Chapter 12: Go Back
Kotaro's eyes widened with a stupefied expression, rendered speechless to witness his younger self with another companion whom he hardly recognized. The two boys reached the top, and the young Kotaro energetically analyzed his surroundings with his eyes--when his chestnut eyes caught his older self, he immediately gasped. "Hey, Kotaro! That tall guy over there looks like me! And that blonde dude, he looks a lot like you!"
He froze, stupefied by the new information. Keeping his eyes on the boy who bore the same name, Kotaro noticed the similar visage of both the young boy and Yuuki--like he was a younger Yuuki. "Those two...they are us..."
"What? What do you mean by that, Kotaro?" asked the unnamed boy.
Kotaro approached the younger Kotaro, reaching to his height. "What's your name?"
"My name?" Kotaro nodded. "My name's T--,"
"It's rude to approach little children like that," Yuuki interrupted. Immediately, he created a portal beneath the children's feet--and they fell into it unknowingly.
"Why did you do that?" Suddenly, a jolt within his head halted his aggression towards Yuuki. More phantasmagorias flashed into his sight, bringing up the exact same event when he reached the top of the shrine and meeting an older Kotaro including the shrine maiden, Yuuki, and Noel. "Why did I remember meeting my future self? Why do I remember being here in the first place?"
"What do you mean by that?" Yuuki wondered.
"I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like deja vu. Like I've been here before."
"That's rather...odd. Normally, this place has always been a first-time for all outsiders. You probably spirited away in our world while you were sleeping, and my theory is that you're remembering the memories within your dreams."
Kotaro pondered the thought on Yuuki's dream theory. The series of illusion reminisced within his mind, and he could still remember most of it. "I may have spirited away into Densetsu again last night, and I dreamt of a warrior."
"A warrior?"
Disaster overran the unknown town by monsters. He remembered it all, describing every scenery he witnessed to Yuuki and the others. Yuuki nodded slowly, ingesting all of the information into his ears.
"A weird phenomenon, indeed. It seems like you're not just spiriting away from the past, but you're also doing it in the future. Perhaps you're bound to meet this warrior sometime in the future. Anyway, you and Noel have school. I may as well take you two to school," he opened a portal beneath their feet, causing them to fall into it, and Yuuki was alone with the shrine maiden. She began sweeping the floors, ignoring the Legend's existence.
"Spirit away by dreaming, huh? No one's ever spirited away into Densetsu by dreaming," said Riku. "I give you credit for making yourself sound believable, but that doesn't explain that phenomenon we just witnessed. Why were those kids here?"
"They were spiriting away too," he quickly created himself a portal in front of him, transporting the thrown object back to the shrine maiden's hand. "There's no need for aggression. Like I said, those kids spirited away much like Kotaro did. It's as simple as that."
"You're hiding the truth behind it all. Well, Kotaro's not around to hear what you have to say."
"Sorry, but you're here."
"I see, so you don't even trust me with your secrets either," replied Riku.
"So it seems. I'm not the only one who's hiding secrets. You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror."
With every remarkable comment seethed the shrine maiden's irritation. No matter how many words were thrown at him, he would always reflect it with a greater force than hers. A single entity like him remained unreadable to Riku.
"You know what? Forget it. You want to keep your secrets to yourself, go right ahead! It's not like I'm involved with your issues. If Kotaro finds out you're lying to him, he's not going to be happy."
"And how are you so sure about that? You hardly know him--the twenty-first Kotaro--he's different than the other Kotaros you've met. Who knows. He may end up like--," he created another portal, transporting Riku's paper talisman elsewhere. "Be careful with those. You don't want a second Legend to be killed."
"Then you best leave this shrine. I'm getting annoyed being alone with you."
He smirked before dropping into one of his own portals, and the shrine maiden sighed in relief. Just as Yuuki transported himself elsewhere, a shower of black feathers fell above the shrine maiden. Instantly knowing their presence, Riku turned her attention to them. "What news do you have now?"
His stretched wings shrunk as it seemed to be absorbed into his back, dropping more of his feathers, and he tossed a roll of newspaper to the shrine maiden.
"I already read this one. We're all investigating Draco's murderer."
"This is a new one, and it's urgent," replied Beak.
