Command
A Cardfight! Vanguard oneshot
Summary: "What the king orders, no man must disobey. What the king establishes, no man must uproot. That is the law of the universe." Set before the events of Legion Mate hen. Third Person Omniscient POV
The young knight, looking no more than eighteen years of age in human terms, paused in front of the door to the king's chamber. The other three knights were already in there, he knew, but only he had the task of telling the king that today was the day. The ruler of the organization that had caused so much terror on the planet as well as Planet Earth – where their current king claimed to have come from – had approached him on his way to the chamber merely seconds ago. The conversation continued to echo in his mind:
"Sir Gaillard, is it?"
"Y-Yes, my lord?"
"Ah, then you're just the individual for this favor."
"Favor?"
"Yes. Tell His Highness that the promised day has arrived and that I must see him."
"The promised day . . . ?"
"Do not worry. The king will know exactly what you are talking about. But, you must tell him. It's your duty as his knight commander, after all."
"Yes . . . Lord Void."
The promised day? The knight thought to himself. Are there really things about His Highness that I don't know about? He shook his head furiously, trying to wipe his thoughts clean. It would be selfish of him to think about his petty concerns in the presence of the king. At last, he opened the door to the chamber and, as he expected, saw his other fellow knights: Sir Phillip Neve, position: knight sergeant. Dame Ratie Curti, position: knight bannerette. And Sir Raul Sera, position: knight errant.
"Gaillard, you're late!" the dame screeched at the newcomer, her gold eyes narrowing. She didn't like when people arrive late to any social gathering; not to combat practices, especially not ones that she personally organized, not to banquets, and certainly not to audiences with the king. "The sun is well above the throne by now. You were supposed to have arrived two seconds ago!"
"Oh, here we go . . ." the knight errant muttered.
"Dame Curti, compose yourself, please," the knight sergeant commanded harshly. "If His Highness is not upset with Sir Gaillard's supposed tardiness, neither should you be. Besides, I am certain he has a good reason to arrive at the time he has. Is that right, Sir Gaillard?"
"I was stopped by Lord Void on the way here, so that is why I am late. Supposedly," the knight commander sighed. "On that subject . . ." he began as he walked toward the figure sitting on the throne in the middle of the court, prostrated himself in front of the figure on one knee. "Your Highness, Lord Void has requested your presence. He mentioned something about a promised day arriving -"
At these words, the figure sat straight up in the throne, no longer masked by the shadows cast by the edifices of the buildings outside. The figure was a mere boy no older than Gaillard, the second youngest of the Quatre Knights, who were knights appointed by Void to watch this young royal. A royal that was legitimate, yet illegitimate. Prepared for leadership, yet not.
A royal that had saved not only the knights' planet of Cray, but Earth.
And his name was Sendou Aichi.
"No . . . No, no, no, no, no . . ." he muttered over and over again.
"Y-Your Highness?" Sera inquired with concern evident in his voice.
"Gaillard-san, please. Tell him to leave!" Aichi cried out, his voice breaking. "Please . . ."
"Eh?" Ratie looked at the boy. "What's his problem? And you're supposed to be our leader? Give me a break."
"Ratie!" Gaillard snapped. "You will show our king respect, no matter what happens. That's your duty as the knight bannerette, is it not? Is it not all of our duty to respect the king?"
" . . . I suppose," the young dame responded with just above a whisper, not wanting to admit Gaillard is right about her obligations. Not aloud, at least. As much as she didn't approve of Aichi's being the king simply because of the way he reacted to various tasks, he did save her planet, her family from Link Joker's clutch. This was the least she could do to thank him.
But, there was something about the kid she couldn't tolerate at all. Something, she suspected, that had something to do with this 'promised day' that Lord Void was talking about.
Gaillard had already made his way to where Aichi was seated to soothe him, for the young boy appeared to be shaking tremendously out of fear. He had promised Lord Void that he would convince the boy to see him lest he be in trouble and something horrendous befall his family back in the Aqua Village because of his failure to pass on the message.
"Your Highness . . . Please. I may not understand fully what Lord Void wants, but you have to see him. You must see him," Gaillard pleaded with the boy. "You must."
The boy king looks into his knight commander's orange eyes, eyes that bore resemblance to Katsuragi Kamui's determined red eyes back on Earth. Looking into his eyes, Aichi immediately felt a longing for home, his true home on Planet Earth. Back to Miyaji High with his Cardfight Club. Back to Card Capital, with his friends. Back to his mother and his sister, Emi.
Back to Kai-kun.
When he realized what his thoughts were, he immediately rose from his throne, his red and black coat neatly readjusting and fitting him perfectly as if the fabric was made just for him. He didn't want to do what he had promised Void he would do, but he knew that if he didn't comply with the demands that were made, not only would his loved ones suffer, but those on Cray, those he's grown to love and care for as their leader, would also suffer under Void's wrath.
After the incident with reverse, with Void, with Link Joker on Earth, that was the last thing the boy desired. He had even agreed to become the leader of Cray with Void's power and had agreed to erase the memories of those he loved on Earth. Just to save the planet – and ultimately Earth - from further destruction.
"Thank you, Galliard-san . . . I'm sorry for causing so much trouble," the boy finally responded. "I'm heading off now." He opened the door to the hallway and walked through, carefully shutting the door behind him.
The assembled Quatre Knights looked in the direction of the door and listened intently as Aichi's footsteps gradually became quieter and quieter. After a long pause, Galliard cleared his throat and asked, "Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what Lord Void means by 'the promised day'? I had never heard His Highness mention it before, and it appears to cause him much grief."
"You don't know?" Neve gasped. "Aren't you the Knight Commander?"
"His Highness isn't obligated to tell me everything, you know," he snapped. Then he sighed, "It's just . . . what would Lord Void want with His Highness? How do those two know each other anyway?"
"Well . . ." Sera began, "Most of this is just hearsay from various stories I've heard around the palace, but . . ."
The Ward - Aichi and Void
"Aichi."
"Big Brother Aichi!"
"Sendou-kun."
"Aichi!"
"Aichi . . ."
"Aichi."
Everyone . . .
The boy's walking pace slowed down considerably when he thought about his friends and his family. He could handle the rest of the world forgetting about his existence; that much was certain. He had saved the world countless times, yet nothing about his encounters with those who weren't his friends and family had changed in the slightest. The Cardfight Club had been the primary reason he had even gone to school, and even that was going to disappear by the time he and Void were through.
Useless. Simply useless.
When Aichi arrived at the door leading to what was referred to as "The Ward" by his knights, he reached for the handle, but something inside him froze, causing him to stop his motion in mid-air. It wasn't that his body was unable to move; he knew that. But something in his mind was refusing his brain to command his body to move. And that's when he heard them. The first thing he heard was a low pitch, unintelligible sound; gradually, it became clearer, almost as if there were crowds of people behind him calling for him. But he knew he was by himself, so that didn't make any sense. Finally, he was able to understand what he was hearing:
"Master, no! You can't!"
He recognized those voices. It was the units in his deck. But because he had abandoned Psyqualia when he joined forces with Void, because he had abandoned Vanguard, he was unable to see them. He still carried his deck with him as a sort of security blanket, as a reminder of what he had gone through. He had planned to dispose of it earlier, but . . .
"Aichi."
Blaster . . . Blade.
The unit that Kai-kun had given him. He was calling out to him.
"Aichi, why? Why are you doing this?" Aichi heard Blaster Blade interrogate him. The way he was asking was unusual for him; it sounded as if he . . . if he was furious with him.
"I – Blaster Blade, I have to do this," the boy responded aloud, even if he couldn't see Blaster Blade, the one he called his avatar. "You should understand."
"But I don't, Aichi. Why? You've given up on the game that changed you for the better. You've abandoned us, your comrades. You're about to throw everything that's dear to you away. For what?"
