Rito and the Harem Project

by Rapshaw

After finally confessing to Haruna, Rito struggles with the realization that many girls are in love with him. And maybe, just maybe, he's starting to feel the same way about all of them. So to make everyone happy, he resolves to go through with Momo's harem plan. But a ruthless cyborg-alien seeking Rito's life and the throne of Deviluke intervenes.

16. Rito vs Stem

Chapter 16 - Rito vs Stem

---

Darkness and silence. Five minutes earlier.

Rito stands alone; his body is black-and-white, devoid of any color, just as he himself is devoid of any life.

"Way to go, idiot," says Dark Rito, appearing from behind. "You've gone and gotten us both killed."

Rito says nothing; doesn't even look at his shadowy doppelganger.

"Now it's just gonna be you and me in this place...forever. Sounds great, doesn't it?" asks Dark Rito, sarcastically.

Rito remains quiet.

Dark Rito's annoyance grows into aggravation, and he chokes Rito by the throat with both hands; Rito still doesn't react.

"I may not be able to kill you, but you're gonna wish I could. I'm gonna spend every second of our shared eternity making you suffer," threatens Dark Rito, squeezing Rito's neck even tighter.

Just then, a voice resonates throughout the void.

I love you, more than anyone else in the world. No, more than anyone else in the universe.

Dark Rito laughs. "You hear that? A few words of farewell to send you off."

Rito opens his eyes, and lifts his head. Even with Dark Rito choking him, he manages to look upwards.

You listening? I love you.

Rito closes his eyes. A single tear careens down his cheek, and he smiles.

Dark Rito chokes him with even greater force. "That's enough of that."

Suddenly, all of the color returns to Rito's body, starting from his eyes, spreading outwards across his face, and downwards all the way to his shoes. Dark Rito reacts in bewilderment. Without warning, Rito winds back his fist, and slugs Dark Rito square in the gut. Dark Rito slides back several yards, bent over and groaning in pain.

"How?" he growls.

Rito massages his neck, and breathes the free air. "You're right. That is enough."

Dark Rito spins around in confusion. "What?"

All around them, light penetrates the dark abyss that is Rito's psyche. It's not dark anymore, but more akin to darkness and light balancing together, like a psychedelic Oreo.

"What is this? What the hell are you doing?" demands Dark Rito.

Rito steps forward, staring his evil twin down. "I'm taking back what's mine."

Dark Rito steps back and, for the first time ever, experiences fright. "Rito...you need me."

...

"I need THEM," says Rito.

Suddenly, all of the girls from Rito's life manifest with the same cold look in their eyes; Lala, Haruna, Momo, Nana, Yami, Mea, Neme, Run, Kyouko, Risa, Rin, Mikado, Tearju, Oshizu, Mikan, Celine and Yui. It's just like Rito's first nightmare; only now, the girls are surrounding and glaring at Dark Rito.

He whirls around, fear getting the better of his fury, and points a trembling finger at Rito. "Th-They don't love you. Your harem plan will fail. They'll each want you all to themselves, and when they realize they can't...they'll leave you, all of them. But I won't. Do your worst, Rito, but I will ALWAYS be a part of you," he says, desperate.

Rito approaches his doppelganger with a fierce aura. Dark Rito steps back, but with the girls circling him, he's nowhere to run.

"Y-you can't do this to me," says Dark Rito, full of rage, on his last limb.

Rito stands inches away from Dark Rito, and says, "I'm not gonna do anything."

Then he shoves Dark Rito onto the ground, and backs away.

"But they might," he says.

On cue, all of the girls close in on Dark Rito. "No. Stay back! Get away from me! NO!" he yells.

The girls raise their hands at Dark Rito, and a blinding, pink light projects from each of their palms. The seventeen beams of light blast Dark Rito from all sides, but they don't incinerate him; more like, the lights are pushing him down into the ground.

Rito watches his evil twin scream with anger as he's swallowed up by the abyss.

"Goodbye," says Rito.

"NO!" roars Dark Rito for the last time.

As his face vanishes into the deep below, his hand, reaching upwards for help that will never come, follows suit; Dark Rito is gone, never to resurface again.

The surrounding darkness fades away, and the whole void fills with light, transforming from an abyss into a transparent haven.

All of the girls turn around, and smile at Rito.

He smiles in return. "Thank you, all of you."

Just then, Rito's chest glows; it's his heart, beating and illuminating with warmth. Rito appears perplexed, but then he calms down, understanding what's going on. Without any other words, he nods his farewell to the girls, and closes his eyes.

The light envelopes him, and engulfs everything in sight.

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Back in the present, Yui cries over Rito's body.

But then, his body pulsates with light, and levitates off the ground. He shines so brightly, a beam of light fires into the sky. And then, his body begins to transform.

White Devilukean armor materializes around his body; wings of dark matter energy, one black and one white, sprout from his back; his chestnut hair dyes into a shiny black; he opens his hazel eyes, turning blue and filling with determination.

As he floats upwards, he notices the changes to his body; he doesn't react in surprise, but content. Then stares up at the ledge where he fell; now he rises.

He levitates up to the school roof, hovers in the air, clocks Lala's injured state, and glares at the astonished Stem.

"I killed you!" roars Stem.

Rito stares Stem down with unwavering resolve. "Yes, Stem, you did," he says, pausing for a moment, clenching his fists. "Now it's my turn."

Lala struggles to stand up, leaning against the broken fence for support.

Stem grinds his teeth in anger. "Impossible. I crushed your heart," he hisses.

"Yeah, well, I grew a new one," responds Rito, still unclear as to what happened, but not caring.

Down below in the courtyard, all of Rito's friends (Yui, Mikan, Haruna, Risa, Mio, Saruyama, Ren, Rin, Saki, Aya, Oshizua, Tearju, Mikado and Celine) stare up at him in awe. Their happiness upon seeing him alive is outweighed only by their confusion of how he's alive.

"A new heart?" asks Mikan.

"Indeed," answers Mikado. All eyes turn to her, waiting for an explanation. "Rito didn't tell anyone this, but the dark matter within him became unstable ever since he transformed into Black Darkness."

"Unstable?" asks Yui.

"Yes. If something hadn't been done, it was only a matter of time before the power ate away at his body from the inside, and killed him. Fortunately, I managed to develop an antidote, and then I administered it to Rito to prolong that from happening," explains Mikado.

"How'd you do that?" asks Haruna.

"Well..." starts Mikado. I kissed him, she thinks. Though of course, I can't tell them that. Not yet, anyway, hmm-hmm. Before she can answer them...

"That doesn't matter," says Momo.

The rest of Rito's friends (Momo, Nana, Yami, Mea, Neme, Run, Kyouko and Zastin) limp into the courtyard; they're all gravely injured from their fight with Stem. Everyone quickly tends to them, with Mikado and Oshizu treating their wounds one at a time.

"Yeah. I think the real question is…" starts Nana.

"If the antidote only temporarily cured Rito…" continues Mea.

"Then how did it grow him a new heart?" asks Yami.

"And bring him back to life?" asks Momo.

"I think I know," speaks Neme. And then, she looks to Yui.

"W-What?" asks Yui.

"It was you, Yui. More specifically, your kiss of true love, fufu," says Neme in an uncharacteristically girlish tone.

"Huh?" gapes Yui, her face cherry-hued.

"That's ridiculous," says Saruyama.

"Yeah," agrees Mio.

"Actually, it's not," says Mikado. "Yui, the antidote within Rito was re-stimulated by your kiss. Combining the medical components of the antidote along with the dark matter already inside of him, your physical mouth-to-mouth contact was the catalyst needed to organically grow a new heart within his body."

"Uh, what?" asks Risa.

"In layman's terms, the power I gave Rito responded to Yui's feelings of love, bringing him back to life. Put simply, Yui…you saved him," says Neme.

Yui is speechless. As she processes the information, Celine, Mikan and Haruna quickly embrace her with tears in their eyes. "H-Hey," she says.

"Thank you, Yui. Thank you," says Haruna.

"Yeah. Thank you so much...for saving my big brother," says Mikan.

Celine nuzzles against Yui's face, speaking grateful gibberish.

Yui is still taken aback, but settles down, and hugs them in return.

Mikado turns to Neme, and thinks aloud, Thanks for the save, Neme. The truth is Rito needed to be kissed for the antidote to properly work. And I didn't realize it at first, but simply ANYONE kissing him would've done the trick, and brought him back. But everyone believes he was brought back by Yui's kiss of true love. I say it's better if we just leave it at that, hmm-hmm.

Yui glances up at Rito with misty eyes. "He's back. He's really back."

Up above, Rito looks down. His eyes meet with Yui's, and he smiles at her. "Thanks, Yui. I promise I'll repay that kiss."

Yui blushes feverishly, wipes the tears from her eyes, and smiles. "You better."

Rito looks to his injured friends, then to Lala (still injured), then to Stem. He squeezes his fists, overcome with anger. "Stem…you've gone too far."

Stem seethes furiously, refusing to accept the new development. But then, he takes a breath, and collects himself. "I killed you once. I can do it again."

Rito stares at his hands. He can feel the new power of light and dark surging through his body, ready to burst out at any moment. Having never used such destructive power before, and not wanting to cause any more damage to the surroundings than he already has, he gets an idea.

While Rito is distracted, Stem draws his energy blade, and jets into the sky, ready to pierce his enemy through his new heart.

"Rito!" yells Lala.

But Rito doesn't flinch; just as Stem's blade is about to connect, Rito disappears.

"What?" says Stem aloud. Then he turns around, and reacts with surprise.

