Disclaimer: So... I'm realizing the more I read the less I like Twilight... does that make this wrong?

Disclaimer Deuce: Tequila is always a bad idea...

Mike's POV

"Since this will be painstakingly easy for me I'll give myself a couple handicaps." I said crossing my arms.

"Such as?" Alec asked.

"For starters, you and your sister will fight me at the same time. Secondly I will not attack for one hundred eighty seconds, giving you an opening to attack me... if you can beat me in that time I guess I was never worthy of the Volturi reds. I'll also not use my hands." I said keeping my arms crossed. Alec laughed.

"Really? You're going to give us three minutes to attack you and you won't even use your hands to defend yourself?" Alec asked.

"You're right... it's still not enough. I'll also be blindfolded." I pulled out a cloth and tied it around my head so I couldn't see.

"one hundred and eighty... one seventy nine..." I started counting. I ducked under one punch dropped to my back under a kick rolled up my shoulders threw my shoulders back and I was on my feet as I felt a kick land behind me where I was laying. I felt a knee kick coming so I blocked it with my shin. Alec forced this issue so I had to jump over Jane's sweep on one leg. As I landed I pushed back and flipped away from both of them.

"Come on, is that it?" I asked. I dropped to a knee and stepped forward sliding under Jane's punch. I came back up to my feet and twisted my body past Alec's fast approaching kick. This might be fun if they stood a chance against me. I thought as I continued to dance away from them.

"Three... two..." I counted down while ducking, dodging and weaving between them.

"One... my turn." Jane was leaping for my head from behind me and Alec was charging from in front of me. I reared my body back and kicked forward throwing Alec's small body across the room. Then I released my right arm and caught Jane square in the face with an elbow. Her body dropped straight to the ground as if suddenly finding gravity. Alec was the first to stumble to his feet.

"H-h-hey you cheated!" I snorted.

"How?"

"You said you wouldn't use your arms!" I shook my head.

"No... I said I wouldn't use my hands. And obviously my elbow is not my hand."

"Congratulations... you beat up a couple preteens. I bet you feel proud." Piotr said clapping sarcastically to his brother Mikhail.

"No I feel justified." I said very aware that they were approaching.

"Justified? Because they put you In your place? You're nothing without your powers." I summoned two energy balls.

"It's too bad I have my power then, because I'm more of something then you'll ever be." Mikhail was very aware of my power, he had narrowly avoided it at the battle in St. Cloud.

"Okay, I'll take you without using this power you're so afraid of." I said closing my hands in to fists, my hands glowed, then up my arms and then my whole body was glowing.

"I'll take you both." I said glowering angrily at both of them. Mikhail the much larger of the two laughed.

"You're Aro's pet, how do you expect to stand up to two vampires who got here on their merits?"

"I expect to humiliate you both in less than ten seconds..."

"Ten seconds? Ha." Piotr laughed.

"I was being generous." I charged at both of them. I feigned a punch with my right hand, Piotr barely avoided my open hand. I wrapped it around the back of his neck and pulled him down as I threw my knee up he bent over in pain. I brought my left arm up and grabbed the knuckles of my left hand with my right and drove it in to Mikhail's temple as he tried to react to his brother being attacked. His body crumpled down to the ground. Piotr started recover but I grabbed him by the throat pulling him down to my hip level then launching him in to the air and slammed him down to the ground next to his brother, then grabbed Mikhail's throat.

"5.79 seconds..." I heard Felix say behind me. I got up and dusted myself off before walking over Piotr.

"I told you so." I sneered at Felix before walking out.

I walked back to my room grabbing my head. Why did I sneer at Felix? That's not like me...

I paced back and forth, it gave me comfort, it was a human weakness of mine, I needed to keep walking just to keep moving. I was moving aimlessly. Who do I even talk to? Who do I trust? Is Embry just using me? No... I'm not strong enough... I can't lose him to... please don't let him use me... I can't lose everything? Haven't you already? I stopped quickly at Zuri and Themba's door, subconsciously I think I was headed this direction.

I knocked, Themba answered the door, I watched hope drain from her face realizing I wasn't Embry.

"Umm sorry Themba."

"Yeah Mike, I'll scram." she said slipping past me.

"You don't have to." I said as she left. She reached over her shoulder and gave me a sign as if urging me on. I stepped in the room and Zuri looked at me... watching me, it was different it wasn't like she usually looked at me. I didn't even know where to start but luckily Zuri did.

"Who are you?" I smiled at her not quite understanding what she was getting at.

"Ah, what do you mean?"

"That person in there... I've never known him... he scares me." she said honestly.

"I thought that was me being confident." I answered.

"No... that was you being cruel, vindictive. Don't tell me that is you." she said hoping. It felt good... is that who I am? Why did I do that? Maybe you have something to prove? Why am I so angry? Why am I hurting people? Isn't it fun? no... who am I? You're exactly what they want you to be. They? Everyone. You're simply what everyone wants you to be. No one wants the meek, fearful, wussy Michael Iverson whose afraid of snakes... they want the warrior Mike who scared the entire Volturi guard and army in to submission. Is that all I am? Isn't that enough? Enough to power incarnate?

"I became who I needed to to survive the Volturi, I became the monster everyone wanted me to be." I said coldly. She frowned.

"I hope not... I really liked the guy who was kind and didn't want to hurt people." she said. That's me isn't it? It's who you were...But who am I now.

"I'll change for you." I said realizing Zuri didn't just want me for my powers... it was something... something real I needed it, I needed to hold on to it. She shook her head as she put slightly more distance between us, right now I wanted her, I needed her... to feel her... to assure me that I didn't have to be how I was. Subconsciously I took a step forward and she took one back.

"No... Michael... I don't want you to change for me. I want you to change for you... I'm sorry... no... I want you to be you... I want you to be happy... if... if you're happy being who you were in the training room... then I guess we cannot be anymore." I took three steps forward.

"No Zuri... I need you... I can't be happy without you." she shook her head putting her hand out to stop me. She shook her head.

"That's what scares me Michael... I... You're worth so much more than this... I want you to be happy no matter what happens. I love you... but I'm not what makes you special... you make you special without anything else... Even without powers you're an amazing person... and I don't think you get it... you think I validate you... you think your ex girlfriend validates you, but that's just not true." she poured out. I didn't understand it.

"I don't understand." She shook her head. Her hair glided back and forth across her face.

"Maybe I shouldn't be the one to tell you it like this... but what if something happens... what if I'm gone? What if I leave? Are you going to become someone different because I'm gone? Are you going to be the Volturi Monster? I hope not... The world would lose a good person."

"Are you leaving me?" I asked in fear. She shook her head.

"No... but your worth is something you have to find on your own... I can't make you love yourself." I love myself... don't I? I dropped my eyes to the ground and walked out of the room making my way to my room.

"Mike? Are you okay?" I shrugged.

"Is that who I am?" I asked as I made my way to the doorway of the complex... it was down pouring and I took the first steps outside, Zuri stayed under the roof.

"Mike... do you want me to come with you?" She asked still out of the rain. I shook my head without looking back.

"Where I'm going you can't follow." And I looked to the sky, took one step, and a moment later Volterra was fading in to the distance.

Hey thanks for reading. This chapter took significantly longer to write because I've been very very busy. Busy with what? Partying, working, looking for a job... all that jazz. Well as always please remember to review, give rolls of twenty dollar bills, knucks and high fives. Catch you on the flipside.