Azalea

Another Time, Another Story

Roleplay Title: Hold My Flower
Setting: Celebration on Wiz a few years before rp begins
Characters Involved: Lucifel & Hades Hyperion

Disgusting. The decor of the wizard palace hurt his eyes with the emphasis on elegance and beauty. For wizards with the surname "Black", there was a near complete lack of the color in this castle. Lucifel did not even see a single skull lined against the wall nor any blood stains from slain enemies showcased on the flooring. And the atmosphere felt so...welcoming, it was ridiculous; a gathering such as this in Hell would have been made to have the guests feel intimidated by the royal family. Not whatever this friendly celebration the wizards had invited them to was.

Lucifel had been coping with the insufferable party by completely ignoring everything around him and standing against the wall away from everyone. Unfortunately, some fool chose to disturb his self imposed isolation, and Lucifel felt irritated once a voice broke through the noise to address him.
"Brother, I brought you a plate of snacks."

Well if it wasn't the herald of annoyance himself: little Hades in the flesh, imposing his presence on Lucifel no doubt to nag. Hades casually strolled up to him and dared to press a filled dish into his hands; anybody else and Lucifel would have smacked them away. Instead, Lucifel took the plate without a word of thanks and stared at the foreign food Hades brought to him.

"Hmph, your soft heart shines through once again. What makes you think I would poison my stomach with these wizard morsels?" he scoffed, although there was not an ounce of surprise in Lucifel's tone. Dutiful little Hades had always paid attention to his older siblings and constantly did thoughtful things for them, much to the bafflement of Lucifel. Neither him or the twins had ever done anything to actually deserve such devotion.

"You haven't done anything this whole party, I thought you should at least eat something..." he sighed softly, accustomed to Lucifel's attitude. "Trust me, you'll like these. I didn't choose anything you hate."

Lucifel furrowed his brows and took another glance at the plate. If there was anything Lucifel enjoyed, it was freely given offerings and Hades had apparently hand picked the food for him. He supposed it would not hurt to taste a few snacks and appease his little brother. "...Do not look at me with that expression. I refuse to be coerced into participate in meaningless dances, but as I am the most superior of your elder siblings, I will grant you the favor of tasting these...whatever they are, that you have delivered." he dramatically declared as he reluctantly picked up a random snack; a tiny orange cracker. Under Hades' expectant stare, Lucifel plopped it into his mouth.

His eyes widened in wonder. "The taste of cheese? Wizards have cheese ?!" he questioned Hades, grabbing another handful of the crackers. "I had thought they only existed on earth, made from the milk gifted by cows to human farmers they have formed a contract with!"

Amazing! The wizards actually had a snack worthy of the demon prince. These miniature square shaped orange crackers pleased him greatly; if a being ever conducted a summoning ritual to pull Lucifel to their plane, these snacks would be an acceptable substitute for a blood sacrifice. He wanted more of these.
"Get me more of the small squares that taste of cheese. I want all of them!"

Rather than feel annoyed by his demand like any other person Hades just looked relieved and gave Lucifel a bright, disgusting smile. "I knew you would like that one! Alright, when you finish your plate let me know and I'll bring more for you." he sounded satisfied at his awareness of Lucifel's impeccable taste, and sickenly happy at the idea of being useful to him.

Now, while Lucifel felt it was acceptable for Hades to fetch all of his food for him, having his little brother make noisy disruptions with "small talk" while he devoured his delicious snacks would just be an annoyance. Lucifel turned to where he sensed the demonic presence of Lucian and without needing to look for more than a moment, already knew his other brother would be the perfect distraction. Unsurprisingly Lucian's formal wear was unbuttoned and his chest was out on display for the entire room; in his arms was a wizard he swayed with on the dancefloor, who may or may not have been the one to have left intimate marks on Lucian's neck. "You waste your eyes on me and miss the discord stirred by our philandering brother. He looks ready to ditch this worthless celebration to create an illegitimate heir to the throne with some wizard woman."

"He's what?!"Hades exclaimed, looking scandalized as he turned to search for Lucian. "I-I told that idiot to behave...!" he sputtered once he spotted the prince dancing half naked on the ballroom floor. He hastily excused himself and retreated from Lucifel's side, hurrying to scold Lucian.

Lucifel laughed in cruel amusement as he watched his siblings bicker in front of the assembled wizards. He popped another cracker into his mouth and mindlessly went to reach for another, but he only grasped air. The demon prince frowned and set the plate down on the floor. The snacks were perhaps the one small joy he had tonight and Lucifel would have to risk the journey to the food table on his own if he planned on replenishing the plate. The last thing he wished to happen was to be forced into social interaction so perhaps Lucifel should just take the entire bowl with him to avoid needlessly returning over and over?

He dramatically turned towards the table, his cape flourishing behind him as he marched towards the snacks. Lucifel completely disregarded the line of people and barged in front of a blond man, uncaringly knocking him in the shoulder and causing the wizard to nearly drop his food.The demon prince briefly scanned the table and quickly snatched his prize: a bejewelled dish containing the snack who won his heart.

"Hahaha! The cheese crackers now belong to their rightful devourer." he spoke with triumph, cradling the bowl like a precious treasure as he walked away.

Another Time, Another Story

Unnecessary Soulmate AU #2: Faint Scars
Characters: Jecht Rutella
Setting: Literally like a summary of canon Jecht's life, but if canon world had soulmates. Soulmates are a "perfect match", people whose personalities compliment each other and can naturally give their match what they need, whether that need is something to help them grow as a person or feel happy or something else, it all depends on their personality and desires. People tend to have more than one soulmate, with the most common being platonic relationships. The names are added on their body throughout their life, especially if a person goes through a life changing event or goes through a major personality change. Although supernatural creatures are not public knowledge, they exist and most immortals also have soulmates. Immortals go through many soulmates in their long lives, with names fading into a faint scar at the soulmate's death.

♥♥♥

Julian had been born without a soulmark, like most children. Infants did not have a sense of self, did not yet have a personality, so it made sense there would be no "perfect match" yet. During his human life he only ever received one mark: in the center of his neck was the name "Nicolas Marquis".

After he turned into a vampire, Nicolas still never faded away. Julian became Jecht and he gained a few more soulmates as time passed on, but most turned into faint scars in the end. Only Nicolas remained with him and Jecht felt the name was his one comforting constant in his neverending hell of a life. "No matter what happens, I am not alone. I still have at least one soulmate still out there." he chants to himself, desperately, on nights he feels like giving up.

Therefore, in 1644 a moment happened where he panicked after seeing Nicolas no longer written on his neck. The name he desperately clung to had changed into something different during his sleep. Jecht wondered what on earth happened to Nicolas for him to change his name to "Trixxtal", which was followed by a string of several other names. The sheer number of new names Nicolas gave himself was so long that it looped around his neck like an obnoxious collar. Jecht could only react with, "What the fuck kind of name is this?", as he stared bewildered at his reflection.

Upset that the pretty name Nicolas had been changed into whatever the trainwreck word necklace on his skin now was, Jecht decided Trixxtal was now his least favorite soulmate. But he had more important things to worry about, like taking care of Hope on his own now that Keziah had died. He didn't think about Trixxtal for a long time, especially after meeting Vittoria. Her name appeared on his body immediatley after they first met, something that had never happened to him before, and Jecht concerned himself with the soulmate right in front of him. He even got along with her husband Massimo - suprisingly another soulmate of his - and Jecht was happy having a friendship with him. He felt happy for a time, but it did not last. He gained a precious son but lost his daughter after she ran away from home. Jecht kept his romantic relationship with Vittoria from Massimo, pretending all he had with both of them was platonic, not wanting to risk upsetting him and being too selfish to admit his deception with Vittoria. Then Massimo killed Vittoria and Dante over being vampires, and Jecht killed him in retaliation. All at once he lost his child and two soulmates, one by his own hands, and he left the country in despair.

He vowed not to get involved with any more of his soulmates; he just seemed to bring disaster into their lives.

Five years later, he comes across a man who looks at him like a ghost. On the man's arm is a faded scar: Jules Leronada. But on his other arm, like a mirror, was the script "Jecht Rutella". Jecht gazes back into his haunted eyes, feeling just as apprehensive, and carefully asks, "Trixxtal?" It is not hard to narrow him down; Trixxtal's name is the only one Jecht had left.

Jecht ignores his vow and travels together with Trixxtal. Despite his childish declaration years ago, Trixxtal turns out to be his favorite soulmate. Never before had he felt so exhilarated; life as a pirate with his soulmate is the most fun he ever felt. It is only when he sees Trixxtal near death, when Jecht literally beheads the almost murderer in a blinding rage, that he reconsiders his feelings of their adventures. He fears his friend and soulmate getting into more danger.

