MPK: Okay, here's the second chap~ (Updated OC description on my profile)
P.S.- SLIGHT TRIGGER WARNING: ABUSE
DISCLAIMER: MPK DOES NOT OWN STAR DRIVER, ONLY MENTIONED OCs, NIIKA AND ARATA...AND THEIR RELATIVES AND STUFF. (EDITED)
"Are you okay, Niika-chan?" Arata asks as they walk to school, "You've been staring at me for a while now..." An anime cloud looms over his head, when she doesn't answer him right away.
"N-Nothing really, it's just..." Niika looks at her brother, scanning him up and down. The Southern Cross High uniform suits him, especially with his brown hair. But the black square frames he dawns throw off the look entirely, "Why are you wearing glasses? You can see can't you?"
"Oh, these? They're why I won't get jumped by girls again."
"Girls have jumped you?" Niika stops in place, "Would glasses really help that? Ones that ugly?"
"You think they're ugly?" Arata grips them. "I did get them for cheap. I figured if they're just for show, I didn't need to buy the real deal..." He pouts, "We're meant to keep a low profile. If it weren't for my stupid eyes..."
Niika reaches for his glasses pulling them off his face. His cerulean eyes, aside from being unnaturally on the bright side, held a pretty shine that glittered in the sunlight. "I think you look just fine."
"You think so?" He peers down at her.
"Mmmhm. You look like you." Niika smiles.
"T-Thanks I guess~" Arata stutters with a blush. His left hand instinctively slides a lock of her hair behind her ear and Niika giggles. Suddenly Arata is thrust into his own thoughts, his fingers sliding down her cheek and under her chin.
Sensing his sudden sadness, Niika touches his hand back. "What's wrong?" Not listening, Arata slowly and shakily moves the hair away from her forehead. "Arata...kun?" He leans forward, his blue eyes close as Niika's green eyes widen. "...Big Brother?"
'Disgusting...Repulsive...'
Arata quickly pushes Niika back away from him. He takes his glasses and puts them back on his face. "...Sorry." And just runs off somewhere without looking back. It was not in the direction of the school.
"Arata-kun! Arata!" Niika shouts but he is long gone. "Jeez..." She continues the walk alone.
'What's wrong with me? I still can't get, what she said out of my head.' A distance away, Arata was regretting the last couple of moments. 'Niika and I have always been close since the day she was born. But after father died...that woman...kept wanting to split us apart.' He kicks a couple of stones across the grass. They travel in two different directions. 'We weren't allowed to make friends, no sleepovers or playdates. We couldn't have social media, and school...was out of the question. I'm glad I didn't tell her that we enrolled here.' The short-haired brunette picks up another with his hand, leaning against a nearby tree trunk. 'It never made sense, but I always did what I was told. Sometimes I wish I had a rebellious spirit. Maybe we wouldn't be in the position we are now. Maybe we could've stayed where we belong. At home.' Arata grips the stone, daring to think back to how times were before. 'I'm sure Niika wants to have a normal life, and a normal brother-sister relationship. That's what I wanted to...But the only people we have now is each other.' He still remembers the day he became aware of the distance between his sister and him. 'She's the one who made us like this. Yet she only blames us for the violence and misery...'
FLASHBACK
"Arata, come play with me!" A 5-year-old Niika shouts across the room to a 6-year-old Arata.
"Not now. I'm drawing." He replies from an old wooden desk.
"Oh...okay..." With a sigh, Niika put what dolls she had left away in a small box. She stands on her tippy toes to peer out of a small window. The children below are laughing and having fun with one another. "Arata, why can't we go outside?"
"I told you before why." Arata turns away from his desk, "Stepmother said it's dangerous outside. Someone might spot and recognize us."
"But then, how come she can go?" Arata doesn't really have an answer. Niika starts to tear up, "It's not fair!" The little girl complains. She grabs hold of an old pillow nearby and cries into it. Arata can't help but pity her. He finally abandons the desk to sit beside her. Niika drops the pillow to cry into his chest instead. "It's not fair, Onii-sama! I-I want to have friends! I want to explore! I want to go outside like everyone else! W-Why can't we do things like everyone else?!"
"...I don't know." Was all Arata could muster. "I don't know anymore." He wipes his sister's tears away, tilting her head to look up at his. "But what I do know, is that as long as we are together, we don't need anyone else. Right?" Niika gives him a sad nod. It is at that moment, that their stepmother steps into the house.
"But Arata-kun, wouldn't you rather hang out with someone else besides me for once? Someone new? Make a new friend!?"
