บท 10: Chapter 7: Infatuation
Meiko and Rosan's dynamic was clearly different from Robin and Rosan's.
Robin and Rosan were partners in crime who did almost everything together. Combat, espionage, looting, etc. They were used to having each others back. Of course, there were
some things Robin was better at and there were some things Rosan was better at but, after years of relying on each other, they worked in near perfect tandem with each other.
Meiko and Rosan, on the other hand, operated differently.
Meiko wasn't a fighter and she wasn't physically fit either. The two of them fighting together was very likely never going to happen so Rosan would do most of the heavy lifting.
Similarly, she didn't do anything else that Rosan was used to doing with his partner in crime.
But what the blonde girl lacked in one area, she made up for it in others.
So used was she to taking care of herself, she had become great at handling household duties. Rosan was not very good at them, so Robin normally did the bare minimum.
Meiko refused to be useless and seeing how little effort Rosan put into maintaining the cleanliness of ship, took it upon herself to do the tasks.
That was the difference in their dynamics. Rosan and Robin worked perfectly together while Meiko and Rosan worked perfectly around each other.
It was frightening how quickly they had gotten into the swing of things. The two children were scarily in sync with each other.
Robin and Rosan had taken much longer to get to the level Meiko and the boy showed (that was probably Rosan's fault for how...eccentric he had been).
The redhead didn't care that she refused to fight. The boy was more than capable of fending for himself but he forced her to workout a bit so she could at least be physically
healthy. Meiko whined nonstop about having to do it but she did it anyways.
The blonde grumbled about how she would much rather focus on other things… like medicine.
That was another great thing about her. She had wanted to be a nurse for the Marines and as a result, she was very good at dealing with injuries. Rosan at best could wrap a
gauze around his wounds but he was out of his depth when it came to actually using medicine. Robin was the same seeing as she was the one who taught Rosan how to use the
gauze.
The two normally relied on their enhanced healing factor, from being Devil Fruit users, and Mod-chan.
Meiko, being a budding medic, did not have these limitations. She had taken one look at where the medicine was normally kept and demanded that she be given funds to restock
the cabinets. Rosan had relented easily enough to her demands and told her she could restock everything that needed to be restocked.
He sighed in exasperation at the beaming grin she had sent him. It was fine if Meiko wanted to continue nursing him. She was likely the only person Rosan would let touch him
with anything remotely relating to hospitals.
The redhead had gained a healthy disdain for doctors due to his experience and if anyone approached him with a needle, he'd very likely beat them within an inch of their life.
Rosan had also gained a new found hatred for being tied up in any capacity. It gave the 9 year old too much unpleasant flashbacks and though they didn't really bother him
anymore, he'd still do good without it.
Doc was dead but he'd left his mark on him no doubt. Not only had he given Rosan a slight phobia to needles, he had begun doing things eerily similar to the deceased man.
Rosan wasn't an idiot, he had been around Doc for a majority of his time so naturally he'd pick up on some of his mannerisms.
The false cheer he had exuded when he was torturing them, his happiness at seeing people suffer... Rosan had always had a bit of a sadistic streak but it had only been enhanced
by the Doctor. Meiko's father had changed Rosan in more ways than he found comfortable.
The man was dead though, so his mannerisms didn't matter. They were Rosan's mannerisms now and he wouldn't let Doc get even a single victory over him.
Rosan was Rosan. He wasn't anyone's weapon. He was free to make his own decisions now.
Done with his musings, Rosan got up from his meditative stance. Sometimes, he would forego entering the mindscape to just meditate.
He wasn't very good at it though due to his always active mind. It didn't matter to him though. The redhead normally used it as a chance to gather all of his thoughts and it
worked to some degree.
Now, it was time to start the day.
Opening the door to exit his room, he was greeted by Meiko doing the same thing. That was another strange thing, they normally woke up and began their days at the exact same
time. Rosan sometimes thought that maybe she waited for him to leave so that she could leave at the same time, but he doubted it.
She probably just took a long time to get ready.
Meiko shot him a shy smile and waved at him. Rosan acknowledged her with a nod and she took that as cue to begin talking to him. Not like she wouldn't have done in otherwise,
she could feel that he was doing fine.
Meiko wasn't Robin, she was much less reliable and reminded Rosan a bit of himself. But Meiko didn't have to be Robin. The girl had a different set of skills that made her just as
valuable.
So what if she couldn't fight? Rosan needed to start doing things alone now anyways. He liked having a partner to watch his back but he didn't need one. She could be whatever
she wanted to be as long as it didn't impede him.
Sighing to himself, Rosan began to wonder when this girl had wormed her way into his heart.
"Here's the beri you requested. Go ahead and buy the supplies we need." Rosan told Meiko handing her a sizable amount of beri.
Meiko looked at the amount of beri with wide eyes. "R-Rosan," she choked out "Isn't this a bit too much beri?"
They had arrived to a new island and remembering her demands, Rosan had given her the necessary beri so she could get what she wanted. The only problem was that this was
way more than she anticipated!
Rosan blinked at her. Was it really? "You wanted to stock up on everything didn't you? I eat a lot and medical supplies aren't cheap so the amount I gave you, should be
adequate."
Meiko gaped at him. "It's expensive, but not 1 million beri expensive Rosan! Do we have enough to warrant giving me so much money?"
Rosan rolled his eyes. He had robbed Daybreak Island for everything they had and it was full of wealthy people. They didn't have to worry about running out of money for a long
time.
If they did ever run low on funds, it wouldn't matter, due to the fact that he was wanted to begin bounty hunting as well.
"Yes Meiko, we have more then enough. I keep it stored elsewhere so you haven't seen it but I'll show you soon. Also you need an entirely new wardrobe, the funds should be
more than enough to cover what you need," Rosan told her patiently.
Meiko felt a blush creep onto her features as Rosan finished speaking to her. He was so considerate! She had been wearing some of the clothes in Robin's room but the girl was
quite a bit taller then her so they were always loose on her slim frame. The redhead had offered to modify the clothing so they could fit but she shook her head rapidly.
The blonde didn't want to mess with anyone's clothing!
The 11 year old had asked Rosan if he traveled with Nico Robin by any chance and the way his mood soured, despite his neutral expression, let her know that he was not on the
best of terms with her.
It felt like… betrayal? Meiko wondered just what they had been through together.
Whatever the case, the mention of Robin put Rosan in a noticeably more dour mood and she hadn't brought it up again as a result.
Rosan didn't scare her but he could be scary at times.
Still, the fact that he had given her so much money to get what she wanted was touching. Bowing deeply, she thanked Rosan and he just waved her off. Then she realized
something.
"Um Rosan…what if I get robbed? A small girl like me walking around with all this money and eventually the groceries would be quite noticeable as well and I'm not super strong…"
Rosan adopted a thinking pose at her valid concerns (to which Meiko internally squealed).
If it were him, anyone who tried to rob him would be dealt with accordingly, but Meiko didn't have that luxury. He'd have gone with her but he had other matters to attend to.
"Demon," he called and within moments his mechanical copy showed up bowing on one knee. "Accompany Meiko as she buys our supplies. I trust you can handle anyone that
approaches her with malicious intent."
After a moment, he added "Be sure they don't try to scam her either. She seems likely to fall for that."
"H-hey I'm right here!" Meiko protested to which they both ignored her. The girl held her head at being dismissed so easily.
Demon bowed and said "At once sir, may I request we have some form of disguise. The chances of someone approaching us would be greatly diminished, if I were to look…
unapproachable."
Nodding Rosan walked up to the crouching Demon and placed a hand on his head. Idly he noted that the clones hair felt quite soft. "Modify: Appearance," Rosan intoned.
Meiko gasped in shock as Demon's height suddenly shot up standing at an imposing 6'0. His long flowing hair turned blonde and his eyes turned black. A scar made its way from
his temple through his eye and stopped right above his mouth. He wore a gray shirt that did nothing to hide his impressive body and baggy pants of matching color. All in all,
Demon cut quite the intimidating figure.
Rosan nodded in satisfaction as he stepped back. Meiko simply gaped in disbelief. "Rosan…WHAT WAS THAT?!" The 11 year old yelled.
The redhead startled as her pitch rose and focused a confused gaze towards her. Then it dawned on him. "Oh right," he remarked. "Even though you knew my Devil Fruit
registration was a lie, I never did tell you what it actually was."
As Rosan told her about Modification, Meiko's eyes widened in wonder.