"You're okay...You're okay, Trixxtal." he cries, curling his body against him in a desperate embrace. "I was afraid you would die." he bares his feelings out in the open, instead of bottling them inside like normal. Jecht actually cries for once. He squeezes Trixxtal's hand, afraid of letting him go.

As pirate captain, Jecht begins to plan more carefully after that battle. He trains the crew harder and more vigorously, determined not to lose anybody to an enemy. And he begins to wonder if his feelings for Trixxtal were changing from friendship to romantic. He does not confess anything like love just yet, but there are times he gets close. Jecht tells Trixxtal he is his heart, his reason for living. He cannot see himself ever being happy without him in his life.

Of course, the arrival of another soulmate complicated things. Cepheus and Trixxtal are soulmates, but for some reason Cepheus ends up befriending Jecht instead and Trixxtal becomes jealous and possessive of Jecht, blatantly disliking Cepheus over it. The situation makes Jecht remember that not all soulmates get along and that some end up disliking each other so much, the name disappears completely. It takes less than a month for Trixxtal's skin to be clear of Cepheus' name, although Cepheus' shoulder remains unchanged. Trixxtal hates it even more when, after Jecht acknowledges Cepheus as one of his best friends, their names appear on each other.

Drama on the pirate ship occurs. Tori is temporarily given refuge while they search for his parents, Jecht becomes injured by a wizard, Trixxtal is kidnapped, and the only thing that keeps Jecht sane is that Trixxtal's name has not faded. He still feels angry and drinks his problems away at a bar, but the drive to rescue Trixxtal motivates him to take action before the name fades away. In the end, Trixxtal is rescued. Some time after that, Tori's parents are rescued too. Jecht has even bonded with the child. It should have been a happy ending, but after everything several of his crew members have died. Cepheus has become another, barely visible scar on Jecht's skin.

Time passes and Jecht's relationship with Trixxtal is anything but harmonious. They are in love, have admitted their feelings for one another, but even being soulmates, each others "perfect match" does not mean it is a perfect match for a romance. In the best moments of their relationship, Trixxtal makes Jecht feel complete. He is happy, feels strong enough to take on any challenge, loves their talks and everything about Trixxtal. He wants to spend all of his time with him, give him all the gifts in the world, and show off his devotion and love. At their worst, Jecht feels like Trixxtal deserves someone better than him, he feels weak and cannot control his temper, little things Trixxtal does annoy him and he snaps at him. But despite their turmultous relationship, Jecht refuses to give up on their love, and stays by his side. Or at least, he tries.

Eventually their toxic relationship becomes too much, Jecht fears he won't survive anymore of the poison. The name wrapped around his neck, that he used to (and still does) cherish so lovingly, now feels like a shackle chaining him to Trixxtal. A noose, ready to choke him to death. He leaves. He cries in private, nearly turns back, his body shaking at the thought he might never see Trixxtal again. Jecht had gone through this many times and always went back to Trixxtal, but eventually there was a time when he did not. He stays away for years, and at some point gets a new soulmate for the first time since Cepheus.

He avoids Trixxtal and in 1860, meets his soulmate Elijah. He is a human with fragile health, the son of a halfblood vampire and human. Elijah has been slowly dying all his life, like he has all the weaknesses of a human and vampire with none of their strengths. He reminds Jecht of a flower. Beautiful and gentle, resilient but fragile. They cling to the sun for life; but ultimately they are mortal, eventually they wilt away. Just like Elijah.

"I am just one person who loves you, out of so many others. And many more in the future will love you too. My name..." Elijah places a comforting hand on Jecht's teary face, then his gaze lingers toward Trixxtal's name still wrapped around his neck, "And others' names, we are carved onto your skin. Even after we are physically gone, we will forever be with you. Proof you have been loved and will always be loved. Please, do not forget this."

Elijah leaves him forever, but Jecht does not forget. He feels more at peace with himself.

The years go by once again and Jecht reunites with Trixxtal. Jecht never stopped loving him so he returns to his soulmate's loving embrace. But Jecht has matured. He is just as harsh with words, but he feels less angry and controls his temper better. He listens instead of yells. The two of them get along easier and they fall back into that perfect, blissful relationship that sometimes appeared during the calm periods of their past time together. Jecht, however, is less willing to put up with any more manipulations. They argue, but ultimately settle into a healthier relationship.

It does not last. Jecht and Trixxtal break up again, once more not on speaking terms. Jecht handles this separation better but he still misses Trixxtal, misses being in a loving relationship, and starts to pursue other people. The void they temporarily fulfill does not completely leave him until Jecht comes across an abandoned human baby in a basket.

He names him Joel and adopts him as his son. Jecht reflects on his previous attempts at parenting and tries to learn from them. He raises Joel telling stories about how much he loved his soulmate, to the point where his son acknowledges Trixxtal as his other parent. Jecht does not know how to feel, did not even realize he spoke about Trixxtal so often. His son eventually becomes a vampire, then goes off to have his own adventures and Jecht is ready to finally have time to himself and relax.

He moves to a new city and tells only three people his location, so he is in disbelief when he opens the door and finds Trixxtal had been knocking. After a panicked "I need help with this baby!" from Trixxtal and Jecht scolding him on how he was incorrectly holding the girl, the two somehow end up living together and raise Charlotte. Jecht does not know why he agreed.

It is a lie to himself and Jecht knows exactly why; he still and always will love Trixxtal. This time, together they resolve to make their relationship work for good. They love each other and were worth any hardship the future may throw at them.

Jecht looks at their matching rings and feels certain that, even in a world without soulmates, he would have fallen in love with Trixxtal.

The Beginning of the End {Midorimacchi & Azalea}

BELUGA RADOMUS BLACK

28/06/1049
died age 112 in 1161

Radomus was the loyal and effective second-in-command of the rebellion, dedicating his life to Seraphion and their cause. He often advised his leader and helped him on tactical decisions, took command of the rebels during Seraphion's absences, and personally went onto the front lines and led attacks to carry out Seraphion's orders. In the years leading up to the true start of the attacks, Radomus had spent nearly all of his free time training to fight, so after the first battles he participated in, the lieutenant had gained a fearsome reputation as a powerful wizard who delivered swift deaths.

After their victory Radomus felt hopeful that together with Seraphion, they could reform Wiz into a peaceful kingdom. But one of their advisors addressed the division among the people. Many people despised the wizards who had been fighting on the opposing side and if they did not mend the rift between them, the chaos could begin all over again. It was decided that a marriage between the crown princess and a rebel would be the symbol of unity Wiz needed. Radomus had no personal opinion about the idea until it was suggested that he be the one to marry her. Seraphion seemed to think that was a great idea, so Radomus reluctantly agreed to marry the princess. He felt ashamed that a part of him hoped she would refuse but Belladonna accepted their offer and Radomus knew he could not get out of this arrangement without disappointing Seraphion. Before he knew it, Radomus had become Beluga Black and the King of Wiz. As the consort of the true monarch, he had less political power than the queen but because Belladonna had little interest in ruling, she gave them free reign with the kingdom while she went on a cruise. Seraphion, as the new council leader, worked with Radomus to pass fair laws and reconstruct the kingdom. It was not easy at all, especially in the beginning, but as the years passed Wiz slowly began to heal and rebuild.

When his wife came back to live in the castle, Radomus felt pleasantly surprised. Now that he and Seraphion had established order and control in the kingdom, Radomus believed the cooperation of the queen would only move Wiz forward. He promised Belladonna that although they were only together through an arranged marriage, as her husband he would support her if she really wanted to help Wiz. Unfortunately, his hopes for a better future were ruined with the arrival of Belisario. The prince and his husband had been welcomed back to Wiz; triggering the downfall of everything Radomus had accomplished. Some time after they arrived, Radomus began to develop painful headaches that swiftly escalated into memory lapses and black outs. He felt terrified and every time he tried to speak his worries, Radomus either suddenly passed out from pain or he would momentarily forget what he wanted to say.

His personal nightmare became reality when he got news one day that Seraphion was dead. Radomus could barely keep himself together afterwards; the sight of his friend's corpse was horrible and he looked as if he died in pain. Then, as if life wanted to taunt him, Radomus began to remember what he forgot during his memory lapses. At first they were small glimpses of his body moving without his consent to places he did not recall visiting. But the dreams continued every night during the span of two months and they steadily grew worse. He viewed the memories as if he was reliving them and Radomus had to experience the events for himself; it terrified him because he had no control over anything. He saw himself doing horrific things to people in secret and even killed Aurelia, who Radomus did not even realize had gone missing. He felt mentally tortured at night and experienced physical pain during the day, feeling like he could drop dead at any moment. Radomus wanted to believe his life could not get any worse. He was proven wrong once again when he had one last final dream: a memory leading up to Radomus remembering that it had been himself who had cruelly tortured Seraphion to death. Feeling nothing but absolute self-loathing for himself Radomus wanted all of his pain to end. He grabbed a blade and began to self-mutilate his body, feeling he deserved to experience the painful death he dealt to his friend. Mimicking the torturous actions he took against Seraphion in his nightmare, Radomus died slowly and in pain.

