Chapter 35 V3 [9]
11 0 0
X
Reading Options
Font Size
A- 15px A+
Width
Reset
X
Table of Contents
Loading... please wait.

 

 Nothingness itself enveloped her.

A void, empty and lifeless feeling, just as she felt at that moment.

 “How… can I fight these odds?”  

She was sinking lower and lower, and the moonlight was just a blurred point on what she believed to be the far horizon. The icy water made her lose tact in her arms and legs more and more, but there was nothing that terrified her more than the fact that she could not do anything but look at the surface as the liquid invaded her body little by little. Deep below the frozen waves, the flowing soft light seemed to get dimmer as she sank.

My hands… I can’t feel anything… Am I dying?

Thoughts came and went but nothing ever seemed to be resolved. Her consciousness faded further away, until only a sliver of ideas tied her to the living realm. 

Am I going to die… alone? Momma, paps, nana, everybody…

Her family was still strong in her mind and there was nothing she could do to think about something else. Time seemed to be slipping away from her hands and though she tried her best to fight the sensation, it felt way too strong. Things like the kendo club, making her mother proud, finding her father, being a happy family - those were the thoughts that kept her conscious.

I just met Minami as well, and… paps… that jerk has to pay for leaving me and mom like he did…

She remembered the promise she’d made to her mother of clearing her name and becoming the best kendoka, her own dreams of creating a manga and even the idea of marriage to someone she could truly love. Little by little, the ideas fizzled out as darkness swallowed them whole.

The last thing that crossed her mind were the many people that had started blaming her for her father’s disappearance and hoping she’d stayed lost, or maybe even wishing she’d died somehow. Hanami knew they were right – they were always right. But she wanted to set them straight, tell them that there had to be another way…

Mom…

And then, Hanami’s eyes opened in the dark depths, as heated bubbles fluttered around her. At first she saw nothing, but she noticed them one by one: four shadows merged with the dark waters, swimming around with the grace of a jellyfish as they made their way to her. They seemed almost angelic in their movements, soft blue lights floating above as the space gradually grew around them. Hanami couldn’t turn her head or do anything more than just look around, though she heard them speak to each other in strange voices.

“Which of us gets a turn now?”

 

“I think it’s mine, you got in before and it’s fair if-”

Through the banter, she could tell they seemed vaguely familiar, but she wondered exactly what they were; from her perspective, it only seemed like they were waiting to prey on her. One cupped Hanami’s chin, its skin pitch black and the only thing visible being its bright light where eyes would be.

Wake up.

Haruna flinched in her sleep before her eyes opened wide. Next to her, Takumi heard her quiet groan and turned over. As she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was him.

“T... Takumi?”

“Ay, Hasegawa, you’re back to your senses,” he responded with a faint smile before suddenly diving over her again, shielding her from the shining light that spread above them.

“Get away!” Dredger slung himself straight at the Hercules Shiki that stood over Sango, but the creature caught his stringy arms before his claws had the chance to reach its face. It snapped Dredger’s limb like a twig and palmed his chest. The force shot Dredger back, but not before he swung his tail over and aimed at Sango’s eye. It zeroed in, but the Shiki turned around to protect her. Dredger’s tail stabbed behind the Shiki’s shoulder blade as it fell onto one knee, and Dredger finished sliding back and rose up. The flesh along the tail spiraled off, revealing the hardened flesh that stabbed further into the monster’s muscular back, leading it to let out a groan that caused Sango to cry out in concern.

“Giovanni!”

At the name, Takumi’s senses lit up for a second before he turned to look at the girl below him. “Think you can stand?” he asked Haruna. She reached up and helped herself up by using his shoulder, and only nodded in response.

The boy stood back up as she asked, “How did I get here anyway?”

“You don’t remember?” Takumi thought back to when she suddenly came in blasting. “Eh, you lost against the helmet bitch and I’m not sure… you flew in here even crazier than your usual self.”

“C-crazy?” Haruna tilted her head in confusion. Like hitting a wall full speed, she then remembered when she’d found herself swimming beneath the cold waves. “That’s right! That lady! And Ms. Sango! A-and then… there was a light and-” she recollected something that embraced her. Haruna looked around for Sango only to find she was under some gigantic, strange mass of flesh. “What is that?!”

“It’s her husband,” Takumi responded, shocking the girl.

“But how?!”

“The human soul has been turned into that.”

