May stood transfixed before Dizzy’s door. This was it. Crunch time. Should she go in there and say something to Dizzy? A few pleasant words to console her? Maybe clear up some of May’s own confusions? Whatever May wanted to do she had to do it now. If May left it any longer, the rift between she and Dizzy might grow. May didn’t want that at all. No matter what Dizzy did, May couldn’t bear the thought of losing the Innocent Gear as a friend. Even May herself didn’t know the depths of her caring for Dizzy anymore. Things were becoming so clouded around the two of them. First they started getting closer, then they transformed from friends into best friends, and then that whole...kiss thing... Everything was just up in the air. Open, yet unreachable. And threatening to crash down on the will of a breeze. And if it did, that was it between Dizzy and May. Bang. Friendship over. This very thought was abhorred by May’s latent subconscious. Yet, that abhorrence was manifesting itself in May’s actions and disposition...for what other reason would the pirate girl be at Dizzy’s door if it wasn’t? All the fears and anxieties within May took the passenger seat as she pulled her fist before the door. After taking a deep, calming breath and steeling her resolve, May lightly tapped on the door to Dizzy’s room. “Dizzy, it’s me, May.” The pirate girl said. “Can we please talk?” No reply. May knocked again, this time a bit more forcefully, not make noise, just to arouse a response. Again, no reply. Wondering how long she could wait as her resolve began to waver, so the brunette slowly pushed Dizzy’s door open. May knew it was rude to just barge her way in like that, but the way she was feeling right now, she couldn’t care less. May poked her head through the fresh gap between the door and doorway, and called out to the Gear in waiting. “Dizzy, I know you might not wanna talk to me, but...?” May stopped herself as her eyes scanned across the Gear’s room. She wasn’t there. With a morose sigh, May slowly closed the iron door and leaned back on it. After all the strength she summoned to do that...Dizzy wasn’t even there. The pirate girl slouched on the door, breathing out a second sigh to accompany the first. And just as she did, a certain ‘woman-chasing hound’ made his way along the halls of his sky-flyin’ ship. Happily munching on a fresh slice of oven-ready cherry pie, Johnny stopped in confusion as he saw May leaning miserably (and somewhat tiredly) on the access to Dizzy’s room. Johnny didn’t let his concern go unanswered. “May? Are you okay?” The disenchanted pirate girl said nothing, pulling a sliver of worry from the captain of the May ship. “May?” May opened her eyes slowly to look up at the one who had called on her. And she blood rushed to her cheeks in the form of crimson blush as a blue haired girl with bright scarlet eyes graced her presence... May smiled a little. “D-Dizzy...” Johnny narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Huh?” Hearing a deep, earthy voice that sounded nothing like her Dizzy’s, May rubbed her eyes in a subdued manner to get her eyes in check with reality. And what she saw was Johnny, looking down at her with a gaze of disquiet and perplexity. “Johnny?” May mumbled. “That’s better!” Johnny beamed. “I know something’s wrong when people start confusing me with women! So what’s up? You don’t look too good.” May put on a light smile for Johnny’s benefit. “I’m okay. I guess. What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the bridge?” The chivalrous pirate stood up straight and adjusted his shades, happy to see that his one-woman fan club was feeling up to speed. “Nah, some of the other girls are taking care of flight duty. April and I have to plan out the rest of our next objective, in China. You and the others haven’t been debriefed yet, but April will take care of that end. Basically, were going to cash in all the gold we lifted in our last heist. You’ll be coming with me, if that’s okay.” May stifled a moan. As much as she liked getting out and about, she didn’t really feel like going anywhere. Especially after what happened in that Spain incident. The things those bastards said about Dizzy... “I understand. Anybody else going?” May asked with a gentle curiosity. Johnny sweatdropped. This was the hard part. “Um...uh...well, June’s gonna come...and...” That had May stumped. “June? But she hates leaving the ship. In fact she was one of the girls who stayed behind when we went to Spain.” “Yeah, I know, but she said she wanted to pick up some new recipes and try out some Chinese dishes. And she also wants to visit some new restaurant everybody in the cooking community is going crazy over.” “Oh, okay. That’s really June, isn’t it? She’s great at what she does. So is it just us three?” Johnny looked to his side nervously. “Well, um...no...I