Time Traveling Hero

I collapsed to my knees once again, groaning as my vision went blurry. Through the haze I could see Anna kneel in front of me.

"Is Master alright?"

"Y-you did say this was meant to get easier, right?"

"As we have already discussed, Anna never said how long."

"But it is kinda weird though. Most people would be fine by this point," Beatrice said nearby. "Maybe this means your constitution is weak?"

Ugh, don't tell me I need to put more points into that stat. Oh wait, I can't. Not a game damnit.

I managed to get to my feet, my legs shaking as my eyes quickly adjusted this time to my surroundings. We were in a different place this time (I actually don't know how that works, I'll have to ask later), this time on the ground floor of a slanted building. Outside it was still bright, with the temperature spiking by 30-40 degrees when we arrived. Beyond that point though, I only saw one other building nearby, and beyond even that was something I couldn't quite make out within the grainy air.

"According to the scouting squad, she was spotted around this area," Roberto said, looking at me. "Seeing how you managed to hold your own pretty well against her, I would appreciate any intel you managed to gather on her during your fight."

I hesitated before Roberto rolled his eyes at me. "I'm not going to use this intel to kill her if that's what you're thinking. I thought we should know so we don't get our ȧsses handed to us again."

Everyone else in the squad nodded, and I breathed out a sigh of relief (involuntarily). Roberto chuckled at my reaction before slapping me on the back, nearly causing me to fall flat on my face. "I figured it was something like that. Relax, I'd rather bring her back alive. Plus, if we kill her, things might get more complicated later."

Huh? The hell does he mean by that? I finally managed to steady myself, taking a deep breath.

"Now, keep in mind I don't know everything about her ability, but I'm pretty sure I understand about 80-85% of it. To start, she can only teleport every 3 seconds, meaning she has a gap where she'll be vulnerable. She can also only teleport where she can see, meaning she can't teleport behind her unless she's looking backwards. If it was just that, then I probably would've been able to take her."

"She can do more than that?" Asked one of the squad members, who I remembered their name being Raquez.

I nodded, leaning against a nearby piece of rubble. "She can also choose how'll she can be positioned, as well as redirecting her own velocity, effectively making it so she can accelerate and decelerate any part of her body. She would've beaten me if the battle kept going. I can dodge most of her blows, but once she picks up speed, my reaction time becomes kaput."

Dead silence as I finished up, and everyone looked towards the ground, defeat set in their eyes.

"Oh yeah, she can also teleport people. If you catch her off guard, you might be able teleport with her. But she can also decide who and what teleports with her, although I think teleporting everything touching her is the norm. That's about it."

"… We really had a Model like that in the TRTF? Damnit, why the hell did she betray us for!?" Another squad member yelled out, a dark-skinned woman with green streaks in her hair by the name of Rebecca, and I thought back to the audio file I had listened to last night.

"That's besides the point," I said, glancing over at Anna. "But, if you all don't mind, I would appreciate it if you let me have another crack at her."

"You sure about this?" Roberto said, and I grinned.

"Of course I am," I said, wrapping my arm around Anna's shoulder. "I have a plan!"

------------------- .

"Master does not have a plan, right?"

We were walking together in the blistering heat within the grainy dunes of the wasteland, arms sweaty, not mom's spaghetti, but felt like my own spaghetti could come out.

I looked over next to Anna, who seemed completely unfazed by the heat. Do Models come with temperature regulation or something? No, she said she was human, but was she messing with then? Damnit, I hate not knowing.

"For the record, I do have a plan. Talk-no-Jutsu to be exact," I said, and Anna tilted her head in confusion.

"Anna has never heard of this plan before. What does that mean?"

"It means I talk to her and through the power of plot we convince her to come back."

"… Master can be an idiot sometimes."

It's not exactly like I thought I could do that, but I did want to know something. Speaking of knowing something…

"What did the Director send you about the mission?" I asked, and I watched as her eyes whizzed in and out of focus before she stopped.

