As he stared at Earth through the window, Deimos felt completely captivated. The blue ocean stood out proudly, the splatters of land seemed messy but it fit well, and the clouds looked like they were wrapping the planet in a warm, protective hug. It looked even more beautiful than he had expected.

He held the chess piece close to his chest, fiddling with it anxiously. It felt terribly heavy in his hands, matching the weight of his expectations. Finally, after so long, he was going to get to go back to his home planet. But… What would be waiting for him there?

This wasn't the most dangerous thing he'd ever done, he had been through a lot, but this was the first time that he truly felt like he was about to venture into unknown territory. He knew next to nothing about Earth, and even less about himself and his past.

Deimos Earthborn was the Head Ranger of the Galactic System, he had friends that spanned many planets, a spaceship he repaired with his own two hands, and more… What did Orihara Izaya have?

Was there anyone waiting for him on Earth, or was he going back to nothing? What did he have before he had been taken away? He didn't know, and that was what scared him the most.

"But I can't run away, not now, not when I'm right outside Earth's atmosphere. I have to go down there." He leaned forward in the pilot's seat and tapped a few buttons. "If I don't go, I'll never stop thinking about Earth, about what I have down there."

Curiosity was his biggest weakness, but now it was mixed with need. A desperate need to know more about Orihara Izaya, to know more about himself.

"Attention! Attention all Returners!" The cheerful voice on his radio suddenly called out. "Earth is now open for landing. I repeat, Earth is now open for landing!"

It was time. Deimos felt his heart pick up, the blood rushing in his ears. He wasn't ready, he didn't think he would ever be. How could anyone be ready for a situation like this?

"You'll be okay…" He forcefully reminded himself as he took deep breaths, and squeezed the chess piece tighter. "Remember, even if there's nothing down there for you, you're not just Orihara Izaya. You're Deimos Earthborn, first and foremost. Nothing can take that away."

Filled with determination, he stuffed his keepsake back into his pocket, took control of his ship, and flew down towards the awaiting planet.

Towards his past.


There were several spots to land on the many different countries on Earth. Thankfully, it wasn't too hard for Deimos to figure out where he should go. The abductors took away nearly everything, but taking a person's known language was much more difficult.

Pezel had told him before that, when first fitted with a translator, most refugees still spoke in their native language until their minds adjusted. Deimos had been the same way when he first woke up in the hospital.

Thanks to the recollection of his first language, he had been able to scan through the different countries to see what he recognized. He was able to recognize several, but only one called to him: Japan.

It seemed right to him. He knew that, like any planet, people of different nationalities probably lived all over, but something told him that landing there was the correct choice. He'd follow his instinct, as it was the only thing he had on this planet besides his name.

Japan had quite a few spots to land all over the island, but he decided Tokyo was the best spot. It was a large place and in a central location, a perfect place to start his search. He landed, gathered himself, and headed out of his ship.

There were more people than he expected, at least a couple dozen ships had landed on the same landing strip as him. They all lined up to check in with the human officials together, some excited, and others nervous like him.

When he reached the front of the line, he held his communicator to the scanner, which let out a cheerful chime. The human glanced at the computer screen, and then back at him. "You're Deimos Earthborn, the Head Ranger of the Galactic System? We were told by the Head of Galactic Relations to expect you."

Deimos felt his heart skip a beat, he had nearly forgotten that Pezel had done that. His friend had told him that, since he was planning to come down to Earth for negotiations, he wanted some officers with him, including his Head Ranger. His position needed to be acknowledged the second he landed on the planet, so he would be ready whenever Pezel needed him.

He nodded. "Yes, that's me." He reached into his flight jacket pocket and pulled out his physical identification for extra proof and placed it in front of the man.

The officials examined it, then scanned it with their machine, and received another positive chime. Satisfied, they handed the identification back. "Since you are a Galactic Official, you are allowed to keep your weapons and will be recognized for your title."

"Thank you, I'll represent the Galactic System well." He promised with a dip or his head.

Deimos knew that he was being given a privilege, and he appreciated it greatly. Not that he needed it, he had proven to many, many people that he could be extremely dangerous even without weapons.

But ever since the terrifying incident on the lab ship where they had disabled his powers, the idea of being completely unarmed was one that made him shudder. He preferred to have a blaster and knives on him at all times just in case. It was a relief to know he could keep them on Earth too. I'll have to thank Pezel when I see him later.

The human at the desk nodded, and then handed him a lanyard with a card on the end. "Lastly, this is your identification while on Earth. It recognizes you as a Returner, and will let you in and out of the shipyard. Keep it on you at all times. Other than that, you are free to head into the city." They glanced up at him. "Any questions?"