He never discovered the truth; Hades and Belisario used a rare, dangerous demonic spell to control his mind. The spell was difficult to pull off because the victim's body would begin to degrade and as the spell began to fail, their memories of their time under control would slowly return. They managed to control Radomus as their puppet long enough to dispose of their biggest immediate obstacle: Seraphion. His suicide had not been planned since they still had some use for the enslaved king, but his early death was actually better for their overall goals.

Vampire Mafia

☆Alu☆
She sensed the surge of magic that flared all of a sudden, but was startled into staying in place when Zra surprised her by the way he swiftly ran off. Regaining her bearings she glanced at the vampire she had been left behind with. "I...sensed a sudden surge of magic, so I assume my partner did as well." she explained, however, now that it was over Alu could no longer pinpoint the exact place it had been.

"He must have run towards it. Perhaps the magic we sensed was from that...ah," she paused to try to find an unoffensive term for Olivier, "Magic user? Yes, the magic user from the kitchens again."

Alu then frowned as she remembered their host's previous words about getting in trouble if they wandered around the building unaccompanied. "I must find my partner before we cause any more trouble for you." she told him. The vampire still unnerved her but he had been polite and shown great hospitality to them, yet Alu had already caused a scene earlier with the idiot in the kitchen and Zra had now run off on his own.

☆Izel☆
Izel felt crushed when Lord Anastastio's brother proclaimed that his amulet was unneeded, but did not let that bring his mood down. "Ah, Valente is so powerful to have rid the evil spirit so quickly! But just in case the spirit summons its allies from the underworld, Lord Anasastio will still have protection with him." he explained with pride, but then frowned. "Oh, I should have prepared for something like this early, please forgive me for not thinking far enough ahead for your safety, Lord Anastasio."

He would have continued rambling to the brothers, if it were not for the fact that a man burst through the doors. Izel watched with wariness and confusion while Protettore dealt with the strange horned man.

"It seems like a different spirit, possible even a demon, I have seen pictures of horned men tempting pure souls with darkness. Be wary Lord Anastasio, you have such a pure soul. Oh, but I suppose with your brother here you have nothing to worry about! He is more powerful than anything and I have no doubt Lord Protettore will banish the spirit demon back into the darkness." he replied, his whisper not quiet at all, giving a thumbs up to Anastasio.

As if on cue, Protettore punch the intruder in the face. Izel looked at his leader in awe and whispered back excitedly to Anasastio, "See! He just attacked that ghost, as if it is corporeal. Lord Protettore is truly amazing! You both are truly reincarnated gods..!"

☆Jecht☆
Anger seethed inside him as he glared at the phone in Valente's hands. "I don't care if you keep that shitty picture, just keep it away from me and everyone else." he scowled, completely fed up. The only reason he did not lose control of his rage was the fact that Valente finally released his hair from the rainbow spell.

He gave the floating Valente a cold look, not returning the smile, but he made no move to attack him again. "Fine." he agreed tersely. He had the choice of either being alone, going back to Trixxtal, or enduring Valente's presence. Unfortunately Valente seemed to be the best option but if Jecht got the opportunity to smash his face with the volleyball, then all the better for him.

"How do you play volleyball? All I know is that there is a net and you stop the ball from hitting the ground or whatever."he asked, feeling a bit calmer now that Valente was offering him a distraction from his fight with Trixxtal.

Vampirates

☆Cepheus☆
Cepheus stared at the vampires with a puzzled look. If he felt incredibly lost by their theivery trivia, Cepheus did not want to imagine how confused Tori was. "Honestly, do you old vampires even understand or remember how to teach anything to young people?" he asked with a roll of his eyes. Cepheus and Tori were significantly younger than he rest of the crew, making him wonder if that was why he seemed to be the only one not overestimating a child. Tori was a vampire and probably naturally stronger than a human like him, but he was still a child. "That was just a long sentence of words that came out of your mouth too quickly to take in. At least, all I got from it was that every time you messed up, Jecht hurled lightning at you."

Nemesis huffed and crossed her arms. "Well, excuse me for trying to help. Tori must have understood that, right? He is obviously already much smarter than you." she complained, though Cepheus ignored her rebuttal and looked to Tori instead, who looked anxious and whispered his fears to him.

"Not while I'm around, so stay close to me alright?

☆Charlie☆
"Um...Okay." he agreed hesitantly, not wanting to be part of the team to find Jecht, but not wanting to disagree either. Looking around town would be the least demanding anyways. If he went with Videl he would probably become too nervous and accidentally mess up fixing the ship. And if he went with Nemesis, Cepheus, and Tori then he would just be a burden. It's not like he could have anything useful to teach the child and while he could fill in for Cepheus...he could not or did not want to comfort a frightened child. "Mariemaia, do you have any plans for where to go? All I can think of is the local tavern..."

☆Nemesis☆

"Yeah, good plan Mariemaia!" she grinned, giving her a thumbs up. It was completely obvious to her, like it was to every other person in the group, that the woman wanted to find the captain herself. It was almost cute how she thought her crush was a secret, but then again Jecht appeared to have no idea about her crush and Mariemaia seemed oblivious that the captain had a thing for Trixxtal.

"Ah, so I'm the watchdog?" sighed Cepheus, but Nemesis ignored him because she still felt annoyed that he disliked her explanation. She whirled to Protettore, who was still gripping onto Cepheus' sleeve.

"I will definitely be the greatest teacher for little Tori. Come on, Tori and dog! Let's find you some pants." she said with determination, and took Tori's hand. Cepheus, who Tori had still been holding onto, followed behind them.

"Okay, Tori, the first thing that is going to happen is that we look for the best looking house to steal from!"

☆Cepheus☆

"Because the lower class probably won't have anything worth stealing." he clarified for Tori's sake, "And out of those houses Nemesis picks, I'll shift into my other form and choose one with more than one scent. Those will probably have a better chance of having a child around than one with only one or two scents. A home like that will probably only have an adult living alone or a couple."

Honestly, it would be much more convenient if someone on the crew could just make a pair of pants for Tori. However, Cepheus also had a feeling that even if they conveniently had extra fabric stashed somewhere to use for mending Tori's pants, Jecht would still make Tori go through the trouble of stealing pants anyways.

"Hey, Tori, do you want to pick the house?" he heard Nemesis ask, causing Cepheus to frown.

They had not been walking for very long so there were not many houses to choose yet, but he had a feeling Tori would feel a lot of pressure to pick the perfect house. "Nemesis...you pick first and give him an example." he intervened.

"Oh, it will be fine! He just has to decide on the prettiest looking home. I want to see his opinion." she replied cheerfully, excited over the anticipation of their upcoming theivery.

Hold My Flower

NOEM
"Of course I am free." he blurted out immediately, a nervous smile on his lips. "Why else would I be out of prison?" He was not out legally, but Noem did not see it as a complete lie to say that he was free now.

He hoped his voice sounded more confident than he felt but Noem had a sinking feeling that she saw right through him. If there was one thing he learned while working alongside Bellona and her protectors, who were all mothers (except for Lavelle, who basically acted like a mom to her brother anyways), was that mothers had a frightening ability to detect when their children were full of shit. They could sniff out any lie and Diomira treated him better than his birth mother ever did. Therefore, he had a feeling she would definitely know something was wrong.

But perhaps he could use that to his advantage? Even if she knew he was lying...sweet Diomira surely would not let someone she saw as her own child die if there was a chance for him to live, right?

Well, his birth mother had done exactly that, but she was garbage compared to Diomira. Diomira is kind and probably the only one who tried to visit him in prison. She cared for him and treated him like he was a welcomed member of her family. So maybe, just maybe, he could convince her to help him instead. Noem felt guilty for even thinking of attempting to manipulate her in any way but...he had come so far. He had to keep moving forward.

He made himself look more unsure as he stared at her outstretched hand. "You...um, you are very kind to offer, Diomira." he spoke softly, the tension in his shoulders feeling lighter. Diomira alone seemed to have the ability to put him at ease; he would truly miss her after he left. "But I feel ashamed...I cannot show my face to the queen. I failed her and am a disgrace...I'm going to sneak out and never come back. I truly want to go with you, I do! I hate that everything I've worked for is gone now. But I have to leave; I cannot risk being seen by his majesty. You understand, right? He is very angry with me and it is truly only the mercy of Oz that I am alive. What if he changes his mind and I am sentenced an execution again? I don't want to die..!"

