Futuristic An Agent of Maniacles

[Exzalia]

Red owl shakes her head. "We should avoid trying to defeat blue owl and dark Kotsu at the same time. Joe and I will be enough to keep blue busy, the rest of you defeat dark kotsu, Then we retreat. All your plans are good, but the surest way to defeat blue is to get my memories back and find the other owls, with our combined effort we can revoke her Godess form completely."

Blue turns to sam "you know I actually sorta felt that beating? Although I think you may be exaggerating how easily you won." Red snickers.

"But their is no way in hell we are getting me back in there. Blue has already created counter measures for that I am certain and she can literally will us out of existence. We focus Dark kotsu, then we run. Only when we have the other owls will we be able to take on blue and actually defeat her."

 

[Darkling0096]

"She only got out because I value my AIs' lives," Sam replied, "But that's why I'm saying, weaken her so she can't resist, and then put her where she's near powerless."

 

[Exzalia]

"She only got out because I value my AIs' lives," Sam replied, "But that's why I'm saying, weaken her so she can't resist, and then put her where she's near powerless."

Red owl nods. "And what I'm saying is we can not weaken her enough to do that, I should know, I'm her. There are a million and one ways a Godess can prevent going somewhere she doesn't want to. Trust me Sam my plan is the best one, of course your welcome to try yours. You'll die, but you're welcome to try it."

***

Blue owl manifests a celestial throne for her self and ponders. She was only a Godess in this dimension as her battle with Sam clearly showed. If she wanted to take over owls living body she was going to need a way to make her self a Godess in the real world. When she had dived into Dentons mind she had discovered something about a genocide spell, one that would turn her into a Godess in the real world.

Intresting...where could she learn such a spell,? As she examines Dentons memory closer she realizes it felt familiar.

"wait....I know this spell." She says and closes her eyes. "But I can't recollect how to do it, but I know I know it. It must be among my lost memories."

She smiles. "A race then to find my memories before they do, time to find the other owls."



"I must feed, Goddess. I am hearing voices."

"You need to feed? go, I must make plans and scheme. After you are done find those rats and kill them. I am off to find a lost memory I own, one that will make me a Godess in the real world, they must not find it first."

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu purses his lips as he walks away from the rest of the group. He tries concentrating hard on summoning the armor but to no avail. He continues trying to concentrate until he manages to summon gauntlets on his arms. The sword is summoned as well as he holds it in his hand. It's a black katana adorned with a golden trim on the hilt. In silver kanjis along the blade it says "Honor In Battle Will Be Won Without Wavering Hands". Kotsu read this, staring down at the blade with intensity. He wondered where this power had come from. He heard a voice in his head, and the rest way blank.

Human Kotsu looks at Kotsu summoning the blade and reads the kanji symbols as well. They shift seemingly as the kanjis alter to another message, "Wake From Death And Return To Life". This idiom seemed familiar to Human Kotsu, but from where he saw it or heard it, he couldn't say. Maybe one of those temples...

Human Kotsu smiled at the group. "Once you all are situated, I think we should get goin'. I think I'll come along for this one. I've already packed a satchel full of healing pills too. These ones are extended release capsules. Meaning, you all will be able to regenerate in combat in small increments. And Aria, Clayton, and Kotsu can heal faster than normal!" Human Kotsu said with a smile to the group.
_________________________________________________

Dark Kotsu stares at Blue Owl and doesn't move to go feed as he had suggested, instead he approaches her and kneels on one knee. "I shall eliminate the rodent problem, but do you require my assistance in attaining your power as well? My need to feed can be halted to further assist you, my liege." Dark Kotsu stared up at Blue Owl as his left eye began twitching. Dark Kotsu heard the voice returning with a vengeance.

"YOU WILL NOT SILENCE ME AGAIN!"

Dark Kotsu put a hand on his left temple, he looked to be in pain as the voice continued to speak.

"But, I can forgive you for now. Provided you find out how to attain the power of a God. Aid her. And I will learn in turn from your actions. Go, my puppet."

Dark Kotsu regained his composure as his head hurt less. "The voice that I hear is a sharp annoying one. It does tell me to aid you though, my liege." Dark Kotsu's mouth slits seem to twitch a little as well, but his eye has stopped twitching for now. He was still getting used to his new body as well as the raw power that emanated from him. "I will assist you however I can."

