The happenings in this chapter were just as the same as Rhianna and Shino’s successful dating with the people they wanted to be. Though, we were going to be focusing on our main lovebirds because we all know how Zhackary also planned to have a solo day with his beloved, Keisha. He also informed his people to take a day of rest so that no one would interrupt his time with her, except for Jaden of course who kept on requesting for his sister’s recipe all morning.

The two gentlemen were sitting down inside Keisha’s lovely home, waiting for the early break by partaking homemade pizza slices and mozzarella sticks which Keisha made for them. The room was filled with the savoury aroma of the Italian cuisine she was preparing. She finally had her cheese and pasta wishes came true after Zhackary’s granting of her request.

“So you apparently asked me to buy you a large supply of penne, macaroni, cheddar and mozzarella for this”, Zhackary pointed out with his eyes shining because of the delight in front of him. 

He counted with his fingers as he told the following ingredients one by one. On the other hand, Jaden, secretly stole two of the mozzarella sticks from Zhackary’s platter and stuffed them into his mouth. Keisha saw what he’s done but instead, winked at him and commended him for his smooth move.

“Yeah, having your morning meals here inside my house isn’t free you know. And besides, that’s the only favour I could ask a person when I crave for something delightful”, Replied Keisha who was waiting for the pizza to be cooked. 

“She’s pregnant”, said Jaden as he picked up another stick. 

“WHAT?”, Zhackary said after Jaden startled him. 

A slice of cheddar cheese flew in the air and hit Jaden’s face. Keisha scowled at her brother after hearing him joking around. “That guy who sits down beside you stole both of your cheese sticks, Veras.”

Just as when Zhackary glared beside him, Jaden smiled and raised both of his hands containing another set of the food coming from his plate. “Hehehe… My sister’s dishes are good, right?”, he said and couldn’t look at Zhackary’s eyes. 

“Seriously, Jaden?”

“C’mon! I was hungry!” 

“You could’ve just asked me though”, said Zhack and handed him some more cheese sticks. 

“Ehehehe, sorry kuya Zhack.”

Keisha cutted by holding up a large bowl of Paccheri al Forno, placing it on the center of the table to where the lads were surrounding it. She elegantly sat down with them, serving herself with the pasta she made on a small sized plate in front of her. “Buon Appetito.”

“ATE! ATE! Can I ask for your pasta recipes?”, asked Jaden while staring at his big sister’s bowl. 

“Sure, but we should finish eating our meal first, young man”, answered Keisha with a gentle smile. 

“Yeah, but please??”

“A F T E R”, said Keisha slowly and started consuming her pasta. 

“Okay then. Just don’t forget it though.”

The entire breakfast was like heaven to them. For them it felt like floating above clouds as they savoured the delightful food they were partaking.

Not a moment longer, they have finished eating and that Jaden decided to head back to his laboratory to work although he was asked to rest. His sister handed him the cookbook he was asking for the whole day and promised to return it the next week. “Just ask me through a message if you have any trouble understanding my writing.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it sis. To be honest, I admire your handwriting. You should teach me how to do proper calligraphy though”, Said the young man while fiddling with the book’s pages. 

“Soon enough but not now. I still have a lot to do for today.”

“I thought it’s the time for us to rest? Well, rest is for the weak though. I’m still working on an antidote.”

“What antidote?”, intrigued, Zhackary asked.

“I might tell you soon, kuya Zhack”, answered Jaden as he winked then drew the letter ‘S’ in the air. “You know what that is.”

“Okay, understood. Just don’t pressure yourself. Even robots need rest, so you should at least take a break too”, advised Zhack to the young lad that was about to leave the room. 

“Will do, bruh. Welp, see ya.” Jaden then waved and left. 

Keisha sat down at her desk then opened her laptop to show Zhackary something. More of these were information regarding the tracing of the terrorists’ coordinates and their possible originating country. She signalled the lad to come closer that he quickly followed.

