(Ida's Point of View)
Several days ago, in the Arcadia Movement Lobby…
"Ha, look at her, she can't fight back! She's too scared!" the girl before me sneered. Her name was Sakura, if I remembered correctly, based off her sakura blossom-colored hair. I swallowed down a lump in my throat as I clenched my fists. No, no, don't let them get to you. It was always like this, wasn't it? Just grin and bear it and they'll get bored and leave eventually.
"Come on, aren't you a hero? Aren't you going to stop us? We're threats to society, aren't we? Go ahead, do what comes naturally," another one, Neo, I think her name was, smirked.
"Knock it off, would you? I just want to pass by. I didn't even say anything to you," I forced out. Responding as I always did didn't help. That was how I got into this situation in the first place. The first time that I ran into these girls, it was quite literally. Instead of accepting my apology, though, they kept going at me ruthlessly, so I told them all about my heroism and how I was on a mission to help someone. They laughed, and this sick chain began. These five would also come up with their name calling and insults whenever they saw me.
"Eh? You didn't? I'm pretty sure she did, didn't she? In fact, didn't she bump into you?" the red haired girl called Maki asked, feigning innocence with a hand to her cheek.
"She did, she did!" the blonde, Yuri, nodded with a smirk on her face.
"For a hero, she sure is pretty ruthless. I mean, look at her! Dark Queen? Ha! What kind of twisted morals do you have that you'd think it was a befitting name for a hero?!" Rin snickered with her hand covering her mouth.
"You're just deluding yourself with a child's dream! You should just grow up!" Sakura jeered.
Those same lines… 'Grow up'. 'Be normal.' 'Stop being a freak.' They didn't know, though. They didn't know about all the heroic things that I had done, so they couldn't talk. If they knew, they'd certainly change their mind, right…? If they knew about how I helped Yuta and how I helped punish the bullies at Duel Academy, they couldn't deny it anymore…! Because heroes really do exist, they really do…! In this twisted society of ours, there were definitely heroes! It was just hard to see them when the villains crowded your vision!
"Ooh, looks like you've gotten her riled up!" Yuri remarked, laughing lightly under her breath.
"It's not a child's dream! It's a real one! Even if I have to take it into my own hands, it's still real! There are heroes in this world, heroes that fight for what's right and defend those who are in danger…! If you'd meet one, you'd know! You'd know I'm right!" I protested.
"Hm, yeah, I suppose you're right. If I did meet one, of course I'd believe in them," Sakura began to speak, "but we're never GOING to meet one. Because they don't exist. If they did, why do we suffer injustice day in and day out? Why did we have to take solitude in the Movement instead of living as we used to?"
"T-that…" I trailed off, struggling for my words. "That's because a hero can't be everywhere at once! He's solving problems one at a time!" I insisted. Another round of scoffs, of laughter, and I tried to bite back my tears. Just grin and bear it…! They just don't know, they don't understand, they don't believe. 'Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me', right, Dad? No matter what they said about me, I could deal with it. Once they left, I could laugh and write it off as them just trying to get their laughs for the day. It was nothing new.
"Honestly, I've never met someone some dense, so ignorant, so stupid. Only children believe in heroes! That's because they don't exist!" Neo continued to insist.
"But they do! You just don't get it! Dad was a hero, and-" I started.
"Oh, her dad was, was he?" Maki mused.
"So she's a daddy's girl. How cute. Hey, where's your dad now, huh?" Yuri asked, clearly trying just to torment me with how sickeningly sweet she made her voice sound.
"Probably dead. I mean, if he's a hero after all, he might as well be nonexistent, right?" Rin said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Yeah, yeah, you're right! It must have been rough, growing up with a comic book for a father," Sakura said in mock pity.
"He must have been pretty dense himself too, though. I mean, why else would he feed into such a childish delusion?" Neo pondered.
"Cut it out…!" I grounded out between my teeth, struggling to calm myself down, but all I was seeing was red. It was one thing to insult me, that I could deal with, that had been my whole childhood, but… but when it came to my father…! My father, who had only done good for the people, who tried his best day in and day out to help the world… who died saving someone's life… That was a real hero, wasn't it…!? So, they had no right to disrespect him or heroes! None whatsoever!
"Ooh, now she's really mad. Well, come on. Prove us wrong. But in doing so, you know you'd only prove us right. All we've done is speak our mind. As you really going to try and punish us for that?" Rin pondered innocently.
"Hey, what's going on over there," a voice called out, but I paid it no heed. I found myself charging forward, tackling Rin to the ground, causing the rest of them to shriek out in surprise.
