Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru. I do own everything in my room though!
Six Months Ago
Haruna Sairenji stood in front of the Yuuki home. She had her bag shouldered, and was currently causing her sister and her ever loyal boyfriend to wait for her in his car. It didn't help that her sister was in a hurry to get to Sainan Airport, having to go overseas for her work and suspend the lease on her apartment as a result, that in turn caused Haruna to rush and confess to her own absent boyfriend that she had to move back in with her parents over in Shurufuku. He had been out of town for most of the summer, deep in the woods camping with his father and Zastin, supposedly staying at his father's back-up Manga studio that he used when he needed a scenery change.
Today was the day he was scheduled to return, and Haruna wanted to tell him directly that she was moving. She hadn't been able to tell Mikan, Nana, or Momo that she was moving, but she had ran into Lala while she was out with her friends on her final weekend before she moved to Shurufuku. If she hadn't been so careless, she wouldn't have to do this so directly, as her phone had not only managed to be broken over the summer, but her contacts had all been lost until she managed to retrieve most of her friends numbers directly. Still, she felt bad to spring this on Rito so soon, but she had no clue how long it would be before she returned to Sainan. Her parents had already moved her to another school, too, as this was her final year, which made returning to Sainan unlikely. She wanted to confess her feelings to Rito, officially become boyfriend and girlfriend, maybe even more-
As the door opened after the second knock, Haruna shook herself from her daydream and smiled at the person in the doorway. It was Momo, who looked half asleep, even though it was nearly ten in the morning, her silky, lace nightgown slipping down her shoulder, almost trying to expose her assets to the cold morning air. Haruna coughed, covering her disappointment with a nervous smile, as she realizes it isn't Rito at the door. "Ah, Momo-san, sorry if I woke you!" she chirps, "I was wondering if Rito has returned yet?" The Devilukean girl merely yawns, running an eye as she blinks and begins to focus a bit more on Haruna against the glare of the sunlight.
"S-sorry Haruna-chi, Rito still isn't home yet, Lala stayed up all night worrying, so we didn't- hwahhh-" Momo speech is cut off by another yawn, before she pinches her face to wake up, "Sorry Haruna, is there something I can pass on to him when he does get here?" Haruna smiles uneasily, a little hurt that she can't tell Rito directly, but she sighs and pulls out a piece of paper from her bag.
"Thank you Momo, I wanted to tell him directly, but I guess I can leave him a note," Haruna responds, grabbing a pen and beginning to write stuff down, "Tell him I lost my contacts, and that this is my new phone number, and that I'm sorry I wasn't able to talk to him directly before I left." Momo's eyes widen at this, but Haruna keeps speaking. "Yeah, I guess Lala didn't remember, but I'm moving to Shurufuku to stay with my parents, until Akiho comes back from an oversees photojournalist job she's taking for her newspaper," Haruna says, handing her the piece of paper, "It has my new address on it as well, in case Rito wants to come visit, it's only about a three hour ride by bus to there, so tell him to come visit me!" Momo tightly smiles at this information, before Haruna suddenly steps forward and gives her an impromptu hug.
"H-Haruna-chi!" Momo states, a bit shocked by the sudden hug, but she relents until Haruna pulls back with tears in her eyes, "Haruna, a-aren't you coming back?" Haruna smiles sadly, before she hears a honk from the car sitting idle on the street.
"I'm going to make her late!" Haruna says, realizing she had spent too much time talking already, before she turns back to Momo, "Tell Rito to call me, I want to tell him everything, okay Momo?" She smiles, before turning and sprinting down the driveway and shuffling into the car. Momo watched as the car pulled away, before she closed tand put her back to the door, the paper held behind her in her hands.
"Something wrong, Momo?" Rito asks, drying his wet hair as he walks down the stairs from his room, and into the living room, "Did they have the wrong house?" Momo merely smiled in return at Rito, as he slowly walked in front of her.
