MPK: This chapter's redone too! (EDITED)

Kazuma takes Niika to a surf shop not too far from where he had found her crying. He brings her inside, makes her sit down, and brings out a towel from somewhere in the back storage room. With a calm yet serious expression, he softly dries the brunette's hair.

Niika has many questions. Anxious to get them off of her chest, she debates with herself whether or not she should try talking to Kazuma. By reading him, she could tell he was in an agitated state of mind, but still, he was doing something nice for her. At the very least, she wanted to thank him.

"Ne, Kazuma-kun." Niika takes Kazuma's silence as an indication to continue speaking. "Thank you." The whitenette halts his movement. Once he regains his senses, he just nods and removes the towel. Then there is an awkward silence between them until Kazuma decides to spark a conversation.

"...There was no one in town."

"I-It didn't look like there was anyone else on the island at all." Niika responds anxiously. The girl sighs, "I couldn't even find my brother. I'm glad you're here...at least." She gives him a small smile.

A light pink blush grazes Kazuma's face, "You're soaking wet. You should change. I don't want you, catching a cold." He distracts himself by wandering back into the storeroom.

Kazuma finds Niika a sweatshirt and some shorts as well. He seems to know where things are in the shop, finding the items he needs in minutes. Niika changes in one of the store's few changing booths. Luckily, the clothes Kazuma gave her fit just right, so she discards her wet uniform in a plastic bag. When Niika walks out, Kazuma is hanging up his cell phone.

Niika sets her bag down on the counter, "I'll make sure to leave money to pay back the store owner."

"Don't worry about it. Remember when I mentioned I normally help out at my dad's shop in town? Well, this is the store he owns." He gestures to the sign in the store's window. "A surf shop is popular with tourists. People love going out into the water when they come to visit."

"Oh wow." Niika is easily impressed. "That's so cool!"

"Ironically it's right across from Wako's grandma's bakery, Jewelry Maki. It's crazy I didn't see her more as a child...That's what I get for staying out in the island boonies." After a few more taps on his phone, Kazuma clicks his tongue. "I couldn't reach anyone. Not even that red-headed idiot."

"You call him an idiot too?"

"That's what he is." Kazuma shoves his cellular into his pocket. Niika notices something shiny sticking out of it.

She leans over the small store table, "Kawaii!" She squeals uncontrollably. Kazuma jumps in surprise, "It's so pretty!" It is a necklace with two drama masks accented in black stitching. Niika kneels in front of the boy as he takes it out of his pocket and stares at it. Her eyes glitter with awe.

"Huh, I thought I left that in my jacket at home."

"I-It's adorable! May I ask where you got it?" She asks him as politely as possible.

Kazuma places the jewelry around his neck, "It was a gift. From my sister."

"I see! She has good taste!" Now that she has a better view, Niika smiles with satisfaction. "She must be very important to you if you treasure something like this."

"She was."

"Was? Did something happen to her?" Kazuma suddenly silences himself. Niika frowns. She didn't want to make the boy uncomfortable, especially after yesterday's encounter. But the girl couldn't help but want her various questions answered. She figures the best thing to do is go little by little. "Kazuma...You always get silent when you don't want to talk about something. I-I'm the same way, most of the time."

"...You also get a nervous stutter."

"I do!?" Niika exclaims, covering her mouth. "I don't mean to! I just...I get uneasy a lot. L-Like right now. I don't want to upset you..."

Kazuma tilts his head, "Why do you think I'll get upset?" He then swallows remembering the previous day. "Oh. That's right. I didn't handle myself...in the best manner yesterday. I'm sorry if I scared you." He openly apologizes. This gives Niika some relief. "I should have expected when coming back to school that I'd run into people who'd be involved with...Zero Time. It was something I really wanted to avoid."

"...Why? If I may ask." Kazuma frowns and looks away. "Please tell me something..." When he doesn't respond, she sighs. She fidgets with her fingers in the awkward silence.

"I'll make a deal with you." Niika glances his way, confused. "I'll tell you why and what happened to her. But only if you tell me why you were crying."

"O-Okay." Niika braces herself, "I was crying...because I thought I was alone. And I hate feeling like that. I get panicked really easily. It's always been that way for me."

"You're like my sister in that way." Kazuma admits, "But you have your brother. Arata, right?"

