Marko Tenkou Ch.25
Marko aimlessly stared at the ceiling of her room, laying down in her bed as if she was in an eternal trance. Her heart felt like a lump of lead yet empty at the same time.
Her face carried no emotion and her eyes the same. Her whole body felt like stone, unable to move.
What was there to do anyway? It had only been mere hours after she collapsed from breaking down in tears. Tears shed over the lost of a dear ally and defeat from the Betraying Tenkou.
Marko thought of nothing other than regret. She regretted being weak, useless, and felt if she was only stronger, she might have been able to make a difference even if it was slight.
No.
Even if she was stronger, what could she have done? She could barely face death nor bear to commit it. The face of the man she killed appeared in her mind, a constant reminder of her sin.
Despair's cold grip grasped Marko's heart once more. She turned to her sideand let out a tired sigh. Resting wasn't going to heal her mental wounds, so she decided not to sleep.
Her parents allowed her to stay home for today, sensing dread lingering within her. Marko didn't explain to them the reason, or rather she couldn't.
There was no way they would believe she was some sort of magical girl type warrior or that a celestial being needed her help to stop a mad overlord from destroying the world. Marko wished she could cry her feelings out to them like the many times before, but this time was different. She would have to face her problems alone.
Alone?
Marko rose to her feet and begun to walk to her door. She opened it and waltzed towards the door of the attic in the middle of the hallway.
She wasn't alone. There were others who were suffering the same pain as her.
Staring at the door, Marko wondered if it was right to disturb Hero. She knew he was hurting badly, probably moreso than she was. He too needed time to recover from the incident, but she thought it was wrong if he had to bear with it alone.
Marko raised her hand to touch the string, but stopped at once when she heard her phone ringing. Unintentionally, she hurried back to her room and picked up her phone to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Marko."
Marko's eyes widened upon hearing the voice of the caller. It was Titania.
"Oh, hey, Titania."
"I, um, hope I wasn't interrupting you with anything." From her end, Marko could feel a heavy weight in Titania's voice as she spoke.
"No, not at all. Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm doing fine, thanks for your concern."
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Um, yes," Titania paused. After a few seconds, she spoke again. "I know this is a hard request to ask, but... do you mind coming with me to the museum today?"
"The museum?" Marko repeated, confused, "Why do you want to go there?"
"I just..." Titania once again paused to collect her words, "I feel like I need to go there. No, I think we all need to. Umetaro... I mean Sakamoto Ryoma is greatly known in history for what he did for Japan. I feel like we will be honoring him by learning about his history.
"I know this is a lot to ask, but please come with me." Titania's voice strained as if she could cry at any moment. "Please..."
Marko stood in silence. Honestly, she thought it took a lot of strength for Titania to muster to even prepare herself to leave her house.
Not wasting a second further, Marko replied, "Of course, but I'll have to check on Hero first."
"O-Okay. Call me back once you two are ready to leave."
"I will."
Marko pressed the end call button on her phone and placed it back down on her dresser. She then returned to the hallway under the attic door.
Without a second thought, she pulled the string down, the installed staircase dropping onto the floor. Marko climbed the stairs and darkness welcomed her.
There was nothing but darkness aside from the light entering from the doorway. Hero had a lamp he could turn on, but it was clear he chose not to.
Still, even within the darkness, Marko managed to find her way to his bedside. She then turned the lamp and the darkness retreated, bringing light to the attic.
Hero laid in the same fashion Marko was in not too long ago, eyes and face blank of any emotion. There were, however, dried streams of tears on his cheeks and pillow.
"Hero." Marko said, attempting to bring a hint of welcome in her voice, "I hate to ask to remove yourself from this room, but…"
"You wish to take me somewhere?" he asked, much to Marko's surprise. His voice was low and forced.
"Yes." she nodded. "Will you?"
"I prefer not to." he replied and turned away from her.
"Titania has invited us to join her at the museum in Umetaro's, or Sakamoto Ryoma as he was called, honor." Marko insisted, despite understanding his reasons.
After a few seconds passed, Hero replied, "I… remember..." he turned over to face her, his face clouded in sadness. "I remember… the times I used to train with Umetaro... For some reason, my memory came back to me all the sudden."
"W-What?" Marko stood looking at him, her mouth agape.
"I don't remember everything, but after that event… my mind throbbed in pain and a small portion of my memories came back to me." Hero explained. He balled his hands into fists, holding back both tears and anger.