"Yes," she states, "They had the wrong house!" She crumples the piece of paper behind her back in her hands, before dropping it into the wastebasket. She smiles as she follows Rito into the kitchen, where the others were already eating a late breakfast.
Now
To say Momo was surprised to find the hole in their roof, she was more surprised to see it had been patched over with a bunch of nails and plywood. She really hoped that it would keep the subspace folds from spilling out and crushing the main Yuuki house, as she had begun to feel that it was truly like being home. She was more worried about Rito and her sister, knowing that both of them had been at home when she had left, meaning both of them had to be involved with the damage done to their house. "Rito!" She called out, as she opened the door, "Lala, Nee-sama?" She cautiously trekked up the stairs, before opening seeing Rito's bedroom door wide open.
"Nee-sama?" she asks, as she peeks her head in, "Lala,what happened to the house?" She sees Lala hovering over Rito, who appeared to be in the bed and tucked into his sheets. Lala looks relieved at seeing someone else, as the house had appeared to be empty of everyone else.
"Shhh!" Lala whisper shouts, "Rito blew up again, but he's fine now; it seems when he tried to come into contact with Bladix again, he still carried some excess energy, and that caused him to focus it through the sword to expel it- upwards, through the roof." Momo looked skeptical at her sister's explanation, but sighs when she sees that the cursed sword had been rewrapped in the unique bandages Lala had provided for it.
"Is he going to blow up every time he wields that sword?" Momo asks, "If it becomes a habit, we might just have to ship it to Father, until he needs a weapon of mass destruction to deal with a troublesome planet." Lala knew she was joking, but she still sighs, gripping Rito's left hand as he slept. Bladix had let go after a few moments, the energy clearly having gone dormant within Rito and the sword cleansed of whatever caused it to react to him.
"The sword didn't react to Rito after he expended the dark matter energy for the second time, it had even latched onto his hand, like it didn't want to be removed," Lala states, which causes Momo to give her serious response time to sink in, "The blade apparently had residue energy on it after I had wrapped it in the dampening wrap, the Blade wasn't able to fully merge with him until their energy levels were the same, so it drew out Rito's energized Dark Matter to level both of them off."
"You mean, Bladix couldn't try and take him over because of Rito's charged physiology?" Momo replies, "Does that mean we have to worry about Rito being possessed, the next time he wields that sword?" Lala shakes her head in response.
"It's a little more deeper than that, Momo, the physical blade couldn't adapt to Rito's physiology, sure, but Bladix is more than 'just a sword'," Lala states, turning to look at the blade propped up against the closet, "When the sword took over Rin last year, Rin had the mindset of a warrior, she was perfect match both physically and mentally as a host for the parasitic intelligence." Seh looks back to Rito, stands, and holds back her hair, as she tests his forehead to see his temperature. Satisfied, she sighs and sits back down, looking to Momo. "The sword, Bladix is a spiritual weapon, forged by an ancient weapon smith, commonly nicknamed 'Chronos', who dealt in Orichalcum weaponry powered or strengthened by Tao energy," Lala states, "Because it's user needs to be balanced to use them, to forge a connection they must either have powerful emotional control, or he must forcibly purge his mind of negative emotions, to cement bond between the weapon and its wielder."
Momo is startled that Lala knows this, but she can also see the worry beneath the surface of her smile. Lala was holding something back, and she wasn't wanting to spill it. She was fine with that, as she had her own secrets as well, and knew that whatever it was troubling her, Lala would tell her in her own time. "So, Rito wasn't physically or mentally the right match..." Momo begins to say, "Why did the sword react to him at all, then?" Lala nods, before she grabs Momo's hand and places it on Rito's exposed forearm. Momo feels the immediate difference when Lala gently squeezes her hand over it.
