-good night, sleep tight, young lovers-

The Second Star to the Right

by Refboarder

Prologue

Remember Me

"Both of you can fly even without wings now."

~Nirvash, addressing Renton and Eureka, as she says goodbye to them in the Eureka Seven movie.

Hill of the Luna-Crystal Flower, Warszawa...

On a small hill, a girl with long, teal hair and eyes of amethyst, sat crouched in a field of flowers. Around her neck was a necklace made out of crystal-blue flower seeds. She donned a simple pure-white, short gown which reached just pass her thighs. Not too far from the girl was a boy with messy, brown hair and sky blue eyes watching her carefully. Around his wrist was a bracelet made out of matching seeds.

"Eureka, time for lunch," he called to her. Her head turned around at the mention of her name. She stood and began pointing at something. "Ah-oo-oo," went Eureka. The boy, Renton, walked over to see what had spiked her curiosity. "Ah-oo," went Eureka again, still pointing. He followed her finger. Resting on one of the flowers was a butterfly.

"Butterfly," he explained. "Bah-too?" she cocked her head puzzled. "Butterfly. That's a butterfly, Eureka." repeated Renton. She looked back at the winged insect. "Bah-too-fy." she said to the bug. Renton chuckled a bit. "That's right, it's a 'bah-too-fy,' Eureka." he said with a kind smile. "Bah-too-fy, bah-too-fy!" she sang playfully. Renton kept smiling. Eureka turned her cheek to him. He knew what she was waiting for, her reward. Renton kissed her cheek. The girl giggled cheerfully.

Every time Eureka did something right or learned something new, Renton would praise her and reward her with a kiss on the cheek. And Eureka liked being praised and rewarded by her Renton, it made her happy. She was so innocent, so pure; untainted by the world around her. To the girl, Renton was her world. She loved him and he loved her, it was as simple as that.

The sun shined on her, revealing all the curves of her feminine body. She was elegant, an angel. It was hard to believe that up until 3 weeks ago, sunlight caused her great agony. But now, things were different. Now she could venture outside during the day without worry, now she could see the same sky Renton saw. But, it had cost her. Eureka sacrificed her memories, her personality, everything which made her...her, to save Renton's life. She lost them all and yet, one thing remained, her feelings for him.

"Beautiful," thought Renton out loud gazing upon her. Eureka looked at him and simply smiled. The butterfly flapped it's wings and flew away. "Bye-bye, bah-too-fy!" she waved to it.

Renton was happy for her yet, he couldn't help but think of what might have been. "I died, I'm sure of it...and yet, somehow she brought me back. She gave up everything just so she could have more time with me." he thought as he placed a hand over his stomach where the gunshot wound had been. There wasn't even a scar there to mark him, only the memory remained. "And now...she doesn't even remember herself. It's like...she's a blank sheet of paper, a book with nothing written in it." thought Renton. A tear rolled down his cheek. "Eureka, I'll fill those pages with happy memories." he swore to himself.

The girl leaned over and wiped his tear away. "Renton?" she went in a concerned tone. He froze. "Eureka, what did you just say?!" he exclaimed grabbing her by the shoulders. "R-Renton?" she repeated trembling a little. Two things happened: the first was Renton released his grip and apologized for frightening her. The second was he wrapped his arms around Eureka and brought her close. My god, she said my name. She actually remembered it! Was it just a fluke or...or could her memories truly be returning?! He had to be sure.

"Eureka, who am I? What's my name?" he asked her gently. Eureka looked at him like he'd just said something humorous. "You, Renton." she answered wearing a smile. The boy's face lit up. Then she did something which Renton wasn't expecting, she pointed to herself and said, "I, Eureka."

A joyful laugh escaped him. No, it wasn't a fluke, he was sure of it, now more than ever.

Chapter 1

Story of a Girl

Renton wiped the beads of sweat from his brow as he worked in the stifling summer heat. He was building a home, a windmill to be precise, for him and Eureka. The Second Great Flood, as it was coming to be known as, had left many without homes. Renton and Eureka were no exception. "Renton, water?" went Eureka holding out a bottle. "Thanks, Eureka." he said taking it. The cool liquid refreshed him as he took a swig.

Three weeks had passed since Eureka remembered him. Her grammar and speaking skills had improved but, only by a fraction. Her vocabulary was still very limited and she'd still go "Ah-oo," and point whenever she discovered something new. But, it was alright. So long as they had each other Renton knew they'd be fine. Just knowing that she remembered him was enough for the boy.