"To save everyone!" the boy choked. "If I don't do this, everyone will be in danger again, and I can't let that happen. I can't let everything be my fault again. I can't."
"Aichi . . . You –"
"Blaster Blade, enough. It's all right," the boy smiled, letting the tears that had been forming in his eyes fall down his face. "It's not that I'm ungrateful for the times I've had with everyone. I've appreciated every moment. The days that I had before Void took me here were the best days I ever had. I would never take those days back. And I hope everyone felt the same way."
"But you promised Kai. You promised you'd never leave him. He needed you more than ever. Aichi . . ."
"I did promise that . . . didn't I?" The boy whispered. He recalled his match with Kai, the one where he had saved him from reverse. He remembered the fight distinctly, more so than any other fights he's had; how incredibly tense it was, realizing Kai had been suffering all that time. How he had made the promise to never leave him. How incredibly exhausting it was. How . . . fun it was. "I promised that I would lead him as he led me too. I guess . . . I guess those were lies then."
Out of all the people Aichi wanted to forget about him, Kai was definitely the last.
But what was going to be done was done.
"Aichi!"
But he refused to listen to Blaster Blade protest any more. He recovered from the temporary paralysis in his brain and forced his hand to open the door to The Ward, where Void was waiting. Void had taken on a particularly interesting human form for this process. Void was wearing a red and black coat similar to the boy's and had taken on a human form similar to Gaillard's, only the hair was considerably longer. The only clue that Aichi had that that was Void was by the uneasy aura compressing the air in the room.
"Void . . ."
Void turned around and saw Aichi in the doorway. Although Void was unable to feel much emotion regarding to pleasure and relief because of the nature in which he was created, he felt something similar to that of relief. What would he have done if that Gaillard didn't tell the boy that today was the proclaimed day of erasing memories? He wasn't exactly sure, but he definitely knew that things would not have ended well for the knight.
But that was beside the point.
"I see Gaillard delivered the message," Void began, immediately channeling his energy to start the process. "Sendou Aichi, you remember what you promised me back when you defeated my worthless agent on Earth."
Aichi's eyes narrowed. "If I helped you to erase my loved ones' memories of me, the peace I fought so hard to obtain will be kept forever."
"Precisely. And I will keep my promise, in case that was something you were worried about, Sendou Aichi," Void said. "Shall we get started?"
Instead of replying to the question, Aichi carefully closed the door to the Ward and walked closer to Void. As he walked closer and closer to the center of the room, he could hear his heart pounding against his chest; so much so that he was afraid that it was going to break and fall out. Was it Void's energy in him reacting to being so close to the source? Was it part of the process? Aichi didn't know. However, what he did know was that he wished that he didn't have to do it, that he didn't have to be the one to erase everyone's memories. Why couldn't Void have done it himself? Wasn't he perfectly capable on his own? He had the power to erase worlds if untamed. What difficulty was there in erasing a couple of people's memories about him?
The boy at last found his place next to Void, noticing that the floor in front of him had formed red and blue hexagons. Reverse and Psyqualia, he realized. The forces that had tested his relationships with those he loved, those he cared about.
What a perfect ending for that life. The boy thought to himself smiling as the hexagons glowed brighter and brighter. He then realized why Void needed him for this process. Aichi was the alpha for what had transpired in his life; it was only natural that he would also be the omega. It was the end. The end of everything he knew. And it was wonderful.
The Throne Room – The Quatre Knights
"That's . . ."
Gaillard, having heard what Sera had gathered over the years at the palace, was in complete shock. There was no way a king was ever bullied by others. There was no way a king would abandon his comrades because he thought that was better for them. That just was not what a king was raised, what he was supposed to do. Yet, that was exactly what Neve was proposing about His Highness.
"You're lying, Raul!" the young knight exclaimed incredulously. "There's just no way . . ."
