Today's the day.

The final ranked battle before I am obligated to head out across Japan to fight my way up to around rank 50.

Over 40 assassins I will have to encounter in deadly fights, and every time I will have to expect the unexpected.

This will be a chance though, a huge chance to finally let go off the despair of having to fight, fight and fight.

I hate fighting, but I have to, and I have a reason as well, which is my parents.

But Touko remains my reason for not giving up so fast, not backing out of this deadly fight I have gotten myself into.

And besides, I am already in deep shit for even starting with this, as this ranking is tied to UAA's normal ranking board, so other people will be out for my head as well.

But I won't let that happen, I refuse to die. If I have to become the number one ranked assassin in the whole wide world, then so be it.

I am already someone you just can't look up to, so what's the point of trying to think myself as someone who is a hero of any sort...

The moment I killed Helter-Skelter, I were a no more hero, a total loser that has no place in society.

But I hide my assassin identity yet, and due to that I have been able to get wonderful friends.

Touko, however, loves me no matter if I am an assassin that kills others, because she knows who I truly am, no matter what. And Chiyu as well, but she is just a friend of mine, and her mom is the one behind this shitshow.

She gives me good intel though what her mom is up to, so her siding with me is vital even honestly. Still a little rough around the edges though, but I am sure she will get better overtime, she and Reona are younger than all of us, after all.

I continue resting, not really wanting to head out in all actuality. Would prefer to just stay home and being able to live a completely normal life together with my beloved Touko and our friends.

Well, sure, the back of my mind won't stop telling me about the fact that quite bizarre things do exist in this world, and I have fought those oddities. But otherwise everything else is as mundane as it has ever been, and honestly, it's something I need way too much.

I finally stand up and take out my phone, going for calling Touko.

"Hey, I am going to be off now to fight the 90th ranker. See you when I come back."

"Stephy..." I hear her meekly say at the other end as I fumble for what to say next.

"Don't worry, Touko, please. I am sure things will go well, they always have-"

"Not always, don't lie!" she suddenly snaps as I flinch from her raising her voice like that. I soon hear a heavy gasp before she is back with responding. "Oh no, no, I'm so sorry, Stephy..!"

"No Touko, no need to apologize. I lied with that when I have literally almost lost my leg one time due to all this..." I reply as I grip harder on my phone. "But I promise you, it will go well, no matter what. I love you, Touko."

"I love you too, Stephy... Please come home as soon as you can when you finish..."

We hang up as I can't help but to be in thought now, because Touko is so emotionally overwhelmed right now, I wouldn't be surprised if she puts her foot down that I should stop with the rankings.

But I can't, not until I end it; End this personal inferno of mine...

...

Meanwhile, at the kimono shop, Touko is standing on the same place after having recieved a call from her beloved Stephan, with her phone still to her ear.

Not too long after, tears begin forming under her eyes, all sort of negative thoughts troubling her now.

"...Yeah, good going Touko, again letting your fiancé just run away and possibly get himself killed..." she says to herself as she heavily sighs. "He is not a superhero or anything, just a normal person like all of us... It's not right of me to just wish him a simple 'good luck'..."

She shakes more as her tears starts falling.

"I-I want Stephy, I want my Stephy..."

As she clenches her fists, someone suddenly enters the kimono shop, which turns out to be Nanami. But something isn't right, because she looks extremly distressed.

"Oh thank the heavens, you are here!" Nanami says as Touko just looks at her bandmate with a confused look, tears still coating her eyes.

"N-Nanami, what's wrong..?"

"Chiyu told me this, but she didn't have any time to come here, but-"

"Just say it!"

"Stephan might be in danger, at least according to her!"

Touko tenses up, feeling a feeling she has never felt before as she does an expression even Nanami gets surprised by.

"N-no, no, no, NO! Stephy, why my Stephy the whole time..!"

"T-Touko, calm down, this is not like you! Chiyu said it's not too late, but she told you to come with her, that was the last of the message..."