"Looks like the foundation is almost done." came a voice from behind. Renton turned around. "Hey Matt, how's my favorite lolicon?" jabbed Renton at his childhood friend.

The 19 year old Asian stood 5'5", had brown eyes, and matte black hair. "Urusai." went Matt laughing. "How's your wife?" inquired Renton. "Konata? She's doing fine." he answered. "I still can't believe you got a 15 year old girl pregnant." Renton shook his head. "Hey, I still can't believe her parents let me marry her and didn't have me arrested." he laughed again. "So what's it gonna be, like another 5 months before the baby is born?" inquired Renton. "Yeah, just about." he replied.

Matt looked over at Eureka. "How is she? She still have amnesia?" he asked him. "Err...yeah, something like that." replied Renton. Even though he'd known Matt since they were kids, Renton still remained cautious when the topic turned to Eureka. He didn't want anyone, not even his childhood friend, to know the truth about her. Not the reason why she was like this now and certainly not that Eureka had once been a spy robot sent by the EIZO.

"But, she's doing better, Eureka's a pretty fast learner." Renton reassured him friend. The reassurance felt like it was more for himself than for Matt. "So, what are you gonna do once she gets her memories back?" wondered Matt. "I...don't know. I...I was thinking of asking her to marry me." he admitted. A chuckle escaped his friend. "What? You think it's too soon for that?" went Renton in a worried tone. "I'm the one married to a loli and you're asking me if it's too soon?" Matt reminded him.

He shook his head. "But no, not at all. I see the way you look at each other. She may have amnesia but, it's clear as day she loves you. You can see it in her eyes. I've never seen a more perfect couple." commented Matt. "Wow...thanks, Matt." smiled Renton. "Hey, what are friends for?" responded Matt. "Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you, why a windmill?" he pondered. "Dunno, it just kinda felt right." explained Renton looking up at the partially constructed building. "Whatever, man." said Matt with a shrug. Renton resumed work.

"Anyway I – here, lemme help you with that." said Matt picking up the other end of the lumber. "Thanks," went Renton. "I wanted you to know you're free to crash at my place until you finish construction." stated Matt finishing his previous sentence. "Thanks but, we wouldn't want to impose." objected Renton. "Dude, you won't be imposing, my house is huge. C'mon, whaddya say?" assured Matt.

Renton debated the invitation for a moment. It would give us a place to stay while I finish the windmill. But, what if they find out Eureka used to be an EIZO spy? Sure, I've known Matt my whole life but what about Konata? I barely know his wife. Can they really be trusted?

He glanced over at the simple girl, then to his grinning friend. It was in that moment he decided to put faith in Matt and accept his generous proposal. "Alright, we'll take you up on that offer." he answered. "Great, I'll call Konata and let her know." said Matt taking out his cell phone. "I'll be right back, I have to explain this to Eureka." stated Renton as he walked over to his teal haired girlfriend. "Sure," nodded Matt.

"Eureka," he called to her. She stopped picking flowers and merrily skipped over to her man. "Pretty, Renton." said Eureka showing him the flowers. "Yes. Listen, Eureka. We're going to be staying at Matt's house for awhile, okay?" he told her gently. "House." she pointed to the unfinished mill. "Yes, that's going to our house. But for now, we'll be at his house, understand?" he explained pointing to Matt. "Ah-oo?" she cocked her head puzzled. Renton sighed. She doesn't understand. Let's see, how can I word this so she'll understand. "New place." he said simply. "Ok," she responded with a smile, now comprehending. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before returning to his friend.

"So?" pressed Matt. "I think she understands." responded Renton. "Good, so we'll see you tonight then?" the nineteen year old inquired, turning to leave. "Yeah, I'll start packing our things. See ya later, Matt." he waved. "Later, man." Matt waved back.

Later that day, Matt's house...
"Here we are, Eureka. This is where we'll be staying." Renton said to her. "Big." she said. "Yeah," he nodded. He knocked on the door. "Coming," came a voice from behind the door. It opened. They were greeted by a short teenage girl with green eyes and thigh-length, blue hair. "Hi, Konata." went Renton. "Renton, good to see you. And this must be Eureka. Um...why's she staring at me?" she asked.

