Ch. 35 Once More, From the Beginning
It was a warm, pleasant day in Sainan City. Spring had arrived as well as the start of the new semester. School began in a few hours and some of the local kids had already decided to head out. There was one certain boy with hopeful wishes for the upcoming year. He had bushy brown hair and yellow eyes. He wore a white shirt and green pants with a red neck tie hanging loosely over his shirt. The house he lived in with his sister was two stories; located partially in the center of town. The boy whistled as he watered the small flowers potted next to his home.
"Geh-Geeh!" The monstrous plant cried out. Its vines shook as it asked the boy for a drink.
"Hold on, I'm going to feed you too!" he answered. The smile on his face brought about this newfound confidence. At long last, today starts the new semester… His mind focused on the one girl he'd been smitten with ever since middle school. I wonder if we're still going to be in the same class, Haruna-chan… The girl he imagined had short, purple hair with bangs clipped to the right of her face. Her eyes were gentle and soft with a smile warm enough to melt the coldest winters. This was the girl he had feelings for.
"Rito!" his sister cried out. "Breakfast is ready!"
"Alright! I'm coming!" Rito went walking left towards the front door. As he entered the Yuuki household, he tapped the tile flooring and removed his white sneakers.
"Peke~~!" A young girl yelled. "Are you still sleeping?" Rito looked up to where the noise came from. The first thing he noticed was her long pink hair being scrubbed by the white, fluffy towel. The curled strand of hair bounced up and down on top of her head. When the girl turned around, she revealed her long back tail with a heart-shaped tip. She had emerald eyes and a very curvy body. Rito noticed this while she was standing...in the nude! Either way, she simply greeted him like any other day. "Ah! Good morning, Rito!" Rito could only stare with his face red.
"Lala!" Rito cried. "I told you not to stand around naked after your bath!"
"Oh? But Peke's not around…" Rito turned away from her.
"Even so, you should be a little more embarrassed!" Lala gave it some thought.
"Alright." Lala answered. "If you say so, Rito. From now on, I'll walk around naked with more dignity!"
"You don't get it at all..." Rito sighed in defeat. From the top of the stairs, a small robot floated down by Lala. This small creature had a round head with swirling black eyes and looked to be wearing a small suit. It had a small red tie with yellow at the bottom. Its shirt, hands, and shoes were white while black wings poked out from its back.
"Lala-sama!" the robot waved to her. "Good morning!"
"Ah, Peke!" Lala greeted it. "You slept in!" She dropped the towel on the ground. "Alright then, I'll leave my uniform up to you!"
"Yes, Lala-sama!" Peke's body began glowing in an intense light. "CHANGE UP!" At blinding speed, she quickly shot around Lala's waist and morphed in the green skirt with white stripes. Swirling back around Lala's bust, Peke recreated a pink bra while fashioning the white long sleeve blouse and light blue bow tie. As a final touch, a yellow blazer with red lining around the collar finished the piece and black stockings up to her thighs. Peke warped into a small hairclip on the side of Lala's head. Now done dressing, they strolled over to the kitchen where Rito's sister had breakfast ready. She had her orange sweater on and her hair already prepared for school.
"What are you two doing?" she asked. "If you don't hurry up and eat, you're gonna be late."
"Okay, Mikan!" Lala answered. She picked a spot at the table to eat a plate of eggs (over easy), a bowl of miso soup, and rice as a side dish. "Mikan, you're going to be a sixth-year today, aren't you!"
"Yes, I am." Lala and Mikan had their conversation about their plans. Rito, however, had other things floating in his mind.
It's great that the fiancé thing has been cleared up, but Lala's still going to be freeloading…He thought. I wonder what's going to come of this relationship.
Royal Manor
"Are you serious!?" Rai said in exasperation. His hands held a gleaming check for the team's hard work and effort from the last month.
"Holy crap!" Kurumu's eyes gleamed with joy. "I can totally afford some new clothes with this!"
"Pika!" Jolt imagined the amount of food he can have for weeks. Hime, Flandre, Hiro, Riza, and Reiri were standing before Rai, Kurumu, and Jolt for their departure.
"I suppose it's a sort of thank you for your valiant efforts up to this point," Hime addressed. "The soul is yours and you are free to go."
Bam!
Rito and Lala went running out of the house. They made the turn past the corner and took off down the street.
"Thanks to your second helping of miso soup, we're gonna be late for sure!" Rito yelled.
"Sorry!" Lala smiled. "Mikan's cooking is just so good!" Lala grabbed Rito's arm. "Let's hurry then!"
"Eh?" In a split second, Lala took off like a motorbike. The wind ran past her hair, although it did push Rito's face against the sudden force. "I…can't…breath!" He tried yelling to her. "S-Sto-STO-STOOOOOOOOP!"
"Eh!?" Lala pressed her heels to the concrete. She came to an abrupt stop. Rito…not so much.
"Don't stop so suddenly!" Rito went flying. "WHAAAAA—!" He continued soaring over the vast city. On one tall building, a small girl chewed on what looked to be a fried fish. She was reading a book with her dark red eyes scanning each page. She had long golden hair, two black clips on her head, and leather attire covered by buckles and straps. There were two belts along her waist and five or six wrapped around each leg. Her arms were strapped so that it separated from the shirt she wore as her black boots completed the ensemble. Right beside her were two stray cats licking a dish of milk. Geh! That's…Yami! Rito came in for a landing. "Wha-aaaa! I'm gonna hit!" The girl looked to the corner of her eye.