He started off calmly, but the more he spoke the more frantic he began to feel. There was enough truth mixed within his lies to express his genuine fear over being executed. Speaking the words out loud returned the anxiety to Noem once again, and with Diomira here in front of him, it felt harder to control his tears.

He ignored her hand completely, going straight for a hug.

"Diomira...I'm afraid, please don't make me go." he pleaded, embracing her in the first hug he ever initiated between them. A part of him knew that this would be the easiest way to convince her to leave him be...but Noem also wanted this last chance to say goodbye to Diomira. He had wanted to seem childish and appeal to her motherly side, but he hardly needed to act the part since he felt so horrible and she naturally seemed to bring out his vulnerability. He felt embarrassed over how truly easy it was for him to fall apart in front of her.

"I'm very happy I got to see you one last time...you're like a mother to me." he admitted, and silently in complete denial that he was crying into Diomira's shoulder, "So please, let me go. If you bring me back I'll die. D-don't kill me..!"

Welcome to the Dark Hour

♥♥Katamari&Subaru♥♥

"Ah, thanks Shino..."he mumbled, feeling the air generated from Shino's magazine fan. Katamari didn't even notice Shino stop fanning him or see what Ichiro was doing because he was tired and plus it was dark. For a moment he actually did fall asleep but his light nap was interrupted when his ears picked up on his name.

"Take care, Katamari."

He muttered a quiet "See ya later" before he felt the nice mini breeze from Shino's fan. He smiled and rolled onto his side, raising his arms and gently grabbing Shino's trembling hands. Katamari often held his best friend to try and calm him down, ever since they became best friends. He heard Shino's nervous whisper about Subaru waking up and let go of his hands, pushing against the floor to support his weight when he sat up.

"Subaru? You awake?"he called out.

"Yes...but, what's going on?"asked the confused man. Despite his fatigue, Katamari stood up and turned around to speak to Subaru. He was glad that the table was behind him and not ten billion feet away. "I'm Katamari and my friend here is Shino."he explained. "Ichiro, our friend from high school, brought us here after he saved you from an assassin named Akito. My persona specializes in healing, so you should be fine."

Subaru touched his neck instinctively and felt the wound that had been inflicted on him.Akito...tried to kill me? he thought, feling a bit sad at the news. " Where is Ichiro now?"he asked. Katamari shrugged and sat back down on the floor. "I don't know, I took a nap after I healed you. Shino, did Ichiro mention where he was going?"

♥♥Akito♥♥

Akito sluggishly headed towards the monorail station, still drenched in Subaru's blood.

♥♥Kieran&Kyoya♥♥

"I'm going to kill you!"yelled Kieran, straight up refusing to believe Gabriel's words. The only reason Kieran wasn't pummeling Gabriel into the ground was because Mizuki was doing so herself, and Kyoya's hands were on his shoulders holding him back from joining her.

Kyoya winced as the blond's face slammed into the concrete; he needed to think of something to get her to stop! He couldn't hold back both Kieran and his wife so he decided to try and grab their attention.

"Forgive me for sticking my nose into his, but...wouldn't you know if you had carried a child for nine months?"he asked, directing his question at the woman. "Even if you've forgotten, then maybe somebody in your family knows the tru-"
Kyoya stopped mid-sentence, distracted because Kieran finally broke free from his grasp.

Another Time, Another Story

Roleplay Title:
Dumbest au
AKA the superhero with a supervillain best friend au
Roleplay Origin:
Superhero/Supervillain AU
Setting:
AU earth
Characters Involved:
Cepheus Ross - superhero Cepheroth
Julian Ring - supervillain Jecht
Nicolas Marquis - police officer Trixxtal

In a world with superheroes and supervillains, there lived two boys who became childhood friends. As teenagers, both boys developed superpowers. While one set of parents felt delighted for their son, the other pair feared the power their child wielded would lead him to ruin. The boy with the frightened parents was sent far away to live with relatives, but before the boys were forced to say their goodbyes, they promised to "always be friends no matter what". However once they hit adulthood the boys, now young men, would reunite only to discover they had taken separate paths in life.

One walked the path of righteousness to become a superhero. The other walked down the road to a life as a criminal and became a supervillain. Their reunion was a tragic one, friends turned enemies, breaking their promise of eternal friendship.

...Or not.

I. A reunion
Cepheus looked at the cackling supervillain in front of him with disbelief. The man laughed cruelly as he tossed aside a defeated hero like a broken toy into an already crumbled building, which had been in pristine condition this morning until the villain ruined it with his power over electricity. Cepheus should have moved to stop him, or at least attempt to aid his injured comrade...but he did nothing but stare intently at the supervillain.

He wore a top that reminded Cepheus of a star or even a spark of light; the color was a pure white with shades of dark blue zigzagged lines, resembling the electricity he wielded. And down the sides of his black pants it looked like lightning, the same color of his top half of the costume, struck. In the center of his white top an obnoxiously large J, encased around dark blue lightning, was branded and it was the same black color as the mask covering the villain's eyes.

This disguise did not fool Cepheus. It was blatantly obvious to him that the true identity of this supervillain who called himself Jecht was his best friend, Julian.

"Jul-...Jecht!" he called, his voice barely containing the excitement and showed no fear as the villain turned around to face him. There was no reason to be afraid of his closest friend, no matter how many years they had been apart. And by the smile on Jecht's face, Cepheus knew he recognized him too.

"Cece! It's been so long." he greeted cheerfully, as if he had not been wreaking havoc three seconds ago and casually slung his arm over Cepheus' shoulders to pull him into a friendly hug. With a wave of his hand, a large shield of electricity erected around both of them so Jecht could safely ignore any heroes or police officers wanting to subdue him. Chatting with his best friend was obviously more important. "I didn't know you became a hero."

"Yeah, my hero name is Cepheroth," he casually returned Jecht's smile, "And I didn't know you became a villain, either, Julian, or that you returned to the city. Either way...it really is good to see you again."

II. What do you want from McDonalds?
"Man, Cece, I can't believe you kicked my ass that badly. You've gotten way stronger! You're the only hero who'll ever stand a chance against me. All of those other heroes aren't even worth my time, if you weren't there to arrest me, I would have totally won." Despite the fact that he was a prisoner in jail at the moment, the arrogance in Julian's tone came through the receiver and Cepheus felt a strange sense of deja vu.

"Jecht," he spoke, using Julian's villain name because the moron had decided to use his one call at the prison to make small talk with him, "Remember when we went against Skullkracken? You told me I was the only person who could ever win a fight against you, and that nobody in that gang was not worth your time. Then Fenrir kicked your ass. And don't even get me started on the Mancini brothers." he reminded with a hint of exasperation. "Try not to underestimate everybody all the time, alright?"

Jecht scowled at the memory of his youth; he was such an embarrassing idiot. "Back then neither of us had our powers yet! Those losses don't matter anymore, we were untrained kids anyways."he countered, seriously annoyed that he even remembered those damned Mancini kids again.

Cepheus let out a frustrated sigh at his friend's stubborness. "Just...try not to get hurt too badly whenever you do your dumb supervillain things alright? Anyway, I'll visit you later once I'm done cleaning up your mess."

"Wait! Wait! Wait! I called you for a reason, Cece, not just to talk about how you beat me up. Do you want anything from McDonalds?"

"What?" asked Cepheus, bewildered at the random change in subject, "Why?"

"Just humor me for once, please. If you were at McDonalds right now, what would you order?"

He could almost see the grin Jecht probably had over the line and Cepheus suddenly had a bad feeling. "I don't know. A burger and fries?"

"Alright! I'll drop the food off at your house!"

"What?! Jecht, what are you-"

Cepheus suddenly dropped the phone and clutched his ear, after he heard a lould BOOM from Jecht's end of the line. "Ugh, Julian what the hell?" he growled, and bent down to retrieve his cell phone. After that random explosion that he was one hundred percent certain was caused by Jecht, the phone line went dead. He immediately ditched the clean up crew to head home to confront Julian (and he better have picked up the burger and fries for him).

III. Obligatory villain backstory
His parents, in an attempt to prevent him from turning into a supervillain, sent Julian to live with his aunt and uncle. They had many "good reasons" for this, they said, and thought living in the peaceful countryside would be a good influence on him.

Okay, so what if he was the leader of a gang, the infamous FlyingDeath? And that he clearly wanted to get revenge on that bastard Fenrir and the Skullkraken for trying to take his turf?! He had to take care of his friends and territory, obviously. (He totally would have gotten away with stealing all their stuff too, as a great bonus, if it wasn't for the dumb heroes who suddenly showed up.)

