Meet Up

The sound of Zazm's knock echoed through the hallway of Kiyomasa's small apartment. Kiyomasa had been up since dawn, trying to tidy up and prepare for the move. His mind raced with thoughts about the decision he'd made.

The door creaked open, revealing the ever-chill Zazm, dressed casually in a loose t-shirt and ripped jeans, his signature grin stretched across his face. He leaned against the doorframe lazily, arms crossed.

"Yo, Kiyo!" Zazm greeted him, a laid-back chuckle in his voice. "You ready or what?"

Kiyomasa blinked, slightly startled by the sudden arrival. "Uh, I'm ready, but… I thought about it. I'm not sure if I should really come with you, Zazm. You're asking a lot, you know? It's kind of overwhelming for me to just leave."

Zazm tilted his head slightly, his usual chill demeanor not wavering for even a second.

"You've been here long enough, man. Your grandma's gone, your old life's done, and you've been thinking about what's next. And besides....."

He paused for a second and spoke in slightly serious tone, "We should be prepared for our mission, I can help you with your powers."

Kiyomasa's gaze dropped to the floor, and he fidgeted with his hands. He could hear the truth in Zazm's words, but the weight of leaving everything behind was almost too much to bear.

"But I don't know anything about how to live there. I don't have a job, I don't know how I'll fit in."

Zazm stepped forward, placing a hand on Kiyomasa's shoulder with a serious, though still relaxed, expression. "That's what you're worried about?."

He tilted his head in confusion and spoke in the same chill voice, "Don't worry, you owe me nothing as I said it's for the benefit of both of us."

Kiyomasa stared at Zazm, uncertainty swirling in his eyes. "But, what about your parents? Won't they ask why we need two tickets? It's just… strange."

Zazm waved the concern away with a dismissive hand. "Ah, don't worry about them. They don't care that much about details like that." He looked down a soft almost sad smile appeared on his face, "They don't care in the slightest.

Kiyomasa hesitated, his heart torn. "I… I don't want to be a burden."

Zazm flashed him a grin. "Trust me, Kiyomasa. You won't be. You've got nothing to lose by coming with me.

This is your chance to start fresh. To see the world, learn new things, and have a shot at a better life. It's not just about me, it's about us. So, what do you say?"

Kiyomasa looked up at Zazm, his uncertainty beginning to melt away under the warmth of his friend's confidence. "Okay… I'll do it. I'll come with you."

Zazm punched the air triumphantly, his usual energy making the room feel lighter. "That's what I like to hear! Alright, we leave in two days. So pack up. And don't even think about backing out now!"

Kiyomasa smiled weakly, still processing the enormity of what he was about to do.

Two days later, the morning of their departure arrived. Kiyomasa stood at his doorstep, a suitcase beside him, his bags packed, though his mind was still racing. The familiar smell of his old apartment lingered in the air, and for a moment, he paused, staring at the door he was about to close behind him.

Zazm showed up, looking unbothered as usual. He was holding a large coffee cup in one hand, his other hand shoved deep into his pocket. "Yo, Kiyo. You ready to say goodbye to this dump?" Zazm asked, smirking at the small apartment that had been Kiyomasa's home for so long.

Kiyomasa chuckled nervously. "I guess so." He took one last look at the apartment. It had been his sanctuary for years, even though it had felt empty without his grandmother. But now, the future stretched out before him, a blank page he was about to fill in.

"Alright, let's go. The plane won't wait for you," Zazm said, already turning and walking away. Kiyomasa quickly followed, his feet feeling heavier than usual.

They arrived at the airport later that day. Zazm led the way with his usual swagger, glancing over at Kiyomasa with an encouraging smile. "First time flying, huh?" Zazm asked.

"Yeah," Kiyomasa replied, his voice filled with wonder. "I've never even been on a plane before. Is it really as crazy as people say?"

Zazm grinned, clearly enjoying his role as the 'experienced one'. "Oh, it's great. You'll love it. Just make sure to put on your seatbelt, stay hydrated, and don't freak out when the plane takes off."

Kiyomasa nodded eagerly, trying to memorize everything. "Okay, okay. I think I can handle it."

They checked in and passed through security without a hitch. Zazm, being the pro he was, breezed through the process while Kiyomasa was still trying to figure out how the whole thing worked. They found their gate and settled in, both of them trying to relax as they waited.

