/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>46855372

Why did I? I was told to watch over her and guard her from any further harm. Once it became clear that there was no safety to be found in this place. I had no obligation to stay, and doing so would have resulted in my death. But I had picked her up, knowing she would weigh me down. If I were just a bit less lucky, the flames spread a little further or I had been a little more tired then I would have never escaped while carrying her. So why?

A faint but familiar pitter-patter breaks my train of thought. The golden walls of light surrounding us slope, allowing droplets of water to swim down; I wasn’t expecting rain in an inferno like this. More and more people enter the safety of the walls, not all of them are in good shape. Some managed to hobble in by themselves, others had to be carried or dragged. The wounded were laid down, and a handful of Inaba emerged, getting to work treating them despite their pregnant bellies. I guess that’s Tewi’s handiwork.

Some of the wounded might not make it. There must be many more dead out there, already consumed by flames. If I had left Keine where she was she would have joined them. But I didn’t let that happen, I couldn’t without betraying the dying message she left to Mokou and I.

“I don't know…” I sigh out. “E-Every moment I carried her, I was lashing out inside, thinking I was committing a mistake. Mokou's embers wouldn't last forever, and I-I could've died at any time… If Keine were a ghost, she'd be begging me to let her body go so I'd run faster…” I try to laugh, but only manage a weak choke. Looking down at Keine, I lift her out once again and move her just a bit to the side; so we wouldn’t have her just lying there next to us. “B-But I couldn't, because…” I continue, wiping tears away. “… I t-think she'll come back to us!” It sounded ridiculous, but I still clung onto that faint hope. After all, from what I heard the woman in front on me had died and come back, and there was that Western saint who came back to life and left his tomb days after his death.

“It wouldn't be the first time; I saw it happening at Eientei; at that night with Mr. Hieda and his s-samurai…” She had faced down death and won before, so to die right before she could achieve victory to someone’s trigger finger just felt wrong, a story that died with a whimper “If someone could squeeze from the Yama a second chance at life, I think it'd be her.” That would make for an amazing ending. The brave hero dying, only to return to the living to complete what they set out to do, fitting for someone like her.

“You thought highly of her, didn’t you?” Miko says with a brief glance to where Keine lay. “Okay, I believe you.”

“H-Huh…?!” I stammer out. That convinced her?

Your desires speak truthfully of your experience, so I choose to believe our revolutionary leader shall return—I'll even send a message to Eiki~” A glowing ball emerges from her head and shoots up to the skies, disappearing into the thick clouds of smoke. “So, until Keine walks amidst the living again, I think you should hold the fort. Our enemies don't have infinite ammo, and these walls shall hold on until I deem it necessary; we'll let them waste everything they have, then we'll attack them with all the rage this revolution has built for its entire existence… But to make it work, we'll need a leader—a leader that doesn't need to fight, yet a leader that'll keep the people's spirits up! Someone to shine brightly and show them a smile; confidence—we need you…” She steps behind me and slips the cloak into my shoulders. “The fight is not over yet, Kosuzu Motoori.”

I look down at it as it flutters despite the lack of wind. How odd. Even so, it seems to weigh down on my shoulders, it’s way too large for me. It was made for Keine in mind, after all. “It's… v-very heavy.”

“As it should be—it bears all of these people's futures and by wearing it, so do you. Don’t worry, I’m here with you~”