Ryuma and Nera stood side by side, looking at Saiya, who lay on a hospital bed, sleeping peacefully. The pores had miraculously disappeared, but the marks were still present. Behind them stood Anix and Nero.
"You've fulfilled your part of the deal, and I've fulfilled mine," Ryuma said.
"Yes, that's true," Nera replied.
"Hope you know what that means?" Ryuma asked, causing a heavy silence to fall among them.
Three sharp tentacles shot out from his back—one toward Anix, and the other two toward Nero and Nera.
Nero dodged the tentacle aimed at him and appeared in front of Nera, using his body as a shield to block the attack.
As for Anix, she took the hit straight to her chest. Though Ryuma had no intention of killing anyone at the moment, he simply wanted to make things clear.
"I still see you all as a threat to humanity. For now, we are at peace…" He gently lifted Saiya from the bed. "...I'll return soon, and when I do, be prepared. Because I'll slaughter every single one of you."
***
Five months passed in the blink of an eye. The Shibuya base was slowly recovering from the destruction caused by three Grade S Nephilims, as reported.
As Shibuya recovered, so did the world. The number of Nephilim attacks had reduced, though the reason for this remained unknown. Production and trade had resumed with the use of a single currency created by the world's top officials, consisting of a few presidents and a majority of Ranger Head Captains. This organization became known as the World Government.
Japan, which had faced the first-ever recorded Grade S Nephilim attack, received significant aid from friendly nations such as the United States, Korea, and Russia. This meant more manpower, more supplies, and faster progress.
Soon after, reconstruction efforts began in Hokkaido and Kyoto. Residential and other facilities were under rapid construction in Hokkaido, while Kyoto was designated for all infrastructural facilities.
As development progressed, some people caught up in the chaos also made progress, while others remained stuck in the past, unable to come to terms with everything that had happened.
"Hana, get down here this instant!" Hinetsu shouted at the top of her voice.
"I'm coming!" a faint reply followed.
"Haa…" Hinetsu sighed, rubbing her forehead. "That brat… This is the fifth time I've called her."
"Haha… Give her a break. I bet she's doing something important," Aya chuckled with a bright smile. Her skin glowed, almost transparently white.
"Playing loud music and disturbing someone's peace is important?" Hinetsu retorted, carrying multiple ceramic plates in her hands and arranging them on the dining table.
"You know she's a kid, right?" Aya asked, placing dishes on the table.
"All the more reason for her to be excited for their return after two months, Aya. Two months," Hinetsu replied.
"But she is happy."
"Then she should act—"
"Aunty Hinetsu, you called for me?" Hana burst out of her room, slid down the stairs, and made her way to the kitchen.
"You…!" Hinetsu locked eyes with Hana's little ones. "Go get ready… They'll be here any moment from—"
Ding.
The doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," Aya said, removing her gloves and heading to the door. She turned the knob and opened it.
"Kitetsu," she whispered, looking at his towering figure clad in his military uniform.
"I'm back," Kitetsu said with a smile, only to be met with a tight hug around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist tightly.
"Er… I know I might be interrupting some heartwarming reunion here, but I hope you haven't forgotten that you've got a visitor standing outside your house, I mean come on dude" Haruchi spoke from behind, gesturing to himself.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Haruchi," Aya said, running up to him and hugging him warmly.
"Yeah, that feels more like it. For the lady of the house," Haruchi said, handing her a bouquet of flowers.
"Flowers!" Aya's eyes lit up in amazement. "Where did you get these?"
In such an industrialized residential base, flowers and other plants were rare gems, seldom seen.
"Picked a bunch of them outside the walls. You know, couldn't let them go to waste."
"Oh, that's sweet, Haruchi, but you know…" She glanced at Hinetsu. "He's allergic to flowers, so I can't have them around. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, I know, I know. He told me that too… Yeah," Haruchi sniffed.
"Why don't you come in? Let me make it up to you. Dinner is ready," Aya smiled.
"Now you're speaking my language."
Haruchi entered the house, and everyone made their way to the dining room.
They said a quick prayer and began eating in silence. After finishing the meal, Hinetsu, assisted by Hana, brought in cups of cake for dessert and placed them on the table. They began to nibble on them.
"So, how's everything at the force? I heard they're planning on reassigning squad members," Aya asked.
"Mmh, it's not a major reassignment, at least," Kitetsu answered. "With almost all the Captains gone except for Captain Leonard, some people will be promoted. Captain Leonard is now Captain of the first squad. Four lieutenants were made Captains, and Haruchi and I took—" Kitetsu gestured. "Haruchi will be in charge of Squad Six, while I will be in charge of Squad Seven."
"Oh, that's good news, isn't it, Hana?" Aya clapped her hands.
"Since Uncle Kitetsu is Captain of the seventh squad, that will make things easier for me. I'll join the Rangers no matter what," Hana said, clenching her tiny fists and continuing to nibble on her cake.
Hinetsu picked up her mini spoon and dipped it into the cup.
"So, anything? Did you guys find any of them? Senior Saiya?" she asked.
"Hana, go upstairs," Aya instructed. Hana dashed off quickly.
Kitetsu and Haruchi looked at each other and then down. Haruchi was about to speak when Kitetsu interrupted.
"We didn't see anything. Not even a lead or a trace. They said Ryuma is to be pronounced dead to bring stability to the public, while as for Saiya, the search will continue for a designated five-year period until she's pronounced dead—"
"Dead?!" Hinetsu dropped her spoon. "The last time I saw Senior Saiya, she was fine. She was doing fairly okay, in the same state as Aya. Now Aya is alright, all thanks to the savior Ryuma. Now where is he? He took Senior Saiya with him and disappeared from the face of the earth."
"Hinetsu, calm down," Haruchi tried to stop her rant.
"No, you shut it, wife-stealer!" Hinetsu shouted, making everyone raise an eyebrow. "You think I haven't noticed your movements around Aya all this while—"
"Calm down, big sis Hinetsu," Aya spoke up, but the noise immediately ceased as Kitetsu banged the table.
"Enough!" Kitetsu barked. He turned to Hinetsu. "Do you think you're the only one grieving here? The day you learn to stop being selfish and think more about the people around you, maybe only then will everyone around you start to live longer. Mom and Dad died because of you, and now Saiya. I won't be surprised if I end up dead tomorrow looking for your 'Saiya.'"
Kitetsu went out of control, and before he realized it, he had said too much.
"What I'm trying to say is this, big sister—"
Hinetsu jolted up from her chair, her brows furrowed and her eyes red and teary. She held it in as she looked at Kitetsu.
"Aya, thank you for the meal," she said and stormed out. Kitetsu tried to stop her, but he knew it was already too late.
The three of them remained quiet until Haruchi decided to break the silence.
"Aya, the meal was lovely," he complimented with a smile, which faded instantly the moment he realized he was one of the reasons for what had just happened.
He turned to Kitetsu and tapped his shoulder. "Dude, I think your sis was thinking of you when she said those things to me. So, go get her back, dude. She's your sis," Haruchi said, leaving the house.
Aya looked at Kitetsu from the other side of the dining table. His head was pinned downward, facing the cake he hadn't touched at all. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"You should rest, okay? I know you've been through a lot. Welcome back home."
Her voice was the only soothing sound he'd heard so far, the only melody that calmed his nerves.
***
In the middle of a ravaged plain, where civilization had been reduced to rubble, a compound stood. Inside the compound was a house, old and crumbling, with vines growing from every tiny crack. Beside the house was a tall tree, so tall that its leaves covered the entire house, providing shade from the sun's rays. The compound was well-kept, with a swimming pool on the side and other recreational equipment—a soccer ball and a basketball. The compound was filled with life.
Saiya, still ever sleepy, rolled on the large bed. Noticing the absence of someone who was meant to be beside her, she opened her eyes and looked straight at the window in front of her. It was open, and a gentle breeze slipped in. She sat upright on the bed, her long hair scattered. She looked around the room and saw him sitting at his usual chair and table, writing a note that he had never allowed her to peek into.
"I thought you were never excited to go back. Now look at you—for the first time, you're the first person to wake up."
"You're up?" Ryuma asked while writing, his pace increasing.
"What's with that tone?" Saiya asked.
"What is it?"
"Look at me when I'm talking to you."
Saiya wrapped the bedsheet around her and jumped from the bed, launching a kick at Ryuma's head.
Ryuma wrapped the paper and put it into an envelope. He turned and gently caught Saiya mid-air, holding both of her thighs.
"Surprise attacks don't work on me," he whispered.
"Let go of me, dummy!" Saiya's face flushed red as she avoided Ryuma's eyes.
"What's it? Don't act shy—"
"Shy?! As if! Your breath smells terrible. Go brush your teeth and shower!" Saiya headbutted Ryuma's nose and jumped backward.
"Why do you have to be so mean? Ugh!" Ryuma held his bleeding nose and entered the bathroom.
"You do remember I have a sensitive nose, right?" Saiya removed the bedsheet and picked up a T-shirt and shorts from the wardrobe, putting them on.
"Yeah, but it's me! Why are you so pissed about my bad breath?"
"Nothing, because it's bad…" Saiya was about to leave the room when her eyes caught three envelopes on the table, each with a letter inside. She was so fixated on the letters that she forgot she and Ryuma were still conversing. She touched the first envelope and dipped her hand into it, pulling out the piece of paper.