"The sword used the energy to do more than just expel the excess," Lala states, smiling, "It somehow stimulated his muscle growth, causing the equivalent of months of training to accumulate nearly instantly, though he still appears to be fairly lean, meaning this is more than likely a boost to help Rito start the process and begin follow through." Momo stares wide eyed at this, before she begins poking at a few other muscles on Rito's body, to feel a definite change in his physical attributes. She tries not to show she's drooling in front of Lala, and she silent swallows. "I also believe the explosion, the violent detonation, was the swords doing as well," Lala states, "With Haruna moving, Rito's stress has been building up in him for months, we just never recognized the signs because of our own hectic lifestyle; a human isn't used to the same emotional stimulus we are, they don't react the same way we do to say, a liar, or how they hide their feelings deep down until it causes them physical pain."
Momo doesn't know why her sister is talking about hypothetical's like that, but she shrugs it off and Lala resumes speaking. "Rito has been emotionally suppressing his loneliness, he's been depressed Momo, and we ignored it!" Lala cries out at her sister's callous attitude, "He's seemed so happy, but he was hurting Momo!" Momo is a bit shocked to find this out, but she tries to push that guilt away.
"What do you want me to do about it?" Momo yells back, coiling her tail over her head as she responds, "I didn't do anything wrong, how could I know he would be affected by Haruna leaving like that!" She clenches her fists as she pants, feeling like a weight is lifted off of her chest. Lala merely sighs and puts her hand over her eyes.
"Momo- you don't get it, still you don't get it?" Lala states, a sad smile coming over her face as she speaks, "The sword, the sword not only changed him physically; that first explosion wasn't just caused by over-absorbing energy, it was the sword's response to make Rito stronger!" Momo steps back, as if slapped by her sister's words. "When the sword tried to bond with him this time, it not only tried to change him physically, it altered his mental state; we'll be lucky if he comes out the same Rito we loved!" Lala yells, "He may not even love us anymore, do you understand that?" Lala is covering her head with her hands, and starting to fall to her knees as if in pain. "He'll- he'll~" she whimpers, as she breaks down crying, "I thought I c-could save him-" She cries and Momo can't help but feel panic rise in her chest, as she watches her older sister break out into hysterics.
Momo watches, and then she sees Rito begin to stir. "Rito!" she cries out happily, which causes Lala to stop crying, and stand up, "Rito, we were so afraid-" Both sisters were in tears, as they watched Rito smile at them both. He coughs, wracking his body as he does so, but he stops and manages to sit up.
"Did I do much damage, this time?" he asks Lala, who shakes her head as she decides to not mention the hole in the inter-dimensional rooftop patched up by boards and nails, which causes Rito to smile, "Good, I figured after the last time, I wouldn't survive a second encounter with Bladix." Rito smiles, resting his head against his wall, with a content smile on his lips. "Thank you Lala, for being here with me," he states, before he turns to Momo, "Thank you Momo, for being here when I woke up; I'm sure Lala was starting to panic because nobody was home." Momo laughs a bit at that, as does Lala, who jumps onto Rito. He catches his breath as she wraps her arms around his shoulders, and begins crying into his arms.
"R-rito, I was so afraid you weren't going to wake up- that you weren't going to be the same Rito I fell in love with!" she cries out, which causes Rito pause, and Momo feels her heart skip at that tidbit, "Rito- Bladix, is he?" Rito closes his eyes, and smiles, before shaking his head.
"I think he's gone, for now," Rito states, "He told me that he had 'died' when I picked up the sword the first time, that all that was left was a faint imprint in the blade that used all its energy up to talk to me, to impart some kind of training that I needed-" Lala nods and pulls up his arm, giving it a squeeze as she does so. "Whoa," Rito states, as he tosses of the blanket, sliding his legs off the bed, "Everything feels- different, stronger..." He flexes his arm, and then wiggles his toes. The experience is almost alien to him, but he stands with Lala's help, with a smile on his face as a result.
"You've gotten bigger, Rito!" Momo states just a bit seductively, tossing in a sultry smile as she wraps her hands around one of his biceps, "We might just have to give your ~whole~ body a test~" Rito shakes her off, smiling nervously as he does so.