 

[mmarage]

Joseph looked toward Clayton, a gentle smile on his lips as he regarded his old ally. "...It's good to see you again, Clayton. I'm afraid it will not be that simple, but I shall do all that is within my power to aid you all. The last thing that the Sandland needs is a paranoid megalomaniac of a 'Goddess' rampaging around in it. If this is place is the consciousness of the world, then it should never be under the tyranny of any person or group." He said.

He looked at the two and shook his head. "As I said before, Ms. Sam... to try and strip her of her status of deity is not a certainty. Even initiating a duel will be tricky, if not deadly. Our best bet would be to try and corral her into a trap. I can't use too much Verum, due to the possibility of sending her into non-existence and completely losing the opportunity to bring Ms. Owl back to her true form, but it should at least hold her for long enough to take care of Dark Kotsu." He explained.

He then finally turned to Human Kotsu as he proposed going. "Most certainly not. I will not allow that." He said firmly as he crossed his arms. "I know healing magic, and I'm a skilled alchemist. While my supply might be... well... limited, I can handle any medical needs of the group. You are an important part of Mr. Kotsu's psyche, and I do not doubt that Dark will no longer refrain from killing you. Should something happen to you, it could do irreparable harm to Mr. Kotsu. I must request that you stay here." He said as he faced the Human Kotsu.

The twins also looked at Human Kotsu. "We... agree with him, it might not be the best idea for you to be roaming around. This place is the safest one for you. We can't lose ya. You have to trust that we can take care of the group, alright?" 01 asked, 02 nodding in agreement.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Human Kotsu stared at the twins and Mr. Rose Petal with a grin forming across his face. "Sure, I can stay here. ... Until you guys leave. Then I can just go and tail along after. Wouldn't it be smarter to stick together anyway?" Human Kotsu retorted. "If me being targeted is such a big deal, that is." A cocky grin formed across his face as he stared at the Joe Trio.

Kotsu was engrossed with the blade as he began to tune out the others. He began to practice with it, getting a feel for the weight of the blade and the handling of the sword. He felt more powerful with each swing that he let off from the katana. The feeling of the power was amazing as it coursed through him. He knew that this blade would be the way to defeat his enemies and protect his loved ones. But he should never rely on just one weapon. He'd need more space, a training room to test out some of the ideas floating around in his head for how to combine the katana and his whips in rapid succession.

 

[mmarage]

All three of them crossed their arms and frowned at him with much the same expression. "And then get yourself killed and end up destroying a major part of Mr. Kotsu's psyche, potentially opening him up to complete and utter possession by Dark Kotsu, forcing the twins and his allies to kill him in the real world, or potentially getting all of them killed and joining me in the afterlife." Joseph said.

"It's very irresponsible! If something happens to you, what's going to happen to Valerie? What's gonna happen to Kotsu? In this room you should be safe, the barrier's up. You're still just a regular human, even if you have those pills, even if you have a weapon, you're still as fragile as us, no, even more so! You don't have enhancements like we do, you don't have magic like our original, and no amount of medicine is going to bring you back from getting shot in the head, or having your throat torn out. We had Kotsu in our group, but Dark managed to separate us not once, but twice. You'll be no different and he won't want to possess you, he'll want to kill you." 02 said sternly.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Human Kotsu relents, as he stares at the twins and Joseph. "You don't know what it's like to not be with people for 50 years and now that there's people here, all they do is go away the minute they come back. I'm lonely too, ya know?" Human Kotsu said, staring back at the Joe Trio.

"50 years is a long time to only have technically yourself to talk to. I want to talk to you all and finally get to learn who you are personally. I want to help save Denton and Owl. I want to help take down Dark Kotsu. But most importantly, I wanna become you guys friends like Kotsu has..." Human Kotsu faltered toward the end as he shook his head and smiled back at them.

"Actually, you know what, you're right. It's irresponsible. Forget about it. I've got some stuff to do. I'll be at my desk." He said as he made his way over to his desk and disappeared behind it. The sound of stone steps could be heard as he seemed to disappear.

 

[mmarage]

Joseph regarded Kotsu quietly. "...I might not know what it's like to be alone for 50 years, but I have been alone for a long time nonetheless. You at least had the ability to know what's going on in the world however. Me? I've been trapped, for... I do not know how long. Years, I would imagine. I've had no one, nothing, not even myself to keep me company, and I've been trapped in a world of darkness, struggling against whatever foul magic has been used to keep me tied to the physical realm. There will be time to relax and talk once we've defeated Dark Kotsu and have gotten Blue under control. But, we can't have you doing anything rash." He said, he didn't act condescending... if anything, there was a deep measure of understanding. Since the first moment he had managed to come into this world, he had wanted to sit down and talk with everyone, to finally have some measure of interaction before he was placed back into his cage. He wanted nothing more... than to create bonds with others, even if it didn't mean that it would free him.

