Ruined Seaside Mega Mall

There it was. The ultimate snack. Sophie had waited all day to come to the mall and buy this legendary meal. She had paid extra for this. It was nachos...with the spiciest pepper in the world. The Carolina Reaper. When she had asked the store that sold all kinds of spices, they had laughed at her, calling her crazy. But she was not crazy. Sophie had wanted to try the american pepper since she heard of its creation. And now she had it. It had taken a few days of shipping, but here it was.

And so, with a serious look on her face, she bit down on a piece of the pepper with the nacho. As soon as it reached her taste bud, she felt like she was ready to pass out right there and just die. Her eyes was tearing in pure joy at this wonderful taste. Sophie went for another bite, and another and another. Now she was practically bawling tears out from the pure agony and joy she was feeling in her mouth. It even reached her entire body as she was shaking. This was no reaper food. This was food of the gods!! Once she was done and calmed down, Sophie planned to buy more supply of these heavenly pepper. She wanted to see what other food she could combine them with and experience. The thought of the pain her mouth would be inflicted caused her to just smile in anticipation!!!

"Whoa", Cyan childishly exclaimed. This was a sight to behold that wasn't in her timeline. A massive mall that stood above water, almost like an island. It was beautiful - gorgeous even. Something about Aqua Force players drew them to the ocean and all that was themed around it. Naturally, being the student of an Aqua Force master, she was practically in love with the player. "Whoa whoa!" The excited Jelly repeated, getting some stares. Not for her attitude, but her appearance. Sure, the cold season was settling in, which justified the sweater. Yet, she looked weird with abnormal eyes, ghostly pale skin, long white hair you'd see from ghastly spirits in horror movies, and a sweater collar that was far too large.

"Snack."

Cyan spoke one more word and walked over to a snack bar. Though this wasn't her world, she simply came from an alternative Earth. This meant her money was just as good here as it was there. Paying the good man at the register, she was given a bag of chips. Salt and vinegar flavored. Salty like the sea of her soul. Ah, yes, what a beautiful poem. One Jellal would smack her for. Nibbling on the salty snack, it was just as delicious as it was back at home.

This world has it so good...

Cyan looked around suspiciously.

Nobody saw her mouth, right?

Even though it was a normal mouth.

Passing by the beach, Satoshi noticed that at some point, a large mall had been set up not too far away from the shore. Strange how he didn't notice it, but then again, the last time he was at the beach...

He stared at his mark. He had been trying this whole time to go to the Training Area and meet with the resistance, but a few things had been eating away at him. Queen Yukino's words...there wasn't really a peaceful way to deal with this? They just wanted to deal with the invaders themselves. What was the purpose of letting loose these alternate-dimensional beings to try and make life harder? Wouldn't it simply be better to teach them how to deal with Link Joker themselves?

Satohsi rubbed his forehead. He was actually starting to get a bit of a headache again. He needed something to drink to get his mind off of things. Something simple, like a frozen slushie. He walked over to the snack bar and ordered one, a pineapple-mango blend. Hawaii was rubbing off on him more than he expected.

Sitting back on one of the stools there, he noticed a girl with a thick sweater and collar with incredibly pale skin. Interesting she chose to be around the beach on such a day. It wasn't exactly cloudy. She'd likely get burnt on the beach itself. Of course, if she stuck to the indoors...

Sipping on the slushie he was handed, Satoshi didn't realize how hard he was staring at this girl and thing about what she could do to stay covered. It was as though he was creeping on her to those around him, but from his focus, he was wondering if the sweater collar she had could be pulled over like a hood to protect her delicate face from the sun.

After awhile as she enjoyed her chips, the stares from other people were getting a bit annoying. However, they at least left to go about their day shortly after. One person was gazing at Cyan without end, and it was a tad unsettling. Instead of freaking out about it or shouting like one of the average masses, the woman... creepily stared back. Big, disturbing orange eyes glanced toward the man filled with curiosity. It was also a challenge to see if he'd back off due to seeing her look back in such a manner.

She was quiet. Her bag of chips was still clutched with both hands. Most importantly, the sweater collar hid her crumb-littered mouth.

