Chapter 8

The Funeral Parlor, Pt. II

I wake up with my vision rather blurry. My head feels like it's about to explode, and I feel something wrapped tightly around it. I touch my forehead with my fingers, and feel there is a bandage covering it. I can barely remember anything… I recall having being woken up by Inori, and I feel like something bad happened afterwards – like a terrible accident.

"You okay, Shu?"

Triton greets me, sitting on a chair by the side of my bed.

I weakly look down to see my body and notice I'm clothed again, with the pants and white shirt I wore to sleep. This is strange… I vaguely recall having changed into the Funeral Parlor uniform… or at least having intended to.

"You were very lively this morning, giving Ayase a surprise so early in the day."

Now I remember.

"Shut up, Triton."

"He's Gai! Tsutsugami Gai – so treat him with respect, rookie."

A voice I'd heard before a couple of times breaks into our conversation. I turn my head to the side and see her – the girl in the wheel chair, who threw at my head the glass Inori had taken with her before leaving the room.

"Ayase, calm down… no matter how I look at this, you were the one at fault."

Triton takes my side in the argument. Show her, brother!

"Say what you want, I'm not apologizing to a pervert!"

Ayase seems indignant about admitting her wrongdoing.

"Hey, hey, hey! You walked into the room while I was changing!"

And while I was dealing with morning business, but that's not my fault either – it can't be avoided, no matter how much I try! I'm a healthy young male, after all.

"Oh, really? And what have you got to say about what you did to Inori?"

She snaps back at me in an instant. But why did she mention Inori?

"Uh… what are you talking about?"

I ask, honestly not knowing what I did.

"And now you don't remember! Gai, would you tell him?"

Ayase seems furious at me… I don't understand what's going on. Gai scratches his head while looking down awkwardly. He seems reluctant to speak about it. He gathers some courage, making faces of displeasure towards the idea of saying it out loud, but still proceeds to explain the events that happened while I was out.

"Inori rushed into the room after the glass shattered… She picked you up and laid you on the bed, though Ayase was strongly objecting to her actions. You were fully naked, you see. And then Inori said…"

Gai dares not continue. He stays there in silence, looking at the floor, apparently in horror upon remembering the words she uttered. Ayase breaks the ice.

"She said you'd already stripped her naked, so she didn't mind putting your clothes on."

I cannot possibly emphasize how much I earnestly wish from the most profoundly abysmal depths of my heart that I, Ouma Shu, were swallowed by the earth right now.

There are no more words.

No gestures.

Nothing.

Triton and I are dead silent, utterly still in the ice-cold atmosphere permeating the room. Only the sound of Ayase's wheelchair moving away can be heard as she makes for the door, followed by the noise of it being opened and then slammed shut.

"Man… I… Uh… That is not what it seems to be."

I speak the phrase that best friends always say when they are found dating the other's girl. Despite how the stripping her naked scenario was entirely not the way Inori made them believe it was, it still seems like the lamest of all excuses when I say it. Ayase… you should've at least had the decency of killing me with that glass.

"Now I understand the hug back then…"

He's talking about last night, when she hugged us both. Triton seems extremely shocked, bordering the edges of depression. God damn it, Inori… why did you say it like that?! Don't you know there are codes of behavior we're supposed to follow? Keeping your friends from having such serious misunderstandings is one of them! Nodding won't spare you from my wrath, young one…

Shit… what can I say to Triton? I must've torn his heart into thousands of little pieces.

"Really, brother… I… we were desperate, you see…"

Triton covers his face with his hand, showing extra effort in blocking his eyes.

"Spare the details, Shu. Just knowing the deed is more than enough."

"Wait, no! I didn't strip her naked! Well… I did, but –"

Triton stands up and makes for the door as well. I rush behind to stop him.

"Triton, wait! Let me – "

"I need some time to think, Shu… that's all."

He leaves the room.

Shit, dude. Running behind him in the corridor isn't exactly the best thing I can do…

"You made things worse, rookie."

A young girl's voice speaks to me. I turn to my side and see her – short stature, bluish-grey eyes, black hair and an electronic headband that resembles cat ears. She stands there, happily fashioning a cheeky smile. This girl wants a fight… but I am in no mood for it.

"I can see that… damn it."

I punch the door angrily.

"Hey, hey! Don't make me tend for your hand! I've done enough with your head already."

