Chapter 2: Welcome to the Tokyo

"Nghh…"

Mikhail slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was a white ceiling. Where is he, he asked himself. He slowly got up and looked around him. He looked at his arms and noticed several IVs, causing him to freak out and ripped them all out of his arm and left the room where he met doctors, nurses, and… humans?

Seriously, where the hell is he now?

He could feel his heartbeat quicken when he heard someone calling his name from afar. No, no, no he could not be captured anymore. Without thinking much, he ran as fast as he could towards where he thought the exit was. There were a few soldiers trying to stop him.

Unconsciously, Mikhail's hands were now covered by unstable crimson-dark energy. Seeing that, everyone took out their weapons. The situation got tense up until,

"Mika!!"

He turned towards the source of the voice and saw a woman slightly shorter than him with long wavy dark hair and dark eyes. She dropped her phone and ran at him, embracing his frigid body.

"M-M-Molly…?"

"Oh, God!! Dear God!! You are finally here!!" she cried into his chest, making him shed some tears too as he hugged her back. "Four years!! I've been searching for you for four years!!"

"Four years…" he whispered. Yes, Linh told him, but he was unable to hear it properly that time but now…

Four years had passed since that night.

She looked at him and kissed him then kissed his forehead and cheek. Mikhail remembered that every time they meet for a date, she always does that… Molly helped him to stand up and ordered them all to stand down as she grabbed his hand and smiled at him.

"It's fine, Mika… You are safe now." Molly said with a smile that didn't escape from her face. "Jordan and Linh are a bit busy now, I will let you meet them later, okay?"

"Where… am I?"

"Welcome to Tokyo. The only safe place for humans and Celestials. I believe you know a few things about Celestial and Demon and don't worry, I will explain to you later but for now… Let the doctor run some test-"

Molly was interrupted by Mikhail who refused to do so because he believed they will hurt him. She frowned and cursed Black Diamond mentally for what she did to him.

"I'll accompany you, okay?"

After letting the doctor take his blood and did some tests, Mikhail could be seen walking with Molly to a restaurant. Unlike Molly who only wore simple outfits; a yellow bandana patterned with white stars, a light pink crop top followed by greyish blue baggy pants, and white sneakers. Mikhail wore a white hoodie with black ripped jeans and dark sneakers. He also wore a dark round glass with his long hair tied by Molly. Well, Molly's outfit was never simple.

"Finally, we arrive at Azure 45. Dinner is on me, okay?"

Mikhail smiled at Molly who immediately pulled him inside the restaurant and brought him to the table near the window. Several waiters then came with a lot of foods and drinks that made his drool come out his mouth. She giggled at his face and watched as Mikhail immediately consumed the food like a wild animal, earning mixed reactions from everyone including herself.

"I know you are hungry but please try to eat slowly if not you will choke on yourself." Molly said to Mikhail who immediately apologized to her. "Mika… There is no need to apologize, okay? I told you before, right? No need to apologize for everything otherwise people will let you take the blame."

"It just… It's been four years since I ate a proper meal… And I mean a real proper meal…"

Molly flinched and grabbed his hands, rubbing them with her thumbs, and looked at him with a sad face.

"What was the meal that you eat last time?"

Mikhail looked at Molly.

"The corpse of a pregnant woman..."

Molly couldn't say anything. She tried but she couldn't. Black Diamond must really fuck him up. She wonders what else did she do to her Mika.

"You are safe now, okay? I will make sure Black Diamond won't take you from me. Trust me." Molly said to Mikhail who nodded his head and continued to eat but this time he ate slowly, enjoying the taste of the food.

A few hours later

"Mika, I will be heading to the hospital for a while. Mission call. Can you wait for me here?" asked Molly to Mikhail who nodded his head and bit his nails. "Hey, what did I tell you before?"

"Stop biting my nails…"

Molly understood that if Mikhail bit his nails, it meant he was anxious or afraid. She went upstairs to her room and came back with a necklace that has two rings. She wore it around Mikhail's neck and kissed his forehead.

"My rings… You found it?"

"Of course, the night we were separated-- when you pushed me away from the building, I searched for you but only found these. And you know what to do with one of the rings right?"

Mikhail said yes and gazed at it with a smile, making Molly smile too. She remembered that those rings and the necklace were given by her to him on their second date. She giggled and kissed his cheek before leaving the house.

When Molly arrived at the hospital, she didn't really think much except for worrying about Mika. To be honest, she could not comprehend how Mika could survive this. Of course, she knew how strong Mika was actually—even before this he was not someone who could be shaken up.

So, when she listened to the doctor that treated Mika, she felt horrified. The cold crept upon her, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up. How could her Mika have survived all of this? She did not think she could survive this if she was in his stead. She would probably go insane first.

She wiped away the tears that glistened through her cheeks.

"Sweet Molly?"

Molly turned towards the voice, feeling surprised at seeing the founder of Tokyo Celestial Force, Kagura Kocho. She tried to give the founder a smile, "Kagura-sama."

The woman frowned. "What happened, sweet Molly?"

Molly then forcefully wiped all the tears off her face, "Nothing, Kagura-sama… It just—Mika was finally found."

"That's good news, is it not?"

Molly nodded somberly, "yes, it is—but..." She choked up. Her breath started to shake. "I saw the list of his injuries and I—I just could not think how he could survive that. I am grateful— tremendously grateful that he was finally home. But I could not leave the thought that if I was a bit earlier... perhaps he doesn't need to experience this at all. This is all my fault."

"But now… He is here… And the things that happened to him have already happened so why don't you just focus on being there for him when he needs you?" Kagura looked at Molly and smiled at her. "You know… A wise man once told me that things that happened in the past, just forget about it. Take a lesson so that in the future, you won't do the same mistake."

Molly nodded her head and excused herself to get some fresh air. While walking and enjoying the breathtaking view of the city, Molly couldn't forget about what the doctors said and stopped walking. She released a sigh and looked at a ruined skyscraper.

The place where on that fateful night, Mikhail and Molly were separated after he pushed her away from the falling rubbles.

"I promise you…. Mika… No matter what happens, I won't let her take you away from me."