Taking his sword in hand, Rito Yuuki looks up the pathway from the now closed portal conjoining the cyber world to the real world. The cobblestone path way to his house and the green house were lined with flowers, none of which seemed to have been disturbed by anyone at first glance. That meant they knew what they were looking for, that they knew what they were doing. They had taken the time to break Lala's biological lock mechanism. Rito took little solace in these new facts, since it didn't really help finding out who it could be invading his personal sanctuary.
If it was a professional assassin, he could see them just setting up a trap elsewhere in the city, not going to all these lengths so as to break into his house when Red headed Mea and Golden Darkness, the two top destructive assassins and living weapons, were known visitors. Besides the fact anything that could get any of the three Deviluke princess' living in his house, would set off the King of the friggin galaxy after whoever did this, and more than likely result in a fate worse than death, carried out by the King of Deviluke himself. Rito took just a little solace in that, since it was likely if he did die, Lala, Momo, and maybe Nana, would cause whoever offed him a whole lifetime worth of pain. Rito on the other hand, did not want to die today, he did not want to get his sister, Celine, or the Deviluke sisters caught in the crossfire, and most of all he wanted to show he could defend himself. He hadn't spent the latter half of the prior summer and early fall training with Zastin, for nothing.
He had learned viable life skills and sword skills, and even honed his above natural reflexes, reaction time, and stamina in an attempt to become useful. He couldn't say he wasn't inspired by all these strong women around him, they may have used him as a weapon, sometimes there punching bag, sometimes even their confidant, but he sure as heck wasn't able to protect them like they often ended up doing him. Lala, Nana, Momo all had inborn strength and ability that exceeded a humans capabilities, while Mea, Yami, and Nemesis were all living weapons, Rito himself wanted to take what skills he had and twist them into something he could use. If he could be more than just a steady, dependable guy, if he could be a hero even once and show he was more than just a perverted loner, he could finally gain the confidence he had been lacking.
Walking up to his front door in his musings, Rito found the door wide open, with the spare key underneath the mat still in the lock. He never kept it locked, of course, but on the off chance he did lock himself out, he'd have a way in. Strange, as only Mikan and Lala had known he had put that key there, though only Mikan knew he kept the place unlocked. Drawing his sword, preparing for anything, he cautiously entered the duplicate house. Strangely everything seemed untouched, nothing searched or out of place. Walking into the kitchen, he sees nothing was moved there either. Hearing something coming from his room above, Rito quickly and quietly moves from the empty rooms up the padded stairs, thankful that the carpet muffles the sound. Had it been an exact replica of his house, Rito would have no doubt tripped at that second step from the top, thankfully this house wasn't an exact replica, and he could sneak a peek inside his room without alerting the intruder.
Just as he was about to peek in, he sees a shadow move against the wall, and he freezes. He hears them muttering to themselves as they walk around his room, before he hears his bed creak and a drawer slide open. After a few seconds of silence, the drawer closes, and Rito takes the chance as a distraction, hoping to pull off a surprise attack. "Stand down, intruder!" Rito yells as he forces his door open all the way, before leveling his sword, "I don't know how you got in here, but I'm willing to bet Lala Satalin Deviluke won't be happy you-" Rito stops and blinks at the intruder. The intruder does likewise, before a blush creeps up from their neck to the bridge of their nose. "Lala?" Rito says confused, lowering his blunted weapon, "How did you even get in here?" To Rito's amusement, it appeared something must have happened to the girl, as she was without Peke and dressed haphazardly in her spare clothes.
"R-Rito!" she says, clearly surprised to see her fiance there, "S-sorry, I-I lost something important from my D-Dial last night- it was really important that I find it." Rito sees her back is to his side drawer, a hand lingering behind. She notices his eyes, and she blushes, knowing she was caught. "R-Rito, I can explain..." she states, deciding to change the subject and remove her hand from behind her back, "I know I wasn't supposed too, but I never actually erased my access to your Cyber Hangout, because I know how smart you are Rito." She actually takes a few steps forward, revealing the top two buttons of her blouse were not closed, showing a little bit of her bust. Rito coolly tries to play it off, but he can't help but avert his eyes as he blushes just a bit. "I knew if anything happened to you, were you locked yourself inside here and Mikan wasn't available..." Lala blushes as she puts a finger to her mouth and bites her nail, embarrassed to be telling him this, "I wanted to make sure someone had access to reach you, I wouldn't want you to do anything rash and lock everyone out..."
