Ch.8 Dark Justice Part Two
At the cemetery, Shido, and the adult Origami are staring at each other. Shido was a little nervous but managed to talk with her normally.
"Hello, I'm sorry if I disturbed you."
Origami shook her head and put a small smile on.
"No, it's me who should apologize. It's just that you kind of look like my husband."
Shido started scratching the back of his head.
"Hehe, I get that a lot. More than you'd realize"
Origami looked at Kurumi and gives a suspicious look, but then smiles again.
"So are you two here to see anyone in particular?"
Shido looks down at the ground and says in a sad tone.
"I wanted to see if it was true…that Toh I mean princess is gone."
Origami puts on a sad look.
"Yeah…she died protecting me."
Shido's eyes widened at those words and Origami talks fondly of Tohka.
"She was a great person and she gave her life for me and this little one here."
Origami puts her hand into the carrier and starts rubbing the baby's head and starts to tear up.
"I'll never forget what she did for us and I wish that she was still here with us. My husband, in particular, cared for her and was beyond devastated."
Shido himself begins to tear up and can't imagine what this world's Shido went through. After some more time, Origami leaves with a smile and says she needs to get home to her husband. Kurumi then tries to cheer Shido up since he was still upset.
"Shido, this isn't the Tohka that you know, but we will find her."
"I know, but it's just hard to accept in any time. I don't want to see this in any way and the idea of what the me of this time had to go through, the pain he must have felt, and also losing Yuzuru. I can't imagine how Kaguya dealt with that if at all."
Shido then walks closer to the grave and inspects the engraving written on a gold plate and attached to the statue's pedestal. It read: Here lies the spirit Princess, one of the spirits that descended from the heavens to aid us in our time of need. A hero who fought with everything and never gave up; She has been reunited with the angels and hopefully watches us from the sky, and our love for her will last forever. Shido then felt happy that at least she was loved by everybody at the end. He couldn't read the one on Yuzuru's since reading Tohka's was hard enough, and afterward he and Kurumi left the cemetery.
Elsewhere, Akane had been learning more about the spirits of this time. Apparently Kaguya become a voice actress, Miku continues to perform despite being in her thirties, and Kotori was still in charge of Ratatoskr which now has essentially become DEM but without the corruption. Akane wasn't upset with that but felt uneasy about two spirits being dead since she joined Ratatoskr to help spirits.
Ellen was gathering the others and ran into Aki first. He was still shaken from hearing about this world's Tohka being dead. So when Ellen saw this, she got him to sit down on a bench to talk with him before moving on, but first she went into a small store and got a couple of drinks for the two of them. She gets him to take a few sips and then begins talking in a comforting tone.
"Do you feel a little better?"
Aki takes a few breaths and calms down a little but still has an uneasy look.
"Yeah, thanks a lot Ellen. I don't know why I can't get over this. I mean I know she isn't my mom, and I'm sixteen."
Ellen shakes her head with her eyes closed and a smile.
"No, it's only human to care for your mother no matter what version it is. That's the reason I came to help because I love my husband and will protect any version of him no matter what. Your age doesn't matter either because you'll always love her; that's called unconditional love."
Aki begins to smile again and finishes his drink with Ellen.
"Thanks, Ellen."
Ellen smiles back and tells Aki about the situation and then they leave to find the others before it's too late. They meet up with Akane and then they look for Shido and Kurumi. They meet up with them and explain the situation, but Shido has a different idea since Hiro has status and maybe he can be reasoned with.
"If we explain what happened to Hiro, then maybe he'll help us."
Shido's plan does have reason in it, but Kurumi interjects with a disturbing fact.
"But he's the reason the death penalty for DEM wizards exist, and he's the one who arrested here. He's also quite merciless towards people affiliated with DEM."
Shido's eyes widen and he becomes confused.
"Wait what!?"
"I found out when I used my powers on one of the photos in his office. He's also the reason why DEM wizards are killed upon capture."
Shido becomes erratic and at the thought that his own son would be for killing people.
"No way, I refuse to accept that!"
Akane points out a fact that he doesn't want to acknowledge.
"Shido…he is Origami's son not just yours and last I checked she did nearly kill you once, and she tried to kill my mom."
Shido still refuses.
"But even then….."
Shido puts on a sad look. Just like Saori, he was dealing with another one of his kids who was okay with killing.
"I want my kids to value life and not be okay with killing."
Ellen interjects and tries to cheer him up.
"Shido, Hiro is an adult and even if you beat into his head to value life or just act like a saint, his perspective and his actions are his own based on his experiences, choices, and attitude. It's not entirely based on whether or not you are a good father. But never forget that you're an amazing person in our eyes and I have no doubts that you are a good father in this time; just like in mine."