The twins had been about to speak, but had allowed Joseph to do so instead. They watched Human Kotsu walk away... and then disappear. When they heard the stone steps, the two quickly ran around to the other end of the desk, trying to see where he had gone, and where those stone steps were.

 

[KotaKotsu]

The twins would see a stairway going down that was lined with stone bricks and dimly lit lightbulbs that would lead to a straight hallway. They could hear yelling and fighting downstairs from it if they entered down into the hallway but wouldn't be able to hear the yelling upstairs. The sound of splintering wood and yelling would be ferocious though if they did hear it.

 

[mmarage]

The twins' blood went cold as they heard the sounds of fighting coming from the strange underground hallway as they entered. Hadn't Joseph said that his barrier would prevent Blue and Dark from getting in, or manipulating this space?! Without a second thought, the two rushed down the stairs. 01 smashed through the door with his shoulder without a moment of hesitation, summoning his scythe. 02 was right behind him, his bow already drawn. "Alright ya edgy bastard, stop what you're doing right now!" 01 shouted, having feared the worst and already prepared to slice through whatever Dark Kotsu clones that had managed to make their way through.

 

[KotaKotsu]

The twins would encounter Human Kotsu slamming down on training dummies with bokken. He would be hitting them so hard that the blades would splinter and shatter against the dummies that would sometimes break or be violently mangled. The dummies and swords would repair themselves as Human Kotsu charged at the dummies again and again.

Human Kotsu was to busy screaming and mangling the dummies and letting out his own frustrations to notice the twins.

 

[mmarage]

The twins slowly lowered their weapons as they saw how the Human Kotsu was brutalizing the training dummies. They let out sighs of relief as they allows their weapons to simply disappear. "Hey, Human Kotsu." 01 called out, trying to catch his attention. He knew he couldn't just let things end like this. If he was this worked up about not going, then who knows what he might do if he keeps thinking things over.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Human Kotsu threw the sword hard at the training dummy he was working on as it impaled into it's torso as he lunged at it with his bare hands. He used multiple quick strikes while tearing at the dummy with his nails. He tore at the thing with blind rage which could only be reminiscent of a wild animal lashing out. He ripped the head from the dummy and threw the head at another dummy's head knocking it off next while he tore his bare hand into the dummy's chest. Human Kotsu's arm went all the way through the dummy up to his bicep.

"Hey, Human Kotsu."

Human Kotsu froze, as he slowly turned to the twins with his arm deep in the dummy's chest. He blushed deeply and tried hiding the dummy behind his back, which made it more obvious as the dummy slapped Human Kotsu in the head due to this.

"Uh... This isn't what it looks like..."

 

[mmarage]

The twins shook their heads in unison as Human Kotsu tried to clumsily hide the mutilated dummy behind his back. If it hadn't been for their current predicament, then they would have probably laughed. "...Kotsu, it's understandable that you're angry. It's not that we think that you're weak that you're being left behind. We know that Kotsu is super strong himself, but even Dark managed to best him. If he's trying to take him over, he's going to want to get rid of Kotsu's humanity, he'll want to get rid of you, the personification of his humanity." 02 said, the two began walked forward.

"We understand that you've been trapped here. We... know how that's like. When we're not on missions, then... we're just locked away in a cruddy little concrete room. The only times that we get to leave is when they want to test us, or poke and prod us for all sorts of medical purposes. Most of them aren't friendly, they... don't see us as humans, as people. Most of them just call us 'Test Subject 1 or 2'. Kotsu is one of the only people in our brief lives that has shown us kindness. He's... he's our best friend." 01 said, the two now right in front of him.

The two reached out and planted their hands on his shoulders. "So, by extension... you're already our friend, ya know? You're part of him, you're the part of him that helps him remember to be kind, to see the humanity in others when others would overlook that. If it weren't for you, then... then we wouldn't have ever been able to become friends with him. So, we want to protect you. Kotsu does his best to protect all of us, he wants to do so badly enough that he was willing to risk his humanity in order to gain the power to do so. We don't want him to do that, so... it's our turn to protect him, all aspects of him, including you. We want to protect our friends." 02 said, the two gave him broad grins.

