I wrote down the last sentence for the lecture.
"That's all I will talk about for today. We'll pick back up when you return from your internships. Good luck everyone! I wish you the best!"
'The five cycles of depression, huh...' I smiled, 'There are a lot pf areas where I'm still bargaining. Acceptance won't be so easy for me...'
"Shimizu, wanna eat lunch together?" Komori approached my desk excitedly.
"Sorry, Komori. I can't today. I promised to talk to Dr. Chinen after class about yesterday's lecture I don't understand."
"Mm, that's okay. Maybe tomorrow?"
I gave a blank stare before a sorrowful smile replaced it, "Sure, tomorrow."
"Shimizu."
My attention turned to Auntie standing in the doorway and looking at me expectantly. I nodded in understanding and packed my stuff before giving Komori a goodbye.
Who knows how long this new journey is gonna take...
I stepped next to Auntie, looking up at her with determined eyes.
"Ready?"
"Tell me everything you know Jameela's done and is involved with."
"She...what?"
Auntie looked down at the papers on her desk, reasonably upset that she thoroughly explained anything she knew to me.
"I know. It's...awful. I understand that you probably didn't want to hear it from me and your father instead, but it needed to be said. He wanted me to tell you."
"I'm not upset with you telling me, Auntie. I'm upset...that Dad was being played all this time and he couldn't say anything about it because he was most likely threatened by AFO, locked in Tartarus, and had a Quirk that made him unable to speak! This was planned since before my birth! She's been the enemy this whole time! Dad at least regretted and reflected on his past actions! She needs to be locked up, Auntie!"
She put her hands up, signaling me to settle down, "I understand that you're angry, Kamilah, but you need to keep your cool. We can't make any moves until we're all in court. And can you at least be worried about your own hide for-"
I gave her a look, expecting her to contradict herself.
"I...ought to know better. I am a cursed child... Speaking of, Kamilah, we, your Dad and I, are unsure of how the curse will perform itself now that he's free. I have reason to believe it was at a hault due to him being imprisoned and Misuzu keeping you and Hakim safe. Play it safe unless absolutely unnecessary. Your father, Hakim, and I are all doing the same."
"Safe enough not to play with fire...as you've been doing so with Todoroki's feelings."
"...How could I be playing with his feelings when he agreed to my terms and conditions?" I pushed myself up from her chair and turned my back on her. "I'm starting to begin to think you forget you're cursed, too, Auntie. You should know that once a cursed fox commits, they don't turn back and they don't regret."
Before I could slide the door open, it slid open before me and spoke of the devil himself...
My surprise morphed into glee, "Mornin'...Sho."
He was taken aback upon seeing my face, "...Good morning." His eyes moved between me and the woman behind me. "Good talk?"
I walked around him, patting his shoulder on the way out, "Very good talk! I'll be seeing you!"
Once again, I found myself sitting alone at a lunch table, reading manga on my phone. After the nonsense I was informed of earlier, I needed to rot my brain.
'Now he's a dog for taking his body hostage...but like, if I honestly just didn't give a fuck, I could match Sukuna's power. I wish I could not care anymore...'
Noticing a lunch tray being placed in front of me, I was about to give that person the meanest mugging I've ever given...until my eyes met emerald orbs.
'But it's people like him that make me hold on.'
I closed my app and set my phone down, "Good mornin', Izuku. To what do I owe the pleasure of your lovely visit to the lone wolf's table."
"Am I rabbit?" he questioned, taking me aback by how smooth he let that roll off his tongue.
"I mean, to me, you are," I snickered. "So innocent..." I mumbled.
"Milah-chan, we, uh...need to talk," he told me, eyes moving away from me, probably scared of my reaction.
"Nothing new to me. The people I surround myself always wants to talk to me," I rambled. "What did I do this time?"
His eyes hesitantly remet mine, "It's not what you did...yet. It's what I'm about to say."
"I'm all ears."
Izuku closed his eyes and took a small inhale. The next thing I know he smashed his forehead against the table and placed his hands on it in a formal bow.
"PLEASEGOOUTWITHME."
In our little corner of the world, there was nothing but silence.
Ya know we could all be reading a good right now...
I took a deep inhale, "...Go out where?"
His shoulders tensed and he peaked up from his position to see me resting my head on the palm of my right hand.
"Eh?"
I wanted to tease him a little, "Where? Like to the gym to train? On a walk? Outside?"
Izuku sprung his body up and shook his head, "N-No! That's not what I-I meant! I-I...I want y-you to-CONSETUALLY...go out with-"
"Ami."
The amount of dread I felt hearing that voice was indescribable.
My eyes didn't hesitate to flick to the source of where the voice came from. She was approaching from behind Izuku and stood at the end of the table where we both sat.
"Is that psychic hero: Kassandra?"
"It is her! Wait, she's not in her costume...?"
"This is, like, her second visit, right?"
"Yeah. I wonder what's going on..."
"Oh, my gosh! She looks so pretty in person!"
"Shimizu is nice, but her mom? Pretty hot."
"Stop it before you grab their attention!"
Jameela looked...feral. Her eyes were dilated as if she just had one of her episodes. Her hair, though naturally coiled, looked a bit frizzy. She was dressed in a fitting red T-shirt, blue jeans, and tennis shoes.
"...Mother?" I asked, not moving from my lax position, watching for any movement she would make.
"K-Kassa-...I mean, Mrs. Shimizu? What are you-"
"Kamilah, I've been...so worried about you. I haven't seen you since the Provisional License Exams. How are you feeling? Are you okay, sweetheart?"
Jameela reached her hand out to try and touch my face, but I moved faster than most could process. I found myself standing at the other end of the table and the chair I was in had fallen to the floor.
"...How did you get here?"
She played coy, acting addled, "I...was let in. I came here to see if you had regained consciousness. Your auntie didn't let me know...no one did."
Mockingly, her eyes shook and her lips trembled as if she was upset and angered. "Why does she hate me so much...?"
I placed my hands beneath the table, grabbing onto it tightly as if I was about to move it, "Oh, I don't know, Mother...maybe because you tried to hurt and kill your daughter?"
She faked her shock, "What? Excuse me? What nonsense are you spouting? Who told you that?"
"No one needed to tell me anything, Mother. I experienced it...and I should've known there was more to the story than what I saw, heard, and felt. I should be ashamed of myself...but that's in the past now.
"Ami, I don't understand. Did she tell you this to try and make me look like the bad guy? I never once put my hands on you."
"Bullshit, and you know it."
From what I could see in my peripherals, a certain ash blond was quickly making his way over to us and I used Psyka on him to stop him and seal his lips.
