Sleepless Nights, Endless Days; A Search for Escape. (Open)

[Matsuko]

The sun was shining, a cool breeze rolling off the ocean. Not too far off the coast nearest Metropolis Island stood Zayne. He was dressed in a pair of camo pants, black and grey boots, and a brown-plaid sleeveless hoodie, his hoodie drawn over his unkempt purple hair. He’d suffered another sleepless night, and the bags were heavy under his purple eyes. Expending energy would be the only way he could get a proper night’s rest, and yet training just wasn’t enough. No matter how much he tried, it seemed nothing could help him.

”Damn monsters!” he hissed, clutching his head, under his hood, ”Couldn’t even give me a damn sleep mode, or something?”

Even in such a soothing atmosphere there was no way of calming the energy that burned inside him. Turning, he set his sights on a large rock, near the island’s shoreline, he’d place his hands on it, and let out a powerful roar, ”Heyeah!” With a burst of invisible energy the rock exploded, flinging debris into the sea. Turning his back to the coast and the smoke that rose up from the crater that remained, he’d reveal the yellow smilieface with X-eyes and it’s tongue out- as if taunting the very being that put it there.

”I’m never gonna get anywhere like this…”

[Ethan Snow]

For most people, the bright sun and pleasant climate of the tropics around Metropolis island were simply heavenly and a source of never ending fun. The beaches were alive with vacationers even in the winter months and all manner of water craft were out and about on a fine day like this one. One such beach-goer was a certain blue haired teen, cruising very much against the waves as his ethereal surfboard powered it's way along, kicking up a spray a good four feet high. Ethan was actually on his way back to his boat after picking up a few odds and ends at his favorite electronic store on the main island when a rumble in the distance caught his attention. Before long he could see a plume of smoke starting to rise from a small island off to his right, however before he could turn to investigate, a shower of blasted pebbles started to rain down upon him from the boulder that no longer existed. "Crikey!" the shirtless boy exclaimed and held his bag of parts up over his head to keep from being needlessly nicked by one of the wayward stones.

"Wonder what caused it." he stated to the empty air once the raining debris had subsided and then changed course. Approaching the island within a few minutes of the explosion, Ethan was fairly certain no one else had seen it, there were no other boats this far from the main island except his, so there was little chance of someone less capable of handling themselves than him showing up to investigate as well. If this explosion was anything but volcanic, Ethan didn't want civilians getting hurt by what could potentially be an alien troublemaker. Of course there was the possibility that the shower of pebbles was entirely due to someone quite powerful taking their training a bit too far. I either case, they needed a bit of a talking to, and Ethan was about the most diplomatic there was on the planet and in the ideal position to do just that.

Sailing up onto the shore, Ethan nosed his board into the sand and jogged off the end of it, letting the construct dissolve away as he transited to the sandy beach. Already he could see the source of the debris and smoke, a large, unnatural crater blasted into the shoreline of the otherwise pristine little island. Not far from that crater he could see a figure, perhaps a bit shorter than him, wearing a brown hooded shirt, walking away from the destruction. The figure's calm demeanor meant only one thing to Ethan, he was likely the cause of the hole in the ground, as any normal person would likely still be gawking at it. Putting his bag down far enough from the water so as to be safe, Ethan broke into a jog to catch up to the individual. Once he was close enough the blue haired teen would reach out and gently grasp the other fellow's bare shoulder and call out.

"Hey there friend. Did you do that back there?" he asked in as disarming and friendly a tone as possible, which for him was pretty easy.

[Matsuko]

The man’s arrival hadn’t exactly been a silent one, and Zayne heard him coming. As the man put his hand out to catch him, Zayne’s body would twist, his hand shooting up to catch the other before it touched him. His demeanor was calm, and his grasp would be gentle, but firm. Caught or not, he’d look the boy over, and then look into his eyes, ”And what if I did?” he asked monotonely, as if he didn’t care either way. Though there was no malice in his actions, it was easy to see from the dark bags under his eyes that he was probably on edge. In fact, it looked like he hadn’t slept in a month!

Releasing the man, if his grab had connected, he’d pull back his hood and reveal his purple locks, ”What do you want from me? It’s not my fault if you came to close and got pelted with some pebbles, or something,” he noted, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes, ”So, unless you’re here to tell me this is your property, or that I’ve won a million zeni, or something, I think you should mind your own damn business.” Still, even with what sounded like sarcasm, his tone remained rather flat- as if stating plain facts.

