Mizuho Inada ! D8-D7 ! World 4-2 [[SUB-BOSS]]
BANG.
Stopping dead in her tracks, Prexia tilted her head upwards as the sound of gunfire echoed nearby, several birds scattering from their positions within the forest’s trees. Sighing softly to herself, the girl allowed a waft of cold air to escape her lips, the grey of the released fog quickly evaporating before her eyes.
“Another gone.” She jumped a little as her pendant pulsed, Ahura’s voice resonating against her ears. He hadn’t said anything since they’d left Sakura and Yuko’s bodies; she’d nearly forgotten he was with her.
“Probably…” Breathing a response, the warrior felt herself frown a little, thoughts of decaying classmates lingering in the back of her mind. After a moment of silence, she shook her head and pushed the thoughts into her hypothetical rubbish bin, turning her body around to face the direction of the gunshot. She had to stay focused. There wasn’t much time left, nor were there many students. A single mistake or hindrance could have led both her and… and Megumi, to their demise. That was unacceptable. She had come so far since Kaori’s death, since the game began… A stuff-up was out of the question. She had to k-… Kill.
Ignoring the moisture accumulating beneath her eyes, Prexia’s grip on Shinji’s pistol tightened as she took a step closer towards the island’s latest murderer. Whoever it was, he was close and had no idea where she was. She had the upper-hand, she could take him by surprise. She knew she could. She… She wanted to. For Megumi.
“That’s the spirit, Prexia. Stay strong.”
Nodding, Prexia continued to walk before she was stopped in her tracks for the second time in five minutes as a closer-than-expected speaker began to crackle, a nearby crow squawking in retaliation.
“This is the end.”
Taking a deep breath, Prexia dropped to her knees and reached for her class list.
"Remember at the start of this game, where you kids killed four people in each report? Don't you think it's funny that this was the pace you needed to maintain from the last time we spoke to secure a winner? Four deaths in this report, and four deaths before your deadline. Almost poetic, no?”
“…” Sakamochi sounded less repugnant than usual, but still held an air of contempt for the students. Prexia didn’t like it, not one bit.
“No? Suit yourselves.
Anyway, you've exceeded this pace tonight. Six deaths since the last report! Ready? One last time!”
Six deaths? That meant there were only three students left. Eyebrows furrowing, Prexia held her breath…
”Girl #3, Megumi Etou!”
… And felt herself heave a tremendous splutter, eyes widening, tears already building up at the mention of her friend’s name.
“Wh-what?” She felt her breathing grow heavy, her gun clattering to the floor by her side. Pounding onto her shuddering chest a few times with her hand, she eventually grabbed Ahura’s pendant, squeezing tightly with both palms. “Ahura… Ahura! Megumi, she… she… N-no!”
Dead?
“Prexia…” Ahura responded softly, tone filled with remorse. Prexia felt the tears begin to stream rapidly down her cheeks, hardly able to breath, to think, to do anything.
“Prexia what!?” She shrieked, eyes snapping shut, skin digging into the edges of her pendant. She could feel the rage boiling up inside her, that intense feeling of utter defeat returning. Megumi was dead? It couldn’t be! Ahura promised she wouldn’t die! He promised! He was the god of light, the almighty being… He… he couldn’t be wrong. “Y-you promised…”
“That I did…” Ahura sighed and Prexia let out a defeated sob, lips shuddering violently. “But time was of the essence, Prexia. I told you that. I told you to kill.”
“And I did!” She screamed, throat hurting. “I killed Sakaki… Killed Sakura. I d-did what you wanted!”
“But you hesitated.” Ahura grew less compassionate by the minute. “You took your time doing so, and look at the consequences. She’s gone.”
“N-no…” She opened her eyes, looking at the ground through blurred tears. “She can’t be gone… She’s all I… All I…”
Unable to finish the sentence, Prexia let out a rough cough. She didn’t get to hear the rest of Sakamochi’s report, but she didn’t care. How could she? Megumi was dead, Kaori was dead. She had no friends left, no… No anything. Ahura had cheated her; he’d lied. He promised Megumi would live but look what happened! Someone, some demon killed her!
