Anime Cipher Chapter 5: Clarification

Rating: M (due to language only) 

Summary: 4 different stories all merge into one great adventure. Kiara Davis, a high school senior has no love greater than anime. But how will she react when some of her favorite anime characters are actually appearing in front of her own eyes? And not only that, but she gets pulled into their world as well! Could it be because of her own private code she created out of pure boredom? What is all this leading to? 

“... she's of no use...” Ronin quietly said as Ryuichi smirked, “Then I guess we can get rid of her.” He went to strike, aiming his blade right for her neck as she shut her eyes tight. She was shivering, scared to death, but there was no other way out. She prepared herself for the worst...

“Wait.” they all heard as Ryuichi's blade stopped inches away from her neck. Kia tried to breathe, being an inch away from death is something she really didn't want to be experiencing. They all turned to look at Kyoko as she took a look at Kia, “You were that girl last time... are you a friend to the Guardians?”

“N-not really...” she answered. “I-I don't .. know them personally.”

“Hmm... well then maybe we don't have any use for you...”Kyoko sighed. “I'll take care of her boys.” Ryuichi backed away and as soon as Ronin released his hold on her shadow, Kia fell down, weak kneed. She crawled back right into a tree as Kyoko held poison senbon needles in her hand. Just as she threw it at her, Kia shut her eyes, ready to feel the pain. But after a few moments, she felt nothing. She peeked out of one of her eyes as she heard, “Kia... ugh... what are you doing out here?”

“D-Daiki?!” she said surprised as she got up. She stared worriedly as she saw the senbon needles sticking out of his back. He smiled, “Sorry to be back so late... urgh... but I forgot my my notebook...” She saw him sway as she helped him stand, “Daiki! Daiki! Oh my god! Come on...” She quickly helped him inside. She laid him on the couch, with his belly on the couch. She told him, “I'm gonna pull these needles out now alright...”

“...Sorry Kia...” he said as she answered, “What are you apologizing for? I'm the one who turned you into a human porcupine...” She slowly pulled the needles out as he groaned, “Urgh... that might be true... but I should've told you about... all this earlier.”

“What?! You knew about all the anime I've been seeing?!” she said as she pulled the last one out quickly. He cried, “OW!”

“Oh, sorry...” she stated but then asked, “Why have you been calling me crazy then if you were seeing it too?!” He answered, “Well... the less you knew the better... but I think.. the Pipers might.. have discovered you by now...”

“Who are the Pipers?” she wondered as Daiki sat up a bit, “Can we focus.. on my dilemma and then... I can explain?”

“Oh crap... you're still poisoned!!!” she then remembered the needles were poisonous. She panicked, “I dunno what to do!!! Daiki, what do I do?!!”

“First, relax...” he said weakly. “Just do what I tell you... Grab a pen.”She quickly grabbed one on a nearby desk as he then said, “Now write cure... using the code.”

“The code?” she wondered.

“Your code...” He told her.

“How do you know about that?” she asked confused. “No one knew--”

“Kia.. we can talk about that later...” he groaned. “I'm still kinda dying here...”

“Oh right...” she said as she quickly scribbled her code onto a piece of paper. She looked at it as she turned to him, laying their in pain, “What next?”

“Just say it out loud... while focusing on the poison in me...” he said weakly. “And you might want to hurry...”

“Cure!” she said while focusing on Daiki. The words on the paper began to glow, as did Daiki. But soon it faded away. Everything was quiet as Kia, a bit freaked out called, “Um... Daiki? Daiki...” She didn't get a response as she panicked, “I did everything you told me too?! How come it didn't do anything?!!! Now what do I do?!!!”She continued freaking out as she suddenly heard the sound of laughter. She turned back to see Daiki chuckling loudly. She glared upset, “Daiki! What the hell?! I thought you were dead!”

“I was just messing with you...” he smiled as she hit his arm. She pouted, “Jerk...”

