Aiden’s heart pounded in his chest. He could feel it’s beat, so fast and powerful it was as if it were trying to force it’s way out. He gasped for breath as memories of unbearable pain resurfaced. That sharp, cold pressure tearing it’s way through his stomach as he was impaled. Then...nothing. 

 

His eyes flew open. He sat bolt upright in a cold sweat and struggled for air. 

 

“Yuu?” Someone grabbed him. Aiden froze, dazed, confused...and even afraid. He searched for the source of the voice. Naoko. In the bed, right next to him. Just like this morning. “

 

“Are you alright?” She rubbed her eye and held his hand. Her warm, caring touch set him on edge. “What’s wrong?”

 

He stared at her in disbelief. Shock.

 

What the...hell? 

 

His eyes darted left and right crazily. This isn’t right. I wasn’t here. Why am I here?

 

What’s going on?

 

The last thing he remembered was being impaled. He was walking back from the store, then he heard a voice call out. He was cursing Cade when the sword hit. Now he’s back at the apartment? Or was that all a dream? 

 

He slowly calmed himself. A dream...it didn’t feel like one.

 

“Yuu, talk to me.” The woman called again, nudging him with a shoulder.

 

“What?” He replied absently.

 

“You’re sweating. And shaking.” It was only at her observations that she realized she was right. That rarely, if ever, happened to him. Now? He trembled. He had to force himself to stillness. “ Something’s wrong, isn’t it? What happened? Did you remember anything?”

 

“No.” Aiden took a deep breath.”I don’t know. Maybe.” He continued.

 

Naoko peered up at him. “That’s okay.” She smiled. “It doesn’t matter. As long as you’re alright.” She laid her head on his now. “I’m here for you.”

 

He stayed silent. In truth he barely heard her. 

 

Just what had happened? The pain felt so real. Everything had. But it couldn’t have been….right? 

 

Aiden just sat there for a moment, silent. Then all of a sudden he reached into the drawer for his drink. He swallowed several mouthfuls before the woman had time to react. 

 

“Yuu!” She exclaimed. “Give me that! Yuuji” And something told him to move. He instinctively held the bottle away and put it out of range of her lunge. She fell on top of his lap.

 

Aiden frowned. She did this before…

 

“Yuu, that stuff is bad for you! Come on, give it here.” The woman picked herself up and glared at him, holding out a hand with a very stern gaze. He ignored her and got out of bed, swallowing more of the blessed alcohol as he did.  

 

“Get out.” 

 

“What?”

 

“I didn’t stutter.”

 

Naoko sat there dumbfounded. “Why?”

“Because you’re a fucking weird overly clingy stranger who snuck into my goddamn bed in the middle of the night, that’s why.” Aiden all but growled. “ So unless you want to point your ass over here so I can turn it inside out, kindly fuck off.” He was done dealing with this crazy chick for a while. He just wasn’t in the mood to argue with her. 

 

And guess what? Now she was even more stunned, understandably. Her mouth literally dropped open. “Y-Yuuji!” She went beet-red and tried to stammer out a reply. In the end she failed to even form a sentence.

 

Meanwhile, Aiden dragged her to the door. “Wait, are you really kicking me out?! Yuu-kun is?” 

 

He put her past the door frame into the outside room. “Yeah. He is.” And slammed it shut. 

 

He leaned on the solid wooden door for a good minute before making his way back to the bed. The woman called out and knocked several times but he ignored it all. 

 

The shaking came back. As did the pain. 

 

Aiden fought against it to little effect. It hurt. Just the memory of it was almost unbearable. But here he is, fine and dandy. Except just like then he found Naoko in his bed. And the way he just somehow knew to dodge her grab like that...

 

Seriously, what the hell is going on today?

 

***

 

“What’re you doin’ there, fatty?” Rumi sauntered into the house like she owned the place and plopped onto his love seat. She yawned and then idly watched as he laid on the floor belly-down.

 

“Push-ups.” Aiden wheezed. 

 

Jesus Christ, how out of shape was this kid? Just doing thirty of these and I’m sweating like a pig in July and probably smell just as bad.

 

Rumi sniffed and caught a whiff of something foul. “Well stop. You reek like a pig in July.” She stated matter-of-factly. “By the way, where’s mom?” She narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t do anything weird to her, did you?”

