Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my OC!
A/N: There isn't much fighting this chapter, as it's overall more dialogue-heavy. If Ankh seems OOC this chapter, it's not on purpose. It's completely unintentional. Also, I may change the rating from T to M later, since I realized I might write graphic scenes later, possibly ones more graphic than Rito getting his hand cut off.
To the one Guest review: Firstly, I'd suggest either signing up or logging in to Fanfiction, because I may not notice your review, or I may not take what you say as seriously if you decide to criticize me. This goes double for any flamers. If you flame me and you're a guest, I'll probably just delete the review. Secondly, I'd prefer not to spoil pairings for the story. You'll just have to wait and see.
…
These three things happened last time, on The High-Schooler King!
1) Yuuki Rito was unable to confess to his crush, Sairenji Haruna.
2) Sato Takehiko became OOO, and defeated the Kamakiri Yummy.
3) Ankh possessed Yuuki Rito, replacing his lost right arm.
And now, the next chapter of The High-Schooler King!
Chapter Two
The Girl from Space
I stared at Rito, or rather Ankh, in shock. Partially because he had just replaced the missing hand of my best friend, and partially because I have no idea how his little sister is going to take this. It could break her.
"Rito's… going to be okay, right?" I asked, looking at Ankh through my helmet.
He smirked, "First, undo the transformation. You know how to do it?"
I frowned, "Like this…?" I muttered as I moved the seal back into place. The effect was immediate, as the armor phased out of existence. Ankh moved and snatched the belt away from me.
"In answer to your question, I don't know. Only time will tell… Urgh..." He grunted, falling to his knees.
"O-Oi! Are you okay?" I asked, holding him by his shoulders.
He shrugged me off, "This body's lost a lot of blood. It's nothing I can't fix, but…" He grabbed some of the coins off the ground, "These should speed up the process." He said, as he absorbed them. He stood up, apparently all better. That's when it happened. We noticed it at the same time.
"Hey, what's that…?" I asked, looking at a small, metallic bird that was dragging away one of the coins.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Ankh shouted, walking toward it. Several of those birds came out of nowhere, grabbing those medals, "Hey! Those are mine!"
He snatched one away from a bird, and turned to me with a glare, "What were those things?" He demanded.
I frowned, "You think I know? I don't really keep up with technology like that."
Ankh frowned back, "This is strange…" He muttered, "Something's changed since we were sealed away." He said as he examined the coin. He absorbed it into his arm.
"Changed? Sealed away? Care to explain everything?" I asked, deadpan. He gave me an arrogant glare, before smirking and walking away, gesturing for me to follow him.
Needless to say, I followed the hand possessing my friend's body.
…
I followed Ankh to a Popsicle stand, where he took three and left without paying.
I ran up to the stand, "Sorry about him. He's been weird lately, how much is it?"
The old man running the stand squinted at me through round glasses, "About three-hundred yen." He said. I quickly gave him the money and ran after Ankh.
"Hey! Wait up! You could at least answer my questions. What exactly are you?" I yelled in annoyance.
Ankh turned to me as I walked beside him, "Eight-hundred years ago, we were created using the core medals." He said, "We are called Greeed, and for many ages we were sealed away…"
Whoa, he's ancient, "Core medals…? Oh, you mean those things I used to transform with? Are you made of medals too, like that guy I just beat?"
"The Yummy?" Ankh said, "There are two types of medals." He held up the red Taka medal with his free hand, then a silver unnamed medal, "Core Medals, and Cell Medals. Think about this popsicle, what you eat are the cells, and the stick is comprised of the cores."
I nodded, looking at the popsicle, "So, the Cell medals are what hold you together, while the Core medals… are you." I said.
"That's correct. You're smarter than you look." Ankh said, taking another bite, "And the Yummy you just beat? He's the cells without the core. The ice without the stick." He explained.
So… He's like a homunculus?
"So as just a hand you must be missing a lot of core medals, huh?" I realized.
Ankh grimaced, "Yeah, and I want them back." He said, clenching his hand.
"I'll help you." I said, looking at him straight in the eyes.
He blinked back, "Huh?"
"I'll help you reclaim your lost medals. Think of it as repaying you for saving me and Rito." I reiterated, looking away slightly. That wasn't the whole reason, of course. I did genuinely want to help him.
Ankh smirked, "Of course you will."
There was a moment of silence as I checked my watch, "Whoa! It's that late already?!"
I should've realized, considering how dark it was getting. She's probably getting sick worrying over us.
"Something wrong?" Ankh asked, popping the popsicle out of his mouth.
"Yeah, we need to get home! Mikan is gonna be worried sick!" I yelled, "Come on! You can explain whatever you think is necessary for me to know on the way."
Now how do I explain to Mikan about Ankh?
…
I stood facing the door of my home, Ankh behind me as I wondered how Mikan would take this. Maybe it would be best to just not tell her. Maybe she wouldn't suspect anything. Or perhaps, perhaps, she'll be too angry over us getting home this late to notice Ankh.
No, that girl's too smart for that. She'd sense something's up, after all it's not like Rito's the type to go somewhere and dye his hair.
"Are we going in or what?" Ankh asked, starting to get impatient.
"Yeah, it's just… you try explaining to a young girl that her brother's been possessed by an ancient sentient arm. It's not as easy as it seems." I muttered.
"It's not like he's dead." Ankh responded, "Just tell her the truth. Yuuki Rito will regain control of the rest of his body once he regains consciousness." He left out the part that he always has control over at least Rito's right hand.
"You know he's right-handed, right?" I asked bluntly.
"And that's his problem, now open the door." He ordered, getting ready to push me out of the way.
"Okay, okay… just act like Rito, at least." I said, complying with his order as he scoffed indignantly. The door was opened, and Ankh stormed past me. I followed shortly after.
"We're back." Ankh called in a practiced tone. His voice is good, but not a perfect impersonation of Rito. I peeked around the corner into the living room and a ladle flew at my face.
I recoiled in pain, "Ow, ow ,ow! That hurt, what was that for?!" I yelled.
"For being late for dinner. What took you two so long?" She asked. I winced, "And what's up with Rito? His voice sounds different, and his hair is weird-looking!"
I winced again. She noticed. This girl is way too smart and mature for her age, I swear.
"Ah… Rito's not feeling too great. He failed to confess to Sairenji today, so he's really out of it." I explained. Half-truths. Half-truths work.
Sometimes. Mikan stared at me calculatingly before sighing.
"Fine. I'll find out what's with him later. You're not off the hook, though." She said. I nodded frantically and made my way up the stairs, and into my room.
I practically collapsed onto my bed, "Man~ today's been so draining. Cell and core medals, the Greeed and Yummies, and whatever those robots are about." I mumbled. Not to mention, Ankh. I seriously hope Rito gains control again soon. Come to think of it, I should probably call Saruyama and tell him what happened to Rito today with Sairenji.
I flipped my phone out and called him, "Yo, Saruyama!"
"Hey Sato! How's it going?"
"I'm exhausted." I responded, "Although, Rito's pretty out of it."
"Did he get rejected?" He asked.
"Nope, he didn't even confess. He just jumped into the bushes at the last second." I answered. There was a moment of silence on the other side, before I heard Saruyama roar with laughter. I had to pull the phone away from my ear, he was so loud.
"GYAHAHAHAH! I see, he failed just as I expected." He laughed.
"Haah? You were expecting it? Well, I guess it is his usual pattern." I laughed back. Rito has this strange pattern Saruyama and I have noticed. He can be really hot-headed and aggressive most cases, but if it's something romantic, he's so shy we can't help but mock him a little for it.
"Yep. He's usually really aggressive, but when it comes to romance, he's pretty pathetic, that Rito." Saruyama said.
"Anyway, I just called to let you know how it went. I'm gonna hang up now, see ya."
"See ya!"
Click.
I'm going to take a bath.
…
"It's been such a busy day…" I mumbled, submerged in water. It's so calming to take a bath after a day like this. But still, Ankh, the Greeed, the Yummies, and everything they mean… They're all dangerous. Ankh being the only Greeed I know of so far, and I don't even know all of his goals. So far it's just "I want my Core medals back", but what are his plans after that? What will he do? Will he just be another monster? Will I have to fight him?
No. He helped me and Rito, so he can't be bad. At least, that's what I want to think.
