Tenfold

"Tenfold"
By Nitemare Angel
Time-Placement: The Crystal Millenium (2916)
Summary: Not everyone lives in peace in the Crystal Millenium, especally when you've got no family, no memory, and when all you can do is question the authority.

Part 1:

“Will you teach me how to do that?”
“I wanna be a great chef, just like you!”
“Wah! I fell, will you kiss my boo boo?”
“Wow! You’re the greatest, Mommy!”

Sometimes, children don’t want to be awaken from their dreams. Especially when those children were lost in their own happiness. However, reality often beckons children to wake up from these dreams.
This is what caused Heiwato Chowa-one of many orphaned girls of her time-to wake up from her pleasant dreams. Two younger children were kneeling over her. One looked like a girl at first glance, white hair tumbling down and red eyes looking down at the teen, but Chowa knew that was a boy. The other was a girl often mistaken for a boy often, with black hair cut shorter than her own, and light green eyes.
“Yay! Cho-chan is up!” the boy cheered.
“Is everything okay, Cho-chan?” the girl looked over the older teen, who only gave a smile.
“Yeah, Kuro. I’m fine,” Chowa sat herself up, running a hand through her dark blue hair. The teen looked to the boy, “Shiro, where’s everyone else?”
“They went to the market! We’re supposed to look over you.”
“Oh, I guess I’ll go back to-WHAT?” The girl practically jumped up off the bed in a hurry, throwing off her pajama top. The girl immediately ran across the room to the run down bathroom, grabbing what clothes she needed.
“Cho-chan, they just left, you don’t have to rush,” Kuro said quietly.
“Did they take the back or the front route?” The blue haired teen asked, getting her black shirt barely over her shoulders while reaching for her pants on the broken sink.
“Front Route!” Shiro called looking out the window, “They just took a left at the trashcan.”
“Excellent,” Chowa grinned, throwing the pants on her lean legs, and dashing out the bathroom door toward the entrance, and jumped in her high boots. She made a motion for the two to follow her. Kuro and Shiro followed eagerly, while the teen closed and locked the door. She grabbed the two and ran towards the trash can.
“Hold on tight!” She grinned, jumping on the trashcan as she kicked up to the edge of the building, running along the side with swift action. The two were amazed, but Chowa refused to let go.
“Kuro, let me know if you see them, alright?” she asked, and the younger one nodded. Shiro just looked at the sky as the sun began to rise.
“Wow, Cho-chan, it’s so pretty up here!” the boy admired, and Chowa gave a grin that she often gave when she was having fun. She didn’t have to say anything, as they came up on the edge of the building, the teen picked up speed, and kicked off high, and jumped right on the edge of the other building, not even bothering to slow down.
“I see them up ahead,” Kuro yelled over the now rushing wind, “Just past the edge of this building!”
Chowa looked down, and she also could see their leader rounding up the back. Chowa gave a big grin, and veered right off course, jumping down from the building, allowing the air to break their fall as the teen landed on her left foot, but lost her balance, and attempted to steady herself, before she fell forward. Shiro and Kuro broke out of her grasp, both landing on their feet and dusting themselves off. Chowa took a moment to catch her breath, before taking up the back.
“Heiwato,” a voice cut through the pack, and everyone turned to look at Chowa and the kids. Hanshano Kaben-the leader of the pack, and the most lusciously dressed person the teen knew-gave a glare.
“Nice of you to join us,” he said strictly. It was funny to Chowa how someone who almost exactly resembled a woman in dress, appearance, and mannerisms, could have such a masculine voice. Then again, Hanshano-sempai was an expert at cross dressing.
“I’m sorry, sir!” Chowa bowed, “I have no excuse.”
Hanshano looked at the teen with keen eyes, staring her down keenly, “Forgiven.”
The teen gave a sigh of relief, as Shiro and Kuro cheered happily, until cut off abruptly.
“Only,” Hanshano said cooly, “If you can find me something worth my forgiveness.”
He then continued walking, and the group continued. Chowa, instead of whining or complaining, only stood up as straight as she could, and marched forward. The younger ones followed.
“Aw, Cho-chan, Hansha-san is just really mean!” Kuro stated, crossing her arms and looking away.
“Yeah, he’s a big meanie!” Shiro concurred with the girl. The teenager laughed, and patted both of their heads as she walked.
“I’ll be alrght. Sempai knows I can find something worth more than his forgiveness,” she smiled, still managing to perfectly hide what was running through her mind at that moment.

