Prologue 13 (Part 2) The Last Night At Jhoklon and Another Conflict.

Kazu went back home, returning her thoughts to her schemes to make money, hoping they would work. The young Pixie reached home and knocked on the door, her hands full but even though she heard noises inside, no one answered so she had to drop the food, then hold the door with her shoulder before walking sideways in. When she went to the kitchen and placed the food on the counter that was crowned with the tray which held plates, she heard, "SURPRISE," and she turned around to see Mako Nini holding something in a gift box.

Her aunt noticed the flash of anger in her face but said nothing about it.

"You did not open the door."

Her aunty knew it was more than that so she acted as if she did not know. "I was holding your gift and I couldn't ruin the surprise."

Kazu Nini took a deep breath. "Where did you get the money from?"

Mako didn't understand. "Are you worried about my spending?" She was completely lost.

"I am worried about your spending on *me*."

"Silly child I do-"

"You raised me, brought me up, got me through school, take care of all my expenses and even pay for my institution."

She laughed, "Like I was going to say, silly chi-"

"You are not my parent." She realised what she said. "Wa-"

Now she grabbed Kazu Nini by the collar. "I am."

"No, you are not, literally but you are the closest thing I have to one."

"You think too much." Mako Nini held her stare, "I will never stop being your parent." She dropped her on the ground forcefully.

"So, why did you bring them up if you think I am our child? I do not burden you that much. In fact, I am going to start selling clay dolls and one day I will pay for my school fees."

Mako Nini stopped for a while and began laughing then she used a kick that was deceptively swift to take her legs from the ground. "Look here young lady, I am going to do what I feel like is appropriate for someone in my position."

She started walking forward and Kazu Nini was moving back because she had never seen her aunt like this, not in 16 years of her life.

"If I feel like want to spend on you, then you will have no choice but to accept it."

She was still walking forward but Kazu had hit the door to the backyard that was locked so it felt like a wall, her fear spiking.

"If I have to hug you until your bones break then I will do it to show you love." She bent down low so that she was eye level with her niece. "If I am not your guardian at least, then no one else is. Now," Mako Nini's voice had become silent and almost high pitch. "This is your present," she unwrapped it, not taking her eyes off the girl for a second. "It is called a Telewatch and with it you can make phone calls, write messages, connect to others, inquire information and so many other things."

She handed the item in Kazu Nini's withdrawn clenched hands. "Take it."

Kazu Nini's hands were shaking and she reached out but when her hand met her aunties, they stopped shaking. "I will see everything you give me as debt to be paid back."

"I raised a fool," she shook her head in grave disappointment. "Start saving for rent money. If you give me money for anything I have done to you, I won't leave you with ashes. You know how I was able to afford this house, not the one we left because of expenses, but this one yeah?"

Mako Nini could not say much because she did not want much to be known.

"We both know you left that house because of me I heard that the bills couldn't keep us there." She saw the empty and void stare in her auntie's eyes so she answered the lady. "You took on the role of a body guard that is how we were able to get here."

"You also know why we do not get thieves in this neighborhood?"

She nodded.

"So, I can fulfill everything I just said."

Kazu Nini did not answer to that.

Mako Nini wrapped the watched around her niece's arm and when she pressed a button to its side, a needle pierced into the younger ladies flesh and withdrew some fluid before withdrawing into its head. The top showed a loading page before a face came up on its screen.

Mako Nini grabbed her hand again, "pay me back by becoming the best at anything you do." She held her eyes at that and then she let go the child's eyes looked empty almost. Kazu Nini was on the floor longer than she remembered, so long that at some point Mako Joined her. "You need to configure that."

She did not know hown but Mako Nini's voice penetrated the silence in her head and then she noticed another voice.

"What setting would you like? Have I offended you? Just let me know with a response of some sort, any sort."

Kazu looked down at the watch then wanted to go back to her shock, trying to get back into her head.

"What are you doing? The food might get cold." In her auntie's hand she saw a bowl of cereal. "It is your last dinner in this house, eat up and cherish it."

She looked at the bowl then grabbed it slowly.

"Good, now consume." She just saw that Mako Nini also had a bowl of her own eating her food that was 1/3rd done.

Kazu took a slow bite and then swallowed. "If it is my last meal, shouldn't it be something better?"

"No, not with the way you pissed me off."

She swallowed a few more. "I feel like throwing it on the floor."

She laughed, "I dare you."

Silence again, "on the walls wouldn't be bad too."

"I'm waiting."

"Sadly, I can't actually do that."

"Oh," Mako feigned surprise, "why is that?"

"It would be boring."

"Boring," she also feigned confusion. "How?"

"I can't do anything back to you. It will be a waste of my time. I should be packing instead."

"Depends, it might leave quite the impression on me."

"To what end?"

Her aunt brightened up, "seems you still have your senses about you. Go pack, since you would feel better doing that than eating cereal."

Anger flashed on Kazu's face but she held it there. "My point is I don't feel like I am grateful enough. I am not looking down on you."

Mako Nini weighed her nephew for a moment. "You know what, forget it."

She forced everything down her throat then washed the plate in silence, Mako's eyes now close before her lips let out a sigh and the younger one was already marching up the stairs. With a bang, she slammed the door and threw her suitcase to the floor, dumping her clothes into them.

When she had finished throwing her clothes into her box in a rough pile, she left it like that and sat down on her bed angrily, taking a glance at her clay dolls before holding one of them. She looked at it, taking her mind of anger for a bit to inspect the figure of this one that resembled a standing lizard, and its six arms. When she dropped it, she found her auntie's arms wrapped around her in an embrace.