"I'm kinda nervous," Kiyomasa admitted, fidgeting with the straps of his backpack. "I mean, I've never been on a plane, and this whole thing is just… a lot."

Zazm, of course, was completely unfazed. "Relax, dude. Flying's easy. It's just like sitting in a big metal bird that gets you to your destination. Just don't overthink it, and we'll be fine."

The plane ride was everything Kiyomasa had imagined and more. The moment the plane took off, he grabbed onto the armrest, his heart pounding as the plane ascended into the sky. Zazm, on the other hand, sat back in his seat, already half-asleep, as though he had done this a thousand times before.

"Wow," Kiyomasa breathed, his eyes wide as he looked out the window. "This is amazing! I can see everything from up here!"

Zazm's sleepy voice drifted over to him. "Yeah, yeah. It's a good view. I always sleep through the boring parts, though. You just gotta get used to it. Once the novelty wears off, flying's just another part of the journey."

Kiyomasa nodded, his face lit up with excitement. "I'll try to enjoy it. Thanks for bringing me with you, Zazm. I really appreciate it."

"No problem, buddy," Zazm replied without opening his eyes. "This is just the beginning."

After hours of flying, the plane finally touched down. The airport was bustling, full of people speaking different languages, but Zazm and Kiyomasa stuck together. Zazm's relaxed aura contrasted with Kiyomasa's excitement, who couldn't help but stare at everything, wide-eyed.

They grabbed their luggage, and after a bit of haggling with a taxi driver, they jumped into a cab that took them straight to Zazm's place.

The drive was long, but Zazm kept up his easy conversation, pointing out landmarks and telling Kiyomasa random facts about the area.

"I mean Switzerland is a big tourist attraction." Kiyomasa spoke in an excited tone enjoying the beauty and view.

Zazm grinned clearly enjoying his excitement, "Well my country has to be as great as me." He simply shrugged. Time flew by as they talked and before they knew.

"So," Kiyomasa started, still processing everything, "this is your place? I've never seen it before. It looks huge."

Zazm nodded, grinning. "Yeah, I live alone. It's not like anyone else is around to mess things up. I'll show you around once we get there. No worries, man. You're gonna love it."

As they reached the apartment complex, Kiyomasa's eyes widened. It was even bigger than he'd imagined, a high-rise that stretched into the sky.

"Okay let's go inside," With a grin across his face Zazm quickly opened the door, Kiyomasa anticipatedly waited for the door to open and see the house from inside.

But his anticipation was met with surprise and disappointment as the entire house was covered in dust.

"God damnit, I fucking forgot no one was here to clean the house." With a tiring voice Zazm's body slowly lost hope and he fell down on the dusty couch, just when he fell on the couch the dust covered the entire room like fog.

"Cough... Cough... But we can't leave it like that, we have to clean it...." Kiyomasa spoke in a low voice as he covered his face with his hands.

Zazm lazily got up and picked up the vacuum cleaner, Kiyomasa also followed besides him, he spoke in an enthusiastic tone, "Okay I'll do the dusting let's hurry up."

"yayy let's." Zazm lifted a hand trying to look excited but all he could muster was a small 'yayy'.

"Alright," Kiyomasa said with a smirk, "we need to clean this place up before we get too comfortable. Don't worry, though. It won't be too bad. We'll be done in no time."

The two of them spent the next couple of hours cleaning. Kiyomasa moved with determination, picking up the trash and dusting off surfaces with a smile.

Even though the work was tedious, he was glad to be helping. It felt right, he knew he couldn't just live here for free and had to do something and he'll soon pay Zazm for everything.

Finally, after a good amount of scrubbing, the apartment looked presentable. Zazm stretched, finally satisfied. "Well, that's done. Now let me show you your room."

He led Kiyomasa down the hallway and opened the door to a big, but cozy bedroom. Kiyomasa looked inside, his eyes softening with gratitude.

"This is mine?" Kiyomasa asked, his voice tinged with surprise.

Zazm nodded, "Yeah, I had an extra bedroom in case someone decided to crash overnight, Guess it'll come handy tonight."

