ToLoveRu Fanfiction – Crimson Darkness Part 4

It’s a bit late, but here’s Part 4 of Crimson Darkness, my ToLoveRu Fanfiction that turns fanservice comedy into serious action drama. Just in time for Friday! Again, this part is longer, which is another reason for the delay. I must be getting used to this ^_^;;. I’m a bit bummed that the anime series has now ended, but at least the manga is still ongoing (which is likely better anyway!).

As always, catch earlier parts here:

Crimson Darkness Part 1

Crimson Darkness Part 2

Crimson Darkness Part 3

Again, the pic below has nothing to do with the story, but used to decorate my fanfic. It probably doesn’t suit the genre either! 😀

Warning! It starts to get a bit more gratuitious in its violence. But read on if you don’t mind:

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Crimson Darkness – A ToLoveRu Fanfiction
            
Fanfiction by Ace Sanchez.

Note: ToLoveRu and its characters belong to its associated author, Hasemi Saki-san, I’m just using them to have a bit of fun and practise writing again!

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Part 4 – The Place Where We First Met

Over a half-ruined city, storm clouds the colour of ash drizzled light rain, rumbling with faint interjections of thunder as they blocked most of the morning sunlight from reaching the dreary wet streets down below. The air was lent a constant sound of downpour with raindrops striking building rooftops and the cracked cement of footpaths and weed overgrown roads.

A strikingly beautiful, girl-like woman with long blonde hair tied in black ribbons led a young man with a tangled mop of dark red hair along the narrow street side, shading them both from the wet rain with a black umbrella that was formed out of her right arm.

Something crashed across the road, and startled, Yami retracted her umbrella back into her hand and pushed Rito and herself flat against the damp brick wall of the abandoned shop front. Peering carefully along the scattered rubbish and debris that was interspaced along the other side of the shopping district that they seemed to be in, she was relieved upon noticing that it was simply a cat scavenging among the junk and trash cans.

She looked back at Rito, his hair rapidly darkening to almost black as it began to absorb the falling rain. Blank of expression, his eyes were pale red in the scant light of the early morning, as they seemed to stare at her and at the same time, right through her.

“Yuuki Rito,” she whispered, her breath fogging in the cold before it dissipated into a mist.

No response. Ever since he had killed that man, his friend, the night before, he had been like this, silent, with a cloud of depression and failure surrounding him, such that it would swallow him completely. She didn’t think he had slept either. After the battle, they had taken shelter within a nearby bus stop. Unintentionally, she had fallen asleep upon the hard bench, and when she awoke, Rito was the same as before, his emotions blank on his face, unspeaking. Even though she had somehow rolled her head on to his lap as she slept; her face was still slightly warm from embarrassment that she had done such a thing.

Now she stared up into his eyes, suddenly feeling an immense guilt. “It was my fault … again.” She looked away from him, blinking the wetness from her lashes, whether from the rain that was now striking her, or tears, she didn’t know. She hoped it was rain, she would never let her façade of toughness drop, never show weakness. She had decided that long ago. But it was hard, especially in front of him. “Please do not blame yourself, Yuuki Rito.”

All of a sudden, his hand around hers clenched tightly, warming her cold fingers, and she quickly looked back into his face. He was now staring at her, serious, his eyes now shining with life, though sad and determined. “It wasn’t your fault, Yami-chan. It was my decision. I decided to kill him. To stop him. And I will forever hate myself for it. That I was too stupid to think fast enough of a way to do it without doing what I did.”

“But-”

“No buts.” He looked around, and swiped the wet hair out of his eyes with his free hand. “Where are we? It looks familiar.”

Studying him carefully, she was glad that he seemed back to normal. She remembered back in the old days, that he would sometimes hole himself up in his room whenever serious despair hit him. And they couldn’t afford that right now. Then realising what he said, she turned around and recognised the shop front they had stopped in front of. “You are right. This is the place where we first met.”

He looked at her, and smiled in remembrance, rain trickling over and down his pert nose. “This is the shop where I first bought you taiyaki.”

That smile made her feel funny. “And when I first tried to kill you,” she said crossly, to get rid of it.

He turned and indicated a faint slash mark on the street, sloppily repaired by a patch of tar. “Yes, that was part of that attempt.” He stopped smiling and studied the surroundings with sudden understanding. “So … that means that this city really is home. Or what’s left of it.”

“Yes. This is your town, Yuuki Rito.”

“I was hoping it wasn’t, but this really confirms everything, doesn’t it?” He shook his head, not expecting an answer, looking down at the cracked tiles of the footpath they stood on. “We used to have so much fun … It’s all I remember … I wish … I wish we could go back to those days. Instead … everything is … everything is-”

She realised she was still holding his hand, so she pulled him around to the entrance to the store. “Let’s find some taiyaki. I’m hungry.”

Surprised out of his reverie, he could only let her lead him through the open door and into the musty interior.

 

<><><> 

 

She bit into the crispy taiyaki and sighed as the sweet bean filling warmed her mouth and tongue. She hadn’t had taiyaki in three years, and she thought she would almost faint in pleasure. She almost hoped that she didn’t have to share the plateful in front of her.

“It’s a wonder that the electricity is still working,” Rito said as he shut off the griddle and began cleaning the utensils.

“The humans … I mean, people, haven’t left this city.” She paused to chew for a few moments. When her mouth was empty, she continued. “They wouldn’t. This is the place where they have gathered their strength.”

He was now looking at the dusty tables and chairs, at the dirty front window, at their footprints on the wooden floor. “But if that’s so, where is everyone? Why is it so empty?”

“I don’t know. But the number of humans with power is increasing. And it’s being done where it all began.” She took another bite of her taiyaki and began chewing, enjoying the unique taste. She thought of something as she swallowed. “Are you sure you don’t remember anything?”

“No. Nothing. To me, it still seems like years ago and this never happened. Like this is all some nightmare.” He closed his eyes and was silent for a moment. “But I know inside that this is reality and I’ve done things that can never be undone.”

She dropped the taiyaki and focused her gaze on him. “You do know that without what you did, this planet would now be destroyed?”

Opening his eyes, he matched her look. “It might as well be. I’ve seen the city from up high. And I know that other parts of Earth probably didn’t fare any better.”

She wasn’t hungry anymore and poked at the half-eaten taiyaki. “That is correct.” She narrowed her eyes in determination. “But I … and now … we … can now fix this.”

His voice was suddenly serious and deadly. “But not by killing Haruna-chan,” he said softly as he looked at her. “You said you wouldn’t, but I need your promise. I know that the Golden Darkness keeps her word. Promise me that you won’t try to kill her.”

His tone was of such a dangerous air, that she hesitated.

 “Yami! Promise me!”

“Do not make me promise that, Yuuki Rito,” she said evenly. “You don’t know what will happen.”

His eyes were glowing now, in the darkness of the room they seemed blood red and even she felt the slight stirrings of fear. He repeated, “Promise me.”

She closed her eyes, and then opened them. “Okay, for you, Yuuki Rito. I promise you that I will not kill Sairenji Haruna-san.”

He let out a large breath of air, relieved, his eyes losing their anguished glow. “Thank you, Yami-chan.”

“Don’t thank me.” She looked at the left over taiyaki. “Are you not having any, Yuuki Rito? They will become cold.”

“No, thank you.” He finished re-organising the cooking utensils, walked over and sat down in the chair next to her with an exhalation of breath. He looked out the window, at the continuing rain upon the street outside. “I feel that if I eat anything, I won’t be able to keep it down.”

Unexpectedly she was feeling a deep anger, and at the same time, a despair so great that she couldn’t bear to look at him any longer. It was a mistake to decide to work together him, especially when she still felt like this. She had always worked alone, she would atone alone. But at the thought of leaving him, of being alone once again, after years of solitude, after now knowing the difference, she felt an even worse sadness and desperation, such that she forced the emotions away as hard as she could. So she stood up and began packing the taiyaki away in one of the foil bags they had found under one of the counters. “Best to save this later then.”

“We need to find Mikan.”

She stopped, but didn’t turn in his direction. “No.”

“I know her. I know that we can turn her.”

Now she glanced at him. He looked so confident, his face determined and set. She knew she was anything but; her stomach feeling like it was dropping down a cliff. It was extremely difficult keeping her emotionless expression. “I don’t want to fight her again.”

“We won’t have to. This time I’ll convince her.”

“Like you convinced Saruyama-san?” she asked in an even tone, then immediately regretted it. “Sorry, I-I wasn’t thinking-”

“No, you’re right,” he said, though his eyes had suddenly moistened, shining in the faint sunlight that was passing through the windows. “I know what to expect now. I won’t be an idiot this time. I have a plan.”

