Chapter Text
The halls of Johoku Hospital were filled with the sounds and shuffling of dozens of patients , some serious ,some mild, many awaiting their turn under the doctor’s lenses while a lucky few having received their diagnosis were either sent on their way back home or onto the next medical procedure they all came together within the space of the cramped corridors of the facility , such was the routine at day in and day out at the institution . Towards the end of the north wing of the hospital however, the situation was a lot different, this was the part of the hospital that housed Emergency Ward 33, the corridor outside this ward was quiet and empty save for a young woman in a dark gray trench coat seated on a bench immediately beside the ward , the woman’s name was Mizuo Nonomiya, a member of the Memory Police ,one of the operational branches of the International Organization known as the Terrestrial Liberation Trust , an organization formed with purpose of combating and protecting people from the threat of Space Beasts, horrifying monsters hailing from the Scorpius Constellation who fed off the terror of sentient beings and consumed their physical bodies as a quick dessert. Mizuo and her colleagues were tasked with the job of tracking down the survivors of Space Beast attacks and erasing their memories of the incident, an attempt to enable them to live their lives peacefully without being haunted by the trauma of encountering the foul creatures and most likely seeing their loved ones fall victim to them , it was for this reason that Mizuo herself joined the Memory Police division, not being one who favored being on the frontlines , this was her way of contributing to the war, of protecting people , to ensure their wellbeing , that was what she convinced herself anyway, yet there was always the lingering feeling of something not being quite right with the whole operation. There was the case of young Riko the little girl who had all memories of her life prior to a Beast attack completely erased and spent months reliving the nightmare of her parents being turned into monsters , the situation at least saw a favorable outcome for all involve in which Mizuo herself played a part in reaching, that was just one case which came to light as it’s symptoms were much too severe for it to be swept aside, how many more of her assignments had had a part of them taken from them, a hole carved in their being forever, all in the name of protecting them. All of these thoughts tugged at her heart daily , they went down with her as she lay down to sleep and followed her up as she rose to another morning , but the past month and a half, there was an interruption to that flow, an interruption that came in the form of a boy and said boy was the one currently housed in Ward 33, “Ren Senjyu”, the Child of Prometheus born out of a genetic experiment who had in turn bonded with the Giant of Light known as Ultraman and fought alongside Night Raiders to defeat the threat of the Space Beasts. Mizuo was given the mission to observe Ren and convey the information to her superiors at TLT, a brief distraction by a fellow covert observer had led to her meeting the target face to face, and the realization that the boy was aware of what she did and what she was there for, and yet he wasn’t turned away but was drawn to her all the more , she in turn was intrigue by the boy, intrigue turned to concern, concern gave way to fondness and fondness culminated in passion, yes love was a strong word she was careful with throwing around but she couldn’t deny it, she was in love with Ren, and it drove her to try and protect him, from her superiors, from other sinister parties who had come into the picture all in spite of not understanding the truth of the situation surrounding him, to aid him in his time of distress and to stand by him even when she found out the truth about him, that his life would be over within the year owing to a genetic flaw in his creation. Ren’s condition was further aggravated by his bonding with the Giant of Light, everytime he manifested the power of the light, it took a toll upon his body and shortened his lifespan , by the time she found out the whole truth about him, he only had mere days left, however there was still a sprinkle of hope in the midst of this impending tragedy which came in the form of “Raphael”, an experimental drug designed specifically to remedy Ren’s condition, and as if the powers that be saw it fit to play with their hopes, the Space Beast Ezmael , one born out of the essence of all previously defeated beasts and thus the strongest one thus far had arrived to attack right as they received word of Raphael’s completion . Ren of course had chosen to go into battle in what was most certainly a suicide mission, and yet in a miracle of miracles , he survived ! And thus they found themselves here now, slowly awaiting whatever fate was in store , it was just before Ren had been admitted that another wrench had been thrown their way, while Raphael was most certainly able to cure Ren under normal circumstances, the abuse his body had taken from his battles as Ultraman raised questions on whether the drug would be able to function to it’s full capacity, the doctors had told Mizuo that at this point it was a 50 -50 chance on whether he would make it. Mizuo sighed as she looked up at the bare walls in front of her, there was word of turmoil brewing back at Fortress Freedom , TLT Japan’s base of operations, the enemy had been amongst them all this while and he had made his move within the space of the day since the last beast attack, Mizuo wasn’t clear on all the details , at this point the war and all it’s implications seemed a world away . The sound of a distant explosion jolted her from her thoughts, it had come from downtown Shinjuku ! Mizuo felt her gut begin to sink, it seemed even as they had tried to get away from the conflict, even if just for a little while, it had come to claim them back into it’s midst, she sunk into her seat , she was never a particularly religious person and only showed up occasionally at her local church whenever she got time off, still she was believer in the divine and would utter a prayer for each and every one of her memory erasure subjects, but if there was ever a time to pray ,she thought, now was it, she closed her eyes and prayed as hard as she could Please , Please , let it all pass ,Lord if You are out there…. If You hear me, Please let it all pass, don’t let it all end like this, no , not like this, not after all that’s happened, please don’t let us all perish like this, her mind then turned back to Ren Oh Lord, please , please spare him, don’t let him die, , he needs to live , we need him to live, I NEED HIM TO LIVE ! …. MIzuo continued on in her prayer , barely noticing even as her eyes began to water.
