Chapter 9
"I'm coming" said the voice on the other side of the door as L'Elf continued to knock and knock and knock.
"Boy has he gotten soft" thought L-Elf to himself. During the war he'd be sure to be up at dawn now he's lucky to be up by noon. "With no more war, I guess he has a reason to rest" .
The door opened and there stood A-drei, L-Elf's oldest and dearest friend. Not looking quite as disheveled or beaten as L-Elf had imagined.
"Sorry, I was doing my laps in the pool" A-Drei announced proudly. 'I've been trying to get back into fighting shape".
"That's kind of why I'm here, old friend. I have a favor to ask but it can't leave this room".
A-Drei let his old friend in, closing the door behind him.
"So what's so important you need to call on the old man?" A-Drei asked.
"Old man?" L-Elf thought to himself "He's only a few years older than me. When did he start talking like Akira-chan?" he began to wonder.
"I have some news. Unusual news to say the least" L-Elf warned his former partner in crime.
"He's alive isn't he?" A-Drei more announced than asked being able to read his protege all too well.
"You could say he's currently trapped in a state between life and death" L-Elf confided in his old friend.
"Why come to me? I'm not a scientist or a doctor".
"We don't need scientists or doctors, A-drei. We need people we can trust. We need you." L-Elf continued. "We have a chance to save Haruto-kun just as he saved us many times over. If revolutionists caught wind of our plan. We'd lose Haruto-chan for good".
"We?" A-Drei asked hoping to get the answer he imagined. Knowing all too well odds were against it. He hadn't seen her since catching that damn bouquet. He ran off in fear of a damn bouquet. He went head to head with Cain, with space phantoms, with the valvrave pilots themselves; but when it came to facing marriage and the cute young girl he'd fallen hard for he was afraid. He still had no idea why but he would love to see her again and find out. "Love" he thought to himself of the word first brought to mind.
"Haruto sacrificed all his runes" L-Elf began "I made him a new one. it saved his life. Unfortunately, all tries at restoring his runes failed as did any chance at giving him new ones."
"So, what was the answer? how can he be saved" A-Drei began to wonder aloud.
"We've found a way to hack Haruto-kun. We can't give him new runes but we can link his runes to someone else. They'll spend the rest of their life by his side. Some may consider it a punishment, but she considers it a gift" L-Elf chuckled.
"L-Elf just laughed?" thought A-Drei to himself. "I've known him for years and I never saw him laugh".
"It only makes sense. She's been his best friend since childhood" A-Drei stated more a fact than an opinion. "It was obvious from day one that the Prime Minister loved him".
L-Elf broke out into a loud belly laugh scaring his good friend. "Did he snap" A-Drei thought to himself with great concern. Then he saw it. The huge smile on L-Elf's face. "Yes, he definitely snapped A-Drei confirmed to himself.
L-Elf saw the look of fear in "the old man"'s eyes. "Has senility set in?" L-Elf joked. "It's Saki Rukino who is in love with Haruto-chan".
"Saki Rukino?" The old man spoke. " I like her!" "the old man" smiled "when we fought together she had spunk! She's worthy of the job at hand!" A-Drei announced a the top of his lungs.
"But what of Prime Minister Sashinami?" asked A-Drei with a bit of concern in his voice.
"Oh you didn't hear?" L-elf beamed proudly. "She's with me!".
The old man laughed hugging his friend tight. "The lad didn't snap" he realized "He's in love!".
"So my job will be to protect you and Prime Minister Sashinami while you "marry" their runes?" A-Drei asked happily ready to accept.
"And Akira-chan as well" L-Elf added. "It was she who devised the rune hack" L-Elf smiled "and she who brought Shoko-chan and I together".
"Did she now", thought A-Drei, "maybe there is a reason why I think about her all the time".
"I'll be there" A-Drei informed L-Elf quite happily knowing soon he'd have the chance to see her again.