Chapter 21

Chapter 21

[Ryu Mitsukai - 22 years old]
[Tezuka Kejinto - 22 years old]

After Hikyou takes Shishi to Hell, the Dark Team leaves the rest of the job up to Ryu and Tezuka. Knapp thanks them repeatedly for their help with saving Earth, or at least the Fifth Universe. He gives a piece of paper to Tezuka and suggests that he calls this number for a job position in Washington, D.C. It turns out that he had met people through both Zack and Forgotten, or rather Lieutenant Colonel Danielle Medina back then.

Ryu and Tezuka decide to make their ways into the war zone. With their own powers, they are able to stop the fighting between two sides. The fact that Ryu looks like an Asian and Tezuka looks like an American has helped them to convince them enough to stop fighting.

It turns out that the American soldiers have been receiving the orders from - not the President, but rather the Vice President, Shishi himself or at least publicly known as Bradley Woodland. How he managed to get elected with the President, nobody knows at all.

Even so, that is how dangerous the broken political system can be. Shishi managed to convince the President of the United States to declare war on Japan and South Korea. And the rest is history.

After the battle ends without anybody winning, the Dark Team takes off right away when Knapp takes Ketsu and Katja with him. Before leaving, Knapp asks Ryu if he can take care of the children when he comes back. Ryu is hesitant at first but eventually says yes.

Tezuka and Ryu leave for Washington D.C. immediately, taking their pregnant significant others with them. They then discover that all three government branches are messy. The Supreme Justice and the Congress are completely lost. They have already appointed a new President and Vice President, but they are also being very overwhelmed. The whole thing is just a mess.

Ryu decides to start all over again by enrolling into the U.S. Army, but as a sniper and pilot. Tezuka decides to take the position as a staff assistant to one of the Senators in the Congress. It turns out that their files never existed in the first place. They were destroyed as soon as Ryu and Tezuka joined the Sunny Wing Squad.

A month later, Ryu and Rosa get married at a courthouse because they have no time for planning the wedding. 

~*~

AUGUST 7, 2049

Tezuka and Ryu receive a call from the hospital stating that their wives are in labor. Abandoning everything, they leave for the hospital right away, not even questioning how strange it is to have two women they know in labor at the exact same time.

“W-where is Rosa Mitsukai?” Ryu anxiously asks when he grabs a nurse’s arm. The nurse only responds to him nervously stammering something that he does not understand.

He spots Tezuka walking fast through the hall. “Tezuka!”

“Ryu?” Tezuka blinks in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Rosa is in labor.”

“So is Akane.” Tezuka crosses his arms. “Maybe she knows where Rosa is? She is in room 217.”

Ryu follows him immediately into the room where Akane keeps screaming and screaming.

“S-sir! You can’t be here!” Another nurse is trying to push Tezuka and Ryu out of the room.

“I’m her husband.” Tezuka snaps at her. “What the hell is going on? Is she…” He stops suddenly, having flashbacks of Knapp losing his wife.

“Is everything ok?” Ryu asks softly.

“I-I don’t know.” The nurse gives them a weak smile. “Please stay in the waiting room. We will come and get you when it is over.”

“W-wait! Where is Rosa Mitsukai?”

“Check with the receptionist. I have to get back right now.” The nurse shuts the door and gets back to helping out with the doctor.

“Shit!” Tezuka slams his fists on the wall hard. “Why is this happening to us?! I’ve been kissing the stupid Senator’s ass so that I will be able to get to where I want to be! This is not… We lost a lot of them… our families… our friends… Even… Sky...” He goes soft at the end.

Ryu places a comforting hand on Tezuka’s shoulder. “Tezuka, I’m sorry to leave you alone, but I have to find Rosa.”

Tezuka sighs lightly, “Just go. I’ll be in the waiting room.”~*~

It is the longest wait that Tezuka and Ryu have ever experienced in their entire lives. After discovering that Rosa is in surgery for ovarian cancer, Ryu gets kicked out of the operation room as well. He cannot believe that he never noticed that. Rosa has always been so lively and cheerful. How in the world did he miss that? Did Rosa even know?

Ryu’s new son, named Siko Mitsukai, was recently born. It may be a miracle that he survived through pregnancy, but he is completely pale and is not reacting to anything at all even though he is barely breathing. 