Ren walked forward amidst his alien surroundings, all around him was an nothing but an ethereal bright light which seemed to go on endlessly, was he in Heaven ? had he passed on and gone into the afterlife ? Ren didn’t know, all he could do was to continue treading on in the hopes of finding out, as he walked on, eventually shapes began to appear up ahead, Ren rushed towards the scene then stopped as he realized what it was, the Giant of Light , Ultraman ! He had bonded with another individual now, Ren gasped as he realized that the person was none other than his good friend Kazuki Komon .
“Komon ” Ren uttered to himself , so you were chosen by the light , he smiled only to notice another figure confronting the giant, it was a Dark Ultraman, similar to the one Ren himself had fought as a Deunamist not too long ago, but far, far more powerful , this was the one behind it all , Ren realized, the one who had been orchestrating everything from the shadows , the one they referred to as” Unknown Hand “ , finally he had made his face known , finally he had decided to take matters into his own hands, his darkness was palpable even from where Ren himself stood, his power felt overwhelming, this abomination could not be allowed to live, he had to be stopped at all costs! Yet against his might , the power of light Komon wielded seemed insufficient, almost insignificant by comparison . Ren watched as the Giant of “Darkness began to beat down on Ultraman , Komon fought back , managing to score a few clean hits of his own in the midst of the scuffle but otherwise found himself outclassed against the onslaught of his opponent. Ren felt the urge to jump into the fray himself , to do something to aid his friend, he fidgeted about knowing that this was all out of his hand now , the battle was Komon’s and the outcome of it was to be determined by him and him alone.
Stand Up Komon ! Ren was startled by a voice that rang out from up ahead, he looked up and saw that another figure had appeared before him, a brooding figure in a dark grey jacket, Ren had never seen the man before but he immediately knew who he was, “Jun Himeya” his predecessor, the second Deunamist,the man who had inherited the light before himself, You had risen from the depths of despair many times before, that had given me the strength to keep fighting, Himeya continued, at this, Komon looked , seemingly staring at Himeya from where he was at , his giant form started glowing with a bright light , as it cleared , he revealed a red and silver form which Ren himself had never seen before, so this must be the form used by Himeya San when he held the light, Ren thought to himself. Using the power granted to him in his current form, Komon charged up his arm with energy, then crossing his arms together, he fired a powerful silvery blue beam of energy at the dark ultraman, initially the beam seemed to overwhelm the fiend, enveloping him in an iridescent blue glow, but it wasn’t long before he burst out of it none the worse for wear and charged towards Komon, a few blows were exchanged between the giants and eventually Komon found himself overwhelmed again . Seeing his friend in danger, Ren decided it was his turn to encourage him, “Don’t Lose Komon ! he cheered,”” because of you, I was able to fight to the end, as Ultraman”, now Komon’s attention seemed to turn to him, staring directly at him , a blue aura descended from above the giant and covered him ,as it cleared it revealed the more familiar form of Junis Blue which Ren himself had utilized. Stretching out his arm, the giant of light conjured an energy bow, reaching toward it, he pulled back upon it as a sword like protrusion emerged from it, this was the Over Arrow Ray Schtrom, an attack Ren himself had used to defeat his final opponent Ezmael, he released the attack towards the dark ultraman who promptly knocked it aside like it was nothing. Ah shit ! Ren thought to himself, even that didn’t work ? he looked over to Himeya who seemed to be fully immersed in the battle, looking back towards the scene, Ren now saw the giant of darkness unleashing a powerful beam of dark energy towards Komon who could do little besides defend against it with a barrier, the situation seemed hopeless, however , at this Ren began to feel something beginning to stir at ground level , a strange yet overwhelming sensation.
It’s hope”: , Himeya began, his eyes still fixed firmly upon the battle, the people have entrusted their hope upon Ultraman, they believe that he will win !
I see, Ren replied, well then, let’s put our hopes upon him too!
As the giant of light continued to shield himself from his opponent’s onslaught, he was again bathed in a bright light, however, this time it emanated with an even stronger intensity, with one last heave, the giant disappeared into an explosion of light and as it cleared, standing before them was an entirely new Ultraman, this one was almost entirely silver in color and bore little resemblance to the forms they had witnessed before this, save for the energy core located on his chest, protruding from his shoulders were what looked like a pair of wing like devices . The dark giant stood stunned, for the first time in the battle, he seemed to begin to show fear.
“This time”, Ren uttered, this time , Ultraman will win ! The dark giant made his move, charging toward the newly incarnated Ultraman in a blind rage, his attack was easily parried and a counter blow sent him reeling back , the giant of light then charged his own attack, his fist covered in flames, he struck the blow upon his opponent’s midsection, sending him flying skyward and even further beyond, whoa ! Ren thought to himself, that’s waaay more power than I could muster during my time as Ultraman. The dark giant continued being propelled by the energy and force of the blow until he had exited Earth’s stratosphere completely , eventually he was able to dissipate the energy and stop himself .
