Starboy Azure

"Huh… Where am I?" Okoro said as he wandered around a blank white space. "There's nothing here…"

"Wait… Not a-" He was cut off as dozens of crows flew around him. "What the!"

Soon, they united as one, taking the form of a tall, shadowy man.

"Okoro…" The man spoke in an eerie tone that echoed, causing Okoro to cover his ears instinctively.

"NO!" Okoro yelled as he shut his eyes, not wanting to look at the figure standing before him. It was a figure he was well familiar with at this point, but knew nothing about.

"Okoro, my boy," The man said. "You can't keep running away, hiding from your fears, hiding from your destiny."

No matter how hard Okoro tried to shut his eyes or cover his ears, he could still see everything, he could hear everything, he could feel everything. It felt like torture.

"I don't know you!" Okoro yelled. "Stop… Please!"

"Oh, you foolish boy," the man said, a sinister smile forming in the shadows. You and I know each other very well, and we'll be seeing each other soon. You will be paying for your crimes…"

"What crimes! I never did anything to you or anyone else!" Okoro said as he began to sob. "Just stop! All you tell me is things I know nothing about!"

"Except you do know!" The figure yelled. "You sinful brat, you realize soon enough why you deserve to die!"

"I-I-I!" Okoro stammered, not knowing how to respond. He tried to run away but he tripped, and the shadowy figure loomed over him, its arm taking the form of a sharp blade as it aimed at Okoro.

"NO!" Okoro shouted in fear, and as the blade came down, everything went black.

…

Okoro woke up in a cold sweat, his head frantically looking around only to see Mr. Frye sitting next to him on the bed.

"Mr. Frye!" Okoro exclaimed as he threw himself in his foster father's arms, burying his face in his chest as he immediately began to sob.

"Okoro, my boy," Mr. Frye said in a soothing voice as he comforted him. "It's okay… Let it all out my son, I'm here for you."

"Thank you…" Okoro said in a quiet voice as he started to calm down. They stayed that way for a few minutes before Mr. Frye pulled away and gave him a concerned look.

"Is everything alright with you?" Mr. Frye asked, giving the boy some time to get comfortable enough to speak.

"Oh yeah…" Okoro said in a solemn tone as he sighed. "Every now and then I have this dream… Or, a nightmare actually. This scary man always shows up and says things like telling me I deserve to die, or something will happen soon."

"B-but… I don't deserve to die right?!" Okoro cried out. "I never did anything bad, at least I think!"

"You've never done anything wrong, Okoro," Mr. Frye said. "And I swear on my life that I'll never let anyone tell you otherwise. You're still a young man, yet you're the most kindhearted person I've ever seen on this Earth. You're smart and strong, and you help those around you feel good without even putting in any effort."

"Okoro, please listen to me," Mr. Frye continued. "If anyone's bothering you, tell them to come see me. I'll deal with them, alright my son? I'll never hesitate to protect you from the dangers of this world."

"Yes sir…" Okoro said quietly as he hugged him again… "Thanks."

The boy didn't know what to say anymore, but he was grateful, and Mr. Frye wouldn't pressure him to say anything else.

"Just remember… I'm proud of you, my freedom fighter," Mr. Frye said as he pat Okoro on the back.

"Mr. Frye…" Okoro spoke up, now pulling away as he looked up at him.

"Yes, my son?" Mr. Frye answered as he raised an eyebrow.

"Can we play some fighting games?" Okoro asked.

'Oh gosh…' Mr. Frye thought.

"Of course, my son," Mr. Frye said. "We'll take your mind off of things."

"Bet!" Okoro said as he beamed and immediately hopped out of bed.

The two spent the rest of the night playing numerous fighting games… And Okoro won every single match. Mr. Frye didn't mind, he was just happy to help the boy distract himself from his struggles.

"It's like 48-0 Mr. Frye, I'm sorry!" Okoro said as he frowned. He didn't even feel like gloating.

"I-it's fine," Mr. Frye said. "I got rusty over the past few decades."

'This generation is something else on these games…' He thought.

…

August 21st, 2075

Kandona City, Kandona.

"Mina, come downstairs for me, please!" A woman shouted from downstairs.

"I'm coming, mom!" Mina said as she hurried downstairs. She made her way over to the couch where her mom was sitting. "What is it?"

"N-nothing…" Ms. Ozawa said. "I-I just wanted to ask… Have you talked to your father recently?"

"Oh…" Mina's expression turned into a frown as she looked to the side. "No, he hasn't called me in a few months…"

"Of course, he hasn't…" Ms. Ozawa said. "I'm sorry about that, dear."

