Accel

"Try to stay still, Ryo." Jinni enunciated her words as best as possible with a miniature wrench clamped between her sturdy pearly white teeth. Using another wrench, she rotated a screw located around Ryo's wrist to adjust the strength of the newly constructed V1 nanosuit's mag booster's systems. Ryo, who had his body attached to a testing facility similar to the ones in the Yakuza's underground, attempted to stay still as possible to prevent Jinni from miscalibrating the capabilities of his nanosuit.

As Jinni turned the screw as diligently as possible, a flashing spark of electricity conducted the metal part of the miniature wrench to zap Jinni's finger. The mag booster malfunctioned and sent a pulse of forceful energy towards a wooden stool to send it soaring through the hangar. "Porca puttana! Are you okay, Ryo?" Jinni cursed as she panicked from the faulty calibration.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ryo said. "You?"

Jinni nodded as she nervously raced for the wooden stool that Ryo blasted away. "I am not the best at this kind of stuff," She explained. "Naoto is, but he is on a patrolling session with your sister around Bellatraza. I need to prepare you for tomorrow, you see," Jinni returned to calibrate Ryo's mag booster and successfully tightened the loose screw on his left gauntlet. She wiped her sweaty forehead off to relieve herself of the mechanical stress of calibrating a newly built nanosuit. Dirt and grease splattered across her pale skin as she set her wrench down. "I think I should be just about done now! Let's test it."

Jinni launched a command on a holographic computer linked to Ryo's nanosuit that prompted his suit to activate its neural uplink. A vibrating and resonating hum emitted from behind Ryo's neck as his helmet and visor began covering his head. The uplink succeeded, uploading Ryo's brain to the neural interface that generates the nanosuit's super strength and agility capabilities. Now that his neural interfacing process was complete, Ryo could now control his suit's abilities just by thinking of them, which gave him a boost to quick tactful thinking during combat.

The testing platform Ryo leaned against raised itself and freed him from the uncomfortable calibrating position where he was stuck against. He gently placed some pressure on the side of his helmet to deactivate it, redirecting its nanomachines down to his neck.

"How do you feel?" Jinni asked, leaning forward to examine Ryo's nanosuit features. She stuck her tongue out and playfully winked. "My designs and measurements are outstanding, no?"

"Feels smooth," Ryo stated. He could barely feel the excess metallic and titanium weight of the nanosuits pressuring against his skin. Each metallic nanomachine was equipped with a flexible alloy that prioritized comfort and flexibility over defensive features. The nanomachines had air-flowing technology that added to the ethereal comfortability of how Ryo's skin had sufficient space to breathe through the crystal air. He moved his fingers against the nanosuit's metallic gauntlets, sensing the lightness of its weight barely existing. His ignition and mag boosters were fired up and ready for proper usage. "Guess there's just one more thing to test."

"Right!" Jinni said, glancing at the center of his chest.

Ryo pressed against a bright cerulean core on his chest with his right hand. The nanosuit deactivated itself, sending its microscopic nanomachines into Ryo's white sweater and black leather jeans out of sight. He inhaled a deep breath of relief now that his new nanosuit and training configuration was complete.

"Belissimo! Perfect!" Jinni cried, gesturing an "OK" sign with her hand before skipping in place. "You're all ready for tomorrow, yes? This calls for an early celebration!"

Before Jinni could continue her playful antics, a loud buzzer sounded in the mechanic's hangar that caught her immediate attention. Ryo sat down on a wooden stool as Jinni rushed towards her computer with an expression of worrisome vibes. She placed a small headset over her ears and pressed a button to accept whichever individual was signaling a call for her.

"Hello, this is Cagliostro," Jinni introduced through the headset. Muffled voices began speaking through her earmuffs, which Ryo could barely distinguish from what was said. "Yes, I'm the only one here," A pause of silence came through the air after Jinni's echoed voice settled down. "What!?" Jinni exclaimed as her face shriveled in sudden tension. "Yes, yes. Okay. I understand. I'll open the hangar right now. I'll see you soon."

