Disclaimer: None of the anime used in this story belong to the writer. This is a work of fiction done for fun, not money. Please do not sue. You won't get much anyway.
Chapter Six: Dreamer of Dreams, Act Six: Dream On, Dreamer
"Let's take this off the ship," Sakura requested. "So that we can fight without endangering poor Caria."
"Right." Sakura 'stepped' into the air, heading straight up. Kain flew after her.
Finally, the two faced each other, swords drawn. Sakura saluted Kain with her sword. "Now, we can really begin. Sleep deeply, Yume no Musôka."
While Sakura released her zanpaku-tô, Kain activated his True Kanka. He carefully observed the new weapon as Sakura prepared it. ('An invisible sword? No, not quite invisible….')
Sakura dashed in, and Kain flew in to meet her. They exchanged blows, Kain's blade clashing with the invisible sword Sakura wielded. It was fierce and unrelenting, and Kain couldn't know just how evenly matched they were in this state….
No…he could…she was still….
"I'm impressed," Sakura announced as they locked swords. "You're doing so well against a sword you can't see…your memory is quite good."
Kain didn't reply, but instead suddenly reached out and grabbed her haori. As her eyes widened in surprise, Kain hurled her away. She toppled and fought for a purchase on the air, and Kain launched a powerful bolt of energy her way. She slashed it aside with her sword, but Kain followed in after it, pressing his attack with renewed fierceness.
Finally Sakura managed to fend him off and step backwards in a retreat. "Well, well," she said carefully, with a small smile. "You're certainly more determined than you were last night. You're so convinced that you're in the right? You're so determined to destroy my dream that you're willing to cut me down, with no remorse or second thoughts?"
"Your words have mocked me, but I'm not buying any of it anymore," Kain replied. "I've had a good, long time to think about this. I've given it careful consideration. I have no idea whether the world you wish to create is a world of good or evil, whether your actions are right or wrong—but why should I believe that they are just when you don't even believe that yourself?"
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
8-8-8
["Logically speaking," Yue informed Kain, "there is an instance where we must cooperate with Sakura-san."
"Yes…as you asked Miyu, if she is trying to prevent an extreme disaster, that is to say the annihilation of the Earth or mankind."
"Correct. In that case, it's obvious that we must support Sakura-san and do everything we can to help her plan come to fruition. Other than that, I do not believe that there are any reasons that warrant as extreme an action as changing history—of changing the future. That's why I asked Miyu-san…so I could make certain that Sakura-san's plan was not this extreme.
"Sakura-san's plan is to avoid some smaller tragedies by giving magic to the world…she believes that it can only help improve people's lives. From a logical perspective, it is probably true…we could only say that, despite the new and horrific weapons it has given us, advancing science has only served to better our lives. Magic would similarly enrich all of mankind…but it is a simple, common thing. Mankind is not doomed without the power of magic.
"But why now? If Sakura-san wanted to prevent tragedies, this past century has any number of terrible tragedies that would have made ideal moments for her to change. The two World Wars, for example, or any other event…perhaps even the war in Arcanus Myrror I keep hearing about. Why this time? What is so important about this moment?"
Kain noted, "From what Takamichi said…next week…Sakura-san said something about doing all of this for my sake. So that I can face the darkness that…overcame my father. I'm not sure what she means by that, but...if it were something so important as to save my life, she would probably have made that one of the main points of her explanations. However, she did not, so I believe that, really, her intent is only to make things…more convenient for me. But go on."
"Yes…if we did have the opportunity to save Kain-sensei from a future death, your students, all of us, we might be inclined to fight on Sakura-san's behalf…but…." Yue removed a locket from her shirt, a tiny little medallion, and flipped it open to stare at the picture inside. She said a silent prayer for the old man within, quite quickly, then shut it and continued, "Even if we can prevent such disasters, the deaths of millions of people, or even the deaths of loved ones—is that really sufficient reason for overturning the history of the whole world? …No, I cannot believe it to be so. Whether it's happiness or sadness, or even unacceptable tragedies, once they have occurred, they are all part of the past, part of the reality we must accept. People simply must stand on that and walk on.
"Perhaps Sakura-san has experienced or witnessed a tragedy that we cannot even imagine, and believes that it can be avoided; even so, it is her tragedy—and even if it is to avoid someone else's, it is not a reason to change the whole world. It may sound cruel, but it is simply her ego that wishes that power. It is her own selfish desire.
"Furthermore, of course, there are problems with the actual implementation of the plan as well. We have no idea what kind of butterfly effects…."
"Please, Yue, wait a moment," Kain interrupted, raising his hand.
"Eh…?"
"I have…thought carefully about all of those things…I've been thinking for a long time, and I also considered everything you've talked about. But, the main point is…if Sakura-san's plan succeeds, we might be able to save many lives…perhaps millions. No matter how you think about it, that is a net outcome, perhaps the main net outcome, of Sakura-san's plan. As long as that fact exists, I cannot…deny Sakura-san."
Yue stared at Kain in shock. He continued, "Furthermore, if you say that it is selfish of her to change the past because she doesn't like the way the future will turn out, you could say the same of us. Sakura-san isn't even of this world…you could say that that weakens her position all on its own, but it's frivolous speculation to worry about that…she cares about the future of this world, regardless. She 'saw' our future and decided to set it on a different course, but it was merely a vision…not events that had happened, not if we take her at her word. We, on the other hand, were thrust into a future that we did not like, and forced our way back to the past to change it. You can argue morals on both sides of this issue, and without effect, because they are both completely separate instances…but at the very least, if you talk about butterfly effects, we are far more likely to be guilty of instigating them. But as for Sakura-san…she told us she was a time-traveler, and that she was going to change the future. If she had not told us she was trying to change a future, implying that is was existent, would you deny her, if she still claimed to be wishing to bring magic to the world to save millions of lives?"
Yue's eyes widened at the implication of Kain's words. "K-Kain-sensei!"
"Even if we find fault with Sakura-san's motives, or her implementation…we can't deny her desires so easily," Kain continued.
