Shadow of a Man

by SnapperT

After a death that rocks him to his core, Mineta becomes a shadow of his former self. A few weeks later, Mineta is still struggling to come to terms with the loss, but a chain of events forces him to the face the problem at hand and work towards the path to recovery.

3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

October 23

1400

A cold breeze blew through my hair as the sun let a nice warm feeling permeate throughout my body. My apartment building was a concrete structure with outdoor walkways that led to each unit. With my building being located near the outskirts of the downtown area, I was greeted with the impressive view of the nearby high-rises.

Due to the weather starting to get colder, I opted for wearing a dark purple hoodie, black sweatpants and a pair of sunglasses that gave me an inconspicuous look. The hoodie helped with keeping my tangled hair from being seen and the shades helped my eyes adjust to seeing the sun after inside for so long.

It was a little bit busier than usual, which was most likely due to people taking advantage of the pleasant weather. Trees on the sidewalk showed the effects of fall as their leaves switched to the warm colors of the season. Even though I had been a shut in for the last few weeks, it did feel good to finally get some fresh air.

The weather also drew out the couples of the city. I saw plenty of them holding hands, talking and seeming overall happy. Seeing them reminded me of the good ol' days. The memories of the past used to bring joy but now they serve as a grim reminder of what I had lost.

It seemed like every couple was walking around that day just to spite me and to prevent myself from feeling any worse, I mostly just focused my view on the concrete. The place I was going wasn't very far and I knew the area like the back of my hand. This allowed me to easily glide past and in between the people on the street.

By the time I arrived at the store, I was deeper into the city and buildings started to tower above me. It was located on a street corner where it was nestled on the first floor of a building that was a couple stories high. It's a small quaint place that I visited often due to the relatively low traffic the store got and the prices weren't too bad.

A melodic ding sounded out as I entered. The store itself wasn't big but they managed to stick plenty inside. White fluorescent lights illuminated the space filled to the brim with all sorts of products. The only people inside were a few patrons scattered throughout and the owner at the register. He was an old and lanky man that had a beard that had long lost its color. We've had small conversations from time to time from past visits.

I gave him a small wave as I passed by him while walking into a nearby aisle. I had planned to get a few microwave meals and cup ramen. I knew they weren't the healthiest things to eat, but I had long neglected to stick to the diet I used to have and had planned to return to it. Though it turned out to be easier said than done.

The back of the store housed a wall of refrigerated foods and drinks. The cool, brisk air hit my face as I opened the door to select what the store had to offer. To be honest, none of them looked too appetizing, yet I had to deal with the cards I was delt.

I grabbed a few meals that looked the best out of the bunch thinking that I would try to find something better later. I had also grabbed a nearby pack of soda that had caught my eye. Realizing that my hands were starting to get full, I started to make my way to the front of the store to get a basket for my items.

I was in the back corner of the store, so I decided to walk along the back wall then make my way to the front. I was making my way to the front of the store and heard a familiar chime coming from the entrance of the store. At the time I didn't think much of it, but little did I know that it would be the first clue of what was to come.

Suddenly, a wave of uneasiness flowed through me and I slowed to a stop. The store seemed to go eerily quiet as I looked around to get my bearings. I saw a man behind me that didn't seem phased, so I thought that maybe I was imagining things. Until I heard a faint sound over the hum of the refrigerators in the back. This triggered the alarms in my head and gut feeling that something was wrong.

I slowly placed my items on the ground and sneaked the rest of the way down the aisle, the sounds getting easier to hear as I progressed. They then slowly morphed into a quiet conversation that didn't seem too friendly.

Now at the end of the aisle, I peeked my head around the shelf and was surprised when I saw a large figure at the register. They seemed to be talking to the old man and I could automatically tell that something was wrong. There was a look of nervousness and fear on the man's face as he talked to the figure.

"Please just give me more time." The old man pleaded in a hushed voice.

"We already gave you more time, old man," a deep voice replied, "I am getting sick of waiting."

"Things have been slow. I am barely able to keep this place open as is." The man explained.

The atmosphere got thicker. The tensity of the conversation grew with each passing second. The last thing I wanted to do was get involved with some drama that day, but if something went down, I couldn't just sit still and let it happen. I was a pro hero after all. So, I thought about possible solutions just in case things did go south. I could try to defuse the situation in a calm manner before anything happens, but it also risks escalating the situation even further by butting in.