"Who was that?" Ryo asked as Jinni placed the headset down on the computer's table. She slightly opened her mouth, revealing her white teeth as she shockingly remained still.

"Akai," Jinni identified, stepping aside from the holographic computer as she snatched a green keycard from a nearby table. She placed her sweat-glazed palm on her forehead in skittish uncertainty. Her fingers fidgeted in slight fear. "He… has brought Rose Accel to our headquarters to debrief tomorrow's mission. Only we are here today too, and she chose today out of all times? I do not know what to say."

"What? Why is she here?" Ryo asked.

Jinni sluggishly turned her head to face Ryo with her eyes blinking rapidly in confusion. "She wants to meet you." Her voice was plain and monotonous as she stepped away from the computer. "I have to go unlock the front hangar door now. Please be as respectful as possible. We must not get into any trouble."

Ryo watched as Jinni dashed out of the mechanic's hangar without another word. He had never seen Jinni's playful personality interrupted by the presence of another individual whom he had never seen before. To see Jinni code-switch between personalities was something Ryo never believed to be possible. Although Rose Accel was described by the rest of Sunlight to be the leader and chief of the organization, he gradually expected her to be carefree and mellow much like the rest of the task force's members. He couldn't expect such a drastic change in demeanor after interacting with such upbeat and charismatic team members, especially after the ridiculousness and joyful time at the pizza party.

Rose Accel... just who the hell are you? And what do you want?

The grinding sound of metal scraping against a metallic surface startled Ryo from a distance. The afternoon breeze began lightly brushing against Ryo's black hair and rosy cheeks as he concentrated on the glimmering light shadowing three figures. He knew two of them would be Jinni and Akai, but the third one confirmed to Ryo that Rose Accel had truly arrived. Ryo stood up from the wooden stool and set it aside. He clenched his fist to prepare for the unsuspected occasion of Sunlight's leader's arrival.

Her appearance truly was unexpected. Akai stood behind Rose Accel, a young girl who appeared no older than Ryo's age at twenty-one with flawless lightly tanned skin. She had obsidian-shaded long hair that was uniquely tied in a ponytail that plunged to her hips. A white ribbon tied the ends together to prevent them from splitting apart from the wind, and both sides of her bangs were ivory white-colored to contrast with the center of her bangs, which was obsidian.

While the hangar lifted at last to reveal her entire face, Ryo could sense something about Rose Accel's lavender eyes that reflected against the solar rays of the lazy afternoon. Just gazing into Rose Accel's eyes reminded him of how April greeted him in the Mountains Jazz Club. It was a heavenly moment of pure paradise after gazing deep into her emerald bejeweled pools, but with Rose Accel, the heavenly hint of compassion and kindness was not present. Her lavender-colored large corneas covered a majority of her white sclera, which made her appear like an intergalactic leader from another distant planet.

Ryo had expected her to be adorned with supremely formal police attire to symbolize the significance of her rank in the organization, but he was shocked to see her dressed in a white strapped tank-top revealing her massive E-cup bust. On the edge of her large cleavage on her tank-top had a ghastly skull symbol with the phrase "I'll kill you" capitalized in bold lettering. Her tight dark-sangria jeans and exposed navel gave Ryo the impression of a rebellious youthful leader that ruled the Sunlight organization with an iron fist. Her small slit mouth and refined nose showed strictness with her pure complexion.

However, the most notable characteristic of the young leader that stupefied Ryo was the unknown disorder or condition that placed her in a wheelchair. Rose Accel had a silver forearm crutch attached to her right arm placed on the side of her thighs. Akai pushed her wheelchair inside the mechanic's hangar while Jinni nervously followed from behind. Rose Accel's increasing presence on Jinni made her nearly stumble with each step. The hangar began to shut behind them while they approached Ryo, who was ready for whatever was next to come.

