Keep The Flag Flying #RELOAD, FINALE

[1]

"So this is where you fished these guys from, huh?"

Jack-O' stood at the edge of the ruins of Rome, at the giant 'house' that I-No had seemingly summoned out of nowhere. Inside were the mysterious heroes that she had brought into this world, along with their un-converted friends, now no longer Gears thanks to I-No's special brand of time magic, with memories of all they'd just gone through intact. She'd even transported some of the wayward friends who'd been in Australia back here to reunite with their friends, though apparently, it involved stomping the guts out of a few mafia goons.

The witch in question strolled up beside Jack, a sly smirk dressing her face.

"Believe it or not, I only saw one future where this war ended. And they were in it. I did what I did to save your sorry asses and move this world into its next chapter."

Jack-O' sourly nodded, but she couldn't hide her bitterness.

"Well, I still want to kick your ass, but you did a lot more than I did."

In order to end the plight of the enraged Dizzy, Jack-O' had to do the unthinkable. She had to release her limiters and reveal her true form◊. Perhaps it would no longer come as a surprise to these folk that she was a Gear as well, much less that she was the Prototype, made before Justice, and was thus immune to his Command Protocol.

They might've been bitter towards her for her keeping secrets, but it didn't matter. With Dizzy and Justice in front of her, she had to unleash her full power and fight alongside them. It was the only way.

Bringing Ky along was a mistake... it contributed nothing and took away everything. The young idealistic boy was bleeding out, with no one to comfort him as Jack and the others fought for their lives.

I-No came along when all hope seemed lost, picking up the remnants of the dimensional prison Ky had prepared and adding her own finishing touches. With it, Jack managed to push Justice back and into the depths of oblivion.

Dizzy was a tougher fight... she had the potential to surpass even Justice. And her control over the converted as well as her chaotic goal made it a messy, all-out brawl.

But they did it... somehow.

By the time Jack went to Ky's side, he was long gone.

And that alone was Jack's greatest regret today...

I-No stood up, her smirk never leaving her.

"Say your goodbyes, stick around with them. I don't care. But just keep in mind that I'll be seeing you around, Jackie."

I-No left through a portal. Jack did nothing to stop her.

Dizzy was in the room, her injuries being nursed. At the very least she came out of this alive.

But the same couldn't be said for Jack-O'.

Nothing went according to plan for her today.

One of her best friends was dead, her daughter was irreversibly traumatized, and I-No was the one who saved the day and rubbed it in her face.

Now all that was left was the crossroads.

To her left was the Room, where she could go to leave this world.

And to the right was the crumbling city of Rome, she could stay and help rebuild in whatever way she could.

...

Whichever choice she made, she didn't feel good about it... at all.

And so she stood there, silent, convinced utterly that she had no place... anywhere. Not after all that she did, not after how she failed.

This was her deserved punishment.

As Aichi slept, recovering from his ordeal, the sound of footsteps came about quietly.

He wasn't sure how he would do this, but he felt he had to say something.

Even if Aichi wouldn't hear him.

This was for himself, maybe...

"This was all I could recover from him. I'm sorry I couldn't save him, Sendou."

Midoriya walked away, leaving Sagi's Magnus deck on the table to accompany the sleeping Aichi.

END

(Thanks for playing!)

Edited by LatverianBadger on May 10th 2019 at 12:17:48 AM

Room-

-Asleep on Aichi’s chest...is a small, blue mouse-

Aichi's Room (Aichi)

-Everything after a certain point is a haze.-

-He was returned to his normal self, his memories cascading back to him.-

-His name is Aichi Sendou. He's 16 years old. He has a mom, dad, and a younger sister. He attends Miyaji Academy and is a first year student. He has many, many, many friends that he is far too lucky to have. He has a girlfriend that he is still shocked he has. Cardfight!! Vanguard provides him so much life along with those friends.-

-There were many, many, many, many important things that were lost to him while he was under Justice's influence.-

-He remembers when the influence left him, suddenly. He's still not entirely sure how. Everything is so hazy and it was all such a rush...-

-But one minute he was attacking his friends, mentally screaming for someone to end it...-

-...The next he was suddenly himself again, remembering everything that he had just done, everything he had seen, everything he had felt.-

-His eyes just... welled up with tears. He couldn't stop crying. It's so pathetic, but he couldn't stop crying.-

-He's stronger than that, isn't he...? Stronger than breaking down, crying... Eventually it... proved to be too much for him in the present moment. He slipped unconscious.-

-Perhaps the strain was too much. Perhaps he was exhausted, mentally and physically. Perhaps the swell of all of his memories as well as the realization of what he had been doing finally took its toll. Perhaps someone knocked him out while he was so distraught.-

-There's no telling, honestly. Not that he can really think of it right now. He's unconscious, after all... Although these feeling still haunt him, even now...-

