AN: Hope you enjoy reading~!

Chapter 8:

It was a rarity for the hotsprings to be empty, especially after the string of battles they been through recently. It was often commandeered by the female units of the army. But, for once, and for a special treat, Samuel and Killia were offered the chance to indulge in the heated springs to relax and unwind.

Of course, Zeroken and Red Magnus immediately insisted on joining them, though Christo opted out. He gave them the vague reason of needing to do important research and no one pressed him on the issue, though Samuel and Killia had their suspicions on the true reason.

Ahem.

Samuel hadn't been to a hotspring before, that he was sure of, even with his spotty memory. And he was honestly reluctant to go. Something about showing off some skin made him feel uneasy. But the others insisted, stating it would be good for the minor muscle aches. And, really, he needed to get that sorted before the next battle.

Which was how he ended up in changing rooms with the others.

Unsurprisingly, Red Magnus had no qualms in getting his kit off. And was content to strut around butt naked had Zeroken not thrown a towel at him to remind him to have some kind of modesty.

Samuel himself was far more hesitant. He was reluctant to remove his vest first and foremost, though he couldn't remember why. Still, he couldn't exactly bathe in the thing. So, with great unwillingness, he undid the button at his collarbone and slowly slid the piece of clothing over his shoulders and down his back.

As he slipped his right arm free from the vest, he heard a low whistle.

"Those are some impressive looking scars," Red Magnus said, sounding rather impressed. "Where did you get those?"

It took Samuel a moment to realise that Red Magnus was talking to him and he instinctive looked over his shoulder, as if that allowed him to look at his own back. "Huh? I do?"

Red Magnus scoffed. "You're so blasé about these things, huh?"

"Old man; Samuel has amnesia," Zeroken scolded. "Besides, they're on his back. It's not like he can see them."

"O-oh yeah, Red Magnus totally knew that."

Scars…

He remembered now. Long, thin scars crisscrossed his back, in no particular pattern. They littered the entirety of his back. And only his back. He couldn't defend himself there. That was why he wore the vest. It served no other purpose. It was long and loose. It didn't hold any defensive value and he cared nothing for fashion.

It was for the scars. They drew too many stares. Too many expressions of sadness. Too many expressions of guilt. Too many questions.

Especially the circular scars along his shoulder blades. Three on the right. Three on the left.

They were from when…

When they ripped…

"Samuel?"

Samuel jumped, startled by Killia's voice, and whipped his head to the right to face him. "Huh?"

Killia looked at him with his piercing gold eyes. "You ok?"

"Ah, yeah. Sorry, was I spacing?"

Killia nodded his head slowly, still studying him carefully. "Lost in some memories?"

"Ah, yeah," he murmured again.

And they weren't pleasant ones.

Giving a short shake of his head, Samuel tugged on his vest hastily. His back itched from the memories. Especially his shoulder blades. "Maybe I should skip this."

He needed to keep his back covered.

Again, especially his shoulder blades. He couldn't let anyone know about the true reason behind those six scars. No one could know.

Killia clasped a hand on his shoulder, causing him to still. "Don't worry about it. No one is put off by your scars."

He supposed that was true. He had seen plenty of other demons and monsters with their fair share of scars. And, well, it wouldn't hurt. It being a first-time experience and all. The warm waters should help with the minor aches and pains.

Though, he knew better than to believe the warm waters would heal his scars. Some scars and injuries would not ever fade, no matter how much healing was offered.

"I guess you're right," Samuel relented as he tugged off his vest again. It still felt wrong slipping the piece of clothing off, though.

Killia patted his shoulder as he moved past him. "I'll meet you inside."

Samuel nodded and set about slipping out the rest of his clothes. He was grateful to be alone in the changing room as he tied the towel around his hips. He wasn't used to wearing such little clothing, to be perfectly honest.

He also couldn't help but wonder if there were other little surprises littering his body somewhere that he had forgotten.

He shook his head again and entered the main baths. They were larger than he had anticipated. Which shouldn't have surprised him as they catered to quite a few visitors each and every day.

Thankfully, the other three occupants had chosen a quieter, more secluded corner of the springs, one that was surrounded by lush foliage for extra privacy.

