[Story] Haunted Memories - Part 4 : Acceptance

[longingfreesia]

Haunted Memories

Part 4: Acceptance

Things had been pretty quiet after Yuya and Yuto had left to return home. Finishing the washing up after dinner, Kotori glanced at the clock on the wall of the kitchen. It was already pretty late in the day. The winter sun had long since set, leaving nothing but the darkness outside.
She hadn't seen Yuma since dinner had ended and she began to wonder where he was.
Leaving the kitchen, she spotted Yuma coming through the back door to their apartment, which lead onto the balcony.

"Kotori! I've got something to show you!" he exclaimed almost instantly, as he grabbed her hand and lead her outside.
Once out there, Kotori noticed the very obvious large object that was floating low in the sky above them.

"The airship?" she looked at it curiously. "Why is the airship here? Don't you and Hope keep it up at the armory?"

"Yeah, we keep it there when we're not using it, but I want to take you somewhere."

"Where, exactly?" she questioned. "You're not going to get us stranded in another dimension somewhere, are you?"

Yuma let out a small laugh. "No other dimensions involved. Promise!"

"Very well."

Grinning, Yuma gave a hand signal to the ship, which instantly shot down a teleportation beam and beamed them into the ships' cockpit. Standing at the controls was Hope. Yuma gave him a nod and Hope responded by turning to the controls, powering up the airship and making them move into the sky.

"Yuma. Where are we going?"

"You'll see!" was Yuma's only reply to her.

It didn't take long for the airship to stop moving. Kotori felt they hadn't really gone very far, but this seemed to be their destination, where ever it was.

"Alright. Close your eyes and don't peek or anything!"

"Hmn, alright." Kotori closed her eyes and allowed Yuma to begin leading her. It wasn't long before she felt the cold wind of the outside whip around her. "Yuma, are we on the deck of the ship?"

"We could be! Just make sure to keep your eyes closed until I say!"

Yuma lead her a bit further until they stopped. "Alright. Open your eyes!"

Kotori slowly opened her eyes and let her sight adjust before she looked out at what she could see.
The airship was hovering high up above the sea, near to the Domino City harbour. For miles ahead she could see the lights of the city shining before her.

"This is so beautiful."

Yuma smiled as he looked out at the city. "I know you've kinda not been feeling so good lately, so I really wanted to show you something amazing!!"

Yuma wasn't the most romantic guy in the world, but there were times like this where he would show her something or do something, simply because he wanted to cheer her up.

"This was really thoughtful of you. Thank you." She went silent for a moment before continuing. "I should really talk to you about what's been going on with me."

"I know I'm sometimes not super good at talking but..." Yuma placed a hand over hers. "I'm here to listen, right? You can tell me."

Kotori nodded and took a deep breath before she began.

"I've been getting memories back lately. Like a lot of people have. Just like Yuto did.
My memories of what truly happened to our home returning were bad enough, but, it's the memories of Mr. Heartland and what he did to me that have been eating at me the most." The wind flowed through her hair as she continued to gaze down at the lights of the city below. "And I never really got to... talk through, or accept what happened to me."

"I kinda know what happened, at least from what I saw, but I guess I never knew the full story of what you went through." Yuma replied. Kotori nodded, moving her hand so it was holding his.

"Heartland manipulated me. The day I found out he was my father, he dueled me into submission as I was ready to run out into the Wonder Quartet to help you all with the Academia attack. That was the day he kidnapped me and then brainwashed me into believing you, and everyone I held dear, were carded and taken by Academia during that attack.
I felt I'd lost everything. That I had nothing left. It broke me and left me almost like an empty shell. Heartland made it so it seemed like he was the only thing I had left and he began to fill that emptiness with fear and anger.
He trained my powers and my dueling ability. Incredibly intense and at times painful training regimes that pushed me to my every limit.
He filled my head with propaganda and anger towards Academia.
He groomed me to be his perfect weapon.
By the end, that's all I was. A weapon. A soldier. Someone moulded to his view. To be like him.
By the time you were able to find me, I was ready to storm Academia and basically give up my life to stop them. To 'avenge' all the loved ones I'd 'lost'. To take their lives along with me.
I felt I had nothing to lose, because I'd already lost everything."

"But then as I witnessed you dueling, I realised it was really you. That you hadn't become a victim of Academia.
Your words. Your actions. Through those you were able to break me free from the hold Heartland had over me and I was able to realise that he'd lied to me. That everything I'd gone through was him manipulating me.
That's when he said that I would of been 'nothing' without him. That if I hadn't of been 'useful', he probably would of simply killed me.
He saw the person I am as something that disgusted him and the person he turned me into as perfection.
And I realised then that... I may of been related to him by blood, but, he wasn't, and never had been, my father."

"Then you and Yuto were able to duel him." Yuma responded, as Kotori glanced up at him. "You guys defeated him together to break free from him!"

"Yes, but, despite that, when my memories returned recently, I was... scared. I was scared to admit these memories as true. Scared to admit the things he did to me. I felt overwhelming guilt for the things I thought and felt during that time and for the things I almost did. Worst of all I simply feared that I'd somehow... become him.
That's why I didn't confide in you about all this. Because I didn't want to admit everything I was feeling and everything I experienced as real.
But, when I talked to Yuto, he reminded me that I'm not Heartland and that I can choose to do what I want with the things he taught me."

Breaking off, she looked back at the lights below. "He taught me ways to be relentless. With both dueling and my powers. To be powerful and dominating. I can use my powers on a person. I can bound them to a spot, or make them move to my will... like a puppet.
But I don't want to use my powers like that. Not unless I'm in a situation where I really have to."
Kotori looked back up at Yuma with determination in her eyes.
"I want to use my powers to help people. I want to use dueling to have fun. All the things that would make Heartland squirm with disgust.
I am not bound by him. I am not him. I'm a person who helps and cares for others.
I have a gift and I'll use it to better other people's lives the best I can, however small or big."

Kotori felt Yuma's grip on her hand become more firmer.
"I wish I could take away those painful memories, but..."
The soft expression he wore on his face gradually turned to a proud smile. "... I think it's a good idea to Kattobing through it and use those negatives and turn them into positives! To be the person you want to be and not what he wanted to turn you into! And no matter what, I'll be here every step of the way to help, even if it's just to remind you if you ever lose your way."

With that, Kotori simply threw her arms around him, pulling him into a hug that he instantly responded to.
"I know you will."

They stayed like that for a moment, until Kotori broke the hug, looking a little concerned with something.
"I still have to tell my parents about all of this... I never managed to get round to telling them about my powers, it never seemed like the right time, but now about Heartland too. It's something I shouldn't keep from them. I should talk to them about it."

"Well then, the next time you go to visit, I'll come too!" Yuma told her. "Then we can tell them together!"

Smiling, Kotori reached up and kissed Yuma on the cheek. "Thank you. I really appreciate that."

Kotori leaned into Yuma, as he placed an arm around her, both of them turning to look back at the lights of the city below.
She was glad she had finally opened up about her struggles and talked to both Yuto and Yuma.
Finally, she felt she could take the steps forward that she needed to in order to continue with her life.