A/N: Hi everyone! I do not own To Love Ru...
The Morning of Lala's Marriage
Rito wakes up with a headache and a groan, sitting up from the bed provided him last night by the Deviluke sisters, Rito glanced around the spar room meant for servants, and noticed a pitcher of ice water on the stand, with a glass and a note on it. He gratefully takes the provided glass and pours himself a drink, since it was obvious that the latent effects he was feeling from the juice he drank last night, had turned into a hangover. Taking a look at the note through blurry eyes, despite the pounding in his head, Rito read the note.
Rito,
Saw you were asleep, left a note to inform you breakfast is in dining hall, will save a seat for you at the girl's table.
Nakajima
Blinking as he processed the note, Rito yawned and chose at this moment to get up from his bed and search for some clothes. He quickly looked down and suddenly began to turn beat read, as he rushed towards the pile of clothes on his dresser to grab the most important garment he needed. He didn't know how, why, or when, but someone stripped him last night and took all of his clothes, yet everything after Momo and the others informing him about Lala's engagement seemed to be a blur. Suddenly a spike of pain was driven into the base of his skull, and Rito quickly puts a hand to his head to find an engorged lump there. Suddenly the memory of last night gained clarity. After he had gotten into the shower to freshen up after the dinner and head to bed, someone had knocked on his door and let themselves in, asking for all his clothes in the meantime. To his surprise they had actually come into the bathroom without warning, asking for his suit while informing him his other clothes had been washed, which had actually scared Rito and caused him to lose a grip on the bar of soap he was using. That was when things got a little bit more fuzzy, but he remembered clear enough as another tally to his clumsiness caused him to slip on the soap and tear the curtains off the shower rod, as he tumbled straight onto whomever the unlucky soul it was that had been kind enough to wash his items.
He must have hit his head when he scrambled backwards, slipping on the soap again, no doubt. Thankfully besides a headache, it didn't seem to leave him with amnesia or any other permanent damage. In fact despite the pain, it didn't seem to be swollen that bad. He just hoped that the poor person had been forced to drag him into bed like that,already traumatized by being attacked by their guest. So it was with equal parts humiliation, embarrassment, and mortification that he started his day off walking into the dining hall for breakfast, after having gotten properly dressed in fresh clothes. And after a few minutes surveying the dining hall, Rito found the table where his friends and family were sitting.
"So, you finally come to join us at breakfast, have you?" Kuro states, an impish smile framing his mouth as he stares at him, motioning for him to come join them, "I heard an interesting story from someone last night, after you nearly gave them a death scare." At that Rito's eyes grow wide at her words, and a flash of unfamiliar pink hair runs through his mind.
"Wh-what are you talking about?" Rito stutters out with nervous chuckles, "I- don't really remember what happened last night..." He sits down as a tray of food is set in front of him, a servant having appeared from nowhere in particular to drop of the hot plate of food. Mea's growing grin from across the table hadn't lessened, and it made Rito increasingly nervous as he bit into the stack of what he was assumed where Deviluke's equivalent of pancakes.
"Oh, okay then, I guess Peke was lying then..." Nana nonchalantly adds from her place on the table, as she hums and turns away, "It's too bad, since I was told she was nice enough to not take off the broken shower curtain until she got you in bed." Rito sputters at that, eliciting a few giggles from the group of girls, except for Yami, Mikan, and Kuro, the last of whom guffawed. Rito merely sunk into his chair and kept eating, lowering his head in embarrassment. Nana laughed out loud, smiling in Rito's direction. "Don't worry so much about it, Peke is great at keeping secrets anyway," she states with a smile, "She was just a bit shocked since she assumed you had heard her come in, it was just your rotten luck that caused one of your accidental perversions... thankfully though she was in her non-humanoid mode, so she managed to dodge your 'godly' act of indecency." His ears were bright red at that, much to the humor of the group.
"Enough teasing Rito, we all know we're all just trying to lighten the mood, but that doesn't change anything," Momo states, oddly serious for once in this situation, "Lala is getting married in two hours, and we still haven't managed to figure out just how we plan to stop this wedding yet." The mood suddenly shifts with that revelation, as they all feel the added pressure of reality bearing down.
Yami puts down her book, and looks up with a neutral expression towards the rest of the people at the table. The cover 'Ancient Laws of Deviluke' surprises the rest of them, and they turn to look at the living weapon. "This book I borrowed from the palace library, it contains all the relevant data regarding laws still in effect after the consolidation of power under King Gid's rule and establishment of his galactic body of ruler ship," the clone of Tearju states monotonously, "There is an ancient charter dating back a few thousand years, with a rule that requires a period of grace between the marriage of a high ranking official and one of lower status, with a clause regarding succession of kingdoms." She opens the book and pushes it in Momo and Nana's direction, both sisters grabbing the tome to pear at its pages together.
"Apparently the law states that if a princess, lady, or other high ranking official of the court is to be married off as a matter to the regards of heirs and succession of the kingdom, apparently there is a period of time when someone can challenge the fiance if they are viewed as a corruptive influence, or proven unfit to lead," Nana reads, before Momo pulls it away and gets closer into it, "If the princess has chosen her betrothed from among the common folk this law allows others of higher, or lower, rank to challenge the betrothed to a duel to prove their worth, with the losers title, their land, and any possessions they owned becoming the winners by right of victor." Momo looks up from the book and smiles gleefully at Yami.
"How in the world did you find this?" she asks the living weapon, "It'll take some cross checking, but if it doesn't conflict with any of the established rulings our Father has made, Rito may just have a chance." At that Nana takes the book from Momo once again, and reads it puzzled.
"How is that possible, sis?" she asks, as she reads the lines once more to see if she missed something, before looking up at Momo with confusion, "It says that Lala would have to be marrying someone of lower rank to allow that clause to come into effect." Momo nods, then points to the section once more.