Kamo, sitting on Yue's shoulder, actually snickered. "So, Kiddo, are you saying Sakura-chan's right? You saw the future…you lived the future. If Sakura-chan's plan succeeds, you'll be forced to leave the school…the best you can hope for is that Lina breaks you out before you get turned into an animal and the two of you run around as carefree fugitives the rest of your lives…."
"Kamo, the duty of mages who live in the world of normal humans is to use our magic for the benefit of this world and its people. Is that not a fact? If I am punished…even if the mages at this school are punished…if that's the only price to save so many lives, isn't it worth it?"
"W-wait!" Yue cried. "T-then…are you saying you want to…to join Sakura-san!? P-please wait! You're seriously…you can't be thinking clearly! It's a hollow argument! To throw away your life and future for the sake of some unknown person is…."
Yue trailed off. Kain met her gaze sadly. Yue rallied with a new supplication. "Then…w-what about Nodoka…? What about your reply…to her feelings? Weren't you going to reply after she graduates…? Are you going to join Sakura-san and leave this school!? What about Mai-san, and all your companions!? What about…m…." Yue choked; tears began to roll down her cheek. "…Me?" she meekly finished. "Or everyone else from our class? Are you just going to leave us all behind?"
Kain was silent for a few moments before he countered, "I do want to be together…with everyone…but isn't that also just a selfish desire…?"
Yue's eyes flew open wide. Then, out of nowhere, she slapped Kain. Kain didn't reply or react, just turned his face back to her, and she began to panic as her rational mind caught up with her emotions. "I-I-I-I'm sorry, I-I just…!"
"No, it's all right."
"What a stupid thing I…!"
"No, please don't worry about it. Perhaps I deserved to be slapped after saying such things."
"B-but! D-did it hurt?"
"Ah, it's nothing to worry about. You're stronger than you look, but…."
"I-I-I'm sorry, I…!"
"No, please don't worry about it. Now, please listen a little longer. Don't worry…I have no intention of joining Sakura-san. Despite everything I said, I have very clear reasons for not joining her."
"Eh?" Yue asked, confused. "W-we haven't even talked about them? What are they?"
"The real reason I can't is…that she's never asked me to."
Yue stared. Kamo began to laugh. "W-what?" Yue demanded.
"As I said, there are many ways to argue on either side of Sakura-san's plan. Personally, I have many reasons to believe in her objective…not only for the lives saved, but simply because, to me, someone who grew up with magic, it's only natural to think about it. Some people like Chisame may not like the idea, but the thought of the whole world being aware of magic, of not having to hide myself or my abilities…that alone is appealing to me. But, despite teasing me with statements, asking if I thought I was on the right side…Sakura-san has not once asked me to join her. She has not tried to sell her plan to me. She has convinced Caria, Miyu, and Erika-san all to join her, through some means or other, and Alyssa doesn't care, but she hasn't even acted as if she wanted me to be a part of it…and this despite the fact that she told Takamichi she was doing it 'for my sake'. Not only that, but she has gone out of her way to go easy on us. You may not believe it, but she has had ample opportunity to eliminate any and all of us, to give her plan a better chance for success. The night of the second day, Momo and Mai attacked her, and she fended them off easily…without doing anything to them. She fought me, and disarmed me, but didn't try to stop me or convince me to leave her alone. All she's done is goad me on.
"The fact is…I believe that she does not even believe in her plan herself."
Yue started again. "B-but…but she designed that elaborate trap that sent us into the future, so her plan would succeed! Why would she do that if she didn't want it to do so!?"
"I don't know. Maybe she was hoping that we'd succeed and return. That's my best guess.
"But in any case, I have to stop Sakura-san…she has contrived this elaborate scheme and put so many inconveniences on all of us, and she doesn't even care about succeeding…I can't let that go. I will go and put a stop to this nonsense and let the world run the course it must run on its own, let all our lives go the way they must go…and then I will find out what she's really after. And then…we'll see."
He smiled. "Thank you for your words, Yue. You were…an encouragement to me. I'm glad that, at least, I have your support and understanding, so…I'm not just acting on my own selfish whims. If enough viewpoints support someone's opinion, after all, that is when it ceases to be 'selfish'."
Kamo laughed again. "But popular support doesn't make an 'evil' act 'good.' If Sakura-chan really is intending 'good' from her plan, then to oppose it would be 'evil', no? You think way too much, Kain. The lines aren't that easy to define, you know. I'd say that opposing her for the reasons Yuecchi described would be closer to 'good' than just doing it because she's snubbed you. But, as long as you have a reason to fight, that's all that matters."
Yue finally managed to return Kain's smile. ('What a foolish thing I did,') she thought. ('Lecturing Kain-sensei about good and evil. He has…much more experience with matters like that…but in the end….') "I understand, Kain-sensei. You're wrong, Kamo-san…it's not because she snubbed him, but because she isn't dedicated to her own cause enough to make it a reality. It's beyond just giving us a fair chance or asking for an opinion…if she has really acted like this, she's taunting us, daring us to stop her…and no one intending 'good' would do such a thing. Either her real actions are evil, or she's trying to get us to stop her and this has all been…a game or something to her. Go on, Kain-sensei. We're putting our trust in you. If this is your will, we will accept it, regardless of the outcome…and if, in the end, Sakura-san does convince you that she's right, I'll make sure everyone understands you did what you thought was best. Before you go, I have one last message from Takahata-sensei…from the future."
It was Kain's turn to stare in surprise. "He said, 'Even if you fail, it doesn't mean the world's going to end. You don't have to feel responsible for everything. Don't try to shoulder the whole burden yourself.' That's his message."
Kain's smile was peaceful…perhaps the most peaceful it had been since the Festival started. "Thank you."
8-8-8
"I will deny you, Sakura-san," Kain proclaimed. "I will not accept the will of someone who does not even believe in her own actions! You claim you have a marvelous plan to help the world…but you aren't even thinking of success. You're causing chaos for no reason. I won't let it continue. I will stop you here."
