Authors notes: I just realized I had been spelling Nirvash wrong the whole time so sorry if I didn't get to correct all of the mistakes.
This has been challenging so far to try and push Renton in the direction of where he will inevitably go in AO, without making it seem forced and out of character. Hopefully I did it right.
I just realized there's a huge problem with 3 or 4 different Nirvash in AO, which were never explained. Considering Renton's Nirvash had technically left to another universe at the end of episode 50 I hope I can tie it in somehow. Any ideas would be appreciated lol. I just thought of something I could do. :-)
Please enjoy!
Chapter 2:
Florence ended up finding a very feminine outfit for Eureka. With my guidance, we picked out a white summery dress and some pretty shoes. I blushed, as I imagined Eureka in them. Florence held up a frilly white bra.
"How big are her boobs?"
I spat, my heart pounding.
"I-I don't know. Not that big"
"Hmm, ok"
Florence pushed through the rack and pulled out a smaller size. I shook my head, and he went down another size.
"God dude, are you sure she's not a man?"
"She's beautiful!" I blurted out, just as I heard a scream at my feet. I jumped. Annie had woken up.
"Why are you perverts looking at bras?"
"We're getting something for Calvin's fiance, Jessica"
I tried to cover Florence's mouth as he said it, but he pushed me away. Annie tilted her head.
"What's with the new names?"
"Look, Annie. I don't think Mum will approve of them staying if she knows who they are. I thought for now we can go with different names and backstory." Florence explained, with a much kinder tone than I had heard so far.
"That's smart. I'm sorry, brother. I was silly again" Annie looked at Florence sadly.
"It's ok"
I saw that Florence didn't look at her as he said it.
"Are you and Eur- I mean, Jessica, really getting married?"
"U-u-um, no! It's just part of the story, and I haven't even agreed to that part of the story"
"Calvin, if you like her, it's no biggie, right?" Florence interjected.
"R-right"
I didn't know what about the word made me so uncomfortable. I mean, it's romantic and all but Eureka and I had only started kissing. Marriage was a hundred steps down the path. It seemed unnatural to be thinking about it, but I had to admit, it was a nice thought … maybe when I was a bit bigger and wiser. I didn't feel like I was ready for that sort of commitment. I hardly know what commitment means. Sis… is that stupid?
"We'll grab that one" I said, and I took the bra before Florence could touch it. I didn't want his coffee smelling fingers to taint them.
"Did you say her hair was green, Calvin?" Florence asked. I nodded.
"Yeah… what of it?"
"We need hair dye. Green hair is too crazy, even in the world of dying hair. How about we make it kind of like yours? I think you could do with some hair dye too, my friend"
"I'm fine, thanks"
"Either way, today was fun" Florence took a glasses case out of his pocket and passed it to me. "Here's a present"
"Um, thank you"
Cautiously, I opened it. It was a pair of upper class looking sunglasses.
"Don't you want these? They look expensive"
"Nah, mate" Florence made his way back to the counter "There's a new pair I want, so I don't want more clutter. It'll add to your look"
"Put them on, Calvin!" Annie jumped up and down "Please!"
"I'll leave them here for now" I said, and I put the case in my jacket pocket. Considering how she fainted last time, there was reason doing the same thing again.
Florence took out a piece of paper and started to write down, what I guessed, was the purchases we were making.
"That'll be 30 000 yen"
"Oh, no just wait a moment"
I dashed back to grab my old clothes from the change room, and took out my wallet. Annie followed me.
"How much do you have?"
"800 yen" I bowed my head "I have a lot to pay off. Do you think he'll take my old clothes as a second hand donation?"
"C-c-can I have your jacket?" Annie asked, stars in her eyes. I sighed.
"I'll ask Florence first"
It turned out Florence was happy to accept my clothes as a donation. They had a second-hand goodie box in the back. It counted as $50 yen, which wasn't exactly helping my situation at all. I guess I would be here for a few weeks, at the least. After making Annie cry by insisting her owning my jacket would only attract attention, Annie and I waved goodbye to Florence, and headed out into the sunlight.
"It's amazing how dark that place was" I said, starting to enjoy the feel of my new clothes. Annie sniffed.
