DAY NINETEEN, WORD NINETEEN: MY INSPIRATION (PART III)
While the other forest was dead and resembling curling fingers, this one was full of life, yet still very… eerie. I suppose it didn't help the fact that the sun dropped suddenly on our way inside, the moon over us, clouds thin and misting against it. It was so dark, occasional crunching making our group shuffle a little closer together, a wolf howl or two heard from the distance.
"S-so…" I whispered, encouraging conversation to avert this awful feeling. "Who do you think we'll find next?"
Taruru bent his arms behind his neck. "Lessee…. We got Rita, Kitty, and Stella. So all we need is Pururu and Ruby, right?"
"Right…" I nodded slightly. "I wonder what fairytales their levels are based on…"
"Hm." Rita pondered at this. "Good question."
"Are those howls… are those howls getting louder?" Tororo said, looking at Garuru.
Garuru gazed down at the New Recruit before looking about him. I guess he also agreed, because he materialized his sword then and there.
We each drew our own weapons, Stella and Kitty giving each other an anxious look.
"Johnny?" Stella asked softly. "What do we do?"
"Just, um… J-just stay behind me," I replied, waving my back behind me.
"You can use him as a shield," Taruru snickered.
We ignored him.
The world that moment then just… froze. Absolutely froze. All the night creatures we heard were muted, and the gentle, slight swaying of the trees stopped, making everything just… dead silent. Frozen.
Just as I was about to speak up, a husky, murmuring voice began to whisper a song that just came at us from… everywhere.
"..Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?"
I turned my head sharply to the side, as did the others, trying desperately to search for the source of the singer.
"The big bad wolf, the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf…?"
Tororo seemed to be the most terrified for some reason, and I could understand why... knowing the story. He quickly grabbed Kitty's pants leg, very visibly shaking at the freaky chant that had begun swirling around us.
"Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?"
The song stopped short with a devious cackle as loud, piercing howls filled the air. All of us reached for and held our ears, cringing at the unnerving sound. As it died down, the very creatures responsible for those howls began to reveal themselves; a somewhat anthropomorphic wolf, more wolf than man.
They stood on their hind legs, and that was perhaps the only human-like aspect they possessed. Their heads, their snouts, their claws all screamed something belonging to a different creature. Their fur colors ranged from black to brown to blond, though they all shared the same blood-red eyes that bore into our skulls, making tragically sure that you never forgot their gruesome faces.
"Little Red Riding Hood…" The one in the center said soothingly. He was the largest of them all, his own dark, dark brown fur bristling, his fangs appearing the most threatening as they stretched to a grim smirk. "Where are you going? What do you have there, in that little basket of yours?"
Tororo said nothing, instead choosing to hide behind Kitty. The girl put a protective hand over him, like a mother would in response to a creep that was offering candy to her child.
"Are you going to rescue the princess? …Would you mind telling me where she is~?"
"…Man, this is creepy," I murmured.
"Level four," Tororo said softly. He burrowed his face against Kitty's legs. "L-let's just get this over with, okay?"
Garuru delivered the first strike, slashing against wolf nearest to him. To our irritation, numbers flew out of the creature. Great.
50, 45...
"You're going to have to pick up the pace, Johnny," Taruru said, his stern voice trying to combine his typical cheerful tone.
I nodded meekly. "I-I'll try."
"Ku-ku-ku~!"
I yelped. "Don't DO that!"
"I guess I'll have to provide you with yet another hint," Kururu sighed. "Ku. Look inside the pest's basket. That's where the other two partners have their own weapons. Ku-ku! Have fun!"
Before we had a chance to say anything else, the screen turned black. Again.
I sighed.
"Cool! I got whips!"
I turned to see Kitty playing with long pieces of ropes, snapping it at the ground.
"And I have… apples." Aw. Poor Stella. I could actually hear the disappointment in her voice.
"Kururu said that our weapons work mainly on accuracy," I explained, dodging the swiping claw of an approaching wolf. "Yipe. U-uh…" I swung my sword toward it… only to have it fly out of my hands.
"Butterfingers," Zoruru said with an exasperated glance. He distracted the creature in front of me, urging me with great annoyance to fetch my sword, and I did so in complete obedience and utter embarrassment.
BOOM.
"No fair! Why does she get bombs?" Taruru whined, watching Stella with the small red fruits in her hand.
"I think they're grenades," She corrected him, grinning. "Never mind what I said about the apples! This is awesome!"
Rita and Kitty were off to the side, also pillaging these wolves, killing them off slowly but surely.
I had to keep reminding myself that this was a game; I guess you were supposed to have fun. With that in mind and the sword in my hand, I made another lunge toward a wolf. It simply moved one step to the side, tripping me with its extended foot.
It gave a cross between a human's laugh and a wolf's amused bark.
Mm. Even in a virtual game, the ground still doesn't taste that good.
Focus.
I pounded my weapon against the wolf's chest, and it gave a whine that made my heart bleed. It reminded me of my little dog when I accidentally stepped on her paw or something.
Great.
This game is now making me feel bad about hurting the villains. Geez, I would make a horrible video gamer.
"Little Red, Little Red…"
"G-get away from me! Ipe!"
"Ku-ku-ku~ Four more lives for New Recruit Tororo!"
I punched the wolf away from him, my sword flying off somewhere.
100, 95...
Cool. I actually managed to score some damage. Err, I would totally be mentally celebrating if it wasn't now turned to me.
Oh dear. It was the bigger wolf…
I backed away a step.
It snarled. "You will pay for that, weakling…" It slashed at my face, and I fell back, grabbing at the pain-inflicted wound. Ugh… it hurt…
Pop.
"Ku-ku-ku~ Three more lives for Johnny Cadet!"
The wolf gave a throaty yelp as Garuru jumped in between us, delivering blows that would prove to be fatal in the real world. The leader of this wolf tribe's number was decreasing rapidly.
75, 70, 65...
It eventually gave up trying to fight the purple Keronian and ran to another section, hoping to go for weaker prey, not that the Lieutenant would let him. Garuru trailed after it, blade glinting in hand.
"Uh… hey."
I looked down at the tadpole, who was gripping the handle of his basket and staring down at the ground.
"…Thanks."
I smiled. "No problem."
"Has anyone seen the larger wolf?"
All of us gazed about, panting slightly from our excursion. All the wolves were gone, being killed to death and stuff. The woods seemed a little less menacing because of it, making us relax a little more.
"Didn't we kill it?" Rita asked, taking a deep breath.
Garuru seemed troubled as he dissipated his weapon. "I don't know."
Truthfully, I wasn't paying too much attention. All I was aware of was that most of us actually lost hearts during this challenge; I was worried that if this was hard, what the last level was like- and then I realized that this challenge wasn't even over yet.