Crystal Tokyo was beautiful to the eye, if you were only to be in Minato or the larger portions of the city. The run down areas were hidden, and most certainly taboo. Misfits ran loose, orphans abandoned, brothels formed left and right. Every member of Tenfold had a unique story to tell, but it was nothing like the happiness and joy that people often saw in Crystal Tokyo. All they could tell were stories of madness, oppression, and depression in it’s worst state.
Hanshano Kaben had been the orphaned child of a whore, born in a brothel, his mother died giving birth to him, leaving him to be raised by various harlots at the brothel. He never had a father figure, which is why many theorize that Hanshano-san was always so feminine. When he was ten, the brothel was raided, and most of the motherly figures the boy knew were ripped from his life, causing him to be alone. He took what was left of the brothel and let in other misfits.
Some of them were rebels who ran away from home, others weren’t so fortunate to have parents to run away from. Heiwato Chowa was one of those misfits. The blue haired teen had no memories of her mother or father. All that she remembered was being left standing alone at a chapel, still holding a balloon from a carnival she could not remember being at. Only recently had she begun to have dreams of what she might had called “Mommy.” Chowa’s specialty was always in thievery, somehow being capable of jumping at heights of abnormal peaks, and running at inhuman speeds. No one is sure how exactly she can do this, but people have theories.
Of course, there were people worse off. Shiro and Kuro were perhaps the children with the worst stories behind those smiling faces. The two children were spawned from an unknown project, but were obviously rejects. They were frozen, set never to wake up. Until Chowa infiltrated Crystal Tokyo’s castle, finding the children, and setting them free. They had no parents, no histories, nothing to carry with them.
Despite all these differences, the members of Tenfold had a bond; from the twins to Hanshano-san, everyone was family. They worked as a team, and everyone carried the weight together. That was why Chowa refused to stay home and continue to sleep. To be with her family, and to help with the duty.

“We’re here.”
Chowa looked ahead to see the market. Right on the edge of the underclass and the upperclass was the biggest market. Most of the things were out of anyone’s price range-unless the person was living on the other side of the market. Tenfold, however, had already split.
“Cho-chan,” Shiro tugged on the girl’s pants, “Where do we start?”
“Simple,” the teen smiled, picking up the boy, “Where the shiny things are.”
“Oooooh! Shiny!” Kuro grinned, while Shiro held on tight to Chowa. The three walked right toward a cart of vases, the children looking with bright eyes over all the shimmering items. Chowa’s eyes studied each, but nothing caught her eye. She and the children continued to move around, but none could find anything stunning.
The sun continued to rise into the sky, and the three were still empty handed. They had to high noon to find something.
Finally, just as the sun was about to reach it’s peak, the three stopped, Chowa got to a squat, sighing.
“At this rate,” she whispered, “I’ll find nothing. This is useless!”
“Hey, Cho-chan,” Shiro pointed, “Let’s try there.”
The blue haired teen looked up, seeing that she was parallel to a booth strewn completely in black, with various jewels hanging from the sides. The girl let Shiro down next to his sister, and walked toward the booth, still looking protective over the children. There, in the booth, was one figure looking over the three. The figure was doused in a burgundy robe that covered her face. Chowa looked carefully at the woman.
“What do you price your items as?”
“Too high for your funds.”
Chowa frowned, knowing that this was going to be difficult. Thieving wasn’t hard, but when there was no one else paying attention, diversions were difficult.
“However…” the being looked over the girl, then peered over to look down at the children, “I shall give you two items. You look needy enough for them.”
“We are *not* needy.” Chowa interrupted. The grin on the figure was evident beneath the robe.
“Says the girl who lives in a harem,” the being whispered, then picked up two items; a book and a mirror, “They’re yours. Take them, and use them wisely.”
“But what are-”
“Heiwato!”
Chowa’s gaze was diverted for a moment, as Hanshano-san approached them, with a placid look, “The time is now, we need to go.”
“Yessir,” Chowa nodded, then turned back to the booth, only to find it gone, “What the…where’d the booth go?”
“What booth, Cho-chan?” Kuro asked.
“Yeah, what booth?” Shiro asked. The teen was stunned. It was never there? Then why did she have a mirror and a book?
The teen shook her head, “Alright, let’s go guys. We should have something here for Hanshano-san to be happy over.”
“Yay!” The two cheered, as they began to walk back to where the group met up.

