Chapter 6: 抱きしめる再会…Embracing Reunion…
Rei slept peacefully in his bed as he was wondering how Rin and the others were doing. He could sense that all is going well since he could feel Rin's emotions through his Suiei and noticed that the red-hair boy is not going too far or naughty.
He suddenly heard a shout of his name as he jumped from his bed and fell off, making a loud thump on his back and looking for the source.
"Damn…" he muttered as he got up and saw the mirror that showed Haruka and Rin.
"Wh-what the fuck!?" gasped Rei as he saw the two through the image as they were in some sort of caverns or something.
"Hey there!" said Rin as he waved out and gave Rei a wink of his left eye.
"I hear you alright…oh…Izawa did this for you?" asked the megane.
"Oh, you knew about this?" asked Rin.
"No, but none of us can do this type of power," said Rei.
"Well it's an interesting way to communicate, that's for sure," sighed Haruka.
"And good morning, or afternoon or evening to wherever you are," replied the megane, "Is something wrong? Something happened? Or did you miss me?"
"All of the above," chuckled Rin, "Well we got Alex safely with his family. We're in California now."
"But from what Suiei Marotta said," added Haruka, "The Haus is hot on the trail again."
"Did you guys figure out where they are?" asked Rin.
"Yes…and you won't believe it," said Rei.
"Shinjuku Tower X…" muttered Haruka.
"Oi!? Haru, wait a sec!" gasped Rin.
"Or you just knew and decided not to tell us?" asked Rei, annoyed.
"No…" said Haruka, "Nanase told me in a dream…while we were staying in Phoenix with Alex's grandparents."
"Oh," replied Rei as he blushed a little, "Sorry about that."
"But still," said Rin, "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"
"You know that there was no time to chit-chat while we were in Phoenix…we had to find Alex and Sergi at the Terran Nost Phoenix HQ and then we returned to the house…" sighed Haruka.
"Yeah, yeah, I know that," replied Rin, "But…so it's there again?"
"Yep," nodded Rei, "It's incredible that we can't stay away from there…even after the Time Loop."
"Who knows," answered Rin, "Maybe it's not the same as we think it is?"
Rei shrugged at the question while Haruka remained silent before saying, "Um…Rei?"
"What's up?" asked the megane, "Did something go wrong?"
"No…but there was something I wanted to tell you back when Alex was in Japan with us…but we haven't had the time to go around about this."
"Oh just tell me," sighed Rei, "I'll be alright."
"When I slept with Alex that night," said Haruka, "Well…before that, he told me that he had a hard time with…'love' as in relationship. He thought that love doesn't exist for him…as it was an illusion."
"Oh?" asked Rei.
Haruka explained about Alex's old relationship with Bri as he shared what he knew based on the boy's memories. Rei nodded to the explanation as he was feeling somewhat relieved on the issue but he was still a bit confused on things.
"He fears that he would fall into greater debt so he broke up to keep his promise to his brother…" said Haruka, "Look. I know you're probably not happy about him or me, but can't you see what kind of a hell he went through? He concealed that memory away from us because he didn't want anyone to know what kind of burden he went."
"Look," said Rei, "If you're telling me to be cool about this…fine. I guess it makes more sense now. But I think it's obvious that people would stop believing in love…at some point. But that doesn't surprise me much that he went through all of that though."
"Love can vanish…but grows back like a flower," said Haruka, "Something my grandmother once told me."
Izawa sighed and said, "Unless you're Serah, in which case all your boyfriends die before your eyes until you find a 500 year old sorta immortal guy."
"Um…what was that all about?" asked Rin, having a wtf face.
"I…oh whatever," sighed Rei.
"Oh….so you guys didn't know about that?" asked Izawa, tilting her head to the side.
"We got bigger stuff to worry about," said Haruka.
"Right…Shinjuku," sighed Rei.
"Quite an infamous place," agreed Rin, "I feel that the universe likes our places of battle."
"More like it has bad taste…we need a vacation from there," nodded Rei.
"You can say that again," sighed Haruka, "Anyway, I don't know how much longer we'll be here…but how are the others?"
"Oh they're doing fine actually," smiled Rei, "We're all waiting for your return…so you guys better hurry."
"Right," nodded Haruka, "We'll have to prepare our battle once we get back. And Alex will be joining us since he's been training…but we still don't know what his animal would be."
"Probably not butterflies…so he'll be alright," said Rei.
"Well then, thanks a lot," nodded Rin, "We'll be going now."