The soft sound of footsteps arrived from the still open door, the thing was hanging on a single hinge from 01's shoulder strike. Joseph soon was standing at the open doorway. In his arms was a wrapped up black bundle. He blinked as he saw the rather intimate scene before him, and shifted awkwardly. "Um... s-sorry. I can return later. I just wanted to give Human Kotsu a few things before we left." He said.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Human Kotsu was moved by the Finder twins feeling that he was their friend as well. He did feel weak that he couldn't do better. Be better for the twins and the others. He smiled though, a genuine soft smile. "Thanks guys." He said pulling them into a bit of a sweaty hug from his temper tantrum.

Upon hearing Joseph come in, Human Kotsu laughed hard. "Don't be a stranger, come in here too, ya third Joeketeer." Human Kotsu said with a laugh

 

[mmarage]

The twins didn't mind it, they returned the hug, before letting go and stepping aside so then Joseph and Human Kotsu would be able to do the handoff unimpeded.

Joseph nodded, a smile playing at his lips at that. "Third Joeketeer?" He asked, feigning exasperation. He couldn't help but let out a quiet chuckle. "Alright, so, I have some stuff that I made in life, at least the things that I can remember that I had stored in my container. You see, not all alchemists are mages, once upon a time, the secret of magic was a jealously guarded secret. It's still a secret today thanks to a certain group of people... however... back then, alchemists had to find some means of being able to defend themselves, to augment their own natural abilities in order to hunt the more... troublesome quarry that they might need in order to synthesize their recipes." He explained.

He then went on to unfold the bundle in his arms. The black cloth turned out to be a black trench coat, and kept within it was a silver bracelet with a blue inlay, a brown spherical jewel glimmering in the center. Another object was a gold ring with a green diamond shaped gem in the center. "This is my old coat, I made it from a rather special blend of fabric. While it might not be on par with that armor the Maniacles have, it won't at least hinder your movement or speed, while granting you a decent increase in defense. It should prevent a bullet or a blade piercing it, you'll still feel the impact of course, but you will walk away from the blow with little issue." He explained.

He picked up the bracelet, letting it dangle between two fingers. "This bracelet is another one of my creations, it's been imbued with the power of earth. It will increase your body's natural toughness. Your skin won't soak up bullets or anything like that, but you'll be able to take a few more blows than an average person, and those objects will not be able to penetrate as deeply as they normally would, not without exerting far more force than normal. As an added bonus, earth magic won't have as much bite as it normally would. The bracelet will absorb the earth magic present in the spell, it's not to such a degree that it will negate it completely however. I've heard of accessories and armor so powerful that they can actually absorb the energy completely and strengthen the wearer." He explained.

He finally picked up the ring, he raised it up to eye level. "This ring has been imbued with the power of wind. It'll make you move faster and make your body more agile. You'll be able to run a bit faster and dodge a few more blows. It's nothing in the levels of being superhuman, mind you, but it'll at least give the average person the speed and reflexes of a professional runner and gymnast. Much like the bracelet, it will take the edge off of wind magic." He said, setting the ring back down inside of the bracelet.

"I would give you more, but... it's not smart to use too many alchemically made accessories at once. They've drawn the powers of nature within them, and those powers are being granted to your body. If you use too many at once, it can overload your body and cause harm. I had one person come in and against my warning put on all sorts of different accessories. Let's... just say that had I not been a decent healer that they would have been in a critical condition for a good few weeks." He said, before holding out the coat and accessories.

The twins looked over at the items and then at Joseph. "...Hey, wait a minute, where'd you get the coat? I mean, I can see that ring and bracelet fitting in your pouch, but not a trench coat." 01 said, looking at him suspiciously.

Joseph looked over at the clone. "Oh, right, I suppose I should have mentioned this... my pouch is connected to my container. So long as an item isn't wider than the pouch's opening, I can just reach in and grab something out." He said, demonstrating as he reached into his side pouch, his arm going in farther than it should as he leaned over, seeming to root around in the bag, before slowly pulling out the handle of something... it was very long, far longer than what should have been able to fit into the pouch. Soon enough, he was holding a halberd with a bright red shaft, a green jewel gleaming near the axe head. "See?" He asked, grinning, a little proud of himself at his accomplishment.