"No, not really."
Niika looks up, "But why?"
"Because. There's no one I want to get to know. I don't know how they'd react to me, anyway. The last thing I want is to meet another mean and rude person just like she says exists."
"But how will you know they're mean unless you go out and meet them?" Their stepmother stops by their bedroom, listening to them from behind the door.
"Niika, I have you. You're the nicest girl in the whole world. I'd rather stay here if I can be with you." He holds her close. "I want to protect and keep you safe. This is the safest place for us right now. I don't want you to get hurt. You know how much I love you right?" The stepmother cracks the door open slightly.
"How much?"
"Too much."
"How much is that?"
Arata cups her face in his hands, "Let me show you." He slowly leans in, his blue eyes closed. Niika just stares at him, as he kisses her on the forehead. That's when their stepmother bursts in, a smug look on her face.
"Disgusting...Incestuous..." She says aloud. Arata freezes in place, "You disgust me. I knew you were one sick little b*stard..." His eyes widen in shock to the point it looks like he has no irises. His little hands start to shake.
"S-Stepmother?...W-When did you?"
"Arata?" Niika questions oblivious to the tension. She looks over, "Stepmother, you're back...Stepmother?" Arata lets go of Niika, staring at the floor in fear. "What did you do to Arata?" The woman walks over and grabs the little boy by the collar, throwing him across the floor. "Big Brother!?" Arata remains in place on his hands and knees, trembling.
"DON'T TOUCH HER LIKE THAT AGAIN! YOU HEAR ME!? YOU'RE DISGUSTING! REPULSIVE! INCESTOUS!"
"B-But! I-I didn't do anythi-!"
A loud pop is heard as she slaps the little boy in the face. "YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO TALK BACK TO ME!? IS THIS REALLY THE THANKS I GET FOR TAKING IN SUCH A MISBEHAVING BOY LIKE YOU!" Her tone harshens, "Your father would be ashamed. I blame your mother for not disciplining you!"
"MY MOTHER WAS A GOOD PERSON! KEEP HER NAME-UGH!"
The woman grips Arata by his brunette locks, "Lucky for you, I'm the one that's left to do what she should have done!" She scolds screaming in his ears. "YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!" She drags him out of the room and into the hallway.
"W-Wait! Stepmother!?" Niika follows them down the hall. "Stop! You're hurting him! Arata!" The basement door slams in her face preventing her from following any further. The little one tries twisting the handle to no avail. "ONII-SAMA!? ARATA!" Niika, hugs her knees into her chest, starting to cry heavier than before. "I-I w-want to go h-home!"
END OF FLASHBACK
'That woman...she misunderstood and beat me for it! I didn't speak to Niika for months after that. I never wanted to go through that again. Soon she just beat me for no reason at all! And I still did what she wanted!' Arata grits his teeth, 'Some of the scars haven't healed to this day. She made me mentally afraid of showing my own sister affection! I will never forgive that woman!' Arata finally starts walking again, trying his best to shake the traumatic memories away. This was the first time in a while that he and Niika didn't have to live in fear. He tells himself that he wants to focus on that, even if it is just for a little while.
"...I don't want to go to school."
At Southern Cross High, the first day of the new school was about to begin. Ruri smiles at her best friend Wako. "Hey! This is the first time we've sat next to each other!"
Wako smiles back, "Uh, yeah..."
"Sugata's pretty close too." Sugata waves from behind the two. "But he's all the way over there, though." Ruri points to the opposite side of the classroom, where Takuto sits at his desk stretching. "Hey, Takuto! Do you like cabbage rolls?!" She asks knowing he can't hear her. However, Takuto looks over anyway, catching Wako staring. He politely smiles her way. Wako looks in another direction as if she hadn't been caught. "Ooh, did I just see some sparks fly?!" Ruri asks, cupping her hands like binoculars looking between the two.
Wako blushes slightly in embarrassment, "No sparks!"
"Here comes the denial! What's the truth, hmm?"
"You're wrong!"
"Sorry!" Sugata laughs at their antics.
"Ruri!"
"Yeah, yeah. Don't get too mad..." Niika suddenly walks in the door, having a lot on her mind.
"Ohayo, Niika-chan." Sugata greets as the two boys he was chatting with move away from his desk.
"Y-Yes. Good morning to you too..." Niika murmurs back.
"What's got you worried this lovely morning?"
"Nothing, I guess I'm just tired." Niika lies, faking a light yawn to seal the deal.
"I see...Well Niika, I wanted to ask you. Can we meet after class?"
"Eh? W-Why?"
