Hello, everyone! This is a new chapter! Chapter 6! I hope everyone will enjoy it and without further ado, let's start!
Normal POV
The next morning, Aichi opened his eyes to find himself on the bed with Kai hugging him in his sleep. Aichi tried to push himself off as Kai tightened his hold on him.
" ... You're awake, aren't you?" Aichi ask
" ... Remember what I told you. You might be free right now, but it doesn't mean that I'll let you roam around freely." Kai said
" I only need to go to the bathroom..." Aichi said
" Alright."
Kai got up and helped Aichi to the bathroom as they cleaned and freshened up before Kai sat Aichi down on the dining table.
" I'll head down to get your new clothes later. For now, just stay in your pyjamas. What do you want for breakfast?" Kai ask
" I don't know... You decide..." Aichi said
" Stop being so mad at me. I promised not to be rough on you already." Kai said
" That's not it..." Aichi said
" ... Oh. Wondering about why I would succumb to this power?" Kai ask
" It's not like you... It's just not... The Kai-kun I know would never do this..." Aichi said
" Well, this is me now. Whether you believe me or not is your choice, but I did this to bring us together. Is that wrong?" Kai ask
Aichi stayed silent as Kai cooked up their breakfast and set Aichi's plate down in front of him. He then set his own plate down beside him and sat down. That was when Aichi grabbed his sleeve.
" ... No matter what, I'll be by your side. But I can never watch as the world fall into darkness..." Aichi said
" Then you don't have to see it. You just have to pretend nothing is going on and stay by my side forever." Kai said
" I wish I could..." Aichi said as he looked out of the window, " But my memories of this world is very precious to me... It's the place I met you and everyone else after all."
" Aichi..."
" ... I'm tired. I'll have my meal later." Aichi said
Aichi got up before Kai could say anything as he went over to the bed and laid down. Kai then started eating his breakfast before cleaning up and keeping Aichi's breakfast in the microwave. He then walked over to Aichi and sat down on the bed.
" Aichi. Are you awake?" Kai ask
However, Aichi's breathing stayed in a calm rhythm as Kai sighed inwardly and patted his head.
" Don't worry. If you stay here, you won't know what happens to the world." Kai said
He then got up and drew the curtains before walking back to Aichi again.
" Sweet dreams, Aichi." Kai said as he kissed Aichi's cheek
Aichi opened his eyes in a cave as he looked around and at himself. Realising he was in his astral projection, he then looked around again and walked forward. Once he reached a light in the cave, he was soon looking at a temple as he gaped at the sight.
" Come in." A voice called
Aichi flinched as he gulped and followed the voice's directions. Once he arrived at a giant door, he slowly pushed it open and walked into the room.
" Welcome to my temple, Mirror Hero." The voice said
Aichi looked in front of him as he gasped. The figure stepped down from the throne as he approached Aichi.
" You're..."
" ... I look like you, don't I?" The figure ask
" B-But..."
" It's a given. You're a part of my soul, after all." 'Aichi' said
" I'm a part of your soul?" Aichi repeated
" I split my soul in two to experience the difference of Cray and Earth. When your death comes, I would receive your memories of Earth. You are me. I'm a God residing on Cray." 'Aichi' said
" Cray? This is planet Cray?" Aichi ask
" Yeah. We were never meant to meet like this. But the situation here and on Earth caused me to make this decision. I know you're not in the best place right now, but stay strong." 'Aichi' said
" ... B-But what can I do...? Kai-kun... he did all this just so that we could be together... He would never listen to my words and let me fight." Aichi said
" Remember what I said. You are me. You have my powers as well. You also have the Mirror." 'Aichi' said
" The Mirror was taken away from me..." Aichi said
" It's okay. You'll be able to figure out a way to escape. Very soon, I'll have to fight as well to counter Link Joker's forces. Stand strong and don't give up. That's who you are." 'Aichi' said
" I have your God powers too...?" Aichi ask
" Of course. You are me, after all." 'Aichi' said as he took Aichi's hands and closed his eyes, " If you do this everyday, you'll gain more power as time passes. Follow me. Breathe in slowly and close your eyes."
Aichi breathed in while closing his eyes as he slowly breathed out as instructed.