"Yes, it was!" Chiyu suddenly replied as she looks inside the entrance to the shop. "Now come on, we've got to help your boyfriend!"

...

Arriving at the place were I am supposed to fight at, which is in a rather open field, I look around as I see a man in armor walking up to me.

"...I would've prefered if we did this at my castle, but rules are rules." he says as he stops. "I am Dark Star, I assume you are my opponent for today?"

"Yeah, I god damn am. Let's just get this over with, please." I say to him as he looks to me.

"Straight to the point, I see. Well, you aren't the one I were supposed to meet after all to begin with, otherwise I would've had something longer to say."

"Huh?"

"You don't happen to be named... Travis, by any chance?" he asks me as I become even more confused.

"No, however, I have met a guy named Travis, Travis Touchdown." I tell him as he just groans.

"I had been waiting for him, and suddenly, I end up here. Supposedly to die at the hands of a youngster instead." Dark Star continues as he grabs onto the horse of his helmet before pulling in it, making a pinkish energy come out from it.

And it seems to form a... giant blade..? It also has what looks like a dragon on it, but nevertheless, it looks formidable as fuck.

"Now, steady yourself boy. Because engraved in your memory is the night when everything changed, and I will reveal it to you." he says as I take out Tsubaki and turn it on, the green blade of it lightly reflecting onto my face.

But suddenly, something seems to stab Dark Star from behind as he reacts with great pain in his voice, before blood starts spurting out in front of him.

"The fuck..?" I can just say as I see that the energy disappears and he drops the horse handle, before he soon collapses himself, which reveals the... culprit..?

"FINALLY! My first human killed in this universe, I am one step closer to be able to complete my invasion plan!"

"...Who the actual fuck are you?!" I yell at this creature or whatever that has just stolen my kill. "Like, I were prepared to fight that fuckhead as I just want to come back home and say goodbye to my girl before-"

"Silence, earthling! I were sent here on a mission to both invade and search and destroy someone by the name 'Stephan Klausch'!" he says before bringing out some googles over his eyes, most likely to study me.

"Uhuh, and why should I be destroyed?" I ask him as he just growls at me.

"None of your concern! You will just be in the way otherwise if you are alive!"

"Why would I be in the way? I am not a superhero or anything, so why would I even be able to stop you to do your things-"

"Orders are orders! Now, I don't take orders from anyone except The Tallest of the Irken Empire, but I had to do this from this human child that claimed she was a goddess." he explains as we soon are both quiet, looking at each other, before he notices Dark Star's blood is coming under his boots. "...Wow, how much does you humans actually bleed..?"

"Fuck if I know, it depends really." I reply to him as we remain awkwardly quiet towards each other. "So like, who are you even-"

"I am ZIM! The greatest invader of the Irken Empire that will conquer your planet, your filthy, water filled, planet..!" the alien, called Zim, finally tells me as he laughs before going quiet again.

"...Dude, I could've been home probably having sex with my girlfriend if I had known you would come by here and kill my prey."

"Well, I were supposed to fight you after killing the armored but weak human. But we have just stood here for the past couple of minutes staring at each other and done nothing else!"

"Alright, fighting it is then. But I won't kill you if I win." I tell Zim as he raises an eyebrow, before grinning at me and laughing.

"Perfect, you first, the world second!" he replies as mechanical legs spreads out from his back.

"Ah great, an alien Doc Ock, huh?"

Taking stances, we soon rush at each other, Zim swiftly blocking out my beam katana swings.

"Won't help against my technology, boy!" he says as he tries stabbing me, but I avoid it as well, before going for actually hitting at him, but he keeps on grabbing onto me with his mechanical legs before throwing me back.

"You sure do know hand to hand combat!" I tell him as I continue struggling with fighting him.

"You seem weak, heh."

"But even so I have been able to overcome the odds presented to me!" I reply as I kick Zim, making him fly back a little, but quickly regain balance thanks to his extra legs.

Continuing on, I have to keep on dodging Zim's stabs. He dodges my stabs just as well, so it becomes a rather difficult fight overall.