"I want to show you something since you're new...at this..." The bluenette whispers the last part so she can barely hear him.
"Sure, but only if that...p-psycho redhead, n-numskull of a crazy baka isn't going to!"
"Psycho? Numskull?" Sugata repeats curiously, "What do you have against Tsunashi Takuto?"
"N-Nothing..." She responds nervously. "It's just...isn't he crazy? He's such an idiot that he swam across the ocean and almost killed himself!" Sugata instinctively chuckles.
"I see...is that your only reason? It is a good one...HA!" He slaps his knee.
"NIIKA-CHAN!" Ruri calls to her, "COME OVER HERE GIRL! YOU SIT BEHIND ME!" Niika slowly walks over from the doorway and sits down, "And your hot brother sits right next to you behind Wako! Isn't this great!?"
"I guess..."
On the other side of the classroom, a random boy bangs on the window, attracting the attention of a girl with long green hair. "You don't mind the glass, do you?"
"Not at all." She replies. Both place their lips on the glass as if they were kissing each other. Takuto jumps up and screams seeing the action going on behind him.
"Eek!" Niika shrieks lightly as well. Everyone else looks over but then turns back around as if the sight was normal.
"Bye now!" He says as the two break away and the boy sprints to class.
Takuto's eyes twitch as he addresses his classmate, "Y-your boyfriend?"
"Total stranger." The girl replies.
He slinks back down in his seat, "Total...stranger...huh?"
"I don't think that's a nice game you're playing." Keito, the class president scolds her.
"You've got a stick up there, fearless class leader. It's through the glass so it's fine. Hey, you're Tsunashi Takuto, right?" The greenette returns her attention to the boy in front of her. He nods reluctantly. "My name is Watanabe Kanako. Pleased to make your acquaintance. So...You don't mind the glass, do you?"
Takuto turns to flash her a fake smile, "Uh, I've never really thought about it, but..."
"Oh, I should have said this before. I'm married." Kanako decides to casually add in.
"Married..." Takuto thinks about it for a minute, "...You mean MARRIED married?"
"Yep. I'm a high school wife. You can call me Mrs Watanabe." She politely smiles back. Takuto turns back around, uncomfortable.
Sugata comes over, swooping to save him from the conversation. "Excuse me. Can we meet...after class?"
"...Uh, yeah."
"Then...I'll see you...there?" He asks shaking slightly.
"Sure?" Takuto responds as if he is asking another question.
"Good." Sugata couldn't even make it back to his seat before he burst into laughter again. Seeing the redhead triggers his memory of a few days ago. "AHA! HE SWAM ACROSS THE OCEAN THOUGH! REMARKABLE!" Takuto rolls his eyes at him like he wants to do to Mrs. Watanabe.
She leans her cheek on her hand dawning a bored expression. She eyes her nails, "You're a cute couple."
"Huh?"
"Shindo Sugata-kun. Do you think he minds the glass?" Takuto doesn't dare reply. "What about Takashiro Niika-chan? I mean she's kind of quiet, but she's cute. She seems so innocent. Do you think she minds the glass?"
"...I don't know. Why would I~"
"Well, I'm about to find out!" Kanako jumps up from her seat, sauntering to Niika.
"Watanabe-san! Wait!" But it was too late.
"Takashiro Niika-chan!" She slams a hand on her desk. Niika stares up at her, frightened. "I'm Watanabe Kanako. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Do you mind the glass?"
'It's the freaky window kisser woman from earlier...' Niika thinks. "Eh? T-The glass?" Kanako anime falls.
She props herself up on Niika's desk, "You don't know?! Have you ever kissed anyone before!?"
Niika looks down nervously, "No..."
"WHAT!? NO!" Watanabe screams, "NO WAY! BUT YOU'RE SO CUTE!" She grabs Niika's face in hers, "Don't worry! We'll make sure you get your first kiss before the end of the school year! Shining Promise!"
"Why are you so loud!?" Niika blushes with embarrassment as people start to stare.
"Aw! You're embarrassed! I'm sorry!" Kanako rubs their cheeks together. "EVERYONE TURN AROUND! MIND YOUR BUSINESS! NO ONE WAS TALKING TO YOU!" With that, everyone immediately turns back around. Takuto slaps a hand over his face.
"L-Look, K-Kanako-chan..." Niika stutters.
"Please call me Mrs Watanabe. I'm married." She flashes her ring.
"MARRIED! You mean MARRIED married?!" Niika shouts making the greenette giggle.
