Chapter III-A: Echo

1

Jonah entered the early morning train quietly, trying to make sure he could get to school before the morning work rush. At this hour, outer Tokyo was surprisingly quiet. Less hectic than any other time of day.

The morning sun came upon the carriage, his eyes gazing into its reflection. A young mind lost in the thoughts of his own perilous circumstance. I’m so screwed…

There was no way he would get out of this without killing, the logic said it was an inevitability and that was a fate he was reluctant to get involved in. “Violence begets violence I suppose…”

His head ached, betraying his calm composure as the train came to a slow stop. Residents of Tokyo slowly filled the carriage as it closed its doors to the outside world and slowly began to pick up traction again.

His mind stayed lost in thou—”Hey Nife!?”

A feminine, loud and cheerful voice rang beside him as Jonah turned on instinct, ready to silence whoever was trying to expose him but his eyes widened and mind froze at what he saw. GEMINI!!?

Standing in front of him was a beautiful young woman wearing the girl’s uniform of his school. Her facial shape and features resembled the cold hearted women that had stolen his heart the other day but besides her face, everything else about her was different. Aside from her abnormal bright and cheerful personality, she was shorter, more curvaceous, hair longer and flowing, without glasses and most distinctly, both her hair and eyes were a navy blue.

“Already in awe of my radiance, good boy!” She patted his head playfully, ignoring the shock written all over his face. “Didn’t expect to see me like this, did ya’” the glee in her voice betrayed any understanding he had of her, as she sat beside him hastily.

“Boop.” She pressed his nose, shaking him out of his trance. 

“Gemini?”

“Who else?”

“Well… how do I say this…”

“I look different?”

“Exactly. And your um…”

“Personality is different?”

“Yeah, that.”

“Hmph, you sure are observant, y'know.”

“I'm not sure you have to be particularly observant to recognise this change…”

“Meanie!” She stuck her tongue out at him like a kid.

“Ehhh, sorry I guess…” whilst he had no reason to be sorry, he couldn’t help but fear the possibility of her cold wrath again. Those gun shots were not pretty, afterall.

“No problemo. Apology accepted.”

“Good, but ehhh. Why are you so different today, had a good night's sleep or somethin’?”

“Had the best night's sleep, especially after you asked me out so brazenly.” He blushed in response, a bright, playful smile appeared on her face. Lighting up the carriage with her innocent sense of joy. “Buuuutttttt that's not the reason I'm like this today.”

“.....”

“Curious aren't you?” She taunted.

“.....”

“Fine, fine, fine. I'll tell you!”

“.....”

“I'm Gemini-blue.”

It took a moment for Jonah’s mind to process that. “Wait. Sorry—what!?”

She didn't miss a step. “Indeed, the individual you're speaking to currently is and is not the girl you spoke to yesterday. She or I more accurately was Gemini-red.”

His mind was fried. “So like multiple personalities?”

“Maybe?”

“What do you mean maybe!?”

They were getting too loud now, people were starting to look and he didn't want to create any more attention.

“We or I don’t quite understand this phenomenon, us share the same body and shifted form when one ‘personality’ takes over. If I'm honest, none of ‘I’ know whether we're one person with multiple personalities and forms or multiple different people in one body… quite the mystery.” She said it playfully, as if it was nothing but a fun quiz to not take seriously.

“But…. It doesn’t seem…” He couldn’t find the words.

“Like it annoys me? Not really, it's been like this since birth and besides I never feel like I'm being replaced or anything, just like something shifts inside of me, y'know?”

“I don't know.”

“Fair.” She gleefully kicked her legs up and down like a kid, her beautiful radiance making him feel mixed emotions.

“So, uh, can I ask a personal question?”

“Sure! I love talking!”

I can tell…

“Why were you so cold to me the other day and now your—”

“Nice. Fair question.” She sat in thought a moment longer, unsure how to answer him. “I suppose it's best to say that Red doesn't like Mages and especially hates evil-doers so when she met you, a criminal whose murde—” 

Jonah closed her mouth quickly. “Shshhhh.” 

IS SHE CLUELESS! WE'RE IN PUBLIC!?

Her eyes widened as she realised what she'd done. He slowly took his hand away.

“Oops, sorry about that. Can be quite the ditz.”

“Let's just not do that again…..”

“Gotcha!”

She's gonna give me a heart attack…

Even if he did have one, he couldn’t die anyway.

“Well…” she continued. “She just doesn't like you much, if she could she would kill you but luckily for you, well….”

She didn't have to explain the obvious.

“Yeah, I get it but then why did she accept my date proposal?”

“Probably Gemini-white. She seems to be quite fond of you, which is strange cause she's quite the distant type.”

“Gemini-white?”

“Yep. There's seven of me in total, sometimes the residue in our shifts spill over alongside our memories.”

“Alright. I'm still not getting all this but at least you seem to be easy to get along with.”

“Yay! You like me. I knew this uniform would make you happy!”

“.....” he couldn't help but blush at that declaration, of course a beautiful girl in such a cute uniform would make him happy.

“Remember that I'm your senpai though. I can't believe I have a crush on such a younger boy!” She exclaimed, completely unashamed by how bold she was being.

Not sure if I've hit the jackpot or fell straight into crazy. So blue seems to like me, red seems to hate me, white is fond of me, and the rest are a mystery…

“So why are you in my school uniform?”