[Ethan Snow]

Closing in on the figure, Ethan hadn't exactly made his approach particularly stealthy, indeed he didn't intend to just sneak up on the guy when he was trying to be friendly. However the last thing he expected was for his hand to be intercepted while he was mid sentence. The boy was usually unflappable in these types of situations though and even though the young man that now faced him seemed to be decidedly unfriendly, Ethan as always was determined to make a friend where he could, and looking the other young man over while feeling the strong grip around his forearm, Ethan wanted to make friends even more. In spite of his strong grip and generally attractive appearance, the guy looked like he never slept, which could probably account for his grumpy demeanor. After a few moments the other young man released his arm and Ethan just chuckled at him, folding his arms behind his head in a particularly relaxed posture, he wanted to make sure the guy didn't think of him as a threat, both because he was quite confident in himself and because he was trying to be friendly.

"Woe woe woe guy, slow down." Ethan replied. "I wasn't busting your chops. Just wanted to know if you did that... and yeah, to say not to do it again... at least not here. The islands are too nice looking to blow up." the shirtless teen added and flashed the other young man one of his world brightening smiles.

[Matsuko]

Zayne watched the boy closely as he responded. Luckily for him, it seemed the blue-haired teen was quite friendly. Still, the purple-haired teen didn’t exactly seem to lighten up. As the other boy posed for him, he once again looked him up and down. With such a build, there was no doubt this man was some kind of fighter, but there was really no telling just how strong he might be. Still, Zayne couldn’t shake off a feeling that this boy was indeed the solution to his problem.

”I hadn’t intended on blowing the island up,” he stated plainly, turning back towards the ocean and glancing to the blue-haired teen over his shoulder, ”Who are you anyways?” he asked, his tone finally changing to one of curiosity, ”Might you have come here to put a stop to me if my intentions were different?” he asked, then turned back to the man, eyes narrowing and brow rising questioningly, ”Are you some kind of vigilante, or something?”

[Ethan Snow]

With his arms folded up behind his head, Ethan was showing off a bit, as he tended to do. It was an invitation to ogle that the other young man took without complaint, indeed the blue haired boy quite enjoyed the attention and as his purple haired companion took another moment to look over his physique, Ethan returned the favor with a quick glance around the parts he could see. The other boy seemed around his age, maybe a year or two older, it was hard to tell. His arms were pretty well developed and his rather low riding pants gave the flirty blue haired boy a clear view of a few inches of midsection, populated by hat looked to be some nicely developed abdominal muscles. The rest was sadly obscured though, but Ethan had a vivid imagination and he could pretty easily fill in the rest, all be it probably a little more idealistic than reality. In any case, he remained right where he was, as he was as the other teen asked him his name and if he'd intended on stopping him had the other continued to wreck the island.

"Well I never said you did, but the sentiment's the same, there are a lot more durable things you could pound on if it as you." Ethan started wish a cheeky grin. " But no, not a vigilante, I've never killed anyone. And as for stopping you if it was you, well yeah, I reckon I'd have to do just that." The boy continued. He could tell, given the lack of enthusiasm in the other young man's responses that he was either dead tired or so grumpy that a fight might be inevitable. Not shying away from the possibility of a fight though, even though it wasn't his intention to start one, Ethan had chosen his words carefully. they were friendly enough but he made sure his tone was serious when he stated that he would stop the other boy. If indeed the other was looking for a fight, Ethan wanted to make it clear that he wouldn't back down if challenged.

"Anyway, name's Ethan." the boy concluded intending to bring his arms down to offer a hand to the other young man.

[Matsuko]

So, it seemed that the man hadn’t come in search of trouble. Of course, Zayne could be trouble if he wanted, but today there were no intentions of such within him. Instead he’d set out in search for a cure for his sleeplessness. Using his energy on simple rocks and trees wouldn’t be enough anyways, and he knew this. It seemed the best course of action would be to humor the young boy and stop destroying thing without reason.

