Shattering Humanity-Chapter 125: A Much Needed Apology

{4 p.m. Roronora City.}

Saku is with Jorm and Drakaina, hiding in a dark alley. Out of sight from the afternoon foot traffic.

Saku: "Okay, since they have a poor documentation system on who is a Master and who is a pet, as long as you two are on leashes, nobody will think twice about us. I won’t be able to use any abilities out in the open, everyone here has an IceEye and will notice my unique aura. It’s bad enough I’ll have to walk with my Lefty exposed as well, but since the princess of this city has one, it’s not something that will make people too suspicious."

He looks around the area and spots across the street, a ’Pet Shop’, but instead of pet supplies for domesticated animals, the entire shop has been redesigned for ’human pet care’.

The display window has collars and leashes. Saku pops off his 2nd Stage Anjell Eye, a Yang aura emitting from it.

The siblings can’t see the aura but can see his eye has changed to a different design.

Jorm: "Woahhh."

His sister looks worried from his increased interest in the alien eye.

They then watch as a fancy pink studded collar and leash set that Saku focuses on disappears from the window without anyone in the shop or on the street noticing. Saku looks down at his hand and with a *POP* the pink leash and collar appears and catches Drakaina by surprise, it scares her. She lets out a *YIP*.

Jormungand, however, is amazed and again, his star eyes and over enthusiasm constantly remind Saku of Katsu.

Jorm: "Holy crap, that’s so cool! Can you get me that cool all black set Mr. Saku?"

Saku gets pissed but doesn’t acknowledge the unwanted ’Mr.’ to his name as he focuses on the black leash and collar. It too disappears from the window and a little girl walking with her Mama, who has an IceEye, sees it disappear but nobody else.

Little Girl: "MaMa! The rope left!"

MaMa: "Yes Pumpkin, the leashes are on your left side. Such a smart girl."

As Jorm and Drakaina are putting on their collars, a small Iceman bangs on the chain link fence and it startles the small group.

Saku chuckles and walks calmly towards it while keeping his Anjell Eye popped off, the Yang aura is emitted.

Saku: "You have perfect timing, you dumbass alien."

With a *POP* the Iceman disappears.

Saku relaxes his Anjell Eye and it goes to its base-kit.

Saku: "We gotta get you entered into the Initiation Arena and as soon as that eye transfer happens, I’ll release this little guy into a strategic area in the crowd of savages that were willing to watch people fight for their lives like they live in ancient Rome.In the commotion, I’ll take your passed out body with my ’Cut and Paste Eye’ that I just used on that ice alien. Hopefully if it’s dark enough, nobody will notice my aura and we can get out without a problem. If my team did their job, like I trust they did, Laban won’t be a problem and we can get you two into Sanpaku without a sweat."

Jorm: "Didn’t you want to find Princess Rebekah and get her left eye ability too?"

Saku smirks.

Saku: "Don’t worry about it, I literally have the power to see where she is at any time. I just don’t like using that power because it’s a ’cheat’ that will make this win, less sweet. I’m going to win, not knowing her next play."

Jormungand: "...’Next play’?"

Saku: "Since you’re into basketball, you’ll know a little bit about the pride of a true athlete. If you know where the ball is going to be passed or in football terms, if you know the offense’s play before the snap, what’s the point in playing the game? The fun thing about sports and competition is the possibility, no matter how confident an athlete is, there’s a chance they could lose."

Saku thinks about Princess Kawaii back in Sanpaku losing interest in playing against her Dad because there was no chance of losing.

Saku: "If you want the truth, I really wanted to know if either of you would be valuable allies willing to help me protect my people, and in return, we would not only protect you two but treat you like equal humans trying to survive the apocalypse. Not as pets.And as long as one of you can help fight..."

He looks over at the silent Drakaina.

Saku: "...we have others, without alien eyes, who also ’do what they can’. We all help each other to generate success as a well trained team of ’sumwhat’ compassionate rejects."