"Ami...you're making me upset. I don't know what lies she's told you, but they're not true. I just need you to come with me. You can't attend U.A. anymore. We have
"I don't think I'll be going anywhere anytime soon with you, Mother…or forever."
"You leave me no choice, Kamilah," she said in her "motherly loving" tone while turning her back on us.
"What are you going to do this time? I'm a little too old for a beating mother. Why don't you drop the act and show everybody what you're capable of?"
She walked some ways away, "…"
"You monster."
Her abrupt turn on me nearly made me stay still, but as soon as she grabbed the table to try and throw a kick at me, I gripped the table and flipped it up, sending her flying backward.
With Psyka's power in my left leg, I did a roundhouse kick and sent the table flying across the cafeteria, causing a burst of flaming cornflower blue energy to do some damage. Students were lucky enough to duck or move out of the way, barely dodging it.
There were screams as they dodged and the table broke through some glass.
Izuku stood up, about to make his way to me, "MILAH-CHAN, WHAT DID YOU-"
I was quick to use Psyka on him and sit him back down in the chair.
"You stay out of this! This has nothing to do with you!" I stomped to where the table broke the glass, footsteps heavy to make it that bitch. "This is years of torment
being repaid!"
Passing by Katsuki, I didn't make eye contact with him or the approaching Komori, Monoma, and Kendo.
"Shimizu, I don't know what's going on, but think about what you're doing!" Kendo tried to reason with me.
"I am thinking about what I'm doing. Move."
"Clearly, you're not! What's gotten into you?! I've never seen you like this!" Monoma shouted.
"I've always been like this, I just never showed any of you," I told them as I tried to get by.
"Shimizu-chan, please! You might make this worse than it already is! She's your mother and a good hero! Why would you do something so cruel!"
I grabbed Komori by her shoulders, startling her and making her flinch. I grinned like a maniac.
"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR! GO AHEAD! I'M THE BAD GUY! PAINT ME LIKE THE VILLAIN BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN WORSE UNTIL YOU'VE SEEN ME UNHINGED!"
I was unhinged...and there was no saving me at this point.
With that, I teleported past them since they refused to let me by. I grabbed onto the glass above, not caring about the shards sticking to my hand and letting out blood. With my restraint on both Izuku and Katsuki, I'm sure my eyes are bleeding by now.
"Hayaa ya Jameela. Aelam 'ana hadha lays kulu ma ealayk 'iizharuh!"
From the smoke, she emitted like a thief in the night and charged at me again. I'd been waiting for this moment for years…and she happened to be the one who had come to me.
If I kill her now…I risk everything…even my revenge on Endeavor…but I trust Toya will handle it.
This is it.
Jameela swung her Egyptian daggers at me, but I moved to the side and evaded every swing she threw at me.
"Ayuha aleahirat alsaghiratu! Kulu ma ealayk fieluh hu alamtithal mithl alfataat alsaghirat altiyibat alati kunt ealayha tawal hadhih alsanawati! Limadha yajib 'an takun saeban jidana?!"
I didn't indulge her and continued avoiding them until she missed a swing and lost her footing. I grabbed her by her left arm with my own and elbowed her in the face multiple times with my right. I think I broke her nose and I swung her body against mine, choking her with my right arm.
She flailed, stabbing my arm with the one dagger she held in her hand, but of course, with Null activated, I felt nothing.
"Yajib 'an taerifi 'afdal ya, Jameela. Laqad ealimatni 'ala 'asheur bial'almi. Yajib 'alaa tastakhdim taktikatuk alkhasat dida eaduk."
I could tell she was losing air, but I didn't want her to die yet so I let her go, stumbling forward.
"La...la, la yumkinuk 'an tamut bieda. Lan 'asmah lika. 'Uriduk 'an tueani...'Ahtaj 'iilaa tadkhin tilk aleubua," I exhaled excitedly.
While she was on the ground coughing, I took the time to swipe the blood trails from both eyes and lick them so they wouldn't get in my way.
"Khata?" I chuckled. "Anak aikhtart 'an tasriq rajul shakhs akhar wataqtul alrajul aladhi saham fi wafat 'ajdadi? 'Awhi, bu huw, Jameela. Jamieuna nartakib al'akhta' wanadfae thamanaha jmyean...satadfae thaman 'akhtayik bialmawt ealaa yadha!"
She was frantic and bared her teeth at me like a wild animal. Jameela got back on her feet and threw her blade at me to which I barely escaped and it scraped my left leg, taking some skin with it. Taking advantage of my footing being off, she tackled me to the ground, grabbing both of my wrists with one hand while the other grabbed the knife she had thrown at me.
"Ant tatahadath kthyran ean shakhs mulqa ealaa al'ard alan! Kan yajib 'an 'afeal hadha eindama 'utihat li alfursata! Hal taerif limadha lam 'afeal? Laqad qult 'anak satakun 'afdal min 'awal mayti, mimaa yaeni 'anak satakun 'afdal min 'iindifur. Aietaqadat 'anah yumkinuni alaietimad ealayk lilaintiqam miniy hataa la yatima aitihami! Lakinani 'aetaqid 'anak mujarad 'alam saghir eadim alfayidat fi muakharati! Lan takun mthalyan abdan!"
Spitting out some built-up blood, I let her get that off her chest and scoffed at her once she was done, amused by her words.
"Laqad qumt bitarbiat shakhs yumkin 'an yueti muakharat aljardh. Hal aintahayt alan? aiteanni bialfiel li'anani la 'astatie samae kalamik 'ayuha aleahirat ean al'ashya' alati faealatha fi almadi wakayf 'anaha eadat litaedak fi muakhiratika."
Jameela brought the knife down, but it only grazed my bloodied uniform blazer. She tried her best to try and stab me, but the knife just wouldn't pierce through.
"Ma, alkhutab ya 'umi? Aietaqadt 'anak turid qatli? Faj'atan, la yumkinuk haml nafsak ealaa alqiam bidhalika? Taghyir alqalb bihadhih alsureati? 'Awh, kam hu hulu!"
Breaking her grasp around my wrists, I used Psyka to keep forcing her back. I sharply lifted my right foot and kicked her over me near the broken glass window she had flown out of earlier. I dashed her, about to punch her, but she swooped to the side of the window. With steady reflexes, I did a cartwheel, narrowly missing big glass shards but getting some in my hands in the process, and landed near a fallen-over table.
A student I recognized was hidden behind it, Ashido.
I put on a genuine smile, bloodied and bruised and all, "Ashido, if you don't want to die, I suggest you find a better hiding spot."
She didn't move an inch. She stared at me in terror, shaken by fear. I think I scared her a little... It didn't matter, I wouldn't let her get hurt if she did end up in this fiasco somehow.
