Chapter 5: "In hindsight, I was an idiot. Not much has changed, though." - Sendō Aichi

Disclaimer: I do not own Cardfight! Vanguard.

VANGUARD

(Aichi's P.O.V.)

"Are your eyes feeling any better, my Vanguard?" I heard Elaine ask gently, her hands covering my bandaged eyes as she poured more of her soothing healing magic into me.

"Much better, thank you," I hurriedly responded, hoping to just get the bandages off as soon as possible and get back to work. It had felt like hours since I'd woken up in the infirmary. "When can I take the bandages off?"

"Later tomorrow, at the latest. PSY Qualia isn't really something that we deal with so we don't entirely know how it works, my Vanguard, but it appears to rectify itself relatively quickly," she replied, removing her hand from my face. Her voice seemed stern, almost as if she expected me to disobey her.

"Don't worry. I won't run off again," I quickly assured her, recalling the harsh verbal bashing I'd received from King Alfred the last time I'd done it.

She let out a, "Hmm..." that sounded sceptical, as if she didn't quite believe me. "Vanguard Leon expressed his intention of visiting you later today."

"What about the others?"

"I'm sure they'll follow."

I paused in thought for a second, considering my next move. Before I could open my mouth to order her to send the whole group, there was a knock at the door. It opened up with barely a creak.

"I'm sorry. I hope I'm not interrupting anyone," I heard a deep male voice say.

I turned my head towards where I hoped the doorway was. "Stil?"

"Yes, sir. I was hoping to have a word with you," Stil eagerly responded, the door swinging open as far as it would go and tapping against the wall.

"Elaine, could we please have some privacy?" I immediately requested, listening to Elaine shuffle awkwardly beside me.

"Uh... Ah..." she stammered awkwardly, as though she didn't like the thought of leaving me alone with Stil, before finally settling on a quiet, "Yes, sir..." I heard her shuffle off, and when the door soon closed, it became apparent that Stil and I were alone.

After a few moments of silence, Stil began to stride towards me with heavy footsteps, his voice taking on a more confident tone. "My Vanguard, I was hoping to have a word with you."

"How are you out and about during the daytime, Stil?" I interrupted before he could say anything more, my curiosity getting the better of me. "You'd normally turn to mist, wouldn't you?"

"That's what I'm here to talk about, my Vanguard. This is unusual," Stil responded with an unusual emotion in his tone of voice that I couldn't recognise without my sight. He shifted in place as though he had lost his nerve. "When a unit is Reversed, it's as though the power of Link Joker eliminates all of their weaknesses to create a more complete being. When I returned to consciousness on the battlefield with you, I thought that the power was still merely in the process of disappearing and that it would vanish rapidly... but it's been a day and there have been no changes, my Vanguard."

"Stil, I understand that this is a pressing matter for you, but I don't have the answer to things like this. What made you come to me?" I responded somewhat incredulously, although that didn't stop worry for Stil settling in my gut like lead.

"I..." Stil paused, and it was almost as though I could hear the intense frowning that he was no doubt doing. "To be honest, my Vanguard... I don't know..." he sheepishly admitted. "This was on my mind and I just began to walk... Would it be odd if I said that it felt as though I was being led by something?"

I was taken aback by this statement, but attempted to remain impassive as my thoughts ran a mile a minute. I unconsciously raised my hand and touched it to my chest, just over my heart where I had felt the almost innocent tingling of Void's Seed enter my body so many months ago, and I frowned deeply beneath my bandages, only able to come to one conclusion.

"Fascinating..." I muttered to myself, absentmindedly rubbing Void's point of entry on my chest with my thumb. If Still heard me, he didn't remark on it.

"I-I'm sorry to have bothered you, my Vanguard..." Stil eventually muttered, his voice sheepish. "I'm not sure why I thought that bothering you would help... I'll excuse myself..."

Before Stil could leave, however, I removed my hand from my chest and reached it out towards Stil. "Give me your hand, Stil," I commanded, hoping that I left no room for argument, seeing as I didn't think that I'd be able to get up and chase him if he didn't comply.

Wordlessly, Stil approached me and delicately placed his hand in mine. Taking the back of his hand in my palm, I lightly placed in on the bandages on the side of my throat, feeling him flinch as I did so. Not bothering to turn my head towards where I thought his eyes may have been, I merely held his hand steady and spoke in what I hoped was a calm manner.