Satoshi found orange eyes staring back into his own. Whoops. He'd been caught. Even so, despite her appearance, the girl's look appeared to be more curious than glaring or piercing, in such a way that would drive him away. Perhaps she actually meant to, but it certainly wasn't playing out in her favor.

If anything, she was ironically being cute.

Satoshi hopped off the stool, giving another little suck of his slushie as he casually waved. "Hi there. Sorry about that, I was just...you don't seem from around these parts all that much."

Great start. And by great, of course it was actually awkward as all hell.

Silence.

Cyan kept staring at him, even as he approached, even as he spoke. Inquisitive blinks were given. Nobody else wanted to talk to this freakish looking woman except this guy. What caught his attention?

"... I used to live by the beach actually", she confessed after a few moments.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. She used to live by the beach in her own time, not this one.

"Oh, really? That's cool." Satoshi took another sip of slushie. He hadn't actually seen too many houses for sale around the beach, but then again, he didn't know this mall was around, so the area could've gone under development recently. "I used to live at a farm away from the city. Went to the beach a little bit, but only on trips."

The girl was still staring at him, like there was something wrong with him talking to her. Noticeably, no one else seemed interested in engaging her. True, at first glance, she stuck out like a sore thumb. But...

The farmboy smiled. "My name's Satoshi. Satoshi Kurosaki. If you're wonderin' what made me talk to you, it's two things. One, most people I know that are my friends look a bit peculiar or different. They turn out to be pretty great people. And two..." A slight blush. "I'll be honest, you're a bit cute, and I figured it would be interesting to maybe get to know you a little."

Satoshi... Cyan wasn't truly phased by the notion of being "a bit cute". She was more used to that than being called Jelly. Looking away so she could eat a couple more chips without him seeing her mouth, she spoke up to continue conversation after swallowing. "A farm... Master Jellal made me go with him to see one a long time ago. He told me to try and understand the tranquility of one, but I didn't really get it..." The woman reminisced, recalling a time where her mentor was alive. Cyan was admittedly a bit impatient, so understanding or "becoming one" with the great outdoors besides the oceans was not something within her power. She shuddered and whined, remembering him scolding her for such a jittery mindset for anything that wasn't the sea.

She couldn't help it.

Trees aren't blue like the sea, why are they important?

"Blech", the girl complained.

"Jellal...Jellal Kisaragi?" Satoshi raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "I haven't seen him in ages." It was true. The last time Jellal had been around was for Neu Edelweiss's attempt at taking the clans of Cray under her wing a year ago. He was one of the documented Heroes of Liberation, as was the farmboy himself.

But the way this girl described him...her master? Long ago? That served to place her, like Queen Yukino, in another timeline from his own. Still, long ago...was she from several years in the future of an alternate timeline?

These questions started to make his head ache again, and he sucked on the straw of the slurpee, only to find that it was nearly gone. Damn.

"Nature's a pretty nice thing. The land, the sea...to get a chance to take in both is a way to understand nature's part in the world." Satoshi rubbed his head a little. That was something he had picked up from learning deeper meditation with Haku. Maybe it would provide some level of insight to this girl as to why Jellal would take her to such a place.

"Nature isn't really my thing beyond the ocean. Master called me straightforward and narrow-minded because of that. That was mean, and he took back the narrow-minded part."

Nibbling on more chips, she spoke of how Jellal wasn't exactly the perfect teacher. She could've disclosed how that wasn't the first time he had apologized for "certain parts" of his scolding. While a lot of his words rang true, the Aqua Force Master felt his insulting teachings were either generic or a bit exaggerated.

Cyan walked away a bit of a distance, gently disposing her empty bag of chips in a trash bin.

"This world's snacks are really goooood..." she murmured to herself.

"Well, there is more to Earth beyond the ocean." Satoshi scratched his nose. "And knowing Jellal, he was always more of a guy who did stuff on his own, so it was likely him not expressing himself well." That was the quiet, reserved Jellal he knew. Then again, perhaps her Jellal was different.

The headache was really starting to get to him now. He held his head, grunting a little. "Sorry...lot of things causing me to stress out recently."

