He felt something. It was almost forgotten in the battle with Life Fibers and adapting to his new world, but he longed to feel the hand in his he had now. Sho slowly felt the darkness fade from his mind as he felt the warm hand of Mitsuki once more holding his.
He cracked his dark eyes open to see the dark hair falling to the side of her face as she lay sleeping on one of his legs as he lay on some kind of cot. There was a cloth ten erected that barely held the cot, a small table with a gas lamp, and a chest of no doubt clothes and supplies. It had not been here long either judging from the lack of sag that comes from ropes settling to the sway of wind in an area.
He felt like lead was in all his limbs but it was always like that after pushing himself with the Gigantic or the Guyver.
Memory made a rude intrusion as he saw in his mind the blur of closing in on Archanfel and the final look of surprise on the Zoalords face as the Guyver vibroblade sliced through his neck. He was long passed being disturbed by killing, but it was still harder when it was up close and in human form.
He also remembered the Rift was sealed, and Ryuko was now trapped on his Earth. Pinching his nose at the list of worries cropping up, he felt Mitsuki move slightly.
"Sho…" She mumbled in her sleep but that single word, his name, brought a flame of relief to his heart and a stab of guilt. In the passage home he had come to accept that he was closer to Ryuko than he had ever planned to be. It was hard not to miss why it happened, they were very similar, but it hurt to know his heart could become fickle like this after all the hardships he and his friends suffered at the hands of Chronos.
Shaking the last of his sleep away, and gently extricating himself from Mitsuki, he let her sleep a bit more and went in search of an aroma that smelled sadly like rations. He had not missed those at all.
Tetsuo was burning with questions about the strange girl but she had bluntly rebuffed even simple things and seemed irritated. She also kept mumbling to herself as if she was talking to someone but not getting an answer.
He stirred the stew, a term he applied loosely to what was in the pot on the cook fire, and hoped the few vegetables they had added would make it taste better.
Since she had a awoken, she had seemed like something was bugging her, but when she checked on Sho, she had become downright irritable.
As if summoned, his friend came around the corner and he forgot everything else. Tears stung his eyes and he had to remove his glasses as he stood up. Quickly putting them back on, he was tackled in a hug hard.
"Tetsuo!" He had sorely missed that voice and returned the quick hug in kind. Too many times his friend put him on the edge of nerves, but this had been worse because he knew Sho had been facing Zoanoids without him or Mitsuki.
"I am glad you woke up Sho, sorry about the food in advance." Both grinned like idiots at the joke but then Sho caught sight of Ryuko and became grim. He moved over to her and the slump to his shoulders was more typical of the old Sho he remembered from before the Guyver.
"I am so sorry Ryuko, I could not hold the Rift open. I will do all I can to get you home." Sho got down on his hands and knees and the look of surprise on her face told Tetsuo that was not what got her mad.
There is no need to bow like that to us Sho. You saved both of us and I appreciate helping Ryuko, but she is denying her hurt about earlier in the tent. A strange male voice suddenly filled Tetsuo's head and he looked around for any speakers but saw nothing. Sho seemed to stiffen and then nod.
"I understand Senketsu, but we need to wait for Mitsuki as well. It needs to be all at once or their is no point." Tetsuo was very confused now. Who was this Senketsu?
"You both try talking around me again and I will slap you to the horizon, you know I can!" The deep blush and clear thunderhead in her blue eyes made Tetsuo wish for Makishima in his Guyver. He was still passed out from the long battle against Balcus and the Hyper-Zoanoids. The Thunderbolts were reporting to him and so far Chronos had left them alone.
He clenched his fist at the thought of Balcus, he had escaped during the chaos of the final fight. It would only be a matter of time before they came back. They had to go soon.
"I am not talking around you Ryuko, but everyone has a right to know the truth and to catch up. I also need to know if the Rift is completely sealed, or if the Gigantic can crack it open one more time. In both instances, I need rest and time to get things figured out." The Sho that stood up was now an entirely different person than Tetsuo remembered.
