Battle Four: Love

I never told anyone else about Melody, and despite the upcoming tournament, I always looked forwards to spending my time with her. We would spend the entire day together, not just at the Cyber-Battle Mall, but throughout the Leisure District as well. As we became good friends, I eventually began to feel comfortable around her, while at the same time feel more nervous.

After Logan released an announcement confirming the July 28th tournament, the Cyber-Battle Mall was suddenly full of Battlers training for the competition, confident with their fighting styles and skills. Unfortunately, Natalie couldn't participate because she had to take entrance exams for middle school.

Soon enough, July 28th rolled around.

…Kirisaki Eins (age 12) – Year 2096, July 28th, 11:37 A.M.

"The tournament will begin at twelve o'clock noon. If you wish to participate, please enter a battle room and inform the supervisor. They will help you enter the competition. Good luck, battlers!" The announcement rang throughout the Cyber-Battle Mall, and as Melody and I rode an escalator to the second floor I groaned and yawned.

"C'mon, Kirisaki! Get serious! This is an important battle for you!" Melody chided.

"It is?" I asked, lazily glancing back at her and yawning once more.

"Well, you never told me the details, but you're going to fight against Jonathan Silya, right?" she said quietly. "You know, he's ranked number sixty-six,"

"I know," I replied, staring into blank space as I thought, I have to beat Jonathan. I have to fight with honor. I have to prove myself! Today, I'll name myself a proper Cyber-Battler!

We entered a random battle room, and I could several other Battlers getting ready for the tournament. After I had told the supervising lady that I would be participating, she said, "When you activate the Capsule, there will be an option to partake in the tournament or not. Good luck!"

As approached a Capsule, Melody suddenly grabbed my arm once again.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" she asked quietly, worry present in her eyes.

I stared deep into her eyes before smiling – not a joyful, nonchalant grin, but a smile of gratefulness and thanks. Quickly and without any hesitation, I leapt forwards and wrapped Melody in a tight embrace, pulling her close.

"Melody…Thank you. Thank you so much for everything. You've helped me so much, you've spent so much time with someone like me…I'm truly grateful. I'm so happy that I met you. I promise you that I will repay you somehow. I'll fulfill any of your requests to pay you back. But for now, please wait," As we drew apart, I looked into her shocked, yet amazedly happy eyes. "I'm going to win this!" Slowly we let go of each other, and I clambered into the Capsule, closing the hatch behind me.

As soon as I was alone in the Capsule, Dawn suddenly flitted out from the Projector.

"What is it?" I asked. "Is something wrong with the Capsule?"

She stayed silently, merely floating in the air.

I blinked curiously. "Don't tell me your system got damaged…"

"You've changed," she murmured.

"Huh?"

"She's come back to your life, hasn't she?"

"Dawn, you're being incredibly cryptic right now. Can you speak proper English?"

"I'm talking about Melody," she said flatly.

"What about her?"

"You're so happy with her around. You've begun to smile again. You've begun to laugh,"

I frowned. "Dawn…don't tell me…are you jealous?"

She smiled lightly. "No…not at all. I'm happy for you, Kirisaki. I'm happy that you could once again find a light in your life, someone to help and support you. I'm happy that you've changed," She then promptly exploded into a flurry of glowing particles, which slowly floated back into the Projector.

I glanced at the device for a moment before sighing. "Sheesh. I knew human women were weird, but PartNet women, too? Man, what's wrong with the opposite gender?"

Brushing the question aside, I snapped my right hand forwards, tapping it against the Capsule's screen. "Well, enough time to worry about that later. Let's do this!"

"Cyber-Battle Tournament, Start! For Jocelyn!"

…Melody Halya (age 12) – 11:45 A.M.

"I'll fulfill any of your requests to pay you back," His declaration echoed through my head, and I suddenly felt great joy welling inside of my heart.

Then…will you go out with me? I wondered, silently wishing in my head. Kirisaki…

A familiar hand suddenly rustled my hair, and as I looked up, saw Logan's face. His stone-hard expression was staring at Kirisaki's Capsule, and his eyes were full of determination.

"He's going to win," he said quietly, and as his eyes met mine, I nodded.

Win, Kirisaki!

…Kirisaki Eins (age 9) Year 2093, July 14th

"Kirisaki, do you know what love is?"

Jocelyn and I sat in the golden meadow at the foot of the wooded knoll, watching the sun as it dropped into its blanket of clouds. I was cradled in her arms, and her warmth lit a fire of happiness and joy inside of me.

"Love? Do you mean that icky feeling that married people feel when they kiss?" I asked, wrinkling my nose at the concept of such a mushy feeling.

Jocelyn giggled. "That's a part of love. But basically, love is affection. Like right now,"

"Eh?" I exclaimed, suddenly drawing away. "You mean we're going to get married?"

She blinked at me for a second, before falling into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

"You don't need to laugh that hard, you know," I grumbled, once again returning to her arms.

"I'm laughing because I love you, Kirisaki," Jocelyn whispered, and I froze. The word love smacked me like a flyswatter swatting a fly; strong and sharp.

"I also love this city. Ciras is my favorite place in the world, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else,"

"I agree! I'll stay here and live with you forever, Jocelyn!"

Jocelyn nonchalantly stroked my hair. "One day, you'll find a girl that you'll love so much that you'll give anything for her. You'll want to spend so much time with her, and you'll want to find out everything about her. That will be the girl you'll love with all your heart,"

"But Jocelyn, I already found the person I love!" I exclaimed, turning to hug her with my small arms and burying my head into her stomach. "I love you, Jocelyn!"

She smiled, brushing my hair lovingly. "Your still young, so you wouldn't understand yet. But you'll find the one you love as you grow up. But Kirisaki, never forget this: if you love someone, you'll always want them to be happy, no matter the cost. To you, their smile will be enough to make you happy,"

…Kirisaki Eins (age 12) – 11:55 A.M.

All of the registered tournament participants were transferred to a waiting room before the tournament began. It was simple – a large, cube-shaped room with cyan-colored walls, like the target training room. The participants filled up a great majority of the room and in total, there were about eighty to one-hundred Battlers.

I scanned the room for Jonathan's distinctive, black armor, yet I could not find a trace of him. Suddenly, the announcing voice rang through the room. "Hello, Battlers. Welcome to the 15th Cyber-Battling Tournament of Ciras. This battle will be a free-for-all, meaning that no one is your ally, and everyone is your enemy. The sole victor will not be the Battler who defeats the most enemies, but the last man standing. To avoid an extended battle, when two Battlers are left over, they will immediately be informed of the other's position and be forced into an open duel. The map is one you are all familiar with. We hope you like our decision,"

As the announcement finished, large text popped up in the air. 3…2…1…START.

…12:00 P.M.

As I was materialized into the map, I slowly opened my eyes.

Sharply, I gasped.

I stood in the golden meadow I was so familiar with – the foot of the wooded knoll.

Disbelief quickly melted away, and to confirm my conclusion, I began to run up the concrete steps leading up the hill. As one deduction led to another an awful situation suddenly sprouted within my head. I reached the top of the hill, which was level with the rest of Ciras, and promptly activated my thruster to gain some height.

Before me, the Leisure District of Ciras was ablaze in battle.

Battlers fired bullets and beams, missing shots and accidentally striking the buildings and streets. As debris crashed upon the ground, explosions rocked the air. Skyscrapers, so tall and powerful, began to collapse from the destruction, and Ciras slowly begun to cave in on itself.

"They're destroying Ciras…" I whispered, horrified at the conflagration before me.

"They're destroying the city…" Suddenly, a Battler below noticed me and raised their gun to charge a heavy, lethal beam shot.

"They're destroying the city Jocelyn loves…" "Ciras is my favorite place in the world, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else,"

"I have to stop them!" I suddenly roared, and dropped like a rock to the Battler below. As they fired the enormous beam shot, I dashed right past it and activated my Sunset Striker's sword function, extending blades from both of my arms and wildly swinging at the Battler. Within seconds, the helpless target was defeated.

I have to stop them! I kept on thinking, and turned to an ongoing battle occurring on the street ahead. The Battlers were recklessly firing shots, hitting windows and showering glass onto the streets below.

I have to stop them! Leaping into action, I dashed at blinding speeds towards the destructive Battlers, ruthlessly slicing them with my blades and ending their battles.

Without warning, a high-powered beam hit the ground before my feet, and I spun around, switching both Sunset Strikers to their long-range form. Floating in the air above was a heavily armored Battler wielding an enormous cannon, which spat out great bolts of energy.

I have to stop them! The glowing orbs in my hands suddenly began to unleash a storm of beam bolts, constantly grazing the cannon-wielder, hitting his thrusters and chipping away his armor. Slowly, he sank to the ground and fell back, unable to support himself.

Menacingly, I walked over to the Battler, who was struggling to get up. "No!" he cried. "Not yet!"

I silenced him by plunging my beam blades into his stomach.

As I pulled the blades out, I held my arms out wide, as if trying to tear apart something inside of me, and to unleash the fury raging in my mind, I roared to the sky, surrounded by flames and carnage.

…Melody Halya (age 12) – 12:14 P.M.

I held my hands over my mouth as Logan and I watched Kirisaki's berserker rage on the viewing screen. He slaughtered enemy after enemy, ruthlessly slicing them apart and preventing their escape. It was as if he had become a killing machine.

"Thought-Wild," Logan muttered.

"What?" As I turned to him, he closed his eyes.

"The Capsules allow a Battler to fight by reading their brain's commands. It's like moving your body in real life. But if a larger goal, say, killing an enemy, is strong enough, the Capsule reads this as a humongous job. It kicks the Battler into action, but effectively controls them,"

"Then, what's Kirisaki's goal right now?" I cried, scared out of my mind.

Logan shrugged. "Who knows? It might be to win. It might be to increase his ranking. Or it might be to kill. Regardless, his abilities will be extremely powerful right now because he's literally controlling an enhanced version of himself. That's the power of the Capsules – to read a Battlers mind and grant their wish,"

…Kirisaki Eins (age 12) – 12:21 P.M.

I stabbed another Battler.

I have to stop them! I have to stop them! I have to stop them! I was going berserk, slaying any Battler in sight and kicking them out of the battle. I had transformed into a mindless killer.

Suddenly, the announcer's voice revealed: "Two more Battlers remain. You will be informed of each other's whereabouts. Good luck,"

A small arrow suddenly pointed to the east, where the sun was beginning to dip down into the horizon. Suddenly released from my mindless state, I activated my thrusters and began to rocket towards the arrow's indicated position.

I touched down where I had first started – the foot of the knoll. Standing within the tall, swaying grass was the metal-plated demon, his sword in hand. Jonathan Silya. Behind him was the great, round sun, whose orange-yellow hue began to recolor the landscape, making the world look like gold.

"I'm surprised that you even had the courage to enter this tournament," he muttered, glaring at me through his grey visor.

"I've gotten stronger," I announced. "I'm not who I was anymore,"

"Oh?" My adversary grinned for a moment before lifting his blade and pointing it at me. "Then come at me, Kirisaki Eins! We'll settle this here and now – I'll avenge Jocelyn for her murder!"

"And I'll name myself a true Cyber-Battler!" I shouted, drawing out both of my beam blades.

"We'll end this in one strike," Jonathan declared, drawing his sword back for a thrust.

"Agreed," I crossed my arms over one another, preparing to whip them out in a wide slash.

This is for Jocelyn, I thought.

We charged.

…Melody Halya (age 12) – 12:34 P.M.

"No…" I whispered, staring at the viewing screen.

Logan grunted.

Kirisaki was kneeling on the ground, clutching the empty spot where his left shoulder should have been. The armored limb lay on the ground, severed from Kirisaki's body, while a bloody pool was beginning to form from the injury.

"He'll never put up a fight with just one arm!" I cried, scared and worried for my friend.

Logan suddenly dragged me to the viewing screen and pressed a small button beside it.

"Logan what…" I started to ask, but stopped when I saw the intense determination in his eyes.

"Tell him, Melody. He needs to win this,"

Slowly, I nodded.

…Kirisaki Eins (age 12) 12:35 P.M.

Weakly, I stood up.

Jonathan stood before the stairs. We had passed right by each other during the charge, and had switched spots now.

He grinned evilly.

"How's it feel to have your victory taken away from you? Huh?" he demanded, anger blazing in his eyes. "I'll deal you your punishment for murdering my sister! I'll hurt you in this world! I'll take away your rank and defeat you until you'll Cyber-Battle no more!"

"Yeah…You can do that," I whispered, staring up at the fiery sky, ablaze with the light of the sunset.

Splat. More blood dropped from my shoulder.

"Ha! You're still weak! Well, it's your pain is only getting started, Kirisaki! I'll give you hell!"

"Hell...that's where I belong…" I muttered.

Splat. Splat. The blood began to ooze freely now.

"Let's finish this!" Jonathan roared, once again charging towards me with his enormous blade.

"Kirisaki!" Melody's voice suddenly pierced my fatigued, weary state, and I leapt back to avoid Jonathan's attack.

"Melody?" An audio communication channel had been opened up between Melody and I.

"Do you remember what you promised?"

"I'm going to win this!" My eyes snapped open as my declaration rang clear through my head.

"You've gotten stronger, haven't you?"

"I'll protect you, Kirisaki,"

Jocelyn…I thought, and suddenly tears began to roll from my eyes.

"Kirisaki, we love each other, don't we? We love each other as friends, as people who support each other! I'll never leave your side, so please win this! Please, Kirisaki!"

"Kirisaki, do you know what love is?"

"Love…" I muttered. "Love is…"

"What are you rambling about, murderer?" Jonathan demanded, once again pointing his blade at me.