Rito is on the school roof, gently helping Lala on her feet; he dodged Stem's attack in the blink of an eye, thanks to his new speed.

"Lala, you okay?" he asks.

"Are you kidding? You're alive. If you want, I could fly through the sun," she says, throwing her arms around him.

He hugs her back, and clocks Stem; he's still up in the air, allowing them to have their moment. "Lala, I need two favors."

"What is it?" she asks.

"Enough!" yells Stem. With that, he jets down blade-first, aiming for Rito's head.

Everything that happens next happens fast.

Rito quickly pushes Lala aside, and then holds something in the air; it's Lala's warp bracelet!

Just as Stem closes in on Rito, the bracelet activates. A shining light fills the air, and Rito and Stem are teleported off the roof. Lala shields her eyes from the bright light.

When she opens them, she finds both Rito and Stem gone, and the warp bracelet on the ground.

"Big Sis!" yells Momo.

Lala turns to see Momo and Nana flying up to the roof. They quickly rush to her side.

"Are you alright?" asks Nana.

"Well, I could use a doctor," jokes Lala, trying not to worry her sisters with some ill-timed levity.

"What happened?" asks Nana.

"Where's Rito?" asks Momo.

Instead of answering, Lala glances at the bracelet with an anxious expression, and then looks up at the sky. Her sisters follow her gaze, and gasp in disbelief.

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The moon.

All is quiet and still on the lunar surface...

Until a bright light appears out of thin air, and Rito and Stem materialize via Lala's warp device.

Rito quickly ducks before Stem's blade impales his forehead; the alien-cyborg goes flying over Rito, and hastily recovers, landing on the surface, and skidding to a halt.

Stem shields his sword, and clocks the new environment.

Rito looks around as well. Wow, it worked, he thinks.

"Oh, crap!" he says, comically grabbing his throat, and flailing around like a doofus, terrified of what comes next.

Stem watches him in confusion.

Rito stops moving.

…

Nothing happens. Rito's perfectly fine, if a little embarrassed. "I'm…okay."

"I see," says Stem.

Rito takes a fighting stance, ready for another round.

"So that device of the princess' teleported us here. But if your plan was to kill me, little worm, as you can tell, you're sorely mistaken. My body's half-machine; I don't need oxygen to survive in space nor will I freeze to death," says Stem.

And meanwhile, I've got this new power, so that's probably why I'm okay up here, thinks Rito. Then he puts on a sheepish expression. But still, if I had been wrong, I'd be a human popsicle about now.

Then he looks up, and notices Planet Earth; the pretty blue marble that is his home. He allows himself five seconds to feel awestruck before he readdresses Stem. "I just wanted to get you away from them," he says, gesturing to the Earth.

"Get ME away? Or yourself?" implies Stem.

"What?" asks Rito.

Stem chuckles. "If you had a confident grasp on that new power of yours, you wouldn't have sent us so far away from your friends. And if you think this is enough to keep me away from them-"

Provoked, Rito fires an energy blast at Stem; it's much more powerful than the ones he's used before, but Stem takes it head-on, crosses his arms and blocks the attack.

"You're not going anywhere, Stem. We're finishing this right here, right now," declares Rito.

Stem grins. "Yes. This is it. This is exactly what I wanted. I don't know how you came back from the dead, nor where you got this new power, but I don't care. The battle I've always dreamed of is finally here. And it deserves spectators." With that, he snaps his fingers.

For a moment, nothing happens. Then Rito looks up at the Earth, and spots something speeding out of the planet's atmosphere; it's Stem ship, the Dark Rover. The ship "parks" in the moon's orbit, a few yards away from Rito and Stem.

"What's your game?" asks Rito.

Stem smirks, and snaps his fingers again.

An orb-shaped camera protrudes from the ship's belly, and focuses on the two warriors on the moon.

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Back on Earth, Mikado and Oshizu finish treating Lala; she and everyone else have been given emergency first-aid for the time being.

Suddenly, Zastin's wrist communicator starts blinking. "What? Oh, no."

"What's wrong, Zastin?" asks Saki.

"Everyone!" he calls out, getting their attention. Then he activates his communicator, and a large holographic screen projects out of his wrist and into the air for all to see; it's Rito and Stem on the moon; the footage is being broadcasted by the camera on the Dark Rover.

"Rito!" says Lala.

"Wow, so he really is on the moon," says Nana.

"Shh," says Momo.

Stem faces the camera with a deadly serious expression, and begins his speech. "Citizens of the universe…"

As Stem speaks, his televised speech is broadcasted at every single location on every single planet that has ever appeared or been mentioned in the "To Love-Ru" series. And every single character who has ever appeared in the series, major or minor, is watching it. The whole universe is watching.

In downtown Sainan, random passersby on the sidewalk gather around the TVs displayed in a TV store window...

"My name is Stem, and this is Rito Yuki."

In Times Square, the New Yorkers watch the Mega Screen...

"He is an earthling who has received King Gid of Deviluke's blessing to succeed the throne."

On the car radios of drivers trapped bumper-to-bumper on the Golden Gate Bridge...

"In other words, this little worm will soon be crowned king of the universe. Your king."

Two teens in a Jeep trade looks; one of them laughs, and the other says, "This for real?"

On the cell phones of tourists atop the Eiffel Tower...

A family of four gawks at Rito, and mumbles things like, "King? Him?" or "He's so scrawny," or "Is this some kind of prank?"

On a laptop watched by a small crowd on the Great Wall of China...

"As you can see by his plain appearance, he is a far cry from the ruler this universe deserves, which is why I am here."

Back on the moon, Rito becomes overwhelmed with stage fright. He panics and thinks, No, no, no! It was supposed to be years before I became king, let alone announce myself as king to the whole freaking universe. Damn you, Stem. You're forcing me to face the music now, so this is gonna hurt. Then he cracks his knuckles, preparing to fight.

Stem continues, "Citizens, I am going to kill this so-called successor..."

On a radio listened by several African villagers in a hut...

"...and claim the throne right before your eyes."

On a small TV watched by a dozen viewers cramped in an igloo...

"Under my reign..."

On the wall-mounted TV inside the Oval Office viewed by the President and her staff...

"...the universe will enter a new age of peace and prosperity the likes of which that pipsqueak King Gid and this little worm could never achieve."

On a TV viewed by green aliens on a random planet...

"Furthermore, there's no need for me to kill Gid himself..."

On another TV viewed by blue aliens on another random planet...

"...because he's already relinquished the title of king to Rito Yuki."

On a busted radio listened by alien scavengers on the dumpster, sliced-in-half planet of Kild...

"So once I kill him, that title will go to me."

On a holographic projection inside the royal throne room of Memorze, watched by the king and queen (Run and Ren's parents)...

"Oh, and for my first act as king…"

Back on the moon, Stem pauses for dramatic effect. Then he gives the whole universe a sinister grin.

He says, "I am going to destroy this little worm's home, the planet Earth."

Rito gasps in shock.

Back at the school, all of Rito's are equally shocked.

"Destroy the Earth?" worries Haruna.

"Stem, you monster," seethes Yami.

On the TVs at LAX, being watched by the patrons, including Rito's mother and father, Ringo and Saibai. Like any parents, they're both stricken with worry. Ringo clasps her mouth, and Saibai pulls her in for a hug.

"Rito..." cries Ringo.

"You got this, son," says Saibai.

000000

Back on the moon, Stem concludes, "Citizens...enjoy the fight."

The Dark Rover's camera continues rolling as Stem turns to face Rito.

"Stem, listen to me," starts Rito.

"Ah, ah," replies Stem, waving his finger side-to-side. "Don't. Don't try to appeal to my humanity. Don't try to talk me out of it."

"You CAN'T just destroy an entire planet," says Rito.

They both walk in a circle, keeping their eyes on one another.

Stem retorts, "Of course, I can. But not yet. I want your fellow Earthlings to watch, little worm. To see you die FOR REAL. To see you fail to save them, so that they'll perish with despair in their hearts."

"No," says Rito.

"But don't worry. I'll keep your sister and your lovers alive. I'm sure I can find someway to make use of them," chuckles Stem.

Rito stops walking, and his eyes narrow into a fierce glare.

Stem stops walking, and continues, "And there is nothing you can say, do or pray that's gonna stop me, Rito."

Rito clenches his fists. "Last chance."

Stem clenches his fists. "Long live the king."

The two warriors stare each other down for a moment.

And then they charge, roar their lungs out, and collide their fists, cutting a shockwave through the lunar atmosphere.

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Back at the school, everyone watches the fight in anxious anticipation.

"We gotta help him," says Lala, holding up her warp bracelet. But it doesn't activate. "What? Why isn't it working?"

"You don't think he…?" suggests Momo, implying Rito tampered with the bracelet to prevent his friends from following him.

Yami starts to walk. "It's okay, Princess. I'll contact Lune. He can bring my ship, and fly us to Rito. We'll back him up," she says, but then she drops to the ground.

"Yami, you can't," says Mikan, helping Yami up.

"Then I'll go," says Mea.

"No," says Mikado.

Run approaches Mikado. "But Dr. Ryouko-"

"Oshizu and I only just gave you emergency first-aid, and you're all in need of proper medical treatment. None of you are in any condition to fight anymore," scolds Mikado.

"But…but…" worries Nana.

"I'm afraid I have to agree," chimes Zastin. "Rito Yuki has reached a class all on his own. So right now, staying out of the way is the best help we can give him."

Everyone sulks, knowing his words to be true.

"What is that new power anyway?" asks Risa, gesturing to Rito on the screen.

"Kinda looks like Black Darkness," says Yami.

"Only...shinier," says Mea.