'Wow, they even have the same reactions...' "That's right. I'm a teen wife! And I'm rich!" Kanako squeals, "I just have one more question to ask you, do you think Tsunashi Takuto minds the glass?" She asks pointing at him.
"How would I know?" Niika begins to glare, "Why would I care?"
"Ooh! Temper, temper... So you don't like Tsunashi Takuto-kun?"
"Not even a little bit." Niika states flatly.
"Ouch, you burned him...Anyway, let's chat sometime! Jaa' ne!" Kanako goes back to her seat, where Takuto is frowning after overhearing everything.
"Why..." Was all he could say.
"Yup. It's official. She hateeeeeees you!" Mrs. Watanabe deadpans while taking out a nail file, and shapes her nails. Takuto bangs his head on the desk.
"I see..." He murmurs. Just then, Arata comes into the classroom, still in a depressed state.
"ARATA-KUN! COME HERE! YOU SIT BEHIND WAKO!" Ruri shouts as loud as ever. Arata cautiously sits down where he was told. "Omg Arata! Why do you have those weird glasses on?!"
"It's because I~"
"-There!"
"N-No wait!" But she had already taken them off.
"BEHOLD! THE SEXY CERULEAN BLUE EYES!" Every girl in the class notices. They all squeal and jump him, except for Wako, Niika, and Kanako. They, Takuto, and Sugata all get together and just watch the scene from the other side of the room.
"Dear Lord, it's like chaos...Poor Arata..." Wako cries.
"Girls really do jump my brother..." Niika thinks aloud.
"I'll pray for him tonight." Takuto mutters.
"I suppose this is what we call an unlucky lucky man." Sugata has his hands in his pockets.
"I see the appeal. But I have self-control." Kanako sighs, "A man like that needs to be courted gently." They all sweatdrop.
"AH! SOMEONE! HELP ME!"
After School...
In front of the club building, Takuto catches Niika off guard and greets her. "Nii-ka-chan!"
"Tsunashi Takuto!" She exclaims alarmed, "What are you doing here?!"
Takuto steps back cautiously, "Well good afternoon to you too! Sugata invited me here. I guess he asked you too~"
"I-I told him I didn't want to come if you were here..." She starts to walk away but is stopped by Takuto as he swings her around to face him.
"Hold on! Don't go!"
"Let go!"
"Niika, please! I just want to talk!"
"I don't care! Stay away from me, Baka!"
"What exactly makes me a-!" Takuto stops himself. "Ah mou! I thought I could really cross it! I was an idiot to swim across the ocean! I admit it!" He exclaims. "I'm being honest with you! Can you be honest with me now?!"
Behind a tree, Sugata was watching the scene with amusement and chuckling at the mention sea blunder. Neither notices him. "...Incredible."
"...About what?"
"...The other day." Takuto let go of Niika's arm seeing that she wouldn't leave anymore.
"What about it?" She responds cautiously.
"W-What happened? Didn't you find anything weird?" He starts, "We were both teleported into a world we've never seen before. A big metal giant appeared out of nowhere! Weren't you...scared?"
"...Yes." Niika admits, "And no. After all, Takuto-kun was there. You flew another one of those things...and rescued Wako-chan."
A smile grows on the redhead's face, "I told you to believe in me, Midori no me."
Niika touches her pointer fingers together. "How did you do that? Get in a cybody..." Niika knew she shouldn't be asking, but curiosity got the better of her.
"I dunno, honestly." He tells her, "That time still feels like a dream."
"-Would you like to find out the truth?"
"AAaaaaaHHHHH!" Niika and Takuto instinctively hug each other. Sugata finally reveals himself after his ghostly whisper.
"I've been waiting for the two of you. You guys are cute, coupled up like that. You can come with me. Unless you still need some more time alone..." The two lightly blush, separating. Together with Sugata, they venture into the building. The room they enter is scattered with several different backdrops.
"A wheel, a wheel. A great wheel." A girl with dark brown pigtails and purple eyes stands on the mini stage inside. "I would try to tame that gigantic wheel, but I would get crushed beneath its weight instead."
"Bravo." Sugata claps as he leads the way inside. "Club president, Endo Sarina, a third year." He holds out a hand to his companions. "This is Tsunashi Takuto and Takashiro Niika."
Sarina spins around in their direction with a smile, "Welcome to the Night Flight Drama Club."
"Domo."
"Thank you."
"Remember them? Miss Yamasugata Jaguar, second year, and Sugatame Tiger, first year." It was the bunny and cat ears maids from Sugata's place.
Jaguar stands beside him, "Master, I asked you not to call me Miss."
