The chapters have been getting longer, hope you guys don't mind it much. If so, tell me to cut them down back to the 1.3K mark seeing how that's been the average.
Marco was locked in a daze after what Asuka had told him, just standing there looking at the very spot she's standing on. He kept replaying the last time he saw her body over and over and there was a definitely a baby bump… maybe 3 months in.
"How could this be…" He placed a hand over his mouth trying to not to believe it.
"Girls… did your father say anything else after telling you to come here?" Janna kept an eye on him.
"Daddy just side to come and get cleaned up mommy!" Maria was munching down a sandwich.
"Star… Heka… come with me…" They went over to him still standing not moving an inch.
"Marco… is everything okay?" Star asked him as they got closer, he didn't even see them coming.
Hekapoo waved her hand in front of his face, still nothing, "Marco… look at me, what's going on?"
His eyes slowly started to move away from his Major's naked upper body, "Asuka…"
"Marco… you can see her… is Asuka here?" After hearing that name, the tool maker now knew what was up with him now.
All Marco did was nod his head.
"… what do you see?" This wasn't good, why didn't she put this together sooner?
"WHERE'S ASUKA!? I NEED TO FIND AND SAVE HER… HER POSITION IS BEING OVERRUN…
...
THERE'S NO TIME FOR THIS BULLSHIT!? I… I CAN SAVE THIS TIME!? I KNOW WHAT TO DO!?"
...
"No your majesty… I don't see anyone… may I be excused?"
…
"Sure you can!"
…
"I cared about her… we gave each other a hard time to make one and other stronger… I would do anything to bring you back..."
…
"Yes Asuka… I know it… okay girls, let's get to training"
...
"Asuka… how she looked before she died… she just told me she was pregnant… with my child..." Marco didn't want to tell anyone about seeing her, but being in this trance state, he let his guard down.
The women gasped when hearing this, Janna stepped up, "How do you know this? How could she be possibly telling you this?"
"She had been hanging around me the last few days… I always knew something looked wrong with her stomach… when I… cleaned her body… how come she never told me?" Marco looks back to Asuka, she's now rubbing her belly and looking down at it.
"This… can't be…" It was all becoming too much for Star.
"She's right there… she's telling me the truth…" He points at Asuka.
"If it was a boy, I wanted to name him Knives… if it was a girl… she would have been Haru…" She looks back at him.
Marco falls to his knees hearing the names.
…
"Why… didn't you let me die…" Then she would of always had a part of him...
Star was hysterically crying hearing those words, Hekapoo pulled into a hug and pets her hair.
"Marco… let's get out of here… we need to get ready for our trip!" Janna pulled him by the hand and he followed them as his body moved in auto pilot.
"Hekap… Hekapoo… what do you *sniff* make out of all this?" Star was still tight to her lover as she cried and walked.
"He's far worse than I thought… this whole time she's been in his head telling him only God knows what… it's a wonder how he's been keeping it all together…" Hekapoo was watching the kids patch each other up.
"We need to put an *sniff* an end to this… before he does... *sniff*" The Princess felt he might hurt himself to end it all and finally be at peace, but couldn't say it out loud.
"Marco… look at me please…" Janna wanted to make sure he was going to be okay.
He pulled his eyes from the ground "…"
"I don't know what to say, but everything is going to be fine… you have a family now that loves you very much and we need you… now more than ever… do you understand me?" She squeezed his hand tighter.
"Yes… I understand… all I can think about is… is… what kind of life I could have had with her… but I love each and one of you so much… I'm so sorry for putting you guys though this… please… please don't leave me alone…" Marco starts to cry the same way the day Asuka was taken from him.
She pulls him into a hug, "No one is leaving you handsome… we love you too much to let that happen. Let us be your strength to keep going…"
He pulls her tight enough to cause her a small amount of pain as they fall onto the ground "…"
Later That Night
The women were washing Marco as he sat on a small bath stool, his eyes were nothing more then black empty holes. The whole room is covered in steam as the woman made small talk.
Star was washing his hair, "Soon enough you'll be able to pull this thing into a ponytail if you let it grow out!" She makes and soap mohawk on him.
"That's not a bad look for him, let's shave the sides!" Janna was washing his chest, his whole body was limp as they kept on cleaning him and feeling each scar.
"I could just burn it all off if you guys keep playing with it!" Hekapoo was working his legs.
The women wiped their head at her, "DON'T YOU DARE!?" They said together.
Hekapoo giggled at them, "Fine… I was just kidding!"
"You are so spoiled Reaper… I could of had you cleaned and your cum pouring out of me already!" Asuka was letting the hot water run over her body as she kept her back turned to him.
"…" He kept staring past all of them.
"Alright, let's rinse him off!" Star hated how quiet he had become.
