Chapter 10: Rest
Ricky paid for the items that Shu, Inori, Haruka and Darren had picked from the shelves as well before the five step out of the convenience store. While Ricky goes to fill up the jerrycans with fuel, the others go around the petrol station to find someone who can bring them back to their hideout. Haruka eventually managed to find a truck driver who was planning to make his way to the island where their hideout is after filling up his vehicle. He agreed to give them a ride and Ricky paid him for his assistance. When the truck driver finished pumping fuel, Shu, Inori and the others hopped onto the back of his vehicle, and they took an uneventful forty-minute ride back to the same lonely stretch of highway where they had started their adventure. When they arrived there, Ricky tells the driver to stop at the side of the road. They got out of the back of the vehicle with their fuel and groceries and thanked the driver before heading into the forest.
Although the forest had grown dark, Inori helped Shu and the others safely navigate through the area thanks to her strong memory and her experience exploring the wilderness. It took them thirty minutes for them to arrive back at the abandoned fishing village where their yacht is still docked at its only pier.
While Shu and Darren stay behind at the abandoned village to gather wood, Ricky, Inori and Haruka make their way back to the yacht. The dark blonde-haired man stays at the top floor to pump his yacht with much-needed fuel while Inori and Haruka head inside its interior.
When Ricky is done filling up the gas, he heads down to the kitchen where he sees Inori and Haruka preparing their dinner. The stepmother notices Ricky standing near them and asks him to help by bringing the plates and cutlery to their dining area at the abandoned village. Ricky obliged and did as he was told.
When he arrived at the center of the village with the plates and cutlery, he regroups with Shu and Darren, who both finished setting up a large pile of wood on the ground and placing five large logs around it. Ricky puts aside the plates and cutlery on the log beside him, takes out a cigarette lighter from his pocket and tosses it to Shu who catches it. Kneeling in front of the wood, Shu grabs a thin branch and uses the lighter to light its tip with fire. After doing so, he places the now burning branch on top of the rest of the pile and backs away as he watches the campfire wood ignite in flames along with Darren and Ricky.
The three later sat down on the logs. Ricky places himself down on the one beside him. Darren sits on the other log on the left of the dark blonde-haired man while Shu goes to the other side and sits next to the bespectacled man on his left. They converse with each other for the next twenty minutes until Inori and Haruka walk over to them with tonight's dinner. They see the stepmother holding up a warm pot of spaghetti while Inori carries a tray of tomato sauce with chopped garlic and mushrooms. They sat down on the two remaining logs, with Haruka sitting next to Ricky while Inori sits between her and Shu. The two carefully place the pot and tray down on the ground and Ricky hands the plates and cutlery to the stepmother. One by one, Haruka fills a plate with spaghetti before passing it to Inori who uses a ladle to pour the tomato sauce on top of it. Everyone helps pass the food to each other, and the three males thank Inori and Haruka for preparing their meal. They look down at their food and help themselves to it.
After eating a portion of his food, Shu sighs blissfully and admits to everyone around him, "Guys…I got to be honest. This is really the happiest day I've ever had in a long time. All the stuff that we did together today…it made me realize how much I have been missing out."
"So do I. It feels like for the first time in a long while…we were actually a family." Haruka said, smiling at her stepson. Shu nods his head to her in agreement.
"I've enjoyed myself today as well." Inori said as Shu turned to her. "I finally learn why it's necessary for us to have friends."
As the two teenagers smiled at each other, Ricky chuckled and placed his food aside on his log. He leans forward and clasps his hands together while looking at everyone.
"I honestly had a lot of fun today too." Ricky paused for a moment to let out a heavy sigh. "Not since the day my teammates and I went our separate ways."
"Whoa, you were part of a team?" Darren asked the dark blonde-haired man.
"Yeah, I was." Ricky said with a nod. "It all started ever since the day I first met the woman who would later become both my leader and lover. My mother and I were tortured every day by the biggest scumbag I've ever known in my life. He made our lives awful, to the point that it drove me to kill myself. But before I could, she showed up out of the blue and gave me a solution to my problem. She turned me into a natural born fighter. I finally made that son of a bitch pay, and I owe my life to her. After joining our organization, we befriended more people who had troubled lives just like us. We became a team, and we promised each other that we would rid the world of every unforgivable scumbag who brought pain and suffering to others. As time went on though, our missions grew more dangerous. And after I failed to save a mother and her daughter who was kidnapped and turned into a weapon by Matou Industries, it made me and my leader realize that we are not invincible. That was when we truly showed our love and care for each other. And the rest of the team became like a family to us."
