Chapter 2: Natsu and Aren
22 June 2001
"Mr. Mikoyama"
"Hmm?"
Zene approached Natsuki who was standing in the sun light watering the plants.
"Sir, What is it like to fall in love?"
"Good question Kid"
The tall young man approached the teen as he held his cowboy hat while smoking a cigar.
"When you look at a woman and your wedge shaped grape turns into a sledge hammer"
"When that woman touches you the endorphins burst and you laugh like a dolphin over your premature clarity "
"When you gain her trust shall you smash her crust!", Natsu kept on blabbering his emotions out.
"Ok!", Zene yelled.
"Let me rephrase it"
"How did you meet Miss Clara", Zene questioned.
"Once upon a time"
"I don't have that much time Natsuki!"
"Calm down kid you are not going anywhere with that level of patience"
"Forget it", Zene replied.
"Ok! Hear me out!"
...
The wind slowed it's pace as the clouds hid the glaring sun.
He was like a messiah as the sunlight radiated on top of Natsuki's head and turned him into a light bulb.
"Love is strange kid, You know sometimes it's the easiest and simplest things that are the toughest to explain".
"Women tell us that we change quite often"
"But I think we only change once and that's when our first women leaves us"
"And there is no turning back for men at that point".
Natsuki smoked his last puff before throwing the half burnt cigar away.
"When I was at my lowest I met her"
"I who had experienced false love looked at her, realised that I had found my ZING"
"And yeah, She was indeed my source of happiness"
"If had I not met Aren I would have never been able to handle this"
"Natsuki, Why do you call Miss Clara as Aren?"
"Hmm?"
"To me, Aren is the symbol of love", Natsuki replied.
"Aren, Huh"
***
From Afar an entity watched over them.
He looked down to gaze upon the mortals below.
[So]
[That's why he named her as Aren]
[ It's a pity to look at them for I have no right to interfere anytime soon]
[Your end is near Natsuki Mikoyama]
22 sept 2002
Attention!
Alert! Alert!
Security breach! Evacuate immediately!
Siren*
"Zene Lach" , Natsuki said as he looked calmly amidst the chaos.
"..."
"So, since when where you involved with the 9 Rings?"
"I, My reason remains unchanged for I am a soldier and I simply follow my orders"
"Is this what you have come to become Zene?"
"I used to follow orders but Natsuki I will give you a choice"
"Think of this as me repaying for all the things you have done for me"
"What can you possibly offer now?"
"Natsuki, Miss Clara is pregnant"
Natsuki eyes widened up as he heard the news.
To him, she was everything. Even when his life was endangered he didn't budge an inch.
But, now he was trembling.
He had a purpose now, he had to live to be able to be a father for the child that would be born to this world.
"Tell me Natsuki, I have a way to protect them but you will not live to be a father".
"Or, you could choose to run away to a place known to none but if they find you, then your family will pay the price which you alone would have otherwise".
[Natsuki my memories of you are still the same]
The celestial entity spoke.
[To me no matter which form I looked at, you were the same]
[The ever noble, The one chosen by humanity but also the one punished by destiny]
The entity that never showed emotions was now pitying this mortal being.
"Zene, Promise me!"
"Zene, I must be the only one that has to be sacrificed"
"No matter what, no one not even you shall pay the price"
Zene looked at him, he gazed on this progenitor who was now succumbing to his miserable destiny.
Zene, the man who never experienced emotions was in pain.
"I swear on my honour bestowed upon me by my one and only well wisher"
"I, Zene Lach is willing to sacrifice himself to protect the child"
Boom*
Breaking news*
The Serbian military facility has been attacked.
The group named Nine Rings have been estimated to have killed 78 military personnel.
This includes the missing scientist who had once successfully fled from the Nine Rings back when he was first kidnapped.
This man was captured by the Nine Rings for a second time.
He was...
He was found dead.
With 3 bullets piercing through his chest and eventually killing him with excessive bleeding.
Over to Miss Bronica for the Live update.
"Here, we are with the man who-"
Sigh*
Zene squinted his eyes in pain.
He was trembling as he looked at the large screen broadcasting in time square.
"I must hurry and find them", Zene said as he took a taxi in a wounded state.
"Hospital?", the taxi driver questioned.
"No, Move down the west Street"
"Ok"
Vroom*
"Miss Clara?"
"Zene?"
Zene looked at Miss. Clara who was bedridden after she just gave birth to the baby.
"Is the baby-?"
"Yes, Where is Natsuki?"
"He is still working because the military says it's not safe to leave him yet", Zene answered.
"So, you are telling me he didn't give his daughter a name?"
It was raining heavily and the storm was not showing a sign of calming down.
Zene was drenched in the rain, no one knew whether he cried for Natsuki or not.
For, such was the rain an entity that hid the tears of a man in its own self.
"Aren", Zene replied.
"That's so like Natsu", Miss Clara said.
"He chose that name, huh", Miss Clara added.
(I remember, Mr. Natsuki told me this one day)
("Mr. Natsuki, what would you name your child if you ever had one"
"I would name her as Aren"
"What about a boy?"
"I won't have a boy"
"What?"
"I am only accepting a princess I don't want a second me in this world"
"Woah, that's controversial", Zene replied.
"I don't care I will simply cherish my daughter if I will ever have one")
"To him, Aren meant the symbol of love"
Miss Clara stared at Zene Lach quietly.
"Zene Lach, you may be a famous actor now but I have known you for long enough to know which one is a lie"
"So, What did they do to him?"
"..."
"I see"
Miss. Clara looked out of the window and whispered.
"So, this time you have left the world before me"
"I wish we could have spent a little more time with her"
"Zene"
"Yes Ma'am!"
"Promise me"
"Protect her even when we are gone"
Zene looked at the baby as he held her.
He was reminded of the time when Natsuki told him what love felt like.
Zene Lach shed tears over his unknown feelings.
"I will Ma'am, I will protect her even if I were to die"
"My life, It shall be hers"
"Thank you"
Zene Lach mourned in silence as he witnessed Miss Clara's final breath.
Waah*
Uwaah*
"Calm down, Aren"
"I shall stay by your side forever for that is my purpose in this world".
[He truly fulfilled his promise]
The celestial entity spoke out loud.
[No matter in which world they were he was made to stand by her side. For that was his destiny]
[Maybe the beginning is finally near]
[For my end is finally arriving]
[Thy purpose shall be fulfilled with this final act]
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone