Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim that I, in fact, do not own To Love Ru, or To Love Ru: Darkness
Mikan knew something was going to go wrong the moment Rito was invited to dance by either Lala or Momo, but she didn't know her brother could dance as well as he did. It had been years since he had done anything as formal as this, though she couldn't say he wasn't a good dancer. Perhaps it was that fact he had been with Lala, who seemed to glance across the dance floor like it was her battleground, and Rito was her weapon. Then again, Lala's own beauty was enough to kill anyone who looked at her, and be raised back to life as love zombies infatuated with her. She knew that must have happened with Momo at the very least, since she had her 'Venus Momo Fanclub' at her beck and call, even if what she can tell from Momo's complaints, it wasn't exactly mutual, as it was unexpected.
Rito dipped Lala casually in an unexpected waltz, before pulling her back up and into his arms. Momo was biting her thumb in jealousy, seeing her older sister dance with Rito so smoothly. She half expected Rito to fall, or trip, and rip Lala's dress off, exposing her breast to the ballroom, and Lala's embarrassment. Of course both just smiled and seemed to compliment each other in their movements, Rito's stiffness obscured by Lala's unpredictability and swaying hips. It was no wonder that Lala had stolen half the hearts in the school, between Momo and herself, Lala was no doubt one of the lustful beauties in the school. She really hoped that Rito would make a fool of himself, just so she could feel justified for her jealous feelings towards her older sister. 'Not that she had any right t be jealous of Lala,' she reminded herself, 'He is her fiance, he probably managed to get some practice in somehow.'
Rito was just happy that, along with spending part of the summer practicing swordsmen ship, that he was taught the basics of dancing to not only improve his coordination, but keep him from making a fool out of himself on the occasion he was expected to dance with Lala, if the time ever came. Thankfully the time was at hand, and he managed to keep himself from falling onto her after partially slipping while dipping her down, or accidentally releasing his tight grip on her hands. But he managed to survive the experience, and happily took Lala aside to catch their breath before another round of dance, or a drink lest he get asked by some enamored girl to dance with him. As he was grabbing some of the punch, he was thoroughly surprised that he was tapped on the shoulder by Rin, of all people, in a beautiful, china-style dress, carrying a fan with glinting metal edges at her side, which Rito guessed could easily double as a weapon.
"Y-Yuuki Rito, I know you just vacated the dance floor..." she states, slightly blushing, "But I find I would like to express my gratitude for your help with a dance." Rito wants to blush, before he realizes that he could possibly take the time to ask to see Rin alone after the auction.
"Uh, I would be glad to dance with you!" he replies, just a bit to eagerly he realizes, "I- uh, I mean it would be a pleasure, since I have something to ask of you, as well." Rin raises an eyebrow at this, before smirking and grabbing his hand as the music signals the start of another number.
Beyond the Kuiper Belt
A merchants ship was sailing through asteroids towards its current destination. The Blue skinned Captain of the ship was sweating, obviously perturbed by their current course, and the threat of the knife being held to his back was no help at all. The male alien could barely keep his cool as he piloted his ship past sensor buoys put out by Devilukean ships in the area, and transmitted his clearance code for trade in the system. He lined up his ship and set up automatic landing protocols, before turning away from his console with his hands up. "T-there, I d-did what you asked, n-now please let me go!" he states out in fear, "My three wives, and twelve kids, they need me out here, I'm just doing my job to pay for their food; so please, I beg of you, spare-" Blue liquid spattered the deck before the man even hit the deck, falling from his chair.
"Twelve children, please, did you think I am stupid?" the sinister voice of his attacker replies, as they pull out a rag to wipe the newly blue coat off the metal dagger, leaving it a gleaming obsidian once again, "Now, Golden Darkness, I will have my revenge... and with this sword made whole once more, I will have the power to send even you to your knees!" Holding up the broken tip of the once whole sword in her hand, the woman smiles as she sees her golden eyes reflecting in the blackened mirror. Breaking out into a deep, cackling laugh the unknown killer watches the planets streak by, as the merchant ships moves ever closer to its destination.