"Right, just…get back home safely," said Rei.
"Yeah," replied Rin as he blow a kiss to Rei while Haruka waved.
"I uh…bye Rin," answered Rei as he sends a kiss and waved to Haruka.
"See you!" said Haruka.
"Bye you all, take care and hurry back safely!" said the megane.
The mirror disconnected them as Rin slumped down at the wall and said, "Well, at least things have been patched up."
"I still wonder what his animal is going to be," replied Haruka, "It's going to drive me crazy at least."
"My sister is probably asleep, we should rest now," answered Rin as he closed his eyes.
"Well then, I'll leave you two. I'm off to stalk Nitori again and don't tell him I do that, okay? Nights," said Izawa as she left the room.
Haruka sat at the opposite end of the room from Rin as he closed his eyes and rested.
Next Morning…
The mother woke up and walked down to the kitchen as she saw her husband warming up some coffee while doing some "work" on the computer.
"Are the boys up yet?" he asked.
"Probably not," she replied.
"Well they better get up," he answered, with a slight attitude of paranoia.
"What is your problem?" she asked, "It's not like Sergi is required to take medication any more…just let them be."
"Oh sorry…so, so, ss-s-sorry honey," he replied with a hint of sarcasm as he stuttered over the words on purpose to add up his temper.
The mother sighed and muttered under her breath as she walked to the windows and stared out at the ocean. Although it wasn't her type to be out in this part of the world, at least the beach looked nice.
I still don't know how he got this place…she thought, I hope he didn't do anything illegal.
In the upstairs bedroom, Alex woke up and saw the sunrise and the mountains in the east while Sergi walked in and stood right by his side.
"Morning brother," said Sergi.
Alex smiled and rubbed his hand over his brother's hair and replied, "You too…it's quite nice outside, isn't it?"
Suiei Marotta appeared before them and said, "The others are in the caverns and it will also be the time to train again and show them your moves."
"NEEEH!?" gasped Alex, "But I…"
"Brother your magic is awesome!" giggled Sergi, "I can't wait to see how the others will react to this!"
"Well they're going to be out in a bit," said Suiei Marotta, "They want to talk to you as soon as you are ready but you need to make haste as your father is preparing coffee and your mother is preparing breakfast."
The two rushed downstairs to eat their breakfast, despite how their father disapproved of them waking up so late but the mother reassured them and the two enjoyed themselves. Once they were done, they ran outside and saw Gou, Haruka, Rin, and Izawa standing not far from the caverns.
"It is time," said Suiei Marotta.
"But I…" began Alex.
"Oh you can do it!" replied Rin, "You did enough practice and we're dying to see what your magic can do!"
"The time has come for you now, to learn how to fight with your powers. Apparently, our powers are limited so you'll have to show us your battle moves..." agreed Haruka.
"This is going to be exciting!" cheered Gou.
"I know, right?" asked Sergi.
"Unless if he blows up," muttered Izawa with a chuckle.
Alex took out his Suiei Necklace and feels the light glowing in a golden-white color. He took several steps back as the others stand with enough distance for him to concentrate.
Finally, he chanted, "Waters of travel...cast me up to the cliffside there!"
The waters swirled around as he teleported from the beach and up to the cliffs that led to the district. Seconds later, the boy reappeared back in front of them.
"Ah, the traveling spell," nodded Haruka, "A good one to begin with."
"Waters of the fist…go slam to that barrier!" chanted Alex as a gigantic fist of water was unleashed and smashed through a ton of rocks nearby.
"He has used some of the stronger ones," said Rin as he had a nervous sweat-drop.
"Water of the skies, send forth thy rain of peace!" said Alex as he raised his hands to the air and a gentle rain drizzled down around them. After a few moments he stopped and snapped his fingers which caused a massive tidal wave soaring towards them.
Sergi and Rin were shaken by the height of the waves but Alex snapped his fingers again and the waves stopped.
"Damn," said Rin, "Don't scare the shit like that…"
"An interesting spell," muttered Haruka, "To cast waves…how did I not think about that?"
Before anyone could answer, they all heard a loud squeal from the distance. They saw a fin coming up from the ocean ahead.
"Is that a dolphin?" asked Gou.
"Not just a dolphin…our kin!" replied Haruka.
A shark fin also appeared at the surface which stunned Rin as he realized that the animals were making their way to the shore. Rin's necklace began to glow alongside with Haruka's and Alex's.
"What's going on now?" asked Alex.
