[Dawn and Dusk] Day 661: A Most Precious Reward From My Ex-Girlfriend

"Everyone, I think I've found her!" shouted Isabella, her voice blaring through Osamu's radio. "Head north! Omagatoki is with a colony of penguins! If you see a bunch of penguins, you're close!"

"Penguins?" Aika repeated, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"That child is hopeless by herself." Yoko groaned.

"Sister was always fond of animals. I suppose it makes sense she would follow the penguins." Akatsuki said.

"All right then." Osamu said. "Looks like we're heading north."

Osamu and the girls packed up their tents and belongings and began their journey north, looking for any signs of penguins. Meanwhile, Isabella sat by the monitors, ignoring the pains and aches in her abdomen. Though Isabella refused to complain about her worsening pain, the troops working alongside her took notice of how her hands trembled as she held her coffee, and how she frequently squirmed and writhed in her chair.

"Ma'am, are you sure you're okay?" asked one of the men.

Isabella gave a half-hearted laugh. "Yeah. I'm sorry, I guess I'm pushing myself too hard. I haven't slept since we got here, and I'm sure the cold is getting to me."

"Take a rest, chief. You've already found the girl. We can commandeer the operation from here." the soldier suggested.

"All right. I guess I'll leave it all up to you then." Isabella sighed.

Leaving to go lay down in her tent, Isabella was certain that a good rest would make her feel better. After all, a girl in a wheelchair should've never taken on such a time-consuming and physically draining job as the one she was on now. Still, it was in her American blood to save the world wherever it needed saving. She was far too obstinate to let a little stomach pain get in her way.

(Somewhere along our walk, we came across a thin, reflective layer of ice on the land. Yoko chalked it up to a high volume of flowing salt water below us. However, as we continued the walk over this reflective layer of ice...we lost track of which side was the sky, and which side was the ice.vNothing is scarier than suddenly falling victim to spatial disorientation. When the brain cannot process exactly where the body is going, in what direction, and in what position it's actually in at the current moment, there is a sense of panic, confusion, and anxiety. In that moment, it seemed like the sky and the ground were both the exact same.)

"Wait, where are we going?!" Yoko exclaimed.

"I feel kind of dizzy! It's like the floor disappeared or something!" Izanami cried.

Everyone stood still, not wanting to take another step without being sure of their surroundings.

Akatsuki looked around her and realized what had occurred. "Usually, in a situation like this, the brain would still be able to comprehend where it is through other sensory details. In this case, it would be the hardness of the solid ice beneath our feet. That feeling indicates that we are standing on solid ground. Has anyone else noticed that this feeling is gone?"

"You're right!" Osamu responded, realizing he was unable to feel the ground at his feet.

"It feels like we're walking on air now!" Aika exclaimed.

"Okay. Now, look around you." Akatsuki urged. "There were icy mountains in the distance that further gave our brains information that we were on ground level. What is missing from our surroundings?"

"How...the mountains are gone?" Yoko said. "What's going on, Akatsuki?"

"Big Brother Osamu, can you please carry me?" Akatsuki asked.

"Oh, sure."

Osamu picked Akatsuki up and let her ride on his back. Using Osamu as her new ground, Akatsuki was able to get a better understanding of this strange phenomenon. "I fear this is yet another symptom of time and space becoming disorganized. I explained our situation as one would explain the sensation of spatial disorientation, but it's not necessarily what just happened. It's just that it was the best relative example to use for this situation."

"Wait, so what are you saying?" Osamu asked.

Akatsuki elaborated. "Spatial disorientation implies that our brains themselves are responsible for not being able to comprehend our position on the earth. In other words, it is an error on the brain's part. However, our brains are right to assess that our direction and position does not agree with reality. We really aren't on solid ground anymore."

"What!? Then where are we?!" Izanami cried, growing more and more queasy with each explanation.

"The sky." Akatsuki answered. "And now that I'm done explaining what just happened, the laws of gravity will now take effect. Please brace yourselves for a possibly lethal fall, followed by frantic screaming."

A shiver shot down Osamu's spine the moment Akatsuki issued her warning. "Wait, Akatsuki!"

Just as Akatsuki said, the moment everyone realized they were in the sky, gravity took effect, plummeting everyone back down to Earth. As the air rushed past their faces, they could see the land below becoming larger and larger. Izanami quickly sprung into action.

Using her powers, she teleported just behind each person so that she could grab them, one by one, and then teleport them to the ground safely. In the blink of eye, she vanished into thin air, and then reappeared above Osamu. She grabbed hold of his flailing hands before they both disappeared together, promptly reappearing on the ground.

Osamu fell on his bottom after his knees gave out from the shock and adrenaline of it all. "Holy crap! I thought I was going to die! Izanami, get the others!"

"I know, I'm on it!"

Izanami repeated the process with the others, rescuing Tsukiakari, Rei, Akatsuki, and Aika one at a time before they could fall to their deaths. In less than a minute, everyone was back on solid ground, catching their breaths. Akatsuki remained unsurprisingly calm during the whole ordeal, and even after they landed safely, her face still expressed no sign of fear or shock.

