Remember! Ultraman

by Coolartist1110

Summary:

There’s never really been an explanation for how Hayata and Ultraman joined back together again, since they split apart at the end of the series. Here’s my take on what may have happened.

Notes:

I apologize if anything I write clashes with the VAST Ultraman canon. I’ve only seen a few episodes of Ultraman shows that aren’t the original (as of writing this), and I’ve still not watched EVERY episode of Ultraman 1966.

Also, I write names in the English way, with the given name first and family name last, as that’s just what I’m more used to.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Shin Hayata had tried to go over the events of that day over and over again.

He went to Ryugamori. He crashed into something. He’d been rescued by that giant, the one that the others in the SSSP said was called “Ultraman.” Ultraman had spoken to him, he was sure of it. The memory of their conversation was muddled, but it was there. He’d been given a strange teal device. The “Beta Capsule,” something deep within his subconscious told him. But no matter how many times he recreated the crash in his mind, that was all he could remember.

Apparently, quite a bit had happened after that. The SSSP had faced alien invasions, monster attacks, and even threats originating from Earth itself. Hayata had been present during all of this. In some situations, he’d apparently been fighting on the front lines. So why couldn’t he remember any of it?

Cap, Arashi, and Fuji were all supportive, as usual. They’d come to the conclusion that this lapse in memory must’ve come from work-related stress. That’s why Hayata’d been given leave. Officially, it was only a few weeks long. Unofficially, it was until his memory returned.

Ide had taken it upon himself to keep Hayata’s morale up. The other members of the Patrol checked up on Hayata, of course, but Ide visited the most. He’d take Hayata out for drinks, try and jog his memory, and keep him caught up on SSSP activity.

“It’s nothing to worry about, Hayata! I bet it’s because you miss your big pal, Ultraman,” Ide had said the day Hayata lost his memory. That was Ide, always injecting humor into every situation. Hayata was glad that hadn’t changed, at least.

At some point, he and Ide mulled over the idea of visiting Lake Ryugamori together. The way Ide saw it, if it brought Hayata’s memory back, great! If it didn’t, then two friends would just spend some time camping out at a beautiful lake. Hayata gladly accepted. Maybe, just maybe, he’d find some answers.

Chapter 2

At first, it looked like the only things to come out of Ide and Hayata’s excursion to Lake Ryugamori were happy memories and mosquito bites. Hayata stared out at that lake at least twenty times, but nothing came back to him. There was one notable moment, though, that neither man could fully explain.

Hayata had gone out to get some firewood. (“It’s not camping without a campfire, right?” Ide told him.) As he walked back to the campsite, a particular area, surrounded by greenery, made him pause. But why? It wasn’t like that spot was too different from anywhere else by the lake. There were some residual signs of a fire, which could’ve been for a number of reasons. A forest fire, a careless camper.

A jet crash.

Could the still-charred ground really be a remnant of the VTOL crash? Hayata’s instinct was to say no. The likelihood of him stumbling upon that was too low. The space beside the lake was so big, after all. And the debris of the VTOL would’ve scattered all over. So why did this place send a shiver down his spine? Why did it make his heart race?

Why was every instinct screaming “This is where I die?”

Ultraman had saved him from the crash. Despite the gaps in his memory, Hayata knew that for a fact. How else could he be alive right now? He couldn’t have died here. End of story…Regardless, when Hayata went on his way, he picked up the pace a bit.

After delivering the firewood and staring the campfire up, Hayata told Ide what’d happened.

“Cut it out, Hayata! You know I hate ghost stories like that!” Ide scolded. Despite being a member of the Science Patrol, Ide’d always been a little superstitious.

“Ide, I’m being serious! Do you think I’d make something like that up?” Hayata replied.

Ide considered this. Shin Hayata wasn’t one for practical jokes. But the alternative, that this was all true, scared him significantly more.

“You’re just trying to freak me out. I’m not falling for it!”

Hayata sighed. It was just nerves; it had to be. He changed the subject, and soon Ide was back to his usual, cheerful self. The same couldn’t be said for Hayata.

Chapter 3

Hayata…Hayata…

A groggy Shin Hayata opened and rubbed his eyes. Was someone there? As his vision adjusted to the dark, he looked around the tent. All he saw was Ide sleeping soundly in his sleeping bag. He could’ve sworn he heard something…He wrote it off as a dream, and drifted back to sleep.

