Damnit, where is that big dummy? I know I’m supposed to be here. Every one of Kado’s teammates is here, but I can’t spot his moonlight hair. I shout his name so he can hear me through the loud voices in the gathering room.
“Hey, Lady Vodkis,” a woman says, wearing a similar white and yellow outfit that Kado wears. “It is an honor to see you here.”
“Forgive me. I don’t have the time for being formal. Do you know where Kado might be? I want to see him," I say.
“Uh,” she hums, looking at the doors directly ahead of me. “I think he’s in there. He might be meditating.”
“Thank you.” She doesn’t give me two steps before telling me to stop.
“I’m sorry. You can’t go in there while he meditates. He says he needs a quiet environment.”
“Well,” I pause to crack open the door. “I’ll be quiet,” I whisper.
In the center of the room, Kado sits in a calm sitting position with his legs and arms crossed. His eyes are closed. The verve around his body pulsates as if the air around him is rising. Every inch of his clothing, including his beautiful hair sways. I sit down in front of him without making a single sound and watch him in so much wonderment. He continually amazes me with what he is now. He’s far beyond what I remember of his past life. It is almost sad to see the major difference between the two, nonetheless, I’m happy with the way he is. I just wish he didn’t find a nack for fighting as a sport.
At the end of Kado’s meditation, his aura stops, causing the verve around him to stop making his clothing and hair move upward. Those precious orange slowly begin to show when he opens his eyes. I can’t keep my composure to wait for him to realize I’m here so I end up pouncing on top of his warm body.
“What a surprise,” Kado says, squeezing his arms around me. "Hello, Vodkis."
“Hey, you big dummy.” We kiss multiple times but someone opening the door breaks the warming moment.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” the woman from before says. “I didn’t know you were... together?”
“I see you’ve kept your promise not to tell,” I whisper in Kado’s at a volume only he can hear.
“It’s now broken since she knows,” Kado says in the same volume.
“Unfortunately.” I turn to speak in a normal voice saying, “Yes. Kado is my boyfriend.”
“Oh, mighty Tagenta! Since when?” She says. A group of guys takes her attention away to start heading to the arena before I can answer the question. Kado stands up with me in his arms like I’m a piece of feather.
“Time to go,” Kado says, looking down at me with a smile.
“Can we stay here for a moment? My anxiety is coming back,” I say, keeping him close to me.
“Okay.” He hovers me off the ground while cradling me like I’m a child.
“This is funny,” I laugh. “Why are you holding me like this?”
“I don’t know, but it seems to make you smile.” He gives me kisses, making my worries about his competition turn into support for what he loves. I know he has to go right away, yet he honors my request to soothe my mind.
“Okay. That’s enough.” I try my best to stop kissing him. Ever since his revival, I can’t stop acting so clingy. I want every moment to last as long as it can. “Kado, make me stop. I don’t want to make you late.” His hand cups over my wet mouth. We remain close with our foreheads touching for a moment before letting me down.
“Kado, where are you, bro?” A man shouts from down the hallway.
“Kado, come on. I know you’re with Lady Vodkis, but we need to go,” the woman from before says.
We finally walk out of the room to head towards the entrance of the arena. All of Kado’s teammates are crowded at the door. They start giving us a path once they notice we’re trying to walk past them. A few of them bow their heads to show respect for the obvious reason of being one of the people who revolted against Melon’s tyranny. I think I’ll never get used to the attention. I prefer to be invisible and live a quiet life with my beautiful man.
As I approach the end of the entrance, my stomach turns to the roaring sound of a cheering crowd. In the middle of the area is the fighting stage. I can see the red, green, and blue colors for the other teams at their entrance. With all of these seemingly great fighters around, one thing worries me. That guy, whose name alludes to me at the moment.
“Kado, who’s the boy in red we met early?” I say.
“Haiku,” Kado says, looking at something ahead. I get on my toes to see where his eyes are aiming at. They pinpoint Haiku, who’s standing in the front of his group looking directly our way. Even though Kado is quiet, I can tell he’s sizing him up. I bet they’re going through different strategies on how to win.
“Kado,” I say, standing in front of him with my hands cupping his warm cheeks.
“Yes, Vodkis?”
“I’m going to go take my seat.”
“If it gets too hard to watch me fight, don’t force yourself to watch.” His warning makes me tear up at how I’m still trying to support his hobby.