“Sorry ok? I just had to take that opportunity...” he beamed as she glared, “Ok, that's besides the point! What the hell is going on?! Why am I seeing anime wherever I go?! Why were you keeping this a secret from me?! And what's up with my code?! It's never glowed or done anything like that before!!”

“Okay, okay... first relax...” he told her. “And take a seat... this is gonna take a while..”She did as he began, “It may be hard to believe, but these anime you read... they're all actually real. Their world co-exist with ours. We pass by them every day... without even noticing. It was known that there was only 5 people who would be able to see them. One of them is you.” She was about to ask a question, but he continued, “These people, are known as Sights, the ones who can see the other worlds, interact with the people in those worlds. However, the process of them seeing the other worlds take time, depending on the person. In your case, it barely started happening now. For others, it might take longer, or even be shorter.”

“So there's—”

“Can I finish, explaining first?” Daiki interrupted her again. She stayed quiet as he continued, “The sights, can also use the code. That code, you believe you created... its actually a real code that only the Sights can use. The code is almost the most powerful magic in the other world.. the anime world.”

“...” Kia waited for him to continue, but he just sat there. So she asked, “So... anime is actually real... and it co-exist with our world... and that's why I'm seeing it all the time.”

“Not all the time. Just when you let your guard down... when you least expect it, you end up seeing it, or even going into the anime world itself.” he answered. “The last couple times, luckily you were able to come back. Except tonight... I had to step in to make sure you survived.”

“So I can actually die because of them?! The anime characters?!” she panicked, realizing how many times she's been close to death. He nodded, “Of course. This isn't some virtual reality game you're playing Kia... this is all really happening.”

“How is this all possible?” she wondered. “Anime is nothing more than fictional stories here...”

“There's this place in the anime world known as Alvador. It's much like Aluna, just not so much people. Alvador is a very sacred place where all who live there keep the balance of the anime world and the human world in order.” Daiki stated. “There was a time, long ago when the worlds were connected, but there was a lot of disputes between the magical beings and humans. The magical beings always thought the humans were inferior to them and treated them badly. To prevent that from continuing, the two worlds have been divided. Those magical and those humans. To help the humans get over the trauma of the hardships they had to face, the creation of anime was formed.”

“There is one all powerful being in the anime world and that is the ruler of Alvador. This being is known as The Alvador. It was the Alvador who set up that anime become a fictional entertainment in the human world. The Alvador is the one guides everyone in order to keep peace between the two worlds. And it is also the Alvador... who chooses and give the Sights their abilities.” he finished as she thought, “Okay... and 'the Alvador' is the reason I'm in this mess?”

“Yes, because the Alvador believes you will be able to help set peace.”

“Peace? So did the balance get screwed up or something?” she wondered as he nodded, “For the past year, the balance has begun tipping a lot. The pipers... or the villains of the animes you watch, have been plotting something. And the heroes, or Browsers, have been trying to put a stop to them. However, without the help of the sights, they won't be able to succeed with defeating them.”

“... then why am I barely finding out about this?!” she panicked. “This has been going on for a year now?!” He responded, “As I said before, the less you know the better. If you knew about all this sooner, then the Pipers would have found you faster. If I kept it a secret from you, you would've stayed safer and survived longer. But now, things have gotten more complicated since you're actually going into the other world and running into both the Browsers and the Pipers. Its getting dangerous now... so it's best that you know how to protect yourself against them.”

“... so this entire semester I knew you... you were protecting me the entire time?” she wondered as he nodded. “How did you know I was a Sight?” He thought, “It's usually difficult to find Sights. The only ways to actually recognize them is that they have powers, yet, they are humans. Usually, theres just this feeling that you get when you run into a Sight, but that only happens if the Sight knows about their abilities. Like now that you know... I can sense the power you have. Before, you seemed just like any human being.”

“Haha but actually...” he laughed as he remembered. “When I found out about you, it was that day you were doodling the code all over your notebook.”

“You saw that?” she said surprised. He nodded, “Yea, and you're lucky no one else saw. The Pipers have been looking for the Sights in order to get rid of them.” She thought, trying to taking in all this information as she wondered, “... How... are you involved in all this? Are you from their world too?”

