The Time Before The Test

Night Twenty Three...

Age 1991...

Enforcers Captain Room...

"Come on, come on..." North said dragging Eins with him into a dark empty room. This room was where the other Captains and Vice-Captains would be but it was currently supposed to be empty since the matches hadn't yet started. They would be up here watching the up coming matches. "Come on before anyone sees-"

"So..." Jackson said giving a small smile as he rested in his chair. "Someone wanted to take a peak on the competition huh."

Both boys jumped as they looked into the room seeing Jackson Storm was resting in the room now. He had a half smirk on his face as he placed his arms behind his head and leaned back.

"You guys wanted to see some of the new recruits right."

"Uhh... Well... You see Vice-Captain Storm me and him were just uh..."

"Yep!" Eins announced throwing his arms into the air much to North's disappointment. "I saw a lot of cool people in there!"

"Really..." Jackson flashed over placing his arm around Eins's shoulder as he leaned in and smiled. "Do tell..."

"D... Does he not care that we went down?" North asked shocked.

Eins gave a smile leaning in. The comedic look on his face vanished. He still had that smile on his face but there was a darker look in his eyes now. "You know..." He muttered making the room almost turn colder. "I saw your latest test. That boy with the metal around his arm. I wonder what got you so interested in him?"

"Oh you saw him did you?" Jackson asked his smirk growing.

"I did. A strange man who was dressed in robes, and spoke in a strange way, attacked this building one day demanding we let some random boy named Hero Law in. None of us have ever heard of such a person. I mean there was tales of that old Enforcer named Hero as well but that was a girl... It took three Captains to get him to stop. of course I took notice. So when you snuck off to go visit some town out in the middle of nowhere I followed. I guess you didn't notice me watching huh... I saw that arm of his. You realized it to when you saw it right?"

Jackson's smile only grew as North watched this strange exchange with a look of confusion. "Well..." Jackson said. "I called Dibs on that boy. I don't want to see him on your Squad."

"Really. You'd rather he not be placed on the greatest Squad?"

"What would you do if you found the Heart." Jackson asked.

"What?"

"The Heart." Jackson turned away as his smile vanished. "For nearly two thousand years now since Age 0 Mankind has looked for the Heart of God. We don't know which Nation it is in, or rather it has even already been destroyed. Despite that we hold out Hope that we can find it. For the Heart can erase all forms of Despair. I believe that, that boy is-"

"You're wrong." Eins said turning away. He began to walk to the exit but turned back for a second as his eyes met Jackson's electric blue eyes. "I found my own candidate you know. A poor boy who has dreams of a bright future." For a brief second his mind went to the figure of Max... "You're gonna place all your bets on that boy huh. I'll do the same on my own new project. I want that one on my squad. I wonder. Which one of them will be the Heart..."

North fidgeted nervously as he followed Eins out of the room leaving Jackson Storm to himself.

Jackson gave a half smile as he watched them leave. "The Heart. I wonder who it is... I know... It has to be them."

***

The Enforcers Recruitment Room...

Ken stood there awkwardly as her eye twitched slightly.

"If I had know this is what she meant I wouldn't have come..." Ken said through gritted teeth. She was standing still as Emma walked around her inspecting her body. She moved several glowing blue strings along Ken's body as if she was measuring her.

"Stop squirming..." Emma said as she checked several strange devices she was pressing against Ken.

"Why are you doing this exactly?" Ken asked her eye still twitching. "These two girls are weird..." Emma wasn't paying attention and Shelly was still staring after where Eins walked away. "Why does she care about a pervert like that so much?" Ken muttered. "A cute girl like her could do way better than a creepy guy like him?"

"You'll have to forgive her." Emma said through clenched teeth as she held several needle like objects in between her teeth and kept checking on several small red papers that were changing various colors. "Ms. Kaen is in Mr. Licht's debt." She explained. "Several years ago there was a massive Bestia Macht attack. My Church was also in that city and it was unfortunately destroyed, thankfully most of the Red Sisters from my Church got out. But poor Shelly's family... They weren't so lucky... Shelly herself was almost... Well thankfully before anything happened to her Eins Licht saved her. The poor girl spent a few years going through therapy and when she was finally done she this year she made up her mind. She decided she wanted to join the Enforcers and no matter what be placed on the same Squad as Eins. I'm sure you couldn't begin to understand the fleeting despair, followed by the smallest drop of Hope pulling you out."

