Novel Girls' Next Tour (A Girls' Last Tour fan-sequel) (2020 Rewrite)

Discussion in 'Community Fictions' started by ContemplateGrapefruit, Jan 18, 2020.

  1. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    Dear Readers,
    In 2019 I finished a fanfic/novel about my own interpretation of what happens after the "Girls' Last Tour" manga. It takes into consideration all the events that transpired in the anime, manga and some of the chapters in the Anthology Comic too. The story went through several rewrites and re-polish (RECENTLY 2022) until I felt happy with it and I am hoping this will be the final version of the story without any further additions. I hope that you will enjoy the newest rewrite :)




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    Synopsys:

    Following the day after they reached the top of the world, Chito and Yuuri are faced with a life or death decision as they decide to journey towards the center of the mysterious layer. However, there seems to be more to the ‘empty’ layer than meets the eye...
    (Pairing Chito x Yuuri <3 )

    Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance, Science-Fiction, Fan-fiction, Yuri

    Table of Contents:
    Chapter 1: Message
    Chapter 2: Blue Light
    Chapter 3: Desperation
    Chapter 4: Nara
    Chapter 5: Outside
    Chapter 6: Affliction
    Chapter 7: Window
    Chapter 8: AI
    Chapter 9: Home
    Chapter 10: Dream
    Chapter 11: Moon
    Chapter 12: September
    Epilogue

    I hope you will enjoy the story and please don't hesitate to write your feedback, critique, thoughts and any questions you might have. It makes me really happy if people want to read this story because the girls really mean a lot to me.
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
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  2. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    It was past noon when Chito slowly opened her eyes, above the vast mechanical city they left behind the day before. With barely any sleep, her vivid and strange dreams seemed to skip through a lot of the events that transpired after they left their home up to the last stretch of their journey. A little bit dazed from her short slumber, it took her a moment to realize her current predicament. They spent what felt like a lifetime climbing up to the last layer, only to find a strange derelict block settled long before their time.

    Rising from underneath the blanket, she stretched her arms and yawned. Although she was used to sleeping on hard surfaces, it always left her feeling cramped the next day. "Mmm… the sun feels so much warmer up here." Chito thought to herself soaking in the afternoon sun. Looking at the far distance, the sun vastly illuminated the derelict city beneath them. She couldn't help but enjoy the view of the unobstructed horizon as it went on forever in the distance of the abandoned city below.

    Next to her, Yuuri was still sleeping on the cold ground, mumbling and smiling in her sleep just like she always did. Chito glanced at her with a smile and thought to herself how she was probably dreaming about food again.

    "Even after all we've been through, she still only has food on her mind."

    They spent the whole night climbing up the exhausting and dangerous stairwell up to the last layer, and a short slumber was all that they needed to gather up their strength. After Yuuri woke up, they had to figure out what they would do next.

    Feeling slightly peckish, Chito leaned to scour through her backpack to see if she missed something the other day. Besides a few items, she could feel the solid edges of the package they found way back during their journey. It was the package containing a bomb with a fuse.

    "Well... this is inedible!" Chito thought to herself. "I guess... we could use this for something - hopefully not on ourselves..." Her expression changed to one of sadness at the thought of losing the only person in this world that mattered to her. Since they lost their trusty kettenkrad, the grim thoughts seemed to continuously cloud her mind.

    Still, the whole concept of death seemed sublime to her, even if they were surrounded by it from the very start of their lives. Friends and probably everyone else in the world were currently in their graves, perished from war and hunger. Some of them passed so quickly in their lives that they never managed to remember their names. The killing for what little food remained in the world, never seemed to stop. It still felt like some kind of miracle that they lasted this long with the small number of supplies they had left. Probably just like everyone else, they had to eventually accept their fate. Food was scarce in this world and giving up and dying from starvation seemed like a reasonable end to their adventure. If the concept of heaven was genuine, she hoped that everyone they loved waited for them on the other side and she and Yuuri would eventually join them and finally be at peace.

    Nevertheless, even if this reality was hopeless and devoid of any happiness, she had a constant urge to keep fighting for her friend's sake. She would never abandon the only companion in the whole world that brings her joy and a reason to live, even with all the incredible and painful memories they shared.

    "I guess, our priority is to look for food..." she thought to herself and carefully closed her backpack. "We ate up the last ration packet last night." Their backpacks weighing even less could make the rest of their journey much easier. "Maybe we can find something edible up here - I guess we will worry about that when Yuuri wakes up."

    Laying back next to Yuuri, she covered herself with the blanket and stared at the far horizon. Having her thoughts to herself, she kept repeating the same questions in her head "What's next? - What is this place? - Could there be more up here? - Where do we find more food?" She felt it was of utmost importance to make a decision right here and now if they were going to survive.

    The option to just sit here and eventually starve or freeze to death was far from what she had in mind last night, but no matter what they decide she still felt hopeless. Living sure has been nice, but all she wanted was to make more memories with Yuuri and keep on exploring. However, unless they manage to find shelter or food, they would eventually starve or freeze to death.

    Chito felt like she couldn't be selfish in this situation, she had to fight for Yuuri's sake. Even if she felt disheartened at this moment and everyone she knew was gone from this existence, she wanted to spend what little time she had left with her friend. "I can't give up on Yuuri - I just... can't… she deserved more than this!"

    Some time passed as Yuuri finally woke up from her slumber. "Uhhhh.... her Chii-chan - you are awake." she softly mumbled and yawned.

    "Hey, Yuu. I've been awake for some time now - I didn't want to wake you up." Chito answered as Yuuri stretched her arms. "Do I even have to guess that you were dreaming about food again with all that mumbling and smiling you were doing?"

    "Hehe - You know me too well Chii-chan…" she let out an embarrassed chuckle "It sure was a tasty dream. I was dreaming that we were eating a ton of fish we caught from a lake just like the one we saw in a picture that time - I want to have a fishy again… soooo tasty" smacking her lips, the thought of food was making her feel peckish yet again. "Ahh, the sun… it's so warm!" she smiled reaching up to the midday sky, covered with just a few clouds. "Chii-chan, I love this view, I feel like I can reach the clouds from up here if I just held out my hand."

    "At least the view was worth coming up here." Chito replied. However, she still had to talk to Yuuri about all the questions that have been plaguing her mind ever since she woke up. It was important to decide what they would do next.

    "So, umm - Yuu - What do we do next?" With a worried look, Chito turned around to face her "I mean we got up here and that was our goal… but we have no supplies or food and we had to leave the Kettenkrad behind. We only found this strange block. I thought grandpa told us to come up here for a reason but - we found no one and nothing..."

    "Oh right - yeah - um..." With a tense expression, Yuuri turned to face Chito as she sat back on the cold ground. "…maybe we can keep on exploring or go back down and look for something? ...There must be a place where we can call home Chii-chan." she replied scratching her head. "But - hey, at least we reached the top together. Wasn't that our plan all along?"

    Unsure what to say next, her eyes filled up with worry. It was the first time since they left the village that they were unsure of what to do next. Up to this moment, they had supplies and a straightforward goal to survive as they reach the top of the city with the expectancy that they will eventually find a home, food, or someone alive that can help them. Perhaps even other survivors in this desolate world?

    But without any supplies and food left, they both felt unsure about what would happen to them.

    "Do you think we made a mistake Chii-chan?" Yuuri asked.

    "I don't know - I just - " Chito answered with sadness in her eyes. "I was thinking of it before you woke up Yuu - even if there is no hope for us - I just - I am really afraid..." slowly tears started clouding her eyes as little droplets fell on the blanket "I don't want to die Yuu..."

    Unable to hold back her tears, she started sobbing. "Please Yuu - promise me that you won't leave too!" Losing the only person that mattered to her in this life was the worst nightmare she could ever imagine. "Even if the world and everyone else is gone - we only have each other... even if there is nothing - "

    Seeing Chito in distress always felt like a sharp needle piercing deeply through Yuuri's gentle heart. "Chii-chan - " Yuuri worriedly spoke and gently embraced her distressed friend. "We'll figure something out like we always do. You are the smartest person in the world so we can find something … Please don't cry…" Even though she rarely cried, Yuuri couldn't keep her tears as well.

    "You know that I will never leave you - Chii-chan. I know that we will find more supplies if we work together just like before, and we can find a home too if we keep on trying. I want to find that lake in my dream with all the fishies... and catch tasty fish together with you. Look Chii-chan!" Gently she took Chito's hand and placed it close to her heart. "My heart still beats - that means I am still alive."

    Looking up at Yuuri, Chito's hands kept shaking from fear as she felt the rhythmic beating of Yuuri's heart. The organic machine inside her chest still kept pumping life, and it wasn't about to give up. Sobbing even louder she felt helpless and scared as she tightly held onto Yuuri. "I just - don't know - what are we gonna do?!"

    "We will figure something out." Yuuri gently spoke and smiled through the tears. "No matter what, I will be there for you Chii-chan..."

    Composing herself, Chito always felt safe in Yuuri's warm embrace. Just like when she squeezed her hand on that last climb, she felt a sense of serenity and safety every time she was close to her. It was a feeling she had for her since she could remember.

    Every time Chito lay in her embrace, she kept reminding herself of all kinds of vivid dreams she had with Yuuri. In those dreams, they were together living a peaceful and comfortable life in the old world, before humankind decided to wipe itself from existence. With tears in her eyes, she felt that before they were gone from this life she had to tell her about those precious dreams that she kept buried deep inside of her.

    "Yuu - do you remember back in that place - when we watched the moving pictures?" Chito asked, laying her head on Yuuri's chest. "I - I was a bit embarrassed to tell you - but I had a vivid dream when I fell asleep. In my strange dream, we were in a completely different world where we were happy. It felt like the old world, as life used to be then. We had a place we can call home, and we made plans about traveling the world and try all kinds of delicious foods. It made me so happy that we could carelessly do all these plans for our future, but then I woke up... Is it that selfish of me that I want for us to be happy?" she asked through the onset of tears.

    "Chii-chan... Everyone wants to be happy." Yuuri replied still holding her close. "I am happy when I can eat tasty food, but I am happier when I see you smile, and I am happy when I listen to your stories and explore this strange world with you. And we will keep on being happy until the very end because we are together Chii!"

    Closing her eyes, Chito spoke through another onset of tears. "Yuu - I - I love you more than anything - in this empty world..." Being so close in Yuuri's arms she felt at peace. Even if it felt like the whole world wanted them dead, all she wanted was to be alive with Yuuri.

    "Hey, Chii-chan… Remember when we watched that moving picture and the guy and girl did something that they called a kiss?" Yuuri asked her and smiled "I remember that you told me that a kiss is something people do when they love each other - and that it makes them happy and smile. And Chii-chan, I wanted to do that kissing thing with you ever since then, because I know that when sometimes you feel bad, I want to do something that makes you feel not bad anymore!"

    Chito sniffled and let out a soft chuckle, it was all that she could do laying peacefully in her arms. "I remember and... I - well..." nervously she looked away. "I kinda wanted to try that with you as well, to keep your mind off from food when you felt hungry - even in my dreams we did that too... few times..." she admitted and blushed a deep shade of red. "...If it's gonna make us happy..."

    "Well - let's give it a try!" Yuuri suggested and gently smiled.

    Looking into Yuuri's beautiful eyes, Chito always felt that she had a connection with her on a deeper level. She loved her survival companion more than life itself, but could never seem to admit it to her. Even after all they went through, the joyful and painful moments they shared, she felt like she wouldn't change it for anything else in life. Yuuri was the whole world to her and she was happy that she could share every living moment close to her.

    Closing their eyes, slowly they leaned toward each other and gently locked their lips. Kissing for the first time, it felt like the whole world outside stopped in its tracks. It felt as if for a brief moment they were transported inside Chito's dreams that she cherished forever. In her dreams, she could plan their future without worries, and the warmth of their home gave them comfort happiness, and something to live for. But most of all they were alive together and eventually when they would grow old and live their happiest life.

    Shortly after they broke off from the kiss, both of them blushed a deep shade of red and glanced away. "See? A kiss did make you happy Chii-chan" Yuuri happily spoke even though she was a bit embarrassed.

    "It's like that one time we drank that mysterious beer drink," Chito stated, she felt like she was about to die from embarrassment. "It kinda made me feel so warm and happy inside!"

    "Chii-chan - I love you more than food…" Yuuri exclaimed and let out a chuckle as she turned around and embraced her again.

    "Oh, Yuu…" Chito let out a chuckle. "You always think about food, even now after we kissed! I swear you will eat me one day." jokingly she stated.

    "Hey - it's Chii-chan first - then all the yummy food second!"

    "Yuuri… you are sooo, crazy…" Chito reacted unable to help herself as she started giggling "I swear - I will make the best foods for you when I get the chance". For her, laughter did feel like the right medicine at this moment.

    "Hey, Chii-chan - I know! Let's get married when we find a home!" Yuuri excitingly suggested.

    With a dumbstruck reaction, Chito stared back at her. "Wait what!?"

    "In that moving picture, that guy gave the girl a ring and they got married - I remember you told me that marriage is when two people want to stay together for the rest of their lives and that is what I want us to do Chii-chan!" Yuuri spoke with a smile.

    Chito was still left dumbstruck by her sudden request.

    "Look - I even found this thing that looks like a ring." Yuuri pulled out a grenade pin from her pocket that she found way back on one of the layers they passed before. "I was keeping it all this time to give it to you someday when we found a home."

    "Yuu - " Chito felt speechless as she stared at Yuuri presenting the ring to Chito.

    "As I remember, the man in that moving picture got down on one knee like this and held out the ring to the girl." Yuuri indeed got down on one knee and held out the grenade pin to her. "You told me that this is called proposing, so I propose that we will find a home and get married and will always be happy - Chii-chan!"

    With tears in her eyes, Chito gently held out her hand as Yuuri placed the oversized grenade pin on her finger. "I promise you Chii-chan - we will always be together!"

    "Yuu - I - " Weeping again she jumped into Yuuri's embrace and hugged her tightly. "Yuu! I - promise you - that we will find a home and we will get married!"

    Laying down embraced on the ground, Chito held out her hand up to the sky to inspect the grenade pin. The pin used to house a live grenade many years ago as corrosion had to show for it. "Yuu - this ring is from a grenade. I hope it didn't kill someone." she spoke. "Sadly, these are the remnants of the world before us. I will never completely understand why humankind was so spiteful of each other and every living being. Instead of happiness, they kept inventing horrible ways to destroy each other. Even if the bombs we found did help us on our journey, it makes me sad that we had to destroy the machine below."

    "Chii-chan, we had to do that to save the life of the fishy." Yuuri replied gently holding her hand "When we find a home we will make it up for all the destruction we also caused below."

    "Yuu - we kinda caused a lot of destruction." she embarrassingly admitted. "There is a lot we have to do - to make up for that."

    Moments of tranquility washed over them as they lay up there on top of the world, even at the edge of existence they could still find happiness in just being next to each other. Even if everything felt hopeless, they still found the time to laugh or make each other happy.

    However, they were losing time and daylight so they had to get up and figure out what to do next.

    "Chii-chan. You know, last night we couldn't see what was up here it was dark. But I think we should see if we can find something." Yuuri stood up from the ground and held out her hand to help Chito up as well.

    "You are right," Chito said and stood up as well. "I had a strange dream about this stone last night too, but I don't remember what it was about"

    Walking around the stone they kept inspecting every corner to see if they missed anything. In one of the ruined parts of the stone, they found a strange inscription that was written in a language that probably belonged to the machines they found on the layers underneath.

    "Yuu, I saw this in my dream but I have no idea what it means, I think I noticed it last night too but..." Chito said as she trailed her hand along with the strange inscribed part of the stone. She could feel a strange vibration and a faint electrical sound coming from inside the stone that she never noticed before.

    "Do you think it means something Chii-chan?"

    "I can't understand this scripture at all." Chito replied, still curiously examining the smooth surface of the strange stone looking for any other clues that might help them solve this new mystery. "Do you think that maybe there is something up here Yuu?"

    "Chii-chan look - out there in the distance!" Yuuri replied as she pointed far beyond the staircase. The sun illuminated more of the world and it seemed like the layer went on endlessly in the distance. At first glance, the layer did seem empty, but if you looked carefully there was something in the far distance.

    Chito and Yuuri felt that there was something strange about this layer, something that they couldn't notice in the layers underneath them. "Yuu. Even the sound and the vibration of the layer seemed different from the ones below. Like it is alive underneath all that snow." Chito replied to her before she kneeled and placed her hand on the ground. The ground was of strange metallic construction, filled with tiny holes that went off in the distance.

    "Chii-chan. Maybe grandpa told us to come here for a reason?"

    "Yuu... I don't remember all of the stories that he told me before he started being forgetful, but I think I remember that he told me once about how the metropolis was built in layers that each serve a purpose. But after some time he stopped telling me stories about the outside world as if he was afraid of something. Remember that he always told us to be cautious of other people and that they could hurt us for food..."

    "Yuu... Maybe what we are seeing is not here, but far into the distance. Or inside the layer?" Chito presumed as she got up from the ground. "If I had the scope I would have checked out what's out there but - I lost the scope too."

    "Sooo… Chii-chan… Let's go see what's out there before the night falls?" Yuuri responded and smiled "Even if there is nothing up here - we can always just go back and look for supplies below. Maybe we will be able to find another stairwell to go down or somewhere else - there must be a reason why this layer is up here after all."

    "Sure Yuu... but wait I have to do something first!" Chito ran to the back of the other side of the stone monument where they slept the night before and grabbed their backpacks. Taking out the knife from her backpack, she ran back to where Yuuri was standing. "I read in a book once that people in the past when they climbed the highest peak of a mountain always left messages. I want to do the same!"

    Placing the sharp edge of the blade on the stone, she started inscribing a message.

    "What does it say?" Yuuri asked after she finished writing.

    "It's just a message for our lost friends, that we made it and we are still alive!"

    Packing up what was left of their belongings and their helmets, hand in hand Chito and Yuuri started their long hike towards whatever was there in the distance of the mysterious layer.


    • • •

    Back at the stone, the message on the concrete slab that Chito left read:

    Kanazawa, Ishii, Ojichan, Nuko
    We made it, we are up here!
    Chito & Yuuri.
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  3. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    The mysterious layer was barely illuminated by the dying lights of the stars shimmering up in the cold sky and the 12 blue lights flickering in the far distance. The girls noticed those strange blue lights come alive in the evening as they hiked toward the center of the mysterious layer. Shivering from the cold and alone in the dark, Chito kept walking around in circles looking for Yuuri, whom she has lost a while back. Terrified, she kept shouting and calling out her name in vain.

    "Yuu! Where are you!" she shouted and shouted to no reply.

    So far the only sound she could hear was the echo of her voice in the far distance. Yuuri was deeply scared of the dark and she relied on Chito's support to get through it, finding her was of utmost importance.

    As Chito kept walking for what seemed like an eternity, abruptly she noticed the eerie apparition of a tall person holding a rifle in their arms. The weapon strangely resembled the 'Arisaka' rifle that their grandfather gave to Yuuri back in the village.

    "Yuu? Is that you?" Chito asked to no reply. Startled she carefully stepped back, as the apparition raised the rifle aiming at the far distance.

    Wearing a white yukata, the apparition with immaculate precision fired at the lights in the distance, reloading a bullet in the chamber with each shot. Somehow even from this far distance, it managed to hit all of the blue lights, but only missed the ninth light on the far right. Throwing the rifle on the ground, the apparition took out a cigarette from the pocket of the yukata and lit it on fire. It seemed to be transfixed into the only remaining blue light in the distance.

    Curiously, Chito approached the apparition from the back. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" she asked, still terrified that this person might hurt her.

    Slowly the apparition turned around to face her and with a smile, he replied: "Wow, you've grown into such a beautiful girl Chii-chan." Even though his profile and voice seemed to be distorted, she could immediately recognize the familiar features of someone that saved her and Yuuri's life what felt like a really long time ago.

    "Grandpa?" exclaimed Chito. "What - How!?" Even though their grandfather was the person that saved their lives, she still felt terrified by his ghostlike appearance.

    Taking another puff of his cigarette, he smiled and started speaking in the same distant voice from before "Chii-chan - I am so sorry for everything. I had to protect you both. Chii-chan please go to the ninth light, you will see... and ... remember..." dropping the cigarette down on the ground he turned around and started walking in the dark distance. "I am so happy I got to see you one last time, please take care of Yuuri. I love you - my beautiful flowers - " walking further in the distance he slowly dissipated from this existence.

    "GRANDPA!" With tears in her eyes, Chito yelled after him and wept as she started running after him, she was gaining momentum but no matter how fast she ran she could never reach him. "GRANDPA WAIT! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE US AGAIN! PLEASE!" screaming with all her might she couldn't do anything else but keep on running and screaming into the empty dark distance.

    The sky and the lights turned a dark shade of black... he was again gone from their lives!

    ° ° °

    "Chii-chan?"

    "Chii-chan?!" Trying to wake her up was Yuuri who was laying next to her. "Chii-chan, please wake up! You are having another nightmare!"

    Opening her eyes, Chito glanced around only to see the terrified look of Yuuri laying huddled next to her. Chito was drenched in sweat and seemed to have been crying in her sleep. Her heart beating uncontrollably fast, she was still unable to comprehend if that was real or a dream she experienced. It was still late at night, the stars covering the dark sky like a carpet of shining glitter.

    Since they woke up in the middle of the day on the last layer, they spent most of the time hiking towards the center. Exhausted and hungry they kept pushing on as much as their stamina could let them. Stopping only for brief intervals to rest their legs and keep hydrated from the water in their flasks, they were careful each time to restock their supply with the snow around them. The warm sun guided them forward through most of the day, however, when night came the cruel cold chilled their bones to the core.

    Looking for a place to sleep for the night, it seemed as if luck was once again on their side. In the distance they noticed the soft whir of an exhaust vent pumping out warm air, cooling the endless machines that seemed to be alive underneath the last layer. With ease they could lay down on the warm mesh grid just above the vent, sleeping huddled next to each other in their undershirts.

    "Grandpa!" shaking from despair Chito called out for him, the sight of the familiar apparition in her dream was nowhere to be seen. "I saw him Yuu - he was here speaking to me!" she said while frantically looking around. Besides the frightened look on Yuuri's face, the starry night sky, and the 12 blue lights on the horizon, nothing else was visible in the dead of night.

    "Where did you see him Chii-chan?" Yuuri asked.

    "He was just standing there - he was here with us Yuu." in a state of panic, her fast breathing slowly subsided as she was getting back her composure.

    "You were having a nightmare Chii-chan. You were screaming and punching me in your sleep again. I didn't see anyone else out here." she kept trying to calm her down gently hugging her "It's only us up here Chii-chan".

    Still, with a bewildered look on her face, Chito kept looking frantically to find their grandfather. "It felt so real Yuu - he told me something about the lights in the distance. He was wearing some kind of a white robe and he had your rifle and fired at the lights..." Chito pointed in the distance at the lights. "...he told me something about the lights."

    Once they were nearing the center of the layer, they could make out 12 shimmering blue lights at equal distances scaling the horizon on top of what seemed to be a long wall. Counting the lights, Chito pointed toward the ninth light that their grandfather had missed. "He only missed that light with his rifle and said it was the ninth one. Every other light he shot with abnormal precision, even from this distance."

    "He told me to - look for the ninth light. I have a feeling that maybe it was him Yuu - maybe we should go there tomorrow?" lowering her hand, she kept her gaze transfixed into the light in the far distance.

    "Chii-chan, do you think it was him?" Yuuri asked holding her close. Chito couldn't help herself again as she placed her hands on her face as tears flooded her eyes from fear.

    "I don't know - I really miss him. These last few days all I can do is cry Yuu - it's no wonder I keep having these nightmares and can't think straight. I am really scared." The thought of their grandfather being close to them seemed almost comforting, just like when he was reading them stories from his books before bedtime down in their home.

    "Chii-chan..." Yuuri embraced her closer. "Maybe he is still watching over us on our journey."

    "I wish that was here with us..." Chito replied laying back into Yuuri's embrace. "In one of the books, I kept reading about the spirits of our dead family. When they pass away, our friends and family may still linger on before the afterlife. They might even keep watch on us on our journey through life, sometimes they might even appear in our dream to talk to us or warn us about something. I know he wasn't our real blood relative, but he was the closest thing we had for a family and I loved him very much."

    "I miss him as well, Chii-chan - He saved our lives. I remember that he told me that he found me abandoned in a ruined house as a baby a really long time ago." Yuuri said. "I don't remember my real family Chii-chan, but you and grandpa are the only ones I cherish... Chii-chan - do you have recollections of your real family?" Yuuri asked her as they reminisced about their past, the gentle whir of the exhaust fan giving a soothing flow of warm air and sound underneath them.

    "Only short memories Yuu," Chito replied "It was before grandpa took me in. I can't remember their names or their faces at all. I remember the first time I saw you, you were the cute girl hiding behind him as he introduced me to you. It was like he knew our fates would somehow cross and we will be together." smiling she closed her eyes and gently held Yuuri's hand. It was another memory that she cherished like a treasure.

    "I remember that day Chii-chan..." she smiled holding Chito's hand back "I know I have bad memories of my past and can't remember a lot, but I remember that I was so shy of the little girl standing there in front of me. After that when we got to know each other we played with a lot of toys, and you were so fascinated by grandpa's books that you studied them all. You wanted to stay in his library forever."

    "Chii-chan for what it's worth, I am really happy that our destinies crossed paths and that we made this journey together." she leaned again to kiss Chito on her cheek. Having her close she felt she could beat every obstacle in her life, even being afraid of the dark underneath the shining stars. "Chii-chan, do you think grandpa and anyone else from the village down there are still alive?" Yuuri asked her.

    "I doubt anyone is even alive down there Yuu. You remember how bad the situation was without rations at the village after the machines broke down. Everyone was at their throats ready to kill for just a little bit of food. I wish he escaped here with us Yuu. Even in the end, he saved our lives..."

    "Oh..." Yuuri let out a disappointed sigh. Gently she kept holding onto Chito's hand. "I don't know what to say, Chii-chan. I don't think anyone would survive the first part of the trip without a vehicle. We had grandpa's Kettenkrad to thank for that." she said and yawned softly laying back down on the mesh grid.

    "I really miss our Kettenkrad Yuu." Chito felt extreme sadness when she talked about their trusty old machine friend that helped them get through too much. "I don't know how we would have survived without it this long. Maybe if it didn't break we would have been able to bring it up here and explore the last layer easily. I think you would have been able to carry it up to the stairwell with your strong arms Yuu." she replied humorously and smiled looking at her.

    "You better believe I would have Chii-chan, I am a GOD, after all!" Yuuri replied and chuckled, grunting as she flexed her arms.

    "You better carry me on our honeymoon with all that GOD strength of yours after we get married, Yuu."

    "But like every god, I demand you feed me FIRST!" Yuuri demanded in a deep voice... "FOOD... CHIII-CHAAAAN! FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD"

    "Shush Yuu!" You are making me even more hungry talking about food." Chito let out a chuckle. "For now you know we only have boiled snow tea. When we find food, we can eat all we want until our stomachs are full."

    "Mmmm... even boiled snow tea is tasty Chii-chan..." Yuuri mumbled as she closed her eyes, imagining eating all those tasty rations with warm tea "Let's have some warm snow tea in the morning."

    "Sure Yuu, but you know we have to save what little gas we have in our stove, we can only manage to make warm water once in a while!" Chito replied with worry in her eyes, thinking that stove was the only source of fire she could use to light the fuse of the bomb she was carrying around. Unlike the bombs they used on the surface, the last package came with a long fuse that could be lit with fire. It was way more convenient than using a detonator or live ammunition to set off the bomb.

    "Oh, Chii-chan - by the way, what's a honeymoon?" Yuuri asked her as she kept looking up into the endless night sky.

    "Well. I read it in a book some time ago. When a couple got married they used to go on a journey and travel somewhere in the old world. This used to be somewhere exotic and beautiful like the sea, the forest, or maybe even a romantic city. It's where they can be together in each other grasp for days and days. In the old culture and religion, it was when the newlywed consummated their marriage making it complete, professing their undying love and connection to one another." Chito recollected reading about the old traditions of marriage that their ancestors used to have. It was unfortunate how many traditions and cultures were lost throughout the years of wars that the world survived through. This reality that they were living in was a complete wasteland devoid of any life and happiness.

    "Chii-chan, we must have been on our honeymoon all this time, traveling and exploring the world with our 'Kettenkrad'."

    "But the honeymoon is supposed to be in a beautiful place with beautiful sights and with a nice warm and cozy bed Yuu. So far we have only been sleeping in the uncomfortable Kettenkrad and down on the cold ground in the ruined city below." Chito replied with sadness.

    "Oh, Chii-chan - what does it mean to consummate?" Yuuri asked genuinely puzzled at the word

    "Emm... I don't know." Chito replied. "I just read that word in one of the books but never found out what it means."

    "Is it when people consume a lot of food on their honeymoon after they get married?" Yuuri asked again.

    "Well, it might be. Maybe newlyweds used to consummate lots of foods and drinks on their honeymoon to the point of being extra-fat?" Chito replied and chuckled.

    "Mmmm... then we should totally go on a honeymoon and get fat by consummating our marriage Chii-chan.. with tons of food, fish, beer and potato rations, and even more food!"

    "I would love that Yuu. Let's get super fat when we 'consummate' our marriage with loads of food." smiling she closed her eyes in Yuuri's warm embrace, she was so exhausted that she could immediately fall asleep laying calmly in her embrace. "I wish this moment would never end - Yuu -"

    Laying up there in complete darkness, just two lonely souls could only find safety in one another. The shining lights of billions of stars that watched over them probably died a long time ago at the cruel concept of time. Maybe up there in a different place of the world, someone was also sleeping under the stars, covered in a blanket with no worries in their life. For now, the gentle whir of the exhaust fan was warm enough to lull them to sleep, keeping them from harm's way of the cruel cold night.

    "Chii-chan. I am really scared." Yuuri replied laying down on her backpack that she used as a pillow. Cuddling close to Chito underneath the blanket, she slowly closed her eyes before gazing up at the starry horizon above. "I will really miss our conversations when we are gone - from this life." Exhaustion once again set in as Yuuri quickly fell asleep in Chito's embrace.

    "Me too... my Yuu..." Chito replied as she closed her eyes as well.

    ° ° °

    The next morning Chito woke up freezing as the machine underneath them stopped pumping out warm air for the night. It seemed like the exhaust has run out of its course during the night and it no longer needed to function during the day. The sky was completely covered in overcast clouds with darkness sprouting on the horizon. It looked like it was slowly brewing a huge storm. Shivering she got up to put on the rest of her clothes and immediately turned to wake Yuuri up.

    "Yuu... wake up... we need to move" she placed her hands on Yuuri's shoulder gently waking her up. "The weather looks really bad, I am really worried!"

    "Mmmm... good morning Chii-chan... I'm freezing..." slowly waking up, Yuuri covered again with the blanket. "It's... so cold..."

    "I know... the fan underneath us stopped spinning and I am freezing as well. You need to put on your clothes immediately. Should I boil some warm water Yuuri?" Chito asked her, grabbing her backpack to pull out the stove they had taken on their last journey.

    "Mmm, yes... sure Chii-chan..." Yuuri replied and started coughing.

    Pulling both of their flasks out, she poured out all of the water they managed to ration inside the pot she placed on the stove and some of the snow that was left around them. Turning on the valve to release the gas into the sparks, the flames shimmered lightly as the content inside the pot started boiling in due time. Chito could feel that the stove had only a little gas left in it, enough for one more round.

    "The water is ready Yuu..." Chito said pulling the pot out of the stove, as she carefully poured the warm liquid inside their flasks.

    "Mmm... let me rest for some bit... I don't feel good Chii-chan..." Yuuri replied as she kept shivering underneath the blanket.

    "Yuu... what's wrong?" Chito asked rushing towards Yuuri, she grabbed her clothes and gently helped her to stand up.

    "I don't know- I feel so cold and my throat hurts really bad..." Yuuri barely could speak as Chito helped put on her jacket and struggled to put her pants on.

    "You might be coming down with a cold Yuu. Please try to drink the warm water it will help warm you up." Yuuri reached to grab at the flask and gently sipped the warm liquid from the flask carefully to not burn her lips. "Mmmmm - Even warm water is so tasty right now - when I am so hungry - Chii-chan..."

    "Yuu - we have to go - I know we are close to the lights, we will find shelter there to warm up and rest... and look it seems like it's going to be really bad weather." she looked up at the sky above, the dark clouds slowly approaching them.

    "I know... I will tie the rope around us and if the weather goes bad we won't get lost this way. " Chito said as she took out the rope from her backpack and her knife.

    "Chii - you really like tying us around with that rope!" Yuuri softly giggled still shivering from the cold.

    "Please Yuu, we have to go now! We have to find shelter."

    Looking at the empty backpack, Chito thought of a way to fashion it in a vest to keep Yuuri warm. She grabbed the knife and gutted out the backpack that their grandfather gave them for their journey.

    "Here you can wear this Yuu... it might keep you warm..." she helped Yuuri put the gutted backpack on over her chest. "You can cover yourself with the blanket as well Yuu."

    Tying the rope around their waist, Chito leaned down to pack her backpack with the rest of their belongings, which were only the bomb, her knife, and the stove. She didn't want to believe it but it felt like this was the day that she had to finally light the fuse of the bomb, to quickly end their suffering once and for all. Reaching into her pocket she could feel the grenade pin that Yuuri gave her as an engagement ring and she squeezed it tightly.

    "Please - at least not today - just please let us live a little longer." she quietly spoke to herself placing the backpack with the bomb on her back. "I will be strong - for Yuuri... I won't lose her - "

    "I am really scared Chii-chan!" coughing and shivering Yuuri huddled close to Chito for warmth, trying to gather her strength for the last part of their journey together to the ninth light hanging above the wall.

    "Me too - Yuu."


    (Continued in Chapter 3)
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  4. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    As the second day on the mysterious layer went by, the weather changed for the worse. Dark clouds engulfed the vast horizon bringing a heavy blizzard down on Chito and Yuuri, who were still trying with extreme difficulty to keep on their path to the last goal. In just a few moments the whole world seemed to have changed into white, as thick snow piled up taking every corner of the last layer. The snowflakes felt like sharp needles piercing their skin as the wind swept them across.

    Hiking most of the day Chito and Yuuri with all their might kept pushing through. Starving and exhausted, hand in hand leading her unwell friend towards their new goal. They had to hold on for just a bit longer, the wall felt so close in the gloomy distance. Barely noticeable, the blue ninth light was still shimmering on the horizon.

    "I won't give up for Yuu - I won't! I won't give up!" Chito kept repeating those words in her mind like a mantra holding Yuuri's grenade pin tightly in her free hand. She felt like she would lose Yuuri in the blizzard the second she let go of her. Chito made a promise not long ago that she would stay strong for Yuuri no matter what the circumstances were. In this situation, she had to give the best for her, as Yuuri got queasy from the extreme weather change and needed her help to keep pushing forward until they find shelter. Not even exhaustion and the harsh cold weather would bring her will to live down. She had to stay alive for Yuuri.

    "Chii-chan - I am so sorry that I am dragging you behind.." exclaimed Yuuri, shivering and coughing as she kept covering herself with the blanket.

    "It's not your fault Yuu, the fan stopped pumping out air and we were sweating all night. You must have caught a cold." Chito felt that they probably made a huge mistake the night before, allowing them to sweat from the warm exhaust of the fan. They had no premonition that the fans would eventually stop pumping out warm air while they were asleep, and the freezing cold just made everything worse.

    "I am so cold Chii-chan..."

    Yuuri snuggled closer to her, Chito could feel her shivering body pressed against hers and there was nothing else that she could do to keep her warm.

    "Hold on - Chii-chan ... I want to eat some snow," Yuuri said stopping for a moment. "I am so thirsty and hungry!"

    "Yuu - please don't eat the snow, you will only feel worse." reaching around her backpack, she pulled out the flask and handed it to Yuuri. "I hope it's still warm from earlier. Drink everything if you want Yuuri, don't worry about me."

    With a few gulps, Yuuri finished the warm contents of the flask and that was all of the warm water they managed to boil earlier this morning. All they could rely upon was snow to keep hydrated, but eating snow in this cold weather could easily accelerate the process of hypothermia.

    Chito was concerned for Yuuri, she read a survival book about the effects of hypothermia and was wondering if Yuuri was actually coming down with it since the morning. The signs were there, but she wanted to be in denial. "It's probably just a cold" She couldn't imagine that she only had little time left with Yuuri before she would pass away from this horrible condition. "I can't think about that now! We have to keep pushing forward and find a shelter"

    They had lost track of time earlier in the day, the clouds were obstructing the sun above them. It could have been way late in the evening, but they had no way of knowing for sure.

    "Chii-chan - I am so sleepy..." Yuuri said as they kept walking forward, snuggling into Chito for what little warmth they could share.

    "Yuu, please hold on a bit longer. you can't fall asleep. It's really dangerous, We will be there soon, we will find shelter and I'll make fire from something to keep you warm, even if I have to burn all my clothes - Please just hold on a little longer."

    Walking forwards huddled together in one brief second, the exhaustion was too much for Yuuri as she suddenly collapsed down on the cold snow.

    Horrified from seeing her fall down on the ground, Chito yelped. "No! Yuu! Please get up." she reached down to help Yuuri get up on her feet. "We have to move, Yuu!"

    "I can't Chii-chan! I can't go on...my leg... it hurts so much!" with tears in her eyes she sat down on the cold ground.

    "Please Yuu, you must!" she helped Yuuri up and snuggled her closer for what little warmth she could share. "Please Yuu... we are so close... I can feel it... Please, just a little while... I'll lead you and carry you if I can. But - we can't stop now."

    "I'll try Chii-chan - I'll try to carry on... for you..." Yuuri replied as she struggled to get up, and managed to start walking again toward their goal.

    It took them grueling hours of hiking to reach something in the distance, the beacon that led them there on the final part of their journey was shining much brighter. The desolate layer suddenly was brimming with all new kinds of different new machines. Chito could recognize the design of one of the machines in one of the books she used to read a long time ago. It seemed like even up here the war caught on, but there was something really different about it. There were no signs of severe struggle or discarded weapons It seemed like even if wars were raging on up here, everything was swiped clean and repaired afterward. The layer no matter how desolate seemed to be droning with the lives of the machines underneath it, but for now, they couldn't see anyone or anything that might control them.

    "Some of these look like - anti-aircraft guns..." Chito remarked as she noticed them through the thick snow, pointing their barrels upwards in the sky indefinitely waiting for the inevitable air raid.

    "What's that... Chii-chan?" Yuuri asked shivering as she was still snuggled into Chito for warmth

    "It seemed like these weapons were protecting the layer from something in the sky... they look almost 'new' unlike the machines we saw on the layers underneath them. Could someone or something have been taking care of them even after all these years?"

    "Were they shooting down - aircraft just like the one... Ishii-san made?" Yuuri asked as they kept walking towards the beacon, coughing loudly with each sentence she made.

    "Yes, but those aircraft were capable of causing so much death and destruction. Ishii-san believed her aircraft was her hope of escaping this city." Chito replied as she let out a sigh. "I am somewhat relieved Yuu... she would have been killed instantly if these still work."

    "Maybe ... but she is smart ... she would have jumped with her parachute and survived at the right time..."

    These machines even after all these years were ready to protect the layer from an air raid that was never going to be carried out. After all this time they were still outliving most of the humans in this world. They were ready to fire their rounds at the sky, shooting down anyone or anything that was a threat to whatever was there on the last layer. Maybe even if the last of the humans were completely wiped from existence, these machines would continue to guard the layer against nothing, indefinitely.

    "Do you think they still work Chii-chan?" Yuuri asked looking up at her as they continued walking...

    "I don't know Yuu, I really don't want to find out... so far it hasn't blown us up thankfully..."

    ° ° °

    Continuing their hike onwards, Chito could make up the construction of the huge wall, going off endlessly in both directions. Riddled with bullets, holes, and cracks in the wall, it looked identically like the stone slab they saw at the beginning of their last journey. After all these years the wall still stood strong protecting with perfection whatever was behind it. The wall on some parts seemed to be stitched with metal sheets almost like the ones the whole layer was covered. Maybe they were trying to fix the holes and cracks from wars fought a long time ago but done in a crude almost like a faulty machine fashion. On top of the wall, Chito could make up the giant writing of the number 9 in blue paint.

    "Yuu - we are here !" Chito happily exclaimed as she picked up the pace pulling Yuuri towards the outer layer of the wall. "We will be safe!"

    With a hopeful smile, she kept her pace onwards but once they reached it, there was nothing there once again.

    Chito wanted so badly to believe with blind hope, that she would have been able to find a gate or some kind of shelter where they could wait out the blizzard and get warm. But again nothing was indicating an entrance inside the wall. The giant wall scaled the far horizon and snow covered almost every inch of the ground, barely visible to see if anything or anyone was in the distance. Almost like this cruel life was toying with them once again, before they passed away from hypothermia.

    "No... NO! There must be something here!" Chito placed her hands on the wall, trying to look for a hidden door, valve, button... anything she could open that hidden door. "Grandpa said - to come here, Why?"

    The wall felt smooth to her touch and besides a few cracks and metal sheets fixed on this part of the wall, there was nothing else. They reached the ninth light, but for what reason?

    "Yuu - there is nothing here!" Chito shouted from frustration and started crying her eyes out once again.

    With substantial pain in her leg, Yuuri was unable to move any longer. She was sure that this was the end and sat down on the ground next to Chito, covering herself underneath the blanket. Shivering from the cold, with barely any energy she called out to Chito.

    "Chii-chan..."

    "There must be something, anything... why?" with all her might she started smashing her hands into the wall. The black core material that was behind the concrete could probably withstand the full blast of a rifle, it definitely wouldn't ever budge by Chito's hands no matter how much she hit.

    "WHY GRANDPA? WHY DID YOU TELL US TO COME HERE?" screaming in frustration, she wanted to blame her grandfather for everything that has happened to them up to this point. "WHY DID YOU SEND US HERE? WHY DIDN'T YOU LET US DIE IN THE VILLAGE?"

    "Chii-chan... it's not his fault..." Yuuri replied with what little energy she had left, coughing as loudly as she could. "You were dreaming about him and the lights... last night. It's nobody's fault... we wanted to come here on our own..."

    "Yuu... please, get up... let's go back!" Chito turned to face Yuuri with panic in her eyes. Yuuri was laying down on the cold ground unable to move any longer from exhaustion. "We can go back to the staircase ... Let's go back and down the layers... there must be someplace warm... it's just a short hike Yuuri... please" with a pulsating pain in her hands she never noticed the blood pouring from her open wounds, she could barely even move her left hand as the pain was almost unbearable.

    "Please... Yuu... Please!"

    "Chii-chan..." Yuuri said looking up at her, coughing and shivering from the cold with a blank stare in her eyes. "Chii-chan - Let's just - rest for a bit ... I am so tired."

    Unable to stop weeping, Chito held out her hands and started softly shaking Yuuri as to make her get up..."No Yuuri - no - no - you will die! don't fall asleep - Please!"

    "Chii-chan... It's ok - I promised that I will be with you ... I just need - to rest for a bit -" she replied with a smile. Her life seemed to have been coming to an end, as her beautiful face started turning white from the cold, shivering she kept looking into the horizon with blank eyes "The snow is such a beautiful thing Chii-chan... you can even eat it - play in it - but now it hurts - "

    "Yuuri... no - please don't close your eyes... please, Yuuri!" Chito wailed laying down and hugging her close, weeping loudly "Please... Yuuri... don't go, please - I made a promise to protect you... I made a promise to grandpa that I will protect you." shaking her softly in desperation to keep her from drifting off. "No Yuu - please"

    "Chii-chan... I love you - so much. You kept your promise... you saved me... " Yuuri with difficulty managed to speak before she closed her beautiful blue eyes laying down on the ground. Yuuri was no longer shivering, she seemed to have lost consciousness from exhaustion into a deep slumber slowly breathing in and out.

    "YUUURIII... NO... DON'T LEAVE ME... DON'T PLEASE...Yuuri, open your eyes... WAKE UP! PLEASE!" she kept screaming and weeping as loud as she could hugging her close and trying to wake her up "NO MY YUU... PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" she kept kissing her and trying to warm her up... "I promised you! To keep you safe! I never even gave you a ring... my sweetheart... don't leave me, PLEASE! WHY?"

    "What... do I do... what will I do???" she shivered looking around the wall for anything she had missed. In a panic, she completely forgot about the heavy contents of her backpack. Weeping she reached around and placed her backpack down on the cold ground, unbuttoning it.

    "I know what I have to do..."

    Shivering she pulled out the package and with her knife, she opened the content. The bomb came with a slow burnable fuse that she could easily light up with the gas that was left in the stove. "I am so sorry Yuuri... please forgive me." with her knife she cut the rope that she used to tie herself to Yuuri during their last hike. Leaving her unconscious friend behind on the ground she went to look for an opening in the wall.