"So, what happened between you and them? Why did you all part ways?" Inori asked.
"Well, everything came crashing down when we learnt that the woman whom I slept with…kept a dark secret from all of us." Ricky answered.
"Ouch." Shu cringed.
Ricky shrugged and chuckled half-heartedly. "Yeah. It turns out before I met her, she was affiliated with an enemy of our organization who stole the Od serum from Inori's old facility and planned to use it to destroy all of London."
"An attack on London?" Inori said in bewilderment. "When did that happen?"
"Back in 2017." Ricky replied.
"2017…" Darren rubs his chin. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do remember seeing all over the news back then that a group of terrorists orchestrated a series of bombings around the Isle of Dogs."
"I remember it now." Haruka uttered as she and Shu widened their eyes.
"Me too." Shu nodded.
"Bingo." Ricky said to them with a wan smile. "Although me and the others do feel betrayed by her revelation, we still set aside our differences to work together and put a stop to her former superior before things got any worse for the Big Smoke. We literally saved over 8 million lives back then, and we continued staying as a team afterwards…" He sighed heavily again. "But at some point…she and I just couldn't get along anymore…we got tired of trying to ignore the past…which is why she and I needed some time and space from each other…and that is when we all went our separate ways."
"I'm sorry." Shu said sympathetically to him.
"It's okay." Ricky said sadly with his eyes now gazing at the campfire. "Before one of my teammates left the group after our battle in London, she told us to continue looking out for each other. Like a family." He breathed heavily as he fought back the urge to cry. "My biggest regret is not being able to honor her advice."
"Have you ever tried reconnecting with your former leader?" Darren asked in concern.
"Nah." Ricky shakes his head. "Not for the last three years."
"And yet you still think about her every now and then. Don't you at least still have some feelings for her? Even just a tiny bit?" Haruka asked.
"I don't know." Ricky replied grimly before looking back at Haruka and the others. "Truthfully, I was content being with her back then. She saved me, trained me, took care of me, gave me a new purpose in life, and made me the person whom I am today. But how can you live your life knowing that the woman you loved…took you in as part of a hidden agenda? It makes you wonder…Were her feelings for me…ever real?"
Everyone fell silent as Darren, Inori, Shu and Haruka could only stare wordlessly at the disheartened man. Being able to relate to him due to similar past events they have experienced that also brought them great pain and sorrow, Darren, Shu and Haruka lower their heads dejectedly. But before they could settle down, their moment of silence was broken by Inori.
"If she didn't have any true feelings for you, she would never turn against her former superior." Inori said firmly, causing Ricky and the others to turn their attention to the girl. "Even if she initially took you in for a hidden agenda, I'm sure she did grow to care for you as time went on."
"That doesn't excuse the fact that she kept a dark secret from me and the rest of the team." Ricky frowned at her. "A secret that eventually tore us all apart."
"But have you ever thought that maybe, she found something inside you that made her realize her former superior was her true enemy, and how much she truly cares for you?" Inori inquired, causing Ricky's eyes to soften. "I used to think I owe my life and existence to Matou Industries. But it was Kurosu Ouma who made me realize that they are the real threat to humanity. And Shu and Haruka Ouma made me realize…" Inori paused as she turned to Shu. "That I don't have to become what they made me." Her lips slowly curved upwards. "I could live free…and normal…just like everyone."
"Inori…" Shu uttered as he, Haruka and Darren smiled warmly at her.