Zazm looked at Kiyomasa who couldn't contain his excitement, 'He looks better' he thought to himself."Yeah. Now I'm going to sleep so scram." Zazm quickly turned around on his heel and started walking.

Kiyomasa smiled, shaking his head. "Thanks, Zazm. This is… more than I expected."

"No problem, man," Zazm said with a carefree shrug.

Later that night Kiyomasa found himself not being able to sleep, was it perhaps he just moved at a new place? No!

'It's been only a few days, since I met Zazm,' he sat down and raised his palm slightly, he looked at it for a while before a small fire ignited on his palm.

"Who would've known my life would flip like this?" He asked himself as he lifted his other hand up and water formed on his other palm, it took the shape of a ball, then the shape of a mirror.

"I hope I made the right decisions, Grandma." He stared into his reflection in the water as if demanding or perhaps waiting for an answer.

He finally fall back and his eyelids started feeling heavier and just in a blink of an eye he found himself dead asleep.

---

The doorbell rang it's sharp sound echoing through the otherwise silent apartment. Zazm oblivious to the sound was sleeping like he was dead.

"Wh..." Kiyomasa slowly opened his eyes to the sound of the bell. He slowly got up squinting his eyes, "Where am I?"

He looked around as he found himself in an unknown space, "Oh, right! I'm at Zazm's place."

He quickly got out of his room and looked around the empty house, 'looks like Zazm's still sleeping but who is that impatient?'

He quickly rushed towards the door, Kiyomasa opened the door, expecting maybe a delivery person or an excited neighbor. But instead, he found himself face to face with a tall, imposing figure dressed in a black hoodie, he looked scary to Kiyomasa.

"Uh," Kiyomasa began, blinking, "hello?"

The stranger stared down at him, his piercing gaze giving nothing away. Kiyomasa had no idea what to make of the situation, but he wasn't about to be rude. He smiled warmly, as always.

"Hi, I'm Kiyomasa Saito! I—uh—just moved in here," he said, a little too cheerfully, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

The stranger didn't respond, only scrutinizing Kiyomasa for a few seconds. Then, he spoke, his voice as dry as a desert. "Did I come to the wrong house?"

Kiyomasa's eyebrows furrowed. The stranger quickly started to check the surroundings.

"No I'm at the right spot, who are you?" He questioned Kiyomasa with a serious looks, his gaze gold and unwavering.

Kiyomasa gulped and spoke in a scared tone, "I-I'm Zazm's friend and I just.."

He was about to complete it when he looked at his side and found a hand resting on his shoulder. "HAA" he slightly jumped and turned around to find Zazm standing there.

"Oh Nox, it's just ya," He spoke in an unamused tone still half asleep.

"What do you mean it's me? And why didn't you pick up any of my calls bitch?" Jahanox spoke his voice serious and raspy but Zazm just dismissively waved his hand.

He turned to Kiyomasa, "You remember I told you about an extremely serious and sometimes wierd guy?"

Kiyomasa quickly nodded, "Yeah this is him," Zazm pointed at Jahanox.

"And who is this?" Jahanox asked Zazm and Zazm once again shrugged he let out a sigh before he finally spoke in a raspy voice, "Just show him."

Jahanox looked at Kiyomasa in surprise awaiting for something, Kiyomasa slowly lifted the palm of his hand and air started swirling in it.

The air slowly covered his entire arm and Jahanox's eyes widened in surprise, he found himself too stunned to speak he turned to Zazm who stood there with his signature grin.

"Zazm...you..." Jahanox glanced at Zazm in a surprised tone as he quickly grasped what had just happened.

"Just come in, I'll explain everything." Zazm spoke as he walked back into the house and Jahanox followed him from behind.

---

"So that's what happened," Jahanox nodded his head in understanding, the earlier air of sterness was a little lightened. Jahanox looked at Kiyomasa and lifted his hand forward.

"I'm sorry, and let me introduce myself, I'm Jahanox Nova and I'm also a power holder or whatever like you." He looked at Kiyomasa and spoke with a chill grin across his face.

Kiyomasa quickly shook his hand, "I'm Saito Kiyomasa, you can just call me Kiyomasa and I can control elements."

Jahanox raised an eyebrow in suspicion though he was still smiling, "Control elements?"

Kiyomasa was about speak but Zazm borrowed his dialogues, "For now he can manipulate the elements around him, or create them in very small amounts, he needs practice just like that."

"You mean he can control all elements? And in future he can even create them out of thin air?" Jahanox chuckled softly with a glint of excitement.

"Now that's OP. But before that...." Jahanox looked at Zazm, his eyes darting into his soul as If trying to see something deep inside of him, it made Zazm feel wierd.

"Huh?" Zazm looked up and slowly his surroundings started change, the world started to freeze but Zazm didn't bothered to get up, he wasn't scared or surprised in the slightest.

He silently continued to enjoy his cup of coffee he made, before he looked around and finally the surroundings had changed into a grassy field.

There was grass everywhere in sight the place was more beautiful than anything Zazm had seen in a long while. The apartment was gone along with everything and what remained was a table with 2 chairs.

Zazm found himself sitting on one of them while Jahanox stood beside the other chair. Zazm looked around trying to understand what was going on though he had a rough idea.

"So mind explaining this?" His voice sharp and cold, it pierced through the silence like a sharp needle.

"Don't mind it, I just have some questions." Jahanox spoke as he slowly pulled the chair out and sat down Infront of Zazm.

"Before you ask let me tell you we're inside your mind and it's a seperate space, the time here works differently." Jahanox finished and Zazm put his cup down with a smile etched on his face.

"Bold of you to assume time obeys this dimension." Zazm spoke in a mocking tone and it also widened Jahanox's smile, "You're correct, it's basically I'm inside your mind, our bodies are still in the world sitting like nothing happened."

"I'm guessing our bodies are either in a state of auto movement like they are working with muscle memory or they are unconscious?"

"Yes, our bodies work on instinct outside but perhaps I don't have to rely on it since you froze the time outside..." Zazm looked at Jahanox with a sharp glance.

"I didn't know you were already able to freeze the time of an entire room," Jahanox noticed Zazm's gaze and matched it with a smirk, "What you thought I wouldn't be able to see it?"

Zazm's slightly laughed, "I can freeze the time of entire building so don't underestimate me." He stopped for a second before smiling again, "I have to say you sure surprised me!"

"Okay okay can we talk now?" Jahanox finally stopped smiling and got serious while Zazm didn't bother he leaned back in casualness and put his hands in his pockets.

"I already know what you wanna know, you want to know why I was so careless to share everything about us to a guy I just met right?"

Jahanox nodded and leaned forward, "I'm not suspecting you of anything but you're smart enough to know that if he told anyone about anything we would've been in real danger, right?"

Zazm's smile widened, "Well that was only if I was that dumb, I never enclosed any particular information and what I told him was incomplete, incomplete to the point people would've ignored it like some fairy tail."

He paused for a second letting his words sink, "As for why I did that was simple, I wanted him to trust me even if just a little and he fell for it easily and then I just used him for answers."

Jahanox looked at Zazm with a tight and cold gaze and spoke in a sharp and cold voice, "You manipulated him and what were you planning to do with him if he didn't had any powers or if things didn't go as planned?"

Zazm's smile disappeared and his gaze also went cold, he didn't say anything for a while the weight was prominent in the atmosphere. He leaned closer and spoke in a low and cold tone.

"Yes, I manipulated him but after that whatever I did was to help him."

"You were planning to kill him, weren't you?"

The words hung in the air they both stared at each other, they weren't speaking anything yet it all felt so heavy and uncomfortable.

"After my threads enveloped his they developed a sort of connection in them and instead of withdrawing all of my threads, I left some with his threads as a ticking time bomb and the moment he spoke anything...." Zazm started speaking but suddenly stopped.

Jahanox lifted an eyebrow in suspicion, "And then? What happens then?"

Zazm's eyes suddenly went even darker, "Those threads would destroy themselves along with all of his, it would happen because my threads would work like a plague for his and he would die before speaking a wor-"

Jahanox slammed his hands on the desk as he got up in anger, "YOU NEARLY KILLED SOMEONE, ZAZM."

Zazm didn't reply as he put his hands in his pockets and leaned back, "So what? I needed to ensure my own safety first."

Jahanox calmed himself and sat down back at his seat, "But things are fine now, you probably would've anticipated that it would never come to that, right?"

Zazm nodded, "Yeah, I knew he won't do anything that's why I told him that much, the threads thing was only for reassurance, I removed them when I went to his house."

