Chapter 25
A/N: Greetings followers, commenters and readers! And welcome back! (^_^)
As on other Saturdays, here's the newest chapter of my story! I hope you'll all enjoy it! :D
Sad news (for you, my readers) is, I won't be uploading a new chapter next week, because… I'M GETTING MARRIED! X_X *Panics and runs around screaming for about a minute, then takes a few deep breaths and calms down again* Okay… Anyways…
I'll try and upload something in the week after, but it may not be until Wednesday or so, cause my (then) hubby and I, will be going on our honeymoon as well :)
As compensation, I give you a somewhat longer chapter this time :P
thor94: Thank you for your comment! They've got some idea, though they are not certain of course
Maria: He could be, you know! He's equally annoyed with Eliphas as us xD But, he DID use the Numeron Code to bring Eliphas back, so he does feel something for him
Please, don't forget to R&R ! :)
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The first few questions were innocent enough. They were about him, what his name was, where he hailed from and so on.
But then they got more personal, and that was when Enna started working her way in to his thoughts.
"When did you first notice your approaching time?" she asked.
"When my symptoms started making themselves known" Astral replied.
"Which symptoms?" Enna continued.
"I… became more solid… And… my energy levels… started growing, exponentially" Astral responded.
"Was that all?" Enna inquired.
"No" Astral responded, knowing that lying to her would only backfire.
"What more was there?" she asked.
"A need… I needed my… partner. My soulmate. I needed… Yuma" was Astrals answer. His face showed discomfort for a moment, as he jolted on the table.
Yuma sensed a change in Astral and lifted his head to try and see him properly. He didn't have much luck though, as the table his partner was on, was higher than he could see in his current position.
He still kept his eyes on the table though, focusing his mind on sensing Astral across their bond.
"This need which you felt. In which way was it you needed your partner?" Enna asked, continuing her questioning.
"I… I needed him to be my energy-conduit. I needed him… to help me… survive" Astral replied.
"And how did he fare in this position?".
"He did well… He saved me, many times over, throughout that week".
This time, Astrals response was far steadier than it had been the other times, and again, Yuma sensed a shift in him.
He felt as though these words had made Astral more determined and had centered him slightly, from where he'd been drifting off to, as Enna was permitted access to his mind.
"Is that so" Enna commented, before she asked her next question. "How did you transfer this energy, which was continuously building in your system, without causing harm to the human male?".
"I… didn't" was Astrals reply.
It was faint, weaker than the others had been, and Yuma felt a sharp twinge of pain, which caused him to place a hand over his chest as his eyes widened.
This was caused by Astrals guilt, he knew it instantly.
He wanted to rise. To go to Astral and take his hand. To tell him that he was going to be fine and that there was no need for the alien to feel this guilty.
But he couldn't.
He couldn't even stand as things were right now.
And so, the only thing he COULD do, was send his lover reassuring thoughts across their bond, which was somewhat of a challenge, as their minds were currently separated as though by a thin veil, most likely do to Ennas' prodding of Astrals thoughts resulting in the other wanting to shield their bond from her, Yuma figured.
So, instead he said loudly "I'll be fine Astral! Don't blame yourself for this, please! It was my choice and you know it!", hoping that the other would hear him.
Eliphas stared at him as he spoke up, but the Guardian didn't interrupt him, or comment on it once Yuma once more fell silent.
Instead, he moved his eyes from the young man on the floor, to the envoy on the table, his expression serious and somewhat dark.
"Oh?" Enna said "so he got hurt during your time?".
"Yes. Badly… But we found a way… to avoid most of his suffering" Astral continued.
"Which way was that?" the woman from Astral world now asked.
"I… I do not wish to tell you!" Astral replied, once more struggling on the table he was lying on.
"Even so, you MUST tell me Envoy. This is of vital importance to my further questions" Enna pushed on.
"No… that… that is private!" Astral fought her.
"If you will not give me the answers willingly, I will have to take them from you, Astral" Enna said.
"No! I… I will tell you…" Astral then replied, voice strained.
"Give me your answer" Enna demanded and Astral swallowed hard.
"Very well… To transfer the energy I needed, without causing needless pain for my partner, I… I joined with him... We became one… physically and mentally, but still as two… bodies" he said, voice fading at his last words.
And Yuma felt clear as day across their bond, the pure embarrassment and shame that came to him from his beloved.
"No! Astral!" he cried out and now he managed to rise by pure show of will, and stumble towards the table where Astral lay.
As he reached it, he was panting and his whole body ached, but he was so focused on Astral, that he managed to ignore it in favor of grasping his lovers closest hand tightly, leaning heavily against the table.