" . . . but you have to admit, it makes sense," Rati interjected. "The ki-I mean, His Highness didn't particularly like being here at first, if you recall, Gaillard. I don't even know if he still doesn't like being here. And given Lord Void's nature and what we had to endure here on Planet Cray until His Highness showed up, it's logical."
"Even if it is true . . . I don't know! I don't know what to believe!" Gaillard gasped. "He's willing to abandon his family, his friends, just to secure the peace between our two worlds? I know I would never do that."
"I don't think any of us would," Raul added on. "But that's what makes His Highness worthy of serving. He abandoned his family and his friends, but wasn't it for the better? Isn't that what being a king is all about? Forgetting one's self for the benefit of others?"
"I . . ."
Sera turned to face Gaillard, knowing full well of how sheltered the boy had been from these stories about His Highness, despite being so close to the royal. "As I said before, these are just stories I heard around the palace, so I am not entirely sure about their validity unless by some miracle, I get confirmation from His Highness himself."
"Gaillard," Rati spoke up, "You were the one that scolded me for not respecting His Highness earlier. Yet you doubt him now? Give me a break."
"You're right, Dame Curti," Gaillard responded, shaking his head furiously. What had he been thinking, questioning the king like that? "We'll support His Highness, no matter what happens. That is our duty, after all."
The other three knights smiled, relieved that their Head Commander was once again level-headed enough to take charge of them in the absence of the king.
"But, if Sera is right," Neve spoke up after a short period of silence, "Where is His Highness? Does the memory purification process really take that long?"
"If Takuto Tatsunagi, the original Knight Commander, was doing this, they would have been finished a long time ago," Rati yawned. "I guess the ki-I mean, His Highness is having some issues with his loved ones losing their memories of him. Either that or Lord Void's weakening in his old age and taking considerably more time than in the past."
"Show your respect for Lord Void, Dame Curti," the knight sergeant reprimanded the knight bannerette. "Do you want a repeat of ten years ago?"
At this statement, the knights immediately became silent. Ten years ago on the Planet Cray was when Void had first had his grasp on the planet. Initially, the being offered peace among the citizens and the units inhabiting the planet, only wishing to sustain itself. However, one of the inhabitants had dared to disrespect the being. While Void was unable to feel strong emotion, his rate of growth had increased exponentially, eventually conquering and taking over parts of Planet Cray until whole clans were affected, including those of the Quatre Knights. The beginnings of the Link Joker disaster.
"No . . . I don't want a repeat of that. Not now, not ever," the knight bannerette muttered.
Just then, the knights heard the door handle being manipulated. Was it Lord Void? Was it His Highness? The door opened, and it was revealed to be His Highness, Sendou Aichi. He was smiling . . . but it appeared to be a sad smile. A smile that was trying to hide something.
"Your Highness . . ." Gaillard spoke first, genuflecting to honor the king's presence. The other three followed suit. The boy king acknowledged their reverence and made his way towards his throne. After he sat down, he signaled for Gaillard to come close to him, which the knight commander obeyed immediately. As protocol demanded, the other three knights stood within five feet of Gaillard.
"Gaillard-san . . . Raul-san . . . Rati-san . . . Neve-san. You are probably aware that I have severed my ties with Earth, my home planet, by erasing the memories of those I knew back there," Aichi began. The four knights collectively gasped at how he knew, but the boy waved a hand of dismissal of their surprise. He continued, "However, the memory erasure was not a complete success."
"What?!" Neve interjected. "But this is Lord Void we're talking about here! He never fails in his tasks!"
"Sir Neve! Do not raise your voice with His Highness!" Gaillard ordered after turning around to face him.
"No, I understand his shock. It's fine, Gaillard-san," Aichi said. "But, we were able to erase the memories of everyone I knew back on Earth except for one. The one who was able to resist Void during the Link Joker invasion, yet imbibed in his powers anyway."
"Kai . . . Toshiki," the knights collectively responded.
"Right," the boy assured them. "And knowing him like I do, once he realizes what's happened, he may decide to start looking for me. But whatever happens, you four must never let him find me. At least, until Void and I figure out a way to erase his memories of me."