Sakura stared at Kain, then smiled. "My, my, my indeed," she clucked. "I seem to have set you off a little more than I intended. Very well. This is for the best, after all…it is what I wanted. To fight you without holding back, to see what you're really capable of. Come then, Kain Lockeheart, son of Kalan Lockeheart. Come break my fragile will if it is so weak."
"I will," Kain replied. "But I would like to know one thing. Why are you doing this? What are you really after?"
Sakura's smile deepened. "I'll tell you after you win."
('After…? Not 'if'…?') "It seems you're still not planning on fighting me seriously, though. Why don't you at least use your famous 'Bankai'? All captain-class Soul Reapers can use it, can't they?"
"Yes…with one exception in the history of both Soul Societies, all captains have been able to perform Bankai. However, my Bankai can't be used right now. Rather, I'm already using it."
Kain blinked. "What?"
Sakura presented her sword. "My sword, Yume no Musôka, the Dreamer of Dreams, is perhaps the most powerful of all zanpaku-tô. It is, first of all, not invisible because it bends light or any such thing…the blade itself is a dream. Its form, length, and properties are not set, and can be anything I like. I haven't shown you yet, but I'll give you a spoiler—I can make it any length I choose, and can even 'bend space' with it, I can have it attack you from behind with a swing or thrust from back here. It can also pass through inanimate objects or hostages without harm and still wound my foes. It exists only as I like. Likewise, its main power is the Yumekei, the Dreamscape, which turns the world around me into my personal dream where I make the rules. I can do or undo anything in this world…including death.
"Pretty powerful, isn't it? There really can't be anything already more powerful than that kind of Shikai, right? Pretty much correct. My Bankai is called Kami no Yume, 'God's Dream', and it allows me to overturn laws of reality, allowing me to travel between worlds, between time, anywhere I wish. You could say it makes a dream of me a reality in some other universe. That's how I came here. I'm only here because of my Bankai, because it is keeping me in this reality. It's already almost used it up…it would have gone long ago if not for the mana of the World Tree. Normally we Soul Reapers can't use mana, but since I'm just a dream anyway, I'm an exception. But I'm still reaching my limit, and after the tree flares, there certainly won't be enough around to keep me here.
"Now, with my Dreamscape, it's almost impossible for you to defeat me, even assuming you had the power to do so. But you don't have to defeat me to win. The spell I'm trying to cast has three parts—first, the energy of the World Tree is the main catalyst. My sword is currently acting to transform that energy into the power needed to work the spell, and to put it in the shape I desire. Caria is doing the third part, since I can't cast mage spells—she's doing the actual releasing of all that power and energy. I am actually the most vulnerable part…if I use enough of my fleeting power that I can't serve as the spell's intermediary before it finishes, it will fail, plain and simple. So I have to defeat you and get that last mech in place to complete the spell before I run out of energy. Time is your side, Kain."
"And yet you're talking to me instead of defeating me so you can do it," Kain muttered. "Again, it seems you honestly don't even care about your own plan."
"Ah! It is so!" Sakura giggled. She pointed her sword—probably—at Kain again. "Well, let's get to it then, shall we?" She launched herself at him.
Kain fell backwards and floated down underneath the first swing, then came up at Sakura from underneath. The action seemed to surprise her, and she almost didn't dodge the attack. As she retreated, he came swooping around the side. She stepped behind him, but he somersaulted in midair so that he was facing Sakura, upside down, and fired off another powerful magic bolt. Sakura blocked it with a quick spellshield of her own, but in the ensuing explosion of smoke he disappeared.
This time she managed to parry the attack that came in from behind, but Kain was much lower than she was and his sword came at an odd angle. Kain shot straight into the air and sent Sakura flying with a kick.
"So troublesome," she muttered. "You've noticed the difference, then?"
"You're standing on the air, while I have to fly to stay up here," Kain replied. "Standing and such gives you much more familiar, normal maneuverability and an advantage to reactions in combat, but since I'm moving more or less freely through the three dimensions, I can come at you in ways and from angles even you haven't trained for."
"Well…not so freely, not from human opponents. I'm actually used to fighting things that fly, not just walk on air, but they usually have wings, with all the advantages and disadvantages they give. Well, at least you're making this interesting." She charged in again.
8-8-8
Somehow, a screen of Kain's and Sakura's battle was being broadcast for the remaining participants. They were cheering on Kain as he fought the girl.
(Incidentally, the footage was courtesy of Haro. Hooray for floating robot mini-computers.)
The giant was regenerating, but the continuous fire of the participants kept its regeneration slowed to almost nothing. Right now, everything was at a stalemate until Kain and Sakura's battle was decided. Nanami, giving the blow-by-blow, reminded everyone about this.
"Looks like we've won," Kamo remarked.
"But…the fight's still going on…" Yue protested mildly.
"At this point, although it looked bad for a moment, time is on our side. Only Sakura-chan can get the big robot up and into position in time for the spell to go off. Kain just has to last that long…or until Chiucchi breaks down the hackers keeping the barrier locked up. If she can get that back online, they'll all shut down and there won't be enough power for the ceremony. Cheer up a little, Yuecchi. It's turned out all right in the end."
"…Yes…but I'm also feeling confused."
"Oh? Tell your aniki [big brother] about your troubles."
"It's true this decision was a close one. But Kain-sensei already thought it all out so thoroughly…I was quite immature. I must reflect on my actions…."
"Oh, did Kain's worrywart habit infect you too? I kept quiet because I wanted Kain to make his own decision, but the truth is that there are larger laws in play regarding the shifting of worlds. Normal people aren't supposed to mess with them. As someone sworn to the cause of right, I can't let it go, because it actually is true…this world is not supposed to be put on that kind of track, at least not yet. Sakura-chan, even if she is a 'slider', doesn't have the right to mess with this world to this degree, especially on a mere whim. No matter how good her intentions are, the side effects and root reasoning are all flawed. However, I think Kain was right…she's just playing a game here. Her real intentions are something different, and she wants us to defeat her. Otherwise, I think she'd have come up with a better plan…."
