Part 2: Light Blue Reunion

Since he was hungry Melan decided to follow Marin downstairs to the dining area. He was not prepared for what happened next.

The moment Melan entered the room, a chorus of excited voices erupted. The men of the tenement house had been seated around the table and all of them got up at once to greet him. Time had made changes in each of them. Onando's gray hair was turning white, Tadashi's black hair was turning gray, and both of them had more lines on their faces. Mike had blond stubble on his chin and his skill with the Japanese language had improved drastically. His two children were with him, and Melan saw that what Marin had told him earlier was true. Gen and Moto looked nothing like their father, but both of them were a little taller and fairer than most Japanese children their ages.

Then the women emerged from the kitchen bringing the meal. The Momoi triplets, Hitoe, Futae and Mitsue, were as plump and jolly as ever in spite of new smile lines and gray hairs. Tadashi's wife Miyuki had a similar appearance to them. The last woman Melan recognized immediately as Jun. Although she showed few signs of age, there was an enormous round bulge in her stomach and he had a very surreal impression that there was something alive in there.

However, Melan was not given the luxury to contemplate Jun's bulge. Everyone was talking to him at the same time except for timid little Moto and the mute Onando, whose welcome consisted of various animated gestures and some patting on the back. Melan could hardly make sense of all the noise, and the worst part was that Marin had gone to put the medical supplies away.

Finally the Momoi triplets cheerfully interjected.

"Enough talking! The food is getting cold!" Hitoe said.

"Now that Melan is awake, we'll have to make more." Futae added.

"Especially rice!" Mitsue finished.

"Hey, what about the saké?" Tadashi complained. "We can't have a celebration without saké!"

Miyuki shook her head at her husband. "No, dear, you shouldn't drink so early in the day. Think of the example you're setting for our grandchildren."

"You wanna talk about bad examples?" he said with a smirk. "Ask them what kind of English they're learning from our son-in-law."

Mike flinched visibly. "What? I don't teach my kids bad words!"

"Please don't shout, Mike." Jun calmly said to her husband. "I have a terrible headache today. And father, you shouldn't accuse others of things you do yourself."

Tadashi relented. "All right, fine. Even without saké, this is still a special occasion. We're welcoming back a long lost family member, so let's get along and make him feel welcome!"

"Hey, wait up!" Marin called as she hurried to join the group. "Don't start without me!"

Soon everyone took their places around the table. Marin knelt on the cushion at the end where she and Granny Moto used to sit together. Melan's former place had been at the corner directly beside Marin, so he seated himself there in a cross-legged position. Onando sat down on his other side, the Tokita couple sat at the opposite end of the table, and the four members of the White family sat by them. Then another familiar routine began. Each of the Momoi triplets knelt in front of Melan, placed a different beverage on the table and offered it to him.

"Tea?"

"Coffee?"

"Juice?"

This was the customary reception for all people who came to the tenement house, whether they were moving in or just guests. It was also a subtle form of competition among the sisters. Melan knew very well what was supposed to happen next.

"Itadakimasu." Extending a pair of his ovoid touch-pads from his sides, he reached to take the drink of his choice. This time it was the tea, much to Hitoe's satisfaction and her sisters' chagrin.

After that, Melan picked up his chopsticks and proceeded to devour every grain of rice in his bowl. This surprised none of the adults, who ate their own meals at a normal pace and chatted amongst themselves. The White children, however, hardly touched their food as they gawked at him.

Melan's chopsticks flew so fast that they were just a blur and within seconds his bowl was empty. When he asked for more, Marin scooped up a fresh, hearty serving and gave the bowl back to him. Then his chopsticks started flying again.

This process continued until Melan had consumed no less than fifty bowls of rice in one sitting. His appetite satiated at last, he placed his chopsticks neatly across the top of his empty bowl and clapped his two touch-pads together. "Gochisousama."

The White children's mouths were now open as wide as their astonished eyes.

"It's impolite to stare, children." Jun told them gently.