 

[Exzalia]

Memory lane.​

"Alright then it's settled. Now everyone stay here for a moment. I can sort of sense where Blue owl is, kinda hard to ignore that overwhelming mental magic." Red owl closes her eyes and focuses, several quiet minutes pass.

"Hmmm...actually, she's leaving."

"What?" Bickle asks. "Why? I thought she would be hunting us."

Red owl shudders. "Something else has caught her attention, but what could be so important that she chooses to ignore us? Could it be...a memory shard?"

Red owl floats up into the air "We better get through the rest of Kotsu memory and quickly, lets go."

***

They leave the safety of joes sanctuary and walk literally down memory lane. They see Kotsu's memories from after grade school all the way up to before he was tunred. They see him living in the streets with his sister though she was the one protecting him. They see them training at a dojo after some kind soul took pity on them, they see kotsu leaning medicine and treating people with tender kindness. Over all they were happy memories.

These memories were the polar opposite to what lay before them on the path down memory lane.


The road in Kotsu mind is littered with corpses, all fresh both young and old. They have their throats ripped out, and all are pale with blood loss and yet, their eyes follow the group attentively.

Bickle shudders. "Okay who are these people?"

"They're vampires." Khepri notes stabbing one for the fun of it, it doesn't respond, it just looks at her. "All of them"

"Vampires...dead vampires. Kotsu are these the people you fed on? Must be." Red owl says grimacing a little.

"So many of them..." Bickles says shuddering again. "I'm kind of glad Yellow owl is not here to see this. But why did you kill so many vampires Kotsu?"

"To protect me, and everyone else, but mostly me." Red owl smiles sadly "Oh kotsu I will never stop loving you, but this is not right, don't kill for me."

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu remains silent as the group experiences his memories. Then he hears Red Owl and Khepri ask questions. He turns his head away from the group in shame and remains silent and begins to bite his lower lip. Continuing on in silence, Kotsu looked more tired with every corpse he passed. One thing Red had said to him stuck in his mind and he pondered her words in his silence.

"Oh kotsu I will never stop loving you, but this is not right, don't kill for me."

Kotsu wondered if what she had for him was genuinely love. That concept had been foreign to him for a long time after she left him sitting by the tree a few months ago. It seemed like an eternity to him, as he had watched the world pass by through the fallen bodies of his enemies. He put a hand on one of their heads, which they would recognize as the man that rushed through Clayton when the visited the barn.

"You fought admirably. May your soul find peace in the next life, as I look forward to fighting you again." Kotsu said, before walking away from it and ahead of the group.

 

[Darkling0096]

"Ugh, so glad I don't have a stomach this time," Sam groaned, "Kotsu, please tell me you didn't eat these people?"

 

[mmarage]

Joseph stayed behind the group, making sure that he kept watch from behind, so then they wouldn't get attacked. Every now and again, he would reach up and touch his chest, before quickly putting his hand back down. He shook his head each time he did this. It seemed like something he did out of habit, however, whatever he was reaching for no longer seemed to be there.

He looked at all of the bodies along the path, and glanced at Kotsu. He shut his eyes, and at Sam's words, he opened them. "...Whatever he did, or did not do is irrelevant. It is clear that he regrets his actions. So long as he tries to make up for what he has done, that is all that matters." He said, frowning slightly at Sam. It was clear that Kotsu wasn't feeling well, the last thing that he needed was to be berated by his teammate.

The twins had also shot dirty looks at Sam as she had opened her mouth. They didn't want to start anything however, but kept their mouths shut. They had stuck close to Kotsu in the group's marching order. The two reached out and placed reassuring hands on his shoulders, offering smiles, before dropping their hands. They wanted him to know that they were still by his side despite all of this. They looked at the memories as they passed by, trying to ignore the corpses. "Remember, we have to look for those objects that have sentimental value for Kotsu." 01 said, the two keeping an eye out on the memories as they walked by for any significant items.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu ignores Sam. He doesn't want to answer her question in fear of further judgement. But the answer was clear for everyone to see due to the heavy weight of the air. He heard what the Joes had said to reassure him but when he smiled back, it wasn't warm. "Let's keep moving." Eventually Kotsu stops as they happen upon a memory of a large house in the distance. "Let's go. This was one of my better times. We'll probably find my ring here."

As Kotsu enters the house, a butler greets him with a deep bow. "Greetings, Master Kotsu."

