Author's Note: This is my second series, as well as a challenge letter initiated by my dear RIKO-KOI! :D, SO i am trying out, tell me if it's bad D:

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Chapter Thirteen

"Me? I am Ririko Natsume," the lady replied, as she settled herself down onto the chair. Ryo ruffled with her own hair. "Ah!! What's wrong what's wrong, what's wrong!!!" Ryo was shouting in desperation.

Ririko giggled at Ryo's sily actions. She just loved seeing people getting frustrated because they didn't know anything. She looked over to Masuda, he was once like this too. Ririko then sat up straight, and looked at Ryo. "I will tell you everything," She stood up, walked over to the corner of the room, and poured a cup of water. "It started off when I was around twenty years old," Ririko replied, as she slowly walked over, and placed the cup of water in front of Ryo.

"I was around here, this orphanage was run by my parents, and my parents have long died, so i thought of bringing this orphanage up as my own," she stopped, looked at her child, before continueing. "Then, one day, those two came by,"

Ryo widened his eyes. "Tho.. Those two? Who?"

"Tsuyoki Umi, and Tegoshi Matsuka," Ririko muttered. Ryo thought for awhile, before a flash in his mind came. Those two names sounds very familiar. Then, he realised that those two were the names of Tegoshi's parents.

"They came by, and passed me a child. That was Tegoshi. I asked them what is wrong, and Umi-san smiled at me. That smile, i suddenly know everything, it was like the power came to me. Umi-san told me to protect the boy, no matter what happened,"

"But.. why do you need to protect here? What's wrong with our world?" Ryo asked, still, the things are not flowing in her brain.

"As you know, both of them are the protectors of the gate. Ten over years ago, they had a war, with the other side dimension. The other side, there was someone who wanted to terminate out world, and destroy eveything here," Ririko muttered, shaking her head. "We're going to get eliminated if we don't do anything!"

Masuda then butted in. "Th.. That woman.." Ryo looked over to Masuda. "That woman.. is my mother,"

Ryo's eyes widened.

"My mother wanted to take over the world, and I know her plan. She locked me up in the room, where Tegoshi found me. Koyama was just an unlucky one who got caught by her. It seemed to her that it's like, a sacrifice or something,"

Ririko continued, as she nodded her head. "Masuda came to find me. He told me everything about his mother, and I knew that I needed his help, that time, how old were you?" Ririko scratched her head, as she face towards Masuda. "Twelve!" Masuda pouted, "How can you forget!"

Ririko giggled. "Yes, he was twelve, when he got to know Tegoshi. Masuda was to stay beside Tegoshi, and to protect him, but yet, we didn't expect four years later, his mother used her dimension control, and captured away Masuda,"

Ryo then finally started to get the picture. "So in other sense, Masuda's mother capturing him was a ploy? Her main motive was to actually capture Tegoshi, which she have succeeded now?"

Ririko nodded her head. She patted her daughter's head, who was now fast asleep. She stood up, and spoke. "Masuda, there's something that I've never told you before," she took over the blanket that was on the hanger, and walked over to the table. Masuda tilted his head, not saying anything, as a mean for Ririko to continue her words. "Tegoshi's parents, they were killed by your mother,"

Masuda lowered his head. "I.. I know,"

Ririko dropped the blanket. "You..You knew?"  Masuda slightly nodded his head. "I could guess you know. While protecting the dimensions doors, there is no way Tegoshi's parents could just disappear. The only.. The only reason is that they're dead, and they're killed by my mother, who wants to dominate the whole universe,"

Ryo walked over, and picked up the blanket on the floor. He then passed it over to Ririko, who gladly grabbed the blanket. "I see..." as she gently placed the blanket over her asleep daughter.

"That's almost the story," Ririko finally ended off her speech.

Masuda then walked over to Ririko. "Natsu-san! You never ever told me Tegoshi could travel through dimensions! If you told me that, I.. I would probably have do something before my mum captured him!"

Ririko eteched her eyebrows. "Wa.. Wait, i didn't told you that?" Ririko placed her fingers onto her chin, "I thought I've told you....."   "AH! Sorry Masuda! I think, I forget to mention to you!"

Masuda slapped his forehead. "And so, what do we do now? How do we enter the dimension to save Tegoshi?" Ryo stood up, as he walked to where Ririko is standing at.

Ririko pondered, before she walked out of the room. Minutes later, she came back with a box. She opened the box, and what lays inside, was a golden key.

"This was kept by me since Umi-san passed it to me. She said that, this key, as long as we go to the place that have the gateway transport, you could just plucked this key into the air, just the place, and then, you could get transported,"

Ryo and Masuda wanted to reach over for the key, when Ririko backed away. "BUT!" Both of them looked at Ririko, "There is a danger, this key can only be used once, means, there's a way in, there's no way out,"

Ryo just then looked at Masuda. "Means...?"

"Means, when you used this to enter the dimension Tegoshi is in now, you might have a low chance to come back, if! you are unable to save Tegoshi, and you're forever be trapped in that dimension, your existence erased from here, like how Tegoshi's one is disappearing slowly from here," Ririko then pointed towards the board, "Look,"

Both of them turned, to realised a picture that have Tegoshi's younger self suddenly disappeared in front of their eyes. Without any hesistation, both of them stretched out their hand, and said in unison.

"Give us the key, we're going in to save Tegoshi,"