Bonus chapter for the 300 Power Stones.
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Lena didn't know what to do, but her own eyes were watering. - Ringo...
Ringo sighed wearily, this was heavier than he'd expected. - Lena, tell my mother I'm not coming back... not yet. Besides, you two, stop looking for me. You have a life ahead of you, I'm just another passerby in it.
Ringo stood up, looking at the trembling figure with its head bowed, tears already falling to the ground.
His heart ached.
He felt nothing for them, at least nothing in his own words. It was like watching a sad romance novel, you can sympathize with the characters, but you yourself aren't one of them.
The love they both had for Ringo wasn't for him, he himself didn't know them any more than what he saw in their memories.
He patted Lena gently on the head, then walked outside.
Lena watched him leave with watery eyes and tears still falling, inside her heart, indecision ran through her, but soon her eyes became hard as steel.
Two short arms prevented Ringo from continuing. Lena had hugged him from behind, her hands firmly on his chest.
Ringo groaned internally and spoke. - Lena...
-No! - Lena's voice sounded harsh, still tearful, but extremely firm. - I refuse! I won't lose you again! Take me with you!
Ringo frowned. - Lena, it's too dangerous to walk with me, just come home.
-No! Even if you run away, I'll come after you! I'll never stop looking for you! I'm not leaving! If you want to get rid of me, you'd better kill me! - Lena's voice grew firmer and firmer, to the point where she stopped crying, her arms gripping him like steel pincers.
-Lena, please, you know this won't work. I'm still being hunted by Germinal... - Ringo continued. He didn't want to force the girl, he could only glance over his shoulder, sensing that things weren't going as planned.
-I don't care!
-Lena...
-I. Don't. Care! - She almost screamed.
Ringo frowned. He considered knocking her down and leaving directly, but there was a good chance she'd chase him as soon as she woke up. He could try to change her memories, but that would take a few days, and besides, he didn't want to control her mind, especially not like a nightmare, which is very damaging to the mind.
His voice hardened, he gave her a look of cold indifference, and pulled her away. - You're a nuisance, leave me alone.
Lena looked hurt for a moment, but the next moment her eyes became hard again.. - You always were a terrible liar!
Ringo's eyes twitched. Does that mean your lying ability was inherited?
With a weary sigh, he continued. - I really can't take you with me!
-I won't be a burden! I'm already D Grade! - she said hurriedly.
-That's not it! You'll be an obvious target, you might even become a hostage! - Ringo shouted angrily.
-I'm a sniper, I don't need to get close to danger.
-Damn it, woman! Be rational!
-I'm being rational!
The duo stared at each other with angry looks, and Ringo was confused. Lena had never acted like this with him in her dreams, she seemed completely different from her usual self.
-You weren't like that. I expected that from Eva. - Ringo finally ran his hand through his hair and muttered angrily, but more tired than anything else.
Lena was quiet for a moment, her head down, then spoke. - When you left, it broke me, not just me, but Eva and your mother as well.
-Eva and I spent all our time training, the commander became increasingly strict, burying herself in work. She often neglected sleep. I don't think she even slept...- Lena sighed and sat up in bed, speaking with a look of reminiscence.
-Back then, at least we still received news sometimes, spies and agents from Hesla. The commander even sent some to follow you, but then one day, you disappeared for good, no one found you. - Lena's hands clenched as her memories flooded back.
-The following months were hell. We waited for information about you, but nothing. Eva pretended not to care, but she was the one suffering the most, training harder and harder. Everyone thinks she's just talented, but I know how much effort she put in. She started well after me, but she not only caught up to me, but even surpassed me. She trained until her bones cracked, her muscles torn, suffering damage for cuts and bullets daily in combat. - Lena lifted her head and looked at Ringo with hard eyes.
Ringo stopped. That... that was too much, too real, that pain...
-I couldn't stop either, but my focus was different: studying and building, anything to keep my mind occupied. We were both instructed to rest more than once, to the point where the commander knocked us out just so we could rest. But even while I slept, I had frequent nightmares. I hated it.
-Eva too. It was the time we were closest. There had always been a rivalry before, but now it seemed meaningless. It was just the two of us, as if we were leaning on each other. - Lena laughed lightly, not a happy laugh, but a pained laugh, full of history.
-That's when your reward came out, that changed everything, Eva pretended not to care much, but she was the first one who wanted to go after you, we thought you would come back, so we waited, we had hope, the days weren't so heavy anymore, we weren't drowning in... grief anymore, but you didn't come back, so the commander sent us after you. - Lena lowered her head again, using her thumb to caress the knuckles of her other hand.