It was incredible! She had rarely seen Devil Fruits but Rosan's sounded so versatile! But, then a thought occurred to her "Rosan if what you're saying is true... how long were you
free for when we were back at Daybreak?" She asked dreading the answer she was going to hear.
Rosan noticed her trepidation, of course he did. She no doubt noticed his hesitation to answer that question as well. He knew Meiko well enough to anticipate her reaction to his
answer. "3 months. I was free for 3 months," Rosan told her truthfully.
Her face crumbled a bit as he told her that.
Rosan called her an idiot sometimes but truthfully she was a bright girl. She could connect the dots easily enough. "But with your fruit, you wouldn't need to plot an escape…the
moment you were freed from the Seastone, you could have vanished without a trace. That means you stayed, to exact the most amount of revenge right?"
Rosan nodded, impressed by her accurate observations. "Yes that's right. In this world, anonymity is quite important or else a bounty will get slapped on your head. Due to
my...complicated life, it's in my favor if the least amount of people know who I am or what I look like," Rosan told her calmly.
"Due to the nature of Daybreak Island, multiple people already knew of my name and how I looked. To make matters worse, they come and go as they please on that island. I
wanted to take them out in one go and the tournament was the best way to do that," He finished.
Meiko looked crushed by his statements. They both silently agreed, that speaking of Meiko's home and his prison was not in their best interests and this was the reason why. The
girl looked like she was about to cry at any moment now.
Rosan was really beginning to hate seeing people cry.
This would serve as a reminder to the girl, that the boy she was traveling with was a murderer. The door to leave was always open and Rosan had made that very clear. The path
he chose to take was a dangerous one.
One he didn't want the kind girl to get involved with.
"I wonder why~," Mod-chan spoke up but Rosan steadfastly ignored her.
"Right that makes sense… especially if you want to remain anonymous…" Meiko mumbled, voice barely audible.
Rosan sighed and decided to end the conversation there. It would only get worse if it continued and he didn't want the girl to walk into town sobbing, it'd look bad for Demon. "I'm
going to go scout this island and see if there's anything of interest, I'll be back sometime during the night. Feel free to use Angel and Demon as you see fit."
Rosan easily modified his current outfit into his go to disguise.
His long black cloak flowed gently in the wind, as he donned on the same outfit he had worn when he first met Robin. There were some key differences though. Whereas before
the cloak had been all black, there were now white streaks all across the outfit. The sleeves were tinged in more white then black and the same applied to the edges of his hoodie
and the bottom of the cloak. His mask was currently inverted (he still had the white one), it was now all black with a white rose carved into the side of it.
Though, it was unlikely that someone would see his mask anyways.
Meiko looked at him in awe and gave a small applause. "You look amazing Rosan! But... don't you think it's a bit suspicious to walk around dressed like that?" She asked curiously.
"Maybe but I'd rather not risk it. Besides it's better to be suspicious and unknown then to be suspicious and known, especially with an appearance as distinct as mine," was the
masked boy's simple response.
She nodded at his logic. He was right about having a unique appearance. Red hair, bronze skin and he was heterochromatic? The boy stuck out like a sore thumb (in a good way!
But not good for him). He was right to be cautious, even though this disguise would warrant even more suspicion.
She smiled to herself, Rosan was quite the show-off without knowing it.
"You should get an altered appearance as well," Rosan began looking at her. "I'd rather you not get linked back to anything involving me."
Meiko shook her head rapidly in denial. "No thank you! My appearance is my own and I don't want to change it! If you're really adamant about it I'll wear a hat but I want to stay
the same," She said firmly.
Rosan admired her desire to keep her appearance. Acknowledging her wishes, he handed her a sunhat and some shades. After a moment he grabbed one of his Space Bags and
modified it into a black purse with a rose on it. "Here you can have this. I've modified it to expand the internal size of the bag so you can place the money in there."
Blue eyes shining, she gratefully accepted the bag. Thanking him profusely, Meiko grabbed Demon's arm and dragged him off the ship. Rosan watched with amusement as his
clone was forcefully dragged away by the much smaller girl.
Turning towards Angel, Rosan said "Relocate the White Rose until Demon notifies you when they are arriving." Angel saluted and Rosan leapt off the ship.
With Meiko dealt with, Rosan focused on what he planned on doing. He didn't have one set in stone, but he had a general idea on where he wanted to go.
Rosan hummed and vanished.
Meiko had found Demon quite intimidating when she first saw him but her fears were unwarranted. Her conversations with the synthetic clone had made her quite fond of him
now. It reminded her not to judge a book by its cover.
He was polite like Rosan but in a way that seemed more genuine and unlike his creator, she couldn't tell what he was thinking so it made the conversation much more fresh. She
no longer felt unease when she was around him. Meiko could confidently say she much preferred Demon over Angel.
Angel was scary.
While Demon didn't intimidate her anymore, his stone faced demeanor and overall appearance did a great job at intimidating everyone else. They had been given quite a wide
berth since entering the island and people were actively avoiding the duo.
Meiko was glad for that. According to Demon, she looked like a wealthy girl and people would no doubt try to take advantage of her. She wore a white and blue sundress to
accompany her sunhat and shades and, coupled with the black purse she looked like someones rich daughter, Demon's rich daughter, based on the peoples reactions.
Making her way into the pharmacy, Meiko hummed a tune as she waved at the lone employee there. The young man shot her an annoyed look that quickly vanished when he
made eye contact with Demon. Nervously he waved back at her and she shot him a beaming grin.
The blonde girl stifled a giggle, as she heard Demon snort quietly in amusement. She felt a little bad, but the worker didn't have to be rude! Browsing the aisle, she made sure
that what she picked up was actually what she needed.
She had chosen the pharmacy first because their supplies would be the most expensive. It would be best to buy everything she needed here first then decide her course of action
afterwards. The other items wouldn't be nearly as expensive as the medicinal supplies.
Demon was staring down the young man again and the poor employee was getting visibly nervous. Resisting the urge to laugh out loud, she instead slapped the clones arm and
he finally relented. She felt a smug sense of superiority from the clone, as he focused his attention on what she was buying.
She soon finished picking what she needed and made her way to the counter to have the cashier ring up her order. He kept shooting glances at Demon, clearly anxious in his
presence and the clone seemed to soak it all in. She probably should have had him wait by the door if she knew he was gonna harass the man so much.
For a clone of Rosan, he sure did have a mischievous streak.
As if proving her point a smooth deep voice spoke up asking "Is there something on my face, Thomas?"
The cashier, who she assumed to be Thomas, let out a yelp as he stammered out an "Uh N-no sir, not at all! J-just wondering how you got that scar is all!" He tried frantically to
escape Demon's non existent wrath with an excuse.
Meiko facepalmed at his actions. Upon closer inspection she saw that he had a name tag that read out "Thomas". That explained how Demon knew his name. Sighing in
exasperation, the blonde interrupted their conversation and soothingly said "I'm sorry about him, he's just teasing you."
"How much do we owe you?" the 11 year old asked, after shooting Demon a look that told him to behave.
Snapping his attention to her, he shot her a grateful look, before he said "T-that will be 30,000 beris miss."
He tried hard not to look at the amused Clone and Meiko took out the necessary amount and handed it to him. So hasty was he in wanting them to depart, he didn't even count
the money.
Meiko had given him the right amount though. He was lucky the 11 year old was an upstanding citizen or else he could have potentially gotten in trouble!
She handed all the medicine to Demon as they departed and he smoothly stored them in his own bag. She looked fascinated at the fact that the bags size didn't increase at all. He
then told her that the bag was connected to a room in the ship and Angel would sort them out.
Meiko shuddered at that, she hoped Angel wasn't upset at having to do her work.
Still, she wanted to know just what he had been doing back there.
Turning towards Demon, with her hands on her hip, Meiko asked him "What were you doing to that poor employee?" She tried to look disappointed, but she failed to hide the
laughter in her voice.
Demon simply shrugged and responded "He was being rude to you so I decided to be rude to him is all. There's no need to be upset with someone for existing especially not when
that someone is as kind as you."
Meiko blushed in appreciation at his kind words. Shyly looking down, she bashfully thanked him and rushed off to their next location.
Yes, she definitely enjoyed Demon's presence.
Rosan stared at his clawed hands and dismissed them with just a thought. His training was coming along nicely.
He had been practicing transforming different parts of his body into that of his dragon form with great success. He hoped that by doing this, he could get a feel on how it felt to
transform into a dragon again.
This also doubled as a way to see if he could control the size of his dragon in the future.
