dreamcrystals | [01] a dream is a wish your heart makes

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[01] a dream is a wish your heart makes

Sender: Susato Mikotoba
To: Everyone
Subject: Passive dream recording
Notes: Based on an AU idea and thus deviates from canon. Susato "inherits" Kazuma's resolve upon his mysterious death and faces some opposition in trying to take his place in Great Britain.

* * * * *
"Preposterous." The words were practically spat as the scene hazily came into view. An older male voice spoke, voice nasaly and unpleasant, though his features were obscured.

"Why?" A second man, recognizable to those in Reverein as Yujin Mikotoba, responded. His tone was more polite than was deserved.

"You know our laws."

"I know that women are subject to the same laws as we men," Yujin argued, "and yet none are afforded the same right to even set foot inside the courtroom to aid in their own defense. Why do you suppose that is?"

"It matters not, professor." The first man, now with a pair of glasses and other recognizable features, shook his head grimly. "A boy is dead. Now is simply not the time for her childish fantasies."

"That boy was like her brother," Yujin said, unable to mask the offense and growing irritation in his voice. "Susato has studied all the same texts, the same laws. She learned a second language in order to be able to assist him. Who better to take his place in the exchange and finish what he started?"

"We have plenty students of law at Yumei who would qualify. Male students."

"None with his resolve." Yujin spoke immediately with confidence, as he looked to his daughter with pride. "Nor hers."

Susato didn't react, remaining stoic as she accepted judgement. She was angry. First at her loss, and then that her hard work would be reduced to this, a petty argument to prove her worth. The more she showed that anger, though, the worse it would be, so outwardly, she only clenches her fist, tugging the edge of her kimono.

"...That is okay, father. I understand." Susato spoke calmly, as someone who has already made her decision. "I understand that they do not wish for me to practice law in Japan--but the way I see it, I am leaving anyway, so this argument is irrelevant. I do not expect to be back until I find the truth he sought."

The voice. Follow the voice, to Great Britain. Susato turned to leave, with Yujin reaching for her moments after, but both stopped at the same nasaly voice.

"Our agreement for the exchange still requires that you have an assistant!"
.
Yujin sighed, sensing the older man's desperation at bringing up such a trivial matter.

"Ah... as it so happens, I know just the young man," Yujin said. "Kazuma's best friend, in fact. I believe he was caught trying to board the steamship already..."

His voice seems to trail off, vibrating as the scene flickers. In the final moment, an image of boy in a black student's uniform appears with his signature wide eyes; but the image statics as Susato stirs in the real world.

Then it fades away abruptly as she awakens with a start.

* * * * *

[ Susato's eyes spring open to the familiar darkness in her room. Even as memories of the dream start to fracture and fade, she tries to make sense of everything she just saw. None of that actually happened, right? Yet somehow, it didn't feel too far off the mark, and she can't seem to decide whether she is thankful for that, or woefully disappointed.

She's never had her dream recorded before, but rather than act embarrassed or ashamed, she just shuts her journal with an apologetic sigh to no one in particular.

Instead, she grabs another journal--a normal one--along with a quill, and starts writing down anything she can remember. ]

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[Her eyes study her friend when she speaks, Susato's words causing her to pull her jacket a little more tightly around her at the sudden chill she feels.]

I can... sorta imagine how that must've felt.

[That brings up a pretty unpleasant memory and time. Similar enough, but definitely some differences between the two.]

How long did it take for him to regain his memory?

[ She can? Susato looks a little surprised, noticing how Leia pulled her jacket tighter around her. She wouldn't wish that pain on anyone, but maybe it's just one of those things she said to try to relate.

Hopefully. ]

Um... in total, for him, it must've been about... six months.

[ With no memory. With no money. (She's guesstimating, but still.) ]

[It's not her intention to have Susato dwelling on something that even Leia knows must've been hard on her, so she simply leaves it at that. Sounds like everything worked out, at least. That's what matters.

She offers a small, reassuring smile.]

Well, it's good to hear that everything's okay now. And it's really fortunate that he's here with you. You two sound pretty close.

[ She smiles wistfully in return, perhaps thinking of memories from their childhood. There may be a lot of emotional baggage when it comes to Kazuma, some of it Leia would probably never know about, considering he'd been secretive even with her, but the point is she still loved him, and she's glad that it somehow came through, to someone outside looking in.

The sakura flowers in her hairpiece start to glow faintly against the dreary weather. ]

I always looked up to him when I was little. Even when we found him again, that time had caused quite the rift between us for a lot of reasons, but... if there's one thing I am thankful for, being stuck in a dream, it is the chance to get to know him again.