“No. I’ll stay no matter what happens.”
“My mind would be at ease if you didn’t force yourself.”
“Kado, I’m here for you. If I didn’t want to watch, I would have stayed home.” He stares back and forth at each of my eyes before sighing in agreeance with my decision. “Have fun,” I say before whispering into his ear only he can hear, “I love you.” I fly off to be with Nion in a private booth with a perfect view of the arena. She’s sipping on something fruity yet strong in alcohol.
“How are you feeling?” Nion says with the straw in her mouth.
“Whatever you’re having, I want it too.” She puts her hand on the table and creates the drink with magic. I take one sip and it’s enough to make me cough. It warms my body even though it’s cold to the touch. “This is Stardust? Why is it so strong?”
“I can die down its power.”
“No need,” I say, coughing a bit. “I might need to be buzzed to stick through this.”
“Well,” she chuckles. “That answers my question.
----------------------------------------
I hope Vodkis will be alright watching me compete. She’s done well so far watching me train by myself and with my teammates. If things get out of hand, maybe Nion can calm any worry that’s bugging her.
“Ladies! Gentlemen! My fellow Spargarians! Welcome to the four corners tournament!” The lady announcer standing in the middle of the arena shouts. Her voice fills the room as if she’s standing next to me. All the people including my teammates scream with cheers. I’m excited but I stay silent. I don’t want to look too happy in front of Vodkis.
My mind snaps away from Vodkis to the stage when the announcer calls for the southern tribes to present themselves to the arena. We head out in two single-file lines. Dice and I are in the back and the last ones to emerge out the entrance.
“Bring out the western tribes!” The announcer yells while pointing to her right with a straight hand. Out comes the green and gold-colored garment outfits. They line up behind us, then she brings out the Northern and Eastern tribes. North wears red with white trim and the Eastern tribes have purple gis with a black secondary color. “All right everybody. Check out our vibrant contenders!” The crowd goes nuts once a big screen emerges from thin air over my head. It has four screens so everyone in the arena can see. “Up first, the southern team’s captain!”
Mayze appears on the screen, showcasing a pre-recorded video she did a week ago. She performs a pre-ritual combat dance before locking them in a defensive stance. After that, it individually shows a picture of our team. I’m the last one to be up. Something about my smug-looking smile makes me burst out quietly laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Dice says.
“Nothing,” I say. As I’m regaining my composure, I spot Vodkis in the private rooms. Her eyes open wide, making her deep color lavender eyes appear more. She says something to Nion’s ear then I can suddenly hear them both breathing like we’re standing close to each other.
“Your picture looks so cute,” Vodkis says.
“I find it funny. I took one cocky-looking picture.” The screen transitions to show all of the Northern tribe fighters. Haiku’s image doesn’t appear but all the members are shown. “That’s strange.”
“What?”
“Did you notice Haiku wasn’t shown?”
“No. I was looking at you the whole time.” Must be an error or he might be truth about being a fill for one of those guys that were shown. Either way, I hope he’s good.
While the screen showcases the other two tribes, Master Umpkin tells our team to take a knee to wait patiently for the ruling of who’s going to fight. A massive board of all the fighters appears where the screen is. The first name on the list is mine. I’m against a western fight named Pine.
“Wow, Kado. Looks like you drew lucky number one,” Dice says “And it’s a small girl.”
“Small girl yet strong,” Mayze scoffs in a laughing way. “Kado, you could definitely win if you power up.”
“Master Umpkin forbids us to use that form,” I say to remind them of Umpkin’s rule.
“What if they use it on us?” Dice says.
“Remember your training. No one in here has mastered that state yet. Not even the masters in this room.”
“But at least we know how to control it to make it last longer,” Mayze says with her right hand clenched in a fist. “Kado, you’re the best out of all of us. Personally, I’m excited to see you beat the crap out of them.”
“Whoa there, Mayze. That’s not very sportsmanship of you to say,” Dice says as he sways his hands up and down in a waving motion. “Kado, don’t be brutal, okay?”
“It isn’t in my heart to be ruthless. I’m here to have fun, you guys,” I say as I’m getting called to face Pine.
----------------------------------------
“Oh my gosh,” I say, holding Nion’s hand for dear life.
“Vodkis, please control yourself,” Nion says while rubbing my arm to ease my anxiety.
