Ch.39 A Split Decision
Akane is looking at the monitor and is looking at the twins as they walk down the road. She is wondering about this timeline being a Yamai one, but she should let the others know. But before she can contact them via the transmitters, Hiro immediately comes back to the bridge after changing bandages, and asks in a very serious tone.
"Why aren't you finding out who killed Miku?"
Akane is looking at the monitors as she answers.
"I'm trying to figure out if these two are the Spirit Children of this universe."
Hiro pushes a button on the monitor to bring up the footage again of Miku's death. They can't see her until she falls backwards with her chest opened from being stabbed. Akane clicks the button again to review the street below and tells him.
"What good would it do to find out who did it now? I'm trying to…"
Hiro turns her around and his eyes have dark intentions in them as he explains.
"I'm going to find out who did it, and I'm going to kill them for it."
Akane is then moved from her chair by force as Hiro continually looks the footage of Miku's death. Akane can't reason with him, so she decides to check on the others. Shido is in the kitchen cooking something, a simple breakfast with eggs and toast. He isn't making any sounds outside his cooking, he just has a plain expression, alone. Akane checks on him as she asks him.
"How you holding up?"
Shido just continues cooking without answering. Akane feels bad for him and decides not to push it. But before she leaves, Shido turns off the burner and says in a very uneasy tone.
"It was so horrible, Akane. Miku was just…I couldn't do anything to save her. Aki is shock over what he did, and I don't know how many other people got hurt because of that quake. It was so….aweful, and I was helpless to stop it."
Akane gets closer to him and explains as best as she can.
"Shido, none of what happened was your fault. Miku reaped what she sowed in that world. Not saying that I think it's good she died, but still."
Shido is unsure about that because Miku seemed different at the end, if only just a continues cooking as he tells Akane before she goes.
"Please tell the others that breakfast will be done soon."
Akane nods as she goes to check on Miyuki next. She bumps into Tohka, who is looking for Aki, but she can't find him and she's worried. Akane agrees that it is troubling considering his state of mind, and agrees to help look for him. Upon looking around, they hear music coming from somewhere. Upon looking around, they hear it getting louder and coming from Shiori's room. They then hear singing as Shiori sings.
"So, you think that you can see
The one who was lost to me?
But you don't really understand it do you?
I'm afraid to say, it must begin, the first to fifth, denial into give.
The pastor writing her final requiem."
She starts playing her guitar sweetly and continues her singing.
"Well your bond was strong, but you turn the truth
You acted most uncouth
her passing was too much to you.
Well she screamed into the air
And took your things with an empty stare
And from defeat she composed your requiem"
Shiori stops for a second and writes something on a piece of paper and continues.
"Well I've never knew before
How sweet to hear that knock on the door
I know that you rocked her to the core
But I've seen what tried offer up
And it's nothing compared to her sipping on the cup
It's a cold and hollow requiem…
There was a time when you'd tell the sky
That you felt was on the nigh
The night you'd ask to be yours would you
Well that now that she's beyond reach
The world suddenly became bleached
And you can't speak to me can you
But remember what she told to me
The thing you could never see
And from that I knew her requiem
Maybe there was flower of love
But all I've seen from above
Is how to learn to live through it
And it's not a crime that you cannot cry
It's someone who's starring at the sky
Someone who's learning to deal with verses from her requiem
Even though she's gone
We promise to live on
We'll never forget her will we
From this day and forward
We'll tread on and onward
To a loving and warming hallelujah"
The two decide to back off a bit despite Shiori's singing being very good. She and Shido are dealing with their depression in their own way. But Aki, they don't know what he's doing, and that's what really worries them.
Below In the City
Aki is wandering around in the parks more forest area as he wants to be alone. He is just wonders about everything up to this point as he thinks while standing next to a tree.
"I killed someone, possibly hurt others, and I caused so much destruction. We even lost Miku's body because of me. Is my…no my mom isn't evil, then it must be my power, a power that I got from her. But why me? Why do I have such an evil power?"
Aki starts slamming his head against a tree until he is stopped by someone who asks him while holding his shoulder.
"What are you doing!?"
Aki stops and looks at the tree since it has a red stain on it as he smiles and says.
"…At least my blood is still red."
Aki turns around and sees the twins Akane was observing. One a boy, and the other a girl who are both wearing the respective gender's uniforms for Raizen, but the boy is wearing glasses. The girl asks with a slightly worried expression.
"You okay there, Fella? Having a bad day?"
Aki puts on a fainter smile as he answers.
"I did something that can't be undone. So yeah, I'm having a bad day."
The boy approaches him as he explains.
"Analysis, you're feeling guilty about something you did, and you're frustrated at yourself. But hitting yourself won't change anything."
Aki looks at the tree again and replies.
"I know, but it just really hurts knowing I did such a terrible thing. I can't help but wonder what would happen if my parents found out what I did."
The girls puts on a big grin and tells him.
"Just talk to them. Parents are like a blanket, you can cry to them and they'll listen to you while keeping you safe and warm. Ours do, and I feel like a champion for the life I've got."
The boy adjusts his glasses as he replies.
"Rep…I need to stop doing that….Our parents are indeed wonderful, and I love them very much. I agree with Sora, talk to your parents and admit your mistake. They'll believe in you, if they won't, who will."
