I am a Hero.
I've always loved stories about knights and dragons and princesses. You would have good vs. evil, or good vs. good, tricked by evil, self-serving people. The knight would slay the dragon, the princess would fall in love... the villagers would be saved.
It's a nice story.
In real life, the villagers starve.
A true knight cares.
I care.
A stuttered burst of sound. Hiccuping and loud voices.
Towards the river I turn, to the East I go, Brave Sayaka sallies forth.
I have my duty.
Fly through the city streets, hop over a signpost, kick off, grab the gutter ledge and FLIP! Backwards Somersault, 15 points!
Blurring from my speed, dizzy from abandoned gravity, I dance through the air. This is fun.
Someone could be dying. This is real, this is scary, this is obscene. Hitomi could have DIED. GO FASTER.
Feeling a bit guilty for goofing off, I start traveling straight. This is serious. Very serious face.
Eyebrows seriously knitted, I zoom closer to the sound.
What will I find there, I wonder, what monstrous sights will I see? A paper fortune teller? A carnivorous floor? A bloody snow? I've been to these caverns, these mystic forests, these haunted battlefields, and triumphed over my foes. I've kept my people safe.
It's not enough.
Because I care.
People deserve to live, unafflicted by spotted nightmares, by screaming succubi, by-
Hitomi trying to smile at me with bloody teeth, meat gnawed off her her wris-
-hungry monsters. If I had to give up my humanity to become the White Knight, it's worth it.
Please let it be worth it, Kyosuke.
Because I care.
It's in a house by the river, and I can smell it. A taste of ammonia, of sweat and fear.
I'm coming.
There is a man walking into the street, uncaring of vehicles, purposeful, driven. A car screeches to a halt, hitting the man on his side, spinning him off to the yellow divider. I watch for an opening, and run. I slide to a stop next to him, kneel, scream. "Papa! Are you okay? Please be okay, please, Papa, Papa." I slip my hands to his side and neck, and Heal. This man will be okay. I will it so. But I can't stay; I have work to do.
Allowing the others to crowd me out, I head toward his house. People won't remember the cape, or me. It's a shame, but they never do. 'Why are you covered in blood, girl? Are you okay?' But then they turn around and forget about me. It's magic, I suppose.
I open the door of the house the man had come from, I walk inside. It's a nice place I guess, with pictures on the walls, loving family, two kids, redhead wife. Wind blows through the open back door leading away and down towards the river.
It's coming from the bed, the feeling of
go away. I call forth my soul gem, and away we go.
It's a Barrier, formed of broken dreams, a girl's cry and photos of friends. The friends are all stick figures, with slashed eyes and mean smiles. Nobody cares, the barrier implies
, everyone hates, all people hurt me. Go away, friend
.
Multicolored lions with kite shields and whips roar, bellowing, forbidding. Fine.
I draw two swords and rush the closest. Hiding behind his shield, he snaps his whip out at me. I dodge under it, sliding past his guard. Coming up, I thrust both swords into his side, and using each to brace the other, rip them both apart, slicing the lion in two.
Another comes from my left-front, while the other two are to my right flank, with the dead lion between us. I hurl both swords at the left lion's head, one after the other, forcing him to raise his shield and block his line of sight to me. Spinning, I throw my cape over myself, shroud, unfurl, and I am behind the lion. Right foot hooks under his muzzle, left heel kicks , SNAP! , another one down.
The last two lions are still charging, bull-rushing, shields up and roaring. Fine. I grab the fallen's shield, because every knight needs one, right? I set my legs, brace my shield and wait. The lion with red eyes charges into me, pushing me back, knocking me off balance. The other (green eyes) snaps its whip at me, and pulls me off to the side, further destabilizing me. Red pushes, Green pulls, Red pushes, Green pulls. Every time I try to get my balance, I get forced backwards more. They are trying to force me out of the Barrier.
Not happening. I am not leaving this barrow. I have a duty. I have a task. I have unshakable determination and will. And I have an appointment with a dragon.
Red bashes at me with his shield again, and as I stagger back, the whip lashes at me again. This time, I don't fight it. I heave at at the leather strap, willing myself to be as light as possible and throwing myself at Green. I bring my left arm around as hard as I can, and smash him across the face. See how he likes being hit by a shield. Reaching under my collar, I pull out another sword. It goes straight through his heart. I can feel it pulsing at the end of my blade. Twisting, I unsheathe my saber from his chest.
Red, as persistent as ever, charges me again. With no friend to back him up, he's toast. I slam a blade through his left hind paw, step around him, and cut his throat. Done.
I turn towards where I can hear the Witch screaming at me to go away, and continue through the maze of fake photos.
Glimpses of a twisted body, a face hidden in an armpit analogue, taste of fear, smell of sweat and ammonia. Here I come, dragon.
......
"Miki." A dark alley, with the slightest touch of dawn.
"Yes?" I turn, slowly, the twitch in my side where it had been shredded still pulsing.
"Have you... calmed down?" Black hair, deep eyes, and exasperation, she prods.
"I'm always calm," I reply. She snorts, very undignified. I really would have expected her to be more quiet, mature. She seems... loose. Like, she'll try to get the world to step to her beat, but the trombonist always mixes up his left and his right and the brass player keeps dropping his tuba.
"You are taking too much upon yourself, Miki Sayaka. If you do not slow down, if you can't rest, you will die."
"I'm fine with that, as long as I am doing good." I have to make this worth it. I am living off the pain of others, so I must do everything to try to save them. "What do you want?"
"I was taking a walk, and felt like some company." She looks away from me. She's hiding something, I can tell. I don't care.
"Fine, I'm on my way home. You can walk with me until then, Akemi."
*Kagari Yamata, 10 and Kagari Shiina, 12 have not been seen since-*
*If anyone hears anything about my son or daughter, they're about this big, please-*
"The remains of Kagari Yamata, 10, have washed up on the-*
I am a hero, because I care.
And I hate myself for it.
