Nadesico Fan Fiction ❯ The All Around Guy ❯ Part Two: The Nauseating Character ( Chapter 2 )

Akito cringed sheepishly. "You don't have to watch it if you don't like it."

Nagare laughed. "Sorry." It didn't sound like he was. "But if you like anime so much, you should be glad that the Nadesico is joining the military."

The man standing next to Nagare studied the screen for a moment, and under his breath, he murmured, "Gekigangar 3? What poor taste in anime."

Gai had just about enough. "What are you talking about? YOU'RE the one with the poor taste in anime!"

The man turned to Gai, his expression never changing. "Oh, you're dead, too?"

"Erk," Gai squeaked, blushing.

The All Around Guy 2:
The Nauseating Character

At least, that's what Hoshio tells me how his first meeting with Gai went.

Anyway.

To recap everything that happened between the time that I started teaching Gai to the moment I met Hoshio, we made it to Mars, managed to rescue a survivor from the Jovian attacks on the planet: Fressange-san, lost Admiral Fukube, and made it back to the Moon. Eight months have passed since the Nadesico left Earth, and Gai was already getting a hang to being a spirit. I taught him everything up to that we don't go through walls, we go through closed doors. I even told him everything I knew about the Shinigami, which wasn't much to tell. We obviously didn't get caught on Mars; like I said, the system was weak on that planet.

When we came back to the Moon, chaos was in store for us. To make a long story short, Tenkawa-kun freaked out in the middle of battle, and Gai's presence only made it worse. The crew of the Nadesico was introduced to a new Aestivalis prototype and a new pilot, Nagare Akatsuki. Gai decided immediately that he didn't like him; I really had no opinion.

Of course, by the time I could form an opinion on Nagare-kun, Tenkawa-kun was lost in battle. Of course he didn't die--he's still alive now, isn't he? But he was literally lost. He strayed too far from the ship--to the dark side of the moon at that--and couldn't make it back on his own. Along with Tenkawa-kun was, no surprise, Gai.

When Izumi-chan and Ryoko and Hikaru (and Nagare-kun) returned to the Nadesico, I began to worry. When the Captain and Megumi-san decided to search for Tenkawa-kun, my concern elevated. Don't take me the wrong way. I knew they were capable women, but knowing the romantic situation among the two of them and Tenkawa-kun, I feared for the worst.

It was stupid of me to hope that Gai was all right, but I was doing exactly that. Oh, didn't I tell you that spirits can't survive long in a vacuum? Despite everything, we still need to breathe. Talk about irony.

However, with Aoi-san in charge, my worries simmered. He was focused on getting Tenkawa-kun and the girls back.

But I was still having an anxiety attack. Or something like it, anyway.

"You idiot, Gai," I muttered. "I'm sure you took control of Tenkawa-kun's Aestivalis again. Idiot."

"Gai? You mean Daigoji-san?"

I looked up and around the bridge to see who could have possibly said that. My eyes fell on a man, who looked a lot like Nagare-kun but with short hair, staring at me.

"Dai... goji-san?" I asked. "Daigoji-san... Gai Daigoji, yes! But... how can you see me and hear me? Dead, or do you just have--"

"Supernatural powers? No. I'm dead. I'm Hoshio Akatsuki."

"Akatsuki? Are you related to THAT Akatsuki--" I nodded my head towards the man with the long hair. "--by any chance?"

"I'm his older brother."

"Ah."

"Anyway, don't fret over Daigoji-san too much. He may be an idiot, but from what I can tell, he's great at fighting."

"You met him?"

"Before the five pilots went out. In Tenkawa-san's room."

I smiled. "You're right about Gai's piloting skills, but I told him not to flaunt it just because he can turn into a poltergeist and take control of Tenkawa-kun's mind just so he could fight."

"'Poltergeist'?"

"You know when you merge with a mortal's body? I just use 'poltergeist' for easier terminology."

"I see."

"By the way," I said, "I'm Kenichi Hamaguchi. You can call me Kenichi or Hamaguchi-sama."

"Hamaguchi-sama?"

"Er, yeah," I said with a laugh. Hoshio nodded. "But it's a joke. Call me Keni--"

Hoshio didn't hear me and consequently cut me off. "We seemed to have caught up to them."

"Really?" I asked, turning towards the front of the bridge and being met with a communication window with Tenkawa-kun and the Captain and Megumi-san.

"You seem elated," Hoshio said, amused.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, but I caught a good glimpse of Gai that I didn't care for Hoshio's answer. "Hey, Gai, what the HELL were you--"

"Later," Gai answered, sounding as if 'later' would mean 'never'.

"What do you mean, 'la-'"

And then I got cut off. Again. That somehow always happens to me, and I don't know why.

"I found something I want to protect," Tenkawa-kun announced. "And that's Gai!"

There was a brief moment of silence.

Gai shrieked, "EH?"

Hoshio chuckled.

I was doing everything in my power to not burst out in laughter and tears.

But my amusement stopped just in time to see Gai's pained face as Tenkawa-kun went on to describe Gai... and furthermore how he died. Gai muttered something under his breath, but since it was a whisper, and since spirits' ears are normal mortal ears, I couldn't hear a thing.

I was a bit concerned, but by the time Tenkawa-kun came back onboard the Nadesico, I had forgotten for the time being. It was all Hoshio's doing; he started talking about how he and Gai first met and what he suspected happened back out there in space before Tenkawa-kun's Aestivalis went flying to the dark side of the moon. My anger returned, and when Gai returned to the bridge, the first thing I did was chew off his head.

"YOU!" I hissed. Gai just blinked at me innocently. "YOU went poltergeist, didn't you? YOU caused Tenkawa-kun to fly out into the middle of nowhere, didn't you?! YOU and your 'piloting skills'!"

"Er, well..."

"Didn't you?!"

He hesitated for a moment and then sighed heavily in defeat. "Yes."

I rolled my eyes, and I still wonder to this day what kept me so calm. Relatively speaking, of course. "You idiot," I said. "How many times have I told you to not use your piloting skills to help Tenkawa-kun unless it was necessary? How many times have I told you that just because you can do something, you shouldn't do it unless you really need to?"

"Many times, Ken," Gai said with a pained, weak smile. "But this time... I was too late. I tried to help him steer out of control, but it was too late."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

Gai said nothing, but Hoshio is very good at everything he does.

"He didn't infest Tenkawa-san's soul," said Hoshio. "But he should have. He should have, but at the most opportune time, he panicked as well. By the time he finally realized he should have infested Tenkawa-san's soul, it was much too late."

"That's how it goes," Gai whispered.