"He made you look dumb. I told him not to"
I could hear that sound anywhere. It was the sound of tears, and they had no intention of slowing down. I thought back to Florence's uncaring approach and bent down on my knees, so I was eye level with her.
"What's wrong, Annie? I'm guessing it's not just because you didn't get my jacket?"
"Florence is so serious about everything. I just want to have fun, but he has to ruin it all with 'the politics of real life' and stuff. I hate it. He treats me like I know nothing about anything"
"I know how that feels. On the Gekko everyone treated me like that"
"Really?"
Annie looked at me with big bulging eyes, shining with tears "But the Gekkostate is so cool"
"That's what I thought too. It really surprised me when I arrived and found out how mean everybody was. They were bossy and demanding. Holland liked to use me as his punching bag, saying I was an idiot and to shut up and stuff. It was confusing, and hurtful, that no one gave me a chance to understand. But then Eureka came along, and she gave me a chance to understand, by explaining the situation. I learnt from her that it's no good to keep secrets, no matter how much you may want to protect somebody. We only grow older by understanding."
"You are so much more awesome than Ray Out says you are!" Annie said awed "it's exactly like that. I just don't get why he's so antisocial and mean"
"I can't guarantee I'll understand, but would you like to tell me about it?"
Annie took a deep breath "I've always been a bit weird, but Florence didn't used to care. Florence and I used to play music together and sew clothes. Then when he finished school he changed. He entered university for a fashion degree, which is a really competitive course, and it's a big deal if you succeed. But as the months went by he hung out with me less and less. He stopped smiling and spent his moneys on piercings. It got to the point where he didn't have meals with us anymore. I found out from Mum he dropped out because he failed too many classes, and since then he just works all the time and doesn't ever make any effort to hang out with me. He just says I need to grow up and stop being silly"
"It's almost like Florence stopped being silly, don't you think? That he realized he wasn't going to get what he wanted if he didn't take it seriously and try really hard"
"That makes sense" Annie said "But then why does he have to take it out on me? Why doesn't he go back to University?"
"I wouldn't be able to tell you that, Annie. Maybe he doesn't know either. But I think it's nice you wanted to keep my jacket. Everyone else thinks its lame. Maybe once I leave you can buy it off Florence?"
"That would be the greatest!" without waiting another moment, she hugged me, and pressed her face into my new clothes "Thanks Renton"
"It's Calvin" I said in a deep voice, and she giggled. "Let's go find Eure- I mean Jessica"
"Sure thing, Captain!" Annie said, and surprisingly, she took my hand. I blushed, and held it tight. It was so tiny and soft. It felt like I was more than a big brother, that I was the Dad she never got to see.
I don't even know why, Sis, but the thought of me being a father didn't seem so bad then.
I returned back to the forest the best I could, using the boot shop as a reference, trying to make sure no one saw where I was going. I recognized the snapped branches and stopped dead. I let go of Annie's hand and put down the shopping bag, pacing. There was no Nirvash, and there was definitely no Eureka.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Annie asked "maybe it's further up"
"No, it's not" I observed the sand. There was no blood or debris, no footprints. One could assume everything was fine, unless Eureka had abandoned me in the Nirvash!
"EUREKA!" I called, putting my hands to my mouth "Where are you?"
"I bet I can yell louder than you" Annie said.
"We don't need to test….."
"EUREKA!" Annie called.
"Maeter, is that you?" said a voice.
"Huh?"
I looked around, then up to the sky, and I saw Eureka sitting on some of the higher branches, her butterfly wings twinkling in the shade. A smile began to form on my lips when Annie ruined the moment.
"Who the hell is Maeter? My name is Annie"
Eureka gasped.
"Renton, is that you?"
"Yes, it is, Eureka" I called "Come down, it's ok"
"Renton!" Eureka said euphorically "I missed you"
"I missed you too!" I said, grabbing her hand as she reached the ground. Her butterfly wings looked more majestic than usual, glowing against the sun. Eureka looked very happy, but also confused.
"Your clothes are different, Renton." She said "Why?"
"It's a long story"
I explained it to her, as simply as I could, while Annie interjected in the right moments. Eureka sighed.
"Thank goodness. I'm so glad we've got somewhere to stay"
She looked me deep in the eyes and I could tell she was wondering the same thing I was. How were the other kids, Grandpa and the rest of the Gekkostate coping back home?