[Leia blinks, watching Susato talk about Kazuma. Between the wistfulness in her voice, and watching her hair piece glow, reacting to her apparent feelings... it's hard to believe this is the guy that once said he avoided killing her because he didn't want to make a mess in his tavern. The same guy that told her if they had a rematch she wouldn't come out of it alive.

... The same guy who now also happens to be her boss.

Granted that hadn't exactly been Kazuma, it was Hyde that said all those things, but for someone that barely knew him, it'd been difficult to distinguish between the two. But she figured his Essence situation was more complicated than most others, though she didn't quite understand how. Still, she could see that he's a decent person, despite fighting him again a few months ago in that dreamscape. Perhaps most would call her naive for still communicating with the guy, but he's clearly haunted by something.

Plus Susato is really sweet, and seems really into him. If anything, she feels pretty vindicated for knowing that, deep down, he wasn't ruthless and cruel as his Essence would have her believe.

But back to the topic of Susato's feelings... she really seems to like him. Just the way she talks about him makes her wonder...]

Do you have feelings for him? Like, you know, a crush?

Do I-- What?

[ Her voice raises a few octaves as Leia's question processes, not quite a screech, but it's definitely enough shrill enough that there's an impressive difference. At some point she'd stopped walking, like she's considering her answer and can't concentrate on both at once.

A crush? Feelings? ]

[ Of course she has feelings for Kazuma. She'd never been more sure of anything as the night she gave him the ring, and was able to say so as much in words. She didn't think much of it at the time. He'd tried so hard to convince her otherwise, but what kind of sister would she be if she gave up on him?

That makes the idea weird, doesn't it? She doesn't want things to be weird between them. But she... maybe, doesn't think Leia is completely wrong either. ]

That... That would be inappropriate.

[Having been in a similar position herself, she can pick up on some things. And Susato's reaction is kind of telling. But her response is confusing- is it the age difference? Come to think of it, she doesn't know how old Kazuma is, but age gaps where she's from are not uncommon. Besides, her former crush fell in love with a Great Spirit so there's... that.

Her eyes widen at the response though, clearly confused.]

Huh?? Why?

[It's also mildly refreshing speaking to someone her own age about these things. Back home she really only spoke with Rowen about this stuff and, to a lesser extent, Alvin, but only because he figured things out. She did tell Marui about Jude, but didn't really cover everything, for obvious reasons.

Not that she's looking to pry. It's just that, knowing another teenage girl she could potentially talk to about general life stuff is nice.]

[ Susato doesn't feel it's her place to go into the details of Kazuma's past, more so than she already has. It's such a simple question, though she still finds herself awkwardly trying to explain. ]

Because... I was raised to be his assistant, on a professional level. He would never see me that way.

I'm probably just... [ vague gestures with her hands, like "I don't know" ] like an annoying little sister. [ or something. ]

[Oof. That sounds all too familiar- the part about being seen as family instead of a potential love interest? Yeah. It sucks. She averts her gaze for a moment, her voice lowering, as that feeling hits a little too close to home.]

I... kinda know what you mean.

[Then she perks up a little, determination in her eyes. If Susato really likes Kazuma, then maybe she could help her to not repeat her own mistakes.

Although she can't really imagine Kazuma in any sort of relationship. He's kind of... Ah, what's the word? Haunted? The brooding type? She's trying to imagine Kazuma in some lovey-dovey relationship, but it's kind of...

Well. Best to just support her friend!]

But, seriously, you shouldn't let that stop you. A person's feelings for someone can transcend any boundary!

[If only she followed her own advice.

In all fairness, it's always easier to give it than it is to follow it yourself.]

[ . . . She could ask so many questions right now. The look on Leia's face looks like she's struck some sort of chord, and perhaps she will get to ask--but just as quickly as she's seen it, Leia bounces back.

It is a little jarring. She is kind of jealous. Why can't she bounce back like that when she feels down?

... ]

Boundary?

[ Kazuma certainly does have walls up, that's for sure. She liked to think her feelings reached him that night, but there are still some days when she isn't sure. Nevertheless, there seems to be a look of understanding on her face, like she's answered her own question.

She hums, pondering her next one. ]

...You know, I never did ask how you two met.

Ah-- haha, oh, uh, well... that certainly is a story...!

[The question is just how much of it should she tell. But they seem super-duper close, surely Susato knows way more than she does?]

So, um, I kinda met him back in the Story Realm. And we got into a teensy little fight.