Sugata crosses his arms, "And I asked you not to call me "Master" at school. But yet, you still do it every day just to irk me. So I do the same."
Suddenly a little yellow fox jumps from behind Sarina and pounces on Wako, who is already there. "Hey, that tickles! Stop it, Vice..."
"Vice, like in President?" The little creature pounces on Takuto, "Gahh, it tickles!"
"You do seem like a pretty boy. You'd look good on a stage." Sarina tells him when stepping off the platform, "So, I hear you piloted a cybody?" Takuto turns to her, gaining a serious gaze.
"Cybody? What's that?" Niika feigns obliviousness. Everyone looks at Niika like she is crazy. Vice jumps on her, it lands in her palms. He licks her face. "Y-You're right. It does tickle!"
Jaguar and Tiger look at Sugata, "Master, where did you find her?"
"The same place I found him." They growl at his sarcasm, "Sarina. These two think that Zero Time is just a dream. Perhaps one more than the other."
"It was a myth really." She corrects. "But the two of you have proven otherwise, as of just days ago."
Takuto addresses Sugata, "Did you bring us here to explain things? I know a little but, I'd like the full version if possible. At least I do." He peers Niika's way.
"I-I want to know what this is about too..."
Sarina looks between the two before sighing. "Oh okay. Then just give me 3 minutes with each of you."
"Is that all?" They ask in unison. She nods. "Okay..." Sarina speaks with Takuto first outside the Drama Club room. She is just as quick as she mentions.
"After hearing his side, I pretty much have a picture of things." The third year holds her head. She composes herself with a smile, "Niika, can you come with me please?" Sarina escorts her outside, shutting the door behind her. "Takashiro Niika. What exactly do you think of when Galactic Pretty Boy or Galaxy Star Girl is mentioned? What do you think they represent?"
Niika crafts her answer carefully in her head. "They're...drivers. Of the cybodies." After meeting Sarina's gaze, she concludes to tell the truth.
"See? Not so hard right?" Sarina folds her arms, "...Niika, I know that you know about Zero Time. You were just there, with Takuto and Wako. It's the name of the space you were pulled into. And you were the ones who answered the call to get there. By apprivoising."
"Appri...voising?"
"Mmhm. Remember when your marks glowed?" Sarina points to the other brunette's chest. "It should be there, where your libido is the strongest. When they light up, you're using your powers in some way. That's called apprivoising." She places a hand on her hip, "This is why Sugata brought you two here. Everyone who appears in Zero Time has to have a cybody to get in. So, you must have one."
"I'm not sure what you're~"
"You don't have to lie, Takashiro Niika." Sarina suddenly had a different aura to her, "I know you're the next Galaxy Star Girl. I've sensed your mark since its activation."
Niika's lips purse, "...But what is Galaxy Star Girl, exactly?"
"You really don't know, do you? Just how much do you know?" Sarina speaks rhetorically. "You know that you're Galaxy Star Girl, but you don't know what you're capable of. You don't know about the power inside of you, but that's okay. You can find out more about us, and Zero Time if you listen to what we have to say."
"But..."
"And you don't have to tell anyone else about you being here. Everyone else here is sworn to secrecy. I know you have your reasons for keeping it a secret, they do too. Well, the ones that own them." She winks at Niika. "If you understand come on back. Everyone's waiting." Sarina gestures for Niika to head inside first, to make her decision. After some hesitation, Niika takes the steps through the door finalizing her choice. Sarina follows in behind her.
"That's what the sign looks like?" Continuing from when were gone, the gang talks with Takuto, analyzing the X-shaped scar on his chest.
Sugata crosses his arms, "No way, it's just a scar..." He concludes early. However, Takuto closes his eyes and the scar glows to reveal a blue mark. "Oh."
"COOL! The sign is on top of the scar!"
"I've never heard of that before! Have you, Sarina?!" Jaguar asks noticing that the two come back in the room.
"Nope. Me neither." She stands with the rest, "Maybe you are the real Ginga Bishonen..."
"Did...Did it hurt?" Niika starts to ask. She points to clarify. "It made a scar."
"Ah, getting the mark? No. The scar is from an accident I had when I was a child. That, hurt for quite a bit after the initial adrenaline rush.
"What happened?"
Takuto gives a weak smile, "I jumped from the peak of a hill in a pedal plane. I got maybe two minutes of air time before crashing into some trees below." Niika questions what a pedal plane is to herself.
"That must have hurt!" The other girls coo. "But that's such an extreme way to get a scar!"