The four knights looked at Aichi with confused expressions. What difference did it make if one human from Earth found him? What made him different from the other billions of people?
"With all due respect, Your Highness . . ." Sera spoke up after a long pause. "I understand that this . . . Kai Toshiki is not a man to be reckoned with. But what difference would it make should he happen to find himself in your palace? He has no powers. You have the powers of Lord Void in your grasp. You're invincible. You could easily dispose of him."
At this, Aichi started to chuckle until he broke out into almost maniacal laughter. He understood that these knights knew nothing about Kai Toshiki; he knew he shouldn't be laughing at their ignorance. Maybe it had been the atmosphere of this entire day or maybe the atmosphere of this planet in general that made him lose his sensitivity, but one thing was certain.
Neve-san and the other knights were wrong about Kai-kun.
"Y-Your Highness?" Gaillard asked, taking a step forward. "Your Highness, are you all right?"
"Yes, yes. I'm fine," Aichi insisted, waving a hand to dismiss Gaillard's inquiry. "But, Raul-san, you are terribly misguided. One does not need to have powers to be the strongest. I may have the powers of Void, but Kai-kun has the power of words."
The knights didn't appear to understand the implications of Aichi's statement, so he went on further, "What I mean is, if Kai were to ever be in my presence, he knows just the right words to stray me off the path. If he and I were to ever speak to each other again, I would be convinced that I needed to return to Earth, which is something that I absolutely cannot do. I need to be here, with you all."
And everyone would suffer again. The boy added silently.
"So, no matter what it takes, we need to keep this Kai away from you because you would be tempted to leave. Is that correct, Your Highness?" Sera asked.
"That is correct, Raul-san."
"Heh heh," Rati chuckled, "Keeping people away is my specialty, Your Highness. You can depend on us. We will not let you down."
"Thank you," Aichi acknowledged, his smile still in place. At that moment, he took out the deck he had held onto as a security blanket. While Kai's memories of him were still intact, he felt he could let go of his deck now. After all, what were the odds of Kai finding him here? He had his soldiers around the castle. He would send the Quatre Knights to Earth to make sure Kai never found him. The plan was fool-proof.
"Gaillard-san, please dispose of this deck. I no longer have use for it."
"As you wish, Your Highness," Gaillard responded, taking the deck from Aichi's hands. "Permission to be dismissed?"
"Permission granted," the king acknowledged. His knight commander rose and left the throne room, his faith in His Highness much stronger. Even if the king did not say it out loud, he knew that the reason he didn't want this Kai person to ever see him again was because it would endanger the peace that he had fought hard to obtain. Something would happen to the king. Something would happen to Cray. And that something would not be good.
Gaillard looked through the deck that His Highness had given him. He recognized the clan almost immediately: Royal Paladin. The legendary clan that had preserved the peace initially for thousands of years on Planet Cray. It was no wonder, then, that Void had chosen Sendou Aichi to lead the people. But why would His Highness want to dispose this deck?
Suddenly, Gaillard was hit by a bright flash of light, causing him to drop the deck, the cards scattering all over the floor. When the flash of light disappeared, Gaillard struggled with his vision in order to see properly. He looked down at the floor in order to assess what had just happened and to pick up the cards he had dropped.
But when he looked down, the cards were gone.
Author's Note: Finished this before we got any confirmed information on the Quatre Knights yay.
This is definitely not one of easier fanfics I've written. A lot of research went into this. At one point, I was so far into research that I literally said out loud, "This is Cray. Why does the knighthood system of England even matter in this?" But I kept with it.
Anyway, the main points of this fanfic were to explore not only why everyone bar Kai seemed to have forgotten Aichi in Legion Mate hen, but also the Quatre Knights with what we know about them so far. It'll be interesting to compare them once we know more about them. But until then.
Thank you so much for reading, and please leave a review/feedback of some sort if you can. Much appreciated! (: