Chapter 7: New Dangers
The sun was yet to rise when Daryl ran out of his room. Military duffle bag in hand, he descended the mansion's grand staircase two steps at a time. He made a sharp turn into a dark conservatory to find Charlotte gracefully reclined on a large arm chair. As she read a thick book under an antique lamp, her white blonde waves lavishly cascaded down to the marble floor.
"Hey, Aunt Charlotte, I'll be in Oshima Island for the weekend."
The lady lifted her eyes from her reference and inspected her nephew from head to toe. He wore a white cotton shirt, a pair of blue cargo shorts, and a huge smile.
"Let me guess, my darling Daryl," her long black silk robe trailed behind her. "Going to the beach with your girlfriend?" she asked, her dusky purple eyes teasingly looking into his wide pale purple ones.
"She's not my girlfriend!" Irritated, Daryl walked out into the mansion's entrance hall. "Bye!"
"Aniki," Alex drowsily called from the bottom of the stairs, his shadow-black hair in a bed head mess. "What're you doing up so early?"
"Just going on a trip, Lex." He stopped to further ruffle his little cousin's hair before excitedly rushing out the front door.
"Alexander," Charlotte walked languidly towards her son. Her footsteps echoed in the scarcely decorated foyer. She brushed his cheek with the back of her willowy hand, and continued speaking in a hushed tone.
"You know what to do."
Tsugumi and Ayase wandered around Takeshiba Pier where a passenger ferry would take them to Oshima Island. The Pacific Ocean was dark but calm, and the sky was blue grey with the Saturday sunlight just getting ready to emerge from the horizon.
"Tsugumi-chaaan! Ayase-chaaan!"
The two girls whirled around to find Haruka running towards them. She glomped Tsugumi and squished her face right between her heavy breasts. After partially suffocating the younger girl, she gave Ayase a gentler hug, saying, "I love your dress!"
Ayase blushed and looked up at Shu, who was wearing a simple graphic print t-shirt, long black board shorts, and a pair of dark shades. She wished that he could see her pretty yellow sundress that accentuated her curves. She sighed, and turned back to Shu's stepmother.
"Thanks, Haruka-san," she smiled. "You look great, too."
"I know right?" The beige-haired woman did a quick pirouette to showcase her grey tank top, pink mini-skirt, and incredible body.
"Thank goodness I'm blind," Shu kiddingly pulled a disappointed face. "So I won't have to see what kind of age-inappropriate outfit my mother is wearing."
"Hey guuuys," Tsugumi raised her hand. "I'm still here you know." Actually, she did feel just a bit insecure next to two curvaceous women. She glanced down at her white V-neck tee, blue short shorts and white flip-flops. She pretended to pretend to frown.
"Don't worry," Haruka gave her a mischievous look. "Someone else will be paying more attention to you later anyway."
Tsugumi covered her face with her small hands. "Guys, don't sell me out!"
"Huh?" Shu pondered out loud.
The three women chorused, "It's nothing!"
At that moment, a black limousine pulled up in front of the pier and a dashing young man wearing cool silver sunglasses stepped out. He approached the group slowly and shyly placed his shades on top of his pale blonde hair.
"Um," he mumbled. "Hi."
Tsugumi stood by his side and introduced him.
"Guys, this is Daryl Yan."
"Who is wearing the same outfit as you," Haruka humorously noticed their matching white tops, blue bottoms and silver head pieces. "That's so cute! Did you two talk about this?"
"No!" Daryl furrowed his brows in discomfiture.
Tsugumi's cheeks reddened lightly at the professor's observation, so she decided to just continue with the introductions. "This sharp-eyed lady here is Haruka-chan."
"It's good to see you again, Lieutenant Yan," the older woman held out her hand.
"You too, Dr. Ouma," he hesitated before shaking her hand. "And please call me Daryl from now on."
"Hey you," Ayase coarsely spoke.
"Aya-nee," Tsugumi warned. "Please don't—"
"Let me just get this out of the way," the red-head rolled up to the tall man. "I don't trust you."
Daryl looked down at the girl in a wheelchair. He tried to speak but the crippled girl fiercely interrupted him.
"And I don't want to hear any excuses or apologies from you," Ayase glared up at him with her hazel eyes. "But you should know that I'm willing to give you a chance. On one condition…" She motioned for him his come closer.
