When Kana woke up again, she found herself in a familiar room. It wasn't the master bedroom, but it was the second bedroom. That was reassuring, however the absence of her grandmother was not. Instantly Kana began to panic as she leapt out of bed and tried to open the steel door yet for whatever reason it wouldn't open.
"Nana! Uncle Juzo!" Kana cried as she scratched at the door.
She cried and cried until finally the door opened from the other side. Kana looked and saw her uncle standing there.
"Kid you o-?" Juzo asked until Kana tackled him with a hug.
"Uncle," Kana cried and squeezed him tight.
"Woah… easy there kid," Juzo said before hesitantly patting her head.
"I was so scared you all left me," Kana sniffed.
"Hey, relax," Juzo said.
"Where's Nana and grandfather?" Kana asked.
"They're just sleeping," Juzo explained. "It's the middle of the night."
"Oh, sorry I woke you up," Kana said.
"It's fine, we can just go back to bed now," Juzo said.
"I guess…," Kana said. "But… I'm not tired."
"Figured...," Juzo sighed. "Alright... what do you want to do?"
"You'll stay up with me?" Kana asked.
"It's almost morning anyway so why not?" Juzo said. "Come on."
Kana happily followed him into the main room. There everything was the same as it was before, except there were more books now on the bookshelf and additional cooking utensils in the kitchen. Catching her eye was a large package on the dining table.
"Uncle, what's that?" Kana asked and pointed to the package.
"Oh that… well I guess it's from… your dad," Juzo said.
"Papa sent it?!" Kana shouted.
"Hey shh you don't want to wake Chisa and Munakata up," Juzo said.
"No…," Kana lowered her head.
"Good," Juzo sighed with relief. "Now what do you want to do?"
"Open the package from papa," Kana grinned.
"Alright," Juzo sighed, "you can open it, but only if you keep it down. So no screaming."
"Okay." Kana nodded firmly.
"I'll get the scissors," Juzo said.
Kana pulled up the closest seat to the package and waited eagerly, drumming her fingers on the table in anticipation. Juzo came back and opened the package before sliding it over to her. As promised she tried her best not to scream, holding her hands over her mouth just to be safe. Still she couldn't help but let out a tiny squeal when she saw the contents of the package. Inside she saw her old green scarf, a thick sketchbook, a big pack of colored pencils, and a letter. The first item she picked up was the letter. Knowing it was from her papa, she opened it very carefully. The letter was typed and read;
"Dear Kana
I know we've been apart for a long time now, but that doesn't mean I love you any less. Chisa told me all about what you've been doing and I'm so proud of you. You're so strong, so I'm going to be strong too and do my best to recover though it's going to take a long time. Keep being a good girl for your grandparents and uncle. Hopefully we'll see each other soon when I'm all recovered and the monsters are all gone. Remember I'll always love and support you even from afar. You're the best daughter in the whole wide world
Love
Papa"
As she read her papa's letter, tears rolled down her cheeks and onto the paper. Once she finished reading it, she held it close to her chest and smiled.
"Papa," Kana cried.
"You... okay?" Juzo asked.
"Yep," Kana nodded before looking at the other things her papa sent her. "I just really love my papa."
…
After her tears of joy dried, Kana spent the rest of the night drawing with Juzo. Despite Juzo's hesitation, he wasn't the worst at drawing, but he soon gave up and made origami animals instead. He was much better at folding a variety of animals Kana couldn't believe could be folded. Each one he folded, he handed to her to draw on. Pretty soon they had a whole zoo's worth of origami animals, so Kana decided to act as a zoo guide and recount facts about each animal Juzo made.
"A boa constrictor can go a whole year without eating," Kana explained as she held an origami snake. "When it catches prey, it doesn't die by suffocation, rather the boa constricts the right pressure points with just the right force to kill it almost instantly."
"How do you know all this?" Juzo asked.
"Uncle Gundham told me all about it and papa got me tons of books on animals," Kana smiled.
"Neat," Juzo said.
"Oh, what are you two doing up so early?" A feminine voice said.
"Nana!" Kana leapt up and hugged Chisa. "Uncle Juzo and I were making origami animals."
"How sweet," Chisa smiled. "Don't you agree Kyousuke?"
Munakata stepped into the room, his face still hardened like usual. He looked glared at the coffee table covered in origami, then to Kana, and then to Juzo. Kana could see Juzo instantly stiffen up.
"She refused to go back to sleep, so I just kept an eye on her," Juzo said in a gruff voice.
"I see," Munakata said.
"You two must be hungry then," Chisa said. "Kana will you help me make pancakes for breakfast?"
"Sure," Kana nodded, still a little worried about Juzo
"Oh, that reminds me," Chisa smiled as she went over to one of the kitchen drawers. "I have a little surprise for you."
"What?" Kana asked.
"Tada!" Chisa said, unveiling a small purple apron just Kana's size. "While you were sleeping, I made this just for you."
"It's so pretty," Kana gasped.
Delicately, Chisa put the apron on Kana and tied the back bow. It fit like a glove.
"There we go," Chisa smiled. "Aww you look so cute."
"Thank you nana," Kana smiled and embraced her nana.
"You're welcome sweetie," Chisa patted her head. "Now let's get cooking!"
Kana nodded and followed Chisa's instructions. While Chisa prepared the pan, Kana mixed the batter as best she could. Then Chisa began to pour some batter into the pan.
