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[Color=#E6E8FA][H1]Kota[/h1][/color]
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Mentions:[@tau]

Kota had been rushing full speed at the enemy when they vanished. The arcade machine, and even his best bud who had been by his side.

They were all gone, it happened quickly. He felt his mind and body reform as one, it was as though a new dream was occurring as he started into the dark void of nothingness.

Up high he could feel just how small he was as two eyes looked down on him, it felt like they were watching him. Analyzing every part of him, Kota fought the nerves building up. He held his head high and looked up, clenching his fists tightly as he peered back at the orbs.

Yume appeared before the Kitsune, her patented drill hair not losing an ounce of volume even in her spectral form. Her grin seemed all the more twisted, and cruel. The words she spoke took hold of Kota's mind. There wasn't a single thing he didn’t feel he resonated with.

In the pursuit of strength you can go mad with power, being on both ends of the blade. Both a victim and the perpetrator. The beast republic is corrupted by power, the ones at the top who have no focus tend to look inward and hurt its own people. 

The mask he wore often held many cracks, they are most visible in hours of stress. Many people take him for a fighter, someone who’s acquired great feats with his hands alone. Truth is, he’s more of a lover, not taking enjoyment in taking anyone’s lives. He only does so to protect the ones he loves.

His cage is built from the failures of his past life, a disgrace to his family. He was selfish and only lived for himself, never once did he care about how much he made his father stressed. The amount of times his mother broke down, not knowing what to do with him. The mess he forced his younger siblings to clean up. The pain he caused them not having the guidance of their elder sibling. Instead, he lamented them all, his weakness caused them all suffering.

In the end, it amounted to loneliness. He pushed them all away, even his best friend. Perhaps Nozomi was right, maybe she did care. She wasn’t afraid to tell him what was the harsh truth in the only way that he would respond. Nah, Jin didn’t listen. He just wrote her off too, it was easy to blame others for your shortcomings.

He couldn’t do that in this life though. 

Yume dopple presented herself before him, despite her small physique it felt like she towered over the Kitsune. Her words weigh heavy.

There was truth,enough to make him question. In honesty, he didn’t believe in his own strength. It just felt like imposter syndrome, even becoming a champion felt like it was placed in his lap instead of something he earned. Kota clenched his fists, he felt contempt for his own ability.

[Color=#E6E8FA]“I do-“[/color] As he was about to answer, he would see another Yume pop into his view. Whacking the dopple over the head. Kota’s tails lost their fluidity, dropping down in confusion. His ears followed the same movement. Her words came unexpected, was it a compliment?

[Color=#E6E8FA]“Pfft”[/color] he tried to fight back the laughter but couldn’t help it. He’d begin to chuckle while placing a hand on Yume's shoulder.

[Color=#E6E8FA]“Well that’s one way to snap me out of it. Thank you friend.”[/color] He smirked, [Color=#E6E8FA]“I didn’t steal my tails though, I’m not a thief. They’re just a reflection of me being a fully mature Kitsune, both in mind and spirit.”[/color] Kota would fold his arms, [Color=#E6E8FA]“Now if we wanted to know where all the conditioner went. I wouldn’t be surprised if you are the culprit with the amount of volume and the quality of your hair.”[/color] A compliment for a compliment should make them even, the Kitsune thought. His idea is almost too simple. 

He’d notice the runes on her body as they lit up, it was intriguing. He hadn’t seen magic used in such a way before. [Color=#E6E8FA]“Interesting use of magic.”[/color] He’d add, but choosing not to prod her further at the moment. It seemed like she was concentrating.