The Guyver had brought Sho confidence, even an almost scary kind of warrior stance he had never had before, but this person before him now was different. He seemed far more, well balanced and Tetsuo found himself wanting to know what Sho thought they should be doing.
"GUYVER!" The blaze of light was followed by the blue armor enclosing his friend and the orbs began to move. Curious to where this was going, Tetsuo was surprised when the air vibrated with a low frequency. It put his teeth on edge, but this Ryuko seemed to find it truly bothersome.
Suddenly, 2 Zoanoids collapsed from trees just beyond the perimeter. The dust cloud was barely thrown up before the creatures were sliced in half. Ryuko and he stared as Sho made his way back still scanning it seemed.
"That seems to be the last of them and no sign of Balcus as a prisoner, so he must have escaped. Ryuko, take Senketsu and check for anything farther out by a mile. I will get things ready here for an attack. Chronos will not wait, like Ragyo, they are tenacious even in defeat." The girl nodded and then pulled something on the red glove she wore.
The red glare passed to have her in some kind of racy version of her uniform! She picked up the massive red scissors and then she left a dust cloud behind as she vanished from his sight.
"Tetsuo, if Makishima is awake get him. Otherwise I will need current watch commanders and maps. We are staying a little longer, then we will need to move." Sho looked at him as the Guyver waiting. He had never given orders before, but while surprising, it was still Sho.
He was talking to his friend and asking for help, just with more confidence.
He nodded hard and headed for the command tent.
Agito felt like a thousand buildings had fallen on his head. The darkness was slow to recede, but he felt the roll of a vehicle and knew they were moving on the ground somewhere. He felt a cool cloth on his head and the aroma of a slight lavender told him who must be with him.
He smiled up at the sleeping from of Shizu as she was strapped in. No doubt they had met up with their back up force and were now retreating.
Memory suddenly intruded and he tried to sit upright, only to find straps hold him down. He saw the pull release by his hands and knew it was to keep him still as they moved. How long had he been out this time?
"Are you fully awake sir?" Agito tilted his head up to find 2 of Shizu's assistants from the medical unit. They had learned to respect her wishes and the knowledge she possessed in medicine far exceeded most to begin with. She was not officially the leader of the medical unit, but they deferred to her often. Anything with the Guyvers was left to her and Mitsuki though.
"Brief me." His terse orders were normal, but he felt shock hit him. They were not retreating at all! They were moving to the most dangerous place in Japan!
"This seems foolish sir, are you sure about this?" It was not the first time the commander had questioned the order to Tokyo. Sho knew he was pushing things, but he needed to end this. Killing Archanfel would only rile up the other Zoalords and without him, they might lose their focus and start in fighting or worse, try to replicate him.
Dr Balcus was severely injured and no doubt had run here to the only safe optimization facility to heal his wounds. There were no better chances to stop that possible nightmare than now and to show the world that Chronos was not absolute.
He felt better after eating, the croquettes were more appealing that that stew could ever be, but it was still food. He had gone back to rest as well and Mitsuki had found him that way but did not wake him.
Now, they were closing in on Tokyo, the many lights of the cityscape were close and the one target, the massive twin tower skyscraper, was his goal.
"Sho, you need to rest." Mitsuki held his hand tight and the worry in her eyes pierced his controls, but he knew in this instance he had to hold strong.
"I can rest once this is done, it is the only way I can rest." Sho brushed her hair behind her ear as he had a thousand times before, but he felt a stab of guilt again.
"Ryuko, are you ready?" Most in the room turned in surprise to the girl none had seen enter. She stood with her scissors leaning against the flap of the tent. She seemed to be looking anywhere but at him and he knew why.
We are ready for battle Sho, always. What do you need us to do? Sho smiled that Senketsu was playing peacemaker a bit. He felt a bit of tension from him though. Still, he concentrated hard and knew the kamui could feel what he sent. He felt the tension drain a bit.
"I need you as we have done so far of course. We are going to do battle with the monsters that attacked Honnouji Academy and killed so many innocents. We are after the creator of those nightmares, Dr Balcus." That got Ryuko's attention and confused most of the Thunderbolts.