“Now what is this?” Hanshano examined the mirror closely, staring at his own gaze in the reflection.
“A mirror. It might have magical properties, but I’m not sure,” Chowa said nervously. The man looked away from the mirror, then tossed it back. Chowa caught it gracefully by the handle, looking at her sempai carefully.
“It’s yours,” he said, “You got it. Keep it.”
“And the book?”
“Yours,” He said, examining his nails, “And you’re obviously forgiven. I told them to let you sleep.”
“You did? But why?” Chowa tilted her head to the side, blinking. He looked up, grinning.
“Sometimes, even misfits need to be happy.”
The girl blinked, staring at him oddly, “But Hanshano-san…”
“Trust me, you needed it, sweetie.”
Chowa, still with her gold eyes reflecting her confusion, she gave a nod, “Thank you, sir.”
She then left the room with a deep bow, and moved toward her own sleeping quarters. The wooden panels creaked, the scent of asbestos filled her lungs, and the velvet was tearing off the wall. The teen took her seat on a mildewed couch, then placed the mirror on the side table, and opened the book.
The book had obviously been aged for years and years, because the title was so faded that she couldn’t read any of it. She could only get the name of the author; Frederick Isak Showenhower. Chowa gave a shrug, looking at the book, and flipping it open to skim the book. Various items of myths and spirits passed her eyes, but she didn’t bother to care about it, until she stopped on one item.
It glittered on the faded page, staring her down in all of it’s magic and beauty. It was stunning to stare at, and mystical to read. As it escaped her lips, chills rand down her spine.
“The Reality Gauntlet.” Part 2:
Somewhere in the depths of people’s minds, chaos existed. All people faced it-some more than others-but not everyone could overcome it. That was how evil had begun.
For an inventor, and someone who envied ghosts his entire life, chaos not only thrived, but in his mind was embraced. For a teenage boy who tried to struggle with the fact that he was half ghost, chaos thrived, but evil was resisted.
Yet how could one ghost-envious inventor who hated ghosts find his greatest creation in shards at the hands of an irregular half-ghost teenager? It was something that puzzled Freakshow until his final breath. However, what neither realized was that something so powerful as to change reality could never be fully destroyed. It just fragmented until it could be found.
Chaos had embraced this power, seeking every piece until it could be completed. Centuries would pass, but it would take a millennium to repair it completely. Then it was sent to some point in time at some place that would not be impossible to find. The book had been given to someone who would find it soon enough…
Now they just needed the motivation.

“Heiwato.”
The Reality Gauntlet…
“Cho-chan?”
The Gem of Form…
“Are you there?”
The Gem of Life…
“What cha readin‘?”
The Gem of Fantasy…
“HEIWATO!”
“Whaaaaa?” The girl threw her arms up in shock, “Can’t you see I’m reading?”
“We see you’re reading,” Hanshano interrupted, “It’s obvious to us.”
“But you’ve been reading the same page for days now, Cho-chan,” Kuro pouted.
“Yeah, and aren’t you hungry? You haven’t been eating much!” Shiro waved his arms around like a child. The girl laughed to herself a bit, running a hand through her hair.
“Sorry, I’ve been neglecting things,” she grinned, “I’ll get right back to it, though!”
“Good,” Hanshano said, throwing her a spoon, “You can start by helping cook dinner.”
Chowa looked at the spoon, then gave a sigh. Cooking was no one’s favorite past time in this house. The teen looked to her younger friends.
“Who says we make the best meal anyone here’s had in a long time?”
“Yay! Food!”

The only food that the house ever got was heavily rationed. Fruit and vegetables were always stolen on market days, bread was the third highest supply. Meat was a rarity because it was so well protected. When meat was served, it was eaten with enjoyment by everyone except for the cook. While they would steal plenty of food, it had to be heavily rationed to last at least ten people two meals until the next market day.
Chowa opened the cabinet door to examine the rations; a few days had passed since the last market day, so there was plenty of food left. The trick was to ration.
“Let’s see…two pears cut into fives…” The teen removed two pears, examining them carefully, she then reached for another drawer, pulling out a knife. Strange enough, the utensils were always clean, though no one could explain it. She grabbed the knife, and began to peel the two pears.
“Can we clean them, Cho-chan?” Shiro asked, Kuro nodding in agreement. Chowa smiled.
“Well, we need water,” she stated, pointing to the sink. The twins frowned, but didn’t complain. Running water was another rarity in this house. Only when it rained would soup ever be served.
“Now for some bread…” Chowa turned back to the cabinet, pulling out a French loaf. She raised an eyebrow but didn’t inquire on how anyone got this bread. She cut off at one of the indents in the bread, then put the remaining back. The teen then cut the remaining bread into ten slices. It was pretty thin, but at least there was something to put on the table.
“And finally, celery,” Chowa nodded to herself, but the little ones protested.
“We don’t like celery!” Shiro pointed out.
“It’s stringy!” Kuro concurred.
“And gross!”
Chowa sighed, “It’s either that or corn.”
“Eeeew! Cho-chan’s being mean!” Shiro whined.
“Nobody likes corn!” Kuro stated.
“It’s hard and hurts your teeth!”
“Nor do they like celery,” Chowa smiled, “But we eat what we get…”
“And we don’t get upset,” Kuro and Shiro said at the same time.
Chowa smiled, then looked to the celery, grabbing a knife. She quickly cut off one end of it, but kept her thumb on the blade. With one pull, the string came out of the celery, and the children gasped.
“Yay! Cho-chan saved dinner!” Shiro cheered!
“And now we don’t’ have to worry about string!” Kuro followed with the cheering.
The smile remained on Chowa’s face, as she continued to cut away at the celery, making enough pieces for everyone to get two.
“Now we’re done!” She said, grabbing a big plate, everything where it belonged, and then piling the food on a the plate to serve.
The three then went out and served dinner.