Alright, so what if he nearly beat to death the bullies who tormented his best friend, Cepheus?! Of course he would defend him. And he definitely did not care that his parents were upset that he took the time to track down every single one of them and have a "friendly chat" to dissuade any notion of going after Cepheus again. (He totally beat them up, it was so fun! Cepheus lectured him on controlling his anger, and trying to find another way to solve his problems, but he still smiled and gave Julian a high five for that sick move he did against the most annoying bully.)

And so what if he suddenly developed the power to command electricity?! Calling down lightning from the Heavens was awesome, never needing a charger for electronics ever again was awesome, and short circuiting the power of the store so he could steal shit without getting caught on camera was awesome! It's not like he ever used his power to hurt anyone. (He totally wanted to fry that annoying Val-whatever dude in his class, but Cepheus reigned in his temper and kept him from turning into a murderer over a silly thing. Julian did not agree that insulting his taste in music and clothes was a "silly thing" but Cepheus insisted and so he controlled himself.)

The actual final straw for them, however, had not even been the worst thing he had done in Julian's opinion. He just stole his mom's motorcycle...because he wanted to see a superhero vs supervillain fight up close...and when he found them Julian started to cheer on the villain...then he "accidentally" electrocuted the duo of heroes who had been fighting the villain. They were horrified that he supported a notorious criminal, and angry that Julian apparently gave away his phone number and convinced that villain to go on a date with him. (Honestly, with Elijah's pretty silver hair and beautiful blue eyes and the powerful strength he showed, fending off both Lovi Sky and Legacy on his own, how could Julian NOT be attracted to that man) Then he argued with his parents that it wasn't like this was the first time he had dated a supervillain, so it was no big deal! (In hindsight, it had been really dumb of him to mention Keziah and Vittoria) Finding out that this was the third supervillain he had a romantic interest in (he DEFINITELY realized by now that admitting all of those other unrequited crushes on all of those other villains would be a bad idea, and kept his mouth shut) made them panic, they were actually borderline hysteric. The only saving grace about this dumb situation was that his parents encouraged him to stay in contact with Cepheus, who according to them, befriending the kind and responsible boy was the only positive decision Julian had ever done.

So it was with a teary goodbye to his old gang, a cold farewell to his parents, and a heartfelt promise to Cepheus to "always be friends no matter what" that Julian arrived to some obviously boring hick town where Wolfram and Joyce Rutella lived. It only took an hour for him to change his opinion of his aunt and uncle.

Julian was laughing so hard while standing in the hidden lair in their basement, unable to stop because his parents had no idea!!! No idea that Wolfram and Joyce were high ranking members of the most notorious supervillain organization!!! No idea that they had sent him to live with a pair of secret supervillains because they were afraid he would grow up to become a supervillain!!!

He now found the situation hysterical, and the only downside to this now was that Cepheus was not here to experience this hilarious situation with him, and he was forbidden from saying anything about this to his best friend. Julian did not mind keeping this secret, too much. After all, even with Julian's shitty influence on him since childhood, it was obvious to him that Cepheus would eventually grow up to become a superhero.

IV. Thank you for throwing my ass in jail
"Ugh, I can't believe you're throwing my ass in jail, Cece." complained Julian, whining as he watched the police car drive towards them. He looked at the flickering red and blue lights with dread as the vehicle parked. He felt tempted to immediately escape, but Cepheus was still hovering around him to prevent just that, so he could do nothing but stay put for now.

But then, the car doors opened. Julian stared at the man who emerged from the car and honestly wondered if he had just been blessed by a divine act of God.

His heart beat fast as he whispered to Cepheus, "Hey, hey! Cece look at him. Holy shit. That's the most beautiful man I've ever seen, forget what I said earlier, thank you for throwing my ass in jail." Julian silently praised himself for being patient for once. If he had run off like he wanted to, he would have never encountered the attractive police officer who was approaching the two of them.

The officer with the pretty blond hair and the gorgeous eyes wore a standard uniform, but then Julian noted the insignia enseamed into his shirt. This man was a member of the special forces, consisting solely of police officers wielding special powers like any hero or villain. Their job was to arrest the villains defeated by heroes and guard them in prison, which would be too potentially dangerous for a cop without a super power of their own. In a way, they were a subclass of heroes; they even possessed code names just like the heroes and villains. Knowing the attractive man in front of him was probably strong made Julian want him even more.

He heard the melodic voice of the officer as he spoke the Miranda rights and Julian could only sigh dreamily, no longer caring that he was being arrested as long as if it was done by this man. When the angelic voice finished speaking, Julian did not even hesitate to say, "Please, arrest me officer. I'll go with you without resistance. Although maybe you're the real criminal here, because you've stolen my heart."

Cepheus just looked at Julian in disbelief. There had been many "Cece, it's love at first sight, I think I've found the one!!!" in his life but never before had his friend shown interest in anyone who had not been a supervillain. The fact that he had fallen for a random police officer of all things honestly surprised him. The cop just looked bewildered as he moved to handcuff Julian, who looked absolutely thrilled to have the man so close to him. But then Julian opened his mouth once again, clearly not wanting to use his right to remain silent, and continued to flirt with the cop.

"So, Officer Gorgeous, are you single? Want to go on a date?" asked Julian, without a shred of shame. The police officer looked startled while Cepheus cringed and decided he wanted to curl up in an alleyway far away from the foreboding scene he predicted would happen soon.

"The only place I'm taking you is jail." the man finally responded, feeling a bit flustered by Julian but mostly annoyed and confused. He was used to supervillains hating him, or trying to hurt him and evade arrest.

"Alright, it's a date then, Officer Sexy." grinned Julian, it wouldn't be the first date he's spent in a jail anyways, he totally could make this work. "You can call me Jecht, Officer Handsome. By the way, Cepheroth over here terribly injured my leg. I'll need to hold onto you to make it to the car. Actually, maybe you can carry me, both my legs are definitely hurt really badly. That's why I'm not running away. Not that I'd want to run away from you. Or that I could, really. I would need a map anyways, because I'm utterly lost in your eyes, Officer Lovely."

Cepheus changed his mind, what he definitely wanted to do now was crawl into a ditch to die from the second hand embarrassment.

"This is not a date. And do not call me by those names.” the officer firmly stated with a frown, but glanced down at Jecht's legs. There was barely even a speck of dirt on them, let alone blood, so he ignored the earlier comments about injuries that were obviously exaggerated.

Undeterred, Julian's eyes flickered to the badge on the cop's chest. "Oh, then thank you for giving me permission to call you by your name, Officer...Trixxtal." he smirked, his gaze lingering on his chest for a few seconds longer before looking back to Trixxtal's perfect gaze. "Hey, Trixxtal, do you believe in love at first sight-"

Finally fed up with Julian's advances, the police officer suddenly blasted a small stream of water at his face to shut him up. The criminal looked taken aback for a mere moment, not expecting an attack at all, before smiling even brighter at Trixxtal. "Oh my, Trixxtal, already wanting to get me we-"

Trixxtal quickly shoved Julian into the police car and shut the door, not wanting to hear any more from that clearly delusional criminal. Cepheus wished he could burn his own ears off.

V. Movie Night
After breaking out of jail on the day they reunited, Julian realized he had no place to stay so he ended up becoming Cepheus' roommate. Their arrangement worked because they kept their lives as Jecht and Cepheroth away from home. But after Jecht became smitten with Officer Trixxtal, resisting the urge to strangle him was difficult.

"What gift do you think Trixxtal would like?"asked Jecht, not even bothering to pretend he was watching the movie.

"A restraining order from you." Cepheus rubbed his temples. "You're acting like an annoying stalker, Julian. He definitely won't return your feelings if you're being creepy. Actually, he probably won't feel anything for you as long as you remain a supervillain."

Julian looked unconcerned. "I can probably change his mind about the supervillain thing." he said with a nonchalance that irritated Cepheus. "I don't know about the restraining order though...I wouldn't be able to see him. Maybe a pet instead? Like, an exotic one he can't buy anywhere. Do you think he would like a komodo dragon?"

"Why would he want one? Why would you think that's an appropriate gift for anyone?!"

"Well, I think a pet dragon would be sick."

"And illegal. Wait a minute...no absolutely not, I forbid you to smuggle a komodo dragon into my house."

"Aw, come on Cece, live a little."

"...You've already ordered it, haven't you?"

(Later that week, the news reported that the local zoo happily received a komodo dragon rescued by the hero Cepheroth.)