"Big," said Eureka pointing to Konata's pregnant belly. "Well yeah, I'm pregnant." Konata told her. "Prey-net?" went Eureka confused. She turned to Renton. "Renton, what prey-net?" she inquired innocently. "It means she's going to have a baby soon." he explained. "Ah-oo? Baby? What baby?" she wondered in the same pure tone. Boy, I am not ready for topic yet. "Err...I'll tell you later, Eureka." he replied dodging the question. "Ah-oo." she went clearly disappointed. (A/N: Eureka's "Ah-oo," is basically equal to Ayu's "Uguu," in Kanon.)

"Anyway, come in you two." Konata told them. Renton picked up their bags and entered with Eureka. To the young man and his companion, the place was enormous. "It's like a miniature mansion." he decided. "It's not that big." came Matt's voice. "Hey honey." he walked over to his wife and gave her a kiss on the lips. Eureka stared at them. "What he doing?" she asked Renton. "That's just another way to kiss." he explained.

Now Eureka knew what a kiss was, Renton gave her kisses all the time. But, she'd never seen this type of kiss. So she asked him, in the most innocent voice, "Renton, do you want kiss me that way?" Renton blushed a deep red. Konata snickered. "I err...well that is." stuttered Renton. "Ah-oo?" went Eureka. "Yeah Renton, do you?" toyed his friend. Now his blush turned crimson. "Alright Matt, that's enough." said Konata on his behalf. He decided to change the subject, fast. "Thanks for putting us up, Matt, Konata." bowed Renton grateful. Eureka decided to mimic him and bow herself. "Not a problem. Here, follow me Casanova, I'll show you where you'll be staying." instructed Matt.

He led them down a flight of stairs to the basement. "Welcome to your new home away from home." said his friend. This basement was unlike any Renton had ever seen before. There was carpet, a sofa and loveseat, an entertainment stand with a relatively big TV, and a coffee table. In the corner was a double-sized bed with a night-stand beside it. "This place is huge. It's like you have a whole other house down here." commented Renton awestruck. "You also have your very own bathroom complete with a shower over there." stated Konata pointing to a nearby room. Renton checked, she was right.

Eureka had already made her way to the bed and was now hugging one of the pillows while she hummed merrily to herself. "Soft." she cooed. "Wow, I don't know what to say. Thanks again you two." went Renton. The married couple just smiled. "Well, I have cooking to attend to." stated Konata returning upstairs. "We're having beef curry. Care to join us?" invited Matt. "We'd love to. But hey, could you make Eureka's mild, please? She doesn't like spicy foods, they burn her tongue." requested Renton. "Sure, no problem." he answered. Renton thanked him again.

A little while later...
"Itadakimasu," went Matt, Konata, and Renton. Eureka attempted saying it too. But, in the end, she found the phrase too difficult for her to pronounce. "So Eureka, how long have you know each other?" Konata asked her. "Ah-oo?" went Eureka. "We've known each other since we were six." answered Renton on her behalf. "So you're childhood sweethearts then?" she remarked. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." he replied gazing over at Eureka. "How did you two meet?" she inquired further. Renton recalled that fateful day.

-FLASHBACK- [8 Years Earlier, Warszawa Laboratory]
"Nirvash! Hey Nirvash, where did you go?" the young boy called out as he searched for his friend. He turned the corner. "Moykuu," he heard a voice go from inside a nearby room. Renton strolled over to it, opened the door, and walked in. It's dark. He looked around the small hospital room as his eyes adjusted to the darkness until he spotted a white shadow. "There you are. You shouldn't run off like that." he scolded the faerie. "Mokyuu," it went. "You found someone? Who?" he asked.

Then he saw her, a little girl with short teal hair around his age sleeping in a bed. He walked over and sat on the side of the bed to get a closer look at her. She wore a blue dress over her long-sleeved, black unitard and white gloves. Renton noticed a pair of matching white shoes laying beside the bed. "Pretty," remarked Renton as he stared, utterly captivated by her.

The girl awoke, revealing amethyst eyes. "Who are you?" she asked him as she sat up. "Oh, sorry. I'm Renton, Renton Thurston. What's your name?" he asked her. The girl studied him for a moment. "Eureka Zita," she answered. "Eureka, huh? Nice to meet you, Eureka." he said with a smile. Eureka looked again at him but, didn't say anything. "Moykuu!" went Nirvash. "What's that thing?" she asked now noticing the creature. "That's not a thing, that's my friend, Nirvash. She's a faerie." he informed her. "A faerie?" she repeated. "Uh-huh." he nodded. Eureka's amethyst eyes stared at the faerie with curiosity.

