I might have overestimated my abilities with the monthly updates. So, from now on, I'll be updating this story every two months; we'll go back to the monthly updates once I finish writing this story. But until then, I hope you guys understand. Thank you so much for reading this! God bless you!

Chapter 4: Perfect Machine (Part 1)

Even you know, even you know

This was all for nothing

Just a sad show, just an ego

I suppose though, as far as I know

We were both pretending

I suppose so, but what do I know?

There was an ivory tower in front of him.

The world all around seemed to have a film placed over it, looking as if a white fog covered everything in sight. He could see nothing else except the tower.

Curious, he walked forward, and upon a closer inspection, it wasn't an ivory tower. Rather, it was a clock tower. It had been built with bricks that had been painted over to give it an ivory appearance, though the white paint was faded and had begun to chip away. Vivid green plants had grown along the base of the clock tower, vines snaking up the sides and vaguely reminding him of veins. A single brown, wooden door with a golden knob served as the entrance to the tower.

He slowly looked upwards. The clock at the top was little more than a gray circle with a black outline and Roman numerals, complete with golden hands, though they looked as faded as the white paint on the bricks. The little hand was currently on the twelfth number, while the big hand was on the eleventh number. Just five minutes before it struck twelve and the bell would ring.

He walked forward, closing the distance between him and the door, and that's when he noticed that something was written on the side of the tower, rather close to the door. The words themselves were jagged and black, standing out on the white paint; the words were dripping, as if they had just been painted there mere minutes before.

'WATCH OUT. THE GAP IN THE DOOR…

IT'S A SEPARATE REALITY

THE ONLY ME IS ME

ARE YOU SURE THE ONLY YOU IS YOU?'

He stared at the jagged black words in confusion. He had no idea what they meant, though an ominous feeling began to creep in. He shook the thoughts from his head a second later. He was probably just being ridiculous. Nevertheless, he grabbed the knob and twisted it, opening the door with a satisfying click and walking inside the clock tower.

The inside was…admittedly not that impressive. The area was dimly lit by a few gas lamps on the brick walls, which were actually the reddish-brown color they were supposed to be. The wooden floors were clearly aged and well overdue for a repair, with some sections coated in grime and a thick layer of dust and dirt. A single staircase, composed of rusted-up black metal, was attached to the wall and spiraled its way upwards into the tower.

He took a few steps forward, hearing the wooden planks creak beneath him, and nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard the door suddenly slam shut behind him. He turned and tried to open it up, only to discover that it was locked when he tried to turn the knob. He growled under his breath and banged a fist against the door. Great, just what he needed.

"What are you so mad about? It's just a door."

A youthful voice reached his ears, and he turned and looked down, finding a young boy standing just a few feet behind him. He looked to be around ten years old, and as he looked the boy up and down, he couldn't help but get the feeling that he seemed oddly familiar. The boy had tan skin, choppy black hair that reached his shoulders, big black eyes, and was dressed in a traditional black Chinese shirt with two gray pins buttoning it up from his chest to the collar, the top one currently undone, and elbow-length sleeves with white cuffs, blue pants, a white sash tied around his waist, and he was barefoot. In his arms was cute brown teddy bear with a blue ribbon tied around its neck, looking to be a bit worn out with age.

The child cocked his head to the side, giving him a confused look. "I've never seen you here before," he said. "Who are you, anyways?"

He blinked. Where had this child come from? He certainly hadn't seen him when he first walked in. Or maybe he did and he didn't quite register it? His mind was feeling a bit fuzzy right now, so it wasn't out of the question.

"I…" He started to say before pausing with a slight frown. What…What was his name? Who was he? He wracked his brain for any kind of answer, but came up with nothing. Why couldn't he remember his own name? Come to think of it…he couldn't remember anything before stumbling upon this tower. "I don't know…" he said quietly.

The child didn't look surprised at his statement, though the confusion still remained on his face. "It's just weird," he said, still holding his teddy bear to his chest. "No one's ever really come in here before."

He couldn't hide his surprise at the boy's words. But before he could say anything, the child added on, "Everyone calls me 'Chibi', by the way."

Chibi…Why did that name sound so familiar?

He tore his gaze away from the child and looked towards the rust-coated stairs. Chibi followed his eyes for a moment, then looked back up at him. "Are you planning on going up there?" he asked.