Rito blushes and looks at Lala once more, her eyes shining with sincerity and concern. "L-lala..." he starts to say, "You didn't have to hide something like this from me; be happy I didn't have anything that could have hurt you..." Lala laughs a little bit at that, something that causes Rito's heart to flutter. "I glad you were thinking of me like that, I wouldn't want to push any of you away, if something bad ever happens to me," Rito states, but he seems to see her face flash with a pang of hurt, before returning to a smile, "Lala, there's something I want to ask you..." She stops him with a finger to his lips, and a genuine smile on her lips as she inches towards his face.
"Stop, you don't have to tell me now, if you aren't ready yet," Lala says, putting a hand to his shoulder and staring into his eyes, "I trust you'll make a decision, Rito, and it will make you happy." Rito reflexively closes his eyes, a tad bit uncomfortable with this closeness, but he feels Lala near his face. "I love you Rito Yuuki," Lala whispers as she rests her head on his shoulder, "I can't- I just can't stand to see you hurt because of me..." Rito stiffens in her arms and pulls her away.
"Lala, what are you saying?" Rito asks, realizing that Lala was starting to cry, "I don't understand, what's wrong" Suddenly Lala pitches forward and begins crying into his arms again. Rito doesn't know what to do.
"R-rito, I can't tell you b-but you're going to find out s-soon," she says, her words muffled by his shoulder, "I'm going to be strong, I'm going to pretend, but I- I want y-I wanted to stay..." Rito's heart begins to thump in his chest, as panic begins riding up in his chest. "Rito, please, no matter what, don't forget me," Lala says, pulling away from him and rubbing at her reddening eyes, "Don't think too much about what Nana or Momo think, don't lose that kindness in your heart, and- I need you to pretend this never happened, and I need you to pretend I never was here- you can't even tell Saruyama or Mikan I was here!" Her expression has changed like switching a flip, and Rito notices the burning courage behind her words.
"O-ok, Lala, whatever you say," Rito says, confused by this conversation, but not wanting to make her anymore upset, "I-I think we should go and cool down, and try and fix this later." Lala nods, and both teens leave the room and exit the house. As they are walking down the stairs and out the door it's like a cloud of silence had descended.
"I have to go see Nana, but we can talk about this later," Rito says, breaking the ice, as he practically drags Lala down the path to the exit, "I'm sure we can get it all straightened out..." Lala stops and reflexively tightens her grip on Rito's wrist, enough so that Rito has to stop and turn, as he sees Lala looking at him scared.
"No, no, promise me Rito!" she almost shouts in her frightened tone, "You can't tell anyone, you can't bring this up, ever again Rito Yuuki, not even if my Father comes knocking on your door with the Deviluke army behind him." Rito pales a little at this, but gulps and nods at Lala's frightening demand. She lets go and pauses as Rito opens the portal. Just as Rito is about to leave with him, Lala grabs the back of Rito's shirt and twists him around before wrapping his arms around him. Leaning up on her toes, Lala does the last thing Rito ever expected as he tips back from the sudden shift in weight. His eyes open, he feels her lips smash against his as they tumble through the rift, and back into Rito's room.
Rito's Room
Quickly closing the distance between the door and Rito's bed, they stumble and fall onto the springy surface. Her lips still mashed against his, Rito doesn't know what to say as he parts his lips and feels Lala's tongue against his own. Suddenly he feels her shift on the bed and pull away gasping for air. Rito couldn't say he wasn't gasping for breath, but he almost felt his heart stop at the scene before him. Nana or Momo, he couldn't tell which, had opened the door and both of them were staring in at the mess of bodies on the bed. Nana almost looked like her heart was breaking, as she stared at Rito on the bed kissing her sister. Mikan looked a mixture of pissed off and exasperation, thinking this was just another one of Rito's 'accidents' involving the eldest princess. Rito didn't quite care, as Lala seemed to drag him back under her spell.
