Black Mist put his fists up in a defensive position to defect blows. He also summoned his overlay units. You never knew when you may need them in a fight.

The Number who attacked him grinned. "Now, now, little Number, no using those." He chuckled, waved his hand, and Black Mist's overlay units dived into a hole in the ground, which was the Graveyard.

Black Mist's eyes widened in surprise. How am I going to deliver special attacks now!?

"I see the panic in your eyes." The assailant chuckled. "Well, you have plenty to panic for!"

Before he could blink, Black Mist was hurled to the floor by an unknown force. His back hit the side of a building so hard that the wind was literally knocked out of him as his head slammed against the cement. He was dazed and disoriented.

The stranger chuckled and walked up to him with a sway in his hips. "Well, you don't seem so tough. A Dark Number is nothing more than a weakling, a Number with no heart. I'll dispose of you." He grabbed Black Mist by the hair and hauled him up. Then, a smirk crawled on his face. "Or, better yet, I'll give you such a memerable experience. You'll never forget it. I'll shatter your pride as a warrior!"

At those words, Black Mist's eyes flew open. No! I can't be defeated like this!

He lifted his arms and dug his claws into his attacker, hoping to at least get him to let go, which succeeded.

"You little-!" The man stopped himself from cursing as he dropped the Number to the ground with an agonizing thump.

Black Mist lifted himself up and aimed a kick at the man's head. The man reeled back on contact, cursing viciously.

That should distract him enough for me to escape!

Black Mist made a move to get out of the alley that he was trapped in. A wall of cement raised from the ground, blocking his escape entirely.

"No..." he breathed. He looked up only to see the exit above blocked off as well.

An unseen blade slices at the tendons at the back of his knees, causing the Number to scream in pain and fall to the ground. Without those tendons, his leg from the knee down would be useless. He wouldn't be able to fly up even with the sky clearly visible.

The man just laughed. "No matter how loudly you scream, no one will hear you!"

Black Mist clenched his fists and ground his teeth in excruciating pain. He looked back at the man, who was looking at him with an amused grin.

"Now, shall we continue?"

Without waiting for a response, the mam punched Black Mist's jaw, nearly shattering it. Black Mist fell back, unable to get up again due to his new handycap. Instead, he caught himself with one hand and wound up another to deliver a blow.

His attack landed right on the man's face. The man just remained calm, grinning from ear to ear.

"That all you got, little Number?" he teased. "What happened to that strength? Oh, wait, I stole your overlay units!" The man laughed his head off.

Black Mist looked around the walls for anything that he could grab hold of. He looked for cracks, footholds, handholds, holes, bumps, anything that would get him out of there!

The man was suddenly looming over him like a giant oak tree. He was grinning and holding his hand like a knife. "Now, little Number, you will suffer greatly!"

Black Mist narrowed his eyes at the man. He hated this guy with a passion!

He held himself up into a sitting position with his hands only to be knocked down again. A new slice was formed on his shoulder. He screamed in pain as his black blood flowed freely out of his body. He was starting to feel weakened by the blood loss, but his body refused to go to sleep. He still had energy to stay awake.

The man looked down at him once more. "Still awake, huh?" He pulled him up by the hair again and positioned his sharpened hand over his chest. "This'll remind you of me. Whenever you see this scar, you'll see me." He chuckled and slashed a deep, painful would into his chest.

Black Mist screamed a gurgling scream, which seemed to carry out into oblivion. He was dropped to the floor as a foot stomped down on his stomach.

"Filthy Dark Numbers! You always cause us pain! Well, not anymore!"

I haven't caused any pain...I haven't done anything...

Black Mist tried to voice these reasonings, but he couldn't get the words out what with the foot smashing his ribs and his thoughts slipping away from him. It was hard to grasp a single...

~.~.~

Black Mist woke up to extreme, white, blinding pain all over his body. He nearly cried out all of his pain and fears and everything, but looking at his surroundings, he knew it would be a bad idea.

He was back at the orphanage at night. He didn't dare move. He remembered what happened. The trauma of being beaten down with no real way to fight back was a very frightening thought to a training warrior like him. It brought doubt to his own ability to fight.

The door opened, and Hope stepped inside. He looked at Black Mist, who seemed so frightened and alone. He sighed and checked the bandages.

Black Mist hardly felt his foster father poking around at him. He was now oblivious to everything surrounding him. He didn't even notice Hope in the room. He was too caught up in his own thoughts, his own fears, that he didn't notice anything else around him.

Hope sighed. "Black Mist, can you hear me?"

Black Mist flinched and looked around. "P-Papa...?" He found him and sighed. "Papa..."

"I heard your screams and that man's laugh," Hope said. "It carried out. I don't know how no one else heard." He grew serious. "What happened to your overlay units? I thought you mastered them when you were young."

"I did..." He fought to capture his quickly fleeting thoughts. "They...they wouldn't work..." He squinted, trying hard to find the words he wanted to use.

"Take your time. It will come soon." With that, Hope got up and left the room.