The same nurse from before has come back around an hour ago and informs Tezuka that his son, named Katuo Kejinto, has been born, but the umbilical cord has wrapped his child’s neck. Due to the difficulty of breathing, he has to attend the intensive care unit right away and is on life support. Akane turns out to be fine, but she has been in pain and has to rest for the next few hours before she can see her visitors.

Tezuka cannot see either his wife or son yet, so he has been in the waiting room with Ryu. They have not said a single word to each other all day.

“Ryu! I’ve been looking for you!”

Ryu blinks in confusion at a very familiar voice. He looks up to find his older brother holding his two-year-old child. “K-Knapp?”

“Hiya!” Knapp says cheerfully. He puts Ketsu on the floor so he can play with toys, which are in a play area nearby. “When I heard that Rosa is in labor, I had to get here as fast as I could. I couldn’t miss my own brother’s new kid!”

“Oh. Right,” Ryu mumbles. He contacted him through radio last night letting him know that Rosa is giving birth to their child.

“What’s with your long faces?” Knapp blinks in confusion. “Did something happen?”

“What are you still doing here?” Tezuka snaps at him. “At least you still have two children that are healthy and alive.”

“Oh. So, that’s why…” Knapp mumbles at himself. “It’s about time that Hikyou-sama chooses two new Gods.”

“What?” Ryu raises an eyebrow.

“Hikyou-sama requested that he speak to you through…” Knapp sighs in annoyance and continues, “Ketsu.”

Ketsu is laughing childishly, still playing with toy blocks and building what looks to be some kind of temple.

“Make it quick,” Tezuka says impatiently. “My son… He is dying. I can’t stay away from him any longer.”

“I promise to make it quickly,” Ketsu says suddenly and quite clearly.

“Hikyou-sama, did you possess Ketsu’s body?” Ryu asks nervously. A two-and-half-year-old child should not talk like that… at least, not that intelligent yet.

Ketsu gets up and wipes his loose jeans with his bare hands. He takes off his dark blue wristbands, causing a pair of dark blue wings to appear on his back. “Ah, that feels better!”

“What are you doing inside Ketsu’s body?” Tezuka raises an eyebrow.

“My time is running out.” Hikyou scratches the back of Ketsu’s head. “After 1,000 years of my freedom, I have to return to the Soul of the Fifth Universe… in Planet Heaven. It’s almost time for the Light and Dark Gods to awaken once again.”

“Get to the point.” The former lavender-haired soldier snaps.

“Your children…” Hikyou glances between Tezuka and Ryu. “Katuo Kejinto and Siko Mitsukai, are they?”

He reaches out his tiny hands. A pair of orbs suddenly appear above his palms. One is white and the other one is black. “They are the souls of Myou and Hikari. If you wish to save your sons’ lives, then we can exchange souls.”

“W-wait!” Ryu cries. “Myou and Hikari? Aren’t they the evil Gods in the legends? Did you seriously think that I’d allow my son to receive such an evil soul?”

Hikyou gives out a loud laugh. “You do not have to worry about it! All souls had always been cleansed every time they arrived at Planet Hell after every death. Although the memories of the past Gods will probably come back when their powers as the new Gods awaken. They never affected the past Gods though at least their personalities, so there’s no need to be concerned.”

“Is there any price for it?” Ryu bites his bottom lip, remembering how Knapp went through with his wife before. The question makes Knapp’s face twitch a little at the painful memory.

“Just the broken souls of your sons.” Hikyou flashes a big grin on Ketsu’s small face. 

~*~

“A thousand years ago, Kira was sealed away by Dark and Light Gods…” Tezuka reads a history book out loud. “But it came with a price. That was a sacrifice.”

“They sacrificed their own lives to seal Kira?” Ryu rubs his forehead. “But what will happen if… we don’t exchange souls?”

“Your sons will die,” Knapp answers quickly. “And, Kira won’t be free.”

Tezuka slams the book close. “So… If the new Gods were to be born, then Kira would be free? That's crazy talk! The war recently ended! We can’t lose any more lives!”

“In other words… the fight never ends.” Ryu sighs lightly, as he stumbles back into his seat. “...even after Leon…”

“If Hikyou-sama does not find new Gods by today, then the Fifth Universe won’t have any God to look after itself. Hikyou-sama barely has any powers left at all. So, without the powers of darkness and light, the Fifth Universe is in grave danger of any kind of threat.. and it’s already fragile to begin with,” Knapp places his hand on Ketsu’s head. “Besides, we already have Dark Angel. Dark Angels always have strong loyalty for all three Gods. Without the soul of Dark Angel, Ketsu could have died. I’m… I’m happy that he’s here with me because he has been a joy for the Dark Team.”

Tezuka releases a big sigh of frustration while Ryu remains silent. The former lavender-haired soldier gets up. “I need a little more time to think about it. I just want to spend as much time as possible with my son.”

“M-me too. Sorry, Knapp.” Ryu scratches the back of his head apologetically.

“It’s ok.” Knapp waves his hand as if he accepts the apology quickly. “You can go and spend time with your new son.”

~*~

“...health has been declining for the past half hour, and he is on life support.” Rosa’s doctor is looking through his paperwork briefly. “As for Rosa… I’m very sorry to inform you that you may not get pregnant again. Your ovarian cancer was way too severe. Although we removed most of the cancer parts… the remaining of it has already spread to your ovaries... you will need another surgery for us to remove your entire reproductive system.”

Rosa shakes her head sadly, as Ryu tightens her hand lightly. “I-I… Siko is dying… and we can’t have another baby?”

“I’m sorry,” the doctor says again. “I can give you a few minutes to think about it. Your nurse will come and check on you. When you are ready to sign the consent, you will get the surgery within an hour.”

After he leaves, Rosa just breaks down into loud sobs with her face on Ryu’s chest. Ryu does not know what to do but just embraces her tightly.

He glances at the window where it has been raining outside all day. For a second there, he has thought that he saw a sudden flash of lightning, but he realizes that it is no ordinary lightning.

He gently lets go of her. “Rosa… do you want Siko to live?”

Rosa sniffs loudly. “W-what made you ask me like that? Of course yes, I want him to live! He’s the only baby I… we have.”

Ryu places a light kiss on Rosa’s forehead. “Okay, I’m going to sign the consent. I’ll check on Siko for you and see if there’s anything we can do, okay? I love you.”

Rosa smiles lightly at him. “I love you too.”

He quickly leaves Rosa’s room and signs the consent right away. Immediately after that, he goes straight for the ICU only to find Tezuka and Akane watching Katuo’s near-lifeless body.

“Tezuka? We need to talk.” Ryu gently places his hand on Tezuka’s shoulder. “Alone.”

Tezuka raises an eyebrow at him before he glances back to his fragile child. “But…”

Ryu whispers into Tezuka’s ear. “We got a company outside. I saw someone within the recent flash of lightning… It’s as if it appeared out of thin air.”

“Did you use aguila energy?”

“No, but you know I have sharp eyes. I’m going outside. You’re welcome to come.” Ryu turns away to be on his way out of the ICU.

Tezuka scowls at himself. He takes a look at Katuo one more time and turns to his wife. “Akane. I’ll be right back.”

~*~

“Oh, it’s raining?” Ryu blinks in surprise, not caring if he is getting soaked by heavy rain. “I wonder if it was just lightning? Was it raining when I saw --”

“Talking to yourself?” Tezuka pats his hand on Ryu’s shoulder, making him jump. “So, what was it that you saw?”

“God! You almost gave me a heart attack!” Ryu cries. He then frowns. “I’m not sure… maybe it was just my imagination?”

“You!” A female screech catches their attention, as they turn to her fast.

“Jikan!” Ryu cries.

“Where the fuck are the Dark and Light Gods?!” Jikan screams in the mixture of anger, frustration, and confusion, not caring if she gets completely soaked at all. She carefully walks toward them with a limp. “They were supposed to be born today. They are your children, aren’t they?!”

“What the hell are you talking about?!” Ryu yells back.

“Fine. If you’re not going to show me where they are, then my power of time will just take me to where they are!” Jikan quickly creates a portal right next to her. “I’ll make sure that they are dead so that there will be no more Dark and Light Gods in the future!”

“Tezuka!” Ryu yells when Tezuka suddenly disappears from his sight. “Goddammit, his stupid rush power!”

Just as Jikan reaches her hand through the portal, her other wrist gets gripped suddenly by Tezuka.

“I’m not letting you go this time!” Tezuka shouts, as he is trying to pull Jikan out of the time-traveling portal. “We worked way too hard to keep this planet safe!”

“This planet is doomed even if Leon is defeated!” Jikan shouts back. “Time Portal!”

Suddenly, a bright ray of light flashes out of Jikan’s seized hand. Tezuka yelps in surprise, letting her go quickly.

Something is drawing him into the time portal. No matter how hard Tezuka tries to get away from the portal, it is like something powerful pulling him into the portal.

“Tezuka!” Ryu shouts with worry in his tone when he finally catches up with him. He quickly grabs Tezuka who looks to be falling through the portal, but even though he tries to pull him out of the portal, whatever’s pulling him seems to be way too strong.

~*~

YEAR
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryu opens his dark eyes only to find himself in the darkness. He cannot see anything, not even his own hands. “T-Tezuka?”

“I’m here,” Tezuka says suddenly, startling him as he must be just a few inches away. “Where are we?”

You are in a part of Heart of the Fifth Universe, where it controls all timelines.

Ryu and Tezuka turn their heads fast, trying to find whose voice it is.

“Who is there?!” Tezuka shouts.

I have no name… but everybody calls me the protector of all timelines. I see all the timelines… both original and changed… You are not supposed to be here. You are not even in all of those timelines. What did Double God do this time?

Ryu tries to narrow his eyes, as if he is trying to figure out some kind of outline in the distance. “What are you talking about? We were not supposed to be born?”

That’s right.

Tezuka glances at Ryu, or at least he thinks so. “Ryu…”

You certainly surprised me there! Skylar Lawrence was not supposed to die. The Mitsukai and Kejinto were not supposed to be alive. They were supposed to die… when the Fifth was reborn.

“Reborn?” Ryu blinks in surprise.

Hikyou-sama wouldn’t do this risky, especially when the Fifth Universe is very fragile unless… Gasp! I’m seeing it now… So, that means…! This must be the new timeline that Hikyou-sama is trying to create… at least that’s what the Fifth was trying to tell me before…

The voice is getting quieter and quieter, as if it is getting further and further away from Ryu and Tezuka. It quickly gets louder as if it suddenly gets way too close to them.

Hmmm… Aha, that’s it! Ok, I’m taking you to the future… to the end of the universe. They will help to get you back to your own timeline.

“You can’t help us?” Tezuka raises an eyebrow.

I don’t have the power to send you back to the correct timeline because I don’t know what your new timeline looks like at this moment. The God… at the end of the timeline... will help you out. But I’m warning you... It may not be Hikyou-sama anymore. It may be a new God who is either trying to save or to destroy the entire universe.

“W-wait! What do you mean, you don’t know our timeline?” Ryu asks.

Because Hikyou-sama initiated this new timeline, it opened up billions of new paths. I don’t know if it’s for the best or the worst… Ok! It’s nice to meet you! Ready or not, there you go!

There is a sudden flash of bright light in front of Ryu and Tezuka’s eyes, making them cry in surprise.

~*~

YEAR
?

A split second later, they are standing in the middle of a very cloudy atmosphere. They can feel a solid ground under his feet, but they are not sure if it is made of cloudy or earth.

Even so, the atmosphere feels awfully tense around them. They wonder if it is because it is nearly the end of the universe.

“Finally! There you are. I’ve been waiting for you for a while,” a cheerful voice says. “I was just starting to think that the Timeline Protector might have given me the wrong time or day…”

Ryu and Tezuka look at each other. They cannot help but wonder why the voice feels so familiar to them.

“Are you the current God?” Ryu asks out loud.

“No.”

“Who are you? What happened to the God?” Tezuka asks.

“There isn’t anything they can do right now.” A man finally shows himself after he walks through the heavy fog. A pair of his dark blue wings flap once at the air, sending a little more of fog away. A large falcon is sleeping comfortably while sitting on his shoulder.

 A big grin is being formed on his light tan face even though his eyes are completely pitch-black, “It’s been a long, long time since last time I saw you.”

“K-Ketsu?” Ryu asks softly. “Is that you?”

Ketsu smiles gently. “It’s been a long time since I heard that name from someone other than Gods.”

“You… You’re all grown.” Tezuka frowns. “Is the end of the universe coming closer than we thought? What is Double God doing -- is he even still alive? You just said ‘they’... Who are they?”

