A/N: Edit: No own it, sayith I.
Due to the nature of this upcoming chapter, I regret to inform you that all mentions of fluffy bunnies have been replaced with scenes of exaggerated imagery featuring (honestly not that) graphic depictions of bodily harm to our favorite hero. Thankfully it is less than a paragraph, so skip it if you must! Edit: Also non-intended, maybe thought of as, harshness on/to a certain love interest.
Why should they skip it, dear Author, when it holds such interesting implications? Since it seems I haven't drawn their attention yet, you force me out into the open? Sure, they may have assumed those notes in the beginning of the last few chapters were in the same bold characters as you write your notes, but surely they must have notices the slight nuances of italics altering the wording? Could they really have assumed that I, was You? No, no, they probably questioned why you wrote such third person narrative, why I referred to Rito as my 'Puppet', and why their questions have only been growing more and more. Then again they'll only be slightly sated this evening, I suppose, such delicious confusion and chaos will ensue. I hope you are prepared, dear readers, for the ride of a lifetime!
OoOoOoO
Downtown Sainan
Green grass, blue sky, and a shining sun was under his feet, above his head, and on his back, as he ran to his objective. The morning was new, and full of hope for Rito as he ran towards Mikado Sensei's house, out of some unknown instinct. He didn't know how he knew where it was yet he had begun to remember things slowly, gaining clarity the more he immersed himself in this strange city called Sainan. Yet Yui Kotegawa had filled him with a sense of relief, resolving him of some form of guilt he must have felt for having helped him escape whoever it was that had been after him last night. Now he knew where Mikan, his beautiful, darling younger sister with a fiery, scolding temperament and level head, too mature for a girl of her age, and his young, cheerful alien daughter, once a massive alien plant, now a young child plant-human hybrid that adored him as her 'Papa'.
Running over pavement through streets of traffic and crowds of people, he knew he was nearing Ryoko Mikado's clinic and cut through a back alley, when all of a sudden he saw her. Unable to stop himself and having noticed her too late, he rammed full force into the green haired girl that had walked into his path as he was exiting the alleyway, at full sprint. He quickly tried to readjust as he fell, hitting the ground with full force on his back as he tried to protect the girl he had knocked off of her feet.
Groaning as he came to he noticed the girl had her eyes closed, light green hair swaying over the horns in the wind, and the most skimpy, revealing black outfit on her that instantly caused him to blush upon seeing it. He took notice that the skimpy armor barely covered her body, a white cloak with purple interior connected to pauldrons, a black choker with a red jewel in its center, bracers that went from her wrist up to silver rings that ended at her elbow. There was something that looked like a corset that took midriff to a whole new level, as it barely started at her navel, wrapped around her back yet was open in the space between her gorgeous breasts, which in turn were barely concealed, poorly even, by some bony looking things that looked like claws, while the skimpiest bikini was designed to match that and barely conceal her private areas with similar bony materials, while matching, navy thigh-high boots covered her feet. A few feet away, a staff with a cracked red orb laid on the ground, discarded and forgotten when it had fallen out of the girls grasp upon impact. 'Run,' he thought, as he averted his eyes, 'But I can't just leave her...' He looked around, and felt his face alight in flame as he barely caught sight of an annoyed looking girl staring down at him in a less skimpy, but equally confusing magical girl outfit. 'Oh, magical girl Kyouko,' Rito thinks, as he feels the cool relieving wind blow upon his face after the warm flames were vanquished, 'That's right, it was Lala's favorite...' His head hit the ground before he could think anymore.
The poor guy just couldn't catch a break, could he?
Waking up to harsh sunlight and a face full of gauzy, white cloth, Rito blinked as the world came spinning back into place. Sitting up straight and gasping for air, he feels something unroll off of his face and hit the ground. Looking down, he sees a roll of medical gauze having fallen off as he sat up. Feeling the roll of gauze around his neck, he removes it from around his neck and discards it, looking around the room he's found himself in for any clue as to where he was. "Ah, I see my patient has- oh?" a new voice interjects, as Rito turns to see a red headed, voluptuous woman walk into the room, "Up and about already, quite unexpected for someone who got into a pyrotechnics accident." Rito has a momentary look of confusion on his face, as he stares up into those familiar green eyes.
"But...uhm, Doctor, Nurse, Ma'am, Miss...uhm," Rito mumbles, as he blushes and looks down at his feet, having turned his body off of the table he had been sitting on, "Wasn't that girl- didn't she do this?" The woman looks at Rito with a puzzled expression, as she takes a seat in a rolling chair nearby a desk in the room.
"I'm sorry, I don't quite get what you mean," she says, putting a finger to her lip and giving off an air of innocence about her, "You had stumbled into the middle of the new episode of 'Magical Girl Kyoko' they were filming down town, an accident no doubt that was due to the set department not blocking off all of the alleyways; a minor oversight you see." She smiles, grabbing a clipboard from her desk and clicking a pen. "The woman you ran into, Miss Jewelria, isn't planning on pressing any charges, so you're ok in that department," she states, looking up from the clipboard and putting the pen to the paper, "But since this was an accident regarding poor handling of Miss Kirisaki's pyrotechnic equipment, we need to get your information for insurance purposes." She circles a few things, then turns the clipboard around to show Rito what it says. "After we get your name, your address, and a bunch of other medical related data," she states, "The studio needs you to sign some liability waivers, a few non-disclosure agreements, all technical stuff the studio needs to make sure you can't sue them for malpractice in court, minor incident, and the like." Rito blinks, staring hard at the woman in front of him trying to wrack his brain for anything as to why she looked so familiar.
"Mikado- Mikado Sensei!" Rito shouts in recognition, suddenly grinning while simultaneously startling the red headed alien doctor, "It's me, Rito Yuuki, Lala's fiance!" Ryoko merely raises an eyebrow at that, and she gives him a once over. Rito widens his eyes as he replays everything he had just gone through, and suddenly the girl breathing fire onto him made a heck of a whole lot more sense. "That wasn't pyrotechnic malfunctions either, that was Kyouko using her powers, wasn't it?" he states in awe, as he remembers the bespectacled girl who had become friends with that green girl, which caused Rito pause, "If that was Kyouko who hurt me, then that means..." He puts his hands to his head and groans into his palms, while Mikado watches in confusion at the display. "That was Run, wasn't it..." Rito groans, as he drags his hands over his distressed face, "I hated it when she was all over me, now I grope her on accident and she probably doesn't even remember me." Suddenly Rito shot up and looked directly into Mikado Sensei's eyes. "Please don't tell me Ren was still in there!" he gargles out, "Oh, please don't tell me Ren saw that, that meathead wouldn't let me live down whatever I did to his sister!" Mikado steps up to Rito, having left her clipboard behind, placing her hands stiffly on each side of Rito and forcing him to focus on her.
"Rito Yuuki, take a breath, count to five, do whatever it is you need to calm down, and speak coherent sentences to me," she orders, before sighing and closing her eyes, "Of course I get the kid with burns and heat stroke..." She rubs her forehead and goes to sit back down. "Now, Rito is it?" she says, putting her pen to her mouth and looking at him in concern, "I don't know why it is you think Miss Kirisaki has 'powers' or how you know Ren and Run Elsie Jewelria, but I assure you that this was all pyrotechnical mishaps..." Mikado sets down the clipboard and crosses her arms, staring Rito down with a look of pity. "You might have been a bit of a concussion if the pyrotechnics are causing you to be this delirious," Ryoko says, as she turns to scribble something down on the paper, "But I can assure you, there are no powers, so let's focus on getting your home address and maybe reevaluating what sort of damage was done besides just physical..." She scribbles some notes down, while Rito takes a deep breath and a bit of a gamble.
"Kyouko is half Flamian, Ren and Run are both from Memorze, Mikado Sensei, and they shared a body until they both matured; hopefully sometime this year if my guess is right," Rito states, causing Ryoko to freeze in mid stroke of her pen, "They are both extraterrestrial beings, along with you, if the pointed ears are anything to go by, or whatever miracle space drug you used to fix whatever burns I had gotten when I got blasted by Kyouko's flames, I reckon." Mikado swivels on her chair and neutral stares at Rito. "My name is Rito Yuuki, Class 1-A of Sainan High School, or at least I was two years ago, Sensei," Rito states soberly, "I was engaged to be married to Lala Satalin Deviluke, I know I was supposed to complete some sort of test, when things went south and the whole world got memory wiped of my presence by Devilukean technology, Sensei..." He stands up and walks over to where Mikado was sitting, before falling to his knees, resting his forehead on her lap while placing his white-knuckled hands in a pleading manor. "Mikado Sensei, I'm begging you for help," he states, crying and letting tears flow as the stunned alien doctor just watches, "I f-forgot everything about who I w-was, and h-have barely begun getting my m-memories back." She sets a hand on the sobbing Rito's back, as he cries and tries to choke out words between them. "I forgot my S-sister, I forgot Celine, I forgot Mama and Papa," he cries, "I just want a-answers Sensei, and you're the only one who can h-help me; Ryoko, please..."
For everything in Ryoko Mikado's life that she had seen, from the worst and the best of the galaxy, from the slums to the crystal geysers and all its highlights, the scene of the broken boy before her was something she had witnessed only once before, far detached from this place. She puts a hand on his head and ruffles his hair, as a smile graces her face. "Ok, Rito Yuuki, if that really is who you are, then I will help you," she states, as Rito looks up all snotty, red, puffy eyes, and tears staining his face, "I think I can convince Mikan to come down here, she'll no doubt bring Celine with her, and I think I can help you with your memory, but my lab is on the other side of town, and Run-" Suddenly Mikado blanches and widens her eyes, looking up at the door she had entered from. "Oh, oh no, I forgot about Run and Kyouko!" she states, before she begins to cover her mouth and stifle a giggle, "I- I forgot Run wanted compensation; oh dear, I think you'll have to wait for a bit, and humor her Rito." He looks up in confusion at her words, but suddenly the door slams open, and light streams in from behind them. Rito turns to see a fuming Run being held back by Kyouko, and only barely at that, as she stomps into the room in indignation.