"Stil, we don't shy away from these things. We accept that they've happened, we forgive ourselves, and we move on. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, my Vanguard... I'm sorry..." Stil eventually responded, unable to hide the shame in his voice.

I remained silent for a moment before removing my hand and letting him go. After feeling his hand slowly retract from my throat, I let a small smile sneak its way onto my face.

"Now, go and have some fun before that power fades away. I'm sure you haven't seen the sun in thousands of years."

"Y-yes, my Vanguard..." Stil slowly responded as if he wasn't sure what to say or think. "Thank you..."

I felt him walk away, and once the door had closed and I was sure that he was gone, the smile dropped from my face and I was left with deafening silence and my even more deafening thoughts.

How many more people have I poisoned...?

(Kai's P.O.V.)

I found it difficult to believe that Ren, as airheaded as he was, had failed to remember my… issues with my sense of direction, for lack of a better term. Simple directions, I was OK with. Complex directions, not so much.

Go left at the end of this hallway, turn right at the end of the next one, go left at the third corner down the next hall, open the third door on the right and walk left down the hallway, take the fifth hall on the right, and… I failed to recall any more. With all the units standing around doing nothing, I failed to understand why he couldn't just send one of them with me, or why he couldn't write the directions down, at the very least.

Everything looked the same as I walked down the corridors, what with the white walls, tall, rounded windows, golden candlestick holders on the walls between the windows, and red carpets that were precisely centred on shiny wooden floors. Aside from the odd piece of wooden furniture, such as a chest of drawers, usually with an ornate vase or ornament set upon it, there were no landmarks and I was left wondering how anyone found their way in this building with no signs to guide them.

Either way, I was supposed to be looking for Aichi's private infirmary. According to Ren, Aichi would have a better idea of what to do with me. He was more intelligent than Ren, more level-headed than Leon, and more capable of making unbiased decisions than Chris, and evidently, none of them trusted themselves to do the job, or perhaps they just didn't want to. I doubted if I'd ever find out. Perhaps I didn't even want to.

It was at this moment that I heard footsteps and my heart leapt with relief. I hastened my pace and rounded the corner, hoping to find someone who could help me. I was surprised to find that the next corridor was much longer than I had expected, and the individual in question was much further down the corridor than I had initially anticipated, their footsteps apparently echoing off the walls.

Hastening down the hallway, the unit quickly came into view, revealing a gargantuan man with pale skin that appeared to have an almost bluish tint to it. His shiny black hair was tied back in a loose topknot, his fringe falling haphazardly over his deep purple eyes in thin strands, and a pale pink kimono with a darker pink lining, the right side of which dangled loosely at his side, covered what appeared to be a skin-tight blue outfit with a multitude of holes in it that on closer inspection appeared to be in the images of the different symbols on playing cards. An ornate green and gold shoulder plate was attached to his exposed right shoulder and two katana with red hilts, golden handguards, and blue sheaths were tucked haphazardly into a dark pink obi at his waist, a golden, jewelled piece of metal hanging from the obi as a form of decoration. Blue boots with heart patterns at the top tapped loudly on the carpeted floor, and his eyes seemed to light up as I approached, although with what emotion, I couldn't tell. What I could recognise, however, was who he was. He was obviously Tetsu's favourite unit, Stil Vampir, and that filled me with even more relief now that I had personally recognised a unit that night even recognise me back.

"Good day!" he called with a fanged grin as I approached him. "You're certainly not a unit. What's an Earth human doing wandering around here?"

I slowed to a stop in front of Stil Vampir, suddenly realising that he was even larger than I'd first thought. I tried to stand up as straight as possible, hoping to look a little larger in front of the mighty vampire and focused on the problem at hand.

"My name's Kai Toshiki. I just arrived on Cray. Ren sent me to look for Aichi's infirmary, but..." I trailed off, suddenly feeling rather embarrassed, and I averted my gaze as though that would somehow help matters, sincerely hoping that the burning sensation in my cheeks was not a blush. "I appear to have gotten a little lost..."

Stil Vampir let out a deep, hearty laugh and roughly patted me on the shoulder. "Oh, don't worry about that. This building is like a maze. I think we all got lost at some point." Placing his hand at his hip, his toothy grin only seemed to widen, his white fangs poking out over his dark lips in an almost frightening manner. "You say that you're Kai Toshiki, though. You're the Lead Vanguard's friend, aren't you?"

