(CLYDE'S POV)
It had been a rough process trying learn cryomancy so far. Xeto had been a very intense teacher, regardless of his laid back attitude. He hadn't shown me any mercy whatsoever. One minute he was forcing me to run up a frozen mountain, the next moment, he was telling me constantly to concentrate.
The main issue with cryomancy was that it revolved around more precise control of your mana. I was adept at using pyromancy which required the ability to let your mana loose and have it spread. Both were so different from each other. It was gonna take some getting used to.
It had been the end of day fifty of my training. I had been sparring Xeto with only the use of my low level cryomancy. He gave me less than one percent of his power in order to keep things fair. Xena and Isabel motivated me to push myself so I did without any complaints. Xeto would praise my considerable effort and would constantly evaluate my growth.
"Master Xeto...I think that I'm ready for some actual technique training. I want to be able to use some of your actual skills in combat." I said to him.
"Hmm...I suppose that you're at an adequate level to begin your technique training. We'll start off with something simple." Xeto said before lifting his hand. A faint mist surrounded it. "I want you to use the Flash Freeze spell on that rock." He said.
"But isn't that only a beginner spell?" I asked.
"Only to a beginner. To an expert…" Xeto thrusted his hand forward. Within seconds the rock was completely encased in a solid block of ice. "...It's a must use skill."
I stared in awe at his display. "Incredible…"
"Go on ahead and start working hard on mastering that spell." He said.
I nodded to him and got right to work. My first couple of attempts resulted in only a mere chilling of the rock, then slowly progressed into frost. I kept working towards my goal of complete ice. As I was training, I decided to stir up a conversation.
"So...Master Xeto…"
"Yeah Clyde?" He responded.
"Who exactly is Zero? He's such a weird guy but I can tell that he's really strong. I guess that I should know more about him if I'm destined to fight." I said while still focusing on my training.
"Zero is...Well he's very different. Up until recently, he's been isolated from others. He's calm and usually passive, but he can also snap very easily. That is when he's the most terrifying to those that aren't prepared to face him. He lives for a good fight but he tends to get carried away very quickly. Nobody fully knows where he came from. One day, he just showed up on a nearby volcano and frozen the damn thing. If it weren't for me, he'd never have full control over his cryomancy. When I first trained him, he was gifted and absolutely talented with ice. He wasn't able to get a grip on any other magic, but cryomancy for whatever reason stuck with him. He was very gifted and in my very opinion, his cryomancy can rival my own if I'm not careful." Xeto explained.
"He's that good…" I said feeling uneasy.
"I'll be honest with you Yukio, I don't foresee you surpassing him with cryomancy so don't even bother focusing on trying to power up. Use this training as a means to understand Zero's power. Remember, he only uses cryomancy so in terms of diversity, you have the advantage...but in a place like Frost Park, that won't really matter all that much. Cryomancers thrive in the cold and this is by far the coldest region on the planet." Xeto said.
I nodded to him. "I understand your words master. Thank you!" I said while continuing my training. I couldn't shake the feeling of nervousness. He was so much stronger than I was with cryomancy. I can't close that gap in only three months. I need to start strategizing. Our fight was set to begin soon. I only had about a month left to better myself. That Zero guy...He's something else…
(GABBY'S POV)
I felt so peaceful. It was strange to say in a place like this. Normally, I'd hate being in the cold but being here with Zero was oddly refreshing and comforting. He said that this place was seventy degrees below zero and yet I never felt the slightest bit cold around him. I felt warm even. It was such a weird thing to experience but at the same time, I didn't want to leave. I was currently inside of a large castle that Zero made completely out of ice. It was amazing and left me speechless. I'd never understand how he was able to make such creations like they were nothing. It blew my mind.
Zero walked through the large double doors and stepped closer to me. He had a smile on his face. I smiled back at him as he handed me a small cup of hot chocolate. I still wasn't sure where he'd got it from but I never minded it. These simple gestures would just make my heart flutter. I found it adorable how he'd try to hide his blushes and look away from me when I caught him staring. It sounds super girly but I guess that's just how he made me feel. I didn't ever really get the chance to feel like a real girl after the Red Death. Him being so sweet was such a nice change of pace.