"Is this some kind of sick joke?" he said, gritting his teeth, "Why only now after my mentor's death do I remember him? I feel as if someone is just playing with my emotions."
"D-Do you remember anything else?" Marko blurted out. Her curiosity got the better of her.
"Some things are still a bit fuzzy, but…" Hero stopped mid sentence. He stared at Marko with a hard look before continuing, "I think I… I've… seen the Betraying Tenkou's vessel before."
"You have?! When?!"
"I-I don't remember exactly. But I know I've seen her somewhere before. I just can't put my finger on it… ugh."
Hero tossed over with a groan, irritated by his memories, or lack of thereof. "Allow me a few moments to think to myself, then I may join you if possible." he said.
"Alright, I understand." Marko promptly nodded and then sat down on the edge of the hero's bed. She then leaned forward to embrace him.
"I just want you to know, Hero… You don't have to come if you don't want to. I'm not going to force you into this. If you ever need a shoulder to lend on, just tell me, okay?"
Hero couldn't speak, unable to respond to her words. He couldn't believe Marko cared for him so deeply, especially after all the trouble he caused her over the past few weeks.
Just as he finally mustered the courage to speak, Marko stood up and descended down the stairs.
Gogira Museum had two things going for it to separate itself from the norm.
First, it had an old-fashioned design to it. The building wasn't expansively large; relatively small for it portrayed—Japanese history. The floors were wooden and the ceiling and walls were painted in fine classic beige. No signs fancy high-tech equipment scattered around the works were found.
Second, every week the museum held a weekly speech with respect to one of many important figures in Japanese history. The public decides via online poll which figure gets chosen and one of the staff members writes a short paper on the most popular figure.
Marko stumbled into the museum, breathing heavily. She had told Titania she would arrive in a few minutes after calling her, but ended up arriving ten minutes after the set time.
"Darn, I'm late," Marko muttered to herself, "I hope she's not mad at him."
As if by fate, Marko found Titania standing across the front desk and approached her. "Hey, sorry I'm late."
Titania yelped in surprise upon hearing her, as if she was in deep thought. "Oh, um, hello, Marko!" she said, her cheeks bright red in embarrassment.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Marko lightly chuckled, amused by her cute reaction. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long."
"I-It's quite alright. I'm just glad you could come." Titania forced a smile. Her appearance was still as radiant as ever to Marko, but dark circles were evident under her eyes.
Marko wrapped her arms around Titania in a tight embrace. Titania's eyes widen in shock at first, but then she comprehended what she was doing and returned the same embracement.
"Oh, sorry if I'm interrupting anything." Shani said as she appeared out of nowhere, causing the two break away in surprise.
"D-Dammit, Shani! At least make yourself known!" Marko shouted, blushing heavily.
"Whatever." Shani replied, her tone dismissive and uninterested in further conversation.
"Hmph." Dei simply grunted to make himself known.
"Oh, Dei, how are your injuries?" Titania asked.
"Tch, I'm anything if not sturdy. Don't worry yourself about my condition." he replied with a hint of bitterness. "So where's Hero at? Mourning?"
"Yes, but he said he'll meet up with us shortly." Marko answered.
"Good. In my opinion, we don't have much time for mourning with the Betraying Tenkou back in action. After this, I plan on departing to the mountains for intense training to regain my lost strength."
"Lost strength?"
"Yes, we Heroes were revived at the time we were at our best. The modern world of Japan has strayed me off the path of the warrior. Such a disgrace I am to my lord."
"Don't beat yourself up too much, Dei," Titania assured, "We all have our fair share of losses."
"Whatever." Dei said, his tone dismissive and uninterested in further conversation.
Those two fit surprisingly well together. Marko commented inwardly, glancing at both Shani and Dei.
"You're the Tenkous, I presume?"
The Tenkous and Dei turned to the entrance, seeing Zobi and a young teenager walking towards them.
The teenager wore black sunglasses, a brown cap, a small jean jacket, and brown pants. Her brown hair hung over her right shoulder in fishtail styled ponytail.
"Oh, hello Zobi." Marko greeted her and then glanced at the girl next to her. "Who's your acquaintance?"
"Do you not recognize me?" the girl questioned as she pushed her sunglasses up, a cunning smirk on her face, "Then again, I am in a very good disguise, so I don't blame you for not knowing me straight off the bat."
"Huh?"
