"You know, I don't bite right?" A playful female voice called out to Haruka startling her out of her mind as she remembered being pulled by Ai and then suddenly they showed up at an arcade. "I do actually want to engage in some girl talk with you, you know." Ai said kindly to Haruka who bowed back to her.
"Sorry about that, I got lose in my mind for a moment since I didn't expect this kind event to be happening to me." Haruka laughed nervously at that as Ai simply smiled at her still.
"Well I suppose that's fair, you are new, and you technically still haven't exactly debuted properly as an Idol or sell your own Album yet." Ai said to Haruka as she gained a reminiscent look in her eyes. "Trying to become an Idol now compared to when I first started was a bit different but the principles remain the same." She said casually.
"Really now?" Haruka asked in interest as Ai nodded. "I thought that the standards would have changed a bit on how to become Idols nowadays compared to when you were starting out but the principles remain the same?" She asked for clarification.
"Well of course." Ai said as she became more formal and Haruka couldn't help but listen. "To become an Idol you need to have the basics of singing, dancing, choreography synchronization, and most importantly of all were fans willing to come to our shows. Which means we would have had Idol Prospects in the streets like those Maids from those Maid Cafes attract attention and the likes." She said to her.
"I can see that." Haruka hummed as they went for a skeet-ball pit and started playing. "In fact I have to go out to meet up and gather fans from doing meets and greets as well as trying to get myself on various shows as guests or more if possible." She noted as Ai nodded at that.
"Yeah, those are more easier ways to make yourself known, but those require some kind of pull or fame to do, or plenty of money. So most Idol Prospects start out handing out fliers and napkins to garner interest. You're pretty lucky in that regards to having a good start to your career." Ai noted as Haruka couldn't help but look away a bit red faced.
"I just had a great company supporting me through as my ventures as an Idol." Haruka said shyly. "Besides, it's my dream to reach the Tokyo Dome and perform there, and also the President's wishes as well, to become an Idol of renown and to take your place." Haruka said before she turned to Ai with panicked eyes with arms held up. "No offense meant or anything like that!" She quickly said.
Ai simply laughed at that. "It's okay, I'm perfectly fine, because after all, once you get started and going for the top, you will have to overthrow me eventually." Ai smiled at Haruka. "But the question is, do you think you can catch up to me the way you are right now?" She asked with something of a rare challenging glint in her eyes.
"...I don't think I will, I can catch up to you." Haruka said with some fire in her eyes, that Ai could only nod approvingly at. "My Dreams is something I cannot give up on no matter what." Haruka said to her.
"Dreams huh?" Ai mused thoughtfully at that. "Dreams are all well, nice, and good. However, there comes a point where the dream must come to an end. Sometimes you face an obstacle that you cannot overcome, no matter how hard you try, or how hard you train for. And once you face that obstacle, that's when I would say you will be facing the true challenge that decides whether or not you remain an Idol or not." She said thoughtfully as Haruka blinked at her in surprise.
"...Ai have you ever faced that obstacle you mentioned before?" Haruka asked carefully as Ai paused at that. "Because it seems like to become the idol you are, you must have faced some pretty big challenges of your own." She noted.
For the first time since talking to Haruka, Ai's smile...slowly faded away as a more serene and calm expression took its spot on her face instead. Haruka would internally admit that there was something about this face on Ai, that made her feel like that this was something a bit more real to the actual Ai herself, and not the Idol Persona she puts on for the public.
"...A while ago, someone had once asked me for what reason do I have to become an Idol." Ai started off, as Haruka blinked at the reveal. "I had given that person my answer for why I became an Idol. But then that very same person pointed out that why I became an Idol was wrong and pointed out exactly what I sought for was not in the work I am in." She said to Haruka.
"And...why did you want to become an Idol?" Haruka asked, wondering where she was going with this.
"Now that Haruka, is a secret~" Ai said with a wink and a peppy look on her face for a moment before it vanished. "Eventually I realized that what I was searching for, as an idol, was not what I was looking for. It took me some time to gain perspective. And if it was not for that encounter, I wouldn't be standing where I am right now." She said as she looked at her hands.
'In more ways than one, I owe Markus everything for what I am able to experience what I have thanks to him. Life, Family, Friendship...Love, and so much more.' Ai thought to herself, thanking every deity and every star for blessing her with this chance encounter to meet one Markus Redgrave.
The man who gave her what she sought for so long and who gave her a second chance at life.
"So Haruka, pursue your dreams with everything you got, but remember that for as sweet dreams are, it's important to remember to stop and pause to look on the side on the road of life to smell the flowers. For dreams may give us our goals to pursue, but it's when you take a moment to pause and look around you that you find the potential of what wonders life has to show you." Ai then advised to Haruka.
Haruka simply nodded at that. "I will take that into consideration into my future." She said as Ai smiled happily at her.
After that, the two Idols simply enjoyed some gaming together at the arcade, until Ai's time with Haruka came to an end and she had to leave.
"It was honestly wonderful hanging out with you, Haruka." Ai said sweetly to her before she looked at her watch. "Sadly however, I have places to be, little time to have, and a bunch of other chores to do. Maybe if I guest announce at the Princess League maybe again, we can see each other, but for now, farewell~" Ai said with a smile.
"Take care, Ai. It was nice meeting you." Haruka said with a smile.
Ai hummed and stretched as she got out of the car as she smiled at the familiar sight of the Chinese District once again. "Ah it's good to be returning back to home." She said with a tinge of excitement.
Miyako simply rolled her eyes but had an amused smile on her face regardless. "Yes, yes, I know you're excited to be reunited with your boyfriend." Miyako snorted as she saw Ai flush a bit. "But do try to be careful Ai, you only just got back and Ichigo doesn't need another potential heart attack."
"Yep, yep, but it's time for me to return home now, see you when I see you again!" Ai said cheerfully as she started rushing off for home as Miyako couldn't say anything as she had already left, and can only sigh.
"Take care Ai." Miyako said softly as she drove off, knowing full well that Ai won't be able to hear her.
As Ai returned back to the apartment where her most favorite wonderful people were staying at, on her mind was one of her last words to Haruka about the importance of dreams. She wondered if she should have mentioned the one lesson that Markus mentioned he picked up in a nightmare called the Sierra Madre.
"Finding it, though, that's not the hard part. It's letting go."
Letting go, sounds so simple in theory, but so difficult to execute. Ai had wondered what would she do now that she had finally found love. What did she actually wanted to do with her life? Being an Idol and also a Mother is all she knew, but she got what she wanted, so there was kind of no point to her being an Idol now.
So what should Ai actually do now? That was a question that had been dogging after Ai in recent memory.
All that thought vanished when she reached the door to Markus's home and before she could even knock or even bother to open the door on her own. The door opened up and Ruby was standing there looking all excited. "You're home!" She squealed as she rushed to Ai and hugged her happily as Ai simply laughed and picked up Ruby and entered the apartment as the door closed behind her.
"I'm back baby!" Ai laughed happily as she twirled her daughter around, as she squealed in delight. "Now where's my little man~?" She questioned teasingly as she spotted Aqua by Markus's side and he flinched a bit as Ai's eyes focused on him. "There you are~!" She cooed as she rushed to Aqua.
Aqua's eyes turned panicky as he tried not to get caught up in Hurricane Ai's hugs, but Markus held him down in place. Causing the young boy to turn to Markus with eyes of betrayal in his eyes, as Markus snorted at his reaction and started chuckling a bit as Aqua yelped as he got caught up in Ai's happy embraces, as the Idol mother hug both of her children happily in her arms with all the joy she can muster.
"It's so good to be back home." Ai sighed out in relief as she kissed both of her kids on their foreheads before gently setting them down and leading her gaze to Markus, who simply smirked at her as he leaned against the wall. "And then there was one, the handsome one~" Ai said as she make her way to him.
"So you say." Markus snorted as Ai leapt into his arms. "But either way." He said before he got right besides her ears. "Welcome back Ai." He said with warmth and left Ai with feelings that got her engine running a bit.
In response to all of that, Ai leaned back and slammed her lips onto Markus's lip and enjoyed the warm soothing sensation of his mouth.
The two kids quickly turned their eyes away as they didn't want to see their mother making out someone that she loved romantically. Even if Ruby did think it was romantic, but she wasn't ready to see affection like that so openly just yet.
