"Hey, hey, hey Markus, you're a bit of a slowpoke right now~" Ai said cheerfully as she was basically running in an aquarium excitedly while looking at all the sea creatures. "Come on, there's so much to see!"
"I do not believe that requires being able to move so fast, Hoshino." Markus said calmly as he walked along one walkway lane. "Besides, if you move so fast, you won't be able to see any hidden gems among the Aquarium." He pointed out to her.
As Ai was about to retort to Markus, he paused and looked to the side and Ai got curious and walked back to where Markus was staring at and her eyes widened as she saw a Manta Ray coming out from beneath the artificial sand before it swam away to go elsewhere.
"I never saw a Manta Ray before." Ai said in awe as she took Markus's advice and actually stopped running around to take a close look at all the sea life in the Aquarium around her. She couldn't help but coo at the sight of some of the smaller fishes and the likes that look to be like babies in her view.
"Neither have I, Hoshino, neither have I." Markus said as he took the time to enjoy the sights of sea life before him. With Hoshino of all people as his companion right now.
Ever since that encounter at Wu-Fei's restaurant, Markus had finally given in to spending some time with Ai willingly of his own free will. And despite his initial thoughts about the matter, he actually found himself mellowing up on spending time with Ai now.
Naturally they didn't have a lot time to get together to hang out, what with Markus being a working man and Ai being an Idol, and also a mother to twins. So naturally they had to set up the schedules to match so they can hang out together. Of course, they also had other means of communication, mainly through those Smart Phones that Markus was now actually using besides work purposes now.
It took him some time to get used to learning the language of the text speech though…Kai-Ming had to explain to him what works like PLZ, WHT, LOL, ROFL, and other such words meant to him. It had made Markus think about what the world before the Great War was like and he couldn't help but think that people were really just weird back them if this was considered acceptable speech words.
And don't even get Markus started on the emoticons, Markus almost crushed his phone in sheer anger from the sheer number of emoticons people can make and actively use in casual setting. The mind-boggling number of emoticons that Markus saw Kai-Ming show to him still caused him no end of migraines.
Anyways, ever since that day, Markus and Ai just spend some time together, their activities they do varied, due to the amount of time they can spend and the likes. One day, they're reading books, another day, they're playing checkers, sometimes, Ai was learning how to cook with Markus from Wu-Fei, and so on.
Right now, however, Ai and Markus were currently at the Aquarium exploring all the sea life and water creatures that the place had to offer. Markus was honestly quite interested in seeing them, since the closes he had to seeing any form of sea life was the Lakelurk back home. And from what he was able to dig up on the creature was that it was some kind of mutated snapping turtle of some kind; Markus never ever saw a turtle before.
It was a strange thing for Markus, at first, he was focused on trying to survive in this world, but since meeting Wu-Fei and Kai-Ming; he was now trying his best to live in this world as a normal guy. But since meeting Ai, he was now trying new and old things with a companion that he hasn't done for quite some time now.
It was…strangely kind of exciting for Markus, even with Ai still holding onto that plastic fake persona of hers. Not that Markus ever decided to confront her about it. Something told Markus there was a reason for why Ai did what she did, after spending some time with her now.
"Markus." Ai's voice spoke up, dragging Markus out of his thoughts and back into reality turned to Ai, who smiled happily at him. "Can we go see other parts of the Aquarium now?" She asked excitedly.
"Sure." Markus nodded as Ai looked excited. "No need to rush though, there's a lot to see and plenty of hidden gems around this place." Markus pointed out as Ai smiled and grabbed Markus's hands and dragged him with her, as they explored the Aquarium.
Markus didn't exactly care that he was spending time with Ai, a famous Idol right now. At the moment, Markus was spending time with Ai Hoshino, a girl who just happened to push and bulldoze her way into becoming one of Markus's acquaintances, however reluctant it was on Markus's part.
Now though? He was getting used to her, and no longer found her quite as annoying, though he was sure that her kids didn't like him still. He imagined that it had something to do with the fact that their mom wanted to spend time with a complete stranger who either does not respect or can stand her, in their point of view.
Then Markus's eyes got distracted when he saw an octopus swam by in the Aquarium, he couldn't help but find that fascinating. To think there creatures out there that could evolve and become the thing they were. Though he made sure to ignore some obnoxious brat's mention of something about tentacles and hentai and figured it would be better for his sanity that way.
