Part 3 of DITF: 1000 Years Later. Hope you enjoy it!
"WHAAAAAT!?" Hiro and Iota screamed in unison
Kitaroshi jumped back a bit in surprise at their sudden outburst, but after he looked at their shocked faces, he couldn't help but burst out in laughter.
Hiro and Iota gave each other awkward glances as their eccentric kidnapper proceeded to laugh on.
"Oh my god, your reactions to that couldn't have been any more hilarious!" Kitaroshi said in between laughs
"Yea, yea, very funny. But seriously, your telling us that we are the reincarnations of the literal saviors of humanity!? What proof do you have, how do you even know?!" Hiro yelled
Kando stopped laughing and expressed a slightly serious look on his face.
"I was not lying to you when I said that. With all of the data my company has collected on you, there are just to many similarities between you and them that it can't be called coincidence," said Kitaroshi
"Wait...what do you mean by 'data?' Just how my dirt do you have on us?" Asked Iota with a concerned look on her face
Kando gave a triumphant laugh as he look back at them with a massive smile.
"Why, Franxxinus Industries knows everything about you two! You have been monitored from basically the moment you were born, and no one, not even your parents, knows of my actions!" Kitaroshi said with a big smile
"Okay, I'm starting to think you're way more dangerous than you look," said Hiro with a sigh
"My dear boy, I pose no danger to either of you. Besides, I have a long standing family promise to keep, so hurting you would never be an option!" Kando said dramatically
Hiro and Iota gave each other confused looks
"Family promise?" They both asked in unison
Kitaroshi looked at the two with an expression neither of them could read.
"That subject is for when your memories of your past lives are recovered. In the meantime, I would like to show you around the complex while we discuss the process of getting those millennia old memories back in your youthful heads. After all, if you decide to go along with what I have to say, then that would make matters so much easier!" Kitaroshi said as he walked past the two kids and stood on his doorway
Hiro and Iota reluctantly followed Kitaroshi out into the hallway, with the man who brought them to Kitaroshi walking close behind.
"Hey, Mr. Kitaroshi, just who is this guy anyways? I know he was the one who brought us to you, but other than that, we know nothing about him," Iota stated as she gestured to the man behind them
Kitaroshi looked at the man and smiled.
"Ah, yes, I do apologize for not introducing him sooner. This is my private bodyguard, and he was also the same man who incapacitated you two and brought you two here!" Kitaroshi said
"That's great...really nice to know..." Iota said in a miserable tone
"This man is also one of my oldest friends as well, I knew him since my early years. Now bear with me here, his name is Corvic Roppyaku Rokujoroku. You can just call him Mr. Roppyaku to make it easier, but I just call him Corvic," Kitaroshi said as he smiled playfully at Corvic
"Ugh...I thought I told you not to tell people my full name. I don't like how long it is," Corvic complained
"Oh come on Corvic, just let these kids get to know you better," Kitaroshi said with a pout
Corvic just sighed and then remained silent afterwards. Iota and Hiro looked back at him, wondering what kind of person he was.
The four continued walking down the corridors until Kitaroshi piped up again.
"That's right, the whole point of this little tour was to discus my plans with you!" Kitaroshi said a he turned around to face Iota and Hiro while walking backwards
"Okay...what is your plan? How are we supposed to regain memories from our past lives?" Asked Hiro
"Well, I'm certainly glad you asked. Tell me, have you two ever heard of the Infinite Soul theory?"
Hiro and Iota were completely confused
"Infinite Soul theory? I don't even want to guess what that's supposed to mean. Sounds like some dumb name from a cartoon or something," said Iota
"Ah, but you see, it is not some fantasy cartoon mumbo-jumbo, it is a real theory, one that many scientists have yet to prove. I intend to be this first to do so, and you two will be my proof to the world that this theory is not just theory, but true scientific fact! It's hitting two birds with one stone, you'll get your past lives back, and I'll be making the largest scientific discovery since magmatic energy!" Kitaorshi said with excitement
"So...lemme see if I have this right, you're saying that we are your test subjects for this 'Infinite Soul theory?' You still haven't told us what it is yet, so how can you even be on the topic of using us as guinea pigs yet?" Iota said, clearly annoyed
"Ah yes...Er...my mistake. Infinite Soul theory is the notion that humans do indeed possess a soul that can exist after death. This theory first first came into being when a scientist by the name of Tanjiro Hyaku Kyujuroku suggested the idea that souls can persist after the physical body is destroyed and or is worn out by age. This scientist came up with the idea while researching the VIRM and how they were able to tear the souls of the living away from their bodies," Kitaroshi exclaimed
"Oh wow...so this really is serious," Iota mumbled to herself
"Yes my dear, this is very serious. You two have exhibited the prime 'symptom' that indicates that you can remember your past lives, and that comes in the form of yo-"
"Our dreams...the dreams that we've been having are our souls trying to reach out to us," Hiro said as he interrupted Kitaroshi
Kitaroshi gave an excited cheer.