The butler was an older man with a thicker moustache, balding hair, a pale complexion, and a deep gaze as if he could stare into ones soul. His clothes were a freshly pressed suit for buttling, and a stalwart demeanor. He wore a soft smile as a child who was a young teenager went through the group.

"I told you to stop calling me 'Master', Mr. Hawk. Just call me Kotsu." The child said walking up to the butler now named Mr. Hawk. The child Kotsu handed him a chocolate bar with a smile on his face, as the butler smiled back at him.

"Young Master, you're aware I cannot do that, but I'm glad you've stopped calling me 'dude', as it were." Hawk uses air quotes when he says the word dude, which causes an eruption of giggling from Kotsu. Both the memory and the person in front of his friends. The memory Kotsu ran up to his room as Kotsu and the others followed. Kotsu didn't mention anything to his allies about what they had just witnessed or anything else decorating the house.

It was extravagant with priceless art pieces, vases that stood on marble columns, a large fountain could be heard outside and seen out of a window. They passed by a few rooms as well while they followed after Kotsu's younger self. The house was huge and the garden outside had beautiful large rose bushes and topiary that was captivating to stare at.
_________________________________________________

Human Kotsu had remained in the office, much to his own behest. But he decided to watch a movie with Valerie since it had been a long time since they did. They were both a fan of horror movies, and so he selected her favorite one. They had been sitting there for a long time and Valerie had fallen asleep. Human Kotsu took a blanket from one of the beds and draped it over here before kissing her forehead.

"I love you, baby sis." He said, smiling at her.

A voice rang out in the distance. "Kotsu, sweetie, where are you?" Human Kotsu bolted up with his flesh paler than Kotsu's.

"M-Mom!?" Human Kotsu called back to the voice. He opened the door to the office door to be face to face with Dark Kotsu, who tries to reach his arms into the office and gets repelled backward.

Human Kotsu laughs as he watches Dark Kotsu bounce back and careen down the hallway. "Eat shit, you asshole!" Human Kotsu saw something whizz past his head and heard a sickening slick sound.

THWICK

Human Kotsu turns his head to see blood splattered all over the projector, and his baby sister Valerie crying out and whimpering. When he ran to be by her side, he could see the problem. There was a spear made of bones piercing into her back and pinning her to the chair.

"No NO!" I'll get you one of the pills, hold on just a minu-"

THWICK

 

[Exzalia]

"Whoa! Kotsu your loaded!" Bickles says. "Why you holding out on us man?"

Red Owl floats after the group admiring the house. "Huh. And I thought I was in love with a hobbo. I know so little about you my love."

"DUDE! Kotsu got the biggest pool out back! Look at the size of that T.V!" Bickle shouts rather excited,

"Do They have a science room?" Khepri asks.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu shrugged at the comments, but one phrase stuck with him the most.

"Huh. And I thought I was in love with a hobbo. I know so little about you my love."

This made Kotsu ponder more at his thoughts of if Owl truly did love him. But then again, this caused him to smile as he turned back to her.

"I did tell you some of the most beautiful secrets are the ones that come out naturally. Maniacles have good pay, but the differences that our squad makes out there, the good differences, it gives me hope. I want that hope to be felt in every person's chest like mine was. But..." Kotsu bit his tongue as he didn't want to continue. The Maniacles did so much wrong that it was hard to see the good anymore. They were in this predicament because the Maniacles wanted the Andras.

"Let's just... Keep going. And yes, Khepri, there's a science room. But that's not what's important. We need to make haste." Kotsu said, picking up speed. The doors that they passed began to open and show different memories. That the group could peer at.

Images of Kotsu beating up Dingus, Bob, and Pork Chop alongside his sister flashes through one of the doors. Images of Kotsu arriving to this house and greeting his decrepit grandfather came from another door.

Another showed Kotsu bumping into a female around his age who was wearing a band shirt that Kotsu liked with tied up hair. The door jumps around and shows them hanging out and becoming friends. Kotsu stops briefly before smiling as he passed by the doors, but specifically this one makes him shed a tear.

He continues until they make it to Kotsu's room which looked simplistically barren compared to the other parts of the house. The only thing of notice was his medical equipment and chemistry set which spanned an entire wall of the room. His room sported a California king sized bed, a computer desk with a lamp, and a large walk in closet full of expensive clothes. Young Kotsu looked the contrast of that, wearing a shirt that had holes in it and a pair of shorts that was torn at the cuffs. Shoes that he had on were beaten up and scuffed while he wore mismatched socks but in the closet he had rows of new ones.

