Here is chapter 2 of what is now Mission 2. Here, Ryo helps out the little girl. Yay!
A note: This chapter will be LONG. But then again, so will later chapters (i think).
I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, YGOTAS, the fanfic cover, or any of the characters/trademarks in those. I don't own Limey Man, but I do own how he looks in this fanfic.
R&R
ENJOY~!
Ryo looked around again. The alley was still empty and no one had seen.
Good.
He walked back to the street and looked around. No sign of the little girl.
He walked back inside the alley.
"Millenium Ring!" Limey Man shouted. The golden pendant around his neck levitated a bit. It glowed brightly. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard on what he was trying to find.
"Show me..." He opened his eyes. In them, a mental picture of the little girl appeared. "...the little girl!"
The five points of the Millenium Ring stood up on end. A beam of light shot from each one. The beams were about two feet long. At the points where they ended, five beams of light formed between the two adjacent beams, making a pentagon.
In the pentagon, an image of the little girl appeared.
His eyes widened when he saw where she was. She was still on the block! From her surroundings, he could see that she was running past a store that was very close to the alley.
His eyes widened. I have to be quick! he thought. She would be passing by within seconds and he couldn't let her get by!
Ryo deactivated the Millenium Ring and ran to the alley entrance.
He peeked his head out. Moments later, the little girl ran by.
"Little girl! Wait!" he shouted in English.
The little girl stopped in her tracks a few feet from the alley. She turned around slowly and looked at Ryo.
Ryo took a step out of the alley, so that the front of his shirt was clearly visible.
Her eyes widened and she pointed straight at Ryo with the hand that she had been rubbing her eye with. "FLAG!" she shouted.
She ran straight towards him and entered the alley.
"You speak English and you have the flag on your shirt!" she shouted, still pointing at him. She stepped close to him.
Ryo knelt down so they were closer. "I do speak English."
Now that he was closer and she was still enough, he was able to get a better look at her face. It was tear-stained. Her eyes were red and wet from crying, but her left eye was redder than the right. This was the eye she had been rubbing with her hand.
She stopped crying and looked into Ryo's eyes. "Have I seen you before?" she asked in a suspecting tone.
Ryo shook his head and lied. "No. I don't think you have. Anyway, I heard you were lost. What's the problem?"
"Uh..." Now that she was talking to him, she seemed much calmer and more confident. "So my mummy and I are here for two months because her job told her to move here for a month, and we'll stay here longer after she's done. We just came here and I've been here for three days. Mummy told me not to talk to any strangers unless they spoke English. We were in a store and she told me to sit somewhere for a few minutes and then she went to shop. I went to look for her but she wasn't in the store and I got scared! So I ran out to look for her but now I'm lost. Can you help me? Please?"
Ryo nodded and smiled. "Of course I can. What does she look like?"
The little girl put her hands under her face, closed her eyes, and smiled adorably. "Lots of people say that I look just like her! I have her face, they say." She opened her eyes and lowered her hands and added, "But her hair is longer and in a ponytail like yours!"
Ryo nodded. "Okay. I'll help you find her. I promise. What's your name?"
The little girl stood up straight and tall and proud. "My name is Manea! M-A-N-E-A. Mah-nay-ah! Mummy's name is Anne! A-N-N-E. Aaaannn. You don't say the E. what about you?"
Ryo wondered if he should tell Manea to call him "Limey Man" or "Ryo". Usually he would say "Limey Man" because "Ryo" was too close to his real name. But she and her mother weren't staying in Japan forever, so he would be safe. "Call me Ryo," he said. "R-Y-O."
She nodded. She pretended to write something on her hand with her finger, then she slapped her forehead with that hand. "Ryo! Got it."
Ryo couldn't help but giggle at her adorableness. He put his hand in her shoulder gently.
Manea frowned and pushed his hand off. "Hey! No touching! I'm adorable, but don't make a fuss about it!" She stood in a confident and brave stance. "I'm cute, but I'm a fighter!" She stood normally. "Are you like a superhero or something? You have a mask thing on your face."
Ryo crossed his arms, held up his hands with the letters facing her, and smiled. "You could say that."
"Something Man?" Manea guessed.
Ryo just smiled. "Enough about me," he said as he stood up. "Do you remember what store you were in?"
Manea looked up and put a finger on her bottom lip in thought. "Erm...no. The name of it was weird-looking."
It was in Japanese, then, Ryo thought. "Do you remember what it looked like, at least? Would you be able to draw it for me?"
Manea smiled and nodded, still looking up. "Yes. Yes."
"Okay. Let me find something for you to draw with and on." Ryo looked around the alleyway for something, but found nothing.
Then he got an idea. The floor of the alleyway was the same color as the sidewalk: white-ish. And when concrete was wet, it darkened. And he had an unlimited supply of liquid at his fingertips. Or rather, at his palms.
"Manea," Ryo said, snapping her attention to him.
