~Close Up Memories 4: New Sports' Dream~
Next Day: Magic Six's Day Off
The breeze sweeps into the room where the main cast were sleeping in their respective cots with the sun making its peak from the other side. Alex woke up to see the light reaching to his eyes. For a moment, he saw a little blue bird approaching the window chirping almost like a song.
I wonder if I'll suddenly break into song, he thought before yawning.
Makoto was already up and washed clean, still wrapped in towels. Rin was still sleeping while Haruka was just laying in bed quietly. Nagisa was clearly sleeping half on the bed and his legs dangled a little while Rei was busy reading something.
"Oh dear...there he goes again," Makoto chuckled softly.
"How can I sleep in if there's already movement happening?" Haruka asked, annoyed.
Suddenly, a second bird in white feathers appeared and sat next to the blue bird.
"Uhhhhhhh...? Okay?" Alex watched this.
"Something up, your majesty?" Makoto asked.
"These birds. I never seen two different species get this close and chirping peacefully," he shrugged.
"Well, they do say, in some cultures, white birds represent peace, hope, and purity, regardless of species," Rei narrates the response, "On the other hand, other cultures link white birds with illness and death. The bluebird, however, represents joy and happiness.
"So, maybe it's going to be a good day today?"
"Nerd..." Nagisa moans in his sleep.
"Is he even awake?" Makoto looks at Rei.
Finally, Rin wakes up with a loud yawn, "Ugh, that was such a random...dream...the hell."
"You just missed out on Nagisa 'sleep talking' and ruining my lecture of the day..." Rei muttered.
Haruka approaches the blond, shaking him gently to wake up "Hey, all of us are up now."
"I don't wanna wake up... can't make me..." Nagisa moaned.
Rei bumps him on the head with his book, "Grow up."
"But you planned for some strawberry milkshake today right? There's a food truck that you've been waiting for a while now," Haruka recalls today's event.
Nagisa is suddenly to his feet, full of vigor and eyes sparkling, "That's right! Off I go!"
"Oi! Not so fast, they won't be here till early afternoon. Besides, I have weird feeling about something..." Rin called him off.
"What do you mean?" Makoto asked.
Sure enough, Alex feels a change in the air, "Yes…I may be sensing something too. An emotion that needs help."
He looks at his hands as they are softly glowing yellow, and he looks at the birds again and sees images of two guys in holograms above the birds.
"T-they here…" Alex muttered.
"Who's here?" Makoto asked.
"Eh? So soon?" Haruka answered.
"Certain there's no rest for the wary," Rei crossed his arms.
"Fret not...this troubled man will find his peace. I know he will. He won't have to face this alone," Alex smiled.
Kourai brought Sachiro some fresh clothes to change into as well as bringing him over to the beach area where the sand was white and pure and the water crisp in aquamarine and blue. Despite the pollution in the former Aeruopa City, the water is also being purified there too, but nothing could compare to this...majestic beauty.
The sunrise made it a beautiful glow in the skies too, as if he was in paradise.
"Feeling better?" Kourai asked.
"A little...hard to believe a place like this was out of my grasp for so long," Sachiro replied.
"I always believed this place was a good way for a fresh start," Kourai answered, "For all of us…"
"Even for me?" Sachiro looks at him.
"It could certainly help you if you choose to believe," a voice was heard.
The duo turned to see the Magic Six arriving with the two birds leading them. The blue bird landed on Kourai's shoulder while the white bird went to Sachiro.
"W-who are…?" Sachiro asked when Alex presented a flower crown made of irises.
"A flower crown?" Kourai looks at Alex.
"Made of irises," he smiled before turning to the taller man, "This may help clear your mind, Sachiro."
"J-just how do you know my name?" he gasped on this knowledge.
Moments later, Alex briefly transformed into his future identity as Neo King Alexander dressed in the royal attire.
"T-this can't be! Y-you're…" he gasped.
"Yes, that is...the legendary Alexander the Great...a powerful king from another world. One to have tried to make peace among humans by global conquest but sadly...that world was not compatible for his ambitions. Now a days, he's just a regular person with great magic descended from the Chaomos Crystal like his fellow guardians," Kourai explained.
"I simply do not wish to rule...yet...not for a very long time. Not until I reach my final dream," the king said before returning his attention to Sachiro, "Irises are to help clear and purify the mind, but it will only work if you choose to believe in its magic. Perhaps it may help you rediscover yourself."
After a moment of hesitation, Sachiro accepts the crown as the king then transformed back to his current self.
"Please allow us to introduce our selves. I am Makoto Tachibana, the Iwasame Senshi leader and soon-to-be athletic trainer for the Olympics," the taller, green-haired man said.
"Rin Matsuoka, deputy of our team as a whole but also the leader of the Samezuka sub-division of the Iwasame group," Rin greeted.
"Haruka Nanase, my specialty is the freestyle," he pitched in.
"The name's Nagisa Hazuki. Breaststroke is my specialty," the blond winked.
"I'm Rei Ryugazaki. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance," he smiled.
"My common name is Alex Marotta. Though I have a more authentic name in origin, I only wish to be called by Sandro occasionally," the final star smiled.
"My full name is Sachiro Hirugami. It's an honor to finally meet you," the brunette greeted.
"How about we go out and enjoy ourselves at the main plaza? There's a lot to do there, I'm sure Kourai showed you some of it already," Alex offered the trip.
"Last night was totally lit, that's for sure," Kourai smiled.
"I'm sure Nagisa will want his strawberry milkshake..." Rin looks at the blond as the latter nodded.
Going to the Town Square, it was just as lit as last night as the Magic Six and Kourai led Sachiro on a more thorough tour of the town. There was a library, several shopping outlets, several food markets, cookouts/grill, a fountain to make wishes, playground/play area for the little kids, and even some fun games like bocce and cornhole for the older folks.
There were palm trees and flowers all around with stringed lights for decorations. Haruka found a vendor that was selling some mackerel as well as other types of seafood.
"Uhhhh, Haru, we don't have time to grab those," Rin said, trying to hold Haru in place but it was a brief scuffle.
"Haruka tends to like mackerel...a lot," Kourai whispers to Sachiro's ear.
"Don't think too much on it. It'll save you a lot of time and brain cells..." Rei rolled his eyes.
"Haru wouldn't be Haru without mackerel. I'm sure we'll get tons of it on the way back," Nagisa shrugged.
But it was too late as Haruka brought two pounds worth of it as Rin had a defeated expression on his face.
"HOW IN THE...?!" Rei shouted.
"You made the mistake of looking away!" Nagisa pointed out.
Alex was trying his hardest to not laugh but Makoto chimed in, "Well at least the king is amused."
"Well at least this is more amusing compared to what is going on back in Terabithia," Alex shrugged before turning his attention to the cell phone.
"What's up?" Rin asked.
"t's from Kyle..." Alex mutters and proceeds to read the message.
The Bride-to-Be finally said Yes to the dress!
I wish you could have come with us, but I know you've been under a lot of pressure.
Ana told me some of what happened back home.
Hopefully there will be a place to go back to before all falls to ruin.
Anyway, we'll be back soon. I'll message you when we are on the way!
"Wow! Reception here is great!" Nagisa gasped.
"Well, at least things are going fantastic on their end. I just..." Alex tears up a little, "My baby girl is grown...soon to be married."
"Please don't make me start crying too...did she say yes to the dress?" Rin asked.
"She'll look very pretty, regardless of what she wears!" the blond chirped with excitement.