Tenjouin Estate
As Rito stepped off the dance floor, out of breath by the longer than necessary dance, he takes a seat as Rin does likewise. "So, Yuuki Rito, what was it you wanted to ask of me?" Rin states, "Surely you aren't seeking more favor from me, after I got you invited to this lovely dance, where you could impress your girlfriend?" Rito sputters at that, just wondering who she thought was his girlfriend, considering he had been with Momo at the time.
"N-no, n-nothing like that, and I'm sure Momo appreciated the invite as well as I do," Rito states, trying to calm himself and become serious, "No, this is actually a question I have for you, regarding Lala-" Suddenly the music halts, as the crowd hushes and the lights give way to a spotlight on a stage.
"Meet me in Saki-sama's study," Rin states to Rito in a whisper, "I'm afraid I'll be needed for the auction right now, but I can speak to you there after business is concluded; good night, Yuuki Rito!" Pulling away, Rin disappears into the crowd, walking towards the middle of the room, where Saki Tenjouin stands at the center on a raised platform.
"Welcome everyone, to the Tenjouin Cultural Auction, an event being hosted due to generous contributions from artists and historians around the Earth, in an attempt to broaden the knowledge and diversity of Earth, and bring it to the stars," she says, smiling brightly to the assembled humans, aliens, and assorted guests, "I'm sure you are all just waiting for the star of our auction, a fine piece provided by our anonymous benefactor, who wishes to stay that way; the Pearl of the Taoist, is truly the first of many items we hope to have showcased on Earth in our future business dealings with the greater galactic community." She turns to show the first item being wheeled up on a cart. "But first, before we can spoil the surprise item of our show, we must start the auction with a jade piece from the Zhou period," she states, as a large jade pate with a hole in its center is revealed, "The Bi, as these pieces are called, represent ancient Chinese understanding of the heavens, associated with..."
Rito had zoned off at the technical talk surrounding the art, and other historical artifacts showcased here, as none of them really interested him. It seemed Mikan and Celine were thoroughly enraptured, along with Lala who stood near the back of the crowd, along with Momo who looked more interested in the cup of punch in her hand. Chuckling, Rito could understand her pain, as the items seemed to just go on and on. He know saw why Rin had to leave, though, since it appeared between her and Aya, and one or two other girls, they seemed to be showcasing the items being auctioned, pulling or pushing them on carts and other modes of transport for the larger pieces of cultural significance. He was quite surprised, when one of the massive Easter Island heads were showcased, its surprisingly had a small body exposed to the open air from bellow the main head, which was something new that Rito guess he would learn from the Auction. He almost ignored the sound of Lala's Dedial, before looking over to see her pull away from Momo and the group.
"Hello?" Lala answered quietly, after pulling away from the main group, "Zastin?" She listened as he talked, taking in every word as he spoke to her. "Uh-huh, huh, mmmhmmm, sure..." she replies every so often to his query, and the Devilukean eyes go wide at the final response, "Say that again, Zastin, how much?" Rito had made his way over, just as she ended the call with the Devilukean guard, and he goes to speak with her, but she brushes right past him. He watches as she marches through the crowd, just as the final item before the Pearl is auctioned off to a Gourmand.
Saki smiles as the last item, a chunk of the finest swiss chocolate that is accompanied by a half-ton stored in the back, is carted off. Finally both Aya and Rin come in, Aya pushing the cart, with Rin standing by her side, clearly showing a sharp and bladed sword in her possession, to ward off anyone foolish enough to do something. "Ladies, gentleman, visitors of all kinds, we will now be drawing to a close after auctioning off the final item of the night," Saki says, as she grabs the cloth draped over a cylindrical container containing the Pearl of the Taoist, and gives it a quick tug, freeing the view, "May I present to you, with great pleasure I might add, the Pearl of the Taoist, the last remaining one of its kind in this galaxy, created some two thousand years ago by the estimates of reputable xeno-archeologists," Saki states with glee, "Legends purport that in the right hands, the Taoist energy within can be utilized to do almost anything, from saving the life of a small child, to sharpening the dullest blade to the thinnest degree, to constructing a space vessel faster than any purported to be in operation since the day this pearl was forged."
Awestruck, the room is silent, before murmurs begin to break out. "We'll start this off at 400 million- which is quite a steep price, I know, but!" Saki states, "The last remnant of a dead society, graced to be sold here among all you fine, upstanding citizens, if you could unlock the secrets of this pearl, would you not regret passing up the only chance to obtain such a rare, almost priceless-" She wasn't even done when a Memorze man speaks up.