“The end of the universe….” Ketsu says softly, ignoring the question on purpose. He shakes his head. “No. You won’t have to worry about the end. We’d rather call it… a reincarnation.”

“Are you saying that the Fifth is being reborn?” Ryu asks. “How is it even possible? Why does it feel like…”

“Like the universe is in pain?”

Ryu flinches at Ketsu’s bold question. “Y-yes…”

Ketsu pauses for a minute and then finally says, “Come with me. They are waiting for you.”

“W-wait!” Tezuka cries. “What… What happened to Jikan? Did you see her coming here?”

“The young woman with long silver hair and purple eyes? Yes, just a while ago… but…” Ketsu rubs his chin thoughtfully. “She seemed to be lost… When she found me, she asked me what year it was and… she freaked out after I told her that the universe was coming to end… Then, she created a new portal and went through it. And, I never saw her again. Hehehe! My bad!”

“She went back to the past?” Ryu asks. “So, that’s why she kept saying that it did not matter how many times we tried to save the world… or universe… it would always be doomed at the end anyway.”

“But it was because of you… the life of the Fifth Universe had been extended.” Ketsu flashes a big grin again. “So, thank you! Come on! They are still waiting for you. They can’t wait to see you again!”

“Again?”

Ketsu does not answer Ryu’s question when he suddenly turns around and walks away. Tezuka and Ryu quickly make their way as well, following him through thick mist.

It feels like hours since they started walking but Tezuka and Ryu have been feeling anxious for some reason. It's as if they are meeting someone very important.

"Sorry about the long walk." Ketsu stops suddenly. He turns to Ryu and Tezuka, "They are here."

"Where are they?" Tezuka asks as he and Ryu are looking for two people but the fog is way too thick for them to see at least ten feet away.

A sunlight begins to shine throughout the heavy fog, but it barely helps to clear the fog. Just enough for them to see two godly figures with a pair of wings in the mist.

"There are two Gods?" Tezuka frowns. "What happened to Double God?"

They think that they have caught a brief sorrow in Ketsu's eyes but a cheerful smile quickly covers up his face.

"I'm sorry but Hikyou-sama is not here anymore." Ketsu answers. He turns his head toward two silent figures in the mist. "Dark and Light Gods are in the charge now."

Tezuka scoffs. "This is the disastrous future that we were hoping for? Double God is gone? Those so-called Gods - standing right in front of us - are not even trying to save the universe!"

"Enough.” A loud voice comes from one of the Gods - the one with black wings. "Is this the great Tezuka Kejinto we heard so much about?"

Giggles come from another God with white wings. "Don't you think he reminds you of yourself?"

"Shut up."

Ryu raises an eyebrow at how opposite two Gods are from each other. He cannot help but feel his heart beating faster after hearing Light God's gentle voice.

"U-um... Aren't you a little too cheerful...? Especially when the universe is coming to an end?" He asks shyly.

"Dark Angel didn't tell you that the Fifth Universe is being reincarnated?" Light God asks.

"Sure, I did! I don't think they understood..." Ketsu glances back to Ryu and Tezuka. "Leave it to us! You won't be alive to see this anyway."

"Wait a minute! Alive? What year is it?" Tezuka asks.

Dark God gives him a small smirk. “That’s something you don’t need to know. As you can see, we are approaching the end. Ketsu, can you please take them to the Timeline Protector? Then they can return to their proper era.”

“Yes, sir!” Ketsu winks once and then walks past the Gods. “Follow me!”

“Da… I mean, Ryu.” Light God stops Ryu from walking any further. “Thank you… I mean, for everything you’ve done. You have a little boy baby waiting for you, right? I know for sure that he’s lucky to have a great father like you.”

Ryu blushes lightly at Light God’s compliment. “T-thanks, but I haven’t done anything for him at all.”

Light God turns to Dark God quickly. “Want to say a few more words to Tezuka before they leave?”

Dark God remains silent, his dark green eyes still on the lavender-haired man. Tezuka shivers at Dark God’s cold eyes for a second there.

“No.” He finally answers. “He will know... Someday.”

“Well, then. Let’s go, shall we?” Ketsu asks cheerfully.

“Goodbye!” Light God yells while Dark God looks away, as if he is embarrassed about something.

“U-um, who is this Timeline Protector? I thought he couldn’t send us back to our timeline?” Ryu asks.

“He?” Ketsu stops walking and then rubs his chin in wonder. “No, that was a different one, I think. He probably died shortly after the Fifth got reincarnated a long time ago. Hikyou-sama told us once about him when we asked. I believe when a new timeline protector appeared, then the old one died.”

“W-what?!” Tezuka shouts. “Then what happened to all the timelines that he had been protecting all along?”

Ketsu shakes his head. “The timelines were completely destroyed after the reincarnation. This is the only and one timeline. Hikyou-sama… made sure that nothing’s changed. That’s why Kira--” He frowns at his own thoughts.

“What took you so long?” A female voice echoes across the area. “The end is nearly here. I need to send them back to the past as soon as possible… right?”

“Aaahhhh!!!” Ryu and Tezuka point their fingers at the silver-haired woman who is standing right in front of them. 

“That’s very rude of you!” The woman yells angrily, as she starts hitting them with her long rod. She stops after a few hits. “But then I don’t blame you… You were chasing me back then, weren’t you?”

“J-Jikan?” Tezuka asks softly. “You… you’re the timeline protector? But why…?”

“Okay, I’m confused now.” Ryu scratches the back of his head.

Ketsu smiles at them. “After you chased her back here… she was ready to die. She did not care anymore now that she had seen the same future twice… but…”

“Light and Dark Gods found me here,” Jikan continues. “They gave me a very important thing that Leon never could give…” She looks up with her big purple eyes at the gray sky. “That’s hope.”

“Hope…” Ryu says softly.

“They asked me to go to the beginning of the universe… It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen… the way Hikyou-sama gave the Fifth another chance… Hope. That’s why I decided to become the timeline protector because I could not bear seeing a different timeline than this… I can’t imagine any timeline without Kejinto and Mitsukai. But… Even so... No matter how hard we work to protect the Fifth… the universe is ending either way.” Jikan glances back at the former soldiers. She gives them a sad smile. “I’m so sorry… It was because of me that you and your families had to suffer. Some people died...”

“You…” Tezuka says softly, not knowing what else to say. He glances at Ryu briefly before turning back to Jikan. “No, it was never your fault. It was all Leon. He manipulated every person he met. He… He even manipulated us when we joined the Sunny Wing Squad. So… none of it was your fault.”

“But Skylar Lawrence…” Tears are filling up Jikan’s eyes.

“That’s ok.” Ryu interrupts her, as he places his hand on Jikan’s stumped shoulder. “If he were here, he would have forgiven you right away.”

Jikan breaks into loud sobs, trying to hide her face with her own hands. “I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry! I couldn’t believe it… Leon would do something like this to us…! I almost made Skylar kill you too, Tezuka!”

Tezuka releases a light sigh. He is not good at this stuff when it comes to comforting a woman. He married Akane because he knew that she would be too tough to get emotional or to cry over something petty.

Jikan tenses up when she feels two pairs of arms embracing, but just a few seconds later, she smiles at them. She even feels a third pair of arms around her shoulders. “Sky…”

“What?” Ryu asks.

Jikan blinks in surprise. So, they can’t see him at all…? 

She makes a quick glance past Tezuka and Ryu. She smiles again and shakes her head. “Nothing! It’s just that it feels like Sky is with you.... even in this time period… Oh!”

She quickly gets out of the men’s embraces, as she looks up at the darkening sky. “Sorry! I have to send you back right now.”

“W-wait! Why don’t you come with us?” Ryu asks. “The end is almost here, isn’t it? Won’t you disappear if the universe dies?”

Jikan chuckles softly. “I will be fine. How many times do we have to tell you that the universe isn’t dying?”

“Reincarnation!” Ketsu laughs out loud. “It’s going to be ok. We will meet the Fifth again after this.”

“So, you don’t have to worry about us.” Jikan raises her rod up into the air. She swings it around, releasing a wave of sparkling black and white orbs, which merge together into a perfect portal in front of Ryu and Tezuka. “Thank you… Meeting you again makes me feel much better.”

“Jikan --” Ryu does not have any chance to ask a question when he suddenly gets dragged into the portal along with Tezuka.

Jikan’s smiling face is the last thing they see before they black out.

~*~

August 7, 2049

“Oof!” Ryu falls hard on the ground. “That hurts --”

Tezuka’s heavy body crashes into Ryu’s. “Ack!” He quickly gets off his friend. “Are you ok?!”