He tried to break away, he really did, but it wasn't until he felt the shock, when Lala had pulled away for another breath of air, that he knew Nana had attacked him. As he fell unconscious, he could have sworn he heard Lala and Nana fighting, though it seemed Mikan had come to help her older brother. When he wakes up, Mikan, Nana, and Lala are nowhere to be seen, his sword had been put away, and his room seemingly cleaned up a bit, with himself put into his bed. Getting up, he looks at the time and sees that it wasn't that late, and that he had plans to meet up with Nana after all.
As he got downstairs, he notices Mikan was watching as Celine was drawing on the table. "Mau!" the little alien plant hybrid says, looking happily at Rito "Mau, mau, mau, mau!" She's showing him some kind of picture, and Rito just smiles and states how he likes it, while ruffling the flower on the child's head.
"Onii-chan, Nana wanted me to convey to you that she's rescheduled your meeting, since she and Lala had a fight after you were knocked out by Nana's powers," Mikan states, looking to her older brother, "She says she wants you to meet her alone at Sainan High, supposedly you are going to meet up with Mea for dinner later." Rito nods as he feels Celine tugging at his pants. Looking down he picks up the smile child and bounces her up, as she wraps her small arms around Rito's shoulders.
"Mau" the child says patting his back, "Mau, mau, mau!" Pulling away Celine nods and gives Rito a thumbs up, at which he can only smile. Mikan takes Celine from him, as he waves goodbye and heads out the door. He hopes Celine's happy attitude can cheer him up, after whatever chewing out he's going to get by the 'responsible' Deviluke sister.
Reaching Sainan High wasn't an issue, and once there, he notices Nana right away sitting on some steps in her Deviluke attire. The frown on her face is concerning, though the chill in the air is probably why her cheeks appear to be a bit rosy. Finally noticing him, Nana's frown deepens considerably as he approaches her. "Nana/Rito I-" he states, as she does the same, "You go ahead..." Nana looks at him hesitantly, before biting her thumbnail.
"Rito I- I wanted to apologize for shocking you unconscious, I thought when I saw you on top of my sister like that- I overreacted," she states, "I've said something's today because I've been stressed since- well, since Lala got some news from Father a couple of days ago..." Rito swallows at this, knowing that any mention of Gid, was going to be something directed at him. Nana doesn't continue for a bit, before she looks up at him with a blush on her face. "Rito, my Father wants Lala- as her coming of age and maturity- Lala is expected to do things, things she is expected to as Deviluke Royalty," Nana starts, "Among one of those things is meeting potential suitors, another is getting close to the one she chooses as her main prospect... and when she reaches an age where she can marry and- p-produce an heir..." Nana stops as the words choke in her throat, and Rito begins to process what she is saying to him.
"Are you s-saying what I think..." Rito looks towards Nana, who covers her face with her hands as he talks, "Are you saying Lala's supposed to be marrying someone and having their- child?" Rito approaches Nana and grabs her hand gently. "When, why now, who?" he asks seriously, a burning in his heart beginning to surge, confidence lacing his voice, "Nana,who is Lala supposed to be with, if all she wants is-" Rito stops and lets go of her hand, as she peeks out of her hands, her eyes a bit puffy and red. "Nana, is it me?" he ask, "Nana, what happens if she doesn't get married, or produce an heir; would it go to either of you?" Nana lets go of her face and turns to look Rito in the eyes.
"Rito, if Lala doesn't marry you, if she doesn't marry any of her potential suitors by the end of the school year, and about a week into the summer, by our Father's decree as King of Deviluke, the royal daughters are to all return home," Nana states, "But it gets worse... Rito, you- you don't have to ask me..." Rito nods and tells her to continue saying what needs to be said. She swallows and looks at her feet, twiddling her thumbs as she talks, her tail dancing in the air behind her. "If you, Yuuki Rito, do not marry Lala Satalin Deviluke, by the end of school and beginning of summer, our Father will take it as a personal insult by a man who has once already rebuffed his Daughter's hand in marriage," she states, "While Earth was going to just be destroyed the first time, this time it's worse; the Earth will not only be conquered and forced to join the Deviluke Empire, the Yuuki family tree and its survivors from the conquest, will personally be either wiped out, or mercifully made slaves, depending on Father's decision.." Rito pales at hearing this, but then Nana keeps talking.