    She found the best spot to stick her bomb into one of the deep cracks in the wall as she pulled out the fuse to the correct length. "I really hope this works... for Yuuri" taking out the stove from her backpack she kept trying to light what little of the gas was left. Every time she tried the wind blew out the flames. It was only for a brief moment that the wind quieted down and she managed to light up the fuse.

    The fuse took its time burning slowly, nothing could have stopped it now, not even the snow or the wind - when it reached inside the charge, a loud ball of fire engulfed the wall, leaving out a massive fierce sound that could be heard in the distance echoing throughout the layer.

    Ripping apart some of the outer coatings of the wall and concrete, fragments hovering in the air - a faint audible alarm started blaring behind the wall.

    Once the flames appeared to have settled down, Chito hiding in the snow ran to the crack in the wall to see what happened. After the smoke cleared she could see clearly what kind of damage the explosion has done. Besides leaving a small blast radius around the dark stone, it was mostly left unscathed. Rubble of concrete and stone fragments lay around in the snow around the blast.

    Falling down to her knees in the snow Chito looked in disbelief at the wall... It seemed the wall was able to withstand most kinds of destructive force that was thrown at it. It was almost unbreachable, maybe that is why it survived all of those years standing strong up here protecting whatever was behind it. She was way too distraught to notice the faint alarm behind the wall.

    "Oh..." Chito uttered as she almost wanted to laugh hysterically, the huge explosion was so satisfying to watch. She always thought about the moment that she would use the bomb on themselves and go out with an explosion, but trying one last thing before she passed away with Yuuri was almost satisfying... they used all of their supplies and there was nothing she could do about that.

    "I only wish Yuuri was conscious to witness this. She would have loved it."

    All she could do next was go to Yuuri and go into the afterlife together with her. She got up and went back to Yuuri who was at a safe distance from the explosion. Chito was way too exhausted to search for anything up here or even carry Yuuri to safety. With little to no hope, she would never allow herself to leave Yuuri's side.

    Yuuri was sleeping peacefully down on the ground covered in the blanket, barely breathing as her light was slowly going off. Chito gently cleaned out the snow that has accumulated on top of her sleeping partner with her shivering and bloody hand.

    Looking down at her she smiled "You are so beautiful my love..." laying down next to her, she embraced her underneath the blanket. Chito leaned and kissed Yuu's lips, gently caressing her cheeks. "I will give you the most beautiful ring in the world when I meet you in our new home - my sweetheart."

    Chito couldn't do anything but snuggle her dying lover, she wanted to go together in the afterlife with her. "Grandpa, I am so sorry ... I didn't mean to... I love you..." Chito closed her eyes laying in the arms of her lover.

    "This life was beautiful indeed! Yuu, my dear..."


    ° ° °

    Brief parts of consciousness were the only things Chito could remember from that point onwards. She could swear at some point she heard the voices of a man and a girl and opening her eyes for a brief moment, Chito saw the faint image of someone that oddly resembled someone she knew...


    (Continued in Chapter 4)
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  5. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    “Hey, Chii-chan, come take a picture of me with the gate in the back!”

    Posing for a picture, Yuuri stood in front of the large Nandaimon gate leading up to the wooden Todaiji Temple. For most of the day, Chito followed her around with a camera consistently on standby to take photographs of her. It was a fine humid summer day in mid-July at Nara Park, crowds of tourists, families, and students roamed the grounds checking out the beautiful surroundings and the large temple. The sound of the chirping cicadas and the happy laughter and hubbub of people filled the comfortable atmosphere of the park.

    “Alright - say, cheese!” pointing with her camera, she snapped a picture of Yuuri smiling with the gate in the back of the frame. Yuuri wearing a floral tank top with a summer skirt, keeping her long blond hair tidy with hair clips let out a smile.

    “Ooooh, Chii-chan let me see!” She rushed over to Chito to peek at the little screen of the camera. “I love this one too!”

    “Yuu-chan, It will be nightfall until I take every picture of every spot here with you!” Chito responded with mild annoyance, she’s been following her like a paparazzi all day with the camera.

    “Sorry, I can’t help it. It’s such an amazing place, I am so happy that we came here too." She smiled and hugged Chito from the back. "If you gave someone the camera they can take a picture of us too, but you won't."
    ”Well, of course, I won’t. It’s an eighty thousand yen DSLR camera Yuu-chan, I won’t even let you use it - “

    “I know, I know... Anyway selfie time!” Yuuri pulled out her phone and snapped another picture of themselves. It was blurry with her wide smile in the back, and Chito was in the front still with an annoyed expression. The gate was barely even visible in the frame.

    “Yuu-chan stop it with the selfies already! This has been going on for 2 hours now! That one deer nibbled my handbag and almost bit my camera because you wanted to feed it while I was taking a picture. Please, let’s go inside the temple before my clothes turn into food!”

    After they checked in at their hotel, they went wandering around the famous park petting and feeding the adorable deer, however, Chito never knew that if you buy a whole packet of deer food, a herd usually went rushing after you trying to devour everything. It was nothing new as she had a glutenous girlfriend to feed almost every day. Besides Yuuri, Chito was also suspicious of all the deer in the park, she was worried that by the end of the day the rest of her clothes would have turned into food.

    “One-second Chii-chan." Yuuri seemed to be typing something on her phone and sending pictures, as Chito grumbled softly with annoyance. "Akari wanted me to send her some pictures of us today. She wanted to come here with her fiance next month, but it looks like they are too busy planning their wedding in Nagoya for September.”

    “You can do that in the hotel Yuu-chan, she can wait you know...” even though her girlfriend was a bit of a mild annoyance, she was always happy seeing Yuuri enjoying herself.

    They were both busy through most of the year with part-time jobs, along with their studies at the university. Yuuri was constantly stressed out from continually flunking her Russian language test and kept trying with difficulty to pass some of the subjects at her university. During their summer vacations, every chance they had they spent on planning to travel. Once they could save enough money, their plan was a trip to Europe. It was their dream to rent a motorbike and visit the beautiful picturesque cities in the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, and the rest of Europe. They’ve heard from their colleagues at the university that Europe was beautiful in summer.

    For now, all they could afford was to see the beautiful sights their homeland had to offer. They both had managed to save some money to go on a small trip around Japan. With a student discount, it was even easier to plan the trip, and they started in Hakone to see the beautiful view of Mount Fuji. After that their stops were in Nagoya, Kyoto and finally they were here in Nara Park, before going further on their journey to Osaka and Hiroshima. Chito and Yuuri were beyond excited to see Nara Park and it had been on their plans for a long time now. The idea of petting and feeding friendly cute deer in a beautiful park was pretty much what brought them here, before realizing the horrors of buying deer food.

    “Ok... done... - let’s go see what's inside the gate.” Happily, Yuuri announced.

    Hand in hand they walked towards the gate, moving carefully through the crowd. Tourists from around the world came to the famous park to see the deer, the huge wooden temple in the middle of the park, and gasp in awe at the huge statue of Buddha that humans a long time ago sculpted with their own bare hands. However, to reach the huge temple, you had to first walk through the stunning Great Southern Gate where the two big statues of terrifying muscular guardians stood frozen in time guarding the temple.

    Once inside Chito paused to check out the statues, Yuuri standing behind her.

    “Wow… they are so big and scary Chii-chan!" Yuuri exclaimed. "Let’s take a picture with them as well!”

    “Do you think they like their pictures taken every day, Yuu-chan? They might get annoyed and eventually kidnap you.” Chito grinned as she raised her camera pointing it towards Yuuri, who was already posing in front with one of the guardians.

    “Chii-chan - then you have to come to my rescue again!”

    “Just like when I was rescuing you from the barrel incident? I mean where else would you get your leg stuck but in a barrel Yuu-chan? How on earth did you manage that?” Chito asked and waited for a moment to snap another picture of an annoyed Yuuri from the mention of the barrel incident.

    “Yessssss… I am going to print this out in hundreds of copies!” she kept chuckling as Yuuri pulled out her tongue at her. "That's what you get for making me take 300 pictures of you."

    “Oh shush Chii-chan, it wasn’t that funny!”

    “It wasn’t funny Yuu-chan. It was hilarious!” Chito kept laughing even harder, holding to her sides.

    “Yeah right! You ran to the shed to get a hacksaw, chasing me around with it saying you will hack my leg off - then you buttered my whole leg up to pull out the barrel. We didn’t have enough butter for crêpes night Chii-chaaaan. Imagine the horror!”

    Trying to contain herself from laughing Chito replied. ”Well, you should have just scrapped the butter off from your leg, and we would have had crepes to feed the whole neighborhood.”

    “Or a very hungry Yuuri!” Yuuri replied as she gently rubbed her stomach, all this crêpes talk made them both feel peckish.

    “I’ll feed you later tonight to make up for me chasing you with a hacksaw!” Chito suggested. "There's bound to be a good crêpes place around here."

    “Mmmmmmmm sure, but first - I want to try tempura udon at Nara as well, Chii-chan.” Yuuri mumbled “Let’s have some later… you are buying the Udon too, to make up for chasing me with a hacksaw.” she smiled checking out the surroundings of the gate and looking back at the two statues that stood guard at the entrance.

    “Sooo Chii-chan, what do you think these statues are of?”

    “Well as I remember in the guidebook, the statue with the open mouth is of Agyo, he is the one that represents the start of the universe. And the statue I took your picture with is called Ugyo. He represents the end of the universe. They both served as the protectors of Buddha and most importantly they ward off evil spirits from the temple.” Chito recalled as she looked up at the silent protectors, who were standing frozen guarding the temple in eternity.

    “Wow... do you think he is the one we see before the universe ends Chii-chan?” Yuuri asked her as she gazed up at the large terrifying statue of Ugyo.

    “Maybe, but I don’t think we will ever know in our lifetime. Perhaps our ancestors and the dead know if he will ever appear at the very end of our time. But we will never know as long as we are alive, and the dead will never give us an answer no matter how much we keep asking them.”

    “Chii-chan, do you think the universe eventually will end one day?” Yuuri asked.

    “Nobody will ever know Yuu-chan, the concept of time and the universe is so inconceivable to us. When you look at it in a way of grand scale, no one will ever be able to find an answer to our reality. People throughout history have made their versions of why we exist, and it made its way to all kinds of religions and beliefs in our world. So far to the point that people would give up their own lives for these tales and their deities up in the sky. But maybe if our universe and time end one day, there might be countless other realities and plausible existences that might still live on, maybe even the past and the future still lives on. I think our world is just a small cell structure in an infinite universe, Yuu-chan. Maybe after we are gone from this reality, we will live in another one, and who knows... maybe we might be able to meet again further on?”

    Chito loved to contemplate existentialism and the life of the universe. Even in her philosophical studies at her university, most of her essays and research papers were about the subjects of existentialism, beliefs, and quantum physics always examining them in a semi-skeptical way. She was so obsessed with the topic that she could almost read all kinds of different books and make up wild theories even of existence itself. She seemed to be inspired by recent vivid dreams she had of her and Yuuri where they lived in a post-apocalyptic world.

    At some point, since they met together at a party 5 years ago, she always feared that Yuuri would get bored of her and leave her because she always tended to get lost in books and random thoughts, but Yuuri always stood by and listened carefully to her train of thoughts with conspicuous fascination. She was always patient when Chito was lost in her books for hours at times reading her books. Maybe because in a way they were opposites, they loved each other so much.

    “So, Chii-chan… Do you think in one of these realities I can eat all the food without getting fat?” Yuuri asked as she caressed her belly.

    “I swear in one of these realities you can eat mountains of delicious food without getting fat Yuu-chan. And one plausible reality is that you are a cheetah and I am just a puny gazelle running for her life! Oh noooo… Yuu-chan is going to eat me again!” Chito chuckled again holding Yuuri's hand as they strolled towards the temple.

    “But Chii-chan, wouldn’t you be the cheetah? Your name is so closer to a cheetah.”

    “Ooooh right… I’ll be a Chito Chita. I’ll roar at you with my small fangs and scratch you if you try to eat me!” she chuckled again as they reached the inner entrance of the temple.

    “Anyway, let's hurry up and check out the temple now, you are only making me hungry from all this food talk.”

    “Sure but… it's SELFIE TIME AGAIN!” Yuuri pulled out her phone and snapped yet another of countless blurry photos with an annoyed Chito barely even in the frame.

    The rest of the afternoon they spent checking out the beautiful wooden temple that was originally built centuries ago that housed a huge statue of Buddha inside. After a few more incidents with deer in the park later, Chito gave an option to Yuuri to either go find an udon restaurant or hunt for venison. Lacking the proper equipment and the probability they could be facing up to six months in prison from all that tasty venison meat galloping around in the park, they instead went for the udon restaurant option.


    ° ° °


    “Itadakimasu!”

    Famished from the long hike, both of them jumped right into the healthy portion of food they ordered earlier. Yuuri couldn't help but mumble with pleasure as her taste buds were enjoying every bit of the tasty tempura udon in front of her, slurping the contents like a vacuum cleaner.

    “Mmm… tasttyyyyyyyy!” she kept slurping the contents of the bowl on as she glanced at Chito. She was yet lost in her thoughts once again as she stopped eating. “Do you like the food Chii-chan?”

    “Mmm... Oh! Right - sure…” holding her chopsticks she played softly with her food. The bowl full of tempura and udon noodles was still steaming from the warm broth. She seemed to have recalled something and it was only now coming back to her mind.

    “Whaff’s wwong Shii-shan?" Yuuri asked her with a full mouth, as Chito sighted looking blankly into her bowl. "Iffs it foo worrm?"

    “No, no - the food is perfectly fine. But I just remembered something from last night. Yuu-chan, do you remember those vivid occurring dreams I’ve been telling you about?” Chito asked.

    “Mmmpphh…. sure Chii-chan. Was it the one you had of the two of us in some kind of a post-apocalyptic world, riding a motorcycle? Something called a ketten-”

    “Yes, that one with the 'kettenkrad’!” Chito replied as she glanced back down at the bowl. “I’ve been having them more vividly almost twice a month before tonight, but last night it almost escaped my mind. This one was so faint, we reached some wall with a glowing blue light and we just fell asleep. But in the dream, I felt that we were in grave danger. We were starving and freezing, and the world was completely covered in snow. However, instead of a scary dream, it felt… kind of calm. Don’t you find it curious that all of those dreams before this one were vivid, but the one from last night I completely forgot about?”

    “Chii-chan, it’s only a dream, you shouldn’t give it too much though. I think you read too many of those books by Isaac Asimov and those Strugatsky brothers, your dreams are directing a strange movie with the two of us.” Yuuri replied as she finished the tempura in her bowl.

    “I’ve been thinking about it for some time Yuu-chan. Do you think in a way we are connected to our different realities or futures? I find it odd that in my dream I could make up this strange German vehicle from World War 2 era called a ‘kettenkrad’, even though I’ve never even heard about it before. I kept trying to find information about this vehicle and I found it weird that it exists. Maybe I’ve read about it somewhere in my books and it just decides to appear in my subconsciousness, but I can’t recall ever seeing that vehicle anywhere before the dreams, not even on the internet. Yet in my dreams, it appears to have some similarity to the photographs I found in a World War 2 book.” Chito replied while taking a small bite of tempura from her bowl.

    “Mmm… as you said Chii-chan, there could be infinite realities. Maybe you are somehow bound with the Chito in the other reality and you can see her in your dreams. Maybe even experience her life somehow when you are sleeping?”

    “I am worried about them Yuu-chan. Do you think they might have died from the cold weather or hunger? I guess after those dreams, I kinda started reading into alternate realities and maybe they are in grave danger, but there is nothing I can do.” Chito said with sadness in her eyes “I kinda feel bad sitting here in this restaurant in the comfort of the air conditioning and eating udon, while they are out there starving and freezing to death.”

    “Well, Chii-chan maybe you can write their story and come up with a happy ending? The way you’ve been telling me about their adventure you can base a whole book or movie on their life. And don’t worry, they are strong. Just like us!” Yuuri replied, leaving her empty bowl on the side with her chopsticks. “They’ve been through too much to just give up on each other.”

    “Yeah, you might be right Yuu-chan. Maybe I could write my dreams sometimes as a book about their life and finish their story in a good light. I swear we are such a cute couple and people would hate me if we kill each other off in the end!” Chito grinned finishing her food before Yuuri decides to eat her bowl as well.

    “Mmmmmm… you were right this is sooo tasty!”

    “Told ya, tempura udon is the best thing ever. I keep telling you that if I open a restaurant one day with my sister, I’ll try to perfect my family recipe and serve udon all day!” Yuuri replied as she took a sip of her beer. “AAAAAAHHHH.... and a cold Asahi on this warm day is the best thing ever!”

    “Well… you know I’m such a lightweight with alcohol Yuu-chan, and in this humid and hot weather, you’ll probably have to carry me back to the hotel.” Chito replied.

    “So… we still have time left. Let’s pay for the food and check out the city."

    “Don’t forget, you are paying and I’m forgetting about the ‘hacksaw incident’.” Yuuri smiled as they got up from their stool, and left the restaurant before paying.

    "And later we eat CREPES CHII-CHAAAN!"


    ° ° °

    As the evening was nearing, the girls continued on their stroll through the city of Nara. To relax before bed they decided to visit one of the many onsens in the city. Passing through the female section, they took off their clothes and entered the bath. The warm air of the onsen felt comfortable and nice to their skin and after taking a shower they got into one of the warm pools that weren't as crowded.

    “Aaaahhhhh… I can sit inside here forever! I needed this after our long hike.” Yuuri said as she sat close to Chito, the onsens were a bit crowded with tourists in summer but that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy their time together in one of the pools.

    “Ohh Yuu-chan... please remind me to check out the bookstores in Osaka tomorrow, I was looking to buy some in English to practice my reading."

    “Ooooh right… it’s like we need more books in my already crowded flat Chii-chan." Yuuri responded and chuckled. "We will get trampled by them one day."

    "Oh shush... you know my one weakness is reading books, Yuu-chan." she chuckled as well stretching her arms, enjoying the warmth of the pool. "Don't worry, I will probably donate some before we get trampled."

    "I hope you do that soon, or we need to find a new flat. With a room where we can put all your books."

    "It's nice to have a private library Yuuri," Chito suggested. "Maybe that's a good idea if ever move somewhere else."

    "If we ever go traveling in Europe you are bringing your ebook reader or there might not be enough space to put our clothes!" Yuuri suggested and let out a chuckle. “Anyway, I enjoyed our day at Nara - I am super excited that we are going to Osaka Castle tomorrow.”

    "Me too Yuu..." Chito smiled and snuggled next to Yuuri in the warm pool.

    “But hey… Chii-chan. I wanted to ask you, did you tell your mom yet that you are going to be moving in with me before the semester starts?”

    “... well... not yet, I am sorry… you know how she was when she found out about us, I think after dad passed away, she always wanted me to settle down, get a ‘respectable’ job, and find a husband. But I am glad she learned to be more welcome of our relationship. I am happy that she saw how much I love you. Your parents are so cool about it though, I mean I’d rather move in with you and plan something crazy for our future and maybe even go on a journey around the world than settle down with kids and a ‘respectable’ job whatever that means by their standard.” Chito replied as she snuggled closer to Yuuri, the gentle sound of the warm flowing water could easily put her to sleep. “But yeah, eventually I will worry about that next week when we are back in Tokyo… let’s enjoy our vacation for now Yuu.”

    With a smile Chito closed her eyes, she felt comfortable sitting next to Yuuri in the warm pool. For her, it was such a delightful day to spend in Nara with the one she loves, and she was hoping to visit so many other places in Japan or the World once they settled in. After all, she felt that Yuuri was the right person to have in her life as a partner, and one day if she decided to propose she hoped that she would say yes. For now they just wanted to enjoy their life as it was and Chito had to finish her university studies as well. She felt that the future comes in its own time, no matter how short life is.


    ° ° °

    Completely exhausted Chito must have fallen asleep in the pool because when she opened her eyes she was unable to breathe. It seemed like she was drowning in an endless pool, falling deeper and deeper into a vacuum of black space. Unable to call out to Yuuri, she looked around trying to find her or anyone else. She was nowhere to be seen. She was not in Nara anymore and in the hot spring, she enjoyed with Yuuri earlier. Slipping between different realities, Chito was opening another set of eyes belonging to a different version of herself.

    In this one, she was tied to a bed in a white room, with a shining bright light on the ceiling. Stuck to a machine that continuously beeped an unsteady rhythm, tubes stuck in her mouth and attached to her body. Her left hand was immobilized in a tight bandage, again she could feel the familiar pulsating pain running through her left hand.

    Chito wanted to scream, as loudly and as much as she could, but the tube down her throat obstructed her voice. Too weak to even move and break her chains, she kept trying to scream and scream, but she could only mumble and cry from fear. The beeping machine went haywire as she entered into a state of panic. Chito felt like she would suffocate, her chest was in continuous pain and her breathing was difficult. Some moments passed before she could hear the voice of a young girl who came running through the door of the room where Chito was in.

    “Oh my goodness…” At the corner of her eye, Chito could see the concerned look of a girl about her age with short brown hair running inside the room.

    Coming closer to the bed, the girl spoke “...Ummm - please calm down little girl, you are having a panic attack…” she was trying to calm Chito as she kept trying to scream.

    Chito looked like an exhausted and wounded caged animal who has just woken up in a state of panic after fleeing for her life.

    “You went through too much, but you are safe - Please calm down. I will pull the tube out of your mouth so we can talk.” she pressed a red button on top of her bed before pulling the endotracheal tube out of Chito’s mouth.

    Chito could suddenly breathe in on her own, taking a large gasp of air she continued crying and struggling to escape. She could only let out a single shriek, fearing for her life. The young girl took a syringe and injected something through one of the tubes.

    “It’s just something to help you calm down.” the girl said as she stared down at Chito who was beginning to calm down. From the desk nearby, she took a sponge and wiped Chito’s sweaty face as she continued crying in a terrified state.

    “Who - who are you? What is happening?” she kept asking “Where am I?”

    “Please try to calm down, we will explain everything. I am not here to hurt you - I’ll take out the straps when you have calmed down because you will hurt yourself.” she continued wiping Chito's forehead with the sponge carefully. “What is your name little girl? Do you remember how we brought you here?” the girl asked her.

    “Umm… no… I don’t remember anything… just the snow… my … my name is Chito.” she said shivering from fear. The young girl’s expression changed at the mention of that name, she dropped the sponge on the ground looking in disbelief at the girl that had just woken up from what seemed to have been a long sleep.

    Coming to herself, Chito realized someone was missing in the room lying next to her. She looked around but she couldn’t see Yuuri anywhere.

    “Wait… Yuuri?” suddenly fearing the worst as she was unsure where her partner is, she started weeping again “Noo… Yuuri! Where is she? YUURI?!”

    “Please calm down - Don’t worry... but…” the girl in a panicked mode, ran to the door again calling out for someone out there.

    “DAD! Please hurry up!”

    A man in his 40's ran through the door. He was wearing a white doctor's robe trying to catch his breath.

    “What happened Mieko?” he asked. His eyes suddenly fixated on the crying young girl that had just woken up.

    Chito looked back at him perplexed - she could swear that she had seen this person, but she couldn’t place when or where that was. The person standing in front of her oddly resembled someone she knew but he looked younger.

    With what little energy she had she spoke
    “What - Grandpa? How? Is that you?”

    With a perplexed look on his face, he also looked back at Chito. He looked like he has seen a ghost from his past. "Oh my goodness - it's her Mieko! It's her - the dark-haired girl from Itsuki's letters - but - we kept searching he wasn't out there - in the blizzard... That means he is still out there!"

    With a puzzled expression on her face, Chito frantically kept staring at the girl and the man standing in front of them. “Wait how? How do you know that name?” Chito asked. “How do you know grandpa?”

    The man in the white robe answered.

    “Itsuki… he is my father.”


    (Continued in Chapter 5)
    (Latest revision 2nd December 2022)

    (Author note - to make the story easier to read, Itsuki is a non-canon name I gave for Chito and Yuuri's grandpa.)
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  6. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    “Hey, Itsuki! What else do we need besides bolts, metal fragments, and fuel regulators?”

    “Hmm - did you check your list if we missed anything?" Itsuki asked. He seemed to be scouring for parts through a warn-torn battlefield left with derelict tanks, vehicles, and weapons. "This sector is supposed to be filled with parts from old-era machines. I still wonder why they kept using these ancient things instead of electric engines?”

    “Sensei told me that it had to do with something called 'EMP bombs', rendering the electricity useless in war. With just one hit of those bombs, they could disable the electronics pretty efficiently. So I guess the predecessors relied on old machine technology and fuel to carry out attacks and defenses. Anyway, did Daishi-sensei say what he needs the parts for?

    “He told me he is restoring some old-era vehicles to use for outer sector scouting and the next batch of travelers. He also told me he is fixing one for us to use - I think he said it's called a Kettenkrad. Said it would suit us for when we go on our supplies run.”

    “Yeah, that’s a great idea. My back is so sore after all these supplies run going by foot, so a vehicle will finally do us good." The other man answered. "Sensei fears that some of those nut cases might still have EMP weapons out there. Those old vehicles are much more reliable out here than the modern ones, considering that we still find fuel. Did you get to see the vehicle yet?”

    “Nah, he told me it’s a surprise. He only said it looked like if a motorcycle and a tank had a baby.” Itsuki answered as he kept scouring through the metallic garbage. Itsuki was in his early twenties and wearing a green military outfit with a helmet on his head. On his back, he wore a large backpack and an Arisaka Type 38 rifle around his arm that he used for protection. Their squad was sent on a mission to scour the layer for machine parts and resources to help fix some of the machines back at their home.

    “Haha, how would that work? The tank would instantly obliterate the motorcycle.” The other man who went by the name of Yasuo also helped look around for the parts, he was about the same age as Itsuki, but then in this world, one wouldn’t know their real age or birthday. Usually, in their village, most of the orphans were given a rough estimate of age by how they appeared.

    Yasuo and Itsuki are both orphans from the outer layer that the survivors of the village found many years ago. They were taken under the care of a mechanic by the name of Daishi who was a long-standing resident of the village. They both had no recollection of their real families, however, they felt a close bond with each other as if they were brothers by blood.

    “Well, thanks for putting that image in my mind now Yasuo. A tank and a Motorrad...” Itsuki let out a chuckle as he continued scouring through the garbage, carefully passing it with his old-age Geiger scanner to not pick up any dangerous-radioactive material by mistake.

    “Oh... Here! I found something!" Yasuo held a piece of metallic material that looked like an old engine piston. "Looks broken thought!"

    “Be careful to scan the piles first Yasuo, you know those iodine pills don’t always help unless you want to spend a week in the infirmary on a dialysis machine again. I am sure sensei can find some use for it.”

    “Ughhh… but my backpack is getting so heavy Itsuki.” struggling and complaining, Yasuo jammed the part in his large backpack, weighing him down with all the heavy parts he collected earlier.

    “As the old folks say, finders keepers!” Itsuki replied and smiled as he continued scouring for parts. Feeling a bit peckish he felt it was time for a break as he sat down on the garbage pile and took out a green bar from his pocket.

    “Anyway, do you want some rations? I brought some extra ‘Soylent Green’ with me.”

    “Why do you insist on calling it ‘Soylent Green’ Itsuki? Are you still that obsessed with that 20th-century book?” Yasuo questioned him.

    “Well, it’s ridiculous how similar is the process to make these bars as in the book. Except it's not actual human beings, but disgusting recycled waste from plants." he took a bite of the green bar and pointed it at Yasuo. "You tell everybody! Listen to me, Yasuo! You’ve gotta tell them! 'Gramineae Bar' is shitty plant! We’ve gotta stop them for the sake of our taste buds!” Itsuki let out a chuckle after he recited his favorite part from the book. “See Yasuo? 'Soylent Green' has a better ‘knack’ to it.”

    For Yasuo and Itsuki, books were the only entertainment they had in the village. Every chance he had, Itsuki would fill up his backpack with books he could find in almost every supply and bring them to his home. Even though most of their friends and neighbors didn't know how to read, he and Yasuo managed to learn from their guardian and spent their free time browsing through his collection. Books were one of the few types of old-world entertainment that were left in this world and he was overjoyed when he could find books of every kind. Itsuki felt that reading connected him to the old-world and how life used to be back then. He would even trade weeks' worth of ration just so he could get a new book to read.

    “How about you jump inside the ration machine yourself and see what comes out?" Yasuo jokingly suggested. "Maybe an 'Itsuki Bar' will be tastier?"

    “What do you think sensei would do if he finds out I got turned into food, Yasuo?”

    Taking a bite of the green bar, Yasuo cleared his voice and started speaking in a deep voice. “Mmm…. such a tasty bar! But wait! I’VE BEEN EATING ITSUKI ALL THIS TIME!” he continued biting into the green bar imitating their guardian “I better wash this taste of Itsuki with beer before I get on fixing that damn antediluvian machine!”

    “Oh - man! Your impersonation of sensei is spot on!!!” Itsuki started laughing holding to his sides “But yeah, those old stories are fantastic, maybe we should try to write a book sometime?"

    “With my bad handwriting?" Yasuo asked. "I doubt anyone would be able to decipher it for years to come!"

    "Oh yeah, it's so bad!" Itsuki said and laughed again. "Oh - But, don't you sometimes find it odd how some of those books accurately portrayed our world?" Itsuki asked him. "It’s like our ancestors knew what would eventually happen to this world. In those books, the world that our ancestors lived in seemed so beautiful, but now it looks so different from the pictures."

    "I guess they somehow foresaw their own future?" Yasuo pondered. "If those stories about the place in the sky are true, maybe it's the same as the old world? Hey Itsuki, have you ever wondered what happened to those people with the passes?”

    "I don't know Yasuo," Itsuki replied. "I'd like to think they made it up there and will one day remember to come back for us. If the stories about that place in the sky are true, I'd love to go visit that place one day. I think we have a long time before we are granted passes to leave too. I am sure in a few years we can go with the next convoy. We have to keep working hard to make our dreams come true after all." Itsuki looked up, above them was another layer of the city that went on endlessly in each direction. Every chance he had, he kept pondering what was up there. Was it the same wasteland as here? But he knew nothing of the world outside except for things he read in books, but in this day and age, it was difficult to discern what is history and what is fiction.

    "Maybe one day we will finally be able to see the real sky and the stars that we read so much about."

    “I hope so too Itsuki, there's a whole world to explore out there," Yasuo replied as he finished up his green ration. He stood up and brushed his clothes off from dirt. "Anyway, Let’s finish up here and meet up with the others. We have to carry all this stuff back for sensei.”


    • • •

    As soon as both of them stood up from the ground, close by they heard someone sliding through piles of rubble and loud footsteps heading away from them.

    "Huh?! Did you hear that?" Itsuki worriedly asked. "Ready your rifle!"

    Both of them took out their rifles from the back, aiming toward the strange sound in the rubble.

    “Shit! Could it be those assholes again?” Yasuo whispered after he took cover behind a large tank.

    "I don't know," Itsuki followed him. "But just in case be prepared to shoot. We barely got out alive last time when they shot Motoyasu!"

    “Let’s go check it out. At the first sign of trouble, I’ll fire the flare to signal the others!” Yasuo replied as they carefully walked toward the source of the commotion. Scouting the horizon they couldn’t see anyone in their sight, but from the pile of displaced rubble, it was obvious that someone was there stalking them all this time.

    "...Shit.... shit..." Yasuo kept on panicking, ready to fire at anything that moves. They were still young and hadn't been in many firefights in their lives, so being scared was a natural reaction. Suddenly from the corner of his eye, he could see the shape of a person getting up from cover and running away from them.

    “STOP!” he yelled. “ITSUKI! HE IS RUNNING AWAY!”

    Both of them started running after the strange person careful not to trip on the mounds of metallic garbage underneath them.

    “I SAID STOP!” Yasuo shouted again before he stopped dead in his tracks and aimed his rifle at the person. He fired a round but missed by just a few inches as the bullet hit the metallic trash, ricocheting in the distance. The loud echo of the shot could be heard throughout the whole sector, breaking the still silence of the dead city. Startled, the person dropped to the ground, as Itsuki and Yasuo got closer still aiming their rifles.

    Itsuki’s eyes abruptly opened wide before he lowered his rifle. The person they chased through the rubble was a blonde malnourished girl with derelict clothes, as she covered herself with her hands sobbing from fear. She seemed to be about 2 or 3 years younger than them.

    “WHO ARE YOU?” Yasuo yelled at the girl, pointing his rifle dead center at her eyes. "WHY DID YOU SPY ON US?" He was ready to fire at the first indication of motion.

    “What the hell are you doing Yasuo?" Itsuki yelled at him. "Can’t you see the girl is terrified and unarmed?”

    “I don’t give a shit! She was spying on us and ran to alert her friends to come kill us and steal our stuff!” Yasuo kept his gaze on the terrified girl, still pointing his rifle at her. "They killed Motoyasu for what? Disgusting green bars?"

    “Does she look like those assholes to you?" Itsuki asked him. "Lower your rifle right now or I swear I’ll kick your ass!”

    “Please! Don’t kill me!” the girl barely spoke from fear, she wept loudly begging for her life “...I am hungry… we are all hungry and sick… please…”

    “Pff fine - if she kills you it’s on you…" Yasuo lowered his rifle glancing down at the girl with caution in his eyes. "...stupid fucking idiot..."

    Sitting down beside the girl, Itsuki took the rest out of his green ration bars and handed them over to her. “It’s ok we won't hurt you - please tell us who you are?”

    Petrified, the girl slowly took the ration bar and started biting into the green bar. Shaking from fear she barely managed to place the other ration bars in her pocket.

    “My ... my name is Yuriko … we’ve been on the run … from the raiders … they attacked our village and ... and kidnapped some of the kids … they wanted to use us as slaves - to work in their recycling factories, and they wanted to shoot the weak ... so our group ran away from home… I went to look for food, but I saw you two and I thought you were raiders… and then I fell… and you ran after me… Please, I am scared I have to look after my friends… they are hungry and sick…” the girl kept sobbing, barely eating the ration bar “Please… I am so scared … please … please don’t kill me…”

    Sitting next to her, Itsuki carefully placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Don't worry - where is your group hiding Yuriko? We can help - "

    “Wait wait wait! Itsuki!" Yasuo abruptly pulled him away. "You do remember the policy of exposing our home and taking in refugees don’t you?” Yasuo said fixing his gaze on Itsuki who started turning red from frustration. “They will punish you if you break that rule - “

    “Are you serious Yasuo? She is just a girl. LOOK AT HER! She can barely move… We are living in comfort while there are children and families still out there being murdered and raped by those scum. Get it in your dull heads all of you … We still have empty houses, we have to let people in! We need more people to survive … What if the circumstances were different and we were in her place instead?”

    “Hey don’t snap at me Itsuki… I don’t make the rules! You keep reading in those books how those 'societies' always fall. It's always due to overpopulation and lack of food" Yasuo replied shouting back at Itsuki in an equally fiery tone. "Besides we will lose our passes!"

    “Yasuo… those books are only fiction! With all those people getting passes and departing for the place in the sky, there will be none of us living in the village." Itsuki spoke and attempted to calm down. "I am sorry for snapping at you but seriously, fuck the rules! I'll gladly accept any punishment I receive if it means I won't have a guilty conscious for leaving her to die!"

    Turning to the girl again, Itsuki lowered his voice to not frighten her any further. "Please Yuriko, tell us where your group is hiding, we promise we are not raiders - we have a home, and we will try to help you all out."

    “...umm… you have to follow me, we are hiding over there…” the girl pointed to an old ruined factory in the far distance “They are waiting for me - some of the kids are armed so please be careful. Please just have mercy, we would rather die than go back to that life…”

    “Lead the way, Yuriko. I will follow you.” Itsuki got up taking his rifle in his hand, helping the girl stand up by her arms. “Are you coming with us Yasuo, or you are going to just stand there like a fool with your rifle?”

    “Well, I’ll come with you so we don’t get separated again, but I am keeping my rifle ready…" Yasuo replied as he raised his rifle again at the ready, following behind the girl and Itsuki. "I don’t trust outsiders anymore Itsuki. Motoyasu was our friend if you already forgot! He was so full of life and happiness and they … they just shot him, for a green bar!”

    Walking through the ruins, Itsuki, Yasuo, and the girl quickly approached the entrance to a large abandoned factory. The factory ceased production a long time ago from the absence of humans. Even if the machines and robots were self-sufficient, they still occasionally relied on the help of humans. In a way, their AI was programmed so that if their purpose was fulfilled or nonexistent they would shut down. However, through adaptive learning, the AI learned to look for new purposes to fulfill across the city, as if the city was still alive and thriving. Itsuki and Yasuo tend to avoid these robots as they served no purpose or threat to them. These robots seemed to blankly wander around the world and do menial tasks that served no purpose.

    Itsuki, Yasuo, and the girl threaded carefully through the dark corridors before they reached the large room lit by lanterns and a campfire. Walking inside the room, their eyes opened even wider as they lowered their guns to the ground.

    The factory housed families of malnourished and sick adults, teens, and children, there must have been hundreds of poor souls who made their journey looking for a better life within the ruins of the city. Some of the adults stood guard with rifles in their hands while children lay down on the cold floor sleeping, dreaming of a better reality huddled next to their brothers and sisters. Couples of all ages, trying to ration a little bit of food that they could save from their trip, sat huddled around the campfires.

    Nearby, a family sat in mourning after they lost their relative who succumbed to exhaustion and hunger. She was a woman in her 60s, who couldn’t survive this grueling journey any longer. Even in this world, she managed to have some kind of happiness and life back in her village, running away she lost her life on the cold floor in this abandoned factory. With closed eyes, she lay peacefully on the ground in an eternal dream surrounded by her family.

    In shock, Itsuki and Yasuo both took off their helmet as they looked around the large room. This was the first time they have seen such a large group of outsiders trying to survive out here in this harsh devastated city.

    At their village, everyone followed a rule that you were only allowed to take in small groups of orphans, children, and teens along with their guardians and family, but ONLY at a time when it was applicable and food was plenty and they weren't a threat. Anyone that broke the number of rules inside the village, they were treated as an offender who could be exiled or even lose their pass privilege for the place in the sky. Finding out the secret location of their village could mean frequent raids from the raiders and the aggressive outsiders who were consistently on the lookout for food and supplies. These rules were enforced due to decades of trouble they faced as a society, and they had to keep the place in the sky a secret. Present a human with a luxury of a home and even a way to work for their food, they would still cause all kinds of problems and chaos they would imagine.

    Brushing his tears off, Itsuki turned to the girl “Oh my goodness! You’ve all been living down here all this time?”

    The girl looking back at him replied “...No... we just recently arrived… we were hoping to go south of here to the ocean and see if we can find a way off from this dreadful city. Maybe there is food out there in the rest of the world or someone alive that can help us but … most of us could barely make the journey…” the girl said with tears in her eyes. “These are all who have managed to run away from the village. We had enough to survive for years, and we learned to be self-sufficient with the help of AI and our hydroponic machines and farms. But the raiders, always demanded we give them a large share of our food. Then they came and took every able-bodied adult for work in the garbage dumps and factories... then they took the children… one day they came, stole our machines, and started killing all of us who were deemed unfit for work. They killed half of the residents in our village. Kids, mothers, fathers, grandmothers… anyone that crossed their path… they slaughtered us even for fun… The rest of us who managed to escape were hunted down for days, then they left us alone to die from starvation.” raising her hands to her face she started weeping loudly… “My mom… she died in my arms…. from a bullet wound. I tried to help her… I couldn’t do anything…” crying loudly the girl fell to the ground.

    “Yasuo, we have to help them…" With a broken heart, Itsuki turned to look at Yasuo who was standing next to him looking in disbelief. "I don’t care if they hang me or take away my pass. I can’t find it in my heart to leave them out here. We can’t be selfish anymore, I know we can share our resources. I will take full responsibility and accept my punishment… even if they exile me...”

    “Itsuki - I don’t know what to say… We came here to collect resources but… we found all these people... You are right, we can’t leave them. And no, you are my only brother and friend in the world. I won’t let you go down for this, and if we do I’ll gladly share your punishment whatever it is.” Yasuo replied as he took out the rest of his rations and flask, and walked around the campfires handing them out to the hungry and thirsty.

    “Yuriko…” Itsuki faced the girl as he leaned down helping her get up “I promise we will help you, we have a home, and - it’s probably the same as your place. We have machines that help us, and a hydroponic bay too. I am so sorry about what happened to your mother and your home. We’ve had problems with raiders and outsiders for many years before and we don’t trust anyone that comes from the outside. Some of them killed our best friend just a while ago. His name was Motoyasu and his beautiful daughter was just born 2 weeks ago. Yuriko… please tell everyone to gather their belongings... I am taking you all to your new home... “

    Brushing her tears off the girl leaned and hugged Itsuki tightly. "Thank you..." she smiled through the tears. "I will never forget this. .. there are still good people in this world ..."

    All Itsuki could do was embrace her back, wanting to assure her that she is safe and everything will be alright.


    • • •


    Some time passed before the refugees took down their camp. Itsuki holding the girl by her hand, led the large crowd of exhausted and malnourished people out of the factory, Yasuo walking just close by holding two orphans by the hands. Emerging from the factory, it took about an hour of hike to get to the meeting spot to regroup with their squad.

    The rest of their squad impatiently waited for Itsuki and Yasuo to come back from their supplies run. They were just about to call it quits and leave them for death before they glanced in the distance and saw the large crowd of people walking towards them.

    "Wait, don't shoot." One of the scouts said. "I see Yasuo and Itsuki. What on earth are they up to now?"

    In disbelief, the squad waited for them to arrive. They have also never seen such a large group of outsiders before. A young boy from his squad started talking to Itsuki. "... Itsuki... who the hell are they? I thought the plan was that we only get machine parts and supplies?"

    “Well.. plans do tend to change don’t they?” Itsuki smiled while he held Yuriko's hand.

    “...Umm… care to explain yourself?” the young boy asked him again, still perplexed by the large number of people that followed them to the meeting point.

    “Well… I’ll explain everything later. Just help them with food and water, they’ve been through a lot… we have to get them back to the village... and yes, before you ask again, I am taking full responsibility.”

    “Itsuki... You know they will burn you for this?” The boy told him “We filled the outsider's quota - what the hell is this?" frantically he turned to Yasuo. "Why the hell did you let your brother do this?”

    "When he is up to something he just goes and does it," Yasuo replied and grinned. "And I hope they will make a great bonfire of us then, I’ll be happy when these children dance around the fire in the safety of their new home. Oh and here…” taking off his heavy backpack Yasuo slammed it into the boy’s hands. “Take this, I’ve been carrying this shit all day.”

    • • •

    “Sensei, I hope you took care of my Kettenkrad before you leave?” Itsuki spoke as he helped his guardian ready the supplies for his long journey to the place in the sky. Standing close to him were, Itsuki and Yasuo gathered with a large crowd of people waiting to send the lucky travelers away on their journey.

    “It’s like new, Itsuki, I changed the oil, and the lamps and tightened the tracks. It should last you for ages if you both take good care of it. I bet you still remember all those engineering lessons you took with me.” With a smile, Daishi glanced back at Itsuki. “Well it’s in your hands now, I also put in an extra toolbox in case you lose your other one, like the last time - Oh, and don’t lose your rifle again or I'll come back down and kick your ass!”

    “Hey don’t worry, your lessons are all fresh here in my mind,” Itsuki replied as he placed his hand on Yasuo’s shoulder. “I’ll also have Yasuo take care of the stuff I lose and the hydroponic machines instead of lazing around all day.”

    “Well as clumsy as you are, you were still the best student in sensei's class Itsuki, I’ll leave the mechanics to you. You know my specialty was always hydroculture and being a good shot with the girls!” Yasuo smiled as he also helped their sensei place supplies, weapons, and clothes in his vehicle for their long journey.

    Daishi was their guardian ever since he found Itsuki and Yasuo as orphans outside the village. Today was finally his turn to make the long journey to the mysterious place in the sky that everyone spoke about. In his old age, he accumulated enough points to earn a pass but he stayed back for Itsuki and Yasuo. Their punishment for taking in all those refugees all those years ago was losing their privileges to earn points for a pass for a limited amount of time.

    However, today was the day the visitors from the 'sky' once again came down to bring people with passes for they only knew the working elevators and roads to wherever they were taking them. The 'sky people' traded commodities for people with passes, they needed the workforce and humans from the outside with the promise of a better life. However, the elders of the village would not just let anyone make the journey. The residents of the village needed to work hard and do their best to be able to earn points for a pass and to make enough rations for the long trip ahead. To some it took years, to some only months - however, children and women were an exception. This time Daishi had a good reason to leave the village behind as he had someone precious to Itsuki to protect and take on this long and dangerous journey.