“These are not the exact coordinates of their hiding area but it shows that their men are being deployed here for eight times in a row now. I’ve been monitoring over their activities ever since Jaden and I got here. This can help us track their forerunner and end this chaos”, said Keisha while scrolling up and down to some really complicated data on her computer. 

“I’m sorry to tell you about this Keisha but we shouldn’t barge into their affairs. We don’t have that much power to go against them”, Zhack said with his worried expression. 

“You know how they have been such pain in the ass. It’s been a year ever since they entered our country and five months terrorizing our city. Our government’s plans are not even that concrete. They even established an organization for Juveniles, wasting funds rather than to something more practical”, Keisha sighed and turned her laptop off. 

“But isn’t it a bit safe for us to just stay here and live?”

“I would wish for us to be safe here, but we aren’t even close to being safe. The secretary of NJG always sides with the Utopians, not giving fairness to the other existing factions. We didn’t even know if those knuckleheaded people do illegal activities”, answered Keisha as she walked to the nearest window to view outside. 

“We have the same thought Keisha. But all I can think of now for us to do is to secure our faction’s safety. We lack resources, we lack money, we lack everything. We are just juveniles and we cannot do anything about what’s happening. One main reason why we all got here.”

The lassie sighed in utter despair as she also agreed with Zhackary’s given perspective. She couldn’t deny the fact that they were just a bunch of powerless youngsters fighting all alone in order for them to survive. Although she’s got a great idea of tracking those terrorists down, she had no solid strategy yet to defeat them. All she could do for now was to keep everyone in Cipher safe.

Suddenly, Keisha realized about the matter of the hatred of the Cipher members against her. Coming up with another topic to talk about, she spoke, “Have you seen my proposal regarding the issue of the faction members against my secretarial position?” 

“Yes, I have. Although sorry for asking, is it practical of you to challenge these empty-headed people? I could’ve at least commanded them to stop”, questioned Zhackary while he re-read the file on his phone. 

“You could, but as for me, respect is not that expensive to give. I give them kindness and consideration, I treat them well, but they see me as a threat. Am I a threat?”, asked Keisha, all conscious. 

Zhackary stopped as if there’s an arrow piercing through his chest after hearing Keisha’s question about her own identity. It was indeed right to think that we cannot please everyone. But does it have to be like this every day? Being thrown to the ground multiple times until you find yourself hopeless? Why does it have to be like that always?

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“No, you are not a threat and never you will be. Those people who spit out hurting words are most likely envious themselves. Because they can’t get the thing that you have, they will treat you as someone worth hating for. But you really aren’t worth hating for.” Zhackary comforted her as he gave Keisha a pat on her head. 

“Then, can I again ask you a favour? If I do not deserve these hurtful accusations, then they should keep their mouth shut and give me the respect I need.”

“A day for the wager against them?”, Zhackary suggested while smiling gently. 

“Deal.”

“I understand. I put you in this position, so you have the right to show your superiority to them”, said Zhack as he tried to clean their table where they ate. 

“I do not want to gain the same respect as they give to you. All I ever wanted is to be valued for who I am”, ending the saddening conversation, Zhackary granted her request and proceeded to the second part of his plan: one on one combat training with her. Keisha already agreed with it when he requested the training days ago.

“So, are you fine now to head with me to the dojo?”, Zhackary asked as he finished the dishes. 

“As I always say, I’m always fit for fistfights”, Keisha said with a smirk. 

“You seem so excited. Though, just go easy on me missy.”

“Don’t you worry, I won’t cheat and use my abilities anyway.”

They headed to the dojo from the eastern part of their town and as they walked, greetings from the Cipher members met Zhackary, ignoring Keisha’s presence. The feeling of invisibility filled her entire individuality that she wanted to just leave the faction. Zhackary noticed how it affected his companion, that's why he called everyone for a quick announcement. Keisha immediately hid behind his back as he spoke to everyone. She even tried convincing the lad to stop, thinking that it could only make the situation worse.