Ten people sat at ten rickety chairs, each feeling like it was going to break under their weight. All of them sat at one long table, taking one slice of a pear, one piece of bread, and one piece of celery. When gathered around a single table that was gradually rotting inside and out, Chowa could see every member of Tenfold clearly. Over the years that she’d been there the team always changed. Either one person would leave because of a fight or because they missed home or it was just time to move on. Sometimes Hanshano-san would find a kid abandoned in an alley or caught in a fight. Everyone had something to contribute though. Yes, this was all of Tenfold; one loyal and eager family who would do anything for each other. They were the people who took what they could out of life despite the fact that there was nothing life could willingly give them. Life had given them the lemons, and they’d done the best they could to make it lemonade.
Chowa looked to the children that sat next to her. Shiro and Kuro were two kids who were clearly still growing, and obviously needed food. Silently, when no one was looking, she slipped the children her pear and her bread. The two looked at Chowa with a look of true happiness, and at the rest of the food in silence. The girl smiled, getting to eat the last of her celery. It would at least stop the hunger pains for awhile.

Once dinner was finished, and everything was cleaned, the group moved toward the upper rooms, where there was one once luxurious lounge. The fountain was eroded and filled with murky water. There had once been fish in the fountain, but they had gone not long after Tenfold’s numbers grew to around seven or eight. There were old couches that people sat on, though they were often squishy, wet, or covered in various fungi. The group would then often laugh or joke, or in tonight’s instance…
“Hey Mr. Han! Will you tell us a story?” A young black haired girl-Chowa knew her as Dani-asked.
“Yeah, Han-san!” Shiro grinned, “Tell us a story!”
“Something with magic!” Kuro asked quietly.
“And a princess!” Shiro waved his arms around.
“Alright, alright,” Hanshano-san got up, moving toward the fountain. With a tap of his long nails, small balls of flame filled the entire room to illuminate it. The younger ones looked amazed at the magic, while the older ones only smiled, choosing to listen.
“Long ago, before Neo Queen Serenity began her rule…”
There was a snort from off to the left. Chowa turned her head to look at Bara-a red haired girl with quite an attitude-was twirling one of her braids around her wrist, “Don’t tell me you’re going to tell us about how good and noble our Queen used to be.”
Hanshano glared at Bara darkly, “She’s saved the world many times, you know.”
“So?” Ada grinned, “The good doesn’t always weigh out the bad. Look at us.”
“We could always be in a worse scenario,” Osore stated calmly, “We could be enslaved by Nemesis.”
“Maybe they had the right idea,” Bara whispered, which caused Hanshano to glare at her.
“You listen to me,” the cross dressing man said with an irritated look on his face, “We may not be in the happiest of worlds. This may not be some palace, and we may be ignored, but you do not dare talk like that under this roof.”
Chowa understood what her sempai was saying. Hanshano hated the Queen just as much as anyone in the house did, but the fact that there were children with impressionable minds in the room lead to politics being thrown out of the house. Bara just scowled, but said nothing.
“Now,” Hanshano smiled, “There was once a time where the hopes and dreams of children were endangered. The only one who could possibly save us was a pink haired girl named Usagi the second.…”

