Yuna|Vex: Galactic Payback

Somewhere in Gunma Prefecture

November 20, 2023

The room is so spartanly furnished you could easily assume it hasn’t been occupied for years. What little there is - some books on a desk, a purple track jacket draped over a chair there - only offers scant evidence of inhabitation. There’s a stillness to this scenery which helps keep Yuna Saito grounded for a change. Weeks after everything fell apart, she’s sitting atop a futon on the floor like a teenager on a school trip. Despite everything she’s accomplished in the past year, she feels like a helpless child too. Her eyes gaze up from the rugged wooden flooring, following a ray of early morning sunlight up to the three letters printed on the jacket.

GDF.

The First Interstellar Dream sighs deeply, her body shakes with anger.

YUNA:

She tenses up as the urge to rip the jacket apart crosses her mind.

YUNA: <Why did this happen?>

As before, her mind can’t conjure any meaningful answer. Nor can it recall just how long she’s been up in the mountains. Days? Weeks? Months? All of it a blur. At first the headaches and spasms had begun to shake her, just as they had on the Island. It’s why Mizuki had spirited her far from the woman whose actions triggered the relapse. Every now and then Yuna’s sure she’s felt the light brush of another’s breath on her ear. Whispers. The hint of her voice.

Devil.

The hours and days following Pillars of Creation are still a blur to her. She remembers the state she was in after the betrayal and Mizuki hurrying her away from the venue and Kyoto. At some point they arrived here, and she’s been in seclusion ever since. Within the tranquility of this place, Devil’s influence has once again receded. Yuna’s mind is once more clear, but also increasingly restless. She pushes herself up off the floor and slowly walks toward the small kitchen. All the while, phantom pains stab at her - mental reminders of the betrayal that sent her into exile.

YUNA: <Suzuhana Shino-san. Was this your plan all along?>

Her left hand balls up into a fist as she steps through the door and begins searching for some source of sustenance. Though her eyes dart back and forth, there’s no sign of anything to eat. Just as she’s about to give up the rich aroma of coffee wafts up to her. Yuna’s hand relaxes as she spots the tendrils of steam rising from the coffee cup sporting the words ‘Welcome Home Maid Cafe’.

YUNA: <Thanks, Mizuki-san.. And yes, I need to get rid of that cup.>

It being her only option, Yuna reaches down for it - only for two envelopes nearby to seize her attention instead. One is brand new and bears her name, written in Mizuki’s hand. Within moments she’s ripped it open and holds the note in the light, eyes racing from one side to the other. Most of its contents are unremarkable, running down some errands her mentor’s headed out to do. Near the end one passage grips her attention like no other.

I’m worried Suzuhana-san’s not finished reshaping GDF; I’m going to Tokyo in a few days to try and stop her. They might fire me for attacking her, but I’m going to avenge Tatsumaki-san. I know you’d like to ride on the Revenge Express with me, but you should rest. We were way too close to Devil Yuzuki returning last time.

YUNA: <Like hell you’re going alone. I will not let her continue corrupting my family.>

Just as thoughts of making some phone calls crosses her mind, the other envelope captures Yuna’s attention. It’s older, the floral design on it faded a bit. The kanji written upon it shakes her to the core.

YUNA: <To Saito.. Yuzuki-san?!>

Yuna drops Mizuki’s note unceremoniously and picks up the old one. Whose hand is that? Surely it’s not meant for her. Maybe some kind of joke - she flips it over and suddenly her hand shakes.

YUNA: < ‘I hope this finds you well, dear daughter’>

Then she sees the name below the message.

YUNA: <Saito Hitomi..>

She gets no further as a wooden creak pierces the silence from nearby. Yuna’s eyes shoot to the cabin’s door as it swings open. Though she half expects an intruder come to finish her off, the panic quickly wears off as Mizuki enters the cabin. The two women nod slowly to one another but neither speaks at first. Mizuki steps past her, attention focused on the purple duffle bag on the floor nearby.

MIZUKI:

She grips the bag’s strap but freezes as she feels Yuna’s glare locked onto her.

YUNA: <I’m going with you.>

The conviction in her words catches the veteran off guard; her hand lowers away from the bag. Her exit plan decisively placed on hold, Mizuki turns to meet Yuna’s steely gaze. Its intensity nearly causes her to do a double take - she hasn’t seen Yuna like this in weeks. Still, she recalls the trembling young woman in the back of her car in the wake of Pillars.