"You know us Sho, we are with you. Those bastards are going to feel the power of a kamui hard!" The fire in her eyes was more what he expected, but the risk was great. He nodded to the rest and they acknowledged it back. The plan was straight forward and thankfully got a bit of a boost form Tetsuo.
"Begin the assault on Chronos Japan HQ." He and Ryuko fell into step as orders passed and Tetsuo began to flick switches. Sho felt the eyes of Mitsuki burning into his back as he walked out of the tent.
"Are you insane?!" Sho turned to see a barely walking Makishima helped by Shizu. He had not expected to miss the terse and cold tones of Guyver III, but unlike Satsuki, he had not found humility it would seem.
"We have one chance to end Balcus for good and retake Japan. This is it Makishima. You have laid the ground work of resistance and now we need to take back this place. We have to show we can win." Sho was not sure why he was able to speak so calmly and confidently. They were about to assault a building that was openly guarded by thousands of Zoanoids and Hyper-Zoanoids with who knows what else. Even so, he felt sure they could win.
"What will you do after that Fukamachi? What will you do when you rule Japan? There are still 10 more Zoalords assuming Balcus is the only one in there. What will you do then?" The questions were valid and Sho had not thought that far ahead entirely, but he knew where to begin.
"I will give the Zoanoids a choice, to help fight for freedom or to face the power of the Guyver. I will give the people back their lives to be their own. I will protect Japan Agito, but I will not rule it." Turning back he saw Ryuko looking at him differently. She was no longer irritated or battle ready, but crying. She saw what he had hoped to spare her. She knew what he was doing.
He would never be free of the Guyver, never able to put it down. The war was just beginning.
She suddenly blurred by him and he felt the clang of her blades with the vibration of Guyver blades.
"What are those made of?!" Agito had bio-boosted in his distraction and launched an attack. He could not have fully recovered, but Sho had no choice.
"GUYVER!" The armor enclosed him and he turned to face Guyver III. "I have no time for this, but I know your goals are not mine. We never agreed on this, but I think you are more like Chronos if you wish to rule the world." He saw a flinch to the Guyver III and wondered if Makishima had had a few revelations while he was away.
"We need to assume power so we are not controlled ever again Fukamachi. We need to use our power to guide this world down the path we deem best for it!" Sho saw Shizu look with worry at him but he only kept his attention on Guyver III. He understood some of the wounds his fellow Guyver carried, but after living with Ryuko and the others, he knew the dangers of letting those wounds carry you through revenge.
"And what is that path? What would you make of the world as its ruler? What will you do with all that power besides control it to your whim?" Both of them assumed fighting stances. All of Sho's senses told him Makishima was barely holding the unit on. Still, that was when a Guyver was most dangerous as he well knew.
"I will become the God of this world Fukamachi, I will take the Gigantic from you because you do not know how to use the power of the Guyver properly, you never have!" Exhaustion was clearly making him more honest. Shizu was frowning and crying now. He saw Ryuko look at him with a raised red glove but he shook his head. There was no need.
"Then it is time you see what I learned while I was away Makishima." He felt the world blur but Makishima was moving just as fast. He had one hand out with a gravity blast and Sho smiled. It was almost like looking back at how badly Lisker had punished him with Guyver II and he now understood how that felt like. He now knew the Guyver better than anyone alive.
Agito smirked at the foolish Fukamachi. Tired as he was, he knew what could be eked out of a Guyver to win. Sho had never been more than straightforward and learning from each battle how to be better. What could have he learned in only a year with an occasional Zoanoid to fight?
He unleashed his gravity cannon with discrete shots and followed it by head beams. There was no way the megasmasher could be used right now, but everything else was up for grabs. He saw the Guyver then do something impossible.
Fukamachi seemed to anticipate the attacks, but not only that he dodged and then very quickly turned as if in a dance to avoid all the other attacks. He was moving with an ability Agito had never thought the Guyver could do. More than that, he occasionally negated an attack with his own gravity blasts.
