The Boy
5:00am.
Giroro woke up just in time to turn off his alarm as to not wake Yuriri. Carefully, he sneaks out of the room and straight to the rec room. He starts with the treadmill, then the wrights, then crunches, and finally pull ups. When he was done, we observed himself in the mirror. His muscles had begun to grow more. Satisfied for now, he hopped in the shower to wash off.
Exiting the shower, Giroro finished his morning ritual by brushing his teeth, hair, and putting on his clothes. Before leaving his room once again, he quickly snatched his key and ran down stairs to the kitchen.
After half an hour, Yuriri wandered in groggily. "When did you wake up?"
"Hours ago, didn't want to wake you"
She yawns and sits at the table. "why are you so chipper this morning?"
"I dunno, I just have a lot of energy I guess"
Momoka walked in, just as tired. "Oh, you two are up already? "
"Ren's been up for hours apparently…"
"I couldn't keep sleeping the day away, I have 4 more left, gotta make them count" he replied, whistling to himself as he made them all breakfast.
"Since when do you cook?"
"You don't have to, we have chefs around"
"It's not problem, I've got this" he smirked, flashing his toothy grin. Before the girls knew it, Giroro set the table with eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Both of them stared at him in surprised.
"That was quick…I'm impressed" Momoka exclaimed.
"guess I've just got too much energy right now, I'll try to tone it down" he replied, rubbing the back of his head.
"You're accepting your lack of time very well…what did you and Fuyuki talk about exactly?" Yuriri asked.
"Oh, Fuyuki knows now?"
"He figured it out days ago, he just wanted to make sure. We just talked about whats happening, nothing too important really. I could ask the same of you and Natsumi" he threw back, sitting at the table and focusing on the little tadpole.
"How did you know I was talking with Natsumi?"
"Why else would you of been there so late and walking out the door? "
"It's scary sometimes how much I let you figure out" she sighed.
"Well if we've got Fuyuki on this now, he can surely help your cause, Giroro."
"Probably, knowing him, he's already planning on conversations to include in their daily lives"
"Well, I see a bright future for you after these last few days, but I don't want to say anything too soon, just in case."
"I understand, but I have a good feeling about today" he replied, standing up and putting his dish away. The two girls hadn't even realized that he finished eating when they barely started. He started for the door.
"Where are you going? There's still an hour before we should leave" Momoka inquired, watching him curiously.
"I figured I go for a walk, might as well enjoy the morning while I can"
"Let me go with you, just in case!" Yuriri offered, trying to push herself away from the table.
"No time! Bye!" he shouted, waving and running out.
"Giroro! Ugh…males on this planet are strange…"
"I couldn't agree more" the two girls sighed, continuing their breakfast.
—
"Why haven't I ever noticed how beautiful this planet is? Dororo's got the right idea…" Giroro asked himself, observing the trees and flowers around him. The white haired boy peeked out from behind a tree, waving at him meekly.
"Oh, it's you. Still can't talk?"
He shook his head.
"Can you talk and are choosing not to?"
He nodded.
"Alright, want to walk with me?"
The boy smiled and started walking beside the blonde teen.
"Have you seen Karis since that one time?"
He nodded again.
"He do anything to you?"
Pausing, he frowned and nodded.
"Bad things?"
He put up his hand and shook it to indicate so-and-so.
"Are you still on my side?"
The boy nodded again, smiling now.
"Is he watching us right now?"
He looked around, closing his eyes. When he opened them, he shook his head.
"That's good, do you have another note for me by any chance?"
He reached into his hoodie and pulled out a note, handing it to Giroro.
"Should I read it right now?"
He nodded, motioning for him to open it.
"2 Things i'd like to talk to you about. One, Karis is getting desperate with trying to get to you and Natsumi. He might try something different soon, so beware. Two, please relay a message to Yuki from me. I'd like to see her soon in a private location. You may come with her if you like, I want to reveal something that needs to be said."
"Do you want to meet tonight perhaps? I've only got 4 days left, but I suppose you already know that"
Putting his hands together, he bowed, asking nicely to meet as soon as possible.
"I think I can arrange that, where should we meet?"
The boy asked for the paper again. Taking his finger, he started jotting down his thoughts. Giroro watched in awe as he magically made words appear.
"The abandoned toy store? The one where I took Natsumi? Alright, then later tonight you'll see Yuki and I. Do you still want to walk with me?"
He nodded, but quickly stopped walking. His face turned serious as he faced behind them, looking perplexed. Giroro stopped, staring at him. The boy bowed, apologizing, before teleporting away from him.
"Alright, then till later" Giroro said, walking away with his hands in his pockets.
"I wonder who he is…guess I'll find out tonight" he whispered to himself. He continued his nature walk until he had to go to classes.
—
The boy kneeled down by the school yard surrounded by piles of dust. He bit back his rage, fists clenching.
"You couldn't even save one of them…hahahahaHAHAHAHA"
The boy turned, glaring daggers at Karis.