kinda want...Dizzy to come along...” The stunned brunette’s eyes sparkled with an unhidden astonishment. Dizzy on the surface again? After what happened before? “Are you crazy?” May asked rhetorically. “After what happened in Spain, you wanna take her back out onto the surface with those people?” Johnny raised his left hand in defence. This was the whole reason he dreaded telling May. Nobody was as protective of Dizzy as May was. With the exception of Testament, that is. “Calm down. I know you’re worried about what might happen but she’s apart of this crew. Dizzy’s a Jellyfish Pirate now. You can’t just exclude her from these things because she’s...y’know, a Gear. And it’s not you’re decision. It’s Dizzy’s. I’ll be honest with you, I’m worried as well, but we’ll be there to look after her. That’s why I wanted you to come along too. It’ll be easier for Dizzy if you’re there.” May didn’t know about that anymore. Not the way things were going between she and Dizzy. Nonetheless, May evaluated that and left it as it was. In a very unusual way, that made sense. Dizzy was a member of the Jellyfish Pirates and was entitled to her own choices. If that were her wish, then...May would accept that. “I guess so.” May offered in defeat. “As long as we watch out for her, I guess Dizzy will be okay.” “That’s the spirit!” Johnny patted on May’s shoulder enthusiastically as he took another bite out of the delicious cherry pie in his right hand. “You’ll see, this’ll go off without a hitch. Besides, it’s only a day or two and then we’ll be back on the ship. Trust me.” May smiled again, this time, genuinely. Johnny’s voice was muffled by the pastry in his mouth. He couldn’t keep his hands off of June’s cooking. “What is it with you and June’s pie, Johnny? I swear that’s the only thing you’ll eat.” The captain of the May ship wagged his finger at May. “Ah, but you see, June didn’t bake this. Dizzy did! You should try it out, y’know. And as hard as it is to believe, I think Dizzy’s tastes even better!” May’s dark ebony eyes brightened. “Dizzy made it? Where is she?” “In the kitchen of the cafeteria with June. It’s lunch, so you’ll miss it if you wait out here all day y’know. But I’m sure Dizzy’ll spot you some-“ Johnny said nothing more as May zipped off down the hall to find Dizzy. This child was always so eager. Probably one of those little traits that make May such a good person. May made a flippantly paced dash for the cafeteria, her petite shoes squeaking into the atmosphere of the narrow, steel hallway. For some reason she was extremely eager to see Dizzy. And it was strange, because just about an hour ago, the orange-clad pirate was dreading their next encounter with a passion. So why was she running? Over at the kitchen of the May ship, June and a slightly apprehensive Dizzy were working on the meals for the rest of the gals. It was already lunch, so they and two other crew members had made the bulk of it (including the cherry pie) all that was left was to fix the dinner for the crew members who couldn’t get down to the cafeteria for a while, like those on flight duty or navigation duty. Though it was one of the chores given to her by Johnny, Dizzy thoroughly enjoyed it. Dizzy implicitly expressed her reluctance in performing flight duty (after that whole incident, seeing the May ship’s rudder brought back some unwanted memories) so Johnny really had no choice but to allow her to try something else. Dizzy was given a permanent position in the cafeteria with June and two other girls who were in rotation for their chores (e.g. two new girls would replace the previous ones everyday in a regular alternation). However, she never expected to enjoy this so much. Unlike the rest of the crew, Dizzy didn’t have to come here before, mainly because she had no real cooking experience besides the things she made for herself back in the Testament days. The Innocent Gear had no idea of what to expect, so when she ended up enjoying this, it caught Dizzy by blatant surprise. Right now she was washing the dishes soiled by the lunch given to the crew. With her white sleeves rolled up and her hands donning a pair of unflattering rubber gloves, Dizzy scrubbed the dishes and cutlery with a cheery yet downcast smile on her face. She was still saddened by the kiss with May, but this actually cheered her up. And as hard as it was to believe, for a very brief few hours, Dizzy managed to put that whole episode to the back of her mind. Dizzy was at peace. So much so that Necro and Undine had stopped their catfights in support of Dizzy. If this made Dizzy feel better, Undine would happily let her carry it out in peace. And to the extent that could be tolerated, Necro stood back too. June took at a gander at Dizzy from the corner of her eye, and smiled contentedly. Nobody on the ship was as keen