Eventually, Markus and Ai had to disengage to have some air. "Ai, as happy as I am to have you back, I will need to talk to you about something important in private later on." Markus said with a more serious gait to his tone, causing Ai to blink and figure out that it was something important.
"Later." Ai said in an instant, since she did get back just now.
"Later." Markus nodded at her words. "Moving on, you ready to have some dinner?" He asked her as Ai looked excited at hearing those words.
"What are you going to do this time, Markus?" She asked curiously. "Chinese again? Or do you plan to do some conventional typical Japanese meals?" She asked.
"Nah." Markus shook his head at those responses. "I figured I might as well do an actual American meal of sorts that is easy to work and make." He revealed to Ai's own interest and joy. "Might as well celebrate a bit when you returned." Markus said warmly.
"And what is it?" Ai asked in excitement as Markus simply smiled at her.
"Garlic Parmesan Mac n Cheese with Oven baked Ribs." Markus said as Ai had to admit, that sounded high in calorie, but also delicious!
"Well it seems like you all enjoyed it." Markus chuckled as he started working on the leftover dishes by packing them up away for later.
"I never knew you can make such good food Markus, and yet you stick with Chinese Food or super workable food!" Ruby complained from her end, since she loved eating the Mac n Cheese that Markus prepared.
"Because I'm not that picky about food in general, I usually go for quick and easy long last food so I don't have to cook all the time." Markus explained to Ruby, who pouted.
"But since we arrived, you've been doing more cooking daily." Aqua noted, and he did enjoy the ribs, especially after Markus scraped the meat off the bones once he finished baking them.
It was incredibly easy to chew through it, and the light amount of spices that Markus did on them, brought out a nice combination of flavors that made Aqua feel satisfied.
"Well I do have to feed three more, and I doubt my usual meal standard is enough to feed everyone in here." Markus explained to Aqua as he finished packing away the food into the containers before putting them into the fridge.
"That's fair." Aqua nodded before he couldn't let out a small pout. "It's a shame that you're not going to make that kind of meal common enough though." He said feeling kind of down about it.
Markus simply chuckled. "As nice as it would be to eat all of that, it ain't healthy for you long term, hence why I stick to Asian meals, it's easier to get a healthier balance for me to work with." He explained to Aqua.
"That and Wu-Fei gives you free handouts and leftovers from his restaurant too I imagine." Aqua noted with some amusement.
"That's true, he's been doing that more often since you, Ai, and Ruby started staying here." Markus nodded at that. "He likes you and Ruby, finds you kids adorable." He said to him as Aqua pouted at being called adorable.
"Don't call me that, also where did you learn how to cook?" Aqua asked curiously.
"I picked up a few cooking lessons here and there, started off with camping food since it was the bare basics and easiest to work with as I learned." Markus replied, thinking about all the animals he had to hunt down along with the other stuff he had to work with to make his meals.
Now that he ate actual clean modern food, Markus can no longer go back to the Gecko Steaks, Bloatfly Sliders, Coyote Steak, Dog Steak, Fire ant Fricassee, Mole Rat Stew, or Grilled Mantis ever again. Though hilariously enough, he can still find ways to apply the recipes that he learned from cooking them into his own cooking with mixed results.
...He was going to miss eating the Wasteland Omelet, Ruby's Casserole, and the Brahmin Wellington
though. That shit was awesome to eat in Markus's humble opinion.
"Seems you know well enough how to cook food for all of us." Aqua noted. "Thanks for that, Ai is an okay cook, but she's always a bit rushed with how busy she gets, and back when Miyako used to watch over us, she generally gets some meals from outside." Aqua replied.
"She's a busy woman, and I'm sure that you can find better cooks out in the world." Markus said casually to Aqua as he finished cleaning the dishes. "Now go with your sister, she's by the TV." Markus said to Aqua.
Aqua nodded as he went to be with Ruby, Markus noted that there was a certain level of maturity and mental intelligence to Aqua, that he knew when things were getting serious and when adults like himself and Ai needed to talk about some important matters.
Like for example, Markus's upcoming trip to Kineicho, his best lead to find out more about Hikaru and his associates and what they have planned.
Markus washed his hands before heading over to his room where Ai was already in it, waiting for him. "Markus." Ai said as she noticed the more serious look on his face. "It's something relating to Hikaru and the others." She stated rather than questioned.
