I'm in Marvel 11

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***

After I came to my senses, I decided to tell you about my hit-and-run.

- Mum, Aki. There's something I want to tell you. Hmm, I don't even know how to put it...

- Kai, do you really like boys? - With a serious face and laughing eyes, the red one asked.

- What? What boys? - I asked her confused, but then I realised. - Aki, the Japanese policeman! And you shamed me for making it all about sex!

- Son, tell us the truth! We'll take you any way we can get you! - said Mum, making fun of me. Lin behind her back nodded vigorously, confirming her words. - Even if you're a boy, you're still my son.

What about the principle: gay son, grief in the family? Although for her, my orientation is not as important as happiness. 

- You're annoying! I like girls, calm down! Fine, whatever. It's not my first life! - I blurted it out in one breath.

- What? - All three ladies asked at once.

- What are you talking about? - Mum continued.

- This is my second life. In the first one I lived in another world and I'm more years old than you Mum.

- Ha-ha-ha! My life didn't prepare me for this! - Mum said pitifully.

- Huh?! Kai, are you kidding me?! - Aki started shaking me by grabbing my shoulders.

- I-I-I-I'm serious! - I answered her, rocking back and forth.

- So you're an old man?!

- What's that?! I'm in the prime of my life!

- Ha-ha-ha! - Aki started laughing. - Now I know why you're such a bore Kai! You're already an old man ha ha ha ha ha ha!

- Ha-ha-ha-ha! - Mum echoed her, wiping away her tears. I didn't expect that from her. It's literally a stab in the back!

Oh, well. I guess they're withdrawing. Let them get their emotions out. They've been through a lot of bad stuff today, and they've done fine. Finally, after waiting for them to finish laughing and wipe away their tears, I continued.

- How do you feel about what I said? - Trying not to show what I feel, I asked the ladies.

- Really, now it is clear why you were so calm and not a problem child, - said my mother with a smile. - I, as I got pregnant, read a lot of books about child-rearing and imagined what awaits me. The same hugs you don't like are very important for the child's proper mental health. And what was my surprise when I had such a calm baby! And there you have it. Although, sometimes I had thoughts about your too mature behaviour, but I dismissed them immediately. I don't care how many lives you've had. You will always be my son.

Saying that, she came over and hugged me tightly. Lin followed suit, but with a lot more strength. That feels good. Hmm, perhaps I should rethink hugging a bit. 

- Can I join you?! - A smiling Aki asked, her fangs flashing. - I don't want to be the poor relative at this hugger's feast!

- Of course, dear! Come here," Mum said, waving her hand, beckoning the girl over. She didn't wait long and in a couple of seconds squeezed our group in a bear hug.

- What do you think about what I said, Aki?

- Heh-heh, bro, do you really think I care? - Her friend asked cheerfully. - Basically nothing has changed. 

- Son, can you tell me about your first life? - Lin asked.

- Why not? We still have to wait for them to come for us. Just please don't tell anyone about it, okay?

- Okay dude!

- All right, Kyle.

- Well, I should start by saying that I lived in a world where there's, like, no magic or mutants or anything. At least not that the general public knows about. And there's a roughly equal number of men and women.

- No way!" Aki exclaimed, stepping forward.

- Yeah. I'll tell you more. Boys are born slightly more than girls and only at a certain age their number starts to change in the opposite direction. 

- It's hard to believe! Of course, I've read various fiction that described something like this, but to learn about the reality of such a world is..." said Mum, amazed.

- I see. When I was born in this world and found out about the gender imbalance, I was also shocked. 

- And in that world everyone lives in pairs, like lesbians here? - Lin asked with keen interest.

- In general, yes, but there are some countries where polygamy is allowed. There are also some people who choose to live in such relationships. But these are the exceptions. By the way, fun fact, at the time of my death, the US was actively promoting the transformation of men into women and vice versa, through hormones, surgeries, etc.. I've even heard of a case where a couple switched sexes.

- How barbaric! - Mum exclaimed in horror. - What a wild world!