After adjusting his glasses, Darren turned to Ricky and said, "She's right, Ricky. People do have the capacity to change. If Inori truly is still a threat as you think she is, she wouldn't continue protecting all of us. Just like if your leader never truly cared about you and your teammates, she wouldn't have helped you all save millions of lives that day. I'm pretty sure after you were traumatized by your failure, your leader discovered how important you are to her. I do believe deep down, her feelings for you were genuine. And now that I've said all that, I can relate to your former leader in some way." Darren momentarily turns his head to Inori, Shu and Haruka. "Back in Bali, I told you all how I grew despondent after my breakup with a friend of mine. It was an awful experience that I regret letting happen in the first place. But because I never stop thinking about him, I eventually decided to reach out to him again after some time had passed, and I'm glad we've since both reconciled." He looked back at Ricky and gave a nod. "Maybe you should try doing the same thing with her."
"What if things don't work out between us again?" Ricky asked Darren worriedly.
"I'm sure it will." Haruka replied as Ricky turned to her. "Aside from your mother, she is the closest person you've ever connected with."
"Kurosu Ouma told me that the world we lived in isn't full of sunshine and rainbows." Inori explained, making everyone turn to her again. "But a friend, even just one, can make your life feel easier, and even remind you that despite all of us living in a dark and depressing world, there will always be a sliver of hope and kindness out there. That's how he ended up falling in love with Haruka."
Upon hearing her last sentence, Shu left his mouth agape while Haruka smiled as she could feel her eyes brimming with tears.
"Your leader saved your life that day. She gave you a new reason to continue living in this world. I'm sure you need her again." Inori finished.
Ricky fell silent for a few moments as he contemplated what Inori and the others had said to him. Eventually, he lets out an uncharacteristic laugh and quickly wipes his eyes.
"Thank you. All of you." He said softly to everyone before picking up his food and holding it in front of him. "But for now, I need some time alone."
The others quietly watch as Ricky gets up from his log with his food and makes his way back to his yacht. Darren chuckled as a smirk took form on his face.
"Poor guy still trying to act tough." Darren commented.
"I'm sure he must be proud of us for helping him." Inori said.
For a few moments, Shu quietly stares down at his food as he too contemplates over the words his late father had told Inori. He was right. For the last seven years, Shu was all alone and living a life of pain and despair because he had lost all the people whom he once considered his friends. But everything changed when Inori came into the picture. She became the first person whom he formed a mutual relationship with in a very long time, and what started out as his mission to teach the stoic and emotionless girl about the normality of human life ended up being a quest for happiness for the both of them. He would never have experienced this much fun and joy today if it were not for her.
However, things were not all rosy for him and Inori as they and Haruka are still being hunted by the remnants of Matou Industries. Obviously, that is not the way he wants to live his life, and neither does he want for Inori. Despite having faster regeneration than normal humans, he knows she is not invincible. Yet every time they encounter them, she would willingly risk her life to protect him and Haruka, even if it means getting stabbed, shot or having her bones broken in the process. She barely survived her encounters with Guin and Yuu, and she would certainly have been killed by the latter if he and Haruka had not gotten the courage to intervene. After that fight, who knows what their enemy will bring to them the next time. And if Inori were to actually die in their next battle, not only will he and Haruka be under the merciless custody of his step uncle forever, but he will also be back the way he was after the death of his father.
Shu's brows furrowed as he closes his eyelids. He cannot allow that to happen to him, nor continue letting Inori handle their battles on her own. She is the closest person in his life right now. She had suffered enough pain and torture trying to defend him and Haruka, and everything would fall apart if he were to lose her. Now more than ever, it is time for him to repay his debt to her.
When the brown-haired boy lifts his head back up, he turns his attention to Darren and said, "Darren, would it be alright if you can train me to fight?"
"Whoa, where did that come from?" Darren asked, bemused by his request.
"Yes." Haruka added in bewilderment as Shu glanced at her. "Why are you asking this?"
Shu quietly turned his head to Inori, who looked back at him just as confused as the others. Still gazing at her, his eyes softened as he explained, "Even though it's only been four days, Inori had already done so much for us. She protected us…travelled with us…ate with us…and played with us. She is more than just a bodyguard to us now. She is a part of our family."
The boy briefly sees Inori smiling at him before looking back at Darren.
"But I don't want to keep being a burden to her." Shu said firmly. "Every time she protects me and Haruka from harm, she was hurting and injuring herself in the process. That's not the life I want Inori to live. She is supposed to be human, living easily and freely, just like the rest of us. I can't keep letting her fight our battles on her own. Which is why I've decided that I want to protect her as well."