"Is there a date set?" Rei asked.
"It'll be after the Olympics. No specific date yet per se but at least we know we have something to look forward to after our big days," Alex said.
"As long as your daughter and Roxana are happy, I know they will do just fine," Haruka replied.
"Ana is a grown woman...I know she has fought her way through two different realities. Actually three, if you count Olympia Magna," he shrugged.
"It's kinda funny how we saw you and the family there...while I was...a different me," Kourai recalls back on Olympia Magna during the dodgeball demons and the return of Chernobyl.
As they continued their tour, Sachiro looked at the flower crown he received earlier. Curious, he finally put it on as it rested softly...
His head throbbed with a loud heartbeat before starting to feel lightheaded and about to collapse. Kourai gasped as he caught the man barely in time with the help of Makoto and Rei.
"I-Is he going to be okay!?" Kourai panicked.
"The memories must be overwhelming," Alex muttered.
"What magic did you give him?!" the white-haired man looked at him.
"Actually, it was something used based on my spell book," Nagisa revealed a reversal memory restoration page, "However, the ingredients needed the irises as the base along with a serum or rather…an IV-based fluid used in medicine."
"I was able to replicate it through one of my tools, a blue vase that can turn water into any mixture that I choose," Makoto added.
"Such a complicated spell?" Kourai tilts his head.
"He'll be alright, just need to get some rest," Rei reassured him.
"But how did you guys even know…?" Kourai asked when the birds chirped, prompting him to realize, "T-these birds…"
Moments later, Sachiro's eyes opened again, "K-kourai…"
"Y-yes?!" he turns to the brunette as the former lends his hand out.
Kourai reached his hand out, connecting the bond as one. Moments later, the Seagull Crystal appeared out from him as it started to evolve into something new…
"T-this is…" Kourai gasped.
In each of the chosen bearers of the volleyball crystals, they all felt a transformation happening in their hearts.
The five pieces of the Karasuno Crow Crystal merged together and transformed into the Asas Sao Paulo Crystal for Shouyou. And that same crystal budded a new one for Tobio as he now held the Ali Roma Crystal.
The Shiraotorizawa Crystal evolved into the Orzel Warszawa Crystal for Ushijima while the two pieces of the Fox Crystal evolved into the MSBY Star Crystal to Atsumu.
The Itachiyama Weasel Crystal evolved into the MSBY Helix Crystal to Sakusa while Bokuto's Fukurodani Owl Crystal transformed into the MSBY Spheroid Crystal.
And at last, the Kamomedai Seagull Crystal Evolved into the Schweiden Alders Crystal to Kourai. Sachrio gasped to see such warmth of a great power flowing back into Kourai's body.
"W-what just happened?!" Kourai gasped.
"It appears that your powers have increased," Alex noted, "The returning of the memories has created a new bond between the two of you, and also among the rest of the team."
"M-My memories…" Sachiro looked down as he was starting to remember slowly, "I…I need some time alone. Thank you, your majesty…"
"Let me go with you," Kourai said, "Back to the apartment at least."
Mini-Flashback: Alex's return & Albert's New Problem
Iwamara Swim World
The STYLE FIVE senshi along with the Samezuka trio and Asahi and Ikuya were busy mapping things out for the upcoming relays of the Olympics. It was clear that there will be a variety of races.
"So, there is the IM, the Singular Medley, and then the Mixed Medley," Makoto presented the information.
"Each of us will have to sign up based on our specialties," Rin added.
"Perhaps we do an Iwatobi and Samezuka for old times?" Sousuke suggested.
Haruka kept silent as he couldn't imagine how this is finally happening after a very long time. Rei and Nagisa looked at each other with a bit of a smile and some excitement.
"At least this time I'll be there!" Momo raises up his fist.
"Yes, as you so kindly reminded everyone several times now," the megane sighed.
"I think it's a good idea. Besides, it'd be great to have a race against one another. See how well we've improved," Nagisa agreed.
Ikuya looks at the IM option as his own race since he has been practicing all four of the strokes completely on his own. It was definitely something to consider.
"Well, to be fair, we may have to mix things up actually. The Takagami senshi sort of had this idea...that we try out with different teammates," Makoto added.
"Huh, that is interesting," Rin rested his fist beneath his chin.
"Like, how?" Asahi asked.
"Well, for example, if there's a freestyle relay, not all of us swims that...so whoever does will be asked to participate in that," Makoto said.
"So, Rin-senpai, Haru, and...?" Ai begins his idea when the background begins to shake a little. A moment later, some of the pencils and desk items began to fall off from the tables.
The team gasped to sense this bizarre earthquake happening but it didn't feel as violent as expected.
"What was that...? Why now of all times?" Asahi grumbled.
"An earthquake?" Ikuya's eyes darted around the room.
Before their eyes, a circular portal opens up as Original!Alex and Anastasia flung out from it, crashing to the ground with a painful grunt. Anastasia was able to brush the dirt off herself quickly before checking on him.
"K-KING!?" Makoto gasp as Rin and Sousuke rushed over to check up on him. Once they got him on his feet, they saw his lower lip bleeding from some cut or something.
"Is he okay?!" Ikuya asked.
"WAAAH! What happened?!" Nagisa gasped.
"There's too much to explain," Anastasia answered.
"I'll go get some first aid!" Ai rushed over to the nearby cabinets.
"Will someone say something?! Anything?!" Asahi asked loudly.
"How about we stop freaking out! Yelling and screaming isn't going to solve anything! Give them some space!" Rei snapped.
R-Rei-chan, Nagisa thought, something about you is definitely off…
Alex is brought over to a chair at a table with assistance from Sousuke and Rin as Haruka provided some cushions for his rear end and his back just in case of other pain.
"F-father…" Anastasia breathed silently.
"Are you alright, your majesty?" Rin asked softly.
Breathing in and out, he finally replies, "That…was a close call. I...I can't even..."
"What happened back on Terabithia?" Haruka asked as Ai provided him a first aid alcohol wipe and some ointment.
The king looks at them as he thanks Ai for the kit before grunting on the alcohol's sting of killing the germs.
"T-thank you…u-ugh…damn," he breathed.
"Whenever you're ready, tell us what you can," Nagisa said.
After a couple of minutes of reflecting on what happened, Alex finally replies, "We got…company, on Terabithia."
"Eh?!" Makoto and Momo gasped.
"W-who's there now?" Rin asked.
"You're kidding me..." Ai's jaw dropped as Asahi looked at Ikuya with some concern.
"A man...who holds great power that I've never seen...except in story. I didn't think they'd be real...but they are," Alex recounts the events.
"What's real?" Haruka questions this.
"You're not making any sense," Rin added.
He looks at them and replies, "It's just as the runes said...The Legend of the BIONICLE...is real."
"B-BIONICLE?" Ikuya gasped.
"You've told us about that...story...once, or at least referenced it such," Rin recalled.
"That toy series? I remember wanting the beetle..." Momo commented.
"T-that's...unbelievable..." Makoto answered.
"But he's not alone...he's accompanied by an ex-Toa who is now some cyborg and vampire...and a Makuta who is surprisingly not as arrogant as the rest of his kind," Alex shrugged, "Ryuuji and Mikhail along with myself, the other Rei, and the other me, we brought them to Articora and sure enough, they know of the runes...it's like as if they know what's hidden in the riddle."
"What did they tell you? If anything?" Rei asked.