"Is it fun, huh?! Is it fun for you to be the villain and make others feel like they're worthless!? It's not so fun on the other side, is it!? When a hero finds you and makes you the one who feels worthless!? But you would never think about that, would you? All that matters is that you get a few laughs, no matter whose expense it's at! You know what?! You wouldn't know a hero if he show up right in front of you! Maybe the reason you never got to meet a hero is because you tormented him because of how he looked, because of how he spoke, how he dressed! Did you ever think about that!?" I snarled at the girl beneath me who just looked on in shock.
People like her… They were just like the people from Duel Academy, the people who mocked me because I looked like a boy and didn't wear skirts like the others. Even if it wasn't how you looked, it was always something else, whatever they could think of to justify themselves. If a homeless man stole from someone who tried to help him, he was a villain and deserved to be punished…! It didn't matter if he was homeless, that wasn't an excuse! And if society wasn't willing to deal with it, if it was willing to excuse people based on class or whatever petty excuses they had, then I would!
"H-help! Help me!" Rin cried out as she tried to pull her arms away, but I held firm to her wrists.
"Scum like you don't deserve to exist! Heroes struggle day in and day out to keep scum like you safe! And how do you repay them…!? You repay their kindness with a knife to the back! People like you… You don't have the right to exist!" I continued as I raised my fist to strike down at her.
Before I could land the deserved hit, I felt myself being picked up as something put their arms under mine and pulled me away. I quickly began writhing about, struggling to break free by kicking at them and thrashing to the side. If it was one of the others, why, I'd show them no mercy! Anyone who tried to harm a hero was a villain, after all, and villains had to be dealt with accordingly!
"Ida, Ida, hey, hey, it's me, calm down," Kaze's voice insisted, though his grip didn't lighten any under my onslaught of kicks.
"Let me down, Kaze! Let me down! I've gotta teach her a lesson! I've gotta teach her that she's a villain! I've gotta-" I started to protest.
"Hey, you! Get out of here!" Kaze insisted to Rin, who quickly nodded before scrambling to her feet and fleeing with her friends.
"Kaze, put me down! If you put me down, I can still catch them! I can still make them pay! She's just like the rest, she insulted Dad! I can… I can…" I trailed off as I saw their figures fleeting away down the hallway. Seeing me calm down a bit, as I stopped fighting him, Kaze slowly lowered me to the floor, allowing me to stand on my own feet.
"Ida, what got into you all of a sudden? That isn't like you. You're a hero, right?" Kaze asked softly.
A hero… Yeah, yeah, I was a hero… Nobody saw that, though. Nobody cared. Everyone was the same here. All they saw was how you looked, how much DP you had. They never cared about the content of your character, what you did for them… They didn't care about that… just like how they didn't care about Dad… Why didn't they care…? Is this twisted society, couldn't there be even just a few people who actually took us seriously? We were doing our best to fix society, but even so… Even so, people still…
The tears began flowing before I could stop them as I began wailing, unable to stop myself. Kaze seemed taken a back at first but quickly embraced me, murmuring his reassurances. Between the warmth of Kaze and his words and simply letting the emotions out, I was eventually able to control my sobs and made weak attempts to wipe away the tears.
"Haha, man, wow, that was really un-heroic of me there, wasn't it," I murmured under my breath.
"Ida… You said something about your father," Kaze began experimentally while dismissing my comment. I took a shaky breath as I nodded.
"They… they were insulting me, and I could deal with that, but then they started insulting Dad and heroes and I just… My dad was important to me, you know?" I muttered.
"Your dad was a hero, right?" Kaze paused for long enough to see my nod, "Would you mind telling me more about him?"
"You wouldn't mind hearing my total un-heroic beginnings?" I asked softly.
"Ida, we all have our un-heroic moments, even me. You're human. You can make mistakes. Who you were doesn't matter, it's who you are now. All the good you've done up until now has counteracted whatever bad you've done. Someone once told me that…" Kaze smiled nostalgically and I briefly wondered who that person could have been.
"I wouldn't mind talking if you wouldn't mind listening. Come on, let's go to my room we can talk in private," I suggested. Not only was our setting unfavorable, since anyone could walk in at any time, but also because even heroes needed time to hide away from the world to gather their thoughts.
That was how we ended up in my room and I was taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down a little more, since those girls had gotten me pretty mad and I didn't want to take any more of it out on Kaze.