"Yes?"
"Let me show you something. Come with me."
He walked a but farther into the alley. Manea followed.
He stopped and made sure he was far enough from the wall in front of him to write.
"Watch this. You're going to use this to write with, okay?"
Manea just gave him a confused look.
Ryo held his hand up and aimed his palm at the wall. "Tea Attack!" he cried. A quick burst of tea shot at the opposite wall.
Manea's eyes widened in amazement. "Whoa! That was awesome!"
"Thanks," Ryo said with a smile. "Now, you're going to use my hand to draw on the ground and write out the name of the store, alright?"
Manea nodded wildly, her eyes still wide with awe.
Ryo waved her over and held out his hand to her. He bent down a bit so she would be able to hold it at a comfortable level.
Manea walked close to him and took his hand. She aimed it at the ground on front of them. "Ready," she said. She stuck out her tongue a little bit and her face became focused and concentrated.
"Tea Attack!" Ryo shouted. The tea came out of his palm in an even, thin, and steady stream that wouldn't splash or drip.
Manea instantly began moving his hand around to write on the ground. Where the tea touched the ground, the concrete darkened.
She began writing something in japanese characters. When she moved to a new character, she drew down from the bottom of the character and made a long line below it, making all of the characters she drew connected to this line, as if they were underlined.
Ryo watched her with amazement. For a five year-old, she wrote the characters with excellent penmanship. And that was even more amazing considering that she obviously didn't know what any of them meant.
When she was done, she aimed the spray along the line and out of the way, then at the wall across from them. "Done!" she announced. Her tongue retreated back inside her mouth.
Ryo ended his tea attack. "Well done," he praised, resisting the urge to pat Manea on the head. He looked at what she had written.
He recognized the store name. In fact, it was right on the other side of the block they were on! Even better, Ryo knew for a fact that it was right next to the other exit of the alley they were in!
"I know where this is," he told Manea. "It's on the other side of this alley. We should go through here to save time."
"Yes!" Manea said with a wide smile. But that smile faded a moment later. "But... Will she be there?"
Ryo's eyes widened. How did I not think of that?! he scolded himself.
"We'll just have to check. Give me a moment."
Ryo stood up straight.
"Millenium Ring!" Limey Man shouted. The golden pendant around his neck levitated a bit. It glowed brightly. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard on what he was trying to find.
"Show me..." He opened his eyes. In them, a mental picture of Manea, but a little older, appeared. "...Manea's mother!"
The five points of the Millenium Ring stood up on end. A beam of light shot from each one. The beams were about two feet long. At the points where they ended, five beams of light formed between the two adjacent beams, making a pentagon.
In the pentagon, an image of a woman appeared. She looked like an older version of Manea, so Ryo knew it was her mother.
She was wearing a sundress that looked exactly like Manea's, but didn't have the flowers at the bottom.
Manea's eyes widened with delight and she pointed at the image. "That's my mummy!" she cried. "There!"
"Yes," Ryo said.
She was in front of the store that Manea had written the name of. She was looking around nervously, worry written all over her face. She looked at a watch on her wrist. She started muttering to herself in English. "If Manay doesn't show up in the next five minutes I'll have to call the police..."
"Mummy we're coming don't leave please!" Manea shouted at the image.
Ryo let it fade away. He turned to Manea. The Millenium Ring went limp.
"Okay. We have to hurry to catch her. You ready?" He held his hand out to her.
She nodded and smiled. "Ready!" She took Ryo's hand. "Let's go."
The two of them turned to the other side of the alley and started running.
They didn't get far, however. Halfway though, someone jumped out from behind a trash can.
Manea screamed and stopped in her tracks. With her free hand, she pointed at the person. She didn't look scared, just startled. "Ryo! Weird guy blocking our path!"
Ryo took a step back and jerked Manea behind him.
The guy in front of them had very tanned skin and wore ordinary street clothes. Ryo couldn't tell if he meant harm or not, but he didn't have time to figure that out. They had to go meet Anne before she left!
"We don't want any trouble!" Ryo shouted in Japanese. "Just let us through! We have somewhere to be!"
The guy pointed at Ryo. "Eh hold on there a moment!" he replied in Japanese. "I have something to say!"
"We don't care!" Ryo shouted back. "Just leave us alone!"
"Now listen here, kid..."
Ryo didn't listen. He raised his free hand and aimed it at the guy. "Tea Attack!" he shouted.
A strong burst of tea shot out of his palm and hit the guy in the stomach, making him stumble back a few steps.
"Ey! What was that for?!"
"Move or else I'll do it again!"
"Ey! I said to listen!"
Manea freed her hand from Ryo's hold and shouted, "Kick his sad, sorry bottom, Ryo!" Ryo looked at her. She was standing with her legs spread apart, one foot forward, and her fists raised. She looked really smug and determined, for some reason.
Absolutely adorable.
