Love Amid the Downfall

"I'll be with you again, Kimi, I promise that I'll be with you again, and I'll restore what was taken from you."

 Kimi said to herself as she walked through the main hallway of her fortress and armory, as tears slid down her cheeks and fell, with a few of these tears falling down onto her sword. As Kimi looked forward, she didn't notice that as her tears mixed wit the parts of the blade that had the pink and white, oil-like shine, out of which fell to the ground a Sorcerers and Slayers card - which had the same color background, and which shined in the light through the large, rectangular, Japanese style windows in the main entry hall of her fortress and armory. 

"Wait - but....how? Another card?"

Kimi said to herself as she blinked, looking around and then down at the card, as she reached down to pick it up, still in her armor. She could see that something was different about this Sorcerers and Slayers card, being that the back of the card had that same pink and white oil-like shine pattern, which was distinctly hers, as it was the blade of her enchanted sword had changed when Kana's magical essence and power as a Sorceress Queen was infused into it. As Kimi turned the card over, she gasped while reading its name and effect:

The Power of Mnemonic Resurrection and Magical Restoration - Effect: Allows the Ruler in Stewardship of the Realm, the Slayer Queen, to restore the memories and powers of one person of her choice.

Kimi couldn't believe what she was seeing - her vastly improved powers as they'd been imparted to her by Akira prior to his ascension - combined with those that Kana had imbued into her sword, had created a special card, one that only she could use. 

"There's no time to waste - I'm coming, Kana."

Kimi said to herself as she wiped away her tears and then closed her eyes - picturing herself in her short skirt, thigh high stocking school uniform with her school bag in hand, standing at the main bullet train station in Sapporo - and within a moment, she was there, her sword and armor gone, but the card was safely with her. As she smiled to herself, she made her way over to the automated ticket machine, purchasing a ticket for a day to overnight round trip to Osaka, and then texting her parents.

"Hi mom and dad - I'm going to Osaka to see a friend, and I should be back tomorrow! I love you both and I promise that I'll be safe."

Kimi texted her parents as she smiled, nodding to herself and then biting her lip. She didn't know what to expect, and truthfully, all that she knew was that Kana said that she was from Osaka, but she didn't know anything more than that. 

"Why, why didn't I ask her....when I had the chance....?"

Kimi asked herself as she waited for the bullet train to arrive, as she looked around at the other patrons waiting it to arrive, seeing a mix of salarymen, office ladies, families, seniors, and some youth her age. She wondered where they were going, and what they were doing? Kimi felt dryly amused, more or less because of the fact if anyone looked at her, they wouldn't be able to even come close to guessing who she was besides a schoolgirl and an otaku, not the Slayer Queen, and the one who was determined to destroy another world that comparatively few in Japan knew existed!

The bullet train came soon enough, and Kimi set down her school bag next to her, carefully tucking the Sorcerers and Slayers card Into it as she smiled to herself, then taking a breath. Kimi looked out the window at Sapporo, taking in the sight of it as she began to think. She thought about the recent lesson in her class, about the Haijo and Haito Edicts, and the Assassination of Julius Caesar - and how the respective historical effects and cultural legacies of these events respected Japan and the West even in the present day. All that Kimi cared about was the fact that she didn't want anyone else to have to be summoned against their will into that other world, and lose their memories of that journey and experience.

"Just a nightmare.....it was just a nightmare."

Kimi said to herself as she she woke ip from a long map, taking heavy breaths as she then looked around - conscious of the fact that despite the fact that she was remembering the battles she's gone through in the other world, and what they lead to - she still couldn't leave behind the trauma and weight of them. Gone was the adrenaline and distraction in the heat of battle - and in its place, the weight of what she'd done. 

"All of those people - even Riku and Minato didn't ask to be there. I know that I had to defeat them - but those under them, those made into Common Folk, they never asked for any of this to happen. I - I simply don't understand. I know that I had to defeat them in the end, but why did it have to happen in the first place?"

Kimi said to herself after looking around and stretching in her seat, making sure that she wasn't bothering anyone, or otherwise attracting any attention. As she stood up, she looked around and took her school bag - not wanting to leave her belongings - but especially that special Sorcerers and Slayers card out of her sight. 

Kimi took a few deep breaths as she walked down her passenger car in the bullet train, and down to the dining car as she looked around, considering that she should get a cold canned bubble tea to cool off and take her mind off things. No one seemed to notice her as she walked, though she noticed that on the screens of some of the phones and tablets that other passengers had - there was another further expansion set for the Sorcerers and Slayers game being released! She didn't want to stare too long at anyone's device - though she couldn't help but feel uneasy, as shed be overseeing the next War of the Realm that would be unleashed as a result of the release of this cards. 

As Kimi neared the dining and retail car of the bullet train - she reached for her phone, but stoped herself. She already felt unsettled enough by the fact that there was an expansion set of those enchanted cards coming out soon enough - and thus Kimi resolved that she'd have to research the details of it later, bit for now, she needed to calm her nerves and gather as much information as she could based upon where Kana was in Osaka.