Episode 2: 車検真実;地球のモンスター A Shaken Truth; The Monster of Duniya!
Location: The Watcher's
Anastasia spent several days training, learning how to use a gun as well as dodging and attacking. Despite how she wanted to live happily with her life whether it was her real family...or her family she had here, there was really no option left for her but to prepare her destiny.
She stood next to Sousuke as the boy pointed to a bag at the center of the training facility and said, "Carefully aim and dodge when you shoot."
The former princess took aim on her gun and fired as an explosion of powder erupted and soared towards her. She dived down beneath the dust and fired more shots, turning the bag into bits.
Aki walked into the room and smirked at the sight, "I see you two are going quite nicely."
"Eh…ehh…" blushed Sousuke.
The girl laughed and said, "Anyway, Jadwiga found out that the king mouse has allies…"
"A-Alex?" asked Sousuke, "But isn't he already with…?"
"I was talking about Rasputin," replied Aki.
Anastasia heard that word and suddenly felt a memory jolt in her head as she saw a man with a beard and striking looking eyes and donned in peasant-like cloaks. She saw the man laughing before her with an evil tone and there were two other men by his side.
"A…a curse…a…shadow," she muttered as she was almost feeling terrified and breathing heavily.
"Oi! Princess!" shouted Aki as she rushed up to her.
Sousuke followed right behind her and said, "You shouldn't have said his name."
"It's not my fault that bastard existed!" she snapped, trying to give Anastasia a small vial to drink, "I didn't expect her to react like this!"
"You don't suppose that he IS the same one back in their family, is he?" asked Sousuke, "Back in that…time?
"How should I know?" replied Aki as she finally got Anastasia to drink.
Anastasia swallowed the liquid and said, "I…I want to see oni-chan."
"Alex is not our brother, okay?" asked Aki, "You have to get that out of your head!"
The princess turned to her and answered, "You know what? I really want to know why you were a bit cold to him sometimes while we lived together! Brother or not, I do not like how you treated him!"
"That's nothing of your concern, now let's go," said Aki.
Sousuke looked at Aki's sudden attitude change for a moment before turning back to Anastasia and reassured her that it'll be alright.
"So you were saying…?" asked Sousuke.
"The Chivashi have been awakened," said Aki, "They were last spotted not far from the Las Jangwa Desert."
"Did anyone figure out what they were doing?" he asked.
"It's rumored that they are heading north," she speculated, "Perhaps to Aeuropa City."
Anastasia broke away from Aki and said, "Well I had enough!"
She took her gun and fired it at a glass bottle as one of her targets and fired it with precision and accuracy, smashing the glass into bits.
"I don't care what you think Aki… about him. I'm going to find Alex...Chiropteran or not. We ARE a family no matter what," said the princess, "He may not be Alexei from my original family but I am grateful to have met him and you! And you're telling me like this in return?!"
Sousuke kneeled down on his knee and said, "If that's what you wish, I'll help you, your majesty."
Aki could only sigh and answered, "Fine."
"I don't know the whole truth about Alex, but that doesn't matter to me," she explained, "I'm going to help him and I am going to find my biological family that I once lived."
"I'll give you a deal," replied Aki, "We'll help him, but in return, you will need to trust us. You'll need some more training too but we don't have the time or resources to practice. So…be prepared to face the cold, hard truth."
The three walked out of the room and returned to Jadwiga's office to prepare for their next instructions while the leader of "The Watcher's" already had a different agenda prepared.
"I see you're getting stronger and stronger, princess," said Jadwiga as Anya blushed a little and turned to the side.
"So it's been confirmed then?" asked Aki.
"It is," nodded Jadwiga, "Les Cinq Frères are on the move now and they are going to start damaging this world if the Six Stars are not aware about this."
"Where are they now?" asked Sousuke.
"It is said that they were last seen at the Iwamara temple, but they were heading south-east. I am not sure why they are heading that way for the weapon they will need lies in Iwamara," she answered, "But it's no doubt that Rasputin and Les Cinq Frères are going to start build an army."
"And what about us?" asked Anastasia, "Anything we can do?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," smiled Jadwiga, "I need you three to get a message delivered."
"And that would be?" asked Aki.
"To meet up with the Six Stars in Terra Magna," said Jadwiga.
