Author's Note: This fanfiction is based on the Japanese light novel called "All You Need Is Kill" by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Because the novel isn't very popular (there's no section for it in FanFictiondotNet), I reckon that a lot of you might not know what it is about. So a short summary.
In the distant future, an alien life form called Mimics invaded Earth. Kiriya Keiji is a new recruit in the United Defense Force, which is battling against the Mimics. On his first deployment, he was killed in battle against the Mimics, only to wake up the day before the battle. He then found out that he was caught in a time loop that is triggered by his death. Every time he dies, time will reset to the day before and he will be resurrected again and again until he finds a way to break out of the time loop.
For those that are new to the original work of this fanfic, I suggest you read the novel. There's English translation of it available and there's even a manga adaption of it as well with the same title and the artist is Takeshi Obata, the author of freaking Death Note.
Also, there's even a 2014 movie adaptation called "Edge of Tomorrow" starred by Tom-freaking-Cruise and Emily-freaking-Blunt. The movie is awesome and I highly recommend it.
In short, you should read the novel and manga and go watch the movie!
That being said, this fanfiction's early chapters will be about Kiriya Keiji's thoughts about his experience with the time loop. However, this will not be a complete retelling, but rather only just his thoughts about certain events that I want to give more detail. There will be extra original content such as OCs and even my own headcanon sequel after it, so stick around!
The prologue is written after the events of the novel, so even from start this is already a sequel of sorts.
WARNING: THIS STORY WILL CONTAIN SPOILERISH CONTENT FOR THOSE THAT HAVEN'T READ THE NOVEL!
Disclaimer: I do not own "All You Need Is Kill" or "Edge of Tomorrow". They belong to Hiroshi Sakurazaka and Warner Bros respectively.
Beyond The Edge of Tomorrow
- A FanFiction by Wixeron -
...
Prologue – His Reason
Kiriya "Killer Cage" Keiji was the deadliest man on the face of the Earth. Send him into battle against hundreds and thousands of monstrous alien life forms and he'd kill them all without a single scratch on his full body armored exoskeleton.
Hell, he can even dance around them naked and he'd still find a way to kill them all.
Unfortunately, battles fought with pen and paper are different than what he was used to. Thus, Kiriya Keiji found himself stumped against an enemy that…he couldn't just dance around or smash with his trusted 200 kilogram battle axe. That enemy…was a journal and his weapon was just a measly pen.
Keiji eyed the offending thing. So far, it remained blank. He then tapped his pen on the table a few times, pondering his next move. This wasn't like him, wasting time doing nothing.
The highest ranked member in the U.S. Special Forces division sighed. Perhaps it will help him remember why he was doing this.
"You want me to write what I've been through?" Keiji asked. "Seems like a waste of time. What good is my writing against the enemy? I've already told you all I know about the Mimic's capabilities,"
The researcher chuckled before answering. "I don't care about weaponizing your writing against the Mimics. I care in preserving them. You and Rita are not normal people. Your input is invaluable,"
Keiji raised an eyebrow at this before he snorted. "Like it would matter. To the public, my writing would be considered insane. It will be the work of a PTSD soldier that tried to justify his heinous actions with what he thought was real,"
The researcher smiled. "I didn't peg you as someone that would care what the public thinks,"
Keiji glared at her and wanted to reply before he was cut-off. "I know, I know. You don't care. You just don't want to waste your time, I get it. But I can assure you that it will not be a waste of time. The truth is still the truth whether or not it is accepted. Maybe the public can't accept your writing now, but in the future…it will be invaluable. Priceless even!"
Keiji raised an eyebrow for moment before he give it a thought. Future. That was what he fought for. That was what Rita fought for.
The researcher leaned forward at Keiji, wanting to capitalize on the moment. "Rita's and your work has been a gift to mankind. It saved our species and helped push us beyond the edge of tomorrow. The both of you, who has been stuck in the past for so long, could help shape the future and not just through battle,"
Keiji only stared at the researcher. "I know that you think that all you can do is kill, that that's what you and Rita are only good at. But I don't believe that. I know that you can fight in another way. You could do more. You could help immortalize Rita,"
Keiji glared. He didn't like it when people use Rita against him. Like they knew what she went through. No, only he understood. "You could give more meaning to her life than just…someone that only knows how to kill. Let people know Rita Vrataski and not the Full Metal Bitch,"
Keiji didn't respond. He didn't let his glare down either.