I raised my head high and shouted to the sky:

"Love is the will to put aside everything for someone to make them happy! Love is the feeling that friends have for each other, that they give to each other for support!"

With renewed vigor, and adrenaline pumping through my veins, I raised my remaining right arm and activated my beam blade.

"Love is the feeling I have for the perfect, beautiful, and kind Melody Halya! Melody! I love you!"

"Kirisaki, go!" Melody shouted, and as she supported me, courage swelled inside my heart.

"So for Melody Halya, I will defeat you, Jonathan!" I charged one, final time, and as Jonathan swung his gigantic blade around, I dodged with lightning speed and dashed forwards, plunging my blade into his stomach.

"K…Kirisaki…you…murderer…" he whispered, holding onto his last breath.

"Jonathan," I said quietly. "If we keep on hating each other like this…I don't think Jocelyn could rest in peace…don't you?"

"Shut up!" he spat. "You don't know anything about my sister!"

"I know that your sister was someone who hated seeing people fight. If we're still fighting right now, wouldn't that make Jocelyn sad?"

Jonathan opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly shut it. As I stared into his emotionless eyes, I began to see that he was human.

Tears were welling.

"Jonathan Silya…I relieve you from your burden of hatred…" Slowly, I withdrew my blade from Jonathan and watched as he fell onto his back, before drawing his last breath and admitting defeat.

Silently, I deactivated my Sunset Striker and turned around to gaze upon the setting sun, who would chronicle our climactic battle for ages to come.

Jocelyn…I did it…I thought.

"Kirisaki Eins. Victor,"

…Kirisaki Eins (age 12) – 12:40 P.M.

Slowly I emerged from my Capsule to be greeted by Logan and Melody, both smiling silently at me.

"Melody…I…" I was suddenly cut off as Melody crashed into me, pulling me into a tight hug and beginning to cry.

"Kirisaki, you did it!" she wailed happily. "You did it! I'm so happy!"

"Kirisaki…" We suddenly separated from our hug as I turned to the speaker, who was Jonathan, dressed in his normal, grey clothes, and looking down at the floor.

"I'm sorry for being so unforgiving until now…" he mumbled. "I was just so angry with everything, and I guess I just needed a scapegoat to explain why everything was wrong,"

I smiled, and reached out my hand. As Jonathan flinched and expected to be hit, I rustled his hair instead.

"Don't worry about it, Jonathan," I told him. "I'm also sorry for not being able to protect your sister,"

"So…we're even?" he asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. "We're even,"

Slowly, his face split into a grin. "Alright! Then, do you want to Battle together? Maybe tomorrow?"

"Anytime," I answered. "Just give my house a call,"

"Awesome!" he leapt into the air, before turning to leave. "Then, I'll see you later, Kirisaki! I'm looking forward to battling you!"

I smiled and waved as he left, saying, "I'm happy for him. He's been relieved of his burden of hatred. I'm sure he'll make a great friend…"

Logan suddenly coughed. "By the way, Kirisaki, remember what you said about Melody?"

"Huh?"

"Melody! I love you!"

Crap! I totally spilled it! I thought.

"D-did you really mean it?" Melody asked quietly, and as I turned to her, I realized that she was blushing rather heavily.

"Melody…" I whispered. Then, with a smile, I stood straight and declared, "Melody Halya, I love you,"

As her blush turned even deeper, Logan began to laugh, rustling his younger sister's hair. "Don't worry, Melody! I completely approve!"

"W-what are you talking about, Logan?" she suddenly burst out, waving her arms overdramatically.

I smiled. "Melody, do you want to go on a date?"

"Huh?" She stared at me for a moment, before suddenly yelling, "W-w-what kind of question is that? You don't just ask that out of the blue!"

"But will you?" I asked again.

Melody paused for a moment, staring deep into my eyes, before finally answering, "Yes,"

Logan grinned, and suddenly pulled me into a headlock, saying, "Her curfew is at eight o'clock. Any later, and your head will be on a pike,"

"Y-yes sir!" I nodded, gulping nervously.

"Well, c'mon, Kirisaki!" Melody began dragging me towards the battle room's exit.

My Cyber-Battling mentor grinned. "Enjoy the date, kids!"

"Right!" As we exited the battle room, I began to dash towards the escalator. "C'mon, Melody! We have plenty of time together!"

Melody nodded and began to chase after me, and we ran out of the Cyber-Battle Mall, laughing, hand-in-hand.

I really am happy now, I thought, as I looked up towards the clear, blue sky. Jocelyn…rest in peace.

…Dawn (unspecified age) – Kirisaki's Projector

Jocelyn…rest in peace.

As I heard his wish, I smiled.

"Of course, Kirisaki,"