We sat down together and talked for a little while. He was such an easy person to talk to. He wouldn't ever interrupt me and he'd actually listen. Whenever he would talk, he'd be shy at first but then warm up to the conversation. Today he decided to tell me something that he had never told anyone else before.
"Gabby, we're close right?" He asked me.
"Well duh! We've been hanging with each other for like a month and a half now. Why? What's wrong?" I asked. As time went on, I began to notice when something was on his mind.
"Can I trust you with something very important to me?" He asked.
"O...of course." I said.
He nodded. "I'm gonna tell you who I am...Where I'm from…" He said.
"Go ahead Zero. I'm listening…" I muttered softly.
He sighed. "Like I said, from what I can remember, my name has always been Zero. There was a reason I was named Zero though…" His expression dropped. He had a downcast look on his face as if he were uncomfortable with the topic.
"You can stop if you want to Zero. I understand if you're not ready to talk about it." I said before rubbing his back soothingly.
He shook his head. 'No...I want to tell you. I'm called Zero because that was what my objective was." He said.
I looked at him confused. "Your objective?"
"As a baby, I was blessed with an unbelievable amount of mana. So much so, that I was deemed a threat by the High Council or as you may know them, the Sacred Twelve." He said.
"Wait, you mean the most powerful angles that serve under God?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yes. The council claimed that if I was to be raised by anyone that had ill intentions, I'd be a serious threat to humanity. In order to prevent this, they took me to a camp…" His eye began to twitch and he gripped his head.
"Zero are you alright?!" I was getting worried about him.
"The camp had multiple different kids, all with high amounts of mana. There were about eight hundred kids in the camp. The angles trained us to be their secret weapons against demons. Many of us were incredibly strong as it was, but the council decided that having so many human kids was a liability so in order to pick out the most efficient warriors. To do this, they put us all in one big chamber...That chamber...It was nothing but bloodshed." He said with tears streaming down his face.
"Zero…"
"I killed...every single kid that came near me. At the end of that nightmare, there were only five kids left. I was one of them. The angels decided that we were all that was needed. Out of all of us, I was the one with the most kills. Anyone that came my way would die...I dealt with that for my whole life. It's how they gave me my name Zero. It doesn't mean subzero...It's means that I leave Zero demons alive. I was a deadly weapon and I killed so many innocent, helpless kids...I'm a monster!" He yelled.
I wrapped my arms around him tightly. "It wasn't your fault Zero. They forced you to do that! You're a nice person. At least, to me you are." I said to him.
"T...thank you Gabby...It feels so good to tell someone that…" He sighed as he wiped away his tears.
(SHIRO'S POV)
"Bastard ass PORTAL!!!" I growled at the tiny portal that I couldn't fit my hand through.
"Wow...That portal sucks ass!" Tatsu snickered.
"Fuck off!" I snapped.
"Aww, c'mon kid. You gotta learn how to use Fanny Pack style before it's too late!" He said.
"Man...Screw this! Teach me something else!" I demanded.
"Hmm...I suppose that I could teach you Trickster Technique...Or maybe even Doppelganger Style." He said.
"How?! My little bit of mana is making this a lot more difficult than it should be." I whined.
"Then don't use any mana. I didn't spend one month teach you how to control Soul energy for you to not use it!" He barked at me.
"...Ugh!" I grunted with annoyance. "FINE!" I held a hand out to create the small pocket dimension. Instead of just using my pathetic mana, I used some soul energy as well. The portal grew to be about half my height. "Was that really all I had to do?!"
"See? You struggled for nothing! Now I'd say that you deserve an actual break." Tatsu said before laying on the grass below him. I followed his lead and laid down next to him. "I really missed days like this. It's so much more peaceful."
"Yeah well, you're not the Shiro stressing over a fight!" I growled.
