Chapter 51: Starry Night
Previously:
But as their hands were about to touch, an unexpected tremor wreaked across the ship as the flat floor violently shifted and turned on its side. In their initial shock moments, the two lost footing and fell, tumbling into the room.
With a grunt, the boy's back slammed against the back wall of the tiny cabin.
"WAA-~" But without warning, as the boy recovered his sight and posture, a person crashed atop his body.
As did a warm pair of lips,
On his own.
"Mmmm!" The boy muffled in the kiss, now fully aware of who it was.
"Mmmgh…" Mea groaned, opening her eyes.
Feeling heat of each other on their faces, the two assassins pulled apart swiftly, turning and shuffling away.
"Ah-Ahh…I…I didn't mean to…" Rito stuttered idiotically, his face beet red. But his attention then snapped turned as he looked forward.
"That doesn't matter right now!" Mea yelled out as her hair extended into a hand, blocking a bed, falling straight down at the two. "We need to get to Yami-oneechan!"
"What on earth is going on?!" Rito called out as he stood up, back on the flat floor. But the bombardment of tremors hadn't stopped. 'The ship… are we under attack?!' He thought frantically as the two made way to the open door.
Chapter 51: Starry Night
*Music for mood: "Hunt or Be Hunted" – The Witcher 3*
As Rito and Mea made their way out of the cabin door, yet another tremor violently shook the spacecraft as the two occupants were thrown into the air, smashing themselves onto the side walls.
"Argh!" Rito grunted as he got back up, looking back, seeing the red haired Trans weapon in similar fashion. "Take my hand!" He yelled out, hand outstretched.
"…" Wordlessly, the girl complied, accepting the urgently opened hand as she felt herself yanked back onto her feet. And as the two made their way out of the narrow metal corridors, small indicator lights by each wall began flashing red, enveloping the entire hallway in its redness. "We gotta get a move on!" Rito urged as they ran, staggering as steam valves blew, ejecting steam from the walls.
Shortly after, much to the two's relief, they reemerged from the corridors into the cockpit, hand in hand.
"Yami!" Rito called out to Golden Darkness, who had occupied the main chair by the control panel of the ship.
"What's happening, Yami-oneechan?!"
"We are currently under attack. Yuuki Rito, Mea-" Yami reported as she paused, allowing yet another tremor to rock on the ship, but still allowing herself to stare at the two curiously. Noticing the flat stare from the golden haired assassin, Rito and Mea looked at each other, then down between them, and immediately let go of each other's hand.
"Oh, you made yourself a friend. nicely done, Mea~" Nemesis pointed out, now appearing next to her servant.
"Mo-More importantly!" Rito butted in, a red tick mark on his face. "Luna! What's happening?!"
"Rito-dono!" The artificial intelligence responded in a calm yet urgent tone. "It appears to be a gang of space pirates. Six type-3 spacecrafts have targets locked on our position as we speak."
"Space pirates…?" Rito thought incredulously, running up to the window pane by the side of the hull, staring into the distant space. True to Luna's words, the space outside littered with laser beams as the Lunatique spun left and right, dodging as many beams as possible.
"Yawn…What the hell is going on…" The groggy voice groaned from the corridor as Black emerged.
"We're under attack." The Eagle replied urgently, pacing to Yami.
"Oh great…" Black groaned.
"You're captain of this ship, what do we do?" Rito asked, standing over Yami's chair, on looking the chaos in the darkness outside, with slight worry in his eyes. In all his life, this was the last thing he'd expect while traversing the empty space.
Everyone winced as yet another tremor rocked the spacecraft.
'This isn't the first time the Lunatique was chased before… but this time I can't take any risks… with Yuuki Rito on board.' 'Yami gritted her teeth slightly. "Luna, disengage auto-evasion systems, I'm going manual."
"M-Manual?! Bu-But, master-"
"Now!"
"...Hai Master!" Luna grunted as the control panel before the girl seemingly divided itself, transforming into several control sticks and wheels, with set of buttons now littering the panel.
"I need a co-pilot." Yami ordered.
"Gotcha~" Mea responded, swiftly taking the seat beside her sister without hesitation. The two then began going to work, flipping switches and pressing buttons, in perfect coordination and synchronization. And not long later, engine noises from below the deck roared as the ship vibrated even heavier. The rest of the assassins held on to the railings overhead to avoid being thrown off balance.
*Outside space…*
"Mobile-six, come in!"
"The Lunatique has changed expected A.I. course maneuvers, I think they've just gone manual!"
"No matter, we have to switch tactics."
"Copy over."
"All members assume your positions; we're going with beta formations. Over."
*Onboard Luna…*
"Master! All enemy ships have surrounded us, all X, Y and Z axes! We're boxed in!" The panicking voice of the A.I. yelled out.
Yami gritted her teeth as she looked at her radar screen. And true enough, six dots surrounded the middle position. "Black." Yami ordered without turning around. "Mount the rear gun of the ship. We're going offensive."
"There're guns on this ship?" Black asked, slightly taken aback, though he didn't let it show.
"Gun. There's only one mini photon-cannon convertible mounted below deck. But I've never used it before." Yami replied calmly as the ship took another tremor. "Luna!"
"Hai Master." The A.I. responded almost immediately the ground to the side of the hull sunk into steps. "Black-dono, please proceed down the stairs. I will guide you through initialising the weapon as soon as possible."
"I'm not getting paid enough for this…" Black groaned begrudgingly as he reluctantly followed the orange screen's directions, disappearing down the small flight of steps.
"Master, the ship's shield integrity is dropping rapidly, if we keep taking hits, it won't be long until it's completely depleted!"
"Hold on!" Mea called out to everyone.
The eternal darkness that had spanned everywhere was broad and vast, basking everything in its infinite depths. Twinkles of stars and blinks of galaxies dotted the void of silence. Nebulas, gas clouds, neutron stars, you name it. But amongst the chaotic beauty were small ships that ducked all over the darkness. Dots of red and white could be seen swarming around a black and grey spacecraft, twisting and turning in constant motion. The spiral of ships would constantly fire beams of lasers, creating a senseless and chaotic spiral.
The pirate ships huddled behind the Lunatique, firing concentrated beams of energy. But fortunately for the black ship, it dodged most of the beams with expertly timed spins and sudden turns. And every once in a while, several beams of light would occasionally impact the ship, only to either be deflected or dissolved altogether by an invisible energy barrier. But despite the on slaughter, the Lunatique persevered, deviating off course to try and throw off its six pursuers.
"Master! The Lunatique's shield integrity has dropped down to eight percent!" Luna panicked, its screen now red with unreadable statistics.
"Yami-oneechan, our defenses aren't going to hold out for much longer."
"I know that." Yami snapped, trying her best to stay calm as her grip tightened around the wheels and controls. "We… we could power another wormhole and escape-"
"Yes but wormholes leave residue behind, which means that they're gonna catch up soon." Mea countered, flipping three switches above her head. "There's no outrunning such agile and versatile ships."
"I see only one option." Luna announced suggestively through the speakers.
"Lu-Luna's right, we have to retaliate." Rito agreed.
"Tell Black to fire the cannon as soon as possible." Yami told the A.I.
*Below deck...*
"Technology doesn't fix itself you know?" Black mumbled out, tweaking circuitry and connecting wires. The hitman was now crouched over, bending his body in the most limiting way possible, trying his best to repair the photon-cannon from decades of disuse. The tangled wires and dusty circuit boards coupled with stiff and obsolete technology didn't help either.
"How much longer before its ready, Black-san?" The orange screen beside him asked.
"What do you think I've been doing…" Black countered with a growl. But alas, the circuits before the man sparked and lit up, signalling its activation. The black haired man allowed himself a small huff of victory before standing up from the ground, stepping back as he marvelled at the weapon.
