Rito's Room
Rito was currently lying down on his bed, the events of his lunch with Yami still replaying over and over again in his mind. Sighing for what felt like the hundredth time, he couldn't help but remember that this was all Sallem's doing, in an effort to set him up with an unknown number of women. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the fact that Yami would hopefully be leaving him alone for awhile, but the thought of dating her as Sallem clearly had planned was disconcerting. It also didn't help matters any that he had absolutely no idea about what Yami felt for him, and his own feelings for Yami.
He knew that the fact that Yami wasn't trying to kill him was evidence that whatever relationship there was between them had developed on her part at least, but into what, he had no idea. Then there was his side of the bizarre bond between them. Now he would be among the first to admit that Yami was clearly stunted in terms of emotional growth, but he would also be among the first to admit that, for all her cold disposition and harsh words, she was still a very mature and intelligent young lady, especially for her age. She may not have the best social skills, but she was still capable of expressing emotions and building bonds. He also knew, while hoping that no one would find out, that Yami had become a familiar and at least semi-welcome part of his life, and that, regardless of whatever happened or whatever path their relationship took them, he'd still always want her to be around for the simple fact that his life without her didn't have the same flavor to it.
'Flavor.'
Now that was an interesting way to put things, but it also seemed rather appropriate. He supposed that everyone in his life had some flavor or another to add to it. Haruna had a sour, earthy, and mild flavor to her. Lala had a sweet, sour, and somewhat refreshing taste to her. Ryoko had a super spicy, and slightly refreshing flavor to her. And Yami... He supposed the best way to put her flavor would be refreshing, earthy, and bitter.
He was vaguely aware that all of these mixtures of flavors could be found in tea, but he supposed that could be chalked up to the fact that all he really knew how to make in the kitchen was tea. But none of this brought him any closer to fully understanding where he stood with Yami. Just as he was about to go over the facts again to try and come up with a better answer, his door swung open.
"Aww! Don't look so down!" Said Sallem noisily, scaring Rito off his bed. "I'm sure you'll find the answers to your questions eventually!"
"What the? How the?" Panicked Rito. "Were you listening at my door?" He demanded.
"Now, now, Rito," Teased Sallem as he adjusted the sunglasses he was currently wearing for some reason. "How in all the dimensions could I be listening at the door when you weren't even saying anything? I was watching you through the door with my x-ray glasses." He corrected as he pressed a button on his remote and the x-ray glasses teleported away.
"That doesn't make things any better." Grumbled Rito.
"I never said it did." Sallem taunted. "I'm just correcting you in a snide way so as to make a fool of you, not that it's a very difficult task mind you."
Rito sighed. He should have known that Sallem would show up at the worst possible time and make everything worse for him. "Just leave me alone Sallem. I don't feel like being insulted and tortured anymore today."
"Rito, I'm hurt." Said Sallem in a mocking tone. "No, seriously, I'm really hurt. Victor puts up quite a fight whenever I try to lock him back in his room, and in spite of his frail looking appearance, he's actually pretty strong physically. Not nearly as much as Jackson, one of my other clones, but the fact that he's able to hurt even me is part of the reason it takes me so much time and brainpower to lock him back up every time he gets out."
"Sallem, why do you keep bothering me?" Asked Rito.
"Say what?" Quirked Sallem.
Sighing again, Rito elaborated. "You're always being a huge pest. Sure, everyone else I know causes me near constant trouble, but they're usually either doing it unintentionally, or they're causing me more trouble only because I caused them trouble, which usually happens because someone else was already causing me trouble." Rito shook his head with a thoroughly confused expression. "I'm sorry. Did any that make any sense at all to you? Because I'm having a tough time making head or tails of it myself."
"Don't worry about it in the least Rito." Chuckled Sallem. "One of the many benefits of having an I.Q. of over 10,000 is that I can not only understand any and all physics up to and including 20th dimensional physics, but I can also understand even the most unintelligible blubbering of even the most wasted of drunkards."
"Thanks... I think?" Muttered Rito.
"You're welcome... I think?" Mocked Sallem. "Your point with all of this being?"
"Right. Anyway, I understand why everyone else causes me trouble, but I can't understand what reason you have to do all of this." He explained. "Why are you doing all of this to me on purpose? Just today you-"
"Okay, I'm gonna have you stop right there for now." Interjected Sallem as he held up his right hand to Rito's face. "First of all, I can see where you're going with all of this. As far as you can see, which isn't very far at all compared to my foresight, I have no real discernible reason for the chaos I spread, but I assure you that I do have my motives. Somewhat selfish and clearly insane motives, but motives nonetheless. Second of all, I'm afraid to say that you're a bit confused as to my recent actions. I have done absolutely nothing to you for the past twenty-four hours. I've been far too busy locking Victor up."
"Right," Remarked Rito sarcastically. "And I suppose that Yami just decided to ask me out to lunch on her own. I suppose The Principal just happened to find some way to buff up since yesterday. I suppose I just happened to wind up in the perfect position for Yami to open up to me." Sallem, or anyone with at least half a brain for that matter, could see that Rito was trying, and somehow succeeding, at insulting Sallem with logic. "Exactly how much do you expect to get away with before someone pieces together that you're always the one causing all these problems?" By the time Rito was done with his rant, he was panting.
"Are you quite done yet?" Asked Sallem rhetorically. "Okay, where to start here? First of all, I really was too preoccupied with locking Victor back in his room to be bothered with messing with your life. Ergo, I couldn't have planned out or executed anything for you during the past twenty-four hours. Second, there is such a thing as dumb luck, as you are no doubt already very familiar with. Not to mention that without me around, that evil ghost haunting you can and will make your life worse than I ever would. Third, up yours Mr. Narrator! Nobody can ever insult me with logic, because mine is always flawless! And I believe I've just proven to you that Rito didn't manage to insult me, and only managed to make himself look stupid! So there!" He said as he crossed his arms triumphantly... Little bastard.
Rito looked at Sallem in pure befuddlement. Wondering who he was ranting to with that last line. When he finally processed the rest of what Sallem had said, his eyes lit up in realization. "You mean... You didn't set yesterday up so things would happen that way?"
"No I did not." Answered Sallem bluntly. "That all happened without my doing anything. Quite a happy turn of events if I do say so myself."
Taking a moment to process the fact that Sallem apparently didn't have anything to do with yesterday, and the implications that came with it, he finally came to a few conclusions. "Yami... Asked me out on her own?" Sallem nodded. "And me saving her... Wasn't planned?" Sallem shook his head this time. "But then... How did The Principal get so..." Rito's face contorted in confusion.
"Hey, for once, I'm as clueless as you are." Sallem held his hands up in surrender. "I don't have the slightest idea what happened that made The Principal so strong. Hold on a sec, and I'll see if I can't find anything out." He said as he pulled out his remote again, pressed a button, and some new sunglasses popped on his face. After a few seconds of silence, Sallem burst out laughing. "Yohohohohohohohohoho! Oh man! You will not believe this! Yohohoho!" He said as he teleported the sunglasses away again.
"What is it?" Asked Rito.
"You are not gonna believe this." Answered Sallem as he got the last few chuckles out of his system. "You remember that Ryoko got super ripped?" Rito turned beet red at the reminder, but glared at him regardless. "Okay, I suppose that was a stupid question. Well she and The Principal crossed paths shortly after he recovered, and she totally kicked his ass in an epic battle! Yohohohohoho!"
Rito gulped nervously. While he knew that Ryoko was strong, as well as that she would never do anything to hurt him, the fact that she was able to beat up The Principal when he was in such a condition was reason enough for him to watch his step around her from now on.
"Anyway, I think it'd be for the best if I just left you alone for now so you can sort out everything that's happened to you in the past few hours." Sallem excused himself. "Just know, that if you need any advice or suggestions, I'll be in my room." He said with a mischievous and somewhat disturbing grin, as he left the room.
It was then that Rito decided it would be best to stop moping about things and just get on with his life. If this conversation had taught, or rather, reminded him of anything, it was that his life was more or less insane, with or without Sallem around to make a mess of things. The only difference was that at least with Sallem around, the chaos in his life was a bit more organized and quite a bit less painful.
A Little Under Two Weeks Later.
Rito sighed as he left school for home for the weekend. He realized that he'd already sighed quite a bit today already. Looking back on the rest of the day thus far, he could honestly say that he had every good reason to sigh as much as he had.
Let's turn back the clock a bit and see how this all got started. One step and sigh at a time.
