Deus Didymus: Rend

Pt2Ch60: Starship

Yujin swung her katana, clashing with Kazuha's sword. As her blade bounced, Kazuha thrusted her blade, forcing Yujin to stumble backward and off balance.

"You look distracted," Kazuha commented. "Is it about your brother?"

With a sigh, Yujin took Kazuha's hand. She pulled herself onto her feet, dusting her shorts off with a nod. "I don't know what to think."

Kazuha stepped back. She pointed her sword toward the puppy--her resolute eyes void of emotion. "Do you think he's telling the truth?"

"He has to be," Yujin pouted. She blocked a strike from Kazuha. "He words felt too real to be lies."

"But he's with the same people who invaded your capital. I heard they killed a lot of your friends' parents when they rebelled," Kazuha argued. "What are you going to do if they killed yours too?"

Yujin bit the inside of her lip. Despite the heavy question, she parried Kazuha's attack. "I'd never forgive them."

"Can you forgive your brother?" Kazuha asked. She barraged Yujin with a series of unrelenting sword strikes, forcing the puppy onto the defensive. "Can you forgive your brother for the innocents he might have killed? What about the horrendous experiments they're rumored to do? Can you forgive him for standing with the same people that do that? There's even rumors they've violated dozens of women-"

"Enough!!" Yujin shouted. Kazuha's sword sliced through the air and toward Yujin's body, struggling to a stop right before her skin. The puppy's psionic barrier gripped onto Kazuha's blade like an invisible hand--stopping it in its tracks.

Yujin sighed, releasing her allele. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap."

"Those questions were meant to make you uncomfortable," Kazuha said as she sheathed her sword. "Think long and hard. I know it's difficult to think about your brother doing those things, but it's something you need to prepare for just in case. Orca is evil, and your brother stands high in their ranks. That says a lot."

The two parted ways with Kazuha returning to her house while Yujin strolled around Starship's capital. With Minho's help, all of the damage done to the city had been undone. Citizens walked among the streets as if nothing had happened and the buildings stood tall and proudly like a reflection of the city's pride.

On her stroll, Yujin found Bae and Rei on a date. Had it not been for their faces, she would have assumed they were ordinary starship citizens. Neither emitted any presence that would denote their extensive training or field experience; they smiled behind the window of a cafe, happily chatting. Toward the end of her walk, Yuijn found Leeseo carrying a large load of groceries on her person. The puppy lifted them from the woman's hands with her allele, prompting Leeseo to quickly latch onto the bags.

"I'm okay! Thank you though," Leeseo smiled.

"What are you doing, Ms. Lee?" Yujin mumbled. "Why aren't you teleporting home?"

"Sometimes it's nice to go through my day like a normal person. It helps me stay grounded," Leeseo replied.

Yujin pursed her lips. She grabbed half of the load from the woman's hands earning a wider smile from Leeseo. "How have you been doing, Ms. Lee?"

Leeseo pressed her lips together, "I'm doing well, why do you ask?"

"I realize that I don't know you that well even though we've been living together for half a year," Yujin replied. "I think it'd be nice to grow closer."

"What would you like to know?" Leeseo asked with a raised eyebrow.

Yujin pressed her finger against her chin. "Was there anyone you were interested in before everything happened?"