Tadashi, seated at the opposite end of the table with a hot cup of tea, took the initiative to start a new conversation. "Now that you've finished eating, Melan, we have ten years of catching up to do, don't we?"

"Yes, we do." Melan said with his weapon arms now crossed in his lap. "Marin has already informed me that Mike and Jun were married approximately nine years ago. I assume that their children were born some time later."

Tadashi and Miyuki both arched their eyebrows. Mike and Jun looked at the table with some embarrassment. The Momoi triplets tittered to each other. Onando drank his tea in silence. Gen and Moto wondered why all the grown-ups were acting so funny. Marin cringed sheepishly behind her tea and resisted the urge to kick Melan under the table for exposing her as a gossip. Melan just sat there waiting for an answer, not understanding the suggestive meaning of his own words.

"That's true, Melan-san." Jun said at last, smiling very kindly. "We were married nine years ago. Gen-kun is eight years old now, and Moto-chan is five. We're expecting our third child in a few weeks."

When Jun affectionately placed her hands over her enlarged belly, Melan realized his senses had been correct earlier. She was indeed carrying an unborn human child inside of her.

"Yes!" Mike exclaimed, looking like he would burst with delighted pride at any moment. "In just a few more weeks we'll have a little baby boy, and his name will be Shuta!"

"Shuta?" Melan echoed. Something suddenly dawned on him then. Everyone who lived in the tenement house was sitting in their proper places except for one person. He looked around the room but saw no sign of the missing person anywhere. "Shuta is not here."

The others looked back at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion. "What?" Jun said. "Marin-chan, you didn't tell him?"

Melan turned to the young woman next to him who was staring down into her teacup. She did not look up when she spoke again. "Grandpa Shuta is in heaven now."

Mike started to become emotional then. He had been the old man's assistant and roommate. He had also never been very good at hiding his emotions, and this time was no different. "Boss left us his old apartment to live in…" he said, trying to restrain the tremor in his voice. "…And permission to keep his inventions."

Jun put one hand over her husband's to comfort him. "You were always like a son to him, Mike. I'm sure he'd be very proud to let you name one of your own sons after him."

Melan needed no further explanation. It was now crystal clear that Shuta, the strange old inventor who had also served as the tenement's unofficial leader, was dead. And judging from the heavy atmosphere around the table, it had happened fairly recently. Melan began to feel sorry for bringing up the issue. He also couldn't help feeling some sadness over the old man's passing. Shuta had been a great help to him in the past and he had never really thanked him for it.

The soft rain outside grew louder to replace the silence that filled the room. It made Marin feel very uneasy. As she tried to think of some new conversation topic that would lighten the mood she frowned. Throughout the entire meal, no one had bothered to mention the most important topic on everyone's minds.

"Melan," she said. "Can you tell us how you came to Earth again?"

Melan looked down at his newly healed legs and arms, then at the people seated around the table. Judging from their faces they were all wondering the same thing. The answer to that question was not an easy one. He wasn't sure if he understood it, either. Still, these people deserved an explanation after all they had done for him.

"Very well." Melan said. "I will tell you as much as I can."

The tenement house fell unusually silent. Everyone at the table was looking straight at him, waiting for him to tell them his story. For a moment he said nothing as he gathered his thoughts. Then, just when the others could stand the suspense no longer, he began to speak.

"Back on Brigadoon," Melan said. "A dangerous Monomakia escaped imprisonment, causing much death and destruction. He was so powerful that only the three Gun-Swordsmen stood any chance against him. Thus, Pyon, Eryun and I were sent for. We pursued the fugitive to a whirlpool in the ocean, but when we reached the other side we were suddenly in the sky during a thunderstorm."

He paused briefly to collect his thoughts again. "We engaged the fugitive in combat nonetheless. However, it was very difficult to fight and maintain contact with each other in such extreme weather conditions. We all received serious injuries, and the winds scattered us in different directions. I do not know where my comrades or the fugitive are now."

