Chapter 25: One man isn't enough
Previously:
"The peace treaty is going to be signed….weather you like it or not!" Ren puffed out, staring up towards Rito with his hot-pink eyes. "You cannot hope to win, Yuuki Rito!" He spat.
"YOU'LL NEVER WIN!"
He's right…Rito hardened his gaze, staring into Ren. "You're right." He uttered.
Ren, shaded by Rito's shadow, looked up towards the boy with eyes filled with question. His questions quickly evaporated to fear as he instinctively threw his arms before his face, seeing Rito's raising up his Guan Dao.
Rito said as he brought his two hands down, and the blade along with it.
Chapter 25: One man isn't enough
The Memorzorian price promptly shut his eyes and waited. Waited, for the potential death to befall his life. Father…mother….I have failed…..
CLANG!
Then, in that moment, a loud ringing noise shattered the world as ears were covered. The ringing noise continued and wobbled on for several moments. Momentarily confused, Ren struggled to open his hot-pink eyes, but did so anyways. His eyes widened in shock. Shocked at the fact, that he was not dead.
Wh-What… Thoughts did not even register in the alien's brain as he turned to his side, seeing his trusty long sword, buried within the ground, till only half the blade was visible, like a young tree growing from the earth, it was buried halfway, wobbling from side to side. Rito lifted his arms, and with one hand, he pointed the blade, inches away from Ren's face.
"That would've been you if nobody was watching." Rito said, his voice quiet, and stoically. His golden brown eyes glassy.
At this point, Ren was half listening, the other half of him still in recovery mode, recovering from the post shock. "…"
"Value those around you, above, all, else." Rito stressed those words slowly, and lifting his Guan Dao from his face in a similar manner. He let go of the pole of the weapon as it contorted into a shade, which briefly snuck up his arm and coiled around his neck loosely, hanging off as a necklace. He gave Ren one last of pity before turning to the side, facing the audience stand.
"I FORFEIT!" Rito called out as he walked away, leaving his footprints in the snow as he disappeared into the stadium interiors.
"I forfeit!" The voice of Rito spewed confusion amongst everyone in the stadium, the crowd's cheers swiftly washed down to shallow waves of murmurs and whisperings of confusion. The Devilukeans and aliens alike all looked at each other in similar fashion.
"Nani?!" Nana and Mikan cried out. "But…didn't he win?"
"…" Momo kept silent, trying her absolute best to analyse the situation. Why did he forfeit, he had him where he wanted…it's because….think Momo, think….be him….think….why…
"Eh?" Lala called out, genuine surprise reflected from her eyes.
A few rows above seated the ruling royalties of galaxies, sharing similar thoughts.
"Nani?" The empress of Deviluke breathed out, her beautiful face now a mixture of shock and confusion, but she didn't let it show under her veil. Yuuki Rito-san…what is you thinking…
"Hmm?" King Deviluke gruffed as his black eyes narrowed in suspicion. He forfeited? He asked himself, surprised. But it was quickly replaced with a calm look, he closed his eyes. No, he must have had a purpose in doing so…knowing the boy, he wouldn't just lose like this…But maybe…it's for the best after all.
Then, the tailed proctor walked out onto the snowy field, along him were paramedics, carrying a stretcher. They quickly moved towards the boy lying in the snow. The proctor took Ren's hand and held it up high and mighty shouting. "Ren Elise Jewelria wins by forfeit!" The Devilukean host exclaimed, and the resultant response from the crowd was as expected. Moans, boos, and questions.
(Hours later, Mikado's Clinic…)
Time flew by swiftly on that oddly snowy day as the specs of sunlight faded away into the dark sky. The dead of the night was near. But not in the inside of the clinic, no. Inside was well lit and bright, with light tubes illuminating every inch of the facility.
In the building, standing around the lobby, waited the Devilukeans and Memorzorians, and, of course, humans.
Their attention was turned to the breaking of silence when the double doors were pushed open, and out came a doctor, walking in her high heels and white lab-coat, a silver and black stethoscope hanging around her neck, the ends hidden within her breast pocket, her usual clipboard in her hands.
"How is my son doing?" The Memorzorian King and queen asked, a tone of concern, which came off as strange unbecoming to everyone.
"Ren-san is doing fine, don't worry, no serious injuries, just a couple of light bruises and stretches. He'll be back to normal tomorrow morning, just let him have the night at the clinic." The universal doctor responded, stroking her short red hair with one hand.
Thank goodness… Run thought as she gave a silent sigh of relief. But still… Then through her hot-pink eyes, she saw the Yuuki siblings, sitting side by side in one of the rows of seats, neither of them talked. She also saw her parents approaching the two Devilukean Royalties, standing opposite of each other in the middle of the lobby.