The thought was too disgusting to handle. She tried to picture the expression Megumi might have shown as she lay on the ground in a puddle of her own blood, but the concept was too much. She felt herself gag and heave another painful cough, fingers tightening further around Ahura’s pendant.
“Please, Ahura… Do something.” She whispered, throat sore from screeching. “Help me…”
The tears kept coming; she really couldn’t help it. She was stuck with nowhere to go. Megumi was the one thing that kept her going, the one thing that kept her sane in the entirety of The Program and… And she was gone. Just like that. She was gone and the people who killed her were still alive and well.
It wasn’t fair.
“Nothing is fair, Prexia Dikianne.” The pendant began to pulse. “Lady Megumi has indeed been slain, but there is nothing we can do about that now. She’s gone.”
Prexia whimpered, tears still blurring her vision. “She can’t be…”
“She is. The demons killed her. The sooner you face that, the better.” Ahura’s tone deepened; Prexia’s lip quivered. “Time is of the essence, Prexia. The demons need to die.”
“…” She didn’t know what to say. Her breathing was still rushed, her head still plagued with about a thousand and five thoughts. Megumi had been slaughtered. How could she ever be happy, knowing she sat and let that happen? She deserved to die for letting the demons reach her.
“If you die, the demons win.”
“…”
Sobbing, Prexia couldn’t deny the god had a point. Earlier, he’d spoken of her classmates being demons and she’d been hesitant to listen. She refused to kill Sakura for a long time and… And in that time, Megumi was killed by other demons. And all for what? Sakura turned out to be nothing more than scum, as did Sakaki. They assisted in taking the life of an innocent, peaceful, gentle girl. A girl Prexia promised she would take care of. What they did was unforgiveable.
Eyes snapping shut, Prexia tried to ignore the tears prickling her cheeks as she clenched both her fists. “Y-you’re… You’re right, Ahura.”
“Of course I’m right, Prexia. You refused to let go of your morals and all hell broke loose.” The pulsations of the pendant grew stronger with the growth of Prexia’s rage. “We can’t let that happen again. It’s up to you to avenge Lady Megumi; vanquish the demons!”
“…”
Breathing slowing down ever so slightly, Prexia gulped, before her eyes shot open. Looking down at her pendant, she held back her tears as she let off a nod, reaching for her gun.
“I can do this.”
Trees and shrubbery flew past Prexia’s face as she moved through the woods, gun at her side. It was nearly night, but she barely noticed. Time seemed endless in the program; it was hard to acknowledge anything but the presence of other students.
”He is nearby, Prexia.” the warrior nodded as Ahura interrupted her train of thought with a sly whisper, slowing her pace to a mild saunter. She was so scared, still filled with emotion over Megumi’s death, but she had to try to stay focused. It wasn’t about rescue or hope anymore, it was only revenge that mattered. Her classmates were demons. She’d refused to admit it earlier, but the proof was there. How else could her best friend have d... Passed on?
Allowing a single tear to trickle down her left cheek, Prexia frowned. She couldn’t give her classmates any more chances. They were evil. Pure evil. She couldn’t believe she’d even let Shuuya or Sakura into her personal space at all earlier; she really was quite lucky to be alive.
Passing a large tree, the girl gasped as she noticed a tall, stocky figure looming in the distance. Pulling herself back into hiding, her eyes narrowed as she peeked through some stray branches at the beast.
It was a male student, that was for certain. He had a wide frame and a familiar short haircut, large firearm in his left hand. Prexia felt her breathing slow down in anticipation as she watched him stand cautiously, eyes focused intently on his head.
As he turned around, Prexia could have very well screamed at the revelation of his face –a dark aura radiating from his very pores.
“Shogo.” She hissed under her breath, eyes stinging at the sight of the demon’s cold, emotionless countenance. She hadn’t thought about him for a while, but she remembered their last encounter moment-by-moment. He killed Kaori. Her best friend. He separated her and Megumi in the first place, caused her to die.
Prexia couldn’t stop her breathing from hastening, nor could she prevent her body from shaking. It was such a disgusting thought, knowing that one boy -one boy in her class-, one she hadn’t ever spoken to, had caused her so much pain. So much pain with out so much as looking at her.