"…I have a feeling he fled," Garuru continued, snapping me out of my thoughts. "He might attack us later… just… keep an eye out."
"Hey, Tororo," Taruru stuck his sword in his sheathe.
Tororo looked mildly annoyed. "What."
"I noticed that you were looking a bit… erm, different is the better word-"
"Just say it."
"Were you afraid of the wolves, Tororo?" Zoruru intercepted, walking toward them.
Tororo bit his lower lip and looked down. "There was just something about them, okay? I don't know why."
"Well," Rita mused, "Little Red Riding Hood is basically a story about the main character trying to get her goodies to her grandma. Then she's stopped by a wolf- and the wolf convinces her to tell her where she's going. The wolf takes a shortcut to the grandma's house, eats the grandma, and disguises himself as her so that when Little Red comes by, he'll eat her next." She shrugged. "I'm honestly not that surprised that you were scared of them. This game probably programmed the character 'Little Red Riding Hood' to be scared of them.
"I… guess…" Tororo said slowly, glancing at Garuru… nervously?
"Where do we go now, Garuru?" Kitty asked politely. She paused and irritably batted the ribbon from her hat behind her head.
"The castle," Garuru explained, taking the map from Tororo and examining it. "We're almost there."
"Hey, Johnny." I felt something pull me back by the ridiculous cape I was wearing. I automatically assumed it was a tree, until I realized I should probably connect the pulling with the voice that just said my name. I looked down.
"Yeah, Tororo?"
"…Come back with me."
"…Come back?"
Tororo nodded, gesturing toward the back of the group.
"Something wrong?" Kitty inquired.
"N-no, I just wanted to talk to Johnny about something."
Kitty tilted her head. "What about?"
"…Um… Guy stuff," Tororo said quickly, emphasizing the 'guy' part and giving her a little glower.
"I'm curious," Kitty said with a grin.
"Please," Tororo said, sighing exasperatedly. "I want to talk to Johnny alone."
"Hm," Kitty folded her arms. "…Okay. Are you guys going to at least fill me in-?"
"Depends," Tororo replied, yanking at my cape again. He seemed to be in something of a hurry. "We'll be in the back of the group."
Before we could hear Kitty's response, Tororo pulled me all the way back like he said he would, and when we were a reasonable distance from anyone able to eavesdrop, he turned his attention up at me.
"…Should I be concerned?" I asked him.
"You're always concerned, so it would make no difference if you were concerned now." Tororo glimpsed back at the group before turning back to me. "…But I'm serious. Um." He scratched the back of his neck. "…I'm scared."
I blinked at him, and then looked around. Why was he telling me this?
I guess he must've read my puzzled expression, because he continued, "You just don't seem like the type of guy to tease me, alright? ….I'm scared."
"What are you scared of?" I looked around for that television-like device Kururu kept around, but then dismissed that fact that he was probably already watching us anyway.
Tororo must've realized the same thing, because then he completely stopped me and made me lean down to let him whisper in my ear.
"I'm scared of the Lieutenant; I don't know why."
"The Lieutenant?" I repeated, mouthing the word.
Tororo nodded uneasily. "I-I mean-" He beckoned me to follow him as we began to regain distance between the group, "-…I was fine with him before the… weird wolf thing." Tororo shuddered at this. "But after… I'm just terrified of him, as if he was-"
"-One of the wolves?" I made a face. Tororo nodded again, biting his finger as he gazed at the purple Keronian.
I rubbed my own neck. "Hm."
"I-if I told the others, they would've laughed at me," Tororo murmured. "Told me that it was all in my head. B-but… I'm scared. I'm really scared… and I don't know why…"
"Maybe it's the association with the wolf on his hat?" I attempted. "He does kind of remind me of a wolf, you know; like, the leader of a wolf pac-"
"Don't say that. Imagining us all as wolves-"
I grinned wryly. "I-I'm sorry." Then I folded my arms in thought. "…But you know… that may not be the thing. The thing that's bothering might just be 'wolves', you know? Your character is designed to be afraid of them; it might just be a sort of 'defense mechanism' or something like that."
"So you don't believe me," Tororo said flatly.
I gently reached down and pat his back. "I do. I'm just saying that it might not be… you who's afraid of the Lieutenant. It just might be the character."
Tororo still seemed a little unsure about this, but he nodded anyway. "Okay." He picked up his pace. "I'm going to go see Kitty."
"You gonna tell her?"
Tororo stopped briefly, considering this. "…I might."
The castle was a mixture of sophistication, age, and terror. Seriously. What my mom would give to explore a building like this.
"Great. Are we going to have to fight again?" Taruru asked us, reaching for his sword again.
There was an enormous crowd of people, all holding torches and pitchforks or some kind of weapon.
"Only one way to find out, right?" I asked as I walked up to them anxiously. "Hi."
The man in charge turned to look at me, his large, muscular face arranged to form a very annoyed frown. "Yes, yes, what is it?"
"Um…" I coughed into a closed palm. "…What are you doing?"
"We're here to destroy the beast."
"The beast?" I perked a brow.
"A beast is keeping a maiden in there, trapped," The man said, pointing at the walls of the castle with his pitchfork.
"Really." I crossed my arms.
"Beauty and the beast," Rita said cheerfully.
"I was just about to say that," Kitty pouted.
Rita smirked at her older sister before turning to the crowd. "So a beast's in there?"
"Yup."
"…Why don't you go in it?"
The man in charge glanced at the group, who shuffled their feet together.
"…Err, the thing is…"
"The monster is huge!" One of the men behind them cried out in a high pitched squeaky voice. "It has fangs that reach down to the floor! It reeks of the flesh of dead people he's killed!"
"That… sounds fascinating…" Zoruru said from behind me. I jumped slightly and got out of his way, backing toward Stella, who gently caught my shoulders and set me to the side of her. "But completely implausible. Fangs that reach to the floor? How would he walk?"
Apparently the mob hadn't thought of that. Still, they were blocking our way to the main entrance; the gate. No one wanted to move.
"We'll slay the beast for you!"
The mob turned to Taruru, who valiantly held his sword up in the air. The murmured approvingly, nodding as they parted to let our party pass.
"Well done, Private," Garuru muttered, as he walked by Taruru.
The light blue Keronian beamed, grinning up at Rita, who rolled her eyes playfully.
Kitty gazed at big wooden doors of the castle unsurely. "…Hm. How are we going to get in?"
Garuru answered her question by leaning his arms against it and pushing hard. The door gave in, creaking loudly as it opened.
"…Well that was easy enough."
Rita looked around eagerly. "Hey! Where's the dancing candlestick and the singing dresser?"
Garuru gazed at Kitty quizzically, who shrugged and gave him a "what-can-you-do" expression. "She likes Disney movies."