The shrine maiden raised a brow, and she quickly skimmed through the new information. The newspaper crumbled with a tight grip. "This is insane! The Sylvan Supreme has declared Kotaro as a S-Class criminal. For what reason? He was the only one who could stop the generator. This doesn't make sense."
"There's more to it, Riku." Beak searched his pocket, and he pulled a letter. "Shrine Maiden of the Gods, she who serves for the people of Densetsu, as the Sylvan Supreme, you are to take matters in disposing the outsider known as Kotaro Nishiki. By Densetsu's law, all outsiders who are privileged to enter and exit Densetsu must be exterminated so that the existence of Densetsu must never be revealed amongst the outsiders. If action is not taken, the people of Densetsu will see you as a S-Class criminal too. The alternative, he must forever remain in this world, never to return to his own world."
"Hypocrite..." commented Riku. She snatched the paper off from Beak's hand, and she shredded it into pieces. "Has Joe gone insane?"
"Riku, I hate to say this, but he might be choosing the right decision into keeping Densetsu safe. We've heard the stories from Joe Jones about the Outside World and their conflicts. If the Outside World discovers Densetsu's existence, the chances of them spreading their conflicts to our world is very high."
She gritted her teeth. "We already have our own conflicts with the humans and monsters. It's no different than theirs."
"Then it's best I take my leave. I have to side with the Sylvan Supreme on this one. If you declare an incident against him, I won't hesitate to fight you."
Riku remained silent as she watched the tengu depart from the shrine. Watching the tengu soar into the sky reminded the shrine maiden of Yuuki's words, but she regained her composure. "I know what I must do."
The black world transitioned into a field of white, met with a chilling breath, and flakes of snow slowly showering from the azure sky. Contacted with the bed of snow, Kotaro picked himself up, standing next to Noel. Transported to school, he entered the building with the new student to their first class of the day. The school bell tinkled across the halls, several students slamming their lockers closed, and the two students arrived in the nick of time to their history class. Followed by their arrival, the instructor snuck behind the two. "Another day, I will not accept any late nor any incomplete work!"
Kotaro jumped in surprise, unexpecting Mr. Willcocks' presence, but it was worse when Mr. Willcocks mentioned about today's assignment. Thinking about last night, he gulped loudly. The outcome was expected since he came home late, and he went straight to bed right away. Oblivious, his right hand was placed on his stomach, but he quickly put it away to the side. Yesterday's incident felt like a dream, yet Kotaro knew that fight was no mere dream. Everything he experienced was a reality, Yuuki's apology, Noel's existence, and Riku's duty, none of them were dreams.
Kotaro's peers reached out their folders, handing out their papers to the teacher, even Noel surprisingly. Although, he was lucky he had his good old friend Skarlet joining him. Then again, she barely put any effort into her work.
Mr. Willcocks faced both Kotaro and Skarlet, presented with nothing on their desks, and he maintained his usual visage. Stoic as ever with a bold and fierce demeanor, the tall man crossed his arms. "Something must be important that the both of you didn't bother to do your homework. Care to give an excuse why you didn't do your homework?"
What am I supposed to say? He pondered about possibilities to convince Mr. Willcocks, anything that wouldn't involve traveling into another world, but even if Kotaro spoke the truth, he would be made a fool out of himself. He scratched his head for ideas, maintaining a calm smile, and he kept his eyes on the old man's sight. "I uh--,"
"Kotaro and I were in the arcades, playing Fighting in the Streets: Champion's Edition. It's ten times more educational than our history class," blurted Skarlet. His eyes widened as he locked them at her. Her mouth moved slanted before blowing a pink bubble until it reached its maximum size to pop. The noise managed to make Mr. Willcocks blinked a little, but he continued to maintain his usual demeanor. "This class is boring, teach. What's history going to teach me, anyway?"
The scarlet haired student rested her arms behind her head as she laid on the desk, continuing to annoy the teacher with the obnoxious chewing. His nostrils huffed loudly as the grimace of disappointment in his mien remained unchanged. "It's too bad you're required to take this class in order to graduate." He stopped there with his response. No sound was made other than the instructor teaching his students, and the pencil scraping graphite into the notebook.
Kotaro kept his eyes on Mr. Willcocks, who occasionally traded looks with him, but the teacher carried on his business in a serious manner. Although not getting yelled at by Mr. Willcocks felt great, a piece of Kotaro noticed the uncomforting presence within this class. He betted the other students realized the same too.
