Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ A Turn Around ❯ When Lightning Strikes ( Chapter 1 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: AnimaFai15 
This is the story of Jason Sandslash before he began to work for the Tri-Fire Incorporated. Pre-Yaurl Butterfly.
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Horror / Psychological / Angst / Shounen | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 11.18.2011 | Updated On: 11.18.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.9K | Visits: 360 | Status: Completed
This is the story of Jason Sandslash before he began to work for the Tri-Fire Incorporated. Pre-Yaurl Butterfly.
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Horror / Psychological / Angst / Shounen | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 11.18.2011 | Updated On: 11.18.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.9K | Visits: 360 | Status: Completed
All he felt was pain down his spine, curling around every limb of his body and leaving him breathless. From above, a man held a bloody baseball bat. He brought it down to the boy's legs, effectively smashing the bones. He laughed manically as the boy screamed in pain. A sudden alarm coming from his watch changed his expression immediately. His face had suddenly become calmer and nicer. He didn't wait for the boy and dragged him to his feet. The weight on his legs made the boy whimper pathetically.
"Remember, a student did that to you. If they know you were with me, then tell them that I was dealing with it. Understand?" His voice has lowered to a growl at the last word. The boy nodded quickly. "Good. Then I'll see you tomorrow, Jason. I hope that you're better behaved by then."
Using the wall to support himself, Jason slowly made his way out of Mr. Ackard's classroom and hurried as fast as his broken legs would carry him to the front of the school. Once there, he allowed the tears to fall. It wasn't fair that he had to go to that horrible teacher's room every day after school to endure humiliation and abuse. Half the time, he wouldn't even be doing anything wrong when he was yelled at. The other half was for the tiniest things, such as accidently dropping a pencil or missing a problem on a practice quiz.
Finally, he called his mother for a ride home. The buses were long gone, and there was no way that the eight year old was going to be able to walk the way. When his mother asked the inevitable, he calmly answered, "It was Billy, the guy who bullies all the little boys." He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where the doctors wrapped his broken legs and put him in a wheel chair.
"Jason, can you tell us what happened? Your mother said it was a school bully. Is that true?" The doctor was nice, but Jason had already begun to hate him. Who were these people to ask him such personal questions, demanding to know everything? They had no right to poke at him. His sinister smile and eerie voice scared the doctor.
"It was Billy, no doubt about it. There's no one else who could have done it."
Why was he defending that horrible teacher? At the time, he was extremely scared of him. There was no telling what the man would do if the boy told a soul. He was forced to submit just so he could keep his life. For now, that was all the reason Jason needed.
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Jason felt a rough hand grab his cast and yank at it. He immediately woke up to find Mr. Ackard by his bedside. He had an evil glare on his face. "Did you tell?" He growled. When the boy failed to answer quickly enough, he yanked harder, eliciting a small yelp from him. "Well?!"
"No. I didn't tell anyone!" He cowered, expecting to be hit for apparently talking back. Instead, he was greeted with a soft pat on the head. "Good," the teacher whispered. His eyes sparkled with a strange light. As Jason tried to study that weird light, he felt that hand on his head slowly travel down to his chest and waist. Instinctively, he smacked it away, but regretted that decision when he was smacked in the face.
"Don't you dare push me away. You're much weaker than me, so there's no point." The teacher turned to find some cables on the table. He quickly tied them around the boy's wrists and waist, not considering the other as he pulled them as tight as they would go. To keep him quiet, he found a spare sheet and gagged the boy.
Jason had no idea what was happening. All he knew was that his teacher was hurting every part of him that he hadn't been able to hit with the bat. What seemed to be an eternity later, the man withdrew and looked at him, horrified at what he had done.
After another warning to not tell a soul, Mr. Ackard disappeared, leaving no traces of his visit behind. All Jason was able to do was cower in his bed and wait for the first light of day.
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As the years went by, Mr. Ackard managed to move up a grade along with Jason. Since he had never told anyone about the man's bullying, his entire family thought the man had taken a special interest in Jason's education. The boy wanted to scream at them, to force them to see the true horror he was enduring every day. Still, the fear consumed him, making him paranoid and timid. When he hit puberty and saw girls as beautiful beings rather than cootie-containers, the bully used this as an opportunity to exploit his developing system. It was an endless cycle the boy couldn't stop.
Once he turned 15 years old, Jason was humiliated even further. The teacher had long since forgotten that he had to hit places no one would easily notice. He always returned home with bruises and welts from the beatings. Every time someone noticed, he would pin in on another student.
One day, he was sipping a milkshake at the local Dairy Queen when a group of people entered. The leader was a middle aged man with platinum hair held back in a small ponytail. By his right side was a teenage boy with lightning yellow hair and matching eyes. A girl with pale blonde hair and a boy with flame-red hair held hands behind the leader. Jason was about to turn away when someone tapped on his shoulder. He jumped, only to see the blonde had approached him.
"Hi. I noticed you were sitting here all alone and was wondering if you would like to join me and my friends?" He looked shocked when Jason scooted a little further from the blonde. "Come on, I don't bite!" he insisted.
Jason offered him a small smile. It wasn't that he was afraid of them biting, but that they would see the marks on him and be disgusted with him. Ackard made it pretty clear that he wasn't going to make any good friends as long as he allowed himself to get beaten daily. For once, Jason tested his luck. "Sure, why not?" He picked up his backpack and milkshake, then followed the blonde teen to his friends.
The older man looked surprised when he saw Jason. "Who's your new friend, Zack?"
Jason decided to spare Zack the embarrassment. "Hello, I'm Jason Sandslash. I live here in town and I'm a freshman in high school." He gave a small bow. He looked up to see the group was oddly impressed.
"You know," the blonde girl started, "Zack doesn't usually pick up random people. What kind of power do you have? I, Alexis, have ice. My boyfriend, Matthew, can control fire. Zack can shoot lightning from his hands. We're not too sure about this guy, though," she added with a smirk, referring to the older man. Jason chuckled, then froze in place. 'What kind of people ask about your powers?' he thought in a panic. 'I'm so screwed. They'll never accept me if I tell them the truth!'
"Actually," the silver man spoke up. His voice was low, but full of sincerity and kindness. "I see more of a rocky side to you." Smiling a little sadly, he asked, "You haven't awakened to any powers yet?"