MIZUKI: <Yuna, you’re in no condition->

YUNA: <I’m. Going. WITH you.>

Yuna’s hands ball up into fists as her intentions are made extra clear. Mizuki shakes her head at the reaction but shortly thereafter Yuna shoots up to her feet and dares her say no.

MIZUKI: <We don’t know if anyone will fight Suzuhana with us.>

Her mentor’s gaze drifts down to the bag again, this time followed by Yuna’s. Those same three letters taunt her from its surface: GDF.

YUNA: <She stabbed me in the back and almost woke up Devil. She caused me to be helpless while Kasey got HIT BY A CAR.>

Pain radiates through her body as she quakes with fury. WHAM! Her fist slams down onto the table nearly hard enough to splinter the wood.

YUNA: <I’m going with you. I’m going to rip that deviously pretty head off of her shoulders.>

Each of them stands there, eyes locked and bodies tensed for a long time. In the past Yuna would’ve felt a tingling in her mind when she grew this angry. Now there’s no company there, just her furious thoughts and desire for revenge. Her heart pounds as she waits for her mentor to respond, every second feeling like an eternity. Finally Mizuki sighs and nods, hands held up in surrender.

MIZUKI: <Very well, you can come. On one condition - at the first sign of Devil Yuzuki I’m getting you out of there.>

Yuna’s body relaxes just a bit as she nods a beat later.

YUNA: <Agreed. She’s been very quiet since we came here, but she’s still dangerous.>

Her fingers idly tap the outline of the letter from her mother.

YUNA:

The fingers stop suddenly.

YUNA: <I’ll find a way. Just like I’ll find a way to take back what Suzuhana stole from us.>

They gently take hold of the letter and lift it up protectively.

MIZUKI: <Fine, I just don’t want her consuming you. The last time she came out, I was terrified that you were gone for good. Whatever happened at that shrine, we found out the hard way last month that it didn’t kill her. And while Suzuhana’s a bitch you shouldn’t risk your existence by letting Yuzuki out to play.>

Mizuki places a firm hand on her shoulder.

MIZUKI:

Yuna’s free hand reaches up to grip Mizuki’s hand.

YUNA: <You won’t, that’s a promise.>

The letter’s placed back on the table with extreme care as if it might shatter on impact otherwise. That done, she heads back into the bedroom to begin gathering her things for the trip home. As a last touch she pulls on the GDF jacket for the first time since Pillars.

YUNA: <I’m ready. Let’s go remind her what GDF really stands for.>

Meanwhile, across the world at a Cuban coffee house in Orlando, Florida…

LACHLAN: He’s your WHAT?

The incredulous Irish-accented voice reverberates in the small cafe, causing the patrons at other tables to turn their heads in curiosity. From her place at the table, Kasey feels her cheeks flame in embarrassment as she shushes her friend.

KASEY: Lach, quiet!

Seated across from her, Lachlan Kane just stares at her, his bright blue eyes wide and his mouth agape. After a few speechless moments, he shakes his head and ran a hand through his thick brunette hair.

LACHLAN: Sorry, Kase. It’s just that…I mean, I know you mentioned that you were going to meet with this mystery note-writer - which, incredibly dumb move by the way.

He gives her a pointed look over the rim of his coffee cup.

KASEY: Yeah, yeah.

Kasey gives a roll of her dark brown eyes as she sips on her own coffee.

LACHLAN: But to not only find out that this dude is your brother, but that he’s my ex who literally came back and put me through hell not even a year ago.

He shakes his head.

KASEY: Trust me, it absolutely threw me for a loop as well.

Kasey sighs, drawing patterns with her finger in the loose sugar that had spilled across the tabletop.

KASEY: Maybe I shouldn’t have gone digging for my real family. I just get this feeling that it’s not gonna end well.

She laughs mirthlessly.

KASEY: I can’t even imagine what you think of me right now.

The Irishman glances up, and his gaze softens at his friend.

LACHLAN: Why would I think any different of you?

KASEY: You just said it. This is the guy who popped back into your life out of nowhere and tried to ruin it with his little lackeys. I don’t know how much he knows about me, but it’s not exactly a secret that you and I are friends. I’m just worried that this is another one of his mind games. Hell, I don’t even know if he’s telling the truth about us being related.

