Chapter 1
Okay so personally, the last thing I remember is falling off a horse. Don't really remember why I was riding one but just go with it. Preeettty sure i died, considering the horse was about to step on my face when i lost consciousness(is that the right term for this scenario?). Anyway, next thing i know, I'm falling from the sky. Only it isnt my sky. And the planet below me isn't my planet. My planet doesn't have giant mushroom...coral….things everywhere. 'Wonder if I'm gonna even survive this fall? Prolly NOT!' My thought is cut off as my face decides to make friends with the ground. And now sleep….or more death. Who knows? I sure as hell don't.
When my eyes opened next, I was on a couch. I felt the soft cushion under me, all fuzzy and shit. 'Nice couch', I thought to myself. "Ah! You're finally awake. I was starting to worry." An old man with slicked back grey hair and glasses walks through the door. And i recognize him…..and I am freaking out because I recognize him. This is Axel Thurston, grandfather of Renton Thurston, a main character in the highly underrated anime called Eureka Seven (Ay-oo-wreck-uh not Yoo-reek-uh). I start hyperventilating and i feel a minor panic attack coming on. Axel immediately looks concerned. "Woah now take it easy son. Im not gonna hurt you. My grandson and i found you about twenty feet from the gate of my shop. Nasty fall you must have took. Left a decent crater in the ground. And yet not a scratch on you. Remarkable."
I looked Axel up and down. He...honestly looked like he did in the anime….like….he was animated...wait…'AM I ANIMATED?!'
It's clear that the old man was expecting more info, but I told him i needed to go to the bathroom. He showed me the way, and after shutting the door behind me, my calm face immediately shifted to one of panic and confusion. I looked in the mirror….and was greeted with another shock. What awaited me was an animated face. My brown hair and brown eyes hadn't changed, so that was good. I still had the scar on my chin from when i was a child so that was good. The only problem was...animated or not, what i was looking at was not the face of a twenty year old man….but a 10 year old child. Brain overload. 'Oh fuck fuck fuck FUCK FUCK!!!! HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?!'
'OK….ok...calm down...calm down. Get your bearings before you lose it. So, I'm likely in the world of Eureka Seven. Axel himself said he and his grandson found me, which means Renton is here too. Problem is...I don't know if this is before or after the anime. That's first on my list to figure out.' I flush then wash my hands, splashing my face with water. I step out of the bathroom, then make my way to the living room, where I find Axel waiting for me, reading a newspaper. I sit down on the couch, and fidget awkwardly.
'Okay….so how do i start this conversation?' "So where did you come from son?", he asks, starting dialogue. 'OH THANK GOD!', I exclaim internally, glad not to have to start off. I scratch my head. 'He wouldn't believe me so...as cliche as it is, I'm gonna hafta pull the amnesia routine.' "I um...i don't really know, to be honest. Where am I right now?" He grunts before answering me, clearing his throat. "You're in a town called Bellforest. Ring any bells?" I shake my head dumbly. "Got any family?" At that word, my head droops. That's right. My family. Now that I'm here, I'll probably never see them again. My eyes start to water, and i shake my head. "All gone.", I croak out. Axel sighs, then walks over and ruffles my hair. I look up at him, surprised. "All alone, huh? Me and my grandson are the same. Tell ya what? You like machines, kid?" My eyes light up and I nod furiously. He laughs. "Come with me, then." He walks out the door, and I follow.
We walk outside, and sure enough, I'm greeted to the sight of Garage Thurston, Axel's shop from the show. This leads me to a conclusion. 'His shop is still intact, which means the Nirvash hasn't destroyed it yet. So this is before the anime took place. The only question is…how long do i have until the Nirvash comes?' Axel's voice snaps me out of my thoughts. He calls me over to the garage, and we step inside. There's an LFO inside, one that i recognize. "A Terminus type r505!", i exclaim aloud, looking at the black and white military LFO. It reminded me a lot of the one Sumner Sturgeon used in the video games. "So you know this one? These ones are military issue, so they're not commonly owned by civilians.", Axel says. I shake my head. "This is the first time I've seen one in person. So you're a mechanic then?", I ask, not wanting to reveal too much. Axel nods. "All my life. Mostly it's cars or bikes, but every now and then I get someone from the military in need of repairs. A machine is just like a friend. If you treat them well, they will treat you well in return. But anyway, I didn't call you here to talk about this thing."