Just as she was going to shout out to Sango, the two saw Dredger running back in to attack the big Shiki. “Not on my watch!” Haruna breathed in and went straight in to meet Dredger halfway without thinking. It was at that point she realized how scary he seemed up close; she had to be fast on her toes, narrowly avoiding his swipes.

 She felt a shiver jolt along her spine when he flew back and tried to run towards her. This feels like I’m out of my body, she thought to herself, seeing her body move as if she had no control over her actions. She felt it shove the bottom of her boot into his face to knock him off balance, and she maneuvered back down to the floor to grab a hold of his collar.

Takumi moved in and the two worked together in an attempt to take him down. To Dredger's shock, they managed to toss him around but the Shiki within him took over and quickly overpowered the Setsu, slamming Haruna towards the ground upon grabbing a hold of her ankle. Takumi took quick steps and changed his direction, diving over to catch her at the last second.

“Why didn’t you use that opening to attack?!” Haruna questioned, having seen the thing’s arms were swung together to one side of its body.

“Just shut up and be careful,” Takumi replied coldly.

He’s still so rude! Would it cost him to be nice? she thought with a smile as he lightly pushed her off of his lap and got back up.

Dredger grew more distressed by the second. “They’re all in the way!” he groaned. “Mine!” he repeated, pulling on his hair and snarling at the Shiki.  Each scream emitted a rush of memories that pulsed through Takumi.

Haruna reached down to Takumi’s wrist, using it to cover her face from the slobber that came with the strong gusts. “Someone's a bit possessive… What’s his deal?” she spoke as loud as she could so Takumi could hear her.

“I don’t know, don’t ask m- what the hell are you doing with my arm?” he nearly tugged his sleeve from her grasp. The two suddenly found themselves within a white space upon a pulsing that spread out from Dredger – it brightened the entire lobby.

“Where the heck are we now?” Haruna wondered, standing up beside Takumi.

He squinted, examining their surroundings. “In limbo it seems, or maybe in your head since it’s so blank,” he answered with a smirk. She punched his arm for the comment, leading him to press his palm against her cheek to stop her from punching any further. She only slapped his hand away and turned her head, catching sight of a giant TV in front of them. “What’s that doing in a place like this?”

“Where’s the remote?” She took steps away from Takumi being naturally curious as he squinted.

“There is no remote, you dumb bitch.”

“Why are you calling me that, asshole?!” she shouted his way.

He only shrugged. “I wouldn’t if you didn’t give me a reason to. I also wouldn’t walk around too much if I were you, so get back here.”

“You don’t tell me what to do, I’m trying to figure out where we are.” She puffed up her cheeks as she quickly returned to him, and purposely grasped his sleeve to make him uncomfortable. “There, happy? I’m close to you now!” Takumi glanced down to her hand gripping his sleeve and flicked it off with one swift move.

“Not that close, you sweaty monkey.” At those words, she gasped in surprise, although she knew it wasn’t something far from his usual way of referring to her. Still looking around, he added, “We’re in some kind of Gando zone of his memories, so you’re viewing a significant point in his life – that’s what this is.”

“But there’s nothing here!” she threw her hands over her head, pointing all around them to Takumi’s annoyance.

“Give it a sec. We’re going to be shown why he can’t pass on. His mind manifested that television.” he explained to her, trying to take control of what little patience he had.

Haruna focused on the TV, squinting along with Takumi as the two waited in silence. Then, the object turned on, showing a single image of a room with just a man standing there. “Is that him?” she wondered out loud.

“It is.”

“He seems cute,” she giggled to herself, as he rolled his eyes and ignored the comment. Haruna noticed that and scoffed. “What? He seemed cute there compared to what he looks like now!”

Takumi didn’t respond as they watched Dredger move around in the room. In the video, he took out his laptop and turned it on as he kicked his feet around on the bed. The television suddenly disappeared, causing Haruna to flinch. At that moment, Takumi and Haruna heard a pained groan behind them; they looked over their shoulder and saw Sango rubbing her head. Haruna ran up to her while Takumi took his time to walk over to them, finding his calves sore from all the maneuvering he’d done over the last few hours.

“Miss! You’re here too?”

Takumi observed Sango and made a suggestion. “She must have slipped through due to her being his daughter.”

“Him? My father…” Sango repeated what he said, still clenching her eyes shut from the minor headache. She opened her eyes as they all heard a voice speak.

They found themselves all together in a new location. Some kind of commercial area. “In Tokyo?” Takumi guessed, reading one of the many signs hanging from the buildings.