Back on Earth, the Silver Ultraman began to charge his arms with energy, bringing both arms together , he unleashed an exceedingly powerful beam of energy towards the dark giant, at this, the abomination began to charge up a beam of his own , blasting it towards his adversary’s beam The bout was a no contest ! As soon as the beams made contact, the one unleashed by the giant of light overwhelmed the one unleashed by the giant of darkness , making it’s way towards it’s originator and engulfing him in a massive explosion. Ren breathed a sigh of relief, Komon won ! he proclaimed happily toward Himeya, the older man looked back at him , a smile and an acknowledging nod was his only response before they were both surrounded by a blinding light.
Mizuo felt a throbbing on her right forehead as she began to stir, she sat up, slowly adjusting her eyes , Then it hit her! she stood up, looking around in a blind panic, what had transpired since she fell asleep ? Ren, was he still alive ? did the cure work ? what about the city ? had the threat been dealt with ? did they win ? or was it all lost ? was she just moments away from being consumed by the destruction ? so many questions, and she didn’t know where to begin looking for the answers …
“I see you’re finally awake “ , a familiar voice remarked behind her, Mizuo turned around to the sight of Shutou Saya, Head of the Memory Police and her direct superior sitting atop the bench right next to hers, Mizuo felt her gut sink, Sh… Shu… Shutou Sama, she stuttered, I, I, I’m sorry I…I…
“Don’t worry about it”, the older woman got up from her seat, smiling lightly as she did so, a rare occurrence for her , she walked towards Mizuo, handing her a brown paper bag, you should eat something , she informed her charge, you’ve used up a lot of energy over the past three days and you haven’t had a proper meal in all that time.
I , I, I don’t get it, Mizuo replied , what, what’s going on ? what happened out there while I was..
The Battle is over , Saya proclaimed , Ultraman won, the enemy has been annihilated , our efforts are now focused upon the recovery process .
Mizuo felt a wave of relief sweep over her at the revelation , still she struggled to keep her thoughts under control, only after a good minute and a half of staring awkwardly at her superior that she managed to utter a response, I.. I will report back to base as soon as possible , she began, as soon as ..There will be no need for that, Saya cut her off, at least not for the moment. Mizuo paused , a puzzled expression forming on her face.
The Memory Police have been disbanded, Saya explained, the entire city, no I daresay the entire country witnessed the latest battle as it unfolded , the knowledge of Space Beasts and the Giants have now become public, there is no longer the need for the services of our branch.
I, I see , Mizuo looked down upon the floor as she began to wrap her mind around the current situation.
Your status is now as a free agent within TLT, Saya informed, you are to await further instruction with regards to your return to duty, however for the time being, you are temporarily relieved of any commitment towards the organization and anything you do during this time period will not be held against you.
I see, Mizuo nodded her head in understanding.
So then, Saya finished, I have said all that needs to be said , I shall now leave you to your own devices, she began walking towards the exit door, however just as she began to pass by Mizuo, she stopped for a moment, you love him don’t you ? she asked.
Mizuo gasped.
The Prometheus Child, Saya continued, you do bear an affection for him don’t you?
Mizuo opened her mouth to answer, but decided against it and instead just nodded in response.
Then I suggest you go make the most of it, Saya looked toward the younger woman , a smile forming on her face for the second time, I’m sure he won’t be disappointed to see you himself, with that she headed off towards the exit and left.
Mizuo stood still for a few moments , her heart pounding, her breathes heavy, she turned around and headed towards the door of Ward 33.
The world was backdrop of light with shadows dancing across, to Ren, it had been close to half an hour now since he regained his consciousness, he could hear the voices, the doctors and nurses talking to one another in whispers, not quite able to make out their words as of yet but realizing that the conversation most likely revolved around the successful application of the Raphael drug.
Sensing feeling beginning to return to his arms, he steadied himself against his bed , then pushed himself up into a half sitting position , he heard the door to his ward opening as another shadowy figure entered the room .
Ren ? Ren froze as he heard the familiar voice calling his name, he turned to his side to see Mizuo coming into view, her hair was slightly disheveled , her eyes tired and there was the slight scent of sweat mixed in with traces of her perfume , but to Ren , she couldn’t look more beautiful at that moment, “Mizuo, he called out happily, Ren ! she replied, a smile of relief forming upon her face even as her eyes teared up.
Opening his arms, Ren beckoned for her to come over and she ran over , falling onto his arms, the two held each other in a tight embrace, Mizuo weeping subduedly , while Ren placed his face against her shoulder , well , he thought to himself , at least now I’ll get a bit more time to spend with her , he then felt her let go of him as she pushed herself off him slightly , he looked up at her, staring into her eyes for a few seconds, those eyes which he had so admired, which stared straight into the world with sincerity,he then felt her lower her face towards him and placed her lips upon his own. Ren felt his pulse begin to steadily rise , Dang ! he thought to himself, it’s great to be alive !