Chapter 38: Old Beginnings, New Beginnings
Previously:
"What the hell is that?" Kenchi asked suddenly, looking through the window of his office to the outside hall.
"A new vending machine. Yours is broken." Ougi stated as he stood up. "Head to Earth and investigate, I want visual confirmation from you and you only." Were Ougi's last words as he left the office, leaving Kenchi speechless in his seat, his mouth agaped.
*That night…*
"Hello and welcome this is the Garde-."
"Good day as well. Is this the number for the Garden of Eden restaurant…?"
"…Yes sir..."
"I would like to reserve a table for two…"
Chapter 38: Old Beginnings, New Beginnings
"O-Okay class, this section is sure to be in the test next week, so make sure you practice it a lot." The teacher said, earning herself a bunch of groans and sighs.
"Argh…. there goes my weekend…"
"I'm…I'm doomed…"
"Che…"
"What am I gonna do…Oh no…."
The students collaborative bemoaning were however drenched by the seemingly never-ending ringing of the school bell, indicating the end of the period. The blonde haired teacher could only laugh nervously and awkwardly, watching her students fret over the impending doom that was to come, barely managing the ruckus in the room.
'This is my chance! I refuse to get another 'C' in math!' A certain Yuuki thought in his head as he remained seated in his chair. His eyes burning with comical determination, a fist pumping the air.
"…" The golden haired Sainan student, feeling a pair of emerald green eyes staring at her, naturally remained silent, looking off sharply to her left, last the window and into the sunny horizon, her chin resting on her hand. "…" A miniscule amount of blush on her face.
'She's still ignoring me…ne?' Tearju thought dejectedly, two comical streams of tears gushing down from her eyes.
*End of school…*
"Jiiiiii…." A Devilukean with short pink hair buzzed as she stared intently at the boy beside him. The pair of Sainan students, not unlike the other students, all slowly made their way out of the school grounds, and will eventually make their way through the main gates of the school.
The boy, having enough of her unwavering stares, finally gave up. "N-Nani, Momo…?" Rito asked, a sweatdrop down his face.
"Something tells me you're troubled, Rito-san...~" Momo addressed in concern, but a cheeky smile on her face nonetheless. 'I wonder what's getting to him…'
"It's just a simple math test next week, Rito…..no stress man…" The boy chanted to himself, a depressing black aura surrounding him, his head hung low.
"Daijobu daijobu, I'm sure onee-sama will help you." Momo cheered, giving the boy slaps of encouragement on the back.
"My life is over…I don't wanna fail again…" Rito gasped dryly, all hope and cheeriness leaving his soul as Momo laughed uncomfortably.
But out of the corner of the princess's purple eyes spotted a figure approaching from the side. In an instant, the girl recognized who the figure was, and reacted accordingly.
"Rito-san! I just remembered that I left something from the classroom, no need to wait for me!" Momo called out all of a sudden, much to the boy's surprise. With a now more discreet and devious smile, the plant whisperer disappearing with a small flicker, her black spade tipped tail in tow.
"W…Wa…..it…." But she was gone, leaving the boy in the uniform alone. He stood by the school entrance for a few moments, before sighing to himself. 'Better head home then.'
"Y…Yuuki Ri-Rito!" A familiar voice called out his name as Rito turned to behind him.
"K-Kujou-senpai?!" Rito called out in question, surprised to see the female student before him.
"P-Please come with me for a bit." The Kujou bodyguard requested formally, but not without a small stutter, not bothering to check for the boy's compliance as she marched away.
"A-A-Ano…Kujou-senpai…?" Rito faltered, now swallowing yet another nervous gulp down his system. He found himself following the girl, and within minutes, they had ended up at a non-particular gap between the school buildings, a vending machine accompanying the two. And though the setting sun wasn't visible from where they stood, its sun rays however, passed over their positions.
'I'm all alone…with Kujou-senpai…. after school…?' The assassin reminded himself sheepishly, his eyes darting around the tower walls of the school buildings. A small blush had slowly begun to develop on his face as looked at the girl standing before him.
"Wh…What did you want to talk about?" The male Yuuki began, after a great deal of awkward silence.