"YES! YES! Exactly! That is exactly what I believe is happening! The memories of your past lives still exist in your souls, and those memories are calling out to you! My boy, you truly are remarkable!" Kitaroshi said happily
Hiro smiles with pride, but he noticed that Iota had a look of uncertainty on her face
"Iota, what is it?" Asked Hiro
"I still don't get it...our souls are trying to make us remember our past lives, but I keep on thinking the same thing...why are they?" Said Iota
This was when Kitaroshi piped up again.
"I believe I may have the answer to your question my dear Iota. You see, I believe that it was no mere coincidence that you started having the dreams right after you two met. You see, the people that you once were were madly in love with each other. It could be that the love you shared with Hiro in your past lives somehow caused your souls to gravitate towards each other until you finally met again in person in your current lives," Kitaroshi explained
"Wait...m-me and Hiro were...were i-in l-l-love?!" Iota said, clearly flustered
Hiro on the other hand was much more calm.
"That could very well explain it. If what you say is true about memories of past lives living on within the soul, then love would definitely count as a memory. Maybe it was our love in our past lives was what drew us together, almost as if a string was tied around both our souls," Hiro exclaimed
"That is an excellent analogy Hiro, you're probably on to something here. Strong emotional bonds could very well cause souls to gravitate to each other," said Kitaroshi
"So, these memories are still in our souls, but how are we supposed make ourselves remember?" Iota asked
"To answer that Iota, we will make our first stop," said Kitaroshi as he stoped in front of a door
Kitaroshi input a code onto a keypad, the did a thumbprint and eye scan to unlock the door. Upon entering, the four were inside an observation room that was separated from the neighboring room by a huge glass window and a door. On the other side of the window were two chairs that were connected to a very elaborate looking machine.
"Okay...this doesn't look off putting in the least," Hiro said sarcastically as he looked at the machine
"What even is that thing? It looks like some kind of elaborate torture device," Iota said in disgust
"Well, if used in a certain way...it can be used for torture if I wanted to," Kitaroshi said with a smile
Iota and Hiro both looked at Kitaroshi with slightly worried looks. Kitaroshi noticed this a quickly explained things
"I do apologize for scaring you like that, I was just making a joke"
"Yea funny joke," Hiro said sarcastically
"Yea, really funny," said Iota in similar fashion
Kitaroshi just smiled awkwardly and turned to face the complex device on the other side of the glass
"This machine allows for one or two people to access the deepest parts of their memories. The machine itself is called the Vital Memory Recovery System, or the VMRS for short. I've only ever tested it on single subjects, so linking two peoples minds to the machine at the same time is a new experience for me," Kitaroshi said with an embarrassed smile
"Yea...I'm staring to like this plan of yours less and less. You agree with me, right Hiro?" Iota asked as she turned to look at Hiro
Hire however, wasn't looking at her, he was looking at the machine on the other side of the window. He gazed at the complex contraption with a look of seriousness on his face. Iota knew exactly what Hiro was thinking.
"Hire, you cant possibly want to go through with this. What good would it be for you to remember a life that you don't even live anymore?" Iota asked
Hire tuned to face Iota, keeping a serious look on his face.
"Iota, think about it. Our souls...No...our lives could be connected. Against all odds, we were drawn together. After hearing everything that Kitaroshi said, it couldn't have been coincidence that we met under the Great Sakura that night, and it couldn't have been coincidence that we started having the same kinds of dreams on the exact same night!" Said Hiro, his voice full of emotion
"Iota...What if we're are meant to remember? What if the sole reason we even met that night was for this moment, a chance to remember who we once were?"
Iota took a few steps back from Hiro, her face contorted with emotion. She had never thought of it the way Hiro had just explained. What if they were meant to meet? What if their lives had led up to this very moment, the chance to accept the offer to remember who they once were...
"Iota...I think we should take this chance," said Hiro as he put his hands on Iota's shoulders
Iota's eyes started to fill with silent tears. She slowly hugged Hiro, who hugged her back
"Okay...I'll trust you Hiro...lets give this a go," Iota said quietly
Both of them turn to face Kitaroshi, who was smiling at the two. They both gave him a slow nod, letting him know that they were willing to go through with this plan.
