Chapter 40
Title: A Future Set In Stone
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Third Person POV. -- 28th of December -- 2415
[ Lake Sai ]
Lake Sai, the third in row, and the one lake with the most nature focused natural habitats among the great fuji five.
Compared to Kawaguchi's lake, lake Sai's depths lower alot more, resulting in the water gaining a darker tinted color to itself. A deep blue, quiet lake bordered by thick forest, where the dark water reflects the trees and Mt. Fuji like polished glass.
Much of the shoreline is natural and forested, so the water meets dark volcanic rocks and trees, which makes the lake look darker and more mysterious than compared to the brighter Kawaguchi.
The bordering forest is a thick canopy of wildlife. Tall trees and even accessible lava caves being available for visiting parties. There is also a neighboring forest near the lake that's named Aokigahara Forest.
Near the lake and named appropriately as Saiko Village, though in reality it is more like a rural lakeside hamlet, and being a part of Fujikawaguchiko itself, there is a small settlement.
Small rural houses, Family-run inns, small guesthouses, Campgrounds and cottages are what mostly makes this small settlement, meaning it is pretty small compared to other settlements near other lakes.
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Arriving at the settlement around the middle of afternoon, the silver lexus is quite distinguishable in this less modernized place, and the occupants of the car more so when they exit the vehicle.
During their ride here, the Benihanas plus Mina and Himiko had drawn quite a few curious gazes from the locals of the place, as is a given considering their more traditional way of living that hasn't changed even with the advent of quirks around the world.
Exiting the vehicle, Mina and Himiko are already excited for the new place, as they always were and will be in this trip.
Retsu has more of her father's expression of quiet happiness, –which is half genuine and half forced, while her father is looking around their parking lot and the visible little village in the distance, his expression happy yet contemplative.
He is happy to be here, to have the opportunity to spend time with his family, yet his mind is in a contemplative state in regards to their last incident that made his precious daughter hospital-ridden for a day.
Mostly his thoughts revolve around the current lack of information in regards to that other individual that the local pro hero and law enforcement are after, his whereabouts and current status unknown.
'My request for assistance was denied once again, with the HPSC saying they're not authorized to give me an explanation, and Madame President also isn't responding to my calls. What the hell is the deal here? What is going on really? '
"Honey? " Suddenly Tetsuya hears his wife's voice, leading to him looking at her with a raised brow, "yes? "
"You spaced out just now, are you okay? " Her tone is slightly worried, with her brows furrowed as she gazes at him.
"I'm fine hun. It's just that, the incident a few days ago and it's official report by the police isn't sitting quite well with me. I'm just worried about that fugitive and his whereabouts. " As Tetsuya finishes with his words, he suddenly gets a phone call, leading to him bringing his phone up to see the caller.
'Madame President?' He curiously thinks,
"This is important, sorry but I have to take this." He tells his wife, which leads to her smiling lightly and nodding,
"Go ahead. " She says before turning and walking to the three children who's walked ahead.
Smiling in appreciation to his wife's understanding, Tetsuya then dons a serious face before accepting the call.
"This is Redvein, madame you needed me for something? "
"Hello and yes. I'm calling to let you know about the incident and the true motive of the people we've captured.
After some contemplation, I've realized that we may need you after all.
As we are speaking, a direct executive of mine is at Fujikawaguchiko, and with the help of his quirk he's able to make the people you've captured confess to everything.
Redvein, I know you think the possession incident is the work of the man who's currently on the run, but that isn't the case.
That man's name is Hans Whitenight, a foreigner who was able to infiltrate the HPSC through the mechanics of his quirk, and was able to steal a piece of very important information from our data collections.
I'm not going into details about what he specifically stole, but just know that, if that information were to fall into the wrong hands, then the entirety of the population of Japan could be at risk.
I originally planned on having my own people and the local law enforcement take care of this, but the situation has changed now.
Sorry for having to pull you out of your family vacation, but be on standby and wait for my phone call.
The moment we've determined the whereabouts of the fugitive and his possible accomplices, I'm pulling you in for the subjugation operation. "
"... " Tetauya stays quiet for a moment, absorbing all of that in before his eyes gain a fierce look.