"It's TRUE?!" I gaped. "It's TRUE?!"

Gai nodded.

"It can't be true! It's nothing at all like you to panic! I can't remember you ever panicking! And forgetting something like that--"

"I had a lot on my mind."

"IS THAT YOUR ONLY EXCUSE?!"

Remember when I first introduced myself to Gai? About me not remembering to never use the introductory joke phrase ever again but couldn't become reminded of it because of what Gai wanted to call me?

Yeah. Hoshio reminded me.

"Please, calm yourself, Hamaguchi-sama--"

"It's KENICHI."

Hoshio disregarded me and continued, "If you were there, you would probably understand. Don't be so harsh on Daigoji-san."

I growled at his ignorance, but at the same time, I was confused as to what he meant. "You mean if I was in Tenkawa-kun's cockpit, I would understand what he was going through?"

"No. If you lived Daigoji-san's life, you would understand."

I bit back my lip, the truth coming down on me. I really didn't know anything about Gai's past, and I still don't know much. I know some trite details, and details that were enough to get us through the hard times in his afterlife, but the guilt at the time overwhelmed me. But men are prideful, as you know, so I pouted and glared at Hoshio.

"How much do YOU know?" I demanded.

"Not much more than you," Hoshio lied. "Less, even."

"I wish you guys would quit talking about me like this," Gai muttered. "I AM standing right here, you know."

"Oh, sorry," I said quickly. "But what kind of things did you have on your mind?"

"Oh. Stuff."

I narrowed my eyes. "That doesn't help." Something clicked in my head just then, and for some odd reason, I decided to ask Gai about it. "You know, when Tenkawa-kun was talking about how he wanted to protect you and everything, he said something about your death, and you looked... regretful for some reason. What was that about?"

"He overrated me," said Gai. "It's that simple."

I might have looked concerned, for Hoshio placed a hand on my shoulder and said, "Just leave it be for now."

In response, I nodded, and Gai and I followed him down to the bottom floor where everybody else was congregating. Within time, two new figures entered. One was a young woman, short black hair... that was Erina Won. The other was a middle-aged man with a bowl haircut, wrinkly: Saadaki Munetake, the new admiral for the ship.

The crew gaped in disbelief. I hadn't known who he was at the time, so I arched a brow and wondered what was the big deal. I soon learned that he was "okama" (1): he tried to fit in at first, but soon he turned into a shrieky officer who didn't understand the basics of the crew members onboard. I didn't feel inclined to like or trust him at all at first, and then I did trust him a little, but then I came to hate him. We'll get to that soon.

Hoshio knew who he was, of course. He would have been the chairman of Nergal if he hadn't died, and his younger brother took up the inheritance for the company. Admiral Munetake was part of the military, not Nergal, but both the United Earth Forces and Nergal cooperated with each other at one point. The one comment Hoshio made at that time was:

"Munetake? Couldn't they have found somebody more capable?"

I stole a glance at Gai, who was shooting daggers at Munetake through his eyes. I had never seen him so angry before, so I asked him what was wrong.

"He was the one who tried to stop us from going to Mars at first," Gai growled. "Is Nergal insane?"

"Oi, I missed a lot," I murmured, but I wasn't the only one. Izumi-chan, Ryoko, and Hikaru didn't know what to make out of Munetake either.

Well, such is that.

"Damn, well, I guess it won't be as bad," Gai finally muttered as he walked away from everybody. "I'll see you later then, Ken."

"Eh?" I asked as my head followed his direction. "Er, sure..." I turned to Hoshio. "Do you know about anything Gai just said?"

Hoshio nodded. "Yes, but I don't think now is the time--" He stopped just as everybody was dispersing to go do their own thing. "--well, what do you know? I guess now is a pretty good time."

I sighed. "It's not like they can hear us, Hoshio."

"You're right. We should probably get to a more comfortable place, though."

"A more comfortable place?"

"Somewhere where we won't be distracted by the mortals," Hoshio explained. "And someplace where we can sit down without the fear of someone sitting down on us."

I stared at him for a moment, wondering where on this ship we can find such a place. Hardly any room was ever desolate, especially with over two hundred crew members onboard, except for...

"Your brother's room?"

"He isn't planning on going back for a while," said Hoshio with a faint smile. "Shall we?"

I nodded and followed him to Nagare-kun's room, staying silent as we walked. It wasn't any business of mine to butt into Hoshio's private life before and after he died, and since he probably was dead for only a bit of a longer time than I had been, he had more experience. Besides, it's rude to ask how somebody died, and it was generally respected to not ask about each other's purposes.

When we reached Hoshio's little brother's room, the door was luckily unlocked. Hoshio reassured me that there were some things Nagare-kun had to attend to before he retired for the night, so we had plenty of time to chat.

So we did, starting with Munetake.

"What did Gai mean when he complained about Munetake stopping them from going to Mars at first?" I asked.

"Nergal wanted to check for any survivors on Mars," Hoshio explained. "The military wanted to protect Earth, and could care less about Mars. So, we launched the Nadesico with her new crew, and they were off to go to the Red Planet.

"Or so we thought. The military tried to stop the Nadesico for leaving at first, completely infringing on our agreements. Munetake, apparently, was a part of the operation. It failed, of course. Their operation."

"I take it Gai was alive at that time?"

"Yes, Daigoji-san was very much alive," said Hoshio. "I even knew when he died, but I was a bit surprised upon meeting him that he was still around on the ship. I expected that he would move on to Meifu (2) or would have gotten reincarnated or even been somewhere else on the living plane. I didn't expect him to stay around on the Nadesico."

"We all have our own reasons," I said.

"That is true."

"Did anything else happen before the three female pilots come onboard? I came on when they did," I explained.

"The Nadesico breached through the Big Barrier, with the help of the two pilots on the ship. I knew Daigoji-san was one of them, but I was a little surprised to hear about the cook, Tenkawa-san, being the other. A lot of things happened, Hamaguchi-sama," Hoshio said conclusively.

I twitched. "It's KENICHI, Hoshio, KENICHI."

"You don't seem to be curious as to how I know all of these things," Hoshio said, smiling. "You aren't asking."

"It's your private life."

"We're dead, Hamaguchi-sama. I have nothing to hide."

"It's KENICHI. And if you want me to know, why don't you just tell me? Or do you want me to ask?" Hoshio laughed, and I knew that he refused to have it any other way. "Okay, okay. How do you know all of these things, Great Akatsuki-san?"

That's when he told me about his family's position in Nergal, but nothing more. Meaning, I didn't get his purpose out of it or how he died, but I figured that something like that was still touchy for him to talk about.

