Disclaimer: KoDraCan disclaims SRMTHFG (!). The fandom is the creation and the copyright of Ciro Neili. This prose is a fan-based work and is fictional. Any infringement upon Mr. Neili is not intended. Also, any other brand names of products that are obviously not a creation of KoDraCan or Mr. Neili also falls under the disclaimer.
The song "Take Me Away" is copyright to the musical group Globus and the company that produces this song. Any infringement upon Globus or the producing company is not intended.
Claimer: The characters Robyn, Brendan Akers, Dr. Melvin Krinkle, Gertrude Krinkle-Akers and Agatha Krinkle are creations of KoDraCan. Also, the fictional names of 'Akihito Neili', 'Paros Shenko' and 'Malinda Shenko' only serve to be alternate names for The Alchemist; Pa Shenko and Ma Shenko. These names are our names for the characters.
Warning: Be advised, this fic contains romantic interactions between a female established character and a male established character. There is also the presence of original characters, references to child abuse and some occurrences of out-of-characterness.
AN:This is an idea that just wouldn't get out of my head. For a few months, I've been thinking about Gyrus Krinkle's family, and after I completed ALC, I started planning out a whole storyline about what happened with him and Valina. This story is set to song, and occurs a year after the events in ALC. It's highly advisable that you read The Afterlife Chronicles to understand what's happened and to familarize yourself with the character Robyn.
Take Me Away
"Crrrraaaap!! I'm gonna be late!"
Gyrus Krinkle ran down the heavenly street ways of Harkening Square, one of the many sub level of the afterlife. He was running late to meet up with his new wife and was losing steam. Dream Park was another five minutes away, and he was too tired and winded to continue running.
"Can't…go…on…" he gasped in ragged breaths, clinging to the street sign. He was out of breath and feeling sick to his stomach, even more so that he had the whole week of his upset stomach. His vision was getting blurry and he was getting dizzy, "I-I gotta stay focused…she's-she's waiting for me." He mumbled, seeing the signs turn. Thinking it was okay to walk, he stumbled to the center of the heavenly road.
He failed to notice that the sign was a GO sign, not a crossing sign.
He didn't hear the blaring horn until he turned his woozy head and saw the chariot heading towards him. He was frozen with fear, fear of being one with the pavement and fear of releasing his Symbiotic X form in front of the other departed souls and have his identity of the 'Hero of Harkening Square' uncovered.
"LOOK OUT!" an unfamiliar voice called out. In the blink of an eye, a man pulled him out of harm's way. They both went skidding around the ground on the other side of the street. Gyrus was still out of it and looked terrible. However, he was very grateful to the man.
"My word! Are you all right? You look horrible." The man gasped. Gyrus managed to focus on the man and did a double take when his vision cleared up. The man had the same strange face he did, the same ebony eyes. He had those old-fashioned horn-rimmed glasses and tuffs of gray hair. Could this man be—
"You…you look familiar…you look so much like someone dear I knew a long time ago…" the man gasped, being cautious of Gyrus' nausea as he helped Gyrus to his feet, "Can you stand by yourself? Can I get you any medicine?"
"N-no, sir….but th-thank you."
"Permit me to introduce myself. I am former Dr. Melvin Krinkle of Shuggazoom Zoology Institute."
Gyrus's eyes widened at the name. His heart was swelling with fear and happiness. He gave the man a tearful glance, confusing and worrying the other Krinkle. Melvin finally spoke up, realizing that Gyrus was upset.
"Sir?"
"…Dad." Gyrus said, tears falling down his cheeks. "Dad, it's me!"
The other Krinkle gasped. "…Gyrus?"
The younger Krinkle nodded. Melvin's expression changed from worry to happiness.
"GYRUS!" Melvin exclaimed, hugging the younger Krinkle, "My God, you've gotten so tall!"
A rude cough interrupted the odd family reunion when the two noticed a fairly pregnant woman with red streaks in her black hair was stomping towards them.
"Hoo boy…" Gyrus sighed.
"…I take it you know her, son." Melvin chuckled.
"Like you wouldn't believe, dad…Hi honey--"
"Don't you DARE 'Hi, honey' me. I called your damn extension and you didn't pick up, Gyrus."
"I didn't hear it, honest! I swear to you I was on my way, V. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, you're sorry all right."
"Valina…this is Dr. Melvin Krinkle…my father."
The pregnant woman gasped. The older man looked a lot like Gyrus., expect with glasses and curly hair.
"Dad, this is Valina. She's my wife and your daughter-in-law."
"And soon, grandfather of two."
"T-Two?!"
"That's why I wanted to meet you at the park, dumbass. I didn't want to be at home all cooped up with the walls, the creaky floors and Robyn." The woman sighed, hugging her husband.