There are currently thousands of thoughts and questions lingering in his mind unanswered, yet the pro hero in him didn't bring it up.
Instead, his mind simply cleared for the immediate complications and what he could currently work with, and his steely resolve let him answer his superior.
"Yes ma'am, please see to it that you do. "
"Very well. Until later then. "
Beep!
Bringing down the phone, Tetsuya looks contemplative of the current status.
'If it wasn't the fugitive's work that had Retsu in that state then... '
His mind goes back to that incident, to the words that being uttered from the mouth of his precious Retsu.
"Wife" "Father in-law" "Let's meet when I'm inside my own body again"
'Thoselast words, meeting once more when they're inside their own body again. What did they mean by that exactly? '
Then, another memory surfaces in his mind,
"She's safe. "
'Those same blood red irises, yet the tone of voice being so delicate and caring. Don't tell me! -' Tetsuya's eyes widen slightly,
'Dissociative Identity Disorder?!
But that couldn't be possible! Aside from the incidents the past few years, as well as the last incident from where she got hospitalized in Hinode, there hasn't been any trauma she could have experienced in her early childhood.
I also know and understand Retsu, so her mentality couldn't have been so weak that she'd get traumatized because of those past incidents. No, there is just no way. '
"Father? "
"! " Looking up with his eyes slightly widened as if spooked, Tetsuya looks at those monotonous yet slightly creased in worry eyes that belong to his daughter.
"Are you alright? Is this work related or something? " Retsu asks, having walked to him to see if everything is okay.
"You were slightly spaced out for a bit, so I thought I'd check up on you"
"... I'm fine honey. Yes it was kind of work related, though nothing to worry about right now. Let's go dear. " After a slight pause, Tetsuya replies before giving his daughter a slight smile and nod, before he begins walking forward.
Gazing at his back, Retsu's eyes slightly narrow, 'something definitely happened. '
Meanwhile with Tetsuya,
Walking towards the duo of Himiko and Mina who's crouched down to pat and pamper a walking by orange cat, and his wife who's enthusiastically taking pictures of their surrounding greenery and everything else, even taking on curved poses as if she's a professional photographer or something, Tetsuya thinks of the implications of what he's now learned.
'There is no definitive conclusion to either Retsu's possible DID, nor is there a conclusion of a possible third party being involved in that incident.
Whatever the case, the current situation is something I can work with. I'll find Hans Whitenight, and I will make sure to squeeze out every last drop of information regarding his involvement to the incident.
I don't care what it will take, no one is allowed to get away after insulting my daughter and my pride like that. No one. '
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While the family plus friends were enjoying their vacation, the same could not be said for the higherarchy of the nation itself.
Knock knock!
Hearing the knocks on her door, President Kimmy, the highest ordering body of the HPSC, allows for her executive to enter.
Entering the room with a clipboard in hand, is the same executive who took Benihana Retsu's exam for her medical license all those years ago, Nami.
"Madame, Confession has arrived at Hinode and will soon be extracting every information regarding the escapee, as well as any other possible people involved in the incident. "
"Very well, inform me of any new news regarding their whereabouts the moment Confession gets it from them, I will need to inform Redvein who's on the scene of their location so we can wrap this up pronto.
Inform for the law enforcement and the local pro hero to be ready as well. "
"Understood Madame. " Bowing her head in respect, Nami then straightens and turns to leave,
"Nami." Though she is stopped by her superior as she calls out to her,
"Yes? " Nami turns around, though she is slightly surprised by the expression her madame is making.
Nami's quirk has to do with her oculars, specifically her vision.
The moment she looks at something or someone even slightly more than 5 seconds, her vision immediately tunnels and zeroes in on them, allowing for her to notice even the slightest twitches they are making.
Currently, her Madame's expression is very out of character. Unlike her usual cold facade, her face is twisted into the most creased of expressions Nami has ever seen her madame express.
"Come closer, Nami. " Her Madame orders her,
"... Y-yes. " And Nami hesitantly walks forward, arriving before her mahogany desk,
"Closer." Kimmy demands.
"... E-excuse me. " Nami slightly clears her tone and moves to get right beside Kimmy's sitting position.