"600 million!" he states, raising his lot number. Saki nods, and turns to the rest of the room.
"Do I hear 625 million?" she asks, "We have an offer of 600 million, do I hear 625?" At that a pale grey hand raises their own hand. "Yes, I see, 625 mill- What's that, 650?" she states, "Okay, do I hear 700 million- yes, you the American ambassador, 700 million!" What follows promptly is a bidding war between many major parties in the room, until the offer is up to a one billion, with a stalemate between a Memorzean, a Balkean, the American diplomat, and a Korean attache, all with spotlights focused on them. Rito then notices some one had dropped their sign on the floor, and went to return it to the woman who dropped it. "Ah- yes, you there, one billion and a quarter?" Saki states, as the spotlight shines down on Rito, who freezes in fear, "Oh- Y-yuuki Rito, ahem, one billion and 250 million, do I hear one and a half billion, no?" Rito had accidentally risen his arm just a little bit to high, and the reflective quality of the sign instantly logged him as a potential bidder. "Do I hear one billion and a half?" Saki desperately calls out, realizing that Yuuki Rito had been a victim of embarrassing circumstances, and she desperately tries to save him, "Do I hear one billion and 300 million,no? Anyone?"
"Uh, n-no, shit!" Rito curses, as he feels the heat of the spotlight, and looks around the room to see the previous bidders fall out at the latest bid, "No- this is a misunderstanding, I, I, I-" Rito hears Saki start to count down, and he can only hope when this auction ends, he won't end up embarrassing everyone caught between him and this accident. He hoped Saki would forgive him, that Lala wouldn't try and spring him if he ended up in jail, and he hoped Mikan wouldn't flay him for getting into this accident by being his helplessly, gentlemanly self.
"Two billion," a new voice interjects, and the spotlight lands on a familiar face, "Two billion for the Pearl of the Taoist!" The crowd parts, as Lala walks up to Saki, and turns to face Rito with a smile. Rito can't help but grab his chest in relief, knowing he wasn't in as much trouble as he thought. "Anything to say Rito?" she says playfully, winking at him. Then he realized that Lala just bought the Pearl of the Taoist to save him from embarrassment. He really hoped that wasn't the case for that outrageous of a price.
"And sold, to Lala Satalin Deviluke, for two billion," Saki states with a relieved smile, "You'll join me at the end of the event, and we will conduct the transaction in private, if you agree Lala-hijme!" Lala nods, as the Pearl is covered and carted off, and Saki exits the stage. Rito can't help but sigh in relief, as Lala approaches him, with the crowd of onlookers departing.
"Thank you very much, Lala, I don't know if you meant to do it or not, but you just saved us from an embarrassing situation," he state, as he hug the Devilukean princes gratefully, and she laughs in reply.
"Actually Rito, it's a good thing you managed to scare the other bidders off, if I had interjected when I did, they would have raised the price further just to spite Deviluke," she states, "But you, an inexperienced earthling, they didn't know you, or how far you were willing to go to make others pay for the Pearl, so they stopped to see how serious you were about the Pearl." She leans forward and kisses Rito on the cheek, and he goes red and blushes at the action. "Thanks to you, I only had to spend two of the ten billion allowance Zasttin just said my Mother gave me," Lala states, and Rito's brain cracks at that revelation, "It seems someone is after the Pearl and is coming here for it, so my Father and Mother allowed me to buy it, so it could be sent to Deviluke by tomorrow..." Rito nods, as Lala continues on. "Apparently Mother showed interest in it, once she learned the Pearl was being sold on Earth," Lala continues, "She had money transferred into Zastin's ship, so that I could purchase it for her, for whatever reason she wants it for." Saki then approaches them with Rin in tow, who then asks for both of them to follow them to her study.
Saki's Personal Study
Lala, Rito, Saki, and Rin all file into the room, where Aya is already standing with the covered container holding the Pearl of the Taoist. Lala smiles upon seeing it, walking up as Aya uncovers its container once more. Lala then turns to Saki and brings out her Dedial. "Would you like it in earth currency, planetary land, stocks, property percentages, gold, silver, diamonds, Devilukean currency, or quatloos?" she asks sincerely, which causes Saki to cough, "Ah, I can also mix up the value,so that you can hold portions of each across planets, or make it easier for you to establish legal bases outside of Earth to do business?" Saki turns a bit red at that, before she coughs into her hand and steadies herself.