An unneccsary fight that doesn't even need to be done. I could've just come home to Touko as soon as Zim killed Dark Star, but nay, I remain here, foolishly fighting just because.

My beloved Touko, I am so sorry that I have to be such a horrible fiancé that keeps on doing stuff like this...

I suddenly get one of the metal legs slammed in my face.

"You are slipping up, Stephan, hahaha!" Zim says as he begins once again going for stabbing, but I finally grip onto one of his metal legs as I begin spinning around with him, like Mario does with Bowser in Super Mario 64, before I throw him away.

"So long, Zim!"

As he lands onto the ground a few meters away, he gets up again, gritting his teeth as he is clearly getting more angry that I take so long time with dying.

Rushing at me, I prepare myself again as I block out his stabs with my beam katana.

He seemingly looks around at me, before looking to my shoes and grinning. Because he soon goes for stabbing me in the foot, which makes me shiver up in my pain.

"Ah, fu-"

But before I manage to swear, Zim hits me hard on my wrist, causing me to drop my beam katana on the ground, and he kicks it away before hitting me in the face.

And ultimately, he stabs me... in my chest...

-music end-

"Haha, wasn't so hard, after all!" Zim says as he begins laughing more and more over the fact that he managed to... win...

Wait... I lost... N-no..!

"Perhaps I should dig that stab even deeper! You are barely reacting much to it." he tells me as I feel him actually start penetrating my chest more. "Weak, just like every human. An even bigger loser than Dib is."

"Zim, please, don't do this... Whoever told you destroy me, they are just doing it for their own sake or something..." I tell him under my breath as I am still in much pain.

"Too late, I were promised this planet if I were successful. So file your complaints after your bitter death, hahaha!"

"Just please, I want to see Touko, my beloved Touko..." I plead as I just feel it dig even deeper.

"Time to die, Stephan Klausch- AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

I flinch at the loud scream, before my eyes register the Tsubaki, it's green blade coming out of his abdomen from the back of him.

"Well, karma comes eventually..." Zim says as both me and he collapse, and I soon see who stabbed him.

It turns out to be... Touko..!

"T-Touko..!" I meekly say as she rushes up to my side, her eyes filled with tears.

"Stephy, I am here! Everything will be good, okay..?!" Touko desperately says as I nod. "Oh god, look at you..."

"It's fine, didn't hit too deep in actuality." I tell her as I reveal that I have an extra reinforced bullet proof vest on me. "I fight people that uses guns at times, so why not really?"

"You are still bleeding though..."

"Y-yeah, it hit a little deeper in the vest, so some flesh got penetrated." I tell her as she still holds onto me, before kissing me on the lips.

"You could've been in more grave danger had we not come here." Chiyu says as she comes up to us as well. "I saw this alien fly in the direction were this fight would take place, so I instantly understood things wasn't going to go too well."

"Thank you, Chiyu..." I tell her as I get help from Touko to sit up, before we together slowly pull out the leg tip shoved into my chest. "This will heal over time, I'm sure of it."

"You should take and rest some longer time. Maybe you don't need to go on the trip just yet?" Touko tells me as I shake my head.

"I'm sorry, my love, but I have to go by the end of the week, whether I like or not..."

She droops her head down as tears falls again, while she hugs onto me.

"I love you, Stephy..."

"And I love you too, Touko, a whole lot."

My phone soon gets a message, which is for that I have reached rank 90, and I shall begin preparing myself for the trip. But once the weekend comes and the party is going to be, I will tell Touko, I have to.

A few days after, I head to CiRCLE, but not because I were going to work.

"Hey Marina." I say to my co-worker as she sighs while looking at me.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard from the owner that you... You have resigned." she replies as she is noticeably getting tear eyed. "I'm sorry, but it's just... To lose someone as good as you, it won't feel the same here."

"Don't worry though, I will come by whenever I can. Touko practices with her band at CiRCLE after all, and all my other friends are here as well."