"Do it, for Rita,"
"It's not like she would want this," Keiji replied.
The researcher shrugged. "Perhaps, but it's what you can do for her,"
Keiji's balled his hand into a fist. That damn researcher! Always knew how to push his buttons and pull his strings! The researcher knew about his regret of not being able to do more for Rita when she had done and given so much to him.
Keiji snorted. 'Do it for Rita.' Ridiculous. It wasn't like he knew what she was thinking! He only knew from what he observed and assume about her.
Plus, what he wrote will mostly be about him anyway. Rita would only make like, 30 percent of his story.
Still, it doesn't change the fact that he knew more about her than anyone else that was still alive.
Keiji sighed. Well, there was a movie about her. Funnily enough, the Rita movie version was nothing like her at all. Oh well, perhaps he can do more justice about her. Besides, it was nice to know that there will be something to remember them by and at least this time, it will be by his own work and not through others.
After all, his intention when joining the military was to at least leave a mark on the world, no matter how small. Now he could leave a big one that would be remembered for a long time in humanity's history.
"Alright, I'll do this, but I'm not repeating it," Keiji said and the researcher gave him a cat-like smile before she nodded. She understood what Keiji meant by repeating.
"I don't think there will be any repeats in the near future for the moment," the researcher replied and Keiji gave her a curious look.
"And why is that?"
"Because you would know and we wouldn't be sitting here doing this," she replied and Keiji shook his head.
"Sometimes I wondered who the heck that's going through the time loops,"
The researcher only gave him a victory sign as reply.
That helped in motivating him somewhat. Still, it doesn't change the fact that he didn't know how to start this thing.
Fortunately for him, the source of his trouble came into his room like she owned the place. "Heiyo!"
Keiji lazily eyed the visitor. That researcher didn't have any sense of decency at all when it comes to his privacy. He had told her this many times before but she was so stubborn that Keiji had given up.
Unfortunately for him, the researcher really knew how to push his button. She didn't came unprepared. The pen slipped away from his hand and his nose twitched at the wonderful smell as he examined the tray in her hand. She realized this and smiled slyly as she slowed her walk to prolong the torture.
Keiji's eyes twitched and he diverted his gaze to her face instead. The researcher has black eyes, wore spectacles and has shoulder length brown hair. She usually wore her lab coat when Keiji meet her but right now she was wearing…pajamas.
Compared to Keiji who was wearing military pants and fatigues, he wondered if he was the visitor right now.
The researcher realized that he was watching her face and she really liked it. Thus, she took one slow step at a time. Keiji now was tapping his hands on the still empty journal to show his impatience but she still was taking her sweet time.
Keiji didn't have the strength to hurry her on so he kept staring. The researcher's name was Alyssa Paige, top researcher of United Defense Force's Special Research Division, the same division that had made researches about Rita's condition.
The division used to be dedicated to researching about the Mimics but then they discovered that the mimics aren't as simple as they thought they would be. The more they found out about their monstrous alien enemy, the more secrets were unlocked in various fields of technology and not just biology as they thought it would be.
Although the Mimics at first glance resembled a living creature or starfish on close inspection, they were more mechanical than organic. The mimics were essentially, a bio mechatronic creature. Their outside were comprised of a hard organic exoskeleton and their inside was packed with nanobots. And here was were Alyssa came in. She was a genius in the field of nanotechnology and she was only a few years older than Keiji who was in his early twenties.
In terms of age, Alyssa wasn't an oddity nowadays. Most of the Special Research Division was around the same age since most of the seniors were killed by the Mimics.
The matter of age wasn't a surprising thing anymore in an all-out war with a monstrous enemy where humanity was losing for years. Heck, Rita and Keiji were just teenagers and yet they've contributed the most to humanity's Mimic kill count.
Alyssa finally reached his table and set the tray on it. Keiji's gaze wandered at the tray and found the pot of hot fresh coffee along with some pastries. His eyes widened for a moment before he eyed Alyssa again.
"You sure like to take your time,"
"For someone that has a lot of time, you sure are impatient, aren't you?" Alyssa smirked and Keiji rolled his eyes. She began to pour the coffee into the cups when she saw the empty journal. "I see you've made wonderful progress!"