Axel looks at me seriously. "You see, I'm in need of an assistant here at the shop. I would ask my grandson, Renton, but he's only six. Far too young for mechanic work. So I'll make you an offer." He holds out his hand. "I'll teach you what I know about mechanic work, and offer you a place to stay, food and clothes. In return, you help me out here at the shop. What do you say young man?" Without hesitation, I grab his hand. "Dylan. My name is Dylan." He raises an eyebrow. "No last name?" I shake my head, not wanting to give any sort of strange info. He puts his hand on his chin. "Well, it's not like that's uncommon these days. Grab that box of tools, there, and I'll start showing you the ropes."
I walk back inside the house later that day, exhausted and covered in sweat. Axel wasn't kidding. I felt like i learned enough to last me a month. I hear footsteps, and look over to the couch. I stop in my tracks. There he is. Renton Thurston. The boy that would save the world. Sitting on the couch in a little orange and black jacket. 'Wait a minute. The anime starts in the year 12004. Renton was fourteen at the time. Axel said he's six right now. So that means the year is….11996. Which means I have eight years until the anime starts. Plenty of time to get ready. But that begs the question. What would I do when the anime started? Would I go with Renton to the Gekkostate? Would they even let me on the ship? The only reason they let Renton on board was because of the Amita Drive. I guess I could sneak on if I have to. No use worrying about that now though.' I slap my cheeks and shake my head. 'Here and now, Dylan. Here and now.'
I walk up to Renton and extend my hand. "Hi. I'm Dylan. You must be Renton, right? Your grandpa told me about you.", i say with a smile. He scowls at me, slaps my hand and runs off. I stand there in shock. Renton was always super friendly when he first met someone. Why was he so cold? "Don't mind him. He's just a little depressed. He just lost his older sister, you see.", Axel says, putting his hand on my shoulder. My blood ran cold. 'Diane. She must have disappeared just recently. Meaning Renton is dealing with a lot of depression.' I imagined how i would feel if my big sister suddenly vanished. We never really spent a lot of time together because she lived in another state, but I couldn't bear the thought of never seeing her again. 'Actually, now that i think about it, I won't see you again. Sorry, Sis.'
I ran after Renton, heading up the ladder to his room. I found him curled up on his bed, sniffling. I walked up and sat beside him. "Hey, buddy. Your grandpa told me what happened. I just want you to know you're not alone. I know how you feel", I said. He muttered something to himself. "What did you say?!", I asked as i reached to put my hand on his shoulder. He turned to me, angry tears in his eyes and punched me in the gut. "I SAID YOU DON'T! SIS IS GONE! SHE'S GONE AND….and she's never coming back.", he said as he started crying. I sighed, then put my hand on his shoulder. "I had a big sister too, you know?" He looked at me, surprised. I scratched my head, choosing my words carefully. "I...don't really remember where I'm from, but I remember my family. My sis and I grew up together. We fought a lot, sure, but that's what siblings do, and we loved each other as much as family could. When she got old enough, she moved away. It wasn't that far away, though, so I still saw her every now and again. But now…" I looked at the floor. "Now she's gone, along with all the rest of my family. I'm all alone now. But you...you're not alone, Renton. You've got your grandpa. And I don't think he's going anywhere anytime soon", I said with a smile.
What happened next sort of surprised me. Renton buried his face in my shirt and started crying like a baby. 'Well, he is only six', I thought to myself. I wrapped my arms around him and held him close while he cried. He ended up crying himself to sleep, so I tucked him in and headed to the shower. When I got out, Axel was holding a small box, looking at me with a small smile. "I heard what you said to Renton. Thank you. And here. This is for you", he said. I smiled and nodded. He presented the box to me, which I took. I opened it up, and my eyes widened at what was inside. A Compac Drive. A brand new one. I took it out of the box and held it in awe. " Is...is this really for me? Like to keep?", i asked. Axel simply nodded. "You used my Drive in your lessons today, but if you're going to become a mechanic, you'll need one of your own to interface with the machines", he said. I thanked him, then headed to my room. Oddly enough, I was not given Diane's room. (Thank God for that. Woulda been hella awkward for everyone.)Turns out they had a guest room the whole time, with a very soft bed that i passed out in after dinner that night. I normally don't fall asleep fast but DAMN that was a soft bed.
I was awoken that night by a soft green glow. I looked over to the end table to see my new Compac Drive shining. There was a word forming on it, and i damn near shit myself when i saw it.
E
U
R
E
K
A
…..Fuck.
Well everybody. Thanks for reading. Feel free to give me your opinion. Stick with me cuz I'm doing all of this on my phone and my eyes wanna explode.
And to any of you that were hoping, I am sorry to say that Saiyans and Sekirei is dead. I had plans to come back to it originally, but I stayed away for far too long. Maybe I'll rewrite it better someday. Maybe not. I won't delete it though, so feel free to read it to your heart's content.
This is THCT, signing off.