Shido puts on a serious look and decides to ask Hiro anyway just to give it a chance. Ellen agrees to give him his chance since she trusts him so much. The others are indifferent about this decision so long as they save Mana, except Kurumi who just sticks with the group. The main problem is getting to Mana in the event that Hiro doesn't listen since she's probably being guarded by the AST. Ellen suggests that Shido, Akane, and Aki go back to the police station and hopefully get another meeting with Hiro while Ellen and Kurumi try to sneak in using Kurumi's shadow powers. Aki, on the other hand, wants to join Ellen and Kurumi.
"I want to help with the fighting."
Ellen shakes her head.
"No Aki, its best if we keep the attack team as small as possible and with our strongest fighters."
Aki clenches his fist and Akane taps his shoulder since she agrees with Ellen.
"Ellen and Kurumi are the strongest among us and I'm not going to argue with her."
Aki doesn't back and keeps insisting.
"No, I want to help with the fighting if it comes to it."
After a few more minutes of complaining, Aki is allowed to join Ellen and Kurumi with Shido and Akane being the only ones to try to talk to Hiro again. Once everyone gets ready, they go to their respective points and wait for word from either Shido or Akane. The duo went inside the police station and Shido talks to a woman at the desk in a polite tone.
"Uh excuse me, ma'am, we'd like to talk with colonel Itsuka again if that's okay?"
The woman looks through her book on the counter and says also with a polite.
"I'm afraid he's busy for the rest of the day, but if you can wait a we…"
Before the woman can finish her sentence, Hiro pokes his head through his office and sees Shido and Akane and then waves to them.
"Hey, it's the youngsters from earlier, Marie I'll take care of them."
The woman closes her book and tells the two to go inside his office. Inside the office, Hiro sat behind his desk filling out paperwork while talking with the two.
"So why did you two come back?"
Shido was gathering his thoughts and he was ready to explain to Hiro the situation, no matter how absurd it sounded, but it seemed like the best way to help Mana at this point. Despite the fact that Shido himself thought what he was explaining sounds insane, Hiro kept listening with intrigue in his face. After finishing his explanation, Shido then asks the main question to Hiro.
"So please, will you help us?"
Hiro had his head on top of his hands as he gathers his own thoughts and asks with a serious look.
"So if I am to understand correctly, you are saying that you are my father but from a different past?"
Shido nods his head as Hiro continues his questioning.
"And that the DEM wizard I captured is actually Mana Takamiya, my aunt?"
Shido continues to nod his head, but then Hiro begins to shake his hands together in anger as he says.
"Did you really think I'd buy that balderdash!?"
Shido shakes his head and gets worry in his voice.
"I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth."
"How dare you pretend to be my father, and how dare you bring my aunt Mana into this!"
Hiro leaps from behind his desk, and attacks Shido with a short blade that he held backhanded, but Akane blocks it with her sword and tells Shido.
"The plans a bust go tell the others!"
Shido becomes worried and tells Akane.
"But I can't leave you here alone to fight him!"
Shido didn't want to see his kids fight each other regardless of the circumstances, but Akane tells him.
"GO! I'll handle this creep."
Akane turns into her spirit form and propels herself towards Hiro, who unsheathes a second blade from his side, and hurdles herself and Hiro out a window. Shido, not wanting to wait, runs out the door to tell the others to go to plan B. In the streets outside the station, Akane and Hiro were having a stare down with Hiro opening with slight anger in his voice.
"I know you're with DEM."
"How can you even say that when I'm clearly not using a realizer."
"I know DEM and the extremes they take. You and the other animals in that organization…"
"Oh just shut up I hate DEM and so do most of my friends."
"LIES ALL LIES!"
Hiro charges at Akane with his dual blades, but she puts up a wall of blue flames to guard herself. Hiro backflips out of the way of the flames and a number of wizards fly to the area to help him. They all prepare to attack Akane with everything but Hiro orders them to withdraw.
"There are others hiding somewhere. Find them and I'll handle this one myself!"
Akane feels a little relieved that she doesn't have to fight the entire AST but feels bad that the others won't as fortunate. Speaking of which, Shido managed to get back to the others, but they were already fighting the AST wizards outside the station, which was now nearly empty. Ellen sees him and while he can't hear her, he can read her lips which said.
"Don't come here."
Shido wanted to help and tried once again to summon Tohka's Sandalphon, but it won't appear making him panic a little bit.
"Why, why when I need you the most!"
