Entry 7: The Passing Storm
Erika couldn't believe her eyes. None of the ladies, save for Beatrice, could believe what stood before them.
Red hair, red shirt, dark eyes, black vest and white pants. By all accounts except what was believed logical, this was Ushiromiya Battler.
"Well, let's just say my death was... greatly falsified," he said, voice unmistakably that of Battler's. "And believe me, it took quite a bit of effort to get out of that."
Much to the surprise of everyone, even Battler, the first to break the bewildered silence among the women was Eva, who wrapped Battler in a tight embrace.
"Oh!" Battler said in surprise. "This is... this is happening, I guess?"
"Thank God," she muttered, struggling to suppress sobs. "Thank God... Ange hasn't lost all her family..."
Battler gave a soft smile, and placed a hand on his aunt's head. "Well, I'm not the only miracle worker to keep your eye on." Then, he turned his eyes to Beatrice. "Yo. Thanks for looking after them."
"Of course I would," Beatrice replied, hands firmly on her hips. "You think you're the only one who cares about fa..." She quickly clasped her hands over her mouth, keeping herself from finishing that sentence.
"Oh?" Battler smirked. "So you consider our family your own, then?"
Beatrice stammered with her words for a bit, before huffing in embarrassment.
"This is... all kinds of weird and wonderful," Erika stated, "but Battler, how are you alive? I mean, we found you burnt to death with your head missing!"
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," Battler retorted, wagging his finger. "What you saw was a headless, burnt up body that was hinted at being me. Gotta admit, uncle Krauss really went above and beyond for that stunt of his."
"Wait, say what?!" Jessica called out. "You mean Dad was the one behind this?!"
"Battler, I dearly hope this is some ill timed joke of yours," Natsuhi said.
"Wish I could, aunt Natsuhi, but it's the truth," Battler responded. "Hell, if gramps hadn't opened his door for me, then Genji might have put a knife in my shoulder to keep me silent."
"Genji, too?" Jessica exclaimed. "Jeez, just what the hell's going on?"
"Perhaps it's best to hear it from the horses mouth," Battler suggested. "Yo, Beato. Think we should meet back up with gramps and the others now?"
"Not a bad idea at this point," Beatrice replied, "and who, might I ask, gave you permission to call me 'Beato'?"
"Oh? Getting all flustered, are we?" Battler teased. "And weren't you the one who called aunt Natsuhi mo..."
"Silence!" Beatrice shouted. "How did you even hear that?!"
In response, Battler smirked. That told her all she needed to know: He guessed.
Pouting, Beatrice stormed off.
"Uu. Did you have to tease Beato that much?" Maria asked.
"Gotta keep on my game somehow," Battler shrugged.
As Battler and the others followed Beatrice to the front door, Battler stopped by the door that led to the scene of the battle.
"You wanna see that thing?" Jessica asked. "I promise ya, it's quite ugly."
"Oh, I know that," Battler responded. "I saw it a few times while keeping to the shadows. I'm honestly a bit curious as to what makes it tick, but that can wait a bit."
"So you don't believe it to be a creature of magic?" Erika asked.
"I heard it all from gramps," Battler replied. "He said it was some old animatronic he built a while back, yet shelved. Was kinda curious to see it up close, though."
"An anima-whatnow?" Jessica asked.
"Long story," Battler waved off. "One that can probably wait a bit longer. Come on, or Beato's gonna get too far ahead."
In the distance, everyone heard Beatrice shout "Stop calling me that!", and laughed a bit. It was honestly the calmest any of them had felt in the past 24 hours.
In the darkness of the underground tunnel that connected the main mansion to Kuwadorian, Kinzo strode through the darkness like a man with a purpose.
Well, he did have a purpose, really. And given that he knew these halls like the back of his hand, he knew exactly where he was going.
Second left down the hall. Third door on the right. Down the long, long hall, and finally, he arrived at the holding cells, where he found Kumasawa waiting, alongside both Rosa and Kyrie.
"Ah, Kinzo-sama," Kumasawa said with a bow. "I take it Krauss-sama has finally calmed down?"
"Assuming all is going according to plan," Kinzo replied. "Let these two out, if you would."
"Of course, sir," Kumasawa obeyed, and within a minute, the cell door was opened.
