Chapter 23 - Third Time's A Charm
Terraxia
"Are you sure you don't want us to put some anesthetics before proceeding?" - Ask Seirah to Chizuru who is seem lying on the table
"What part of I don't feel anything anymore haven't you understand?" - Chizuru
"My nociceptors just don't work anymore... I don't feel anything." - Chizuru
"Then let's start." - Krizalid starts cutting
Kagura closes her eyes as she opens them to see herself looking like a child again standing in front of a familiar fountain
"(What is this place?)" - Chizuru looks at her surroundings
"(Oh now I remember, this place some weeks after my sister died. I remember it, I was destroyed. I was trying to keep pushing myself up but I was so sad deep down to keep moving up.)" - Chizuru
"(Until he appeared.)" - Chizuru sees this young boy of red hair approaching
"(... )" - Chizuru
Chizuru moves towards Yagami who looks thoughtful at the water of the fountain
"(Why I'm still here, I should had been with my sister and my parents.)" - Chizuru sees herself reflected on this lake
"(Why are you still too rough on yourself?) - In that moment Chizuru turns around seeing a strange shadow approaching
"(Do I know you?)" - Chizuru
"(No, but I know you. You're the current head of the Yata clan... Chizuru Yata. Though you prefer to be know more by the surname Kagura, the surname of your mother before she married with your father)" - Says the woman who sports a kimono just like Chizuru
"(By the way, my name is Kaya.)" - Kaya
"(I used to think I was ready for anything, for any kind of crisis but now I realize-)" - Chizuru stops
"(You realize?)" - Kaya
"(That I'm incredibly weak!)" - Chizuru says tossing a rock to the lake
"(Don't be so harsh on yourself. Nobody borns being stronger, real strenght goes beyond any word, the true strength from someone comes from oneself and their will. You won't tell me you don't have the will to keep living?)" - Kaya
"(I have the will to live but I'm afraid of it. Alot of members of my clan died young, they died like heroes, protecting the future but for me... What is left for me to protect, we are never going to return home.)" - Chizuru
"(You know you're already giving up before you can know what the future awaits, isn't it?)" - Kaya
"(Yes... I know, I'm weak!)" - Chizuru
"(No, you're not. You're just afraid, that's all and that's alright.)" - Kaya
"(I am. But what should I do?)" - Chizuru
"(What your heart suggest you.)" - Kaya stands up
In front of both women, the mist covering the place dissipates with both seeing two paths ahead
"(I don't understand...)" - Chizuru sees both paths
"(Pick whatever path you want, just listen to your heart and walk such path with a firm head.)" - Kaya
"(But-but.)" - Chizuru
"(You know you want to be with your sister and your parents-)" - Kaya
"(However you know there's unfinished stuff in earth waiting for you, right? Especially certain someone who you clearly want to save.)" - Kaya
"(Or I'm wrong?)" - Kaya
"(No)" - Chizuru starts moving she ponders what path take, the one from the right or the one to the left
For a moment she looks at the one from the left but her hands shiver, then she holds her fists with force starting to move towards the path of the right
Chizuru opens her eyes
"She is awakening." - Seirah
"Then it worked." - Krizalid
"Chizuru, are you feeling alright?" - Athena approaches
"I don't know, I feel-Alive?" - Chizuru touches her cheek, she realizes she has lips again, she realizes she can actually feel again
"Here, take a look." - Leona appears with a mirror putting said mirror in front of Kagura who is surprised seeing herself human again
"Is almost as if I had been reborn." - Chizuru
"But what happened to my old body?" - Chizuru
"It was cremated." - Seirah
"Oh." - Chizuru
"I get it, considerating the stuff that happened while Mizuki used my body, perhaps is for the best." - Chizuru touches her shoulders shedding some tears feeling dirty as some memories come to her head
"(Rakikiki! Is that all you have Geese?)" - The voices of Mizuki and Geese Howard are heard in Chizuru's memories
"(Come on! You think I'm done, not yet!)" - Chizuru grabs her shoulders feeling dirty remembering Geese's words
"(My first time... With a monster like Geese Howard.)" - Chizuru is visibly sad
"Is over, you're back with us now, Chizuru." - Athena puts her hand on her shoulder
"Yes but this isn't over." - Chizuru gets up grabing her clothes dressing
"We will leave you, we need to talk in the main room. We need to talk regarding everything that has happened." - Seirah
Everyone leaves except Chizuru and Athena
"Chizuru..." - Athena
"Yes Athena?" - Chizuru
"I want to apologize" - Athena
"Why? If it wasn't for you, I would be right now nothing but a corpse there lying on the river. Is me who needs to apologize." - Chizuru