Shido becomes more worried since they are heavily outnumbered and Kurumi may have to summon Zafkiel to handle things which may cause problems. He attempts to leave the station to try to help in any way her can, but someone grabs him from behind and covers his mouth with their hand. The person talks to him in a quiet tone.
"Don't do anything stupid you idiot."
Shido turns his head and sees Saori standing behind him with an angry look on her face. Back to the fight between Akane and Hiro, Akane launches fireballs at Hiro while he manages to dodge them but barely. Akane gets angrier as he dodges.
"Hold still you creep!"
Akane then charges up a fireball and waits a moment, Hiro just stands by and waits for the fire to come. Luckily, Hiro doesn't know about her charged fireballs and the moment Akane launches it, Hiro notices that he can't dodge this attack and instead growls under his breath as he crosses his arms to shield himself. The fireball hits Hiro and Akane smiles a little and waits for the cloud to disappear but when it begins to disappear, Hiro isn't standing there anymore and Akane becomes shocked.
"Where'd he go!?"
Akane tries to turn her head and times just seems to slow down as she turns since Hiro was standing behind her and slashes her across the back in an X shape cutting her from behind. The slash draws out a lot of blood seemingly critically injuring Akane as she falls to the ground. Upon landing on the ground, Akane immediately tries to stand up but can't or even talk; Hiro looks down at her and his hands, forearms, shins, and feet are now covered with fitting silver metal armor with light blue lines resembling energy surging through them. Akane, unable to talk, can only listen to Hiro talk to her with a very threatening tone.
"I didn't kill because I know that you know where the others are, and I need to keep you alive. But I am curious about your powers, never before have I seen a DEM dog use powers similar to the spirits before."
"….."
"Oh that's right I severed your spinal cord, but don't worry we amazing medical equipment and we'll make sure you can talk very clearly."
Akane begins to smile a little as her body begins to heal itself with Kotori's power of healing. Hiro notices this and becomes shocked.
"How? That power belongs to Efreet."
Akane begins to stand up with her injuries healed and she smirks.
"How? It's easy because I am the flame empress Akane Itsuka, commander of Ratatoskr, and daughter of Shido and Kotori Itsuka. My flames are the will of my mother and the compassion of my father and it won't lose to the likes of you!"
Hiro puts on a more determined look and raises his blades.
"I'm entertaining your lies DEM vermin."
Inside the police station, Saori keeps her hand on Shido's mouth and talks to him in a normal tone.
"Are you forgetting that Mana is inside this station?"
Shido hadn't realized it due to the chaos outside, but the station was practically empty and now he could probably save her. Saori snickers as she also points out.
"But there are a couple of wizards guarding the cell and I'm the only one who can help you right now."
Saori takes her hand off Shido's mouth and Shido's expression becomes less serious.
"So are you saying you'll help me?"
Saori puts on a mischievous smile as she says.
"Of course, but only this once since it's my job."
Shido's questions were only piling up.
"Your job?"
Saori puts on a cute smile with her finger on her lips.
"But, it's a se-cret."
Shido just puts on an "of course look" and lets Saori help him since he has little choice at this point. Ellen, Kurumi, and Aki were still holding off the AST without killing anybody, but Aki couldn't keep up with the two girls, and then the AST wizards all get calls at the same time and then, in uniform formation, they leave towards the edge of the city. The three then take a moment to catch their breath and they attempt to enter the station again, but then stopped by a metal whip whipping in front of them and voice saying.
"That's as far as you go."
They look up and see someone floating above them wearing a unique realizer. It was a woman who had long black hair, and had metal covering all but her head and midriff in a form fitting fashion; the metal was yellow with black energy lines, but a unique feature the woman had was the yellow orb which was placed where her left eye should be, and it had the Ratatoskr symbol on it.
Back to Akane's fight with Hiro, Akane charges at him with Burning Phoenix and manages to hit him with it and immediately follows with a new attack; she leaps into the air, with Hiro still close, wreathed in blue flames.
"O noble conflagration…"
Akane then streaks towards the ground with Hiro following her caught in the blue flames and lands on the ground creating a small shockwave of fire.
"Incinerate all!"
Akane then begins gathering flames in her body and shoots into the sky coated with flames that create the image of a phoenix ascending into the sky.
"RAZING PHOENIX!"
Akane's attack clearly harms Hiro since as he lands his shirt has been nearly burned all the way off revealing a blue orb on his chest where his heart is. He was also covered in burn marks and had an irritated look on his face.
"You know I was really hoping I wouldn't have to use this on anyone else since I felt bad enough using it on that wizard, but it looks like I have no choice."