Shifting among crowds, the three found themselves going through people with blank expressions. “It’s like we’re ghosts!” Haruna commented, running over to a window display, though she couldn’t see herself. She found her body suddenly being pulled, as if gravity were tugging her towards someone. Likewise, Takumi and Sango were pulled to this stop light. From the looks of things, Phil Dredger was headed somewhere staring ahead blankly.

“This must be his college days,” Takumi commented, sighing. “Fuck, this is going to be boring.”

-

The teenage Phil knelt to tie his shoe; he clumsily stood up when he saw the light change, startling her as they were moved. He checked his watch, noting he’d be late for his class. “Sorry sir! Here’s my ID, I’ll pick it up after class!” he shouted as he reached the entrance gate, tossing the card at a guard who stood and fell back, spilling his coffee all over his dashboard. He shouted for the student to stop, but Phil rushed into the empty campus paying no mind.

Arriving at the door, Phil slipped into class, as the lecture was halfway done. The professor noticed a card he held out, understanding what kind of work he was busy with. The other students themselves didn’t pay much mind, all within their own groups. Phil went to his desk, straight ahead from the upper exit and found himself greeted by his peers who’d been assigned to his group. For whatever reason, the one sitting in front of his desk glared at him, who only brought out a paper as the others smiled.

“You got this, don’t ya? We’re gonna take a little break,” one of them said with a quick wink – Phil already knew what would come next.

“Alright,” he agreed albeit a bit reluctantly, slipping into his seat and taking a glance out to the open window that blew in a fresh spring breeze. It would have been nice to be invited, he pondered as the others turned from him and he stared out of the window he sat by.

The skies seemed empty he thought while spacing out, only for his pen to slip from his hand. The after effects of the pencil clapping against the desk drew his attention to the work he had to do alone. He rolled back his sleeves, tugging his seat in to begin. By the end of the class, it was all done, so he left it on the professor's desk, heading right out.

“Now that I have a full hour before the next class, what should I do?” he whispered to himself, going on to stroll through the campus with no destination in mind. Dredger found a vending machine, stopping to have a drink, since the afternoon’s sun beamed hard on him. After getting some kiwi water, he made his way to a nearby bench.

Going through life using my brains to seek the answer to life. To create something that I can call my own… but for what? He kept his gaze on the small twigs between his feet. A small orange leaf blew by his brown boots as something small scurried past his boots, being pursued by something else. When he looked over, it was two squirrels tackling and rustling with one another. Observing the two, he couldn't help but lament. Even such simple creatures have company, but me...? Phil glanced to his side and another sigh came out followed by a faint laugh. I wish I could have someone that wouldn’t only seek to use me.

More leaves fluttered down onto Phil’s lap, leading him to brush them off as he looked up to the ___ tree that seemed to be pressing inward for him. This prompted him to stand up and head over to a different bench, glancing over to the one he’d been in only seconds prior. Phil shook his head, deciding to open his bag to look for his tablet. Other people continued to pass by, and he occasionally found his attention going to these passersby. They all laughed, enjoying the college life. Oblivious.

Phil turned his head back to stare at the tree top above him and he shut his eyes, enjoying the temporary breeze on such a hot day. That’s when he heard birds chirping about. He leaned up, fixing his posture so his arms laid spread on the bench. The existential concept of happiness... That’s what I’m missing. Were my parents happy? I’m surely not the only person without a family. What could that family be doing? Will I find that family when I create something that’ll become global? This research is growing boring…

The contemplative teen didn’t even realize someone coming his way. When this young woman sat down, Phil’s attention slightly went to her. He glanced from the corner of his eye. He turned to get a better look at the stranger, and the incoming rays of light that reflected on and off by the swaying tree branches above almost shined off her. He wasn’t all that sure what it could have been but she had to be a student of Shishuen University too, he guessed.

The girl had a bag in her hand, and she opened it up and grabbed a handful of some sort of pink rice. She tossed it just a few feet from her. From overhead, small birds flocked down. Chipmunks passed through bushes to join in too. She held her hand out and a green bird actually landed down on her small palm. Phil’s eyes went from her palm to marks on her wrist. From her uniform, he could tell she was from his university but he had never seen her around until that day. Was she new? She turned her head and looked at him, unexpectedly. Did she feel his gaze on her? Possibly. The very act forced Phil to turn away and look ahead, despite her big smile.