"The Element Lord of the Jungle...like the other Element Lords, they are humans like us. He said he has traveled to this planet in order to solve a mystery from Spherus Magna. The rest of the team are in the other planet but he's afraid they are in terrible danger," Alex continued, "He forced to separate himself, but he did not explain why."
"Does...he...need our help?" Makoto asked.
"I told him about Duniya...he said he might make a stop here if he has to," Alex replied.
"So, we will get dragged into another battle," Ikuya sighed.
"So much for the fun activities..." Asahi rolled his eyes.
"He said that there's a dangerous enemy who may be stronger than the Element Lords...well...she is an Element Lord herself but is extremely deadly. She goes by the name of Gaea...Terra...Mother...Earth," the king continues.
"M-Mother Nature?" Rin grew confused on that.
"I-is that our next opponent?" Ai muttered.
"How fitting. We have always tried to do our best to preserve nature. The one time we fail, and try to make up for our mistakes, nature will not forgive so easily," Rei answered sarcastically.
"I-It's not like she's the real Mother Earth... is she?" Nagisa asked.
"Who can say? I just find it fitting our next opponent... could very well be the same planet we...that I..." Rei grumbles.
"That's enough of that. Pull yourselves together," Asahi stops the megane's ranting.
"Gaea Terra isn't from Terabithia...she's from Spherus Magna. That's all I know about her. But I'm sure she would try to wreck any planet possible," Alex answered.
"Father, do you want me to stay with you?" Anastasia asked.
"No. Go meet up with Kyle and the others. I'm sure you need to meet with Roxana in preparations for the wedding," he said.
"R-right…but don't be afraid to call us if you need anything," she answered before taking out her Duniyan cell phone to contact the others.
"Guess there's some things from your favorite series you still don't know about," Ai shrugged.
"Talk about going in blind," Momo commented.
"I know enough to tell you about the Element Lords," he sighs and narrates them in a summary:
They were selected warriors from their "class" who were embedded with the power itself of the elements. Of course, they were territorial, selfish, and power-hungry at times despite maintaining peace...at least the six of them.
Of course, they ended up destroying their world after the planet's core leaked a powerful substance...
"And that's when the robot was built...Mata Nui?" Makoto asked.
"Yes," he replied.
Of course, the planet was restored but the Element Lords were still punished and reincarnated as humans on...a different version of Earth. From what Dante told me, they were scattered and had no clue of their origins until their powers slowly reactivated. After fighting numerous battles, they made peace on Earth before eventually dying as humans to be finally redeemed as their original selves once more.
And that's when she came in. The Element Lord of Earth...claiming she is their "mother" of all of them...but I doubt that's true on a biological scale. The Great Beings created the Element Lord of the Earth first perhaps...maybe that's why she calls herself 'mother'.
"Perhaps that knowledge of yours will be useful in this upcoming battle," Rin answered.
"It's just pieces of what I do know," Alex shrugged.
"What were their elements to be precise?" Haruka asked.
"Fire, Water, Jungle, Ice, Rock, Sand...and a seventh one...Iron. They ended up having a seventh member too," he recounted.
"Even if this knowledge is limited, this is better than nothing. At least we'll somewhat have an idea what we're getting into," Nagisa nodded.
Changing the subject, the king asked to his daughter, "You got a hold of them?"
"Yeah, Kyle is in practice, but the girls are going to meet me in a bit. Roxana is still out in Lha'li but she'll be notified."
"Ah. I'd like to visit there sometime, but for now, I'm too tired from what's been happening. I'll need to rest," Alex yawned.
"Probably for the best," Ikuya agreed.
A half our later, Kyle reunited with him and they both caught up on their stories.
"Y-you're not coming with us to Lha'li?" Kyle asked.
"Not with these injuries," Alex grunted, "I need to rest for now. Keep me posted on whatever happens there, alright?"
"Will do," Kyle kissed him on the head before leading the girls out of the facility.
Once the king was put to rest in his bed, the rest of the group were also closing up shop, but Rei had other plans...concerning on his recent attitude, he wasn't ready to face another round of this…voided, unemotional, encounter. Without realizing it, Nagisa snuck outside to find him on the bench.
Rei sat alone in silence, looking at the stars with a near-blank look in his eyes. Footsteps approached as he turned to see the blond arriving and sitting down next to him.
"You...haven't been very talkative lately, you know," Nagisa said.
Rei kept silent as the blond continued, "Even after the whole situation in Aeuropa...maybe even before, you chose to stay behind. Didn't really get too involved until the later parts of the operation."
Silence was all that was drew upon as the blond sighed and got to the point, "Rei, is everything okay? I mean, really. You can tell me, you know. It just feels like lately you've been pushing not only Alex away, but..."
"I'm not pushing anyone away," Rei sighed.
"I know that! I'm just saying that it feels like you're too afraid to let us in all over again! We know what you've been through. We know the price you had to pay. Just because you don't feel that way about him anymore, that doesn't mean you..." Nagisa pleaded out.
"Stop. Just... stop right there, please," Rei cuts him off on the speech.
"I get it, okay. You don't want to get too close. You're afraid, aren't you? Afraid that you'll become that person again. Somehow, someway. You're afraid that if you get too close like you did before, by some terrible twist of fate...well…I doubt the witches would be back…" Nagisa tries to keep his thoughts straight.
"Witches or by fate, it doesn't matter," Rei answered, "Regardless of what happened. It's...hard to put into words. It's like I'm happy that he's around. I'm happy everyone's there. It's just...I feel like...I'm outside looking in. All over again. He's happy. He's married, has a child, adopted three more, and is about to welcome a new member into his household.
"I have my friends back that I wrongfully took away from everyone. I fought my wrongdoings to give us all everything we could ever want.
"But instead, I feel like I only made things worse for us and better only for him. Like we weren't meant to have our true happiness at all. We're meant to be...this."
Nagisa shook his head in disbelief, "You can't truly feel that way."
"I don't know what to feel, because I hardly can anymore," he sighed before making all these little call-like noises, "Protect the king! Swim, swim, swim! Fight, fight, fight! Kill, kill, kill! Shoot, shoot, shoot!
"Just...who the hell are we anymore?
"Who…am I?"
"Rei-chan…" he whispered as he suddenly reaches out for his hand. Rei flinched at this but realized he was not feeling any electrical shock like he had with Alex.
"I know things are not how you planned. How we planned. It's not like we had much of a choice," Nagisa continued, "We've all seen our fair share of hell, hatred, war, famine, all of it. It's all conflicting. The path we're on might not be the ideal one...But it is one of many. Like the one I took to run after you. Remember?"
Rei finally cracks a small smile recalling the day he met Nagisa, and he mercilessly stalked him to join the swim club all those years ago.
"Or how you found your true calling not as a track and field star, but as a swimmer. Hee-hee, your form might not have been the best. You definitely got the hang of it in time," the blond smiled.
"Next, you'll say I looked good in the speedo and should have kept wearing it," Rei frowned.
"Well...that aside, I know you wouldn't have been too happy staying in it. The point I'm trying to make is that there is no guaranteed future," Nagisa answered, "We don't know where we'll go from here. Maybe if you stayed on the track and field team, who knows where you could have gone. You might not have awakened to your Suiei God. Maybe...our team wouldn't have had a chance to thrive. Or worse, the Shadow Mafia could have won indefinitely…"
Normally, Rei would try to ignore this long talk, but something felt…therapeutic…as if his own heart was reaching out to something. It was faint but enough to keep his attention to the blond's continuing speech of hope.
