(A/N: School is finally over. Also, thank you for reading all. ❤️)
"There is something else I want to ask you."
"What is it?" Mitsuki glanced back at Yae.
"I could tell with this little girl of yours but you seem awfully fond of those at the Resistance, don't you?"
"I am not fond of them; they are—or were—my allies."
Yae was momentarily surprised. Hearing it from his mouth directly meant it must've been serious. Obviously they were something more, but to call them allies alone was a step in a new direction. A few months ago, he would disregard any chance that he was in close alliances with anyone.
Still, she could tell he was hiding the truth from her and stared him down. A nervous bead of sweat rolled off of his face from her urging glare and he quickly cleared his throat before trying to pick up speed.
"We should really catch up with Sara."
He hadn't noticed that his brisk walking speed was fast enough to actually catch up with her. He was close behind her now and debated slowing down, but quickly decided against it. Yae Miko would interrogate him on his feelings towards the Resistamce and he didn't want to admit to anything accidentally.
He pondered now on Kokomi and Gorou. It was silly, but he really hoped they were doing well. After he loses his vision, he hopes the two somehow manage to work it out with Sara without having to kill each other.
He didn't want to lose it, truthfully, he was mostly trying to taunt Sara. Perhaps the perfect being did not need a vision, he hypothesized. He was strong without it anyways, so it would only be considered a minor setback. And he never said he wouldn't try to reclaim it.
"What are you planning, Moriyama?"
Sara seemed to have sensed his closing presence and spoke up questioningly.
"I did not think you knew I was here."
"I've grown accustomed to sensing pains in my neck."
He rolled his eyes, but she could swear it looked like he wanted to giggle in delight at being the cause of her annoyance. With little effort, he sped up enough to be walking side by side with her.
"I do not have any plans."
"Really? You know, I didn't think you'd be so agreeable to handing over your vision."
"I do not want to," he admits to her, "But it would be easier this way."
Yes, this was better. If he fled back to Watatsumi Island, he was sure that Sara would unleash her wrath onto the Resistance in a much more brutal manner. He had hoped to ease the blow that she would let loose on them, in his own mushy way...
"Easier," she repeated before sighing again, "Your actions are not easy to understand at all."
"Good," he hummed, "I would prefer you not attempt to try."
"You are constantly scheming. How could I just ignore these changes?"
"I suppose I cannot convince or stop you. Do as you please."
Now that she thought about it, this was probably one of the few conversations she had with him in which it wasn't spiraling into an argument. It felt like they had returned to that more familiar almost playful banter.
"I'm not sure what caused this change of yours," she started quietly, "But if you were this agreeable in the first place, I wouldn't have to take your vision."
"So you really do not want to."
"No—" she sighed at his teasing, "If you had just joined us initially, there would be no need to hurt you, I mean."
She noted the momentary change in his expression, to the one she was most familiar with. It held an immense amount of disdain. But it faded as quickly as it came as he simply did not say anything and turned his gaze from her. She was slightly grateful for this, and reaffirmed herself of the true goal here.
Dealing with that strange man.
The rain was still down pouring as they arrived back at Nazuchi Beach, much to Mitsuki's dismay. He took his lenses off, just for this fight and pocketed them. Even with his blurred vision, he could see the way Sara's men were glaring at him in shock.
"You.."
"What is he doing here?"
"Weren't you supposed to take his vision...?"
Sara did not spare her men a glance to explain and instead motioned them to step back. Their caution towards Mitsuki was understandable, but they still listened and stepped aside. Yae caught up with them shortly afterwards, and watched a good distance away for what would happen.
"He warned me not to step any further," The general explained, "He was threatening to kill some of my men."
Mitsuki's gaze went to the samurais and back at Sara before nodding.
"His target is me, is it not? I will go."
She hesitated but nodded in return, "Be careful," she added, "He is extremely fast."
He noted her advice and extended out his hand and his polearm formed within his grasp. With confidence, he walked forward onto the sandy land, glancing left and right for any signs of danger or even elemental traces of some sorts. It was silent aside from the sound of the passing wind and pouring rain against the ground.