"Huh, this is a throwback, man." Kotsu said as he laid down on his bed for a moment and stared at the ceiling, taking in the room full of posters and nostalgia. The posters were from obscure video games and musical artists that would be long dead by now if they weren't at the time. A record player sat in the corner of the room that still looked pristine that played classic rock from a vinyl record. Kotsu got off of the bed and walked over to his desk, he seen a piece of paper that was framed and emitted a warm glowing light. Kotsu turned back to the group.

"I think this is it..." He said as he polished the glass. He showed it to the rest of the group and it was his license to practice medicine. "My grandpa paid for me to be able to practice medicine early. I graduated college and worked a lot. Turns out my Dad was a deadbeat to more than just me." Kotsu said this with a bitter smile.

A memory began playing in his room and it was the night of a sleep over between him and the girl they had seen him shed a tear for. They went into the closet because she had wanted to play a game called '7 Minutes In Heaven'. Kotsu began to chuckle as he watched the memory play out. "That's Bridgette." He said to the group. Bridgette looked older now, and she had cut her hair into bangs with red highlights in the back of her hair. She was also wearing makeup and was smiling at Kotsu a lot.

Bridgette pulled young Kotsu into the closet and told him that he had to close his eyes. He complied and she leaned in for a kiss that the entire group could see, while Kotsu began to blush now realizing what she meant to do. Bridgette proceeded to unbutton one of her shirt buttons before Young Kotsu opened his eyes in shock while gasping before touching the ends of her hair.

"Oh my God, Bridgette! I just realized that you got your hair done! Why didn't you say anything?" Young Kotsu said with a pout as he further commented. "It looks really awesome!" He was met with a hard slap across his face for the comment which led him to become confused.

"W-what...?" Was all Kotsu could manage to stutter out before she began to yell.

"I TOLD YOU TO KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSED, GOD, YOU ARE SO DENSE AND STUPID SOMETIMES!" Bridgette said before storming off.

The memory ended and left Kotsu sitting there blushing hard at what transpired. "I... Had no idea..."

 

[mmarage]

The twins stayed close to Kotsu as they entered the memory. They... well... they were surprised that Kotsu was able to access such a luxurious place considering how ragged he had looked in his memories. Clearly, it wasn't because he lived there. No, if he had, then they would have seen the manor in the very first memory, when Kotsu's father had left him. That must mean that this was either a family friend, or another relative's home. At least he seemed to have had some means of escaping from his troubles, if only for a little while.

Joseph stiffened as Kotsu talked about his work with the Maniacles. He crossed his arms, grabbing his elbows, and squeezing down tightly. He tried to look interested in something, anything else. He didn't know just how loyal the group was to the Maniacles. Would... they care if they knew the truth? Would they distrust him if they knew? Would they think that he would be out to get them...? He hoped not. For now, however, there was no point in bringing it up. They had to focus on finding those items as soon as humanly possible.

The three would watch the memories play out before their eyes. Joseph's face reddened as he realized that they were watching what was a rather intimate memory. It felt like he was intruding. He could never understand how telepaths and mind mages could so easily go through their target's heads and invade private moments like this. This... truly made him appreciate his gift. His thoughts, his memories, his heart was his own. When he felt he could trust someone with them, he could allow them a look with his own volition. If someone wanted to look into it by force... they would have a lot of trouble in doing so.

The twins meanwhile couldn't help but snicker at Kotsu. They put their hands on their hips as they turned to Kotsu. "You get invited into a closet with a girl and you choose to notice her haircut right then and there?" 01 asked.

"Man, you reeeaaally blew that one." 02 teased.

Joseph merely shook his head at the twins' teasing. "Give the poor man a break and help me search. It's a ring we're looking for, yes?" Joseph asked as he began walking around the room, beginning to methodically open up drawers and root through them. He would open up the closet and begin searching the pockets of clothing, patting everything down for any objects that might be hidden within the clothing. "Please forgive me for the intrusion." He said as he did this. He would check the surfaces of furniture, getting on his hands and knees and checking beneath furniture. If it was a small object, it could have easily have fallen beneath furniture. He would even run his hands over the walls, looking for hollow spaces behind posters and wallpaper, hiding spaces that Kotsu might have had within this room. He would even carefully check for loose floorboards.