A/N: Special Double Update, due to the fact I'm home sick!
Disclaimer: I don't own To Love Ru.
He almost didn't believe the sword for a moment, but he also feels its as if the sword is holding something back. "What, what aren't you telling me?" Rito asks the sword out loud, "You're name is Adam, but you are hiding something; what is it you want to know?" The sword hums louder this time, enough to cause even Lala to be able to hear the vibrations.
'Tell me Yuuki Rito if you had the option in front of you, would you learn to grow, to be your own person?' Adam asks in Rito's mind, 'I feel conflicted, my two commands are clashing: 'Take Everything/Grow' and 'Protect Rito Yuuki/Learn'.' The sword dims, and Rito Yuuki doesn't know how to respond. 'I wish to grow, so I must take everything, yet I cannot take from you, so I must learn from you,' Adam states, 'Why should I not take from you the knowledge of Yuuki Rito, learn from you, and grow with it?'
"You wouldn't have protected me then," Rito states, and turns the question back on him, "Would you take everything from me, when I still have much to learn about, when we can learn and grow, together?" The sword doesn't respond, and Rito decides to turn his attention back to Nakajima. A knock at the door, and Mikado-sensei has arrived, trailed by Oshinzu with a bag of medical supplies.
"What happened to this child?" Mikado asks, Rito and the others don't have any clue, "Very well, I guess we'll have to get him up and about, and then we will know what has happened." She gets to work quickly, thankfully having her work reduced by Lala's efforts, along with Mikan's help, and she had very little to do beyond setting a few ribs and repairing a fracture in Nakajima's forearm. Whatever had attacked him had been strong, strong enough that when Nakajima tried to punch them, he ended up hurt from the impact of his fist against the opponents body.
"He said Momo was hurt, that she was taken," Rito states, "Do you know how long before he'll wake up?" Mikado-sensei shakes her head, knowing that it would be up to him when he awoke. Rito was tense, waiting for his only clue to awaken and tell them what was going on, that he didn't even notice Lala put an arm around him to try and calm him down.
"Momo is a Devilukean child, she has unique powers and abilities that put her above others, even her own captors, worrying won't help you Rito," she states, pulling him to the kitchen table, where a cold dinner sat waiting, "We need to eat, we can't go on with empty stomachs, whatever we decide to do." Rito automatically sits down, and methodically eats his worries away, even if it was only for a little bit. Even though the food is cold, it warms him to know that he has his friends and family beside him, as they all worry about Momo's safety.
"How long until Zastin returns from Deviluke?" Rito asks, after finishing his plate, "Can't we call him back earlier, to help us in the search?" Lala merely shakes her head, as does Nana.
"It won't work, Zastin is still three days away, even at the ships top speed, the nearest Galactic Police cruiser is twice that," Nana states, before slamming her hand down on the table, fork and food still on it, "Whoever had the gall to touch my baby sis, is going to be in for a mean awakening when she breaks out and beats them up!" Lala and Mikan can't help but smile at that, while Rito's mind wanders back to the sword.
"Do you think Azenda has something to do with this?" Rito asks, throwing out the possibility, "I mean, she disappeared after Yami transported her away; perhaps she was working for someone, someone who also hired her to kidnap a Princess of Deviluke." The others turn towards Rito. "Hear me out, don't you think it was quite a coincidence that the Taoist's Pearl was sold at the Tenjouin auction that night?" Rito asks, "Sure it was planned months in advance, but wasn't it odd how the seller wanted a picture of the bidder who won it, and right after that Azenda crashed and tried to take the Pearl to bring Bladix back?" The others nod, and Rito goes to pick up his sword by its wrapping, bringing it and setting it across the table. "I mean, they couldn't account for all of us being there, but to know where the Pearl was being sold Azenda had to have been tipped off by someone, why not the seller?" Rito begins to think hard, "What if the reason they chose the Tenjouin auction, was because they were specifically targeting Rin, they thought she had the 'spirit' of Bladix inside her, after all."
This time Nana speaks up. "So, you're saying we threw her for the loop when we were all there, Yami included?" Nana thinks back and realizes something as well, "Didn't Kuro tell her he was hired anonymously by the same benefactor to guard the Pearl, did they plan for him to be there as well, to be attacked like he was?" Rito looks to Lala, who simply shrugs in response.
