Chapter Nine: Follow your Heart
"What's taking them so long?" Shun complained as he walked back and forth outside the AEGIS bus. Inside the bus, Shirei was talking to Ruriko. He was told that Ruriko regained consciousness and was her old self, for now…"They are so unfair!" he continued complaining "I wasn't even allowed to see her when she regained consciousness. He winced as he balled his fist. His hands hurt and his face contained slight burns trying to get rid of the remaining invaders after defeating Izuka. Unable to hold it any longer, he pressed his ear against the door.
"You do understand, don't you Ikusawa kun?" Shirei was saying.
"Hai." Was Ruriko's soft reply.
"If we sacrifice one life, many lives will be saved. On the other hand, if we let you free, many lives will be taken away. If Izuka decides to become conscious again, there is no way of telling what the damages will be."
"So…" Ruriko hesitated. "Will I be killed?"
"It doesn't work that way. If we kill you, Izuka's soul will start wandering again and when the next person who has the Gate of Life is born, the disaster will start over again. I checked with the main HQ, and they opted to seal you along with Izuka."
"…seal?"
"There is a room deep within the base called the sub-zero chamber. First, the chamber will be filled with sleeping gas, then with a refrigerant, similar to cryogenics. Think of it as a long sleep."
"demo…"
"I know it's not your fault." Shirei said. "this is truly a tragedy but if you agree to this many lives will be saved. It will be painless, I promise."
"…….hai."
Ukiya's eyes widen as he stepped away from the door. The handle turned and the door opened. As if on cue, 3 black cars arrived in the scene. Out came AEGIS personnel carrying heavy duty guns.
Ruriko looked at Ukiya's burnt face. 'How much damage did I actually do?' she thought. Ukiya turned to look at her but Ruriko avoided his gaze.
"Rurippe…" Ukiya said. Two guards escorted Ruriko and Shirei into one of the cars. Ruriko stopped and said. "Gomen nasai, Ukiya kun."
Ukiya's eyes widen. "Rurippe!" he called out and started to walk towards her but his arms were gripped roughly by two AEGIS personal. He saw Ruriko already enter the black car. "Wait Rurippe!" he wrenched away from the grasp of the guards and took a step towards the car. He fell back as the back of a gun hit his stomach. He fell to the ground with a thud and clutched his stomach. "hurts…hurts…" he heard the cars zoom away and the guards were gone.
"Sempai!" Kaoru ran to him. "Daijobou ka?"
Ukiya nodded and sat up.
"What do we do now?" Reiko asked.
Ukiya looked down, his hair covering his eyes. "We go home."
"What!" Kaoru asked. "Aren't you gonna save Ikusawa sempai or something?"
"But…Shirei said…if she…the world will be saved…"
"So you're just gonna stand by and watch Ikusawa sempai die again?"
Ukiya winced. "That's not true…but I…"
"Who do you really want to save right now, the world or Ikusawa sempai?"
"Shirei said…"
Kaoru shook her head. "No, what do YOU think?"
Ukiya looked at Kaoru, then at Megane. "Megane, start up the AEGIS bus."
Kaoru smiled. "Sempai!"
"Arigato, Kaoru chan." Ukiya said and ran towards the bus.
"Jeez." Kaoru whispered as she watched Ukiya climb up the bus. "He's so insensitive."
"Why did you do that?"
Kaoru turned around to look at Megumi, who has been listening to their conversation.
"What do you mean?" Kaoru asked.
"You keep pushing the man you love into the arms of another woman. I don't understand."
"Of course you wouldn't understand." Kaoru said as she turned around and took a step towards the bus. She stopped instantly to add, "It is because you only think about yourself. That's why Ikusawa sempai will always be better than you. She knows how to make sacrifices for everyone. That's called being kindhearted." She resumed walking.
"Kindheartedness?" Megumi repeated. "Not popularity…not intelligence…not richness, not even beauty…but kindheartedness?
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The sealing chamber is on the far side of the base. " Megane said. "If we entered the base from the school, we'd be captured even before we get there. There is another way in through a grocery store." He looked at them all. "That's the best chance we've got to get to the chamber undetected. As soon as we get inside the base, you guys will encounter enemies…"
"We'll take care of them." Bancho said confidently. "You just have to worry about saving Ruriko hime." He added, patting Ukiya on the back.
The bus turned into a dark alley. When they reached the end, Megane turned off the engine and they all poured out of the vehicle silently.
"There it is!" Megane announced. He pointed towards an abandoned grocery store. Megane slowly opened the door and stepped inside. Moments later, his arm emerged from the inside, motioning them to come in.
The group piled into the store. It was dark and they nearly tripped over their own feet trying to find a passageway.
Suddenly, lights flickered. The group looked at Megumi who was standing beside a light switch. "Blind fools…" she said with a slight note of amusement in her voice, instead of sarcasm.
"Kore!" Megane gleefully said. He pointed to a bunch of shelves. "Bancho, sempai, help me get the shelves out."
Bancho, obliged to show his physical prowess, took one side while Ukiya battled with the other one.
"Sempai," Kaoru said, "Let me…"
"Ie, Kaoru chan." Ukiya said. "It's okay." His side rose a few inches from the floor and together, they got it out of the way, revealing a steel door.
Megane walked over to the panel on the left of the door and began to punch some numbers. A green light went of and the steel door opened, making way for an elevator of some sort.
"The sensors in this elevator and the hallways below have been discarded. Let's go de yansu!!" Megane said.
All of them piled into the elevator. As the doors closed and Megane pushed a button, Ukiya took a deep breath.
'This is one mission you can't mess up.' He thought.
"What's taking them so long?" Shun complained as he walked back and forth outside the AEGIS bus. Inside the bus, Shirei was talking to Ruriko. He was told that Ruriko regained consciousness and was her old self, for now…"They are so unfair!" he continued complaining "I wasn't even allowed to see her when she regained consciousness. He winced as he balled his fist. His hands hurt and his face contained slight burns trying to get rid of the remaining invaders after defeating Izuka. Unable to hold it any longer, he pressed his ear against the door.
"You do understand, don't you Ikusawa kun?" Shirei was saying.
"Hai." Was Ruriko's soft reply.
"If we sacrifice one life, many lives will be saved. On the other hand, if we let you free, many lives will be taken away. If Izuka decides to become conscious again, there is no way of telling what the damages will be."
"So…" Ruriko hesitated. "Will I be killed?"
"It doesn't work that way. If we kill you, Izuka's soul will start wandering again and when the next person who has the Gate of Life is born, the disaster will start over again. I checked with the main HQ, and they opted to seal you along with Izuka."
"…seal?"
"There is a room deep within the base called the sub-zero chamber. First, the chamber will be filled with sleeping gas, then with a refrigerant, similar to cryogenics. Think of it as a long sleep."
"demo…"
"I know it's not your fault." Shirei said. "this is truly a tragedy but if you agree to this many lives will be saved. It will be painless, I promise."
"…….hai."
Ukiya's eyes widen as he stepped away from the door. The handle turned and the door opened. As if on cue, 3 black cars arrived in the scene. Out came AEGIS personnel carrying heavy duty guns.
Ruriko looked at Ukiya's burnt face. 'How much damage did I actually do?' she thought. Ukiya turned to look at her but Ruriko avoided his gaze.
"Rurippe…" Ukiya said. Two guards escorted Ruriko and Shirei into one of the cars. Ruriko stopped and said. "Gomen nasai, Ukiya kun."
Ukiya's eyes widen. "Rurippe!" he called out and started to walk towards her but his arms were gripped roughly by two AEGIS personal. He saw Ruriko already enter the black car. "Wait Rurippe!" he wrenched away from the grasp of the guards and took a step towards the car. He fell back as the back of a gun hit his stomach. He fell to the ground with a thud and clutched his stomach. "hurts…hurts…" he heard the cars zoom away and the guards were gone.
"Sempai!" Kaoru ran to him. "Daijobou ka?"
Ukiya nodded and sat up.
"What do we do now?" Reiko asked.
Ukiya looked down, his hair covering his eyes. "We go home."
"What!" Kaoru asked. "Aren't you gonna save Ikusawa sempai or something?"
"But…Shirei said…if she…the world will be saved…"
"So you're just gonna stand by and watch Ikusawa sempai die again?"
Ukiya winced. "That's not true…but I…"
"Who do you really want to save right now, the world or Ikusawa sempai?"
"Shirei said…"
Kaoru shook her head. "No, what do YOU think?"
Ukiya looked at Kaoru, then at Megane. "Megane, start up the AEGIS bus."
Kaoru smiled. "Sempai!"
"Arigato, Kaoru chan." Ukiya said and ran towards the bus.
"Jeez." Kaoru whispered as she watched Ukiya climb up the bus. "He's so insensitive."
"Why did you do that?"
Kaoru turned around to look at Megumi, who has been listening to their conversation.
"What do you mean?" Kaoru asked.
"You keep pushing the man you love into the arms of another woman. I don't understand."
"Of course you wouldn't understand." Kaoru said as she turned around and took a step towards the bus. She stopped instantly to add, "It is because you only think about yourself. That's why Ikusawa sempai will always be better than you. She knows how to make sacrifices for everyone. That's called being kindhearted." She resumed walking.
"Kindheartedness?" Megumi repeated. "Not popularity…not intelligence…not richness, not even beauty…but kindheartedness?
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The sealing chamber is on the far side of the base. " Megane said. "If we entered the base from the school, we'd be captured even before we get there. There is another way in through a grocery store." He looked at them all. "That's the best chance we've got to get to the chamber undetected. As soon as we get inside the base, you guys will encounter enemies…"
"We'll take care of them." Bancho said confidently. "You just have to worry about saving Ruriko hime." He added, patting Ukiya on the back.
The bus turned into a dark alley. When they reached the end, Megane turned off the engine and they all poured out of the vehicle silently.
"There it is!" Megane announced. He pointed towards an abandoned grocery store. Megane slowly opened the door and stepped inside. Moments later, his arm emerged from the inside, motioning them to come in.
The group piled into the store. It was dark and they nearly tripped over their own feet trying to find a passageway.
Suddenly, lights flickered. The group looked at Megumi who was standing beside a light switch. "Blind fools…" she said with a slight note of amusement in her voice, instead of sarcasm.
"Kore!" Megane gleefully said. He pointed to a bunch of shelves. "Bancho, sempai, help me get the shelves out."
Bancho, obliged to show his physical prowess, took one side while Ukiya battled with the other one.
"Sempai," Kaoru said, "Let me…"
"Ie, Kaoru chan." Ukiya said. "It's okay." His side rose a few inches from the floor and together, they got it out of the way, revealing a steel door.
Megane walked over to the panel on the left of the door and began to punch some numbers. A green light went of and the steel door opened, making way for an elevator of some sort.
"The sensors in this elevator and the hallways below have been discarded. Let's go de yansu!!" Megane said.
All of them piled into the elevator. As the doors closed and Megane pushed a button, Ukiya took a deep breath.
'This is one mission you can't mess up.' He thought.