The Living Weapon and The Storyteller

by MissAkaiTsuki

This story takes place before, during, and after the events of the first Streets of Rage and gives a reason as to why Shiva isn't seen in the first game. While pursuing a thief before Hell Week, Shiva leaves the streets to his men with the gangs laced within each area. Unfortunately, he is unaware of the events that would occur while he is away.

2. Act 1

Act 1: The Thief's old friend

"Bye! Have a great day!" The Librarian waved back at the kids as they left the Library to return to their parents. She let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, the day is over. I can shed this ridiculous disguise."

The Librarian walked over to the small wooden finished theater and pulled the curtains closed. She took her large round glasses and let her hair down. She removed the the shawl from her shoulders and took off the bright blue, long button dress she was wearing. Under the dress was a curve hugging dress that matched her eyes: Indigo Blue. She tucked in the tag that read Oppyraway under the skirt of her dress. She pulled up the garter peeking out with a small thumb sized device clipped to it under her dress. She pushed her hair from her shoulders two times to give the strands air.

"Alright. Now to go have..." She exhaled slightly tired. "...A pleasant conversation with Barbon. I hope Electra isn't there this time. I don't want to be on the receiving end of her... arm...Again... Ugh..."

Gathering what she took off, she placed the items in a sports bag sitting behind the curtains. As she was about to pick up her bag, she heard a voice.

"Excuse me?"

Ears perked, the Librarian quickly grabbed her bag. She pushed aside the small theater curtain to see an Asian man wearing a grey suit in front of her. He had a slight tan and had his dark long hair tied neatly back. She walked off the wooden stage and approached him. The man stood six feet tall, towering over her five foot five figure. Surprised as well as on full alert, the Librarian hugged her bag between her and the man.

"Can I help you?" She looked around trying to find a familiar face, but then she remembered something about the Library. The children's section was tucked into a small corner. She was too far away for the Library staff to hear her. She then tried to remain calm, as to not let the man know that she was scared. "If you're looking for your child, I'm sorry. I must have dismissed them without checking to see if every parent was present."

"It's alright." He smiled, trying not to chuckle. "I'm not a dad yet, but thank you for thinking me so. To my students, they see me as a father, but that's out of the question. I came here for a different reason."

"Umm... okay." She continued looking around for any staff member close by. Once more, she saw no one. She shifted her weight onto her right foot, giving a subtle click on the ball of the high heel. "How can I help you Mister..."

"Shiva. It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time... Miss Asteria Re." He said as he gave a polite bow.

"You know my name?" Her eyes widen in surprise.

"Of course. The youth at my Dojo speak of you often. I was so curious as to what they were saying that I had to come and see you. They described you as being this kind old lady, but seeing you now, you look to be around my age."

She had a gentle smile on her face.

"Really now? How old are you?" She asked curious.

"I'm 22, but my age is still controversial in my hometown. I became the next Grandmaster in Chinatown's Dojo after Godhand, the previous Shiva, stepped down from his position. The timing couldn't have been better. To be able to erase the legacy of Arcana from Chinatown's history will bring forth a fresh start to every citizen who lived through that terrible era."

"You're 22? Oh... wow. I thought you were at least 25. You look..." Her eyes looked at his body, studying his height and posture. "...Very mature. My apologies."

"It's okay. Are you 25?" He looked at her figure while she looked around for the remaining staff. "YOU look very mature."

She looked away embarrassed.

"Uhhh... mines is a complicated situation. Wow... 22 years old and also the Grandmaster at that. That's an amazing accomplishment."

"Thank you. That's very kind of you."

"Also... Umm... You said the children in Chinatown know me?" The young Librarian started blushing. Her words started becoming flustered. "My apologies. I-I-I didn't mean to become a distraction at your Dojo, M-Mr. Shiva."

"Just call me Shiva... and you don't have to worry. I had been meaning to come to the library for some time. I'm reading some books to help me speak and read Korean. So by coming here and seeing you, I already killed two birds with one stone."

"Oh you don't have to make meeting me mandatory. If you wanted to see me in private, you could have filled out a form and placed it in the suggestion box in front of the Check out line."

"I could have, but I also could have missed you by the time I finished. Besides, I was so excited to see you that I was looking forward to coming here after I finished training my students."

"Oh dear. I'm sorry."

"Miss Re, don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I'm... oh." She looked at him as he crossed his arms unamused. "Uh... thank you. Um... Shiva?"