He then looked at me with a serious expression. "Tell me something kid. What are your goals looking like."
"Well for starters, I wanna kick the Red Man's ass! I guess before I do that, I wanna win Gabby back and apologize for my stupid mouth. I said something really stupid man!" I told him.
"Yeah...I know…" He said bluntly. "Look, I'd say don't worry about her man. It's just not worth it."
"I need you to tell me about this Zero guy. Do I even stand a chance against him?" I asked.
"Don't worry about him. You won't really be fighting alone. Clyde should be backing you up in this fight, then again, this timeline is already pretty confusing." He said.
"No thanks to you…" I muttered. He punched me and glared. I rubbed my now sore arm and glared back.
We both stayed quiet for a moment before he looked at me again. "Tell me something really quick...Did you hear anyone's voice recently? Mainly a chick's voice?" He asked.
"...Yeah...How'd you know that?!" I asked.
He then chuckled to himself. "Yep...She already found you…"
"What?! Who found me?" I asked.
"Don't worry about it. You'll meet her in like a few days anyway."
"You're an asshole!"
"Well to be fair...I am you." He grinned. I rolled my eyes at him. "Hey, you still remember Plan B, right?"
"Of course! Plan B is to build up my amazing harem, which you've somehow failed to do…"
Tatsu rolled his eyes. "I didn't exactly fail you know. They were killed. Executed to be exact. I wish that I could've saved them but at that point, I wasn't strong enough. I was still learning some of my best skills and my control over Soul energy paled in comparison to yours. I never had someone to teach me."
"So...Who was in this harem of yours…" I asked with a fat grin on my face. I had to know.
"Only the best fucking women in existence! Goddamn, I was one lucky son of bitch!" He said happily.
"How many we talkin' here?!" I asked.
"I dunno like twelve."
"TWELVE WOMEN?! FUCK YEAH!!!" I shouted happily. "How sexy are they?! Are their boobs big?! Do they smell good?!"
"Woah, relax kid! I think that you're overdoing it. You're gonna explode if you keep this up."
"I gotta know! What's their names? When do I get to meet them?!" I asked.
"You gotta wait. You'll get to see them all real soon, but I'm telling you now...You'll need to be a lot stronger if you want to protect them. They'll need you to be as strong as you can in order to fight the prick that got the ones in my timeline killed." He said. With that bit of knowledge, I got right up and resumed my intense training. I was NOT about to lose my second favorite dream!
As my training went on, Eliza began working her way into it. She would sharpen up my rogue skills and get me back into heavy combat. On top of that, Vizeron had begun his own training under Tatsu. Vizeron unlocked a few dope ass abilities that would prove to be helpful in the upcoming fight according to my future self.
After awhile of building up my body, enhancing my hand to hand combat skills, meditating in order to work on control and improving my stamina, Tatsu decided to give me two weapons to use for the fight and told me to practice with them.
The first weapon was a behemoth of a sword. The sword itself was already bigger than I was. The black blade of the sword was large and the hilt was long and had a nice grip. I loved the thing but had one gripe with it. The goddamn this was heavy as hell.
"How do you even carry this!?" I asked him.
He grabbed the sword and swung it around effortlessly. "Practice makes perfect, kid. If you want to be able to wield the legendary sword Black Inertia, you'll have to put in the effort."
"So what's so legendary about it?" I asked.
"You dickhead?! This is one of the strongest swords in existence!" He yelled at me.
"Can you explain why?! Damn…"
"How about I show you!" He raised the sword to the sky. "INERTIA!" He shouted. There was a brief pause. Nothing happened.
"...So what now?" I asked. Before I could even get an answer, the sword's blade doubled in length and width. I stared at it with wide eyes. "Holy shit!"
"INERTIA!" He shouted again. The already large blade doubled again. The large sword was now standing at 28 feet. "INERTIA!" He shouted again. The humongous sword now stood at 56 feet.
"How heavy is that damn thing?!" I asked.