As class dismissed, Kotaro found himself alone with the old timer. A single glance caused the old man to scoff, and he focused elsewhere. Last night's conversation with the shrine maiden gave him the courage to approach the lonesome teacher.
"What do you want?" said Mr. Willcocks, hardly keeping an eye on Kotaro.
"I just noticed you're not yourself, Mr. Willcocks." He swayed his sight elsewhere to keep his composure before glancing back at the old man, who barely revealed any reaction. "Y-You're not yelling."
He scoffed, "Is that all you can remember me for? You skipped your homework to waste your time in the arcades, and now you noted my unusual self. You have the audacity to say that?"
"It just doesn't feel right to have a teacher who isn't himself," blurted Kotaro. Realizating the message being passed, the young man grew speechless. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like that. Mr. Willcocks?"
For the first time, he saw a smile on that old man who stood tall as a tree, reminding him of the friendly oni he met in that other world. "You really have the audacity. I yell at you all the time, but you're the only one who'll come up to me and ask for help when needed, and you even talk to me with concern. I appreciate your bravery, but I'd wish you being yourself."
"Myself?" wondered Kotaro, unsure what the instructor meant.
"It's complicated to explain... anyway, I'm busy at the moment! Get lost!"
Kotaro disappeared among the group of students, and Mr. Willcocks' silhouette remaining as a tree in front of his classroom. Swaying his sight away, he instantly halted. The young girl with light buttermilk skin flinched in surprise, blinking several times before being inches away into accidentally bumping into each other.
"Hi, Mimi!" he waved his hand.
"Hi, Kotaro," she smiled.
"A-Are you going to your next class? I mean, what class are you going to? It's science, right? How are you doing in science? It must be hard in science!"
"I have math," answered Mimi.
"Oh," there were no words between the two, merely the footsteps of incoming students. "G-Good luck in math!"
He smiled before making his way to Mr. Praum's class. His heart skipped a swift beat, and he sighed in relief. His vision projected onto the patterned floors, encountering many passersby. His mind warped into many inquisitions: the mystery of his past returning to him which roamed within the other side of his own world, understanding Mr. Willcocks as an individual, and his chances of being with Mimi.
"Kotaro?"
He raised his head, meeting the new student's azure eyes. "Yeah?"
"Something wrong? You look sad just staring at the floor," said Noel.
"I'm fine. I do that a lot."
Noel asked no further questions, and she entered Mr. Praum's class first. Kotaro followed her. Everything seemed so normal with the addition of Noel's presence, who only remained in this world to keep an eye on him in the first place, but time breezed like the wind--and before realizing it, Kotaro found himself outside walking with Noel. This time, he took action for Noel's lonely presence unlike her first day in school.
The new student shivered from winter's breath. "I wish I'd came more prepared for this devastating weather!"
"Does it ever snow in Densetsu?" wondered Kotaro.
"Rarely, depending on the region," Noel answered. "In Densetsu, there lives four nations: Infernia, the land of the western summer, Sylvia, the land of the eastern spring, Glacia, the land of the northern winter, and Petra, the land of the southern autumn. When the seasons hit, each nation has their corresponding region to be more fierce in their respective seasons. So winter in Sylvia isn't as harsh than the winter in Glacia."
"That's interesting. In ours, there's hardly any snow in certain places like Florida."
Noel widened her eyes. "Just like the lands of Infernia?"
Although Kotaro hadn't experienced both places, he answered her question with a nod. "If I have the money, I swear I'll take you to Florida!"
Her pupils dilated, and words failed to come out of her mouth. A young boy replaced Kotaro's image before returning into its original form. Quickly, Noel turned her attention elsewhere. "I'll pass!"
"What? What do you mean? I bet you'll enjoy it! They got cool animals, and the beaches are amazing." He came closer to her, reaching for her hand, but she quickly reacted. "Noel, are you okay?"
"I'm fine..." she searched her pocket, finding a tiny device, and she pressed it which opened a portal to the other world. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Kotaro watched her enter the portal until it closed. Alone, he went on his way home. Unknowingly the rift opened, and the young man felt a strong grip which pulled him back. The school was now deserted.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone