A/N – Happy New Year!
Twenty-Seven
She was falling through chaos, drowning in a sea of her own thoughts. Ruri allowed the invisible currents to toss her to and fro, being far too weak to resist their indomitable power. Hazy memories and contemplations passed her by, though they were too brief, numerous and vague for her to register them properly. It was like watching a slideshow of her life, being played before her eyes at lightning speed. But in spite of all this mental havoc, one question was able to penetrate the disorder to rise up and dominate over everything else in her mind.
"Where do I belong?"
The forces carrying her weakened steadily and eventually they ceased altogether, setting her gently on her feet. Gradually the indistinct images around her took on more definite and familiar forms, though it was still hard to see exactly what they were. Ruri just watched them blankly, reliving irrelevant memories from her past life as they streamed past her like posters from a subway train. The effect was mesmerizing and Ruri found herself completely immersed in them.
She stood there hypnotised for an indefinite amount of time. Then a voice behind her came from out of the blue to shatter her deep stupor.
"Oh there you are, Ruri."
Ruri whirled around instantly and gasped in shock at who she saw. Standing right there were the King and Queen of Peaceland, her genetic parents. Her father, wearing a solemn expression underneath his bushy black beard, had one hand outstretched to her.
"Come to us Ruri. Come to your Mama and Papa."
"Yes," The tall white-haired woman next to him also reached out to her. "You belong with your parents."
Ruri took a step back, her lips trembling as her mouth parted. "No. No! I'm not your daughter!"
"But of course you are. Come back to your family, dear Ruri." Both figures started to walk towards her, their slow steps synchronised in perfect unison. On their third step, several identical white-haired boys materialised either side of them, joining the sluggish advance. Together they stared at her with vacant eyes and spoke in toneless chorus.
"Greetings Princess Ruri. Our dearest older sister."
"No!" gasped Ruri in defiance, backing away even further. Her 'family' followed her with slow purposeful paces, their dead faces and regular movements making them seem possessed. Ruri retreated step by step, until suddenly her back bumped against something. With a yelp, she turned to face the obstacle.
"Well, if it isn't the robot!"
A stocky boy stood before her, leering like a troll. His broad shoulders and very short hair made him look like a street thug despite his young age. Ruri actually shrieked in shock as she recognised him – Leon, the ruthless bully from the orphanage. His similarly ruthless friends stood behind him, every one sporting the same cruel smirk.
"We don't like ugly freaks like you on our turf," the rascal stated scornfully. "We're going to make your life hell!" He shoved her roughly in the shoulder, causing her to fall back a step. Ruri could only gape at him.
"Come on, let's see how loud she can scream!" one kid shouted.
"Good idea!" Leon reached out to grab her face, a malicious sneer playing on his own.
"Leave me alone!" Ruri wheezed, pushing him away. Without another thought, she turned and ran, totally confused and afraid. She felt them chasing her, coming closer and closer with every step she took. No matter how fast she tried to run, she could sense them bearing down on her, only a few inevitable seconds away from catching her and exacting their perverse justice. Their seeking hands were almost touching her when a new voice came.
"Why, Miss Hoshino. So glad you could join us."
Choking on her shocked breath, Ruri looked towards the source. There she saw the Chairman of Nergal himself, standing with poise and smirking with the boundless arrogance that characterized him. Beside him was his secretary Erina, reflecting his superiority as ever. Both of them stood before a colossal wall of fire which roared intensely like a forge of hell.
"Ruri Hoshino is finally with us! My perfect little computer wiz is here to help us bring justice to the solar system. Finally, she realises where she truly belongs."
Upon his final word, the flames behind him parted, revealing a scene more horrifying than anything Ruri had ever seen in her short life. Looking past the duo from Nergal, she saw a countless number of burning skeletons, flailing around and howling in agony as one by one the flames reduced them to ash. Their tortured screams tore into the very fibre of Ruri's being. A million dying Jovians – it was a nightmare beyond comprehension.
"Come to us Ruri," Akatsuki stated, seemingly oblivious to the carnage taking place behind him. "With our talents combined the universe is ours to rule!"
"No! Never!" Ruri gasped. "I'm not a murderer like you!"
Akatsuki grinned down at her. "We both know you're wrong. On the contrary, it's what you do best!"
"That's not true!"
"Of course it is, there's no point in denying it! Your cute looks disguise your ultimate nature - you are a tool of destruction to be wielded at my will!"
"No! I am not your pawn. I refuse to be!"
"THEN YOU MUST DIE!"
Ruri screamed out loud as she spun around because she knew exactly who she was going to see.
Matador.