“I can’t when all the people are screaming!”
“Here,” she says, letting go of me to form a transparent bubble around our private room. “How’s this?” The room turns quiet, but the loud voices are toned down. “I can adjust the volume at any level you’ll like.” Seconds after she tells me that, I can barely hear the commentator.
“Turn her voice up, Nion. I want to at least hear the fight.” She solos out the voice at a perfect volume, minus the booming echo.
“All right everyone. Let us get this tournament started!” The commentator announces.
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“Hello,” I say, waving my hand to greet Pine.
“Hello, Kado,” Pine responds with her arms crossed, looking confident. She doesn’t look amused or excited like I am. There is no smile, but a face that gives the impression she’s overly confident. It’s a smug with a tiny frown. “Hey, who’s the strongest on your team?”
“Let me see.”
I turn around to view my teammates and Pine takes the opportunity to make her move on me. Like the big dummy I am, I don’t react in time. She nearly kicks me off the stage. All of my teammates gasp. My left heel remains on the area edge as I balance on it. I can hear her light stomping as she quickly approaches from behind. Once she reaches three feet from me, I quickly scoot over to my right. Her hands graze my shirt. I go for a back kick to knock her off but she sees it coming.
“Crap!” I say.
“Ha!” Pine says with an open-mouth grin. We jump away from the edge and sprint toward one another to lock hands. I overpower her without any resistance by making her lean back. Her back almost touches the ground when she kicks me over her. While I’m upside down, tumbling through the air, she flies up to me. “Have this!” She nearly rams her fist into my face. I lean my head out of its path just in time and throw her down on the ground by yanking her arm. She hits the ground hard and recovers from the impact like it is nothing. “Ouch! That hurt!”
“Sorry about that, Pine. But, it’s only going to get worse the more you fight me.”
“Are you saying I’m too weak to fight you?”
“I know you are strong. All I’m saying is that I’m not going to lose so easily so prepare yourself for a rough time.” She scoffs, bearing her teeth.
“You’re the one that’s going to have a rough time!” I find her glaring her teeth at me unpleasant and not friendly in any sportsman-like conduct.
“I doubt it.” She attacks me with wild punches and kicks. Her master screams at her to stop fighting out of control. I evade all swings as she pushes me back towards the end of the arena. The closer I get to it, the more I notice her smile gradually appearing. She thinks she has me but I got a big surprise for her if she keeps continuing like this. “You should listen to your master, Pine. You are fighting without any control.”
“Shut up, Kado! I almost got you!” The moment my heel reaches the end of the stage, she goes for what I expected. She goes for a push but I grab her hands before they reach me. I swing her over my head with my feet firmly planted on the ground. “No!” She lands out of bounds on her back. My body is halfway over, so I use her arms to stand up.
“We have our first winner!” The commentator says before the crowd detonates with cheers. My teammates are the loudest since they’re closest to me. My excitement for my victory is restrained. I don’t want to fully celebrate until I check on Pine's condition. She has her hands covering her face.
“Pine,” I say, getting on my knees next to her. “Are you all right?”
“Come to make fun of me?” Pine whimpers, looking at me through the slits of her fingers.
“I’m not like that.” I offer my left hand to help her up. “My mother taught me well how to respect others.” She suddenly stops crying and moves her hands away from her teary eyes.
“Were born after the rebellion?”
“I was.”
“Wow,” she chuckles as she takes my hand. In one swoop, I pull her up to the stage. “I can’t believe a kid bested me with such ease.”
“I only did it because of your mistake. If you’d listen to your master, you would have—”
“Won? Maybe.” She floats up to my left ear to whisper, “I’m not a good listener and a pain in the butt towards my master.”
“Why? He knows what’s best for you.”
“I know,” she sighs. “I’ve heard that one thousand times before.
“If that’s the case, listen to this.” Her ears perk in my direction and her eyes lock dead on me. “Do you care for this sport?”
“Yes.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
“I do.”
“Do you want to improve your skills to become the greatest you can ever be?”
“Yes,” she answers, softly.
“Then,” I pause, resting my hands on her shoulder. “Listen to your master. He knows what’s best for you.” She looks in the direction of her team.
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“My ass is going to get chewed out,” she says, smiling.
“Let this loss be a learning lesson.”
“It definitely will be, Kado. Even though this was short, it was fun.”
