Keep Fighting

𓊈卍 𝟕𝟕 卍𓊉

Nakano is wandering the streets of Yokohama by herself. She sent Kokonoi home because she wanted to be alone to think about everything she just heard.

She knows she has to betray Izana in order for this plan to work. She never truly joined him, per se. Her loyalty belongs to Toman and the Black Dragons. It's her duty to protect them both. It's her need to save them both. She devoted herself to focusing on saving only them.

But now... She isn't so sure of that anymore.

She can't just turn a blind eye. This person is suffering too. Something inside her is urging her to take him out of his darkness, but she's afraid of losing sight of her initial goal. But at the same time, she doesn't want to be blinded by the bright light of the torch she carries. She has to see everyone in this endless void of misery.

Her intuition suddenly senses a pair of eyes on her. She stops in her step, only a couple blocks away from a busier street. Spinning on her heel, she looks towards the darkness behind her. That's when she sees someone slip into an alley.

"You're not very slick," she calls out to them threateningly. "Come out, or I'll come to you." Almost immediately, the person shows themself. She squints her eyes, wondering if she's seeing this right. "Kakucho?"

Kakucho avoids her gaze when he approaches her. "Sorry, Nakano... I was just..."

She raises a brow at him. "Stalking me. On your own accord, or was this Onii-sama's order."

"It was my idea. I just... I didn't know if I should tell you, or if you'd care."

Concern begins building up inside her. "Tell me what?"

"Izana and Kisaki..." He lifts his head enough to lock games. "Are planning to kill someone."

Nakano fails to hide her shock. "Who?"

"A girl named Sano Emma. Sano Manjiro's younger sister apparently."

"So this is what you were talking about on the rooftop." Nakano can feel the anxiety creeping up on her. "I thought he was talking about a mass murder on Toman or something. But killing an innocent person?"

"See! Even you don't approve!"

Nakano realizes that she dropped her act. Though, she doesn't panic. She and Kakucho share the same opinion.

"Kakucho." She finds her composure. "I'll help you." He widens his eyes at her. "In this case... You deserve to know the truth. But you have to trust me. And, perhaps forgive me." He stays silent, allowing her to continue. "I never lost my memories. I pretended to do so to join Tenjiku in order to save my friends."

"So you were never really loyal to Izana?" Kakucho mutters.

"I wasn't. But after you asked for my help, and I listened to him on the rooftop, it's seriously making this complicated," she confesses this, looking him into the eyes to show him she's telling the truth. "Now I know for sure that I want to save Izana too. We have that in common."

"Okay." Kakucho says after a moment of hesitation. "So how do we do that?"

"Tenjiku must be destroyed."

"What!?"

"You said it yourself. This isn't the Tenjiku you and Izana wanted to create. This Tenjiku was born through Izana's hatred and misunderstanding. I understand where he's coming from, but I also know that he's missing something important that he isn't considering. But that's for me to be concerned about."

"I see..." Kakucho heeds her explanation, and accepts the partially unfortunate reality. "What's the plan?"

"I need to talk to someone." Nakano turns back in the direction she was going before she was stopped by Kakucho. "Come with me. We'll need your information as well."