on cafeteria duty as Dizzy was. And it was uplifting to say the least. For the past two days, Dizzy was not in a happy mood. She rarely spoke to anyone other than May, April or Johnny, but she even blocked them out. And it was for this reason that June was a little nervous about Dizzy working with her, but it all turned out okay. Dizzy was enjoying herself. And now that she got to know Dizzy a little better, June was happy to have Dizzy work alongside her on a regular basis. “Hey, Dizzy.” June said. Dizzy looked across to June, who was standing by the pine table on the middle of the kitchen floor. “Yes?” “I’m gonna try out some new things tomorrow, maybe a little spice to the mix. You want me to show you some tricks?” Dizzy nodded gleefully. She never looked at herself as a chef but her cherry pie (made under June’s directions) was a big hit with the rest of the crew. June winked. “Perfect! First, lemme show you how to make my special Hotpot. It’s one of my prized own creations, so try not to spread the recipe around, okay?” Dizzy nodded again, as June laughed playfully at Dizzy’s shyness. The hybrid Gear was as powerful as she was well spoken but at the same time, very insecure. It was a cute amalgamation, though. By this time, May had reached the cafeteria. Passing through the double doors into the cafeteria hall, she looked around the tables for Dizzy. She wasn’t there. Assuming that she was still in the kitchen cooking with June, May walked over to the door on the other side of the room that led to the kitchen. Though most of the girls were in the hall, the room was quiet, and as May neared the door to the kitchen, trivial giggles and snickers could be heard through the thin steel door. Part of May wanted to go in there and cheer for joy. *Two* voices were laughing, and one of them was Dizzy’s. But a second part of her didn’t want to intrude. If Dizzy was in a good mood now, perhaps bringing up the kiss might rattle her. But May couldn’t see what was going on either. The circular window to the door had to be boarded up. This was because May had accidentally broken it after a vicious spider attack, but now she was regretting that. How ironic. May could compete in a shed-blood tournament involving criminals, knights, ninjas, maniacs and a freaky shadow guy, but she couldn’t face an arachnid. Sometimes life can be confusing. Like finding out how you feel about someone. Or figuring out what the hell ‘Fuuga’ means. May (unashamedly so) leaned in on the door and eavesdropped, not wishing to disturb the two, but rather to listen and wait for a right time to make her presence known. Then May started to hear things... “Is that the right way?” That was Dizzy’s voice. June spoke back. “Oh no, there’s a method, Dizzy. You have to be more gentle...like this...” “Oh. Okay...” A brief pause. “Is that okay?” “Oh yeah! That’s it! Go Dizzy! You’re really good!” “T-thank you. I enjoyed doing that...” “Wanna try it again...” “I’d love to.” That very second, May slammed the door open and charged in with a look of total vehemence on her face. “What is going on here!?!” Both June and Dizzy sweatdropped as May stomped in with an aura of innocent rage surrounding her body. And it took May a few seconds to correct her suppositions. June was helping Dizzy stir something in a pot on the hob. The cook of the May ship giggled gently. “What’s up, May? Why do you look so stressed? Did you catch Johnny with another girl?” May nervously scratched the back of her head when she realized that the two weren’t doing anything they weren’t supposed to. “Um...sorry, June...can I...borrow Dizzy for a second?” June shrugged her shoulders. “Sure, I guess so. I can finish the rest of the dishes by myself, I think.” As June walked over to the large sink at the other side of the kitchen to give May and Dizzy sometime alone, the two girls stared down each other, both completely unable to read the thoughts of the other. And that fact made them both nervous. It was the first time since the kiss that they had actually seen each other, so it was understandable that tensions would be running high. And though May had wanted to see Dizzy, when push finally came to shove, the pirate girl couldn’t think of a thing to say. The same for Dizzy. But unlike Dizzy, May was willing to at least make an attempt to salvage their friendship. “Dizzy...” May whispered quietly. “Can we please talk?” Dizzy only stood still, her eyes focused on nothing more than May. And her brain focused on Undine and Necro. May would have flung herself of a cliff in misery if she heard some of the things that Necro was saying about her. But it wasn’t his incessant rants that were getting to Dizzy. It was the hurt and sadness from May running away from her the way she did. That act had hurt the cerulean haired girl in ways that no human scorn