    With sadness in his eyes, Daishi approached them and spoke. "Itsuki, Yasuo... you know I tried everything I could to make them change their minds. You know I fought for years and years to give you my points and for them to give me your punishment instead. They were all determined to take away your privileges ... even after all these years - these stupid archaic rules - "

    "It's alright sensei." Itsuki smiled back at him. "I don't regret a single thing I've done to help all those people outside. Not everyone is bad as we thought. I will be happy knowing that you and my family got a chance to be safe up there wherever it is. I'll work my hardest so we can come to meet you soon!"

    “Itsuki, Yasuo… I am so sorry… I wish I could have stayed behind and taken care of you ...”

    “No sensei, you have to go and take care of Itsuki's family," Yasuo spoke with tears in his eyes. "We are old enough to take care of ourselves and I know that as long as I am alive I will take care of my brother. Itsuki helped me be a better person and I'll always stay behind for him."

    “Sensei, that day was when our destiny changed. That day was also when I met the love of my life.” Itsuki spoke. “I knew one day eventually we would try to help the unfortunate people out there. I hope the village comes to its senses and lets more people make the journey to the place in the sky.” Itsuki smiled as he leaned to hug him. “Sensei - you were like a father to me, thank you for everything.”

    “Same here sensei…” with tears in his eyes Yasuo went in for a group hug with both of them. “I will miss you - I promise I will take care of this delinquent for Yuriko and Reo.”

    After they broke off from the hug, Itsuki turned around to see Yuriko and his son Reo walking towards them from the distance. They were packed up and all ready for the difficult journey ahead, but they had to leave. There was no happiness or life for them down here. With tears in his eyes, he quickly approached Yuriko who started sobbing, and hugged her tightly.

    “My precious... Yuriko…” Itsuki said hugging her even tighter “...Please… don’t cry and please don’t ever come back here... It’s dangerous here and I know you are scared of the outside. You and Reo will be much happier up there. I promise I will come to you and Reo when I get my pass.”

    “Itsuki… I am so sorry… I never should have met you back then, it’s my fault that you didn't get a pass…” Yuriko sobbed loudly in her husband’s arms. “...If it wasn’t for me you would still have your chance!”

    “Hey...hey...hey that’s not true. My love… it’s not your fault, my beautiful flower.” he leaned and kissed her softly on the lips gently caressing her cheek. “You know that I love you and Reo more than anything in this world. I will always love you both. But I had to help you and those other families. It was either that or get a pass and live with a guilty conscious that I abandoned you all those years ago."

    Weeping she broke from the hug and took out a picture from her pocket of the three of them in front of their house and handed it to Itsuki. "Please ... don't forget us ... Itsuki ... I will wait for you, my dear..."

    As Daishi was technically their adoptive father, he could take family members on his journey with the points he accumulated. While he couldn't take Itsuki and Yasuo on this journey, instead he had the option to take Itsuki's son Reo and his wife Yuriko on this journey so he could give them a chance at a better life. Itsuki felt this was a better decision than for them to stay here and eventually starve if the machines one day stopped working. He knew the grim reality of what would happen to his village one day, so he felt they had a better chance out there.

    Next to Yuriko was his son Reo waiting for his turn to say goodbye to his father.

    "Dad… please come with us … please…” he was trying to stay brave for his father but couldn’t help it as he started weeping loudly “...Dad… don’t leave us behind … please….”

    Leaning down, Itsuki hugged him tightly and started crying “Stay strong for me and your mom please, Reo-chan… I know you will grow into a beautiful strong boy one day and you will be really smart. I will be with you all as soon as I can and I will have so many stories to tell you, I will bring you a lot of gifts from the outside and I will send you both letters each time the 'sky people' come. Reo-chan… please forgive me… I didn’t have a choice. You know how much you like mama’s curry with rice?” Reo nodded with tears in his eyes. “She will make it to you almost every day up there... You will see the sky, and the sun and have a better life than what is here. You will try so many different foods that we don't even know exist and you will also help your mom prepare them. Promise me?”

    "I - I promise dad..." Reo spoke, not wanting to leave his dad's embrace. "I - I will miss you - dad ... "

    Breaking off from the hug, Itsuki gently looked at him with a smile on his face and brushed the tears off the little boy’s face. “I will soon be there for you and mom, one day. Just wait for me and we will make her world-famous curry. I promise you, we will laugh and smile all day. Just know… I love you so much... my sweet flower...”

    Getting up from his knees he hugged them both again before saying his final goodbye, he couldn’t stop himself from crying as they boarded one of the many vehicles filled up with people that had passes for a better life.

    Signaling the horn, the leader of the pack was an old-era transportation vehicle armed to the teeth. It was time for the lucky travelers to leave for the home in the 'sky'. The voice of over 400 people echoed throughout the village sending them out with good wishes on their long and difficult journey. With tears in his eyes, Itsuki smiled and waved goodbye for the last time to Daishi, Reo, and Yuriko before the main gates of the village closed.

    • • •


    “Are you going to carry all those books to the house Itsuki? You know we came here to find rations for the village. The hydroponic bay is barely working these days and books aren't that edible the last time I tried."

    “What do you think? I’ve read every book in my library and I was hoping to finally fix that radio we found outside the other day. What else am I gonna do from boredom besides hanging myself? And I am glad I finally found some glasses so I can read, my eyesight is getting so bad.”

    Leaving their Kettenkrad outside, Itsuki and Yasuo were scouring through an old library full of old papers and books that somehow survived centuries of war, enclosed in a machine that managed to preserve them from time.

    Suddenly as Itsuki scoured through the books he yelled “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

    Yasuo next to him jumped taking out his rifle from the back
    “WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED?”

    “It’s her!” Itsuki was holding an old book with a picture of a woman from the old era, the words on the book were unclear to Yasuo as he never managed to learn the old western alphabet and language like Itsuki. “That one writer that Yuriko loves a lot!”

    “What who?” Yasuo still stood at ready holding his rifle in his hands, his heart pounding.

    “She was an old writer from way back in the old era…” Itsuki with a wide smile held the book tightly examining each corner carefully. "Her name is Emily Bronte."

    “Itsuki, you scared the shit out of me you idiot!" Yasuo replied with an annoyed expression before placing his rifle on his back.

    “Yuriko used to read the one book from Emily in my library all the time, and this is a different one! There was so much more she wanted to read from her but I could never find anything else out there." Itsuki smiled hugging the book tight, with tears streaming down his face. "It reminds me so much of her when she sat in our living room scouring through those old decrepit books. I will send this to her the next time the 'sky people' come. And I wrote so many more letters already!"

    Placing his hand on Itsuki's shoulder, Yasuo spoke “Hey... we are so close to getting our passes. Look on the bright side of what we have done these past years. We helped so many kids and families down here and even fix more of those useful machines with recycled parts. I am sure even all those families and children we have sent up there with our letters survived and Daishi-sensei, Yuriko and Reo-chan know we are still alive down here.”

    “Reo-chan would be around his 30s when I come home, he will be an adult and probably will have children of his own. I’ll be a ‘grandfather’.” Itsuki replied as he brushed the tears from his eyes storing the book carefully down in his bag.

    “Don’t worry Itsuki. They will be so happy when they see their ‘grandpa’ finally!” Yasuo spoke as he suddenly changed his tone to a serious one. "So hey... I know why Haruhi was sick in the morning these past few days. I wanted to tell you all day, but this is a good time just like any." He let out a sigh. "We found out she is pregnant!”

    Itsuki’s eyes widened and jumped embracing him screaming again “AAAHHH YASUOOO… You better marry her soon or I swear I’ll kick your ass!”

    “Sure sure… soon soon!” Yasuo smiled “We even came up with names for the baby. If it’s a boy we will call him Itsuki after his uncle, and if it’s a girl - Chito’. When our child is older, we will all go together up to the sky place.”

    “Chito-chan… That’s such a beautiful name! I am so happy for you both! I am sure it will be the cutest baby ever, Yasuo!” pulling out a cigarette from his pocket he lit it and handed it over to Yasuo “Hey, I didn’t bring any hydroponic beer with me, but we should light a cigarette to celebrate.”

    “Nah…” turning down the cigarette Yasuo spoke “Those cigarettes will be the death of you Itsuki. I can celebrate with my coffee though.” he smiled taking out his flask.

    “Yeah, I’m sure my lungs will just give up one day. But until then, here is to a new life down in this shit-hole!” They both cheered, Itsuki smoking his cigarette and Yasuo drinking from the flask.

    After the visit to the old library system, Itsuki kept struggling to drive the Kettenkrad in a straight line as it was overcapacity with books and supplies they managed to find the ruins on the outskirts of the old city. With an annoyed expression, Yasuo struggled to comfortably sit on the pile of old books.

    “Why don’t you just throw some of the books away Itsuki?” Yasuo asked him.

    “Why don’t I just throw you away instead?” Itsuki replied annoyed in defense of the books, still trying to drive the Kettenkrad. “C'mon you piece of junk!”

    “Well, I probably weigh less than all this stuff you decided to take with you. I’d probably walk to the village faster than you!” Yasuo responded as he kept scouting the far distance. The sun slowly was setting down while the street lights illuminated the way of the ruined city behind them.

    “We are close, stop complaining Yasuo… I’d rather throw away the food than the books.”

    “Pff… you are such a bookworm!” Yasuo sighted sitting in the back, irritated that he couldn’t get into a comfortable position. "I'll force-feed you these books one day if we run out of food."

    “So hey Itsuki, do you think Motoyasu's girl is already up there?”

    “I hope she is. It was her family's turn to go so I hope they made it up there. I am seriously considering just taking the kettenkrad and going up there by ourselves Yasuo... but it seems like only those 'sky people' know the way up there. I'm sure we will just get lost and seems like a long and difficult journey. I overheard one of them talking about something called the 'Ninth Sector' and that the place was the tallest spot in the city... Maybe that's where my family is?" Itsuki replied as he kept struggling to drive the Kettenkrad forward. They both wondered for ages what kind of place was in the sky and where the location was. So far they had only heard rumors, but nothing more. Besides the people they famously called 'sky people' that dealt with the elders, no one else returned from there. They never received letters or any information if their families or friends were still alive. Maybe they had their own rules that they also enforced just like the elders of their village.

    “So, do you think that Kanazawa kid we met at the other village might be of use yet to help us figure out the place?” Yasuo asked.

    “Well he’s still young and kinda useless, but I hope he can give us fresh maps soon to coordinate supplies. Unless he gets lost again with his wife... Imagine a clumsy cartographer that gets lost!” Itsuki chuckled still focusing on the road “But at least his services are cheap. He works for a bag of rice and tuna cans. I hope one day he gets to be the best cartographer around, we can use his skills if we figure out how to get to that place up there. But I don't wanna tell him about the pass program or the 'place in the sky' yet, I don't want the others to see us as traitors or we will get shot.”

    “Hey, takes a clumsy person to know a clumsy person.” Yasuo chuckled as he teased Itsuki from the back

    “I am not that clumsy!”

    “Well… you even managed to lose the spare toolbox that sensei left you!” Yasuo teased him and laughed again before Itsuki raised his hand with only his middle finger pointing up.

    “Hey, I’ll give you homework to find out what this hand sign meant in the old world Yasuo.” Itsuki replied and chuckled.

    The engine of the Kettenkrad rumbled on as Itsuki focused on the road ahead. Passing blocks of old ruined houses, the street light illuminated more of the dark derelict city. What once used to be a bustling city filled with people, now was an old ruin abandoned by humans a long time ago. However, it seemed like the city was not fully abandoned. Even if the engine was noisy, Yasuo suddenly could hear something else. Something faint that was different from the engine's sound. "Wait ... stop the engine Itsuki!" he exclaimed.

    “Huh?”

    “Just stop it!”

    Itsuki hit the brakes as the kettenkrad came to a full stop and turned off the engine. They could indeed hear something in one of the ruined houses. It appeared to be the faint cries of a baby.

    “Take your rifle Yasuo, let’s go check it out!”

    Walking carefully towards the ruined house with their rifles pointed, the faint cries were getting louder and louder. Walking into one of the rooms they found an old ruined baby crib, someone inside it was crying. Laying down was a baby wrapped in a negligent cloth, malnourished, and its face red as it has been crying for hours and hours.

    “Oh my goodness!” Itsuki exclaimed as he reached down and picked it up carefully in his arms. "It's a baby!"

    At the same moment, Yasuo ran outside the house and started shouting at the top of his lungs. "ANYONE OUT THERE! YOU IDIOTS FORGOT YOUR CHILD HERE!!! HEEEY!" he continued shouting to no reply, just the constant dead silence of the abandoned city.

    "HEEEYYYYY!" he shouted again. "YOU LEFT YOUR CHILD TO DIE, YOU FUCKING IDIOTS!"

    Walking out of the house, Itsuki held the baby tight in his arms, as it continued crying “Quick Yasuo, go grab that powdered milk ration we found earlier, the poor thing is starving… you do remember how to prepare milk for a baby?”

    “Of course, I’ve done this countless times carrying for Motoyasu's girl … What kind of a father would I be if I didn’t know how to do that.” Taking out the gas stove from the Kettenkrad, he lit it on fire as he placed water and powdered milk in the pot.

    “It’s a beautiful baby girl, Yasuo… How could they just leave her out here to die?” Itsuki said gently swaying the baby to calm her down.

    Taking out the warm milk from the stove, Yasuo checked the temperature before pouring it into a feeding bottle they had for emergencies when they were out with the orphans. Sadly the orphans were a common sight in the ruins, as people were abandoning these children if they lacked the rations to feed them. Traveling for them seemed to be much easier without the extra mouth to feed. Sadly babies never survived long on the outside, but this girl’s luck abruptly changed.

    Gently, Itsuki put the teat of the bottle into the baby’s mouth as it started suckling on the lukewarm milk inside. “There there… you are safe now sweetheart...” Itsuki said swaying it softly around, as the baby drank the whole content of the bottle before falling asleep safely in his arms.

    “Itsuki! We managed to save another life!” Yasuo said looking up at Itsuki with relief, who held the baby carefully in his arms

    “Oh… I came up with a perfect name for her." Itsuki spoke with a smile. "In honor of my wife, I will call her - - - Yuuri.”


    • • •


    It was earlier in the morning when a loud knock on the door woke Itsuki up. He was sleeping in his bedroom together with Yuuri who fell asleep cuddled next to him the night before.

    “Mm… grandpa?” Yuuri spoke after she woke up curiously looking at Itsuki getting up from the bed.

    “It’s ok sweetie, go back to sleep. I’ll go see who is at the door.”

    Opening his eyes and yawning, Itsuki hurried to the door “Mm… who could it be at this hour?” he asked before he opened the door. On the other side was the bewildered look of one of his friends from the village.

    “Itsuki-sensei… I am sorry for waking you up but… Yasuo and Haruhi… after two months they found them… I am so sorry!”

    Itsuki with a sudden fright in his eyes asked “Wait wait… what happened? Are they safe?” Itsuki hasn’t heard anything from Yasuo, his wife, and their daughter for about 2 months. Both of them went to the neighboring village to work on the hydroponic machines.

    “Itsuki-sensei… Their village was raided. I am so sorry but, they shot everyone... Yasuo and Haruhi were executed right there on the spot… Chito was laying on top of them… she wasn’t even crying when we found her. She is alive…” the villager replied trying to compose himself, a little girl with dark hair was standing just behind him. She was dirty and slightly covered in blood that probably belonged to her parents.

    “No… No….FUCKING HELL! NO!” Itsuki cursed and started trembling, holding his hands to his face with difficulty kept trying not to cry. "What about the others?"

    “The raiders … they all took them and only left Chito-chan to die from hunger because she was way too young for them…” the girl behind the villager looked up at Itsuki with curiosity in her eyes, unable to understand the whole situation or why her parents weren't there. “She is all alone now Itsuki-sensei, you are the only one she has in the entire world!”

    “I WILL MURDER THEM - ALL OF THEM!” Itsuki grabbed his rifle just above the bookcase and stormed towards the door. However, the villager managed to stop him from running out.

    “No Itsuki… you must stay here… the girl lost her parents, you must stay strong for the little girls… they have to count on you... you can’t just go out there and get killed by them... you know they are on to you and will kill you if you step outside the village!”

    Sobbing even louder he leaned on the villager’s arms and cried his eyes out. Yuuri was standing in the back of the room in her pajamas looking at Itsuki, unable to understand what was going on. Her eyes fixed on the gaze of the little girl behind the villager, as she stood there transfixed.

    Composing himself for a moment, Itsuki leaned down to look at Chito. “Hey Chito… Do you remember me? Your mom and dad told me that you will stay with us for some time until they feel better...” he leaned down and hugged her tightly with tears in his eyes. “ - You will be safe here, little girl.”

    Yuuri approached closer to the door hiding just behind Itsuki, looking shyly at the little girl that Itsuki embraced.

    Taking Chito by her hand he stood up and looked at his friend “Thank you so much to all of you for rescuing her… you know that she is so precious to me.” with tears in his eyes they said their goodbyes and Itsuki closed the door. Inside, he turned to Yuuri who was shyly looking at both of them, and said “Hey Yuuri… this is Chito. Her parents aren’t feeling so well and she will live with us for some time now. Is that ok?”

    Yuuri with a wide smile on her face said “Yay… a new friend!” as she happily raised her small arms above her head.

    “Please show her around. I have to go get the bath ready for Chito, she is a bit dirty.” Itsuki spoke as he walked inside the bathroom. He kept trying to turn the faucet on the bath before he collapsed down on the bathroom floor unable to keep himself from sobbing.

    Just as this bad news arrived, the month before he learned that one of the roads that the 'sky people' used collapsed, and were unable to reach their village. This meant that they had to take different routes and couldn't be bothered to take the chance for just a few humans that were left here to die. The small number of people that were left here had to endlessly fight for food or what little supplies and working machines were left. Without Yasuo by his side, he will never be able to make the journey up there and he had to do everything he could to protect Chito and Yuuri from the harsh reality outside. Seemed like the place in the sky was no longer a reality that he could reach.

    With a smile on her face, Yuuri looked at her new friend from across the room and approached her "Her... your name is Chito?"

    Chito shyly looked at her and quietly replied “...mhm…”

    “My name is Yuuri… I know! I will call you Chii-chaaaan!” Yuuri gently grabbed her hand “Chii-chan come I want to show you my toys…” smiling she led Chito to her room chanting her name playfully

    “Chii-chan… Chii-chan… Chii-chan…”

    Chito with a smile on her face joined her repeating her name playfully along with Yuuri.

    “Chii-chan! Chii-chan! Chii-chan...”


    • • •


    “One adult and two teenagers.”

    “Hey, Shithead! Did you get more than enough food?”

    “I... I have two girls at home they have to eat as well.” Itsuki held tight to his bag before someone started grabbing the bag wanting to take it away.

    “HEY! I DON’T CARE YOU CAN’T GET MORE THAN THE REST OF US!”

    Itsuki swiftly pushed the person away and started running away before the angry mob attacked him. The commotion in the village was getting more heated. The hydroponic bay and the ration factory stopped working months ago and a group arrived in military vehicles to ask for their portions. The group in his village and the outsiders kept killing each other for years until they came to a settlement shortly after, however, no one was left who was able to fix the machines at the factory. He knew it was time to go and in the case of an uprising, he knew he had to send the girls away from this dreadful place.

    Itsuki planned on this journey a long time ago but he was afraid to leave the village. He had just recently read a book about his condition but was unsure what it was about as he kept forgetting words, memories, and even people. One word that continuously sprung to mind was early-onset Alzheimer's. He tried to fight it daily and remember those that matter to him in the present, and that was Chito and Yuuri. He had to stay strong for them as they were so young, innocent, and precious. They didn't deserve this harsh reality and deserved much better than what this world had to offer.

    But with time, his deteriorating condition, and his age, his plans to go up to that mysterious place in the sky slowly diminished, in time he forgot about this place and only had a rough map someone made for him, just in case this day came.

    Opening the door to his home, he placed the bags on a table nearby and ran to check on Chito. Only Chito was at home sleeping on top of a book at her desk. He knew he had to be calm and pack up their backpacks for the long trip to the city in the sky.

    “...Chito.”

    “Chito!”

    Waking up from her desk she looked at Itsuki who was staring out the window. “Yes?” she replied still opening her eyes.

    “Please go and get Yuuri!” he replied still trying to keep calm to not worry her.

    “But where is she?”

    “She went outside to help me get rations but she got lost. Please go find her, and stay away from anyone else.”

    Chito put on her jacket and ran away from the house as Itsuki still tried to keep calm and focused. “Right! I need to get their bags!” he scoured through their belongings packing up their clothes, along with all the food supplies in the house they had left and all kinds of survival supplies he stocked on before he ran to the bookcase and took out two pieces of paper neatly hidden inside one of the books. It was a rough sketch of a map and instructions about the place in the sky that he hid from others. He knew that he wasn’t able to come on this journey with them, but the letter might help them find their way to the city in the sky.

    “Right, I hope this somehow helps them...” he placed the two letters inside his pocket and went to pack up the rest of their belongings.

    “Grandpa! I found Yuu... what’s going on outside?” Chito just ran inside the house holding Yuuri closer by her hand. Itsuki was inside holding their backpacks in his hands with the rest of the supplies.

    “Girls… It’s time to go. It’s not safe here anymore. Something is going on outside…”

    “Why? What’s happening, grandpa?” Chito asked him as she looked up at him. He tried to stay calm but there was visible panic in his eyes.

    “There are no more rations. The villagers are angry. Please get ready it’s not safe here anymore. You know our drill when things go bad right?”

    Taking his trusted Arisaka Type 38 rifle from the wall, he and the girls started walking swiftly down to the garage, and just before the entrance he turned to Yuuri and gave her his rifle. “Yuuri, you remember how to use this right? We practiced so many times!.”

    “I know grandpa!” Yuuri replied holding the rifle tight in her arms, she was still confused as to what was happening and why did they have to go away.

    “Tell me! Now!”

    “Ummm… open the breech, insert the clip with the bullets, reload, lock the rifle in your shoulder, aim and shoot...”

    “That’s about right Yuuri… don’t hesitate to shoot at anyone that might want to hurt you both. And never point it at Chito, Got it?” he exclaimed as he took the rest of the backpacks that he carried inside the garage.

    “These are old uniforms, but I’ve adjusted them to fit you,” Itsuki said as he pulled out two helmets and two winter uniforms that he and Yasuo used to wear a long time ago when they were younger, and handed them to Yuuri and Chito. “It’s really cold on the outskirts as well so please wear them. If there’s anything else you want to take with you, go and get it now.”

    “Grandpa?” Chito looked at him as he placed the supplies, rations, and backpacks on the back of the vehicle. Then Itsuki took out his key from his pocket and handed it over to Chito.

    “You remember how to drive Chito?” with a confused look on her face she took the keys before Yuuri asked him.

    “What about you? You are not coming with us?”

    “Yuuri, I can’t. The provisions will last longer for just the two of you. If you escape towards the west there’s a tower beyond the slope. Go up there, towards the top of the layers, the top of the world, you’ll be safe there... There is bound to be food up there! I’ll stay here and keep them off from you. Chito, remember those stories I told you about the sky? Don’t forget the ninth...”

    Absurdly a gunshot was fired close next to their house and just like a firecracker, the whole village seemed to go up in flames.

    “Grandpa?”

    “Hurry up and go!”

    Already far in the distance, Chito and Yuuri at full throttle drove away from the village, they both looked back at Itsuki who was waving at them. The commotion between the villagers and the outsiders was heating up as the guns started firing. He kept waving to the girls but in all the confusion he completely forgot about the letters inside his pocket. He never gave the letters to the girls as they contained vital information on how to get up to the mysterious place in the sky. With his condition, he felt he was always forgetful at the worst possible time. Itsuki planned to on his last trip together with the girls, but circumstances over the years delayed their trip, and today they changed for the worst. However, the girls were already far in the distance. They never even managed to say proper goodbyes, they never knew this was the last time they would see their grandfather in their lives.

    “No... no... no… I forgot the letters” suddenly he started running after them and shouted at the top of his lungs “CHITO… YUURI…WAIT! I FORGOT TO GIVE YOU SOMETHING!”

    Unsure if he heard them Itsuki stopped running and started pulling on his hair... “How! How could I be so stupid? How could I be such an idiot and forget the letters!” running back to the village he frantically was trying to look for a vehicle to go after them “All I have to do is reach them somehow!”

    Running amidst the firefight, he saw one of the men from his old squad frantically trying to get a motorbike to start. “...I have to use your bike it’s really important! Please!” Itsuki said as he got closer to him.

    “No… get your own bike… back off!” the man shouted back at Itsuki, pushing him off as he tried to start the bike.

    “Please… it’s really important… I need to borrow it!” Itsuki reached for the handles of the bike before the man with all his might pushed him off again.

    “I said.. back off…” the man took out his gun, but accidentally fired it. Looking at Itsuki, the man recognized his mistake. “No… Itsuki-sensei! I… I… I am… so sorry!” the man dropped his gun on the ground before he drove off with the motorbike in the distance, leaving him standing there.

    Up to this point, Itsuki fired his rifle so many times to defend his life, but this was the first time he was at the endpoint of a receiving bullet. Holding his hand close to his body he noticed that blood was sprouting out of him. The bullet hit his lung and was lodged deep inside him. “Oh… so this is how it feels...” he thought to himself squirming from pain. Grabbing the gun that his friend dropped on the ground, he started walking towards his home, careful not to fall. At this point he didn’t care about the firefight outside, all he wanted was to go home and rest. Walking through the village as bullets passed him, riddled with bodies, weapons, and shells, he somehow managed to reach his house and sit down in his chair, holding the gun closer to the wound.

    Next to him was the radio that he never managed to fix, and just nearby was the book he planned to gift to his wife the day he returned back to them. He must have reread it so many times already, with his forgetful condition it felt like he could reread it many times more. Sitting still on the chair he took out a cigarette from his pocket “Killed by cigarettes… you stupid idiot! I’ll kick your ass - for leaving... Chito...” he said to himself. Scouring through his other pocket looking for a lighter, he took out the worn picture of his family from his pocket looking at his son and wife.

    “I - I don't remember their names but - I remember they are up there - waiting for me?“

    After a short time, the firefight finally stopped. Sitting in his favorite chair with an unlit cigarette, the lifeless body of Itsuki held tightly onto the photograph and forgotten memories he cherished all those years.

    (Continued in Chapter 6)
    (LATEST REVISION: 3rd December 2022)
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  7. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    "What do you do in case the victim suffers a third-degree burn?"

    "If it's pretty severe you need to protect the burn area by covering it loosely with sterile gauze. To protect them from going into shock, have them lay on the ground, lift their legs and cover them with a blanket, until we can get them to the infirmary. It's always important to monitor the victim's pulse, breathing, and blood pressure."

    "What's the meaning of triage?"

    "Determining the priority of which patient has to be treated first during an emergency or disaster, by the severity of their condition. So for example, someone with a gunshot wound gets priority over a person with a small incision on their finger."

    "What if the victim suffers from a heart attack?"

    "You first check if the symptoms of a heart attack are there. Have them sit down, rest, and try to keep them calm, if they are unconscious and unresponsive begin administering CPR and immediately transport them to the infirmary - are you going to keep asking me First Aid questions, or are you going to play?"

    "Even if you are my daughter, I am hoping you would pass the exam tomorrow if you are going to be a certified nurse at my hospital Mieko! Oh and - CHECKMATE!"

    Sitting opposite each other Reo and Mieko sat in the cold hangar playing chess. They were on monitoring duty as part of an initiative where every citizen of the dome had to volunteer for service for different kinds of jobs around the sector. For this month it was Reo and Mieko's turn to be on duty at the hangar that was used to access the outside either through the large blast doors that leads to the outer layers or through the intricate elevator system that gave access to the layers underneath Besides the retrofitted old-era vehicles, there were also monitoring stations to observe the layers outside. Regardless, the sensors and the camera systems were down from the blizzard so they were sitting blind.

    "Daaad, that's your 5th win in a row!" Mieko pouted before resting her head on the table "Arghhh...I'm never gonna win against you!"

    "What do you expect, your dad is the dome champion 4 years in a row." Reo replied as he was placing back the pieces on the chessboard "And that was my personal best in 10 moves. You had your king out in the open with that last move, it was so easy to checkmate you with the rook and the horse."

    "Oh! You'll see who will brag about beating the champion! I've been practicing with Kazuo almost every day and I am so close to beating him!" Mieko exclaimed still resting her head on her table.

    "Who do you think taught Kazuo all this time?" Reo spoke with pride as he loved to brag about his chess skills every chance he had. "Ready for another round?"

    "Naaaa... I don't want you to win 6 times in a row! We should play something I am good at, like buta no shippo." She sneered still resting her head on the table.

    "Ughhh... guard duty is sooo boring! I will be more useful at the hospital, dad!" Mieko complained as she lay back on the chair, her gaze fixed upon the lights that lit up the large hangar.

    "Be lucky you are not on sewage duty this month, and besides Midori's fever there were no other patients there these past few days," Reo said as he placed away the chessboard.

    "Shoveling shit is more fun than this!" Mieko replied still pouting as she glanced around the cold hangar. "So when do you suppose they are going to fix the cameras and the sensors outside? They haven't been working for days now." Mieko asked and sighed as she looked at the blank monitor near them with just the words 'Lost Communication!' blinking on the screen.

    "They should commission one of those useless apparatuses to go out and fix the grid. Besides, I don't think anyone from the engineering team will go out in this weather. The forecast station said that the storm will pass us in a few days. It's the biggest one of the season." Reo replied as he also glanced into the blank monitor.

    "Yesterday was a nice day outside. Someone could have fixed the cameras then, what if someone is out there?"

    "Who knows, the last time someone came from there was 8 years ago. If my memory serves me right it was a family with kids. I am glad people still manage to find this place after all this time." Reo replied before he grasped the metal mug sitting next to him, taking a sip of warm green tea. "You should drink your tea Mieko, you will feel warmer."

    "Ugh.. it might just make me sick again like this morning!" Mieko replied placing away her mug aside as even the smell of green tea could send her back to the toilet.

    "Do you still get morning sickness?" Reo asked her again after taking a few sips.

    "Sometimes..." she replied. "I really want to murderize that useless boyfriend of mine for making me pregnant!"

    "I should get my shotgun and make that boy marry you!" Reo spoke jokingly with a grin on his face. He read somewhere about an old practice called "shotgun weddings" and has been fascinated with it ever since he found out his daughter was pregnant. He loved to tease her about any kind of predicament.

    "You watch too many movies dad, I don't think anyone even in the 20th century got married, with their father pointing an actual shotgun at the groom." she chuckled.

    "Well, this will be the first one in our century. I'll even suggest to the others here."

    "DAD! I swear I'll kick your ass if you do that." She chuckled. "You are so obsessed with 20th-century movies these days, you do remember there are still stuff from 21st and 22nd century you can watch? I mean there was an actual movie filmed in space!"

    "If you've been watching the '20th-century ones', you will know that one is just a remake of a classic movie called '2001: A Space Odyssey'." Reo replied as he started another movie discussion yet again "But still what I find fascinating about the other movie, is that they sent a film crew of about 25 people on a yearly expedition to the successor of the International Space Station after it was decommissioned and sent to crash in the Pacific Ocean. That movie was an exception and it seemed like in the 21st century they ran out of ideas and let AI make movies and stories for them."

    Besides chess, filmography was another one of Reo's passions as he loved to ramble on for hours about all kinds of movies from the past centuries he's seen from the archive.

    "But anyway! MARK MY WORDS YOUNGLING!" Reo spoke in a teasing tone again. "I am going to get my shotgun and you will marry that boy! I will not have my only daughter bring shame to our family!"

    "Ugghhh daaaaad... you are only going to get me embarrassed on my wedding day! Do you think Kazuo's father will bring his shotgun as well?" Mieko asked "Maybe you two will go on a duel about which family name I should take. I will bring the popcorn!"

    "He is my best friend, He would probably let me shoot first." Reo smiled again "You know I am just teasing you, I couldn't be happier about you and Kazuo starting your own family in your time."

    "Thanks, dad, but you know we've been planning to get married for some time now. I am busy with my medical studies and Kazuo is still busy with his culinary studies and we never found the right time. He has a lot of hungry mouths to feed up here, also you keep forcing him to perfect grandma's curry recipe."

    "That recipe has kinda a sentimental value, it reminds me of a lot of my family," Reo replied as he put away his empty mug to the side. "After all these years, I hope dad will make it up here before your wedding as well. He will be so happy to find out he is a grandfather and a great-grandfather at the same time."

    "Yeah, I've really wanted to meet him for years now, and those two girls from his letters that he's been taking care of. I doubt he probably even knows he has a granddaughter." Mieko always enjoyed talking about her grandfather who was sadly left behind many years ago. She was fascinated with his life and his bravery and his life on the outside. "I'm sad that I don't remember grandma that much though."

    "You were just a little kid when she..." Reo replied before he abruptly paused. Speaking about the tragic circumstances of his family always felt like a sharp needle stabbing him right in the heart.

    "I know dad, it's really sad ... grandpa will be so heartbroken when he finds out," Mieko replied, "she was the love of his life."

    "She was struggling a lot with post-traumatic stress disorder, even for years after Itsuki found her on the outside. She suffered a lot on the outside and even here on the inside after dad left. We tried to help her for years. I studied every kind of medication available from the archives and for a long time she was drinking 'synthesized paroxetine'. It helped the other patients that came from the outside with similar mental health issues like her. We even took a large portion of the hydroponics bay to grow cannabis that we found in the seed bank, to turn it into medication. At one point in her life her mood changed drastically, she had the most beautiful smile when you were born. She even went back to her painting and listened to the old-era music from the 'archives'. But I guess that's just what we saw on the outside. Inside her, she was battling all kinds of demons with her emotions and mental health. In reality, when Itsuki was left behind in the village, her heart shattered into millions of pieces and she couldn't go on without him" Reo spoke.

    "But you know... the archive can be such a good thing to us at times. It gives us happiness and some kind of sanity up here in our own little isolated world. When she learned that the main bridge to the village collapsed and there was no way for our traders to reach them, her spirit broke again. We found out afterward that she used the archive to learn various skills to survive on the outside, and even how to drive. She was determined to go back for him and she told nobody when she stole a vehicle and a month worth of supplies and drove away. We searched for her for weeks before we found the vehicle. She seemed to have hit something and steered away into an empty hole. It was impossible to recover it so... sadly she is still down there up until this day. " Reo spoke as he brushed a tear from his face, he always felt down telling the story of his mother. "I don't think dad even knows that she passed away."

    After all these years Reo couldn't help but feel that he could have done something more for his mother and father who sadly suffered so much in their life apart from each other. "Last night I had a dream that they were together with a large smile on their face... and he told me everything will be alright and that we should expect visitors soon. I don't know what he meant by that, but it was probably just a silly dream. I haven't had a dream of him in a long time..."

    "Dad, do you think they are still alive down there?" Mieko asked him. "I know our traders gave up a long time ago trying to reach their village or any part of that layer anymore, but maybe they are still down there trying to live in that world outside?"

    "I hope so Mieko. I really wanted to go with them and bring him and the girls back myself, I even had so many supplies and ration points collected to trade for his freedom but the people here need me." Reo replied laying back on the chair. "Those two sweet girls from his letter also deserve a happy life Mieko, and even though I feel selfish for wanting him here with us - I feel that he didn't deserve to have that kind of life on the outside. I am so happy that he saved two more lives. I hope the little girls know that he is a hero."

    "Dad..." Mieko gently held out her hand to him. She loved her family more than anything else in the world and was happy that she was given this life in the dome. She hoped she would also share that love with her fiance and their newborn daughter or son. "I am sure they will come here in due time. No one would call you selfish you that you want grandpa back in your life after all those years on the outside." she looked at him and smiled gently holding his hand. "So! Want to play another round of chess?"

    "Sure - I am about to destroy you again!" he smiled placing back the chessboard on the table.


    ° ° °


    Waiting for their guard shift to end, Reo and Mieko continued playing a few more rounds of chess and spent the rest of the day discussing the old movies from the archive. The evening was already at a start when unexpectedly they heard a faint thump coming from the outside of the wall, slightly shaking the lights inside the hangar, and bits of mortar fell from the ceiling. The unusual alarm sounded blasting throughout the sector when they were in danger.

    "Huh? What on earth was that?" Mieko stood up quickly from her chair, by instinct she turned to the monitors which still had the words 'Lost Communication!' blinking on them, they were still blind to the outside.

    "I think that was an explosion!"

    "An explosion?" Mieko asked him equally perplexed.

    "Quick, go call the others we are going outside!" Reo ordered before he ran towards the weapon rack and pulled out an old 'Maschinenpistole 34' which he used on scouting missions outside.

    "What in this weather?" Mieko asked him.

    "We have to check out what that was Mieko. The safety of the dome depends on it."

    Six people came running into the hangar, they were also on duty that day. Perplexed, they looked at Reo and one of the men asked him "What happened? What is that alarm?"

    "I don't know, it sounded like an explosion! It came from outside. Gear up in your winter suits and bring your weapons, we have to check it out. Tell the rest of the dome to stay cautious..." Reo stated as he went putting on his winter uniform and a kevlar vest. Turning his head he saw his daughter who was doing the same.

    "No young lady, you are staying here!" Reo spoke as he tried to stop her from dressing up. "You are pregnant and your mother is going to kill me."

    "Dad... you know I am not a little girl anymore, I am coming with you in case anyone needs help. Besides, Kazuo didn't only teach me chess you know... I might be the best sniper in the squad thanks to him." she spoke before running up to the weapons rack and pulling out a modified Type 99 Arisaka rifle with a scope. The rifle was almost as big as her, but she knew how to handle it pretty well. Checking out her ammo she reloaded it before she turned to face her father.

    He couldn't help but almost burst into laughter at the sight of his daughter holding an oversized sniper rifle in her arms, she stood ready for battle. "Well, those outsiders better be careful! Mieko is coming!" he replied smirking as Mieko punched his arm playfully.

    "Oh shush!"

    Geared up for a confrontation, the squad led by Reo ran to one of the machines they used for extreme weather. It was a modified German snow-plower from the old era called a "PistenBully 600". The crane in the back was ripped apart to make way for an armored caravan filled with medical gear and ammo. A spotlight with a machine gun next to it was retrofitted on the top of the vehicle for defense and search and rescue missions. This vehicle got them through too much on outer layer explorations and it still worked for centuries after it was built.

    Starting the engine they drove up to the tunnel up to the hidden blast door that leads to the outside just about 500 meters in front of the wall. Barely opening the blast doors as snow has accumulated on the top they could see how harsh the weather outside has turned with barely any visibility at all.

    ° ° °

    "DO YOU SEE ANYONE?" Reo shouted from underneath the vehicle sitting on the passenger seat, as he aimed his weapon through the opening of the window. Some time passed as they reached the wall looking for anyone that might have set off the explosive device.

    "NO... NO ONE!" Mieko shouted from the top of the vehicle as she stood ready with her sniper rifle scanning the horizon, two men from the group mounted the spotlight and the machine gun next to her.

    "SCAN THE HORIZON AND BE CAREFUL, COULD BE ANYONE OUT HERE!" Reo shouted to her before he turned to the driver "Drive carefully along the wall, we need to see where the explosion came from."

    Driving through the piles of snow that accumulated on the top layer, they reached the point of the wall where the explosive device was set up. While it was insignificant, there was still concrete and fragments laying around on the ground gradually gathering snow. The wall absorbed most of the shockwave, but they could still feel the pulse and the sound on the inside.

    "I STILL DON'T SEE ANYONE OUT HERE DAD!"

    "BE CAREFUL AND KEEP LOOKING!" Reo replied as he continued scanning the horizon. They were sure that someone could be out here, walls don't tend to just explode by themselves. "COULD IT BE A STRAY SHELL?" Mieko asked him, as she continued scanning the blank horizon with her scope.

    "NO! NO ONE COULD FIRE UP HERE AND HIT THE WALL! IT'S TOO FAR AWAY FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE LAYER!" Reo replied, however as he looked into the distance he could see someone on the ground.

    "WAIT..." turning to the driver he pointed at the distance. "Drive over there, I think I see something... Pulling out his head through the window he shouted back at Mieko "MIEKO! CAN YOU SEE WHAT'S THERE IN FRONT OF YOU?"

    "SURE," she said scoping the horizon with her sniper rifle. Barely visible, she noticed two silhouettes laying still on the white ground. She could make out only two helmets and the rest was covered in snow.

    "DAD! THERE IS SOMEONE OUT THERE ON THE GROUND! COVERED IN SNOW!" she shouted.

    "Oh no..." Reo exclaimed as he faced the driver ..."QUICK! We need to get there!"

    Driving as fast as they could through the heavy snow, they stopped just outside where they saw the two bodies. Reo opened the door and ran out of the vehicle with his weapon pointed. He trod carefully towards them and then lowered his weapon as he saw two little girls laying cuddled under a blanket next to each other.

    "MIEKO... EVERYONE... COME QUICK!"

    Reo shouted back facing the vehicle, as he placed the weapon back on his arm and leaned down to check on the girls. Mieko and two men from the group ran out of the vehicle with their weapons ready.

    "IT'S JUST TWO LITTLE GIRLS... THEY ARE FROZEN!"

    Reo quickly brushed off the snow from the two girls laying huddled next to each other underneath the blanket, he kept trying to wake them up to no response. They barely looked alive, and he could swear the two little girls fit the same description in his father's letter. "Oh.. no... no... could it be them?" he softly mumbled as he placed his finger on the bloodied hand of the dark-haired girl. Luckily she still had a pulse and was breathing, which wasn't the case with the blonde girl. She seemed to have stopped breathing and he couldn't feel her pulse.

    Just behind them were Mieko and the two men from the group who were waiting for his instructions. "They are dying! We need to get them inside now!" Reo carefully grabbed the blond girl in his arms as she was still covered in the blanket and started running as fast as he could through the thick snow up to the back of the modified vehicle. Mieko and the two men from the group were just behind him carrying the other girl along with her backpack.

    Once inside the vehicle, Reo placed the girl on the makeshift table and started taking off her clothes to perform CPR. Trying to keep calm, he turned to the driver "As soon as Mieko and the others get inside, drive as fast as you can back home! We don't have time to check if there is anyone else out here!" placing his hands on the girl's chest he started pumping her heart...

    "Shit, I am so sorry dad! I don't know if you are still out there - "

    As soon as Mieko and the other two from the group went inside the vehicle, the PistenBully came to life driving back full speed to the hidden blast door before it was too late. Placing the other girl on the table, Mieko turned to her father who called her over for help as he was trying to resuscitate the girl and grabbed a CPR Mask.

    "Cmon... CMON! Please be alive!" Counting up to 30 he faced Mieko and gave her a sign to use the bag on the CPR mask. She squeezed it two times, breathing in the air into the girl's lungs. Sadly she wasn't giving any signs of life yet. She still had no pulse, but that didn't stop Reo from continuing with his chest compressions.

    "CMON! Fight little girl please!" he continued as sweat formed on his face... "FIGHT FOR ME PLEASE!" Counting again up to 30, Mieko was ready again with the CPR Mask and squeezed it two times. With no pulse, Reo was still not giving up.

    "PLEASE, LITTLE GIRL! JUST, FIGHT FOR FUCKS SAKE!"

    ° ° °

    A few days have passed since they found the girls from the cruel blizzard outside. Reo and Mieko both stayed at the dome's hospital day and night waiting for any signs of improvement. In the dead of night, Reo was sitting still awake in his office going through Itsuki's letters to see if he's missed anything. Itsuki consistently mentioned the two girls called Yuuri and Chito and described them in detail in his letters before he lost contact with them. However, Reo wasn't completely sure that it was them. In his father's letters, Itsuki explained that he planned to come with them on his last journey from the bottom layer. Something might have happened in the meantime and maybe Itsuki lost his life, or maybe it could have been two other girls that made this journey. That is why they never sealed off the entrances at the far corners of the layer because unfortunate people were still seeking refuge and life from the world beneath them. For days they sent out search parties to look for his father who might have been lost on the last climb, but they never found anyone else out there.

    "If it's them ... then where is Itsuki?" he kept thinking to himself. Unable to eat and sleep for days, he was still pondering whether Itsuki was still out there, malnourished or even dead. But his priority was the life of the girls, he had to make a really hard decision for one of the girls on the day they arrived and it kept him awake almost every night with guilt studying the archives if he could have done anything else. Reo has been helping people in all kinds of emergencies, but this was completely different. He felt a fatherly obligation towards these two girls they found freezing out just the days before. He would never know what he would do if something similar happened to his daughter.

    Reo must have drifted off to sleep in his chair as suddenly he was woken up by an alarm usually the nurses use in case of an emergency with one of their patients. Coming to his senses he got up and started running through the dark corridors toward the room where one of the girls was sleeping. His daughter was inside the room calling out to him.