"Don't tell her if you don't want to! You aren't obligated to tell them anything!" Yuma said, tightening his hold on Astrals hand.
The other didn't open his eyes, but he moaned quietly, and Yuma heard his name whispered by his partners lips.
Enna observed them in silence for a while, but then she spoke again.
"Since you were joined in this manner, and your time ended, have you experienced any changes within you?" she asked, and Astral groaned quietly, his head turning from side to side as though he was still struggling.
"I… have" he said after a little, but a pained expression was on his face and his breathing had become more rapid than before.
"Stop it!" Yuma exclaimed "you're hurting him! Leave him alone Enna! Why are you doing this to us?!".
"Quiet!" Eliphas' voice thundered in the room, as his heavy footsteps approached its center, heading directly for Yuma and the others.
"You will NOT interfere with this questioning, or I will send you back to the human world WITHOUT Astral! Do I make myself clear, Yuma?!".
Yuma, startled, turned his head and looked at Eliphas with somewhat frightened eyes.
"E… Eliphas… I thought you understood. Why are you both doing this? Can't you see how much it tortures Astral to be subjected to this interrogation of yours?!" he said, voice upset, but marked by his weariness and still weakened state.
"As long as he remains truthful, he won't be harmed. All he must do, is be honest with us" Eliphas replied and the hand Yuma was supporting himself with against the table Astral was on, clenched into a fist.
"So, you want the truth, do you?" he said, voice rough.
"Fine, I'll give you the truth then! During Astrals time, we had sex! Several times! And I'd think you'd be fine with that, seeing as you already recognized us as belonging with one another! That IS why you let him come back with me after all, isn't it?!
And according to Astral, that isn't too far from what would have happened if he'd been with an Astralian, so there! I offered myself to Astral more than willingly, and I don't regret one second of it! ANY of it! And if the time comes where he'd need me once more, I would do it all over again, without hesitation!
And yeah, sure, some things have changed for Astral since his time ended, like the fact that he's remained solid or that he's feeling hunger now and must eat human food to feel better! But that doesn't matter! Because we're dealing with them and we don't need YOUR help to do so!".
When he silenced, he was short of breath and his face was a grimace of pain, but he was still holding Astrals hand tightly and he didn't regret a word he'd just said.
Astral now opened his eyes for the first time since the questioning began, glancing at Yuma.
His expression was completely unreadable, but across their bond, Yuma sensed a mix of feelings ranging from utter horror and shame, to deep gratefulness.
Enna must have felt some of the same things, because she now retreated from Astrals mind, and pulled back one step, lifting her head and looking at Eliphas.
Eliphas returned her stare, but Yuma was focused on Astral, so he didn't see the look which was exchanged between the two inhabitants of Astral world.
After a while, Enna spoke.
"I no longer doubt that you are being honest with us Astral, nor do I doubt that you are as well Yuma, though your words were both harsh and unnecessary.
The Envoy was doing fine without your interference" she said, and Yuma blushed, as he glanced at her before returning his eyes to Astral, who was still lying on his back, though he was looking at those gathered around him and returning Yumas squeezing of his hand.
"Be that as it may though, your words were honest and showed spectacular loyalty to your partner. This pleases us, as one of our concerns, and thus reasons for summoning the Envoy back here, stem from some troublesome sensations we have experienced as of late" Enna said, before Eliphas took over.
"As you may have realized from the way we were capable of summoning the Envoy, both Enna and I share a connection with him. One that is similar in nature to that which the two of you share and yet are very different from it.
And both of us have, across this connection, sensed a great weakening of the Envoy, of Astral. At more than one point, we have felt him walking the very fine line between life and death, and this worries us greatly.
We have been concerned with whether you, Yuma, the human half of the original number, may have been the cause for this and today we have had that suspicion confirmed.
It is of vital importance to us, to all of Astral World, that the Envoy remain strong and as such, we have been considering whether the two of you should be separated, for good" the Guardian said, but then he was cut off by a unified Astral and Yuma, protesting his words instantly.
"No! You cannot separate us!" they both exclaimed and Astral, sitting up now, pulled Yuma down beside him on the table and moved an arm in front of him protectively.
"I will never let you separate us. If Yuma and I are not together, we will die. Is that what you want?!" he said fiercely, but Enna raised a hand as a sign of peace.
"No, it is not. That is what we are trying to avoid, as best we can" she said.
"And with the words, and actions, of both of you here today, we have been convinced that Yumas loyalty and… love, for you, Astral, have not wavered. If anything, the bond between the two of you, seem to have become stronger than ever.
This is a necessity in order for you to use the powers of ZEXAL, which you will most certainly need if any new foes arise, that threatens our unified worlds, the numbers or… the future hope for both Barians, Astralians and humans alike" Eliphas added, making Yuma frown.
"What do you mean 'the future hope'?" he asked, curiously.
"And why is this thing you speak of, the future hope, for ALL the worlds?" Astral chimed in, lowering his arm, but moving it around Yumas waist instead, to pull him closer protectively.
Yuma more than willingly let him, still feeling weak and knowing that being close to Astral would help him.
"Our second reason for summoning you here, and with such urgency as well Astral, is that we suspected something may have happened during your time, which could be of vital importance to all of our futures" Enna replied, folding her hands in front of her lap as she kept her eyes on them.
"What, pray tell, might that be?" Astral asked, somewhat impatiently, sensing that Yuma needed to get back to the hospital soon, to continue with his treatments, before his condition worsened further.
He himself had already weakened since they arrived in Astral World, and he knew it could only be because the same thing was happening for Yuma.
"You are still solid, even a month after your time concluded. You are feeling hunger, like a human would, and are capable of consuming, and processing, human food.
And last, but not least, whilst I was in your mind, I felt another presence within you. One, that did not belong to Yuma. It was very faint, but I am absolutely certain that it was there" Enna replied, then paused.
Astral and Yuma looked at eachother, then returned their attention to the Astralian beings before them.
"Another presence?" Astral asked "What do you mean? I have no knowledge of this 'other presence'. I have not felt it".
Enna smiled. "I assume that is because you have spent so much time away from Astral World. It means it takes you longer to detect it, than if this was not the case. But I assure you, it is there" she replied.
"Enough Enna" Astral said "what is this presence you speak of?! Tell me!".
"A child, Envoy" Eliphas responded "a being created by the union between you and your partner. A symbol of the unification of all our worlds, Astral, Barian and Earth as well".
"Making it the hope for all of our futures" Enna added, before they both silenced.
Astrals eyes widened and he unconsciously placed a hand on his stomach. Yumas jaw dropped to his chest and he seemed to get impossibly pale, though he was completely unable to speak a word.
Then, after a long while, Enna spoke again.
"I see that you are both surprised by this news. I must say, I do not understand why. After all, I assume Astral informed you, Yuma, of the purpose of his time?" she said.
"Ye… yeah, he did" Yuma replied "in a way. He said it usually happened when you reached the time at which you'd be capable of producing offspring… But I never thought he'd actually… get pregnant! I mean, he's male, and I… I'm male too! That's impossible!".
He turned his head and looked at Astral now.
"Isn't it?" he asked, voice somewhat higher pitched than normally.
Astral looked at him as well, returning his stare.
"Perhaps it is on Earth" he then responded "but here in Astral World, things are somewhat different. Here, we, the males, carry the children to term. We are the ones who… get pregnant".
He blushed as he'd spoken, and lowered his gaze, unable to look at Yuma at that moment.
"Wait, what?!" Yuma exclaimed "why didn't you tell me Astral?!".
"I… I did not think it would be of any relevance, seeing as you too, are male" the alien responded.
"I see" Enna said "so this is an equal surprise for both of you. That is unfortunate".
"Yes, very unfortunate indeed. If the two of you are not prepared for what this means, the child will have to be removed as soon as possible.
There is no way we can raise a half-human being here in Astral World, and a half-Astralian being cannot be raised on Earth without the involvement of an Astralian. Then it would be better for it to die, before it truly came to be" Eliphas agreed.
"What?!" Astral said, shock in his voice, locking his eyes on Enna and Eliphas. "No! I do not wish to end it! If there truly is a child, then I will carry it to term and raise it, no matter what! Even more so since it is created by the merging of Yuma and I! I would never destroy something which we made together!".
Yumas eyes widened at his words.
"Wow, wow, wow Astral! This isn't just your decision you know! I'm a part of this as well! You can't just decide that on your own!" he protested and now Astral turned his attention to him again.
"Yuma!" he said, honestly surprised. "Do you mean to say that you WOULD have it ended?".
"I… I don't know Astral! I don't think I'm ready to become a Dad yet! I'm only 17!" Yuma replied, still in shock. Astrals eyes widened.
"Yuma!" he exclaimed, shocked.
"Well I'm sorry Astral! But I just… I don't know..." Yuma responded, lowering his eyes and looking worried.
"I… I cannot believe what I am hearing Yuma! Do you not understand the importance of this child? There is no way I am letting it die!" Astral said and Enna and Eliphas exchanged looks.
"We are on your side Envoy" Eliphas commented, after a nod from Enna.
"This child is a treasure to all of us. We would prefer that no harm come to it as well, but it cannot be raised here.