"W-what!?" replied Aki, "Why there?"
"The village of Iglis Magna suffered and earthquake and the mountainside collapsed," she explained, "The other agents have tracked down on their whereabouts and they are heading west."
"…I'll go," said Anastasia.
"Whoa there," replied Aki, "You can't just simply say that, haven't you realized how dangerous the task is!?"
"The task shouldn't be too difficult, as long as you don't use the hover bikes," said Jadwiga.
"Very well then," answered Sousuke, "We should get ourselves ready. It'll be a long walk for sure…"
The trio made preparations for the journey as the village of Terra Magna was far up north and a sharp west, just past the Las Jangwa Desert. It would take several days to get there. However, Anastasia vowed to at least meet Alex one more time before finding her way back to this place called "Russia".
But that coldness from Aki still concerned her with questioning thoughts about them.
Nanatachi Pirate's Camp Grounds
Anne reached the clearing and was walking around in circles with anger. She couldn't believe what she was seeing as she just wanted to know some answers and this monster refused to say a word.
"W-why did he have to show up now, just why!?" she growled.
Shirahama saw her freaking out a little and tried to calm her dawn, "Anne, look I know it's a big shock for you, but please relax a little."
"I can't!" she snapped, "My father left me because of him! I lost everything!"
"I understand" he answered, "But…you didn't lose everything, you meet Makoto and Matsuura and then me and Awilda."
"I am glad I met you and the others," she agreed but her face was still filled with fury, "I need to know what happened to my father and if he is alive or not!"
"I'm sure he will tell us after he wakes up! I will make him answer all of our questions!" he replied.
Anne smiled a little and hugged him, "T-thank you…"
He nodded and replied, "Let's get that beast awake now; it's time."
Meanwhile, Matsuura and Awlida tied Alex to a wooden pole as Matsuura was getting angrier by the minute. He cared for Anne like his sister and he too was not happy or thrilled to deal with this ordeal.
"Who does he think he is?! Making Anne freak out like that?!" he growled, "I think somebody needs to learn what happens to a person who hurts people I care about!"
Once he finished tying up, he stepped away and looked at Awlida, "Should we wake him up?"
"The sooner, the better," she replied.
He nodded and walked over to Alex and kicked him in the face, "Oi! You dirty beast! Wake up!"
Alex's eyes slowly opened as his irises were in his natural yellow color and he saw the two pirates staring at him.
"You awake now…or do I need to kick you again?" asked Matsuura.
Awlida heard footsteps behind them and turns to see Shirahama and Anne walking towards them.
"I see you are trying to wake him up! Good! I want to ask some questions!" agreed Shirahama while Anne remained silent and looked at Alex.
Alex's eyes glowed red finally to scare them a little and said, "You know…I can break this rope like butter."
He tore one strand of rope off as a warning sign and the pirates were shocked by the strength he had. Anne stepped back and pulled the others with her saying, "Get back! He's dangerous!"
She looked at him and asked, "What are you doing here!?"
"We have your sword too so don't even try to fight us!" said Shirahama.
"Can you just answer the question?! It can't be that hard, huh?!" asked Awlida.
"What are you doing here? And are you here alone? Or you have some friends waiting for you signal to attack us?!" asked Matsuura.
"…what's there for me to say?" replied Alex, "You can't kill me off with your sword or guns... and now if you excuse me, I am on a mission of my own."
His bruise on the face was beginning to heal as he broke another strand of rope, frightening the pirates even further.
"Enough gibbering!" growled Shirahama as he kicked Alex down on his chest, "Answer the question!"
"…I've always been alone," said the Chiropteran, "No matter who tried to follow me or wanted to be with me."
I can't handle this, I have to make my escape...oh I wish Rei and the others were here, thought Alex.
"Alright, so we know you are alone or at least you left you group without telling them," said Shirahama, "But what are you doing here? Were you trying to kill us?!"
"You guys are unfamiliar, how should I even know you existed?" asked Alex, breaking another rope.
"Then why are you here?! After what you done to my father I won't let you go without answers!" shouted Anne as she gripped her hands on her sword.
Alex's eyes glowed red and he answered, "I do not know you guys…I said you were unfamiliar to – "
Anne slapped him on the face before he could finish and she shouted, "Where were you going!?"
"We just want to know if you are a threat to us!" said Awlida.
