Disclaimer: The Gatekeepers, A.E.G.I.S., and characters are © of GONZO and their respective creators and are used in this fanfiction without permission.
Claimer ^_^: This story is © of me and me only. All characters you have never seen before in GK is mine.
Author's Note: This story is a direct continuation from the end of Gate Keepers last episode 24: For Tomorrow's Smile. This story may contain spoilers for those who have not watch all the episodes. All Japanese words translations are at the end of the document.

Both Ruriko and Shun were stunned as their lips united. The first to react was Reiko. "Omedeto desu ne...!"
Fei was next. "Aiyaa! Finally!"
Ruriko and Shun broke their kiss abruptly, both their faces as red as Mars. "Fei-chan! Reiko-san!" Ruriko objected as she blushed.
"Omedeto ne, Ukiya-senpai!" Kaoru exclaimed.
Shun turned to her and his blush was gone at the sight of Bancho's arm around Kaoru's shoulders. "Ne, Kaoru-chan, Bancho! You're together now?" he asked.
It was Kaoru's turn to blush while Bancho just stared off to the sky, avoiding eye contact.
"Soo desu!" Reiko exclaimed.
"They're a couple! Couple!" Fei exclaimed as if on cue.
"Reiko-san! Fei-chan!" Kaoru's blush intensified.
"You're a match together, Kaoru-chan!" Ruriko joined in the conversation, somehow relieved to be out of the subject.
Shun smiled at the girls' enthusiasm. The fight's over. The invaders were gone. Well, the current ones anyway. Shun remembered what Reiji had said. 'As long as there's human desire, invaders will always be there!' His mood darkened. 'Kageyama-san...where are you now?' Shun thought. With that he raised his head and looked around. "Hey, where's Kurogane-san?"
"We haven't seen her since the battle." Ruriko replied. "But...I found this in my pocket." she said as she gave a piece of folded paper to Shun.
Shun took the paper, unfolded it, and began to read it. His expression softened after a while. He took a breath as he returned the piece of paper to Ruriko. He looked at the rest of A.E.G.I.S. members around him. Only Ruriko seemed to have read the contents. Shun looked up to the sky. 'Ganbatte kudasai, ne, Kurogane-san.'

Gate Keepers Lost Episode 25

For Today's Smile

The A.E.G.I.S. Headquarters was a mess. The Tategami High School was more than half destroyed. The A.E.G.I.S. is no longer a secret organization as the base was wide open for anyone to see. All over the world, people are talking about A.E.G.I.S. and how they saved the earth. The A.E.G.I.S. was popular beyond imagination. All over the world are people greeting other people with A.E.G.I.S.' salute, and it was then proclaimed as the universal sign of friendship. But as open as A.E.G.I.S. had become, the Gate Keepers remained a secret. Except for Shun, whose face got on T.V.
"Shun-onii-chan!" Saemi exclaimed as she recognized the person at the door.
"Tadaima, Saemi-chan, okaa-san." Shun said, smiling.
"Okaeri, Shun." Mrs. Ukiya replied with a smile.
"Nii-chan, nii-chan! Were you really in that robot? Were you? Were you?" Saemi asked enthusiastically.
Shun grinned. "Uh, y-yeah, it was me." he said.
"Sugoi..." Saemi said with admiration. "So it was you who saved all of earth?"
Shun laughed. "Ahahahah, I wouldn't say that. I wouldn't make it without the help of the others."
"Others?" Saemi's eyes glittered. "Can I be one of you too?" she jumped around Shun. "Come on, please? I can do the salute too, see? Ryokai, A.E.G.I.S.!" Saemi ended her jump with an A.E.G.I.S. salute.
Shun smiled at his enthusiastic sister. He replied the salute, then tapped her head. "I'll have to talk to Shirei first."
Saemi raised an eyebrow. "Shirei? The principal? So he's your boss?" she asked.
Shun sighed. "Later, Saemi-chan." he said as he turned to his mother.
Mrs. Ukiya saw the look in Shun's eyes. She smiled.
Shun walked towards her and sat next to her. "Okaa-san, is otoo-san...?"
Mrs. Ukiya nodded before Shun finished his sentence.
Shun took a deep breath. It was just as he thought, but no matter how he prepared for it, he could never actually believe it.

