YUKI-To Move Forward: Prelude 1

Chapter 20: A Leader's Burden

"I know what you mean. Trust me, I really get it. My parents were always pushing me to inherit the position of my mother, but it was a title I had no desire whatsoever to claim. I don't want to sound too presumptuous, but my parents are definitely more strict and drastic than yours. They would stop at nothing to force me into my future if they had to, which is the main reason I fl... left in the first place. I know that as long as I keep moving forward, the nightmares behind me will never catch up. I hope, at least.

"The challenge of leading such talented and unique individuals, the stress of always training to be stronger, faster, and quicker than any opponent, and even the overbearing weight of the lives of my Squad that I hold all push me forward, and I welcome it. Even if pain consumes me, as long as I can move my body, I will always have the strength to defy my past. Well, that's the philosophy I believe in, anyway."

"Wow. That's amazing, Alison. Really! I mean, how many people can you find who have the motivation and strength you've got? You gladly accept all the pain that is forced upon you, and use that pain to prove to yourself that you're still strong. I'm not half of that, honestly. I just want to show Mom and Dad what I can do, and even if I can't make them understand, I will never stop trying to make them proud."

Oh, so that was it. It's not that she was struggling to make her parents understand, she was fighting to make them proud, understanding or not. Miranda knew that they may never understand why, so she didn't waste time thinking about that.

And then there was me.

Lost, scared, trustless, and none of the good qualities that Miranda had. My skills on the battlefield and as leader may indeed be superior to her, but as a person, the only candle I can hold to her is a waxless stump. And yet here she was, praising me...

The bushes behind me shook and trembled, alert to whatever or whoever had entered their embrace. I jumped back, only to be disappointed with a full view of Francis, beside himself in muffled laughter. Anger quickly swelled through my veins.

"What the hell, Francis?!"

"Hahahahahahaha, hwooo you have the literal best expressions ever! I swear that not even Isa could look nearly as hilarious as you just did! Haahhaha..haha...ha."

His laughter died out just as quickly as my baton found his chest. The poor bushes behind him were far worse off than he, though.

"Did you get the wood or not, you worthless, barbaric, pathetic excuse for a failure of a Slayer, or is even that task too grueling? And where is Kazu? Shouldn't he be with you?"

"W-who? O-oh yeah, him. Kaz-azuki is... somewhere... yeah," he stumbled around, attempting to rebalance himself with little success. "On the wood front, it-it's behind me, right bush next to th— Oh, I mean... you know."

He then proceeded to crawl back into the bushes, vanishing from sight. In that exact moment, Kazuki popped out from the forest, in the opposite direction of Francis. In his arms rested a large pile of wood blocks, carved roughly into rectangular prisms.

"Got 'em. I'll just plop these things over here, then." He walked over to the middle of the camp and dumped everything. "Before you ask, Isa's rapidly transforming into a monkey as we speak. Well, more of one, at least. I'm gonna go hunting with the rest of Marinos Squad, so call 'em if you need me."

Without waiting for a response, he departed from camp, anxiously grasping his sword's hilt as he disappeared.

A head popping out of the bushes that had devoured Francis broke my train of thought, providing the perfect distraction from a rather unpleasant thought that had began to rise. I directed my gaze at the figure emerging once again from those unfortunate bushes, this time triumphantly wielding half as many logs as Kazu had carried.