"Right, right, but still... It will be hard finding new staff and such..."

"If you want to, Marina, I can do one last favor for the live house. What do you say?"

"Oh? What's that then?" she asks me as I pull up a poster I made myself and show it to her.

"Promoting for the live house! I intend on delivering this out to my classmates after I head back-"

"Whoa, whoa, wait! You still have school at this hour?!" Marina says as she looks in shock at me. "What are you doing here then, you should be there-"

"No, no, I have lunch break. Yoba Academy doesn't lay too far from the live house, so I could sneak out and come by here." I tell her as I chuckle. "Didn't really have the time for later, sooo..."

She suddenly hugs me while patting me on my back, before she let go.

"Sorry, sorry! It's just... thank you, Stephan, for taking your precious time and come here either way."

"Don't mention it, but please don't hug me again. I prefer to just have I am very close with to hug me, thank you." I bluntly reply as Marina nods before I smile again. "But yeah, I will hand these out. And... goodbye, Marina."

"Goodbye, Stephan. Been a blast to work alongside you." she replies as we wave each other off before I am away and back to school.

Time flies, and school is soon done for the day.

Alright, this evening, everything counts. I have to tell my beloved the reality of the lenght of my departure.

Walking down the stairs in the apartment complex, I bump into Chiyu, who is apparently checking if anyone is coming yet.

"Ah, heading to Touko?" she asks me as I nod. "...I assume to tell her the actual lenght of the trip?"

"Yeah... It will hit a lot for her as she recently had birthday after all, but I have to." I reply as Chiyu nods before bumping her shoulder into my hips a little.

"Go get her, tiger. I am sure she will understand."

"Thanks, I will be off at once." I just reply back to her as I head out before running towards the kimono shop.

Knocking on the door to it, Touko comes to open it and gets very giddy over the fact that I come by before the party.

"Stephy!"

"Hey babe, hope the rest of the week wasn't too bad." I ask her as she giggles, but slightly feeling awkward. "Heh, don't worry, me too."

We head out to the living room, and while Touko sits down and prepares for me, I stay in place.

"Is something wrong, Stephy..? Oh, maybe it's the atmosphere-!"

"Oh no, I am... fine enough, Touko. But it's something I have to finally tell you about the trip."

She immediately droops down, realizing I have to talk about the one thing she doesn't want to think about currently.

"Yes, go on..."

"Well, you see, I'll be away until February."

Touko shoots up while looking wide eyed at me.

"F-February..? But I thought it was a short one so you could celebrate Christmas and New Year like normally..!" Touko says as she begins getting very upset. "Please don't go on it, seriously!"

"I'm sorry, but I have to. I might not even go on the party-"

"Darling, please..!"

"I said no, Touko, I can't come. I don't have the time-"

"It's literally just this night! Everyone has barely seen you and we barely have been able to hang out together either..!"

I could hear that Touko's voice is being affected by the fact that she is on the verge of tears.

I am making my beloved cry, and it's because of the selfishness I have displayed in the latest time due to me continuing with these stupid fucking rankings…

But even so, I have to go on this trip, no matter what…

"Touko, I know we haven't being able to be with each other as much these past weeks-"

"It's not about that however..! I am worried about you, Stephan!"

"I-I-"

"You matter so much to me, and then you go here, telling me that you will be away for god knows how long, maybe even longer than February!" Touko tells me, she can't keep in her tears anymore afterwards. "D-Damn it, why do you have to risk your life so much..!"

"Touko, I know-"

"Fine, just go then! You don't seem to treasure anything anymore!"

She, for the first time, lashes out on me, leaving me speechless as she almost storms towards her room...

Oh god, I am such an idiot…

I feel regret that I even involved myself in the rankings, but my captured parents are the winning prize here…

...Fuck, I don't even know what to think anymore…

Sighing to myself, I decide to head to Touko's room. I know she is pissed at me for being an idiot, but I refuse to leave until I say sorry.

Making my way over there, normally you knock at the door frame to at least get the person's attention, but it's only me and her here currently, and I don't think she is in the mood to pay attention to anything else right now.