"You're both right," says Neme. "I don't know how, but Rito's managed to harness that berserk power of his, and channel it into something new. For the sake of simplicity, let's just call it White Darkness."

"White Darkness," repeats Kyouko.

"So he's stronger now?" asks Rin.

"Much," answers Neme.

"But you guys, he's still alone up there. And if Stem wins, he's gonna destroy this whole planet," says Saruyama.

"Even if we could stop Stem, we shouldn't," says Zastin, surprising everyone.

"What? Why?" asks Momo.

"Princess Momo, this fight is about more than just saving the earth. The whole universe is bearing witness to Rito's resolve, and more importantly, his manhood is on the line. If he's gonna be king, this is the best way to show every world that he's the right man for the job. Us interfering would jeopardize their faith in Rito," explains Zastin.

Everyone processes Zastin's words for a moment; again, he's not wrong. But that doesn't stop them from feeling angry, uncertain, or just scared.

"It'll be okay," says Haruna. Everyone looks to her as she continues, "I believe in Rito. I know he'll win. And I know he'll come back to us."

"Haruna's right," says Lala. "I believe in him too. Death didn't stop him, and neither will that Stem jerk, no matter how strong he is."

"Of course," says Yui. "Listen up! Rito's gonna save us all, and in the process, show every stuck-up species that he's their new king. Let's all believe in him."

Yui's words spur Celine into cheering, and the others into smiling. They resume watching the fight with renewed hope in their eyes.

Run and Kyouko trade nods, hold hands, and sing a soft song; it's a prayer of sorts for Rito's victory, and his safe return home.

"Rito," whispers Mikan under her breath.

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On the moon, Rito and Stem fight in the battle for the fate of the universe.

Chaotic shockwaves fill the air; several, deep fissures split through the ground; the surface rumbles with the magnitude of a 9.5 earthquake; the destruction reshapes the entire landscape.

And up above, the Dark Rover catches it all on camera for the whole universe to see.

Stem not only uses his fists and feet, but his entire arsenal as well. He unleashes all the weapons he has including his energy sword, his energy whip, his laser cannon and even a few ion grenades modified from his bomb collars.

As for Rito, with his new White Darkness form, he unlocks all his powers; flight, super strength, increased speed, projecting energy blasts of dark matter, and blocking attacks with barriers of dark matter.

Unlike the beatdown he received back at the school, Rito puts up one hell of a fight. Combining his knowledge of fighting video games with his training from Rin and the Kurosaki sisters, this is the strongest and best fighting he's ever done.

But it's still not enough.

Rito and Stem collide into other each. They throw, block and dodge punches with lightning speed, neither connecting nor damaging the other. Rito lands a solid hook across Stem's face, only for the cyborg-alien to slug Rito in the gut. Every now and then, Rito gets a good hit in on his enemy. But at best, he's only matching him. Gradually, the fight leads in Stem's favor.

"Just die, you worm!" yells Stem, unsheathing two energy blades.

"Go to hell!" replies Rito, conjuring two of his own blades made of dark matter.

The two warriors engage in a sword duel, which is far more vicious than their duel back at the penthouse restaurant. They hack, slash, parry and lunge in a glorious dance of sparks until both their blades shatter against one another.

Stem whirls around and kicks Rito in the head, sending him cartwheeling across the ground.

The second Rito recovers, Stem fires his laser cannon.

Rito's on his feet, dodging the volley of Stem's blasts.

This is bad, he thinks while dodging. I'm not getting anywhere. I've gotta overpower him and end this, but how?

As Rito continues to dodge, he zeroes in on the new heart inside Stem's chest.

That's it! thinks Rito.

He flies into the air, and shoots a dark matter blast towards Stem.

"Pathetic," gloats Stem, about to block. "What?"

Rito's attack isn't aimed at Stem; it strikes the ground in front of him, which creates an enormous cloud of dust that engulfs the villain.

Stem finds himself blinded on all sides, and says, "Clever worm."

He spins around, extends his whip, and blows all the dust away. But once it clears, there's no sign of Rito anywhere. Stem looks left, right, up and behind; nothing.

Then he feels something below.

In a split-second, Rito erupts out of the ground, and uppercuts Stem. Then with his free arm, he claws his hand into Stem's chest, and fires an energy blast at point-blank range.

The flashy explosion on the moon can be seen all the way from Mars.

A few moments later, the dust settles.

Rito's on his feet, catching his breath and staring ahead.

The smoke clears, revealing Stem still standing, with only a scratch on his chest; his heart is still beating.

"Crap," curses Rito.

"Did you REALLY think it'd be that easy?" insults Stem.

Rito prepares for another bout, but feels himself swaying. "What the?" he asks aloud.

Then he notices his hair switching from black to his original chestnut color.

"Oh, great."

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Back at the school, everyone reacts with worry.

"What's going on? What's wrong with him?" asks Momo.

"He's losing power," says Zastin.

"Losing power? But how?" asks Nana.

"Rito only just transformed into White Darkness. He hasn't had the time nor training to properly regulate his new abilities," says Neme.

"Well, what does that mean?" asks Run.

"It means in a couple of minutes, Rito will run out of strength," answers Yami.

"So he has to beat Stem before that happens...or else he's dead," says Mea.

"Oh, no," says Haruna.

"Rito," says Lala.

"Come on," whispers Yui.

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Back on the moon, Rito keeps it together, digs down deep, and forces his energy to remain for the time being.

Stem shakes his head, and says, "Seriously? You finally delivered on showing me your full power. Now, you're just gonna let it slip away? No. No, you don't get to die at your weakest, Rito Yuki."

Then he plants his feet into the ground, clenches his fists, bulges his muscles, and screams his lungs out.

The surface quakes, and Rito nearly loses his footing.

"What're you doing?" asks Rito.

"Showing you the true power of a king," replies Stem; his heart glows an impossibly bright color.

Rito stands his ground, and braces himself.

Stem launches at him with the force of a fighter jet. He slams into Rito, grabs his head and forces him into the ground while still going a hundred miles per hour.

Rito goes face-first through dirt and rubble. Then he seizes Stem's arm, and says, "Your turn."

He twists the arm, and reverses their positions before Stem can act; now Rito is the one flying through the air while holding down Stem face-first in the ground.

But then, one shot from Stem's cannon sends Rito flying, and crashing into a hilltop.

Stem rises, and brushes the dirt off his shoulder.

Rito rises, and spits out a broken tooth. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up, he thinks. I've gotta destroy that heart now before time runs out.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" roars Stem. "I'm gonna kill you!"

"No, Stem," protests Rito. "I've got a home to go back to. People waiting for me. Things you'd know nothing about."

"Shut up!" yells Stem. "I'm sick of you talking about how much you love your friends. I don't care! In fact, I change my mind."

Then he snaps his fingers.

On cue, the top of the Dark Rover slides open, and a gigantic railgun rises out of the ship.

"What is that?" worries Rito.

Stem grins, and snaps his fingers again. The railgun swivels, takes aim at Earth, and begins to charge.

"Say goodbye to your friends, and your planet," says Stem.

"No," says Rito.

Stem snaps his fingers one last time.

"NO!" roars Rito, flying at the speed of light.

The railgun fires a global-killing pulse beam at Earth, but Rito quickly flies in its path, and forms a spherical barrier of dark matter. The beam strikes the barrier with the force of a nuclear bomb. Rito roars, and uses all of his power to stop the beam from destroying the planet.

The beam dwindles, and Rito dispels his barrier. Despite floating in outer space, he sucks in great gulps of air.

The Dark Rover's railgun overheats, and powers down.

"That was way too close. I gotta destroy that gun," says Rito, charging another energy blast. But just as it charges, it disappears; he used up all his power on the barrier. "What? No!"

The sound of clapping. Rito looks to see Stem floating towards him, feigning applause.

"Impressive. Now, Rito Yuki, what're you gonna do about the second pulse beam?" asks Stem, snapping his fingers again.

The railgun repowers, and begins to recharge; in a matter of seconds, it'll fire again.

"Stem," seethes Rito, about to clobber the cyborg-alien.

But then, his black hair returns to chestnut, his hazel eyes return to blue, and his wings disappear. Without the ability to fly, Rito floats helplessly through space.

"Oh, you don't look so good," jokes Stem, flying forward and taking Rito's wrist. "Maybe you should sit DOWN!"

He hurls Rito towards the moon; he slams into the ground, which results in a devastating crater.

Stem floats down, arms crossed, and an evil smile on his face.

Rito coughs blood, and forces himself to stand. As he does, his armor cracks and falls apart, leaving him shirtless.

"You can't win," says Stem.

They're both beaten to a bloody pulp, but it's clear Stem still has the energy to keep going.

Rito glares at Stem, and panics when he hears the sound of the railgun nearing its full charge. He looks to Earth.

Haruna, Lala, Mikan, Mom, Dad, Yui…no. No! I will never give up, he thinks.

And then, something on the ground catches Rito's eye...

It's Stem's bomb collar.

Rito's eyes widen as the memories dawn on him.

000000

Flashback

After Stem attacked Rito's home, Lala kept the bomb collar he used on Mikan.

"If I learn more about this device, maybe I can learn more about Stem, and how we can beat him," she says.

000000

Flashback

Right after Rito transformed into White Darkness, he tended to Lala on the school roof.

"Lala, I need two favors," he says.

"What is it?" she asks.

"Show me your D-dial," he says.

Lala does as she's told, presenting the device to Rito. He clicks two buttons, and retrieves two items from her arsenal. The first is Lala's warp bracelet; the second is Stem's bomb collar.

"What're you gonna do?" asks Lala.

