[Tokusatsu Themes, Corruption]
It all started on that night. When the moon hung overhead. When the light shone down, and illuminated that young blonde...
Yumeko thought that she was about to get transformed. She thought that she was about to draw her very last breath. But there she stood. A girl that was far too short for her own good. Standing in the path of that sword that was about to transform her...
"Are you okay?!" The girl cried out, smiling as Yumeko slowly nodded. "Phew! That's a relief! I didn't think I'd make it in time!" She sounded so confident, so ready to do what felt right for her to do.
The marble wolf in front towered above the two of them, yet struggled to pierce through despite the girl being armed with nothing more than a belt. A belt that looked partly cracked, as if it had been through so much already. A belt that she would never forget...
"You won't hurt her. And you're going to have to open your eyes too, puppy!" The girl cried out, as she managed to shove the sword back and give herself some distance...
Only to strike a pose. Reaching her hand diagonally into the air. As that cracked belt of hers started to burn and resonate with power. "Both of you, please! Watch my Henshin!" She cried out, her voice booming with power as the flames erupted...
Yumeko had never seen anything like it. The flames covered the girl, solidifying into a suit of lionic armor. A suit that would forever be burned into her heart... A suit that symbolized hope for her. It was when she saw this suit for the very first time...
It was then that her heart started beating to a different beat. A beat filled with admiration, that only grew stronger as the armored warrior defeated the wolf that tried to strike her down. Striking through the wolf and defeating her in one fell swoop...
But she didn't kill her. No, she ended up with the girl in her arms. Letting the dark wisps that clung to her vanish, as she returned to normal. Letting that weak piece of jewelry that transformed her into that menacing form fall to the ground, dissolving into dust on contact with the ground.
"You're going to be okay soon. I promise." The short girl said with a bright smile, before gently lowering her onto the ground. All so she could focus her attention on Yumeko, smiling at her even more so. "Ehe..." She giggled, stepping closer to her while looking so proud of herself.
Yumeko tilted her head. "W-What?" She didn't exactly understand, though there was something about the way that the short girl looked at her that made her blush. "Uhm... T-Thank you so much. I..."
"Don't mention it." The girl said, as she offered her hand to the black-haired girl she barely knew. "I'm Mikai. Mikai Fushimi. What's your name?" She introduced herself so casually, despite showing off something that was so beyond anything Yumeko was expected to be able to comprehend...
She looked at that hand, and smiled the best she could. Even if she didn't understand much of what was going on, she understood that Mikai... Mikai was a girl that could not only be trusted, but genuinely wanted to help. Just what she needed right now, really...
"Yumeko. Yumeko Watanabe." She introduced herself, as Mikai helped her up once she took her hand. And once they were standing up against one another, Yumeko couldn't help but giggle slightly. "For a Hero, you're awfully short."
Mikai giggled in turn. "It doesn't matter if I'm tall or short. As long as I keep on reaching out, then it'll all turn out alright! It worked for you, and it worked for her too!" She didn't mind. Not at all.
It was that attitude, that unabashed kindness, that made Yumeko's heart flutter. On the night she first met Mikai...
On the night she decided to devote herself to this little Heroine...
---
"You really should be more careful, Mikai. You get hurt a lot while you fight like that."
"I knoooow. But if I don't fight, somebody's going to get hurt more than I do. You know, like our Student President! You saw what she was like when she saw her friends in danger!"
Yumeko had to sigh a little as she wrapped a couple of bandages around Mikai's arms. It was true. Saki had thrown herself in front of the enemy with very little regard for her own safety, all for the sake of saving her friends. If not for Mikai arriving right then and there and backing her up, then the situation could've turned out way worse.
Still. She didn't want to see her hurt. It was something that made a few tears slowly roll down her cheeks. "I know that. I know that, Mikai... But if you keep on getting hurt like this, I just... I..."
Mikai looked at Yumeko, noticing the tears that ran down her cheeks. "Y..Yumeko?" She didn't know what to say when faced with that. Having somebody feel so sad on her behalf made her feel all sorts of weird. "I... I'm sorry, I..."
Yumeko stopped her from apologizing further, pulling the small girl into her arms. Hugging her as tight as she could. Memories of all the fights she had seen play out before flashing through her mind. And how Mikai kept on getting into more and more trouble as a result of her heroic heart.