Akai stopped as Rose Accel grasped her forearm crutch. She lifted herself with the aid of Akai's hands and successfully stood up straight with the crutch supporting her unbalanced weight. She approached Ryo with her eyes gazing directly from below to balance out their height difference.

"I heard of your friend's recent accident," Rose Accel spoke with a deep, yet feminine tone that sounded like it had yet to mature completely. It confirmed her age being somewhere at Ryo's mark, or even younger. "My condolences to your comrade. You must be wondering why I came by so suddenly. Not only did I come to offer my condolences, but I came to meet the man who has been the talk of Sunlight ever since your arrival on Aries. Certainly, you're more than just a regular boy, are you? Your sister has described you in such compelling ways that treasure your presence more than an actual human being would state. I was merely intrigued and curious myself to acquaint myself with you because of this."

"I see," Ryo spoke to her for the first time. He wanted to watch what he said, as he knew she was extremely bitter and commanding. "I'm Ryo Nakai. Thanks for your condolences."

"Surely you can say something more than just that," Rose Accel stated, placing her finger on her chin. Her seductive nature began to kick in as Ryo noticed her squeezing her cleavage together. Her demanding aura suddenly replaced itself with a jestful delight that was unexpected by her promising and strict personality. "You speak in such moderation, and that interests me. Yet the description that the others provided for me was much more charming. You certainly do look charming, I'll give you that. You're like their champion."

Ryo was confused and conflicted. Did she come here to flirt with him?

Rose Accel stumbled towards Ryo with her forearm crutch and lightly beamed at his conflicted gaze. Her lavender eyes stared straight through his soul as Jinni and Akai watched from a distance. "Your eyes..." She whispered. "I like your eyes," She continued leaning forward towards Ryo until she ceased, pushing herself away. "But I see something worth mentioning. How long will you continue running away from your past until you're satisfied? When will you start facing your fears?"

Ryo didn't want to question her motives or reasoning for how Rose Accel was able to discover his past. He had a strong feeling that she had the same mind-reading ability as April because of his familiarity with their eyes. Ryo had an impasse; he struggled to think about an answer based on the way Rose Accel forced the question upon him.

"Your eyes are so distant," Rose Accel continued. "Not only do you dwell on your past, but you implement it in the present. All you do is fight against the people who wronged you in your mind. Do you think that this is the best you can do? Do you think you can face your fears just by cowering in hiding? You think you can win just by joining us?"

"That's enough," Ryo forcefully stated, hoping to stop her from triggering his traumatic memories. Witnessing Ash Meguro's decapitated head in Sumire's bathroom on Asahikawa was one of his first terrifying memories, and having Sophie's voice ringing clear into his head was his next. The more that Rose Accel criticized Ryo for his cowardness, the more he was unwillingly reminded of Sez's voice peer pressuring him as his mangled hands suffocated Ash Meguro. "Stop."

"No. I will not stop," Rose Accel denied, standing her ground. She turned back to face Ryo and pressured him by stepping into his personal space. "If I stop now, what will you do? Hide forever and be forced to live in fear? Unlike you, I take the initiative to face my fears," She looked down at her forearm crutch. "The payoff was worth it. But your past with Sezan ends now. If you want to break free and join us, you need to face your fears."

"Don't. Say. His name." Ryo warned.

"Or what?" Rose Accel threatened. "What can you possibly do against me? Have you forgotten who I am?" She dropped her crutch to the floor as Jinni darted towards her, knowing full well what was about to happen next. Akai caught her and prevented her from stopping the backlash. Rose Accel lifted her right arm and extended her palms to create an invisible energy force. A vibrating pulse fired from her hand that shook the hangar's ground.