-Nightmares haunt him. Various different things, although the biggest of note are of... well, the most obvious is what he went through. Reliving it. Seeing it all again.-

-Seeing Sagi be struck down.-

-The other... is actually a dream of a face he hasn't seen in a very long while, and one he hopes he never sees again.-

-That of Infinite. Thought Aichi never saw what Infinite actually did to Sagi, but he knew of the brutality. He saw the results.-

-So naturally his own mind and imagination fill in the blanks. And boy, do they.-

-He doesn't rest easy. He doesn't rest easy at all.-

-Eventually his eyes snap open, and he's in a cold sweat. It takes him a few seconds before it clicks that it was all just a series of nightmares. Brutal nightmares.-

-...?-

-He's... in his room...?-

-For a second, he almost can't remember any of it all happening... but then he remembers. It occurs to him so quickly. All of the pain returns.-

-He says nothing. The agent says nothing. There is nothing to say.-

-He and the agent wish it was just a nightmare, but... it wasn't. It wasn't a nightmare. It was reality. Everything was reality.-

-He finds himself lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling...-

-He's hurt. He's lost. He's scared. He's guilty. He's regretful. He's mournful.-

-And yet, in this present moment, he feels himself unable to do anything.-

-...How could he have forgotten everyone? How could he not have fought harder to remember them and kept himself from fighting them?-

-...Why couldn't he have helped Sagi...? He was... He should have been able to help Sagi...-

-He's not sure. He's not sure of anything.-

-The agent was barely there for any of it, he was almost entirely erased while Aichi was under Justice's control...-

-...But both of them still remember that near nonexistence... The thing that Aichi tried to save the agent from...-

-It's terrifying... Not only was he in danger, his friends were in danger, everyone was in danger... but he was just... void. Only barely there. He nearly had no cognizance at all. It was only when the idea of being an agent was heard, that he sort of sparked back into existence. He pleaded for himself, to remember.-

-It's not like he remembered anything either though. Just that brief second of being told that Aichi was an agent was enough to at least make him realize how scared he was, how lost, how alone... How being an agent was apparently something important to them...-

-Once Aichi was returned to normal, the agent was as well... but he still remembers that empty void...-

-Both of them are horrified by their actions. It may have only been the real Aichi doing the actions, but the two of them are one. If one did it, the other did it as well. There is no ifs, ands, or buts. They both feel the guilt, the pain, the fear, the loss, the loneliness, the sadness...-

-They tried to kill their friends. They tried to kill everyone. They caused meaningless destruction.-

-...And... they did kill people... Aichi shot some of those soldiers. He doesn't know how to deal with that. He's a murderer.-

-Aichi's a murderer.-

-...And Sagi... What about Sagi...? He saw Sagi fall to the ground... unable to help him...-

-They were saying he was dead, but... he can't be, right...? Sagi's a strong, and capable guy... He can't be dead. He can't be dead. He can't be dead.-

-This isn't like when Blaster Blade was Deleted. Aichi could sense that, in some way, Blaster Blade was still around. He could be brought back. Aichi wasn't sure how, but he knew he could.-

-But Sagi... He doesn't have any way of having that kind of feeling about Sagi. Sagi could be dead. Sagi fell to the ground right in front of him. He saw Sagi fall.-

-He saw Sagi die—-

-...No, no...-

-Don't give up on him... Don't give up on him... Don't give up on him...-

-Just... what is he supposed to...?-

-All of these things go through his mind at rapid speeds... but eventually he realizes that something is on his chest.-

"...?"

-He tries to look without moving too much, and sees... a mouse...?-

"...?"

-A mouse... That's...-

"...Shantae...?"

Aichi’s Room

-The mouse stirs and looks up at him, knowingly-

-...Yup, almost definitely Shantae-

-...She’s okay!-

Aichi's Room (Aichi)

-...-

-...He does manage a small smile at that.-

-Shantae's all right. She's all right.-

"...I'm glad you're all right..."

-...Shantae may be able to tell that he's definitely lacking his normal energy.-

-Considering what happened... yeah, it's going to be a while before he's anywhere near his old self again.-

"...You've been with me this whole time...?"

-Honestly... that means so much to him. He would have felt so much worse if he had woken up on his own.-

-...Probably would have cried again...-

-...-

-...Don't think about it...-

Aichi’s Room

-The mouse hops off of Aichi’s chest and changes into Shantae, sitting on the edge of his bed-

“...I was afraid you wouldn’t be...’you’ again.”

Aichi's Room (Aichi)

-...-

-...He can't blame her. He's still not entirely sure how he's back to normal.-

"...I..."

-...What's he supposed to say...?-

-'I'm glad I'm me again'? 'I'm glad you don't have to worry'?-

-...-

"...I'm... glad to see you again..."

-He finally looks up at her, after sitting up on his bed.-

"...I heard your name while I was a Gear..."