"It's my permanent badge of courage~" Takuto flashes a peace sign.
"That courage showed itself the other day too." Sarina sighs, "It seems we have a lot to talk about. But first, I know you defended Wako the other night. Thank you."
"So cool..." Tiger admires. "Like a noble prince on a white steed!"
"Are you guys done yet?" Takuto questions still holding his shirt open.
"Oh yeah, sorry about that!" Sarina gestures for him to give it a rest.
Jaguar and Tiger frown, "Aww. Is it over already?"
"Now I have a question. Why did those people kidnap Wako? Who are they?" Takuto asks Sarina. The serious look was back on his face.
"Last night, when you called your cybody. Do you remember what happened to the world around you?"
"Niika and I got pulled into some weird space."
"Right. Cybodies can only move in that "weird space." When a cybody starts, time stops for the rest of the world. So as it stands, a cybody can only move around in the place called Zero Time. Outside of it, they're just big statues. But imagine if they existed outside that space. The military, political, and economic landscape...it would change in an instant. There are people on this island who want to control that outcome."
"...Just who are you guys?" Niika asked her.
Sarina smiles again having a face like ^-^, "Us? We're the Drama Club." Takuto and Niika share a look. Takuto's expression hardens, while Niika grips her collar. "Niika-chan, is there something on your mind?"
Niika's brown bangs covered her face casting her eyes in shadow, "...This, Zero Time thing. I think I finally understand a little more about it..." Everyone looks at her when she loosens her tie and opens the collar of her shirt. It is peeled back just enough so she can show her mark without showing any cleavage.
Wako steps back, "Is that-!"
"GALAXY STAR GIRL'S MARK!?" Tiger and Jaguar squeal.
Sarina lightly whistles, "The Ni mark..."
"...It was given to me when I was little. At about 2 or 3..." A green glow envelopes the cross-shaped mark with the sparkles. "I thought nothing of it for a while. But a couple of years ago, I started getting these weird nightmares. Some of them started to come true. Like with what happened to Takuto recently." Niika closes her eyes. "Thinking back, aside from remembering my father mentioning some "myths" in stories he used to tell me, I really don't know much about this thing." She hangs her head down solemnly. "I felt pain before being brought to Zero Time...I blacked out. Then the next thing I know, I was falling in the ocean again." She opens her eyes, and the glowing fades. "I just...I want to know more about this. The N-Nii mark...Galaxy Star Girl. And maybe, if you're willing, you guys could help me."
Sarina claps, "I'm proud of you Niika-chan. You are finally able to open up."
"Honesty is the first step to forward progress." Sugata says.
"Aren't you relieved?" Tiger asks her.
Niika buttons her shirt back up and puts her tie on, "A little..."
Wako notices another spot on Niika's neck, "Niika-chan, what's that?"
"Oh, this?" Her fingers graze the crescent-shaped scar. "I don't really know. But it wouldn't surprise me if it's just an old scar. I was...a very clumsy child. Nothing special about that."
"But there is something special about you." Sarina gives Niika's shoulder a comforting pat. "I think trusting us with your secret was the best decision you could have made."
The first-year brunette twists a strand of hair around her finger sheepishly. "I hope so."
"Do you think Tsunashi-kun or Takashiro-chan could be a Crux spy?" Sugata asks Sarina. Sitting outside the nearby cafe, Cafe Eater, they and Wako order drinks.
"No. That's not it at all."
"How can you be sure?"
"Takuto and Niika are different. That's why the Vice President likes them."
Sugata smiles, "Sorry for being so serious."
"Same here." The bluenette tilts his head in confusion, "They've started going after Wako. You could apprivoise the ultimate Cybody, but you won't do it..."
Wako cut in, "I'll stop him. I won't let that happen... You're not like the others..." She mutters sadly.
Sarina smirks, "Well, you're important to someone. Do those two know you're engaged?"
"Yes." Wako glances at Sugata. Feigning innocence, he put his hands up in surrender. "Someone must have told them."
Sarina breathes in the night air, "Mm... this is a nice wind."
Meanwhile on the beach...
Niika crouches down on a tree branch just by the ocean shore, overlooking the moon shining on the water below it. "Pretty..."
Below her on the shore, Takuto had come out to do the same. Neither of them knew of each other's presence. "Southern Cross Island. It's fun already."
With a couple of blinks, Niika finally notices the redhead. "Lurking on the shore again, Ginga Bishonen?" Takuto swishes, startled by her voice. Looking left and right, he sees no one.
"Niika?" There was no answer. "Geez, I'm even hearing her voice now..."
