AKIRA ANDY ASH CAMUS FUKO JOSH OUTLAW_21A OUTLAW_21B OUTLAW_21C OUTLAW_21D PARENT_21A RED SALOON_MANAGER_21A SANDERS SERVER_21A AKIRA Fuko and Andy succeed in contacting the author Anno Un. Anno expresses a desire to help them become stronger, but Fuko and Andy end up fighting against Autumn to save a man assaulted by the UMA. AKIRA However, at their current skill level, they're unable to defeat their foe. Anno draws Andy's arm with G-Liner and uses it to make a powerful attack, thus showing them the potential of Negator abilities. However, not even that is enough to defeat Autumn. AKIRA And so, the trio retreats from the battle and heads to Anno's mansion. There, they convinced Juiz to allow the two to undergo Anno's training, transforming Andy into a book that reaches up to space. FUKO Huh? FUKO It's massive! Why is it so tall? AKIRA Most likely because Victor's portion is included, too. See, basically, this is how long he's actually been alive. FUKO So to learn about Andy's past, I'll need to read this entire book. AKIRA Not quite. FUKO Huh? AKIRA Go in! FUKO How would I... AKIRA I mean, you can't possibly read all this. It's too heavy to even open. FUKO But that doesn't explain what you meant by "go in." That sounds more like the plot of a fairy tale than something you-- FUKO Huh? Huh? Is that me? AKIRA Hey, don't panic. You're fine. AKIRA This is Artifact Soul Caliber. It can pluck the soul out of a person and seal them inside an object of your choice, and I'm choosing to plop you right inside that book. FUKO Uh... AKIRA There, you'll learn about the parts of him that are unknown to you, and about you. And he in turn will gain a deeper understanding of you and reexamine his own past. FUKO What? Wh-What do you mean by that? AKIRA In other words-- AKIRA You're going to find out why. The reason why Andy was born, that is! FUKO Where am I? FUKO Could I already be inside Andy's memories? OUTLAW 21A Freeze! OUTLAW 21A One of the kids that escaped? Get back here! FUKO My name is Fuko Izumo! Uh, I mean, I'm not from around here! Where am I? OUTLAW 21A Hey, stop your jabberin'! Unless you wanna die! FUKO Oh, no! I can't die yet. I just got here! FUKO I didn't even get to find Andy yet! ANDY Hey, Josh! Red! Sanders! You tellin' me you didn't save all the kids? That it? JOSH No, I made sure! None of the kids here know who she is! ANDY What, no? FUKO A-Andy? ANDY Huh? FUKO Andy! It's you, isn't it? Where are we right now? And when? ANDY We're only just a little ways out from Longing. Are ya from there? We can take ya. FUKO Ah, oh, Andy! I knew I could count on you! Even in this era, you wouldn't just let me die! ANDY Who's this Andy fellow that you keep going on about? FUKO Oh, that's right. You had a different name at this point. JOSH Just how long are you gonna stay latched onto the captain? FUKO Uh, oh, sorry about that. I just-- ANDY Down, Josh. FUKO My hair didn't happen to touch you just now, did it? This is real bad. Here comes a stroke of unluck! JOSH Some unluck? What are you talkin' abou-- FUKO Oh, good. At least it was only a light stroke. JOSH How did you-- JOSH You just predicted that, didn't you? You a witch? You must be! All right, better kill ya! FUKO Crap, crap, crap! I just found Andy. I can't die yet! Gotta explain. Gotta earn their trust. SANDERS Captain, how does this girl know your tattoos? JOSH Hey! What kinda relationship did ya have with the captain, huh? ANDY Come with us. ANDY Let's go eat. PARENT 21A I'm so glad you're okay! SALOON MANAGER 21A Thank you so much for saving the children. We're all in your debt. Please, can I do something to repay you? FUKO Uh, so, uh, I heard you speak Japanese. JOSH Yeah, the captain taught me. I wanna head over and meet some samurai. And learn how to quick draw! SALOON MANAGER 21A That's it? Are you certain? You only want food? ANDY That's right. Don't fret. Just food and booze for now. SALOON MANAGER 21A If you think you'd be interested, we have plenty of this town's famous local brew. But I warn you, it's a bit strong for outsiders. JOSH Bring it on! Let's have a drinking contest! RED / SANDERS Hell yeah! We're in! FUKO So, what is it you all normally do, Andy? ANDY A lot of places are in bad shape now, seeing as the Civil War's done. So now we beat up fools who are up to no good. And in return get thanked for our efforts like this. FUKO