Chapter 2: An Opening Gate
A few minutes later, he appears. Not really appearing, like how they always think- he just walks over towards me, and says a simple, "Konnichiwa". I don't reply, probably because I'm too shocked to say anything. Too shocked? I wonder why... Never mind, doesn't matter.
Reiji and I walk towards the same noodle shop. Something makes a sound in my stomach, and for a split-second I flinch. Reiji looks at me worriedly, and then I realise it is only the hydrochloric acid in my stomach. I shake my head, telling him that I'm okay. I know I'm not though, even though it was only a simple, normal sound that I should have been somewhat accustomed to, I had actually panicked for that single moment. What has happened to me?
It isn't long before we are seated comfortably in a booth of the ramen shop. Reiji hasn't said a word since his last greeting. He smiles politely to the waitress and orders two bowls of ramen. I wonder how he knows what I want to eat, and then I realise that he has ordered the same thing that I had eaten that day. I feel so irritated with myself...I'm practically over-reacting to everything.
Tokiya Mikagami never used to be such a person. Am I losing it? Losing what...?
"Sorry, I must seem like a stranger to you."
His voice pulls me away from my thoughts. It is clean and clear, I mean his voice. There doesn't seem to be anything else he wants to say to me in the those few words, except to apologise. The way he expresses his apology is sincere, and...
Stop it, Tokiya. What the hell is your problem?!
"No, it's okay. I'm fine. Sort of."
What a pathetic reply. I can do better than that.
"Really?" he believes me anyway. "You're kinda wet...drenched actually. Maybe you should get some dry clothes on first."
How in the world does he think I can get the 'dry clothes'? From your home. It's the small voice again. Again, I realise how annoyed I am with the way I'm unable to maintain my composure.
"No, it's okay. I'm fine. Sort of..."
I might as well take a tape recorder and replay my answer over and over again to him. Something is really wrong with me, and I am agitated because I don't know what.
"Souka," he replies.
There is a few seconds of awkward silence between the two of us before he speaks up again.
"You must be waiting for me to explain everrything to you, huh."
"...yeah."
"Haha, sorry, I...I'm not sure how to say this."
"Me neither."
We both laugh, but the conversation is still strained.
"Erm..so have you heard about Gatekeepers? For example, have you seen one before?"
"Gatekeepers..?"
I remember that he doesn't know about my strange experience with the fortune teller, so I explain it to him. He nods thoughtfully.
"I see, so you must be very confused now?"
"I was."
"You aren't anymore?"
"I...I still am."
"I see. So anyway, these people called Gatekeepers fight against alien-like creatures, called invaders. The Gatekeepers have special ability; they are able to draw out extraordinary powers from gates. These Gates don't really exist in this world, and neither can they be seen with the naked eye. I don't think they can be tracked down either, by machines or what have you. You know what I mean?"
It takes me a while to absorb everything, but I manage. So far.
"Gatekeepers, well, let's say they defend the Earth, because the invaders aren't really the greatest friends of the universe. I mean, Earth, of course. In a way, they want to take over our planet, though this corporation named AEGIS is doing everything it can to prevent them from doing so. You know what they always say on TV about aliens invading our planet right? Guess what? They're pretty right. Haha..."
He probably means as joke, to lighten up the atmosphere, but I don't respond, and his weak laughter fades off quickly. Desperate to make up for it, I try to ask him anything.
"What's AEGIS?"
"AEGIS? It's the organization that deals with the invaders. AEGIS stands for Alien Exterminating Global Intercept System. Sounds overwhelming, but it's only a name, so don't stress out too much on it, okay?"
"...sure."
"Also, these invaders, they come at random times, usually attacking in large numbers. The main invader, who leads each attack, is somewhat dressed in red. To defeat the entire group of invaders, a Gatekeeper's goal is to eliminate the one in red. There are also..."
And he went on for very long, talking about everything there was talk about regarding Gatekeepers and invaders and AEGIS. Well, he did talk about almost everything. The most sensitive issues had yet to be brought up.
I'm still listening to him, and our noodles has long arrived. Neither of the bowls are touched though. When I try the ramen later, I'm sure it'll be cold. After a long time, he pauses, and gives me a long time to digest everything.
And he still doesn't touch his bowl of ramen.