-For two months, we searched for clues. We both hid it well, acting like it was nothing, but we hoped to find you, so the world wouldn't be gray anymore, wouldn't be painful anymore. - Lena looked at him and gave him a gentle smile.
Ringo watched her with narrowed eyes, a hesitant look. -You... why?
-You know why, Ringo. You always knew, didn't you? But you pretended not to see.- Lena looked at the ceiling with a bitter expression. - I honestly hate that woman. I got there first. Why did you have to fall in love with her? Was it because I moved away? I hated my father for a long time because of that. If I had stayed with you, would our lives have been different? I've always wondered that.
Ringo had a complicated look in his eyes, he didn't even know why the previous Ringo had fallen in love with Emma, until then, he hadn't even known what the hell he was supposed to do with those feelings.
A tired sigh escaped her lips. Why is your life so different from Han Xiao's? Hila and Emma, now Lena and Eva... why does your life feel like a tragic romance plot?
-Sorry. - he managed.
This only made Lena laugh sadly. - I know, you never meant to hurt any of us, it was our own desires that led us here.
Finally, she looked at Ringo with a look somewhere between tired and pained. - Ringo, while I thought you were dead, I thought of many things, many scenarios. I decided that if you were alive, I wouldn't compete anymore.
-Then why...? - Ringo looked confused.
-I won't compete, because I'll accept everything. - Lena finally gave a firm look. - Even if you stay with Emma, I hope you can stay with me too.
-What?! - Ringo was completely confused, scratching his ear with his pinky, thinking he'd misheard. - Are you crazy?
This wasn't a society based on polygamy, of course. There were such societies in the galaxy, but on this planet, polygamy had long been abolished, so Lena's idea wasn't just "tolerant", it went against common sense itself.
At that point, the door opened again, with Eva looking furious and staring at Lena in shock.
Ringo wasn't surprised, he could hear her for a long time, to be blunt, she never really left.
-Lena, are you crazy?! - She yelled at her friend.
Lena shook her head. - No, I've had a lot of time to think about it, I just never really decided, but now that Ringo is about to walk out of my life again... I get it, I can't take it anymore.
-But... - Eva was embarrassed and irritated, but at the same time, there was something else there, envy.
-Besides, he needs to find Emma too. If he never finds her, wouldn't I be the only one? - Lena finally spoke logically.
Eva stood still for a moment, her mind starting to spin and her eyes shining.
Eva looked at Ringo with renewed interest at that moment.
Ringo took a step back, swallowing hard.
Of course, Ringo wasn't opposed to polygamy; he'd already considered it with his situation with Emma and Hila, but the problem was that it would be very difficult to achieve. He already found it difficult to convince Hila to accept Emma. He didn't even know what Emma was really like, so even if Hila denied it, he could try to rid himself of his obsession with Emma. But now two more were coming.
With Hila's personality, the chance of her accepting this is infinitesimally close to 0.
He wanted to run and deny anything. Hell, if it had been a few minutes earlier, he could have run away directly, but after hearing Lena's story and her pain, he stopped.
It wasn't that simple anymore.
He could understand how much these girls liked him, at least the original him.
He could tell the truth, say that the original was already dead, but would they believe him? He doesn't think so; at most, they'd think he was crazy.
So now he can run away, but he won't be able to live with himself because of it. He doesn't understand why the pair like him so much, but if they kill each other because of his escape, can he live with that?
Probably, but he doesn't want to.
He doesn't want to be the reason for their deaths.
"It's not a bad idea, but Lena, why don't you let me keep him?" Eva smiled gently at Lena.
Lena rolled her eyes and gave him an indifferent look. Eva knew Lena well. She clicked her tongue and huffed irritably. "Fine, we can share."
Lena paused for a moment, then nodded.
Ringo's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
"What?" Eva asked, looking at him with disinterested eyes.
"I didn't say I'd accept that." Ringo pointed out the problem.
"We're not asking you," Eva continued, approaching with a hard, fierce look. "Even though Lena said too much, she's right."
Eva spoke, but she didn't point out where Lena was right. She wouldn't say it, her shame would prevent her.
Ringo looked at Eva's figure, staring at him as if she would punch him if he disagreed, and at Lena, still sitting, with a resolute look.
He frowned, unable to understand the duo's mentality. "Why do you like me so much?" He really couldn't understand.
Lena lowered her gaze, a little embarrassed, and Eva looked away, not wanting to look at him.
Neither of them wanted to answer that question.
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--x--
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+10 capítulos de Jugo - Pai dos Demônios em P_treon.
+18 capítulos de O Mecânico Lendário - Triplo Seis em P_treon.
P_treon: Chuva de março