"Yes?" He dropped his arms.

"Call me Aster. I... have an Aunt that shares the same name as me. So my dad just called me Aster. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind. Thank you." He turned to see a small window shining the remaining light left from the sunset. "Aster?"

"Oh... Yes?"

"I want to see you again."

"Really?" Her eyes widen from his response.

"Yes. When I come by, I want to hear your stories."

"Oh I don't know if they would interest you. The stories I give are... unusual."

"That's okay. I want to hear your stories anyway. Would you mind?"

"Oh well... there's one story that will be published in two weeks. I can share the story with you if you like. In fact, I can share the prologue tonight. Would you like to hear it?"

"Of course. I normally go home after this. However, I can cook up dinner for you if you like. Would you like to come over to my house?"

"Well... I'm not doing anything important after this. Are you alright with me coming over to dinner? I wouldn't want to drop in uninvited."

"Yes Aster. I'm glad to have you over."

"Okay." She lit up. "I'm in."

"Wonderful. Come on. My car's outside."

Shiva's house, night time...

After a lovely meal, Aster and Shiva relax and talk to each other. They share stories of their families and their own adventures both good and bad.

"And that's how I got out of the Red Light District."

"Oh Shiva I'm so happy that you got out of that toxic workplace and you're happy in your current job. That Framton fellow was no good."

"I wasn't even interested in dating any of the women at his club. If anything, he was saying those things because he was still bitter towards finding out that Arcana was never honest with him."

"The story about poor Bianca is truly tragic. Her blood father used her until she became aware of what was truly happening and he killed her for that. He didn't have to do that. Though, I can't feel sorry for Framton and the men who longed for her. They sold their souls for a bag of goods they would never see. Their anger should only remain with Arcana and no one else."

"Old Man Arcana used Framton as well as everyone else as a means to exact revenge on everyone who wronged the Arcana Clan. Framton wasn't getting on my case out of the fact that he crazy about any of the women working for him. He was upset because the one person he wanted was killed by the man who promised him her hand in marriage... but pull the same crap with 100 other men despite being his old friend. There's also the fact that I'm a citizen of Chinatown. The Remnants of Arcana despise every citizen who lives there and the fact that Bianca's blood mother was one of us didn't help that case."

"His bitterness is unwarranted. How long has Bianca been dead?"

"Let's see..." He leaned forward. "Bianca died five years before Catherine gave birth to the twins. The twins, by next week, will be turning 10 years old during Hell Week. She's been dead for 15 years."

"My God Framton is pathetic. He should have came to terms on the fact that his friend lied to him and betrayed him. Also, I believe without a doubt that Framton never truly loved Bianca for who she was. I believe he fell in love with the idea of all the power he would obtain from Arcana if he married her. If he did love her, he would have accepted the truth, showed kindness to the citizens of Chinatown as her mother was from there, and take care of them. He never did, which makes him irredeemable. Also, Bianca died before she turned 20. Framton is close to her father's age... Gross."

"Oh the age gap was definitely a double standard for Framton. He didn't have any trouble wanting to marry his friend's daughter who has a large age gap between them, yet he got on my case over the women who came over to talk to me. The ones that flirted with me were either 20 years older than I was, reeked of cigarettes and sometimes booze, married or single mothers, or a combination of any of those. It was never going to work out anyway. A majority of them were past the age of having kids."

"Well I'm sure since you became the new Shiva, your dating life has been better, right? Women must be throwing themselves at you constantly. Men must be jealous of you, too."

He looked down disappointed.

"Aster, I'll be honest with you. Since I became Shiva, I've never had time for relationships outside the Dojo."

"Wait, you... you haven't gone out dating at all since you left that place?"

"Not really." He looked away from her. "Watching over Chinatown is stressful, but I wouldn't want the District to go back to the days of Arcana. The citizens are kind, but I wish the young women in the city wouldn't send me letters of how they are capable of being," He leaned back and sighed. "My 'Perfect Wife.'"

"You see any that interest you?"

He turned to look at her.

"Actually I haven't read a single letter since that recent scare."

Aster looked at him concerned.

"Really? What happened?"

"I was 20 years old when I got the position of Shiva. Godhand gave me a careful run through of how the position in Chinatown's Grandmaster works. I reviewed the rules, trained in the ways of Kempo, and met with the other Martial Art Masters in Woodoak. After a month of training under him, he bid his students and me farewell. Three months into training my students, the head of the Chinatown Newspaper came to the Dojo and interviewed me."