I hazarded several guesses as to what Hoshio's purpose was, but I dared not to ask him.

Of course, Hoshio changed the subject at that point, so I guess even if I wanted to, I couldn't.

"You know why Daigoji-san was chosen as part of the crew of the Nadesico?" Hoshio asked. I shook my head. "He was the top pilot in his class. Actually, everybody was chosen because they were the best of the best, though I wondered how Tenkawa-san managed to get onboard without having to go through training of any sort."

"The top pilot..." I murmured. "Would you say that he was better than the three girls?"

"He was on the same level."

"Ah. You know," I continued thoughtfully, "I wonder how they would have gotten along with Gai if he never died..."

"Say," Hoshio mused mischievously. "Did you know that Gai Daigoji isn't even his real name?"

"Eh?"

Throughout the entire meeting where Munetake explained the rescue mission, Gai kept studying him intently. I was curious about his thoughts, but I wanted to stay out of the way of them so even the spirits could hear the briefing as well. It would be better, since we all somehow followed the pilots out into battle all of the time.

Later, in the lounge, when the four pilots and Uribatake were sitting around, I found my chance to talk to Gai. Since I hadn't seen him the night before, I decided to do a bit of teasing.

I couldn't keep myself from smirking when I addressed him, "Hey, Jiro, what is your problem with Admiral Munetake?"

Gai twitched. "Jiro?"

"Isn't that your real name? Jiro Yamada?"

"It's Gai Daigoji," he snarled.

I still wonder to this day what kept me from bursting out in laughter. "But Hoshio tells me differently--"

"What the hell does Akatsuki know?!"

"His brother is the chairman of Nergal... or have you forgotten? He knows everything."

"My name is GAI DAIGOJI."

That's when I broke into laughter. "Okay, okay. I just had to tease you about that for a moment." Gai glared at me. "But, really, what is your problem with the admiral?"

Gai turned away. "Munetake and his men were prisoners at one point onboard the ship."

I blinked. That was something Hoshio neglected to tell me, or did he not know either? "Really? When?"

"Ever since we defied the military's orders to hand over the Nadesico," he explained, "until right after we purged through the Big Barrier."

"Oh," I said. "That's it?"

"They escaped the night I died," he said. "I remembered when Won-san was talking to Akito. I was in the hangar... and I was shot... by one of Munetake's men as they escaped."

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh. I... I see."

That was when the Hoshio and Nagare-kun walked into the lounge. Nagare-kun asked for Tenkawa-kun, and Hoshio approached Gai and me with a soft smile.

"So, what have you two been up to?" he asked.

"Talking, being bored," I answered with a wave of my hand. "I just wish we'd hurry up and get to the Bering Strait already."

"Don't we all?" Hoshio answered. "Ah, Yamada-san, how have you been lately?"

Gai pounded on the table, the noise only audible to Hoshio and me. "Oi! How much do you know about my private life, you bastard?!"

"Up until the point when you died," Hoshio answered innocently. "You know, that hot chocolate smells delicious. I hadn't had any in about ten years or so..."

"Don't ignore me!"

"Up until the point when he died?" I asked. "So... you knew how he died?"

"Shot in the hangar by Munetake's men? Of course. The report came not only to the military but to Nergal as well," Hoshio explained. "Of course I knew."

"So why didn't you tell me?"

"You never asked."

I fell silent to that, and Gai continued to boil with rage.

From that moment on, I always continued to become very amused by Gai's outbursts towards Hoshio and Hoshio reacting only very calmly to them. I had never felt the urge to break the two up.

Except during that first time, I found myself lost in thought.

Why was Gai still on the Nadesico? Why did he start to act so strangely when Munetake first came onboard?

Did Munetake have something to do with his 'purpose'?

Of course, I dared not to ask, because if Gai knew what his purpose was, he would go about it in his own way. The problem was that I didn't know that he didn't know what his purpose was, and that I was soon to be a key in helping him discover it.

Believe it or not, when Christmastime rolled around, everybody's lives were all of a sudden busy. For the first couple of hours of the day, Hoshio had gone off to do his own thing (his brother was holding a Christmas party, and for some reason I guess Hoshio wanted to be there), and Gai wandered the ship for a while. I stayed with Tenkawa-kun for a while, and that was when I found something else to tease Gai about.

Yeah, for the entire few months I counterattacked Gai's calling me 'Ken' with my calling him 'Jiro'. It was to be an argument we would share until after he disappeared for the, er, second to last time.

And I mean no offense by this anecdote. Just as a forewarning.

I found him in the cafeteria with the gathering of the cooks and the pilots and the Captain, idly listening to their conversation. With a smirk, I approached him, deciding to be subtly sly with my approach.

"Hey, Gai!" I said with a wave. He looked at me and grinned weakly, nodding in response. "Guess what I was doing in Tenkawa-kun's room."

He blinked. "Eh?"

"Guess."

"I'm afraid to ask, much less guess," he said, glaring at me. "You came on with Ryoko, Izumi, and Hikaru, didn't you? You were close friends with them, weren't you? You've been hanging out too much with Hikaru and--"

I knew exactly what he meant, and my amusement was slowly wearing away. "It's nothing at ALL perverted like that, you moron." With that, I promptly punched him in the jaw. He whimpered and muttered obscenities. I sighed. "I watched about five or six episodes of Gekigangar."

Gai piped up. "Really? What did you think of it?"

"Well..." I started hesitantly, mischievously. "I do happen to agree with you. I do fit the part of Ken remarkably well."

"Oh?" Gai asked, arching a brow.

I nodded. "Actually, all three of us have designated parts. I'm Ken, Hoshio is Tetsuo, and you... are Akira."

Gai twitched. "What. Was. That?"

I smirked. "Come on, Akira is rather obnoxious, which... explains most of your personality. He has a bit of an obsessive side, like you. He can be serious every once in a while, but other than that..."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL HERE?!" Gai snapped. It's amazing how I didn't react accordingly. I think Hoshio was starting to rub off on me at that point, for I stayed in the same place, smiling calmly and coolly.

"What would I be trying to pull?" I asked, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Hoshio approach us. Finally. "Oh, Hoshio! Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you, too, Hamaguchi-sama!" Hoshio replied. "And you, Daigoji-san."

"Merry Christmas," Gai muttered, very much annoyed.

Hoshio blinked. "What's wrong with him?"

"Oh, I don't think he likes me watching Gekigangar," I explained. "I just got out of Tenkawa-kun's room, and I saw a few episodes of it."

"It's a horrible anime. Why were you watching it?" Hoshio asked.