"This really is like one of those tokusatsu shows." I decided, "I've got a transformation, there are monsters to fight, and there's lives at stake." I made my hands into fists and rose them out of the water as I looked at them. They relaxed slightly, though.
"… Or probably just the world economy. Which is still something worth fighting for." From what Ankh told me, Greeed and by extension Yummies seek out desire and value to create cell medals. So if one of those things were to go after the bank that could be really dangerous. But then, I don't really know all that much about the Greeed. How many are there? How strong are they?
I don't think the Japanese government covers monsters in their insurance. But with all these tokusatsu shows and movies like Godzilla, I wouldn't be surprised if they did as a joke.
"…" I thought for a moment, "Os, huh? I think I can roll with that." I murmured.
Pop, pop, sizzle
I blinked as the water in the tub started to boil. Okaay, that's not normal, "Not again…" I muttered, taking the time to get out of the tub. The second I did, though…
KA-SPLASH
The water in the tub exploded, flooding the room, "Whoa!" I slipped and fell backwards against the wall.
When I looked up, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Not because of the absurdity of it, but because the world seemed determined to drive my life into crazy-town by midnight.
In the tub, stood a girl. She had bubble-gum pink hair and blue-green eyes, and an impressive figure. Overall, she was extremely beautiful. She was even smiling.
Now this wouldn't be a problem in of itself, were it not for the fact that she was stark naked.
"Mmmm!" She hummed, "I successfully escaped!"
Her voice. Holy shit her voice.
"C… Cute…" I mumbled, averting my eyes. But wait, what just happened? Seriously! My bathtub just exploded and now there's a naked girl standing in it! I don't understand!
"Hm?" She looked at me, still smiling, "Hi."
"H-Hello…" I gave a nervous wave.
Knock, Knock
"Hey! Sato, what's going on in there? Is everything alright?" Mikan asked from the other side of the door.
"A-Ah! Yeah! Everything's totally fine! I just… slipped getting out of the tub. I'm fine, though. No need to worry." I called back.
I heard Mikan walk away from the door, muttering something about me being a klutz, and I looked back to the girl in the tub.
She was gone. What. Did she just pull a Houdini act and disappear from the face of the Earth? There's no way she could've gotten past me, and Mikan surely would've noticed her if she did. Where'd she go?!
"Um…"
Was that all some kind of fever dream induced by what happened today? Or do I really need a girlfriend? But still, that explosion… there's no way my mind could have faked that.
I decided to put on my clothes and head back to my room. Bath time was over. Well, more like ruined in a strange way.
I opened my door and… ah.
It wasn't a dream. I repeat, it wasn't a dream. Cute pinkette sitting on my bed. Wearing only a towel. That's my towel.
I looked away from her form quickly enough, and closed my door.
"Ah, I'm borrowing your towel~." She waved at me.
"T-That's fine and all, but… who are you?" I asked, giving her a once over. Bubble gum pink hair, check. Turquoise eyes, check. Beautiful smiling face, check. Incredible body, check. She's deeefinitely the girl from the bath tub. I was thankful that she at least had the decency to wear a towel, I don't know what kind of wrath Mikan would bring down upon me if she were to pass by my room and see a naked girl sitting on my bed. I just know it wouldn't be pretty. I shuddered at the thought.
"Me? I'm Lala." She said simply. So… her name's Lala.
"Lala…" I repeated, staring at her eyes as I moved away from my door and over toward the lone chair in my room.
"Yep! I came from the planet Deviluke." She said it as if it were the simplest thing in the world. And maybe for her, it was. But for me…
"... I... I'm sorry, give me a moment." I turned around and slowly, but softly, banged my head against the wall.
Life, I've had enough of your shit today! Just please, leave me alone! First Ankh, then the mantis Yummy, and now ALIENS?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!
Calm... I'm calm.
"So… You're an alien?" I asked calmly despite my internal freak-out, making her giggle.
"Well, for you Earthlings, I guess I am." She confirmed. Well then. I feel like I'm the center of some cosmic joke the universe decided to pull.
As I tried to look anywhere but her cleavage, she took my silence as doubt.
"Do you not believe me? Then here, look at this!" She announced, leaning forward and giving me an eyeful.