 

“She said she’s going back to her house to pick up some ingredients for breakfast.” Aiden’s arms shook like crazy. But he kept his perfect form and slowly raised himself. In the past he could do a couple thousand. How far he’d fallen. 

 

The thought kept him going. He forced himself to endure the burning pain and continue. His arms were going to feel like jelly but that was a good thing. However, he knew when to stop. At the forty mark he allowed himself to fall and lay there panting.

 

He’d have to take a day or two off of working out his arms after today. People thought you had to bear the pain and do workouts every day, but that didn’t do a damn thing for you. Your muscles had to have time to heal, that way they could grow stronger. 

 

He knew that. It still annoyed him though. This crap-tier body was the only thing he could really change about his equally crap-tier situation and he was impatient to do so,

 

“But…” He took a moment to collect his break and rolled over to his back. “The one who has to be worried is me. That weird lady snuck into my room last night. You need to convince her to get out of my hair.” Otherwise he’d make her a single mother of two, Aiden silently added.

 

If the woman thought she could pull shit like that he’d stay a gentleman, she had another thing coming. A man can only resist so much temptation. You didn’t dangle a piece of meat in front of a lion and expect it to not take a bite.

 

“She what?!” Rumi shouted. “Bull! Why would she do that?!”

 

“Ask her, not me. Of course, I’m still not quite convinced I’m not her bastard child. Maybe she wanted to cuddle with her baby boy?” She still hadn’t explained their relationship. All her actions indicated a deep one, though. He didn’t actually think Yuuji was her son, but he did enjoy seeing Rumi’s face of denial when he said he might be.

 

And look. The girl’s cheeks puffed up. “Stop saying that! There’s no way I’m part piggy!” 

 

“I wouldn’t be so quick to say that. How many people with red hair do you know?” He asked with a smirk.

 

“L-Lots of people have red hair!” 

 

“Natural?”

 

“Well…”

 

“You should call me, ‘Onii-sama’ from now on.” Aiden struggled to remember the proper word from amongst his short dalliance with Weeb culture. Lo and behold, she hated it.

 

“So unpleasant!” She spat at him. Literally. He dodged out of the way and watched as it landed on the tiled floor. 

 

His eyes narrowed. 

 

“Hm? What? Why’re you looking at me like that? H-Hey, back off...n-nooooo~~!”

 

***

 

“Yuuji~!” Naoko called out cheerfully. She maneuvered the various full bags through the door and happily entered. “I’m back~ I hope you’re hungry, I brought a lot of....” She trailed off. 

 

“...You missed a spot.” 

 

“I didn’t!”

 

“Yes you did. There.” 

 

“You…! You just dropped that! I’m not cleaning it!” 

 

Aiden started stretching out an arm. “You sure about that?” He smiled. 

 

The color drained from her face. You could see the inner conflict in her eyes. Her expression turned dark and ugly. “I hate you! Stupid piggy!”

 

Naoko looked at the two weirdly. Yuuji was sitting on the couch eating what may have been a granola bar while Rumi busily vacuumed his intentional mess. Rumi was notoriously lazy. She never did anything like cleaning unless Naoko threatened to cut off her allowance and even then she did it begrudgingly.

 

“Um. What’s going on?”

 

“Mom!” Rumi only now realized the new presence and jumped at her mother with tears in her eyes. “You’re finally here!” 

 

“Rumi! What’s gotten into you?” She never cried like this!

 

“Mom it was horrible! It’s all this stupid fatty’s fault! He made me do all kinds of awful things.” She sank to the floor. Naoko put down the bags and crouched with her. The girl looked like she was on her last breaths. “Mom, please...you have to avenge me!” Tears ran down her cheeks as she stared up at the ceiling. “Make him...pay….”

 

And she fell forever silent. That is, until Yuuji kicked her.

 

“Ack!” Rumi shrieked. 

 

“You aren’t done. Rest when you’re dead.”

 

“Demon!” 

 

“Lazy cunt.”

“You…! Talking to me like that, again!” Rumi jumped up and waved a fist. “I’ll bite you to death! I swear I will!” 

 

He ignored her. “Now do the bathroom. You have ten minutes before I go in for a bath. If it’s not spotless…” He warned.

 

The girl looked at her mother one last time. Her appearance was like a lost puppy. She then sobbed softly and trudged off with a mop in hand.

 

Naoko watched in complete and utter shock. “What the heck is going on?! Why’s Rumi acting so...so obedient? What’d you do?”

 

Aiden shrugged. “I spat on her. She got real obedient after that.” 