"That voice…" she noticed.
Crash!
The cats flew away from the blast. The cloud of dust cleared out from the impact.
"Ou…Ouch…" Rito tried to pick himself up. Unfortunatley for him, he was laying right on top of her.
"…Are you picking a fight with me this early in the morning, Yuuki Rito?" The Golden Darkness asked. He quickly moved away from her.
"Um…well…I didn't mean to…!" She slowly stood up and looked down on the boy. Her expression didn't change.
"No excuses!" Her long hair shifted itself into a large fist.
Punch!
With an uppercut, she sent Rito back into the sky.
Lala continued walking down the alleyway.
"Honestly," Peke confirmed. "What an annoying guy!"
"No Peke," Lala assured. "That was my fault."
Crash!
Rito fell out from the sky. His upper body became halfway submerged into the concrete. "…Are you okay, Rito?" His left foot twitched.
Royal Manor
Rai drew his scythe.
Slice!
…Nothing.
"…Huh?" Rai looked confused.
"What's wrong?" Riza asked.
"There should be a portal right here."
"Are you even doing it right?" Kurumu whined.
Rito sighed in exhaustion.
"Why is this happening to me so early in the morning?" he asked. Lala began to laugh.
"Hahaha! This feels totally opposite of what happened back then!" She pointed out.
"Whaddya mean?"
"Because, look…" Rito and Lala stared down the alley. "This place." Rito stood back up. "A year ago…I left my home on Deviluke. This was the same place where you confessed to me as I fell from the sky." Rito needed to clear up the mistake.
"Um…"
"I understand." Lala explained. "You weren't saying that to me, right?" Rito was surprised she knew. "Then, who were you saying it to?"
"…!"
"Never mind." Lala shrugged it off. "Anyway, there's something I have to make clear to you."
"Something…to make clear to me?"
"Yep! I feel that this is the most appropriate place to tell you."
"Wha-What're you being so formal for?" Rito rubbed his head. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Lala looked to the ground. She started blushing.
"I…I love you, Rito." She looked back to him. "I love you more than anyone in the universe." Rito stood with his face blushing. "So that's why…from now on, I'll do my best to make you like me as well!" He could feel the beating in his heart. This princess, from outer space, had declared her love to him; even after everything they've been through together. "Alright, let's go! We're going to be late!" Rito looked to the cellphone in his pocket.
"H-Hey! There's no way we'll make it on time!"
"Alright then…" From her pocket, she pulled out a small, pink, flip phone. "Let's see…" In a small burst of light, a round, metallic bracelet appeared. It looked like a little rabbit with a head in the shape of a heart and ears serving as the clasp. "Tada! Pyon Pyon Warp-kun – Improved!" Rito remembered this gizmo.
"Hey, that's…!" He knew it wouldn't end well.
"It's fine!" She attached the invention onto her wrist. "The issues from last time have been re-worked!" She grabbed a hold on Rito's arm.
"Really?"
"Yep!" She held his arm as they were ready for transport. "Warp: ON!"
Royal Manor
"Fuga?" Flandre noticed Rai's staff glowing from the jewel. It was releasing a bright green glow.
"Hey, what's with the light show?" Riza asked. Everyone turned to Rai's weapon. As Rai held it out, green static started flailing about.
"Is that what you were expecting?" Hime asked.
"This isn't it!" Rai answered. "Something's wrong!" A bright array of energy started encircling Rai's feet. The energy started engulfing the others that were in close range. Their skin was traced by a pink glowing aura. The lights darted upward with flickering sparkles around them.
"Whoa!" Rai vanished.
"Pika!?" Jolt vanished.
"What the—!?" Kurumu vanished. The bright lights suddenly dissipated from existence.
Yami closed the novel after she finished reading. She stood from her seat and looked over Sainan with a quiet gaze.
"…" She prepared to take off.
Whoosh!
The wind suddenly picked up. She turned to the sky where the rushing breeze started to gather at an alarming rate. Glittering lights sparkled within the spiral forming over the large city.
PEW! PEW! PEW!
Three shots of light came blasting out in different directions. One yellow comet departed towards a school building. The red comet went rebounding en route for the market and down into the city. The final, blue comet rushed at an angle and soared straight at the girl. "An enemy…?" She whispered. With the ponytails on the side of her head, they whirled together and formed into two twin blades for attack. The blue comet made a sharp turn upwards back into the sky.
*Shine*
The bright energy suddenly subsided from the comet. A girl emerged from the blinding light with a yellow vest, red bowtie, white long sleeve shirt, and green skirt with yellow stripes; her hair blue with a purple ribbon going over her head. Large, black wings flapped to keep herself airborne.
"Man, what a rush," Kurumu rubbed her head. She looked about the city. "…Where the crap am I?" As she watched the people below, it suddenly dawned on her. "I'm in the human world!?"
Swish!