A variable that I needed to be mindful of were the people inside the store. Keeping them safe was the priority of public engagement.

As I thought about my options, the conversation between the two men progressed. "I don't care about your business falling off," continued the cloaked man, "what I care about is your debt."

The old man seemed to be backed into a corner and had little options left. I saw him try to back away from the man, but there was a wall behind him. Things were starting to deteriorate fast, and I needed to do something quick.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I went and confronted the man. I decided to try and effuse the situation before things got ugly, but I was also preparing myself for a fight. Finally emerging from the aisle, I then walked up the two men.

"Is everything alright over here?" I asked, trying to get the man's attention.

The aggressor slowly turned to me. Being closer to the man made me realize the size difference between me and him. He seemed to be around six to seven feet tall. Even though I had grown since my high school days, I was still below way below average height for a man my age. It may seem to be a bad thing, but I was used to fighting plenty of people that were way bigger than me.

There was a silent pause in the air as we stood in silence. I could feel the man's eyes staring me down as I stared back at him. A long trench coat did a good job concealing his body under its shadow. I could only make out a few dim features which seemed to be strands of fur, so I assumed that he had some sort of mutation quirk.

"There's no issue here," the man said, breaking the silence. "I'm just having a nice talk with the old man here. There's nothing to worry about."

I didn't buy that lie for a single second. The man's tone appeared calm, yet it had a threatening undertone. I needed to find a way to make the man leave without the use of force.

"Well, I need to check out some items here, so you don't if I interrupt your nice talk do you?" I continued.

He continued to stare me down as I went to collect my items from the aisle and when I came back past him, his eyes were still trained on me. My body was on high alert and was waiting for the figure to try something. I made sure to make slow and methodical movements to not alert him with any of my actions.

When I got up to the register, I was able to get a good look at the cashier. He was up against the wall behind him, and he looked terrified. I couldn't help but wonder what the old man had gotten himself into.

"Are you alright sir?" I asked him even though I knew that he wasn't. "You don't look so good."

I could see the cashier's eye looking at the man behind me before responding, "I-I'm okay."

"You sure? You seemed to be a bit spooked. This man isn't bothering you, is he?" I questioned while making sure the mysterious man could hear me.

My goal was to try to pressure the man into leaving or maybe abandon the situation to come back later. It wouldn't be the best solution, though it would give me more time to help the owner of the store and figure out what's going on.

I started to put my items onto the counter so they could be scanned. The owner slowly made his way closer to me to check out my items. I could feel the man behind me still glaring at me. It made me a little nervous knowing that he was in my blind spot but it was all part of the plan.

*Beep*

The sharp sound of an item getting scanned echoed through the quiet store as the tense atmosphere refused to let up.

*Beep*

A cup of ramen was scanned and placed to the side and the cashier grabbed another item.

"So…. are you new around here?" I asked, trying to break the silence between the three of us. "I come here fairly often, I know a few regulars that come here but I've never seen you here or in the area."

I turned to face the figure and he was still watching me. "I come here every once and a while whenever I want to visit the park nearby."

I looked him up and down before responding, "Is that so? You don't strike me as the of type of guy that would go out and smell the flowers."

The man didn't respond to my snark and seemed to start losing his patience with me.

*Beep*

I continued to look at the man, unwavering from his threatening stance as he started to loom over me. I could tell that things were starting to go south, so I wanted to get him out of the store as fast as possible to give one more attempt at solving things peacefully.

"I don't know what 'nice talk' you guys were having, but I can tell that it wasn't a good one. I wouldn't feel right if I just left this man here by himself so two things are going to happen here. I either sit while you two continue your talk, or you leave and bring your business elsewhere."

I made sure to be as direct and clear as possible with the man while giving subtle hints that things would get messy if he didn't leave. We both stared at each other for a few moments and tension between me and the man seemed to rapidly crescendo as the man seemed to have no intentions of leaving the store, which was the last thing I wanted.

"I don't think that is going to work for me." The man said in a calm yet strained voice.

I continued to look at the man, preparing my body for a potential fight.

*Beep*

Before I had the chance to react, the man sent his foot flying into my side, sending flying some distance away from the man. My body slid across the ground for a short distance before coming to a stop. The air was knocked out of me, and I struggled to breathe for a few seconds. It had been a while since I had taken a hit like that so my body took it harder than it usually would.

