- Zodiac - [Inactive]


In its simplicity, the monastery held beauty. Great pillars towered over her, behemoths holding the ceiling up despite gravity's best efforts. Adonna walked down the small set of white steps and into the depression that was covered in dusty dirt, easily stirred by her footsteps. The grounds were large, spacious, and, save the dust spiraling around her feet, devoid of any movement or life. It gave the space an eerie feel. She walked to the other end, going further into the monastery. So much for the scissors, she thought, her eyes peeled, senses alert. Find the others fast, she told herself, And... As she stepped up a set of stairs that mirrored the first set, her feet returned to solid white flooring, the same material she'd encountered when she'd entered the monastery. The material was cold under her feet, a reminder to her again that she'd forgotten to wear shoes to 'battle'. As with the grounds earlier, the interior of the monastery was empty. Not a single makeshift weapon in sight. And other than the slight sound created each time bare foot came down against hard floor, and the vague hint of rushing water in the background, there was no other noise. She grimaced. Adonna was beginning to wonder if there was anyone here but her-





BOOM!





Like a shock wave, the sound hit her. Adonna abruptly snapped towards the direction of the loud emission. Hounds? Anything. The shaking came again. The thing about animals was, unlike humans, they were made to fight, tear, destroy without tools. And their intention behind attacking wasn't convoluted or hard to discern. There was a sense of purity in their rage. A purity that was deadly in two ways, the latter being that it called to fear. Her basic, animal need to survive kicked in. Adonna braced herself, ready to act.

​
 

|NIGHTMARE|


~Adonna's Dream~

​




Mid dash, the Zodiac closed its eyes. It's vision momentarily blackened. Right now, all it felt was wind turbulence skidding off his armored exterior, it could only hear the now louder waterfall, and its mind was at ease once again. Clarity was achieved. This clarity allowed it's Sixth Sense to kick in. A flaming, magenta eye opened at the forehead of it's helmet. With this eye, the Zodiac was able to pick up the heat signatures of any living thing within an eye's line of sight. Planting it's plated feet onto the ground, the Zodiac shredded to a halt. While it looked like it applied a considerable amount of force to the ground, the Monastery's pavement was unscathed. The Zodiac was surprisingly light in it's step. When finally held still it looked about its surroundings. The east wing appeared empty, save for a few torches that it picked up with his special vision. Turning its head towards the west wing, it scanned the interior for anything abnormal. With it's wide depth of field it did not take long for it to find Adonna's large heat signature. Mainly due to her height she was just a pillar of body heat to the Zodiac. Quietly, the Zodiac walked inside. It knew better than to hastily dash around indoors. Despite this Monastery being a construct of its own power reflecting upon this spiritual plane, it treated this Monastery as if others resided within as well. It stopped when it saw Adonna, who appeared to be ready for an attack. The boom of its panicked dash must have aroused her. The Zodiac ignited its right hand, only pointing out it's index finger, middle finger, and thumb. The Zodiac leaned forward some and pushed its left foot. The sound of its foot hitting the ground left a metal clank echoing through the halls of the Monastery. It propelled forward towards Adonna, flaming palm first.


​
 
Awaiting a horde of razor-toothed dogs from Satan's pen itself, Adonna's sight was instead greeted by... well, it was no hound. No, the figure in the distance was... humanoid? She could just barely make out the shape, a black spot in the midst of the white monastery. It indeed seemed to be human, but... off. Armor. A man in dark armor. Was that it? It seemed as such, in any case. Odd... For a dash of a moment, her body began to lose its tension.


Fwsh!





A brilliant flame, abnormally colored, appeared above his curled fingers. Throwing Adonna back on the defensive.





Clank. Was the sound she heard right before the mass of armor propelled towards her with inhuman speed. Only the distance between them and cold instincts allowed Adonna to throw herself out of the way, just barely. She hit the white ground with a loud smack! body rolling from the momentum caused right before, thack! slamming into the wall.


