Chapter
Forty-Nine: Dawning Era:
Tsuzuki spotted
Anna lying on the ground. The color drained from his face.
“Usagi-chan!” he
shouted. Tsuzuki flew down to her as fast he could. He shook her on the
shoulder.
“Hey! Are you
okay?” the shinigami asked, shaking her. “Anna-chan! Hey! Hey!” His wife’s eyes
fluttered open. Tsuzuki breathed out.
“Oh good!” he
said.
. “Asato-kun?”
Anna asked. He grabbed her hand.
“I’m right
here,” he said.
“My foot,” she
said.
“Huh?” he asked,
looking down. Her whole foot looked swollen in her sneaker. The shinigami took
off her sneaker. Her foot looked puffed up and black.
“Ooh!” he said.
“What happened there?”
“She got me,”
Anna said. “I tried to dodge it but she still got me.”
“Shh, don’t
talk,” he whispered. “I’ve got the weapon.”
“You did?” Anna
asked.
“Yes,” Tsuzuki
said. He clutched her hand tightly.
“The only way
this will work if you say the word to end this spell.”
“The word?” Anna
asked.
“Yes,” Tsuzuki
said. “Try to remember what it is. We have to hurry.” At first, she looked
confused. Tsuzuki looked desperate.
“Come on,” he
said. “You have to say it. I’ll say it with you. You just have to say it.” His
wife didn’t answer.
“Just say it,”
Tsuzuki whispered. Airi came behind her vessel.
You can do this.
I will give it to you. The answer came wordlessly into
her ear. Anna in turn whispered it into Tsuzuki’s ear. Her husband nodded.
“I understand,”
he said.
---------
Haruka could see
everything. Having no body gave her more power. Aki became apart of her as well.
“This is great!”
she shouted. The old lady paused.
“Oh?” she asked.
Her eyes scanned through the cracking darkness. Her lips curved into a hungry
smile.
“Yes,” she said.
Her targets were here together. Time to end this. Haruka flew down to the bottom
of her tower. Tsuzuki held up Anna in his arms. They held out a device made of
two long gold rods held together with wire.
“Oh?” Haruka
asked. “And what is this?” The couple smirked at her.
“Bonto!” Tsuzuki
and Anna shouted. The wire began to light up.
“What the…?!”
Haruka shouted. The light fanned out swallowing everything in sight.
“What is this?!”
the old lady asked. “No… No!” The cracks spread faster all over the tower. Holes
grew at rapid rate in the walls and sky.
“No!” Haruka
yelled. “I will not lose to you!” She stuck her hand in the air. Everything went
silent.
----------
Anna opened her
eyes. Quiet.
Huh? Where…
Where am I?
Thought you
could get rid of me that easily, huh?
Anna whipped her
head around. Haruka floated before her. Only her face remained.
“You!” her
granddaughter yelled. The old lady laughed.
“I had to admit,” she said. “You had me
with that spell of yours. You broke my body.” Anna gritted her teeth.
“This has to
stop!” she yelled. “I won’t let this clan take another life!” Haruka smirked at
her.
“Funny,” she
said. “You take the high ground but you will be no better than us.”
“What do you
mean?” Anna asked. She wished that she could strangle her. Haruka smirked and
waved her invisible hand. A small clicking noise ripped through the air. Anna
turned her head.
Daisuke’s voice
the room.
Daisuke:
October 31st,
1999.
My name is
Kimoto Daisuke. I’m thirty-four years old and a single dad.
“Where did you
get this?” Anna asked.
Daisuke:
This will be my
last entry. -Sigh- I have no choice but to admit it. The curse will claim
Anna-chan too. The Mother chose her. I tried to seal her away. But it’s not
enough. The curse has won. I couldn’t stop it.
I’m so sorry,
Anna-chan.
“See?” Haruka
asked. “You’re doom to keep our legacy going. You will shed blood like us!” Anna
had no emotion on her face.
“Is that all?”
she asked.
“What?” Haruka
asked.
Daisuke:
But I know it
won’t end this way.
“What?!” the old
lady shouted. She started to tremble.
Daisuke:
Anna will be the
one to turn our fate around. She can save our future. She and the Mother will be
the strongest out of all of us. The clan’s redemption is in her hands. Her power
with bring the downfall of our toxic clan. She will save us all!
Haruka wanted to
scream.
“No… No… No! No!
No! No! No!” she screamed. “Turn it off! Turn it off!” Daisuke’s voice still
floated through the air. The cracks deepened in the darkness and finally broke.
The bright light replaced the emptiness. The winner had been decided.