Looking back at Jameela, she was making her way inside the broken window. Her eyes displayed the intent to kill, to rip apart, and to erase me from existence. I got a little hyperactive over it, finding some kind of validation in it.
I crossed my arms, sighing from disappointment, "Bisarahatan, aetaqadt 'anak satakun 'aqwaa bikathir bialnisbat libatal min bayn aleishrin al'awayili...lakinak mukhayib lilamal lilghayati. Kayf turid abnatan mithaliatan wa'ant last mthalyan? min alnaahiat alnafsiati, 'ant turid 'an taeish hayatak min khilali watajealani 'atahamal kula alluwmi."
"Hal taealamt dhalik min tilk aleahirat aleaqimati?"
"Fi alwaqie, Laqad faealta...waraqib famak, rubama sa'umaziq rahimak baed dhalik hataa la taqdi ealaa almazid min al'atfal."
"'Ana 'akrahuk!" she raved.
I intertwined my hands behind my back as she took one last step inside, "Wakunt sa'ushahid khutuati allegiant law kunt makanka!" I chirped.
Flicking my finger behind my back, she lost her balance. Oh, how I know she wished she would've come into contact with the concrete floor rather than the glass protruding from the bottom of the window.
The screams that filled the cafeteria were agonizing to those who decided to stay and watch the torture; although, it was music to my ears and the sight of the blood seeping from glass-filled eye sockets made me giddy.
Leaning forward and placing my hand over my chest, I made a mocking pout while she leaned back and fell on the grass behind her. She held her head, violently swinging it back and forth and her body writhed in agony.
"OH, DON'T CRY, MOTHER! I'LL MAKE IT ALL BETTER!"
Giddily sprinting over to her, I placed my thighs on each side of her, shattered glass scratching them in the process. I grabbed a chunk of glass from the source and broke it off, bloodying my hand even more.
I raised it above me, "'Dinah mithl aleusur alqadimat, 'alays kadhalika? lakin ealaa al'aqali, kunt sa'araa zawali 'iidha altazamat."
Seeing a purple mist form around us, I frowned...it was only deepened by a cloth-like bandage being tightly wrapped around me. I followed where it was coming from. I turned my head over my shoulder, seeing two familiar heroes.
If I hadn't known any better, I would've thought Miss Kayama had placed her hand over her mouth to not smell her mist so she wouldn't pass out. To taunt her, I took a deep inhale of the mist and giggled. It's not like it would've affected me after having all sorts of pills being forced down my throat.
"My goodness..." she mumbled, horrified by my appearance and the look in my eye.
"Shimizu," Mister Aizawa called. "Put. The glass. Down."
"..." I looked back down to a weeping, sobbing, pathetic-looking Jameela, "Kama taelamin, 'ana saeid li'anak ma zilt ealaa qayd alhayaat, Mama. aintahat aleutlat fi alwaqt alhalii...lakin antazar hataa nasil 'iilaa almanzil lileaba."
Swinging my arm back to throw the bloodied glass chunk behind me, it slid across the floor, creating a scathing sound. Slowly and cautiously, I got up, looking at the bloody and bruised mess I left Jameela Shimizu, psychic hero: Kassandra.
Turning around, I stepped back inside the cafeteria, putting my hands up in surrender. Hearing someone push through the onlooking crowd of students, Auntie appeared between Mister Aizawa and Miss Kayama.
"...What did you do?"
"Getting part one of my revenge," I answered, feeling myself weakening.
"You...Kamilah, you're not feeling well. Look at you...you don't look so good. You need to rest," she chose her words carefully, slowly approaching me.
Aunt Yuiko looked scared...of me. I didn't like that. I thought we had a mutual understanding of how chaotic I could be if provoked or left to roam freely.
"...Didn't I do good?" I asked her. "Is this not what society wants? To catch the bad people who inconvenience them? To catch the fake heroes who benefit from their mistakes and foolishness?"
She shook her head, proceeding her slow and cautious approach, "Not like this...this isn't the way to do it."
I mustered a smile, "...Don't hurt me."
"I would never."
Coughing up blood, I tried to wipe it away, but my vision got blurry and I missed. My legs felt weak and I lost balance, falling into her arms. A splatter of red sprayed onto Auntie's heels, legs, and skirt, and her pure white doctor's coat. Mister Aizawa had loosened the bandages from around me and Miss Kayama stopped producing her mist.
I didn't know what body part the blood came from, but I knew I didn't feel it.
"I'm so sorry, Kamilah..." she whispered.
'I refuse to black out. Hell no. I'm gonna see this through. I made sure to keep myself numb and my eyes open.
"Dr. Chinen, my student. Is she-" I think that was Principal Nezu's voice.
Auntie felt for a pulse, "Sh-She's down, in shock, but n-...not d-dead-"
"Don't...be sorry," I uttered. "Be...b-better..."
Mister Kan emerged from behind the two still cautious teachers and ran past Auntie and me, I'm assuming to check on Jameela. She better had not died from that little scuffle.
"Kassandra...can you hear me?" I heard him ask.
"...Is she still alive?" I heard her rasp.
"...Yes," he confirmed.
"G...Good. I...I'm so ha-ppy sh-she's okay. I-...I tried to re-reason with h-her, but sh-she just...wasn't hearing m-me out..."
"Everyone else can listen to your sob story, Jameela, but I don't want to hear it," I heard Uncle Rio, but I couldn't see him. "There's no sympathizing your way out of this one. You trespassed onto school grounds intending to kidnap Kamilah. This is your second murder attempt on the same child. Jig is up...and so is our marriage."
My breathing became heavy at hearing that, few whimpers escaped me which were meant to be chuckles, but due to my body being in shock, that's all I could muster. What a fucking hypocrite, she tried to do the same thing Father did years ago, but I know it wasn't for good reason.
"Kamilah, don't hyperventilate...just breathe."
My eyes looked past the crowd, zeroing in on traumatized emerald, shocked vermillion, and reliving heterochromatic orbs staring directly back at me.
That unhinged thrill wasn't gone.
Sometimes, a person doesn't have to say or do much to leave a lasting impression. I wanted them to see who they were talking to, who they were dealing with, to leave alone once this is all over so...
I smiled at them.
With caution and ease, Auntie held me close and used her left arm around me to apply pressure to my stomach, "Kamilah...my baby..." she muttered under her breath.
'Oh...I see now...I had reopened the wound. Isn't that just wonderful? Now I'll be immobile for another fucking week! This is just fantastic!' The sarcastic boasts continued in my head.
"Call the ambulance and someone bring Recovery Girl here ASAP. Return all the students to their dormitories. We need to clean up and figure out what has exactly happened here," I heard Principal Nezu announce, most likely to the staff.
Trying to adjust my uncomfortable position, Auntie held onto me tighter. She was worried sick and didn't want to let me go. When I closed my eyes and finally pulled away from her enough to look at her.