Rosa and Kyrie cautiously stepped out of the cell, keeping a watchful eye on Kumasawa. "Father, what's going on?" Rosa spoke up first.
"Nothing anymore, Rosa," Kinzo answered. "All that was going on is now settled."
Kyrie gave him a puzzled look. "That... doesn't exactly answer anything."
In response, Kinzo laughed. "Worry not. I shall explain all as we meet up with the others."
The walk back was filled with idle chatter and vast amounts of information being dumped by the bucket load. Between the two separate parties, the ones doing the most explaining were Kinzo and Battler.
By the time it was 1:20AM, both parties had managed to reconvene in the underground bedroom that once, unbeknown to most present, held ten tonnes of gold.
Safe to say, reunions were quite heartfelt at this time. Particularly with Maria and Rosa.
There was quite the sigh of relief from the others in Battler's party. Things were starting to wind down, and exhaustion was becoming far more evident on everyone's faces.
"So, a psychopathic boy in Kuwadorian, then?" Kinzo stated. "Curious. And you say this boy is a part of the young girls life?"
"Formerly," Battler responded. "He's Erika's ex, and with amnesia in play, can you really say he's a part of her life at present?"
"Hoh? An interesting stance to take on it, Battler," Kinzo noted. "You would believe a persons past has no bearing on their future?"
"The past shouldn't be forgotten, I'll admit that," Battler stated, "but it shouldn't be what defines a person. Learn from it, but don't be bogged down. That's what I think."
A strange silence fell over the group, and Battler looked around inquiringly. "What? Why are you guys looking at me like I just announced the second coming of Christ?"
"Well," Kyrie spoke up, "it just the fact that what you said was very deep. Have you been reading up on philosophy textbooks why pretending to be dead?"
Battler scratched the back of his head, a look of disbelief on his face. "C'mon, Kyrie! I'm not that book dumb!"
"Well, you can't fault us for thinking otherwise."
Everyone present, save for Battler, laughed. Battler, in turn, just huffed, and made for the door that led to the surface. "Fine, laugh it up, you guys," Battler pouted. "I'm going back to the guesthouse. God knows that place needs a real good clean after what happened."
As Battler stormed off, a realisation finally struck Eva like a loose lightning bolt. And just like said lightning bolt, Eva sprinted from the room, passing Battler with such speed that he comically spun around.
"Wha' happuned?" Battler said, dizzy. "Did the simulation crash?!"
"Snap out of it, Battler," Erika said, smacking him on the back of the head. "Eva's just realised that if you three are alive, then naturally, so would Hideyoshi and George."
"Ah, right," Battler muttered, shacking his daze off. "Probably should have expected that, huh?"
"No kidding, dude," Jessica stated.
As everyone took this as a sign to head back to the guesthouse, two people remained in the golden room; Beatrice and Natsuhi.
"Aren't you going to go with them?" Beatrice asked. "Surely you'd want to see your husband again, even if he's responsible for all this."
"You're... not incorrect," Natsuhi responded, "but I still need to confirm something."
Beatrice let out a low, annoyed groan. "You still on about that? I'm telling you, you're making mountains out of mole hills."
"Somehow, I don't think I am," Natsuhi stated. "If I were to ask you something, can I trust you to answer it truthfully?"
"You'd ask a Witch if she'd be truthful?" Beatrice snarked. "Why don't you try your luck, then? See if I'd be truthful or not."
Natsuhi weighed her options, and decided to take the chance. "Then, I'll ask," she said. "Beatrice, are you... the child that father gave me 19 years ago?"
Coming back up to the surface, Erika couldn't help but think of the sound of rain as a distant memory. The air carried that crisp, wet smell, like a rain forest after a heavy downpour.
It was, in a word, refreshing.
Erika took a step forward, and almost tripped over herself, only to be caught by Battler.
"Fatigue finally setting in?" he asked. "Need me to carry you?"
"I'm sure you're plenty tired yourself," Erika retorted. "Can't ask you to take too much on."
"Hey, I'm not the one who fell out of the window and got up an hour later," Battler stated. "Honestly, you've been through more than the rest of us. I should know, I've been 'dead' the whole day."
"And you've done a fine job at that," Kinzo added, approaching the two from behind. "Now, could you two clear out of the stairway? Some of us would like to get some fresh air."