Ruriko sighed as she watched the ruins of Tategami High School. She walked through the debris without apparent destination. She finally arrived at her 'entry point' to the base; it somehow survived. Remembering old times, she opened it and looked inside. To her suspicion, she heard noises below. Without further ado, she jumped inside.
Ruriko arrived on her chair as usual. The sight in front of her raised both her eyebrows.
Shirei and Ochiai turned to her in surprise. "Ikusawa-san." Ochiai greeted her with a smile while Shirei remained his cool composure. They were supervising an attempt of restoring the base.
Ruriko raised from her chair and went to them. "Pretty messy around here..." she commented.
Shirei nodded. "Yes, but now that the invaders are gone, we may be finally have a relief for some time."
"Shirei, estimation complete. It'll take two, maybe three years." Megane popped his head from the wrecked huge screen that was used to locate invaders.
"Two years?" Ruriko asked. "You mean it'll only take 2 years to restore the base?"
Ochiai shook her head. "No, not the base, only the school."
That shook Ruriko even more. "You mean we're off school for 2 years?"
"Really?!" Bancho popped his head beside Megane.
"No, we'll place you somewhere else, along with the other students." said Shirei. "Now that the invasion is over, you should continue with your lives."
"Oh..." Bancho slumped back into the debris.
"But..." Ruriko gulped.
"Of course, we could never put all of you in one school, so you will be spread to schools all over Japan. Fei-chan might be sent back to China..." Shirei caught Ruriko's troubled face on the corners of his eyes. He closed his eyes. "Of course, I might be able to arrange for you and Ukiya-taichou to be in one school."
Ruriko blushed. "Anoo, that's not all I'm worried about..."
"At least one worry is gone, ne?" Ochiai elbowed her softly.
Ruriko's blush intensified. "I-I-I'm worried about Kurogane-san."
Ochiai turned to Shirei, who had his hand on his chin. "If only the computer's available, we'd be able to track her." he said.
Megane shook his head. "Nah, I don't think so...Even with the computer online, the communication network has been cut on every connection available. We can't contact anyone even if they're in the next room moreover somewhere on Japan."
Ruriko sighed. She took the piece of paper and began to read it again for the umpteenth time.

To: Ikusawa and Ukiya
Ikusawa, I guess I just cannot win against you. I am sorry for what I have done to you. I suppose I am just jealous of you.
Ukiya, I am sorry for making life harder for you. I am planning to go on a journey to clear my soul from that disgusting man's influence. I will return when I am ready.
To both of you, have a happy life together.
Kurogane Megumi

Ruriko sighed. She put the paper back into her pocket and stared into the sky through the huge hole above her. 'Kurogane-san, where are you now?' she asked.
"Ikusawa-senpai! Look out!" Megane exclaimed.
Ruriko turned and her eyes widened in horror as she saw a huge boulder, a part of the ceiling, falling directly towards her.

Just then, a girl with glasses was inching her way through a slippery, super-narrow, mountain path, with a nice gaping valley in front of her, ready to swallow her. She gritted her teeth as she tried to move faster.
A ripple in the air, and Yukino appeared, hovering near the girl. "It's no use running." she said. "You should return."
"Leave me alone!" the girl exclaimed, but with that she lost her balance. With a scream she fell into the valley. She somehow managed to regain her composure quickly and yelled a "GATE, OPEN!" A green gate opened in front of her. "Shock Buffer!" She landed softly on a green layer on the ground.
She stood up and scuffed dust from her clothes. She looked around. Trees all around her. All trees and...one child with a white kimono. She groaned. "Why don't you just leave me alone? I said I'll return when I'm ready!"
Yukino shook her head. "When will you be ready? What is it that you're searching? Or who?"
Megumi turned to Yukino with a stern look. "That's none of your concern."
Yukino closed her eyes. "Please understand. He is gone now."
"No!" Megumi exclaimed. "I cannot believe that!" she bit her lip. She looked down, avoiding eye contact. "He's the only one that ever understood me, even though it's only to use me, it felt...nice."
Yukino shook her head. "What are you searching anyway? Him, or understanding? Him, or being accepted? Him, or being respected?"
Megumi looked away. She didn't reply for a moment. She thought of the question. The fact that she was being respected pleased her, as it was what she was searching all these years. But now that she had known that he had done it only to use her powers, she still couldn't hate him. 'Is Yukino right? Am I only searching for him?' Megumi shook her head strongly. "No. Yukino-chan, you're right. What am I doing looking for him anyway?"
Yukino's lips developed a small smile. She offered a hand.
Megumi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 'Goodbye, Reiji-kun.' she thought as she took Yukino's hand.

"Ikusawa-senpai! Look out!"
Megumi opened her eyes in shock. She was already in the middle of the A.E.G.I.S. headquarters debris. She choked at the sight of Ruriko under the falling debris. Without further thinking, "GATE, OPEN! Iron Wall!!!"
The boulder crashed with a loud noise. Dust flew, blocking the view for a few seconds.
"Ikusawa-senpai, Ikusawa-senpai!" Megane exclaimed.
"Ruriko-san!" Bancho exclaimed.
"Daijobu desu ka?" Ochiai asked.
The dust settled down and there was Ruriko, protecting her head from nothing, under a bowl of green layer.
Megumi huffed. "Right in time..." she whispered. She smiled as she realized that Yukino might have something to do with this.
Ruriko opened her eyes slowly. "I...I'm alive?" She then saw the green layer, right before it disappeared. She looked around frantically and smiled as she saw Megumi. "Kurogane-san!" she exclaimed. She ran towards her.
Megumi gulped. Here comes the girl she had put in trouble so much. She closed her eyes, ready for anything, but not for what Ruriko had in mind. Megumi's eyes was flung open in shock as she felt herself hugged.
"Kurogane-san, where have you been? I'm so worried!" Ruriko said as she tightened her hug.
Megumi couldn't believe her hearing. "You were...worried? About me?"
Ruriko released her but kept her shoulders in her grasp. "Of course! You're my friend! You're our friend!"
Megumi was stunned. "Friend...?"
Ruriko smiled. "Of course!"
Megumi looked down. "But I've..."
Ruriko put her hand around Megumi's back. "Forget that. It's all over."
"But..."
"Kurogane-san?" Ochiai greeted her. "Ah, it's really you. Welcome back." she bowed.
"Kurogane-san..." Shirei's face was a mix of anger and extreme coolness.
"Shirei..." Megumi gulped. "I...I'm sorry..."
"Hey, it's alright!" Ruriko said. "You saved my life right? I owe you! Big time!"
Megumi turned to her. She contemplated for a while, then smiled. "You're welcome." she said.