Ryu waves his hand. “I’m good.”

They jump at a sudden flash of lightning. A loud boom of thunder comes immediately afterward.

“W...where is Jikan?” Ryu asks. “Is she… ever coming back?”

Tezuka shrugs his shoulders and glances up at the dark clouds only to realize that it is raining heavily. “We are getting soaked. Let’s get back inside.”

“Here you are!” Knapp exclaims when he finds Tezuka and Ryu at the entrance door. “Where have you been for the past hour? And look at you! You’re wet!”

“What are you in hurry?” Tezuka asks, trying to clench and twist the bottom of his shirt, which leaks a little more of liquid from the rain.

“Because I need your answer.” Ketsu comes out from behind Knapp. He narrows his unusual green eyes in suspicion. “Where were you? Not even I was able to find you anywhere on this planet. Not even in the universe.”

“Hikyou-sama! We --” Ryu gets interrupted when Tezuka slams his hand on his mouth.

“We needed to get fresh air!” Tezuka shouts, attracting the attention of other visitors, nurses, and doctors.

“Uh, maybe we can go to the roof?” Knapp asks nervously, not wanting others to know of Ketsu’s true nature.

They agree and then use the elevator to go straight to the roof. Ketsu laughs childishly, as he runs out into the rain.

“It’s almost midnight,” Knapp says, trying to ignore strong winds and heavy rain.  “Hikyou-sama will be sealed in the Soul of the Fifth Universe. Without Light and Dark Gods’ assistance, he will never come out of his… well, a possible graveyard again.”

“And, are we supposed to feel bad?” Tezuka scoffs. “He has done nothing but used us as his puppets.”

“Think of your children, then,” Knapp says.

Ketsu jumps into a tiny pond, splashing before he turns to the adults. “Ready for the soul exchanges?”

“H-hey, we never agreed to exchange!” Ryu says.

“They will die, then,” Ketsu says boldly. “After midnight.”

“Why you little…” Tezuka clenches one of his fists in anger. “Don’t you care? You have no idea what we have gone through!”

“You met them, didn’t you?” Ketsu asks, ignoring Tezuka’s question. “Light and Dark Gods. You went to the future, right?”

“What?!” Knapp yells in surprise.

“I sensed that you got dragged into Jikan’s portal,” Ketsu says without any doubt in his tone. “You saw the Gods. But they look different than your children, right?”

Light God… silver hair and light green eyes. He is not even the same as Siko’s black hair and dark brown eyes at all.

Dark God… black hair and dark green eyes. His look does not match Katuo’s at all - lavender hair and light brown eyes.

“That’s why you look disappointed. You are thinking that it’s pointless to exchange souls. They will die sooner or later, right?” Ketsu asks. “Is that why you decided that it’s best to let your children die on their own? Even if you can’t have another child?”

Ryu cannot hold himself back any longer, so he collapses to his knees. “Tezuka… Rosa… she can’t get pregnant again.”

Tezuka glances at him with a surprised look on his face. “W-what?”

“I feel conflicted… I don’t know.” Ryu shakes his head, trying to hold his tears back. “I… Rosa told me that she wants Siko to live. I… I don’t want to live with the fact that I could have saved him but failed to.”

Ketsu reaches out one of his palms and smiles at Ryu. A orb made of light appears floating above his hand. “Are you taking this, then?”

“Yes,” Ryu says without any hesitation. He gets up and wipes his now dirty pants. “Um, do I touch it…?”

“Yes. Take it if you want to save your son’s life.”

As soon as Ryu grabs the orb, it escapes from his hand quickly. It disappears through the roof into the hospital. “Hey!”

“It’s ok. It’s going straight to Siko Mitsukai.” Ketsu beams a big grin. “Give him a few days, and then he will recover. I promise you would never think that he was ever sick at all.”

“Tezuka?” Knapp asks softly.

Tezuka glances at Ketsu who is now holding his hand out in the air with a floating black orb. He scoffs at himself as he places his hand on his own face. “I will never forgive myself if I don’t find a way to save Katuo. Who gives a shit about the different Gods from the future? As long as my child lives, that’s all it matters to me.”

Ketsu smiles at him and asks, “Are you taking it, then? For Katuo Kejinto?”

“Yes.”