VI. Lunch with the devil
"Hey Trixxtal, do you want some lunch?"

Nicolas stilled as he heard the voice of devil speak and forced himself to slowly turn around. The past month was hell, pure hell, and probably the most annoying assignment he ever had so far and the reason for it was right in front of him. The villain he arrested over and over again wore a police uniform and held a box of pizza in his hands. Nicolas wondered just who those clothes had been stolen from, whose money he stole to pay for the pizza (if he even bothered to pay in the first place, it was entirely possible the poor delivery person was threatened with the fear of god), and just what he had to do and who he had to knock unconscious in order to even reach his office without getting caught. He massaged his temples at the annoyance named Jecht.

"Shouldn't you be in your jail cell?" he asked weakly, wondering why he even bothered to ask by now.

Jecht thought his question amusing, judging by the smug grin on his face, and set the pizza down on his desk. "Those new upgrades to the lock were hardly a challenge for me to overcome," he bragged, as if Nicolas should be impressed at his skill.

"Ugh..." Nicolas groaned, frustrated. What a fucking creep. He had figured it out by now that Jecht only let himself be thrown in jail as an excuse to be around him, and once he went off duty, Jecht immediately escaped as if his prison sentence was optional. Nobody but himself and Cepheroth were capable of arresting Jecht, so Nicolas was stuck dealing with him. EVERY. TIME. "I'm escorting you back, criminal."

"You're so dedicated to your job..." Jecht complimented with a dreamy sigh, "To be willing to arrest me again, even on your lunch break."

Nicolas paused. He took in the aroma of the pizza Jecht brought. "You're right, screw this, I'll deal with you when I'm on duty."

Jecht grinned and took a seat across the desk, uninvited. "I'm so happy we're on this lunch date, Trixxtal."

"This is not a date." Nicolas said reflexively, since he said it nearly everyday, "I'm only letting you stay so I can arrest you in thirty minutes."

Jecht helped himself to some pizza; Nicolas left it untouched. "You're so sweet to make time for me, Trixxtal." he said, not at all phased by the denial.

Nicolas resisted the urge to drown him; submerging his office in water would cost too much out of his paycheck to repair the damages.

VII. A(n) (Un)Pleasant Vacation
He was off duty. Nicolas did not have to deal with him right now. If he somehow evaded him in the lobby of this hotel, and made it to the double doors leading to the beach...he could have a nice relaxing time and forget he ever noticed the last person he wanted to see right now. But life hated him, because as he stared at Jecht from across hall, the man suddenly looked up and they locked eyes. He saw Jecht smile and immediately knew he could not avoid him now, so Nicolas braced himself for another cheesy pick up line.

"You know, Trixxtal...you're like a camera, just looking at you makes me smile. Of course, your own smile is more radiant than mine ever could be. Speaking of cameras, mind if I have a picture? I'd like to prove to my friends that angels exist." Jecht smoothly walked towards him, without a care in the world, and it almost felt surreal for Nicolas to see him in casual clothes instead of his stupid supervillain costume or wearing the prisoner garb.

"I never smile around you," Nicolas denied immediately, "And I'm on vacation, so there is no reason for you to hang around me or for me to be anywhere around you." As long as Jecht was doing nothing blatantly incriminating in front of him, then he never bothered to try arresting the man while off duty; it was largely pointless since Jecht escaped immediately after Nicolas exited the building. And Nicolas did not get paid enough to deal with something so troublesome. "Leave."

"Hm...but won't you feel better when I'm right next to you? You don't have to worry if I'm doing something nefarious in the next room. You could actually enjoy yourself." mused Jecht, and it infuriated Nicolas at how much his stalker seemed to actually understand his thought process. It creeped him out.

"Ugh, why don't you go hang out with Cepheroth? I thought you said he was your best friend, go bother him instead of me!" he snapped. Nicolas honestly did not understand how a superhero and a supervillain could be best friends. Jecht never seemed to care that Cepheroth defeated him or arrested him constantly...actually now that Nicolas thought about it, maybe Jecht liked that since he would get sent to his "beloved Officer Trixxtal".

Nicolas suddenly wished he could forget he ever imagined that; ignorance is bliss.

"Oh, Cece is angry at me right now. He sometimes gets like this after I pull a heist, so I'm avoiding him until he forgives me." Jecht admitted, pouting like a scolded child. Nicolas wondered if he imagined the flicker of fear in Jecht's eyes. Then he realized what the criminal had said.

"Heist?! What hei- actually NO. I do NOT want to hear about this; otherwise I'll feel obligated to do something about it. This is my vacation and I officially do not care what you've been up to or going to do for the rest of the week. And if you're going to follow me to the beach then you are going to sit QUIETLY in the sand, preferably to bury yourself in it and just don't emerge ever, so I can relax."

"Wow, you feel relaxed around me, Trixxtal? Well, then of course I'll join you. Go choose a spot for our date and I'll pick up some ice cream." Jecht easily twisted his words once again, and Nicolas didn't bother responding to him. He stormed towards the beach while Jecht made his way to hotel store and did not bother asking for a certain kind or flavor, because Jecht probably already knew what his favorite was.

(Nicolas did not dare think about Jecht most likely stealing them. This week was his week to NOT CARE.)

VIII. Latte
"Cece! I got you this latte as an apology! I'm sorry you had to leave your concert early to come arrest me because I was robbing that bank..."Julian trailed off awkwardly, presenting Cepheus with a venti sized cup.

But Cepheus tentatively eyed the latte sitting in Julian's hands. He did not move from his seat on the sofa. "What is the name on that cup?" he asked briskly, and he saw Julian squirm as he covered the black scribbles with his hand. Julian opened his mouth and felt tempted to evade the question or lie, but Cepheus gave him an icy look, so he closed his mouth. There was an uncomfortable pause.

"...Ethan." he admitted with great hesitance, after enduring Cepheus' cold glare for a good solid minute. "Alright, I stole it, but he didn't show up after like five seconds so I didn't want it to go to waste!"

Cepheus stood up. He slowly walked towards Julian and calmly pried the stolen latte from his hands. He stared at the drink without saying a word and the awkward, discomforting silence from before returned with full force. Julian began to sweat as he watched Cepheus, who continued standing in front of him with a sinister calm aura.

Which was why Julian got caught completely off guard when he felt the cold drink suddenly dumped all over his head. "Ahhhh Cece what the hell?!" he cried, wiping his eyes, feeling them sting as the liquid got into his eyes. "No, my poor hair!"

He heard a snap and turned towards the sound, a sickening foreboding feeling in his gut about what just happened. And to his horror, like he suspected there was a phone in Cepheus' hand. His best friend had a smirk on his face, recognizable to him as the look from their childhood when Cepheus got revenge on him for whatever bullshit Julian dragged him into.

"I think I'll send this picture to your 'true love'." he taunted, immediately inciting panic in Julian.

"What?! But I look so gross! Trixxtal can't see me like this! CECE!" cried Julian, the thought of Trixxtal seeing him looking anything but cool horrified him.

But Cepheus just laughed evily, as if he was the one who was the supervillain in the room. "Its too late, I've already sent it. But don't worry, I forgive you now."

"CECE!!! Ugh...wait, why do you have Trixxtal's number?!"

IX. Phone Calls
Cepheroth had formed an odd sort of camaraderie with Officer Trixxtal. They bonded over the fact that they were the only ones who could successfully deal with Jecht's bullshit.

Cepheus covered for Julian often when they were children and he regretted his actions now that he looked back as an adult. Because of Cepheus, Julian hardly ever had to face punishment or consequences of his actions and his friend learned to do what he wanted. And now, Julian became the supervillain Jecht who thought prison was optional and did not feel much remorse for any of his crimes. But now it is because Cepheus is his friend that he continues to arrest Jecht as the superhero Cepheroth. They were not children any more, and adults had to face responsibility for their actions. Still...he was still rather lenient with his friend. His standard of good behavior was so low that Cepheus felt Julian committing minor crimes were "not that bad". He only stopped him when he did something ridiculous like destroying buildings, robbing places, or assassinating people he did not like. Most of the time now, Cepheus could successfully defeat him.

But there was one thing Cepheus was utterly failing at, and that was convincing Julian to leave Officer Trixxtal alone and to stop being a creep. And it was that guilt that drove Cepheus to be willing to listen to any rant the police officer had about Jecht.

"Your insane friend found my mother on Facebook and they're chatting each other up like old friends, sharing pasta recipes or something!" hissed Trixxtal, and Cepheus winced and slightly pulled his ear from the phone. The yells were badly hurting his ears. "My mother apparently thinks he is the greatest thing ever and told me she was disappointed that I won't accept that lunatic as my boyfriend. I told her that Jecht was a dangerous supervillain, you know what she told me? She said that I have a thing for bad boys anyways so she can't see why that's a reason to I dislike him, can you believe that?!"