He hadn’t ever had someone look at him eye to eye – it made him queasy. Before he could say anything, he saw her red ribbon flutter along. He stood up and jogged over to get it, but it got caught in a bicycle he had to run after for a few moments before finally retrieving it. The object was a tad dirty, and he used his palm to try and clean it. When he got back to the bench, the girl wasn’t there. Feeling defeated, he checked his watch and saw it was already time for class. He took his bag and decided that he’d give it to her another time, believing they’d meet again.

When he finally got home later that day and opened his bag, a small slip of paper hovered down onto his sock. Surprised, he knelt and picked it up; reading through it became clear it was from the girl, and she had written an apology for suddenly having to leave and letting him know that she’d be there at the same time the next day for her ribbon. Phil understood, and so stood up and decided to do some laundry to clean her ribbon in the process. If she went that far for it, it’d surely mean the ribbon is special he thought with a smile.

The next day, he waited for someone else for the first time in his life; he was amazed at himself, but happy at the same time. Seeing as she was already late and he only had a few minutes before his next class, he figured she probably forgot or something came up and decided he’d stop by the following day again. He felt disappointed as he was looking forward to seeing her again, getting the chance to ask her name and learn a bit about her.

And so, the following day rolled by and she was still nowhere to be seen.

It wasn’t until two weeks later when in the same way, he sat on the same bench – partly in hopes he’d meet her again. After two weeks and an hour, he was tired. He decided to make it his last time there; since she hadn’t shown, he decided to go to a cafe to get something to drink and stay awake for a five-hour class that’d last until late night.

He went to a bakery café and noticed there weren’t any lines, just three registers. Taking the one on the far left, Phil checked the menu and the guy there asked him what I’d have. It seemed that he was having a bad day from the sound of his voice and the way he had his arms folded. Phil took a step back to check out the menu that was in the middle aisle, noticing there wasn’t anything really eye catching. Telling the cashier to surprise him, he took a step back to move out of the line.

 When he did, he bumped onto someone by accident; when he turned, to his surprise, it was the same girl he’d been searching for. He could tell from her facial expression she was as surprised as him. Her smile turned upside down when she greeted him, and his heart skipped a beat – immediately the urge to hide appeared inside him. Once again, she stared right into his eyes fearlessly. For the second time in his life someone had done it and it was her again. This time around though, she had sadness in her eyes.

It confused him, to say the least. He froze in place, going back and forth trying to find a way to address the last few weeks until she spoke up apologetically. The cashier briefly interrupted them and asked if she was going to order, so he told her he’d wait outside before taking his order.

After about four minutes, she came out. The sundress she had on blew around, and her hat glided down to his feet thanks to the breeze. Phil picked it up and handed it to her. They silently walked to the same bench where they had first met; she opened the box of fresh cookies she had bought as soon as they sat down and offered him some, and he thanked her as he timidly grabbed one. He gave her some of the chips he’d bought and she apologized to him again, avoiding his gaze for a moment. He could only tell her not to worry about it, that life can get in the way of a lot of things.

As he threw bits of chips at the chipmunks that gathered at their feet, he started chuckling at the way they ate; it died down when he heard her sniffle. Turning to her once more, he saw the heaviness in her expression. She reached down and handed a piece of a cookie to one of the chipmunks, all the while maintaining composed. Slowly, she explained that the reason why she hadn’t come was because of her overbearing parents. Then she requested that before continuing on with what she was going to say, he wouldn’t think of her differently.

He blinked blankly and told her he wouldn’t; if anything, he felt special to have her open up with him in that way. She explained that she came from a Royal family, but he wasn’t exactly taken aback by that; he knew there were rich girls at the university from all sorts of backgrounds, although he wasn’t aware that he’d end up befriending someone from one of the noble families of Japan. He was indeed surprised to find out she was of the Ginko’s. Respectively the ones who oversaw Kumamoto, a whole region.

Such families put fear into anyone who crossed them, never to be seen or heard from again. His knees weakened; he was partly sure she expected him to run but instead, he gave her a reassuring smile and told her it didn’t change anything. To lighten up the mood, he reached into his bag and brought out the ribbon, giving it to her. His words seemed to make her happy, something that drained out almost right away as she caught sight of something. She stared dead ahead and Phil followed her gaze to see two individuals watching them.

