Midnight now approaches. Seijuro rests on a run down rooftop, staring at the stars, while tears flow down his cheeks. Within his grasp, was Rens toy. Feeling like he has failed, he shuts his eyes. The only sound heard was Seijuro's breathing. He unsheathes his sword and begins touching the cool blade, his fingers tracing across it,
I'm sorry Ren… I'm still not strong enough yet… I just want them dead, so I can rest in peace… so mother can rest in peace… and you can too… I won't stop. I will do whatever it takes until I have their heads in my hands…
His thoughts continue to race and, in a fit of rage, he slams his fist into the floor, his teeth gritting even harder as he thinks back to that moment. His eyes light with fury, however he suddenly jumps when he hears a voice in his ear,
"Hello there!"
It was Lisa, not a sound was heard nor a glimpse seen, yet… she just… appeared, the warmth of her smile still shining brightly. She moves her face away from his ear and stares at him, with her big red eyes before finally speaking,
"What you doing up here?"
Seijuro just stares in shock, however he collects himself, his blush now fading and he speaks in a defeated manner,
"I'm not going on my first mission… am I?"
Lisa's eyes move upwards, looking towards the heavenly body above them,
"You shouldn't feel disheartened, little brother! You've come so far, since when I first saw you!"
"I haven't come far enough! You don't understand! I have to avenge my brother! And if I keep moving at this pace, then I'll never get to where I need to be!" Seijuro had not realised his voice raising, which now echoes into the background,
"Little brother… I know how you feel but…" Lisa is immediately cut off by Seijuro's sudden exclamation,
"You don't know anything… none of you do… Captain Frank still has family! You have Captain Kenji and Captain Frank! I have two people left in my life, one I rarely see and the other is a damn sword! So don't act like you know me! I know what you're like and you think of me! A sob story! That's all I am! The only reason I'm here is because you pity me!"
Seijuro stares at Lisa with pure anger, however he only sees… green emitting from her… Seijuro's anger is starting to subside and is now being replaced by utter confusion,
How is she… happy?
"How are you… emitting green…? Are you not even slightly angry at what I'm saying?! Or upset?!"
Lisa gives her usual loving smile and looks at him,
"Of course not, little brother! You're anger is understandable and one I can relate to!" Her smile dimming as she states this,
"You… can relate to this…? Seijuro's anger has completely diminished and is now replaced with confusion,
Lisa looks at him and sighs,
"I had 3 younger sisters… our mother died when we were quite young and our father did not really like us, so he sold us into slavery when we were quite young. Ivan-san was the one to come to our rescue when a fear attacked and began rampaging through the place."
Seijuro's ears perk up,
Younger sisters… being sold… I couldn't imagine…
"After that, we followed Ivan-san if we could follow him and he agreed. I was trained up and so were my little sisters! They were quite strong…" Lisa hesitates about this and Seijuro can see blue emitting from her, he now understands where this is heading,
"I lost my three younger sisters to a king too, little brother… their last wishes was for me to treat others the way I treated them, and to always be happy." Lisa smiles a bit and looks back at Seijuro,
"I know the rage an older sibling can feel when their brother or sister is hurt or even lost… but we have to be patient and focus, Seijuro-san."
"How did you even cope with that? I could never…" His voice breaks as he looks to the ground.
"I met Frank-san and Kenji-san…" She leans a bit closer and places her hand on the side of her mouth, her tone becoming more light-hearted,
"Who wasn't so joyless when we met." Seijuro gives a small smile in response to this,
"I may have looked after my little sisters, but in the end, they were the ones that gave me strength. Funny how that works… we don't realise how much their love impacts us until they're gone…"
"I guess so…" Seijuro glances at Rens toy and then back at Lisa, who is now standing up next to him,
"I see myself in you… I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did, Seijuro-san. You may have lost today.. but you gotta get back up, little brother and stay up too! That's the hardest part, but we got to do it for them. You still got a mother who loves you too…"
"I will. I've been… desperate that's all. I'm sorry about your sisters, Captain Lisa, and becoming blinded by my anger…" Lisa interrupts his apology by gently tapping his head, and her kind smile now returning,
"Promise you will keep trying, little brother, no matter how long it takes?" Lisa extends her pinkie towards him, and Seijuro emotions begin to overwhelm him, now remembering one of his last moments with Ren,
"If there isn't anything there, then we'll come back, I promise!"