"…anywhere but here," he growled as he broke more strands of rope, felling almost free, "I have NOTHING to do with you guys. Leave me alone."
"Oh you will not escape!" growled Matsuura as he shoved the girls out of the way and kicked Alex on the face, breaking his nose a little and causing his mouth to bleed.
"Oh yes I can escape," said Alex, "I'm a Chiropteran…"
He stopped right there as he realized what he said; it was too late to take back on what he was.
"Y-YOU!" shouted Anne as she kicked him on the chest and head repeatedly, "YOU MONSTER!"
"ANNE! STOP!" shouted Shirahama as he pulled her back, "We won't get anything out of him!"
"He's right," said Matsuura, "Stop it before you hurt yourself!"
Awlida was getting more frightened by the minute as she saw Anne struggling to break free from Shirahama.
"Let's heave him!" she hissed, "We'll take turns and watch him! Awlida, you go first!"
"W-what?!" replied Matsuura, "You can't leave her alone like this!"
"I can fight," said Awlida, readying her sword, "It's not a problem."
"I trust Awilda to keep him in his place. Let's go," agreed Shirahama.
"Keeping me here won't do you any good...the monsters are roaming this world...I am The Last Weapon for..." began Alex.
"Oh shut up you nitwit!" growled Shirahama as he kicked him in the chest and walked away.
Anne followed the others as she heard those last four words from Alex, T-the last weapon…wait…just now, it sounds familiar. But who…?
Alex fell asleep as he can only wonder what the future will bring while his injuries are healing. Awlida watched him sleep and wondered if he was telling the truth about being alone. Her eyes widened a little as she watched the cuts and bruises on his face going away at such amazing speed.
"T-they really are healing," she said, "B-but how?"
Awlida walked up to Alex and gently shook him awake, "Hey, are you okay? Your injuries…the-they're healing."
Alex looked at her brown-ish hair and her hazel eyes and for some reason; that hand felt warm and calming as if there was someone in his life but he couldn't figure out.
"…whatever the reason," he said, "Injuries from anyone will not kill or hurt me. Except for one thing…one whose blood is equally powerful as mines…and it's that person who I must kill."
"W-why do you have to kill him?" she asked, feeling a bit curious.
He remained silent for a moment before he realized that she didn't hit him unlike the others; was she perhaps the more gentle one?
"…it goes back to over 100 years ago, but more of a recent event 18 years ago," he answered.
"…so you do know what happened…back with Herisia?" asked Awlida.
"Yes," he nodded, "I am not an ordinary Chiropteran…I am a prince…myself and Rasputin, we are the twins of our generation."
"Ra-Rasputin?" asked Awlida, "T-twins?"
"My younger twin…he has dangerous powers…some of which go beyond my own," he answered, "He is the only person that can turn me to a puppet of his own and can control me at times…but that's only if I at my weakness emotion."
He looked at her again and said, "You almost remind me of someone…"
"Oh?" she blushed a little, "Well anyway, I can only imagine it must be hard for you to fight him alone. Haru and Shirahama were important people to me…if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here."
Alex gasped a little as he muttered, "H-haru…M-makoto…N-Nagisa…Rin…Rei."
Awilda gasped as she replied, "You know Haru? And Makoto!? Are they okay, please tell me!"
"W-we were fighting monsters…and we escaped with magic, but I ended up here in the forest alone," he explained.
"I see, and are you sure they're okay?" she asked, feeling worried, "But who are those other people? This Rin…Nagisa…and Rei?"
"The five know each other very well...they act like a family of their own. As for me, I kept my distance from them, but they think I am important to their team," said Alex, "I'm only here to kill Rasputin because he took my body and forced me to unwillingly slaughter against my will."
Awlida gasped and asked, "S-so you didn't kill those people in Herisia?! H-how!?"
"As I said earlier, my brother is my twin, he has blood that ties with my blood...with his dangerous powers, and his sadistic philosophy about life, the tragedy happened there," he answered.
Awlida gasped as it was sort of making sense. Somehow this Rasputin was able to take over Alex's body and mind and used him as a pawn; though she wasn't sure how that kind of power worked, she could tell that Alex's emotions were saddened and filled with vengeance as well.
