In Another World With Chaos

Chapter 4: In Family There is Chaos

I really wanna blow my own horn here. I think this might be one of the best chapters I've written. Of course you'll see later on why that is, but regardless, here is chapter 4
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    "Here you stand before me, a fragment of what you once were." A fallen hero said to Chaos.
    "Big brother, this is all for you, everything I do is so that you can live again," Chaos said to the now identifiable Jared.
    "You kidnapped an innocent girl, hurt our friends, caused mass destruction around the world, how is any of this for me?" Jared prefaced.
    "You need universal energy to come back, it's a proven fact that humans are the most abundant source of universal energy." Chaos said smiling.
    "And? It's a proven fact that killing is wrong, you have no right to sacrifice others for my life." Jared sternly condemned.
    "Why not? You sacrificed your life for others, why shouldn't they do the same?" Chaos said, her smile fading.
    "Because when I sacrificed my life for others, I did it willingly, are any of these people giving theirs up willingly?" Jared motioned, his hand clenched.
    "Why would it matter, they should be proud to give themselves to the higher beings of this multiverse." Chaos mused.
    "ABSOLUTELY NOT, people have every right to live as we do, the only reason they shouldn't is if they're bad and undeserving of life." Jared scolded.
    "Jared you're wrong," Chaos said, abandoning every sense of respect she had for him, "You don't understand, you DIED, you told me you would always be there for me, and you DIED."
    "And? Just cause I died doesn't mean I don't care about you, I want a world free of Allistar, and dying is part of that plan." Jared emphasized.
    "What happened to caring about me? What happened to being siblings?" Chaos said, now on the verge of tears.
    "I want a world in which you can live happy, not chained down by what Allistar did to us, nor chained by what he will do to us." Jared said strongly.
    "So, it's as you say," Chaos began, "Love is pain. Isn't that right, big brother?"
    "Indeed, loving one another is pain, however, seeing as it is love, it's all worth it." Jared said.
    "I understand. I'll bring you back big brother, because it is my pain." Chaos said, rather evilly.
    "Wait!" Jared tried to say, attempting to change her mind, but Chaos quickly left the white palace.
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    "So, he's dead?" A strong voice asked.
    "Yes, currently several Ageloids are attempting to bring him back," Omega said quietly, kneeling to the divine figure before him.
    "Excellent news, I shall arrange for a new upgrade via pandora. In the meantime, prepare yourselves, and please send me Beta and Lambda." The voice commanded Omega and Xi.
    "Yessir," they both mused.
    "You two are dismissed." The voice muttered, allowing them to leave.
    The man slowly made his way to the balcony viewpoint. He watched the landscape as several planets held in permanent suspension were artificially spun around his kingdom. Below him dark green fields of lush grass coated the world he had founded his kingdom upon, and a bustling street of city goers walked. A knock was heard at the door, to which he responded with a simple "enter." Entering the room, Beta and Lambda slowly walked toward him and knelt at his feet.
    "What is it that you desire from us today?" Beta asked, Lambda following his lead.
    "We found him," The man said with a smile.
    "The prodigal son himself?" Lambda asked, loudly.
    "Indeed, after millennia of searching, his location is finally known."
    "Interesting," Beta smirked, golden power coursing through his veins.
    Beta was built like a tank, he wore golden scalemale, and had a pulsating green cape on his back. Slight bits of brown hair were just barely visible from his helm, and a gladiatorial helm was attached to his head. Lime green pauldrons lay upon his shoulders, and his hands crackled with golden and green lightning.
    Lambda on the other hand was tiny. Quite short, with golden hair flowing from her head. She had iron almost knightlike greaves, along with a purple robe that looked as if it were the galaxy itself. Her arms were clasped in that same ironlike material, this time in the form of gloves that just barely reached to her wrists.
    "So, what would you like us to do sir?" Lambda asked intently, a bit of excitement laced in her voice.
    "I want him back here, I will ensure that our goals are met." The man said, quite resolute.
    "Can't wait to see him again," Beta smirked to himself, "I wonder what our fight will be like, I can't wait!" He mused to himself.
    "Easy there Beta, you have no idea what you might get into." The man spoke calmly. "Besides, Epsilon will do everything in her power to stop you."
