The author's notes section:
2022-08-01: Hey, here is a preview of the story's next chapter. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release. I will try to finish this chapter as soon as possible. I would like to clean up some of the tasks in my schedule, and right now, there are many chapters queued there.
2022-08-05: Hey, a small update.
2022-08-08: Hey, a small update.
2022-08-25: Hey, a small update.
2022-08-28: Hey, a small update.
2022-08-31: Hey, the chapter was finally concluded. I will let you know what I'm planning to do with this story, soon.
Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.
Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2022-08-01]: A preview has been released.
[2022-08-05]: The chapter was updated. I have managed to add around 700 words.
[2022-08-08]: The chapter was updated. I have managed to add around 600 words.
[2022-08-25]: The chapter was updated. I have managed to add around 500 words.
[2022-08-28]: The chapter was updated. I have managed to add around 900 words.
[2022-08-31]: The chapter was updated, and its final version was released.
Info: As promised, here is the preview for the next chapter. I will try to finish it asap, but as nearly always, I can promise you when the piece will be finished. Anyways, Enjoy :)
Info: Overall, the current plan is for me to write 'My home is where my heart lies' and 'Family tree' alternatively. Between the updates of these stories, I will try to upload other texts. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to finish some of the short stories. However, I truly doubt that. It seems that most if not all of the stories will be extended both in terms of the time and the number of chapters.
Info: I will try to rewrite some of the older chapters between releasing new ones. I expect to start working on that goal in the middle of January. So, please be informed that the new chapters might take a bit longer to be finished and published.
Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even 2 stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
Bleach story. (Byakuya x Yoruichi / ?)
Naruto story. (Neji x Hinata / Neji x TenTen / Nagato x Konan)
Fairy Tail story. (most likely Erza x Mira)
Maybe some Star Wars?
References:
The Rasmus - Rise
*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D
End of the author's notes section.
Akali's POV (Friday afternoon):
If Akali had been allowed to, she would have started to bash her head against the nearest wall. Of course, the reasoning behind such mutilating thoughts was somehow ridiculous. But, in the end, it still affected the teen. To be more precise, Akali nearly forgot about her little agreement with Ichika. She would have missed the meeting if not for a late notification that popped out on her phone. Even though the raven-haired girl's leg was not entirely functional as of yet, she could still help her friend.
Still, considering that she did not remember the agreement herself, Akali was forced to return home to pick up her gym stuff. Then, she needed to order a drive via Uber because taking any means of public transportation would have made her late. Akali did not like the idea, but she pushed her doubts and fears deep into her mind's corners. After what had happened to Evelynn during her ride, the teen had grown wary about the company's quality of service. So, she spent the entire journey as if sitting on a land mine. Nevertheless, she got to the destination without problems, thankfully.
After paying for the service, the raven-haired girl started to run. Even though taking Uber saved her a lot of precious time, the clock was still ticking. The teen had less than a few minutes to get to the gym. After all, it was Akali's point of pride to always be on time, or even earlier, if possible. So, without overthinking, she ran, completely disregarding her leg's condition. She felt fine, with a soft wave of adrenaline pumping through her veins.
The raven-haired teen managed to get to the studio in time, somehow. However, nearly as soon as she slowed down, the pain started to flare up. So, Akali tried calming her breathing pattern while putting a mask on her face. She would not allow anyone to see her in pain, to witness her weaknesses. Thankfully, it was Ichika who was running late.
"Hey, Akali," Ichika's cheerful voice sounded a few moments later. "Sorry for being late, my bus didn't arrive on time. I hope you're not standing here all that long, waiting for me," she added, flashing a genuine smile.
"Hey, Ichika," the raven-haired teen replied slowly, returning the gesture. "No… I arrived only a moment or so ago, so nothing really happened."
"Splendid!" the Asian waitress exclaimed eagerly. "Shall we go inside, then?"
"Sure."