"I…I'm so sorry!" she said, almost wanting to cry, "I-it wasn't your fault and we beat you up! We should have asked you normally without any kicking or slapping! Oh my god, I feel so bad right now!"
"Well Rei can further explain to you," he replied, "But if he finds out what happened with me…I don't think he'll be happy."
"R-Rei?" Is…he um, someone important to you or…?" she asked.
Alex blushed and Awlida giggled, "Oh I'm sorry if I am too conclusive, but I'm glad you have someone to care about you. I should have stopped my friends…"
"I need to rest," sighed the chiropteran, "I can't let Rasputin find me…however...thank you."
Awlida smiled and watched Alex going to rest and she set down her sword to the side and rested with a smile on her face. She knew that at least talking to him this way was rather more useful but she didn't know what to do though with such information give; if they were all true.
Meanwhile, the other pirates were out doing their duties and cooking up dinner. Anne was trying to think a few things while Matsuura and Shirahama were talking about earlier with this "person".
He says he is The Last Weapon, thought Anne, How odd…for a monster like him…ugh…why can't I remember? I think my father said something about this…forget it! He's only a monster!
She stirred on the pan with a spoon to check on the food on the fire pit while the other pirates were getting some preps planned as well as rotating guard duties.
The Weapon of Duniya, that's it, she thought, father said that there was a person who was to kill all of those monsters, but…why would I think it's this bastard?
Shirahama and Matsuura sat down on a log and were reflecting on what was going on with this whole scenario of this "monster".
"What do you think about this guy? He treats us like nothing!" sighed Shirahama.
"I know! He is lucky I didn't decide to do something worse to him! Nobody hurts my friends!" growled Matsuura.
The other pirate sat in silence for a moment before he answered, "Do you think he has something to do with Anne's father?"
"I'm not sure," said Matsuura, "He said he doesn't know us…should we check on Awilda?"
"Don't worry," smirked Shirahama, "I'm sure she's fine. Let's make sure the food is ready."
"Right," he nodded, "I am getting a bit hungry.
About an hour later, nightfall was approaching and the pirates began to light up some fire posts to provide extra light around the area. They enjoyed themselves for the meal as they were all sharing stories and bragging about their crazy lives and what not.
Matsuura finished his food and said, "I think I will take some food for Awilda and go check on her..."
"Okay, sure," nodded Shirahama.
"Hey Matsu, ask her if that freak said anything; we need more information out of him!" said Anne.
"Right," he nodded and he grabbed an empty bowl and put some stew inside. He walked over to the tent and saw Alex still asleep and Awlida still on guard and awake.
Awlida turned to see him with the food and said, "Oh…thank you."
"Well you can't always fight hunger," he blushed, "…by the way; Anne wants to know if he said anything..."
Awlida looked at Alex for a moment before turning her head back to Matsuura and said, "No. His wounds healed up but he was asleep when it happened and he hasn't wake up since you went away. Maybe you went too hard on him?"
"Too hard?" he answered darkly, "He's a Chiropteran! You can't trust this…this beast!"
"I'm not saying I trust him!" she replied, getting a bit defensive, "I can't trust a person without speaking to them and getting to know them! But... maybe if we tried to ask him without beating him we would learn more?"
"Perhaps," he said, "But can't turn back the time and change how we did it. Do I need to change with you or you can stay longer?"
"I can stay longer," she answered, turning to Alex, "He's asleep so there's nothing much he can do."
"Alright, I'll be out with the others," said Matsuura, "Be careful!"
"Thanks!" she replied as she sighed in relief for a moment.
Matsuura returned to Anne and Shirahama and reported, "I asked Awlida and she said he didn't wake up since we knocked him out. His wounds are healed but she said he hasn't awakened since we left."
"I see," replied Anne, "So should we wait till he wakes up again?"
"You asked her if you wanted to rotate?" asked Shirahama.
"Yes, but she insisted to stay longer since he's only asleep. I don't think he'll do anything as long as he rests," explained Matsuura.
"Alright, I'll go see to the wounded, you both going to help out?" asked Anne.
"Right," they both replied as the trio see to the wounded with bandages and other check-ups.
Awlida finished her food and stared at Alex; he was definitely a man filled with mysteries. She could only think to herself;
So Haru and Makoto are traveling with three other people, even Alex, she thought, But he says that they treat him like an important person while he keeps pushing them away. Why? That adds up to six people…and they could be the Six Stars right there?