"To tease him."

"Ah."

"And you two are supposedly my friends?!" Gai snapped. I laughed, waving a hand.

"Oh, but friends are supposed to do this," I said. "We're supposed to tease each other to no end, right, Hoshio?"

Hoshio arched a brow at Gai. "We're friends, Yamada-san?"

"BASTARD!"

"Ah, a Merry Christmas indeed," Hoshio said smugly. And so it continued: Gai screaming his head off and Hoshio counterattacking his every word without breaking a sweat.

I DID tell you that it happened all the time, right? And I DID tell you that I found it too amusing to break them up?

I thought so.

I stopped to think, though, as I studied them bicker back and forth between each other. I came to a conclusion, and decided that getting Gai too upset on Christmas probably wasn't a good idea. It was his first Christmas as a spirit, after all.

"I take it back," I announced. Gai and Hoshio stopped and looked at me, a question mark imprinted on their faces. "Gai, you know, you look more like Ken than you do anybody else... and the way you two act towards each other seems to be a lot like how Tetsuo and Ken are."

"But... you're not Akira?" Gai asked. He knew me all too well.

I shook my head. "Nope."

"Then who...?"

I chuckled. "I would be... Prince Akara!"

The response was how I expected it to be. Hoshio and Gai just looked at me, wide-eyed, for a good ten seconds before Gai said:

"I always knew you were evil."

Hoshio sighed. "Hamaguchi-sama has been corrupted by that anime."

I laughed. I couldn't remember the last time I had nearly that much fun.

The joy was short-lived, however. Tenkawa-kun was to be replaced by a professional pilot, for his will to go into battle was constantly unstable. Megumi-san wanted to go with him... and so did Gai.

"H-hey," I protested when he made the announcement. "What do you mean, you're going with him? Isn't your place here, on the Nadesico?"

Gai smiled wearily. "I have to make sure that Akito stays out of a fair amount of trouble."

"But--"

"It hurts to have to leave this place," said Gai as he looked around the bridge. "But... there isn't much left for me here. I have to go with him."

"But, Gai, wait--"

"Sayounara, Ken." (3)

He left the bridge with Tenkawa-kun and Megumi-san. I was dumbfounded, and I suspect Hoshio was as well. Neither of us said anything until Gai was out of sight.

"We'll see him again," Hoshio murmured from behind me.

I wasn't ready to give up yet. I raced to Tenkawa-kun's room, and Hoshio called to me, trying to stop me for whatever weird reason he may have had. I chose to ignore him.

"Gai, wait a second!" I yelled as I caught up. Gai stopped, but he didn't turn around to look at me.

"Ken, don't try to stop me. I HAVE to go with him. It's not only a choice I made, but because I would feel... fulfilled if I did so. Maybe this is my purpose, having to keep Akito safe."

"Or maybe you just can't stand to be around your murderer," I said before I realized what I was saying. "You can't stand Admiral Munetake, and that's why you're getting off the ship. So you can be as far away from him as possible."

Gai glared at me. "What do you mean, Munetake is my murderer?"

"I-it just slipped," I said. "Don't mean anything about it... but he was there when your murderer killed you, right? I don't know why it came out that way--"

"Just stop it, Ken," Gai hissed, turning away from me. "I-I need to go. Thanks for everything."

"Gai, just hold it for a minute! Tenkawa-kun isn't leaving at this moment!"

"Shut up," he said. He quickened his pace, and I knew at that moment that I could not change his mind.

It was just a slip I made, but I would find later that it was an important one. I didn't believe that Munetake killed Gai until much, much later.

I took a deep breath and jogged to get in front of Gai. He stopped in mid-stride, glaring at me mercilessly.

"Gai..." I murmured. I sighed again, and then I embraced him. "Idiot. You had better take care of yourself. Don't do anything stupid, like getting caught by the Shinigami."

Gai didn't respond for a moment, but when he did, it was nothing out of malice. He returned the hug, and he reassured me with the words, "Thank you. I'll be careful for once."

"Forever, you moron."

Had I known that Hoshio was right, that it wasn't going to be the last time I would see Gai again, I wouldn't have acted so melodramatically. Throughout my many months of being dead, I hadn't allowed myself to get close to anyone. It would always just be a fleeting meeting, or a short-term relationship, or something like that. But Gai managed to break those barriers somehow, and I didn't want to lose him.

Of course, I didn't that time, but Hoshio would confirm this much: for the rest of the day, I was miserable.

It was definitely the worst Christmas in my entire existence.

I think I speak for everybody onboard the Nadesico when I say that. Or most, anyway.

I sat in Izumi-chan's room, nothing on my mind but things that related to Gai. I wondered about how he died, everything that he probably did when he first found out that he was dead, how he lived before he died... and through that I was somehow able to come up with several conclusions for Gai's purpose of still being around that would relate to something that had happened so far. I can't remember them all anymore since I know his true purpose now, which wasn't even HIS purpose, but we'll get to that.

But the one that popped into my head the most frequently was: what if Gai wanted to get revenge on Munetake for taking part in his murder?

And what if he was going to use Tenkawa-kun to do that?

I played around on many of my hypotheses for a while until Hoshio popped into the room.

"Hamaguchi-sama--" he started frantically, and then he paused in front of me. He frowned and stared at me, repeating my name again, "Hamaguchi-sama..."

"Hm?" I asked, staring up at him.

"Why are you singing the theme song for Gekigangar?"

I blinked. What was he talking about? Sure, I was humming, but... "Eh? What do you mean? I wasn't singing the opening song for--oh." That's when it dawned on me. "Oh no. Oh NO."

I moaned and buried my face in my knees. I felt like a complete moron. That painstaking song...!!

"Anyway, Hamaguchi-sama," Hoshio continued, "the pilots have to go into battle now."

"What?" I asked, looking up at him again.

He nodded. "Unless you had no reasons in the past to go out in battle, I suggest we go. But you could stay here if--"

"I'm coming," I said, standing up. "Let's go, let's go."

So that we would not miss the pilots when they took off, Hoshio and I ran to the hangar. We made it there in time to see the pilots climb into their Aestivalis when Hoshio placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't let it bother you," he said softly. I turned to him with a frown.

"What do you mean?"

"Daigoji-san WILL come back. The attachment Tenkawa-san and Daigoji-san both have on the Nadesico is too strong."

I scowled and pulled away from Hoshio. "Would you just leave it be for now? If we don't hurry, those girls are going to launch without us!"

I jogged away and hopped into Izumi-chan's Aestivalis just before the hatch closed. I think that before I left, I might have heard Hoshio mutter something along the lines of, "Last I checked, my little brother wasn't a girl."