Then Ai grabbed his hand again and dragged him down some stairs, where they went through, what Markus believed to be, a water tunnel, and again…Markus couldn't help but find himself lost in the sight of all these magnificent creatures in here.
So many sea creatures, in the hundreds, if not thousands, from what he heard from another visitor, and this was one of countless Aquariums around the world. Aquariums that held no numbers advantage compared to the large vast sea this world held.
To know that something as large as the sea could hold so much life, almost drove him to tears with how large and vast the world was. For that alone, he will be grateful to Ai for suggesting that they got to see the sea life at this Aquarium.
"You know." Ai spoke up as she stood next to Markus as they observed a whale in motion in the waters. "I always wanted to visit the Sea when I was younger, I thought that the ocean had a lot of fascinating events and life in it, but I never got the chance to do so." She said as they then turned to their attention to the seahorses.
"Is that so?" Markus hummed thoughtfully at that. "I never got to see the ocean ever in my life, the closest thing I have ever gotten to that were rivers, but they weren't exactly overflowing with the diversity of sea life you see here." Markus revealed about himself to Ai as he observed the way the seahorses were moving.
"I guess we're both the same in that regards." Ai jokingly said with a smile as Markus snorted in amusement and she seem to beam at that. "I managed to amuse you now." She noted happily to Markus.
"We've been hanging out together multiple times already to an extent, it would be weird if we didn't know a bit about each other to some extent right now." Markus pointed out to her, like for example he now knew that Ai disliked rice, for some reason unknown to Markus, Ai really disliked eating rice and for carbs would either eat bread or noodles.
"Just like how I know you like to tinker a lot with junk in your spare time." Ai chimed back to Markus, as he nodded. "I didn't know you like to tinker with stuff, also I have to admit, the way you restored that old heater was actually kind of impressive." She noted to Markus, who nodded back.
It was indeed something that Ai appreciated, since Markus just gave it to her, when she commented that her place a was a bit too cold, and Japan, being well known for being on the colder side at times, didn't exactly help matters either. So, Markus just gave her a restored heater, which she is very grateful for.
"I always liked tinkering with junk and tech parts." Markus said to her. "It keeps my mind busy and my hands moving, and when you restore something that was broken, you can't help but feel proud of yourself for committing to something as hard as that." He explained.
"So, you like to fix things in general as a hobby and interest?" Ai asked curiously.
Markus shrugged at that. "I always had a soft spot for broken or damaged things, think it's a bit of a shame in my opinion that people just toss out something that doesn't work so well because they're not willing to spend some time." He said to her.
Yes, fixing or restoring something, sometimes it doesn't work out, sometimes it does, but much like helping out those in need for Markus, there was something utterly satisfying about the way you can bring something back to functional or workable condition.
"Is that so?" Ai hummed thoughtfully at that as they continued to stare at all the seal life in the water tunnel right about now.
'He has a soft spot for broken or damaged things huh?' Ai thought to herself as they moved down the water tunnel, as they took in the sights of the many types of sea creatures that were inside. 'I wonder if that extends to broken or damaged people as well.' She thought to herself at that.
So far on their little excursion out to the Aquarium, Ai found herself fondly spending some time with such a mystery to her, one Markus Redgrave, whose head seems to be nothing but full of thoughtful insights.
While her babies remain the top of her priority, the way that Markus had acted or even talked deeply intrigued her. She never thought about what does love actually entail until Markus pointed out the other possible definitions that or concepts that love can hold.
"Acceptance basically, but yeah, I do believe that is the most important aspect about love, the ability to accept another person completely, flaws and all is not as easy as much people make it out to be. That is why when you can accept another person completely, then that becomes a note that there is love."
Acceptance…what a strange idea, love was certainly different to her when she thought about what Markus said that entailed. Being able to accept a person completely, for all their good, bad, and ugly sides, sounds like a very difficult task to accomplish.
Then she lost her train of thought as she cooed at the sight of turtles swimming inside the water, and it wasn't just any run of the mill turtle, they had tiny little baby turtles with them! "Oh, they're so cute!" She squealed at the sight of them. "I want to pick one up, pet it, hug, and play with it!" She said with a happy smile.
"I do not believe that the Aquarium or any of its staff allows visitors to play and interact with the sea life here." Markus noted dryly, as he seemed to be giving the turtle a very complicated look that Ai honestly did not understand the reason for.