"They're here," said Haruka, "The Suiei Gods…"
Before their eyes, Suiei Matsuoka, Nanase, and Marotta appeared before them as they each carried something in their hands.
"Yo Rin!" smirked Suiei Matsuoka, "Kou!"
"Hey there Haru-chan," smiled Suiei Nanase.
"Ugh, you too now?" asked Haruka, "drop the –chan please?"
Nanase chuckled as the gods drifted down towards the group and handed them something.
"GET OUT!" smirked Rin as he looked at the Arabian Clothes, "YOU GOT THESE!?"
"What is that?" asked Alex.
"The clothes that we saw back in Phoenix!" replied Rin as his clothes shifted from his original to the Arabian Form.
"All of that and more," said Suiei Nanase, "These clothes are designed to adapt to your surroundings wherever you go. Never again will terrain, water, wind, or climate shall be your master."
"And yes, these were from the Middle East since we were over in that region of the world," answered Suiei Matsuoka as he turned to Gou and said, "Here's a set for you too…um, Kou?"
"SO PRETTY!" she squealed with joy, "Thank you very much!"
Alex turned to his Suiei God as he also presented him something. The boy gasped as he realized what these items were…
"These clothes are…" he said as his outfit transformed into the armor and cloth while a sword appeared by his side that replaced his original katana.
"Yes…they are the lost clothes from Alexander the Great," said Suiei Marotta, "But it CAN be modified to an Arabian form as well as transforming to whatever the environment you need to enter into. They were found in the ruins back in Greece."
"The others will have their clothes too and they will have the ability to have them shift different forms as well," explained Suiei Nanase, "These will be your uniforms when you go into battle; any jewelry will be modified into weapons or other tools so you don't have to worry about losing them."
Haruka took out his cutlass sword and looked at it; it was a fine, yet sturdy blade. Rin had a sword also and he checked his out.
"What about your sword, Alex?" asked Rin, eager to see what he has.
"About that…" said Suiei Marotta as he turned to Suiei Nanase, "He will explain about the weapon."
"Nanase has told me that you have worked hard to use the magic," said Suiei Nanase, "We have spoken to a friend of ours and he has made contract to an animal that you will be partnered with…Haruka has the dolphin, Rin has the shark…Rei has the butterfly, Nagisa with the penguin, Makoto with the orca…but you…you have an animal that's perhaps the most dangerous of them all."
"Most…dangerous?" asked Alex, feeling slightly nervous.
The gods turned to the ocean as the water swirled around, twisting and bending while growing taller and taller to the skies.
"What's going on!?" gasped Gou while her clothes transformed to her Arabian form.
"W-what is that!?" shouted Izawa.
The sea waters rose higher and higher until it exploded as a gigantic sea beast appeared before them.
"Um yeah…that's big," muttered Izawa.
"WHAT IS THAT THING!?" shouted Gou, stunned by the sight of the monster.
The waters flowed back into the ocean as they saw a gigantic beast with a long body, in monochromatic colors of blue as its dorsal side with white and gold on the ventral side...its wings were more like fins but it appeared to have them for modified flight in some shape or form...
"A…a Sea Dragon!?" gasped Alex.
Suiei Marotta nodded and answered, "Yes. One of the many kings of the seas…its legendary power can be used to attack from long range but this beast can travel across long distances through the ocean. This fellow here has slept for many eons of time…but now it is called to return to its true master."
"But…how am I…?" began Alex.
"A legendary prince should have a legendary steed, yes?" asked Marotta with a wink of his eye.
"I guess we can use it to return to Japan," said Haruka.
"Hopefully the government won't monitor this since we're not going to be on the airplanes," agreed Rin, "I wonder how the others will react?"
"Um…I'm pretty sure they'll pee their pants when they see this," said Izawa.
"Makoto will most likely faint," chuckled Haruka, "While Nagisa would be shocked or…OMG behavior."
"Yep, definitely," agreed Gou.
The Sea Dragon roared loudly and turned into swirls of energy and soared its way to Alex, transforming into a sword similar to the original Kopis Sword used by Alexander the Great but its design was modified to a dragon.
"This sword…I…I remembered this," said Alex.
"Yes…it is your Kopis Sword…but it has been upgraded to the dragon form…it has replaced or rather…fused your katana with this," answered Suiei Marotta.
Alex unsheathed the sword and it had a glowing blade of blue color for a moment before it showed the metallic blade shape with a curve towards the end.
"Quite a fancy sword," said Haruka.
"Long too but it's almost like the original Kopis Sword," agreed Rin.
