NOTE: Logically speaking Kai was always the correct choice of who to go for if Aichi was ever indisposed. Alfred took a giant gamble with Emi and gambles always have negative consequences.

Chapter 11: Shattered Spirit

THUD

"Owwww!" Emi Sendou cried out in pain as her body came in contact with a concrete surface. Moving to sit up on her knees, Emi rubbed her rear in pain. "What exactly did I fall on?" She asked.

She placed a hand on the ground to feel it and realized that it was a concrete sidewalk. Opening her eyes, Emi scanned her surroundings, shocked by where she was.

"Miyaji Academy?" Emi gasped, quickly scrambling to her feet. In front of her was her school Miyaji Academy, however there were key differences to the building. It was void of any and all bright colors, and stained in black and white like an old movie. Around the building were people, but just like the building they were void of colors. Each person wandered around the building as if they were searching for something.

Emi approached one of the people, slowly. "Ummm...do you know what's go-OUCH!" Just as Emi touched the person, a strong force knocked her back onto her rear. Hissing in pain from the impact, Emi looked back at the person, who seemed to not even have noticed her. He continued walking in a random direction. The youngest Sendou got back onto her feet once more and backed away from the school.

"What was that? What's going on here? There's normally no powerful pushing force whenever I try to touch someone," Emi turned around to enter the street and froze. Her blue orbs darting all around in an attempt to grasp her surroundings.

Everything around her was just like Miyaji Academy, shrouded in black and white with colorless people walking aimlessly.

"W-What is this!? W-Where am I!?" Emi shouted. Fear overtaking the young girl, her body shaking, and heart pounding. Everything was so lifeless, and chilling to the core. Emi's legs started to move on instinct, running away from the scenery.

She didn't know where she was running, but just wanted to get away from wherever she was. However, no matter where she ran everything and everyone looked the same. That chilling feeling constantly reminding her of cold red eyes. Eyes that burned a hole through her soul, shattered her body and spirit, and made her cry like a scared little girl.

Kouji Ibuki.

"Stop...stop...stop...STOP!" Emi gripped her head, screaming loudly at the painful memories resurfacing in her mind. Tears streamed down her face like a waterfall, cursing the world for entrapping her in this madness. Her screaming soon devolved into laughter, a laugh that was void of any humor.

"I never should've listened to them. To Blaster Blade and Alfred, if I just never listened to them...never allowing their words to influence me. I'd never be here...I wouldn't have endangered Rekka, I'd never have to meet I-I-Ibuki….AND I WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE SUCH A USELESS BURDEN!" Emi roared towards the gray sky.

Emi looked into a window that showed her reflection. Her body was black and white, except for her eyes. Her eyes had started glowing a pinkish blue color, almost like a galaxy. Immediately her face changed from one of humorless sorrow to one of pure anger.

These eyes...these DAMN EYES!

"I HATE THESE EYES! I HATE THEM! I HATE THEM! I HATE THEM! I HATE THEM! I HATE THEM! I HATE THEM! I HATE THEM! I HATE THEM! I HATE! I HATE! I HATE! I HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE!"

Emi fell to her knees, her body unable to stay standing from the raw emotion the girl was producing. The youngest Sendou felt her consciousness fading and fell face first onto the ground. "It would be better for everyone if I just gave up…" With that Emi slipped out of consciousness, welcoming the sense of defeat that never seemed to leave her.

A shadow loomed over Emi's body, the person's arms reached forward and carefully lifted the girl into their arms. The person turned around and began walking towards a neighborhood.

Blue eyes snapped open instantly, the body of those eyes sat up with equal speed. Emi's head darted around to see where she currently was. Looking down she noticed that she was lying in a bed, a bed that she recognized. Now that she thought about it, the room was familiar to her as well.

Slowly climbing out of the bed, Emi tip-toed her way towards the door of the room. Twisting the knob she peeked her head out of the door. Not seeing anything strange, except for the noise coming from the kitchen….wait...this house…

"T-This is my house...this room is…" Emi slammed the door open and rushed down the steps of the house as fast as she could. Sprinting through the living room and into the kitchen Emi's heart stopped from pure shock.

In front of her was a young man who was a few inches taller than her. Dressed in a white coat, pink sweater, and blue jeans. His hair was dark blue with one long bang going down the side of his face. His soft blue eyes peered into her soul, not as a cold black knife, but as a soft warm heat that could make the scariest of monsters go away. His smile smashed through the freezing chill that had caused her so much pain.

"A-A-A-A-Ai-Ai-A-Ai-Ai...Ai…"

"Hello, Emi."

