Lord

It was midnight. A week has subsided since Ryo discovered the truth about Sumire's disappearance. The fabled memory fragment, named by their only lead connecting to the Yakuza's business in Japan, was sheltered beneath an energy casing that Dr. Zanner invented years prior to Sunlight being formed. The energy casing, which prevented anyone from thievery for valuable objects, protected the orange crystal after Akai's attempted theft.

Ryo sat in the corner of the hangar, watching the memory fragment rotating in the energy casing. His eyes fixated on the center and never left contact. His hands fidgeted with his combat ax, rotating it with his hands with swipes of his palms. He could not stop thinking about April and Sumire. Their faces clouded his mind, believing that they would be gone forever. The negativity shrouded his eyes and the crystal's reflection kept him fixated on the future.

"Still here?" Dr. Zanner's voice came abruptly from the corner of the hangar. He held several sprockets wrapped together in fabric to keep them organized. He remained by Ryo's side, watching him stare endlessly into the memory fragment. He lightly sighed before placing his sprockets on one of the crafting tables. He removed his spectacles, placed them on the desk, and approached Ryo slowly with his crooked back impairing him moderately. "I know what you're thinking." He said.

Ryo looked at Dr. Zanner, locked eyes for him for two seconds, then looked back at the crystal. "What am I thinking?" Ryo asked in a monotone voice.

"You're thinking about those girls, aren't you?" Dr. Zanner asked, hitting the nail.

Ryo remained silent. His eyes and lips shortened as his worries became larger.

"Well…" Dr. Zanner said, coughing and sitting next to Ryo on a wooden rocking chair. "You're not alone in that. I heard a couple of people talking about your sister and all that. They… uh… well, her father was upset and… yeah."

"Claude?" Ryo asked.

"Yeah, Claude," Dr. Zanner's voice trailed off. There was a momentary pause between the both of them before Zanner mustered the courage to continue. "And, uh… my daughter too." He continued.

Ryo lightly scoffed, believing that Natia had no compassion nor feelings for Sumire's disappearance or presumed death. He continued playing with his ax, gazing into the crystal's illumination surrounded by the energy cage.

"She told me…" Zanner's voice increased in volume. He scratched his light gray beard, recounting what Natia had said. "She told me that she was a friend. There were some times when she hated her, and sometimes when she was jealous. But… overall… she said that she was her friend."

During the night that Sumire had gone missing, Ryo recounted the moment that Natia did admit that Sumire was a friend of hers after the battle with Zack. It seemed in that moment of desperation and guilt, Ryo did sense a taste of sincerity in her overall intentions and voice. It was not that Ryo did not believe Zanner, but he was disappointed that it had taken her so long for her to reveal her true feelings for Sumire. "I believe you," Ryo said.

"And that girl in the hospital… and Naoto's older sister…" Zanner continued, bringing up April and Sophie. "They'll both be just fine."

Ryo did not say anything. He was glad that Zanner accounted for their existence. It was heartwarming to hear that Ryo was not the only one thinking about them. He continued rotating his ax.

Zanner's face steered away as he stood up. "Well, Jinni made dinner," He said. "Starrosa came to visit from Miss Springwell's place. Chiaki's holding up the place just fine. That little girl picked some oranges and came over to make some orange tart. They'll be expecting you-"

"No." Ryo calmly said.

Zanner watched Ryo endlessly fidget with his ax, hoping that he could have done more to convince Ryo to escape from current events. However, he could not blame him for feeling the way that he did. He nodded in understanding and turned around. He was instantly surprised by his daughter Natia standing beside the doorway to the living room, leaning against the door with her arms crossed. Her short hair was tied back and she was wearing black exercise clothing.

"What's going on here?" Natia asked quickly.

Zanner looked away from Natia and held up his hand to speak. Without the strength to confront both of them, he remained silent and returned back into the living room.

Natia approached Ryo. Her presence did nothing to Ryo's concentration on the memory fragment. She took a deep breath and stood several meters away from him. The atmosphere in the hangar was warm and humid. It was silent, despite the living room being several more meters away.

"Hungry?" Natia asked.

Ryo remained silent for five seconds. "I can't eat." He said.

"Why not?"

Ryo looked at Natia with his beady eyes, staring deathly at her. "You should know why." He said.

Natia sighed and sat next to Ryo on the rocking chair. She placed her hands together and struggled to hold back her emotions. "What I did that day… was pathetic," She began. "I shouldn't have blamed you for losing control and putting it all on Akai. What I said was… hurtful."