"Master was always one to try and step ahead of others, even if he talked about fighting alongside people." Cyan spoke of her mentor's rashness. Despite believing in the power of bonds, he would often go forward before anyone else was ready. They simply followed his strong, straightforward mentality. Truly the hero of his time, as he charged with courage and faith that everyone would be behind. Lucky for him, they were. She was more than anyone else.

The girl noticed visible cringing and quiet grunting. He looked like he had a migraine...

A blue, transparent gumdrop-looking candy was plucked out of her pocket, and presented to him.

"Here, this usually helps with headaches, and is tasty."

She had to add that last bit, that was the most important part. Medicine, even in candy form, was not worth if it didn't taste sweet in some way. This kind of sugar tooth is the kind that kills.

"Thank you...uh...I don't even know your name." Satoshi accepted the candy with his marked hand, still rubbing his temple with the other. He popped it into his mouth. It was almost disgustingly sweet, and if not for the relief he started feeling almost immediately, he would've likely gagged on it.

With a swallow, he lowered his hand from his head. Much better. Amazing, even. They had this kind of medicine in another timeline?

"Cyan", was the name she spoke.

"My name is Cyan Umi."

"Cyan...Umi..." Blue sea. Well, no wonder she was so dedicated to the ocean.

"That's a really pretty name. It's nice to meet you, Cyan." He gave her a light head pat. "Thanks for the medicine. It's definitely helping." Though, now he had a painfully sweet taste in his mouth. He'd have to do something about that eventually. Likely didn't help that he had a fruit slushie prior to eating the candy.

"That medicine is made by Aqua Force medics themselves, along with my family's special sugar techniques! It's really oh-pee!!"

"Overpowered" is what she meant. She praised and bragged about how she had "connections" to Aqua Force and her family used to be a powerful candy industry. It was a miracle she had no black teeth.

"So you have deep-rooted connections to a clan...and your family runs a candy industry?" Satoshi was trying to put together who this girl was supposed to be in his timeline comparatively to her own. He couldn't exactly place a finger on it; her praise and bragging about her clan once again reminded him of Yugure at an early age, but her family having a strong influence in the food industry, albeit in a different field...

"My family's more of the farmin' type. We supply most of Japan with fresh produce." He nodded and gave another smile. "That's really cool, though. Must be a huge hit with sweet-tooth people."

He turned his head to look out the window of the mall back at the beach. An idea slowly formed. "Hey, Cyan...d'you maybe want to hang out at the beach with me for a little bit? I'm trying to sort some things out in my head and I could use some company..." This would be, once again, another opportunity to understand what was different between the timelines, and perhaps figure out if there was some way to set them straight.

She bought another bag of chips. "Sure, but I don't think I could help with sorting things out. I'm still trying to figure out plans..."

Cyan still had to drain this world's life for her own. Her peppy attitude because she got salt and sugar didn't change that fact. While this guy was nice, bringing up how their families are similar by being members of the overall food industry, he probably wouldn't want to hear about that. Even less so about why she has to, or how she's a time traveler in the first place.

Ah... even if he wanted to hear, it'd be... pretty depressing...

Her expression turned dark and sad thinking about it. The lass didn't even open the bag of chips.

Satoshi noticed her mood drop, even after she willingly accepted his offer to go to the beach. Something was bothering her. Maybe related to where she came from?

"Hey..." He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "If something's bothering you, let's talk about it. But at the beach, alright?"

He then decided to do something he hadn't anticipated doing. He crouched down. "Here, hop on my shoulders. You don't seem all that heavy at all. It'll be fun." If he got kicked in the face, that would be his burden to bear. Cheering her up in some way, even if it was something small like this, was a win in his book.

Cyan remembers riding on someone before, but it was Master Jellal's back. Could he really carry her on his shoulders without one of them falling? Sure, she wasn't fat or anything, so she couldn't be that heavy. Then again, she only ate junk food like chips or gumballs. Actually, the memory of hordes of jealous girls back in her own time was surfacing. Before her wicked transformation, she looked gorgeous. Now... now the girl's appearance could barely be described as "weird". Thinking about that made her more sad, so hopefully this would help in making her feel better.

"Hop on my shoulders", he said.