Then a sharp pain was felt on his chest. Rapid slashes penetrated through his bandages and seeped into his flesh. He stepped back after a surprisingly quiet groan, completely bewildered by the speed of the attack. Archons, he was fast. The grip around his weapon tightened as blood ran down his chest. Whoever this guy was, he was here. His eyes ran back and forth, but he could not see him. The pain from the wound was stinging more than he had expected too...
"Kujou Sara," the man started, "What's the meaning of this?"
"Quit hiding and show yourself," she ordered firmly, ignoring his question before drawing her bow, "Fight with some honor."
"Honor?" He repeated in disbelief, "You didn't honor your part of the deal, so why should I start fighting with honor?"
For a moment, there was only tension and silence in the air again. Mitsuki took a stance, trying to focus less on his pain and more on where he could attack from next.
"I'll admit, it's nice to see you in person though, Mitsuki."
Blankness overtook his mind. Only momentarily. That voice was so familiar, now that he heard it say his name.
He could feel his heart racing with sudden anticipation. This man, it couldn't be—?
He vaguely felt the traces of his elemental energy behind him. Even with how he could barely sense it, he could tell it was intense with power that it almost worried him.
It was then that his vision emitted a bright blue glow as he summoned a vortex of water around him. It violently crashed around him, and pushed back against the apparent air, only to see the figure of the man being knocked off balance. He got him.
He caught himself despite being hit with such strong elemental energy, and dusted at his clothes as if it were nothing.
Mitsuki eyed him, and he suddenly stepped out of his stance. The grip around his polearm grew tighter if that was possible, and he felt a pit in his chest drop like a heavy weight onto his stomach. He couldn't see his face clearly, his blurred vision wouldn't let him.
Yae held a completely blank expression. Her mind however, did contain a few things to say.
"Isn't that..."
"It couldn't be—"
Mitsuki could hear Sara's men mumbling to themselves, and he hastily reached for his lenses.
"You don't need to see my face to know who I am, right?"
He stopped just before taking hold of them.
Static. That same static.
'Don't do this now.'
This same voice.
"Mitsu."
"What are you doing here?!" He brought a shaking hand to his head, digging his fingers onto his temple as if to ease the throbbing pain that came with a rush of confusion. His voice was angry and hurt, something he had not dared to show out in the open before. The man tilted his head and smiled despite this.
"I've been waiting to see that sort of expression on you for so long..."
"Answer me!" It sounded less like an order, and more of a desperate plead, "I convinced myself you would be gone forever. That-that I wouldn't have to deal with you ever again!"
"You got your own hopes up."
"Moriyama," Sara lowered her bow with suspicion, "You know this man?"
"I do," he started but then shook his head, "but I don't know who he is!"
"Come on, it's me, Masato. Your father."
A wave of suppressed emotions and memories were hitting him all at once. He was drowning in everything, succumbing to the feelings that he had tried to ignore for so long. Never in his life had he felt so furious. The man in front of him was indeed using his father's face. Where it would normally smile out of kindness at him, this time it was out of a twisted pleasure. The one inside...could not be him.
"Don't say that," his eye twitched and he charged forward. He brought his weapon down, clanging against the blade of his supposed father, "What the hell did you do to him?!"
"Does it matter what I did? He's gone anyways."
A ball caught in his throat, one of those that made the entirety of his strength leave his body. It was like the weight of a thousand steels had hit him in the face.
Gone?
"What is he talking about?" Sara glanced back at Yae, "Guuji Yae, do you—"
"That is Masato Moriyama's body." She claims calmly, "But the one within him is not him any longer."
She turns back and furrows her brow in deep thought. Masato Moriyama was declared a wanted criminal so many years ago. He had gone missing for so long, some even thought he was dead. Yet, he returns all of a sudden to destroy his own son? And she said the one within him wasn't him...what did that mean? Now that she recalled, he was highly praised before a sudden event turned his whole reputation around. Perhaps it was at that moment that he wasn't himself anymore? But then why did he show up now of all times?