- There are enough men for everyone, so there's no reason to protect them. After all, even here with a sex bias mankind develops. By the way, it is much easier to conceive and give birth to a child there, that's why some people say that by changing people's sex, those in power are trying to reduce the population.

- How many people do you have on the planet?

- Twice as many as here. 

- Yeah, it may be a barbaric world, but I'd like to live in it. The possibility of easier conception alone is worth it. I mean, you, Kyle, were my third attempt. I was even afraid I wouldn't be able to have children at all," Mum said sadly. But after a moment, she cheered up and moved closer to me, stroking my head. - But I'm very glad I gave birth to you, baby.

- Mum, you haven't forgotten that I'm not a baby, have you?

- A child will always be small for its mother," said the radish with a serious look. - Tell me more about your world.

- Well, are you ready children? - I asked, making a stern face.

- Yes, Captain! - Three girls immediately responded.

- Then listen up! Now I will tell you about...

I explained about Earth Prime (as I decided to call it) for about twenty minutes, until Aunt Naomi interrupted us.

She literally burst into the basement with the face of a man ready to kill. Immediately noticing us tensed up and the bound killers lying on the floor (interestingly enough, they were all alive, though Lin and Aki weren't doing much damage), the woman calmed down a bit. 

- Akiko, Kyle, Emma, how are you, my dears? - The woman asked in a sympathetic voice, instantly closing the distance and hugging each of them. After carefully examining and groping us, using Ki, she exhaled with a sigh of relief.

- It's okay Ma!" Aki answered for all of us. - Tell me, what are we going to do next?

- I'll deal with them myself and make sure they're not found. But what kind of creatures, even here they got here! - said Naomi, looking at the ninja with hatred. - Emma, why don't you go to your home now, and take Aki with you. I'd feel better that way.

- Sure. Our guards should be arriving right about now. We'll wait for them and leave right away.

- I'd rather stay here and help you with my new power! - Aki said, shaking her head negatively. - I have the ability to turn almost any object into nothing! 

After thinking for a moment, the elder Igarashi agreed. I decided to ask Aunt Naomi about the conflict with Ruka and the prediction, but she said she'd answer all our questions later. I was tempted to make a joke after what had happened. I guess I was just getting over it. In the end I decided not to deny myself anything and to clarify whether intimate questions would be included. The woman looked at me with such a feeling and said "yes" in such a voice that only the presence of strangers stopped me from decisive actions of a certain nature. And naturally after that I heard a lot of indignant words from Aki and snide ones from my mum and Lin. By the way, the latter apparently could only be seen by the E.G.O. owners.

Anyway, having relaxed a bit after what had happened and waited for the guards, we drove off to our mansion, leaving my mother and daughter to deal with the ninjas. Kate, the head of security, told us what had happened at the restaurant after our abduction. She spoke to the manager of the place and was about to call the police, but we called. Not much time had passed since our abduction, so Kate only had time to arrive at the scene and deal with the situation. Since the police intervention could complicate the case and would reveal a lot of uncomfortable questions, we decided not to bother this structure. Let the guys and gals rest from their exploits. For the restaurant, kidnapping customers right out of the building was not the most pleasant situation, so we unanimously decided to keep quiet about the incident. We just paid for the food and that was it. 

On the way, we had to call my mum's deputies, as they almost panicked when they found out about the disappearance of their boss. One of them couldn't get through to Mum so he contacted Kate and she blurted out a kidnapping story. Luckily it all turned out all right, and it didn't leak out to the masses.

We also tipped the guards' tails to keep them on their toes. Told them some information about possible adversaries, so they'd know how to react in the event of a Hand attack. Kate swore that now the guards wouldn't let a mosquito get past them. 

Two hours later, the Igarashi arrived at our house. Aunt Naomi and Aki were immediately led into the hall where we were sitting. Sinking down on the couch, both ladies exhaled tiredly, and the older woman began to broadcast.

- Phew, we interrogated that trio, and got rid of the bodies. Now they'll never be found. Yeah, my little girl's abilities are really something. You're even more interesting than I thought, Kai," Naomi said, looking me over. - And now I want to ask a lot of questions myself. But first I'll tell you our story. 