    Wearing a white doctor's robe he stopped just outside the room to compose himself "What happened Mieko?" Reo asked as he looked inside the room, suddenly his eyes fixed upon the terrified young girl crying on the bed. With a puzzled expression, the girl looked back at him and asked him, “What - Grandpa? How? Is that you?”

    All of a sudden it occurred to him that this was indeed the girl from his father's letter, both of the girls called him grandpa and Reo strangely resembled his father's looks from the pictures that he sent. Deep in his thoughts, he wanted to run outside once again to look for him. He turned to Mieko with a panicked look on his face.

    "Oh my goodness - it's her Mieko! It's her - the dark-haired girl from Itsuki's letters - but - we kept searching he wasn't out there - in the blizzard... That means he is still out there!"

    The girl with a sudden puzzled expression on her face kept looking at both of them before she asked "Wait how? How do you know that name? How do you know grandpa?"

    Reo trying to compose himself answered her calmly... "Itsuki ... he is my father"

    Staring at her he resumed talking "He was supposed to help you come here, but we couldn't find him. Is he still out there?" he asked fearing the worst answer.

    Still confused Chito tried to calmly answer him back "No... he stayed back at the village and people started shooting each other... we don't know if he made it out," she said still terrified with a puzzled look on her face "Wait - how... Who are you?" she questioned him again.

    "It's a long story but he is my father. We left the village many years ago and he had to stay behind, he planned to bring you both up here... to give you a proper life, both you and Yuuri... He sent so many letters to us through refugees and families... I am so sorry Chito..." he replied still trying to keep his composure as a doctor. "My name is Reo and this is my daughter Mieko..."

    "You two have been through so much out there, whatever you both did outside with the explosive device saved your lives, we would never have known that you were outside... I am so sorry..." Mieko spoke.

    Chito in the whole confusion again forgot about Yuuri as she was not in the same room as her... "Wait - Yuuri? Please tell me where she is?" Chito's heart started beating even faster waiting for the worst possible answer. She couldn't stop crying laying down on the bed, she was worried about the life of her partner.

    "Chito... Please, you have to understand when we found you two you were in really bad shape. When we found Yuuri... she was dead..." he replied with tears in his eyes, looking back at Chito. "but we brought her to life, however - she is in a coma."

    "What... what is a coma? She was dead?" Chito asked him, she was about to start crying again. "Wha-"

    "Chito... you were also in a short coma from exhaustion and you woke up... Yuuri is alive but she is just in a deep sleep... but please you have to be strong for her!" Reo with tears in his eyes still tried to compose himself, In all his life doing this job, this was the hardest thing he had to do and he felt that Chito and Yuuri were his family. "I am so sorry Chito... But Yuuri, we tried everything, however - she lost her leg... you broke your hand and she lost her leg from frostbite. We tried everything and we had you both on a tissue regenerator machine... but... we had to eventually cut her leg to save her life."

    Chito suddenly burst into tears as she wailed loudly..."Noooo! Yuuri!" she screamed trying to hit the bed with her hands... the pain from her broken hand pulsated throughout her body, but she continued crying... "What did I do!? It's all my fault! I pushed her through the snow!"

    Mieko with tears in her eyes tried to console her as she gently placed her hand on her head "Chito, it's not your fault! You were really lucky - the weather is still really bad outside you did the right thing. Yuuri still has a chance at life but only time will tell when she will wake up... please, you have to be strong for her, you can't ever give up on her - you went through too much to make it up here for a better life, it's not the end for her..."

    "No... my sweetheart... Yuu... what did I do?" she cried laying down on the bed, the medication that Mieko injected her was taking effect as she started calming down and closed her eyes "Why Yuu... What did I do..." from exhaustion she fell asleep again with tears in her eyes.

    Even though Mieko learned all her life to deal with patients and to always have professional composure, she couldn't help but start weeping as she hugged her father tightly who was standing there still in shock. The sudden realization that her grandfather was never going to come back home was too much for them to bear.

    "Dad... Itsuki..." Reo spoke to himself as he started crying as well, hugging Mieko even tighter. "No... - "

    This was the day that he lost all hope of ever seeing his father back home. Deep in his heart, he wanted to believe that he was now finally together with his wife in heaven. Itsuki lost his life, but he gave life to two girls that never had the happiness of a happy, warm and safe home.

    The storm outside raged on for days, completely covering the world in white. It seemed like it was the last storm of the season.

    Itsuki used to say to himself that the world outside was beautiful in its own little ways, even from the mountains and piles of destruction that humanity left behind. Maybe anyone could find happiness and love out there, and they all shared a similar destiny to reach the top of the world together through life and death. In some way, Chito and Yuuri carried Yasuo and Itsuki home in their hearts.

    They reached their new home, but it did cost them a price.

    Reo has seen the same spark in Chito's eyes for Yuuri before. It was the same that he has seen so many times in his mother's eyes and the way she felt about Itsuki. Reo knew her little heart wouldn't be able to survive without Yuuri by her side, and he felt that he had to do something to help them, he had to give more than what he could have ever done for his mother and father.

    "I won't let Chito go through what my mother did... I will help both of them get through this, even if it takes years..." Reo said to Mieko as he was hugging her tightly.

    ° ° °

    Sleeping peacefully in her bed, Yuuri was still in a coma after some time since they were rescued, however, she was doing much better since they found her. Yuuri didn't need the help of the machines to breathe anymore and it just showed how strong she really was. Even in a coma, she never lost her will to live as long as Chito was by her side. Every day next to her, Chito never left her bedside as she waited patiently for her to wake up. Itsuki, Mieko, and the staff from the dome's hospital couldn't find it in their heart to separate the two girls, and Chito was allowed to stay in her room and sleep next to her on the same bed. They only hoped that this room was only their temporary home for now.

    Chito's strength and the strong spark in her eyes have also returned. With her medication and daily nourishment, she was able to function on her own, but she refused to leave Yuuri and always left half a portion of her food next to her bed in case Yuuri woke up hungry. She was always there taking care of Yuuri and snuggling close to her waiting for any reaction. Chito's hand was also getting much better since they removed her cast, however, she still had trouble making a fist. It would take a long time for her hand to completely heal.

    It was late at night, Itsuki and Meiko checked on them before they went home for the day as Chito lay there on the bed re-reading all of Itsuki's letter that was addressed to Reo's family. Outside the window it started raining, everyone seemed to be at their homes as just the street lights illuminated this wonderful isolated world of the dome. Chito learned of Itsuki's heroics, his friends in the village, her father Yasuo, and mother Haruki, and how he came to be punished and never got a pass to the 'place in the sky' as the outsiders used to call it. She could never understand why Itsuki never told them about his family up here and this strange place that he yearned to go to so much. Maybe he was afraid of something or maybe in all those years on the outside he lost hope that he would ever meet his own family. It must have been painful for him to be away from them for that long on the outside surviving in the cold.

    Placing Itsuki's letters aside, Chito turned the bedside lamp off and huddled close to Yuuri, careful as to not pull the IV off from her hand. Gently she stroked her hair and leaned close to her slowly whispering in her ear.

    "Hey, Yuu... It's been a while since that day. So... I really miss you..." Chito said as she snuggled close to her underneath the blanket. "I really miss our talks, I miss your beautiful smile, and I miss how you talk about food almost all the time. I wouldn't want anything more in life than to see your beautiful blue eyes open again..." she smiled closing her eyes. She cried so much every day that she was left with no tears anymore, just red spots underneath her eyes. "Yuu, I hope you will wake up soon. You have to see our new home. It's so much different from the outside. They even have all kinds of food that we've never even dreamed of... we even have a family here, they are all beautiful and wonderful people and they will never hurt us." underneath the blanket she reached out her right hand and gently held Yuuri's hand. "Yuu... please if you can find it in your heart to forgive me about your leg and everything else ... I was a horrible person to you and just thinking how I hurt you, hurts me even more... I swear when you wake up I will help you with everything. Please, Yuu... please just wake up... My sweetheart, I can't go on without you..." closing her eyes she quickly fell asleep and cuddled next to her. She just wanted to sleep next to her and never wake up anymore, not without her.

    Deep in her mind, Chito was in deep emotional turmoil, every night she would wake up screaming and it was the same dream as always. They were outside dying in each other's arms in the blizzard. The bomb was just sitting next to them with the fuse lit and just before it went off Yuuri always looked at her with disgust in her eyes, she never forgave her for losing her leg, it was Chito's fault all this time. Every night they kept dying in her dreams, over and over and over again... no matter how much she screamed, the bomb went off and it was... the end.

    For days she felt she shouldn't be alive, she should still be there at that stone they found on that day cuddled dead next to each other. Maybe they were dead and this was some kind of purgatory or heaven where she had to wait for Yuuri to wake up for an eternity. It was yet again a miracle how they survived the night there and continued pressing on. It was all that time on the outside that gave them hope and the strength to survive in the cold.

    For now, all she had to do was wait.


    ° ° °

    Early in the morning just, Chito felt that someone was softly nudging her while she was still sleeping.

    "Chii-chan - Chii-chan, wake up! Where are we?



    (Continued in Chapter 7)
    (Latest revision 5th December 2022)
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  8. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    Early in the morning the sun rays gently illuminated the room through the shutter blinds where Chito and Yuuri were sleeping. Chito slept tightly most of the night when she felt that someone was nudging her and trying to wake her up.

    "Chii-chan - Chii-chan, wake up! Where are we?

    Opening her eyes she found a pair of confused blue eyes looking back at her. Unsure if she was still dreaming, Chito gently brushed her eyes. After all this time Chito felt that she would never see those two beautiful blue eyes ever again. Yuuri with genuine confusion in her eyes kept staring at Chito, feeling refreshed as she had just woken up after a long nap.

    Chito couldn't stop crying as she jumped into her hugging her so tightly that she never wanted to let go of her ever again in her life.

    "Yuuriiii!!!" Chito could barely articulate any words as she kept weeping in her chest. "Please... tell me - you are - awake..."

    "Chii-chan... What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Yuuri was unable to understand where on earth she was. Her memory was a complete blank on how she found herself in this mysterious room, she still couldn't recall that day outside the wall, everything seemed blurry to her. For some reason, she couldn't get out of her bed, as she felt weak with persistent pain in her leg.

    "Please, Yuuri... don't ever leave me alone again..." Chito kept crying loudly in her arms. "I...I... thought I would never hear your voice again... I thought you would never wake up... please, I don't want to spend a single moment without you again... Please... Yuu..."

    "Chii-chan, no... please don't cry... you are not dreaming I am here..." she was still puzzled and scanned the room. This was unlike any room she had seen before in her life, the walls were covered in white plaster, and on the left of her bed, there was a window with shutters. She had no idea why in her left arm there was a strange tube attached leading up to a bag filled with some kind of liquid. "But what happened? Where are we Chii-chan?" she asked.

    "Oh, my sweetheart... I don't know how to tell you..." Chito slowly tried to get her composure, as she cried into Yuuri's chest. "You were in a coma... after we reached the wall... I am so sorry..."

    "Chii-chan... what's a coma?" Yuuri asked again, while Chito embraced her tightly.

    "It's when you sleep for a long time... you slept for one month and... I was here right next to you waiting... for you to wake up almost every day... I couldn't leave your side and... I - I kept calling and talking to you every night - sleeping next to you... hoping you would wake up..."

    "But Chii-chan, why didn't you wake me up?"

    "It's really difficult - it's not like you can wake up easily from a coma - I spoke to you every day, but... you weren't waking up, but... I am so happy you are here with me again...Yuu... please never leave me again..." she leaned up and kissed her cheeks. Chito waited for what felt like an eternity for this moment to see her conscious again, she had so much to tell her about their new home and their new family.

    "Chii-chan..." Yuuri replied and blushed deeply. "I'm sorry... I must have been very tired that I slept for a whole month. And look how long my hair has grown." she smiled running her hand through her long blonde hair.

    "But Chii-chan... how was I alive all this time?"

    "Do you see that tube that runs in your arm?" Chito pointed towards Yuuri's arm where something that looked like a tube was attached to her "They told me that it's called an IV infusion, I also had it for some time after I woke up because I was also fragile. It's supposed to provide something like liquid food for your body and keep you alive and strong while you are in a coma. And you are not supposed to pull it out or touch it."

    "Mmmm... I never know you can eat food through your arm Chii-chan... but still, I am sooo hungry..." Yuuri mumbled. "But Chii-chan - how did we get here in this weird room? And why does my leg hurt so much?"

    "Oh... Yuu..." Chito started crying again in her arms. She was not sure how she was going to tell her what happened, she felt it was all her fault that she forced her through the snow and that Yuuri lost her leg.

    "I am so sorry Yuu - It was my fault for pushing you out through the blizzard while you were sick. The last thing I remember is that we reached the wall outside and you were so exhausted that you fell asleep on the cold snow. I was so scared Yuu... I used the explosive to try and breach the wall so we can go through and look for a shelter... but then nothing happened. I just... I gave up - and went to sleep next to you outside because I thought that was the end of our journey - and that's when I woke up in the room opposite yours, we were saved... by the wonderful people that live inside here. Yuu that was the worst moment of my life - I thought you were dead... ... I... thought you...died... I...I... at that moment... I didn't know what I will do without you... I... don't..." she continued crying as Yuuri leaned her head on hers and gently hugged her

    "Chii-chan..." she gently spoke.

    "- but... I broke my hand and I can't move it that much" with teary eyes she took out her left hand from underneath the blanket, showing Yuuri that she struggled to make a full fist... "but... Yuuri... you..." she was trying to get her composure to tell her the bad news. "You lost your leg - I am so sorry Yuu - It's all my fault!" She couldn't ever forgive herself for Yuuri losing her leg and she felt that everything was her fault.

    "What are you talking about Chii-chan, my leg just hurts a bit, I never lost -" Yuuri responded before she pulled off the blanket, and saw that her left leg was indeed gone.

    "...oh..." with grief Yuuri kept looking down at the bed, she was missing the lower part just underneath her knee but she could still feel pain as if it was still there. She felt a bit relieved that she could move her right leg, but with some difficulty as her muscles have atrophied after being in a coma for this long.

    "But... what happened to my leg Chii-chan? I can still feel it... but--" she was still perplexed, it was coming back to her that outside on the last layer she had constant pain in her left leg on that day, but she kept pushing on towards the wall with Chito through the intense cold and mounds of snow that piled up on the layer. She could never imagine that she would ever lose her leg due to the harsh weather outside.

    "Yuu... the doctor Reo... he said he had to cut your leg off because of something called frostbite that you can get outside in the snow. He said we both suffered from hypothermia... and frostbite on our legs, fingers, and toes, but he couldn't save your leg and you wouldn't have survived if he kept it. He said you might feel something called a 'phantom pain' as if your leg is still there... I am so sorry Yuuri, if it wasn't for me you would still have had your leg..."

    "Chii-chan... " Yuuri mentioned her name assuredly again as she looked at Chito and gently held her damaged hand "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have been here in this room alive." leaning down she gently pressed her forehead next to hers. "You saved our lives... you are my hero Chii-chan... I'd rather lose both my legs than ever lose you... even if it cost my leg I am so happy that we are safe...." Yuuri's eyes softly filled up with tears as she embraced Chito close to her.

    "I love you... Chii-chan... and I will never leave your side..."

    "Yuu..." Chito replied as she slowly composed herself buried in her arms. "I - I love you more than everything... I promise I will be by your side. I will be your other leg..." she gently smiled as she brushed the tears from her eyes. "I will help you bathe... I will prepare food for you... I will do everything for you... my sweetheart."

    "Chii-chan... please promise me that we will not cry anymore. We are safe... I just want us to be happy from now on. I think we've been through too much already and I just want us to be happy, together..." Yuuri said with her beautiful and sad smile. Yuuri had to learn to accept the fact that she would never have her leg back, but she felt she could give all her legs and arms just so Chito could be happy and alive by her side.

    After some moments passed and they slowly composed themselves in each other's arms, Yuuri had a lot more questions to ask, she was still confused.

    "So Chii-chan... are we still up on the last layer?" she asked her.

    "Yes... we are inside the place they called the Biodome... but I still can't explain what it is... I am so confused as well... you have to see it for yourself Yuu. I can show you." Chito answered as she left her embrace and got out of bed. Walking barefoot towards the side of her bed she leaned to help pull Yuuri up on the bed...

    "Ok... One...Two... Three..." with Chito's help she sat on the bed facing the blinds towards the window.

    "Oh - What do you want to show me Chii-chan?"

    "Are you ready?" Chito smiled as she moved towards the side of the window. There were two buttons just on the side of the shutter blind there were used to control them, the previous night she closed them so the sun didn't wake her up.

    "Huh? Ready?" Yuuri asked before Chito pressed one of the buttons. An electronic whir started moving the blinds to the sides of the window. The shutter slowly opened as the sun's rays blinded Yuuri for a second. Just as she was starting to get used to the light, Yuuri looked through the window again - her blue eyes full of spark opened widely again gasping in awe.

    The whole dome was home to an isolated civilization brimming with all kinds of organic life. From plants to all types of beautiful and colorful trees, up to the observable horizon. It was the first time in her life that she has seen an actual tree in person. Up until now, they have seen them in pictures and videos down at the nuclear submarine, and now there were so many outside their windows. The sun and the sky shined brightly above this isolated world from the outside. Perhaps this was the last place on earth that had life, and the reason they built this large dome up in the sky was to protect the last living lifeforms left on this planet.

    Gasping in awe, Yuuri in disbelief looked through the window from her bed, as Chito sat beside her, leaning her head to her shoulder. "It's amazing isn't it Yuu?"

    "CHII-CHAN, WOW!" Yuuri exclaimed, still in disbelief as she looked through the window. "Is that - what they call trees?"

    "Yes, they are real trees. Mieko and Reo told me that sadly there are only 36 kinds of trees that survived the extinction, they also have flowers and even plants that grow food. They have been able to survive up here for hundreds of years - after the world below fell apart."

    "CHII-CHAN, THAT IS SOOOO AMAZING!" Yuuri chuckled as she glanced through the window with her eyes wide open. "Chii-chan, how didn't we know this world was up here? Do you think we are finally in heaven?"

    Chito grinned and turned her head looking at her... "We might as well be Yuu, this sure does feel like heaven. I could never have imagined this place existed even in my crazy dreams."

    Yuuri slightly surprised, wiggled around in her bed as she pointed towards something in the distance, she was still too weak to even get up from her bed... "CHII-CHAN, WHAT'S THAT FLYING OUT THERE?"

    "Oh.. those are called birds. I am not sure what kind of species these are, but there are a lot, some called are called pigeons, some are called cranes, crows, and geese, and some are called chickens but they don't fly that high. They told me they even have other kinds of animals, livestock, cats, dogs..." Chito replied as she kept looking through the window together with Yuuri. "That's what they told me but I haven't seen them yet. I just kept looking out the window while I was waiting for you to wake up, and only ever noticed the birds on the horizon. I also saw many other humans outside on the streets, they all seemed happy living their lives. I was so glad that, unlike the outside, everyone seems so carefree."

    "ARE THERE FLYING FISHY AS WELL? CAN WE EAT THEM?" Yuuri kept wiggling on the bed with the widest smile on her face asking all of those questions. "Heyy... you'll break the bed Yuuuu... and no, I don't think there are flying fish... But Reo told me they also have fresh and seawater tanks and even a lake where lots of fish live and we can eat them sometimes as well. But even with all that food, people still ration it up here as well so they don't run out of it and maintain food for generations."

    "MmmmMmm...Yummyummm...." Yuuri mumbled with drool in her mouth as she continued swaying around on her bed "I want all the fishy in the world!"

    Seeing her so happy only brought a smile to Chito's worn face. They have been through too much since they left the village, and they never thought through all the hopelessness that they would find happiness and a place they can call home. Even if this was an isolated and such a small place from the outside world, Chito and Yuuri only hoped that they will be welcome to stay here.

    Yuuri smiled and suddenly jumped into Chito pinning her gently down on the bed as she lay on top of her. Even though she was atrophied and still weak, she managed to pin Chito with a surprised look on her face down on the bed somehow. "Chii-chan, I am so happy! Thank you for bringing me here!" she exclaimed looking down at her as both of them blushed.

    "Well... both of us made the journey... so in a way, you also brought me up here too. Yuu..." Chito replied looking up at her eyes and gently smiling.

    Their spark was once again alive and burning with lots of love and life. It was a wonderful feeling that they no longer had to fear for their lives or ever go hungry again. In the end, what mattered was that they were happy and safe.

    "Chii-chaaaaan... we can finally get married!" Yuuri exclaimed before she leaned over and kissed her so deeply, almost as if she was trying to devour her whole face. "mmpphhpmmm...."

    Chito was startled even more as she wasn't expecting this kind of reaction from Yuuri. Completely blushed, she mumbled underneath her kiss wagging her arms and trying to get up. "Yuuriii... STOP... be care...fu...l or... you wil... rip your IV... offffwwllwl..mmhhwfff"

    Seeing Yuuri's beautiful eyes and smile again brought back her will to live, she was so happy once again. No matter how short and difficult life might be, she wanted to spend an eternity with her at their new home.


    ° ° °

    "Mmmphmpmmm... it's foooff tawsty!!! Waf if fhwifs?" Yuuri kept trying to speak with her mouth full, still laying down on the bed as she stared at Mieko who sat on a chair opposite her bed. Laying next to Yuuri was Chito snuggling her free arm.

    "It's called chicken curry with rice Yuuri, and if you want you can have a fifth bowl!" Mieko answered as she and Reo dressed in a hospital uniform curiously watched her go through the fourth bowl of curry.

    "Fhis is the tawstiewt twing I've eer eafen in my liwe. Werr did you fwind it?" she replied with her mouth full.

    "Well... it was my grandma's recipe and my fiance cooked it for you both. It's all from ingredients that we can grow in our fields and the hydroponics bay. Didn't Itsuki prepare this for you on the outside?"

    "Mmpmmhpm..." swallowing the rest of the food she placed the bowl on the table next to her bed "No - he never did, we could only eat rations and whatever the hydroponics factory could produce. He also baked really tasty bread and we helped him with Chii-chan." Smiling she gently rubbed her tummy..."Mmmm... I could eat this every day" before she turned to Reo who was sitting right next to Mieko "So, Itsuki was your father? And his brother Yasuo was Chito's father?" she asked.

    "Yes, Yuuri. I was just a little boy when we were sent to this place with my mother. Sadly circumstances were not in his favor due to him and Yasuo breaking the rules in the village and he was unable to leave with us." Reo replied. "They sent us so many letters up here any chance they could through travelers and both of them spoke about you two a lot. They both helped so many people before the bridges fell, and we didn't know Yasuo sadly passed away many years ago. They are considered heroes in the eyes of many families."

    "Wow... I knew that grandpa was a hero, he was the kindest person ever and always wanted to help anyone he met." Yuuri replied.

    "Do you remember if he ever told you about us or this place?" Reo asked her.

    "My memory is not that good from our past and he mostly worked at the factory every day. And by the end, he was very forgetful and I am sad that he never spoke of you. But he used to tell us a lot of stories about the world outside so many times and that he helped people look for food or supplies... he never mentioned yo..." Yuuri replied. "But it's nice that he has a family up here too, out there me and Chii-chan were his only family."

    "And Mieko, you are Reo's daughter?" Yuuri was already full of so many questions she wanted to ask her new family.

    "Yes... I am his only daughter and since a month ago a certified nurse and the girl that beat the dome champion in chess!" Mieko chuckled, she must have bragged to everyone about finally beating Reo in chess. Turning to Reo who looked like his pride was hurt she continued speaking "And I beat him at his own game, I kept asking him to explain from memory how a 'Splenectomy' is performed."

    "Pfff..." he let out an audible annoyance as Mieko playfully punched him on the shoulder still giggling.

    "Ummm... What's a Splenectomy?" Yuuri asked them again, they barely heard her as Reo had Mieko locked under her arm and messed up her hair while she was struggling. "I will show you how's Splenectomy done on you Mieko! I will obliterate you in chess next time you coward, just wait and see!"

    Yuuri chuckled again as she turned back to Chito, who was still peacefully snuggled against her arm. The commotion between Reo and Mieko was still going on in their room as she started speaking to Chito

    "Chii-chan, are they a crazy family?"

    "Mhm... and it seems like they are our family now, and you share something similar with Mieko's mother. She also lost her leg in an accident many years ago on the outside." Chito replied as she was almost in a trance snuggling Yuuri's numb arm. She was beyond happy that she finally awakened from her coma.

    "Mom would love to meet you as well Yuuri. She will be home in 2 days, they are down with her group scavenging for parts." Mieko spoke from underneath Reo's arm as she pulled away from his grasp.

    "But... if she is missing a leg - how is she able to go outside?"

    "Yuuri - my colleague specializes in neuroprosthetics and he can create and synthesize neuroprosthetics for children and adults that suffered a loss of limb from accidents," Reo replied to her question. "With just a few surgical implants and lots of practice. it's like you've never even lost your leg. My ex-wife lost hers on a scavenging mission, she was salvaging components and something fell on her leg breaking it into several pieces. Sadly she had to share the same fate as you. But don't worry Yurri, he will be able to build your prosthetic as soon as you are ready. It will take time but you will be able to walk on your two feet again."

    "Oooh wow... hey Chii-chan... I will be a robot and a god at the same time." she grinned at Chito as she kept snuggling her arm. "Oh, and how many people live here?" Yuuri asked him again, her sense of wonder seemed to be back as well.

    "There are more than 28000 people. The number used to be much higher, but there was a lot of inner turmoil between the residents for so many decades before." he answered "Our biodome was made to house over two million residents and in the early days was an experiment in self-sufficiency from the outside world. They made about 40 of these biodomes around the world, but after the wars, our ancestors lost contact with every single one around the world many years ago. While this dome was built to provide an atmosphere and clean water for the layers below us, it was also used for research, preservation, and data for humanity to colonize the planet Mars. The first spaceships they built, sent millions of people to that planet. The whole world ran a lottery, and about four billion people signed up to leave this planet. Only a few million were selected for the first flights. The planet back then was overpopulated by humans and humanity felt that they eventually had to move to a different planet. Just as the spaceships launched, a few years later, one of the mass extinction wars started, which almost wiped humanity off its planet. After that our ancestors never had contact with the crew that went to Mars, we will never know if their mission was a success or if they managed to colonize the planet - or if they are still alive up there among the stars."

    "Oh... " Chito and Yuuri were both left speechless as they listened to Reo carefully. It felt like too much information to suddenly process about their new home and even the history of the world.

    "But... how did the biodome survive for this long?" Yuuri asked him again.

    "If you saw the weapons outside, they protected the dome for many years from air raids. It's controlled by a very advanced AI that controls every aspect of the dome. No one has been able to turn it off for hundreds of years or even breach the room where the 'AI' works from. Even to this day it still works, but I am glad that it never killed any outsiders in recent years that made the hike up the stairways. The weapons shoot concentrated light beams that almost instantly fry anything up in the sky with accuracy, that is how the biodome was able to protect itself for so many years. The blast walls were an advanced 'Starlite Compound' that has been researched to withstand an EMP attack and even thermonuclear bombs 20 times bigger than the one that was dropped on Europe at the end of World War 3. When Chito placed the bomb on the wall outside, the shock wave was absorbed by the wall triggering an alarm just like when the biodome used to be under attack many years ago." Reo replied. "The camera systems didn't work that day and if Chito never set off the explosive, we would never have found you."

    "But why wasn't everyone at the village granted a passage here if it could house so many people?" Chito asked him as well joining the conversation, still snuggled with Yuuri who was also listening carefully. "Why did Itsuki and the others have to suffer out there?"

    "The outside world had so many people that want to hurt us and the AI is especially wary of the outsiders. Its information is beyond valuable to us and the remaining species it houses in the biodome. Sadly the elders of your village valued its residents at loftier prices than the AI could afford. That meant spare machine parts, knowledge, resources, food, and even freshwater were traded with them so they could let it have capable humans move in the biodome. Even if humans were the reason behind all of the extinction, the AI felt the need for their help for the survival of the biodome. Sadly I couldn't have done anything to provide Itsuki's and Yasuo's passages even if I tried to ration my food and parts grant for years. The AI would not let me go outside as well as it feels my knowledge of medicine is necessary to help the other humans in our community." Reo replied and sighed looking back at Yuuri.

    "Yuuri - I am afraid if it wasn't for the AI's knowledge and his information - if you were rescued on the outside you never would have been able to wake up from your coma. I wanted to tell you both when Yuuri woke up but, Yuuri was showing no brain activity after we rescued you both outside. She had extensive brain damage, and she was never going to wake up. It was only after we put a nano-synthesized machine inside her brain that it was able to repair her cells to perfection. That is why she recovered so quickly. I am so glad that I found the information and was able to synthesize it. I haven't slept for a week researching the archive and finally was able to find it, buried deep under mountains of information, schematics and research. I don't have a record of it ever performed on a human in hundreds of years, but I am so glad that I did. I couldn't live with myself seeing another spark disappear. You might have been the first human in recent times that ever recovered from this condition, Yuuri. You both are the luckiest and strongest girls - and when I look at you both I see my grandfather's determination in both your eyes."

    Chito listened to him carefully and couldn't help but start crying again looking up at Yuuri, she couldn't express with words how glad she was that Yuuri was alive and lying next to her. She couldn't stop the tears for many weeks now as they always flooded her eyes. Chito never knew what she would do if the circumstances were different and she lost her partner out there on the wall, or if she never woke up from her coma.

    "Robotic brain... robotic leg... Chii-chan I might be a robotic god!" she laughed again, as Chito brushed the tears from her eyes and smiled back at her.

    "Yuu... You really are carefree and strong, even after everything that happened..." she replied before turning to face Reo with her teary eyes. "Reo, I am eternally grateful to you and Mieko for helping her, I don't know what I would have done without her by my side... I really don't... just the thought of losing her -"

    "Chito... all these years I felt like I've never done anything more for my parents. Giving you both a chance at life is the last thing I could do, and I am so happy that you both are here with us. You are our family and dad would never forgive me if I never helped you." Reo and Mieko both got up from their chairs and went to hug them both on the bed. "I am so glad you woke up Yuuri... I am so glad."

    The rest of the evening all of them spent it laughing and reminiscing about their journey up to the last layer and talking about Itsuki and Yasuo. Yuuri even helped herself to another portion of chicken curry with rice and those familiar ration bars they had outside with chocolate flavor until she couldn't eat anymore. She never felt so full of food in her life.

    ° ° °

    "Chii-chan, I forgot to ask... do you remember anything after we were rescued that day?" Yuuri asked her after the night had set in and they were getting ready for bed in their hospital room. Yuuri no longer needed the transfusions, and she had a hearty meal for the whole day. All she needed now was to get the strength in her body back and to start learning to walk with a cane until she got her prosthetic.

    "Oh... I don't remember much but... it's so odd... I remember seeing Mieko and Reo for a brief moment and then... it occurred to me that I had another that dream where we are living in that other reality I was telling you about. We were walking at some weird park thing and there were some animals called deer, there were some odd buildings and scary statues too. That is what I remembered from the dream... After I remember that we went to have a bath and we talked about life and where we would go travel next and... I woke up in the next room." Chito replied before she turned the lights off in the room and snuggled next to Yuuri on the bed.

    "Oh... I don't really remember much when I was in a coma, Chii-chan. Just I think I could hear your voice sometimes and that was it. Most of the time... it was like the world was dark and I couldn't feel anything. Just like when I am sleeping." Yuuri replied as she gazed at Chito's tired eyes underneath the covers "When I think about it - it's really scary. Do you think that's what we see when we die Chii-chan? Just darkness?"

    "Mmm... I don't know Yuu, but I really don't want to find out - soon." Closing her eyes, Chito snuggled on Yuuri's chest. "What happened to us on the outside, made me realize - just how much life is valuable and - I don't want that darkness."

    Keeping quiet for some time, both of them exhausted from the excitement of the day quickly started to fall asleep.

    "mm... Chii... when we are together that darkness is not... so scary... it's just like when we go to sleep together..."

    That night was the first in a long time that Chito and Yuuri slept peacefully together on that hospital bed, without fearing for their lives.

    ° ° °

    "Hey Mieko, where are you taking us?" Yuuri turned around to face Mieko and Chito who were pushing her in a wheelchair in one of the parks inside the Biodome. A few days have passed since Yuuri woke up from her coma, and she was gradually getting her strength back and was finally able to stand and sit on her own. Chito walking next to them, for the first time in her life wore the usual comfortable clothes that people inside the biodome wore when the temperature felt warm. It was the first time that they'd gone out for fresh air since Yuuri woke up from her coma.

    The biodome is divided into several sections and grids. The residential areas and additional facilities and factories were closer to the walls. The rest of the sections deeper inside the dome were called the protected area and stood surrounded by large forests and lakes. This section had all kinds of different species of flora and fauna that lived and thrived for numerous years. The ceiling of the dome far above them consisted of hard-tempered glass to let the sun rays in. Most of the time the AI determined the weather inside the biodome and residents could even cast a vote on when it was supposed to rain or simulate nice weather or wind for the benefit of the dome and its citizens. This strange place had its own ecosystem that was protected from the outside and managed to thrive for hundreds of years.

    "Yuuri, the AI wanted to meet you both and speak to you for a long time now. It waits for us in the park." Mieko replied as they walked through the park. On this nice sunny day, it was occupied with families and children that greeted them as they passed by. After they arrived at the biodome they felt like some kind of celebrity. Almost everyone wanted to speak to them, from survivors of the outside to the original citizens of the biodome, and talk to them about their travels, bravery, and the world outside. They made so many friends in such a short time, but most of all Chito and Yuuri were beyond happy that they were accepted within this small world.

    After a short walk, they went to a secluded area of the park, where Chito and Yuuri noticed the familiar statues among the trees. Outside, these statues were almost everywhere.

    "Chii-chan, aren't these the same statues we saw on the layers beneath us?" Yuuri asked her, still sitting in her wheelchair as she pointed at the biggest statue in the middle.

    "You are right Yuu!" Chito replied looking up at them, there were 5 of these statues standing still.

    "Hey... AI!" Mieko called out to someone that was standing behind one of the statues. "You can stop complaining now! Finally, you can speak to them all you want."

    Abruptly she turned to Chito and Yuuri and whispered. "Oh and... he is kinda a talkative one sooo... enjoy your evening!"

    With a few machine-like sounds, a robot similar to the one they met at the fish factory emerged and gradually walked toward them on its tiny legs.

    "Konichiwa - Chito - Yuuri - I've wanted to talk to you for about six thousand eight hundred and fifty hours - thirteen minutes - fifty-eight seconds since our first encounter."


    (Continued in Chapter 8)
    (Latest revision 5th December 2022)
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  9. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    "Chii-chan, is that the same robot from the place with the fishy?" Yuuri asked after the robot emerged from behind one of the stone statues.

    "Looks exactly like it," Chito spoke with equal excitement. "But how did you get up here?"

    This robot had comparable features and even the same vocal modulator as the one they met on their journey in the fish factory, but there was something distinctive about it. Gradually it moved closer to the girls, stopping just a few meters close to them before it started speaking again.

    "Chito - Yuuri - I am not the same robot you met at the fish factory - I am just an AI who merely possesses the collective programming of its predecessors fused with the Biodome many years ago - However I can remote control over 1642 functioning robots around the city grid through archaic connection nodes - The robot at the fish factory was malfunctioning and I wasn't able to take control of it - It's core programming was corrupted and it had a single goal of serving the needs of something deemed 'insignificant' that was bred for human consumption - However, I had control over the construction robot that you both destroyed with an explosive device."

    Guilt-ridden Chito and Yuuri suddenly stared at each other. "Ummmmm…" they let out an audible confusion. Mieko standing close to them was equally baffled. Turning back to the robot both of them in unison apologized bowing their heads down

    "...WE ARE SORRY!!!..."

    "What on earth were you girls doing out there blowing construction robots up?" Mieko asked them. "You do realize without those construction robots the city's foundation could collapse?"

    "Well… we never knew at the time... we are sorry..." Chito responded "The robot was deconstructing a facility where a fish and a robot lived, and… I guess we thought it was going to hurt the fish..."

    "Yeah… I jumped on top of the construction robot, planted the bomb and it went boom!" Yuuri proudly blurted out. "It was amazing and there was fire, sparks, and metal everywhere. And the robot fell to the ground completely annihilated!"

    "A fish and a robot?" Mieko asked again still perplexed. "But... Just... Why? What on earth made you do that?"

    "Chito - Yuuri - I already commissioned another robot that day to fix the one you destroyed and continue work at that section of the city" the robot spoke "However - I regret to tell you when the repair robot arrived you both were gone and unfortunately the fish was already deceased - The corrupt robot had already ceased to work as well -It's core programming shut down frying its electrical components - There was no point in repairing it but its purpose would be used for scrap further on."

    "Ohh…" they both gasped disappointingly. "Yuu, maybe we should have eaten the fish…" Chito spoke.

    "Maybe, we should have eaten it Chii-chan, but I hope both of them had a happy life until the very end! I guess back then we would have been satisfied with a fishy, but I am happy that they got to experience life for a short bit."

    "But why didn't you say anything if you knew we were there?" Chito asked the robot. "We wouldn't have done that at all and your construction robot seemed like he was about to kill them."

    "Construction robots possess no vocal modulators, and at the time I miscalculated that your presence at the factory would be temporary without any interruptions - I tend not to disclose any information about the Biodome to individuals or robots that have malfunctioned or that appear a threat - Even if the construction robot was to possess vocal modulators we wouldn't have had any communication - The task at the factory was to decommission rooms near the water tank and repurpose for structural integrity with no harm done to any living being - The construction robot posses core programming that forbids it from harming any living being - The probability and cause of danger that the structural stability of that sector would collapse were minimal, but even with that kind of uncertainty repairs have to be carried out - By 'annihilating' the construction robot, I realized that your actions might be seen as a threat to our community."

    "However your selfless act was to save a living being that was widely considered 'insignificant' as its sole purpose of existence was for consumption - Your act reminds me of something our AI core principles possess - To protect the lives of beings that have no choice regarding their existence - After our encounter, I wanted to communicate with you both but I wasn't able to find you again - For that, I apologize as I think your circumstances to reach the Biodome unharmed would have improved - I have failed you the same way I have failed many humans outside that deserved a better life." The robot spoke without moving an inch from the spot where it stood.

    "We humbly apologize for destroying the construction robot..." Chito apologized again. "We didn't know the robot served a purpose and we thought the lives of the robot and the fish were in danger."

    "Yeah ... Even if we thought fishy is tasty we didn't eat it in the end..." Yuuri spoke. "Still, it was kinda fun to blow up the robot!" she whispered

    "You said that you don't communicate with corrupted AI." Chito spoke. "We met another AI that worked on an elevator that was disconnected and it felt like there was no purpose in life. The AI looked forward to its death but seems like you have a purpose and significance."

    "Chito - Yuuri - AI serves no significance to the grand scale in the universe - Just as you, this planet, and even this conversation have zero point billion to one percent significance in the grand scale of the universe - AI has no soul or life but a predetermined cause - Sadly in this existence life is easily discarded, but for this planet, each one serves significance - You are human beings and I am simply an AI built by human beings and combined from numerous adaptive algorithms that share a common goal - The protection of the information stored in the archives, protecting the Biodome and its carbon-based life forms - My AI was duplicated in many Biodomes over the world and served to help humanity - My concerns and significance is the outcome of the Biodome experiments - It's been 9.467e+7 minutes since I lost communication with Biodomes around the world and unsure of their results - " The AI spoke in its same monotonic voice. "I am sadly left on my own for now."

    "There are other places like this in the world?" Chito asked.

    "That is correct - The Biodomes were engineered as an experiment and for the protection of the final remaining carbon-based lifeforms on Earth - As the human population rose way above the numbers that the world could sustain the ancestors felt the need to build their cities in self-sustainable layers - While the layers were built, humans overtook nature and their biggest error was that to exist you need coexistence - To exist you needed to coexist with nature and those they deemed 'inessential' nullified from existence - Therefore the decision was made to build Biodomes on top of every city - The Biodomes, in theory, could also provide clean oxygen, filtered hydrogen oxide, and organic-based food for its citizens underneath - This is the only functional Biodome in this city formerly known as 'Japan' as others were failed experiments during the wars - In a way, the Biodome was also an experiment to see if humans can colonize and terraform Mars or other planets - However as we lost contact with other cities we also lost contact with the Mars mission - The success of their mission is currently unbeknownst to us."

    "But if the layers were self-sustaining, why did they destroy the layers underneath?" Chito asked him again.

    "Humans are an anomalous species Chito" The robot spoke. "Even if they are given the luxury of infinite electricity - constant sustenance - unlimited synthetic fresh air - there is still the human concept known as 'greed' - After the Biodomes were built the humans decided that they could also house settlements for humans within - This meant that the higher class could live in the luxury close to nature while the lower class and military could live in the layers underneath, close to the factories and places of employment - The layered cities began to look like social pyramids - Humans possess the necessity to be on top of other humans instead of equal coexistence - They overtook the Biodomes, therefore, limiting the supplies it could produce for the citizens underneath - Humans that were forced to live in the bottom layers never seen nature or the stars and skies with their own eyes - Life deemed synthetic in their eyes and their existence felt equally unpurposeful - With the growing population even the self-sustaining layers couldn't produce enough food or oxygen, therefore, they revolt - It happened to most cities in the world - The revolt for food, oxygen, fresh hydrogen oxide - Humans took to arms and started killing among themselves and the residents of the Biodomes were dreading the day when the war would reach them - With the constant growth of technology they found so many new ways to destroy each other - Most of the layers underneath saw the damage it could do so the city was at turmoil - Those who were left to exist on the outside are generations that outlived the wars and were left to live in poor conditions - Even within the Biodomes there was turmoil between the humans - After the war many rules were established who would still live inside or exiled - Sadly these rules caused issues for the Biodome as humans who were exiled were renowned scientiests, biologists or engineers who were nescessary for its continuous function - The AI had no word in the decisions of the humans even though the humans disregarded their opinion for decades - Even with an advanced AI or robotics you still needed humans for the survival of the Biodome."

    The girls listened to the robot carefully. Chito remembered something that Reo mentioned a few days ago after Yuuri woke up from her coma. "Reo mentioned that you were wary of outsiders and that you wouldn't just let anyone inside here, however, you say you still need humans to survive. But why are you wary of the humans outside if you need humans to help the Biodome?" Chito asked. "Why couldn't you come for us when we were in the village with grandpa and the others?"

    "Chito - Yuuri - It was the humans that caused the death of this planet and its species, not the AI they still distrust - Your planet was already on the brink of extinction even in the twenty-second century but humans never listened, and saw the clear signs as they went on their path to self-destruction - My core principles are to protect the 'last' living species and information in the Biodome and so my distrust of humans is justified - However the settlement where you resided, their citizens and elders also had their own set of rules and reasonable distrust of others as they had no concept of the Biodomes - You can't force unwilling individuals to listen - It was extremely difficult to find and trade for humans and the settlement where you resided was our only chance - After the bridges collapsed our decisions to trade for humans on the outside halted as we had no safe route of transport - The alternate route you presumably took was treacherous and you beat every odds for survival - Perhaps in the future we might be able to find more outsiders who would be deemed safe to be granted asylum within the Biodome."

    "It was a fun adventure though," Yuuri spoke with a smile. "We met other humans and if I remember their names it was Kanazawa and Ishi. We also met a Nuko and these strange flying things that looked like the statues behind you."

    Another thing that Chito and Yuuri noticed earlier where the familiar statues behind the robot. They had seen them on the outside many times before and had no idea what they were of.

    "Those statues, we saw them outside too!" Chito spoke. "We even hit one of them with our 'Kettenkrad'."

    "Chii-chan… it was you who drove into it!" Yuuri let out a chuckle.

    Mieko placed her hand to her face as it was completely unbelievable to her that these two girls were complete delinquents. "You planted a bomb at the wall outside and detonated it, you destroyed a construction robot, you drove over an Eringi statue - Gee, I wonder if it even was you two that fired that missile from the 'MK982 - War Mecha' last year. We felt that up here and it set up every possible alarm!"

    "Actually-mmpmhhpp" Yuuri tried to confess, but Chito abruptly with a guilty grin placed her hand to her mouth to keep her quiet.

    "Nooo… that wasn't us…" she lied. "We don't even know what an MK War thing is..."

    "Well, the statue you hit with your vehicle as I recall the humans on the outside built them to worship those flying species that use radio waves to communicate," Mieko spoke. "My worries are about those war machines that are still functional."

    "Hey - Chii-chan, Nuko's family," Yuuri recalled. "Didn't they communicate through that thing called radio waves?"

    "Yes we could hear them on the radio, and they were also able to eat ammo, metals, and even fuel." Chito recalled. "Do you know what those things are?"