"I hear ya, gramps," Battler said, before picking Erika up, hauling her over his shoulder, and moving on.
Yes, it did look ridiculous. Yes, people laughed at the sight. Yes, Erika did kind of mind being lifted bodily. Yes, Battler enjoyed every minute of it.
The battle, after all, was over. Peace had finally returned to the Ushiromiya family.
[Witch's Tea Room]
"And so, that wraps it all up," BATTLER stated. "How was it?"
"Not bad, all things considered," Will replied. "Although, this last part came across as a bit weak, in my opinion."
Battler shrugged in response. "Eh. You can't hit all the bulls-eyes," he said.
"It's a healthy stand to take on it," Lion added. "If you focus too much on hitting all the notes, you'll just end up burning out quickly."
"A mature way to look at it," Will commented. "Still, I wonder how the others would react to this forgery."
"Knowing Beato, Bernkastel, and Lambda? They'd laugh it up for how sappy it is," Battler said. "Now, Erika, on the other hand, is a different question. I've got money down on her laughing it up with the rest of them."
"I know better than to challenge that," Virgilius added. "Not only that, but I'm sure that the Witch of Truth would figure this story out by the first twilight."
"She'd suspect Battler by then, let's face it," Will argued. "Given the track record of forgeries, not many of them have Krauss as the culprit, and only the forth has him as an accomplice. All things considered, she might not piece that together."
"So you're betting on her slipping up?" Battler asked.
"You mixed things up by making scenarios that usually would have been part of the illusion part of the 'truth'," Will pointed out. "I'm positive that it'll throw her for a loop."
Battler gave a small laugh. "Well, I suppose I should fine-tune some of the smaller details now. Wouldn't want it to be too easy, yeah?"
"Well, don't let us get in your way, Battler," Lion said. "Thank you for having us over. It's nice to have a change of pace like this."
"Certainly beats playing badminton all day," Will muttered under his breath. A single glance from Lion silenced any further complaints from him, however.
Before anyone could leave, though, the faint sound of footsteps could be heard in the distance.
"Who do you suppose that was?" Virgilius asked. "There aren't many people here who could eavesdrop easily."
"Good question," Battler responded. After a pause, he raised a hand quickly. "Five bucks says it's Dlanor!"
"You're on," Will responded. "Ten says it was Erika."
"I've got seven on Beatrice, personally," Virgilius chimed in.
Lion could only look at the three of men disapprovingly. "You all need to stop enabling each other."
[Tokyo. One month after the events at Rokkenjima]
If Erika was to describe her life right now, she would have to say that she was rather content with it.
Following the events of October 4th and 5th, many things had come to light. First, Krauss' motivation for the incident was, as one might expect, a sort of petty revenge on his siblings.
At the very least, Rudolf, Rosa, and Eva, all agreed that it was a well thought out plan.
After coming to terms with everything and burying the hatchet, the second issue that came up was what to do with that Virgilius fellow.
In the end, once everyone got back to the mainland, they handed him over to the authorities. Done and done.
The third question to come up was 'what happened to Beatrice'. After Natsuhi had stayed behind to talk with the Golden Witch, the former had returned to the others with, strangely enough, Shannon. What made it even stranger was the fact that Natsuhi refused to comment on where Beatrice went, yet seemed... relieved. Like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Again, she did not elaborate on it.
Finally, though, after they got back to the mainland, was the matter of learning Erika's true identity.
Her family name, as they found out, was Furudo. It was a relatively wealthy family, but other than that, not much else was known about them.
Well, there was one other thing known: Every member of that family was last seen boarding a certain cruise ship around October 3rd. Yes, the same Eternal Maid II that half of washed up at Rokkenjima.
So, at the end of the day, Erika was quite literally without a family.
At least, until the Ushiromiya's stepped in. After quite a bit of negotiations with welfare officials (and a bit of throwing money around, because you can't trust protective services for anything in this country, as a certain nurse and eleven year old village girl from Hinamizawa could attest), Erika was adopted into the family. Specifically, into Rosa's side of the family.
Since Erika was legally 18, she decided to take up a part-time job at the local convenience store, and juggle that and looking after Maria and the house while Rosa worked full-time.