Alex put the sword back and attached it to his belt on the side of his armor.
"Well then, when the time comes for you to leave, take the sword out and scream out 'Dragon Sea King' and this sword will resume its bestial form," explained Suiei Marotta.
"So I see that it's like a demon sword," said Izawa, "Ha! Well Hiroshi wouldn't sleep with this one!"
"It is almost time for you to return to Japan," said Suiei Matsuoka, "Once you get there we will all meet up and your powers will be given to you on full level like how it was in the Time Loop."
"Yeah thanks!" nodded Rin.
"Good to bring them back," agreed Haruka, "We will need the magic we can get."
"It is now time for us to depart," replied Suiei Nanase, "We will see you soon…and farewell!"
"I shall depart with them too, Alex," said Suiei Marotta, "My prince…you are now ready."
"But WAIT, I…" began Alex when Haruka rested his hand on Alex's shoulder.
"You'll be fine now," said Haruka, "We believe in you."
"Yeah, that's right!" agreed Gou, "We will fight off those bastards!"
Alex nodded with a smile for a moment and turned to his brother who was just absolutely stunned by the whole thing but he giggled a little.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang coming from the house. Alex gasped and rushed his way over along with the others not far behind.
"No!" gasped Alex as he recognized the suited people, "They're here!"
"Oh crap!" gasped Gou.
"We have to help them!" said Haruka, "The family!"
"Shit!" growled Rin as Alex charged up and unleashed a fury battle cry while slashing down the invaders.
"The Haus of the Heavens," muttered Haruka as he took out his sword and somehow managed to slash one down while Rin and Gou rushed inside the house with Alex.
"Let's just do this!" chanted Izawa as she unleashed Ezekiel, her silver heavenly sword.
Alex saw the parents walking towards the back by the pool area when he shouted them to wait.
"STOP!" shouted Alex, "WAIT!"
The mother turned to see him but her eyes shook in shock to see him all dressed up in some "get-up" outfit or something.
"What the hell has happened to you!?" gasped the mother.
"Honey, this isn't the time to freak out right now!" said the father.
"Brother!" shouted Sergi, "What's going on!? What were those guys!?"
"I'm only going to tell you guys this once…get yourselves out of here…go to the beach and head south…there are a series of caves that have a cache of food and supplies that will last you at least a month," explained the older brother.
"Oi! Alex!" shouted Izawa as she stepped into the room with the others which made the mother's mouth dropped open in shock.
"H-how…did you guys!?" asked the mother.
"Oh woops," blushed Izawa.
"Hello again," said Haruka, feeling a sweat-drop of nervousness.
"Hello," blushed Gou.
"I swear to god Sandro, you better explain yourself all of this later," said the mother.
"I promise you," said Alex, keeping himself firm, "That you will be alright. I won't let anyone I love for to die! You have to trust me mother!"
"Mother," said Sergi, "Please don't stress out like this! I believe in him! I may not understand his ways…but I trusted him and he kept his promise!"
"Sergi…" she sighed but smiled a little as she patted him on the head, "You're right…"
Alex led his parents and brother to the caverns where there were supplies for them to at least eat and wash themselves for a little while before they could go back to the house.
"Don't leave too much if you don't have to," began Alex.
"Oh brother!" replied Sergi as he began to tear up, "Please hurry back safely!"
"Before you go," said the father, "Is it just me or do you look like…?"
"Maybe," smiled Alex with a slight blush.
"Let's go then," said Haruka, "We don't have much time."
The group climbed up the stairs as they went to the Cliffside of the area that overlooked the beach. Alex stepped out in front of everyone as he withdrew out his sword and pointed it to the skies.
He chanted, "Sword of the Dragons…Sword of my Past…call out my beast within that will get us back to where we have to go...rise now...DRAGON SEA KING!"
The sword exploded into streams of water and light as they rapidly soared out to the sea, recreating the giant beast standing before them. The monster turned around and used its tail to make a platform for them to walk on.
"Ugh, do I have to?" asked Izawa, slightly annoyed.
"Don't be such a party pooper," said Gou as she pulled her over.
"I can't believe that this is real," muttered Alex, still stunned by the whole magic he used.
They walked up on the tail, heading to the back while still talking.
"I'm not such a fond of demons," replied Izawa.
"Look, I know you have your traveling abilities," said Alex, "But we'll need this beast here to get us back safely. Besides, we got the other animals as well, right?"
"I guess you can say that," nodded Rin, "My sharks…Haru with the dolphins…"
They all sat down by the wings and the neck, wondering how fast…or slow will the monster perform during the travel.