“The rumours are true indeed on how most of you badly treat your secondary chief of this faction. This caused her to propose a wager against those who dare to challenge her. If you can’t give Ms. Vista the respect she needs, then you don’t deserve living in this faction at all nor the care I give to everyone.” Zhackary explained As they head back, the murmurs about Keisha comes louder that it destroys her patience meter.

“What a coward! She even convinced mister Zhack to put the blame on us”, said a girl while talking to her friend. 

“Yeah, a slut will always be a slut. Manipulating people? How absurd”, her friend replied. 

Keisha couldn’t take the accusations anymore that’s why she dashed towards them, strangling both badmouthing ladies within her hands. Everyone gasped out of her sudden outrage, making them slowly step back from her. She gave them their nightmares with her whole eyes all solid black and that she grinned callously. Even her voice changed as if a wild beast came to attack them. “You know what I do to people who tell lies?”

“W-what?”, both girls asked while struggling.

“I CUT OFF THEIR TONGUES!”, Keisha said ferociously 

“PLEASE LET ME DOWN!”, the girl begged as she tried to get away from Keisha’s hands. 

“Keisha stop!”, the lad approached the beast but was thrown away by her strong force. Everybody else panicked after seeing their leader down. Zhack began to have trouble controlling his own emotions because of Keisha’s outrage. If he couldn’t control her, he'd be dragged down with her.

“Now, tell the monster in front of you how slutty she is. SPEAK UP!”, she yelled as she slammed the girl from her left hand. 

“I TAKE THAT BACK JUST PLEASE LET US DOWN”, said the other girl, grunting from pain. 

“Why would I let down a person who keeps on seducing my younger brother from the laboratory? You think I wouldn’t know? Now, who’s the slut between us?” She ruthlessly threw the other girl and focused on the one she’s confronting. “I was just trying to play things cool, ya’ know? BUT YOU’RE FUCKING TICKING ME OFF!”

“What are you saying?!”

“Awwww, why do you keep on denying it now, Regan? I provided my brother a spy cam for me to monitor him while I’m far. You know what I saw?”, explained Keisha with her eyes in pitch black. 

“I-IT’S NOT TRUE! Y-YOU’RE LYING! GET OFF OF ME!”, said Regan as she tried to struggle her way out. 

“YOU CRAWLED ON TO HIM WHILE HE’S ASLEEP IN HIS ROOM YOU MOTHERFUCKER! You… even almost killed him with overdosage from those sleeping pills you found in the lab”, Keisha’s eyes teared up as she spoke her mind, feeling like she was about to end the girl’s life. 

“I SWEAR IT’S NOT ME!”

“KEISHA, PLEASE JUST LEAVE THEM BE! We can have our training now. Just please listen to me.” Keisha’s eyes gradually went back to normal but was still holding up the helpless woman in her hands. She sniggered at her, filling her with guilt and shame.

“The folks here will be your judge, Regan. After witnessing that scandalous action of yours, you will finally know how it feels to be an outcast”, she said and whispered, “If you think I am a slut for Zhackary, then I might say you’re the same to my brother.”

She finally let go of her, seeing the guilty one running away cowardly. Calmly, she ordered one of Zhackary’s men, Verid, to publicize Regan’s video. Zhackary had nothing to do but to let her do what she wanted, she was unstoppable after all.

“Let’s go? We still have plenty of time to wrestle”, she told Zhack and pulled her sleeves while giving him a soft smile. 

“O-okay… You’re still fired up after all that”, he was surprised and asked anxiously. 

“I’m sorry if you have to see that once again. I had an urge to do that to protect my brother. I would not even trouble them if they’re just after me”, Keisha apologized while looking down on her feet. 

“I honestly would do the same thing.”