"Hmmm… Just one." Deimos hesitated, and then gave the human officials a sheepish grin. "Do you happen to know where I could buy a chess set?"


One of the things that Deimos realized very quickly was that Tokyo was huge, and filled to the brim with people. It was split up into different city wards, had tons of shopping districts, and large, looming buildings.

It reminded him of the capital of Iscarmilas, where he had lived for quite a long time. Even though this had been his home planet, everything was still loud and overwhelming. It was so much to take in, he had trouble with discerning what may or may not be familiar.

The stares certainly didn't help. Humans on Earth seemed to be very nosy creatures. They could tell he was one of the Returners, it wasn't that hard to figure out. What made it difficult to handle was the fact that even after they knew, they still stared. Their eyes would land on his clothing, his glowing eyes, his scars, and they'd whisper to each other.

Deimos wasn't a stranger to stares, he'd been subject to those plenty of times on many different planets, but on Earth… It left him feeling like he was separated from his own species simply because he had been in space.

He felt a fear build up within him as the crowds and their eyes stared into his soul. Would it always be like this? Would he always be seen as an outsider, even on his own planet?

Eventually the peoples' stares had been too much, and he retreated back to his ship for the day. He hadn't been planning to explore the entire city in one day, anyway, not when he was already overwhelmed. At least, in the familiar space of his ship, he could relax and gather his thoughts in comfortable solitude.

As he sat on his flight deck and set up the chess board he had managed to buy, the singular sun began to sink from the sky and the other Returners slowly filed back in from the city as well.

Not all of them returned, some likely were staying within the city, but the ones who did return often weren't alone. They had their parents, children, and friends. They walked arm in arm, sat on their ships laughing and chatting and held each other close, reveling in the long awaited reunion.

Deimos watched from his own ship, his heart filled with longing. He glanced at the other end of the chess set, where nobody sat, and sighed. He moved a white pawn forward, and then used his powers to move a black pawn up as well.

"Orihara Izaya…" He recalled his human name as he moved another pawn. "Who are you? Is anyone looking for me? Are they thinking about me? Am I alone?"

He set a black rook down, taking a white pawn, and shook his head. "Come on, Deimos… It's only been a day, and the city is huge." He turned and glanced towards the lights of Tokyo. "I feel like I'm in the right place… I just need to keep looking."

Deimos reached into his pocket and pulled out the white king he had bought on (planet), and set it in the middle of the mess of chess pieces. "Starting tomorrow, I'll explore even further into the city. I'll try and find what looks familiar, and go from there."

With one last, longing look towards the other crowded ships, Deimos settled down on his back next to the chess set, and fell asleep below the stars.


The next few days passed by in a similar fashion, Deimos would head into a specific city ward and explore to his heart's content. He searched for signs of anything familiar, but he was still having no luck.

Sometimes something would itch at his brain, like a movie, or a food, but it never went further than that. He tried not to let it affect him, but he couldn't hide the sting of frustration that ran through him every time he reached a dead end.

"You can't be too hard on yourself." Hifuld told him during their communicator call on the third day. "Earth is a big place, it's not likely that you'd figure anything out that fast."

"I know, I know, it's just… I know I'm in the right place, I can feel it." He let out a frustrated sigh. "It's just… It's me, I should have found something by now!"

He heard Hifuld snort over the communicator. "I suppose that's true, you are annoyingly good at finding things. But this is different, Dee. This isn't about a planet, some documents, or ship equipment, this is about your life, your memories."

"That I don't have…" Deimos bitterly interrupted.

"Exactly!" Hifuld's voice was cheerful, but firm. "Which is why I don't think this is something you can force. Maybe, instead of stressing yourself out to try and find answers, you should just take it easy."

Deimos stabbed a particularly stubborn piece of sushi in the box he had bought with his chopsticks and scrunched up his nose in distaste. "Take it… easy?"

Hifuld chuckled at the confusion in the human's tone. "I know that's difficult for you, since you always have to be busy doing something, running all over the galaxy, or blowing something up-"

"Hey!"

"-But the point is… I don't think this is something you can force."

Deimos paused and glanced at the communicator's screen, Hifuld was smiling gently, no longer fiddling with the computer chip they were holding. Their blue eyes held that same wisdom they always had, and Deimos knew his friend was only trying to help, like they always had. "You think so?" He questioned the alien.

Hifuld shrugged their shoulders. "Well, it just seems that way to me. You don't know where to look for sure, so you're stressing about it instead of enjoying your time on Earth. Whether or not you have your memories, you should enjoy the fact that you're back on your planet of origin. So explore, eat food, have fun! And when the time is right, I'm sure what you're looking for will find its way to you."