"You guys ready!?" smiled Alex.
"As I'll ever be," sighed Izawa.
"Let's go!" cheered Gou as she pointed out to the seas.
"Hell yeah!" replied Rin, "It's on!"
"ONWARD…TO JAPAN!" shouted Alex as the monster made a low growl and enters to the sea at first slowly, adapting its abilities to swim across the waters while they hang on.
After a couple of minutes or so, the monster growled again as Alex realized what it was going to do.
"HANG ON YOU GUYS!" said Alex, clinging on tighter, "HIGH SPEED AHEAD!"
They quickly took a together grip on the dragon as the beast began to move faster and faster…until suddenly, it was soaring across the seas like a speeding car.
"Woooohooooo!" shouted Gou.
No, just no, thought Izawa.
They being the journey across the pacific as the monster soared at high speeds across the ocean; its wings were glowing beautifully through the reflection of the sun.
Back in Japan:
Makoto sighed and sat down on the couch, "It's been a couple of days now…we haven't heard anything."
"I hope they're all okay," said Nitori.
"Sai!? Sai!? Has anyone seen Sai?" asked Nagisa as he called out the penguin's name, "SAI!?"
"I haven't seen Sai either," replied Makoto.
"I'm starting to get worried," added Rei, "I hope the Haus didn't find them…"
"I'm sure they'll be alright," said Mikoshiba as he walked outside to water some plants on the porch.
Nagisa sat down on the floor and moaned a little as he was too frighten to know what was happening between the others, Sai, and the Suiei Gods. Has something really happened?
Before anyone could talk, Makoto's necklace suddenly glowed.
"Huh?" asked Rei as his necklace was glowing too.
Mikoshiba walked inside to see what was happening, "Is something going on?"
"It's gotta be a sign," said Nitori, "I'm sure of it."
Makoto closed his eyes and listened to what the voices here…
"It's them…the Suiei Gods; can't you hear them, Nagisa?" asked Makoto.
"I do…it's Suiei Hazuki!" smiled the blonde, feeling a bit relieved.
"They're calling all of us to get to the bay," said Makoto as he got up and went out the door.
"Let's go out and see," nodded Rei.
Mikoshiba and Nitori decided to follow them as they headed down the hills and passed through the village. When they got to the beach area, they saw the penguin jumping up and down.
"SAI!?" gasped Nagisa with joy while hugging the penguin, "What happened to you!?"
"I don't see anything," said Nitori as he covered his forehead with his hand to block the sunlight glare.
Before they could ask, they all heard a low humming noise coming from the distance. It was barely audible but they could feel the loud intensity of this noise.
"Over there!" said Nagisa, "LOOK!"
In the distance that they can see...they saw a giant sea monster carrying Rin, Gou, Izawa, and Haruka...but...there was someone else with them…could it be?
"His outfit…" said Makoto, "It looks like that…"
"It can't be...is that our dear friend Alex!?" gasped Mikoshiba.
"Uwaaah! He's back!" smiled Naigsa, "They're all back!"
"Well that's a relief," nodded Rei as the sea dragon roared loudly in the distance.
In the skies, the Suiei Gods soared down from the clouds as they met up with them.
"Yo guys!" smiled Suiei Tachibana.
"We're back now!" shouted Matsuoka with a grin.
"Suiei…" replied Makoto, "All of you guys!"
"Hello there Rei," said Suiei Ryugazaki as he soared down to meet up with the megane.
"Where's Hazuki?" asked Rei.
"Right here!" smiled Suiei Hazuki as he hugged Nagisa, "I missed you babe!"
"We have all returned now, it's quite an entrance…" said Suiei Marotta.
Back on the Sea Dragon, Alex and Haruka chanted the traveling spell as they all teleported back to the beach while the monster roared again and takes on its sword form and landed back in Alex's hand.
"T-That monster…" gasped Makoto, "That's a weapon!?"
"Yeah, its bestial form is a Sea Dragon…" blushed Alex.
"So your animal is a Sea…Dragon?" asked Makoto, feeling slightly uneasy at first.
"Yeah…but…" said Alex before he dropped his sword and they all glomped together for a huge group hug.
"He's more spirited," smiled Rin as they all laughed and embraced this reunion together.
Mikoshiba hugged Gou tightly and said quietly, "I was so worried about you…but I knew you'd make it back safely."
"M-Mikoshiba…" blushed Gou but she hugs back and replied, "I miss you too."