"How did you sleep," Chisa asked.
"Good," Kana said.
"You were asleep for a long time, a month I think," Chisa said.
"Oh, I didn't think I could sleep that long," Kana said.
"Well most people can't destroy those monsters with a song," Chisa said. "I wish I could have heard it. How did you come up with your song?"
"Oh… the voices told me," Kana said.
"Voices?" Chisa asked. "What do they sound like?"
"Um I think they're both women," Kana said. "One is pretty cheerful and the other is really serious."
"Interesting," Chisa said. "You know there was once a young lady who could hear the voices of angels, Joan of Arc they called her. Although I think her real name was Johanna."
"Is she from the Bible?" Kana asked.
"No she was a real historical figure that led an army to free her country when she was just 18," Chisa explained.
"Really?" Kana asked.
"Yep," Chisa nodded. "So those voices you hear could be two angels leading you to do amazing things and blessing you with the powers to do it."
"Oh," Kana said. "I hope so."
"I know so," Chisa smiled.
…
A few months passed. During that whole time, Kana and her three guardians remained in the bombshelter. Everyday Kana happily enjoyed spending time with her nana and uncle, however, her grandfather remained distant. A few times she tried to get him to play with her or read the Bible, but he always refused. Sadly her papa did not send any more gifts in that time either.
"Kana," Chisa asked one day while they cooked breakfast. "Do you know what day it is?"
"June 1rst?" Kana asked.
"Yep," Chisa said. "That means in fifteen days it will be the one year anniversary of when your grandfather and uncle rescued you."
"Oh," Kana said. "I guess I was in that coma for a long time."
"Since it'll be the one year anniversary of you three meeting, I figured we could celebrate," Chisa smiled. "So what would you like to do on that day?"
"See papa," Kana said.
"I'm sorry but it's still too dangerous," Chisa said. "Anything else?"
"I don't know," Kana sighed.
"I know, we can bake a delicious cake together," Chisa said proudly.
"Okay," Kana nodded.
"Then we'll have a little party with presents," Chisa said. "Say, why don't you draw something for your grandfather and uncle as thank you for them rescuing you and your papa."
"Sure," Kana smiled.
"Good girl," Chisa smiled.
…
Kana eagerly prepared and awaited the anniversary. While she loved spending everyday with her guardians, a special celebration was a nice change of pace. Yet just a few days before the anniversary, her song was needed. As soon as her grandfather told her, she accepted. After all it's what everyone wanted, especially her papa.
Just like before, Kana travelled by foot with her grandfather and uncle then by helicopter. They flew over more forests and abandoned cities covered in white and infested with the monsters till they came to the border of one particular city not quite covered in white, but still flooded with monsters. Instead of flying directly to the heart of the city, the three were forced to walk on foot. Walking was a non issue for Kana, but the threat of walking through a monster infested city was an issue.
"You okay kid?" Juzo asked.
"Uncle, can I hold your hand?" Kana asked, trying to cover the trembling in her voice.
"Sure," Juzo said and took her hand.
Munakata led them through the abandoned city, past multiple monsters, all with an intense look. Kana tried to focus her mind on something else besides the intensity of the situation. So she tried to look around the city to see the remnants of the humans that once lived here. She could see empty cafes, crumbling apartments, and dusty stores. One store window caught her attention and made her freeze in her tracks.
"Uncle Juzo?" Kana asked and pointed to the store. "What's that?"
"Ugh it's a toy store I guess," Juzo said.
"Can we please look inside?" Kana asked.
"I don't know…," Juzo said.
"Please?" Kana asked again.
"Fine," Juzo sighed. "But we have to be quick and careful."
Before Juzo could tell Munakata, Kana eagerly pulled him towards the broken window. There she could see all the dusty and broken toys from toy trains to strange plastic figures. Of course what most caught her eye was the wide selection of stuffed animals lining the window and shelves, ripped up and dirty, but nonetheless beautiful to her. Her eyes focused on one particular stuffed animal, a charming red fox that was ripped in many places. Without thinking she tried to reach out and grab it.
"What are you doing?!" Munakata cut in demanding to know.
Kana flinched, swiftly retracting her arms and retreating to Juzo's side.
"The kid just wanted to look," Juzo said nervously. "She's got a stronger pull than you think."
"I wasn't asking you," Munakata growled before glaring down at Kana. "What were you doing?"
"I… I… just wanted to look," Kana trembled. "I thought the animals… looked pretty… and I wanted to… take one."
"We have an important mission and a deadline to do it," Munakata growled. "Wasting time on insignificant and selfish things will only endanger us all."
"I think… she gets it," Juzo tried to speak up.
"We've wasted enough time already, let's get back to the mission at hand," Munakata said. "If you're going to hold her hand, make sure she stays in line and quiet, understood?"
"Yes," Juzo nodded. "It won't happen again."
"Good," Munakata turned around back to the path.
"Come on, Kana," Juzo said.
"Okay," Kana sighed.
While they walked away, Kana took a few small glances back at the old toy store.
...
They arrived at the heart of the city, a large and luscious park that looked like a winter wonderland. There less soldiers than usual were positioned. As Kana and her two guardians walked past them, she could hear them whispering.
"So that's the kid that zapped all those monsters out of existence," a soldier whispered.
"She's a lot younger than I thought," another soldier said.