The cannon was situated below deck in a small glass pod, as was the man. The dusty cannon slid out of the pod before it sealed completely. The sealed pod could be lowered down on request and allow the weapon to be exposed to space, to the enemy. And so lowered Black did, sitting by the seat in the middle of the small pod, behind the cannon outside. The glass pod gave a few vibrates and hums as it submerged itself halfway below the hull of the ship, half submerged into the dark void of space.
"Battle ready." Black responded to the orange screen beside him. The man found the cannon to be facing the rear of the ship, and the entire pod attached to the ship could rotated with a control stick, along with several buttons on it.
"Light them up, Black-san." Luna replied.
"…!" Rito and Nemesis turned to the side of the ship upon feeling a blast of heat, light, and vibration. The couple of assassins turned to see the explosion of a ship to their side. The small spacecraft had seemingly shattered, blown to bits by the cannon on board the Lunatique. Metal debris and pieces blasted in all direction, some even scratching the surface of the Lunatique. But above all, the heat from the green explosion radiated onto their now green lit faces. But despite the passing explosion, not a peep of sound could be heard.
"Was that…" Rito wondered.
"One down." The voice of Black came from below deck.
"One down confirmed. Just five more to go, Black." Luna reported, the monitor beside the man displaying a comical thumbs up, much to the hitman's annoyance as he rolled his eyes.
But much to everyone's surprise, yet another shock riddled the craft, indicating impact. This tremor was the most violent out of all, the metals around them began to creak as red siren lights filled every hallway. The shock jolted everyone to the left, with Rito staggering and hitting the wall beside him.
"Wahhh~" Nemesis exclaimed as she too was thrown to the side, landing atop of the boy.
"Yo-You okay?" The boy asked, awkwardly fidgeting in his rather uncomfortable position.
"Of course~ Don't you worry, my servant." The dark haired Trans weapon replied mischievously, un-straddling the boy.
"Bad news Master! The Lunatique's energy shield have gone to dust. All defensive systems offline!" The A.I. shrieked.
'We're not out of this yet…' Rito reminded himself as fidgeted as he too stood up. He looked to the windows to his left, seeing the remaining spacecraft tailing behind them. "They closing in on us!" Rito alerted. But despite his comments, he couldn't help but feel useless. There the human was, amongst the aliens in a spaceship, escaping from space pirates. He felt powerless. '…There must be something I can do…'
"Yami-oneechan, the shield's down, we can't afford to take another hit, otherwise the ship WILL go down." Mea alerted her sister, standing up to press several buttons overhead. Then, out of her peripheral vision, she could spot her master, standing in the centre of the room, with her hands raised. "Master…?" She asked.
"What are you…?" Rito breathed, taken aback by Nemesis's posture.
"Not all of us can afford to stand there and do nothing~" Nemesis grinned mischievously, winking at the human assassin with chaotic golden eyes, much to his disdain and confusion. As she raised her hands up, black particles began violently leaking from her figure, and eventually flooding away from her body. The girl's ebony hair begun to rise up sentiently as the particles of midnight drifted and expanded in a spherical manner. The dark matter seemingly exploded outwards in hazy waves, dimming not only the immediate surroundings, but also the view outside the windows.
"…!" It was then when Mea's blue eyes widened in realization. "This is Master's dark matter… she's using it to shield the spacecraft…!" Hearing good news, Yami turned back, looking at the girl for confirmation.
"Well, it's not that I can't hold it or anything, but I wouldn't mind if we get away as soon as possible." Nemesis muttered casually, sending pulses of dark matter from her body, recovering any spots that the oncoming bombardment had blasted through.
"Hang on!" Mea called out as the Trans weapons once again focused on piloting the aircraft.
"Mobile-three and four and five are down over!"
"Mobile one copy. Shit... Assume formation gamma. Load the heavy artilleries."