"...You're wrong..." Ken said slowly as she began to look at Shelly in a new light. "I know full well what it's like to go through a horrible situation and cling to the one that saved you..."

"You're a sister of the church as well aren't you." Emma said looking at the cross that hung around Ken's neck.

"Yes though not in the same Church as you." Ken nodded. "Mines was located in another city."

"Hmm. Well I'm stumped." Emma announced moving away.

"Huh?" Shelly asked turning to look over to Emma. "What do you mean."

"I thought I could figure out a secret about this weird girl but I can't..." Emma sighed bowing her head. "It's like she has no Equation but still has one. Like somethings there but nothing I know. Like a cup that should be filled with water, but instead has a different liquid in it. I'm picking something up but I have no idea what that could be."

Ken gave the smallest hint of a smile as she moved away from the two girls. "I'm quite odd like that. One of a kind in fact."

"What's that supposed to mean." Shelly asked frowning. "You think you're someone special or something?"

"It's more like I know I'm special. I came over here thinking you would know more about me but I guess you don't..." Ken shrugged. "Oh well."

"Ha. You're nothing special." Shelly said flipping her hair slightly. "You're just a whoa-" She slipped falling forward but was thankfully caught by Emma who steadied the clumsy girl.

"Shelly you should really be more careful." Emma said sternly. "You're always tripping."

"I am not." Shelly yelled.

"Ha." Ken gave a small laughed as she turned away from the two and began to walk off. "What a clumsy gi-" Several bats swarmed her the moment she was away from the other two making her trip.

"Ha." Shelly laughed. "You're just as clumsy as me. And to think you were making fun of me."

"I really don't like her..." Ken said slowly as she fell forward. As Ken fell she felt her self crash into someone knocking them both down. "Whoops..."

"Wow you're light!" Ken looked up as all the bats flew off. Her smile was gone replaced with a frown when she saw Hero Law who she was currently sitting on. "Seriously you gotta weigh like what... Eighty pounds max?" Hero grabbed Ken and began to literally lift her up and down like she was a weight.

"P... Pervert!"

"You crashed into me!"

"You're the one picking me up again and again!"

"Well yeah but... I already have someone I'm in love with remember!"

"Hey! Devil Arm boy she's mine!" Kitsune announced suddenly appearing. "Back off!" He announced pulling his large metal hammer as flames began to slowly form around his body forming fox ears, and his nine fox tails around his body. "Let's go! Our final, first, super, last, ultimate battle of epic proportions is about to begin! The battle of rivals."

"Actually." Hero said. "I got a new rival and he isn't dumber than a bag of rocks so I don't need you anymore piss off."

"W... What... You're cheating on me!"

"Yep. We're through."

"Oh my God I'm surrounded by idiots..." Ken muttered. "Maybe I shouldn't have left those other two girls." She turned back but Shelly and Emma took one look at Hero, and Kitsune and both made a break for it leaving Ken to her fate. "Cowards!" Ken let out a sigh as she stood up allowing Hero to stand up. "I'll just sneak off and..." She stopped eying the several bats which flied around the room. "On second thought..." She grabbed onto Hero's arm.

"Whoa... Like in all seriousness I'm taken for." Hero said trying to move away but was still held down by Ken's tight grip.

"Why are young clinging to his arm!" Kitsune said annoyed she apparently chose Hero over him.

"Ha." Hero laughed. "I win!"

"No... Not even close idiot." Ken sighed. "I'm only clinging to you like this to keep those bats away from me... Those guys won't stop swarming me."

"What I meant was why his arm!"

"Oh... He's cuter than you."

Kitsune dropped to his knees and began to fume as Hero reached out and patted the boys head. "There there. I'm sure you'll find someone who will love you one day. You just have to drop the lame Paladin stuff and admit superheroes are cooler."

"Never! I am Kitsune Nine! A Great Samurai and heir to the Noble family of Nine!" He announced.

"I've done something horrible to be punished this way haven't I..." Ken said slowly.

"Yep." Both teens said to her.

"It can't get any worse though right-" Hero began but was interrupted by a loud yell.

"Big Brother Hero!"

"Oh God I recognize the insanity in that tone-" Hero managed to get out before he was suddenly dive tackled by a blind teen. "God damn it Light! Get off me! And stop calling me big brother Hero! People are gonna be weird and ship us!"

"Never! I will gladly sail away with you big brother Hero!"

"And who's he!" Ken yelled throwing her arms up.

"I have no idea... Never met him?" Kitsune shrugged.

"Oh thank God..." A new voice sighed out. Ken and Kitsune both turned seeing an exhausted looking Irene. "Can you three babysit him now?"

"And who's he!"

"I'm a girl actually."

"And who's she!" Ken corrected.

"Still don't know..." Kitsune shrugged.

Irene sighed folding her arms up. "Irene Glacious." She announced.

"Never heard of you."

"Oh... Is your friend okay?"

Irene, Ken, and Kitsune all turned to look at Hero who was being pinned down by Light. The blind teen was currently trying to wrap his arms around the older teen in a killer bear hug. "Should we help him?" Ken asked.

"...No..." Kitsune said giving a satisfied smile. "Let him suffer a little longer..."

"God damn it Light why are you even here!" Hero yelled smacking the teen over the head.

"I got a letter!"

"God damn it!"

"Well if these are the kinds of people who get letters I don't feel that bad about faking..." Irene muttered.

"So Hero?" Ken asked innocently. "Who's your friend?"

"Screw you!"

"It was just a question?"

"I'm Light! The brother of Hero-"

"He's not my brother!" Hero sighed managing to throw Light off of him as he stood up and dusted himself off. "Long story short Light used to travel with me and dad. He was one of the clowns that helped out during events."

"Well I wasn't a clown." Light corrected. "The other me was a Clown. The me alive before me. And it wasn't you Hero but your Uncle."

"What?"

"Yeah just ignore him..." Hero sighed. "He never makes sense... Can we just get back to what we were doing earlier before he and her showed up. Speaking of her..." In a flash Hero suddenly grabbed Irene's hand planting a kiss on it. "Hello my lady-"

"Back off devil arm I called her!" Kitsune yelled.

"So much for already having a love interest..." Ken sighed. "And... Is Irene blushing." Irene didn't answer unable to meet Hero's eye as she pulled her hand away from him. "When are these dumb tests going to finally begin..." Ken sighed. "I don't even know what these things are gonna be... "

"Why do you want to get in anyways?" Hero asked throwing his hands behind his head in a casual manner as he stuck his tongue out at the girl. "I mean you've been complaining ever since we met in the Train station and you've been acting like you're miserable ever since. Why are you even here then if you don't want to be? I doubt someone like you sent a letter out asking to join right?"

"You're right..." Ken said bluntly. "I never sent a letter... But... Even still when I received my letter... I made up my minds. I decided that I would join. I have something that I must find... When I was a little girl The Mother of my Church told me a story... The story about a thing known as the Heart, or God's Heart... An Equation far stronger than any other that is said to be able to solve all our problems... It is the goal of the Enforcers to discover the Heart no matter what... I decided I would do everything I could to find that and insure no kid would have to suffer."

"Wow..." Kitsune said quietly. "That's a Noble goal... I set out to join the Enforcers so I could find my older brother Jin... He was a powerful Enforcer who went missing in the line of duty... I took it upon myself to find him and bring him home to my missing family."

"I joined to slay the Bestia Macht!" Light announced happily.

"My goal is pretty much the same." Irene sighed.

All four kids slowly turned to look at Hero.

"What?" He asked feeling uncomfortable as everyone looked at him.

"Well... We're waiting on your reasons." Ken said flatly. "We just gave you our reasons so what's yours?"

"Oh... I wanted to be a cool superhero. One the ladies would dig. There's this cool comic book I like to read. I wanna be like that guy. Oh and there's this girl I want to date to I guess. I just got to remember where she is first and ask her out. Should go well. She always says she loves me in my dreams."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Ken slowly let go of Hero's arm as she moved over grabbing Kitsunes.

"You're hopeless."

Hero let out a laugh as he shrugged. "I guess I am... Still..." His mind slowly went to the image of Leena, in her wedding dress when he did everything he could to save her. Than it went to Mary, than Okami Otoko. And finally it settled on the image of a young girl with long silver hair and bright silver eyes.

'I love you Hero...'

"I have people I want to protect as well." Hero nodded. "I'm going to destroy all the Despair that is within this world and bring forth Hope! Because that's what a hero would do!"

"Lame."

"Screw you..." Hero sighed. "Fine. You want a good reason." His tone suddenly grew serious making everyone go silent. "I'm going to kill... The Beast of Hunger..."

Before anyone could do anything else they were forced into silence as the entire room went pitch black... A red light shined out as all the bats flew back up to the roof and the entire room began to shake...

It looked like the tests were finally beginning...