“Yup.” he smiled. “I'm one of the few beings from Alvador. I was sent to find and guide the Sights. The Alvador told me about the use and function of the code, but I have never seen it actually happen until now.”

“And... there are 5 Sights total right?” she questioned. “So there's four others like me?” He thought, “Well... three others like you. Don't worry about the last one--”

“Why not?” she pouted. “I want to know everything Daiki.”He sighed, “Alright Kia... but you did ask. I only know of four Sights, one being you. The very first Sight who was found... was killed last year. Just a few weeks after he began helping out in the anime world.” A scared expression appeared on Kia's face as he tried to comfort her, “Kia, I know this is really dangerous and it will be hard. But both worlds need you. I'll be by your side and I swear I won't let you die.”

“... you'll teach me how to use the code?” she questioned as he nodded. She sighed, “I dunno what I'm getting myself into... but I'll give it my best shot.”He smiled, “Great! Well get started right away! First thing tomorrow evening, ok? My place.”

“Alright.” she said as he got up, “Well, I better get going...”

“Daiki, does the code... work with just writing it out and saying it?” she wondered. He nodded, “Yea, that's what the Alvador told me.”

“Oh... alright.” she thought as he laughed, “hey, don't let having magical abilities get to your head ok? There's always consequences for things.. especially things this powerful. Be careful with how you use the code.”

“I will...” she said as she walked him to the door. She then thought, “One last thing Daiki... do you think... any of this has to do with Rayna's disappearance?” He thought, “Truthfully I dunno. If she was also a Sight... then her disappearance would be a very bad sign. Do you know if she knew about your code?”

“... she did see it once, but I don't think she could read it.” she stated. He sighed, “Well, there's a high chance she's from the anime world... so she might be back there. I'll look into it ok? Don't worry too much.”She was silent but sighed, “Alright then...” He then said, “Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Kia.”

“See ya.” she responded as he left.

~

“Come on, Kia. How many times do I have to tell you?!” Daiki groaned as he put out the fire with the fire extinguisher. He put it down and scolded her, “I've told you for the past week! When you say it, it must be said strong! You need to be in control over your powers, so use a good strong voice. Otherwise, mayhem will occur.”

“Sorry...” she sighed. It has indeed been a week since she began training with Daiki and she has at least learned how to use the code. Controlling however.. was the problem. He sighed, “Try it again.... focus this time and control it.”She nodded and took a deep breathe. She took a glimpse of the code she had scribbled on her arm and then focused on the candle in front of her. She confidently said, “Fire.” A large flame grew, but then vanished, leaving a small one in the candle. Kia lit up, “I did it!!!”

“Great job.” Daiki smiled as she stated, “Heh, I'll be mastering these powers in no time.”

“That's the attitude to have.” he said.

“So what next? Now that I have the basics all set. Do we get to actually go into the anime world and kick some ass?!” she asked excited. Daiki laughed, “Are you the same girl who was freaking out about anime being real last week?”

“Haha, well now that I know what's going on, I'm ready for some fun.” she beamed.

“You know this isn't suppose to be fun, Kia. This is a serious job for you to do.”he told her as she nodded, “I know... but come on. My favorite animes! They're real! Now that I understand what's going, I want to fangirl about it!” He was about to respond, when they heard a loud ring echo in the room.

“Hello?” Kia answered. She lit up, “Oh my gosh! I totally forgot! I'll be there soon!”

“Where you going?” Daiki wondered as she replied, “I forgot Hakufu was gonna come with me to meet up with my penpal. She just came from the Philippines a few days ago so we're gonna show her around.”

“Alright... we'll practice again tomorrow.” he stated as she nodded and left.

~

“OBURI!!!!” Kia smiled as she and Hakufu waited in the park. She saw a girl happily approaching them. Her hood covered most of her silk-like long black hair, but her dark brown eyes were gleaming as she beamed, “Kia!! It's so great to finally meet you in person!!”

“Same to you!” she smiled. “This is my friend Hakufu Sonsaku. Hakufu, this is Oburi Masashi.”