"Doesn't she kinda look like Junko Enoshima?" Yet another soldier whispered.
"Shit, she's looking at us, shut up," one of the bigger soldiers whispered.
Hearing their words, Kana tightened her grip on Juzo's hand.
"You nervous kid?" Juzo asked, to which Kana nodded. "Don't be. Remember, you got rid of all those monsters before no sweat, you can do it again."
"Yeah," Kana smiled a little. "Thank you uncle."
"Thank god you're here," a large man in a bull mask charged up to them. "We've been trying to hold off these savage beasts for months but they just keep coming."
"Do you suspect they have some sort of nest?" Munakata asked.
"Definitely underground," the man explained. "We've sent soldiers in there before, all of them lost connection and have never returned."
"The kid here will wipe em all out, no problem," Juzo boasted. "Right Kana."
"Yeah," Kana nodded.
Munakata handed her her blindfold and she could hear the others walk away. With her eyes closed, she tried to listen for the two voices.
"Please let me destroy all the monsters here and protect Uncle Juzo and grandfather," Kana whispered aloud.
The voices responded by singing a new melody in their mysterious language. Kana listened and repeated word for word, her body becoming weightless followed by the feeling and sounds of the world rumbling around her. As she sang, she thought of stabbing the monsters in the darkness of the underground and crushing them to death under the weight of rubble. The voices seemed to agree and encourage these thoughts as they sang louder and louder. Eventually after the peak of their song, the voices slowly faded out and Kana felt herself fall down a bit, her feet back on the firm ground. She fell back into the familiar warmth and strength of Juzo's arms.
"Did…," Kana panted, to weak to take off her blindfold, "did I… do it?"
"Yeah," Juzo said, his voice cracking a bit. "You did it."
"Good," Kana forced a smile before passing out.
…
As Kana slowly came through, she felt something very soft in her arms. She forced her eyes open to see a charming fuzzy face she had seen before. It was the stuffed fox she had seen in the toy store, however now it was all clean and stitched up wearing a new green vest.. Kana squeezed it tight as if it was her papa and it helped her not to scream this time. Yet as she tried to calmly get up from the bed and knock on the door, a few tears formed in her eyes.
"Uncle Juzo? Nana?" Kana asked.
The door soon opened and revealed Chisa dressed in her signature apron and smiling down at her.
"Good morning Kana," Chisa smiled and bent down to give her a hug. "How did you sleep?"
"Good," Kana smiled. "Where's Uncle Juzo?"
"Oh, right this way," Chisa smiled and led her out into the main room.
There Juzo was napping on the couch while Munakata was writing something at the table. Stuffed fox in hand, Kana rushed over to Juzo and tackled him with a hug.
"What the?!" Juzo jolted awake with a growl.
Upon seeing the culprit of his rude awakening was Kana.
"Hey kid," Juzo yawned.
"Sorry for waking you up," Kana apologized. "I just wanted to thank you for my new fox. You got it from that toy store didn't you?"
"Maybe," Juzo avoided eye contact and scratched the back of his head.
"I knew it!" Kana smiled and hugged him again. "Thank you uncle, I love him so much."
"Hey now, if you want to thank somebody, thank Chisa," Juzo said. "She's the one who patched him up."
"Oh, right," Kana nodded and ran over to hug Chisa. "Thank you nana for fixing my fox for me."
"Anything for you sweetie," Chisa patted her head. "What are you going to call him?"
"Adam," Kana said proudly.
"Adam?" Chisa asked. "I guess he does look like an Adam. Adam the fox."
Kana laughed and hugged her newly named fox plush. Then she remembered.
"What day is it?!" Kana asked.
"July second," Chisa said.
"Oh no, I missed the anniversary," Kana whined.
"It's okay, we all agreed to wait till you woke up," Chisa said.
"Oh, okay," Kana said. "Does that mean we'll still bake a cake?"
"Of course," Chisa said. "We can do that while we also make some eggs and toast for breakfast."
"Yay," Kana smiled.
…
Once the breakfast and cake were ready, Kana and her guardians sat at the table to eat. As soon as they all finished breakfast Chisa brought the cake over and set it before Kana. The white frosting and fruits glowed from the light of the candles on top.
"Kana, why don't you blow out the candles," Chisa said. "And don't forget to make a wish in your mind."
Kana nodded. Instantly she knew she wished to see her papa and so that's what she thought when she blew out the candles. Chisa energetically applauded and proceeded to cut the cake. Of course, like everything Chisa and Kana made together, it was very delicious.
"Mmmh," Kana smiled and savored the taste.
"This is pretty awesome," Juzo said.
"Excellent work Chisa," Munakata said.
"Well don't forget Kana helped," Chisa said. "Oh speaking of it's time for presents!"
"Oh, I'll go get mine for grandfather and uncle," Kana said as she rushed into the master bedroom.
There she had cleverly hidden two drawings under the bed. When she came back she saw a package waiting for her on the table. Instantly she sat back down at the table.
"Is this from papa?!" Kana asked.
"Yep," Chisa said. "Go ahead and open it."
The moment she said that, Kana ripped open the box to see the contents inside. A few bags of candy, a book with lots of animals on the cover, a new sketchbook, and a letter all sat inside. Kana reached for the letter and read.
"Dear Kana
Happy one year anniversary! I know that it's been one whole year without us seeing each other, but it means you've had one whole year to spend with your grandparents and uncle. Hopefully you're still being a good girl for them. I wish I could mail myself to you but the doctors say I still need to go through more physical therapy. Even then, as long as those monsters exist, it won't be safe for us to see each other. So I want you to stay strong and safe, just like me. Don't think of it as being away from me, think of it as being with your grandparents and uncle who love you very very much.
Love
Papa"
Kana held the paper close to her chest and smiled before folding it up and putting it in her pocket right alongside the previous letter and her family portrait. Just as she was about to touch the gifts her papa gave her, she remembered her gifts to her grandfather and uncle.
"Her uncle," Kana handed a drawing to Juzo. "Here grandfather."
"Oh hey it's a fox," Chisa looked over their shoulders. "How beautiful."
"Thanks... kid," Juzo smiled.
"I figured out of all the animals, all of you are like foxes," Kana said. "Really passionate and wise."
Munakata didn't say a word and just placed his drawing on the table shortly after receiving it.
"Aww so these are portraits, how cute," Chisa said. "I wish I had one."
"Oh, don't worry nana, I'll make one for you, I promise." Kana said.
"Thank you sweetie," Chisa smiled. "Kyousuke, you're the last one to give a gift."
"Right," Kyousuke said before reaching into his pocket. "Here."
Munakata opened the palm of his hand, dropping the contents into Kana's outstretched hands. Kana recognized the small silver shape from the Bible.
"It's a cross," Munakata said.
"It's so pretty," Kana said. "Thank you grandfather."
Kana delicately moved her fingers on the small cross, feeling the cold silver. She didn't know exactly what it symbolized other than the Bible. While it wasn't sweets or a new stuffed animal, she still loved it and held it firmly in her hand. Somehow, holding it gave her strength, specifically the strength of her grandfather.
…
With Adam, her papa's letter, and her new cross, Kana managed to stay strong over the following months.
Kana gets stronger, but not strong enough to sleep in her own bed.
Months later, Kana goes on her third mission. She wants to bring Adam but Munakata refuses to allow it, Juzo reassures her if she gets scared she can just hold onto him. This one takes a long time to get to as they fly over the sea and go to China on a private jet. During the ride Kana is transfixed on looking out the window and taking in the sights. Juzo and her try to make out things in the clouds. Munakata is silent as usual.
One of the soldiers on board jokes about Kana giving him a kiss on the cheek for good luck, Juzo growls and warns him if he so much as looks at Kana the wrong way, he'll punch his eyes out of his sockets, this gets the soldier to back off.
…
More months passed by till Kana was summoned. This time they'd go out a lot farther than the previous two times. All the way to Korea they had said. Considering the distance and new terrain, she wanted to bring Adam for support and good luck. So once she was dressed, she picked up the stuffed animal and walked to the door where Munakata and Juzo stood.
"Leave that thing," Munakata said. "Toys are a distraction and have no place on the battlefield."
"But…," Kana whined, "Adam helps me."
"I said leave it!" Munakata snapped.
"Yes grandfather," Kana lowered her head. "Sorry."
"Don't worry sweetie, I'll take good care of him while you're gone," Chisa smiled and patted her head. "I could use the company."
"Okay," Kana forced a smile and handed the stuffed fox over to the capable hands of her nana.
"Good luck Kana," Chisa kissed her on the head. "Be brave but also be safe."
"I will," Kana nodded.
…
In order to cross the body of water between Japan and Korea, the three took a private jet. Inside there were some comfy leather seats by the window. Kana took the seat closest to the window while Munakata sat across from her. Juzo sat beside her. Also onboard were a few other soldiers, these ones having helmets that revealed their faces. All of them stared at her from time to time, but one in particular seemed to be staring at her the whole time all with this creepy smile. Halfway through the flight, while Kana looked for shapes in the clouds, the creepy soldier approached.
"So you're the famous monster killer Kana," the creepy soldier said. "Hard to believe with how little and cute you are."
Instantly Kana moved closer to Juzo and grabbed his arm.
"No need to be shy, we're on the same team," the creepy soldier chuckled. "Say, since we're allies, why don't you give me a little kiss on the cheek for good luck."
"Alright pal, beat it," Juzo growled.
"The girl can speak for herself," the creepy soldier said, "and I'm not hearing a no."
Kana felt Juzo's muscles tense up and his hands tighten into fists.
"Say one more word asshole and I'll punch your teeth right up into your brain!" Juzo snapped getting the creepy soldier to stop smiling and stumble a few feet back. "Now for the last time, beat it, and don't you even think about staring at her or I will punch your eyes right out of their sockets."
Without a word the creepy soldier fled to the other end of the jet.
"Thank you uncle Juzo," Kana smiled up at him.
For a moment she saw the warmth in Juzo's eyes, but the moment he glanced over to Munakata it quickly disappeared.
"Whatever," Juzo said stoically. "Soldiers need to know their place."
…
Once the jet landed, the three, accompanied by the soldiers travelled through the tropical environment. Here the land was void of the white dust and the air smelled so fresh. The warm weather and the palm trees reminded her of the island she once called home. Eventually they stopped on a cliff overlooking some sort of building in the middle of nowhere, though it was too far to make it out. Munakata approached with her blindfold.
"That building is where the monsters are hiding," Munakata said. "Wipe them all out."
"But, it's so far away," Kana said. "Can't I get closer?"
"Do as I say," Munakata ordered.