"I didn't know I had powers at all, period."
"You must!" Alexis shot out of her seat and stared at Jason pleadingly. "Zack won't talk to normal humans! He considers them the scum of this planet. For him to even notice you, much less talk to you and introduce you to us, means that you must be special somehow." 'Scum?!' Although Zack's line of thinking was rather harsh, Jason couldn't help but agree. He would love to be anything but a spiteful, evil human being. Ackard's face appeared in his mind, reinforcing what he believed to be what a human truly was.
But why be so hateful towards a kid he hardly knew when he could take his anger out on someone like his wife or daughter? In the beginning, the cold treatment seemed to be a normal part of life, never to be questioned. Now that he was older and wiser, he wanted to know why. He doubted that his family had ever done anything to him, and he had never met Jason before the beginning of second grade. The questions left a burning sensation in the base of his throat, causing him to gag a little.
The group of people misunderstood the coughing and ran to get some water. Zack remained behind, trying to help him to breathe without actually touching him. This stirred Jason's curiousity. Once the coughing subsided, he whispered, "Hm? I've noticed you don't seem to like touching people. Is it some sort of phobia you have?"
Zack laughed a little, then put on a serious face. "Yeah, it's a fear. However, the problem actually does interfere with my life. It's a little thing called Androphobia, the fear of all men. It doesn't mean I hate them, it's just I can't really be around them."
"And yet you sit here, talking to me normally." It sounded mean to Jason's ears, but he was a little nervous. If he was so afraid of males, then how could he be around him?
"You're special, I guess. Heck, maybe you'll find a cure for me if I let you hang around long enough." The two were laughing hysterically when the others arrived with waters. Everyone else was confused, but laughed along anyways. Jason felt a giddy feeling erupt in his chest, spreading out everywhere. He had never been this happy in all of his life. His rosy bubble was quickly popped when he felt a hand clamp on his choulder. He looked up to see Mr. Ackard staring down at him. Since they were in public, he had no expression.
"Jason, how wonderful to see you here. Who are your friends?" Upon saying 'friends', his hand tightened on Jason's shoulder, leaving red scratch marks. Of course, Jason remained quiet and even gave a small smile. Of course, his new friends knew it was fake.
"It's none of your business, Ackard-Sensei." This came from Zack, who looked like he was ready to attack the teacher.
"Mr. Keke! Long time no see! How is everything going for you now that you've graduated high school?" The smirk he gave them all was rather unnerving. Jason was preparing to stand up when Zack spoke again.
"Is Jason the one you've been harrassing? I remember a kid in your classroom one day, and you were beating the s*** out of him. This boy beside me seems to match the description of the boy from that day." Suddenly, he grabbed Jason and yanked him free of Ackard's grip. "You better just leave while you can, sir. You won't want to stay behind to see me explode."
For a split second, it looked like Ackard was going to call Zack on his bluff and begin his daily ritual on him and Jason. However, the moment was gone, and his brain actually intervened to make him leave. The second the door closed behind him, Zack threw Jason to the other side of the table and cursed Ackard, using every inappropiate word and phrase he could muster up. Alexis, Matthew, and the silver-haired man sat there silently, being careful not to say anything to make Zack's rage grow any worse.
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The events from earlier kept replaying in Jason's head. He could hardly believe that Zack had been able to overcome his fear to protect Jason. What more, that slimey teacher had actually listened to the blonde! Where did he get such a backbone? Jason was lying in bed, looking out the window and half praying that his new friends would show up. When around them, he actually felt more comforted and protected than when he hanged around family and fake friends at school.
The next day at school, he was surprised to see Alexis and Matthew in the hall, wearing a matching school uniform. They instantly noticed him and lunged at him, pulling him into a bear hug. "I can't believe you're in the same school as us!" Alexis squealed, refusing to let go of the brunette boy. With a little help from Matthew, Jason was pried from Alexis' death grip.
"You just transferred here?"
"Nah, we've been going here for a while. Zack graduated from this school a few months ago. I'm surprised we've never seen you here!"
At lunch, they all sat in the back with a few other people. Alexis and Matthew didn't bother to introduce them, so Jason assumed they weren't too important. For the whole period they joked, duiscussed the silliest topics, and even gave love advice to Alexis so that she could score a boy who sat two tables to her right. The world seemed so bright all of a sudden. Even the looming threat of Ackard didn't bother the brunette so much. As they skipped into his class, Jason could here a slight growl coming from the demented teacher. Rather than bothering him, it filled Jason with an even greater sense of happiness. Strange as it was, Ackard's frustration was becoming Jason's true joy.
"Sandslash, give the class the answer to problem 3."
Without any difficulty, Jason recited the correct answer, mentally laughing at his teacher's dumbfounded face. Mr. Ackard approached Jason's desk and actually slapped the smile off of his face. The class, who had never seen their teacher at his worst, gasped in horror. Matthew and Alexis were by his side guarding him in a matter of seconds.
The class was even more horrified when they heard Jason laughing coldly. The ice in his voice could have shattered anyone's soul. Finally, the years of torture and abuse had cracked the teen. His hands shook violently. Mr. Ackard actually looked concerned. He dragged Jason out of the classroom and took him to the nurse's office. "We'll discuss your behavior later," he whispered before taking off. Through Jason's breaking mind, he couldn't hear a single threat. It actually seemed like the teacher cared. What he wasn't able to grasp was that his voice was far too sweet. It would have unnerved a healthy individual.
The nurse, who was just as clueless as the rest of the school, just gave the brunette a hall pass to return to class. As Jason exited the room, he felt a hand grab him by the wrist and pull him into an empty classroom. Mr. Ackard's face was the very image of his worst nightmares: goulish in the pale sunlight pouring in from the window, a dark aura radiating from his narrow eyes, and a snarl etched on his mouth. "Son of the devil, did you tell?"
'That's not what you usually call me,' Jason thought. Throughout the years, the names he was called varied through time, including the first one, Pipsqueak, to his more recent names, Fairy Boy, Retard, and even Fag. However, never had he called him a devil, much less the son of one. "No, I said nothing. You should know me by now, sir." To avoid a good blow to the head for his smart-aleck comment, he quickly added, "But why the son of the devil? That's not the name you usually give me."