Red Magnus had his long hair pulled up into an extremely messy ponytail atop of his head, and lounged against one wall of the springs, his arms draped over the stones. He clearly had experience at dealing with hotsprings. Zeroken leaned against the same wall, mimicking Red Magnus' relaxed position the best he could. That boy, he truly took cues from those around him, didn't he? And Killia sat opposite them. Not isolating himself, like he used to do, thankfully.

Red Magnus was the first to notice his approach. "Though the Supreme One totally knew you have amnesia, how long have you had it?" he asked instead of offering some kind of a greeting.

It was understandable that he would be curious about someone with amnesia. Anyone would be. It wasn't all that common. Probably.

Samuel slid into the water alongside Killia. "For as long as I can remember."

That didn't mean he wasn't going to have a bit of fun at their expense when the opportunity arose. Especially when it got him a snort of amusement from Killia.

"Sarcasm aside, for a while now," Samuel answered as he rested his back against the rocks, subconsciously concealing his scars once more.

"Since Samuel and I met on Blood Parch," Killia added.

Red Magnus raised his head to give the two of them a wholly puzzled look. "Wait, so you and Samuel aren't from the same Netherworld?"

"Old man," Zeroken chided, rather smugly, as he splashed water in his direction, "don't you know anything?"

"Don't you go acting all high and mighty, Wolf Pup," Samuel was quick to retort himself. "You only found out not twenty-minutes ago yourself."

"Yeah, well, still long before old man Red Magnus!"

Samuel rolled his eyes. Well, he supposed that was all that mattered in the end. "Whatever you say, Wolf Pup."

"Stop calling me that!" Zeroken suddenly pouted. "Call me something cooler."

"Oh?" Samuel arched an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Something…" Zeroken sunk down into the water for a moment and blew bubbles, in contemplation of course. He soon sprung out of the water and struck a pose. "Something like Wolf Ninja!"

Samuel had to laugh. "Tell you what, Wolf Pup. When you become a master of the Ultimate Demon Fist Technique, I'll happily call you Wolf Ninja."

That deflated his enthusiasm a little. "B-but...Well, you have to call me Master, too!"

"Alright, deal. So, you better work hard."

Killia suddenly stood up from the water and coolly turned around to grab a wood water dish that was perched upon the stones nearby. "Before we continue this conversation…"

Without any warning, he spun around and hurled the wooden dish like a discus in the nearby stand of shrubbery. A loud hollow thwack and a startled squawk promptly followed, as did an actually body falling from the foliage. A body that was distinctly blue and oval in shape.

A prinny.

The force that Killia threw his make-shift projectile, it was a surprise the prinny hadn't exploded.

Thankfully, they hadn't. They simply fell out of the bushes, rolled out into the open with a noticeable lump in the middle of their forehead, two swirly eyes to indicate unconsciousness, and arms raise in instinctual surrender. And a broken mechanical object sprinkled around them.

"Our bath time is not a spectator's sport," Killia said coolly, but his words were likely to have fallen on deaf ears.

Samuel frowned as he studied the broken device that laid strewn in front of the twitching blue penguin. "Was that a camera?"

Who were they taking pictures of and what were they taking pictures for?

Luckily, he had his back to the rocky outcropping of the hotsprings, so they the prinny couldn't have taken any photos of that. Not that he expected to be the main subject of the photos. Well, he hoped he wasn't, at least. Still, since their paparazzi was a prinny, he would hazard a guess that he was sent there to spy on them by a master.

Or maybe a mistress.

Surely, it couldn't have been Seraphina in hopes of getting a photo of Killia? He had heard rumours that she had a huge photo of Killia in her room. He was talking the size of an entire wall, floor to ceiling size photo.

He sincerely hoped that wasn't true. For Killia's sake.

… … … … …

Despite the incident with the peeping prinny, the hotsprings proved relaxing. But they couldn't stay there forever. They eventually had to convince themselves to leave the warm waters and back to reality.

Killia decided that the afterglow of the hotsprings was the perfect time to cook and ultimately eat some curry. Red Magnus, however, thought it was that some training was involved. And if Zeroken wanted to achieve his goal of becoming the Master Wolf Ninja, then he had better get some training in, too.

Samuel, meanwhile, wanted to visit the library again. The memories of his scarred back reignited his desire and need to find the mysterious Netherworld that held prominence in his memories; Nugatory.