"This story doesn't require some sort of kiss, does it?" Garuru asked me, turning to look up at me.
"Well, actually," I gave him a small smile. "This story starts off with a man who is looking around to find a gift for his daughter. He comes across a garden, and finds a beautiful rose. The man takes the rose without even thinking it belongs to someone else, and a beast comes and demands that the man pay for his life for the rose. The man bargains his daughter instead, and the beast agrees. The man leaves the girl with the beast, and as time goes on, the beast and the girl fall in love-"
"Do all of these Western fairytales have something to do with love?" Garuru questioned, frowning at the thought.
"…Well… yeah. But I think it was because… back then, poor people had so much to hope and dream for… and these little stories are their hopes and dreams passed down after their generation."
"It still sounds unrealistic," Garuru affirmed with a small grunt. He gazed about.
"So if this 'Beauty and the Beast'…" Zoruru frowned. "…Then… where's the beast?"
Loud footsteps echoed down from somewhere; all of us prepared ourselves as we grabbed at our weapons. The footsteps got louder and louder, more excitable too, it seemed.
Suddenly, they stopped. The tension increased…
"Hi guys!" Ruby cried out from the top of the staircase.
All of us fell backwards.
"What?" Ruby looked slightly offended. "You didn't expect to see me?"
"No, no," I shook my head, standing up from the ground. "It's just…" I glanced around warily. "…Where's the beast?"
"…The beast?"
"We were told there was some sort of beast inside," Garuru explained.
Rita gave of a puzzled face as she shook her head. "…No. No, there's no beast here. I've just been stuck here for such a long time…"
"Were you okay here?" I asked her. Something didn't feel right about this at all, but I seriously couldn't put my finger on it.
"I was alone and bored, but I had my music with me, so it was all good," She replied cheerfully, demonstrating as she pulled her iPod out of her pocket.
The young girl was wearing a light purple dress with a white apron over it that looked quite ordinary compared to the other princesses'. Her dark hair was tied back with a ribbon of the same color, pulling it all away from her face.
I scratched the side of my face as I turned to look down at the Lieutenant.
..And then something weird happened. I could've sword that I saw… I don't know… something fidget, like a shadow. Something dark slip across the floor onto Garuru's shadow. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, wondering if it was all in my head, and when I reopened them, everything was fine.
"…Are you alright, Cadet?"
"…Eh?" I realized that I must've been staring. I blushed heavily. "I-I'm sorry!"
"Why are you apologizing?" Garuru asked me, although I knew he knew better to. "I asked you if you were alright."
"I-I'm fine," I stammered. I laughed weakly.
Tororo spoke up to quicken the pace, "So how do we rescue Rub-?"
At that instant, a crown floated about Ruby's head, and a white light flashed over her.
"Ku-ku-ku~ Level four completed~"
Ruby had a tiara with Pururu's symbol sitting delicately on her head, and her dress had- surprise, surprise- shrunk up to her hips, although the apron had shrunk too. She wore skinny jeans with sneakers that she could easily run in.
…Wait.
…How the heck does this Kururu guy-?
You know what? Not going there. Nuh uh. Not going there.
"That was… easy," Tororo noted, looking over cautiously to Garuru.
"There was no beast," I murmured. "…That's… really weird."
"Hey, Kururu-!"
"Don't question him!" Tororo scowled to Taruru, who was just beginning to cry out for the older Keronian. "I don't care; as long as we can get out of this stupid game, It'll be okay, okay?"
Taruru shrugged and puckered his lips. "That sucks, though. I was having fun."
"Your fun could mean your life!" Tororo said, perhaps even a bit too over exaggeratedly, even for me. He wagged a finger at him. "You only have one life left, might I remind you!"
Taruru grinned at this, remembering the two hearts he had lost during the battle with the wolves. "Oh, well. At least I can tell my kids it was worth it."
"You have kids?" Rita asked him, shocked. "How old are you-?"
"He doesn't have any kids!" Tororo yelled, waving a fist in the air.
I smiled. At least he was back to normal; that little scared act was getting me a little scared myself.
"So, what?" Ruby asked, after being filled in by Stella. "The last princess to rescue is-?"
"-Pururu," I finished, nodding. I sighed, my complete body beginning to ease upon realizing that this game was almost over. "Yes. Where we off to now, Lieutenant?"
Garuru was frozen, just standing there. I waved my hand in his face. "…Lieutenant?"
He snapped out of it, jumping in completely bewilderment. That was… weird.
"Yes, Cadet?" Garuru turned to me, regaining his stoic composure.
"Where…" I gave him a suspicious look. "…Are you okay?"
"Mm. Lost in thought. What did you want to ask me?"
"Where are we off to next?"
Garuru took the map from Tororo- and didn't notice the tadpole practically threw it to him before he scampered off behind Kitty- and looked at it.
Over the castle was the name 'Beauty'. A light purple trail ran up to our final destination- a larger, more Gothic castle, black, with a thorny forest that surrounded it.
I'm starting to get really sick of those stupid forests.
"Here we are…"
Thorns surrounded the entrance to the forest- no, wait… the thorns were the forest. The thorns were either in clusters or scattered about, its spikes ranging from a few centimeters to an inch in length.
We were guessing that even running to one of the larger ones by accident could cost us a life.
Garuru waved his hand behind him, directing his gesture to Taruru. "Stay b-between the group. We can't afford to lose you."
"D'aw, thanks Lieutenant," Taruru said with a wide smile, following his leader's direction.
"You cold?" I asked the purple frog, noticing his stutter.
Garuru glanced at me. "No. I'm fine."
"Oh." Hm. That was weird.
"Tororo," Garuru called out to the little tadpole. "Come up here. We'll be able t-to keep a close eye on you."
"I'll take care of him," Kitty interjected, her hand on Tororo's helmet. "It's okay, I got him."
So Tororo told her about his fears after all. By the looks of it, he seemed relieved that he did so, too; clutching on to Kitty's pants leg.
"….Very well then," Garuru said slowly.
"This game was fun," Stella said brightly, earning an eye roll from the cyborg. "I hope we get to play another one like this soon."
"Don't get too excited," Zoruru said with a sharp glare to his partner. "The last level was admittedly difficult; more so than the others. I can only imagine what challenge this will prove to be."
Stella nodded in agreement. "True. But that's what the game so much fun! You wouldn't have fun with a game that was too easy." She gazed down at him thoughtfully. "It's the same for you. Would you rather have a battle with someone that was too easy to beat, or someone that was actually a challenge?"
Zoruru blinked at this, before huffing a "Point taken." and turning away.
"Ku-ku-ku~ Congratulations; you've made it this far~!"
I fell backwards again, this time against Ruby.
She squeaked as she landed on the ground also- domino effect.