"That must have been interesting."

"Not really. When they discovered that I was single, they asked for permission to put the Dojo's address in the Dating section of the Newspaper. At first, I thought this was a good idea. I was young and I thought finding the right partner would be amazing and another accomplishment in my life. I could start a family and lead a generation of Grandmasters in Chinatown. What followed after nearly drove me to kill someone... mainly the people involved in the debacle."

He turned around to the small bookshelf close to the loveseat. He gets up and opens the drawer under the shelf. He brings three slightly yellowed envelopes to Aster. Aster took the envelopes from Shiva and looked at the letters. She smiled from the letters.

"You have a wonderful fanbase."

"These letters are what almost made me fly off the rails. Look carefully."

Aster looked at the letters and then the envelopes. Her eyes widen from the envelopes.

"Hey. These envelopes have the same home address... the full names are different."

He sat down next to her.

"There was a student in my Dojo. She was 16 years old. She was very depressed and I couldn't understand why. She had been attending my Dojo as part of a Rehabilitation program launched to help troubled youth turn their lives around."

"A Rehabilitation program for troubled youth... using Kempo? How would that work?"

"Martial Arts is not the practice to gain power, but to unify the mind, body, and spirit. She was apart of the program due being caught shop lifting in the Central Woodoak Mall. At the court hearing, the judge gave her the Ultimatum: Attend one of Woodoak's Rehabilitation Programs or spend three months in a Correctional Facility."

"That's quite the sentence, but she should have already knew that if she got into trouble, she'd have to do some service for the time."

"She must have really loved what her and her pals pulled because rather than miss out on meeting with the same people that landed her in that mess..." He closed his eyes annoyed from recalling the memory. "...She choose to attend my Dojo. She had potential and she was going somewhere with her training. Then the incident happened. I contacted her parents and asked them what happened. Her mother told me that someone she had a crush on rejected her. She had been heartbroken since."

"Aww that's sad... but she's young. Crushes are like Sour grapes. Sometimes it's better to want than to have. She'll get over it."

"I doubt it. You know those letters sent to me from single women trying to get married to me? Guess what I found when I was sorting letters I read from what was unread."

"What did you find?"

"The address to the young girl's family... on ten different letters with ten different names."

"What? She was writing to you..." She looked at the envelopes and then at Shiva confounded. "...Using ten different names?"

"Yes. It was horrible. I was suspicious when I saw this. I remember calling her parents and asking them to come talk to me. I showed the letters to her father. He recognized the handwriting, but there was one problem."

"Oh?" She giggled. "What was wrong?"

"The name on the letters didn't match any of the members in the house. In fact, the names used on the envelope have never lived at their house. In order to hide what she was doing, she always came home before her parents and grabbed the mail to get to my reply. Her parents weren't aware of this until I asked them if they allowed her to write a letter to the dating corner."

"Oh no. I know where this is going." She started to laugh.

"Turns out, the reason why she was heartbroken was because she was the one who wrote the letter to me and she was rejected for the tenth time. I was 20 when this happen. Needless to say, her parents were pissed. Not only did she lie to me, she tried to get me to go out with her under different identities. I had to contact the Chinatown Newspaper to remove the Dojo's address from their dating corner."

"Did you tell them about the incident?"

"I couldn't. She's a minor. If the people found out that a minor was writing to me, there would protests requesting for my resignation. So I told them that someone abused the system and got caught. The Manager of the Corner, a kind old lady who was a match maker, was pissed. The following column had an apology letter in the place of the Corner from the manager, citing that they had to close down the corner until everything was properly resolved."

"Did your student's parents do anything about her?"

"I remember on the day we had the conversation they yelled at her and she broke down crying. I asked her why she did this and that's when she told me the truth. I almost broke her father's neck when I discovered what was going on."

"What was she crying about? Was she sorry for getting caught?" Aster rolled her eyes at the student's actions.

"Actually she was crying about what her family got her into before she wrote to me. She apologized for what she did. She confessed everything out of fear that she would more than likely be sent to Juvie if she got kicked out of the program. It turns out, she's in an arranged relationship with someone she hasn't met yet and will marry this person in the Philippines when she finishes high school. The man in question is twice her age."

"Wait what?" Aster's face turned to worry while his face sunk into his hands.