"Mobile two copy. Assuming formation gamma over."
"Mobile six copy."
Three spaceships could be seen, chasing the Lunatique in a cluster of energy beams. Amongst the dark space, the Lunatique ran tirelessly, twisting and turning, avoiding missiles by a hair's length. But each explosion shook the ship, staggering it. But the Lunatique knew better than to play victim.
From the rear of the black spacecraft, beams of green photon blasted from the cannon mounted by Black. And with every shot that emanated from the cannon, the pursuers were forced to react, scattering and performing confusing evasive maneuvers. But every time they regrouped, the slaughter of missiles and lasers had seemed to intensify.
"They're gaining on us." Yami stated urgently, turning the piloting device and flipping switches. 'We need a way out of here… fast…'
"Engaging backup hyper drives." Mea responded. "It won't be long until we burn up all out fuel…"
'There must be something I could do… at the very least…' All the while the earthling stood, completely helpless, unable to help in any way. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he imagined their impending doom. Having no other alternative, the boy intuitively activated his eagle vision, seamlessly looking into an entirely different world. A world of silence, a world of timelessness, a world of absolute stillness, monochromatic.
As if on instinct, he was automatically drawn to the vibrations that tug the back of his head. The boy turned around, seeing the laser beams fired from the space pirates approaching the ship. Rito's mouth caved into an 'O' shape, he could almost identify the individual ions and plasma particle within the bolts of laser beams, but being in seemingly slow motion, the boy found no issue with that. However, yet another tug from the side of his head sent a continuous ringing noise in his right ear as he shifted his golden eyes to his right.
Through the window pane, pass the oceans of stars, over the void, there the boy saw it.
An opportunity.
The boy's vision then faded as he once again refocused into the near reality. This time, he had immediately held onto the bar atop of him as a small tremor reverberated through the ship.
"Master…" Mea called out worryingly.
"Daijobu." Nemesis smiled.
"Asteroid belt…" Rito gasped, his face seemingly lit up, despite their predicament.
"Yuuki Rito?" The Three trans weapons looked at the boy.
"There's an asteroid belt, not far from here… don't you see? The rocks, the meteors?" Rito pointed out, a finger towards the darkness of space. The Trans weapons all looked out the window pane in astonishment, then confusion, having seen nothing but the deep void of nothingness.
"I don't see anything, Yuuki Rito." Yami replied.
"But it's true, I saw it!" The boy replied urgently. "Maybe, if we can get to it, we can lose our pursuers there!" He replied as the group staggered from yet another explosion beside the ship.
"What are you talking about Yuuki-Rito?" Mea asked incredulously, shaking her head in confusion.
"Actually…" Luna interjected. "There IS an asteroid belt not far from here…" The artificial intelligence pointed out.
"How far away?" Yami asked.
"According to my navigation systems…It appears to be… exactly one lightyear away!" Luna replied, shocking the girls.
"What?!" Mea replied, shocked at the earthling. 'Yuuki Rito can see things from a lightyear afar…?'
'His visions… far exceed my previous expectations…' Nemesis thought to herself, maintaining her dark matter shield over the ship. 'To be able to see that far into the void… truly fascinating~'
"Better make haste, Master. The asteroid belt stands between our current position and Planet Yrden. It's a viable plan." Luna reported.
"Alright then." Yami concluded, nodding at the boy. "Everyone hold on to something. Luna!"
"Hai Master!"
"Preload the wormhole generator, we're taking the battle to them."
*Some time later…*
One by one, spacecrafts emerged from the wormhole. The Lunatique had seemingly phased through from the distortion of space and time, with the space pirates now far behind. And as the black spacecraft faced the stagnating and ever flowing asteroids, they had picked up their pace, the engines behind the Lunatique spat a continuous stream of fire and energy.