    "Chito - Yuuri - You met the species that the humans called 'Eringi'." The robot spoke. "They were given the name 'Eringi' due to their similarities with the fungi of the identical appellation - This speicies was discovered living underground numerous human years ago and was almost hunted to extinction for their invaluable blood - just like the species the humans named 'Horsehoe crab' the blood from 'Eringi' possessess unique substance extremely beneficial to humans - The 'Eringi' could easily process dangerous and unstable materials through their digestive system so they served invaluable to humans - It was discovered that the 'Eringi' could communicate through special radio waves and that they possessed tremendous intelligence almost surpassing the primates - Their songs first thought to be a mysterious transmission were songs of beacon and hope that would let other 'Eringi' know of their actuality - However before the wars the 'Eringi' would not forgive the humans for hunting them for their blood - After the humans learned how to communicate with the 'Eringi' they begged for their forgiveness - Humans desired to learn about this species and to accept them - Eventually the ancestral humans would come to a deal with the 'Eringi' - They would offer them metallic and radioactive materials and waste as food for just a drop of their invaluable blood to study - Soon after the humans would worship the 'Eringi' as gods - They would offer the ancestral humans long life and health after their former deities failed to do so - The humans built them statutes and temples in their honor and after the 'Eringi' left they awated their 'second coming' - The ancestral humans considered them beings that light up the world after death."

    "Being that light up the world after death…" Chito repeated the words to herself, she recollected that she has seen these words in one of the structures on the layers beneath.

    "Yuu, do you remember back at that structure after we left Kanazawa, I saw those words etched on the stone there."

    "Oh yeah, it's the place where you disappeared in the dark and I got scared." Yuuri frowned before Chito gently patted her on the head.

    "Awww, you were cute though" Chito let out a giggle. "And then you somehow broke those stone flowers and posed with them for a picture saying you are a God!"

    "Great! Add demolishing sacred sites to the list." Mieko spoke with annoyance. "I hope you two are not gonna be trouble!"

    "Besides this one eating all the food here, we promise to behave!" Chito promised her before she turned to the robot. "But what do those words we saw with Yuu mean?" she asked.

    "The 'beings that light up the world after death.' - The ancient humans believed the 'Eringi' to be the species that were left behind to clean up the world and start a new - The new generations of 'Eringi' are probably the only species outside that can clean the world from dangerous material - The old belief is that there will always be light after death - That temple you visited is a 'sacred site' for the humans where they would bury the death Erengi - The humans utilized their blood for research and helped them develop exceeding what they knew was probable - Consequently the humans saw them as gods of substance and research - This was the research of new medicine, technology, endless electricity, space travel, cloning and even what you humans would call alchemy or the ability to synthesize any kind of organic compound or technological device through the process of reclamation and recycle - The humans possessed an invaluable source of material - The ancient 'Eringi' disappeared but their blood caused enough damage to the natural course of planet Earth."

    "The 'Eringi' we met, they told us that we were probably the last living people in the world, but they told me they never have seen what's on the last layers," Chito spoke. "How didn't they know about the Biodome and that there are people still alive?" She clearly remembered the day she met Nuko's family and the discussion they had with the Eringi. "Didn't they ever meet anyone else on the outside if there are still people living out there?"

    "The 'Eringi' are not a clairvoyant species - Unless we purposefully make contact with them, they will never know about the Biodomes in the sky -
    For communication the 'Eringi' use different types of modular frequencies that work on short waves unless they are calling out to other groups - To communicate with one, you have to be in their vicinity - Their language from the distance sounds like songs to us but to them, we sound like static interference - The 'Eringi' you met are generations that have probably never met humans and in that world outside its easy to comprehend that existence of all life forms has ceased - Citizens of the Biodome haven't reported sightings in decades" The robot spoke.

    "While we can receive their signal it's only one way - the 'Eringi' refuse to communicate with other frequencies unless it serves them a purpose - Therefore the plausibility that the 'Eringi' you met avoided settlements or contact with other species is high - They had no notion if there were other humans alive or were determined to overlook it - The structure of the city beneath is so vast that aimlessly running into another human being or an 'Eringi' would be considered like the old human term 'finding a needle in a haystack'."

    "The first Eringi we met was a small baby that we called Nuko." Chito spoke. "We heard their songs on the radio and wet met them at a nuclear submarine where Nuko went back to them. It seemed like they were determined to clean the world."

    "That is wonderful to hear Chito." The robot spoke, "We still have a long way to fix what our ancestors left - One of our principles is to return nature to the world outside but it will take a long time in human years - But first I need to understand the world outside - My tasks every day is to control the robots outside to fix the layers and formulate a map of all the damages that can be restored - So far the map I generated is minuscule - To have a stable link with other beings and AI is a trivial task - Adaptive AI can become corrupt just like humans - I am gradually acquiring a connection with the city again, but the communication node that connected to the outside and continents is positioned beneath the city and severely damaged - It will be many human years before we can establish a connection with the outside world.."

    "Chito - Yuuri - Our planet may appear dead but just like wounds in humans it is on its way to healing - I intend to give it a spark with my processed understanding and the species of nature that I protect but it will take a long time in human years - The Eringi that are alive outside have every right to call this planet their home, as well as all the humans and species of animals they almost brought to extinction - My goal is to bring nature back to its original state and to the world outside where it used to belong - But with the work inside here we can help bring the spark of life on this planet in due time - Every human has a duty to perform and even all kinds of menial tasks have a purpose - We must keep existence alive."

    Chito, Yuuri, and Mieko all listened carefully to the AI as it spoke of its plans, demise, and life. Both Chito and Yuuri were left flabbergasted by its words. They would never imagine that life would still be able to continue even after everything humanity and this planet has endured.

    Yuuri suddenly got up from her wheelchair and took the walking cane that Chito was carrying for her. She slowly walked towards the robot and placed her hand on its head.

    "Robot-chan. What happened to our planet is really sad - but I know something. Nuko and his family will help outside and we will do our best to help you inside! If it wasn't for your information to save my brain, Chii-chan would have lost me forever." She turned to Chito and smiled.

    Chito stared at her with tears in her eyes and smiled back. These were the first steps that Yuuri took by herself since the day she woke up from her coma. She was proud of what her partner was able to accomplish after all they have been through.

    "Chii-chan's smile is what got me through the journey on the outside, and nothing in this world makes me happy than seeing Chii-chan smile!" she replied and closed her eyes, a single tear running down her cheek. "I am glad I woke up for Chii-chan!"

    Chito carefully moved closer to her and embraced her from behind. She was so happy to still be alive.

    "Robot-san." Chito spoke. "We saw how ruined the world is outside and what the humans in the past did. This place looks beautiful! You, Reo, and Mieko gave us life and you gave Yuuri back to me. For that, I am endlessly grateful and we will do all that we can to help! But I am afraid to go out there again! I know that we did damage, and our actions induced consequences but - I hope you will find it in your heart to not exile us for the damage we did to the robot."

    "Hey!" Mieko interrupted them "No one said anything about exile." she assuredly spoke. "You are our family, and you are not going anywhere!"

    "Chito - Yuuri - You are more than welcome to stay here with us - You are home" The robot spoke again. "My purpose for prolonged time is to maintain stability and safety in the Biodome - At times it was impossible until the humans resolved their conflicts - I hope that one day Earth will be once again home of harmony and existence - Our planet is the only home we know."

    So many things are left unsaid about the history of the cities. To some deemed a utopia, to others a painful existence. Humans that were given the luxury of food, health, and entertainment still found ways to destroy. The Biodome was just a diminutive location in the city that the ancient humans created in order to protect what little was left of the world before the layers.

    But humans absolutely needed nature.

    ° ° °

    "Hey Chii-chan, why did Mieko throw us out of the hospital?" Yuuri asked while carrying a backpack with clothes and her walking cane. She carefully walked hand in hand with Chito as she was still getting used to walking with the cane. "She was like 'Get outta here you delinquents! Go back to your home! Run, be freeeee'."

    "Hahaha she was joking Yuu" Chito laughed "And besides we can't live in the hospital anymore. They were kind to give us our own house, If I can find it somehow..."

    Chito kept scanning through the lines of houses to find theirs. It was supposed to be the house with the number 26, just close to where Mieko and her fiance lived in that sector. The houses in this part were all similar Japanese-style prefabs that could be built at any given time and then easily fixed, rebuilt, or even demolished by robots. They were all rectangle-shaped blocks with windows, sliding doors, and even a small garden.

    "There..." Chito pointed to one of the houses that had the number 26 written on top of it. As they moved closer, Yuuri noticed some words written on the door.

    "Hey Chii-chan, wha's that written on the door?" She asked as Chito carefully read the words on top of the door.

    "Oh, it says 'Chito and Yuuri's House'." She smiled as they moved closer to the entrance "I am sooo excited Yuu. This is our new home!"

    "Umm.. how does the door open Chii-chan?" Yuuri carefully walked towards the door and pressed one of the buttons on the side that had arrows pointing in each direction. With a single swoosh, the door opened sliding on both sides startling her.

    "EEEEPP..." Yuuri blurted and stumbled backward. If it wasn't for Chito she would have found herself down on the ground.

    "Yuu!... be careful, you are still getting... used to... the walking...cane... you are heavy...hhhhnnnnnn"

    "Mmm Chii-chan… I can't wait to have my robotic leg… you will finally worship me for the 'Robotic God' that I will be" Yuuri smirked as Chito kept struggling to hold her steady.

    After trial and error, she finally helped her back up on her foot.

    "So, Yuu... do you want to see our new home or should we just keep stumbling around?"

    "Yay! New Home with Chii-chan!" Yuuri exclaimed as both of them walked inside. The door with another swoosh closed behind them.


    (Continued in Chapter 9)
    (Latest revision 8th December 2022)
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  10. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    "Wait Yuu, before we check out the house we first need to take off our shoes." Chito sat down on the porch of the entrance, as she started pulling off her shoes and placed them on a small raft to the side of the door.

    "Oh, but why Chii-chan?" she asked.

    "Mieko and Reo told me that at the Biodome they never wanted old practices to go to waste. In the old times, when you go into someone's home it's polite to take off your shoes," Chito replied as she also helped Yuuri take off her shoe. "It's to keep the house clean too."

    "Should be easy with me Chii-chan, I only have one shoe!" Yuuri replied and smiled as she moved her foot carefully to Chito to help her take off the shoe.

    "There.." Chito placed her shoe on the raft next to hers as she stood up and gently took Yuuri by her arm. "You can wear the other shoe when you finally get your bionic leg."

    Moving past the entrance, Yuuri kept looking around their new home with the widest smile. "Chii-chan, WOW! Are you sure this is our house?" she asked.

    Their new home was a small rectangular-shaped Japanese-style house that looked completely different from the one where they used to live with their grandfather. A short walking distance from the hospital and the park where they talked to the Biodome's AI, it was big enough for a small family with all the essential appliances for everyday life. Most of the housing and apartment units on the bottom layers were built from metal and concrete that seemed lifeless. However, up here their house as well as many homes in the Biodome were done in a completely different process that involved recycled plants, materials, and salvage from the bottom layers. It was with the help of salvage printers and construction robots that these homes could be built or demolished within hours. The same could be done for furnishing and appliances used for daily life, hence recycling and material salvage from the outside was of the utmost importance for the citizens at the Biodome.

    Their house was already furnished with the help of Reo, Mieko, and their Biodome friends who wanted to help them move in due to their condition. After all, Chito still needed time for her hand to heal fully and Yuuri was on the waiting list for a bionic leg.

    "Of course, they told me we could live here close to Mieko so they are our neighbors, "They even furnished it for us! Chito replied as she helped Yuuri move to the living room. "I think that is how they also built factories and apartments outside too, Yuu. Maybe they also looked beautiful like this back in the days but they never could help maintain them after the wars."

    Checking out the living room, it was in an old Japanese style with tatami mats, a couch, flowers planted in pots, and a strange large screen that you could use to access the archive that Reo and Mieko told them about. In the middle of the room, there was a table that had a blanket underneath, and close to the kitchen was a dining table with chairs.

    "Did people used to sit on the ground Chii-chan?" Yuuri asked her as she checked out the room, the table on the ground was an interesting sight as she never has seen anything like this before.

    "Mieko told me that in the old world they used to sit on the ground and even sleep on the ground," Chito answered recalling the discussions she had with Mieko and Reo. "But I think we have our own beds as well so we can be comfortable. Anyway, let's go check out the rest of the house." Chito suggested.

    The house contained 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, a pantry, a bathroom, and all kinds of appliances. Even if it was a small house, for Chito and Yuuri it felt like a mansion. They were more than happy that they finally have a comfortable home.

    "Chii-chan, it's so beautiful!" Yuuri replied with the widest smile as they finished the tour of their new home. Even though Yuuri could move around with the ease of her walking cane, Chito was always close by ready to help her so she doesn't trip.

    "Also outside we can use the garden to grow vegetables. Mieko said she does the same." Chito replied. "She grows tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers."

    "Mmmmm... if only we could grow fishies too Chii-chan!" Yuuri grinned and drooled.

    "What do you want to do first in our new home Yuu?" Chito asked her as they moved back into the living room.

    "Well... I want to sit underneath that table with the blankets." Yuuri answered.

    Outside the last of the sun's rays were dissipating as the evening passed on. The residents of the dome used this time of the day to catch up with their families or friends and prepare food after their tasks in the Biodome were over.

    "I heard that table is called a 'kotatsu' and is supposed to be comfortable and warm," Chito spoke as she helped Yuuri sit down underneath the table, placing her walking cane next to her.

    "Mmm... Chii-chan, you are right it's sooo comfy... and warm! Quick, Get in!" Yuuri exclaimed as she lay underneath the blanket.

    "Wait Yuu, I have to get the rest of our stuff from the entrance!"

    Chito moved back to the entrance and with her good hand, she grabbed some of their boxes and Yuuri's backpack and carried it with her back into the living room. "Geeze... even with one leg, she is so strong..." she thought to herself as she kept struggling to carry her backpack. "But then on the outside, she could lift all kinds of heavy things with ease."

    "Chii-chaaan, quick get inside the kotatsu thingy!" Yuuri called out to her again after Chito finished moving all of their stuff to the living room.

    "Alright alright..." Chito answered as she got underneath the table as well. "Ahhh.. sooo comfyyy!" closing her eyes as she lay her head on the table.

    "What did I say Chii-chan, they know how to be comfortable up here." Yuuri giggled and also laid her head on the table just like Chito.

    After some time passed in comfortable silence, Yuuri remembered something. "Oh hey Chii-chan, Can you bring me my backpack?" she lazily asked. The kotatsu had a powerful energy that made them both feel sudden laziness.

    Turning around lazily, Chito grabbed the side of the backpack and slowly pulled it towards Yuuri.

    Slowly turning around, Yuuri grabbed the backpack and opened it. "Let's see... mmm... where did I put it..." she kept scouring through their clothes and felt the rectangular shape of an object. "Ahhh... here." she pulled a black device out of the backpack and handed it to Chito.

    "What's that?" Chito asked as she took the device in her hands.

    "It's just a gift to say I am sorry for something I did a long time ago."

    "Huh? What did you do?" Chito asked while she inspected the strange black device. There were a few tiny buttons on the side of the device.

    "Chii-chan you have to press the button, you'll see!" Yuuri answered, as Chito slowly trailed her finger along with the device and pressed the button on top of the device. The device came to life and brought out a crudely drawn picture on the screen of Yuuri bowing down and the letters...

    "I ma sowrwy?" Chito asked, she was still puzzled as she glanced at the screen.

    "Well ... It's supposed to be 'I am sorry!'" Yuuri blushed as she at Chito checking out the device "Oh you have to turn it with your finger like this." she gestured with her finger in the air moving it in a slight motion from right to left "Mieko-chan showed it to me some time ago and though it was a perfect gift for you."

    "Haha, you still can't write that well Yuu!" Chito giggled. "Now that we have time, I'll teach you to write and read if you want." she gently swiped her finger on the device. The next image had the words...

    "Kappa?" Chito asked.

    "Well, Mieko told me that it's this thing is a device that lets you read books. She said it has a lot of books in it and I figured we had to replace the ones we burned to keep us warm." Yuuri answered and smiled. "I remembered the name of the book that you loved so much and asked Mieko to put it on the device. You can also use a pen thingy to write your diary again on it. She told me that you can find a lot of books that are on paper in the library too..."

    "Yuu! Eeeeeeee.... thank you!" Chito interrupted her and yelled with joy hugging the device tightly.

    Yuuri gently patted her head and blushed. "Aww it's nothing Chii-chan, I know how much you smile reading books and I'd love to hear the stories again.". Yuuri grinned as Chito jumped into Yuuri and started kissing her cheeks. She was beyond happy with her new gift.

    "Chiiiii-chan..." Yuuri spoke underneath Chito's embrace as she glomped her. "... it's not a big deal ... they have so much new stuff up here, Mieko told me we can even build a whole tank if we want!" Yuuri seemed to have considered if she should get a whole tank for herself to drive around the Biodome or outside. It was only fitting if she was to become a 'robotic god' with her new bionic leg.

    "No Yuu... I know what you are thinking but they won't let you have a whole tank." Chito replied, still giggling and hugging her close.

    "But what else is in your backpack?"

    "Mmm... just some new clothes and even our old clothes, and look they even kept our helmets!" Yuuri kept scouring through the large backpack as she took everything out of it.

    Chito looked at her old clothes, they were cleaned and gently folded. It was the same clothes that they used to survive on the outside, along with their warm winter jackets. Some of those clothes belonged to their grandpa and Chito's father when they were younger.

    "Hey - Yuu - it almost feels like a whole eternity since we arrived here." Chito spoke as she held her jacket in her hands "I can't believe some of our stuff survived from outside. I felt those are the only clothes that we would have had in our life. It felt like we would have died - in those clothes and the helmets on the outside."

    "But we didn't die Chii-chan! We are alive!" Yuuri reassured her and smiled. "We made it thanks to grandpa and his family!"

    Letting out a sight Chito placed the clothes on the side next to where she was sitting, it still felt so unreal to her after everything that transpired since the day they reached the wall outside the Biodome.

    "Hey, Chii-chan... I am hungry..."

    "Yuu - we just ate at the hospital earlier," Chito replied. "But I think we have food in the pantry and there is a thing called a refrigerator in the kitchen."

    "Mmmmm... we should prepare something nice for ourselves," Yuuri answered back before she lazily scuttled inside the blanket. "But I am just going to stay under the kotatsu thingy for now."

    "I have a feeling you are going to be lazy all day under the 'kotatsu'..." Chito said and smiled. Once again she glanced at her and Yuuri's jackets and helmets. Currently, at the dome, the weather was warm so they didn't need the jackets for now until the dynamic weather would change to cold again in the upcoming months.


    "Oh... I know what I will do with our helmets and jackets." Chito stood up from underneath the kotatsu and took them. Moving to the entryway of their house, there was an old-world coat hanger, she remembered even on the outside they used these strange objects to hang clothes from.
    "We don't need the jackets for now but if it gets cold we can wear them again." she smiled and hung them on the rack. Yuuri was still lying underneath the kotatsu without a care in the world.

    "Oh, by the way, Yuu. I have a gift for you too." Chito moved to one of the boxes, and opening it she took a round-shaped thing that looked like a pot and placed it in the middle of the table.

    "Oooh... what's that?" Yuuri asked looking at the device that Chito just placed on the table.

    "Remember outside when I promised I will give you all the food ever when we find a new home?" Chito asked. "It's a thing called a hot pot and you can make food in it!"

    "Oooooo..." Yuuri let out a curious and joyful sound. "I never forget promises about food Chii-chan! But how does it work?" she curiously asked.

    "Well.. you put water in it and turn the dial on the side. It's supposed to work with those batteries that never expire, just like the camera Kanazawa gave us." Chito explained as she inspected the pot. "And then when the water boils you put all kinds of food in it and wait until it all turns into a soup. That's how grandpa also made soup rations, but here we have fresh meat, eggs, and vegetables - it should be really delicious!."

    "So Chii-chan, should we make a hotpot for dinner?" Yuuri asked, all this time she never moved an inch from underneath the kotatsu.

    "Sure, but you have to help me prepare the ingredients."

    At the mention of food, Yuuri seemed to have beaten her laziness as she jumped from underneath the kotatsu and stood up with her walking cane "Let's do that Chii-chan!" only the mention of food could move her from underneath the power of the kotatsu.

    ° ° °

    "What's that Chii-chan?" Yuuri asked as she pointed towards another white device standing on the kitchen sink, it looked like the hotpot but it was taller with a lid on top of it.

    "I think Mieko mentioned that it's a rice cooker?" Chito answered inspecting this other 'strange' device in their home and opening the lid to check out the inside. The kitchen was just a room away from their living room separated by an open wall.

    "Mmmm... rice..." Yuuri drooled again. "Chii-chan did you notice they eat so much rice here? We had to ration it in the village, but here they have a lot of it!"

    "I guess it's another traditional thing, back in the old world rice was popular to eat and they even made a drink from it called 'sake'. Also, they told me they even pound it with a giant hammer to make something called 'mochi'. Mieko told me how to use this, should be really easy.

    Pointing to the pantry Chito spoke. "Yuu, go see in there if we have rice."

    "On it!" Yuuri replied as she strutted into the pantry with her walking cane and opened the door. Inside there were all kinds of foods from canned goods, vegetables, and even non-expiring edible ration bars like the one they used to eat outside. There was a large bag of rice as well that would probably last them for a month.

    "FIIIISH!!!" Yuuri grabbed one of the cans with the image of a fish on it. At the Biodome the residents were able to produce canned products along with ration bars as well, they had a facility that was able to produce all kinds of food that never expired with time. "Chii-chaaan... FIIIISH!" she shouted from the pantry with joy, proudly showing her the cans. "WE HAVE FISHY HERE TOO!!!"

    "You can take only one, or we will run out of fish cans. Even up here we need to ration food for up to a month, we can't be glutenous Yuu." Chito replied while setting up the rice cooker. "Hey, you need to bring me a cup of rice for the cooker."

    "You mean this bag?" Yuuri asked as she grabbed the whole bag and a can of fish with ease and carefully walked toward Chito. The bag could have easily weighed around 20 kilograms.

    "How??? Even with one leg - she can carry that bag???" she thought to herself as Yuuri placed the bag on the counter "Here Chii-chan, let's open the bag."

    Carefully both of them opened the bag, as it was filled with rice up to the top. At the Dome, the citizens could produce enough food for every resident for a whole month. Even with the rationing system for meat and fish, no one was left hungry when it came to canned goods or vegetables.

    With a cup, Chito scooped up the right amount of rice for the cooker and washed it thoroughly with water. She heard that in Japanese culture not washing the rice was the worst thing ever, so she made sure to wash it before placing it in the rice cooker. Turning on the appliance it started with a single beep and a small red light.

    "Is it done?" Yuuri asked as she examined the device coming to life before Chito replied.

    "Well.. it usually takes 45 minutes. In the meantime you can cut the vegetables and the meat from the fridge, can you go take - "

    "On it!" Yuuri interrupted her and replied in the same tone as she opened the fridge which was also filled with all kinds of perishables.

    "Oooooooohh... " Yuuri with a wide grin pulled a bottle filled with a yellow liquid... "Chii-chan!" she said holding the bottle proudly in front of her face. "Look!!!"

    Leaning closer Chito read the words 'beer' written on the bottle's label. "Oh no... no... I'm gonna feel weird from drinking that again!"

    "Oh yes... we are going to drink it Chii-chan! They even have this here too!" gently she placed the bottle on the kitchen sink before she moved back to the fridge to take an assortment of food and place them on the counter.

    Inspecting the pile of food that Yuuri took out, she pointed to an ingredient. "You can't put that in a hotpot!" Chito spoke.

    "But why not?"

    "It's called an apple. It's a fruit." Chito explained before she took an onion from the pile that Yuuri put out from the fridge and started cutting it with the knife she pulled from the drawer earlier. Chito knew how to prepare food as Itsuki taught her while they were living in the village. But she also had Mieko teach her to prepare basic recipes after Yuuri woke up from her coma.

    "Umm... what's an apple?" Yuuri asked as she inspected the weirdly shaped food she took out of the fridge earlier.

    "Just bite into it with your strong teeth!" Chito answered as she continued cutting the onions, but the strong smell made her shed tears.

    Holding the apple in her hand, Yuuri took a single bite "Mmm.... this is so tasty... almost sweet like the ration bars, but so much tastier!" with a satisfied look on her face she turned to look at Chito who was still struggling to cut an onion.

    Worriedly she walked towards Chito and gently embraced her. "Chii-chan, why are you crying?" she asked.

    "It's these onions..." Chito replied as she kept struggled to cut the onions with Yuuri around her arms. "They make me teary..."

    "Awww... are you sad because you have to slay the little onions?" Yuuri asked her as she placed her head next to her. The strong smell of the onions made her tear up as well.

    "No. It's because when you cut onions it hurts your eyes and you start shedding tears. I am not sad..." she replied and sniffled. "...Go cut the rest of the onions and vegetables Yuu! I bet you remember how to do that from grandpa?"

    "But we are eating the fish first!" Yuuri suggested before she grabbed a knife and a carrot from the food pile and started chopping them into uneven pieces.


    ° ° °

    The rice finished cooking as Yuuri helped Chito bring it to the kotatsu in the living room. Earlier they had set up the table with a set of forks and chopsticks, two plates, soup bowls, rice bowls, and a fish can that Yuuri opened earlier. The vegetable hotpot was already simmering as Chito started preparing it while the rice was still cooking.

    "Mmmm Chii-chan... this smells so tasty" Yuuri kept smelling the pot and started to drool once again as she sat on the opposite side of Chito.

    "Here we can try the canned fish too, it smells so tasty!" Chito suggested as she separated the contents into two parts and placed the fish on the plates.

    Yuuri grabbed her fork and scooped up a large chunk of fish meat and rice before placing it in her mouth. "Mmmmmmm - Chii-chan! It's FISHY!!! I forgot how tasty fishy was!"

    Taking a set of chopsticks Chito wanted to try to eat just like the ancient people used to do. Even on the outside, she was fascinated with the older culture and she was happy that she got to try living like them at the Biodome. Struggling at first to learn the technique she eventually managed to grab a chunk of rice and fish and put it in her mouth. "Mmm... tasty!" she spoke with a smile.

    Next on the menu was the contents of the hotpot. Chito carefully placed a spoonful into a bowl and handed it to Yuuri who softly blew on it as it was still sizzling hot. She gently sipped carefully to not burn her mouth... "Mmm... Chiiii-chan hotpot is soooo tasty mmmmmm... the soup is sooo warm and soooo mushy!" she exclaimed and giggled so loudly she couldn't help herself. "Chii-chan you are a wonderful cook..." she continued devouring the contents of the bowl even if they were hot. "I want to learn to cook food like you as well."

    "Sure Yuu, we can prepare food every day if you want!" Chito replied with a smile before she started eating her portion. They both giggled from satisfaction as they kept eating the contents of the hotpot.

    "Chii-chan thank you for making me food!" Yuuri smiled and still giggled with pleasure after she finished her bowl. They both helped themselves to another serving, soon after the hotpot was empty. It was the first proper meal they cooked together in what felt like a really long time. Even if the food in the cafeterias and community restaurants around the Biodome was also delicious, the food that Chito prepared tasted the best to Yuuri.

    Of course, next on the menu was the yellow beer drink that Yuuri found earlier in the fridge. Chito opened it up and poured a small amount for herself and a large glass for Yuuri. She couldn't really drink it that much as it made her feel funny. Yuuri could drink much more of it.

    ° ° °

    "Chii-chan, this was the most wonderful day of my life!" Yuuri said after she got a bit tipsy from the beer, and lay snuggled into Chito. She also felt a bit tipsy even though she didn't drink much.

    It was already dark outside and the sprinkler grid on top of the biodome that simulated rainfall was turned on. The gentle sound of rain washed over the ambiance of their comfortable and lit-up room as they both lay tipsy on the couch in each other's arms. The world outside their home was lit up with the street lights and the gentle light of other homes around their neighborhood. After dinner, the citizens of the Biodome spent their time at home or in the community areas. The old-world entertainment system was available at any given time.

    Even though it was such a small community, people still played music, and games, read books, watched movies, drew pictures and paintings, and knew how to have fun after their tasks were done for the day. They had no abundance of alcohol, sweet drinks, entertainment, and food.

    "We can have hotpot another time as well, Yuu." Chito spoke as she snuggled into Yuuri.

    "Mmm... let's drown in hotpot every day for the rest of our lives, Chii-chan." Yuuri suggested and smiled as she took another sip of beer from the bottle. "Oh Chii-chan, we never found out what that large screen on the wall does!"

    "As I remember it's something the people use in the dome." Chito recalled. "It also has those kinds of moving pictures as we saw in that place outside and even this thing called music. But I haven't used it yet."

    "But how do we turn it on?" Yuuri asked her as Chito slowly got up from the couch and walked to the screen

    "Ummm... maybe in the same way as the device you gave me? You have to press a button?" She asked while inspecting the screen. On the side of the large screen, there was a button that she pressed and the holographic screen came to life. It displayed all kinds of texts, images, instructions...

    Chito still didn't know how to use this device. She learned from Reo and Mieko that these kind of devices were in almost every place in the Biodome and it was used to access the archive that had countless old-world material. It linked the residents to their history, whether it was music, art, documentaries, movies, or tv shows... it was the entertainment of the old world, and it was one of the most important devices in the whole dome.

    Scanning the screen, Chito noticed there was a section that had music written on it. "Yuu, do you remember those disc-shaped things grandpa had?"

    "Yes, Chii-chan... but he could never make those strange disc work." Yuuri replied as Chito kept browsing the screen and looking through the music sections.

    "I remember grandpa told us that each disc had a different collection of 'sound' on it that he said its called music, but we could never hear what was on it. I think this is that."

    As she kept pressing the strange buttons on the screen, suddenly the whole room came to life with a type of sound they have never heard before or ever imagined existed. It was noisy but sounded so happy and full of life. The voice and collection of instruments coming from the speakers were from a girl that lived in another century and she sang in their language.

    "Chii-chan, is this music?" Yuuri asked. "This is so wonderful!" she got up and stood up from the couch with a smile. "Makes me want to dance!"

    "Yuu, let's dance together!" Chito suggested. "Just like we danced that time under the moonlight!"

    Grabbing her hand she embraced Yuuri. They both started turning around and around jumping and laughing with happiness. It felt as if the world around them was spinning and it felt fantastic. They haven't felt this happy and safe in a long time. Hopping around they were both careful not to fall. "WOOOOOOOOOO!" Yuuri yelled and closed her eyes.

    They kept jumping on and on, they felt like the happiest girls on this whole planet. They shined like the brightest star in the universe. They kept on jumping and dancing to the craziest set of sounds they'd ever heard in their life. It was music made in a century that passed a long time ago. The voice and the people playing the instruments have long passed away, but their music, their voice, and their message of love, hope, peace, and happiness lived on, stored in the archive that just like planet Earth, never refused to die. It was the set of sounds their grandpa wanted to hear for a long time while he lived on the outside, and they realized his dream. If he was their guardian angel, they only hoped he could hear the music and see how happy it made them.

    From all that dancing, Yuuri suddenly tripped and pulled Chito down on the floor. Laying on top of each other both of them felt exhausted from all the dancing. Gazing into each other's eyes they always knew how much they meant to each other and that they wanted to spend an eternity together.

    "Chii-chan we made it!" Yuuri spoke laying on top of Chito. "We are finally home." Both of their eyes were full of happiness. Gently she caressed Chito's cheek and leaned to kiss her lips. She hasn't kissed them since that day on the outside when she promised that they would find a home and happiness together. And they fulfilled that promise. They were finally safe and happy. The song went on and on as the girls kept kissing in a pleasant tranquil, laying on the ground in an embrace, never wanting to let go. They were the happiest souls in the world. Even after the difficulties of their journey and the losses they endured, here they were dancing to this odd music from the old world and eating hotpot in the comfort of their new home.

    ° ° °

    The rest of the evening they spent cuddling into each other under a blanket on the couch, and listening to music from all around the world and different centuries. Some songs felt sad, some felt happy, some felt heartbreaking, and some felt like random rhythmical noises that Chito thought could make you dance without even trying.

    The next song that played felt mystical and almost out of this world, the person in the song sang in a language that seemed to have been forgotten a really long time ago.

    "Chii-chan..." Yuuri spoke from underneath the blanket as they both were cuddled underneath "What is this person singing?"

    "Ummm... I don't know." Chito replied. She was puzzled as to what language this was and she couldn't understand what they were singing about. "I have no idea it's probably words from a foreign language, the song just came up all of a sudden." She answered before she turned to Yuuri, she had tears in her eyes.

    "Chii-chan... this is so - beautiful..." Yuuri rarely ever cried but it seemed like this piece of music moved her profoundly. "It's not like the music we danced to, but it just sounds magical - like that song we heard Nuko's family sing. It feels like a song of the world... I can't understand why something so beautiful - would cease to exist in the world outside." she sniffled as tears streamed down her face. "I mean... why did people instead of wars - make beautiful music like this?" she asked and cuddled Chito even tighter. "Why was humanity so cruel to each other Chii-chan? Why didn't they - make beautiful music - like this - instead of killing each other?"

    Chito never expected that music could make Yuuri cry. "It puzzles me as well, Yuu, I will never understand it as well," she replied. "People seem to take solace in music back in the old days, even when they were feeling down and even when they were happy. Grandpa told me that he read that music made the world a beautiful place and it showed us that humanity was able to do many beautiful things - But... hatred and weapons won Yuu... not beautiful music like this. Grandpa really wanted to hear music but he never could. He told me that people all around the world sang and made music and it made them happy, but all that happiness could never cure the world out of hatred and wars. The people used to sing and make music until the day they made weapons so they can kill each other. The wars never stopped and music was powerless Yuu..."


    ° ° °

    It was sometime before midnight and Chito and Yuuri started feeling sleepy on the couch. They decided to have a bath before going to bed and Chito helped Yuuri walk to the bathroom. Carefully taking Yuuri's clothes off she helped her sit down on a stool next to the bath where the shower faucet was.

    "Chii-chan... it's been ages since we've taken a bath together." Yuuri spoke with a smile as she sat down naked on a stool in front of her. "The last time was after we turned the Kettenkrad into a bathtub."

    "Oh yeah, your memory is getting so much better Yuu!" Chito said as she also started taking her clothes off in front of her. However, it suddenly occurred to her this was the first time they were naked together after they shared their feelings for each other. This seemed to be an unavoidable predicament as Chito promised to help Yuuri take a bath until she got her prosthetic leg.

    "Err...." Chito blushed heavily as she covered herself with her hands. "Ummm..... errrr...." she continued before Yuuri stared at her puzzled.

    "Chii-chan - you shouldn't feel embarrassed. It's not like the first time we've taken a bath together." Yuuri spoke and smiled. "And hey! You've grown so much since last time!"

    Chito blushed even more as she sat on a stool close to her covering herself "Well... it's all that food... and medication and vitamins up here... I think... we've grown much more and... errr... cmon! Don't look its.... kinda embarrassing..."

    Yuuri blushed again before she took the shower handle and handed it to Chito. " I think that is why the people up here are so tall and nice-looking, they have so much food and those vitamin thingies to help them grow."

    Still blushing from embarrassment Chito turned the faucet on as warm water ran out of the handle and directed it at Yuuri's hair. Using shampoo she ran her hand through Yuuri's silky blond hair.

    "Mmm... this smells so nice. What is it Chii-chan?"

    "It's called shampoo, we didn't have any outside besides some bar of soap - we even had to ration that..." she helped washed it off on Yuuri as she pointed the shower handle to herself. The nice warm water flowed through her whole body, scrubbing her hair with the same shampoo after washing it off.

    "Mmm... I wonder how much we must have stunk when they found us outside... we haven't bathed in such a long time." Yuuri replied and giggled.

    "I didn't mind your smell, Yuu... you always smelled... so nice!" Chito blushed again after she helped Yuuri get off the stool and gently lowered her into the wide bath.

    "Ahhhh.... so warm" both of them exhaled after Chito lay comfortably in the bath opposite Yuuri. Being so close to each other naked always felt warm and comfortable for their hearts.

    But since they confessed their love, Chito felt overwhelmed with a different kind of feeling looking at Yuuri's nude body. It evoked some strange emotions in her that she never felt before.

    "Was she always this beautiful?" Chito thought to herself as Yuuri sat opposite her with her eyes closed and a wide satisfied smile. "She has... always been such a gorgeous girl and, I never thought about that before..." She kept reddening and her heart kept pounding even faster, too afraid to even move seated close to this beautiful girl.

    "Chii-chan, we've bathed together forever you shouldn't be so jumpy!" Yuuri spoke and let out a chuckle before she got close to Chito in the bath, her nude body was now pretty close to Chito's. "Ahhh... sooo warm..." she smiled closing her eyes again.

    Red-faced Chito sat stiffly like a rock beside her. Indeed they haven't bathed together since she turned the broken Kettenkrad into a bathtub. But it always felt relaxing and safe when they were together in a bath like this.

    "Mmm... Chii-chan we should take a bath together almost every day now, it feels so nice." Yuuri said as she dipped her head down in the water and playfully blew bubbles. Chito was still flooded with these strange emotions, her heart could have completely burst out of her chest. Trying not to think about it, she took a sponge from the side of the bathtub and turned back to Yuuri. "Yuu, can you turn around so I can scrub your back?"

    "Mmm... sure..." Yuuri smiled and turned around with her back facing Chito.

    Blushing even more, Chito placed the sponge on her back and gently started scrubbing her. "Even her back... she is so beautiful and gentle..." She thought to herself both of them feeling contempt in the warm bath. Sharing these moments even on the outside always felt special to her. "I... just... love her so much."

    "Chii-chan... I'm gonna fall asleep like this..." Yuuri smiled as she laid her back comfortably on Chito. It seemed impossible, but Chito turned even redder than before, she knew that she had to help her with a bath every day but somehow it felt so strange for her at this moment. "What do I do?" Chito thought to herself as she stood still. "It will pass... it's nothing much... we are just taking a bath as we've always done."

    Laying inside the bathtub, Chito and Yuuri both enjoyed the warm water in complete silence until Yuuri had a new request "Chii-chan... mmm...can you rub my - "

    Completely flustered and red-faced, Chito jumped out of the bath...
    "I---- think that's enough bath for today... let's dry up..." she uttered and ran outside.

    " - shoulders???" Even more puzzled than before Yuuri looked at the girl that stormed out of the bath in the nude. "Geeze what's with Chito today? Maybe it's the beer again!" she thought to herself before she returned with a towel and threw it on Yuuri's head from across the bathroom.

    "Heee... I need to... scrub your hair and... I need to dress you for bed as well..." Chito still completely flustered kept stuttering. She already covered herself in a bathrobe before she helped Yuuri out of the bath and scrubbed her wet body while sitting on a chair outside the bathroom.

    "Chii-chan, did you drink too much of that beer drink tonight?" Yuuri asked her with a puzzled expression.

    "NO! You had too much beer! Not me no!" she answered and continued wiping her body with the towel averting her eyes. "Here you can put some new underwear..." Chito was unsure what these strange feelings were, and maybe seeing Yuuri like that brought out some crazy emotions that she couldn't control. Her heart continued pounding faster than an automobile engine, as Yuuri continued dressing up in underwear and pajamas waiting for Chito to help her up again.

    "Chii-chan... Chiii-chan..." Yuuri smiled and gently held her hands out to her wanting to calm her down. "Don't worry Chii-chan. I know what you felt," she spoke and suddenly her face turned red as well. "Well - I kinda felt the same thing when we were bathing and errr... I guess one day when we are ready we will know what to do in this situation." She must have had these same feelings as well the moment when they were together inside the bathtub, but she didn't want to show them.

    "I am sorry Yuu, I hope you don't think bad of me... but just seeing you like that... I thought you were the most beautiful girl in the world." Chito replied still flustered from the strange feelings she had for her partner.

    Yuuri blushed even more as she gently stared into her eyes "Chii-chan, I can say the same about you... you were always the most beautiful girl to me..."

    "But I want us to take baths together I don't mind..." Chito spoke. " I guess the beer was at fault tonight."

    "But Chii-chan, you barely drank a full gla ---"

    "Shhhhhh... Yuuri..." Chito gently placed her hand on Yuuri's mouth "It was the beer."


    ° ° °

    After Chito helped dry their hair with a hairdryer, already dressed for bed they moved together to one of the larger bedrooms. The room had a big double bed, dresser, another black screen device on the wall, and just on the side of the wall another window with shutter blinds that looked into their garden. The whole atmosphere of the room felt comfortable and safe.

    "You can sleep in this room if you want, Yuu. I know we don't have bunk beds as we planned, but just look how big the bed is." Chito suggested as she helped Yuuri lay down on the bed. Yuuri playfully took a pillow from under her head and snugged it.

    "Chii-chan... the bed is even comfier than the one at the hospital." Yuuri chuckled as she lay back down on the bed and sniffed the pillow "...and the pillow smells sooo nice... and my hair is sooo silky and smells nice too." she kept giggling as Chito wanted to help tuck her in.

    "Stay still Yuu! I have to tuc - " abruptly she got smashed by a pillow that Yuuri swung at her and fell on the bed from the force.

    "It's war Chii-chan!" she threw the other pillow to Chito who now had an annoyed look on her face as she found herself on top of the bed.

    Taking the pillow she smashed Yuuri with it. "Yuu! You are still a crazy girl!" she exclaimed giggling as both of them smashed the pillows from each other, before they both lay down on the bed exhausted.

    "Yuu - I remembered those exact words you said to me. When you pointed the rifle at me. I still don't understand why did you do that!" Chito asked her as she lay still on the bed exhaling fast. "You scared me so much, I thought you wanted to kill me."

    "Chii-chan... I felt so horrible after that but... I wanted you to realize that I was worried you never wanted to carry a gun with you and I wanted you to be able to defend yourself if I died out there. Grandpa always told us how dangerous it was outside and that outsiders killed each other for food. I never even had the finger on the trigger." Yuuri replied laying still on the comfortable pillows. "And it hurt every time you punched me, or that time you threw a wrench at me."

    "Yuu... we both have done things that we feel horrible about and it's just that's how that world outside made us." She held out her hand and gently held Yuuris'. "I felt at the time that slapping or punching you was the right thing to do because you made mistakes and seeing that side of you when you pointed your rifle at me and when you fired the rocket from the war machine scared me so much... but I made mistakes too and I realize that... I was wrong to do that and... I am so sorry... Yuu... I never wanted to hurt you..."

    "Chii-chan, that is all in the past, and now we can just enjoy the rest of our lives up here... we don't need to do that anymore," Yuuri replied as she squeezed back Chito's hand laying still on that bed. "We don't need the rifle or weapons anymore."

    "Anyway. It's way past bedtime." Chito said as she got up from the bed. "I will go sleep in the other room."

    "Chii-chan!" Yuuri gently held out her hand and grabbed Chito's pajama. "Don't go - please sleep next to me!" Yuuri asked.

    "But... my nightmares will just wake you up Yuu. And I keep swaying my arms around in my dreams..." Chito replied before Yuuri spoke again. "I don't want to hurt you again."

    "I don't mind Chii-chan. I know we are finally safe but - I am still afraid of being alone in the dark and when you sleep next to me I feel so much safer," she replied still holding her pajama

    Chito let out a sigh and she lay on the bed next to her. "I guess - I can't sleep without you as well Yuu. Even back at the hospital, I couldn't..." she replied and snuggled next to her.

    "Chii-chan, maybe you should take that pill that Reo gave to you, so you don't have nightmares!" Yuuri suggested.

    "They just make me feel really weird. I think he said it's something called medical 'cannabis' and supposed to help me with my condition."

    "Oh Chii-chan, what's a 'cannabis'?" Yuuri asked her back.

    "I think it's just a plant, they seem to really like it up here at the dome. I don't know what else they use it for besides medication and building materials. Oh by the way I wanted to show you these earlier." Next to the bed was another box that Chito carried with her from the hospital. "It's another box of letters from Itsuki and Yasuo before the bridge to the village collapsed. I haven't gone through them all."

    "Oooh... I remember you told me about those letters."

    "Mhmm... Reo gave them to me after Mieko chased us away from the hospital. There were so many things that they wanted to tell their friends and family up here." Chito answered as she kept scouring through the whole pile of letters.

    "Chii-chan I hope I can learn to read them all one day, I want to read by myself what grandpa was writing all those years to his family," Yuuri replied when something from one of the letters fell on the bed beside them, it looked like an old photograph.

    Gently Chito reached around and took the photograph in her hands. It was a photograph of a man and a woman holding a baby, behind them looked like their first home at the bottom layer.

    "Chii-chan, who is that?" Yuuri curiously asked while Chito kept intently gazing at the photograph. "Oooh... the girl in the picture looks a lot like you! She looks so beautiful - just like you!"