I sit down on the bed, facing my back to her's, and I take a deep breath, just to not end up crying myself. I have hurt the one I love the most, and that I can't take lightly at all.

"I'm sorry." I begin, with her remaining silent. "I am so sorry that I couldn't recognize why you were angry. I agree with you that I have just at this point juggled with my life, potentially getting myself killed, way too much."

Touko is still silent, but I understand why, so I am not expecting any replies, I am the one who fucked up after all.

I turn around and lightly embrace Touko in a hug, feeling myself crying as well at this point.

"I love you so much Touko, and I care so much about you. You are my everything, and my reason for even going on with anything at all." I continue telling her as I still feel my tears falling. "I haven't died yet because of you, you make me do my very best to not screw up. I might juggle with my life, but at the end of the nightmare, I have my light; light of my life…"

I don't know how Touko is reacting to what I am saying as I can't see her face from where I am, but I tighten my hug a little before letting go.

"...You know where to find me if you head to Chiyu's party." I say to her before I go off the bed, walk out of her room and immediately put on my shoes to exit her home.

I can't stay longer, you never know what UAA does in the shadows.

It doesn't take long until I am at my apartment again, but I just sit down on my chair in front of my PC, unsure what to do at this point.

So I decided to just take a breather and think more about what I should do to improve… Many things really.

An hour or so of just meditating, I suddenly hear music being played at the penthouse. It's starting now-

*ding dong*

My doorbell suddenly rings, so I get up and go over to it and open up.

But when I do open up, I become almost shocked, as in front of me is Touko.

"B-Babe…" I meekly utter out as Touko looks at me, hints of sadness in her neutral expression… "Touko, you are here..!"

Touko soon begins smiling, still sadness lingering, but she is pushing that sadness away like a champ.

"Stephy, I am here indeed." she replies as she lets out a small giggle, before being more serious. "I am so sorry for lashing out, it hurt me so much having been angry at you because you deserve so much better, always, but…"

"I… am admittedly still worried that you might die, but… Hearing that I am the reason you want to go on in life in general, it's just…"

"Take your time, my beloved."

"It's such a gift to hear that the one I love so dearly fights so much for what he loves."

"I don't fight because I hate what is in front of me after all. I fight because I absolutely love what's behind me." I tell Touko as we share a smile, before she inches closer to me.

"I have more faith now that you will manage with this trip. I believe in you fully, Stephy!"

"Thank you, my sweet angel Touko…"

Touko inches even closer to me, which begins surprising me how close she is getting to me, but I don't complain at all.

"Stephy, everyone else is up there, and it's just you and I here…"

"T-Touko, I quite know that…"

"S-Stephy, I want to truly feel you close to me…"

One by one, my brain cells begin working at high speed to begin understanding exactly what this is meaning.

"Touko, do you mean…"

"Yes…"

Without any hesitation, we close the door behind us, just to have some privacy...

Immediately after the door closes, we both cling onto each other as we make out, with Touko locking one of her legs around me, just so I won't have anywhere to go.

And you can bet your ass I am not going anywhere right now~

Meanwhile, while the party is going on, some notice that a few people seem to be missing.

"Huh, strange… Hey, does anyone know if we are a few persons behind or something?" Tsukushi asks everyone as Chiyu thinks for a bit.

"Wait, let me think…" she begins, before looking around. "Oh wait, Stephan and Touko aren't here-"

At that moment, Chiyu stops looking around and just rolls her eyes while smiling and soon giggling. Some of the band and DJ girls also figured out what this meant from her actions.

"About damn time, you two~!"

Back at my apartment, I almost burst out on the balcony, naked, holding my arm around Touko's waist having her next to me as she is a little wobbly from what we just did, naked as well, with the addition of a few smaller hickeys and bite marks on her body and giggling, only the quilt from my bed partially covering her body and my pelvis.

