CH31: Beyond

"Beyond Beautiful" I mumble to myself, but quickly wake up and say "Ah, Good morning, Lazuli, you look beautiful. Shall we go on our date?".

She looks around, puzzled, asking "how did you get here?", and I tell her "through space, but I can only move to places I know of, or see".

She *sigh*, and asks "so how are we suppose to go? you expect me to carry you while flying?".

'Wow yes! I want that! She didn't see my dragon wings, ahhh, whatever' I decide to go for it, and go all the way, saying "If you can, it would be much appreciated, but I have a bit of a height-fright, so please hug me tightly".

Before she can respond, I hand her a flower bouquet, saying "I wish you a happy first date", and she shy a bit, while I think 'she looks on the outside like a past-delinquent, but she's so innocent on the inside'.

"Tha...thank you. OKAY. I'll carry you! If you do something funny, I drop you off, and byebye!" Lazuli threaten me, as she go to stand behind me, hugging me, while her huge bosom squish on my back.

"So where are we going first?" I ask her, as she get into the sky, and tell me "I knew you're not from here, so I guess to the West city, I know there's a festival there today".

"Do you think I can change gold or some valuables to money?" I ask, and she says "yeah, let's hit a bank".

I laugh, telling her "hit a bank in my world is a robbery, not money exchange", and she also laugh, asking "what's the difference?", making me wonder 'did she return to do bad stuff?', but by her next comment I switch my mind, as she tell me "I found a job at an invention's company, and I found my brother, who just wanna continue becoming strong now, so I live there for now... let's go to that city", and for all the flight duration she talks nonstop about life beyond the fighting and crime, just a normal living things.

Arriving at a bank, we go inside, and I show the clerk a gold brick, and the whole bank goes insane, as I discover gold worth here way way more than anywhere, so for a small amount, I 'rob' the bank from most of his cash, making me to relax.

I hold Lazuli hand, and we walk to find some attraction.

"THE NEW HOVERCAR!" I hear a loud T.V. screen as we pass a street, on our way to the festival in town, so I stop and look at it, happily shocked, saying "Let's buy a hover-car!". Lazuli nod 'yeah', and lead me to a street filled with high-tech shops, telling me "I work at the company who makes them".

Entering a huge shop, I see way more than a hover-cars, there's lots of technologies I've only seen in science-fiction, so I think 'I'll have to come back, tour, find, and buy a lot here... good use for my gold'.

I see the prices is lower than I thought they'll be, compared to the gold I exchanged, and ask Lazuli to choose 1, and as she do, I find a clerk and tell him "I want that one, and also this, and this", pointing to 3 hover-cars, and putting the amount needed on the table.

He quickly check and count it all, then give me few papers, and I say "thanks", and put everything inside my 'space storage'.

Lazuli looks puzzled, but as I call her "let's go?", she follow me out, walking to another store, and like that we tour stores for 30 minutes, buying or just window-shopping, until we get to a real-estate agency, and I ask her "where do you live now?" as I point at a map, and she shows me.

I walk to the sale-agent and asks for properties in that area, and without checking I just choose the most expensive one, give him almost all my cash, while getting the papers and keys, thanking the agency, and we leave.

"What? Why? What?" Lazuli mumble questions, making me laugh.

"I just wanna get a home-base here... Do you not like me living near you?" I ask her, pouting.

"I don't care" she says, so I ask "so wanna live with me?", but she narrow her eyes, frown, asking back "how did you even get from that to this?".

I pull a hover-car out, entering, and Lazuli too, as she drives us to the new house, and I learn from her how she drive and operate the hover-car.

"I work here" Lazuli says as we pass a huge dome-shaped building, sitting on an enormous land, with more dome buildings surrounding it.

"Wow, nice, is it a good place? nice people? paying well?" I pry her open, and she speaks happily, like they welcomed her openly, and even say they can help her with her humanoid-body, who had some hidden-dangers inside, which they solved.

'I better pay them a visit' I think, as we enter a parking space with the car, just across the street to the side of that dome's land, entering my house's lot.

The house is supreme. Futuristic.

As we go out, looking at it from outside, it has first floor, and way up in the sky, there's a round-ball-house, sitting on a huge tube who goes from the center of the first floor.

We enter inside, and see a huge windowed lobby, empty, with an elevator at the center.

We go to the elevator, enter, and see there's 4 buttons, lobby, plus 3 upper floors.

From there, we tour the whole place, amazed by it huge size, and beautiful view, before going back down, taking the car, and go to the festival.

"Seems like a really good home" Lazuli says as she drives, and I agree, saying "sure is, just too big, and lonely, why don't you take a room there? it's so big, there's a chance we won't even meet".

She *giggle*, not replying.

Shortly after, we arrive to a sea shore festival, and walking inside, as we continue chatting, I hold her hand, but she fidget, asking "what are you doing??".