It was interesting to note that he could still utilize some of the Dragon's abilities while not in the form. The scorch marks of his unique draconic fire around the clearing was
testament to that.
When disguised however, he probably wanted to avoid transforming into a dragon. He doubted there were much dragons around (were there any?) and it wouldn't take a genius to
make the obvious connection that it was him.
He loved the feeling of flying though so he'd have to think of an alternative. He didn't need another full transformation, all he wanted was a way of flying. Perhaps he could apply
his dragon training?
Cupping his chin, Rosan decided that yes, all he needed to do was give himself a pair of wings. There was no need to fully transform. The wings of his dragon were out of the
question.
He wanted to avoid linking this disguise to that of his dragon because Rosan wanted to be the one to transform into the dragon. The redhead wanted to treat this disguise as a
completely different person.
The more different they were, the less likely people would make the connection and if things ever went bad, he could just abandon the disguise and none would be the wiser.
He'd have to completely revamp himself in his disguise.
Thinking about it, Rosan concluded that the best course of action was to just use the scythe when in his disguise. He hated that weapon so removing it from his arsenal when he
was Rosan, would not hurt him at all. Since it happened to also be one of his best weapons, his disguise would also not lose anything out of it.
A win-win.
Decision made, Rosan went back to his first dilemma. He ruled out insects and avians off his list. Insect wings were fragile and would not benefit him in the slightest they were
also not built for traveling long periods of times. Also, they looked gross.
Bird-like wings, would be ideal but there weren't any that caught his attention. Some bird wings were not sturdy enough to carry him, he was much too heavy for that and though
there were possibly some birds that could support him Rosan wasn't too fond of how they looked. Besides he'd much rather continue the theme of using fantasy as a means to
transform.
His breakthrough with the dragon transformation proved that as long as he thought he could do it, he would be able to.
Now, he just needed to find a suitable replacement. The 9 year old had seen a library when making his way to the fields, so maybe he'd find something there.
He could also look for a material to make himself the ideal weapon. He didn't want to buy a weapon, they were prone to rust and break unless they were top quality. Rosan didn't
have the experience to tell if something was top quality or not so the next best solution was to make the top quality weapon himself.
Thinking to himself, Rosan figured he'd find a blacksmith and force him to teach the boy how to do the art. Books were useful but he would need hands on experience to make
sure he did everything right. He wasn't sure there were any local blacksmiths on the island though, so he'd save that for another day.
He had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. Namely, the library.
Done with his musings, Rosan stood up and turned in the direction of where he saw the library. Rosan slowly walked out of the clearing as he thought about what he could pick.
Maybe he could transform into a phoenix? No, Rosan didn't fancy the fiery birds very much…
Besides, he already had something that could use fire and dragons were cooler.
"How do I look?" Meiko asked spinning happily in a black and red dress. She didn't normally wear these colors, but she had decided it was time for a change.
Yep… that was definitely it... No other reason at all.
Demon, holding a multitude of bags already, nodded and said "You look great. You're attempt to get Masters attention will be greatly increased if you wear that. He's a big fan of
black and red."
Meiko immediately flushed and she frantically began waving her hands in denial. "W-what makes you t-think this is for Rosan! I just wanted to add a bit more colors to my
wardrobe and I saw this dress! It's not like… was it really that obvious?" She slumped over in defeat at getting caught so easily.
Demon for his part just bluntly said "Very obvious," and her head slumped even further.
They had recently finished shopping for groceries. Meiko had used a generous amount of funds (less than what she had paid for the medical supplies, though it was supposed to
be more...) to stock up on everything they needed. Rosan had a large appetite (he said it was because of his Devil Fruit) and he could really eat a lot so she thought buying as
much food as possible was the best course of action.
Everything she bought, was currently on the ship and was, no doubt, being sorted by Angel. That Space Bag (what a silly name!) of his really was incredibly useful. She had hoped
that the trip to buy groceries was not as eventful as the medical supply shop but she should have known not to tempt fate.
Flashback
Meiko had finished getting everything she needed.
She was currently in the market buying groceries for the ship. She had a hunch that Rosan had quite the appetite and Demon agreed so she figured she could buy a lot of things.
She hummed as she picked out the necessities.
Demon, ever vigilant, kept a critical eye on what she bought. Perhaps he was trying to see if she got anything Rosan was allergic to? He hadn't mentioned being allergic to
anything but maybe he was just embarrassed about telling her.
That was a pretty adorable thought. Rosan stammering about what he couldn't eat, with a red face. Meiko resisted the urge to squeal.
Flashing a quick smile at the clone instead, she was happy to see him flash her a small one back. She was curious about the clone truthfully. She had thought he was a perfect
copy of Rosan but they were quite different in personality.
Angel too, was unlike them both. Was this intentional from Rosan to differentiate between them?
She thought just the only way to tell them apart was by their appearance and what they were wearing. Demon tended to wear dark clothes and had a set of crimson eyes much
like Rosan's left eye.
Angel, on the other hand, wore lighter clothes and his eyes were a chilly purple similar to Rosan's right eye.
That wasn't all though. Their personalities were very different from each other as well.
Demon though he looked the more intimidating of the two, was actually quite polite and helpful. He always answered her questions in a genuine tone and he was easy to talk too.
When Rosan wasn't available to talk to, the blonde found herself consulting Demon instead and the clone never turned her away!
Meiko quite liked him and she felt like maybe he was fond of her too!
Angel on the other hand... Despite looking much more gentle than his brother, he was more of a Demon then Demon was! More than once she found herself in an uncomfortable
situation of the purple eyed clone just staring her down judgmentally. He had a thinly veiled politeness to him and every question she asked, made her feel dumb just for asking
him.
She had the distinct feeling that Angel didn't like her but that was okay! Maybe she'd get to know him better after a talk.
Despite being twin copies of Rosan, they were both unique in their own ways. Between the two, Angel was very obviously the one used to being the leader and Demon was much
more used to taking orders. They got along with each other seemingly well and worked together in seamless harmony. It was fascinating to look at.
They were like a well oiled machine!
This was another reminder on how different all 3 of them were. As Meiko went to ring up her order, Demon standing some ways away looking at something, the cashier had taken
one look at her and immediately said "That'll be 80,000 beris Ma'am."
As she fished for the right amount, a hand grabbed her gently and gave her pause. Looking up, she saw Demon glaring at the cashier and he scowled. "That's not the correct
price," the clone said, causing Meiko to look back at the cashier in shock.
Had he been trying to scam her? Was she really going to fall for it too? Why was Rosan right?!
The cashier immediately wilted under his gaze. "A-ah I'm s-sorry sir I wasn't aware that you were keeping her company!" the man shrunk under his deepening glare.
"So if I was not here, you'd have properly scammed her?" He rumbled in deep dissatisfaction.
Realizing his mistake, the cashier shook his head so hard Meiko was afraid it was about to fall off "N-no I didn't… I mean! I-"
"Trying to profit off of a little girl? How pathetic," Demon began and it was at that moment, the cashier began fearing for his life. The intimidating clone smiled however and said
"Lucky for you, I'm a nice guy so I'll ignore your previous transgressions if you can do something for me."
Nodding vigorously, the scammer said "Of course sir! Thank you for forgiving me for this horrible mistake and I'm sorry I even thought of it!"
Demon, still smiling, nodded along with the man and asked him "Can you tell us the actual price of the groceries?"
"R-right away sir! Your total is 40k beris sir!" Was the employees response as he bowed repeatedly.
He had intended to charge her double?! Meiko glared at the man and he paled as he saw Demon notice. The clone, for his part, pat her and told her to calm down.
"40k? Alright, give him half of that," Demon said cheerfully.
Understanding dawned on Meiko's face, as confusion bloomed on the cashier's. Said confusion, turned into an anxious expression as he tried to reason with him.
"B-but sir I-I run a business here I can't possibly accept half of the actual price," He stammered out. He was immediately silenced as the clones glare returned in full force.
"That doesn't sound like my problem at all. You were willing to scam a little girl so I'm willing to accept my discount now," was his ruthless response.
The cashier tried to argue but Demon shut it down completely. He finally gave up on trying to convince him when the currently blonde man actually snarled at him. It was funny to
see the man turn white as a sheet and his sudden agreement at the entire process.
Meiko watched in awe as Demon practically bullied someone all for her. She looked at the clone in admiration as she handed over 20k beris to the defeated cashier. The blonde felt
a bit bad, but he had been trying to take advantage of her.
What little mercy she had was stamped at this fact.