She sighs and runs a hand through her long black hair.

KASEY: All I wanted was to figure out who I am.

Lachlan reaches over and takes Kasey’s hand in his, squeezing lightly.

LACHLAN: You have always been a good, loyal friend. Not just to me, but to so many other people. And I really don’t think that’s going to change based on some documents. You’ve been chasing down these old ghosts, but you haven’t realized that family is more than your bloodline. It’s who you fight for. Who you fight with. To me, that’s true family.

Kasey is quiet for a moment while she turns over Lachlan’s words in her head. She thinks about all the friends she’s made over the years, realizing that he was absolutely right. It also brings her thoughts to the events in Miracle Galaxy Pro, and her upcoming match with Yuna against Shino and Rumi. She had always said that the Galaxy Defense Force was like her family…and she was going to fight like hell to get it back alongside Yuna.

She looks back up at Lachlan, a smile starting to spread across her face.

KASEY: You know, you’re absolutely right. I still want to get to the bottom of all this family business, but in the meantime I’ve already got the best family I could have ever hoped for.

LACHLAN: That’s what I’m talking about!

Lachlan gives her hand one last squeeze as he glances at the watch on his wrist.

LACHLAN: Speaking of family, I gotta go pick the girls up from school. Care to come along for the ride? I’m sure they and Cruz would love a visit from Auntie Kasey.

Kasey smiles warmly as the two of them step out of the coffee shop.

KASEY: Just try and stop me!

Tokyo Skytree

12/1/23

Once again Yuna’s hands turn the decades old letter over and over. All around there are families and couples milling about, chattering, taking selfies and discussing what to order from the Skytree Cafe’s menu. With her seat next to the window, the overcast sky offers an almost ethereal illumination on the aged envelope.

YUNA: <Well, here goes nothing.>

She gently opens the envelope, revealing several slips of paper within. One is a letter, carefully written by her mother on stationary labeled “Merry Christmas 1998”. This she sets aside in order to unfold a larger, folded piece of paper behind it. With each new section revealed, her eyes grow bigger and bigger - a list of names, dates of birth and death, information on marriages and relations. Quickly her gaze scrolls down to the name of her mother - Urabe Hitomi, later changed to Saito Hitomi. Her father’s name is there too, just barely legible in the darkened edge of the photocopy. Yuna almost dismisses it all before one last name catches her attention - Saito Yuzuki, born on the same date in 1999 that HItomi had died.

YUNA: <This can’t be right - isn’t this the family register?>

Yet the more she studies the copied document the more certain she becomes. Yuna next turns her attention to the letter itself, heart aching with every sentence she reads. Most of it is just her mother’s thoughts, things she wanted Yuna to know once she’d grown old enough to comprehend them. Throughout it all she was addressed as Yuzuki.

Grow strong, little Yuzuki-chan. Never forget that I love you with all my heart.

Her tears roll down her cheeks as she looks away, down at the world below.

YUNA: <Yuzuki. I’m in their family register as Yuzuki..>

When Devil was a constant presence in her mind, she’d had nightmares about her mother calling her that name. Being confronted by all of this derails all other trains of thought. Not just nightmares, echoes of the past. Many questions rattle through her mind, but none really manifest; instead she just stares emptily out the window at overcast skies. Every now and then the top of a building peeks through a cloud, and is that the blinking light of a radio tower?

No, it’s a pair of red lights filling the irises of her sneering, furious reflection. Yuna recoils a little at the shock of it and looks to and fro to see if anyone else around her is seeing the same thing. The only people looking her way are a couple who’re momentarily curious what in the world has Yuna so frantic. When Yuna looks back to the window, Devil is still there glaring holes through her.

YUNA: <There you are.>

Her reflection’s sneer grows wider and colder; yet no voice in her head offers a response.

YUNA: <After the Shrine, I thought you might’ve disappeared. I thought I was free of your influence, that I could go on with my life and protect the Ring of Dreams as Saito Yuna.>

She wipes some of the tears from her cheek, her sorrow quickly transforming into something else.