"Right, if that was the pat I was referring too, Rito wouldn't have a chance since Lacospo is of equal rank to us socially, but here in the first part of the clause, I think we have a chance with the wording they use here," she states, and Nana's eyes light up in understanding, "It says 'any high official' and 'matters of succession', so the notions that someone can be challenged on the grounds of corruption or proof of being unfit to lead, would allow even someone like Rito to challenge Lacospo, since the clause would essentially go into effect regardless at that point." Rito wasn't as convinced as the others were, but he had some hope to hold onto now.
Lala's Room
Later
The princess of Deviluke was loathe to wear this dress for anyone save the person she had dreamed about, but it was too late to change the design or colors and it would take a miracle to do anything about it. Suddenly she heard knocking at her door, and figured it was the servant she asked to fetch her a fresh pair of shoes from the castle's cobblers, since they had been designing the new shoes she had asked for since two nights ago. Despite the fact she could easily get a mass produced pair capable of fitting her just fine from any of the shops on Deviluke, there was a reason the castle still had shoemakers on their staff, despite the advancement of technology; the cobblers were noted as one of the best in the universe, utilizing even the most inferior of materials to make fine shoes that fit their wearer to the utmost of their comfort. Without Peke at her side, or the technology from her lab to create the temporary buttons, Lala had to rely on the tailors and cobblers to create the traditional wedding gown her mother had insisted she wore. The newly crafted gown held to Deviluke tradition in practicality and comfort, while it enhanced her features in certain areas, reflecting an aspect of her Charmian heritage.
Unlike the puffy monstrosity she had been admiring, this gown lacked covering of her shoulders, exposing her assets just so, while also obscuring it fittingly with a skin toned, invisible neckline. The tiara she would wear retained its veil, while reducing it greatly in length so it just trailed over the mid-area of her shoulders. The train, too, was reduced making the length of the actual gown at her ankles, though the underskirt went a little bit further to give it length, thankfully it was split up to her knees. This was allowing her a bit more freedom in her movement, while also accompanying to her tail by allowing it room, instead of having it hanging out from behind, or forcing it to be restrained under heavy clothing. She was paradoxically happy, despite the nerves she felt knowing she would be using this dress to marry Lacospo, not Rito. The ill feeling only grew as the clocked ticked down, showing how little time she had to enjoy her freedom, unless Rito defends her honor and challenges Lacospo. Still she forces the unease down, and once again realizes she had gotten lost in her thoughts as the knocking renews on her door.
Going over to the door, she opened it to be greeted by a massive bouquet of Andrusian lilies in a wicker basket, along with her requested shoes contained with the box stamped with the cobblers mark, though the girl who was delivering was obscured by the tall, white flowers , as the small woman struggled to balance the two items in her small grip. "Oh my, let me help you with that; just put the shoes on the bed," Lala states as an order, grabbing the lilies from the woman, her vision obscured by knowing exactly where to put the flowers, "Thank you so much for delivering these flowers, who are they from?" She turns with a breathless smile, before it falters at seeing the girl before her. Messy, pink hair kept tight with two circular disks acting as 'buns', that were actually her transformed cybernetic parts disguised as hair ornaments, uniquely pale skin, and sharp, pink eyes that are darker where ones irises would be, the white uniform she had programmed her with replaced with a bridesmaid's dress that seemed to flawlessly match the one she wore.
"I'm sorry Lala-sama, but you wouldn't answer my requests to meet with you, so I intercepted your maid and acquired the lilies from Momo-sama," Peke states with a smile, her pupils contracting and refocusing as she simulates a shy smile, "She sends her best wishes, and your happiness, though I do not always understand her sometimes, she genuinely wishes for you to be happy." Lala turns away for a moment to hide the tear she wipes from her eye, but Peke's sensitive ocular enhancements in her human form catch it in the reflection of her mirror. "Lala-sama- Lala," Peke states frankly, concern in her voice, which surprises Lala as she turns to see actual concern on her creations face, "I- We, are all worried for you to have made such a rash and hasty choice in choosing Lacospo as your marriage mate." Lala attempts to hide her emotion, and lets Peke continue to speak. "History has shown that Lacospo is vain, self-indulgent, narrow minded, duplicitous, and has shown no care for you regard; overall a perfect example of one ill fit to be your queen," Peke surmises, causing Lala to feel more and more regret and guilt as her words weigh heavier than the dress, "But, as your sole companion for many years, I know that tactically you are shrewd, caring for the best interests of your people first, when applicable, and I am hazarding a guess that you have an endgame for Lacospo; data provided most recently has allowed me to extrapolate the most likely outcome, that your knowledge of ancient law allows you to make Lacospo a scapegoat and example, to ensure Rito's succession of the throne goes unchallenged before everyone." Lala doesn't know if her heart just skipped a beat, or if it was just her nerves, but the unwavering smirk on her creations lips showed that she had advanced way beyond her programming limitations yet again, always a source of constant surprise to the princess.
"Yes, you are quite correct Peke, I do plan on using Lacospo, I feared that Rito would not arrive in time to prevent my marriage from being unchallenged," she says with a hesitant smile towards her creation, "Unfortunately Lacospo has seemed to have silenced everyone, including Rito, at the engagement party; I do not quite know if Rito is aware I still have feelings for him." At that Peke giggled at her creators expense, a passing look of confusion on Lala's face.
"Rito was far from non-vocal about your marriage last night, Lala, it seems that your sisters are just as shrewd as you, as they planned to intoxicate Rito with the same juice that they found made Sairenji act drunk," Peke states with a smile, causing Lala to brighten and even giggle at the image of a drunken Rito, "Suffice to say, I do not know how Rito plans to challenge Lacospo, since someone must accuse him of being unfit to rule, or your marriage will become binding." Lala nods, well aware of this fact, sighing as she sits down on her bed to open her shoes to observe them.
"Unfortunately as his fiancee, I am unable to raise my own objections despite being crown princess, though I am sure Momo and Nana will be able to," Lala states, frustration crossing her eyes as she struggles to fight through her dress to put the shoes on, "The... greater... problem, is getting evidence of his ill repute, as the word of my sisters may be cast as being bias towards my favor." Peke gently grabs the shoes from her hands, then bends down on her knees to help slip the shoes onto Lala's feet.
"If it were to come from someone else, anyone else, there would be no question or doubt of bias, but achieving that is hard, as those who are aware of his misdeeds are either in doubt with their relations towards me, or were more than likely bought out by Lacospo prior to arranging his annulment with Azenda,who would also be cast in doubt if she were to object," Lala states, smiling as she takes in her new shoes gratefully, "Thank you Peke, your knowledge of everything makes me feel better; I felt so terrible having to stay away form you, but I couldn't just let anyone know." Peke merely nods, putting a hand on her shoulder and grabbing Lala's hand to squeeze it gently. Suddenly another knock was at the door, and unlike Peke's surprise visit, Lala knew it was time. Covering herself with the veil, Lala quietly opened the door, flanked by Peke, and followed the maid who was to keep the bare minimum distance between the groomed Lacospo and his bride to be.
Elsewhere
The cargo hold of Lacospo's ship had yet to be emptied of its unusual guest, the process of removing the dangerous creature, who snapped and snarled at any of the Devilukean's who attempted to transfer the monstrous Drasuke to a holding pen, halted due to the sudden wedding proceedings. The desire was that princess Nana, with her connection to animals and her history combating the most dangerous of life forms to add to her own menagerie, would be able to calm the beast and allow veterinarians to check the poor, half-starved beast for diseases or other conditions. The beast was slumbering peacefully when it smelt a new scent on the wind, opening its eyes half-lidded to inquire why this new scent held no fear. She nearly checked herself when the bold intruder into her territory casually approached her, before raising a massive object and skewering it into the confounded device that acted as the invisible shield that kept her in. With the force field gone, she intended to scare this new being into submission, until she felt a dark presence cause her ever wary instincts to cry out against this idea. Causing her eyes to turn into slits, she stares down this not-prey, before taking a deep sniff and refocusing her attention on other new sights and smells that she could classify as prey, their warm blood and sweat exciting her senses. Lumbering off in no particular direction, the entity smiles as he watches her go.
The Wedding
Nana and Momo are sitting with their mother at their seats in the front of the audience, Rito and the others in the row behind theirs, among other guests and diplomats fortunate enough to hold strong ties to Deviluke. It was then that Nana was approached by a hurried maid, one that sounded desperate and pleading in her hushed but forceful whispers. It took Nana seconds for her angry expression at being interrupted at her sisters wedding, before she turned to Momo and spoke with her in low tones, causing surprise to rise up onto her own face. At that both sisters excused themselves to their mother, and without a word to Rito or the others, exited the room to deal with urgent matters. "What was that?" Rito asked Sephie from behind, "Queen Sephie, is everything okay with Lala and Peke?" The queen turned to face Rito, before speaking in a hushed tone.
"It appears that there was a malfunction on Lacospo's ship, a creature that was awaiting transport to be cleared for medical reasons, has escaped into the palace grounds," she grimaces, "Thankfully so far everyone has been busy on this side of the palace, but concerns over the creature running rampant has called for both Nana and her sister to reason, and if necessary, restrain the beast before any diplomatic incidents occur." Rito clenches his fists at that, hoping the girls return in time, since they were critical to bringing up the matter of Lacospo's fitness as a leader.
Before Sephie can console him, noticing his change in mood, the music suddenly starts up, with Lacospo entering the foyer where the wedding is being held, shortly followed by various other wedding parties in their turn. Rito notices that among them is Ren, and Run, acting symbolically as ring bearer for the former, and as flower girl for the latter. This surprised him, as he had assumed both had just remained at their homes on Earth, though being Lala's friend, he realizes should not be as surprised as he is. Suddenly the music changes, and the duo of Peke and a nondescript guard as Maid of Honor and Best Man, are overshadowed by the pair of King Gid and a veiled Lala. The wedding march is over shortly, having to stay within the constrictions of the ten meter field, but all is well by the time Gid hands Lala off to stand at the altar with Lacospo in front of the alien minister. As the others take their place, silence fills the auditorium.
"Friends, we gather here this day to officiate the wedding of Crown Princess Lala Satalin Deviluke of the Deviluke Empire, and her joining to the Prince of Gaama, Lacospo of Gaama," the officiator states, "Both Lacospo and Lala have informed me beforehand that they wish to skip their vows, though at the behest of King Gid and a few members of the royal family, I have been informed to ask that this time be used to observe an ancient Devilukean custom." Lacospo raises an eye at this in confusion, while Lala opens her eyes a little in shock, as the minister turns to face the crowd. "According to the ancient traditions of Deviluke when a high official is to be married, as Crown Princess Lala is today, a period of time is granted to any who believe that these two should not be wed, to speak and bring up due reason why Prince Lacospo of Gaama is unfit to marry the princess." Suddenly the whispers that had been going relatively unheard, become a clamor of confusion and excitement, as the crowd buzzes to see if anyone is foolish enough to react.
"What is this?" Lacospo announces, as he turns to the officiator and Lala in turn, "Did you put him up to this; did she put you up to this?" He snarls as the justice acts surprised at his outburst, while Lala remains cool and collected. "Fine, then as it is my right, I refer also to a law of my own people, that of defense of claim, to clear my name of any who challenge me," Lacospo states as he turns to address the crowd, "If any of you filthy simpletons believe you can challenge my worth after revealing the First Sword of Chronos in my possession, I dare you to speak up now, or forever hold your idiocy inside of you!" Rito suddenly and nervously looks back to see if Momo or Nana were yet to return, but knowing his luck they would be off on the other side of the palace by now. He takes this moment to take a calm, cleansing breath as he steadies his pounding heart, waiting for anyone to speak up. As Lacospo is about to break into a fit, Rito stands up and silences the whole room. Even Lacospo is shocked that the earth boy had suddenly stood.