Jahanox nodded in understanding and a soft smile appeared across his face, "Well you did right bringing him here we can train him and it would also help lighten his sorrow."

Zazm also chuckled softly he leaned back and closed his eyes as if lost in thought, he slowly opened them and found himself back on the couch.

He looked around and found both Nox and Kiyomasa frozen in place along with every other thing in the room. Zazm quickly snapped his fingers and the time returned back to normal. 'For Kiyomasa none it happened....'

"Why did the two you suddenly went silent?" Kiyomasa spoke in a low tone. Jahanox went towards him, his gaze locked onto him.

He looked back at Zazm who now leaned back on the couch as if he had no emotions, nor did he care.

"Kiyo..." Jahanox started talking, from the very moment he told Kiyomasa about everything and what Zazm did.

Kiyomasa glanced at Zazm and he didn't deny anything, he just sat there as if accepting it all.

"I just thought it's better if you knew, the rest.... It's up to you." Jahanox finally finished and was hoping to see Kiyomasa angry but instead he smiled.

Kiyomasa clenched his fists and finally spoke, "Ever since I was a kid, I was always alone and since my parents died early I always saw people trying to feed of me or my grandma."

Both Zazm and Jahanox instinctively looked towards him with their full attention, "My father left us some money and property, many of my family members tried to take everything and leech off us...."

He stopped for a second and glanced at Zazm, who sat there with a cold gaze and a hint of guilt in his eyes.

"My grandma took me away from them all, I grew up looking at people, looking at faces, looking at those eyes who simply wanted to use us, when I first met Zazm it was clear that he wanted something from me but after he told me about my powers he held no hostility towards me.

I was sure that he wasn't doing it all for fun or anything, he just did it all because he considered me a friend."

Zazm's eyes widened in surprise, he didn't know what to say and was at a loss of words.

Kiyomasa looked at him with a soft and naive smile, "I don't blame you for what you did, I believe it was only the right option and....."

He looked straight into the eyes of Zazm and matched his gaze, "I'll still follow you like I promised." His voice full of determination.

A smirk appeared on Jahanox's face, he hit Zazm on the back of his neck, "You know this kid isn't half bad. I was expecting him to burn you to a crisp or something but..."

Jahanox started laughing to himself and Kiyomasa joined in, "Okay okay." Seeing them like that Zazm also burst out laughing. It was wholehearted laugh with no tension and nothing.

"Oh and can you stop that?" Jahanox asked Kiyomasa.

Kiyomasa slowly got control of himself and asked Jahanox while still laughing, "Stop what?"

"Like you're a walking sunshine machine." Jahanox raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have, like, any emotions other than being ridiculously nice?"

"Well, I try my best," Kiyomasa said with a sheepish grin. "I just think it's important to be kind. Everyone's going through their own things, you know?"

Jahanox didn't say anything for a beat, then he let out a half-laugh. "Alright, alright. I'll give you credit for being genuinely cheerful. It's a lot more refreshing than whatever Zazm's been doing recently."

"The hell you mean what I've been doing?" Zazm scoffed in a nasty tone but Jahanox didn't replied to him, "And Kiyo what makes you think that this asshole is some nice superhero?"

Zazm didn't even said anything and just threw a cup at Jahanox which he easily evaded, Zazm quickly teleported to the other side of the room catching the cup, "YOU FUCKER ATLEAST CATCH THE CUP."

Kiyomasa, still a bit confused by the back-and-forth banter, smiled sheepishly. "I'm not sure I understand, but I'm sure, he is not secretly planning anything evil."

He glanced at Zazm and he gave him an evil grin, Kiyomasa felt a chill ran down his spine, "You won't....right."

That made Jahanox laugh, and even Zazm cracked a smile. "Well," Jahanox said after a moment, "I guess we'll find out. Welcome to the madness, Kiyomasa."

Zazm gave a mock salute. "Yeah, welcome to the family, buddy. Hope you brought your sense of humor."

As the three of them stood in the living room, the air was filled with an easy, playful camaraderie. Kiyomasa wasn't sure what he was walking into, but something about the energy in the room told him that, for better or worse, this was his new reality. And, despite all the uncertainty, he couldn't help but feel that he'd made the right decision.

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