Markus nodded. "Kashiwagi and the others found a lead on them, Ai." He explained as Ai's eyes furrowed at that. "At the very least, the one that was responsible for the kidnapping attempt was spotted in Kineicho." He explained.
"Which means that you're going to be out and away from us to track him down." Ai said sadly as she held her arms to her person. "Meaning we would be without any form of protection save for what Kashiwagi promised to do for us." She noted.
Markus knelt down to Ai and placed his own hands on hers and gently held them. "If there was any other choice available to me, I would have taken it Ai, but the sad fact is, Kineicho is the lead that I got on where Hikaru and the others might be, and I cannot ignore them, especially when they have nothing but ill will planned for you and the twins." Markus explained to Ai.
"Meaning you will have to go to protect us." Ai said as she tightened her grip on Markus. "I don't like this, I don't like the idea that you have to go because you need to work with the Yakuza. I do not like you away from us either Markus." Ai whispered softly.
"I know." Markus nodded. "But it's necessary if I want to protect you, Ruby, and Aqua." He affirmed.
"And I hate how your explanation is nothing but logical." Ai whispered softly as she looked up to Markus with a wet glimmer in her eyes. "Why does it have to be you Markus? Why not someone else?" She pleadingly asked.
"Because I'm strong enough Ai." Markus said to her. "And if you are genuinely worried, then just give me a call, and I'll come running right back, and save you." He assured.
"Save me two times already, be funny if it was three for three." Ai joked a bit weakly.
"I rather if there wasn't a third time." Markus deadpanned for a moment as both adults took a much needed moment to laugh out any anxiety before they stopped.
"I can't change your mind Markus." Ai sighed but soon put her hands on his face with a gentle expression on her face. "But whatever you most do, please come back safely." She pleaded earnestly.
Markus nodded. "I'll come back, no matter what." He promised as Ai smiled and leaned in to kiss him again.
"Then just for today, stay with us." She said as Markus did just that.
One day of being a family until Markus must leave.
Markus soon found himself sitting on his train seat to Kineicho with his suitcase. He can only look outside the window as the train announced the destination time for various locations, including his own. He held onto his backpack tightly onto himself.
It was one of two bags he packed for this trip, it holds his laptop and other electronic and basic essentials while his luggage case carried his own clothes and a few more dangerous tools for usage if need be.
Of course he had to let Aqua and Ruby know that he was going to be away for a while, and to say they didn't take it well was a but of an understatement.
It basically devolved to Ruby hugging and crying to him not to leave. While Aqua was not as emotional as Ruby, he could see how the boy frowned and looked sad at the idea of him leaving on his trip.
It took Markus some time to reassure Ruby that he will come back, and described it as something of a business trip that Ai took from time to time. She eventually calmed down when Markus promised to get her some kind of souvenir later from the city that he was visiting.
As for Aqua, that one was a bit harder since he was clearly worried about his mother's safety. It took him some time to reassure that Ai will be under protection while he was gone. But he also had to reassure Aqua that he wasn't going to up and vanish on them either.
Markus didn't know that Aqua had an issue about being abandoned, especially since Ai was clearly a good mother. Maybe it's related to some issues with his dad for all he knew. And depending on who Hikaru was before the whole body replaced by a Terminator or whatever, it might be possible.
He honestly didn't know, but like with Ruby, he promised to come back home.
And then there were the teenagers, Kaguya, Miyuki, Chika, and Yu as well that he needed to tell. Of course the teenagers were a bit worried to see him go off on a trip, with what they learned recently. But they also accepted that Markus needed to go as well. Thankfully they were mature about it.
Though he did needed them to deliver a message to Frill, that girl was going to miss him caring for her. Which was interesting to think about how she quickly got used to him.
Not having much to do at the moment, Markus decided to get himself into a light nap so he would feel rested up. So he can investigate the Nagoya Family, there is also no telling what kind of resources that they may have. So Markus rested his head for a while.
Eventually, Markus woke up when he heard Kineicho, and soon gathered his bags and stared getting off the train and looked onto his smartphone's map to find the motel he planned on staying and guided himself at the motel.
Markus preferred not wasting too much money, it wasn't exactly upper crust, but it wasn't bad run down build either. Markus took some time scoping out the various locations he can situate himself at, and this was a nice balance, even had Wi-Fi for him to connect to for his laptop even.
