Chapter 14: Bond

"So Mikasa-san, how long have you been stuck here? … Actually, stupid question… when did you arrive here?" our protagonist Yuuki Rito asked to the young blue-haired girl beside him.

"Umm… it was like in the middle of February or something…" Mikasa replied with her head slightly tilted in thought.

"Wow, you've been here for like over a month… that's amazing that you've survived here for so long- not being rude or anything!" Rito complimented as he glanced at the young girl. I don't know… this girl doesn't seem like your average teenager to be honest… that jump for example… Rito thought as they continued to walk. In the horizon, the 'Sun' set, giving the whole sky a stronger orange tint and causing shadows all around them. Rito put his senses on high alert.

"Uh, Mikasa-san, I hope you don't mind me asking, but did you come here with your parents or anything?" Rito asked politely. The girl looked down for a few moments, as if she was considering very carefully on how to answer it.

"No, I came on my own…" the girl replied quietly as they both sat down behind the ruins of a small house-like structure.

"… Onii-san, the truth is… I don't really have any parents- I don't even have any family that I know of… I've just been going at it on my own…" the girl added, rather depressingly. Rito took in the words, and deliberated for a few moments in the silence.

"Mikasa-san, when we get out of this place and back to Earth, then I promise that I'll find you a home," Rito said sternly, putting out his hand.

"But for now, we need to find some better shelter- Mikasa-san, you can sleep in that house, I'll watch over for the night," Rito said as he pointed to the house they were standing beside.

"Won't it be dangerous though Onii-san?" Mikasa said, her voice laced with hints of worry.

"Haha, don't worry about me- you might not have seen, but I can take care of myself very well. And Mikasa-san, since we're probably going to be in each other's company for a bit longer, my name is Yuuki Rito," Rito replied politely with a smile, his hands behind his neck.

"Okay, please take care, Rito-nii," Mikasa said with a smile as she walked inside, a small blush on her face. 'Rito-nii'? Okay, that surprised me a bit, but okay… I'm more curious about these monsters Mikasa mentioned earlier though, and if there's anymore survivors… although that might be unlikely, Rito thought as he lay next to the entrance of the house, like a guardsman. Gazing upwards, he noticed the evening sky… it was rather different to the scene back on Earth as red nebulas were visible in the sky, massive O-type luminous stars were close-by in the sky, and the sky itself was a rather disturbing grass-green colour. This place is really, really different…

Later in the night, Rito sensed movement as he took his earphones out; around 100 metres ahead of the buildings, there was a materialisation of a shadowy substance- and it was alive. He watched as the substance morphed into three different creatures, all walking on four limbs and having red eyes; those things look very unpredictable- I wouldn't be surprised if they could morph their body parts some more, Rito thought with apprehension. Closer and closer they walked, it was like they were looking for specific targets or any signs of life; these 'shadows' were hostile. When one of the 'shadows' came across a rotting skeleton, Rito saw it put its mouth on the skeleton, causing the skeleton to first break, then getting sucked into the creature's 'mouth'. To his left side, there was commotion, as electrical currents hung in the air, with a large portal appearing; he didn't know how and why it'd appeared, but it was a way out of here- he quickly ran inside.

"Mikasa-san! Wake up…" Rito shrugged the sleeping girl.

"Rito-nii… what's the matter?" the girl said rather groggily.

"No time to explain in detail, but there's a way out of this place- let's go!" Rito said as he grabbed the young girl's hand. They went outside the doorway, the light from the portal illuminating the night… as well as the 'shadows' from before.

"Damn, how the hell did they get here so quick?! Scary, man," Rito stated as he looked at the creatures; he knew who their next target was.

"Sorry about this, Mikasa-san, I hope you don't mind," Rito picked up the young girl bridal style as he dodged the jumping 'shadows'. Rito unsheathed his katana and slashed it in a curved motion, releasing an electrical projectile towards the creatures.

"Rito-nii, what are we going to do? They're right in between us and the portal," Mikasa stated, her voice showing signs of frustration. There's only one idea in my mind right now- this will save Mikasa, that's for sure, Rito thought as he planted the katana on the ground.

"Mikasa-san, I'm going to save you…" Rito said as he took a step back, and threw Mikasa towards the portal. She was too surprised to even respond as she looked back to see Rito smiling and waving. Just as the creatures got ready to jump in as well, Rito grabbed his katana and raised it above him. Pillars of Flame, rise! Out of the ground, scorching super-heated flames rose, covering the portal entrance from all.

"Sorry, but you can understand that I can't let any of you through… or maybe you don't," Rito said, strongly at first, then slowing down. As the flames descended into the ground, the portal was already gone. Looks like I'm going to have to find a way out again… and this situation as well, Rito glanced at each of the creatures. They literally looked like shadows, so he didn't really know what would work on them and what wouldn't. Fire seemed to scare them off a little, he jumped backwards to avoid their attacks and sped in between them to create some thinking distance (not driving-related by the way). I'm such an idiot! There's light of course! He pointed the katana towards the creatures and charged at them. Light, shimmer and purify! With superhuman speeds, he slashed all three of them in one attack, his katana glowing with blinding light as they dissipated in the aftermath. Thought that would work… now to find a way out… the skies still glowed with a grass-green colour as Rito went on alone.

Here's another chapter guys and don't worry, Rito will get out as well. This isn't the last you see of Mikasa either- I will integrate her into this story. Please leave me a review if you can, and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thanks for reading!