She took out her sword briefly as it reflected her eyes and face like a mirror. In her heart, there was a lot of questions to ask but she could only wait for Haruka and Makoto to return in hopes of finding answers…answers that will help the pirates regain their lives from the last 18 years.
They escaped using magic but he got separated from them and he ran into us, she continued in her mind, But, who is "The Last Star"…if it's not Alex. Maybe he's not found yet…but I hope they find them soon. Most importantly, I pray that he can defeat his brother…it must be painful to live on such a heavy sin.
Awlida got up and stretched for a moment before she walked over to Alex to check on his forehead; it was not warm or cold so she knew that he was not sick.
Hopefully Shira, Matsuura and Anne won't be too hard on him after he wakes up, thought Awlida, But I do miss Haru though…maybe he and the others can explain something about this.
She sat down across from him and closed her eyes, wondering herself to sleep.
Meanwhile, the five swimmers made their way closer and closer to their destination. It was a bit of a walk to get from Iglis Magna and to the forests but they had to keep on moving.
"Are we almost there?!" asked Rin as he ran with Rei and Nagisa.
"He's got to be close by!" said Haruka.
"…I..I'm worried that he might have gotten hurt," replied Rei, "We have to find him before someone finds him and tries to hurt him!"
"Where do you think he could be?" asked Nagisa.
Makoto gasped as he saw a light in the distance; he could smell the fire and perhaps some food being made. He stopped for a moment and said, "Uh guys…I don't know about this!"
"We have to go to that light! I'm sure something's going on there," said Rin.
"We need to check everywhere!" replied Rei, "Even if it means going to the bottom of the ocean!"
"Perhaps he's there, waiting for us?" answered the blonde as he grabbed Rin's hand, "Come on!"
"R-Right!" nodded Rin as the blonde dragged him.
Anne was the first to hear footsteps from afar as her ears perked up, "Someone is coming."
"I knew he had to have some allies!" growled Shirahama as he readied his sword, "They're probably looking for him!"
"Ha! As I thought so," smirked Matsuura, "He must have used his powers to unleash a signal when we weren't looking!"
Anne turned to the crew and shouted, "Be prepared for everything! We don't know who is running towards us!"
The pirates took their positions and were in clusters of groups surrounding the camp area. It was all in a matter of time before their prey would show up.
Rin was trying to keep his balance when running but the laughter of Nagisa and the clumsiness of Rei caused them to trip over as the trio fell down to the camp grounds. The pirates turned to see their new prey with their swords at the ready while a few of the female pirates were amazed by their looks and their fancy clothing.
"W-who are you!?" gasped Anne.
"My goodness," said a female pirate, blushing.
"Is it just me or do they look too hot to be chopped up?" asked another female pirate.
Rei blushed and got up on his feet while Nagisa replied, while holding Rin to his side, "He's mine…and I don't share!"
"Ugh, can we just attack them already," sighed Matsuura, walking towards Rei with his sword at the ready, "They are not worthy to be worshipped."
"And they're not that hot," said Shirahama, looking at the girls that said they were, "I don't know how you can be so easily attracted like that."
"W-wait!" gasped Rei just as the sword from Matsuura touched his chin, "W-why are you going to attack us?!"
"STOP IT!" shouted a voice of Makoto from the distance.
"ENOUGH!" shouted the voice of Haruka.
Everyone turned to see Makoto and Haruka standing nearby with serious looks on their faces.
"H-Haru!?" gasped Shirahama.
"Ma-Makoto!?" asked Anne and Matsuura.
Makoto nodded and steps into the circle, standing with the others followed by Haruka.
"About time you two saved our asses!" smirked Rin.
"Shirahama," said Haruka, "What is the meaning of all of this?"
"I…I uh, I didn't realize they were a part of your team," replied Shira as he blushed a little, "Forgive me."
"Anne, Matsuura, what is going on here?" asked Makoto, "And where is Awlida?"
"We were only defending ourselves in case someone did try to attack us," answered Anne.
"Awlida is with our prisoner," said Shirahama, "He was caught sneaking around here so we brought him in."
"Prisoner?" asked Haruka.
"You know his name?" asked Rei, getting a bit suspicious, "Maybe it's him…"
"Does he act like he has nothing to care for?" asked Nagisa.