The aircrafts zipped at high speeds, straight ahead into cloud of space rocks, but just as the Lunatique made contact with the stone, the ship violently twisted and turned, spinning to the rock's left, and promptly continued on its path. The latter was not so fortunate however. One of the pirate ships that were closely led behind had not reacted fast enough, and was instead led into its demise, shattering upon contact with the stagnant asteroid, bits of metal and chemicals.
The Lunatique zoomed and turned, ever silently and swiftly, quick changing its paths in an attempted to confuse its pursuers, who by now was firing all its artillery nonstop. Laser beams and missiles would either dissolve into the dark matter shield around the Lunatique, or resolved to blasting asteroids apart.
But soon after, a green bolt of energy from Black's cannon had managed to destroy one of the pirate's engines. With one engine remaining, the pirate ship spun uncontrollably, into his demise that was yet another asteroid. The two projectiles smashed together, shattering into debris and space rock.
*Aboard the Lunatique…*
"Master, the last of the pirates have seemed to assume retreating maneuvers. Shall we peruse?" Luna asked through the speakers from around the ship.
"There's no point." A voice replied as the black clad hitman emerged from a ladder under the floor. "The photon cannon malfunctioned. The junctions on the type one and two motherboards are all fried. We can't attack the ship even if we want to." Black reported, now lying down at a metal bench by the far wall, resting as he plopped his hands behind his head.
Hearing the news, everyone on board visibly relaxed, sensing that the complication was finally over. The sister Trans weapons by the control panel took off their headphones and placed it on the table of switches and buttons. Mea and Yami slumped over their seats, their hair draped naturally and their heads drooped backwards over the seat, panting somewhat heavily.
Sensing the end to the immediate danger, Nemesis dispelled the dark barrier around the ship, allowing dark matter from the exterior to seep back into the girl's somewhat fragmented body, restoring and filling up the gaps and holes.
"Whoo…~" Nemesis cheered lazily as she plopped down onto the metal surface, looking up at the dull ceiling.
"Nemesis!" Rito called out in worry as he came by the Trans weapon's side. "Daijobu?"
"…Well that was fun, wasn't it?~" Nemesis huffed, looking at the boy next to her. The 'Master' allowed herself a moment of thought as she momentarily studied the assassin's eyes with her golden ones. 'How can this mere human be so attached to someone as dangerous as me?' But deciding to leave the thought for another day, the black dressed Trans weapon closed her eyes, a slight smile gracing her lips. "Rest assured, my servant. My body just needs time to restore itself. That is all…~" She told him cheekily.
"…H-Hai…" Rito trailed off, skipping over the annoying fact that Nemesis had referred to him as 'servant'. The boy stood up as he walked his way towards the evidently tired Trans weapons, enjoying the silence in the ship. The boy placed a hand on Yami as he sat down by the foot of the chair, leaning his back against the wall panel as he slumped down to his bottom. "Good job, the both of you…" He sighed in relief.
Mea gave a nod of appreciation and Yami a soft smile.
"…Just wanted to say… I'm sorry, for not being able to help out more back then…" Rito whispered to the distance, an empty look in his eyes.
"Daijobu, Yuuki Rito. You did what you could. And at the end, we survived." Yami assured, glancing at the boy.
"Y-Yami-oneechan is right. You did a wo-wonderful job! I-If it weren't for you, then we wouldn't have made it to the Asteroid Belt in the first pl-place!" Mea exclaimed, but had instantly regretted it. The red headed Assassin immediately slapped her hands on her mouth, her blue eyes widened sharply at her own outburst. Nemesis gave a hidden smirk and Yami merely turned to her sister in slight amazement and surprise. Even the drowsy Black, who had his eyes closed far off in in the corner, raised an eyebrow at the sudden and uncharacteristic outburst. "N-No! I-I mean… Yuuki Rito…It's just…"
'Why did I… say that…?' Mea thought frantically in her mind, her eyes darting at all the assassins in the room, fearing that she had embarrassed herself, a fear, as trivial as is, that the weapon wasn't accustomed to. 'Why do I feel so… insecure… all of a sudden… This friend thing is making me feel things I haven't felt before…'
"A-Ah…" Rito stuttered, the smallest of red on his face. "T-Thanks, I guess…" A rather awkward and uncomfortable silent hung in the air, and the occupants of the ship all felt it soon after.