"I'm sure we can test my body later, Momo," Rito states, much to her annoyance, "Lala, can you give me a minute with Momo?" Lala turns her head in puzzlement for a moment, before sighing and smiling. "Thank you, see if Mikan or anyone else is home yet," Rito states, "We don't want them all freaking out when they hear about what happened." Lala chuckles, and thinks back to the hole in the roof, before nodding and rushing down the stairs. As she departs, Momo smiles enormously and tosses herself onto Rito's shoulder, happy to have Lala gone. She realizes he feels stiff, and she looks up to see Rito staring off into space.
"Rito?" Momo asks, "What are you thinking about?" Rito blinks, and refocuses his attention on Momo. Rito takes her by the shoulders, and places her in front of him. This was the first time she notices that Rito overtakes her in height, and she is left having to look up to meet his eyes.
"Momo, I- I don't know what to say," Rito starts off, which causes her heart to beat just a little bit faster, "I- I need to be honest with you about my feelings, but I don't know how to say this..." Momo tries not to let a smile overtake her face, as she realizes that Rito must be trying to confess to her. "Momo, there's no easy way to say this, but," Rito continues, "I need you to give up on me, I need you to give up on the Harem Plan, for your happiness and mine!" Momo steps back, knowing that she must have heard him wrong.
"No- no-" she states, staring wide eyed, as she looks at him with a scared face, "No- you aren't- are you rejecting me?" Momo realizes that Rito, the lovable, caring, friendly, thoughtful boy, who wouldn't intentionally hurt a girls feelings... He was breaking up with her? She shakes her head, and laughs it off, looking up at Rito with a fake smile on her face. "You can't be serious?" Momo states in disbelief, "What- what's changed Rito?" He looks down at her, smiling that caring smile, and he puts a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry Momo Belia Deviluke, but I, Yuuki Rito, have certain expectations as your sister's Fiance," he states, sadness tingeing his voice as he speaks, "As a love interest, I have to break off any romantic interests you might-" Momo slaps his hand off of her shoulder in anger, as her eyes blaze with sudden rage.
"Are you breaking up with me because my FATHER ordered Lala to marry you?" She states, having put together Lala's reaction to a letter Father had sent her sometime last month, "You are breaking up with me, Rito Yuuki, when you didn't even have the courage to reject me yourself, when I practically threw myself onto you, like, like some kind of wh-" She suddenly feels a slap to her face, and she puts her hand to her face in shock. As she looks up, she notices even Rito is in shock, having been pushed aside my another, familiar face. Momo stares in shock, as Haruna Sairenji massages her angry looking hand, the force of the slap causing her own hand to feel the pain.
"You don't talk to Rito like that!" Haruna states, with a deadly tint to her words, "You don't get to talk about yourself, like that either!" Momo can only stare in shock, as Haruna turns to Rito, inspecting him as she does so. She then hugs him, causing Rito to choke out a gasp in surprise. "Rito- when Yami-chan told me what happened to you-" she says, "When she told me you hadn't been told I moved, then that you were hurt in an explosion- well, you look fine!" A shadow crosses Momo's face, as Haruna smiles and stares into Rito's eyes. Rito looks happily at his girlfriend, before shaking off the feeling to turn back to Momo.
He was too late, as Momo shoved Haruna into Rito's arms, running out the door. "Momo, wait!" he calls out, following her to the top of the stairs, "Hear me out, let me explain!" He wasn't fast enough, as Momo stands at the open front door, looking back with tears streaming down her eyes. "Momo!" he calls out, as she turns and slams the door, "Momo..." Haruna grabs his arm, as he starts to go down.
"No, Rito, let her cool down," she says, "We both need to get some things off our chest." Rito feels conflicted for a moment, before he sighs and follows Haruna back into his room. Rito sighs, as Haruna sits on his bed, patting it to let him know she wants him to sit next to him. Rito obliges, and sits down on his own bed.