With that done, they both made their way out of the market with an air of victory. As they walked out of sight of most of the citizens Demon took out his bag and began storing all
the groceries inside of it. His neutral expression had returned as he focused on his task.
"Demon?" She called out. He paused what he was doing to look up at her questioningly. She hesitated before rushing the clone of Rosan and engulfing him. "Thank you for helping
me so much! I really appreciate you," she muffled into his shirt.
Demon's surprise was palpable but he recovered like a champ. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her smaller frame to recuperate the hug. "You're welcome Meiko, I quite like
your presence so it was my pleasure," he said softly.
She let out a hum of happiness and hugged him tighter.
Demon decided there, that he'd be Meiko's guardian. The girl couldn't defend herself so he'd be the one to do it. Neither Angel or Master would mind so he was sure it would be
accepted quite easily.
Meiko decided she would be treating all 3 like their own person because that's what they were. She had been doing it before but, her interactions with him really drove home that
Demon was his own person, despite being a clone. The blue eyed girl idly wondered how Angel was like one on one, before shuddering.
Maybe it was better for her to stick with Demon for now.
Present
Demon was a sweetheart and Meiko really appreciated him. She was glad Rosan decided to give them emotions to better identify who was who.
She'd have to repay Demon somehow for being her escort for the day. The clone had not complained even once, despite the extreme amount of everything she bought. He just
held the bought materials until it was time for him to store them away.
They had now finished shopping and were walking back to the ship. The sun had gone down and the pulsing summer heat had been replaced by a cool gentle breeze. She
shuddered a bit and Demon must have noticed, because he put one hand on her and she warmed up considerably.
"I have a portion of Modification—being Rosan's clone," he answered seeing her questioning glance. "It's not nearly enough to do the things he can do but I'm capable of at least
warming you up."
She smiled gratefully at him. He was so pleasant to be around, she wasn't used to having someone be this considerate to her. He still had some of Rosan in him after all.
Meiko glanced around a bit and a confused expression appeared on her face. "I don't think the ship was this way was it?" She asked him.
"Angel relocated on Masters orders. I'm bringing you to the new location," he told her. She nodded at his explanation accepting it without much questioning. Rosan was cautious
enough to definitely do that so she had no reason to doubt him.
They continued walking at a leisurely pace. Meiko was thinking about what to make for dinner tonight when she felt something trip her. Yelping in shock, she began falling and was
easily caught by Demon.
Indignation popped up on her face when she realized he was the one that tripped her. Preparing to scold him, she was silenced when Demon, still holding her, leaned forward and
whispered "We're being followed, don't act suspicious. I'm going to lure them into an area and eliminate them. You don't need to worry, I've already assessed their levels and they
are not a threat."
Eyes wide, Meiko shakily nodded and Demon hauled her upright. They continued walking at the same pace they had set before, though Meiko was noticeably more tense.
The blonde was nervous and scared. What did they want from them? Were they trying to steal from them or were they trying to kidnap her. She didn't want to get kidnapped sshe wanted to stay with Rosan and Demon and even Angel. She didn't wanna leave them—
Demon rubbed her arm in a soothing fashion and she immediately calmed down.
She was being silly, Demon was here and he'd make sure she stayed safe. She had full faith in him and her acting like this, was just going to make them look suspicious.
Finally, Demon stopped in the middle of a clearing and she followed suit. At his prompting she hid behind a tree close to him so she could watch. After a moment of deliberation
she grabbed onto the nearest branch and slowly scaled the tree. She managed to make it to the safe spot just in time.
Demon turned to face the new arrivals. 3 adults, 2 men and 1 woman, walked through the foliage to greet him. "Well well, look what we have here," the man on the left said. He
was scrawny and short, shorter then Demon in his disguise, with shaggy brown hair framing a normal. He had a false sense of bravado about him, most likely because of the
dagger he was holding.
"We saw you…touring the island with your daughter. You both look quite wealthy so we were wondering if you'd be willing to accommodate us with a small sum of money," said the
man on the right. His hair was a shoulder length black and he had a dirty white shirt on with ripped jeans. Similar to the other man he was wielding a weapon, a bat, in his hands.
"Lets not make this too hard handsome," the lone woman said flirtatiously. She wore a revealing dress that showed a large amount of cleavage. She had blonde hair that seemed
dyed and a lot of makeup on her face.
"Just give us all you've got and we won't have to hurt you or your daughter… speaking of which," The girl looked around in confusion before asking "Are you afraid we're gonna
hurt her so you decided to hide her? No need to worry, you have our word that we'll leave after we get what we came here for."
Demon stayed completely silent as he opted to just stare them down. Did people like this actually exist? This wasn't some type of ironic joke?
They lost a bit of their bravado at how unbothered he looked, but chalked it up as him playing tough.
Wow, people like this really did exist. What a thought.
Rolling his eyes at their unwillingness to back down, He cracked his gloved knuckles and began slowly walking towards them. They had threatened his charge and so he needed to
ensure they were eliminated. They didn't look like they could even fight, merely relying on intimidation tactics and the safety of their weapons.
The fight would be over quickly.
True to his words, the fight had ended pathetically quickly. He wasn't as small as he was used to being so the fighting style that he inherited from Rosan was out of the table. That
hardly hindered him though. He had used his newfound height and ever present strength to beat down his opponents.
It was quite funny to see the sheer shock on their face, when they had successfully stabbed him only for him to completely ignore it and continue his assault.
Demon may have looked human but he certainly wasn't one.
One punch to each of their domes, had rendered them unconscious. Now he stood there, looking at their limp bodies, so he could decide the best course of action. They probably
had to die, couldn't afford to leave loose ends aliv-
"Wow Demon, you're really strong," a voice interrupted his musing. Looking back he saw Meiko staring at him in awe, she looked at the defeated enemies in pity and Demon
sighed fondly at her antics. He knew where this was going.
Best to just address it now.
"You look like your about to ask me a question," Demon told her. "Let me guess, you're about to ask me not to dispose of them correct?" The clone asked Meiko, making her jump
in surprise.
The blonde looked at him with wide eyes, "How did you know that? Are you able to use Rosan's connection to me too?!" Was her baffled questions.
Demon resisted the urge to facepalm and simply told her "You're like an open book Meiko. I don't have Masters connection to you, you're just incredibly easy to read."
The girl held her head in defeat at his honesty. "Yeah that sounds about right…" she mumbled. It didn't take her too long to perk back up though and she said "Please don't kill
them! They're just being really dumb!"
Shuddering a bit she asked him "I think they've learned their lesson so can we just go back to the ship please?"
Ah, she was afraid. He didn't blame her, the girl probably wasn't used to seeing such violence. How she evaded seeing the fights happening on her island? Demon had no clue.
Maybe her parents did care for her if they sheltered her this much.
Well no matter, he'd comply with her wish to leave. She was rightfully afraid and wanted to leave the source of her fears. It was admirable that she refused to punish the criminals
any further so Demon would not kill them.
To Meiko's relief, Demon stepped away from the three and walked past her. He continued walking and after a moment he looked back at her and said "Well? We won't make it to
the ship if you stand there all night."
Meiko blinked in shock. Had it been Rosan, he'd probably have killed them just to spite her. The boy didn't like being told what to do and if he could, he would actively seek to do
the opposite.
The blue eyed girl smiled a brilliant smile at the fact that Demon had actually listened to her. She quickly jogged to catch up to the clone and together, the two made their way
back to the ship.
Meiko failed to realize just how protective of her Demon had become. Trying to scam the 11 year old was one thing, but actively trying to rob her? With weapons?
Unforgivable.
"Master, 3 bodies. Attempted robbery with weapon. Verdict: Death. Sending location," the younger clone of Rosan relayed through their connection. With that out of the way, he
focused on guiding Meiko back to the ship.
He may be nicer but that only applied to Meiko.
Rosan had been cooped up in the library all day reading about various topics of interest.
He was in an isolated area, surrounded by a pile of books so as to avoid the eye of the masses. He knew how distinct his disguise could be and he already drew quite a few eyes.
They probably didn't fear him much due to his height and that was fine.
When he had first walked in, the already silent library had somehow gotten quieter. Ignoring the very obvious stares, Rosan had walked up to the librarian and stood there until
she noticed him.
She was relatively young, about 17 years old. She had brown hair set up in a messy bun that had strands lying in front of her face. Red glasses sat on her face and she was
reading a book of her own. A name tag sat neatly on her chest that read "Carmen".