"Think of it like this, for every foot this thing grows, a hundred pounds stacks onto it." He said before swinging the giant sword. I ducked down to avoid losing my head.
"Watch it, douchebag!"
He snickered. "This thing's pretty good ain't it."
"It would be if I could even swing it!"
"Well...Start off with it's base size. This thing is great for increasing your own natural strength. For me, I'd say I can grow this thing about twenty times before it's too heavy for me to swing." He said. The sword shrunk back down to regular size and he handed it to me. "See how far you can go."
"Ok...INERTIA!" The sword grew rapidly and I collapsed to the floor instantly. "Twenty times...That's super dead!"
Tatsu grinned at me. "Just stick with it. That thing is how I buffed up."
"Fine...Any other special weapon that I get to borrow before I kick Frosty's ass?"
"Yes actually...Here, I want you to take these." Tatsu reached into a portal and grabbed a pair of metal gloves and boots.
"The hell are those?!" I asked.
"The Gilgamesh Grips. Try em' on kid!" He said.
When I put the long metal gloves on with the boots, I felt them tighten to fit me. "They feel weird." I said.
He nodded. "As they should. Now go over to that rock and touch it very softly with singular finger." He said, pointing to a large, moss covered rock.
I stepped in front of the large boulder and tapped it as gently as I possibly could. As soon as I made contact, the rock completely shattered into rubble. I stared at my hands with wide eyes.
"How did I…The rock just...I barely touched it!" I said.
"That's their ability. The gloves and boots give you the wonderful power to say FUCK PHYSICS! Your hands have a perk that lets you manipulate kinetic energy. The boots help you oppose gravity, and control momentum. Force is now on your side." He said.
"...Ok what's the catch? These sound way too strong for you to just give them to me." I said.
"Well...They have this weird tendency to tear apart your muscles and break your bones if you use them too long so...bide you time!" He said.
"...Wow that is kind of a turn off, dude…"
"Think of it like this. Combo attack!" He said. I stared at him, looking for an explanation. "Pair those with Black Inertia and you'll be able to swing around a hundred foot sword like it's a twig." He said.
"Cool...Wait, you said that these can oppose gravity?" I asked.
"Yeah, why?"
I jumped off of the ground and landed on to of a large tree like it was nothing. "Broken bones or not, these are still pretty freaking cool!"
"Just remember. When you start to feel a strain on your body, take them off!" He told me.
"I know. Trust me, I got this. I reached into a portal and grabbed Black Inertia. I grinned at the blade and held it up. "INERTIA, INERTIA, INERTIA!"
The sword doubled its size three times. I front flipped down the tree and swung the blade around like it was nothing. I accidentally butchered a few trees but I was having too much fun to stop.
"Alright, enough fooling around. Back to training!" Tatsu yelled.
(CLYDE'S POV)
"Ward of Frost: Cryogenics!" I surrounded myself in a thin layer of ice. The ice was like a second skin for protection.
"Now use the next skill that I taught you!" Xeto said.
"Ward of Frost: Spell of Mist!" A thick layer of chilling mist surrounded Clyde making him disappear from sight.
"Next one!"
"Ward of Frost: Cold Storm!" From his mouth, Clyde blew out a stream of cold air. The cold air flew at the target and froze it solid.
"Next!" Xeto demanded.
Clyde was out of breath and was feeling very winded. He was panting heavily and was running low on mana.
"Ward...of Frost…" Clyde then dropped to the floor trying to catch his breath.
"And this is the effect of cryomancy. While pyromancy uses up more bursts of mana in shorter amounts of time, cryomancy can sustain mana over longer periods of time...but make no mistake. All cryomancers have a limited. You see unlike a pyromancer's mana flame, cryomancers have no reserves to tap into. Instead we favor our initial supply. You're used to burning through your mana quickly and using your reserves as opposed to maintaining it for extended time. This imbalance is draining your stamina very quickly and leaving you exhausted. I can understand that this is a hard transition for you. It never is easy, but you'll have to overcome this. If you can somehow obtain the extension of mana that a cryomancer has with the reserves of a pyromancer, you be quite the opponent to have to face." Xeto said.