 

***

“Oh, so you started exercising, Yuuji?” Naoko asked as she diced some green onions. She’d done up her hair into a near bun that exposed her long white neck. By the time Aiden got out of the shower she was almost done and was just cutting up some garnishes. 

“It’s something I think would be good for me.” He started taking out some plates. Yuuji apparently didn’t have much dinnerware. There was only one or two of everything, which Naoko noticed so she took the liberty of buying a few herself. He took them out of their package and rinsed them off before laying them down. Meanwhile, Rumi was already seated and laying on the table in exhaustion.

 

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Naoko hummed. “You know, I have a friend who works as a fitness instructor at a rather popular gym in the city. It’s a little exclusive but I’m sure I can get you in if you’d like. I’d be happy to sponsor you.”

 

“Oh?” His ears perked up just then. He did plan to buy his own equipment but if he went this route it would save him a lot of money. “Really? Thanks, I’ll take you up on that.”

 

“Excellent!” She clapped her hands once. “You know, I’m a member myself.” She chuckled, a twinkle in her eye. 

 

...Ah, Aiden realized. So that’s why. Should’ve known.

 

This woman really is clingy. 

 

“You don’t say.” He monotoned. “Great.”

 

“Isn’t it though? I’ll give her a call right now. I’ll have to go to handle your registration but you can come along to check it out if you want. Do you?”

“Sure.” He easily acquiesced. 

 

“It’s settled then.” She nodded. “After breakfast we’ll head over and I can get your membership set up. It’s a big facility. Since Rumi takes yoga classes there she can give you the tour of the place while I get things going.” 

 

“Ehhh….why me?” The girl groaned. “I wanna rest! I was driven like a slave by this disgusting otaku for almost a full hour! And there’s no way I want to go out with him in public!”

 

“Rumi, honestly, why are you being so mean to him? I thought you two would have gotten along by now after all the time you’ve spent together. Even if he can’t remember, you should. Stop being so disrespectful.”  Her mother chided.

 

Rumi felt a great injustice, but how could she tell her mother that she’d barely interacted with the guy at all before today? And it’s only recently he started looking like a human being, no longer greasy, hairy and bead-eyed? Well, regardless of that he was still a rat bastard!

 

“But mom, didn’t you hear what he did to me? It was so gross! How can you do this to me, huh? You traitor!”

 

The woman scratched her cheek awkwardly. “Ah. Well. It is a bit far, I think. But who told you to be such an unruly child? From what I hear you spat at him first, too. “

 

“Okay, yes, but--”

 

“So why are you complaining? Actually maybe that’s what I should start doing to you too! Maybe then you’d start being more obedient with me as well.”

 

Rumi scoffed. “I always do what you tell me!”

 

“I meant without moaning about it at every opportunity.”

 

“Now you’re just being unreasonable. I may complain, but the important part is that I do listen.”

 

“Rumi…” Her mother warned. 

 

“Okay! I’ll take him, alright? Geez!” 

 

“Good.”

 

Aiden watched the mother and daughter’s back and forth. They seemed pretty close, huh. 

 

“But please take a shower before we go. I don’t want to be walking around with someone who reeks like a wet kitten.” He slid in.

 

Rumi pounded the table and narrowed her eyes dangerously. “And whose fault do you think it is I’m all sweaty anyway? It’s yours, this disgusting piggy!”

 

“Regardless, you do need a wash, dear.” Naoko agreed. 

 

“I don’t smell!” Rumi growled. 

 

“Of course you don’t, honey.” Her mother comforted, patting her head. Then going to wash said hand.

 

“I hate you both.” A thought came to her. “Say, mom...did you sneak into piggy’s bed last night?”

 

Naoko tilted her head. “Yes, why?” 

 

Her daughter stopped and stared for a moment. “You aren’t even denying it?!” 

 

“Why should I?”

 

Aiden snorted then. He sent Rumi a pointed glance that said, See? And you doubted me.

 

Rumi caught the look and just shook her head. 

 

Obviously she’s going to have to start keeping an eye on her mother from now on. This weird obsession with Fatty Yuu warrants careful observation and strict management! 

 

***

 

Within the hour the three of them were driving towards the city in Naoko’s dark blue Porsche. The road towards the city was quiet and uneventful, but he was getting an earful from Rumi nonstop.