Teeth clenched, the warrior latched onto her pendant with her free arm, her other hand tightening its grip on the pistol.
“Ahura… He…” The tears started up again, Prexia unable to finish her sentence.
“This man, Prexia… He is the head demon. The most powerful demon of them all.” Ahura spoke almost silently, the pendant glowing with strength. ”Kill him. For Lady Megumi, for Lorela. This is your final test, your moment of triumph! Show him what it means to mess with a vanguard of all that is holy!”
“Y-yes.” Prexia nodded, breathing more frantic than ever. He was standing right in front of her; Shogo Kawada -no, the head demon, in all his parasitic glory. By killing him, she could repay her debt to Ahura; show him she believed him -trusted him.
And more importantly, the head demon’s death would mean payback for all the pain she had caused both herself and her friends. It was the least she could do for them.
Taking a deep breath, Prexia finally summoned the courage to step forward, tears still staining her cheeks. Her feet pitter-pattered against the dirt as she stepped into the clearing, raising her gun. Her eyes narrowed as Shogo flicked his body around and raised his own firearm similarly, eyes widening as they locked onto Prexia's own.
“Inada!” He grunted, muscles bulging from his shirt. The sight of him up close made Prexia all the more distraught, images of Kaori’s cold, limp body lying amongst the shattered glass molesting her head.
“… Sh…” She tried to spit his name out, say something, but the adrenaline was too much. All she could hear was her heartbeat and the sound of Kaori’s blood-chilling scream. The glow of his eyes as he ran from her corpse like a coward. The slow trickle of her tears as she cried over her friend's body.
She… She hated him.
She didn’t even notice the entrance of a third party as she shrieked at the top of her lungs, pointing her gun at the demon and pulling the trigger with all her might.
For once, Mizuho Inada had forgotten about her morals.
All she wanted was to see his blood.
(FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Stopping dead in her tracks, Prexia tilted her head upwards as the sound of gunfire echoed nearby, several birds scattering from their positions within the forest’s trees. Sighing softly to herself, the girl allowed a waft of cold air to escape her lips, the grey of the released fog quickly evaporating before her eyes.
“Another gone.” She jumped a little as her pendant pulsed, Ahura’s voice resonating against her ears. He hadn’t said anything since they’d left Sakura and Yuko’s bodies; she’d nearly forgotten he was with her.
“Probably…” Breathing a response, the warrior felt herself frown a little, thoughts of decaying classmates lingering in the back of her mind. After a moment of silence, she shook her head and pushed the thoughts into her hypothetical rubbish bin, turning her body around to face the direction of the gunshot. She had to stay focused. There wasn’t much time left, nor were there many students. A single mistake or hindrance could have led both her and… and Megumi, to their demise. That was unacceptable. She had come so far since Kaori’s death, since the game began… A stuff-up was out of the question. She had to k-… Kill.
Ignoring the moisture accumulating beneath her eyes, Prexia’s grip on Shinji’s pistol tightened as she took a step closer towards the island’s latest murderer. Whoever it was, he was close and had no idea where she was. She had the upper-hand, she could take him by surprise. She knew she could. She… She wanted to. For Megumi.
“That’s the spirit, Prexia. Stay strong.”
Nodding, Prexia continued to walk before she was stopped in her tracks for the second time in five minutes as a closer-than-expected speaker began to crackle, a nearby crow squawking in retaliation.
“This is the end.”
Taking a deep breath, Prexia dropped to her knees and reached for her class list.
- ”Come on Miz’, hurry!” Kaori’s voice boomed from the end of the hallway, “We shouldn’t even be here; We’ll be late!”
Standing at her locker, Mizuho let out a loud groan, throwing her best friend a glance. “I’m nearly done, I promise! This blasted device wont open!” Frowning and looking back down at her lock, Mizuho ran her thumb around the metal surface for the fourth time. She’d had it and it’s combination since her first year of junior high and quite liked it, but lately it had been… Well, rather busted. She’d been unable to open it first try for the past few weeks.