I got back up and gave him a determined look. "Let's keep going. I want to get stronger. You see, Zero isn't the only person that I have to be ready to fight."
"Are you referring to the boy with little mana?" He asked. I nodded to him. "The boy is quite intriguing. To come so far with such a taboo form of power."
I narrowed my eyes. "In the future...I'm supposed to die from him. I refuse to let that happen!"
Xeto's face turned serious. "Very well. We shall resume your training."
(GABBY'S POV)
The time that I had spent with Zero was amazing. It had been the most fun that I've had in awhile. I just wish that my friends were here. It had been some time since I saw them. Clyde, Isabel and...Shiro…
"Damnit Shiro!" I growled. Why did he have to make everything weird all the time! I swear, I can't stand him!
While my infatuation with Zero was steadily increasing, my attraction to Shiro was slowly coming into question. The most I could say was that he was a slight crush. A fling that I needed to help me get over Tazorac's death. He was there to help me forget but then he was slowly slipping away. During those five months of training with him, our relationship never really went anywhere. He was so focused on his goal to improve that we never had time for anything. Then I met Zero...He was kind to me. He makes me feel like I'm his top priority. I know it's selfish but I can't help it. I like the attention that he gives me.
As time flew by we ended up being closer than ever. His isolated nature diminished around me. He'd be reclusive to others and put up his intimidating scowl to those that he didn't care about. Whenever he looked at me, he gave me soft expressions and showed his actual emotions. It made me feel special.
After he brought me lunch, he decided to show me something that I found amazing.
"Gabby, I'd like you to meet Koriju. He's my partner and longtime ally." He said as he introduced me to the large four headed ice hydra.
I quickly bowed my head. The large BattleBeast stared at me with all four of its heads.
"It's nice to meet you, Koriju." I said to it.
"I thought that you'd want to go see your friends since it's been a little while so I thought, what better way to get there then on Koriju." Zero spoke.
I smiled at him. "You didn't have to do that Zero." I said.
"No, it's fine. I wanted to." He was so considerate. I couldn't help but throw my arms around his neck. I hugged him tightly and sighed with content.
"Thank you Zero. This really does mean a lot to me." I told him. He lifted me up bridal style and jumped on top of Koriju.
"Koriju, please take us to Xeto's place." He said.
The Hydra nodded one of its heads and blasted off into the sky. Zero held me tightly to his chest which made my face redden even further. He was so warm, regardless of his powers. I instinctively snuggled closer to him and enjoyed the ride.
(SHIRO'S POV)
I was in a forest clearing, sparring with Vizeron. I was mostly just trying to avoid Eliza due to the fact that I didn't feel like doing ten thousand jump squats.
"Send me another one Viz!" I yelled at him. The wolf puffed up his chest and unleashed another large gust of wind. I reeled back my large sword and slash through the cyclones with ease. "C'mon Viz! Step it up!"
Vizeron growled and began to glow. He stood on his back two legs and began to grow. He was now about only five inches shorter than me and had taken on a more human like appearance. His wild grey hair was swooped to the side in an unruly fashion. His large brown eyes held a bit of animosity to them. His hands still had sharp claws, his wolf tail remained and he had a mark running down his left cheek.
"You want me to step it up? Fine! I'm gonna kick your ass beta male!" He snarled in a slightly deeper voice.
"Bring it you piece of shit!" I Shouted.
I was about to charge at him but was stopped by a dagger hitting the grass in between us.
A puff of smoke appeared and as it blew away, Eliza could be seen standing there with her arms crossed.
"I finally found you!" She sent me a glare.
"Oh goddamnit…" I turned around and attempted to run but it was no use. She had already caught me. She grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and lifted me to her face.
"So you tried to run out on me again?" She asked with a grin.
"PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME SQUAT!" I begged.
"Relax, we're getting ready to leave."
