Chapter 26

With Talho's help, Holland changed into his regular clothes.

"We should go find Renton and Eureka." Talho said.

"I don't know where Renton is, but I think I know where Eureka is."

"Where?"

"Just follow me." Holland finished and with Talho by his side, they headed towards Renton's room.

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Eureka dashed through the hallway. She came to a stop at Renton's bedroom.

"Renton…" Eureka said softly and pushed the door open. She peered into the small room. The room was not like the last time she saw it. Someone had picked up all the clothes and broken shards of the laundry basket. Eureka took a few steps in and held up Renton's red clothes from its spot on the wall. She held his clothes tightly against her chest. The clothes were warm and still smelled like Renton. The smell was not exactly good but it always made eureka fell all warm and fuzzy on the insides. Her knees suddenly got wobbly and caused her to collapse on the floor. Tears started to form in her eyes. Eureka had missed Renton very much. It was somewhat similar to the feeling that she had when Renton left about a year ago.

The door creaked open and in came Talho and Holland. Holland sighed, "Alright Eureka, get up."

Eureka trembled a little and sniffled.

"Look what you've done!" Talho scolded Holland and crouched down next Eureka.

"What's wrong Eureka?" Talho said softly.

However, Eureka did not answer.

Talho sighed, "Just let it all out."

Eureka managed to suppress her tears and started talking in a very low voice.

"It's… my fault… that Renton is like this… I shouldn't have… been mean to him… then he wouldn't …. Be like… like…" Eureka's tears choked down her words again. Holland sighed and took a few steps in.

"Come on, let's go find Renton."

Eureka did not respond though. Talho closed her eyes and exhaled loudly. She held up an open palm and slapped Eureka's left cheek. A loud "smack" echoed throughout the small room.

"Talho…" Holland said slowly in shock.

Eureka stared at the floor. Her hand slowly went up to the cheek that Talho had slapped. Talho scoffed and stood up. She grabbed Holland's arm and stormed out of the room.

"Pull yourself together, Eureka!" Talho yelled before the door banged shut.

Eureka continued staring at the ground. "What should I do?" She thought and sat silent for a few minutes. Eureka swerved around feeling that someone was at the door. She gasped slightly as the door opened and revealed a slightly surprised Renton. Renton did not expect to find the girl that he was going to kill to appear right in front of him. In his hands, he held a brown bag that contained a small black pistol. He was going to his room to prepare the pistol that Dewey had given him. Eureka suddenly stood up and embraced Renton. Renton's eyes widened in shock as Eureka hugged him.

"Why is this girl hugging me?" He thought.

Instinctively, he dropped the brown bag containing the gun and placed his arms around Eureka. He quickly pulled his arms away not knowing why he hugged Eureka in the first place. "Sorry." Eureka whispered and broke away. She took one last glance back at Renton and ran out of the room.

"That was strange." Renton thought as he loaded the pistol.

Renton flipped the safety switch of the pistol to off.

"Time to go." He said aloud to himself and left the room.

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Holland was going back to Renton's room in order to check on Eureka. "I hope Eureka didn't take it too hard." Holland thought as he strolled through the hallways. He turned the corner and just caught Renton leaving the room.

"Renton!?!" Holland gasped under his breath. "What's he doing?"
Renton walked down the hallway, opposite of Holland, and turned a corner, out of Holland's sight. Holland took a few long strides to Renton's room and entered the room.

"Eureka is not in here…" He said aloud to himself. He gazed around the room and noticed a brown bag thrown on the ground. He stooped over and picked it up. He sniffed it and scrunched up his face at the smell of gun power.

"What's he doing with a gun…? Oh… no… Eureka…" Holland dashed out of the room and down the hallway, which Renton had gone through.

"I should've known this was going to happen!" Holland said between breaths. Holland pulled out his pistol from his pockets as he closed in on the LFO hanger. He quickly pushed open the doors and entered the hanger.

"Renton!" Holland yelled at Renton who stood in the middle of the room. Renton turned to face Holland. His cold blue eyes locked onto Holland's gray eyes.