"Well based on his attitude, he's really quite a freak…" said Matsuura, "But why would he be a friend?"
"Yeah, he's nothing but a monster!" agreed Shirahama with a disgusted sigh.
"And by that you mean…?" began Rei, getting a bit angrier slowly.
"He said he's a Chiropteran," said Anne.
The megane turned to her and said, "Where is he?! It has to be him!"
"Um Rei…this perhaps isn't a…" began Makoto when he saw glares from Anne and Matsuura.
"Why do you care so much about him?" asked Anne, walking up to Makoto, "He's nothing but a monster!"
"Please let us go see him!" said Rin, "We will not leave until it is done so!"
"Did you do anything to him?" asked Nagisa, getting a bit concerned.
"I thought you were going to help us find a person who started this war, Haru? What changed, huh?!" asked Shirahama.
"I thought you cared about Anne, me and our crew. But you are siding with this...this...beast!" said Matsuura.
Rei's hands crackled with water energy from his Suiei powers as he had enough of this argument. He fixed his glasses and glares at the three pirates, saying, "Now you listen here…and listen CAREFULLY! Alex is neither a monster nor a beast; he is OUR friend!"
The trio took a step back from Makoto and Haruka with a bit of fear as they noticed that strange magic on the megane.
"You do not know him or his life so you have no right to judge him like that! Now…I want to know where he is and you're going to tell me right NOW! Do I make MYSELF CLEAR!?"
The pirates were in a bit of a shock as they were almost speechless to even reply. Haruka looked at Shirahama and said calmly, "If we don't solve this now, no one will be able to move forward."
"That's right," agreed Makoto, "You can be disappointed and angry as much as you want Anne, but do you still want to know what happened to your father?"
"Of course I do!" she said, "After all this time…"
"He's with Awlida," said Matsuura, "I'll lead you to him."
"Very well," nodded Rei as they were led by Matsuura, Anne and Shirahama to the tent where Alex and Awlida were sleeping. Alex was stilled tied up to the pole which shocked the team.
"W-why is he tied up to the pole?!" growled Rei as he glared at the pirates.
Nagisa rushed to Alex to untie him and asked, "And why did you do to him!? Did you hurt him!?"
Haruka and Makoto checked up on the boy for any injuries and such but didn't see a single scratch.
"He doesn't look injured," said Makoto.
"He heals really fast but that doesn't change the fact that he was tied to the pole!" growled Rei.
Matsuura shook Awlida awake as the other female pirate jumped in shocked, "I'm so sorry! I know I shouldn't go to sleep but I was tired and-!"
She turned her head and saw Haruka and said, "H-haru?! Wh-what are you doing here?!"
Haruka turned to see her glomping into him with a smile on her face as the tsundere replied, "W-what happened here Awlida? What did you and the others do to Alex?"
Awlida looked at him and started to cry a little, saying, "I'm so sorry! I should have stopped them but I didn't know back then that he was your friend! I know we should have asked him calmly but they started to yell at him and hit him and I couldn't do anything! But I talk to him and he said he knows you and Makoto and...wait, which one of you is Rei?"
"Uh…me?" asked the megane in his red glasses.
"Please forgive us!" she begged sadly, "He said that you'd be upset!"
"Well…" began Rin, "At least he's not dead, but we need him to join us."
"Why's that?" asked Anne.
"…He is The Last Star of our team," replied Makoto, "It's the five of us and him."
Awlida gasped and she turned to Alex sleeping still, replying, "Bu-but he said that he had nothing to do with you guys!"
"Alex here has forgotten who he was," said Haruka, "He doesn't remember his life back on our world…where he was a much different person."
"He lived on Earth with the rest of us," smiled Nagisa, "Together, we were known as The Magic Six!"
"E-Earth?" asked Awlida.
"The Magic Six?" asked Anne.
"It's a long story," said Rei, "But we're here to help him defeat his brother and…"
"R-Rasputin?" asked Awlida, causing the others to look at her with shock.
"W-wait a moment," began Matsuura, "You said that he was asleep!"
Alex woke up finally to hear them shouting around.
"…w-water…?" he asked.
Haruka, Makoto, and Rin turned to see Alex muttering about something again. Nagisa smiled as he realized that another memory was coming back to him.