Hoh… so she wrapped the bandage?

"You did this?"

I ask her to confirm, slightly poking the covered wound. It still hurts. And speaking about pain, I am still very hungry… things keep impeding me from eating one after another.

"Yeah, after Inori clothed you. I had to stop Aya from slapping the living daylight out of your face. You should've seen Gai's expression when Inori said that… revelation. The girl is as oblivious as ever; she has never understood people's feelings... not even her own."

I slap my face square with my palm. If I had an iron prosthesis instead of my right arm, the amount of pain inflicted would've been just fine. That'd probably blind me, though… if I were to arbitrarily add Inori's death to that, my life would plain suck. It's good that isn't happening – I'll protect her at all costs… if I ever dare to face her again.

"Indeed… saying that in front of everyone."

I complain, agreeing that Inori is bad at dealing with emotions.

"I don't understand how you managed to seduce her, though… you don't look like a ladies' man at all. Gai must be broken right now, seeing how his precious Inori did a pity sleep with a random guy."

My blood is starting to boil, despite how the girl looks to be only 14.

And she keeps adding fuel to the fire.

"But you should be more considerate around here… I don't know what you were planning to do with Inori a while ago, but involving Aya was too much. Please keep your perverseness to yourself, rookie."

I will hit a child.

"Here, have some food."

That's a low blow. She was dragging a service cart with her, with a fray full of food atop.

"I doubt Gai will be able to introduce you anytime soon, so make do with this and wait until the evening. He'll probably get himself together by then, so feel free to fool around. Just stay away from Inori."

I accept the food, calming down. Lucky midget… if I were not so hungry, I'd be making you wear a bandage like mine right now.

"You're getting it all wrong… I only changed her clothes because she needed a disguise but she couldn't move well… there was nothing aside from that."

For the sake of my reputation, I try to clear my name.

"Changed whom?"

There goes another one. A gloomy-looking guy with grey eyes and brown hair dyed blonde right through the middle, wearing the Funeral Parlor suit.

"Ah, Argo! Nothing, he's just fooling around."

Well… the girl covered for me. That's something I'll remember, at least.

"Really? I saw Ayase a moment ago; she was cursing a so-called rookie. Is this him?"

Argo looks at me curiously.

"Yeah, Gai will introduce him to the rest in a while. His name is… Shu, I believe?"

"Ouma Shu… pleased to meet you."

I half-heartedly introduce myself. I'm not really a mood for talking, much less when there are people prone to asking me about what happened to my head.

"Tsukishima Argo. What happened to your head?"

See my point?

"Let's say he surprised Aya and leave it at that."

Hey, I'm starting to like this girl. She looks quite cheerful, despite the misunderstanding with Inori and the incident with Ayase. The headband looks cute on her too… but Inori's nodding is second to none, so this girl's looks do not really matter. She's helping me out, though, so I'll definitely repay the favor someday.

"Yeah, please… by the way, you are…"

I ask for her name.

"Tsugumi! I'm Sendo Tsugumi, Ouma Shu."

She remembers my name, alright.

"Pleased to meet you, Sendo-san."

"Sendo? Tsugumi is fine, silly. I'll call you Shu and that's that."

"Same for me, just call me Argo."

Does everyone here in the Pasta Parlor skip straight down to the name? No honorifics, nothing? They must be like a really close family… they're very casual with one another.

"Tsugumi and Argo, then. Tsugumi… Weren't you the one checking the area around the tunnel? I think Gai mentioned your name. You said your radar was broken, I think."

Yes, I remember… she said something about Ayase losing her craft too.

"Ah, that was me. Argo was there fighting too, actually… did you see him?"

"I think I didn't. There was hardly any time before the Endlaves got to us, so I had to rush off for dear life before even meeting with Gai."

"So you have an eye out only for the girls… Aya was right after all."

"Huh? Is the rookie here trying to hook up?"

"Damn you, Tsugumi."

"I'm joking, I'm joking! Don't get the wrong idea, Argo… Shu here is a good man. He saved Inori, after all… and the girl even gave the Genome to him."

"The Genome? You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm serious. Gai hasn't told the details to everyone yet, but his communicator was linked to mine when he uttered something along those lines. That makes Shu our trump card, Argo, so Gai will protect him at all costs. You should get along with him… you'll be risking your life for his in the field from now on."

Tsugumi rests her weight against the wall as she explains the situation. Argo looks displeased upon knowing the news, and faces me directly.

"What did you do to her, rookie? Inori had clear orders to deliver the Genome to Gai. She's perhaps the most loyal to him in the entire Parlor… I can't see how she'd openly abandon her mission just to save you."

Everyone is saying the same thing, even Triton himself. Were Inori's actions really so unusual? They all think she did it solely for me, but given the situation we were in…

"No, she didn't do it just to save me. Both of us were about to be killed, so she had no option but to inject it to me; if she hadn't done it, the Genome would've been recovered by the Anti-Bodies."

I point out how they might be wrong in believing she did it merely for me. Tsugumi objects, however.

"She could've destroyed it before dying. Gai had already instructed her to do so if she were to be captured, saying it'd be better for it to be lost rather than falling into the wrong hands. Inori knew this, yet she entrusted you to wield the weapon we spent so much time, resources and lives to steal away from Sephirah.

That is no walk in the park, Shu. How you made her, the most unemotional and unapproachable member in our group, to trust you to that degree is a mystery to all of us."

Tsugumi's words hit me hard.

"You'd better carry the weight of your actions, rookie. Inori put her faith in you, and Gai seems to believe in you as well… you'd better not have the nerve to let us down."

Argo understands the situation as well, and presses me to clad my balls in steel. Fortune is in the Parlor's favor, then – I'm boarding their boat… as soon as Gai regains his composure and introduces me to the rest. Damn it.

As I think of this, I notice Inori walking towards us… speak of the devil.

"Shu, are you better now?"

"Ah… um… yes, I… feel better."

This is awkward. Tsugumi has been so kind as to keep Argo from knowing about the incident with Aya, but Inori is denser than I am and thus may spill everything out. I don't know what Argo thinks about her… but it'd be better for all of us if the rumors about me having slept with Inori were not spread any further.

Argo easily notices the strange atmosphere and seems confused.

"Did I put on correctly your clo- "

"Ah, Inori! Gai was looking for you, please come with me!"

Tsugumi saves the day, breaking into Inori's sentence and dragging her away with utmost haste. I owe her, big time. I won't forget this, little one… I'll repay the favor someday.

Argo is speechless. He knows there's something fishy about the situation.

"Don't ask."

I warn him.

"Won't do."

Gloomy as he may seem, he's easier to deal with than Inori, for which I'm thankful.

Our conversation dies, having Tsugumi gone away with Inori… off to Triton's direction. Even as emotionally senseless as she may be, I hope Inori sets things straight and explains the situation properly… I don't want to be the one telling him exactly how things happened – it is way more believable if the girl in question tells the story to him herself. Inori doesn't seem like she'd lie to him, after all… he'll surely believe anything she says.

Argo goes back to where he came from, probably a dark corner somewhere in the facility, and I enter my room, pulling the service tray with me. At long last – so damn long last, I get to eat something. It's a plain sandwich and some fries, completely unlike the Japanese food I'm used to having for breakfast, but I do not care: at this point in time, anything edible set before me looks like a worthy banquet sent by the havens themselves.

After thoroughly enjoying my first meal in over a day, I lock the door as damned locked as it can be and, careful of not having anyone enter the room again, I change my clothes. The Funeral Parlor's uniform is quite comfortable, now that I get to wear it. No, that's an understatement… it is very comfortable. Ahhh, I'm starting to get relaxed… seeing how there's not much to do, I think I'll get a snooze.

And snooze I do.

"Shu."

Voice recognition activated – speaker identified as Yuzuriha Inori.

Permission for implementing the instant awakening system: granted.

Visual devices, aka eyes: alert and reading the surroundings.

Threat level assessment: danger inexistent, Inori is outside the room. I left the door locked.

I rise from bed and go to greet her, still shy about what happened this morning but already calm enough to think straight… I hope. I open the door and find Triton along with her, looking more composed.

"Hey… uh…"

"Inori has told me the details, I understand. Let's go, Shu – everyone is waiting."

Whoa. His voice now is bold and unshakeable, as that of a worthy leader – not even a trace of his awkward expression from before is left on his face, unlike Inori who looks like she is embarrassed. I nod, giving rise to a seriousness matching Triton's and follow behind him.