"My dad was amazing. He was literally like Super Dad, always smiling and laughing, treating me to whatever I wanted and spending every minute he had with me. My mother, on the other hand, left us not too longer after I was born, so things were rough for just Dad and I. Dad always said it was because she had her own personal mission to go on, but I knew better on that, at least," I began my life story and found myself thinking back to my mother. I didn't know much about the woman, I hardly even remembered her, but what I remembered was the many nights when I found my father crying in the living room with her picture clutched to his chest. He was such a great man, and he loved her so much. There wasn't a single flaw or a single bad bone is his body. The only imperfect person in the family, the only reason why she'd ever leave, was…
"It was because of me. I never was normal. Even from birth, I was different. Dad told me it was nothing, that it just made me special, but I knew better. My classmates made sure of that. I was the last one picked for partner or group activities and my classmates always sneered and laughed at me. 'Jackal', they'd call me. They said I reminded them of a jackal, small and an outsider, unable to fit in with the group." I absent-mindedly began to toy with the chess piece around my neck, trying to distance myself from what I was saying. If I just kept my focus elsewhere, then I won't think about all the bullying, all the torment, because that wasn't me. That was Jackal Misaki, and I was the Dark Queen…
"Of course, I didn't tell Dad about this. I wanted to be a big girl, the hero he always told me I was, and deal with it myself. Only I didn't. I never did. Because I realized they might have a point. I wasn't like the other kids my age. While the girls were playing dress-up and house, I was playing pretend with my superhero action figures in the corner. While the girls were fawning over the boys they liked from class or any of the upcoming stars, I was too busy fawning over the latest comic that my dad had bought me.
"It wasn't just the girls, though. I couldn't identify with the boys, either. I was biologically a girl, after all. They refused to acknowledge me and that I might want to join in on their kickball games on the playground. Even when I did get their attention when they'd stop to listen to me, they'd wave me off, telling me to grow up, that my ideas were that of a child, that heroes didn't exist. So, there I was, Jackal Misaki, the social outcast," I smiled wistfully at the memories as I tightened my fingers around the Queen piece. Kaze seemed to move forward a bit, opening his mouth as if he were to say something, but ultimately decided against it, so I continued, "None of that ever mattered, though, because as soon as I came home, there was one thing that always remained the same, that gave me hope.
"'Come on, my little hero! Tell Papa about your latest adventures!' Without fail, Dad was always there with a grin on his face, and I'd tell him about what adventures I had at recess, avoiding the details about my classmates who scorned me. If things had stayed like this, I would have been happy. I could have survived. Dad was a hero himself, after all. He was always smiling, always knew what to say to me, always made things better, and with him by my side, I felt like I could have tackled anything." I forced myself to take a shaky breath and tried to swallow down my fear. Noticing my change in state, Kaze gave me a soft smile and placed a reassuring hand over my trembling one as it clenched around a handful of my pants' fabric.
"But one day, Dad did what all heroes had to do. There was someone in danger… a… a car or something that went and swerved, the driver was drunk they think, I dunno, and Dad took it upon himself to push them out of the way, but he got hit himself… I got called out of school that day to come visit him in the hospital, to say my last good-byes… and what I found…" I trailed off as my hand began trembling. I swallowed, trying to ease the small pain that was growing in my throat and gather my courage to speak once more. "I found that he didn't have his duel disk anymore, so I asked the staff where it was. He loved his deck, you know… He was real nice to his cards, just like you are…! So, I, I wanted to take care of them, because they'd be sad that he wasn't around anymore… And… and they told me that… that the person he had shoved out of the way… they took his duel disk and deck….! After he gave up his life to save them, they stole it from him…! His pride and joy…! And I… I…" Kaze's grip on my hand tightened as the constrictive feeling in my throat forced me to stop speaking, tears overflowing. Kaze remained like this for a while, silently reassuring me, until I managed to choke back the tears and ignore the burning in my throat.
"I don't know what I thought after that, honestly. All I know is that that was when I became a hero. With Dad gone and so many villains in the world, I just had to do something, you know? I mean, sure, bad things happen and all, but the world just has to be good overall, right? It's like an apple…! We've just gotta remove the rotten parts and it'll be fine! I just had to remove the scum of society!
"To fight villains, though, I had to get better at dueling, and so I tried to continue with my school. Of course, people still tormented me there, but this time I wasn't the same Ida Misaki they knew. I really was Jackal Misaki, and I had fangs to fight back. Whenever someone tried to bully me, I'd call them out for a duel and show them who was boss in front of everyone, and when dueling didn't work, there was always simple confrontation. It worked. In the end, nobody bullied me anymore." As I said this, Kaze seemed to bit his lip. I momentarily wondered if I should ask him what was up but since he didn't say anything, I figured that he would rather that I finish before he said anything.
"Once I was top dog, I was able to do what I wanted. When people were being bullies, I could call them out on it and humiliate them enough that they'd think twice before doing it again. It was all I could do to keep my mind off of him, the guy that Dad saved. Sure, they knew who he was, but apparently he wasn't a registered duelist, and since he didn't take Dad's PDA, they couldn't track him down. They told me that he was homeless too, so they weren't going to report the theft, and I should just let him go…! It was frustrating, but I was able to deal with it because I was punishing the scum of society all the same. Anyone that was a hero or innocent bystander I let go, and any villains I found, I dealt with them accordingly. That was how I ended up meeting you and Aki," I finished as I finally released my necklace and placed my hand beside me. As strange as it seemed, finally laying everything out to bear felt… It felt really calming, like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders for some reason. Kaze looked at me with what I could only assume was sympathetic sorrow as he considered his words.