"Okay," Kana said before putting on the blindfold.
Focusing her mind on the building and the monsters lurking inside it, she waited to hear the voices. Just as she wished to hear them, they began to sing. She repeated their melody and felt weightlessness. The winds picked up and blew through her hair in the direction of the building. As she sang, the winds grew stronger and stronger the more she thought of destroying the monsters. Then, within minutes the ferocious winds died down with her fading song until she went silent. However this time, she wasn't filled with overwhelming fatigue.
Lifting the blindfold from her eyes, she saw the building in the distance now turned to complete rubble. Turning back to her uncle, grandfather, and the soldiers she saw their look of paralyzing astonishment. Like the previous two times, Juzo was the only one to step forward after her song. Until, from the corner of her eye, she saw the creepy soldier take off his helmet and charged towards her. A black aura formed around him like the ones the monsters had and manifested into shadow bull horns.
"Uncle!" Kana screamed
Before the shadowed soldier could get to her, Juzo leapt in front of her. The shadow horns rammed clean through his stomach and through his back with such force, drops of blood were flung onto her face. Kana blinked and the shadowed soldier was tacked to the ground ripping his horns out of Juzo's body. Yet her uncle still managed to stand. At this point her blood had turned ice cold as she watched another one of her beloved family bleed out from the wounds of a monster.
"Juzo!" Munakata yelled out as he rushed over to him
"Un… cle?" Kana cried, too frozen to move.
"It's…," Juzo gritted his teeth as he turned to face her and Munakata. "It's… ok-."
His reassuring words were interrupted by blood shooting out from his mouth. Despite his attempts to stay standing, he fell to his side.
"Uncle!" Kana screamed, rushing to Juzo's side.
"Juzo!" Munakata yelled at the same time.
"Don't die!" Kana begged, her eyes blurred by tears. "Please don't die uncle!"
"K…," Juzo tried to speak only to cough up more blood.
'If you don't want him to die, then sing with me,' one of the voices echoed in her mind.
Kana stiffly nodded and closed her eyes. She listened to the song of the voice and placed both hands on Juzo's wounds. The song she sang softer than any before made her blood soaked hands warm. Slowly she felt the frantic pulse of her uncle's heart begin to steady and the wounds under her hands fill up. Even the wet sensation of blood evaporated from her hands and his stomach. Finally, the voice's ended, allowing Kana to open her eyes. Upon opening her eyes, she saw the wounds gone without a trace except for the holes in the shirt. She turned to her uncle's face to see his astonished look.
"You… saved me…," Juzo struggled to speak.
"I couldn't let you die," Kana sniffed.
"Thank… you…," Juzo tried to say as if they were his first words.
"You're welcome," Kana said as she hugged him.
In return, Juzo wrapped his strong arms around her.
"How lucky you are," the shadowed soldier snickered while the other soldiers had him down. "To be touched by and saved by the resurrection seed herself. Why I'd kill for that."
Juzo shot up from the ground and kicked him directly in the face, only making the shadowed soldier laugh.
"Cram it you freak!" Juzo shouted.
"Juzo, stand down," Munakata said.
Juzo took one look at the shadowed soldier then to Munakata before begrudgingly stepping away and back to Kana's side. Taking out his katana, Munakata walked towards the shadowed soldier.
"How did you infiltrate this operation?" Munakata asked. "Refuse to answer and I will cut off your arm."
"I was in the future foundation from day one," the shadowed soldier smiled. "Though the church made me see the truth about a year ago."
"What truth?" Munakata asked.
"The truth behind everything, why the tragedy happened, why white chlorination and the shadow beasts exist," the shadowed soldier said. "It is all by the divine plans of the goddesses Eve and Lilith!"
"So the cult compromised you, turning you into one of them without us knowing," Munakata said. "How pathetic."
"I am not the pathetic one here, it's you, you and everyone in the Future Foundation who think they can use the child of the goddesses for their own desires," the shadowed soldier growled before turning to Kana and smiling. "Don't you hate being used, Kana?"
Kana clung tighter to Juzo, hearing him growl.
"You're the one that tried to kill her, you piece of shit!" Juzo snapped.
"Not kill, save," the shadowed soldier said. "She is the resurrection seed, our goddesses reborn to continue their divine plan! A world filled with powerful life and merciful death! As long as the Future Foundation holds our savior captive we will not relent! We will keep attacking, keep killing till all that remains is dust and the Kana the resurrection seed, our goddesses!"
The shadowed soldier bursted into laughter upon finishing his monologue. Kana looked at him and then to her grandfather who raised his katana. Before she could see what happened next, Juzo swiftly used his body to shield her eyes. His strong arms wrapped around her, forcing her to stay in place. Yet despite his efforts, she could still hear the katana swing down followed by the shadowed soldier's complete silence.
"Uncle?" Kana fearfully asked.
"Don't look!" Juzo ordered. "Whatever you do Kana, don't look."
"Is he… dead?" Kana asked.
"He was already dead the moment he let himself get possessed by a monster," Juzo said.
"But why?" Kana shivered.
"I don't know…," Juzo said.
"Because he was weak," Munakata answered. "Weak men like him gravitate towards easy power even if it means trading away their souls."
"But why did he say all that stuff about me and future foundation?" Kana asked.