"Trust me," replies Rito.

Up in the air, Stem grows impatient, and yells, "Enough!"

As Stem jets down blade-first, Rito pockets the bomb collar without him noticing, shoves Lala aside, and activates the warp bracelet.

000000

Back in the present, Rito stares at the collar.

That's right, he thinks, getting an idea.

Stem stops grinning, and notices the change in his opponent's demeanor.

Rito takes a final stand.

"Stem! I will stop you!" he declares.

…

Stem unfolds his arms, and mutters, "Disappointing."

Another sound from the railgun; it's completely charged.

Rito looks between Stem, the railgun and the bomb collar.

It's now or never.

Rito musters whatever power he has left, gives everything he's got, and prepares for the final round.

Stem hunches with boiling fury.

And then, they fly at each other, and clash in a savage fist fight.

Rito punches Stem in the cheek-

Stem punches Rito twice-

Rito grabs Stem, and headbutts him-

Stem uppercuts Rito-

Rito elbows Stem on the side of his jaw-

Stem punches Rito in the side-

Rito knee-strikes Stem in the face-

Blood splashes all over the ground-

Stem chops at Rito's neck-

Rito kicks Stem in the head-

Stem kicks Rito in the gut-

Rito throws a quick of barrage of punches in Stem's face and gut-

Stem roars-

Rito roars-

They both wind back their fists-

Time seems to slow down-

Stem punches for Rito's face-

Rito dodges, and punches for Stem's chest-

While holding the bomb collar in his fist like a set of brass knuckles-

Stem notices too late-

Rito punches Stem square in the chest-

BOOM!

A cataclysmic explosion shakes the moon.

000000

Everyone watching the broadcast gasps in shock, and waits with bated breath, worried for Rito.

His parents at LAX...

The President in the Oval Office...

The family of four on the Eiffel Tower...

The aliens on Kild...

Run's parents in their throne room...

Rito's friends at school.

000000

Back on the moon, the smoke clears.

Rito stands hunched over, his body steaming and his breathing slow; while he didn't take any damage, he was still right in front of the explosion.

But he fights through the pain, forces himself to stand tall, and raises his fists, ready to go again.

On the opposite side, Stem stands whilst clutching his hands over a hole in his chest where his heart should be.

He drops to his knees. Oil and blood spill from his chest, and he growls in pain though clenched teeth, but refuses to show weakness. Even with his new heart blown to bits, being half-robot, he's still alive.

He glares at Rito with malicious intent. "I don't need that power to kill you."

Then he tries to stand-

And collapses face-first into the ground.

Rito stares in bewilderment.

Try hard as Stem might, he can't get himself to move.

He's alive, but he's done.

Rito lowers his fists, and exhales in relief.

000000

Down on Earth, all of Rito's friends watch in utter disbelief.

And then, Celine cheerfully yells her very first word, "PAPA!"

All of Rito's friends erupt into delightful cheers. Some cry tears of joy, some dance around, but all are relieved that he survived and won.

"Thank goodness," whispers Yui, unable to stop herself from happy-crying.

In the Oval Office, the President dances on her desk while the staff applauses Rito.

On the Eiffel Tower, the family of four hug, and cheer at the moon.

On the Great Wall of China, everyone applauds and jumps around.

In the throne room on Memorze, Run's parents smile and hold hands.

At LAX, while everyone around them goes wild, Rito's parents softly hug; tears in their eyes, and pride in their hearts.

000000

Back on the moon.

Rito drops to his knees, feeling like he just ran a thousand miles. He perks up when he hears laughter.

Stem's down the ground, but he's howling with laughter. "You lose, worm!"

Rito's eyes widen with realization, and he spins around-

The railgun on the Dark Rover is about to fire at Earth!

"NO!" roars Rito, on his feet.

He tries to sprout new wings, but he's so drained, he doesn't have the energy to do so; all he can do is run to the Dark Rover.

But then, he trips, falls onto the ground, and watches in horror-

The railgun fires another pulse beam-

BOOM!

Everything goes white.

...

...

...

000000

Static.

On every TV and every radio across the universe; Stem's broadcast has been cut off.

At the school, all of Rito's friends stare at the static screen projected from Zastin's communicator.

Nana grabs Zastin. "What happened? What'd you do?

"Nothing, Princess Nana, I swear," replies Zastin, smacking his communicator to regain the image.

"We're still alive," notes Yami.

"Yes. The blast from that railgun was stopped," says Neme.

"Yay! He did it! Rito saved us again," cheers Run, hugging Kyouko.

"No. I don't think that was Rito," says Mea.

Everyone gasps.

"Then...who was it?" asks Lala.

"Is this thing on?" asks a new voice from the screen.

"Hey, look," says Momo, pointing to the screen.

The broadcast transmission resumes, and the image of planet Earth (safe and sound) in outer space reappears.

"It's on, your majesty," says another voice from the screen.

"Well, it's about time. And lower the stupid thing," says the first voice.

"I know that voice," says Zastin.

"It can't be," says Nana, delighted.

"Right away, sir," says the second voice.

The camera lowers, and the head of the pint-sized King Gid pops up on screen.

"Ahem, hey, universe. It's your king here," he says.

"Daddy!" squeal Lala, Momo and Nana together.

000000

On the moon.

A robot penguin named Shebby films Gid with the planet Earth in the background; they look like a cameraman and a news reporter.

"In case you were wondering what happened, allow my, ahem, fine subordinate to give you the instant replay," says Gid.

"Oh, thank you, your highness," says Shebby.

"Shut up, and play the clip!" says Gid.

"Dah! Yes, sir! Right away, sir," replies Shebby, comically scared.

000000

On the screen, the Dark Rover's railgun is about to fire its second pulse beam.

Just as it does, a secondary beam of energy fires from out of nowhere, and strikes the Dark Rover just in time; the ship, railgun and belly-camera are all destroyed in the ensuing explosion.

"I know, I know. Deus ex machina. Bite me," says Gid in voice-over.

The camera zooms in on the explosion. But Gid grabs the camera, redirects it at himself, and strikes a pose like the tool he is.

Gid continues his voice-over. "But I figured it was high time I cut in, and..."

His voice trails off, realizing the camera is still replaying footage of him posing.

"Shebby!" he yells.

"GAH! Sorry, your majesty," whimpers Shebby.

000000

At the school, the Deviluke sisters flush with embarrassment and anger while the others aren't sure how to react.

"Yep, that's our king," says Zastin.

The camera cuts back to the present, revealing Gid helping Rito on his feet.

"Oh, and no need to worry. This one's fine," says Gid, nonchalant.

On camera, Rito wills himself to lift his head, and give the camera/universe a thumbs-up.

All of Rito's friends hug each other, relieved he's okay; Yui appears the most relieved of all.

000000

On the moon.

Shebby keeps the camera rolling on what transpires next.

Rito sits on a rock. "Thank you."

"Hmph. I did it to save my daughters, Yuki. Nothing else," replies Gid.

"Of course," chuckles Rito, knowing the hotheaded king is a softy at heart.

"Now, about him," says Gid, gesturing to Stem.

The defeated cyborg-alien crawls with his one good arm, doing anything to get away from the king.

But then, two pairs of feet block his back. He glances up, and finds Rito and Gid towering over him.

"Long time, no see, Stem," says Gid.

"Going somewhere?" jokes Rito.

"Screw you," replies Stem.

With that, Gid punt-kicks Stem, sending him flying and crashing into a boulder, without killing him.

"So, what do you wanna do with him?" asks Gid.

"What do you mean?" asks Rito.

"He's your enemy, Yuki. And the whole universe is watching," says Gid.

He holds out his hand, and a photon pistol materializes into his grip. Then he offers it to Rito.

"You need to finish this," he says.

Rito looks from the gun to Gid to Stem. Then he takes the gun, and approaches Stem; it's unclear how he feels, or what he'll do next.

He stops a few feet from Stem.

The cyborg-alien glares up at Rito with fearless eyes.

"Go ahead, YOUR HIGHNESS. Do it," says Stem.

Gid watches Rito, folds his arms, and remains silent.

Shebby zooms in on Rito.

000000

At the school.

All of Rito's friends (along with his parents, his fellow Earthlings and the people of all worlds) watch in anxious anticipation.

"Rito..." says Haruna, worried he might do it.

000000

On the moon.

"DO IT!" screams Stem.

Rito raises the gun at his enemy, and his finger hovers the trigger.

...

...

...

Rito crushes the gun within his hand.

"No."

Stem's eyes widen in furious disbelief.

Rito turns to Gid, and says, "Maybe that's you, your majesty. But that's not the kind of king I wanna be." Then he turns back to Stem, and says, "And you...you're gonna be locked up in some super deluxe, space prison for the rest of your life."

Gid smiles to himself, impressed by Rito's choice.

000000

At the school.

All of Rito's friends (along with his parents, his fellow Earthlings and the people of all worlds) appear just as impressed as Gid.

Haruna sighs in relief; Lala touches her shoulder, and says, "That's our man."

000000

On the moon.

Rito turns his back on Stem, and walks away-

Stem lunges forward, activates his beam sword, roars his lungs out, and makes one last, desperate attempt at Rito's life-

Rito casually spins around, and grabs the blade with his bare hand, stopping the point an inch from impaling his eyeball.

He and Stem glare at one another, locked in each other's grip for a moment. Then Rito squeezes the blade so tight, it actually shatters into shards of light.

With his free hand, he smashes Stem across the face for the knockout.

As Stem writhes on the ground, Rito just watches him; no words, no pity, nothing.

Gid approaches whilst clapping, and stands next to Rito.