–Unlike what most would think, no Kimmy isn't an over hundreds of years old pervert.
The highest ordering body of the HPSC, Madame President. Ability, Chrono Vision!
Kimmy is capable of seeing another organism or non organism's past, present, and future in the most vivit of detail as she wants, allowing for her to perceive their fate simply by touching them or it, and activating her ability the moment she makes contact.
She can even perceive someone who is dead, meaning it doesn't matter what an organism's status is, it can still be perceived by her, though she will have to touch that dead person once again in order reinitiate her ability on them.
Her ability also has additional effects on her own person and slight effects on her environment, but those details will be disclosed at a later time.
Touching Nami's shoulder and closing her eyes, Madame Kimmy gives out a slight breath out while once more locking her expression behind a mask, not letting her emotions show outwardly whatsoever.
In a quiet breath, she mutters,
Chrono Vision.
The moment she activates her ability, her mind gets flooded with thousands of information.
Information. So vast it is that a normal person would have been paralyzed and go brain dead because of it.
At first Kimmy was afraid of this ability of hers. During her first few centuries of existence in this life, she would always be burdened by the tole it would have on her mind. No sane person could ever perceive so much information and be able to understand it the moment it enters their mind, no normal being could.
But circumstances didn't allow for Kimmy to ever relax in that time. During those periods of time, where the first ever quirks were slowly starting to appear around the world, Kimmy had no choice but to rely of her ability to perceive things past time, meaning she had to constantly make use of it while knowing the strain it would have on her mentality.
By a stroke of luck, or perhaps her own capabilities and the help of one other person, Kimmy was able to climb the hierarchy of this world's political power, and make herself a standing point, a footnote in this modern super-powered society.
But those are information for another time.
Anyways, by the sheer, constant use of her ability, Kimmy was able to evolve it and herself past it's initial limit, allowing for the strain on her mind to lessen simply because her mind evolved and became much stronger, and she gained other passivecapabilities because of it.
A single touch, and all the memories of Nami's lifetime flashes before Kimmy's eyes.
Her birth, her upbringing, her school life, her social stant point during her quirk's development and the effects it had on her mentality and everything else.
The time she got accepted as a simple secretary within the HPSC, but was later able to climb the ranks and eventually become a direct executive of Kimmy herself.
Kimmy just lived through Nami's lifetime up until their current moment in the span of just a few seconds, and now she plans on looking ahead.
Up until this point, the visions Kimmy was seeing were greyed out, as if something already set in stone and having passed on. Now though, now the vision's color changes from the monotonous grey to a vibrant lime green, as if indicating the new territory, and the never before happened events that Kimmy is about to gaze towards.
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"... " A full minute later, and Madame Kimmy brings down her hand, her gaze forward with her eyes unblinking and her posture straight.
"You may go now, Nami. " The Madame says, leading to the slightly dazed Nami to snap back, before she quickly excuses herself and exits the room.
Now left alone in her office, Madame Kimmy slowly brings up a handkerchief from her desk and wipes away the slightly wet forehead of hers, before she puts down the handkerchief along with her hand on the table.
'Another one... ' she thinks,
'Another Descender will appear in this world, and soon too at that. ' her brow is furrowed, her posture slightly hunched, as if physically burdened by the new knowledge she now possesses.
Madame Kimmy's ability, Chrono Vision allows for her to perceive someone's past, present and future as if watching from a third person's point of view. In that vision she is capable to seeing everything about them, even their thoughts and the decisions that lead them to their outcomes.
Some could even say Kimmy is capable of knowing you more than you know yourself.
But those aren't the reason for her current thought process. No, her current thoughts are in regards to something else, or better yet, someone else.
"Benihana Retsu... " Kimmy mutters under her breath, her gaze calm despite her current internal turmoil.
"She will be at the epicenter of the upcoming conflict. A conflict of vast proportions at that.
She will encounter someone, a champion, a god from another plane of reality and... "
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Meanwhile with Retsu and the rest at Mt. Fuji.
Currently it is almost sunset and the family had gotten back to lake yamanaka for the phenomenon they didn't want to miss.