"Oh my, oh my…this, this is all so sudden! I meet with you for the first time since my death and not only am I reunited with you; I meet your wife and my future grandchildren!" Melvin exclaimed.
"…So this is where you get it from." Valina said with a sigh, "What did I marry into?"
"I can assure you, we Krinkles are a kind-hearted bunch." Melvin laughed.
"Hey, Dad…um…"
"Yes, Gyrus?"
"…Is….is Brendan here?"
"Brendan? Who's Brendan?"
"Oh, perhaps the curb of the street isn't the best place to discuss this. Come, let's go to my home and have some lunch."
"You don't look so well, Gyrus." Valina realized.
That was when Gyrus had slumped to the ground. Both Melvin and Valina were horrified and helped him off the street.
"My poor Gyrus…is he going to be okay?"
"I should hope so. His fever's gone done drastically."
"Thank you, Dr. Krinkle."
Melvin wanted to say something, but closed his mouth and kept watch over his son.
"Oh, I should be calling you 'Melvin' now."
"N-No my dear…I don't deserve that honor."
"…Dr. Krinkle, why did you approach us during our wedding last year? I know you were there."
"I was ashamed to face Gyrus after all those years that I left him and Agatha when I died. He and his little sister were so young and I thought he hated me. Plus, that brown-haired, busty angel threatened me if I got ant ideas about approaching the two of you."
"Typical of Robyn…she's intent on protecting me, hence why I had to send her on an errand to be able to sneak out the house to meet Gyrus at the park."
"All the same, I felt he hated me…"
"Are you serious? When we were dating, you were all he wanted to talk about. He dreamt of seeing you here in the afterlife. He loves you!"
"Why?"
"Why not? You're more of a father to Gyrus that my own father was to me."
"And who was your father?"
"…Paros Shenko."
"'You're Pa's daughter?! I went to high school with him and Malinda Eros."
"Malinda Eros? You knew my mother?"
"She was his childhood sweetheart. He married her and they opened up an arcade right after they graduated. Everyone called them Ma and Pa afterwards. They kept to themselves after they got married. I had no idea they actually had children."
"They're horrible people! They shouldn't be allowed to be near children!"
"Oh, I think I touched a nerve. I'm sorry."
"…No, Dr-Melvin, I'm sorry. I still have a lot of resentment towards my family. Speaking of which, who's Brendan?"
Melvin sat the woman down.
"My dear, Brendan Acres was Gyrus's step-father."
Valina had a very bad feeling about the new name already.
"You see, after my death, my wife, Gertrude, remarried a year later to Brendan, in hopes of providing a father for Gyrus and Agatha and for financial security."
"He told me about what happened after you died. He wouldn't tell me in detail about his mother or his step-father. He only talks about you and his sister."
"You can imagine the tension this caused. You see, Brendan was a rugged, muscular man, the complete opposite of me. I can understand Gertrude's choice after my death, the poor woman being a single mother and a widow with no job. His militant ways and alienation of those more mechanically gifted and creative than him ate at my poor son. Nine years old and dealing with a new authority in the house was tough."
"There's something wrong with this guy, isn't there? I know my husband when he's freaking out, and this guy's got a hold on him. I saw the look in his eyes when he asked about him."
"I think he should tell you. Then you'll better understand why as proud as I am of him, I've stayed away from him all this time."
A low groan was heard as Gyrus sat up on the bed.
"Go to him, Valina." Melvin instructed, shuffling her to the room.
"Where am I?"
"You're in your father's home here in Harkening Square, honey."
"It really wasn't a dream! I did see my father!"
"He's in the next room making tea. I need to talk to you first, Gyrus."
"V, if it's about the park--"
"I'm not pissed off about that anymore. Do you want children?"
"Of course I want children!"
"Are you sure?"
"Valina, what's wrong?"
"I want to make sure if you really want them is all."
"Look I was crazy in life, but you were too-"
"I had no choice but to be crazy! You CHOSE to be insane and let your obsession consume you!"
"AS IF YOU DIDN'T!"
"I KNEW NO OTHER WAY!"
"WHY ARE WE SHOUTING AT EACH OTHER?!"
"I DON'T KNOW!"
The couple looked at each other and calmed down.
"You don't think I'll be a good father to them, do you?"
"Gyrus, no, that's not it."
"Then why were you asking me if I wanted children?"
"…I want to know about your childhood and what 'Brendan' has to do with it."
"…What did my father tell you?"
"This isn't about what your father said. That name…that name eats at you and I want to know why."
Gyrus couldn't face her.
"Gyrus…don't do that. I'm your wife and you're supposed to share almost everything with me. I told you about my past; what those sick fucks did to me in the Skeletal Circle."
"…I know, and I know it wasn't easy for you, Valina."