"Those weren't his words, they were the words of a monster spoken through human lips and meant to sow seeds of distrust and discord," Munakata said. "By doing so it would want to make us weak and vulnerable to the rest of his kind."
"Uncle…," Kana said, "I want… to go home…"
"We're going," Juzo said.
Wordlessly, Juzo picked her up and carried her in his arms. As they walked back to the jet, he took extra care not to let her see where the shadowed man was. Although she was happy at first to not have fallen asleep right after she sang her song, now she wondered if it would have been better not to. But then she looked at the holes in Juzo's shirt and changed her mind.
…
That night, as Kana slept in bed with Chisa and Munakata, she woke up screaming. Chisa embraced her and kissed her head while Munakata left the room.
"Did you have a nightmare about Juzo dying?" Chisa asked, to which Kana tearfully nodded. "But you shouldn't worry, because after all you saved him. You have the power to save all of us."
"Like Johanna?" Kana asked.
"Even better than her," Chisa said. "If you can heal Juzo then you could probably do even more like walk on water."
"Really?" Kana asked.
"Yes, you are a savior to everyone," Chisa smiled.
"The monster man that hurt Juzo said I was a savior too," Kana said and shivered. "But… he also said you were all using me."
"Don't listen to that monster, no doubt he wasn't human at all," Chisa said. "He was just a horrendous monster disguised as a human, that's what all members of the cult of Eve and Lilith are."
"Is that why they wanted to hurt papa and the rest of my family?" Kana asked.
"Yes," Chisa said. "Monsters like them only want to torture and kill good people like our family."
"But why?" Kana asked.
"It's just their instinct," Chisa said. "Never forget they are pure evil and will do anything to act on it, even devouring human souls, taking over their bodies, and using them to get closer to more humans they can torture and kill."
"Okay," Kana nodded.
"But don't worry," Chisa stroked her hair, "with your power we can vanquish them once and for all, you'll be a world wide hero and you, your papa, and the rest of our family will live happily ever after. Won't that be wonderful?"
"Yeah," Kana smiled and hugged her nana. "I hope it comes soon."
"It will, I have no doubt," Chisa hugged her.
With Chisa's reassurance and warmth, Kana was able to fall back asleep.
...
It wasn't long before she was summoned to the battlefield again. Precisely two weeks. The battlefield this time was the coast of Japan, the enemies, all monster possessed humans. Standing on the cliff overlooking the massive hoard of monsters, Kana felt hesitation to sing. Many of the human possessed shades below her didn't have their shadow limbs out. All of them just stared up at her, not in fear but possibly reverence.
"I… I can't do it," Kana backed away from the cliff.
"Don't let their human shells fool you," Munakata said. "They are all consumed by those forsaken monsters who will stop at nothing to destroy us."
"But…," Kana whined before Juzo put a hand on her shoulder.
"Remember what Chisa said?" Juzo asked. "These guys are all part of the group that were trying to hunt down and hurt your dad and the rest of your aunts and uncles."
"Right…," Kana said, looking at the stitched up holes in Juzo's shirt. "They're evil, just like demons."
Juzo and Munakata nodded. Munakata handed her her blindfold which she took with slightly shaky hands. This time, Juzo helped her put it on, making sure it was tight enough. Completely blinded, she stepped closer to the cliff, smelling the familiar salty sea breeze. She remembered her papa along with all her aunts and uncles on that island. How they all laughed and loved. Then she remembered the day she and her papa fled followed by the memory of the shadowed soldier stabbing Juzo. Whoever attacked her family was the enemy, even if they looked human. With all that in mind, she repeated the song sung to her by the two voices in her head. The scent of sea salt grew stronger.
When her song was finished, she hesitated removing her blindfold. Upon taking it off she looked out at where all the monsters were. Now the only thing that remained of them were soggy clothes. Yet despite all that life vanishing, no one seemed bothered by it. Some soldiers even revealed in the deaths saying they deserved it that they will burn in hell. It made sense, they were all pure monsters. Pure monsters that devoured human souls and wore their skin. Pure monsters that hunted her family. Pure monsters that need to all die no matter what they looked like.
…
After the fourth song, Kana had hoped for another package from her papa to lift her spirits, but nothing came, not even a letter. From what she understood the cult survived and attacked Future Foundation, forcing her and her three guardians to remain hidden in the bomb shelter. She was used to it, but knowing the monsters were running wild outside, possibly hunting down her papa, waiting just didn't feel right. Every week she'd ask to go out and help vanquish monsters only to be firmly denied by Munakata. So she'd just ask every month or so. Then somehow a year had passed in the bunker. In that time she had completely filled in her sketch book with pictures of her family as animals and her papa just as a human happy with her. Additionally, she finished reading the Bible and sure enough it ended even more dramatically than it began.
During the second year, food and resources became less and less extravagant and less frequent. Yet Chisa made with what she got and managed to make even a few old cans of food into a delicious feast. Without a sketchbook, Kana took to drawing on the walls, with Chisa's permission. Of course Munakata didn't approve, but Juzo at least supported her and even put her on his shoulders to draw on higher parts of the wall. Even more pictures of her papa were drawn to make sure she didn't forget his face. Desperate for more activities to distract her from thinking about the monsters hunting down and torturing her papa, she read every single book in their small library, despite all of them being intended for older people and some just being about business. She read the Bible for a second time, yet having read it before, she was more critical with the continuity and characters. Despite her interests in it, Munakata refused to discuss it with her.