The day after, The Gate Keepers (including Bancho) plus Megane gathered in the headquarters, remembering the old times. The briefing table had survived somehow and had been cleared. Everyone was in their position. Bancho had also given a seat and was seated next to Kaoru.
Shun let out a sigh. "It's like the old times, huh?" he said.
"The only difference are Bancho being a fully recognized Gate Keeper," Ruriko said, with a smile towards Bancho, "and Megumi-san and I had made up."
"Ah, it's Megumi-san now is it?" Shun said. He turned to Megumi. "Welcome back, Megumi-san."
Megumi bowed a little. "Thank you, Ukiya-taichou."
"Another difference!" Fei exclaimed, pointing at Kaoru who was staring Bancho with a blush.
Everyone laughed as the couple blushed together.
"If that's the case then..." Reiko waved both hands towards Ruriko and Shun. "They should be counted too."
"You're right!" Kaoru exclaimed.
The table had turned and it was Ruriko and Shun's turn to blush.
Megumi watched all this in silence. She spotted Yukino in the back but she was gone the next second. But she got the chance to see her face. She was smiling. That made her smile as well. She was glad she returned as she had suggested.
Shun sighed as he looked around. "This is a mess. Minna, do you know why exactly I wanted you to gather here?" he asked. Seeing confused faces in front of him, Shun continued, "As Shirei or Megane may have informed you, the school will need at least 2 years to be repaired. We can't be out of school for 2 years."
"I can." Bancho said, but quickly shut up at the staring eyes of Kaoru.
Shun smiled. "Anyway, we can't be out of school for 2 years, that's why Shirei's placing all Tategami student in other operating schools. But, since we're a lot, we will be divided. We might get separated. Fei-chan, you might even returned to China."
Fei bit her lip. "I want to stay here..." she said softly. "I have no one in China, but here...I have a family."
"The war is over." Megane joined the conversation. "War...Ahahahah...This is the only war I have ever heard that creates a family instead of destroying one..."
Shun nodded. "I understand, Fei-chan. But we can't abandon our studies. In fact, now that the world's safe, we need to be fully educated to build it."
"If only we can speed up the rebuilding process..." Megane sighed.
Suddenly, silence fell into the room. "Speed...up?" Shun's eyes shone. He turned to Kaoru and Bancho, then Ruriko, Reiko, Fei, then Megumi. He then smiled. "Perhaps..."

"Using Gate Powers to rebuild the school?!" Ochiai exclaimed. She turned to Shirei.
Shirei was brushing his chin with his hand. His eyes were hidden behind his dark glasses. He thought for a moment and then nodded. "You have 2 months."
"Yatta!" Shun exclaimed as he jumped in joy. He turned around. "Gate Keepers, this may be the last time we'll use our powers, and maybe for the best. We'll rebuild the school in no time and we'll make sure we stay together!"
"Ryokai! A.E.G.I.S.!" The Gate Keepers replied with a salute.

Kaoru passed a tall stack of bricks to Bancho. "Here you go." she said.
"Arigato,." Bancho smiled.
Kaoru blushed a bit. "Get going, Choutaro-kun." she said.
"Hai, hai, Kaoru-hime." Bancho said as he walked away with the stack of brick.
"Ne, Kaoru-hime ka..."
Kauro choked as she turned around and saw Ruriko behind her. "I-Ikusawa-senpai."
"You know, I somehow kinda sad he never call me hime again." Ruriko said.
"Ikusawa-senpai..." Kaoru pouted. "You have Ukiya-senpai already."
Ruriko laughed. "Right. I'll leave him for you."
They laughed together. But their laugh was stopped by a loud crash.
Both Ruriko and Kaoru wasted no time before running towards the noise, and they were totally amazed by the scene.
Bancho was on his buttocks, while the stack of bricks he was carrying was right on a green layer above Shun. Megumi was standing next to him, her hands shivering under the weight of the bricks. "P-Please get out of there, Ukiya-taichou."
Shun quickly got out from under the green layer.
Megumi released the Iron Wall and the bricks fell onto the ground safely.
"Aaah, what a mess!" Kaoru ran towards him. "GATE, OPEN!" She easily took the bricks and stacked them neatly within a few seconds.
"Ow, ow, ow..." Bancho cringed. "Who put this iron bar here?" he asked as he held his blooding shin.
Ruriko arrived next to Bancho. "GATE, OPEN!" she exclaimed as she touched Bancho's shin.
"Arigato ne, Ruriko-san." Bancho said.
Ruriko smiled as her Gate began to heal him. "I see you're using 'hime' only for Kaoru now."
Bancho blushed a bit.
"Daijoubu, Ukiya-taichou?" Megumi asked.
Shun turned to her. He nodded. "Hai, arigato, ne, Megumi-san."
Megumi smiled. "Ah, hai." she nodded.
"Ne, Ukiya-taichou! Gomen ne!" Bancho exclaimed. "I didn't see this stupid bar."
"Daijoubu, Bancho!" Shun smiled.