The orb begins glowing and a series of wires begin to crawl from it and cover all of Hiro's body completing the armor already adorned on his legs and arms. Akane gasps and asks with shock in her voice.
"What is that thing?"
With his face now covered by a metal mask, Hiro's expression can't be determined but his words are very clear.
"This is my mana eater, the most deadly weapon against wizards and DEM."
Akane becomes confused by that term.
"Mana eater?"
""Sigh" Mana eaters are weapons that consume mana and convert it to power. They also evolve when they eat the user's mana and become the bane of any wizard's existence. I hate having to explain this to DEM scum."
Akane's surprised look disappears and she smiles a little more devilishly.
"An anti-wizard weapon huh. Not like it matters to me since I'm not a wizard."
"I noticed, but this weapon also increases my parameters and your fellow DEM trash is probably dealing with Odin right now."
"Odin?"
"Odin is strong and she'll take care of your allies."
Back on the other side of the station, Ellen, Kurumi, and Aki were fighting with the woman codenamed Odin. She was using eight metal serrated whips extending from her two hands. Ellen tries to put up a barrier, but four of the whips tear through it and slash Ellen across the stomach leaving four slash marks.
"So territory doesn't work on her."
Aki summons his guardian and once again tries to dual wield the two swords and tightens the grip on the sword in his left hand and charges with his guardian holding onto him. He manages to hold onto both swords while swinging at Odin, but her whips deflect his attacks making him frustrated, so much so that he began to charge energy into his thin sword and drops the large one. Everyone fighting sees this and immediately sets up a defense; Kurumi gets out of range, Ellen sets up a territory, and no one sees what Odin does. Aki raises his sword to the sky creating the glyph and releasing the pillar of energy.
"Annihilation!"
Aki then drives his sword into the ground unleashing the second massive pillar of energy.
"RENDING SABER!"
Everyone feels the tremor from the release of energy and Aki hopes that it was enough to finish Odin. Unfortunately, when Aki looks up into the sky to see the damage, all he can see is a sphere made of the metal whips covered with scratch marks and undoes itself revealing an unharmed Odin. Aki was shocked beyond belief, his best attack failed completely.
"No way!"
He tries to grab his other sword and dual wield again, but both his swords and his armor disappear since he used all of his energy with that last attack and falls to his knees. Odin lowers herself to the ground to finish Aki off with her whips but is immediately attacked from behind by Ellen who cuts off two of her whips with her sword. Ellen's territory protected her from Aki's rending saber. Kurumi rejoins the fray with a bunch of her past selves all firing at once, Odin attempts to guard but with some of her whips gone she can't deflect all of the bullets and is shot three times in the side and also falls to her knees. Unlike Aki, Odin stands up quickly and gathers her whips to form a flowing barrier around her body by constantly moving with her whips following the flow as she proclaims.
"Sleipnir stance."
Back inside the police station, Shido was walking down a long stairway with Saori, who was holding her two swords in her hands ready to fight at any moment. Shido was determined not only to free Mana, but also help Saori. Shido hadn't really paid any attention before, but he was curious about Saori's two swords since Kurumi never used a sword before.
"Hey Saori, why do you use those swords?"
Saori was putting on an innocent act at this time which Shido knew was a hoax but went with it.
"Oh, these things? They were a gift from my boss for helping him."
"Saori, who are you working for and why?"
Saori chuckles a little.
"That's a se-cret."
Shido gets frustrated at this point and raises his voice a little.
"Saori this isn't a game, so please let me help you!"
Saori points one of her swords at Shido and maintains her innocent smile.
"When a girl says it's a secret she means it Shido. But I'll tell why at least; the answer is because I love having power and I love being top dog."
"So that's what you're getting out of this, power?"
"Yes, I'll do anything for it; I'll even steal it from my siblings as you saw."
Shido then thinks of something that he noticed in her words.
"I don't believe you'll do anything for power."
"Excuse me?"
"Saori correct me if I'm wrong but aren't you missing two of the twelve bullets?"
"Yes, what of it?"
"And your mom is pregnant with your sixth sibling and you knew before anyone else."
"Yeah, again what of it?"
"Saori, I think that if you would truly do anything for power then you'd already have all twelve bullets. Because if you wanted that power at all costs then you would have taken that power from your unborn sibling, but you didn't want to hurt it or your mom did you?"
Saori clenches her sword, lowers it and continues walking without talking. Shido was now sure what he said was the truth and renewed his hope of helping her.
"Saori, you love your mom don't you? And I'm willing to bet you love your dad too."