"You could've saved me just then, couldn't you?" asks Rito.

"Duh," says Gid.

"And you could've sent your army, or one from another planet, to stop Stem from destroying my home at any time," says Rito.

"You bet," says Gid.

"Instead, you ordered them all to stand down," inquires Rito.

"Bingo," replies Gid.

"Because if you or anyone else interfered..." starts Rito, already knowing the answer.

"I'd never let you take my place. This was your battle, and you had to win it on your own," says Gid. Then he touches Rito's shoulder. "And now...I'm convinced. You'll make a great king, Yuki."

Rito smiles until Gid squeezes his shoulder, causing him to yelp.

"And you better make a good husband," warns Gid.

"Yes. I will, promise," whines Rito, comically.

Gid releases Rito, and the latter massages his shoulder.

"And as for you..." says Gid.

He bends down, grabs Stem by the ankle, and drags him off. Rito watches in confusion.

"Well, Stem, looks like it's the end of an era," says Gid. "Not gonna lie, I'm gonna miss our little skirmishes. Between us, you were the only fighter in the whole universe whoever gave me a good workout. That's why I never killed you. But now, it seems there's someone else who can alleviate my boredom," he says, gesturing to Rito.

"You want ME to fight you?" gawks Rito.

"Naturally. Someday. I'm curious to test that new power of yours myself, Yuki. Besides, who better to train you for the job of king than the Devilukean king himself?" inquires Gid.

"Uh, I guess," says Rito.

Stem talks as he's dragged, "If you think...some cage is gonna stop me from killing that worm-"

"Oh, I could care less about him, Stem. But you see, you did hurt my daughters. As a king, I can be just. But as a father...you know," says Gid.

With nothing else left, Stem tilts his head, and shouts at Rito. "You're gonna fail, Rito! The universe will never accept you-"

"And that's enough," interrupts Gid.

With one arm, Gid throws Stem up in the air, fires another energy beam, and blasts Stem in the gut; the beam doesn't kill him so much as it sends him hurtling all the way towards the sun.

Rito watches his enemy get blasted away. "Long live the king."

Stem crashes into the gigantic ball of fire, screaming as he incinerates into specks.

"RITO YUKIIIIII!"

He's gone.

...

Gid returns to Rito, and Shebby waddles next to them.

"Oh, that was marvelous, sire! Just marvelous," praises Shebby.

"Of course, it was, you fool," says Gid.

"Uh...now what?" asks Rito.

Stem smiles, and proudly addresses the camera. "Citizens of the universe, I give you…Rito Yuki!"

"Eh?" balks Rito.

Gid continues, "As you've all just witnessed, there is no one more suited to be my successor. Power, but not without reason. Strength, but not without compassion. Wisdom, but not-oh, you get the idea. All traits befitting a king. So with that said, when the time comes, I will entrust the crown, as well as the hands of my daughters, to this man standing, and bleeding, before you. Badly bleeding. Say, Yuki, are you alright?"

Rito is definitely not alright, but he's not gonna collapse now, not in front of the whole universe.

"Oh, yeah, I'm good," he says, playing it off in hilarious fashion.

Gid laughs, and readdresses the universe. "He's fine, he says. Of course, he is. He can take anything you can throw at him. In fact, if any of you wish to challenge Yuki for the throne, or just simply kill him, be my guest."

"Wait, what?" freaks Rito.

Gid ignores him, and continues, "Challenge him, and see what happens. I mean, you all did just see what happened; to that Stem jerk. All those hits and blows he landed on Yuki, and the boy's still standing. So do your worst. But be warned…his worst is better."

"Ugh," says Rito, smacking his head; not exactly the kind of praise he'd hope to get from his predecessor, and future father-in-law.

Gid turns to Rito, and says, "You're up."

"What?" asks Rito, perplexed.

Shebby shifts the camera to Rito.

"Uh, uh," he says, dumbfounded.

Here he is; a half-dead young man addressing the whole universe; stage fright to the extreme.

But he collects himself, steels his resolve and chooses his words carefully.

"My fellow citizens," he starts. "All I want…is to create a world, a universe, a home...where the people I love can live together in happiness. And my goal as king will be to expand and share that happiness with all those seek it. It doesn't matter to me whether you're human or alien, Earthling or Devilukean; I will do my part to ensure that everyone knows peace and joy. And to those oppose this path, those who would disrupt the peace and neglect the happiness I'm willing to provide...know that while I am not without mercy, I am neither without tolerance. If I have to stop you, so be it. Now, to those who wish to follow the path to peace, I admit, I am still very young, and I still have much to learn. But I swear…I will try to be a good king. A kind king. Stem wanted the throne for power; I want it for love. Not for myself…but for the ones I can give it too. And so, I reach out to all of you in kindness, friendship and good faith. I, Rito Yuki, want to be your king. And I will not let you down."

Gid watches, nodding to himself.

000000

At LAX, Ringo and Saibai shed tears of pride for their son. As they share a loving kiss, everyone around them applauds Rito for his speech, and his victory.

They chant, "All hail, King Rito!"

Drivers on the Golden Gate Bridge cheer and applaud.

"All hail, King Rito!"

Tourists on the Eiffel Tower cheer and applaud.

"All hail, King Rito!"

The green aliens on the random planet cheer and applaud.

"All hail, King Rito!"

The chant echoes across the universe.

"All hail, King Rito!"

At the school, all of Rito's friends celebrate.

000000

On the moon.

"And scene," says Shebby, turning off the camera.

Rito sighs with relief; it appears the speech took more out of him than the battle with Stem. He's approached by Gid and Shebby.

"You made quite the mess up here, Yuki," says Gid.

"Huh?" wonders Rito. Then he looks around, and only just realizes how much damage he and Stem caused to the moon. "Oh, crap."

"Relax. Shebby here can fix it up in no time," says Gid.

"Indeed, sire," says Shebby.

"Phew, that's good to know. Thanks," says Rito.

"Well, I better get back to Deviluke. After that speech, I'm sure there's dozens of unhappy people flooding the capital wanting answers," says Gid.

"Actually, sire, it's more like hundreds, if not, thousands," says Shebby.

Gid stares at his subordinate with ice cold eyes. "Thank you, Shebby."

"Should I come too?" asks Rito.

Gid laughs. "Appreciate the thought, kid, but you need a doctor stat. And don't worry about it. Like I said, if anybody's got a problem with you replacing me, they can come say it to our faces, and we'll obliterate theirs."

"I'd, uh..." starts Rito.

"Alright, alright. I'll ease off on the obliterating during my final years as king. Just don't let the universe fall apart because of your morality, Yuki," says Gid.

Rito gives him a chuckle. "No promises."

Then he holds out his hand.

Gid stares at it for a moment, but then smiles, and shakes it. "Good luck, future son-in-law."

"Safe travels…uh…future dad," replies Rito. Ugh, that sounded weird, he thinks.

"Shebby, send him home," orders Gid.

"At once, sire," says Shebby.

"Say hi to my girls to me, Yuki," says Gid.

"Wait, what?" asks Rito.

Shebby fires an energy ray from his metal beak, and hits Rito in the chest; he vanishes into thin air.

000000

Back at the school, everyone waits in silent anticipation.

Suddenly, a bright light flashes out of the air, and Rito materializes in front of his friends. It takes him and everyone else a second to process what happened.

Rito stares at his loved ones, smiles like an idiot, and sheepishly waves. "Uh...I'm back."

"RITO!" yells everyone.

They bum-rush him all at once, and wrestle each other for their chance to hug him.

The sight of him alive and home brings tears of joy to everyone's faces. They laugh, cheer, and cry, overjoyed that's it all over, and that he's home.

"Rito, Rito," cries Lala.

"You came back," cries Haruna.

"Easy, easy. I'm in enough pain already," says Rito.

But no one's listening; no one cares he's a bleeding mess, especially not Mikan. She forces her way through the group hug, and tackles Rito to the ground, surprising him and everyone else. She cries her eyes out into Rito's chest.

"Idiot. You said you wouldn't die. You promised, Rito," weeps Mikan.

Rito looks at her with sympathy, and strokes her hair. "I'm sorry, Mikan. I…I..."

His voice trails off as he loses consciousness.

"Rito!" worries Mikan.

"It's okay, Mikan," says Mikado, touching Mikan's shoulder. "He just needs a little rest."

"Right. And he deserves some," says Mikan.

As Rito sleeps, everyone watches him, beaming with pride and gratitude.

Mikan kisses Rito's cheek; she couldn't stay mad at him even if she tried.

"I'm very proud of you…big brother."

Yui cradles Celine, both smiling at Rito.

"Papa," says Celine, surprising Yui.

"Celine, did you just...?" asks Yui.

Celine nuzzles her face against Yui's, and says, "Mama."

Yui's eyes widen in unadulterated joy, and she hugs Celine lovingly. Then she looks at Rito, still asleep.

She frowns with uncertainty.

000000

Rito's eyes flutter open.

As he groans awake and sits up, he finds himself in a medical bed wearing a patient gown with an IV strapped to his arm. He notices the sun outside the window; based on the lighting, it's already late afternoon. He looks around the well-furnished room, and realizes he's not in a hospital; he's at Mikado's clinic.

Then he gasps when he finds someone sleeping and drooling at his bedside…

It's Yui.

Rito extends his hand to touch her, just to see if she's really there and he's not dreaming.

But before he can, the door opens, and he hilariously flinches.

"Good afternoon, Yuki. Glad to see you're awake," says Mikado, approaching the bed with a clipboard; all business.

"Dr. Ryouko. So I AM at your clinic," says Rito.

"Sure are. That okay?" she teases.

