Edits done by unlimiteddreamer

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Despite the looming projects asides to her and her friends, Hiro, Spice and Fred made it a point to get their game on at least three times a week. Spice sipped her soda, surveying the screen as she tapped her soda can against her mic.

"Hiro, on your left!" She said, mashing the number keys in a rhythmic order as several new enemies filled the playing field.

"I see them,"Hiro responded, cracking in over the headset.

Spice watched as Hiro's avatar annihilated a third of the enemies she had alerted him to with one clean swipe of his sword. Hiro had emerged himself into the gaming life after a little bit of prodding from Spice and Fred and had quickly risen to the leader of their three man party.

"Dude, that was mega awesome!" Fred cheered, Spice pulling her headset slightly away as he did, his voice now ringing in her ears. She mashed a few more keys allowing her character to heal and recharge, spinning around in her chair as she waited.

"What's next, fellas? I'm dying to explore that one cave we discovered on the way here," She commented, watching Hiro and Fred wipe out what was left of the enemies. "The enemies there are a little strong but I think-" She started until she felt a small jolt from her watch.

Alert! was flashing in red. She sighed. "Change of plans, I gotta log off for now."

"Awwh, why? It's only 2 in the morning, Spice. No classes tomorrow~ " Hiro whined, almost singing the last comment. "Come on, we need you. Whose gonna heal Fred every time he charges into a group of thieves?"

"In my defense, they're asking for it. I can hear them mocking me." Fred piped in.

Spice laughed as she pushed herself off from her desk, her chair rolling towards her closet. Hopping up, she stripped away her comfort clothes as she listened to the two convincing her to stay. Nudging the chair back into it's place, she took out a purple and black romper she had fitted for more… Stealthier purposes.

"Look, you know I go stir crazy when we go hard like this, plus my hand is cramping," She replied with a well placed whimper. "I need to go stretch my legs!"

"We can still definitely cram in some more Guilds of Legendary Warlords," She continued as she struggled to put the romper on. Maybe she had fitted it a little too well. "I'll try and come back as soon as possible."

"Oh alright… Just send me a message when you're back home. Come on, Fred. Let's do some side quests," Hiro said before Spice logged off, placing her headset on the desk. With a final yank of her boots, she was ready to go. She glanced at herself in the mirror as she put on her googles. Clad in the romper, boots and gloves, it was almost impossible to believe that the little thief in the night was actually Spice. Turning to leave, she stopped in her tracks, forgetting a key instrument. She groaned as she set to digging through her room for her bow staff.

"Where did I put it now?" She rummaged through the piles of clothes on the floor near her bed, then her closet. "For something with glow sticks on the end, how do I keep losing it?!" She questioned herself, flipping the notebooks and paper off her bed, making a bigger mess. Rolling her eyes, she bent down to clean up when something caught her eye from peaking from under the comforter. She pulled it out with ease, her body becoming stiff when she saw what it was.

A calm soon washed over her as she gazed at the photograph, sitting herself down on the bed as she smiled. It was a picture of Tadashi after she taken his hat from him. The tall nerd had a goofy but cute expression of surprise with his hat head. Soon, the memory of the photo flooding her mind.

It had been between class when they were goofing around in the hallways. Spice had just taken his hat while he was reading his notes, snapping a photo quickly with a cheeky grin as Tadashi looked up in shock. She plopped the hat on her head and taunted him as she step out of his reach everything he went to grab it. Suddenly, she felt herself losing balance, her shoe slipping against the polished floors. Rather then hitting the floor hard, Tadashi caught her just in time. As he lifted her back to her feet, Spice could feel her heart race and cheek darken. She swore it might've been her mind playing tricks, but he was blushing too.

Her memory became foggy as her eyes began to burn, tears threatening to flow. She clenched her teeth and shook her head, refusing to cry. "I never had the chance to tell you how I felt…" She whispered, tracing her finger over the photograph. "You left doing the right thing…"

Wiping away the start tears, she did her best to pull herself together. Carefully placing the photo inside her shirt, she did one last look around the room, spotting her staff on top of her head board. With the bow staff in hand and the photo nearby, she felt her spirit lighten. She took one last look around the room before she pulled her hood up and left the apartment.

As most of the city slept, the street lights shone brightly and lit the way for those who were still awake partying the night away. Distracted by the fun and drunken stupor, very few people scattered along the streets noticed the shadow that bounced from building to building. It slowed down as it turned a corner, Spice in tow. Normally, she would be patrolling the local area but in the midst of her round, a shadowed figured swooped by her. Her interest peeked and she found herself following them into the party district. She peered around the corner and could see the shadow figure clearly now. He wore a black and red sleeveless suit, bandages wrapped around his right forearm that was merged with a long black glove. What was left exposed of his arm covered in a tattoo of a flame. She squinted, hoping to see to see his but she could only see his mask from the angle she was at.

He was in a heated conversation with three thugs, all of them towering over him like mountains. The largest one stepped forward, Spice feeling the ground shake as he moved. From behind him, she heard a whimper. Cowering against the wall was a middle aged man, paling in fear.