"AICHI!" Tears flowed endlessly from her face as she ran towards Aichi. Her short arms wrapped around his frame, burying her face into his chest, soaking his shirt with her snot and tears. Aichi didn't make any sort of protest though, the young man returned Emi's tight embrace, allowing her to cry as much as possible.

The two of them remained within that embrace for a while, neither caring for how long they were hugging. Just wanting to hold each other as much as possible. Emi sniffed her snot filled nose and looked up at her brother.

"I don't care if this is a dream. I'm just so happy to see you, Aichi," Emi said, her eyes red from constant crying.

"You're not dreaming, Emi," Aichi replied, rubbing circles across Emi's back.

"Huh? B-But...you're dead...unless I'm dead too…" Emi whispered that last part. Not wanting to believe that she had been killed. Aichi reacted quickly to shut down that idea.

"No no no! You're not dead, Emi. Quickly touch your chest," Aichi instructed. Following her brother's commands, Emi placed a hand to where her heart is. She sighed in relief when she felt it beating.

"Now place a hand on my chest," Aichi told her.

Following his orders once more, Emi noticed something that made her gasp. Her brother didn't have a pulse at all.

"W-Why is there no pulse?" Emi asked, scared.

"Because my body doesn't exist anymore, but yours still does, Emi," Aichi answered.

"My body still exists…" Emi looked at her hands in wonder. She was alive...that was good. Some relief of good news that she's received today.

"Come on, you can explain everything to me in the living room," Aichi helped Emi off the floor and led the broken heroine to the living room.

Aichi sat in silence as Emi recounted everything that had happened to her since the day he and the others had died. His eyes showcased sadness over the effects their deaths had on his friends and mother. Aichi couldn't help, but blame himself for putting his own mother through a depression. Though his expression soon changed to a new emotion. An emotion that Aichi rarely allowed to appear on certain occasions. Like, when he fought Ren, Leon, and Reverse Takuto.

Aichi was furious at the man known as Kouji Ibuki.

"I'm sorry."

Aichi's thoughts were cut off by the meek voice of his sister. He saw that she was shaking again, her eyes staring directly towards the ground.

"Emi, you have nothing to apologi-"

"I DO!" Her scream caught him off guard. Aichi has never heard Emi scream like this.

"I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT! HE WAS RIGHT! IBUKI WAS RIGHT! I'M JUST USELESS NOBODY WHO CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT! I'M NOT YOU AICHI! I CAN'T SAVE ANYONE!" Emi took off Aichi's old jacket and threw it into his arms.

"I'm not you, Aichi...I'm not a hero. I'm just a normal middle school girl," Emi curled up into a ball on the couch next to Aichi.

The Hero of Cray looked at the jacket in his hands, memories of his earlier days playing Vanguard replayed in his mind.

"You're wrong, ya know," Aichi said, after letting Emi's words sink in. The girl made no sound or movement to acknowledge that she was listening to him. He continued to talk anyway.

"From what you told me, you managed to help many people as well as our friends. If it weren't for you Rekka would've broken down from whatever happened between her and Kourin. Misaki would've stayed held up in her room for who knows how long, continuing to worry Shin. And if it weren't for you, then I'd still be wandering around this house being lost and confused," Aichi explained, his words having some effect on Emi. Seeing as she was starting to uncurl herself from a ball.

"What do you mean I helped you?" Emi asked, quietly.

"Before you arrived here I had just been wandering around this place, lost and confused. As if any reason to exist within me was lost. Suddenly, I felt this weird pulse. A familiar pulse that was calling out to me. So, I left the house and found you outside on the ground," Aichi finished explaining. Emi must've been calling for the warmth of her older brother subconsciously.

"Well..at least I did something right. Even though I didn't know what I was doing," She was still upset. Aichi's words didn't suddenly make her feel 100% better. Her scars were too deep to be healed instantly like that.

Aichi frowned at Emi's dejected look, he needed a way to help his little sister. A face of pure hopelessness didn't fit her at all. A light bulb then appeared above Aichi's head to signify that he thought of an idea.

"Emi, come with me. We're going to Card Capital," Aichi said, getting off the couch. She raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why?"

"Because if you were able to help me because of our connection, then maybe you can help our friends who are also lost," Aichi explained.

"That's not going to work, Aichi. We were just lucky here, there's no guarantee that I can help anyone else," Emi spoke. He didn't say anything back, just thrusting his old jacket in front of her. Wanting to give it back to her. Emi's face morphed into one of disgust.

"No, I don't want to wear that thing. I'll follow you, but I still think this is stupid," Emi replied. She walked past her brother towards the entrance of the house. Aichi frowned and held the jacket in his arm, following his sister out of the door. He prayed that this idea of his could work.

The two Sendous walked down the street, completely unaware of a strange shadow following after them.

Chapter End