Nitori saw Izawa nearby while throwing up from the seasickness. She turned to him and smiled, "Oh hey, cook boy."
"Izawa…" smiled Nitori as he was relieved to see her back but blushed as she threw up some more.
Should I get her some medicine, he thought.
Rin embraced a hug with Rei as the two made a brief kiss.
"Hey there, my sexy butterfly," smiled Rin quietly.
"Oh Rin," sighed Rei in relief, "You sexy shark teeth."
Makoto gasped on the clothes he got and asked, "Wh-What are these clothes?! Are they for us?!"
"Indeed," said Suiei Tachibana, "They are specialized for your upcoming battle…but also for everyday life if you wish."
"Whoa there," smiled Rei as he saw his outfit as Suiei Ryugazaki showed it to him, "How fancy is that!"
"Yeah, we were given these clothes before we returned here," said Rin as he showed off his outfit, "I got mines on here as a test. Looking great?"
"Anything looks…" blushed Rei before he whispered again, "sexy."
Rin laughed as they held hands together and joined up with the others.
"Haha!" smiled Nagisa as Suiei Hazuki got him dressed up in his Arabian clothes, "I got a lovely head piece here!"
"I got one too," said Rei as he pointed his hat
Alex took out his sword again to take a closer look at the design, saying, "These clothes and the sword was given to me from my Suiei…they were hidden in the ruins but modified of course."
"That's neat Alex-chan!" smiled Nagisa as he looked at the sword.
"I gotta say that you do look a lot like that prince from Macedonia…" blushed Makoto.
"Well…he and I are sort of…the same, in many ways," replied the foreigner as he put his sword back to its sheath.
"Well we got another battle on our hands soon," said Rin.
"It'll be a dangerous one," nodded Haruka, "Depending on what kind of technology and weapons they have in store that is."
"That is why," said Suiei Nanase as he and the other gods stood before the group, "We granted you all full access to your magic…like how it was before."
"Soooo that means you're staying with us longer?" asked Nagisa.
"Are you serious?" replied Suiei Hazuki, as he swirled around the blonde, almost laughing, "Of course we are silly!"
"We are here now," said Suiei Marotta, "But the hour will be here soon."
"Well you guys, we did a lot of prep work while you were out in the states," explained Makoto.
Rei smiled a little as he was happy to see everyone, even Alex to be back here. With their numbers up, there was hope that together that they can defeat their enemies again.
"Well there is still a few more things that we have to make sure of," added Rei, "So listen up."
"Yeah?" asked Rin.
"The tower that they're at…there's no way in," replied Rei.
"WHAT!?" gasped Rin, Haruka, and Alex.
"Unless of course it's the night of the full moon," said the megane while fixing his glasses.
"What kind of magic do they even have?" asked Haruka.
"I'm not exactly an expert on that…but it has to be dark…" replied Rei, "And our only opportunity is when the full moon is in the sky since light is reflected off of it from the sun."
"Strange…" muttered Alex.
"It does sound a bit odd," agreed Rin.
"We'll have time to prepare then?" asked Alex.
"Yep! Plenty," smiled the megane as he did the badass stare.
"We'll need to catch up on our magic though...it's been a long time since we had it this strong," said Makoto.
"Well you guys had a long rough journey, why don't we do a nice little celebration in success of your return?" asked Mikoshiba.
"Sounds fun!" smiled Gou.
"I guess we could…" said Rin.
"A swim would be nice…A POOL PARTY!" cheered Alex.
"YEAH!" replied Nagisa as he high fived with Alex.
Haruka's hands were shaking since he wanted to jump in but he had no idea which house they were going to go to.
"Hehehe, right on!" said Rei.
"Let's do it!" smiled Nitori as he, Nagisa, and Makoto began to walk back to the city.
"PARTY ROCK!" echoed Mikoshiba, "At my house!"
The gang joined up at Mikoshiba's house as Haruka jumped into the pool, tossing his clothes to the side with his bathing suit already on. Gou joined in with a cannon ball while Rin and Rei jumped in together.
"Hey wait for us!" shouted Nagisa as he and Makoto got in.
"I'm next bitches!" laughed Alex as he goes in.
"Yooo!" said Mikoshiba as he joined in.
"CANNONBALL!" shouted Nitori as he jumped in.
Nagisa, Rin, and Rei broke the surface followed by Haruka and Makoto while Alex floated on his back for a moment before turning around and seeing the five guys together. He swam up to them.