"I acted awful with you while I was that creature. My mind was clouded by a strange feeling of hunger and anger... Is kinda hard to explain it but oh no! Now I remember it!" - Chizuru
"Chizuru wait." - Athena
"Athena, I killed Botan. With my own hands I ended up tearing her apart piece by piece." - Chizuru
"It was this mutation to your body, you weren't thinking right..." - Athena
"No, I was actually. I hated her! I remember her now." - Chizuru
"Years ago, she took over my mind. She tried to sneak her strings on me while I was in my office." - Chizuru
"But I detected her, we fought inside the office... She dominated me." - Chizuru
"What?" - Athena
"She totally destroyed me back there, her way to move, her tactics, I was outmatched... I though I had the upper hand but I was a fool!" - Chizuru
"She wasn't holding back. she broke my leg and made me trip back there. What I remember is having my entire body wrapped around in her strings, screaming for someone to help me as a defenseless girl." - Chizuru
The image of Botan's shadow having Chizuru envolved in her strings on the ground is seen, Chizuru now with her mouth covered looks above screaming for help but her muffled screams aren't heard by any of Chizuru's workers
"Now you're mine Chizuru!" - Botan
"Then the stuff about the tournament of that year happened, I was such a fool. It was all my fault!" - Chizuru kicks bed where she was
"Calm, that happened years ago." - Athena
"No, no! I was such an idiot! I opened the seal for Botan's group. I was nothing but a tool for her, she took advantage of my pain and we created a copy of my sister and that clone of Kyo who is with Rugal and the rest of scum, that was my creation!" - Chizuru
"You create it?" - Athena
"Yes, he was created based on my memories... And the forbidden ability of the mirror." - Chizuru
"But those memories only returned to me once I was death." - Chizuru
"Maybe it was the psychic energy you gave me when you brought me back." - Chizuru
"So when I had her on my claws, I couldn't hold myself from wanting to tear her apart." - Chizuru
"Chizuru, stop. You defeated Botan, she is gone, she won't hurt you again." - Athena
"No, you don't understand! I killed her... And I actually like it!" - Chizuru
"And not only that, I ended devouring her." - Chizuru
"I'm a monster, Athena." - Chizuru
"You're not a monster, we have had just a tough time." - Athena
"If you were a monster, you would had killed me back there." - Athena
"... You're different." - Chizuru
"What you said to me, that you wished you had a sister like me and how you opposed to Kyo to bring me back." - Chizuru
"That made me feel that there was someone who actually really cared about me." - Chizuru
"We all care about you, is just that-" - Athena
"No Kyo no." - Chizuru
"But it makes sense, considerating he probably sees me as an annoyance." - Chizuru
"Don't say that, even he cares.. Is just that, he didn't wanted me to go back there for fear of something happening to me." - Athena
"You know it?" - Chizuru
"I read his mind. I know he cares about all of us... But when you were took by Mizuki." - Athena
"Alot of them thought I was dead for real this time. I mean technically I have died already like two times, Athena." - Chizuru
Chizuru remembers when Genjuro Kibagami cutted her body in many pieces, then she remembers Iori strangling her on the river
"Is a miracle I'm still on this competition Athena." - Chizuru
"I'm sorry for what happened to Rosa, Jeanne and Galford." - Chizuru
"I miss them too." - Athena
"Nakoruru, she does her best to hide her pain." - Athena
"You know Athena, I don't want to die yet." - Chizuru
"You're not going to die, we are going to return back home." - Athena
"I hope so, you know what they say, third time's a charm. Technically I shouldn't even be here." - Chizuru
"But I there's one thing that keeps me here." - Chizuru
"Mizuki?" - Athena
"Yes, I have pending accounts with her, I can't die because I know none of you care about what happens with Yagami. Call me foolish but I know I can take her down this time." - Chizuru
"We will take her down, remember?" - Athena
"Yes. I remember." - Chizuru stares at Athen with both women crossing stares
"Athena I." - Chizuru
"Don't worry, I know but we can talk about that in another moment." - Athena is about ot leave
"But what if there's not another moment?" - Chizuru
Saying that makes Athena stop in the door
"There will, I'm sure of it. Come on, they are waiting for us." - Athena
Main Hall
"Well as you know, the last time we were attacked. The intruders from Rugal's group came to the city but not witht he intentions we would think, instead it seems they came looking for something." - Seirah