"Ugh... She wrote to me because if I accepted her letter, she could have came forward about her true identity and hoped I could marry her, thus nullifying her arranged relationship. Turns out, she plotted this dumb scheme in hopes to stay in Woodoak. If she married me, she could stay and see her friends without leaving town."

"Oh God! How awful! What did you do next?"

"I gave her parents an ultimatum: Call the future groom and end the arrangement right now or I'm calling the cops. Some might think that I'm crossing the line, but trafficking is illegal. Especially when its making your child into a child bride."

"Oh Lord... I can see why you've been avoiding this." She leaned back as if the wind was knocked out of her by what she heard.

"I called my most trusted men to block the doors and took out a mobile phone. I handed her father the phone with a paid international card promising to pay for their call. They ended the arrangement, but they then explained to me why they did it."

"Using an excuse as an apology is pretty sad. Can't feel sorry for them because they knew better."

"You're right. They had no excuse, but they told me their reason for this. Their daughter and her friends had been shoplifting from different stores for two whole years and didn't get caught until that moment at the Central Woodoak Mall. Tired of her antics, they secretly arranged a marriage for her and had plans to send her away so they can be done with her thieving ways. She would be miles away from them and they would wash their hands of her."

"That's still no excuse to try to traffic their daughter. They had a chance to be good parents when they discovered the first time she was stealing. The fact they knew of her crimes makes them complicit to everything that went wrong."

"They were pieces of excrement. After I confronted them about the matter, her father told her because of what she did, she has until she turns 18 to find a job and a place to live. I then told her to turn her life around because once she completed the program, she couldn't afford to get into trouble again. If she did, it wouldn't be Juvie she would be sent to when she turn 18. She would have to serve Prison time."

"Well at least the both of you got out of that mess. Shaken yes, but still much more wiser than before you both got pulled into it."

"My head was spinning after all of this went down. I just thought about how much worse it could have been had I accepted any of her letters. If I had accepted any of them and went on a date with her... I would have been forced out of my position and branded a pervert when someone, possibly her parents, would have found out that I was dating a minor. Thankfully, I'm glad I got onto reading the letters. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dodged the bullet on that one. The last I heard from her..."

"Yes?"

"She graduated and left Chinatown... but it's only because both her parents died from a violent mugging from a gang ambush a year earlier. I haven't received any letters from her since."

"Well..." Aster put her drink down. "I know what she did was wrong and left you not trustful of the Dating Corner... though I think you shouldn't allow that to ruin your chance of finding that one lucky woman."

"What are you saying Aster?" He said relieved that she heard him out.

"I think myself happy to think that she found what made her happy and I think you should do the same. I mean, had you not discovered that letter fraud, she would have been married off, left in a land she's not familiar with, and unhappy. Though I'm sure she probably already figured out now that not only is stealing not okay, but hopefully she realized that you don't have to get married to be happy. Happiness is what you make of it in life. And most importantly... I hope she realizes that past experiences and backgrounds don't make someone good or bad. It's the choices that do."

"You're right on that part." He smiled from her answer.

"Which is the perfect Segway for the Prologue I promised you. Well Shiva, sit back and relax as I share the story of a dear friend of mine that I met in Japan a long time ago. This is the Tale... of Nozomi." Aster reclined back and closed her eyes. She smiled as she thought back on a time she traveled before she came to Woodoak.

"Ah Nozomi. I met her after she got famous for her story. Her books never won awards, but they were very popular with children and sold out quickly. My first meeting with her was at a Hospital in Tokyo. After I had recovered from a car accident caused by a drunk driver slamming into the cab I got into, I ran into her while she was reading her story to a child in the same hospital. I had finished paying off my bill when I spotted her. She had just finished reading her latest book and wished the child to get well soon.

As she left, I approached her slowly and asked her in Japanese about that book. She told me that she was the author of the story. I was so fascinated from what was written that I asked her if we could talk about the story. After getting Lunch with her, she told me what inspired her to write her story: Her wrestling with emotions, loss of family, heartbreak, and the will to live. The stories she published were stories she wrote after a particular incident occurred on her ex-boyfriend's birthday. However, what I will share with you... is how she came to the point to become a writer."

-Prologue of Story Begins-

An Epilogue-Like Prologue

Klack...klack...klack...

Perhaps because it was passing through a tunnel, the sound of the train moving surrounded her. At the moment, Nozomi was feeling very gloomy. Like a child who doesn't like something, she turned her head back toward the inside of the train again and again, but slowly turned her face back to the window.
The window became a mirror. Reflected there, she could see her own face. A woman who was tired, a face that had lost all of its spark.