Nitori and Mikoshiba along with Gou were nearby as the splashed around.
"I…I'm happy to be back with you guys," said Alex.
Sai wobbled to the pool and plopped in and peeped some noises.
"So refreshing," smiled Nagisa, "And Sai!"
"You know, I like how our bathing suits represents parts of the rainbow," chuckled Makoto, "Green I have…"
"Purple…" muttered Haruka.
"Red," said Rin.
"I has a white…" sighed Alex, "But I guess I can be the prism that holds all the colors together…"
"Ugh are you guys seriously noticing that now?" asked Rei, slightly annoyed.
"Nah," replied Makoto, "We knew it but it was undeclared…we had to say it out loud…"
Rin and Alex started to laugh while Haruka just face-palmed to himself and Gou even shared a chuckle at the conversation. Mikoshiba swam up to Gou while making sure Rin was being distracted.
"It feels nice now, doesn't it?" asked Mikoshiba, "I'm happy to see that all is well with them."
"Yeah," agreed Gou, "They sure do look incredibly well now!"
Mikoshiba stared at her as he could feel his heart beating. He wanted to confess to her but he didn't know what to say.
H-how…am I going to tell her, he thought, she-she's so beautiful…I…I can't even…?
"You okay?" asked Gou.
Mikoshiba blushed a little while rubbing his head, replying, "Oh um…yeah?"
"You sure?" she replied, "You look a bit odd?"
Mikoshiba looked at her deeply in the eyes and reached out for her hand as the girl blushed while hugging her to his chest.
"G-Gou…" he whispered, "I…"
Gou was blushing but at the same time enjoying the soft yet strong structure of his skin with the muscles as she waited to hear what he was going to say.
"These feelings…" said Mikoshiba quietly, "I…I can't hide…I...I love you."
"Oh wow, wow, wow," sighed Gou as she staged an angry face, "Hold it right there Miko-kun!"
"I…I guess I was a fool for saying that," he muttered as he could feel the rejection about to hit him.
"I have something to say about that," she snapped as she pushed him away with a mad-kid face.
For a moment, Mikoshiba was about to feel so embarrassed when Gou smiled and jumped back to him, and said, "I love you too!"
"Oh my god, you scared the shit out of me," he replied but he laughed.
"Well you were too tense there," said Gou, "Had to lighten things up somehow."
"It's just I...I'm a bit sad...I go to a faraway university and I missed you terribly...I always wondered how you were doing back here at Iwatobi," he explained, "I don't know if you have decided where to go to college."
Oh fuck it, she thought, he's sooooo mine and I'm gonna tease him a bit more…he's so cute when he blushes. Whether nii-chan likes it or not, I'm gonna have fun!
"Well I think it's obvious where I'll go," she answered.
"Congratulations again," he smiled as he holds her hands again.
"Honey, I meant far away from you," she added.
Mikoshiba almost felt the jump again but Gou snickered and said, "But I'd be kidding…right?"
The tall boy checked to make sure Rin wasn't noticing too much and continued, "Come on, let's find a place for ourselves."
"Um Miko-kun," she replied, "I'm a virgin…oh do you mean it that way? Well…what about my brother?"
Oh shit, she thought, Mikoshiba I love you but keep your d in your pants for a while.
Mikoshiba checked again and saw that Rei was flirting with Rin for a bit which kept the distraction going as he answered, "He's spending a lot of time with Rei…he'll be alright."
"Well if you're willing to deal with him then c'mon let's go," she smiled as she tugs on his arm and they got out of the pool.
Alex turned to see the two going off and said, "Well there they go…"
"I'm sure they're getting something to drink," shrugged Haruka.
"They're cute…" blushed Makoto.
"You think they're gonna have wild sex in there?" asked Nagisa as he made a nice pervy face.
"Um Nagisa…what the hell?" asked Rei.
"Just saying…" giggled the blonde.
Rin was like having a shit ton of feels going through him. Normally, he would be pissed and go after Mikoshiba since he was always worried sick about Gou…however, something was keeping him in place…was it Rei? Or was it something else…?
His face was beginning to blush as he wasn't so sure what to react.
Shit, shit, shiiiiit, he thought.
Rei started to laugh as Nagisa continued, "Well think of it this way Rin-chan, Gou will have pretty kids!"
"Uhhhhhh…" replied Rin, his eyes tick-tocking back and forth from the house to the group, "As much as I would go after them…would they even try?"
"Seriously Nagi-chan," sighed Makoto, "You had to add more pressure to Rin? That's enough."