He made it into Nagare-kun's Aestivalis just in time, though.

Like I said, I'm no good at describing battles, but I'm sure you know this one pretty well. After all, it was your robot that came to Earth that day, wasn't it, Tsukumo? Well, we both know what happened, so it would be useless for me to describe it all, wouldn't it?

But that battle was important.

And you know what? About the style your mecha was in...

Argh, never mind.

In the midst of battle, Izumi-chan caught something from the corner of her eye and turned her full attention to that. "Hey, is that..." she began as she inspected closer.

I was irritated that she was letting her mind wander from the situation at hand, but I was also curious as to what it was that had ceased her attention. I looked, and there was Tenkawa-kun, running to the edge of a battered building with a silver metal briefcase under his arm. The pilots wondered what he was doing; I wondered where the hell was Gai.

I couldn't find him anywhere.

"That idiot!" I hissed. "He got caught!"

Japan has the best Shinigami system in the entire world, and I don't know how they do it, they always managed to locate and direct wandering spirits to the "correct" path. I was absolutely certain that Gai had gotten caught... until I noticed him frantically trying to catch up to Tenkawa-kun.

I sighed out of relief. "Scared me there for a moment," I muttered.

That feeling wouldn't last.

Tenkawa-kun threw the briefcase toward the, er, your friend's--Gen Ichiro?--mecha, and these blue jewels sprang out and attached to the bubble-shield Gen Ichiro had created. A warp hole, or something like it, tore through the air, and the robot and Tenkawa-kun flew through it.

I sat in the cockpit, astounded by what had just happened. I didn't snap out of it until Hoshio screamed out to me on the voice communicator:

"Hamaguchi-sama! Daigoji-san is--"

"Eh?" I turned to where Gai was standing... and he vanished. Not like Tenkawa-kun had, but rather, it was like he just faded out of existence.

I gasped.

When the Aestivalis returned to the Nadesico, everybody assumed that Tenkawa-kun was dead. You would think that with that in mind, it would have clicked that Gai's 'purpose' had nothing to do with Munetake, but like I said, I'm a complete moron. I thought that with Tenkawa-kun gone, Gai no longer had a purpose and just vanished because he might have tried to use Tenkawa-kun to get back at Munetake for his death. Or, if the worst came, Gai really HAD been caught by the Shinigami, and he had become a Shinigami himself.

Luckily, it wasn't the case.

Shortly thereafter, we learned that Tenkawa-kun--along with Gai--had "boson jumped" to the Moon of two weeks prior.

And Gai was with him.

The Nadesico steamed towards the Moon to pick up Tenkawa-kun, and Hoshio could only gloat.

"I TOLD you that those two would be coming back."

I smiled. "Shut up."

On our journey to the Moon, a high security alert was called: there was an intruder in the ship. Hoshio and I were not entirely concerned with it; as long as Hoshio's brother and Izumi-chan were secure somewhere, we didn't have much to worry about. After all, they are alive and can take care of themselves; we were dead and couldn't save them from harm even if we did turn 'poltergeist'. So, Hoshio and I did the next best thing: walk around and talk.

"Hamaguchi-sama, I was just wondering--"

"Yeah?"

"Daigoji-san and you both have a pretty good idea what I'm still doing here on the living plane," he said slowly and hesitantly. "And we both are getting a clearer and clearer view as to what Daigoji-san's reason is..."

I sighed. "It's not that clear, Hoshio. At least not to me. If he is inclined to follow Tenkawa-kun around, and if his murderer is on this ship, wouldn't it make more sense if he was around to get revenge or something? But if he's following Tenkawa-kun around..."

"It could be both," said Hoshio. "But I digress. Neither Daigoji-san nor myself knows your reason for still being around on the living plane. I am not trying to get any answers out of you, but this isn't just a simple observation that I'm making. You said you came on with the three women pilots, did you not?"

"I did."

"That's all we know."

I sighed again. "That's all you need to know, Hoshio. You didn't need to tell me what your position in Nergal would have been or anything else of the sort. And you didn't need to tell me that you were related to--"

"You asked. I answered."

"Oh," I said, laughing uncertainly. "That's right."

"So, who were you closest to? It doesn't seem like you're related to any of the pilots, not by your last name, at least," said Hoshio. "You could be cousins, but..."

"I'm not related," I said.

"Who were you closest to, though? Subaru-san? Maki-san? Amano-san?" I didn't answer. "Hamaguchi-sama..."

"I wasn't related," I repeated. "But I would have been if circumstances... had been different. I was--no, I AM in love with one of them."

"But who...?"

"I would figure that you would know by now, what with all the battles we have been going into," I said with a smile. I looked ahead, and heading towards us were Megumi-san and Minato. They were pushing a laundry basket along.

"I'm sure they heard the security alert," Hoshio muttered.

I shrugged. "Let them be. Look, here comes Hory-san."

Just as we were about to pass them, a man hopped out of the laundry basket wielding a gun, pointed straight at Hory-san. Hoshio and I stopped dead in our tracks (pun not intended) and stared at him before he was pounced on by security guards.

"GAI?!"

"Daigoji-san?"

Now you have a pretty good idea as to what Gai looked like. He looked a whole lot like you, Tsukumo, which is why Hoshio and I mistook you for Gai at first despite his being dead and your being alive at the time. Yes, it was you we saw pop out of that laundry basket. Did you think otherwise?

I knew that you weren't Gai. I knew it, and I kept repeating to myself that you weren't, but that didn't stop me from trying to catch your attention.

Ah, yes, now you know the real reason why you weren't very comfortable in that room that day. Er, sorry about that.

During the entire time the rest of the crew inspected and interrogated you, I tried to grab your attention. I guess I might have been in denial of some sort, but I don't know what it was. Maybe I just couldn't believe that there was somebody else who had the same exact looks as Ken from Gekigangar, or maybe Hoshio was right. I did miss Gai profusely. But whatever it was, it propelled me to get you talking to me, not the mortals.

I even smacked you a couple of times, or rather, I tried to. My hand flew right through your head several times, and it made me even more frustrated. Before I could try for a third time, not that it would have helped anyway, Hoshio pulled me back and told me that you were not Gai.

I hissed at him, "I KNOW that!"

"Then why are you trying to grab that man's attention?"

"Because!" I protested. "Because! Because... I... don't... know. I don't know."

Hoshio sighed. "I thought you had more logic than that, Hamaguchi-sama. Maybe it's perhaps you miss Daigoji-san a lot?"

"I don't think it's anything like that. He only left just a couple of days ago," I growled. I caught a glimpse of you leaving the room with Nagare-kun, and I followed. "Come on."

"Wait, Hamaguchi-sama," Hoshio called as he grabbed my shoulder. I stopped and turned around angrily. "It's not Daigoji-san, but the intruder everybody was looking for. We're almost to the Moon; we'll see Daigoji-san then."

I pulled away. "Even so, I'm really curious about this guy."

I ran after you and Nagare-kun. I didn't care whether or not Hoshio followed, but he did eventually.

Remember what Nagare-kun said to you just as he was getting ready to shoot you?

"It would be better if everybody continued to believe that the Jovians are inhuman monsters," he said. "So inconvenient for you to show up now, just as everybody was getting all pumped up about the war."

I gaped. I didn't understand what he meant when he said that, but Hoshio told me right then and there a fraction of the truth.

"Hamaguchi-sama, the Jovians are really humans."

"What?" I asked as I turned to him. He looked away, not wanting to meet my eyes. I frowned. "Hoshio..."

"They're humans. Not lizards," he repeated spitefully.

"What?" I asked again, this time out of confusion. Hoshio was not acting like himself, and I was to find out why less than a couple of days later.

That's when Nagare-kun got knocked out by Minato and Megumi-san.

After you shot Aoi-san in the leg and ran off with the two girls, Hoshio and I just stood in the corridor. The only thing I could say after the hectic events was:

"Yare, yare." (4)

When Tenkawa-kun finally came back onboard the Nadesico, I had been in the hangar, trying to get answers out of Hoshio for the truth about the Jovians before the Hinagiku took off. My attention had briefly been diverted by the reappearance of Gai, but since everything was so frantic there was no time for sentiments. As Tenkawa-kun asked around for the news as to what was going on, Gai and I had a brief conversation.

"Oi, Gai!" I called, waving him over to the door of the Hinagiku.

Hoshio muttered as Gai ran towards us, "I don't think he needs to know."

Gai was the first one to speak. "Ken, the Jovians... they're human!"

I nodded as Hoshio widened his eyes. "I know," I answered.

Hoshio must have turned away, for Gai said to him, "What? Do you know something we don't, Hoshio?"

Tenkawa-kun rushed into the Hinagiku, and Hoshio shook his head as he slipped inside.

"Sorry, I can't explain everything right now," he said. "I have to go with my brother now..."

"Wait just a second there!" Gai yelled as he hopped in as the Hinagiku ignited her engines. Before the ship could take off, I ran back to the interior of the ship before the doors locked. Like I said, spirits, ironically, need to breathe and can survive no better than humans could in a vacuum.

Besides, Izumi-chan was not going with Ryoko and Nagare-kun. I had to stay behind, for I couldn't stray too far from her.

Yes, Tsukumo, everybody on Earth thought you guys were lizard-like aliens at first. We never expected for the Jovians to be humans, and while that was a surprise for a few of us, the history of your people is what upset people--dead and not--the most.

I didn't have to wait for them to come back, though. Luckily. Or unluckily, however you want to see it. They had gone out to recapture you and bring back Megumi-san and Minato, but they failed in doing so, as you already know. You know, it's getting harder and harder to tell a story when I get to the parts about you and things that you already knew about.

Something happened onboard the Hinagiku, though, that left Gai and even Hoshio very upset. Apparently, you looked so much like Gai that everybody thought that you really were Gai.

Gai came off of the tiny diplomatic ship in a rampage. "How could they even THINK that I would do something like that?" he hissed. "Why would I fake my own death?!"

"What?" I asked as Gai walked past me, but stopped when his back was fully turned away from me. Hoshio approached me, a scowl on his face. "Hoshio, what--"

"The crew speaks ill of the dead," said Hoshio. Tenkawa-kun stormed past. "It seems as if Tenkawa-kun agrees as well."

"It's because he's the only one on this entire ship with any sense," Gai snarled. He sobered when he said, "And... he was there when I died... he knows better than anybody... that I really am dead." He turned to Hoshio and me and smiled weakly. "It is a good feeling to know that you've got a friend, especially when nobody else trusts you even after you've passed on."

I laughed a little. "That sounds like something out of an anime," I joked.

"Actually, it was a quote from Gekigangar," Gai informed me. My eyebrow twitched.

"Even in a time like this..." I growled.

Hoshio broke out into a jolly guffaw, and the tension was broken. Amazingly how laughter can stop anguish, even for a short while. He meant to laugh, of course; he really wasn't amused. But what can I say? There was so much going on and the stress was weighing heavily against even us spirits. I didn't think of it as anything odd, and I still don't. I smiled and let the two of them break away from their anger, hatred, and depression.

"Say, Hamaguchi-sama," said Hoshio. "You didn't go with us on the Hinagiku. So the person you were in love with has to be either Amano-san or Maki-san, right?"

"What?" Gai asked.

I smiled painfully softly. "Either one of the two, yes."

And Tsukumo, if you can't guess by now which one it is, you really aren't as smart as I give you credit for.

The tension was only relieved for a short while though. Somehow, somebody--and I'll bet my life savings that it was Ruri-san--hacked into someone's private chambers to get a conversation out to the entire crew of the Nadesico. It was a conversation with Erina Won-san, Munetake, and Hoshio's little brother Nagare-kun. To say the least, Hoshio looked very nervous during the entire conversation about the truth of the Jovians.

And he continued to be so even after the truth had completely been revealed.

Gai was able to read Hoshio quicker than I could turn to him to ask him what was wrong. Let's just say that Gai wasn't as upset over the truth of the Jovians as he was that Hoshio--and his brother--had kept the secret from everybody for so long.

This time, the argument was one-sided, violent, and anything but amusing.

Gai threw a punch at Hoshio. "You BASTARD!" he screamed. Hoshio fell backwards, his head hitting against the wall. If he wasn't already dead, it probably would have been fatal. "You KNEW! You knew, and you never told us?! You and your brother both!"

Hoshio said nothing and stood up with his face glaring at the ground. Gai continued.

"Even though we're dead... even though we can't tell the living the truth... as our friend you should have told us!" he snarled. "Friends don't keep any secrets from each other!"

It's funny how most people would be hypocritical when they say that, but Gai always made sure that he practiced what he preached. He kept nothing from us unless the timing wasn't right to tell, or if he just plain forgot.

"I... I am sorry," Hoshio managed to say.

Gai didn't accept it. "The highest ranking officers of the military... and important people of Nergal... all knew... and you were one of them!"