Deimos looked up from his communicator and towards the city. For the first time since arriving, he looked at the city as a city instead of as a vessel to find what he was looking for. He glanced around the park he had chosen to stop at. There were groups of people talking, others passing through, and some standing by the fountain to watch the water.

Maybe I am taking this all in too fast. He thought. The only things I have gotten since arriving here is a chess set, and some food. I should explore more, and have some fun! Maybe it will happen when I least expect it, and that will make it even more exciting!

"You're right, Hifuld." Deimos finally admitted. "I'll take it easy from now on, and explore this place more thoroughly. That way, when I come to visit you again, I can tell you all about Earth!"

"I look forward to it!" His friend replied with a bright smile.

They ended their call on a high note, and Deimos felt more excited about Earth than he had when he first landed. I wonder what I should do first… He glanced down at the sushi and had tasted alright, but he had a feeling that other places might serve it perfectly. Maybe I should start with finding somewhere that serves sushi better… What was that street I heard about? Sunshine 60? Maybe there's some restaurants there!


Sunshine 60 Street was huge, with many different stores and shops. The idea of exploring it all left Deimos feeling extremely excited, and he forgot about searching for a sushi place in favor of trying everything else.

He spent the next three days in that same area, simply enjoying all that he could find. He bought some Earth entertainment in the form of compact discs (seriously, how did Earth manage to contact the Galactic System when they still used these?!) and tried as much street food as he could.

As time went on, he managed to get used to the staring that was sent his way by the extremely nosy and curious humans. He reminded himself that he had been through a lot worse than getting stared at, he had the scars to prove it, and it became a lot easier to skip through the city without being bothered by it.

On the sixth day, he stopped at a bookstore that sold something called manga. Curiosity got the better of him, and he bought one of the space-related ones to see for himself what humans thought of what lay outside their atmosphere.

He flipped through the pages and couldn't help but snicker. This is so cheesy! He muttered to himself. Just wait until I show this to Rimaf. It's almost as bad as The Song of the Space Warriors, The Story of True Love and the Eternal Flame. Stars above, I hate that I can remember the full title-

Deimos's thoughts were cut off as he turned the corner and crashed into someone. He stumbled and righted himself quickly, but the person he had hit had fallen to the ground. "Oh, stars!" He hurriedly held out his hand. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." The man replied as he took his hand and let Deimos pull him up. He brushed off his teal collared jacket and looked up. His eyes widened briefly when they landed on his scars, before he quickly glanced elsewhere. "Don't worry, accidents happen."

The man knelt down, picking up the fallen manga, and held it out. "Here, I think this is yours. I hope it's not too damaged."

"Ah, thank you!" Deimos quickly took the book back. "Although, I think any dirt on it may actually improve the story."

His quip gained a snort from the man. "That bad?"

"Oh, terrible! You'd have better luck with writing if you threw a rock at a keyboard!"

His smirk turned into an amused smile. "I'm Kyohei Kadota, nice to meet you."

Deimos perked up excitedly, his first conversation with an Earthling on Earth! What name should he use? Probably Earth one, duh! "It's a pleasure to meet you, too! My name is-"

"Dota-chin! What's taking you so long!"

Kadota frowned and glanced behind him, Deimos followed his gaze to see three others heading towards them. A woman dressed in all black, a man closed eyes and blond hair, and another with long, brown hair.

"Oi, I told you not to call me that! My name is not Dota-chin!" The beanie-clad man snapped at the woman. "Especially in front of people!"

Deimos could barely focus on his words, not when his head had suddenly begun to hurt. He winced and gripped the side of his head, willing the headache away, but it remained painfully steadfast. Ugh… Am I remembering something? What could have triggered it?

Before he could try and discern anything, a loud and high pitched squeal made his instincts go haywire, and he jolted upwards in a panic. Seconds later, the black-clad woman had rushed towards him, gripping the shoulders of his flight jacket and staring at him with wide, sparkling eyes.

"Oh. My. God! You're from SPACE?!" She exclaimed, her whole body vibrating with excitement.

Deimos raised his eyebrows with a confused expression. "Um… Yes?"

The woman squealed again, somehow even more high pitched than last time, and glanced backwards at the other three. "Dota-chin! He's from SPACE! Why didn't you tell us he was from space!" She spun back around to face Deimos. "I've been trying to talk to someone from space ever since you guys landed!"

"Well, being physically assaulted tends to give the wrong impression!" Deimos couldn't help but quip. "Perhaps start with introducing yourself, like your friend over there did."

"Eeee! A sassy space person!" She let go of him and giggled, before taking a second to calm down. "Okay, okay, my name is Erika Karisawa, nice to meet you!"