"Yes. He's the only one I've had since back then." Niika thinks back to when she was smaller, "He was always holding me because I cried a lot. I imagine I was a burden to him because of it, but I couldn't help it. Today, when I saw no signs of him around, I got scared I guess." Kazuma silently watches her. "What's that look for?"

"You're not with The Crux..." He murmurs but Niika can still hear. "You can't be."

"Huh? The Crux? No! Why would I be!?" Niika's nose instinctively wrinkles, "They kidnapped Wako! I dislike those guys! They're mean, and they're always trying to fight! W-Why would you think that I was with the Crux?" Kazuma is quiet once again.

"...There are a lot of people in the Crux, most of them are people we know." Niika gasps but Kazuma only brushes off her reaction. "It's scary to think about, but it's true. The majority of the current organization are residents of this island. You can run into them at any time. That's why you can never be too careful." The whitenette adjusts his vision so that his full attention is on her, "Niika, just how "in deep" are you?"

"In deep?" She questions.

"In this star driver business, how much are you involved? How much do you know?" Pain lingers in his sad eyes. Kazuma's voice oozes with concern for the girl. "Do you even know who exactly The Glittering Crux is?"

Niika really had to think. "...I suppose not. I do know it's some kind of evil organization and that they want to destroy Ginga Bishonen, but that's about it. I barely even know about my own mark." She answers honestly. Kazuma's ears twitch with interest, but he dawns a frown. "I'm guessing, I have a lot to learn?"

"You have no idea." Kazuma rubs his temples. "Listen Niika-chan. You need to stay away from The Crux." The boy begs in a manner that seems earnest. "You're right about them being evil, but you don't know anything about how dangerous the Crux can be." His tone is serious yet sad at the same time.

"Just how bad...are they?"

"Evil. Downright heartless. They have no limits! They'll stop at nothing, and do whatever it takes to reach their goals!" The gripped fist he laid on the table in front of him shakes with anger. "You see..." Kazuma trails off.

"What? What is it? You can tell me." Kazuma scans Niika carefully before continuing.

"My sister and I...were members of The Crux."

There it is. The reason why Kazuma was so cold towards Zero Time. Why he glares with hatred and disgust whenever the word "cybody" is mentioned. Kazuma despises The Crux, as well as all cybodies in general. All because of his older sister, Fujimoto Shiina.

As it turns out, Shiina was once a part of the Glittering Crux Brigade, possessing an artificial mark. Kazuma would spend time with her often at their main base of operations. He began to idolize The Crux, interpreting that their main goal was to use cybodies to help mankind evolve and prosper. Despite being able to use an artificial mark, Shiina possessed a natural mark passed down to her by her and Kazuma's paternal grandmother. She chose to hide this from the Crux in order to keep her younger brother and the rest of her family safe. It was especially hard when The Crux found out about Kazuma's natural mark and his cybody Alphonse. Months went by with Shiina fully devoted to Crux activities, only for her to end up developing a mental illness. One which quickly led to taking a toll on her physical health as well.

"For a good while, I had no idea Shiina was sick." Kazuma recalls, "I was so busy being summoned by whatever division needed me, that I spent less and less time near her. And I'd regret it."

Shortly after finding out about Shiina's illness through the Science Guild, an incident occurs.

"Shiina...lost control...of her first phase." The whitenette chokes out. "That cybody...it was messing with her mind! Reading other people's minds was already hard on her. But all the while that cybody was whispering horrible thoughts into her head!" Kazuma's green eyes squeeze shut. "I don't know how she was able to stand it for so long...But it was happening and no one bothered to do a thing! They only took notes of their observations on a medical chart!" He bangs his fist on the table. "Then when the day arrives when it all becomes too much, they tell her there's nothing they can do!"

Mentally overwhelmed, Shiina dies. Death was the only way to "stop the whispering voices." Any normal person would have collapsed way sooner under such circumstances. But Kazuma theorizes that Shiina only held on as long as she did for his sake.

"All of the pressure exploded all at once, right in front of me." Kazuma bites his lips to stop himself from crying. "T-There was nothing I could do..."

Niika looks on with pity because of the boy's story. "Kazuma-kun..."

"It was traumatic, I admit it. I'm reminded of it every day. I'm reminded of her every day." Kazuma wipes away the stinging liquid in his eyes before it can drip down his cheeks. "Shiina was the closest person to me in my life. I still remember the last time she smiled at me." Kazuma pauses for a second, inhaling and exhaling. "Losing her was the last straw. How could I stay loyal to those...maniacs after that!? I blame them for setting her up with that despicable cybody! That cybody forced that cursed power onto her and ruined her life! I'll never forgive them!" He shouts in anger. "I hate cybodies. I'm going to destroy every cybody in existence. I won't stop until every one of those things shatters to pieces!"