Akali's POV (30 minutes later):
"Ok, Ichika, let's try something different," the raven-haired girl uttered. "Let's mix these punches we have been training. So, let's start with something relatively easy. So, you will perform 3 strikes, right, left, and right. And… please, keep in mind that you should always maintain your guard. Let me demonstrate, and then it will be your turn."
"Sure," the waitress nodded, making space for Akali to demonstrate.
The raven-haired teen proceeded as soon as she comfortably stood with enough space to perform the basic combination. Then, she took her time to show the moves slowly. But, after a few tries, it became boring, so Akali sped up. However, something was apparently off; her instinct was telling her that. She could tell that Ichika's eyes followed her every move but considering their past experience, a question was lingering. Was Ichika looking at how her arms and torso moved to perform the combination, or was she staring at her breasts, ass, or abs? Nevertheless, the ninja decided to omit this alert, continuing to demonstrate.
"Ok," the raven-haired teen said after the performance was concluded. "It is your time to shine, Ichika," she added whilst pointing to the mat.
"Ok," the Asian girl responded after a brief moment with eagerness. "How many repetitions?" she asked/
"Let's start with 20," Akali replied after a second of thinking. "If it is too trivial for you, then we will increase the repetition cap or move to the more complex movements."
"Hmm… I'd rather stay where I'm now, at least for now," the waitress uttered with some hesitation.
"That is perfectly ok, so please show me what you have learned from watching me."
Ichika waited an extra few seconds, seemingly focusing on the given task. Then, the Asian girl began exercising, throwing a couple of dozens of punches. Akali decided not to comment on her friend's technic whilst she performed. Instead, the teen opted to slowly pace around Ichika, focusing on details. Without a doubt, her friend had a long way ahead of her if she wanted to be able to defend herself. But, her eagerness was a factor that many did not have. Even though she was making mistakes, Ichika seemed happy that she was, at the very least, trying.
"It should be enough, for now," Akali uttered after a few minutes. It was apparent to the teen that her friend massively overdid herself. "You have done way more repetition than we agreed, but I do not mind. But, do tell, how many in the end?"
"I think… I think… I've done around 50-ish?" the Asian girl mumbled. Her voice was shallow, ragged. The exercise must have affected her more than she had anticipated. "I need a few moments to catch my breath, though," she rasped.
"It is fine, Ichika," the raven-haired teen stated. "So, please, do sit up, and I will try to go through what I have noticed," she added. Then, she waited for her friend to situate herself comfortably onto the mat. "So, first things first, congratulation for the sheer willpower to go beyond what I wanted you to do. I think that eagerness of yours might come in handy in your training," she said, flashing a slight smile for reassurance. "But, unfortunately, you made a lot of mistakes. Please, do not worry; no one is perfect at the beginning. Still, I would like you to focus more on the quality, not the quantity. When you are throwing the punches, you usually forget about the guard. You must make it a habit that when one hand goes forward, the second one is in place to defend. For now, let's assume it is everything. So, 5 minutes for you to calm down your breath, and then we go one additional round."
"Ok," Ichika replied and returned a smile. "Thank you for doing it, Akali. Thank you for training with me and making me stronger. I deeply appreciate it," she added.
"Do not mention it."
Akali's POV (around 2 hours later):
"Damn you, Akali," the dark-haired waitress allowed herself to complain. "I'm so freaking sore. And… knowing my body, it'll only get worse tomorrow."
"Then, do you regret this session?" Akali asked whilst fighting off her own fatigue.
"No, not at all," Ichika honestly responded. "I might complain here and there, but I stand true to what I said. I appreciate what you're doing for me," she added, flashing a beautiful smile.
"You should know that by now that the beginnings are difficult," the raven-haired teen said. "After a couple of weeks, I think you will simply get used to the stain. And… after that period, you will consider it as normality. Or… at least, that is how that process looked for me," she added, slowly scratching her nape. "Anyway, when do you want to have the next session?"
"Well, that mostly depends on when you will have time for me," the Asian girl responded. "If you're free on Sunday, we could have another session on Sunday. However, I feel like you're schedule is far more overloaded than mine. So, do tell me when you have the time to train me?"
