Saki couldn’t believe what she was hearing from Yuki at that moment. She stood up in front of him and slapped him hard across the cheek without hesitation. There was so much disappointment and anger built up in her that she couldn’t say anything to him. All she could do was to stare at him.

It took a moment for it all to sink in for Yuki. Even after that the stinging sore mark on his cheek was all he really understood for a while. He wasn’t too sure what had happened. It had all been so foggy in his mind. He tried to shake it free from his thoughts and focus back on Saki. “What was that for Saki?”

“Why do I even need to answer?! You should know without me even telling you!” Seeing the lost and confused expression on Yuki only made it worse for her. It was aggravated even more by the fact that it seemed to be genuine. “Are you telling me that your mother and father that loved you so much and that made you a wreck when they died are not your family?!”

Yuki would have stepped back if he hadn’t been leaning against the wall. All he managed to do was straighten himself up at the accusations from Saki. “Huh?! What are you talking about?”

“Don’t give me that!” Saki took Yuki up by his shirt, completely lost in her emotions.

“Saki?! Why are you so upset?!”

“How can you!? You’re—“ The longer that Saki glared mercilessly at him the more her rational side started to resurface. ‘Something wrong!’ She could see that there was something missing from his eyes. It stirred an unbalanced feeling in her stomach that forced her anger back down. ‘He honestly looks like he doesn’t know what I’m talking about… What’s going on?!’ Saki slowly had to let him go, becoming confused with each passing second.

Chapter 88 – Intrusion of the Uninvited

“You alright, Saki?” He reached out to try to console her. “What’s wrong?”

“Yuki?” Abruptly, her breathing turned shallow and ragged like she expended every part of her body. ‘…is this another part of his problem or something else? Doesn’t he remember what he said?’ She looked into his eyes cautiously trying to read him for an answer. There was little to be found; it had been different than before. Pausing any more was just going to be a waste. “Do you remember what you said just before I got mad?”

He searched his thoughts, but shook his head. Saki made it seem like there should be a void, a black spot in his memory, but it was nothing of the sort. “I said something? What did I say?”

“That they’re not your real family.”

Ayumi’s voice echoed in his mind the moment Saki spoke. He rubbed his hand against his head feeling an odd ringing. “Why would I say that?”

“That’s what I want to know!”

“I mean technically, it’s not wrong.” She glared at him again. “But they’re the only family I know regardless of blood. I’d never turn my back on them!”

‘That’s the Yuki I know. But…’ Saki had to admit this wasn’t new information. Yuki and Ayumi both opened pretty early with that bit. The meaning of the words never really settled for her. “Is the problem you’re trying to resolve your foster family with your obligations to a dead family?”

“You really are becoming more observant.” Another sigh escaped him as he tapped his head against the wall. “Yeah, I want to just go kill Demosthenes and tell those old men to just shove it up their ass. And run back home…” He looked around the fantastical post-apocalypse forest-like setting of the city. “Peace isn’t the right word. I’ve got bigger problems here than trying to rule some politically corrupt country I’ve never seen before.”

“But?”

“Ayumi. Looking at her, listening to her, when that soldier persona drops…” His mind sank back to the moment she found him. He saw something different in her eyes and her voice. “She acts like this is all mission and duty, but it feels personal. I don’t know what her connection with the King is, but this is important to her.”

“I see now. You’re going to have to make a decision.”

“Yeah…that’s the part I haven’t solved yet. But…” The distant view of the city came back into focus. A reminder, like everywhere in the city, of the price he paid. It’d almost be easier if he couldn’t consider all the angles. A fast easy answer would be welcome, but punish him later.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Another… I’m guessing this is the reason for all the delaying.”

He crossed his arms focusing back on his friend. Saki came off a little casual about it all, even though he could sense the grave seriousness underlining everything. “I can’t just leave all of this behind. A couple weeks ago I could just leave to deal with that and be fine with it. I’m just out of school for a little while. Teachers would be happy.

“But I can’t do that anymore. I literally warped Japan, Saki! My imagination, my dreams, my ideas, they’re all out there right now threatening people that have nothing to do with any of this. And even if I didn’t care about the innocents, I have my family’s safety to think about and the friends I leave behind. This is my fault and I need to find a way to take responsibility for it.”

Saki held back her gut response. ‘Honestly, this is bigger than any of us, but who in the world could actually attempt to fix it? Could he even?’ She looked around at the environment. Grass on concrete and massive hundred meter trees attached to homes, none of it made sense. And sure, their school was fixed, but they couldn’t ask the two to physically go all over the country that way.

However, an element that they couldn’t fix like a building would be the people. As Yuki and herself witnessed with those street punks, it’s not just the environment that’s different. And knowing Yuki’s crazy ideas, she didn’t know if it just stopped with people. Can anyone even fix that? They didn’t even understand the change.

It went beyond her and even Yuki. Yet watching the way he tormented himself, she knew that didn’t matter. ‘I guess if he made it, it’d stand to reason he might be able to undo it. But even Ayumi doesn’t understand it, so what can we do?’ She looked back to him, recovering her wandering thoughts. “Just assure me you’re not going to go turn yourself over.”

He blinked looking at Saki. Yuki stepped off the wall with some shock. “No! I’ve read enough to know that’s never going to be the solution. Realistic or fiction be damned, I wouldn’t trust myself in the hands of government officials. As bad as that probably sounds.”

“Good. But it seems like we're solving this on our own.”

“While innocents suffer.”

“Potentially.”

“Saki…let’s not lie to ourselves. Even if I fixed this all tomorrow, my mistake has killed someone somewhere in Japan and likely lots of people if I'm being more honest with reality.” The problem came from the fact that it wasn’t going to be solved tomorrow or even next week. Yuki didn’t know why it happened. It could be years. That number scared him.

“You’re just one person, Yuki. Trying to worry about the entire country is too much for you. Focus on those next to you.”

He paced around her, rubbing his hair. “I know what you’re saying. But it feels selfish to only be thinking about those that I can see and ignoring everyone else. I can’t save everyone. I don’t think I can, but I can’t just pretend bad things aren’t happening if I can’t see it.”

“Then don’t pretend, just don’t put that weight on you. You’ll fix this. But crushing yourself isn’t going to make it go smoother.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Saki stepped out in front, stopping his frantic pacing. His emotions all over the place and a thread barely held him together. She reached out and grabbed him, hugging him. “Yuki…”

For a moment, he tried to fight it, but the comfort, the warmth filled through his body. He didn’t realize how cold it had been. “Saki…” He buried his head in her shoulder. “I'm scared…and I don’t know what I’m doing! I’m just a kid…”

It was so rare to see the wall come down. She had known for so long, but everything was always a mask. Fighting was a mask, reading a mask, goofy off, the jokes, each a facade he used to cope. Saki saw so many masks, the real Yuki almost felt like a lie. Was this the real one or just another lie hiding even more trauma? “We’re all scared… But I’ll be there for you, Yuki…”

“What if I can’t fix it? What if… What have I done…”

She rubbed his back as he spilled all of his fears. Words no longer had the meaning or hope she wished. It felt empty that all she could do was give him comfort. ‘He’s been holding this all in… It’ll help clear his head…’

After a few minutes of solitude and raw emotions, Yuki calmed down. Saki let him go seeing his strength returning. “Feeling better?”

“Not really, but I guess in some way.” He rubbed his face, clearing himself up. His face dragged with guilt even afterward, but he sharpened his gaze. Yuki searched for his resolve.

“How about this? You don’t decide. At least today.”

“Saki, I can’t keep putting this off. Part of this is because I haven’t committed to anything!”

“But you’re still missing pieces right?”

“Well, yeah, I am…”

“Like what happens if you do become King?” He shrugged, obviously not having her answer. “If you turn them down will they just let you go? There’s a lot of guesses and hoping it all works out by just going with Ayumi.”

“Y-yeah, I don’t really have a back up plan, no…”

“So look at this way. Who would know more about these powers besides Ayumi? The people that live there. Maybe we can find the answer. And nothing says you need to be King to fix the corruption.”

“Probably would be easier.”

“But not impossible.”

Yuki took a moment to think about it all. If the problem wasn’t seen in absolutes maybe he could find a decision. He nodded to himself with building energy. “I guess you’re right, Saki!”

“Right! So when do we leave?”

A few thoughts ran through his mind for consideration. He knew that he was running out of time according to Ayumi. He did not even know where he had to go to reach the homeland or how long it was going to take. ‘It’s been about two weeks since she said I had a month left. So I don’t have much time left.’ Yuki gave it enough thought and looked back at Saki. “I want to finish the school, but I think that’ll only take another day. So the day after tomorrow…”

“Alright! School’s still out for now so it’ll be easy for me to get away!” Saki had already begun making preparations in her mind.

There was a brief nod from Yuki as he did not fully comprehend what she had said. “Yeah! I’ll—“ The moment arrived that he realized what he was agreeing to with Saki. “Hey! Wait a minute! I just noticed there’s been a lot of ‘we’ talk!” When Yuki started to question her words Saki gave him a firm glare that said more than words could even manage. “B-But it’s dangerous, Saki!”

“I’ve already faced down an assassin with you! I can take care of myself! Besides, it is dangerous and you can’t go alone into enemy territory with only Ayumi! I’m going too!”

He had wanted to protest further with Saki, but it was already a losing argument. Saki had already made the decision in her mind for what was going to happen and there was not going to be anything that he could do to convince her any other way. “Fine, but it’s just us. We leave in two days!”