Misjudged Words

“You believe that is why we were given powers? To fight?”

“Of course! You’ve seen what we’ve been given.”

Fumiko’s outlook on the matter significantly differed from his perspective. It had been something he gave time and thought to, even if it might have seemed pointless. Something impossible happened, at least as everyone understood reality. Trying to understand that would normally seem a waste, but with a new reality, it had meaning.

‘I had taken the whole thing as more of an accident rather than intentional design on his part.’ Everything he had seen and knew about Yuki seemed to support that. ‘It was crafted from his mind and given his interests, it is certainly something he would enjoy. However, I have trouble believing he’d want people to be fighting as she is suggesting in her theory.’

“You believe it was an accident don’t you.”

“Given the information.”

“I’ve realized it is something different.”

“What do you mean?” Haruo managed in the talking to break Fumiko’s hold on the dagger. He grabbed her metal wrist keeping her at bay as she armed herself with a new weapon. Struggling with him, she threw her flame arm at him. It was an immediate action he regretted, but he grabbed her fist of fire. There was just enough substance to it for him to stop, but it started to burn his skin. Pain scorched through his arm.

Chapter 325 – Misjudged Words

“The smart silent one didn’t figure it out?” Fumiko laughed a little, mocking Haruo's apparent blindness. “For being so intelligent, you’re actually pretty blind.”

“Blind to what?”

“Yuki claims that it was an accident, but none of it was. It was all designed to happen this way.”

“You’re claiming that Yuki intentionally altered everyone. He doesn’t have that sort of control over his powers.”

“So he claims to us. But do you actually believe that? Everything is too deliberate to be an accident.”

While he doubted what Fumiko claimed, she did still make him curious. ‘I question whatever she’s got supposedly figured out, but she might have stumbled across a piece that’ll answer things I haven’t figured out.’ It was like asking for directions from a clinically insane patient and he understood that. He still had curiosity that needed to be answered. “You don’t believe what Yuki said happened?”

“And you do? Amazing! I can’t believe the anti-social one of the group actually trusts him as much as Saki. You never have answered why you’re with us. You’ve always dodged the question. To think it is just blind faith.”

“It’s nothing like that.”

“Is that right?”

“Your theory…”

“Dodging again. Well, I plan on killing you anyway. So knowing why you’re following around that lying bastard hardly matters at this point.”

‘She still has all of the confidence despite what’s happened and that we’re mostly in a stalemate. Though I don’t know how long my hand will last burning at this rate.’

“I realized it while we were in Atlantis. After everything settled out. When you’re not trying to fight to stay alive it gives you plenty of time to think.”

“And you figured it out then?”

“That’s right. I figured out Yuki’s plan.” The flame in her arm seemed to grow a little weaker in her struggle. “I heard from when he was telling his stories getting us all up to speed about what happened on the boat ride down. He gave Seiji powers and that gave him the idea.”

Haruo recalled it as well. ‘Is this how she’s going about it?’

“He’s so obsessed with fantastic stories that he had to make it all a reality. He had the ability and knowledge to do so.”

“That’s not much of a theory.”

“You’ve heard the way he talks and thinks. He speaks in story clichés as though the real world is just a book that he’s reading. And that people’s motivates can be simplified to being genre savvy. Takako looks insane to all of you, but Yuki is the most insane one living and he’s got you all fooled into thinking he’s just a joke. He’s the one that you should all be the most frightened of.”

Not anymore convinced, Haruo gave a silent stare that was about as much as he could manage for a doubting look. But Fumiko wasn’t finished. She continued her reasoning to Haruo. “Did you even think about the most obvious facts? The people…us!”

“We were given powers, yes.”

“More than that! Look at the powers everyone was given. They all suit the individual based on something in their history or personality. Saki’s in track, so she’s speed, Seiji likes fighting so he’s strong and tough, Chiharu’s a ninja, Yuki knows I’m into fantasy, so he gave me magic. None of that was random, that was deliberate planning.”

“One doesn’t imply the other though.”

“Even if you deny his intent, you can’t ignore the fact that he made us for fighting.”

‘Back to the original topic now. Her reasons at least do better to support that than Yuki intentionally doing wish fulfillment and using everyone in the country for his own personal enjoyment.’

“Look at our bodies. You’ve noticed just as much as the rest of us. They aren’t the same anymore.”

“Superhuman attributes.”

“Exactly! He gave us everything needed to not just fight, but to be able to survive and enjoy the fights to their fullest. He wanted us to fight!”

“And that’s the conclusion you’ve reached?” Haruo didn’t really get much more out of it. It gave him an understanding of Fumiko's thoughts and that was good. But there was little else it offered him. ‘I’ll admit it’s an interesting theory, but that’s all it is. There’s no solid proof to back it up. It’s all just her speculating from observation. Given that it is something that Yuki did alone, it’s unlikely if any of us will ever know why or what happened.’

“How can anyone not reach this conclusion? All of this power, none of it is peaceful. It’s meant for fighting and killing. If you’re not using it that way you’re wasting it.”

“It’s true I haven’t seen any power yet that isn’t meant for fighting. But it is still how we use it that determines if it is for fighting or something else.”

“You’re still naïve. I used to think like that. I bought into Yuki’s lies. That was until Atlantis.”

“That was an extreme situation and one built from misunderstanding.”

“They wanted to kill us! All they wanted was to fight and kill!”

Haruo had something he wanted to say in response, but stopped himself. He remembered that she had a very different experience in Atlantis than him. ‘She’s had more harrowing experiences than most of us and has taken it harder than the rest of us.’ Though silence was natural for Haruo, he didn’t know how to respond to her. He started to see what looked like the source, but hadn’t the experience to tend or support.

“Kill or be killed. That’s the way the world works, that’s the saying as it goes. Well that’s how Atlantis is and Japan now. Accept and embrace that. It took me a while, but I finally understood that base fact. Takako understands that too.”

“Base instincts?”

“That’s right! After Atlantis, I realized it all. Yuki made us all reborn to fight. It’s not for stupid novel and romantic notions as protection people or defense. No, it’s simple killing.” The flame grew brighter suddenly with the intensity of the heat increasing. She had been holding back in their struggle. But she pushed for a conclusion now.

“And now you’ll kill me.”

“That’s right! Only one of us can leave! And unlike you, I’ve accepted and enjoy it now. Once killing is in your blood you can’t stop. You’ve got to keep going.”

“So you’ve become a murderer.”

“You make it sound so dirty.”

“Are you claiming to be different?”

“No! We’re all murderers. I’ve just accepted that fact. I killed people in Atlantis during our efforts to save Yuki.”

“I don’t believe they were intentional deaths.”

“At the start, but at the end I accepted the facts as they were in front of me. I liked killing. I enjoyed it. I didn’t need to be afraid of the killing. I had to keep practicing and refining my power so I could keep going. But with peace in Atlantis, there wasn’t going to be anything left. My only hope was Japan, thrown into chaos by Yuki’s scheming.”

“Takako.”

“Yes, Takako! She doesn’t have the same views as the others. She understands how the world really is. And she is going to be showing everyone else. After she kills Yuki, there won’t be anyone that can stop her from extending her influence.”

“She was waiting for Yuki?”

“Initially no, but she quickly learned about Yuki from the students that fell in line with her. They didn’t understand it, but they had seen his fight with Demosthenes in front of the school like the rest of us. And she knew then that he was going to be a threat. She built her power and waited knowing that he would eventually be back. It was all as she planned.”

“That certainly explains why she limited her growth, which never made sense.”

“Now that all of what she wants is in her hands, things will start changing. Yuki’s death will bring an end to the lies and Takako will show everyone the truth!”

Haruo struggled to keep his hand from being completely destroyed by Fumiko’s flame. The smell of burning flesh filled the air around them. However, he had long lost most of the feeling from his hand with all of his nerves either destroyed or just completely overloaded by pain. “I’m not very good with people. But I have to question your ideas of the truth of the world as you claim.”

“Everyone does because they don’t understand. They fall in line with what society says.”

“I’m not exactly talking about that.”

“What?”

“I’m more referring to you at this moment.”

“What about me?”

“If I had to guess, you’re actually lying to yourself and using Takako’s power to justify your actions.”

“What are you talking about? What do you know?!”

He noticed the sudden rise in her voice and reaction. It was all just guessing, but it seemed logical enough to him from what he knew of her and people in his observations. “Like I said, I don’t know people very well. I just observe mostly. And what I’ve observed of you makes me think you’re lying. There is something else that you’re trying to cover for would be my guess.”

“I’m NOT covering for anything! This is who I AM!”

“Your yelling indicates otherwise. With your heavy focus accepting killing, I’m going to guess that is the root of the matter. What is it about killing for you that you’re trying to hide?”

“Killing is reality! I’ll kill YOU!” Flames jumped up from her arm going wild. It pushed back Haruo as she leaned in. Her eyes had grown wide with her pupils shrinking. A crazed look spread over her face.

Haruo fell back, losing his stance. She had completely overpowered him. His burned arm was useless to him. The metal magic already pinned him down for her to make the killing blow. “You won’t.” It was his last chance. He barely had any supporting facts to it. Just his conversation with her to go on.

Another reckless action.

“I WILL! KILL!” Fumiko threw her hand down glowing bright blue. She aimed straight for Haruo’s heart. “I’ll show you who I AM!”