My eyes opened to see a furious Misuzu.
"What have you done?"
"I got a...taste...of my revenge."
"Well, aren't you so proud of yourself? You don't realize what you've done. In a week, you've already lost your mind. You made a contract with Shoto that he will not come back from, you poisoned and traumatized Izuku, and you're about to put Katsuki through pain that he'll never forgive you for. This is what you wanted? To damage your friendships with the people who worked so hard to become close with you?"
"...My actions will have dire consequences...but I will not regret anything I've done or will do. You forget, I'm on a time limit. Now that Dad's out of prison, there's no telling how the curse is going to work now. You're not sure yourself, are you?"
"...I'm not sure at all...but I don't need you to jeopardize your life any more than it already is just because you're on a time limit! I need you to think, Kamilah! Sure, you've revealed Jameela's true colors and have sped up the process for these court dates and trials, but at the expense of the people you care about. You don't have to regret, but you can't not accept and forgive yourself for what you've done. What if it'll be too late before you could apologize?"
"Since I'm so much trouble, how about you give up on me?" I spat at her.
She let go of me, her fury diverting into hurt and disbelief.
"What do you mean? What are you saying?"
"I'm telling you to give up on your child!"
"..."
"As you can see, she's incapable and too mentally insane to stick to plans. I didn't choose to do any of this! I just wanted answers and I was thrust into all of this nonsense! If you don't like what I do or how I do it, give up on me...and rely on my brother to take care of everything...like you did the last time in your life."
Her eyes filled with tears, but they didn't drop, "How..."
"I'm unsure if you had a sibling, but I'm going to make the assumption you did because that's the only way the Shimizu line could've continued. So, I'm asking you...to leave me alone, leave in me in solitude...and rely on my sibling to end this. He's more than capable."
"But...what about Toya? He still needs you."
"...Toya doesn't need me. He just wants me. I'm his crutch to lean on for support." I felt my tears slide down my cheeks, "Katsuki told me to remember my words: "Dabi and I...have been lovers since we were children. We both come from...abusive pasts. Because of that, our similarities in the things we hated and the people who hurt us, and want revenge, we built our love off of that". We were nothing but life support for one another."
"...Kami, don't do this. You have so much to live for. This is only a temporary rain cloud...it'll go away before you know it," she attempted to soothe me.
"Not...this time. I have nothing...never did have anything. I'm done."
With that being said, I yanked my arms out of her hands and walked past her, heading to the oasis down the dune. The sun was setting this time around and the gust of winds were light.
I wasn't sure of where to go from here...but I knew I wasn't going back out there. I've caused enough damage, pain, and emotional trauma...but I also got what I wanted...my revenge on Jameela and my Dad's freedom.
The water soaked my skirt as I walked through the oasis, finding the cool water comforting beneath the blazing desert sun. Climbing up the steep hill and toward the hourglass, I was determined to make it there.
Kamilah Shimizu's story is done. She will cause no more harm. She will be no more. She's cheated death too many times to count.
Gazing through the glass separating me from being swallowed by the blue sand, I took a good look at myself, at who I've become, at what I've become. I'm a hypocrite...I'm a monster, too.
"I wonder if...everyone else has an hourglass...or their version of one," I mumbled, knowing that's a question that'll never be answered.
Placing my hands on the glass, I pushed on it, using Psyka to help.
"Kamilah! DON'T!" Misuzu screamed, running across the dune.
Apply more force made the glass crack and bits of blue sand spilled from it. It only increased in amounts as I kept pushing the glass to break.
"IF YOU KEEP DOING THAT, AFO WILL TAKE YOUR BODY!"
I looked at her approaching figure in the glass, "...Now he can have it."
The crack gave way, drowning me in the blue sand. I let its current carry me to wherever. My body felt numb and I exhaled what I thought to be my last breath.
"'Iina alyabaniiyn harisun jdan ealaa alaintihar bimujarad 'an la yabdu alwade fi salihihim."
"Laqad kanat muhatatan bithaqafatihim lifatrat tawilatin."
"'Iinaha tansaa judhuraha."
"Aljudhur alati khaba'atha jamilat eanha walitikhtiha".
I expected to be blinded by blue sand when I reopened my eyes, but I got quite the opposite. In the darkness, I found myself standing on a golden podium, dressed in a white dress, my hair let down from my Bantu knots, and a white ankh attached to a white chain around my neck. Before me was the balance scale, separated by golden Greek-like columns.
An abnormally tall...man with the face of a jackal stood next to me, making me yelp, and pushed myself against the opposite side of the columns attached to the podium.
The jackal man was dressed in a brown kilt carved with hieroglyphs, he wore two lapis lazuli armbands, adorned a heavy golden necklace, and held an ankh in one hand while the other held a brown staff with a curved end attached.
"Are you ready to be judged?" he asked.
"...Excuse me? What...what's happening? Where am I? Who are you?"
"What a scared little thing she is. That's to be expected from someone who's been so isolated," a voice in the darkness spoke, making me look for them.
"Who's there?! Tell me what's happening?!"
"'Iinaha lan tasil 'iilaa hadha alhad. 'iinaha bihajat 'iilaa 'an tatajasad min jadidin," a female voice claimed.
"Hadha 'iidha...aetarafat bikhatayaha walam taqae fi alyasu," a male voice spoke.
They were speaking as if they couldn't hear me, as if they were...spectating me like a play in theatre from seats in the darkness.
I looked back up at the jackal man, "Can you tell me what's happening?"
"You're being judged."
"Okay...and?"
"Your judgment will determine if you return to your life and will proceed to it correctly."
"And If I'm not worthy?"
"You will become a part of the audience like those who speak and cannot hear you for eternity."
I looked between the "audience" and the jackal man, "...Is this a part of the Shimizugawa Curse?"
"For those who wilter in faith and hope, this is a an appointment of descendents in the An-Nur family."
My eyes returned to him, "What are you?"
"Your judge. I've been watching you...since you came into contact with Misuzu Shimizu. She didn't mind my being there in your "Dream Realm"."
"I thought Osiris was the judge of the underworld.
"I never said I was a god. I have no relation to the mythologies."
"Are you implying...that I imagine my judge, you, to look like this?"
The jackal man nodded.
"Okay, now I understand. Tell me...do you think I'm capable of turning my mishaps around?"
"If you pass judgment, you will be able."
I nodded in determination, "So I'm in between the gates of Hell and Heaven, I'm in limbo now. Okay...how long will this judging take and what trials await me?"
The jackal man's impulsive shapeshift into a familiar face made me feel sick. The room illuminated white, but there was no one else besides us.