"I will!" Ryo replied in English. Then he turned to the guy in front of them. "I warned you!"
"Slingshot!" Limey Man shouted. He held up his left hand. In a split second, the Magic Slingshot on the left side of his belt shot to his hand. He grasped it firmly.
"Magic Tea Bag!" he shouted. He held out his other hand. A tea bag instantly appeared in it. He placed the small bag in his Slingshot.
Ryo aimed at the guy in front of them. The guy held up his hands defensively.
Without hesitation, Ryo shot the tea bag at him.
It hit him in the face, then exploded into a translucent cloud of dust.
The guy coughed for a few seconds. Then he sniffed the air around him. He started swaying a bit. His knees went weak. Then his eyes dropped closed and, with a yawn, he passed out.
Manea jumped in the air and cheered. "Yes! He got what he deserved! Great job, Ryo!"
Ryo turned to her and smiled. "Thanks," he said. He lowered his arm and put the Slingshot away. "Has your mummy ever given you a tea tha made you feel really sleepy?"
Manea nodded. "Yes. I didn't want to go to sleep and I kept telling her I was thirsty, so she gave me tea and it made me really sleepy and I fell asleep pretty quickly."
Ryo took her hand again. "Well, that is sort of what I just did to him. He fell asleep. He's fine."
They looked at the guy. The dust from the tea bag was still floating around a bit, even though it had cleared a little.
"Cover your nose," Ryo instructed her. "If you breathe it in, you'll end up falling asleep as well."
Manea nodded and pinched her nose shut with her fingers. "I can hold my breath for a long time."
Ryo did the same. "Good. Now let's go. One. Two. Three!"
They both inhaled deeply, then ran forward through the dust and around the guy on the ground.
Seconds later, they passed the dust. They unplugged their noses and started breathing again. As they caught their breaths, they ran on.
Their breathing had returned to normal by the time they reached the end of the alley a minute later.
They exited the alley and stepped out into the street. Ryo led Manea to the right.
Manea looked up at the store they were walking next to. She looked up and pointed at the store name. "Ryo! This is it! She should be here, right?"
A few meters away, near the entrance to the store, they saw a woman with the same hair and height as Manea's mother, walking away from them with bags in her hand. Five minutes must have passed already!
"Ryo hurry she's walking away!" Manea ran forward with such force and speed that Ryo was practically dragged behind her.
When they were a few feet away, Manea broke away from Ryo and ran towards her mother. "Mummy stop walking I'm right here turn around wait for me!"
Anne stopped walking and turned around just in time to watch her daughter crash into her legs. She smiled wide and gasped with delight. "Oh Manea there you are I was so worried!" She picked Manea up and held her close. "I told you to stay there! I had accidentally left my wallet in the store next door and went to get it. Next time, stay!"
"I'm sorry, mummy," Manea apologized. "I didn't talk to anyone who didn't speak English, like you said."
She set Manea down. "How did you find me?"
Manea pointed behind her, at Ryo who had caught up with them by that time.
"Ryo!" Manea shouted.
Anne smiled at Ryo. "Arigato*," she said in perfect Japanese.
"You're welcome," Ryo said in English. "And I speak English. Manea wouldn't talk to me until I spoke to her in English."
Anne took one look at his shirt. "Are you from the UK?" she asked in English.
"I am," Ryo replied. "Born and raised there. In London."
"Oh. So are we. What a lovely coincidence."
Ryo smiled knowingly. "I don't believe in coincidences," he said.
Anne nodded and took Manea's hand. "I see. I was about to leave to call the police. I'm so glad you showed up. What's with the outfit?"
"Um..." Ryo blushed.
"Mummy!" Manea cried. "You're not supposed to ask superheroes that question! He dresses how he wants."
Anne looked at Ryo with an amused smile on her face. "Okay... I have no problem with that." She started to turn away. "Anyway, thanks once again."
"You're welcome again," Ryo replied.
"Bye," Anne said.
"Bye, Ryo!" Manea said with a wave.
Ryo smiled at her and waved back.
Then Manea and her mother turned away and started walking down the street hand-in-hand.
Ryo watched them go with a warm smile on his face.
When they had turned the corner, he ran back inside the alley.
The guy was still passed out, and the dust had cleared by then.
Ryo walked a little farther than him.
"I'd better be getting home," he said with a sigh.
[Reversion To Ryou]
*Ah-ri-gah-tow. "Thank You" in Japanese. (in case you didn't know)
(Fun fact, I personally like saying "'rigato" instead of "Arigato". Kinda as a contraption or something? I guess it would mean "thanks" instead of "thank YOU".)
This chapter was a personal favorite of mine to write. Manea is so adorable!
I'm not British, so I wouldn't know how common of a name "Anne" is in the UK.
Next chapter is the aftermath, as well as Ryou getting home.
See you next chapter!
BYEEEEEEEEE~!