The fact of it is, that this child will be half-human and so, like you are experiencing now, it will not be able to survive solely on energy, like if it had been purely Astralian.
It will have needs which can only be fulfilled in the human world. And you cannot raise it by yourself".
"Everyone, hold your horses!" Yuma broke in "there's gonna be no raising of any child without me! No way! If Astral insists on seeing this pregnancy to the end, then I'm not gonna let him do it without me!". He paused, then looked at Astral again, now taking both of his hands.
"Listen Astral, I don't know if I'm ready to be a dad yet, but I'm willing to try my very best! I understand why you don't want to get rid of it, I really do. And I can even understand why Enna and Eliphas seems to feel the same way.
But I have to be honest. I wish you would have told me of the risk that this would happen. That way, I might have had more time to prepare for this eventuality" he said, looking deep into his lovers' dichromatic eyes.
"I… I did not think it could happen between two males" Astral responded, repeating his words from earlier.
"I really didn't Yuma, believe me. But… had I told you… would it have changed anything? I must know this, so please… do not lie to me".
Yuma seemed to think for a moment, but then he lit up in a smile and moved so his and Astrals foreheads were touching.
"No Astral. It wouldn't. It wouldn't have changed anything at all. I would still do it all, all over again, if you needed it, even knowing this might happen" he replied and Astral breathed a sigh of relief, which almost seemed to be mirrored by Enna and Eliphas.
"Your loyalty, and love, for Astral is truly admirable Yuma Tsukumo" the Guardian said, looking at them.
"Yes. Astral is very lucky to have found you" Enna agreed, smiling faintly.
"We found eachother" Astral responded, lifting a hand to Yumas cheek and caressing it, before he claimed a kiss from the young mans lips, ignoring their current audience, although he blushed fiercely once the two of them separated again.
Yuma smiled tiredly. "So… I guess I'm gonna be a dad soon then" he said and Astral nodded.
"So it would seem. I do hope you do not feel like I trapped you Yuma" he said, and Yuma shook his head.
"Nah, no way Astral. You say you thought it impossible, just like me, and I trust you… We'll just have to do this together, like we always have" he replied, sounding just as weak as he felt.
Astrals eyes darkened with worry as he heard the tone in the others voice and he kissed his forehead reverently.
"We must get you back to the hospital Yuma" he said "you are getting weaker".
Yuma nodded, but didn't say anything. He knew Astral was right.
Astral looked at Enna and Eliphas.
"Now that you have had your suspicions confirmed, are Yuma and I free to return to Earth?" he asked.
Enna nodded. "Yes. But we would like you to come here once every month as your pregnancy progresses. It will be good for both you and the child to spend a bit of time in Astral World before the delivery…
And remember Astral, that once the time comes, you must not be alone. You HAVE to be with your partner. You know well the dangers childbirth involves, here in Astral World, and your child will be half-human as well" she replied.
Astral nodded. "Yes. I do. It is a matter of life and death, which can very well be determined by whether I must do it alone, or with the aid of my soulmate. My other half" he replied, glancing at Yuma.
That delivery would be yet another trial for his beloved, and easily one as strenuous as the last.
It would be dangerous to himself as well. In fact, he could very easily die during the birth, if he was not careful with how much energy he used on bringing the child in to the world, especially taking in to consideration the unknown factors involved with the child being half-human.
"What… what do you mean Astral?" Yuma asked anxiously, but Astral just shook his head softly.
"We can talk about it once you are back under treatment Yuma. For now, I think we should get going" he replied. Yuma frowned, and Astral could feel that he wasn't satisfied with the aliens' answer.
He didn't change it though. He felt clearly that Yuma was getting worse, because he himself was beginning to weaken more noticeably as well, and if he didn't change things soon, he would undoubtedly start fading again.
Now that he knew that there was so much more at stake than just his and Yumas lives, he couldn't risk that happening if he could in any way avoid it. So they had to get going, as soon as possible.
Wrapping an arm around Yumas waist, he helped him stand, and then looked at Eliphas again.
"Eliphas" he said "I assume you are the one who created the portal that moved us here. Will you please make another, that can bring us back to the exact spot from which you took us?".
Eliphas nodded.
"It was. And I will" he replied, raising a hand as a portal, just like the one they had previously come through, appeared behind them.
"Astral" Enna said, just before they turned to leave "will you do as we ask and come here once a month throughout the pregnancy?".
Astral nodded. "I will" he replied.
"Then I will summon you when next we would like you to come here" Eliphas said and Astral nodded again.
Then he and Yuma turned around and stepped through the portal, leaving Astral World behind once more…