After placing his food aside, Shu stands up and walks over to Darren. The bespectacled man quietly watches the boy placing himself in front of him.
"Darren Leong, with your approval…" Shu said firmly before giving him a solemn bow. "Please…teach me how to fight."
"Shu…" Haruka uttered as she and Inori stare at her stepson in awe.
Darren gazed at the determined boy for a few moments as he reminisces the day when he too made a similar request to the woman who would become his master. After a wide smile plasters across his face, Darren places his food aside as well, stands up and bows back to Shu.
"Very well." Darren replied. "I gladly accept your request."
After Inori, Shu, Haruka and Darren finished eating their food, they return to the yacht to clean their plates and cutlery. When their chores are done, Shu and Inori change back into their original clothes while Ricky turns the drink cabinet around to reveal his arsenal of weapons and allows the brown-haired boy and Darren to each grab a baton. The five of them later return to the center of the abandoned village where their campfire is still burning through the night.
After Ricky gathered and placed more wood into the fire to keep it burning, Shu and Darren removed their jackets and placed them aside on one of the logs. They walk away as Ricky, Inori and Haruka now sit together on another log and watch them. Shu and Darren later come to a halt when they are now thirty feet away from the campfire. While clinging onto the batons in their hands, the two males face and bow to each other before the bespectacled man backs away and begins showing the boy several swings and strikes with his weapon.
Shu, Inori, Haruka and Ricky watched in awe as the swings and strikes Darren delivered with his baton were swift and elegant, while also moving his body around with efficiency and care. After delivering one last overhead strike through the air, Darren suddenly swings his baton horizontally at Shu and stops mid-swing with the tip of his weapon just less than an inch away from the side of his throat. Inori and Haruka gasped in alarm and tried to get up, but Ricky quickly held his arm up in front of them.
"No. It's okay. Look at him." Ricky said to them. Inori and Haruka soon notice the blank expression on the boy's face, as if he never flinched when Darren was about to strike him. After gazing at the boy for a few more seconds, Darren smiles and lowers his weapon.
"You got potential." Darren said. "Let's begin your training."
For the next thirty minutes, Inori, Haruka and Ricky idly watch Darren ordering Shu to perform a few exercises which includes fifty push-ups, fifty sit-ups and fifty squats with his baton placed on the back of his shoulders. When he finished his fiftieth squat, Darren nods his head and tells him to take a fifteen-minute break, causing Shu to exhale as he lowers his baton and sits down on the ground with his head thrown back. As the boy breathes heavily, Inori rushes over and kneels beside him. She holds up a wet towel and a bottle of water to him, and Shu smiles at her as he takes them from her hands.
When his break is over, Shu is ordered by Darren to do more training with him, this time with their batons. The boy gets back up while Inori returns to where Haruka and Ricky are sitting. Darren shows Shu the correct posture to hold up his baton before performing a few vertical swings with his weapon. When he is done, the man turns to the boy and tells him to do the same thing as him. Shu immediately obliged as he did a 90-degree left turn away from him, took a step forward and held up his baton in front of him. He began endlessly swinging his baton vertically in front of his instructor, who stood aside and observed his new student. Darren advises him to keep the tip of his weapon steady while also bringing his entire strength and body forward with every strike.
After another fifteen minutes had passed, Darren and Shu moved on to their next lesson. The man shows him a few vertical and horizontal swings of his baton before stopping and telling his student to imitate it. Shu nodded to him and tried repeating what Darren did earlier.
As they continue watching their training session, Inori and Haruka smile as they admire Shu's determination to fight, and Ricky too cannot help but be impressed by the boy's efforts, as well as Darren's ethics as a trainer.
After another hour has passed, both Darren and Shu decide to call it a day. They regroup with Inori, Haruka and Ricky, put out the campfire and return to the yacht where they all take turns to have a warm shower. After everyone has changed back into their clothes, the five of them wish each other a good night's sleep before Inori and Haruka head into the bedroom to sleep together on the double bed.
Meanwhile, Ricky and Darren take out three spare blankets and two sleeping mats from the wardrobe. As Shu lies down on the sofa, Ricky and Darren lay out and straighten the mats on the floor next to him before passing the blankets to each other. After the two men have lied down as well, they all wrapped themselves in their blankets and Shu turns his head to his right.