Tsugumi is right outside the room, smiling mischievously. Did she get to hear the story as well? The little brat looks like she's hiding something. She saved my ass with Argo a while ago, though… so I'll let her get me if she tries something funny, just this one time.

She stays silent, contrary to my expectations, and merely follows behind us. We go up and down through several stairs over the course of the grey hall. The walls have no paint on them – their concrete is bare, and numerous cables run along hanging from them. The place looks like an abandoned installation that was put back to use just recently, or is purposely left without renovation to make it look forsaken in the GHQ's eyes.

Triton speaks to me only once on our way to our destination.

"I can assume you will join us, right?"

"Damn right, Gai. I'll fight by your side through the very gates of hell itself if I must."

Triton smiles confidently at my reply. I still don't know what happened to him during the time he was gone, nor why he even left in the first place – I didn't' bother asking at all, suspecting he'd tell me I am not yet ready to know the truth. I can clearly see, though, that he has changed very drastically; he was weak and timid back in the old days.

His presence now is that of an entirely different person – the man before me in this moment is Tsutsugami Gai, not the gentle and guilt-ridden Triton I spoke with last night. What I can feel from him now is an immutable force of will dedicated to a clear cause.

Yesterday I only got to see him very briefly during the midst of battle, but now that I walk by his side I can feel how much of a leader he is – if he were to utter an order to me, even if I were just a passerby on the street, I'd feel compelled to follow him.

That's the extent of his imposingness – Tsutsugami Gai is a natural born leader, meant to rally people to his cause and unify them under a single banner. Now it is no wonder for me how he managed to become the highest authority within the Parlor.

Following him, we eventually walk into a circular room with a large computer terminal in the middle. The space is large by itself, and on the wall opposite to the entrance is a stairway which goes up several floors full of bookshelves. This is a library, I see… a fitting place to hold a meeting, given how information is everywhere around us.

There's a few dozen people gathered in here, all of them wearing the Funeral Parlor attire. As we enter the room, every one of them ceases their conversation and activities, stand up and gather around us all over the many floors above. The time for my formal introduction to the Funeral Parlor has come. Go ahead, Triton… I'm ready.

"Brothers in arms! Today I introduce to you the man who will carry the weight of our mission and purpose. This is Ouma Shu, the one selected to wield the Power of Kings bestowed by the Void Genome. He risked his life to save one of ours and has proven his worth in open combat – he who was a stranger to all of us has chosen to join our cause, willing to embrace our motives and ideals.

He is a good man, worthy of being trusted by each and every one of us. I am confident he would stand and fight for any of you the same way he did for our comrade, Yuzuriha Inori, no matter how direly against us the odds may be.

Thus, let us welcome him as one of our own and place the fate of the Funeral Parlor upon the hands of the new King!"

Gai turns to look at me, earnestly showing in his eyes how deeply he trusts his old friend.

"You are our most powerful card, Shu. I ask of you before everyone here: Are you willing to bear the crown given to you to fight for a better world?"

The eyes of everyone are fixed upon me. Their very weight is nigh overbearing, but I am not in a position where I can chicken out. I have wielded Inori's soul with my own two hands – I have felt its power, and I have confirmed how decisively it tips the balance to the favor of whoever's side it is in.

I understand – for the Funeral Parlor to win the fight against Sephirah Genomics, who threatens to put an end to the world as we know it, I am indeed the mightiest of cards. Ouma Shu is the one factor that will determine whether Tsutsugami Gai and his followers will succeed in protecting all they hold dear.

It is not only Triton and Yuzuriha Inori who depend on me – Haruka and Hare, and everyone else I may ever come to love will be put at risk if I fail to comply with Gai's request – should the King refuse to fight, his nation shall fall.

I was a wimp until a couple of days ago. Has meeting Inori had such an impact on me? Had I been given the responsibility placed upon me today in some other point of my life, I'd have immediately ran away and searched for another one to replace me.

However, since the moment I saved her, I have been facing danger without hesitation. I do not yet understand the reason behind the sudden changes inside of me… but I will accept them as they are, making Ouma Shu die to be replaced by Shu of the Funeral Parlor.

My social awkwardness, my fear to getting to know others and making myself known… I abandon all of that as of now, and accept the power given to me by the girl I swore to protect. You ask me before all of your comrades if I am willing to fight by your side, Gai. To that, I have to say…

"Down to my last breath, my friend."