"A-a rr-re-relay race?" asked Alex.
Rei rushed up to hug him and said, "Oh we've been so worried! Are you okay!?"
"A…a gigantic pool of water," replied the Chiropteran, "I saw six people swimming…but, who were they?"
He's remembering a bit more, thought Makoto as Rin smiled with a sense of hope.
"Don't worry!" smiled Nagisa, "You'll get your memories back soon, okay?!"
"And you'll know who they are," finished Rei.
Awlida walked towards the Chiropteran and whispered in his hear, "So this is Rei…are you sure he's not your boyfriend?"
Alex blushed as she smirked and walked away while Rin nodded to Makoto and Haruka.
"We owe them the truth here," said Haruka.
"For the team!" smirked Rin.
"But it'll be a long story to share," replied Rei, "Will they be able to understand?"
"…do as you like," sighed Alex, "It makes no difference to me."
"So…this "Magic Six"," began Anne, "What is this all about?"
"Tell us the truth, and start from the beginning," said Shirahama.
The gang sat down together as the Style Five began the story by revealing about the Suiei Gods and their world of Earth.
"The gods have created our world...Earth...with the oceans made from the flame and fire of the planet," started Haruka.
"And they have watched over the planet for eons of their existence," commented Rin.
"Unfortunately they were betrayed by people who they thought they protected...so we became their chosen descendants," said Makoto.
"We didn't start off with magic to begin with...we have forgotten our duty and we swam together for competitions and for fun," explained Rei, "Sure we had our own drama in our friendship for each other, but we still had fun!"
"Heh, it was a fun time indeed till all of the mess happened when Haru-chan was captured and we had to rescue him!" continued Nagisa, "A mad scientist freak and his gang…"
Alex sat there as he listened to the story while the pirates were getting a bit fascinated about this "Earth" and the friends there. He could only wonder if this was all true or not.
"We had visitors that came to Japan…one of them was Alex," said Haruka.
Awlida turned to see a remark from him but the Chiroptean's face did not change at the heard of his name.
"Yeah he had a brother named Sergi," said Rin, "He was quite the brotherhood there!"
"Oh how much I missed being on top of you, Mako-chan!" snickered Nagisa.
Makoto blushed as Rei continued the story, "In the end, he died for us…and we thought we lost everything…but thanks to help from our friends, they were able to bring him back and we all lived together once more."
"Sounds like you had a handful of things happening," said Anne, "But what does it have to do with us?"
"The reason why we need Alex is because he IS our teammate, and without him, we cannot be able to save this world or help anyone!" answered Rin.
"Including you…Shira…Awlida," added Haruka.
"Anne, Matsuura," agreed Makoto.
"That's why, after I swore my promise to him, I would be by his side," said Rei.
Awlida couldn't stop looking at Alex as she smiled with a blink of her eye.
"So now then…this Rasputin, he needs to be killed, is that it?" asked Matsuura.
"Alex was born a Chiropteran...he did NOT choose his fate, but when we got separated while the gods carried us to a new world, something happened and we split up," answered Rei, "He was taken care of by "The Watcher's" for at least 100 years until we were reborn."
"Together, with him and us…we can END this war!" said Nagisa.
"We have to stop Rasputin before he makes more damage to this world!" begged Makoto, "Please Anne, I swear to you, we can win this! Maybe we might be able to find your father!"
"I…I hope we will," she replied as she hugged him with some tears, "I…I'm sorry for thinking you betrayed us!"
Makoto blushed but smiled in reply.
"…I wish I could just understand it all...but none of it makes any sense," sighed Alex.
"It will make sense after you will get your memories back, alright? Trust me, it will," nodded Rei as he sat next to him.
"I'm sorry too but I'm not going to hug you!" blushed Matsuura.
Shirahama and Awlida hugged Haruka like the family they were as the former said, "I-I'm sorry...I shouldn't have doubt you..."
"T-thank you," said Haruka.
"Oh you guys," laughed Rin as he glomped the two groups together as one for a hug while Nagisa and Rei taking Alex in for the larger hug as they all laughed.
Awlida and Matsuura shrugged for a moment and joined in as they were all getting along and understanding of each other. There was at least hope for everyone to regain what was taken from them.
"…t-thank you," blushed Alex.
Haruka and Makoto chuckled at the reply as Rin answered, "Well it seems like it's all going well!"
"I'm so happy we were able to find you!" smiled Nagisa.
"And I'm happy too," said Rei as he brought Alex closer to him.
The group finally broke the hug and they all rested up with each other. Awlida was a bit stunned to see how Makoto and Haruka were close with each other but was more surprised with Rei trying to sleep with Alex. The other pirates could only chuckle at this and slept as well.
Haruka and Makoto cuddled in with each other while Rin was snoring and Alex being silent. Nagisa snuggled his way to Rin while Rei stayed with Alex as close as possible. Awlida slept between Matsuura and Shirahama while Anne slept next to Shira.
Aki, Anastasia, and Sousuke prepared their supplies needed for the trip in order to find the Six Stars and warn them about Les Cinq Frères heading to Aeuropa City. However recent reports from their spies revealed that one of them was heading to Neo Tabuk and the other in Lha'li but there wasn't much time to waste. But the mission was vital in order to start moving the chessboard.
They finally left the building of "The Watcher's" and begin a long trek to the North. Aki led the others while looking at the map while Anastasia held her gun to the side and flipped her new, shorter hairstyle.
"So you had a haircut, eh?" asked Sousuke.
The former princess blushed and answered, "I…I just wanted something different."
"Alright you two. We have to pass through the Ganges River and get to the Rocky Hills and the Outlands...and after that is more Great Plains before we hit Las Jangwa Desert. From there we'll be able to get to Terra Magna in about a week," explained Aki.
"Why can't we just use the Hover Bikes or the Flying Copters?" asked Sousuke, "We'd be already there by now!"
"Using them will alert our enemies on our move," she answered, "You heard what boss said; we cannot afford to let our enemy know what is going on."
I have to find you, oni-chan, thought Anastasia.
"Is something the matter?" asked Sousuke.
"No I'm fine," she replied.
Aki stepped out to the clearing with them and saw the sun setting down.
"We're going to have to stay hidden in the forests," said Aki, "There are a lot of monsters out here."
"Chiropterans?" asked Anastasia.
"Worse than that, look ahead!" replied Sousuke.
Anastasia watched as the ground far ahead of them exploded as a gigantic Megascolide wiggled its way out to full height and screeched loudly, trying to eat on the birds that were flying away from the danger.
"W-what is that!?" she gasped.
"They're called Megascolides...Gigantic Worms that eat flesh of anything they see," explained Aki.
"Just like the ones that invaded Neo Tabuk," said Sousuke, "It's no doubt that they are after the Six Stars…Rin…oh how much I miss him."
"You know what their reasons are...the Gods have crafted their relationships for the sake of this world...and our home," replied Aki.
"And…this is Earth you're talking about?" asked Anastasia.
"That's right," she answered.
"Earth is our world where we came from…" said Sousuke.
"And you too, Anastasia. You were born long before we were but when you were brought to this world, you were slept inside suspended animation for around 70 years," explained Aki.
"Uhhhhhh," began the princess, feeling awkward by her age.
"You were only asleep…you didn't age," said Aki, "You were given the proper nutrition and other things while you slept."
"But that's just...ugh, now how would I get married if I were to find a prince?!" asked the princess, "I'd be a grandma by now!"
"Come on, let's find a place to settle down with," said Sousuke.
"R-right," she replied.
70 years…she thought, that's just…no way I could have slept for that long! Maybe this is all a lie or something? But then again, this isn't Russia…I haven't even seen any signs of my family or even the language of this place…
The three found a place to camp out as the sun was setting down for the night. It was going to be a long road ahead but it was only the beginning of the end.
I'll find you, oni-chan, thought the princess as she rested her back against the tree, I swear…
Episode 2 END
Episode 3 PV
Anne: I can't give up…I have to find my father! He left me for the last 18 years!
Makoto: I promise you, he has to be alive! I won't let you feel down!
Haruka: And now we're heading to Terra Magna?
Nagisa: Haru-chan, let's go swimming in the hot springs, please!?
Haruka: That's too much effort!
Awlida: But you know how good the hot springs are…they're another pool for you!
Alex: …w-who was that person?
Rei: Who?
Rin: Next time, Free! Riddles of the Past and Present! Who is the father of Anne?