"Gai, quit it. Now," I said. He ignored me, and just as he raised a fist, I grabbed his wrist and made him look at me. "What is up with you? You don't seem to be the person who would strike anybody."

"I can't stand for people breaking the code of friendship," he said. "The golden rule: never keep secrets from them!"

I bit my lip. "He probably didn't tell us either for our own good or because it was not important at any given time he could have told us."

"You're defending him?"

"He is a friend, isn't he?"

Gai's scowl darkened. "Or maybe you knew as well and chose not to tell me. Wasn't HE the one who told you that the Jovians were human?"

"He told me when his little brother said something about it out loud and I happened to be there," I answered. "I didn't know about this. And I'm not redeeming the Jovians as good guys, nor am I calling them bad guys. They're just human. This is no movie or science fiction novel... this is no anime, Gai!"

"Hamaguchi-sama didn't know," Hoshio said quietly. "I apologize. I just thought... that if the rest of the crew didn't know, it would only harm the spirits if they knew. What would you have done if you had known the truth, Daigoji-san?"

Gai fell silent. "There's nothing I could have done," he admitted. "But... it's wrong to keep secrets from your friends... or maybe we really were never friends in the first place."

"Daigoji-san..."

"I need to think this over," said Gai as he pulled away from me. "And... I need to go... to think..."

Gai turned and walked away, leaving Hoshio and me behind. I turned to Hoshio to ask him why he looked so disturbed during the conversation, but he promptly shook his head and walked down another way.

I would have been a whole lot more concerned with the Jovians had it not been for the altercation between Gai and Hoshio.

But I think what really upset Gai the most, in the end, wasn't the fact that Hoshio knew something that we didn't and kept it secret from us, but because it was the first time in his entire life when he truly learned that there were two sides to every story.

Gekigangar only showed one side of the story, and that was the way Gai always thought.

It was not only the Jovians who were corrupt, but I have to say, that was the day when Gai gave up Gekigangar almost forever.

There would be one more time when he would revisit the show that had taught him his morals, raised him, and inspired him throughout his entire life.

Arguments between friends can never bring good results, especially if you are in the middle of it all.

Gai and Hoshio weren't on speaking terms.

They both had a lot to think about.

And I was terribly bored.

I hung around the recreation center, a place that was normally bustling with crew members. It kept me entertained for some portion of my day when both Gai and Hoshio were off during their own thing, but everybody was in counseling sessions with Fressange-san, so there were only a couple of mechanics in there. Guess what they were talking about?

The war. What else?

I didn't want to hear about it. So we were fighting humans. So I was killed by other humans. So this is just a normal war. So what? Those were my feelings. Then again, I had a lot more that I was worried about.

I got bored enough that I decided to see what everybody had to talk to Fressange-san about, but Gai walked into the room just as I stood from the table.

"Oh, Gai," I said. What was he doing here? "What's wrong?"

"Ken," he said as he approached me. "I need to talk to... somebody about this. And since you're one of my closest friends, well..."

I sighed. "I understand. Sit."

We both sat at the table. Three out of four of the chairs had already been pulled out, and Gai chose to sit in the one just across from me. We didn't speak for a while, and I let Gai have his time to think and gather his words together to create a coherent sentence. He sighed heavily, and then spoke.

"The admiral... Admiral Munetake..." Gai started slowly. "He's about to get demoted."

"What? How did you find out?"

"Ever since... you know... I had too much time to think, so I decided to, well, spy on him," he explained. "It was wrong of me, I know. Don't bug me about it. But I was curious. Remember back during Christmas? When I decided to leave this ship? Remember what you said to me?"

"I tried to convince you not to go, and when I saw that you couldn't be dissuaded, I told you--"

"About Munetake."

"Oh." I have to admit that I couldn't remember at the time, but Gai refreshed my memory for me.

"You said that I needed to get away from my murderer since I couldn't stand him. That was partially true. I couldn't stand him, but I didn't need to get away from him. And then... you said his name. Munetake. That's when my full memory returned about the night I died."

"Eh?"

"When I first realized that I was dead, I was in complete denial," he explained. "I didn't want to believe it, and at first, I hoped that I had been critically wounded in battle or something. The last thing I could remember up until that point was the battle Akito and I fought as the Nadesico breached through the Big Barrier. And then the three girls came onboard.

"When the Captain told them that I was shot in the hangar the night before, I remembered some more. I remembered being in the hangar... er..." He blushed and coughed. "I was in the hangar. A group of men were running past, and a shot rang out, and I collapsed. I was knocked unconscious... indefinitely, as it would turn out.

"And then Won-san and Nagare became a part of the crew. When Won-san was talking to Akito, I remembered that Munetake and his men had been POWs, and they were the ones who escaped. It wasn't until Christmas when you made that 'slip' did I remember the details, the small and trite details that I would never have remembered if you hadn't suggested it.

"I saw his face. I didn't know what was to come, so I had no vow to remember it, and it was only for a split second, which is probably why I didn't know," Gai concluded. He smiled weakly. "Maybe this is my 'purpose', Ken. Maybe I am supposed to do something about Munetake. But... I can't help but to feel... somewhat sorry for him. You had to be there, Ken."

I frowned. "So you don't know what your purpose is?"

Gai shook his head. "I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I did. How important are our purposes, anyway?"

"Not as important as you would think," I said, "but not as trivial as you would hope it to be."

He laughed. "So if I had truly died a hero's death... if I had died protecting the people I cared about... would I have not come back?"

"That depends on your purpose," I told him. "But... I do agree. If we had died how we wanted, where we wanted, and when we wanted, maybe... we would never have stayed around. I surely wouldn't. She would have had a promise to keep."

"What?"

I smiled. "I never told you how I died, did I? I had signed a draft form as soon as I graduated high school... I thought it was required or something. I didn't know that it was only required for Americans. Funny how everything works out. When the Jovians first attacked Mars, I was called into battle immediately. Even then, the military was focused on having its best fighters stay to defend the Earth.

"I was in the Second Battle of Mars. The only other battle after the first. The entire fleet was wiped out. I know I wouldn't have made a difference if I had been on the bridge firing away, and I would still be around even if I had been. I had a very high fever for about four days. The fifth day, I was getting better... and then a blast hit the ship I was assigned to. I wasn't exactly killed in battle, though my death certificate says so."

"But if that's the case, what are you doing on the Nadesico?" Gai asked. "Could it because you think you failed or... or... wait. Is it true, that you are in love with one of the three girls?"

I nodded. "It's because of her that I am on this ship."

Gai stared at me for a while. He then sighed and said, "You must really love her, if you're following her around like this and for so long."