Yami slashed her blade at Kurumu from behind; just grazing her skirt. Kurumu reluctantly moved to the right. Yami turned back around toward Kurumu with her large, angel wings. "Hey, watch where you're flying!"
"...Who are you?" Yami asked.
"Why do you want to know?" The two looked at one another; unsure if they could consider each other enemies.
Whoosh!
A brown blur flashed between the two and descended to earth. Kurumu recognized it as Rai's tool belt. "Uh oh." Kurumu dove down for the belt. Yami quickly trailed behind her. "Almost..." Kurumu reached out to grab it.
*Snatch*
Yami dived ahead and seized it first. "What the...!" The succubus and unknown girl both stopped. She eyed the belt curiously.
"Why are you interested in this?" Yami asked.
"It's none of your business, kid!" Kurumu reached out for it. Yami stretched the belt away and warped her hands into metallic claws. Kurumu quickly drifted away. "What kind of monster are you?"
"I can ask an alien like you the same thing."
"Alien!?" Kurumu laughed at the idea. "Get real, there's no such thing as aliens."
"Then what does that make you?"
"A succubus, duh. If you're done asking me 20 questions, I'd like to have the pack back." Yami was becoming curious with Kurumu's interest for the saggy carrier.
"This sack seems important," Yami latched the belt around her waist. "If you want this, you'll have to fight me for it." Kurumu's nails extended for combat.
"Whatever you say, Shrimp."
Rito opened his eyes.
"Eh?" He glimpsed around his new location. "Why does it seem so dark?" When he faced forward, a pair of white panties stared him right in his face. Rito pulled outward, realizing it was underneath a girl's skirt. And no, it wasn't just any girl. It had to be the one he admired.
"Yuuki…-kun?" The girl spoke. As she looked down on his appearance, she suddenly flustered with embarrassment. "KYAAAAAAAAAAA!"
SLAP!
The girl went running away.
"Haruna-chan…" Rito uttered. His shame was now branded with the red mark on his face.
"The Pyon Pyon Warp-kun managed to take you accurately to your destination this time!" Lala happily informed Rito from behind. "It's great, isn't it?"
"Isn't it the same as before if it still doesn't warp your clothes as well!?" Rito knew this would happen. They may be able to teleport, but that doesn't change the fact that they're both naked.
"Oh my!" Someone said out loud. "How daring!" Just to the left of the two nudists were their other friends. One with short, hazelnut hair, brown eyes, and the same school uniform as Lala, but without the blue bowtie. The girl behind her had dark green hair with two sharp pigtails on her head. Her distinguishing feature had to be the square, narrow glasses in front of her yellow eyes. The last girl had blue eyes and long blue hair with yellow ribbons twirling around the front strands. She held onto the hazelnut girl's right arm.
"What are you up to so early in the morning?" the glasses girl asked. This seemed like a common thing, so they weren't too fazed by it. "Lala-chi, good morning!"
"Morning!" Lala greeted back.
"T-That's…" the blue girl flushed. "Is that what you call an 'out of body' experience?" Rito forgot to cover his "lower shame."
"No, it's not like that!" he cried. From the hallway, students took notice of the two naked students, especially Rito's friend with the spiky, blue hair who wouldn't keep his eyes off Lala.
"Naked…" Saruyama repeated. "Lala-chan's naked body…"
From outside, the yellow comet went zooming at a curve from the back of the school. With the window open, it zipped into the second story and shot right through the hallway. The students all ducked and dodged from the oncoming missile. In a small loop, it made a sharp turn down the stairs and bounced off the walls to the next hall.
"Hey!" Rito rebutted. "Stop looking!" Over by the entrance of the school, three senior students watched Lala and Rito in their unpredictable situation. The middle girl had golden curls in front of her face with the rest falling down her back. To her right was a serious woman with a long brown ponytail while to her left was an intellectual young lady with dark blue hair and round glasses covering her eyes.
"Unforgivable!" goldilocks shouted. "How dare you stand out more than me!" She left in a fit.
The comet went ricocheting around the next corner.
Watching from afar was none other than the president of the disciplinary committee. Her long, dark hair and stern yellow eyes emphasized how serious she took the school's morale into account.
"How shameless," she spoke. She walked off to her next class.
Whoosh!
She stopped and watched the comet just zip past the girl's head. It hit the wall at the end of the corridor.
"Rito…" she said. "For my sake…" Her eyes filled with joy. Lala was the only one to see someone like Rito worry about her in their current predicament. She lunged on him to give a big hug.
The light came flying back at the disciplinary committee member.
"Waaah!?" She lifted her brown school bag and swatted it to her right. The light pummeled past Saruyama's head and pounced at Lala.
"Rito!" Lala cried. "I love you!"
*Squeeze~*
Lala clanged on with much love and affection.
"Pfffffkkkhh," the small mouse muffled.
"Eh?" Lala looked down in her arms. She was hugging a small yellow animal with a green bandana and a tattoo on its tail. The mouse removed his face for air.
"Pika!" Jolt gasped.
"Lala, what is that!?" Rito asked.
"Hmm," Lala pondered. "I'm not sure."
Whoosh!
"Huh?" Rito looked ahead.
Clash!
A razor scythe went crashing through the window right at him. "UHOOOOO!"