A hulking three-tailed electric green Kitsune deity arose from the shadows and seized a clean grasp on Ryo's throat. The unknown hazy figure appeared out of nowhere, and Ryo had no time to react to its appearance. He felt its brisk paws pulsating with vibrant otherworldly energies that were unfathomable to escape from. Rose Accel concentrated the extent of her energy to have the Kitsune guardian strike fear into Ryo's mind. Its glowing mist-like eyes had no emotion other than the purpose of maiming and slaughtering.

"I am Rose Accel," She introduced, smirking and chuckling at Ryo's misery and suffering. "And Ryo Nakai, you are the most pathetic human being I have ever met. I despise everything that you have done in your past. You're just some weak run-of-the-mill gangster who believes that the entire world's burdens are on your shoulders. Either you do something now, or you can die right now. I'll kill you quicker than the day that you-"

"Stop it!" Jinni cried, screaming at the top of her lungs in agony. "Stop hurting him! Please!"

After losing her concentration, Rose Accel released Ryo from her psychic control. The Kitsune deity vanished, and Ryo fell to the ground after nearly losing his breath over her unknown psychic and summoning abilities. Jinni broke free from Akai's grasp and slid towards Ryo, checking on his status and comforting him. Ryo glanced up at Rose Accel's callous approach to etching the idea of breaking free from the past into his mind, wondering about the future. Akai stepped forward to seize Rose Accel's forearm crutch for her after she had dropped it on the ground.

Rose Accel scoffed. "Total waste of my time," She insulted, turning around to exit through the hangar with Akai. "I expected more from you, Nakai. Now I want nothing to do with you. One of these days you'll be lucky to even still be alive and-"

"I'll stop him," Ryo muttered his reference to Sezan, using Jinni's shoulder as weight support to stand back up.

"What?" Rose Accel blurted.

"I said that I'll stop him. I'll grow and I'll defeat him. I won't let him take control of my life anymore. I'll find myself on my own accord, and one of these days you'll look into my eyes and see nothing but me. You won't have to worry about a thing anymore."

"Who said I was worried?" Rose Accel added, turning around to face Ryo. "You may be all talk, but let's see you learn from your mistakes. Don't be pathetic. The next time I look into your eyes and see your internal struggles from that man, then I'll kill you myself."

"Then I'll kill you too." Ryo reciprocated.

"Ryo...!" Jinni was baffled at how he could say such a thing to their leader.

"To get the message across to your head, I'll be ready to fight you in any way I can. Because if you don't believe me, I'll understand. But I'm prepared to fight back and defend my right to live. I won't let you control me. Not here, and not now," Ryo explained. "I told myself that I'd change because of my sister and my friends. The next time you see my eyes, it'll be different. If it's not, then you have my word and my permission to die."

Silence struck the mechanic's hangar as Rose Accel appeared to validate the message of his forbearing words. He plunged her attentive eyes deep into Ryo's spirit to behold the truthfulness of his words. She could see a flickering flame and a beating heart worthy to attest to the challenge of overcoming one's biggest obstacles. The flame gradually grew in bursts that fought against his dilapidated mindset from the past. She realized that Ryo wasn't afraid of the consequences of his actions, even if they resulted in death.

"Good luck with that, and just don't fuck up," Rose Accel said as she returned to her wheelchair. "If you do, then I'll be waiting. You'd better defend yourself with your life the next time we meet."

Jinni supported Ryo's weight by carrying him on the side. Ryo appreciated her effort in taking care of him as they exited the living room. He had much to ask Jinni about Rose Accel's background, but after her godlike powers endowed him with heavy burdening pain, he chose to speak of it at a much later time. All that he knew was how she exercised her leadership through her sheer brute force and commanding attitude.

Akai pushed Rose Accel's wheelchair as the hangar's back door opened. As the two of them ventured outside to return to their main headquarters, Rose Accel smiled confidently in response to Ryo's vigor in overcoming his fears of emotional corruption from the past still held onto him like permanent weights.

"I like him."