"Haven't you done enough reflecting to know that there is another possible future out there? One where you can still be friends and a close ally to Alex without pining for his love and affection? That being close to him isn't going to cause the end of everything. After all, it's not just you there by his side.
"There's me, Haru-chan, Mako-chan, Rin-chan... all of us. All of us will be there with you. We'll never let you go astray again.
"Even if a little jolt comes between the two of you..."
Rei wasn't sure how to respond to this. Suddenly, a light-blub flashed in Nagisa's brain as something about all this…finally made sense.
That's it, Nagisa thought, maybe…I too…
"Look, you may be the bridge to help connect the concepts of Cosmos and Chaos through your other half. But maybe...someone like me could be your bridge to him?" the blond proposed this idea.
"H-Huh?" Rei looked at him before realizing his hand finally grasp on the blond's.
"I mean…what if I could help you reach to Alex…without jeopardizing his relationships he already made with?" Nagisa asked.
"Nagisa-kun, I can't force you to hold this burden for me," Rei answered.
Having enough of this, Nagisa replies more sharply, "But I do! I'm tired of seeing you cast yourself into these dark depths, thinking you are beyond reach! My hands will always reach yours. And I can help you reach for his. I don't care of the consequences!
"I just want to see the old Rei again! I want to see the Rei who smiles and laughs at our dumb jokes! I want to see the old Rei whose eyes light up when he sees the world's beauty! I want my friend back!"
Finally, they both felt a warm heartbeat followed by a soft glow in both their chests. Moments later, their Suiei Heart Crystals emerged out. Nagisa gasped to see how different Rei's looked compared to his.
"T-there's…a hole there…I can see it," Nagisa gasped, "Rei-chan, I won't allow your regrets to destroy this crystal nor your existence! You need that power! Casting it to the side will weaken your form, your fighting abilities, and your skills that you've provided to all of us!"
Before their eyes, a small piece of magic from the Suiei Penguin Crystal Heart drifted over to the Suiei Butterfly Crystal Heart. For a moment, it appeared that the hole shrank a bit. Nagisa's eyes widened as an idea popped in his mind.
We need our team, Nagisa thought, this is the only way…
For a moment, Rei felt something again…as if…he could feel happiness.
"Don't be afraid to let it out. Let me help you this time, okay? Isn't that what teammates... no, friends are for?" Nagisa smiled.
They both ran back upstairs, causing a small commotion as they turned on the lights to get the other four to wake up. This was after all, their unfinished business…together…all since that day…that started it all.
The lights kicked on as Makoto moaned, "Ugh, it's the middle of the night, turn off the lights."
Both Rin and Haruka tried to cover their heads with pillows and sheets, but Alex got up with a jolt of his emotions detecting something from Rei. He turns to see Nagisa and Rei standing in the center of the suite.
"I think we all need to get up," Alex said.
"Even…the others?" Makoto yawned.
"No…I think…this is between the six of us," the king answered.
With a grunt, Rin finally gets up followed by Haruka as the four stood on one side and the two on the other. The two crystals were floating in front of them as they saw what happened with Rei's.
"N-Nagisa?" Makoto looks at the blond holding Rei's hand.
"T-the crystals!" Rin gasped, "R-Rei's…it looks…"
"N-Nagisa…I-I don't know…about this," Rei said.
"I'm still here," the blond looks at him sharply, "Go on."
"W-what's going...on?" Alex asked but the blond simply led the megane towards him.
A strange aura was sensed between the two of them as Alex thought, I-impossible…I should have not felt anything in Rei's heart…but now…it's different.
"Anything's possible," Nagisa smiled.
"Nagisa?" Haruka asked.
Nagisa winks at Rei, then looks at Alex. He suddenly takes hold of his hand like two plugs as he replies, "This has been long enough. Ready, Rei-chan?"
"Y-yes…" Rei answered as his heart was racing.
Slowly, Nagisa brings both Alex and Rei's hands together. When he's confident they will be okay, he lets go, finally allowing the two to touch.
Nothing…no zaps, no bolts of electricity, just warmth…
The four gasped in shock as Alex cried out, "N-Nagisa?! H-How…"
"Oh my god!" Makoto gasped as his face almost trembled with a tear.
"There's always more…in you," Nagisa said, "Isn't that what Neo King Julius said…'plus est en vous'?"
Alex's eyes widened a bit as he does recall those powerful words from the other king. The four were in amazement on this bizarre hand link finally happening.
"R-Rei...you do know I am a married man, right?" Alex asked.
"Of course. I'm not doing this to win your hand…" Rei said.
Suddenly, the background around them turned into a quiet sea of water with beautiful clouds and a sun in the skies as they were all little kids again in this metaphor magic taking place. The kids were all dressed in a miniature version of their magical cloaks while Alex was wearing his yellow-golden cloak he donned from a while ago after sacrificing his life to break the first Dark Curse in Aeuropa.
"Rei-chan…you can do this!" Nagisa cheered him in his squeaky, happy voice.
Rei turns to Alex as he does feel his heartbeat stronger by the minute. At long last he lets go of the hand and hugs around him. Moments later, tears began to pour off.
"R-Rei, your emotions?!" Makoto gasped as they all noticed this.
"I can't let this go to waste," Rei said, "What Nagisa gave to me…just moments before…I can finally say something."
They look at each other as Rei released the hug, continuing, "I won't come between you or Kyle. I won't get in the way of your partnership, or your family.
"Those feelings of mine. They may have gone away, but I won't stop loving you! Even if it's in a different way. You deserve your happiness as I, too, deserve my own, whatever that may be.
"All I ask is your forgiveness for everything I've done. To you, to everyone. If nothing else... at least let me hear you say it while I'm still myself."
Moments after, the other four crystals emerged out of their bodies as pieces of light floated outwards. Alex looks at the megane with a hopeful look in his eyes.
"Rei, I always knew you'd find your way back from the moment you were released from the Shadow Mafia," Alex said, "From going to Articora, to creating Terabithia, to forgiving your other half like I did…together, all of that…I thank you, and I do forgive you."
"S-Sandro…" Rei gasped softly before covering his hands with his mouth on what he just said with a blush.
The four fragments of light drifted over to the Butterfly Crystal, prompting the team to realize that this newfound magic was helping the team to rebound once more.
"It's alright, your heart is being filled up with all of our own emotions," he smiled as the four bits of light finally drifted over to shrink the hole even further. Each attachment let out a small ripple of light radiating out from the crystal.
"You are the Swimming Guardian who protects the power of Beauty. So, promise me that you will be free from the past and all its scars...and maybe someday...together…"
With this, Rei finally weeps on his knees while one of his hands still held onto Alex. From there, the scenery changed back to normal as they were adults again with the Butterfly Crystal now shining once more. However, Nagisa noticed a small thin-line crack which meant something must be still missing.
But for now, he's definitely back, Nagisa thought.
"Dammit," Rin starts wiping his own tears as Makoto and Haruka smiled.
"It's all the little things that count too," Nagisa concluded.
With that said, the Magic Six finally make a group hug which this time...felt stronger than the first time they reunited. From there, Rei's crystal finally goes back into his body as he continues to cry with a blast of emotions he hasn't felt in a very long time. They all cried together.
The Wish Shop
Watanuki sits down, watching his scene from the water bowl and mutters, "Even with such a high price, they still found a way around it."
"Yeah...even now...Rei is finally feeling back to his normal self...despite that small little romance emotion of course within his other self," Mokona nods.