The smile he recieved was even worse than his previous snarl. "You're the son of Andrew and Jessie Sandslash, correct?" Jason nodded weakly. "Did your mother ever tell you the story of your birth?"
Jason stumbled backwards. "Ackard, what are you getting at? My family has proof I belong to my father. The DNA results sit in a mantle in my living room!"
"Why do you think they needed a DNA test to begin with?"
His eyes widened in shock. 'Tell me you're lying to me,' he pleaded in his mind. 'Tell me you really have nothing to do with my parents, and that hurting me is just a fun game for you!' He watched as his teacher pulled up a chair and motioned for him to sit. He rushed to sit without hesitation. This was a rather odd change for the man. He never explained, but dished it out as he felt nessesary.
"It all began in my senior year of highschool. You see, I was dating the prettiest girl in school. We were practically inseperable. However, I did something regrettable and broke my promisde to her." He paused to wipe a single tear from his eye. 'Did it really hurt him that much. He seems so heartless now, I can't imagine him with a heart.'
"A month later, I find my darling with that detestable Andrew Sandslash! I told her he was bad news and would only hinder her in life, but she never listened. She didn't trust me anymore. So I was forced to suffer silently as the ba***** pulled her further down the road to self-destruction.
"She did everything that Andrew did: smoked, did drugs, drank beer, robbed convinience stores, and so forth. There seemed to be no hope. Her parents noticed her recent behavior, thanks to me, and tried to stop her. She didn't respond when they took away practically everything she owned. She was even happy when they kicked her out. She was past caring, and it was all thanks to Andrew. " Each time he said Jason's father's name, he spat it out quickly as though it left a bad taste in his throat.
"One day, merely a week before graduation, she was so drunk she thought she was still dating me. Needless to say, I took the oppritunity and spent the night with her. The net day, she ran right back to Andrew, forgetting everything I told her. My entire plan had backfired. Andrew naturally felt he had to be a man and beat the sh** out of me for having sex with his girlfriend. I didn't care. No matter what he did, he couldn't stop me from trying.
"I learned a little after graduation that she had become pregnant. Hopeful me thought I was the father. I stayed as close as I could without Andrew finding out. When the baby was born, Andrew had began to suspect me in the little plan. He ordered me to go with him to take a paternity test. I was shocked to find that he was the baby's true father. Yes, he was the father of the child that should've been mine!"
Mr. Ackard finished and turned his hateful eyes towards Jason. For the first time in his life, Jason actually feared for more than his fragile body, but his very life! With the truth thrown at him, he was utterly helpless to protect himself. He tried to get out of his chair and run out the door, but Ackard anticipated it and got to him before he could escape. He twisted Jason's arm around and tossed him to the ground. He sat on his chest to prevent him from getting up.
"I have the devil's son before me, but why do you look like Jessie?" He seemed to be talking to himself. Jason struggled to free himself. Suddenly, Ackard seemed to return to the present and promptly slapped Jason in the face. Then he ran his hands through the teen's hair, somehow reliving a past he couldn't return to. "Jessie, why did you leave? Why didn't you believe me. She threw herself at me, not the other way around."
He kept switching from the past to reality, hitting Jason and then carressing him, calling him by his mother's name. Soon, he didn't even notice Jason was there. In his mind, he was back in that night, alone with his mother. Jason felt the man's hands run down his sides and rest on his hips. He tried to cry for help, but was instantly gagged.
"Relax, Jessie. It won't hurt. It'll probably hurt less because it's not that wretched excuse for a boyfriend." He grabbed Jason by the chin and roughly kissed his mouth. No matter how much Jason twisted and turned, he was always cornered. While he tried to fight one battle, he was unable to fight the othr one happening simultaneously. As the older man positioned himself over the teen, Jason felt his vision go past red and turn white. The fear and shock were literally blinding him. He pushed his hands towards Ackard's face, hoping to shove his face away at least.
Instead, he felt his hand grow hot and begin to burn. All Jason could think of what throwing stones at the detesable man. He heard a scream and opened his eyes to the most gruesome sight he had ever encountered. Ackard had jumped away from him, covering one eye with his hands and whimpering like a little baby. When he pulled his hands away for a split second, Jason yelped. Trapped in his eye was a small rock, jagged and sharp. Blood was pouring out like a river. He used it as an oppritunity to escape.
Jason ran out of the school and down the streets, not caring who saw him anymore. Tears streamed down his face in the same river-fashion as the blood had poured from Ackard's eye. Suddenly, he skidded to a stop. A comment the silver haired man from before replayed in his head. 'I see more of a rocky side to you.' He stared at his hands. They actually looked normal with no gaping hole from where the stone could have come from. Was this really his power, to make stone materialize out of thin air? It turned out to be helpful when he was in trouble, but what use was his rock power going to be in daily life?
As he walked around a building, he nearly ran into his new friends. Zack was wearing a brown suede jacket, a white T-shirt, and dark-blue jeans. Matthew had the usual sleeveless shirt and shorts, just as Alexis had her fur jacket, skirt, and boot combination. The leader of the group wore a simple orange suit. Standing beside him was a young girl with dark-silver hair, wearing a T-shirt separated into to solid colors and capris. A gray headband with a heart and a star on either side rested on her head. The group leader noticed Jason staring at the girl and laughed.
"Sorry. I should introduce the two of you. Jason, this is our newest recruit, 13 year old Sheila Telekenesis. She's run away from her family for unknown reasons and has decided to work for us." Sheila bowed politely, never taking her steel gray eyes off of Jason.
Something about that was rather odd. "Um, this may be rude, but how old are you all?"
Alexis grinned. "Matthew and I are both 17 years old."
Zack shrugged. "I might be the only legal adult in this rodeo, minus Givonni. I'm 19 years old."
The silver-haired man, Givonni, gestured to himself. "This may shock you, but I'm 37 years old. I've been in the business a lot longer than you could think." He wrapped a single arm around everyone, drawing them closer. "We're just one big happy family, aren't we?" Everyone exclaimed in both agreement and discomfort. His white-gray eyes found Jason's chocolate-brown ones and held a strong stare. Jason didn't feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, he felt as though he was just watching another episode his silly family was going through.
Zack suddenly grabbed Jason and pulled him into the group hug. "There's no way you're gonna get out of this, buddy. This is for the entire family, including you!"