After she had drunk a cup of tea and made herself comfortable, she began to speak:

- The history of Igarashi dates back to ancient times. Originally, the backbone of the clan comes from the city of Kun-Lun. There our ancestors learnt the mysteries of controlling the energy of the universe. I think you know it as Ki, Qi, Chi and so on. But at some point they decided to go to the outside world and try their luck there. They wandered the world for a long time before they came to Japan. That's where they settled down. They became a serious force to be reckoned with. So gradually, where by force, where by diplomacy and marriages, the Igarashi reached such power that they could become shoguns. But there are always people who do not benefit from the rise of their rival, so a coalition was formed against us, with Ruka at the head. The clan was weakened on all fronts, and we were severely weakened, even though we had to wash our own blood. So we became implacable enemies with the Hand clan. Our confrontation is not so much a struggle of good against evil, but a struggle for influence, resources and so on, as everywhere else. Although if the Hands come to power in the country, people should not expect anything good. After all, they are the minions of a demon and also control most of the crime in Japan. The Yakuza. As a result, all the years after our defeat, we fought a sluggish war until a monk from one of the mountain monasteries made a prediction. In a nutshell, it said that the next Igarashi child had the power to help destroy the Hand. This prediction was the most confusing to Genno, that was the monk's name. Usually he spoke, albeit in a difficult to understand form, of events that were bound to happen. In this case, however, he spoke of certain probabilities. And so it was that the next child born into the Igarashi clan was Aki. Naturally, they tried to kill her immediately. My daughter and I then survived only by a miracle and the sacrifice of my husband, my sisters and their children. Eventually the Hand kept going on and on, trying to get to Aki, from which we came to the US. After a while, when things got quieter in Japan, we moved back. After living quietly for three years, the Hand reminded itself again by attacking our clan with ferocity. In one of those battles, I killed that white-haired girl's husband and sisters. She had asked for this assignment because of that, wanting to avenge me by killing Akiko. The others were just following orders. We arrived in the U.S. a few days ago. They found us so quickly because they knew where we lived. Shortly before our last stay here, members of the Hands were able to find our home, but we left for Japan before they attacked. You know what happened next. 

- I'm surprised you didn't make them look evil incarnate and your clan good.

- There is no such thing as absolute evil. Although the Hand comes pretty close to that title. There's no such thing as absolute good, either. The Igarashi are just a clan of people trying to survive and give their descendants a better life. I prefer to tell the truth, not pretty words," the woman replied with a grin.

- Did the prediction explicitly state that the Igarashi would be the ones to destroy the Hand? And was it worth it to escalate the situation like that, because it could be a self-fulfilling prophecy?

- I don't know what the heads of the Hand were thinking. I guess they thought it was worth it," Naomi said, shrugging her shoulders. - Igarashi has no choice but to destroy the Hand now, after all they've done. The prediction said that the next child of the 50 Scarlet Storms would contribute to the destruction of the Beast's servants and possibly his death. There were some other nuances as well. Igarashi, translates to 50 storms, scarlet because of our hair colour, the next child after the prediction is Aki, and the Beast's servants are the Hand. No one else of their opponents fit the criteria. 

- Interesting," I replied, thinking about what I'd said. 

I didn't want to get involved in the prophecy, because it's a very problematic event. But it was also impossible to leave the attack on themselves. What would prevent them from attacking next time more prepared? And not just in threes, but thirty? The problem was that our family would most likely be recognised as Igarashi's allies, and they wouldn't leave us alone.

- By the way, why is your hair like that? 

- It's a mutation from using Ki, as far as we could figure out. The hair turned red, the fangs got a little bigger, and the bodies got stronger and more perfect, even without the use of energy. It's like our ancestors practised unusual ways of absorbing and controlling ki that produced this result," the woman explained.

So they're already superhuman in some way? Maybe that's why I couldn't beat Aki once when I was a kid.