“Good night, Cho-chan!”
“Sweet dreams, Shiro.”
The teenager watched as the little boy closed his crimson eyes. She kissed his forehead, and watched as the boy began to drift off into a peaceful doze. She then moved to Kuro.
“Now, my dear child,” she brushed a few bangs off her forehead, “did you have a good day?”
“Cho-chan,” Kuro sat up, “Did Small Lady really save us all?”
Chowa smiled, ruffling her hair, “Yep. Three times.”
“Wow!” Kuro grinned, “I wanna go back to the past and save the world too!”
“Well maybe you can one day,” Chowa ruffled the girl’s head, then kissed her on the forehead, “Sweet dreams, my dear child.”
“Good night, Cho-chan,” the girl whispered, closing her eyes. Chowa smiled to herself, then moved to her own room. The mirror and the book both sat on her couch, calling for her. The teen quietly moved for the mirror, staring into it. All she could see was her own reflection at that moment. The teen sighed.
“Sometimes I wonder if there really is a future…” she whispered to herself. The mirror shrouded itself, causing Chowa to blink, tilting her head. The mirror’s reflection then reformed, to show war. Devastation was everywhere, and there looked to be no peace anywhere in the future. The girl tightened her grasp on the mirror.
“No…” she whispered, but the mirror continued to show the carnage of war, senshi fighting, and people hunting them with golden gauntlets that she remembered hearing about. The girl shook her head, then looked away. How could the future be like this? Couldn’t there be some way to change it?
The mirror shrouded again, now showing a significantly older Serenity III, ruling a twisted monarchy. The girl couldn’t take it. She set down the mirror, and walked towards the stairs. Up a flight, past the fountain to the next set of stairs, up another flight, and into the attic. She ripped open a window, and crawled up to the roof, staring at the majestic palace ahead.
Even in the darkness of night, Crystal Tokyo was aglow with light, people buzzing everywhere, completely ignorant of the corruption. Even if they knew, they wouldn’t care probably. Just as long as they got their pleasures fulfilled by dawn…
It made even Heiwato Chowa-a teenager who tried to look at everything in a positive light-sick to her stomach. But what could she do? One meaningless teenager destined for destitution until the day she’d die surely couldn’t do anything. Maybe if things were just a little bit different, she might be able to change things.
“Admiring the stars?” someone cut through her woe, and the teenager looked down. She Ada, his brassy eyes and pale hair seemed to shine as he climbed up to join her. He was always willing to help out with anything, and he talked to anyone he could. He was kidnapped a month ago, but was saved by Hanshano-san. He didn’t seem to want to go home, so instead he chose to stay with Tenfold. His health had significantly depleted, probably from malnutrition. He still ate everything that was put in front of him, no matter what it was.
He grinned at her, as he finally sat next to the teen.
“What’s on your mind, sugar?” he asked softly, looking at Chowa with a sincere look. The teen raised an eyebrow.
“Sugar? That’s a new one,” she grumbled. Ada laughed, smiling at her.
“Sorry, Hanshano-san tends to get to me on occasion. But really, what’s wrong?”
The girl looked out at Crystal Tokyo, “Have you ever wondered…what life would be like if someone else was ruling?”
Ada sighed, “Every day. Before I was kidnapped, I used to look at this world, and see the corruption go on right underneath everyone’s nose. Does the queen do anything? Not really.”
Chowa looked at him, tilting her head to the side, “Don’t you wish there was something we could do to resist her?”
“Who doesn’t?” Ada ran a hand through those shimmering locks, “But we can’t do much. She’s got troops everywhere, and that Silver Crystal…”
“Is she just planning to eliminate all destitution?”
Ada stopped, looking at her, “Where’d you get that idea?”
“Hanshano lost his family when the government arrested all the women in the brothel,” Chowa whispered, “There have been troops arresting vagrants left and right…”
There was silence for a moment, “I wouldn’t be surprised about that one.”
“I mean…I’m just worried about everyone else. I don’t want to lose the things that matter to me most,” she stared at the palace, “It’s all that’s left for me.”
Ada just looked down, “Those kids are your life, aren’t they?”
Chowa looked to her friend, not a single shimmer of shock in her eyes, before she looked away, “Yeah, they are. I don’t know why, but Shiro and Kuro are everything to me. I would do anything for them.”
“I think everyone has someone like that,” Ada whispered, “You just seem…very motherly to them.”
Chowa was silent, still looking at Crystal Tokyo quietly, “Maybe it’s because I know how they feel.
“See, Hanshano-san found me when I was little, I think it was thirteen years ago on the steps of a chapel. He’s the only parental figure I’ve had since I was little, so when I found those kids, two children who never had a family, I wanted to be the one person they looked up to. So I treat them as if they were my own children.”
“It’s noble of you,” Ada said, finally leaning back to look at the stars, crossing his ankles. Chowa turned to look at him, shrugging.
“So I guess you don’t want to go back home because you don’t like the corruption either?” she asked. There was a laugh behind her.
“X marks the spot, Cho. It’s nicer here where you can guess what’s going on. But when you’re in the upper class you have to either be painfully ignorant to not see how screwed up Crystal Tokyo is,” Ada sighed, “So when I was kidnapped, I thought it would be a blessing.”
Chowa nodded, then looked back to the beautiful city in front of her, “But I’m sure that’s everywhere.”
“Probably,” he nodded, “There always has to be an underclass somewhere.”
Chowa nodded, then got to her feet, “Anyway, I better get back inside. I need some sleep.”
“Alright, I’ll be down in a few,” Ada smiled. The teen smiled back, then slid down the roof to the open window, and let herself in, going back down the stairwell to the second floor, then across to the first floor, and back to her sofa. There was a sad look in the girl’s eyes as she laid herself across her own means of comfort, feeling her eyes grow heavy with the necessity of sleep. Images of the mirror were now far from her mind. Part 3:
“Hey Cho, wanna help me with something?”
Bara stood outside, staring up at something with a quizzical look on her face. Chowa-who’d had the window open to read her book-looked up
“What is it?”
“Well,” Bara stared at the roof, “You see, I want to tear down the remains of the sign…”
Chowa peeked out, looking at what she was talking about. What remained of the now broken neon lights said ‘ he Bu ty re z ’. Chowa resisted laughing, as she hopped out the window and moved next to the red haired girl.
“Well, this place most certainly is no longer a ‘Busty Breeze’, let alone a ‘Buty Rez”. I don’t see why not.”
Bara grinned, “Great! Now to just find a ladder…”
Chowa shook her head, backing up a few paces. With swift action, she got her foot on the window sill, kicking off to the window ledge closest to the sign.
“Alright, now to take down the sign,” The blue haired teen grinned, reaching for the neon lights. Her fingers barely graced the glass when Bara interrupted her.
“Don’t you think that’s a bit dangerous?”
“Nah, I do this all the time,” Chowa called down, finally steadying herself on the sign, she then realized that she was missing various tools, “Think you could get me a screwdriver?”
The short haired teen could had swore she heard laughing. Maybe it was a pun she’d failed to catch, or was it…
“Last time I saw one of those was when I helped my dad with fence work!” she continued laughing for a good minuite, until she finally calmed herself, “Let me see if Osore has anything.”
Chowa watched as the other girl walked inside, leaving Chowa to her own thoughts for a moment. Her mind lingered on Bara for a moment. The image of her long red hair, and her brown eyes flecked with the same crimson as those locks. Her skin was significantly tanner than the others at the table because she left the house the most for field work. Everyone called her Bara since her appearance and personality were most like a rose. The girl lived with her family happily for years until she wanted to see what else was out there. Somehow she’d found herself amongst Tenfold. She’d only been here for a few weeks, but she tended to be a valuable asset to blending in with the upper class to make sure no one could go after the home. The teen sighed, a bit jealous of the other woman, since she had a home that she could always go back to. But this was all Chowa had.
“Hey, Cho!” the woman’s voice promptly brought her back into reality for that moment. There she was with Osore. The teen blinked, looking to the two with odd curiosity.
“I don’t think we have anything that can fix that,” the man reminisced, “But if you pull hard enough, it should come apart. There’s just that risk of…”
Chowa didn’t even bother to hear the rest. Planting her feet firmly on the brick wall, the woman pulled on the sign with all her might. The fact that she was parallel to the ground and a good fifteen feet up didn’t cross her mind. Nor did the fact that when the sign came off she’d probably lose her balance and get crushed by the weight of the metal and glass.
Nails popped out of place a moment after Chowa pulled. Sweat was pouring down the teenager’s face, her palms almost making it too slippery for her to keep a tight grip. She still wasn’t thinking as she wrapped her fingers around the metal, continuing to pull. Finally, her fingers failed to give way, and she fell. Gravity dragged the woman down at a swift speed, falling head first. She could hear the screams for an instant, until everything began to slow down, the screams going dull in her ears. The Westminster Chimes played in her mind, slow and dreary. Everything began to darken and blur, leaving the girl to go completely numb and into what she assumed was death.