YUNA: <But it’s not that easy to kill you is it? Whatever it is that Nijima-san became, even she couldn’t finish you off could she? Maybe you were weak, so you’ve just been waiting and watching as I fought to free my friend from the same kind of prison you put me in.>

In the window Devil’s face contorts with silently laughter.

YUNA: <And when Suzuhana-san showed her true colors, you took that opportunity to try and put me back in that place.>

Yuna stares Devil right in the eyes, refusing to cower before her dark side any longer.

YUNA: <But you couldn’t do it. I beat you back and forced you into hiding again. Once you convinced me to let you in so that we could avenge mom together. You probably think you can use that trick again, don’t you? Use my anger and fear, get me to give you what you want. But guess what?>

Devil’s lips turn up into an evil smirk, but Yuna responds with a shit-eating grin of her own. As Devil’s expression grows more menacing, Yuna holds the family register up as a shield.

YUNA: <You aren’t Yuzuki. You aren’t me. And I’m not going to let you corrupt the name mom gave me anymore. Just like I’m going to put a violent end to Suzuhana-san’s corruption of GDF. From now on, you’re just a devil with no right to use mom’s memory against me and no name to twist me around your finger with. I’M Yuzuki.>

She thrusts the photocopied paper into her reflection’s face, passion increasingly filling every word.

YUNA: <And you? You’re no longer welcome. If you try to take back control, I’m going to cut you down again. You don’t get to ruin my life and sanity anymore, Devil. I’d die before I listen to you again.>

For a moment her reflection grows more furious, eyes narrowed in murderous concentration.

YUNA: <I’m taking back control of my life, my destiny, as Saito Yuzuki.>

At this her reflection loses all traces of Devil; it’s just her holding a sheet of paper out. That couple from earlier is staring at her weirdly, but they scatter as suddenly someone else arrives on the scene. Yuna’s head whips around as the footsteps draw closer and finds herself eye to eye with Kasey for the first time since Rainbow Road.

Kasey: Hey.

Yuna folds up her various papers and scoots to the corner of the tabletop. This gesture goes unnoticed as Kasey crosses the remaining distance to the table, cup of steaming hot coffee in her left hand and a duffel bag over her shoulder. Some of those old paranoid instincts kick in for Yuna and she shoots up to her feet so as not to be impolite. She catches herself in the act at the same instant Kasey shoots her a dubious look.

Yuna: Hey.

Kasey attempts a smile in response but falls just short of managing it. A beat later her cup makes a soft tap as it sets down on the table. Both women stand there in awkward silence, uncertain of just what to say or do in this situation. Yuna runs an anxious hand through her hair as the moment drags on, which draws a little laugh from Kasey. Seeing her friend at a loss for words Kasey takes the initiative by pulling a chair out and sitting at last. WIth a gentle smile Yuna gingerly takes a seat and stares across the table.

Yuna: So - how’re things? How’s your family? You went home to see them right?

Kasey nods slowly, taking a moment to consider how to describe the experience.

Kasey: Yeah. Honestly I don’t even know how to describe it beyond ‘it’s complicated’, you know? I just met my brother, and I’m still not totally sure how to feel about it. Honestly I’d rather not talk about that right now, if that tells you anything.

She raps her fingers on the wood of the table, then tries to put on that smile again.

Kasey: How about yours?

There’s a silence that hangs heavily for several moments before the realization hits. Her face scrunches up as she reaches across the table to try and comfort her friend.

Kasey: Yuna - shit! I’m sorry, I forgot about your family for a second.

Yuna grabs her friend’s hand and gently squeezes it.

Yuna: It’s okay, Kasey-san! I’m not mad. My dad’s barely been in my life since I left Osaka as a teenager, and then he disappeared entirely. It wouldn’t matter if he didn’t anyway. I never knew my mom, but something came up while I was in the mountains. I think I understand her better now than I ever did before.

The younger woman’s eyes dart down to the letter again before settling back on her closest friend. Kasey’s eyebrow shoots up questioningly but she doesn’t press the issue.

Yuna: But that’s beside the point. It’s time for us to really start getting ready for Triumphant Final Impact. I wanted to see where your head’s at and if there’s anything I can do to make things right after everything that’s happened.

Kasey sighs in response, kicking at the duffel bag that now rests at her feet.

Kasey: That’s kind of a loaded question, Yuna. When Shino turned on us, we lost everything that we’d built since Miracle Galaxy Pro started. You got broken by it, and then Shuko’s goons ran me down after the show so I wouldn’t be able to fight them at Rainbow Road. I was wrong before when I called this a Mafia Turf War. It only really started being that after we didn’t have our own gang to stand with.

Yuna nods sadly at the words, her heart already anticipating a disappointing answer to the question she’d asked. Seeing the younger woman’s heart sink, Vex at last finds that goofy smile to quell any concern. She thrust her hand down into the bag, rooting around for something for a good minute. Finally she pulled out the Spirit of the Ronin championship and carefully placed it on her shoulder.

Kasey: But that was their biggest mistake, Yuna. They hurt me but they didn’t even come close to breaking me. If anything it made me dig deeper than I even knew was possible. They did their worst and beat me harder than anyone’s ever beaten me, but I still fought them both off and kept this. It’s funny, I hated this thing and wanted nothing to do with it before but now I’m hell bent on keeping it around my waist.

The belt slides down her shoulder a little and she hefts it back into place. That smile grows firmer as well, but the gears are working hard as she ponders the question at hand.

Kasey: Now what you can do for me is simple Yuna.

Yuna leans forward over the table, heart pounding as she awaits the response.

Yuna: What is it?

Kasey: Stop blaming yourself for what other people did to us. What happened to me happened, and I came out stronger in the end. And Shino was eventually going to stab us in the back no matter what we did.

Yuna: You’re absolutely right about Suzuhana. But - you’ve been shouldering my burden along with all the challenges that have come your way this whole time. When I should’ve been leading GDF and keeping everyone safe I kept wrestling with the devil inside of me instead. I was weak and I kept letting her get to me when you needed me the most. And you still took the time to try and help me work through it. I cost you so much, and I need to change that.

Kasey suddenly smacks Yuna hard in the arm, causing the Japanese woman to jump in her seat.

Kasey: Stop that. I’m your friend, Yuna, and that’s what friends do. I might not understand the whole Devil Yuzuki thing but I can see how much it takes out of you. Right now friends are even more important than ever. So don’t tell me that you’ve been dragging me down.

Yuna rubs her arm awkwardly as she processes the reply. Kasey’s gracious enough to give her all the time she needs, but the concern is clear on the veteran’s face. Finally Yuna finds her own smile for the first time in their conversation.

Yuna: And I appreciate that about you. You’re my best friend, Kasey-san; and as my best friend, I want you to know something.

Her words are heavy, and she tenses up a bit as she steels herself for what comes next.

Kasey: It’s that serious, huh? What is it?

Yuna: This match against that traitor and Hisaka-san - it’s going to be one of the last fights Yuna Saito ever has.

Kasey’s jaw nearly drops; she reaches across the table and shakes Yuna by the shoulders.

Kasey: Yuna, are you seriously saying that you’re going to retire? You’re not going to let Shino end your career like that are you?

Hearing the concern mixed with anger in Kasey’s voice breaks Yuna’s heart. This woman’s done far more for her than nearly anyone in Yuna’s entire life. Just like Kasey’s done for her, Yuna puts on a smile to defuse the situation. It’s a coy, confident smile she hasn’t worn in ages.

Yuna: Hell no. There’s no reality where Suzuhana puts an end to the Magic Princess. I meant that soon I’m not going to be Yuna Saito anymore. Once I’ve got the legal matters taken care of, I want to start using the name my mom gave me. I’m going to be Yuzuki Saito.

Kasey lowers her hands, but her concern remains palpable.

Kasey: I hate to ruin your moment, but isn’t that your.. Devil’s name?

Yuna’s smile grows wider as she shakes her head.

Yuna: She stole it. It’s not hers to keep. I realized part of the power she has over me is making me question my identity and holding that name and my mom over my head.

She went on to explain what she’d found in the note from her mother, and her reasoning behind the eventual change of name. Kasey listened attentively and sighed when Yuna finished up.

Kasey: Okay, that’s weird.. But I think I get it. It’s just going to take a while for me to be comfortable calling you Yuzuki.

Yuna: That’s fine. For now I’m still Yuna, and Yuna has a plan to win this war and reclaim everything Suzuhana stole from us.

Kasey: A plan? Don’t just leave it there, spill the beans. What’s our plan?