Then she turned around. She mooned me. Why did she moon me? It's not like I'm not enjoying the vie-
Does she have a tail? She has a tail. A real tail. It was mostly black, and it was long, thin, and ended with a heart shape or an arrow head.
"See? Humans don't have anything like this, do they?" She asked as I once again looked anywhere but her.
"N-No, I guess they don't…" I replied, more than likely blushing furiously. Seriously, this girl… She's making me light-headed.
"Ah, although I have a tail, I won't transform when I look at a full moon, okay?" She said, and I nodded, "Why are you blushing so much? You're cute!"
You're the reason I'm blushing. Don't pretend you don't know that.
And did you just call me cute?
I cleared my throat and deemed it fine to look back at the pinkette beauty in my room, "O-Okay, Lala… Why did you appear in the bath tub like that?" I asked.
She made an "Oh!" noise and showed me her wrist. There was a strange-looking bracelet on her left wrist, "That's because I used this! It's this 'Pyon-Pyon Warp-Kun' I created!" She announced proudly, then continued in a slightly less-proud tone "I cannot specify the destination, but this makes it possible for each living unit to warp a short distance!"
I rubbed my temples, "Okay… So this device lets you teleport, but to a non-specific location." She nodded, "Then, why were you naked?" I asked.
Lala's smile faltered slightly, "Ah… That's because Warp-Kun can only warp living things."
Are… Are you kidding me?! This sounds like it's straight out of a science-fiction book! Hell, there's probably a hentai-manga somewhere about this thing!
What an amazing design flaw...
"If you don't mind me asking… Where did you warp from, anyway?" I asked. We're playing twenty questions here, Lala. You'd better get comfortable.
"I used it in the bathroom of the spaceship, and it happened to teleport me to the bathtub in your house!" She explained. Okay, bathroom to bathroom. At least there's some semblance of sanity.
But then there's one question left to ask.
"Why?"
At that, Lala looked crestfallen. You wouldn't be able to tell at first because she was hiding it, but her eyes, her mouth, her entire face conveyed it to me. Great. Now I feel like a jerk for asking that question.
"I'm… being chased." She admitted, "I thought it might be safe on Earth, but the pursuers have come. I was about to be taken away on their ship, but I used this ring to get away."
"I see…" I muttered. Man… I hate seeing girls like Lala looking so sad. It doesn't fit her previous bubbly-ness.
At that moment, something came through the window.
"Lala-Sama~!" It called, drawing her attention, "Are you alright, Lala-Sama?"
It was a white, toy-looking figure with devil wings. It wore a white suit over a blue shirt and a red tie. It was also very, very small, adding to the toy-like image. Its eyes were little swirls.
"Another one?" It's like a running gag at this point, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
"Peke!" Lala exclaimed, her previous mood returning as she hugged it, "I'm so glad you could escape safely too!"
"Yes! I was lucky the ship wasn't outside the Earth's atmosphere!" It said, before noticing me, "Lala, who is that dull-looking Earthling?"
DULL-LOOKING?! Did that plain-looking thing just call me dull-looking?!
"He lives here." Lala said, before realizing something, "Oh, I haven't learned your name yet…"
Eh? Me?
"It's… It's Takehiko. Call me Sato, though." I said, shrugging.
"Oh~. And this is Peke. He's an 'all-purpose costume robot' I made." She introduced it. It's a robot. Huh. I thought it was another alien, which wouldn't be entirely wrong. But to think she's made something so advanced… I mean, teleportation is one thing, but a sentient robot? That's insane, Lala must be some kind of scientific genius.
"Pleased to meet you…" Peke waved at me from Lala's arms.
"All-Purpose costume robot…" I repeated, staring at it, "What, exactly, does that mean?"
Lala threw her towel at me in response, and it fell to cover my eyes.
"O-Oi!" I yelped, "Why'd you take off your towel?"
"Well peke, I leave it to you." She said.
"Understood! Leave it to me!" Peke chirped.
CHANGE! DRESSFORM, PLEASE!
I took the towel off my eyes and saw Lala. She- She's wearing the robot. Literally. The clothes she put on just look like a larger form of the robot.
My mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out, "Tada~!" Lala exclaimed.
My life has become a Tokusatsu show. It's official. Her costume is weird by Earth standards, but she pulls it off quite well. Her tail comes out of the back, though.