"Good night, Darren. Good night, Ricky." Shu said to the two men.
"Good night, Shu." Darren responded to the boy before turning to his right. "Good night, Ricky."
"Yeah, good night to the both of you." Ricky said before turning to Darren and Shu on his left. "But before we drift off, I gotta admit that um…" He paused for a moment to embrace his humility. "I've underestimated the two of you. You truly are one hell of a fighter, Darren. And Shu…you're actually a lot stronger than I thought."
Shu briefly stared at Ricky in awe before responding to him with a smile, "Arigatou, Ricky."
"Thanks, Ricky. And you're a lot sociable than we thought too." Darren said to Ricky with a smirk.
Ricky chuckled embarrassingly before turning away from them. As he now stares at the ceiling, he lets out a heavy sigh and said wearily, "Sleep tight, you two."
"You too." Shu and Darren said in unison before the brown-haired boy turned off the lamp on the small table behind him. The three males close their eyes as the room went dark, ready to have a good night's sleep before resuming their journey to Singapore the next morning.
"Shu?"
Less than a minute later, the three males snap their eyes open and rose up from the sofa and mats upon hearing the timid voice. Shu quickly turns on the lamp before he, Ricky and Darren turn to their right and see Inori standing beside them with her hands placed in front of her waist.
"Inori? What is it?" Shu asked concernedly. The girl turns her head away from them with a blush.
"I couldn't sleep." Inori confessed before looking back at the boy. "Without thinking about you."
Upon hearing his soft gasp, Darren and Ricky turn to Shu and notice his face turning red while he now stares incredulously at the girl. The two men later turn to each other and chuckle as they both share the same sentiment in regard to their current situation.
"Um, yeah." Darren said, breaking the awkward silence as he and Ricky began removing their blankets off them and getting up from the floor. "If that is the case, we'll leave you two together and move in with Haruka."
"What?!" Shu cried at him and Ricky. "Guys! No! It's not what you-"
"No, no, no, kid. It's okay." Ricky laughed as he and Darren quickly rolled up their blankets and mats. "You two clearly need some alone time and we both respect that."
"Yeah, he's right. And don't worry. We'll respect your mother by lying on the floor while she can have the entire bed for herself." Darren said to Shu as he and Ricky now carry their blankets and mats underneath their shoulders as they stand up.
"No, I'm serious, guys! It's not what-" Shu cuts himself off when Darren gently places his left hand on his right shoulder and looks back at him with a warm smile.
"Come on, Shu. You should know by now that you're the only person whom she can turn to whenever something is troubling her mind." Darren said softly to him. Shu did not say a word as he stared blankly at him. "See you tomorrow."
With that, Darren and Ricky walk away and head towards the door to the bedroom, leaving Shu and Inori alone. Even as they hear the door open and close, both teenagers continue staring awkwardly at each other for what feels like an agonizing long period of time. Eventually, Shu rubs the back of his neck as he finally regains his ability to speak.
"Um, I'll get a spare blanket and mat for you." Shu said. Inori silently nods her head in response. She moves aside as the boy gets off the sofa and makes his way over to the wardrobe. After grabbing the last spare blanket and mat from the top shelf, he closes the wardrobe and goes over to where Darren and Ricky originally laid. Inori idly watched as Shu neatly lays out the mat and blanket across the floor for her. When he was done, he turned to Inori and said, "Now that I think of it, it's better for you to sleep on the couch instead."
Inori smiled weakly and nodded at Shu. She walks past him and over to the sofa where she slowly lays herself down on it. Shu also lies himself down on the mat before both teenagers wrap their blankets over their bodies and stare at the ceiling.
"This brings back memories, doesn't it, Inori?" Shu chuckled. Inori smiled as she too remembers her first sleep in the same room together.
"Yes. It does." Inori replied softly. There was a moment of silence between the two until she elicited a sigh and turned to her superior. "Shu?"
"Yes?" Shu asked as he turned to her.
"Arigatou." Inori said, causing Shu to widen his eyes.
"What for?" Shu inquired.