"H-hey!" She exclaimed weakly. I rolled off of her, my face burning a dark red color.
"S-sorry!"
"It's fine." She patted the dust off of herself.
"How does it feel, ku?" Kururu asked, his device hovering above us playfully.
"It sucks," Tororo pouted.
"Ku! My, you're actually beginning to regret having this game end~? I'm so flattered~" To creep the little tadpole out, Kururu blushed and rose his hands to his cheeks in mock bashfulness.
Tororo turned pale before his color gradually turned bright red with anger. "I MEANT THE STUPID GAME, OLD MAN! This GAME sucks! It's too hard, we all look like idiots, and your last level was too uncreative!"
"…Ku. Uncreative?" Kururu frowned at this, an obvious irritation overcoming his features. "…Ku-ku… What do you mean?"
"The last level was Beauty and the Beast, right?" Tororo retorted. I could feel a little bit of pride envelope him, like he was only happy to point out the faults in his rival; something I guessed wasn't very often. "Pu-pu! Yeah right. The only mention of 'Beauty and the Beast' was the mob outside the castle! There was no beast inside, old man! What, couldn't come up with something more, I dunno, imaginative?" He made a little scoff. "Pu-pu! I could've designed a better challenge."
"…There… was no beast inside the castle?" Kururu repeated. It was strange not hearing that signature laugh somewhere in his sentence. It sounded kind of… eerie. Kururu gazed down at his keyboard quizzically. "…Hm."
"Wait…" Taruru's usual smile eased. "…There was actually supposed to be a beast in there?"
Ruby looked a little scared. "…Does that mean that the beast went lose?"
"…Ku." The Keronian typed something rapidly on his keyboard- being something of a writer myself, I found myself lost in the speed of his fingers. His voice snapped me out of it, "…There was supposed to be a beast in that castle. I supposed when I transferred the SimCube to you, the data somehow got lost. Ku-ku." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh well. I suppose you got a free pass to the next level. Ku-ku!"
"…What were we supposed to do?" I asked, my curiosity once again getting the better of me.
"Ku. The beast was supposed to be guarding the fourth princess." Kururu examined the girls before pointing at Ruby. "Her. Even if you got to the fourth princess, he wasn't going to let you pass. You had to battle him before you could continue on, ku-ku."
"I see." Phew. If the wolves were hard, I could only imagine what the beast would have been like.
"You know," Kururu went on, "Originally, I was going to have the princesses disappear once you rescued them. Though," he grinned, making me shiver again, "what would be the fun of that? Ku-ku." Kururu jumped up slightly and turned his attention somewhere else, looking off to the side of his own room somewhere. "Ku. What do you want?"
A cheerful voice from somewhere answered, "Like, I just wanted to make you some curry!" Pause. "…What's that?"
"Nothing," Kururu said quickly.
The girl promptly ignored him and peeked at us; she had dark skin, with blond hair pushed to the side, wide, innocent looking brown eyes. She gasped delightedly. "Are these the Pekoponians from America? You can say, aloha!" She waved.
Taruru, Ruby, Rita, Kitty, Stella, and I waved back.
"Ku-ku! Get- away!" Kururu pushed her out of sight.
"Aww, who was that?" Ruby asked him.
"Nobody important, ku." Kururu said, completely annoyed.
"I ship you two," Kitty said suddenly, nodding affirmatively as she pulled up her glasses.
Kururu, again, looked aggravated. "…Ku. Have fun completing the hardest part of the game. Try not to get killed. Ku-ku! Sayonara." He snapped his fingers, and the screen went dark.
A thought came to mind. "…Hey, Garuru?" The purple frog was standing still again. I worriedly waved my hand over his face, and he shook his head. He gazed up at me.
"Yes?"
"Garuru, are you okay? Please answer me."
Garuru stared at me for a moment, and I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised. All this time I've been mostly calling him 'Lieutenant', the only exception when I first met him, but only because I didn't know what else to call him. I guess he just realized this, because instead of his typical dismissive reply, he looked down.
"…I don't know." The answer sounded genuine, which truthfully scared me. "I d-don't know."
His voice was usual, except for the stutter. But he didn't sound cold, or afraid, or sick. The problem was that he sounded normal. What was wrong with him?
"It's p-probably just the game, Cadet," Garuru said, gazing back up at me. "You have nothing to worry about. It'll all be over s-soon. Now," He folded his arms. "what was it that you wanted to ask me?"
"…Oh…" While I appreciated his initiative to change the subject for my sake, that thought that there might be something wrong with him still bothered me. Still, I guess I could just leave it at that for now… "…Um… right. Uh…" I gently prodded Garuru's shoulder with a hand, gesturing for him to continue walking. "…I just noticed something. How could we understand you guys?"
"…I beg your pardon?"
"Language-wise," I explained. "I mean… you guys are from a different planet. Yet… um… you speak English. And then there's that Kururu guy… and he's in Japan, you said earlier, yeah? …Well, he spoke to us in perfect English. I'm just curious as to how…?"
Garuru pointed at the insignia on his forehead. "This device has many uses; one of them being the ability to be able to communicate with the species of a planet by locating the nearest language within a certain perimeter. I actually spoke a different language before I met you."
"Spanish," I said suddenly, recalling that my neighbors were Mexican.
"Yes."
"But what about Kururu?" Rita asked suddenly, jumping into our conversation. "He isn't here; how could he communicate with us through a TV screen?"
"I'm sure he had his way," Garuru mused. "He's an inventor, if you didn't notice before. It's safe to assume he created a device to enable him to speak to many different languages around the planet."
"Cool." I said it before, and I'll say it again; alien technology is so cool.
"Is it just me, or have we been walking for days?"
Tororo's the impatient one. Aw, how cute.
For your information, the sun didn't come back up again, making this already creepy forest even creepier. Hm. Why do I doubt I'll be able to enter a forest without thinking of this momentous occasion again?
"Yes, Tororo," Zoruru replied briskly, "We've been wandering around this entire thorny forest for days. If we don't have food soon, we may have to eat the weakest among us to survive. First we'll eat you, and then we'll eat Cadet." He paused in mock consideration. "I think I'll eat you in barbecue sauce. Nothing like a juicy little tadpole grilled in barbecue sauce."
Tororo scowled at him. "I get it, I get it! It's just we've been walking for so long, I can't help but feel we're-"
"-in a maze?"
Everyone stopped to stare at me. I blushed profusely. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
"Why are you apologizing?" Ruby asked, resting a hand on a hip. "I think you might be on to something."
"…You do?"
"Yeah." Stella nodded. "I think so too."
"It sounds p-plausible," Garuru said in agreement. "Yes. We may have been walking in circles the whole time."
"…But what about the map?" I looked at the roll of paper in Garuru's hands. "Doesn't it tell you how to get out of here?"
