A time for Recovery, the loss of family.

Zero awoke and snapped up at the sounds of Victoria's voice echoing in his mind. It was pained and he could sit and listen as it faded to blackness. He shook his head knowing what had become her. His body ached as a nurse walked in and stook in shock as Zero layed naked on the bed where he had been down.
Hisbody ached and called out as he moved. His head was light and the light from the window blared at him to escape to the underside of the blanket he as under. He coverer his eyes with one hand and looked at her in confusion. The last thing he remembered was the Reaper and some white guy.

He covered himself and looked to the wounds on his arms, now covered in bandages. Flashes of the fight were entering his mind as he stared remembering the battle. Since he was here, he must have either won or he white guy helped him, either way he was gateful to be alive.

The doctor walked in slowly and smiled at Zero. "Looks like your gonna live. After a feral cat attack your barely living but I am glad to see you up."

Zero glared at him and listened to his thoughts to get the story that the Frost Wielder had told him. Zero nodded and responded lightly as a shiver ran down his body.
"Yea. It was a close one.", Zero looked to his naked body and then back to the doctor.
"Where are my clothes?"
The doctor walked to him and checked the wounds by grabbng Zero's arms and looking in between bandages. "We had them sent to the taylor. Mending was needed. But for now, you can wear those.", the doctor said pointing to the clothes to a stone bench. The clothes were about his size and were made of somethng like cotton. Zero stood a bit wobly and walked to the bench, the nurse turning away at his naked behind.

He was a bit woozy and the doctor guided him back to the bed, "You lost a lot of blood. Rest here and we'll have someone fetch your clothes."

Zero thought for a moment and shook his head, "No thanks. I'll just wear those.", he said laying back down and covering himself up.

It had been month since he had had a change of clothes and he didn't mnd changing it up a bit. The clothes were white and draw stringed around the pant waist. He would change into them soon, but for now he just closed his eyes and let his mind try to find
Victoria's. He knew she was dead, but that didn't stop him trying to pierce the ether and see what happened.

Zero was along now, and a tear fell from his eyes as his mind and body simultaneously moved into a lght slumber.

Zeros thoughts drifted to another time and place. His father and sister knelt down behind a log covered from head to toe in mud and dirt. They were hunting this day, learning to live off the land and learning to live off the land instead of manipulating it.

Their breath puffed in the cool crisp air and the winter set into the year leaving everything fridged. Their father was home from a tour for two weeks this time, Alex and Vicky were thrilled. Everytime he came home, they spent everyday together. He would play with them, teach them raise them so that one day they would grow to be strong and able to survive in the world that offered nothing but cruelty and hatred for their kind.

Tracer, the children's father played behind the log holding a rifle steady as a large buck began to enter a small clearing. The sun hadn't risen yet and the children watched as Trader squeezed off a round, placing the shot purposefully into the back of the shoulders.
The buck bounded and in an instant was gone. Zero stood in anger and looked to his father.

"You missed!" He yelled continueing his rant, "how could you miss? Was only like 75 yards!"

Victoria smiled looking in the direction of the bucks exit. She spoke monotoned as usual to point something out to Alex, "He didn't miss.He did it on purpose." She spoke plainly, Alex looked to her then to his father who smiled and spoke.

"Track him Junior.", he said in a laugh standing up and slinging the rifle over his shoulder.

Alex walked to the site of impact and looked to the ground. He knelt down then looked to the back of a tree, inspecting the amount of blood coating the bark.

Judging by the blood, the shot would be fatal. By the depth of the prints from the movement of escape, the shot was a weakening hit.

Alex began to walk in the direction of the bucks exit with Tracer and Vicky in tow. They traveled for several hundred yards as Alex led the way, moving with anticipation and excitement, then stopped suddenly. He looked to the cold ground, then to twigs, then to the trees. He spotted strong tracks of the buck and used his fingers to trace an imprint, spotting a much larger set of tracks next to it, Bear tracks.

Alex moved slowly following the tracks cautiously as the tracks slowed then moved to a walking pace. Thousands of feet from the original shot origin, he stopped and knelt down looking around some trees as he looked to the path ahead.