Yuna: You’ll find out very soon, Kasey-san. I invited some friends here to help us boost our signal.

As if on cue her pocket erupts with machine gunned vibrations that rattle her chair. When Yuna makes no move to take her phone out, Kasey shoots her a look that all but asks ‘really?’. Unable to keep a straight face, Yuna does her best to stifle a chuckle. Only partially successful, she removes the phone from her pocket to investigate the newest disruption. Kasey taps her fingers on the table faster and faster as she waits for an explanation that doesn’t come, so she takes matters into her own hands. Quite literally in fact. The American’s hands swoop in and pull the phone out of Yuna’s hands; before Yuna can protest, Vex squints her eyes and studies the notifications.

When she realizes what’s going on, she whistles.

Kasey: You’re not messing around, are you?

Yuna squares her shoulders and nods with the same confidence that made once made her the Interstellar Dream.

Yuna: I don’t play games when it comes to my family.

Without a further word Yuna collects her phone, documents and handbag, then nods towards the observation deck’s lobby. Yuna decisively turns away and marches off, not even stopping to see if Kasey’s following her. It’s not long before Kasey gathers her bag and follows suit. The pair of them are quickly in lockstep, two warriors with their minds firmly on one thing: justice. There’s a small crowd gathered at their destination, some tourists, some couples and a good number of faces familiar to the founding members of GDF. Azumi Typhoon, Hiromi Takeda, Hoshi Sato the Hixxes and Mizuki Suzumi are among them, and the pair are sure they see CHIGUSA and Akari in the crowd. However, Yuna and Kasey only briefly acknowledge them with a nod. More and more eyes are drawn to the pair as they climb up onto a bench that’s to serve as their stage. While their half impromptu audience buzzes with whispers and gossip, Yuna takes a deep breath. Kasey lets out a sigh and nods to her friend. After a nod in return, Yuna motions to the small crowd with an outstretched palm.

YUNA: <Thank you, all of you, for coming today. I was away for just a month but every single day away from wrestling felt like an eternity. It was a hell forced on me by someone who I treated as a friend. Someone who Kasey-san and I fought side by side with as sisters.>

Kasey steps forward just a bit, trembling just a bit as they reopen the wounds of the past two months.

KASEY: <She joined our family because our faction leader saw something in her that none of us could see. And there definitely was something buried inside that pretty husk of a body. A conniving, self centered woman who was always looking for some way to cut our legs out from under us. Hell, maybe just calling her a snake is more accurate. While we were trying to build bridges she was already planning to burn them. But because Tatsumaki-san trusted her, we trusted her. And it almost cost both of us our careers.>

Yuna summons her best confident smile, but the corners twitch as a rage uniquely her own begins to bubble up.

YUNA: <Some of you here are just fans of Miracle Galaxy Pro. Some of you have wrestled in an MGP ring but weren’t connected to a unit. Some of you, like us, were in Galaxy Defense Force from the very beginning until dark elements forced you out. A few of you here, or watching this livestream, still call GDF home. We asked all of you to come here today because one thing unites all of you no matter where you’re coming from. All of us, fans and competitors, deserve a Ring of Dreams where no dream is too big and anything is possible. We deserve the world GDF was founded to preserve. And all of that is in jeopardy because of one woman’s betrayal.>

She pauses for a brief moment and looks directly at Azumi Typhoon in the front of the group.

YUNA: <We all deserve better. And at the Tokyo Dome, Kasey-san and I will be fighting for everyone who believes in the Ring of Dreams.>

Yuna’s heroic visage cracks a bit, her eyes narrowing and her mouth falling into a dour frown. Kasey nudges her friend in the arm, effectively tagging herself back in.

KASEY: <Suzuhana's turning the strongest force for what’s right into a pale imitation of Shuko MURDER-gun, plain and simple. She’s only interested in what GDF can do for her. No amount of loyalty’s going to save you if she thinks you’re in her way. No one’s safe from her ruthless ego trip. Doesn’t matter if you’re a rookie, a veteran or a legend. Anyone who tries to stand up to her is a pest who she’ll stab in the back the moment they look away from her.>

Yuna’s hands ball up into fists, her eyes cast down while Kasey speaks.

KASEY: <Suzuhana took her best shot at kicking us out of not just GDF, but MGP entirely.>

As if on cue Yuna whips her head up, hair flying back wildly.