"Then that means Kuro was targeted for something specific, something he had that no one- wait, was he targeted because of his gun Hades?" Mikan states, "Didn't Kuro say it was made of orichalcum, like Bladix, and it ran off of the users spirit energy to fire different kinds of bullets?" Rito looks to Mikan, then to his sword, and then to Lala and Nana. "Isn't Bladix made with orichalcum?" Mikan asks the others, "Isn't he kind of a spirit, too, since he's a living sword that feeds off of people's blood, essentially their life energy?" The sword hums in response, and everyone steps back at that.
"Mea," Rito says, turning to Nana, "Nana, I need you to call Mea and Nemesis here, right away, and see if you or Lala can get in contact with Yami and Kuro, I think this is bigger than we thought." Lala and Nana nod, each going for their Dedial. "Mikan, put Celine down for the night, and get some rest yourself," Rito commands his younger sister, then sighs and softens the tone of his voice, smiling, "I don't think any of us will be getting any sleep tonight, so see if you could make us some coffee in the meantime, this is going to be a long night."
As the room clears, and Rito is alone with the sword, he hears and feels the sword, Adam, thrum to life once more. 'Very clever Rito Yuuki, you are learning,' the sword, Adam, taunts playfully, 'Perhaps I should listen to you, or maybe, you plan to get rid of me, like you did Bladix?' Rito doesn't know how to respond to that insinuation, after all it had crossed his mind, though he knew whatever removed Bladix, wasn't likely to work twice with the swords new inhabitant.
Twenty minutes later Rito is deciding this might be a bad idea, as Mea stands next to him, along with Nemesis and Lala. Yami and Kuro both stand at opposite ends of the table, having decided to stay out of what Rito was planning to do, and watch over them while they waited. Rito is holding the sword, with Adam being very quiet with all these new people around him, which Rito was quite thankful for. "Are you ready?" Mea asks the others, who all nod in response, "Very well then I shall begin according to Rito's instruction." In less than a moment, thin red cords attached themselves to the base of Nemesis', Lala's, and Rito's skulls, linking them together, before a fourth cord touched the hilt of the sword. "This may feel weird," Mea warns, "Begin Psycho Dive." Rito felt a rush of air, and then darkness.
Sainan High
Waking up after falling asleep to his science teacher's lecture, Rito blinks to find an imposing, dark figure lurking above him. He almost scrambles out of his seat, until he realizes that it was only the smiling Lala S. Deviluke. The brown haired girl with pink highlights, who had declared herself his future bride, had just recently become his well and truly girlfriend, after Rito came to his senses. Rito Yuuki knew he lost his chance with his long time crush, Haruna Sairenji, but he never knew how much it hurt to see her fall for the man who tried to woo his current girlfriend. It stung a little bit, but he realized it must have hurt Lala too, to see her best friend and once-boyfriend go for Rito's own long time crush, which everyone had known he had.
The eldest daughter of Deviluke Enterprises was a well endowed heir, both physically and monetarily, assets which she flaunted at every opportunity. "That's why we're having lunch on the school roof!" she stated with a swirl of embellishment, revealing the roof having gotten a makeover, "I hope it isn't too much?" Rito was quite shocked, seeing that the ten foot table must have been hard to get up the stairs, since it looked to be solid wood. He also noticed what must have been a seven course meal on the fine table cloth and china plating, and Rito realized just how rich his girlfriend was to get this in here with little to no fuss. "Thank you Zastin-san!" Lala stated, dismissing her tall, silver haired butler, and turned her attention to Rito, "Let's go eat, Rito!" Pulling him to the table, he gladly sat down to dig in.
In less than ten seconds, his dreams of digging in were cut short, as the school's principal kicked in the door. Rito sighed, seeing the short, black haired woman practically seething at the extravagant display before her. "Rito Yuuki, how dare you take part of such an extravagent feast on school property..." she states, before breaking out into a smile, "Without first inviting me to take part, you should be ashamed, you sniveling worm!" She marches over to Rito and pulls his chair out from under him a wicked gleam in her eye as she puts her foot onto him, trying to get him to the ground and grind him beneath her heel.
"I-I'm s-sorry Vice Principal Kurosaki- Neme-chan!" Rito bites out as she stops just a bit harder, "Lala j-just invited me-" Suddenly grabbed from behind, a taller, blonde woman with long hair and a neutral expression drags the vice principal out of reach of Rito. Next to the blonde, who Rito identified as Yami Lunatique, Tearju-sensei's own daughter, was Yami's adoptive sister, Mea Lunatique, a feisty red head with a slightly perverted slash sadistic personality, if you survived being in her presence to learn that.