"I got it!" The blue haired girl stepped ahead of Rito. She pointed her finger at the oncoming projectile. "Stop!"
Whish!
The scythe stopped. The blade just barely touched the tip of her finger and fell to the ground.
"Nicely done, Oshizu-chan!" Risa congratulated her. Rito relaxed after his life was spared. Yui stepped in on the scene.
"Yuuki Rito!" Yui complained. "What is the meaning of this?"
"I swear I had nothing to do with this!" Rito responded.
"Pi?" Jolt noticed Rai's weapon lying about. "Pikachu!" Jolt leapt from Lala's arms and hurried beside the cutter.
"Mmmm?" Lala noticed the animal's instincts. "Do you know what it is?"
"It looks like it's seen it before," Mio assumed. Jolt tried picking up the weapon, but only managed to raise the shaft higher. He quickly dragged it across the floor out through the front of the school. Students watched as the mouse made off with the blade trailing behind it. The small robot flew into the school with both Lala's and Rito's bag in arms.
"Lala-sama!" Peke cried. "I've found you!"
"Peke!" Lala greeted her.
"I've also brought Rito-dono's uniform in case of an emerge—!" Lala grabbed onto Peke and had her clothes transformed quickly. In a flash, she was now in her standard Deviluke attire. Much like Peke, but her hat was in the shape of his large head. Her entire outfit was accustomed like Peke's suit, but now adjusted to her curvy body. Wings shot out from the hat and allowed her access to fly. "Lala-sama!? What seems to be the problem!?"
"We have to follow that alien!" Lala answered. Rito went running after the princess while changing into his clothes.
"Lala!" Rito yelled. "Wait!"
"My, this can get interesting!" Risa giggled.
"Let's go see!" Mio agreed. The mischief makers went following the two.
"Wait for me!" Oshizu ran after them.
"Hey!" Yui scowled. "Skipping class on the first day is prohibited!" She rushed to retrieve them. Saruyama remained on the ground.
"Lala-san's..." Saruyama uttered. "...naked body."
The red comet zoomed quickly around the city whether it was past crowds of people, bouncing off different cars, or even flying underneath the skirts of schoolgirls. As it continued shooting down the alley, it made a rebound curve down the next neighborhood.
Mikan had just finished washing the dishes and readied to head out for class.
"Phew," she cleared her forehead. "That should be the last of it." She made her way for the living room and picked up her school bag off the couch.
The red comet bounced off the street pole, and then straight at a wall. The rebound sent it hurdling toward the front door of a house. It crashed into the hallway and reverberated between the walls of the staircase and the sitting room. Like a game of pong, the light rebounded until it zipped into an open doorway on the left.
Crash!
Mikan heard the noise coming from down the hall.
"Huh?" Mika dropped her school bag. She slowly walked over near the entry hall. "Rito?" she called out. "Are you still here?" She approached the stairway. The sound of sliding came from the bathroom screen door. "I thought you left for school already?" No response. The footsteps began coming closer. "What's with all the noise?" When she looked around the corner, it wasn't her brother who she ran into. It was some stranger with dark skin and brown hair. He had his on a red baseball T-shirt with black cargo pants and white sneakers. He was taller than she was and didn't look like he had shaved for days. "…Eh…?"
"Uh…" The stranger paused. She reacted in the only manner in this kind of situation.
"…KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Mikan shrieked in fear. "A burglar!"
"Hey, calm down!" the man tried to reason with her. "I was just—" Mikan quickly reached for the broom sitting next to the stairway.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
She defended herself by whacking him with the straw end of the broom.
"Someone! Help! Police!"
"Ow! Stop it! Cut it out!" The man started running out the front door. Mikan followed him just outside on the patio. She looked at the man staring with awkwardness toward the twenty foot tall plant.
Slash! Swipe!
The two heard clashing blades coming from the sky. Mikan noticed her friend, Yami, now locked in combat with some girl who had large, bat wings in a school uniform.
Yami-san...! Mikan thought. Who is she fighting?
"Hey, Kurumu!" the man yelled toward her. Mikan saw the mysterious girl react to the man's cry.
"Raimundo!?" Kurumu responded. "What the hell's going on!?
"What!?" Rai couldn't understand what she said.
He knows that girl? Mikan became more suspicious of whom this person really was. She could see him going through his pockets; possibly searching for a weapon. "You!" Mikan held her broom up in defense. Raimundo turned to her. "Are you some kind of alien!?"
"Wait-wait!" Rai tried to reason with her. "I don't get what's happening!"
Jolt tried his best to search for Rai in the busy city. Unfortunately, being a small animal in a large populated area does have its drawback.
"Pikapi!" Jolt shouted. People began noticing the mouse trying to carry the weapon over his shoulder. People even began huddling around it hoping to get a better view "Pika…" Jolt felt uneasy about everyone staring at him with curiosity. He tightly gripped the scythe and made a dash for the street.
Honk! Honk!
Jolt didn't look both ways before crossing the street. A blue van was coming in too fast from the left. "PIKA!"
Whoosh!
The car kept driving. Jolt opened his eyes. He realized he was suddenly flying over the massive builings. "Pi?"
Boing~~!
Jolt could feel a sudden reminder of plushness rubbing against his back. "...Pika?"