Ryo did not speak. He stared coldly at the ground, thinking about the moment that Natia aggressively pressured Ryo about his true colors.

"The truth is…" Natia said, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't know… what it's like to lose a family member… when they mean a lot to you. My family, when they were killed in the bombardment… never treated me like I was one of them. I always felt separated, and I lost all sense of family bonds. But you and Sumire kept going on. You two had a thing and I didn't recognize that."

Ryo remained silent.

"If…" Natia stuttered, looking away from Ryo in embarrassment as her emotions got the better of her. "If somehow I could rewind time and save her from that moment, I would have exactly that," She said as the pacing of her breaths began to increase rapidly. "Because she pampered me. She always killed me with kindness and… I can't ever forget that. But I'm still struggling to move on, and you should-"

Ryo stood up immediately, stopping Natia in her tracks. He gripped his combat ax firmly and stared into Natia's soul. "The Jester killed Sumire, and you're telling me that I should move on?" Ryo said sarcastically. Her beliefs were becoming more and more unfathomable. "You don't get it."

"Okay," Natia said, standing up from her seat. She spoke softly and with tender care. "What don't I get?"

"You don't get that my past is already catching up to me," Ryo said. "To all of us. The Yakuza… the gang I was in… they caused all of this. Everything. They've been looking for that memory fragment the day I stole it from that laboratory. Ever since people have been hurt and killed. April. Sumire. Naoto. Sophie. Jinni. Claude. You." He emphasized.

Natia looked away.

"Ever since I came here…" Ryo began. "Nothing but pain and suffering came with me. What the hell have I accomplished?"

"What have you accomplished?" Natia said, scoffing and approaching Ryo closer. "You think this is easy? To just get up and run away from your mistakes? When that girl Sophie came to our front door a week ago, what did you think? You're fixing her relationship with Naoto. Clown girl seems a lot happier now that Naoto's better, and-"

"And what?" Ryo interrupted. "It's only a matter of time before reality hits them. Before the Yakuza came here. You don't get it," Ryo said, pointing at his fingers. "I can't sleep. I can't eat. I can't rest knowing that my sister could be dead. You can't expect me to just get over this."

"So what are you going to do?" Natia raised her voice. "Huh? You're gonna up and leave? After everything you started?" Natia shook her head in denial as a single teardrop escaped through her eye. Her eyes began to turn red and puffy. Her nostrils began to clog up with mucus. "Do you have any idea how the others would feel? How I would feel?"

"This isn't about any of you," Ryo clarified. "This is my problem."

"So share it," Natia said. "You went to Japan a week ago and you almost got Naoto killed. You were almost killed. You think you can solve your problems by yourself? How's that working out for you? What are you even planning on doing?"

"I'm glad you asked," Ryo said, setting his ax on the table next to Dr. Zanner's spectacles. "I'm going back to Asahikawa. I'm going to find Sezan, and I'm going to kill him. That's the only way to end it." He said.

Natia laughed as she could not believe what she was hearing. "Didn't you tell me… that you respected me? And didn't I tell you that night when all of this shit went down that I wanted you to move on?" Natia gestured with both of her hands. "Why can't you move on?" She whispered in a hushed tone.

Ryo shook his head in denial, looking away.

"Let it die. Just let it go," Natia said. "Stay."

"I can't," Ryo said.

Natia stared blankly away to the side. She shrugged and lightly slapped both of her knees. "Okay, so now what?" She asked. "What the hell do you want me to tell the others? That you're just gonna leave and never come back? We're not gonna let you go by yourself again."

"I'll come back when he's dead," Ryo said. "And I'm not giving you a choice."

"This won't solve anything," Natia said, shaking her head once more. "Listen to yourself. You're letting everything drag you down. Just…" Natia grabbed Ryo's shoulders and clutched them tightly. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry for what I said to you that night. If I said anything to make you feel the way that you do now, then you can hate me for it. But I don't want you to leave."

"That's not for you to decide," Ryo said, brushing Natia aside. He approached the energy casing and tapped on its control panel, the mainframe to activating and deactivating the device. "Open it." He said.

"Why?" Natia asked.

"Because I want to know what this is and why they're looking for it," Ryo said. "I'm done hurting others. If they want it, they can have it. If I can exchange it for our safety, then it doesn't matter to me anymore. So open it."

"Ryo…" Natia whined.

