Chapter 13

Last chapter was tragic, but I can promise you that this chapter will not be so bad. Again I apologized for not warning you in advance for that. Please forgive me. This chapter is two years later, and Mariko is twelve years old. ONWARD TO THE BATTLE FIELD!

"So what did you think about that huh? Martian?" Mariko asked, M'gaan covered her mouth to hide the appalled feeling she had. She began to feel the sting of tears threaten her eyes as Mariko rewound the scene and played it over again.

"Why…why are you showing me this?" She begged, Mariko scowled.

"You wanted to see why I viewed the world the way I do." She said, "You were the one nosey enough to invade my thoughts; it's your own fault your seeing this now. So tell me Martian; are you sad? Do you pity me for my past? Do you wish the people that I encountered would die?"

M'gaan didn't answer, she simply remained quiet and looked at her feet. Mariko snorted.

"I didn't think you would answer." She said, M'gaan glared.

"You don't sound nearly as demented in your mind as you do out there." She spat, Mariko smirked.

"Do I not? Hm, perhaps I'm a bit more sound in my mind than I am in my actions. Or perhaps you've been in my mind so long, my insanity is spreading to you." she said, then gestured to the darkness again as a new image appeared.

~0~

Two years later and Mariko's mind began to warp. Her compassion was near gone and her smile was almost none existent. Mariko sat in the room the girls slept in and looked out the tented window that was enforced with bars, when suddenly one of the girls screamed. Mariko looked over, the twins, Haruhi and Haruko were sobbing. Mariko, still having some compassion left in her, walked over to the girls.

"Haruko, Haruhi, what's wrong?" She asked, the girls were a year or two younger than she was, they sobbed as they looked at her.

"Mimi's been sold," Haruko began,

"To the black market; she was too old."Haruhi said finishing her sister's sentence. Mariko stared; Mimi was the first friend she had in the Fujioka Inn, and now she was gone too. The twins sobbed.

"And now, Haruhi, and Haruko are going to be separated, and miss Riza's going to be killed." The girls said in unison. Riza was one of the girls that was put into the underground arenas. She was a fighter, and the twins' big sister figure. Mariko's features then went dark, she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders and smiled warmly.

"Don't worry girls; I won't let that happen. I promise." She said reassuringly. She knew the twins feared being separated; they were all each other had besides Riza. There was no way she was going to let Fujioka tear them apart like he did her and Takumi. The girls looked up at Mariko and smiled happily.

"You promise?" They asked, Mariko nodded.

"I'm a girl of my word." She assured, then hugged the two girls, "I'm going to get us all out of here."

Later that night, after Fujioka's 'clients' had all gone home and the girls went back to their room for the Inn to close, Fujioka grabbed one of the twins by the arm and dragged her back to the front room.

"Haruhi! No!" Haruko shouted holding desperately onto her twin's hand as she was being dragged away. Mariko stood and walked over to them she reached into her kimono and pulled out a mirror fragment. She then plunged it deep into Fujioka's arm. He let out a howl of pain and released Haruhi as she and her sister hid behind Mariko. Fujioka glared.

"You little brat," He shouted then grabbed Mariko by the hair, "Guess I'll have to teach you another lesson huh?"

"Don't think so," Mariko hissed then took the mirror piece and slashed Fujioka's throat. He gasped and went to cover the wound as crimson blood spilled out. He looked up at Mariko with fear as he fell to the ground.

"Scum like you shouldn't deserve to live, you make this world rotten." Mariko hissed, "So now you get to die like the lowly human you are."

"M-Mariko-san…" the girls mumbled, Mariko turned and smiled at the girls who had watched.

"Fujioka is dead. We aren't his victims anymore. But I'm getting out of here," She said then noticed a knife sticking out of Fujioka's pocket. She picked it up just as Fujioka's daughter came in, she took one look at her father and screamed.

"Papa! Papa!" She shouted, she then glared at Mariko. "You killed my father!"

"And he rapped me, and sold us all." Mariko said, "We're even."

"You…I'll—" Yumi was cut off as Mariko grabbed her by the throat, and laughed.

"Unless you want to end up like Fujioka, I suggest you keep your mouth shut," She said, pointing the knife at Yumi, "Course, I can always cut out that tongue of yours. Then you won't tell anyone what happened."

"Mariko-san!" A girl called out Mariko turned her head to see a bulky built girl with black hair, holding the twins close to her, Mariko recognized the girl to be Riza.

"Let's go." She said, then tossed Yumi aside, and ran off with the rest of the girls. Leaving Yumi with her dead father behind.

~0~

M'gaan was silent, she had nothing to say. Maybe Mariko was right and earth was a rotten place? Did any of them have a right to judge her for what she did? Was she really as guilty as they proclaimed? Mariko stood in front of her, frowning.

"For a mind reader; your mind is easily swayed." She said, "But we aren't finished here yet so try not to think too much."

"Y-you mean…"

"Yes, there is more; but it's not nearly as bad. Now you get to see how I met the glorious Vandal Savage." Mariko said, M'gaan glared.

"There's nothing glorious about him." She said, Mariko snorted.

"So you say but what do you know? You're time on earth has been nothing but happiness." She said pointing at M'gaan, "Unlike mine."

~0~

"Mariko-san," Haruko and Haruhi shouted to Mariko. She, the twins, and Riza had been wondering the streets of Tokyo for weeks. They had taken refuge in an abandoned warehouse just outside Shibuya. The girls had decided to follow Mariko since the incident for reason's Mariko didn't quite understand.

"What is it?" she asked, the twins looked to each other then to Mariko.