Garuru shook his head. "No." He showed it to me; all there was to the map was the picture before. A thick thorny forest with the castle at the end. No paths were shown.
"So I guess we'll just have to remember where we were…" Stella said slowly.
"…Hey, Tororo?" Rita pointed at his basket. "Can I see that?"
The younger Keronian gave her a look, defending his little basket. "Why?"
"I just want to see if there's anything useful in there."
Tororo thought for a moment before he gave it to her moodily. Everyone seemed to go after the poor guy's basket.
"Hey, you're useful," I told Tororo. "You may not be able to fight- m-m-me neither! I-I can't fight either, m-may I remind you- but you're useful. Your basket has been carrying lots of things that we need."
"He's right, you know," Kitty said with a sweet smile. "Even though you are completely useless in the battlefield, you're really handy with that little basket of yours."
"Thanks… I think."
"I hope Pururu's alright," Ruby said, gazing at me.
"Sh-she can handle herself," Garuru told her assuredly.
"Not saying she can't but…" Her voice drifted slightly. "…I don't know. What if she doesn't have much of a choice but to stay as a damsel in distress?"
None of us could really counter what she just said, because it was true. The platoon's original weapons were exchanged for ones that would best fit their character, and each time we came to 'rescue' each of the girls, they were literally helpless. Rita in a bubble, Stella in a coma, Kitty in a tower, and Ruby in a castle. Time would only tell to see what kind of a fix Pururu was in.
"I found it!"
All of us jumped, turning to Rita, who was holding up a large loaf of bread.
"…We're going to eat?" Taruru asked.
"No," Rita replied with a shake of her head. "Don't you guys remember some kind of fairytale that used a loaf of bread?"
"…Jack and Jill!" I cried out, holding up a finger.
"Um…" Rita giggled. "No. Sorry, Johnny. It's Hansel and Gretel."
"…Oh." I blushed. "Hehe. S-sorry. That's, what… um. Th-that's what I meant."
"Hansel and Gretel used breadcrumbs to find their way back home when their stepmother wanted to keep them away," Rita said in explanation.
"And that's it?" Tororo asked, perking a brow. "The animals won't come by and eat it?"
Rita stopped short. "…Well…"
"That's what happened in the original story," Kitty said with a small, weak grin. "But Kururu left it for us, so… it has to be part of the challenge, right?"
"Correct," Garuru nodded. "I-it will keep us from r-r-repeating our actions."
"..You alright, chief?" Taruru asked slowly. "You k-k-k-keep stammering."
Garuru growled at Taruru's attempt to joke about the matter. "I'm fine. I honestly s-see nothing wrong with me; j-just this st-stuttering."
…Was it just me, or was he getting worse?
"I'm f-fine, Cadet," Garuru told me, looking away.
"…Okay," I said quietly.
"Wow, you were right!" Stella said cheerfully as we turned to a different route. "There's the breadcrumbs, right where we left them!"
"And it seems that we have an unlimited supply of loaves," Rita said, taking off a bit and sprinkling the crumbs behind her. "I actually feel like we're going farther."
"As do I," Garuru nodded. "Well d-done."
Before Rita could reply, she was interrupted by a roar.
That's right: a roar.
I could honestly say that I can't describe it; I've never, ever heard it before in real life. The only thing that would come to mind were the movies I've watched about dinosaurs, or even the Jurassic Park ride in the Universal Studios amusement park.
I grabbed at my ears again. Please let this be the last time I hear a loud noise…
I somehow doubted it, though.
Could you tell that I'm suffering…? Laugh. I dare you. LAUGH AT MY PAIN.
"What was that?" Taruru asked worriedly.
"…A dragon."
I looked at Rita. She certainly was very genre-savvy about fairytales, I noted. Wow. Come to think of it, she's been the one guessing everyone's fairytales thus far, even her own.
…I did a mental check to give her a cookie if I ever got the chance.
"A dragon?" Tororo widened his eyes.
"You know what that is, right?" I asked the platoon. They nodded vaguely. "Well-" There was another shriek of a roar that screamed from somewhere on the other side of the thorny forest. I winced. "…You'll find out on your own."
"I-it sounds d-d-dangerous," Garuru muttered, materializing a sword.
"We don't know that," Rita said. "They might be really nice! Some dragons are-"
Fire blew in the sky, turning the night blackness into a terrifying yellow-orange.
"…I take it back."
With the darkness gone, we felt utterly exposed to the brutal nature around us- or, rather, the monster that awaited us at the end of the forest.
We silently walked on.
Holey son of a flipping biscuit.
The dragon had black, glistening scales, smoke coming in thin wisps out of its nostrils. Its bright yellow eyes glowed like the hot, hot coals of a fiery furnace, its mouth agape to reveal pointed, deadly teeth in preparation of tearing apart flesh.
And it was on top of the castle, waiting for us.
It released another roar.
"L-level five," Garuru murmured.
"The last one," I confirmed.
"Be careful," Rita told Taruru. "You have only one life left."
Taruru grinned up at her. "I'll be fine!"
The girl responded by gently knocking on his helmet. "Fine. Just don't die on me."
"Are you going to be okay, Tororo?" Kitty asked.
Tororo stuck out his lower lip. "What do I look like, a girl?"
"Excuse me?"
"You don't have to worry about me," Zoruru said to Stella dismissively.
"I wasn't."
He replied by giving her an exasperated glare.
Ruby looked somewhat lonely without anyone to fuss over.
"She's fine," I assured her.
"I know," she said slowly. "I know."
"Wanna bet Pururu's in there?" Taruru questioned, pointing his sword toward the highest tower on the castle. I suppose it actually wasn't even something to guess about; the dragon was curled protectively over it. A serpentine tongue slid out from the corners of its mouth, daring us to come closer.
"We have to rescue to princess," I said unnecessarily. I drew my sword.
"We'll distract the dragon," Zoruru said with a small nod. "You and the Lieutenant go; we'll take care of it."
Garuru and I exchanged looks.
"…Okay."
I covered my ears and ducked my head, wincing at the painful sound.
"C-Cadet," Garuru snapped. "Th-the d-dragon is just going to keep r-roaring- y-you have to get u-u-used to it."
The inside of the castle walls were dark and gloomy; we passed by bodies upon bodies of people, and I wondered vaguely if they were dead.
"This story sounds familiar," I murmured.
"I-it sh-should b-be."
I glanced down at him, immediately looking away when he noticed me. His stuttering was getting worse… either he was trying to keep that fact to himself or he… genuinely didn't even realize it.
Which was… odd.
"Ku-ku-ku."
Something about the chuckle of the sergeant major sounded… ominous.
"…Game over for Private Taruru."
I shuddered, my heart thudding violently against my chest.
"I-it's a game, C-Cadet," Garuru reminded me. "Y-y-you have nothing t-to worry a-a-about."
Each room we passed by held a certain degree of royalty; drapes of different colors ran down the walls, flashes of gold made us squint when it hit the light just right, and the guards… that were on the floor.
It was then that I noticed that these people's chests were moving up and down… though just barely.
"They're asleep," I said, blinking at them.
"Oh?" Garuru gazed at me. "I a-assumed they were d-d-d-d-d-dead."
That scared me a little. "Lieutenant-?"
"Ku-ku-ku."
I stared up at the ceiling.
"….Game over for New Recruit Tororo."
My eyes widened with horror. "L-Lieutenant…"
"It's a-almost over," Garuru said under his breath. "E-endure for a l-little while l-longer."
He suddenly turned a sharp corner, to a door with a rose-shaped handle. He pushed it hard, making it creak as it gave in.
The dark, creepy colors softened to something more fragile; the room we entered was a light purple, windows open, its translucent curtains floating softly over the floor. On the center of the room was a large canopy bed, its drapes a similar color to the curtains, flower petals sprinkled delicately over the bed sheet.
And…
Oh.
A beautiful young girl lay down on the sheets, her fingers laced together and set gently on her waist. She wore a purple gown, tiny silver patterns weaving on the blouse and the train of her skirt. Her hair was a light pink color, and her skin looked like soft porcelain.
I had never seen her before.
"…Who's…?"
"Th-th-that is the Chief Medic."
I snapped my attention to him, and then to the girl. "…That's-?"
"P-precisely," Garuru frowned at this peculiar aspect. "S-strange, a-as th-this f-form is the m-medic's P-P-Pekoponian d-disguise."
"…Pekoponian disguise?"
Garuru waved his hand dismissively. "I-I'll e-explain it t-t-to you l-later. N-now." He turned to me. "W-what f-fairytale is th-this?" He stopped, waiting for an answer. When he noticed that I was still staring, he snapped his fingers together, and I returned my attention to him.
"Hm?"
"W-what fairytale is th-this?"
"…Oh. Sleeping Beauty."
Garuru tilted his head slightly at this.
"A king and a queen have a beautiful baby girl, their only child. They have a grand party but only invite certain people- including a few fairies. One of the fairies, an evil one, doesn't- and is furious because she isn't. When all the fairies are granting gifts to the baby girl, the evil fairy casts a curse on her- on her 16th birthday, she would prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die. One good fairy, however, didn't give the girl a gift and decided to use her own to 'fix' the spell, seeing as she couldn't reverse it; instead of dying, the girl would be placed in eternal slumber, until a prince came along to kiss her, and then wake her up-"
"That sounds unrealistic," Garuru and I said at the same time.
He gave me a warning glance, and I grinned widely at him.
"Sorry."
"…S-so." Garuru looked at Pururu, and then up at me. "…I-I suppose… s-seeing as she is a s-sleeping p-princess…"
"…I have to wake her up," my smile eased. "…Right."
I walked up to the canopy bed to where Pururu was lying so peacefully… wow. She's even prettier up close. I took a deep breath and kneeled, leaning down, my face growing close to hers…
There was a heavy clearing of the throat.
I jumped, and looked over my shoulder to Garuru. The purple frog looked… irritated? He was folding his arms and frowning, "I'm s-sure you can c-come up w-with another way to w-wake her up, C-Cadet."
"O-oh. Oh! R-right…!" I blushed heavily. "I-I'm sorry, you're right…"
I paused to think. Hm. The 'spell' reacts to body heat… right? I stood up and looked at my hand, before placing it on Pururu's face.
Her fist soared in the air, and I managed to barely dodge it, covering my nose in defense.
Geez, did Kururu honestly design the game so that if I were to actually kiss one of the girls they would react by punching me?
…That's just cold.
"Mm?" Pururu blinked sleepily, and then sat up, rubbing her eyes. She yawned, her hand over her mouth. And then she finally noticed we were there with her. She smiled. "Hi! I…" Her voice drifted off, and I saw her lips wiggle slightly. She turned away, her shoulders quivering. "Pfft… w-….wh-what are you w-wearing?"
"Oh." I felt my face turn red again. "It's, um." I told her what was going on, sparing the details.
Pururu giggled. "I see. Okay." she gazed idly at her hands. "Oh. I don't remember activating my Pekoponian suit…"
"I think Kururu did that?" I said, taking a gander. Or something. "I don't know, but what I do know is that you're our last princess. We have to rescue you in order to finish the level."
"I see." Pururu nodded. "Well, then!" She slid off the bed. "And where are the others?"
"Fighting a dragon outside."
"…A drag-?"
She was interrupted by yet another roar.
"So this would all be over if you just rescued me?" Pururu frowned at a thought. "But… didn't you already rescue me?"
"I think we're going to have to get you outside, Pururu."
Garuru backed away a few steps, turning his head to the door.
"Want to lead us out, Lieutenant?" I asked with a small smile.
"Mm, I think not."
"…Huh?" my smile developed into a weak grin.
Garuru materialized a sword and turned to us. A small smirk played at the corners of his lips. "…Have you wondered why there was no beast in the castle…?"
I started at this, and Pururu watched on quizzically.
"Johnny? What is he-?"
"…Cadet…" he made a chuckle that sent goosebumps up my arms. "…I am the beast." We saw his hands clench onto the hilt of the sword. "…and I am not letting you take the princess away!" He lunged and struck his sword against me; I fell back, a heart appearing over my head and popping.
"Ku-ku-ku~ Two more lives for Johnny Cadet~"
"Garuru, stop this nonsense!" Pururu scowled.
"I-I don't think it's Garuru…" I stammered, feeling my chest.
"Are you alright-?"
"Don't touch him," Garuru growled. Pururu ignored him and bent down to see me. She screamed in pain and was pushed out of the way, the Lieutenant having struck his weapon against her.
"Ku-ku-ku~ Four more lives for Chief Medic Pururu~"
"I don't think that's Garuru anymore," I said, shakily getting to my feet. I drew my own weapon, and as I did so, I noticed he… twitched.
No… his image twitched.
"Ku-ku-ku…" I didn't jump this time, but I still felt the presence of the yellow frog's device behind me. "Mm. Oh dear, ku. It seems his data is corrupted~"
"C-…corrupted?"
"Ku-ku!~ It was only bound to happen eventually, ku. It actually once happened to someone I knew~"
I yelped and ducked out of the way, Garuru's blade mere inches away from me. I scrambled to the other side of the room, weapon in front of me.
Kururu hovered over me, observing the scene. "Typically data doesn't just disappear; it gets lost, or it goes into something else, ku. It seems it stuck onto Garuru's data-"
"This is a game," I muttered. "I keep forgetting that." I gave Kururu a weary glance. "So how do I… um… un-corrupt him?"