And yet, despite her tears, she knew that she couldn't keep the girl to herself. "Promise me something, Mikai. I.. I just want you to do one thing for me." She muttered with such a hushed tone. Because she couldn't bring herself to speak louder. Not when faced with a situation as tense as this.
"Anything." Mikai understood. Hugging the crying girl back, even letting her lower her head so that she was pressing her face up against her chest. Comforting her much taller friend, as she had done whenever she felt scared or felt inadequate...
Yumeko took a deep breath, getting her emotions in order, before looking into Mikai's eyes. "I want you to promise me... Don't die. Okay, Mikai? No matter how hard you fight, I want you to promise me that. Stay alive. No matter what." She let her fear out. Her fear for the girl's life...
Mikai simply nodded and patted Yumeko on the head. "I won't die. I promise you, Yumeko. I'll keep you and everyone safe." She said, with the utmost sincerity dripping from her lips. Right before she started giggling and rubbing the back of her own head. "Besides. Saki's going to be putting me through my paces now that she knows who I am. She really wants to make sure that I won't mess up, since I'm trying to be so responsible."
The black-haired girl simply nodded and sighed. Mikai understood her fear. Mikai understood why she was so afraid. But even so, she still kept on getting involved with the things that might burn her out.
She just had to hope for her. Just as she always did...
---
"I've been meaning to ask, Mikai."
Mikai blinked, barely dodging out of the way of one of Saki's kicks as Yumeko came over. It had been about three months since the two met, and they had been through so much since then. Fighting against the machinations of the person behind this whole outbreak without any clue as to who the culprit was meant to be.
"Mmhm?" Mikai asked, catching Saki's kick as it came towards her head seconds later. "Sorry, Saki-senpai. Just give me a moment, okay?"
The blue-haired girl sighed and nodded, bowing respectfully towards the girl that had taken on such heavy responsibility, before leaving her alone with the girl that she was clearly much closer to.
"It's about your Belt. It's one of those Jõtai, isn't it? The same that turned Yuuki-senpai into some sort of fiery demon, and very nearly turned Saki-senpai into something before she remembered what you had told her?" Yumeko had picked up on the various effects of these strange Jõtai. Each of them were able to amplify the desires of the wearer, transforming them into some sort of monster that reflected their hearts in some way. So why didn't it do that for Mikai?
Mikai nodded as she touched that belt, smiling slightly. "I saw somebody with one of these once. A silver-haired woman that saved me from a Golden Monster. You know what she told me, when she defeated that Monster?" Yumeko shook her head in response, prompting the short heroine to smile in turn. "She told me that reaching out is how you get through to people. And then she picked up the Monster, who turned back into her lover. I haven't seen the two since, but I hope they're doing good..."
So it's because that woman touched her heart that she ended up that way. She imbued her with the courage to keep going, no matter what. Perhaps... Perhaps she could take the same to heart, if she was ever presented with a Jõtai...
To keep going, and reach out to those that needed it...
---
"Saeko... You wanted to see me?"
Yumeko felt a little bit nervous as she walked into the shed where they kept all the gym supplies. The bespectacled girl from the Student Council wanted to talk to her... Which was kind of weird, because she was always so distant. Why did she want to...
The lavender-haired girl turned around, so that Yumeko could see her eyes. Her dull eyes, walking closer and closer to Yumeko as the light overhead started to swing back and forth. Barely able to keep Saeko lit up...
"Why... Why is it that you're the one... Why are you the one she's always looking at.. Why..?!" Saeko muttered, her voice growing angrier and angrier as she came closer and closer. Her glasses cracking as a worrying aura started to grow from her body...
Yumeko tried to back away, but she ended up bumping into the wall. And before she had the chance to get away, a hand slammed right beside her head. Keeping her pinned to the wall due to sheer pressure, especially as that girl came closer...
"W-Why..? I... I don't understand, Saeko..." What was Yumeko supposed to know? The girl never talked to her, she never did anything except just watch from a distance. It was as if... As if... Wait...
Those eyes... Within the dull color was a golden glint. She... She was using those Jõtai that Mikai had told her about. Those things that turned people into Monsters temporarily..!
