Hell, With Love!

Alex sat on the edge of the cliff-side facing towards the Grand Canyon. Nevada was practically an entire desert and full of immense and intolerable heat. The desert spanned for hundreds of miles and didn't seem to end. It was one of the worst operations Alex had ever been on, he just wanted to go home and relax but he needs that third soul. From what he heard, this soul was hiding somewhere in the Grand Canyon and remained hidden for quite some time. So Alex decided to make a quick run here just in case this rumor was true. He also has made contact with some of his friends to see if they'd show up and help him yet no one has got back with him. As for his weapons, Ako and Riko have been hiding back home, refusing to show themselves in public. Ako however, seemed more confident than her own sister and wanted to go, yet her deformity has kept her down. As for Riko, she didn't really seem to care.

Jasmine stepped off an old, beat down bus wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a pink t-shirt. Her headphones were hung around her neck and her black guitar case was in her hand. She had decided to take the short trip to the grand canyon from home. On her back was a dirty old bag filled with various belongings and cheap snacks. Seeing a boy near the edge looking down, she decided to head over and cheer him up. She walked over and sood behind him. "Hey. Mind if I sit with you?" She asked, as strait forward as ever.

Alex sat there, blankly looking into the depths of the canyon. It looked as if it never ended, how deep the canyon was. He felt like he was going to just space out in depression and fall to his death. But when the girl came along, his attention focused on her. "S-sure. Go ahead." He said, at least trying to put on a fake smile. It seemed like a dull and short interaction with this girl and she just wants to sit with him? Normally, most girls wouldn't go near Alex.

Jasmine was glad to heat he was ok with it. She set her guitar case down and took a seat beside him. "So, what's wrong, guy? You look upset." She asked, wanting to help him. Maybe he just needed a friend? Or maybe he was a super hero who was tired of fighting crime and only wanted love! Woops... Got a little carried away there... Stuff like that only happens in comics... Or does it? She pondered curiously, making sure to pay atention to the boy in case he spoke.

Alex looked over to her guitar case, "You play?" He asked, short and simple with a straight face. All options were being considered, even if she doesn't play. Her punk look told her off as a punk rocker, who loved to stay on the move. Alex took one good look at her and could already tell off numerous things about this girl. But he didn't consider her question since he was trying to listen in on the canyon. They say that this kishin egg is capable of burrowing through the earth like a worm. So it was best to keep the conversation to a minimum.

Jasmine immediatly blushed at the question. "Yes but... I'm not that good..." She lied, trying to avoid the topic. She didn't like to play in front of others. What if she wasn't good enough? They'd laugh at her. She tried to change the subject. "Do... Do you have a name?" She asked, trying ro hide that her confidance had now been shattered.

"Ironsmith. Alex Ironsmith" He replied to her in quick sentence. But how she appeared to be ashamed of her guitar, Alex decided to delve further. "Since I'm sitting here, why don't you play me a tune?"

Jasmine seemed to tense up. A... A song...? Um... I dunno... you wouldn't wanna hear me... I'm mediocre at best..." She replied, a bit nervous. Why had she brought the guitar in the first place? She only played it at home... "I have a better idea... Let's go for a stroll?" She asked, awkwardly. She had just met him and she was asking him to walk away with her? What was she thinking?

He had nothing better to do, the kishin egg wasn't showing up so why not? "Okay, then where to?" He asked in a light, curious tone. This girl was shy and rather timid, trying to change the subject of her talent. But Alex couldn't blame someone as shy as her, since he was once like her.

He wanted to go? That was unexpected. "Anywhere... Along the canyon...?" She asked, curious as to why he decided to leave with a girl who's name he didn't know. It was almost like something out of a manga. Two strangers meet and go for a walk, though in a manga that would be when things took a turn for the worse. But what were the odds of that?