Rito slowly walks out into the isle, and looks up and straight into Lacospo's eyes. He puts a hand to his belt, the scabbard showing proudly to the room and view of everyone, including the toad prince. "I wonder how you can claim to be the master of the First Blade, Lacospo, when the blade you wield is merely an inferior copy you cooked up to scare everyone," Rito announces, fears behind him as he begins to talk, "I'd like to see how your sword holds up against mine, considering I had just recently come into possession of..." Rito pulls Adam out of his scabbard, bade shining and gleaming in the light of the room.
"Oh, please Rito Yuuki, do you think I would be so stupid as to come wielding a fake sword?" Lacospo states, calling his words a bluff, "I don't know how you copied my sword so perfectly, but your challenge is hollow, Rito Yuuki, without a legal aspect to your objection." Rito grips his handle tightly at that remark, as Lacospo has them there. "What, no words to speak now that you are standing?" Lacospo taunts with a smirk, "Even if your sword was real, you lost your chance to marry Lala, since she picked me!" The crowd begins to murmur at that, and Rito begins to rack his brains trying to figure out how he can stall the procession any further, hoping that at any moment Momo or Nana would come to his rescue and say something.
"I will contest this marriage on Rito's behalf, I have reason to believe Lacospo is unfit to rule, and believe Rito's challenge has merit!" a voice speaks from somewhere in the crowd of people. Lacospo suddenly narrows his eyes and searches for the voice, as does Rito, Lala, and the others in the crowd, who look around themselves. Suddenly a familiar figure steps out into the isle form a few rows back, and both Rito and Lacospo go bug-eyed, recognizing the woman who steps forward. "I am Lady Adrisin of Gaama, the fifth in line for the throne, and daughter to the Royal Queen and King of Gaama," she announces, looking at Lacospo with thinly veiled disgust, "While I have not known Rito Yuuki for long, I recognize that the kind, caring man wants only what is best for the Princess of Deviluke, he would make a fine King; my brother on the other hand is a lying, deceiving, slanderous man." Rito is aghast at the revelation that Adrisin was Lacospo's family, due to the differences in biology, a look shared by Lacospo, though filled tenfold with contempt. "I have heard about my brothers failed attempts at wooing the Princess, and time and again my brother would blame a selfish, perverted, anarchist savage who tricked Lala into loving him, even going so far as to 'force' her into sharing his bed, a slander not only to Rito's credit, but against the very woman he now proclaims his want to marry?" she states, turning tot he assembled crowd, "On my way to attend this ceremony, our transport was attacked by Pirates, pirates whom the G.P.D have informed us, were anonymously hired through the Black Market Consortium to specifically target the Royal Queen and King of Gaama, though a failed attack as I was sent last minute in their place."
The shock form the crowd was palpable, as it was the indignation and anger coming from King Gid, who turned towards Lacospo with a look that was truly murderous in intent, before Adrisin continued to speak. "Upon hitting a quantum mine, our ships distress beacon was found by Rito and his ship and crew, and with only a few Dazuul Seeds, and First Sword in hand, Rito bordered our ship with one other member of his crew, taking out not only the pirates attacking our ship and the diplomats they were ferrying," Adrisin announces loudly before turning back to Lacospo, "He escorted us safely into Deviluke space, and upon questioning his intent to come here against my Brothers own stories of the man I thought I knew, he told me a tale of how my brother had kidnapped Princess Momo, threatened bodily harm if Lala did not give herself up in exchange, and how he was coming to Deviluke to stop the engagement all together..." With that she looks to Rito and motions for him to step up, which he does and approaches the altar, sword aloft.
"Now, Lacospo, with our legal grounds established, I ask you now again!" Rito states, more confidently as a wide grin splits his face, "I declare you unfit to marry Lala, so pick up that blade and face me in trial by combat, for the marriage of Lala, for your right to the throne, and all that is yours, according to ancient Deviluke law, if I have that right?" He looks to Gid, who nods in response. Lacospo pales as he sees Gid approve of Rito's actions, before looking around the room and seeing all his options are closing down. Suddenly he sneers at the rest of the room, the judging looks, and the hate filled eyes.
"Very well, it seems like you have me cornered, and if my sword is a fake as you claim, we both know I don't have a chance against you," Lacospo states, as he weighs his options out calmly, "Then you all leave me no choice, if I can't have a wedding, I'll annul our engagement!" Suddenly Lacospo has a grip on Lala's hand and her ring, tightly grabbing her wrist and ring finger. "If you come any closer, I will pull this ring off and kill us both, unless you listen to my demands," Lacospo announces, as Rito freezes, "Sweetie, will you come up here so we can get my ring back from this harlot; if I can't win by marrying a princess, I would rather kill us both than lose my fortune to her..." Suddenly a sultry, fair-skinned Devilukean walks forward from the servants seating, bleach-blonde hair giving her an exotic look compared to the black and brown normal to their physiology. "This is Eris, and she is to be my new betrothed..." Lacospo states, "You will allow the minister to end our engagement, and hand the ring over to Eris, or I blow your precious whore up, Rito Yuuki, King Gid." If Gid wasn't aware of the seriousness of this threat, he would have gutted Lacospo there and then, instead he begrudgingly nods towards the minister.
The minister widens his eyes at this, then chooses to clear his throat in response. "Very well, ahem, as unorthodox as this is, it appears I shall be annulling your engagement," the minister states, looking around at Lala and Lacospo, who now has the bleach blonde girl he had called up hanging off the arm that has his hand around her ring, "If no one objects, let the engagement of Lala Satalin Deviluke, and Lacospo of Gaama be annulled, as objectives have been found that put the union of these two souls into question, you may now return the ring." Suddenly both rings dim in color and luster, as the rings deactivate their safety protocols, awaiting a new partner to be found.
"You won't get away with this, brother!" Adrisin announces, surprising Lacospo slightly as he hears her speak up, "With the power invested in me, by the Queen and King of Gaama, I Adrisin of Gaama, fifth in line for the throne, declare Lacospo of Gaama incompetent of rule, authorization Sidris Eleven!" Suddenly the color of Lala's diamonds are lost, as if the Ring acknowledged the codeword, turning bright silver as well, much to the surprise of Lacospo. Lala breaks her hand free from Lacospo's grip, slipping the ring off of it as she chooses to punch the toad in the face. Lacospo is stopped by the woman hanging onto his arm tightly, as he holds up his hand to his newly split lip. He puts a hand to his lip and finds a pit of blood on his fingers.
"You absolute bi..." before he can even finish that sentence the woman who had been helping him stand gave him a left cross, knocking him out cold. She then slipped the ring off of his finger to admire it in the light, as it lost its opaque color and transformed into a lustrous silver, the pink and green gems losing their color and becoming translucent once more. The surprise on everyone's face as the girl just smiled and wiped the blood from her knuckles on Lacospo's fancy tuxedo. She also picks up the ring that had tumbled from Lacospo's grasp in the fall.
"Here take the ring!" the woman states as she walks calmly over to the teen and places it in his hand, "I might wipe a bit of the blood off of Lala's ring though..." Rito is looking on in confusion at both of the silver rings in his hand, while everyone else is merely panicking in response at the fact that Rito is holding two micro-explosives so calmly. Rito audibly thanks her for that before turning his attention to a more important person, leaving the steps of the altar behind for Lala.
"Are you okay Lala?" Rito asked as he grabbed her hands to calm her, as she breaks down in his arms, "It's alright now Lala, he can't hurt you anymore." Rito turns to see Gid personally brandishing the pointed end of his tail towards Lacospo's soft throat, until two guards arrived to drag Lacospo off into the dungeon. His exit was hastily followed by the approach of Adrisin, who bowed to the King in passing, before standing before Lala and Rito, and turning her attention onto Rito.
"Lord Rito, I humbly acknowledge you as victor over the former prince of Gaama, and ask- no, I plead that this incident not mar the relationship between the kingdoms of Deviluke and Gaama," the woman states, before lowering her head, "According to the ancient law, all of Lacospo's possessions, his land, and his Title now belong to you, Lord Rito; as Princess Lala had intended to marry Lacospo this day, perhaps a wedding may yet still take place?" Rito widens his eyes at this, as does Lala, before the woman smiles and looks up at the both of them. "I may be a stranger to your relationship, Princess, but a man who went this far to save you from such a manipulative man, surely deserves your hand, if not your heart," she states before coyly smiling at Rito, "Though I hear that the feeling may be reciprocated, verily, so don't let my Brother's arrogance get in the way of your feelings." She goes to step back and return to her seat, but she swivels at the last second with a contemplative look on her face. "Oh, and there might be another thing I forgot to mention about those lovely rings of yours," she states, as Rito and Lala raise their eyebrows together, "Together both allow access to a small fortune portioned off to my brother, in recompense for all your troubles with him you may come to Gaama to acquire the liquidated assets of Lacospo's valuables at anytime; the Royal family would gladly lend you our private moon for your honeymoon as well!" Adrisin walks up grabs a ring from Rito's open palm to examine, producing a tablet that she placed the ring on, her breather bubbling as she mutely studies the results.
She smiles when she gets the results she is looking for. "Good news everyone, the rings are inactive thanks to the shutdown code I was given, so no chance of setting off any of its self defensive measurements," Adrisin smiles, her head fins flaring outwards, "The bad news is that if they aren't reactivated within an hour, the micro-explosives will detonate." Everyone takes a step back at that, with Rito staying where he was out of confusion of not knowing what they were talking about. "Now let me guess, he told you that the microexplosive could do bodily damage?" Adrisin asks, her voice rising a bit out of exasperation, as she put a hand to her forehead, "Of course he lied about that too...*sigh* I can assure you, unless you are fully electronic and within a foot of the ring, the micro E.M.P. wouldn't even touch you." She crosses her arms and sighs once more, bowing in front of Lala out of respect. "I apologize for all of my brother's misdeeds and growing list of falsehoods, but I am afraid that Lacospo was lying about you being in any physical danger," Adrisin states, still bowing, "Unfortunately my brother is a greedy man, and the love of the money he could access with both of these rings in tandem, meant he did everything in his power to make you stay within his grasp." She looks to Rito, then back at Lala, and smiles as she hands the former both rings. "As these are now yours, Lord Rito, I suggest you choose to make use of them with great haste," she suddenly signs, instead of speaking, much to the confusion of the other guests, "Though I would refrain from putting yours on until she accepts your proposal."
Rito quickly turns away to hide the color dusting his nose, so he chooses to focus on the other object of everyone's eyes in the room. He turned, only to watch as the woman's outward appearance melts away into the shadows before quickly being replaced by someone that had been conveniently absent from the first day Rito had arrived. "I almost didn't think you had it in you at first, before you stood up and faced him," Nemesis states with a wicked smile, "Almost makes it worth all that trouble posing as that slimy toads love interest just to get close to him, in case he did something as stupid as this." Rito crosses his arms and smirks as the smaller girl merely holds her nose up at him.
"I thought you were more into spreading chaos and having fun, why deceive Lacospo like that?" Rito asks, "I mean, I understand spying on him, but going so far as to pose as his girlfriend, just to steal a couple of rings back from him... unless you really cared for mine and Lala's feelings?" Nemesis suddenly freezes and grows a little indignant at Rito's insinuations.
"As if," she haughtily replies, turning to face the red head, "What better way to cause chaos, than to crash the wedding of a century, pose as the slimy toads girl on the side, just to destabilize the foundations of an important marriage, then root for the underdog who is barely king material..." Rito smiles at her attempts to play off her helpfulness, though seeing his smile gives her an idea; at which point Nemesis closes her eyes and smirks before opening them confidently and approaching Rito to whisper in his ear. "While you may not have to have an excuse anymore, take it gently with her," she whispers, much to Rito's growing horror and embarrassment, "She loves it when you take it slow with her, so just make sure that when you dream of marshmallows and ice cream, you savor the taste." With a wink she sauntered off, leaving a blushing Lala and Rito on the altar, as the minister coughed to gain their attention.
"While I believe a wedding is in order, I think perhaps for both parties involved, a decision must be reached between them and them alone," the alien minister states, before turning to King Gid, "While reconvening at a later time may be inopportune, perhaps a rescheduling for later in the day may suffice?" King Gid steps forwards and draws his daughter to the side, whispering a hushed conversation with her, before nodding and turning to face the assembled crowd.
"Very well, I believe that we shall convene for lunch in the main dining hall, and should my Daughter and... Lord Rito make their decision to sanction their engagement and wedding, we will reconvene," the room almost starts to break into a din, when a sharp reprimand from King Gid causes everyone to quiet down, "Should anyone wish to challenge Rito for his title in that time, I suggest you take it up with me... privately." The din silences to the point where one could hear a pin drop, as everyone realizes that the words the Devilukean King are saying essentially conveys that he approves of their marriage, even if it was yet to be officiated. Lala was slack jawed at this, as was quite a number of disgruntled delegates, yet it seemed no one was going to raise any objections, as they all quietly waited in their seats. With that done, Rito took Lala's hand, and the impromptu couple left the room, followed by Peke, Mikan, Celine, and the various others that consisted of Rito and Lala's friends.
Meanwhile
Hangar Bay
Momo stands over the wreckage of what was once Lacospo's force field controls. The containment field had been compromised by whatever had sliced the tower in two, looking more and more to be an energy weapon that could potentially threaten others in the castle, a concerning thought that she and Nana shared. Though the two sisters had separated to see whatever it was that had escaped the field was returned, the fact that Momo couldn't repair it was quite the conundrum. This left Nana to entertain the ferocious predator that was roaming the castle gardens, something that had proved easier to do once she unexpectedly called in her own Drasuke. "What could have done this besides Rito's blade?" Momo asked herself. Nana came in to check on her and inform her that the Drasuke was content to remain where she was with her male counterpart to herd her away from others. She also told her younger sister that something had happened at the wedding ceremony, and that their parents wanted them to check on Lala in her room. Deciding to leave her question unanswered, Momo regrettably left the rest of the work to palace guards, as she had an older sister to check up on now.
Lala's Room
The eldest princess of Deviluke had insisted that Rito and her talk privately, once they approached her room, a request that went off without any complaint and full understanding. So now Rito found himself sitting on a massive bed, easily twice or three times the size of the one Lala had in her room on Earth, as Lala sat on the opposite side, hugging a pillow closely towards her chest. "So..." Rito states slowly, trying to break the ice, "Your wedding's been called off, your ex-fiance slash kidnapper is in the dungeon awaiting extradition, and I suddenly find myself inheriting every thing he owned..." He chuckles a bit at that, though Lala is quiet as she halfheartedly listens, her mind distracted by other matters. "So I guess I own my own space ship now, that's cool..." Rito states, thinking back to the spaceship that sits in the Devilukean space port, "Might be hard to explain to my parents why I've suddenly inherited a fortune in alien currency; what would it even be worth, what is it made up of, and what is even called... would it be yen, quatloos, gold, jewels?" Still Lala is silent, and Rito's attempts don't seem to be doing anything, so he attempts to broach the subject as delicately as possible. "And these rings, man, what was with al the tension back there over some engagement rings, really?" he asks, "I mean, I'd want to get you a proper ring since I thought you'd want one, but the emphasis-"
"Do you really want to marry me?" Lala abruptly asks, breaking off Rito's horrible attempts at getting her to talk, "Do you- really want to be engaged to someone who practically threw a good thing away, just to prove something?" Rito knows from her tone of voice she intends to keep talking, she doesn't really want his answer. "Do you expect me to just up and marry you now, you tried to defend from marrying him, even after everything that's happened?" Lala asks, lifting her head up from her chest, but not looking back at Rito yet, "How I foolishly took the place of my sister just because her life was in danger, even though I knew you would come and rescue me, even though Lacospo could have married me, you still want me?" She turns to Rito with what he expects to be anger, lashing out at him, instead what he finds is a girl with tears flowing freely, his heart breaking at seeing her so miserable.
"Lala I-" he doesn't even finish his sentence, not knowing what to say. He wants to just lift his hand up, bring her into a hug, kiss her and tell her it will all go away, but he knows such trauma will take time. She notices his lapse, and levels her teary gaze with him, before swallowing her pride and taking a leap.
"I lied to you Rito, I lied to everyone, and I can't let you force yourself to marry me, not when you have everyone here, everyone waiting for you at home..." She crosses her arms over her knees, which she had dragged up onto the bed, the flowing material wrinkling as she sat,ruining the dress with creases and crinkles, "What about Mikan, what about Nana and Momo, what about Yui, Saruyama, Risa... what about Haruna?" She looks up from staring at her knees, and at a confused and unsure Rito. "I know you still have feelings for her, I know that's why you were so depressed lately, Rito, I-" she sobs anew, before gathering her words and choking them out, "I-I l-lied R-rito, my Father nev-er sent a let-let-letter, he didn't want you to make a choice..." Rito moves closer to her on her bed, taking off his tuxedo and wrapping it around her, before embracing her in a side hug, as she sobs into him. "H-haruna had left, I-I- I knew Momo had lied, but I hadn't really realized what it would do to you, but- but, then you changed, Rito, and I couldn't stand it anymore when you wouldn't move on," she confesses to the boy she loved, "You had been gaining confidence, preparing yourself, when the rug got pulled from under you, and I couldn't stand watching everyone pity you more and more, I couldn't let you waste your life moping..." Rito feels her mouth dry up, his heart drop into his stomach, and his hands sweat, but he understood that she need this, if only to get better.
"Everyone- everyone deserves happiness, but I saw how Momo drove you deeper into a corner, how she was forcing you into an unwanted harem behind closed doors, so I built you a safe haven, and thought it would help at first, you were happier," Lala states, as she begins to calm her sobbing, "But my time was running out, despite everything I was doing to drop you hints of my feelings, to help you make your own choices, but I saw you were still raw, still hurting from Haruna's disappearance, from the unanswered questions, so I knew I had to do something desperate to catch your attention..." he silently breaks down into more controlled sobs, but the hurt, the pain, the fear is still there in her eyes as she continues talking.
"So I manipulated you Rito, made you, made everyone, think that my papa had sent a letter, because I knew how respected, and how feared, my father was by you," she states, as Rito nervously smiles at Gids mention, "I only intended for you to gain more confidence, actually begin talking to all these girls you had met so you could come to your own decision, but then you got so involved with everything, you started hooking up Saruyama with Yui, then you made Run understand her own feelings, but then the Auction came up, and the Black Pearl changed you..." She sniffles as she presses her head into Rito's shoulder. "I thought I was going to lose you, and then I realized I really cared about being with you, more than I ever had before; it was like I stepped back to let you find yourself, and found that I was growing more and more jealous of your growing confidence,"she states, looking up into Rito's face, "I thought that maybe Momo had swayed you at first, that you may not have chosen me, you were so concerned when she left, but I learned you had tried to break it off with her..." Rito stops her there, shushing her softly with his pointer finger.
"You're right, I was in a funk and needed to move on, we all made mistakes, you and I, Momo, even some of the others," Rito states, looking down at Lala, "Sure, hearing you say that, I may be a little... disappointed with you." Lala's face, even her tail, droops at that, but then Rito keeps on talking. "But you know what Lala, you were also right, I did need more confidence, in myself and in my own choices; I don't have my dad around me as much as I wish he was, to ask him all these questions a normal son and father would, and I don't have my mom with me either," Rito states, a growing look of nostalgia on his face, "Maybe when Mikan and I were younger, we always had them with us it seems like now, but growing up we both taught ourselves how to be the grown-up, even though we still had our parents, they were never really there, you know?" He looks down and smiles at her, while she smiled sympathetically in return.
"Of course you know, what with your father being busy as a King, and your mother working busily as a diplomat, you may have had Zastin and a bunch of servants, but never a real parent when it came down to it," Rito states, as Lala begins to smile, think of when she was younger and causing a bunch of chaos for Zastin, usually in an attempt to get her argumentative sisters together, "Love is just a notion, it's something strange, when we don't have something stable to base it off of; I never got to know what girls were like until it was too late, until my own clumsiness, my own personal curse, caused me to become a social outcast..." Lala thinks back to the time when Rito had told Saruyama of how he had fallen in love with Haruna, even though she had known it was bad to snoop. "So I may have gone a little overboard when a girl, one I didn't really even know, came to my defense... it was special, someone I could focus on to ease my social isolation, when my academic life was still going strong," he sighs, as he turns to Lala and smiles, "Then I met you, and a whole bunch of craziness ensued, but you opened up a whole new world to me, and brought me out of my self-built shell, even when at times it didn't seem favorable to me, I wouldn't trade these memories with you for the world; and I didn't, even when you tried to take them last time we were engaged!" Lala laughed at the memory of when she came into school the next day, nervously trying to fit back in expecting no one to remember, and then life going on like normal when it was revealed her invention had failed spectacularly. Her life had changed in many ways after that, but memories like that were something she cherished.
That was when Rito steps off of the bed and onto the floor, turning to stand in front of Lala. "Well, enough of that pity party for two," Rito states, as he grabs Lala by the hand and pulls her up and off of the bed, before she trips into his arms. She knocks into him just enough that Rito loses his balance, and she tumbles onto the floor with him, leaving him breathless. Once the dizzying fall is over, they both break out into laughter at the ridiculousness of all of this, the events of the past half hour behind them. "So," Rito states, holding her close despite being nervous and awkward, "What I'm trying to say is..." He pulls out the two rings from his pocket and holds it up over both of them, shifting to his side so he is laying on the floor parallel to an entangled Lala in her wedding dress. "Despite what you think, despite everything my head is telling me saying that I'm rushing headlong into something I don't fully comprehend, I know my heart belongs to you, Lala," Rito states, smiling at her as she blushes, "I don't know if you really want to get married right away, and we don't have to rush into it with everything that's gone on these past few weeks; I want to be engaged to you, Lala, if you'll have me?" A contemplative look crosses her face once she realizes what he's asking, and she pushes herself up from the floor to sit.
"Alright, yes Rito, yes I will," Lala announces as she takes a ring from his hand, causing the blood to rush to his head in excitement, "But..." That word causes his mood to plummet, as he nervously awaits her end to that sentence. "I want to marry you, and you're right that we don't have to rush into it today, but I don't want our marriage to begin based on a lie I spun," Lala states promptly, a look of determination growing on her face, to the surprise and confusion of Rito, "I need to tell the other girls about the letter, about my lies, and about the future I saw; although it might take awhile to set everyone and everything straight, I can't not let them know the truth..." Rito smiles brightly at Lala, drawing her into a hug to cheer her up in her own way.
"Your right, and so very brave to do that," Rito states as he speaks in her ear, "I think they'll understand, you had done what you thought was best, but right now there's yet another matter we need to discuss.." Lala stands there puzzled as Rito steps back and then gets down on one knee. "To make it a proper earth engagement, we do this to those we truly love and wish to spend our lives with, and although I'd rather get you a proper engagement ring from my home planet, I hope this will do," He once again pulls out the very same ring Lala had been wearing not too long ago, and holds it up to offer it to her, "Lala Satalin Deviluke, will you marry me?" She laughs as she grabs the ring from him, dragging him back up and giving him a passionate kiss.
"I already said yes, dummy," as she pulls away and dreamily gazes into Rito's eyes, "How do you think we tell the others I've excepted your proposal?" Rito chuckles as he places her ring on her ring finger, the metal band resizing to fit, turning once more a pitch black, and the clear, set stone turns a bright pink once more. He then thumbs towards the door, much to the confusion of Lala, until she pouts and sees what he was pointing at. While the door hadn't exactly been locked when it was shut, she hadn't expected to see the bell-like flower that snaked under the doorway and bloomed in the semi-gloom of her temporary room. Now that she listened, she could here the soft, tinny, echoing voices from the no doubt duplicate flower on the other side. Recognizing the flower as a rare variety of the 'Communication Carnation', the flowers hollow stems and pistols had no doubt reverberated their words to the people on the other side of the door listening in. She walks over to the door and opens it up, as Nana, Momo, Mikan, and Celine fall to the floor in a heap.
"I think a couple of spies already heard us, so shall we tell them we're officially engaged?" Rito asks, raising an eyebrow at Lala, who nods, "Well then, guess I should put this one on!" He is entranced as the silver ring suddenly darkens back to the mute black, and the clear white diamonds gain color and clarity, turning pink for Lala. Lala stands next to him with her own hand outstretched towards his, as both of their single, clear diamonds begin to transform from transparency, towards a flaming, hot orange that offsets her dazzling, pretty pink. "Once you three get back up, I suggest you find and round up the gaggle of other girls for a chat, while how about I take Celine to see King Gid and Queen Sephie to tell them the good news!" he states as he picks up Celine with practiced ease, placing the giggling girl on his shoulders, "Hang on!" He steps over the girls and heads off towards the last known location of the King and Queen. Lala helps Mikan up, while Nana and Momo brush the dust off from their clothing. Nana looks like she wants to say something, as does the questioning glance of Mikan, though it was Momo who spoke first.
"So you knew?" she stated critically, ignoring the joyful attitude surrounding this occasion, "You knew I was planning on making Rito into a harem king, and you never said anything to me?" She crosses her arms, and Nana begins to wonder if she should stop her younger sister before she said anything she'd regret. Mikan put an arm on her shoulder, causing Nana to look back at the younger girl in surprise, as if she knew the two sisters needed to fix this here and now. "So the mighty, all-knowing Lala strikes again, manipulating others for her own personal gain; and this time you still get the guy?" she states, uncrossing her arms and putting her hands to her head, "You knew and you didn't pull me aside to tell me Rito was off limits, or even attempt to save me from embarrassing myself in front of your marriage candidate, even though you knew I liked him?" Momo turns away and walks to the door.
"I didn't..." Lala goes to say more, but a harsh glare from Momo cases any apology to die on her lips.
"What kind of older sister manipulates her forced-fiance into breaking up with another love interest, just to spare her the trouble of doing it herself?" Momo states, "I'm happy for you sis, congratulations, you got the guy..." She swiftly walks out of the room and nearly bumps into another person who was heading their way. "I'm sorry..." she begins to say, until her mood turns sour, "Oh, it's just you..." She walks away once more, without a word, leaving the person flabbergasted until he joins the others in Lala's room.
"What's her problem?" Nakajima asks, as he scratches his head in confusion while giving one last glance back, "Did she take the news that badly?" He turns to Lala with a smile and bows, noticing he had been ignoring everyone else. "Congratulations, Lala-hime, I'm happy you and Rito have made up, despite everything that's been going on lately," he states, "I bumped into Rito and heard the good news, so I thought I'd give my regards in person to you as well, and it seems like we've got someone else unhappy..." He turns and waves goodbye the others, as he leaves the room. "Maybe I'll go see if I can help cheer her up," Nakajima states, "I know how hard it is to lose a big sis to someone else..." With that Lala sadly smiles and turns to Mikan and Nana.
"I hope Nakajima can help her, and I hope you all can forgive me eventually as well, but before we go any further, can you help me find out where all the others are, so I can explain this all in one go?" Lala asks with a concerned smile, "Then it makes it so much easier to answer all your questions then, too..." Nana smiles while Mikan nods absentmindedly, concern over Momo and Nakajima showing as she watches him catch up to her, until they turn a corner.
Meanwhile
Silver hair falling to his shoulder blades in length, he draws it up into a pony tail and then readies himself. Raising his blade, he lowers it towards his opponent and smiles. "I'll ask you again, where is Rito?" he states, "I know he is here, I can see that everyone else is gathered in the dining hall, but you're out here waiting for something, or rather, someone?" His opponent merely cracks his knuckles, reading himself after getting hit by the intruders sneak attack and his interrogation.
"Kid, I don't know what's gone and caused you to do this, so I'll forgive you this once for all the hard work you've done," he states, cracking his neck, swirling his tail in anticipation, "Maybe the stress has finally gotten to you too, maybe you've been body snatched by that sword I see in your hand, but hell if I tell you what you want to know, when you are begging me to kick you into next week." King Gid wipes the blood from the corner of his mouth, then discards his jacket in favor of gaining mobility. He motions for his attacker to come at him, and soon he obliges, swinging his sword in a skillful arc. The battle between two powerhouses is on.
A/N: Oooooh, things seem to be heating up in many places... Maybe things aren't all going to be ideal going forward. Who knows though, right? Heh heh heh...