"I have a feeling the future is still yet to be decided," he replied.
With that, the Magic Six released their hug as Rei was finally smiling again...feeling a lot more whole than he ever had been for the first time in a long, long time. True, he still cannot give romantic feels to Alex, but he does have the confidence to at least be of a better assistance...and a friend.
"Welcome back, Rei Ryugazaki," Alex greeted him.
Still wiping his face, the megane answers, "Thank you…good to be back."
With this, Alex looks at the five of his guardians and continues, "Look, I know a lot has happened between us...and I will admit, I feel like I have been taking too much on the spotlight.
"S-Sandro-chan?" Nagisa asked.
"I promise all of you, the Olympics...will be a story for everyone. It's not my story alone...it's also all of yours. It will be our journey to swim again," Alex vowed.
"Our dream to reach the world stage," Haruka gasps softly.
"Is something that we all share for sure," Rin agrees.
"We started together, it'd be fitting we see it through to the end," Nagisa nodded.
"That's why...make sure, all of you throw your efforts into the relays regardless of who you swim with or against to," Alex instructed them.
"A rival yet friendship...something that I shared with Sousuke no doubt. And I wish to share that with you, Haru," Rin winks.
Haruka remained silent as Makoto chuckled.
"You know I only swim free," Haruka replied.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Rin rolled his eyes.
"You wouldn't be Haru if you didn't," Nagisa laughed.
"I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't think I could see any of us going it alone. It wouldn't be right," Rei added his commentary, "To swim together again...It's been far too long. Let's make this dream a reality. Alright?"
Nagisa hugged the megane again as the latter smiled, "I missed all of you. Now…let's get to bed for a restful sleep."
Next Morning:
Butterfly 100m
After a good breakfast and a warmup set of exercises, four butterfly swimmers readied themselves for this 'test event' to see where they would stand for the upcoming Olympics. A few requirements were reviewed and agreed upon in order to make it to the official event.
Makoto readies on the timer while Nao held the whistle at the ready. Rei, Asahi, Sousuke and Rin each took their stand on the diving blocks in their corresponding swim attire.
Now, let's see how you are Rei, Rin thought.
Don't focus too much on him, Rin...because I'll certainly come up from behind too, Sousuke warns the red head mentally.
"I am a genius...I am a genius...I am a genius..." Asahi mutters.
"Uh, you alright there?" Rei arches an eyebrow.
"Don't interrupt," Asahi replies softly before going back to whispering his mantra.
So not beautiful, Rei thought.
"Take your marks!" Makoto called out as the four bend over to ready the race. Nao blew the whistle and Makoto starts the timer as they all dove in nice and cleanly before unleashing their raging butterfly.
Haruka, Alex, Nagisa, Ai, Momo, Gou, Ikuya, Natsuya, and Aoba were sitting on the bleachers, cheering them all on.
"REI!" Alex and Haruka cheered him.
"REI-CHANNNN!" Nagisa cried out.
"ASAHI!" Ikuya shouted.
"SENPAI!" Momo cheered for both Rin and Sousuke.
"The four are really closing in on each other...and Rei especially has been faster now too...something changed," Natsuya spoke through his walkie-talkie to Nao.
"You mean you couldn't feel the shift in the atmosphere? Must be me," Nao chuckled in response.
"It's in the water," he shrugged.
The four approach the wall as Rin (in a red, fiery background) makes it to the flip first followed by Asahi (in orange-yellow background), Sousuke (in a teal-green background effect), and Rei (with a violet-colored sunrise background).
The megane was doing well at first but he knows that the other three have strong experience in the butterfly. Even still, his heart won't give up.
JINGLE-JINGLE
JINGLE-JINGLE
Rei gasped to himself as he could hear the bell of Articora once more. He had to stay focused on this race and hoped that nothing wrong was happening to his other self.
Moments later, the visions reach out to him as he stood in a prairie-like background with several hyacinth flowers and a morning-like sunrise. He saw two people emerging from the hill in a short distance. He gasped upon seeing…
"MOM!? DAD!?" he cried out.
The trio reunited together in a hug as the parents spilled tears to feel their son once more.
"Son, you have been truly impressive on your road to get to this point. We couldn't be prouder of you," Daisuke smiled.
"H-How are you both…!?" Rei gasped.
"We've always been with you...your heart," Kiaria points to his chest, "Now that you finally opened yourself up once more, we can finally reach out to you with our love, and forgiveness."
"Don't ever doubt we stopped loving you the moment things got bad," Daisuke added.
"I-I never d-doubted but…I couldn't see it all…till now, that I was always loved by so many," Rei wiped his face again, "I wish I got to know the two of you more. I'm sorry for what happened to your lives."
The parents hugged him as the mother instructs him, "Keep focus on your goal, sweet Rei."
"Get your spot to the World...we'll always be with you," Daisuke winks.
With this, the crystal appears again but now the scratch from last night was finally sealed, completing his heart as whole once more. A warmth of light rippled between the trio as Rei's resolve was finally 100%.
Back in reality, the water shifts again as Rei was kicking harder and reaching wider and wider, gaining speed and momentum towards the end of the race. The audience gasped to see him now closing in on the trio.
"REI-CHANNNNNNN!" Nagisa screamed again.
"GRAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Rin roars out, reaching his hand to the wall with Sousuke.
"YAAAAAAAAAHH!" Rei shouted in response to the encouragement.
The four strike their hands at the wall, revealing Rin to make it at first but Rei was surprisingly at second with Asahi. Sousuke ended up on third but the four smiled together as their times indeed were qualifiable to the Olympics despite the order of what they landed on in this race.
"Impressive...you really have been working hard," Rin smiled.
"R-Rin-san…" Rei sniffles a little, "T-thank you."
"I'll have to test you on the back sometime…" Sousuke makes a soft smirk to Rin.
"Oh you..." Rin shakes his head.
"I won't lose next time! I'll take you all down!" Asahi points to the stars.
From there, the four stepped out of the pool as they were greeted by the audience. Nagisa hugged him again as the megane thanked the entire group for this opportunity.
"I saw…my mom and dad for the first time since Articora," Rei revealed.
"EHHH!?" Gou, Nagisa, and Alex gasped.
"They were the ones to finish off healing my heart," Rei smiled, revealing his newly restored crystal with the scratch finally gone.
"Amazing…" Ikuya observed this.
"It's thanks to all of you," he said, "And to you especially Alex…we both have forgiven ourselves but now that we've forgiven each other, I have a feeling the future will be better for everyone."
Makoto approaches to the four swimmers, "All of you were fantastic out there. We will do further observations on your techniques in a detailed analysis video later."
"Hey, I can get the popcorn ready for that?" Nagisa asked.
"This isn't something we have to take lightly, Nagisa..." Ai sighed.
"Oh come on!" the blond moaned out, rubbing his head on Ai's shoulder. The silver-haired man blushed.
"At least offer something less salty..." Momo rolled his eyes.
From there, the next swim was the freestyle 100m. Haruka, Tsubasa, Seijuurou, Albert, and Rin readied themselves for this heat as they too were going to be tested on this. Alex initially was going to race but with the concern for his family in Lha'li and his own injuries from Terabithia, he rescheduled his test for another day.
"I'm sorry I can't join in this one," Alex said.
"You'll have your chance," Rin replied, "I can't imagine the duality of your life."
"Heh, well…at least most of the hard part is over," Alex chuckled.
"We have it all rescheduled now, so don't you worry," Nao agreed.