"I…I guess so…" he responded. He looked up a little further and saw that the stairs led to another floor several feet above them, looking to be made of the same worn-out wood he was standing on. "How many stories does this tower have?"

"Three," Chibi said. "We're on the first one right now. The third one has the bell and the clock, but I never go on that one."

He gave Chibi a confused look, but chose not to question it. He turned towards the stairs and walked over to them. The sound of soft footsteps followed him, and he looked over his shoulder to see that Chibi was walking after him. He gave the kid a small grin. Chibi had said that no one had come in here before him, so maybe he just wanted some company.

As soon as he stepped onto the first metal stair, it let out a loud, rusty groan, making him think it was going to snap under his weight. To his surprise, it remained intact. "What's the big deal?" Chibi asked impatiently, pushing past him and climbing the stairs himself. Each step groaned beneath his feet, but that was all they did. "They're just stairs," he said, glancing over his shoulder once as he drew closer to the second story.

He inwardly rolled his eyes and followed after the boy, thankful that the stairs didn't collapse on themselves, even though they looked like they were ready to at any given moments. He made it up to the second story within seconds, and when he stepped onto the wooden floor, he found himself freezing in his tracks when he got a good look around.

The second story was nearly identical to the first—rotten wood flooring, reddish-brown brick walls with gas lamps hanging on them, and the same rusty staircase that led to the third story. But now, the walls and floor were caked in blood, looking to be somewhat fresh. A flash of color caught his eye, and he looked up to see a red glow emitting from the entrance to the third story.

He could only gape at the room around him for a minute or so, an unnerving feeling flowing through him. When he finally managed to snap himself out of his shock, he turned to look at Chibi. If he had been expecting the boy to look scared or even on the verge of crying, he would've been sorely disappointed. Chibi merely gave the room a nonchalant look, his expression eerily calm.

"What…happened here?" His question was barely above a whisper, though it seemed that Chibi heard him loud and clear, as he turned to face him.

"I have no idea," the child said. "This floor wasn't accessible until a few days ago. I've never been up here until then."

He sent a baffled look in Chibi's direction. Was that true? Had he really been trapped in that first story for who knows how long? Just what was this clock tower? And why was it like this?

He looked up at the red glow coming from the third story again. Chibi had said that that was the final story, the room containing the bell and the clock…But what else was up there?

He couldn't explain it, but…It felt as if something was drawing him up there, beckoning him to come and quench his thirst for this truth.

Curiosity won and he started to walk towards the stairs again. But as soon as he did, all calmness left Chibi's face as he rushed over towards him. "No, wait!" he cried out as he grabbed his arm tightly with one hand, surprising him at the sudden outburst. "Don't go up there!"

"What? Why?" It was really all he could think to say right now.

"Just don't!" Chibi practically yelled, his grip on both the teddy bear and his arm practically white-knuckled at this point. And that's when he saw it in the boy's eyes: terror. "It's not good up there!"

He frowned in confusion. "I thought you said you've never been up there."

"I haven't!" Chibi exclaimed as he tried to pull him away from the stairs, his voice crackling as if he were on the verge of crying. "But I know it's bad! Just stay away from it! Please!"

Alright, that tugged at his heartstrings a little, he had to admit. Chibi sounded so adamant, as if he were truly looking after his own wellbeing. Maybe he should listen to Chibi. Maybe he shouldn't go up there.

But the moment that thought entered his mind, doubt and uneasiness began to creep in. He had no idea where it had come from. Something inside told him that he needed to check this out, that he needed to ignore Chibi's pleas and press forward. Because if he didn't, he just knew that he'd never forgive himself if he didn't find out what was up there.

He sighed softly. "I'm sorry, kid," he said, managing to pull his arm away from the child, who stared at him with big, horrified eyes. He quickly looked away, not able to bear seeing a child look at him like that, and continued towards the stairs.

"Stop!" Chibi cried out as he gave chase. "No!" But it was already too late, as he quickly made it to the metal stairs and was already making his way up the creaking steps. Chibi stopped just before he would've touched the stairs, and when he looked back over his shoulder for a second, he swore he saw tears forming in the boy's dark eyes.