"I-it's okay!" Mina said. "It's pretty much out of our control, I just hate the fact that he's out there pretending that we don't exist. It's my fault too…"

"It's not," Ms. Ozawa said solemnly. "And I'm sorry that I made you feel that way, Mina…"

"It's fine Mom," Mina said as she walked behind the couch, wrapping her arms around her mother from behind. "Besides, he'll get what's coming to him soon, and we'll be able to live normally, okay?"

"And I believe in you, my dear," Ms. Ozawa said.

…

'I hate it…' Mina thought to herself. 'I hate him…'

From the day Mina was born, she didn't have it easy. She is the daughter of one of Nixidia's higher-ups Mr. Kimura, who is the head of the Weapons Division. He is anti-Kani and has distanced himself from his family after finding out that his daughter inherited a technique. Since then, Mina grew up without a father figure, and had a damaged relationship with her mother who initially pushed her daughter away for "ruining her life."

They are on better terms now, and Ms. Ozawa did everything in her power to make it up to her daughter. After growing closer to her mother, Mina decided to use her surname and reject her father's, choosing to go by Mina Ozawa instead of Mina Kimura.

'It's because of him that we all have to suffer…' Mina thought to herself, balling her fists as she looked down in anger.

"Mina," Uzoma said while walking up to her. "You okay?"

"I-I," Mina stammered as she was snapped out of her thoughts. "I'm fine Uzo, um… Thank you."

She awkwardly pulled at her hair, regaining her composure.

"I'm sorry for startling you," Uzoma said as he averted his gaze.

"It's okay, really!" Mina said. "I needed it anyways, thank you for checking on me."

"Just looking out," Uzoma said. "You said you wanted to go to the park today, right?"

"Right!" Mina said. "Um, are you ready or was there something you needed to get?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm here," Uzoma answered calmly.

"Ah yeah, my bad, I guess that was kind of obvious" Mina chuckled awkwardly as she extended her hand out to him.

Uzoma's eyes widened for a split second, as he hesitated to accept the gesture.

"Come on, don't be like that," Mina said as her expression softened. She tilted her head to the side and stared directly at him.

"I'm… I'm sorry," Uzoma said as he finally took her hand in his own, holding it tight as the two began to walk off.

…

Later that day, they made their way to the park, it was a large area with tons of scenery, including big trees, several gardens of flowers, and a lake on the other side.

"Still as beautiful as ever…" Mina said with a soft sigh as she looked around the park. "Ooh, Uzoma, over here!"

She made her way to one of the flower gardens ahead, finding a row of carnations.

"Look! These are carnations, they're some of my favorites!"

"Is that so…?" Uzoma asked while observing the flowers before him. He stared at them for a few seconds before looking back at Mina.

"Mhm!" She said. "I've been meaning to add some to my garden, I'll probably get to it later, let's look around some more!"

As Mina walked off, Uzoma continued to stare deeply at the row of carnations. When he came to a realization, he bent down, grabbed a flower, and examined it closely.

'Maybe I should give this to her…' Uzoma thought to himself. 'She's done a lot of nice things for me, but I've done little in return… I still don't know why she even bothers giving someone like me her precious time, she deserves better.'

"Uzoma!" Mina called out, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry," Uzoma responded while quickly catching up to her.

"It's okay silly!" Mina said with a giggle. "Hey, what's that in your hand?"

"O-oh…" He said before lifting his hand and showing her the flower. "This… is for you."

"O-oh!" Mina exclaimed, her face turning red as her eyes darted back and forth between Uzoma and the carnation. "U-Uzoma this is… Wow!"

Mina had spent a while trying to get him to come out of his shell, but she didn't expect a gesture like this, even with him slowly opening up to her.

"W-what?" Uzoma said while trying to keep his cool demeanor. "It's no big deal, you said it was your favorite… So I wanted you to have it."

"That's so sweet…" Mina said as her expression softened. She gently took the flower out of his hand and placed it in her pouch "Thank you, Uzo…"

Mina now stared directly at him with the warmest smile as she tilted her head to the side. But when he saw this, Uzoma felt his world pause.

'She's beautiful…' He thought to himself. 'Her smile, how could it have such an effect on me? Does she have a second technique?'

"Hello… Earth to Uzoma?" Mina asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry," Uzoma said. "I got distracted."

"No worries," Mina said with a giggle. "Anyways, we shou-"

"HELLLPPPPPPP!" A woman shouted in the distance, cutting Mina off before she could finish her sentence.

"W-what the!" Mina exclaimed as both she and Uzoma were extremely startled. "We have to go, now!"

Dozens of Nixidia soldiers swarmed the area as if they were prepared to escort something.

Mina and Uzoma were quick to spring into action, dashing towards the area with great speed.

As they reached the location where the scream came from, they found a middle-aged woman standing in front of an apartment.

"What's wrong, miss?" Mina asked in a worried tone. "Is there a way we can help?"

"Yes! Those soldiers came in and took my son! They said he's-" The woman said before an abrupt pause, she looked at Mina and glared. "Wait a minute, I recognize you! You're the daughter of that demonic vice president Chen Kimura!"

"W-wait," Mina's heart sank, and the lady's words felt like a punch to the gut. "I DON'T associate with him or share his beliefs, I swear! We can save your son!"

"Don't give me that crap, I shouldn't believe you for a second!" She said. "It's because of your people that we all have to suffer! I'll never accept help from anyone who's related to such cruel individuals."

"I promise I'm not like him…" Mina's voice cracked as she felt discouraged. "I'm working to tear down everything he and the government stand for, I don't even go by his last name…"

"She's telling the truth," Uzoma spoke up in an irritated tone. "You better treat her with respect."

The mother stayed silent for a bit, before frantically speaking up again. "Alright fine, I'll believe you for now, just promise you'll get my son back, please?"

"We promise!" The two said in unison, as they now turned their heads and dashed into the distance, setting their eyes on the Nixidia soldiers ahead.

"Wait, I wanna help too!" A new voice said as they approached the group. "M-my name's Rae, I wanna be able to help my little brother too."

Rae was a pale-skinned androgynous woman of average height. She has short black hair with green highlights, green eyes, and freckles. She has a few piercings, including two earrings on each lobe and a septum in her nose. She wore black baggy pants with a studded belt, platforms, and a graphic tee under a leather jacket.

"That's fine, let's hurry!" Mina shouted as they all made their way to the soldiers.

As they caught up with the soldiers who were now in another park, they had to think of a plan before it was too late. Mina spoke up, wanting to take control of the situation.

"Uzoma, can you deal with the soldiers please?" Mina said, "I'll deal with their leader… And-"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the darling of Kandona City herself, Mina Kimura," A masculine voice was heard as someone new approached.

"You'd be wise not to refer to me by that surname, Evan," Mina said, stopping dead in her tracks as her demeanor completely shifted, now growing bitter and irritated.

"Don't look at me like that now," Evan sneered. "You'll hurt my feelings."

Evan was a pale-skinned man who stood at an average height and possessed an athletic build. He had light brown hair with dyed black highlights and green eyes. He had a punchable face, that's for sure. He wore Nixidia's white and red armor except his was customized to his liking. He carried a metal bat over his shoulder.

Uzoma was going to jump in, but Mina stopped him, not wanting a fight to break out just yet.

"Who's he?" Uzoma asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked over at her.

"No one important," Mina answered in a quieter tone.

"Woah!" Evan exclaimed, feigning offense. "A woman like you would be wise when introducing her superior."

The woman standing next to Evan averted her gaze as she heard his comment. She looked like she wanted to say something but chose not to. She was a light-skinned woman with a slim build, long black hair, and light blue eyes.

"You-" Mina paused. 'No, I'm not falling for that.'

"Me? Actually, I might as well introduce myself," He said. "I'm Evan Ruiz…"

He began to walk back and forth, staring the trio down. "Captain of Nixidia's 3rd combat division, obviously meaning I'm above everyone present in this vicinity."

"Now, now, I'll play nicely for once, you stay out of my way, and I'll let you all go with a warning," Evan said.

"No way!" Rae shouted. "That's my little brother, what is it with you people and harming children?"

"Dangerous children," Evan corrected them. "We're just keeping the country safe, stopping people like you from plaguing it."

"Enough!" Mina shouted. "You'll leave the child alone, Evan, stop acting like what you're doing is right!"

"And who are you to tell me it's wrong?!" Evan retorted. "You think just because you turned your back on your father and became a terrorist means that you get the right to stand up to me?"

"I know you all too well Mina, you're predictable," Evan scoffed. "You've never had the guts to stand up to me, and you're too weak to contribute to whatever rebellion you people are up to. You're soft, you're only keeping up a front because your friends are here. You wanna look strong in front of them, don't you?"

"I'll tell you what, how about you ditch that group of terrorists and come back to your father, and me of course!" Evan exclaimed while holding his hand out to her.

"Don't talk about me as if you know me!" Mina said. "And I've made this clear a thousand times, I will NEVER associate myself with him, and not once have you ever been important in my life, so just drop this creepy grudge!"

Evan let out a loud laugh before looking between his soldiers and Mina. "Would you look at that, she finally got the guts to talk to me, maybe she's not just a spineless bit-"

Suddenly, Evan was cut off as he felt a punch connected to his face, sending him flying across the park.

"She would've let you off with a warning", Uzoma said, cracking his knuckles as he stood over Evan, he spoke in a quiet but stern tone as sparks of electricity flashed around his body. "It's a shame things had to turn out this way."

Uzoma's technique is Eternal Storm. This technique allows Uzoma to manifest and control any phenomena that involve electricity. He can fire real lightning bolts from the sky, shoot lightning from his hands, manipulate and perceive electromagnetic fields, and shoot electromagnetic waves. Uzoma has a very aggressive fighting style, and he prefers to get up close and overwhelm his opponents with electro-infused attacks

Right after, Uzoma was ambushed by another man who fought with a katana, seemingly the vice-captain of the 3rd division. "How dare you lay your hands on the captain, we ought to have you arrested!"

"Tch!" Uzoma grunted as he clashed with the man in front of him, who was an ivory-skinned man who stood at average height. He had a slim build with spiky red hair and brown eyes. He too, wore the white and red armor.

"Good work, Jonah, but it'd be better if you never let the scum touch me, to begin with," Evan said as he stood up, dusting himself off. "I can't blame you though, they're often a powerful bunch."

"And you can have him, I for one have a score to settle," Evan said as he lunged towards Mina who was quick to parry, using her abilities to form a blade made out of cherry blossom petals.

Mina's technique is Sakura Phenomenon. With these abilities, Mina is able to form and manipulate cherry blossoms at her will. She is able to set it to three different modes.

Mode 1 - Cherry Blossom Blast: This mode allows her to send petals as explosive projectiles.

Mode 2 - Cherry Blossom Cutter: This mode allows her to harden the petals, sharpen the ends, and use them as blades. Mina sometimes uses it to form different kinds of weapons as well, such as swords, knives, or shurikens.

Mode 3 - Cherry Blossom Restoration: This mode allows her to use the petals as a special bandage, which can heal extreme wounds. It cannot heal scars that have already healed naturally. 

"Isn't this exciting, Mina!" Evan shouted! "It's been so long since we met like this."

"Stop bringing me into your twisted fantasies," Mina said as he glared at him, "I want nothing to do with you or my father, I've said it a thousand times."

The two began to exchange blows with their weapons as the first battle between Azurite and Nixidia began.

Meanwhile, Rae attempted to retrieve her brother, but she was blocked off by several soldiers.

'Dangit!' She thought. 'I can't use my technique for this…'

'I'm sorry Roman…' Rae thought. 'I'll make sure you get home safely soon…'

…

Before anyone could react, a cyan blur flashed across the scene as Roman disappeared from the soldiers' clutches.

"I was on my way as soon as I heard someone scream…" Okoro said. He now threw the boy over his back, holding him protectively as he glared at the Nixidia soldiers.

"And I'm tired of standing by and doing nothing… I won't let another kid's childhood be taken away from them!" He said in a serious tone, his Kani level skyrocketing by the millisecond as he grew frustrated.

"O-oh…" Rae exclaimed as she leaped to Okoro's side, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree. "Thanks for saving my little bro!"

She proceeded to summon a neon green electric guitar as she leaped in front of Okoro and faced the soldiers. "Now I can do this…"

She grabbed a plectrum from her pocket before swinging it across her guitar, firing a green blast of Kani at the soldiers before her. It sent several of them flying across the park. Rae umped around to avoid being attacked as more soldiers tried to subdue her, causing her to get separated from Okoro.

Rae's technique is Greatest Rockstar. This technique allows her to summon an electric guitar at will, she can use it to fire soundwaves or blasts of Kani, making her effective against large crowds of enemies.

Meanwhile, Okoro looked around frantically, knowing that he had to deal with the rest of the soldiers.

'N-no, I can do this!' He encouraged himself. 'I'm not letting it happen, not like this! For years Nixidia has been trying to take kids away from their families… I… I won't let it happen to someone else, not while I'm strong enough to do something about it!'

He looked over his shoulder, glancing at the unconscious boy he carried on his back.

"It's okay… The good guys are here, we'll make sure you get back to your mom, okay?"

"And you all…" Okoro said, powering up as his brown eyes lit up and changed into a glowing cyan. He glared at the soldiers before him as he gave them a warning. "If you even think of taking him from me… I'll destroy you!"