"…I suppose so. Either way, this question is so far beyond children like us…."
She started and stared wide-eyed as the Sakura in the viewing screen began a savage counter attack.
8-8-8
Sakura was quickly adjusting her combat style to counter Kain's free movement. She was on the move constantly, changing the level upon which she stood and predicting his movements with incredibly precise foresight. She was beginning to make use of the abilities of her sword she had alluded to earlier, as well.
After another blade lock, she threw Kain off, and he retreated a space. However, Sakura swung her sword back around again, despite their distance, and Kain managed to block the invisible blade as it flashed towards him. She chased him down again, and as they exchanged blows, he moved to parry another strike, but her sword began to pass through his blade without slowing or stopping. In that brief instant Kain stepped backward, and only the slightest cut traced across his side. This time, as he retreated, she raised a hand toward him. "Hidô 89: Megaflare."
The blast lit up the night. Everyone below saw the flash, and murmured anew about what kind of fabulous display this was.
Kain reappeared some distance behind Sakura, breathing heavily. Sakura turned back to him with a smile. "Excellent dodge. Your speed has certainly improved. Every battle, every difficulty you've encountered so far has shaped you, honed you…you are already far from the naïve little child who first took over our class."
Kain glared back at her. "Well, 'naïve little child'…I suppose that may have been accurate. But how old are you, really? Soul Reapers are supposed to be nearly immortal…."
"Still quite young for Soul Reaper…nearly 150, perhaps. Around the same age as Momo is now, in fact." She raised her sword again. "Well, let's continue…."
Sakura dashed in again, and Kain dodged her blows. He didn't trust his sword to parry hers any longer, not unless he was desperate, so he was careful, defensive, offering token strikes but not leaving himself open.
"Come now, Kain," Sakura cooed. "You can't beat me by acting like a scared rabbit. I know the abilities of my sword may be a little overwhelming, but you can do better than this…."
She then stepped behind him, lashing out with a terrible kick…but her kick slowed to a crawl as Kain's cloak flashed.
"You're right," he replied somberly. "I can do better…and I've been busy."
Sakura gave a look of surprise, then returned to her usual smile. "Well done…but do you think that this little spell can hold me?"
"On its own, no." Kain fluffed out his cloak and his staff fell out of it and into his hand…and so, also, came the Chrono Trigger. The egg suddenly flashed open and began to churn with power. It created a field that surrounded Sakura as Kain flew back away.
"The Chrono Trigger…you've made some adjustments to it," she noted pleasantly, still in mid-kick, her leg moving forward in a glacial arc. "It was quite drained by helping you come back…but I guess it has enough for one last spell?" The egg began to crack and fracture into pieces as the energy built and swirled around Sakura, caging her, and finally disintegrated into a mist that became part of the whirlwind of energy.
"That's right…it's enough." Points of light began to appear in the air around them, forming a magic circle with Sakura in the center. He planted his staff in the air, as if in the ground, and stood as he let go and raised a hand towards the gem that crowned the staff. "Fire and Water. Heaven and Earth. Love and Hate. Light and Shadow. Law and Chaos. All things of the universe, gather together in one and let your power come forth. Ultima."
The circle gathered together all the power, channeling it into the space around Sakura and igniting it in one massive explosion. Once again the sky was lit by the spell, and Kain strained to stare through the ensuing smoke. Finally a smoking form began to fall from the remains of the explosion….
And then it was all gone. The smoke, the form, the remains of the power…as if it had never happened in the first place. "That was a pretty good spell," Sakura remarked from behind Kain. "That hurt. There isn't anyone who wouldn't be hurt by that spell if you can hit them with it."
Kain turned back to her. "So…that's your power to rewrite reality, then?"
"That's right. Of course, it's almost gone." Kain could swear that part of her suddenly began to look translucent, just for a moment. As he began to stare harder, she became solid again.
('In fact, that just about did it…') Sakura thought. ('It's nearly time now. Yes, but….')
Kain charged in this time. Sakura fended off his attacks, and then kicked him away. While he recovered, she put a hand up to her ear. "Caria? It's me…."
She turned back to Kain as he approached. "Time's almost up, Kain. Can you defeat me before it runs out?"
Kain brandished his sword again. "Well, I guess we'll see…."
8-8-8
The crowd stared in awe once again as the last of the giant mecha finally fell to the ground and ceased moving or trying to regenerate. One by one, the other five at the various points around the tree suddenly slumped and stopped streaming their pillars of magic into the air.
"Is that it?" Mai mused. She, Momo, and Hinagiku had finally recovered enough to return to the World Tree plaza, and the last of the fighting had finally finished.
"Yes…but it seems they're still going at it." Rather than looking at the view screen, Momo was staring up into the sky, where the flashes of light marked the battle between the two above.
"But…why?" Hinagiku wondered. "Shouldn't it be over now? Why are they still fighting?"
"They still have something to fight for," Kenjirô remarked, coming up from behind. "They still have to settle matters…each of them desires it. They have become enemies, so they have to settle this…as warriors…."
8-8-8
Erika watched as the lights winked out. "Is that it?" Erika murmured. "Kain-sensei…stopped her…?"
"I am not sure how much is owed to Kain-sensei directly," Rei replied. "Much is owed to our classmates as well. Yet they would not have come this far, without Kain-sensei to guide and inspire them…."
8-8-8
Akari and Kiami panted as they stared at the expressionless, unfeeling robot. All three were disheveled, clothes torn, dried blood and bruises spattered across them. Then Miyu suddenly retracted her arm blade and turned away.
"Eh? What?" Akari demanded. "What's that…?"
"I think the day is won," Kiami murmured, staring out at the sudden darkness around the tree. "Isn't that so, Miyu-san?"
"Yes. Hasegawa-san overcame my program within the school's system, and it seems Sakura-sama no longer has the power to change matters. The day is yours. But…." She stared up at the sky. "The final battle continues."
8-8-8
('It's over. Chisame-chan succeeded…she was able to re-initiate the barrier around the school, shutting down all the mecha. I don't have the power left to unmake that reality…and even if I did, I wouldn't have the power to finish the spell….