If, by 'Lead Vanguard', he meant Aichi, then, "Yes, I am," I responded, establishing eye contact once more and hoping that I sounded confident. "I was on his team back on Earth. I was also part of Ren's team at one point, too."

"Ah! Delightful!" was the vampire's seemingly-genuine response. "They'll have changed quite a bit since you last saw them, but please continue to support them, especially the Lead Vanguard. He needs a helping hand."

I frowned. "Helping hand?" I parroted. "Did something happen?"

The smile disappeared from Stil Vampir's face, and the pale vampire turned away, running a hand through his hair with a thoughtful frown before finally turning back to me with a somewhat apologetic, nervous smile, far less radiant than the one that had disappeared from his face moments prior.

"To be honest, Kai Toshiki, it isn't my place to say. It's a private matter that the Lead Vanguard would probably prefer to discuss with you directly, if he wishes to discuss it at all. Please don't try to force him to say anything," Stil Vampir informed me, sounding almost tired as he spoke. I nodded soundlessly as the vampire moved to stand beside me, placing a cold hand on my shoulder and pointing down the hallway. "You're nearly there, anyway. You'll want to go straight down here, turn left the first chance you get, and then keep looking right. His room is clearly marked as his private infirmary. You can't miss it," he kindly explained, and with a quick, "Good luck," he turned and walked away before I could even process the fact that he'd left.

With his footsteps echoing down the long hallway, I turned to face him. "Thank you, Stil Vampir!" I called after him only to be met with a chuckle and a wave.

"Stil is fine," the vampire responded jovially, never bothering to turn around.

Instructions fresh in my mind, I turned my back on Stil and, forcing any anxiety I may have had down and out of sight, I made the final trek down the hallway, knowing that my goal for the past year was at the very end of it. A feeling of elation washed over me and my steps quickened. Turning the corner, it was only a matter of time before I stopped in front of a wooden door that was much larger and grander than the other simple doors that I'd seen before, with fancy panels set into the mahogany door, an intricate brass handle and some powerful carvings of Lion Mane Stallion that had been etched into the doorframe. Neatly placed between the panels was a shiny brass plaque that bore the inscription 'Lead Vanguard's Infirmary'. Another sign that was stuck to the wall beside the door—this one merely words written on a piece of paper in black ink—read 'Knock before entering. Don't disturb our Lead Vanguard needlessly.'

This wasn't needless, I quickly decided.

Knock, knock.

(Aichi's P.O.V.)

"Enter..." I called at the sound of a knocking door, hoping that I didn't sound as tired, pained and irritated as I felt.

I had just been about to lie down in the hopes of having some semblance of a rest when I was disturbed yet again. Whoever it was seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before the door opened with a creak. Whoever it was shuffled into the room and the door was slowly and quietly closed behind them before standing wordlessly next to the door. I frowned beneath my bandages and quickly went through all the possibilities regarding who this mystery person might be.

"Is that you, Leon?" I inquired, remembering how Elaine had mentioned how he would be visiting. However, the visitor said nothing. Warily, I reached beneath the covers, resting my fingers on the hidden dagger in my belt, knowing that the person wouldn't be able to see me do so from my position at the door. "Well?" I prompted, my tone betraying my irritation. "Speak up."

"Aichi..."

Almost as soon as the words had left my mouth, a soft yet confident voice spoke up. It was deep and familiar, but I couldn't place it. Did any units speak like that? Did any units dare to refer to me by name, for that matter? There was Blaster Dark, but he didn't sound like that, and he wasn't a very good actor, so it couldn't have been him. It definitely didn't sound like Leon-kun. Ren-san, perhaps?

"Is that you, Ren-san?" I asked the man, turning my head in his general direction.

"N-no. It's not," the man stammered nervously before seemingly regaining his composure and taking several long strides across the room, stopping only when he was next to me. My hand tightened around the handle of my knife in response.

"Then, who is it?" I asked with gritted teeth. I didn't appreciate people beating around the bush. If the man before me wished to speak with me, then he would have been better off just speaking up. The sooner he did, the sooner I could get him out and get back to my rest. If he wasn't a friend, but a foe, I was somewhat confident in my ability to put a quick end to such a nervous individual, even without my sight.