"Thank you, very much Lala-hijme, but I'm afraid there is a bit of a catch, on our part, for buying the Pearl," this causes both Rito and Lala to become wary, as she states this, but Saki throws up her hands in defense, "Nothing that will impact the business transaction on your behalf, no, actually it was an odd specification by the anonymous buyer, one to assure him that the Pearl was being properly handed over to the winner of the auction." Aya brings out an old style of camera, one that actually prints the picture out from the bottom. "He wants a picture of you holding the Pearl, a physical memento, as it were," she states embarrassed by the request herself, "It's odd, but that is all he asked for, before we handed off the Pearl." Looking at each other, both Lala and Rito shrug, and he steps aside as Lala is handed the case enclosing the pearl. "Smile!" Saki states, as the flash goes off and Aya removes the drying photo, "There, now we can discuss how the Pearl will be paid for-" That was when the room exploded into a flurry of motion.
Throwing himself onto Lala, Rito tries to cover her by putting his back to the exploding wall, as Saki and Aya are likewise covered by Rin, as the study explodes inwards. Rushing into the room, Yami-chan appears, followed by Mikan, who carries Celine, and Momo and Nana. As the dust clears, the remains of the front of a ordinary civilian trading vessel is seen amongst the rubble of the west wall of Saki's former study. The nose of the ship, and its hood, actually appear to have broken upon impact, and reveal the dead body of a blue humanoid at the helm. "What just happened?" Rito asks, as the dust clears and nothing seems to move, "Did this guys' ship fail him, or did someone do something-" Suddenly there is movement from the interior of the ship, as something fast cuts through the settling dust and aims straight for Rito's head.
Suddenly Yami is there, with her hair already a blade and blocking the extended form of a whip, which quickly returns into the darkness of the ship. "Ah, Golden Darkness," a female voice states, as light catches their golden eyes staring out from the ship, "It seems fate has caused our paths to cross again, earlier than I anticipated, but it shouldn't have surprised me that you would be coming after the Pearl as well..." A blonde harpy with one large ponytail in the shape of a drill, walks into the clearing with her whip in hand, and a piece of glinting metal in her hand, bloodied red by her kill. Or not, as Rito realizes the aliens blood appeared to be blue.
Yami readies herself to attack, until the whip lashes out and wraps around the fallen container holding the pearl. She pulls it back quickly, it rolls underneath her heel, and she puts her foot right over the glass. "Unless you want this Pearl destroyed, I suggest you all take a step back, and let me get what I want," Azenda the Tyrant states, before grabbing her whip and coiling it back up, with everyone taking a step back, "Thank you!" Bringing her foot down into the glass, the container shatters, and she laughs as everyone freezes. Grabbing the pearl before anyone can move against her, she laughs as she holds it in her hand, grasping the obsidian jewel.
"I thought you were a Tyrant, Azenda?" Momo states, "Have you been reduced to the state of a petty thief just to make a living?" Even though she taunts the mad assassin, the glint in Azenda's eye doesn't diminish at the barb.
"Child, you really think I would result to petty theft?" she states, lower the hand that holds the pearl to her hip, "You don't know the proper history of this little jewel, otherwise you foolish little humans wouldn't have sold such a device to just anyone!" She puts her whip to her hip, and grasps the pearl in her hand, drawing out the dagger she had held at the same time. "The Pearl of the Taoist, isn't some ancient holy relic, there isn't any mystical secret to restoring life to the dead, or whatever other lies they've fooled themselves into thinking in this galaxy; in the Tahl Galaxy, an item like this is understood as the weapon it is!" she laughs as she plunges the shard into the pearl, the hard surface somehow becoming malleable as they watch, "Behold, the true power of the Tao; the ability to reconstruct perfection embodied!" Suddenly the fragment of metal within the pearl begins to glow, before the ship behind Azenda begins to glow brighter, as shards of metal resonate with the fragment embedded within the pearl.