Looking up, she let out a small gasp at the black and white clad figure staring at her. She couldn't make out anything besides their outfit.
Who was...?
"May you tell me where the fantasy section is located please?" Rosan asked in an androgynous voice. He had modified it to be genderless in nature so that people would have a
difficult time identifying whether he was a boy or a girl. It never hurt to be too careful and if people were unsure of his gender it allowed Rosan to be more free.
Though, wasn't everyone's default guess to a gender, male anyways? Maybe he should pretend to be a girl then? With Modification, it would be easy to fool people. The boy
distinctly remembered an adventure he had with Robin and embarrassingly crushed that idea.
Nah, genderless it was.
"U-um down that way and take a left, you'll find the fantasy section next to other fiction books," Carmen relaxed just a bit at his question. She probably thought he was a
cosplayer who was far too into his costume.
He wouldn't dissuade her of that notion. It was unnecessary.
Nodding his head in thanks, he made his way to where she had told him to go. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for and within moments, he was sat in his
isolated area surrounded by books that potentially had what he was looking for.
It hadn't taken him very long to decide on what wings he'd get. He had made his decision after reading his 2nd book on mythical creatures that could fly.
Angel wings.
At first he had considered Pegasus wings, but he didn't like how they appeared. They curved outward in a way that he didn't like and their overall appearance didn't appeal to him.
Too stiff and short.
He contemplated on what wings would suit all his wants. Pegasus wasn't bad but Rosan was vain and the wings looked dumb on the Pegasus so they'd definitely look stupid on
him.
That's part of the reason why he had decided on Angel wings. The other was when Angel had relayed the location of the ship to him and he had thanked his clone. Then it had
occurred to him.
Why not just use Angel wings?
Finding a book on Angels, Rosan had seen an image of them and made up his mind that these were what he wanted. They were feathery so they fit the birdlike theme he had
been looking for and they weren't stiff and straight like a Pegasus' wing. They would curve down his entire back and he should have no problem folding them against his back.
They were much longer and they had the benefit of looking better too. The cherry on top, was that it wasn't a full transformation like the Pegasus.
Rosan didn't want to learn how to transform into the horse-like creature just to only utilize its wings. The 9 year old didn't like horses and he would never use the transformation
as a result. Angel was the perfect choice for him, it would only give him a set of wings to use since they were humanoid.
Mind set, Rosan memorized the contents of the book on Angels so that he could practice summoning the wings. They were similar in a way to bird wings but had key differences
that would make it much more difficult. Rosan was confident however that summoning a pair of wings was much easier then transforming into a dragon.
Hopefully it didn't take 5 years...
It had only taken Rosan 1 hour to find his desired wings and he was relieved at the results.
Seeing that he had plenty of time to spare, Rosan had decided to start looking into materials for the weapon he'd make in the future. He wanted something very durable. Sure if
his weapon ever got destroyed, he could just Restore it into its original condition. But, if it broke in the middle of battle that would be precious seconds wasted that could cost
him his life.
The redhead had already lost due to wasting seconds, he wouldn't make that same mistake again.
He also wanted a material that was flexible. Rosan was versatile, that's what his style of Modification was all about. Overwhelm the opponent with multiple options. Become an
unstoppable force of nature.
He wanted something that would be easily receptive to Modification, but he wasn't sure that was possible.
He didn't want to use one weapon in a fight, he wanted to use all the ones in his arsenal. That way, his opponent would never have time to adjust to his style until it was too late.
As such, his weapon would have to be one that could easily transform.
Maybe he could incorporate Modification into the weapon somehow…
It was a thought for later. For now, he'd have to find a suitable material.
Rosan didn't anticipate finding a material would be so hard though. Metals were too inflexible. Steel, iron, aluminum, bronze, etc... none of them fit his needs. He had been
strongly considering titanium, but it also had the problem of being too rigid.
"You're thinking like me, Rosan. Be a bit more flexible in deciding the appropriate material. Think outside the box, if you can't find the right material… just make
it! You have me after all."
Just make it.
Such a solution was not one many people thought of because they didn't have the means to actually do it.
But Rosan did have the means because Rosan had Modification.
He smiled at the idea Mod-chan gave him. He was normally the more creative of the two so the fact that she had been the one to give him this idea, meant they were both
growing in their own ways.
"Thank you Mod-chan. I feel a bit dumb for not thinking of that," Rosan said, glad that his partner was so reliable.
"It's no problem Rosan! We're partners so it's my job to help you out when you're stuck in situations like this," was Mod's warm reply.
With a now more open mind, Rosan stopped reading books on only ores and decided to expand his horizon. Even if he were making a weapon with his very own material, he'd still
need a base. Modification didn't rely on miracles so Rosan still needed to find a material that would bend to his will.
He had been in this one spot for the entire day. He'd only move occasionally to pick up a new book and place an old one back in its location. He wasn't rude (Mod snorted at that)
and he didn't feel like staying longer than necessary just putting books away.
He hadn't missed the appreciative glance the librarian shot at him. She was probably used to cleaning up after the people here.
Speaking of which, it had become so late that the only two people currently occupying the library, were him and said librarian. Rosan exhausted nearly every book and his
annoyance must have slipped through, because he saw the librarian warily approaching him.
Before she could speak up, Rosan interrupted her. "Don't worry. I'll be leaving before the closing time, just tell me when you start closing and I'll begin putting the rest of my
books away."
She was clearly surprised by the fact that despite being focused so intently on the book, he had still noticed her approach. The teen hastily denied his claims and said "No that's
not why I'm here! I noticed you reading through an abnormal amount of books and was curious as to what you were looking for?" After a moment she added "I'm Carmen by the
way. I mostly work here alone."
Rosan looked up from his book to regard the woman. She shifted uncomfortably as the masked figure stared her down. "I'm reading about materials. Trying to find an interesting
one has proven to be quite difficult however," Rosan eventually told her.
Taking a look at the current book he was reading, Rare Stones, She nodded in understanding "I completely understand what you're getting at." Adopting a thinking pose she took
a look at him for a couple moments before a veritable light bulb appeared over her head. "One moment please!" The librarian said before rushing off.
Rosan watched her vanish behind the shelves of books with a somewhat confused expression before shrugging to himself, Rosan shut the book and waited for her to show up.
That book was another dud anyways.
It didn't take Carmen long to come back. She walked towards him excitedly holding a book in her hand. When she made it to his little table, she held the book expectantly towards
him.
Slowly grabbing it, Rosan looked curiously at the book. It read in big bold letters "The Philosopher's Stone".
Looking at the triumphant librarian, Rosan asked her "What is this?"
Carmen puffed up and said "I saw the book you were reading and thought since you were reading on rare stones, I'd give you the most interesting one in here! It's a book about a
mythical item called the Philosopher's Stone."
She deflated a bit "It's capable of doing incredible things but it's not real. It's a really good read though so enjoy! We close at midnight so you have about 2 more hours left." With
that, she waved at him and left to go get any books that were out of place.
Humming to himself, Rosan figured there was no harm in reading this book. At best, he'd find a suitable material to use. At worst, another dud. This would probably be the last
one he read before he headed back to the ship.
He didn't want to stay on this island any longer.
Reading this book was the best decision he had made today.
This Philosopher's Stone… it was exactly what he needed! If he used this stone as a base, he could possibly get the perfect weapon he wanted. Honestly, he could use it for more
than just a weapon. The capabilities of this stone was nothing short of incredible!
It was unlikely that he'd be able to make a stone that did exactly what this book did but, he could create and modify it to be suitable enough for a weapon. He doubted that it had
the properties to grant immortality but, maybe it could mimic the effects. Rosan didn't care about achieving immortality, he just wanted a weapon that wouldn't break.
Perhaps he could use the immortality aspect to give it regenerative properties…
What was even better, was what the stone could do. It was said to be capable of turning metals into gold. Rosan didn't give a damn about getting gold, he could get money in
other ways, but the implications of that meant if he used this stone as a base, he'd likely have a good chance of getting a flexible weapon that was able to bend to his will easily.
Like Carmen said, the stone didn't exist. While that would be the end of the road for most people, Rosan wasn't most people. As long as he had an idea of where to start, he'd be
able to make the mythical stone.
First, he'd find out how to make the Philosopher's Stone, then he would use the Philosopher's Stone to make himself the perfect weapon, and finally, he'd figure out what else he
could do with the stone. He'd be the first and only person in the world to have access to it, who knows what he could achieve with something that didn't exist.