"There is also the very slim, but more likely option, that in conquering Earth, the Yuuki family in its entirety will be overlooked for the oversight, allowed to live their lives," Rito is happy at hearing this, but still Nana grimaces as she continues, "The reason being the sole aggressor, being you Rito, will instead become a political prisoner of the lowest regard, kept in our Father's private cells for those he despises most; the very last possible option being exile for you alone, meaning being given a shuttle and rations, and resulting in you being the number one wanted man for the rest of your life within the Milky Way Galaxy." Rito had gone green by this point, but he shakily is roused by Nana, who sees his eyes seem hollow of their normal light.
"How- how-" he just can't form sentences after that bomb dropped on his life. He thinks back to earlier and now he sees why Lala was reacting the way she was. He sits down, and Nana joins him with an awkward hug. "How can I stop it?" he asks, looking to Nana for an answer, "What does he expect me to do?" Nana nods and hugs him tightly.
"He sent Lala some stipulations regarding how she could either prevent, or annul the decree," she states, "Father is aware you are currently in love, or have interest, in many girls, or conversely they have interest in you," Nana states, "If Lala chooses another suitor from among the marriage candidates, or should you choose to pursue Lala, you must break off all emotional ties with those you either are interested in, or have interest in you, and provide testimony from them as to their forfeiting any claim or romantic interest in you, when our Father arrives." Rito's eye twitches a bit, as he thinks back to the irony of Saruyama's plan to deconstruct the Harem plan. "There is one other way to break it off, if an agreement cannot be reached," Nana states and Rito refocuses, "If any love interest cannot renounce their love for you, they have the right to challenge Lala for her status as heir apparent, and barring she actually loses, win the right to break off your engagement and take her place; essentially disgracing Lala, cutting her off from her inheritance and family, and resulting in her exile instead of yours." Rito's knuckles are white by this point, and if he did not fear the man so, he would chose to go up to Gid and punch him in the nose.
"I thought he was beginning to approve of me," Rito starts muttering to himself, "That damn selfish bastard doesn't even care about his daughter's love life, forcing her to have to marry when- when I'm the one who can't decide." Starting to tear up in anguish, Rito tries to get up, only to fall to his knees in tears. "Damnit, why can't my life be normal for once!" he cries out in rage to the sky, warm tears running down his face, "Why did she have to mess it all up, why did she have to make me so confused..." Nana gets up to see if he is alright, as he quiets down. "I'm supposed to be Haruna's boyfriend," he states, pulling out his phone and looking at it, "She hasn't even called me once in six months, not even a text... I don't even know where she is, even if I wasn't forced to make this decision, I don't even know if I love her any more!" Tossing his phone into the gathering darkness, he doesn't even notice Nana go to retrieve the device. All he can think about is the fact his life is so messed up now, and now he has to do the one thing he knows he's horrible at. He has to break the hearts of those he loves as family and friends, and he can't do a damn thing about it, or everyone loses.
Getting up once Nana returns with his phone, and he has calmed down a bit, he watches as the sun goes down and the lights go on in the streets. "Rito, let's go to dinner," Nana suggests, "Mea's going to join us at a place downtown she made reservations for, and we can talk this over tomorrow-" Rito holds out his hand at Nana, and she pauses as Rito looks up from the ground and into Nana's eyes.
"Nana Astar Deviluke, I, Rito Yuuki, am asking you as a princess of Deviluke and potential love interest, to understand that I cannot love you," Rito starts to say in a gentle voice, "While I see no attraction beyond friendship, feelings I do not doubt you share, as a potential marriage candidate, I ask that you renounce any indication of romantic interests in me, as I pursue the love and hand in marriage of your sister, Lala Satalin Deviluke; while you provide testimony to this at King Gid's request?" Nana looks a bit shocked at Rito's frank acceptance of his circumstances, but then again he had been exposed to the Deviluke lifestyle for sometime, no doubt just guessing as he said the words, but they felt right in their own way, acceptable to her at least.