The results of this setup were immediately noticeable: Maria was far less lonely, Rosa was substantially less stressed, and generally, the atmosphere at this home was more like what a family should be; welcoming.
And so, we make it to this particular Thursday...
"Thank you very much!" Erika said, as another customer left the store front.
It was a slow work day, all things considered. Of course, for anyone working in retail, slow days were some of the best there were.
It may have been little more than a month since she started her new life as a new member of the Ushiromiya family (even if she decided to keep her old family name, and take Ushiromiya as a middle name), and she had to say, she was really getting use to it.
Of course, that wasn't to say that she wasn't interested in learning more about her past, or even what the Furudo family did, but somethings just had to be taken slowly.
The automatic door slid open, and Erika quickly put on her customer-serving 'mask'. "Welcome!" she said cheerful, the customer nodding in response.
This person, though, really stood out to her. She was a short girl with long hair the colour of off silver. She had yellow eyes, carried herself with an air of professionalism, and wore a simple blue dress, a darker blue beret, and a pair of glasses.
There was something... familiar about this girl. Erika couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Before she realised it, the girl was in front of the counter, and placed a small amount of items before her.
"I would like to purchase THESE," the girl said. Erika couldn't help but wonder why she enunciated her final word like that, but paid it little mind.
"Of course," Erika replied, and began scanning the items through. "I don't believe I've seen you before. Do you live around here?"
"NO. I am travelling from ABROAD," the girl replied. "A place that is far AWAY."
"Is that so?" Erika said. A part of her wondered where this 'place far away' was. Before long, she had finished scanning the items. "Okay, the total comes to 1400 yen."
The girl handed the money over, and as Erika was putting the items into a bag, the girl asked a strange question.
"Tell me, are you HAPPY?"
"Eh?" Erika looked up at the girl. There was a strange, unique kind of determination in her eyes.
"Are you HAPPY?" the girl repeated.
Erika thought for a moment, then answered. "Yes. I'd say I am," she said. "I may not truly know who I am, but... I can safely say that I like where my life is."
The girl looked at Erika, before smiling softly. "I'm GLAD," she said quietly, before taking her items, and leaving the store without another word.
Erika could only stared as the door closed. "How... odd."
The girl with the silver-ish hair walked down the streets of Tokyo, paying little mind to the noise and general crowd.
"You fine just leaving it at that?" a voice called out. She looked to the side, to see the all too familiar figure of BATTLER standing by the alleyway.
"It is FINE," she replied. "I have confirmed all I wanted TO."
"I'd have thought you'd look into it more, Dlanor," he said. "After all, this is Erika we're talking about."
"I am AWARE," Dlanor A. Knox answered. "However, it is not my place to force this Furudo Erika to be someone she is NOT. The piece and the player are two different PEOPLE."
"Fair enough," Battler said with a shrug. "So, what do you think of it? This board, I mean."
"It is NICE," Dlanor said. "A unique brand of peaceful that might not ever have been SEEN. So I'll thank you, Game Master BATTLER, for making such a happy END."
Battler gave a smirk. "Glad to be of service," he said. "So, ready to head back?"
"I AM," Dlanor answered. "Although, perhaps it might be prudent to keep part away from our ERIKA."
"Noted. I can only imagine the shit she'd give me if she saw all this."
In a flash of golden butterflies, the two disappeared, unknown to all present.
Though the story may end, and the lid closes on this game board, their lives will continue on.
And if, one day, you feel like you're not controlling your own body, and your life feels like it's broken, just remember; everything in life leads to a sense of enlightenment. Nothing is wasted in life.
So grasp your truth, hold it high, and flash your fists. Your soul will continue to blaze.
Don't be afraid to look yourself in the eye. After all, that sound you hear? That's your heart beating on, in spite of everything.
If their lives, their legacies, can continue on, so can yours.
So long as you're still living, then the world is still changing, and frankly? That's the most important part.
A/N:
And now, the end is here.
I really think I still struggle with ending stories. But, what's important is that it does end, particularly before burnout happens. I'm not above admitting that such a thing has happened to me in the past. Heck, you just need to look at my works on to confirm it.
… There's not much else for me to say here.
Well, I will just say it was fun to do something that wasn't a crossover or Splatoon. Those seem to be my go-to for ideas.
In any case, don't let me keep you here any longer.
Until the next story.