"Hmm," Akali hummed, picking up her jawline. "I do not have all that much to do throughout this weekend. So, let's do it like that. I will let you know about the details tomorrow. Does it work for you?"
"Yes, it does," Ichika replied immediately. "So, see you soon," she added, closing the gap between them and hugging the teen. "And… by the way, you looked so damn good in these clothes. Due to that, it was challenging for me to focus on the training. Anyway, see you soon," the waitress giggled, fastly leaving.
It took Akali a few moments to fully process what had happened. As soon as it happened, she wanted to facepalm herself. But, in the end, the idea was scrapped. After all, the teen would have looked ridiculous whilst utilising this plan. But, regardless of what was happening in her mind, she realised a few things. Firstly, she was simply left dumbstruck right in front of the fitness studio. Secondly, it was painfully apparent to the raven-haired girl that she was confused and utterly surprised. She would rather not have seen her own face, for she was sure it was covered in an unintelligent expression. So, Akali opted to get going after a few extra moments spent in consternation. Even though she was thankful that no one had bothered her, at least as of now. But, it would be wise not to rely on her luck further.
The teen was moving toward the bus station, preoccupied with her chaotic thoughts. A question could have been raised about whether it was real or the girl was simply daydreaming. After all, her movement seemed mechanical; not a single thought was spared to cover that important matter. But, at least for now, this state was allowed to continue.
After another couple of minutes or so, Akali pulled her mobile from her pocket. Then, the piece of technology was mindlessly unlocked, and after a few clicks, she ended up calling her legal guardian. It was a mysterious and surprising coincidence, but as soon as the teen realised that the call had gone through, she tried to save the embarrassing situation.
"Darling?" Evelynn asked, surprised by the unexpected call. "Did something happen? Do you need something?"
"Oh… well," the teen abruptly opened the conversation with a giggle. "I… I wonder whether you could pick me up? I had a meeting with a friend in the mall, and currently, I have no other alternatives to come back home but Uber. And… considering the last experience we had with this company… So I would like not to use it," she mumbled a somehow coherent lie.
"Hmmm… why not," the lawyer responded after a moment of pause. "Please, do send me the precise address. I'll be as soon as possible. So, see you soon, darling. Or… is there anything more you want to say or ask?"
"No… everything is fine," the raven-haired teen responded quickly. "We can always talk more once you are here to pick me up, can we not?"
"Certainly, we can."
Other POV (more-or-less the same timeframe):
The practice range was filled with cold, sometimes even chilly air coming from many air conditioning scattered across the room. But, to the masked man, it mattered little. He leaned against the counter, quietly and slowly changing the pistol's magazine. The smell left by ignited powder was weirdly satisfying and even intoxicating to him.
A few moments later, the gun's quiet click was heeded by the man. Then, he took a step back, fixing his sight on the range. As he pushed a button to his left, the practice targets randomly popped in and out. The man rather loudly exhaled, trying to find a pattern, but it seemed challenging or straight-up impossible. Nevertheless, the masked man did not back off. Moreover, the shooting started mere moments later.
The shooter was, without any doubt, accustomed and proficient in what he was doing. With each trigger pulled, the gun's barrel moved slightly toward the man, but its recoil could be omitted entirely. Then, before he could even notice, another click sounded, announcing that the clip was empty. Momentarily, he sighed, dissatisfied with the interruption. But, regardless of what he thought, he simply reached for the next clip attached to his belt. However, to his utmost surprise, there was no mag there.
"Oh… yeah," the man sighed out loudly. "It seems these past years affected me more than I anticipated. I must have forgotten to prepare more clips," he continued the monologue. "Eh… it matters not."
Then, the man slowly removed the mask, revealing a rather pale complexion. It was parried with greyish, short hair that could have been much darker in the past. He must have been in his early forties, but the look could be deceiving. The next moment, he reached toward his nape, scratching it, trying to relax the strained muscles. But, the heavy woollen turtleneck's collar needed to be lowered beforehand. A quiet groan left the man's throat when still clad in leather gloves, fingers began massaging the tensed flesh.