All the while I am absolutely covered from top to toe almost with kissmarks and a few bite marks and hickeys as well at certain points of my body. And Touko keeps on kissing me inbetween her loud giggles.

I take a deep breath, holding my beloved even closer to me, before yelling.

"DOWNWARD-FUCKING-DOG!" I yell out, Touko doing it as well, but barely as she is giggling and laughing so much, and I can't help chuckling to myself as well afterwards.

Told you, God, that I would end up banging my beloved Touko! And my god was it even better than I expected..!

The weekend soon approaches and I am currently packing up any small things for this long trip.

Food I will have to buy myself, so nothing that will be provided to me by the UAA or anything, those cheap skates...

"You fully sure you have everything with you?" Touko asks me, just to reassure me that I am not forgetting anything.

"Can't forget this one." I tell her as I show her my part of the "Together Forever" necklace as she hugs onto me, me doing so back to her.

After I finish packing up, I put on my assassin outfit, still the same one my beloved made me back when we first had known each other, albeit somewhat torn from all the fighting.

"You know, if I had an action figure of myself in this current state, I would most likely have the name 'Battle-Torn Stephan'."

"Hehe, you and your cute fantasies~" Touko replies as we both laugh before continuing on.

Feeling heavier and heavier as I go down the stairs, I hold onto Touko's hand, which she makes sure to hold steady on as well.

We both are feeling heavy over that we need to depart from each other for some time. But I hope to be able to have contact with her, as much as time allows that is.

Reaching the end of the stair well, we head outside, and see all the other band and DJ girls standing in front of the apartment complex, looking very sad of them.

"Everyone, please do not fret. I won't be away too long after all." I tell them, though they still don't know the true nature of the trip, but it's best kept secret for now, honestly.

A van stands ready, with people I recognize that work for the UAA standing in front of it, waiting me in.

I stop in my tracks, before turning to Touko again.

"H-hey, I forgot asking about the other day-"

"It was my safe day, so don't worry about that I will be that when you come back, hehe~" Touko replies to me before hugging me again, which I of course do back.

An extra long hug before we let go and soon passionately kiss each other. Extra passionate of it as our tongues twirls around each other, not for dominance, but to feel each other.

To feel you in my arms, Touko, is something I will miss way too much during this trip. But when I come back home, I won't go anywhere else, I will refuse to do that.

Especially because you are here, and you are the light of my life, and will always be. Thank you for giving me a reason to keep on going, no matter what.

As we finally let go of the kiss as well, we smile at each other as we continue backing away from each other, until just our hands are holding each other.

"On three, okay..?" I tell her as she nods but shakes a bit. "One... t-two... three..!"

As I finish counting, we let go fully as Touko can't help but to begin crying, tears flowing out of my eyes as well as I back away more before stopping and waving goodbye to her and everyone else.

Touko's father was here as well, luckily enough, so he goes up his daughter to calm her down.

"Please, come back as soon as you can, Stephan!" Mr Kirigaya tells me as I nod, determined to do just that.

I shall come back to my beloved and beautiful Touko Kirigaya, no matter what.

Doing my last wave, I soon enter the van with the UAA employes, before we are quickly away, but I manage to look one last time at my beloved.

"Goodbye, my Stephy, I will miss you so, so much..." Touko says as she continues crying and her father comforting her.

...

For the first time, Stephan and Touko will have to deal with not being able to see each other for quite some time.

But Stephan is determined to quickly get this over with, no matter what. Because he will return to his beloved Touko and spend the rest of his life with her, that is his number one goal now.

And he will achieve it, no matter what.

The End of Arc 1: New, but Deadly, Horizons

To Be Continued in Arc 2: Desperate Struggle

(A/N): And thus, the first arc has finally wrapped up.

This chapter might be edited to include an actual smut scene later, but for now, I kinda wanted to get it over with so I can start on the second arc, which I have highly looked forward to starting with, as I have big plans with it.

I hope this book has been a nice read thus far, and I highly look forward to starting with the second arc quite soon, maybe tomorrow even if time allows.

Until then, see you around everyone.