"Above you, Ba-ka." Finally, he looks up. Niika swinging upside down from the branch with her arms folded. "Be careful not to fall into the ocean and almost drown again. I don't think I have it in me to save you again."
"Keep swinging on that tree branch like that and you'll be the one who'll need saving." Takuto returns the demeanor. "If I wasn't here to catch you, you'd fall on the sand."
"A-As long as I keep my balance, I-"
Without warning, a blue motorcycle speeds out of nowhere and passes the two. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes! OH YES!" The guy shouts from the bike as it rounds the bend, spewing sand everywhere.
"Sure is spring..." Takuto mutters in response. Everything in the area starts to shake a little due to the force of the wind left behind.
Niika loses her balance, "Whoa...ah!" Regardless of his previous statement, Takuto instinctively reaches his arms out and catches Niika's body. He kneels down though, pretending her weight is too much for him.
"What did you have for dinner, bricks? Cause you weigh a ton!"
"Oh no! Takuto, I'm sorry!" The girl quickly apologizes. Her worried eyes made him feel bad.
"Don't be. I was just joking." He chuckles, standing back up. Niika pinches his arm. "Iteh! Ow!"
"That's what you get! Mou!" Niika pouts with puffy cheeks, blushing with embarrassment.
"Hehe. You're pretty...and also surprisingly light..." Niika pinches him again, "Ow ow! Itai!" She glares at him.
"Put me down!" The brunette demands.
"Not yet."
"Why!?" She whines.
"You, have yet to admit that I was right and you were wrong. I need my moment of "I told you so"." Takuto squeezes her legs in the bridal carry. "Come on. Say it."
"Why do you need me to say it, if you already know?!"
"Because. It'll be cute."
With redder cheeks, Niika decides just to comply. "...You were right." She looks away shyly.
It was Takuto's turn to blush. "Ahh, Midori no me...that was cute. Way too cute!"
"I did my best! Baka!"
"No! It was good!" Takuto exclaims, "I'd just wish you'd stop calling me a baka..."
Back at the cafe...
Sarina sips her glass of water. "How do you think those two will feel about it?" Sugata remembers a conversation from earlier in the day.
Takuto puts his hands in his pockets, 'The Crux... is the problem? Maybe I've come here so I could fight them...'
Wako jumps up in alarm, 'No way! Don't talk about it like it's a game...'
'Game...' Niika repeats, "But fighting in another dimension, isn't exactly fighting in reality. Right?"
"He's an interesting one. In fact, they both have interesting views." The bluenette points out.
Sarina puts her hand to her cheek, "I've always thought that there might be other Star Drivers out there. But seeing that it's true is certainly exciting. Those two aren't connected to "them" at all, and even have their own sense of justice..."
Wako's brown eyes narrow sadly, "Understanding what's right, and continuing to fight them is totally different, though. Something has to change. And soon."
"But wouldn't you want to see the Crux taken down once and for all?" Wako doesn't reply.
SOMEWHERE...
"Open the Cybercasket! Apprivoise!" The glittering crux is at it again, "Let's carve 'em up, Tetrioht!"
The new cybody's arrival catches everyone's attention, and once again time stops.
mau yuki wa hoshi no kakera
tentai ni te wo nobashite
ikikau negai kanjiteiru ne
subete wa ima MONOKUROOMU no naka
After being set down, suddenly Niika hears a voice. "Fish girl..." She mutters.
"Fish girl? I still don't know what-" Takuto and Niika's marks start to glow. Niika clutches her shirt, feeling the urge to scream out in pain. "Midori no me? Are you alright?" She grips the fabric harder.
Niika's eyes glow a brighter emerald color, "The door...to another dimension...has been opened..." She lets out a scream as light emits into the sky from her mark, blinding Takuto. Once it fades, they find they aren't on the beach anymore. They were in Zero Time.
"Takuto-kun! Niika-chan!" Wako shouts from above, already in a bubble.
The enemy cybody in front of them is jogging in place. "Hey hey hey! Get in already! I'm ready to go tonight!"
Three of the Crux's division heads: Scarlet Kiss, Ivrogne, and The President watch the amped-up pilot below. "He's talkative tonight. Right through the glass, huh?"
"Do you want me to break the South Maiden's seal right now? Or not!? We can do it, Tetrioht!" Tetrioht points at Wako, advancing toward her. Takuto glances down at Niika, who he is supporting with a shoulder. Unfortunately, she was barely conscious. He grips her arm that's wrapped around his neck. His expression turns serious as he eyes the enemy.