The lack of an animal opponent pulled her fear away, the shaking ceasing. It was a different fear that dawned on her, one that came forth when some sense of hers saw this: With the speed he moved at, and the armor that shelled the man, there was no perceivable way to successfully pull a victory out of this. Never before, until the dream world, had Adonna fought anything that wasn't human. This was shaped human, perhaps it was human, but this would be no schoolyard fight. Still, Adonna scrambled to her feet, on the defensive yet again. Her brain and body dissolved into a singular base objective: Survive.
 

|NIGHTMARE|


~Adonna's Dream~

​



The Zodiac's target at jerked herself out of the way, tossing herself onto the rubble. The Zodiac's flaming finger had missed. While unsatisfied, the Zodiac was impressed with Adonna's hustle to be able to react so quickly to it's breakneck speeds. The Zodiac looked towards Adonna, sprawled out upon the marbel from her desperate maneuver. The Zodiac held out its left hand. Emanating from its palm came gentle ripples with the brilliantly colored fire blazing around it. This effect brought it to a complete halt, as if the fire was propelling it back against its own uncontrollable speed. Now stationary, the Zodiac sized up Adonna one more time after seeing how much hustle she had. For her being a young human she had a lot of bravery and spirit. The Zodiac respected that, even though it's not obvious. Recklessly charging into Adonna won't get its point across... It had to make a different approach. One more direct and at the same time not as direct. The Zodiac put both its palms together. Ripples radiating from its entire body. The Third Eye at the base of its helmet began to illuminate mightily. The sheer magnitude of whatever power it was attempting to summon was enough to mess with the objects sitting on the tables close by. Shaking them and in some cases knocking the contents over. The Eye was now set ablaze. Whatever the Zodiac was preparing it was indeed ready. Rippled began to recall back into the Eye, as if it was charging energy... After a few seconds the charging stopped. There was a second of silence before...




KRAC-PAOO!

​



A flaming beam of tightly compressed energy fired from the iris of this flaming Eye. The tip of the beam is what burned the most violently. As if someone shot a flaming arrow. The speed of travel of the beam was twice that of what the Zodiac was capable of reaching. With no time at all the beam pierced into Adonna's skull! The force of the blow was enough to push her body further away, skidding from the smooth marble. Despite how dangerous the beam looked... It left no visible damage to Adonna. If anything, all it left was a tiny ember flaring at the base of her forehead just like the Zodiac's Third Eye. The beam didn't even inflict pain on contact. The most Adonna would've suffered is whiplash from the force of the beam knocking her back a few feet. The beam wasn't a danger at all.
 

<->


| NIGHTMARE |


| Shun's Dream |

​



The painted man had no outstanding reaction to Shun joining him at his side, nor did he have one when the pistol was taken. All he did was play on the piano while Shun spoke, though it was his last few words that triggered a response out of him.


The man grasped the pistol before abandoning the piano. Strangely enough, the tune continued to play. A pair of hands - previously attached to the painted humanoid - played the same tune without consideration of the laws of gravity or logic. After all, it was just a dream.


"I was in France, into a family that so happened to be the icon of wealth at the time."


As he spoke, a paintbrush materialized in his free hand and he was swiping at the thin air in front of him. Oddly, the paint simply slid off of the brush and hung in the air like there was an unseen canvas in front of him. The man continued to paint a mansion, in fact, it was the same mansion that they were in. The paint surrounding the mansion began to stretch out and form a small hill and a town surrounding it. The drawing was basically making itself at that point.


The man stepped back once he had finished the mansion and raised the revolver towards the picture. At once, he pulled the trigger, sending a bullet that shattered the painting like glass. At the 'exit wound', emerged the same painting, even better so, but what striked anyone was that it was in three dimensional space, and just as real as Shun was. The streets of the painted town were alive. People could be seen conversing and going about their lives in a 17th's century fashion.


"Born a boy amongst a bundle of girls..."


Like a home movie, the 'camera' panned down to show the front of the house, where children were rushing into a horse carriage that was soon bound for heading down the hill. At the back of the pack was a single boy, his face distorted like static. Come to think of it, nobody in the painting had a face, as they were all a distorted mess.


"... And blind in one eye, colorblind in the other, it was safe to assume I was the runt of the litter. They called me 'Bastion'"


Two adults emerged from the mansion, a man and a woman who both looked happy in their doings, yet their faces were distorted as well.


"My father was the proud owner to a livre factory, our currency at the time. He minted coins, and had plenty for us, as well."


Beside the painting came another. While Shun had been viewing the living painting, another one had been 'shot' into existence with a tool that originally was supposed to take lives. This painting was of a mint factory. Here, metals were mashed and made into coins known as 'livre'.