"Hey Eureka, would you like to be my friend too?" Renton asked her. "Your friend?" she repeated. "Yeah," he nodded. "What are friends?" she inquired. "Y'know, people you play fun games like tag and hide-n-seek with. Don't you have any?" he elaborated. Eureka shook her head. Renton stood up. "Then I'll be your first!" he told her with a big grin as he extended his hand. Eureka hesitated for a brief moment before accepting it. "C'mon Eureka, let's play!" he suggested. "O-ok, Renton." she agreed. And then, the girl did something which caused the boy to blush...she smiled.
-FLASHBACK- [END]

"You see, Eureka had a…rare skin condition which made her sensitive to sunlight so, she couldn't go out during the day." explained Renton to Konata. It's not a lie entirely, more like a half-truth. "So, I'd visit her everyday and tell her stories about what I did or saw that day. She always loved listening to them." he reminisced gazing at his love. "I think I've heard of that condition." went Konata. "If I remember correctly, it's called xeroderma pigmentosa, or XP. My father told me about it once." stated Matt. Matt's father was a doctor. "So that's why her skin is so pale." thought his wife out loud. "Err…yeah, she had XP." nodded Renton deciding to go along with his friend's assumption.

"So, Eureka was the girl you were always talking about back then?" recalled Matt. He turned to his wife. "Once when we were kids Renton told me, 'I met a girl at my parents' hospital. She's really pretty and she likes listening to my stories.' Renton would always go on and on about her." he told his wife. Renton's face flushed from embarrassment. "Aw, that's so sweet." commented Konata. "More, please." requested Eureka leaning over the table at Konata for seconds. "Sure, Eure...ka," went Konata. It was in this instance that she noticed something about her guest which caused her face to turn red. Eureka...wasn't wearing a bra. "What's wrong, honey?" her husband asked. "No–nothing." stammered Konata as she refilled Eureka's plate. (A/N: The whole Eureka not wearing a bra is basically fan-service. Now, here's the reason why she isn't wearing one. Renton is a typical guy. It took him every ounce of courage just to enter a woman's lingerie store to buy her panties. The clerk asked him what cup size Eureka was and Renton bolted out the door. Silly Renton.)

"I remember you telling me she moved away to receive better treatment." recalled Matt. "Yeah, it broke my heart." nodded Renton. "And a few months later you joined the military academy. You were six freaking years old! What the hell happened, man?" his friend wondered. "I...that's private." Renton told him. "Oh, sorry." he apologized for prying. "How did you find her again?" inquired Konata.

"It was while I was on a mission in South Dakota. I saw her amongst the chaos so I called to her. She was like this when I found her, I think she might've seen her parents killed or something." he lied. "So, I bet you rushed in, rescued her, and whisked her away like a knight in shining armor." guessed Konata. "Something like that." Renton chuckled nervously. Konata turned to address Eureka. "You're a really lucky girl, Eureka, to have a guy like Renton." she told her. "My Renton." cooed Eureka laying her head on his shoulder while gazing into her man's eyes. It almost as if she understood the girl's words. "That's right, Eureka. I'm yours." Renton told her with a warm smile.

The couples finished their meal and as they prepared to retire for the evening, Matt pulled Renton aside to speak with him privately. "Eight years is a long time to be separated from the woman you love." he commented. "I know. Don't worry, I intend to make up for all that lost time by spending the rest of my life with her." Renton proclaimed boldly. He walked over and clasped Eureka's hand. His friend smiled. "Goodnight, Renton." went Matt. "Goodnight, Matt and thanks for dinner, your wife's cooking was delicious." complimented Renton. "C'mon Eureka, time for bed." he said to her. The two departed downstairs, hands still clasped.

NEXT CHAPTER: THE TWO SLEEP, JUST LIKE THEY DID SO LONG AGO. BUT, SOMETHINGS DIFFERENT. THIS TIME IT'S RENTON WHO SEES EUREKA'S DREAMS. THE SAME GIRL, WHOSE VERY EXISTENCE ITSELF USED TO BE JUST THAT...A DREAM, IS NOW DREAMING HERSELF! WHAT DOES SHE DREAM OF? CHAPTER 2: HOW YOU REMIND ME

...And so it begins, our story. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Now that you've read it, in it's entirety, please give it a proper review. Arigatou!