"S-Saeko... W-Why are you using one of those..!?" She didn't know where Saeko's was. But she had to be wearing it. That golden glint only appeared in the eyes of those that abused those things. The ones that were on the verge of being stuck as Monsters, without a chance to turn back if they were freed. The last chance slipping away...
The lavender-haired girl started laughing, as she pulled her hand up. Revealing not one, not two, but all of her fingers adorned with one of those rings. Each starting to resonate with the same menacing aura as the rest of her. "Why..?" She asked in turn, before laughing. "WIthout these... Without Mikai getting in the way... Without Mikai looking at me... Everything would've turned out alright..! Everything..!"
"She wasn't supposed to get in the way! She was supposed to be mine! I gave her my Jõtai, because I wanted her to help me! But she told me she didn't want to help me. Because she didn't think what I was doing was right. Instead... Instead, instead..! She just kept on stopping my plans! Every time! EVERY TIME!" Saeko ranted, before her eyes turned properly golden. All while the Jõtai on her fingers melted away, their power completely absorbed into her...
Yumeko was forced to stare into those golden eyes. Those spiraling golden eyes that pulled her deeper and deeper. Deeper and deeper, as she felt her mind slipping... She... She... What... What was she..?
"This time... This time, she'll see... And she'll be with me, just as I always wanted..!"
That was the last thing that Yumeko heard, before the only thing she could think about was that golden hue...
---
"Saeko! SAEKO!"
Yumeko's eyes were dull and golden. She couldn't see much of anything. But she could hear the sound of Mikai's voice. Just as she could see that bright and sunny girl shining, despite her blurry vision...
"Ahaha... You came, Mikai! You came! Right into my web!" Saeko cried out in delight, as she slowly let the glasses on her face slide off. "I told you to join me when I offered you that Jõtai. And yet you kept on pushing me away. So why... Why won't you understand..!? If we're all Monsters, then nobody will ever feel isolated..! Nobody will be like me, who always felt so alone..!"
Tears of frustration. Of fear. Of isolation. Yumeko could hear them pouring down her cheeks. But she couldn't do anything. All she could do was stand there. All she could do was stare straight ahead. At the girl that had helped her so. Her bright presence shining in her eyes...
"I told you back then, Saeko! This isn't right! You have to open your eyes and let people reach out to you! That's the way you end up with friends! And no matter how much trouble you cause, I still think of you as my friend!" Mikai cried out in turn, assuming a more aggressive stance. "But! You can't keep turning people into Monsters! Please, Saeko!" She was ready to fight if she wasn't going to stand down. Reaching out only worked on those that were willing to take her hand.
Saeko laughed as the tears poured down her cheeks. "You're lying! You always did! You always looked at her, not at me! That's why... Ahaha... That's why you're going to have to fight her first. Fight her, and break her!" She screamed with pure mania in her voice, as she slammed her hand into Yumeko's chest.
She didn't react at first. Then, the golden power that was within Saeko pushed into her. And Yumeko could feel her body trembling in turn...
Bit by bit, a golden glow consumed her. Bit by bit, her body vanished underneath the gold. And a brand new desire started to fill her. A desire that was forced upon her by the lavender-haired girl...
A desire to crush that girl. A desire to see her underneath her heel. A desire to destroy her and make sure that she never fought again. For her own sake. So that she would never, ever, think that she could do something so absurdly reckless...
The golden glow vanished. And in Yumeko's place was a knight. A knight clad in butterfly-themed armor that took on many traits that were not too dissimilar from the kind of armor that Mikai wore...
Complete with her having the same sort of cracked belt as Mikai did. Marking them as the exact same type of heroine. Only, Yumeko was no heroine. Not right now.
She reached out. And a bow formed in her hand. A bow that was now pointed straight at Mikai, with the point of the heart-tipped arrow ready to pierce through...
"I am Nightmare... And for your own sake, Mikai... Sleep, forevermore..!"
Consumed by the desire implanted within her, Yumeko began to fight. For a distortion of her own wants, to keep Mikai safe...
Even if it meant fighting against that very same Mikai..!
---
"You see now, Mikai..!? You see what happens if you don't listen to me..!?"