('But it's not enough. Not quite yet. Not while I still have time…I have to see just how far he can go….')
Kain deflected Sakura's attack and swung his staff around in his off-hand. Sakura leapt over the strike and brought her sword down. Kain dashed away, and Sakura unleashed another spell at him. He knocked it away with his staff, then charged in again, swinging both his weapons. Sakura knocked both attacks away and then counterattacked.
Neither had enough energy left for more than a few token spells. It was simple weapon strikes, simple swordplay. Kain could no longer use his True Kanka, but Sakura had slowed to the point where they were still on nearly equal footing.
('What really drives her?') Kain thought. ('What does she want after all this? Why is she fighting…just to fight?')
Sakura knocked Kain's staff out of his hand, then followed with a thrust. Kain dodged aside and brought his sword down in a savage overhand slash. Sakura's blade came up to meet it…but Kain's sword fell without resistance and slashed across Sakura's body.
A subtle, bemused smile spread across Sakura's features as Kain's eyes widened in shock. "And that's it," she muttered. "Well done…just lasting this long is an accomplishment. It's all over…." And she began to fall towards the earth.
"Sakura!" Kain shot down towards her and grabbed her arm, stopping her fall. "W-what…?"
"What are you doing, baka?" she scolded cheerfully. "I'm just a dream…a dream that has run out of life. My time here is done, but I'll just awaken back home. Don't waste the last of your precious energy trying to save me, or…." Indeed, the girl's body was seemingly starting to grow more and more translucent.
Suddenly there was a flash of light from the World Tree. It reached its apex, flared off its energy, and a wave of white light briefly swept over the entirety of the school grounds. "W-what was that?" Kain asked.
"That would have been the forced recognition spell, but we couldn't complete it," Sakura remarked. "It seems Caria did something else with it. I wonder what that spell was. More importantly…seriously, Kain-sensei…you should really let go before…."
Then the last of Kain's power finally drained away, and they both suddenly started plummeting to earth.
Kain screamed in frustration and a touch of fright, but pulled Sakura protectively close to him….
And then their fall suddenly stopped. Kain opened his eyes and looked up in shock…into Mai's bemused face. "It looks like you did it. Congratulations, Kain-sensei."
"Mai…what is…?" He glanced under him to see a massive white form. They were riding….
"Over there, Kagutsuchi," Mai instructed the bird. "That side of the lake…that looks like a good place to settle down…."
8-8-8
Sakura unsteadily stepped off of the great bird, being supported by Kain and Mai, and looked at her hand. It was surprisingly solid. "Well, well," she muttered. "I guess I have just a little time left…."
"That's good," Kain said with a smile. "After all that…you owe me an explanation, Sakura-san. You promised to tell me everything after I won."
"Yes…so I did." She stepped forward and stared away from Kain, out at the lake, as Mai dismissed Kagutsuchi. After several seconds of silence, Sakura suddenly asked, "What if you had the power to go anywhere, to any time, or any place? What if you had this power that I have? Well, of course the first thing you would do is…retrieve your father, we could say. But, other than that? If you could go to other universes?"
She raised her head and sighed slightly. "All of this…was born of many whims. Like my father before me, I feel out of place in my home world, which is ironic, because the world we inhabit is the escape he made from a dull and boring 'normal' life. Our world is a savage one, where death and oblivion stalk the inhabitants of our mirrored worlds, flesh and spirits, and we are constantly fighting to preserve life. I…hate death, and fighting, and such things, so I wish that I could go to somewhere, somewhen else. Of course, I have the power to do so. And yet…romantic as I am, I mostly find myself drawn to times and places where I can participate in the heroics of stories that my father tells me. For some reason, it just didn't seem…right…to use my power to go to a normal, peaceful world like the one I always wanted.
"But then I came here. I was drawn to it…because of your father, because of you, because of the parts the twain of you play in the destiny of these worlds, both Earth and Arcanus Myrror. And to observe it, I…made myself a part of this class. I did very little with the two years I was preparing…at least, from a normal Soul Reaper's point of view. I did little enough of that work. These two years…were so amazingly fun and fulfilling. A normal life…a normal girl's life…as silly and dull as some find it, it was all I could have wished for…."
"But even though I stayed far longer than I thought I could, thanks to the power of the World Tree, I could not stay here forever. So I wanted to go out with a bang…make something memorable of myself. Make a difference, most of all. This silly plan…you're right, I never really wanted to see it through. Although magic can indeed help people, although it's normal for me to grow up in a world with powers and see the help it can bring, it just seems…nice, this little niche that science and a lack of magic has created. But I needed to make you stronger, Kain-sensei…I had to make you grow, so that you'll be strong enough to face the trials that are coming. So that you can save this world."
Sakura fell to silence, and Kain waited for a moment before asking, "Why me? Why on earth did I attract your attention? Why is it me who has to save this world?"
Sakura smiled. "Because it's your destiny. That is not to say that you have no choice in the matter. Destiny is brought about by the choices we make…knowing that this is your destiny merely means that, because of the world you live in, and how you will react to it, you will arrive at a particular place. Sometimes you can see the destination, but it's just like hopping on a plane or a train—it will eventually take you to some place. If you wish to try to escape that destiny by leaping from the vehicle, you are still free to do that too…but it often isn't worth the price that comes with it. Because you are the son of Kalan Lockeheart, and because you seek so earnestly to find him, you will walk his path until you encounter his enemy. You have already had a taste of them…the next time, it will be a true battle, and, despite all your growth, you were not ready. Had my planned future come to pass, you would have been safely sequestered away until you finally grew to that point…by the time they appeared, you would have become ready. But the other hope…my real hope…was simply that becoming such an enemy for you to face, by forcing you to battle me, you would grow stronger, get another little boost, get closer to the stage you have to be at to face your father's enemies.
"Of course, the tournament was designed for that purpose as well. Thanks to Jynx' interference, it turned out better than I hoped. You're strong now, Kain…maybe not yet as strong as you need to be, but you should at least be close enough that you can avoid the unhappy futures I've gazed at.
"I'm sorry, Kain, but that's really all…just the little whims of a girl running from her own realities and interfering with other people's. That's all any of this was…and now it's over…."
She frowned and gazed down at her hand, which remained suspiciously solid. "Come to think of it, I should have already faded away and gone back home by now. Why am I still here?"
"I was wondering when you'd ask," Caria said brightly, suddenly coming into view and startling the trio. "I figured you wouldn't end up going through with it, so I prepared a separate spell to take its place. So when you called and said…."
"Caria? It's me. The power's been broken…I can't finish supplying the mana for the spell. Go ahead and let it go."
"…I changed the spell around and used the power that had already been gathered, along with the tree's final discharge, to cast this. You're grounded in our reality again, Sakura. Not for very long…probably only another few minutes…but at least long enough to say goodbye."
"Goodbye? You mean…."
Pelting over the hill towards them…was the entirety of the Class 3-A. "Even those that got hit by my time-jumps," Sakura muttered. "Has that much time really passed…?"
"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!"
"Caria-chan said this is it, the last time we'll get to see you! Are you all right?"
"Eh! All that blood on you! Are you really okay?"
"Man, that last event was awesome! It was so much fun! What a way to leave us, Saku!"
"You…all of you…." Sakura began to cry. "What are you doing here…?"
"You need to say goodbye properly," Caria said. "I know you wrote letters for everyone, but it's not the same as doing it in person, right? They'll still get them. I know you wanted…to leave as a villain…but you've created too many good memories with us. For a few more minutes, you're our Sakura-chan!"
Sakura sighed. "Fine, then," she murmured. "I have a few words for everyone. Starting with you, Caria.
"Thank you for supporting me all through my crazy ideas. I know you benefited more just from developing new gadgets and such, but still, I appreciate all the help you gave me.
"Miyu. I'm proud to be part of your development. Don't forget you're part of this class too…think about everyone, and don't just spoil Alyssa.
"Alyssa-chan…all I can tell you is that you'll be out of here before you know it. Don't disparage anything you've done for Kain-sensei."
"Erika-chan…I'm glad I got to spend so much time with you over these last two years. I'm proud to be your first friend…and I'm sorry for what I've put you through during this Festival. I can only ask that you forgive me.
"Riku-chan, Risa-chan. You're so different, but you're good sisters, and good friends. Take care of each other, and…both of you, don't let your dreams cloud your vision….
"Kaoru-chan. The same goes for you. Keep at them, but remember, you have to study, too.
"Kanade-chan. Don't be too mean to Kain-sensei. Keep doing what you do…this class needs your energy.
"Izumi-chan, Miki-chan, Riza-chan. Ah, you three are always together. Stop making things so hard on Hina-chan, all right? She has enough to worry about…even more so now….
"Nanami-chan…thank you for your support. Don't sell your soul too cheaply, all right?
"Yukari-chan, Matake-chan. You're such good friends…keep supporting Kazumi-chan, and keep up your own dreams. And Kazumi-chan…don't worry, you really do belong in that circle.
"Rakasu-chan…don't ever change. Keep singing those beautiful songs. You have no idea how many people appreciate them.
"Yuki-chan…keep an eye on everyone for me, all right? I'll be counting on you.
"Rei. Keep at it. I think you'll rediscover how to live.
"Chisame-chan. Well done. You were marvelous tonight. It's the start of a bright future for you, although I'm sure you don't want to hear that.
"Ami-chan, Yue-chan, Nodoka-chan. The world you've found that you love was almost given to everyone. But remember it could always be taken away. Don't neglect the gifts you've been given.
"Akari-chan, Kiami-chan…you've entered a world few masters get to tread. You'll find so much more than you expect down this road.
"Hina-chan. Thank you for everything you do. This class depends on you so much. I'm sorry I didn't help you out with it as much as I could have…but now, it's all yours. I wish you the best.
"Kagome-chan...you're on the path, but you still haven't found your destiny. But you know the direction it lies.
"Mai-chan. You, on the other hand, are so much closer to where you've been. Don't be afraid of it. It can only help you.
"And Momo-chan. I'm sorry I was so cruel to you before. I'm glad to see how you've grown. You're a fine lady, a true jewel, and you should never be ashamed of who you are, or what you've done. Just learn from your mistakes, and keep moving forward." As she spoke, Sakura actually moved forward and embraced the girl who could almost be her twin. The move shocked her, and all the watching class as well—the Japanese, especially, were a people who did not engage in such open affection.
Releasing Momo, Sakura turned to her teacher. "Last of all, Kain-sensei. I'm sorry I was such a troublesome student. I hope…yes, I hope you'll remember me fondly. I can't promise that I'll ever come back, but I hope I can…I hope I can see the kind of future you'll make. I hope I can someday see your wife and children. Whichever girl you decide to share your future with…make sure you treat her well. Make sure you're as worthy a husband and father as my own father is. That's the most important of all."
Kain flushed at that comment and coughed. "Ah…r-right…um…."
"That…a lot of that sounded like fortune telling!" Risa exclaimed. "Were you giving us fortunes as going-away-presents, Sakura-chan? Why weren't you in the club?"
Sakura smiled. "Ah, yes…they are kind of fortunes. They're what I know, but that's all I can do for you…."
There was a cough in the air above. "If that's all, then, Sakura-chan, we should be going."
The class turned and stared up at the man standing in the air. He was dressed similarly to Sakura, and appeared to be in his early-to-mid twenties, and had two swords belted at his waist. "Minoru-kun…" she murmured. Then she smiled. "So, we're going back, together, then? I guess there's no more appropriate way than this. But, first I have one last thing to do…."
She turned back to Kain suddenly, stepped up very close to him, and then, quick as lightning, gave him a light and gentle kiss on the cheek. Unbeknownst to those around—unperceived even by him—a ripple went through his body, and his organs, muscles, tendons, and all that was inside of him that had been torn to the breaking point by over an hour of constant use of True Kanka, vital pieces of anatomy that had been held together this entire time by her power without his even knowing, all righted themselves and settled into their proper places, as if nothing had been done to them in the first place.