"You're such a killjoy." Ai pouted at Markus. "Would it really be that hard to imagine playing with some cute baby turtles?" She questioned him.
"Someone has to keep their feet firmly planted to the ground prevent airheads like you drifting away from the reach and safety of us mere mortals." Markus wittily retorted as Ai giggled at that, unable to help herself.
Another reason she found herself enjoying her time with Markus, he always had a word to say in retort that left her speechless for one reason or another, or he'd somehow get the last word in. She never struggled as hard as she had in recent time to spar back verbally with anyone at all.
And that was not something people did with her, mainly because they either scold her, couldn't talk back to her, or were too much in awe. It felt nice being able to communicate with someone else like a normal person, something she hadn't done since the start of her Idol career and her popularity exploded.
"And you think, you're the one to keep me grounded to the world then?" Ai asked playfully.
Markus simply shrugged. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't, I don't know and have nothing but possible predictions for the cloudy future." He commented nonchalantly to her.
And then there were moments like these, where Markus's words were mysterious and full of radically different answers that answered nothing. These are the moments that made Ai really think about what does Markus's words really entail. So far, she's got exactly nothing on what they mean to her.
"I don't really get what you mean." Ai grumbled at Markus. "You know that I don't do high level thinking like you can do." She whined at him as Markus snorted in amusement, causing her to pout at him.
Truly, no matter how much they talked or interacted, it never really changed the fact that Markus was always more on the meaner side to her. Something that kind of annoyed her, since he treated Ruby, Aqua, and Miyako with more respect than he did with her. Though hilariously, he had never stopped calling Ichigo old man, even after he told Markus his name.
The reason for that was kind of hilarious though.
"You're an old man through and through, and your wrinkles don't help either, so you're Old Man to me till death."
She couldn't help but start laughing uncontrollably when Markus said that and Ichigo's face looked as though it took some serious blows. Even her kids and Miyako joined in on the laughter as well.
Anyways. "Well excuse me for using upper-level words and critical thinking concepts that are apparently beyond you." Markus retorted casually to Ai, causing her to pout even more. "Aside from me making fun of your low critical thinking skills." He added in, causing her to huff a bit. "I think there's a show today involving Seals." He pointed out to her.
And like that, any possible irritation was swept away at the mention of being able to see those cute seals. "Let's go!" She said excitedly as she dragged Markus with her, as he looked amused by what she is doing right now. "Come on, I want to go see the Seals!"
"Calm down Ai, there's still time, and as I mentioned before, there's plenty to see still in this Aquarium." Markus pointed out, with a more relaxed demeanor to his body. Which in Ai's opinion, suited him much better than the grumpy annoyed looks he gave nearly every time before meeting at the restaurant.
"Fine~ but if we miss the show to see the seals, I will be very unhappy with you." Ai warned playfully at Markus, who simply rolled his eyes at her in mock exasperation.
"Yes milady, I will be sure to take responsibility for my failings, I do apologize for not being your perfect manservant." Markus said in a fake gentleman tone, causing Ai to giggle a bit.
Spending time with Markus is really quite fun! Best decision she has ever made in recent memory for sure!
Long after their time at the Aquarium was over, Markus and Ai were now walking the streets of Tokyo without a single care in the world, save for keeping their shades on and their hats on now. Ai was humming one of B-Komachi's songs without issue as she had enjoyed the seal show that the Aquarium held, she even stopped by the gift shop to try and pick up some merchandise.
Markus took charge of that however, and directed her to stuffed animals and got three stuffed animals, one that Ai bought for herself and two that Markus himself bought, which naturally confused Ai and when she asked why he bought them, his answer surprised her.
"Those two kids that are the Old Man and Miyako's kids, I imagine they would like something like this, kids liked stuffed animals last I checked."
"You're nicer than I expected Markus." Ai commented when she remembered that answer as she saw him carry a bag with two stuffed animals, one of them was a sea turtle, the other one was a clownfish.
"And you say that why?" Markus questioned with a raised eyebrow wondering where she was going with this.
"I just didn't expect you to get gifts for kids you've barely interacted or talked to, considering you only put up with me for the most part at first." Ai pointed out as Markus shrugged.
"I'm a bit of a softie for kids, and I never interacted with kids that young before, and I figured it would be okay to get them something, no skin off my back and I keep a strict budget for myself for my finances, I can splurge a bit." He explained to Ai.
