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Checkered Reverse⁕O blade of light, slice through the Dark Ages

Chapter 15: The game is set 2

Summary:

And I hope he hears these words, maybe next time he will learn.

Chapter Text

And so the seeds that Natsume had planted continued to grow and grow, as the fated day of our live drew closer. Everything was proceeding as planned, with no setbacks, no problems; even Tsukasa and Leo, though having the occasional dispute, made it up with the effort and care they put in their training. The younger of the two most of all: he was proving just how equally skillful to his unit mates he was, day after day.

"There, there, good job!"

"Wahahaha, so there are more reasons you were recruited! Good, good to know, I'm almost sad we had to steal you away from Knights!"

“You’re really shining, Tsukasa-san; I thought we would have had to help you more, but it seems you’re doing really well without us”

“Maybe we should have him participate solo, Mama! At this point, he’s going to attract the crowd more than the two of us combined.

Tsukasa basked in that praise, shyly. But it was clear to everyone in the room how much he was enjoying it.

So things were going well. Even the rumours I had spread were gaining traction, to the point you could hear the whispers of a budding revolution even openly, in classrooms and the courtyard. I had my doubts on how much that would help, or if no one was going to want to dig deeper, but Natsume insisted it was going to be alright.

"The student Council is too busy with the lives for this season" he reassured me. "They won't bother for now investigating petty rumours brought by hopeless students."

And so the whispers thrived, and even people closest to me, such as Ra*bits and Subaru, talked about them. The latter in particular was very curious about the origin of the gossip, unable to understand why it sounded familiar and yet new at the same time.

“Anzu, what do you think?” he had asked me once, as we made our way to Garden terrace. “What's going on?”

My first thought was, that he deserved to know. Even Natsume had told me that once, as we discussed the pattern of rumors: as the only surviving veteran, it seemed only right for us to be the first to know of the plan to avenge our loss, to pick up the sword we were forced to abandon and march forward with our head high. But at the same time, we had both agreed that the moment couldn't be now. Not when I had worked so hard to make sure Subaru could be reborn and live a normal life. Not when the wound was still healing.

I fiddled with my necklace, a playful smile on my lips.

“Well, they might be just rumours; but Yumenosaki's so unpredictable. who knows”

Though the seeds were sprouting, Natsume needed more incentive. He needed to make sure that for his plan, no one would have been able to defend Knights. He had a precise strategy, something he was slowly building up towards, but he knew that it came with risks, the type which could compromise it all and leave us unable to keep moving forward. Therefore, it was necessary to reduce the chance of them happening by any means possible.

And the opportunity came one morning.

The entirety of Coup D’état was walking towards our respective classrooms, when we noticed a commotion had gathered not far away from our position. Normally in a place like Yumenosaki, where students declared war and threatened each other with murder, after a few weeks such things wouldn’t catch your attention. And yet, despite the upbringing, we all felt like there was something different about this disturbance. Call it a war instinct, or plain curiosity; we eventually rushed towards the scene, eager to find out more.

While Natsume stopped at the edge to ask questions, I forced my way forward, almost falling and bruising as I pushed

through the crowd. I was able to reach the end, and there…

I stopped. My body froze, the various whispers and complaints drowned out in an instant.

Staring at the sky, splayed on the ground like a starfish, was the doll.

His eyes were empty, as if made of glass, his hair dirtied by the earth looked fake and plastic. His expression was stiff, bearing no semblance of anything human. Yet he stared at the sky and beyond, body unmoving. Not even when a student almost stepped on his hand did he flinch.

I could hear it, faintly. The sound of cameras being clicked, of people gasping and shifting like waves, even Natsume arriving at my side. Surrounded by fading noises, my head felt like it had been stuffed in cotton.

But I couldn't move. Even though I desperately wanted it, my body wouldn't obey. I could only stand paralyzed, staring at that in human figure, wondering, wondering how could someone look so lifeless and so uncanny in the span of a few months.

And then I noticed, when I forced myself to look at his eyes again, that they were lucid. Twinkling in the sunlight, trying to replicate the beautiful scenery in front of him. And then, suddenly, for reasons I wouldn’t be able to explain, I realised that he was looking at me. Staring at me. He gave no reaction, but I was certain our eyes met.

Well, he did react, barely: he blinked, slowly, and something fell from his eye. It rolled off this face and onto the ground, barely missing his ear.

That fact made my eyes widen, and I almost stumbled back; but I remained still, firm in the belief that if I broke the focus we had on each other, we would never be this close again. So I looked at his body instead. Pale limbs. Thin torso. Straight legs. And the more I looked, the more details I spotted.