could. That hurt and humiliation was so strong, that seeing May was unbearable. She had to get away. Dizzy said nothing to May as she tore the gaze of her crimson red eyes away from May’s dark marble ones, and made her way to the door. “Dizzy? Wait!” Too late. She was gone. A concerned June walked up to May, as the pirate girl’s shoulders slumped down in regret. “You two aren’t getting along, are you?” June asked. “Dizzy seemed a little sad today. But you two never have fights, do you?” May forced herself not to chase after Dizzy. “No...we don’t...” ********** A simple blade cut through the molecules of matter that formed the air, with almost lightning-sharp accuracy, and painstaking efficiency. And that sleek blade came to rest at the side of a 16-year old knight known as Ky Kiske. Ky was practicing just outside of the fabled palace of Versailles, a beckoning call to all, as its white marble framework and design stood for the righteousness and honor of the Sacred Order of Holy Knights. As Ky’s sword lowered down, he looked behind him and stared at the majesty of the palace. It had long since been a sort of venue for ceremonial business, such as appointments into high positions of the Order, and was one of the few strongholds in Europe that had managed to say in tact in the fury of the war. And for Ky it held a deep significance. Those marble arches and pillars were a symbolic representation of all the ideals he held near and dear. And in only a few hours, Ky would be inside this building and would be receiving command of the entire Order. A normal man would crumble under such pressure. After all, the Sacred Order of Holy Knights was mankind’s last chance. That meant whoever led them, held the fate of the world in their hands. That was an enormous amount of pressure to place on one person. Yet Ky didn’t feel any real strain. This was his duty. A gift given to him by God and a responsibility that could only be upheld by the virtuous. Still, deep within Ky’s soul, there lay a small but overt feeling of doubt. Of worry. Was he really strong enough to oversee humanity’s fate? He was still only sixteen. When Kliff Undersn appointed Ky as his successor, many people in the Order had been averse to the idea. Ky had even heard talk that Kliff had been driven insane by the death of his stepson, Tesu Undersn, and that this action was merely a materialization of that same lunacy. Although these people were few in number, were they right? Was giving leadership to a post-pubescent youngster a well-planned move or a foolish mistake? Ky himself had no answers to these questions. The only thing that he could do was his best. If he had to, Ky would fight and die on the battlefield. If that’s what it took to save the world, then so be it. And God help any Gear that was foolish enough to stand in his way. From afar, watching Ky train outside of the palace was Kliff Undersn. He had only retired a few weeks ago, and was brandishing the weapon given to him as retirement gift, the gigantic, dragon-murdering blade known to all as Dragonslayer. Running his hand through his short grey beard, Kliff made his way to his future successor. From the corner of his eye, Ky caught sight of the former leader of the Order, and bowed down respectfully, almost automatically, an action developed from years of unwavering servitude and unconditional respect. Kliff gruffly scowled at Ky. “On your feet, boy. You’ll be in command of the entire Order soon.” Ky did as he was requested and stood. “I apologize, sir. I still think of you as commander. I doubt I will ever have the strength of will or character to replace you.” Kliff laughed haughtily, his massive blade perched over his shoulder. “Eh, heh, heh, heh! Still very respectful, aren’t you! But with that attitude you won’t be much of a leader. Your duty is to lead the Order to victory over the evil of the Gears. It’s a mission I’m too old for...and when I was selecting a man to ‘replace’ me, only one knight could fit the bill in the manner I wanted.” Ky tightened his grip on his training sword. “People are counting on my efforts. Countless innocents are relying on my skills.” The former leader of the Order grinned at Ky. “You’ve grown into a powerful swordsman. I used to see no promise in you, but...your courage and valiant fire gave you an edge. Then I realized that under all of your pristine traits, a level head exists. You then showed me that you had the potential to master skills such as the Stun Dipper and the Needle Spike. Techniques that haven’t been used by knights in the Order for decades. And as time grew...I knew you were the right one to succeed me as commander of the Sacred Order. I have a firm belief in you, Ky Kiske. It’s up to you to have the same.” “I will do my best for the Order, sir. You have my word.” Ky said. Kliff chortled again. “I’m sure you will,” And became serious in attitude when he added, “Because eventually, you’ll be facing evil itself. You’ll be leading the Order against Justice and his maniacal Gear army. And the fate of peace and freedom will be at stake.” Ky looked away. “I know that, sir.” Kliff’s brown eyes darted up to Ky. “Good. Because if you keep doubting yourself, the only path that will lie in front of you is the one that leads to your grave.” While Ky pondered that, Kliff walked closer to Ky and pulled out a small box from inside his pocket, placing it into the hand of his soon-to-be successor. Ky drew himself from his thoughts and stared at the box in his palm. “What is this?” Ky asked curiously. Kliff only grinned. “Open it.” The French knight opened up the box that Kliff gave to him, and stared wide-eyed at the treasure that was inside it. A small, Japanese teacup. Kliff owned an extremely rare set of Japanese teacups that had become priceless since the downfall of Japan, and Ky had his eye on those magnificent treasures for sometime. Though he had never had the nerve to ask Kliff about them. And now one of those said teacups was right before him. The wielder of Dragonslayer ran his hand through his beard at the sight of Ky’s astonishment. “Think of it as an appointment gift from me to you. I had planned on passing this onto Tesu, but...I’m giving it to you, Ky. I think it would be better appreciated in your hands.” “I...thank you...thank you so much, sir.” Ky managed. “Don’t be too impressed, boy. The real treasure is in there.” Kliff pointed to the palace with his free hand. “Inside those chambers is one of the most sacred weapons within our establishment. The prized Thunderseal. Many swordsmen dream of wielding it, yet very few have the capacity to do so. You have to trust in that blade. Trust in it like it was your closest ally. Because in two hours, it will be.” Kliff turned to walk away just as he added, “You will be using that sword to smite evil. And purge darkness from this world. It is your destiny. If you will believe it to be...” And with those last words of advice, Kliff was gone. And Ky was left with two gifts. One was the teacup; the other was Kliff’s sage-like words of wisdom. Though his short, gruff appearance was overwhelming in your initial perception of him, Kliff Undersn astuteness for combat and tactical cunning gave him an edge over any man half his age. And very soon, Ky would be filling that great man’s shoes... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “I defeated the evil just as you wished, Master Undersn. I dealt order to the world by ending the crusades...but...was it all a lie? I thought I was doing the right thing...” Ky sighed calmly as fond memories of the past returned to him. Though this sigh was drowned out by the loud laughing, chatter and banter that was swarming around him. The ex-knight was currently inside a new restaurant in Fuzhou, China. The place where he had decided to start his pilgrimage of self-discovery. Ky wasn’t the type of person that liked to be around so many people in one instance, but this restaurant had been recommended to him by the owner of the inn at which Ky had been residing in. Since he had never tried Chinese cuisine before, it would be very interesting to sample the culinary legacy of other cultures. Plus, the person who is running this restaurant was said to be an extremely skilled chef. In the kitchens of this busy restaurant, a group of chefs and cooks were running around the kitchen to prepare and serve the meals ordered by the public. And all were under the directions of a certain ring-haired, Chinese girl... “Alright now, we’ve got twenty-two orders to put out and no customer leaves one of Jam Kuradoberi’s eateries without a smile! Now get to work!” A cook passed on a plate of food to a waiter, and as Jam walked by, her razor-sharp nose for food scents sensed an irregularity. “Hey! There’s no ground pepper in that, is there?” Jam jabbed sharply. The waiter sweatdropped at his boss’ culinary awareness. “Um...is it...needed, ma’am?” The waiter asked. Jam scowled as though someone had slapped her in the face. “You idiot! Of course it is! Are you gonna serve my ramen dishes like that? Geez!” The master-chef grabbed the plate that carried the offending bowl of ramen, and frowned at the waiter. “Give this to me, and you go to table four and apologise for a slight delay. If they complain offer them some free fortune cookies or something. Okay?” The waited nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” “Who is at table four anyway? A regular?” Jam asked. The waiter shook his head. “Nah, it’s some blonde guy.” Jam looked confused for a second, the vast majority of her customers were Chinese in origin, so she opened the door to see who was at table four. And felt the sweetest of