Drakaina thinks twice about speaking up. Saku notices and sighs. He gets on his hands and knees and bows in front of the young woman he slapped to help realize her situation.

Both her and her brother are in awe of the random gesture of apology. Especially from an Eyelien user to a pet.

Saku: "I’m sorry for slapping you earlier. I promise, I will never raise a hand to you ever again, and if I do, your brother has the permission to kill me."

Jorm: "Mr. Saku! I- I couldn’t!"

Saku ignores Jorm’s dejection of his promise condition.

Saku: "Don’t be afraid to speak your mind in fear that I’ll hit you for saying something I don’t agree with. That’s not who I am. I just wanted you to realize and to open your eyes to see how much potential your own little brother has to save both of you. That’s why I hit you and I’m sorry. That ’hope’ you were talking about earlier, this is what ’hope’ is for. I ’HOPE’ you can forgive me for my unorthodox way of ’mental therapy through physical actions’. I can never actually control your feelings or force you to look at me the way I would prefer you to see me, but I can only ’hope’, you find forgiveness for my actions that hurt you. For the better of both of us and Jorm."

Drakaina and Jorm look at each other.Saku gets up and pats off the dirt on his sweatpants and forearms.

Saku: "Let’s start heading to the Arena while we talk. I won’t hit you, but I will have to hold your leash. I’ve noticed pets are allowed to hold the leashes of other pets, as long as there’s a master around so you can hold Jorm’s."

As soon as he *CLIPS* the leash to her collar and she feels the slight tug, Drakaina blushes bright pink and slightly starts shaking her hips. Ever so slightly, as if she has an invisible tail. So slightly, her brother doesn’t notice it, but Saku does. He then realizes the situation he’s in, he lifts an eyebrow and thinks to himself.

Saku(thinking): *Does this quiet and shy chick like that kinda crazy kinky shit?! Females are so fuckin weird. If Itsuka saw this chick getting turned on, while wearing my sweatshirt, agreeing to be my ’pet’...she’d be ’PISSED’ to say the least.*

The shy young woman connects her brother’s leash to his matching collar and they begin walking in the society of Roronora.

As they walk, people do double takes at Saku’s left ’Eyelien’ as he walks by. Drakaina walks up next to her new temporary Master.

Drakaina: "Wh-What did you mean by ’sumwhat compassionate’? Ha-Have you-?"

Saku: "If you’re asking if my group has killed, we already have a body count, but it’s not like we go out looking for a fight with other humans, like Laban. We only want to fight for humanity’s freedom against these aliens, in our own way. The only lives we’ve taken are the ones who have tried to take away our lives, our freedom, and our purpose to live.Are we bad people for that? Because, if you believe we are, you’re a hypocrite. Your little brother would’ve had to kill someone to acquire your life, your freedom, and his purpose to live. All for the exact same reasons we have. For each other."

Drakaina looks at her little brother behind them and he nods.

Jorm: "Killing is obviously wrong, Sistah. You and dad did a good enough job of teaching me that. But some people haven’t had anyone to teach them something so obvious. It’s sad but true. The only way to stop people looking to take the life of another, is to fight them. Sometimes the fight lasts til either unintended or intended death. I know that I’m not that old to have an opinion on life as a whole, but for the past 3 years, I’ve been forced to realize that ’life’ itself is a fight to the death, even without evil humans."

Drakaina: "Jormy..."

Saku has his hands in his pocket while holding Drakaina’s leash. They walk the bustling streets of Roronora City, listening to the young man breakdown his view on the struggle of life itself.

Jormungand: "It’s fighting actual wild animals, surviving the harsh natural weather elements that destroy crops or affects hunting, the ease of spreading diseases unseen by our own eyes, an unforeseeable alien apocalypse, and the infinite amount of other struggles that the universe throws at all things that exist. Just so the things that exist, the things the universe created, can prove it actually wants to continue existing."

Saku calmly looks back and challenges the young boy’s mind to think deeper.