"You!" she yells, pointing to Rito who at this point had separated himself from Mikado and stood up looking in confusion at his accuser, "You ruined the my scepter, it has a crack running all the way through it and I demand recompense!" She stands there fuming, as Kyouko pulls back and sheepishly rubs her head, looking at Rito in embarrassment. "I expect either monetary compensation, or something else you can offer me, you uncultured fanboy," she huffs dismissive towards Rito, "Honestly, how did you manage to sneak past security and grope me, you pig!" He can see she is blushing at this, which causes Rito extreme embarrassment at having caused them both such trouble. Ryoko waved her goodbyes at this part, and Rito found himself wanting to hopelessly follow after her and get out of whatever it was that Run had planned for him. "Well, are you going to at least say you're are sorry?" she demands, suddenly in Rito's face, "I'm glad Kyouko got a piece of you, but I was hit by a whale and was unconscious, so either I get some kind of physical repayment, or you cough up the cash to have the prop department replace my staff!" Rito steps back, while Kirisaki steps in front of Run to keep end her tirade.
"I'm sorry about Run, I'm sorry about all of this, uhm, sir, this section of the city was reported to be blocked off for every way for quite a few streets," the black haired alien hybrid states with an awkward smile, "But, uhm, the producer and director do want you to pay for the property damage, but, uhm, they did offer a way for you to pay for the damages, if you're up to it..." Rito looks up to her, then licks his lips and weighs his options, looking between Kirisaki and Run.
OoOoOoOoO
"I didn't sign up for this!" Rito complained, as he left the costume tent, dressed in an outfit that reminded him of what he wore when Nana and Momo trapped everyone in that virtual reality, though this one came with pauldrons of white, matching the stark white/cream cape that trailed down his back and rounded off at the end. To add to the indignity of it all, he was given a white with gold trim domino mask, and told to go to the makeup tent where they would apply a sealant that would make the item stick and mold it to his face. He was also told they would have something to complete the whole ensemble once he was done with all that. Sighing as he went through an hour of beautification, with Run emphatically enjoying it all, reveling in his misery as they applied layers of make up to him, before applying the mask and forcing him to stay still as it hardened to his face. Finally he was done with all of that, and told to take himself to the set, where he would be given orders to stand and act out his part.
It seemed that Rito's accident had given the writer and director a shared vision, one that had inspired them to offer him a silent part as a backdrop character for this episode, in compensation for the cracked staff. In fact, the staff had been what inspired them to create Rito's character, who was now supposed to be imbued with magical power from the staff after being exposed to backlash from Run's character, having collided with her and causing the accident. And so Magical Gardener was born, and Rito was playing the part. He wasn't sure what it would be, of course, but anything else was worth the time he wasted compared to the untold monetary cost using money he didn't have. And so he was handed a floppy wizard hat of the same off white/cream as the cape and mask, and told to stand in a spot and smile when they pointed at him. Rito was embarrassed beyond belief, but at least he wasn't exactly expected to do anything. "Oh, and here kid, keep this for your scene and everything," one of the men working with props states, handing him a rusty looking watering can, "Supposed tah' do somethin' 'bout purifying, or somethin' like that..." Rito looks on in confusion at this newly added part, and finds himself alone when people suddenly vacate the set.
"Ok, people, let's get those cameras rolling!" the director states, "Ready, set, action!" Rito watches as Run and Kyouko transform into new people before his eyes, as they suddenly get serious during the shoot. He watches as Kyouto and Run face off against a few mooks, grunts, and minions, before being surrounded by a massive amount of hired thugs and cornered just under where Rito is supposed to appear. Leaning forward, he tries to hear what they were saying so he could make his cue.
"Ah, ha, ha, ha, so Magical Kyouko, it seems we've cornered you at last!" the head mook states, a ruby circlet on his head, "I, the blazing Mind Master, will finally be able to return to Lord Flambeau's good graces!" Cackling, the balding ban with a cliche mustache and crooked, pointy nose levels his sharp, black eyes at Kyouko. "Now, my minions, attack that girl and strip her of her items of power," he orders, ruby circlet glowing in the light, "But remember, this is a kid's show!" Before they can even do anything, a sudden wall of flame erupts between Mind Master's minions, and the cowering forms of the two magical girls.
"Wow, Kyouko, I didn't know you could do that!" Run states in amazement, as she looks to her friend, who is equally full of awe and confusion. She turns to the scantily clad Run, and shrugs in confusion.
"If I did do that, don't you think I would have done it earlier?" she states more than asks, "I don't know who did that, but they sure as heck must be as powerful as me with control over fire!" Rito watches as a thin piece of metal is used to imitate the rumble of thunder, while smoke machine suddenly spurt out thick billows of black smoke that burns even Rito's nostrils at his height.