"It will take as long as you need to want it to. I'm your first trial, Doll," the young version of Toya, before his accident, spoke to me. "Are you ready to face me?"
I reached out and held each of his hands with my five-year-old ones, "...Shoot," my young voice murmured.
"How did this happen?"
I've asked this question multiple times, receiving the same answers from Misuzu and Yuiko.
I stared at my unconscious daughter's body, wires and IV drips attached to her, trying to keep her alive. She lost a considerable amount of weight. Her cheeks were hollow like a skeleton and she donned dark undertones as if she wasn't getting any sleep.
The most concerning thing of all is the dark purple twig-like sparks sprouting from the palms of her hands, twisting up her arms, and surrounding her eyes. I assumed it had something to do with Null...and I was hoping it wasn't AFO.
It's been a month since her encounter with Jameela. Although she reopened her wound from the License Exam and had a couple of cuts and bruises from the encounter, it wasn't anything too bad to the point it'd kill her...
But that didn't stop the feeling of wanting to rip Jameela's head off.
Many times since Kamilah has been transported to our vacation home in Iwami to recover, I've had countless fits of rage to the point where I nearly hurt Norio and Hakim, trying to restrain me from going back to Shizuoka and committing another crime.
It was always Yuiko who successfully restrained me. Out of all of us, she was the strongest, both physically and mentally. Her tomboyish nature rarely showed after her relationship with Enji ended and it became a myth when Hakim was born. Yui took on a more gentle, motherly, and nurturing role.
We placed Kamilah on a bed in the living where it was easy to get to her if something happened and so the machines she was connected to would fit. The rooms upstairs were too small for everything.
"Zurui, you need to sleep, man," Rio walked over to me, sitting in the chair beside me. "This is the fifth time you haven't slept this month."
"...Would you sleep if it were Hakim?"
"...No, I wouldn't. I couldn't...sorry, bro," he sighed from his miscalculation.
"...We're shitty parents, aren't we?" I asked him.
"Normally, I wouldn't agree with how you say it...but yeah. We're the shittiest of shitty parents," he bitterly cackled.
We had a good laugh, but not so loud to overcome the constant beeps of the heart monitor.
"I thought...I did my best with her, Zurui. In the end, it was the other way around. Kamilah did her best to make sure I...me and Hakim were okay. When I came back from my hospitalization and noticed a change in Jameela's behavior, I should've took the kids away right then and there."
"We've been over this. It's not your fault. You had good intentions by wanting them to have their mother in their lives. I was deprived of our parents' affection and care by our grandfather. You know the story...I didn't attend Ketsubutsu willingly."
"Yeah, I know."
"We need to stop reflecting on the past and move forward. This kind of talk isn't good for either of you and it isn't good for Kamilah...if she can hear us, like people say when someone is in a comatose," Yui came from downstairs.
"Got it, cous," I affirmed.
"How's Kimy holding up?" Rio asked her.
"He finally dozed off. Just like you two, he kept telling me about how he should've done this, but couldn't do that, and his anger about not being able to do anything for his sister. He tired himself out all while I listened," she sighed, sitting on the other side of Kami's bed.
"Good...not the bad talking himself, but him falling asleep," Rio exhaled.
"They're just children and they're being put under the stress we promised the next generation wouldn't undergo like we did." Yui leaned over, brushing a stray hair strand from Kami's face. "What are we doing wrong?"
"We're too dependent on them. That's what we're doing wrong," I answered her.
A knock on the door made me and Rio alert. We looked at each other and the door. To our dismay, Yuiko had gotten up and walked over to open it.
"What are you-"
"Yuiko, thank goodness!" Xitalit's voice rang out from outside. "Where is she? Is my penquena tomate alright?" she asked, pushing past her to enter the living room.
Approaching my unconscious daughter, she gasped at the scars, bruises, bandages, and wires littering her body.
"Ay, dios mio..." she whimpered, gently cradling her head and pressing kisses to her forehead. "One thing I know is my children are calling my phone and telling me something is wrong, then the next is I see Jameela being reported on the news, and now Kamilah is..."
"We're sorry that I didn't call you sooner. We had to move quickly and quietly out of Shizuko back to Tottori prefecture. We couldn't risk the media following us or letting anyone else know anything," Yuiko explained.
She let go of Kamilah's head, resting it back on the pillow. Li turned around and leaned down to us, hugging us both.
"Norio, where's my pequeno tomate? He's not hurt, too, is he?" she asked, backing away to look at him with trepidation.
He shook his head, "He's upstairs, resting. This is taking a toll on him like it is on all of us."
"I'll check on him later, but for now..." Her eyes snapped to me and she glowered. The next thing I know is that she's hitting and slapping me to which I got up and ran from her.
"Owowowow! Ouch, that hurts! Watch the nails! What's gotten into to you?!"
"Don't worry your pretty little head off. Everything's going according to plan. I just need you to stand there and look pretty" my culo, Zurui! Now look at what I'm doing! Worrying! Why didn't you call me?!"
"Like Yuiko said, we couldn't risk any word getting out nor am I allowed to be out and about by myself. As far as Japan is concerned, I'm a criminal that needs to be thrown back into jail. 'Sides, we signed a contract with Tartarus about keepin' my release on the DL."
She pouted and crossed her arms, "I know that this is sensitive information and touchy situation, but if you want us to go back to the way we were, you're gonna have to trust me. You know I'm your ride or die..." she whimpered.
I leaned down to her, cupping her rosy apple cheeks, "...I'm sorry, honeybun. Whatever happens next, I'll be the one to let you know, okay?"
Xitalit kept the pout on her face, but she slipped her forked tongue out and licked my lips. "You better..."
There was a moment of silence.
"...Aren't you still going through your divorce to Jindo?" Yuiko asked.
"After the License Exam, Jindo and I talked about speeding up the process to finalize our divorce. It ended three weeks ago. He left me the car and the house, both paid off, will support our children's education, and has visitation rights to see them."
"Well, damn, that was fast! Why the hurry?" Norio asked bewilderedly.
"He told me he didn't want to make me unhappy any longer than he already has so we finalized it. Simple as that," she informed the two. "What about you, Rui?" she refocused on me.
"Jameela didn't divorce me this whole time, but it doesn't matter now. Court dates have been set and I've no doubt in my mind you can go back to being the Bonnie to my Clyde."
She cheered and giggled, jumping up and down in her pumps in glee. She was so adorable. How the hell did I ever let her go?
"Anyway...how long has she been out? Any signs of waking up?" she hurriedly asked.
I shook my head, "No...and she's been in a coma for a month."
"...So what do you all plan to do?"
"We planned up to what we'll do after the court settles the cases," Yuiko began. "In case Ami feels uncomfortable returning and gives us consent, we have the papers to withdraw her from U.A. If she feels that she shouldn't show her face in Shizukoa, we're back up here; however, if not able to show her face again in Japan period, we're moving out of the country."