Sigh Number 1
Waking up in the morning hadn't been a very pleasant experience about half of the time over the past year or so. The reason for which is obviously that he kept waking up with nude Devilukians on a regular basis. Fortunately, this morning was not such a morning, and he'd woken up at a more relaxed and peaceful pace for once.
After getting out of bed and prepping for the day, he went down for breakfast. A part of his daily routine that, thankfully, was only very rarely disturbed by one or more of his amorous extraterrestrial house guests. Rito wasn't sure why breakfast, and indeed all of his daily meals as a whole, were, much more often than not, a pause from his usual pattern of trouble, but he wasn't complaining.
"Morning Rito!" Greeted Lala with her usual enthusiasm. "How was your sleep?"
"Surprisingly good for once." Rito answered. "What's for breakfast, Mikan?"
"Don't ask me," Shrugged Mikan. "Chibi's cooking again today." She explained as she gestured to the counter top, where Chibi was currently toiling away at something delicious smelling as always.
"Alright," Smiled Rito, remembering all of the incredible foods Chibi's cooked in the past. "What are you making today Chibi?"
"Why are you asking him?" Teased Sallem as his upside-down face suddenly appeared in front of Rito's.
"GAH!" Exclaimed Rito. "How are you doing that?"
"Anti-gravity shoes." Sallem smirked as he pointed to the ceiling, where his feet were firmly planted. "They have three settings: Reverse gravity. Zero gravity. And wall gravity."
"Wall gravity?" Questioned Rito.
"Walking on the walls like they were floors." Explained Sallem as he jumped off the ceiling and landed on the floor behind Rito. "But to answer your earlier question, Chibi's preparing Puffer Whale. A highly poisonous animal that can only be prepared by an expert chef."
"Are you sure it's safe to have something like that for breakfast?" Gulped Rito fearfully.
"Of course it is." Answered Karasuba. "Chibi was programmed to handle any ingredients that Sallem's company markets, and he's hardly ever failed."
"Exactly." Confirmed Sallem. "And besides, if it turns poisonous, we'll know just by looking at it. The whole thing turns an awful shade of purple if you ruin it."
"I'm not so sure..." Said Momo uncertainly. After the torture Sallem put her through last month, she wouldn't put it past him to poison her.
"Well I am." Said Nana proudly. "I've done plenty of research on all the animals that Zero Industries markets because I wanted to see if any of them would make good friends, and I can say with absolute certainty, that what Sallem's saying is completely accurate." She boasted.
"See, Nana knows what she's talking about." Said Sallem smugly as Nana and Momo went at it. "I just wish that she and Momo would stop having lesbian tail sex every time they find themselves not liking each other." He deadpanned.
"STOP SAYING THAT ABOUT US!" Exploded both Nana and Momo before they went back to being aroused by their tail sex.
"See. Even the narrator agrees with me on this one, and we can barely even stand each other half of the time." Boasted Sallem.
Rito's eye twitched. "I have no idea what your talking about."
"And I'll never tell you." Declared Sallem tauntingly. "Besides, unless you want your whole world view completely messed up, I think you'll thank me if I don't."
Rito sighed.
Sigh Number 2
"So, Rito, how's life treating ya?" Asked Sallem loudly as they walked to school, in spite of the fact that Rito was no more than two feet away from him.
"You do realize that I'm walking right next to you, right?" Asked Rito as he cleaned out his now slightly throbbing ears.
"Yes, the narrator already said as much." Chuckled Sallem.
"Will you stop it with that narrator thing?" Grumbled Rito. "There's no one narrating anything. Why are you pretending there is?"
"Poor, sad, unaware little fool." Sighed Sallem to the camera, which happened to be in the opposite direction from Rito. "If only he was aware of exactly how insignificant his life really was."
"Um... I'm over here you know," Reminded Rito. "And I can hear every word you're saying."
"Don't think I don't know that!" Snapped Sallem. "Now what were we talking about again flower boy?"
Scowling at the biting comment about his hobby of botany, Rito was about to remind him that he'd asked him about how his life was going, but Sallem had other ideas.
"Hey! Look at this!" He said enthusiastically as he slammed Rito's face into a pole.
"Look at what? I can't see anything." Mumbled Rito, who couldn't see it due to his face being stuck to a pole.
"Here," Said Sallem as he pulled Rito's face a few feet away from the pole so that he could get a better look. "Perhaps this will help things along a little."
Shaking the stars out of his vision, Rito got a better look at what Sallem seemed so interested in. It was a flier that explained that there was going to be a charity gala being held at Sainan High tonight being held by the Tenjouin Group. "So Saki's dad is holding a party at my school tonight. What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that I've arranged for Chibi to cater the gala, in exchange for a few tickets to this event." Sallem boasted as he flayed out several of said tickets in front of his face like a fan.
Rito stared at the tickets in question with a vacant look on his face, but internally, he was deep in thought. There was only one reason that Sallem would have arrange for Chibi to cook for this event. There was only one reason he would get tickets for this event. There was only one reason he would show off the tickets in front of him.
"You're making me go, aren't you?" Rito asked. Sallem nodded. "And you're inviting Yami too, aren't you?" Again, he nodded. "Lala?" Nod. "Ryoko?" Nod. "Anyone else?"
"I'll be inviting Nana and Momo too, but sure, why not." Shrugged Sallem. "I've got three other tickets that I'm not really planning on using for anyone in particular. But you're gonna be the one inviting them." He said as he handed three tickets to Rito.
"Why me?" Asked Rito uncertainly as he accepted the tickets.
"Because there's really nothing you can do at this point to stop my plans for you and Yami." Answered Sallem with an extremely toothy grin. "I figured that I may as well grant you a little freedom in terms of your actions before I put the finishing touches on my scheming for this part of your harem."
Rito's eyebrow twitched a few times in response to the blatant confession. "And you're telling me all of this because?"
"It's very simple Rito," Smirked Sallem. "It's no fun if I command all of your actions. Gambling is all about leaving at least some things up to chance. You have to be granted some degree of freedom if you want these relationships to last your whole life, after all. I'm not forcing you into anything aside from the fact that I'm showing you that your options are open. And I do mean very open." He said as he wiggled his eyebrows. "Besides, it's not like I'm asking you to have sex with anyone... Yet." He added as his grin turned sinister and he walked off laughing his head off.
Rito sighed.
Sigh Number 3
Rito's day was in disorder, as it always was, but he'd never really been one to let things like that affect him too much. If he did, he'd already be long dead. Instead, he saw today as an opportunity. Sallem may have devious plans for him, but Rito had an ace up his sleeve. He'd been given three tickets to the gala by Sallem himself, and he intended to use them to his own advantage. He'd use two of them to bring along his sister and Celine, and he'd use the third to invite Haruna. 'This plan is great!' Cried Rito in his head. 'If I bring Haruna along, I can use this chance to get closer to her instead of Yami like Sallem has planned, and I'll even have a perfectly legitimate excuse to not wanna be around anyone else. Ryoko and Lala both know that I like Haruna. Nana and Momo will no doubt keep each other distracted. Not to mention that I can ask Mikan to keep Yami and everyone else away from me. It's a perfect plan!' Now he just needed to ask Haruna to the gala, and everything would fall into place. Sallem couldn't do anything to mess things up this time, but first thing came first.
"Where is Haruna, anyway?" Wondered Rito aloud. "Come to think of it, I've barely seen her at all for the past few days."
Finding Haruna was actually quite an easy ordeal. Rito figured that the reason he hadn't seen her around much recently was because he was stewed too deep in his own problems to really pay attention to much else. It was managing to talk to her that was the real problem. Not in the sense that he got completely red faced, shy, and tongue tied around her like he used to. That particular problem of his had ended long ago when he had finally gotten at least somewhat accustomed to the fact that his life involved ecchi situations at least once a week.
The problem now was that, for some strange reason, Haruna seemed to be avoiding him the whole day. Every time he got close to her in the halls, or the classroom, or in front of the school, or one incident in the men's room instead of the women's for once that he and Haruna would both much rather forget about, she always ran away before he could even get in a word with her.
'I wonder if Haruna's avoiding me for some reason.' Pondered Rito as he noticed that school was just a short ten minutes from letting out for the day. 'What reason could she have for this?... Don't tell me... She's avoiding me because of something Sallem did! That would be just like him! Thinking further ahead than should be possible!' Rito thought with a jolt as his mind started attempting to come up with ways to get revenge on him. Not only for this possible offense, but for everything he'd put him through since getting her. He gave up thinking about it when he realized that Sallem would no doubt thwart any attempts made against him.