“I agree.” I give her my hand to shake, but she hugs me instead.
“Hey, when this is over we should train sometime.”
“Um,” I say, looking at the private booth where Vodkis is. “Maybe. My life can sometimes be... busy.”
“Well,” she says, floating away towards her team. “When it is not, come visit our facility in the west.”
“I will.”
“Don’t forget me, Kado!”
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The tournament continues without dropping an increment of excitement. All teams bring out great matches without any disappointing values. On the third round of fighting, Vodkis is comfortable enough to sit with me around my teammates. She tries to keep herself at a distance because she believes her clinginess will disrupt my ability to compete. I don’t snuggle or kiss her but respect her decision to keep her space.
Through the fights, Vodkis and I watch Haiku more intensively than the other fighters. He’s an amazing fighter. Somehow the board hasn’t matched us together. She thinks someone is trying to rig the system to make Haiku and I be the last one. I don’t believe her until it comes true. Haiku wins over Dice and Mayze. Mayze puts up a fight that lasts five minutes.
My last fight against the northern tribes’ great fighter is Haiku. Both of us wreck the competition without much of a struggle. While the commentator hypes up the final fight for the day, I have to tend to Vodkis’s anxiety.
“Breathe or you’ll pass out,” I say. Vodkis won’t stop breathing like she’s running. “Go to Nion, Vodkis. Let her help you out.”
“No. I refuse to leave and I don’t want to be in a mellow mood from her magic,” Vodkis says, panting. “This moment will pass.”
“Yeah? I think it’ll get worse.”
“Maybe,” she says with her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry, Kado. I’m really trying.”
“I know you are.” I tuck her head into my chest so I can snuggle her close to me. “But I think it’s time for you to leave. You could have another flashback moment.”
“It won’t come back.”
“Don’t push yourself for me.”
“I must,” she says with a raised voice while looking at me. “I’m here for you, plus... I have to get used to this. I can’t keep focusing on the past. I am where I need to be.” I can’t think of any words to say because I’m frustrated with her choice. Being here is messing with her mental health.
“Damnit, Vodkis... Nion!” Nion appears instantly in front of us. “Could you please watch over her? If she loses herself take her away from here.”
“Kado!” She shouts and punches my arm hard enough I lose my balance. “I am fine! Nion, you stay away from me.” Nion rolls her eyes and then smiles down at her while shaking her head from side to side. “Don’t give me that look.”
“Vodkis...”
“No,” she says with a quick finger point that nearly touches the tip of my nose.
“But...”
“No!” She drives her finger into my nose to make it bend in. “My butt will stay right here, cheering you on like a crazy woman.”
“Hear comes, Haiku!” Mayze screams. Vodkis doesn’t take her eyes off me to look at Haiku. I do, but only for a moment.
“It’s time to go. Don’t worry about me.” Before I can tell her that it will be impossible not to worry, she throws me on the stage. I nearly run into Haiku.
“Whoa there,” Haiku says, with his hands out to me. “She seems super strong.”
“She’s stronger than me,” I say, glancing over my shoulder to Vodkis smiling at me.
“Seriously? Why isn’t she participating?”
“She’s not into that at all.”
“Wow... So...” Before he can say something, the commentator cuts him off. She runs down our impressive record for the fighting we did today. They finally have a picture of him. Our fighting style is ranked A+ by the judges on the arena side.
“This is going to be a good fight.” I pop every joint in my to lose up then crack my neck in several places. “Unfortunately for you, I’ll be the one coming out on top.”
“Excuse me?” He smirks while slowly chuckling out his nose. “Did you not see me kick everyone’s asses?”
“I saw. You’re good, but,” I stop to point at myself with my thumb. “I’m better.” Suddenly his verve spikes. The air below his feet rises, making his garment flap in the wind. “Ah, powering up. I guess I’ll do the same.” I hone in on boosting my verve to match his level. The moment he stops, he attacks me. I block a straight gut punch with the side of my right thigh, then counter it with a back using my left foot. It misses him barely. My heel grazes the top part of his hair. He performs multiple back flips to retreat.
“Where are you going?” I say, fired up.
“Back to you!” Haiku says flying back to me.