"Ah ha, as if Magical Kyouko could have even an inkling of the power filled blood that courses through my veins," a sudden newcomer states, blonde hair pulled back in a pony tail, creepy red Oni mask over his face, and wearing a black shirt and slacks, "The powerful archmage of Tir-Nan-Og, the Demon Lord himself, Lord Charden Flambeau!" While his eyes could not be seen through the mask, the obvious mesh eye covers allowed him to observe the others, as he appears in the place where the wall of flames had suddenly erupted. "Though you have an ounce of so-called 'witches blood' in you Magical Kyouko, I see you for what you truly are meant to be," he turns back to the horde of thugs behind him, and gestures, "Be gone, you are of no use to me now that my purpose has been achieved, Mind Master, you will burn if you touch even a hair on her head; so leave while you can." At that, horror stricken along with the rest of the extras, Mind Master and the other actors run away and out of the camera's view. Rito watches as they pan back to show Lord Flambeau face off in front of a now determined Kyouko and a confused Run.
"Lord Flambeau, but you're not supposed to be here?" Run attests, "The shores of Tir-Nan-Og are supposed to be closed off to prevent the Fae from returning here!" Run points her cracked scepter forward, and raises it to defend herself. "Kyouko, whatever we do here, don't let him touch you," Run states, "If his power is as strong as he says, he may even melt the Magical Girl with a Burning Heart." At that the man removes his mask, revealing a handsome face framed by blond hair.
"Hubbah, hubbah, who cares about that; he could give ol' what-his-name beauty tips," she says, her eyes suddenly turning to hearts as she grips her own scepter tighter, drooling just a bit, "This hunk can teach me fire magic any day!" The man smiles at her, looking up with a confident smirk at her and Run.
"Well, that may be true, normally, Metallic Blue-kun, I'm afraid if the Fae are to ever get a foothold back into this reality, escape through the Devil's Triangle, there is something we must take from you!" he announces, as he suddenly summons a whip of flame, casting it toward Run, who blocks it with her staff, "Thank you, Blue-kun, for giving me exactly what I wanted, aha ha ha!" Pulling back, the non-singed scepter is yanked free of Run's hands, and Lord Flambeau holds it triumphantly above his head. "Finally, the only power that could ever had stopped us is mine!" he crows triumphant, "The power Golden Lightening that could tame even a demon Lord's flame, is mine, all...mine?" He holds up the broken staff, and stares in utter confusion as the light bends within the once pristine orb, to reveal it all but shattered in its hold. "No, the power, where is the power?" the Demon Lord cries out, holding it up before screaming out in rage, directing it toward Run and Kyouko, "You, traitor, you, little 'witch', where is the sacred power of the Golden Lightening?" He growls before lighting the scepter on fire in his hand, reducing it to ash as he discards it on the ground, menacingly steps forward towards the girls. "Give it to me!" he demands, "Show me where you have hidden the power of the Golden Lightening!" At this, Rito watches as Run and Kyouko talk among themselves.
"That boy in the alley!" Kyouko states in exclamation towards Run, "When he collided with you while you were casting that spell, could this 'Golden Lightening' have been absorbed by him?" She suddenly sends a stream of flame towards the demon lord, before dodging his own attack.
"That pervert?" Run states not to jokingly, with emotion that Rito believes isn't acting, "He's just some background character, he's of no importance at all!" She angrily points towards Flambeau, giving him the stink eye and sticking her tongue out at him. "This brimstone-smelling brat just won't accept his precious 'golden lightening' isn't where he thought it was," Run taunts, before dodging a blast of fire, "Guess it means we have something to find, if we ever want to halt the progression of the Fae King's armies on Earth!" Suddenly she dodges another blast of fire, and finds herself running and stumbling into Kyouto. "Ahh," she cires, as both girls fall to the ground in a heap, as the menacing Lord Flambeau stands over them, "Then again, a dose of power that could quench a Demon Lord's flames wouldn't hurt right now... heh he..." Rito took that as his cue, and held up his rusty looking watering can.
Suddenly the watering can began to burn in Rito's hand, and he nearly cried out in pain as the searing heat focused on the ring finger in his left hand, before an unearthly, golden glow began to outshine the sun. Though it was hard to focus on, Rito could see in the hazy light, instead of an rusty, iron can, was a gleaming, golden watering device, capable of quenching the unquenchable. before he could stop himself, words left his mouth as if flowing naturally. "Ancient Technique: Florists Golden Watering Can!" he shouts, "Let the Demon Lord take a little taste of holy water!" suddenly water began to spray out of the can like it was a hose, raining down on the unsuspecting figures below, quenching both Kyouko's and the Demon Lord's flames, while ruining their costumes. Run squealed under the cold water, while Kyouko embarrassingly covered herself up with her cape to keep her undergarments from showing through.
"Cut, cut!" the Director yells, as the camera's pan down and break through Rito's mental block, "Great work kid, don't know how the special effects crew got that stunt to work, but can ya' turn it off now before it ruins the equipment!" Rito is suddenly staring at the watering can, still glowing and spewing out water in buckets, before he panics and tries to cover the spout, realizing water was getting everywhere. Dimming beneath his hands, Rito sighs as the downpour suddenly stops, and the glowing begins to dim. Before he can even take everything all in, he notices that while the glowing has left the watering can, the stinging sensation it left behind in his left hand was growing uncomfortable.
