I can create worlds with just a single stroke of a paintbrush or even a pen. No one knows but a couple does suspect something is going on. But just in case, I have told no one about my little secret. At times it bothers me not being able to tell no one but I simply try to ignore it.

Things weren’t like this back seven years ago. I never had this strange power, and never thought that this could even happen to anyone, well, except in my imagination. I find it quite funny looking back on things now. How many times had I wished I wasn’t “normal”? How many times did I wish that I had something that no one else could have at all?

But I guess things would’ve been better if I hadn’t met him? Everything in life has a purpose before it passes on and leaves an imprint in the sand. So in my life and in the past life I had lived, what were my purposes? Something that was being toyed with my fate/destiny or was it that none of the gods could find a place, a purpose for me to find before my lives ended? When destiny strings get tangled, stained, or even cut before their own time to fall apart, fate seems to take over with her own hand in the game. We are all puppets working under the gods’ command, so what happens when a couple of nobodies come along and yank all the strings of fate?

Everyone has those nearly same questions; yes, even you did, too. They’re questions we tend to forget while caught up in the rush of life and blissful ignorance. Simply put towards the world, I was destined to fight a greater cause, but currently, I’m caught up in the one place I never, ever imagined myself. High school.

--Yuriko Tory Smitten

(Year of the Dog-2018, March 26th)

Our world has caved since the beginning of the new century. It is something I once tried to ignore. The earth we once had had exhausted our resources and we were currently trying to find ways to make Mars suitable for humans. H.U.M.A.N Inc was working on a program that could help change the atmosphere Mars currently has but I held no hope that it would succeed. Twice as many people were being born everyday, over populating our crowded earth and you could tell it wasn’t going to last much longer. But there were organizations specializing in killing others who were no longer of any use to the world. Eliminated for once and were no longer thought on by anyone. Family and friends were blind or they chose to ignore the obvious signs the groups left behind.

Even though the top, major, and more powerful countries were finally working together to find a way to create a new world. With the world so destroyed, the government tried and hoped they could create a new world somewhere else. Even with the help of other nations, it wasn’t about creating a new world. A couple of the more powerful nations had their own agendas for working with the United States and the U.S chose to ignore those intentions. They wanted power, to be able to control the world and those who were born and died. Many of the countries chose to ignore those that were suspected in smugglings and twice as many deaths but it was something everyone lived with.

I am an undercover ninja in a way. I gather important intelligence and many countries pay much money to have this important information. The world was falling farther into the hands of chaos and I knew I was going to try to stop a small amount. The only problem was that I couldn’t figure out where to start. The chaos theory started when I was born and I’m sure it’ll end when I’m long gone.

I walked out of the old red brick building, one of the few old looking buildings left in this dead little town. Dark sunglasses slowly slid down the bridge of my nose, leaving a trail of salty sweat following. I pushed them back up with my middle finger and glanced around calmly. Towns like this usually meant that there was something in hiding. I blinked and reached up to the left side of my forehead and touched a small button on the glasses. The screen instantly pops full of statuses and heat movement signs showed up. There were no signs of anything living around the area. Which was just as unusually considering that my assignment sheet told me that were was important information here.

The dust rose with the slight breeze, covering my eyes just a little. I coughed and stepped backwards only to end up with someone behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to find a pair of gloves and a trench coat blocking my view. I slammed my elbow into his lower stomach and jumped out of his grasp. A pair of light green eyes met mine; for a moment they looked like mine as well. I had heard about another bandit, or intelligence stealer like me but I chose to ignore the rumors, passing them off as talk. But I was starting to believe that it might all be true.

“Who are you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow towards me. I straightened up a bit and glared towards his way, brushing off the dust off my grey jacket.

“Who are you?” I asked back, hands resting inside my jacket pockets. He held a smirk at the corner of his pale pink lips.

“Well, you’re just as everyone says.” he replied, brushing back the dust that had settled on the glass lens. This time I raised my eyebrow and shifted my weight a bit.

“Name’s Ryan, but everyone calls me Theory.” he replied, putting the glasses back on. I shrugged back the jacket slightly and averted my stare towards the busted out windows above his head.

