[OLD] Book 1: Densetsu.EXEcution

Chapter 4 - Two Minds As One

Chapter 4: Two Minds as One

Saki and Alexis had met only a few years ago. It was March of 2077. Saki was only 12 years old. Her father Izumo had been changing day by day, slowly becoming distant from the rest of his wife Mizu and his daughter. One day, he just left without warning. Saki had no idea what was going on.

“Mommy,” she would ask, “Daddy’s coming home soon, right?”

It was a question that Mizu was never able to answer.

“I don’t know, honey,” Mizu would reply, “But when he does, I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”

About a year would pass. During this year, Saki and her mother would have the same conversation each night. “Where’s daddy?” “I’m not sure, dear.” “Will he be home soon?” “I don’t know.”

The conversations grew tedious for Mizu. Just before Saki met Alexis, she and her mother were involved in a heist. A man named Cal Romano had promised Mizu the safe return of her daughter in exchange for Izumo’s fortune. Refusing, Mizu commit suicide. As Romano was preparing to kill Saki with his bare hands, Alexis made her appearance. Distracting Romano, she gave Saki an opportunity to escape.

“You have to get out of here, now!” Alexis had screamed, “Don’t make my efforts in vain! Get out of here!” Saki wasn’t sure what exactly was going on, but all she could do was obey. She fled Romano’s hideout, leaving her mother’s corpse behind.

Saki and Alexis met once more a few days later. Alexis had escaped from Romano’s clutches, though he was not a happy camper. Alexis revealed to Saki that she was her step-sister, the daughter of the woman that Izumo had married in the past year he had been gone. After realizing this, Saki had never felt a deeper hatred for her own father.

Two years later, Saki and Alexis lived on their own. It had now been 8 months since Arashi’s parents disappeared. Since then, Arashi had stayed with Saki and her sister during the weeks he wasn’t staying with Akida and Aodah. As Saki looked up smiling at the calm and pleasant autumn weather, she heard Arashi’s footsteps in the hallway.

“Are you sad?” she asked him, not giving him any context.

“Why would I be?” he asked, looking over at her.

“Arashi always looks so sad,” She replied. “Saki is sad that Arashi won’t tell her what’s on his mind.” That was when it occurred to Arashi that he hadn’t mentioned the assassin to Saki.

“Well, there’s a good reason for it,” he said. “About a week ago, Akida and I were attacked by an assassin.”

“I don’t believe you,” she replied. “But I guess you don’t trust me.” She was still smiling, though with irony.

“That’s your choice,” he said. “It’s not a very believable story anyway.”

“So? Tell me,” Saki requested, switching back to first-person. “I’d love to hear it.”

“A man with pale-gray skin dressed in black and red clothes showed up at Akida’s house while I was visiting him on Monday,” Arashi told her. “He raised his arm, and several men armed with military weapons showed up out of the abyss. Akida pulled a sword off the wall beside him and began to retaliate. Just before that, I had passed out. I met with the girl that I rescued from that pyromaniac back at the mall. She said she needed me, that I was her only hope…something crazy like that. When I awoke, Akida was already fighting the assassin. Just as the assassin fired his gun, I cried out ‘I’m not weak!’, and the bullet halted in mid-air. I felt something rise from my back, and I thought I could see her.”