"What the heck?" Rito mutters, as he tries to rub feeling back into it, "What did they put on this watering can?" Rito pauses and ignores it as he is taken off of the rooftop and set down onto the ground level by a person operating a crane, though he hides the fact he hurt his hand. A steaming Kyouko and an upset Run suddenly approach him from the set, but Rito is saved by the sudden appearance of a dozen make up artists that heard the two girls away to reapply make up lost in the artificial downpour. Instead of the two girls, the sudden appearance of a teaming blonde demon lord frightens Rito, as he turns around to find himself face to face with him. The man chuckles at Rito's expression of terror, then offers him a hand in a welcoming handshake.
"Nice to meet you," the man, (Flambeau?), states as he shakes Rito's unburned hand eagerly, "I heard you were our special recruit that inspired all of this?" Rito nods dumbly as the man chuckles in response. "I have to say, thanks, I never thought they would have found a reason to bring my character in anytime soon, I guess I have you to thank for breaking that creative writer's block the writing department has been having trying to introduce the 'Demon Lord' into Magical Kyouko," he states, slapping Rito on the back, "Nice outfit by the way, 'Magical Gardener', though I do wonder how you got that glowing trick to work with that rusty old can!" Rito just chuckles nervously in response, while the older man just smiles. "Oh, where are my manners, I've been in America too long it seems, my name is Charden Flamberg, I'm actually Kyouko's cousin, on her Father's side of course," he states, and Rito feels the heat coming off of him in testament to that, "Though I have to say, I'm sure you already knew that, Rito Yuuki." The way he says it kind of causes Rito's skin to crawl, but he ignores it as Charden casually dismisses himself to return to make up himself, having had the girls finished in record timing. Rito isn't sad to see him go, though he feels quite a bit fearful seeing Run and Kyouko approaching him again.
While he tries to smile, hiding his numb hand from the two women, Rito stares as Run and Kyouko approach him. "Great shoot, Rito!" Kyouko states with a relieved smile, "I so thought the Director was going to cut that speech out, but he thought it added something that scene was lacking!" She giggles as Rito bashfully scratches the back of his neck with his right hand, keeping his left straight at his side, unmoving. Perhaps it was the lack of movement, or Run just being nit-picky, but she picked up on it and caught Rito's eyes as she stared at his injured hand. Kyouko steps in again, sensing the tension, before Run can bring it up. "So, Rito, you met my cousin Charden, he's been acting in foreign movies overseas before coming back here," she states, smiling and grabbing both of Rito's hands eagerly, causing Rito to wince and smile uncomfortably, "It was a little gross that my character was attracted to him, buuut he is my cousin, and I have to admit he is quite a lady killer with all those female fans." She chuckles and lets go of Rito's hands, letting them fall and causing Rito to wince while smiling as it stiffly hits his costume. He grabs his wrist unconsciously, and finally Run has enough beating around the bush, as she pushes Kyouko aside with a sigh, and grabs Rito roughly by the forearm.
"Come on newbie, let's go to Mikado's trailer," Run orders, as she grabs Kyouko's arm and drags her behind as well, "I'm sure she left some kind of anti-itch lotion, or some burn cream we can use to help whatever it is going on." She walks in front of the trailer that Rito had woken up in, opening the door and roughly tossing him up the stairs, before letting go of Kyouko and motioning for her to go up. Run closes the door behind her as she enters Sensei's trailer, and then turns on the light so it can be brighter than just sunlight streaming in from between the curtains. "Ryoko's gotta have something for burns in here," Run announces, before pointing Kyouko over to one of the drawers, and then Rito to another set, "You look over there, Kyouko look there, and I'll check the bathroom for chemical burn ointment, since whatever those guys used on to get that glowing effect, the phosphorescent isn't reacting well I bet." Rito nods, rubbing the affected area and noticing dark splotches forming on his affected area. Physical discoloration was not something that Rito expected to happen when he held that watering tin, nor was he expecting it to burn him either, he had to find something to take care of it and reverse it if it wasn't permanent.
"Here!" Kyouko states, after going through some cupboards and finding some alien topical cream, hoisting it above her head, "It looks like... Gourmand Sun Burn Lotion?" She quirks an eyebrow at that, but stands up and hands the tube to Run. "Odd that a bunch of foodies have sun burn lotion, considering they live in the remnants of a dark matter nebula," she states, while Run just shrugs.
"Memorzean's just deal with it, our planet is basically the best place to gets tans for those whose planet's lack the proper seasons," Run responds, opening the container and sniffing it, before a look of disgust crosses her face, and she covers her mouth as she passes the contents of the tube to Rito, "Urpph- Definitely Gourmand, smells like their handiwork..." Rito reluctantly grabs the tube, then squirts the tiniest bit of the contents onto his affected finger, and he is a little bit disgusted and awed that the black semi-solid appears to be emitting colors attached to scents he could only describe as disgusting.