"I was destined to take over the business while my father retired from a life of paperwork and dealings. I refused due to my own condition and pursed a different path. To me, wealth overrides the purpose of life. If we are born having everything we could ever want, what is the point of going through struggles, or trials that would otherwise make us a better person? I loved my family, but I also wanted to feel 'alive'."


Another painting was brought to life by the sound of a quieter gunshot. This painting showed Bastion pleading to his adult parents. Even though their facial expressions were non-existent, their posture was one of rejection and hatred. It wasn't hard to figure out.





"To them, however, a man who didn't strive for money wasn't a man at all. He couldn't support a family, let alone himself. If he were left to his own devices, the world would eat him without his shield of livre to protect him."


The next painting showed Bastion leaving the mansion with his belongings in a slumped manner. Then, in front of Shun's eyes, time sped up in the painting as Bastion contained himself to a life within a single room, the open window on the wall displaying rooftops of an Italian city.


Bastion grew from a small boy crying into his pillow to a young adult who often painted his view of the city in an array of different colors. Whether or not the colors were of intention was up in the air.


"One day I received a letter from my disconnected family. It was unclear why, but they had been sending me letters since the day I left. Only then did I receive them all at once."


By now the previous paintings were floating around the room like balloons or pollen. Another had been created to show Shun. This painting showed Bastion reading letter after letter from a small pile that he had been given. Bastion's reaction to the words were unclear, but his body movements were still.


"At.. the very bottom of the pile, the very last of the letters I had been sent-.. It was of their dying will. The livre factory had been burnt down, and on the same night so did the mansion. It killed my family at the same time burning away the childhood I had and longed for once again. The letter didn't contain any money or property, but an apologetic letter attached to a painting of me, smiling in front of the mansion."


The painting within a painting wasn't of Bastion's art style, but another. It wasn't nearly as good as his work, but it was obvious that it was the combined work of his family to him. The painted Bastion simply buried his face within one hand with the letter in the other.





The painted man who had been giving Shun a home movie, simply waved both of his arms out and the paintings were vanished from thin air just like that. "I've been stuck in limbo ever since my suicide, and it's quiet here." 'Bastion' briefly turned his head to the deformities that stood along the wall like failed test subjects. It was clear that they were supposed to represent his family.
 

l Basketball is Life l


(Flashback)

"Welcome first years to the new year of basketball. We appreciate all that came and all that showed up at the meeting last night. Since it is the new year there are new chances. Instead of having or usual all boy basketball team we now have a recruited female who joined us last night. Her name is Ukime Kiyo, a first year to Bronze middle school. Ukime if you would please step out of line and introduce yourself to you new team mates."


Ukime was behind a group of boys who ranged from being 5'9 to 6'5 in height. She was found in the middle section of the line behind a blonde headed boy who hunched over after ever sneeze. Squeezing her way through she made it out from the bundled line and in front of all curious eyes. Bowing her head a little she scratched the bridge of her nose and gave off a playful smile. She did a small wave before seeing everyone's eyes look up toward her hair. She looked up as well, her her puffy and being held by a red headband. The team captain who had introduced her gave her a hand gesture to continue with the introduction they can get on with giving out number and seeing what position one would be on. They even held a small game where the fresh meat went up against the whole team. Depending on how they did would give them a nickname that would go on their shirt.


"My name is Ukime Kiyo, I am a first year here and I like playing basketball. When I heard that Bronze high school won the winter cup and the finals three years in a row I thought I had to come here. Oh before I came here I was in Frenton High School for 1 year before moving here."


When she said Frenton the whole gym began to talk, whispers that sounded like wind echoed through her ears. Even the captain had to give another look at her application that she had turned in. The coach decided to take it upon himself to walk up to the girl and give her a questionable look. She knew it was time to answer questions, but how many could this man before her conjure up.


"You said you went to Frenton ...that is the top school out of four. That school is known for three of their players. One is able to make long shots, another is able to copy another's move and the last one was known for having a wild animal instinct. I heard they moved through a bunch of another school's player like it was nothing, and easily made inside shots when their defense was hard to break. "


"That's me, Ukime Kiyo player 23. Even though I was a first year like I am now, I was put on the team and was polished there. By the time our first game came around I was ready and was put in at 2 quarter. I led us 30 points ahead and after the third quarter we pretty much won the game."