She did just that.

The girl quite literally leaped toward him.

Common sense didn't even register.

The girl bounding over him to land on him would probably leave a normal guy uneasy. Luckily, Satoshi was well-built enough that Cyan could stick the landing if needed. It hurt maybe a little, but after the brief twinge, he was able to adjust her and lift her up.

"Hope it's nice up there," he grunted, starting the walk to the beach while gently holding onto Cyan's ankles.

"Smokey's Grill."

Yeah, okay, it wasn't exactly the most extravagant place, or the most quiet---it was in fact quite packed tonight and noisy, especially coming form the bar area---but Satoshi's dad knew the owner of this establishment. The man himself, Yoshi "Smokey" Hirugashi, was a long-time partner of Kurosaki Farms, and it contributed, besides the personable nature of the staff, to its success as a whole.

Today, Smokey was front of the house, covering for his normal hostess, who was currently abroad. He saw the son of his business buddy approach with two friends and his eyes lit up in excitement.

"'Hoy there! 'Toshi! Out an' about with some friends'a yers, I see!" The tubby steakhouse chef gave a hearty laugh and a hard pat to his shoulder. "Table fer three?"

Satoshi gave him a generous smile back. "Yeah. The usual area, if you wouldn't mind, Smokey."

Smokey gave him a thumbs up. "Overseein' the ocean it is, bud. Right this way."

---

The typical table Satoshi had with business partners was in fact one of the nicest spots in the steakhouse; a VIP area of sorts. Smokey arranged for high-profile guests from time to time to keep his business interesting, but usually local business owners scheduled get-togethers. Tonight, though, young Mr. Kurosaki had his two best friends spending time at a table that overlooked the ocean, the sunset glimmering on the water.

A few menus, mostly with steaks and wine listed, were handed out. Smokey gave a tiny salute and said a waiter would be on his way. Satoshi nodded to him and returned the salute.

As he walked off, he turned to his friends and smiled. "Not as bad as you thought, right?"

Haruka followed behind Satoshi, peeking over his shoulder to get a look of the area. It was homey, as in, it didn't feel like everyone here was a 100% uptight workaholic. Otherwise Haruka felt as though Yukino might feel too at home here. She needed to be out of the comfort zone.

Then Haruka nearly jumped INTO Yukino's arms upon the sight of Smokey. A big man, but it wasn't his size that scared him. His demeanor. Haruka was never much of a fighter or anything like that, and Smokey seemed to be, if he wasn't so jovial about everyone being a friend of Satoshi, the equivalent of a gang boss with too much to eat. Haruka blinked, leaning on Yukino with his free hand covering his face.

"So... seats?"

Haruka wanted to change topics fast. Getting acquainted with being a scaredy-cat again was not on his agenda for the evening. Eat. Relax. Talk to friends.

#Goals.

They followed the host man that scared Haruka witless over to a... beautiful sect of the restaurant. It overlooked the sea as the sun skipped its golden ripples across the waves.

Haruka was loving the location, and entranced by the movement of the water... It was truly beautiful. He smiled, nodding.

"You really outdid yourself, Satoshi. Loving the location. What do you think, Yukino?"

Yugure... was a bit uneasy after seeing the destination was loud and crowded. Mind you, it wasn't as awful of an experience as being in one of New York's "food joints". The very thought of that heart-stopping, artery clogging garbage sent chills down her spine. Well, Satoshi knew the owner of this place, so a nice discount would be pleasant... for his wallet, hopefully. Nudging Haruka with her elbow to control his... reaction to Smokey came after meeting him. Then, holding her cape-jacket hybrid away from some unruly brats, the girl followed Satoshi to the "usual area", a table that overlooked the sea, it sounded like.

A lovely view would help take her rich-girl mind away from the... less than glamorous setting that is the rest of this restaurant. And just like that, upon entering, it was less suffocating. It was odd, Yugure didn't seem to be able to hang around large crowds of people that much. It made her sick almost. Yet, around large groups of soldiers, she felt right at home.

... God she missed HQ.

"Huh?" Yugure responded to them asking her something. Damn, she didn't even hear much of it. "Y-Yeah, not bad."