No. He shook his head. He couldn't let something like this distract him now. He turned his head back around and made his way up the groaning metal stairs without looking back.

But when he made it to the third floor, he suddenly understood why Chibi didn't want him to come up here.

Just like the last two, the third story had the same brick walls and grimy floors. The clock was on the opposite side of the room, the hands now one minute away from striking twelve, and there was a large, gray, rusted bell hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room. The entire room was lined with gas lanterns nailed to the brick wall, though the flames inside each of them were a vivid red color and glowed brightly, practically drowning the entire room in red. There were several large, round holes in the wall all around the room; each one was pitch-black, but a pale, foggy substance poured out of each of them and pooled onto the floor, giving the room a chilly look.

But he hardly noticed any of this.

Bodies were hanging all around the room from butcher's hooks from the ceiling. Some of them were covered up with thin plastic wrapping, giving their forms a blurry appearance, though blood still pooled in and stained the plastic. The one that weren't covered up, however…He gulped heavily. A lot of them had been skinned, showing the red-pink flesh and even the bones for a few underneath. A good portion of them had their limbs cut off and their guts spilling out through their sliced-open midsections. Blood coated almost the entire floor and had been splashed on the wall and bell, and the stench of rotting meat filled the air.

What the hell…?

A shrieking noise, reminiscent of a pig squealing, sounded from the other side of the room, but was hidden from sight thanks to the bell. His eyes widened, and against his better judgement, his curiosity piqued again. Keeping as quiet as possible, he slowly walked forward, trying not to look at some of the bodies as he passed them. He drew close to the bell, feeling that he would probably need to hide from whatever was making the noise.

Thudding footsteps, accompanied by the sound of something heavy being dragged against the floor, sounded from the same location. And when he drew close enough, still half-hiding behind the bell, that's when he saw it.

Three bodies were hung from butcher's hooks in front of the clock. The one on the left was a mutilated, naked corpse, its black and red hair stained with blood and grime, and a limb red arm protruding from its face. The one on the right was an emaciated, gray-skinned corpse, stained with blood and missing some of its limbs. Both of them were motionless and silent, red liquids cascading down from what was left of their flesh.

But the one in the middle…It was very much alive. It was a feminine human torso with putrid skin and a pair of feetless legs replacing its head and arms. It was hanging upside down from the butcher's hook, having been tied to it by its ankles, and was thrashing violently, almost as if it were trying to escape.

The footsteps and the dragging noise came again, and he watched as a masked man appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, dragging an enormous axe behind him as he slowly approaching the squirming creature. The man…There was something familiar about him.

Without a moment of hesitation, the masked man gripped the axe's handle with both hands and swung it at the creature, not even flinching as it was sliced into two at the waist and a shower of scarlet covered his front. The creature finally stopped moving. Horror pierced his very core as he watched this. Who was…How could he…?

The masked man made a noise of satisfaction, seeming to be pleased with his handiwork. He lowered the axe back to the ground with a thud that practically shook the whole tower, and turned around before he started walking towards the staircase. Thankfully, the masked man stayed on the other side of the bell, meaning he could stay hidden from him.

But just as the masked man made it to the top of the metal stairs, axe still in hand and blood dripping from his front, he stopped himself. He blinked as he watched this, wondering what was going on when the masked man suddenly turned around. And even though there were no holes in that metal mask and he kept himself well hidden behind the bell, he swore that the masked man was staring straight at him.

His blood turned to ice and he tensed up, desperately hoping that it wasn't the case and that the masked man couldn't see him. He wasn't sure how long the two of them remained like this, neither of them daring to move or make any noise, before the masked man turned back around and slowly made his way down the stairs, the piercing shrieks of the axe against the metal echoing throughout the tower.

He barely had a moment to breathe a sigh of relief before a realization struck him. He inhaled sharply. Chibi! He started to rush towards the stairs, not wanting anything to happen to the boy, but just as he neared the top of the stairs, movement caught his eye and made him grind to a halt. He turned and was greeted with the sight of Chibi standing in front of the three dead creatures, staring up at them as the middle one's blood pooled at his feet.

He blinked in surprise. When…When did he get up here? He shook his head and made his was over to the boy. Chibi turned at the sound of his approaching footsteps…and he couldn't help but feel shocked as he got a good look at the boy.