"Gid-san." Kaz, the king of Memorze began. "Thank you for the most gracious opportunity today. I'm sure that the peace treaty will prove to be beneficial to all of us in the near future." Kaz said as he raised out his hand for a handshake. "To Deviluke and Momorze!"
"Mm." Gid agreed with his usual gruff as he levitated in mid-air, shaking the king's hand.
"If I may, Kaz-san." The woman standing beside Gid asked, her graceful appearance apparent to all, radiant and serene.
"Y-Yes Deviluke-sama?" The Memorzorian king asked.
"….Nothing." Sephie replied, secreting flashing a gaze towards the orange haired boy sitting nearby, his face disoriented, staring at the floor aimlessly, but thoughtfully. But surprisingly enough, in the midst of the silence, the Memorzorian king got the silent gesture as he took steps towards the boy, who was still unaware of what was happening. But it was not until a nudge in his ribcage from his beloved sister when he woke up to his senses. Now aware of his surroundings, the beloved brother stood up from his seat clumsily, looking ahead to the king. Rito lowered his head slightly.
"Yuuki Rito." The king began with a strong voice. "I…would like to…formally apologize for my remarks during our last encounter." He finally said, in a softer voice.
Apologise?! Father never apologises! Run though in shock as she gawked at her parents.
"Thanks to your exchange with my son, I see now that my mistaken impression of humanity. You were certainly a lot different from what I son described to be." Kaz said in a kind voice, juxtaposing with his overbearing appearance. Everyone watched on. "And swinging a heavy weight like the way you did was no small feat, Yuuki Rito. The only time I've seen moves like that was from Gid back from the war. But, I have to ask, why did you forfeit? My son was clearly no match for you."
"…" But Rito only kept silent as he looked up. He found himself silent, as if conversing with the king with his golden brown eyes. A few moments, later, Kaz could give a brief nod, seemingly understanding his gaze.
"…I understand." The king concluded, holding out a hand towards the Earthling, who hesitated before finally putting out his own, shaking it. "What you have done today, the compromises you have made, this will undoubtedly save millions of lives in galaxies. I thank you on behalf of the joint Devilukean and Memorzorian Galaxy, Yuuki Rito." He finished as they silent let go of each other's hands.
Rito-kun… Run would love to do nothing more than to just embrace the boy to no end, for she knew that, under all the boy's guise, all that smile, that he was angry, that he was sad, he was frustrated. But she knew better than to display any signs of affection before her parents, and so she remained where she stood, but the constant glare of Momo Velia Deviluke make her unconsciously flinch.
At that moment, two men dressed in black suits and ties walked through the automatic doors and behind the Memorzorian Royals, leaning in and whispering under their pitch black sunglasses. Kaz gave a few nods as he leaned his head to his left.
"Well, it appears out business on Earth has concluded. I look forward to our future plans, Deviluke-sama." The king and queen said respectively, giving a bow, before turning away, leaving with the crowd of bodyguards.
(Later on in the night, Yuuki Household)
"What the heck happened?! Rito?!" The boisterous voice of a certain alien princess called out, gripping the collars of a certain orange haired boy with both hands, her spaded tail radiant and draping onto the ground. And while she wasn't tall enough lift the boy up, it was certainly alarmed everyone around her.
"Rito!" Mikan called out in worry.
"Nana?! What are you doing?" Momo said alarmingly, popping up from the wall that she leaned on nearby.
"Nana, let Rito go!" Called Lala, with a surprising slight change in tone.
"D-Demo, anueue, he-"
"Calm down, Nana," A stern but serene voice said, soothing the tense atmosphere around the room as all eyes then turned toward the brown sofa, where a tail-less woman sat, her long pink hair behind and around her, her hands delicately stroking the hair of a green hair infant in her lap. "At least give Yuuki Rito-san a chance to explain himself."
"…" The enraged purple eyes that stared into the male Yuuki's soul seemed to softened, darting slightly, now realising what was she was doing, she immediately let go of the boy taking a shy step back, a bright blush on her face. "G-Gomen, R-Rito…"
"No, it's my fault for making everyone worry." Rito replied as he gave a sigh and patted Nana's pink head, sitting on the log armrest of the sofa, his back slumped.
"Now that everyone has calmed down, Yuuki Rito-san," Sephie's reddish pink eyes met the boy's anxious ones, instantly calming him down. "Would you tell us what happened?" She asked the boy.
"…" Rito sat on the sofa and gathered his clouded thoughts, closing his words carefully. "For those who don't realise, my forfeit was inevitable. When the Memorzorian first proposed a contest, I knew that there was no way I could win." Rito said as a matter-of-fact-ly.
"B-But why? Ren shouldn't have been no sweat! By the looks of it, you had him on the ground, you were about to win!" Nana pushed.