"…Luna." Yami broke the icy silence as a hologram of a screen appeared before Golden Darkness.
"HAI Master!"
"Assume landing phase onto the Planet Yrden. Commence as of now."
"Leave it to me!~" Luna barked, the screen vanishing.
"Time to go find ourselves a Minotaur then…" Rito muttered.
*Planet Earth… night time…*
"Zzzzzz….zzzzzzz"
"Zzzz…"
Click!
A sudden yet subtle clicking noise woke the man up. His unevenly coloured eyes opened wide, instantly alert of his surroundings. Years of service experience can do that to anyone. In a plain white shirt and boxer shorts, the muscular man quietly rolled out of his bedroll, standing up. From his pocket, the man held out a hand sized metal tubing, which instantly transformed and grew into a thick green photon blade, stretching up to half his height.
With the blade at the ready, the tall man crept through the silence of the room, carefully stepping over the two silent bodies, their chest rising up and down. The multichromatic-eyed man held his blade at the ready, cautious steps echoed through the floorboard as he inched his way to the shaking and noisy apartment door.
Abruptly, the man reached for the door handle and yanked the door open violently.
"Who goes there?!" The man hollered out with authority, holding his blade before him. His eyes widened at the sight of a human.
A hooded human.
"R-Rito-dono?!" The man asked, putting his blade away upon seeing those golden brown eyes.
"N-Not quite, Zastin-san…" The hooded figure flipped back his hood, letting out her brown hair with a flip.
"Mi-Mikan-san?!" Zastin shrieked, immediately stowing his large sword away. "Wh-What are you doing here so late at night?! And alone! Don't you know that its dangerous outside at night?!"
"You sound like Rito." Mikan stated bluntly, not a smile on her face. "Mind if I come in?" The teenage Yuuki asked, looking around.
"O-Of course, Mikan-dono. It is your father's apartment after all. It is yours more than ours." Zastin coaxed, stepping aside, allowing the small human girl through, cautiously shutting the door. 'Why would she come so late at night?'
*Later on in the night…*
"Naruhodo…(I see)" Zastin grunted, nodding his head in understanding. The human and the Devilukean bodyguard sat by the small balcony of the studio apartment. "You're angry because Rito-dono left for battle without alerting you. And you worry about him regardless."
"It's not like I want to…" Mikan huffed, leaning back against the wall, looking up to the starry night. "Zastin-san, can I tell you something?" The girl asked.
"By all means." The tailed bodyguard replied.
"…For the longest time, ever since we were little, kaa-san(mother) would always be overseas as a cloth designer, and tou-san(father) would always hide here, drawing manga. Because of this, I had to take care of most things in the house, my baka onii-chan (Idiotic brother), above all…" The girl confessed with a sigh.
"I… I wasn't aware." Zastin said, shocked.
"I mean; you haven't met him when he was young!" Mikan huffed out. "He was always clumsy I guess. And couldn't talk to girls without stuttering or tripping over and falling. He can be so forgetful, always forgetting to put his clothes in the laundry, and never cleans his room...!" The young girl grumbled and trailed off.
"…It seems to me that you still haven't come to terms with the new Yuuki Rito…" Zastin analyzed.
"And now, only a year later, I find out that he's an assassin, and engaged to the first princess of Deviluke. I never need to clean up after him from then on. It's as if…"
"...As if you've lost your place."
"And now he's disappears without saying anything to fight this…this galactic terrorist. I can't help but worry for him. What if he doesn't come back?! Or worse!-" But the girl stopped herself there, sensing that she was now near shouting, her face blushed as she sat down quietly, mumbling a 'sorry'.