Rito looks himself over; there isn't a scratch on him, all thanks to her. "Yeah, of course. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," says Mikado, smiling.

"Mmm-uggg," moans Yui, waking up. As her eyes adjust, she's greeted to Rito smiling at her.

"Hey, Yui," he says.

"Rito?" she asks.

Then she realizes she's sleeping at his bedside.

…

Yui shrieks, and turns bright red. "Th-Th-This isn't what it looks like! Don't get the wrong idea!"

"Uh," responds Rito.

"H-How are you feeling?" asks Yui.

"Well, I'm still a little fuzzy. But aside from that, I feel great," says Rito.

Yui grins, and says, "That's wonderful."

"What about the others? Are they okay?" asks Rito.

"Everyone is fine, Yuki. They've all been treated for their injuries, and they're safe. There weren't any casualties aside from Stem himself," explains Mikado.

Rito sighs in relief, and leans back in his bed. "Thank goodness. By the way, how long have I been out?"

"Oh, just the last three days," responds Mikado.

Rito bolts upright. "Three days?"

"Calm down, Rito. She only just treated you; don't go reopening your wounds by freaking out," scolds Yui.

"S-Sorry," says Rito.

"It's fine, Yuki. Let me start from the beginning," says Mikado, setting her clipboard down on her desk, and sitting on her stool. "After you got back from the moon, you collapsed on the spot, so Zastin carried you here at my request. And once I finished treating Lala and Neme, they spent the last three days helping Oshizu and I nurse you back to health."

"They did?" asks Rito.

"Yep. With Lala's genius and Neme's knowledge of your power, the recovery process fortunately went much smoother," says Mikado.

"Gotcha," replies Rito.

"Speaking of power, that new one of yours, White Darkness..." starts Yui.

"White Darkness?" asks Rito.

"It's what everyone calls it. Anyway, Dr. Ryouko ran a bunch of tests, and confirmed it was stabilized. It won't go out of control like Black Darkness did," says Yui.

"That's right," says Mikado. "Also, I took the liberty of examining that new heart of yours."

"Oh," replies Rito.

"There's no need to fret, Yuki. As luck would have it, your new heart functions just as perfectly as your old one. Not only that, but you'll never have to worry about Black Darkness ever again," says Mikado.

Rito touches his chest. "Really? So...I won't get those pains anymore?"

"Nope. Which is kind of a shame. I rather liked giving you those antidotes, hmm-hmm," she teases whilst licking her lips.

"Gah," says Rito, blushing.

"What's she talking about?" asks Yui, suspicious.

"I, um, uh, I should tell my friends and family I'm okay," says Rito, removing the blanket.

"Oh, no, you don't," says Yui, seizing his shoulders, and stopping him from getting out of bed.

"Yui?" asks Rito.

"I'm afraid she's right, Yuki. I'm sorry to inconvenience you, but you only just woke up, and I'd like you to stay here one more night just in case. Would that be alright?" implies Mikado.

"Well, sure, but..." starts Rito.

"What you need right now is more rest, something you won't get if Mikan and the others swarm the place. But I will let them know you're awake, and will be back home tomorrow morning," says Mikado.

...

"Okay," says Rito, remaining in bed.

"Geez, you sure are a handful," says Yui.

"Yeah, hehe. By the way, Yui, thanks for coming to check up on me," says Rito.

"Checking up on you? Hmm-hmm," giggles Mikado.

"Dr. Ryouko?" asks Rito.

"Yuki, your friends and family have been checking up on you every day. But Kotegawa's been here the whole time," says Mikado.

"Eh! Dr. Ryouko!" squeals Yui, embarrassed.

"She never left your side once, Yuki. It was so adorable," teases Mikado.

"Huh?" asks Rito.

Then he looks to the wall opposite his bed.

There's an opened rolling suitcase with a spare change of clothes and toiletries next to the couch which has been made into a makeshift bed; pillows, blankets, cat plushies. Yui's been staying here for the past three days.

Rito scratches his cheek, flattered and not sure what to say.

"I, uh, I, um, uh," mumbles Yui, embarrassed to the point of tears.

"Ahem," says Rito. "Thank you, Yui. I appreciate you going out of your way to look after me. But...what about school?"

"Huh? Oh, well, the thing is…school's been canceled for the week," says Yui.

"What?" asks Rito.

"Well, you and Stem did kind of destroy the whole building, hmm-hmm," laughs Mikado.

"What? Oh, man, that's right," says Rito.

"It's okay, Yuki. Lala and the others are repairing the school as we speak," says Mikado.

"They are?" asks Rito.

"Uh-huh. With their help, it won't be long before it's back in one piece. Until then, classes have been cancelled, the staff are treating it as an extra break, and the students are making the most of it," explains Mikado.

"Alright, then. Even so, sorry," says Rito, comically feeling guilty.

"Yeah, you better be. You've pulled a lot of devious stunts, Rito, but destroying the school? You really are a dummy," scolds Yui in typical tsundere fashion.

"Hehe," laughs Rito, sheepish.

Just then, a ping echoes from Mikado's phone.

"Ah, that's Tearju. Sorry, Yuki, but I gotta get going."

Rito and Yui trade confused looks.

"You're leaving?" he asks.

"Well, I haven't had a day off since that battle with Stem. After all, Oshizu and I've been working round the clock, treating you and the others," says Mikado.

"Oh, yeah," says Rito.

"Speaking of Oshizu..." starts Yui.

"Oh, I gave her the day off. Knowing her, she's probably hanging out with Sairenji. As for Tearju, I promised I'd join her for dinner soon as you woke up, Yuki. Of course, I can always cancel," suggests Mikado.

"No, no. You should go, Dr. Ryouko. You've done so much for me and my friends, and I'd hate to take up anymore of your time. I'll be fine. Please, go out and enjoy yourself," says Rito.

Mikado gushes. "Thank you, Yuki. That makes me so happy. And Kotegawa?"

"Yes?" asks Yui.

"I'd hate to inconvenience you as well, but since you're here, would you mind keeping an eye on Yuki until I get back?" asks Mikado.

"Uh, well," starts Yui, flustered.

"Oh, there's no need," says Rito.

"Yuki, I'm not leaving my patient alone while he's still recovering," says Mikado.

"But..." says Rito, looking to Yui; he respectfully doesn't want to inconvenience her either.

...

"It's f-f-fine. I'll stay," says Yui.

"You sure, Yui?" asks Rito.

"I said it's fine. I've been here three days already; what's one more night? Besides, Dr. Ryouko, Rito's right. You do deserve a break. Go out and have some fun," insists Yui.

"Ah, thank you, Kotegawa," gushes Mikado.

"Yui…" says Rito, touched.

Right, I can do this, thinks Yui. I've watched over him this long already. Although...that was when Dr. Ryouko and Oshizu were around. Now it's just gonna be the two of us? Alone in this house all night? How shameless.

"Oh, Yuki," says Mikado, prompting Yui to snap out of her trance.

"Yes?" asks Rito.

"If you'd like to take a shower, you're more than welcome," says Mikado.

Yui flushes at the mention of the word 'shower,' but hides it before Rito or Mikado notice.

"Mikan brought over some of your spare clothes and toiletries. You can find them in the closet after you've washed," says Mikado.

"Okay," says Rito.

"And please, feel free to use anything else. There's food in the kitchen, surround sound in the living room, anything you need. My house is your house," says Mikado.

"That's very kind of you, Dr. Ryouko," says Yui.

"Yes, thank you," says Rito.

"It's the least I can do for the hero who saved the Earth, and the universe, hmm-hmm," says Mikado.

"In that case, I think I will take that shower," says Rito, getting out of bed.

Now Yui is even more flustered than before. And this time, Mikado notices, and hides her smirk.

000000

Moments later, the sun begins to set over the horizon.

The front door opens, and Mikado (wearing new clothes) steps out; Yui sees her off.

"Now, remember to call me immediately if there's any change to his health, no matter how minor," says Mikado.

"I will," says Yui.

"And if there's anything else you need, please don't hesitate to ask," says Mikado.

"Don't worry, I've got it all under control. Besides, it's only for a few hours," says Yui.

"Well, uh," starts Mikado.

"Hmm?" wonders Yui.

"Between you and me, Kotegawa, on the off-chance I drink too much sake and can't make it home, there's the possibility I'll crash at Tearju's," confesses Mikado, playfully.

"Uh…wait! You mean I might have to stay here with Rito 'til morning?" asks Yui, flustered.

"Oh. Will that be a problem?" insinuates Mikado, innocently.

"But-I-uh-I…" mutters Yui.

"Listen, Stem interrupted you two during the festival. This is a golden opportunity for you to rekindle your romance, Kotegawa," says Mikado.

"Wha?" gasps Yui.

"No one else will visit Yuki tonight, you'll have the place all to yourselves, and you have my permission to go as wild as you want, hmm-hmm," says Mikado.

Steam erupts from Yui's red face. "Dr. Ryouko! As a teacher, you shouldn't be saying such shameless things to your students!" she yells, comically.

Mikado laughs it off, and strolls away down the street. "Have a fun night."

"Honestly," says Yui under her breath before closing the front door.

000000

Yui walks back down the hall towards Rito's room.

That woman, she ponders. What in the world is she thinking, setting Rito and I up like this? Wait, is that the real reason why she didn't let Mikan and the others know that he's awake? No, that's ridiculous. In fact, I'll give 'em a call right now, invite them over for a party, and we'll celebrate his recovery. After all, Dr. Ryouko said we could use her house.

She whips out her phone, ready to contact Rito's lovers and family.

But then, she stops walking, and keeps her fingers hovering over her phone.