“Lord, through this hour, Be thou our guide. So, by thy power, No foot shall slide…”
“What’s that song, Mommy?”
“It’s a tune from an old clock.”
“Is the clock big, Mommy?”
“Yes Myou. It’s a huge clock that used to be in this country on a big island called England. They called the clock Big Ben.”
“Wow, Mommy! Can we go see Big Ben one day?”
“I don’t know if it’s still there.”
There was silence for a moment. At a table stood ‘Mommy’ with one big bowl of batter. Her daughter-a little girl who looked no older than three years old-stood by her, watching the woman with big brown eyes.
“Mommy, when can I help?”
“When I pour this into a few trays, sweetie.”
“Okay!”
There was a long silence, the sound of a spoon tapping against a bowl, and a clock’s constant ticking.
“Mommy, what was the name of that song?”
“Westminister Chimes, dear.”
“Okay!”
There was the sound of a doorbell, and the older woman set down the bowl, moving out of the kitchen. Myou was left with the bowl and batter in the big kitchen, her big brown eyes almost matched her long brown hair as she quickly got onto a chair, and looked at the contents of the bowl. It looked like a light brown dough was sinking to the bottom, leaving the girl to stare at it curiously.
The radio in the living room turned on, and a piano’s somber tune began to play. The girl looked toward where she knew her Mommy was. There must’ve been guests, so the girl decided to go get some lemonade for them. Moving toward the fridge, the girl put her hands on the side of the door, pulling until the seal broke and the door opened. The items in the fridge; various meats, veggies, fruits, and liquids. The girl grabbed one big bottle of the yellow liquid that had lemons on it. She moved to the counter, trying to put the bottle on the surface, but she couldn’t reach. The girl sighed, moving to the table, and grabbing a chair. With ease, she pulled the chair over to the counter and cabinet, climbing the tall chair to reach for the door and managed to pull it open. Myou smiled, getting three glasses and a tray. She poured the liquid into the glasses and putting the glasses on a tray. She then sat herself on the chair, grabbing the tray, and got to her feet, slowly walking to the living room. The girl moved through the hallway, past the foyer, and into the large living room. There were tall windows that revealed the more rural part of Japan, where there was a large iced lake was located. There were two men sitting on the couch with the girl’s mother sitting across from them. The girl slowly approached, and set the lemonade on the table that divided the two. One of the men looked at Myou with a stern eye.
“Is this it?” one of the men asked.
“I told you,” Mommy interrupted, “What you’re looking for isn’t here.”
“The girl fits the criteria. She looks to be the proper age, the expected height, weight, and appearance. Brown eyes, brown hair.”
“Brown eyes are just as common as any other color!” Mommy yelled, “She’s not Kakumei!”
Kakumei? Where had the girl heard that before? She knew it meant Revolution…
“Prove it then,” the other man said, “Show us if she doesn’t have the scar.”
There was silence for a moment, and the woman got up, walking over to Myou. She very slowly picked up her daughter, holding her close. The girl could’ve sworn that she could smell that sweet scent of candy in her mom’s hair. Suddenly, her Mommy began to run. The men chased the two, leading Mommy to leave the house, still carrying Myou.
“Mommy where are we going?” the little girl asked, but Mommy didn’t answer. Instead, she only ran deep into the woods, right toward the lake. The sounds of the two men following rang in Myou’s ears. Her heart was racing, her mother’s fear was beginning to affect her confusion. She just clung on tight to her mother, keeping her eyes tightly shut…