"Ida, I… I'm sorry that you had to go through all that. The fact that you were still able to keep your faith in society after all that is just… You really are a hero," Kaze smiled softly at me.
"Geez, Kaze, come on, you're acting like I'm something special! You're the same way! Despite how everyone treated you at DA after befriending Aki, you still treated them the same way," I deflected his compliments. Kaze looked down at the floor as he slowly let go of my hand. "Kaze…?"
"Ida, I… I'm not the hero you make me out to be," Kaze muttered.
"W-what? But of course you are! I mean, even today you helped me out! If you aren't a hero, I don't know who is!" I said, bewildered that he'd even suggest such a thing.
"I… Ida…" Kaze paused, seemingly considering his words carefully.
"Kaze, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," I tried to ease his seemingly distressed state of mind.
"No, no, I… I think it's high time that I'm honest with you. You're one of us now, Ida, and so you deserve to know the truth," Kaze said. It swelled my heart up to hear that straight from him, that I really was one of his close friends, and so with batted breath I prepared myself for an epic tale of heroism.
Only it was anything but the sort. Kaze told me about everything, about how his parents abandoned him when he was younger, how he struggled on the streets, how he was ridiculed for having Brionac, how he truly became the Red Demon.
"And so… when I arrived at the arena, I had thought that I found where I really belonged, but…" Kaze trailed off as he apprehensively looked my way.
"You don't have to hold back, Kaze, I know the arena was a bad place," I said, taking him by surprise.
"E-eh?! B-but, all the time, you…" Kaze trailed off once more.
"You don't think I'm that stupid, do you?" I asked, slightly offended.
"No, no, no, that's not what I thought at all…! I just… You were always talking about heroism and how Keisuke was a hero, so Aki and I just always assumed that you believed in what he was saying and that he really was the good guy," Kaze muttered. Ah, I supposed that made sense…
"To be honest, I had an inkling all along. You guys weren't exactly secretive about your dislike for him, after all. I knew for sure after the Shocker event, though," I recalled absent-mindedly.
"But… if you knew all along…" Kaze trailed off.
"Why'd I still call him a hero and go along with it…? It was a coping method, I suppose, that I learned from my dad. I've always done it. If I focus on the good in people and think about the black and white of society, the heroes and the villains, everything becomes clearer, you know," I said. "I mean, sure, Mr. Keisuke's methods aren't one-hundred percent agreeable, but I think that there's some merit in what he's doing, you know? He always punished the bad guys, after all."
"But even so…" Kaze muttered.
"I mean, I'm not really sure what happened between you and Mrs. Keisuke, since you didn't get to that part yet and none of you guys really cut me in on it at the arena, but I do know that he's taking down the villain's by playing on their turf. Is that really so bad?" I pondered. Kaze stared at me for a bit before slowly nodding.
"I suppose so… Everyone that was at the arena was a criminal of some sorts… but… even so… they're people, aren't they? Aren't they entitled to a second chance, a redemption?" Kaze asked.
"Did the man my father saved give him any mercy?" I retorted. Kaze stared back down at the ground for a bit longer before pulling at the collar of his shirt.
After that, he continued on with his story, how he faced countless foes in the arena, how he eventually met the little girl that he almost killed, and how he fled from it all to his Duel Academy.
To be honest, I didn't know what to think or how to feel. By all definitions, Kaze wasn't a hero, he hurt innocents, but at the same time…
"I don't think any of that matters!" I declared suddenly, drawing Kaze's attention. "Because… because… Kaze, you're still you! Just like how you accept me despite my past, there'd be no way I couldn't accept you because of your rough one as well! All that matters is that right here, right now, we're on the path of heroism together!" I continued. Kaze smiled faintly as he nodded.
"That's right, heroism," Kaze murmured.
"Hey, Kaze, are you alright?" I asked.
"Hm… Yeah, yeah, I'm fine… I'm just… I'm just thinking, that's all," Kaze muttered.
"Well, while you're still thinking, there are still tons of duel puzzles that we need to solve! Come on, Kaze, let's not think about the bad stuff and focus on the good times!" I insisted, as I stood up and lightly tugged at his arm. Kaze simply nodded as he stood up as well, and off we went.
