Kaze: Rebels

Kasumi's Farewell

I really messed everything up this time, huh? She gave an apologetic smile.

"Yeah. It's okay, though! Now that you're free, you can join us! Our group needs a tenth member, and I think you'd--"

Kaze, I killed your friends. Jackson and Lily, Seth, Ariel, the twins, Snipe--

"Who the hell is Snipe?" I asked.

--even Kage. They're all gone.

I was silent for a moment.

But... Kasumi suddenly had a start of a plan. I still have a lot of life magic that I didn't use, and a lot of aura, I hurt their minds, so their bodies aren't damaged. I am pretty strong. And I don't deserve a second chance. Maybe there is something I can try... Kaze, I killed a lot of people who didn't deserve it. And you have a lot of people who died defending Hima. I'm going to bring the ones I killed back at the cost of my own life. I'm sorry, but I can't revive everyone. Let's leave the heroes of Hima dead, okay? That way, I can focus all of my power into reviving the people that didn't die willingly.

I thought for a second. As much as I hated the idea, it was the only way we knew of to bring my friends back. "I'm taking the heroes with me anyway. For safekeeping."

Good. Let's take this silly background down. We arrived back in the colosseum. And, if there's nothing left you need to tell me, I think it's time I brought everyone back. She was silent, waiting for a response.

"I'll miss you, Kasumi." I said, opening my arms. "One last hug?" She ran at me and wrapped her arms around me, squeezing my sides. I slowly returned the hug. "Even though you really messed up and I want you to fix everything, I really don't want you to go... I almost wish this hug never had to end, you know?" I smiled and brushed a tear away as Kasumi stepped out of the hug. "I'm such a wimp." I laughed. "I always cry in these books." She laughed with me. Well, I could hear her laughing with her telepathy. "Hey, how do you know this'll work?" I asked suddenly.

Honestly? I don't. I just figure that since you're the main character, this'll either go unrealistically well or turn everyone you know and love into zombies.

I winced. "Ouch. Fourth wall..."

I need to go now or I'll never have the nerve to. Go home with the people I killed once I revive them, and never come back to this awful place again, okay? All I could ever do was look back, and I don't want you to make my mistake.

I nodded and brushed away another tear in vain. "Will do. Bye, Kasumi."

Goodbye, Kaze. She said. The aura stones floated around her and were reenergized with Kasumi's life magic. They soared through the sky to find their original bodies. I crossed my fingers as the Balance Rebels woke up slowly. They weren't zombies! I grinned and almost forgot about Kasumi's sacrifice...

Until her lifeless body hit the ground with a sickening thud and withered away. "Anticlimactic way to die, if you ask me." I muttered.

"Hey..." Kage approached me, rubbing the place where his aura stone would be. "I just kinda passed out after my fight with Kasumi, so I'm assuming I died. If that's the case, what the hell happened? Did you fight her off?" I turned to him and was about to explain, only to remember that this was his idea. I smacked him on the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?" He asked.

"That's for giving Kasumi such a stupid idea! Resetting time using aura power?"

"In my defense, I did try to stop her once I realized my mistake, unlike what someone else would've done in a similar situation." I jumped him, using his belt buckles to scale up the side of his body. "Woah, hey! What are you doing?! Kaze, we're gonna fall!" Lily came over to break it up and Jackson eventually assisted.

"Let's just go home, guys." Jackson said. The decision was anonymous. We started to make our way back to the time machine. With a few lost Himaeans who decided to join us.

"See you later, Kasumi..." I said as the machine warped me away.