The noise of me getting kicked alerted some of the other customers of the store as they began to make their way to the front. Some looked in shock seeing me on the ground while I tried to recover from the hit. I made my way onto one knee and looked at the other customers.

"Everyone get out here out of here and someone call the police!" I yelled at them.

The few people that were inside the store started to flee through the front of the store. I could feel a sharp pain in my ribs that I tried my best to ignore. That first kick gave me a good indication of how strong he was and he was a threat that needed to be delt with. Preparing myself for the ensuing fight I attempted to grow a collection of balls onto my head, but I was surprised when I barely felt anything happening.

After getting better control of my quirk back at U.A, I discovered that I could control the creation of my balls. It allowed a better quality of life when I didn't have to worry about my hair sticking to everything it touches. Whenever I needed the balls, strands of hair would rapidly combine and solidify into a ball within milliseconds, but something was different that day.

My emotional and physical state has been known to influence my quirk and it seems I had underestimated how much the last month has taken a toll. My quirk wasn't at its peak performance, and I was going up against an opponent that was as strong if not stronger than me.

The hair on my head eventually formed into their final ball shape. I looked at the man in front who stood tall in front of me, and it pissed me off a little. His face was finally hit by some light which allowed me to get a better view of him.

The man's face was covered in dark gray hair that turned white around a snout that protruded from his face. A dark scar can was placed over his left eye, yet it still looked to be functional. After taking a few moments to scan his features, I could tell the man had a canine mutation which isn't too rare, but I have gone up against some villains with similar quirks.

The aching in my ribs slowly faded away as I made my way to my feet. "You got some balls on you to threaten me pipsqueak," said the canine. "You could've just left the store like any normal person. But no! You just had to play the hero."

I plucked two balls off my head and got into a fighting stance "I'm known for being stubborn," I retorted back with a grin on my face.

"That stubbornness is going to get you killed." The wolf stated.

I chuckled a bit at the remark, "Plenty of others have said the same, yet here I am."

A few tense moments of silence followed afterwards as he continued to stare at them. Both of us were waiting to see who would move first.

"It's a shame, I had plans of only killing the old man today, but it seems I'll have to add one more to the list."

I felt riled up from that comment. Adrenaline and specs of anger started to flow through my body. So much for trying to solve things peacefully.

"You can try your best." I remarked with ferocity.

The wolf looked at me for a few moments before answering, "So be it."

With great speed, the wolf lunged at me and quickly closed the gap between the both of us. I ducked and dodged under the man's punch that flew by my head and crashed into an aisle behind me. After dodging, I sent both balls in my hand towards the man's feet which connected to the wolf and the floor beneath him.

The balls warped around the man's feet as he attempted to move his left foot off the ground. Frustrated grunts escaped the wolf's mouth as I grabbed another off my head which left my head bare before it could slowly create more. Not knowing if the weakened balls would hold for long, I attempted to throw one more at his other foot.

Before it could make contact, he managed to break free of the balls on his feet and with a swift twist of his body he avoided the incoming balls. I then attacked with a right hook to which hit his lower torso.

I had a surprising amount of strength in my small frame, and it catches plenty of people off guard. So, when I landed the punch, the wolf's body recoiled and stumbled a few steps back. This created a break in the action for the man to stare at me in frustration.

"Seems like you got a power to yah," the wolf commented, "So I guess I don't need to hold back then."

The man then decided to rip off his trench coat and throw it on the ground next to him. I revealed that the rest of body contained messy but thick gray hair that covered the best of his body as he was left shirtless with only a pair of black sweatpants.

The break allowed me to generate a few more balls on my head which was good. I knew that taking this man down was going to be a challenge, so I needed to deal with him as efficiently as possible.

"Looks like it's time for some fu…"

WHAM!

Before the man had a chance to finish gloating, leapt forward and delivered a kick into the man's gut which sent him back further than the first punch. Some would call it dirty, but fighting dirty has kept me alive over the years.

The kick was strong enough to send the man back though he was still on his feet while holding his stomach with one hand.

"T-that was cheap." I said with pain in his voice.

The only response I gave the man was a silent glare before attacking again. Plucking the ball off my head, I threw it in front of me before running and jumping on it. The elastic nature of the ball trampolined me forwards with my arm prepared to deliver another right hook.

