Running Out of Time with You Part Five
“I don’t understand it,” Linkara muttered. “How can you be this powerful?”
90s Kid shrugged. “I dunno, dude. Maybe I’m just awesome like that!”
Linkara frowned. “There’s something odd surrounding you,” he said. “As though you’ve been training for longer than the month I’ve had you.”
“I guess I’m just really good?” 90s Kid guessed.
“I guess,” Linkara said. “But you’ve still got a long way to go. So come on. Time to start field experience.”
They went out to an alleyway where Linkara had sensed a time glitch. Nothing major, but it needed to be eliminated. “Steady,” Linkara said. “It will come at you in a moment.”
The glitch make its odd shrieking sound and moved toward them, bearing down on 90s Kid. “Steady,” Linkara said. “Steady…”
90s Kid breathed deep. At Linkara’s nod, he raised his hand to begin his transformation…
A pistol shot rang out from above them and a man in a white coat came leaping down from a rooftop. He hit the glitch with a blast of energy and just kept shooting, not letting it get close to 90s Kid. 90s Kid and Linkara could only stare as the man destroyed the glitch. When he had finished, he turned and looked at 90s Kid for a moment.
“Dude, who are you?” 90s Kid asked.
“I’m 80s Dan,” he said, and then he disappeared into the night.
*
Every time they had a fight, Dan was there. He wasn’t going to let 90s Kid fight anymore. He was always there, always jumping in. And this time, he didn’t let 90s Kid know him at all.
He didn’t say anything to anyone. He just went to where he knew the glitches would be. Sometimes, he defeated them before 90s Kid even got there. Other times, he would jump in before 90s Kid started and beat the glitch swiftly and without hesitation.
“I really wish that guy would stop interfering,” 90s Kid muttered. “I haven’t gotten to fight anything!”
“I know,” Linkara agreed. “It’s really irritating. And you’re not getting the experience you need.”
“Maybe I should just blast him out of the way?”
Linkara shook his head. “Rule one of the Magical Boys: we never hurt each other.”
“But…”
“I’ll find him,” Linkara promised. “And I’ll get him to stop.”
It turned out he wasn’t hard to find. He was never too far away from 90s Kid. So it was easy for Linkara to catch him one night.
“Stop fighting for him,” he growled. “I don’t care who you are or what your game is. You have to let him fight.”
Dan shook his head. “I can’t,” he said.
“Why not?”
“I can’t tell you.”
Linkara sighed. “Look…Dan…whoever or whatever you are. If a Magical Boy doesn’t fight glitches, all that magical energy builds up inside him. Without an outlet, it becomes too much. It consumes him. And eventually, it will destroy him.”
Dan stared at Linkara for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But…I can’t let him get hurt again.” With that, Dan walked away.
He kept interfering. Kept leaping in, kept shooting down the glitches. 90s Kid was annoyed by him, but Dan couldn’t tell him what had happened. What he had done. It would probably kill the boy to know.
*
The Entity was coming. Dan knew it was, and he knew that this time, he would have to stop it alone. And he had to be sure of that.
He went to Linkara on the day he knew that Linkara would sense it. “We have to talk,” he said to the other man.
Linkara frowned at him. “You didn’t seem too eager last time.”
“It’s about the Entity.”
Linkara raised his eyebrows. “I’m listening.”
“I know what your plan is. I know that you’re going to sacrifice 90s Kid to destroy it.”
Linkara took a deep breath. “Yes,” he admitted. “But…he’s the only one with enough magic in him. It’s the only way to beat it. He knows what he’s doing, and he’s ready.”
Dan shook his head. “No,” he said. “You two will stay back. I’m going to fight it.”
Linkara stared at Dan for a moment. “No,” he said. “You can’t beat it. You don’t have the strength. 90s Kid…he’s inexperienced, thanks to you, but he has enough power…and if he doesn’t use it soon, he’s going to die anyway.” He hesitated. “But if you’re so uncertain, you can talk to him about it.”
“Maybe I will,” Dan said, and then he left.
*
He was walking down the street the day before the Entity, thinking about getting another hit of cocaine, when he saw 90s Kid, standing by the comic shop and fidgeting incessantly. Dan stared at him, at the boy he loved so much, and he realized that he couldn’t do it. He had to tell 90s Kid what had happened.
90s Kid spotted him as well and approached. “Dude,” he said. “You’re that bogus guy who keeps getting in the way of my fights!”
“Yes,” Dan said. “Can we talk?”
90s Kid crossed his arms. “Yeah, we’d better.”
They walked back to the apartment where Dan was staying. Dan took a breath as 90s Kid sat down. “I…I’m sorry,” Dan said. “I only wanted to save you.”
“I don’t need saving,” 90s Kid snapped.
Dan shook his head. “You’re going to die,” he said.
“I know.”
Tears began to fall down Dan’s face. “I couldn’t let that happen,” he said. “You’ve already died so many times…I tried to stop it…I tried to make it work out differently…”
“Dude…”
Dan leaned forward and pressed his lips to 90s Kid’s. 90s Kid’s eyes widened, but then he kissed back softly for a second before pulling back. “You love me so much,” 90s Kid said. “Why?”
Dan sat down next to him. “I didn’t used to be like this,” he said. “I used to be a normal human. But then I fell through a time glitch…and I met you.” He reached out and took 90s Kid’s hand. 90s Kid didn’t pull away, so Dan continued. “You saved me…time and again, you leaped in front of glitches to make sure I’d be all right. I fell in love with you…your courage, your kindness…and you loved me, too. And then…” Dan broke off, sobbing. “Then the Entity came. And I saw you die…and I couldn’t take it.”
“What did you do?” 90s Kid whispered.
“The Devil came to me. He offered me three wishes to save your life. He couldn’t just bring you back, so I asked to be able to do it over again…as many times as it took. But it never worked. Every time, you died. Every time I fell in love with you, you were gone a month later. And I just keep doing it…I just kept coming back. Even if it was just to spend more time with you…even if you didn’t love me because of the choices I made in one timeline, I loved you. Then I asked to be a Magical Boy. I thought, maybe if I could fight with you, I could change it. I could throw myself to the Entity, or I could hit it with enough magic outside…but Linkara knew it wouldn’t work. You kept throwing yourself into it. So this time…this time, I knew you couldn’t be involved. So I saved you at every turn…and now, I want to save you one more time.”
90s Kid was silent for several minutes before he finally took a deep breath. “You shouldn’t have done it,” he said.
“I know. But what would you have done?”
“The same thing,” 90s Kid admitted. He looked at Dan. “Look…you can’t beat the Entity without my sacrifice. I know you don’t like it, but…it’s what has to be done. And…” 90s Kid moved closer to Dan. “And if we really love each other as much as you say, I know it will be all right…I know you’ve tried so hard to save me…and I…” He swallowed. “I do feel it. I do know…I love you, 80s Dan, even if I don’t know you half as well as you know me. And I wish we had more time together…with both of us knowing about it.”
“Please, Kid,” Dan said. “Please don’t do this.”
“I have to,” 90s Kid said. “I have so much magic built up inside me…maybe it will be enough.” He pulled Dan into his arms. “Please understand…I don’t want to leave you.”
“Kid…”
“Promise me one thing, Dan.”
Dan looked at him. “What?”
“Promise me that you won’t interfere. And this time, when I…when I die…promise you won’t try to change it.”
Dan hugged 90s Kid close, crying onto his shoulder. “I promise,” he sobbed. “I’ll let you…this time, I’ll let go.”
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