“Four, eight… Fifteen…” Mumbling to herself, Mizuho closed her eyes as she input the last number, giving the lock a rather forceful yank.
Click!
It slid out of place, Mizuho mouthing an excited ‘yes!’ as her door flew open.
“Are you done?” Kaori’s tone was laced with frustration.
“…” Quickly, Mizuho reached inside her locker, grabbing at the manga titled ‘Forgotten Warrior Kaiyo’. “… Yep!” She laughed, slamming her door shut, flicking her body around and running to her friend.
As she reached Kaori, the sullen girl let off a frown, glancing down at the book. “I hope that was worth it.”
“Oh, it is.” Mizuho nodded in agreement with herself, slumping her bag over her shoulder. “Now let us get a move on, otherwise we’ll miss our ride!”
“That’s what I’ve been saying the whole time.”
“Oh Lorela.” Mizuho laughed as her friend rolled her eyes, picking up her own bag.
Turning around, the girls ran down the hallway, lockers and classrooms flying past them as they reached the front office, exiting from the school’s front entrance. As they stepped outside, both girls stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of the school bus looming over them from the curb.
“W-wow.” The word slipped out of Mizuho’s mouth without much thought. The class trip had been in the students’ minds for weeks; months, even. It was so surreal for it to finally have come together. “It’s… It’s really happening.” Kaori nodded silently in response, taking a step towards the bus’ entrance, where Mr. Hayashida stood.
“Ah, girls. Glad you could make it!” Their teacher grinned, checking their names off on the class list. “We’ve been waiting for you. You wouldn’t happen to know the whereabouts of Mitsuko and her friends, would you?”
“No, sorry.” Mizuho responded half-heartedly, shaking her head as she moved past Hayashida and onto the bus with Kaori. Students were spread out all over the joint, chatting, laughing, some even hanging from the ceiling. Mizuho’s eyes widened as she looked around, before she smiled at the sight of Megumi sitting all alone near the back. Moving down the isle, her lips widened as her friend waved.
“Greetings, Megumi!” Voice filled with cheer, Mizuho sat herself in one the seats at Megumi’s front as Kaori took the seat to her side. “Thank the lord we had a few minutes spare before this vessel departed!”
“Um… Yeah.” Megumi tittered, covering her mouth with her hands. “Any later and it would’ve left without you!”
Mizuho laughed in response before turning to face the front of the bus –or, perhaps more literally, the back of Yumiko Kusaka’s head (the tall girl was seated directly in front of her). Sighing pleasantly, she glanced down at her lap, eyes focusing on the Manga she’d retrieved earlier. Flicking a few pages into the book, she felt herself cock an eyebrow at an image of the main character, Kaiyo, smashing a boulder with her bare fists.
It was… quite pretty, actually. She hadn’t read the book yet, so the page was new to her. New, and, well, very exciting! Powerful female protagonists were her favourite type of character because she felt she could relate them to herself, or what she wanted to be.
Giggling, she span around, shoving the page beneath Megumi’s nose. “Look!” She shook it a little, grinning. “It’s me –It’s definitely me! Can you see the resemblance between our forms?”
Megumi made what sounded like a meek yelp, jumping in her seat a little, before she offered a polite simper. Nodding her head, the poet’s eyes closed happily. “Oh, yes… Very much like you.”
Mizuho squealed in excitement before the sound of a loud, boyish scoff interrupted her. “Keep dreaming, she ‘got bigger tits than you!”
Such a strong disregard for common courtesy and basic Japanese could only have come from one boy. Glancing upwards, Mizuho glared at the towering Kazushi Niida (standing alongside Hatagami), making a sharp hissing sound as she snapped back at him. “Mind your tongue, mortal.”
The boys shared a glance, then a laugh, before they moved down to their seats at the back of the bus. Reaching for her pendant, a slightly flustered Mizuho returned to facing Kusaka’s head, glancing back down at her book as she frowned.
“I’ll show you.” She whispered, anger getting the better of her. “I could be a warrior…”
"Remember at the start of this game, where you kids killed four people in each report? Don't you think it's funny that this was the pace you needed to maintain from the last time we spoke to secure a winner? Four deaths in this report, and four deaths before your deadline. Almost poetic, no?”