"Please," the woman pleaded, hugging him from behind, "Please tell me what's wrong, Gyrus."
Gyrus gave a heavy sigh and faced the woman he loved, placing her in his lap.
"I was nine when Mother re-married. Right away, I knew he was bad news. He delighted in teasing me and talking down to me when she wasn't around. It boiled down to him telling me I could never be his son. I told him he could never be my father. He'd laugh and tell me no one would ever love me. I grew up believing him."
"Gyrus…"
"No one wanted me, or cared for me in Shuggazoom. The only person I had left was my grandmother, Giselle. That son-of-a-bitch put her in a nursing home and she too left me because that dump didn't have anything. Then my mother went back to work. Aggie took gymnastics after school just to avoid him. I had nothing to avoid going home."
"…Why didn't you--"
"—tell my mother or Agatha? Aggie was just a kid; she didn't know how to help me and my mother had selective vision. She was in love with him and was willing to do anything to keep him. She kept telling me, 'He loves you Gyrus. Just do better. If not for me, then try to do better for Aggie.' Then….it happened."
"…It's okay, Gyrus. I'm here."
"I was ten…ten years old. By then, I walked to school with bruises underneath my clothes. The kids jeered at me, pointed and whispered about 'Clumsy Krinkle'. On some days, it hurt just to sit down in class. I spent hours during the day cutting classes just to sneak into the boy's room and cry. One afternoon, I came home after being bullied again by punks and he was waiting for me…"
"…You're home early."
"It was early release."
"You got beaten up by punks again."
"…You gonna beat me up too?"
"Not today, Rus. Today, I got something here from that teacher of yours. Seems here, you're got A's and B's on your report card."
"Yeah…"
"Hn. You did good, runt."
The child backed away from the man.
"Why so jumpy, Rus? I ain't gonna hit ya."
"Yes you are!"
"No, I'm not. Don't sass me, boy."
Brendan grabbed the frail boy's wrist and pulled him closer. Icy chocolate eyes met frightened black.
"You hate me because I ain't like your real father."
"N-No."
"Don't lie to me, boy. I know you hate me…but we don't gotta be 'father' and 'son' to tolerate each other, Rus."
"What are you talking about?!"
"You're the only one that's here after school and on the weekends. Your momma works all the damn time and your little sister's doing stuff with her friends. I work late and rarely see your mother."
"Please…let me go…"
"Not this time, Rus. You're gonna do what your mother can't, boy."
Gyrus screamed, even as Brendan covered his mouth and held him against the wall.
"That sick son-of-a-bitch…" Valina gasped. Gyrus began to sob, unable to continue. She held the father of her children and stoked his hair.
"Shhh…it's okay…it's okay…he can't hurt you anymore. I'm here now."
"V…"
Just as husband and wife were going to kiss one another, Melvin's screams racked the house.
"Oh my god…DAD!"
The two rushed to the hallway, where Valina had left Melvin. Demons were standing in the hallway.
The doctor was far too loud. He's already attracted attention."
They had seized poor Melvin, who was unconscious in one of their arms.
"Our master wanted the doctor first, but the pregnant woman will be most pleasing to him as well."
"LET MY FATHER GO YOU WINGED FREAKS!"
"You're Gyrus Krinkle? You're awfully different than your date of death photograph…"
"Seize the pregnant woman!"
"You're not getting your fucking hands on my wife." Gyrus hissed, unleashing the power of Symbiotic X, "Valina, get behind me."
"…Be careful, Gyrus." She told him.
Gyrus summoned his personal weapons, axes, and dares the demons to come at him.
"We have no time for a fight! Master wants the doctor NOW!"
The demons flew at him. Gyrus was ready for them.
Two of them lost their wings and one lost their tail. One succeeded in grabbing Valina, who smashed a lamp against his head.
"LET ME GO SCOURGE OF HELL!!"
"Our Master wants you and the doctor to entice your husband to confront him at the Precipice of Hell."
"NOT A CHANCE!!" Gyrus swung at the monster, but he succeeded in grabbing Valina and taking her.
"NO!!"
"If you want your wife and father, then meet out master at the Precipice of Hell!"
With that, the demons, Valina, and Melvin were gone.
XOXOXOXO
Kneel, in silence alone
My spirit bears me
Pray for guidance, towards home
In darkest hours
What was this Precipice of Hell?
Gyrus asked himself that question multiple times as he stood at the gateway between his wife, future children and father and the high demon that had them.
Kneel (dream with your dream we travel)
In Silence (empires of faith unravel)
Alone (sealed with our virtues' treasures)
Kingdoms Falling
The Precipice of Hell reminded Gyrus of the ancient temples from the textbooks he used to read in school. He remembered when he was small child in happier times; his father would tuck him and his sister into bed and read about Earth's many temples and the various gods and goddesses that they were dedicated to.
Down (who's hand commands this thunder)
In silence (cry as we're torn asunder)
Alone (unto what gods do I call?)
Protects us in our...
If he could remember anything about his surroundings when he was younger, it was the rain the day of his father's funeral. He lay on the grass, sobbing his heart out and begging his father to come back. It seemed to just rain even more that day.
Fall away, my soul wandered
Borne by grace
I flew on high, sheltered from this thunder
Calling heaven...
"RUS!"
Gyrus turned around and saw something that made his heart stop. A winged demon was flying towards him, claws raised in hostility and fangs bared in a bloodthirsty manner.
It was Brendan Akers, the man that tormented his dreams.
"Miss me, boy?"
Take me away from time and season
Far, far away we'll sing with reason
Prepare our throne of stars above me
As this world once known will leave me
"YOU?! YOU'RE THE DEMON'S MASTER?!" Gyrus gasped, raising one of his axes to defend himself from the aerial assault.
"It got your attention didn't it?" The demon master squawked bringing his sword down to the axe.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?!" Gyrus demanded.
Take me away upon a plateau
Far, far away from fears and shadow
Strengthen my heart in times of sorrow
Light the way to bright tomorrows
"Your happiness!" The demonic man snarled, knocking him to the ground and into the pillars, "Why should you have a gorgeous wife, be the hero of the afterlife and look better?!"
Answer our call in desperate hours
Shelter our fall from earthly powers
Temper our souls with flame and furnace
Bear us toward a noble purpose
Gyrus had no choice but to unleash his SX form. The black and green body suit appeared over the clothes he was wearing.
"So, Daddy's little boy finally toughened up." The demon laughed cruelly.
"WHERE'S MY WIFE AND FATHER?!"
"They're safe, for now. If you can beat me, they I'll let 'em go."
"You took my mother, my sister, my grandmother and my childhood innocence from me in life. You almost took my life. You're not taking my wife and my real father from me in the afterlife."
"We'll see about that, you little bastard!" Brendan hissed.
Heaven hides nothing in its measure
Mortal men blinded by false treasure
Formless and vanquished we shall travel
Shield and sword will guide our battle
"This is where Valina's communication signal leads us too." Akihito told the small group of Clayton, Milton and Robyn, "Robyn, what is this place?"
"This is the Precipice of Hell. It's not supposed to have anything or anyone residing in it, not even demons."
"But why would Valina's signal lead us here, tick-tock?"
"Maybe those demons coming towards us might answer our question!" Clayton gasped, powering up. The others readied themselves as the horde of demons came at them.
Take me away from time and season
Far, far away we'll sing with reason
Prepare a throne of stars above me
As the world once known will leave me
So far, Gyrus's SX form wasn't cutting it. Against demons and other hell-born creatures it was fantastic, but against something as cruel as the demonic shell of his step-father, he was getting beat up and hacked badly.
Another blow to the chest sent Gyrus crashing into another pillar. He was bleeding and losing consciousness. He could feel the Void's grip on him. He was going to die by this horrible man, he thought.
"Gyrus….Gyrus…please be all right…"
He woke up hearing Valina's voice.
"Valina…?"
"Don't worry, Valina. Wherever he is, he's searching for us."
"Dad…"
"I know he is, Melvin…I just want to see him again." She sobbed.
Filled with hope and certainty, Gyrus woke up and summoned his twin axes again and slit the evil demon's throat with all the strength left in him.
"Noooooo!!"
Take me away upon a plateau
Far, far away from fears and shadow
Strengthen my heart in times of sorrow
Light the way to bright tomorrows
"You can't hurt me anymore, Brendan! I'm through living in fear of you! I have a new life! I have people that love me!"
Heaven hides nothing in its measure
Mortal men blinded by false treasure
Formless and vanquished we shall travel
Shield and faith will guide our battle
"I have something you will never take away from me."
"Wh-what?"
"MY FAITH IN MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY!"
Salvation comes in desperate hours
Angels on high proclaim these powers
Lead us from chaos we shall follow
Bear us to a bright tomorrow
Milton and Robyn came up behind the demon and destroyed his wings. Akihito and Clayton soon joined them with Valina and Melvin behind them.
"I knew you'd come for us!" Valina gasped, running into his open arms.
"Are you all right, tick-tock?" Milton asked?
"I am now," Gyrus smiled.
"That's great, because in order to get rid of this place and the demons lurking around here, we, uh, have to set a holy bomb off." Robyn admitted, "It won't toast the place, but it'll drive these guys outta the upper levels of the afterlife for good."
Gyrus faced his former tormentor one last time before scooping up the pregnant Valina and running off to the exit, friends in tow. As the holy bomb went off, Brendan's screams were here throughout the lands.
The End