Nevertheless, whilst performing the act, the man approached the counter, putting the gun as soon as he reached it. Then, a container was picked up and settled right next to the pistol. Once opened, a couple of dozens of clips could be spotted lying there, all empty. The plain sight was enough for the grey-haired man to vocalise his dissatisfaction with a somehow loud groan.
"How long have I been there?" the man started to speak up his mind. "Must have been a while, considering all of these empty mags. Hmmm," he continued, not expecting the silence surrounding him to reply. "Ok… let's see the damge."
With that sole thought in mind, the man unlocked the door leading to the range. But, before going through it, another button was pushed forcefully. The complicated mechanism responsible for manipulating the practice targets began making deafening sounds. Regardless of the noise, the targeting figures appeared as intended within a blink of an eye. So, with everything set into motion, the man pressed forward, examinating the trial.
"You are getting old, buddy," the man once again started to talk to himself. "I mean… it is not the worst try, but compared to your prime, it is a straight-up embarrassment," he continued as more and more targets were inspected. "So, a few moments of break, and then we go again."
Once the decision was made, the grey-haired man did not hesitate. Instead, within a split second, he turned around on his heel, fastly heading toward the range's exit. The lights were killed off only a moment before the heavy steel door shut after the man.
Evelynn's POV (the evening of the same day):
The diva stared into her mobile phone's display with a decent dose of surprise. It was close to midnight, and the siren did not expect to receive any important call. However, the magenta-haired woman got tantalised after a mere glance over the phone's screen. After all, it was extremely rare for her to be called by a restricted number. Nevertheless, she was unsure of what to do, and hence, the beeping lasted more than a few seconds.
"Evelynn Smith, how can I help?" the diva uttered after finally deciding to answer the call.
"Oh, pardon me, I have not heard it correctly," an old man's voice sounded. "Could you please repeat? Or… even better… by any chance is Miss Evelynn Smith I am currently speaking with?"
"Yes," the magenta-haired lawyer replied with slight hesitation. "However, I'm not sure whom I'm speaking with; could you please introduce yourself?"
"Oh, bloody hell," the man uttered. He could have been British cause his accent strongly resembled her friend living in London. "Please, forgive me for my apparent lack of manners," he added after a short pause. "I am Jeff Winsome, the supporting executive of Weisshaft Inventions; I am pleased that we can finally have a conversation."
"Hmmm," the siren hummed, unconvinced. "Please, excuse me, but I've never heard that company name. And… before we continue, please tell me what the topic of our conversation is?"
"It is fine, Miss Smith," the old man responded politely. "As a matter of fact, we no longer exist under that name; currently, we are a part of Google," he clarified. "But… it does not matter all that much. We… I have heard that you have adopted a girl named Akali Winter, is it correct?"
"Why would you be interested in that matter?" Evelynn responded, unwittingly lowering her voice.
"Oh, pardon me again… let me explain the situation," the caller once again apologised. "So, the Weissshaft Inventions founder is Patrick Winter. I believe that the girl you have adopted might be his daughter."
"What do you want from Akali?" Evelynn acted defensively.
"I do not want anything from her, precisely speaking," the man uttered, clearly disgusted with the implied offence. "I was a good friend of Patrick Winter. I have tried to find his child from the moment I learned about his demise. And hence, the only thing I want is for that child to be found and given her rightful heritage," he added, clearly upset.
"How can I be certain it's not some sort of a farce?" the lawyer inquired. "How can you prove that your intentions are righteous?" she continued questioning.
"These are very good questions, Miss Smith," Jeff responded, cooling down momentarily. "Would you allow us to meet? As a token of my goodwill and intentions, I would like to speak with you in the flesh. I will call you tomorrow, asking for the time and place for that meeting. Are these conditions feasible for you, Miss Smith?"
"I don't think I have a say in that regard," Eve commented. "But, yes… let's proceed with these conditions. So… I'll be expecting a call from you tomorrow. Nevertheless, for now, I'd love to have the rest of the evening for myself. And… thus, good night, Mister Winsome," she bid her farewell.