" Do you feel it? The pulse of life. Many prayers and power flows here." 'Aichi' said
Aichi then opened his eyes as he looked at his hands and noticed a faint white aura on them.
" Do that more and your power will naturally blossom into fruition. Don't be afraid of it. You controlled Psyqualia already. I'm sure you can control this power." 'Aichi' said
The white aura then disappeared as Aichi looked up again.
" It's time for you to go. Good luck." 'Aichi' said
Aichi then felt his consciousness fading as he closed his eyes.
Inside the room, Aichi groaned as he opened his eyes and looked around.
" Are you awake?" Kai ask, looking up from his book
" Yeah..."
" I'll heat up your breakfast. Wait here." Kai said
" Kai-kun..."
" What is it?" Kai ask
Aichi got up and held Kai'a hands as he closed his eyes. Kai blinked in confusion before noticing a faint aura appearing around Aichi.
" Stop, Aichi." Kai said
Aichi opened his eyes as Kai looked around and held his shoulders.
" Don't do that here. Link Joker sees everything. If he finds out about your powers, he will never let you off. Promise me you won't do that again." Kai whispered
" ... O-Okay..."
" You have a lot to tell me afterwards. But you'll need to regain your strength first." Kai said
Aichi nodded as Kai went to heat up his breakfast before putting it on the bedside table. he helped Aichi to sit and lean on the bed frame before picking up the food and fed Aichi.
" I-I can feed myself." Aichi said
" It's okay. Now open your mouth." Kai said
Aichi hesitantly ate the food as Kai continued feeding him.
" Aren't you hungry too, Kai-kun...?" Aichi ask
" Not really. I already had my breakfast earlier after all. Keep eating." Kai said
Aichi nodded as he continued eating until the plate was clean and Kai got up to wash it. He then took a glass of water for Aichi to drink before sitting back down. Aichi set the glass of water down on the bedside table before squeaking in surprise when Kai pinned him down on the bed and covered the blanket over them.
" K-Kai-kun?!"
" Don't worry. Just make some big movements and that'll keep the cameras off us for awhile." Kai whispered
" B-Big movements...?" Aichi ask
" Yeah. Like what you did yesterday night." Kai whispered
" ... I-I can't do it..." Aichi muttered as his cheeks flushed red
" ... Fine."
Aichi flinched the moment Kai started pushing his knee between his legs. His cheeks flushed red again as he struggled against Kai's grip.
" S-Stop it...!" Aichi exclaimed
" That's it, keep moving." Kai whispered
" No...!"
Kai continued for a few more moments before pulling his knee back. Aichi panted as Kai wiped his sweat away while smirking.
" You really are naive and easy to tease. You're getting hard from that?" Kai teased
" That was mean..." Aichi panted
" But with that, Link Joker should be off the camera for now. I'd say we have fifteen minutes at best." Kai said as he took the blanket off
" F-For what?" Aichi ask
" Tell me everything that happened while you were asleep. How did you awaken that power?" Kai ask
" ... In my dream... I was on Cray and inside this temple... Then this person that looked a lot like me walked towards me and told me that only I could save Earth... He told me that I was a part of his soul and that I would return to him once I die here. And then he told me the method to use that power..." Aichi said
" How?"
" ... To feel the pulse of life. That's why I held your hands. Inside this building, your life pulse was the one that resonated stronger. Maybe it's because... you're still yourself even when you're using Link Joker's power." Aichi said
" I see. And? He didn't say anything else?" Kai ask
" ... No."
" ... I guess there's no use worrying about it. But I'm not going to allow you to do that again. If Link Joker was watching, what do you think would've happened? He's a greedy entity. He'll want to use all of the power you have inside your body for his own desires and I'll have no way of protecting you. Unless... I grow stronger and defeat him." Kai said
" K-Kai-kun... Then, the real reason you accepted this power... Was it because of me...? It was for my sake...?" Aichi ask
" Half of it. My other reason stays." Kai replied
Aichi looked at his lap and started crying as Kai turned to him in mild surprise.
