"You gonna tell Ben about all this?" Ariel questioned Sakura as she begrugingly walked the small girl home.
Sakura shook her head. "I... I don't know, this is all just so much right now... I might not, I might tell him, I don't know."
"Alright."
After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at Sakura's place downtown. A massive building housing hundreds of people, of course, one of those rich, fancy apartment complexes rather than the more run-down ones that most people would be familiar with.
Sakura looked to Ariel, who seemed about ready to go. "T-This is my stop. Thank... thank you... yeah..."
Ariel chuckled. "No problem, it's uh... just somethin' any decent person would do." Ariel paused. "A-Also... hey... I want to apologize for tryin' to dupe ya. You probably already figured it out, but-- well, it wasn't like I wasn't gonna pay you back, but regardless I..."
"N-No, yeah, I figured it out. Thank you for apologizing, though-- not... that it changes much." Sakura chuckled. "A-Anyway..." Sakura checked the time on her phone. "Um... a-actually, it's 9:55 right now; do you live close to here?"
"Hm? No? But I can take care of myself, no big deal."
Sakura pressed her lips together. "Y-You can stay with me for the night. Probably better here than anywhere else at the moment, y'know?"
"Huh? N-Nah, I'm alright."
"I know we just met, but I'm pretty sure wherever you live probably isn't as safe as it is here, right?"
"Wow, you just went out and said that, huh?" Ariel chuckled.
"So...?"
"You don't have to."
"I insist."
I am curious... Ariel's gaze narrowed. "Alright... uh... fine."
"The couch we have can turn into a bed, so it shouldn't be too bad." Sakura took out a card and pressed it up against a scanner next to the door, letting both of them inside.
Ariel was met by the sight of an exceptionally large studio apartment. Right across from the door, a massive window gave a view of the skyline outside, partly covered by curtains attached to the ceiling. It was the first time Ariel had seen a place like this firsthand, walking around as if there was a mine in the room.
Sakura spoke up. "S-So, you can take a shower and stuff-- uh... I should have some spare clothes that my sister likes to wear, so hopefully those will fit."
Ariel looked to Sakura. "You live like this every day?"
Sakura chuckled. "Uh... I guess, yeah." A beat. "Anyway, do you want to head in for a shower first, or...?"
"Oh! Uh... yeah, sure."
Water rolled down Ariel's head as she looked at the facilities with amazement. Stark white marble, a glass door separating the shower from the toilet. The toilet itself also had a bidet of all things! Truly, this is what it was like living as a nepo baby.
Ariel put on the clothes, a bit begrugingly due in part that it was paired with the shortest short shorts that Sakura seemed to have been able to find. The shirt seemed fine, though.
As Ariel exited the restroom, Sakura hobbled over to the couch with a blanket and a pillow. Ariel couldn't help but chuckle at how she clumsily held the items closely together before dropping them down onto the couch with a huff.
"Thanks."
Sakura looked over to Ariel before giving her a wide smile. "You're welcome!"
Ariel crossed over to the couch, setting up her temporary living arrangements.
Sakura watched for a moment, sheepishly running her hands together. "A-Ariel..."
"Hm?"
"C-Can we be friends!?" Sakura put a hand out.
Ariel did a double take, "W-What? Uh..." Ariel looked at Sakura's hand and then her pleading puppy dog eyes, making her hesitate. "Y-You... why?"
"I... we may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but I want to be... I want friends, but... I... I think I want to be friends with you as well!"
"I... uh... well... I'm more shocked... I... I tried dupin' ya and stuff... I..."
"I..." Sakura sighed. "I don't really mind. You admitted you were wrong, and what friendship doesn't have a few hiccups!"
Ariel scoffed before taking Sakura's hand. "Alright..." Ariel clicked her tongue, an embarrassed expression coming across her face. "Yeah... sure, whatever."
Sakura gives an even bigger smile before walking back over to her room before giving a succinct, "Goodnight!"
Ariel sat there for a minute. "Night..."
Sakura, alone in her room, summoned that serpent from earlier in the day. "What else can you do...?" Sakura whispered to herself as the serpent circled her body. The serpent can produce clouds that can drop heavy raindrops-- Sakura touched the serpent, soon finding herself slowly sinking into her bed as if it were water. "W-What? What?" Sakura sank into her bed, still holding onto the serpent in her hands.
She looked up and could see bubbles rising to the surface; her bed appeared to have become a pool of water. The most surprising aspect was that she was able to breathe fine, completely unaffected by her new state of being submerged in this pool of her own making.