I match his speed at an equal rate. We enter what Umpkin calls an agitated contest. This is a state where two opponents try to hit and dodge at a speed so fast that it can look like a blur to the untrained mind. Haiku and I do this for about five seconds before we land our fists on each other. His first lands on my face. I gut him in the stomach. We stumble for a moment then get right back to a second agitated contest.
At this point, I doubt we’re considering our technique, form, or training as we try to land a blow. All I can think about is to hit and evade Haiku’s power strikes. Finally, I get lucky and strike him across the right side of his jaw. He tailspins several feet but recovers in the middle of the stage. Then suddenly, he clenches both of his fists. A violent orange glow appears over him like an aura. His verve increases expediently.
What is he doing?
“Ha! You look nervous,” Haiku says with a strained voice. “I doubt anyone here has what I’m about to hit you with.”
“What are you talking about?” I say while bracing myself for a surprise attack. "What is this?"
“Sc...scc... Scorch...Assault!” He stands in front of me in a burst of orange flame-like light. The fire hasn’t vanished as he stands boldly in my face. He’s on fire, but he isn’t burning. I can’t react fast enough to protect myself and end up getting hit with a series of punches I can’t count. The last punch sends me near the edge of the stage where my teammates are with my head off the side of the arena. I can hear Vodkis screaming from the private box through the loud crowd. She flies over to rest my head on her cushioned thighs.
“Kado?!” Vodkis says. “Are you okay?”
“Ouch!" I say. "I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” I sit up to find Haiku back to his regular self. “What was that?”
“No clue, but it reminds me of a power you showed me a week ago.”
“Hey, I could use it on him.”
“Only as a last resort,” Nion chimes inside my head. “Remember your heat limit.”
“I know.”
“Good. Get back up. He’s coming.”
“You got this,” Vodkis whispers in my ear.
“Ready for more, Kado?” Haiku gloats while trying to intimidate me with his shadow boxing.
“Kick his ass, Kado!”
“Vodkis?” I gasp then laugh. She blows me a kiss and gives me two thumbs up.
I rush Haiku but stop suddenly to hit him with an invisible verum blast, then teleport behind him to strike the back of his neck. The strike doesn’t knock him unconscious like I expected it would. He’s resilient and tough like me. This fight might be the toughest one yet.
Just to give Haiku a moment to recover from my attack, I backway to the center of the stage.
“You’re strong. You should be sleeping right now,” I say. “Did your master teach you to overcome that move?”
“That move in particular? No,” Haiku says, standing up to his feet then pops his neck. “I trained under my father and grandfather to get this way.”
“Hold on. Your master didn’t teach you?” I look to my right to see the northern tribes’ master. “You’re not under him?”
“Nope. I’m just here as a replacement.”
Wow! How does a nonstudent have the fighting ability as one studying under dynamism?
“How did you get in here? Are you from our neighboring worlds?”
“That’s uh...” He stops for a moment and puts his arms down to break his guard. I soften my stance but keep my arms up. “That’s a long story.” His voice shivers as if something is bothering him. It reminds me of how Vodkis sounds when she’s thinking about the bad memories she went through.
“Is there something bothering you?”
“Is that obvious?”
“It is,” I say, putting my arms down. “My girlfriend’s voice trembles or gets softer when something bad is on her mind. The way you sounded reminded me of her.” He looks to his left with his mouth pressed in.
“Kado, I need your help—”
“Fighters! What’s going on here? Are you two taking a break? Let’s get this fight going,” the commentator says. Her words rile up the crowd more than ever.
“Jeez. This reminds me so much of home.”
What is this guy talking about?” I say in my head.
“Kado, it’s time to end this,” Haiku says. His fist clenches up again.
Ah, he’s going to do that thing again. I’m not going to fall for that a second time.
“Charge that up as high as you can. I want to see if my version will be better,” I say.
I make my body feel light as I focus channeling an immense power through my body. Thanks to my brother's teachings, the power I’m about to unleash is called Godspeed. It’s an ability that allows me to double my maximum speed, strength, and momentarily make me invisible as I move. The downside is that it puts strain on my body, plus it makes me soaking hot.
“Are you ready?” Haiku says as his body goes into flames. A steam aura surrounds me. My ability is ready so I take it without waiting time. We bolt at each other. He strikes first but punches one of my speed mirages that’s half a second behind me. “Huh?! An afterimage?” I land a perfect punch to the side of his ribcage. His fire disappears like someone blowing out a candle. I keep up the pressure by abusing his ability to not counterattack. Every moment I make he can’t see.