[Teensy. Maybe coming right out the gate with how he threatened to kill her isn't the best way to start this.

Of course, she's assuming Susato knows about the whole Hyde deal, so this should make sense to her.]

[ . . . Not at all! Of course, she knows Kazuma is one proud, stubborn Japanese man, but somehow, from Leia's tone, she is already suspecting that their teensy fight was not so teeny.

She stops walking again, looking at Leia like she wants her full attention for this. ]

Did you offend him?

I don't think so? He said he was just testing me. The tavern he- or, well, Hyde too, I guess- ran back in the Story Realm was kinda sketchy, so I think he wanted to make sure I could handle myself.

[She really had been sitting at that table ~~stalking Julius~~ minding her own business when he happened by. The fight was sudden and came totally out of left field. But that was likely Hyde's doing.]

[ It's been a while since she heard that name. A brief snippet of memory plays in her mind as she remembers mid-November, and searching for Kazuma in the forest, listening to him and Jack reminisce.

At the time, she remembers assuming that Hyde was just an awful boss, but she did start to suspect there was more to it as she figured some things out about Kazuma. She'd just sort of let it slide since. She also remembers Kazuma saying that she wouldn't have liked or approved of the place, so Leia describing it as sketchy checks out. ]

I suppose I can see him being concerned, if he saw you in such a place completely unsupervised, but--starting a fight with you seems... quite opposite of that. [ He should have escorted he out like a gentleman? Would he have done that? If it were Susato, he would have... she thinks. ] I don't understand.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's because it was Hyde and not actually Kazuma at the time.

[Was that not clear that she was referring to Hyde? Technically, her first encounter with Kazuma wasn't entirely Kazuma, it was mostly Hyde, but even Leia is confused on how much of Kazuma was present. Considering the things she's heard, there had to have been some of Kazuma in there, else she probably would've been killed.]

Huh?

[ Susato is pretty smart, but she is also 16. There's a lot she doesn't understand, especially here in Reverein, and she has never been shy about asking about what she doesn't know.

She just kind of hates it when what she doesn't know involves people she cares deeply about.

While waiting for Leia to explain, her expression changes subtly. She draws in a breath, like a soft gasp. ]

[Blinks.]

You know, his Essence?

[That word will ring a bell... right?]

[ Oh. Just when she thought she had something... or maybe she does?

Whatever recognition had been in her expression disappears. ]

His what?

[Maybe Kazuma never explained the term to her before? She has to think for a second how to explain it so that it makes sense... even though it's kind of hard to make sense out of it.]

An Essence is... kinda like having a part of someone else inside you? In the Story Realm, everyone had their own Essence; they were all characters that you'd find in stories and fairy tales. And you'd gain some of their abilities or traits, and those would manifest as either magic, skills, or it could change your appearance. Even your personality.

Wait.

[Then it all dawned on her, and Leia finally sees the sheer confusion clouding Susato's expression. Oh, crap...]

... Did Kazuma never tell you about Hyde? His Essence?

Edited 2022-02-13 07:30 (UTC)

[ Even your personality.

Could that be it? Is that even possible? But she doesn't know why she even bothers asking herself that. Here she is, in a whole nother world, some dream dimension where fire powers can be a thing and feelings are twisted and manipulated all the time. Of course it is possible, and it would explain so much.

Her hand moved to cover her mouth at some point in shock, but by the time Leia asks, that hand loses all weight, slowly drifting down and away from her face. ]

No. He only told me that... that he--

[ . . . Then again, he didn't even tell her that much. She had figured it out and rather cruelly twisted his arm. It was worth it, of course, but sometimes the guilt is so palpable and thick she wants to wring it with her bare hands. (She can only imagine how Kazuma must feel.)

Susato shakes her head. ]

No. The story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was popular where I'm from, but I'm afraid I didn't hear about it until I went overseas to Great Britain. I--I was busy and didn't get a chance to read it.

[It's not something she's read, so she can't really explain too much. But maybe that's for the best. She's probably said more than she should have, and maybe Susato can hear about the rest from Kazuma.]

I don't know much about the story, either. It doesn't exist where I'm from. But from what I understand, Hyde wasn't a very good person, and he managed to take control of Kazuma sometimes.

[It would seem, at least, that Susato is aware of some information regarding Hyde. But was clearly missing that one big detail.

She feels bad. Susato's reaction leads her to believe this isn't pleasant news, and Leia knows it's not, but... having to be the bearer of that news is tough. And it seems that she's potentially upset Susato without meaning to. She hangs her head, feeling guilty.]

I'm sorry, I thought you knew.

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