At lake Yamanaka, there are a great many phenomenon that happen because of the lake's geographical positioning and the cold climates of winter. Unfortunately for the family though, it is currently the end of December, so they wouldn't be able to see all of those phenomenon and the chances of them happening are very low.
There is though, just one fleeting moment during sunset around these times that easily make for an enchanting moment, and can be a moment that could captivate all who is present.
The phenomenon is appropriately named as 'Diamond Fuji', and it's meaning will be revealed in just a few more moments.
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Sitting under a snow capped tree and on top of a cleaned out wooden bench, is the Benihana family plus Mina and Himiko. Before them is the big and enchantingly beautiful Lake Yamanaka, and kilometers behind it is Mt. Fuji itself in the distance.
"Make sure the camera's lense is uncapped honey, you wouldn't want to miss taking such a beautiful picture. " Tetsuya says to his wife who's sitting beside him.
"I know I know! Don't make me panic! " Kie chides, slightly shaking in place not because of the cold, but because of nervousness and excitement.
Sitting on the other side of Tetsuya and gazing ahead, is the one and only Benihana Retsu, she too gazing at the slowly setting sun in the far distance.
"It'll happen in just a few more seconds. " She informs.
"Ahhhh this is so exciting!!! " Mina is jumping in place, Himiko right beside her and holding unto her form as she too jumps around in delight.
"Shhhhh! Don't make me nervous more than I already am! " Kie shouts in a quiet voice, her hands that are holding to the camera shaking slightly.
Tetsuya, seeing this puts his bigger and warmer hand on top of Kie's, making the Benihana Matriarch look towards him.
Smiling lightly in reassurance, Tetsuya gazes down at his wife, and leans down to give her forehead a calming peck, managing to stop her shaking in the process,
"You'll do wonderful dear. " He quietly utters, managing to get a smile from his beautiful wife, who then stands up to take a few steps forward in preparation for the photo she's about to take.
"Now... " Retsu quietly mutters, as if initiating the phenomenon with her single word alone.
The sky slowly turns to an orangy sunset, the sun perfectly aligning with the tip of Mt. Fuji in the distance as it slowly descends.
The sky is clear, only having occasional winter clouds drifting in the distance, which would normally be quite unusual for this climate, but no one pays attention to it.
The waters of the lake is clear and calm, making a replica, a perfect two dimensional picture of Mt. Fuji and the sunset in the distance.
Slowly bringing up her camera, her breaths calm, Kie brings the camera before her face, and quietly awaits when the sun is in the perfect aligned state with the mountain, before taking a full picture of it with her device.
Click!
[ Image Here ]
Exhale...
Giving out her held breath, Kie slowly, silently relaxes her tensed body, and she slowly turns around.
Her beautiful black as the night, and long hair whips around, her long hair moving smoothly in the breeze, with her eyes being wide in joy, her irises glowing like twin jewels, her smile big, her white teeth showing, her camera held securely before her chest.
"I did it! Hahaha~" She laughs, her laugh like a melody that captivates all.
In that moment, Benihana Tetsuya is left speechless as to the beauty of his wife. To his gaze, she is like a glowing angel, especially with the slowly receding light of the sun that's directly behind her, making it as if she is glowing gold in that moment.
To Tetsuya, Kie might as well be an angel, considering his unending love for his wife and daughter.
Tetsuya smiles, his smile bright and big, "yes, You did hun. " He replies.
"... Good job, Mother. " Retsu too answers, she too being quite captivated by the beauty of her mother.
"... Aunt Kie looks so beautiful. " Is all Mina could say,
"... Yeah... " And Himiko confirms.
'Truly beautiful. ' Retsu quietly thinks. Whether she is thinking about the scenery ahead and the taken picture, or the figure of her mother, it is left unsaid.
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"Benihana Retsu will encounter the descender,
And she will perish in their hands. "
That is, the final verdict of Madame Kimmy, the seer of this world, the woman who can see the past, present and future of anyone.
And up until her current existence, her prophecies has NEVER turned out false.
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Author's note/ the end of volume one is near, and the second volume has been successfully teased in this chapter.
ANYWAYS! Not saying another word anymore so let's get on with the end of this chappy!
Thank you guys for reading my stories, have a great day/night and I'll see ya guys in the next one, peace!