“Let's just say Roa shifted some papers, he wanted me to keep an eye on you.” She pointed her eyes to his, making it playfully clear what her purpose was.

“I mean, I know you're supposed to be guiding me or somethin’ but isn’t that a bit much?”

“Nope.”

“OK but you're not even in my year group?”

“I'm only eighteen y'know, I can play off being two years younger!”

“Sure…” 

“Either way, don't worry yourself too much. I'll be playing your upperclassman and cute senpai until this mission is over. So you won't have to worry about me kissing you in class…” She murmured that last part softly.

“Say that again?”

“Don't worrrrry.”

The train came to a stop, it was his turn to finally get off. She followed him, but not before grabbing onto his arm and latching onto him with pure affection.

“So can I be your girlfriend?”

“We haven't even been on a date yet?”

“I love you already, though!!!!”

She squeezed him tighter, pulling him closer to her soft form, his cheeks further reddening.

“Let's put a rain check on that one and come back to this conversation eventually…”

“Fine but I'm just letting you know that I'm a beautiful girl and they're gonna be looooaaaaaddddsss of suitors interested in me. So you better bag this up soon!”

“Will keep that in mind.”

What have I got myself into…!?

He wasn’t sure if he had become the luckiest or unluckiest man alive.

2

Normally school would have had him falling asleep but after last night he was beginning to enjoy the quiet, regular ambience of school. His heart still pained with the grieving of his mother but the current distraction of magic and mages gave him an easy distraction.

The bell finally rang for lunch as students started clamouring out for a sense of freedom. Yet Jonah remained, his mind wafting in and out. He hadn't slept well last night, dreams of being shot and burned alive kept him awake.

“This is why I need friends…” he groaned, agitated and annoyed by the trauma of his mind. His mother’s death, his immortality, the Kagekai, Gemini, Roa, Angel, the torture he went through. Every painful memory flooded his thoughts in the empty silence.

He had never been one to make friends, as an immigrant in another country he could never fully assimilate to the culture of the Japanese. He loved this country and its inhabitants but he still felt like he didn't belong. The Kagekai was arguably the closest he had ever felt to feeling true acceptance.

“Uhhhh!” 

He slammed his fists on the table. His hands were sore but at least for a mere moment it was able to distract his thoughts. He was heaving now, breath unsteady, standing up high.

“You seem disturbed, Jonah. Do you need to rest?” A soft voice like a bell, calming to the senses of any man.

Jonah turned around suddenly to the women who held it. “Is that you… Gemini?”

There she stood, once again different. Her long braided ponytail hair was a silver-white, her eyes an ice-blue, her figure like a model's and her skin pale like the moon. She was taller now, roughly the same height as her red counterpart, if not a bit taller.

She gave a small curtsy, holding her skirt like a refined princess. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Jonah.” 

“Gemini-white I presume?” He felt a foreign need to act more refined around her.

“You can be informal if you like.”

“Got it.”

She came towards him slowly, as if cautious and empathetic of his emotional state.

“It seems you are troubled with something, do you care to speak with me about it?”

“It's… nothing…” he resisted telling the truth, what would it help, it would be nothing but a minor trouble to her.

“Hm, alright then. Nothing it is then.” She huffed her chest up as if readying herself for something.

“Gemini—!” He was startled as she placed her pale hand over his.

“Even if it is nothing, you seem in pain. And I prize myself as someone who helps the damned.” She smiled at him softly.

Is she some type of Angel…?

In this moment, that was what he truly thought. She was an angel. A guardian light in the darkness that would alleviate all his pain.

Tears escaped his eyes, small salty drops as she planted a hand to his face, rubbing away his tears and holding his face in her hand. Just like….

My mother…

In her reflection he could see her, the last memory of his mother holding his face in her hands. A delicious precious love that put his mind to ease. He refused to believe that this was the same woman that shot him three times and left him to die in an abandoned school.

This woman was different. This woman was… special… she's so…

His heart beat in his chest at a hundred miles per hour, any jokes about a heart attack earlier could now come to pass. His mind flooded with thoughts, swarmed with desire:

Is this love? Am I in love? Am I falling in love? Is this what they call love at first sight? Is she the love of my life? Do I love her?

His mind continued to swarm, his rational self swimming over the flood of emotions and chemical reactions.

“You seem tired. Do you want to sleep?”

“I am… a bit tired. But theirs no where to sleep…” At her suggestion he felt his body growing tired, as if powerfully commanded by her gentle voice to sleep.

She didn't waste a moment, holding his head gentle and resting it into her lap. He didn’t resist. He couldn’t resist. Her hands were so gentle and unhurried. Her lap was so soft and comforting like the greatest of pillows as she played with his hair.

“Just sleep, you will need your rest. The burdens ahead will not be light.” She warned gently, placing a finger to his lip, quieting any resistance. He wanted to say that he still had a few more periods, he wanted to say that anyone could come in, he wanted to say that he was embarrassed to be held like this.

But he couldn’t, he couldn’t resist her feminine power nor her gentle fingers and warm presence. So he surrendered, his eyes closing. His thoughts completely clear. 

“I shall be here when you awake. You won't need to be alone anymore.” 

I love her.

Those were the last thoughts he had before he fell asleep like a baby, resting in her embrace. His mind drifting into the sweetest of dreams, dreams free of the guilt of his conscience. His mind given salvation, his wish of forgiveness for his sins temporarily granted.

Yet a single, lost memory remained. One that served as his greatest nightmare.