"We brought you some clothes" Annie said, passing her the bag "There's a public change room not too far from here. I can show you if you like"
"Thank you" Eureka nodded, then turned to me "Renton, I'm worried about Nirvarsh"
"Where did you put her?" I asked. Eureka looked saddened at the question.
"There were people walking past and pointing. I thought something bad might happen so got Nirvarsh to hide with the scubs under the sand"
"I'm sure Nirvarsh understands, but we may have to leave her to sleep for a while"
"I know" Eureka said, and tears filled her eyes "Renton, is this the right thing to do? What about Maeter and the others? They must be worried sick and I don't want them to worry"
I put a hand on Eureka's shoulder "I'm sure Grandpa will take care of them. Maybe we can send them a postcard or something. But right now we have to get out of here."
"Are you sure it's ok?" Eureka asked, earnestly.
I thought back to the mental battle I'd had with myself in the change room, and assumed Eureka must have been thinking along similar lines. Either way, we could discuss it when we got back. Who knows? Maybe we were both thinking along the same lines.
"So, you know the plan is you're both getting married, right?"
"NO!" I shouted. Annie, who was starting to understand my behaviour, giggled. Eureka looked politely confused.
"What does she mean, Renton?"
"Um, well you see… marriage is when you decide to stay with someone for the rest of your life… because you love them a lot"
"How wonderful!" Eureka exclaimed, clapping her hands together "That sounds lovely. Are we really getting married, Renton?"
"Um…" I blushed, and ran a hand through my hair "I just… it's just a story while we're staying at Annie's house…but uh…"
"Oh" Eureka blushed. She suddenly looked sad "I'm sorry, Renton. I didn't realize…."
"It's ok" I squeezed her shoulder, and glancing at Annie, leant towards Eureka's ear.
"Maybe one day we will, if that's what you want" I whispered.
"What are you two whispering about?!" Annie asked.
"N-N-nothing!" I blurted out. "Where's this public bathroom, Annie?"
Wearing the 'tough guy' clothes Florence had got me was all the more embarrassing with Eureka staring at me. Annie pushed through and grabbed the hand that was holding Eureka's.
"Annie!" I groaned.
Annie stuck her tongue out at me.
"Jessica, Calvin looks dumb with those clothes, right?"
Eureka giggled.
"What?" Annie asked. Eureka laughed harder.
"You sound just like my kids"
"I don't get that. Have you guys had children but aren't married?"
"No, no, no!" I blurted out.
"What a weird family you are" she said.
"Says you" I murmured out the corner of my mouth, and Annie punched me.
"I think he looks lovely" Eureka said, catching my eye. My heart pounded as I saw what I thought was a hint of desire in her eyes. "He looks very grown up and handsome"
I blushed furiously, and looked away to contain my joy.
"I'm glad you like it, J-Jessica" I smiled, mouth twitching madly "It's great we're getting married, isn't it?"
I laughed, trying to get rid of this burning feeling inside. It was like my feelings of affection for Eureka had multiplied tenfold and had given birth to a new sensation entirely. I didn't look at Eureka then, but I heard her giggle ever so slightly.
As we reached the change room, which opened up to a beach, I marvelled over her smile as she took the clothes and stepped inside. She will look even lovelier than me in her clothes. I didn't even care about the large number of people walking past us. Annie looked at me, curiously.
"Do you want to see her naked?" she asked. I made a gagging sound out of habit. I had heard too much of this stuff from Maurice and the others. I screwed up my face at her.
"Why do you care?"
"You totally are!" Annie giggled, and she fluttered her eyelashes "Thinking about those little boobs of hers, eh?"
"SHHH!" I covered her mouth and shook her gently. "Why does every child like to tease me?!"
She slobbered on me with her next muffled sentence and I let go.
"If you weren't you should have just said 'no' calmly, instead of get embarrassed."
I wiped my hand on her, and attempted to contain my embarrassment for once in my life.
"I wouldn't say I'm being perverted about it. I'm just curious. I think she would look beautiful"
"Who would look beautiful, Calvin?" Eureka asked. I squealed like a little girl and spun around. My jaw dropped. Eureka looked like an angel with the white dress, and knee high socks. Her high heels were Lolita style, and very suitable. She didn't look herself, but it was pretty in its own right. I gulped as I realized she would be wearing that frilly bra. She handed Annie the bag.