"I'm so sorry Trixxtal, I've tried to stop him..." Cepheus apologized, but if he was heard then he was ignored, and the rant continued.

"Don't even get me started on my nephew! Tori likes him even more than my mother does, and told me to marry him already so that he could be related to a cool supervillain," he seethed, "He bragged about how Jecht came to his house to teach him and his friends how to fight properly. What the hell? When did Jecht become cozy with my family?! Wait, does this mean he's figured out my real name..." He sounded completely freaked out.

It was at that moment Julian strolled into the living room, also on the phone, "Madeline, the Coq Au Vin turned out great! It was even better than last week's crepes recipe. Thank you so much...maman?...are you sure? Ah, I'm so happy you practically think of me as family already, maman! So, the next one you want me to try is Chicken Fricassee?"

Cepheus stared as Julian walked past him, hearing him speak somewhat politely for the first time in his life. As Julian's voice trailed away Cepheus gathered the courage to ask Trixxtal, "Uh, is your mother's name Madeline? Because I think Jecht is on the phone with her right now, he just called her maman-"

"WHAT?!"

X. Grocery Shopping
"Haha, hey there Cece!" grinned Julian, waving at Cepheus with one hand while his free arm pushed the shopping cart in front of him. Cepheus saw that the idiot was clad in his supervillain outfit, apparently not even bothering to change into civilian clothes before grocery shopping. Several other customers, easily recognizing Julian as the supervillain Jecht, fearfully rushed away from him and scattered into the many different aisles.

Cepheus took one look at his best friend and let out an exasperated sigh, then pinched the bridge of his nose. All he had wanted to do today was pick up some cheap food to eat before he went on patrol. "You broke out again?" he asked, frustrated but not in the least bit surprised to see Julian in front of him. Just last Friday he had thrown Jecht in jail and Cepheus miraculously enjoyed a relaxing weekend, having the house all to himself due to Officer Trixxtal having overtime at the prison, but it looked like his peace had ended. Clearly, this was yet another reason to hate Mondays.

"Yeah, I got bored." Julian replied nonchalantly, instantly falling into step beside Cepheus. "Trixxtal left our date early, so I didn't bother staying." A fond smile was on his lips.

Cepheus rolled his eyes as Julian gave his reasoning and chucked his shopping basket into his friends cart, since they lived together anyways. "Officer Trixxtal is the prison guard, idiot, he's not spending time near your cell because he likes you." he reminded, futilely, knowing Julian would continue to pursue the man. He had repeated this every day for the past few months.

Julian walked with him towards the register and casually pulled out a gun at the frightened cashier. "They are dates, Cece. I planned every single one of them and I give him gifts and everything!"

And just as casually as Julian was when the weapon was pulled, Cepheus calmly grabbed the gun from his hand and took it away from him. He stuffed it into the shopping cart, next to some of Jecht's groceries. "We already have two cartons of milk in the fridge, why are you picking up more?!" he complained, eyeing the milk as if it was a nuisance. "And I am one hundred percent sure Officer Trixxtal does not want any of that junk you stole." he retorted, then moved to snatch a random kitchen knife from Julian's hands. Careful not to accidentally cut himself, Cepheus chucked the knife next to the discarded gun.

Unconcerned by Cepheus' stops to his criminal activity, Julian reached out for his friend's pocket to obtain his wallet, but this time the hero made no movement to stop him. "Because Trixxtal loves milk! When I found him at the bar, he told me he needed some." Julian gave Cepheus a look, as if "Duh", he should have obviously known that. "And I'm pretty sure he liked that priceless pocket watch I gave him. It took a lot of effort to steal that from the museum and keep it hidden until I got to me and Trixxtal's cell, you know. You nearly confiscated it along with the other stuff you returned to the place." he said with pride, stepping behind the now abandoned register that the cashier had long fled from, and swiped Cepheus' credit card to pay for the groceries.

"Julian, he was only happy because now he could return it to the museum." he pointed out, but Julian paid no attention to him because as if Julian could sense his presence, through the doors emerged Officer Trixxtal. The man's guarded expression immediately shifted to annoyance and the tension in his shoulders seemed to leave him the moment he spotted Julian.

"Even for a regular crime, I run into you." the police officer grumbled, but Cepheus could hear him with his enhanced hearing. "Jecht, you're under arrest." He sounded resigned.

Unsurprisingly, Julian's face brightened at the words. "Trixxtal, I'm so happy to see you!" he greeted the unhappy cop, who dully recited the Miranda rights that Julian was listening to, he would always stop to listen to Trixxtal's wonderful voice. But instead of immediately running to flirt with the officer, both Cepheus and Trixxtal looked surprised to see Julian reach into the shopping cart and pull out a bouquet of roses. "These are for you! I even paid for them. A legal gift, just like you wanted."

The police officer hesitantly accepted the flowers, having enough experience by now that Jecht would only act more annoying and insistent if he did not take them. He could just throw them into he trash later anyways. "I didn't say I wanted anything from you." he retorted, placing the handcuffs on the thrilled villain.

Cepheus rolled his eyes at this stupid scene, because it was his money Julian used, and if he had not coincidentally ran into him then Julian would have totally stole them.

"See you later, Cece! Put away the groceries, will you? Thanks! I'll tell you how our date goes." happily exclaimed Julian, who was being escorted out of the store and back to jail by Trixxtal, who now just looked really tired.

The Beginning of the End {Midorimacchi & Azalea}

ETHELWINN RAMENO

23/07/1191
died at 13

Ethelwinn is the son of Ethelline and Etheal Rameno. His parents lost most of their money after Belisario took over so Ethelwinn grew up in a small home. Unlike his mother, who never failed to complain about the poverty, Ethelwinn did not mind because it was the only life he knew. He joined his father working on a barely living farm that supplied food for the inhabitants of the overlord's castle. Sadly, when he was nine years old, his mother was executed after being framed by a rebel. Since nobody knew she was not actually a rebel, Ethelwinn and his father became outcasts in the community. They were banned from working on the farm any longer and closely watched to see if they were rebels too. Within a few months they were homeless and Ethelwinn was often given the portions of food his father managed to find, unknown to him. His father grew thinner and more depressed as the months went by, worrying Ethelwinn, but he was angry because all his father would do was mumble how he missed Ethelline. Ethelwinn finally snapped one day and yelled at his father, claiming he shouldn't miss her. He blamed her for all their suffering and was angry they had to live like this because she betrayed the overlord. He came to regret the argument later because his words to his father were the final thing to push Etheal to the edge, and Ethelwinn found his father's body after he committed suicide. He took his father's cherished ring, that once belonged to Ethelline, as a memento of his parents before fleeing the scene.

After both his parents died he was left all alone, not knowing anything about his parents' relatives, so he was forced to fend for himself on the streets. Being a resourceful boy, Ethelwinn remember what his father used to do in order to find scraps and leftovers to live off. One day he met another boy his age, Furai Justus, and took pity on him. He took Furai under his wing and they became fast friends, trusting each other enough with their prize possessions that they normally would never part with. Ethelwinn had his mother's ring and Furai a necklace from his father; every time they separated, the two switched jewelry. They promised each other they would return their items after they met up again; ensuring that they would always come back to each other.

One day Ethelwinn snuck into a warehouse to search for supplies, not knowing that three wizards were up to mischief inside: Valarc Mancini, Weren Taiga, and Angeneva Apollos. As he looked for items of interest, an explosion and obnoxious laugh caught his attention. The curious Ethelwinn tried to sneak a look at what was happened and saw a blond boy yelling about "testing his new cool moves" to his dark haired opponent, who looked tired at unimpressed with the blond's antics. A pretty girl clutching a notebook was watching them nervously to the side. When the blond began another attack, against Ethelwinn's better judgment he stayed hidden in the room, completely in awe at how strong both teenagers were. The fight went on for some time but the starstruck Ethelwinn did not realize how the battle began to escalate, even after the girl fled the room to escape danger.

And, after the dark haired boy deflected the blond's "Super Awesome Shadow Spear" that he seemingly created from dark magic, the spear shot straight towards Ethelwinn. It happened so fast the young boy didn't even see it coming and his neck was sliced open. His cry of pain caught the attention of the boys and while the blond called for the girl, the dark haired boy came to Ethelwinn to try and help. He tried to stop the bleeding, and later the girl took over trying to heal him, but it was no use. She had no idea how to heal a wound caused by dark magic and Ethelwinn died before they could call for help.