A-At least she's wearing clothes now… Even if it is a robot.
"It's not too tight, is it?" Peke asked, the robot's voice coming through the hat on Lala's head.
"It's perfect." Lala replied, "I'm glad you came quickly. Without you, I have no clothes to wear!"
No… No clothes…?
She turned her attention to me, "How does it look? It looks nice, doesn't it?"
"Y-Yeah…" I nodded. Again, she looks good in it, but how embarrassing… It looks like cosplay.
"Lala-Sama, do you have any plans now?" Peke asked.
"Well, about that…" She glanced at me, "I have an idea."
CRASH!
And as if on cue, more people fly through the window of yours truly.
This time, it was two large men in suits, more aliens if their tails meant anything. They looked like FBI agents, sunglasses and everything.
Slowly but surely, my head hit my palm. And then Ankh knocked on the door, "Hey, Sato. What's going on in there? Is it a Yummy?"
Internally screaming, I replied, "No Ankh, everything's just fine. I'm just fine."
No Ankh, I'm not fine. There are two large scary men in suits in my room, who are probably trying to kidnap this pink-haired girl. In my room. I feel like crying, quite honestly.
"Alright then. Keep it down, whatever you're doing in there." I heard him walk away, and turned my attention back to the aliens in my room.
"… Goodness, what a troublesome lady. I should've tied your legs and hands until we left Earth." One of the men said. That sounds… You know what, I'm not even going to think about it.
Lala closed her eyes, "Peke…"
"Y-Yes?"
"Didn't I tell you to be careful about followers?"
"… You did…"
Then why are there two men affiliated with the Federal Bureau of Investigations standing in my room? Care to explain that one to me? Because I'm not sure I understand.
"GEEEZ, YOU STUPID ROBOT! NOW EVERYTHING I'VE DONE HAS GONE DOWN THE DRAIN!" Lala screamed, flailing her arms. I don't blame her, I'd be pretty mad too if two men, who I'd evaded for so long, were lead straight to me because my costume robot forgot to check if it had followers.
Seriously though, what the hell is this scene and why is it happening in my room?
"… Are you prepared?" One of the men asked Lala. Okay then, ignore me. Not like I matter or anything.
"Lala, why not use the bracelet again?" Peke suggested. I nodded my head in agreement.
Lala grimaced, "I can't…" She replied, "After I use this once, it needs a full day to recharge."
That seems a little… faulty. Well, that and the whole clothes thing.
One of the agents moved forward and grabbed her by the wrist. I simply watched as the chaos unfolded in my room. It was so much like some kind of comedy sketch, I kept expecting someone to burst out of my closet and reveal this was all a strange candid camera event. The other agent tried to help him, as he put her in a headlock. She bit his wrist. I can only think of what Mikan must hear right now, and Ankh is probably calling bullshit or looking through Rito's room. If either of them come in here… Who knows what they'll think.
SNAP
That's it! I've had enough of life's games for one day! Screw the consequences, I'm saving the girl!
BATTA!
I jumped forward and landed a kick on the man's head, causing him to let go of Lala. I took that opportunity to grab her hand and lead her out the window, "C'mon! This way!"
"S-Sato?!"
I ignored the yells of the agents as I jumped across the rooftops, Lala's hand still gripped in mine.
"Sato… Why?" She asked. I thought for a moment before responding.
"Do I really need a reason to help you?" I asked back, "I don't really get it myself, but if there's a hand reaching out for help, I can't help but reach out in response. If I don't...the regret will make me wish I were dead. I don't want that." I answered, remembering a particular scene from my life.
Yeah, if I refuse help to even one person, then I'd be disgracing his memory.
I led Lala off the roof tops into a small park. I didn't really have a plan for where to go, but at this point the idea was to just run and try to lose her pursuers-
"HRNNNN!" One of the agents yelled as he threw…
CRASH!
HOLY SHIT! HE THREW A TRUCK!? MAN, AM I GLAD HE WASN'T THE ONE I KICKED.
But he blocked the only way to escape. Crap.
"Don't interfere, Earthling…"
"Don't interfere," huh? Where have I heard that one today? Nonetheless, I got into position to fight. Super-strength or not, I must fight, "Don't come any closer, or I'll have to fight you!" I declared.