 

“Okay, listen up Fatty Yuu.” Rumi put her hands on her hips and stared him down with a very arrogant demeanor.  “When we get there you will stay at least six feet behind be at all times. You will make no attempt at conversation and I will take no questions. If you get tired during the tour and fall behind I won’t wait for you. If you have to use the bathroom, don’t even bother asking for me to wait. Also don’t talk to anyone there, especially don’t say we know each other. If they ask, ignore them. I’ll do the same. I don’t want any of my friends showing up and wondering why I’m leading around some shady pig. As far as they should be concerned you’re just some stalker, okay?”

 

Aiden wanted to smack the bitch right out of her. One good backhand…

 

But since she was just a kid he let it slide. As a magnanimous adult, he was far too mature to allow himself to be riled up by the words of a child. 

 

Heh. Magnanimous. Right. Who am I kidding? I’m washing that mouth with a Ghost Pepper sauce the first chance I get.

 

Aiden felt that was an appropriate punishment for this level of wretchedness. He didn’t mind her ridicule and dislike, but it’s the principle of the thing.

 

“Yes, yes. I get it. Are you done? I’ve been smelling your onion breath for too long already. You really need to brush your teeth after a meal.”

 

“Why do you always have to be so unpleasant?” She asked, quite seriously. “And I don’t have onion breath!” She insisted, trying and failing to stealthily smell her own breath moments later. He caught it by looking in the interior mirror.

 

“He is right, though, Rumi. You should start brushing more.”

 

“I do brush!”

 

“Only at night. You should use mouthwash too. Boys won’t like you if you have smelly breath, you know.”

 

“You should do something about that attitude as well,” Aiden added. “Real men won’t stand for that bitch streak you have going on. If you were my girlfriend I’d have already cheated on you with your best friend on day three.”

 

“Yuuji, you shouldn’t be too mean to her either,” Naoko said, very fairly. “Also, that’s no good. Cheating is wrong. It’s not allowed, hear me?” Her tone came with a slight sense of...pressure? It was weird.

 

But he only snorted in response. He’d never cheated on a good woman. Then again he’d rarely had a ‘good’ woman. Some of them were into that kind of thing, too. Others were the ones starting the affair themselves, and far be it from Aiden to have refused the advances of a beautiful woman looking to cheat on their husbands or boyfriends or even their girlfriends.

 

“Pfft.” Rumi couldn’t help letting out a laugh. “As if you could score with my best friend anyway. Much less score someone like moi.”

 

“Just wait until I have the body of a Greek God. I’ll be changing women like I do my bedsheets then.”

 

Naoko frowned and grew a heavy air as she drove. “Yuu--”

 

“Ha! Sure you will, tubby. The only body of a god you’ll ever have is Bes’.”

 

“That’s fine. Even he landed a fine wife like Bastet. With a woman of that quality, I wouldn’t need anyone else. What do you say, Miss Hasegawa? Care to be my--?”

 

“WATCH OUT~!”

 

An eerily familiar voice broke through the conversation. Aiden whipped his head to the side and found two figures.

 

One was a...a strange horse-thing with two horns, one where each eye should be, and a large eye where it’s forehead was. It bore four great giant grey wings--two dripping black ichor from a large gash. It barreled towards them at a breakneck pace. 

 

The second was that same cunt from his memories who ran him through with his floating greatsword. He flew higher now, about twenty feet in the air.

 

So it was real after all!

 

Immediately after the voice sounded out Naoko slammed the breaks. The car screeched and did a half-circle as it came to a stop, narrowly avoiding the collision with the creature as it sped past without a care.

 

The youth held onto his flying sword and seemed about to pass them by as well. But as soon as he got to the car he froze. He appeared to be searching for something, appearing stunned and confused as he stared at them from afar. Curiously, he descended and landed on the ground, walking to the car unnoticed by the two women.

 

“Oh my gods.” Rumi exclaimed after a moment. “Was that a Bicornaclops?!”

 

“I-I think so…” Naoko blinked.

 

Meanwhile Aiden was sprinting towards the youth with full force.

 

The youth’s eyes went wide. “You…” He muttered to himself, completely enamored with what he was sensing from the other male. “Such a strong--”

 

But Aiden slammed into him in the next instant and grabbed his robes. “You!”

 

“...Pardon?” He tilted his head. His face so girly and pretty that it was almost criminal. “Wait, what are you--? Ah!” He found himself being violently shaken.

 

“You son of a bitch, you think I forgot about you?!”