Grunts and growls moved elegantly through the air as Alex spotted the massive Grizzly bear sitting atop the deer, feasting on its dead corpse. Alex's anger built quickly but before he could stand and say anything, a large hand wrapped his mouth silencing him.
Tracer spun Alex around lightly and shook his head, and telling him to go back in military sign language as he pulled his rifle and slowly followed walking backwards.

They had begun to walk back home with Alex and Victoria messing around. Tracer let them go laughing as he watched for dangers in these woods.

"Alex. Everything in life must live in some way. We all fight for survival against the hardest of worlds.", Tracer spoke with wisdom.

Alex argued, "but we worked hard for that buck! We should have gotten it!"

Tracer tilted his head from side to side in agreement and disagreement. "there are others. Everything must live. We all balance ourselves with the world. If we dont, we end up fighting endlessly against fate. Come on, I'll be you both a kids meal from McDonald's."

Alex and Vicky cheered as they ran back to camp, Tracer just watched as his children grew by the years. Each time he returned from the base, they were a year older.

Zero awoke and smiled at his remembrance. He sat up and looked at the clothes and slid his legs off the bed sitting their thinking about his future. He had no home, no family, no friends. Maybe this would be a good place to start over, hopefully he could start anew without the war. But first, he got dressed.

Zero sat on the side of the bed as he stared at the only three items he had left from his home world. The feeling of a billion lived being lost echoed in his subconscious as he sat and looked at the scroll tan in color and wrapped in a solid red ribbon made of silk. He glared at it as it vibrated lightly in next to him. Names were being added, and at the rate it was going, nearly everyone under contract had perished he guessed. The Advanced Militia had failed in the war against the Mundane, he knew it.

He stared at the gun and thought back to when he had gotten it. Then shook his head as he placed it in its holster and he strapped it slowly over his shoulder and left it hanging between his right arm. He thought to how many times he used it over the past six months and shook his head yet again thinking "Seven."

At last he brought his gaze to the badge the said he belonged somewhere. The Rogue Paranormal Force was gone, and now all that was left was a piece of metal that reminded him of years lost to a war that took everything.
He gripped it at hard as he could, trying to crush it but after a moment he just through it as hard as he could at the window, sending it hurling somehow between the shutters and into the world outside. He grunted as his wounds and bruises echoed his body.

He moved his shoulder and heard it pop from being laid up for a day, then moved his leg. He shifted very slowly from side to side , groaning slightly at the pain then began to think.

"Two maybe three broken ribs, at least one or two fractured. Three major wounds on both arms, left being the least damaged. Minor concussion, making TK ineffective and last but not least my butt hurts.", he smiled and groaned as he laughed looking at the rays of the sun as they began to fade with the sunset.

He hadn't been layed up like this since Seph whooped his rear end when he was nine and in training. he slowly stood and began to walk to the window looking out to see the if he could find the shimmer of metal from that 'blasted piece of metal' and decided it was time for a walk.

He turned slowly with his right arm in a sling, and began a very slow walk to the doors as the nurse walked in. "You need to lay down. You've been through a lot."

Zero shook his head and then looked at her, "Just need some air. If you're worried about me, then follow otherwise just leave me be."

The nurse moved her head from side to side in disagreement but followed behind Zero as made his way outside.

The air was crisp as the sun went down, cooling the air. He had a slight chill come over his body as it reacted to such a change in temperature. The surroundings were nice. The grass was green and the dirt beneath his feet reminded of some back woods he had traveled through when he was a child. Buildings of old design stood tall and well on top of great earthen foundation made of stone and wood covered in what looked to be hay on some houses and wood on others.

The neighs of riding animals caught his ear, he looked at them as they trotted along carrying their passengers and pulling carts. Shops were closing and laterns were being lit to guide those out at night. Zero walked to the place where he thought he through the badge and leaned against a post to take a breath of air to calm the ache that pulsed through his body. The nurse covered him in a skin to keep him from getting a cold and smiled when he reached down and picked up the badge, using his thumb to wipe off the dirt it had picked up.

The nurse looked at it then to Zero looking for answers, "It must have been important to you. What is it? Is that your family crest?"

Zero thought a moment before answering trying to place himself in her shoes and getting a judge as for what she knew of the era she lived it. After a thought process, he spoke with a nod.

"Yes. This is my crest. Justice, Honor and Loyalty. It was given to me when I was a young 'lad'.", he said as his memoris of Micky entered his mind, "They were taken from me recently."