Izanami fell to her knees, exhausted physically and emotionally. "Goodness, is everyone okay?"

"The things I go through because of my exes..." Osamu muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Rei asked.

"This is all your fault! Why did you stab me and sexually assault me in my own house! The world wouldn't be on the edge of oblivion if you weren't a sadist!" Osamu chided.

"Now is not the time for internal bickering. Gather your bearings and let's get a move on!" Tsukiakari shouted like a drill sergeant.

"She's right, you know." Yoko complimented.

"Oh gosh, my girlfriend agreed with me!" Tsukiakari squealed with glee.

That was all Tsukiakari needed to regain her energy and lead the pack with a confident smile. "Follow me! I'll lead the way to the penguins, and to Omagatoki!"

(I feel a little bummed that a girl is getting more of Yoko's attention than I am...)

As if fate itself wanted to save the world, the group spotted the colony of penguins ahead after several hours of walking. Both groups were headed right towards each other.

"Is that Omagatoki?" Yoko asked, squinting her eyes.

"I think I see her!" Tsukiakari shouted.

"Damn it, get out of the way so I can see!" Osamu said, seeing a family of penguins in the distance. "That is her!"

"Omagatoki! Hey!" Aika shouted at the top of her lungs.

Omagatoki could see them all running and shouting her name. She and the penguins came to a full stop. "It is just as I foresaw! The Fluffy Ones have come to destroy our people and legacy! We will have to fight here, fellow penguins! There will be blood, and many shall die, but I, your prophet and savior shall lead you to the Promised Land!"

The idiot took the natural sounds that penguins make as battlecries.

"Omagatoki!" Tsukiakari called out, closing the distance between them. Finally, they caught up with her.

"Goodness, we were so worried! We came here to rescue you!" Tsukiakari said.

"Gekko? Yoko? Aika?! Everyone is here!" Omagatoki sang, her eyes lighting up with joy.

"Yeah, no kidding! Weird things have been happening since you were separated from Akatsuki! Just look at all the floating glaciers!" Aika said.

Osamu let Akatsuki down from his back, finally reuniting the twins.

"Sis, are you okay? We were all very worried." Akatsuki said, walking up to Omagatoki.

"Akatsuki...you came looking for me?" Omagatoki ask, her eyes glistening with tears.

Akatsuki nodded. "Of course I did. We have to stick together."

Akatsuki hugged Omagatoki tightly, rubbing their pale, chubby cheeks together. "Apology hug~"

"Aww, they finally found each other!" Tsukiakari swooned, relieved the world didn't end beforehand.

"And Antarctica was only half-ruined in the process!" Aika cheered. Let's just hope to god that these glaciers don't melt and raise the global sea level be several dozen meters!"

"Don't joke about something like that! Japan would be doomed!" Osamu groaned.

(And so, the Shoku Twins finally held hands again. As if time was being reversed, all of the floating glaciers sort of just placed themselves back into the ground, and all of the little Omagatoki's trapped inside of them disappeared. The sun quickly rose, and then fell, and then rose again. Time was making up for the...well...time that was lost. I'd never seen something like that. The sun flashed before our eyes, and then the stars and moon, and then the sun again. I thought of something as we all watched the lights of the heavens flash before our eyes. Just how Akatsuki and Omagatoki, Dawn and Dusk could be reunited, weren't my exes and I doing the same? I mean, sure, Aika doesn't actually remember me or the anyone else, but she's still here. And now, Rei is here with us too, despite having her own selfish reasons for doing so. Maybe you don't really ever lose the people you truly loved once. A common thread of love still keeps people around.)

With time unfettered, the sun returned to the eastern horizon as it was supposed to. Isabella sent out a small helicopter to Osamu's position, giving everyone a lift back to base. Upon landing back at base, Osamu and the others hopped off of the helicopter and came marching back into Isabella's deployable shelter. Isabella and her men sat inside waiting for them, everyone offering their congratulatory round of applause as Osamu and the girls walked in. Isabella wheeled herself closer to Osamu, opening her arms for a hug. He gladly accepted the invitation, taking Isabella's embrace as his reward for saving the world.

(For a reward this precious, I wouldn't mind saving the world a hundred times over.)

"Good. We were able to get them back together before everything could fall apart!" Isabella sang, pulling away from Osamu's embrace.

"I believe someone owes Omagatoki an apology." Osamu coughed.

Everyone's heads turned to Rei, their eyes silently screaming at her.

"You've got to be kidding me." Rei sighed.

"You nearly doomed the world, now you have to apologize. If you don't, then I won't uphold my end of the bargain." Osamu threatened.

Rei had no choice. She patted Omagatoki on the head and gave her handheld game console to her. "I'm really sorry about what happened earlier, kid. I'm glad you're okay. You can have this as an apology."

Omagatoki took hold of the handheld, her big, round eyes pouring over the strange device. Tears rolled down Omagatoki's cheeks as she held the device to her chest, clutching it close to her heart.

"Crap, did I do something wrong?!" Rei recoiled.