"There you are~!" Lala smiled. In one hand, she held Jolt close to her chest, while in the other she had the large scythe. "I wonder what this is." She inspected the decal from the wooden staff to the strange jewel resting above the blade.
"Lala-sama!" Peke cried. "Look up ahead!" Lala saw the flash of metal shining in the distance. To her, it looked to be Yami flying all over the place with someone following her.
"It's Yami-san!" She took off at high speed.
"You had enough yet?" Kurumu said to the transforming girl.
"You're skills are notable," Yami complimented. "But your combat lacks in tactics." Kurumu pouted.
"Hmph, I don't need advice from a kid." Yami's golden hair unleashed a barrage of fists around Kurumu. With a simple spin around the dancing hair, Kurumu zipped behind the enemy and jumped right over. As Yami flipped forward, Kurumu unhitched the belt so it would slide off. "Now that's how it's done!" Rai watched the belt fall to Earth.
"There it is!" Rai yelled. He went running after it. "Thanks, Kurumu!" Yami went diving for Raimundo.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kurumu went after her. Lala reached the house, but just saw Yami and Kurumu take off.
"Yami-chan?" Lala questioned.
"Lala-san!" Mikan shouted.
"Hi, Mikan!" she waved back.
"Lala, I think Yami-san's in danger! That guy was in our house!"
"Pika?" Jolt tilted his head.
"He's probably with that girl fighting her!"
"Don't worry!" Lala smiled. "I'll give Yami-san a hand with them!" She stuck her tongue out playfully and flew back at the chase.
Rito was almost halfway to his house. He needed to take a break from the running.
"Ha...Ha…" Rito panted. "That Lala, she always does this…"
Bonk!
A leather belt landed on Rito's head. "Ouch!" Rito fell on his rear end. When he looked down, he saw the carrier around his feet. "What's this?"
"Coming through!" A voice yelled up ahead. Rai came running with Yami following right behind.
"Yami!?" he shouted. Rai looked to the boy. He had the belt in his lap.
"I'll take this!" Rai snatched it from Rito. "Alright, now all I need is…" Rai turned to see Rito being dragged by the belt strapped to his legs. "You're supposed to let go!"
"I'm stuck!" Rito replied. He peeked over his shoulder. Rai noticed the winged girl on his trail.
"…Oh." Rai kept on running.
In the center of town, Risa, Mio, Oshizu, and Yui came to a stop at a crosswalk. They were all considering which way Rito and Lala went.
"Looks like we lost them," Risa assumed.
"Do you think they might have separated?" Oshizu guessed.
"Honestly, what kind of trouble could Rito have gotten into this time?" Yui asked. The light changed red, so they couldn't walk. On the opposite end, they watched the sudden scene of Rito being pulled from a tool belt by an older guy while Yami flew after them with a winged demon girl following behind and Lala carrying both the scythe and the yellow mouse in her arms. As they took off down the street, the light changed to walk. The four girls watched with wide eyes at the incident.
"I guess that answers it," Mio replied.
It didn't take long for Rai and everyone else to make their final stand at a small playground. There was one swing set with a small pink dome to play in. At the corner of the playground was a red and green jungle gym to climb, a small slide, and sandbox just across. Rai needed a break from all the running.
"Why…*pant*…the hell…is everyone able to fly!" Rai gasped. Yami had landed just in front of them.
"There is nowhere left to run," Yami declared. Rai took the belt and clipped it around his waist. Rai pulled out his hammer. Yami shifted her stance; waiting for Rai to make the first move.
"…I'm not looking for any trouble." He tossed it toward the ground. Rito stood puzzled from the man's perspective.
He doesn't want to fight? Rito thought. Kurumu came flying up from behind Yami. Rai noticed her rate of descent.
"I got you now!" She yelled out. Kurumu dove in. Yami didn't have time to react.
"Kurumu!" Rai yelled out. "Stop!"
Whish!
Kurumu's claws came inches away from cutting through the back of her head.
"Huh?" Kurumu heard Rai. "What is it?" Rai gestured her by shaking his head and shaking his hand near his neck. "Are you serious?" Yami noticed. "After what this brat put me through?" She walked forward and picked up the hammer. It was already worn out with dark smears on the head.
"…Is this what was inside?" Yami asked.
"Hello, it's a tool belt! What'd you think it was!?" She walked over to Rai. She pulled slightly on the belt's pockets and saw nothing but equipment, a ribbon, a lollipop, and a flashlight.
"I might have jumped to conclusions." Yami backed away and bowed her head. "I apologize for the misunderstanding." Lala had finally arrived at the scene.
"Yay!" Lala cheered. "I finally found them!" She pulled out her pink phone and summoned a new device. "Now to stop the bad guys!" From a bright light came a large red and white bazooka. It had a sphere at the back end and a large barrel on the front. Underneath was a trigger to grasp and fire. "Sticky Gooey Launcher-kun!" With the barrel aimed at Kurumu, she readied the shot. "Take this!"
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Large wads of pink gum shot at the succubus.
Splurge~!
The sticky substance planted itself over Kurumu's clothes.
"Yuck!" Kurumu complained. "What is this stuff?