Sakura let go of Casper and is sent flying out from her bed, landing back down onto the soft cushioning under her. "W-What...?" Sakura blinked. "Woah."
Once again, Sakura grabbed onto Casper, letting it lead her throughout segments of the building until reaching the roof. She stopped, looking out at the bright skyline that was scattered across a night-draped city. The lights looked almost like stars if it weren't for the silhouettes of buildings ruining the illusion.
"That's nice..."
The next morning, Ariel left before Sakura could wake up, leaving her number behind just in case. She took back her clothes, got dressed, and made her way back to school, ahead of everyone else.
It was uncharacteristic of her, but she hadn't anything better to do.
As she walked, she could feel something watching her from afar, lagging behind a few feet away, hiding behind corners. They don't seem to be very good at their job.
Ariel deviated from her path, making a sharp turn into a more populated area in town.
The number of those following Ariel had increased. It was then that she realized that they weren't attempting to truly hide themselves. This was a tactic to corner her. Ariel thought about it for a moment. Would it be better to just find someone to maybe help her with this predicament? Yes, but she isn't exactly the smartest, nor is she a coward.
She diverted again, taking a sharp turn into an enclosed alleyway. Probably a dumb decision, but she saw it as a choke point. Ariel wasn't one to run away; she was one to confront her problems head-on.
Ariel reached the end of the alley, spinning around at the balls of her feet to face her possible assailants.
Ariel blinked as nobody came.
She sighed, pressing her back against the fence behind her, brow knitted in frustration.
Suddenly, two arms wrap around Ariel's body from the fence. Startled, she looked to see how it was even possible for this to occur, only to see the impossible. The man's arms seemingly melted through the chain fence, not literally, but more as if they were phasing through the object. "Got you!" They exclaimed, holding Ariel down.
"W-What the hell!?" Ariel attempted to fight against the man's grasp, but failed.
"You're gonna tell me where that friend of yours is, okay?"
"What!?"
"Sakura, where is she? Where is Sakura Hitayoshi!?"
"What's it to ya!?"
"My client wants them gone, simple as. Tell me where they are, and I won't kill you."
"You'd go that far!? Whose the asshole hiring ya!?"
The man's grip tightened across her throat, causing her to wretch. "None of your damn business!"
"I ain't tellin' ya shit!"
"You'll regret that!" Once again, he tightened his grip, cutting off Ariel's breathing. What he didn't expect was that she had already begun holding her breath, leaning back into the fence before she lunged herself forward. "Wh-What!?"
He phased through the fence, following along as she threw herself forward. Ariel looked at the ground, finding a sharp shard of glass lying on it, taking the opportunity to grab it as she rolled forward, putting the man right under her. Ariel gripped the shard of glass in a single bloody hand, and through the adrenaline, she jabbed it straight into the man's arm, causing them to recoil, letting go of Ariel's neck.
"Fuck! You bitch!"
Ariel quickly vaulted off the man's body, standing up with the shard of glass still in hand before being forced to let go of it, hands shaking from her new self-inflicted wound. The man quickly stood up as well, clutching his bleeding arm.
"Hey man, what the hell is your problem!?" Ariel screamed back, taking a long, deep breath.
The man chuckled grimly. "You have no fucking idea who you're messin' with, girlie."
"Jesus, how cheesy! Fuck off for me, okay!? Or do you wanna continue our tussle!?"
"No need." He chuckled again, phasing through the wall beside him.
Ariel watched as this man performed the impossible. That right there was a superpower. How did they do that? She didn't have time to think, though, and she knew that, running back out from the alley.
Cutting her off, an arm shot out from the wall, grabbing her ankle, causing her to fall forward onto her face. The hand repositioned itself to the ground, both arms now prepared to re-grab Ariel, who had fallen prone.
Just before the man's hands could reach her, she quickly pulled her knees in before throwing her legs out, placing her feet flat on the ground as she jumped back into a standing position. She let out a gasp before making a full sprint back toward the fence, vaulting over it and continuing down the other end of the alley.
She couldn't spot the man's arms as they were now, but she could only guess that she had managed to outrun him to a degree.
BAM!
Clothelined, falling straight back to the ground just as she was about to escape."Tell me, where is Sakura Hitayoshi!?"
Ariel gasped, writhing in pain on the ground, the wind knocked straight out of her. Ariel coughed, attempting to catch her breath. Ariel wheezed, turning to the man, body halfway out of a wall, staring down at her.
Ariel rolled over, using the wall on the opposite end of the alley to prop herself back up to her feet. "Fuck off..." Ariel growled, swinging at the man who was presently stepping out from the wall. Ariel's arm went straight through the man's body, and just as she was about to pull out, her fist became stuck, held in place by a prison of flesh made up of his own body.
"I wish it'd just cut off their hands, but this does me well enough, y'know?"
"What the hell is all of this!? How are you doing that!?"
The man let out a wry chuckle. "You only ask now?" The next second, Ariel could only see stars as a fist met her straight in the face, causing her knees to buckle from underneath her. "Y'see... my ability lets me phase through objects," Another strike, Ariel's head whipping to the side from the impact. "I have to choose what type of object it is, though; it won't work for physical objects if I apply it to living matter, the same way it works the other way around. Can only choose one or the other."
Once again, another strike to her head, causing her vision to blur, the shock of the situation keeping her frozen, unable to react.
"I can sort of sit in an object for however long I want. There isn't a limit, y'know?"
Ariel swung back, but her fist was caught before it could connect.
"It's just... so sad." The man looked down at the arm in his chest and slammed his elbow down onto it, eliciting a cry of pain from Ariel. "Tell me what I want..."
"I'm not doing that..." Ariel whimpered, looking up at the light peaking in from the top of the alleyway.
The man clutched the arm tightly, forcefully straightening it out before putting pressure onto the elbow, pushing it harder and harder inward. "Last chance."
Ariel spat at the man.
"Alright." POP! Ariel's arm was set free from its fleshy prison as she cried out in pain, clutching her now broken limb. The man broke out into a small chuckle. "What did you expect?"
"D-It doesn't change that it fuckin' hurts! Asshole!"
"Y'know." He kneeled. "People like me, we have names for our abilities. 2 Atoms In A Molecule... that's my ability. Not like it matters now. I'll finish you off now." He removed a hammer from his waistband, getting ready to swing it into Ariel's head.
Ariel looked up at the man, hammer casting a silhouette against the sun that hung directly above both of them. It was as if the world had slowed down; seconds became minutes in an instant. Why am I even goin' out to bat for this girl...? I barely even know her, and yet here I am, about to get myself killed. Well... at least I ain't a snitch... there's a positive there. Her thoughts paused for a moment. I don't wanna die though... Even through all the shit... man... I really don't wanna go. Shit just feels way too good to die this way... I... I think I'm scared? Am I scared of dying...?
A beat.
I've never been scared of dying before... so why now? Why am I so scared? Why does my heart race, why does everything slow-- why, even when I'm on the ground like this, arm broken... why am I feeling more motivated than ever not to die? Why? Why, at my weakest, do I feel... so strong? Is it adrenaline?
The hammer came down, but Ariel wasn't there.
Why... do I feel so strong? Ariel flexed her fingers, now behind her assailant, who rose from the ground, hammer still in hand, perplexed. Ariel looked at the man, gaze hardened. "I think mine is called Conquest Of Spaces."
"Wh-What!?"
Ariel's arms now were gauntleted, and in that instant-- the very instant any word exited from his mouth, her fist met with, blood and saliva flying out onto the knuckle of her gauntlet.
"Y-You have a Boon!?"
Another strike, straight to the chest, causing him to stumble back. And then another strike came, and another, and another, and another, a flurry of blows. He attempted to defend himself but failed, pummeled into the wall behind him, eventually sinking into it like sand. Ariel quickly grabbed onto him, preventing his escape.
Ariel shot a couple of jabs into his side, but her grip wasn't enough to keep him still, his shirt slipping off his body, legs helplessly pushing him into the wall.
Ariel looked down at her palm, pinching her fingers together. "I think..." She snapped her fingers, her assailant re-appearing in front of her, and before he could even react, her fist connected with his face once more, breaking his nose. "This feels pretty good!" A wry grin was painted across her face as she had rendered this man into a messy heap of blood and dread.
"W-What the hell!?" He jumped away, making his way to the chainlink fence from before, thinking to himself; What the hell is her ability? How'd she just suddenly start using it like that? Didn't she not have it!? A Boon!? He slipped through the fence, and just as his escape was in his reach, Ariel teleported in front of him.
"This is some cool shit, I'm like... a superhero or somethin'!" And with one swift uppercut, Ariel knocked the man out, cold. "Lie down!" His jaw lay slack, eyes rolled to the back of his head, splayed out on the ground like a squashed bug. "Good boy~!" A big, toothy grin remained.