Chibi didn't look hurt or scared at all. Instead, the boy looked oddly calm. There were splashes of blood all over him, though thankfully none of it was his own. He still held the teddy bear firmly in his grasp, but now the toy looked to be as bloody and grimy as the rest of the third floor. But his eyes…The boy looked so tired, his black eyes lacking the spark they previously had on the first and second floors.

He tried to say something, but he couldn't find anything to say to the boy, and everything his mind managed to grasp died on his lips. But it seemed he didn't need to say anything. Chibi turned to look back at the three corpses for a few long seconds that seemed to drag on, then returned his gaze to him, their eyes locking.

"Nothing ever stays the same, does it?" Chibi quietly asked, sounding much older than he looked. A faraway look appeared in his eyes and he turned away again, staring into empty space. "Sure, we can pretend everything's okay…" He sighed heavily. "But I can never wash my hands of all the wrong I've done."

He had no idea why, but the words of that last sentence felt as if they had pierced his very soul…What did he mean?

He wasn't sure how long he stared mutely at the young boy before the sound of groaning metal and radio static reached his ears, growing louder with each passing second. He quickly turned towards the entrance. Something was coming up the stairs. Panic jolted through his body and he quickly turned back around, ready to grab Chibi and hide from whatever was coming up here until they could escape—

Chibi was gone.

He stared dumbly at the empty spot where the boy once stood for a moment before scanning the room. There was no sign he had even been there in the first place or any clue as to where he had gone. What was…?

The big hand on the clock finally inched itself onto the twelve with a click that echoed throughout the room. And as soon as it did, the bell began to sway and ring on its own accord. The loud gong with all twelve rings was nearly deafening, forcing him to cover his ears. And yet…it did nothing to drown out the approaching footsteps and the radio static…

Distorted noises and the sound of whispering voices being played backwards began to flood his ears amidst the static, only fueling his nervousness…But every couple of seconds, a voice would whisper something intelligible in the sea of confusion.

"Some…l your f…heart like m…don't deserve…tion inside your h…harder than…an eter…ful, so why…never count the c…with your lo…exactly what's b…"

The bell rang one last time, and a horrid, shrill sound filled his ears as his entire vision whited out.

OoOoOoO

Yamcha slowly opened his eyes, letting out a quiet groan as he was pulled back to consciousness. The first thing his groggy mind was aware of was the pain. His entire body was sore, as if he had just been in a tiring battle, and his head felt like it was pounding. He instinctively raised a hand to his forehead to rub it, trying to ease the headache.

For a few minutes, all he could focus on was the dream he had just woken up from. It was so unnerving, and he remembered it so vividly. At least it wasn't another nightmare, he told himself, trying to at least find some kind of silver lining in all this madness.

As his mind finally started to wake up, the memories leading up to this point slowly started falling into place. He blinked, and that's when he realized that he was lying back-first on what felt like a mattress, staring up at a creamy-white ceiling. He breathed in, and for the first time, noticed a strong, smoky odor. He grimaced slightly and looked around the room, which would've been dark had it not been for the lamp on a nearby table…

And his eyes fell on a figure standing at a window not too far from him. It was a woman, and she had a cigarette in one hand. Her back was to him, and she was looking out of the window…And she had familiar blue hair…

A jolt of excitement slammed into Yamcha, his dark eyes widening. "Tenshi?!" he cried out, quickly sitting up. He immediately regretted it as a wave of agony burned through his body, making him grit his teeth and fall back to the mattress. But part of him didn't really care. He finally found her! She was…she was…

The woman turned around to face him, and by now, Yamcha was able to get a good look at her appearance. She was very beautiful, no doubt about it. But now that he was really looking at her, he could see in the lighting that her skin was white as snow, her wavy hair was a deep shade of sky-blue that ended just above her shoulders, though the bangs covering her forehead had dyed blood-red streaks in them, and her eyes were a bluish-gray color.

She looked so much like Tenshi, but…

"No…" Yamcha said quietly, his previous excitement leaving him. "You're not…" She wasn't his childhood friend.

The woman smirked at him. "Do I look like your girlfriend?" she asked teasingly. Even her voice was beautiful, and so similar to Tenshi's voice…

Yamcha was sure his face flushed red for a few seconds. "No," he said. "An old friend of mine."