How was he able to so quickly react and repel attacks? Where had he learned that?! Agito noticed the blades of Guyver I were still retracted as well, did he intend to just avoid the attacks until he had to release the Guyver himself?
He focused and unleashed a devastating audio blast, only to suddenly lose sight of the Guyver I. His orbs barely warned him in time to dodge from above as Fukamachi landed right on top of him! He rolled to the left and assumed a stance, only to find the Guyver I in front of him!
The punch to the gut was not as strong as the Guyver could do, he knew that, but it was just enough to knock him straight to the ground and come close to passing out. The air began to vibrated in an annoying way that put his teeth on edge, and then stunningly, he felt on the verge of throwing up!
He quickly disengaged the armor and rushed to the side of the fire light.
Shizu was stunned. Not once did Sho attack or try to damage Master Agito. He had simply closed the distance as quickly as possible and then somehow induced vomiting.
"I wish you would stop with that audio attack, it is annoying." The strange girl in the exposed midriff sailor uniform was shaking her head from that odd vibration earlier.
"Sorry about that, I had to disorient him enough to sick up or he would not have disengaged the armor. Now that he is exhausted again, he can't re-equip safely for awhile." Guyver I turned to her and bowed slightly. "I am sorry for the trouble Shizu, but take care of Makishima until we return. He can watch from the command tent if he wishes and I will welcome his input on any weakness we can exploit." She swept a stray bang behind her ears as she really looked at Guyver I.
It was subtle, but the boy she had met in her cabin so long ago by Relics Point had been replaced with a battle hardened warrior. More than that, she felt safe leaving the world in his hands. Master Agito she would follow forever, but in her heart she knew he had a lot of healing to do as well. Sho on the otherhand, seemed to have found something in the little over a year he had been gone.
"Let's go do what we do best Ryuko." The Guyver walked off into the shadows with the strange girl in tow. Shortly, a red glow followed by 2 forms flying to the tower could just be seen by her.
Tetsuo saw his machine was up and running smoothly. Assuming mental commands ran the towers, they would now be useless. It would be a bonus if most of the Zoanoids inside were controlled as well, because they would be less inclined to fight.
The Thunderbolts were doing well with taking out a few depots and generally getting attention of the Zoanoids. They were armed with better weapons to specifically attack Zoanoids as well. This distraction would be more than enough to keep the HQ busy, more so because the men were blatantly brandishing the symbol of the resistance, a yellow lighting bolt.
"Tetsu, what is that girl to Sho?" He had been waiting for that question. He did not have a full answer, but assuming she was human, she may have been his only companion on the other side of the Rift. It was not impossible that after so many battles alone, or with comrades, that Sho would have made friends. It was not impossible that in the fight before Archanfel he had felt true mortality either.
"I am not sure sis, I am truly not sure, but he promised to tell us when he gets back." That was pure truth and the confidence in his proposal to return told the boy he meant it. He saw the troubled look on her face and decided to put forth at least something to consider. "He faced Archanfel alone so far as we know Mitsuki, but if that girl helped him survive, then I am willing to accept a lot. Just wait for Sho to tell us and we can go from there."
The realization passed over her eyes of the frightening power of that Zoalord and she nodded. For now she would wait, but as with Sho, there was a mettle behind her eyes that she would not lose either. He could almost pity Sho, but not quite.
"Commander Tetsuo, it begins." He turned to the monitors as he heard the flap open behind him.
"Keep me updated as well." All turned to see a pale as a sheet Agito, but he was there with Shizu at his side. The communicator nodded and they all saw as the assault on Chronos Japan HQ began.
Ryuko had no idea how many of the things there were. She and Senketsu were perfectly in sync and she lost herself in the battle. Most of the Zoanoids and humans were confused by her, and that bought her a lot of victories. Eventually word spread and she was treated as a threat immediately on sight.
Sho had been conservative in his attacks, but just as brutal. If they ran, he let them go, but otherwise cut them down with his blades. He barely damaged the building until they got to the room of tanks. He showed no mercy here.