"Let go."

The other lady didn't say or do anything.

"Let go."

Same response.

"LET GO!"

She only hugged her niece tighter.

"LET GO! LET GO! LET GO! LET GO! LET GO!"

She began struggling and fighting with all her might, so that she hit the dolls off the table in her squirming, and managed to spread pain about her body but wasn't able to budge the older lady by an inch.

Then, Kazu Nini used one of the powers granted to her by pixie birthright.

Her glasses exploded outward from their frames on her eyes and they congealed in the air to rain down as needles at her aunties back but Mako Nini's bracelets flew to the airspace above her back to form a circular smooth faced mirror which the falling needles sank into halfway. They then flew back out and perfectly slammed themselves back in the circular frame of Kazu Nini until they force the back of her head to be pushed against her aunt's chin, pressing it hard. Like that, they were stuck in a stale mate, at least the younger pixie was, and Kazu Nini had cultivated to the first Stage of the first Trilogy so she started getting tired only an hour later.

Mako had never raised anyone before the girl who was helplessly in her grip, nor did she plan to raise anyone after this, and to be honest the current situation made her feel bad but mostly it was a novel experience for her since this was the first person in her grip, and in this position, that she didn't want to kill.

Thus, to cry or laugh at this moment…she wasn't sure.

When the younger girl settled down, she became as silent as the night and Mako Nini had to ask. "What exactly is your madness?"

Her breath came in pants. "I was walking to the convenience store run by dark elves and I realized," she tried struggling again but failed and rested, "when I realized that I will need to stand on my two feet, at some point. I saw goths, children wanting to buy things, the almost decrepit being helped and a youngster who was listening to music from his Telewatch amongst others. Now, what was the common between all of them?" A rhetorical question since she answered it herself, "time and money."

"I am just 16 I might have time, right?" She was still panting, "what about the money?"

"What about the money Kazu, what about it?"

"I can't keep leaning on you, Aunt. Is being just 16 an excuse? Even though I am not providing for you I should be able to provide for myself, at least. You have done so much I don't know if I can ever repay you and adding to of all that, I will have to live by my own at some point so this pile of debt is massive and what have I been doing with my life. I feel like I am… a waste of space."

"You are not."

"Ghee thanks, I sure am convinced."

"You want to pay me back, right?"

"Yes" Her breathing calmed.

"Firstly, you always have to refer to me as mum."

The younger lady's breath caught.

"Secondly, promise me that anytime you need help do not hesitate to call."

"Bu-"

"Thirdly, shut up, thirdly we will make a promise that you have to abide by all the above, no that is sixth."

"How ca-"

"Shut up Kazu, I am waiting for a yes and I do not expect a no to this and where was I? yeah, fourthly, you have to promise me that you are going to be the best."

She was now silent.

"Fifthly, you proclaim that you are not a waste of space."

Kazu Nini still did not say anything and neither did Mako.

"My head hurts."

"I can't hear you."

"I said my head hurts."

"Oh wait, seventh condition; you have to *promise* to call me mom from now on too. And lastly tell me you understand that my responsibility and pleasure aren't debts that you are obligated to return to me and likewise if you do give me anything it is from your heart you will give me anything."

She sighed, her neck and body aching. "Stop mentally controlling the glass in my frames, I will do it."

"I still can't hear anything."

Kazu paused, "I promise to call you mum, I promise to always call when I need help, I promise to be the best, I proclaim I am not a waste of space." She swallowed, "I understand that you have only been working on your responsibilities and I will not give you anything If it is not from my heart."

"I still can't hear you, I need to go sleep; hurry up.

"I. Promise. To. Ca-"

"Louder."

"I PROMISE TO CA-"

"LOUDER!!!"

"I!!!. PROMISE!!! TO!!! CALL!!! YOU!!! MUM!!!, I!!! PROMISE!!! TO!!! ALWAYS!!! CALL!!! WHEN!!! I!!! NEED!!! HELP!!!, I!!! PROMISE!!! TO!!! BE!!! THE!!! BEST!!!, I!!! PROCLAIM!!! I!!! AM!!! NOT!!! A!!! WASTE!!! OF!!! SPACE!!! I!!! UNDERSTAND!!! THAT!!! YOU!!! HAVE!!! ONLY!!! BEEN!!! WORKING!!! ON!!! YOUR!!! RESPONSIBILITIES!!! AND!!! I WILL!!! NOT!!! GIVE!!! YOU!!! ANYTHING!!! IF!!! IT!!! IS!!! NOT!!! FROM!!! MY!!! HEART!!! FOREVER!!! AND!!! EVER!!! AND!!! EVER!!!"

The windows exploded from her release of Ko-jin but the shards stopped themselves from going any further.

Mako Nini smiled, "That's more like it," the pressure on the round glasses on Kazu Nini's nose relaxed. "Even though I we have been reinforcing those glasses you were able to break them I may have stimulated your Mental Energy's growth just like your fight with the Sprite boy. The first stages of cultivation is easier to advance in than others. Another advice to pick a course that teaches about it in detail, get one that also does history and another that speaks about the world around you." She stood up now with her hands cupped at her back. "Before you were born, I was stubborn, you cannot win that with me. Stand up." Kazu looked at the woman and obeyed, "now turn to the side and come closer." Mako did as told and her aunt gave her a peck.

"Set that thing up before you sleep and pack well." She eyed the girl up and down, "you'll make the Nini name proud one day. For now, you just listen. Goodnight." She walked away and to her room, leaving her niece to her business.