They were in the sky, enjoying the breeze and the beautiful scenery. They were heading towards Tokyo to enjoy the cityscape. When they were close enough, a helicopter approached them.
— Land your balloon, now! You are under arrest for stealing an aircraft.
Caliel: "F-Faster than you expected again?"
Zafkiel: "Not quite."
— Raise your hands and lower the balloon's altitude slowly!
He took out his cell phone and, without showing it to the helicopter, opened a special app called self-destruct. He activated it.
— If you do not comply, we are authorized to use lethal force!
Zafkiel dropped his phone and raised his hands. Then the phone exploded in a huge cloud of electromagnetic pulse, which disabled the helicopter and it began to fall. Desperate, the soldier with the machine gun began to shoot, hitting the balloon with a bullet. This destabilized the balloon and it also began to fall.
Zafkiel: "Jump, now!"
They jumped out of the balloon and began to fall freely. Caliel was terrified of the height and speed, but as they reached terminal velocity, they felt at peace. They held hands as they fell. He saw a blimp and had an idea.
Zafkiel: "They might be waiting for us on the ground! Let's land there!"
It was hard to hear with all that wind. He pointed at the blimp.
Caliel: "HUH?! THERE'S NO WAY WE'RE DOING THIS!"
Zafkiel: "HOLD ME! I'LL USE MY PARACHUTE!"
She hugged him desperately. He tried to open his parachute, but it didn't work.
Zafkiel: "GODDAMNIT, IT'S STUCK! USE YOURS!"
She didn't know how to use a parachute. He put his arms around her and pulled the pin, opening it. Their fall was slowed, but there was no way to predict where they would land. When they were close enough to the blimp , Zafkiel took a tool attached to his parachute.
Zafkiel: "TAKE OFF YOUR PARACHUTE!"
Caliel: "WHAT?!"
Zafkiel: "IT WILL GET IN OUR WAY!"
He helped her take off her backpack and fired his tool towards the balloon, releasing a black rope that attached to the surface. Due to inertia, they began to circle around the airship, while the rope stretched to avoid breaking. They finally stopped on top of the airship, lying down and dizzy. Caliel held the balloon tightly and vomited.
Zafkiel: "LET'S GET INSIDE, THEN WE CAN GET SOME REST!"
The tool retracted and they circled again, until he finally shot toward the window where the operator was and threatened to shoot him with the pistol. He motioned for him to open the door, which he did. Zafkiel darted toward the door like a grappling hook and they entered.
Caliel fell unconscious to the ground. Zafkiel was also very sick.
— Who the hell are you?! I could have thrown you away, but I saved you! Show some gratitude!
Zafkiel: "Thanks, man. Sorry for the surprise."
— Is she dead?
Zafkiel: "No, just a little nauseous from all the movement and g-force."
— How did you even get up here?
Zafkiel: "It's a long story. I'm gonna take a break. I trust you won't kill us."
He passed out. Caliel woke up after a while. It was already night.
Caliel: "Are we still on the air...?"
— You're finally awake. You got quite a fever, huh.
There was a warm towel on her head.
Caliel: "Did you..."
— Your bodies weren't made for this, kids.
Caliel: "Thank you... for saving us."
— You're welcome. Look, I don't care how you ended up here. I just want to know why.
Caliel: "We were skydiving."
She got up and sat down on one of the seats.
— A quite dangerous skydiving, huh.
Caliel: "Well, unexpected things happened and we had to use drastic measures."
— I know. Some obstacles are too high to be overcome with just one leap.
Caliel: "What do you want to say?"
— I'm telling you to jump, no matter how high, as long as it's as high as you can get.
Caliel: "Thank, I guess?"
— You still haven't answered my question. Why are you here? Not how you arrived here, but why you're in the sky.
Caliel: "We were trying to have fun."
— Did you have fun?
Caliel: "It was a bit dangerous, but at least we're alive, right? It was fun."
— Do you regret it?
Caliel: "Absolutely not."
— I liked the answer. Just like I like the sky.