 

Orbiting around the surface of the Earth in a spaceship (not dissimilar to the one he’d used on his first trip to Earth) was a certain alien from Nebula M78. He was searching for his gracious host, SSSP Officer Shin Hayata, who he had to abandon after their defeat at the hands of Zetton.

It was Hayata who had given him his name: Ultraman. The name had been quite a hit back home. The others of his race wished to use it if they ever visited Earth.

Not wanting to land his ship in a populated area, or crash into anyone like last time, Ultraman was hoping to ascertain Hayata’s location and land there. The easiest way to find him would be through the link they’d formed when they merged. Since it’d been a little while, Ultraman expected the connection to have decayed, but it should’ve been enough to find Hayata again.

He hadn’t expected Hayata to be outright unresponsive. Surely, if Ultraman could still reach him, he could reach back? Perhaps Hayata didn’t want to see Ultraman again. The two becoming one wasn’t his choice, after all. Now, he could live his life again, without having to risk it fighting monsters and aliens one-on-one.

No, Hayata wasn’t one to ignore a friend. They were friends, weren’t they? Surely they were, after the time they’d spent together. They were colleagues, at least, and Hayata wouldn’t ignore his colleague, either. Ultraman moved the ship closer to Earth’s atmosphere. The distance between the two may have caused some interference.

 

Shin Hayata? Do you hear me? Hayata?

This time. Hayata woke with a start. He wasn’t dreaming. Quietly, he unzipped his sleeping bag and exited the tent, not wanting to wake Ide. He took out a flashlight from their supply bag and looked around.

Nobody was there, not even any other campers. Ide had specifically chosen this spot because it was more isolated than the main campsite. He’d hopped the peace and quiet would help Hayata’s memory, somehow.

If there was nobody there, where had the voice come from?

 

Now that Ultraman was closer to Earth, he could sense Hayata more clearly. Hayata had heard him. Faintly, Ultraman sensed fear within the human. Had he startled him? Or worse, was Hayata in trouble? He moved the ship closer, now hovering over Japan. That was Hayata’s home; he was most likely still somewhere in the country.

 

Hayata, I am trying to find you. Where are you?

The voice didn’t come from any one direction. To Hayata, it sounded like it came from everywhere. Whoever this was, they knew Hayata by name. They were looking for him.

“Hello?” Hayata called. “I…I’m Shin Hayata. This is Lake Ryugamori. Who is this?”

 

Strange. Ultraman could tell Hayata had replied aloud, rather than mentally. It was harder for him to “hear” Hayata that way when they were so far apart. Fortunately, he could ascertain Hayata’s location: Lake Ryugamori. How fitting that he and Hayata would reunite at the place they had first met. Cautiously, Ultraman began to pilot the ship toward Ryugamori.

Chapter 4

“Hayata? What the hell are you doing?”

Hayata flinched, not expecting to hear another voice. This one, of course, was Ide’s. He’d been woken up when Hayata had spoken aloud.

“Sorry to wake you, Ide,” Hayata apologized, turning to face his friend. “I heard someone.”

“…there’s nobody out here,” Ide pointed out. “This isn’t another ghost story, is it?! If you woke me up just to try and prank me, I swear I’ll never forgive you.”

“Ide, I’m not trying to prank you,” Hayata sighed. “I’m telling you, I heard someone. They called out my name. I think whoever it was is looking for me.”

“I didn’t hear anything. Not until you started shouting. You were probably just sleepwalking, or something.”

“I’m not a child, I know the difference between a bad dream and reality. I would stake my spot on the Patrol on it.”

Seeing how serious Hayata was, Ide tried to come up with a better explanation. Hopefully, it wasn’t ghosts.

“Hm…some of the aliens we encountered spoke telepathically,” Ide recalled.

“Do you think that’s what it was? An alien, trying to contact me?” Hayata asked. He didn’t feel it was entirely realistic, at first. But an alien had saved his life, and apparently the SSSP dealt with many others. It was always possible.

Ide suddenly rushed up to Hayata and hugged him.

“I won’t let them take you, Hayata!” Ide cried.

He’d had his brain tampered with by alien forces before. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. The last thing poor Hayata’s mixed up brain needed was to be probed by some monster from space!

“I wish I’d brought my equipment with me. I don’t even have a lousy gun!”

“I-Ide…” stammered Hayata. He pat Ide on the back. Who was comforting who here, anyway? “I’m a member of the Science Patrol too. If any aliens come, we can take ‘em on together, right?”

Ide let go of Hayata and struck a confident pose.

“Yeah! They’ll be sorry they ever messed with the SSSP!”

The abrupt change in demeanor took Hayata by surprise. He chuckled. Suddenly, Ide’s mood changed again. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. Hayata turned to see what Ide was looking at.

A large red orb floated in the sky. It was…strangely familiar to Hayata.

“I-I take it back! We’re unarmed, we’re doomed!” shrieked Ide. “Maybe if we run fast enough, we can find a radio, or a phone, and contact the others!”

“Hold on! I’ve seen that thing before.”

“Don’t be an idiot, Hayata! If we stay, we’re toast!”

The orb approached Hayata slowly. Ide hid behind their tent. If anything happened, he’d go get help. For now, he just wanted to make sure Hayata was safe.

“The crash…that’s it! Ide, this is what I crashed into that day!” Hayata realized, his gaze never leaving the red sphere. Despite it nearly killing him before, he found he wasn’t afraid of it.

To Ide, the sphere almost looked to have landed top of Hayata. In reality, it brought Hayata aboard. Ide looked on in awe.

Chapter 5

Hayata felt like he was floating. The inside of the red sphere looked mostly empty, except for some smoke and multicolored lights. Like the sphere itself, this place was oddly familiar.

A massive figure appeared, towering over Hayata. It was the alien who’d saved his life, the one called Ultraman. This was where he’d spoken to the alien for the first time, Hayata realized.

“It’s you…” he whispered.

Greetings, Hayata. I am pleased to see you again.

That was the same voice that Hayata had heard in his head before; the one asking for him. It must’ve been Ultraman the whole time.

“Thank you?” Hayata replied.

Ultraman could tell something was wrong. Though the little human was putting on a brave face, Ultraman could sense Hayata’s discomfort and fear. That wasn’t right. He’d trusted the man with his very being, and vice versa. No bond could be forged deeper than that. Had something changed since he’d left Earth?

You do not trust me. Why?

“What?” Hayata said. He stumbled over his words a bit before he managed to get his next ones out: “I’m grateful you saved my life before, but that doesn’t mean I trust you. I’m a member of the Science Patrol. It’s our duty to be on our guard when meeting alien life forms.”

If Ultraman hadn’t known any better, he would’ve been offended. He was, practically, just as much a member of the SSSP as Hayata was! Not to mention he was fully aware of their alien contact protocols.

That confirmed it. Something had happened to Hayata, and he was going to find out what. He attempted to look deeper into Hayata’s mind and find what was troubling him. He didn’t like to pry, but he saw no other option.

“What are you doing? What is this?!” Hayata demanded. He could feel this thing, this “Ultraman,” probing his mind. The blatant violation of privacy should’ve infuriated him, but for some reason, it almost felt natural. The giant’s presence fit in perfectly amongst Hayata’s thoughts.

Ultraman found a void in Hayata’s mind, where his post-crash and pre-Zoffy memories belonged. A side effect of splitting apart, he theorized. In that case, joining together again would fix the problem.

I must apologize to you once more, Hayata. Our separation has cost you your memories of our time as one.

“Time as one? What are you talking about?”

The crash ended your life. I gave you mine so you could live on. From that moment forward, we ceased to be separate entities. Together we worked to protect the people of Earth. You called upon my power with the Beta Capsule.

Receiving the Beta Capsule from Ultraman was one of the only things Hayata remembered from the crash. And the way Ultraman’s mind fit into his like a glove…could it really be true?

I will not force you to join with me again.  It may, however, be the only way to restore your memory.

Hayata thought it over. Ultraman, despite his massive size, acted friendly enough. He treated the human respectfully. The entrance into his mind was surprising, but he got the distinct impression that the alien did so out of concern, not malice.

The rest of the SSSP spoke highly of Ultraman. How he’d saved countless lives, including Hayata’s on more than one occasion. If Ultraman really protected Earth, he wanted to be a part of that.

“Let’s do it,” he decided.

The giant bellowed. Was Ultraman…laughing?

I expected as much. You have a kind heart and a brave soul, Shin Hayata.

Chapter 6

Ide started panicking. What should he do?! Run away? Go after Hayata? Scream? Cry? He made a note to never go out without his SSSP equipment ever again.

Fortunately, Hayata reappeared before Ide could do anything reckless. The red sphere that’d abducted him was nowhere to be found.

Ide had dealt with clones and possessed humans too many times to accept Shin Hayata miraculously coming back from an alien abduction unharmed. He kept himself out of “Hayata’s” line of sight.