On the other part of the half-finished school, Fei was spitting fire from her forefinger and middle finger to join some metal parts together. She stopped for a while and took off the dark glasses she was wearing. "Done."
"Great work, Fei-chan." Megane said from behind her. "A bit more and we're done here."
Fei turned to him with a smile. "That's great!" she said.
Megane was stunned at the smiling face, then turned back to the blueprint on his hands.
Fei noticed the way Megane looked at her and smiled inwardly.
"Minna-san!" A faint exclamation was heard. "Why don't you rest a bit?"
"It's Reiko-san!" Fei exclaimed. "That means it's lunch time. Let's go, Megane-kun!" Fei exclaimed as she took Megane's hand.
"Aa, matte, Fei-chan!" Megane exclaimed, but it was too late.
Fei jumped from point to point and finally landed on the front of the school. "See, we're here, Megane-kun."
"Ahahaha...I'm alive..." Megane mumbled.
"Welcome, Fei-chan, Megane." Shun said. "Onigiri?" he offered a rice ball.
"Wai!" Fei exclaimed as she snatched one.

Shun sat under a tree that survived the destruction of the school. He looked at the school he and the rest of the Gate Keepers had been working on for a month. It was more than half done. He sighed. "So it can be done in two months."
"Still wondering about that?" Ruriko joined him under the tree. "We've been doing a great job."
"Hmm, maybe we can start a constructing company...hey, Rurippe, you father's one, right? Let's all work for him and..."
Ruriko chuckled. "You'll be neglecting your school, baka. What's the point in rebuilding this school, then? And stop calling me that."
"Well, I can work part-time, and why should I stop?" Shun said. "I like calling you Rurippe. It's more...private."
Ruriko blushed. "Stop that." she said with a childish tone.
"Do you really want me stop?" Shun teased.
Ruriko didn't reply. She looked away.
Shun just smiled, then returned his vision to the school. "Beautiful, ne?" he sighed.
Ruriko turned to Shun in surprise. Her face was all red. "W-What?"
Shun chuckled. "I meant the school."
"Oh," Ruriko unconsciously sounded disappointed.
But Shun smiled at her. "Of course, you too." he said, returning the blush to Ruriko's face.
"Where did you learn to flirt like that, Ukiya-kun?" Ruriko shook her head.
Shun just chuckled. "Still using 'Ukiya-kun'?" he asked.
"What do you expect?" Ruriko smiled. "Shun-chan?"
Shun nodded. "That'd be nice."

"Kaoru-hime, aaa..." Bancho said as he held a rice ball with a chopstick.
Kaoru chuckled. She took a bite of the rice ball. "Mm, oishii, Choutaro-kun. Now it's your turn, aaa..."
Bancho took the whole rice ball in one gulp. "Mm, sugoi, Kaoru-hime..."
Megane looked at the couple. He shook his head. "What childish behavior..." he said. He turned around and was surprised by a rice ball on his face.
"Megane-kun, aaa..." Fei said cheerfully.
"Fei-chan!" Megane exclaimed, sounding totally irritated and embarrassed.
Fei instantly sulked, while Megane instantly felt bad. "Anoo, Fei-chan, that's not what I meant...I...I..." he sighed. "I'll take that onigiri." he finally said.
Fei raised her chopsticks with a sweet smile and Megane took a bite of the rice ball with a blush.
Reiko smiled as she watched the two couples had lunch. "Ahh, it's so nice when love is in the air, desu ne?" she sighed.
Megumi, who was sitting with her back on the couples, took a bite of rice ball and chewed it slowly. She sighed. She couldn't seem to forget him. 'Yukino-chan, help me...I don't know...'
"Do you really want to know?" Yukino asked right beside her, surprising her, almost making her choke.
Megumi sighed. "How can I? We have a job here. I can't just disappear again."
Yukino looked down as she closed her eyes. "You will have the answer on the second week you enter the rebuilt school."
Megumi turned to her abruptly but only caught a ripple in mid air.