Saori refuses to talk as she continues to walk and Shido doesn't bother her anymore because he knows without a doubt that there is a chance. Back to Akane's fight with Hiro, Akane was having extreme difficulties fighting with Hiro's transformed state since he was much more powerful than a wizard. He's faster, stronger, and more precise than any wizard she'd seen before. Hiro charges energy into his dual blades and launches two slash waves at Akane, hitting her and knocking her on the ground. Luckily, her healing power kicked in and healed the slash injuries but the inner bruising is a different story; Akane feel to the ground on her stomach winded from being hit with the two slash waves. Hiro had taken a little damage but not much, and he walks over to Akane thinking he'd finally beaten her.
"You made this much more difficult than it needed to be."
Akane, despite being on the ground winded, talked to Hiro with slight anger in her voice.
"Why did you let Tohka and Yuzuru die?"
"How do you…It doesn't matter I bet those DEM renegades told you."
"Tell me."
"I didn't plan for it. We were in a war and we needed all the help we could get and the spirits were willing to help. In war people die, sacrifice is the price of justice.
"Justice? You say it was done for justice!?"
"Of course, justice isn't some white light that can make everyone happy. No, justice is dark and can only be obtained when you enforce rules and discipline, and when you eliminate anything as corrupt as DEM. My mom and dad taught me that life is precious and taking it isn't right, but I had no choice, I had to kill so many people to make this city the paradise that it is now."
Akane began to remember that she did see tons of people in the city very happy with their lives, but then she remembered the memorial at the museum.
"What about the people who lost family in that war, what about them?"
"I told you that in war people die, it's a simple fact. People mourn, they move on, and life goes on. Ratatoskr thought that saving spirits were enough, but they didn't once think that DEM needed to be destroyed and that the spirits were actually the best people to do it."
"You actually asked the spirits to fight? Even though you knew what could happen?"
"Yes, I did. I did it for my parents, my sister and brother, and of course for my dad's sister."
Akane then begins to wonder if she would do the same if it meant her parents would be safer, but then her flames begin to turn from blue to red and he eyes begin to glow.
"Oh no, not now! Don't lose control, don't lose control!"
As her flames almost turn Akane begins to panic in her mind as her body begins to stand up now completely out of her control and her body begins talking without thinking.
"Sounds like you know war…I like that."
Hiro reassumes his stance.
"So now your true colors are showing."
"Oh I am NOT a DEM dog, but I love a good fight."
Akane drops her sword and starts shooting fireballs rapidly from her fists at Hiro which he blocks with difficulty but blocks them none the less. Inside her trapped mind, Akane begins having memories of times she spent with her parents. One moment in particular that came to her mind was her eighth birthday when she and her parents went to Danny's. She was offered to go somewhere expensive, but she really wanted to have a deluxe kid's plate for her dinner that day and Kotori, despite being 26 at the time, ordered one with Akane and after dinner, Shido made Akane a cake. Another memory was the family outing at the amusement park and they went on the roller coaster which Kotori was scared to ride especially when it came to the downward launch.
"Is it too late to stop?"
Both Shido and Akane, who was thirteen at the time, both said at the same time.
"Oh yes, it is."
The next memory was the day Akane became the new commander of Ratatoskr and Kotori looked so proud when she handed her daughter the uniform she used to wear. That day Kannazuki said something stupid, so Kotori and Akane kicked him in the chest at the same time which he actually enjoyed. These memories made Akane remember that while she did love her mom and dad with all her heart and that she will never forget the purpose of Ratatoskr and that she, her mom, and especially her dad care deeply for the spirits and becomes disgusted with idea of letting spirits fight.
"Letting any spirit die would make me a disgrace. I joined Ratatoskr to help spirits no matter what and letting myself be controlled by my own power is a joke. I can't lose control anymore!"
A glyph appears behind Akane as an image of her mother smiling at her saying how proud she was, and just like with Saori and Aki, a girl emerges from the glyph cloaked in flames wearing a light red dress that faded into white at the top. The girl resembled an older Kotori without her ribbons and her first reaction is to smack Akane on the back of her head snapping her out of her loss of control.
"Ow, that hurt!"
Akane turned to see her guardian floating behind her giving a proud smile to her and Akane smiled at the guardian.
"Awesome I have a guardian now!"
Hiro sees the guardian and its resemblance to Kotori, but he denies the notion that maybe she was telling him the truth the whole time.
"Even now you'll keep up the farce…no matter; I'll beat you no matter what!"
The guardian behind Akane assumes the normal guardian position by embracing Akane from behind once again creating the image of a mother embracing her child, and Akane is ready to fight again. But this time her flames are red and more intense.
"Well, then I guess it's a date…Hope you don't mind a chaperone!"
The two charge at each other ready to fight again.