The scent though it smelt horrible to Rito at first, seemed to draw some remnant of familiarity in the recesses of his mind. He didn't know where it was exactly he remembered this smell, this sensation from, but he began to grow accustom to it. Rubbing it into his skin, he began to massage it into his hand and work it around his knuckle. The effects of the sun burn cream were immediate, as Rito felt the cool liquid soak into the burn and relieve the stinging aggitation. Closing his eyes and sighing in relief, he rubbed more of the dark cream onto his hand and felt the numbness die off as he felt his motor functions returning to his hand. He had actually squeezed a bit too aggressively when applying the extra coat, and managed to squirt a drop onto his cheek. Suddenly salivating, and extremely curious, Rito quickly licked the substance from the corner of his mouth that a drop had landed on, ignoring the fact it was a hand cream for a moment. When the incredulous look of Kyouko and Run registered with Rito's brain, he raised an eyebrow in confusion at their stares. "What?" he asks, "It's not like I just... ate... it..." He blinks, then focuses on the taste. It had been a bit metallic on his tongue, like copper, yet it was textually smooth and even rich, a little heavy mineral but otherwise not too unpleasant, much to the surprise of his taste buds.
"I thought a human couldn't stand dark matter," Kyouko whispers none to subtly to Run, "In fact, I don't know anyone outside of Devilukeans and Gourmandean's, and a couple others off hand, that can eat the stuff without puking..." Rito blanches at that, a confused expression on his face as he tries to reconcile that sentence. The sun burn cream was by no means inedible, the flavor had been a taste experience that he had actually enjoyed, yet Rito did have to acknow;edge that the sudden craving and desire to taste the cream had been unexpected, and even a tip off that something was wrong.
"I honestly don't know what came over me there," Rito states, as he puts his left hand on his forehead, "It's not like I really wanted to eat it, but it was like my body just started to crave the dark matter in... it." He feels a tapping on his shoulder, interrupting him as he talks, so he looks through his fingers to see the shocked expressions of Run and Kyouko. "What, do I have something on me?" he asks, as he looks over his exposed skin, "Did the cream react badly or something?" He looks over his arms, his palms, his fingernails, before glancing over each of the fingers of his hand, skimming over the black ring on his ring finger... "What the heck!" Rito cries out, as he puts his left hand out for everyone to view, "When did that get there!" Run and Kyouko are looking closely at the tarnished looking ring that was darkening as it seemed to absorb the thick coating of burn cream that Rito had applied to his skin. The ring seemed to draw the blackness into itself, like a sponge absorbing water, until the only speck of black on Rito's hand was the fully formed, perfectly circular ring that suddenly budded two clear stones. 'Except,' Rito noted as he stared closer at both of them, 'They were actually two extremely pale diamonds.' One of them was a very light white/pink that seemed to by stronger than the other colored rock, this one a pale orange that seemed to by bleeding out color as he watched it flicker.
"Rito, who the heck are you?" Kyouko asks, as she stares at the ring and then at Rito himself, "Are you an alien too?" He's speechless as he pulls away from Kyouko and Run, stumbling backwards as he stares at his hand in a mixture of awe and confusion.
"I'm- I'm Rito Yuuki- I'm just an ordinary human," he states, his voice and breathing suddenly raising and becoming shallower as he panics, "I'm not an alien, I'm an amnesiac that was abduc-aggghhh!" Rito grabs his head in pain, as he falls backwards onto the ground, seizing up from the pain that suddenly assaulted his brain and skull. He crashes onto the floor, hitting his head on the corner of Mikado Sensei's table in the trailer. He feels his head suddenly getting lighter, as blood starts to stain the carpet.
"Get him stabilized, stop that bleeding!" Mikado orders as she walks in on the scene, seeing Run and Kyouko standing over him, "Get me my supplies, we can't lose him-" Whatever it was that Mikado Sensei was saying was lost to Rito, as he stared unfocused ahead of him, his vision quickly dimming from either the blood loss or the shock he was going into. It didn't matter anyway, he wouldn't be awake or able to move from the excruciating pain wracking his mind from the inside, as he felt his brain boil from within at the assault of fresh memories. That was when Mikado Sensei quickly pumped him with some form off anesthetic, and Rito began to drift softly down into the darkness for the (fourth?) time...
OoOoOoOoO
He hated it when Run was around him, and the summer pool party Saki had set up to invite her rival Lala and snub her in the face with it, was no exception. Haruna had declined to come, something about a family emergency with her sister, or something, while Mikan had unapologetically taken Yami and Celine with her to somewhere more suitable to their tastes; either the water park, or one of the fountains that the city set up in the parks just for this time of year. Rito was left alone with a clingy Momo and Run, who alternated between each other trying to force him in compromising situations, while Lala was off enjoying herself with Nana, chatting over lemonade, while Saki sunbathed while being watched over by Rin and Aya. Rito was surprised that even Mio and Risa were there, making small talk with Mea and sunbathing Nemesis, who was on her stomach in the nude, specifically just to torture Rito. It had taken him two hours of drinks, distractions, and 'accidents' before he got fed up and ran into one of Saki's many rooms to go change and hopefully lose the girls pining after him like lovesick... well, teenagers.