"I see." Ai nodded at that, but internally the woman was happy, for reasons that would be apparent to Markus if he had noticed it. "I think they would appreciate it, even if it's from you of all people." She added in.
"We will see." Markus said sardonically. "I didn't exactly leave the best of first impressions in case you remember." He pointed out to Ai.
"You admitted to taking my pouch, and looking around it, of course you were going to make a terrible first impression on them, since they're my fans." Ai pointed out in return.
"Yep, and that is why I am perfectly fine with them disliking me, and before you ask, the stuffed animals are not a bribe, I do this because I can and feel like it." Markus said to her.
"You are a strange and mysterious man at times, and I can't follow your train of thoughts." Ai commented.
"Good, makes it hard for people to predict me in general if the matter was kind of a big issue." Markus said casually as he and Ai continued to walk down the streets of Tokyo.
While walking along the streets though, a sight caught Markus and Ai's attention, as a little bit further off and away was a store that was being rented out for some purpose and there were several people in line. Getting a closer look at the location, there was some kind of sign that had a poster of weather-related phenomenon and question marks around it.
"Excuse me." Markus spoke up to a woman in the line, who looked up from her phone as they got to the end of the line. "But do you know what is going on here? You all seem to be in line for something." He asked as both Ai and him were curious as to what line is for.
"Oh? You don't know?" The woman asked as both shook their head. "That's fair, well what we're in line for is to see a psychic, who is sort of renowned for being rather insightful with his visions and words." She explained to the duo as Markus's eyebrows rosed and Ai, surprisingly enough, looked quite skeptical.
"Really now?" Ai couldn't help but ask. "Are you sure it's not a scam of some kind?" She questioned.
"It's not a scam." The woman said. "He doesn't even demand or ask for that much, only about two thousand yens." She said as Ai blinked at that. "And sometimes depending on who he sees, he even does it for free, but there's no question that he is rather insightful and moves around a lot, and doesn't really care about advertising." She explained.
"Psychic, huh." Markus mused at that, remembering his own unique encounter with an actual honest to God Psychic at the 188 Trading Outpost, the Forecaster.
"Your face does the thinking - two to the skull, yet one gets up. Odds are against you... but they're just numbers after the two-to-one. You're playing the hand you've been dealt, but you don't let it rest, you shuffle and stack, and a gamble... a gamble that may pay off? But how? Forecast: Rapidly changing conditions."
"Bull and Bear over the Dam, at each other's throats... but a light from Vegas? Ball spinning on the wheel, more than two at the table, placing bets. All lose in different ways, a dam of corpses, towns of corpses, scattered across the sand. But whose, in what shares? Even the dealer doesn't know. Forecast: A rain of blood will flood the desert and not purify it."
That little kid has some strong insight and knowledge that he shouldn't know, and his own encounter with the Ghost of She, gave Markus a deeper insight into wondering how supernatural events could happen. So, while he was skeptical about some things, he was more than willing to believe in the possibility. And seeing the weather-related theme and question marks made Markus willing to take a shot.
"I'm intrigued." Markus spoke up, causing Ai's eyes to widened at that. "I am interested in seeing what this Psychic has to offer." He said as he turned to the woman. "This fellow has a name?" He asked.
The woman nodded. "He simply calls himself Seer, kind of presumptuous, but it fits in accurately with what he does." She spoke.
"Markus." Ai spoke up. "Are you really serious about this?" She asked him.
Markus nodded. "Aye, I do have an interest, and besides, I feel like this guy isn't a conman or scam artist of some kind in it for the money." He said as he made up his mind as Ai sighed for the first time since meeting him.
"Well, if you're going to see him, I might as well too." She said with a shrug as she joined Markus in line as he nodded as they waited to see the Seer.
Roughly about a half hour later.
Markus and Ai were waiting for their turn when the woman before them was came out looking contemplative about her life and then a voice spoke up. "Come in, and if you wish to come in together or not, feel free to do so, I will grant you insight." The male voice spoke as both Markus and Ai blinked but entered together as it would be faster.
Contrary to what one of them expected, the room that the Seer was using was very spartan in appearance. In fact, there was only a table with three chairs and a suitcase of sorts on the floor with the man in question sitting on one of the three chairs opposite to them.