The woman's smirk fell as she took a drag of her cigarette, slowly breathing out the smoke as she walked over to the other side of the room. As she did, Yamcha watching her the whole time, he couldn't help but notice details about her appearance.

She looked to be around Bulma's height, though she was a couple of inches taller than the Capsule Corp. heiress. Her figure was slender, but still had curves in all the right places. Her outfit only accentuated that fact. She was wearing a low-cut white tank top that showed off the cleavage of her ample bosom, a black leather jacket, and a red mini skirt. She had her makeup done with a smoky eyeshadow and red lipstick, giving her a seductive look. Black thigh-high lace-top stockings covered her legs, giving her bottom a 'plush' look, and she wore knee-high white boots with high heels that clicked on the floor which each step. There was a single pearl earring in each ear, and she had a golden bangle around her left wrist. To put it simply, she was gorgeous and she made sure everyone who looked at her knew it.

The woman had crossed the room and picked up something that had been sitting on a desk. A small brown bottle, by the looks of it. She turned and walked back to him, sitting on the edge of the bed and handing it to him. She was close enough for him to catch a whiff of her peppermint perfume over the smoke. "Here," she said. "You're gonna need this."

Yamcha slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position, trying to ignore his aching muscles as he reached up and took the bottle from her. As he did, he noticed that her fingernails had been painted a scarlet-red color, the light from the lamp reflecting off of them. He glanced down at the bottle and saw that there was some kind of dark liquid inside, and the label on it simply said 'Health Drink'.

At this point, after everything that's happened thus far, Yamcha's mind basically said, 'Screw it.' "Thank you," he said as he unscrewed the lid and brought the bottle to his mouth, downing the whole drink at once. It was cold and had a bittersweet taste to it, but after a few second, he could feel the ache starting to leave his muscles, and his headache was slowly dwindling away as well.

He breathed out a quiet sigh, and that's when he looked over himself for the first time. His white martial arts jacket had been removed, currently folded up and resting at the foot of the bed, though he still had his tank top, pants and shoes on, and his forehead and left forearm were wrapped in gauze bandages.

"You made quite an entrance," the woman giggled, making Yamcha look back up at her. "It's a good thing I was there when it happened."

Yamcha gave her a confused look. "What…exactly happened to me?" he asked her.

"I was hiding out in these apartments," the woman explained, taking another drag of her cigarette. "And all of a sudden you come crashing in here, all bloody and out cold. I managed to drag you to this room and patch you up." She paused to giggle again. "But it wasn't easy. You're a big fella, I'll say that much."

Yamcha turned slightly red from her comment, but chose to brush it off. "T-Thank for helping me out," he said.

The woman grinned at his reaction, seemingly pleased with herself. Then after a moment or two, she asked, "So, I look like this 'Tenshi' girl?"

"Yeah…" Yamcha said, still unable to get over his surprise at her appearance, especially now that he could get a good look at her face. "I can't believe it," he breathed out. "You could be her twin! Your face, your voice…Just your hair and eyes are slightly different—"

"My name is Evie," the blue-haired woman cut him off, shooting him a playful smirk. "I don't look like a ghost, do I?"

Yamcha gave her an odd look. What would make her say something like that? His thoughts couldn't travel any further than that, however, as Evie reached over with her free hand and grabbed Yamcha's wrist, bringing his right hand close to her. "See?" she said, placing his hand right above her chest, just inches from her breasts. "Feel how warm I am?"

It was true, he could feel the warmth of her flesh beneath his palm, but nevertheless he quickly pulled his hand away from her. "I-I already have a girlfriend, lady," he said stammered out bluntly, certain that his face was red from her actions. He paused, then quietly added, "You're really not Tenshi, are you?" He couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice.

"I told you," she said, standing up from the bed and blowing out the smoke from her cigarette. "I'm Evie."

"Sorry," Yamcha said, glancing down at his lap. "I was confused."

Evie merely shrugged. A few seconds of silence reigned between them before the bluenette spoke up again. "So, why are you here? I thought Kioku Town was abandoned."

Yamcha glanced back up at her. "I'm looking for Tenshi, and my sister Sencha." He perked up for a moment, hope swelling within him. "Have you seen either of them?"