"Anna would prefer to keep that a secret."

Damnit, why must everyone keep secrets from me? It's like the author is doing this on purpose or something…

I glanced back at her before continuing to walk. "If you say so. Anyway, besides talking to her, I would appreciate it if you could back me up once the fighting starts. Just make sure to constantly interrupt her momentum, got it?"

"Affirmative." Anna walked back up next to me, and we walked in silence for a bit longer before her eyes focused onto something in front of us.

"She's here Master, about 100 meters away."

"The hell do you use meters for?"

"Easier to calculate." Fair point.

And sure enough, as the grainy winds started to calm down, we could see a lone girl with long azure blue hair sitting down, her collar in full view. She was wearing a similar looking combat uniform as the other models, with the only difference being how faded and used it was (her sleeves were also like Miku's). Her eyes focused in on the two of us, and she slowly stood up, frowning.

"Just you two huh? Are you really that ċȯċky or are you planning something?"

"I actually wanted to talk about Blake," I said, and she stiffened at his name. "I'm wearing his jacket you know, the one you were wearing previously."

"Why do you wanna talk about a dead man?"

"Why were you holding onto a dead man's jacket?"

She didn't have a retort for that one. "Name one good reason why I should listen to you?"

"'I have no need for you any longer, so go on and do whatever the hell you want. Go join those ATF scum, traitor.'"

Anna blocked a punch from the Miku Rip-Off, who's entire body rippled with unbridled anger.

"YOU! How the hell do you know that!?"

"Quite the reaction from someone who doesn't care about this dead man," I said, and she teleported back, her eyes fully focused on me.

Well, I at least got her attention now.

"So, what do you want from me?"

"As I said earlier, all I wanna do is talk to you," I said. "Although if we have to fight you in order to get you to listen, we're prepared for that."

"Fine then, speak."

I nodded, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Blake was your partner, correct?"

"What about it?"

"Have you thought about why he said what he said that day?"

Her eyes lost their focus briefly before it returned to normal. "How could you possibly know what he said to me that day?"

"Let's ignore that for now, and answer my question."

She scoffed, raising her hands in the air. "Why would you even bother questioning me on that? Isn't it obvious by the way everyone treats us damn models what he thought? I thought you were smarter than that."

"You still haven't answered my question."

She stiffened at my response, noting my serious composure. "He thought nothing of me, like everyone else in the damn TRTF!"

"If that's the case, then why tell you to run and join the other side? If he really thought nothing of you, he would've told you to avenge your squad mates, leading to your certain death. So tell me what reason you really think he said what he said."

"Master?" I glanced at Anna and gave her a reassuring smile.

"It'll be fine, I know what I'm doing," I said, looking back at the Rip-Off. "So, answer me already, yah damn Miku Rip-Off."

"What, you want me to think he actually cared for me? What utter bullshit that is! If you really want another reason, then you could say he wanted me to suffer for betraying the squad!"

I frowned, furrowing my brow. Betrayed? That's what the others have said as well, but if my information is accurate, then…

"You had another mission Blake wanted you to complete, so by the time you came back, it was already over. I don't see how that necessitates betrayal."

"That's not what happened," she said. "I was asked to do another task, yes, but I had completed it long before they got wiped out. When I arrived to help, I got so engrossed in my own fighting that the enemy took advantage of my arrival and used me to wipe out the squad."

What!? That's literally impossible. I clenched my fist, glancing back down at my Nymphy. Damnit, you just had to die and make this complicated Blake. What the hell is real and what isn't? If I take both of them as being real, then there are too many discrepancies. Unless…

"Let's say that was true. If that's the case, wouldn't your partner have died before being able to speak to you?"

Her eyes widened at my words, and she hesitated as her eyes whirred in and out of focus. "I, I don't know what you're talking about. Just shut up about this already!"