Still, there was something about the way he spoke that fanned the fire burning inside Zayne. Though perhaps not intended, he was cocky, quite confident in his abilities; answering Zayne’s question so bluntly, and with no intentions of backing away from the hypothetical battle. The purple-haired boy looked the other’s hand over as it was offered to him, glancing up to meet the boys eyes for a moment before reaching out and grasping his hand. ”Ethan, huh? I’m Zayne… It’s nice to meet you, I guess…”

After a quick shake, he’d pull his hand back and cross his arms, cocking his head to throw a sideways glance at the boy, ”So, you sounded pretty confident about your abilities…” he noted, ”That means either you’re actually pretty strong, or you’re just really stupid…” he said, his tone flat once again, as if just stating facts, ”Am I wrong in assuming its more the prior than the latter?” he added, his lips widening into a smug smile and a small chuckle escaping them.

[Ethan Snow]

It seemed Ethan's supposition about this guy looking for a fight seemed to be on the money. He wasn't spoiling for one like some hot head, more he was another alpha type like Ethan and wouldn't back down either. Indeed the very words now coming out of the other boy's mouth, along with his name, Zayne, confirmed exactly what Ethan suspected. Zayne took Ethan's bravado and gave him a dose of his own, all be it with a inge of insult mixed in, probably to goad the shirtless boy on. Grinning at Zayne's round about challenge, Ethan stepped around to put himself directly in the other boy's field of view, pulling back his shoulders and sticking his chest out like kids in school do when daring another to hit them.

"Heh, the first more or less, though you don't have to be so dick-ish about the way you say it." Ethan shot back. "And if you don't believe me, why don't you ditch that hoody and show me what you got, tough guy." he continued, trying to sound angered, however the smirk spreading across his lips belied the fact that he was enjoying himself more than any anger he might feel, indeed, they were just trash talking now.

[Matsuko]

"Dick-ish?” Zayne repeated, his smirk fading into blankness. He hadn’t considered he was being ill-mannered; however, that wasn’t really a concern. He hadn’t been the one sticking his nose where it didn’t belong in a rather interestingly cocky manner. ”I’m not the one strutting around and challenging people, now am I?” he retorted, his smirk returning, ”But if it’s test of strength you’d like, who would I be to turn that down?”

Now standing directly in front of the other male, Zayne ran a hand down the center of his hoodie, his hand stopping at the large X-shaped button, ”Ah, nevermind…” he said, pulling his hand away and balling it into a fist in front of him, ”This isn’t going to last long enough for me to need to take this off…” He told him with a wink, returning the teen’s show of bravado with one of his own.

Since his creation, Zayne had yet to fight someone worthy, for that reason he spent as much time as he could training. Though not an adequate substitute, he could use more energy by himself than with another being. There had yet to be an opponent that required Zayne to actually try… As such he too was confident in his abilities. Unbeknownst to him, he was squaring off against one of the Saviors of Earth…

”Here it comes!” Zayne exclaimed, rushing the short distance between them. Nearing the boy, he’d rear back his right hand, fingers curled and palm open, and throw it forward at Ethan’s abdominals. If it connected, unknown to Ethan, the energy siphon would set to work, slowly draining his ki.

[Ethan Snow]

"Strutting? Me?" Ethan asked, feigning astonishment with his smirks still plastered across his face, granted it did look like he might have pushed the wrong button just a bit and gotten the other young man truly angry, at least for a moment. That quickly changed though when Zayne returned the smirk and stated that me wouldn't turn down such a challenge of strength. Then moving to unbutton his top, the other boy stopped and upped the ego factor by ten, further stating that he didn't need to take it off as he was confident he could beat Ethan, presumably without breaking a sweat. This only lit the shirtless boy's fires even more as he stood there with his arms back and his chest out, daring him on. "Ho ho ho, you think so huh?" Ethan just managed to get out before the other's arm was in motion.

As he always did when meeting a new opponent, the shirtless boy had left his middle wide open and un-tensed, a perfect invitation and boy he was not disappointed. Zayne needed no more prodding or guidance and zeroed right in on the vulnerable target, pumping of all things, a strong palm strike into the other boy's core. "Uuuuuullll..." Ethan groan as the other young man's hand sank into his warm flesh, doubling him over. He'd left his abs loose for the sole purpose of feeling his opponent's full strength and again he was not disappointed, indeed he was surprised to find he found the innder ache it coused to be quite similar to that of a punch. "Ohhhh... Man... Nice..." the boy gasped as he tensed up his abdominals now, forcing Zayne's intruding hand out. "This is going to be fun." he added with a grin, closing his own right hand into a fist and launching a reprisal to Zayne's stomach, aiming right for the exposed band of skin between the other boy's pants and top, before straitening up. Given the battle was only beginning and the fact that Ethan was not utilizing his energy reserves, the power Zayne pulled from him went unnoticed.