"Excellent choice my friends, but convincing you was the easy part, now it's time for the...relatively difficult part," Kitaroshi said as he walked towards the door to leave the room
"What could be harder than convincing us? We are the only ones who actually have these memories," Hiro said as he and Iota followed KItaroshi and Corvic out of the room
"Well you see...there could be some...side effects of you two regaining your memories. So there are some very particular people we need to convince in order to do this little procedure," Kitaroshi said
"And who could that be?" Hire and Iota both asked
Kitaoshi stopped for a moment and turned to face the two, with a serious look in his eyes
"Why, your parents of course," Kitaroshi said before he turned around and started walking again
Franxxinus Industries Private Conference Room...
Kitaroshi unliked the door to the conference room and let Iota and Hiro inside. Waiting for the two inside were Iota's parents, and Hiros's mother, Mireya
The parents had clearly been worrying, because as soon as they got a glimpse of their children, they each stood up and went to hug them.
"Hiro, are you okay dear? Did they do anything to you?" Miraeya asked as she let go of Hiro
"No mom, me and Iota are fine, they didn't do anything weird or experimental if that's what you're asking," Hiro said in response
Though Hiro's mother was rather calm about the situation, God knows why, Iota's parents were understandably furious with Kitaroshi.
"What made you think you could kidnap our daughter like that, huh?! And on top if that, you also kidnaped Hiro as well?! Just who the hell do you think you are, you think that just because you're rich and powerful, that you can just up and take our daughter?!" Iota's father said furiously
Iota's father was named Taiji Nibanme, he worked for a pharmaceutical company that specialized in treatment for fatal diseases. Iota's mother was named Kokoa Nibanme, and she worked as a lawyer in the criminal justice department.
"Your actions were beyond illegal Mr. Kitaroshi! If I weren't even the least bit curious as to why you of all people would do such a thing, I would've had your ass arrested the moment you called us!" Said Iota's mother
"I know I know, and I am tremendously sorry for the measures I had to take, but I can assure you that my reasons for doing so were not malicious in any way," Kitaroshi said calmly
"You still haven't even told us yet why you kidnaped my daughter and Hiro in the first place! You have no right to apologize to us!" Said Iota's father
"Taiji, please calm down, at least let the man explain himself before you go any further with your outburst," Miraeya said, trying to diffuse the situation
Iota's father, though visibly still angry, sat back down in his chair. Iota's mother did the same.
Kitaroshi let out a heavy sigh and put on a smile perfect for presenting.
"Now, the reason I have called you here today is to discuss my reasonings behind kidnapping your two children. I can assure you that I did nothing to them in their time here, and I can assure you that no harm will come to them by my or anyone in this building's hands."
Iota's father rolled his eyes as Kitaroshi continued on.
"The reason that I brought your two children here was because I believe that they are two very important individuals."
"What do you mean by "important?" What is it about them that was so eye catching to you?" said Iota's mom
"Tell me, have any of you heard of the Infinite Soul Theory?" Kitaroshi asked the parents
"You mean that crackpot theory about how people have souls that store their memories even after death and reincarnation? If you ask me, that's a load of crap," said Iota's father
"Well, that's the reason that I brought them here. I believe that your children are the prime candidates to prove that this theory is in fact true," Kitaroshi said calmly
"Your kidding? You kidnaped our child because you wanted to prove that humans have souls?" Iota's mother said in annoyance
"Well...your child, along with her friend have exhibited remarkable traits that indicate they may be remembering memories from a past life."
"Oh really now? And what could they possibly be remembering from their so called "past lives?" There's no way that that theory could be proven." Iota's mother said in response
At that moment, it was Mireya that suddenly realized that there was a way that the children could be remembering.
"His dreams..."