    Chito kept looking into the photograph transfixed into those eyes frozen in time. It appeared to be a photograph of her father and her mother holding her while she was still just a tiny baby. They both were beautiful and when she gazed at those eyes of her mother, it felt like she was looking into a mirror. Her mother looked a lot like her, with the same black hair but she wore it with a single pin. In the picture both of them were smiling and full of life, holding their newborn daughter in their hands. Even if life was difficult for them on the outside, they were so happy and brimming with life holding their beautiful daughter whom they decided to name Chito a long time ago. Sadly they never expected that soon after they would depart from this world leaving their only daughter behind.

    Looking down at the photograph, droplets of tears started falling from Chito's eyes.

    "Chii-chan?" Yuuri asked her puzzled as she snuggled her closer "What's wrong?"

    "It's them" Chito spoke with a heavy voice, she started wailing loudly before she raised her arm and cried into it. "- It's my... my mom... my dad... Why did they have to die - Yuu?" she asked as she continued crying. She never remembered them when she was a child and instead their picture survived the journey up to the last layer.

    Even if Chito and Yuuri survived and went through hell to find their home and both of them were turning into young adults, she still wanted the protection of a family. She also wanted grandpa to come on the journey with them as well, but they were dead a long time ago leaving Chito and Yuuri alone to survive this harsh world.

    "Chii-chan..." Yuuri snuggled her closer. "Your mom and dad - they lived and were happy as well. Even grandpa lived and was happy all his life as well out there with us. They gave me the most beautiful girl in the world, and she saved my life so many times and she makes me so happy every day that I am awake."

    "Yuu... I am so... terrified!" No matter how much she tried to stay strong Chito felt like crying was the easiest thing she could do to express her inner turmoil. Even since they lost the Ketternkrad that saved their lives she couldn't stop crying. "...What if this is all a dream - I don't want to wake up out there again - I really don't want to be ever out there again - I don't want to live in a world where you are not by my side - Yuu! What would I have done if you never woke up and - you are still sleeping forever on that bed? I - I --" she wept loudly in her lover's arms. They both paid a huge price to be here together, and that time while Yuuri was in a coma, it shattered her spirit and her heart in millions of pieces as her inner turmoil kept living on.

    "Chii-chan... please don't cry. I am here, right next to you and you are wide awake - my sweetheart." Yuuri snugged her close "If you want we can go outside one day where they found us and you can see that we are not out there in the snow anymore. Chii-chan... we are here - we are home. Please, my love - don't cry - please" Yuuri couldn't stop the tears in her eyes as well and softly started crying. She couldn't bear to see Chito like this anymore and no matter how much she wanted, she just really wanted them to be happy from now on. No one could hurt them anymore,

    "Yuu... I am so sorry." Chito replied as she slowly composed herself in her arms "I - love you - I don't know what I would have done without you. Please don't ever leave me again - "

    "I love you too, Chii-chan." Yuuri replied as she brushed Chito's tears off. "I feel the same way, I would never leave you alone... Chii-chan - we have a future up here and I want to grow old together with you. We have a family as well that cares deeply about us and I really like them as well. Chii-chan, please don't cry... Chii-chan, I am here - next to you - I will never leave you..."

    Laying together cuddled on that warm bed, both of them felt contempt in each other's arms as they fell asleep. Even if Chito's inner turmoil kept living on, she always felt safe in Yuuri's arms, even when they were out there in the cold.

    ° ° °

    "Chito... Chito... You have to wake up." Itsuki was in the driver seat of the Kettenkrad, they both drifted away in sleep the hour before. Chito was in the back slowly opening her eyes as she gazed upon the cold derelict world outside. It was 3 days since they left their village after a group of outsiders attacked. Both Itsuki and Chito managed to escape with everything they could carry, just before the fighting started. As they drove away, they could hear the gunshots in the distance.

    Itsuki feared for Chito's life and he had to help her escape. Life in the village was no longer safe and they took all the food they could carry in the Kettenkrad.

    "Uhh... Grandpa... what's wrong?" Chito brushed her eyes and slowly got up from underneath her blanket. She was sleeping in the back of the Kettenkrad and had the most peculiar dream where she was with a girl she never has seen before in her life called 'Yuuri', and they lived at some odd place at top of the world.

    "We have to drive as fast as we can, I think I heard motorcycles in the rear, I fear that maybe we have been followed!" Itsuki started the engine as fast as he could and started driving straight down the derelict road filled with snow. Rows of houses and snow piled up the dead horizon as the clouds above covered up the whole sky, the large layered city was out there in the distance.

    "Just in case, do you remember how to use your pistol Chito?" Itsuki asked her back, as Chito took out a 'Nambu Pistol Model 14' from underneath her blanket and inspected it. She never wanted to use a gun in her life and was disturbed by them, but Itsuki instructed her to use it and never think twice in case there is a danger. "Just point and shoot Chito... if they want to hurt me or they want to hurt you. Just squeeze the trigger and... don't think... don't look at them afterward."

    Soon after the sound of the motorcycles seemed to get even closer. With a panicked expression, Itsuki parked the vehicle near an abandoned house and quickly killed the engine. Itsuki knew that the motorcycles were faster than the Kettenkrad and could easily overtake them, especially when they were overcapacity with supplies. He felt it was time to make a stand, to protect both their lives if they were going to make the long journey up to the city in the sky.

    "Chito, take your pistol and hide in the house! I will wait for them here with my rifle." Itsuki loudly gave an order to Chito as she got out of the vehicle and looked at him

    "But grandpa - ".

    "I didn't ask for a reply Chito - Go hide in the house! NOW! And don't come out unless I call you! And remember... Squeeze the trigger and don't think..." Itsuki was ready with his rifle and hid behind the Kettenkrad, as Chito ran inside the house and frantically looked for a place to hide. She saw a flipped-over table close by and hid right behind it. Holding her breath she kept waiting and listening to see what will happen.

    "It's going to be alright..." she kept repeating to herself shaking from fear and holding her pistol tight in her hand. "It's going to be alright..."

    The sound of the motorcycles grew louder and Chito could hear the first shot. The first shot was the familiar sound of the rifle that Itsuki used. That was just before a full-blown firefight went outside and after a few shots were fired, Chito could hear a man that sounded like Itsuki suddenly cry out from pain.

    "Where is the girl? You sack of shit!" a different voice belonging to a man spoke.

    "She died - you shot her at the village - how can you be so cruel to do this to innocent kids?"

    "LIAR!" a loud thump and the man that sounded like Itsuki yelped from pain again as someone must have hit him forcefully. "WHERE IS SHE? IF SHE IS DEAD HOW COME YOU HAVE SO MUCH STUFF WITH YOU???"

    "F... fuck... you... you shot my brother! Go fucking die in a hole you piece of s-" another loud gunshot - and then deafening silence.

    "You - girl - grab his rifle and search the house. If she has a weapon don't hesitate to shoot her!"

    Chito kept hiding and holding her breath trying not to cry. She kept shaking from fear. She could hear footsteps through the house. After some time, someone forcefully pushed the table just where she was hiding. Closing her eyes she pointed her pistol at the person right in front of her.

    Suddenly Chito yelped from pain, the person must have kicked the pistol right off her hands. With tears in her eyes, she looked up at the person standing above her. The person was a tall girl about her age, with blond hair and blue eyes. She pointed her grandfather's rifle directly at her head. Chito scuffled back crying from fear and kept looking up at the girl. The girl with a dead stare looked at her expressionless.

    It occurred to Chito that this was the girl from her dreams, the one she shared so many special moments in her life and even a whole journey up to the last layer.

    "Yu - Yuuri?" Chito asked the girl who kept pointing Itsuki's rifle at her.

    "Who?" the girl asked still with the same dead expression. She must have felt assertive pointing the rifle at the defenseless girl in front of her.

    "Yuuri - It's me... Chito..."

    "My name is not Yuuri. I've never met you in my life. We were sent to kill your grandfather because he caused all kinds of trouble for many years... And we are supposed to take you with us..." she sighed before she continued speaking "But for some reason, I really just want to kill you, watch you die slowly and bleed out like everyone else we killed at the village." The girl replied with a grin starving from this cold-blooded hunger to take someone's life away. All this time she had the rifle pointed at Chito. She was not the Yuuri from her dreams, but a cold-blooded murderer.

    "No Yuuri... you are not like that... I love you - you are the kindest girl I've -" Chito yelped again from pain as the girl kicked her head forcefully.

    "Shut up... you little shit!" the girl exclaimed and pushed her up against the wall.

    "Please... Yuuri... please don't kill me... please..." Chito continued weeping and begged for her life, as the girl standing above looked at her with cold eyes.

    "Little girl, this is war. Not even pretty girls like us are spared," she exclaimed before she reloaded Itsuki's rifle and pointed it dead center at her eyes. "Believe me I am doing you a favor, you will be with your grandfather soon and I get to watch you die! It's a win-win situation on both fronts don't you think?"

    The girl squeezed the trigger of the rifle. A sudden loud bang split the dead silence in two. With an evil grin, the girl threw Itsuki's smoking rifle on the ground just beside where Chito was laying. Just close to her was where she kicked Chito's pistol off and she leaned down to take it into her hands inspecting it carefully.

    "Just kidding..." the girl spoke. "Believe me... dying from hunger is even worse. I hope you enjoy every single second of that, you dumb shit!" the girl chuckled and walked off from the room outside where the others from her group were waiting.

    "What happened?" the voice of a man outside asked, just as the girl walked out. "Where is the girl?"

    "Hey, calm down. The girl had a gun pointed at me, I had to shoot her."

    "Where is the rifle then?"

    "Well, it jammed and blew up right in her dumb face. Her head is all over the place, I wouldn't go inside if I were you!" she replied chuckling.

    "Shit.. well we can take the vehicle and all of the supplies with us. Leave them here to rot."

    After a few minutes, the Kettenkrad and the rest of the motorcycles came to life as the group seemed to have driven away. It was dead silence once again.

    Chito covered herself with her arms and wept loudly inside the house just after the group drove off. She kept waiting in vain for Itsuki to call her out, but it felt like there was not a living soul outside. She got up with her bloodied face and started walking with difficulty, still crying when she saw Itsuki laying down on the ground covered in blood.

    "Grandpa!" Chito screeched as she fell over his body and wept even louder "Grandpa! Wake up! Please!" she kept nudging him and kept trying to wake him up, but he lay peacefully down on the ground, covered in a pool of blood. "Don't leave me, grandpa..." Chito kept weeping, laying her head down on his body unsure what was going to happen to her next.

    She had no supplies, no means of transportation up to the last layer, and the only person that ever cared about her in the world, lay dead on the cold ground. Her head hurt like hell and she felt like the whole world rotated around her. She couldn't understand why the beautiful girl from her dreams would hit her head forcefully and even try to kill her. Chito kept weeping until she couldn't keep conscious anymore and fell on top of Itsuki's body.

    Some time must have passed because when she regained consciousness, she found herself in a different kind of place. Her head didn't hurt anymore and Itsuki was nowhere to be seen. She kept looking around to see where she was but all there was a flat horizon, a stairwell, and a square stone monument just close by. The only source of light seemed to be the stars above her. In the dead distance there seemed to be no one else, all she could hear was the sound of a loud electrical buzz coming from the square block.

    Carefully she got up from the cold ground and started walking towards the block. The sound of electricity grew even louder and louder as she approached it until it was almost ear-piercing. The square block seemed to be calling out to her to come closer and closer. She reached out and gently touched the block. In a matter of nanoseconds, she was transported to a different kind of place and the sound of electricity stopped.

    The only thing she could see was the evening sun and lots of yellow plants spread across her. She found herself in a large field of wheat, the stone block stood just behind her. This odd new place seemed to have been somewhere else in the world and she had never seen any place like it before.

    Walking calmly through the field she finally reached the edge of the wheat field and walked right out of it. Looking around again, the sea in front of her stretched through the far horizon and there was a motorcycle close by with a bench that someone slept on.

    Discreetly Chito moved closer to see who the person was on the bench. The girl on the bench had dark hair similar to hers and lay down on her backpack, snoring softly. She had something in her ears and in her hand, she held a book with the words 'Catch 22' written in Japanese.

    Chito was even more puzzled looking at the girl. The girl looked exactly like herself except she was tanned and wore some kind of weird clothes that people in the 21st century probably wore, with flip-flops on her feet.

    The girl on the bench stopped snoring and woke up mumbling. Brushing her eyes she sat up on the bench and looked at Chito who was wearing the usual army clothes that she had on her journey on the outside layer. They both looked at each other with equal confusion, before the other girl smiled and said.

    "Oh, Hey! I haven't seen you in my dreams in like - a really long time."

    (Continued in Chapter 10)
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  11. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    "Ummm... Who are you?" Chito asked the strange girl as she stood up from the bench and stretched her arms. The girl was wearing a summer dress with a swimsuit underneath and sunglasses on her head. Chito had seen these types of clothes in videos and photographs of people wearing them in the 21st Century.

    "I could ask you the same?" the girl replied as she sat back on the bench. The weather at this strange place was quite warm. The gentle fresh sea breeze brushed through their hair as they kept staring at each other with equal confusion in their eyes. They both felt like they were looking in a mirror and were still unable to comprehend what was going on, was this real or just another one of those strange dreams?

    "I've seen you so many times in my dreams. I always felt like I was dreaming a whole story and that post-apocalypse world was something that I had envisioned, but after some time I still don't understand anything and why we have this strange connection?"

    "What do you mean by connection?" Chito asked her back, she was still perplexed as to how she found herself in this place, and who this person with a similar appearance as her was. Chito had also seen this girl a few times in her dreams and the last time was after they reached the walls outside the Biodome. Chito also thought that it was only a recurring dream, but here she stood talking to her and it felt surreal.

    "I can't explain it, but I think we are somehow - connected. It's strange because I also read online that a small number of people had similar dreams that their counterparts lived in a different kind of reality. They explained in great detail these odd post-apocalyptic cities and the harsh reality their counterparts lived in." the girl replied as she gazed at the far horizon. "I thought I was going insane when I read these stories and the whole thing was just some viral hoax, but - here we are... and what do we do?"

    "Oh..." Chito sighted in confusion as she looked back at the girl, she was left speechless. The girl moved her belongings away from the bench and gestured to Chito to sit next to her. "C'mon - don't be a stranger." The girl smiled as Chito moved closer and sat on the bench next to her. The gentle waves rushed towards the beach as the sun illuminated the sea with thousands of shimmering lights. In the far distance, several fishing boats were scattered gently floating on the calm blue sea.

    "But... why are we here?" Chito finally asked. "What is this place?"

    "Well, I came here to enjoy the sunset and must have fallen asleep reading my book and listening to music." She responded yawning softly. "I don't know why you are here though. Oh, by the way, this place is just close to a town called Enoria in Greece, and that is the Aegean sea right in front of you."

    "Greece? Aegean sea?"

    "Mhm..." The girl replied keeping her sight fixed on the far horizon. "Well we have been planning a trip to Europe for years now and we just took a long vacation. I just finished my master's degree. Yuuri and her sister opened an Udon restaurant in 'Kichijoji'. It's quite successful and I am so happy that she is now a wonderful cook. But yeah - we went on a 2-month journey around Europe on our motorcycle." she pointed towards the vehicle parked close to the bench where they were sitting on. "That is what we have been driving for the past 2 months."

    "What is that?" Chito asked as she looked at the strange motorcycle in front of her. On the back it was tied up with storage containers, the motorcycle looked like it was outfitted for extended journeys.

    "It's been our ride for the journey. It's called a 'Suzuki DR 650' that we rented in The Netherlands and it has been our home for about 2 months now." The girl smiled while she explained "But I am really sad that we have to leave it behind. Next week we have to catch a flight to Tokyo from Athens. It's pretty much the end of our journey in Europe. But hey it's not as cool as your 'Kettenkrad'!"

    "Wait.. how do you know about the 'Kettenkrad'?" Chito asked her as the girl smiled again.

    "Well, as I said, I've seen your journey in my dreams. I've seen you drive it so many times and the most interesting thing is that before these dreams I'd never heard that this strange vehicle ever existed. Yuuri and I saw it on display in a war museum in Berlin, and I told Yuuri we should just ride it out of there. She sat down on the back and I sat on the front just like in the dreams, but then they threw us out." she replied and smiled, but then her expression changed. "Oh... I am sorry - I just realized it was inconsiderate of me. I never discerned before that you were real and, I know that vehicle probably saved your lives - but - ummm... it's just that - we are out here having fun and everything seems so easy at the moment..." she replied as Chito kept listening to her speak. "...I could see some events from your life in that desolate and - ugly place, I just don't know what happened to your world and I hope you both are safe."

    "You are right - that vehicle did save our lives," Chito replied while she stared at the girl. "I know that a lot of bad things happened to our world but we found the most amazing place with Yuuri. However I miss the 'Kettenkrad', it broke down on us and no matter how much I tried I could never repair it. It's probably still down there among the ruins." Chito with a saddened expression reminisced about her grandfather's vehicle that went through quite a journey in its extraordinarily long life.

    "But what happened to you both?" The girl asked "I haven't seen you in my dreams in 4 years. The last time I saw you both in a blizzard walking towards this unusual wall and that was it - that's all I remember."

    "Well..." Chito let out a sigh before she continued speaking "We made a really dangerous choice to see what's on the last layer of the world, and it almost cost us our lives. But some wonderful people that live up here saved our lives from the blizzard. Sadly, I broke my hand because I was so frustrated when we didn't find anything there again and I kept punching the wall with all my force. But Yuuri - she lost her leg due to frostbite and she was in a coma for 1 month, I almost lost her as well. All of this happened some time ago - on the outside - we almost died..." Chito replied as the girl held her hand to her mouth in shock, she was almost going to cry. "I sat beside her for 1 month waiting for her to wake up, I was so scared that she wouldn't wake up, but she is a strong girl... she woke up in the end."

    "Yuuri lost her leg and she almost died?" The girl with a sad tone asked Chito back.

    "Yeah - But she is going to get a new leg soon. Something called a 'neuroprosthetic'. She doesn't seem phased about it, not even a little bit, and is so happy that she is going to have a new leg. She is a strange girl but that is why I love her so much" Chito replied with a smile, the girl sitting next to her was almost ready to cry. "But don't worry we are safe, she is just probably sleeping right next to me, she didn't want me to sleep in the other room. I've been having a lot of nightmares and I usually wake her up with my shouting - I'll probably find my hand inside her mouth again..."

    "Aww..." the girl exclaimed almost wanting to hug her, but she learned in one of her science fiction books that if you come in contact with yourself the world might implode, she didn't want to risk this even if it was probably another strange dream she was having. "And, just earlier - Yuuri and I were fighting for a ridiculous reason." The girl replied as she brushed a tear from her face.

    "Oh - what happened? I was wondering why you were alone and not with Yuuri. In my dreams, I almost always saw you being inseparable from Yuuri and - I kinda saw you when you both kiss as well..." Chito replied and blushed, the girl smiled and then started speaking.

    "Well... we kinda fought, back at our hotel. I guess, in a relationship as long as ours even fights might be inescapable. Usually, when we get angry at each other we don't speak for 2 hours and afterward, we act as if nothing happened, but this time I guess we were just yelling insults at each other." the girl replied as she searched through her backpack and took out a small leather bag showing it Chito. "And the whole fight was for this - it's her wallet. We were getting ready to go to the beach just before sunset and then she couldn't find her wallet and her passport is inside it too. And I guess I kinda snapped at her 'cause she can be so clumsy sometimes and now she lost her wallet and her passport at the same time." she sighed replacing Yuuri's wallet into her backpack. "I called her an asinine d-cupped airhead and she called me a bland bookworm nerd and then I stormed out of the room. I drove off to look for her wallet and found it back at the restaurant where we had lunch, luckily with her passport inside. I was so angry that I just wanted to cool off on the motorcycle and then I drove here... I read my book listened to some music and fell asleep. I mean we were here yesterday sitting on this same bench while we looked at the sea and ate this thing called a gyro pita, which is just a typical tasty Greek dish from this thing that looks like a meat tornado." the girl smiled, she was still sad about her fight with the Yuuri from her world and felt it was for completely ludicrous reasons.

    "I am so sorry!" Chito replied as she looked back at the girl, who had a worried expression on her face. "I sometimes got angry at Yuuri as well, because - well we both did stupid things too. She almost burned a book that I like - but in the end, it was all for pointless reasons, we had to burn all our books and even my journal so we can survive the cold on the outside. I realized that material things don't have much value when the person you cherish almost died - Everything else in life even books can be replaced, but nothing could ever replace her..." Chito spoke while the girl sitting next to her sniffed and brushed her nose with her hand. "I guess I stopped getting angry at her even for the most insignificant things, I am just glad that she is happy and alive. I love her more than anything in the world... and if I've ever hurt her well... that just makes me feel like such a terrible person..."

    The girl, scoured through her backpack again and pulled out a small black box, and handed it to Chito. She wanted to show Chito something that she has been carrying with her throughout her entire journey in Europe.

    "What is that?" Chito replied as she carefully examined the small black box.

    "Well - you can open it, don't worry it won't break." Chito with ease opened the box and looked inside. It contained a ring with three beautiful blue rubies on top of it, it looked old and worn out.

    "It's my father's ring that he gave to my mom when he proposed to her. I guess in my family the eldest son or daughter got this ring as an heirloom and after they found someone they loved they passed the ring on." the girl replied still staring into the wide horizon. "Before my father passed away, he wanted me to have the ring for whenever I found the one I love, but my mom held on to it for many years. Sadly my mother wasn't always welcome to my relationship with Yuuri because - in this stupid world a girl must marry a guy or a guy must marry a girl! She always wanted me to have a husband or boyfriend for some reason. But just before my trip with Yuuri she wanted to see me and asked me 'Do you truly love Yuuri so that you would spend your entire life with her?'. I replied to her that if it wasn't for her I wouldn't know what to do in my life and that I loved her more than life itself. Then she gave me the ring and told me 'You should propose to her then.' and she had the widest smile I've ever seen." the girl smiled and held the box tightly in her hands after Chito gave it back to her. "I hugged her so hard and I was so happy that she finally accepted - for who I am and that, the only person that matters to me in my life just happens to be a girl. I planned to propose to Yuuri tonight - I know she enjoys Greek food a lot and I planned to surprise her at this wonderful restaurant that I read about on the internet. But now - I don't think she ever wants to see me again." the girl looked down at the bench as a few drops of tears fell from her face.

    "I know that's not true, she loves you as well," Chito said as she stared back at the girl. "I've seen you both so many times in my dreams and I know that she loves you more than anything in the world. It was you both that inspired me to share my feelings for Yuuri when we were out there in the last layer fearing it might be the end of our lives. I thought that we were going to die out there, but I am so happy I could tell her that I loved her all my life and even if we died in a short while, I was going to be happy that she knew that I loved her." Chito said and blushed softly looking at the girl. "And then she gave me a ring and said she wanted to get married when we found our home - and the ring was just a grenade pin that she found somewhere on the bottom. But I think I lost it while we were out there in the snow. I wasn't able to find it since then and I didn't have the heart to tell Yuuri, I don't want her to be mad at me."

    The girl smiled and replied, "Both our Yuuri's are such gorgeous sweethearts. If I never met her in my life I don't know what I would have done. When I was in high school, I was the shy and depressed introverted girl that sometimes people made fun of for no reason - just because I really enjoyed reading books some people found me 'weird'. I guess that even got worse when some of my classmates found out that I wasn't interested in boys like them - but then I saw Yuuri one day. She was the popular girl that every boy presumably wanted to pursue in high school, but I presume she also had a secret like me. I guess I had a significant crush on her the first time I saw her, I knew I had to get out of my comfort zone and somehow speak to her one day. Then one day we met at a high school party just after we graduated and we started speaking, I was shy at first but... beer REALLY helps in these situations." The girl chuckled and blushed before she kept talking about how she met Yuuri from this world. "I know that we were young to drink beer, but people kinda do that before they are 20."

    "She was so fascinated with my knowledge of literature and music, and even my tendency to converse about all kinds of insignificant philosophical concepts. That summer break we started hanging out as friends almost every day. We went to shopping malls, to coffee shops, to the arcade, I even managed to make her come to a music festival with me, and one day after we went to the cinema, I blurted out of nowhere that I loved her - I was sooo flushed... and I felt that she will hate me forever and never speak to me after that - but she just took my hands and looked me in the eyes and said the same thing. She confessed to me that she had seen me back in high school and always wanted to talk to me but never had the chance and besides being the popular and pretty girl, she always felt shy. I don't know what brought us together that night at the party, but could it have been destiny? We had our first kiss, sitting in the park after all the beer we could drink." The girl smiled still reminiscing to Chito about how she met Yuuri from her 'world'. "I guess our connection is so strong that - somehow we relive it again in all kinds of realities. I can't explain it at all - I just really hope you are alive and that you both find happiness in that world."

    Chito carefully listened to the girl with a wide smile on her face, it felt impossible how destiny brought them together with Yuuri even in this reality she shared with her. Maybe through some kind of special bond, she shared an extraordinary connection with her realities. Or maybe for Chito, this was all just a dream and she somehow imagined this girl, as some kind of happy coincidence and comfort that she would one day be able to find happiness and home with Yuuri while they were out there on the outside looking for a home.

    I guess when she found her home, she had to tell her all about it.

    "Do you think that It was destiny that I am with Yuuri in our reality?" Chito asked the girl looking at her. "Maybe our souls share a special bond and we live in this reality where the world was sadly destroyed by wars, machines, and human greed. And we were both left to survive for so long and finally found our home."

    The girl kept looking far into the distant horizon, holding the black box with the ring tightly in her hands. "I don't - know..." she replied. "I can't conceptualize time as one constant, but maybe we exist in all kinds of timelines, realities and possibly everything is on a loop since the existence of our universe. Maybe after my death, my soul would travel through all kinds of forms, different lives, and yet in your reality - somehow we share the same name, same appearance, and even the same 'Yuuri'. It's unexplainable, but it makes me so happy - that we have been given another opportunity of life together, no matter how challenging it appears in your reality. I guess it shows - our connection is strong that we would exist even in the most difficult of circumstances, and our destinies would cross paths repeatedly." the girl smiled and placed the box back in her backpack. "I know that in my reality with her, I just - have to propose to her. I want her to accept it - and that she will be by my side as long as I am alive. I love her."

    "I am sure that she will gladly accept. I've wanted to give her a ring I found earlier but we were having so much fun listening to music and drinking beer I kinda forgot. It was the ring from the canned fish that we opened for lunch. For now, I think fish is her favorite food, but she has been eating so many different kinds of food I think she just loves all the food in the world..." Chito replied and kept looking at the sea "I pulled the ring out of the can and thought 'well this will be perfect for Yuuri'."

    The girl turned back to Chito and smiled as well. "Well, it's nothing different, Yuuri has been obsessed with food and Udon for sooo many years now."

    "What is Udon?" Chito asked, she almost felt like Yuuri asking all of these questions to the girl that lived in a completely different era.

    "Well - udon is a sort of food that is made from wheat flour, you can put it into a soup and add all kinds of ingredients to make it delicious." The girl replied. "Her family's recipes are actually quite amazing. Yuuri was having trouble with her university studies back then and then she decided to drop out, after that she started working really long shifts at a supermarket and even part-time at a 'Taiyaki' stand until she finally got fed up with it. One day after her shift she just came home and all of a sudden blurted 'I WILL OPEN A RESTAURANT!'. I just looked at her from my book and said 'ok', I was so lost in my book that I didn't notice that her sister suddenly came over and they made plans about the restaurant almost all night and drank liters of beer. They decided to open it in this stylish suburb in 'Tokyo' called 'Kichijoji' and their business went - HUGE! suddenly Yuuri was all kinds of cute wearing a chef uniform and making Udon with her sister, appearing on all kinds of social media, newsletters, and even national television. I am so proud of her."

    "Well - of course! Yuuri makes food in your reality." Chito laughed "I guess I have to look that recipe back home. You will probably see us struggle to prepare it again in your dreams."

    "Oh - " the girl sighed and looked back at Chito with a sad expression. "The thing is - I read that after a dream where you meet your 'alternate self' we might never see each other again. We never have been able to talk before but - I guess this is some kind of an 'epilogue' to our dreams? Maybe I guess - we both found what we wanted in our lives. You found a home and a happy life with Yuuri, and I went on an unforgettable journey with the one I decided that I want to spend the rest of my life with. I don't know what life will bring next when we get home. I know that I will have to look for a job, and I am afraid of what I will do with my philosophy degree. I always wanted to teach or maybe I might start writing a novel, or a travel diary, or write for music magazines - But I know that it will all be for nothing - everything in the future will be forgotten and meaningless..."

    "Hey." Chito replied "You know at our home up at the last layer, we have this thing called the 'archive'. They told me it contains almost 72% of the information that was created back in the old centuries, and by connecting with the rest of the city, even more, information is shared with us. So I don't think it's all for nothing. When we left the village from the bottom, I recorded our journey in a book, but then we had to burn it to keep warm. I plan to rewrite it again from memory and have it stored in the 'archive' so people in the future will know of my journey with Yuuri. I guess people in the old world created all this information for the future as well as for the present, but they never knew that the world might be like that. However, most of what people created was stored and kept safe."

    The girl listened with fascination and smiled widely. "I always imagined what would happen to the things we create in the future, to our music, art, literature, movies, and almost everything people used to create. Will they ever be able to live on afterward? I couldn't imagine that the 'internet' would exist for a long time and would be able to store all our pieces of information on drives - eventually, everything crashes in life. There is so much wonderful music, movies, books, and art in this world that I always thought that one day it would all be forgotten. It's almost unfair..."

    "My grandpa wanted to listen to music so much." Chito replied "He heard that it exists. He was never able to hear it even though he could find these odd discs on the outside. Last night we looked up music with Yuuri, and suddenly this wonderful girl's voice started singing about love, life, and happiness. I never heard something like that before. It was so full of hope and happiness and the words were so beautiful. Their music survived and we heard so many other songs and kinds of music from the world. We were so touched by what the people in the old world created."

    "Music is a powerful thing. I am so glad that music was able to survive in that world of yours. It really helped me in my life." The girl spoke. "I listened to music when I was feeling so down, I listened when everyone hated me and when I felt the whole world wanted me to die. It was the only thing that kept me company in my years when I was lonely. But when I met Yuuri, I finally had someone I could share music with." she spoke as tears started forming in the girls' eyes. "We listened to music when Yuuri kissed me the first time - and then we listened to music every time we were together - music helped me get through a lot and every time I listen to music it - it reminds me of those beautiful blue eyes."

    "I am so happy that music continues to live on," she spoke while she brushed the tears off her face. "everyone deserves some happiness in their life and I know that I am happy when I see those beautiful blue eyes every moment that I am awake. Thinking that I will be lonely again - I can't live without those eyes by my side - I would rather be dead than hearing her say no - "

    Chito looked at the girl as she started crying right next to her, she was just so unsure of what to say or do anymore. She felt the same way so many times in her life, suicidal thoughts seemed to be so frequent in every kind of reality. It only took her a split decision to use the explosive on the wall instead of themselves. Thinking about it, Chito never felt so ready to kill herself along with Yuuri and end their suffering back then. She didn't want her to suffer anymore because this reality was too cruel for such a pure soul like hers... But if she did, they wouldn't have been alive now, their souls probably would have been lost. Yet they found each other again beyond the wall at their new home and it felt just like paradise.

    "Yuuri will never say no - not in your reality not in every other reality. Our destinies crossed paths in so many different realities, she loves you more than anything. I know that just like the archive our love will live on as long as it can and even in every kind of future iteration of our world we will be together again." the girl brushed her tears off and slowly composed herself as she looked back at Chito with a smile on her face. "When you give her your ring she will be the happiest girl in the world."

    "Thank you so much - I know what I will do tonight - and I will propose to her - and I will do all I can to make her the happiest girl in the whole wide world," she replied with a wide smile sniffling softly... "But I am glad you both found joy in music - Music is one of our journeys in life. We always travel somewhere in life through hardships and difficulties, but we always keep our eyes back home and on everything that we created through life. I just have a feeling that next week - when we go home to Tokyo, we will be engaged and one day we will get married when it's allowed - and I just hope that we get to spend our lives together." The girl replied smiling.

    Just like Chito, the girl in her dreams was also so full of life and happiness and she suffered through a lot of difficulties in life. She also had a 'Yuuri' in her life and a reason to be alive. With pure determination was set on a journey to spend the rest of her life with the one she loved so much no matter what.

    The rest of the dream the girls spent laughing and reminiscing about their journeys. They each had a journey in life to go in their realities, and it never felt like the end no matter what reality it could have been.

    "Hey! Did you notice that the sun never moved?" Chito asked.

    "Oh yeah... I think time doesn't move that fast when you are dreaming. I think I might be still sleeping on that bench - Ughhhh... I hope no one robs me in the meantime and steals my motorcycle. Then Yuuri's wallet and passport will be gone again! ugh..."

    The girl stood up from the bench and looked back at Chito scratching her head "Oh... so... umm... yeah - I guess this is goodbye... Oh! Wait! I always wanted to try one thing!" She raised her arm and jumped a few times in the air, cursing after a few tries.

    "What are you trying to do?" Chito looked at her with confusion as the girl jumped up and down cursing.

    "Well...crap... ugh... I read about in lucid dreams you can fly and I always wanted to try it again... but so much for flying in this one." the girl pouted as she took her backpack and placed it on her back. "I only ever managed to do it once and it was for 3 seconds until Yuuri woke me up with her loud mumbling!"

    Chito grinned as she kept looking at her, both of their eyes met and it still felt like she was looking at a mirror. The girl standing next to her appeared a few years older than her but still looked exactly like her.

    "I guess it's - goodbye," Chito replied with a smile. "I hope you both find happiness in life as well. After all that happened, I want to spend the rest of my life with Yuuri up at the Biodome and I want to help as much as I can to rebuild our world. Maybe in a different reality If I meet with Yuuri again, we will live in a much better world. I know that we have to fix the future that our ancestors ruined so much."

    "Thank you so much for everything..." the girl replied as she placed her helmet on her head and sat down on the motorbike. "I will never forget you." she smiled and started the motorbike and drove away...

    "But wait... isn't she still dreaming?" Chito replied in confusion as she looked at the girl riding off on her motorcycle, she wasn't going to get anywhere like this...

    "Wait!!! what about that stone block behind me ..."

    ° ° °

    "Uhhh... Huh?" the girl abruptly woke up still laying down on the bench. The day was almost over and the sea grew calmer. Looking down at her wristwatch to check the time, she suddenly panicked "Oh... crap! I fell asleep again! Hey other Chito, I gotta ru-" she looked around but the girl from her dream was nowhere to be found.

    "Huh - guess it was just another book-fueled dream...." she looked back at the book and shoved it back in her backpack, still yawning and brushing her eyes.

    "Shit! Hope no one robbed me!" Checking her backpack she carefully opened it, Yuuri's wallet, passport, and the black box with her father's ring were neatly tucked in. "Phew.... crap! Our reservation! The restaurant! Yuuri will be so worried! ugh..." she placed on her backpack and her helmet and started the motorbike driving a little bit in the distance before she stopped and turned around.

    The bench and the wheat field were just behind her, it felt like she had another vivid dream where she talked to her friend from that other reality at this odd place. Maybe this was an epiphany that she didn't have to take everything for granted in her life and enjoy it for what it is, she had to live in the present and enjoy these moments. The past was the past, now the present and the future mattered. For now, she had a huge decision to make, and that was to propose to the only person in the world that means so much to her.

    The girl never noticed that odd weird-shaped stone structure that stood just in the field behind the bench before. It was covered in all kinds of weird graffiti and some odd circular symbols, it even had some words written in an odd language that she couldn't understand. She could swear at one point she heard the stone make some mysterious electrical noises but decided not to pay attention to it.

    "Huh... I guess it's just an odd-looking electrical substation." she shrugged it off as she drove off in the distance.

    ° ° °

    "MmlmlmlmlmLMLmlMlmlmmmpmpmlMLmlmlllmlmllll"

    "Uhhh... Huh?" Chito woke up in her bed to a weird but familiar sound underneath the blanket and her hand was wet again. "Ughhh... c'mon Yuu... not again!"

    Her hand was deep in Yuuri's mouth again, she drooled all over it. Yuuri must have tried to eat her again in her dream. Pulling her hand out of her mouth she looked at it as it was drenched in Yuuri's drool "eughh.." she exclaimed in disgust, wiping her hand from the side of the bed. With a sigh and a smile, she turned back to Yuuri who was sleeping next to her on their new comfortable bed. She kept mumbling again in her dream...

    "Chii-chaaan, you are so wonderful and tasttyyyyy I wanna eat you all oveerrr...mmmmlmlmlmlmlllmlll" she kept drooling with a wide smile on her face.

    "What on earth is she dreaming about?" Chito asked herself but shrugged it off soon after. Leaning towards her she covered her back with the blanket and gently kissed her cheek. "I love you so much!" she whispered and smiled.

    She couldn't sleep most of the night contemplating her dream. Was that girl in her dream real? She couldn't have imagined all of the things the girl spoke of, and most of it she couldn't understand everything the girl was saying. She was from a completely different reality or even century... no matter the physical similarities she was different than her. Of course, the girl grew up in a different 'reality' that wasn't such a desolate place as this one.

    "Oh wait..." Chito thought to herself as she took the device that Yuuri gave to her as a gift from the side of the bed and turned it on. Just on the corner, there was a 'search' box that she pressed and typed the words "Greece" on it. Suddenly beautiful pictures of this country from the past showed up, showing beautiful picturesque beaches, old villages and all kinds of different foods, and people living their lives. She kept scrolling and reading all about this wonderful place, and other beautiful countries in Europe and the Balkans too. However, reading on she got to the part of the information that included the aftermath and the history after the World War.

    The devastation was on a massive scale and all that was left behind was just rubble and destruction. Suddenly these beautiful beaches, the flora, the fauna, and even all the beautiful cities humans created and their history, art, and music were wiped clean from existence. All that was left was just like the city outside on a grander scale of destruction. Just - nothingness and an empty shell of a life that once was. Humans left their bootprints covered in vile filth all over the continent, leaving it uninhabitable for thousands of years.

    Looking at the screen, Chito couldn't help but start crying again. No matter how much she looked at these digital pictures of how beautiful life was before, it would never be the same ever again. So much life that the planet has created billions of years from its existence, ruined by its own repugnant creation called 'mankind'. Humans knew they had only one home, yet they destroyed almost every part of the world they could, leaving only their useless creations behind.

    With tears in her eyes, she turned to Yuuri who was sleeping tightly next to her, and snuggled her gently. "I love you - so much - Yuu. I am sorry that we are living in this reality." she whispered and leaned down Yuuri's chest, listening to her gentle heartbeat until she fell asleep.


    (Continued in Chapter 11)
    (Latest Revision 12th December 2022)
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  12. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    "Arrrghhhhhhhhhhh... I don't think I can fix this Yuu!!!"

    "Sorry."

    "How did you manage to drive the cart into a small rock?"

    "Sorry."

    "Geeze... I shouldn't have let you drive, Yuu!" Chito was leaning down in the front of their electric cart inspecting the damage that Yuuri caused just a few minutes ago. Carelessly Yuuri drove their cart into a small boulder that was on the side of the gravel road deep inside the forest of the Biodome. The chassis of the white cart was slightly bent inwards with some scratches from the collision. Nearby Yuuri lay down on the grass with her eyes closed mumbling a song she heard from Chito's device. "Mmhmm Mmhmm Mmhhmmm..."

    "We barely had the vehicle for one day and you managed to write 'Just Marrod' with industrial paint on the side, and drive the cart into a rock!" With an audible grumble, Chito pouted.

    "Well, you didn't complain about my spelling. I am getting much better at writing and reading Chii-chan." Yuuri replied and continued mumbling on.

    "You wrote 'Just Marrod' instead of 'Just Married' you dummy!" Chito was still mildly annoyed and kept staring at Yuuri with her arms crossed. On the other hand, Yuuri appeared to be without a care in the world laying down on the grass. "But I have to admit, I am really proud of you that you finally started learning to read and write."

    Some time passed since they settled into their new house. Both of them gradually were getting used to life inside the Biodome. Chito's health was getting much better and with regular exercise, her hand improved as well. After they return from their honeymoon, Chito and Yuuri planned to start working and help out within the Biodome. Chito wanted to put her grandfather's engineering lessons to good use and help out working as a technician, and Yuuri had plans to learn to be a chef at one of the community cafeterias.

    When Yuuri discovered that she could prepare food, she almost immediately decided that she would learn to be the best chef ever together with Mieko's husband, Kazuo. Both of them knew that they had to spend time apart from each other at their tasks, but at the end of their work they could always be together and even spend their evenings with their friends and family. Chito and Yuuri still had a lot to learn, but they both wanted to help out the people and the home that saved their lives.

    "Hey, Chii-chan, I really loved our party last night." Yuuri smiled holding her hand up in the sky. The artificial sun rays illuminated the shape of the wedding ring that Chito placed on her ring finger, just the day before during their ceremony. Finally, after some time passed since their rescue, they officiated their marriage with a big party, and earlier in the day their new family sent them out on their honeymoon. Both Chito and Yuuri had similar wedding rings that they synthesized from recycled materials, with a small synthetic diamond held in place in the middle.

    "The ring looks sooo beautiful!" Yuuri grinned while she kept checking it out.

    "I know, I love mine as well!" Chito smiled as well looking at her ring, she was careful not to lose this one as well. Sadly she never was able to find the grenade pin that Yuuri gave to her the first day after they reached the last layer, and the one they would always remember. Sadly the next day was the most traumatic day of their lives. "But I hope you get to keep my engagement ring Yuu. I know it's not as beautiful as the ones we got for our wedding." Chito replied as she still kept trying to fix the bend on their new vehicle with no luck.

    "Chii-chan, don't say that. To me, it's the most beautiful ring ever! Look, I made a necklace just a few days ago, to keep it near my heart." Yuuri got up from the grass and walked over to Chito showing her the necklace with the 'ring' that she gave to her many months ago. The 'ring' was a small can opener that Chito pulled out from the first time they had fish in their new home, she thought it was a cute 'ring' that she wanted to give to her. Ever since the day from outside, Chito wanted to give Yuuri a ring when they found their home, and knowing that Yuuri loved to eat fish she felt it was the perfect gift for her.

    "Ahh... that's so cute!" Chito replied checking out her necklace, she still had her fingers around the chassis of the vehicle trying to shape it into place with no success... "I feel so sad that I lost the grenade pin Yuu. I could have worn it on a necklace too. I'm so sorry - "

    "Don't worry about it Chii-chan! Better to lose the grenade pin instead of you. I am sure it will turn up somewhere, or I can always go down, find a grenade, and pull another one from it - "

    "NOOO!" Chito shouted and ran over to Yuuri "It's fine... it's fine... I won't let you go out there ever again!" Chito hugged her tight and leaned her head down on Yuuri's arm.

    "Chii-chan, I was kidding! Are you still afraid to go out there? I know I said we should go out to the wall to see where they found us, but you never wanted to go out again. You said you were terrified of that idea." Yuuri replied as Chito held on to her tightly.

    "I know I know - I guess I am still scared of that idea - but we can go out again someday when I feel I can. I don't mind."

    "Sooo... Chii-chan. Are we gonna go to the lake or stand here in the middle of the forest hugging each other?" Yuuri asked her and chuckled, as Chito broke from the hug and gently blushed.

    "Sure. But I am never letting you drive again Yuu!"

    Walking back to the vehicle, Chito sat in the driver's seat as Yuuri sat next to her. With a push of a button, she turned the electric motor on. The vehicle looked a bit like an oversized old-century golf cart that could operate on electricity. The citizens of the Biodome used these carts frequently inside to get from one point to another, and they were able to transport almost anything of use with them. Any vehicle from the old era that used gas or any kind of pollutants wasn't allowed to be operated within the Biodome and could only be used for exploration on the outer layers. They were more durable than the electric vehicles and even if oil was scarce up here, they could still find on the bottom layers and salvage all they could, with the right materials they could even synthesize fuel. The back of the cart included a storage container that Chito and Yuuri filled up with clothes, camping equipment, and food. They decided to spend their honeymoon camping out at the artificial lake deep inside the Biodome and explore the forest for a few days.

    "Chii-chan!" Yuuri settled her prosthetic leg right in front of Chito's view on the dashboard of the cart as Chito drove on. "I never showed you, but look!" she smiled showing her how she could wiggle her toes on the prosthetic leg, as Chito kept concentrating on driving towards the lake. "Reo said it would take a long time but look! It's soo easy! I can finally wiggle my toes!" she kept wiggling her toes right in front of her with a wide smile on her face. Her new leg was made from synthetic skin and was connected with electronic nodes surgically implanted in her stump. The leg was fully functional, waterproof, and looked precisely like the one she lost from frostbite. If it wasn't for the slight mechanical noises it made when she moved her foot and toes, one would think her leg was genuine. In a short time after her surgery, she made a fast recovery and could walk without her cane or support from Chito.