For the first time in a while, Rosan was excited at the prospect of learning something new. It wouldn't be easy, it would be even harder then transforming into a dragon but Rosan
had transformed into one despite how unlikely it was. This was not a matter of could he do it, this was a matter of when he did it.
He was in no rush so he'd do some more research on the weapon until he was positive he knew what to do.
"Master, 3 bodies. Attempted robbery with weapon. Verdict: Death. Sending location."
Rosan shut the book abruptly. Demon wanted him to kill 3 people? He probably avoided doing it himself due to being in the presence of Meiko. Very well, he would handle it.
Placing all his books in their original location, Rosan walked up to Carmen, who was busy sorting her own set of books and softly called her name. She jumped in fright and whirled
around, before calming down when she noticed who it was that called her. "Aha sorry about that… I'm really not used to anyone being here at this time of the day," she told him,
clearly embarrassed.
"I didn't mean to startle you," Rosan began before handing her back the book. "You were right. This really was interesting. I've learned a lot and I wanted to thank you for giving
me this book." He nodded in appreciation at her and she flushed at his sincerity.
"I-it was no problem! I'm just happy to see another person who appreciates reading as much as I do!" Carmen smiled happily at him. "Are you leaving now?" She asked him.
Rosan simply nodded. "Something has come up and I've overstayed my visit. No need to worry about my presence being a bother anymore," was his cool response.
"No no I wasn't bothered at all by your presence!" The librarian denied instantly. "I actually enjoyed it very much! Like I said, it's not often that someone stays to keep me
company… it can be quite creepy at night."
Glancing around at the large library, he dryly said "I can imagine."
She let out a small giggle at his response. He was dressed strangely but he was a polite and enjoyable presence. She wasn't sure what he was dressing like that for but she just
chalked it off as him dressing in a costume for a party or something.
"Right, I must get going now. Goodbye Carmen," Rosan did a small wave before walking away and out of the door.
Carmen waved back and turned around before a thought occurred to her. Rushing outside she yelled a "WAIT!" and glanced in both directions.
Nothing.
Blinking in confusion at the empty streets, Carmen sighed out "I didn't even get their name…"
Rosan had disposed of the bodies easily enough. They were already unconscious when he arrived to the seen so he just finished the job Demon had no doubt been about to finish.
Hm...Demon seemed quite fond of Meiko. Rosan hadn't put much thought into it, but he had noticed immediately that Demon and Angel acted distinctively different then him.
They didn't even act similar to each other. Rosan hadn't thought to put emotions into them when he had made them and so he didn't. That could only mean...
"Mod-chan."
"…"
"Mod-chan," he repeated patiently.
"Why did you wake me up Rosan. I was having a nice dream," A tired voice replied.
"You don't sleep unless you're crushing me into you, Mod-chan."
"Well there's a first time for everything."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…Okay it was me," she confessed sheepishly.
"I know," Rosan sighed in exasperation. "But why? I'm not upset about it, I just want to know your reasoning," he asked curiously.
"Well for a while, I wanted to see if it was possible to implement emotions into something since before meeting you, I lacked any myself," Mod explained. Seeing
as she now had emotions, surely Modification had played some part in that. "When you created Angel and Demon they initially had no emotions so I figured they would
be the perfect experiments," the woman said with a shrug.
"So I presume you took control of my body and implemented emotions into them?" The boy questioned, getting a nod from Mod. "Well, at least we got our answer questioned. I
never thought to check if I can modify emotions but with that knowledge, perhaps I can make good use of it."
Now that he thought about it...he had just casually created clones of himself that were equipped with their own emotions. Wasn't that kind of a big deal?
Eh. Let someone else worry about that.
"In regards to Demon and Angel, I didn't give them any specific personality… What I did rather,was unlock their ability to feel. The personalities they have
developed have nothing to do with me or even you for that matter."
"Every time I learn something new about you Mod-chan I get more and more impressed," Rosan hummed in contemplation. "Alright, I'll keep this noted. There's nothing wrong
with them having emotions. In fact this is quite the boon. It's better to have subordinates with feelings, than mindless slaves."
"I'm glad you're so receptive to this idea Rosan but something tells me you're going to be quite nefarious with this information," Mod-chan said amused.
"You've known me for 5 years Mod-chan, when have I ever given off that vibe?"
"...Goodnight Rosan," and the connection was abruptly shut.
"You can't sleep without me Mod-chan."
"…"
"Mod-chan?"
After his pleasant conversation with Mod-chan, Rosan had finally arrived to the relocated ship. Jumping on the deck, Rosan was greeted by the smell of… pasta?
He loved pasta.
"Oh Rosan you're back!" A voice called excitedly. Looking in the direction he heard it, Rosan was greeted by Meiko who had just exited the shower. He paused as he took in her
appearance.
Still wet from the after effects of taking a shower, Meiko had foregone the twintails and instead let her golden blonde hair run freely down her back. She was no longer wearing
Robin's clothes. Instead she had on a long black and red robe that stopped just above her bare feet. She was smiling at him brightly.
"Cute," Rosan thought idly as he expertly ignored Mod-chan swooning in the background.
Dipping his head, Rosan greeted her with a simple "Greetings, Meiko." Staring at her a bit, he offhandedly said "I like your robe."
Rosan had no clue why that comment made her so happy but the way she lit up made him resist smiling himself.
She probably felt it though. Damn connection...
"Really?! I like it too! That's why I bought it… I recently really started liking red and black and so when I saw it, I had to have it! Demon and I had so much fun today!" She
exclaimed, sounding excited. Rosan just patiently listened to her talk about her day as she led him to dinner.
Passing by Demon, who he reverted back into his original form, Meiko waved enthusiastically at him to which he smiled and waved back before bowing deeply to Rosan.
Rosan waved him off and said "Well done Demon. You've performed admirably," the redhead praised with a nod. "Based on the questioning look in your eyes, I take it you wish to
continue being Meiko's guard?"
His eyes widened considerably at Rosan's bluntness before he replied "Yes Master, if that's alright with you."
Rosan looked at Meiko and told her "It's your decision. Whether he continues being your guardian or not, is of no concern to me."
Without any hesitation, Meiko nodded vigorously "I'd love that! Demon and I get along really well and we had a lot of fun today! Please please please let him come with me again,"
she pleaded with large eyes.
"I just said it was your decision," Rosan said and his voice was tinged with a bit of amusement.
Meiko flushed at his statement, he probably thought she was pretty dumb. But hey, that meant she could go on more adventures with Demon!
"Thank you Rosan!" Meiko hugged Rosan in glee. Naturally he went a bit stiff, before relaxing. He didn't hug her back but that was fine. At least he was more accepting of the
hugs!
"It's no problem. I was gone for quite a while. Did you eat already?" Rosan asked her. He had a feeling he knew what her answer was going to be.
Honestly, the girl was far too considerate.
As he expected, she shook her head no. "I wanted to wait to eat with you! You really didn't take that long, I had to organize my clothes a bit and Demon helped me with that.
Then I decided to reward my hard work with a shower. Did I ever tell you how awesome your shower is?! I've never seen anything like it! It's so cooool!"
It was a good thing Rosan didn't talk as much anymore because Meiko could speak enough for the both of them. He wondered how a conversation between the two of them would
go before his shift.
"I dread just thinking about it. I think you two would talk my poor ears off," Mod said with a shudder.
"Shut up," Rosan said and his partner just laughed at him.
Rude.
Finally arriving to the dining area, Meiko stopped talking in favor of getting plates ready. They were having Fettuccine Pasta, which was a variation Rosan had never heard of. The
world was a large place if there was a type of Pasta he didn't know of. He wondered how much variations of the noodle existed.
Rosan was surprised that the food was still steaming hot. As they sat down in the comfy seats, he brought up that fact to her and she simply said "Demon made sure they stayed
warm! I actually finished making it a while ago but you stayed out longer then expected… what were you doing anyways?"
The redhead blinked as he took a bite of the pasta. Meiko grinned as she felt his delight at eating the pasta.
"This is good," Rosan told her aloud causing her to beam. "I was practicing a bit with Modification in a clearing then I went to the library and spent the rest of the day there… I
imagine it was less eventful then what you did."
Taking a bite as well Meiko moaned in delight and told him "I don't want to brag but I think it was! Demon is really really funny y'know? Someone tried to scam us and he
managed to scare him enough so that we only had to pay half the actual amount!"
"Oh?" Rosan began in curiosity. "Seems like you and Demon had a lot of fun today. Tell me about it," he requested, knowing it would make her happy to do so.