"What are we going to do now?" They asked, Mariko thought for a moment as she fingered the handle of the knife she stole from Fujioka.

"Find some money; get out of Tokyo." She said.

"And how pray tell do you plan to do any of that?" Riza asked crossing her arms in front of her chest. Mariko smirked.

"We don't have to be the only victims in the world you know. We'll find some poor loser steal his wallet. Simple as that." She explained, "Any questions?"

"How are we supposed to steal a person's wallet?" Riza asked.

"You can mug them for all I care; just do it or else we won't be able to find a warm place to stay when it starts to get cold." Mariko said, the girls nodded their understanding, then within the hour they were on the streets picking pockets.

Months went by and the girls managed to survive off of pickpocketing or in Riza's case—since she wasn't small enough to slick by a person—mugging random people.

"We need to start hitting richer looking people." Mariko huffed looking at the day's loot. "Otherwise we aren't going to be able to leave this shack in the winter."

"But how are we supposed to know if they're rich?" Riza asked gruffly, Mariko narrowed her eyes.

"That's easy; they've got expensive clothes or jewelry." She said, "All we need to do is spot them."

"They won't be easy to take down. Don't people like that guard they're money?" Riza asked, Mariko shrugged.

"Yeah, Riza; I think you should sit this out." she said, "I'll help the twins tomorrow."

Riza huffed but said nothing. The twins on the other hand smiled happily at the sound of Mariko helping them.

The next day Mariko spotted a foreign man wondering around the center of Shibuya. Mariko smirked, the guy seemed to be lost. She closed in; foreigners always carried lots of money, whether for business or for vacation. When she took off, planning to run into him to make a distraction while she picked his pocket. However when she went to leave she was grabbed by her arms, she was then hauled into van where she was greeted by a man with claw scars on his face. Mariko glared and grabbed the knife from her kimono and attacked him. Before she could land a hit however the scarred man caught her by the wrist and took the knife from her, throwing it to the side.

"Mariko Miko." The man said, "You and I are due for a little chat."

"And who the heck are you?" Mariko hissed.

"Vandal Savage; I'm here to save you." Savage said, Mariko crossed her arms.

"The last person who said that to me ended up raping me; hope you last longer than he did." She said cynically. Savage's eye rose in surprise, then shook his head.

"I assure you I have no intension in harming you." He said, "My people have been watching you for a long time now. You, my dear, are a unique girl."

"Tell me something I don't know buddy, what do you want from me?" Mariko asked her voice dripping with venom. Savage nodded.

"To invite you to help save the world, but forcing it into its own evolution." He explained. Mariko cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh?" She asked.

"You know firsthand that the world is weak don't you? you've seen it close up." Savage said, Mariko nodded.

"So what if I have? You want my help?" she asked, Savage nodded. "I'm listening."

"Join the light and you can cleanse the world; I can promise you that." He said, Mariko leaned forward.

"Oh yeah? Alright you've got my attention; what do you want me to do?" she asked. Savage smiled.

"Simply use what you were gifted with at birth. You're a young genius after all." He said. "I can give you anything and everything you need to work to your fullest abilities."

"Oh yeah? Alright you've got yourself a deal, Vandal Savage." Mariko said, "But under one condition."

Savage cocked an eyebrow but listened to what she had to say.

"I've got three girls I promised to protect." She said, "I want to ensure they stay safe."

"I can do that." Savage said. Mariko smiled evilly.

"Then you've got yourself a deal; Savage-sama." She said. Savage smiled back, happy to have her aboard.

~0~

"And that's how I met Savage-sama who saved me from my previous life and gave me a new one." Mariko said, M'gaan was quiet and stared at Mariko who smiled evilly.

"I hope you enjoyed this wonderful yet tasteless show," She said, as her features went dark, "because it's the last one you'll ever see from me!"

Suddenly M'gaan's mind was ripped out of Mariko's and she was back in the real world where Superboy still held Mariko in the air by the rope that bound her. The group stared at Mariko let out a laugh.

"M'gaan? M'gaan are you alright?" Artemis asked, Super-boy dropped Mariko and ran to M'gaan as she sat up and held her head.

"I'm…I'm ok," She said, then looked at Mariko and began to sob, "But she's not."

The grouped looked to M'gaan with confusion. Mariko let out a laugh as she managed get to her feet without the use of her hands.

"Little green girl here managed to slip inside my mind." She explained with a grin, "Now you get it; now you get it don't you Miss Martian?"

"What did you see?" Robin asked Mariko pouted.

"Enough to question if I'm really the evil one here." She said, suddenly a gust of wind blew over the Team and Mariko. They looked up and saw a large helicopter hovered overhead, Mariko smirked.

"Miss Mariko!" Tony shouted above, the Team looked over to Mariko who shrugged, pressing a button on her belt as a laser severed her bonds.

"I thought you said you dismantled him?" M'gaan asked, Mariko shrugged.

"I lied, but only about that, the rest, that was the truth. An unexpected action, but the truth all the same." She said then grabbed hold the rope latter that connected to the copter. "See you back in the U.S. of A!"

With that the helicopter lifted up as Mariko climbed up the latter. The group stared as Mariko Miko, once again got away.

And that is the end of the Past of Mariko chapters. Again I feel the need to beg forgiveness for that last chapter. I should have warned you all about it. So I'm very very sorry. However I can assure you that I won't be referencing this often. Hopefully close to never if I can do this right. Anyhow pleeeeaaaase don't flame me in your reviews. 'See you later armadillos—unless I see you first. Hahaha'