It was the middle of the night and Cuki's apartment was still fixing itself together long after the battle ended. The roof was still missing and the rooms were a complete disaster. Cuki sighed upon seeing the state of her apartment, knowing it would take a least another day for it to finish repairing itself. The words of all the Breakers rang in her head and her confidence sunk to an all-time low. The lights did not work and nearly every piece of her furniture was ruined. The girl stared at the remains and sniffled. She managed to find her first aid kit, battered and broken, underneath all the rubble. Some supplies were missing but once the repairs were done, she would have everything back. She sat on top of some debris in the middle of the living room while she began to slowly patch herself up, sniffling and whimpering as she did so. All she thought about were the good times she spent with the Breakers.
While she wrapped her wounds, her crying became harder to hide and she soon felt tears roll down her cheeks and on to her bandaged arm. She tried to hold back her tears as she found some colorful band-aids, the same ones she placed on the Breakers when they felt bad about something. She began to place one on the bite wound she got from Bernkastel but the adhesive was ruined thanks to the fight and it did not stick properly. She tried again with another band-aid and then another, none of which stuck on to her. Cuki watched the last one slip off her hand and flop on the floor before the silent atmosphere was broken by the sounds of her painful cries.
Cuki hid her face within her hands, crying as loud as she could.
...Of course we would prioritize the chance to return home than worrying about staying with you!
...Saving the people we were supposed to be fighting, yeah, what a great friend you are!
...then perhaps you aren't deserving of these friendships.
...That's just as selfish as anyone wanting to go home, isn't it?
...Why don't you take your brain parasite and go far away if you're so sick of it?
...You shitty brat!
"Stop it..! Stop..! I couldn't do anything..! I tried to tell you guys but I couldn't..! I had no power... It's.. not my fault! I... I was so scared..!" Cuki said outloud. "I needed you guys... I trusted you guys but you all... you all... blame it on... me... I thought you would... help me..!" Cuki gripped at her chest, the emotional pain being too much for her. "I made them mad... I meant nothing to them..! I'm... I'm all alone again..! No more Spina, no more Kettles, no more Master..."
As Cuki cried to herself, Zenta landed softly on the broken remains of the balcony after finally catching up with his student. He gazed at her in silence, hearing her weeping out to her friends. He could not bear to hear his student wail in pain but it was best for her to get things off her chest. He continued to listen, taking a seat on the floor as she expressed her feelings. He thought to himself and how to approach Cuki at such a delicate time in her life. He found his chance when he overheard Cuki mention him. The pacifist snickered, catching the attention of Cuki who seemed shocked to see him there.
"My, my, when did I say I would leave you?" He laughed.
"Master! I... I..!"
"I jest, Cuki." He approached Cuki slowly until finding a seat in the rubble next to her. He then looked up at the night sky above them. His tone went from soft to a little more serious. "Cuki, we need to talk about your behavior from earlier. It was something that, not only made matters worse for you but embarrassed me a bit. The Breakers think I raised a savage, ohoho!"
Cuki frowned before looking down at the floor as she listened to her Master. All that she could muster were sniffles and hiccups as she tried to stop her crying.
"I understand if you don't want to keep me as your pupil..." Cuki's tears started to show. "I said a lot of stupid things."
"Cuki, I would never abandon you no matter how disastrous your mistake is. What matters is that you learn from it. Mistakes are a part of life and are unavoidable no matter how simple or divine you may be. Everyone deals with them differently."
"Yeah, well... Kettles and Geegee(Gogeta) hate me after what I said to them. Mr. Spina probably hates me too, even Mr. Whis..."
Zenta chuckled again as he shook his head at Cuki's worried mind. He placed a hand on top of her head and rubbed her ears before standing up in order to move some rubble away from the living room. He easily tossed large chunks of debris and trash to the side until he made a flat surface for he and Cuki and properly sit on. Cuki watched silently as her Master urged her to come lay down on the ground with him. She did so sheepishly, laying down opposite of him so that the top of her head touched his. Both of them gazed up towards the night sky.
"Back home, whenever you were stressed out about something, you gazed at the stars and talked all night until asking for advice. Maybe it will work again."
Cuki remained silent as she counted a few stars and thought heavily about the events of today. A calm sensation coursed through her tiny body. She didn't know where the feeling came from but it felt relaxing in such a dire time she was in. Was it her Master or was it her body remembering the sensation after reliving it again?
