safe and clean

"Heyyyyy!"

Angie tried to slow down, but ended up knocking into Sakura. She caught her before they both went flying. Sakura flicked her forehead. Her face scrunched up in mock pain.

"Isn't someone fashionably late?"

"Sorry," she chuckled. "This outfit took forever to smooth out. Plus I had to figure out what to bring," she said, and held out her arm to show a large folded up object hanging from her wrist.

"What's that?"

"It's my folding suitcase," said Angie, ushering them towards the train. She looked at her in confusion.

"You're bringing a suitcase?"

"Duh," said Angie, tapping her head. "Who knows how much stuff I'm gonna get. It's easy to bring this along just in case. See, I'm a smart girl."

She knocked Angie's head lightly with her finger. Sakura smoothed out her pristine white lab coat that she wore over a sturdy armor top. She and Angie both dressed up as characters from Defcon Zero. They both enjoyed the fun of dressing up as someone completely different, trying it out whenever they went to fairs and conventions.

Yukika was already sitting in her seat by the time they both came in. She was staring out of the window. She was dressed a lot more mundanely, in a royal blue tank top and white shorts. The simple outfit managed to enhance her long legs and pale skin. Sakura stared for a moment in jealousy.  Angie pulled her to their seats.

The train started. She watched them leave the grassy towns of City Nine. She wiped down the touchscreen in front of her. There was an episode of Star Hearts she hadn't seen before. Angie leaned over to watch it with her. They turned on the massage mode and seat warmers before sitting back to watch the show. The time flew by as their eyes were glued onto the screen. The train slowed down just as the final line played.

"I will never let you feel lonely again. It doesn't matter what I lose. None of it will compare to losing you."

They were sniffling at the end of the episode. A robot cleaner rolling through the aisle offered a pack of tissues to them. They paid it 25 Unicents and it rolled away, clinking within its tracks. Angie wiped away her tears. They had arrived at their destination.

Sakura looked out of the window. Colourful banners and signs greeted them, with more cosplayers milling about. They both hurried out of the train to check it out, with Yukika trailing behind. A woman with a brightly painted face edged towards them and displayed a flyer from her Screenpod.

"City Four's happy t'see you!" she chirped in a strong City Four accent. "You aren from 'round here, ye?"

"We're from City Nine," she replied. Sakura scanned the details of the display. There was a giant manga sale in the fair they were heading to. She pointed it out to Angie and she nodded. Their focus was disrupted by the woman's tinkling laugh.

"Dat little village city, so charmeen." Her tone was saccharine. She wanted to frown, but stopped herself. The painted woman clicked off the Screenpod and walked towards other visitors. She waved them goodbye. "Enjoy your time 'ere!"

"That woman is off."

They both yelped. Yukika was standing right behind them. Her eyes followed the woman before roaming around to take in the colours. She held two giant chocolate milkshakes in her hand. Yukika held them out to them. They glared at her and took the milkshakes. Her lips seemed to struggle to not form a smile.

After returning their tickets, they weaved their arms together to walk towards the fair. It was a silly sight, two tiny girls holding onto a white-haired beanpole. Outside of the train station, City Four was even more vividly iridescent in the sun. There were festivities and stalls all around them. The sticky sweet chocolate was soothing and energizing in the hot day.

They stopped every dozen steps to check out trinkets and tantalizing food. Sakura picked up some caramelbean muffins and three volumes of manga. Angie took a talking wooden doll, a first edition of a book published a few centuries ago, a vintage handheld and a whole collection of manga volumes.

"Hey!" someone called out as they were leaning over watching a half-finished snowman build itself. They turned and saw a lanky freckled guy waving to them, approaching slowly. He seemed familiar. "Are you the Lolitaholics?"

By the mention of the name, a memory of his face clicked. She nodded with Angie. They went by Lolitaholics when they joined competitions together. It added to the fun and merriness of it all.

"Yep, that's us. Nice to see you again, August."

August was a newbie organizer for gaming conventions. They had met a few times at conventions, and he had signed them onto a few notable competitions. He was a friendly guy, if a little stir crazy when it came to games. He smiled at them.

"Get your ass kicked-"

"-by the Lolitaholics!" they chorused, laughing. He pointed to their outfits.

"I like the cosplay. Rejna and Aegis are the best."