I really should call them, she thinks. But…who knows when we'll be alone together like this again? I mean, we haven't really spoken since…

The events of that fateful night replay through her mind; Stem ripping out Rito's heart, Yui telling a dying Rito how much she loved him, her giving him her first kiss, him coming back to life, followed by him promising to return that kiss, and her telling him he'd better.

Yui flushes bright red, and shakes her head back and forth. I can't believe I said that, she thinks. What in the world am I gonna say to him now? Cool your jets, Yui. He was dead for a moment. Yeah. Maybe he didn't hear me say what I said, about adopting Celine or doing shameless things to me. Yeah. But then…if he didn't hear me, do I have to say all that stuff to him again? Oh, that'd be so much worse! Okay, that's it, I'm calling everyone right now. Yeah, yeah! We'll celebrate his recovery, and he can kiss all the other girls as much as he wants, and…

Her voice trails off as she realizes something.

She touches her lips, and her mind goes blank.

...

She collects herself, inhales deeply, and pockets her phone.

"I have to face him sooner or later. Come on, Yui. No time like the present," she orders herself.

Then she presses on down the hall with new resolve.

000000

Inside Rito's room, Yui knocks on the door from outside.

"Rito?" her voice calls out; no answer. "I'm coming in."

The door opens, and Yui enters the room. To her surprise, Rito is gone.

She clocks the folded clothes on the bed; a white button-up shirt, a pair of green pants, a black belt, a pair of boxer shorts, and a pair of shoes with socks on the floor.

Then Yui hears the sound of running water coming from behind the bathroom door.

Oh, she thinks. Well, he did say he'd take a shower.

THUMP-THUMP.

Yui's face grows red.

THUMP-THUMP.

She gulps.

THUMP-THUMP.

She slowly approaches the door, and works up the courage to knock.

"Uh, Rito?" she asks.

"Yeah?" he replies over the running water.

"I, uh, I was just…I thought I'd make us some dinner and…was wondering if…you had any preferences," she says.

"Oh, thanks. But I'm cool with anything. Go ahead, make whatever you like, and I'll join you," he says.

"You sure?" she asks.

"Oh, yeah. I know you're a great cook. I still remember those delicious chocolates you gave me," he says.

Yui gasps, surprised he still remembers that, and even more so he would bring it up now. "Uh, okay. Then I'll just…leave you be."

"Alright. See ya in a sec," he says.

Yui sighs in relief, puts her hand against the wall for support, and walks to the door.

Okay, she thinks. We'll have a nice dinner, watch a movie on the TV, he'll sleep in here, and I'll take the couch. Or maybe I'll take Dr. Ryouko's bed. I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Yeah. Just a nice, normal night. Nothing shameless about it. Just like that time-

Right as she reaches the door, she stops dead in her tracks. Her eyes widen.

Just like that time...I was over at his house, she thinks. Just like then, we were alone together, and I was the one in his shower. And after that…

She remembers wearing one of Rito's white button-ups and nothing else. Then the power went out, and they both fell onto his bed. And then, she uncharacteristically wrapped her arms around his neck, confessed how she felt about shameless boys, offered herself to Rito, and nearly pulled him in for a kiss.

Then of course, there was that erotic fantasy of hers which had that same moment play out in a different way.

In her fantasy, Rito removed her shirt, and performed foreplay with her bare breasts. Then he kissed her, and tears of joy filled her eyes before they made love.

After that, she imagined sitting on his living room couch, pregnant with his child, with Mikan and Celine rubbing her belly.

Back in the present, Yui's red face sweats bullets, and erupts with steam.

No, no, no, she thinks. That is definitely not happening again. Just keep walking, Yui. The door's right there, and the kitchen beyond it. Yes…just a nice, normal…night.

Against her better judgment, she glimpses Rito's clothes a second time.

She gets a shameless idea.

Her blushing cheeks are about to burst, and her pounding heart about to explode out of her chest.

000000

In the bathroom, Rito turns off the water.

"Man, that felt good," he says.

He steps out, dries himself off, wraps the towel around his waist, and glances at himself in the mirror.

"Whoa," he says.

He's only just noticing the hideous scar on his chest from where Stem ripped out his old heart; there are some things even Mikado can't cure.

Rito stares at the scar in somber silence, remembering that moment, and that feeling of death.

Then he touches his chest, and feels his new heart beating within. He looks down at his chest and smiles, content; he'll learn to live with it.

When he looks back up at the mirror, he reacts in fright; it's not his reflection, but Dark Rito glaring back with murderous intent.

Rito rubs his eyes, and looks again; Dark Rito is gone.

…

Rito's not sure if that was real, or just all in his head. Either way, he leans forward, and focuses on his reflected eyes.

"I already said goodbye to you," says Rito. "Now I'll say…don't come back."

With that, he nods to himself, done with Dark Rito once and for all.

000000

Through the window, the sun dips past the mountains, casting the sky in a warm glow.

The bathroom door opens, and a small cloud of steam releases into the bedroom. Just as Rito walks out, a girl's gasp fills the air.

"Yui? Wait, why's it so dark?" asks Rito, gesturing to the lights; for some reason, they're off.

"D-Don't look!" squeals Yui from somewhere in the room. "I mean, I'm not ready. No! I didn't mean that. I, erm…"

"Yui?" he asks again, confused out of his mind.

He walks along the wall, searching for the lights.

"Wait!" she cries out.

Too late; Rito's hand accidentally flips the switch. The lights turn on, revealing Yui standing next to Rito's bed, putting on his white button-up.

Rito gawks at her for a moment, and then notices her clothes on the floor, including her underwear; she's wearing his shirt, and nothing else, just like she did that one time at his house.

They both shriek at the same time, "EEEEEYYYYYYY!"

Then they both spin around, keeping their backs to each other.

"Sorry!" he says.

"Turn them off, dummy!" she says in her embarrassed, tsundere voice.

"R-Right," he says, quickly flipping off the lights; he also flips off the ones in the bathroom for good measure.

Though the room is pitch black again, both Rito and Yui still keep their backs turned, and remain still and quiet.

…

"Uh…Yui," he starts.

"Y-Yes?" she asks.

"Why are you wearing my shirt?" he asks in a calm tone.

But he can tell Yui's too embarrassed to respond just by the sound of her whimpering.

"I mean, I'm not mad. I just…uh…" he says.

…

No turning back, thinks Yui.

She closes her eyes, relaxes, and speaks, "You were out for three whole days."

"Yeah?" asks Rito, not sure where she's going with this.

"During that time, Momo and the others brought me up to speed on the harem plan," she says.

"They did?" he asks.

As they converse, they're still facing away from each other in the dark room.

"Yes, they did," she replies. "They also…well…they also told me…about how they all seduced you that weekend."

"Gah! They did?" he asks, embarrassed.

"Usually, I'd be furious, and suspend you all for such shameless behavior. At least, that's what the old me would've done. Though the new me still can't believe you did all those things with them," she says.

"Sorry," he says.

"Not only that. You lied to me about what happened at the hot springs between you, Risa, Run and Kyouko," she accuses.

"I know. Forgive me," he begs.

"Relax, I already have," she says.

"Huh?" he asks.

"I understand why you all did what you did, so it's fine. Let's just never speak of it again," she declares.

"Fine by me," he says, relieved.

...

"However," she says. "I, uh, I couldn't help but feel sad. No, not sad. More like…behind."

"What?" he asks.

"Rito...you're so much closer to the other girls, because you experienced those moments with them. And so, well, I just wanted to…have a similar moment, because I want to…I want to be closer to you too," she confesses, her legs shaking.

"Yui," he says, starting to turn around.

"But I had no idea what to do until I saw your clothes. I thought I could recreate that night you and I had at your place. I wanted to get ready before you finished showering, but I was just so nervous," she says.

"But…that night, it was all Momo's doing. The rain, the power outage, you wearing my clothes; she arranged all of it," he says.

"I know she did," she says. "But all that stuff I said on your bed…Rito, I lied to you too."

"Huh?" he asks.

"I told you I was pretending. Just testing you to see if you'd go through with it. But the truth is…that was just a cover. Back then, I'd never live it down if you found out that was real, so I acted like it wasn't," she confesses.

"Does that mean…?" he asks. "Oh."

"Yes," she says, blushing to the point of tears; this is really humiliating for her. "I really do...want you to do shameless things to me."

...

"So…all that stuff you said back at the school…after Stem…" he says, touching his chest.

"Wait, you heard that? How much?" she asks in disbelief.

"Well, uh…you said…you wanted to join my harem…adopt Celine as our child…become the first woman to bear MY child…and have me do as many shameless acts to you as I want," he finishes.

So he heard all of it, she thinks, adorably embarrassed. Mmmmmmm.

…

They both look like they just sprinted ten miles; saying all those things out loud, and having to hear them, cranked up their hormones to extreme levels.

Rito takes a deep breath, and turns around. With his eyes adjusting to the darkness, he can make out Yui's half-naked silhouette next to the bed.

"Yui…did you mean what you said?" he asks.

…

Yui clenches her fists as tight as she can. Then she summons her courage, and turns around. Her eyes also adjust to the darkness, making out Rito's half-naked body next to the bathroom door.

When her eyes meet with his, she doesn't reply with words; she merely nods.

A breeze from outside cuts through the silent atmosphere.

Rito steps forward, and approaches Yui until they're inches apart; neither of them speaks.

Then Rito slowly raises his hand, and touches Yui's face.

She closes her eyes, and enjoys the warmth of his hand.

When she opens her eyes, she gives Rito another nod.

He lowers his hand to her shoulder, raises his other hand, and gently slides the white shirt off her; the shirt hits the floor; Yui stands before him, fully nude.

Rito lowers his hands, and his eyes widen in mesmerization.

Though he's seen her naked before, seeing her naked now fills him with happiness he didn't even know he could feel.

As for Yui, though her body trembles from the shameless exposure, she doesn't cover her breasts or pelvis with her hands like she used to.

…

Yui waits for Rito to continue, but he doesn't; he's too flustered by the sight of her to keep going.

Realizing this would be the best chance for her to act, she raises a quivering hand to Rito's waist, and grasps his towel.

For a moment, nothing happens; the two lovers just silently gaze into each other's eyes.

And then, Yui gently tugs the towel, and it falls off; now they both stand naked before each other.

Yui keeps her eyes on Rito's face, but can't help herself from looking down at his pelvis. She forces herself not to faint, and then looks back up at his face, only to see him smiling at her.

"Yui…you're beautiful," he says.

Yui gasps with surprise, and her eyes become misty. Then she returns the smile.

"Rito," she says.

He takes a step, she stands on her toes, and their lips connect.

They break away, and bask for a moment.

Yui looks between Rito's eyes and lips, wanting more. He takes the hint, and kisses her with greater passion. She wraps her arms around his head and back. Then he tackles her onto the bed, and swipes his folded clothes off the covers, making room for them.

The two naked lovers begin their foreplay.

Rito kneads her voluptuous breasts with his hands, and then puts his mouth on them. Yui quells her moans, coils her legs around his waist, digs her nails into his back, and sucks on his ear. Then she rolls him over, straddles him, pins him down, and kisses him with immense fervor; Rito barely has time to react. As he kisses her back, he squeezes her soft, round butt. She touches Rito's face with one hand, and lowers the other towards his pelvis.

"Ow!" winces Rito.

"Oh, sorry," says Yui, worried.

"No, no, it's okay. It's not you," he says.

"Is it your body? I'll call Dr. Ryouko," she says.

"Hang on," he says, reaching under his back.

To both his and Yui's surprise, he pulls out the belt for his pants; even though he swiped his clothes off the bed, the belt somehow remained.

Rito and Yui trade looks, and laugh like crazy.

She wipes her eyes, and catches her breath. "Oh, gosh. You really are a dummy."

"Yeah, but you're still beautiful," he replies.

Her eyes sparkle, and a warm smile fills her face.

As she hugs him, he tosses the belt, and hugs her back.

"Hey," she starts.

"Yes?" he asks.

"Do you mind if we…wait?" she asks, feeling shy. Before Rito can speak, she continues, "I really, really wanna…oh, I can't believe I'm saying this. Rito, I really wanna make love to you, but it took all I had just to do this much."

Rito hugs her tighter, and says, "It's okay, Yui. I really wanna make love to you too. But at the same time, I…"

"You don't wanna betray the other girls," she finishes.

"Yes," he admits, ashamed.

"That's the Rito Yuki I fell in love with you," she says, perking him up. "It's okay. I'll talk to the other girls, and we'll all come to an agreement by the time of the wedding."

Rito stares at her in disbelief. "Does that mean…?"

"Yes. Rito…let me be your bride," she says.

Rito's so happy, he hugs Yui tighter, and says, "Yui!"

They laugh, and cuddle together on the bed.

000000

Out on the town, day has become night.

Mikado and Tearju stumble down the empty sidewalk, both drunk out of their minds.

They giggle, hiccup and mumble their words as they speak.

"I better-hic call an Uber," says Tearju, whipping out her phone.

"And I better-hic crash at your place, hehe," says Mikado.

"That's fine-hic. Yami and the girls-hic are sleeping over at Yuki's place-hic anyway, waiting for him to-hic come home," says Tearju.

"Hmm, Yuki-hic," says Mikado.

As the Uber pulls up, the two drunk women hilariously help themselves into the car before the driver can assist.

"You really-hic love him, don't you, Mikado?" asks Tearju.

"I know-hic you do, Tearju, hmm-hmm," says Mikado.

The Uber drives off down the street, heading for the Kurosaki's home.

"You kidding-hic? Of course, I do!" laughs Tearju.

000000

Back at the clinic, blue light fills the room.

Rito and Yui spoon naked in the bed together, gazing at the moon and the starry sky.

"So, what's it like on the moon?" asks Yui.

"Well, despite the life-or-death battle for the fate of the universe..." replies Rito, making them both laugh. "It's actually pretty cool. You wanna see it?"

"Huh?" she asks.

"Someday, I'll take you there, and you can see it for yourself," he says.

...

Rito feels her body quiver in his arms, and realizes she's crying. "Yui?"

"You left me," she says.

He doesn't respond.

She rolls over, and looks him in the eye. "You died...and you left me."

Rito stares at her, and hugs her tight, letting her cry.

"I'm sorry, Yui. I'm so, so sorry. I swear...I will never leave you again," he promises.

His kind words and gentle touch are enough to calm her down.

She smiles, hugs him back, and says, "And I swear, you will never lose me either. I will stay by your side, forever."

They touch their foreheads together.

"By the way, that was quite the speech you gave," she says.

"Oh, hehe. Yeah, I guess it was," he responds.

Yui touches his chest, feeling his new heart beat.

"I don't know what's harder to believe; me marrying a king, or me falling in love with a pervert," she says with a hint of sarcasm.

"Uh, yeah. Then again, I'm in love with a rule-following, anti-lewd, model student," he replies.

"Hmm-hmm, I suppose that's true," she says.

"And I'm really happy I am," he says.

She looks up at him with delight. "Me too. I'm happy it was you."

...

"But..." he starts.

"But what?" she asks.

"Well, didn't you always hate shameless things?" he asks.

Yui blushes, and comically pounds her fists against Rito's chest. "Dummy, dummy, dummy!"

"Sorry," he says, sheepish.

Yui takes a breath, and says, "Look, I still hate shameless things. But you're the exception, Rito. Got it?"

"Hmm. You've changed so much," he says.

"We both have," she says, smiling.

"And, uh, listen, about having my child first..." he says.

Yui's face glows even redder.

"I'm really flattered you asked that, but, uh..." he trails off, trying to find the right words.

"Stop, I know, I know. That part isn't ALL up to you. Besides, it could be Haruna or Lala who have your child first. In any case, I understand, and I'll accept whatever happens," she replies.

"Thank you, Yui. You know...as far as Celine goes...I'm more than happy to adopt her with you," he says.

"Huh, you are?" she gasps.

"If that's what you want," he says.

Yui kisses his cheek, and says, "Yes. Yes, of course. I'd love that."

"Great. But there's just one more thing I gotta say," he says.

"Okay," she says.

"Yui, something's been bothering me since I've known you," he says, getting serious, and gesturing to her cat plushie on the couch. "You really love cats, but you don't own any. How come?"

Yui blinks twice and laughs, not the question she was expecting.

"Oh, Rito, you're such an idiot," she says.

"What? What I say?" he asks.

"I don't own any cats, because my brother's allergic," she laughs.

...

Rito howls with laughter.

They both laugh until their sides hurt, and then they snuggle even closer.

"I'll get you as many cats as you want," he says.

"After you take me to the moon?" she asks, playful.

"You bet," he says.

With that, Yui rolls atop him, and lays her naked body onto his.

"I love you, Rito Yuki. More than anyone else in the universe," she confesses.

"And I love you, Yui Kotegawa," he replies.

They smile lovingly at each other. Then she lowers her head, and they kiss.

She remains on top of him, and they continue hugging and kissing as they drift off to sleep, basked under the blue moonlight.

---

Author's Note: HEY, YOU GUYS!

I always wanted to say/write that, haha. Good to be back, everybody. I'm happy to say the move to my new place went well, and I'm getting used to the new area. Now, onto what I actually wanna talk about, haha.

First off, this is the last time I'm changing the title. I wanted something that would attract more readers once this story ends, so I settled for "Rito and the Harem Project."

Secondly, last chapter received some criticism for its dark tone, particularly when Stem ripped out Rito's heart. Now, I always planned on Stem killing Rito, but I admit, perhaps said method of killing could've been more in line with the story's tone. As for Rito's resurrection, overexplaining it would cheapen the scene and only introduce plot-holes, so I settled for the good old fashioned "power of true love's kiss conquers death" trope. And from a completely bias standpoint, I wanted Yui to be the one who brought Rito back instead of Lala or Haruna, but that's just me. And as for this chapter...

I'm REALLY glad I gave myself enough time to write this. I wanted it to be as epic as possible, from the fight to the big speech, and ending with a rewarding love scene between hero and best girl. Personally, I'm not big on deadlines; I worry that they force me to write faster, and that impedes the quality of my work. Then again, without them, I'd spend weeks to months idly writing and meandering with no clue as to when I'd finish. Deadlines; can't live with them or without them. Not to mention, I can always come back and add a few more cool moments to the fight.

On that note, Rito was never going to kill Stem. I couldn't see him doing that in any story, but I still wanted Stem dead, so I figured Gid was the best compromise. I'm also glad with how the structure turned out, what with Rito conquering his first nemesis, Dark Rito, before defeating his other one, Stem. I did consider splitting this into two chapters, and calling the next one "Yui Part 3" to avoid overstuffing. But nah, I think concluding Yui's and Stem's stories together worked.

And now, some big news. With Stem gone, there's only so much story left to tell. I think at least 2 or 3 more chapters, and this fanfic will be complete. I know, I know, but all good things must come to an end.

On the bright side, the next chapter will be HER chapter; the girl you've probably waited forever to see. It'll be her time to shine.

Until then, catch ya later.