"So we won't lose each other. Look how many people are here" I tell her, even though it ain't that crowded, but I change subject by pulling her to a close-by gaming-area, saying "Look! Cool games! I want that cute golden-lioness-puppet, win it for me!", and we stand in line to pay and play.

*HIT*, *HIT*, *HIT* ... Lazuli keep throwing balls at a moving targets, and soon we hear *cling!cling!cling!*, and a frustrated worker announce "CONGRATS! You won first prize! Choose what you want!", and I hug Lazuli, saying "I love you dear! I want that lioness who looks just like you!".

She becomes red, while the worker giggle and go fetch the lioness-puppet, giving it to me.

"Ice Cream!" I say as I point my finger, before Lazuli explode at me, and I hold her hand, walk, and ask her "what tastes you like?".

She looks mad, yet shy and happy vibes comes out more and more, and she tell me "whatever", so I buy a huge milkshake with 2 straws.

I give it to her, and while she drinks I take the other straw and join her.

She gets shy, but say nothing.

Like that, we spend few hours in the festival, and I get the realization it will take way more than a single date to reach Lazuli, so I better spread our time together, and wait patiently.

While eating lunch in a top-floor restaurant near the beach, I ask her "can we meet in 2 days, in the evening?".

Lazuli look stern, saying "I didn't agree to a 2nd date", but I retort "it's not a 2nd date, it still count as a first date, but we cut it into 2 parts. We only did half of the first date, like when you go watch a movie in a good cinema, they always have a short break in between".

She smile, asking me "are you a politician?", making me laugh, nodding 'no', and after the deserts, while small-talking, she says "in 3 days, in the evening, and you better come on time".

Standing aside my new house, parking the red hover-car, just across the street from her workplace, under a tree shade, I give Lazuli the car key, connected to the house's key, saying "I won't be here for 3 days, so I guess you can do whatever you wanna with it. I'll come here in 3 days at 19:00", and while talking, I take her other hand in mine, raise it, and kiss it.

"I had a wonderful time, and I can't wait for the next" I tell her.

Her apathetic gaze turns pouting-shy, but she nods 'yeah', saying "okay. I'll see you in 3 days", and wave 'bye' as she walk toward the huge dome she works at, and when I can't see her anymore, I *teleport*.

-

Paradise, at the base-camp, Me, Robin, and Mia are in the Workshop, while I lock the doors and close all the windows, before I take a Hover-car out my space, yelling "TADAM!".

"What's the excitement about?" Mia asks, and I tell her "look underneath it".

They crouch, and see, with an annoyed face, but when their heads almost reach the ground, I see their eyes look like a lost puzzle piece you found, but you never even play puzzle, so why do you even found a puzzle piece in your house?

"WHAT THE" Robin raise her voice, but Mia just smile happily, come to me, asking "I wanna drive it! I can? Right??", and I nod 'yeah', but then say "wait, I hide because it's from that new world ... I got 1 more on me, so this 1 is yours, but it's like an alien technology for humans, so I think secrecy is a must now. Make plan for it, and what to do with it, and you can drive when the island is empty".

Robin and Mia talk for a bit, as I go behind them and land kisses and hugs on them.

"What's wrong?" Mia asks me, and I tell them "sorry for making you worried and depressed. Seeing you sad kinda cracked my heart".

They smile gently at me, but I can see they still got a scar from my injuries.

"I think I went overboard in the last year, and I'll correct my path, BUT, my love for you is eternal, so, so, so, please stay with me? In the good and bad, in health and sickness?" I blubber my insecurities, kinda proposing to them subconsciously.

Mia *giggle*, while Robin smile and say "take the car, let's go to the yacht, we need a quiet moment", making me wonder, as we go away.

At the yacht, next to the endless waves, sitting at a round table with water glasses, Robin opens the talk by saying "youth... is the epitome of recklessness, and so is power, so the 2 together are a recipe for disaster", and Mia adds "no matter how much you teach, instincts dominate actions".

I look at them puzzled, thinking 'what's coming next?', when Robin start telling us a story:

"" I heard about 3 explorers who saw a rainbow, and thought together 'what's beyond it?'.

The first explorer quickly moved, and did whatever he can to reach beyond the rainbow.

The second explorer stayed in place and learnt about it, making lots of theories about it.

The third explorer did neither, he walked to the other direction.

Some time later they met again, and the first explorer said they can never succeed, it's useless. The second said all his theories, but never tried or proved any. The third explorer said nothing... "".

Robin stopped talking, took out a small black box and slowly put the water glass into it, while looking inside the box.

We also looked inside, and we could see on the table a small rainbow light.

"So we actually hold the rainbow in our hands all this time?" Mia asks while smiling at the rainbow light on the table.

Robin laugh, answering "it's not about the answer, it was always about the question", and we all turn quiet, filled with questions.

-

"PHEWWWW", I exhale, 'I'm finally in U.S.A colony, Hawaii, Honolulu', I think as I land on a volcano mountain who looks like a diamond head.