twinges in her heart... ********** “So. You’ve located Zato-ONE?” Baiken asked sceptically. Venom nodded in earnest. He was perfectly serious. Thinking about, Baiken was wary of Zato. Not in a manner that gave her reason to fear of him, but a segment of Baiken’s heart held a grudging respect for any man who was significant enough to shake a woman as strong as Millia was. A strength that Millia had yet to discover within herself. The blonde woman in question was completely neutral. Millia’s face was showing no worry or doubt. Which was in some respects outlandish if you took into consideration how much of an effect Zato’s existence had on Millia’s life. But then again, she didn’t look too excited about it either. Baiken wasn’t the only person who noticed that. Venom also saw that Millia was not displaying much care or concern for the situation. But neither of them was prepared to confront Millia about it. People deal with their problems in their own way. The orphaned assassin continued to inform the other two. “He’s been at a large warehouse for the past two weeks. My associates’ reports have said that no one who has been to that warehouse has returned since. I think Zato may have murdered them. I assume that means he is becoming more desperate. I want to help him before he does anything drastic.” Baiken sneered at that, but kept it personal, for Millia’s sake. It seemed as if Venom was unaware of Millia’s overall aims. Rather than get into that, Baiken ambled the conversation over to something else. “Where exactly is this warehouse?” “In the third district of the city. It used to be used as a training ground for the younger members of the Chinese Guild, but it has been out of use for the past three months. I suggest that we go there and confront Zato tomorrow.” “I agree.” Baiken said sternly. “What about you, Millia?” Millia said nothing, her light sapphire eyes focused on the hands rested in lap. Baiken’s eye narrowed. “Millia?” With that last bid for Millia’s attention, Baiken pulled the unwilling assassin from her trance-like reverie. Both Venom and Baiken threw enigmatic looks at her. Without explaining herself, Millia briskly rose from her chair and strode over to the door behind Venom. One thing Millia disliked was too much attention placed upon herself. As she positioned her hand on the doorknob, Millia spoke out to the assassin and the samurai. “I need some air.” Millia left the room and headed outside to get what she sorely required, some fresh air. Usually, Millia would not have left Baiken and Venom alone like that, for fear of them attempting to execute each other. This time Millia didn’t concern herself with trivial things like that. Zato was close. So close that Millia actually felt as though she could feel his presence. No matter much she disliked the idea, there was always a spiritual link between the two of them. In a sense, you could call Millia and Zato rivals. The feud between the two was always projected within the arena. Fighting seemed to be the only way the two could settle their differences. But the hatred and resentment that clouded them tapped into something deeper than a rivalry. The truth of it was, that Millia and Zato were nightmarish soul mates. The only difference being that there is love between two bonded souls in general. For Millia and Zato, that love was replaced by deep-rooted hatred and resentment. The pair of them were, in effect, separate pieces of the yin yang puzzle. Different, but alike. Both carrying a share of the other in their hearts and only complete in the face of the others presence. Millia had felt that way since the first time she attempted to take her own life. It was also the reason for Millia feeling as though Zato must be dead and buried if she were to live her life without a hateful angst. In Chinese Mythology, the Dragon and the Tiger are said to be two noble creatures whose rivalry with each other is not only equal but also perpetual. And as strange as it was, Millia did feel that way. As much as Millia hated it, the bonds between them were eternal. And they would remain that way until she put her former master’s living corpse to rest. Millia would never be free until Zato-ONE was dead. After walking out of the Inn and onto the damp grass of the outside, Millia breathed in fresh night air. And took a look at the starry skies above. Beautiful. Many men had attempted to win Millia’s affections with sweet complements about her beauty, but Millia never saw any true beauty inside herself. That might have been because the blonde never had any real regard for her life, or maybe because she looked at the world in black and white, Millia couldn’t tell, but it didn’t matter to her. The stars held true exquisiteness. Millia’s icy soul had just enough passion inside it notice that fact. Now that she thought