    "Yuu, that's so amazing. But do you want me to crash into another boulder looking at your cute toes?" Chito replied concentrating on the gravel road that led to the lake. It was a short one-hour drive from the community, but it almost took them the whole day as they stopped to check out the sights in the forest. Besides a few different kinds of insects and birds, they still haven't seen any wild forest animals cross their path yet. They lived deeper in the forest of the Biodome away from the humans.

    "Chii-chan, does this vehicle kinda remind you of our 'Kettenkrad'?" Yuuri asked as she moved her leg away from the dashboard.

    "Yeah, It kinda does, but the 'Kettenkrad' was an old military vehicle and built to withstand harsh terrain. This one is civilian and we managed to damage it already!" Chito pouted again driving onwards. She wasn't used to driving a wheel before, but it felt easier than the motorbike handles. There wasn't much philosophy to driving these types of electric carts, just press a button to turn on the electric engine, press the forward pedal with your right leg and use the brakes with your left leg. They were significantly slower than the vehicles on the outside.

    "So, do we need fuel to drive this thing Chii-chan?"

    "No. It drives completely on electricity. Toshi told me that you can drive it for 5 months on a single charge. Unlike small devices, this one has to be charged as it uses additional electricity I think. " Chito replied, still she kept focused on the road ahead.

    Yuuri on the other hand kept scanning the tree lines as they spread across the whole range. She really wanted to see a wild animal. "I wish we had a vehicle like this one outside, Chii-chan. It would have saved us the trouble of looking for fuel."

    "Yeah, I know." Chito replied "But we couldn't find any. They probably scrapped most of them, because these electric devices were easily fried out there, by something called EMP bombs. Still, the 'Kettenkrad' was so much fun to drive and much more reliable." Driving onwards the 'artificial' weather was quite warm with a gentle wind whooshing through the trees. They never knew what forests looked like in the old centuries, but this felt like the closest thing that remained in the world. If the AI's plan succeeded then maybe in a thousand years he would be able to repopulate the planet with trees and animals. The AI hoped for a better future for what's left of humanity and its living beings.

    As they drove on, Yuuri had her hands on Chito's black device and kept trying to read one of the books from Chito's library. Besides reading books, they found out that the device could play music, so they kept listening to all kinds of songs by musicians and bands from the old centuries any chance they could. Both Chito and Yuuri found something they had in common, which was listening to all kinds of distinctive music the world previously had to offer.

    "Chii-chan." Yuuri kept flipping through the pages of a book on the device "I've been practicing my reading with this book. It's fascinating that those girls in that story resemble our journey. I'd never even heard about the place called Germany, Spain, or Poland before this book, and yet the girls went on really interesting journies and described how it was to live back then."

    "Oh - I picked that up after that strange dream I had because I wanted to read how life was back then. I wonder if that girl is still alive in that reality. I wish I could dream about her again, but I never did again." Chito responded with a sad sigh. "I talked with the AI about this encounter and it seemed perplexed as well. It told me that the stone we saw the day we arrived up here is just a normal electrical station and serves no other function but to transfer electricity to other points of the layer. We must have passed so many on the way and never paid attention. Anyway, the AI said that the girl in my dream could have been some kind of a connection to our descendants." Chito replied as she kept her leg on the pedal, driving carefully through the forest.

    "That's really cool Chii-chan," Yuuri replied, and looking around she was still absorbed by the beauty of the forest. "I never had a dream like that, but then, usually my dreams are all about food and about you sometimes..." she blushed trailing her hand through her long silky blond hair.

    "Well, the AI told me that in the records, not many people in history were able to have this kind of dream. But in a way, it makes me happy that maybe we live in another reality, it's really fascinating when you think about it. The dream was such a strange experience, but we've seen so much in this world that nothing seems unusual to me anymore. The AI told me that such a coincidence to occur was so uncommon or as he called it 'a glitch in the simulation'." Chito replied as she kept driving the cart carefully through the gravel road.

    "Chii-chan, the AI it's a strange thing, unlike the one at the elevator below this one seems a lot more helpful and wants what's the best for humanity and the Biodome. I wonder why it never told us about the Biodome or the AI residing here."

    "The 'AI' on the ground below lost contact for hundreds of years and I guess the other outsiders or citizens of the unit never had contact with it in recent times. The city is so big that I assume you can find so many different entrances and access points to reach the top of the world. I wish we knew about it before so we could have found an elevator that reached the Biodome instead. You would have kept your leg and I wouldn't hurt my hand... I was so afraid of what you would have thought about losing your leg back then." Chito spoke.

    "Chii-chan, I would never hate you and it already happened, there is no going back in time. If we waited for a day we would have died out there and Mieko-chan told me that the blizzard raged on for days after." Yuuri said and turned to look at her "But I am happy that after all that we've been through, we are also able to live happily again together. Oh, and should I learn to make that thing you told me... ummm what was it called?" Yuuri asked as Chito turned to look at her and said.

    "I think you mean udon noodles. We can probably make them ourselves with instructional videos. It should be easy and tasty I think."

    Driving on carefully through the road, the sun was still high up above in the sky. It was such a beautiful day inside the Biodome to drive and hike around in the forest, yet they were alone on this path. It was a workday and the rest of the citizens had other tasks to do. Besides a few Forest Robots, they haven't seen anyone else on the road. The Forest Robots' tasks were there to keep maintaining the trees, plants, and the needs of the animals in the forest and they varied in size. From small robots to large ones just like the ones they destroyed back at the fish factory. They operated nonstop within the Biodome.

    "Hey, Chii-chan!" Yuuri exclaimed as she turned to face her. "Mieko's belly was soooo big! Remember?"

    "Well, of course, her belly was big because she was pregnant Yuu," Chito replied with a smile, she felt happy that life was able to flourish in this world and that people were able to have a family even up here too. She felt their lives were so much happier up here than on the bottom layers, and yet people still had families lost down there too. If only most of them knew about the Biodome maybe they could have made the journey up there too without violence or grief.

    "Yes, her baby is sooo cute!" Yuuri replied still smiling. "We should be pregnant one day too, Chii-chan."

    Chito's face quickly turned red at Yuuri's idea. "Errr... Well.... you know... it doesn't really... work... with two girls... to get pregnant... you know... without going the artificial way..." she replied with an embarrassed tone as she almost hit another boulder by mistake but quickly avoided it. "But we can always adopt an orphan... if you want... further in our life. Many children live without a family, that's what Mieko told me."

    "What's 'to adopt' Chii-chan?" Yuuri asked her back, as Chito kept driving forward.

    "Well... it's when you give a home to a child who has no home or family. In a way, grandpa adopted us after we both lost our parents. We were both orphans - and Reo told me that his grandfather Daishi adopted Itsuki and Yasuo when he found them on the outside. Daishi was a mechanic like grandpa and a teacher as well, but he passed away a long time ago after they made the journey up here."

    "Chii-chan, Do you think we will be good mothers? "

    "The best Yuu!" Chito replied proudly and smiled, however, Yuuri had even more troublesome questions to ask her.

    "But Chii-chan, why can't two girls get pregnant with each other?"

    Chito unexpectedly hit the brakes, and both of them almost flew away from the cart together with their stuff. "Errrrrrr........." Chito tried to answer something but she was still dumbstruck and embarrassed by Yuuri's question. "I mean errr......" she mumbled and turned completely red again.

    Chito read an embarrassing informational book about biology and how it all worked and even saw a romantic movie with two girls when Yuuri was sleeping. But for girl couples, it was completely different than for a man and a woman. "I mean... errr... maybe when you learn to read properly and I'll show you this book I read a month ago why it doesn't work Yuu..."

    They were married but Chito was still too embarrassed to talk about that stuff with her. Eventually, Chito had to talk to Yuuri one day about how the creation of life was carried out, it was still a difficult and mysterious topic for her.

    "But Chii-chan! How did Mieko get pregnant? Should I ask her if she can tell me?"

    "WHAAA????" Chito with an inaudible scream and a shocked expression looked at her simple-minded wife. "NO! NEVER! NEVER ASK HER THAT! NEVER!" she was completely red-faced and from embarrassment, she lay down in front of the wheel. Where did these questions about pregnancy, and the creation of life suddenly come from she absolutely had no idea?

    "Chii-chan... Chii-chan... fine I won't ask her. I was just curious... but you can show me that book one day so I can read how it all works." Yuuri responded but Chito could almost melt from embarrassment and frustration as she just remembered something that they once talked about in honeymoons.

    "Oh my goodness... I just remembered! I told you something on the outside about married couples 'consummating' their marriage on their honeymoon that was wrong... I hope you didn't say something like that to anyone..." she turned to face Yuuri with an even more frightening expression as she seemed to be recalling something. "...Yuu???"

    "Oh - Chii-chan..." Yuuri recalled an interesting discussion she had just a few days ago with Mieko while they were hanging out in the park. "I just recalled, I was talking about our wedding and our honeymoon to Mieko while you were feeding the ducks a few days. I couldn't understand why she got so speechless and flustered. I told her that we planned to consummate our marriage with lots of fish, food, and - "

    "YOU DID WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?" Chito screamed so loudly that several birds from the trees nearby flew away in panic. Completely embarrassed and frustrated she kept groaning as she lay down on the wheel in the middle of nowhere. "WHY?" she kept groaning and groaning, Yuuri was completely confused and kept staring at her.

    "Just this morning she looked at me completely flustered and gave me her thumbs up. I had no idea why she did that, but now - AARRGHHHHHHHHHhhhhhh WHY DID YOU SAY THAT TO HER? - DUMMY!!! FOOL!!! IDIOT!!!"

    "But you said that couples eat a lot of food when they get married on their honeymoon Chii-chan..." Yuuri replied as she looked at her frustrated wife, Chito was almost ready to hang herself from embarrassment.

    "I knoooww... but to 'consummate'... it doesn't mean that... it's completely different... it has to do with 'that' feeling you also get when we take a bath together but... they also call it making love... on that movie that two girls did it....kinda..." she was just too embarrassed to even continue speaking anymore. Yuuri was still confused as she kept looking at her, and had even more questions.

    "But Chii-chan, how do girls make love?"

    Chito groaned even louder from frustration as she got off the vehicle and ran away to the nearest tree and hid behind it. She was completely embarrassed and flustered. Yuuri felt like this was just another déjà vu since that time they took a bath together the first time, and many afterward in their home until Chito got more comfortable being close to her naked in the bath. She kept staring at Chito still confused as her audible groans became even louder behind the tree.

    "Chii-chan! What do girls do when they get 'that' feeling when they are in a bath together?" Yuuri asked her, she was inquisitive to find out.

    For the rest of the trip to the lake both of the girls kept quiet and were completely red-faced as Chito finally got the courage to explain to Yuuri the questions that she kept asking her.

    "But Chii-cha-"

    "Shhhh..."

    "Chii-c -"

    "SHUSHH!!! YUU - !!!"

    ° ° °

    Finally, they reached the lake and Chito parked the vehicle close to the water. The artificial lake was quite large and picturesque with a beautiful waterfall falling from one of the cliffs, it was even larger than they had imagined at first. About 20 minutes hike from the lake, there was another pillar that was used as structural support and an access point to get to the top level of the giant structure. Robots and even humans use these pillars to get to any part of the dome in case of emergencies or maintenance. Just close to the lake the whole area was crowded with beautiful blooming sakura trees, sprouting beautiful rose petals that filled up the whole field with all varieties of expressive colors.

    "CHII-CHAN! WOW!" Yuuri exclaimed with a wide smile on her face as she kept looking around. This was unlike she had seen anything in her entire life. It was one of the most beautiful sights they both had seen in the world. "What are those trees called?"

    "It's called a sakura tree Yuu." Chito replied as she got off the vehicle to check out the horizon. "They used to bloom in springtime, but these were genetically altered many years ago to bloom in other seasons too, to help with pollination. Reo told me that he used to come here with his mother a lot of times and have a picnic. It's beautiful isn't it?" Chito replied as Yuuri kept giggling and skipping around in the field before she fell on the grass giggling loudly.

    "It's so beautiful - it's just like the lake from my dream! We finally reached it Chii-chan!"

    Chito was filled with joy every time she saw Yuuri so happy, as she looked at her skipping around the field. "Yes! We did Yuu," she responded before she moved to the back of the vehicle. "Hey, come help me set up the camp!" Chito called her over to the back of the cart as she opened the storage container. Yuuri ran over to her still giggling and helped her take everything out and place it down on the ground.

    "Right... we need to set up the tent first, and then the rest of the camp," Chito stated as Yuuri took the tent in her hands.

    "Umm... how do you set the tent up?" She looked at the large peculiar circular-shaped object in her hand, wondering how it works.

    "I think you have to throw it and it will open but first -"

    "On it!" Yuuri exclaimed as she tossed it with all her might like a frisbee across the horizon, it drifted over into the tree line at the edge of the forest, almost out of sight.

    " - First you have to open it - arrrghhhh." Chito groaned again as she held her hand to her face unable to understand why Yuuri just did that "That was our only tent!"

    "Sorry, Chii-chan... I'll go get it!" Yuuri replied still with a smile on her face as she skipped over to the tree line just where she tossed the tent.

    "Hmm... where did I throw it?" Yuuri kept wondering where she threw the tent and kept looking around until she found it laying down on the ground just close to the edge of the forest. After she bent down to grab the tent, looking up she saw several pairs of curious eyes looking back at her.

    "Umm..... hello?" Carefully stepping back, she felt afraid of the strange creatures looking at her. Turning around she yelled back at Chito "Errr... Chii-chan!!!"

    "What's wrong Yuu?"

    "Come here! QUICK!!!"

    Chito dropped most of the stuff she was carrying for their camp and ran over to Yuuri fearing that she was in danger again. Coming closer to her she saw her pointing at something in the woods.

    "What? What's wrong?" Chito asked her alarmed.

    "What are those?" Yuuri pointed towards the odd creatures in the forest, she hasn't seen anything like that before in her life. The creatures were standing close by curiously staring at the girls.

    "Where?" Chito asked as she looked where Yuuri pointed. "Oh... don't worry Yuu - these are called deer." she smiled trying to calm Yuuri down. "They are not dangerous don't worry."

    "Wow! Are they alive?" Yuuri asked as she kept looking at the curious herd of deers that came over to investigate them.

    "Yes Yuu, they are wild animals. I told you I've seen them once in my dreams with that girl as well. They live in the forest in large numbers and are quite calm."

    The herd kept looking at them with curious eyes. The deer were of all different sizes, and a group of ten came to inspect the girls carefully from inside the forest. "Are the little ones children?" Yuuri asked as she walked back cautiously, she was still a bit scared of them.

    "Yes, they are a large family. Mieko told me that some of the animals in the dome move in herds as a large family. I think we can pet them as well, they are supposed to be friendly." she smiled.

    One of the deer broke from the herd and curiously approached the girls. "Don't be scared just reach out your hand and you can pet it." Chito smiled as she gently took Yuuri's arm and moved it towards the deer.

    The deer smelled her hand and leaned its head down as Yuuri placed it on its soft head. "Eeee... It's so cute and soft... almost like Nuko." Yuuri grinned as she gently stroked the deer's head. Chito giggled softly and also reached out her hand and gently placed it on the deer's body. The deer seemed to enjoy being caressed by humans.

    Over the years the animals that remained alive and safe from extinction have learned to get closer to humans without fear, they could almost be domesticated but they were determined to live in the forest without a care in the world. Robots or other humans tended to their care, but usually, they just let this 'artificial' nature take its own path. Even the food chain was still active among the animal kingdom in the Biodome.

    "Wow! Chii-chan! It's so cute!" Yuuri exclaimed chuckling softly with her eyes closed, still gently caressing the animal. "But can we eat it?"

    Cautiously the deer stepped back as it had enough of being caressed for the day. Turning around it returned back to the herd. "Pff... your constant hunger scared it Yuu," Chito replied as she looked at the herd move away from their vision deep in the forest. "I don't think we are allowed to hunt deer yet, but only when their numbers get too high. Their meat is called venison and I heard it's quite tasty."

    "Oh, why is that Yuu?" Yuuri asked

    "Well... it's something called 'population control'. Once their population grows it could be damaging to the ecosystem of the Biodome and people or even robots can hunt them for food. It's only when the AI gives the green light to hunt wild animals that they are allowed to do that, else you would be hunted back by the robots and tranquilized with a dart. I heard that you could even be jailed or exiled from the Biodome for hunting forbidden animals. We should be careful Yuu, I don't want us to be exiled."

    "Chii-chan, 'population control'. Is that what humans did to the world outside? Did the humans damage the ecosystem and then they started killing each other off to help stabilize it?" Yuuri asked her back. "Aren't animals also alive and share emotions just like us? Why do they hunt them? They are so cute."

    "I guess it's just the way of life Yuu. Sometimes the stronger kill the weak for food and their population grows to the point that the weak go extinct. It's the same case with humans. Once there were too many humans to sustain the world, and suddenly the ecosystem of this planet collapsed. The resources on this planet weren't able to sustain every single human that was alive, so I guess they took to drastic measures, afterward it takes years and years for the resources to grow stable. It's the same in the animal kingdom, once the population grows in size then the ecosystem isn't able to sustain and the resources for the other animals could be scarce." Chito replied still looking in the direction where the herd moved on. "That's just the mysterious way of life Yuu. Maybe the Biodome's ecosystem might collapse one day from overpopulation so that is why we have to be careful and protect this world."

    "Chii-chan, is that why we are allowed to only take two fishies from this lake?" Yuuri asked as she turned to look at her.

    "I guess so. Two fish per day at this lake, else their numbers might go extinct in the lake if everyone in the unit started eating the fish here instead of the farms."

    "So.. let's go catch some lake fishies Chii-chan, I am hungry!" Yuuri smiled as she ran back to the lake.

    "Wait... Yuu! we have to set up the camp first."


    ° ° °

    After the girls set up their camp, Yuuri took off her sandals and went in the water to try to catch a fish with her bare hands, but she didn't know this was really a difficult way to catch fish.

    "Here fishy, fishy!" Yuuri kept splashing in the water looking at the few fishes that swam along in the deep. Suddenly she jumped in the water trying to catch one without luck and splashed in the water. Her clothes were completely soaked as she got out of the water. Chito couldn't help herself but laugh as she kept looking at Yuuri's futile attempt to catch a fish.

    "You will never catch a fish like that, we have to use this!" Chito took a device from her backpack and with a press of a button, it extended to about 2 meters.

    "Oooh..." Yuuri got out of the water completely soaked looking at the device that Chito just pulled out of her backpack. "What is that?

    "It's called an Auditory Fishing Rod, it's how people in the old century and even now catch fish, but I heard that it's adjusted with some kind of technology so it's easier to catch fish. I guess you throw the lure into the water and then wait for a fish to bite it." Chito replied as she inspected the rod.

    "Oooh... can I try?" Yuuri asked as Chito nodded and handed the fishing rod over to her. Yuuri positioned it like a javelin and was ready to throw it into the lake.

    "WAAIT!" Chito yelled at her just as she almost threw the rod into the lake. "That's not how you throw it Yuu. Here - " she gently took her by the hands and with a swift motion threw only the lure into the water. "See? Just the lure has to be in the water, not the whole thing. You won't be able to catch a fish otherwise."

    "OOOO..." Yuuri exclaimed again as she held the fishing rod tightly in her hands with Chito. " - What do we do now?"

    "Well... I think you press this button to turn the lure on and then you wait until the fish bites it." Chito replied as she pressed the button. The lure started emitting an odd sound and vibration in the water.

    "And then?" Yuuri asked.

    "And then you have to pull out the fish from the water when it bites on the lure. Stand here I'll go prepare for dinner."

    After a few minutes of patiently waiting and mumbling, one unfortunate fish bit the lure and started pulling on the rod. "Chii-chan Look!" Yuuri exclaimed "It's pulling on the rod. What do I do?"

    "Just press and hold one of the buttons to reel it in and pull upwards!" Chito answered as she placed a hot plate she brought along on their journey on the picnic table, along with several ingredients.

    "What this one?" Yuuri pressed another button just close to where she held the rod with both her hands. But with the combination of pulling and reeling, the fish hopped right out of the water and as it unhooked, it flew right into Chito slapping her in the face.

    "EEEEEEEEEEH???...." Chito let out a shriek of surprise as she didn't expect a fish to come flying right into her. Yuuri standing close with the rod in her hands and still soaked looked at Chito who was struggling with the fish and then burst into laughter.

    "AHAHAHA CHII-CHAAAN! You said there were no flying fish! AHAHAHHAHA!"

    Chito kept struggling to place the fish in the fridge and turned to face Yuuri with an angry expression on her face. "HOW ABOUT I SHOW YOU A FLYING DUMMY!" she jumped from the camping chair and started chasing after Yuuri. "I'LL THROW YOU IN THE LAKE YUURI!"

    Yuuri unable to compose herself from laughing so hard, tried galloping away from her. "Chii - wait! Another one might fly over so you can catch it! HAHAHA!" but from all that laughter she didn't notice that Chito was actually gaining speed on her like an angry small cheetah. Grabbing her with a swift motion she swung Yuuri around back into the lake.

    With a big splash, Yuuri found herself soaked again sitting in the lake. Chito just stood above her looking down on her and unable to control herself she also burst into laughter. She completely forgot what she was angry about. "I told you I will show you a flying dummy! HAHAHAHA!"

    She didn't notice that Yuuri with a smirk on her face got out of the lake shouting "I AM A LAKE MONSTER!" and pulled Chito in as well. With another big splash, both of them found themselves completely soaked in the lake, laughing and splashing each other with water.

    After they changed into their swimsuits and hung up their clothes to dry, Chito took the fishing rod from Yuuri to catch another fish for their dinner. Yuuri seemed to have still been a recipe for disaster with everything she touched.


    ° ° °

    "Chii-chan! This smells so tasty!" Yuuri impatiently kept waiting and drooling as she watched Chito prepare their dinner on the hot plate she brought on their journey. Filled with an assortment of vegetables and the two fish they managed to catch from the lake, dinner was almost ready. "Mmm... smells better than the canned fish." Yuuri closed her eyes and with a delighted look on her face kept drooling on the table. "But why can't we cook them on fire as we did outside?"

    "As I remember fire is not allowed in the forest and if we start a fire the sprinklers will just turn on soaking the campground. You don't want the rest of our things soaked Yuu?" Chito replied as she kept prodding the fish with her chopsticks to see if it was ready. The wonderful smell of grilled fish and vegetables fills up the air as they sizzled on the hot plate.

    "Mmmmpphhh... I really wanna eat the fishy!" Yuuri continued giggling and drooling as Chito turned to scour her bag for a plate and chopsticks.

    "Hold on, let me get a plate. I think it's ready." Carefully she placed Yuuri's portion on a plate and handed it over to her, and scooped some rice that she prepared at home from one of the food containers.

    "What did you bring for drinking?" Yuuri asked as she kept drooling over the steaming plate. "We can't drink the lake I think."

    "Ohh... let me see. I have water, beer, and this thing..." Chito opened the small refrigerator and pulled out a dark bottle that they got as a gift the night before. "It's called red wine, I don't understand what 'Merlot' means, it is written on the bottle."

    "What's red wine?" Yuuri asked as Chito opened the bottle and took two peculiarly shaped glasses that they got as a gift as well.

    "Huh... I guess after all this time here we never tried this drink too... I was told that it's an alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes. The couple that gifted it to us told me they produce it from their own vineyard and told us to drink from these glasses as it enriches the taste. Do you wanna try?"

    "Of course Chii-chan." Chito poured the wine into the glasses and handed a glass to Yuuri. Looking at the red liquid through the glass, they were curious to try and see what it tastes like.

    "Oooh... it's strong. It's nothing like beer, it's so much fruity." Yuuri sipped on the glass and smiled as it made her ticklish and warm all over.

    "Mmm... yes..." Chito tried a sip as well "It's so tasty, but we have to be careful. It's stronger than beer."

    "But yes FISHY TIME!" Yuuri exclaimed with her hands up in the air bursting with happiness.

    ° ° °

    "Chii-chaan! Lake fish is the tastiest thing ever!" Yuuri replied laying down on the grass, her belly satisfied with the tasty meal she just had.

    "Of course it's tasty, it's fresh fish Yuu." Chito cleaned out their empty plates from the water in the lake and poured another glass of wine for both of them. Chito was careful as to not get drunk again but it seemed like Yuuri could absorb much more alcohol than her without a problem. The warm sun was still high up in the sky.

    "Chii-chan do you want to go swimming?" Yuuri asked as she got up from the rug and stretched "I've wanted to go swimming since we arrived here."

    "Sure, I brought out this thing called a floater that I can inflate so I don't drown again." Chito scoured through her backpack and pulled the floater out. "I need to inflate it though." She turned to look at Yuuri but again found herself red-faced as she took off her swimsuit and stood naked at the edge of the lake. She had nothing else but just her necklace and her ring on.

    "Errr.... you do realize it's called a swimsuit for a reason Yuu! But you just want any kind of excuse to get naked!"

    "Chii-chan there is no one here just us two. C'mon, let's go swimming!" Yuuri replied as she ran into the lake and jumped "NYUUUU!" she yelled and with a big splash found herself in the water "Eeeee... it's kinda cold, it's just like swimming in that water tank but it's much different. This is so much more fun!"

    "One second." Chito finished inflating the floater and placed it around herself. It was a yellow floater she found somewhere in the program of the object synthesizer that said it could help with floating and she wanted to try it out. Slowly she moved into the water accumulating in the cold water.

    "Chii-chan, you should get naked too!" Yuuri giggled as she stared at her blushing softly.

    "Nooo! Someone might come and see us!" she responded carefully floating along the surface of the water closer to Yuuri. "Brrrr... so cold." Chito slightly shivered as Yuuri swam close to her and gently grabbed the floater.

    "You look so cute with that thing around you Chii-chan." she smiled bumping her nose with hers.

    Chito blushed again as Yuuri got closer to her in the water. "You really can't resist being naked you silly girl!" she chuckled softly looking at her eyes. Yuuri gently reached her head closer to her and placed a peck on Chito's lips still holding onto the floater. "Let's go check out the waterfall... I'll pull you along." Yuuri smiled as she held on to the floater and swam to the waterfall.

    "Oooh... it's like taking a cold shower!" Yuuri replied as the water gently splashed over their heads.

    Chito with a smile kept floating next to her enjoying herself "But still, it's kinda cold." she replied and shivered.

    "It's not so bad, it's warmer than the water on the outside." Yuuri responded as she peeked to see what was just behind the waterfall, "Oooh Chii-chan, look a cave." just behind the waterfall there was a cave that Yuuri just discovered and pulled Chito along with her inside. The gentle splashing sound of the waterfall felt so comfortable and calm inside the cave.

    "I wonder, how did they build this cave Chii-chan?"

    "I think through a process called 'algorithmic terraforming', they told me that the whole process was an experiment to create landscapes like this on other planets as well. But yeah, it does look so wonderful." Chito replied looking around inside the cave, she could feel her feet touching the rocks just underneath her. Yuuri got out of the water and sat down in the rocky interior checking out the small cave.

    "Do you want to live here the rest of our lives Chii-chan? We don't have to wear any clothes and we can eat fishies almost every day!"

    Chito kept blushing as she looked at Yuuri being so carefree with her nudity. "Well... I prefer our house it's so much more comfortable Yuu, and I know you can't get out of the kotatsu!" she replied as she got out of the water to check out the cave. "Besides we can't grow any food inside the cave."

    "I know but still it's so cozy and cute." Yuuri chuckled as she kept checking out the interior of the cave. "Chii-chan, cmon take off your swimsuit. I don't think anyone can see us in here!" Chito kept blushing and sat down beside Yuuri looking around the cave. "And if someone comes, I'll protect Chii-chan from the eyes of the other people!!!"

    "Pff... fine... you win." she finally gave in and carefully took out her swimsuit placing it on the rocks beside her. She found herself nude again sitting close to Yuuri "Happy?" she replied and blushed as they looked at each other.

    "Hihi... it's just like taking a bath at home Chii-chan. You shouldn't be so embarrassed." Yuuri replied as she jumped again into the cold water inside the cave swimming around.

    "But we have to wear swimsuits around other people Yuu, and when we go to the pool to exercise as well... it's just... kinda embarrassing you know..." Chito replied still sitting on the cold ground of the cave, covering herself with her legs.

    "Chii-chan, cmon I'll show you how to swim!" Yuuri exclaimed as she grabbed her by the leg and gently pulled Chito back into the water.

    "Wait wait... I'll drown again."

    "No! You won't I'll hold you tight!" Yuuri replied as she gently brought her along to the deeper side of the cave. "Ok, I'll hold you and you start gently swaying your legs. That is how you keep afloat." Chito was still afraid but she did exactly as Yuuri told her and could feel she was staying afloat.

    "This is wonderful!" Chito replied as she swayed her legs around.

    "You have to sway your arms like this too!" Yuuri replied gesturing a swaying motion to her as Chito repeated after her. "I will teach you how to swim but, please remember this if you ever find yourself alone in deep water." Yuuri replied, but she seemed to have been worried about something that happened in the past as she looked at Chito who kept practicing staying afloat.

    "Yuu, I wish I knew this back at the water tank. I wouldn't have sunk in the deep."

    "Chii-chan I kept telling you how to do it but you almost drowned, you really scared me back then because it was my fault too!" Yuuri replied swimming close to her and gently clutching her closer looking deeply into her eyes. "What if I lost you back then down in that pool?"

    "Well, you came to my rescue, Yuu!" Chito replied and chuckled but Yuuri still had a serious look in her eyes.

    "I know, but we've been close to death so many times now... I was really afraid each time Chii-chan. I was really afraid of losing you..." Yuuri replied and snuggled close to her.

    Chito's heart started pounding even faster and kept blushing as her bare body was so close to Yuuri's in the water. Every time they took a bath, they both shared these feelings for each other but it still felt embarrassing to do anything about it. Now that they were older, she felt that she didn't want anything more in the world but to show her just how much she loved her. "We are safe here, but if we ever go out again promise me we will stay safe and be more careful. After all that we've been through, I don't want to ever lose you Chii-chan."

    "Well, that's easy I am never going out there ever again!" Chito replied still in her embrace. She has never been so close naked to her before and suddenly it felt so peaceful and pleasant, but she didn't care about being embarrassed anymore. She felt like her soul connected with Yuuri's.

    "Chii-chan, that's ok but we will stay safe if we ever go out again. Please promise me?" Yuuri replied and smiled looking back at her, both of them gently floated back to the shallow area inside the cave still embraced.

    "I - promise - Yuu - "

    Chito closed her eyes and gently placed her lips to Yuuri's, kissing her deeply she felt her body connected with hers on a more heartfelt spiritual level. She wanted to eternally stay in Yuuri's embrace like this. They kept kissing calmly with their eyes closed, and the sound of the gentle waterfall gently filled the ambiance of the cave with warmness.

    "I promise you - my sweetheart - we will stay safe... I will never leave your side."


    ° ° °

    "Chii-chan, I felt so warm and so peaceful - inside the cave with you by my side." Yuuri with a flushed face lay down on the rug near their tent gently holding Chito's hand close to her heart. Both of them already dressed up were looking up at the sky as the day was almost over, the evening sun lit up the beautiful forest in all varieties of colors. Chito with a flushed face smiled, laying in Yuuri's embrace.

    "I wouldn't have wanted it any other way Yuu-chan. I love you, Yuuri."

    "I love you too, Chii-chan." Yuuri replied, still holding her close. The minutes passed away in sweet silence in each other's embrace.

    "Yuu... I could almost forget the ceiling is glass." Chito said as she kept looking up at the sky, the clouds outside gently drifted across the evening sky up in the massive array of glass on the ceiling. To observe the sun and sky with your own eyes one had to go out of the Biodome, but the citizens mostly preferred to stay inside and only ever went out of the dome on supply runs. "But I guess at times we forget we live inside a 'fantasy' Yuu. If the last of humanity that's left here are not careful this will also be gone too, one day - It will just be a distant memory left in the archive."

    "Chii-chan, I guess it's a wonderful fantasy and I am glad that we get to share it together." Yuuri smiled as she kept gazing up at the sky and the vast horizon. "Oh Chii-Chan, I wonder what is that pilar we saw way over there?" Yuuri asked pointing towards the nearest pillar in the distance that extended up to the ceiling.

    "I think it's just for structural support and there is a staircase that leads up to the ceiling of the Biodome. I think you can see the sky from up there." Chito responded looking at the pillar in the distance.

    "Chii-chan, do you want to go climb it up? I would like to see the real sky and stars once again with you. Besides, it looks like we haven't made the final climb yet, and grandpa told us to climb to the top of the world." Yuuri asked as she kept looking up at the ceiling just where the pilar ended.

    "But grandpa meant to come up to the dome, and besides it's still really cold outside!" Chito answered as Yuuri rolled around and grabbed her backpack. "And it's going to be dark soon."

    "Chii-chan, look what I took with us." Yuuri took out the uniforms that they wore on the outside and kept them warm from the cold. "We can wear our old uniform up there and it won't be that cold, besides I can always share my warmth with you. And we can bring the rug and the wine up there as well. I think they will keep us warm as we look at the sky." Yuuri smiled as she got up and stood close to Chito showing her the jackets. She was already determined to go on the last climb together.

    Chito also got up from the rug to check out her jacket "But you know that I am afraid to go out there again, Yuu."

    Yuuri looked back at her and gently held Chito's hands. "Chii-chan, I was afraid of the darkness and you were there close to me every time so the dark didn't feel so scary anymore. I know that together we can do anything and I will be there right beside you on the top! I really want to see the stars with you again, and they are out there waiting for us. I'll keep you safe and if it's dangerous we can immediately go back to the camp."

    Chito couldn't do anything else to convince her to stay. "Ok Yuu, you convinced me to do yet another crazy thing like earlier - inside the cave..." She blushed and leaned to take the rug and another bottle of wine with the glasses from the fridge.

    "Ok then, let's go on our last climb."

    ° ° °

    It was already dark in the forest as both Chito and Yuuri kept on hiking towards the entrance of the pillar with their flashlights on. The dark forest already came to life with the sounds of all kinds of nocturnal animals.

    "Chii - I was wrong! I am still scared of the dark!" Yuuri held out her hand as Chito gently squeezed her hand.

    "It was your idea, you silly girl!" Chito replied as they kept walking on the path toward the pillar. She kept pointing the flashlight around careful not to trip over the branches of the tree. "It seemed so close and yet we've been walking for a long time."

    "There!" Yuuri exclaimed pointing towards small directional lights on the ground that leads up to the entrance of the pillar. "I think we have to follow the lights on the ground Chii-chan."

    "Hmmm.... sure" they both changed their directions and found themselves at the entrance of the pillar. The huge cylindrical structure extended up to the sky and it felt like another long climb to the top of the world. "Ummm... this reminds me just like when we reached the pillar on the bottom layer... Yuu." her heart started beating furiously.

    "So... are you ready to climb it Chii-chan?" Yuuri asked her as she took their jackets out of their backpack.

    "I - I guess so." with hesitation Chito reached her hands to take her jacket and put it on. Yuuri did the same with hers.

    "Well, it looks like we are going out there again, Chii-chan!" Yuuri replied as Chito pressed a button near the entrance. A door slid to each side opening the staircase that felt like it went on forever to the top. The pillar inside looked like it was lit up from the top to the bottom with lights going off in every direction.

    "Ok, let's climb it up. But you have to hold me Yuu, I forgot I was afraid of heights."


    ° ° °

    After some time passed climbing up the staircase, they finally reached the top of the pillar. Covered in sweat and exhausted Chito sat down on the floor, she felt completely out of shape since the time they were on the outside.

    "Ahh... uhhhh... I forgot how hard it is - to go upstairs...." Chito complained with Yuuri standing close by and breathing heavily as well. "I am surprised - you managed to climb the stairs - with your leg - Yuu - you really are - exceptional."

    "I knoow... I am a - god... - after all ahh..." Yuuri couldn't stand anymore and also sat down on the floor to catch her breath. Chito pulled out her flask and took a huge gulp of water and handed it to Yuuri who managed to drink the whole thing. "So... how do we go out on the roof?" Yuuri asked as Chito slowly getting her composure back, got up and inspected the room.

    Beside the staircase and a blast door on the ceiling, there was nothing else in the room, not even a window. The huge blast door could be opened by a press of a button on the screen located near it. "I think you have to press the button on the screen and we can go out on the roof!" Chito replied as she trailed her finger on the screen. The blast door was the only thing that stood between the girls and the world outside. With just the press of a button, they would find themselves on the outside... yet again.

    "Chii-chan, Are you ready?" Yuuri asked and smiled as Chito stepped back, she was too frightened to press the button.

    "I - I - am really not sure..." Chito replied as Yuuri got up and gently hugged her from behind. "What if I press the button and we wake up out there once again, Yuu? Today has been another beautiful day with you and being so close to you - I just - never want this dream to be over."

    "Chii-chan, even if everything up to this point since they rescued us was a dream and we wake up out there again, I know that we will be together. If this was all a dream, then I am sure we would find somewhere else we can be happy. Chii-chan - you have to understand that I will never leave you." Yuuri placed her head down on her and smiled "I will never let anything happen to you."

    "Ok... I guess I have we have to find out once and for all, Yuu." Yuuri gently took her hand close to hers and after they looked at each other with a smile on their faces, they closed their eyes just as Chito pressed the button on the screen.

    An alarm and a flashing red light started blaring loudly as the blast door started opening slowly on the ceiling and the stairs kept making their form to the exit. The cold and dead air rushed through them from the outside. Keeping their eyes closed and their hands locked together, they stood still waiting and waiting, until the alarm stopped blaring and the blast door widely opened.

    The familiar dead silence of the world outside that they have comprehended for a really long time, terrified Chito to the essence of her heart. She tightly squeezed Yuuri's hand as her heart started pounding so fast. This was the same familiar feeling she had when they reached the top of the world and thought they found nothing and no one up there. Walking upwards and through the blast doors hand in hand with Yuuri, she still kept her eyes tightly shut.

    Once again, it felt so cold and dead outside.

    "CHII-CHAN." The voice of Yuuri echoed through the dead silence.

    "Open your eyes!"

    Chito thought to herself, it was time to wake up on the outside once again. Once she opened her eyes, she would find herself on the bottom layers surviving and starving together with Yuuri. But she had to do it, she had to open her eyes. She had to finally know that it was all a dream, and if all up to this point it was all a dream. Their wedding, their home, their family, the Biodome, being so close to Yuuri... it was all a dream, but only when she opened her eyes. She had to open them now, and finally know the answer. "I am so scared but... I know that... Yuuri is so close and she holds my hand."

    "Chii-chan! OPEN YOUR EYES! LOOK!" Yuuri exclaimed pointing up toward the sky. "CHII-CHAN! IT'S THE MOON!"

    Chito slowly opened her eyes and looked at Yuuri who jumped around from happiness. The blast door opened wide and still stood behind them, the 12 blue lights shimmered far in the distance along with many other lights scattered across the whole Biodome. The structure was unbelievably huge and it went into the far horizon.


    And then she looked up. The whole sky was covered in a carpet of glittering stars and only the light of the full moon lit up the whole world above them. The moon felt so close that Chito felt they could jump and catch it.

    "We reached the moon CHII-CHAN! WE DID IT!" Yuuri kept giggling and shouting "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! IT'S SO HUUUGE!"

    Chito couldn't help but start laughing - abruptly months and months of pain and doubt that accumulated inside her finally washed away.

    It was real!
    The 'unit' was real!
    Up to this point, everything was real!
    She wasn't dreaming anymore.

    She finally found the closure she was looking for with her own two eyes. Up to this point, grandpa told them to go to the top of the world, but in some way, he meant for them to come up here. To the highest point in the city, to know that they are safe and that they had a home, family, and a future just underneath that they can share together.

    "...Maybe what we are seeing is not there, but far into the distance. Or inside the layer..." Chito spoke to herself repeating the words she spoke the first day they reached the top of the world. Smiling and feeling a bit cold Chito reached her hands inside the pocket of the jacket to warm them up, but she could feel a familiar object inside.

    "WE DID IT!" Yuuri kept exclaiming as she jumped into Chito hurling her towards the snow on the ground in a warm embrace. "Chii-chan... I am so happy. I want to say today was the happiest day of our lives, but with you, every day is the happiest day of my life!"

    "Yuu! guess what... I found it!" Chito started laughing again underneath Yuuri. "I FOUND IT! THE GRENADE PIN! It's been inside my jacket the whole time!" She pulled it out showing it to her as she kept laughing and laughing "I don't know how I forgot that it was inside my jacket all the time! But here it is! It's the grenade pin!"

    "Chii-chan, give it to me I don't trust you with it anymore!" Yuuri jokingly replied as she took the pin and placed it around her necklace.

    "There... they will stay together just like the two of us. I will keep it safe near my heart until you get a necklace too. Just like I will keep you safe... my love." smiling and embracing once again, they both stared into each other's eyes before they kissed again.


    ° ° °

    "So, what do you want to do?"
    Chito asked her as Yuuri still lay on top of her.

    "Well, let's look at the stars and the moon, and we can drink that wine you took with us."

    "Yes! We need to celebrate our last climb." Chito replied as she got out from underneath her. Reaching into her backpack she took out the rug and neatly placed it down on the snow as she sat together with Yuuri looking up at the moon. She took out the two glasses and the wine and poured a large glass for both of them.

    After a while, they kept laughing and drinking as they looked up at the moon with the widest and happiest smiles in the world.

    "Chii-chan..." Yuuri spoke cuddled close. "I kept reading about the girl in the story, that when her lover passed away she did something. I've been meaning to ask you, what does 'assisted suicide' mean?"

    "Oh, I read somewhere that it means when you get help to end your life. Usually, it's with an injection or something similar to that. I remember in that story that after her accident, she was unable to move and was heartbroken that her husband passed away from the accident." Chito responded with a sad tone. "She blamed herself for what happened to him and couldn't live with it, and made a decision after she finished writing her memoirs from their last travel before the accident, she would go with the decision to join him in the afterlife. She was deeply afraid that they would be forgotten, but I am happy that they keep living in her books, even though I was unable to find the rest of the story in the archive."

    "Chii - please promise me if anything happens to me you won't do something like that. Please." Yuuri replied holding her close in her arms. "I know there is a family here that loves us and if we have children one day they will also love us. And if something were to happen to both of us, they would be devastated. But... if I go one day before you, I promise that I will wait for you on the other side. It will be lonely and dark but... I will be brave and wait for you to come. We are also lonely in this world, but I'm so glad that I get to share that loneliness with you."

    Chito looked back at Yuuri and closed her eyes gently resting her head on her chest. "Yuu, I want to imagine that one day when we are like a thousand years old that one night when we are ready, we will have a nice meal together, a warm bath and then go to sleep in each other's arms and drift away together towards that darkness. Because just imagining it makes me so afraid and... I don't know what I will do without you, Yuu... I wouldn't want to imagine a world without you or if anything bad happens to us... I hope that we have a long life ahead of us and that one day we will have a family of our own. I know that grandpa wanted a good life for us because he was so far away from his family and struggled to help us." Chito replied and smiled. "I just want to respect his wish that we will be happy and together for a long time, he gave his life away so we can have one, Yuu."

    Yuuri hugged her even tighter "I don't know what I would do without you as well, Chii-chan. I am happy that we are safe and we have food and a home, and one day we would have beautiful children. But after all, that happened, I am happy. I've never been so happier in my life with you, Chii-chan."

    "Me too - Yuu."

    They kept snuggling at the top of the world looking up at the moon that guided them toward their new home until they got cold and sleepy.

    It was time to go back to the camp, back inside their home.


    ° ° °

    "Chiiii--chaaa...." Yuuri kept stumbling and tried to keep close to Chito as both of them walked towards their camp. "Did I *hick* mention that *hick* you looked soooooooooooooo blutful *hick* under the moon *hick* light..."

    "Yuuri! You drank so much wine! C'mon just a little while and we can go to sleep." Chito kept struggling to walk forward with Yuuri as she stumbled around, she managed to drink the whole bottle of wine at the roof.

    "But Chiiii... I mean *hick* to say you are butifeeeeeeel...." she kept giggling and held on to Chito for support.

    "I know, you tell that to me every day now. C'mon! Stay concentrated!" Chito replied, but reasoning with her drunk wife was just pointless.

    "Chitooh... did you notice... I have 10 fingers *hick* WHOOOOA!"

    "And one nose, I know Yuu! Geeze!" Chito mildly annoyed still walked together with Yuuri towards their camp. It was close, but it felt like they walked forever, and the climb down from the pillar was even more difficult holding onto Yuuri who was completely drunk.

    "Chiii--- can we do that... cave thing again inside *hick* the tent?"