"I had to lose…..because I was representing not only for myself as a suitor, but also for Deviluke." Rito replied rather grimly. "Surely the Memorzorians know this."
"He's right." Sephie agreed with closed eyelids, gently nodding.
"E-Eh?" Nana's purple eyes widened in realisation. Could it be…..Ren planned it all along…no…
"By accepting the Devilukean king piece from Gid and Sephie-sama, I had to represent the Devilukean Galaxy in the contest, and-"
"Act in the galaxy's best interests….the alliance…." Momo finished off for the boy, with a face just as shocked as her twin counterpart. Rito could only nod dimly. The room then fell into a deep pit of silence. Only the sound of the wall clock and the snoring of Celine kept the room alive, albeit barely.
"Th-Then…" The meek voice of Mikan broke the silence as all eyes laid onto her. "I-Is there anything we can do? Surely you're not just gonna let things be, right?" Mikan asked, in an upbeated surprise, she patted her brother roughly on the back.
"..." Rito nodded slowly, but surely, his eyes reflected nothing but determination. "Now that this alliance has been signed, I have a one year time frame until Lala's turning of age into an official adult, eighteen." The boy said, turning his head, looking at her.
"Eh? Nani?" The eldest of the Devilukean princesses asked, pointing to herself, a big question mark floating around her head.
"The root of this alliance between the two galaxies is the resistance against a common unknown enemy." Rito explained, his hands together. "And so long as this terrorist is out there, this alliance will continue. And I have no intention on being responsible for the end of an alliance right now." The orange haired earthling assured, turning to the mother of three.
"I see only one way forward." Rito said conclusively, closing his eyes, for dramatic effect, I suppose.
"W-Which is…" Nana trailed off, looking at the boy closer and closer in anticipation.
"You going after him, aren't you, Rito? Ougi Tsunaru." Momo said, rather astutely, much to the shock of the others. Her purple eyes met Rito's surprised ones.
"…Well…..close," Rito corrected carefully. "But not exactly."
"What do you mean?" Momo asked, rather curiously.
"One man isn't exactly enough."
(Meanwhile in Galaxian Jail…)
The grey, black clad walls were dirty and wet, surrounding the entire uncivilised facility, protecting the unworthy within.
The clashing of metals could be heard as the automated silver metal gates of the each individual cell room opened at its own pace, it's not like the relentless pushing of the convicts would help. But nevertheless, the various species of prisoners in orange jumpsuits walked out of their small cells and onto the open hallways, leading down to the stairs and the public meal area, where one by one, the rows of orange began to fill the hall. Prisoners could be seen with metal trays in their hands, passing by a counter, collecting their daily source of energy, a slop of grey.
A pair of yellow eyes sat, hidden away by his black hair. The man was not in his usual black trench coat, but instead chose to fit with his orange jumpsuit, a big black '47' imprinted on its back. The man sat alone, in his seemingly isolated table. He took the silver fork in his hands and promptly played with his food, having nothing else to do. It was prison, after all.
It should be safe to break out today. Haven't heard any activities from him lately. And my safe houses should still be intact. The man said to himself as he looked to his right, hearing the sound of the crackling of the small television hanging by the brick wall. Though the view was blocked from his 'private' bench, his superior vision allowed him to see the news just fine, from a distance.
"And welcome back to Galactic News, I'm reporter Ayame once again joining you with Galactic news updates." The news reporter's voice projected from the speakers. "Breaking news today, the great Deviluke Empire of the Milky Way Galaxy has officially announced its alliance with the Eastern Memorzorian Galaxy, shortly after the shocking assault on the Deviluke Capital by the mysterious terrorist Ougi Tsunaru. Over to you, Yato."
Hearing a certain name, prisoner forty-seven promptly stood up, abandoning his food tray as he stepped out of the bench, and silently began walking towards the television. The sea of orange uniforms seemingly split with every step Black took towards the television, until the man reached before the flashing television.
"Thank you Ayame." The new reporter began. "I'm standing outside of an Earthling stadium of the contest that between the two suitors's for the hand of the eldest daughter of Deviluke, Princess Lala Deviluke-sama. Though the unorthodox place in which the battle was held meant that we weren't in time to take footage, we were told by Devilukean and Memorzorian officials that it was an intense battle, which ultimately resulted the Memorzorian's victory by forfeit. Though the cause of Deviluke representative's surrender, an Earthling, is still yet to be identified."
Black raised an inconspicuous eyebrow at the news flash. Deviluke representative….Earth? Yuuki Rito? The gunman though in bewilderment. But his thoughts were interrupted by the constant chatters of inmates behind him, constantly swearing and chatting. Black turned around in annoyance, instantly silencing them. The newscast went on.