There was so much he remembered of that world, yet so little. He knew that there was something hidden within the core of that world, and that he had lived there for the vast majority of his life. He had lived there, underground, with others. Others that he had cared for, as his own. As siblings. As children.

But he couldn't remember them. Who they were. Just vague, shadowy faces. Forgotten names. And they all share a common link.

A link that kept them from the rest of the Netherverse.

Information so important, just out of reach.

It was frustrating.

A part of him felt it was fruitless searching through the library once more. He had spent quite a few hours amongst the bookcases already. But new books had been added, and what else could he do?

As he tugged a book off the shelf, he accidently dislodged another. He instinctively caught it with his free left hand, the spine landing in his palm, causing the hard leather cover to part and the pages to flutter open. Somehow, by coincidence or by some divine intervention, the pages settle upon a subject with the title of Nugatory.

Nugatory…

Samuel immediately dropped the book in his right hand and grasp the open book. His heart thundered in his chest in anticipation as he hastily read the passage.

Nugatory was a Netherworld of myth and legend. A world said to hold treasures beyond imagination. A world that granted any who traversed the misty, stormy outreaches unimaginable power and wealth.

It, however, did not exist. Endless expeditions either failed to locate the mythical world, or failed to return altogether. Only foolish dreamers actually believed in the existence of the Netherworld called Nugatory. Its name alone means Insignificance and Unimportance. It simply does not exist.

A…A myth?

Only foolish dreamers?

Nugatory was just a myth? But that couldn't be right. No, that couldn't be right. That Netherworld was his homeworld. It had to be. That word was so prominent in his memories. Nugatory. That word. The fact that he wasn't allowed to speak such a word.

What about…Seedlings?

He hastily rifled through the pages. Through the other books within the bookcase.

Seedlings? No, not the plant. They weren't a plant. They were something else. Something far more dangerous. Something he had to hunt and destroy. Something…

Something…

What…what was going on?

He searched the other bookcases, focusing on other books holding myths and legends. He hadn't bothered with such books before as, to him, Nugatory wasn't a myth. But each book stated the same thing over and over again.

Nugatory was a myth. It didn't exist. It was a legend. Only the foolish or stupid believed in its existence.

It didn't exist…

Samuel slumped down in a chair at the table. He folded his arms atop of the table and buried his head into his arms.

His head throbbed with an unbelievable pain.

Nothing made any sense anymore. None of the names, none of the places. Nothing. The things he did remember, didn't exist. Why would Nugatory, a supposed myth, a rare one at that, be so prominent in his memories?

Could his memories be…false? Did someone or something alter his memories? But why? Why would someone want to mess with him like that?

No, they couldn't be false. He knew too much about Nugatory.

Well, he thought he did…

What about the scars on his back? Were his memories of how he got them wrong, too?

Damn it…

"Ah, Samuel."

Christo's voice made Samuel jump and his head snap up from his arms.

"I often find you in the library," Christo continued, seemingly unconcerned by his reaction. "Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"

Samuel ran a hand over his face in a futile attempt to rid himself of his headache. "Oh, well, just…information. You see, I, well, I have amnesia. I'm just hoping that something will jog my memory."

"Ah, I see," Christo said, a tone of understanding in his voice. "Any luck?"

"No, unfortunately." Samuel dropped his head into his folded arms once more. "It's…only made things worse, I'm afraid."

"…How so?" Christo asked, after a pause.

"It's nothing." It would take far too long to explain. And his head hurt too much to be of much use.

"Ah!" Christo yelped suddenly.

Samuel was immediately up on his feet, his chair crushing to the floor behind him. "Wh-what's wrong?"

Christo stood stock still, his head tilted back slight as he gazed up toward the ceiling. But he wasn't looking at the ceiling. "I just sensed a strange congregation of energy being sent out into the Netherverse," he finally uttered before he promptly spun on his heel and stalked out of the library. "I need to investigate this."

Samuel watched, stunned, as Christo quickly disappeared from sight. He was likely headed to the main bridge. He wanted to follow, but he wouldn't be of much help to Christo.

With a sigh, Samuel turned around and picked up the chair. He…should probably do more research himself. On the subject of amnesia itself. And false memories.

Nugatory…

It was possible that, for one reason or another, he knew a lot of information on the subject, and because of his amnesia, mistakenly believed that he was from the Netherworld.