The nurse nodded and looked to the horizon, speaking with sympathy, "I understand. I will leave you to your thoughts. Come back in before long though, hate for you to get sick."

With that she slowly turned around and walked away leaving Zero alone as the sun began its final descent, replaced by another light signifying night

Zero had finally gone back inside after the sky turned black. He struggled but with help from the nurse he managed to get back into the room and stood looking out the window at the stars as he hoped Victoria, and his friends were ok.

The feeling of darkness crept into the hospital then faded quickly. Zero smiled a little knowing the signature and awaited the arrival of what he thought should be a friend.

With a click of the door Zero spun, drew his gun, and clicked the hammer back. He spoke harshly but low to keep attention down, "Who was your mentor?"
Zero growled then repeated the question, this time taking a step forward and aiming the battle at Shiju's head. "Who... Was... Your... Master?

Zero had done something in his temporal jumps to alter reality. He had shifted his reality by never visiting his mother when he was young, instead hunting he kept jumping back in time and training his temporal abilities without others knowing.
In his time, he had killed Shiju before he became something more. Afterwards he realized his mistake and jumped repeatedly back to fix the situation until he fixed it permanently. He killed himself.

Each jump created scars. Each jump after his paradoxical suicide crested instability and once the 'Wardens' found his instability, they sealed his power among four forces. They were known as the "mind, body, soul and heart" seals.

After all that, he realized he had been forced into the world where instead of being born male, he was born female in the form of Victoria. When the Advanced found him, they compared his DNA with hers and found exact match except for the male chromosome and
assumed he was her long lost twin.

He never knew who was friend and for in this reality. Where he was from, Shiju "white demon" was the evil he searched for all his life.

With a growl, he asked once more. Hoping thus Shiju was the friend he used to be.

"Shiju Moonshimmer.", Zero spoke getting up off the floor, he was still weak and the small blast from Shiju had knocked him over.

"Jesus.", he said slowly getting up, then felt the pull of time as it slowed. Zeros body ached as bones and bruises began to heal then Zero pulled the bandages off showing no signs of harm.

Zero grinned knowing this particular Shiju. He had felt something like this energy back in his youth and could feel his mentors power very sutley in it.

"Hybrid was the answer Shiju. All you had to say. But no, we gotta mess up the place now.", Zero said with a smile taking a step forward. With time magic, he healed spontaneously, his body absorbed it like sunlight to plants, giving him extraordinary capabilities as ling ad he was in the ebb and flows outside time.

Zero laughed and held a hand out to Shiju to give a friendly handshake. He let down all guards and smiled at Shiju as he used to when he was much younger.

"Old friend? It's been a while. Pardon my aggression. Been a long life.", he said with a smile and a laugh.

Zero laughed and looked at Shiju with his question of life and death.
"Probably has something to do with being a paradox. My body no longer is bound to time so I don't age. Strange but helpful, I don't have to worry about the retirement homes for old farts. I look good for my age."

Zero popped hisn neck picking up his things and placin them in their designated locations on his body.

"I can travel. But figured this is a good place to start over. I have nothing to go back to now.", he said strapping the still shimmering scroll to his side.

"I cannot return to where I came. Because it technically doesn't exist my friend. I have nothing to call mine and so where I start anew will depend on where I stop. But you are correct, this place should be left to itself."

Zero followed Shiju outside and looked to the sky and followed Shiju's eyes to the sun that had dimmed away. He smiled and popped his neck feeling the darkness outside the town and recognized it.

Zero began walking and popped his knuckles as his shoulders and hands grew from the tension that was welling up inside of him.

"Reaper. Mind if we take this route?", he said beginning to walk in the direction of the energy source, his power beginning to echo as his aura steadily but extremely slowly moved to a higher level. It caused no immediate damage to the surroundings, but the effects it would have on a normal person were insane. It would appear being displaced out of time caused his aura to have varying effects that continually changed depending on his mood. At this point, the effect was Shiju's power. The echo of Shiju's energy seeped from Zero's aura, this WAS Shiju's energy but was controlled very well as it had been adapted from within Zero's body.

"Got a score to settle with someone before or after we leave, either way, lets go before I cause havoc. It would seem our past follows us continually huh? Are we magnets for trouble or what?", Zero laughed as he strolled along leisurely towards the dark force.