"...W-What about Alphonse?"

Kazuma turns to her with a cold expression. "What about it?"

"It's the cybody you drive, right? You couldn't possibly want to destroy your own-"

"-It's a cybody isn't it?" His tone is harsh. A cold sweat travels down Niika's cheek. "Fighting other cybodies with its own kin. Isn't it the perfect revenge? Once they're all decimated, Alphonse is next. It's the only way to end things, once and for all." Niika has a hard time comprehending that. But she figures Kazuma wasn't in a mood where he could be convinced otherwise. "I lost quite a few friends to The Crux. They still believe in the organization's core values. Their ways are wrong. I'll take any opportunity to foil their plans. Fighting in Zero Time is the best way to interfere, for now."

"I see..."

Kazuma peers out of the shop's window at the raining grey sky. "I can tell that you don't believe me. But that's okay. I wasn't expecting you to understand. I just wanted you to hear the genuine truth. Maybe now you can see why I find it so hard to trust people, especially when it comes to Zero Time. Take this as a warning, to stay away from The Crux."

"...Well, I'm happy...that you were able to trust me, with your story, at least." Kazuma's emerald eyes flash toward Niika's. "I know it must've been hard for you, holding all that in for such a long time." His irises sparkle with an emotion she can't quite put her finger on.

"It's just..." Kazuma starts, "You're so easy to talk to." The whitenette scratches the back of his head nervously, pouting a bit. "And although you don't seem to understand, it feels like you care. That's nice." Niika smiles lightly at his compliments.

"We've...I do kind of know how you feel. I have my problems with Zero Time too." Her fingers touch the spot on her chest where her mark would be. "But after talking to Sarina-senpai, and meeting the others, I found out I wasn't the only one."

"I know that. But they don't seem to take this as seriously as I do." Kazuma cringes with an irritated face, "Especially..."

"Takuto-kun?" Niika knew exactly who he was referring to. "Yeah. That's what I thought too. But he does, especially after getting grilled by Wako-chan when he was joking around before. I think, that he...has his moments." Kazuma raises an eyebrow skeptically. Defending the redhead throws even Niika off guard. "Anyway, I really really think that talking to them helped me! And I believe it'll help you too! Hanging out with them will make you feel like you're not alone. And you won't be!" Niika holds his hand in hers in earnest.

"Niika..." Kazuma looks down. "Alright. I-I'll try talking to them. That is, if we ever find them..."

Niika hugs Kazuma unexpectedly, "Thank you, Kazu-kun!"

"Kazu-kun?!"

"Yeah! You don't mind if I call you that "for short", do you?" The brunette whispers against his neck because of how tight she is hugging him. A huge blush travels across Kazuma's face. He lightly places his hands on the girl's back, returning the hug.

"N-No. I-It's fine. I-I don't care!"

"Yay!"

ichimen someru hana wa

sora e to noboru hikari

ikuoku no ibukitachi

ima, sekai ga umare kawaru

With the rain finally stopping, Kazuma and Niika leave the surf shop. They bring an umbrella with them just in case. Just like before, a singing voice suddenly echoes in Niika's head. But this time, it's not Sakana-chan's...

"Wako...chan?" The brunette recognizes. She moves forward before Kazuma can even blink.

"Niika-chan? Wait up!" He locks the store door with a key. "What is it all of a sudden?"

"Wako...she sounded really close by!" Niika runs into the street looking in all directions. "This way!"

yawaraka na hi ni koboredasu tsubomi

madoromi no naka yorokobi wo ukete

Kazuma grabs Niika's arm when she starts traveling in circles, "What are you looking for?!"

"Wako! Can't you hear her?"

"No..."

"But...she's singing! It's so loud! How can you not?"

"Niika-chan. I don't hear anyone. Just you."

Niika bites her lip, "Just like with Fish Girl..."

"Huh?" Kazuma questions, "Fish who?"

kitto dare mo ga hohoemi nagara

itsuka no jibun kasaneteiru ne

"There it is again!" Niika takes off again, Kazuma following behind in suit. "Are you sure you can't hear her?!" She yells back to him without stopping. They reach the island's beach, kicking up sand as they sprint.