"Rito, sorry about our Aunt, Onee-sama and I will make sure she leaves you undisturbed for the rest of the evening," Mea states, as Yami takes Nemesis Kurosaki down the stairwell, "When you're... ready, we'll join you two." Rito thought that was very odd of the hot blooded second year, but he brushed it off as the influence Nana Deviluke was having on the girl, toning her down as they became best friends. Rito always thought that was odd, with how opposite of a personality wise the two had seemed when they first met...
Looking back towards Lala, he almost is given a fright at what he sees. Lala is standing over what appears to be a smaller version of himself. not only is he smaller, but he appears younger, and he watches as Lala starts to hug and cuddle the cuter, littler Rito. What happens next causes Rito to scream out in shock, though e would later defend it by saying he yelped. The Young-Rito touches Lala's forehead, and in what looks to be a physical ripple of light, Lala transforms into a demon right before his eyes. Pink hair replaces her hair color in totality, and as the light shifts over her school uniform, it is replaced with a sexier, alien body suit, until he sees what appears to be a red, throbbing tail tipped with a pointed spade at the end.
"Rito!" Lala calls out, "Isn't he just adorable, you didn't tell me looked like this!" Rito doesn't really know how to respond, until he sees the child version of him walk up to face him, and then gesture for him to reach down to meet him at his eye level. Rito oddly enough, complies, and bends down to the kids eye level. The little guy then flicks Rito's forehead, causing him to stand back out of reflex, and then shake his head clear of fuzzy thoughts.
"That wasn't very smart, Rito Yuuki," the smaller version of Rito states, "Hijacking our minds into this gestalt illusion, you obviously underestimated my, our, mental defenses between the two of us..." Rito blinks, realizing that he is in fact talking to himself, and then he realizes that he was just talking to a humanized Nemesis, Mea, and Lala, mere moments ago. "No matter, to keep their sanity in your quest, I've decided to keep them in the illusion for now," the boy states, "You and Lala on the other hand, I decided to awaken to show you the answers you seek."
"Did we get caught up in a dream?" Rito asks Lala, who shrugs in response, and he turns to his miniature self, "Did you cause this then? Who are you?" The younger Rito merely sighs and puts his palm to his face, muttering to himself. Looking back up at Rito, he snaps.
In less than three seconds the illusion falls, Sainan high is replaced with a black, starlight void. Only Lala, Rito, and the younger Rito is shown to be in the void. "You already now who I am, Yuuki Rito, but for the benefit of Lala-san, I will elaborate," the younger Rito says, "I am the current consciousness of the Ninth Blade, I have inherited most of Bladix's memories and defenses." Rito realizes that Adam is slowly fading away into the background. "Due to the sensitive nature of my being, I can't just let anyone delve into my mindscape and let them run rampant," Adam states, "So I devised a mental illusion in the form of Sainan high, to confuse the inexperienced and keep them at bay; you are now both being let into my true subconscious, where I store Bladix's, as well as my, memories and thoughts." Rito watches, along with Lala, as an alien landscape and sky opens up around them. "You wanted to hear our story," Adam states, "Well this is the start of it, the messy bits you think you don't need, but I know you want to hear; the start of the Ninth Blade's fall."
"This is the workshop of Chronos, a master craftsmen who worked thousands of years ago to forge weapons that would make a difference in the universe outside, as a Great Galactic War broke out," Adam states, narrating from all around them, "It was here, in Chronos' main forge, that Bladix was born, at the birth of a seemingly unending war..." Rito watches as the building and forge begin to take shape, surrounded by rolling hills of green and an open sky. Rito sees a plain looking man, one who had sharp eyes and deep, black hair framed by glasses. Kind eyes smiled out from underneath the glass panes, and Rito felt some kind of connection to the man, Lala even showing the slightest sign of recognition when he looked to her, and a slight undertone of... regret? She points, and Rito looks to see a secondary figure coming from far off in the distance, slowly approaching and growing bigger with every step.