Ryuko, he is focused on the goal, stay on it for now as well. She sighed as Senketsu advised on her chaotic state. This was his world now, a world of monsters. She should fit right in. She felt the reprisal before he spoke and just quashed it with anger. She cut loose on the tech in the room as well.
It was thinning out at last as they closed in on the top floor. Resistance should have increased to her mind, but Sho seemed not surprised. His orbs were always moving, always checking.
"Up ahead, there is a Zoalord." He spoke calmly, but she felt sweat breakout on her body from that sentence. The golden bastard had been tougher than even Ragyo, and she had regenerated way too much as it was.
The pristine white corridor had no side doors and only dark steel doors at the end. She distrusted this immediately. Sho seemed to share this and collected a gravity cannon blast. It kept growing and growing until he had it the size of basketball.
The corridor was ripped asunder as it slammed into the doors and blew them off the hinges. Circuits sparked and panels swung back and forth all along the destroyed passage. She also did not miss various signs of chemical breakdown. Zoanoids had been hidden in there.
"They did something to make it impossible to detect them, but the change in pressure I made was too much for them." Sho was calm, cold, and nothing like the boy she knew. She understood this was hard for him. He had avoided killing as much as possible on her world and once back here had been on almost an unending killing spree.
"You are not a monster Sho, I am here with you till the end." The words just sprang from her mouth, and she felt like they were pathetic, but she was surprised to see his shoulders loosen up.
"Thank you for that Ryuko, let's finish this. He is waiting." They went down the corridor to see the master of this place.
Dr Balcus was still injured, but his time in a tank had restore a large portion of his strength. It would take a week to fully recover, but he had thought himself able to face a single Guyver. The shock of Archanfel's death had passed quickly. It was too much to hope that this time he would defy the final grave as he had once before with Guyot.
He was however now bleeding from several shards of the steel door that Guyver I had somehow blown open only with his gravity blast. That infernal woman was with him as well. The emergency panel was beyond his reach, he could not even command a self destruct as the air burned with that damned machine from the last battlefield.
He could only command with technology, not telepathy. Blood turned his tan and white robs a deep crimson as he pushed himself up slowly. Guyver I stood before him with the scantily clad woman just to his left.
"I wondered what I would feel seeing you. You are the one that turned my father into Enzyme II, that forced an entire village to turn into Zoanoids against their will, and you are responsible for all the dead at Honno Town and Honnouji Academy." The short list was nothing compared to the dead humans that had not survived optimization until he got it right. Still it was not something to bring up right now.
"I did what I had to for X Day and for Chronos. You pathetic children stood in our way. I only cared about Archanfel and our dream." He felt the stab of pain at the mention of Archanfel and saw the Guyver begin to shake.
"Sho, I am right here." He saw the girl be concerned and felt how pathetic it was he was brought low by such simpletons. They had no idea what was coming if Chronos did not rule the world.
"What will you do boy? What will you do with Japan if you win here today?" He had not expected an answer really. He was trying to buy time. The indicators were still in the yellow, but if they reached green he had a chance.
"Ryuko, destroy the tank just above the ceiling there." Balcus felt his jaw drop as the boy pointed directly where the tank was. How had he known it was there?!
She barely paused as the red scissors seemed to suddenly extend and smashed through the crystalline form of a new Void cultivated from the last bit of living sample he had. The burst of acrid chemicals melted the body instantly.
"You can hide the tank but the flow of power and fluid was still in the walls Balcus. I have learned a lot about controlling the Guyver." The blue armor approached and looked at him in pitiless fashion. The blades extended but he did not move in for the kill. The old monster smiled.
"You did not answer my question boy, what will you do when you rule the world?" If this was his last moment, he wanted to know how the world will end.
"I already answered this once before but I will do it again. I will not rule. The Guyver will protect the Earth from Chronos, the Creators, or anyone that comes. I am done running away, done hiding from what I am. I am the Guyver and I will be here for as long as mankind needs me!" They were not empty words. He felt it. He felt the conviction form the boy to walk that road alone.
"You realize the Guyver will never let you die. So long as you have it equipped, you will stay in peak physical condition and watch all you love age and die around you?" The twist of the knife did not have the intended effect.