"Please." Ryo said.

Natia rubbed her forehead, baffled at Ryo's decision. She teared up and approached the control panel. Because her father created the device, she knew the code to deactivate it. She inputted a set of numbers before deactivating the energy field. Ryo picked up the memory fragment and placed it into a small satchel on the crafting table. Natia froze in place as Ryo activated his nanosuit. He packed all of his weapons and placed the satchel around his shoulder through a small wrap.

"If I ever hear from you again..." Natia began as her voice cracked. "I'll look for you."

Ryo opened the hangar doors with a push of a button. A blast of cold wind blew inside, locking Ryo's joints in place. He walked forward with his goals set in mind. He turned his head back to Natia. "Okay." He said.

As he locked into his neural interface, his golden helmet visor attached to his nanosuit. Using his ignition booster, Ryo leaped into the air and ascended the midnight skies with the fragment beside him. He did not see Natia's face before leaving, and he knew that his current actions were completely unreasonable. Yet he could not stand by idle any longer. He wanted to do something. He wanted to break free from the past.

Ryo soared through the skies. He removed his helmet and visor to soak in the cool air as he glided through. The city lights in Virgo were gorgeous twinkling stars that dazzled his eyes in beauty. He suspended himself in midair to take in the view as the air breezed past his face.

What Natia said to him made his heart tremble. To see the way that she was heart-wrenching, believing that despite her rivalry with Sumire, she had always viewed her as a friend. He had only wished that she could have felt that way sooner.

Ryo placed his left hand on his satchel. He could sense tingling energies from within, tickling his palm. "Memory fragment…" Ryo whispered, unsure of its true intentions. "Memory fragment of what?"

Ryo closed his eyes and attempted to reminisce about his prior experiences with the memory fragment. Ever since he had pillaged it from the laboratory, he could not remember anything from direct contact. It was only when he had given it to April. Although her interaction with it was short, she had said something that was particularly interesting.

"I just feel it… calling to me." Ryo reminded her speech back then, saying her words aloud. "That has to mean something… right?"

An epiphany came abruptly in Ryo's mind. He activated his ignition boosters and blasted into the distance, fixating his mentality on searching for the truth.

The city at midnight was still active, despite having extremely chilly weather. Shopping malls and antique stores were bustling with humans and aliens. Restaurants ignited flaming pillars controlled by iron technology to heat their customers' surroundings for outdoor dining. Ryo softly landed on a nearby townhouse cluster hosting a wintry light show with vivid colors brimming across the streets. Holograms of dancers lined up across the light show choreographed together in unison for everyone to enjoy. A towering cyan holographic crystal that emitted laser lights circulated in the center of a plaza square. Cheery laughs, wine glasses colliding, and children yelling were all that Ryo could hear while he perched in secret above the townhouse.

"Beautiful," Ryo whispered before touching down on ground level. He found himself at the exact spot that he wanted to be in; the pizzeria where all of Sunlight feasted supremely baked mushroom pizza and tangy pink lemonade. Ryo glanced over at two separate tables filled with elderly guests and was reminded of how the tables were combined for the pizza-eating competition with Sumire and Natia. The memory of how much Sunlight had enjoyed that moment was heartening to him. Ryo's eyes lowered themselves, reflecting upon how simple and happy he would have been had he not been careless.

Ryo stood still, frightened by how out of place he appeared in public. He pressed on his nanosuit to deactivate it. He dressed in his occasional white tiger sweater and black leather pants. He took out his cellphone and silenced it to prevent any distractions. The moment he gazed into the screen, he could do nothing but remember that it was a gift from Sumire for accepting her into his life. He clenched onto it tightly and closed his eyes, treasuring it dearly.

As he slipped through the parade of citizens exploring the light show, Ryo caught a glimpse of a child eating a warm curry bun purchased from an international goods vendor. The child had specks of potato and curry bits on his cheeks, and the child's family took photos while sharing laughs with each other. Another child, who Ryo assumed to be his sister, snatched his curry bun and stuffed a mouthful into her chubby-cheeked mouth.

The only positive memory that Ryo had recently was his father telling him to be hopeful for the future. Yet it was not nearly enough, or on the spectrum that the child he examined had been going through. Ryo's envy for the child and his family began taking him back, making him steer away from ever looking into the eyes of the fortunate.