The wolf quickly dodged out of the way before I made contact. Seeing this, I threw another ball to the wall I was flying towards. I twisted my body to land feet first on the ball and launched back at the man again with blistering speed. The return bounce worked and allowed me to deliver another kick to the man's side. This time the kick sent him sliding halfway down an aisle.

I backflipped off the wolf after the kick and landed steadily on my feet. I plucked the last two balls off my head and chucked them down the aisle towards the man. They hit the right hand and left calf that were on the ground. The hair on my head slowly created more balls as I started to walk down the aisle towards the man.

I had a feeling that maybe the kick had injured him enough to keep him weak enough so that he couldn't break free from the weakened balls, but I knew to keep my guard up in case he had any surprises.

"Give up." I said calmly to the wolf, "I don't want to hurt you any more than I already have, so please give up and wait for the police to arrive."

The man didn't respond to me. The only thing I could hear coming from him was strained breathing as he kept his head down to the floor. That was until he started to shake.

I sensed something wasn't right, but before I could produce another ball, he let out a deep growl.

"RAAAH!"

With newfound strength, the wolf quickly broke free from the weakened balls stuck on him. He got up off the ground with a dark aura that surrounded him.

"I'll be damned if I lose to a pipsqueak like you!" He yelled out.

His labored breaths opened his mouth and exposed sharp rows of teeth and fangs. Frothy saliva and foam dripped slowly down his mouth which pronounced his feral appearance. Whatever power the man had tapped into was no front and needed to be delt with smartly.

With newfound speed, he sped down the aisle and grabbed me by the neck. I then felt myself get slammed onto the floor, but I wasn't given much time before he tried to attack me with vicious chomps aimed at my neck. My arms tried their best to hold up the weight of his body along with the force of his mouth biting the air inches above my face.

The strength in my arms started to buckle and saliva from his mouth was splattered onto my face. Needing an escape, I quickly scanned my surroundings for anything I could use to my advantage. My eyes were able to settle on a kitchen knife that had fallen onto the floor within arm's reach. Acting fast, I waited a second to build my strength before pushing the wolf off me and rolling towards the knife. Still on the ground he attempted to grab my foot, but he was met with a kick to his nose.

"Aagh!"

Now distracted with the pain, it allowed me to grab the knife from the ground. I was lucky enough that it wasn't wrapped in a package of any kind, so I had easy access to a weapon.

Happy that I had a somewhat familiar weapon in hands, I readied myself to continue fighting. By that time, I had already realized that the wolf's increased speed and strength were a serious issue. It would be hard to attack him directly, so I needed to go on a more passive and defensive approach.

As I felt a few balls finish forming on my head, the wolf ran at me again. This time trying to use to use his claws to scratch me. I he swung his right hand towards my head, but I easily dodged out the way before he swung with his other arm. He continued to swipe at me repeatedly and knocked over countless items on the shelves to the floor.

His swipes started to fall into a pattern, which allowed me to see openings to attack. The next swipe of claws I dodged again, but this time I returned the favor with a cut to his forearm. The kitchen knife easily cut into his skin, and it noticeably made the wolf wince in pain and stumble from the cut.

His next attack would be a spin kick coming from my right that I ducked under. The missed kick slammed itself into the aisle behind me and opened an opportunity to sling a ball to temporarily stick his foot to the shelf.

With his left right foot stuck and his body put off balance, it allowed for quickly slide past him and deliver a swift slice to his side. My previous attack put me behind him and I was able to deliver a strong kick to his back right as he broke loose from the ball. The kick sent him a few feet down the aisle and landed on his stomach.

That was my chance to finally go on the offensive. I sent the last two of the three balls on my head toward the wolf on the ground and jumped towards him. I was planning on ending the fight with this attack but that didn't go as planned.

The wolf recovered faster than expected and dodged the two balls and then grabbed me out of the air before I could hit him. His big hands and claws dug into my neck as he strengthened his grasp. The next few moments consisted of me getting dragged across a shelf, items being every which way before he thew me down the aisle. My body skidded across the floor before coming to a stop on the cold tile floor.

More pain spread throughout my body as I tried to recover from the attack on the ground. Then I realized that I had one more trick up my sleeve. I had noticed that he didn't try to attack me immediately, so he must've thought that I was done for. I would soon prove to him how wrong he was.