The coach stroked his beard as he looked at the young girl. He shook his head in disbelief and motioned for the team to get dressed. Ukime leaned toward the side since the man was a rather plump male. The team members began to dress in red and change their shoes. The team captain handed her a white shirt to put on over the one she had. The captain gave her a smile before walking away to put on his own red shirt.


"Prove it."


With such little words he walked away from her and seated himself on the silver bench. Sliding her book bag toward the other end of the wall she was thrown a ball. The boy must have been angry because when she caught it she could feel the palms of her hands sting. As they took their place on the court she stood in the middle. She had slipped on her sweat band and began to bounce the ball. Looking over them, they were clearly taller than her and had more muscle. Though in her eyes they were nothing but trees that she could pass. She had bent down a little and began to bounce the ball with her right hand. The coach held up his hand for everyone to see, Ukime giving a quick side glance toward the man who returned her glance with a glare. Blowing his whistle he dropped his hand giving her the ok to begin.


The boy had made sure to stay light on their feet and focus all the weight on their toes. Moving forward the first two boys had came close together blocking her path straight forward. She moved toward the boys right and was confronted by one in front of her. Bouncing the ball through his leg she went around him then took the ball once more. Four this time came up toward her, two on her side and one in the front while the other in the back. They left little space for her to move around in and they kept their hands up high. Ukime acted as if she tossed the ball up which made them stretch out their hand out higher. When they did this the gap that wasn't there became visible but not enough for her and the ball. She shot the ball under the leg then went through the sides. The taller man that was in front of her had caught the ball. Ukime hit the ball upward and out of his hands. The ball had gone over his head and into her hands after she jogged behind him.


There were five boys at the basket but they really needed more she thought. Making her way down she could feel the heavy feet from the boys behind her. Picking up her pace the boys that was in front of the basket came out at her. Coming to a complete stop she stepped backward which to them seemed like she was further away now. Lifting her hands up and throwing the ball, her shot landed in the basket without fail. The guys stopped and looked toward the ball that had bounced and rolled over toward the coach's feet. Ukime smiled as she ran her fingers through her hair and used the collar of her shirt to wipe off the seat. It was silent for a little till the coach pointed toward the entrance to the gym.


"This is a team , a boy's team . Nothing's changed, nothing ever will. We don't accept girls, so please see your self out of this gym and toward the other one where the females are."


Ukime was shocked a little, a small frown appearing on her face. The coach had kicked the ball away out of anger toward Ukime. The ball had bumped her shoe, so she had picked up from the ground. Her hands shook as she held onto it tightly. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she looked at the coach. She looked toward the boys who all seemed to have sided with him, even the captain.


"What are you a sexist , just because I can play better than you all combined I can't join. Don't you want to wind...you said new year, new changes. "


The coach shook his head and looked away. Ukime gritted her teeth and clenched the ball in one hand. Pulling her hand back she threw it forward, the ball escaping her hand and slamming right in to the coach's face. The coach fell back and rolled a little.


"Fat ass, that is why you all suck, because you can't realize true talent. I hope you keep rolling to your death."


Ukime grabbed her things and departed from the gym, leaving the title animal and her number 23 behind.



"Ukime...Ukime...U-K-I-M-E!"


Ukime blinked a little before looking up toward Dan who was the first person she met during club sign ups. He was the one that did a little one on one with her. She gave him a glare as she thought of him as one of the boys on the teams. He gave a frown which made Ukime snap out of her little grudge and give him a more warmer smile. Dan had given her a water bottle and a towel. Ukime gladly accepted the items he gave her. Downing the water Dan used the towel to dry off her face. She kept backing away as he forcefully applied the towel and began to move it around. He was close enough that she had put her hand on his chest and pushed him away slightly. He removed the towel and saw Ukime looking up at him with a tilted head.


Dan blushed a little and moved her hand away. He grabbed his back from the bench along with her's. Ukime took her time getting over toward where he was. The small flashback she had put her in a short daze . She had snapped out of it again when her phone rang. She opened up her phone and saw it was an unknown number.


"...um"


"It's me, don't worry about it. I thought since were on the same team that you would need my number."


"Thanks a lot."


"I'll be going now, see you same time tomorrow."


"Yea, if I don't have to come into work tomorrow."


Dan had waved bye which led Ukime to walk back to her dorm room. She kept looking up toward he sky, bumping in to things that you would normally see if you were looking forward. Somehow she made it to her room. She closed the door behind her and dropped her bag at her trashcan. Taking everything off, her shirt pants. shoes, socks, and bra she laid there with nothing but underwear on. She landed on her bed with her face int he pillow and her covers partly laying over her body. Groaning she let out a tiresome yawn before closing her eyes.


"God , I'm going to be sore tomorrow."
 
Derek groaned in frustration. He had to get his little sisters, but they were inside the girls dormitory. There was a rule against this, Derek did not want more attention to be cast upon him. Rather, he preferred if he was away from any type of attention. It was like this his whole life. He never wanted to one up someone or try to do his very best. He kept low and was quiet. No one bothered him and he bothered no one. That was the balance of his life. The consequences of entering the girl's dormitory would cause attention, from there news would travel and he would be the target of conversations. He will be forced to interact and people would be constantly asking him questions.


Frowning at himself, he took a step toward the girl's side of the dormitory. He needed to blend into his surroundings. Hopefully no one will dare ask what he is doing. Derek blew another stand of hair out of his eyes as he stared at the doors to the building, "Oh god."
 
Nikky opened her eyes slowly and immediately pulled out her phone to check the time, she felt groggy and *growl* hungry. She rubbed her eyes, surprised to feel something wet stuck to her cheek. Was she crying in her sleep? She wiped away the tears believing it was just some drool. Her stomach continued to complain, "Ugh, did I forget to eat today?" she rested her head onto the desk. Her mini fridge probably had something to eat but that would require her to get up, move approximately 2 feet and open it. But then she'd have to try and find something to eat in the cluttered mess that was her fridge.


"I'm hungry but I don't wanna mooove!"
 
"Hmm, that's a nifty talent."


Shun's expression turned amused as the man materialized a brush out of thin air. Observing the brush's paint form a scene before him, Shun couldn't stop himself from poking a hole into the unknown substance, watching as the area temporarily faded until the expanding paint corrected his tampering. With his curiosity momentarily satisfied, Shun leaned back against the piano in anticipation of the story that would be shown through what he assumed to be an ability capable of manifesting the memories and emotions poured into a piece of artwork.


"Who knew the design of my father's mansion originally came from your family."


Despite the similarities between Bastion's past and his own, Shun's comments throughout the stories were calm and casual. Never once did Shun's composure seem to waver even as the paintings taunted him with memories that could have well been his own. By the manifestation of the final painting, Shun had long fallen to a state of silence as he quietly contemplated the life of the man before him. It was after Bastion dissipated the paintings and spoke his final words that Shun broke his silence with soft yet hollow bouts of laughter. As Bastion on looked the deformities of his family, Shun continued to chuckle until the thoughts he had stored during his time of silence began to flow from his mouth in a tone quite cheerful given the heavy atmosphere that had developed.


"You seem quite attached to a past you can no longer clearly define."


Shun sighed in disappointment as he arose from the bench and began to walk around the room, observing the many work of arts that lined the walls of the room with their beauty. Shun's smile and cheerful tone were nothing more than a farce attempting to hide the turmoil that his interior self held. Bastion's life had been far to similar to his own. Both had been seen as failures in their childhood, and both chose to flee their home to take hold of the life they desired. It was Bastion's final answer to his life's pains that brought about Shun's frustration as he turned to face the pitiful soul before him.


"When I said mutual interests brought us together, I figured a Zodiac would have desired far more than pity from a human."


Walking back over to seat himself on the piano's bench, Shun shoved aside the hands still playing and began to take out his frustration upon the keys. With limited knowledge of the piano, Shun was no where near as proficient, but the choice in song, perfectly defined the chaotic emotions he felt.


"I was excited to learn the mystery behind these dreams; I was curious to learn about the secrets in this world; and yet, here I stand before a higher power just as pitiful as I am!"


Shun's words were perfectly timed with the intensity of his notes, as his shouts were only further amplified by the dramatic climax at his song's finale. Switching key to a much calmer tone, Shun rapidly regained his composure before continuing the thought he wished to finish before giving time for Bastion to respond.


"You seem content locked in solitude, wallowing on the deteriorating memories of your past. So tell me, what is it that you truly want from me?"
 