"Good night," the man simply responded, ending the call.
Though unfortunately for Evelynn, the problem did not conclude itself, just like the strange conversation with Jeff Winsome. The magenta-haired woman was left confused and conflicted. Her mind went onto the run, flooded by various speculations and ideas.
The mobile was thrown toward the other end of her enormously large bed with little to no care. Then, the siren began furiously clawing her sheets, trying to relax through exhaustion, letting go of her anger. But, like with many other matters in the lawyer's life, it was not that easy to calm down and deal with the presented problem. It was so frustrating to be left without options, seemingly powerless.
So, the diva continued to claw and rumble around as her inability to deal with the pressure won. It had not been the first time it happened, and… it would not have been the last.
Evelynn's POV (the next day's morning):
Evelynn was not entirely sure when she had fallen asleep, but considering how tired she was, it must have been exceptionally late. But, even though her eyes opened fully, she had no intention of getting up. Yesterday's feeling of being powerless still lingered deep inside the woman's mind, bothering her. But, thankfully, today was Saturday. And hence, the diva could allow herself to lay down in her bed longer. So, in a way, she could potentially catch a few additional moments of shut-eye. A small yet defined smile appeared on the siren's face when she realised that.
Nevertheless, Evelynn felt an urge to check her mobile phone. After all, there was a chance that Akali called her or sent her a message whilst the diva was still soundly asleep. So, with a slight whine, the magenta-haired woman lifted her torso from the bedding, actively looking for the damned piece of technology. It did take her a couple of moments, but in the end, the item was found lying on the edge of her bed.
As a heavy, prolonged sigh was taken, the screen lock was swapped, revealing a lost list of unanswered notifications. Oh, it appeared that the magenta-haired woman did not switch off the Wi-Fi the previous evening. Though it was only a minor inconvenience. And thus, the lawyer slowly began looking through her feed. It would have been worth mentioning that some of these notifications were absolutely ridiculous. These particular ones that made the woman frown were, of course, coming from her exes or people obsessed with her. Well, if she were to be given a dollar for every single dick picture message or confession message she received, it would have been a fair assumption that her car collection would have grown significantly. But, the world was not such a good and appropriate place for something like that to happen. And thus, she was left with nothing else than cringing all over these people's stupidity.
However, the feed started to deplete to the lawyer's appreciation as time passed. Though it did not mean that no surprises were lurking within the remaining messages. Still, the magenta-haired woman opted to go through them all as if it was the first step on her today's to-do list.
A new message notification popped out at some point, catching Evelynn's attention. However, the initial curiosity was replaced by anger after a mere glance. After all, the lawyer would wholeheartedly want her forced relationship with Alice Hindler to be finally concluded and forgotten. But, just like with the other unwanted messages and notifications, this case was out of her hands. In all honesty, the magenta-haired woman feared that this situation would be impossible to close without a court case.
Still, the message was last placed in the feed's queue. Evelynn's feelings toward that particular sender made the decision much more straightforward. However, the damage was already done. Hence the lawyer began discarding the pieces of the feed that even in the slightest bothered her. But unfortunately, it did not take her long to find something that truly dreaded her.
Miss Smith,
It is my utmost pleasure to finally contact you. My name is Seraphine Mell; I am Jeff Winsome's assistant, and I was asked to keep in touch with you, Miss. Please, consider this simple message as a physical remnant of the conversation you held with my supervisor yesterday.
I was urged to remind you, Miss, that my superiors would appreciate a quick response from you. Though if there are any obstacles, please let me know. We will help you with overcoming these problems with pleasure.
Kind regards,
Seraphine Mell
It took Evelynn at least a couple of prolonged moments to fully process the message. So, the conversation she had yesterday was, in fact, real. And… without a doubt, it would cause more problems in the long run.
"Fuck," the magenta-haired woman cursed, allowing the mobile to slip through her fingers. "What am I supposed to do now?"