"Direct hit!" Lala cheered. She aimed the next shot at the next target.
"...She's aiming at me, isn't she…?" Rai gulped.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Lala fired off another round of bubbles. "Oh boy!" Rai jumped to the right. Rito missed his chance to move.
"Wait—Lala!" Rito cried.
Splurge!
Rito's entire body became smothered in the gunk. For Yami, she stood on top of the swing set to avoid the barrage.
"Princess," Yami stated. "You know that attack still will not have an effect on me."
"Rai, get this stuff off!" Kurumu tried removing the goop from her shirt.
Buzz…
"Pika?" Jolt felt a sudden tingle.
"Lala, their not enemies!" Rito explained.
"Huh?" Lala tilted her head. "They're not?"
Buzz!
Rito felt a sudden tingle course through his body. "Huh?"
Whoosh!
Rito's body suddenly flew straight into Kurumu while she flew back at him.
"Waaah!"
BAM!
Rito and Kurumu fell to the ground.
"Ow…" Rito regained his composure.
Squeeze~!
He could feel Kurumu's plump breasts in his hands. His body was completely attracted to her back as he held on. "Whaaa!?"
"Hey, watch where you're grabbing!" Kurumu cried.
"Uh," Rai stared…curiously, "what the hell was that?"
"What is this stuff!?" Rito cried.
"I swapped the sticky solution with Clingy-Clingy Glue-kun so I could catch both of them!" Lala clarified.
"Pika…" Jolt sweat dropped.
"Hmmm, but I think I missed." With one last resort, Lala pulled out her ace in the hole. "Spinny Spinny Rope-kun!" The metallic rope stretched about 6 feet with pink hearts at each end. The center hearts traced with yellow curls and a blue center. The smart ropes quickly shot their way to Rai and ensnared him in a tight squeeze. Like a prey escaping a boa constrictor, he struggled with all his strength.
"Damn, it's tight!" Rai fidgeted. The other rope suddenly twirled and aimed itself at Yami.
"…!"
Wuppah! Wuppah!
The ropes tightly trapped Yami from her waist to between her busts. At each end, the separate ropes locked; pulling her and Rai together.
"Hey, you alright—?" Rai asked.
Squish~!
Rai could feel his hands grabbing onto Yami's rear end underneath her skirt. He blushed. "...I know this looks bad, but..." Yami lowered her head.
"I..." Yami whispered.
"Huh?" Rai tried listening to her words.
"...I hate ecchi people." Every one of Yami's hair strands shifted into razor blades. Rai witnessed her change.
"Oh shit!"
Slash! Swipe! Slice!
Rai fell to the ground. The two were freed from the tight grip of the now chopped piles of wires. Yami stood over him. Her hair returned to its natural golden color.
"...I'll let you go for my misunderstanding." Rai smiled nervously as he stood.
"Yeah...thanks for that." Yami turned around and left with one large leap. She vanished over the houses in the neighborhood. "Scary girl...but pretty cool powers." Lala flew down from the sky and settled Jolt.
"Pika pika!" Jolt ran to Rai and jumped onto his shoulder.
"Hey buddy!" Rai petted his head. "I wonder where you ran off to."
"Eh?" Lala sounded surprised. "Does he belong to you?" Rai could tell she was speaking the same language as Kurumu.
"Uh...sorry," He tried to see if his language could get through. "Necessito tu hablar en español o ingles." Lala didn't quite follow. "I didn't think so…"
"Lala..." Rito tried to grab her attention. He and Kurumu were still stuck in the gooey, magnetic pull.
"We could use some help over here!" Kurumu complained. From the entrance to the park, the girls all came running at the scene.
"We found them!" Oshizu cheered. Yui came up last out of breath.
"Finally," she sighed. "I don't think I can..." She looked to see Kurumu and Rito positioned in a very "disruptive" pose. "What are you two doing!? Stop those shameless acts this instant!"
"My~," Risa grinned. "How bold of you, Yuuki~."
"I'm telling you, it's not what it looks like!"
"I beg to differ," Kurumu pointed out. Rito still groped her.
The bell had rung for class. The children already took their seats for their seventh-grade English teacher to begin her lesson. She had dark brown skin and fizzy hair. She wore glasses with the small string trailing from her frame to around her neck. It gave her the impression of being in her early fifties. She had a petite figure covered by her denim long sleeve shirt and keys hanging out of her front pocket. She looked to all the smiling faces of her young students.
"Hello there, class," Ms. Sawyer announced. "MmmMmm, I'm glad to see you're all ready to get your English on." The class giggled with excitement. "But before we start, I want to introduce a new student with us today." From the doorway came a small student with a green shirt, blue shorts, and blue sneakers. His hair was short and messy and he carried a green, medium sized backpack for someone his age. He slowly walked in and stood by the teacher. The class hadn't known that a new kid would be enrolling halfway through the semester. "I'd like all of you to meet Raimundo Ortega. This is his third transfer to his new school, so make sure he feels comfortable, alright?"
"Okay!" the students cheered. Rai walked over to a round table with about six students sitting along the edge. They watched as Ms. Sawyer began her lecture.
After the lesson, the students packed their school bags and left for their next class. Everyone had left, except Raimundo who was still putting away his papers. He stood in the doorway; unsure of where his next class would be.