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Farra's bare feet pattered down the side walk, her hospital gown and robe fluttering in the wind. She ran as fast as she could, back to her dorm. "Finally," she muttered as it came into sight, but her vision was suddenly blocked by a large teen. "Where you going, missy?" it said. "Can you, like, MOVE?" Farra said, trying to slip through, but he blocked her path. "C'mere, a pretty girl like you should be out this late--" the kid started, but he was cut off when he screamed in pain. Farra had grabbed his arm and twisted it well past it's breaking part. "Uh-oh. Shouldn't have done that. Ever heard of the Rosewood Killer? No? Here, I'll lay it down nice and slow for ya; In 2013, there was a series of vicious, brutal killings. Thirty-seven people killed. Killer seems to have disappeared. Coincidentally, all of the victims were abusive, sexist, or racist. Hm. Real mystery. Anyways, the killer was described to be a young female, with striking green eyes and vivid white hair. Ever wonder why I dyed my hair blue? Come one, you must've seen me around. Alright. Here are the top three options... Rebelling against my parents? Maybe. Joining the Hot Topic scene? Hell, no. Hiding something? Ah..that's the ticket. Now, you picked the wrong person to hit today. No, sir. You're gonna go straight back to your dorm and never speak of this meeting again. Got it?" Farra twisted his arm around further, causing him to yelp in pain. "I thought so! Have a nice day!" She dropped him arm suddenly, bringing on another yelp. "Bye now!" And with that, Farra continued to run in the direction of the girl's dorm.


Finally reaching the doors, Farra saw a strange boy standing outside the doors. "Tryna get in?" she said with a smirk, but he wasn't paying attention to her. He was staring at her outfit. "Ah. Yes. See, I kinda just broke out of a hospital, and you're blocking the door waiting for your girlfriend, so...could you move? Like, now?" Farra hopped from one foot to the other, looking at him expectantly.
 
Ukime groaned again as she heard small giggles and petite voice. Among those voices she heard more of a darker tone, a male. She lifted her head from her pillow and squinted toward the door. She had no clue why her lights were on so she had gotten up and switched them off. She was more curious about what was going on outside. She grabbed a small hand towel and laid it on her shoulders, the two different sides covering up her frontal area. There shouldn't be a guy in the building so it should be ok, is what she thought. Opening up the door and leaving it cracked she looked down the dark halls. She took a left toward the entrance of the girls dorms to see if there was anyone there.
 
"Um...move. Like, now." Farra was becoming testy, angrily telling the kid to move. She had been standing here for 10 minutes now. What a waste of time! Farra heard a door creak open, and she looked over where the sound came from. There stood a tall girl with little clothing. "Cover yourself, we've got a guy over here waiting for someone..technically, I'm supposed to GETTING IN, but the boy here decided to stand here all day. It's great," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Redirecting her attention back to the intruder, she muttered, "Can I just get in already? I'm about to go ballistic on you", hoping he didn't hear her.
 
Ukime looked at the one who said to throw some clothes in. She squinted her eyes and saw the loud mouth one. She laughed a little before holding up a finger. Walking back into her room she threw on a sweater then walked back out and down the hall. The shadow from within her room ,made her look tall but she was only 5'5 up close. She stopped at he entrance toward the boy who was waiting for someone.


"Derek...what are you doing here. You know this is the girls dorm right, you could get in trouble for behind here. Never mind that, you gotta move so she can get by."
 
Derek stuttered finally finding his voice, "My sisters....are in here." He cleared his throat and took a step back to get out of the blue haired girl's way. He was relieved to see a familiar face, "Sorry about that, I just....froze." His social skills were, needless to say, pitiful. The blue haired girl looked like she was in a hurry to get in. Earlier he heard her say that he was trying to get in to the building to meet up with his girlfriend. He straightened up his posture and looked over to the girls, "I know that I'll get into trouble....can you guys help me out?"
 
Ukime walked into the light to where she would be able to see him better. Crossing her arms she looked over her shoulder and toward him. There would be no other reason for him to be here, plus he had nothing to gain to lie to them. Giving him a smile she nodded and motioned him to come in. If he was to get in trouble then she would as well. Her assumption was that the girls who she heard were related, hearing what the loud mouth one said , she was sure it was them.


"Your looking for your siblings right? I think I heard them down the hall."
 