'Don't!' Jason screamed to himself. 'He can't really stand guys all that much. He's just being nice, that's all.' Despite himself, he threw himself at Zack and buried his head in the crook of his neck. The smells of static, laundry detergent, and chocolate filled his head until he was giddy on the scent alone. "Thank you so much. You have no idea what that means to me!" He didn't even notice the tears running down his face until a thumb wiped them away. Zack's arm snaked around Jason's shoulder and held him firmly.
"Don't be thanking me. We all think you're family. In fact, we'd like it if you worked with us at Tri-Fire Inc."
Jason looked up to the blonde's face. He had the biggest grin of everyone in the area. Alexis added, "It's totally okay with the company. The head boss lets Givonni-sama hire whoever he wants, so long as they are at least 12. Turns out, the guy likes to hire them young to maxamize productivity or something like that. It's a great way to make friends as well. You should join us!"
"The pay's a lot better than some job at a grocery store or fast-food joint. Best of all, we don't do more than copy papers and deliver things to the other departments." Matthew hopped from one foot to another, clearly excited about the prospect of another friend. "What do you say?"
For so long, Jason had prayed for an escape from the horror of his reality. The offer seemed so unreal, he discreetly pinched himself to make sure was was really awake. It felt so surreal, but the arms still wrapped around him were real. The people staring at him, awaiting his reply were real. That rock inside Mr. Ackard's eye was real. Finally, he was standing with real friends, confident with who he was , and a future he actually looked forward to. He nodded slightly, then was squeezed as everyone ran in to hug him.
"Welcome to the Escapors Department of Tri-Fire Inc!"
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Escapors was a very fitting name for them all. They had all escaped from their dreary lives to work together. It was a life Jason was more than happy to accept. In a matter of minutes, he had withdrawn from school and was now working full time for the company. Everyone was extremely nice, helping him around the building and assisting him with his first assignments. He saw his friends constantly throughout the day. They even had a lunch break together and left the building to eat at what was now Jason's favorite Dairy Queen.
A week after he had begun working for the company, one of his coworkers approached him to inform him that the head boss was waiting to speak to him. At the boss's office, he noticed the room was very dim. He was only able to make out the hair color, a paler shade of blonde than Alexis.
"Hello, Mr. Sandslash. How are things working for you here?"
"They're great, sir!" He noticed the man was a lot nicer than some of the other members of the company had suggested. One man complained that the boss had fired more than 20 employees because he had simply become bored of them. "Everyone is really helpful. My friends in the Escapors Department recommended me here, and I don't regret a thing!"
Suddenly, the man threw his face to the light of his small lamp. Scars adorned what was once flawless skin. One eye was bloodshot. His hair was very matty and in need of a cleaning. The man smiled gently, making some of his disfigurations seeminly vanish. "Please, call me Domingo when we talk alone like this. In the office, refer to me as Mr. Foworthy. I don't want any formality. That's my brother's job," he added in a bitter tone.
Jason felt immeadiately guilty for making him think of his brother. "I'm sorry, Mr. Domingo. I didn't know that was a touchy subject."
Domingo looked at the boy for a moment before bursting into laughter. Jason laughed as well, not knowing by but not wanting to question the man. "Wow, you half disobeyed me. Most people just run when I tell them what to call me. You're interesting, and I like that. I see a bright future for you through Tri_Fire!" His smile grew even wider. He threw his feet on his little desk and put his hands behind his head. "So, do you know what our mission is here?"
"No." The boy felt ashamed. After all, he had taken the job without question.
"It's quite simple. We formed Tri-Ember as a way to help the forever-hated fire-benders. People have been spotting them a lot more now, and are doing everything they can to turn them in the the King. We basically assemble teams to search for these fire-benders and bring them here before they can be captured. We basically provide a shelter and a training center for them. In fact," he added with a twinke in his eye. "Mr. Givonni's nephew is a fire-bender as well. Thank goodness the man had been working for us when he learned this. We were able to save him as well as many others."
"Fire-benders..." The word seemed so eeire to Jason. However, he had definetly heard of it. THe news was always going on about how they were escaping by the aid of a mysterious force or how they were being horribly executed by the King himself. An idea suddenly popped into his mind. "Are you a fire-bender too?"
Domingo chuckled. "Oh, heavens no. I'm a much rarer bender. My powers revolve around time and prophecy."
"What about your brother?"
He paused for a moment. At first, it looked like he didn't want to answer. Finally, he sighed and said, "My brother possesses the same powers, but doesn't use them for much good."
One more question burned in the front of Jason's mind. His mouth was obviously a lot faster than his reason. "What does your brother do?"
"If I tell you, you can not tell anyone. That includes the members of your department. I'm only telling you because I trust you more with this."
"I understand." What could the man's brother be doing that was so horrible that he didn't want to tell anyone else?
"My little brother, Koga, otherwise known to the world as 'Jamya'," Suddenly, Jason had a very bad feeling in the base of his stomach. He felt close to vomitting the contents of his stomach. "is the King of Tri-Ember Islands." He looked ahamed to be admitting it. "He's killed hundreds of people, including his own aunt Haley Keke. He's an absolute monster who can't be controled. All I can hope for is that the people to Tri-Ember pull the rug from under him and make him a normal human being for one moment."
The name Domingo slipped in nailed Jason to the floor. 'Haley Keke'. Zack had told him that that had been his mother's name while she was alive. How could Jamya be so heartless and kill a member of his own family? Domingo looked defeated after his little confesion. Upon seeing Jason's expression of horror, he quickly assumed it was because of his blood-line. "Don't worry, though! I'm nothing like my good-for-nothing brother. I'm fighting the very thing he has set out to do. It was actually his fault that the fire-benders are being hunted, but I'm doing everything in my power to reverse his little decree."
"Can't you go back in time to stop him? Don't you have that sort of power?"
"I can't compete against another time-bender. My powers are powerless against him, just as his are dead next to mine. It's pretty much like this; You can't fight fire with fire. That just makes a worse inferno." He glanced at his clock and nearly fell back in his desk. "Crud! Did I really keep you that long?! You better get back to work before the others get weird ideas!"