about it, Millia never really took the time to admire the stars anymore. These days, she was either fighting of the Assassin Organization’s endless army of drones or being tormented by dreams of the supposed betrayal of Zato. But by tomorrow, that would all be over. She and Zato would have their last confrontation, one that would decide it all. One of them would die tomorrow, and either way, Millia got what she wanted. Peace. ********** In the dank alleyway below a soft sprinkling of mid-summer drizzle, Sol swerved around sharply as a familiar voice called out to him from the darkness. The voice spoke out. “We meet again...Sol Badguy...” Sol gritted his teeth in irritation. “You damn well said that already. Who the hell are you?” The character stepped out of the shadows and faced the bounty hunter, taking a brief look at the corpse of Sol’s last run. And smiled brightly as he held up his dual kusari-game... “It’s me! Axl Low!” Axl chuckled. “Have you forgotten my voice already?” The Guilty Gear scowled at this blonde brit. He had encountered Axl before at the tournament, and the guy kept going on and on about how they knew each other from way back when. But Sol didn’t recognise him. Not even in the least. And Sol wasn’t the type of man to waste his time with people he either didn’t know or didn’t need to know. Sol rested Fireseal on his shoulder. “What do you want?” Axl sighed. “Still kinda anti-social, aren’t you? You don’t change much, Sol. But I can show you how I’ve improved! Wanna spar for a little while?” “I don’t have time for you.” Sol stated calmly. Axl shook his hands in front of him. “Hey, hey, hey! I was only kidding! I’m here for serious reasons, man!” Sol closed his eyes. “Do those ‘serious reasons’ include bugging me?” “Oh really? Well, would it help if I told you that I know something about that Project J2 your bounty was talking about?” Sol’s eyes opened sharply, but he didn’t alter his disposition. It wouldn’t do Sol any good if Axl knew that he was curious. For some reason...Sol had this thing about laboratories and experiments... Sol feigned indifference. “You know something?” Axl beamed. “Yeap!” “Well, what do you what? Money?” The terror of 20th century London’s east end tapped his dual kusari-game on his shoulder. “Not all of us are out to make a profit, y’know, Sol. I’m here to help.” “I don’t need anyone’s help.” Sol said. “Don’t tell me you’re getting involved in this...” Axl shook his head feverishly. “No, no, no. I can’t, I gotta find a way back home. Besides, I have Megumi to think about. But, if I have to stay in this world I guess it needs to be kept safe.” A small grin travelled onto Sol’s face. “You think I want to protect the world, huh? The very fact that you said that shows that you don’t know me.” “I’m serious!” Axl said. “They say the guy in charge of the project is one bad mother-“ “Shut your mouth.” Sol snapped sharply. “I don’t have time for your little games, so if you know something, either cough it up or get the hell out of my face.” Axl sweatdropped. “Geez, suck a sage, why don’t ya! You catch more bees with honey. But since you asked, this is supposed to be a really expensive project that’s been planned for the last five months. Some say they’re trying to make a new Gear, others say they’re trying to make some kinda weapon to fight against the second self-reliant Gear. You must have heard about that, right?” Sol growled irritably. Part of him still regretted sparing Dizzy’s life. The part of him that couldn’t stand to see another living Gear walk free in the world. But then there was that part of him that still possessed a shred of human kindness. A kindness that still hated to see the torment of innocents. Gear or Human. And, fortunately for Dizzy, the latter took a strange priority in that battle. Sol crossed his arms. “Keep talking.” “And it’s being started as we speak in a city called Fuzhou in China. Apparently some of the scientists involved are being paid by a much higher power, and funding is coming from this higher power as well. I don’t know the exact location, but I’m certain it’s in Fuzhou. You should check it out.” “...Fuzhou, huh?” Sol mused over that. How was he going to get to China? “Yep.” Axl said. “But that’s all I have. I ran into some girl who was talking about it and then I saw you, bullying that kid and then running him in. All in a days work for a bounty hunter, eh?” Sol said nothing; he just turned to the direction away from Axl and began to walk out of the alleyway. “Hey!” Axl yelled. “How ‘bout thanking me?” “...” Sol said nothing. “Fine! You wait until that crazy chick with the guitar catches up with you, then you’ll see!” Sol dug his feet into the ground and cast Axl a dark and powerful glare over his shoulder. “What did you just say?”
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