Takuto's mark shines bright blue, "Apprivoise!" His cybody, Tauburn, breaks out and into the colorful space. A blue orb appears in its chest, Takuto in the center as he transforms. "Dazzling the stage! Galactic Pretty Boy! TAUBURN!"
"Let's get started! Come on out, I'll beat you back in, got it?" Takuto glares and places Niika's bubble carefully next to Wako's.
"Take care of her, would you?" Their bubbles connect so that they are in only one.
"Right!" Just after the handoff, Tetrioht throws two green spheres at Tauburn. Takuto just barely dodges it.
The President smirks, "It moves smoothly. Is that because it's in the third phase?" She refers to Tauburn's lightweight design. "Too bad we have to break it." Tetrioht runs at Tauburn over and over. Tauburn dodges its attacks pretty easily. And when Tetrioht isn't looking, Tauburn punches it in the chest and it falls to the ground.
"He's not bad." Ivrogne admires.
"I'm not gonna let you do as you please anymore! And I won't let you lay a hand on the Maidens!" Takuto screams.
"If you stand out, I'll beat you back down, got it?!" The enemy driver smirks, "This isn't like the last fight, Galactic Pretty Boy! I'm packin' a million volts tonight!"
"This is why I hate virgins." The Prez sneers.
Ivrogne scoffs, "Girls are worse." Scarlet Kiss growls at them both.
"Don't you dare bad mouth Filament! Go, Tetsuya!" The short, pink-haired girl shouts.
Tetrioht transforms into the shape of a motorcycle, using its green spheres as wheels. The cybody revs up and drives forward toward Tauburn again.
"He's fast!" Takuto clenches his fist, "So that's how you wanna play...It's a pinch!" Tauburn is knocked back and forth after being charged multiple times. It kneels to gain back its strength.
Tetrioht's driver, Tetsuya, laughs. "At Filament, we put the glitter in Glittering Stars!" It drives itself into Tauburn again.
"Get out, Takuto! That's enough!" Wako begs. But he doesn't listen.
"When what you want to do, is what you have to do. When you're the most afraid, hit with all your strength..." Takuto says to himself, "I get it now, Grandpa...Stop being afraid and go forward!"
"Let's finish this!" Tetrioht is going for the final blow when Tauburn stands.
"Tau radiance fills the galaxy!" Takuto makes a stance with his hands in the middle of his chest. "Explode! Tau. Galaxy. Beam!" A blue beam of light emits from Tauburn's chest and into the sky. It crashes into Tetrioht and destroys it completely with one explosion.
"Wow..."
Takuto looks in the direction of the explosion, "If you're really standing out, you'll stand out even if they try to beat you down!" With that last comment, the battle is over, and time ticks again.
Two hours later...
Still weary, Niika awakes in her bed, wondering how she had gotten there from the seaside. Regaining her full sight gives her the answer when she sees a pair of ruby-red eyes staring back at her emerald ones. It is as if they are trying to see into her soul. It doesn't surprise her in the least. "Tsunashi Takuto."
"Are you back to reality, Midori no me?" Takuto backs away from her. "A thank you would be nice. It wasn't easy finding your address. But I couldn't leave an unconscious girl alone on the beach."
"Ah, but you wouldn't do that. The truth is you think I'm too cute." Takuto blushes. Niika looks up at the ceiling of her room. "T-Thank you. For bringing me home."
"...Y-Your welcome." Takuto lays back occupying the opposite space of the bed. His arms fold behind his head, as they both take in the quiet. Although both are nervous, they find comfort in the moment they are sharing.
"...If my brother finds you, he might kill you."
"I see." Takuto blinks, "Areh? Wait a minute! What!?" Niika's giggles make him smile. 'You're so cute, Midori no me.' Takuto thinks to himself.
"Niika-chan? Are you there?" Takuto visibly chokes.
"A-Ah!" Niika whisper-shouts, "Out the balcony! Hurry!" They both jump up and bolt to the balcony. Takuto begins to climb the rock formation downward.
"Niika-chan?"
"Just a minute, Onii-sama!" She looks down at Takuto. " Hurry! But be careful!" She whisper-shouts.
"Midori no me."
"What?"
"I can't wait to talk with you more." He smiles. Niika's heart skips a beat. "See you tomorrow."
The girl's lips quiver nervously, "...Good night, Takuto-kun."
And so the adventure of life goes on.
MPK: Okay, that's revamped chapter 2, yay! I've decided to use Galactic Pretty Boy and Ginga Bishonen interchangeably. They are the same thing, please don't be confused!
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