Her collar started to shine, as she clutched her head. "No, I betrayed them all that day, that's why he said those words to me!"

"'And never forget what happened this day, wa-!'" I got interrupted as I saw a fist about to nail me in the face.

I watched as Anna grabbed her by the arm and threw her back, the Rip-Off teleporting back to her feet.

"Master, it would be prudent to get ready. The time for talking seems to be over."

I gritted my teeth. Damnit, I didn't get anywhere with this. And that collar, the hell is that about? "Before we start, I have something of yours."

I tossed her the jacket as it fluttered in the wind, and she caught it, glaring at me. "What did you do to it?"

"Washed it."

She let out a growl before teleporting away, completely out of my sight.

"Above," Anna said, sprouting her wings as she shot up into the air. I watched her ram into the Rip Off, only for her to teleport directly in front of me.

"You know, we really don't have to fight!" I said, dodging a punch coming from my right, only to have a kick aimed at my left side, which I avoided by appearing in front of her, nailing an elbow in her face.

"Shut the hell up, what do you know!?" She continued her barrage of blows, each one getting closer to hitting me. "You have no idea what it's like, being the cause for your entire squads death! Realizing after seeing your entire squads blood on your hands, your own partner's dying face in front of you, do you have any idea what that feels like!?"

"OF COURSE I DON'T!" I yelled out, nailing her in the stomach through a brief opening, causing her to teleport back. "But it sounds to me that you really cared about them. If that's the case, why would you listen to your partner to join the ATF!? Why not go back to the TRTF and suffer whatever fate you deserve!?"

Her collar started to glow, the black color starting to pulse, and she shook her head.

"I'm atoning by being with the ATF! J-just stop talking already and fight me!"

I appeared in front of her, grabbing both of her shoulders. "Not until you understand what I'm trying to tell you!"

She teleported behind me, only to get nailed in the face by Anna, and we both watched her skid across the sand before teleporting back into an upright position, spitting out the sand.

"I already understand, so stay the hell out of my way! I don't care if I'm facing the Hero and Mrs. S-Grade, I'll kick both your ȧsses!"

"Master, it is almost time," Anna whispered.

Damnit, I still haven't gotten through to her yet! "I'm not giving up on you, Model 38118121520205!"

She tensed up as I said her full model number, her eyes widening. "What the, how do you remember that?"

I shook my head, glaring at her. "You asked me before why I wanted to bring you home so badly. I didn't have a reason yesterday, but I do now."

She started to shake slightly as I started to walk towards her. "You wanna know the reason? It's because of your partner, Blake."

I was suddenly nailed in the side, but I managed to hold my ground, coughing as I gripped her leg. "The very same partner who cursed you for betraying his squad, who supposedly died at your hands."

I looked her dead in the eye, clutching her leg even tighter. "The reason I wanna save you so badly, is because of that very same person! Now put two and two together you fuċkɨnġ idiot, and stop running away!"

"I, I…" She trailed off as the collars shine suddenly died out, and her body started to relax.

"I, I-!" She cut herself off, her eyes whizzing. "I'm not falling for that shit!" I got kicked backwards, landing backwards into Anna's arms. She glared at our surroundings as the rest of our squad showed up.

What horrible fuċkɨnġ timing. Just my fuċkɨnġ luck.

"DAMNIT, DON'T YOU RUN AWAY FROM ME!"

She frowned, tilting her head. "Why would I do something like that? I'm actually rather grateful." She grinned.

"This makes my job so much easier."

What? What does she mean by that?

"You better have done something to her you two!" Roberto said, and the Rip-Off appeared in front of him, smiling.

"I'm dealing with you first." She placed her hand on Roberto, teleporting him away somewhere, leaving behind his combat supplies.

Shit. I quickly whirled around, looking around to see where she could've teleported him. Damnit, I wasn't expecting that.

Where, where the hell-!

"That was easier than I thought," she said, appearing in front of me. "Thank you for making it easier for me."