He placed his hands in his sweater pockets and casually walked down the street. The crowded single-direction area made it nearly impossible to twist and turn with freedom. He crossed through a small gap with people blowing bubbles near a shopping mall. Across the street was a children's playground, lit up in holiday-themed lights that reminded Ryo of Christmas. He took a seat near a bench to separate from the action.

He could not help but eavesdrop on several conversations talking about places to visit, sights to see, and adventures to embark on. Everyone seemed to have the optimism of the future, cherishing all life that there was. Ryo sensed nothing. Nothing was remotely there for him to make him happy in any manner. He wondered if there would ever be a time he could be normal. As a child, he envied difference. Now, it was different.

With a sigh, Ryo fixed his head to the left, eyeing the hospital from far away. He stood up and began maneuvering his way there.

"Going somewhere?" A voice startled Ryo.

Ryo shouted and edged back from where the voice came from. It was Akai who appeared, dressed in an ugly Christmas sweater with black slacks. Ryo gently felt the satchel on his back with his right hand to ensure that Akai did not snatch it as he daydreamed.

"What the fuck are you-"

"Hey now," Akai said, smiling with his pearly white teeth open. "Don't wanna be causing a scene around here. We're in public. Or did you forget how it felt to be around normal people for once?"

"Shut up. You're the last person I'd ever want to run into," Ryo said, harboring a grudge for what he had done to Jinni and himself. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for the same reasons everyone else is," Akai said, placing his hands on his hips. "Laser light show. Duh," He approached Ryo, patting his shoulder as he rubbed his chiseled goatee. "Happens once in a year, you know, and I'm guessing you knew that too."

"I didn't," Ryo said. "Now leave me alone."

"But we just ran into each other!" Akai said, opening his arms wide to pretend to embrace Ryo. "Aw, don't be like that. Sure, I managed to beat you down, but that was because I wanted to teach you a hard-earned lesson, that's all. Can't you ever forgive me for that, Ryo?"

"I'd rather die than forgive you." Ryo bluntly stated.

Akai clenched his teeth and sucked in air through his mouth. "Ooh, harsh. I'm gonna get myself some food," He said. "Better get a move on before anyone finds you here." He began moving into the crowd, searching for an international food vendor to satiate his appetite.

"Wait, stop!" Ryo yelled, blocking his path by stepping in front of him. "What do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean by what?"

"How did you know that I didn't want to be seen? Do you have surveillance on me?"

Akai chuckled loudly. "Oh please, Ryo," he said. "Do you really think I'm that evil?"

"You didn't answer my question. And yes, I do."

Akai leaned forward and grinned at Ryo amusingly, believing his questions to be an utter joke. "I used my eyes, genius," His soft and tender voice was riddled with sarcasm. "I saw you fly and land on those houses," He used the back of his hand to gently smack Ryo over his head playfully. "Better to use that noggin of yours rather than your mouth to do the talking."

Ryo watched as Akai departed into a holiday-themed shopping center open at midnight. His utter spite for Akai's sarcastic and jokester personality infuriated him. It irritated him to the point where Ryo wanted to discover more about him. His overbearing combat prowess, his observant and charming wit, and his carefree attitude made him the perfect human being, and it terrified Ryo.

Without hesitation, Ryo chased after Akai, following him into the first-floor lobby of a granite-floored shopping district. More holograms of foreign dancers spread across the district. Children with small portable holograms in their palms glorified their presence. Ryo could see several parades floats taking up a majority of space on the third floor. As he wished he could have explored the area, Ryo fixated his attention on Akai, who moved towards a neon-lit casino-themed bar.

Despite the festive scenery outside the bar, the rustic bar that Ryo and Akai entered had a completely different atmosphere. Alien thugs played billiards at the gaming section of the bar, while some willingly gambled for money. Multi-screened televisions played live hockey sports from the United States, and groups of people, human and alien alike cheered in unison for their teams. Ryo snuck through an entire crowd of smokers, finding Akai sitting at the bartender's desk with a heap of cash stacked on top. Something that Ryo noticed was Akai's platinum band on his left ring finger. He only had a split second to react to it before Akai slipped his hand by his knees.

"Give us your finest two bowls of Daimyo Ramen," Akai ordered one of the chefs serving sushi. He wrapped his arm around Ryo and shook him to create a sense of trust and partnership. "Give a little extra for this man, would ya?"

"Let go of me, damn it," Ryo said, shoving Akai's arm off. "What are you doing?"