"Positive! Are you sure this isn't a ploy to get me into a morning workout?" Kazuma shakes his head. "Regardless this is the most stamina I've used in weeks!"

Niika stops in her tracks. Kazuma stops himself before he can collide with her back. "When this happened before, my mark would glow. And then I would be in a lot of pain." She puts a hand on her chest. "But time isn't stopping. This situation doesn't feel right."

"Your mark?" Kazuma recounts Niika's symptoms in his head. "Hold on." His eyes widen, "Niika-chan. You said you heard Wako right? Do you think...it has to do with your first phase?"

"My...first phase?" She repeats in confusion.

"Wako's the south maiden. Do you, maybe hear the maidens singing when there is danger?"

"...I don't know. I never thought about -NGH!" Out of nowhere, Niika feels a shock pulse through her brain.

"Hey! Are you okay!?" Kazuma holds her steady.

"It's...coming this way..." They would have to worry about Niika's first phase later. Right now, they had to deal with a cybody, heading their way.

mezametate no yuuki ni fureta

hajimari no asa ni niteru kara

"A cybody! What the hell is that thing doing here!?" Kazuma's eyebrows furrow as he glares at it. It was obvious that he wanted to fight it.

"Wait, Kazu-kun~" It's too late, he is already trying to apprivoise. His cybody mark lights up with a violet glow but dims just as fast. "What? What happened?! Is this Zero Time...or what?!"

"I'm not sure, but there's no need to fight it." Niika grips Kazuma's left arm. "It's not trying to attack us or anything."

"Don't you remember what I said before?" The girl swallows unintentionally. "Harmless or not, every cybody has got to go!"

Niika grips his arm tighter, squeezing her eyes shut. "Fighting it would be a waste of time!"

"Midori no me?" Niika looks to her left. In a yellow raincoat stands Takuto next to her in the sand. "You're here too?"

"Takuto-kun?" She blinks. "How do you get here?"

"I'm not sure what's going on." He sweatdrops, "But how did you get to the beach? And who are you talking to?"

"Kazu-...Kazuma-kun!" She tells him, "He's right here next to me. Can't you see him?"

"No. There's no one there." Niika looks back to her right. She was still holding on to the whitenette who was watching her intently.

"Niika? Did you say Takuto was here?" Kazuma tilts his head in confusion. "But there's only Wako here. You actually found her."

"Wako-chan? But she's not..."

"Yes, she is. She's right here, next to me." The redhead points to his left. Niika doesn't see anyone.

"Eh?" They all take a second to reassess. As weird as it was, this is what is occurring. Niika could see Kazuma and Takuto, but not Wako. Kazuma could see Niika and Wako, but not Takuto. Wako could see Takuto and Kazuma, but not Niika. Takuto could see Wako and Niika, but not Kazuma. Each person couldn't see one person that was also there.

"I wonder why that is." Once they all figure this out, the group becomes very confused. Meanwhile the enemy cybody inches closer and closer to them, leaving deep footprints in the sand.

"I'm guessing Kazuma already tried to apprivoise, right?" Takuto mumbles under his breath.

"Wako! You can see Takuto, right? Tell him to apprivoise! That thing has to be stopped!" Kazuma panics thinking the same thing.

"He tried that already!" The blonde yells back at him, "I sense that this cybody is real. But its driver is weak!"

kokoro ga hodoketeiku

kisetsu ni machiawaseta

daichi ni ukabiagaru

komorebi no KONTORASUTO

"Niika," Kazuma taps the brunette on the shoulder, "Wako says that she knows of a cybody that can manifest illusions. All of this isn't real!"

"What?"

"A cybody I haven't seen before...It must have been in retirement." Kazuma explains further, "I heard of it at least. It can form an illusionary landscape from the memories and desires of whoever's caught in its power."