"Leave? Where to?" I asked.
"Frost Park, smartass!" She said with frustration.
"How? Isn't that like, across the planet?"
"We're taking the boat!" She said with an evil grin.
My face paled. "B...but that's like a seven month trip!"
"Yep!"
"Hell no! I'm not getting on the goddamn ship!" I yelled.
That when Tatsu teleported next to my mentor. "C'mon Eliza, that's just cruel. You know we hate that God awful boat!" He then looked at me. "We are gonna teleport with a little bit of Trickster Technique."
I sighed happily. "Oh thank you future me!"
"Alright! Viz get over here!" He said.
"But I didn't even get to use my new form…" Viz grumbled as her reverted back to his wolf self and stomped over to us.
With a snap of his fingers, Tatsu sent us across the world instantly.
(CLYDE'S POV)
"Thanks Isabel." I said as she healed my wounds. Sparring against Xeto was a nightmare. He was barely even trying and yet I still struggled to land a hit on him. He was practically toying with me.
"It's no trouble Clyde. I'm just glad that I could make myself useful."
"Aww c'mon Isabel! Don't talk like that. Without you, Shiro would be a literal puddle right about now and you keep me in tip top shape! Plus...I'd go nuts if you suddenly left. To be real with you. Every else drives me insane. I need you to ease my nerves with your soft voice." Clyde said as he scooted next to her.
"Clyde I…" Isabel started.
"No, it's fine. I just want you to know how much you mean to me. I know that I still have a lot of room for improvement but...I'm glad that you're always by my side to get me to the next level."
"I...I'll always be on your side Clyde. No matter what happens. It's because deep down...I-"
"HEY PEOPLES!!!" Shiro suddenly yelled from behind us.
"What is he doing here?!" I asked with mild irritation.
"Goddamn it's cold!" He said while shivering. He looked up and noticed me and Isabel. "Hey guys!"
"H...Hello Shiro." Isabel said. She seemed embarrassed and I had a feeling of why.
"Tatsugami…" I mumbled.
"Guess what Clyde! I've been training my ass off! Because I what happened in the tournament, I've decided that I am perfectly capable of kicking your ass so long as I have my gear." He said.
"So you need weapons to beat me? Pathetic…" I said.
"What? How bout you say that again to my face!" He snapped.
I growled. "WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP YOU ANNOYING LITTLE KID!!!"
"Oh look! Mister smartass really CAN lose his temper!" He laughed. Before I could continue, a large four headed beast landed right behind Shiro. He turned around and screamed at it. "What the hell is this?!"
"This is Koriju and you'd best watch what you say or you might end up dead." Said Zero from atop the large creature. In his arms was a blushing Gabby. I looked back at Shiro as his glare intensified. Somebody was clearly jealous.
"I'm not afraid of a fucking frozen lizard!" He yelled.
The hydra growled at him. "Wow...You're not too bright, are you Shiro?" Zero asked.
"Eat a dick!" He barked back.
"How very mature of you." Zero retorted as he placed Gabby on the snow. Her face was extremely red and that helped me to connect the dots.
Shiro looked at her with a hopeful expression. "Hey Gabby! It's been a while, hasn't it? How ya been?"
"...Fine Shiro…" She said, harshly waving him off.
I could see the defeated look on his face and I couldn't help but feel bad for the idiot.
"...Right…" Shiro mumbled.
The tension rose and it began to feel awkward. Thankfully Master Xeto, Xena and Amora stepped outside from his small fortress and noticed everyone.
"Looks like we have some unexpected guests. Please come inside." Xeto spoke with a smile.
Shiro stomped in without saying a single word. I looked back and noticed Eliza and Tatsu both held saddened looks.
As we all stepped inside, Zero held Gabby's hand and led her to the couch. Shiro was staring out the window with an unreadable expression.
"Damnit...I better go talk to him." I heard Tatsu speak.
(TATSU'S POV)
Damnit. I knew that this would happen. I tried to warn him but shit… He was in way too deep.