I don't have the Seal…
Ankh is nowhere in sight...
And I'm fighting two guys whose strength rival elephants.
Man, today just isn't my day! I really need to ask Ankh to let me keep that belt.
"… Lala." One of the agents said, bowing, "Please stop trying to run away from home!"
I paused, my stance dropping. She- She's running away from home. That's the reason I've been defending her.
"EH?!" I exclaimed, looking at her, "You're running away from home?! Why?!"
"Because I've had enough! I don't care if I'm a successor or whatever, but I'm tired of meeting future husband candidates every day!" She yelled. Successor? Future husband candidates? Eh? What's all this about?
"B-But Lala-Sama… This is your father's will." The men responded.
Lala stuck out her tongue in defiance, "I don't care about Daddy!" She said, pulling out a cell-phone. Really, you're making a call at a time like no-
TRANSMIT! GOGO VACUUM-KUN!
Ooooh, I get it. It's one of her inventions and it lets her summon giant octopus death machines of-
OH!
MY!
GOD!
"W-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!" I screamed. In hindsight, that probably wasn't the most important question of the moment.
"Go! Suck them up!" Lala commanded.
And so it did.
Within a matter of seconds, the two agents were pulled into the machine. Along with a bench, a trashcan, and pretty much everything else around the area, including me. I latched onto a nearby stop sign.
"O-Oi! Lala, it's trying to pull me in! Hurry up and stop it!" I yelled over to her.
"…" She held her hand to her cheek in a contemplative manner, "This…"
"How do I stop this?"
At her question, my grip faltered.
"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING MEEEE!" I screamed as I was pulled away from the sign. I've lived a good life.
PHINK
Eh? I-I'm stuck! This doesn't bode well.
The machine glowed briefly, before…
Ka-BOOM!
…
Mghghg… Oh look, stars… Where am I?
"Um… Are you okay?" A sweet, concerned voice asked. I looked up, and saw the pink-haired girl, Lala, floating in the air.
She also happened to be the reason I was hanging on a tree branch about four feet in the air, but that's not the point. You know, I'm actually glad I led her out of my room. Her using that gadget in there would have been disastrous. I don't know if the house would've survived.
"Why… Why couldn't you turn it off?" I asked, groaning.
Lala at least looked a little sheepish, "Oh, sorry. I made that machine so long ago, I'd forgotten how to turn it off." She said, rubbing the back of her head.
I sighed, accepting her apology. I guess I really can't hold it against her, anyway. What was I going to do, fight off those two agents? It's not like I can fight without being Os. I'm just glad I'm somehow still conscious.
"Could you… get me down, please?" I asked. I'm not sure I can get down on my own.
The girl nodded, and I felt a pair of gentle arms pick me up by my armpits. Slowly the ground got closer until my feet touched it, and I stood up on my own. Lala floated out in front of me, hands behind her back.
"Thanks for saving me, Sato. I was really happy." She smiled as she spoke. For some reason, that sounded like a goodbye.
My face softened as I watched her start to fly away. I've got to say something, even if I regret it later.
"Hey Lala," I said suddenly, grabbing her attention, "Since you're an alien, you probably don't have anywhere to stay, do you?" I asked.
She thought for a moment before responding, "Nope, I was just gonna fly around all night."
"Seriously?" I deadpanned, "Well, if you have nowhere to go I'm sure we have an extra futon somewhere if you want to stay at my house."
At my suggestion, Lala's face brightened. I swear I could see stars in her eyes.
"Really?" She asked. When I nodded, she seemed even happier if it were possible, "Thank you, Sato!"
I grinned in response, "It's not a problem. I'm sure Mikan and Rito would love to meet you." I said, "Now c'mon. We better get going if we want to make it there for dinner."
I wonder what Mikan's making for dinner…
…
I open the front door with much more gusto than before, strolling into the house with Lala following closely behind.
FWINK!
I recoiled in pain from the flying ladle that hit my forehead. Mikan was peeking over the couch, but sighed when she noticed it was me. I gave her a glare, but was at least somewhat thankful Lala seemed to be out of Mikan's view.
"Ow! What was that for?!" I demanded while nursing my forehead. That's gonna be red in the morning.
"I thought you were a burglar, I'm sorry!" Mikan apologized quickly, "What were you doing outside, anyway? I didn't notice you leave."
I paled a little bit, not knowing how I should answer her question. The only thing that came out of my mouth was a hesitant "Uh…" before I could think of anything meaningful to say. Damnit, why hadn't I thought of what I would say beforehand? Now this is awkward.
"My… My exit of the house was… non-standard." I said finally, "Look, my life has gotten a little crazy as of today, so I'd like to apologize in advance if you get involved."
Mikan rose an eyebrow, "How crazy?"
"Hehehehehe…" I laughed nervously, as I grabbed Lala's shoulder and pulled her into view. She waved cheerfully at Mikan, "I brought a friend."
"Hello!" Lala greeted.
Mikan just stared, full deadpan before smirking playfully.
"… Okay, I understand you're at that age, but I think you're still too young to pick up girls off the street at this hour." She said.
My face fell, "Mikan, is that really what you think of me?" I asked, mocking a hurtful expression. I continued, "No. She didn't come from the street. Her name's Lala. I'll explain at dinner- you're fine if she eats with us, right?"
She sighed, "I guess it's fine. But you'd better explain what's up with Rito while you're at it."
I flashed her a thumb up, "You've got it, boss! I'll tell you all about my day. When's dinner?"
DING!
Just as Mikan was about to answer, a ding from the kitchen caught our attention.
"About now." She responded.
I clapped my hands together, "Great! I'll help set the table."
…
I watched from my seat as Ankh descended the stairs, still finding the hairstyle he had on Rito's body a little off-putting. Lala sat to my left, while Mikan sat on the other side of the table.
Mikan had just called "Rito" down for dinner after I finished setting the table. Ankh looked a little annoyed to be called down, but seemed to be over it by the time he reached the bottom of the stairs. He was still wearing that scowl though, which remained even as he sat down across from me.
I sighed, seeing that everyone was seated and ready. Mikan was staring at me, telling me that she wouldn't hand out food until I explained everything.
"Okay, Mikan. Before I start explaining, I'm going to ask that you at least try not to freak out to badly." She hesitantly nodded, and I turned to Ankh, "You don't care how much I tell them, do you?"
Ankh gave a flippant shrug, maintaining that permanent scowl.
"I don't care. It'll be fine so long as they don't get in the way of anything." He said.
"Alright…" I continued to tell Mikan about my day. I told her about how Rito failed to confess to Sairenji, and how we found a strange red coin on our way home. Telling her about how we met Ankh and how we ran away from him elected a raised eyebrow from Mikan, then wide eyes as I described the mantis Yummy. Then, as I explained about how we fought against the Yummy, Mikan slammed her hands on the table.
"He lost HIS ARM!?" Mikan practically screamed at me, looking frantically at Ankh, then to me. Ankh crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair, more than likely barely listening to my story. That was fine, he was there anyway.
I groaned, a little annoyed at her interruption, "Let me continue, Mikan. Please."
She reluctantly nodded, but constantly sent glances at Ankh as I spoke. I went on to tell her about how Ankh gave me the chance to fight off the monster, and how I became Os. Then I told her about how after I defeated the monster, Ankh saved Rito by becoming his right hand and how he… possessed him. Mikan stared at Ankh after that.
"So you're… You're not my brother. You're not Rito." She whispered.
Ankh glared at her, before holding up his red hand and waving it around a little, making a few of the gestures he made when he was just the floating hand.
"That's right. I am the Greeed, Ankh." He answered with a small, arrogant smirk.
Mikan gritted her teeth a little, a dark aura forming around her, "Will I ever get my brother back…?" She asked dangerously.
I was quick to answer her, not wanting to invoke her wrath while at the same time saving Ankh, "Of course you will! If Ankh hadn't taken over Rito's body, he would've died. I… I did what I had to. Right, Ankh?"
Ankh hesitated a little, "Yes. Your brother would have died if I hadn't taken over. You should be thankful to me." He answered.
"Um…" Lala cut in suddenly, staring at Ankh curiously, "So what exactly are you? I don't get it."
Ankh rolled his eyes, "I could ask you the same question. You're not human either." He said, causing my eyes to widen. He knows?
"Wait, she's not human?" Mikan asked, looking at Lala, then to me.
"Nope~! I'm a Devilukean from the planet Deviluke." Lala chirped, her tail waving back and forth behind her, "What are you?"
I took the chance to regain control over the conversation, "Ankh is a Greeed." I answered, causing him to look at me in what I suspected was either surprise, annoyance, or a mixture of both, "He's like a homunculus."
"Homunculus?" Lala tilted her head, "What's that?"
"Feh. You're not that far off." Ankh muttered, "A homunculus is a creature made from alchemy, like the Greeed. But I'd say Greeed are far stronger than any homunculus."
"How so?" Mikan asked. I could tell she was still recovering from learning about what happened to Rito.
"You think I'll tell you?" Ankh scoffed, glaring at Mikan, "Why should I tell you anything?"
Mikan glared back at Ankh, dangerous sparks emitting from the space between them.
I cleared my throat nervously, trying to defuse the tension in the room, "Hey Mikan, I have a question. Do we have an extra futon laying around somewhere?"
Mikan blinked at my question, before thinking a little, "We should. It might be in one of the closets. Why do you want to know?"
"Because I figured that Lala," I gestured to the pinkette next to me, "being an alien, wouldn't have anywhere to stay. It's fine with you if she stays here, yeah?"
"I'm fine with it… It's not like she's going to be any trouble, right?" Mikan said.
Heh. Heheheh. You're only saying that because you didn't have two FBI agents in your room, but I'm not going to tell you about that.
"Great! Now that that's settled…"
I turned to Mikan with an expectant look.
"Let's eat!"
…
A/N:
And thus ends the two-part prologue.
Hello hello hello everyone. It's nice to see you all again.
How was that ending? Conclusions can be the hardest part of a story or chapter, so I think I still need to work on them. Personally, I think it might've been a bit too abrupt, and I'd like to go back and change it later if I have time.
This chapter took a little bit to write, given that I'm not used to writing dialogue heavy chapters. That said, it was fun to write even though there was no monster-of-the-week this chapter. Why? I don't know, maybe I want the Greeed to take things a bit more slowly in this story so I can flesh out characters better and focus on the To Love Ru characters a bit more. Don't worry, though. Next chapter we'll get some more action, and that's a promise.
Let's discuss the details. (By the way, do you readers want me to keep writing these sections? I feel like all they're doing is giving me room to rant a little.)
Ankh needing Cell medals to heal Rito's body: It always kind of bothered me how in Kamen Rider OOO, Ankh got the body of Shingo Izumi in seemingly perfect condition, even though the officer was clearly dying. So when Ankh took over Rito's body, Rito would have lost so much blood that it would have effected Ankh as well. There are going to be a few other changes to how Ankh's possession works, but I'll let that be a secret for now.
Mikan: Dear god, I hope I got her in character correctly. I've never had to worry about a sibling the way she would when finding out about Rito's situation, so I had no idea how to write that. She also seems to me like the most mature person in the Yuuki household.
BATTA!: In the original plot of To Love-ru, Rito kicks a soccer ball to get the agents away from Lala. I thought it would be interesting to have Sato take a different approach, and instead he does a flying kick, something you would usually see a Kamen Rider do.
Lala being introduced to the rest of the house early: In canon, Rito is either unconscious or lets Lala fly away after the explosion. Sato doesn't seem like the kind of person to let her stay outside all night to me, so I had him invite her to the house. This of course segues into him explaining everything to Mikan, though.
By the way, am I the only one that noticed we didn't get a proper meeting between Mikan and Lala in the manga? Lala just sort of... started living in the house, and that was it.
And I think that covers just about everything I want to address right now. This story should come out on a weekly basis, but we'll see. I'm a college student, so I can't really be held to something like that.
Anyway, please review! It helps motivate me to write the next chapter, and could help me brainstorm ideas for the story! Like it? Hate it? Don't be afraid to hurt my feelings, I'm eighteen. I can take it.
Have a great day, everyone!
This is Zappy Caboose, signing off!
(This chapter has passed under the eyes of my wonderful unofficial beta-reader, XDNOVA13. That said, if you happen to notice any mistakes, please let me know. Thank you for reading!)