Suddenly Rito stumbles into Run, and he knocks her down onto the ground on accident. "Oh, Run," he states disinterestedly, grabbing her hand and helping her up, "I was looking for yo, I wanted to tell you something..." Suddenly he watched his next words play out before his own eyes, like he was a mute observer as he is pulled out of his body and becomes a separate entity. He can't hear what his double says, the words are jumbled and confused, but the effect is immediate as he watches Run freeze in horror, and begin to tear up. Tears are streaming down her cheeks, running whatever mascara and make up the girl had put on her in another attempt to seduce him, no doubt. Rito pushes away the feeling of guilt as soon as it surfaces, he didn't regret what he said!
"W-why are you saying these t-things R-Rito?" she asks, sobbing, ""Are- are you being coerced; are you just s-saying this b-because /The Pearl/ is forcing you to do this?" The Memorze girl is rubbing her eyes, smearing more make up on her face, but showing a look of renewed determination on her face, "Why are you lying about your /situation/?" she asks, and Rito feels a pang of /distress/ at her words, "W-why are you giving into /your regret/ when you k-know how much better /acceptance is/!" Suddenly her mood shifts to anger, as she balls her fists and stares down Rito. A strike of thunder lights off in the distance, as the sunny summer day becomes cloudy, then stormy, as sudden downpour occurs outside. "You!" She shouts, pointing at the separate Rito and getting up and personal with him, "Did you put him up to this?" She walks back and faces the other Rito, pointing at him. "Are you trying to stop him, just like /Kurosake/?" she asks, turning to Rito "Do you know who, /What, you/ are?" She suddenly walks up to Rito, and slaps him, before turning the other Rito towards him. "You are him, he is you!" she states, "You aren't /Dead/ Rito, not while /Adam/ is still alive!" The other Rito suddenly changes in his memory, as his hair grows blonde, his eyes turn green then red, and his spiky hair settles down and grows into longer locks. He smiles as other Rito raises his hand and looks from it to Rito, then pulls it back.
Before Rito can even react, he gasps as he feels the hand grasp his heart, and he looks down to see his other selves arm impaled in his chest, leaking out blood from around it. "I don't regret this," his other self states, staring Rito in the face, as he looks on in horror, unable to speak as he feels his breathing grow sluggish, "I'm trying to save you Rito, but you can't stop fighting back." Rito feels the man squeeze his chest, and smile all the while. "Don't worry Rito, it will all be over soon," he states, as he lets go and allows Rito to collapse to the floor, "The testing is almost over, soon the Darkness will make you well again." Rito sees the man is holding his heart, a red string seems to be coming out of it, pulsing with light and hope and love. "You won't be needing this," other Rito says, "You have to cut them Rito; until then I will hold onto this." Rito watches as the other Rito takes his heart and lifts his shirt, revealing a hole where his heart would be. Stuffing it into place, the Other Rito stares on, while Rito feels himself sinking deeper and deeper into the miry darkness around him.
OoOoOoOoOoO
Gasping as he awakens to find himself not dead. Rito feels for where his heart is, and the rhythmic thumping in his blood assures him he had not lost it. But the dream still haunted Rito, as did the memories associated with it. Rito had never gone to any pool party that he remembered that occurring, and certainly not facing Run like that, with such anguish in her voice.
That wasn't where you had broken her heart, it had been the school rooftop when you were fighting.
And that other Rito, that one who wasn't him, he didn't know who he was, or why he was there.
Of course you remember who he is. He's you, dummy! Just remember who you are already.
Rito shakes his head, feeling an onslaught of dizziness and a pounding headache in the back of his skull. Feeling the back of his head, he pulls back flecks of dried blood from his hair, where he must have hit his head upon his fall.
It's not real Rito, you were beginning to remember that. The World doesn't want you to remember. Fight it Rito, fight back, its trying to tie you down to this false reality.
Run walks in from the door, and is there at his side, seeing he is awake now. "Rito!" she says, misty eyed and smiling, a clear reversal of her attitude towards him earlier, "I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you earlier!" She grabs a metal chair from nearby and brings it closer to the unfamiliar bed that he finds himself in, thin cotton sheets that are too rough and scratchy for his taste. "Mikado Sensei explained everything to me, about your amnesia, about how you were lost," she states, smiling and giggling as she grabs for Rito's hand and puts it between both of hers, "I- I can't say I remember everything about you, it's been so long and I've had a busy life ever since Red and I have gone our separate ways..." She tears up a bit, looking deeply into Rito's eyes and putting her head down to her hands that are still enclosed around Rito's. "I can't believe I forgot about you, but I remember a little bit about our first kiss, when you were nice to me, and kind despite Ren being a jerk to you," she says, looking up at Rito with mischievous eyes, "But you're back now, Rito, and now Lala, Haruna, all the other girls aren't in the way anymore, and you can all be mine!" Rito feels his heart skip a beat, remembering the dream he had just experienced, the tearstained face , and the unforgiving anger that blazed in her eyes. He gently removes his hand form between hers, a concerned look on his face that turns to a frown of pity.