“…” Sakamochi sounded less repugnant than usual, but still held an air of contempt for the students. Prexia didn’t like it, not one bit.
“No? Suit yourselves.
Anyway, you've exceeded this pace tonight. Six deaths since the last report! Ready? One last time!”
Six deaths? That meant there were only three students left. Eyebrows furrowing, Prexia held her breath…
”Girl #3, Megumi Etou!”
… And felt herself heave a tremendous splutter, eyes widening, tears already building up at the mention of her friend’s name.
“Wh-what?” She felt her breathing grow heavy, her gun clattering to the floor by her side. Pounding onto her shuddering chest a few times with her hand, she eventually grabbed Ahura’s pendant, squeezing tightly with both palms. “Ahura… Ahura! Megumi, she… she… N-no!”
Dead?
“Prexia…” Ahura responded softly, tone filled with remorse. Prexia felt the tears begin to stream rapidly down her cheeks, hardly able to breath, to think, to do anything.
“Prexia what!?” She shrieked, eyes snapping shut, skin digging into the edges of her pendant. She could feel the rage boiling up inside her, that intense feeling of utter defeat returning. Megumi was dead? It couldn’t be! Ahura promised she wouldn’t die! He promised! He was the god of light, the almighty being… He… he couldn’t be wrong. “Y-you promised…”
“That I did…” Ahura sighed and Prexia let out a defeated sob, lips shuddering violently. “But time was of the essence, Prexia. I told you that. I told you to kill.”
“And I did!” She screamed, throat hurting. “I killed Sakaki… Killed Sakura. I d-did what you wanted!”
“But you hesitated.” Ahura grew less compassionate by the minute. “You took your time doing so, and look at the consequences. She’s gone.”
“N-no…” She opened her eyes, looking at the ground through blurred tears. “She can’t be gone… She’s all I… All I…”
Unable to finish the sentence, Prexia let out a rough cough. She didn’t get to hear the rest of Sakamochi’s report, but she didn’t care. How could she? Megumi was dead, Kaori was dead. She had no friends left, no… No anything. Ahura had cheated her; he’d lied. He promised Megumi would live but look what happened! Someone, some demon killed her!
The thought was too disgusting to handle. She tried to picture the expression Megumi might have shown as she lay on the ground in a puddle of her own blood, but the concept was too much. She felt herself gag and heave another painful cough, fingers tightening further around Ahura’s pendant.
“Please, Ahura… Do something.” She whispered, throat sore from screeching. “Help me…”
The tears kept coming; she really couldn’t help it. She was stuck with nowhere to go. Megumi was the one thing that kept her going, the one thing that kept her sane in the entirety of The Program and… And she was gone. Just like that. She was gone and the people who killed her were still alive and well.
It wasn’t fair.
“Nothing is fair, Prexia Dikianne.” The pendant began to pulse. “Lady Megumi has indeed been slain, but there is nothing we can do about that now. She’s gone.”
Prexia whimpered, tears still blurring her vision. “She can’t be…”
“She is. The demons killed her. The sooner you face that, the better.” Ahura’s tone deepened; Prexia’s lip quivered. “Time is of the essence, Prexia. The demons need to die.”
“…” She didn’t know what to say. Her breathing was still rushed, her head still plagued with about a thousand and five thoughts. Megumi had been slaughtered. How could she ever be happy, knowing she sat and let that happen? She deserved to die for letting the demons reach her.
“If you die, the demons win.”
“…”
Sobbing, Prexia couldn’t deny the god had a point. Earlier, he’d spoken of her classmates being demons and she’d been hesitant to listen. She refused to kill Sakura for a long time and… And in that time, Megumi was killed by other demons. And all for what? Sakura turned out to be nothing more than scum, as did Sakaki. They assisted in taking the life of an innocent, peaceful, gentle girl. A girl Prexia promised she would take care of. What they did was unforgiveable.
Eyes snapping shut, Prexia tried to ignore the tears prickling her cheeks as she clenched both her fists. “Y-you’re… You’re right, Ahura.”
“Of course I’m right, Prexia. You refused to let go of your morals and all hell broke loose.” The pulsations of the pendant grew stronger with the growth of Prexia’s rage. “We can’t let that happen again. It’s up to you to avenge Lady Megumi; vanquish the demons!”
“…”
Breathing slowing down ever so slightly, Prexia gulped, before her eyes shot open. Looking down at her pendant, she held back her tears as she let off a nod, reaching for her gun.
“I can do this.”
- …
Trees and shrubbery flew past Prexia’s face as she moved through the woods, gun at her side. It was nearly night, but she barely noticed. Time seemed endless in the program; it was hard to acknowledge anything but the presence of other students.
”He is nearby, Prexia.” the warrior nodded as Ahura interrupted her train of thought with a sly whisper, slowing her pace to a mild saunter. She was so scared, still filled with emotion over Megumi’s death, but she had to try to stay focused. It wasn’t about rescue or hope anymore, it was only revenge that mattered. Her classmates were demons. She’d refused to admit it earlier, but the proof was there. How else could her best friend have d... Passed on?
Allowing a single tear to trickle down her left cheek, Prexia frowned. She couldn’t give her classmates any more chances. They were evil. Pure evil. She couldn’t believe she’d even let Shuuya or Sakura into her personal space at all earlier; she really was quite lucky to be alive.
Passing a large tree, the girl gasped as she noticed a tall, stocky figure looming in the distance. Pulling herself back into hiding, her eyes narrowed as she peeked through some stray branches at the beast.
It was a male student, that was for certain. He had a wide frame and a familiar short haircut, large firearm in his left hand. Prexia felt her breathing slow down in anticipation as she watched him stand cautiously, eyes focused intently on his head.
As he turned around, Prexia could have very well screamed at the revelation of his face –a dark aura radiating from his very pores.
“Shogo.” She hissed under her breath, eyes stinging at the sight of the demon’s cold, emotionless countenance. She hadn’t thought about him for a while, but she remembered their last encounter moment-by-moment. He killed Kaori. Her best friend. He separated her and Megumi in the first place, caused her to die.
Prexia couldn’t stop her breathing from hastening, nor could she prevent her body from shaking. It was such a disgusting thought, knowing that one boy -one boy in her class-, one she hadn’t ever spoken to, had caused her so much pain. So much pain with out so much as looking at her.
Teeth clenched, the warrior latched onto her pendant with her free arm, her other hand tightening its grip on the pistol.
“Ahura… He…” The tears started up again, Prexia unable to finish her sentence.
“This man, Prexia… He is the head demon. The most powerful demon of them all.” Ahura spoke almost silently, the pendant glowing with strength. ”Kill him. For Lady Megumi, for Lorela. This is your final test, your moment of triumph! Show him what it means to mess with a vanguard of all that is holy!”
“Y-yes.” Prexia nodded, breathing more frantic than ever. He was standing right in front of her; Shogo Kawada -no, the head demon, in all his parasitic glory. By killing him, she could repay her debt to Ahura; show him she believed him -trusted him.
And more importantly, the head demon’s death would mean payback for all the pain she had caused both herself and her friends. It was the least she could do for them.
Taking a deep breath, Prexia finally summoned the courage to step forward, tears still staining her cheeks. Her feet pitter-pattered against the dirt as she stepped into the clearing, raising her gun. Her eyes narrowed as Shogo flicked his body around and raised his own firearm similarly, eyes widening as they locked onto Prexia's own.
“Inada!” He grunted, muscles bulging from his shirt. The sight of him up close made Prexia all the more distraught, images of Kaori’s cold, limp body lying amongst the shattered glass molesting her head.
“… Sh…” She tried to spit his name out, say something, but the adrenaline was too much. All she could hear was her heartbeat and the sound of Kaori’s blood-chilling scream. The glow of his eyes as he ran from her corpse like a coward. The slow trickle of her tears as she cried over her friend's body.
She… She hated him.
She didn’t even notice the entrance of a third party as she shrieked at the top of her lungs, pointing her gun at the demon and pulling the trigger with all her might.
For once, Mizuho Inada had forgotten about her morals.
All she wanted was to see his blood.
(FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