"Be sure you're ready for that one, no stepping back!" Sei grins.
"I look forward to it," he answered before returning to the bleachers where Rei was now up there likewise. As for Sousuke, he remained to be seen at the moment.
"Did he go somewhere?" Momo asked.
"No idea," Ai shrugged.
The five readied themselves at the diving block before stepping up.
"This will be interesting indeed," Rin grins.
"Now I get to whip all of you punks into shape. Hahahaha!" Seijuurou added before turning to his blue-haired rival boyfriend, "This will not be easy to keep up with me."
"Be careful there, make that two," Tsubasa grinned with a wink.
"Ready..." Makoto readies the timer before Nao whistles the race start.
The five dove in with intensity as Albert was taking on a shockingly far lead, throwing the four of them off.
"Oh my, Al-chan…" Nagisa gasped.
"He's like ¾ of the way to the wall!" Ikuya cried out.
Rin, Haruka, and Tsubasa gasped upon this as Seijuurou grunted with a semi-nervous smirk.
Bring it on, Seijuurou thought, this will be very interesting.
Albert makes to the wall to make his flip turn when an explosion of energy blasts him out of the pool, being flung into the air and crashing on the pool floor. The violent vibrations in the water stopped the other swimmers as they stood on their feet to see what happened to their competitor.
"OH MY GOD!" Alex cried out.
"A-AL-CHAN!?" Nagisa shouted.
Gou's eyes widened in horror as Momo and Ai looked at each other in panic mode. Ikuya cupped his hands over his mouth in terror.
"W-What the hell happened?!" Sousuke rushed into the bleachers.
Makoto and Nao quickly but carefully, made their way over to check on the fallen swimmer.
"What happened?!" Nao asked.
"Did you see that explosion of energy?" Makoto looked at him.
"I did but where did it come from?" the silver-lavender haired man asked before checking on Albert's vitals, "Hey, Albert…can you hear me? Breathe in and out carefully."
After signaling for a medic to come help, Makoto went to the other swimmers to get them out safely and sending them to a different direction.
"I can't believe this," Haruka muttered.
"Well, so much for this race," Seijuurou crossed his arms, "But his health does come first. Damn, what was that flash earlier?"
"I honestly thought it was going to shock all of us too since well…water and electricity don't mix," Tsubasa muttered.
Moments later, a bit of electrical sparks radiated out from Albert, forcing them to step back a little.
Alex tried to sense into Albert's emotions, but they were…blocked somehow.
"You can't sense anything?" Rei asked.
"No…it's like…a disconnection," he sighed.
"Is he...suffering some kind of brain damage?" Nagisa questioned this, "Because that almost looks like a seizure."
"I don't think that's the case. We'll have to monitor him if that is what is coming to pass," Rei rests his fist beneath his chin.
"What doesn't make sense is how he flung himself out of the pool like that. It's almost like something about him...is poisoned," Natsuya observed this.
Finally, the medic arrived, and they carefully placed Albert on the bed stretchers before departing towards the clinic area.
This sounds like a toss-up but, could Albert's power…be overloading maybe? No, what the hell am I thinking, Rei thought.
"We should notify his cousin of this predicament," Rei answered to the others.
"You sure that's a good idea?" Nagisa asked.
"We better," Sousuke agreed, "He's the closest one to him. And he has his own magic too...that could reach him."
Kaede's Suite
While cleaning himself up in the shower, Kaede grunted as he wanted to have participated in the freestyle event earlier. However, he was scheduled to do other training and thus had to adhered to it. Since being here for training and learning how to swim from his father, he learned very quickly and was already making results.
"I am going to make everyone look at me while swimming freestyle," he muttered, "I don't need any of their sympathy."
He brushed his teeth after showering up when some fly was clinging on the mirror. He tried to squash it when something happened in his reflection.
"W-Whaaa?!" he gasped.
"Don't be frightened..." the reflection spoke.
Kaede looked at this person before him, realizing that it was himself but dressed in some sort of fashion with a weapon on his back.
"C-crap…I'm gonna be enlisted too now?!" Kaede snarled.
"You and I, we have an important mission...this isn't the time for wallowing in self-pity," he replied.
"I have no interest in joining them," Kaede answered.
"You might not like it but things are going to get worse from here," the reflection spoke.
"And what do I get out of this?" Kaede narrows his eyes.
Suiei Kinjou points at him through the mirror, answering, "Your ability to swim free AND butterfly...you can have it both. You are after all, a son of a Swimming Guardian."
"And what about Kotetsu, hm? If he finds out I'm joining this little...soldier game..." Kaede answered.
"I don't think that will be a problem...I need you to wake up...my sleeping soul...you once had magic from the witches...but now it's time to flip that over. You don't have to agree with the other guardians, but...the Olympics will be at stake if nothing is accomplished from here," Suiei Kinjou looks at him.
Kaede finally touches the mirror as his own Suiei Heart Crystal appears with a feline-like symbol on his forehead, knowing that indeed, the time has begun to set forth for that destiny.
As Albert was being brought over to the medic with some ER like equipment. A couple of nurses and doctors (via contract as they rotate from Neo Sportsbrooke to here) checked up on the semi-comatose swimmer.
One of the nurses stepped in, "Make sure his vitals and IV are all on course!"
His EKG seemed to be running normally and the Blood-Oxygen level shown at 98%.
"How soon will it be for him to wake up?" Natsuya asked.
"Unknown," the nurse answered.
"Let us know and we'll get him under our supervision for his recovery, as appropriate," Nao informed them.
Magic Six Suite, ISW
The main group as well as Ikuya and Asahi were discussing all what went down during the set of races before Albert's incident.
"Does this mean Albert won't be able to swim for the Olympics?" Rin asked.
"No idea," Ikuya shrugged, looking at his phone, "Aniki hasn't replied back yet."
Alex stared out at the gray skies while Rei was looking at a book on anything that could've led to Albert falling unconscious. However, Nagisa kept bugging him that it could be possibly the magic growing too fast for him to control.
For a moment a flash of lightning was seen in the skies followed by a loud thundering noise. Moments later, a loud running of footsteps could be heard.
"UM GUYS?!" Hiyori gasped.
"W-what's the matter Hiyori?" Ikuya asked.
Hiyori showed them a photo on his phone with Kaede and the parents. However, upon taking a second look.
"WHAT THE?!" Asahi gasped.
"H-he's a Swimming Guardian too!?" Ikuya asked.
"No way…" Makoto muttered.
"But he's…a child still?" Rin tilted his head, "Mentally per se?"
"It's no wonder why he's grown so suddenly," Haruka muttered
Rin felt a vibration on his phone. It came from Gou who informed him that the message was sent to Oikawa about Albert's condition.
"Suiei Kinjou…" Nagisa muttered, "If he still uses that weird last name from the witch."
"Well it's better for that name instead of another Terashima," Rei shrugged.
"Good point," Nagisa winked.
Present Day:
Finally caught up to what happened to Albert, Oikawa looked at Natsuya and Nao and asked, "Was that the only incident as of…late?"
"As far as we know, yes," Nao replied.
"And you haven't found any reason as to why this is happening? Another curse?" he questioned.
"No curses identified," Natsuya reassured him.
"Then what is happening to him? Is there anything I can do to alleviate his suffering?" Oikawa offered.
"Rei thinks that his powers are overflowing...when he swam free that day, it was faster than even Haruka's. Not even 5 seconds into the race, Albert was already 3/4 of the way to the wall for the flip turn," Natsuya narrated.