The lion had fallen. On her last legs, barely able to keep herself on her knees from how much damage she had taken .Several of Nightmare's arrows pierced through her, leaving her with a partly shattered helmet that exposed her slightly golden eye...
Despite everything that Nightmare had fired off at Mikai, she was still breathing. A relief, and yet a frustration to the corrupted girl as well. A frustration that she shared with the girl that was currently speaking. Saeko's desires fueled her, and Saeko spoke on her behalf...
"I told you, Saeko..." Mikai muttered, panting and gasping as she slowly drew breath. The damage that she had sustained was too strong. By all accounts, she shouldn't be able to even breathe at this point. "This isn't right. You should open your eyes... I promise you, there's still a chance for you to come back. For you to be better..."
"Shut up! SHUT UP! ONLY MONSTERS CAN BE MY FRIENDS! EVERYONE ELSE'LL BETRAY ME!" Saeko refused to believe. Even now, when Mikai was about to perish, she refused to open her eyes and realize that she was right. She kept on pushing away the truth. "Nightmare! Nightmare! FINISH HER!"
Nightmare manifested another arrow, as she aimed the heart-tipped arrow straight at Mikai's heart. Slowly drawing back the string. Even as her heart screamed at her to not do it. If she let that arrow fly, Mikai would... But if she didn't, Mikai would throw herself into the path of danger...
"Yumeko..."
Nightmare froze. Part of her mask cracked, as she heard Mikai speaking straight to her. "S...Stop, Mikai..." She muttered. The distorted desire inside her understood. She was planning something incredibly risky. "You'll... You'll..!"
Mikai smiled, as her helmet crumbled completely. Revealing her bloodied face, yet that same bright smile as ever. "Remember. Our promise, Yumeko." She said, coughing as she struggled to stay kneeled. The pain was too great...
And yet. It was that pain. That belief in their promise. It was what made Yumeko's mask crack more. "Our... Promise..." Yumeko's voice, untainted by Nightmare, started to leak on through.
"What..!? What are you two talking about..!?" Saeko cried out, as she glared at Nightmare. "Nightmare! LISTEN-"
"I PROMISED YOU, YUMEKO! I WILL NOT DIE!" Mikai shouted, as a golden glow started to rush forth from her cracked belt. "NO MATTER WHAT, I WON'T! AS LONG AS YOU BELIEVE IN ME! SO BELIEVE IN ME, YUMEKO!"
The glow that rushed forth from Mikai was so powerful that the light in Yumeko's eyes appeared once again. Her armor cracking off completely, converting into nothing more than golden energies, just like the ones that transformed her. "I BELIEVE, MIKAI!" She shouted from the depths of her heart, placing all of her faith in the short girl..!
Saeko couldn't believe it. The Jõtai Factor should be impossible to recover from, once it had progressed this far..! Mom... Mother told her that much! So why... WHY!? WHY WAS SHE ABLE TO DO THIS!?
Mikai grinned as the golden energies flooded into her armor. Healing her wounds, as she stood tall. Spreading her arms out as golden claws started to form at the ends of her fingers, before she clasped those very same hands together!
"DAI HENSHIN!"
The energies around her, the ones that flooded through her and made her feel so powerful, surged through her armor and transformed the suit in the blink of an eye. Making it grow thicker. More powerful. All thanks to the promise the two of them had made...
It looked much less like a suit of lionic armor at this point, and more like she donned the hide of a dragon. Especially as she grew bigger, and a pair of six bladed wings grew from her back. A set of bladed wings that seemed to be connected by a black butterfly, taking on the hues of the Nightmare she had faced off against. Infact, the colors of the armor were like a warmer take on those dark Nightmare colors. Deep and tender purples and reds, contrasted beautifully by golden lines in her armor...
"A promise fulfilled! A dream come to life! Here I am, Saeko! Dream Dragon!" Mikai declared, spreading those powerful wings as she faced off against the friend that would not open her eyes...
The friend that shouted violently as she was consumed by her own desires, turning into a gilded arachne. A gilded arachne wearing military garb, adjusting her cap as she glared violently at the Dream Dragon that would dare face off against her. "Jõtaider..! Dream Dragon! You now face the full might of Commander Arachne..! AND I WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU PAY FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE! EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE RUINED!" She screamed, unable to hold herself back any longer.