"Oh yes! My it is doing splendidly!" Keiji returned the sarcasm.
Alyssa smiled as she offered Keiji the cup of coffee. Keiji took it instantly drank the dark beverage before sighing. "That's a good cup of joe,"
"Of course, made from original coffee beans," Alyssa said. It was no secret that Keiji and Rita loved coffee. However, original coffee beans was a rare luxury item nowadays and it was not something that everyone can afford easily as it was before the Mimic came.
It annoyed Keiji that Alyssa had what it seemed to be an infinite supply of coffee beans. His were finished a long time ago and the chances of restocking it was as slim as the Mimics surrendering and said that what they did was just a big misunderstanding.
The damn researcher has been using coffee like carrot on a stick with him.
"Let me guess, you didn't know how to start, don't you?" Alyssa sat down and drank her own cup of coffee.
Keiji shrugged as reply.
"The start tend to be hardest but once you've got it, it will come rolling, trust me,"
"I'm more of a reading type, not writing," Keiji said and Alyssa nodded.
"There's always a first time for everything. You didn't think that you'd be humanity's savior back then, but it didn't stop you from trying," Alyssa said.
"That's a different matter,"
"Is it though? If let's say to break the loop requires you to do something else instead of fighting, would you still do it?" Alyssa countered and Keiji sighed. She smiled. Keiji Kiriya may be humanity's strongest fighter, but she was one of humanity's smartest.
"If you're so smart, why don't you suggest something for the start of my story," Keiji said as Alyssa took a bite of a pasty.
"Well…" Alyssa tried to say with a full mouth before she brought the pastry to Keiji's mouth. Keiji eyed her and she silently nudged the pastry to his mouth again to gain entry. Keiji reluctantly sighed as he opened his mouth to accept the offering. Alyssa smiled before licking her fingers.
Keiji wondered how on Earth Rita managed to get people to leave her alone. Of course, people did respect her wish to be left alone when she wanted it but then there was always that peculiar someone that just have to bug loners like him and Rita.
"You could write a little bit about yourself and the Mimics before you start with your…journey," Alyssa suggested.
Keiji drank his coffee as he pondered the suggestion. "I can write a little about myself, but the Mimics, why don't you do it? You're the expert on them,"
"Then it'd be a scientific book about Mimics, not about you and Rita. If people wants to read about Mimics, there's hundreds of materials they can read on it. This is Rita's and your story and I want it from your perspective and comprehension!"
Keiji rolled his eyes. "Fine, but don't you go apeshit on me when I got Mimic facts wrong,"
"I never went apeshit! So undignified for someone of my stature!" Alyssa said,
Keiji snorted in disbelief and Alyssa stuck out her tongue at him. "And sticking out your tongue like a child is very dignified,"
Alyssa pouted and Keiji flashed his rare smile. Alyssa blushed at seeing that and look away for a second before gathering herself.
"Well, I'll proofread your work and edit the factual inaccuracies here and there but I won't change much of it," Alyssa said.
Keiji sighed and he picked up the pen. "Alright, I might be the man with all the time in the world, but that doesn't mean I have all the time to waste. Let's get this thing done,"
Alyssa squealed and clapped her hands a few times like an excited child. "Yay! Finally!"
Keiji glared at her and Alyssa instantly became quiet and made a closing zipper motion on her mouth and smiled apologetically. Keiji sighed.
He already knew that Alyssa would not leave him alone seeing that she was dressed for the occasion so he didn't bother sending her away. Well, at least she could be quiet when he needed it. Alyssa can be intrusive about his personal space to the point of being clingy but she always respect his other needs.
Keiji actually knew what she was doing; Alyssa wanted to make sure that he never felt alone. After all, it can be lonely to be like him…to be like Rita and for that Keiji was grateful. It was one of the reasons why he wasn't bothered to stop Alyssa's shenanigans.
Keiji then turned his attention to the empty journal and brought his pen to it.
Author's Note: Alright, here it is. A preview of what I had in mind for this story. Oh and I also have a story idea about the movie that I need to unload off. Basically it will explain more about the aliens in detail according to my understanding of them and also my own version of what happened in the ending. It will be penned under separate story and perhaps under its own section if FanFictiondotNet ever decided to make one.
Anyway, go and watch the movie, guys!
Read and Review!