Endguard

Chapter 3

Shizuko wondered whether if her decisions were correct. Being a villain, being hunted down by just about everyone in the universe, and living a lifestyle that most people would die to avoid.

You think she's an asshole because she wants to hide her insecurity?

HELL NAH.

Guess which idiot decided to bring their asses to Skepto when it was a full moon? Shizuko may be exiled, but half her genes were still affected by that fucking moonlight. When other Skeptolians get a major power boost, she was cursed to experience doubt and weakness.

Also, did I forget to mention that her skin will crack like stone when it's exposed to Skeptolian full moonlight?

"Are you okay?" Atalanta raised an eyebrow at Shizuko's arm. There was a crack running across her bicep, but the silverette didn't seem to mind. She shrugged.

"Fucking government," she cursed. They were the ones that called the shamans to curse her. It was some sort of punishment that was supposed to subdue her violent personality, but it only worked as a privilege. It was a method that she used to threaten her parents when they wouldn't get her what she wanted.

Yeah. Total pussies.

"We should get that checked out," Death X said.

"Fuck you." The hardened skin crumpled, revealing the muscle underneath. Blood streamed down her dark skin, accentuating the demidemon's statement.

Why were they on Skepto, you ask? Well, it started with some idiot forgetting to restock on supplies and Skepto happened to be the closest planet. So fuck you, Shizuko. You've got no one to blame but your pathetic little self.

"Did you just say that out loud?" Atalanta's skin crawled.

Shizuko snorted. "Believe what you want, you peon."

The odd trio wandered the markets. The two kept glancing at Shizuko's direction, whose skin was falling apart like mad and blood dripped in her path. Even so, Shizuko laughed away as she spotted a Skeptolian begging for mercy from a child who was yelling measly insults at her.

Atalanta and Death X sprung to action. They scolded the child and he retreated, screaming for his mommy.

"That was weird," Death X commented.

Atalanta nodded numbly. Shizuko's home planet was crazier than she thought.

The skeptolians were easier to spot than they had anticipated. They all had hot pink hair, dark skin and pale blue eyes. The only trait that Shizuko shared was her skin, but the similarities stopped there.

"I simply must thank you for your kindness!" The woman said. "Come to my house for a while!"

Atalanta raised her hand. "We don't need that. See, we're in a hurry, and our friend's still waiting for us."

"She's quite the feisty one," Death X quipped smoothly.

The mind manipulator rolled her eyes at her comrade's comment. The woman looked past them, and her eyes widened. "Would you please move aside?"

The two moved aside. They watched as Shizuko was smothered by the exact woman that they had saved.

"MOM!" Shizuko shrieked. "FUCK OFF!"

"That's your mom?" Atalanta demanded. "Your parents are still alive? No offense."

"None taken," the woman said kindly, still shoving her apparent daughter into a hug.

Shizuko pushed her mother off with one hand, sending her stumbling to the sidewalk. The contents of the basket spilled out.

"That's no way to treat your mother!" Atalanta chided.

"I do what the fuck I want, you fucker!" Shizuko stormed off into the crowd, yelling and snapping at people as she went.

Death X and Atalanta helped Shizuko's mother up and tidied her groceries. They noticed that this woman didn't seem like a mother. She looked like she was in her teens, yet she was shorter and looked younger than Shizuko.

Maybe they aged backwards?

They followed her home to ensure that Shizuko wouldn't come and trash the place. The house was fairly modest. A decent size, and a generic design. It was exactly like the other houses.

The interior was normal, but there were pictures everywhere in the house. On the mantelpiece, on the kitchen sink, on the holotable... yeah. Everywhere.

Atalanta's eyes fell on the picture on the table. It was a family picture, but Shizuko was there to ruin it like always. The mother looked exactly as she was now, and a man that looked younger that the mother. Shizuko was sitting on a chair, arms and legs crossed as she refused to look at the camera.

She had pink hair and blue eyes. How did they change?

The other thing that they noticed was the age and the date. Shizuko was labelled to be four years old, but this was taken five years ago. Logically, Shizuko should be nine years old.

Wasn't she seventeen this year?

"Excuse me, when was this taken?" Death X asked politely.

The woman glanced over as she was pouring tea for her guests. "Oh, five years ago. Skeptolians age twice as slow as you humans, you see. So it should be ten years for you. I'm forty-three in human years."

Atalanta looked around. The house was visibly babyfied, fit for a toddler. The woman didn't seem like she had a teenager in the house and there were no mentions or sights of any baby sisters or brothers.

"Where's her father?" Atalanta asked.

"He's out working. Accountants can be busy."

"Wow," Atalanta murmured. She was surprised that Shizuko had grown up in such a normal environment. That didn't explain what turned her to the dark side like that. Lara had told her regarding Shizuko's past, but most of it was only bits and fragments.

The house door was broken down, revealing Shizuko in a black hoodie and jeans. The hood was covering her face, but they could see the blood staining her silver hair and face.

"I got the fucking supplies. I'm out of here." She walked away.

Atalanta and Death X exchanged glances. Atalanta rolled her eyes and handed Shizuko's mother a wad of cash. "She does that a lot."

"You don't find it weird that your baby daughter is a teenager under five years?" Death X quizzed.

Her mother clenched her hands. "Of course I do. It's her choice, after all. I'll support her all the way! That's what a mother does!"

"Auntie, she's the worst villain out there," Atalanta said. "She took innocent lives. A parents' job is to make sure that their children makes the right choices. You're spoiling her."

Death X and Atalanta followed Shizuko's path. They could tell based on the blood trail that she was leaving behind and the direction of whichever screams and crying were the loudest and the freshest.

Shizuko removed the hoodie and pants once she got into the safety of the ship. Feeling her skin mend itself magically, she groaned in distaste. These people were fucking idiots that would drag her down one day.

Atalanta and Death X boarded the ship. Without asking for their consent, she powered up the ship and was ready to leave this wretched planet.

A finger powered down the engine instead.

"What gives?" Shizuko turned, fuming.

Atalanta and Death X both stared at her, expressions wary.

"We want you to go back to your parents."