"Hm? Did you say something?" Asked Kitaroshi
"His dreams...could the dreams that Hiro had been having...could those be those memories you're talking about?" Asked Mireya
"YES! Exactly right Ms. Kuuroku. Hiro, as well as Iota, have been having near identical dreams ever since the day they first met!" Kitaroshi said with a smile
"Wait...dreams? Iota, could this man be talking about those dreams you always tell us you have?" Asked Iota's father as he turned to look at her
"Yes, although I only found out recently, me and Hiro have been having the same kinds of dreams. What's more, were both remember having the first of those dreams on the same night that we first met," Iota explained
"Well...that could be because you meeting each other was such an important moment in your lives. It's not uncommon for people to relive past moments of their lives in their dreams," said Iota's father
"That is, if you ever lived in the giant mobile cities before," Kitaroshi said as he joined the conversation
"Excuse me, what do those have to do with this?" Asked Iota's mom
"You see, I had some of my subordinates interview Iota privately while Hiro was still asleep front the tranquilizer that I had my men use against him-"
"Tranquilizer?!" Mireya said in shock
"NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW"
"Now, where was I? Ah yes, Iota. I had some of my subordinates interview Iota about her dreams before Hiro woke up. Though she was understandably hesitant at first, she eventually opened up. She said she saw the mobile cities from his history lessons, along with blurred faces of a group of people, and a house surrounded by green. The images in her dreams never stayed consistent, except for one thing. In every dream, she saw a boy with wavy black hair," Kitaroshi said
"A boy with black hair...that almost sounds like Hiro," Iota's father said as he looked at Hiro
"Indeed it does, and she also told me about his dreams as well, since he did disclose them with her before I "borrowed them" for a while. Hiro's dreams were the same, except he saw a different person in every one. He saw a girl with red horns and pink hair, and I think we all know who that sounds like," said Kitaroshi with a smile
"That sounds like our Iota!" Said Iota's mother
"Yes...and no. You see, the fact that these two dreams are so similar, means that it can be purely coincidence. However, the people in their dreams do match perfectly with two others who died long ago. And the fact that they also see the mobile cities in their dreams leads to me to believe something truly marvelous,"
"What could that be? Who are the people in their dreams then if its not each other?" Asked Mireya
A huge grin appeared on Kitaroshi's face
"Oh boy...here we go," Iota and Hiro thought to themselves
"I, along with my entire research division, believe that Iota and Hiro are the reincarnations of Parasites 016 and 002, aka, Hiro and Zero Two. In other words, we believe that your children are the reincarnated versions of the same two people responsible for the salvation of not only our planet, but the entire human race approximately one millennia ago."
Silence fell over the room as those words left Kitaroshi's mouth. The parents all had a look of utter disbelief plastered on their faces, while Iota and Hiro tried to remain as poker faced as they could. It was then that Iota's father, Taiji, stood up, a look of pure anger on his face.
"YOU REALLY EXPECT US TO BELIEVE THE BULLSHIT THAT'S COMING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH? You expect me to believe that my daughter is some reincarnated savior?!" Tajii said furiously
"Well...I knew you wouldn't believe me if I just told you. But please allow me to show you the proof that my team has gathered over the many years of surveillance we have conducted."
"Please, how can you possibly prove that our daughter was the savior of humanity in a past life? You agree with me, right Kokoa?" Iota's father said smugly while looking towards his wife
"..."
"Kokoa?"
"...show us..." Iota's mother said quietly
"Kokoa...you can't be serious," Iota's father said in shock
Iota's mother had a serious look on her face as she turned to face her husband
"In my years of work, I know a liar when I see one. I notice their lies in their eyes, in the look of their expressions. This man...this man is not a liar. Not in the least," Iota's mother said
Iota's father sat down slowly, trusting that his wife knew what she was talking about. With that, Kitaroshi began to show all of the data he had compiled over the years
"First off, the most obvious thing we noticed was their appearance," Kitaroshi said as he put up Hiro and Iota's pictures side by side with Hiro and Zero Twos pictures
"As you can see they are completely identical, all of their appearances match with each o-"
"Wait, but my son doesn't have horns like the boy in the other photo," Mireya said as she pointed at the screen
Kitaroshi got a puzzled look on his face as he turned to look at Hiro
"You...you didn't tell her? Ah...of course you didn't," Kitaroshi said with a small smile
Mireya looked over at her son with a look of confusion on her face. Hiro with a look of guilt, slowly lifted his hair out of the way to reveal two blue horns. Mireya's expression changed from that of confusion to surprised sadness.
"I'm sorry mom..."
Miraeya didn't say a word, she just looked down in her lap as Kitaroshi continued
"As I was saying, their appearances are all identical to one another. Next on the list of similarities are their names," Kitaroshi said as he pulled up a new screen
"Hiro, well he's obvious. He shares the same identical name as the one Parasite 016 gave to himself. Iota on the other hand, she is a more special case. Though in her past life, her name was Zero Two, that wasn't the first name she was given. Her original name before Hiro gave her the name of Zero Two was in fact Iota."
"Okay...so they look the same, and their names are the same. But that's not enough to prove anything yet. There are plenty of cases where people of different backgrounds look the same, this is probably just another one of those cases," said Iota's father
Kitaroshi smiled
"You won't be saying that when I'm done with their names," Kitaroshi said as he continued pulling up new data on the holo screen
"Their first names aren't nearly enough proof, but their last names, their family names...now those are something else."