"Ku. You don't."
Why did I have feeling he would say that? "…So I have to-"
"Correct, ku-ku. You'll have to defeat him in order to finish the level."
I sprinted out of the way, Garuru's sword instead coming into contact with the wall where my head was just at. I shuddered.
"B-but…"
Oh dear.
"Don't you know how to use that?" Pururu asked me, distressed.
"…Um… yes and no…"
I slid out of the way as Garuru attempted to perform several lethal slashes to my abdomen.
What I suck at: hitting things.
What I'm good at: dodging things and running away.
Wee.
"L-Lieutenant…" I stuttered. "…P-please get a hold of yourself."
"I-I am not Garuru anymore," The purple Keronian twitched again. "I am the b-b-b-b-beast."
"Ku-ku-ku~ Game over for Rita Delanogan."
"One of the girls…" Pururu murmured worriedly, glimpsing at the window.
"And Taruru and Tororo," I added, unhelpfully. "We really need to get out of here…"
"You're not going anywhere!"
Garuru sliced across my torso, and I tumbled back, grabbing it with my free hand. A heart rose out of me and again popped.
"Ku-ku-ku~ One more life for Johnny Cadet~"
"Oh no." I looked desperately down at my sword. "I can't die." I gazed at Pururu. "I need to rescue you."
"Then why don't you use that sword?!"
"I… I can't! W-whoa!" I jumped out of the way again. "I-it's based on accuracy! A-and I suck at accuracy!"
"Stop telling yourself that! Believe in yourself for once!"
I groaned and bit my lip as I attempted to swing the sword toward him. He dodged with great fluidity, smirking at my futile try.
I showed an exaggerated hand to demonstrate my flaw, and Pururu shook her head. "Try again!"
"All these optimists…" I shook my head slightly, stopping short as I managed to block Garuru's next attack with my own blade. Up close, I could see his 'data' fidgeting, his eyes glowing with uncontrolled malice.
Uncontrolled.
This was definitely not Garuru.
"Hm~" Kururu said, still watching the scene. "It seemed I underestimated your weakness, ku-ku-ku."
"I'm trying!" I snapped. Anger began to pent up; all my stupid attempts obviously failing, all the stupid insults that these people threw at me, the fact that I was too stupid to accomplish anything right… What in the name of fish am I doing here?! If they didn't want me here, why won't they just-
I used my sword to block another attack; now that I was getting the hang of it, it was getting easier. I took deep breaths. Focus. Focus. Like you do everyday, Johnny; just take the stupid insults, and all the people and all that crap, and leave it at that. After all, I'm just a dummy for them to take all their own pain on. Focus. You are not important.
I kicked the Lieutenant in the chest and struck him when he was distracted. He let out a vicious snarl, a heart floating above him and popping.
"Ku-ku-ku~ Two more lives for Lieutenant Garuru~"
"Two more," I repeated weakly. Even then, I can't believe I even touched him.
"Oh, you'll pay for this, weakling."
"Try knocking him to one life left, ku," Kururu said from somewhere around the ceiling. "It might 'wake him up', you can say."
I said nothing else, nodding and brandishing my weapon instead. I clicked my tongue.
Garuru was watching me intently, twisting the blade with his hand as he slowly walked to the side. He just circled me, a comfortable distance that allowed him to survey me, survey me like a predator would to its defenseless prey.
I could feel my muscles tense up, sweat building up on my palms to my hilt, fingers twitching against it.
Garuru made a sudden movement, startling me and forcing me into an offensive stance. I suppose now that he knew that I was at least capable of making him lose a life, he was going to be slightest bit careful.
Still… he knew as well as I did what I wasn't capable of; I'm the weakest member of the entire party. Why would he be wasting time like this?
Just what are you waiting for, Lieutenant?
Waiting, apparently, because in one moment, a second was all that he needed.
My weapon clink'd as it fell away from me and onto the floor, skidding under the bed.
Garuru's blade was positioned toward me, the tip mere inches away from my throat. My heart began to pound… slower, and slower, and slower…
"Any last words…" Garuru's lips turned to a sadistic grin, "…Cadet?"
I blinked over his shoulder, and then grinned myself. "Yup. Duck."
Garuru stared at me, puzzled, before he was struck by a blow to the head with my sword. He fell with a thud to the floor, Pururu standing behind him with my sword in hand.
A heart floated over him and popped.
"Well that was easy," Pururu said, leaning the sword against her shoulder.
"I was distracting him!"
"Ow…" Garuru shook his head and held it with one hand.
"Are you un-corrupted now, Lieutenant?" I asked, squatting down to face him. He simply gazed at me with a disoriented look in his eye.
"…What?"
"Are you alright, Lieutenant?" Pururu inquired, gently fingering the back of his head where she had hurt him. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hit you so hard."
Garuru tilted his head. "What do you mean by that?" He turned to me. "What happened, Cadet?"
"…Phew… you're alright…" I massaged my head. "I'm never fighting you again, you hear?"
The purple Keronian still looked confused but he nodded anyway. "…Agreed?"
"Ku-ku-ku~ So I was right after all," Kururu mused. "Ku-ku. Don't worry; I acquired enough information that should be able to prevent this program from ever doing this again."
"Wonderful," I said, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice. "Does that mean we're not going to be doing anymore simulations like this?"
"Ku. No more fairytale-based simulations," Kururu said off-handedly. "But I'm still sending you some more; I just thought that this would be the better one to start off with. Don't worry, ku…" He smiled. "I can assure you that they'll only be getting much, much more fun… ku-ku~!"
Even Garuru seemed annoyed by this particular aspect. "My idea of 'fun' doesn't consist with this-"
"Don't forget that you're doing all this for the parts of your ship, ku~!" Kururu told him delightedly. He leaned against his chair and bent his arms behind to his neck. "Ku-ku-ku~ you should at least be giving me credit for being creative. All these simulations could have been boring, you know."
"Except for all the dying and stuff," I replied blandly.
"Ku-ku~ Just keepin' it real." Kururu shrugged.
Pururu was staring at her hands. "…Wait. Wasn't I-?"
"Just step out the door." I pointed at the exit.
Pururu ran into a bubble.
"Ku. Oh, yes." Kururu smirked devilishly. "I was feeling particularly puckish when I designed the last level of the game-"
"What do you mean, 'puckish'?" I was tired. I just wanted to go home and fall flat against my bed.
"One of you darling Prince Charmings are going to have to kiss her in order to complete this final level."
Garuru and I shot a startled look to Kururu, who seemed like he was absolutely enjoying himself a little too much.
Kururu held up a finger. "One. Whole. Minute."