As I sit quietly opposite him, I begin to wonder why he is telling me all of this. If I combine what the fortune teller had told me with what he has just told me, it will only point to one thing. But still even then, his identity would be a mystery to me. Who exactly is he? It's a question that has always been at the back of my mind, but now, it's at the top of my list.
"Still shocked?"
"...I..."
"I can understand. It's not the easiest thing to accept."
I know he's wrong, because compared to having to accept my sister's death, and the fact that my own sensei was so much of an enemy that I had ever believed, accepting this is...just about the 'easiest thing'. Plus, of course, I've been wandering around everywhere for so long, I don't know where I'm headed. I'll probably accept anything else he tells me.
But still, various issues will leave me dumbfounded. Soon enough.
"No, actually, I..I'm fine with what you just said."
"Really? Yokatta. I haven't really seen anybody like you before."
"What do you mean?"
"No, it's nothing."
"Reiji-san..."
" 'Reiji' is fine."
"Reiji, how do you know so much about the Gatekeepers?"
"I used to be one."
I don't know why, but it doesn't seem much like a surprise to me. Is it because I already know he is definitely one of them? Or is it because the truth hasn't sunk in yet? Anyhow, I say nothing, and stare back at him, expressionless.
"Not sure if you've not noticed. But yeah, I used to be a Gatekeeper."
"...then why are you telling me all this?"
"You don't know? You're a gatekeeper."
[ ]
I'm hardly thinking for that moment, when he tells me I'm a Gatekeeper, just like him. Just like what he used to be. Isn't it ridiculous? And yet..isn't it how it always falls in place? The smell of refreshing water always surrounding me, the feeling that even though I'm so tired of fighting, I feel incomplete, as if something is left unfinished. And finally, somebody tells me straight in the face...something I was both anticipating and unexpecting at the same time.
I haven't said anything, and Reiji probably thinks I'm just too shocked.
"Tokiya, you should think about this for awhile, and maybe when you feel ready, come find me. I'll always be at this place. Okay?"
I don't reply, and he leads me out to the street.
The ramen in both bowls is still untouched, and I don't even remember if he has paid.
-end of ch2-
A few minutes later, he appears. Not really appearing, like how they always think- he just walks over towards me, and says a simple, "Konnichiwa". I don't reply, probably because I'm too shocked to say anything. Too shocked? I wonder why... Never mind, doesn't matter.
Reiji and I walk towards the same noodle shop. Something makes a sound in my stomach, and for a split-second I flinch. Reiji looks at me worriedly, and then I realise it is only the hydrochloric acid in my stomach. I shake my head, telling him that I'm okay. I know I'm not though, even though it was only a simple, normal sound that I should have been somewhat accustomed to, I had actually panicked for that single moment. What has happened to me?
It isn't long before we are seated comfortably in a booth of the ramen shop. Reiji hasn't said a word since his last greeting. He smiles politely to the waitress and orders two bowls of ramen. I wonder how he knows what I want to eat, and then I realise that he has ordered the same thing that I had eaten that day. I feel so irritated with myself...I'm practically over-reacting to everything.
Tokiya Mikagami never used to be such a person. Am I losing it? Losing what...?
"Sorry, I must seem like a stranger to you."
His voice pulls me away from my thoughts. It is clean and clear, I mean his voice. There doesn't seem to be anything else he wants to say to me in the those few words, except to apologise. The way he expresses his apology is sincere, and...
Stop it, Tokiya. What the hell is your problem?!
"No, it's okay. I'm fine. Sort of."
What a pathetic reply. I can do better than that.
"Really?" he believes me anyway. "You're kinda wet...drenched actually. Maybe you should get some dry clothes on first."
How in the world does he think I can get the 'dry clothes'? From your home. It's the small voice again. Again, I realise how annoyed I am with the way I'm unable to maintain my composure.
"No, it's okay. I'm fine. Sort of..."
I might as well take a tape recorder and replay my answer over and over again to him. Something is really wrong with me, and I am agitated because I don't know what.
"Souka," he replies.
There is a few seconds of awkward silence between the two of us before he speaks up again.
"You must be waiting for me to explain everrything to you, huh."
"...yeah."
"Haha, sorry, I...I'm not sure how to say this."
"Me neither."
We both laugh, but the conversation is still strained.
"Erm..so have you heard about Gatekeepers? For example, have you seen one before?"
"Gatekeepers..?"
I remember that he doesn't know about my strange experience with the fortune teller, so I explain it to him. He nods thoughtfully.
"I see, so you must be very confused now?"
"I was."
"You aren't anymore?"
"I...I still am."
"I see. So anyway, these people called Gatekeepers fight against alien-like creatures, called invaders. The Gatekeepers have special ability; they are able to draw out extraordinary powers from gates. These Gates don't really exist in this world, and neither can they be seen with the naked eye. I don't think they can be tracked down either, by machines or what have you. You know what I mean?"
It takes me a while to absorb everything, but I manage. So far.
"Gatekeepers, well, let's say they defend the Earth, because the invaders aren't really the greatest friends of the universe. I mean, Earth, of course. In a way, they want to take over our planet, though this corporation named AEGIS is doing everything it can to prevent them from doing so. You know what they always say on TV about aliens invading our planet right? Guess what? They're pretty right. Haha..."
He probably means as joke, to lighten up the atmosphere, but I don't respond, and his weak laughter fades off quickly. Desperate to make up for it, I try to ask him anything.
"What's AEGIS?"
"AEGIS? It's the organization that deals with the invaders. AEGIS stands for Alien Exterminating Global Intercept System. Sounds overwhelming, but it's only a name, so don't stress out too much on it, okay?"
"...sure."
"Also, these invaders, they come at random times, usually attacking in large numbers. The main invader, who leads each attack, is somewhat dressed in red. To defeat the entire group of invaders, a Gatekeeper's goal is to eliminate the one in red. There are also..."
And he went on for very long, talking about everything there was talk about regarding Gatekeepers and invaders and AEGIS. Well, he did talk about almost everything. The most sensitive issues had yet to be brought up.
I'm still listening to him, and our noodles has long arrived. Neither of the bowls are touched though. When I try the ramen later, I'm sure it'll be cold. After a long time, he pauses, and gives me a long time to digest everything.
And he still doesn't touch his bowl of ramen.
As I sit quietly opposite him, I begin to wonder why he is telling me all of this. If I combine what the fortune teller had told me with what he has just told me, it will only point to one thing. But still even then, his identity would be a mystery to me. Who exactly is he? It's a question that has always been at the back of my mind, but now, it's at the top of my list.
"Still shocked?"
"...I..."
"I can understand. It's not the easiest thing to accept."
I know he's wrong, because compared to having to accept my sister's death, and the fact that my own sensei was so much of an enemy that I had ever believed, accepting this is...just about the 'easiest thing'. Plus, of course, I've been wandering around everywhere for so long, I don't know where I'm headed. I'll probably accept anything else he tells me.
But still, various issues will leave me dumbfounded. Soon enough.
"No, actually, I..I'm fine with what you just said."
"Really? Yokatta. I haven't really seen anybody like you before."
"What do you mean?"
"No, it's nothing."
"Reiji-san..."
" 'Reiji' is fine."
"Reiji, how do you know so much about the Gatekeepers?"
"I used to be one."
I don't know why, but it doesn't seem much like a surprise to me. Is it because I already know he is definitely one of them? Or is it because the truth hasn't sunk in yet? Anyhow, I say nothing, and stare back at him, expressionless.
"Not sure if you've not noticed. But yeah, I used to be a Gatekeeper."
"...then why are you telling me all this?"
"You don't know? You're a gatekeeper."
[ ]
I'm hardly thinking for that moment, when he tells me I'm a Gatekeeper, just like him. Just like what he used to be. Isn't it ridiculous? And yet..isn't it how it always falls in place? The smell of refreshing water always surrounding me, the feeling that even though I'm so tired of fighting, I feel incomplete, as if something is left unfinished. And finally, somebody tells me straight in the face...something I was both anticipating and unexpecting at the same time.
I haven't said anything, and Reiji probably thinks I'm just too shocked.
"Tokiya, you should think about this for awhile, and maybe when you feel ready, come find me. I'll always be at this place. Okay?"
I don't reply, and he leads me out to the street.
The ramen in both bowls is still untouched, and I don't even remember if he has paid.
-end of ch2-