"Alot of parts from the lab were stolen, the diamonds and crystals from the vault of the king were taken too by this group conformed by Shion, the clone of Kyo that calls himself Kusanagi, Allen O'Neil and the now deceased Botan." - Leona
"We deduce they might be wanting to use this components for something but what exactly?" - Dr. Brown
"Considerating what Siruu told us regarding the crystals being able to hold a lot of energy in themselves. We believe it may have to do something with a nullifyer of power." - Dr. Brown
"But why would they need that?" - Maxima
"Something tells me the group of Rugal must already found something that we don't." - Leona
"And whatever they found, they are planning to use it to try to get rid of us." - Says Leona as a look is seen in the fallen ship of the Mars People
"Rakikiki! Is almost done! The crystals are almost powered up." - Says Mizuki now in the body of Iori Yagami bringing the strange crystals from a cauldron
"Perfect, Mizuki! Once the crystals are overcharged we can continue with the rest of the plan." - Rugal
"Are you sure Rootmars is going to be of any help now? Last time you and Mizuki tried to get control of him, it didn't worked." - Geese
"It will work now, besides Rootmars needs us anyway. If he didn't, he would have already attacked us with his minions." - Mizuki, Geese, Ron and Rugal advance to where a giant and injured Rootmars is seem
"Something tells me the energy he used to call his people made him weak, right after being almost hit by the ray of Urbe." - Mizuki
"Probably, right now the creature seems on his last ones." - Ron
"Which is why we have decided we will use his "Replacement body" Once the crystals are done." - Rugal and Ron look at a strange chamber where a strange silhoute is seem in suspended animation
"What's wrong man?" - Ask Yashiro approaching Shion
"Come on don't tell me you think she is death?" - Yashiro
"I mean, hours had passed already, Botan isn't someone to take alot of time in a simple mission, I know her well and something tells me she already got killed." - Shion
"How are you sure she already got to bite the dust?" - Yashiro
"Take a look at her prisioners, those two! They have been acting strange for a while now. I deduce that with Botan dead, they are now free. Be careful around them." - Shion whispers to Yashiro
"Hpmh! If Botan isn't controlling that beauty of purple hair, then I guess she won't mind if I ask her what's her deal?" - Yashiro
"Go ahead then, is your funeral." - Says Shion with a smile
"Shame that Botan and Shermie are death. I don't like being the only woman on the team alone again." - Mizuki
"Hearing you say that while possessing the body of the Yagami bastard, is certainly amusing." - Ron
"Oh but this body is actually wonderful, the hatred, the nightmares... Poor little Yagami, trapped in his own body now. He made a mistake thinking he could defeat me as if nothing." - Mizuki
"By the way, Rugal. Have you decided what we will do with them?" - Mizuki points at Shiki and Asura who are being approached by Yashiro
"As long as they don't become a liability for us, they can stay. They look more confused than anything." - Rugal
"I wouldn't be so sure if I was you. After all, this two have a certain chi that feels familiar for me, tell me Rugal. Have I ever tell you about the legend of Yuga?" - Mizuki
"No, you haven't. Tell me exactly who is this Yuga and what he has to do with this two." - Rugal
"Oh everything, might as well begin from the start." - Mizuki
"Hello gorgeous!" - Yashiro
"..." - Shiki looks at Yashiro confused
"You're talking to me?" - Shiki
"Yes, what other beauty is here?" - Yashiro
"Hmph!" - Shiki
"So from where you come from?" - Yashiro
"Japan." - Shiki
"You're from the present aren't you? I mean those clothes and the swords." - Yashiro
"I don't even know in what year I was born. All I know is that I was supposed to accomplish something but I don't remembe." - Shiki
"And without our memories we don't know where to go now." - Asura
"I see, so you both know each other?" - Yashiro
"Yes." - Shiki and Asura
"..." - Asura leaves to wander around the ship
"He isn't too talktative isn't it?" - Yashiro
"No but he is my partner, that's all I remember. My master requested us to look for someone but I don't remember who." - Shiki
"And who is this master?" - Says Yashiro provoking Shiki to open her eyes widely
*Slash* - For the surprise of Yashiro, Shiki pulls out one of her swords with her pointing at Yashiro in the neck
"You don't want to know." - Shiki
"Is better if it stays that way." - Shiki puts her sword back to her place
"Hehehehehe! I get it now, you're such a rude girl from someoen who comes from the past. I like that!" - Yashiro
"If you want to help, help me introducing me to the rest of your partners here. After all, we need to work together if we want to survive, isn't it?" - Shiki
"With pleasure." - Yashiro
To Be Continued...