Alex, Haruka, and Rei could only make a nervous smile in response.
"Here Rin," said Rei as he gave the red-hair a kiss on the lips to distract his mind for a bit.
Mikoshiba led Gou to his bedroom as they were both giggling a little to themselves. The room had several boxes of his dorm-related materials when he was away in college.
Gou jumped onto his bed and falls backwards and was already feeling the comfort.
"Our safe haven…" said Mikoshiba.
"Well a comfy bed hell yes!" smiled Gou, "And no other boys to disturb us…hehehe! Come over here, Miko-chan!"
Mikoshiba walked up to her and lied down next to her as they stared into each other's eyes. They both blushed a little but they could only chuckle and enjoy each other's company.
"So what do you got in mind?" he asked.
"Oh nothing much…I was just thinking that maybeeee I could practice some stuff Serah taught me," she answered.
"Oh, Serah taught you some stuff?" he replied.
"Ayup!" she nodded, "aaand you'll get to help me with practicing!"
"Well then," said Mikoshiba, "I can't wait to see how it turns out."
"Oh reaaaallly?" asked Gou as she playfully sits up and suddenly pins Mikoshiba to bed with her body, "Because I'm a beginner here, have patience please."
He looked at her beautiful red eyes and replied, "I'm ready when you are."
Gou softly plants a kiss on Mikoshiba's lips and then takes her lips away to press their foreheads together as she replied, "I love you...Miko-kun."
Before he could reply, she plants another soft kiss before gathering enough courage to go ahead and lick his lips. He could feel her lips connecting to his as they felt their tongues touching and moistening each other, holding it for almost a minute.
They finally took a breath as he answered, "I love you too Gou."
She felt a bit surprised but eventually calms down and goes on to probe Mikoshiba's mouth again, careful not to make their teeth clash; this kiss wasn't as long compared to the first one.
In the end she backed away for air and grinned shyly, asking, "Grade?"
I just want to say she's sooooo amazing, he thought, but I better tell her a 'grade'…
"A+," he smiled, "For real…that was amazing!"
Gou blushed red as a tomato but she squealed with joy, "Yayz!"
Before he could react, she rested her head on Mikoshiba's chest as she could feel the softness, yet the strong, stabilized muscles on his body. Mikoshiba could feel a bit hardened but he called his body to relax a little as he said, "You're really beautiful…may I reply with a kiss?"
Gou raised her head up and answered, "U-umm…yeah, s-sure!"
He moved up to her face with a nice brief kiss before implanting a deeper one as they held another moment of love. Gou was becoming a bit hazed as she was like enjoying this moment.
"You want to stay…or go back?" he asked.
"I um…I think I….stay!" she answered.
Oh god, she thought, I can't let my brother see me like this! It'll be embarrassing! Not to mention how he'll react on this!
"Does your brother still worry about you?" asked Mikoshiba.
"Huh?" she asked, looking a bit confused, "I mean…he was always…um…protective…but then…"
Mikoshiba turned to his right for a moment before looking back at her, saying, "I…I remember."
"Remember what?" she asked.
"The past," he answered, "You weren't feeling well in the time loop; I remembered it too. Rin was really worried about you. I remember that we used to talk for a bit but then…"
Gou was a bit surprised as she realized that he knew her back in the Time Loop even though the events in that time trap was rather screwy with things.
"He did his best...didn't he?" asked Mikoshiba, feeling a bit sad.
"Miko…wait!" she replied, "Don't be sad…Rin did his best, yes…but…"
"I had no memories of it though when I first met Rin in this timeline," he explained, "Neither did Nitori. However… we learned it all when we were chosen to become Acacius and Erastos. After when Rin, Haruka, and Makoto left…that's when he came to us…that dog."
"Witch boy," she answered, "It must have been him. Now that you said that, it makes sense to why you were saying that back when you and Nitori followed Alex to the Iwatobi Auditorium, right?"
Mikoshiba nodded and said, "I didn't understand what was happening back then...but now I do. I don't want to lose anyone of you…even you, Gou…"
"Good! Because I don't want to see you sad okay?" she asked as she pressed her forehead against his with a smile of reassurance.
"Thank you," he nodded as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. She blushed but smiled.
"Let's head back," said Gou.
"Yeah, let's go," he agreed.
Due to the Holidays of Christmas and New Years on Wednesdays...
The remaining chapters of this book will be out on Mondays!
Water Next Time, December 23, 2013 and December 30, 2013 will be the "updates".
See you water then! :)