" I-I'm sorry...! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have joined them...! If I had accepted your feelings back then, this wouldn't have happened...! It's all my fault...!" Aichi cried
" Don't cry, Aichi. I was the one who rejected your feelings first. The one that should be blamed is me. This wouldn't have happened if I'd accepted my own feelings about you back then. And then I wouldn't have to bring you to the enemy's liar to keep you close to me and protect you." Kai said as he pulled Aichi into a hug
As Kai continued to comfort Aichi, his crying soon reduced to sniffles as he continued to hold tightly onto Kai's shirt.
" ... Stop crying now. You do know that you still have that little problem that you have to solve, right?" Kai ask
At that, Aichi immediately flushed red again and pulled away from Kai while pulling his shirt down to cover his lower body.
" I-It's your fault..." Aichi said
" Well, you couldn't do what I asked you to." Kai said
" ... Y-You'll have to help me with this..." Aichi said as he looked away
Kai was mildly surprised at Aichi's words as he smirked again.
" Okay then. Since I have your permission, I should help you before you get too worked up." Kai said
Aichi nodded meekly and blushed before making their way to the bathroom. After a few minutes, both came out of the bathroom with Aichi blushing a deep red while Kai smirked in satisfaction. While Aichi sat down on the bed, Kai went out of the room to get his clothes and came back up to his room.
" I have your new school uniforms here and some clothes for you to wear while you're here. Also, some new pajamas. Get up and change." Kai said
" U-Um... What do you mean by new school uniform?" Aichi ask
" Nothing, really. They just got their hands on a male Miyaji High uniform. Now we don't have to travel to get your old ones." Kai said
" I see..."
Aichi then glanced at the uniform before looking at the new clothes Kai handed him.
" For Link Joker to allow me to freely do whatever I want... there must be a catch, right?" Aichi ask
" ... Yeah, he gave me a quick brief. You can roam around all you want and hang out with your club members, but you must be on time to return here. Everyday in the evening, a car will pick you up at the park. Hidden in one of the buttons on your uniform is a little 'spy' that'll monitor your every movement, which will then be broadcasted live to Link Joker. It's not activated yet, but it'll activate once you are released to go to school tomorrow." Kai said
" They want me to become a spy for them...?" Aichi ask
" Well, since I refuse to Reverse you or let you get Reversed, this was their only option. Of course, I will also be keeping watch with him to make sure you're doing what you need to do. If you cooperate properly, Miyaji will be left unaffected for awhile until we decide to announce the invasion." Kai explained
" And if I refuse this..." Aichi muttered
" ... We will make our first move in Miyaji after the announcement. Then our friends in Card Capital, and then the rest of the world. I have only spread the power over to a few parts of the world but they'll diminish fast if the stronger fighters aren't defeated yet. The world's end will come faster if you refuse. You do want to keep it safe, right?" Kai ask
" But either way, this is all just wrong...! In the end... at the end of these choices, the world will still end anyway...!" Aichi exclaimed
" Aichi..."
Suddenly, the door slammed opened as a few Reversed fighters rushed into the room and restrained the two.
" What's going on?!" Kai exclaimed
" K-Kai-kun!"
That was when Kai felt a prick on his finger and saw that they were dripping his blood into a ink well before moving over to Aichi, who now has his chest exposed after his pajamas buttons were taken off.
" Hey! What are you trying to do?!" Kai exclaimed
" You should be grateful to me, Toshiki Kai." A voice blared through the speakers
" Link Joker! You said you would leave him alone! This wasn't part of our deal!" Kai exclaimed
" If he won't listen to you, then form a forced contract with him. This seal will ensure that he won't disobey you." 'Takuto' said
" N-No! Please, don't!" Aichi exclaimed
" I don't care about that! I just needed more time to persuade him!" Kai exclaimed
" But he won't sway to your words as long as he continues to love this world. Do it." 'Takuto' ordered
" No!"
One of the Reversed fighters dipped a brush into the ink well and as soon as the brush touched his skin, Aichi screamed in pain as the ink started to burn into his body.
" Aichi!"
As soon as the seal was complete, the Reversed fighters let go of them as Aichi collapsed onto the floor in pain while Kai ran over to him.
" Hang in there, Aichi!" Kai exclaimed
" ... Why...? Why did you lie...?" Aichi cried as Kai picked him up
" ... Link Joker! I won't let you off for this!" Kai shouted
The Reversed fighters then left and shut the door as Aichi recovered enough strength to stand up shakily.