Aki nods as he agrees with the two and asks them.
"What are your names? My name is Akihiko, but my friends call me Aki."
The twins introduce themselves formally, as the girl cheerily says.
"Sora Itsuka the gale, that's my name and title."
The boy has a slightly annoyed look.
"Good grief, Sora, you're so boisterous. Intro, my name is Kenji Itsuka, the elder twin."
Upon just hearing their names, and upon closer inspection, these two must be the spirit children of this time. The girl, Sora, has long hair that reaches her shoulders and her keeps one her bangs braided and has a bird-shaped hairclip with a purple ribbon around her neck. The boy, Kenji, has short hair with and has blue earrings and his blazer has short sleeves along with a more unorthodox tie. Both twins have amber-brown eyes, but Kenji is slightly taller. Since Aki is out of uniform, the two automatically think he's from a different school or is a tourist.
In another part of the city, the on ground team is walking around looking for Origami. While walking, Ellen looks at Kotori and asks her.
"Are doing alright, Kotori? I'm sure you're disturbed about what happened."
Kotori puts a new lollipop in her mouth as she is a little unresponsive. Truth is, she is disturbed about what happened, but won't admit it. Mana adds her thoughts on the matter as she explains.
"I can't say that I'm upset about what happened. That girl was a tyrant and she needed to be stopped. But I'm definitely upset about Shido being sad about it, and Hiro wasn't happy either. I think was crying more about it than my brother."
Mana did in fact follow Hiro, and she remembers him crying over Miku's death, and him not wanting to talk for the time. She's not so much as mad about Miku dying, so much as he feeling sorry for her family. While walking a little, Mana doesn't pay attention and accidently bumps into somebody as they both fall to the ground and land on their rears. Mana quickly gets up, but the other person rubs their rump as Kotori and Ellen look at them and see it is a young girl about seventeen years old and she starts looking around the ground for something. Feeling a little bad, Mana helps her look without asking and sees a pair of glasses. Mana attempts to hand them to her, but the girl says.
"I'm not looking for those."
Mana is a little confused, but the girl then finds what she is looking for, a comic book. Kotori looks at it to see the title, but she can't read it. Ellen and Mana look at it, and they can clearly read the words "Detective Comics" in plain English. However, what really draws Ellen's attention is the girl's appearance; she has medium disheveled ash-gray hair with blue streaks, amber-brown eyes, and is wearing a gray knee-length skirt with a navy sweatshirt with a hoodie. She has simple white boots, a necklace shaped like a bat, and an earring shaped like an S inside of a triangle; she is also wearing a pair of glasses. Ellen recognizes her appearance as she helps the girl up, and Mana formally apologizes.
"Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."
The girl brushes her sweatshirt and replies in a normal tone.
"It's okay, my comic book wasn't damaged at all."
Kotori doesn't recognize this girl at all along with Mana, but Ellen thinks, and then asks.
"Young lady, what is your name?"
The girl puts her glasses into her pocket and answers.
"My name is Miya Itsuka, and I would like to read my comic if you don't mind."
The girl named Miya walks past the team with her nose in her comic book as Kotori says.
"She's a real people person. Wait…did she say Itsuka?"
Ellen nods and waits for the girl to get into the distance a little and explains.
"Yes, she's Nia's daughter, a spirit that Shido hasn't met yet judging by your reaction, Kotori."
Kotori thinks for a second and vaguely remembers a similar photo in the archive of a Spirit who resembles that girl. She can't fully understand yet. Mana then suddenly feels the urge to use the bathroom and luckily there is one across the way. As she does, she has a nasty feeling she' s been in this situation before. She feels someone grab her from behind and a hand wraps around her mouth. She manages to notice the hand has the feeling of a wiresuit. She then hears a familiar voice saying.
"I'm gonna let you go, and you shut up and listen to what I have to say."
Mana is then released as she turns and sees Saori along with Ashcroft's corpse. Mana is tempted to equip her realizer and immediately fight the deranged Spirit Child, but Saori simply says.
"I've got information you might want to hear. So listen good."
Mana is suddenly overcome with fear as Saori's presence feels more dangerous then before. Mana then asks with slight uneasiness.
"Saori, how many people did you kill to get the power you needed to undo those injuries?"
Saori is fully recovered as she has gone against Shinra's wishes. She smiles a bit and sarcastically responds.
"Do you remember how many loaves of bread you've eaten in your life?"
Saori chuckles a little and gets to the point.
"Shinra has another Spirit Child under his employ and they're here. I don't know who they are or what they look like."
Mana is a little off about trusting this, but Saori has a hint of desperation in her voice. Saori then states.
"I'm telling you this because Shinra pissed me off."
Saori backs off, and Mana wants to hear more about Shinra, but the former disappears into a shadow. Mana decides to keep those words in mind since Saori wasn't acting like her normal self. But it is very difficult to trust her. Saori hides outside the bathroom building and then notices the girls on the ground as she thinks.
"Now all I need to do get the other flame bitch, and Tohka off that ship, and I can finally breed those two. Especially with help from my little friend in my pocket."
Mana then begins wondering where Miya went as she realizes that she may have let a potential enemy go.