"Okay! So first we went to the Pharmacy to buy medical supplies! We ran into an employee that really didn't want to be there so Demon…"
They continued eating as Meiko retold her tale. Rosan didn't realize, but he was smiling along with Meiko which only made her even happier.
2 weeks later
Rosan sat in the middle of the deck of the White Rose, cross legged with his eyes closed. Angel, Demon, and Meiko watched him in curiosity, he had been doing this for the past
2 weeks and based on the small amount of frustration Meiko felt from him it was with little success.
The redhead didn't understand what was so different between the wings of an Angel and the wings of a goddamn bird that made it so hard to summon but he was beginning to get
annoyed.
The boy had been trying to summon the wings with little success for over 2 weeks and it really shouldn't have taken this long. He paused for a moment to run through the
information.
Maybe this would help calm him down.
Angel wings were more durable then avian wings. They were also more fitted for humanoid figures rather then the birds that varied in size. Even if he had decided to go with bird
wings, they would not be as comfortable on his body as the holy wings.
He wasn't a Zoan type after all.
Mod-chan had offered her assistance but Rosan refused it. He wanted to figure this out on his own like how he had with the dragon. The 9 year old couldn't use her as a crutch for
everything and she understood that, which is why she didn't offer to help again.
This was his challenge to solve and Rosan was going to solve this problem.
Transforming into a Dragon had been his most difficult task yet. It took Rosan 5 years to finally achieve the draconic transformation.
The redhead noticed that everything he modified, needed a base to start with. He could not simply will things into existence because that's not what Modification was.
Modification took something that already existed and allowed Rosan to change it to whatever it was he desired.
This applied to even his body. Besides the base, the only limit to its abilities, was Rosan's imagination and the boy was quite creative.
The key to transforming into a Dragon, had been using overwhelming rage as a base and because of his newfound understanding of what he needed to do, the dual eyed boy
could now easily attain the form he had been longing for since he was 4.
Rosan had tried applying that same logic to his Angel wings but he had failed spectacularly.
The redhead tried channeling rage, but he didn't so much as make a hint of progress. He was stubborn however so he tried it for a week before concluding rage was not the
answer.
Curse his stubbornness...
For the next week, he tried a different approach. Instead of rage he tried to channel things an Angel would feel. First, he chose a divine righteous feeling. He thought by
channeling what dominantly made up the creatures disposition, he'd be able to transform successfully into them. But no, there were no white wings in sight.
If not for his ever growing control of his emotions, he'd have throttled somebody by now.
Rosan decided today he'd approach it differently. Instead of channeling a divine righteous feel, he'd do it a bit differently.
Taking a deep breath Rosan, for the umpteenth time, focused on sprouting a pair of Angel wings. This time however he didn't channel divine benevolence, no he decided he'd
combine his practice and generate a feeling that was neither.
Rosan decided leaning too heavily onto one side wouldn't work like how it had with his Ragnarok transformation.
Angels were much more complicated than Dragons. Trying to simply channel the general consensus of what Angels were composed of would not be enough. Rosan needed to put
his own spin on it, pretending to be something he was not, would only fail. But trying to completely disregard it, would result in the same thing.
The boy needed to find a balance. One side for Rosan, the other for the Angel.
He had finally found just what he needed.
Righteous Fury.
The world he lived in was cruel and unjust. The ability to corrupt anything over time, that's what the people of this world did. Not even the formerly pure and innocent Rosan was
exempt from its touch. Or perhaps due to the nature of the of the world, he had never been like that.
This world… it needed to be changed, he needed to be the change. He would teach them all in the name of Righteous Fury.
This world didn't deserve a benevolent Angel, one who would guide them… no what it needed, was an Angel that would cleanse the world of all of its injustice.
What it needed was a-
"Modification: Shinigami."
Large wings, both taller than his body, burst forth. They arced off his back in a brilliant display, each feather long and narrow tensing at his righteous might. They furled and
unfurled at a mere thought.
To the surprise of everyone watching, instead of being a bright white, the wings were composed of obsidian black feathers that blended intricately with each other. Flexing his
wings, Rosan took off with minimal effort.
The wings were easy to control. Bending to his will, as if it were just another limb.
The color was a bit of a surprise but as he thought about it, the shock quickly wore off.
White wings did not suit him after all. Rosan was no longer pure, he had successfully allowed this world to corrupt him and his new wings were a reflection of that. Glancing at the
wings, Rosan marveled at how they seemed to consume the light around them.
Perhaps in another timeline, a more innocent Rosan would have had the holy wings angles were depicted with.
But this was his timeline.
It was fitting that Rosan had the wings of a Fallen Angel. It was almost poetic. His fall from grace, represented in the form of these magnificent black wings.
"Incredible! Rosan you did it!" Mod-chan said in awe looking at the gorgeous wings on his body.
Watching the 3 on the ship look up in a similar amount of awe, Rosan made a decision.
What this world needed was a justice without bias. He would become the force of nature that brought change to the world; the winds that would blow everything away; the fire
that set everything ablaze; the water that washed it all away.
Rosan would become the most feared individual in the world if he had to.
What this world needed, was an Angel of Death.
Chapter End
Bonus!
The Misadventures of Robin and Rosan – 3
Rosan and Robin are 5 and 9 respectively.
Robin learns the importance of not pranking an insane child.
Robin was sat on a bench, in some park reading a book as Rosan had the time of his life.
Currently, the boy was playing tag with a bunch of other children and he was unsurprisingly dominating them.
Robin, to avoid being recognized, had Rosan modify her hair color to an azure blue and change her eye color to a burnt orange. She had shades on to cover her eyes and a cowgirl
hat on her head.
Rosan had similarly changed his design to match hers. She had to admit, seeing the boy with his azure blue hair and orange eyes was quite adorable.
Though, she preferred him with his signature red hair and purple eyes. She wouldn't tell him that though, his ego was way too big for his own good.
Together, they looked like a typical sibling duo and besides their striking appearance, they were left largely alone. It was why Robin had allowed Rosan to play with the kids at the
park.
Unlike her, the boy needed to interact with other children. Robin wanted him to grow up to be social and not utterly distrusting of everyone around him.
She was happy to see that the 5 year old was having a lot of fun.
Though, it really put into perspective how much more physically gifted Rosan was compared to the other children. Despite being the youngest boy there, the boy was absolutely
running circles around them all.
It wasn't too much of a shock, the 5 year old was even more physically gifted than her and he was 4 years younger! She was just surprised that they weren't accusing him of-
"You cheater!" Someone yelled, presumably at Rosan.
Yup, there it was.
Looking up from her book, Robin saw one of the oldest kids there, a boy around her age, pointing accusingly at Rosan. The redhead for his part scratched his head and asked "Me,
cheating? How?"
"I don't know, you must be using magic! There's no way a pipsqueak like you could be better then us" He crossed his arms and glared at Rosan.
Ah making fun of Rosan's height, a sure way to get him to piss you off.
"Haha I get it now!" The boy cackled. "I'm not cheating!" Rosan clarified and Robin just knew he was gonna make them upset. He had a special talent at annoying people. "It's not
my fault you guys suck that bad! Just be better!" He told them bluntly with a large grin on his face that looked really condescending at the moment.
Robin sighed, holding her head, at her companions antics. He was right but he didn't have to say it.
Predictably, the kids there didn't take too well to being insulted by someone so much younger then them and they tried to grab at him.
Rosan simply moved out the way of them all and kicked each offender with minimal force, laughing all the while. He kept his foot on the back of the one who accused him, before
slowly removing it with a cheeky grin.
That must have been embarrassing, if their red faces were anything to go by. Losing so easily to a 5 year old would surely not look good for.
They deserved it though, trying to lay a hand on her Rosan? They were lucky he was unharmed and she didn't get her hands on them!
"Seeeee?" he pointed at the boy on the floor and he cackled at the red-faced kid.
"I'm always right! You guys really suck!" The boy started walking towards Robin, still chuckling to himself, and the 9 year old shut her book. She got up to greet the approaching
boy with an amused smile on her face.
"We're leaving?" She asked him and he nodded cheerfully, grabbing her into a hug. She complained about the fact that he could be sweaty but he only took that as an opportunity
to hug her tighter.
Brat.
"They're mad that I'm better and I got bored beating them so much," Rosan shrugged and Robin stifled a chuckle as they began walking away. In that case, they would find
somewhere else to relax with each other.
It wasn't long until they found an abandoned spot to hangout at. Robin had resumed reading her book while Rosan began idly modifying a branch he found. The brunette
absentmindedly bobbed her head to a tune he was humming.