“Ide?” called out “Hayata.” Ide didn’t move an inch. He didn’t even dare to breathe. “He must’ve gone off to find help.”

When “Hayata” was close enough, Ide tackled him to the ground. He struggled under Ide’s grip.

“Ide! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Don’t ‘Ide’ me! You’re not Hayata, are you?! You’re an alien in disguise! You won’t fool me!” Ide declared.

Hayata’s eyes widened. He was a lot more than Ultraman’s “disguise,” but…had Ide known what was going on in the ship? No, of course not. Ide was just being paranoid, like usual.

“Ide, I think you need to calm down. I’d be happy to tell you what’s going on, just as soon as you get off me!” Hayata said.

“No! You’ll tell me now!”

“Are you serious?! This can’t be a comfortable position for you.”

“As long as it keeps you from hurting me, I don’t care.”

“Fine,” Hayata sighed. “Ultraman’s come back to Earth. He told me to tell everyone.”

Ide fell to the ground in shock, unintentionally freeing Hayata. He took a deep breath, and sat down properly. Ide steadied himself and sat down opposite Hayata.

“U-U-Ultraman? He’s back?!” Ide sputtered.

“Mhm. He chose to contact me first, since I’m the first human he ever met. He’s most comfortable talking to me, ” Hayata lied. “While he was here, he was also nice enough to solve my memory problem.”

“Really? Prove it!”

“Alright. The first alien we met after Ultraman arrived was called Baltan. And I also remember a certain Science Patrolman being very scared the entire time.”

“That’s right! I mean, clearly you’ve misremembered a few things. I happen to recall facing Baltan down very bravely,” Ide replied. “But that’s great! Ultraman’s back, and now you can get back on the team! We should call everyone and celebrate!”

“Sounds great to me. But how about we go back to sleep first?”

Ide’s adrenaline had been the only thing keeping him awake. Now that he’d calmed down, he could barely keep his eyes open.

“Good idea. Nighty night.”

He collapsed on the ground, knocked out cold. Hayata shook his head and dragged the sleeping Ide back to their tent.

Chapter 7

It was a joyous day at the SSSP’s Japanese headquarters when Hayata was reinstated. The team went above and beyond in giving Hayata a warm welcome back. They’d even bought him a cake and ate it together over lunch.

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you’re back to your old self again,” Fuji said. “I was starting to think your memory wouldn’t ever come back.”

“C’mon, Fuji, don’t be a downer. I always knew Hayata’d pull through!” Ide scolded.

“He means it, too. Every day, he’d talk about how you’d be right as rain sooner or later,” Arashi recalled.

“Arashi!” Ide groaned, his face slightly reddening. The rest of the Patrol chuckled.

“I appreciate it, Ide,” Hayata said.

“Did Ultraman tell you anything else, other than the details of his return?” Captain Muramatsu wondered.

“Yeah, like how we can actually contact him,” Ide muttered.

“Not much. All I really know is that he’s back on Earth. He wanted to thank us for our assistance in the fight with Zetton, though,” stated Hayata. “And wanted us to know he’s both honored and happy to be working alongside the SSSP again.”

Of course, Ultraman hadn’t said any of that. But it was truly how he felt. How they felt. The SSSP was their home, and its members were their family.

“And if you have anything you desperately need to tell Ultraman, Ide, you could always try shouting it to him next time he shows up.”

Everyone except Ide laughed at Hayata’s little joke.

“Sure thing! Or maybe I could just tell you, huh? The two of you are pretty tight,” Ide said.

“I wouldn’t say that—”

“He’s saved your life more than any of ours. He told you he was coming back,” Ide pointed out.

“Hayata was the first human Ultraman ever met. He just feels more comfortable talking to him. I can understand that,” Fuji said.

“And he’s saved all our lives before. He’s saved the entire world,” Muramatsu added.

“Ultraman, Ultraman! Today’s Hayata’s day,” Arashi said. “I say let’s stop talking about Ultraman. Instead: a toast to Hayata!” Arashi raised his slice of cake in the air.

“Here, here!” Fuji agreed.

Though Ide and Hayata were smiling like the others, they both knew the two had something to discuss. They’d save it for later. For now, they joined their colleagues in mock “cheers.”

“To Hayata!”

Chapter 8

It was when Hayata was leaving work that Ide confronted him.

“Hayata! Heading home?” Ide asked.

“I was. I have a feeling you’re going to be holding me up, though,” Hayata responded.