Daryl reluctantly bent down as Ayase gripped the collar of his shirt and quietly hissed in his ear.
"If you break Tsugumi's heart, I will break your skull open," she released him from her grip. "Got it?"
He straightened up and glowered down at her. Infuriated, he desperately closed his eyes and silently counted to ten. As soon as he felt centered, he offered his hand.
"We have a deal."
Ayase victoriously smiled at him and took the olive branch. "I'm Ayase, by the way."
Tsugumi exhaled stridently. The air was so tense just a minute ago, that she thought they would spark up a Fifth Apocalypse. "Anyway, Daryl, this is Shu," the cat-eared girl led him to the brown-haired man.
"Ouma Shu," he held out his hand. "It's nice to finally meet the faceless bastard."
"Ironically," Shu's hand searched around thin air until he found Daryl's. "It is you who is faceless to me now."
"Holy shit!" The taller man waved his hand in front of Shu's face. "You're blind!"
The sightless man chuckled at the puzzled blonde. "I lost my vision after GHQ collapsed."
"Oh geez," Daryl felt relieved and laughed as well. "I would feel really bad if the guy who kept defeating me turned out to be blind the whole time!"
Tsugumi happily watched the two boys. She was glad that they were getting along so far. "Alright!" She clapped her tiny hands. "Let's go get tickets!"
"Tickets?" Daryl scoffed. "There's no way I'm getting on that floating hunk of scrap metal." He picked up his mirrored sunglasses from the top of his head to put them back on and walked away.
"Wait, Daryl!" Tsugumi ran after him. "Where do you think you're going?"
He strode down the marina scanning the handful of boats on the dock. He stopped in front of a large white yacht and inhaled deeply.
"This is my ship," he beamed at the cruiser. "I've been travelling around the world with her for the past eight years."
Tsugumi couldn't believe it. The boat was a gorgeous snowy white colour and twelve magnificent meters long. Painted along the hull was the vessel's name.
"Maria," she said to herself.
"That was my mother's name," he loosened the thick nautical rope that held the boat docked abeam. He then jumped on board and laid out a plank bridge.
"It may be hard to believe, but," he offered to guide Tsugumi across the wide bridge. "I'm as good a sailor as I am an Endlave pilot."
The cabin was equipped with the latest mapping and communication systems. Daryl stood at the helm steering the yacht on its course along the swell and rhythm of the ocean. He always felt comfortable when he was in control, whether it be a boat, a car, an Endlave, or his own emotions.
Lately, the latter hasn't been cooperating.
His entire life, he worked to gain the approval of his father. He assumed that if he could make Major General Yan proud of him someday, he would be worth something. It was the only purpose he had ever known, so when he caught him swapping spit with his secretary, he went mad.
How could some random woman receive this kind of attention from you!
Not once did he ever receive a word of congratulations or even a simple pat on the head. He only got punches to the gut and slaps across the face. Even after all his efforts to become the best GHQ soldier, he never really mattered to him. The one thing that defined his existence had been a lie.
After the death of his father, for the first time in his life, he was finally free to decide what he wanted to do. He was still a soldier. He thought that continuing to be the best was a good enough goal for now. He seemed like he had a good plan and full control over his life.
Then he met her.
He didn't understand what happened. In a single moment she made him feel important. Not the importance other people placed on him because of his position or his value as a pilot, but the importance of just being exactly who he is.
She made him feel like he mattered.
His emotions slowly got the better of him. He lost control. He didn't know what to do with his beating heart, so he decided to channel those feelings into the only thing that made him "himself", and that is destruction.
After escaping from Japan, he sailed around the world running away from the UN. With the Apocalypse Virus gone, he felt a peculiar satisfaction from wandering in places where no one knew who he was. Maybe because deep inside, he was still figuring it out himself.
Still, he couldn't find a place he could call home.
"Daryl?"
He turned around to find Tsugumi right behind him. He shook the reverie out of his head and turned to the holographic navigation screen. He busily punched in the longitudinal and latitudinal points for Oshima Island Harbour and adjusted the boat's speed to a comfortable sixty kilometres per hour. He set the ship on autopilot and glanced at the estimated time of arrival.