He was shaking. Shivering, ever so slightly, as if he had been lying on snow instead of earth. I couldn’t hold back a small gasp: such an act should have been noticed, called out. Someone had to get him out of there, someone had to call the emergency room.

But maybe that was why it was such a sight. That was why everyone was crowded around him, filming him, whispering. Maybe it was so unusual to see a doll shiver, they didn't stop to ask if they should be doing something a little more compassionate. Even I, mentally scolding those people, was doing nothing. As always, I was proving myself to be the worst version of my title. And as I continued to look into souless, crying eyes, my own started to burn. And I became painfully aware of the life coursing through my veins.

“Yuuki…”

There was a sudden yell, as the crowd broke apart. A boy came running in, his gestures frantic, his voice quivering. I felt shoves and pushes that stirred me awake from my daze, and a hand tightening on mine, maintaining me still as the world around us swerved, as if shaken by that very cry.

“Yuukun!”

Sena raised the boy carefully in a seated position, placing his hand on his forehead; then he quickly began to loosen his tie.

"Yuukun, are you alright? What were you doing on the ground? Don't you know how many germs and bacteria are there here? Not to mention the dirt that could enter your lungs... and look, you're all filthy! Aaaah, this won’t do, this won’t do; oh, poor, poor Yuukun, let me help you, hold on..."

He took a handkerchief and began carefully cleaning him up, muttering more and more comforting words. As I managed to tear my eyes away from the sight, the whispers and mutters intensifying, I caught sight of the other members of Coup D’état gathering closer, now that there were more gaps in the shrinking crowd. Both Mikejima and Tsumugi were talking to nearby students, but Tsukasa was still, like a tin soldier, lips pressed in a thin line. And Leo.... Leo was stiff, hands placed on Sora’s shaking shoulders, sustaining him. But there was something unsettling about his unreadable expression, as he burned holes on Sena's head.

"Yuukun, Yuukun this won't do..." Sena was muttering. Having pocketed the handkerchief, he took the boy in his arms and carried him bridal style. "There, there, Onii-chan will help you; he'll protect you for the brutes who did this to you, don't worry…there, there, there, there"

"How are you going to proteCT Yuuki-san from yourself?"

Natsume's voice broke through the white noise, silencing everyone with its power, as if he had cast a spell on the crowd. Sena shook, then turned towards him.

"I…excuse me? Is this how they taught you to treat your seniors?"

"Is this how they told you to treaT your juniors?" the younger boy smiled, tilting his head. "No onE touched him; the kid was lyinG on the dirt like a discarded toy. And pardon my accusation, but since you’re the only one who’s allowed to touch him, it can’t be helpED to pin the blame of his state on you"

"Why you-! How dare you!" Sena clutched the boy's shoulder tightly. "I spend hours making sure that Yuukun’s in perfect shape, that he's able to handle every burden of work and practice, and shine the brightest he’s ever shined; and here you are, claiming that I broke him?"

"Oh, if you’re putting it this way, I did nothing of the sort, senpaI; but if you're so adamant on using such a definition…"

Natsume's smile faded, and his eyes darkened.

"No matter what, you can't help but repeat history, huh?"

Sena stiffened, backing away from him. His eyes displayed a sort of fear one would see in animals being cornered by predators; but if Natsume noticed, he didn't say.

"A senior like yourself should know better, righT? And you, Sena Izumi of Knights, you should know more than anyone, how it feels to strip a person of their humanity, discarding all that they are in favour of using and consuminG their best qualities. Am I wrong, SenpaI? Is that not what you have seen happening over and over, even in your modelling careeR?"

"Shut up!"

"But I guess when raised in these environments, with no one to call out that behaviour, you can't help those habits, can yoU? It’s the same place that has lead you to bully your underclassmen after all, that has convinced you to gO hours without eating. I pity you, even though we’ve never met, nor I predict us getting along in the near futuRE; though you don’t want to hear it, I feel sorrY for you”

“I…”

Sena gritted his teeth. His face had gone red.

"I...I don't even know who you are! Don't say such things! What if people get the wrong idea! You can't be too careful in the world we live in, you know!"

"Well, that’s what I said, righT? We’ve never properly met before now. But I still know some things about you, as do otherS here. I know your name, your age, your unit, your history in Knights, the jobs you do...”

 He paused, his eyes narrowing.

“And I know you abused Yukki until his mind broke”

His words were at a higher volume compared to the rest of his talk. They resonated within the area, and by the way the whispers intensified, it was clear they had been heard. Sena was rigid, his eyes had widened even more, like a deer in headlights. Natsume continued to move forward, until he was close enough to grab Yuuki's hand. Though he addressed Sena, the way he spoke loud seemed to address everyone in the area.

"Look at this boY; many of us remember an older version of him. So bright, so full of life, dancinG and singing on stage with the kind of innocence you’d expect a joyful child to have; a boy with passions, desires, likes and dislikes, one of five hearts of a revolution long goNE.

“I ask you this SenpaI; if you want to plead your cause, defend yourself and your precious toy, then speaK: what happened to him, Sena-senpaI? How did he go from then to now? What occurred behind the scenes that we don't know? What happened during those days when not even his friends could tracK him down?"

Sena clicked his tongue, swinging the boy away from him.

"You're building up fantasies in your head! Yuukun chose to be like this!"

"Oh, did he? Am I? Are you sure you're not the one saying that, Some-senpai? Why don't we ask him?"

There was a second of silence, broken by the growing whispers of the crowd. And Natsume placed his hands behind his back, looking over at the empty doll.

“I’m sure he might remember somethING; why, even the toughest nuts will crack under certain circumstances…though I don’t really have to tell you that, do I?”

He turned to the puppeteer, his smile so thin and yet so wide it looked like a cut on his face.

Say, Sena-senpai…

If I asked, do you think he can still remember when you kidnapped him?”

"That's enough!"

A red blur whizzed past them, cutting the scene in half between prey and predator. And then that same blur, now human, grabbed Natsume’s arm, violet eyes piercing him with his glare.

“What do you think you're doing! Is this the best you can do in the morning! Spewing lies and baseless conspiracy theories!”

“Oh, but I haVE proof of my claims” Natsume grinned. He pointed his finger to the rest of our friends, his smile growing wider and wider. "Why do you think your precious Leader was missinG for so long?"

Several pairs of eyes followed his movement, and Mikejima quickly shielded Leo behind him. Tsukasa was the only one who didn't give in to his jab, clutching his arm even tighter as he began pulling him away.

"We need to talk" he muttered. "With all due respect, senpai"

I took one last look at the world around me. The crowd fading out in a sea of whispers, as the rest of Coup D’état followed Tsukasa; us, as we walked, out of instinct forming a protective shield over Leo and Sora, away from prying eyes and wandering students who tried to take a closer look. The vague voices I heard, bits and pieces of exchanged dialogue that seemed to foretell a new set of rumours to be passed around Yumenosaki. And Sena...

Sena was still, staring at us and beyond with that same terrified expression, sweat covering his forehead. He stood like that for a few seconds, before turning around, straightening himself up and walking away, his pace not too fast nor too slow. The hands that were clutching Yuuki were still shaking.

The image of the two followed me like a ghost as I joined my friends.

 

---

 

"What is your problem!?"

They had stopped near a clearing, hidden by trees, a minute or so away from the main building. Back against a tree, facing the rest of us, Natsume should have probably been scared. But the only person that looked angry at him was Tsukasa, whose slightly shorter height did little to make him intimidating;

"It was necessary" the older boy stated matter-of-factly. "If we put it out there that something is up with knights, less people will supporT them during the Halloween Live"

"But if we spit out baseless theories and lies it would make us no better than them!" Tsukasa yelled. " Are you trying to sabotage us on purpose? Is that your goal? I thought you were the leader of our revolution, not of our undoing!"

"Once again, my words weren'T lies" Natsume continued. "I have evidence to bacK it all up; but obviously, spreading it out all at once will noT help us. The sheep of Yumenosaki have a good memory when it's about controversies, but with all the load they have to deal with, I doubT they would be able to remember every detail. Not to mention, it’s not in my planS to release it so soon and in its entirety"

"Evidence! What are you talking about! All you've done is bad-mouth and shame my seniors in front of everyone! Don't you know how dangerous it is to spread this kind of information! And, and..."

Tsukasa's face had gone bright red at this point, while his knuckles white. I wanted to reach out to him, to try and comfort him. But I felt suddenly unsure of what I could tell him.

"What I claimed about Tsukinaga-senpai is also noT wrong" Natsume smiled. "I mean, there's a reason he didn't step to his knight's defence, righT? Or do you think kings like him are so heartless to feed their paladins to lions?"

He looked at Leo as he spoke, eyes gleaming mischievously. The other hesitated, and he joined his hands together.

" ... I need to be alone" he said, and turned away, disappearing into the foliage. Mikejima called out to him, and when he received no answer, dived after him.