I shook my head. "It's because my purpose hasn't been fulfilled yet."

Gai left to do some more thinking, and I was left pondering as well. Gai's purpose for being around on the mortal plane still always concerned me, and now that Gai was getting closer and closer to figuring it out, I figured that it was time to fit all of the pieces together.

I knew that I would miss Gai when he left, but I couldn't be selfish. As much as it hurt, I couldn't be selfish.

This was exactly what I was afraid of during death: getting too close and personal with someone. Becoming friends with somebody. Like Gai said, it was good to know that you had friends, but when you're dead, it's absolutely useless.

At the same time, though, I think it's the one thing everybody needs. A friend, no matter what the situation.

This isn't a good time to be getting philosophical and nostalgic. I apologize.

Gai suspected that his purpose was to do something about his murderer, Munetake. If that was the case, then my belief that he was going to use Tenkawa-kun to do that something had been irrationally confirmed. It wasn't true, just so you know. Gai had no desire to use Tenkawa-kun, it's just that Tenkawa-kun was the only person left alive for Gai to get attached to. I came to that conclusion just as I bumped into Hoshio in the hallway.

"Ha-hamaguchi-sama," Hoshio sputtered. "Sorry, I wasn't looking where--"

"You were," I said, smiling. "I wasn't paying attention. Lost in thought."

Hoshio's face cringed with discomfort. "The Jovians?"

I shook my head. "That's the last thing I'm worried about."

"I-I am sorry for never telling--"

"Don't be. You had your reasons."

"... and Daigoji-san?"

"He doesn't seem to be horribly upset with you at the moment, but that's only because he thinks he found his purpose," I explained. "He thinks he has to do something about Munetake, his murderer. I think there's something more. Revenge, perhaps? But I wonder why he followed Tenkawa-kun around instead of Munetake..."

Hoshio frowned. "Daigoji-san doesn't seem to be the type to seek for revenge. He's too much like the main character from Gekigangar. I haven't seen enough episodes to fully judge. I've only seen one or two. But... the main character refused to hold grudges for too long, in the episodes I've seen."

"I guess that makes better sense," I said with a sigh. "Gai said that he felt sorry for Munetake. He's about to get demoted."

Hoshio cringed. "I see."

I shook my head. "But I still wonder why Gai followed Tenkawa-kun around instead of Munetake... it's probably because they were so close."

"Daigoji-san was orphaned at a young age. His older brother and parents were killed in a car accident. I'm sure it only makes sense if he stuck around because he and Tenkawa-san were such close friends."

I blinked. "How much of Gai's personal life DO you know?"

"Too much," Hoshio said, smiling mournfully. "It's bored down at the Nergal headquarters, you know. I learned an extensive amount of information on Tenkawa-san and Daigoji-san before Nagare-kun decided to come onboard the Nadesico."

"Oh," I said.

"But... like I was saying, Daigoji-san doesn't seem to be the vengeful type. He's more righteous than anything else," Hoshio said. "I know how fans of Gekigangar are. They believe in justice and freedom. Good always prevails. I used to think that it was absolutely nauseating, but I think it may be a part of Daigoji-san's purpose."

"You mean," I asked, "you think that Gai has to forgive Munetake?"

"I believe that it his purpose. He needs to find it within his heart to understand and forgive the admiral."

I smiled. "I guess step one has already been completed."

Hoshio seemed to be right. Only a couple of days later, Munetake seemed to have gone completely nuts. I never had a chance to talk to Gai about Hoshio's and my hypotheses about his purpose, but he figured it out for himself.

"Ken, um, well..." Gai started awkwardly. He refused to look at me. "I... I know what I have to do. I need to redeem him. I have to do it... I know enough about him now to do it."

"Gai..." I whispered. "I understand. It's your purpose, right?"

He nodded. "Thank you, Ken, for everything you have done for me.'

I smiled. "It's Kenichi, you dolt."

Gai laughed.

"Take care of yourself, Daigoji-san," said Hoshio as he approached. Gai stared at him, and Hoshio backed away a little. "I'm sorry--"

"Don't be. I am the one who has to apologize. I didn't understand, but..." Gai beamed. "I'm sorry, Hoshio, for everything I have done to you."

"Odd replacement of words," I noted softly.

Gai turned to face the both of us. "Thank you, both."

He turned and ran to the hangar, and Hoshio and I glanced at each other, a moment of mischief crossing both of our faces. Together, we turned back and yelled just as Gai was about to turn the corner.

"Take care, Jiro!"

"Make sure you stay healthy, Yamada-san!"

He stopped in mid-stride and glared at us, and we laughed and waved. Gai's features softened, and he ran off to catch up with Munetake.

In the end, if it wasn't for Gai, the Cosmos probably would have been destroyed.

But the mode of transportation that he chose to redeem Munetake...!!

~ * ~

"Of course, that wasn't going to be the last time I saw Gai," I conclude. "But I really don't think you would want to hear the next part..."

Tsukumo smiles weakly. "It's not a question of whether I want to hear it, Kenichi. It's a matter of whether you want to tell me it."

"It's full of angst," I warn. "I don't really care if I have to tell it or not, but if you want to get depressed... oh, wait. It's more full of romance than it is anything else."

"I won't mind."

"So you do want to hear it?"

"It would be nice to hear the rest of the story," says Tsukumo. "After all, forgiving his murderer wasn't his purpose on becoming a spirit, was it? If it wasn't the last time you would see Daigoji-san again?"

"You're right. He had a completely different reason all together... or, rather, his purpose wasn't exactly 'his' purpose. If it wasn't for Tenkawa-kun, Gai would have either been reincarnated or sent to Heaven immediately after he had died.

"It was the time that I learned that spirits do not need their own reason to stay around the mortal plane," I continue. "It was the first time that I felt full empathy for one of my closest friends. It was the also the time when... I realized that my 'purpose' would never get fulfilled..."

Footnotes:

(1) - "Okama" means... I don't know what it means. My mother walked in on episode seventeen one day and saw Munetake freaking out over the Aestivalis Uribatake was making, and she promptly said, "He's okama!" (My mother is Japanese, by the way) I asked her what it meant, but she wouldn't tell me. I thought it was hilarious, though.

(2) - Meifu: the land of the dead.

(3) - "Sayounara" means "goodbye". It's actually a formal goodbye, and since Kenichi and Gai are friends and act and talk casual around each other, it turns into "Farewell" in this context. Oh, and it's NOT "sayonara". The "yo" sound is long. I know my Japanese. ;-)

(4) - "Yare, yare" means "Oh brother" in this context. I like this phrase way too much for my own good...