“Yuriko but most call me either Yuri or Chaos.” I replied, glancing down the other way. His grin widened and he laughed suddenly.

“So you’re Chaos or more commonly known as Yuri. I wouldn’t have expected you as a woman for Yuri is usually for a guy. But the name “Chaos” tipped me off better. Pretty amazing, stealing information for money and you don’t even have any plans on keeping some of the intelligence for yourself. It makes other thieves follow after your footprints, wondering if they can outsmart you.” Theory replied, glancing down at his feet. I snorted at the comment and turned my back towards him.

“Most try to think they can outsmart me and they actually try. But hardly any succeed and end up passing on.” I looked over my shoulder, my own pale green eyes flashing quickly, almost in a challenging way. I saw a tremor run through his body and I smirked. Many who crossed my path became extinct, obsolete and no longer of any use.

“Don’t get any ideas too fast, Chaos. Let’s go inside and have a nice cup of tea.” Theory replied, holding up his hands in mock defeat. I relaxed physically but inside I was tense and ready to strike at a moment’s notice. He turned around and started walking into the red brick building. I followed after, wondering where he had been hiding while I had been in the building. The doors slid shut behind me, leaving the inside dark. I watched with the glasses as he reached out and a red keypad appeared and he moved quickly, so quickly, that I couldn’t figure out the code. I narrowed my eyes as a shiver flew up my spine and my gut warned me to be even more careful around him.

“Come, this way.” He said, turning around with a big smile on his face. I nodded and followed after him through a wall door. It shut with a thud and it left the long hallway dark and harder to adjust to. I heard his high boots clicking against the stone floor and something suddenly seemed off to my perfect ears. I cocked my head towards the side slightly and a second later a fist came whizzing by my ear. My own fist flew upwards, slamming into his jaw and I could hear the satisfying crack, and I grinned widely towards him. He grunted but was still smirking towards me.

“Ah, not as weak as I thought you were.” he grunted, twisting his body around to kick me in my left side. I gave him my own sinister smirk and grabbed his leg in mid kick and forced him backwards. His body came into contact with the stones and I flew onto his chest, pinning one of his arms down in the process. With my left hand I slid out a small but lethal syringe, filling to the very top with a purplish liquid. He squirmed against my grasp but I held him even tighter, my right hand snapping his wrist and forearm. I watched as pain flashed deep in his eyes and my grin widened.

“I thought there was something “off” about you. Maybe now I’ll find out the real truth.” I whispered, flipping the needle towards his already broken arm. He squirmed even more as I moved the needle towards his arm.

“Stop, stop, stop! I’ll give you what you want. Just stop!” he said, sweat pouring down his face. I raised an eyebrow above the sunglasses rim as I waited for him to continue. The needle pressed against the broken flesh when he stopped talking.

“The intelligence that China was wanting is beyond those doors. It was heavily guarded until everyone fled the town. I am the protector and the one who holds all the information.” his smile suddenly grew and I jumped off of him just as he swung with his unbroken arm. His fingers brushed the syringe and it flew from my fingers. The glass shattered against the dark wall, the purplish liquid seeping out and down the wall. I frowned and glared towards his smirking form.

“Ooh, scary.” he said in a mocking tone. I lowered my body more towards the ground, my hand slipping into my back pocket and slowly pulled out a long, curved dagger. The other pocket held my precious ink pen, one of my more deadlier weapons.

“I can see the dagger you know.” Theory pointed out, grinning and moving out of range of the knife.

“That’s why I was showing it to you. That way you would dodge it.” I smirked, the pen sliding between my fingers. “If there’s one thing I love doing it’s painting.” I said, raising the pen to eye level and drawing a straight line. He stopped, staring at the growing line with surprise. It quickly circled around him, making sure he wouldn’t move an inch. I smirked and slid both items back into my pockets. He grunted and struggled to push out of the grasp of the ink but I knew no one could. I reached out for the door handle when I heard,

“Some things are meant to be broken Chaos. Your little pen just has.”