"'Overloading'? How? He just acquired them," Oikawa grew slightly confused.
Iwamara Park
The skies outside were dark and misty as Kaede was sitting alone while looking at his Suiei Panthera Heart Crystal that was also embedded in his necklace. His eyes were fixated on this newly developed power, yet he couldn't tell his parents about it. However, it was no doubt from Kotarou that he knew one day the power of water would also enlist him, but the conversation did not go further.
With that, the bright-orange haired young adult grunted and rested his head backwards to look at the sky. Seconds later, a blonde-haired man was caught in his view.
"Well, I didn't think it was true, but here you are," Nagisa chuckled.
"You approach me again even after I said no," Kaede answered.
"I only took that as a joke after," Nagisa smiled, "Here. I found some Pocari."
He takes out a sparkling flavored water citrus drink. To his surprise, Kaede accepted it and opened the can easily and chugged it down.
"Well, you seem to know how to approach me well," Kaede remarked with a sigh of relief, "You catch on pretty quick."
"It's the closest thing I could find," Nagisa answered.
"Hm," Kaede replied, "Why are you here anyway? Did Hiyori open his mouth to you guys too?"
"Well um…" Nagisa rubbed the back of his own head.
"Anyway, I'll cut to the chase...I want no obligations to working with your team nor the rest of the guardians," Kaede answered.
"Is it because of how we fought before?" the blond asked.
"No," he takes a sip before continuing, "It's just...I don't feel like I am meant to have these powers in the first place. I want to live an ordinary life...now I'm worried I won't have a chance to be with him."
"Him…? Wait a sec, you already met someone?! Wow, you definitely grew up quick," Nagisa gasped.
"You probably saw him too. He came over that recent time. Was going to register as a breaststroke swimmer..." Kaede described the person.
"OOOHHH!? KO-CHAN!?" Nagisa's jaw dropped before calming down the excitement, "Come to think of it, he hasn't decided yet, hasn't he?"
"We've been texting back and forth," Kaede added. "
"Well, I suppose you're old enough to make your own decisions. Who am I to tell you how you live?" Nagisa shrugged, "I can only imagine what poisons you drank...back then."
"It wasn't fun...back in that weird fantasy mountain of doom and gloom. Not that I'm already like that myself," Kaede shrugged, "For someone like you, sounds like you've been through lots. I'm guessing there's more to the story than just all of you being together, huh?"
"Well...that's a story for another time. Probably when you're a little older," Nagisa winks.
Kaede kept silent on that as the blonde sighed and narrated the entire story, "All jokes aside, listen. We might present ourselves as champions of justice, fight for the right, and all that, but there's more to it than that.
"The witches perverted your mind of who we are, and who we were before the Suiei Gods stuff happened. We were swimmers. Struggling high schoolers trying to keep our club afloat, no pun intended.
"It was only the three of us when we started it up. To even get to the world of competition, we needed a fourth person and that's how I found Rei-chan.. Later, we rekindled our bond with Rin, and then his school aligned with ours.
"Before we could even step into our own, well...that's when all the drama happened. The Suiei Gods woke up and we inherited their powers. We were tasked to drive back those of evil intention.
"Then, Alex came into our lives. Let me tell you what a rollercoaster that was. He was so withdrawn and closed off that it made Rei's attitude a piece of cake.
"The only part that I am familiar of is how the team fell apart and that it took eons for all of you to get back. Not that I wanted to hear it, but...my father would talk about it a lot. It was the day that I was reborn...apparently too," Kaede reflected.
"Your father... and I guess you, too, came from a world different from ours, though. You came from a world where we triumphed. I'm from a realm where we failed," Nagisa lowered his head, "It was tough getting everyone back together. I didn't think it'd be possible. After all, we were in that hellish dimension where we were the worst aspects of ourselves."
"I'm so sorry," Kaede answered.
"Now it's time to stop beating around the bush and be out with it. You want a normal life, right? You want to feel indebted to anyone, I take it? Then, don't be," Nagisa answered, "Your power is your own, Kaede. As far as you're concerned, you owe no fealty to the ones we are meant to serve. Well, serve is a bit harsh. Let me rephrase. Maybe, it's kind of the same thing, but different.
"Our powers, we use to protect not only the two kings, but ourselves, too. Those we care and love. For me, I want to use my power to defend the smiles of Rei, of Haru, Makoto, Rin, Alex, everyone.
"I might have made an oath to royalty, but they are my friends first and foremost. They're the ones I love, after all. Maybe... that's what your powers are meant for as well? To protect someone, you care about?
Kaede felt his phone vibration from an incoming text message. He opens it up to see the message from Kotetsu as his eyes widened in shock.
"I'll be back to join the team! Be ready for some hardcore competition!"
"It's the little things that make life worth living," Nagisa smiled.
Kaede blushed a moment before returning himself back to reality, asking, "Hey um…listen. I know what I just said earlier but…could you…um…possibly help me?"
"Help you…?" Nagisa looks at him.
"My magic…" Kaede said, "I know I'll need to be trained but I don't want the entire department to get involved with me. I just want to make sure that I can work with this and with enough confidence, take care of my own battles."
"Alright, then it's settled," Nagisa agreed, "I'll keep this between us. But there will be a lot to learn from here on out."
"Thank you," Kaede answered before getting up, "I'm gonna head to the food truck. See you later."
Back at the Clinic, Oikawa sits down on a chair, waiting for Albert to wake up. Natsuya and Nao departed the area to resume their work schedule on training the swimmers. Oikawa could only pray and hope that Albert will soon wake up from all this.
Finally, the cream-haired former prince stirs awake slowly, muttering, "A dream…"
"A-ALBERT!" Oikawa gasped, hugging him with joy.
"H-hey...not so tight!" Albert gasped for air as Oikawa releases the hug after a moment.
"Are you okay? You're not hurt? Oh, thank goodness, you're awake. You had me frightened there," Oikawa answered.
"Cousin, I...I don't think I should keep swimming," Albert answered.
Tooru breaks the hug, but keeps his arms on his cousin's shoulders while he looks him in the eyes, "W-what? Why? You were enjoying yourself. Why do you want to give it up?"
"I-it's just…" he pauses before continuing, "I feel...nothing...I don't feel...myself. I outpace so many of them...breaking numbers like you couldn't imagine. Some days, I have to sit out because they need to improve themselves.
"And now I'm a Swimming Guardian...without a purpose. For what do I owe this power to? If I don't fit in with them while swimming, how could I even help contribute saving the world?"
After a moment, Oikawa asked, "Did you ever think why you wanted to swim in the first place?"
"I thought...maybe it would be a fresh start," Albert said.
"Was that your only reason?" he narrows his eyes a little.
Before Albert could answer, a smell of food was in the air. Haruka walks in with a dish of mackerel, rice pilaf, and some cooked vegetables.
"H-Haru...k-ka?" Albert gasped.
"Oh, Nanase - er, I mean, Haru! Hmm?" Oikawa sniffs the air.
Haruka walks over to present the dish to Albert, "Do you remember when you first tried this? It was on the first day you were going to start your training."
"I-I do..." Albert recalled.
"Mackerel?" Oikawa tilts his head a little.
"It's seasoned to perfection," Haruka noted as Albert accepted the dish and took the first bite. It felt warm, soft, and indeed delicious to the seasoning.
"Swim your own way, don't feel pressured by what others are doing. Even if your power is a different scale than ours," Haruka said.