Looking at the boy, she just raised her eyebrows as the girl told him where they might be. She was waiting for him to move when a shuffling noise came from behind her. Farra whirled around, and facing her was the Dorm Mother. She pointed at the boy. "No boys in the dorm rooms. Strict rules," the Mother boomed. Farra snorted. "We didn't do anything wrong. He's just picking up his sisters," she argued. The Dorm Mother's face constricted into a tight grimace. "Detention. You, girl there with the blue hair. You'll be seeing me in my office on Saturday," she said, and marched off. Farra pushed past both people standing in the doorway and stomped off to her room.
 
Derek felt his heart calm down, so she wasn't going to turn him in. They were going to get it. He will kill them for causing so much trouble, "Did they wake you up?" He whispered as he walked in. As he did, an adult woman appeared out of nowhere. She told him to leave and gave him a detention. Derek opened his mouth to say something, "But....my sisters..."
 
As the dorm mother walked off Ukime quickly grabbed Derek's hand and ran inside the dorm. If she had pulled him in quick enough the dorm mother wouldn't have a chance to look around and see him continuing his path. She snickered a little to the thought of detention and toward the girl who had stormed off. The loud mouth one shouldn't always say something, she was like here in a way but Ukime kept her comments to herself half the time. Walking down the hall she noticed two young figures who were hiding behind a wall.


"Not really, I wan't sleeping yet. They are pretty loud though. Make sure to tell them if they ever come here again, to keep quite."
 
Derek was about to obliged and head outside of building, he was caught by surprise when Ukime grabbed his hand. She was able to pull him in fast enough that the dorm mother wasn't able to see him. He blinked a bit once he realized that Ukime was still helping him out even though she would be getting a detention. Derek hoped that his intrusion to the building will not gain any more attention.


"Better yet, I'll murder them for causing this much trouble. Once again, I am so sorry."
 
Farra swung open her door, causing it to bang against the wall behind it. "I'm tired of this school and it's crappy rules. I just need to get out of here, sooner or later," she yelled angrily. She kicked a wall, then hopped on the other foot quickly. "Ow, ow, ow!" she screamed, and she plopped down onto her bed. "This school is friggin' ratchet. Rich, ratchet kids." Laying down dramatically was a favorite pastime of Farra's. During these times she wallows in self-pity. Right now, she was doing both. "Just shoot me," Farra muttered to no one in particular.
 

<->


| NIGHTMARE |


| Shun's Dream |

​



Shun's crack in his sanity could have and would have sent Bastion over the edge the moment the boy began to chuckle seemingly at his misfortune. However, the glob of a humanoid simply stood where it was, the mask indicating that the attention was on Shun even as he gave Bastion a glimpse of his own insanity.


"You seem content locked in solitude, wallowing on the deteriorating memories of your past. So tell me, what is it that you truly want from me?"


"What I want from you is similar to what you expect from me. The ability to learn about the other side as it is now. I've been in this mansion for countless years, undying, and I don't know why. My soul should be resting peacefully, yet here I am."


The humanoid shuffled over to the piano, where Shun was.


"I want to experience the world of the living all over again, and learn of what has become of it. I want to be able to see, again, and you can help me with that." Bastion's painted body dissolved, leaving the masquerade mask to sit upon the piano's top along side the pistol and paint brush. His voice seemed to project from all over the room now that he was was bodiless.





"Be my vessel, and you will soon discover the 'mysteries and secrets' of this world equally, whatever sort of importance it holds for you. My knowledge will be yours, and vise versa. What do you say, Shun? Deal?"


 
The man in the armor did not charge at her immediately, as Adonna thought he would. He halted to a stop, the fire upon his hand glowing. Next charge, and it would be over. It didn’t feel real, the end, it felt like there was something she could do to offset the situation, to survive. But of course her animal brain would not allow herself to accept anything short of continued survival. As he stood in place, she tried to get a read on his next move, but this was near impossible. His head was covered entirely by the dark helmet, even the slit that she imagined was for his eyes did not show a glimpse of the man within the armor.


He moved now, Adonna readied herself as he shifted to a position of… prayer? Perhaps Adonna should have expected a fight in the dream world to be entirely unlike that which she was used to. But, no, such a base thing as fighting, it was simple, wasn’t it? What was he doing then? The gem, or light, or whatever the magenta thing was in the top-center of his helmet began to grow brighter and brighter. Whatever he was doing messed with the air around him, it shook and wavered, unseen objects in the distance clattering upon the ground. What more could Adonna do but stand her ground.




KRAC-PAOO!