"For being my friend…" Inori said as her cheeks turn rosy, and her lips slowly curve up. "For showing me how I should have lived my life…and what kindness and happiness is…"
As his cheeks blushed again, Shu smiled back at Inori and replied, "You're welcome. And honestly…I should thank you too."
"What for?" Inori asked, now being her turn to look perplexed.
"For being the first friend whom I've made in a long time." Shu replied. "Of course, things were initially difficult between the both of us." He chuckled nervously while remembering the time Inori tried to kill herself after learning the fate of Matou Industries. "But as time went on, while I was helping you fulfil your objective by exploring the outside world together, I finally remembered what it's like to have a friend. To have someone to interact with. And to have someone you can count on. So, while you may not know it, you…are helping me realize what it's like to live free and normal as well. Arigatou, Inori Yuzuriha."
After staring silently at her superior for a few more seconds, Inori smiled again and nodded her head to Shu.
"You're welcome, Shu Ouma." Inori responded.
For a few moments, neither of them said another word as they stared into each other's eyes in blissful silence while reminiscing about all the times they had spent together for the last four days. The time when Inori ate normal food for the first time in a long while. The time when Shu gave her a new appearance. The time when they played a video game together. The time when they had fun in the waterpark. The time when they ate snacks together. And most notable of all, the time when they dance in perfect harmony and synchronization.
Aside from their encounters with the remnants of Matou Industries, both Shu and Inori realized that they truly are happy whenever they are together. And during those times of happiness, Shu felt Inori was more than a bodyguard to him, and Inori felt Shu was more than her superior. They are special to each other, and they want nothing more than this feeling they shared to last forever.
However, the smile on Inori's face slowly disappeared when she soon came to a tragic realization. Shu frowned worriedly as he asked concernedly, "Inori? What's wrong?"
"Shu…" Inori replied. "When we arrived at the place where Darren promised I'll be safe, will we still get to be friends?"
Shu widens his eyes with his mouth agape with incredulity. And for a few moments, he was completely silent and unsure of how to respond.
"Shu?" Inori asked her superior concernedly.
"Oh…" Shu managed to snap out of his thoughts. "Um…I…" He momentarily rubs the back of his neck before managing to give a wan smile to the girl. "Maybe we'll know the answer when we get there."
"You sure?" Inori asked.
"Yeah." Shu nods his head. "I'm sure. Good night, Inori."
The girl tried to speak, but quickly could not bring herself to do so. She instead returns a silent nod to her superior before replying to him, "Good night, Shu."
"I'll see you in the morning." Shu said. Inori did not answer as she quietly turned off the lamp behind her. As the room went dark again, both teenagers turned away from each other with Inori looking up at the ceiling and Shu rolling over to his right. They closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep.
That was what Shu was hoping for, but he could not. The boy had been enjoying Inori's company lately that he completely forgotten about his own objective in finding a place where the girl can be eternally safe from Matou Industries. He thought he would be satisfied if they could safely reach their destination while evading capture from their enemy, but only now did he perceive the possibility of never seeing his closest friend again when they do.
If they do reach this promised world where Inori will be safe forever, what will happen to him and Haruka? His father himself said that even a single friend can make his life feel easier, so does this mean when they fulfil their objective, things will go back to the way they were before? Will Shu go through the same pain and depression he had experienced for the last seven years all over again?
Shu clenches his chest with his left hand as he inwardly brings his selfish thoughts to a halt. No. Whatever his father truly knew about the girl, Shu cannot let it fall into the wrong hands, especially his step-uncle. For the sake of his father and the entire world, he needs to let her go, even if it means losing the only person who has brought hope and kindness to his agonizing life.
Shu rolls back to his original position and stares upwards at the ceiling until his eyelids finally drooped shut and he elicits a heavy sigh, trying his best to suppress the emotional pain that is tearing at his heart.
About an hour after everyone in the yacht had fallen asleep, a drone flew past the trees and arrived at the center of the abandoned village. Now about hundreds of meters away from the docked boat, the drone hovers in the air, filming the yacht while its propellors buzz through the night.
Sovereign: I would like to thank Darth Necron and LayLay lives for reviewing, and Retro2theSecond for following. Thank you!
I wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. :)