Looking up a the clock again, he noticed that it was now only five minutes until school lets out for the day. 'Of course...' Rito thought hesitantly. 'She could also be avoiding because of what Ryoko said to me in front of her all those weeks ago... Then again, Lala also said that she was trying to convince her a harem was a good idea, so that could have scared her off easily too. And there's always the possibility that she saw me acting very familiar with Yami at some point or another.' Rito went into an inner panic attack as his mind conjured up all manner of biting rejections from Haruna. Usually involving; slapping him, kicking him below the belt, pitching him the classic, not to mention overused "Enemy of All Women" line, calling him indecisive, calling him ecchi, and one very odd rejection where she reveals that she's secretly been a lesbian for years. 'Where the hell did that one come from?' Wondered Rito, just as confused as the narrator. His face turning red as he found himself imagining the implications the last one could bring.
Looking up at the clock once more, he saw that class had ended a few seconds ago, and he had spaced out during the bell. In his panicked rush to get out of class, he accidentally bumped into someone and fell over.
"I'm so sorry," Grunted Rito as he rubbed his head. "Are you all..." He trailed off as he realized who he'd fallen over. "H-Haruna!" He panicked as he noticed the red expression on her face. He was confused as to why she looked like that, until he saw that his hand was on her chest. "S-S-Sorry!" Panicked a now equally red-faced Rito as he swiftly got up. "D-Do you need any help?" He asked as he held out his hand for her.
"Th-Thank you, Rito." She accepted politely as she took his hand and he hoisted her up.
"Haruna," Rito called out to her as she was taking her leave, causing her to take pause.
"...Yes, Rito?" She asked hesitantly, her back tuned to him.
'That's not a good sign.' Rito thought. "Um, well, I was wondering," He paused to gulp. "Do you know about that gala being held here tonight?"
"...Yes, I know about it." She answered.
"Well, a few tickets for it just happened to fall into my hands a little while ago, so I was wondering," He gulped nervously again. "Would you like to... Go with me? I mean, I'll be bringing my sister and Celine along too! So it would sort of be a group thing! And if you don't want to... Well, I, er..." He trailed off awkwardly.
Haruna looked at him with what something akin to what Rito could tell was anxiety and... regret? "I... I'm sorry, Rito, but I have other things to do tonight." She said sadly.
"Oh... okay then." Said Rito dejectedly. "Well, goodbye then."
"Goodbye, Rito." Said Haruna, equally dejected as she walked off.
Rito sighed.
Sigh Number 4
Rito sighed as he left school for home for the weekend. He realized that he'd already sighed quite a bit today already. Looking back on the rest of the day thus far... Oh, wait, we already did this part, didn't we?
...Awkward.
Well, anyway, Rito's on his way home, Lala, Nana, Momo, Yami, and Ryoko just got their invitations to the gala, Sallem had convinced Lala and Mikan that Yami needed some coaxing to get her to come to the gala, and Sallem was aware of all of the events of this chapter.
"Now we just need to get planning on what to do with that last ticket of Rito's." Hummed Sallem from his control room. "There. Done." He said almost immediately. "Now I just have to wait until Yui gets that forged letter from Rito containing the last ticket I gave to Rito but then stole back after Haruna passed up the date with him because she doesn't know how to deal with knowing that Rito loves her. Oh, there, she got it." He amended as he saw her panicked and flustered expression on one of his monitors. What made her reaction so entertaining was that she hadn't even opened the letter yet, and she was still blushing just because she thought it was from Rito. "This girl has got it bad for him. I just hope she can stand the long wait until I start construction on her addition to the harem. Yohohohohohohoho!"
Entrance to the Gala
"So, Rito. You ready for this?" Asked Mikan with a mischievous glint in her eye.
Rito sighed, as if he hadn't already done enough of that today. "As I'll ever be." He answered as he took a second look at what everyone else was wearing.
Mikan was wearing a simple yellow dress. Nothing too fancy, or too plain, and, as Rito had insisted, it covered everything. Just the kind of thing a girl her age would wear to something like this.
"I can't wait to see what these things are like here on Earth," Said Lala excitedly. "The only other fancy party I've been to on this planet was the present hunting party at Saki's house." She smiled as she remembered the experience.
"I'm really not sure if you'd call that a typical example of this kind of party." Rito explained awkwardly.
Speaking of atypical, Lala's outfit could only be described as such. She was wearing Peke in the exact same outfit she'd worn to that very party all those many months ago.
"I'm really looking forward to the after party I'm planning with Rito." Said Momo lustfully.
"Oh no you don't Momo!" Exclaimed Nana. "Rito is Onee-sama's fiance! You can't have your way with him!"
"Um, I'm right here you know." Muttered Rito nervously as Nana and Momo continued their thankfully only verbal war.
Like their sister, Nana and Momo were both dressed rather unusually by Earth standards. But really, they were wearing the same clothes they usually did. Rito could only assume that they were either both formal and casual wear for Devilukians, or because they were royalty, they always dressed in fancy clothes.
"Can we just go in already?" Asked Yami, completely deadpan.
Unlike everyone else, who was wearing what could easily pass for somewhat elegant clothing, Yami didn't bother to dress up. Instead, opting for her usual outfit like Nana and Momo had. Unlike them however, her typical wardrobe couldn't exactly pass for formal-wear.
"Not yet. We're still waiting for Ryoko." Explained Rito as Nana and Momo each made a grab for the others tail. He sighed. Those two just couldn't stay away from each others throats for more than a few seconds, could they?
"Such a gentleman, Rito." Cooed Ryoko as she pressed her chest into the back of Rito's head, causing his face to turn a vibrant red.
"R-R-Ryoko!" Stammered Rito as he quickly got out of her breasts, turned around to face her, and turned an even deeper shade of red.
Ryoko, as is her nature, had chosen what was likely to be the most erotic and provocative dress he'd ever seen. It was a completely black, backless dress, but there was a bit more, or a lot less to it than that. The neckline went all the way down to her midriff, once again showcasing her massive cleavage and eight-pack abs. The sleeves were detached from the dress, and worn like skintight gloves that covered her arms from wrist to just below her shoulder, highlighting her massive arms. There was a slit up and down each side of lower half of the dress, bearing her tree trunk sized legs for the world to see from hip to ankle, which her black high-heels and black thigh-high stockings accentuated even further. But the real kicker, was that she was wearing a black lace bra which was mostly uncovered by her dress, and the straps of her black panties were visible from the slits in her dress.
Before Rito could comment on the extremely risque and erotic nature of her choice in apparel, someone beat him to it.
"What on earth are you wearing!" Demanded Yui as she walked up to them.
"Ah, Yui," Greeted Ryoko calmly. "Did you get an invitation for the gala as well?"
"A-An invitation?" Stammered Yui nervously. "Wh-What on earth would make you say that?"
"Well, you are wearing a very nice blue evening gown and matching shawl." Pointed out Peke bluntly.
Yui realized with a heavy weight in her gut that the talking hair accessory was right. How could she possibly come up with an excuse for being dressed in an evening gown and shawl? She couldn't, but she could still try her best. "Well, Rito slipped a letter into my locker with a ticket inside, and my mom and annoying brother got their hands on it and kept on insisting that I get dressed up and go, so here I am." She was well aware that she was rambling, but she hoped that they would buy her excuse.
"Letter?" Wondered Rito quizzically. "But I didn't-"
"If I may." Yami intervened. "Most likely, Sallem forged a letter from Rito and slipped it into your locker. He's the one who gave us the tickets we're all using in the first place after all."
"Sallem." Seethed Yui. "He's always messing with everyone! What's he up to this time?"
"If the present crowd and his reputation are anything to go by, I'd say giving Rito a harem is his goal here." Informed Yami in all seriousness.
Yui blinked a few times in shock, not fully believing what she just heard. "Come again?" She asked, completely befuddled.
"Giving people harems... is sort of a hobby for him." Explained Rito awkwardly.
Yui blinked several more times before the implication of Rito's words finally caught up with her. When they did, to say she was embarrassed and angry would be an understatement, especially if the deep red blush adorning her strained face was anything to go by. "N-Now wait just a second here! Exactly what kind of hobby is giving people harems? And what kind of girls would lower themselves to that! Men, especially Rito, I can understand, but what on earth would make him think that I would have any interest whatsoever in such an outrageous idea? It's not even legal! Not to mention that all these people getting involved is-"
"Just calm down, Yui." Ryoko cut off a frantic Yui as she pushed her protesting into the doors. "Sallem knows exactly what he's doing. He's done this kind of thing many times before, and he'll do it many times again, so just roll with it. Lala and I are happy having Rito's affections, and in time, I'm sure you will too."
"Wh-What are you talking about!" Panicked Yui as Ryoko fished both of their tickets out of their respective purses and gave them to the doorman. "I will not now, nor will I ever, feel anything for such a... such a... shameless and flirtatious thing! And you! You're a member of the faculty! What kind of example are you setting for the school by flirting around with-"
"Yui," Ryoko interjected while placing her hand over Yui's mouth to keep her quite. "You might not want to be so loud in here. People are starting to stare."
Yui took a panicked look around the room, and found that many well dressed and obviously important people were indeed staring at them. Yui turned a shade of red so deep, it may well have broken the color scale. She quickly took her leave and shot off towards the buffet table.
"What an entertaining girl." Ryoko smirked. "I'll bet it never occurred to her that it was actually me people were staring at. It's going to be so much fun having her as a sister-wife." She chuckled as she went off to mingle.
Party Goers - Lala, Nana, and Momo
"Now keep in mind you two," Lala began to lecture her sisters. "This is a very fancy party, and you have to be on your best behavior. Got that?"
"Says the girl who ruined most of the political parties dad held." Muttered Momo.
"Hey! You were hardly any better at those!" Snapped Nana at her twin.
"I just want to find the alcohol, get drunk with Rito, and then wake up the next morning after a night of love and sin." Sighed Momo, completely ignoring her sister.
"You're completely crazy!" Exploded Nana. "Rito is Lala's fiance! Not yours! I'm already upset enough as it is with Sallem meddling!"
"Sallem!" Realized Momo with a start. "Damn it!" She cursed as she bit her thumbnail. "He's the one who gave us these tickets. He's obviously planned for me trying anything."
"Oh yeah." Realized Nana snidely. "With Sallem calling the shots, you can't do anything, can you?"
"Oh, I'm pretty sure I can do something." Growled Momo as she looked at Nana's tail deviously.
"Don't you dare!" Warned Nana as she guarded her tail.
"-And those are the rules for this party. Got it?" Asked Lala, who had apparently not noticed their entire conversation at all.
"Er... Right! Got it Lala." Chirped Momo convincingly, or at least convincingly enough for Lala.
"Yeah, we got it." Seconded Nana, who already knew more or less how to act at these things anyway.
"Good, now go off and have fun you two." Approved Lala, unaware that Momo's idea of fun was not only lecherous in nature, but also off limits to her if she wanted to keep her all her hair, as Sallem had threatened to cut it off last time if she tried anything again.
Party Goers - Yui
'I can't believe this!' Shouted Yui internally as she angrily took a bite out of a very good sandwich. 'After spending so much time fussing over what to wear, only to cave in to my stupid brother's suggestion, and suffering through my mother's dating advice, it all turns out to be a prank! And not just any prank, but a prank designed to put me in a harem with Rito! That dirty, vile, shameless, handsome, gentle-Stop that!' Trying to shake any positive thoughts of Rito out of her head, she angrily took another big bite out of the sandwich she was holding, but found it hard to stay angry because of the wonderful taste.
"Hey, Yui." Came the last voice she wanted to hear right now, not to mention one that turned her face bright red.
Shaking her embarrassment away, she responded. "What do you want, Rito."
"Well, it's just that I feel kinda bad about how you went through all this trouble, only to find out it was a prank." He explained awkwardly.
Yui was caught by surprise by his remark, but didn't let it show enough for Rito to catch it. "You don't have to feel so bad about it Rito," 'What am I talking about? Of course he should feel bad!' "I don't blame you for all of this. It's all Sallem's fault after all." 'What the hell? I blame both of them! Not just Sallem!' "Besides, the food here is good enough to make up for it." 'It's not good enough! I don't care how juicy the meat, or how zesty the cheese, or how well blended the condiments in just these sandwiches alone are! And I don't care that the rest of the food is probably just as good, if not much better-Stop that!' "I know you well enough to know that you'd never be interested in something like a harem." 'Oh, I'm sure he'd love to have one! What boy in their right mind wouldn't?'
"Er, right, about that..."
"Rito," Yui began suspiciously. "What exactly are you saying?"
"Well, it's just that... Sallem is really good at getting what he wants," Began Rito awkwardly. "And if you spend enough close bonding time together with someone... Er, well, things can happen, and..."
"Rito," She seethed. "What exactly is your stance with all the girls Sallem brought to this Gala?" 'Including me.' She added internally.
"Well, I fell for Lala just a few weeks before Sallem arrived on Earth." Rito started out on a bad note for him. "And within a month of him arriving, Ryoko led me on one date to the next, and well... I wound up falling for her too." It was at this point that Yui had her mind made up, but stayed in order to see exactly how much she should hate him. "And recently, he's been trying to set me up with Yami, and he seems to be succeeding somewhat, at least on her side."
"I see." Yui strained to say with a straight face. "And... What about me?"
"Eh?" Was all Rito managed to get out as he blinked confoundedly.
"Well... If he's really as good as you're making him out to be," 'You sick pervert! I can't believe I ever liked you! Stop that!' "Then, do you suppose it's possible that he has plans for me as well?"
Rito blinked a few more times before his face got faint hints of red to it. "Well, probably. I mean, he invited you here while saying it was from me, so he's probably got plans for you too. But! I know that's crazy talk! I mean, you and me. Can you really imagine that?" He chuckled awkwardly as he finished his panicked rant.
"Rito." Yui seethed.
"What is it?" Rito asked.
"YOU IDIOT!" She screeched before giving him a firm slap to the face before storming off.
"Owww," Whined Rito as he rubbed the red hand print on his cheek. "What did I say?"
Party Goers - Ryoko
'This is certainly turning out to be quite a lot of fun.' Ryoko thought to herself as another person she had been talking to had been intimidated and quickly excused himself in a not so subtle manner. 'And that's number five. I wonder how many people I can scare off before the night's over.' She was aware that she was probably enjoying herself a bit too much, but she couldn't help it. Being a tease was in her nature after all, and it's not like she intended to take any conversations she had tonight beyond making people stare and feel awkward, unless of course Rito was feeling up for some one-on-one time in the bedroom. 'Ohhh, why did you have to go and think that, Ryoko? Now you're gonna be hot for him all night.'
"Hey, Ryoko." Came a voice cutting into her thoughts.
'Speak of the devil.' Though Ryoko. "What is it, Rito?" She asked as she noticed that Rito was understandably blushing.
"Well, I was just wondering how you were doing." He said as straight faced as he could manage. Quite a feat given that he was struggling not to stare at her breasts, made even harder by the fact that they were at eye level.
"It's okay, Rito. You can stare if you want." She reassured him as she flexed her body in a typical bodybuilder pose.
"Will you stop doing that?" Rito said as he struggled to avert his eyes and keep his voice down.
"Do you not remember what I went through to get these?" She asked sarcastically. "Not to mention how much work I go through on a daily basis to keep them. I think I've earned the right to flaunt my body to my lover." She noticed that many people who overheard her comment were quite discomforted by her admittance to being in a relationship with a schoolboy, not that she really cared what they thought.
"Fine," Sighed Rito, though not in an unhappy way. More like content surrender. "I've already told you that I love you, right?"
Ryoko, for her part, was actually rather stunned. She had expected Rito to be a bit more reluctant to admit anything, but the look he was giving her was not reluctant or the least bit angry. Instead, the look he was giving her was more... Sexy, than anything else. She wasn't even sure Rito was capable of looking how he currently was. Not knowing what to say, Ryoko just gave him a silent nod.
"Well I'm not the kind of guy to say something like that carelessly." Rito explained. "Well, actually, there have been a few times where I've said that and the wrong person heard it. But when I said it to you, I meant it completely, so I'll take responsibility for what I said, and follow through completely."
Now Ryoko was just plain shocked. She'd never seen Rito act so responsible before. This wasn't the face of a boy who didn't know what the world was like. This was the face of a young man, fully prepared for whatever the future may bring his way. Ryoko found herself falling in love with him all over again. Before she knew what she was doing, her arms wrapped firmly around Rito and brought his face in between her breasts.
"R-R-Ryoko." Stuttered Rito from within her chest as he struggled to get out. Okay, so there were apparently still some traces of a boy left in him.