- More perfect? You can't argue," I said, giving the woman an appraising look. Man, this increased libido is such a pain sometimes.

- Heh, both women and men are born exceptionally handsome, - Naomi said with a wry smile, hugging her sluggishly resisting daughter.

- Cool. What else did the prophecy say? Aki said he was weird. I'd like to know what we're in for.

- That's right," Mum agreed.

- 'Hmm, you're right,' Aunt Naomi said, nodding. - Genno was talking about some star that would come from far away. This star will have four multi-coloured main beams and many smaller ones. It would incinerate the unworthy and either raise the world to the heavens or turn it into Jigoku* on Earth. However, because this star is not from this world, certain laws do not apply to it, making it impossible to see. Somehow it will contact the Igarashi clan and become our ally. Aki will play a role in this. She's the one who will somehow be involved. And that's the part that's been deciphered for a long time, trying to figure out the hidden meaning.

- Yeah. That didn't make it any easier. On the contrary," I admitted.

- It's not surprising. We ourselves can't say anything definite, despite 15 years of work with the prediction.

But when I thought about what the woman had said, I got a little tense. After all, if you look at it that way, I too fit the description of what the elder Igarashi had said.

- Aki told me that the prediction was made shortly before she was born....

- Yes," the woman said. - 'The 18th of April.

- Wow. Right when you were born Kai," Aki interjected.

- Yeah, that's an amazing coincidence.

Aunt Naomi looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. Did she realise something?

- By the way, Kyle, why don't you tell me how you were able to give Aki new powers? If you're worried about keeping your secret, you should know. I won't tell anyone but the top of the clan. Igarashi's word," the woman said in a serious tone. And judging by the startled look on Aki's face, it wasn't an empty word.

Except that even that option didn't really suit me. What two people know, a pig knows. But there's no way around it, so I'll have to tell you.

- Let's just say I can give people the ability to translate their minds into material form. It's called E.G.O.

- What does that stand for, by the way? - Aki asked.

- Emotionally Flexible Equipment. The acronym is a silly play on words. It's basically the same thing. E.E.F.E. is the shell of the human ego. The physically manifested mind. So, the E.G.O. can take almost any form, from a smoking pipe to a pocket dimension with no end. Abilities come in a variety of forms too, from controlling blood to turning people into books, taking them to get all the powers, knowledge, and equipment of the recipient. 

- Cool! I'd like to turn some people into books! - Aki said.

- Impressive power indeed," Naomi said amazed. - With these gauntlets and greaves, Aki will become a true goddess of war and finally destroy the Hand. 

- But getting the E.G.O. isn't easy. Instead, one can become a Warped One. In that case, one also gains power, often even more, but is changed in body and mind if one's will isn't strong enough. Aki, for example, almost became Warped, just like Mum.

- What about you, Kai? Did you pass the test easily? - Aki asked a tricky question.

- No. I was halfway through and miraculously managed to stop.

- How did you do that? - Mum asked, giving my palm a reassuring squeeze.

- I wanted to save you personally and talk to you afterwards. It was that desire that allowed me to resist. 

- And yet, many people would be willing to go to such lengths for that kind of power," the elder Igarashi said.

- The most important thing is that no one comes to me with a desire to get E.G.O..

- No one will find out anything from us," the woman said firmly.

- Good. But be careful, Aki. Damage to the gloves can damage your mind.

- I will.

- I think we should get some rest. It's getting late, and we're tired today. Girls, stay with us, Mum suggested. - It'll be safer.

- You don't have to worry about that," Naomi said. - Ruka sent only three fighters, not wanting to attract attention. A few more were due to arrive after a while. It's just that this trio saw a great opportunity and took it. And if it wasn't for your abilities, Kyle, they would have succeeded.

- And yet. Why would you want to go out at night? We have plenty of room in the house. And there's plenty of clothes. And the girls will drop you off early tomorrow.

- Okay, if you say so, Emma," agreed the elder Igarashi.

After putting the guests to bed, I also decided to go to bed. But when I saw my mum pulling out her papers and getting ready for work, I stopped.