Before she could dump a bucket of warm water on him, he slowly grabbed it from her, "Put your hands in the water… everyone..." He stares at the water.
The women look at one another, then place a hand in it wondering what he was about to do.
"Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water." His eyes are closed as he holds the bucket and feels the warmness at the bottom.
"Ohhhhh we did this once… you think this will fix you, huh?" Asuka made her way behind him and placed her hand in the water.
Flashback
"So how in the hell can you tell what's going to happen on the battlefield sometimes Asuka?" They were at a bar taking a small break from the frontline. Marco was getting trashed like always and Asuka was drinking some sweet tea.
"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you…" She takes a sip from the cup and raises both eyebrows and at him two times.
"Try me… I just might become a God one day you know and this could really help!" She damn near spits out her drink and then starts to laugh.
"WHAT THE HELL IS SO DAMN FUNNY ABOUT THAT?!" Marco was standing with his hands on the table looking down at her.
"Calm down there killer, it's just a funny thought of a cult out there somewhere worshiping you!" The other people in the bar were scared shitless, but not her.
"Oh alright… will you please tell me this secret of yours?" He sits down defeated.
"Fine, but don't crack any jokes about it!" She gave him a serious look.
He puts up his right hand up with two fingers in the air, "Scouts honor… I can totally say that seeing how I was a boy scout as a kid!"
"REAPER!" She snaps at him.
"Okay, okay… I'll be good..." He zips his mouth shut and throws away the key.
"… you know how I said the name of my home, Blue Heaven was a long story?" Asuka holds her cup tight.
"Yes… it's been bothering me ever since you told me!" He take a drink.
"Well here's the short version of how it got its name… deep in a cave that only the priests know… there's a stream in it that can allow you to talk to the dead." No way.
He was ready to make a joke, but the look in her eyes told him that would be a big mistake, "Really?"
"Yes… they taught me how to use it on the go… sometimes when I feel your plans are full of shit… I perform a small ritual to summon the dead warriors that are willing to help me on what's ahead of us…" It was something she didn't like to use a lot, mostly how damaged their bodies looked...
…
...
"… so… if you were to die in battle… I can allow you to haunt the shit out of me… please don't smack my ass if I'm fucking someone doggy style…" He gives her a worried smile.
In return, she gives him an evil look and then lets out a small laugh, "You're such a fucking smartass!"
"You know what they say, I rather be a smartass than a dumbass!" He joins her in laughing harder.
"I would say you got a sweet ass, but potato, potato… that's how the place got its name because of that stream." Not many people believed her when she tells them this story, that why she was so hard on him at the begin.
"Can you show me how to use it one day? Also, I wouldn't mind following you around… if you don't... if I..." He said the last part sadly.
"Don't worry Reaper… I won't let you die… no matter what…" She places her hand on her stomach.
Flashback Over
The women jump feeling a new hand in the water as Marco was chanting.
"Klaatu Barada Nikto, Klaatu Barada Nikto, Klaatu Barada Nikto… see what other may not believe… let your voice be heard… I know the dead still lives on… see through my eyes… I call forward… Auska… Langley… Soryu…"
Slowly the steam in the room forms around her face while showing her left hand in the water and right on his shoulder, "I taught you well Reaper!"
OOOOOOOH YAAAAAAAAEH BABBBBBBY!? We got a FOUR BOMBSHELLS, I SAY AGING FOUR, for the low, low price of free99 in this chapter!? Remember this part?
"So I'm mentally torturing myself because I'm reasonable for your death… sounds fun" He looks at her from the corner of his eye and keeps his voice low.
"Something like that Reaper" She kept playing with the knife.
How her land got it's name!
Then the flashback showed her not drinking alcohol then touching her stomach. This just worked out so damn good!
Plus saying she wouldn't let him die… god damn, I'm awesome. Okay I don't mean to put you guys off, but I'm just so damn happy right now, if I could do a back flip, I would!
The chant from Army of Darkness, if you never seen the movie, you just gotta trust me and watch it. It's a classic and funny as hell.
Just in case you guys are having a hard time with the baby and Asuka, here's a small recap on the timeline.
1 year fighting alongside everyone as Lieutenant
1 month of training the troops
4 months on the front line
2 months when the enemies start to fall back and MxA bangs
3 months the war is almost over / when she dies
There are 2 months of dead space seeing how he was in this war for 2 years so let's just say Ryoko went back to the camp with the rest of Reaper Squadron.
He stayed at Blue Heaven to spread the word of Asuka's life and spent some time just walking around until he found Hekapoo to get over everything that has happened.
Hope this is good with you guy, if not, let me know if there should be a flashback to show what happened in those 2 month, but I feel it should be good enough.