“Cho-chan?”
A clear voice. Someone youthful. A child had just acknowledged her, meaning that her time wasn’t up yet. But who was Myou? What did she have to do with this lonely teenager?
Chowa finally opened one golden eye. There was Kuro, the little girl sitting right next to the young teen. The two looked at each other, as Chowa sighed, sitting herself up slowly.
“Cho-chan’s awake! Whoo!” Shiro-who was also in the room-celebrated. The dark haired teen sat herself up, her left palm to her face, and her golden eyes filled with sadness. She was confused, lost, and somehow unsure.
“Hey,” the girl’s contemplations were cut interrupted by the feeling of a cold washcloth hitting her head. With an ‘oomph’, the girl looked up to see Hanshano-san staring down at her. His gray eyes were filled with a mix of contempt and content. She tilted her head a bit, confused.
“What?”
“Next time, don’t pull stunts like that,” he had a strict tone to his voice, causing Chowa to look down.
“Sorry.”
There was silence, as he promptly left the room. Kuro and Shiro just looked at Chowa, confused looks on their faces.
“What time is it?” Chowa asked quietly.
“It’s really late, Cho-chan!” Kuro pointed out, “Hanshano-san said that we could watch over you, but after that, we have to go to bed!”
The girl gave a smile, “Then you two should go to bed.”
The two nodded, then moved toward their beds. Chowa herself slowly got herself out of the bed. The girl found that she was rather sore, which caused her to look at herself carefully. There was a bandage on her leg, but nowhere else.
“Wha?”
“You broke your leg, Cho-chan!” Shiro pointed out.
Kuro nodded, “Hanshano-san was really cool and managed to reset it for you. He said you’d be really sore on it, but you’ll be okay in a few days.”
“You’re supposed to be bedridden for today and tomorrow!” Shiro stated in an important tone, “So we’ll put ourselves to bed, okay?”
Chowa was still a bit confused, but slowly gave a nod, resting herself back on her bed.
“Good night, you two,” she smiled, opening her arms for them to give her a hug. The two complied, running to her as if she were shelter.
“Good night, Cho-chan,” the two whispered, then let go, moving away from the teen to go toward their own beds. That left Chowa with a whole night and day of nothing to do. She decided to grab her book, and opened it, peeking into the pages of the Reality Gauntlet. Fantasy poured into her mind of what she could do if she had such an amazing weapon. The dreams had fallen far from her mind, and she no longer wondered who Myou or Kakumei was.

At the heart of Crystal Tokyo, Mizuno Ami had a quite satisfied smirk on her face, as she held a file in her hands. The guard behind her stood attentive.
“Shall we retrieve them, Mizuno-sensei?”
“Yes,” Ami whispered, a dark look in her eyes, “And anyone who’s associated with them, or anyone who resists you….kill them.”
“Understood.”
It wouldn’t be long now until Ami got back what she needed. She’d been foolish enough to let it happen before, but now that they were in her grasp, Project Kakumei could finally be completed.
And there was nothing that sorry bunch could possibly do to save themselves. Their graves were dug, now the corpses just needed to be thrown in. Part 4 (and the final part for now):