“Am I too fast for you?” I say. Just so he can see me, I power down. I’m exhausted, sweaty, and hot, but I try my best to not show I’m tired. The damage I have done to him is starting to show. His stance has weakened, his breathing is more noticeable, and he’s slouching.
“You are, but I think I got you figured out.”
“Really, now?”
“Yeah!” He waves me on to come at him. I give in to his request and charge for a kick. Somehow, he dodges while I’m invisible, then attacks me with a back kick in that orange superstate. Luckily for me, his foot misses my face within inches. “Damn! So close!”
“How can you see me?” I say as I appear normally for him to see.
“It’s the heat waves coming off your body. It’s acting like a mirage I can barely see.”
Amazing! When Nion showed me Godspeed, I couldn’t see anything. Maybe it’s because I haven’t mastered it, therefore Haiku can still see me. Or, he’s that good.
“I got to admit, you’re a tough fighter,” Haiku says out of breath. “One of the toughest I know right now.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for you. I know four,” I say, showing him the number four using my fingers. “Two of them are sitting at the bench.”
“Who’s the last two?”
“My father, Tagenta, and my brother.”
“I would like to meet with them someday.” His power spikes yet again, exploding in a flash of orange. I turn up the heat, adding a half-a-point multiplier to my Godspeed. We fly towards each other like mad men, screaming at the highest levels. The moment my fist hits his face and his fist lands on my cheek, everything goes black.
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Something warm yet soft lightly rubs against my arm. The more I feel it, the more I realize someone is holding my hand. It takes a while for me to open my eyes, but when I do, it hurts. It’s too bright in the room. I use the arm that someone is holding to shield my eyes.
“Shoot. Let me get those for you,” Vodkis says. I listen to her run across the room, flip a switch, then run back to me. “You can open them now.”
“Vodkis?” I say with a groggy voice.
“I’m here, my love,” she whispers near my face. Slowly and steadily, I open my heavy eyes. “Hey there. How are you feeling?”
“Tired.”
“Go back to sleep then. I’ll be here the whole time.”
“I just woke up though.”
“You big dummy,” she chuckles, then gently kisses me on the lips. My mind is blank as to what’s going on. I’m not sure where I am. No one is in here and it’s quiet. “You scared me today.”
“I did?” She nods while pinching the middle part of her lips. “I’m sorry. What did I do?”
“Well, technically it wasn’t your fault. Haiku punched you so hard that he knocked you cold. You knocked him out too.” I lightly my cheek to avoid feeling pain. “Don’t worry about the pain. You’re under the best medication.”
“That’s good,” I say with a sigh. While I’m fiddling with the comfort of my bed, she takes it upon herself to lay on top of me by floating down. She snuggles to find a comfortable position she can hold me in. Since I’m not in pain, I don’t mind her gentle roughness.
“You did amazing out there, Kado.”
“Thanks. Did you have a fun time watching me?”
“Surprisingly, I did. But I’m glad you’re done. We can go home and relax for a time.” When she says the word relax, her voice softens. Her nails gently claw down my chest as her eyes stay deeply fixated on me.
“Whatever you’re thinking, I want it.”
“There’s so much, though.”
“Let’s do it all.” We lean in for a kiss then stop when someone outside bangs on the door.
“Kado! I need to speak with you!” Haiku says before Nion cuts him off.”
“Leave them alone or I’ll have to use drastic measures to shut you up,” Nion says.
“Ugh, that boy needs to go away,” Vodkis says with a mild growl. “He’s been trying to speak with you for a while.”
“Let him in,” I say. Vodkis squints. “Let him in,” I repeat with a gentler voice while stroking the left side of her hair. She continues to squint, but this time she makes a pouty face. “Please?”
“Fine, but I’m saying right here,” she says with a finger pressing into my chest. Nion steps in with Haiku behind her. He’s shirtless like me. There are bruises on his body where I hit him.
“Oh, am I interrupting with something?” Haiku says. He turns his head to the side to view us indirectly.
“Yes, you are. But, Kado wants to hear what you have to say.”
“Sorry...”
“Speak,” she snaps.
“Kado I need your help.” I sit back on my left elbow the moment I notice the seriousness in his voice. Vodkis takes her attention off me to look at him.