"Haruna/Rito..." they both say at the same time, "Go/ahead..." Both of them laugh as they speak, before Haruna speaks up.
"Go ahead, Rito, talk first," Haruna states, "I want to hear what's been going on since I left Sainan!" Rito smiles, and thinks back to all the excitement he's had in the past two months.
"Well, I got Yui and Saruyama together, if you can believe that," he starts off with, and Haruna laughs at that, "Seriously, it was actually Saruyama who came up with the idea after-" He pauses, and turns to Haruna. He looks into her lovely purple eyes, he sees how little she's changed, with her familiar purple hairstyle and understanding expressions on her face. He smiles, thinking back to how when he used to get into situations like these, he couldn't sputter out two words without embarrassing himself over some misunderstanding.
"Rito?" Haruna asks, "Is something wrong?" He shakes his head, and finally sees he has the assurance he needed. He grabs Haruna by the shoulders, and pulls her close to him. She squeaks in surprise, but finds instead of a kiss, Rito is hugging her tightly.
"Haruna, I think we need to break up," Rito whispers into her ear, "A lot has changed in seven months, and I think, even though it was a misunderstanding, the relationship between you and eye can't remain romantic." He pulls back, and finds that Haruna is smiling a bit, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "Let me explain," Rito states, and Haruna nods in response, "Lala has been on Earth for three years now, and my relationship hasn't grown with her- first it was because I loved you, but now I realize that our relationship hasn't grown since I fell in love with you in Middle School..." Haruna bites her lip in response to that, but keeps silent. "Haruna, I am engaged to Lala, and as her Fiance, she is expected to marry me by the beginning of summer," Rito states calmly, "I find that I do love her, but King Gid has asked for proof that I love her, and to do this I must approach any potential love interests I've had over the past three years, and I must ask them to revoke any feelings they had for me."
Haruna nods, and lets him continue. "I was just trying to explain this to Momo, when you interrupted and she ran out, but I hope you will let me finish," Rito asks of his long time love interest, his first girlfriend, "Haruna, you may reject my attempt at dissolving our relationship, but know by rejecting it, you will be put into the running as an enemy of Lala, and be allowed to contest for my love and Lala's position in the Deviluke Empire, but risk the chance of lose of life, or exile from the Milky Way and all of Deviluke space." Haruna opens her mouth in shock at this, before closing it and nodding shyly. "Haruna, despite the deep connection I've felt towards you all these years, as my first love, I ask you, I plead of you, please reject any love you've felt for me," Rito states, a tear catching in his eye, as his heart wrenches for having to ask this of her, after she had he had confessed their love for each other, "When King Gid comes to you, to ask if you have forsaken any love for me, please give him truthful testimony; please, Haruna, do not hate me for asking this from you, I truly hope we can remain friends..." He waits, his head hung low, expecting her to slap him, laugh him off, or run like Momo did, from the truth.
Haruna merely pulls him into another hug, and Rito can say he is truly surprised by it. "I'm so happy for you Rito, for making your choice!" she states, crying happy tears onto his shoulder, "Of course we'll still be friends, baka, how could I ever give up a kind, selfless, and stupid friend like you?" She pulls away and smiles brightly, a tear falling from her left eye. She wipes it away and chuckles at her heightened state on emotion. "It's funny, I've been trying to figure out a reason why to visit you, and then you go and get yourself hurt, and I have to hear it from Yami, of all people!" she states, to Rito's confusion, "Rito, I've been wanting to break up with you too!" Rito gives pause at this, but lets her speak. "I- well, once I moved to Shukufuru, I was shy, because I hadn't made any friends, but then someone I knew from Sainan High showed up one day, and joined my school!" she blushes as she thinks back, and shyly looks up at Rito, "You may f-find it funny, b-but I fell in love with R-Ren Elsie J-Jewelria~"
Rito's jaw opens in shock, and he can't help but stare with blank eyes at the smiling Haruna Sairenji. He had to, no he NEEDED, to hear the story behind this!