Letting go the pearl begins to float, and slowly the fragments in the ship and strewn across the room at impact, suddenly hover around the pierced relic. In moments they seem to turn into a flurry of metal, as the pieces become a maelstrom, with the pearl at its center. Suddenly a form begins to take shape, familiar as the black and red body is reconstructed, much to the horror of those transfixed by the event. Finally the last piece removes itself from the pearl, and the ugly tip of the blade, seals the sword together in a blinding flash of light. Azenda the Tyrant quickly reaches for the blade as it stops floating, grabbing the Pearl likewise. Rito, Lala, Momo, Nana, Saki, Aya, and Rin all stare in horror as the mad Azenda the Tyrant holds the most dangerous, blood soaked weapon in galactic history. Bladix had returned, whole once more.
"You broke a parasitic sword and yourself out of jail, just to fix it with a magic pearl?" Rito asks, "Why not just get someone who knows what they're doing fix the sword, why crash into Saki-san's study just to steal the pearl, when you could have done it at anytime before the pearl even made it to Earth?" Lala and Momo look to Rito, while he stares Azenda down. Yami, too, is staring the crazed former assassin down, watching her micro-expressions for a hint at what she was doing. Azenda just smiles, as she looks towards Rin, and Yami moves across the room to Rin. Unfortunately she moves too late, as Azenda has already dragged the girl to her position, after grabbing her with the whip no one had noticed her replace the Pearl with.
"Don't move, don't even blink Devilukean princess, nor you Golden Darkness; no one move a muscle or I slit her throat before any of you act!" she states with deadly intent, pinning her hands behind her in one arm, while holding the Pearl to her head in the other, "You've only seen what the pearl can do to objects, now let me show you why I needed the Pearl while it was here!" In a second the Pearl ripples, a spike suddenly jutting out from it, before Azenda drives it into her neck and spinal cord. "One speck of movement on your behalf, Golden Darkness, and this girls neck is snapped," she states as she sees Yami tense up, along with Rito, "She isn't going to be in pain; the Pearl is merely searching out for the thing I am looking for, the item within her memories that I need to complete my mission." The Pearl suddenly retracts and dims from its glowing state, and Azenda growls at that reaction. "Damn, I surely thought she would have it!" Azenda states, before pushing the girl towards the others, readying her whip at the same time, "Looks like I'll have to extrapolate what I'm looking for by some other means, a pity it couldn't go my way." Rin stumbles forward, before Rito grabs her and pulls her back, happy to see she was unhurt but unconscious.
"It seems the consciousness of Bladix is not asleep in her, even though my reports say she was the last host," Azenda states, "The nano machines that make up the pearl can't find Bladix's 'soul' within hers..." She curls her lip into a sneer, before looking haughtily at Yami. "It appears I've lost this time Golden Darkness, though I will find what I am looking for..." She looks to the Pearl and smiles, a wicked idea forming in her head, "Let me leave you with a parting gift, since I've shown you just part of what the Taoist's Pearl can do to organics, let's see how you like the feeling of having your power eating you up from the inside!" Suddenly the Pearl glows, a spike shoots out towards Golden Darkness, who reflexively turns her hair into a heavy shield. The spike never makes it though, as the Yami retracts the shield to see a horrific sight.
Kuro, Black, stood in face to face with her, hand gripping his side, as blood gushed from where the barbed spike had hit him. In the hand not trying to keep the wound sealed, he held the bloodied projectile, caught before it could hit its intended target. "Came in at just the right time," he says cheekily smiling at Yami, "Glad I could be of service, t help you, Eve." In that moment he collapsed into her arms, blood coming from his mouth suggesting massive internal bleeding from her friend. Yami sets him down and tries to staunch the blood flow, as Nana rushes to her side to help him. She can't help but cry out, tears starting to flow down the living weapons face.
At that moment Azenda laughs at Yami's show of weakness, happy she could cause her pain. That was the wrong thing to do, as Yami whirls on the Tyrant and ascends into her Darkness form. As she was about to create an immensity powerful weapon to kill her slowly with, Kuro grabs her ankle, and it causes her to pause in shock. "It's not w-worth it, g-getting your revenge," he says, coughing up more blood, as he weakly lets go of her ankle, "Eve- y-Yami, don't burden your heart with more darkness, not after everything you've done to prove my choice was right..." She stops, returning her hand to its normal form, and looks incredibly pissed off and angry at Azenda the Tyrant.