Rosan was a pretty good singer and he was always taking the time to hum some song.
This continued for about 20 more minutes, before an ear splitting screech pierced her. Wildly looking up, Robin only saw a blur of red crashing into her, causing her to drop her
book, and begin tumbling out of her seat. Finally done rolling, she saw Rosan clutching her tightly and noted that the boy was shaking uncontrollably.
"Are you okay Rosan?" Robin asked worriedly hugging him back. The boy rarely showed fear towards anything, laughing in the face at even the largest foes. For him to be so
shaken up gave her pause. She watched him shakily take one hand off of her in favor of pointing in the direction of where he had been at.
Over there? She couldn't see anything from this angle so what was it?
Warily, Robin got up, Rosan still hiding behind her, and slowly walked towards the location. She prepared for the worst and what she saw made her question reality.
Rosan...was afraid of…this?
Looking down, Robin was greeted by the sight of a very large lizard. She blinked as it laid there lazily chewing on grass.
Robin turned towards her younger companion and slowly asked "Rosan...what caused you to scream?"
Surely she was mistaken. There was no way she wasn't mistaken.
Rosan had his eyes shut tightly, as he replied "Y-you don't see that monster right there?! D-Did it move away?!" Opening his eyes, the temporary bluenette made eye contact with
the lizard again and let out a shriek as he leapt very far away.
Robin sweatdropped as she heard Mod-chan try to sooth Rosan through a fit of laughter.
Of all the things… Rosan was afraid of lizards? The thought that the fearless and reckless Rosan was actually afraid of lizards was so hilarious that Robin couldn't even hope to
stifle her laugh.
"Rosan of all things to be scared of, you chose lizards?!" Robin clutched her stomach and fell to the floor, unable to keep her balance, as she laughed even harder.
To be fair the lizard was huge!
But it was also pretty cute! Why was Rosan so afraid of it?
Speaking of which, the boys face had turned as red as his hair and he blushed furiously at her teasing. It wasn't his fault that the weird thing had freaked him out! Rosan had seen
lizards before but one that size, was unreasonable for him!
"It's not f-funny Robin-nee! Stop making fun of me," The boy raged in indignant fury.
Robin couldn't help it though, it was so surreal that the same boy who attacked an entire crew at 4 years old couldn't even look at a lizard!
That solidified it, Rosan really was the weirdest person she had ever met!
Robin felt a mischievous grin appear on her face and realized that the boy was rubbing off on her more than she could admit. "Rosan," she called to the boy, who had put a
considerable amount of distance between the two "I got rid of the lizard, you can come back now!"
The poor boy always believed everything she said. Robin felt a bit bad, but it was too funny to pass up.
Rosan predictably, lit up in joy. "Really Robin-nee?! You're the best!" and he rushed over, she noticed that he was still holding the branch in his hand, as he charged after her.
Robin waited a few moments before she enacted her plan. Sprouting some hands on the floor she waited and waited. When Rosan finally passed by them Robin struck by doing
the most natural thing someone would do in this situation.
She tripped him. Right into the waiting arms of the lizard.
Rosan watched in wide eyes at his impending doom.
The redhead felt sheer terror at the fact that he was about to touch this…this thing! So Rosan did the most natural thing he would do in this situation.
He modified his stick, into a hand cannon. A hand cannon that was very loaded and very primed to shoot.
Robin's glee turned into a dreadful shock, as she saw his stick transform into an entire hand cannon. "Mod-chan," she hissed already trying to back away. "Did you teach him how
to do that?!"
"I did and as you can probably tell, I'm having so many regrets," the Devil Fruit bemoaned. She knew she shouldn't have taught this to Rosan but there was nothing she
could do against his puppy dog eyes.
"Brace yourself Robin, this is gonna sting."
In hindsight, pranking a 5 year old, with access to such a dangerous ability, was not the smartest thing she could have done.
A small boom rang in the clearing.
"Don't you think a hand cannon was a bit excessive, Rosan," Robin asked him while wiping debris off her face.
She hadn't been injured by the attack. Though, it stung like Mod-chan said it would. She looked at the boy in pure exasperation at his actions.
"Not my fault," Rosan said, stubbornly crossing his arms and refusing to look at her "You shouldn't have pranked me Robin-nee, that was cruel."
The boy himself had some singed hair and small cuts on his face but he barely seemed to notice them. No he was much more in favor of being angry with her.
Robin sighed at his antics. "He has a point," the brunette thought to herself and wasn't that something. For once, Robin had been the cause of something stupid. Well, there was a
first for everything.
She figured she should make it up to him somehow.
Done wiping the twigs and rocks off her face, Robin scooted up to Rosan and enveloped him in a hug that he instinctively returned, before remembering he was supposed to be
mad at her.
He still didn't release the hug though. The boy really liked his hugs.
"Sorry Rosan, I shouldn't have messed with you like that. How about after I patch you up I make us some pasta tonight and then I can read you any book you want?" She
recommended soothingly to the boy, patting his hair all the while.
The boy tried, he really did but Robin knew too much about him. Nose scrunched up Rosan tried hard to ignore her offer and she saw how his angry gaze wavered in place of
anticipation before he remembered he was mad at her and snapped back into anger.
It was adorable that he tried to resist but eventually, the little boy crumbled.
"F-fiiiine. I guess I can forgive you Robin-nee. Everyone does stupid things once in a while. Even me! So I guess can let this go," was the boys, not nearly as hesitant as it should
be, response.
Hugging her back, the two embraced for a moment longer before getting up and heading back to the ship.
As they made their way to the White Rose, a fleeting thought passed Robin enough to cause her to pause a bit in her step.
"Rosan?" Robin called the boy.
"Yes Robin-nee?" he asked innocently.
"If you're so afraid of lizards…why do you want to transform into a dragon?"
"…What do you mean?"
"Dragons are just really big lizards if you think about it Rosan, they look pretty similar."
"Dragons aren't lizards Robin-nee! Dragons are Dragons, silly! Sheesh, for someone so smart you sure can be stupid, Robin-nee!"
"...I really don't think I'm the stupid one here Rosan."
"What does that mean Robin-nee?"
"..."
"...Robin-nee?"
Bonus End!
Character Sheet: Angel & Demon
Full Name: Angel/Demon
Age: N/A (Appear to be whatever age Rosan is)
Summary: Angel and Demon are twin synthetic clones made by Rosan. They bare a striking resemblance to their Master due to Rosan modeling them after the easiest thing he
could think of. Formerly, they lacked emotions but due to the help of Modification, they have gained the capacity to feel. They carry out the orders of their masters Rosan and
Mod-chan who they both hold in high regards.
Appearance: They both look nearly identical to Rosan with key differences. Angel is normally seen wearing white. Demon and is normally seen wearing black. Despite looking
human, they still give off a feeling that they could be something else.
Height: 4'4 ft
Hair: Both have the same blood red spiky hair as Rosan. Angel keeps his in a ponytail while Demon lets his flow down his back (for reference Rosan's is currently in a bun).
Eyes: Angel has Rosan's royal purples eyes/Demon has Rosan's blood red eyes.
Personality: Angel is rude and sarcastic around anyone that isn't Rosan, Mod-chan, or Demon. He has a holier than thou attitude and will somehow make you look dumb even if
you ask a simple question. Enjoys staying on the ship and maintaining it due to his dislike of humans.
Demon is polite and nonchalant. He is generally relaxed with a bit of a mischievous streak. He will not tolerate any slight upon the people he respects and will ensure the correct
punishment is dished out. Enjoys hanging out with Meiko.
Random Facts
They were created at the exact same time but Angel is the older twin due to being Clone #1.
As a result, Angel is often left in charge between the two. Demon does not mind. In fact he prefers it.
Demon's favorite color is purple, Angel's is red.
Despite not existing for very long, Angel and Demon love each other very much.
Demon thinks Meiko is endearing, Angel thinks she is annoying.
They are aware about how ironic their names are and that it is better suited on the other.
Angel prefers Rosan. Demon prefers Mod.
They both have a slight fear of Rosan and believe he will discard them if they prove to be inadequate (Even if he wanted too, which he doesn't, Mod wouldn't let him).
On the contrary, they do not fear Mod at all.
Can communicate telepathically with each other and with Rosan.
They have not inherited their personalities from Rosan.
Have some control of Modification, not even half of what Rosan can do but enough to do simple tasks.
Angel has a secret to tell Rosan but has no clue how to even begin telling him.
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