Present Day…
As soon as I fled from Aki and Kaze, I knew that it was essentially a moot point, since the tears were already brimming in my eyes. Despite how foolish it was, I wanted nothing more than for them, or at least Kaze, to run after me. There was no way he'd do it, though. If it were Aki, he'd run after her and do whatever he could to comfort her. She was his girlfriend after all.
The thought made the searing pain in my throat even worse as the tears began falling. I clumsily made to wipe them away, but new ones just took their place. Ugh, this was so pathetic of me…! It wasn't like Kaze was mine to begin with, but even so…! Seeing those two together… It just wasn't fair…! After all Aki did to him…!
"Ah, Misaki. Good-" Kage started as he approached me, but I just continued on right past him. I couldn't deal with anyone with how I was right then. As soon as I made it to my room and locked the door behind me, I allowed myself to crumple up into a ball on my bed and sob.
I wanted to curse Aki out, list all the reasons why she had no right to be Kaze's girlfriend, but the mortifying thing was that I was drawing a blank. In fact, there were more reasons why Aki should be Kaze's girlfriend than not. Aki was smart and I was stupid. Aki was pretty and I wasn't. Aki was classy and elegant and I was brash and foolish. Aki was the exact same as Kaze in terms of their powers and I was a nobody.
The pain in my throat grew even more as I struggled to keep my sobbing to myself. My stomach began churning and I honestly just wanted to throw up, but I knew that if I started, then I never would be able to stop myself.
I wasn't that bad, was I? Even if I wasn't feminine like Aki, I wasn't so bad that he couldn't even look my way, right? There had to be some salvageable quality about me…! I was a hero, after all…! But Aki was too, she was part of the Justice Brigade and…
And… And… Aki was a hero…? The thought was stale in my mind. That wasn't true at all. I thought back to when Kaze crashed his D-Wheel, when I learned about his scars. I thought back to all the times at DA when I'd idly watch Aki take down student after student with her powers. Someone like that… That wasn't a hero at all.
As I repeated this thought to myself, I pushed myself off my bed and wiped away my tears. Yeah, that's right…! This was no time for crying…! Aki had given Kaze those scars…! That in itself made her unworthy of him…! So, I… I…
I'd use that…! I'd use that to my advantage! I'd confront Aki and force her to break up with Kaze and leave once I won…! Yeah, yeah, that'd work! Everything was decided by dueling in today's society, after all! With the new deck that Kaze helped me make… yeah, yeah, I could do this…!
How would I get Aki by herself, though? Kaze would almost always be with her now and he'd object, because he was a teddy bear like that. So… I just had to wait in Aki's room. How would I get in, though? Aki always locked her room, so there was no way to get in there, right?
I thought back to the blond that I ran into not too long ago. He was my ticket in! Kage knew more about this place than I did, so if I could just get him to open the door… Yeah, yeah, this was perfect! Once I was inside, I'd show Aki that she didn't deserve Kaze…!
With newfound courage, I jumped off my bed and darted out of my room in search of Kaze's training partner. Luckily not much time has passed, so he was just leaving the dining hall. "Ah, hey, Kage! Just the guy I was looking for!" I called out eagerly as I waved to him.
"Misaki? I see you're in better spirits than you were earlier," the blond noted.
"Mmhmm, mmhmm! So, hey, listen! The reason why I was upset was because I lost something that belong to me, and it was really important! But I just messaged Aki and it turned out that she had it all along, but since she's not here, she told me I could just go and take it! So, do you think you can help me out getting into her room?" I asked eagerly. Kage stared at me for a little while, not saying anything but simply observing me, so I kept up my smile.
"What is it? Couldn't it wait for her to get back?" Kage asked.
"Well, I mean, it probably could, but then I'd be worried about it all day, and Aki said it's fine, so can't you just help me out?" I asked.
"If you have Aki's permission, then I suppose it's fine. She probably won't be coming back for a while anyway," Kage muttered, confusing me. Did he know where she went…? Well, it didn't matter, he was going to help me! "I'll be back in a little bit, I have to go get the master key," Kage excused himself with a wave of his hand. So I waited there, bouncing on the heels of my feet. Soon everything would be right…! I just had to wait a little longer…!
Kage returned a few minutes later and so we went to Aki's room, where he simply unlocked the door before turning to go. "Hey, Misaki, make sure you lock it before you go," he called out.
"Mmhmm! Thanks, Kage!" I smiled, even though he didn't see it. And off he went, so I let myself in, closing the door behind me, and was instantly taken aback by how elaborate her room was compared to mine and Kaze's. She really got everything, didn't she…? But… being in Aki's room by myself, without her permission… I made my way over to Aki's bed and sat down.
My heart was pounding and my palms were sweaty. I tried to take a deep breath to calm myself, but hearing how shaky it was revealed to me how terrified I actually was. Now that I was here, sitting in Aki's room, I found myself overwhelmed and wanting to just flee, but I couldn't. Not when I had went so far as to lying to Kage to get him to help me open Aki's door. No, now that I was this far, I had to follow it through to the end.
Did I really, though…? My mind began to scatter about, focusing on several different memories; rooming with Aki, helping Yuta with Aki, solving Duel Puzzles with Aki, even just talking with Aki… Was she really so bad after all…? Kaze trusted her, so that couldn't be the case, could it? But at the same time…
Argh, why was my mind so fragmented at a time like this! When I had come in here, I had my resolve firm. I was a hero, after all! Heroes always do what's good for society! I was just punishing the witch for what she deserved! I was going to challenge her to a duel with the condition that she'd have to leave forever if I won and emerge victorious with the deck that Kaze helped put me together! She would expect the same old me, would underestimate me, and I'd blow her away with my new combos! But at the same time… it seemed kinda petty, didn't it…?
I let out a groan of frustration as I flopped back onto Aki's bed, hand grasping at my forehead to try and ease my growing headache. Why did Aki have to be… Aki? Why couldn't she be someone straight from the story books, a cliché villain where you knew right away that nothing they said or did could be good because there wasn't an ounce of goodness in their body…! But… Aki was Aki… she was so pretty and so smart and helped save me and helped protect Yuta….
This wasn't getting me anywhere…
'Focus, Dark Queen! Get your thoughts together!' With this thought in mind, I gave my cheeks a quick slap. This was no time for hesitation! I just had to focus on why I came here in the first place, and that was to avenge Kaze…! The same Kaze who always smiled at me, played along with my antics despite Aki rolling her eyes and telling him not to, who never once insulted me for my heroism… The same Kaze who was too kind to confront Aki and his misdeeds himself. Yes, that was why I was here…! This was about helping Kaze!
I promised Kaze I wouldn't talk to Aki about it, though… Just like that, I became aware of the sinking feeling in my gut, of the sweaty palms and hummingbird heartbeat. If it were just Aki that'd be affected, maybe I could do it outright like I used to, but now… What would Kaze think…? What would Kaze say…?
A groan escaped my lips as I forced myself to sit back up. What happened to me? I was Ida, the Dark Queen, protector of the innocent everywhere and leader of the Justice Brigade, and yet I couldn't confront Aki, even though she was a villain. I tried to keep repeating this last part to myself, hoping that if I said it enough times then it would finally sink in so I wouldn't have any troubles talking to her. Aki wasn't my friend after all. I was just a bother, a roadblock to her. Without me, she'd be able to cuddle up with Kaze on the D-Wheel or whatever it was she did while I was away…!
Thinking about their relationship made me want to hurl, and so I shifted my thoughts elsewhere. More specifically, towards all the ways that Aki had wronged Kaze, had wronged me. I had to focus my thoughts, steel my nerves. I didn't have much time. They'd be back soon, it was getting late in the afternoon.
Sure, there were some good things about Aki, but there were plenty of bad things too! She sent Yumi and Hidaka to the hospital, in the intensive care unit no less! She coerced us into joining the Arcadia Movement, even though it was such a horrible place! She kept going with Divine and his lessons, even though they were hurting people, hurting Kaze, hurting me! I could put up with it, it was nothing new to me, the glare, the mocking, the torment, but Kaze didn't deserve any of the mental anguish she put him through by constantly going off with Divine! To top it all off, she gave Kaze those scars, stole his dreams away of being a professional D-Wheeler, and didn't even think twice about it! She was ignorant to his suffering… and that was the worst off all… The final nail in the coffin. She could put me and people from DA in constant danger, but when it started affecting Kaze, who had given her only kindness… That was too much.
Someone had to let her know… Someone had to show her the error in her ways… That it wasn't okay to just use people for your own gains how you saw fit… and that someone had to be me.
My eyes slowly began to widen as realization hit me. Aki… Aki was the exact same as him. That man, the one that my father saved, the man who turned around and stole his prized possessions moments later. Suddenly, everything began to clear up. There was no haze surrounding my vision, clouding my mind. It was all just an act, wasn't it? Aki was a parasite.
All the times she acted so cool and aloof, when she'd talk to me and help me with my duel puzzles, that was all just an act…! She was trying to get under my skin…! Since Aki knew Kaze longer, she had already sunken her teeth into him and was trying to get me…! Kaze…!
Everything was getting clearer as the doubt just faded away! All of the things Aki did, even though they looked good at surface level… It all made sense!
Kaze gave Aki so much, he was also so kind to her despite what she did, but she only cared about her happiness, about controlling her powers! That was what she was using Kaze for! Once she's gotten all that she can out of Kaze and can control her powers, she's going to throw him away, just like he did…!
I won't let that happen…! There's no way I could let that happen to another hero! I'd rather die than let Kaze go through the same fate as my father…!
I'll trim this parasitic rose at its roots before it's too late!
"Ida, are you okay…?" I duly noted that the duelist in question had already entered the room and was addressing me. This was it. If I could just do this little thing… it'll be all over. No, dueling her wasn't good enough at this point. A villain like her… I had to utterly destroy her. Yeah, if I did that… Kaze could be free, and he wouldn't have to be suffering anymore…! Aki wouldn't be able to face Kaze anymore, since I'd reveal her for the life-sucking creature she was, and she'd break up with him, and then Kaze would be free to go back to his life…! You might not like it at first, Kaze, because I broke our promise, but when this is all over, you'll forgive me, right? You'll smile at me like you always do and we'll do all sorts of heroic things together, just you and me…!
"Kaze and I were worried when you left suddenly like that this morning," the two-faced parasitic witch before me continued to address me, daring to act like she cared, so I forced myself to stand up and met her gaze. I couldn't be too direct, no, no, then she'd know how to react, how to deflect it. I had to proceed with caution and sock it to her when she least expected it..! And the best way to do that was with Kaze's scars, and how unfit she was to be with Kaze. If there was any bit of a human inside of her, then she'd have to react to that. This was no time for holding back…! If I did… then she'd continue to suck away at Kaze until he… he…
"I… won't forgive you. I'll never forgive you."
"W-what?" Aki asked, blinking a few times as if she wasn't able to comprehend what I had said.
"You… I know you and Kaze have your secrets, and I can deal with that… but all you've done is hurt him…! Why did he choose you?!" I demanded.
"Ida, what are you…" Aki trailed off, probably trying to weasel her way out of this by playing innocent, but it wasn't going to get past me…! Not anymore, not now, now that I knew!
"I've seen Kaze's scars…! I know what you did to him!" I tried remind her of her earlier deeds. It must have been pretty effective because Aki quickly took a step back in surprise. That's right, Aki. Aki, I know. I know all of your games, I know what you're really here for, what you're trying to do. Deny it. Just try to deny it and say it was a mistake, or deny it all together and say it was a birthmark. I'd love to hear you try to defend yourself and keep your footing here.
"They… they're scars now…?" Aki asked softly, causing my eyes to widen. She… she…
"You're not even going to try and deny it…!?" I cried out. What the heck was wrong with her!? Didn't she understand that I knew everything?! Didn't she understand that saying such things only proved me more right!?
"Do you want me to?!" Aki retorted, which only increased my glare at her. So that was the way she wanted to play…? She wanted to try and act repentant, so that I'd take pity in her and let her off the hook…! But no more…! If she wasn't going to fess up to being a parasite, then I'd have to be more forceful, to show there was plenty of doubt in her relationship with Kaze! After all, in normal circumstances, none of this would have ever come to pass. Because…
"I… Kaze was the first person to be nice to me… Everyone else made fun of me and thought I was stupid for believing in heroes… Even you did… but… Kaze is my own personal hero…! He's… he's like a prince!" I paused as a smile made its way onto my face. No, now wasn't the time to get emotional about Kaze. I wasn't here to justify Aki's fixation with him, I was here to break those two apart! "So I just don't get why he'd fall for a witch like you!" I let out in frustration. Thankfully, it had the desired effect, as Aki quickly winced.
Ah, there it was…! The crack in her mask that I needed to defeat her…!
"Hold on, Ida… What are you-" Aki began slowly, trying to stall for time, but I wouldn't give her the luxury!
"No! You're a witch! You're not an anti-hero at all, you're the bad guy! You don't even realize how much trouble you've caused Kaze!" I insisted as I pointed at her to further drive the point.
"I do realize just how much I put him through!" Aki snapped back, momentarily taking me by surprise. "Kaze has given up so much for me! His school, his friends, and I… I'm indebted to him for that!" Aki continued. Just his school and his friends, huh…?
"So… you don't know," I muttered. Aki continued to stare at me, still acting like she didn't understand.
"Don't know what?" Aki asked, a slight edge to her voice. Ah, so she didn't like me having the upper edge here, did she? She liked being the one in charge, but when it came to verbal confrontation, she couldn't use her powers to protect her, and that left her weak.
"Of course you don't. You wouldn't bother to pay attention, what with all the time you spent with Divine," I scoffed, more to myself than anyone else. There really was no doubt about it. Aki was scum. On top of doing such a thing to Kaze, she didn't even realize what pain she put him through.
"Ida, this isn't like you! Tell me what's going on!" Aki demanded, raising her voice to try and compensate for the lack of control. Wasn't like me? What did she know about me?! Scum like her had no idea about heroes like me! I took a shaky breath, trying to steady myself. I couldn't let her wrestle control of the conversation from me. No, so long as I stayed on top of her arguments, she'd eventually be forced into a corner.
"On the first day of D-Wheel training, Kaze crashed," I spoke out suddenly.
"W-what?! But he's so good!" Aki let out in disbelief.
"At the beginning, on the straightaway, he was good. He didn't waver a bit. Our instructor was impressed. When Kaze went and leaned into the turn, however…" I found myself trailing off as the scene flashed in my mind again. Running over to Kaze to see if he was alright, as the crash was just enough to knock him off the D-Wheel and send his helmet a ways away, and just finding him sitting there on the ground, staring at his hands, not saying a word. That look on his face… That… that unbearable sadness… That'd be the only thing Kaze would be able to feel if I let things stay this way…! "He… He… He had this look of pain and the D-Wheel didn't make the turn. He just… ran into the wall. Our D-Wheels have a safety lock for speed during training, so it didn't hurt him too bad, but… but… he had this look in his eyes. He… he knew his dreams couldn't come true…!"
"Ida, I don't get what you're saying," Aki muttered. Why couldn't she just fess up to it…?! Couldn't she catch the drift!?
"Kaze… the scars you gave him… When he goes to turn, the burns you gave him act up. He can't make the training course turns as he should. He has to start them early and from the other side of the track to make it and it works for now, but if he were to try and go get an actual license… Let's just say it wouldn't happen. He told me not to tell you… he said you'd feel bad, that you'd fear your powers even more, but…" I trailed off as I shook my head. That didn't matter. He might be angry at first, but that would be because he didn't understand what a threat she was to him. Once I explained everything to him, he'd understand. Once he was free, he'd definitely understand.
"I-Ida, I… I… I had no idea…! I…" Aki began to fumble with her words. There it was. The final crack had revealed itself. If I could just make her understand why she was a threat to us all… Even scum like Aki would have to understand and back off!
"Of course you don't," I scoffed. "And yet… even though you stole his dreams from him… he still likes you. I… I just don't get it! The heroes in the stories always fall for other heroes… So why did the hero fall for the witch?!"
The shattering was almost immediate, and it was visible too. Aki's eyes widened and her whole body began trembling. She opened her mouth as if to say something but nothing came out. She stayed like that for a while, unmoving if you discredited her shaking frame.
"I… I don't know why," the faintest of whispers came out from her lips. She… didn't know why…?! It was obvious, wasn't it!? She weaseled her way into his heart with her sob story about not being able to control her powers and Kaze, being the gentleman he was, took it upon himself to help her! There was no love in such a relationship…! Aki was just toying with his mind, and was feebly clinging to her rehearsed denial. Ah, well. It didn't matter. Her crocodile tears weren't fooling me. Even if she denied it, I had done enough damage. If I left her alone, let her see how happy Kaze and I could be without her, the wound would only fester more and more. She'd just leave on her own, then.
"I won't forgive you…! But… for Kaze's sake, I'll keep acting like nothing's wrong. Don't think I'll forgive you for ruining his dreams like that, though… Witch." Having made myself perfectly clear, I departed without so much as a backwards glance.
Notes:
- Special thanks to SilverFlameHaze for helping me with this chapter.
- Hopefully this answers everyone's questions in terms of Ida's behavior. Again, if you'd like to discuss it further, I'd always be happy to, but I'm not going to change it or anything, because it's blatantly in her character to do so, but I'd be happy to explain it more if you needed it.
Reviews:
I already responded to most of you in PM form, so now I'll just address those that I didn't respond to:
Tyler Nator: Thanks again ^w^ I'm glad that you enjoyed that line, though. Sometimes lines just those just hit me as gold, so I'm glad you guys are enjoying/feeling the impact as well. Is it bad if I kind of agree on you with Rei...? I've been going over the Tag Force events a bit more, so her personality is going to be a bit more dynamic and less wild card-ish...?
Rush: [Chapter 21] Well, for the age, I think we've established that Kaze/Aki/Ida are around 14, more or less, given their birthdates, you know, while Rei is 11 at debut, so there's at max a three year differences. But, yeah, as the in-characterness, I just figured what I did because of Rei's Tag Force events, where it seems like a lot more of a solid relationship than her relationships with the other's. You're entitled to your opinion on the matter, of course, though. [Chapter 22] Someone noticed the hints! I thought that just went under the radar for most people xD I'm glad you see the reason behind her actions, though. As for Aki/Kaze's date, I just wanted to clarify that it wasn't a kiss. Just like a little forehead bump. It was based off of an adorable image that I saw, but, yeah, so they haven't had a real kiss yet. As for Tobi, yes, that is, well, Tobi, Misty's brother. For everything else, you'll just have to wait~ Thanks for your constant support!