"I dunno what yer tryin' to pull here, but we got shit with this little man," The light spit out, glaring down at the masked man. "Yea can't go borrowin' cash and not pay it back. So unless yea got the money for him, beat it."

The masked man merely shook his head, standing tall against the three.

"Yer loss, kid," He smirked, snapping his fingers. His henchmen moved in unison towards the masked man, cracking their knuckles as the closed in on their prey. Spice inhaled quickly, readying her weapon. Her bow staff was electricity charged and she could feel the entry in her hands, ready to jump in.

However, the masked man seemed to have it covered.

He used the gauntlets on his arms to block the brass knuckles they wore, the clashing of metal on metal ripping through the silence in the night. With speed, he dodged one of the henchmen, jabbing the nerves in his arm, now falling limb at the larger man's side. With that, he leapt up, kicking him hard in the face and sent him down and out for the count. The other growled as launched himself towards him. Like lighting, the masked man elbowed him in the gut and threw him over his shoulder, landing beside his fallen friend. He cocked his head at the leader, who stepped back warily before attempting to take off. The man threw himself into the air, landing in front of the leader, socking square in the jaw. He groaned as he fell, the ground rumbling as he collapsed out cold. He turned in the direction of the cowering man, walking towards him as he reached into his pocket, the man sitting there in what seemed to be fear.

Spice leapt into action, her bow staff crashing down in front of him, electric waves crack lying around the staffs tips. She swung at him, putting herself between the man and him, her attack only to be blocked with ease by the masked man's gauntlet.

"Don't come any closer!" She exclaimed "I'm warning you! You're not laying a hand on thi–"

"Wait!" She heard the middle age man yelp, cutting her off. She glanced over her shoulder as he stood up, walking towards the two. "H-he's not going to hurt me. He rescued me," He spoke, his voice shaking from the previous events. "Thank you, s-sir. I-I owe you…"

The masked man shook his head and pulled his hand from his pocket, handing him an envelope. The man took it and opened it warily, his eyes widening. From what Spice could see, inside was a large wad of bills, more then likely enough to pay off whatever debt he owed those thugs. A smile beamed across his face, practically singing his praises as he ran off out of the alley, not before yelling a loud thank you before he turned the corner and disappeared. Spice looked at the ninja in confusion, not lowering her staff for a moment.

"And who are you supposed to be?" She questioned. He remained silence. "Well?"

He turned on his heel, beginning to walk away.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" She yelled, grabbed on his shoulder. "Don't you fucking ignore me, you prick!" Before she could spin him around, he grabbed her arm and slammed her against the wall, keeping her pinned. She glared him, inspecting the mask closely. Now face to face, she could see the orange flame pattern decorated his white mask. While she couldn't see his eyes through the black slits in the mask, she could feel that she was being given a once over. she could not see his eyes she can feel him looking her over. His head tilted down to her chest, plucking the photo out of her shirt.

"Hey, that's mine!" She frowned, reaching out to grab it, but it was just out of her reach. He let her of her, taking a step back as he looked at the photo, Spice rubbing her arm, a bruise now forming where he grabbed her.

"I'd suggest you give it back," She said as she rubbed her arm, glaring at him with fire in her eyes. The man moved closer to her, taunting her in a familiar way as he held the photo in her grasp, pulling back when she tried to snatch it.

"This person in the photo…Did he mean a lot to you?" He asked, twirling it in his fingers.

Spice felt her face turn redder than before. How dare he! "…Yes," She looked away. "He was… very important to me. I think about him everyday," She started, her emotions spilling out from her like a fountain. "That photo is all I have left of him. I need him– …it back. I-I can't sleep without it! Please…" She said as she put out her hand, her voice a mere whisper by this point. The tears forming in her eyes were visible enough for him to see as he gently placed the photo back higher hand. She tucked it back into her shirt and wiped her eyes. The man pulled her hoodie off, running his fingers through the loose hair. Spice shoved an end of the bow staff against his chin, pushing him away as he held his hands up.

"You…always had such beautiful hair," he said.

"Excuse me?" She stated, now confused and unsure how to react. She felt her heart racing, but why? Was it that he invaded her space? Was it the mysterious aura he gave off? The words that he said?

He dropped his hands with a cocky shrug, turning around and began to walk away.

"Wait! Who are you?" She demanded. Without slowing his pace, he waved and answered her question.

"You'll find out. We will meet again," He replied, leaping in the air and throwing himself on top of the roof, disappearing.

Spice pushed the loose strands of hair back behind her ear, leaning against the wall for support. She placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart,the rapid beats vibrating through her core as the breathes hitched in her throat. She bit down on her lip, replaying the scenario that just happened and it eerie familiarities. She realized then, it was his voice. Something about his voice gave her comfort despite not being able to pin point the face. She had so many questions that needed to be answer but first…

"What did he mind, we'll meet again?" She asked herself under her breath.