'I guess it's worth it? it wasn't that long, Alison here, and the view is amazing' I thought as I *teleport* few times to find the open concert she's doing here.

At the entrance I just *teleport* inside, mixing with the huge crowd, even though I'm pretty high, and wear a hat and sunglasses when it's night, but I keep moving ahead, avoiding attention.

When I can see a good spot on the stage, I *teleport* in, and hide behind the band, looking at Alison, who's wearing a shiny short pink and white dress, dancing and singing on stage while wearing white high heels, looking so cute.

I see a group of dancers, so I quickly go toward the back, 'steal' a dancer outfit, and lurk behind, ready to jump in.

When the song change and lights go off, they sneak inside, and I'm with them, till we reach behind Alison, and just as the music start, but no light yet, I go behind her, put a flower crown on her head, and whisper in her ear "I dunno how to dance, any advice?".

Alison quickly move forward, escaping what she thinks is danger or annoyance, and start to sing as she goes off-script, getting away from the dancers, but just as she start singing the lights go on, and looking back, she sees me, like a tree in a school play, just without the custom, because all the dancers are dancing, and I'm just standing there, smiling shyly.

She continue singing, but you can hear her laugh the words, as she walk toward me, take my hand as she sings, and start dancing with me, or more like making me dance.

By the time the song end, Alison yells to the crowd "We Have Ninja Boy with us tonight! Tell Him HI!", and the crowds goes "WOOOO", making me wonder 'they go woo to anything she says or actually know who I am?'.

"WE WANNA SEE NINJA MOVES! Come On Everyone, tell him what you wanna see!" she rail the crowd like a shrewd politician in a pep rally, and I'm confused what I'm supposed to do, as I hear "WOOOOO", and Alison shove the mic in my mouth with a smirk smile on her face.

"Ninja Way! Article 45! The Fire Within!", and I burst a huge fire out of my mouth into the sky, while thinking 'DAMN! CHUNNI! CRINGY! IF my father sees this, I'm goona die of shame'.

"WOOOOOOOOO", the crowd go nuts, and Alison is shocked, jumping happily, and yell "NEXT!", and give me a mic, so I think 'ahhh, whatever', saying "Ninja Way! Article 4! The Dummy!".

I crouch, put my hands on the floor, and as I raise them, I create a mud statue who looks like me, and by the time my hands high enough, I'm hidden behind it, and shout "Ninja Way! Article 1! I was never here!", and *teleport*, while creating a small fog around me.

"WOOOO", "WHATTTT?!?", the crowd and Alison yell together, and I look at them from the sky, standing on the roof lights, smiling.

"WHERE IS HE?? HOW?" Alison shout, but they all think it's an act, and I laugh to the mic, saying "see ya later, flower queen".

After a short gulp of water, her concert continue on like planned, but with a mud statue of me stuck there, and by the end of the show I'm, the statue me, is already sprayed with paint cans, got a coat on, a hat, and few bling bling chains, making it artistically funny.

I already changed to a casual suit, and when Alison goes off-stage, I *teleport* next to her, walking after her.

When a guard blocks me, saying aloud "WHO ARE YOU? You're not permitted here!!", Alison turn to see what's going on, sees me, and jump to a hug, and shortly after take my hand and drag me to her dressing room, close the door, and it's only us 2 here.

"Awesome show! You rocked the place" I start talking, but got cut short as she jump at me for another hug, shouting "How did you do that??".

"Do I look like some Val Valentino creep?" I ask back, but she look at me like 'who's that?'.

I laugh, saying "the masked magician? the idiot who expose magic tricks?", but seeing her face I just hold her waist, and kiss her lips.

*Knock, knock, knock*, "10 more minutes before fans meeting" a voice from outside says after knocking on the dressing-room door.

"AH, DON'T MOVE!", Alison tells me, as she run away, and in few minutes she comes back smelling like soap, with a clean outfit, give my cheek a kiss, put her hands around 1 of my hands, and says "let's go!, and drag me with her.

-

"It was you two in that mall performance, right?" a cute short women asks shyly, but firmly, in the room where the fans meeting going on, while Alison sign things the fans gives her, and I just stand on the side with my back to the wall.

"You don't look like a fan" I talk back to her while narrowing my eyes, as she doesn't seem like the others here.

"YEAH I AM" she declare, "Plus, a friend!", she smiles, but a short-circuit in my brain hit something, making me ask "do.. we know each other? I saw you somewhere? that smile...".

She burst laughing at me, spitting "you're a weirdo, what's about you is a big bad dragon?".

I look in shock at her, then gaze upon Alison, who seems to see us talking, smiling gently.

I pull out from behind my back, from my space storage, 2 Affogato glasses with spoons (espresso with vanilla ice-cream ball), give her 1, saying "Yes, it was me, my turn to question, what more did Alison told you about me?", and start eating the ice-cream.

"HOW?!?" she yell and take the Affogato, checking it's real, eating a spoonful, but I tell her "No No No, It's your turn to answer my question".