[Matsuko]

Zayne’s strike connected, his fist delving deep into the boy’s midsection, doubling him over and forcing the air from his lungs. However, to Zayne’s surprise, ultimately it seemed this boy enjoyed the pang of pain, his smile never fading from his face. Taking a slight step back, Zayne watched the blue-haired boy pull his fist back and prepare a strike of his own.

Bracing himself, Zayne took the punch, his sturdy body, though feeling like flesh and bone, was constructed with durability in mind. Unlike his own strike, Ethan’s punch wouldn’t find itself diving into Zayne’s stomach. With a glance to the boy’s fist, then his face, Zayne would smile, ”Seems you might be more bark than bite after all,” he’d say, his voice finally breaking away from the flatness, and exposing some cockiness of his own.

”My turn!” This time Zayne’s right hand would grab for the boy’s wrist, hoping to anchor him in place, all while gradually absorbing his energy. His left hand would recoil, and send another strike towards Ethan’s stomach- aiming for the same place he’d hit before. If the hit connected, that hand too would slowly drain the boy’s energy. However, if the boy looked very closely, he’d see the bags under the purple-haired boy’s eyes begin to disappear- it seemed the enjoyment was mutual already.

[Ethan Snow]

* SMACK * Ethan's eyebrow raised in surprise as his fist smashed against Zayne's midsection, finding abs as hard has his were when he chose to employ them. Granted he hadn't hit the other boy as hard as he could have, but the firmness of Zayne's body and stoic lack of a response still excited Ethan's mind and body. 'Holy crap, he's tough.' the shirtless boy thought to himself as he stood there for a moment in astonishment. Zayne made the next move, grabbing Ethan's right arm and pulling it away from his midsection. Zayne was smiling at him now, clearly having won their first exchange and he knew it too, teasing the younger yet taller youth. With his arm ensnared in Zayne's grasp though, the other young man was working an angle that was slowly undermining any chance Ethan had to actually win, and the shirtless teen couldn't do anything about it as he still did not even know it was happening. Even as Zayne pulled back his left and, his right was busy drawing energy from Ethan's body, the next blow would only hasten that drain as well as punish the boy's musculature.

Tensing up this time, Ethan grinned back at Zayne, making no move to free his right arm. "I'm not finished yet." he teased back just as the other's palm smashed into his stomach again. Zayne's hand met decidedly more firm abdominal muscles than it had before, but the blow made them quiver and forced another short groan from the boy. "Uuugh..." Ethan's body shook for a moment. "Oh... man..." he repeated. This guy wasn't THAT strong, these blows shouldn't be so hard to take, and yet, his abs had barely blocked the strength. Ethan couldn't understand it, but he did know an opponent that could hurt him like this and drilled his core was both dangerous and exciting to him. He had to push on, it was just too much fun.

"I'll show you a bite..." he retorted through clenched teeth. Balling up his left hand now, although it wasn't as strong as his right, Ethan let another punch fly, this time giving it every thing he had. If this didn't do it, he might have to resort to powering up, and if the other boy couldn't do the same, he might then have the advantage.

[Matsuko]

For a human, this guy was built strong. Though Zayne’s punches weren’t particularly the strongest, by this point of contact, most people were already out for the count. Still, his determination burned strong, and he held firm retorting and sending a hefty punch at the purple-haired boy’s midsection. This time, the punch would make some impact; however Zayne would still not double-over, or gasp. His smirk bared his teeth as he watched the boy, ”Hehe. I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong…” he noted, a chuckle escaping him, ”I might have given you too much credit… I guess you have neither bark, nor bite,” he taunted.