The familiar sound of screams in pain filled her mind. Chowa shifted a little, thinking she was having a nightmare. The sounds of Bara and Ada screaming for help, yet she couldn’t do anything to help them. The sound of Osore trying to attack someone to protect the others, yet she couldn’t allow herself to move. Surely this was just a dream, and she wouldn’t have to worry. In the morning she’d wake up to find that there was nothing wrong….
The scent of burning tapestry, and Hanshano-san was just outside of the door…she could hear the rapping against the wood, the call to Heiwato, trying to wake her up. She could practically hear what he was saying loud and clear…
“Heiwato…wake up, please,” he called. It wasn’t the normally stern command he gave, but rather something of a desperate plea. Chowa’s hand stirred in her sleep, but she was not awake.
“Heiwato…please,” she heard him call again, “You have to wake up, they’re coming…”
Chowa stirred again, but still did not move fully. She heard Hanshano take a deep breath.
“Chowa, please! For Shiro and Kuro’s sakes!”
Something about that had finally stirred Chowa out of her sleep in shock. If it was the fact that the figure who she always looked up to had finally acknowledged her by her first name, or if it was the fact that Shiro and Kuro in trouble was trivial. The girl’s eyes opened wide, and she threw the covers off of herself, practically jumping out of bed. The numb feeling in her leg was easily ignorable as she leaped toward the door and threw it open. There was Hanshano, standing there with the sleeping Shiro and Kuro in his arms. She guided him in, and threw the door shut.
“Where’s the others?” Chowa asked, quickly getting a chair to put as a block to the door. Hanshano took a deep breath.
“They raided the place when we were all asleep. Killed two others…” Hanshano took a deep breath, “I couldn’t see who they were. Bara and Ada are trying to fight them off, but they’re not showing mercy.”
“What about Osore?”
Hanshano was quiet for a moment, then looked at her, “He told me to find you and these two.”
“Then let’s go fight these losers!” Chowa stated, marching toward the door. Hanshano grabbed her by the back of her shirt, pulling her back.
“No. We’re leaving,” he said strictly, “I told Osore I wouldn’t endanger you or these two.”
“But,” the blue haired girl turned to Hanshano, a dark look in her eyes, “They’re our friends.”
“We can’t help them,” Hanshano said sternly, “If we could, we would.”
There was a silence between the two, as Chowa heard a pounding at the door. The two turned to stare down the door ahead. It was like death was knocking at their door. Hanshano looked at Chowa.
“That’s not anything good, kid.”
Just as he said that, the door came down, and the chair was crushed. Four palace guards entered.
“Nobody move!” One of them called. Chowa and Hanshano stayed dead still. The guard looked to two of his comrades, and motioned them to move forward. They did so, each taking out what looked like a handheld. There was a few beeps, and something glowed.
“This one,” one of the two guards pointed to Chowa, “Is Kakumei-ichi.”
There was a nod from the other guard, “And the other two?”
“Nii and San.”
“Excelent, detain all three of them.”
There was a nod from both guards, as the handheld turned into a can of some spray. They were about to spray it in Chowa and Hanshano’s faces when the girl suddenly got toward the floor, delivering a sweeping kick at the guard. He went down easy, and she promptly kicked at the other guard in the solar plexus. He also fell backwards. Chowa got to her feet, and ran past Hanshano.
“Come on,” she looked to him, throwing open the window. There was a nod from the man, as he quickly jumped for the window, only to be grabbed by his skirt.
“You two are going nowhere,” one of the two guards grinned, “Project: Kakumei is property of Crystal Tokyo. You’re under arrest for theft of the government.”
“Oh bugger off,” Chowa kicked the man in the face, finally jumping out the window. Hanshano followed, still holding onto Shiro and Kuro. The blue haired teen had managed to jump out of the window when she heard Hanshano scream. She turned to see the other promptly jolted, and about to collapse. He dropped the two children, which were caught by the guard. The girl had a horrified look on her face, as she grasped the man by the wrist, and pulled him out. She turned back to the house, running toward it in desperation when she felt a hand grab her shoulder.
“Don’t…” he whispered with his eyes full of sorrow. Chowa still shook her head.
“I won’t leave without them, I can’t…” she continued to march forward, uncaring of what the world was going to do. She was about to jump, when Hanshano grabbed her again, pulling her away, trying to hold her close as he turned.
“Please, forgive me,” he whispered in her ear. There was the sound of a snapping of fingers, and there was an explosion. Chowa’s eyes went wide as she turned to see her home, and everyone within go up in flames. There was a cry of agony from Chowa as she could only stare at the house. Hanshano had a tight grip on her, looking closely at the girl.
“They’re…no…”
“There was no other way,” he whispered, still holding her in exhaustion. The girl could only sob, burying her face in her friend’s shoulder. He slowly picked her up, carrying her away from the carnage. Even Hanshano, the man who had been strong enough to protect those of Tenfold could not help but shed a tear at the entire situation.
“We have to move, and fast,” he whispered in her ear, “They’re looking for you.”
“I don’t wanna run anymore.”
He stopped, as Chowa broke free of his grip, landing on her feet. What amazed him was that not only was it like she had never fallen or broken her leg, but also the determined look in her eyes.
“I’m tired of running,” she whispered, staring at the flames, “I want to stop this.”
He was silent, and she didn’t care, “There’s possibilities, Hanshano-san. I can cross the streams of time and find a way to stop this. It’s possible, right?”
There were tears falling from Chowa’s face, as she seemed to have a hopeful look in her eyes. She could barely say those words, “Right?”
Hanshano stared at her in awe as he gave her a solemn smile, “Of course we can. We can save everyone.”
She gave a nod, smiling, “We can change life. We can make everything fair. We can prevent Serenity from coming to power. The princess could go back in time, why can’t we?”
There were so many answers to that, but to extinguish the flame of Heiwato Chowa’s hope was like trying to show a mother cat her dead kittens; it was impossible to do.
Hanshano lowered himself to be eye to eye with Chowa, then gave her an embrace, “Of Course we can. We can do whatever we want.”
Chowa nodded, “All we need, are four gems and a gauntlet…”