Prologue 12 (Part 3) Don’t Spread Unnecessary Hate and Not Another Fight, Ugh.

Late in the evening, her niece had a clay in a bowl and was using it to build toy figures she could set beside the other collection that she had created. The table was messy, and under it she had numerous elliptical rubbers placed beside each other which collected the soil that spilled over the table top to the bottom. Kazu Nini's frazzled emerald green hair and piercing almond eyes were fixed on her project with utter focus that made her disregard both the fact that she hadn't had a shower for the evening, or that clay had stained both the pieces of paper that collected the stray streams of soil, or the paper that the bowls were placed atop or the wooden floor boards or, most importantly kept her from hearing her name being called several times.

Her scrawny frame had been working arduously and painfully intensely on the piece of art she was molding, her gloved hands were covered in new additions of wet clay on them and were able to bring out its overall conical shape, although the form was supposed to be upside down when she was done, with the tip floating above the circle plate that would be on ground with its own numerous wheels. She carefully smoothed out the rough edges with lines of Light Blue Ko-jin jutting out of her fingernails until it looked almost perfect, if already not, and carried a broomstick to make holes for the eyes, not forgetting the others that covered the circular and first 3rd of its body. The lower third was the conical slope that was connected to a dot which joined everything to a circle that would have countless wheels underneath when she was done.

And this was hard, considering that her Ko-jin meridians had not yet reached her skin – the epidermis, dermis and the like. So, that she was doing was basically, was focusing so much Ko-jin to the muscles in her fingers until they [rejected out of them. Basically, like putting a finger under fire and then using the heat on the surface to write.

She still had to take breaks when she used this process, even though she knew how to numb pain and ignore it. This was not even talking about the strain to her meridians, although it some form it also toughened them.

By the time she took it away from before her nose and stood back to inspect it, she saw her aunt with her eyes on her, not angry eyes exactly, but with a look that was between helpless and inquisitive at first. Kazu Nini then went to wash her hands and shut herself in her bathroom when Mako Nini sighed and left. She waited until the girl got out.

Between the clothes on the ground, her unkempt wardrobe that was open, the bed that had its bed sheet hanging with the mattress showing itself mostly, her body that needed a bathing and her food that was downstairs waiting to be eaten, Mako Nini did not know where to start.

"Darling," she sighed softly "When will you learn to take care of yourself? You will be going to college soon."

"Civic Tertiary Edification Institutions, Aunt Mako," Her glasses were usually on her eyes the way her aunt had her bracelets which were both redundant, except for if they needed emergency self-defense. "We are not humans; we do not say Colleges."

"This Pixie does not mind calling them Colleges. Besides, by the time you are in Settlement Edification Institution, you might begin calling them Colleges."

"Eww, urgh," Kazu Nini imitated puking, her apron that had one strap fallen off showing more dirt as she rose. "This Pixie really minds doing what Pixies or any other person from this continent calls them. Or is supposed to." She jokingly looked horrified.

"Hate between races is really taught, what a sad age we live in," that one was under her breath but out loud she said. "This side of the continent has blood flowing through its veins, same as the other."

"Yeah, so why do they refer to us as 'beast continent' or the 'alien continent' if we are the same as them?"

"About 10,000 years ago when there was a war, they discovered us who already had a civilization and because they assumed they discovered us, they think they are above us." She corrected herself. "Thought they were above us, thought."

"Dumb humans." She pushed her glasses up her nose and made the most disgusted face that she could.

"If you spread the hate, you are no different from them."

"So, liking them makes me stand above them?"

Mako Nini chuckled, "no, liking them makes you stand above their misconceptions and hatred which makes you unique." She walked into the mess of a room a bit to open the windows which were shut and air rushed in. "Anyone can hate, but loving is harder especially when you know what is up against you."

The girl thought hard and retorted, "depends on the situations."

Mako sighed, "Kazu Nini, have a shower and head downstairs. Your food is getting cold."