"Actually…" Rin began, tugging on her clothes with a hand nervously. "I thought that I should've…. thanked yo-you properly…" Rin said with a serious face, looking away to the side, in a failed attempt to hide her blush.
"Eh?" Rito responded dumbly, a big red question mark on his head.
"That other day…with Bladix…" Rin said, reminding him. "I've been thinking on how to…. show my gratitude…and that…I'm sorry….for everything I've done…"
Rito's mouth made a silent 'O', now grasping the situation. "Kujou-senpai." The boy said, with surprising seriousness as he took a bold step forward towards the girl, immediately catching her attention. "That day…when you lost control, it wasn't just me who helped, there was also Yami and Kurosaki Mea, and everyone as well."
"I see…" the pony-tailed bodyguard uttered, a look of shame on her downcasted face. 'I've caused everyone so much trouble…'
"Demo…" Rito began, dragging the girl from her internal pool of guilt. "I was very impressed on h-how you handled yourself, both outside…and inside…" Rin's eyes then widened at the compliment as the boy elaborated. "I-I mean, I could fe-feel that you tried your best to restrain your abilities on the outside. And your resolve when facing Bladix was…" Rito then trailed off, seeing the girl still faced down.
"B-But I-I still…."
"Kujou-senpai…" Finally summoning enough courage within him, the Yuuki walked forward to Rin, a hand on her shoulder of equal height, causing the girl to jolt and look up. Golden brown eyes met pitch black ones. "…"
"…"
"You're strong. I know it, we all know it. And don't let anyone else let you think otherwise."
"But…I couldn't protect Saki-sama, and I failed y-"
"Rin." The female Kujou then looked up in shock, hearing him calling her by the first name. She looked up with questioning eyes, a blush now once again developing on her face.
"Whatever decision you made in the past, I know that it's for the best. Do not dwell on the past, trust me." Rito explained with a soft smile. "You should be proud of how far you've come. I know I am."
"H…Hontoni (Really)?" She wondered, with a curious tone and a skeptical but hopeful look.
"Mm!" Rito replied with a smile and a nod, causing the girl's face to burn up in red. But in seeing the girl's expression, it caused even the boy to blush as he realized what he just said, looking away in embarrassment.
The two stood, face to face, each looking away from one another, fidgeting with their hands.
"A-A-Any…way…" Rin stuttered cutely. "I…I just wanted to say…"
"Th…Thank you." The girl uttered sincerely, now looking straight at the boy, blushes and all. But Rito's face of surprise and fascination had only served to embarrass her further.
"A-Ah-"
"Th-That's all I wanted to say!"
"U-Uh…Senpai…?-" But the boy's futile attempt of a plea was of no use, the girl had already ran away.
'I wonder what's gotten into her all of a sudden…?!' Rito puzzled. But his attention was soon diverted when he looked behind him at the vending machine, seeing none other than Momo, a cute thumbs up and a wink of success.
"Mo-Momo?!"
"Hehe~" The girl laughed cheekily. "Looks like Kujou-senpai's taken a liking to you, Rito-san…"
"After all,"
"You are the only boy to have even been inside her…"
"Th…That was her MIND!" Rito yelled, his face ablazed.
*Later on…*
"Sa…Saki-sama…I've told him…"
"I see…" The rich girl said, folding her arms together, a smile on her face. "You feel refreshed now, don't you? If you want to say something, you should do it, Rin. No good getting it all pent up inside you."
"Hai…" Kujou Rin could only agree. 'It's true…I do feel lighter…'
"Demo ne…" Saki said. "It's pretty hard to believe…"
"N-Nani, Saki-sama…?"
"I've known you for the longest time…but I've never seen this kind of expression on your face." Saki said deviously, an eye closed, paying attention to the girl's intense blush. "Worry not, Rin! I'll be cheering for you!"
"Wh-What are you- Eh-Ehh?! Saki-sama?!"
"Even if the other party is Yuuki Rito!"
"I…I don't really understand…"
"Daijobu, Rin! I can understand the feeling of love so well it hurts. Oh, Zastin-sama!~"
As if trapped within her thoughts, Rin merely stared at the floor, a puzzled expression on her blushed face. 'Just what exactly do I feel…about Yuuki Rito…?'
*Shortly After School…*
The increasing sounds of high heels could be heard approaching, halting a woman in her work in progress. She dropped her pen on her desk and turned around, stripping off her white laboratory coat over her curvaceous figure, revealing a rather revealing pink top. The woman stood up and placed her lab coat on her chair, her pointed ears perking up amongst her short red hair, barely visible. She walked to the door of her office and opened it, rather unsurprised to see the woman standing outside.
"Mikado…" The female outside the door said, her tone grim but friendly at the same time.
"…Tearju…" the newly introduced school doctor greeted her best friend with a half hug, leading her inside her office. "I got your message. You said you wanted to talk about something?" Mikado asked. 'Is this about…Eve?'
"…Well…" But the former scientist trailed off, now taking a seat on the rather comfortable edge of a bed in the school infirmary, her bow-tied hair draping onto the bed. "…" She replied in stunned silence.
"Tearju…is this about Eve-"
"Gomen, Mikado." The blonde haired teacher apologized, much to Mikado's surprise. "Sorry about how I acted the other time in the meeting with…" Tearju trailed off, her voice choking, her head down.
"I'll hear no more of your apologies, Tearju." Mikado interjected, now sitting on the bed opposite of hers, the white curtains between them now dragged off to the side. "Your reaction was to be expected...and considering his sudden appearance and all…"
"…"
"You know…, I would've done the same if I was in your shoes." Mikado joked, earning herself a small laugh from her friend.
"What? Slapping the man that destroyed the EDEN organization in the face?" Tearju replied rhetorically as both women shared a small chuckle.
The school doctor now smiled. "So? What did you want to talk about, if not Eve?" She asked, bringing a thigh atop of the other, taking a small of her tea, now paying full attention to her old friend.
"Well…I…" Tearju trailed off, gather her thoughts, a hard look on her face. "I…I want to ask for a favor." The woman in glasses asked.
"…A favor?" Mikado said, surprise evident in her voice. 'Well this is new…! Could it be…?'
"I-I've decided, Mikado…" Tearju looked up, her determined green eyes looking at the doctor's red ones. "I won't run from the truth any longer." She announced.
A rather morbid silence then befell the school infirmary as Tearju held her breath in suspense, waiting to hear Mikado's response.
"…" Mikado's frown then slowly but gradually turned into an inevitable smile. "Wakata. Leave it to me."
"Mikado…" The blonde haired scientist rejoiced in relief, sighing loudly. "Arigato…"
"It's nothing. Just head for the school rooftop after school tomorrow."
*Dat night, Yuuki Residence…*
"…" Rito remained silent gloomily, closing the door in his room. He walked over to his desk and chair, throwing several text books down from his school bag and onto the table with a sigh of exasperation. He stared at the mountains of books sitting on his desk, an intimidated look on his face.
'Out of all the enemies I've fought…this might be the most challenging.' Rito thought as he swallowed a lump in his throat, staring at the math textbooks.
'No! I can do this!' The Sainan student said determinedly in his head, tying a red bandanna around his head as he sat down on his chair.
"It can't be that hard…. can it?" What little courage left in the boy had quickly drained upon opening the book and flipping through the first several pages. Seemingly reading an alien language of some sort, commonly known as mathematics. "Ah…"
'I don't understand any of this…' Rito whispered. 'Truly a formidable foe…'
"No! I need to try!" Rito called out to himself, slapping himself in the face with both hands, before once again concentrating on the battlefield laid out across his desk.
The little black soldiers marched from left to right, up to down, and sometimes even disappearing from the paper, with thanks to the rubber. The cycle continued of problem solving continued for quite some time, until even Rito's patience had ran out.
"Argh…" Rito groaned at his bane as he dropped his pencil in defeat, his hands rummaging through his orange hair. "I'm not getting this at all…" he moaned, his mind surrendering to the impending 'C' on his report card.
"Doushita Rito?~" A voice sung curiously as Rito snapped out of his panic mode. Turning around his chair, his eyes widened at his saving grace.
"La-Lala…" The boy chanted weakly, his head drooped low.
"A…Ano…" The Devilukean female wondered as she entered her fiancé's room. "What's wron-"
"TASUKETE KUDASAI (SAVE ME) !" Rito yelled out comically, tumbling at Lala's feet, a meek bow with his head plastered into the floor. "I-I don't wanna fail the test tomorrow!" He sobbed, two comical streams of tears pouring out from his eyes, pooling at the floor below and around him. The pink haired princess could only watch in wonderment and confusion, a question mark on her head.