“Hi. Pleasure to meet you.” Oburi said to her as she waved. Kia sighed with a smile, “She doesn't talk much... Anyways, we'll show you around come on!”

~

“What?!”Kia screamed as they sat in a cafe having some smoothies. “No way!!! I'm so behind then!” Oburi nodded, “yea, the 10th volume came out today! Where have you been Kia? How could you not be caught up with Missing Culprits?! It's such an amazing series!”

“It is, but the only animes I'm currently caught up with is Aluna and Scroll Quest...”she said. “Ugh... I have got to catch up.” Oburi nodded, “We can head to my place after and I won't let you leave until you've finished reading that latest volume.”

“Haha, thanks...” Kia laughed as Oburi turned to Hakufu, “So are you an anime fan too?”She shook her head as she stood up, “I'm gonna go... I got stuff to do.”

“Awww come on, Hakufu. We can get you into anime too.” Kia teased as she sighed, “No thanks... you two have fun though....” she headed off as Oburi questioned, “Does she not like me?”

“I thought the same thing when I first met her.” Kia said. “Don't worry about it. She's just... not very sociable. You'll get use to that.” She sighed but smiled, “Alright. Come on. The sooner we get you to my place, the sooner we can fangirl about the latest clues Karina found in the 10th volume!!!”

“More clues?!!!” she lit up. “What are we still doing here?! Come on!”

~

[“The bars haven't been tampered with...” Karina said as she inspected the cell door. “I want a scan on all the finger prints that have been on these bars. ASAP.” The other detectives in her department nodded and got to it as she walked around the prison as she asked the warden, “How many exits do you have here?”

“Only the front door.” he answered as she wondered, “Are you sure? That's the only possible escape route for the prisoners? What about the garbage disposal?”

“Too small to fit people in.” he stated as she took note. She groaned, “How can 12 people vanish without a trace? This just doesn't make any sense.” She then thought quietly and asked, “I want to see security tapes.”

“Sure. Follow me.”the warden said as they headed to the video room. They looked through all the clips of when each of the prisoners appeared, but nothing out of the ordinary seemed to happen. The prisoners were just sitting in their cell when they just suddenly vanished from the cell.

“Hmmm...” she stared at every detail as she then lit up. “Here's the problem...” She pointed to the time frame in the clips as it went from 19:34 to 21:03. She explained, “Between those times... that when the prisoners must have gotten out. I want clips of the nights each prisoner escaped.” The warden nodded as she then thought to herself and then asked, “Where's the guard who is in charge of security tapes?”

“... he went missing a few nights ago too.” he responded. “But I took over last night...”

“And nothing weird occurred?”Karina interrogated. “Tell me everything you can remember.” The warden thought and answered, “I just watched each of the security cameras. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary... but after a while... I dozed off for a couple minutes. When I woke up... they were gone. Completely vanished. No trace what-so-ever.”

“....Nothing is adding up. Someone messed with these tapes. So in that little time you dozed off, something must have happened that stopped these tapes and helped the prisoner escape...”she reviewed and thought up some predictions. She then sighed, “... Let me talk to a prisoner.... one who would knows what goes around here.”

“I know the perfect one.” the warden answered. He turned to a guard nearby. “Get prisoner 403, Yabu Kota.”]

“Wow... Karina is really in a tight spot!” Kia stated as Oburi nodded, “I know right?! I can't believe she's actually gonna talk to a criminal just to figure all this out! Usually she can solve things in no time!”

“I know! This might just be her best case yet!” Kia cheered. “Gosh! When does the next volume come out! Do you think this Yabu Kota will help her out? Maybe he might disappear next and she might track him?”

“I think he might actually help.” Oburi answered. “Remember he was mentioned earlier in the series... but only briefly. I think he's there for almost killing somebody, but I'm not too sure... And he definitely knows a lot that goes around that prison so he would be of use to Karina.”