"Afraid not," Evie said, finishing off her cigarette and dropping it to the ground, stomping on it with her boot. Once again, Yamcha couldn't hide his disappointment as his hope died down. "You're the only person I've seen in this town." She sent a confused look his way. "Why would they be here, anyways?"

"I got a letter from them," the ex-bandit explained, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up, grateful that his body was no longer sore. "They said they were waiting here in Kioku Town for me. It's been so long since I've seen them. But…I haven't seen anyone since I got here…" He paused to turn to the window. It was still gray and foggy outside, and the snow had really started to pile up in the streets. "This whole place is like a ghost town…"

"You're telling me," Evie said, placing both hands on her hips. "Say, do you know what happened to this town?"

"Oh, I wish," Yamcha sighed. Then a realization struck him like an angry lightning bolt, and his eyes widened. "Oh no, my bag…" he said out loud.

"Huh?" Evie said.

"My bag!" Yamcha exclaimed, rapidly scanning the room in panic. "Where's my bag?!"

"Oh, you mean this?" Evie said simply, and Yamcha watched as she walked to the other side of the room and bent down to lift something off the ground with one hand. "Catch," she said playfully, and Yamcha recognized it as his messenger bag just as she tossed it to him and he caught it effortlessly. Yamcha quickly opened it up, and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when he saw that everything—the music box, the map, and the flashlight—were all accounted for and miraculously undamaged.

Evie walked over to him and curiously looked inside the bag as his nerves calmed down. "Is that a music box?" she asked, making Yamcha look back up at her.

"Yeah," he said, giving the object a fond smile as he pulled it out with one hand and lifted it up, as if to examine it. "It belonged to Tenshi." Evie looked momentarily surprised, but smiled at the music box as well.

Yamcha's gaze remained locked on the blue and gold music box for a few more minutes as his mind wandered. He had already been through so much chaos that the quiet tranquility around him felt almost unreal. A part of him suddenly became curious and, without tearing his gaze away from the music box, he reached out with his chi sense…

…Only to feel nothing around him.

Dark eyes widened in surprise as their owner turned to look at Evie, who was still admiring the music box over his shoulder. Her blue-gray eyes met his, giving him a confused look. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Yamcha couldn't answer for a second, then he shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said, putting the music box back in the messenger back and placing it over his shoulder. "Uh, is there a bathroom in this place?"

Evie blinked at him, but nodded her head and pointed to the other side of the room. "Yeah, it's right there," she said. Yamcha nodded wordlessly and walked to the room she had pointed at, closing the door behind him once he was inside. He exhaled heavily, burying his face in his hands.

He tried it again, focusing a little harder this time…But still nothing…

He couldn't feel Evie's chi. But why? She had stood right in front of him. He had felt her warmth beneath his palm. He had easily smelt her perfume. Her voice had been clear as day to him…So why couldn't he feel anything from her?

Yamcha walked over to the sink, staring back at his reflection. He closed his eyes and rubbed them, still staring back at himself in the cracked, dirty mirror of the dilapidated bathroom when he reopened his eyes. Curious, he touched his fingers to the bandages covering his forehead, pleasantly surprised that there was no dull ache in response. He did the same with his forearm, and got the same results. He untied both sets of bandages, and instead of the angry red wounds from before, he was instead greeted with pink marks, looking to be nearly completely healed over. Yamcha had no idea what was in that 'Health Drink', and it sure couldn't compete with Senzu beans, but he'd be damned if it didn't work wonders.

Wordlessly, he turned on the sink, the faucet letting out a rusty squeak and trembling for a moment before fresh water escaped it. Yamcha cupped the running water in his palms and splashed it in his face. An idea struck him a moment later, making him pause for a moment. Was something wrong with his ability to sense chi? Now that his mind was more awake, it was the only thing that made sense. Ever since he arrived in this damned town, he hadn't been able to sense anyone or make sense of anything.

Then that meant…Yamcha's eyes widened again as he stopped splashing water in his face. Sencha and Tenshi might still be here waiting for him. He just couldn't sense them. He had no idea why, but it was the only logical explanation.

And if there were still here in Kioku Town, still here in a town full of monstrous creatures, then he couldn't waste any time in finding them.

Yamcha quickly finished up and turned the water off. He reopened the bathroom door and stepped back into the other room, where Evie was standing in the same spot as before, the blue-haired woman looking up as she heard the door creak open.

As he closed the door behind him, Yamcha started to drink in the sight of his surroundings. They were standing in a bedroom, he could tell that much. Like everything else in the town, it had seen better days. Most of the wallpaper had long since peeled off, the carpets had old stains caked into them, the only furniture in the room consisted of a bed with a nightstand next to it, a desk in the corner with a vanity mirror, and a dresser, a thick layer of dust covered everything, the curtains over the window were filthy and torn up, and the room gave off a damp, moldy odor. The door to the bathroom was on one side of the room, while the window was on the opposite end, and there was a second door on the wall to his left. For a moment, he thought it might be a hotel room, but he had a strange feeling about it…

"Where are we, by the way?" Yamcha asked as he walked back over to the bed and picked up his martial arts jacket to examine it. It had been torn up in various places, with the left forearm being little more than shreds at this point, and there were dried blood stains all over the white material.

"The old Hotaru Apartments," the blue-haired woman responded. "We're currently in Room 101."

Hotaru Apartments…Yamcha felt a wave of nostalgia flood him at those words. He tried to search for a reason why, but nothing in his memories came up. But the nostalgic feeling remained. Did that mean…?

A realization cropped up in his mind. Every place he had visited so far, every place that had been a part of his childhood—the schoolhouse, the park, the diner—had all been accompanied by this same feeling of nostalgia. Following that logic, that meant the Hotaru Apartments must have been a part of his childhood as well.

Sencha and Tenshi could've been anywhere in Kioku Town, but they would no doubt be in a place familiar to him…Was it possible that these apartments could be one of those places?

Yamcha folded the martial arts jacket back up and put it in the messenger bag. He figured that he could repair and clean it when he got back to Capsule Corp. Curious, he walked over to the door on his left and opened it up, revealing the rest of the apartment, which was in a similar state of decay as the bedroom. The apartment had a living room-kitchen combo, split by a breakfast bar, there was a single, large window on the far side of the room, and the only furniture was an old, filthy couch and a stained coffee table. There were three other doors; two were open, one revealing a guest bedroom while the other revealed another bathroom. The third door was closed and had a peephole on it, telling him that it was the entrance to the apartment.

Yamcha turned back to Evie. "Thank you so much for helping me," he said respectfully. "But I have to leave now."

"Where are you going?" Evie asked.

"I need to go look for Sencha and Tenshi," he explained. "It's a long story, but…I think they might be somewhere in these apartments." He turned and walked over to the main door, but as he put his hand on the knob to open it up, the sound of clicking footsteps reached his ears and he looked over his shoulder to see Evie approaching him. "You're coming with me?" he asked in surprise.

"You were gonna just leave me?" Evie asked in disbelief, furrowing her brow at him. "With all these monsters around?"

"N-No, I…" Yamcha trailed off, unable to find a valid excuse. He ashamed to admit that he hadn't thought about that.

"I'm all alone here," Evie said quietly, sounding quite pitiful. "Everyone else is gone." She paused as she closed the distance between them, placing her hands on his arm and giving him a small smile. "I look like Tenshi, don't I? You love her, right?"

"Huh?" It was the only thing Yamcha could say in his surprise, not expecting something like that.

"I mean, you said that you haven't seen her in years, but you still came to this town when she reached out to you," Evie said, then her smile turned into a smirk. "Or maybe you hated her?"

Yamcha blinked, then narrowed his eyes into a glare and yanked his arm away from the blue-haired woman. "Don't be ridiculous," he practically growled at her, a surprised look on her face.

"So…It's okay?" Evie asked quietly, looking up at him with her gray-blue eyes. Yamcha inwardly cursed himself. It wasn't too dissimilar from the way that Tenshi used to look at him. A few more memories began to resurface. Tenshi would sometimes get that look on her face whenever she was with him and his family; unsure about the world around her, but feeling comfortable and secure around them.

He sighed to himself. "Yeah, fine," he said. Evie, for her part, looked gratified by his words as he turned the knob and opened the door, the two of them heading out to the rest of Hotaru Apartments together.

Lay your heart into my perfect machine

I will show you what you wanted to see

Just a mirror till I get what I need

The reverie was not of me

You never saw nothing

Never saw nothing