-It's painful thinking about it, but...-

"...I couldn't remember you, but I... I knew that..."

-...-

"...I... knew that I wanted to see you... Even though you were supposed to be the enemy, I..."

-He wanted to see her again. Even before he learned that she was his girlfriend.-

-She knew she would want to help them. Not attack them on sight. He didn't know why at the time, but he remembers now.-

Aichi's Room

"...So you were turned into...one of them. I heard you might've but...didn't wanna believe it...who else?"

Aichi's Room (Aichi)

-Who else...?-

"...Koata... Lancer... Audrey... Gesicht... Peter..."

-He goes on to list the others, before...-

"...S... Sagi..."

-...Seems like that one has him upset.-

Aichi's Room

"...I think I saw a few of them when we showed up here...is Sagi the...the wing guy?"

Aichi's Room (Aichi)

-A silent, solemn nod...-

-It also seems like he hasn't noticed the deck that was placed on his desk...-

Aichi's Room

"...W-well I'm sure he's okay too, just haven't seen him around yet! Hey, are these more cards from that game you play?"

-Shantae grabs the magnus deck and starts looking through it-

"Weird, that one's just blank..."

Aichi's Room (Aichi)

-...R-Right. Right. Sagi's... Sagi's fine...-

-He made it out... Stop worrying over nothing, Aichi...-

-His head perks up when he hears the mention of the cards, apparently thinking that she might have found some that he had set on the desk...-

-...But then he sees her looking through them and.-

"...Those... aren't mine..."

-Those cards look familiar. Where has he—-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-Those... Those are...-

-Shantae, Aichi's paling. He's paling quickly.-

Aichi's Room

-She immediately drops them in his lap-

"Was I not supposed to touch them or something?"

Aichi's Room (Aichi)

-Aichi stares down at the cards in his lap.-

-He stares. And stares. And stares.-

"..."

-He slowly picks up a card, looking it over...-

-...It... It really is...-

"...S...Sagi... these are..."

-...His cards...-

Aichi's Room

"...Aichi you're really scaring me now..."

Aichi's Room (Aichi)

-Sagi's dead.-

-Sagi's dead.-

-Sagi's dead.-

-Sagi's dead.-

-These wouldn't be here if he wasn't. They would be with him.-

-You don't just separate someone from their cards willy-nilly. It doesn't work like that. It never works like that.-

-You don't... You don't do that.-

-His head lowers, eyes covered by his bangs, and his hand with the card trembles just a little...-

-...And then he hears Shantae.-

-He feels a chill go down his spine.-

-He's... scaring her...?-

-He... He doesn't mean to... He doesn't...-

-...-

-He finally gets himself to look back up at Shantae. Looking into his eyes right now, it's clear that he's been struck by the realization.-

"...H-He's... Sagi's..."

-Oh come on, don't do this, Aichi... Don't do this... Don't cry again... You're stronger than that... You're strong enough not to cry...-

"...H-He's dead... S-Sagi's dead..."

Aichi's Room

-Shantae...for once, says nothing-

-She just hugs him-

Aichi's Room (Aichi)

-Aichi wasn't really prepared for the hug, or much of anything, really.-

-He just...-

-...-

-He finds himself lowering his head, placing it against Shantae's shoulder.-

-...And he cries.-

-His friend is dead.-

-Sagi is dead.-

-He should have been able to help. He should have been able to stop it.-

-But he didn't.-

-So he just holds that card in his hand, crying while Shantae hugs him.-

-...Why...? Why did this have to happen...?-

-So much tragedy... Injustice... Pain...-

-This is... This is wrong... It shouldn't have happened... Sagi should be alive right now.-

-Sagi should have his deck right now.-

-Why couldn't Aichi have stopped it before it was too late?-

Edited by CrystalMemoria on May 10th 2019 at 5:51:26 AM

Aichi's Room

"It's okay, just...here for you."

-She's clearly bad at this but she hasn't let go yet-

Aichi's Room (Aichi)

-It doesn't matter if she's bad at it. As hard as it is to tell at this moment, having someone here at all means the world to him.-

-He just wishes he wasn't so weak as to cry so hard...-

"...W-Why...? W-Why couldn't I...? I-If I could have... t-then..."

Aichi's Room

"You...weren't yourself."

Aichi's Room (Aichi)

-But he...-

"I-I knew he was a friend...! E-Even if I wasn't myself, I should have... I-I should have...!"

-He should have broken through it...-

"W-When I saw him fighting like that, I should have tried to help him...!"

Aichi's Room

"Aichi...I know my boyfriend. If you could've done something...you would've. It isn't your fault..."

Aichi's Room (Aichi)

-Just... it's that easy for her to say that...?-

-How? How can she say it so simply?-

-He doesn't understand it...-

-Aichi's holding onto Shantae properly now.-

-He's never latched onto someone like this...-