“Is this about the issue you mentioned before?” I say.
“Yes. I’m in dire need of someone who can help me get back home.”
“Home?” Nion says, taking a step closer to Haiku. “I had a feeling something was off about you?” She touches his arm with her staff and then immediately pulls away. Her eyes bulge wide. “You’re not of this plain. Your matrix is resonating differently. Identify yourself.”
“My name is Haiku. I am a human from a planet called Earth.”
“What’s that?” I say.
“No clue,” Vodkis says a moment after my question.
“It’s a planet that doesn’t exist in this galaxy,” Nion says.
“So, where is it?”
“Very, very, very far away.” Now I’m curious. Why does he want my assistance?
“Why do you want Kado’s aid?”
“Because,” Haiku says, walking closer to Vodkis and me. “You’re one of the best fighters I have seen in my time of being stranded here for three months.” His eyes move to Vodkis then he looks over to Nion. “You mentioned four people stranger than you, right?”
“Yes,” I say.
“Great! Will you guys help me?”
“With what?” Vodkis says, looking at me with her right eyebrow raised.
Haiku talks about a man named, Absolon. He is described as a madman hell-bent on conquering as many worlds as he can. His power-hungry motives have Haiku’s world under Absolon’s servitude. This man reminds me of Melon. I sympathize with his struggle and desperate fight to end up in a botched escape that put him in our world.
“That’s my story. I need help. Will you guys assist me?” Haiku says.
Nion is the first one to deny Haiku. She informs him that she is a cherub, a servant to my father, and a willing assistant to Vodkis’s needs. Vodkis also says no. She’s tired of fighting against evil. All she wants to do for the remainder of her long life is to be with me in every moment of my new life. When the question comes to me, I’m hesitant to respond.
“Kado, I swear if you say yes I will lose it,” Vodkis says at an increasing volume.
“Vodkis,” I say, looking at her and Haiku. “He needs help. I’m perfectly capable—”
“No!” She screams before repeating it in a quiet voice. “No. You’re not going to help him. I forbid it.”
“Why not? I’m capable of helping out.”
“It’s not going to happen. Nion!” With a flick of her hand, Nion forces Haiku out of the room with an invisible force. Vodkis hops off me to stand in the middle of the room.
“Hey...” I go to hold her from behind, but she wriggles out of my hands. “Vodkis?”
“I’m sorry.” She comes back to let me hold her. “I didn’t mean to deny that to you.” I forgive her and tenderly hold her close to my body. “You can’t go over there.”
“Why not?”
“For twenty years I was lost without you!” Her sudden outburst leaves her weeping. She falls into my body and I embrace her without hesitation. “I beg you, please don’t leave me again. My heart won’t take it.” I am torn about what to do. Haiku is in desperate need of help. Vodkis doesn’t want me to leave. I can’t say no and let his planet suffer when I might have the power to assist in taking down Absolon. But, I understand the extent of her worry even though she hasn’t said it.
“Okay. I see what you are saying...”
“Please, don’t say but.”
“I wasn’t going to. I’m staying here with you.”
“Good,” she says, softly.
Once Vodkis gets a handle on her emotions, we head out into the hallway to find Haiku and Nion talking together. They don’t react to us until I close the door. Nion stops Haiku midway from turning around and whispers something in his ear to make him frown.
“Kado,” Vodkis says, tugging on my index and pinky fingers. She guides me the opposite way down the hallway. “Let’s go home. You deserve a hot, soapy bath.” My mind is fixated on whatever Nion said to Haiku to make him frown like that. “My love, pay attention to me.”
“Sorry,” I say, giving Vodkis all of my awareness. “I would love that.”
“Well,” she giggles then takes me by my hand to run with her. “Let’s not wait. Are you strong enough to fly back home?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“Perfect.” The moment we enter the almost emptied arena, a few of my teammates on the stage spot us and wave us down. I see my friends, Dice, and Mayze in the mix.
“Kado, Kado,” Mayze yells with excitement. She flies into me for one strong hug. “You’re all right!”
“Kado, that last fight was amazing!” Dice says as he adds in the group hug. “What was that move where you went invisible?”
“Guys, give him some space,” Vodkis says. “Don’t add any more pain that might return when the medication wears off.”
“Sorry, Lady Vodkis,” Dice and Mayze both say.