As the entire class stared in shock at this bold and mysterious action, she hopped into the air and stood next to Minoru. She turned and waved at them all. "Bai bai, minna!" she declared. "Best of luck to you! I love you! All of you!"
Minoru smiled, then turned away. He drew one of his swords and stuck it into the air…where it actually disappeared up to a few inches from the guard. "Unlock," he intoned, turning it over like a key.
A white circle, about two meters in diameter, suddenly appeared in the air around his sword. Then the image of a pair of old feudal Japanese doors appeared, and they slid aside, creating an open portal to…somewhere. Two black butterflies emerged from the portal and hovered around the two Soul Reapers.
"Let's go, Sakura-chan," Minoru advised her. "Everyone's waiting for us."
"Right." The pair stepped into the circle and disappeared; the butterflies followed them, and then the doors closed and the space disappeared, leaving no trace that they had ever been there. Thus they finally passed from the life of Class 3-A.
8-8-8
The doors opened again, and Sakura and Minoru emerged into their familiar world. Sakura stared in surprise at the figure seated at her desk. He was dressed as they were in the black kimono and white captain's haori (sleeveless, in his case) but otherwise, with his fair skin, carefully-groomed red hair, parted on the left, and shining blue eyes, he could have easily passed for an older Kain. He turned as the two appeared. "Ah, there you are. Welcome back, Sakura. How was your trip?"
Sakura smiled demurely. "It was…satisfying, mon père. Enlightening. I'm sorry I was absent…."
The man waved the apology away. "Even if it was longer than usual, you haven't missed anything too important…although you should probably apologize to your apoplectic lieutenant for worrying her. Are you ready to resume your duties?"
"Yes, of course…but…first…I'd like to see Mother…."
Her father fixed his gaze on her for a few moments, then smiled. "Very well. I see a bit of the dream has come with you this time. Keep on dreaming, Dreamer."
Dreams can inspire, teach, satisfy, thrill, and torment us. But eventually, everyone has to wake up from the dream.
8-8-8
Author's Note: Final Character Portrait: Sakura Johnson
Well, here we are, finally! We have one chapter left to wrap up and show everything that happened to those off-camera during Sakura's final moments, but here we wrapped up Sakura's role in the class' fate. And, so, we finally get to find out who she really is…Sakura Johnson….
By now everyone might finally have an inkling of who she is. And this part, honestly, fills me with a bit of embarrassment, but my valiant readers who have borne with me so far deserve this, of course….
Well, to begin, I should say that I believe I already explained a bit about my wild imagination. I create personal versions, 'fanfictions', if you will, of literally nearly every show or anime that I follow with any seriousness. All of them, of course, feature my own unique characters, and most of them have versions of myself in them, what me (or character/heroic versions of me) would do in these worlds and universes. Within the libraries of my mind, among others, there is a ninja, an NCIS agent, a Britannian noble with Geass, several Gundam pilots or even designers, even sometimes ghosts and such. Naturally, Bleach, being one of my very favorite fictional universes, had a world I created…several of them, in fact, depending on my whims. But the main fictional world of Bleach that I envisioned consisted of me and my younger sister in an odd whimsical decision while I designed the world. Usually it's only me in these universes, sometimes with my friends in incarnations with me, but in this instance, since my sister and I were having so much fun reading Bleach together, I thought it would be fun if the two of us were drawn into this world. We were out together one day—perhaps going to lunch together at Grub's—when a giant hollow suddenly appeared and started attacking the area. Naturally, this was impossible, so we decided it was a dream, and matter-of-factly changed ourselves into Soul Reapers so we could help the familiar Soul Reaper that was battling it. It was surprisingly difficult, but we defeated the hollow and then collapsed. We awoke to find ourselves in the Soul Society—it had not been a dream. And it was roughly forty years (we guessed) before the start of the Bleach manga's regular events. From Soul Society's point of view, a spatial distortion between worlds suddenly appeared in the Seireitei, and the 5th Division was sent to investigate it. They had gone through to somewhere (and somewhen, it turned out) interesting in the world of the living, and then we had suddenly appeared to help one of their members, Momo Hinamori. After we collapsed after the battle, we were taken back to Soul Society, and the spatial portal went away, as mysteriously as it had appeared. Well, now we were stuck there—with all the knowledge we had about the storyline, up to the point when I first decided to create this fantasy (around the middle of the final battle for Karakura town). We were conscripted into 5th Division, and spent the next forty years keeping our foreknowledge hidden and waiting for the appearance of Ichigo Kurosaki. To make a long story short, we had many adventures as Soul Reapers and participated in the great battle with Aizen, and more besides.
And then, as I noted in my first introduction of Sakura, I spawned another random crazy idea from this idea. The backstory to the Mistworld, as I keep referring to, is that, after 100 years or so, Ichigo has passed on as a mortal and become a regular Soul Reaper as well, and suddenly another rift between dimensions opens in the Soul Society, threatening to tear the world apart. Six valiant officers volunteer to go through and find the source of the rift, and close it, which they do—but in the process, they have to stay behind in the savage, primitive world on the other side. In the process, they met the wandering swordmaster hero Nash Soetheby, originally from my personal Final Fantasy IV sequel story, who has now become a Soul Reaper, and he decides to establish a proper Soul Society to watch over the Mistworld, since it is also plagued by hollows and such, and even more nasty monsters that prey on mortals. These six become his first officers in his new Soul Society, and by Sakura's time it has finally grown to a force approaching that of the original we're familiar with, including all thirteen captains and officers.