"Thanks Annie. Could you give these to your brother for me?"
Annie nodded. Eureka sat down.
"What's wrong with Calvin?" she asked. Annie grinned.
"He was just thinking about your…"
"I was just awe struck with how downright beautiful you look!" I screamed, which brought on stares. At least it was better than hearing what Annie would say, I think. Instead of Eureka looking happy, she looked frightened. Her eyes were fixated on the crowd. A boy around 15 pointed.
"Hey, isn't that Eureka?"
I turned to Annie, then to Eureka. My first instinct would be to run, but I took a deep breath.
If you weren't you should have just said 'no' calmly, instead of get embarrassed.
"No, she's just a big fan. Cosplay, you know" I said. The boy gave thumbs up.
"Nice one. You should go to a con next year and win a comp"
"Thank you" Eureka said, and the boy left, along with the many stares. I sighed and put my head in my hands.
"That was so close!" I gasped. Eureka smiled.
"That was amazing, Calvin" she said, and I could tell she struggled with calling me by a different name.
For no reason at all, a picture of an ecstasy filled Eureka entered my mind. The words 'That was amazing' echoed in my head in a context unfamiliar to me. It was so vague I couldn't really picture outlines or colour, just blotches of a half drawn painting. It was bizarre, but it wasn't right to investigate it further.
Forcing myself back of reality at record breaking speeds, I cleared my throat loudly.
"Let's get going, Jessica, Annie- we need to get some groceries"
But to my dismay, Eureka and Annie were already walking away, hand in hand. I got up and ran off.
"Wait for me!"
Annie's house was within walking distance. It was nice to slow down the pace of running and lifting. I wasn't too thrilled about Annie holding hands between us, but Eureka was happy about it, so it was worth putting up with it just for her. She was really great with children, especially considering her age. One thing I realized about doing the groceries with Eureka is that I really enjoyed it. It was something so simple, but made all the more fun with adored company. Could living away from home be this incredible with a loved one?
"We've made it" Annie said, letting go of our hands. I wiped my hands on my clothes, and cautiously approached the house. It was modest and traditional in style and size. The gardens looked precisely trimmed, with flowers and plants colour coded.
As we walked onto the stone path which led up to the house, Eureka nervously flattened her hair. I took her by the hand.
"It's just cosplay, Jessica" I smiled, and my heart stopped. If we were going to go with the fiance idea, we didn't have any rings. Oh no- Annie had better noticed that or the plan is going to fail.
"What's wrong, Calvin?" Eureka asked. I shook my head.
"N-Nothing! Let's go in"
"Mum! I got food for dinner. Sorry I took so long" Annie said, and she gestured Eureka and I to put our grocery bags down. We did, while taking off our shoes at the entrance.
A stern, throaty voice answered.
"I made lunch by myself because I didn't know where you were. Who are these fine younglings?"
Annie's mother was quite elderly, most certainly entering her mid 50's. She had a wise yet kind look about her, not unlike Master Norb back on the Nirvarsh. Her hair was starting to grey and she was in a kimono, brewing tea over the stove top. Annie bowed down so far I thought she was going to hit her head on the floor.
"I'm sorry, Mum. Florence had a surprise call from some of his friends down the South coast. They had to move here from an unexpected redundancy, which is unfortunate because they just got engaged. Is it ok if they stay over for a little while?"
"You're getting married? How wonderful. My husband and I are still going strong, even though he works far away. We still catch up occasionally"
She winked.
"That's the magical thing about relationships they can be anything you want them to be. It doesn't matter what other people say, or think."
Florence was right. Their mother did seem a lot friendlier when she was talking about love and relationships. I bowed down, and Eureka followed suit.
"I'm sorry for barging in like this. My name is Calvin, and this is Jessica."
"Pleased to meet you, younglings…" Annie's mother approached us and gestured to the table "Please, sit down. I hope you like green tea"
"I love it" I said. Eureka nodded, nervously.
Thank goodness, hopefully she hasn't noticed Eureka's lack of a ring, yet. At least our hands are more concealed under the table. Annie's mum sat opposite us, while Annie brought a tray of tea to the table. She poured our mugs.
"Where did you two meet?" Annie's mum asked. I felt Eureka grip my hand hard.
"At school" I lied "She was in most of my classes, and I couldn't get over her weird fashion sense. I just had to know more"
"Indeed" Annie's mother said "I didn't think green was a popular hair colour"
"It's cosplay" Eureka said, and her voice was trembling "I just love anime. One of my favourite characters has green hair"
I thought back to my old toys at my Uncles house and went with the idea.
"Yeah, we both loved Gundam and watched it together from the beginning."
"The remakes or the original?" Annie's mother asked sternly.
"Um… the remakes" I said. Annie's mother laughed.
"I'm just messing with you. My husband is one of the few who has seen the original Gundam series. Now we just have remakes, but I have to say they're a lot better"
I heaved an internal sigh of relief. Maybe we should have rehearsed our story a little beforehand. Maybe it was all going to be ok.
"A redundancy and getting engaged must be a lot to deal with at the same time. How are you coping with it?"
Eureka was trembling, and she seemed to take this opportunity to express all her emotion, but by labelling it with different words.
"Oh, it's been horrible and wonderful at the same time. It's so confusing. Lots of people have been losing their jobs lately but I didn't think it would be us. It's just… it's just…"
Real tears started to fall, but I knew it wasn't from the reasons she was saying. I rubbed her hand with my thumb under the table.
"Jessica, its ok" I said, and I kissed her on the cheek "We're going to make things better"
"It's not the same"
I was surprised how well Eureka was able to come up with a story. I guess she had learnt off me how to do it. Still, it was horrible to see Eureka sad and not truly being able to comfort her. Sis, I really wanted to make her happy. It's times like these when I'm reminded how much I love her.
"We, um…" I might as well say it now "She sold our engagement ring because she wasn't sure how to pay rent. But we still had to leave anyway. So I mean, now it's like all the good things are disappearing from our lives. Like the world doesn't want us to be together. How is that fair?"
I broke down too, more out of exhaustion and nervousness more than anything else. Perhaps Eureka was feeling the same. Tired and wanting to escape from this lie. Annie's mother poured us more tea.
"I'm terribly sorry, younglings. I didn't mean to cause you heartache"
"It's alright" Eureka and I both said. The sound of the stovetop turning on appeared, and I realized Annie had started to prepare dinner.
"I won't ask you anymore questions. It's clear this is an overwhelming experience for the two of you. Would you like to share a bed? I can let you have mine"
"It's not worth the trouble" I said, quite earnestly. "It wouldn't be fair for you to sacrifice your comfort, especially when you're sick"
"Yeah, Mum!" Annie interjected "You need to rest in your own bed"
"I don't mind sleeping on the floor" Eureka said "If you have a spare mattress that will do just fine"
"Yes, of course" Annie's mother began to stand, but I put up a hand.
"Please rest, Miss… err, what's your last name?"
"Cooper, Calvin"
"Yes, Miss Cooper. I apologize. Just rest, we can help prepare dinner. Annie can help prepare our beds"
Eureka and I were very glad to join Annie in the kitchen.
"Nice story" she muttered.
"Shush" I spat back. Eureka wiped her eyes.
"What sort of food are we making, Annie?"
"Chicken katsu ramen" Annie said. Eureka smiled.
"That sounds wonderful. How can I help?"
"Um, can you keep an eye on the chicken?"
"Of course"
Eureka was such an amazing, patient woman. No matter what, she was still is able to keep a straight face. I looked at her fingers, sadly.
"That sounds lovely. Are we really getting married, Renton?"
She would have liked an engagement ring, it seems. But even though it would be nice to make her smile, I still strongly believed getting engaged now was rash and silly. We had only been an official couple for a short while. Perhaps if you found the right person it was ok, but what does that even mean? How are you supposed to know it's the right thing to do?
"Calvin, could you please make a salad?" Annie said.
"Sure" I said, while thinking how much I despise salad. If it was up to me I would get pizza for takeaway and eat it on a beach with Eureka. Eureka giggled.
"Cheer up, Calvin. We'll get to eat as a family, like in old times"
I smiled.
"You're right"
She was so amazing, and she never ceased to throw me off my feet.
Dinner was awkward at first, but Annie knew how to hold a conversation, and for once I was grateful for her chattiness. Florence appeared shortly after we started.