"He kid…" I said to him.
"..." He didn't respond.
"Look Shiro...I know it seems like this was a missed opportunity, but it's ok. This is just one trial that you have to deal with. You'll bounce back. I promise you. I swear on the future that you will!" I said to him.
"What does it matter...I lost her so quickly...what's the point?" He asked.
"Because plan B you idiot!" I glared at him. He looked back at me and gave a very small smile.
"Yeah…" He said before looking back out the window.
I walked back over to Eliza and shrugged my shoulders. She stared at me.
"He'll come around. He doesn't really have a choice." I said to her.
"I sure do hope so. He's no fun when he's a little sad sack." She said.
I looked back at Zero and Gabby. Thoughts of the ones in my timeline filled my head. "Eliza, I need to get outta here." I said.
"What? Why?" She asked.
"I keep getting these thoughts. I need to leave. The images are way too much for me to handle." I clutched my head and winced.
"Alright, hang on." She walked me out the door and sat me down on a nearby bench made of ice. "You need some space? I'll go back inside if you're-"
"No!" I said quickly before grabbing her hand. "Don't leave me out here alone." I was gasping for breath. I was getting lightheaded and I needed a way to stabilize myself.
"Ok…" She sat down next to me and held me closer when I started hyperventilating. My vision was blurry and my heart rate skyrocketed to dangerous levels. "What's wrong with you?"
"I'm having...another...anxiety attack…" I said slowly. The voice of Metagenesis was still in my ear. He was taunting me. The dead faces of Gabby and Zero were haunting me. My brain was going to put me into seizure mode if I didn't calm down soon. "Eliza...P...please...help me…" I begged. Tears rushed down my face uncontrollably.
"What do I do?!" She asked with panic as my body started shaking.
"C...calm me...down…" I choked out.
She laid my head down on her lap and slowly ran her fingers through my brown hair. "Easy now. Just relax. You're fine. Your safe. Nothing here can hurt you. I won't let you go."
My breathing gradually slowed down. My heart beats stabilized and my vision returned back to normal. I was still shaking though and she must've picked up on that.
"...I'm sorry that you had to see that. I can usually control myself but seeing myself so upset, and then seeing Gabby and Zero still alive together...It was too much." I muttered.
"Why didn't you think to tell me about you having PTSD?!" She asked, slightly upset.
"It wasn't something that I wanted you to worry about…" I said to her.
"I guess that even as a grown man, you're still as stubborn as ever."
While still in her lap, I rolled over to look at her. I lifted my right hand up and cupped her cheek. "I'm so glad I got to come back in time and see you again." I said to her.
"Oh really? Why is that?" She grinned.
"Because I get to look at you in a different way now." I sat up and stared at her "You know, it's so weird to think about but I guess that I'm not the same Shiro Tatsugami that was training under the level 40 master of stealth."
"Nope. Now your Tatsu Shirogami, master of the notorious Fanny Pack style." She chuckled.
I smirked at her. "I'll have you know that skill took me forever to come up with. Regardless of the name!"
"You're lucky that it's actually a useful skill. You should teach me it sometime." She whispered in my ear.
I smirked even harder. "Oh but that might take some time to learn. I think that I deserve a little incentive…"
She lifted my face with her smooth hands and smiled. Her lust filled eyes were implying what she was thinking. "I could show you what a good time really looks like."
"That seems like a fair trade." I said back to her.
"Ahem!" Said a voice. We both quit our flirtatious teasing and looked up at Xena. "We are about to discuss the arrangements with the upcoming duel between Clyde and Zero."
"What does that have to do with us?" I asked.
"You're younger self wants to take part in the fight." Xena said.
"So…"
"You need to explain to him why he can't fight Zero. He'll get himself hurt." Xena said with a glare.
"Nah, he'll be fine. He's been training for this. He's ready for Zero." I told her.
Xena sighed. "If you say so…"
Eliza looked back at me with a raised brow. "Are you sure?"
"Trust me on this one. He'll give it his all."