His story finished, Melan went quiet again. The others also remained quiet as they contemplated everything he had just told them.

Eventually it was Tadashi who finally broke the silence. His brows were wrinkled together in thought. "It sounds like when you arrived on Earth, you were caught in the typhoon. And since you were with the other two Gun-Swordsmen, does that mean they're also here?"

Melan nodded. "I'm certain of it. They may even be here in this city. However, I have not been able to detect either of them since I awoke."

Mike rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. That whirlpool you guys dove into was definitely some kind of portal. But how did it get there? We thought all the barriers between here and Brigadoon were sealed up for good. They don't just open up randomly, do they?"

"That is something else I do not know." Melan admitted. "All I know is that in order to complete my mission I must find my comrades as soon as possible."

Jun's eyebrows were drawn in an anxious frown. "What about the fugitive? Can't we do something about him?"

"There isn't much we can do about any of this right now." Tadashi said. "These other Monomakia might all be in their ampoules, or they might be roaming free. If one of them is spotted, we'll hear about it on the news for sure."

"Or they'll come to us." Mike chimed in. "All the Monomakia from before were chasing after Marin, remember? What if they do the same thing this time?"

"I don't think so." Tadashi shook his head and looked at Melan. "If Marin was in danger, you would have told us, right?"

"Yes." Melan replied. "Although it is no longer my mission, Marin's safety is still a great concern to me. If an enemy should threaten her, I will protect her as I always have."

Then a child's voice spoke up. "Hey, Melan-san?" It was Gen, seated between his parents and grandparents. "In Auntie Marin's stories, is the Blue Swordsman supposed to be you?"

Melan stared at him with complete blankness yet again. Somehow this boy was a master at asking the strangest of questions. "Blue Swordsman?" he echoed, totally unfamiliar with the term.

Gen nodded his head. "Yeah, you look just like the guy in the stories. You're blue, you're really tall, you've got weapons for hands, and you can fly." Excitement was quickly returning to his face. "You really can fly, right? That's what your wings are for, aren't they?"

Melan didn't understand why the boy was getting so animated about all of this, yet he answered his question anyway. "Yes, they are. Now that you mention it, I have not yet tested them since I awoke today. They must be strong enough to fly with by now."

Gen's face broke into a huge grin. "Fantastic!" he exclaimed in English.

Jun looked at Melan's wings worriedly. "Are you sure they're ready? You heal faster when you're inside your ampoule. Maybe you should wait a little longer before you try flying again."

Melan shook his head. "I cannot afford to wait any longer. The sooner I can fly, the sooner I can resume my mission."

"Then at least wait until it's darker." Tadashi said. "That way you won't stand out so much."

Miyuki agreed with her husband. "That's a good point, dear. The neighbors shouldn't mind too much, but it would really cause a ruckus if too many people knew a creature from Brigadoon were here."

Melan considered their words. They did have a good point. The last thing he wanted to do was attract unwanted attention here on the Funny World. Not only would it hinder his mission, but it would cause trouble for Marin and her family. That would not do at all.

"Very well." he said at last. "I will wait until dark to test my wings. Until then, I will remain here."

Then another child's voice spoke up. This time it was Moto and the look on her young face was very serious. She had been attempting to hide among her family throughout the conversation, but her small pigtailed head was now poking out from behind her mother's back. "Um, Auntie Marin?"

Marin had been silently gazing into her teacup throughout most of the conversation. When she heard Moto speaking to her she looked up and blinked as if waking from a dream. "Uh, yes, what is it?"

The little girl hesitated a bit before she spoke again. "Is Melan-san your boyfriend?"

Marin's face turned beet red. The Momoi triplets immediately began tittering again. Onando continued to sip his tea in silence. The Tokita couple both arched their eyebrows and the White couple looked rather embarrassed. The children were again confused by the weird behavior of the adults.

Melan felt the beginnings of a smile. It was good to be home again.