"It's quite alright, Mikan-dono." The two then sunk into a comfortable silence. "Feeling any better?"
"…Yea…" The Yuuki admitted.
"Here, let me show you something." Zastin said as he stood up, walking back into the apartment, leaving the girl look of befuddlement. "Wait here."
A minute later, the grey haired bodyguard returned, with a large chest at hand. The wooden ornate chest and old, clearly not from this day and age. Carvings of unknown symbols and insignias inscribed on all sides of the chest. Zastin carefully set the chest down on the ground as Mikan shuffled over in curiosity.
"Wh-What is this…?" She gasped in wonder.
"This chest belonged to your father." The man told her, sitting on the ground opposite the now shocked girl. "Maul and Smutts came across the chest underneath the floorboard whilst spring cleaning a couple months ago. So not even Rito-dono knows about this."
'Why a chest in the floorboard…?' Mikan had to admit, she was drawn. "Wh-What's in it?" She asked, her fingers tracing the carvings on the side of the box.
"That's for you to find out." Zastin said solemnly. Complying, Mikan knelt down, and opened the chest.
The moment she lifted the top, small object spilled out of the heavy chest like water as droplets of metal weapons fell to the ground, coming in all different shapes and sizes.
"…What is all this…?" Mikan breathed, carefully picking up the littered weapons on the ground.
"Senbons, shurikens, kunai knives, darts, ropes, Japan-native weapons mostly. Though old, be careful, they're still sharp." Zastin explained to the earthling. "Best guess, these belonged to your tou-san's, when he was an active duty assassin."
'That's right… Tou-san was also an assassin…' Wordlessness filled the girl's mouth as she attempted to finds words to respond. She gazed at the gleamy albeit dusty weapons. "…Why did you show me this…?" The girl uttered, bangs shadowing her eyes.
"Rito-dono and I… we have our moments. And I was fortunate enough hear several family stories from him." Zastin explained. "Mikan-dono, despite your father being an assassin. Your mother had still accepted him for who he was, put up with him even. Loved him." Zastin lectured. "Tell, your parents, were they happy?"
"Eh…?" Mikan was taken aback as she tried her best to remember. "Ye-Yeah… I guess they were." She remembered the brief moments in life that they shared. Never before had she saw either parent unhappy at each other.
"I trust that if your mother can find acceptance and love for your father, then I believe that so can you." Zastin said, now sitting next to the small girl. "That Earthling has changed so much since I've been observing him. But at the core of it all, I can see that he cares for you, above all else. So what I think I'm trying to say is… don't be too harsh on Rito-dono. The worry is always going to be there, I understand that. But," Zastin paused. "You have to learn to accept it, and stand strong for him."
"…" And for a long time, the girl remained silent, merely hugging her knees a she gazed up the sky. 'How does Kaa-san do it… to deal with the constant worry for your significant other…an assassin…' She pondered with a long look. Zastin accepted the silence as a message delivered as he gave himself a smiling nod, gazing up to the stars like Mikan.
'It's scary how much Mikan-dono reminds me of her… Sephie-sama…' Zastin thought inwardly.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT, BUT QUALITY OVER QUANTITY ABOVE ALL ELSE.
BUT HOW DID YOU GUYS ENJOY THIS CHAPTER?
AS THIS STORY APPROACHES ITS FINAL ARC, IM APPROXIMATING THE STORY TO HAVE ABOUT 60-65 CHAPTERS
WHOOOO! REVIEW COUNT JUST BROKE THE LONE EAGLE'S RECORD 435, GAD DANG THAT'S A TON OF REVIEWS! THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT Y'ALL
AND IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS OR QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE IT IN THE REVIEW OR PM ME ;)
SO AS ALWAYS, MORE CHAPTER STILL TO COME!
REVIEWS ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED! (NOT KIDDING!)
CRITICISMS ARE ALSO ACCEPTED.