Ah, I forgot, she can teleport people and objects besides herself.

I leapt backwards, right into her hands from behind.

"Good luck Mr. Hiro."

And I was suddenly in the structure I couldn't make out earlier, buildings all crashed into each other to make a circular shape, leaving only one entrance into the middle.

I watched the Rip-Off appear on the very top of one of the buildings.

"This is the end for you Hiro! May we never meet again."

"Damnit, I'm not giving up on you, you hear me!? I'm bringing you back, no matter what! YOU HEAR ME YOU DAMN MIKU RIP OFF!? I'M BRINGING YOU BACK, FOR BLAKE DAMNIT!"

She ignored my cries and turned back around, teleporting to God knows where.

"Damnit, we have to-!" I was suddenly pulled inside of an abandoned structure by none other than Anna, who shoved my head down.

"What's wrong Anna? Why the hell are we hiding here, we have to chase after her!"

"Master, we have bigger problems than that," Anna said, motioning to the door. "We are completely surrounded, they outnumber us 10 to 1, and we have no weapons."

Wait, what!? "The hell are you talking about, like hell that's possible! You mean to say she set us up!?"

Anna nodded. "It appears so."

I sighed, looking at Anna. "So, what you're saying is, we're fuċkėd."

"Indeed, we are what Master would call fuċkėd."

--------------------

I was teleporting through the air, thinking back to the screaming boy who yelled he would bring me back.

"What the hell do you know anyway dumbass," I muttered, clutching the jacket tighter around me. "You'll be dead before the sun goes down in this apocalyptic hell."

I teleported onto a rooftop, sighing to myself. He's not surviving, there's no way he is. I felt myself shaking, and I clutched my shivering body.

"Damnit, it's not like that all," I let out, going down onto my knees. "He's dead, so we can go back to our suffering now. Let's not get any funny ideas, okay?"

"What sort of funny ideas might you be referring to?"

I tensed up, whirling around to see the man who was in control of this accursed thing around my neck, and I could feel myself getting pulled towards him. "How, how are you here?"

"Why wouldn't I go to where my pet goes? Now, stop resisting and come here." I felt myself get yanked, face planting into the rough concrete.

"Nope, you can stay down there," he said, slamming his foot onto my head. Damnit, he broke my nose doing that, fuċkɨnġ ȧsshole.

"So tell me what sort of funny ideas you might have considered, hmm?"

"I, I don't recall, that's how funny and ridiculous they were," I said, groaning underneath the weight of his foot. "It was unimportant."

"Hmm, very well then." I got released, and I coughed, picking up my head so I could wipe away the blood.

"You accomplished your objective then?"

I nodded. "Yes sir."

"Good, I should be hearing about their deaths pretty soon then." He started to walk away before glancing back at me. "You have that jacket again, who do we have to kill for that?"

"I-it was the Hero sir, he decided to give it back."

"And here I thought you had finally decided to toss away your old life." I felt him spit on my face, but I couldn't wince. He was looking at me for some sort of reaction, begging for it really, but I knew better by now.

"Hmm, that shaking of yours doesn't suit you." I felt myself get dragged up to his eye level by the chain, and I gasped, choking on my collar. "Could it be, you're afraid of us? Afraid of the people who took you in after you slaughtered your squad mates? A filthy fuċkɨnġ traitor like you?"

I continued to choke, holding eye contact with him. He laughed before tossing me back on the ground.

"Still, even a traitor like you has their uses. Come along then, we don't have all day."

I coughed, trying hard to catch my breath. "Ye-yes sir."

I got back to my feet and followed him downwards, clutching my jacket closer to me.

I'll follow those orders of my dear partner, Hero. That's what I've been told to do, and I'll keep at it until the day I die.

So if you could die here as well, it would make it easier for me.

Please, don't come and get me.

Just let me live out this hell my partner wanted, that's all I ask.