"Normally I would not forgive such insolence, for you attacking my friends and targeting them like this," she states coldly, her menacing appearance even causing Azenda to freeze, "You have not won this day, Azenda, now you will be sent to a place I know you can do no harm." Waving her hand, her hair forms into a wormhole, from which she pulls out the Pearl of the Taoist. Azenda then looks confusedly at her empty hand, before looking back towards Yami and gulping. Yami then puts her hand forward, her hair following her actions and a wormhole moves to swallow up Azenda the Tyrant in her whole form. With that done, Yami moves to look after the dying Black, her savior Kuro. With a flick of her hair, both are swallowed up by Yami and they disappear from sight, to places unknown.
"Yami!" Rito shouts, as he holds the still passed out form of Rin in his hands, "Where did they go?" He passes her gently off to Momo and Lala, who then began to look the bodyguard over for any physical harm caused to her by the infestation of the nano machines. Rito meanwhile, goes to the place where Yami and Black once sat, but finds no trace of them save a drying pool of blood on the carpet, strewn about with the shattered splinters of the bookcase and blown away scraps of paper that once made up the books. That was when Rito's eyes laid upon the sight of the forgotten blade, somehow Azenda had lost track of it when Yami had went for her, after the attack on Rin. He feels the same icy attraction he did to the pearl, but he brushes that away with the anger that the cursed sword brought up into his heart.
"No, Rito, don't!" Lala calls out, as she sees him reaching for the sword, "We don't know what Azenda did with the Pearl to repair Bladix, he could have been-" The words died in Rito's ears as his had brushed the hilt, the blood in his ears drowning out with their harsh and fast pumping. He holds the blade up and into the light, the black metal polished to the point that Rito could see a muted reflection of himself inside. The light grows and catches his eye as he admires his reflection, and Rito's world begins to spin as he feels something sharp, begin digging into his hand and through the veins in his arm holding the sword. He felt his arm grow numb, and then his heart stop. It seemed Azenda would have the last laugh after all, as Rito succumbed to the Darkness that consumed his thoughts and blurred his vision.
"Rito, fight it!" he heard Lala, (or was it Momo?), speak, though her voice was dimming, "I believe in you Rito- you won't become-" Rito soon found himself falling into the cool darkness.
Arctic Circle
The honking of seals is heard, as Azenda the former Tyrant, waits in the freezing cold snow and ice. Currently a curious Arctic Fox was watching her from beneath a barren tree, its oddly golden eyes glinting at her in the sun. Azenda merely snarls at the creature, which causes it to skirt off into the underbrush and snow, where it disappears into its den. Suddenly a shadow covers the land, and the freezing Tyrant looks up to see the massive form of a space ship take up the sky. Her ride had finally made it to her location, and picked her up.
"You couldn't come pick me up any faster?" she asks her partner, "I may be stronger than most of these pitiful humans, but that doesn't mean I don't get cold easily." Her partner chuckles, before tossing her some warmer clothes and a blanket.
"I apologize, madam, but I had to pick something up before I could retrieve you," they states, waving what they had procured in her field of view, "I'm not one to go back on a business deal, especially one so satisfying as to know the circumstances behind it." Azenda picks the item from his hands, before sneering at it.
"A primitive photograph?" she sneers, "Hmm, perhaps relishing in the fact they had one happy moment before their lives were snuffed out and property taken from their grasp, would have been satisfying, had there not been so much unexpected interference." Letting go, the photo flutters to the ground, showing Lala holding the Pearl of the Taoist. "Why go through these motions, just to have me steal the Pearl back from them?" Azenda asks, "We could have retrieved Bladix and been done; you might as well render the hit on Rin Kojou null too, she didn't even hold the blades consciousness within her soul..." Her partner nods, before folding his hands over his face and smiling.
"Perhaps, but seeing as you left the sword behind, it was only fair I leave a booby trap within it, set for one valiant soul," he says, "Yuuki Rito, no doubt, would have gone to retrieve the sword from where you dropped it in your scuffle with Golden Darkness, and unless the post-suggestive order I put within the nanites fails to activate, I believe Bladix will come about all on his own." Azenda smiles at that as well, knowing how much she wished to see her enemies face at that prospect.