"I said I'd come here to eat, didn't I?" Akai said, keeping his eyes on the female bartender serving martinis to guests beside her. "This place is always nice. They've got a wide variety of food from Earth. They replicate their food quite well. This is Aries, after all."

Ryo sighed and rested his elbow on the countertop. "What are you doing here? I want the truth."

"Already answered that one, detective," Akai replied immediately.

"No…! I mean… fuck." Ryo whispered to himself, annoyed out of his mind. He never imagined he would be sitting next to Akai, someone who's demonstrated untrustworthiness since the very beginning.

"Would you lighten up, sheesh!" Akai said, patting Ryo's shoulder again. "I already ordered food and you're still gonna play twenty questions with me? Man, you must have had no social life back in your gangster days."

"When are you going to understand? I don't trust you." Ryo affirmed.

"Hmm… all right," Akai said, turning to face Ryo. He placed his left elbow on the countertop and rested his chin on his palm. "Then we start over since I feel that we've started off completely on the wrong foot. Hi! My name's Akai. And you are?"

"I'm not going to play these games with you," Ryo said, raising his voice. He scooted his barstool backward. The pegs of the stool scratched against the surface of the wooden floors below him, making an uncomfortable screeching sound that attracted the attention of the bar's guests. "If you're going to play dumb, then I'm just wasting my time-"

"Hey, bartender!" Akai interrupted, waving his hand to the one in charge. "Get us some drinks! I'll take some uh… whatever your house special is!"

Ryo exhaled in defiance. "Don't change the-"

"Excuse me," The female bartender intervened, bowing forward in respect. Her astonishing beauty made both Ryo and Akai freeze momentarily. "What would you like?"

Ryo glanced over to Akai, who raised both of his eyebrows up twice in quick succession as he smiled with his pearly white teeth. He sighed after realizing that he was making a total scene in public. She sat down and remembered the only drink he had recently, which made him reminisce of both Sumire and April. "Non-alcoholic mint cider, please." He muttered.

"Coming right up." The bartender replied.

Akai watched Ryo sit back in his stool while scooting in, resting both of his elbows down to fit in. He chuckled at Ryo's drastically altered behavior as if he was a dog who had just learned how to sit. He separated his wooden chopsticks in half, folded the paper slip he had ripped it out of, and placed the ends of the chopsticks on the slip. Akai's smile remained, contrasting with Ryo's irritated frown.

"You never told me you were married," Ryo mumbled, eyeing Akai's platinum band.

"Oh, this?" Akai said, showing off the sheen of his band. "You've got a good eye. Fun fact, I met her at a bar like this in Japan. She was like a tiny puppy, abandoned by her lover at the time, sheltering herself from the cold with nothing but some newspapers that some homeless man pissed on," He said. Akai's tone went from being overly enthusiastic to calm, speaking in a soothing way. "I had never seen anyone so innocent before. She was there… hot pink hair, blemished makeup, cheeks riddled with dried tears. Everyone seemed to pass by, disgusted by her existence. But I offered my jacket to her and went into the bar."

Ryo could not tell if Akai was telling the truth. But judging by his tone, Ryo had some sense of belief.

"You should have seen her when I wrapped it around her," Akai continued. "Her beady little eyes opened up like pools of water. Her tears of joy… and her smile were all that I wanted to see before I went in. And I did. But then I realized… After I ordered my coffee, I left my wallet inside that jacket. Went outside to find her, but she disappeared."

"You said she was your wife?" Ryo asked.

"That was the first and last time she had ever been dishonest with me," Akai continued. "I always came back to that bar every day, hoping she would come back. She did in the end, but not in the way I expected."

"What do you mean?"

"One night, I was returning home after buying some groceries," Akai said, resting both of his elbows on the countertop. The female bartender finished the house special; orange-flavored whiskey with a hint of cinnamon. Akai rotated the drink around to stir the cubes of ice within. "She used my driver's license to find my address. She was there still dirtied up… only this time, she did the unexpected. She washed my jacket and returned my wallet. She had spent some money to take it to the cleaners and all that, and she gave it back to me that night. Before she walked away, I asked her to come inside with me. She reeked with piss and shit, so I let her take a shower to clean all of her worries away. I waited for her. When she came out, I had never seen anyone so beautiful in my life. She looked like a completely different person, and she was waiting for me."

"You make it sound like you're an actual nice guy." Ryo joked.