"Thank you, Yato." The female reporter began. "And breaking news: Terrorist's planetary destruction caught on camera as citizens across the galaxies fear for their safety. Viewer's discretion is advised."The old and pixilated screen of the television then transitioned to a video. A colossal explosion which whitened the screen, accompanied by loud screams and more explosions littered the screen shocked even the inmates in crowded around the assassin.
"Ay yo man, what the fuck?!" One inmate shouted aloud, stroking through his hair in disbelief.
"Who is this fucker?"
"Is this for real dawg?!"
"My family's out there man!"
"Who is this guy…"
Amidst the confusion amongst the aliens in orange, Black silently slipped away from the crowd and returned to his seat in his lonely bench. Maybe I should stay put for now…history must not repeat itself. He told himself. But…that gaki…Yuuki Rito….what was he thinking….
(Late at night…)
Back in the Yuuki Household, the clocks have reached well past their maximum number, and all was dark. It would seem that everybody were asleep.
A certain boy sat silently on his bed, his feet on the carpet ground, his back slumped forward. In his hands was a book, a rather old book, thin and small, the book was filled with white pages, making the occasional rustling sounds as the boy flipped through it, page by page.
"Otou-san…kaa-san….uncle…..what would you guys do…I wonder…." The earthling boy muttered out in lacklustre, his golden brown eyes stared intently into the book. "If you guys were still here…."
Without warning, the boy quickly shut the book as the door to his room before him made cracking and creaking sounds as the silver doorknob twisted open, simultaneously with the white door.
The boy's eyes softened as he identified the person on the other side as not-a-threat. He visibly sighed relief as his grip softened on the book.
"Mikan…" Rito uttered as his mouth crept into a gentle smile. "What's wrong?" He asked, his fingers brushing through his orange hair.
"I…I just wanted to see how you were doing…that's all…" Mikan said as she walked further into the lit room. Her eyes widened with interest as they zeroed onto the book in his hands. "Ano…what're you reading, Rito?"
The teen's eyes widened as his sister mentioned the book. "T-This is…this is…" After a moment of hesitation, he held the book out, and let go, upon taken by the girl.
"What's this?" the brown haired Mikan asked herself as she examined the book. Her eyes widened in shock as she read the title.
"The Lone….Eagle…..issue XXX…." Mikan said aloud, trembling. She gawked at the title page, which consisted of only the title, the rest was blank, all except one name. "Yuuki….Saibai…."
"This manga….was Otou-san's unfinished work." Rito watched as Mikan began flipping through the pages. "He never had the time to finish it I guess, with the editor's deadlines and all…" Rito suggested. "So it never got published."
But Mikan's brows furrowed in confusion.
"B-But this…." She said, flipping through the white pages desparately, trying her hardest to find anything in them. "This is all blank…."
"It's funny…" Rito gave out a chuckle and watched as Mikan sat beside on the bed. "I remember when I was very young…dad would always tell me to come to his study. He would always show me drawing after drawing after drawing…." Rito trailed off.
"'How's this one? What do you think of this character design? This looks a lot cooler now, doesn't it?' He would ask." Rito paraphrased.
"…" Mikan kept silent as she listened on, her constant stare at the book never distracted.
"Now I regret never telling him…" Rito's eyes trailed off into the near distant. Mikan couldn't bear to watch on as she tightened the grip on the bundle of pages. And courageously, she stood up, catching her brother's attention.
"Rito, can I borrow this? At least for a while?" Mikan asked as golden brown eyes clashed with their similar.
"S-Sure, you can keep it, if you want." Rito answered curiously, a big red question mark above his orange head. "But…why?" He watched as she stood up.
"Don't worry about it." Were Mikan's last words as she skipped out of the room, leaving Rito with many more questions than answers.
"Na-N-Nani?" Rito asked himself.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: LAST SCENE BEST ACCOMPANIED BY 'YOU WERE BORN' BY CLOUD CULT :)
AS THIS STORY PROGRESSES, IT WILL EMPHESISE MORE ON YAMI, MOMO, AND MIKAN. BUT FEAR NOT, FELLOW FANS! OTHERS WILL ALSO BE INCLUDED!
FUN FACT #2: OUGI TSUNARU WAS ORIGINALLY A HACKER WITH THE ABILITY TO HACK GENES, BUT THAT IDEA WAS SCRAPPED FOR SOMETHING BETTER ;)
LOVING THEM LONG FEEDBACK, AS ALWAYS. REALLY HELPS ME WRITE, THANK YOU ALL!
AND AS ALWAYS, MORE CHAPTERS STILL TO COME!
REVIEWS ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED AND LOVED!
CRITICISMS ARE ALSO ACCEPTED.