"Allow me to formally introduce myself!" the girl joyfully shouted. "I am the protector of earth! The beacon of hope! The defender of all things good and the destroyer of all things evil!"
She took her sunglasses, revealing her shining blue eyes, and then dramatically raised her left arm in the air. "I am Xantara Astana, the vessel of the Earth Tenkou!"
A long awkward silence followed. No one could utter a word after the over zealous words she said.
"W-What's wrong?!" Xantara exclaimed, shocked by the silence, "Has the sheer power of my words froze your bones?! Was it too generic or over the top?!"
"I-I'm sorry," Marko said, clearing her throat, "I just wasn't expecting such an... amazing introduction from you."
"Yeah... amazing..." Shani muttered.
"Good!" Xantara smiled brightly. "I was afraid I wouldn't make a good first impression on my new comrades! I spent an hour just rehearsing it!"
Just as she laughed, she quickly stopped and grasped her right shoulder in pain. "Oww..."
"Xantara, don't overdo yourself." Zobi scolded her in a light tone.
"Sorry, Zobi." the Earth Tenkou chuckled, scratching the back of her head.
"Oh, that's right, you were shot." Titania remembered. "Are you sure you should be here?"
"Don't worry about me, I'm absolutely fine." Xantara assured with a thumbs up. She then quietly mumbled to herself, a perverse smirk on her face, "Though I personally wouldn't mind someone of your caliber watching over me."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing! I said nothing! Let us not waste time talking about me now, okay?"
"Finally something I can agree on." Shani said with a sigh as she walked further into the museum.
"Don't take what she says to seriously, Xantara." Marko assured. "She's just like that."
"Oh, I see, she's a kuudere. I understand."
Without another word, the group followed after Shani and begun touring the museum.
After a few minutes of sightseeing, they ended up in the Hall of Heroes where portraits of many important figures that shaped the future of Japan hung. Behind glass frames, many weapons and personal property such as clothing were showcased.
"May I have your attention, please?" a short man in a fancy brown suit rose his voice to get everyone's attention. "We will begin this week's contribution in just a few minutes. Please gather around the stage."
As instructed, everybody in the hall did as they were told. After the gathering, Marko spotted Hero entering the hall and waved at him.
"Hey, Hero!" she softly shouted, gaining his attention. He quickly walked towards them, the same depressed expression lingered on his face.
"Hey." he simply greeted without much heart to his words.
"Hero..." Titania attempted to say something to cheer him up, but before she could speak, a boy walked to the podium on the stage and spoke into the microphone.
"I apologize for the slight delay, visitors." he said, pushing up his round glasses and fixing his tie. "Wow, we seem to have a quite an audience today."
"What the?" Marko recognized the boy, but of course his name forever remained oblivious in her mind. "Class President?"
"Without further adieu," the class president said, "Today's figure I shall address today with over sixty percent of the votes on our website is no other than the famed Sakamoto Ryoma."
He unfolded a sheet of paper in his pocket and begun to read off what he written...
On January 3, 1836, on the island of Shikoku, a boy by the name of Sakamoto Ryoma was born. He would soon become known as one of Japan's most influential key figures and the father of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
As a boy, he was bullied at school and soon took up Kendo at the age of 14. Thanks to this and further training, he would become a master swordsman when he reached adulthood.
The arrival of Commodore Matthew C. Perry and the Convention of Kanagawa of 1854 inspired Ryoma and 200 lower class swordsman to join the Tosa Loyalist Party. While the Party focused mainly on a revolution for the Tosa clan, Ryoma sought change for all of Japan. He abandoned his clan and became a Ronin.
During this period, leaving the clan without permission was a serious offense with the penalty of death. This, unfortunately, led to the suicide of one of his older sisters, who killed herself out of grief.
Ryoma was constantly hunted by Bakufu supporters, who supported the Tokugawa shogun and were members of the Shinsengumi, the police force of the late shogunate period. He would frequently use the alias "Saidani Umetaro" during his work against the shogun.
Afterwards, Ryoma sought to kill a high-ranking official of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Katsu Kaishu. Ryoma's current mindset was that the Shogunate was betraying Japanese tradition and history, thus they needed to die.
However, Katsu convinced him not to kill him by saying Japan needed to modernize by increasing their military army and developing an eight point plan without abandoning their history or traditions.
Ryoma agreed and became Katsu's protege. Together, the two founded a navy strong enough to fight off against the Tokugawa's naval forces. Ryoma was known for the founding of Kaientai, Japan's first modern trading company that also served as his private navy.