"Today, I'll die..." Nozomi muttered to herself. "My love..."

While the reflection of herself in the window looked so tired, Nozomi was looking back on the last 28 years of her life. When she was in elementary school, her father was transferred a lot because of his work, so she had to change schools several times. Because of that, she did not make very many friends. Then, in the winter of her second year of high school, her parents died in a car accident. She wasn't able to take over the care of her parents' home, but it wasn't because her relatives were well-off to do so, either.

"It's okay, Nozomi-chan, it's just you..." They told her this, but the reality of it was that to be alone in this family was no fun, and it was quickly understood that she was sensitive to the smallest things, and was hurt easily. So, naturally, Nozomi learned to hide her feelings. She became more concerned with how she appeared to those around her than she did about herself.

Also, since she wasn't very good at connecting with others, Nozomi became an extremely introverted person.

Though she was presented with many problems, she made her way through a junior college. Of course, she had a part-time job to pay off her educational expenses. It wasn't that she had to do it, she just thought that working was natural for a student to do. After graduation, she succeeded in finding a job, and she began her life on her own. It wasn't skilled work at all, but she was just happy in the same way that people are when they find somewhere to belong.

Though her new life had some sorrows, there were some little bits of happiness, too. To Nozomi, though, there was something bad about continuing to live her life this way forever.

And then, yesterday...
She was fired from her job of eight years due to company restructuring.

"We want you to leave the company in three months."

She intended to do her best. She had her objections to the decision, naturally, but she also understood that there was nothing she could do about it. However, she would have been fine, if that was all that had befallen her. It might have been not so good for her to be able to look inside of herself like this, but she was able to.
Though it was sad, she had become used to doing such things.
However, to Nozomi's already wounded heart, there was one more thing that would serve as the final blow.

Nozomi, bearing the shock of the sudden restructuring, after work, she set herself on going to his house. Surely, if they met for even a second, she would be overjoyed.

"Tomorrow's his birthday, and so we'll spend the night together, and I'll give him more than twelve hours of celebration no one else can give."

If I just have him...then I can be saved, Nozomi thought.

On the way home, she bought two cakes, and made her way to his apartment. Climbing up the stairs, and knocked on the door of the innermost room of the second floor. There was no answer. It looked as if he had yet to have come home. Since there was nothing she could do, she waited in front of the door, underneath the cold sky. As soon as she started wishing that she could see him right away, she felt a strange chill.

She guessed she had been there for about an hour. From the bottom of the stairs, she could hear the sound of familiar footsteps. It's him!

"Ah! Yasu-kun...nnnnnn..."

She wanted to run up to him, but her body wouldn't move. There, in the shadows, he wasn't alone. He was in the company of a woman that Nozomi didn't know. At first, her face registered an expression of surprise, but suddenly she became very serious.

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, since it's Yasu-kun's birthday tomorrow..."

"Did he promise to meet with you?"

"Ah...no, it's wasn't arranged or anything...I just had something I wanted to talk with him about..."

He looked a little disgusted, and said, "Aah, don't get so worked up about it, that's just how you put it, anyway. You say you worship me, but I don't belong to you, you know, and what happens when we date each other again? What a strange misunderstanding."

As for the woman, just standing there saying nothing, Nozomi looked her up and down.

Nozomi was very sad.

"Hey, hey, do you always make that face? It's no good for you. You're really one of those girls who gets irritated all the time, aren't you."

"..."

"If you don't say anything, then why are you here? It's cold, I wanna go inside."

It was a cruel way to cut her off. No, looking back on it, could it be that she wasn't his girlfriend anymore? Or was it just Nozomi's simple way of thinking? But, that couldn't be right. Surely, it can't be right that they're "dating". But...

Slam.

The door closed in front of the dazed Nozomi. As he disappeared into the room, the shadows within moved before Nozomi's eyes as if they were in slow-motion. As if on strings, she left. So many things she could have done whirled about in her head, but she couldn't put them in any kind of order. When she noticed enough to wonder how far she had run, she came to a nearby train station. In the depths of her heart, she supposed, she thought that even if it was just a little bit, she wanted to go to somewhere far away.

"This train that's here right now, since I don't care where I end up, where's the farthest that it goes?"

After giving her a dubious look, the station worker encouraged her to go down by the tracks, seeing that she appeared to just be someone with some troubles in her life. Without knowing where she wanted to go, Nozomi randomly chose a seat, bought a ticket, and just like that, boarded the all-night train. The train went on and on. It arrived at its last stop. Then, of course, the lines all changed to local ones.

To say that only the local people used these lines, well, the strange thing about it was that other than those in charge standing in front of the doors, no one got on. After the next station, Nozomi was the only person riding the train. She felt sleepy, listening to the sound of the rails. In the middle of this aimless journey, looking back on her life, she began to think that there was no one in the world who could possibly feel that she was important at all.

Nozomi tried thinking it through. If, for some reason, I weren't in this world anymore, would there be anyone who would be saddened by it?

...No one came to mind.

Nothing at all came to mind.

No matter what I thought of, they were all a bust.

Should I just kill myself?

However, I got to thinking, if someone forgot about me after I had died, everyone would think that person was absolutely horrible.

"So, I'll kill myself today, on his birthday. Even on the winds of gossip, it was fine with her, for if the news of her killing herself on his birthday reached him, even if everyone else forgot about me, every time his birthday came around, he'd remember I was here..."

It's a malicious decision. Even I think so. Dark and narrow-minded as it may be, compared to the cruelty with which he cut me off, this is just a meager little revenge, after all...

So, as far as I'm concerned...this is my final day...

"Today, I'll die..." Nozomi muttered once to herself.

Gazing at herself in the dark glass, her reflection looking vacantly back at her, suddenly a dazzling light came across Nozomi's eyes. It looked as if the train had finally come out of the long, long, dark tunnel. The world outside had become brighter, and the sun itself was fairly high in the sky.
"So bright..." Nozomi shielded her eyes with her left hand. And so, that's how more than half of Nozomi's last day on Earth passed.

"Where in the world am I?"

Nozomi looked outside. There were many things that seemed quite contrary—the space between buildings was quite wide, and you could see a long way. It looked like she was really out in the countryside.

Thinking for a while, she had feelings of déjà vu as she gazed at the unfolding scenery out the window.

"Oh? I think I might have been here before...am I hallucinating?"

She tried to remember.
It could have been somewhere she had been as a child. Since she had moved around so much as a child, her memories had become muddled. She had no confidence. But, Nozomi tried getting off at the next station.

It was a small station, with no one inside.

Though there was no one to check tickets, there were a few small stores around. To her right, she could see a small convenience store. Certainly, that convenience store was the first thing she could see, but looking at the building itself, she remembered something. On the lower floor, wasn't there some kind old woman selling sweets? The neighborhood kids called it "The Red Roof".

"Surely, I've been here before." Her memories returning little by little, Nozomi decided to take a walk around the city. Of course, there were some things she didn't remember at all. But, there were the places, the scenery, the signs, that she did remember, so much she felt that she knew them. Walking slowly, Nozomi spoke to herself.
"Ah, surely, before..."
Without thinking, she took off in a little run.
Climbing up a hill, there was an elementary school there.

"It's still here..."

It seemed that no one had cared for it in some time, and it had become an abandoned lot. Little by little, Nozomi was able to remember. It was a school for all grades, but only about 25 people attended. It was a very small school. She had, at one time, attended classes here. From first to sixth grade, she attended classes in the same classroom, with the same people; that was the kind of school it was. Nozomi climbed over the rope lying in the dust, blocking off the grounds.

When she was a child, she thought that they looked so vast, but now that she looked at them, they were unexpectedly small. It was a flat-roofed, wooden school building. Next to the large flower garden in the corner, there stood a small building.

"I've missed this place!", Nozomi said, running to the front of the small building. When she put her hand on the doorknob, the lock opened on its own. Opening the door just a crack, Nozomi peeked inside.

The only adult to stand in here, finally she walked into an entranceway with a dirt floor. Stepping inside, immediately in front of her was a vacant room, about eight tatami square. To her left, there was a small kitchen. Strangely, it wasn't very dusty at all. Crouching down, she went further inside.

"What? Could it be..."

Nozomi spoke in an amazed tone, and without thinking, stepped inside the room, her shoes still on and covered with dust. The eight-tatami space looked to be something of a storage closet, the last half of the room or so being so dusty that she couldn't go in. There sat many books and paintings, and stuffed animals were neatly arranged there, sitting on a shelf.

"My little secret room...it hasn't changed at all...it's just like it was, back then..."

Nozomi, touched, looked all around her. Her favorite stuffed animals. The stories that she wrote. The paintings that she had painted...everything, Nozomi's most prized possessions.

"But, why...?"

Nozomi picked up some of the books, and looked through them. The books, she had written them all by hand. These were the stories that, in elementary school, Nozomi always wanted to write. She tried reading a number of them. Surely, there were some that were very childish, but, reading them now, she was surprised at how well she wrote her stories: all of them, stories she had since forgotten in her faraway memories.

"Now that I think of it, I wanted to be a fairy-tale writer, back then. With my daily life being so draining, I had forgotten I even had that dream at all."

Since then, she hadn't seen herself the way that she was now, at all. She had failed at following her dreams, the glimmering dreams of her past.

Nozomi mumbled to herself. "When did I turn out the way I am now, anyway? Why is it that I can't laugh from the heart anymore?" Suddenly looking back in the corner, one book caught her eye.

"Oh? What could this be?"

Though it was written by hand, it was done so more neatly. It was a book on the larger side, with an old brown cover. She picked it up. The title was "Another Story".

"Another Story...?" Nozomi tilted her head. "Is this a book that I wrote? It's quite an elegant little book, though..."

She had the feeling that she had written this book, but she also felt as if she may not have. She tried flipping through the pages.

The story of a world long, long ago, or perhaps far into the future, Gaia...

"What is this? But...that's my handwriting..."

Surrounded by a strange feeling, as if to confirm something for herself, she slowly opened the old front cover.

[The Beginning Before The Beginning]

The story of a world long, long ago, or perhaps far into the future, Gaia...
Once, Gaia was a vast, beautiful world, blessed with abundantly fresh water. Then, the gods made humans out of that water and Gaia's soil. The gods also passed onto the humans five music boxes. . Contained in each of the separate boxes was "love", "dreams", "wisdom", "courage", and "hope". With "love" came the power to bring new life; with "dream", the power to imagine; with "wisdom", the power to make things of the imagination reality; with "courage", the power to face terrible problems; and with "hope", the power to create the future.

Thus, human society grew larger and larger.

It was if you could believe that peace could last forever.

But, the humans were foolish.

At that time, the humans became aware that the gods possessed one more music box. Thinking that surely the melody contained in that box would be a wonderful one, they deceived the gods, and obtained the sixth box. Everyone had their own expectations for it.

"What do you suppose they've brought to us this time?"

However, the melodies contained in that box were ones of "jealousy", "resentment", "disease", "death", "thievery", "betrayal", "regret", "anxiety", "strife", "murderous intent", "discontent", "poverty"...
These sufferings that had never existed in the world of humans before, were released upon them. The people started meeting one another in hatred, and seeking to possess even more territory than they had before, met again and again just to kill one another.
The gods, while lamenting the foolish behavior of the humans, became very angry. Before long, they tore the lands of Gaia apart, and transformed the seas to sulfuric acid. Then, they scattered the melodies of "love", "dreams", "wisdom", "courage", and "hope" all throughout the land, hiding them away.
Thus, the world of Gaia fell into an era of total darkness: "love", "dreams", "wisdom", "courage", and "hope" being completely lost to them. -End of Prologue-

Shiva looked at Aster surprised from what she shared.

"Wow Aster. That style of storytelling is not used much anymore. In fact, your style reminds me of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein."

Aster's eyes lit up.

"Oh you mean the story with the mad scientist who made Frankenstein?"

"Actually... the scientist is named Victor Frankenstein. The creature, who you mistaken for the main character, has no name. Though, it isn't your fault that mistake got through. People misremembered the story due to Faulty memory... but yes. That is the story I'm referring to."

"Oh thank you Shiva. My apologies. I didn't know anything about that."

"Not many do. I read an article once questioning if Technology advances too fast, will people stop reading books forever? Unlikely."

"Well, we all need to read to remember how we got here. I mean, if we were to build a future with no past, then are we really moving forward at all?"

"Heh. Glad you asked. Unfortunately, I don't have the answer for that question... though to get back on topic, your style is close to that."

Suddenly, the front door opened. Shiva and Aster looked in the direction of the step of footsteps coming closer to the Living Room. The person coming towards them then came into view. Before them was a sharp dressed man wearing a butler suit.

"Pardon me Master Shiva, but I have received news from Mr. X. He wishes to discuss something important for tomorrow."

Shiva then got up.

"That's right. I have a meeting with him tomorrow about the Real Estate in Chinatown. The other Masters will be present. I'm sorry Aster, but I guess I have to cut this evening short."