Saku: "Oh? Or does the universe possibly do that, so the total collective energy and energy sources within itself keeps flowing, getting stronger, and helps itself to continue thriving? Passing down that ’Will to Survive’ to the next batch of existences, that consumes and exerts energy."

To Saku’s surprise, it isn’t Jorm who gets sparked from his ’philosophical push’, Drakaina finally has a different emotion other than timid and nervous.

Drakaina: "Do you study astrology and science too, Master Saku?!"

Saku blushes from the beautiful girl calling him ’Master’.

Saku: "Well, we do have those discussions back in Sanpaku. Our resident nerd is the one who knows all about that shit. I like wondering about things and coming up with ideas, instead of just knowing everything."

Drakaina: "Yea, but to learn is the product of wondering. Without wanting to know something important to survive, sooner or later ’survival of the fittest’ kicks in."

Saku: "True, but what happens when people learn something that causes an ’absolute negative’? An ’absolute negative’ such as an atom bomb, mustard gas, and war for resources. I’m not saying you’re wrong ’Draco’, but get ready to hear a lot of ’Yea but...’ in these types of convos."

Drakaina: "Dr-Dr-Draco?!"

Jorm notices Saku’s reaction to being called Master by Drakaina and gets jealous as Saku’s new apprentice.

Jorm: "How come she gets to-!"

Saku: "Shhh!"

Jorm stops shouting and sees why Saku shushed him. They are in public and the outburst of a pet to his Master started to create a scene. People were already looking at Saku’s Lefty, now more people are noticing due to the yelling.

Saku dips his head and they begin walking faster, as they are already at the "Initiation Arena" and just like when Nephilim and his group were visiting, loud music and people cheering can be heard from inside like an actual sports event was going on.There is one line full of people waiting to get in and watch the possible carnage.

Signs that point to the back of the domed basketball stadium read "Initiation Sign Up This Way".

Saku, Drakaina, and Jorm walk in the direction the signs point them to go and arrive at a sign up area underneath a canopy. There are a few ’pets’ with their Masters signing up.A bus half full of ’pets’ pulls up, they file out one by one and immediately get to go through the back entrance without having to stop at the canopy first.

A right Eyelien user with a clipboard sees Saku with his apparent pets and approaches him.

Sign Up Guy: "Woah! There’s a new Lefty in town. Hey, is it true you can only get one of those as a gift from someone who truly loves you?"

Saku brushes off the man’s enthusiasm and question. He holds his hand out for the clipboard. The man frowns, hands him the sign up sheet, and walks away to the canopy.

Saku fills out the form and hands it back to the man. As he walks back Drakaina and Jormungand are having a ’pep talk’ before separating for possibly the last time.

The little brother, who is only a few inches shorter than his 4 year elder sister, wipes a tear from her eye.

Drakaina: "Please. Please. Please Jormy, come back alive. I love you so much."

Jorm: "I love you too, Sistah. Once I get this eye, we’ll be able to start a new happy life with friends."

They hug and Saku holds out a fist, the young apprentice connects with a familiar looking smile.

Saku: "Don’t get embarrassed by a dumbass alien. Just swipe at the neck right away. Your arms are long enough to out reach it’s long appendages. Finally, if you get scratched, you better nut up and say goodbye to that limb."

Jorm swallows his spit in nervousness and nods.

The young man walks to the stadium backdoor and pulls it open. He looks back at the two people who believe in him and he gets a Below Sanpaku smile while walking in, not intimidated, ready to "get some business done".

{In Don Laban’s Penthouse Apartment}

Princess Rebekah is listening to music with headphones on, humming, and her left Eyelien popped off into 2nd Stage with a pink aura.Her smile quickly turns to a frown and the aura switches to a dark blue. She yells out to the room with nobody else in it, knowing her Momma’s powers will allow her to hear the warning.

Princess Rebekah: "Momma! Someone’s going to attack the Initiation Arena in exactly an hour! A lot of people will get hurt if you don’t stop them!"