The boy bowed and thanked him. As he headed out the door, Domingo called out, "Jason, remember what I said. Don't fire with fire. Just douse it with a little water." Before Jason could ask what he meant, he was directed out of the room by his secretary. 'He was nice,' Jason thought. Honestly, he had never met a more broken man. He didn't know what it felt like to be related to a tyrant and a murderer all bundled up as a little brother. He didn't know what the future was going to bring. All he was able to percieve was that he was never going to fight it alone ever again. There would always be someone to back him up, keep him from shattering, and protect him when rendered defenseless.
Less than a few months later, he found that certain someone. That someone turned out to be Zack's engergetic and outrageous little sister, sixteen year old Kasumi Mistra Keke.
"Remember, a student did that to you. If they know you were with me, then tell them that I was dealing with it. Understand?" His voice has lowered to a growl at the last word. The boy nodded quickly. "Good. Then I'll see you tomorrow, Jason. I hope that you're better behaved by then."
Using the wall to support himself, Jason slowly made his way out of Mr. Ackard's classroom and hurried as fast as his broken legs would carry him to the front of the school. Once there, he allowed the tears to fall. It wasn't fair that he had to go to that horrible teacher's room every day after school to endure humiliation and abuse. Half the time, he wouldn't even be doing anything wrong when he was yelled at. The other half was for the tiniest things, such as accidently dropping a pencil or missing a problem on a practice quiz.
Finally, he called his mother for a ride home. The buses were long gone, and there was no way that the eight year old was going to be able to walk the way. When his mother asked the inevitable, he calmly answered, "It was Billy, the guy who bullies all the little boys." He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where the doctors wrapped his broken legs and put him in a wheel chair.
"Jason, can you tell us what happened? Your mother said it was a school bully. Is that true?" The doctor was nice, but Jason had already begun to hate him. Who were these people to ask him such personal questions, demanding to know everything? They had no right to poke at him. His sinister smile and eerie voice scared the doctor.
"It was Billy, no doubt about it. There's no one else who could have done it."
Why was he defending that horrible teacher? At the time, he was extremely scared of him. There was no telling what the man would do if the boy told a soul. He was forced to submit just so he could keep his life. For now, that was all the reason Jason needed.
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Jason felt a rough hand grab his cast and yank at it. He immediately woke up to find Mr. Ackard by his bedside. He had an evil glare on his face. "Did you tell?" He growled. When the boy failed to answer quickly enough, he yanked harder, eliciting a small yelp from him. "Well?!"
"No. I didn't tell anyone!" He cowered, expecting to be hit for apparently talking back. Instead, he was greeted with a soft pat on the head. "Good," the teacher whispered. His eyes sparkled with a strange light. As Jason tried to study that weird light, he felt that hand on his head slowly travel down to his chest and waist. Instinctively, he smacked it away, but regretted that decision when he was smacked in the face.
"Don't you dare push me away. You're much weaker than me, so there's no point." The teacher turned to find some cables on the table. He quickly tied them around the boy's wrists and waist, not considering the other as he pulled them as tight as they would go. To keep him quiet, he found a spare sheet and gagged the boy.
Jason had no idea what was happening. All he knew was that his teacher was hurting every part of him that he hadn't been able to hit with the bat. What seemed to be an eternity later, the man withdrew and looked at him, horrified at what he had done.
After another warning to not tell a soul, Mr. Ackard disappeared, leaving no traces of his visit behind. All Jason was able to do was cower in his bed and wait for the first light of day.
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As the years went by, Mr. Ackard managed to move up a grade along with Jason. Since he had never told anyone about the man's bullying, his entire family thought the man had taken a special interest in Jason's education. The boy wanted to scream at them, to force them to see the true horror he was enduring every day. Still, the fear consumed him, making him paranoid and timid. When he hit puberty and saw girls as beautiful beings rather than cootie-containers, the bully used this as an opportunity to exploit his developing system. It was an endless cycle the boy couldn't stop.
Once he turned 15 years old, Jason was humiliated even further. The teacher had long since forgotten that he had to hit places no one would easily notice. He always returned home with bruises and welts from the beatings. Every time someone noticed, he would pin in on another student.
One day, he was sipping a milkshake at the local Dairy Queen when a group of people entered. The leader was a middle aged man with platinum hair held back in a small ponytail. By his right side was a teenage boy with lightning yellow hair and matching eyes. A girl with pale blonde hair and a boy with flame-red hair held hands behind the leader. Jason was about to turn away when someone tapped on his shoulder. He jumped, only to see the blonde had approached him.
"Hi. I noticed you were sitting here all alone and was wondering if you would like to join me and my friends?" He looked shocked when Jason scooted a little further from the blonde. "Come on, I don't bite!" he insisted.
Jason offered him a small smile. It wasn't that he was afraid of them biting, but that they would see the marks on him and be disgusted with him. Ackard made it pretty clear that he wasn't going to make any good friends as long as he allowed himself to get beaten daily. For once, Jason tested his luck. "Sure, why not?" He picked up his backpack and milkshake, then followed the blonde teen to his friends.
The older man looked surprised when he saw Jason. "Who's your new friend, Zack?"
Jason decided to spare Zack the embarrassment. "Hello, I'm Jason Sandslash. I live here in town and I'm a freshman in high school." He gave a small bow. He looked up to see the group was oddly impressed.
"You know," the blonde girl started, "Zack doesn't usually pick up random people. What kind of power do you have? I, Alexis, have ice. My boyfriend, Matthew, can control fire. Zack can shoot lightning from his hands. We're not too sure about this guy, though," she added with a smirk, referring to the older man. Jason chuckled, then froze in place. 'What kind of people ask about your powers?' he thought in a panic. 'I'm so screwed. They'll never accept me if I tell them the truth!'
"Actually," the silver man spoke up. His voice was low, but full of sincerity and kindness. "I see more of a rocky side to you." Smiling a little sadly, he asked, "You haven't awakened to any powers yet?"
"I didn't know I had powers at all, period."
"You must!" Alexis shot out of her seat and stared at Jason pleadingly. "Zack won't talk to normal humans! He considers them the scum of this planet. For him to even notice you, much less talk to you and introduce you to us, means that you must be special somehow." 'Scum?!' Although Zack's line of thinking was rather harsh, Jason couldn't help but agree. He would love to be anything but a spiteful, evil human being. Ackard's face appeared in his mind, reinforcing what he believed to be what a human truly was.