Seijuro extends his pinkie towards Ren, and Ren then looks at Seijuro, interlocking his pinkie with his, and with a confident look says,
"Ok , I'll do it!"
Upon this memory replaying in his mind, he stands up and interlocks his pinkie with hers, now sharing that same confident look his brother gave him,
"Ok, I'll do it!"
"Then when you're ready, Frank-san wants to see you too. I trust you, little brother." Lisa vanishes from Seijuro's sight, leaving him to reflect on what he was told,
So that's how she came here without me detecting her. Captain Lisa's speed is amazing.
Seijuro looks back up towards the heavens, the stars flickering and the moon shining brightly on him. Letting out a sigh, he gets down from the rooftop and heads back to the Fear Foundation, feeling much more enlightened thanks to Lisa.
Meanwhile, Lisa returns to Frank to fill him in on what happened, he was waiting in his classroom on the second floor, looking out the window. He turns around to see Lisa at the door walking in with a smile gleaming,
"Well, did you find him?" Frank asks sounding quite worried,
"Yep! He was just on the old rooftop, he just needed some words of encouragement, and now he's feeling a lot better! Seijuro-san will be here shortly, don't worry, Frank-san!"
"Good then. Not surprised that he went there of all places."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"It's where we established our friendship, remember. That place holds a special memory, and it's a good place to clear your head." Lisa nods in response to this and they stare out the window,
"How's the kid?" Both Lisa and Frank whip their heads around, looking a bit startled at the sudden voice, which belonged to Kenji,
"Seijuro-san is doing great! He's feeling a lot better now, Kenji-san! He should be on his way back now as we speak!" Kenji gives a slight smile at Lisa,
"Lisa found him on our rooftop."
"Our rooftop? What was he doing up there?" Kenji crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow,
"He got a bit angry, so to say." Frank states, sounding quite upset,
"The Master wants to see us all about something. He has requested every Captain to come."
"A meeting? Haven't had one of those in a while."
"Yeah well, it's not surprising, ever since Seijuro opened the box, the number of fears have increased drastically. Most our students are not ready. That's why I've come here to ask how the kid is doing. Is he ready to be a dreamcatcher?
Lisa and Frank both look at each other and sigh,
"We tested him today, he lost against Kuroi with low boogeyman level strength. Seijuro-san isn't ready yet, Kenji-san." Disappointed, Kenji sighs and looks out the window,
"I see… roughly how long till he can become a dreamcatcher?"
"4 months, at minimum, Kenji, if he does not learn to control his emotions. I don't care how long it takes him, Seijuro has the commitment and dedication to become stronger. For that alone, I am proud of him, and will not give up on him." Frank looks up at Kenji and removes his shades,
"And you Lisa, do you share the same feelings about Seijuro?" Lisa smiles warmly and nods,
"We share a similar anger. I know his pain very well, and you do too, Kenji… I believe he has potential, a lot of it!" Kenji closes his eyes and looks back at then smiling slightly,
"Very well then. I trust you both." While stating this, he puts a hand on both their shoulders, before walking towards the door,
"We should head to the Master, don't want to keep the others waiting, you know how angry Yuto can get." Lisa and Frank smile and nod.
Kenji walks through the hallway, with Frank pushing himself in his wheelchair, and Lisa walking next to Kenji, as she now reflects on her own memories,
Seijuro-san, I am certain you will avenge your brother. Your will to not to give up on those who you have lost is truly inspiring. Thank you, little brother for reminding me for why I'm here in the first place…