“Kado, we wouldn’t want to be late for our thing.” She throws the right side of her hair forward to hide her wink.
“Right,” I say, floating on the ground so she can get on my back. “Sorry guys. Vodkis and I are going to be busy for the rest of the day.” I take to the skies, coasting back home above the clouds for our cynic pleasure.
----------------------------------------
Deep in the night where the full moon is at its highest, I’m struggling to fall back asleep. I carefully slip out of bed to not wake up Vodkis. We have our balcony door open because she likes to hear trees sway in the wind. I use the sound to mask my exit. Just in case she wakes up and I’m not beside her, I’ll stay near the balcony. I don’t want to make her mad at me again.
As I’m floating with my legs and arms crossed, I meditate on Haiku’s troubles and various sceneries of what Vodkis might do if I were to leave. She will never forgive me if I leave and come back alive. I don’t want to disappoint her in any way since she’s been through too much turmoil. But, I am not a person who easily turns a blind eye to someone asking for serious help. She needs to know better since she was an ambassador of peace for twenty years. Or maybe knows where to draw the line.
“Nion, can you come here for a minute?” I whisper. She manifests next to me like she’s fading into existence. “I need your help on a matter that’s bothering me.”
“I’m all ears,” Nion says, keeping her voice down. I tell her everything I’ve been thinking about since Haiku explained his situation. “You have a good heart, Kado,” she says with her hand on my shoulder. “Keep that pure for as long as you live.” She looks back towards the bedroom and says, “You know what this’ll do to her, right?”
“I do.”
“Do you?” Just to get the point across, she shows me visualizations of Vodkis crying her heart out. She’s absolutely losing her mind over me being gone.
“She loves me too much,” I softly chuckle. “Way too much.”
“You are her world. You gave her freedom and love no man can produce.”
“So, I’m just supposed to not give a damn about Haiku’s problem?” All she gives me is a smile back with a sigh. It’s not a yes or no answer, but I need an affirmative response.
“You are too precious to be risking your life for someone who’s from a different galaxy.”
“A different galaxy?” She bites her inner lip from slipping up that information.
“Somehow he managed to get here.”
“Wait... There are more worlds?” She gazes at the vast stars above our heads. There’s a blank space in our galaxy she points to. “The Desolate Void? Did he come through there?”
“Somehow.”
“Does my father know?”
“Yes,” she nods while smiling. “In a few minutes, all the cherub will be in his counsel to discuss this issue.” We turn around at the sound of Vodkis moving on the covers. She’s facing my side. It is a matter of time before she notices I’m not there and wakes up in a fit or a panic. “Go back to sleep, Kado. We’ll talk more in the morning about Haiku’s situation.”
“All right.”
“Sleep well,” she says, before vanishing.
“Kado?” Vodkis mumbles. Her arms sweep the bed, searching for me. I fly back in bed and place her arms on me before her eyes open. When they do open, it’s only for a short moment. She goes back to sleep without saying anything to me.
"That was close," I say in my head.
The second I close my eyes and open them, I'm floating in space. The stars around begin to swirl. They disappear one by one until there is one left. A gigantic hand smothers it and when it opens, the star explodes. Its glistening remanets shower through me. I can barely visible people throughout it as if I'm watching a projection movie. I see blimps of myself. I can't make out where I am or what I'm doing, but I know I'm shirtless looking at something above me. Once the images dissipate, a white circular window opens above me. A man's ghostly face appears. His mouth opens and swallows me whole.
"What the hell?" I say, waking up on the borderline of having a panic attack.
"Hmm?" Vodkis mumbles in her sleep. Seconds later her alarm rings. She rolls over to her nightstand to turn it off. "Kado," she says after yawning. "Do you mind getting our bath ready?" When she opens her eyes to see me, they pop. "You're wet!"
"I had a strange nightmare. My heart is still racing." She kneels next to me with her hand over my heart.
"Do you normally get those?"
"No. This is my first one." Her eyes open more. She looks worried.
"Nion!"
"Yes?" Nion says, appearing at the foot of the bed.
"Get an oracle. He had a nightmare." Nion flies out through the balcony and over the house in a hurry.
"Why are you telling her to get an oracle?" I say. "It was just a nightmare."
"The last time you had a nightmare there was a rebellion," Vodkis says.
"So..."
"I think you had another premonition."