"If he wants he can drop in on me then, I have lots of time too it seems." The woman smiled wide and the anger in her blues eyes suddenly made him pale. Understanding flooded him. She was like the Guyver! She was why Archanfel had been so badly injured. It was all her fault!
"Can I ask you something Balcus, how long will those crystals last without Archanfel?" The question caught him off guard as he touched the red Zoa crystal in his forehead. The thought had not occurred to him. What would happen without Lord Archanfel? They had been created through sympathetic waves from him, but he knew they were not invulnerable. What would happen?
"As I thought, you do not know. That was the last thing I wanted to ask you." Balcus looked up just as the fist hit his face. Darkness closed in that he knew he would not wake from.
Sho stood stock still. He felt empty inside, hollow. He knew it would not change anything, but he expected to feel something as he saw his right fist punched through the Zoalords skull. The crystal bounced away intact, but Ryuko quickly shattered it with her blades.
It was over. The nightmare was over. Yet, he did not feel like he had woken up from it.
"Sho, it is time to go, we have to get the files you wanted." He did not move. He could not seem to move. It was as if nothing mattered anymore. All the words he had spoken were ash in his mouth as all he could see was the arm of his father before it disintegrated in front of his eyes in a forest very far from here.
He felt her arms encircle him then. He felt her warmth and Senketsu wrap around his heart.
"It is OK Sho, we are here, you are OK. Let's get going." The gentle words released him. He felt tremors in his body and something clawing its way out of his body. It could no longer be contained.
He roared. The Guyver shot his scream upward and it vaporized the ceiling to expose the night sky. The whole building shook as he just kept screaming until the darkness inside was burned out. The whole time she held onto him and tightly. The whole time she let him scream she never moved.
His senses told him Zoanoids in all directions were fleeing from him. He let them go, he let it all go. It was time to step forward to the next phase, time to let the world know Chronos was going to fall.
Agito watched in shock as the recorders they had hacked showed the death of Balcus. He was even more stunned as Fukamachi then shattered the building section with just his voice. He finally understood part of why this happened. Fukamachi had never given up the pursuit of Balcus, he had never truly stopped wanting to end that monster.
The difference, was he had not become like the monster in the process. It was like a light had gone off inside at last. He saw in stark clarity the machinations he had used to get his revenge on his uncle and set him on the path to death. He saw how he had taunted and enjoyed it, playing the game with Guyot and later being the Thunderbolt leader.
He saw all he had done and how he had done it and realized the words from the fight burned in him. It burned like a wound because they were true. He had become like Chronos. He had become a true monster and planned to rule the world as one.
"What have I become?" The whispered words were only heard by Shizu, but he felt her arms tighten around him and he remembered a very different night. A night he had lost all controls and she had not denied him. She had embraced the darkness within as part of him.
The final lock broke open and pain wracked his heart. He felt so much pain, grief, and a torrent of other emotions he had rigidly controlled for so long. If Shizu had not been there, he would have collapsed. She quietly supported him and he simply listened to the background until something caught his ear.
"GIGANTIC!" Fukamachi was using the Gigantic?
"What is he doing Segawa?" The large boy turned with a serious look from his controls and looked right at him with his amber eyes.
"Showing that Chronos is not all powerful." He then turned back and Agito finally noticed where The Gigantic was. Surely he could not be thinking of that?
Shock hit him as the chest plates opened.
You did well Ryuko, Sho was lost in his pain. She felt tears still falling as Senketsu comforted her. In that final moment she realized Sho had been controlling his anger, grief, and who knows all of it. She knew that feeling very well, and more, she knew what if felt after facing that monster and losing control.
What was she going to do with these feelings? If she stayed here, as seemed likely, it was going to be a problem.
The ground began to tremble, but she was at a safe distance. The dark sky turned to day as the twin buildings of Chronos Japan, safely evacuated, where vaporized. The buildings just vanished in the light of the Gigasmasher. The Gigantic rose up out of the ground after and was lit by spotlights.
As he did that, a broadcast was being sent out with Sho's face. He had recorded it on the way and it outlined the basics of all Chronos had done before X Day and the truth about humanity. It was also a declaration of his intent to serve humanity.
The Thunderbolts were free to choose what they wished to do, continue to work with him in defending Japan or focus on attacking Chronos. It was a bit melodramatic, but it was backed up by the reams of data she had transmitted earlier.
The final bit was simple, but Japan was free to reform its government and any Zoanoid that wished to could stay to fight Chronos or face the Guyver. Hence the vaporizing of the HQ buildings. It was a flat out statement of what they would face.
He used the disengagement of the Gigantic to disappear into the night sky, but she knew where he would be going.
Mitsuki felt conflicted in her heart. She had watched as Sho faced the author of his father's fate and her heart had gone out to him, but she had seen that other girl, Ryuko, comfort him as way more than a friend.
She was glad someone had been there to help him in that moment, but she felt jealously flame as well. She was wearing simple fatigues and while in excellent shape, she had never been as curvy as that girl was.
She shook her head at that. Sho was many things, but it was not simply physical beauty that would have drawn him, so she must understand him or had battled with him through some terrible fights.
"Eh, he is not here yet?" Mitsuki whirled in the small tent to see the very girl she had been thinking on standing behind her with the large pair of red scissors. The odd weapon had been devastating to the Zoanoids, so it was not simply a fashion statement. Her uniform had changed too, back to the sailor version she had seen before.
He is likely having to avoid detection, this camp is not revealed in the statements he put out Ryuko. She heard that strange male voice and saw the eyes of the uniform look around the room as well. It was disturbing to think on it, but it was alive.
Where had Sho been that this was possible?
The blue eyes looked into her darker set and she saw an understanding pass that had both blush.
"I am Ryuko Matoi. Sho helped me and my friends defeat a terrible threat to our Earth called Life Fibers." The proffered hand was almost clasped by her when the words registered. Shock made her eyes go as wide as dinner plates.
"Ryuko, I had hoped to explain that particular thing myself." Both jumped as Sho stood behind them. He looked pale but was steady on his feet. He seemed to look at them both and no longer have guilt in his eyes either.
"I am going to skip over it for now to the harder part." He walked passed them and sat down at the edge of his cot. He looked up at them both and simply seemed to come to a decision. "I love you both more dearly than life itself, but I am not going to simply decide which I 'keep' and which I let go. I made a promise to Satsuki to bring Ryuko home and she deserves to be with her loved ones as well. If you both cannot accept my foolish heart I understand and will live with those consequences."
For being the harder part he seemed to be very confident, but his eyes looked in pain now. He was thinking about what they would say, she was sure of it.
"I have faced death many times and I have faced monsters that would have happily consumed or destroyed the innocent to have their way. I will always be there to protect and help, but I will not simply lie to myself or loved ones for the sake of convenience." Sho then looked right at her and he smiled.
"I was so lost in darkness and pain Mitsuki, but you always treated me as myself. You always brought me back to the light and eventually let me find a way to forgive myself and the Guyver for what I had done. You are what burns in my heart when I begin to lose hope I can never be human." The words bring a deep flush to her but then he turned to Ryuko who seemed to be shuffling her feet a bit.
"Ryuko, you and I walk the same path. We are not monsters but neither are we human anymore. You are part of me and let me be happy with what I am while always being there when i needed you most. I would never have become who I am now without you and Chronos may never have been defeated without me losing myself in the Guyver's power. You are there when I need to remember who I am and I feel normal again." The words brought a deep crimson to the girl's cheeks.
I have said my peace and thank you for that chance. Hate me, hit me, or whatever, but know I have to go out there and get the next phase started before I can try to get Ryuko home." He was almost passed her before anger finally came to her.
"How dare you!" Sho stiffened but did not turn around to them. She felt incensed. "You just blow back into my life and tell me that you love this girl, who clearly loves you back, while still claiming to love me as well? In the same moment you say you will not choose who you 'keep' you also state you will be sending her home! How dare you!"
He did turn then, and she saw it. He had expected this and still just pushed ahead. He was so stubborn and bull headed but he did not understand the depth of her rage.
"I was worried sick while you were gone, worried you were all alone facing the monsters without anyone to keep you sane. I am jealous of Ryuko, but she deserves more than to be brushed out the door as soon as you can work it out!" He had the audacity to simply bomb them and try to push passed it?!
"I promised—" He began to try and fend her off with his palms raised.
"I DON"T CARE! We are not soldiers in this and you are not in charge, we will discuss this now!" Her chest heaved with labored breath as anger made her feel more sure of herself in this moment.
"Segawa, he never betrayed you. I was not easy to get along with and only recently learned what I am. He spoke of you all the time and told us stories about you, your brother, and even pinhead out there." The girl was looking down as she spoke, but her words took the steam out of her anger.
Indeed. Even when he desperately felt lonely, he focused on you until that terrifying creature came. It brought death and fear to us all and when he was lost in his fear, Ryuko found him. They did not betray you, they simply felt isolated by what they are and in shared pain and experience found each other. The uniform was looking right at her and she realized it was truly alive.
"How do you know all that?" She felt tears burning her eyes but it sounded so much like Sho.
For the longest time I have felt Sho as I feel Ryuko. I do not know why, only that I do. I feel I would have been happy to have been worn by him if not for his current outfit. Sho and Ryuko are afraid of being left outside, but you, Mako, and so many others remind them of the silly humans they are. In that moment it clicked. She truly looked at the teary eyed girl and saw something she had missed.
She had the same eyes as Sho since he had been revealed to her as the Guyver. They had a trace of fear, a trace of worry that never truly went away. The was like the Sho!
"Do you really love us Sho?" The words surprised her, but she wanted to know. She looked right at him as the confidence faded and she finally saw the boy she had fallen for.
"Yes, I know that makes me a different kind of monster but—" She stopped him cold with a tight hug. It had been in his eyes. In that moment the fear had faded from his eyes. They had simply been Sho's eyes.
"You will have a lot of detailed explaining to do, but you should be apologizing to Ryuko as well." Confused at first, he looked up and saw the hanging head of the girl. Mitsuki knew she should leave but maybe they both would need her.
Sho felt numb. He was not sure if he was happy that Mitsuki had not abandoned him, but he no longer felt guilt. Since facing Agito and Balcus, it was like he had lost the ability to simply worry about how he felt.
He was still an idiot though.
"Ryuko, I promised your sister to bring you home. I promised your family, your friends, that you would be safely brought back to them. I didn't want to make this hard on either of us but you need to go home as much as I did." It was hurting to say those words. He wanted so desperately to be back on the Naked Sol deck as they had simply embraced and let the world fall away in that comfort.
He wanted to not be responsible for what he had just set in motion, but the Guyver was needed.
"I know, I did not mean to fall in love with you either but you and Mako wormed your way in there so suddenly. I want to stay so badly, but I want to see them too." It was not something seen often, the softer side of Ryuko usually came with a few fist punches, but she had changed a lot since those early days. They all had.
He looked at Mitsuki and saw she was getting teary eyed again. On impulse he grabbed them both and just let the moment be what it was. They had admitted the truth and realized there were no happily ever afters even when the monsters are defeated.
Once the tears had stopped, and all seemed balanced again, the three parted and left the tent. They had walked a chasm few could, but now it was time to face the world again. And for Sho it was time to rip open the universe one more time.
Kill La Kill Earth
Satsuki stood in Junketsu again in Honno Town. The reconstruction and clean up of the Academy was in progress. They had a graduation ceremony to perform still. She let the Elite 4 handle it. She just stared at the air where her sister and the Guyver had gone. It had been a month but there was no sign of their return.
Mankanshoku held faith, but she was losing hers. Had she lost her sister again? Tears had formed once at that thought, but she was slowly getting that under control now. The Life Fiber cleanup by Nudist Beach was going well and she had to consider what to do about Junketsu. Yes, she had to consider a great deal what to do about Junketsu.