Reiko was playing her portable piano while her friends stared at the illusion of the finished school. Reiko stopped abruptly and the illusion dissipated in an instant. The colorful sky was gone, but the school remained.
"Great!" Shun exclaimed. "It's exactly as we remembered it! We did a great job, Gate Keepers!" he exclaimed.
"Yaay!" Fei exclaimed as she jumped in joy. The second she landed she jumped onto Megane's hug.
"We did it!" Kaoru jumped and hung herself on Bancho.
Ruriko took a proud breath.
Megumi fixed her glasses but she couldn't hide her smile..
Everyone turned as they heard claps. "Well done, Gate Keepers." Shirei said. "Seven weeks."
"Omedeto, ne." Ochiai smiled.
"Arigato, Shirei, Ochiai-san." Shun said.
Shirei nodded. "Since the school's done, we'll be able to furnish it and get on with studying within a week."
"O-O-O-One week?" Bancho gulped.
"Gate Keepers, you have one week to prepare. When you enter school, everything will return to what it was before you ever heard of Invaders." Shirei said. "You shall continue your life and live it to the fullest."
"...As if today's the day before oblivion." Yukino added as she suddenly appeared next to Shirei.
A short silence before Shun exclaimed what was in everyone's head: "You can count on that!"

Megumi sat on her chair. It was the second week of school. And it had been a happy fortnight. Shun and Ruriko had 'officially' claimed each others. And Megumi predicted that Bancho and Kaoru would be next, and then Megane and Fei. Megumi smiled. Quite a fortnight. She looked up as the teacher came in. The students sat on their chairs.
"Rise, Bow, Sit." Ruriko did her usual class president choir.
Megumi smiled when she realized that she had no problem of Ruriko being the class president anymore. Then she realized that she had been smiling quite frequently these days. Her thoughts were cut when she heard her teacher said something.
"I'd like to introduce a new student. Now I know he might look exactly like that person, but I can assure you that he's not him. Even A.E.G.I.S. had confirmed it."
Megumi frowned. 'A.E.G.I.S. is rather popular these days...' she thought.
"Now please be kind to him and forget his evil identical stranger. Come in!" The teacher signaled for the person to come in.
Everyone tensed as the new boy entered the class. A student who sat next to the door even fell off his chair. The class turned to a stunning silence. Megumi couldn't believe her eyes. She stood up and brushed her eyes. She turned to Shun, Ruriko, and Bancho, and they were as shocked as she. She turned to the new boy again.
The boy smiled. His dark glasses was positioned stylishly on his head. His brownish blonde hair was untidily combed, but that didn't reduce his handsomeness. "Hajimemashite. My name is Mitsuoka Yuji. Doozo yoroshiku."

END...?

Endnote: This is my first Gate Keepers fanfiction so be nice. I'm waiting for your comments on the couples I created in this story (this doesn't include Shun x Ruriko because, since someone in the Net pointed out, their relationship is inevitable. Also any other comments, praises, flames, translation errors or whatever about anything. Send it in to storymasterq@icqmail.com. I accept all messages and I'll try to reply everyone. As always in the case of my stories, 'END...?' means that I might create a continuation of this story. Keep your fingers crossed, whichever you choose. Anyway, you do know who Mitsuoka Yuji is, right? Okay, for those who don't, Mitsuoka Yuji is Kageyama Reiji's real name.

Translations: (I no longer write individual translations in my stories. I'm collecting all Japanese words I know and use in my stories and put it in my Dictionary (http://www.geocities.com/storymasterq/ADDict.htm). Go there for translations.)

Arsen Dawn
Storymaster Q
ICQ#: 75282461