"Memories and desires?" Takuto repeats probably hearing it from Wako. "So, this is Zero Time. If it wasn't, the cybody wouldn't be moving. That can only mean Tauburn is somewhere here. We just can't see it." The redhead takes Niika's left hand. "If that cybody can create this scene, it can hide Tauburn from me. Grab hold of Kazuma too!" With her free hand, Niika grips Kazuma's hand. Takuto does the same with Wako. "It's definitely here." His mark starts to glow, "Grandpa always used to say...The essential is invisible to the eyes. There are a lot of things you can't see." With the cybody in mere feet of range, everyone cringes out of fear of getting stepped on and squashed to death. "Don't let go!" His mark shines brighter, "APPRIVOISE!"

ichimen someru hana wa

sora e to noboru hikari

ikuoku no ibukitachi

ima, sekai ga umare kawaru

Before the cybody can step down, the four disappear from the ground. From a rift in time and space, Takuto's cybody breaks free into the world. Takuto transforms, "Dazzling the stage!" A white, yellow-accented majorette-like uniform appears on his body. "Galactic Pretty Boy!" His front bangs once red, turn blonde. "Tauburn!" Strikes a pose, hand on his hip and the other pointing outward with a snap.

In bubbles, Niika, Kazuma, and Wako float beside Tauburn's head. The battle is quicker than usual. Just after Tauburn appears, the enemy cybody shuts down all of its body canons and reveals its head. Seconds later, the cybody suddenly disappears.

THE CYBODY RETREATED.

"Well. That was a waste." Takuto's transformation just as quickly defuses. The boy appears in a bubble like the rest. Everyone can finally see each other. "One of the only times I get to transform."

"Star driving is not a game!" Kazuma shouts at him, "Besides...I only transformed once."

"Really?!" Takuto exclaims, "You hypocrite!"

"Yes really! You redheaded idiot!"

"Once is too many!"

"Just shut up!" The boys' bubbles clash, their foreheads pressing against each other.

"Boys will be boys..." Wako sighs.

"I haven't transformed at all." Niika attracts everyone's attention. "I wonder what my cybody will look like."

"...You'll find out." Takuto says to her. He gives her a smile. "It's possible if this guy can do it after all..."

"Are you kidding me!?" Takuto holds Kazuma back by his forehead. The antics make the four laugh.

"What just happened?"

"A world shaped by desires...what if-"

"-What if those desires belong to us?" A strong force pulls them all away in separate directions.

"A world of desires...belonging to me." The next thing Niika knows, she is waking up to the sounds of her phone alarm ringing and her older brother nagging.

"How do you feel, Tiger-chan?"

"What did I...Where am I?" Tiger says after slowly opening her eyes. While lying in an infirmary cot, Kazuma talks to her in a metal chair beside it.

"The nurse's office. You passed out earlier today in class." Kazuma explains, "While I was walking by, my homeroom class president told me to check up on you."

"Your homeroom president?"

"Nichi Keito."

"Oh yeah. I was talking with her before..." Tiger holds her forehead, "But after that, it gets fuzzy."

"The nurse said you had anemia. She left water and a couple of meds for you." The whitenette hands her the medicine. "She said to make sure you watch for the symptoms from now on."

"That's nice of you." Tiger accepts the water, taking a swallow. "So that's what happened...Well if that's the case, thank you Kazuma-kun. I probably caused you a lot of trouble."

"Don't worry about it." Kazuma says grabbing his schoolbag and standing up from the chair, "I'm heading back to class, but I'll call the nurse in for you."

"Fujimoto Kazuma. Maybe you aren't so bad after all." The whitenette stares at her for a second, then gives the girl a light smile.

"No. I guess I'm not." Kazuma leaves her with those words. Immediately, he feels a presence behind him as he closes the sliding door. "Heigent? Really? On an innocent bystander?"

"Tiger isn't innocent. She knows about Zero Time very well. She works for the Shindo family after all." Keito shifts her school bag to her left shoulder. "The Crux is meant to do what we have to. At least someone is trying to make progress. We're at a standstill now thanks to the Galactic Pretty Boy. And you."

Kazuma whisks around to face her. "That girl was out for a day and a half! You've gone too far!" Passerbyers in the hallway glance at the two as they go by. Keito warns him to keep his voice down. "I'm not covering for you anymore."

There is a glare in Keito's glasses. "So I take it this means we're truly enemies now?"

"We became enemies when I left the organization." Kazuma brushes past her, "From now on, watch your back."

"Oh, Fujimoto-kun." He reluctantly looks back at the black-haired girl. "Glittering Star!" She holds a peace sign to her face. With a hard click of his tongue, Kazuma disappears down the hallway with Keito's laughs echoing in the distance. "How cute, "Kazu-kun"!"

When he enters his classroom, everyone is on a break, talking to each other at various desks. In front of the door, Kazuma taps Sugata's shoulder. "Hey. Can we meet? After class?"

And so the adventure of life goes on.

MPK: Review Please! :3