"...Ami would never run away from her problems," Li proclaimed. "It's not like her to leave something unfinished."
"I know that you know her well, we all do, but Ami has been fighting for a long time. She's committed some degree of crimes and has done things we all don't know of...my little girl is tired and I want her to rest."
Xitalit turned back to me, conviction filling her eyes, "Yes, we let her rest after all the effort she's put into bringing Jameela to justice. But it's time for us to take responsibility and finish what she started."
"What else are you suggesting we do, Xita?" my brother asked.
"I'm not sure of what's exactly what's been going on, but I have a good feeling that there's more on Ami's plate than just Jameela. What else haven't you all been telling me?" she asked, looking around.
I glanced at Yuiko, who sighed and nodded in agreement, then at Norio, who crossed his arms and shrugged his shoulders.
"Listen...Xitalit, there's something we...I, there's a lot of things I haven't told you. It's not because I don't trust you, it's because I don't want you to get hurt nor do I want you to make rash decisions. We've kept this subject confidential between the Shimizu and Fujisaki families so I expect you not to talk about it to anyone else. Not even our..."final boss" knows this."
"What is it?"
"For generations, the Fujisaki, formerly known as the Tsugaru Clan, have been allies and protectors of the Shimizu-Tokugawa Clan. Men and women who marry into the family are left out of the curse we don't speak of as a means to protect our children. However, those rules no longer apply since recently. A woman named Misuzu Shimizu isn't the first ancestress of our curse, but we associate her with the actual one because of their similarities in both Quirks and personalities, Juri Shimizu-Tokugawa. We call it Shimizugawa. Two siblings of each generation are cursed, they both yearn to die, and one of them is destined to."
"So...Rika and Joon knew about this?"
"I explained this to them recently. Again, we didn't say anything to anyone in the new generation because we thought it'd be effective to get rid of it. As you can see, that's not the case. Kami constantly coughs up blood and passes out while Hakim gets little to no sleep."
Yuiko sat back down next to my daughter, "In other words, either Kamilah could die from blood loss or Hakim could die from chronic sleep deprivation." Yuiko glared at me, "And I think you should mention the part you left out to Rika and Joon."
Xitalit raised an eyebrow at me, the concern becoming deeper on her face. She squeezed my hands, prompting me to continue.
"What about...my children?"
"Normally, we can tell which child is likely to die...depending on how passionate their servant acts towards their master." I looked down at her trembling hands, "When left without a master, a Tsugaru either takes their own life...or dies fighting trying to avenge them."
"..." She didn't reply with anything at first, shadowing her eyes with her bangs. "I...I understand now." She looked up at me, determination refilling her eyes, "Then tell me...what does Kamilah desire so she and my son keep living?"
The only way I could sleep was to use my Quirk, Dream Walk.
It brings down a lot of tension in my body and I never get any proper rest from it, but I'm able to do it. The world looks the same in the astral plane, but there's also some trippy stuff I can't wrap my head around.
I decided a long time ago I couldn't wrap my head around the things that are beyond my understanding so I ignore these...trippy entities.
Dream Walk is useful in fights...and for investigations.
"Find him," I spoke into the distant universe.
That's what it always looked like. Before I told myself where to go and who or what to find the universe surrounded me. Water reached my ankles and the floor beneath was white, like a salt pan. It was scenic and comforting.
I never knew if what happens here also happens outside of the astral plane. But I do know that the people I watch in here can't hear me nor see me, but they can feel my presence if they have a Quirk that's in touch with the astral plane.
"I can't believe she did something like that..." the worried boy's voice brought me out of my thoughts.
"I can," a gruff one replied.
I found myself standing in a traditional Japanese bedroom and the middle of a familiar trio, my sister was acquainted with.
Todoroki was sitting on a futon, Midoriya sat on a traditional desk chair, and Bakugo had his back against some shogi I assumed let out to some balconies. I'm unsure of the layout of the dormitories, Auntie secretly helped Kamilah move into her dorm, but neither of them has yet to send me a picture of her own.
"That look in her eyes..." Shoto mumbled. "Whatever she was going through, I didn't know it was that bad."
"Listen, you idiots. The fox has her fair share of problems with her old lady. I know she only told me the surface of what her old lady did to her while growing up. For her to react the way she did, that shit deep and she's been waiting to leap for the chance to give the woman a taste of her own medicine."
"...Milah-chan has every right to express how she feels, Kacchan. However, what she did...was uncalled for. She not only fought her mother, but she made her lose her eyesight! Mrs. Shimizu can't use her Quirk anymore!"
"That's all you're worried about?" Bakugo questioned. "You haven't even heard the fox's side of the story."
"I don't have to hear her side of the story. What Milah-chan did was wrong. Just because she's my friend, I can't excuse her actions."
Bakugo got up, stomped over to the boy, and slammed his foot on the desk behind him. He glared down at an unaffected Midoriya, who gave him the same look.
"What are you gonna do about it, huh?"
"I'm not sure...but I'll know when I see her again."
Bakugo didn't look satisfied with that answer, "...I wanna make this clear to you two dumbasses. If you two do anything to hurt her, make her sad, or even make her fucking cry...it's on site."
Midoriya didn't say anything, he only kept his glare. I've never seen the kid look like that before.
"You make it sound like a threat, and it's not like you two are together," Todoroki cut in.
"You should know I don't make threats, I make promises, dipshit. And when she gets back, you best belive we will be."
I sighed, 'This is what they're talking about? Fighting over my sister? I thought I'd get some info on something useful about her...but I guess I've got no choice...'
"Never thought you'd have feelings for my sister," I spoke, announcing my presence and showing myself as I appeared in the middle of the room.
Each of them was up and already on their feet, facing me, Quirks activated, ready to use against their "intruder".
"What the hell..." Bakugo mumbled, sparks popping in his hands.
"Where did you come from?" Midoriya asked uneasily, green currents sparking around his body and fists.
"How did you get in here?" Todoroki asked, his left side smoldering and his right side leaving cold air.
"My Quirk. I don't show the public all my card deck," I rest my back on the wall behind me, arms crossed with an amused gaze, "You know...if I were a villain, you all would've probably been dead."
Their reactions were jarring and disturbed.
I shook my head, "What I mean to say is "be more aware of your surroundings". You never know who is listening in." My tone turned serious, "Especially concerning my little sister."
"How is she?!" Midoriya jumped at the chance to ask, green sparks immediately dispersing into thin air.
"...Since that run-in with our mother, she hasn't woken up," I grimly murmured. "She's hanging on though. I don't know where she's at in her unconscious state, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm afraid she's fighting between living and dying."