Of course, it was obvious that Ethan’s second strike packed much more of a punch than the last, but still, Zayne showed little signs of acknowledging it himself. Grasping for the boy’s freehand, Zayne would attempt to pull both his hands aside, all while still gradually siphoning his energy, and draw his foot back, planning to release a hardy knee towards the boy’s now completely unguarded stomach, this time using the peak of his base power. Though he wasn’t as physically strong as the blue-haired male, it seemed his technique could make up for it… At least, for the time being…

[Ethan Snow]

Again Ethan struck the other boy and again he showed virtually no reaction, the teen's jaw nearly hit the floor. 'You can't be serious! Is he actually stronger than me?' the boy's mind raced. Zayne was grinning at him like a cat with a mouse which only further excited the boy's body. That predatory gaze and that cocky attitude backed by the strength his kick the crap out of him and the willingness to do it was putting the blue haired teens hormones into overdrive and it showed plainly now. By now Ethan was starting to breath hard and sweat was starting to glisten on his skin, he felt the excitement in his body and yet at the same time, a weak, giddy sensation. He didn't know it of course, but it was the drain on his power starting to manifest more noticeably. After taunting him again, implying Ethan wasn't man enough to admit when he was beaten, the other boy grabbed Ethan's only free arm and spread them both out to the side. Of course the shirtless boy didn't resist, he wanted to see what Zayne would do in such an interesting position, after all, they were by this point almost chest to chest.

* THUD * "Ooooohhhhh..... Fuuuuuuu..." Ethan managed to catch himself and keep from gasping the whole curse. Zayne's knee had smashed up into his wide open stomach, and in spite of his tensed muscles, plowed strait through and lifted Ethan off his feet. The boy's abs were useless, almost numb now from the draining effect of Zayne's grasp. Ethan barely managed to keep his legs under him as he stood there, gasping. There didn't seem to be any other option now, he had to tap into his ascended form, else he doubted he'd have the strength to pull his arms free. He couldn't even speak to respond to Zayne's taunts anymore, at least with the boost he might get back some semblance of holding himself together. If he didn't though this fight would certainly be interesting, so far it had been a manly, brutal exchange of blows to each other's cores and never had Ethan been so thoroughly bested in this kind of contest when he actually tried. So try he would, provided Zayne gave him the moment to breath and compose himself, the shirtless, sweating teen would attempt to ascend into his transformed state, and double his remaining power and strength. If left to do that, Ethan would take a few more breaths before straitening himself once more and shooting Zayne and equally cocky grin and returning his knee to the gut, but again, only if he was allowed the time.

[Matsuko]

His attack proved very successful in getting a reaction from the boy. Still, he’d persist staying on his feet. Zayne smirked as he watched him, releasing his grasp so he could recompose himself. Suddenly however, the boy set forward with a newfound fire lit in his eyes. Again Zayne would allow him to attack, not anticipating the risen power behind it. Ethan’s strike connected hard, and for the first time he’d find it burying itself into Zayne’s abdomen.

With a light gasp, Zayne’s body doubled over. This strength… it had to be at least double his own… Maybe more. For the first time in forever, his heart began to pound, reminding him he was still alive somewhere in his mechanical shell. His toothy grin returned, and he jumped back, using the force of the knee to propel himself backwards. Landing a few feet away, he looked the boy over, biting his bottom lip with anticipation. His hand rose from his stomach, only to return and undo the button. Sliding the cloth over his shoulder, he’s rise it in front of him, tossing it aside. When his eyes settled on Ethan, he might notice that the once dark bags under his purple eyes had vanished, his eyes now burning with a youthful flame that had not been there before.

Balling his hands into fists, he’d drop them to his side and stretch his back flirtatiously, letting out a small groan of excitement. Returning his gaze to the teen, he’d smirk, raising his left hand and flexing, ”It seems I spoke too soon…” he stated, nodding his head, ”I guess I’ll take things a little more serious myself…” Readying himself, he too would use his hidden power, a two-times multiplier to his power he’d dubbed Overclocked; although there were no physical changes, with the new found demeanor it would be apparent he too had up holding back to this point.

Provided Ethan gave him the time, Zayne would rush forwards quickly closing the gap between them. Cocking his left palm back, he’d send it flying for Ethan’s abs once more, this time readying a kick for his side instead of giving him the time to retaliate. If his hit’s connected, he’d pivot on his heal, using the force of his own kick to twist him back like a top. Rounding the opposite side, he’d ball his fists together and ready a hammer fist to Ethan’s other side, hoping to send him flying.