Ai had to take blink at the sight because most would be psychics that she seen and heard of among her fans and the likes try to dress up as mystical as they could and surround themselves in occult symbols and meanings that they literally know nothing about and ended up looking like fools. The man before her was dressed in a simple worn suit of some kind, wearing glasses and reading a book, that if she looked closer said, The Republic by Plato?
"Ah and so you came in." The man said calmly while turning another page in his book. "You may come on in and sit please." He said as he motioned for the duo to sit down and then they did. "I must admit, I did not expect people like you today to visit my current little setup." He said calmly.
"Oh? And why is that?" Ai questioned, wondering what kind of words this man or possible scam artist will tell them, and then he spoke.
"Strange tidings tell me of a girl that is struggling to understand one of the more basic and most important fundamental concepts of human emotions is seeking insight in another." The Seer said calmly as Ai froze as Markus turned to her in confusion as the Seer lowered his book and turned to Ai. "If you had continued with your previous attempt, then you would have failed to realize what mattered the most until the very end." He said calmly as Ai looked greatly affected and turned to Markus.
"Yes?" Markus asked, wondering why he felt a bit nervous around this man.
The Seer gave him a look before he snorted in amusement, causing him and Ai to blink in surprise at what he did. "Forgive me, but it is a rarity for me to come across someone so…storied so to say." He said to them.
"What do you mean by that?" Markus asked and what he got made him froze on the spot.
"A game of poker between the Bear and the Bull is made, yet another player approaches and takes the spot of House. The Bull has a good hand, the House has no hands to play, the Bear has cards, but cannot properly use them. A Joker appears, resets the game, now the Bull's hands are far worse, the House has cards to properly play, and the Bear's hands are strong now." The Seer said ominously.
Markus was shocked, this man knew things that he shouldn't and the Seer smirked at him.
"The Wildcard pits the Bull against the Bear and the House and loses everything. The Bear and the House play, but the Wildcard swaps hand multiple times until the game is declared a draw and everyone returns home with greater winnings." The Seer said to him, before focusing on both. "Do you doubt me now?" He questioned as both shook their heads at that.
"So, you can see the future?" Ai said quietly as she then blinked as the Seer shook his head at that.
"I don't see the future, girl of stars, I see possibilities and probabilities, the chances of certain events happening are greater than others, but in no way is that absolutely made in stone." The Seer said. "But I imagine you wish to know now, correct?"
Ai nodded her head. "I would love to know what's in store for me!" She said very interested as she now wondered about what she may gain.
The Seer nodded. "Very well then." He said as he took a deep breath and then he spoke. "The Path you once walked upon is no more, a different path has been made for you. The path unlike your original path is filled with many troubles, and many difficulties. Some of the challenges will push you beyond your ability to handle, but where the path ends remain unknown. Do not despair, for your path is guided by light, and that light will continue to grow until it becomes too bright and your path will become smoother. How you go about your path is up to you and you alone, but your original path would have ended shortly and in darkness with the darkness staining the souls of those who cherish you." The Seer said to Ai, who looked…lost and confused.
"I see…thank you for your insight." Ai said as she went to grab her purse but the Seer shook his head, surprising her. "What? But I need to pay though." She said to him.
"Consider it on the House, both for you and your acquaintance." The Seer said to Ai. "Keep it a secret, but I am rather fond of happy endings and I pray that you obtain that ending." He said to Ai, who can only nod in thanks as the Seer turned to Markus. "Same deal, any issues?" He asked him.
"No." Markus shook his head. "I wish to hear my future as well." He said as the Seer nodded.
"Very well then." The Seer said as he took a deep breath and then he spoke. "Your current path has ruined the strings of fate itself, what was once established is no more and no longer possible. Beware, for monsters clad in the skin of humans seek you now as a threat to them. The Mojave Legend will return to take on the enemies that seek you and all you cherished. Beware, for the confrontation will not end suddenly or soon, for the conflict will escalate and push you to greater heights. Though your path will be joined by others, and they too, shall walk with you on the same path." The Seer said as he finished his words for Markus.
"…I see, thank you for your words." Markus said as he was left with a lot to think about, both him and Ai, as they took their bags with them and left. "You take care now." He said to the Seer who waved him away, and as they exited, Markus couldn't help but think about the Seer's words.
Likewise in Markus's position, Ai was also deep in thought about the Seer told her, and wondered just how far different is her current path and where it was taking her right now.
But right now though, both Markus and Ai were content with their current lives right about now, unaware of the trouble that they would encounter soon.