She stood up, set the cookies on his lap and told him that he could meet her at a nearby restaurant again the following day. She had to go and wouldn’t be returning to the park again. He feared for his life now that they knew how he looked. With a smile, he imagined them coming to kill him only for talking to her. To his shock, it was as if she read his thoughts; she giggled and reassured him that they wouldn’t harm him. She called them watchdogs and told Phil they were only watching after her and came to pick her up, but warned that if they were to meet the following day, they’d have to do so cautiously as her father was different.

He nodded in agreement and watched her walk off; before she stepped into the car, she gave him a single wave. He waved back and then realized the time on his watch, noticing it was getting late to get to his course.

All night afterwards, he found himself twisting and turning in bed. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.

 From that point on, they met regularly at different places until it evolved into a relationship. The more he learned of her, the more memories they made – the closer he got to her. He was convinced that he’d finally found someone in this world, something similar to what some would call a soulmate.

Along the way, she told him the truth of the world. Phil learned that she was a vampire out of all things, and she told him that stories made about such beings actually came from original accounts, of genetic defects certain humanoids had due to the light spectrum evolving them and mutating their cells into becoming an evolved species. Despite it being concerning, when paired with what he’d learned as a child, it made sense. Anyone else would turn and run, but he accepted her.

 And for that, he found himself up against her father.

When he tried to lift his hand to run it along his lower back, he found himself constrained, leading him to open his eyes. “What… where…?” He tried turning his head but winced in pain, feeling a slick jab as something tapped into his skin. A sharp surface, making him aware that even the slightest movements would prove fatal. Turning his head slightly to face forward, he saw a small elderly man in expensive looking garments. A Cuban cigar skimmed his lips; he knew the brand as he usually smoked for his stress. “Dosechi’s?” he wondered as the man strolled to him after laying a disc record. He made it obvious that it’d be some sort of interrogation, or that’s what Dredger wondered it would be.

When he asked, the only response he received was a puff to the face that made him cough and forced him to shut his mouth. “You only speak when I say so, boy.” The condescending tone was more than enough to make him feel sick. “So, Phil Dredger… I know you’re an understudy within a Tensei Branch. A smart boy like you should know not to go snooping around in a foreign country, especially with my daughter,” said the stranger, taking a swig from a glass in his hand.

“Who are you?” Dredger asked, only to be splashed by the liquid from the man’s glass. The liquid bounced from his cheekbone, bypassing Dredger’s glasses. It burned severely, leading Dredger to scream out in pain. The minty smell as well as the stinging sensation soon made him figure he’d been thrown mouthwash, adding to the disgusting fact that some had gotten over his lips and into his mouth.

Although he couldn’t see, he knew the man was enjoying the spectacle. “You’re gross, damn foreigner. I don’t really want you to stick around for too long, but I’ll tell you this… I know everything about you. If you don’t want to end up as a corpse in some pile of garbage, you’ll never interact with my daughter again.”

“Your daughter? I can’t even see you, sir!”

“Good, keep it that way. You only need to remember one thing,” the old man walked over with his cigar bent downwards. “If you know I’m with the Tensei, then…” Dredger felt an agonizing pain stretch along his thigh as the cigar was pressed against his skin and dragged over to his knee, leaving a trace of smoldering ash. He wanted to suppress the urge to cry, but it was all too much. “Get him out of here,” the man ordered dryly.

The next thing he knew, he was in nothing more than a robe, standing outside pearl walls overarching a set of gates. The pain of rocks under his feet made it hard for him to remain standing for too long but he still didn't want to go, knowing ___ was inside of there. There were strange alpacas now chasing him off the land and eventually he managed to outrun them, making it back to his dorm after a long day of gathering directions and taking a train in nothing more than his robe. The embarrassing stares had him shaking the entire time.

Suddenly, he remembered. “The ribbon! Where is it?!” He rubbed his hands all throughout his arms, but it wasn’t anywhere. “That old…” Dredger imagined the elderly man wearing it around his neck triumphantly. With a deep sigh, Dredger slid the door to his apartment open, not bothering to even greet the receptionist who always ignored him.

He dove on his bed and noticed a tablet tab open with messages. Messages of test assignments he’d have to conduct the following morning. He let out another deep sigh, as the orange shade of the evening sun complemented the shadows of trees swaying just outside of his third floor room. He spaced out, trying to fall asleep, but she crossed his mind over and over. He threw his forearm over his eyes, in an effort to cool down, thinking about taking a shower. A faint breeze blew along the window frame, sweeping the front of his hair around.