- What are you doing? You should get some rest. The papers aren't going anywhere.

- I've already wasted a lot of time today. I'll have to sit up half the night," Mum said with a sad sigh.

- Don't worry, nothing critical will happen if you sleep tonight. The company will be able to work for a day without you. You don't have to work so hard. Otherwise you'll get wrinkles," I threatened at the end.

- As you say, my lord," Mum replied placidly. 

- Don't worry. The work of the staff is fine-tuned and my programmes are perfectly capable of solving joints. 

- If that's the case, I'll go to bed. Waaah! - Mum yawned contagiously. - Good night, baby.

- I'm not a baby," she replied tiredly. - Good night to you, too.

I fell asleep as soon as I touched the pillow. I was exhausted from the day. I still had to go to school. No, it's definitely time to finish it. It's taking up a lot of time I could be doing something more useful. At least sleep.

School was quiet, except for Gerda's special attention. Apparently, after receiving E.G.O., my aura looked different, and the girl was watching me closely. Although it started when I received the Light. She seemed to be able to notice that too.

In the evening, Aki came to visit. I gave her a tour, which I finished outside. We laid down right on the soft grass and started watching the clouds.

- Rumour, Kai, what are you going to do now? - the girl asked an unexpected question.

- Hmm. First I'll become stronger, so that something like yesterday won't happen again.

- Mm-hmm. And after that?

- After that, I'll spread the Light to the whole world so that people stop hurting each other and are able to protect themselves from outside threats.

- I didn't expect you to be the kind of person who wants happiness for everyone. What about your pessimism? - Aki asked, turning to me.

- More like realism. It hasn't gone away. And you're wrong. I don't want happiness for everyone for nothing and let no one go away offended. Naturally, as a normal person, I don't like the fact that there are many people who suffer undeservedly for one reason or another. I have no desire to run to do good, to bring justice to everyone and everything. But if I see a person whom I can help without much trouble for myself, I will intervene, as I did in the case of Benjamin. In this particular case, however, I do it more for myself. In the future I have a family, women I love and children. I don't want them to live in a world where shit happens all the time. And my plan for the Complementation of Humanity is designed to make life on this planet calm and safe.

- What kind of plan is that? - Aki asked with a thoughtful face.

- By releasing Light throughout the planet, I will achieve the spiritual elevation of humanity. All current vices will be discarded. Humanity will outgrow them. You must partly feel it yourself. It's as if your mind has become complete, isn't it?- Yes, it has," the girl agreed.

- So am I. But we're only at the first stage, so to speak. According to the plan, people will realise that the principle of live and let live is a very convenient thing.

- You want to brainwash the whole world?

- I wouldn't say that. Besides, who hasn't? We get brainwashed all the time. Parents, media, politicians, books, films. Basically anything can brainwash you. That's not what I plan to do. Just as children don't realise they're doing evil, mankind hasn't grown up yet. Back to us again. Both you and I have been elevated above our former selves in some ways since we got E.G.O.'s. Fear, insecurity, mental trauma, none of that has the power it used to have over us. But this is just the beginning. The first step. We are not yet radically different from our old selves. Much more can be accomplished by healing people's minds and starting a new milestone in human history. In a way, it can be compared to cultural development. Some time ago it was considered normal to keep slaves, but now it is strictly frowned upon. And so it is with many things. It's the same with my plan. 

- So it's for you and your family?

- Mm-hmm. And besides, the opportunity to change the path of an entire race is very tempting. It's very invigorating to know you have that kind of power. So I put what I just said together in my head, and then I decided to try to make the world a better place, at least for my loved ones. Besides, superhuman power should be used for superhuman tasks. And what could be more awesome than a plan to change the population of the planet? Unless it's the universe, but I can't do that. Not yet. I've realised that using superpowers just for fighting is too... Damaging. And the last thing is to stroke my ego. Why not?

- Unexpected. Makes you wonder. Compared to what you want, mine doesn't really compare. I just want to destroy the Hand.