Clad in armor of gleaming white, Rito realizes that the man is not like the first, who resembles a human, this man was quite like Zastin, in both looks and form, though his hair in the back reached past his shoulders. His scorpion like tail was curled behind him, armored much like the rest of him. The man even had a blade at his side, though it was broken at the hilt, its severed half kept tethered to the outside by a thin, metal cord. "Are you the one I seek?" the knight asks the man, who Rito assumes must be Chronos, "I am Creed, a Holy Knight of the noble Deviluke Empire, and I seek the master smith known as Chronos." He kneels, planting his sword into the ground in front of him, and looks up to the black haired man. "I need a new sword, one strong enough to slay the hated tyrant that now sits atop my world's throne, a pretender trying to play god," the man, Creed, states to Chronos, "I have heard of the worlds who seek out your craft, how they return as legendary heroes of justice, something my world needs desperately!"
The other man doesn't know what to say, but he nods and points the man to a door that leads into his house. "Follow me, and I will show you the beginnings of a sword I have yet to complete," he states, "I can promise you, if your words ring true, that I will be able to help you." The man follows the smith inside his room, until he comes to a massive looking forge. Rito was glad he was a phantom, otherwise following the armored man and getting a good view would have been hard. As they reach the forge, Rito notices there is a sword, a sword looking eerily similar to Bladix, though it's edge gleams bright silver, instead of a stained, blood red. "This will be the legendary Ninth Blade, one of nine objects I have crafted for others like you, who wield my weapons in the name of truth and justice," the man turns to Creed and adjusts his glasses, "All I ask in payment is for your story, of the reason, the need, for you to wield my yet-unfinished blade?"
Creed smiles, and Chronos motions for him to sit at a nearby chair. "My planet is called Deviluke, and we are one of the younger species to have taken to the stars, ours is a civilization that deeply roots itself in honor and respect, tradition and legends," Creed states, "Except for the current King, an usurper who claimed our former Emperor went mad searching ancient tomes and following legends, in an attempt to seek godhood and bring a new age about for our people." Chronos nods, a slight frown matching Creed's own. "Emperor Diskenth, sought out an ancient source of power, a jewel left behind in the ancient trap-ruins of our ancestors, which speak of Gods that walked among men," the Knight continues, "Tales tell that the Gods fell into civil war, their outcast brethren having grown jealous of their abilities, sealed away the source of their powers, an ancient and mystic form of energy that transcends above all others, known in the tongue of the Gods as Tao energy." The man reaches into his his armor, and pulls out the tiniest looking object he had ever seen, though it looked very much like the Taoist's Pearl, in a smaller stature.
"Pearls, they called them, weapons that when wielded, could give one the power of the Gods, to create, to destroy, even to resurrect the dead," Creed says smiling, and Chronos is instantly moving his hand towards his unfinished weapon, "It's a shame they are nothing more thansmall machines, the most intricate of weapons I have ever seen, mind you, but an Assassin of Tahal told me about this very, small, little jewel of power, right before I slit his throat." Chronos is wrapping his hand around the hilt of the weapon as he watches the man for his movement.
"I'm afraid of what you're implying, Holy Knight, if that is even what you truly profess to be," Chronos states, "But I warn you, if you try and take my blade, I will do all in my power to defend myself." At that Creed merely smiles and cracks his knuckles, grabbing the broken hilt from his side and holding the pearl towards it.
"Quite right, as you should, it's only fair after all," Creed states, "I might as well go ahead and tell you, I am the former Emperor Diskenth, my people disposed of me and put my most loyal of knights, my own cousin, on the throne, because they all thought I was mad!" Creed's hilt begins to form into a sword, until the tiny pearl is consumed by the growing blade, the last of its power fading away to be used by the sword. "With your sword, powered by my wrath, my anger, my hellish soul, I will become unstoppable!" Creed decrees, raising his blade to parry Chronos, "I will return a God of my people, having slain the last of our old gods, whose blackened hair and ethereal beauty did not dismay my righteous course of revenge!" Lunging forward, Chronos barely had time to react, as his sword hand was cleaved from his wrist. Gushing blood, Chronos tries to stop the bleeding, as he looks up to see Creed go for the blade.
"Please no, you don't understand!" Chronos cries out in vain, "The sword isn't finished, it's still impure, you will corrupt your own-" Creed doesn't listen, picking up the blade and smiling at Chronos, a deadly glint in his eye.
"Too late, Master Smith!" Creed cries out triumphantly, "The Ninth Blade is mine!" As Creed wields the sword, he feels that something more is needed to activate it, and he looks to his former sword. Grabbing the broken hilt and its shining blade, he clashes the two against each other, until the Taoist energy is drained from the once again broken hilt. "It still hungers for more..." Creed states, feeling the blade pulse in his hands, yet not quite awake, "It needs more Taoist energy, it needs more energy... it needs life energy... it hungers- it hungers for your blood!" In a swift motion, the Ninth Blade is driven into Chronos' heart. For a moment, Creed smiles in satisfaction, until Chronos' eyes begin to glow a brilliant, blinding light.
"Born of a blood and hate and might, born in day and darkest night," the glowing form of Chronos calls out, "Soul and Blade betwixt, combine, as the blood of mine own heart seal the infernal pact." Creed stops smiling, as he feels the sword wriggle within his grasp, before a massive, wriggling mass of metal tentacles begin to crawl up his hand. "On this day, the unfinished blade is borne, an entity of hate, anger, and scorn," Chronos continues to recite in hollow, echoing tone, "Death comes not once, but twice, before the blade is forged... to Mistletoe you must go, or lest ye be gorged; never sated by the blood of those you kill, you will always be seeking one final thrill... the final forge await, you must belay your twisted fate." At that the light encompasses Chronos fully, and after a blinding flash, Chronos is nowhere to be seen. Creed lifts up his sword in triumph, as the sword then opens up to reveal asingle, massive eye.
'I have awoken,' the Ninth Blade speaks, 'I have tasted perfection, the blood of gods... still I crave more!' Creed doesn't know whether to laugh or cry out in fear, as the single, massive eye turns towards its host. 'I hunger, foolish mortal; I must feed!' the demon blade booms, 'Life energy, blood, give me your Blood!'
As Rito and Lala watch on in horror, the very seams of reality seem to tear the illusion apart. Rito doesn't know if he wants to throw up out of horror, having seen the birth of the cursed sword, or to run and comfort the crying Lala. The second feeling wins out, and in a moment he is at Lala's side, the girl having turned away from the scene upon the realization of what was to happen to Chronos. "-oido-sama,"she half mumbles through her cries, "Why did you have to show me this, Adam, why this wretched truth?" The boy appears in a flash, in front of the two.
"To let you see the answers to questions you do not yet seek, to show you what you need to see, if we are ever to unravel the twisted fate that yet lies ahead," Adam states, "By drinking of Charmian blood, by drinking of Chronos' deviant, power filled life energy, his last act as a Seer of the future, was to lay that prophecy out for those who were consumed by Bladix, a warning, and a message." Rito only stares up in Adam in confusion, the smaller child suddenly giving off a conflicted look, unfamiliar or at least uncomfortable, with the crying woman in front of him. "I know it is not what you asked for, but this is what you needed to see, to understand the next part... about what came later," Adam states, waving his hand and changing the scene again, "This time, I will allow your friends to view, this is something that pertains to all of you." With a snap of his fingers, Mea and Nemesis appear as if they had been by their side through the whole ordeal.
Mea blinks and looks around, eyeing Lala and Rito, even Nemesis, before turning her eyes to the younger Rito clone. "Adam-kun," Mea states, "I- I swear I was just talking to Yami nee-sama, and Master..." She then walks over to where Lala is, concerned at seeing her cry, so she gives her a hug. "I don't know what just happened, but I feel like you need a hug, Lala senpai," Mea states, hugging Lala, "It will be okay, it always is..." Lala merely sniffles in response, and Rito gives the living weapon a nod of the head and a smile.
Nemesis on the other hand, has come face to face with Adam, giving the child a once over glance. "I see," she utters, before touching the child's forehead, "Well, this just won't do..." In less than a second, Adam's appearance changes drastically. Orange hair drains downwards into a sandy blonde, while his eyes become a shining golden with flecks of red among his iris', and then his very skin becomes a darker shade of tan, almost like Nemesis', if a little lighter. "There we go, child," Nemesis states, smiling at her handiwork, "No son of mine will ever be mistaken as Yuuki Rito." Adam doesn't know how to respond, Rito doesn't know what to say, Lala stops her crying just to stare at Nemesis, and Mea does likewise. Nemesis merely shrugged and smiled as she sideways hugged the sword's avatar. "Well, what else would you call a child born of my TransWeapon Genes, and the Ninth Sword of Chronos?" Nemesis responds to the odd looks, "He's at the very least, practically family, even if he has to share Rito's mind..."