"I just don't want Kettles and the others to hate me... I know what I said to them wasn't right but they were mean to me too! I thought I meant a little more to them, y'know? Instead, they flip it and say it's my fault! But I couldn't do anything to warn them... I just didn't want them to leave. I... I didn't want to be alone again..." Cuki sniffled and her cheeks started to get puffy. "Even though our universe was gone, I thought that if we beat Dr. Doom, everything would go back to normal and our universe would return! But when you were erased by Dr. Doom... I... I..."
Cuki finally broke down, her words being choked out by tears and strong emotions.
"When you vanished, I lost everything..! I was scared of going back home because I would be all alone, this time for good! I had no memory of anyone there, no memory of what was my home or town, heck, not even the memory of our enemies. All I had left was you... and you were gone..." Cuki had to pause in order to ease her crying and catch her breath. "None of them could understand that because they all had family and friends to return to... Veggie, Kettles, Ms. Brachi, even Mr. Spina... They all had someone to return to. The only person I had was you and you were taken away from me... I had absolutely no one left. The Breakers never saw me as a friend so everything is exactly as how I got here... lonely. I don't want to be alone again, but maybe Kettles and the others are right, I should just leave..."
"I apologize for leaving such a heavy pain on you, Cuki..." Zenta frowned. "Leaving will not change anything, Cuki but actions will."
"But they barely even know me anymore! They know Byakko more than me! I'm not as strong as them or as smart... I can't find a way to stand out because I'm nothing like them..."
"You worry too much about being someone you are not. It is as I told you before, Cuki; you will never be like them because you are you. You will never find your true identity by imitating others and you must learn to find differences in things you think are similar."
"But I really look up to you and Kettles and Mr. Spina, Veggie, even Geegee! Old people have a lot of wisdom, that's why I want to be just like you and them!"
"Tell me Cuki, are you going to perform magical miracles like Lady Bernkastel? Have a transformation unique like Mr. Spina? Have the weight of responsibilities that Mr. Vegetto and Gogeta carry? Are you going to cut out your own eyes so you can be blind like me?"
"Errm, well... no, not really..."
"Then replicating us will be difficult, no? Being inspired by them is a great thing, and it helps build your character, but you cannot expect them to know who you are when you barely know yourself, Cuki."
There was a long pause before Cuki's ears lowered. She felt foolish for saying the things she said to the Breakers but still felt that they were in the wrong too. She looked at the stars for some answers.
"So what do I do..? How do I find my identity?"
"I cannot answer that for you, Cuki... That is a path only you must take. Perhaps fixing your mistakes will help guide you in the right direction. Test yourself against the Breakers and their beliefs. You will certainly step on some toes, but the experience is something that will help you grow."
"You think we can all be friends again? Even after everything that's happened?"
"I believe so but the choice is yours, Cuki. They must deal with their own quarrels as well, so it will be very interesting to see you all reunite once again."
"What if they don't apologize..? They sure seemed confident about being right and showed no signs of taking it back or guilt..."
"Just like you, they will need to see the error in their way, however, overcoming it is up to the individual. How they handle the situation will show their struggle or lack of it. Guilt, when mixed with time, can eat away at even the most hardened stones. I would not worry about them one bit." Zenta moved his arm to gently tickle Cuki on the side of her neck. Hearing his student giggle seemed to ease the situation as well as lift her spirits. "Well then, I am quite curious to know what has happened during those three years I was away. I know you were trapped but you saw and heard everything, yes? I would like to know what you know."
"You sure? I mean, it's a lot to talk about..." Cuki pondered.
"I will listen to every word, Cuki."
Cuki's face turned to a tearful smile as she quickly wiped away at the few tears that managed to escape. For the first time in three years, she finally had time to bond with her Master. Her inner child came out and there were moments where she had to hold her tears back since the thought of finally talking to her Master overwhelmed her. The experience was alien to her despite knowing him all her life. It was something she could finally enjoy. It was something she always wanted. Something she will never forget. It was... acceptance.
"Well, it all started when we caught Mr. Spina watching the gardening channel..."
The laughs of Cuki and her Master were the only things that echoed throughout the night in the ruined apartment complex.