​


The sound rang out. Light, bright, flaming magenta light, engulfed her vision. Adonna was thrown back yet again. She blinked violently, momentarily blinded, her ears ringing. This was it, she was sure he’d come and take the final strike. What good would flesh do her against a blow by that armor? But it did not come, the expected hit. As Adonna found her bearings, her eyes refocusing slowly, spots dancing around her vision, she unconsciously touched her forehead. The ringing slowly subsided, not entirely, but she had her hearing once more. All this while, he did not strike. This isn’t a fight… it began to dawn on her. This is something else… What else it was, Adonna was unsure, perhaps she was gravely mistaken, but the thought pulled her out of her ‘fighter’s zone’.


She swallowed, feeling suddenly all-too-aware of the pain radiating about her body. Her throat was dry, she swallowed once more before attempting speech. Adonna opened her mouth, but words were yet to return to her. And had they, what was she to say? Her eyes swept the man in the armor up and down, getting nothing save a good look the details of his dark armor. “What… is this?” she softly said, an effect due to the dryness of her mouth. She herself was unsure whether she was asking the man about himself, his actions, his power, this place, or all of it at once.
 
Farra was bored. So bored. Her great intellect, seemingly inexhaustible, was hungry for new challenges. "Where is everyone? I'm soooooo boreeeed..I might as well get up," she moaned, dragging her limp and aching body out of her bed. Her body still felt the pain from being hit by a car, and she hated it. "Better get dressed.."


After much moaning and whining, Farra finally got out of her room. She trudged through the building and squinted at the sunlight. Several students stared at her, from the ruffled blue hair with streaks of pale white, smudged eye makeup, to the condition of her uniform. Farra glared at them and they went back to their conversations. "I heard that she got detention from Mrs.Moffey. I'm not surprised, ya know...I mean, look at her! She's SUCH a poser; she just wants to be like us," one boy with large glasses and bright red hair. Farra scoffed. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that they were hipsters. "Twits," she muttered.


As she continued through the courtyards, she looked around for anyone she knew, despite the fact that they were deserted. "Hello?" she called.
 
Shun shivered not from cold but from the realization of the insanity that he had unknowingly kept locked within his soul. Even through the years he had endured the pains of his past, Shun had never once truly snapped in confrontation from another. Shun feared the new emotions that he sheltered, but through this fear did his rational thinking return.


With his head now void of emotions, Shun began to rest against the keys of the piano as he calmly listened to Bastion's request. Even if Shun had no pity to give, he could not deny the similar pains that brought them closer rather than apart. Bastion wanted a life to live; he wanted an opportunity to relive the experiences of the world that he voided himself of. As an equally pitiful entity who could offer such an opportunity, who was he to deny a lost soul the desires he had shouldered for centuries on end.


A warm smile came to Shun's face as he lifted his head in response to the light thud of the Bastion's mask falling along side the pistol and brush.


"I won't apologize for my earlier feelings toward you, but I won't deny you the opportunity to a life."


Taking hold of the mask, Shun took a deep breath as he blankly stared into the white void that it held.


"I want answers to your world, and you want answers to mine. I suppose with our emotions aside, we have a pretty mutual relationship after all."


With one last sigh, Shun grinned in excitement as he placed the mask upon his face without further hesitation.


"I suppose we have a deal then...partner."
 

|NIGHTMARE|


~Adonna's Dream~

​



The Zodiac lowered his hands back to his side, the flame around them had wavered. The eye on its forehead finally dimmed and the magenta aureoles returned behind the slit of its helmet. He glared at the ember burning over Adonna's forehead and slowly nodded. It knew its work was done, now it needed test and see if Adonna will react accordingly. There was a faint howl echoing from inside the armor. It sounded as if rusted metal was being ground against. At first, the noise was obnoxiously loud. Completely killing the quiet that the Zodiac had so perfectly preserved. Though, as the howl lingered it started to muffle. The volume of the Zodiacs awful call became bearable but still a trial to listen to. Amongst the metal screeching there was a faint voice. One speaking in human tongue. It was faint but it was there. From what can be heard it was repeating a phrase. As the Zodiac reiterated it became easier to understand. "Can you understand me? Can you understand me? Can you understand me?" Finally, its voice projected on a level audible nough for Adonna to be able to respond to. What he fired from his head wasn't a lethal beam of focused flames, but a sign to understand its howling.
 
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