Garuru and I stared at each other.
…Well this certainly wasn't awkward at all.
Pururu was blushing heavily and glaring at the yellow frog. "WHAT?!"
"Ku!~ You heard me~"
"This isn't funny!" Pururu snapped.
"Ku-ku! It is for me~"
I cleared my throat. "W-well, Lieutenant…?" I lowered my voice slightly, "…Since, um… I'm not of you guys' species… um…" MAN this is awkward.
Garuru didn't reply, instead staring blankly out the window.
"…Chief Medic."
Pururu jumped at this, her cheeks turning even redder. "Y-yes?"
"Come down here for a moment, please."
The girl's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as she timidly got on her knees, Garuru walking up to her. "U-um…"
"It's just a requirement, medic. Be calm; it will only take a minute."
She nodded, bringing her hands down to her lap. She then closed her eyes, anxious, as Garuru gently held her cheek and neared her mouth.
Before their lips could come to any contact, however, a disastrous roar broke throughout the castle, shaking it violently, tumbling down the furniture and the bed. I wasn't the only one holding my ears against the shrieking sound this time around, either.
"W-what's happening?!" Pururu screamed.
"The dragon!" I yelled back.
We heard something enormous fall to the ground with a sickening thump, the roar graduating into a weak, sniveling whine, eventually dying out.
A light flashed over Pururu, and a crown floated over her head.
"Ku-ku-ku~ Level five completed"
Pururu was wearing something much more elegant than the clothes she was in prior, instead fashioning a silver tiara with her own insignia at the center.
"…..Zut," Kururu muttered, putting down his camcorder.
"Wait," I looked at Pururu quizzically, "So- we either had to actually kiss Pururu, or-"
"-kill the dragon," Garuru looked insanely irritated, but he somehow managed to keep that frighteningly chill voice as he continued to speak. "You couldn't have informed us of that sooner?"
"Ku-ku-ku~! I told you, I was feeling puckish," Kururu defended himself. "Besides~ I wanted to mentally scar Giroro, but apparently that wasn't going to being happening today."
Garuru face palmed, sighing somewhat loudly.
And Pururu looked somewhat disappointed. "I see." She looked up at Kururu. "But wait… if they rescued me, then-"
"Ku-ku-ku~! Congratulations," Kururu continued gleefully. "You finished the game! How do you feel?"
"Exhausted."
"Immensely annoyed."
"Ahaha… I just want to go home…"
"Ku-ku! Prepare for exposure to the real world! Clicky!"
The three of us were consumed by a yet another bright, white light.
I rubbed my eyes, barely managing to adjust the sight around me. "Ugh… not again…" I blinked at five boxes that were strewn carelessly around me, and I picked one up to look inside it. A metal part. Huh. Cool.
"Pururu!" I heard Ruby laugh joyfully. From the sound of the light purple frog's squeak, I could safely assume that she was being hugged to death that very moment.
"WOW. Being dead is weird!" Taruru piped up, examining his skin. "Too bad though! Those costumes were really cool!"
"Speak for yourself!" Tororo complained. "You didn't have to wear that stupid hood!"
Or that stupid ridiculous prince outfit. Garuru was thinking the same thing, I was sure.
"At last," Zoruru said, bringing his blade to the light. "My arm is complete again…"
I stared at him in bewilderment and ultimately backed away.
…No comment on that.
Stella grinned at him and rolled her eyes gently. "You're so weird, Zoruru."
"I told you not to die on me!" Rita said playfully, giving him a little noogie. Taruru laughed.
"What happened?" Kitty asked Tororo.
"The dragon stepped on me."
"Oh, you poor thing!" Kitty giggled, hugging him.
"Does anyone want to go home?" I said, speaking up at last. "I'm sorry, but I'm tired, and…"
"That's understandable," Zoruru said with a firm nod. "And agreeable."
Ruby was writing something on a piece of paper.
I gazed at her perplexedly and walked up to her. "What's-?" She handed it to me, and I accepted it. "What-?"
"That's my number," she explained casually, putting her hands in her pocket. "Call me and tell me what happened! I was stuck until the last level, don't forget."
"Oh, good idea!" Rita patted her pockets, but then frowned when it seemed she couldn't find anything. "Hey, Kitty? Do you have a piece of paper and a pen?"
"Uh, just type it down on my phone," I said, pulling it out of my pocket. I paused at a particular thought as I handed it to her. "…Hey, Ruby?"
"Yeah?"
"…You said you had your iPod with you?"
Ruby nodded. "Yup. It was a lifesaver, too!"
"…How?" I didn't have my phone with me; all the weapons that the platoon had were exchanged for ones that would fit their character.
She shrugged. "I'unno."
Oh well. I guess it would be best not to question it; Kururu might just want to redo the whole game just because of that one minor screwup. He sure seemed irritated enough when Tororo pointed out that flaw in his design…
"There." Rita pressed a button and gave me back my phone. She looked up at the sky. "It's getting late now."
"So we'll see you soon, right?" Kitty walked up to me for a hug, and I immediately backed out of the way, laughing nervously.
"Yeah, of course," I smiled weakly.
"Who's taking the box?" Stella asked, pointing at what Kururu dubbed the 'SimCube'.
"I will," Tororo picked it up. "I've already been given the instructions for it and everything."
"Now the question is where to hide it…" Rita mused.
"If you want, I could take the rest of the boxes," Stella offered. "I can put them in my garage and take them all back here when we can actually start building."
Garuru nodded. "Good idea. I appreciate it, thank you."
"I'll see you later, okay?" Stella ruffled my hair. I gently batted her hand away and smoothed it back down.
"Alright."
"Hey, Lieutenant?"
"Mm?"
I dried my face with my towel and slung the cloth over my shoulder. "Remember that rubber ducky from before? I can't find it… I thought it was right here-"
"The dog might have taken it," Garuru replied, a bit too quickly.
"Um. Okay." That was certainly plausible; she does often walk into my room and taken random things that are lying on the ground…
"What continues to bother me is that wolf," Garuru muttered, sitting down on his bed.
"Like we said before, Lieutenant; I think it was killed by the others-"
"No." Garuru gazed up at me. "It left. And it just disappeared."
I shrugged. "Well, maybe that was supposed to happen. Either way, we won the game; don't think too much into it."
Garuru nodded vaguely.
"I would typically ask for a story," I said thoughtfully, "But I think we had our own fair share of an adventure today, don't you agree?"
Garuru's lips twitched slightly. "Yes, I do."
FINALLY. DONE. DONEDONEDONE.
Fairytale arch COMPLETED. Phew. I'm tired XD;
Does anyone want to suggest any games that I could use for Kururu's 'simulations'? I have some in mind, but I would still appreciate some suggestions.
Thanks for reading!