihoko and Masane perked up. "Odd Job What?" Ash asked in confused.
"Wait, that's weird. Our last name is Amaha." Masane also says.
"Wa-OOOH! We did it!" Rihoko then cheered in glee. "Surprise Odd Job Amaha is our company!"
"Wha?!" Masane and Cho both say at the same time.
"... Huh?" Ash asked, confused.
"I called that agent myself! It's okay, mommy isn't it?! Our company name?!" Rihoko says excitedly bouncing in her seat.
"Odd Jo… Y-yeah, that kinda sums it up." Masane just went along with it. "Well, then, now that we're officially your new tenants-"
"Hold the phone! I haven't-" Mariko tried to say.
"Well, guess it's time to admit defeat." Cho then says as he takes out a piece of paper. "Who has a pen?!" He says while slamming it on the table.
"Thank you, Mariko!" The two Amahas then say as Mariko looked annoyed. "Go Team Amaha! Go, go, GO!" They then did a handshake.
'There's no way.' Ash thought to himself.
Meanwhile in the corner of the room. "Such disturbance… not necessarily bad." Naōmi says before smiling.
"You do know you only have a year before the building gets torn down. You can have the place, but you'll have to find a new one soon." Mariko states which made the mother and daughter look dumbfounded.
"Yeah, breaks my heart. Only one more year in paradise." Cho says looking saddened before making a fist. "But that's all the time we need!" He then says with confidence.
(Later On)
"Mixed residential?" Reiji says over the phone.
"Yes, well… That's how things turned out it seems." Segawa says while in the garage of the restaurant.
"Eh, she's quite headstrong-" Reiji was saying.
"AND YOU CAN'T TALK US OUT OF IT!" Masane yelled into the phone while pushing on the man. "I'M LIVING HERE WITH RIKO CAUSE I REFUSE TO LET YOU WATCH OVER US!"
While listening, Ash sweated a bit from how she was acting. "Have you forgotten your work agreement?" Reiji asked.
"Oh I'll do your odd jobs, but I will not be used! I work on a contract basis only, you got that?!" The woman continued to yell into the phone.
"I wouldn't hold it like that?" Segawa says.
"Fine…" Reiji then says. "Do as you please." He says before hanging up.
"Um… okay…" Masane just dumbfoundedly says.
'This is supposed to be my work partner. Lovely.' Ash thinks to himself.
"Anyways, as I've said before, Mr. Ketchum." Segawa then says while adjusting his glasses. "You are to have a specially designed cellphone for work, so as stated…" He then walks over to the boy and hands him the phone. "Here you go."
As Ash takes the phone, he examines it. "Well, it looks kinda cool, I guess. Why can't I use my normal phone though?" He asked.
"Let's just say that it won't be necessary. And should you need to ditch one, you have one for backup."
"Thanks. That is a plus."
'Says the kid who can afford two phones.' Masane thought to herself.
"Now, I believe that you two deserve some time to bond with one another. As the wielders of the Witchblade and Heroblade-" Segawa was saying.
"I think we get what you're saying, sir." Ash tells him.
"Very well, I shall take my leave then." The man then walks out of the room, leaving the two themselves.
They stared at each other for a second. Well, a second was more like about a minute or so. In that one minute though, there was a bit of tension in the room. Things were already awkward with their first meeting, but like the first, Ash started the talk.
"N-nice to see you again." He says awkwardly.
"Yeah, nice to see you too." She says in a just as an awkward tone.
"So, uh… Rihoko is pretty cute."
"Thanks. So, I guess we should get back to learning about each other like you said?" Masane asked.
"Maybe… this might be more awkward than I thought."
"Let me guess, it's because I have a child and am supposed to be dating a child?"
"Pretty much a-... Hey, come on, I'm not a child."
"Well, you're not an adult."
"I'm close. I'm seventeen."
"Yeah, and I'm twenty-one."
"... Really? I thought you were way older than that-OW!" Ash was saying before Masane started pinching his cheeks.
"And I told you I'm not that old!"
"Alright, I get it! Stop it!" The boy says before his cheeks were released. "Ugh, okay, I'm sorry. As much as I wanna leave age out of this, it's kinda hard to do so considering the circumstances."
"Yeah, I know. It's hard to get it off of my mind too. First it's being a single mother, now I have a forced lover."
"No, kidding. Especially when your kid's about ten years old, right?" The boy then jokingly asks.
"Well, actually Rihoko is six years old." The woman then says as his eyes shank a bit.
"... Really?"
"Looks older than she is? I get that a lot. People also tell me that she is quite mature for her age."
"I-I see. I guess she's also pretty brain smart too?" He asked as she looked confused at first. "Ya know? With the whole Odd Amaha Job thing, or whatever it's called? You don't actually work for that company do you?"
"Um… well, let's just say that it's a coincidence that that company has the same name as our family. And she made that up right on the spot."
"Oh wow, that is pretty smart for her age."
"That's my little Riko."
"Well, I don't know if Mariko necessarily believes you." Ash says while taking a seat. "Knowing her, she probably just accepted it so that you'd be out of her hair. Doubt she'll evict you though."
"How do you know her anyway? Is she your aunt or something?"
"That's the conclusion you came to? Not even close. I'm just a kid that comes to visit her bar every so often. I got to know the tenants after visiting for a while and they're pretty cool once you get to know them."
"I guess your first impressions were better than mine, then."
"You can say that."
Then Masane noticed her bracelet glowing. Ash also notice something glowing under his glove and found that it was his own. They were basically opposite colors with Ash's being blue and Masane's being red.
"I still can't believe my relationship with someone is being based on some kind of ancient weapon in my arm." The boy states.
"Yeah, this is a bit annoying, but then again, I guess hanging with you isn't so bad honestly. At least when we're like this." She says before clarifying. "Ya know when we're not transformed and all."
"Right, I get it. Especially with uh…" Ash trialed off.
"How I act?" Masane finished for him.
"Pretty much yeah. It's kinda embarrassing."
"And here I thought teen boys enjoyed that kind of thing."
"Okay, that's just stereotyping now."
"Sorry. Ya know, for someone who's three years yo… four years younger than me that I'm supposed to be dating, I think you're probably gonna be the most decent boy I'm gonna run into. So, there's one more good thing coming out of this." She says as she sat next to him.
"Yeah, can only imagine."
"Part of me is kind glad that your cousins aren't the same age as Riko. That would be even more awkward."
"Heh, no kidding. I'm also glad that your daughter isn't as old as me either. The last thing I want to be doing is having an awkward conversation with… nevermind, you get the idea."
"Yeah, probably best you didn't finish that sentence." She then says before giggling.
Hearing her giggle made him blush a bit before chuckled and scratched his head as the bracelets glowed, which didn't go unnoticed by them. "These things are gonna become problematic aren't they?"
"Don't ask me." She then says before the boy's phone go off.
Out of instinct Ash went for his normal phone, only to find that it was his work phone that was going off. "This is gonna take some getting used to." He says as he pulled out the phone. "Hello?" He answers as he listens before looking surprised.
(Timeskip)
The car they were in had started driving down the road as it was time for their mission. "Hey, so question, do the both of us need to be fighting these guys?" Ash asked.
"What exactly do you mean?" Segawa asked.
"I mean, it's best to be safe than sorry, but considering these guys seem pretty easy to take down, I just think that one of us would do."
"Are you saying you don't want to be your date?" The man joked as the two of them turned red.
"Why did you have to word it like that?!" Masane asked, annoyed.
"Yeah, and you know that's not what I meant, first of all!" The boy yelled, just as annoyed. "And second of all, I'm just saying that one of us seems pretty capable of taking these things on by ourselves."
"It may seem that way, however, Reiji believes that working together at any opportunity is best to improve your bonds. Perhaps bring you closer to one another and stronger." The man states as their red faces died down to blushes.
"Well, whatever gets the job done, I guess." Masane says.
"It's been pure luck to find both blades so quickly. If anyone else were to have found you two… well, let's not get into that. At the very least, making sure that the Witchblade and the Heroblade work well with one another will help should any major problems come about. With a bit more time, I'm sure you'll grow used to it in no time." He explained.
To this, Ash sighed while taking off his hat to scratch his head. Then he looked at Masane he glanced at him before shrugging as he put his hat back on. Then he felt something strange go through his body. His eyes widened the moment he felt it as he stared out into space. He knew that it could be an X-con, except it felt very different.
He looked back to his partner who seemed to be feeling the same way. They knew that what they were sensing just now was different from an X-con and couldn't shake the feeling off. As soon as the car stopped, they both jumped out and started running, ignoring what Segawa yelled to them.
They ran through the bushes in the direction of where the feeling was coming from, got into the clearing and jumped down a ledge before they found something off. A X-con they were supposed to be hunting was on the ground, already in pieces. When they saw who did the damage, they were shocked by what they saw. A woman with silver hair and what looked like a blue suit with a large blade on her left hand.
"What on earth?" Ash says under his breath.
Then another X-con shows up and opened up before charging at the woman. Before it even reached, it was already sliced in half before it bursted into pieces. Seeing this caused the two to step back before the woman jumped out of the dust and landed on a pole alongside another woman who was wearing completely white armor with white hair to go with it.
"There's another one?" Masane says under her breath.
"Doctor… it's her." The blue-armored woman states while looking at the two. "She has the Witchblade."
"Yes, so it would seem." The white-armored woman responded as the duo below them stared.
"Wait, are you X-cons?" Masane asked in disbelief.
"Must not be too bright if she doesn't know us from those scrap metals. Almost feel sorry for her." One of them says.
"She obviously not been told much information." The other says.
"Tch, why is it all of the sudden that I'm itching for a fight?" The brown-haired woman says to herself as her bracelet began to glow.
Ash on the other hand was just frozen in place staring at the situation at hand, not sure how to respond to it. These girls looked like they also had a Witchblade as well, but there's no way, right? He had the Heroblade and Masane was the one who had the Witchblade, so where did they come from?
To be continued…
Okay, I know I've been on a hiatus since forever ago, but I can assure you, I'm not dead. There's just a lot more going on in my life than I expected. Trust me, I'm trying to get my head back in the game, but after being introduced to Danganronpa… and binge watching the anime, I've been a little obsessed with that… which is probably not the reason I'm on hiatus-
You get the idea. I'm sorry for being gone for so long and I'll try my best to make up for it. So, hopefully I can get some stories back in progress. And with that, I'm done here… PEACE OUT, dudes!