And then, it felt like something pressed down near his feet on his bed. When he moved his forearm, there she was, surprising him. “Gekko?” he asked warily, aware that she’d been captured that very same day.

“Hey! Sorry about earlier,” she started, her smile weak on her lips. “I came by to give you this, though I know you might not want to be my friend anymore.” She avoided eye contact, and as Dredger noticed the handkerchief in the hand she rested on the bed.

“It’s fine, I’ve been through worse; that wasn’t your fault or at least, not in your control. I see that your father really cares for you.”

“Too much if you ask me,” she responded back with a long sigh, eyebrows twitching as she scooted to him and handed him the handkerchief she’d given him earlier.

“Well, I was about to shower; mind waiting for me in the balcony? Or you could wait in here.”

“I’ll wait in here.”

“Great, make yourself at home, be right back.” He went about picking his basket of fresh clothing and went off to shower.

There was nothing else to do other than watching the TV Dredger had turned on for her, which seemed amusing enough; though when she looked around for a moment, she spotted an object on his desk. A transparent cylinder with a green glowing crystal within it, encased in a round gel-like reddish substance. That’s what it seemed to be mainly from a first observation, yet she didn’t stand up to check. Every time she focused on either her phone or the TV, her attention curiously went back to the cylinder, ignoring the texts sent by friends.

By the time she willed herself to approach and lift it in her hand, she found Dredger returned; placing his left hand comfortably over hers, while taking the cylinder from her with his right hand. There seemed to be sadness coming from him. “I finished; sorry if I took too long,” he said, his voice tinged with something she wasn’t able to identify.

“It’s okay, you showered fast. Only five minutes?”

“You counted?” He nearly stuttered as they briefly stared at each other in silence and then proceeded to laugh.

From then on, he felt he had to find a way for them to be together. Their balance felt perfect, their life together was right but like all lives they had our bumps. The sole problem was of course her family; her father was opposed to their relationship and if it weren’t for Phil’s ties to the Tensei, he’d have surely gotten rid of him at that time.

He believed that for her to be with a human, a slave race, was a disrespect to the Ginko’s and would lower their genetic power. The rest of her family agreed right before Phil that night when he was taken by them. He warned her of their relationship, but she didn’t back down and so he gave her two choices. Have Dredger’s memories erased so that he’d never see her or have him killed.

She chose neither and fought off the two that held her love. After releasing him, they took off from there and hid at his apartment for the night only for her to leave the next morning. For his own safety, she moved out from his place and tried losing contact but in the end came back and her father disowned her.

It hurt her deeply, but Phil made it better.

They got through it, graduated and moved from Tokyo to Osaka where he made the Fillies Factory with the permission of the Tensei.

Some years later, during a cold winter, Phil had the entire living room rearranged so she could welcome their child into the world; it was a small cute baby girl, birthed among blood-curling screams from her mother and wailing from herself. With a smile, the nurse gave her to Phil who looked up at his wife only to have his own grin wiped from his lips almost as quickly.

There was only a void look in her eyes and the screaming had stopped, everyone around rushing to aid. But there was no turning back – she was already gone. Dealing with grief and feeling alone, he went on to raise his daughter himself. The doctors had said it had happened due to the concentrated blood she had, and he couldn't obtain a cure or create a cure that would heal her. It was the curse of genetics.

Her death resulted in him working for the Tensei again for some time. Because the same disease was spreading to other vampires, human blood had been contaminated by one faction of Setsu as a means to prevent other vampires from consuming it. In doing so, a different kind of virus evolved; one that deteriorates all senses in a Setsu once it’s exposed to it. Despite having fallen for it by someone who poisoned her, she still fought it and never drank innocent blood. Her father had given her the choice to drink that blood, and he’d allow her to exist with Phil. He thought that by her consuming it, she’d go insane enough to kill me, and so he’d then given her an antidote. But the antidote was never fully created.

 

“Gekko was one of the flowers of life. Now that’s been passed to my granddaughter. I met her earlier today, though I was in disbelief. I could see it in her… just like that girl standing beside you,” Dredger spoke as he glanced to Haruna.

 “I’m a what now?” Haruna’s expression changed into a puzzled one as she turned to Takumi who spaced out.

 “The valuable… flowers of life…” Dredger himself, in front of them, felt like he was just staring into the void. “Thinking back to Sango’s childhood, if only I hadn’t adopted him… but fate is funny. The very thing I feared, came to be.”

 

 

 

 

0