Chapter 83

21 The Tokyo desert was completely still in the auroral glow, without even a whisper of the Rust Wind to break the profound silence. The ironrats danced in the rainbow snow, hopping to and fro to catch the spores in their paws before moving elsewhere in search of more. Just then, the earth shook with a great rumble, and the ironrats abandoned their rainbow game and scattered in terror, fleeing beneath the sand. A few seconds later, an enormous eight-legged creature scuttled on by, kicking up clouds of dust in its wake. “Hyo-ho-ho! What speed, Actagawa!” “Master Jabi! Where exactly are we going?” “I haven’t the foggiest! But this ol’ boy seems to know, and that’s good enough for me! I ain’t ever seen him so feisty before!” The creature was a mighty steelcrab, its body glowing here and there in rainbow colors. Atop its back, an old bearded Mushroom Keeper handled the reins while a young woman in battle gear sat beside him, her long black hair streaming behind her. The many wounds Jabi and Pawoo had sustained were gone, and in their place was the prismatic afterglow of the rainbow spores that had cured them. “Master Jabi, look!” Pawoo pointed up into the night sky, where an orange meteor hurtled to Earth. Actagawa sped off toward it, causing Jabi to lose control of the reins momentarily. The crab then hit a block of iron jutting out of the sands, did a full somersault, and landed miraculously back on his feet, but Actagawa continued running, without a thought to the dazed pair upon his back. “The old boy’s heading straight for it! But what is it?!” “Heeelllp!” came a shriek from high overhead. The two looked up and shouted out in unison: ““Tirol!”” “Now why on earth is that lassie fallin’ from the sky? Wait, that’s…!” “Milo! And Akaboshi, too! That’s why Actagawa led us here!” Pawoo strained her eyes to make out the forms of Tirol and the two Mushroom Keepers protecting her. While they held her in their arms, their eyes closed, Tirol herself was screaming for her life and wriggling to break free. “They’ve passed out!” she yelled. “We’re gonna die! I don’t wanna die!” “We’re too slow! We’re not going to save them!” shouted Pawoo. “Then how about this?” said Jabi, perfectly aiming a mushroom arrow behind them so that the explosive growth catapulted them forward. However, it was still not enough to reach the falling trio. But then, without even waiting for Jabi’s command, Actagawa reached up onto his back and picked up his two riders, spun them round, and tossed them ahead, using his prized Tornado Throw technique. “You grab Bisco, lassie!” “Yes, sir!” Jabi and Pawoo crashed into the three in midair. Jabi grabbed Milo and Tirol and used one of his balloonshrooms to parachute down safely. Meanwhile, Pawoo came in like a black streak and borderline tackled Bisco into her arms. “Gwagh!” It wasn’t too far off from the feeling of receiving a blow from her metal staff. Bisco’s eyes flew open in discomfort and immediately rolled up into the back of his skull. As Pawoo hit the ground, she stabbed her staff into the sand to slow her descent, carving out a groove in the desert nearly thirty meters long. “Akaboshi!” she cried with joy, dropping him to the floor and cradling his upper body in her hands. “We saw! You won! Oh, I’m so happy to see you safe and sound—” Then she saw the white eyes of the man with whom she had exchanged vows. She heard his gurgled groans. “…He’s not breathing! Oh no! Akaboshi…! Bisco! Wake up, please!” Without a moment’s delay, she placed her lips over his. The air flowing from Pawoo’s formidable lungs filled Bisco almost to bursting, until his crying organs screamed out for him to wake up, lest he explode. “…!! Nghh!” As the light returned to Bisco’s eyes, he slapped Pawoo’s back for her to stop, but Pawoo only pulled him tighter, squeezing him in a loving embrace that nearly shattered his bones all over again. It was a strong contender for the most pain Bisco had felt all day. “Sorry to interrupt your meal,” said Milo as he slowly drifted down to Earth in Jabi’s arms. “But if you keep that up, you’ll be a widow…” “Phah. How rude. This was purely a medical intervention,” Pawoo replied, rubbing her lips. Then the two siblings looked at each other and smiled. “Owww. My arms are gettin’ tired,” said Jabi, dumping Milo and Tirol onto the desert sand and giving his neck a good crack as they screamed. “Missed another good chance to kick the bucket today. Was gettin’ all settled to pop my clogs, when what do I see before me but these crazy rainbow spores, bringin’ me and Actagawa back to life!” Actagawa ran over, and Milo gave him a hug, then burst into laughter. “Actagawa says he didn’t think you were going to die at all!” “Well, what does he know?! His crab brain can’t remember what happened ten seconds ago!” “At least y’all had time to prepare!” bawled Tirol, her braids pointed upward in anger. “Imagine waking up to find yourself fallin’ through the stratosphere! I don’t know about you guys, but when I die, it’s gonna be in a queen-sized bed! So why’ve I gotta deal with that weirdo controllin’ me, and—?” “But you saved us, riskin’ your own life.” All turned to Bisco, who had spoken at last. He sat cross-legged on the sand, staring at Tirol. “Back then, when Apollo had me on the ground, when Milo couldn’t save me, you latched on to him, just like a real jellyfish, and never let go. Even after he kicked you in the face and left you bleedin’.” “W-wait, I thought you were passed out back then!” Tirol went red as a beet, and Bisco strode over to her, slipping something warm into her hand. “Thanks, Tirol. I owe you one again. Take this.” “A-a gift…? For me? What is it?” “One of my fingers that blew off my old arm. Take a look and you can see it shines all different colors if you turn it under the light.” “Who the hell wants that?! Get it away! Get it away!” Bisco watched in shock as Tirol threw the piece of his body into the sand. Then Milo clapped a hand on his shoulder. Bisco turned to see him staring up into the night sky. “Hey, Bisco,” he said. “I think there’s a chance you might see Channel 6 again, after all.” “Huh? What do you mean?” “Look.” Milo pointed up among the stars. A pinprick of light moved against the fixed constellations, leaving a rainbow trail as it passed overhead. It flashed different colors as it went, finally settling back into the satellite’s old orbit. “…” “…” The six exhausted warriors stood united as they gazed up at the rainbow drawn in the sky. The glimmering snow fell about them, washing away their wounds, bringing an end to the long night.