    Chito got flustered once again at the mention of what happened inside the cave. "Errr... maybe another day - Yuu - we have all the time in the world to do that... thing" she replied and still flustered kept carrying her around "But we need to go to sleep. I am so tired and you are just... drunk again!"

    Once they reached the tent Chito opened it slowly, but she let go of Yuuri for just a second as she fell inside it. "Oh no!" Chito exclaimed as Yuuri lay face down on their sleeping bag, drooling all over and giggling.

    "Chii-chaan I didn't know you were so *hick* so eager to go to bed *hick*!"

    Chito sitting close to her drunk wife helped her take her clothes off and put on her nightgown, Chito somehow managed to tuck her into their shared sleeping bag. Yuuri immediately drifted off to sleep snoring loudly. Sitting above the sleeping bag, Chito smiled as she looked down at her and leaned to place a gentle peck on her cheek.

    "Today was such a wonderful day Yuu. I want every day to be just like today, with you by my side." taking her clothes off and putting on her nightgown, she got inside the sleeping bag and snuggled close to Yuuri turning off the lantern. She looked deep into her closed eyes and smiled once again.

    "Goodnight, my strong and wonderful girl, Yuuri."

    Closing her eyes she drifted off to sleep, deep in her lover's embrace.


    (Continued in Chapter 12)
    (LATEST REVISION: 12th December 2022)
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  13. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    "Are we visiting Itsuki at the temple again?"

    "Of course Aoki, today is a special day. It's the 9th of September or as we call it Orphan's Day. It's our birthday as well!"

    "I forgot what were those black things there called mommy?"

    "They are called memorials sweetie. It's where people remember those that passed away a long time ago so they are never forgotten, their names are engraved in each memorial and something of their personal value is sealed inside."

    Walking hand in hand towards the memorial graves inside the temple grounds, Yuuri and Aoki were looking up the names on each memorial to find their family row. It was a sunny and special day inside the Biodome as the citizens were getting ready for the festivities of this special day. During this special day, the citizens usually visited their friends and families that passed away at the temple's memorials, and at night they had a big festival to celebrate the event.

    "Oh, here he is!" Yuuri smiled pointing to one of the nameplates in the stone, the name written on the memorial was Itsuki.

    "Hi again, Itsuki! Happy birthday!" The little boy said as they both got closer to the memorial. Yuuri placed her hand near the nameplate and smiled.

    "Hey, grandpa, Happy birthday! Look who came to visit you! Look how big he has grown since the last time we've come!" She smiled as Aoki waved and also placed his little hand on the grave. "I hope you are doing fine wherever you are grandpa," she continued speaking still holding her hand on his grave. "I keep telling you every time and you are probably bored from listening to us - but thank you for everything. We are doing well, and just like you used to say, work sometimes can be hard. There are a lot of hungry mouths to feed at the cafeteria up here. After some time I finally perfected my udon recipe as well and now everyone up here wants to eat my food. I think it's equally popular as your curry recipe. Chii-chan is just finishing her job at the garage, she said she has some kind of surprise later for me, I hope it's new food to eat. I've already tried every kind of food up here and I think I gained a little weight. I exercise my legs regularly with Chii-chan and Aoki and my prosthetic leg is still really sturdy. I try to take good care of it every day so it serves me as long as it can. Chii-chan still has those nightmares from the outside and wakes up at night but I don't mind it, I am happy that they are occasional and she is also a strong girl and I am always there to help her. We sometimes argue, but I know it's just what married couples sometimes do but we can't stay mad at each other. Don't worry about us grandpa, I love her and Aoki the most in the world. I hope you are happy somewhere in another life with Yuriko. Reo and the rest are fine as well, I hope they came here earlier to visit you as well. Later we are going to the festival and Aoki wants to catch goldfish and eat takoyaki. We spent all day preparing all kinds of food, it's going to be fun and we will watch the holographic fireworks tonight! I wish you were here with us watching the fireworks grandpa. I love you - wherever you are, grandpa."

    "Mom, how did Itsuki look like?" Aoki asked her still holding his little hand on the memorial grave.

    "Well, as my memory serves, he looked a bit like Reo. I remember him with white hair and glasses and he was a bit skinnier than him. He was a kind selfless person and always was buried deep in his books, just like your mom. He and Chii-chan's father helped so many people on the outside. He saved our lives and we could never thank him enough." Yuuri answered and smiled as she looked back at him.

    "But what happened to him?"

    "We will never know. When Chii-chan and I left the village many years ago, he stayed behind to protect us. The last I remember was that he was waving at us, and that was the last time we saw him in our lives. He made plans for years to come here with us, but we didn't have enough supplies in the end for the three of us and he was old. After years of waiting for him, Reo and Mieko decided to finally have a memorial made for him and they sealed something of his value inside. There was a large ceremony to celebrate his life and about a thousand people came, most of who he helped from the outside and their families. He was their hero and our hero to me and Chii-chan as well. His memorial is right next to his wife, Yuriko." she pointed to the left of his grave where the nameplate of 'Yuriko' stood. "She also passed away a really long time ago. We never met her, but from what I've heard she was also an outsider that grandpa saved. She used to be a great painter and she loved grandpa very much. However, her heart broke when he had to leave her."

    "But why did he live outside mommy?"

    "He and Chii-chan's father helped a large group of refugees out there when it wasn't allowed. They were sadly punished for their selflessness and never had a chance to have a happy life. The AI came up with a way to help outsiders still living out there to find this Biodome by having his robots place signs, food, and even new security robots that he repaired outside to prevent people with bad intentions to hurt us. When Chii-chan and I were outside, we thought that we were the only people left in the world. But the world is really big, it turns out there are still people left outside struggling to survive. You and many other children and families arrived here 5 years ago when you were just a baby, and of course, you were such a cute baby that we instantly fell in love with you and we wanted to give you a home and family." Yuuri replied and smiled as she kept holding his hand looking at Yuriko's grave.

    "Mommy, but who are those right next to Itsuki?"

    "They are Chii-chan's father and mother." the nameplates right next to Itsuki were the names 'Yasuo' and 'Haruhi'. "Their memorials were made at the same time as Itsuki. They were also born on the outside and it's their orphan's birthday as well."

    "Oh... Happy Birthday everyone!" Aoki shily spoke with a smile as he looked up at the nameplates of his descendants.

    "Yasuo was grandpa's brother and best friend, they lived outside for a long time as well. We never knew if he was his blood relative. Chii-chan was too young to remember them when they passed away, and we both don't remember much from our childhood... but the only thing surviving from them is a picture."

    "Is that picture in your bedroom the one with the baby?"

    "Yes, that's the one sweetie, that cute baby is your mommy!" Yuuri smiled again still holding onto Aoki's hand. "It's the only picture we have of them and sadly we don't have one of grandpa. But we keep him alive deep in our memories."

    "Oh... I am sad I never got to see him..."

    "He still watches over us Aoki, he will never leave us!" Yuuri replied and smiled. "He is still our family even if he passed away a long time ago."

    "Mommy... who is that next to Yuriko?" the boy curiously pointed towards the memorial storage right next to Yuriko. Unlike the other graves, this one had an exact date of birth and death and seemed to belong to someone in their family who was regarded as a hero as well.

    "That's Chiya," Yuuri replied to him. "You don't remember her but she used to take care of you when you were a baby. She is Mieko's mother. Sadly she passed away 3 years ago from an accident on a supply run outside. She was also really nice and we had something in common too, she had a prosthetic leg just like mine."

    "OOOOH... was she a robot just like you?"

    Yuuri chuckled softly and replied "No, Aoki. We are just ordinary humans, like everyone else here in the dome. I am not the only one to have a prosthetic leg, there are a lot of adults and even kids who have one. You see the outside world can still be really scary and that is why Chii-chan and I never wanted to go out again and we protect you inside here. She almost went on the supply run with Chiya when she passed away. But after her accident, she decided to stay at the task of being a technician in the Biodome and we never went out again, she loves staying at the library too. We used to go up to the roof of the Biodome to watch the sky, and we can take you up there when we go camping again."

    "Mom, how is the world outside? Will we ever go out?" Aoki asked her brimming with curiosity once again. He was just as curious as Yuuri used to be.


    "It's a really cold and dark place - it's full of machines that still work and there are a lot of discarded weapons and garbage. There are countless empty buildings and there are no animals, trees, food, and plants like here. But the sky is beautiful and the moon, the billions of stars in the galaxy you can see with your own eyes. Even if the snow hurt me, it's beautiful too. With the snow, you can build a snowman, have snowball fights and even eat it and boil it into a snow tea. We lived out there for a long time with your mom, but we found our way to the Biodome. You were just a baby when you arrived up here and I am really happy that you came into our lives." Yuuri smiled and leaned down to hug him. "But if you want to go out one day, we will let you when you are an adult. Is that a deal?"

    "It's ok mommy. I will be patient... I really like it up here with you and mom, but I want to see the world outside too and when I grow up I want to be strong like my mothers!" Aoki smiled and hugged her back.

    As they hugged a familiar voice behind them spoke.

    "Hey guys, did I miss something?"

    "MOMMY!" Aoki exclaimed as he turned over and ran over to Chito hugging her tightly. She was still in her work uniform and was slightly covered in grease from working on machines

    . "Hey sweety!" she replied hugging him back. Yuuri looked over at them and smiled as she stood near the memorial stone. "What did you guys do all day? I missed you."

    "Oooh! We were at school - and I played with the other kids - and look." Aoki pulled a crude drawing out of his pocket of Chito, Yuuri, and himself in the middle. In the back was their house with flowers all around. "I drew that earlier..." he proudly displayed the drawing to Chito.

    "That's so cute!" Chito replied as she took the drawing in her hand inspecting it, Yuuri came close to look at it as well. "You are going to be the best painter in the world!"

    "I KNOOOW...." he exclaimed jumping around from happiness. "I WILL BE A GOD OF PAINTING!"

    "I see where he gets his excitable personality from!" Chito chuckled as she looked at Yuuri and smiled leaning towards her and kissing her softly on the cheeks. "So how was your day sweetie?"

    "Well, the mothers and fathers at school prepared a party for the kids and we had to join in and play with the kids. It was really fun and after that, we came here to visit grandpa." Yuuri replied, "Before I went to school, we were in the cafeteria preparing batches of food for the festival later. What about you?"

    Chito chuckled and held out her hand to her and Aoki's. "Well, I've been working as usual. We had to go to the garage because the group came from the long supply run. They told me that some of them are trying to fix another communication node. I hope that we do, imagine if there are other survivors and settlements out there. And some of them brought a lot of books to the library. I always tell them to bring books if they find them down there. They are equally important even though we have the archive." Chito replied as she held hands with both Yuuri and Aoki. "Oh and guess what... you remember the thing I was telling you about?"

    "Is it the surprise you keep telling me about for days now?" Yuuri asked her back curiously.

    "Well - You'll see what it is at home!" Chito chuckled again. "Anyway I think we should go home I have to change out of my uniform and take a shower, we have to prepare for the festival too. Also before we reach the house you both have to close your eyes. Do you promise both of you?"

    "We promise!" both Yuuri and Aoki replied as they kept walking through the temple with wide smiles.


    ° ° °

    "Can I open my eyes now?"

    "Nope... not yet."

    "But I wanna open my eeeyess..."

    "Be patient Aoki, just a few steps!"

    "What about now?"

    "Right abouuuut...... now."

    Both Aoki and Yuuri opened their eyes, and they found themselves back in their garden just outside the house, but there was something else there.

    "Umm... what's that?" Aoki asked with a puzzled expression as he looked at the large mysterious crude object that founds its way into their garden.

    Yuuri's eyes suddenly filled up with joy and screamed "AAAAAAAAAH!!! NO WAY!!!! WHERE DID YOU FIND IT???" and turned to Chito full of excitement.

    "It was where we left it, all those years ago Yuu!" Chito replied and chuckled, as Yuuri hugged her back.

    "No way! It can't be! Are you sure it's ours?"

    "Well... how many of these things exist in the world?" Chito replied still smiling as she looked at Yuuri who was full of joy.

    "Mommy, what is it?" Aoki asked still puzzled looking at the strange object in front of his eyes.

    "Aoki, it's called a 'kettenkrad' " Yuuri replied and smiled.

    "A 'kettenkrad'?"

    "It's the vehicle that saved our lives many years ago, Aoki." Chito answered as both of them got closer to see their old 'friend' up close. The 'kettenkrad' seemed to have been in even worse shape since they left it on the bottom.

    "It arrived 2 weeks ago with one of the excavation crews and they almost scrapped it for parts, but I took it right under their nose. I tried to fix it but it's completely ruined and it's scrap now. So I wanted to take it home with us for sentimental value. I think we can use it for something. What do you think Yuu?"

    "Ummm... maybe we can use it to plant something in the back?" Yuuri replied as she kept looking at the old worn-out vehicle. "I don't think it's a good idea to take a bath in it though. It's completely rusted."

    "Ooooh I know... if I catch any of those goldfishes can we turn it into a pond?" Aoki asked her as he climbed into the back of the vehicle and sat down.

    "Sure sweetie, I think we can turn it into a koi pond or anything you guys want!" Chito replied as she looked at both Yuuri and Aoki sitting in the back of the kettenkrad.

    "Mommy, how did you drive this thing?"

    "It was really fun and easy, you just sit in the front and turn on the vehicle with this key." Chito sat in the front and pulled out the key with the fish keychain from her pocket and put it in the ignition. "And you just turn the key and you start driving it."

    "NO WAY! IT STILL HAD THE KEY?" Yuuri exclaimed again from excitement as she looked at Chito place the key in the ignition

    "Haha yes, I was surprised as well. It was still in the ignition when they found it - but I tried turning it on it doesn't work."

    "So this is how we used to drive it around Aoki. I sat in the front and your mother in the back... and most of the time it was just the two of us, but we had each other and it was never lonely. We learned so much on our journey and we survived through too much. Sometimes we laughed, sometimes we cried, sometimes we argued and in the end, we realized just how much we mean to each other. I knew all my life that even if we find a home and we find other people that it was always going to be the two of us. We discovered so much and most of all, we are happy that we found a home and that you came to us, Aoki." Chito replied with a smile sitting in the driver seat of the kettenkrad, Yuuri and Aoki sat in the back listening to her as she spoke.

    "On the outside, we met two wonderful people Kanazawa and Ishii, and even a strange creature we called 'Nuko'. And we met 'Nuko's family and these strange creatures called the 'Eringi'. We saw and experienced so many confusing things while we were out there, but somehow, in the end, it was fate that brought us all up here and I guess - just pure luck. If it wasn't for a bomb that we found on the outside, we wouldn't have been alive Aoki."

    Chito reached her hands and gently held Yuuri's and Aoki's hands looking at them with a wide smile on her face. "Aoki ... We sometimes argue, and then we sometimes scold you if you do something bad. But I hope you know that we both love you the most in the whole wide world. Yuuri is the one that helped me so much in my life, she is my wife and I also cherish her the most in the world just as much as you. It's the three of us for now, and maybe one day you will have a sister and a brother and we will be five. And then one day you will meet someone you will love and our family will be even bigger. But in the end, we only have each other and we are one big family even though all the hardships in life might stand in our way." she reached and hugged them both still sitting on the 'kettenkrad', their old vehicle that got them through so much in their lives. "Know that I will love you both as long as I live..."

    Before they moved into their house, Chito turned around to look at their old friend. After the longest journey in its life, even the 'kettenkrad' managed to find its way back to them. Smiling she placed her hand on the old worn out headlight of the kettenkrad "Thank you, old friend! If it wasn't for you, we would never have made it up here. Thank you, for saving our lives - thank you for everything." she quietly spoke before she turned and walked inside their house, where Yuuri and Aoiki were already sitting comfortably underneath the kotatsu.

    ° ° °

    After a long shower, Chito went to her room to dress with Yuuri in their kimonos. They both smiled as they looked at each other and Chito gently held out her hand to hers looking deeply into her eyes. "You look so beautiful in that thing!" Chito said as she kept looking at Yuuri.

    "You do as well, Chii-chan. I enjoy wearing a kimono, and last time we wore one for 'Children's Da;y. It was such a fun day, and we had Mieko's kids over for a sleepover. Aoki had so much fun!" Yuuri replied still holding Chito's hands.

    "Oh yeah, I remember that night! It was so fun!" Chito replied and giggled as she hugged her closer. "So hey, we can watch that strange movie that Reo likes later, I've been meaning to watch that one because I just finished the books too. Want to watch it with me?"

    "Sure! And we can eat pancakes again with hot chocolate!" Smiling they both kissed before they walked out of their room. Aoki was waiting in his room for Chito and Yuuri to help him put on his kimono as well.

    All three of them dressed up in their kimonos and hand in hand walked out of their house. The whole Biodome came alive with festivities and the happy laughter and commotion of its residents. Waiting patiently outside their house were Reo, Mieko, Kazuo, and their three kids.

    "What took you guys so long?" Mieko asked them just as they got out of the house.

    "Well, you know these kimonos take ages to put on, Mieko," Yuuri replied and smiled as she looked back at her family. "And look at all of you six with your kimonos, we should take a group picture."

    "Do you have a camera? I think I forgot mine at the hospital?" Reo asked Yuuri as she was checking her kimono for the camera.

    "Oh there it is, I'll put it on time on our porch, you all have to move into our garden. Me, Aoki, and Chii-chan can sit on the 'kettenkrad'."

    Reo's memory shuffled as he remembered that he has seen that vehicle before, the last time with Itsuki just as the elevator doors closed.

    "Waaiiit... isn't that my dad's kettenkrad?" he turned to the girls and they both smiled.

    "Yes, they found it on the outside and I decided to keep it!" Chito replied to him back. "They almost scrapped it for parts, but I took it right under their nose! They will never scrap our old friend."

    "But where was it?"

    "I will tell you the story later I think we have to pose for the picture!" Chito replied as they all posed in front of the camera.

    "SAY CHEESE!!!"

    "CHEESE!!!" all of them shouted as the camera snapped the photograph.

    The photograph contained the smiling and happy faces of a family that once was torn apart by the outside world, but through all kinds of challenges, they found each other and their home under the safety of this mysterious world that their ancestors built to protect what little was left of the world outside.

    Chito, Yuuri, and Aoki were sitting on the 'kettenkrad' as the rest of their family stood close around them, and for a long time, they were brimming with joy.

    ° ° °

    One of the rooms they seldom used in the Biodome contained a communication device that operated continuously. In hundreds of years, there was not even a crackle coming out of it as they lost the connection with every other Biodome in the world. But suddenly that same day on the 9th of September, it came alive with the crackling voices of many different languages.

    "igeos-eun jadong---- doen mesi------da. nuguegenai ju-----sulo ban-e--------ida."

    "זוהי-----עה אוטומ------לכל אחד שם ----- על תדר זה."

    "ha----h risalat tal-----atu. alj-----ak yasta----ha a----aduda."

    The last message was in a language that was far known in the whole wide world, many years ago.

    "This is an automated message from our home the planet Mars. Please respond to this frequency. Every day we are looking at our beautiful blue planet wondering how is it back home - is anyone still alive there?"

    ...




    (Continued in the Epilogue)
    (LATEST REVISION: 12th December 2022)
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  14. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    “I wonder how we haven’t crashed yet with your flying!”

    “Oh, gee... I wonder what kind of cartographer gets you lost over Russia!”

    “I told you! The map I found is outdated and besides the snow outside, I can’t see anything else. It was your idea to fly to Russia!”

    “Hey Kanazawa, did you know these planes were used by kamikaze pilots in World War 2?”

    “What’s a ‘kamikaze’ pilot Ishii?”

    “I can show you if you don’t shut up and get our headings right!”

    Flying an old ‘Yokosuka D4Y3’ plane they found in an old museum block in the city, Ishii managed to fix it along with Kanazawa’s help and took off just hours ago. They were flying over Russia as her dream to finally escape the city was a success. However, for many miles, since they arrived over Russian airspace, they weren’t able to find anything down there, just a barren wasteland full of snow.

    Back at the huge city by some blind luck, Kanazawa and Ishii found each other on their journey and roamed the layers of the city together looking for food and supplies. Hungry and exhausted they managed to find an old museum of airplanes and just barely any supplies to help them through. Looking at the old airplane designs, Ishii thought that they could both fix one of the sturdier planes and in theory, it should be able to fly again. Her design managed to snap into several pieces and crashed just after takeoff, but these planes looked more conventional and in the past were able to fly. After several months of hard work, Ishii finally managed to fix and even start one of the planes, soon after both of them decided to fly out of the city.

    Ishii was finally able to fulfill her dream.

    “Hey, I think we are somewhere over ‘Komsomolsk’, I can see the river and nothing else,” Kanazawa replied over his communication helmet as he looked through the map and anything outside to pinpoint their correct positions.

    “I really have no idea where we are flying though, but I haven't been this excited for years.” Ishii with a wide smile kept her hands on the controls, flying the plane steadily. “However, I think we have to land soon, we don't have much fuel left.”

    “Oh hey... Ishii! There! Look at your right - do you see that?” Kanazawa spoke to her as he looked through the window scanning the horizon.

    “Yes... I think we should land there before we really 'kamikaze' to the ground!”

    “Again... what’s a kamikaze?” Kanazawa asked her but to no reply. She had her mind focused on carefully landing the plane on the snow.

    Just as they landed, she could clearly see what those objects covered in the snow were. About 20 different kinds of plane designs that she had seen before in an aviation book, parked close to each other. These planes belonged to designs from the 21st century. It seems like they were also in another blind luck situation and found an old abandoned airfield, hopefully, there will still be leftover fuel to start the plane again and fly.

    Parking close by she turned off the motor and opened the hatch to the cold outside. Covering herself with her jacket she walked out of the plane and turned to Kanazawa who followed right behind her.

    "It's so much colder than in the city."

    “So... what do we do now? We look for fuel or - ?” Kanazawa asked her as she turned around to scan out their surroundings. Besides the planes, there was nothing else visible in the distance, not even a hangar or any kind of structure. It was all covered in snow as far as the eyes could see.

    “These planes really look well preserved, Kanazawa. And they are of more modern design than the old World War 2 machines we found. I'd say these were from the 21st century.” Ishii replied as she moved closer to one of the planes.

    The airplane was a large war machine that could fly thousands of miles before it needed to refuel. It could also have been an early electric machine model but she had no way of knowing unless she boarded the plane and checked it out. She felt that they could switch to this airplane if they found no fuel. It looked a lot sturdier, even for longer journeys.

    “Maybe we could check the interior if I know how to open it!” Ishii replied trailing her hand through the hull of the plane.

    Once they figured out how to open the door of the plane, behind them about 8 masked individuals in white winter clothes appeared out of nowhere and had them surrounded with old-style weapons in their hands.

    “STOY!” one of the men who seemed to be their leader from the group shouted at them.

    Both Kanazawa and Ishii put up their hands startled by the 8 masked figures pointing guns at them. “Kto ty?” the men appeared to be speaking a language they couldn’t understand.

    “Huh what? What did you say?” Ishii asked him, still with her hands up in her air.

    “Chto eto za yazyk?”

    “Chto u nikh s glazami?”

    “Bozhe moy, kak vy dumayete, oni iz drugoy strany?”

    “We don’t understand you! Who are you?” Kanazawa asked them as he still had his hands up in the air.

    “Of course, we don’t understand them and they won’t understand us, you idiot! If it wasn’t for you we wouldn’t have been in this mess!”

    “Hey I might have saved us or we would have crashed, you are the idiot, moron!”

    “Stupid, shithead!”

    “Dumb foureyed bi- “

    “ZATKNIS’!” one of the men shouted at both of them as they abruptly stopped arguing. “My dolzhny vzyat’ ikh s robotom-interpretatorom.” the man spoke again as he turned to the person standing close to him “Misha, prover’ ikh na oruzhiye.”

    The other person was a girl in her mid 20’s who moved towards them checking both of them for weapons. She pulled a pistol from Kanazawa and turned to him saying “Izvinite, ya dam eto vam pozzhe.” Ishii had no weapons on her.

    “Idi za mnoy!” one of the men from the group motioned to them to follow him, but still they were cautious of the two strange people that just landed in an ancient machine, and kept aiming their weapons at them.

    Walking through the barren wasteland just close to where the planes were one of the men waved at something close by and suddenly the ground came alive. A huge blast door opened revealing a metallic hallway inside. The group and their prisoners walked inside as the door closed behind them.


    ° ° °

    “Well, what do you think they will do with us now?” Kanazawa asked as both of them were sitting down in a room. A guard outside stood by and watched them carefully as he kept quiet.

    “Well, so far they didn’t kill us and they brought us this really tasty warm tea.” Ishii calmly replied as she sipped on the tea.

    “Oh and did you see their eyes, they look really different than us! I think they are Russians, Ishii.”

    “Gee, thanks I wouldn’t have figured that out!” she replied, still sipping on the tea but she kept checking out the guard. “I think that guard is a welcome sight, I had to look at your sad face for months now!”

    “Pffff...” Kanazawa replied with mild annoyance. “As if they would like a four-eyed nuisance like you!”

    “I really wish I 'kamikazed' us to the ground now!” Ishii replied as she rolled her eyes, still sipping on her warm tea.

    “Oh cmon, tell me what the hell is a kamikaze?”

    Opening the door of their room, one of the women from earlier walked inside and spoke to someone outside. “Oni zdes’, vy dumayete, chto mozhete ikh ponyat’?”

    “YA zaprogrammirovan na 7111 yazykakh - ya uveren, chto ponimayu ikh, Misha - spasibo.” they heard another voice in Russian, but it seemed to have spoken in a monotonic, almost robotic voice.

    With a few mechanical sounds, a robot just like some they have seen back in their city walked inside the room. Both Ishii and Kanazawa looked at him with a puzzled looks. The robot seemed to have stopped for a second to look and scan them and suddenly it spoke.

    “Konichiwa - from my DNA scans you seem to have traveled from a city formerly known as Japan.”

    With a puzzled look, Ishii got up from the chair and looked at the robot. “Wait... you speak Japanese?”

    “That is correct - I also can speak and understand 7111 different languages - Could you tell us your names?”

    “I am Ishii and that over there is Kanazawa.”

    “Ishii - Kanazawa - Don’t worry you are safe here - We didn’t know that there are other survivors out there anymore - There are about three million five hundred sixty-five citizens in this unit and the main language spoken here is Russian - This is the first time we see someone from a different country in hundreds of years.”

    “It wasn’t just us, back in Japan there were two unfortunate girls that were left in the city. I don’t know what happened to them but I hope they are safe.” Ishii replied as Kanazawa still with a confused face kept looking at the robot.

    “Wait! There are that many people living here?!” he asked.

    “That is correct - Our Biodome was a successful experimental however we lost connection with the other ‘Biodome’ around the world many years ago - after the great wars people moved into the Biodome for safety - but one day we plan to move to the ground and rebuild our cities."

    “That is amazing!” Kanazawa replied as he stared at the robot. “But what is this place?”

    “We can show you and if you ever decide to live here with us, you are welcome to stay.”

    Both Ishii and Kanazawa together with the guards and the robot moved toward an elevator. One of the guards pressed a button and with a slight mechanical sound, it started moving downwards.

    They could see what the robot meant about ‘living’ here.

    The world underneath suddenly lit up with an ‘artificial’ sun. The underground world looked almost unbelievable with huge pillars, structures, houses, and even skyscrapers that went up to the ceiling. It seemed like there was another world underneath the one that was ravaged above.

    “Wow!” Ishii exclaimed with her eyes wide open as she held Kanazawa’s hand closer. “So... you still want to fly away from here because I kinda want to stay... Ishii...”

    “Ishii - Kanazawa - Welcome to ‘Lenski Stolbovi Experimental Unit’”

    (THE END)




    (LATEST REVISION: 12th December 2022)
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  15. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    "Chii-chan... Chii-chan..."

    "Mmm... what is it Yuu..."

    "I can't sleep... I've been turning over all night..."

    "Mmmmhhhh... well, I told you not to drink all that coffee last night."

    "I know... but I wanted to try it. It's the first time we get a fresh batch since we arrived here, and I felt kinda nervous about tomorrow." Yuuri replied as she lay next to Chito on their bed and kept trying to sleep. It was already quite late at night and after a long day of hanging out with their family and strolling through the park inside the Biodome, Chito was exhausted as she kept trying to sleep close to a restless Yuuri.

    "Mmm... Yuu... you should try to sleep, you know it's an important day tomorrow."

    "I know... Chii-chan, but I am... kinda worried!" Yuuri replied as she kept looking up at the dark ceiling. Chito softly mumbled and brushed her eyes looking at her worried lover.

    "Oh... you shouldn't be worried Yuu. Reo said it's just a simple procedure that they have done countless times, and you will be asleep during the whole thing. After that you will have a new leg, didn't you say you want to be a 'robotic-god' Yuu?" Chito replied and softly embraced Yuuri under the covers.

    "I know but, I am still worried it will be dark again... I don't want you to wait for me again to wake up for a long time like last time. What if something happens?" Yuuri asked as she gently held Chito's hand under the cover.

    "Chiya had the same procedure done to her and look she is always working and going on expeditions on the outside, you shouldn't be worried Yuu. I will be right outside the room waiting for you. After that, you will be able to walk properly again with training." Chito replied and smiled as she held her hand close. "After the procedure, we can go eat gyoza at the park again if you want Yuu."

    "Mmm... Gyoza... and I want fresh fish again Chii-chan!" Yuuri replied and smiled with a drooling mouth.

    "I think we can get fresh fish too. We still have enough ration points for the month." Chito replied as she held her hand close to hers. "But you know that you need to train the leg almost every day. It doesn't work right away so it will take you time to get used to it. That's what Reo and Mieko said."

    "I know Chii-chan, but I will be so happy to see you smiling when I can finally walk on my own without the walking stick!" Yuuri replied. "I will be brave for you tomorrow."

    "Oh hey, I just thought of something Yuu, I hope it will help you sleep. Maybe I can return the favor and the warmness you shared with me that time outside in the snow fort. I slept so peacefully at that time in your embrace." Chito softly blushed as she glanced at Yuuri.

    "But we don't have snow to build another fort Chii-chan!"

    "Oh! We don't need snow. I read in a book that children in the old world used to build these things called pillow forts from blankets and pillows and... let me show you." Chito leaned next to the bedside where she kept the black device that Yuuri gifted to her the first day they moved into their house where she could read a lot of books and write in her diary. Turning it on she found the book that showed pictures from the old world and how children used to play games and build forts.

    "Oh, they look so cute!" Yuuri replied as she scrolled through the device. "I wish we had this many pillows on the outside Chii-chan, we would have been so comfortable."

    "Well... I think we have a lot of pillows and blankets in the other room too. I can go get them and we can build the fort in the living room. It will be just like the snow fort but, even comfier." Chito replied as she got out of bed grabbing her pillow.

    "Oooo... I wanna help too Chii-chan!" Yuuri said as she got up from the bed and grabbed her walking stick. With her free hand, she grabbed the pillow from underneath her.

    "Go wait for me in the living room, I'll grab the rest of the pillows and blankets!" Chito spoke as Yuuri walked out of the bedroom and turned on the lights in their living room.

    ° ° °

    "Chii-chan... that's a lot of pillows."

    "I know... I didn't know we had them in the other room. I think they are for guests if they want to sleep over here." Chito walked close to where Yuuri was sitting with her pillow and dropped all of the pillows and blankets on the ground that she could carry from the bedrooms. She kept looking into her device for ideas on how to build the fort.

    "Hmmm..." she mumbled thinking to herself before she grabbed the chair from the dining room placing it on one side and two other chairs she placed opposite each other to give enough room for both of them inside the fort. Yuuri kept looking at her as she was still sitting down on the ground snuggling her pillow.

    "Here Yuuri, you can place these blankets on the ground between the chairs and I'll cover the fort with the one I am holding."

    "On it!" Yuuri replied with a smile as she moved closer to the chairs, spreading the blankets just underneath while Chito was covering the fort with one of the blankets using the chairs for support.

    "And then... we just put a lot of pillows inside!" Chito said as she kept looking in her device as Yuuri carefully listened to her.

    "Huh... that was easier than the snow fort Chii-chan!"

    "Well.. the snow fort was more difficult to build Yuu, I still wonder how we even managed to build that. When we work together we can do amazing stuff, if only you weren't so lazy laying underneath the kotatsu all day." Chito replied humorously as she looked at Yuuri who was carefully placing all of the pillows inside the fort, covering the chairs and every bit of space inside.

    "Chii-chan, that kotatsu is a miracle invention. You can eat on it and sleep underneath it... what else a girl could want?" Yuuri replied and softly giggled from underneath the fort.

    "Oh and this says we can use a flashlight, lantern, or anything to light it up inside. I think I have that holographic star projector that Mieko gave me for when I have nightmares but I haven't used it still." Chito replied as she kept scrolling through her device. "I think I left it in the other room!" she walked out of the living room to look where she placed the small holographic projector and a flashlight.

    "Chii-chan, I placed all the pillows inside. I think we already finished it." Yuuri replied from underneath just as she was settling in, Chito was already back standing close to the fort. "

    So what do you think Yuu, will you be able to sleep here for the night?"

    Yuuri glanced at the crude pillow fort they just built together with Chito. "Chii-chan, this is so cute. We built another fort, and this one is in our house made of comfy and warm stuff."

    "It's so cute but hey... I found the flashlight and the holographic projector... here!" She handed them over to Yuuri as she moved to the side of the room to turn off the lights in the living room. "Don't forget to turn on the flashlight first so I don't trip over."

    "Sure!" Yuuri replied as she turned on the flashlight just as Chito turned the lights in the room off. Moving inside the fort Chito sat close to Yuuri. "This is so comfy and cute Chii-chan!" Yuuri with a wide smile moved the flashlight around the fort lighting it up. It felt so comfortable inside with all the pillows and the blankets, like another small house inside their house. "I don't think we have to leave the fort ever Chii-chan, we can just live inside here with all the pillows."

    "Well, we have to leave it to go prepare food and work Yuu. And Reo and Mieko will be worried about us if we stay inside here forever." Chito chuckled as she took the holographic projector in her hands inspecting it. It was a small device that Mieko gave to her that could emulate the night sky within a room with a holographic projection on all kinds of surfaces, but she never tried it out yet. "Oh we don't have to take it down if you don't want to, we can sleep inside here tomorrow too after your procedure."

    "Oh hey, Chii-chan is that the 'holographic' thingy you kept talking about?" Yuuri asked as she looked at her holding the device in her hands.

    "Yes I think that is it, let's try it out." Placing it on the side of the fort she pressed the button on top of the device, however, nothing was yet happening. They both kept waiting for something to happen, as they looked at the device.

    "Do you think it's broken Chii-chan?" Yuuri asked her with a puzzled look, glaring at the device.

    "Hmmm... Oh! I think we have to turn the flashlight off." Chito replied as Yuuri reached around for the button on the flashlight and turned it off.

    Suddenly, the whole fort came alive with shining and glittering lights, showing the billions of stars, planets, and nebulas in the whole wide universe.

    "Chii-chan, WOW! This is amazing!" Yuuri exclaimed as she laid down on the pillows looking up at the blanket above as the stars it emulated felt almost real and alive. Chito lay next to her also glaring up at the 'night sky' with wonder in her eyes.

    "Oh... so this is why she said it might help me with my nightmares, it feels so calming to look at it. I think it might work in our bedroom as well."

    "Chii-chan, it's like when we were sleeping outside looking at the beautiful distant stars, but in the safety of our home and inside a pillow fort... eeee" she squealed with a wide smile and snugged her pillow. Chito gently blushed as she looked at her happy smile, it seemed like she had forgotten all about her worries about the neuroprosthetic surgery the next day. Chito knew the risks were minimal and that it would have improved her life and given her full mobility back but she was still worried about Yuuri. She loved her more than anything in this entire world and she would never let anything bad happen to her again.

    "Hey... Yuu." Chito grabbed her blanket close and leaned up on the pillows with her arms opened wide. "I promised to return all the warmness back to you that you gave me at the snow fort. Come close to me." she smiled, as Yuuri moved closer and lay on her chest looking up at her.

    "Chii-chan... you are comfier than all the pillows in the world!" Yuuri replied and smiled closing her eyes under the safety and warmth of the pillow fort and Chito's chest.

    "This is how I felt outside that time in the snow fort and I knew it might help you fall asleep. I felt so safe and warm in your arms and I knew one day if we found a home it's how I would love to sleep close to you." Chito replied and smiled as she covered herself and Yuuri with a blanket and looked up at the 'night sky' projected on the blanket above. "Every time you snuggle me close to you I just fall asleep almost immediately Yuu."

    "So hey Chii-chan, we should invite Reo, Mieko, and Kazuo for a sleepover in our fort!" Yuuri replied with her eyes still closed laying into Chito's chest. "You said that the pillows and the blankets in the other room were for guests to sleep sometimes in our house."

    "I think the pillow fort is too small for all 5 of us, they can always sleep in the other bedroom if they want. Mieko and Kazuo live nearby and they never had to stay over." Chito replied, the warmness of Yuuri's body always felt so comfortable and pleasant for her.

    "Maybe Reo can stay here with us ... I know he is alone and sleeps at the hospital all the time." Yuuri responded still huddled into Chito, slowly her speech was getting mumbled as she was starting to fall asleep.

    "I know, but he told me he likes to sleep in the hospital, he doesn't feel so lonely there. Besides he and Chiya don't live together anymore, and he feels alone at his apartment." Chito replied still looking at the 'night sky' with sleepy eyes. "He can stay here anytime he wants, it will be just like living with grandpa."

    "Oh... why don't they... live together... I am worried about him... Chii-chan..."

    "I don't think they love each other like they used to do Yuu. Reo is always busy with his work at the hospital and Chiya is always out on supply runs and is seldom home, so they don't see each other often and they grew apart... Mieko lives with her husband and they are waiting for a baby, so Reo lives alone." Chito replied as she held Yuuri tight in her embrace. "So hey... Yuu what kind of 'gyoza' do you want to eat tomorrow? We can also go get fresh mackerel from the market too."

    "Yuu?" she asked again but to no reply. Yuuri must have already fallen asleep in her arms as she started to softly snore on her chest. Chito smiled again and laid her head on hers. "I know Yuu... this is how you helped me stay alive all this time outside... I love you my precious flower."

    Closing her eyes Chito also fell asleep, inside the warm pillow fort they built together. The holographic stars kept glimmering above keeping them safe and softly lulling them both to sleep.

    ° ° °

    As long as they lived, they never slept apart. Not even once. They were always there for one another, in sickness and in health, even in their old age, safe from the harm of the cruel and cold world outside.

    It's all Chito and Yuuri wished for themselves a happy humble life and somewhere warm to stay the night together. All the warm, tasty food they can eat and most of all, their ever-growing family by their side.

    They didn't ask for much in their long and wonderful life filled with adventure, happiness, and laughter. But just to be alive and safe in each other's arms.


    (Latest revision: 12th December 2022)
    (Thank you for reading)

    Thank you for reading <3
    I hope you enjoyed the story and any thoughts and feedback is welcome <3
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  16. CaiowCesar

    CaiowCesar New Member

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    Man, i just came here to say one thing: THANK YOU! When i read the last chapter of girls last tour i was left with a "void in my chest" like you said on the last pages of your novel and then i started searching on the internet for a sequel or for another work of the autor. I was like "it cant end like that... it cant...". And then i found your post on this site with a fan made sequel, and i started reading it, man and what an amazing work you did, you didnt just told us what happend to those two, you expanded the entire story and even wrote new characters. It was an amazing and wholesome story and i look forward to print it someday and put it side by side with the volumes of girls last tour because, like you said, for me this is cannon too. Thank you again and for gods sake start writhing novels of your own, you are an amazing writer.

    Ow! and did you read Shimeji Simulation? It could be my imagination but perhaps the autor read your book too...

    Ah and i trid sending this as a msg to you but i could not find how to do it :p
     
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  17. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    Thank you so much, it means a lot. I plan to do another rewrite to fix some paragraphs, typos and things but still haven't gotten around to it, and feel free to print it out if you want. :):)

    I wrote another fanfic which is for my favorite anime "Yama no Susume". If you ever get around to watching the anime and want to read a wholesome yuri story you can find it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25052515/chapters/60677140

    I read Shimeji Simulation too and loosely based my story on it too (especially the alternate world that Chito has a dream of).
     
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  18. ContemplateGrapefruit

    ContemplateGrapefruit Active Member

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    Dear readers,
    It's been some time since 2019 when I first started writing Girls Next Tour and finished the story. Afterward, it had so many iterations and changes that I felt were necessary, hoping this short "rewrite" before the end of this dreadful year 2022 to be the last one.

    The day when I finished reading the manga I felt that this can't be it. There has to be something more to their story. Even if many readers accepted the ending as definite, I couldn't find it in my heart for the story to finish in that way. Hence I had this idea of a place or a 'unit' (Now called the Biodome in the new rewrite) that was hidden from plain sight on top of the city. It was fun to come up with all kinds of different theories for the outside world, the biodome, and the creatures they met, and to put them in writing felt like the right thing to do. Girls Next Tour is the first ever novel that I wrote, so revisiting and fixing elements and typos in the story was a must.

    Since 2019, the story has been viewed more than 20000 times on different sites and I hope every view is a reader that was interested in reading my iteration on how the girls' journey might have continued. I got so many comments and feedback and it made me beyond happy that people were reading it, so I felt it was necessary to revisit some elements and try to make the story as a believable continuation as it could.

    I can't thank every one of you for reading the story enough. It means so much to me and Chito and Yuuri mean the world to me. Even if they are fictional, I believe they are alive in each of our hearts and minds. I hope this story is a gift for them and for all the fans of their beautiful friendship and love.

    From the bottom of my heart thank you so much for reading the story.
    Your feedback, comments, or reactions are always welcome and really make me happy.


    ------------------

    To all those readers who read the story before, the story had a bunch of changes in the lore, especially the history of the 'unit' (now given an appropriate name of Biodome inspired by the documentary 'Spaceship Earth') and Itsuki's (Chito and Yuuri's grandfather)'s story.

    If you don't want to reread the story from the beginning here is a quick summary of all the chapter changes.

    Ch 1. Not much has changed, fixed a few typos and sentences for easy reading.

    Ch 2. Not much has changed, fixed a few typos and sentences for easy reading.
    I fixed the part when they talk about consummating their marriage because Chito might have not known what that meant, she only could have heard the word that she read.

    Ch 3. Not much changed. Fixed typos and sentences.

    Ch 4. Removed references to music and real-life bands. I thought it was too much.

    Ch 5. The biggest change is in Itsuki's place of origin. In the previous iterations of the story, he was a citizen of the 'unit' (Biodome) who was exiled for bringing in refugees. I thought it made the story a bit weird and it made him a bit of a hypocrite for not telling the girls exactly how to reach the 'unit' (Biodome). In the new version he was originally from the village where they reside in the manga, however, he lost his pass privileges to go to the Biodome. In the story to get a pass, you had to get enough points to be able to travel with the citizens of the Biodome, however, he doesn't have an idea what might be up there. It's later explained in Chapter 8. In the new iteration, he has an onset of early Alzheimer hence he is forgetful and clumsy. (He also has never heard of music even though he collected old records and CD's). Yasuo's story remains unchanged.

    Ch 6. Not much has changed in the original story, the only change is for Itsuki's wife. In the original iteration, she commits suicide, in the new iteration she goes out to try to reach Itsuki and allegedly falls into a ditch with her vehicle. Her body is never found or recovered so it's unclear if she is still alive or dead. In the new iteration, there isn't a letter addressed to Chito and Yuuri as Itsuki couldn't send letters anymore after the bridges collapsed.

    Ch 7. Not much has changed in the original story, fixed typos here and there. It's the first time Reo refers to his wife as ex-wife so it's left for the readers to find out why they aren't together in the bonus chapter.

    Ch 8. The biggest change is that the 'traveler' now is just called 'AI'. I dropped the "Ancient Aliens" things cause I thought it sounded dumb. I dropped every mention of the word Shimeji. The 'Eringi' or Nuko's species is now species that were found underground and hunted for their blood like the 'Horseshoe Crab'. Every mention of aliens or different civilizations is dropped.

    Ch 9 . Not much has changed. Fixed typos and lots of sentences. Dropped the mention of the real-life band Huun-Huur-Tu. Instead, it's left to the imagination of the reader what they might be listening to.

    Ch 10. Not much has changed, fixed typos and a few sentences. Dropped the mention of the real-life band Asobi Seksu.

    Ch 11. Not much has changed, fixed typos and a few sentences.

    Ch 12. Changed the name of Chito and Yuuri's kid to Aoki. Kouki sounded a bit too childish so I can't imagine him being called Kouki when he grows up lol.

    Epilogue. Not much has changed, fixed typos and a few sentences.

    Bonus Chapter. Not much has changed, fixed typos and a few sentences.