"Hi!" A young girl walked up next to him. She had her pink shirt and short, blue skirt. On her back was a small, loose pack that had black, thin rope for straps. Her dark skin was like Ms. Sawyer, but had her hair braided back. To Rai, she seemed a little taller. "You were in our class." Rai nodded silently. "If you want, I can show where your next one is."
"…Okay," he spoke.
"I'm Cristine."
"…I'm Rai." Cristine walked with Rai.
"You really need to talk more."
"I don't know anyone here."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I'm always moving, so I don't have much friends."
"It's time I showed you how to make some." The two would have a growing friendship for years to come.
The sun had already begun to set on the long day. It didn't take long for Mikan to come home after her first day of school. She removed her shoes and trailed right for the living room.
"I'm home!" Mikan cried out.
"Welcome home!" Lala ran into the hallway and greeted her.
"Lala, did you catch the burglar?"
"Burglar...?" Lala paused for a minute. "Oh! You mean that suspicious guy from earlier!"
Who else could I be talking about? Mikan sweat dropped.
"Yep, I caught him!"
"Really? Where is he now?"
"In the living room!"
"Huh!?" Mikan ran into the living room and saw Rai, Kurumu, and Jolt sitting on their couch drinking tea.
"Hey," Rai waved to her.
"How's it going?" Kurumu smiled.
"Pikachu!" Jolt waved. Mikan stood frozen by the sudden intruders.
"You brought them here!?" Mikan shrieked.
"Don't worry, Mikan," Rito tried to explain. "They're not really bad people."
"They're not?" Mikan seemed skeptical. "Then, why did he break into our house?"
"Rai, you broke into their house?" Kurumu asked. She stared at Rai, waiting for an answer.
"Guys, still can't understand you," Rai shook his head. The others still couldn't understand him either.
"What did he say?" Lala asked.
"I don't know," Kurumu answered. She started getting annoyed. "Why won't you talk right?" Jolt folded his arm.
"Pika!" An idea came to mind. Jolt jumped from the couch to the table. "Pikapika!" Jolt reached for Rai's belt and pulled out one of his screwdrivers. He then took the ribbon and placed it under his neck. "Pika Pikachu!" He waved the screwdriver like a wand.
"What's with the getup?" Rai asked. Jolt leapt back onto his shoulder.
Bonk!
Jolt whacked him upside the head. "Ow! What was that for!?" Jolt jumped back on the table. Rai tried fitting the pieces while rubbing his sore. The cute bow, the stick, the hit on the cranium. "Wait...Yukari!" Kurumu made out that one name.
"That's right!" Kurumu informed them. "Rai had a magic spell put on him so he can learn the language faster!"
"He can't speak Japanese?" Rito asked.
"Not even, he's American."
"Yukari's magic must have worn off after we came here," Rai assumed. "We probably went out of range."
"Hmm," Lala pondered a way to fix this. "I know!" Lala quickly pulled out her almighty tool. It resembled a small staff with a round, pink gear connecting the top. From the sides were two small bat wings sticking out. She turned around and quickly began creating a new invention. Small sparks and mechanical noises came from her position.
"...How is she doing that?" Rai asked.
"Tada!" Lala held out her newest gadget. "Talkie Talkie Translator-kun!" It looked like a tiny computer mouse with a gray button on the flipped side. It had a white rope through a hole so it can hang around his neck. On the front was a strange symbol of a spiral with points set up like a compass. "With this, we can understand what he's saying!" She placed the device around Rai's neck. She pressed her finger on the button. "Switch on!"
Beep!
The device began glowing in a blinding, white aura and trailed up around Rai's neck. The light subsided. Rai looked confused as to what it was supposed to do.
"...What did you do to me?" Rai asked.
"Ah, it worked!" Lala cheered.
"Ya-hoo-hoo!" Kurumu agreed. Mikan walked over to Rai.
"Alright, I'd like to know now," Mikan declared. "Why were you in our house?"
"...This is your house...?" He answered. She nodded. "…I thought so." Rai scratched his head. "Well, how should I put this...we just suddenly...dropped in."
"Dropped in?" Rito asked.
"Yeah. Believe it or not, I actually landed in your bathroom." Rito sweat dropped. "I know it sounds a little farfetched, but that's what happened."
"Eh?" Lala tilted her head. "Doesn't that sound familiar?"
"It's just like how you came to Earth, Lala-sama!" Peke replied.
"Who said that?" Rai looked around the room for the robot's voice.
"That was Peke," Lala explained. In a bright flash, Lala morphed out of her school uniform and floated beside her. "He helps me change into all my clothes!" Rai, Kurumu, Rito, Mikan, and Jolt were stunned by the fact she was naked in a mere second.
"What the crap!?" Kurumu cried.
"Pika!" Jolt's nose ran like a red river.
"Whoa!" Rai quickly turned away. "Jailbait!"
"Lala!" Rito yelled. "Put some clothes on!"
"Don't worry, Rito!" Lala smiled. "Now I'm walking around naked with dignity!"
"Why is this happening...?" Mikan sighed. "But what about Yami-san? Why were you fighting with her?"