The man took a deep breath before shifting in place, and I got the impression that he was trying to be confident, but upon seeing me face-to-face, that confidence had faltered, but why, I couldn't be sure. Was it just because he was meeting the Lead Vanguard, or was it because of what he had to say?

"Aichi," the familiar voice spoke confidently, all hesitation suddenly draining away from him. "It's me. Kai Toshiki."

My mind went blank, and without thinking, I almost immediately blurted out, "Ren-san, if this is another one of your practical jokes, it's not a very impressive one."

The voice that responded was laced with surprise. "It's...not a joke, Aichi."

Silence reigned inside the room as my blood ran cold with shock, and I was slowly consumed by a seething rage that I quickly had to fight back before it became apparent to the man who claimed to be Kai-kun. My hands tightened on my bedsheets until they started to tingle, yet I still managed to stop myself long enough to take a deep breath in the hopes of calming myself. If nothing else, it would allow me to ensure that my choice of words were not completely governed by anger.

"Takuto-kun sent you, didn't he?" I asked, wincing slightly as my tone of voice came out sounding colder than I had meant it to, and I hoped that it wouldn't be noticed.

"He had good reason to, he said. Don't be angry at him," 'Kai-kun' immediately tried to explain, his tone hopeful.

Another pause. I inhaled deeply once more. "What was this reason...?" I eventually asked, my monotone voice hiding the anger that lurked beneath it. My eyes narrowed behind my bandages as I waited for an explanation that would no doubt fail to satisfy me.

"Honestly...I don't know," 'Kai-kun' admitted, and I found myself unable to figure out his feelings on the matter without an expression to read.

Even so, the honest answer caught me by surprise, and taken aback as I was, I found myself echoing him with a surprised, "You don't know?"

"Yeah. Takuto just told me that you all needed me, but he didn't have time to explain why before he disappeared and I arrived here," 'Kai-kun' explained, and I heard him shuffling around, his uncertain tone telling me that he wasn't satisfied with his own explanation.

I gritted my teeth, unable to bottle up my anger anymore, my desire to give Takuto-kun a piece of my mind overwhelming every ounce of common sense that I had. My doubt that this was the real Kai-kun was rapidly disappearing, and the knowledge that it was likely really him was filling me with a cold, seething rage.

"So, he just picked you up and left you in the middle of a battlefield without any explanation," I responded quietly, anger bleeding into my tone of voice.

"That...appears to be the case," the man who was supposedly Kai-kun responded, not nervously, as I had originally thought, but rather taken aback as though he hadn't quite considered the position he was in, and the reality of the situation was only now dawning on him.

"I need to give him a piece of my mind," I rapidly, and idiotically, decided, and with a growl, I tore the bandages off my eyes. The sunlight instantly began to burn my eyes, and I found myself clumsily dropping the bandages as I brought my hands up to shield my eyes.

"What are you doing?! You have to put those back on!" the man beside me suddenly demanded, tone filled with worry, and I felt him fumble for the bandages on the bed.

"Close the curtains!" I barked, and after a moment of hesitation, or perhaps shock, he left my side. At the sound of the curtains closing, I hesitantly pulled my hands away from my eyes as the source of the blinding light disappeared. "He had no right..." I found myself muttering. "No right at all..."

Despite the continued burning in my eyes, I glanced up at the man as he rapidly approached my bedside again, the dim light illuminating him just enough for me to make out his general outline, despite my blurring vision. He was, indeed, Kai-kun, and somehow, the very sight of him made me angrier than ever before, although none of it was directed at him, yet this anger made me wish to shout at Takuto-kun even more, and perhaps even louder.

It was then that I made the idiotic decision to attempt to activate my PSY Qualia to contact Takuto, as if I hadn't already learned my lesson about using it too much that day already. Almost immediately, the burning intensified, and I felt my PSY Qualia struggle to activate, feeling it sputter into life before rapidly fading over and over again. Kai-kun shouted something I couldn't hear properly as my hearing rapidly began to fail me and my vision swam, my powers almost immediately sucking what little energy I had left from my body. In mere seconds, the burning in my eyes intensified to unbearable levels, my body felt as heavy as lead, and as far as I'm aware, I seem to have collapsed, for I remember little else after that moment aside from the distant sound of several voices as I fell into a fitful sleep.