Starman continued to charge up Space Oddity, running around the park with great determination. Yasuha on the other hand, had begun to lose hope. The reality that he could practically do nothing to stop Starman had now started to set in, and so he laid on the soft grass of the park. He looked up at the sky, thinking to himself, "I could've helped him. If I raised that shield just a bit higher, I could've saved him from that fourth knife. But I couldn't. It's all my fault. Hell, if Taka never even met me, this would've never happened."
There were nearly no stars visible in the sky, the intense light pollution from the cities blocking them all out. Dark was the night sky and cold was the ground of the park. Yasuha no longer felt the raging fury he once had in his mind, instead, he only had hopelessness in his mind. A deep, sad, sinking feeling that he had failed everyone. He stared at the sky, truly believing that he was in his last moments. As Starman continued to run around, he calmly said, "It seems you've finally come to your senses. Good job. Didn't think you had it in you."
Yasuha didn't respond, simply continuing to stare at the night sky. There was light wind, which brushed against Yasuha's pink and yellow hair. Yasuha began to think of his Dad. That moment in which he was shot and killed still resonated with him, despite how long ago the event had been. And now, the same man that had claimed the life of his father had now also claimed the life of his new friend. He began to think of everyone he ever knew, even the bad people. He thought of Big Moe and Chris Dolmeth, the men who had made Yasuha's life a hell for the past 5 years.
Yasuha wished to apologize to Taka. Although Taka's final words to Yasuha were his apology for what he believed to be his failing, Yasuha felt as if he was the one at fault. He couldn't properly protect Taka, and now, he had given up on trying to defeat Starman. "Everyone I ever knew... my Dad, Taka, those guys from the internet... all gone. All killed by Starman. Why did this have to happen? Why did it have to be my Dad? Why did it have to be me who got thrusted into all of this? I never wanted any of this. I have the worst luck ever."
As Yasuha continued to lay on the ground, he suddenly heard a voice. "Yo. Yasuha!" It clearly wasn't Starman's. It sounded nothing like him. Yasuha would then realize the voice was that of Taka! Immediately, he sat up, dashing his head around, trying to find him. "Ayyy, Yasuha! What're you doin'? Why're you just layin' on the floor when Starman is RIGHT there?" Yasuha exclaimed, "Wh- TAKA!? Where the hell are you!? I thought you were dead!" As Yasuha continued to look around, he noticed a shining golden yellow figure, floating above. It resembled Taka.
Taka exclaimed, "Yasuha! Get the hell up! Did I pass away for this!? Just for you to sit on your ass? I thought you were better than that!" Yasuha yelled, "Taka! Are you some kind of spirit!? You're floating, and you're all golden and shiny! Is that actually you!?" Taka said, "That doesn't matter. Yasuha, you ate that pizza. That golden pizza which rested on my chest. That should have granted you some kind of power. Something useful, hopefully. Trust me. Just- try to fight Starman! What would your Dad think if he had found out that his son had simply quit while fighting his murderer?"
Taka looked directly into Yasuha's eyes. "Listen. You spent all those years slaving away and letting these criminals take control of your life. Recently however, you made a turnaround. You stood up to those dickheads and kicked their asses! So why're you givin' up now!? This is your sworn enemy! I don't care how impossible the task seems, just try to do anything! Even if you fail, at least you can pass away knowing you died trying! You're better than this! Don't spend your possibly last minutes laying on the floor and feeling sorry for yourself!"
Yasuha exclaimed, "W-Wait, Taka, if you're here- why can't you help me?! You're a spirit! What's Starman gonna do against a ghost!?" Taka laughed, "Am I really a spirit?" Yasuha was confused by the cryptic answer, saying, "Huh?" Taka smiled, and as a gust of wind passed by, he disappeared. Yasuha was perplexed by what had just occurred. Was that truly Taka's ghost he was talking to? Or was it a mere materialization of his will to keep fighting? He didn't know. What he did know however, is that he was now ready to kick Starman's ass, or die trying.
However, Starman suddenly yelled, "I'm nearly finished! The new world is mere seconds away!" He jumped up high in the air, and came crashing down, yelling, "SPACE ODDITY! THE NEW WORLD WILL NOW ARRIVE!"
TO BE CONTINUED