"What? Are you mad?! Ha! Fancy that! A child that can't even talk is mad at me! HAHAHAHAHA!"
His eyes started glowing as did his hands. The boy made the dust around him spiral around him, causing Karis to step back.
"W-wh…what…are…y-you…."
He didn't let him finish asking. Before he knew it, Karis felt thousands of pounds around his shoulders, pummeling him into the ground. With every attempt to struggle, the weight became greater. Karis, giving in, let out a shout of pain, causing the boy to stop. He released his grip and his eyes turned back to normal.
"Peh…you….fucking…I'll kill you…I'll take every ounce of your power….and then you'll be sorry you did this…I swear I'll—"
Annoyed by his bark, he teleported him away from him. Sighing, he looked around him at the piles of dust. Sadness filled him as he looked upon the fallen. One by one, he dug holes for each pile and buried them. Noticing someone is watching him, he turned around, looking to the trees. He smiled faintly, waving.
"So, you knew I was there…" Dororo spoke, coming out from his hiding spot. The boy nodded.
"Are those ashes the remains of your comrades that were also trapped in that crystal?"
He nodded again, hanging his head.
"It's not your fault, my friend….This Karis, is he the last one?
He clenched his fists, shaking with rage. He nodded.
"I see…will you continue to aid us after this encounter?"
With anger and determination, the boy looks up and nodded.
"Would you like to come back to my cottage? It's remote, hard to locate if you don't know where to go"
Taking a deep breathe, the boy calmed down, accepting his offer. He followed Dororo after finishing up the graves of his fallen comrades.
—
In class, Giroro avidly took notes, a newfound determination in his eyes. In the middle of her taking notes, Natsumi stared at him, curious as to what happened to his demeanor.
He seems so determined today….I wonder what happened this morning.
"Alright, you're dismissed. See you tomorrow class." the teacher announced, leaving as the bell rang.
Natsumi gathered her things, surprised to see Giroro already finished packing and is on his way out the door.
"H-hey, Ren! Wait up! " she called, running after him.
He stopped, turning back to face her. "I'm sorry for running out, still have a lot of energy."
"Still? You've been like this all day?"
"Yeah, don't know why really. But it's not hindering me so why not get used to it?" he said, shrugging.
"I guess that's a good —"
"Do you want to go out? Go do something? Maybe take a walk?" he asked quickly, looking to the side.
Blushing, she tried to find the right words. "Um, well I mean that was so forward and I mean "
"Please say yes? I could just walk you home if that works"
"A walk sounds nice" she replied, smiling cutely.
"Perfect! Shall we?" he asked, extending his hand to her. She looked at his hand, her heart pounding.
"S-sure."
Taking her hand, he quickly started dashing out of the room. The students they passed stared at them, some whispering about them. Blushing, Natsumi waved at them nervously.
"R-ren you're going too fast!"
"Sorry!" he replied, stopping and taking it as a walk. She sighed and watched him curiously from then.
—
The two teens laughed as they shared stories of their lives. Giroro's energy had finally calmed.
"I can't believe the stupid frog tripped over the laundry while also gardening!" Natsumi laughed.
"He's so useless sometimes! "
"Oh! And this one time, he tripped into the washing machine and it shut him in! It wasn't until the session was done until we found him!"
"Really? Wow, he really is a useless comedian in his spare time. "
"Right? It's been a while since I've been able to just laugh about old stories, it was a great idea to go on this walk, thank you Ren."
"Of course Natsumi, I've been meaning to spend more time with you" he let slip out. Catching himself, he turned away nervously.
Natsumi blushed. "Really?"
"Yeah, I've kind of wanted to do it since the day I saw you…" he continued, blushing redder now.
"You're making me blush, you're really sweet."
"I am? I guess I'm trying a lot then, haha"
"Well, it's working" she replied, leaning in closer to him.
Their hands intertwined as they walked. Giroro smiled softly at her. "You know Natsumi…I haven't met anyone like you before…I'm glad I got to meet you"
"You make it sound like you're leaving" she responded, laughing lightly.
"Did I? I didn't mean to…."
"Hey Ren, what happens after that timer goes down to 0?"
"Depending on what happens in the next couple days, it could be something great, or something horrible. It's like a kiss."
Shocked, she looked up at him. "What did you say? "
"W-Well when you think about it, a kiss can be either a good thing or a bad thing. It just depends on what you do about afterwards. "
She remembered the talk her and Yuriri had the other night. She thought about their kiss, how it could determine their relationship. "I think I understand that…What do you want to do about it?"
"About the counter?"
"Y-yeah, it's like a kiss so, what would you do about it?"
"I'd hope that the best option happens and I'd try to do anything I could for it to happen" he replied, staring ahead blankly.
"Can you tell me what that is?" she cooed, hoping to get him to reveal something.
"Well…I can't really, but I can tell you what I'd like to happen."
"And what would you like to happen?"
He stopped. Natsumi looked up at him. Taking a deep breathe, he turned to her, still holding her hand. "Well…"
"Ren?"
"I'd like it if, maybe, we could —" he muttered, blushing red as he was about to reveal his feelings.
"Natsumi! There you are! It's your turn to make dinner! And you're late! And it's your turn to do chores! " Keroro shouted from the doorway. Giroro, out of annoyance, grabbed the frog by his head and glared at him.
"Keroro. Now is not the time" he growled.
"Kero….D-did I interrupt something?"
Natsumi giggled. "I should probably go and make dinner. It was really nice walking with you."
Setting Keroro down, he looked to her, reaching and pulling back. "Natsumi, I…I hope you have a good rest of your day…"
"Thank you Ren, I hope you do too" she replied, grabbing the green frog and dragging him back inside the house.
When the door closed, he sighed. "Dammit Keroro…". Grabbing his necklace, he examined it. As he looked at it, confusion filled him. "That's strange….I could of swore there were other names here….I can't read this one…maybe Yuki could…" he whispered to himself. He stopped, looking back to the house he so desperately wanted to go back to. Taking one last look, he walked away.
—
After dinner, Natsumi went up to her room to do some homework. As she rummaged through her bag, she thought about the kiss and the consequences of one. As she flipped through the pages of her homework, she became more and more lost in thought about her feelings. On one hand, she liked Ren. On the other, she sighed. She was confused more than anything. In the middle of her thoughts, a piece of paper fell out from her book. When she reached down to pick it up, she remembered what it was.
"It's from that boy from before.." she whispered. Picking it up, she read on the front, "Read when you're sure…"
Taking a deep breathe, she opened the note and began reading.
—
"Giroro? Where are we going?" Yuki asked.
"Dororo's house, I got a letter changing our meeting place earlier."
"From who? What's going on?"
"Trust me, we'll find out soon enough. There it is. "
The blonde teen knocked on the door, waiting for someone to open it. Dororo answered, greeting his visitors.
"Hello Giroro and Miss Yuki. Please come in. "
"Thank you Dororo. So, where is he?"
"You can come out now, it's safe."
After a pause, the white boy teleported back into the room, waving at the two newcomers.
"You! But, how?!" Yuki asked, looking for an answer from anyone.
"We met up earlier, he wanted to meet you in a private location"
" Me? Well, that's perfect since I wanted to find him anyways."
Closing the door, Dororo put a paper strip with Japanese writing on the door, sealing the room.
"What did you do?" Giroro asked, intrigued.
"I cloaked my home so that nothing can find it. It's alright now, you can start your meeting my friend. "
"Thank you, Dororo" the boy spoke.
"You CAN talk!" Giroro exclaimed.
"What?! But you said—"
"Yuki…I'm sorry I lied to you, but I couldn't have you find me so easily…or anyone for that matter…," he paused, tears welling in his eyes as he gazed at her, " I'm sorry…this is…really hard for me…I just can't believe I get to see you again"
"See me again? Who are you?"
"Giroro, can I see your key?" he asked, brushing away the tears and extending his hand.
"Sure?" he replied, taking it off and handing it to the boy.
"There's only three names left" the boy replied, handing it to Yuki without even looking at it.
Hesitating, she took the necklace and began reading it. She stopped as she read over the third name. Once, twice, three times, over and over again she reread the name, making sure she wasn't mistaken. A tear escaped her eye as she gripped the key tightly. "No…no…nonononono…" she whispered, not wanting to believe it.
"Yuki!? What's wrong?!" Giroro asked, taking a fighting stance in front of the boy.
Dororo held his hand up, telling his friend to lower his stance. "The truth is hard to bare…"
"Yuki…I know it's hard to believe…" the boy began, stopping as he looked at the pain in her eyes.
"You can't be…..you don't look like him…." she defended, giving Giroro back his key.
"That's because I'm in a different form…you of all Adanians should remember that we are the same…." he spoke. In an instant, his body changed, morphing into his true form. He grew taller than everyone in the room, reaching the ceiling. His white hair grew longer, touching his back. His eyes turned to a rainbow of colors. All the while Yuki watched him, the pain growing inside her as the truth set in.
"No….but…how…they said you were trapped…"
"In your crystal…I had no choice…."
"But…why…you didn't do anything wrong! It was my fault!" she shouted, grabbing at her sleeves.
The tall man kneeled down, lifting her chin so they were eye level. "Because I stopped doing my job, because I also fell victim to what we try and stop others from doing….I let my love for someone stop my job…I became free-willed…" he spoke, smiling at her sadly.
"Aylin….why would you risk something like that….you know how they are…"
Giroro stared at them, confused as ever. Aylin caught his stare.
"Giroro, it's alright, you can lower your guard….I'm an old friend of Yuki's…."
"Aylin…" she teared up. Her body began changing, revealing her true form. She grew as tall as Aylin. Her blue hair turned white as snow, growing to floor length. Her icy cold eyes turned to a rainbow of blues and greens. When she was done, she quickly embraced him, holding him close as the pain filled her body.
"Ssh…It's going to be alright Yuki…Giroro…there is something I must warn you about…"