“Ugh... the anticipation is killing me! Need the next volume right away!” she sighed. Oburi nodded, “Isn't Suzuhara Kaori just amazing?! She is my favorite mangaka! Her stories are spectacular! And her drawings are pretty awesome!”
“It's also amazing how great she is at different kinds of genres! 'Missing Culprits', 'Aluna', 'Scroll Quest', there's all different yet so amazing! How does she do it?! She writes all my favorite mangas!” Kia stated with a sigh as she looked at the time. “Oh shoot... it got so late already. I better head home. And you should get your rest. Tomorrow's your first day of school.”

“Haha, don't remind me...”she laughed. “Think I can make it through the day?”

“School's a killer... but I think you can do it.” Kia smiled in response. “I'll see you tomorrow.” She left and headed out towards her home, but after a while, she began to notice that she wasn't taking the normal route home. She sighed, “Oh man... how did I end up here?”She looked around as she then identified the place. “Great... I'm in one of the towns in Scroll Quest—” She ducked as someone jumped over her running.

“Stop running, Yukio!” Keito growled following him. Kia thought, “Alright, time to put my training to the test! Gotta help Keito out!” She reached into her pocket, but found it empty.

“What?! I thought for sure I put a pen in there!” she panicked. “Crap! How am I suppose to use the code now?!” She looked around, “Come on. There has to be something I can write with.”

“Watch out!” she heard as she moved to avoid the Sai Yukio had thrown. She took in a breath, “Okay... this is bad.”

“Hey! Move it!” she turned to see Tsubasa calling to her. “If you don't want to die, get over here!”Kia did to see her, Kyoumi and Ryutaro heading towards town while Keito and Riki handled Yukio.

“Shouldn't you guys help them out?”she asked as Ryutaro replied, “They can take care of themselves... are you from a village nearby? How far is it from here?”

“I not from around here... really...” she said looking around when she lit up. “Yes! A stick!” She picked it up as the three with her gave her weird looks. She ignored it and began scribbling the code in the dirt.

“MOVE!” she heard as she finished writing, but she was soon knocked down as Keito fell over her. Yukio laughed and turned to Kia, “Haha, thanks for the help kid.” He turned to Keito and prepared to strike as Riki growled at Kia, “If you aren't gonna fight, get out of our way!” She ran towards Yukio as Kia quickly said, “Vanish!” At that second, the dirt glowed and Yukio, who stood over it, vanished.

“...No way... It worked!” Kia cheered. She got up happily dancing around, “Oh yea~! It worked! I'm awesome-- Oh no...” She then spotted the Kirst approaching.

“Crap... they're too close!” Ryutaro groaned. “We gotta fight!” They all armed themselves with their weapons as Kia thought, “Great... what do I use?! Oh!” She scribbled on the ground really quick and said, “Appear! Sword!” The code glowed as a sword appeared in her hand.

“Alright! I could get use to this!” she smiled as she got ready. As they approached, the Seekers charged and Kia followed after. She swung the sword at the Kirst as they dodged and strike her with their claws as her sword was hit out of her hand.

“Heh...maybe... I should learn how to use a sword first... rather than just swinging it around...” she thought. “Well... ahhh!!!” She began to run, but more Kirst came and surrounded her. She looked around and began writing her code in the dirt, but they charged at her too quickly.

“Get outta there!” Kyoumi yelled to her as she saw what was happening. But before the Kirst could strike, someone hit them away. Kia stared amazed at his swiftness. His long black hair swished as he moved to dodge an attack, his brown eyes, targeting every Kirst, knocking them away. She then noticed who was with her mysterious savior, “Ah! Hikaru! You're here too?!”

“Yup, back again.” he smiled. He withdrew his sword, “We'll handle this...” He charged and attack as she sighed, “Well, what am I suppose to do-- Oh!” As they took care of the Kirst, she scribbled on the ground, when suddenly, the sound of battle vanished. She looked around to see she was back on the road towards her home.
“Wha...” she said confused. “Hmmm, I definitely need to ask Daiki about how I've been getting in and out of the anime world... it's just too weird.” She quickly left, hoping not to be brought back there.