"What makes you so sure?" Todoroki questioned, deactivating his Quirk.
"...My sister didn't tell you anything about our family, did she?"
"No...was she supposed to, Overprotector?" Bakugo huffed, staring at me suspiciously as he flicked his sparks away.
"Let me make this short. We're cursed. One of us is going to die from this curse if we don't do anything about it...but from what I heard, Kamilah is likely willing to give in. From what it looks like, she's done what she has to do and let go of some things so she has nothing else to fight for."
"..."
"..."
"Then give her something to fight for," Bakugo declared, eyes hardened with determination. "If I have to make her fight for something, I will, damn it."
My expressionless turned into a smug one, "...My sister sure knows how to pick 'em."
"Aah?" he exclaimed as if triggered.
"You oughta know, she ain't no easy egg to crack. You betta give her somethin' to fight for. I've done all I can for her-..."
Facing AFO, we gotta fight fire with fire, I'll need you to be at your lowest point, Hakim.
My eyes widened, "...On second thought, maybe I can do something else. Sis can't move right now, but I can..."
"Um...is something wrong, Mister Hakim?" Midoriya asked.
"No...hopefully, nothing will go wrong with what I'm about to do." I put my hands in my jogging pants and fished around until I found it.
"What are you about to do exactly?" Bakugo asked, seeming to not like my smug expression.
Pulling out the card, I tossed it over to Todoroki, who instantly caught it.
"Your...hero license?" he questioned after looking it over, then he looked up at me. "Why are you giving it to me?"
"I need someone to keep it safe while I go rogue." I pushed myself away from the wall, "I also got a feeling you won't keep it in your possession for long."
"Rogue? Are you saying you're gonna stop being a hero? What if you get in trouble? Or worse, what if the Hero Commission sees you as a threat and evokes your license forever? What would your family say? Wouldn't they be disappointed? Kamilah worked so hard to make you look like the good sibling out of your family. You'd be putting all her hard work at ri-"
"You know, my auntie told me something my sister said something recently..."Fuck family", I think is what she said." I smiled and uncrossed my arms, "I may be the most mature out of the two of us, but I have the same detestment for our family. I became a hero because of her suffering...I've strayed from that so it's time I go back to my origins...and find a way to repay her by breaking our curse. A man once told me I have to be at my lowest point if I...we want to...face a challenge. The Shimizugawa Curse is holding us back so I'll do what it takes to break it." I pointed at the card in Todoroki's hands, "That...is also holding me back."
Todorki glared at me and stepped up to me, "Think about what you're doing. What if you never come back from this?"
I chuckled while making a closed-eyed smile, "I'm prepared for the consequences. By the way..."
"What?"
"Tell Natsuo I said, "Stop being a wuss and go for it"." I waved them off, "Bye-bye for now."
My appearance and disappearance are similar to Kamilah's teleportation ability except when I do it, I fade into thin air, leaving behind a golden electric blue mist.
I looked into the endless distance of the universe, "I'll do anything I have to...so long as it isn't murder. Sorry, Unc...I can't stoop that far like you have."
"I don't see you committing murder, but I do see you committing treason against the Hero Public Safety Commission. Are you sure you want to do this, Hakim?"
I turned around, seeing Miss Misuzu with a worried expression.
"I'm sure. Besides, I'll let the adults handle the legal stuff. Need to make Unc look good to the press and all heroes when his story comes out. Hopefully, he can get his position back as Nogitsune."
"Yes, that is the case for the three..." she mumbled as if ashamed of herself, which confirmed it was her avoidance of eye contact.
"...We haven't seen you since Kamilah blacked out. What happened?"
"Kamilah...tried to commit suicide."
I almost lost my composure, about to scream at her and approach her but I kept my resolve. It wouldn't be fair of me to go off and not let her explain.
"Explain. Keep it brief. I'm calm. I won't act out, I promise."
"She isn't dead...not yet at least. She's currently going through trials with...her grim reaper. You have one, too, you just haven't been as close to death as she has. I digress, Kamilah got frustrated and since she'd concluded there was nothing left for her, she decided to end it all. I don't have access to her soul as of now..."
"So you came to me...which means you're going to guide me while Ami's down. Tell me everything later, aright? What do you need me to do?"
Misuzu finally looked up from the clear water. She looked relieved, happy even, I think this is the first time she's ever smiled in a long time.
"I hate that it took Kamilah sacrificing herself for me to realize this...but I now know how to break the Shimizugawa Curse."
My jaw hung open, my body stiff, but the inside was buzzing with energy.
"We need to go to the source. Find Toya Todoroki."
A/N:
"Hayaa ya Jameela. Aelam 'ana hadha lays kulu ma ealayk 'iizharuh" translates to "Come on, Jameela. I know that's not all you have to show" in Arabic.
"'Ayuha aleahirat alsaghiratu! Kulu ma ealayk fieluh hu alamtithal mithl alfataat alsaghirat altiyibat alati kunt ealayha tawal hadhih alsanawati! Limadha yajib 'an takun saeban jidana?!" translates to "You little bitch! All you have to do is comply like the good little girl you've been all these years! Why does it have to be so difficult?!" in Arabic.
"Yajib 'an taerifi 'afdal ya, Jameela. Laqad ealimatni 'ala 'asheur bial'almi. Yajib 'alaa tastakhdim taktikatuk alkhasat dida eaduk" translates to "You should know better, Jameela. You taught me not to feel pain. You must not use your own tactics against your enemy" in Arabic.
"La...la, la yumkinuk 'an tamut bieda. Lan 'asmah lika. 'Uriduk 'an tueani...'Ahtaj 'iilaa tadkhin tilk aleubua" translates to "No...no, you can't die yet. I will not allow you. I want you to suffer...I need to smoke that pack" in Arabic.
"'Anti...laqad kunt mukhtiaa. La yanbaghi li 'an 'unjibak abdan! 'ant eari! Majnuna! Altifl alshaytan! 'anti... Lam yakun yajib 'an takun mwjwdan abdan, 'ayuha althaelab allaein!" translates to "You…you were a fucking mistake. I should never have given birth to you! You're a disgrace! A lunatic! A demon child! You…You should've never existed, you damned Fox!" in Arabic.
"Khata?" translates to "A mistake?" in Arabic.
"'Anak aikhtart 'an tasriq rajul shakhs akhar wataqtul alrajul aladhi saham fi wafat 'ajdadi? 'Awhi, bu huw, Jameela. Jamieuna nartakib al'akhta' wanadfae thamanaha jmyean...satadfae thaman 'akhtayik bialmawt ealaa yadha!" translates to "That you chose to have to steal someone else's man and kill the man that contributed to my grandparents' deaths? Oh, boo hoo, Jameela. We all make mistakes and we all pay for them...you'll pay for yours by dying at her hand!" in Arabic.
"Ant tatahadath kthyran ean shakhs mulqa ealaa al'ard alan! Kan yajib 'an 'afeal hadha eindama 'utihat li alfursata! Hal taerif limadha lam 'afeal? Laqad qult 'anak satakun 'afdal min 'awal mayti, mimaa yaeni 'anak satakun 'afdal min 'iindifur. Aietaqadat 'anah yumkinuni alaietimad ealayk lilaintiqam miniy hataa la yatima aitihami! Lakinani 'aetaqid 'anak mujarad 'alam saghir eadim alfayidat fi muakharati! Lan takun mthalyan abdan!" translates to "You're talking too much shit to someone lying on the floor right now! I should have done this when I had the chance! Do you know why I didn't? You said you'd be better than All-Might, which means you'd be better than Endeavor. I thought I could count on you to take revenge for me so I wouldn't be framed! But I think you're just a useless little pain in my ass! You will never be perfect!" in Arabic.
"Laqad qumt bitarbiat shakhs yumkin 'an yueti muakharat aljardh. Hal aintahayt alan? aiteanni bialfiel li'anani la 'astatie samae kalamik 'ayuha aleahirat ean al'ashya' alati faealatha fi almadi wakayf 'anaha eadat litaedak fi muakhiratika" translates to "You raised someone who could give a rat's ass. Are you done now? Stab me already because I can't take hearing you bitch about the shit you did in the past and how it's coming back to bite you in the ass." in Arabic.
"Ma, alkhutab ya 'umi? Aietaqadt 'anak turid qatli? Faj'atan, la yumkinuk haml nafsak ealaa alqiam bidhalika? Taghyir alqalb bihadhih alsureati? 'Awh, kam hu hulu!" translates to "What's wrong, mom? I thought you wanted to kill me? Suddenly, you can't bring yourself to do it? Change of heart so quickly? Oh, how sweet!" in Arabic.
"Bisarahatan, aetaqadt 'anak satakun 'aqwaa bikathir bialnisbat libatal min bayn aleishrin al'awayili...lakinak mukhayib lilamal lilghayati. Kayf turid abnatan mithaliatan wa'ant last mthalyan? min alnaahiat alnafsiati, 'ant turid 'an taeish hayatak min khilali watajealani 'atahamal kula alluwmi." translates to "Honestly, I thought you'd be a lot stronger for a hero who's in the top twenty...but you're such a disappointment. How could you want a perfect daughter when you're not perfect yourself? Psychologically speaking, you want to live your life through me and make me take all the blame." in Arabic.
"Hal taealamt dhalik min tilk aleahirat aleaqimati?" translates to "Did you learn that from that infertile bitch?" in Arabic.
"Fi alwaqie, Laqad faealta...waraqib famak, rubama sa'umaziq rahimak baed dhalik hataa la taqdi ealaa almazid min al'atfal" translates to "In fact, I did...and watch your mouth, I might tear out your uterus next so you don't doom any more children."
"'Ana 'akrahuk" translates to "I fucking hate you!" in Arabic.
"Wakunt sa'ushahid khutuati allegiant law kunt makanka!" translates to "And I'd watch my fucking step if I were you!" in Arabic.
"'Dinah mithl aleusur alqadimat, 'alays kadhalika? lakin ealaa al'aqali, kunt sa'araa zawali 'iidha altazamat" translates to "It's like old times, isn't it? But at least, I would have seen my demise if you had committed" in Arabic.
"Kama taelamin, 'ana saeid li'anak ma zilt ealaa qayd alhayaat, Mama. aintahat aleutlat fi alwaqt alhalii...lakin antazar hataa nasil 'iilaa almanzil lileaba" translates to "You know, I'm glad you're still alive, Mama. Recess is over for now... but wait until we get home to play" in Arabic.
"'Iina alyabaniiyn harisun jdan ealaa alaintihar bimujarad 'an la yabdu alwade fi salihihim" translates to "The Japanese are so eager to commit suicide as soon as the situation isn't looking to be in their favor" in Arabic.
"Laqad kanat muhatatan bithaqafatihim lifatrat tawilatin" translates to "She's been surrounded by their culture for too long" in Arabic.
"'Iinaha tansaa judhuraha" translates to "She forgets her roots" in Arabic.
"Aljudhur alati khaba'atha jamilat eanha walitikhtih" translates to "The roots that Jameela hid from her and has sullied."
"'Iinaha lan tasil 'iilaa hadha alhad. 'iinaha bihajat 'iilaa 'an tatajasad min jadidin" translates to "She won't make it far like this. She needs to be reincarnated" in Arabic.
"Hadha 'iidha...aetarafat bikhatayaha walam taqae fi alyasu" translates to "That's if...she admits her sins and doesn't fall into despair" in Arabic.
"Penquena/Pequeno tomate" translates to "little tomato" in Spanish.
"Culo" translates to "ass" in Spanish.
Translating all this took a while because I wanted it to translate correctly for those who can read Arabic and Spanish. I'm about to take 2 Spanish classes for my last 2 semesters, so hopefully, I can translate some basic and intermediate Spanish vocab by the end of the semester.
Now my rambling begins. I was so hyped to write that fight scene between Kamilah and Jameela; I've been waiting for that moment since I wrote the first chapter. On a different note, I love the potential I'm going to execute for Zurui and Xitalit's relationship! They're so cute together and I already adore the dynamic between them. They deserve better because Jameela was being a messy, toxic homewrecking bi-...
Anyway, don't worry, I'm going to expand on the missed time between Zurui and Kamilah, who also deserves better. The room she was in and how she looked in the title image. I haven't fully developed what the An-Nur family secret is, and I might not just keep everything less complicated. Also, I forgot to mention Kamilah used to hear Zurui say "shoot" instead of "shit" before he was sent to Tartarus to save her young ears, but as you can see, that didn't work. She now uses it subconsciously to let someone proceed to tell her something; this term then inspired Izuku's "Shoot Style". Kamilah will be given her flowers for all she has been through...and she will also be reaping what she's sowed for her sins.
The last subject I want to address is Yuiko and Enji's relationship. That wasn't planned to be in my story whatsoever. However, I thought I'd mix it up and cook a little to see where that would go...and oh boy, I love the disaster I've conjured. No one other than the older characters knows about their past relationship in high school. Yuiko used to be the magma to Enji's fire...I know, it doesn't make sense and it's similar to one another. In other words, she was a strong woman and he was a strong man, and strong men want to "conquer" strong women. As for Yuiko's therapy sessions with Rei, Enji's wife? *Anya Forger smile* I don't want to spoil too much...