Now, Tite Kubo does not feature romance in Bleach. There are some characters, who, naturally, have strong feelings approaching romantic inclinations towards other characters, but for actual romance, there is none; this is because Kubo himself does not believe that he can write believable and entertaining romantic plots, and he does not believe that his largely shonen readers care for them. I similarly have a terrible time with romance, even though I am romantic at heart, because my will is so weak I am easily embarrassed. Even in my personal thoughts I am embarrassed thinking up and planning out romances. Seriously. So for this Bleach saga, even though my sister and I naturally gravitated to and befriended our most beloved Soul Reapers (Tôshirô Hitsugaya and Momo Hinamori, respectively, of course), it was easy to say that we were not actually involved romantically in any way with them—since everyone in Bleach mostly ignores romance. And also, since we're nearly immortal, living hundreds of years, it's very easy for all four of these characters to ignore whatever feelings they have, telling themselves that there will always be time for that…eventually….
However, as I designed the future Bleach Mistworld scenario, I decided that, since this is several hundred years later, eventually whatever feelings the versions of us and our respective friends felt had finally blossomed into true romance, and they had married. Ronnie and Momo have since had two children, both of whom have become captains in the Mistworld's Gotei 13. Sakura is their oldest, their daughter, and they also have a son.
I started out, as I often do when I do any kind of writing on a story, with making notes, and most of my notes, for this future Bleach and for the original Bleach fanfiction universe, I wrote character bios in the format that they use on the Bleach Wiki site, describing their appearance, personality, history, powers, and participation in major events of the Bleach story. And as I said, when I went future I did the same thing, describing the captains, beginning with Captain of the 1st Division, Nash Soetheby. My sister, I decided, had become Captain of the 2nd Division in this new unit, and Sakura was the 3rd (which is about as far as I've gotten with the full-on descriptions so far). As I designed Sakura for the story, I fell in love with the little girl, with her power, and with her playful but pacifistic attitude, and decided that, with the power she wielded, she and her ability to have all sorts of adventures would become the main character and focus of the Mistworld's fanfiction stories, if ever I should write them. And that's why she suddenly became the perfect character to steal Chao's place as the time-traveling Festival villainess. She's found this world with Kain—one of the (many) alternate universe versions of her beloved father, and, fascinated with him and his story, settles down to see what she can do. Rather than getting in his way by saving the world for him, she opts to become an obstacle in his path, a stumbling block to force him to grow. Well, after all this nonsense she contrived as an excuse (she likely has knowledge of the hauntingly familiar Negima universe, LOL), mission succeeded.
I should explain more about Sakura's sword, since its power is so…incredible. Once again, it comes from something I saw in a manga that I became obsessed with, it was so fascinating. In this case, it was the power of Izanagi from Naruto, first demonstrated by the villainous Danzo using the eyes of the Uchiha Sharingans that he had harvested. Just as Sakura's Dreamscape works, it allowed him to undo reality, turning it into an illusion and making everything that happened that he didn't like, including his own death (Sasuke kills him over and over to no effect), not have happened. Of course, it came with a heavy price—the eye that uses Izanagi eventually closes, never to know light again. Sakura's power is greater and more constant, and without such a hefty drawback—okay, maybe it's a bit cheap, but she's a hero (normally), and it's not completely all-powerful…Bleach has, more than anything before except probably DBZ, had more than its share of nearly all-powerful beings. Anyway, as I said, I grew obsessed with that cool reality-altering power around the time period, and gave it to several different beings, including my creation for the Shakugan no Shana universe, Mi-na the Dreamer of Dreams, Flame Haze of Elodos the Wishmaster, whom I also put into the Magiverse. I toyed with the idea of Ronnie in my Bleach version inventing a kidô that would do the same thing, and using that to battle Aizen before I shelved it. I just dug it out again and dusted it off to give to Sakura's zanpaku-tô, and then enhanced the blade portion of it, making the blade itself a dream, too. Oh, yeah, and then I gave that sword to my dad as his personal artifact in one of my GURPS campaigns….
Anyhow, that's enough about Sakura. I plan to have her come back at some point, mostly for a cameo, final battle help-type situation, but that will be far in the future. From now on, it's up to Kain and the rest to do their thing.
And now the Festival is coming to an end. I've had lots of fun with it, and had some good random changes and some rough ones, as I mentioned. I think I didn't mention, for instance, during the tournament, that originally the restrictions in combat were against blades and projectile weapons (guns and bows, apparently, but not thrown weapons, or at least not the coins Mana Tatsumiya flicked at supersonic speed in replacement of the guns she normally used), not summoning. Ironically, the character I threw out, Takane Goodman, actually relies on summoning magic, so it was convenient that I always planned to change her out for Tear. But anyway, I didn't want the sword restriction because of the greater amount of swordsmen in my lineup. While Hinagiku and Hikaru would have been fine with bokken, Kenjirô and Momo would have been severely disadvantaged without their blades. So I threw that out, noting that 'real' master swordsmen can control their blades enough to strike people down without cutting them. Also, the main point of that rule, besides restricting Mana, who doesn't exist in my version, was to get Asuna kicked out of her match. Asuna's artifact was the magic-canceling giant sword, at least on her card, but, with her memory gone and her full power restricted by that loss of memory, it normally manifested merely as a harisen, an iron fan. However, as she battled under the influence of Colonel Sanders, parts of her memory were coming back more strongly, and she suddenly manifested the complete sword…and was thereby disqualified. That awakening of past memories is important to the character, so for her replacement, Mai, I wanted the same thing to happen. Mai, however, doesn't get a sword (her My-HiME artifact—and Child—are so much cooler magical toys for her to use), so it was doubly pointless to forbid them. The best way to have her snap into a mode that required disqualification was to make summoning the forbidden act ("Real fighters fight their own battles") and have her summon Kagutsuchi under the influence of her partially-awakened scary self. Of course, while this all worked out, in some ways I shot myself in the foot by forbidding summoning, since I changed Colonel Sanders' "I transform myself into other people" book to Jynx' "I summon awesome heroes" scroll for his part in the tournament. Oops. So to save that, I had to have Jynx do fancy maneuvering and subterfuge to hide the fact that he was summoning, and thereby making him technically a cheat. But it was all for a good cause…erm…just like Sakura….
Well, I'll save the rest of my tournament change notes for the next chapter. Let's get this thing finished, shall we?