Frightened that he had accidentally killed someone, Valarc panicked and kept apologizing to the corpse while Angeneva cried silent tears for failing to save the little boy. Weren looked just as distraught, since it was his deflection that made the spear hurt the child. Valarc's anxiety worsened when he wondered if he would be in trouble and blurted out they needed to do something about the body. Weren, a sudden calm overcoming him, suggested to Angeneva that she take Valarc home and that he would take care of the situation. After he was alone in the warehouse, Weren shakily set Ethelwinn's body on fire, wanting to remove evidence that the boy was killed by the spear created by Valarc's dark magic. When the body was left unrecognizable, Weren fled the building to go throw up, then destroy the weapon.

Later, some rebellion members found the scene and Furei Justus was one of them. When his teammate found the only notable identifying thing on the corpse - a charred necklace - Furei recognized it as the one he gave to his child. The horrified man mistakenly assumed the dead boy was his son, Furai, not knowing that Ethelwinn had been holding onto to Furai's precious necklace.

And elsewhere Furai waited in their hideout for Ethelwinn to return, clutching a ring in his hands.

Welcome to the Dark Hour

♥♥Katamari♥♥

"What a crime! Such a wonderful crime...!" sang Katamari, reciting the lyrics of one of Kyoya's newest songs. "That God would choose to make such lips as mine~!"

He cheerfully ignored the eerie feeling in the air, the green moon, all of the puddles of blood, and the occasional coffin that appeared during the dark hour. "It was wrong but all the same, I invited and you came into this dream with meeeee."

Katamari would have skipped with glee and danced in the empty streets, but he didn't want to accidentally step in a puddle. His new shoes would become stained with blood and he did NOT spend a hundred dollars to wear bloody shoes. "So my price, is to gaze in your eyes, and to feel more love than I can contain!"
The only sound outside suddenly stopped, for Katamari forgot the next line of lyrics! Ugh, and he thought he had finally learned this song by heart, too. But then a few steps later, he remembered! He pressed his hands against his chest, feeling his beating heart as Katamari continued to sing the song. "Even so, it's fair to say, I've still found a way...to cast my spell on you~"

He finally reached the library and cheerfully grabbed the handle. "Guilty, Beauty, Heart!" he sang, opening the door.

His voice was no Kyoya Legacy, but Katamari had the same charm aesthetically wise. With his decent signing and good looks, Katamari was certain that if he randomly recorded himself singing a cover of some famous song he'd be a YouTube celebrity in no time! But he had a life: picking up beautiful ladies, attending college, hanging out with Shino, and being awesome was a full time job!

"SHINO~! I finally learned his new song by heart."he announced as he stepped through the door, half expecting his friend to still be on a computer reading Kyovi fanfiction despite technology not working. Katamari, however, could smell the familiar scent of blood in the air. "Hm? Shino, did you have a fatal nosebleed?"he asked, but his body almost froze when he saw the outline of three figures in the room. Further inspection let him know that Shino was nervously looking at the ground and his old pal Ichiro was next to a man lying down on a table. He could barely see in the darkness, but Katamari could smell the blood. "Is that man bleeding!?"he gasped, hurrying over to Ichiro's side. Concerned for the man, he sacrificed his brand new shirt and shoes' cleanliness to hold him in his arms. "So what happened, Ichiro?"he asked as the blood began to seep into Katamari's clothes.

Even back in high school, Katamari never needed his evoker to summon his persona. He used sheer willpower; something even Kyoya never learned how to do. While Ichiro explained the situation, Katamari mutli-tasked and tended to the man in his arms. "Diarama..." he whispered, his blue eyes gazing at the seals on the stranger's neck. His persona floated above them and gently touched the neck wounds. A bright light from his other self's glowing hands let Katamari get a glimpse of the injured man's face and to his surprise he resembled Kyoya! But he knew it wasn't him, because the power of friendship let Katamari know that it was some sort of doppelganger or something. When the light faded and the darkness once again enveloped the library, he removed the seals that Ichiro placed and saw that the wound had closed. "I'm still worried about the blood loss he sustained though..." He voiced his concern to Ichiro, for Katamari could feel the blood on his own chest. It managed to soak through his blazer and T-shirt.

He grabbed the guy's wrist and checked the his pulse, sighing with relief when he realized there was still life left in him. But the pulse wasn't completely normal, and Katamari felt glad that he was taking medical classes at the moment. He was only able to recognize the abnormal pulse because of it! "My persona hasn't been used in half a decade, I'm not sure if I've completely healed him."he continued to worry. His persona hadn't disappeared yet, so Katamari decided to try again; this time with an even more powerful spell. "Diarahan!" he commanded, and instead of just the man's neck, Katamari's persona wrapped his entire body in light. Katamari kept up the healing spell for almost five straight minutes before his persona faded away. Fatigue hit him immeadiately afterwards and he set down the man back onto the table, feeling confident that his power had worked. "His breathing seems to have stablized and his pulse feels normal now...he should be okay, Ichiro."he reassured, though Katamari felt exhausted. He groaned as layed on the floor, not caring that he was next to blood. Katamari's clothes were already ruined anyways and he didn't have the strength to find a better spot to rest.

♥♥Kieran♥♥

Kieran, as if in sync with his wife, thought the exact same thing.

The hell?

Like a raging storm, the man felt the anger inside of him beginning to go out of control. The brown bunny faded away and Kieran's body began to shine for a split second; his persona had powered him up and given him temporary super strength. Kieran cracked his knuckles and slowly walked up to Gabriel and Mizuki.

"Takes your damn hands off of my wife, you bastard."he threatened, tightening his fist. Kieran didn't actually give him any time though, because he immediately punched Gabriel in the face and sent him flying.

He didn't bother watching the man slam against the wall or anything, Kieran knew he'd probably be still alive because of his persona protecting him, but regardless he turned to Mizuki. Oh, how his smile looked so dark.

"What was he telling you, Love?"he asked. Kieran didn't even hear Gabriel's accusation of Mizuki being the mother of his child.

♥♥Kyoya♥♥

Kyoya didn't have a clue what was going on, but the adorable bunny in his arms looked extremely angry. His first thought was that Kieran was pissed and by the way he had sent the blond man flying, Kyoya had a feeling he was right. He didn't want anybody to die, so he held the bunny with one arm and used the other to get his hidden evoker. "Persona!"he chanted, and the familiar feeling of his soul emerging washed throughout him. His persona, which resembled a vampire and in fact was named Vampire, appeared above Kyoya.

Knowing what he wanted, Kyoya's persona vanished and reappeared next to the wall. He caught Gabriel in his arms before he could hit the wall and set him down on the ground. Still carrying the bunny, he ran to Gabriel's side and looked up to his persona. "Thank you."he said, before Vampire nodded and returned to Kyoya's soul. The popstar put Kieran's bunny on his shoulder, like how Pikachu would rest on Shinij's shoulder, and kept his evoker in his left hand. He extended his right hand to Gabriel, offering to help him up.

"Why are you fighting each other?"he asked, concerned for all three of their safety. Kyoya didn't want anybody dying tonight.

♥♥Akito♥♥

Akito's body stirred and his head felt like it was on fire. "Ugh..."he groaned, rolling over and laying on his back. Finally waking up Akito opened his eyes and saw the dark sky, gazing up at the moon. He could see that it was still the dark hour, but he did not see Subaru's corpse anywhere. Akito was drenched in blood but from what e could tell, all of it had belonged to Subaru. There was also a piece of paper on his forhead and when Akito removed it, he couldn't understand a single symbol written on it. "Damn..."he cursed, realizing that somebody must have knocked him unconscious and saved his victim using this enchanted paper.

It would definitely explain why he didn't remember falling unconscious.

Still lying there, Akito closed his eyes and tried to sense his allies. He could still feel four energies nearby so he concluded that Kieran, Mizuki, Kyoya Legacy, and Gabriel were still at the monorail station. Unfortunately for Akito, he couldn't contact them right away, his energy was deplenished so he couldn't speak telepathically. Annoyed, Akito finally sat up and he tried scanning the area for Subaru's whereabouts. He didn't find anybody besides the four at the monorail station; Subaru had probably been taken to a place out of range. Akito sighed, still annoyed that he couldn't sense as far as usual because of his fatigue. What in the world had happened, where was Subaru, and what was the paper he found on his forehead?

He glanced at the paper once more before tucking it into his pocket; Akito would definitely research this later.

♥♥Subaru♥♥

Subaru slowly opened his eyes but he couldn't see anything in the darkness. His neck felt like it was burning and he felt like he had been thrown into a pool because of all the blood on his clothes. He vaguely remembered hanging out with Akito and then it was all a big blur. Subaru did have an image of looking up into the blond's eyes for whatever reason but it was all so unclear. He sat up and tried to figure out where he was, but he couldn't tell. Maybe it was the dark hour?

"Where am I..?"he mumbled, surprised by how weak his voice sounded. Dazed, he continued looking around until he noticed that there was somebody behind him; he could hear the breathing. "Hm?"