" Aichi!"
" Don't touch me...!" Aichi exclaimed as he swatted Kai's hand away
As soon as he did that, the seal appeared and electrocuted him as he screamed before falling back onto his knees again and fainted while Kai caught him.
" Aichi!"
" I have set the pain threshold on three. If he disobeys you again, this is what will happen." 'Takuto' said
" I didn't ask for this!" Kai exclaimed
" But this is what happens if you bring someone that has not been Reversed into the building, and you know that we have our own ground rules here. Now then, enjoy your time together. I have a car ready to send him to school tomorrow morning so make sure he gets ready by then." 'Takuto' said
" ... Damn you!"
When no response came, Kai punched the floor in frustration and held Aichi tighter.
" Don't worry... I'll make sure to find a way to break this seal..." Kai whispered as he carried Aichi and laid him on the bed
Kai carefully brushed Aichi's hair before falling asleep beside him.
Meanwhile, Naofumi and the others returned home and sat down.
" Master, I still couldn't pick up his scent..." Filo said
" Me neither... It's as if he's not in Japan anymore." Raphtalia said
" They must have something that covers his smell. If only we knew who the mastermind was..." Naofumi said
That was when he remembered something and stood up.
" We can ask him." Naofumi said
" Who?"
" ... We're heading to Planet Cray again." Naofumi said
Raphtalia and Filo nodded as Naofumi teleported them to Cray and walked into the temple. There, they spotted 'Aichi' sitting on his throne as he opened his eyes and stood up.
" I thought you'd come." 'Aichi' said
" I'm sure you know where Aichi is." Naofumi said
" ... Maybe I do, and maybe I don't." 'Aichi' said
" Spill it. If you don't, both Cray and Earth will be in trouble." Naofumi said
" I left that fate up to him. I told him everything about me and what he is. The rest of his decision is solely up to him." 'Aichi' said
" Why would you do that?" Raphtalia ask
" ... I want to see what he decides to do, and whether that decision is by his own will or by mine. I want to separate myself from him." 'Aichi' said
" Separate? From a soul you split yourself from?" Naofumi ask
" I've lived for too long. Maybe even longer than you. Everytime my split soul dies in wherever he was, those memories he had tears me apart. I've learned that he has his own life he wants to live, but each time, whenever he returns, the memories that comes to me feels... foreign. I wasn't the one who lived those lives that soul has gone through. And very soon, he might become a singularity and never come back." 'Aichi' explained
" You want that to happen?" Naofumi ask
" Yeah. But the problem is that we are bound together forever. If he willingly desires so, he can become a single soul that returns to no one and belongs to him and only him. However, it takes a lot of willpower to have that sort of thinking. To deny your original soul and desire to have one that belongs to yourself is an excruciatingly painful process. Your split souls never suffers that because you leave your own original memories with it. However, I let mine start from zero. Now then... you're here because you want to rescue him, correct?" 'Aichi' ask
" ... Yeah."
" Unfortunately, that's impossible right now. Even with your vast knowledge, there's no way you can save him from the pain he's going through right now." 'Aichi' said
" What do you mean?" Naofumi ask
'Aichi' then reached up to his shirt as he unbuttoned the buttons on his chest and revealed the same seal, although a little faded out.
" ... I'm sure you know what this is." 'Aichi' said
" A slave crest..." Naofumi exclaimed
" A hero cannot be marked with this because they are the chosen ones. But the enemy this time found a loophole and created this new crest. I'm not that directly affected by it, however my other self is suffering through it. I can't exactly pinpoint his location either but I can communicate to him via his dreams. His situation is dire and I'm sure there's no way he can resist its effects." 'Aichi' explained
" ... I'll make a medicine to remove it. Once I find his exact location, I'll free him from there." Naofumi said
" I wish you luck." 'Aichi' said
Naofumi nodded as they teleported back to their house.
" Raphtalia, Filo. I'll be in my crafting room for awhile. Keep searching for Aichi in the meantime." Naofumi said
" Yes."
" Okay!"
And that's the end of this chapter! Thank you for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I'll see everyone in the next chapter!