They headed straight to the dojo with only the two of them inside. Zhackary felt a bit awkward about it but not Keisha as we were aware of how she lacked specific emotions. Keisha took off her jacket, exposing her shoulders and her slender body. As always, she hated wearing such uniforms and suits as they might drag her down. She again wore that specific black tank top and black sweatpants for their training while the man on the other side of the room wears a hoodie and a pair of jogging pants of the same colour. I don’t know what’s up with black, but they look great.

Both of them wore gloves that fit with their hands perfectly. Keisha tied her hair up in a ponytail then commenced the training. They went to their positions, bowed and got on their signature stances.

“Bet you won’t be able to take me down in one strike. But… I will go easy on you”, Keisha challenged as she taunted Zhackary. 

“Don’t be so sure of it, Keish”, Zhackary smiled back, “I am also a black belter like you. Just don’t cheat.”

“Cheating is not my expertise. Winning is.”

Keisha took the first strike, blocked by Zhackary. The second was by the lad but she quickly dodged every blow because of her excellent speed. Their movements were syncing into a rhythm that they almost appeared like they were dancing with the absence of music. As they executed every blow, it would always be followed with a smile of satisfaction.

“I stand corrected, you are quite good at this. I’m enjoying it”, Keisha said as she took a quick turning low kick.

“I’m surprised how you mean not to cheat”, Zhack said and jumped to dodge the kick then grabbed Keisha to take her down. 

“I sure keep my word”, she replied and performed Tomoe Nage successfully, “You’re pretty heavy though.”

“Damn, how could you be so strong?”, Zhackary said and was surprised about the last attack. 

As they were about to stand up, Zhackary executed a one leg trip but instead he made the both of them lose their balance and fall. He was now over Keisha and their lips intertwining, staining his lips with the red lipstick she’s wearing. Their eyes widened as they stared at each other for a longer time, freezing.

“What… just happened?”, Keisha huffed nervously. 

Their hearts beating in one place, syncing and tempting them to keep it a little longer.

Zhackary jolted back and started screaming, “I’M SO SORRY! I-I d-didn’t mean to-“

He’s cut by when Keisha kicked his sensitive parts, you know what I mean. He curled up on the floor, teary-eyed and weakened.

“You… Y-you stole my first kiss!”, shouted Keisha blushing with her hands covering her lips. 

“My… balls… Ow!” Zhackary said while he huffs in pain. “My blind ass thought you consider it as a thing not to worry about.”

“A-are you okay? I’m s-sorry”, worried she was, she approached him and helped him up. 

“I really didn’t expect that to happen… but AAH! It hurts. May the lord still grant me kids.” Even in pain, Zhackary still able to let a joke out. 

“But hey… I just wanted to give my gratitude for everything you have done for me. I hope I can repay you”, Keisha said as they both drank water. 

“Just be yourself… That’s the only thing I ever wanted from you. You are who you are. It is what makes you special”, Zhackary said and gave her a sweet smile. 

“Zhack?”

“Hm?” Zhack asked and was concerned. 

“Can you be with me forever?”

After the training, they bid their goodbyes to each other and went to their separate ways. As expected, Zhackary encountered Shino and Rhianna heading back to their respective rooms. His friends quickly noticed his messed up being, making him appear questionable.

“Whoa, prince Zacharius, what happened to you?”, Shino asked like he was suspecting something awful happened to their comrade. 

“IS THAT LIPSTICK ON YOUR LIPS?”, Rhianna gasps and like she was so surprised. “Youuuuu!”

“You got the wrong idea, dummies. I guess I’ll be needing an explanation for you by tomorrow.” After a few chats, he walked back and returned to his room. “And please, quit calling me Zacharius, this is a different story.”

As he entered his room, he remembered the words that Keisha asked a while ago. 

“Can you be with me forever?”

He sighed as he laid his back on the bed he had in his room, staring at the ceiling.

“If that’s what you want, then I will never leave your side anymore.”