"I, Nana Astar Deviluke,hear your request, Rito Yuuki, and concur with your decision," she says, plying her own part, and bowing as she speaks, "I do not wish to challenge you for my sister's love, as being your in-law is more than enough to continue the friendship we have on our own, a familial love." Nana smiles as Rito does in turn. "I think you have your work cut out for you Rito," she says in turn, "Any girl hearing that, might just take your words the wrong way and gain interest in you." Paling a bit, Nana can't help but laugh at his obliviousness to the teasing. "Come on hot shot, if you have the royal bug in you might as well get Mea on our page," she states, pulling him along towards their next destination, "You did good for your first declaration, but you've been around us enough to pick it up, I guess; you won't have to be so formal for the rest of them, except Momo probably, since we're royalty, so keep that in mind." Rito nods in response.
Later at Mea's Apartment
"Thanks for letting us come back here, Mea," Nana states, "We really need to talk about something with you, so go ahead Rito!" Rito nods, as Mea stops in her living room to see what Nana was talking about. Rito breatehs in and out, going over what Nana and he had said they should mention to Mea.
"Mea Kurosaki, also known as Red-Haired Mea, I ask that you renounce any love for me," Rito states, "I am currently engaged to the Lala Satalin Deviluke, and as such require help from you regarding a delicate matter." He takes a deep breath and calms himself, as he starts to shake. "I know in times past you have been subject to Momo's Harem Plan, but I ask you help me prove my love for Lala," he continues, "Gid Lucione Deviluke requires your testimony stating you have rejected any romantic feelings towards me, as I attempt pursue my marriage to Lala, and prove my fidelity; will you help me?" Mea cocks her head curiously, and turns between Nana and Rito with a smile on her face. She then laughs for a moment and covers her hand to stifle the sounds.
"Are you kidding me right now?" she says seriously, "You think I'm in love with you?" She laughs even harder, as tears come to her eyes. "I know I thought you were gullible Rito-snepai, but I just am teasing you," she states, "I may have had some mixed feelings in the past, but I think what I love, is to tease you about your perverted side!" Suddenly she sees Nana isn't laughing, and neither is Rito sputtering.
"Mea, I need you to take this seriously," Nana says, "The earth, Rito, Lala, everyone is in a tight spot due to a decree my Father made a couple of days ago." Nana looks at Mea, as her smile leaves her face. "You will either have to reject or accept Riot's rejection," Nana states, "Otherwise you will be regarded as a challenger for the throne of Deviluke, and possibly pitted against Lala, or others, and face death or exile if you should survive the loss." Mea is blank, before a smile crosses her face.
"Sure, why not?" she states, before turning to Rito, "I Mea Kurosaki, the assassin known as Red-Haired Mea, accepts your rejection Yuuki Rito-senpai, and will not contest your marriage to Lala; heck if you need any help, I'll help you break up with other girls if necessary, just make sure I'm there when you face Yami or Momo, you will need my help there." Mea pauses, as Rito and Nana sink this in. Rito's jaw drops as he realizes he wasn't being challenged by Mea in anyway, against Nemesis' expectations of a broken heart and a weapon scorned. "Just one thing, Rito-Senpai," she slyly adds, "As long as after you're married and you have your honeymoon, I still get to tease you and tell your kids stories about their perverted father's high school life!" Rito's jaw drops, then closes, as he realizes this is actually something he had expected to come from Mea. Sighing and knowing defeat in compromise, he shakes his head and Mea squeals in delight.
"I hope they're all this easy," Rito states as he's pulled into a group hug between Nana and Mea, "We really don't need more drama with this..."
Nine Years Later
The Deviluke flagship spins over the carcass of a gray and dying world. They had just left before the acid rains could make repairs to the ship worse, as they had to stop for emergency repairs on the only habitable planet in the nearest system. Of course it had been the only planet that was also quarantined and illegal to dock at or trade with. Having the current princess of Deviluke on board helped with that though. The purple eyes stare out the nearest window in curiosity, showing the retreating planet as the uninhabited remains of the biggest war in history is left behind. She had been told that that place had been in ruins since the King of Deviluke fought for his life there, leaving the desolate remains as a reminder to all those who oppose him.
Earth was a planet of scars and bad memories that made her head hurt. Uwe was thankful to leave that place, the pink haired Charmian/Deviluke girl quite content to live her life in the palace, under the adoration of her Father and King. It was the best life she could ever have after all that her mother had sacrificed for her.