"They'll be back for this afternoon's practiCE" Natsume said, as if reading Aoba's troubled expression. "As will you, Suou-kun, if you want to proVE your senior's innocence; that is all you can do night now, righT?"

His innocence...

Inadvertently, I hugged myself, clutching my arms. I couldn't let go no matter how I tried to unstick myself.

I could still see him. His body. his hair. His face. His eyes.

His words.

"Take me away"

"Producer?"

I raised my head, meeting Sora's gaze.

"Are you ok? Your colour looks dull..."

The image faded slightly, as I was brought back to reality. I quickly shook my head, straightening my skirt.

"Ah, yes, yes, just a bit tired is all; those lessons are so hard to balance with my own research sometimes…”

 

---

 

I'm ok.

It rang in my head over and over and over. My body moved in autopilot, as I scrolled through the latest news on the school site.

I'm ok.

It had been been months now. Of course I was ok. Why would I still be thinking about it. Why would it still bother me.

It's fine.

I'm ok.

The website was full of promotion for the Halloween live. Words in colourful fonts and various sizes jumped at me, trying to attract my attention. I should give in. I had to give in.

I'm ok.

I'm ok.

I'm alright.

It was all alright, the nightmare was no more. The doll was of no importance to me, a pawn on our way to the other side of the chess board. A pawn surrounded by despicable knights, knights who were also preventing us from moving forward.

I'm ok.

I'm ok.

The banner showed him surrounded, but he was still highlighted by the graphics. Even if you tried, you wouldn't be able to avoid him. He would look at you, look at you, so out of place in that show of models, of talents...

My head kept saying the same thing, over and over and over.

I'm ok.

I'm ok.

Why did I have to say it so many times?

There was his face in every promo. It made sense, he was their sixth (fifth? Fourth?) member after all. It made sense. If made sense.

I'm ok.

He's ok.

That expression, tearful, blank…

I'm ok.

That expression, impassive, beautiful…

I'm ok.

That message. the only contact since his disappearance…

I'm ok.

That performance, that performance, their performance, his performance, performance…

"Do you think he can still remember when you kidnapped him?"

Suddenly there was a crash, followed by Sora’s squeal. My face felt hot as I touched it, and when it reached my cold fingers, only then did I remember where I was, what I had done. My empty hand trembled, as my eyes trailed to the ground.

“Kitten?”

"Producer?"

We were the only ones in the room. Reversi had rented a practice room, Aoba had school duties to attend to. In the quiet archive, Sora had been relaxing from the shock of being in such a crowded enviroment, while Natsume had been examining the board and fiddling with his phone.

My phone...

I looked past my hand, focusing on the red spot on the ground; miraculously, though I had thrown it with force, it had handed face-up. The cause of such behaviour stared back at me as if taunting.

"Producer?” Sora entered my field of vision as I raised my held. "Are you…ok?"

My instinctive reaction was to nod, say something about him not needing to worry, and keep denying any help until everyone forgot about it all. But somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

"I don't know..." I said. "I... don't know what's going on...."

Sora picked up the phone, looking at the screen. His eyes widened in understanding, and he smiled sadly.

“Producer, it's still really hard for you, isn’t it? Sora understands; Shishou is the same”

“Natsume-Kun?”

The boy nodded.

“Shishou always got angry whenever he saw his Nii-sans moving on without him" he said in a low voice. "He tried to pretend it didn't bother him, but his colours soured more and more as weeks passed by. To Sora, your revolution was the first time Shishou really looked happy. Like he could fully move on from it all and turn the next page. But..."

His eyes dimmed for a split second, before quickly regaining their usual shine.

“But now it’s alright again! Shishou is in high spirits, Sora made new friends, and everyone is happy and supporting each other! With so many, of us fighting for the same cause, we don't have to hide anymore! We don't have to hide away what we feel because of fearing the worst! So, Producer, if you have anything to say, please don't be afraid to word it out; You’re just as special and important as the rest of us! And not just because you're our producer!"

I wanted to say something. Something about how he was kind, how he should also not be afraid to word out his own thoughts. How he as well was important, so important, and all he said counted for him as well. I knew he wanted to be happy for us, to appear so, but not everyone can be happy all the time, especially when he was so young. It was alright to express your true feelings to those you trust, even if you might think of them as unsightly and awful. Sora, you're valuable as well, I wanted to say. Please talk from the heart and we’ll help you, I wanted to reassure him.

Instead, all I could do was fall to the ground and cry as he patted my back. And my tears stung my cheeks as they fell.