Kazu Nini was smiling at first but frowned at the responsibility she was reminded of which didn't bring in money or add to her ambition. At least not in any way she knew, and began waiting so that her aunt would leave the room.

"You are going to be sharing rooms, you know?"

She turned around and replied, "are you missing me already?"

Mako laughed and began leaving, "when you are done eating, you will clean the room." She then stopped at the door. "I would not miss the smell, though."

Kazu laughed, "that was a yes, glad you'll miss me."

"Shut up and go bath, stinking brat." Her laughter echoed as she went down the narrow passage way, passing the corner that had her room at the end and the laundry room on the same wall but on an opposite end.

***

"Meat again?" Kazu Nini made a disgusted look but ate up in wordless gratitude. The Unawakened marine meat; lobsters, shrimp, octopus and crab, had been dallied in soup which also had leaf and stems in it. Her desert had been a piece of cake and she had taken it first.

"What did you make today?"

Kazu wanted to focus on her eating but Mako was curious so she answered reluctantly, "that is going to be a prototype for a machine that will become a potent artifact."

"Like an oven?"

Kazu didn't understand how the lady could not see her urgency to fill her belly wit food but allowed it. "No, ovens are what only follows instructions, you just push buttons and they just act." She was about to fish around the stew for more meat but then she held herself back. "There is no interaction like status report or suggestions to how the food can be made better or etc. Mine are going to be intelligent."

"Hmmm," Kazu Nini was starting to think that Mako Nini enjoyed the interruption. "That would be nice, will you give me prototype versions?"

Kazu carried the bowl and emptied what was left into her mouth after meticulously picking out the sea meat pieces and a good, long satisfying belch. "Depends," she cupped her chins in thought, her lips betraying the fact that she just finished eating.

Mako Nini waited until she wanted to speak.

"I will need presidential treatment for these remaining 3 weeks."

Mako arced a brow, "How are presidents to be treated?"

"Endless love please, spoiled treatment and unquestioning loyalty."

Mako Nini laughed.

"What?" Kazu made a questioning face, "if I give you for free then it has to be at a reasonable cost."

"Your cost is perpetual love, getting spoiled and a hundred percent allegiance?"

"Uh-huh." She folded her eyes in an attempt to show that she won't compromise.

Mako Nini played along and snapped the same hand that she threw a hook with into the air, "Dammit, I've been caught." She then placed her hand on her chest and seemed to vow with the next words. "I solemnly promise to be nice to my niece, Kazu Nini, before she leaves for school. To the best of my ability, of course."

The last statement squeezed Kazu Nini's gut and regretted her own words, "I did not mean it like that."

The auntie tried to understand what she was saying, but did not have to keep trying for long when she heard her nieces, sad tone. "I used the wrong words."

Mako Nini slapped the table, that the dessert almost fell off. "If you were an ungrateful twat, I would have kicked you out a long time ago."

Kazu Nini knew deep down that she hoped they sometimes had a little more money in the house and that Mako worked hard, only having these free moments in weekends when was not working because this was the weekend. She could probably ask the New Universe to contribute and upgrade both their lives but that would not be fair on their contributions as everyone had their own battles.

And it was probably because of her they lived this way.

With how the lady treated her, she couldn't be an ingrate and sometimes, Kazu Nini wished that Mako Nini was her birth mom. This just made her yearn that she had more power to help, and she frowned so hard during this though process that Mako Nini misinterpreted it.

"Do not worry, hon. I promised your parents that I would take care of you. You need not worry about anything. Just tell me what you want."

"You are the only parent I ever had and would ever want." She looked at her guardian, "you need never bring that up."

"Speaking of which, we have never spoken about your pa-"

"NOOOO!!!"

Mako watched in shock as Kazu pushed the table and stood up, the chair falling to the floor.

"All the missed P.T.A's or visiting days, no call or text from them." She was breathing hard, "16 years? No!" She stomped to the stairs but came back to her food because she didn't want to waste her auntie's dessert then went back up.

Mako Nini sighed.