I heard the man slowly walk up to me with heavy breaths. I heard his feet drag through the floor as they pushed the random objects littered out of their path. I didn't know if the man was still in his primal state, so I still needed to be careful with my next actions.

"You put up one good fight," he breathlessly started, "but you failed."

He continued to walk closer to me, and I gasped the knife tighter as I waited for him to get closer. The balls on my head were just about to finish forming. All I needed to do was wait for the perfect moment.

"It's a shame too. I was going to let you live, but you just had to play the hero. Now you've seen my face and now I must kill an extra person today."

By this point the man was mere inches away from my body. My body could sense him standing over me. He was confident that I was out cold, yet I was going to give him a rude awakening.

With my balls on my head finally formed I began my attack.

"What the..."

Before the man could react turned over to face him and quickly threw my knife horizontally and it impaled him right in between his ribs.

"Gaah!" The wolf screamed in pain.

He stumbled back from the force of the knife stabbing him, I quickly got up from the floor and threw three balls on the ground behind him before tackling him. His body fell backwards and landed onto the three balls waiting for him on the ground.

Now on the ground, I was now completely on top of the man with my right hand on the knife in the man's chest. He tried to attack me, but before he could I, I gave the knife a slight twist. This elicited a grunt of pain from the wolf, canceling his previous movements.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I warned, "If I guessed correctly from how deep this knife it should near your lung or already. If you move, or push this deeper, you wouldn't make it very far with a collapsed lung."

The man paused his movements while still grimacing in pain from the knife.

"Y-you p-piece of s- AAAH" He exclaimed as I gave the knife another slight twist.

"I would be quiet if I were you." I said with a deadly stare into his eyes.

As if summoned, I heard a plethora of police sirens fade in from the distance. I continued to stare at the man as I kept him trapped under me with the knife gripped tightly. Eventually the police arrived at the store and began to make their way inside. The only problem was that they saw a man with a knife in someone's chest.

After a view moment, I looked from the man, and I was greeted with a police officer pointing a pistol at me.

"Sir put your hands up and step away from the man!" One police officer barked at me.

I tend to forget that I'm not a very well known outside of the hero space, so many police officers don't even know I exist. This problem was only amplified by the fact that I was dressed in civilian attire. Seeing no other way out of the situation, I decided to follow the officer's orders in hopes of being able to explain myself later.

"Sir I am a pro hero. I just stopped this man from committing a crime." I explained with my hands in the air.

"Put your hands behind your head and turn your back towards me." The officer commanded again, ignoring my previous words.

With an annoyed sigh, I followed the man's commands a placed my hands my head and turned. I took another look at the villain and saw the extent of the man's injuries. The knife was still lodged inside him, and he would need to see medical attention soon or else he would be in some trouble.

"Sir this man needs medical attention soon or else he's going to bleed to death." I said while turning away from him.

I heard him mutter something into his radio before he gave me another command, "Move back towards me, slowly."

Following his orders, I reluctantly moved back towards the officer. Being careful not to trip on anything on the ground. The balls were still connected to the wolf who was laying still, but I was still unsure about their reliability and the wolf's status at that time. A few more police officers came into the store and made their way to the wolf on the ground and started to deal with him.

I eventually made my way to the officer who grabbed my arms and proceeded to cuff me. "Mineta is that you?" I heard a familiar voice say.

"You know this man sergeant?" The officer asked.

"This here is pro hero Grape Shot." The sergeant continued.

"This man is a pro hero. I've never heard of anyone of that name before." The officer said.

"It's kind of a good and a bad thing that you don't know but worry about it right now. I'll take care of him from here. Go help the others with the other guy." Directed the sergeant. "Yes sir."

The officer then passes by me to tend to the wolf along with the other officers. I then turned around to see just the man I thought it was.

"Sergeant Tamako nice of you chip in." I said with a slight smile as I extended my hand to his.

Tamako was someone that I had known for awhile as he had close ties with the organization I was with. His brown hair and face were just starting to show the effects of the years of service he had clocked in, yet he still retained a somewhat youthful figure. Instead of a usual police officer uniform he usually wore a plane-colored dress shirt with some khaki slacks and a badge hung around his neck completing the outfit.

He then put his hand on my back and led me outside of the store. "I was near the area when I got the call." He then gave me a quick but cautious look down. "Jesus Christ kid you look like shit."

"Yeah, today was not best." I said with a light but tired chuckle.