"Yamisan?" Kurumu asked. "You mean the kid with the freaky hair? She's the one who started it. All I wanted was the belt back."
"She apologized afterward," Rito assured.
Rai pulled out his hammer. "…I'm not looking for any trouble." He tossed it toward the ground.
"Are you from another galaxy?" Lala asked.
"It's...complicated," Rai explained. "We're from here, but we're from another earth outside of this universe. What I'm trying to figure out is how we got here."
"How did you get here?" Lala asked. Rai thought for a minute.
"Well, there was a weird light," Rai explained. "Then a sudden rush of wind, and I just appeared in the shower. Of course, I was missing my belt and scythe." Rito and Mikan smiled nervously.
"You'd think someone would have called us here in the first place," Kurumu deduced. "One minute we're at the mansion and the next we get shot across the sky."
"Hehe, yeah, who knows," Rito laughed cowardly. "So, who are you guys?"
"I'm Raimundo Ortega." He pointed to his companions. "The mouse is Jolt, and the succubus is Kurumu." The two waved to them.
"I'm Lala!" She greeted.
"My name is Mikan," she announced. "I'm sorry about earlier."
"I'm Rito Yuuki," he answered. "Welcome to our home." The group talked amongst each other and got better acquainted. Lala compared hers and Kurumu's tail according to size and design. Mikan played with Jolt as Peke scanned his biological structure. Rito and Rai managed to talk about their own backstories. Apparently, Lala was a princess of an alien race on Deviluke. They were engaged for a year until Rito cleared up the misunderstanding. To this day, they have had many strange and exciting adventures with his friends.
"Now that I think about," Rai pondered, "I noticed there were other girls following us at the park."
"Hmm," Lala looked puzzled. "I think they went back to school."
"School!?" Rito cried. "We completely missed the first day!"
"I'm not surprised..." Mikan sighed again. Rai lifted himself up.
"Well, it was nice meeting you, but we should be leaving now."
"What?" Kurumu asked. "But we just got here."
"We can't just barge into someone's home and expect them to let us to stay."
"You were more like dragged here because of Lala," Rito noted without them hearing.
"As much as I like making introductions, I can't forget my job," Rai asserted.
"Your job?" Lala asked.
"He's supposed to be this big shot that protects the universe," Kurumu pointed out. "What was it, a Salary Reaper?"
"Celestial Reaper," Rai clarified.
C-Celestial Reaper…! Peke trembled.
"What's wrong, Peke?" Lala asked.
"Uh, Oh!" Peke calmed himself. "It's nothing, Lala-sama." Jolt stared curiously at the robot.
"Hey, can I have my scythe back?" Rai asked.
"Okay!" Lala drew out her D-dial. With a push of a button, a bright light appeared with the cutter floating in mid-air.
"Not bad…" Rai grabbed it and walked for the door.
"Let's go Kurumu."
"Sure." Kurumu followed him. Jolt jumped on Kurumu's shoulder. "So, what's our plan?"
"First, I find a job. Then, I get an apartment for us to sleep in."
"A job?! What about that fat check we got from Blondie?!" Rai pulled out the paper from his belt. The check was slashed and ripped with slits falling on the floor. Kurumu's eyes bubbled with sadness. "N-N-No way..." Jolt's expression flushed after seeing the destroyed paper before his eyes. Their clothes, food, even the luxury lifestyle all turned to shreds. "D-Does this mean we're homeless!?"
"Homeless, no. Living on instant noodles for the next few days…probaby." The two slumped in sorrow. Mikan, Lala, and Rito looked to them in sympathy.
"You really don't have to leave," Mikan insisted. Kurumu and Jolt looked with bubbly eyes. "It is kind of my fault that I told Lala you were suspicious."
"If you want, you can rest here until you guys get settled," Rito offered. Rai felt uneasy about this.
"I really don't us to bother you since it's our problem…" Rai insisted.
"It's okay!" Lala cried out. "You guys are free to stay as long as you need to!" Everyone looked to Rai. Jolt and Kurumu were hopeful, Mikan and Rito were questionable. Lala only smiled. Peke...{?}. Rai looked to everyone.
"If that's the case..." he smiled back, "...I call the sofa." Everyone smiled; agreeing on the terms. As the group made their way to the table, they prepared to dine on Mikan's delicious dinner. The Yuuki household was bigger and livelier with their new house guests. Kurumu glanced at Rito across the table.
"I'm keeping my eye on you, pal," she warned him. Rito chuckled nervously. Jolt jumped on the table next to Mikan and readied for his share of the food. Rai prepared to eat until he caught a glimpse of Lala.
"Hey, is this gonna be a regular thing?" Rai pointed back to Lala…who was still undressed.
"Unfortunately..." Rito sighed.
-To Be Continued-
To be completely honest, this might be one of the hardest arcs that I've ever worked on.
Rito: What's going to happen to the story?
With research, discipline, and a lot of unnecessary innuendos, I know this can through! That's why these next chapters will be set up in a more traditional fashion based on the second season anime including full chapters following some surprising adventures. Of course, all rights are reserved and material used in this story belong to their respective owners. Be sure to leave comments and reviews!
Next Time on Anime Unleashed: First Impressions Can Arise
Rito: Will this actually work?
We're about to find out.