Ruri's pupils contracted in fear as she looked upon the man whose image was now forever engraved in her nightmares. The long scar, the gruesome eye, that expression which embodied all of mankind's filthiest traits. It was him alright, the man whose warped visage correlated perfectly with his warped mind, not to mention his black heart. Grinning like a demon, he closed in on her, holding his terrible jagged knife in one hand and beckoning her with the other.
"Here kitty, kitty,"
"No…" whispered Ruri, her strength lost to fear. She felt like screaming again but couldn't draw the breath. There was just too much terror in her, standing before a man who had made it his mission to end her life at all costs. She was frozen to the spot – she couldn't have run even if there had been a place to run to. As it was, the assassin had occupied her last remaining egress. There was no escape for her now – she was trapped. Her most hated enemies now surrounded her, each one representing a path that would ultimately destroy who she was. She looked frantically from one cruel face to another as they advanced on her, her cold fear finally giving way to hysterical panic.
"This cannot be happening! It isn't possible!" she shouted out loud.
Her denial didn't change anything – it was happening and there was no way she could stop it. The world fell away around her as captors gradually closed their ring on her. She was trapped in a cinema of her most terrible memories – Akatsuki's haughty laughter, the jeering faces of countless spiteful children and, worst of all, the malevolent assassin with his foul weapon and fouler expression. It was more than her mind could cope with.
"NO!" she cried, completely overwhelmed by the awful blend of terror and confusion. She fell to her knees, shoved her hands on her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. Shaking her head hysterically, she screamed with all the strength she could muster.
"Go away! Go away! GO AWAY!"
She didn't feel them reach her. Innumerable colours flared across her vision, but there was no pain anywhere. Nor any other sensations save for the overpowering maelstrom of light which wrenched the control from her consciousness. This brilliant flashing spectrum consumed her like flames around newspaper. She knew that something was happening to her but had no clue what it was or even whether it was healing or killing her. Not that knowing would change it – she was resigned to her fate, whatever it was.
And then all light was gone.
Even with her eyes closed, Ruri could sense the darkness around her, perfectly complimented by the sudden ghostly silence. The transition from limitless commotion to this complete nothingness had occurred in a microsecond – it was as if the world around her had simply blinked out of existence. Ruri didn't even what to contemplate what that could mean. She stayed where she was and cowered with her fists balled into her face, refusing to open her eyes to see what terrible reality she was now in.
"Ruri,"
Huh? Ruri slowly opened her eyes at the mention of her name. That calm voice, that oh-so-familiar tone. It belonged to someone she knew and loved. No, that was impossible! There was no way it could be him!
And yet it was.
With deliberate movements, she stood up and turned around to face him, her face slack in wonder. All her oppressors had vanished and now only one person stood before her. One special person. A person who, over the course of the last year, had come to occupy a greater place in her heart than any other.
"Ruri," repeated Akito Tenkawa, Aestivalis pilot and ship's cook. Though his face was plain, his dark brown eyes were questioning, like he was waiting for a response from her.
"Mr Tenkawa?" Ruri whispered in inquiry. Her voice was weak, as if speaking louder would somehow dispel the illusion and send him away.
Akito didn't reply, his only response being to extend a hand towards her. He nodded eagerly to her, inviting her to come and take it. For a second, Ruri just stood, gaping at him in awe. Then she collected her jaw and spoke.
"Is this the answer? Is this what I've been looking for all this time?"
There was no response. Akito didn't even give any indication of hearing her, just stood there holding his position.
"Please tell me! I have to know!" she cried desperately.
Still he did not reply. Keeping her gaze fixed on him, Ruri racked her brains, trying to comprehend just what this all meant. After so much searching and heartache, had she finally found the solution? Did the key to her prison of sorrow lie here before her?
She knew only one thing for sure. She had to try it or regret it for the rest of her days.
Not wasting another second, she pelted towards Akito as fast as her tiny legs could take her. Her knight awaited her arrival with a smile, crouching down and opening his arms to receive her. Her goal now within sight, Ruri ran with fervent eagerness, like a toddler running to the loving embrace of her daddy. Akito's smile widened further as she approached, urging her on.
"This is it! It has to be! Please wait Mr Tenkawa, I'm coming!"
She was but a finger away from him when the world exploded into darkness.
A/N – Yet another dubious ending. Sorry 'bout that.
Well, just the final chapter and epilogue to go now. They're both well underway, but it may still take a while to get them finished. I'm going to put them both up together, so the next update will be the story's conclusion. But will it be a happy or sad one? You'll have to wait to find out! :-)
See you for the finale…