But why be so hateful towards a kid he hardly knew when he could take his anger out on someone like his wife or daughter? In the beginning, the cold treatment seemed to be a normal part of life, never to be questioned. Now that he was older and wiser, he wanted to know why. He doubted that his family had ever done anything to him, and he had never met Jason before the beginning of second grade. The questions left a burning sensation in the base of his throat, causing him to gag a little.
The group of people misunderstood the coughing and ran to get some water. Zack remained behind, trying to help him to breathe without actually touching him. This stirred Jason's curiousity. Once the coughing subsided, he whispered, "Hm? I've noticed you don't seem to like touching people. Is it some sort of phobia you have?"
Zack laughed a little, then put on a serious face. "Yeah, it's a fear. However, the problem actually does interfere with my life. It's a little thing called Androphobia, the fear of all men. It doesn't mean I hate them, it's just I can't really be around them."
"And yet you sit here, talking to me normally." It sounded mean to Jason's ears, but he was a little nervous. If he was so afraid of males, then how could he be around him?
"You're special, I guess. Heck, maybe you'll find a cure for me if I let you hang around long enough." The two were laughing hysterically when the others arrived with waters. Everyone else was confused, but laughed along anyways. Jason felt a giddy feeling erupt in his chest, spreading out everywhere. He had never been this happy in all of his life. His rosy bubble was quickly popped when he felt a hand clamp on his choulder. He looked up to see Mr. Ackard staring down at him. Since they were in public, he had no expression.
"Jason, how wonderful to see you here. Who are your friends?" Upon saying 'friends', his hand tightened on Jason's shoulder, leaving red scratch marks. Of course, Jason remained quiet and even gave a small smile. Of course, his new friends knew it was fake.
"It's none of your business, Ackard-Sensei." This came from Zack, who looked like he was ready to attack the teacher.
"Mr. Keke! Long time no see! How is everything going for you now that you've graduated high school?" The smirk he gave them all was rather unnerving. Jason was preparing to stand up when Zack spoke again.
"Is Jason the one you've been harrassing? I remember a kid in your classroom one day, and you were beating the s*** out of him. This boy beside me seems to match the description of the boy from that day." Suddenly, he grabbed Jason and yanked him free of Ackard's grip. "You better just leave while you can, sir. You won't want to stay behind to see me explode."
For a split second, it looked like Ackard was going to call Zack on his bluff and begin his daily ritual on him and Jason. However, the moment was gone, and his brain actually intervened to make him leave. The second the door closed behind him, Zack threw Jason to the other side of the table and cursed Ackard, using every inappropiate word and phrase he could muster up. Alexis, Matthew, and the silver-haired man sat there silently, being careful not to say anything to make Zack's rage grow any worse.
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The events from earlier kept replaying in Jason's head. He could hardly believe that Zack had been able to overcome his fear to protect Jason. What more, that slimey teacher had actually listened to the blonde! Where did he get such a backbone? Jason was lying in bed, looking out the window and half praying that his new friends would show up. When around them, he actually felt more comforted and protected than when he hanged around family and fake friends at school.
The next day at school, he was surprised to see Alexis and Matthew in the hall, wearing a matching school uniform. They instantly noticed him and lunged at him, pulling him into a bear hug. "I can't believe you're in the same school as us!" Alexis squealed, refusing to let go of the brunette boy. With a little help from Matthew, Jason was pried from Alexis' death grip.
"You just transferred here?"
"Nah, we've been going here for a while. Zack graduated from this school a few months ago. I'm surprised we've never seen you here!"
At lunch, they all sat in the back with a few other people. Alexis and Matthew didn't bother to introduce them, so Jason assumed they weren't too important. For the whole period they joked, duiscussed the silliest topics, and even gave love advice to Alexis so that she could score a boy who sat two tables to her right. The world seemed so bright all of a sudden. Even the looming threat of Ackard didn't bother the brunette so much. As they skipped into his class, Jason could here a slight growl coming from the demented teacher. Rather than bothering him, it filled Jason with an even greater sense of happiness. Strange as it was, Ackard's frustration was becoming Jason's true joy.
"Sandslash, give the class the answer to problem 3."
Without any difficulty, Jason recited the correct answer, mentally laughing at his teacher's dumbfounded face. Mr. Ackard approached Jason's desk and actually slapped the smile off of his face. The class, who had never seen their teacher at his worst, gasped in horror. Matthew and Alexis were by his side guarding him in a matter of seconds.
The class was even more horrified when they heard Jason laughing coldly. The ice in his voice could have shattered anyone's soul. Finally, the years of torture and abuse had cracked the teen. His hands shook violently. Mr. Ackard actually looked concerned. He dragged Jason out of the classroom and took him to the nurse's office. "We'll discuss your behavior later," he whispered before taking off. Through Jason's breaking mind, he couldn't hear a single threat. It actually seemed like the teacher cared. What he wasn't able to grasp was that his voice was far too sweet. It would have unnerved a healthy individual.
The nurse, who was just as clueless as the rest of the school, just gave the brunette a hall pass to return to class. As Jason exited the room, he felt a hand grab him by the wrist and pull him into an empty classroom. Mr. Ackard's face was the very image of his worst nightmares: goulish in the pale sunlight pouring in from the window, a dark aura radiating from his narrow eyes, and a snarl etched on his mouth. "Son of the devil, did you tell?"
'That's not what you usually call me,' Jason thought. Throughout the years, the names he was called varied through time, including the first one, Pipsqueak, to his more recent names, Fairy Boy, Retard, and even Fag. However, never had he called him a devil, much less the son of one. "No, I said nothing. You should know me by now, sir." To avoid a good blow to the head for his smart-aleck comment, he quickly added, "But why the son of the devil? That's not the name you usually give me."
The smile he recieved was even worse than his previous snarl. "You're the son of Andrew and Jessie Sandslash, correct?" Jason nodded weakly. "Did your mother ever tell you the story of your birth?"
Jason stumbled backwards. "Ackard, what are you getting at? My family has proof I belong to my father. The DNA results sit in a mantle in my living room!"
"Why do you think they needed a DNA test to begin with?"
His eyes widened in shock. 'Tell me you're lying to me,' he pleaded in his mind. 'Tell me you really have nothing to do with my parents, and that hurting me is just a fun game for you!' He watched as his teacher pulled up a chair and motioned for him to sit. He rushed to sit without hesitation. This was a rather odd change for the man. He never explained, but dished it out as he felt nessesary.