- It's as good a goal as any. It doesn't really matter how big it is. If your goal isn't just padding your pockets, over-consumption or lust, but something more worthy, why not? Yeah, and I'll help you. Something tells me these guys won't go away unless they're eliminated.

Besides, it looks like the prophecy's gonna keep me on my toes. If I'm the star that monk was talking about, then sooner or later Ruki's killers will be on my trail, and by the laws of self-fulfilling prophecies, they'll cease to exist. Take the same Aki they were after. Before the girl was born, they tried to kill her.

- I've been thinking, and I've decided to help you achieve your goal in return. As heir to the clan, I know of the many dangers that threaten mankind. Mad witches, demons, aliens from other spaces and worlds. I don't want to raise my children on such a dangerous planet," Aki said, lying back and looking up at the clouds. - And it sounds cool to be involved in changing all of humanity. I'm sure it will be an interesting adventure. If you don't mind me being involved, of course.

- How could I not mind your help, mate? Okay. Then let's help each other to achieve our goals," I said solemnly, holding out my palm to the girl, which she squeezed tightly. - Let this be Our Promise.

- It's on! - Aki said cheerfully. 

She stopped shaking my hand and looked closely at my face. There was a different emotion in her eyes than the usual excitement, fun, and desire for adventure, which was very unusual. But no matter how much I looked at her, I didn't understand what she was thinking. No matter how you look at it, a woman is one big mystery.

- Is there something on my face?

- No. I'm just thinking," Aki replied, looking away. - Hey Kai, why don't we do it again? Only with superpowers?

- Are you trying to kill me? If we compare our E.G.O.'s, I'll just knock yours out or I'll be game over. And if you take Kee, then you win.

- What about the ability you used to deflect my blow? - The red one asked with interest.

- It requires a lot of energy, so I use it only in extreme cases. Let me accumulate a little strength and then we'll spar seriously. By the way, here you go.

I took out four Moonstone rings from my pocket and handed them to the girl.

- What's this? Are you proposing to me? - The girl asked cheerfully. Well, yes, that was the custom here too, except that both men and women could propose.

- Yes, and your mum too," she said with a serious face.

- Wow, you are a man of high culture! - Aki said respectfully. - Oyakodon** decided to hook up!

- What did you want to do? I'm interested in one question, though. How do you know such a slang term?

After I said that, the red one turned completely red.

- Well, a friend told me. I didn't watch it myself! - Aki quickly replied. Well, wow, when that kid is embarrassed, she becomes cute.

- If you say so. As for the rings, they can block psychic attacks. Good against telepaths. I don't want any nosy kids finding out about our adventures. Put one ring on each arm and you can forget about trying to get inside your head. Unless it's some super-strong mutant.

- That's cool. Do you have any other stuff like that? - Aki asked, calming down a bit and looking at the rings again. - I think the Clan would be interested in such useful things.

- I think we can make a deal. By the way, I have a question. 

- Yeah? What's that?

- When we used to spar with you when you were a kid, did you happen to use Kee? 

- Um, you know, hehehe..." the girl started hesitantly. - At that time I was just learning to control this energy, so I couldn't completely nullify the effect on my body. So I was getting stronger. 

- What am I supposed to do with you?

- Understand and forgive," said the red one, cosplaying the Cat from Shrek.

- You know what, Aki? - I said in a completely calm tone, slowly getting up. - You better run, because if I catch up with you, you're not going to get off with a strap on your arse.

- Hey, Kai, calm down! Bro, what are you doing?! - With her hands in front of her and backwards, Aki asked playfully and fearfully.

- It's nothing! I'm just giving you a few unforgettable minutes for feeling like a weakling all these years!

- Kai, stop it already! - shouted that girl, running away from me using Ki. - I didn't do it on purpose! Let's be friends!

- I will! - I answered her, trying to keep up.

- Really?! - Aki asked happily, turning her head towards me.

- Yeah! As soon as I punish you!

- I refuse!

 Commentary on Chapter #19. Confession, prophecy, confession.

 ** Jigoku is the name of hell in Japanese.

** Oyakodon is a dish that literally means parent and child. 

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