Walking in he saw an old man reading some book by the reception desk, and he stood up the moment that Markus walked and smiled. "Welcome to Sunset Relaxation, how may I help you?" He asked politely.
Markus put some money on the desk. "A room, close to the stairway and on the second floor please." Markus requested as the man's eyes widened at the money being paid up front as he looked at Markus and then back to the money. And he quickly hobbled over to a room key slot and then gave it to him.
"Room 201, enjoy your stay, and might I have a name to put down?" The old man asked.
"Craig Boone." Markus lied to him as the man nodded and wrote that down. "Thanks for the keys." He said as the old man waved him off with a smile.
Markus soon went to his motel room, and once he got inside and locked the door. He immediately began unpacking everything he had to unpack. From his laptop, his personals and most important of all, if he fell into combat here.
His Guns.
One of which was the Winchester City Killer, loaded up with Pulse Rounds for those Terminators. And the other being the sidearm to his Shotgun. A customized SIG-Sauer 14mm Auto Pistol, retooled for 12.7mm rounds, known as Li'l Devil. A Gun Runners Custom Work that was built with superior materials and a silencer.
Both were hard hitting guns. And for the time being, will be locked up in his Luggage Case unless he actually needed it. Carrying Guns around openly was not possible, hence why he went for Sunset Relaxation, as it was built around a major intersection of Kineicho, meaning he can make a quick detour back to his room if need be.
But now was not the time for gun fights and actions, now was the time for investigation into the Nagoya Family. Which means walking among the Locals and asking around as a tourist about potential danger spots or things to note.
After everything was secured, Markus was ready to go out into Kineicho to find his clues.
Markus hummed as he ate some Bite-Size Shrimp Tempura Rice Balls and walked through Kineicho. He couldn't exactly find any traces of the Nagoya Family, but that was to be expected since he had figured that a Yakuza Family that preferred the shadows, but he did overhear some interesting tidbits of information.
Like apparently there was a Loan Shark of some kind that talked about the Nagoya Family. To hear that someone was using the name of the Nagoya Family to get debts paid and the likes, was nothing if not weird to Markus's mind.
If a Yakuza Family that valued secrecy was doing loan shark work, then wouldn't that be a conflict of interests then? Markus had to know what was going on. And asked around about dangerous people he should be avoiding and the locals point to the Loan Shark and allowed Markus to find where the guy would be.
Apparently, the guy has a regular that he likes to torment, a former Baseball player by the name of Tatsuo Shinada, a sleazy nightlife journalist of some kind.
Which to most people wouldn't mean anything, but Tatsuo was a batter for the Nagoya Wyverns. Said baseball team being directly involved in the Omi Alliance and Tojo Clan leaving Nagoya, which allowed the Nagoya Family to sweep in and take power. And Markus did not believe in such things as coincidences anymore.
Soon enough, Markus found himself standing outside an Acupuncture Clinic from across the street. This is where he last heard of rumors about a Loan Shark and a scruffy looking guy was at. And then he noticed a guy messing with something by the front door, and as he walked closer he heard the hiss and realized the guy was trying to do and rushed for him.
The guy did not notice Markus running towards him, as the guy stopped what he was doing as he noticed something inside the clinic and tried to run away, only for Markus to tackle slam him against the building soon enough.
"Hello there, trying to do some illegal fun now?" Markus said with a calm look on his face as he gripped the front of the man's shirt and lifted him up.
"Huh? Who are you?!" He questioned freaking out a bit.
"Just a Good Samaritan is all." Markus said as two guys came rushing near them, once was a scruffy looking guy, and the other looked like a stereotypical Loan Shark Thug of some kind. "Evening Gentlemen." Markus greeted them.
"What the, who the hell are you?" The thug barked out.
"Like I said to this guy, just a Good Samaritan, also a Tourist." Markus said to them as he turned to the guy. "And I have to admit I have questions." He said as he tightened his grip.
The scruffy guy instantly acted. "Hey man, let him go, he had enough." He protested.
Markus frowned as how foolish that seemed since this guy straight up tried to kill them, but he had a feeling that those two were who he was looking for. "Fine." He said as he dropped the guy. "Now why did you do it?" He questioned the guy.