"It all began in my senior year of highschool. You see, I was dating the prettiest girl in school. We were practically inseperable. However, I did something regrettable and broke my promisde to her." He paused to wipe a single tear from his eye. 'Did it really hurt him that much. He seems so heartless now, I can't imagine him with a heart.'
"A month later, I find my darling with that detestable Andrew Sandslash! I told her he was bad news and would only hinder her in life, but she never listened. She didn't trust me anymore. So I was forced to suffer silently as the ba***** pulled her further down the road to self-destruction.
"She did everything that Andrew did: smoked, did drugs, drank beer, robbed convinience stores, and so forth. There seemed to be no hope. Her parents noticed her recent behavior, thanks to me, and tried to stop her. She didn't respond when they took away practically everything she owned. She was even happy when they kicked her out. She was past caring, and it was all thanks to Andrew. " Each time he said Jason's father's name, he spat it out quickly as though it left a bad taste in his throat.
"One day, merely a week before graduation, she was so drunk she thought she was still dating me. Needless to say, I took the oppritunity and spent the night with her. The net day, she ran right back to Andrew, forgetting everything I told her. My entire plan had backfired. Andrew naturally felt he had to be a man and beat the sh** out of me for having sex with his girlfriend. I didn't care. No matter what he did, he couldn't stop me from trying.
"I learned a little after graduation that she had become pregnant. Hopeful me thought I was the father. I stayed as close as I could without Andrew finding out. When the baby was born, Andrew had began to suspect me in the little plan. He ordered me to go with him to take a paternity test. I was shocked to find that he was the baby's true father. Yes, he was the father of the child that should've been mine!"
Mr. Ackard finished and turned his hateful eyes towards Jason. For the first time in his life, Jason actually feared for more than his fragile body, but his very life! With the truth thrown at him, he was utterly helpless to protect himself. He tried to get out of his chair and run out the door, but Ackard anticipated it and got to him before he could escape. He twisted Jason's arm around and tossed him to the ground. He sat on his chest to prevent him from getting up.
"I have the devil's son before me, but why do you look like Jessie?" He seemed to be talking to himself. Jason struggled to free himself. Suddenly, Ackard seemed to return to the present and promptly slapped Jason in the face. Then he ran his hands through the teen's hair, somehow reliving a past he couldn't return to. "Jessie, why did you leave? Why didn't you believe me. She threw herself at me, not the other way around."
He kept switching from the past to reality, hitting Jason and then carressing him, calling him by his mother's name. Soon, he didn't even notice Jason was there. In his mind, he was back in that night, alone with his mother. Jason felt the man's hands run down his sides and rest on his hips. He tried to cry for help, but was instantly gagged.
"Relax, Jessie. It won't hurt. It'll probably hurt less because it's not that wretched excuse for a boyfriend." He grabbed Jason by the chin and roughly kissed his mouth. No matter how much Jason twisted and turned, he was always cornered. While he tried to fight one battle, he was unable to fight the othr one happening simultaneously. As the older man positioned himself over the teen, Jason felt his vision go past red and turn white. The fear and shock were literally blinding him. He pushed his hands towards Ackard's face, hoping to shove his face away at least.
Instead, he felt his hand grow hot and begin to burn. All Jason could think of what throwing stones at the detesable man. He heard a scream and opened his eyes to the most gruesome sight he had ever encountered. Ackard had jumped away from him, covering one eye with his hands and whimpering like a little baby. When he pulled his hands away for a split second, Jason yelped. Trapped in his eye was a small rock, jagged and sharp. Blood was pouring out like a river. He used it as an oppritunity to escape.
Jason ran out of the school and down the streets, not caring who saw him anymore. Tears streamed down his face in the same river-fashion as the blood had poured from Ackard's eye. Suddenly, he skidded to a stop. A comment the silver haired man from before replayed in his head. 'I see more of a rocky side to you.' He stared at his hands. They actually looked normal with no gaping hole from where the stone could have come from. Was this really his power, to make stone materialize out of thin air? It turned out to be helpful when he was in trouble, but what use was his rock power going to be in daily life?
As he walked around a building, he nearly ran into his new friends. Zack was wearing a brown suede jacket, a white T-shirt, and dark-blue jeans. Matthew had the usual sleeveless shirt and shorts, just as Alexis had her fur jacket, skirt, and boot combination. The leader of the group wore a simple orange suit. Standing beside him was a young girl with dark-silver hair, wearing a T-shirt separated into to solid colors and capris. A gray headband with a heart and a star on either side rested on her head. The group leader noticed Jason staring at the girl and laughed.
"Sorry. I should introduce the two of you. Jason, this is our newest recruit, 13 year old Sheila Telekenesis. She's run away from her family for unknown reasons and has decided to work for us." Sheila bowed politely, never taking her steel gray eyes off of Jason.
Something about that was rather odd. "Um, this may be rude, but how old are you all?"
Alexis grinned. "Matthew and I are both 17 years old."
Zack shrugged. "I might be the only legal adult in this rodeo, minus Givonni. I'm 19 years old."
The silver-haired man, Givonni, gestured to himself. "This may shock you, but I'm 37 years old. I've been in the business a lot longer than you could think." He wrapped a single arm around everyone, drawing them closer. "We're just one big happy family, aren't we?" Everyone exclaimed in both agreement and discomfort. His white-gray eyes found Jason's chocolate-brown ones and held a strong stare. Jason didn't feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, he felt as though he was just watching another episode his silly family was going through.
Zack suddenly grabbed Jason and pulled him into the group hug. "There's no way you're gonna get out of this, buddy. This is for the entire family, including you!"
'Don't!' Jason screamed to himself. 'He can't really stand guys all that much. He's just being nice, that's all.' Despite himself, he threw himself at Zack and buried his head in the crook of his neck. The smells of static, laundry detergent, and chocolate filled his head until he was giddy on the scent alone. "Thank you so much. You have no idea what that means to me!" He didn't even notice the tears running down his face until a thumb wiped them away. Zack's arm snaked around Jason's shoulder and held him firmly.
"Don't be thanking me. We all think you're family. In fact, we'd like it if you worked with us at Tri-Fire Inc."