YUNA: <She failed. We’re not going anywhere. We’re going to keep fighting until our last breath no matter what tricks and cheapshots she has up her sleeves. And all of you have a choice to make. If you choose to stay out of this fight, we won’t hold it against you. If you choose to join us in our fight for the real GDF, we’ll welcome you with open arms. But if you stand by Suzuhana after everything she’s done, we can’t be held responsible for what happens to you.>

With that promise, Yuna and Kasey glare with determination directly into the phone Hiromi’s been holding up the entire time. There’s applause from a good number of people in the crowd, but the pair barely acknowledge it. Instead Yuna hops down from the bench and strides purposefully over to her former teammate, Kasey at her side.

YUNA: <Takeda-san, thanks for your help.>

Hiromi nods slowly, trying but failing to manifest a smile.

HIROMI: <No problem, Saito-san. I’ll get that video sent out to everyone, including Hisaka-san like you asked.>

Kasey shoots a look that screams ‘wait a minute!’ while Yuna just gives Hiromi a pat on the shoulder.

YUNA: <Take care of yourself Takeda-san. If you need anything at all, I’m just a message away.>

The two women share a moment, their shared experiences with darkness saying everything that words couldn’t. Soon the crowd disperses, leaving the current and former members of GDF to catch up and discuss what comes next: vengeance.

Nishi Dojo, Saitama

12/23/23

The only sound in the small enclosure is the rhythmic rumble of wood on steel. Drenched in sweat, Kasey runs the ropes to build momentum for a big move. Mizuki just manages to rise to her feet as Vex grins and hits a jumping hurricanrana. They’ve been at this level of intensive training for weeks, and her body aches in places she didn’t even know existed. Both she and Mizuki lay on the mat, breathing heavily.

MIZUKI: <Not.. Bad… your offense is very sharp, Vex-san.>

Kasey snorts at the exhausted comment.

KASEY: <You’re not too bad yourself, Suzumi-san.>

Mizuki turns her head to the side so their eyes meet.

MIZUKI: <Suzuhana and Hisaka won’t know what hit them.>

KASEY:

She’s cut off by a loud, passionate scream of fury erupting just meters from her head. Kasey sits up like Michael Myers just in time to see Yuna driving a practice dummy into the mat. The impact shakes the whole structure of the ring, and Kasey’s eyes go wide as she recognizes the move.

KASEY: The Devil Driver?! Yuna, are you ok?

Yuna sits there breathing exhaustedly, but fury filling her eyes.

YUNA: Yeah, I’m fine.

KASEY: What was that about?

YUNA: Suzuhana took everything from us. I’m going to make her suffer for what she did.

Kasey scoots a little closer to her friend.

KASEY: Look, I get it. She didn’t just take GDF, she’s bragged about how she took care of Tatsumaki. If she had anything to do with Tatsumaki’s disappearance, no amount of pain is too much for her. I want to hurt her just as much as you do.

She scoots even closer.

KASEY: But Devil Yuzuki isn’t the answer.

Yuna chuckles as she’s admonished.

YUNA: You don’t have to worry about her, Kasey-san. I’m never letting her take over again. But if I can improve on some of her moves, it’ll help us in our fight. That’s not the Devil Driver anymore, it’s the Yuzu-driver. If I have to use it to shatter her hold on everything and everyone I care about, I’ll do it.

She winces at her own body’s soreness as she leans forward to pull her knees to her chest.

KASEY: What do we do about Hisaka?

YUNA: We fight her just as hard. Show her the power of the REAL GDF.

KASEY: And after the match?

YUNA: This isn’t based on anything, but I think she’s a good person.

Kasey exhales deeply, blowing a strand of hair to the side.

KASEY: So we give her a chance to make the right decision. Gotta admit, it’s hard to trust someone who’s supported Suzuhana.

YUNA: Being the hero isn’t easy.

For a long moment the two just sit there contemplating that reality. After a prolonged silence, Kasey nudges Yuna in the side.

KASEY: Yuna?

Yuna blinks as she’s shaken from her train of thought.

YUNA: Yeah?

Kasey manages a goofy grin.

KASEY: Let’s kick Shino’s ass.

Yuna’s lips curl up into a smile to match.

YUNA: Agreed. It’s time to take back our home.

終わり