The Whole Land of Light Knows I Tricked Zeta into Marriage

(Note left on August 15: I'm slowly revising this story. The revised version and bonus chapters will be posted together after both the Takkar and Zero stories are complete. The main revisions will fix typos throughout, improve the flow of the crossover worlds, and make the later watch-along sections more fun with some added content.)

Doris gets a suicidal assignment: assassinate Ultraman Z and steal the core of the Plasma Spark Tower.

She looks at the bottle of special medicine, the dagger, and the rusty chain sent along with them.

Doris: The organization could just kill me outright, but instead they want me to trick an Ultraman...

The con:

Disguise herself as an Earth girl named Chiba Hitomi.

Get Zeta to drink the special medicine.

Once his memories are muddled, claim to be his fiancee and have him take her to the Land of Light.

Perfect plan!

But after she puts it into action...

Good news: Zeta is absolutely convinced she's his fiancee.

Bad news: She and Zeta are chained together, and he has forgotten the way back to the Land of Light.

Seeing her confusion, Zeta confidently reassures her: "Don't worry, I'll get you to the Land of Light!"

Doris: I have a bad feeling about this...

A journey through the stars (and a flight for their lives)

They warp to a primitive planet and are forced to hold a wedding.

They are wanted on a high-tech, civilized planet.

In a fairy-tale kingdom, they're forced to help a group of princes and princesses find true love's kiss.

They are hunted down, left penniless, and stranded on a parallel Earth.

They meet Haruki.

After surviving one deadly crisis after another and finally making it back to the Land of Light, Zeta actually wants to marry her.

She has also found the warmth of a home here.

So, tormented by her conscience, Doris makes a clean getaway and runs off before the wedding...

A few things to know:

* Pairing: Zeta, not Haruki. Can be read as human/nonhuman, one-on-one, happy ending. A fun, sweet comedy with my own take on the space-travel setting.

* There will be watch-along chapters set in the Land of Light, which will be marked in the chapter titles.

* There will still be crossovers with other works.

* Any out-of-character moments are my fault. Lots of personal worldbuilding, and my writing is amateurish. Please read peacefully, thanks.

A new Takkar story is now up in my profile. Here's the blurb:

Kusama Saori has the rotten luck of taking on production of the tokusatsu series Ultraman Trigger for a company on the verge of bankruptcy.

She goes to a bar to unwind, only to run into a host who clings to her and won't let go.

Kusama Saori: I understand that you'd do anything for your sales, but could you please leave me alone?

Host: Carmeara, what are you talking about?

Manaka Kengo wakes up from a long sleep in the Eternal Core, and the whole world has changed.

There are no monsters, no Dark Giants, and no GUTS.

He's become a young actor and has to audition for a role in the tokusatsu series Ultraman Trigger.

Manaka Kengo: ? But aren't I Trigger?

The night before his audition, he runs into a drunken girl at a bar.

It's none other than Carmeara, who died long ago and whom he has missed dearly.

But she doesn't recognize him and mistakes him for a host.

*

Kusama Saori never imagined that, while drunk, she'd flirt with the lead actor of a tokusatsu series, thinking he was a host.

She regrets it deeply and decides to keep her distance, making sure he never recognizes her.

Then Manaka Kengo shows up at her door asking to share an apartment.

Kusama Saori: This young actor is deliberately clinging to me with ulterior motives! How badly does he want to get ahead?

Manaka Kengo: Get ahead? I'm definitely ambitious!

After talking at cross purposes, Kusama Saori decides he's a rookie actor trying to take a shortcut to success.

So she treats him like a junior and carefully mentors him, hoping he'll get on the right track.

Then an accident forces her to become the guest actress playing Carmeara.

While rehearsing a scene with Manaka Kengo, she catches the affection in his gaze.

But he's looking through her, seeing someone else.

It suddenly dawns on her! She's shocked! She's furious!

You, Manaka Kengo! I treated you like a junior and mentored you, and you see me as a stand-in for your first love?!

Core message: Keep your heart sincere and embrace a bright future.