"Hiro's last name is Juuroku, the name that his father had. Now, you may be wondering, what does last names have to do with this? Well, you'd be Thoroughly surprised. In actuality, Juuroku is the name of a number in the Japanese language, and that number...just so happens to be 16."
"Holy crap..." Hiro said to himself
Mireya had a look of utter surprise on her face.
"Now for Iota," Kitaroshi said as he continued on
"Iotas last name is Nibanme, her father's last name. In the Japanese language, Nibanme does not stand for any specific number. However we discovered that when translated into English, it means 'second.' Now what number represents being second?" Kitaroshi said as he gestured to Iota's parents
"The number 2..." Iota's mother said
Kitaroshi smiled as he pulled up a new screen.
"There's still more. Your children were also born in the same year, the year 3162. If you look at that year, both the numbers 16 and 2 can be seen. They were also born in the month of September, however, they were born on different days. You know what those days are..."
"The 16th..." Mireya said to herself
"The 2nd..." Iota's parents both said while looking at each other
Kitaroshi smiled as he turned off his holo screen
"You see, there are so many coincidental similarities, that they can't really be called coincidence anymore. The proof is on the table, there's no denying it now. Your children were the saviors of the world, saviors bound to each other by their profound love for each other. It was fate that they should meet again, it was fate that they met under that tree!" Kitaroshi said
All of the parents in the room were too shocked to say anything, and yet Kitaroshi continued.
"Their souls are connected, hell, I could even say they are bound to each other! Don't you see? This was meant to happen, and now that they are together again, the memories of their lives before are calling to them. The only thing left to do now is to let them remember!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"I'll allow it"
Everyone turned to look at who spoke. Mireya slowly stood up and looked at Hiro.
"If that's what his dreams are, memories of a lost life calling to him. I'll allow it," Mireya said
Kitaroshi turned to look at Iota's parents
"What about you two?"
Still being too shocked to say anything, they quietly nodded their heads in agreement.
Kitaroshi smiled, but it quickly went away.
"Now that you've all agreed to this. I must tell you about the all important "catch" to what I am suggesting," Kitaroshi said
"I plan on using the same type of neurological bridging technology that modern era Franxx use. Once their minds are connected, my state of the art contraption should allow them to view their memories in almost what one would consider a virtual museum, a room in their minds generated by implanted thoughts in their brains. One term used to describe it could almost be like they've entered a Matrix of sorts,"
"So what's the catch?" Mireya asked
"According to my predictions, there is a chance that upon retrieving those lost memories, they may overlap with the memories of their current lives. In short, there may be a chance that they'll lose the memories they've made in their current lives."
"WHAT? Your telling me that our daughter, her son, could forget us?! FORGET EVERYTHING?" Iota's father said as he stood up
"Dad..."Iota said as she put her arms around him
"Iota..."
"I promise...I won't forget you..."
Hiro looked at his mom with a look of seriousness on his face.
"I won't forget you either. I won't forget anything, I promise."
Kitaroshi waited for everyone to have their warm moment before speaking again
"I already have everything set, all that's left is to calibrate the machine and we'll be ready to go. Now, it's up to you three to make the decision," Kitaroshi said as he looked at the parents
They all looked at each other, their expressions harboring many intense emotions. Though they feared losing their children, they knew that if they didn't do this, the dreams wouldn't stop. Their children knew the truth already, and if they had to abandon the fact that they had a chance to remember a life the once lived, they'd be haunted by it for the rest of their lives.
"I will allow this. Let my son remember," Mireya said
"We don't want our daughter to have to live knowing about all of this, knowing that she had a chance to remember something that could be in actuality...beautiful. I'll allow this," Iota's mother said
"I trust my wife. If she wants to go through with this, I have to as well," said Iota's father
Hiro and Iota smiled warmly at their parents. Kitaroshi had a small smile on his face as well.
"I will let my teams know to prepare for the procedure. In the meantime, I want you to try to enjoy what could very well be you final moments together," Kitaroshi said as he walked over to the door and opened it
Kitaroshi looked back at them all and uttered a few more words before leaving
"No matter what happens...your children will be okay. After all…"
"…"
"I have a promise to keep..."
With that, Kitaroshi left the room, leaving the families inside to be together for what could very be the last time they would all truly be together
That concludes chapter 3 of DITF: 1000 Years Later. It seems like people like this story, so I'll keep at it. Stick around for chapter 4.