"Ano….eto ne…" Lala trailed off, now flipping through the textbook, her emerald green eyes scanning the pages all over with impressive speed as Rito gawked over her shoulder worriedly, racking in fear.
"Ohh~!" Lala cheered sweetly, a hammer fist over her palm. "I see."
"L…L-Lala…?" Rito asked.
"Daijobu Rito! ~" Lala cheered, and in an instant, a dumbfounded Rito found himself seated in his chair, a pencil in his hand, and Lala standing over his shoulder.
"Eh?" Rito deadpanned as he stared at his nemesis, who stared back from the desk with blank faces.
"Don't worry so much, Rito! ~" Lala explained, elaborating on her findings. "All you have to do is this…. then this….and then this…. then after you've done that, just solve for this unknown….and you're done!" Lala said.
Hearing Lala's seemingly incoherent and speedy explanation, Rito could sigh gloomily as he drooped over his desk, a comically sad aura around him. "I'm doomed…"
"R-Rito?!"
From outside the room, a pair of young golden brown eyes watched its owner smiled, giggling to herself at her brother's antics.
'Well, I guess I'll ask him another time.'
*Same time at night, a certain apartment…*
"Hm hm hm~" The bathroom doors of a secluded apartment at the top of the tall building clicked as it closed, revealing a teenage girl in the nude as she walked out, a drying her body and blood long flowing blood red hair with a single white towel. She hummed a casual tune as she strolled out from the steaming bathroom, a cute squeal in delight after her shower.
"Ahhh~ Showers are wonderful…" The Trans weapon said, walking across the wooden planked floor towards the sofa, but not before picking up a small lollipop from the kitchen bench with the tips of her hair. With little to no effort, she fed herself the lollipop with her red hair.
She smiled as she then made her way to the sofa.
"…Hm? Master? ~" Mea wondered, looking towards the glass paned wall of the apartment. Before the window was a figure of a little girl, her darker than usual skin and blackish hair accompanied by an aura of black particles around her body. The 'Master' faced out towards the horizon, towards the dark and starry night skies.
"Mea…someone's about to visit us very soon…." Master said, spiking her 'servant's' interest.
"Wh-Who could it be…?" Mea's deep blue eyes then widened. "M-Masaka, is it that terrorist Ougi-"
"No." But to her surprise, Nemesis denied the girl. "It's someone else. Someone with superior tracking skills…ones even better than ours…" Her golden eyes fixated into the skies, a devious smirk on her face. "And they're coming into this City…"
"Eh? How do you know this, Master?" The red headed girl asked innocently.
"You're not the only servant I possess." Nemesis told the girl cryptically. "Connections mean power. Isn't that what I've taught you?"
"…Is this person dangerous…?" The red head wondered aloud, a critical eye pointed at the skies as well. She dried herself fully, as she discarded the towel on the sofa.
"Worry not, my dear servant." The Master calmed. "I have plans for the near future."
"…Hai…" Mea said, confused by her Master's usual cryptic antics. 'I don't know what Master's thinking about…'
The night had progressed ever more as the City of Sainan found itself drowned in the silent solitude of night. And the same can be said for the apartment block of the two Trans weapons.
Kurosaki Mea laid on the wide black sofa, her legs sprawled apart and her hands calmly by her side. However, her braided red hair wasn't where it was supposed to drape. It instead found itself sticking into its owner's forehead a centimeter in, an odd and small illumination at the contact point. The girl closed her eyes, letting her mind sink.
'Yuuki Rito…' She thought as she reviewed her Master's latest instruction. '…"Review the intel you have gained from Yuuki Rito, understand his connection with Yami."…how will this help us, Master?'
But deciding against arguing against her Master's command, she merely complied, letting Rito's memories flow into her in a fast playback.
"Oyaji (father)! Kaa-san!...Christmas…"
"NOOO!"
"…I'll kill you!…"
"…W-Who are you…uncle?!..."
"…Wh-what am I, is this….what Apple…?..."
"…Azenda…"
"…I'll…definitely… kill you…"
"…Mikan….save…Mikan…save her…"
"…Aliens…. Deviluke?...Who are all these people….?"
"Lala…."
"…Konjiki…no Yami…?"
"…Lone…Eagle…?"
"…No…they'll find out…"
"Daijobu, Yuuki-kun…. introduce her to us after you save her…ne?..."
"…Mikan…"
"UNCLE!"
"Onegai…Yami! I…. I love…I…"
Kiss.
"This is between us, Azenda…between assassins!"
"You cannot hope to save the world!"
"Irreversible. Assassin." Resonated from the apple.
"One last Christmas…just between us…"
"You've placed all my daughters in danger, boy!"
"My...My eyes...!"
"What are you still doing here, woman?!"
"…No…Gid gave this to you, Yuuki Rito-san…use it well…. his king piece…"
"Galactic War…?"
"Terrorist? Ougi Tsunaru…?"
"Trans weapons?"
"EDEN…Yami….Tearju Lunatique…"
"Mikan…."
"…Ugh…!" Mea's eyes snapped wide open, her red braid flung out of her head, not soft and dangling beside her as she sat up, as if woken from a nightmare. She took heavy and erratic breaths, trying her best to stabilize herself. 'Too much…there's too much pain…'
'Yuuki Rito…just what are you…who are you…?'
*Next day…After school…*
Slow and steady breathings filled the hallway with every step as a woman made her way up the long stairs in solitude.
But as she approached the end of the staircase, her fast and sequential steps slowly became unsteady and erratic.
She stopped at the double doors, the evening light squeezing its way through the crevices by the edges of the door. Her breathing, matching her steps.
'I…I can do this…I need to…' And without hesitation, the woman pushed through the double doors to the school rooftops, her long blonde hair following in her wake. 'For the truth about the past!'
She calmly walked onto the school rooftop, leaving the doors to close after themselves. She surveyed her surroundings, seeing not a soul in sight. She looked from left to right, the tall fences, the small vents, and air-conditioner blocks.
There he was.
Black.
Tearju froze in her position, her footsteps halted.
Sitting above one of two large air-conditioner blocks was none other than a figure in black, his black overcoat and boots complimenting his hair and overall appearance. The man's piercing yellow eyes however did not meet hers.
Instead, the man sat above the block, one leg dangling off the edge. The black clad man had turned to his side, a small silver bowl by his side, filled halfway with white liquid. By his side, three cats, each with their distinct colors, black, brown, and yellow, stood. Each tending to their own businesses. The black cat would occasionally stand over the bowl and indulge itself into the milk contained, and the man would occasionally poke a curious finger at the cat.
He was about to poke the drinking cat when he halted, retracting his finger as he noticed yet another shadow joining his presence.
"…"
"…"
"…Doctor Lunatique." The man uttered plainly.
'This is Black….' Tearju reminded herself constantly as she looked for a response, more than slightly intimidated by the man's presence. 'This is the man…that destroyed EDEN…'
"D…D-Did Mikado sent you?" The former scientist now teacher asked bravely.
"…You came alone?" Black retorted with another question, completing ignoring the woman's. "Even though you're fully aware of who I am?" The man asked in a monotone, his face devoid of any emotions.
"I…I…" Tearju said, now looking straight into Black's piercing and intimidating eyes. "I won't run from the truth any longer."
"Please tell me the truth!"
'Not an ounce of quit within her…' The pistol wielding assassin was slightly taken aback by the scientist's outburst, seeing her unwavering face from the unusually stern woman. "Tearju Lunatique, you may not like what you-"
"You will tell me the truth. About Eve's past." Tearju pressed, taking appropriate steps forward to the dangerous being.
'This woman…' Black thought as he remained seated, the cats merely laid down or hopped down from the block. "…What do you want?" The man asked cautiously.
"Tell me everything! Who hired you? Why did you do it? H-"
"-One thing at a time." Black yawned half-heartedly, now laying down on the air conditioner block. As dangerous or murderous as Tearju thought the man to be, she found him oddly docile. "Very well."
"…"
"…"
"…Who hired you to destroy the laboratory…?" Tearju once again asked.
"…Sigh…" Black sighed tiredly, a hand cushioning his head as he laid there.
"It was a woman."
"…A woman?"
"A woman named Tsunaru Aoi."
"Tsunaru…. Aoi…?" The blonde haired teacher visibly gasped at the revelation in disbelief. 'But that's Ougi-san's…'
'Late wife…' Tearju though, flabbergasted. "But…that can't be…." She faltered, her emerald green eyes widened and wavered.
"Everything started with a phone call over a contract…" The man began to explain, laying on his back, eyes on the setting skies. "She had sounded scared…desperate even…"
*Flashback (Many years ago…) *
Beep…beep…. beep…beep…bee- click!
"If you're calling this number then you should already know who I am." Black said as a matter-of-factly. "Contract?"
"Th-there isn't much time left…" The woman over the phone gasped. "I'm Tsunaru Aoi, calling to negotiate a contract with Black." The woman hushed.
"State your terms." The assassin replied.
"There's an organization on the planet Kild. It's called EDEN, an underground illegal research facility disguised as a pharmacy. I…I need it destroyed…!" The woman over the line once again hushed, her light and uneasy breathing intensified. "Every single person in the facility needs to be destroyed.'
But Black had seemed indifferent about her tone, "You're requesting for a complete package deal from me, that includes explosives and bullets, amongst other equipments." Black stated uncaringly. "That's double the expenses for me, which means quadruple the cost for you. Plus, the warzone conditions in this particular sector of the universe, making it double again….and-"
"I don't care about the price!….Please!...I'll pay everything I have!" The desperate voice blasted into Black's ear from the phone speakers. "Make it public, discreet, I don't care. Just so long as you make everyone inside disappear."
"How many targets?"
"Th-Thirty-one in total, but please! Please hear me out!" Aoi interrupted just as the assassin was about to reply. "Be wary of a silver haired man in the premises. Do NOT touch him. That…that is my one and only condition."
Then the conversation seemed to have halted a bit.
"These scientists…" Black said over the phone, letting his mind wonder. "Why am I targeting them?"
"…They've been experimenting…on things that are wrong….so wrong…those holy fruits of gold...they're evil…. does it really matter?" Aoi choked out.
"Reasons are irrelevant." Black agreed, nodding. "State the time and location, be wary of the three cooling off period in case you decide to change your mind."
"In one weeks' time…at precisely noon."
"Let's talk about my reward?" Black asked, an immeasurable speck of interest in his voice.
"Collect it from my dead body after you're done. A key and location to my life savings."
Black's eyes than visibly widened, albeit not by very much. "And the amount?"
"Let's just say you won't have to work any more in your lifetime and the next."
"…"
"…"
"…I'll be in touch with a different number in five days. Be ready." Black said, and was about to hang up when a voice interjecting his actions, surprising him.
"Assassin-san!"
"…What…"
"Please…whatever you do…. spare the silver haired man…I'm begging you…. that's all I ask…" the woman begged profusely over the phone. "Can you promise me that…?" She asked fearfully.
"…"
"…I promise."
AUTHOR'S NOTES: SO THERE WE HAVE IT, SLOWLY GETTING BACK ON TRACK. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS GUYS?
LOOKING FORWARD TO WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER TITLED: 'FLASHBACK: BLACK'S MISSION', SELF EXPLANATORY I GUESS… (THAT WILL PROBABLY BE ONE THE MOST IMPORTANT CHAPTERS IN THIS STORY)
AGAIN, APOLOGIES FOR THE PACING OF THIS STORY, THROUGHOUT WRITING BETWEEN KINGS, I'VE STRUGGLED TO FIND THE BALANCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL STORY, CANON, FIGHTS AND ROMANCE, EVERYTHING WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE, I PROMISE TO TRY MY BEST
FUN FACT #16: MOST OF THE PLOTS FOR BETWEEN KINGS WAS THOUGHT UP DURING SHOWERS…(LOL)
FUN FACT #17: THE NEW CHAPTER OF TO LOVE RU DARKNESS IS PRETTY FREAKING EPIC!
NEXT CHAPTER: BLACK'S MISSION
AND AS ALWAYS, MORE CHAPTERS STILL TO COME!
REVIEWS ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED AND LOVED!
CRITICISMS ARE ALSO APPRECIATED.