Nothing of this made any sense.
However, if he had somehow returned—it meant it was supposed to be her duty to capture him. She redrew back an arrow on her bow.
"Mitsuki, step back!"
He doesn't listen. The whole world could come crumbling around him and he would care little for it. His eyes were focused solely on the face of his father. Being this close, he could see it more vividly. His eyes were blue instead of ruby red like his own—and that for some reason made him feel sick.
The person inside was not him. A spirit made only to cause havoc and destroy anything that it wills. This kind of spirit had been responsible for sullying his father's image. The thought alone made his body tremor with anger.
"I'll kill you." Mitsuki scowled lowly. "I'll reach into the depths of the spirit world if I must and tear your soul into pieces."
"Terrifying," he mocked, "You would kill your own father? What if there's a chance he still lives on?"
Mitsuki's vision flashed a deep blue again, and he swung his weapon up to strike the sword out of his hands. He threw quick jabs at him. They pierced only the air, as he speedily dodged out of the way.
"You still fight as clumsily as you did as a child, Mitsu."
Mitsuki froze in his attacks, giving "Masato" the chance to retrieve his blade and swing it upwards, firing an electric blade towards him. Being at so close range, Mitsuki could only attempt to block the powerful blast with his polearm. It easily knocked the weapon from his hands and threw him to the ground.
"Remember training? You always had an issue with keeping your weapon in your hands."
He was using his father's memories, his voice, his face...He was using it in attempt to hurt and get an edge on him. Now he could not bear to look up at him.
"Shut up."
As "Masato" attempted to get closer, he suddenly jumped back. An arrow landed right in front of Mitsuki, and he glanced back to see Sara cursing at herself for missing. She quickly drew back another, prepared to hit her target this time.
"Sara, don't—"
He had wanted to tell her to lower her bow. Even if he had insisted that he would kill this spirit, his subconscious could not bear to imagine if his father's body lay lifeless before him.
Then he felt the intense energy pulsing behind him, closer now. For some reason, it caused him to stop. Everything stopped.
It felt like the whole world just froze. His mind was blank, empty, filled with absolute nothingness. It felt like crucial thoughts were escaping him, and he could do nothing but cling helplessly at whatever fragments he could. But even those fragments melted through his fingers, running into the void. When he turned around, he saw this man's face. He could not entirely recollect why, but it hurt to see that his expression was not...kinder. Voices shouting for his name had echoed around him, and he could not for the life of him recognize them. It felt like he was floating in a deep body of water, and drowning but powerless. Without the strength to bring himself up to the surface, all he could do was allow the waves to take him, and he collapsed—vision going dark.
...
"Mitsuki!" Sara called out, expecting him to sit up after a few moment but he didn't. His body remained nearly lifeless on the floor, a state in which she had never seen him in.
In Masato's hands, which he played with teasingly was Mitsuki's hydro vision. It's original blue glow died down, a dim almost sad color now as it was separated from its original owner. He grinned at the shocked expressions of the samurais and took special care to show it off a little more in his hand.
"He also had a habit of lowering his guard when it came to fighting alongside people," he mentions quietly, "It's probably why you chose to stay alone for so long, right?" He kicked harshly at his body, "People made you weaker."
"What's next for you, Masato?" Sara questioned angrily, "You've truly come back just for this?"
"Yes," he replied honestly, ignoring the appalled expression on her face, "My entire existence is based on destroying; and Mitsuki must be apart of what I destroy."
"Masatora," Yae Miko finally spoke up, the man turning to her with slightly widened eyes, "I'm not going to let you walk away freely after this, you know that?"
"Guuji Yae..."
Her aura was somewhat different than normal. It was a quiet storm that raged in within her, and she was hiding it extremely well with the facade of her usual smile. It was hard to imagine that she would take herself to the forefront of the battlefield without feeling something complex; and it was likely she would not explain it either.
At least, perhaps not through her words.