Despite herself, she dared to hope. Whatever plan he had, was more than she had, which was to say, none. And there had always been something about Rito that made her believe in him, want to believe in him, even in the most hopeless of scenarios. “What kind of plan?”

“You’ll see!” He was suddenly cheerful, boyishly eager even, and it reminded her of the Rito of three years ago. “I’ve lost my best friend, but I will never let you lose yours. And I’ll have my little sister back. Just watch. I’ll fix this.”

She believed him. And for just a moment, she knew that everything would be all right.

There was a rumble, and the ground beneath them trembled slightly at their feet.

She looked down. “What was that noise?”

Rito narrowed his eyes, then completely startled her by throwing a fold of his long black sur-coat over her head and wrapped her within his arms and the cloth’s dark embrace. At the same time from behind there was an overwhelming shattering of glass simultaneous with an explosion of such immense proportion, rocking the whole building’s foundation such that she lost her balance and fell into Rito’s chest, knocking them both over on the wooden floorboards as they shook with several violent aftershocks.

When they subsided, she threw the folds of Rito’s sur-coat from her head, shards of glass tinkling as they fell from it, and rose to a crouch over him, peering slowly over the table, careful to rise just enough to see what had happened outside.

Through the shattered front window, it was still raining lightly, though now a slight drizzle. However a wind had picked up, howling a bit as it came through the opening, fluttering the curtains and the table cloths.

The street outside was a mess. Where before there was an unkempt road, overgrown slightly with weeds in the cracked asphalt, now was a smoking crater, large chunks of concrete surrounding it, hissing as the light rain struck the still burning remnants of destroyed stone, pavement and street.

A number of armoured men were quickly moving around the site; no, not men, Yami realised, spotting the familiar black forked tails that exited at the men’s lower plated rears. Deviluke soldiers. They were all carrying high powered energy weaponry, mostly plasma rifles, though one was holding a still-smoking heavy pulse bazooka. What were they doing here?

“Uh, Yami…” Rito began.

“Quiet,” she whispered quickly. “Whoever it was they shot that weapon into, it wasn’t us.”

“Yami,” he whispered now, and she could hear the blush in his tone. “Y-You’re touching something ecchi!”

She looked down and realised where one of her hands was holding as she held herself upright. It clenched reflexively, and Rito gasped. Her usual cool façade was obliterated, and she could feel her cheeks burning, as if there was a raging fire beneath them. Simultaneously throwing her offending hand away, she began a scream.

“What was that?” one of the shoulders shouted from outside.

She cut off the scream by throwing her hand into her face. Then almost screamed again when she realised it was the same hand that had clutched something ecchi.

“In that store!” another soldier’s voice answered.

The sound of booted footsteps crunching gravel began to approach, and Yami rolled off Rito, forcing her embarrassment away so that she could prepare to fight. They were still blocked from view by the tables and chairs, but if they stepped through the shattered front window, the soldiers were sure to see them.

“I’m still here.” The feminine voice was deep and commanding, and with total authority. It came from the centre of the crater outside. It was loud enough to be heard over the blowing wind and rain and terrible in its ferocity.

“That voice,” Rito breathed.

There was a squishing sound and a shriek so full of suffering, it was painful to hear, before it was cut off, as if something had crushed the throat that was emitting it.

“SHIT!” someone yelled in extreme desperation. “Kill it!”

Rifle and blaster fire, to the sound of several more screams, and panicked shouting.

“While they’re distracted,” Yami said quickly as she pulled Rito up and began pushing him to the side of the store for more cover and a better vantage point. When they got there, it was just in time, as another store across the street exploded in a huge fireball as another pulse bazooka shot drove into it. The following shockwave caused a section of the roof above them to cave in and flatten the table they had just been taking cover behind into a squashed plastic mess.

“Kotegawa Yui?” Rito exclaimed in absolute shock.

Yami turned her attention to the commotion outside and finally noticed the tall human woman darting around the ruined street so fast, it was like her image was fading in and out, her long black hair and rain-darkened sur-coat fanning out in the wind behind her at each movement. In her gloved hands she held a huge claymore sword, one and a half times the length of her body, and double the width of her chest, wet with splattered blood, as she used it to great effect.

Most Deviluke soldiers were running about in total disarray and confusion, but some half dozen of them opened fire with their pulse laser rifles in a co-ordinated strike.

The huge claymore sword spun around in Kotegawa’s hands and wrapped around her athletic body in an elaborate weaving of defence. Such was her skill that each blaster shot struck the flat of the blade at each swing and was deflected either into the ground, sending waves of dust into the air, or into various nearby buildings in co-ordinated explosions. Two shots were deflected back into a pair of corresponding Deviluke soldiers, who instantly dropped dead, one plasma burn through the heart, the other through an eye socket.

The remaining soldiers immediately stopped firing when they noticed what happened, which seemed to be another signal for Kotegawa to resume her attack. Another of the Deviluke men gurgled in agony as the massive claymore struck him vertically through the head and through his body, cutting off the death cry, and splitting him into two halves as if she were playing the watermelon game at the beach. Red mist sprayed out in all directions, mixing with the light rain as she used the tip of the blade striking into the rocky floor to propel herself into a somersault directed at another poor soldier, folds of her grey dress and black sur-coat trailing high above her.

Desperate blaster fire shot into the air after her, but her flip was protected by several mid-air swings of her over-sized sword, one more plasma laser deflected back into another shooter’s stomach, who collapsed vomiting saliva and blood. Meanwhile the target of her leap was skewered through the breast bone as she landed, and then partly bisected as she swung the sword out of the pierced body to deflect more rifle fire.

“I-I have to stop this slaughter,” Rito gasped as he tore himself away from Yami’s grip. Shocked at the extreme violence, she could only let him go. She had heard the rumours, but now she knew why Kotegawa had been dubbed with a new name…

But before he could intervene, a massive blue energy blast struck Kotegawa in mid-air which stopped her cold, despite blocking it with the flat of her claymore. “What?” she called out in bewilderment, red eyes surprised, before she was propelled backward, tumbling end over end, before her back struck a brick building wall, and she bounced off to land on to the street with a thud and splashing of collected puddles. The huge claymore fell out of her hands with a loud clang.

Yami followed the dissipating trail of what could only be a ki blast to find the muscular man standing atop one of the still-standing stores across the other side of the street, outstretched palms still smoking from the immense energy they had shot. He had longish bluish-white hair, wet in the rain, and was wearing what looked like a dark grey fighting jump suit, the short sleeves torn at the ends. He jumped off the three storey building and landed in a crouch upon the foot path.

“Elite Killer Yui, I’ll kill you,” he said simply.

Yami finally recognised him. Ren.

Kotegawa’s voice hissed from the place Yami last saw her. “Haven’t you done enough to us, aliens?” she asked, and although it was said in a forceful tone, Yami could detect a sense of despair behind it. “Leave us and Earth in peace.” The anger and directive in her voice grew now to overcome all of the sadness. “Or we will make you leave it.” The ringing sound of her claymore being drawn filled the air.

Ren stood up and cracked his gloved knuckles, the corner of his mouth upturned in a half smile, although the amusement did not reach his maroon eyes. “Your race will be exterminated, wiped from the face of the universe.” He lowered his stance and clenched his palms together which began to glow a fiery blue. “Which is what Emperor Gid Lucione Deviluke should have done in the beginning!” he screamed, simultaneous with a release of his ki into another massive fireball, sparking with lightning as it left his hands, melting the rain away in its heated trajectory.

Yami didn’t know how it happened, but abruptly the blue fireball was deflected from its original path, perpendicular from its source, and into another shop building which detonated, and then fell into itself from the resultant hole blasted through it. And then she realised why when she noticed the empty spot beside her.

“Stop it,” Rito said tiredly as he stood directly between Ren and Kotegawa. “Both of you…. Or I will make you stop.” He looked at the claymore wielding woman now with a stare so deadly, it stopped her in mid-breath. “Both of you.”

 

-End Part 4

 

Next Episode Preview: A lethal fight from both sides. Rito and Yami back to back and facing death from all directions. The war between humankind and everything else has escalated. But … help from somewhere unexpected? Tune in next time to Part 5 of Crimson Darkness!

Author’s notes:

Sorry guys. I didn’t really finish what I wanted to finish in this part, but it was getting too long, so I decided to stop it here. Yes, at an awful cliff hanger. Well, if anime series can do it, so can I! ^_^;;

Yes – Yui is influenced from the anime/manga, “Claymore.” I love it!

So … what do you think?

Feel free to comment here or via,

Email: acesan@gmail.com

Ja!

~Ace