By the third year, the supplies had diminished greatly. So Kana decided to stop eating all together to help them save their food. Chisa and Juzo protested, but she proved she didn't need to eat at all. The first few meals she didn't eat, Juzo and Chisa looked at her with pity, but they'd get used to it. It was just their normal. She'd grown so much in the past two years. Yet despite her age and size, she refused to sleep without Chisa since every now and then she'd have a horrifying nightmare about the monsters killing her papa and the rest of her family. Those were nightmares only Chisa could calm her down from. One morning, she woke up to find blood in the bed. Fortunately it was just her blood and not Chisa's or Munakata's from the looks of it, but she had no idea why it came from the place it came from. Upon waking up and telling Chisa, her nana hugged her and congratulated on becoming a woman. She explained the strange bleeding to her and showed her how to use a pad. The blood didn't bother her and she didn't have any of the cramps Chisa said she would have, but it still felt wrong. So she wished for it to stop and never come back and instantly her wish came true.
…
Months passed by very slowly in the bombshelter, till one night at dinner something big happened. That night after her three guardians each ate their canned asparagus, Chisa spoke up.
"So… I found a letter today," Chisa said as she took out a black envelope from her apron.
"Can we just read it later?" Munakata asked softly.
"No, I think we should read it now while we're all together," Chisa said calmly without her usual huffiness.
"Fine," Munakata sighed.
"Dear Kyousuke Munakata, Chisa Yukizome, and Juzo Sakakura," Chisa proceeded to read. "We regret to inform you that… the Future Foundation Chairman Kazuo Tengan has... died."
There was a long pause, all three of Kana's guardians were frozen. From what she remembered Chisa telling her, that was their organizations' leader as well as her great grandfather. Even though she had never met him in person, she could feel the weight of his death. It seemed like they would be stuck frozen forever until Munakata started to clench his fists.
"How did the chairman die?" Munakata asked.
"It says he died of white chlorination syndrome," Chisa said.
"That's what got him?!" Juzo asked. "Not the millions of crazy monsters and cultists?!"
"I'm afraid so," Chisa said, tears forming in her eyes. "I would have thought… he'd die bravely on the front lines…"
"Nana...," Kana walked over to Chisa's side and hugged her. "It's okay."
"Thank you sweetie," Chisa wiped away her tears and hugged her back. "You always know just what to do."
"I'm always here for you nana," Kana smiled. "And even though I never met him, I'm sure great grandpa was a very kind man."
"What else did the letter say!" Munakata ignored her and demanded.
"I think you know what it says," Chisa said. "Since the chairman has passed that means all the power goes to you. You're the official chairman of the future foundation."
Once again there was a pause.
"H… hey that's... what you always wanted," Juzo tried to speak up only for Munakata's cold stare to cut him off.
"Now that you're in charge, we can finally leave this stuffy place," Chisa said. "You can lead the future foundation to destroy all those monsters and the cult of Eve and Lilith once and for all."
"I'll help too," Kana added.
Pause. The three waited with bated breath for his response.
"Yes," Munakata said. "That is what I will do."
Despite his words, Kana could see the pure exhaustion on his face. It was on all her guardians. While she looked normal and healthy, they each looked like they were half dead. Yet no song she knew could heal this fatigue. So she suggested the next best thing.
"Hey, um… why don't we all go to bed early," Kana spoke up. "Sleep is really good for the mind and soul."
"You're absolutely right Kana," Chisa patted her head. "We need time to process and rest, so sleep will help with both."
"Yeah.. I think I'll hit the sack early too," Juzo said. "No doubt by tomorrow Kyousuke will have a full strategy planned out, right?"
"Yes," Munakata said slowly.
…
The next time Kana woke up, it wasn't by Chisa's delicate voice. Something violently grabbed her, ripping her away from Chisa's warm embrace. Before she could open her eyes, she was slammed against the cold concrete wall. For a moment her feet touched the ground until a pair of ice cold hands wrapped around her neck and lifted her off the ground. Before she could scream, the hands tightened and pressed down on her throat. Pain pulsated through her body for the first time in five years, making her body flare up as her lungs desperately tried to gasp for air. Finally, she opened her tearful eyes to see what monster was doing this.
It wasn't a monster.
It was her grandfather.
Yet his sapphire eyes burned and glared at her way stronger than all his previous glares combined. His teeth were bared like a wild animal as his nails dug into the skin of her throat. It was as if he was trying to drown her in a cold dark ocean of hate. Despite the overwhelming pain and limpness throughout her body, she forced her delicate hand onto his arm to try and stop him.
"Gra…," Kana tried to speak only for the hands to tighten even more around her neck.
"Kyousuke!!!" Chisa's voice rang through the room.
Despite Chisa's scream, the hands refused to let go, continuing to construct around her throat like a serpent. Although her eyes were becoming blurred with tears and lack of oxygen, her consciousness persisted. For how long though she didn't know and didn't want to.
Suddenly the door slammed open.
"What the fuck?!" Juzo's voice yelled.
Kana couldn't even muster the strength to beg for help or reach out her hand, but it wasn't needed. Juzo ran in like a bull punching Munakata directly in the face, forcing him to release her as the force of the punch knocked him down to the floor. On the floor Kana shakingly gasped for air over and over slowly filling her lungs back up. In the corner of her eye she saw Juzo grab Munakata by the shirt and pin him against the wall. All the while Chisa was completely frozen with shock and fear in bed. She wanted to crawl back into bed, back into Chisa's warm soothing embrace, but her body was too weak.
"Why the fuck would you strangle Kana?!" Juzo shouted in Munakata's face. "She's just a kid!"
"You fool!" Munakata growled. "She was never a child, she is the demon responsible for all this death and destruction! Her songs annihilate all life and spread that forsaken plague!"
Juzo gritted his teeth.
"You saw it for yourself many times, all the lives she destroyed in a blink of an eye," Munakata said. "Yet you let her deceive you into thinking she was an innocent child with her false tears. She's a full blooded demon!"
"You've gone crazy!" Juzo said. "Sure she has those powers, but she's still just a kid who wants to be with her family!"
"If you are convinced she's so innocent, then tell her the truth and see what she does," Munakata growled. "Tell her how we all convinced her we were all a loving family!"
"Shut up!" Juzo shouted.
"Or better yet, tell her how we found her and her father's corpse that day," Munakata said.
Kana's eyes widened and her heart completely stopped. Her mind flooded with images of her beloved papa dying.
The blood pouring out of his wounds.
His green eyes becoming dull.
The fading warmth from his body.
"Wh… what?" Kana asked in a haggard voice.
"Don't listen to him Kana!" Juzo yelled. "He's completely lost his mind!"
"But Juzo…," Chisa spoke up. "It's true… we all knew he was dead… but… we lied to her… I even made those care packages under his name…"
"Wh… wh…," Kana could hardly speak, not from her sore throat, but the whirlwind of emotions violently twisting and turning inside her. "Why?!"
"We just…," Juzo tried to find the words.
"We needed your powers," Chisa finished his sentence. "Without them there would be no other way to stop the monsters… and if you knew your papa was dead we feared you'd turn your powers on us."
"Chisa!" Juzo shouted. "Shut up!"
"It's the truth! I can't keep lying to her like this!" Chisa cried.
Slowly Kana tuned out their voices as two other voices began to speak up inside her head.
'How sad, to learn your dear papa was left to die while these filthy liars snatched you away from him,' the energetic voice said.
'There time has come,' the soft voice said. 'The only way to escape is to kill them.'
'That's way too easy a punishment for what they did, manipulating you all this time with big smiles,' the energetic voice said. 'They should live so they'll truly repent for their crimes.'
'No, death is the only solution,' the soft voice said.
'Life!' The energetic voice shouted.
'Death!' The soft voice shouted.
The two voices continued to repeat those words back at each other over and over making Kana's head ring and ache. She collapsed to the floor, closing her eyes and covering her ears. The voices grew louder and louder along with the images of her dead papa and the ones who lied about his death this whole time.
Then, she screamed.
The room was completely flooded with grey light. When it cleared, she didn't look back at where her guardians were. Instead she frantically ran to the main door, busted wide open from her song. As she ran through the long hall, she realized she had grown horns, wings and a tail. Rather than be frightened by them, she felt slightly comforted by them, but not enough to make her stop what she desperately wanted to do. Upon reaching the final door separating her from the outside, she used her tail to slice right through it. A blast of cold wind blew in her face carrying the scents of nature. Without hesitation she stepped out into the mountain forest. But rather than enjoy the calming sounds of nature she hadn't experienced in three years, her mind was still spiraling with images of her papa's corpse and all the instances of manipulation and feigned kindness from her guardians.
Then the dragons sang her a song of pure fury and betrayal.
As she recited their song, her wings expanded, allowing her to fly up into the night sky. There she could see the stars, but also, a growing ring of red light. As it expanded beyond the horizon, pure red embers of light formed and plummeted to the ground, setting the forest below ablaze upon contact. She wanted the fires to grow and consume.
Consume the monsters.
Consume the monsters in human skin.
Consume everything that wasn't her beloved papa.
Her wish was granted with more balls of fire formed all around her and even past the horizon. The fires shot down to the earth below expanding the fire far beyond the horizons. Yet despite its size and intensity, no smoke rose from the flames. Every living thing the flames touched, instantly disintegrated into white dust. But she wasn't satisfied. She wanted to inflict more pain on the forsaken world that ripped her away from her papa. Thus the song continued.
Slowly as she roared her song, cold tears formed in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. The images of her papa's death turned into images of his kind and warm smile. As the tears cooled her burning face, the flames below also began to cool and wither. Remembering her papa's strong embrace that always protected her, she floated back down to the ground and ended her song, lifting the flames. What was a lush vibrant forest now was reduced to a desolate mountain range covered in the familiar white powder. Not a single blade of grass or bird survived her song. Yet despite the destruction she unleashed, she felt nothing. With power sticking to her bare feet, she returned to the bunker.
The voices in her head were dead silent ever since she finished her song making her realize just how quiet she made the world. When she returned to the master bedroom she found her guardians had changed dramatically. No longer were they human, now they were each a large unconscious fox with one long flowing tail. She knew it had to be them based on their positions and colors of their fur. Rather than be frightened by the dramatic change, she realized what this meant for her.
"This whole time I thought you were my benevolent and powerful guardians," Kana spoke, "but you're not gods, I am."
With this revelation she knew just what to do next.
"I am going to see papa again," Kana said. "Him and all my family, including you three, are going to live happily together with me forever. I'll make sure of it! No matter what!"