"We'll be there in an hour," he said. "What do you want?"
"Nothing," she walked up to the control panel and crossed her arms behind her head. "This interface looks so dull. You know, if you let me, I could modify this to look more interesting."
He let go of the steering wheel and stood next to her. He took a mental note of how cute she looked. Her simple white shirt hugged her petite figure in all the right places and her shorts showed off the shape of her cute derriere. However, the most stunning of all these things was her happy smile.
"There's no way I'll ever let you put teddy bears and kittens on my boat."
"Hey," the little hacker poked his side with a tiny finger. "Never underestimate the power of cuteness! Hohoho~!"
"Stop it!" He poked her back, and soon enough they were engaged in an all-out tickling match.
Meanwhile, cerulean blue water shimmered as the first few rays of light crawling from the distance. On the ship's deck, a crowd of three drank cups of hot chocolate while enjoying the early morning. Ayase and Shu sat side by side on the stern when Haruka excitedly pointed at the water behind them.
"Dolphins!"
"Where?" Ayase looked over the edge and held on to her wide slouchy hat to keep it from being taken by the wind. She watched as the dolphins weaved their magic in and out of the crystal clear sea. She reached out to one and it happily let her run a finger across its moist grey skin.
"Shu!" She took his left hand. "Try touching them!"
"Okay," he let her lead his hand into the water. A cheerful dolphin came up to them and nuzzled his palm with its bottlenose. "Wow! It's so smooth!"
Ayase smiled at how happy Shu was to meet the charming creatures. It always brought her great joy to help him experience new things despite his handicap. It was the same thing he did for her when he let her use her own void.
"This is amazing," Shu gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Their fingers were wet and intertwined. "Thank you."
"You know, children," Haruka wedged herself between the two and put an arm around each child. "There's an old legend saying that lovers who are visited by wild dolphins will stay together forever."
Ayase and Shu's faces turned into identical shades of pink.
As they approached their destination, Daryl and Tsugumi laid out on the ship's bow, breathless from tickling each other half to death. They didn't say anything for a while but it was a comfortable silence spent watching clouds roll by.
"You know what?" Tsugumi sat up and a gentle off-shore breeze wound through her long indigo tresses. "For some reason, you make me feel like a kid again."
Daryl sensed her eyes on him and wondered how the ocean could have copied their hue. He knew he felt the same way, but he didn't know how to say it.
"I didn't have much of a childhood," she continued. "I never knew my parents. They died when I was really small. I went from one foster home to another, but I never felt at home anywhere. I didn't have any friends. Maybe it was because I made strange inventions all the time. The other kids probably thought I was too weird."
"You still are," he said, his amused amethyst eyes looking up at her dark sapphires.
He can be so spoiled and arrogant sometimes, but he can be funny and sweet, too, Tsugumi said to herself.
She gazed down at him. His handsome face and pale golden hair made him look like a gallant prince straight out of a storybook. Giving in to her fascination, the young girl bent down to draw her face closer to his.
His bright purple eyes widened in alarm. What the hell is she doing?
Her silky straight hair draped to one side and he could smell the scent of ripe oranges wafting off them. He almost surrendered to the moment when they heard a loud beeping sound coming from inside the cockpit.
"We're near the waterfront," he stood abruptly. "I have to steer the ship manually."
Tsugumi laughed and faced the horizon. Oshima Island emerged in the distance as she giggled off what almost happened. He's so cute when he's embarrassed.
Daryl slowed the yacht down parallel to the nearest dock. He took a thick line of nautical rope and jumped on to the wharf. His triceps strained as he tied it securely with a sailor's knot, while his stomach strained from the butterflies tumbling within it.
Yahiro put his dinner jacket on while looking at his reflection. He wore a formal tuxedo required by the dress code stated in the invitation Souta sent him. He rolled up a sleeve and glanced at his classy wristwatch.
I still have to pick up Kanon. He combed his light mocha hair and wondered why she wanted to meet-up at Tokyo Aquarium of all places.
She's so demanding. He smiled to himself.
After primping in the bathroom, he paced across his apartment to grab his car keys.
"Looking for these?"
He jolted in surprise when he found a woman sitting on his couch. Backlit by the morning sun, she idly played with the keys.
"I didn't hear you come in, Lady Charlotte," He stood frozen in panic. "You seem to be hiding some mysterious skills."
"I'm a woman who has lived," she tossed the keys in the air and caught it with a vicious grip. "I have plenty to hide."
"What brings you to my humble home then?" Yahiro wanted to escape but he was wary of what she might be capable of. "Is it to convince me that your son didn't steal confidential information from Genome Biotechnology?"
"Alexander is an amateur to say the least, but his true talent lies in," she paused. "The more creative arts."
"What do you want?"
She smiled devilishly. "As you may know by now, your company holds two of only six Void Genome Emulators ever made. I would like you to acquire them for me."
Yahiro needed to buy time to plan an exit strategy. He further inquired, "What would you do intend to do with them? Voids disappeared along with the Apocalypse Virus."
"The mind and body may forget," her hypnotic feline eyes drew him in. "But the heart will always recall its true form." She fingered the broken children's watch that served as Yahiro's keychain. "You know how it feels to lose a sibling. Am I right, Samukawa-san?" She threw the car keys at the terrified young man.
He took a pensive step back as he caught his keys. He looked down at the small blue time piece that he gave his little brother right before Lost Christmas.
"I will let you go for now. However," Charlotte turned her back to face the window. "Should you decide to cooperate, I can use the Void Genome Emulator to bring your brother back to you."
Yahiro tried to walk as calmly as he could and declined her offer.
"My brother is at peace now, Lady Charlotte. Bringing him back to life would only cause him more pain."
The five travellers arrived at a traditional Japanese house surrounded by a simple garden.
"Remember this place, Shu?" Haruka lovingly guided her son up the porch stairs.
"It smells familiar," Shu carefully hiked up the steps. "Reminds me of a lot of things."
Daryl and Tsugumi carried Ayase's wheelchair up the short steps. The blonde looked around and asked, "This is where we'll be staying?"
"You got a problem with it?" The auburn-haired girl quipped.
"Nothing," Daryl rolled his eyes. "It's... How should I say it? Quaint."
Tsugumi pushed Ayase's chair and smiled approvingly at Daryl. She felt anxious at how he'll react to the house's current resident though.
"Haruka-sensei?" A man's voice called. "Is that you?"
Daryl stopped at the familiar voice. Haruka approached the boy and gently steered him into the bedroom where Rowan Hughes lay on a hospital bed. The middle-aged man smiled at his former comrade before asking, "How long did you sit in the elevator crying like a baby?"
"I didn't cry at all, you idiot!"
He did. For a good ten minutes, he kept pushing the every button on the elevator panel to make it go back up. It stayed put with the door permanently opened into the lowest basement level. He could see the submersible pod through his blurry eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to leave.
"I can't believe you're still alive, you lucky bastard," Daryl smirked.
"Barely!" Rowan laughed.
"I found him in the rubble of GHQ," Ayase rolled in. "When I used Steiner to pick him up, I thought he was a dead body. To my surprise, he started coughing up blood."
"Man, those bullets hurt," he smiled weakly. "The doctors had to take out a chunk of my right lung, a slice of liver and an entire kidney. Now I can't run a mile to save my life. I guess what doesn't kill you doesn't always make you stronger."
"I knew the UN and the Japanese government would eventually arrest him," Haruka explained. "So I man-napped him and let him live here."
"And it's been a good life," he said as he took a green beret from the nightstand and put it on. "I have a job working online. My daily routine consists of walking to the local market, growing my own vegetables, and cook my own food. I feel like a retired expat around here."
Daryl saw that he should be around thirty-five but his physical condition made him look like he was older than Haruka. He felt sorry that he was the cause of it. Tears welled up in his eyes.
Haruka noticed this and signaled for Ayase to leave. The girl took her cue and wheeled out of the room.
"We'll leave you two to talk," the professor smiled at them. "Rowan-kun, please brief Daryl on the situation."
Daryl blinked away the waterworks. "What situation?"
"Take off your shirt," the cheeky former Antibodies intelligence chief winked at him.
"Did the doctors remove half of your brain too?"
"Just show me the Void Genome Emulator, please?" Rowan false begged Daryl.
The blonde unwillingly raised the hem of his white polo shirt to reveal the softly glowing device embedded into his chest.
"Would you look at those abs!" The brunette whistled and patted his own belly. "Damn, I'm so out of shape."
"Shut up," Daryl puckered his brow. "You were never in shape."
"You have a point," Rowan inspected the metal ring carefully. He took a holographic tablet computer from his bedside and connected some wires to the implant. It shone brighter and sent a mild electric shock through the younger man's body.
"Ow!" Daryl reeled in pain. "Just like the good old days, huh?"
"But unlike the good old days, you could seriously bite the dust this time," Rowan worriedly said as a few charts and graphs popped up on the monitor. He detached the wires and the light on the device waned.
The former pilot rolled his shirt down and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Have you been using it?"
Daryl gave him a confused look. "That would be impossible, right? Voids don't exist anymore!"
"Not exactly," Rowan kept his eyes on the tablet. "It replicated the power of the Void Genome, but with many limitations. A true genome holder can conjure a physical manifestation of a person's heart. That no longer exists."
He stopped to get up from his bed and gingerly walked towards a cabinet in the other side of the room. He pulled out an old revolver and took one shot at his former comrade.
Fortunately, Daryl drew own his gun and shot a split second faster. He felt a sting in his chest as the bullet unexpectedly shattered in midcourse, forming a familiar network of hexagonal panels that reflected the other bullet back. Having anticipated this, Rowan was already crouched down on the floor when his bullet pierced a hole through the wall behind him.
Tsugumi quickly ran into the room followed by the others. Her eyes darted to Daryl looking horrified and clutching his chest.
"No!" She rushed by his side and pushed away his hand. When she saw that he wasn't injured, she turned to Rowan who was getting up from the floor.
"Connected to Gespenst, that device allowed you to draw out the effects of your own Void. However, given a medium such as the gun your just fired, you can still channel that power." Rowan held out his hand to help him up.
"Genomic resonance is the human life force quantified," Haruka added. "Endlaves and other equipment like Shu's prosthetic arm are controlled using the same principle to a lesser degree."
Daryl took the bespectacled man's hand and stood up to face him. "So you're telling me that I'm using my own life force to power this thing?"
"Yes," Rowan answered. "And it could run out within the next two years."
Kanon stood in front of a large glass panel at the Tokyo Aquarium. People passed by and stared at her as she waited in her dark blue ball gown. She ignored them and watched the myriad of colourful tropical fishes swimming inside the large tank.
She dredged up a memory from her school days when she once took a horoscope's advice. She stood on this very spot waiting for the very same person. She knew very well that she couldn't blame Yahiro back then. He stopped going to school then because he was running to save his sick brother from being put down by GHQ.
He was her childhood friend and first love, but she could always only look from a far. Even in their current relationship, or whatever it's called, she still felt like he was being distant.
"I guess, time and again," she said to herself and placed her hand on the cold glass. "Things don't always work out the way you want them to."
"You think so?"
Yahiro stood behind her. Kanon blushed at how dapper he looked in his tuxedo. They were alone in the dark tunnel illuminated by the blue glow of the underwater tableau. It was as romantic as she imagined. It was the perfect moment.
"Kanon," Yahiro solemnly looked into her dark brown eyes. "I'm leaving."
Her heart broke into a million jagged pieces. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm in trouble," he answered. "I can't tell you the details, but I'm going to have to run away again. I just wanted to say goodbye this time."
"You don't have to say goodbye," she frantically begged. "Take me with you. I don't care what kind of danger it is. We can face it together!"
"I don't need you," he turned to walk away.
She couldn't accept it. She ran to him, her dress fluttering around her, and embraced him from behind.
"I could be everything you need if you just let me try."
Yahiro sighed heavily. He wasn't sure if he needed her. He wanted her companionship but, more than that, he wanted to protect her. He spun around and gave her one last kiss. It was a soft and bittersweet.
"Goodbye, gorgeous."
In that instant, a great explosion shattered the glass panels, engulfing the ill-fated lovers in a cruel surge of bottled ocean.
End of Chapter 7: New Dangers
No! Yahiro and Kanon please don't die! T_T
Sorry I pushed the summer festival event to the next chapter. I wanted the finale of this one to have more impact. Anyway, stay tuned for a confession of love. Or maybe even two?
Love Always,
Kinky Robot