"He's right, you know," Oikawa agreed.
"You don't have to join our cause if you feel pressured because you have powers now. Use them to find your own happiness...as long as you know the price of using that magic," Haruka explained.
Finally losing his emotions, Albert wipes the face of his tears, "I lost our home...those memories were destroyed. I came here with Tooru to start over...little did we realize there was already unfinished business between his community.
"And now this..."
"Albert...Listen. Even you have to admit, back in Gonisogeth, we were never able to be who we wanted to be," Oikawa sighed, "We were confined in that cage, forced into roles chosen for us. True, we've had some happy occasions back home, but...In reality, we did the right thing to leave. To start anew.
"I'd like to think we've accomplished half that goal already. Keep striving for what makes you happy, cousin. And don't let what happened with me enforce your decision. Choose for yourself.
"I still don't know what my mission is as a guardian but...I do want to keep swimming..." Albert answers.
By sundown a few more days later, Kyle and the girls finally returned to Iwamara as the two kings embraced their reunion. However, Kyle noticed something off about his husband but waited to call him out after the girls were out of their range.
"I'm just glad you're all back," Alex smiled, "It must have been such a journey!"
"Um…honey?" Kyle looks at him.
"What?" Alex answered, confused.
"You know full well I know whenever you're upset about something. You can't hide it from me," Kyle answered back, "Your arms are even shaking a little. And besides, the moment after you and Ana got back here, something did feel off."
Realized it was too late, Alex hid his trembling arms behind his back but sighed, "I-I'm not upset…just conflicted."
"Conflicted? About what?" Kyle asked.
"…It's a long story," he sighed, "After finding out what happened back in Terabithia well…"
"Terabithia? What about Terabithia? What's going on there? Is there... another conflict on the horizon?" Kyle asked.
"Yes um…turns out the Legend of the BIONICLE...does exist," Alex chuckled sadly.
"BIONICLE? Wait, the toyline and all those books and comics?!" he gasped.
"Yes. I met someone from that realm...he came to Terabithia to find the runes in Articora...believing that there are clues that could help save their home. His powers are far different than ours..." Alex revealed.
"I didn't really get around to investing time in the series, so I'm a little in the dark. Dang, I knew I should have picked up a book or something when I had the chance," Kyle went off tangent before going back to the main conversation, "Anyway, what about his powers are 'different'?"
"He is one of the Element Lords...this case, the Jungle. But that's not the only problem we have..." Alex revealed.
"W-what else happened?" Kyle narrowed his eyes a little.
"There has been another awakening...a new Swimming Guardian," he revealed.
"Another one?! Who now?!" Kyle gasped.
"He…he's from that one family, the son," Alex answered.
"Huh? The witch?" he looked confused.
"God no!" Alex gasped, trying to rub the image off away from his mind, "It's Kaede..."
"Ummmmmm…isn't he just...?" Kyle makes an estimated guess about his height up to his chest, "Ney big? A child?"
"He's grown apparently. Still trying to cram education in though too...doesn't seem to be doing too bad last I heard. But...Kyle...um...listen..." he begins to stutter.
"What's wrong?" Kyle looks at him.
After a moment of silence, he continues, "I'm a bit scared to be honest. A lot of things have been happening both here and Terabithia. Do you think, we're causing all this mess?"
"What do you mean?" Kyle's voice starts to discern.
"Why we have more guardians? More battles? Even back then...in the ancient times..." Alex muttered.
"Sandro, why would you think that? How is it we're the ones responsible for what's going on?" Kyle almost raised his voice in panic.
"Because our powers are so strong now! We're attracting more darkness!" he panics.
"I didn't...imagine…that would be the case," Kyle calms his husband down, "It can't be our fault! No way!"
"All these guardians have put up with our shit! And all I ever wanted them was to swim again and reunite with their families! I feel like we've become a burden to them!" he cries in Kyle's arms as they both embraced a hug.
"Sandro…" Kyle wipes his tears.
"Since coming into their lives in Japan...I took their freedom away..." Alex continues his lament.
"You couldn't have known what was going to happen. None of us did. None of you could have guessed that..." Kyle reassures him but realized it wasn't calming him down before realizing, "This whole thing was thrusted onto you guys, wasn't it?"
"Before I met you, Odysseus...I remember I'd go out to the sea...and it would always relax my worries. That was even before I started to take over the world. And now...I'm starting to realize...I feel like now...I'm unwittingly doing it again...these guardians are like the armies from the past..." Alex replied.
"So what do you want to do? You're not insinuating...we disband them. Are you? It wouldn't be right...but at the same time, I-I can't imagine…" Kyle muttered.
"I just hope...we can get through to the Olympics. I've been praying almost every night...that we can get through that festivity without anything to worry about..." he looks at him, "They've worked so hard to get to that point...I'm worried this upcoming battle will once again, derail their dreams."
"I want to see this through to the end myself, too. All of us there. Racing in the lanes. Standing before the crowd, giving them a show, they will never forget. Demonstrating all our hard work paid off," Kyle agreed.
They both released the hug as Alex wiped up the last of his tears.
"One last thing," he begins, "I was going to tell you later but...you might see a much happier and more devoted Rei here. We all found a way to...dilute his curse a bit."
"W-wait, you…found a way to stop his curse?" Kyle's eyes widened a little.
"Rei...was losing more emotions than we realized...not just the love...but even the fact to care or respect on a regular basis. He was acting so cold lately," he explained, "It turns out, his Butterfly Heart Suiei Crystal had a hole in it."
"A hole…huh," Kyle muttered.
"So, the five of us, we took a piece of our power from our own crystals, to fill it up...while taking some of the 'void' in ours to weaken it," he smiled, "True, his price is still in effect, but...at least he's no longer cold nor distant."
"Well that's good you all have managed to help him," Kyle answered.
He gives his husband a kiss, "I apologize for the venting earlier but I'm glad I could tell you my feelings...I am so blessed to be with you...Odysseus."
"And I, you, Alexander," he smiled as he kissed his hand before kissing on the cheek.
"How is our baby girl? is she getting ready for her big day?" Alex switched topics.
"Well for one, she's not turning into Bridezilla, so that's a plus," he chuckled.
"She's always had that pure heart...like my brother," Alex smiled, "I vowed to all of them...that we will give them their best chance for their happy ending. That future will be for all of us!"
Finally, the girls arrive to reunite with Alex as he gives his biological daughter a hug, "I'm so happy for you Ana!"
"Dad...are you okay?" she notices the tear stains on his face.
He looks at her and replies, "It's...been difficult for me lately, but I think this point onward...there is hope for all our dreams to come true...from yours, to the swimmers...the skaters...volleyball...everyone."
Anastasia showed him the photos from all the outfits they wore in Lha'li. It was definitely like those of the Middle Eastern fashion.
"Wow, this is definitely quite the show," he looks at them in awe, "I'm sure they'll have to make one for me as well."
"We'll have to measure you out or something," Laura replied.
"Well papa can always use the crystal," Anastasia shrugged.
"I think...that's enough magic for now. I rather have something be homemade and tailored to," he answered.
"We'll just get your measurements and I'll let my folks know," Roxana shrugged.
"Sure," Alex nodded.
The family returned back to the ISW as the gang had some small celebration ready for the engaged couple. A bit of pizza, drinks, and other varying appetizers were brought over from Dodo's with help from Oikawa. The soon-to-be couple announced their wedding date to occur after the Olympics, bringing more excitement to the table.
~Close Up Memories 4 END~