"It's okay Shiva. I enjoyed this wonderful evening with you. I hope we can do this again. I'd love to share more with you. As long as you don't mind of course."

"And you will share more. The meeting tomorrow is just to tend to finances within the District as well as discussing future payments in month's time. After I finish the meeting, I'll come see you again Aster."

"You mean... you liked the story?"

"Yes Aster. I love your story. I want to hear more of it." He then turned to his Butler. "Leung, on your way home, will you drive Aster back to her home?"

"Of course Master."

Aster turned to Shiva.

"Are you sure Shiva? I can always call a cab. That's how I've been able to travel back and forth across Woodoak."

"It's alright Aster. I drove you up here and it would only be right to take you home."

Leung then walked over to Aster.

"Shall I start the engine for you, Miss Aster?"

"Oh... are you going to be okay Leung? You must be very tired from running around Woodoak today." She asked worried for the man's health.

"I do not mind taking all tasks from Master Shiva. It is only right to take you back home."

Shiva then walked over to Aster.

"Aster, let Leung drive you home. He lives in the city just as you do."

"You mean? He has an apartment in Woodoak? I thought he would live with you."

"In truth, Aster, I don't like having anyone stay at the house if they work for me. Especially if they have families. If they have kids that attend school away from where I live, it would be an inconvenience to keep their families away from them. Many of my students live close to or in Woodoak apartments. The schools they attend are close to the Dojo as well as the Central Woodoak Library. You live close to Chinatown, don't you Aster?"

"Uhh... yes... I do. My home is at the Walnut Grove Apartments. Such a peaceful apartment Plaza... within an area of turmoil. It's close to Central Woodoak Park. Its location is how I've been able to reach the Library without transit."

Leung then walked over to the door.

"Your ride, Miss Aster." He said politely to the young woman.

Aster got up from the couch and stretched her back. Shiva took her cup from her and placed it in the kitchen sink. She then walked over to Leung and then went to pick up her purse and her shoes. She walked towards the car outside with Shiva behind her and Leung in front. She turned around to Shiva.

"Thank you Shiva. I enjoyed dinner and spending time with you tonight. Same time, tomorrow?"

"Yes. I'll meet you at the Library tomorrow. Goodnight Miss Aster." He said bowing to her.

"Goodnight Shiva." She said giving him a gentle smile and kindly waved back at him.

Aster walked over and got inside. Leung got in, start the car, and drove off. After the car was out of site, a muscular Kung Fu fighter walked over to Shiva.

"You're soft, Grandmaster." He said with a smug on his face.

Shiva didn't turn around, but shifted his eyes to the right.

"You mock me, Tiger. The Masters Meeting isn't until tomorrow. Why are you trying to start a fight in a residential area?" He said annoyed.

Tiger chuckled.

"You had her, Shiva. You had her in your house. Why didn't you torture her and kill her?" He had a maniac smile on his face. "Had it been me, I would have made sure her ribs were broken and after taming her, I would make sure she wouldn't be able to walk anymore."

Shiva turned towards Tiger and gave Tiger a smile.

"As ever, you disgust me. You don't see the bigger picture, do you Tiger? I don't need to sink to your level to get back at those who wrong me. I'm not being friendly with her to be her friend. I don't need to break her bones, force her into my bed, nor tie her down to keep her from running." His friendly demeanor changed to a frown. "I know what I am doing. I know full well who she is."

"Then you know how dangerous she is. That thief manage to abscond 100 mil from under the Syndicate's nose and gave it to the People's Army."

"Do not think me as simple minded. Unless you forgot the duel the Masters fought me over to gain Godhand's position in the main Dojo. I could have very well have walked in and took control had you not came to personally challenge me alongside the others upon hearing the position was being given to some greenhorn no one had heard of."

"..." He grit his teeth in anger from hearing him bring this up in the conversation.

"I know what she is as well. I've been trying to catch her for two whole years. Chasing a curvy woman in a skin tight dress does not help one's reputation, but for the time it's how I was able to figure out who she was immediately. Besides... the timing couldn't be perfect. Now that Hell Week will be approaching soon, I can force her hand. She won't be able to escape me this time. This will be the last time... the Central Woodoak People's Army will steal from the Syndicate. Remember that Tiger..." He then looked down the road where the car drove down and grinned. "Remember it well... Heh Heh Heh."

End of Act 1...