"What are you doing?"
"Eek! Nothing, nothing, I swear!" She jolted back, throwing the envelope and the letter on the ground.
Ryuma's eyes fell to the letter on the ground, and the side of his lips curled.
"Oh, this. Relax, you don't have to be like that. I've got one for you too…" Ryuma picked up the letter and slipped it into the envelope. He picked up one from the table and handed it to Saiya. "They're complementary messages and cards," he said.
"Complementary messages…?"
"You know, our world is so ruined you can't get cool stuff for gifts and souvenirs, so I decided to write letters and craft handmade cards," Ryuma explained.
"Are you sure? This seems to me like farewell letters."
"Haa… Farewell letters? What makes you say that?" Ryuma chuckled.
"I don't know. Because You've been acting strangely for the past two months since I woke up. First, you were so afraid of going back, and now all of a sudden, you want to go back like you're homesick or something."
The smile on his face faded. He walked up to Saiya, his build twice hers. He held her hand.
"This isn't a farewell letter. This is a souvenir. We do this kind of thing for people who matter to us. That's how we do it in my family. Now give me that, let me package it for you."
He collected the letter and went back to the table. He picked up a box; inside was something that looked like a vase, but it was sealed. He gently placed it inside the box and covered it.
"Now this is more like it—a souvenir for the most beautiful, elegant, caring, and most troublesome woman in the world," he said, handing it over.
"Oh, stop that," Saiya's cheeks flushed red as she received it. She attempted to open it, but Ryuma stopped her quickly.
"No, don't open it now… I want you to open it when you're alone, maybe in the bathroom or something. Just when you're alone."
"Alright, I've heard you. I'll open it when we get back to the base."
"That's the best."
"Now hurry up. I'll fix us something to eat."
***
Ryuma and Saiya stood outside the house, all prepared to head back to the Shibuya base as planned. Behind them was a motorbike, one that had been made by Nero. It was meant to serve as their transport back.
"It's been two months already. I'm going to miss this place," Saiya said.
"Yeah, and five months for me. Well, it's time to go home. Hope you're packed up."
"We didn't have much here, so…" Saiya shrugged. She mounted the bike and turned on the key, revving it.
"You're good with that. Guess you'll be going back by yourself."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Saiya asked.
"I'm going back to Nera. I mean, I've got to thank her for patching you back up."
"If that's the case, then let's go together—"
"No! I've got this. You know, after all, it's not like they willingly did it. I beat the hell out of them and forced them, so you owe them nothing."
Saiya hummed for a minute before accepting. "Okay, but how are you getting back?"
"Don't tell me you've forgotten who I am."
"Hmph…" Saiya scoffed. "Just don't let them catch you using your powers, okay?"
"Okay, and one last thing," Ryuma stopped Saiya.
"You know, you once told me about the stars, about seeing them."
"Hmm, Yes what about that?"
"What if I take you to a cool place where you can see the stars? Real life. Not in games or movies, but real." Ryuma pointed to the clouds.
"You're kidding, right?" Saiya asked with a smile.
"No, I'm serious."
"All this time, you didn't show me. Why now?"
"Because… because I needed the right time, you know…"
Saiya laughed softly and kicked the engine. "Hurry up with Nera and get back, dummy."
"I know you don't believe me, but I'll show you when I get back!!!" Ryuma shouted, but the distance was already too far.
He sighed and forced a smile, dipped his hand into his pocket and stood in front of the house for some time.
Meanwhile, something was coming toward his direction. Its speed was so fast no human eye could capture it. It blitzed through the air and landed some meters away from Ryuma, raising dust clouds and forming a crater on the ground. From within the dust, a silhouette emerged—it was that of a human.
This human stepped out of the dust and revealed itself to be a clone of Ryuma. It walked toward him and removed a red orb from its pocket.
"You did it, B," Ryuma said, collecting the orb.
"Yes, as you instructed, I buried her remains beside the human she loved. I don't know how it's possible for my kind to feel such emotions for humans…" B looked at the house, noticing Saiya's absence.
"Where is Saiya?" he asked.
"She's gone back to the base."
"And I wanted to see her."
"Relax, I told her you died a long time ago, so she isn't expecting you."
"Why would you do such a thing? I really wanted to see—"
"In less than twenty-four hours, we will be dead," Ryuma said, looking up at the clouds. "Come on, we have the biggest presentation to make."
B scrutinized Ryuma's body, noticing something odd.
"You did it, haven't you? Are you sure it's worth the risk? Will it work out?"
"The risk is heavy. I w
on't be able to perform a full transformation anymore, but I know… I know it's worth it."
"If you say so," B quoted.
"It's time B, time to end it all"
Holding Anix's core in his hand, Ryuma took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. In the next second, they both disappeared.