A book lying on the floor caught Samuel's attention from the corner of his eye. He glanced over out of mild interest as he pushed the chair back under the table, but did a doubletake when he realised that it was in fact a shiny magazine.

And it seemed to have his name splashed across the cover in large, bold letters.

No. It couldn't be his name, surely.

He knelt to the floor and scooped up the magazine. The Nether Gossip Magazine? He rolled his eyes. Sounded prestigious and legit. But why did it have the words; 'The Samuel Special' splash across the front cover?

It…it was legit daunting to open the thing and have a look inside.

Drawing a deep breath, he opened the magazine to the page indicated on the front cover, to the 'Samuel Special'.

And immediately regretted doing so.

He felt sick to the stomach. Photos, of him, all from a distance. All without his knowledge. Or consent. Some with other male units of the Rebel army, but mostly of him alone. Of him on the battlefield. Of him eating him. Of him reading. Of him simple standing. Of him just minding him own business.

Worse was the angles. The angles. From the ground, from the air, from the bushes, from the distance, up close.

He slammed the violating magazine closed.

What in Hades?!

Who was responsible for this public violation of privacy?

Cpt Chop Chop was the mastermind and main photographer for the magazine?

That…would explain a lot.

But he was going to murder that ninja!

Clenching the magazine in his left hand, Samuel stormed out of the library in a fury. Oh, he wanted to throttle that infuriating ninja, and no one better stop him!

He headed toward the communal area where the other members of the Rebel Army liked to gather when they weren't out on missions of their own. It didn't take him long to catch sight of the offending ninja.

Grabbing the nearest object he could get his hands on, which fortunately happened to be an extremely heavy paperweight, Samuel threw it as hard as he could, aiming directly for the ninja's head.

He scored a direct hit right in the middle of Cpt Chop Chop's forehead. The ninja's head whipped back, and he fell back onto the ground with a thud. The demons around him immediately scattered when the saw Samuel approach. It was almost as if they had been anticipating a confrontation between the two of them for a while.

Well, they probably had if they had seen the magazine.

"You." Samuel reached down, snared a dazed Cpt Chop Chop by the throat, lifted him up, and slapped the magazine in his face. "What the hell is this?"

Cpt Chop Chop didn't respond at first, likely still dazed by the blow to the forehead. However, a moment later, he somehow slipped out of Samuel's grip and stood before him, completely unfazed.

"Ah, you found the magazine," he said, sounding proud of himself.

Samuel unfurled the magazine to reveal the crinkled front cover. "The Samuel Special?"

"Ah, yes," Cpt Chop Chop chuckled, fondly. "One of my most popular issues. You should be honoured."

Samuel twitched and scrunched up the magazine in his fist once more. "I'm far from it! You've been stalking me for how long?"

Cpt Chop Chop tisked. "Stalking is such a harsh, negative word."

"What would you use?"

"Admiring you from afar."

"Of course, you would." Samuel sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "Why are you so obsessed with me? Out of everyone here, I gotta have the blandest personality imaginable. "

Cpt Chop Chop shrugged dramatically. "And you just answered your own question."

"What?"

"Your placid, bland personality is what makes you unique," Cpt Chop Chop began to explain. "In a universe filled with outrageous personalities and attitudes, your 'blandness' makes you an enigma. A mystery to unravel."

Now, that sounded like a lot of nonsense.

Cpt Chop Chop took a hold of his own chin as he began to circle him. Closely at that. Studying him. Like a predator. "What makes you truly angry? What makes you rage? What makes you possessive?"

"What are you-?"

"You claim to be a warrior, yet you're scrawnier than most warriors."

"Excuse me?"

"You're more intelligent, more than even a mage or professor."

"How did you-?"

"What are you hiding, Samuel? What mysteries do you carry? Are you running from a dark, mysterious past, Samuel? Are you fleeing from an all too persistent admirer, Samuel? Are you avoiding an arranged marriage, Samuel?"

"So, you're making up backstories for me?"

At least someone was having fun with his amnesia.

"I can make you famous, you know."

Samuel baulked at the idea. "I don't want to be famous. I certainly don't want to be a model. I especially don't want to be a famous model for your perverted magazine!"