"I would never have considered myself that back then," Akai interrupted, denying Ryo's statement. "I planned for nothing. I only wanted to help her smile again. Because deep down underneath all those tears and splotched makeup, I knew there was a treasure inside waiting to be discovered. I saved her from death… and she made my life." Akai finished, taking a sip of his orange whiskey.

If Akai was telling the truth, then this was Ryo's first time he had ever witnessed such genuine emotion elicited from him. Akai's soft tone, humble mannerisms, and confident eyes persuaded Ryo to not judge a book by its cover. It seemed that he had a soul, Ryo thought. "I…" Ryo broke out his voice in a feeble whisper. "I can't save anyone from death." He said.

"You mean Sumire? And your girlfriend?" Akai mentioned.

"Her name is April, and she isn't my girlfriend," Ryo instantly corrected. "I was right next to them when they were hurt, and I did nothing. I guess… in a way, you're much better than I am because you saved your wife."

Akai's eyes stared coldly into the table. His mouth gaped open as he froze in time. "I haven't." He uttered with a pressured tone.

"But, I thought you said-"

"Ah, for Christ's sake, just forget it," Akai annoyingly said. "What, you think I can't be honest? Just because I chose to follow orders and disappear for work?" He took another sip of his drink and set it down, staring into its center. "And for the record, Sumire and your girlfriend getting hurt wasn't your fault. Time is always tricking us into believing everything will go accordingly. But when it doesn't, fate interrupts. Not to say it was fate, but… more of an unexpected inconvenience."

"You mean… my past?" Ryo asked.

"Of course! That's exactly what I mean," Akai cheered. "But, I'm more of an optimistic person myself. For the record, I don't think Sumire's dead, nor do I think your girlfriend."

"What?" Ryo's baffled tone returned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've known your sister far longer than you ever had, and I'm certain that she wouldn't just die and give up like that. Not when she has you to defend, that is. What, do you think she's truly that pathetic? You think she'll let the dust bite her and drag her down to hell?"

"No…" Ryo muttered, after thinking about Sumire's tenacity. The first time that he had reunited with her was a wake-up call for both him and her. Her bold and fierce attitude remained with her motorcycle becoming a huge factor in her pride. She took pride in being the strongest she could, defending others, and being better than her family. She took honest words to heart, and family to cherish. Now that Ryo had more time to think about the sniper incident, her disappearance was extremely peculiar. There were no signs of her body, and he recalled seeing one of Lucine's grenades detonate to cloud their vision. "Wait… Lucia…?" Ryo whispered.

"Hmm?" Akai said, finishing his drink.

"Nothing," Ryo dismissed. He received his non-alcoholic mint cider, fresh and ready for his taste buds. He took a single sip and admired the quality; however, it was nowhere near as refined as Claude's exquisite version. "I was just thinking about Sumire. You… might be right."

"Looks like you're starting to trust me," Akai teased. "Am I right?"

"Don't get your hopes up." Ryo retorted.

As the duo received their Daimyo Ramen, Ryo started to analyze the events of Sumire's disappearance after Akai was distracted by the food. Lucine's 8-bit grenades detonated on the spot after the first bullet struck her, Ryo imagined. Someone must have been watching and knew this would happen. But… who? Does that mean… she's okay?

But if she is… where is she?

The two steaming bowls of Daimyo Ramen created a mouth-watering authentic Japanese sensation for Akai. "You know why they call it Daimyo Ramen?" Akai asked.

"No, why?" Ryo asked.

"The bowl, composed of tonkatsu meat, ramen eggs, freshly chopped scallions, Narutomaki fish cake, and nori, was named after the lords of Japan in the feudal era who dedicated their lives to the loyalty of the shogunate," Akai explained, inhaling the fresh aroma of the combined ingredients. "The shogunate was the highest-ranking military leader, and their daimyo served underneath them as their lords of long since past. Honestly, it's reminding me of the power of the lords. Mythologically speaking, a daimyo could protect the shogunate and its people. But to determine a daimyo's rank, much more had to be done than just for the shogunate. They had to protect their pride... their heart... their past.... their present... and future."

"Power of the lords..." Ryo whispered. With Ryo reminding himself of the daimyo's history, he wondered if he could ever obtain the power of a lord to alter his past, forgive himself, and save his friends. But how could he achieve such power, he thought. All he knew was that his existence destroyed the living foundation of all he loved around him. But if a daimyo could change the world with their power and pride, then so could he.

Ryo and Akai snatched their chopsticks and dove in for pure ecstasy; the lord's wish.