By another popular request: I present 'The After Years: Paperinik'.
Sometimes, even Paperinik himself was surprised at how it had all turned out, especially considering how mundanely it had begun.
His 'superhero' career had begun many years ago, though he hadn't been a hero back then, and he would make no pretense of having wanted to be one. He used to do what he did for his own pleasure and benefit, to avenge himself on those who had wronged him, without a thought as to who was affected by it.
Yet somehow, somewhere along the way, he had lost sight of his original goals, of his purpose forbeing. And he was better now than he was back then. Paperinik even supposed that he was the best.
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Paperinik occasionally felt as though the day he'd met One also marked the day he had agreed to enter a 'shadow world', of sorts; a world where nothing was safe and nothing sacred, where he or anyone else could be judged for past crimes as easily as for future sins, where there was no such thing as no such thing...
Aliens, time-travellers, non-human physical entities composed of computer data, human physical entities composed of computer data... He smirked at the memory; seeing One jealous and bewildered was a novelty.
Extra-dimensional heroes with the power to assume the forms of aliens, animals and AI-lifeforms... He had seen a great deal in his time. He'd even encountered more than a single variety of humanoid entity that consumed human souls and lives to maintain their own lives, and to regenerate their bodies.
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Three years, six months, one week, four days. That was exactly how long the Evronian invasion of Earth had lasted, if One was to be believed.
It had almost not been worth the victory, as they'd lost Xadhoom, who had ignited her body into a sun for the surviving Xerbians.
"Loyal and dedicated to the end..." He softly mused, trying to hold back tears, as the memories of that day replayed in his mind.
To his utter frustration, the dark times hadn'tend yet with Xadhoom's physical death; if anything... They had begun...
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Several months later, Everett returned, reclaiming Ducklair Tower, shutting down One and evictingPaperinik.
Wasn't that a good thing, in a way, he wondered. Without AIs, aliens and time-travellers to complicate his life, he could finally return to a sense of normality. Even without One's equipment, he was still a hero, wasn't he?
Whether he'd wanted normality in his life or not, it seemed that the universe had other plans for him, as Everett was revealed to have been an alien all
along, as well as having a pair of previously unknown daughters.
Before Everett returned to Corona with his daughters, he had been kind enough to re-activate One. And then to Paperinik's utter delight and befuddlement, Xadhoom returned a few years later, out of nowhere.
How, he didn't quite understand, and while he wasn't altogether convinced by her explanation that she had survived at the heart of the star, he decided not to question it, simply happy to have Xadhoom back.
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Several years soon passed.
After Daisy's wedding to someone he'd never heard of, Donald moved on, with Xadhoom of all people.
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It took almost a decade before they broke it off.
"It had to happen sometime," He softly told Xadhoom, who seemed about ready to tear him to bloody pieces.
"Xerba..." She sighed in exasperation. "I've told you before, I don't care about the age thing."
"For god's sake, Xadhoom, I look old enough to be your father, and you still look the same as when we first met."
Xadhoom groaned in frustration. They'd had this argument several times before.
"You've always been that old." She smirked. "It's only now that you actually look the part."
"I know..." He gave a sad smile. "Goodbye, Xadhoom."
Even if she disagreed with him completely, she knew that there was little hope of changing his mind. "Goodbye, Donald."
And here's where I'm going to end this chapter; We've already seen what happens from this point onward in Xadhoom's and One's chapters, and he can't exactly have an opinion on his own funeral, now can he?
For anyone curious, the list of references in this chapter include
● Digimon Frontier
● Ben 10/Alien Force/Ultimate Alien/Omniverse (the last of whom I don't count, due to it being a ten feet tall piece a' shit, about to get an asswhoopin')
● Beast Boy (Teen Titans)
● Ryo Akiyama (Digimon)
● Alucard (Hellsing)
● Greed of the Homunculi (FullMetal Alchemist)