Cpt Chop Chop leaned in close to his face. And chuckled. A low, somewhat perverted chuckle. "Such delicious little expressions…"

Ok, that was enough!

Samuel grabbed a handful of the back of Cpt Chop Chop's shirt with his left hand and snared the back of his belt with the other. He lifted the ninja effortlessly over his head, said demon still from shock.

"Looks like someone needs a nice cold shower!"

He then hurled him into the fountain with a large splash.

But he wasn't done with him. Oh no. Not after that little conversation.

He stalked over to the fountain, placed one boot on the edge, and planted the other atop of Cpt Chop Chop's head. The stupid pervert needed a brush with death to remind him to basic decency.

Naturally, Cpt Chop Chop immediately began to struggle, and Samuel was mildly aware that there was a bit of a crowd gathering. But no one appeared intent on stopping him.

Just when Samuel thought about the idea that the ninja had learnt his lesson, he realised that Cpt Chop Chop had a hand out of the water. But he wasn't attempting to dislodge Samuel's boot from the back of his head. He was taking pictures.

Cpt Chop Chop wasn't given him a good reason not to drown him right now.

"Nooo, don't do it, dood!" a prinny suddenly yelled.

Samuel looked to his left, to where a small group of prinnies had gathered.

"You can't drown him, dood!"

"He pays our salaries, dood!"

It didn't surprise Samuel in the slightest that Cpt Chop Chop hired prinnies to do most of his dirty work for him. "Why don't you lot just assassinate him and inherit his role?"

"Normally we would," one of the prinnies answered surprisingly honestly. "But he has hidden his vast riches and only he knows where he's hidden it all, dood."

"There is no way we'll let him take his vast fortune to the grave with him, dood!"

"Imagine all the sardines we could buy with that money, dood!"

Vast riches? How much HL was Cpt Chop Chop making from that perverted magazine of his?

Samuel looked down at the water and twitched. Throughout all of that, Cpt Chop Chop was taking rapid pictures with that infernal camera of his!

Talk about dedication.

He sighed and pulled back his leg, allowing Cpt Chop Chop to burst forth from the water with a gasp and to slump over the side of the fountain. The prinnies huddled around their paying master as they urged him to breathe again.

Something told Samuel that Cpt Chop Chop hadn't learnt his lesson.

As Samuel moved past the small crowed that had gathered to watch the spectacle, he couldn't help but wonder who in the Netherverse would read that dirty, ratty magazine of his, anyway?

"Well, at least we don't have to hide our fan fixation anymore."

"Saaaaaaaamuel, you're so adorable~!"

"Can I get an autograph?"

Samuel stopped mid-step as the murmurings from the crowd finally registered in his head. Wait, what?

"What's going on?"

Killia's voice, one that held mild confusion, brought a sigh of relief from Samuel, and he immediately rushed over to him. "Did you know about the Nether Gossip Magazine?" he asked, grabbing him by a shoulder.

Killia blinked at him. "…The what?"

"So, I wasn't the only one." Samuel quickly realised he was still holding said magazine, so unfurled his clenched fist and presented it toward Killia. "This thing."

Killia retrieved the magazine from him and went through a series of subtle emotions as he flipped through it briefly; confusion, surprised, shock, anger.

"Apparently, this pervert," Samuel jabbed his thumb over his shoulder toward Cpt Chop Chop, "has been stalking me ever since the Rebel Army began for his pervert magazine. And been getting rich off of it, apparently. And he has fans."

Killia immediately frowned as his gaze shifted over where Cpt Chop Chop. "So…that prinny was working for him…"

Killia then brought his index and middle fingers toward his own eyes before suddenly pointing them toward Cpt Chop Chop in a sharp, menacing manner. And Cpt Chop Chop responded by narrowing his eyes, refusing to be intimidated. The prinnies around him, however, seem to cower in fear.

Hopefully, Cpt Chop Chop would back off for a while.

Samuel sighed, his shoulder drooping forward in tired, exasperated defeat. "…As long as that magazine stayed contained within the Pocket Netherworld."

A strange, awkward silence suddenly fell over the entirety of the Pocket Netherworld.

Samuel looked around at everyone. "What?"

"Come on," Killia said, taking Samuel by the shoulder and leading him toward the main bridge. "Christo's holding a meeting. He says it's urgent."

"Right."