Alex began to stroll along the cliff-side of the canyon, wandering aimlessly in space. his encounter with the strange, foreign girl had caught his eye for only a slight moment. What was she doing here and why was she here? For what interest did she have in Alex? Normally, any girl he'd meet would shrug him off or just straight up insult him for his insecurities, which was common. Very few girls had ever possessed the tenacity to even walk up to Alex and even make eye contact with him. This would probably explain why women have bad relations with him. But to Alex, women were the only people in the world that were ever kind and compassionate with him. He learned this from his mother, before she was killed. A tragic and rather livid ending for his family but what are the odds? It seemed hopeless.

"Soooooooooooooo..................... Why do you talk with me, strange girl?" He asked with a curious tone.

Jasmine walked with him, he seemed lost in thought for a few moments. There was an awkward quiet between the two before he asked her a question. She immediately perked up, remembering the answer to his question. "You seemed like you needed some cheering up from a pretty girl, but since I couldn't find one of those you got me." She joked with a bright smile. "And the name is Jasmine, by the way. Jasmine Amaya."

"Funny, yet sensible. Moderate, but regulated to a certain level. Tell me, Amaya, what made me so important that it caught your eye? Understandably, you wanted to attempt a positive emotion and obtain a result in my own happiness. But maybe there is also another reason on why you are here?" This wasn't like Alex. He sounded and acted different. Like both Ivory and Destiny were locked in a desperate struggle to control Alex. Something was wrong, very wrong. They only act like this when a kishin egg is nearby. But the effects of this are as followed: depression, clear thought, self doubt, and blankness. Alex had already passed through the first two stages, which means Ivory and Destiny were moving him to the third stage. Self-doubt.

A different reason...? Why had she come here? The canyon was so big and empty... It was pointless. "I was just looking for something to do and the canyon just happened to be close by." She replied happily, glad she came never the less. This guy was interesting. He almost seemed unreal, like a figment of her imagination.

Alex then went into the final stage, blankness. He had no emotion on his face, blankly staring into the depths of the canyon. It almost looked as if he were afraid of heights. And that's when it hit him. A powerful wave of energy blasted through him, like feeling a .50 caliber bullet flying through his chest. It made him fly back and impact on a grouping of rocks. His back ached in pain yet was relieved by Destiny. The kishin egg was here, and it already knows of Alex's presence. Yet where was it? And how was Alex going to take it on without Ako and Riko?

Jasmine was confused as Alex flew back for seemingly no reason. What was going on? "Are you ok? What was that about?" She asked, extremely confused. Was he screwing with her? No... He was a nice guy... Why would he do that? She held out a free hand to help him up, hoping he didn't think she'd done it.

Alex took her hand and got back up. His focus was on her as this kishin egg proved to be more powerful than the last two. This was going to take some time. "Listen to me and listen closely. There is a monster, a really powerful monster, heading this way. Take your guitar and get as far away from here as possible." He sounded sure fitting, like he knows this was going to go downhill. This kishin egg was still nowhere in sight, which confused Alex.

Monster? Was he serious? Now she knew he was screwing with her. "Ha ha, make fun of guitar girl." She replie sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "And here I thought you were gunna be nice." She was annoyed now, it was one thing to say you don't like her, you don't need to make some ludicrous lie to get her to go away.

Alex then gave her a serious look, in which case he rarely ever gives. Now she irritated him. "You want to die? Be my guest, I'm only trying to keep you alive." He said. Alex had rushed towards the canyon as the ground began to shake. Tremors began to erupt underground as something was burrowing it's way throughout the canyon. The force of the ground shaking began to grow to the point where Alex could barely even stand. This kishin egg may be a bit more challenging than he thought.

Suddenly, a figure of enormous stature had drilled out of the ground with tremendous force. It stood at least ten feet tall with drills for hands, along with a form of mystical armor. The armor glistened in purple and was covered in black, chromatic plating. It's armor was trimmed and became razor sharp at the edges, literally making the armor itself a weapon as well. The face of this being was covered my a metal mask that had a poorly, misshapen drawn face on it. At first it seemed to be humorous, but the drawn face itself began to reform into an actual, molded face of a monster. It screamed at Alex for interrupting it's slumber.

"Shit, where are the damn snakes when you need them." Alex said to himself in a deeply, irritated tone.