Dream Dragon and Commander Arachne faced off. All while Yumeko watched, and held her hands close to her chest. Hoping with all her heart. Hoping that their promise would be kept. Hoping from the very depths that everything would turn out alright...
All for the sake of having Mikai by her side once again, so they could be happy..!
---
"Why... WHY!? WHY DON'T YOU FINISH ME OFF!? WHY!? WHYYYYY!?"
The fight had lasted the rest of the night. And at the end, Dream Dragon was victorious. Stabbing her energy blade into the ground, right beside the injured Arachne's head. Inches away from finishing her off and ending her...
Mikai simply smiled as her helmet vanished. Her transformation ending as she turned a near-stab into a close-range hug. Pulling Arachne close to her short body. "Because. I don't want to see a friend hurt. I want to help you, Saeko. I promise."
Arachne trembled as she felt the beat of her friend's heart. And, as that message finally burst through, she started crying out. Wailing and sobbing violently as the golden glow started to pour out through her tears...
Transforming the culprit behind it all back into the lavender-haired girl, as she ended up passing out from crying so much. Ending up in Mikai's arms, as she quietly started to carry her over towards Yumeko. Groaning a little bit in the process from how much damage she had endured.
"Mikai..." Yumeko muttered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I... I'm... I'm so sorry..." She couldn't believe that she would end up fighting against Mikai like that. She couldn't believe that she would be used like that. And... And she couldn't believe that the girl really wanted to forgive her after that, and make sure her promise came true...
The sandy-haired girl simply giggled, and quietly let Saeko lay down beside them. She'd deal with her after all of this. But right now, she had to focus on Yumeko...
And give her what she deserved. A kiss, right on those worrying lips of hers. As she pulled her close to her, and hugged her as tight as she could. All while making sure that she could feel all of those emotions from that kiss...
"Yumeko." Yumeko was stunned, for sure. So much so that she could barely even see Mikai's face as the girl pulled back. But she could see the bright light that shone from her smile. Always illuminating everything, no matter how dark or blurry everything got.
"I love you."
Those three words were ones that Yumeko always would remember. No matter what happened from that point onward, no matter how difficult their adventures became after that. It was that moment, when the girl confessed her feelings, that would forever be locked in Yumeko's mind.
"I... I...!" Yumeko sobbed as she pulled Mikai into a hug as well. "I love you too, Mikai! Please, please never leave me!" She cried out in desperation, as the confession had opened up the floodgates. So much so that she couldn't stop hugging her as hard as she could, entirely due to the emotions rushing through her.
Mikai didn't try to stop her. She simply giggled, and let her hug her as much as she could. All while hugging her back and giving her the comfort that she needed.
She kept her promise. And she'd keep it until the day they grew old together. All for the sake of the girl she loved...
---
"Oh. Oh my god. Oh... Oh..."
Yumeko quietly closed the book she was reading from, as she turned to gaze towards the lavender-haired girl sitting beside her on the couch. "Don't worry, Saeko. You learned after all of that. And you became one of Mikai's greatest allies too." She knew that telling Saeko about her timeline would bring tears to the girl's eyes, but she had forgotten how much of a... Well, mess, the original Saeko was.
"N-N-No, it's not that." Saeko muttered, as she wiped away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. "She... She transformed to protect you. Just as I transformed to protect her. It's... It's romantic..." She sobbed, before she outright began wailing. "No wonder you wanted to protect Mikai, if she protected you like that back then!"
Yumeko softly chuckled, before looking down at the book on her lap. Sighing sweetly, as she reminisced about those good times. The time she spent with the love of her life...
It was thanks to that love, that she did everything to try and help Mikai. Without pushing her too far, because she wanted her to grow into her own too. Even if she wasn't the same Mikai, she still deserved everything...
And as long as that love burned bright within her heart, Yumeko would continue to protect Mikai... To make up for everything she had done wrong. Both as Nightmare, and for messing up in this timeline...
...Hopefully, the Prototype would be up and running, before the next threat arrived. So that she could live up to her half of the promise.
So that she could see that bright girl smile forevermore...