Deimos gave her a thumbs up. "There we go! That's much better! My name is-"

The newly named Erika couldn't stay quiet any longer, and rushed towards him again. "What is space like? Do you have a ship? How many planets have you been to?! Do you have an alien lover? Where did your scars come from?! When were you abducted?! Did they experiment on you?!"

Thankfully, her friends seemed to realize that Deimos was getting more and more uncomfortable, because Kadota placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a stern look. Erika took the cue and stopped talking quickly.

Then, she glanced at Deimos with a wince. "Sorry, I'm just a little enthusiastic about the whole… Space people thing."

Deimos resisted the urge to trace his fingers over his scars, and gave her a slightly strained smile. "It's alright, I understand. I've been getting stared at ever since I landed here. It was only a matter of time before someone got brave enough to ask questions."

"We have so many questions!" The blonde one declared from where he stood by Kadota.

The brown haired man nodded. "We do… I mean, for a long time a lot of people thought that Earth was the only planet with intelligent life on it."

"So when the news came out, about aliens, and a Galactic System, whatever that is, everyone was pretty interested in what happened." Kadota sheepishly continued. "I thought you might be one of the Returners but I didn't want to pry-"

"That's what I do, don't worry Dota-chin!" Erika cheerfully declared, patting the man on his head. "So I'll pry again! Do you think you could tell us everything about space?"

Deimos felt the pain in his head return. Something is familiar here… Do I know these people? I'm not sure, I can't tell… But they are the first humans on Earth to speak to me, and they seem fun! So I might as well stick with them for a little while longer.

He shoved his hands into his flight jacket's pockets, his left hand fiddling with his keepsake chess piece as he gave them a smile. "Sure why not? I don't know everything about space, but I'll tell you as much as I can!"

"YES!" Erika threw up her hands in victory and hooked her arm around Deimos's to drag him towards the others. "Come on, Dota-chin! Let's take him to Russia Sushi with us and buy him some sushi! I wanna hear all about the epic space battles he's been in!"

Kadota gave Deimos a serious glance. "Are you sure you're okay with this? She can be a little… Intense."

Somehow, Deimos felt he already knew that, and he didn't mind. He was excited to finally speak to people from his own home planet. So he gave the man a nod. "I don't mind, especially if free food is involved!"

"Alright then." Kadota motioned for the other two men, and began walking. "Let's go get some lunch!"


Trying as hard as they did, Erika and Walker seemed like they wouldn't manage to hold back all their questions until they made it to the restaurant. Deimos decided to take pity on them, and began to explain to them the details of his ship during the walk.

Kadota and Saburo couldn't hide their curiosity, and listened intently to his explanation along the way. It seemed that they were all just as interested as their friend, they were just better at reigning in their excitement.

"So a warp drive is how you get around fast? Is it like a teleporter?" Saburo questioned as they rounded the corner, the sushi restaurant now in view.

Deimos made a humming noise. "Well, kind of? We call it 'jumping', and it doesn't really teleport you there. Instead of traveling the whole way, you skip the in-between, you go through the space-time continuum. It makes traveling easier, but they're expensive to buy and repair, so sometimes it's just easier to plan for a long trip, or only warp a few times so it doesn't overheat."

"Did you warp here?" Erika asked excitedly.

"Of course I did!" Deimos chuckled. "I was all the way in Andromeda Galaxy, I wouldn't have been here for ages if I didn't warp! I got here as fast as I could!"

"So cool!" Walker exclaimed,"It's just like an anime!"

Kadota stopped a few feet from the front of the restaurant. "Alright, we're here." He motioned to it with his thumb. "This place has the best sushi in Ikebukuro. Simon and Dennis run it, and they may seem a little scary, but they're harmless."

"Most of the time!" Walker quipped with a smirk.

"Oh, there he is now!" Erika finally unlatched herself from Deimos, and moved up as a large man emerged from the restaurant's entrance. "Simon! Any chance for some sushi today!"

The man's sharp eyes landed on the woman, and he grinned brightly. "Erika! Everyone! Long time no sushi! Here for sushi!"

"Of course!" Saburo answered,"I've been craving it all day!"

"Sushi good, that's why!" He picked up a piece of paper from the pile he was holding, and held it out. "Usual orders?"

"Yes! Except, we have a plus one, and he's from SPACE!" Erika grabbed Deimos again, and pulled him into the front of the group and dramatically motioned towards him. "Ta-da! Meet our new friend… Wait, what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't get a chance yet, my name is-"

The sound of the pile of papers crashing to the ground made them all turn towards Simon. His hands had gone slack, and the coupons were now scattered all over the floor. He didn't seem to notice, as his wide gray eyes were focused only on Deimos.

He slowly moved forward, placing his strong hands on the smaller man's shoulders, and gave him a hopeful, desperate look. "Izaya? Is it really you?"