The shifty guy twitched and squirmed. "Ah, well...I…" He trailed off as Markus swore he heard creaking and then something loud.
"Watch out!" The Scruffy guy shouted, and soon, purely on reflexes, Markus jumped back and rolled away just in time to avoid being crushed to death by a bunch of steel structural support bars. "Oi, are you okay?" The man asked Markus in concern as he grunted and got up.
"I'm fine." Markus said as he frowned as he examined the bloody corpse. "That sure as hell wasn't an accident." He noted as he then looked up as a commotion was formed and people started gathering.
"It wasn't." The scruffy guy confirmed. "Saw who did it too." He said as Markus turned to him in surprise. And a balding guy in a green coat showed up and paled at the sight.
"Really? And who was it?" The thug asked.
The scruffy guy looked down. "I don't know why he would be here or why he would do it, my former Wyverns Teammate." He muttered as Markus realized that in front of him was the banned baseball player, Tatsuo Shinada.
'Tatsuo Shinada, the Nightlife Journalist and ex Nagoya Wyverns Baseball Player, what are the odds?' Markus wondered to himself.
"Sakai." Tatsuo spoke up putting his hands on another guy wearing a hardhat as the man turned to him in surprise.
"Sakai? Why are you here?!" The balding man said in surprise but Sakai said nothing in response.
"Sakai…" Tatsuo said with a conflicted look on his face. "Were you the one to kill him?" He questioned sadly.
"Answer him, Sakai!" The balding man said with anger.
Sakai simply sighed and looked around. "Too many people, let's take this inside, I'll even let you take that new guy with you." He said pointing to Markus.
"No, he stays out of this." Tatsuo said firmly as Markus spoke up.
"You wouldn't happen to be connected with the Nagoya Family would you?" Markus questioned Sakai who pause and looked shocked at that as were the other three men. "So you are connected, to think I would find a lead here." Markus noted as he turned to Tatsuo. "I know that you have a lot of questions, but right now, the Nagoya Family is involved in some very personal matters of mine that I do not appreciate and would prefer not to be uninvolved." He said firmly to Tatsuo.
Tatsuo looked conflicted and then nodded and turned back to Sakai. "Let's go." He said.
Eventually they moved to an empty construction lot of some kind. And Tatsuo spoke up. "Sakai, what's going on here?" He questioned his former teammate.
"...You look well Shinada, you too Uno." Sakai said to the balding man, putting a name on his face before he went for an iron pie as Markus narrowed his eyes. "I know it's not fair, but forgive us, Shinada, forgive me." Sakai said earnestly.
"That doesn't sound anything close to being genuine you asshole." Markus spoke up glaring at Sakai. "Saying that shit and then picking up a tool to kill sends the wrong kind of message.
"It's a Baseball thing, you wouldn't understand." Sakai said to Markus before focusing on Tatsuo. "Did you know the most beautiful play a pitcher can make?" He asked to Markus's own confusion and annoyance. "It's a Sacrifice Fly, he sacrifices himself for the good of the team. He doesn't get on base, but he contributes more than anyone."
Markus's eyes glared at Sakai. 'This Motherfucker.' He thought angrily as he tensed himself.
"Shinada, I'll never forget what you did, so forgive me!" He shouted as he charged at Tatsuo.
But before Tatsuo could get hit or Sakai could even reach him, Markus got in front and grabbed his pipe and held it firmly in his hands glaring at Sakai.
"A piece of shit that casually kills people, lies to cover it up as a sacrifice, to pretty it up to look beautiful is the furthest idea of what beauty is. That's fucking repulsive." Markus gritted out as he slammed his fist into Sakai, knocking out several teeth and pushing him back.
Tatsuo and the other two with him were shocked as Markus tossed aside the iron pipe. "Ya know, I followed quietly not because I wanted to cause a disturbance, but so I can beat the shit out of you without blood getting all over." Markus said as he started cracking his neck and knuckles.
Sakai got up with a stumble and coughed up some blood, looking at Markus with no small amount of shock and fear.
"Normally I would feel bad about doing this to a civilian, but you're no civilian, after all. You killed that guy outside, making you a Murderer." Markus said coldly as Sakai shivered as Markus slowly approached the guy.
"So ready yourself, you're now facing someone who can actually fight back." Markus said as he charged straight for Sakai.