"Throw that gun down!" Holland bellowed as he jumped down the staircase. However, Renton did not respond and merely stared at Holland. Holland aimed the barrel of his pistol at Renton's forehead.

"Drop the pistol, Renton!"

Renton smiled, an eerie and cold one, and simply said, "No."

"What!?!"

Renton aimed his pistol at Holland's chest.

"Don't you…" A flash from Renton's pistol interrupted Holland. Holland quickly ducked to the side, barely dodging the bullet. "Damn it! I have no choice now but to shoot!" Holland cursed under his breath. Renton fired his pistol again. Holland barely dodged it and pulled the trigger of his gun. A small flash sprang from Holland's pistol along with a ball of lead. The ball spiraled at Renton's forehead.

"No!" Someone screamed from out of the blue.

From out of nowhere, Eureka jumped in and pushed Renton away from the path of the bullet.

"Get out of the way, Eureka!" Holland yelled as he took aim again.

"Don't hurt him!" Eureka screamed and held her arms out.
"He is not Renton! I have to take him out before anyone gets hurt! "

"I know that the real Renton is still somewhere in there!"

Holland frowned and could not decide what to do. He sighed and slowly pointed his gun down to the ground. Eureka turned around to Renton and asked him, "Are you okay?"

Renton slowly stood up. The strange gleam sparkled in his icy blue eyes.

"Ren..ton…?" Eureka asked hesitantly.

Renton quickly wrapped his left arm around Eureka's neck and jab the gun barrel against the side of Eureka's head. Eureka let out a scream of pain and Holland gasped in shock.

"Let her go!" Holland screamed.

Renton laughed and slowly pressed the trigger.

"Renton!" Maurice called and jumped out of nowhere. Renton stopped to look in the direction of the voice but it was enough time for Maurice to tackle Renton. A shot rang out and Renton stumbled back from the force of Maurice's tackle. Renton swiftly whacked Maurice on the head with the butt of the pistol.

"Maurice!" Eureka yelled in a worried tone as Maurice collapsed on the floor. Renton turned to Eureka and took aim at her forehead. A loud "bang" rang throughout the hanger. The sound waves bounced off the metal walls and created a deafening echo. Holland breathed loudly as the end of his pistol smoked. Renton's pupils retracted to a small dot as he touched the gunshot wound on his right shoulder. His arm went limp and the pistol clattered to the floor. Blood oozed out from the smoking bullet hole. Renton suddenly felt sleepy and collapsed on the ground next to Eureka.

"Renton!" Eureka gasped and held him.

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Two days later.

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Renton woke up in the Gekko-Go's infirmary. He opened his eyes slowly to the blinding light. Pain immediately pierced them but it soon subsided to a weak throb. "Where am I?" He said hoarsely.

"Renton!" Eureka's voice sounded in his ears.

Eureka jumped up from her seat to the right of Renton and hugged him.

A sharp jolt of pain sprang up from Renton's right shoulder.

"OW!"

Eureka quickly recoiled back.

"Sorry!"

Renton rubbed his damaged shoulder and nodded.

"It's alright."

Eureka smiled and tears formed in her eyes.

"I'm glad… that you're okay now." She said as she stared into Renton's warm sea blue eyes.

Renton rubbed his head and asked, "What happened?"

Eureka was about to answer but then Linck, Maurice, Maeter, along with Holland and Talho jumped into the room. The three children quickly ran over and embraced Renton. Talho and Holland stood at the door and smiled.

"Yeah mama, tell us what happened!" Linck yelled.

"Yeah!" Maeter laughed in agreement. Maurice smiled for he was glad that Mischa had successfully restored Renton's memories.

"Alright, well about a few days ago…"

Talho and Holland left the family together in peace. They strolled down the hallway holding hands.

"Everything is back to normal now right?" Talho asked Holland as they walked.

"Yeah."

Talho grasped her tummy and groaned a bit.

"Are you okay?!?"

Talho did not answer, but instead, she collapsed on the floor.

"What's wrong, Talho!?!"

Talho mumbled a few words, "Nine months…."

"What do you mean?!?"

"Idiot! The baby is coming!"