Epilogue

EPILOGUE

TWO YEARS LATER

Katuo is tapping two of his fingers on his upper arm impatiently while his arms cross at his chest. He glances with his dark green eyes toward his idiotic father who is cheerfully sipping coffee from his favorite mug. He, his father, and his sister have been waiting at the large warehouse on an army base for the past ten minutes.

This silence is killing him.

“What is taking them so long?” Katuo asks irritatedly.

“If you’re impatient, why don’t you just use your phone for social media?” His 12-year old sister, Perra, rolls her blue eyes in annoyance. She is sitting under one of the trees, so the sun is not shading her phone.

“You use it 24/7. How in the world did you post a tweet at 3 am and still get up at seven o’clock this morning?”

Perra carelessly shrugs her shoulders before she gets back to being glued to her phone. She says out loud as she types, “My brother is being an idiot because he asked me why I tweeted at 3 am.”

Katuo growls lightly but before he can say something, he spots a figure hurriedly walking toward them.

“Hiya! Sorry, I’m late!” Ketsu waves his hand cheerfully. “I was waiting for Siko, but he called me and told me to go without him.”

“Is Knapp coming?” Tezuka asks before he takes another sip of coffee.

Ketsu frowns in concern. “He never responded back. It’s been six months since his last message, and I had tried to contact him several times but… nothing yet. I even tried others on the Dark Team but nobody got back to me at all.”

“Didn’t you say that the last time you heard back was that they found the leader of the Order of Goddess Kira?” Katuo asks.

“Yes,” the Dark Angel answers. He looks all the way up at the huge warehouse and notices that there is a number above the large roll-up door: 17. He asks in awe, “How big is this warehouse? What is it that you’re going to show us, Mr. Kejinto?”

“He wouldn’t tell me either.” Katuo narrows his dark eyes in anger at Tezuka who snickers in return. “He said that you and Siko needed to come here first.”

“Oh yeah, Siko is looking for Gus.” Ketsu laughs. “Gus somehow ran out the door this morning, and Siko has been looking for him since then. That’s why he told me to come here without him.”

“Damn that dragon!” Katuo snaps.

“Well, then… I’m as impatient as you are.” Tezuka turns to the warehouse and then makes his way smoothly toward the door by using rush power in his feet, making it look like he is sliding across the concrete floor.

Two soldiers in their Army uniforms are standing at either side of the door. As soon as Tezuka is at the door, they quickly go into the salute position. After that, the soldier at the left side turns around, facing the warehouse and then presses the digits on a keypad on the wall.

When the large door rolls up, Katuo widens his eyes in surprise at the sight inside the warehouse. He turns to Tezuka, who is flashing a huge grin. “You bastard!”

“What, what?!” Ketsu asks in confusion. He takes a quick look at the inside of the warehouse and drops his jaw to the ground. It takes him a few seconds before he quickly gets over the shock when he runs into the warehouse fast.

A huge spaceship is sitting inside the warehouse. It has the symbol of Double God on the left side. The curly word Hoshiko is below the symbol of Double God.

Ketsu is hugging the spaceship so hard that his arms are literally spreading over it. “I love you!” He rubs his face cheek against the cold metal.

“Thank you,” Katuo turns to Tezuka and bows his head as he finishes, “...Father.”

For the first time in his fatherhood, Tezuka is speechless. It is also the second time that Katuo ever calls him father. President Kejinto opens his mouth but finds himself unable to say a word at all even though millions of words go through his mind.

Ryu finally arrives by using his ice to create a path for himself to slide smoothly. It is faster than a car anyway. He raises an eyebrow when he realizes that the warehouse is open. “You’re showing them already? You’re too impatient. Like father, like son.”

Tezuka quickly gets himself together as he gives his best friend a smirk and shrugs one of his shoulders carelessly.

“I see that Ketsu loves the spaceship.” Siko giggles after he lands gracefully onto his feet from the sky by using his white wings. Gus is purring happily in his master’s warm embrace. The Light God bows his head and says, “Thank you, Mr. Kejinto.”

“Oh, it’s no problem. I just wanted to thank you for helping us to save Earth from Phoenix two years ago.” Tezuka runs his hand through his smooth lavender hair. “We were and still are actually very grateful. The U.S. Army and Space Army of United Earth contributed to this as well.”

“So, were you serious when you said that you are not coming back at all?” Ryu asks softly.

Siko frowns but Katuo answers for him, “Yes.”

“I promised myself that I wouldn’t cry… but I am going to miss my baby, Siko-chan!” Ryu brawls loudly onto President Kejinto’s shoulder, staining his expensive suit a little bit. 

“Katuo,” Tezuka says, stopping his son from stepping any further into the warehouse. “You know that Kira is not the only one that you may be struggling against? Even though you are a god.”

Siko grins widely as he watches Katuo turning to the President of Planet Earth. Katuo responds, “The Fifth Universe needs the Hope. If we are not going to be the Hope, then who else will?”

THE END