"I'm sorry Run, I- I don't think I love you like you seem to love me," Rito says, as Run just looks up at him in confusion, "I- think you know exactly what I mean Run, I just returned to Sainan, I wasn't even intending to come across you, but I made a mess of our reunion." Run grasps the sheets between her nails, gripping hard. "You didn't care who I was, or even asked if I was okay, you immediately assumed I was just another one of your fanboys, or a stalker," Rito states, looking up at her with an iron stare, "Kyouko at least cared about burning me, she asked for her forgiveness, and you demanded me to repay you for a broken staff; an item easily replaced by your prop department, when a human life could have been put in mortal peril from dangerous flames.." He can see the tears of joy turn to ones of sorrow, but his face remains blank, despite how cold or ruthless he even begins thinking his words are.
"I don't know who you think I am Run, but I don't know who that man is, I never knew who that man was... not until just now, actually," he replies, lifting up his hands and stretching them, before focusing on his left ring finger, where a solid black ring still graces his hand, "I think I'm getting closer to discovering that man, but I know one thing for sure: I don't love you, Run Elsie Jewelria, I don't think I ever loved the petulant, jealous girl who blamed her dead best friend for falling in love with a boy that wasn't her other half..." He removes the blanket from his lap, and moves to get up on the opposite side of where Run was sitting. "It's funny, you were two sides of the same coin, did you ever once think that your hatred of Lala for all of her 'experiments' were really Ren's feelings of resentment, or that his friendship slash borderline obsession with Lala wasn't really yours?" he asks, totally curious to that answer, "Did you ever think the love that Ren felt, that doting, forgiving heart that held a torch for a girl that snubbed him at every turn, wasn't reflecting your true feelings of friendship with her?" He gets up from the bed and looks out the window of the building, and finds a track field outdoors, with teens in gym practice playing outdoors in the sunny day. "Sainan High, hmmm..." Rito muses, as he then holds his hands behind his back and his reflection smiles as he views the outside world, "I don't know if the feelings you ever felt for me were real, Run, whether that 'kiss' ever really meant something, or if you were spurned on subconsciously by your brother's jealousy of Lala's affections for me, to try and help your brother by ruining my relationship with her."
He thumbs his ring from behind, and Run watches the motion, before sighing and lowering her head. She thumbs her own hand, absent of a ring, yet looped by a string the unseen watcher could have described as the color of desire. "Don't get me wrong, Run, I don't dislike you," Rito suddenly says, turning around with a thin smile, "You've got a strong will, a passion for your work, Run, but I couldn't dream of keeping up." Run looks up and feels a tugging at her heart, as a small frown descends on her face. "You can keep at this if you want, but I can't stand in the same blazing glory you and Kyouko share, Run, not without wilting in your shadows," Rito states, as he begins to walk out of the infirmary, pausing at the door, "The Masked Gardener won't be a problem for you anymore Run, and don't worry about me...I have something bigger to solve anyway, but thanks for the wings; I just flew too close to the sun and paid the price." Run turns to say something, but Rito is gone, as is the words that were on the tip of her tongue. Her outstretched arm faults in its motion, falling to her side and remaining there as Run begins to cry silent in her newfound misery. The red string seems to fizzle away like an apparition in the summer heat, as if it had never really been there in the first place.
Rito...
By the time Rito had made it out onto school grounds, finding the doorway and heading down the street, he feels an invisible tether suddenly yank him out of his thoughts. He feels the pull towards a house, towards home, like a path he had walked innumerable times before and since, yet something held him back from following it. Rito looks down at his chest, where the sharp, slicing pain was the held him at his ground. Staring at the incredible thing there, he can't help but laugh at the irony of it all. Sprouting out from his heart and coiling its way around his chest and even his arms and legs like rings circling his body, a thin, red cord seemed to wrap its way around him and constrict his movement. It was as if the cord was alive and telling him not to go where he wanted to, but instead follow it. Exercising that notion, he heard the telltale click of heels behind him, and the sudden release of tension from his mysterious, red string. Turning to see what, or rather who, it was that was approaching him, Rito saw a quick movement out of the corner of his eyes, and ducked to avoid being hit from the fast moving object. He watched, in slow motion, as a silvery, shining blade misses him by mere centimeters. Rito also watches as the friction form the blade be dragged through the air, cracks the concrete below in its wake. The gulp and prayer of mercy goes unheard.
A/N: I'm sure you all noticed the name change that recently came about with the last chapter. Some of you probably didn't, and just noticed the added 'To-Love Ru:', and went to see if I was joking or not. Still, getting off topic here...
I'm thinking of keeping the new change, but seeing as my story has definitely veered off of this with plot developments, I want to change the name to something more... fitting.
Choices are:
1. To Love Ru: Pearls of Wisdom
2. Keep it as is.
3. You guys make suggestions in the reviews!
Honestly, I'm partial to 1 myself, but I thought I'd spitball it out and see what everyone suggested. I'm looking at you kid! Hope I left you more puzzled, confused, and outraged then in previous chapters... I have to say my imagination ran away with me!