"Calm down, Rito." Cooed Ryoko as she brushed his hair. Looking down lovingly at his confused face staring up at her from her breasts, she couldn't, or rather, didn't want to, keep her next words from coming out of her mouth. "I can't wait to start a family with you, Rito." She said before leaving a gibberish spouting Rito to fully process what she'd just told him, and to fully process it herself.
If there was one thing Ryoko really knew how to do aside from her job, it was messing with members of the opposite sex.
Party Goers - Mikan
"How are you enjoying things so far, Yami?" Mikan asked as she munched on a few weird looking, but still very delicious slices of apple she got from the buffet table. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that there was a screaming face on it, but that was crazy.
"For something that's obviously a trap, it's going well so far." Said Yami as she took a sip of some soda that was labeled Mellow Cola.
"Can't you just learn to enjoy these things a bit more, Yami?" Pleaded Mikan.
Yami cast Mikan her usual dull look before replying. "I have no intention to fall prey to a scheme of Sallem's." She rejected as she pulled out a manga she had brought with her.
"Rurouni Kenshin?" Mikan observed. "That's an interesting choice for something like this."
"I really don't care." Replied Yami in her usual monotone. "One of Sallem's wives delivered it and many other manga to me, and as much as I don't want to fall prey to one of his plots, I find these hard to put them down for very long."
"Looks like you're on the last volume." Observed Mikan as she got a look at the cover and remembered when she had read the series at her dad's office. "You're really gonna like the ending. I think it will really help you out." She smiled knowingly.
Yami gave Mikan a curious and suspicious look before hesitantly returning to her book.
"By the way, I can't help but wonder why you came to this party if you're so suspicious of Sallem." Wondered Mikan aloud.
"Sallem offered me a deal," Yami answered immediately. "If I can make it through this party without falling for Rito, then he'll leave me alone from now on."
"Yeah, about that," Began Mikan in all seriousness. "Why would you think anything about Rito either way? I'm glad you've stopped trying to kill him, but what do you really have against him?"
Yami stared at Mikan, suspicion heavy in her eyes. "Why are you so interested in the subject?"
"Well, it really says something if you're willing to cancel the assassination on him when it's your policy to never do just that." Mikan noted. "Not to mention I think you and my brother would really fit."
Yami took another pause to ponder Mikan's words. She had already shot down the idea in her mind, but she needed to come up with a way to drop the subject. "You are aware that Rito already has the affections of several women as it is, right?"
"So does Sallem." Shrugged Mikan. "He seems to make it work, and not just with himself, but with almost everyone he's ever matched up."
Yami actually sighed. She hadn't figured it would be this hard to get her friend to drop the subject. "Mikan, we're friends, right?" She asked.
"Of course." Mikan replied instantly. "You're my best friend, Yami. Most other people I know look up to me instead of really trying to get to know me. They think I'm some incredible little girl for being able to keep a household together almost by myself, so it's always been at least a little awkward for people to praise me about that all the time. It's good to have a friend who just likes you for who you are."
"In that case, why don't you respect my wishes and leave this topic alone?" Asked Yami.
"So that's what the problem here is." Realized Mikan. "It's not that I'm doing this in spite of the fact that we're friends, I'm doing it because we're friends." She corrected.
Now Yami was completely baffled. "Exactly how does the fact that we're friend mean that you have to do this?"
"It's simple, really." Began Mikan. "We're friends, so I can tell what you're feeling, even when you don't really show it, and with you as a friend, I have to practice this a lot. You're happy around me, I can see that much easily, and you're happy around Lala too, though that's a bit harder to tell. Normally you always have something of a barrier around you, like you don't really want to get close to people, but you can't help it, so you keep yourself at an emotional distance. You probably do this because you've always thought that you'll have to leave someday. Then there's how you feel around Rito."
"And exactly how do you see me feeling around Rito?" Yami asked. Right now she really wanted to end this conversation. Mikan was analyzing her too well for comfort.
"Well, it varies from day to day really," She started. "Usually you're indifferent around him, until something goes wrong or right. When he accidentally winds up touching or seeing you in a way you don't like, you're embarrassed. When he does something nice for you, you seem happy, but in a different way than you do with me and Lala."
"And exactly how do I seem happy around Rito?" Interjected Yami.
"It's hard to describe, really." Said Mikan as she tried to think of a way to put it. "It's like, you're always polite around me and Lala, like you don't want to offend us. But you can be biting and cold to Rito, and you know he won't get upset about it. It really says something if you're willing to be that open with him, even when you're happy to be around him."
Now Mikan was really digging into things Yami didn't want her to know about. Things that she wasn't even completely aware of herself. Looking deeper, she had to admit that there was much merit to what her best friend was saying. She didn't exactly hate that Mikan was analyzing her better than she could analyze herself, but she wasn't happy about it either. Why couldn't she just let these things be?
"Because we're friends, Yami." Mikan said, causing Yami to realize that she'd said at least the last part aloud. "You probably think it's weird, but sometimes friends have to be a bit harsh for their own good."
"I've read about that." Remarked Yami. "It's called tough love. I'm surprised you'd think I need it."
"What can I say?" Shrugged Mikan. "You look like you could use a push in the right direction. Not to mention that if you and Rito get married then we'll be in-laws." She added mischievously.
Yami looked at her skeptically before walking off to clear her head.
Party Goers - Yami
Yami was skeptical of Mikan's earlier words. She knew her friend only had her best interests at heart, not to mention that she had somehow gotten a better read on her than perhaps even she herself had. She chalked this up to likely having some training on the subject from Sallem, but she couldn't deny the validity in her words.
"Hey Yami. How are you doing?" Came a voice that she could really have gone without right now.
"Rito," She acknowledged. "What are you doing here?"
"Things have been kinda hectic for me at this party so far." He explained. "I'd kinda like it if I could just relax around here without having to worry about getting hurt or embarrassed."
Yami raised an eyebrow at him quizzically. "And you came to me to accomplish such a goal?" She asked disbelievingly. "You are aware that, even though I've currently labeled you as a gentleman, that could change at the slightest mistake on your part, and I'd be left with no choice but to correct the problem."
Rito chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, but right now, you seemed like you could use a friend around." Right after he said this, he stumbled over his own feet for a few seconds before righting himself. "But, just to be on the safe side, we should really find someplace to sit down." He added awkwardly.
Now Yami was intrigued. In spite of the fact that he had stumbled, she had to admit that he had a point to his words. She could indeed use some perspective from an outside party right now. "Very well. There are some chairs over there." She agree, against her better judgment. "I believe it would be best for someone as clumsy as you to not multitask, so as to avoid any painful encounters." She said as she turned some of her hair into blades.
"Right." Chuckled Rito nervously as he steadily made his way to the chairs Yami pointed out, so as not to trip and fall again.
"So why exactly did you come to talk to me when you're well aware of what Sallem has planned?" Yami asked once they were both seated. "If you say that you're trying to seduce me, I'll be forced to kill you."
"That's not it at all!" Panicked Rito as he waved his hands frantically. "I just wanted to make sure that he didn't try to use any weird chemicals or something like that on you again. I wouldn't put it past him to try."
Yami, like she'd been doing for the past several meetings with him, studied him and his words for a few seconds before responding. "It's very kind of you to do such. However, I highly doubt that he hasn't accounted for such an event if he's really planning to use such methods again." She said, coldly yet factually. "To the contrary, there's even the chance that you taking such actions is a part of his plan, so you could very well be playing right into his hands." She stated as she pulled out her manga and resumed reading it.
"Do you really think that that even he could prepare for something like this?" Asked Rito, somewhat hurt that, even though her opinion of him had risen in recent times, she still thought so little of him. "I mean, I just randomly thought to come talk to you after all. If his plan really worked like that wouldn't the whole thing fall apart if I didn't come talk to you?"
"He's a very meticulous planner." Pointed out Yami. "He never has just one plan. He's always brainstorming more and more. Even right now, we could very well be falling into his plans. That's why I'm trying to stay as closed as possible right now."
"I think it might be best if we just stop talking about him for now." Suggested Rito. "All this talk about him and his plans is starting to weird me out."
"Very well," Consented Yami. "What do you suggest we discuss, if anything?"
"Well, let's see here..." He said as he paused to think. "Hey, isn't that Rurouni Kenshin you're reading?"
"It is," Yami comment, her face still in the book. "I'm currently on the final volume. It's quite a tale of relationships, well thought out plot and characters, and fighting techniques. I've learned quite a few ways to attack and defend from this series."
"I'll bet." Said Rito awkwardly. "How did you get interested in it in the first place?"
"One of Sallem's wives gave the series to me." Commented Yami casually. "I know that I probably shouldn't but-"
"Wait." Interjected Rito "One of Sallem's wives gave them to you?" Asked Rito fearfully. "And you're reading it?"
"Yes."
Rito thought hard, trying to remember what happened in the entire series. "Put the book down, now." He demanded firmly. "You can read it anytime after Sallem's gone, but while he's here it's too risky."
Yami cast him a look that, if he didn't know better, was one of subtle fear and panic. "I've... Already finished it." She said uneasily.
'This is it!' Rito realized with a panic. 'This is what Sallem was aiming for from the start! I've gotta get away from Yami!'
"Rito," Yami began nervously. "What's wrong?"
Before Rito could say anything however, the lights dimmed and a few spotlight were aimed at the stage that had been set up just for this event. On stage, there was a man in a white, featureless mask, pink dress shirt with a white waistcoat, and a green and red full plaid and kilt.
"Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Said the man dramatically. "My associates and I have been hired for this night to provide you with the finest music you will find far and wide for many a mile! I welcome you all to enjoy our tunes and tomes of music that we've prepared for this very night!" He explained ecstatically as he walked over to a piano on stage with a mike on it, as the lights panned out to reveal two girls with violins, and one up by a mike, all three of which were wearing evening gowns with a long slit up the left leg. As the music began to play, Rito and Yami found themselves frozen to their seats.
Sometimes I feel so all alone
Finding myself callin' your name
When we're apart, so far away
Hopin' it's me that you're thinkin' of
Could it be true, could it be real?
My heart says that you're the one.
There's no one else, you're the only one for me.
Yes, this time my love's the real thing.
Never felt that love is so right.
The world seemed such an empty place.
We need someone we could give our all.
Baby, it's you, we'll be together now and forever.
During the musical interlude, Yami found herself entranced by the music. In spite of the fact that she could honestly say that she never felt what could be classified as what she's heard love is like, she couldn't help but wonder again what it was like. Emotions had never been her strong suit, but as much as she may try to deny it, she was still as curious as ever, and wondered if someone as emotionally stunted as her could ever really feel love as great as she's read tales about.
Could it be true, could it be real?
My heart says that you're the one.
There's no one else, you're the only one for me.
Yes, this time my love's the real thing.
Never felt that love is so right.
The world seemed such an empty place.
We need someone we could give our all.
Baby, it's you, we'll be together now and forever.
Never felt that love is so right.
The world seemed such an empty place.
We need someone we could give our all.
Baby, it's you, we'll be together now and forever.
As the song wound down to a close, the singer slowly walked over to the pianist, and they finished the song singing into the same mike, and as they did so, Yami felt something moving within her. She knew that the people on stage were likely Sallem and his wives, or at least people he had hired, but she was entranced by their words and actions. Casting a sideways glance at Rito, she saw that he was doing the same. For some reason, she felt as she usually did whenever something ecchi happened, and that she should be hitting him, but she found herself unable to, and she knew the exact reason why.
She finished Rurouni Kenshin. She knew Rito warned her not to. She could put two and two together. The ending was the killer getting a happy ending with a family. She was a killer. Mikan had said she wanted to be her family. She knew she had been completely set up right from the get go. But as she moved her lips against Rito's, she found that she didn't really care. Funny, she hadn't even noticed that she had moved to kiss him, or maybe he moved to kiss her. It didn't matter to her either way. She was happy, and that was that. And as for the harem, well, she didn't mind sharing him.
Party Goers - Rito
Rito, on the other hand, was a bit more in tune with the music. He knew, perhaps better than anyone what love was like, having fallen in love with three women at the same time. Some would see him as a playboy for this, and to an extent, so did he, but part of him also understood that the fact that he held feelings for three women gave him a better understanding of why and how people fall in love than most.
Looking at Yami as the song wound down, he saw that she was giving him the same look of simplicity that he imagined he had on right now. He would admit it. Sallem had won again. He'd fallen for exactly who Sallem had wanted him to fall for, and again, he didn't really mind. Yami was Yami. Yami was a girl, no, a woman he loved. She may be young now, but to Ryoko, he was young now. Age really didn't matter to him or Ryoko, and as his lips moved against Yami's, he found that it didn't matter to her either. Funny, he hadn't even noticed that he had moved to kiss her, or maybe she had moved to kiss him. It didn't matter to him either way. He was happy, and that was that. And as for his harem, well, she was kissing him, so she probably didn't mind that she'd be sharing him.
After The Party
"Yohohoho! What a bash! What a bash! What a bash!" Cheered Sallem enthusiastically as he, his wives, Rito, Lala, her sisters, Mikan, and even Yami walked back to the Yuuki household. "And how did all of you enjoy it?" He asked Rito and Yami with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"It was a great party!" Cried Lala happily. "It was really nice to see Saki and her friends getting along so well with Zastin." She didn't notice Sallem chucking under his breath at her comment.
"Get away from me." Deadpanned Yami as she turned her hair into a razor sharp blade and tried to decapitate Sallem, who quickly ducked out of the way.
"Hey, hey, hey now!" Teased Sallem, slightly nervous. "Careful with those things! Even a body as sturdy as mine could be cut to ribbons by such sharp blades. Not to mention I'm not The Headless Horseman, or Buggy The Clown, or Celty Sturluson, or anything like that. My head has to stay attached, you know?" Tapping on his head, he added, "If this thing comes off, I could actually die, you know?"
"That's the point." Remarked Yami coldly.
"Yami, it might be best if you try not to let him bother you." Advised Rito as he placed his arm around Yami's shoulders, causing her to blush slightly, but she didn't call him out on it like she probably would have before this night started. "I mean, after having to put up with him for two months already, I've learned that nothing can get to this guy."
"To some extent, yes." Shrugged Sallem. "I mean, I'm not completely invincible or anything, but I'm certain that none of you could manage anything against me. That goes double for you, Momo." He scolded.
"I didn't even do anything today!" Cried Momo in her defense.
"What do you mean by 'today'?" Asked Nana suspiciously.
"Well, yesterday, there was the fiasco with the pancakes..." Sallem trailed off.
"That was you!-?" Shouted Nana as she engaged Momo in another one of their bouts of violent tail sex, drawing quite a crowd of perverts with cameras.
"I'll just never understand the appeal some people find in watching two girls go at it in a sexual manner." Muttered Sallem disapprovingly to his wives. "I mean, if it was a full blown cat-fight, I'd enjoy the bloody brawl as much as the next violence junkie. But if it's done in an overly sexual manner, I just don't see the point. What do you three think?"
"This is going on the internet." Haihane chuckled.
"Some pervert's gonna post this on the internet." Scoffed Benitsubasa.
"You're gonna post this on the internet, aren't you?" Deadpanned Karasuba.
"You know me so well, Karasu-chan." Cooed Sallem as he motioned for Telly to get a better shot of the two Deviluke Princesses going at it.
"Don't call me, Karasu-chan." Growled Karasuba as she pulled out her sword and took a slash at Sallem, only for it to clang against his metallic body. If Haihane and Benitsubasa weren't already used to their Ashikabi easily surviving or dodging normally lethal blows, they would have gotten angry. As it was, this was pretty much business as usual for them.
"Anyway, as fun as this has been, I'd really rather they continue this somewhere I can't see them." Remarked Sallem as he pulled out his remote.
"You're not gonna send them to Rito's Principal again, are you?" Asked Mikan sternly.
"Of course not." Denied Sallem with a mischievous glint in his grin. "I have something much better in mind for them." He remarked as he teleported the two squabbling girls away.
"You really take too much pleasure in getting involved where you aren't wanted." Observed Karasuba and Mikan, who subtly bumped fists in agreement.
"Since when have you two gotten so close?" Questioned Sallem curiously.
"I'm not sure." Said Mikan honestly.
"Mutual idiot sense." Suggested Karasuba.
With Rito and Yami
"Yami! What are you doing?-!" Panicked Rito as Yami jumped from rooftop to rooftop, Rito cradled in her arms.
"Getting some distance between us and Sallem." Explained Yami as if it were obvious.
"I can empathize, really I can, but don't you think this is a bit extreme?-!" He shouted.
Normally, she would have gone further than this, but taking Rito's nerves into account, Yami stopped on the roof of a Chinese Restaurant. "This should be far enough." She said as she placed Rito down. She didn't really think it was far enough, but she knew that there was a good chance it'd be futile anyway.
"Well, anyway," Began Rito much more calmly as he dusted himself off. "What did you bring me here for anyway?"
"I want to know." Whispered Yami quickly as she turned away from him.
Blinking in confusion, Rito asked, "What do you want to know?" When Yami didn't answer, he asked again. "What do you want to know?" Still no answer, Rito decided to dare to press this a bit further than he would have dared just this morning. Slowly walking up to her, he placed his hands on her shoulders. She stiffened for a moment, causing Rito to stiffen as well, but when she relaxed, he followed soon after. "Yami, what do you want to know?" He asked a third time, this time much more tenderly.
Hesitating for a moment, Yami asked quietly, "I want to know... what we are?"
"What we are?" Rito repeated and Yami nodded. "Well..." He hesitated. "I'm not really sure what we are exactly." He admitted.
"If you don't know, then why did you... kiss me?" Asked Yami.
"Well... I don't mean to sound rude or anything... but I wasn't the only one who made a move tonight." Defended Rito. At first, he was slightly worried that she might try to cut him or something, even more so when she turned her hair into several blades. However, Yami showed remarkable self-control and let the blades turn back into her hair again.
"You're right." Admitted Yami shyly. "And I'm not sure why I did what I did either. All I know was that it just felt so right at the time, and that I don't regret it."
"Yami." Breathed Rito.
"No," Amended Yami. "It's not that I don't regret it. It's that I don't want to regret it."
"Yami, I..." Began Rito, not fully sure what to say. After a few moments of thinking, however, he decided on something he thought would help. "I don't want to regret it either." Hearing Yami gasp slightly, he hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I don't want to regret it... because kissing you... felt good. It felt like someone who was really stepping out into the world for the first time was placing their trust in me, and I didn't want to do anything to break that trust."
"How would you know what that felt like?" Asked Yami sternly.
"Well, you're probably going to think this is stupid," Began Rito awkwardly. "But it felt a little like what I felt when Lala turned down a forced offer to marry me from her father. Or when Celine turned into a little girl and started following me around. Or when Ryoko first told me some things about herself on our first date."
"I don't understand," Said Yami, slightly confused as she turned to face Rito. "What do all those things have in common with each other, let alone what happened between us tonight?"
"I guess it's like... seeing a person grow and mature for your sake." Explained Rito. "Like when you learn something that could change you for better or worse, and you decide to change for the better."
"Like suddenly gaining a lot more responsibility," Yami understood.
"Yeah," Nodded Rito. "That kind of thing. When you learn and grow. When you find something you see a goal you want and you strive for it."
"When you fall in love." Whispered Yami uncertainly.
Hesitating for several seconds, Rito eventually nodded in agreement. "Yeah. When you fall in love."
"So... what does this make... us?" Asked Yami hesitantly.
Rito, for his part, was actually taking Yami's uncharacteristic behavior in stride. He wasn't entirely certain why she was acting so oddly, but he had a theory. Yami was injured, though obviously not in the physical sense. No, Rito was pretty certain that even if she was in any physical pain, it wouldn't bother her in the least. She was injured in the emotional sense. While Rito didn't know anything about Yami's past besides the fact that she had quite a reputation as an assassin, he did know from having a manga-ka for a father that nobody ever got into that kind of work without some big reason, or at least not the ones that still seemed sane. And given that Yami was still so young and how little emotion she ever shows, it was very likely that she never really learned how to express herself, or worse, she knew, but then forgot. Still, Rito wasn't entirely certain about anything yet. For all he knew, this was just how her species acted naturally.
"I don't really know," Yami looked at him with a disappointed glare. "I mean, I have a few ideas, but there's still so much about you that I don't know. Until I know the answers to at least some of the questions that have been burning in my mind about you for a while now, I wouldn't know how we should move on from here, or even where 'here' really is."
Her gaze softening slightly at his words, she mulled it over a bit before replying. "You want to know about where I came from, and why I am who I am." It wasn't a question.
"Well," Rito began awkwardly. "When you put it that way, it sounds kinda philosophical... but yes. That's what I'm asking."
After thinking it over for several seconds, Yami nodded. "Very well. If only to find out... where we stand." In spite of the blush on her face, Yami was actually smiling slightly.
"Why are you smiling?" Asked Rito curiously.
Her smile getting slightly bigger, Yami answered. "I've just gotten to say so many romantic things that I've wanted to say for a long time now."
Blinking a few times in confusion, Rito couldn't help but laugh at the sheer hilarity of Yami's remark. Yami quickly joined in, the tension between them quickly dissolving.
"Did you know saying that would make us both laugh so hard?" Rito said in between laughs.
"No." Chuckled Yami. "But I'm kind of glad I said it now."
"Me too." Agreed Rito as he and Yami both pulled themselves together.
"Very well," Nodded Yami. "It all goes back to when I was first created-"
With Sallem - Chinese Restaurant
"Damn that girl." Growled Sallem, slightly bitter, but at the same time unable to pull it off properly. "How did she know I had a weakness for Chinese food? Or maybe it was just by chance that they stopped here." He remarked before stuffing a wonton into his mouth. "Soooooo goooooood! The crunchy and oily texture of the fried wonton blends so well with the creaminess and earthiness of the melted cream cheese filling it! Truly the Chinese know what they're doing better than anyone else on this planet when it comes to cooking! Except for the animal dicks, of course."
"Glad to see you still like stuffing your face." Karasuba actually chuckled. "I thought it was weird that you didn't eat anything at the party."
"Yeah, usually you eat enough for four or five people." Agreed Benitsubasa as she took a bite out slice of something or other - it's really hard to tell with Chinese food - that smelled faintly of brain to Sallem. "But I don't really mind, since it gives me a chance to cook something else for you. Just like a housewife." She added to herself, blushing as she did so.
"Your cooking sucks," Muttered Haihane before taking a bite out of an egg roll, causing Benitsubasa to glare at her. "And you'd make a horrible housewife."
"And I suppose you cook better and would make a good housewife?" Questioned Benitsubasa angrily.
"Well, you each have your strengths and weaknesses." Intervened Sallem before things could escalate. "Benitsubasa, you have a habit of making your food too sweet, just like you." His Crimson love turned red with embarrassment. "While Haihane has a habit of making things too sour, just like those teasing remarks of yours I love so much." His Indigo love began to turn blue with laughter. "While Karasuba... you poison my food just the way I like it, though you may not want to give that cooking to anyone else. Not everyone has Anti-toxin systems built into their bodies, after all." Benitsubasa and Haihane both shot fierce glares at his evil love, who growled at Sallem for ratting her out, and making her look stupid at the same time. "But, enough about all of us. I'm certain that the readers are tired of seeing us talking, so let's do a scene change, shall we?"
"What are you talking about?" Asked Karasuba irritably.
Back with Rito and Yami
"-And I haven't seen her since that day." Finished Yami, she and Rito sitting together on edge of the restaurants' roof.
"It must have been hard to have that all ripped away from you so suddenly." Said Rito in understanding.
"I suppose it was, back then at least." Nodded Yami. "She was the closest thing I ever had to a mother, and my time there was the only life I ever knew."
"How did you adapt?" Asked Rito worriedly.
"I managed." Shrugged Yami. "Truthfully, becoming an assassin was something that just sort of happened. People attacked people. I killed them. Soon enough, people started to pay me to kill others. I didn't know of any other way to make money, it all just happened."
Sighing, Rito wrapped his arm around Yami's shoulders. Neither of them felt the least bit uncomfortable about it. "I know I don't really have to tell you this, but there are better ways to make money."
"I know that now," Nodded Yami as she adjusted her head to rest in the crook of Rito's neck. "But back then I didn't. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't know where else to go. Killing and surviving was enough back then."
"And now?" Asked Rito as he absentmindedly brushed Yami's hair.
"Now?" Sighed Yami as she moved herself to Rito's lap. "I think I'll keep my job." She deadpanned.
"Oh." Said Rito with a start, his arms moving away from Yami.
Yami however, grabbed his arms before her could pull them away. "I'll just... keep you too." She smiled at him as she pulled his arms around her.
Chuckling as he tightened his arms around her, Rito said, "You know, if anyone else had said something like that to me, I'd probably be worried... But since it's you, I actually don't think I really have anything to worry about."
"So," Began Yami confidently. "What does this make us?"
"Errr..." Utter Rito awkwardly. "I'm... still not really sure." He answered lamely, getting a fist of hair to the face for his response. "Owww," He groaned as he rubbed his face.
"You still have no shame." Yami grumbled, though in spite of her words, she kept Rito's arms firmly wrapped around her.
"Don't misunderstand me, Yami." Rito began explaining. "I do love you," He noticed Yami blush and hide her face. "But there are other people I love too, and I love them all just as much as I love you. In all honesty, I really don't know what to do here."
For a long time, they were both completely silent. Neither one of them daring to say a word. Eventually though, Yami broke that silence. "Most would say that your indecisiveness is horrible, and makes you the enemy of all women." Rito didn't say anything. Mostly because he had no defense against that, and didn't want to make things worse for himself. "But since I'm an assassin, I have no room to judge you on your amount of romantic partners." Rito still kept silent. Mostly because he had no defense for Yami, and didn't want to get hurt due to any major comments against her. "I can't really say I mind the idea of sharing you, since I've never really given love too much thought. I just want to know who else is involved."
"Well..." Mumbled Rito as he nervously scratched behind his head. "It's a bit complicated, to tell you the truth."
"How so?" Asked Yami curiously.
"Well... for starter, there are a lot of people who love me, but some of them aren't mutual." Began Rito. "So I guess I'll start with those. Run and Momo really like me - and I don't just mean that they love me. They are way too open about it. Momo climbs into my bed all the time and constantly tries to seduce me. And when she's not working as an idol, Run's affections for me can sometimes border on something outright crazy and obsessive. Run's not really all that bad, it's just that she gets really out of hand sometimes."
"Doesn't Lala do that to?" Asked Yami.
"Well, sometimes." Admitted Rito, recalling all the mayhem she'd caused in the past. "But the troubles she's been causing me have been getting less and less frequent, and she never really meant any harm in the first place, not to mention that she's actually been pretty helpful lately whenever weird stuff happens. I guess she's just still maturing and adapting." He explained.
"It sounds nice," Said Yami, catching Rito by surprise. "Having so many people who are important to you."
"It is." Smiled Rito fondly. "Anyway, aside from all that. I've gotta say that I really do love Lala."
"Even after all she's put you through?" Questioned Yami.
"Even after all of that." Chuckled Rito. "Then there's Ryoko - er, you probably know her as Mikado-sensei though."
"Doesn't she seem a bit old for you?" Deadpanned Yami.
"Aren't you a bit young for me?" Joked Rito, eliciting a giggle from Yami. "And of course there's you," He said as he nuzzled slightly against her hair, prompting her to pinch his side. "And then there's one more, who I'm not really sure about." He winced.
"Haruna, correct?" Asked Yami.
"Yeah," Nodded Rito solemnly. "I've had a huge crush on her since way before my life got completely messed up with aliens, but I have no idea how she feels about me."
"If you've liked her so long, why haven't you acted on your feelings yet?" Asked Yami.
"I keep meaning to," Sighed Rito. "But it seems that whenever I muster up the courage to try and tell her, something always gets in the way. Then there's the fact that my feelings are being pulled between four girls at once..."
"You don't seem to mind it that much." Observed Yami.
"That's what's worrying me." Grumbled Rito. "I'm afraid that I'm turning into some kind of man-whore."
"Rito," Yami began as she twisted his face to meet her eyes. "You're not a man-whore. If you were, I'd have killed you."
Blinking at her several times in confusion, Rito eventually burst out laughing. "Thanks, Yami. I really needed to hear that." He said happily.
Smiling, Yami remarked, "If death threats make you that happy, I'll make sure to give them to you whenever I see you from now on."
"Er," Panicked Rito. "There's really no need to do that, Yami."
"I know," She confessed as she nuzzled under his chin. "I was just joking."
"I love you, Yami." Rito said automatically, slightly surprised by himself.
Yami, equally surprised, quickly regained herself. "I love you too, Rito."
On a Rooftop Several Blocks Away
"Damn that boy." Muttered Nemesis, Yami's metaphorical sister made by the same evil organization who made Yami. "How is it that the Darkness Protocol hasn't activated? It's supposed to activate the moment Yami accepts that peace might be an option, yet there she is! Peaceful as possible, yet she hasn't transformed! What did Sallem and that boy do to her?!" She hissed bitterly.
'Let me out of here, Master!' Exploded Mea angrily, her mind trapped in her own body by her once trusted Master Nemesis. 'Give me back my body! I can handle this!'
"No, you can't." Remarked Nemesis coldly. "This is my body now, and I can do what I please. I shouldn't have been so naive as to think Sallem wouldn't be aware of Darkness and do something about it. Now I've got to figure out some way to activate it manually."
"Well, well, well," Said an evil, otherworldly sounding voice as someone grabbed and pulled on Nemesis's hair. Hard. "It would seem that there was some merit to what my dear brother was saying when he called me to help keep an eye on things."
"Who are you?-!" Demanded Nemesis as she changed her hand into a blade to try and stab whoever had the nerve to grab her, only for the blade to be stopped between two bony fingers.
Humming as he observed the blade in his fingers and the hair in his hand, the tiny wisp of a man regarded the girl before him with some interest. "Impressive. Most impressive. Shapeshifting your body into whatever form you desire. I'm going to enjoy taking some samples."
"I said, who are you?-!" Demanded Nemesis as she turned her other hand into a set of claws and took a swipe at the man. Though he simply took a step back and placed her hair in the path of the blades, causing her to cut through that instead. "MY HAIR!" She panicked.
"Oh, was this valuable to you in some way?" Asked the man, obviously faking innocence. "I'm sorry. I should have known that girls placed high stock in their appearance. Allow me to return this to you." Grabbing Nemesis's head harshly by her cheeks, the man shoved all of her freshly cut hair into her mouth, causing her to gag heavily as she tried to spit it out, only for the man to cruelly hold her mouth shut.
Struggling to get free and get her hair out of her mouth, Nemesis tried morphing her limbs into various weapons to kill this man, only for him to effortlessly swat them all away with one hand, then throw her face down on the ground and sit on top of her.
"In case you're wondering why I'm doing this, it's quite simple, really." Said the zoot suit wearing man cheerfully as Nemesis finally managed to start spitting out her hair. "That annoying brother of mine offered me a deal: I do a few jobs for him. He supplies me with a few new samples, and a few prime targets, like where the Shaman Kings are hidden." Nemesis had no idea what he was talking about, and only wanted to kill him. "Which leads us to right now," He said enthusiastically as he grabbed her by her - now short - hair, and pulled her up harshly. "He's asked me to torture you in the worst way I can imagine without killing you, and then hand you over to him so he can include your body slave in his little schemes." His bony black hand transforming into a katana blade, he tilted his hat up, revealing a skeletal face underneath. "Now then, let's see just how much I can put you through before you bail on this body you jacked."
It was at that moment, that Nemesis knew she was screwed, and Mea could only hope he didn't damage her body too badly.
At the Yuuki Household
"So... I guess we'll be seeing each other around then?" Asked Rito uncertainly.
"Of course we will." Said Yami as she nuzzled up against Rito. "I look forward to having an official date with you... as soon as Sallem leaves." She tagged on the end.
"Yeah," Sighed Rito. "I don't think I'll be doing much besides getting more girls forced in this dysfunctional harem I'm getting while he's here." He said as he opened his front door.
"How rude!" Huffed Sallem, who'd been on the other side of the door and heard everything. "I'll have you know that I'm doing you a huge favor by doing this!"
"How so?" Asked Rito skeptically, finally used to Sallem popping in and out of nowhere.
Sallem simply pointed at Yami in response.
"Er..." Panicked Rito. "Besides Yami!"
Sallem pressed a button on his remote and a picture of Ryoko popped up.
"Er..." Panicked Rito further. "Besides Ryoko!"
Sallem pressed the same button again, and a picture of Yui showed up.
"Er..." Panicked Rito as he fell backwards. "What?"
Sallem smirked before saying, "Yui's next on the list, Rito."
Rito, much to his credit, took the flat out confession that Yui Kotegawa, the least likely of people to ever even think of feeling affection for him - in his opinion at least - was the next person Sallem would be setting him up with, and quickly got up. In all honesty, Rito kinda actually saw it coming.
"Don't let it get you down, kid!" Came Karasuba's voice from inside. "If it helps, Sallem was too busy stuffing his face with wontons to bother watching you two up on the roof of that Chinese Restaurant!"
"Karasuba! I told you not to tell them that!" Panicked Sallem.
"No, you told me not to tell them you have a weakness for Chinese food!" Karasuba corrected him.
"You just told them!" Panicked Sallem as he rushed inside.
Chuckling at Sallem's sudden show of panic, Rito and Yami bid each other adieu, and went their separate ways for the night.