"I didn't even know you were back in the game. Especially after… you know what." Tamako said carefully.

His words let the ache of the last few weeks slowly replace the adrenaline of the fight. "I'm technically still out. I-I'm still trying to get my life together at the moment."

The pain of my injuries slowly started to make itself present, so I attempted to change the subject. "Is there medical outside?" I asked.

"EMT's should be here soon." He answered, "but before you go, we need to get a statement before you go."

"Don't worry I'm not going anywhere."

We walked to the back of a police car where he then proceeded to take a key out and undo my handcuffs. "Good because there are a few things we need to clear up here."

Tomako waited with me for a minute before walking me to the ambulance that arrived. They gave me a basic look through and made sure that I hadn't obtained any major injuries from the fight, and it was revealed that most of my injuries were superficial and would heal within the next few weeks. They wanted to take me to the hospital just in case, but I politely declined. They advised against it, yet I was firm with my decision due to me just wanting to go home at that point.

I was approached by a few other police officers that had talked to witnesses that were in the store when the fight broke out. I gave them a clear and concise breakdown of all the events that led down to the fight breaking out. I was told that they were still reviewing the incident and they would probably give me a call later after a full investigation was completed.

A car had arrived to give me a ride to my apartment but before I left Tamako approached me, "Hey kid before you leave, I want to ask you something."

I already knew what the subject was going to be about, but I still replied. "What's up?"

He gave a slight exhale before continuing, "How have you been lately? I tried texting, but I haven't heard anything from you since the funeral."

He sounded nervous yet worried about me, but how couldn't he. I had just gone through one of the worst things anyone could go through and haven't talked to anyone since then. I would worry if I was in his shoes. A brief period of silence passed before I answered him. I wanted to leave but giving him an answer was the least I could do.

"Life hasn't been the same Tamako, and I don't know if things are getting better." I answered in a somber tone.

I guess he could sense that it was still sensitive topic, so He decided to cut the talk short. "You know I'm only a phone call away Mineta. This is something you don't have to go through alone."

He then opened the door to the car, and I took a seat inside. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Make sure to take care of yourself kid."

"I'll try." With that he gave a nod and closed the door.

The ride home was short, but it was a must-needed break from the madness. In the car I couldn't help but think back to the fight and short talk I had. Something about it made me feel something. Something I hadn't felt in a while. Fighting that wolf gave me a thrill and a rush that reminded me of how everything was before my life went to shit. It felt good to feel that again. It made all the bad feelings go away for a little while and let me live for just a short moment.

I wanted to experience those feelings again, yet I had a question I still needed to answer. 'Am I ready to be to get back to work?' I know that I'm not feeling the one hundred percent, but maybe working was what I needed to get better. It felt good finally getting out and doing something other than sulking around my apartment all day.

When I finally made it back home the sun was starting to dip lower into the sky due to the earlier sunset times. It gave the sky lovely warm colors that spread across its canvas. Those bright colors would be contrasted when I opened the door to my apartment. The sense of emptiness and loneliness gave me a dull welcome. The dead and quiet space of the apartment brought back all the previous emotions of the last few weeks.

I took a seat on the nearby sofa and let the events of the day sink in. A day that I thought would be like all the others recently threw me a violent curve ball and thrusted me life of hero work again without much warning. Even though the day was hectic, it brought back a since of life and adventure that I had been missing. Most importantly it made me feel normal again.

Yet that feeling disappeared once I stepped back into my apartment. All the excitement, adrenaline, and the rush of what happened that day was gone. I hated being there. I needed to find a way to get away and it seemed like returning to work may be the only solution. Plus, the fight made me realize that I have gotten out of practice and the issues with my quirk would need to be sorted out as fast as possible.

A deep growl emanated from my stomach which made me realize that I never got any of the groceries I desperately needed. I gave a huff of annoyance before I flopped down on my couch to finally give my body a well-deserved rest from the day I had. It didn't take long for my body to relax and feel sleep to take hold. I just hoped that maybe change would come sooner rather than later.

A/N

Hey sorry for the wait. This chapter was hard for me to write as I have never written a full fledge fight scene before, so I lost the drive to write this chapter many times plus I was just being lazy. But it's finally done! Hopefully there isn't a big wait for the next chapter, but we'll see. Critiques on the fight scene or anything in general are appreciated. See yah next time! Hopefully before the end of the month.