Caliel: "Is that why you're flying this blimp?"
— I used to be a pilot. I retired when I realized that life wasn't meant to be boring. Doing something because you like it is more productive than being forced to do it.
Caliel: "Not for society..."
— Productivity is relative. Being satisfied with what you do is productive, not with what others do.
Caliel: "But what if I'm hindering progress?"
— Humanity is always progressing, whether you like it or not. Slowing down can improve other parts. There is never absolute waste.
Zafkiel: "You still care what others think of you."
He was now awake.
Zafkiel: "I see you didn't take my gun."
— Humans love some danger, don't they? Being up here in peace can get a little boring sometimes. What's a little excitement in life?
Zafkiel: "The danger of finding out whether or not I want to kill you? I like that. I don't feel like killing right now, especially someone innocent."
— Both answers are exciting, don't you think?
Zafkiel: "If you're suicidal, that is."
— You guys are funny. You have life in your eyes, unlike most "correct" people.
Zafkiel: "What can I say? We're in the pursuit of true happiness."
He and Caliel smiled at each other. The pilot went to the bathroom to leave them alone. They hugged each other. The blimp became invisible inside, showing the landscape and the moon.
Suddenly, a transmission came from the radio.
— Identify yourself. A fighter jet is approaching. If you do not respond, we will open fire.
Caliel: "What?"
Zafkiel: "They know we're here."
The pilot quickly left the bathroom.
Zafkiel: "Was that you? Did you give us away?"
— Why would I? I could have turned you over to the authorities the moment you passed out. They were probably scouring the sky until they finally figured out which aircraft you were on.
Zafkiel: "Shit. Tell them your name."
He went to the radio when they spoke again.
— We're detecting three heat signatures inside. Land your airship or we'll shoot it down.
Zafkiel: "Open the door, now!"
The pilot did so.
Caliel: "What are we going to do?"
Zafkiel: "Jump. "
Caliel: "Wait, what? Your parachute doesn't work!"
Zafkiel: "It was nice meeting you, old man."
— I say the same.
Zafkiel hugged Caliel and jumped out of the airship.
Caliel: "HOW ARE WE GOING TO LAND?!"
Zafkiel: "EVERYTHING WORKS WITH A BIT OF BRUTE FORCE!"
This time he pulled the pin harder and it worked. They glided until they entered the city again.
Zafkiel: "Have you entered the association's main building yet?"
He pointed to a giant building in the center of Tokyo. It was made of several huge black cubes.
Caliel: "On some school trips, yes!"
Zafkiel: "How about landing there?"
Caliel: "Are you crazy? The guards are gonna shoot us down!"
Zafkiel: "They are heroes! They don't shoot without warning!"
Caliel: "You're overestimating them!"
They managed to land on the rooftop of the building. The futuristic cityscape was beautiful at night.
Caliel: "Strange, no reaction yet."
Zafkiel: "Caliel, I want to give you something."
He took out his parachute and opened an extra bag that was there. From there, he took out two dolls, each one looking just like them.
Caliel: "A doll... of us?"
Zafkiel: "They call them voodoo dolls, right? This one actually looks like you."
She giggled.
Caliel: "It's just a doll. You know superstitions aren't real, right?"
Zafkiel: "Who knows? There are heroes with supernatural powers right under our noses. Plus, they're cute, aren't they?"
Caliel: "You know what cute means... Yeah, you're right. I guess you want me to keep mine."
Zafkiel: "Yes, and I'll keep mine so they don't find out about our relationship, since they're probably still after me."
Caliel: "They're after us."
Zafkiel: "No, I'm the one they want. If they ask about the doll, tell them it's just a gift."
Caliel: "Of course I won't turn you in."
Zafkiel: "No, I mean... if they know you're my girlfriend, just tell them the truth. I'm not trying to save my ass, I want you to turn me in if it means saving your life."
Caliel: "You know I won't do that, but thanks for the concern. You know I love you."
She smiled at him. She brought her lips close to his and kissed him passionately.