During this time, Ryoma formulated an eight point plan and Tokugawa Yoshinobu agreed to step down, beginning the Meiji Restoration. However, before the Restoration begun, Ryoma was assassinated at an inn in Kyoto on December 10th, 1867. He died at the age of 31. To this day, the identity of his assassin is still unknown.
Sakamoto Ryoma was a central key figure in the modernization of Japan and the overthrowing of the Tokugawa Shogunate. His importance cannot be overlooked or looked down upon. He was a man who sought change when others did not, dreaming of an independent Japan.
Releasing a heavy sigh, the class president finished. "Thank you all for your time today." he concluded with a light bow and stepped off the stage.
The audience gave him a small round of applause as they returned to touring the museum.
"Great work, my boy!" the short man from before lightly slapped the class president's back, a wide smile on his face, "You do this establishment proud!"
"It's nothing really, sir." the class president softly chuckled in embarrassment. "I'm just glad more people were able to learn about this great man."
"There you go being modest again. You know with your excellent speeches, you'll rise to presidency without a problem."
"Come now, father." the class president said as the two departed from the hall.
"T-That was a wonderful speech." Dei said as his eyes begun to well up. A single streak escaped and flowed down his cheek, "A true man he was."
"He truly was." Xantara agreed, joining in the teary eyed session.
"I must admit, I see why he was so admired by many." Zobi said with a smile.
"That reminds me." Marko said, turning to Zobi, "Why did he change his name to Umetaro when he met us?"
"The Tenkou Fairy told us we needed aliases during our time here." Zobi answered. "She never explained why, but I figure it has something to do with keeping our pasts from dwindling us from our goal."
"Why would it? I'm not sure I understand why you can't tell us."
"Well, like I said, I'm not entirely sure. I suppose I could tell you, but the past is really in the past. We must focus on what is ahead."
"Um, guys..." Titania said, gaining the group's attention. Her face seemed to be lingered with sadness. "Do you think... we can go to Kochi?"
"Kochi?!" Shani blurted out in surprise. "You do realize that's a two-hour trip to and back, right? What business do you have there?"
"I..." Titania paused to collect words and then spoke in the utmost serious tone, "I want to see Sakamoto Ryoma's statue... No, I have to see it."
For a moment, Shani found herself at lost for words, taken aback by her tone. "Fine, I guess." she said.
The trip to Kochi took an hour, as stated. The sun had begun to set within the horizon of the sea, a bright orange glow showering over the city.
The group arrived in the south region as they reached their destination.
Looking at the sea, a large bronze statue of Sakamoto Ryoma stood. It seemed to have released a powerful aura even as it aged throughout the years since it was built.
Titania stood in front of the statue, gazing at it as if she was looking at the man himself. The others simply watched her, unable to utter a word as a soft, gentle breeze smoothed by.
Suddenly, Titania dropped to her knees and bowed. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Umetaro." she said, tears streaming down her face. "I couldn't do anything to help you. I'm weak. There was nothing I could do.
"You put your life on the line not only once, but twice. All for the sake for our future. That's why... That's why...
"That's why I don't deserve to have been your Tenkou. I couldn't muster the strength to fight for the same cause as you. I never got to know you as well as one should have. I am crying tears of sadness out of your sacrifice for what you have done for us, what you have done for all of Japan.
"That's why I'm going to become stronger. Not just for you, but for the ones I love and for myself. I'll make you proud of me, Umetaro. That, I promise to you here before your statue."
Seeing Titania pour out her emotions shook Hero to his core. Throughout the entire day, she was able to face Umetaro's death without any fear. Unlike her, he simply laid mourning instead of making an effort to better himself.
"I too promise you the same, Umetaro." Hero said as stood beside her. With newfound inspiration coursing through his veins, he shouted, "We will not lose to the Betraying Tenkou! No matter what, we will succeed and make you proud! I swear to you that your death was not in vain!"
Marko smiled, holding back tears. Their vows, their dedication, made her want to shout alongside them. Even if she didn't know Umetaro as well she would've want to, she felt he left an important marking point in their lives to further themselves.
She knew she couldn't stand around and mope, she too had to become stronger to protect what matter to her. There was no going back to the old days of her plain, average world. Now, she had to face what the future holds.
Thank you, Sakamoto Ryoma. We'll never forget what you have done for us. May you rest in peace.