"Did I make it in time?" he blurted out, dumping his bag on the floor.
"12 minutes and 26 seconds out" Annie said.
"Damn" Florence said, and he took a plate from the kitchen cupboard and sat down at the table.
"Thank you for this food" he said, and started to eat.
Eureka and I looked at each other. Hopefully he wouldn't ask any strange questions.
"How was work, Florence" I asked. Florence swallowed.
"Pretty busy, actually, I saw lots of pretty girls so it was fun"
His eyes landed on Eureka's. If I hadn't met Florence earlier I probably wouldn't have been so interested, so I probably wouldn't have noticed the wink he'd given Eureka at that moment. But I did, and it created a strong rage inside of me.
I cleared my throat loudly. Florence sipped his tea.
"How was the trip up here, Calvin?"
"Yeah, ok. The bus smelled funny"
You smell funny, I wanted to say. Eureka turned to me.
"Would you like to help make dessert afterwards, Calvin?"
"Sure Jessica, if that's ok with Miss Cooper"
"It is"
"Excellent"
It took a lot of work to remove Florence out of my head. Usually I would push away romantic thoughts about Eureka, but now they were racing by at the thousands. Why would he wink at her? What if Florence wants Eureka to himself?
What a jerk. I had to make it really obvious Eureka was off limits, because she certainly wouldn't understand the concept. Maybe she would just be polite and it would lead to this and that. What am I thinking?
"CALVIN, please" Florence yelled. I gasped. The whole table was staring at me in shock. What had just happened?
Oh that's right; I had just grabbed Eureka's face and kissed her more passionately than I ever had before. It was so intense and impulsive I hardly realized what I was doing. There was a faint sweetness on my lips I could only associate with Eureka. No one else would taste that good.
"I'm terribly sorry for my rudeness" I said, bowing. My heart was pounding into my ears, and the world around me appeared to blur. What was wrong with me? Why was I feeling emotions like this? Eureka was special, but I didn't want to defile her. Passionate expressions of love were a disgusting, selfish thing. It meant you only thought about yourself. I couldn't take Eureka's innocence away. She was too sweet and kind. She wouldn't be interested in someone like me.
Miss Cooper was laughing at me, while Annie was covering her face in her hands.
"May I ask if you're alright, Calvin?" Miss Cooper asked.
No, I wanted to say. I want to punch Florence.
I want to apologize for lying and pretending to be someone I'm not. I'm not a tough guy, I'm a weakling. I'm a big softie. I'm not Calvin. I'm not a dirty minded boy. I love Eureka with my heart and soul. I only want her to be happy. I would never do anything she didn't want me to.
I just wanted to get away from everyone.
Eureka seemed really happy about the thought of us being married. Maybe that's a good thing.
I just want to get away from everyone.
I turned to Eureka, and she was staring at the table. She wouldn't look at me.
I decided to take Annie's advice and think before I acted. I shook my head.
"I'm sorry, Miss Cooper, Florence, Annie for my shameful display. I'm really stressed and I guess you could say I'm not thinking straight"
"Maybe it's the flu. It does funny things to your head sometimes" Miss Cooper said.
I am still trying to figure out who I am, and that is what is messing with my head. Not a sickness. I thought I had done growing up, I thought I was the best version of myself there was. I guess the growing never stops. That's why we keep getting older and experiencing more of life. I am so very confused, so maybe it's ok to act like a crazy person. Right, Sis?
"I don't know if I'm sick, but I was wondering if it's ok I go to bed early? I'm not feeling right"
Miss Cooper looked me sternly in the face then nodded "Please make the bed for him, Annie"
"No, I want to help" I started to get to my feet, but Annie jumped up like a rocket.
"Rest, crazy lover boy"
She ran off.
"I'm not that crazy, am I?" I asked, worried. I glanced to Eureka, but she still wouldn't look at me.
Florence gave a shrewd sort of laugh, but Miss Cooper shook her head.
"Florence was the same when he was your age. In fact, he hasn't really changed. He just knows when it's appropriate to show how crazy he is"
Florence's laugh stopped immediately, and he glared at his mother.
"Thank you for the great meal" I bowed, and ran off. To where, I don't know. I just needed to get away from here.