“Good guess,” Ide said. He looked around, checking if they were alone, before adding: “Does being Ultraman make you psychic, or what?”

“Ide…”

“C’mon, admit it! You lost your memory when he left, and you get it back when he comes back. And all the memories you lost were from the time when Ultraman was here? The others might not see it, but I do. I’ve always had a hunch, and I can finally prove it! You’re him! You’re Ultraman!”

“It’s just a coincidence, I’m sure.”

Ide looked uncharacteristically serious. He placed a hand on Hayata’s shoulder.

“Look, I understand. Superheroes have secret identities, and all. But I won’t tell! I swear! I know I slip up sometimes, but I never mess up a promise. I promised I’d help you get your memory back. Didn’t I keep my word?”

It was true. Ide, even if he was sort of a goofball, had always been steadfast and loyal, almost to a fault. When Hayata lost his memory, he could’ve fallen into despair. It was Ide who kept his spirits up, who stood by him. That was just the type of guy Mitsuhiro Ide was.

Hayata didn’t like keeping secrets from his friends. The only reason he never told them the truth was that he didn’t want to be thought of any differently. How would they feel, knowing that Hayata was the host of an alien? Would they be afraid of him? Kick him out of the SSSP? He knew it was ironic, that he lied to them to keep their trust.

But if he lied to Ide now, and denied he was Ultraman, Ide would never trust him again.

“Is there somewhere more private we can talk?” Hayata whispered.

“My place, maybe? Or yours?” Ide suggested.

“Mine, then.”

Hayata couldn’t remember the last time Ide looked so excited.

Chapter 9

Notes:

This chapter is a bit of an excuse for me to put my headcanons on how the whole Hayata-Ultraman Dual Consciousness thing works.

The two Science Patrolmen had a long talk at Hayata’s place. About how Ultraman and Hayata first met, how they merged together, protected the planet, why Ultraman had left, and what happened when he came back. To his credit, Ide was a good listener. He patiently took it all in.

When the story was done, “That’s…jeez. Hayata, that’s incredible,” was all Ide could say.

“I know it’s hard to believe.”

“Please. The race of underground mole people was hard to believe. Compared to that, this is nothing,” Ide joked.

“You do understand why I haven’t told anyone, don’t you?” Hayata asked.

“Of course! If Cap heard about this, he’d probably have to dissect you.”

The joke has been intended to lighten the mood, but it did just the opposite. There was some awkward silence for a minute or so. What were they supposed to say in an unprecedented situation like this?

“I just have one question,” Ide said, breaking the silence.

“I’m impressed it’s only one.”

“Am I really talking to you right now? I mean, are you still Shin Hayata? Or are you Ultraman now?”

“I…” Hayata trailed off.

He wasn’t sure how to explain it. How could he put such a unique experience into words? When he saw a look of concern grow on Ide’s face, he quickly gathered his thoughts.

“Don’t worry, I’m not being used as Ultraman’s mouthpiece, or possessed, like we’ve seen other aliens do. My self is still in here.  But I can access some of Ultraman’s knowledge; things Shin Hayata wouldn’t know on his own.”

“What about when you’re all big, and fighting monsters? Is that you, too?”

“That’s more Ultraman. It’s his form, so he knows it better than me. There’s still a bit of separation between us. You mentioned the underground people before, remember? Well, when they kidnapped me, they tried to control Ultraman by brainwashing me. Even though I was brainwashed, Ultraman wasn’t.”

“So what, do you black out, or—”

“No, no!” Hayata insisted. “No, it’s nothing like that. I think…it’s like how it is now, only in reverse. Think of it like driving a car. Shin Hayata’s at the wheel, while Ultraman’s in the backseat. When I use the Beta Capsule, we switch places, and I move to the back…God, this sounds ridiculous.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself! This stuff sounds hard to explain. I’m just glad you’re not being puppeted around by some creep from another nebula,” Ide said.

“Thanks.”

“Thank you! You must really trust me if you’re telling me all this.”

Hayata sighed in relief and smiled. Telling someone his secret took a weight off his shoulders he hadn’t even realized was there.

“So…can you—I mean, Ultraman—fly me around?”

“Ignoring how dangerous that sounds, you’d probably just be screaming the whole time,” Hayata teased.

“Would not!”

“I can hear it now. ‘Ah, Hayata! I take it back! This is way too high up!’”

“That doesn’t sound anything like me.”

“The answer is no.”

“You’re no fun.”