    "As if I'm afraid of that runt, all of us origin class ageloids can't even recognize her as a threat." Beta cockily laughed.
    "Epsilon is a threat to Lambda, you know the law Beta."
    "Yeah yeah, all ageloids must assist their pairing in every way possible, blah blah blah. If Lambda can't keep up then that's her problem." Beta said rather annoyed.
    "HEY, I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT THE ONLY DEAD WEIGHT HERE IS YOU!" Lambda said, rather mad at his insult.
    "You're Jared's number one fan, I know as soon as you see his ass you're gonna switch sides then and there." Beta surmised.
    "As if. You know him best-" Lambda began.
    "Sigma knows him best." Beta interrupted.
    "You hate him the most-" Lambda started yet again.
    "Omega hates him the most-" Beta interrupted again.
    "You-" Lambda started once more.
    "Enough," The powerful man said, "You are free to leave."
    "Yessir," both Ageloids said, bowing.
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    'Why does this always happen? Didn't I swear to protect them?' I thought to myself.
    I was sitting at the scene of the crime. Ichika was sobbing, but forced it down so she could talk to the officer. Miku was emotionless as usual, Nino was crying on a bench beside an ambulance, and Yotsuba was sobbing alongside her.
    'What good is power if I don't use it?'
    The sun began to set, doing little to nothing for my mood. The orange glint of reflective objects cloaked my vision completely. I slowly stood up about to leave before I was confronted.
    "That's it?" Nino shouted at me.
    "What?" I replied.
    "You're gonna bail on us, and then come back after we've experienced heartbreak beyond belief? Why weren't you here? You could've stopped all of this!" Nino screamed.
    "Easy," Yotsuba said, hugging her tightly to calm her down.
    Nino quickly resisted, and got back to shouting.
    "You were someone we could rely on, you stopped Jared, you beat Grant, you saved the city, you're a hero, and yet you failed to protect those close to you!"
    "I-" I stammered.
    "Why?" Nino started, "WHY WON'T YOU LET US HELP YOU! WE ALL SEE YOU'RE SUFFERING, AND IT'S HURTING US TOO! AND NOW THIS, BLACK, ARE WE EVEN YOUR FRIENDS? DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT US? ARE WE AN AFTERTHOUGHT, NOBODIES?" She said, now crying.
    "I DON'T KNOW!" I shouted back, shocking her. "I don't know." I repeated.
    "DON'T KNOW WHAT?" She screeched.
    "I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL! I CAN'T FEEL!" I burst, letting it all pour out.
    "CALM DOWN BOTH OF YOU!" Ichika tried to interject.
    "NOT NOW ICHIKA, I WANT TO KNOW WHY HE COULDN'T SAVE OUR SISTER!" Nino replied, still hurt.
    "I COULDN'T SAVE HER BECAUSE I'M STUCK, I COULDN'T SAVE HER CAUSE I CAN'T SAVE MYSELF, I COULDN'T SAVE HER CAUSE-" I stopped, pausing to catch my breath, "Cause I'm captured too." I finished, tears streaming down my face.
    "AND WHY IS THAT!" She still shouted.
    "Because..." I began, "BECAUSE I HAVE DEPRESSION, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG, I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" I shouted, turning away from her.
    All four girls were crying, even Miku, although she was attempting to hide it. Ichika was the first to chime up after my outburst.
    "Black... I'm sorry, I should've known. I could've helped you." She soothed.
    "No, it's alright, I should've told you too. Right now, I need some space..." I said, out of breath, swallowing my tears.
    "Of course, take your time, and come back when you wanna talk." She said, a genuine smile lighting up the now pitch black sky.
    I slowly made my way to the slums of the city, choosing a park bench near a pavilion, and then began to sit there in solace.
    "Oh, it's you." A voice from afar said quite loudly.
    "Isanari?" I said, forcing my face into a smile.
    "Now now Black, you may not be my son, but I distinctly remember telling you that "whenever you see an old face, regardless of who it is, put on a genuine smile," that smile isn't genuine at all!" He laughed, loudly.
    "Well yeah, it's been a rough day haha," I tried to feint.