Jason looked up to the blonde's face. He had the biggest grin of everyone in the area. Alexis added, "It's totally okay with the company. The head boss lets Givonni-sama hire whoever he wants, so long as they are at least 12. Turns out, the guy likes to hire them young to maxamize productivity or something like that. It's a great way to make friends as well. You should join us!"
"The pay's a lot better than some job at a grocery store or fast-food joint. Best of all, we don't do more than copy papers and deliver things to the other departments." Matthew hopped from one foot to another, clearly excited about the prospect of another friend. "What do you say?"
For so long, Jason had prayed for an escape from the horror of his reality. The offer seemed so unreal, he discreetly pinched himself to make sure was was really awake. It felt so surreal, but the arms still wrapped around him were real. The people staring at him, awaiting his reply were real. That rock inside Mr. Ackard's eye was real. Finally, he was standing with real friends, confident with who he was , and a future he actually looked forward to. He nodded slightly, then was squeezed as everyone ran in to hug him.
"Welcome to the Escapors Department of Tri-Fire Inc!"
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Escapors was a very fitting name for them all. They had all escaped from their dreary lives to work together. It was a life Jason was more than happy to accept. In a matter of minutes, he had withdrawn from school and was now working full time for the company. Everyone was extremely nice, helping him around the building and assisting him with his first assignments. He saw his friends constantly throughout the day. They even had a lunch break together and left the building to eat at what was now Jason's favorite Dairy Queen.
A week after he had begun working for the company, one of his coworkers approached him to inform him that the head boss was waiting to speak to him. At the boss's office, he noticed the room was very dim. He was only able to make out the hair color, a paler shade of blonde than Alexis.
"Hello, Mr. Sandslash. How are things working for you here?"
"They're great, sir!" He noticed the man was a lot nicer than some of the other members of the company had suggested. One man complained that the boss had fired more than 20 employees because he had simply become bored of them. "Everyone is really helpful. My friends in the Escapors Department recommended me here, and I don't regret a thing!"
Suddenly, the man threw his face to the light of his small lamp. Scars adorned what was once flawless skin. One eye was bloodshot. His hair was very matty and in need of a cleaning. The man smiled gently, making some of his disfigurations seeminly vanish. "Please, call me Domingo when we talk alone like this. In the office, refer to me as Mr. Foworthy. I don't want any formality. That's my brother's job," he added in a bitter tone.
Jason felt immeadiately guilty for making him think of his brother. "I'm sorry, Mr. Domingo. I didn't know that was a touchy subject."
Domingo looked at the boy for a moment before bursting into laughter. Jason laughed as well, not knowing by but not wanting to question the man. "Wow, you half disobeyed me. Most people just run when I tell them what to call me. You're interesting, and I like that. I see a bright future for you through Tri_Fire!" His smile grew even wider. He threw his feet on his little desk and put his hands behind his head. "So, do you know what our mission is here?"
"No." The boy felt ashamed. After all, he had taken the job without question.
"It's quite simple. We formed Tri-Ember as a way to help the forever-hated fire-benders. People have been spotting them a lot more now, and are doing everything they can to turn them in the the King. We basically assemble teams to search for these fire-benders and bring them here before they can be captured. We basically provide a shelter and a training center for them. In fact," he added with a twinke in his eye. "Mr. Givonni's nephew is a fire-bender as well. Thank goodness the man had been working for us when he learned this. We were able to save him as well as many others."
"Fire-benders..." The word seemed so eeire to Jason. However, he had definetly heard of it. THe news was always going on about how they were escaping by the aid of a mysterious force or how they were being horribly executed by the King himself. An idea suddenly popped into his mind. "Are you a fire-bender too?"
Domingo chuckled. "Oh, heavens no. I'm a much rarer bender. My powers revolve around time and prophecy."
"What about your brother?"
He paused for a moment. At first, it looked like he didn't want to answer. Finally, he sighed and said, "My brother possesses the same powers, but doesn't use them for much good."
One more question burned in the front of Jason's mind. His mouth was obviously a lot faster than his reason. "What does your brother do?"
"If I tell you, you can not tell anyone. That includes the members of your department. I'm only telling you because I trust you more with this."
"I understand." What could the man's brother be doing that was so horrible that he didn't want to tell anyone else?
"My little brother, Koga, otherwise known to the world as 'Jamya'," Suddenly, Jason had a very bad feeling in the base of his stomach. He felt close to vomitting the contents of his stomach. "is the King of Tri-Ember Islands." He looked ahamed to be admitting it. "He's killed hundreds of people, including his own aunt Haley Keke. He's an absolute monster who can't be controled. All I can hope for is that the people to Tri-Ember pull the rug from under him and make him a normal human being for one moment."
The name Domingo slipped in nailed Jason to the floor. 'Haley Keke'. Zack had told him that that had been his mother's name while she was alive. How could Jamya be so heartless and kill a member of his own family? Domingo looked defeated after his little confesion. Upon seeing Jason's expression of horror, he quickly assumed it was because of his blood-line. "Don't worry, though! I'm nothing like my good-for-nothing brother. I'm fighting the very thing he has set out to do. It was actually his fault that the fire-benders are being hunted, but I'm doing everything in my power to reverse his little decree."
"Can't you go back in time to stop him? Don't you have that sort of power?"
"I can't compete against another time-bender. My powers are powerless against him, just as his are dead next to mine. It's pretty much like this; You can't fight fire with fire. That just makes a worse inferno." He glanced at his clock and nearly fell back in his desk. "Crud! Did I really keep you that long?! You better get back to work before the others get weird ideas!"
The boy bowed and thanked him. As he headed out the door, Domingo called out, "Jason, remember what I said. Don't fire with fire. Just douse it with a little water." Before Jason could ask what he meant, he was directed out of the room by his secretary. 'He was nice,' Jason thought. Honestly, he had never met a more broken man. He didn't know what it felt like to be related to a tyrant and a murderer all bundled up as a little brother. He didn't know what the future was going to bring. All he was able to percieve was that he was never going to fight it alone ever again. There would always be someone to back him up, keep him from shattering, and protect him when rendered defenseless.
Less than a few months later, he found that certain someone. That someone turned out to be Zack's engergetic and outrageous little sister, sixteen year old Kasumi Mistra Keke.