The Civil War... What year was that, again? JOSH That's just a front and you know it. We know the real deal. JOSH The captain here has no memories of his past, you see. That's why he's been roamin' around the world. In truth, he's been hopin' to run into someone who knows who the hell he is. RED / SANDERS Mm-hmm. JOSH And as for us three, during his journey, he saved each of us from trouble. So now we're helpin' him the best we can. And that's why... we better not find out you've been lyin' about knowing the captain or... JOSH / RED / SANDERS You're dead meat! ANDY All o' ya, settle down. She won't tell us anything if you're threatening her like that. ANDY It's Fuko, right? Tell me this. How'd you know about my tattoos, huh? FUKO How do I... FUKO You see, in the future, you're always naked. FUKO Huh? ANDY There's no way. That's absurd. FUKO No, it's the truth! Maybe it's 'cause, I don't know, you've lived as Undead for so long, after all that time, your sense of values could have changed a bit? FUKO Oh, also, in the future, you fight with a katana. FUKO And you use your finger as a gun. JOSH Wait, back up. Undead? FUKO Uh-huh? FUKO What? JOSH Listen, Captain's wounds do heal lickety-split, but the dude ain't no dang zombie. FUKO I see. Andy in this era isn't aware he's undead yet. FUKO Andy. Please let me join your crew. FUKO Nothing I've been saying so far is making you trust me at all, right? Then let me risk my life right alongside you on your journey. I could gain your trust, get stronger, and learn more about you, Andy. It's killing three birds with one stone. ANDY One bullet, one shot. ANDY Aim at your head and pull. If you live, I'll let you join my crew. JOSH Ah, nice. Here. First induction test in quite a while. FUKO Ow! JOSH Stop! Are you outta your damn mind? FUKO I'm sorry about that. But the gun wasn't loaded, was it? FUKO You did a good job tricking me so I couldn't tell, but... Even with a one-in-six chance, the Andy I know wouldn't do that to someone, especially someone who isn't even a fighter. FUKO Thank goodness. I guess you're still the same Andy after all. JOSH What would you have done if there actually was a bullet in there? FUKO Oh, it would have been fine. It's Andy. JOSH Sure, that's great, but what if? FUKO I'd be okay. JOSH Well, I like the cut of your jib. JOSH I say we let her join the gang. RED / SANDERS JOSH Right, Captain? OUTLAW 21B They're all dead? OUTLAW 21C Yep. OUTLAW 21D That was easier than I thought. OUTLAW 21C Hey, saloon woman. OUTLAW 21C Ya did good. Got 'em nice and drunk just like we planned. They were sittin' ducks. SALOON MANAGER 21A Right. And you'll keep your end of the bargain? OUTLAW 21C Oh, we will. We won't mess with the kids anymore. JOSH Fuko... FUKO Ms. Josh. You protected me. JOSH In the future, the captain... He doin' well? Doesn't look like he's in pain? FUKO No, he's just fine. Great, in fact. JOSH Great. Glad to hear it. ANDY Sanders, I'm borrowing these. ANDY I'll be right back. FUKO Andy! FUKO At first, I didn't know what learning about Andy meant. FUKO But now I do. It meant learning about all the times he's had to say goodbye. ANDY It's clear to me now. Now that I know I can't die and I'm undead, it makes more sense for me to get in close range. 'Cause if I ain't gonna die, I couldn't care less about any pain. FUKO So it's my duty to witness each one with my own eyes. ANDY Thank you for the help. Sorry to make you pitch in. FUKO Oh, no. It's fine. I had to help. Ms. Josh saved my life. ANDY The three of 'em were good people. Far too good for me, in fact. SALOON MANAGER 21A Pardon. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault for following their plan. I was in your debt and I still went through with it. I'll atone for what I've done, but please, you must forgive the others here. They're innocent! FUKO The saloon manager. ANDY I see. FUKO Wait, Andy, stop! She didn't do it because she wanted to! ANDY Let me go. ANDY Every single year on this day, come and pour out the booze that Anhueser's selling on their graves, and every time they release a new one as well. Till the day you die, and don't skip a single time. ANDY Do that, and those three won't blame ya for what ya did. SALOON MANAGER 21A Yes, I'll do that! I swear to God I will! ANDY Let's go. FUKO Right. FUKO You sure are kind. ANDY What do you mean? FUKO For, you know, going easy on that nice lady. FUKO She probably would have kept blaming herself, so you gave her a way to make amends. ANDY You're giving me too much credit. All I want's for her to suffer. Nothing more, nothing less. FUKO I see. FUKO So, hey, is it okay to assume I'm part of your crew now? ANDY Huh? Whatcha talkin' about? I'm droppin' you off at the closest town. FUKO Wait, that wasn't part of the deal! I passed your test, didn't I? ANDY All right, then the crew's disbanded. FUKO Now, hold on! FUKO From then on, I traveled with Andy on his journey. Together we ran into and parted ways with many people in many places. It felt like eons had passed, but it also felt like the blink of an eye. Almost as if I was dreaming, the way time blurred. FUKO It was strange, this experience. Like I'd become a character in some sort of book. And during all that time, Andy never cracked a smile. FUKO Not only that, he never once spoke about his past. ASH Hold on. A Negator of luck, you say? CAMUS What's that supposed to mean, Ms. Fuko? FUKO Mmm... FUKO It'd be dangerous if I didn't fill in the newcomers now, I guess. I'd seriously injure them if I wait until after we got to know each other. FUKO Here it comes. Unluck. SERVER 21A Whoa, ah! FUKO Ah. FUKO Well, that does it for the rite of passage. I'll go bring Andy his food. ASH Great. Here's to hopin' the captain doesn't feel you up. FUKO I knew I'd find you out here. Look, I brought you some dinner. You're eating, right, Andy? ANDY Quit callin' me that when my men are around, Fuko. FUKO Oh, come on. Where's the harm in that? FUKO I gave them the Unluck ritual a second ago. You see, Mr. Ash was-- ANDY Hold on. Let me guess. ANDY Ash probably got a little dirty. And Camus's chair broke and dropped him on his ass. FUKO Oh, wow! You're right! FUKO Mr. Ash always stares at my chest and I can't stand it! What's so great about these things, anyway? Mr. Camus doesn't do anything like that. FUKO Oh, is that a new brew? ANDY Uh-huh. Apparently they call it Budwaiser. Pretty good stuff. FUKO Oh. Something for Ms. Josh and the others to drink. ANDY Fuko, let me ask ya somethin'. What do you think it means to die? FUKO What brought this on suddenly? ANDY I'm being serious over here. Personally, I think death is when your brain stops thinking. ANDY Thinking means you can challenge. Thinking means you can change. ANDY I think when a person can't do that anymore, that's when they're dead. FUKO Mmm, I don't quite agree with that, actually. In my opinion, you only truly die once no one remembers you. FUKO I lost my parents in an accident. No, I mean, I killed them with my ability, along with a bunch of other people. FUKO I thought that not being able to see them anymore meant they were dead, but now I think it's slightly different. After all, both my mom and my dad have always been in my heart. Constantly telling me that it wasn't my fault. And telling me if I keep living, something wonderful may come. FUKO Sure, it might just be a fantasy I made up to escape the weight of my sins. But my mom and dad have always helped me out, even to this day. So that's why I don't feel like they're dead yet. FUKO Of course, I can't meet them in the flesh but... I'm sure Ms. Josh and the others are alive and well inside of you. ANDY Yeah. I sure hope that they are. FUKO You... finally smiled, Andy! Boy, all that hard work I put in has really paid off! It was worth-- Ah? ANDY 1865. April 15th. Washington, D.C. That's my oldest memory. Now that I've told you, you'll go there, right? ANDY So long as I don't forget... I won't be alone. I'll be fine now. FUKO No, the--the one I love is you, but at the same time not the one that's here exactly. So I don't think we should be doing th-that. At least not right now. FUKO Wait, did I just say that I love you? ANDY You did. But puttin' that aside, Fuko... You're startin' to fade away. FUKO Whoa, what is this? Is it taking me somewhere else now? What do I do? What do I do? FUKO Andy! ANDY What's up? FUKO In 144 years, on exactly August 1st, 2020, you and I will meet. It'll be at Shinjuku Station! When we do, I'll try to run away, but make sure you catch me! If you do, on that day, I'll kiss you, okay? FUKO So please be sure not to forget! As long as you don't forget... ANDY Then people won't die. ANDY Sick. Wicked sick. FUKO Uh? FUKO Where am I?