    "Same for me, I worked back to back 10 hour shifts at both my jobs." He said, letting out an exasperated sigh.
    "The Nakano's gave you money right? Shouldn't you be living off that?" I asked.
    "Nah, I put it to Raia's education, it's my duty as a father to ensure that she gets the best life she could possibly have, even if that life isn't until later." He smiled.
    "But aren't you concerned about yourself?" I asked, worried for the man.
    "Not in the slightest. I learned how to live life on the line through baptism by fire. And one day, when Raia gets the life she wants, she'll come back and bail me out of the one I'm stuck in." Isanari motioned.
    "Sorry again," I muttered.
    "About?" He inquired.
    "Taking your son's place, and then masquerading around as him." I said resolutely.
    "Ah, that. I don't think I can forgive you, but I do still want to help you." He said, putting his arm on my shoulder.
    "But why? What good will helping the one who hurt you so bad do?" I inquired.
    "Because you still wear my son's face. I don't know you at all, but I know my son and what he looks like. I'd rather die a thousand deaths than never help someone who shares my son's face." Isanari said proudly.
    "Heh, I see, so if I wasn't Futaro's stand in, you wouldn't help me?" I mused.
    "Not particularly, I guess if you came to me, I would, but we wouldn't know each other if you weren't pretending to be Futaro." Isanari said, still smiling.
    "Alright, then level with me for a bit, what do I do?" I asked him.
    "About what?" Isanari inquired.
    "Didn't you see the news? Itsuki Nakano was kidnapped, and I wasn't there to stop it." I said solemnly.
    "Could you have?" Isanari asked.
    "Probably." I responded.
    "Then why weren't you there?" He asked.
    "Because I was addressing the past." I replied.
    "Exactly, so you couldn't have. Playing the selfless hero role is harder than you think, it took every ounce of power in my body to put all that money to Raia's college fund, and I can't even guarantee a return on investment, so then, why did I do it? Because it's my job too. I already lost one kid, can't lose another. And besides, as a father, I have to do everything for her. Look at yourself, you neglected your own care for these girls, and now you're stuck here, you're still grieving the death of a close friend, and worst of all, you've just failed your job. The blows don't stop coming, which is why you gotta fight back. You can't sit back and guard every punch life throws at you, cause you'll get hurt more than it. It's not about how much you can take, it's about how hard you fight back. So take a moment to stabilize, and then fight harder than ever next round. That's what it takes to be a hero. And if you're not ready for that job yet, then you can wait a bit, mature yourself, and then come back and fight again. That's all it is, time heals wounds, and time grants power. You just gotta wait, strategize, and then get back up. Don't let yourself keep getting hit without a fight. Even if it's futile, you still need to struggle to live, that's how us humans survive anyway." He said smiling. "Well then, I need to sleep, I have tomorrow off, so I wanna guarantee myself as much downtime in between jobs as possible hahaha," He chuckled, giving a wave, and then headed on his way back to the one floor home he rented.
    'That's right, I'm down now, but I can't stay down for long.'
    I quickly made my way to the Nakano household to see where they went. It was just about 10:00 at night, so I knew that if I didn't manage to locate where they were staying, I'd probably be on my own for the night. The dark streets were only slightly lit up by the multitude of street lamps, and from this view of the city, it was impossible to tell the carnage that was caused from whatever happened while I wasn't home. Clearing through several marketplace areas, I glimpsed at the beautiful neon lights that were plastered to every sign and building imaginable. It was truly a sight to behold. As the lights pulsated, I continued to march confidently, an emotion I hadn't felt in a long while.
    'It's all coming back now, sure I have to live sick the rest of my life, but still, my power is fading into my hands perfectly,'
    Slowly I crept onto the street of the Nakano household, turning the corner only to see Ichika asleep on the bench just across the street from their home.
    "Ichika?" I asked quite loudly so she'd wake up.
    Instantly, she jumped up, startled at the prospect of her sleep being disrupted.
    "Oh, it's just you Black..." She said groggily, "OH, IT'S JUST YOU BLACK!" She shouted, realizing that I had come back.
    "What are you doing out here at night?" I asked the now excited girl.
    "I was waiting for you. I told you to take as much time as you need, and I'll hold true to that promise." She smiled content.
    "What about yourself? Cities get pretty dangerous at night, weren't you worried?" I asked.
    "No, cause I knew you were coming back, and I knew that you would save me if something happened." She responded cheerfully.
    "How do you know?" I pressed.
    "Because I know you, and I know who you are. You wouldn't let me get kidnapped too because you couldn't bear it. You and I are the same when it comes to those we care about. We suppress ourselves so we can best fit their needs." She said with a smile.
    'Heh, so even her too,'
    "Gotcha. So then, do you mind if I stay with you guys tonight, I'll be out of your hair by morning I promise." I proposed.
    "Stay as long as you want Black, none of us harbor malice towards you." Ichika said, standing up from the bench and then walking off into the distance. She took a few steps forward, and then turned back and looked at me, as if to say "Are you coming?" to which I nodded yes, and then followed her back to where I would be quartered for the night.
    On our walk to the household, she and I just chatted, something I missed gravely with the current way things were. We had fun. She told stories of her upbringing with her siblings, and I told stories of my former life as a Grand Kai. We were different, but we went together.
    "Black, I have to apologize on behalf of Nino," Ichika said, her happy demeanor now shifting.
    "No, don't worry about it, I'm sure she didn't mean any of it, and it was a heat of the moment thing," I responded.
    "Yeah, but I feel as if it's best we address it seeing as she is my sister and all. So I'm sorry that she hurt you in her pain." Ichika said, openly apologetic.
    "It's alright, and I'm sorry I didn't open up to you all sooner. I just didn't know how you would feel if you knew your protector was sick." I responded.
    "It's alright as well," Ichika said, embracing me in a hug. "Now then, let's head home, I'm sure we'll be all fine, after all you're the smartest guy I know, at this rate, Itsuki will be back tomorrow morning. I know she can last too, she's a tough girl."
    "Right. Thank you again, for everything," I said to Ichika, returning her hug.
    "It's nothing at all." She replied.
    We walked into the large apartment building, and Ichika quickly jumped up the stairs to the yellow light up keycode system.
    "4...6...2...9...0... and done!" She shouted happily as the door clicked open.
    It was pitch black in the room, almost ominously so. Ichika pulled out her phone, and used it as a flashlight, highlighting most of the room. Quietly we stepped around as she gave me a quick tour.
    "Over here is the kitchen," She motioned as several appliances reflected the light. "Right here is the bathroom," she said, angling the flashlight into the bathroom. From there I could see the usual necessary appliances, toilet, shower, sink. "Over here are the rooms," She pointed, showing several closed doors. "And here is your room," she leaned, showing the single open door at the end of the hallway. "Goodnight Black," She said with a smile, before rushing over to her room and collapsing into her bed.
    I waltzed into my room leisurely, and was surprised to see it was well made. I had a roll out futon to sleep on, several of my clothes were moved from the old apartment to this one, and all my plans were here too. The walls were cloaked in a lime green color with a large dark green stripe painting all 4 sides. The floor on the other hand was a nice beige with a dark brown border all around the room. Finally, the ceiling keeping up with the feel of the room, was a wilted white. All of my clothes were nicely hung in the closet, the futon was already laid out in the middle of the room, and I had a desk that faced out the nearby window, the latter of which had its curtains drawn to a close. I had a nice blue chair for my desk, and a binder was already strewn on top of the desk, with all my plans. Quickly I pulled out a piece of lined paper, and began to write out a way to save Itsuki.
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    "There it is, the Remnant of Reality," a figure muttered to himself.
    With tanned skin and brown hair, alongside a pulsing purple armor, this fearsome foe emanated radiance. He strode quite elegantly, and clasped to his side was a pink blade. Along his way to the nearby city, he attempted to pull at the stuck glaive, but it wouldn't give. As he pulled he laughed to himself ever slightly, and then settled on not worrying about it.
    "Figures he'd lock it in. Well, I guess it's time for the final Ageloid to shine." He smirked to himself, walking down the rocky path into the city. He was suddenly stopped by a grave nearby.
    "Here lies Daniel." He whispered to himself.
    "So, he wasn't lying? Damn you got some skill, old friend." He said gazing up at the stars. "I'll make sure your death wasn't in vain."