"No." Akatsuki answered, shaking her head. "Neither Sis nor I have ever been given anything as a gift. Spirits like us do our work with no thanks. Since we're connected now, I can feel how overwhelmed she is to have finally been given a gift. Thank you, Rei."

Osamu patted Rei on the back and smiled. "Great job, Rei! That actually sounded heartfelt and sincere, too!"

"I was only doing the right thing. Don't go around thinking I'm some sort of saint." Rei groaned.

"Oh man, I can't wait to write a bunch of songs about this!" Aika squealed. "We've got some new material to work with, Rei! When we get back home, we're hitting the studio!"

"Seriously? You've already got song ideas?" Rei asked.

Isabella watched as everyone cheered and laughed. Normally, seeing everyone happy made her equally as joyous. However, this time, all she felt was dread and vague anxiety. Before she realized it, she was looking down at her hands as she twiddled her thumbs, unable to look any of her friends in their faces. Her mind wasn't free of all fears yet.

One of her men knelt beside her and whispered in her ear. "Are you sure you're okay, ma'am? You should be happy. We found the girl in one piece."

"I'm fine, thank you." Isabella dismissed. "I think I just need some proper rest when we get back to Japan."

"All right." the soldier answered, stepping away from Isabella.

With their mission complete, and with Antartica being the barren wasteland of ice and snow that it is, Isabella immediately made travel arrangements to return to Japan. In a few days, everyone was flown back home. Being back under the hot summer sun of Japan was a welcome feeling. Their plane landed in a private, dirt runway, where hardly anyone would see them. Osamu was back in his white shirt, brown leather vest, and peace sign necklace, stretching his arms as he got off of the plane. Everyone else was also back in their usual attire.

(Aika departed to get a head start at the studio. It was nice to have her wave goodbye, and to be able to wave back at her. Tsukiakari went back to heaven that same day, but promised she'd be back sometime later. So, everyone else including myself took a walk back to the neighborhood. The world was safe from decaying. Well, at least it was stopped before it got too bad.)

As they entered the neighborhood, they saw ankle-deep water had filled the streets and got into some of the buildings. It seems not everything was peaceful during their time away. Yoko, Osamu, Rei, the Shoku Twins and Isabella stopped in the middle of the street, watching the roads down the hill flow with water like riverbeds.

"What the hell happened?!" Yoko recoiled.

"Hmm...maybe there was a tsunami while we were gone. I can't imagine that things were only getting chaotic in Antarctica." Izanami surmised. "Or maybe it rained a ton and the storm drains flooded?"

"Great." Osamu sighed. "Thankfully, only we live here anymore, so it's not like anybody could've died or gotten hurt. I'm kind of scared to look on the news though. I wonder what happened on other parts of the world."

"Yeah, that's not going to be fun." Isabella said.

Rei tugged on Osamu's sleeve, silently signaling him that there was still some unfinished business left from all of this.

"Ah, that's right." Osamu said. "I suppose we can go to the bowling alley and wrap everything up."

"Wrap what up?" Yoko questioned.

"Oh! Nothing, darling!" Osamu chattered.

"We'll be right back." Rei said with a smile.

Osamu and Rei headed towards the bowling alley, leaving Yoko, Izanami, Isabella, and the Shoku Twins to continue without them.

(So, you're probably wondering by now. 'Osamu, did you really fulfill your promise to that girl?'.)

Rei led Osamu by hand into the bowling alley, and into the light of the stained glass.

(To which I must answer, 'Yes. But not as originally promised.')

Rei planted a deep, long kiss on Osamu's lips, gently biting them as she pulled away. Surprisingly, that was all Rei did. She didn't command him to remove any clothing, nor did she say anything about wanting sexual intercourse. She simply stole herself that kiss and giggled.

"I'll tell you what. I'll settle for that kiss instead." Rei said. "In return, please don't tell anyone that I nearly destroyed the world. Our band's popularity would probably plummet if word got out about that."

"But, you..." Osamu mumbled.

"Come on. You weren't really going to sleep with me, were you?" Rei asked.

(Guess I'm pretty see through.)

"Also, I want to talk to Isabella. Tell her to come here tomorrow, okay?" Rei said.

"Why don't you tell her yourself?"

Rei scoffed. "She'd never voluntarily agree to meet me. Only you can set it up for me."

"You're not going to beat her up again, are you?" Osamu asked, pointing his index finger at her.

"No promises. But I do intend to handle it in a more civil way. I won't involve you in our feud anymore." Rei declared.

(She's not as irresponsible as I thought she was...)

"What made you change your mind? You seemed so sure about wanting sex before." Osamu said.

"I didn't realize you had a war goddess and a psychopath for exes..." Rei groaned.

(She's smart too!)

"Fine." Osamu laughed. "I can do that for you. I won't say a word about what happened either. My lips are sealed."

"Thanks, Osamu. I still hate you though."

Osamu softly chuckled. "Well then, I guess we're on better terms than when we started."

And so, Isabella and Rei would soon meet there in that bowling alley. Now that the world was saved, there were personal squabbles to settle. Conflicts of the heart.