"Thanks!" they beamed. August pointed further away into the fair. They followed his finger and saw a blue dome surrounded by lots of people.

"Did you know that they're making new updates for Cosmos Fighter? You can test the levels out if you'd like. I think I can get you an early spot."

Her heartbeat raced. A new update? Hell yeah she wanted to check it out. Angie tugged on her sleeve and nodded frantically. She glanced towards Yukika. Her smile had totally disappeared in the presence of a stranger.

"Is that alright, do we have time?" she asked. Yukika nodded, and Angie fist-pumped. August clapped his hands together.

"Great! Come follow me."

They trailed after August, making their way around many costumed visitors and colorful City Four dwellers. There were normal dressed visitors as well, traditional garb wearers from City One, floatily dressed City Five folks, covered up people from City Eleven. She looked up and saw a sign for a history display. She noted that, hoping Yukika would like it.

Inside the dome were banners with Cosmic Fighter characters on them, Cosmic Fighter merchandise and holographic projections of characters. In the front were huge screens with scenes from the game playing on them. There were lots of cosplayers and geeks around, even though it looked like the dome had just been opened to the public.

"I'll stay right here," Yukika said, sitting down on the concrete near some others. She was worried that Yukika would be bored, but then she pulled out a book she bought out of her bag. She nodded and waved to her before August led them away to a space behind the screens.

There were a couple of people organizing the line for the testing. A few people looked offended as they made their way to the front.

"Hey, I'm just some schmuck with some friends who are super fans," he said, before pulling out his card. The neck strap dangled down. She stared at it before realizing that August was involved in the Cosmic Fighter organization as well. "Can they get an early turn for the testing?"

Sakura gave him her best puppy face. Angie followed her lead, looking like a chubby hamster girl. He laughed again and shook his head.

"Alright alright, I can't say no to these little ladies, especially such cute cosplayers. Say, folks," he spoke to the people at the front. "Spare a minute for these two, eh?"

They didn't seem to want to agree, but wanting to not be kicked out of the line, they stayed quiet. She almost felt bad, but then remembered that feeling bad for her opponents would make her a sucker.

They went inside separate booths. Sakura put on the goggles and took the controllers in each hand. The enemy roared. It was a mutant alien, large and spewing acid from what seemed to be many arms. It circled her. She watched it with bated breath. It ran towards her in full speed. She leaned back to dodge. It stopped in its tracks. She took the opportunity to shoot her gun.

The enemy produced a large area of effect where she suspected she would suffer burns from. She ran further away from it. The enemy charged up an attack while she ran, and she only just managed to avoid a hit at her current spot. She shot her gun again. It barely made a dent in its HP. She changed her bullets to lightning, then to fire. The fire bullets made much more damage.

So the duel began, with her firing as many times as she could and dodging each blow. She dealt her Ultimate several times, each time dealing more damage than the last as she wore down its armour. Finally, as it fell, a score flashed before her eyes.

Gar-gan-tuan defeated. Score : 679428/700000

She took off the goggles and placed the controllers aside. She went out to see Angie and August clapping. They were all handed a Cosmic Fighter T-shirt. They walked away from the line.

"That was so much fun!" said Angie.

"I should go manage the rest of this," August said, looking someone trying to grope a hologram. "But not bad, kid." He smiled at her before leaving.

They looked for Yukika, but couldn't find her anywhere in the dome. They went outside and heard a commotion. There was a crowd gathered in the middle of the fair. They were shouting in lots of different tones and languages. They ran over to see.

Rows after rows of the crowd began to fall silent. They searched and saw Yukika making her way through the crowd. With every row she passed, people went silent before leaving. She reached the middle of the crowd with little hesitation.

Two people were yelling at each other. They spoke in an odd tone, and she realised that they were speaking in an Ancient Language, not quite Forgotten, but not widely spoken. One was holding onto the collar of another. Yukika touched their shoulders. Her lips seemed to be saying something, but she couldn't figure out what. Their faces went blank. They gave each other a dazed stare and left. They hurried over to her.

"Yukika, are you okay?" Angie asked.

"I'm fine."

"Why did you come all the way here? What did you do?"

"Someone had to stop the fight. I told them police were coming." She shrugged. Sakura raised her eyebrows. She looked from side to side. Fair-goers met each gaze.

"You called the police?"

"No."

Yukika began walking away from them. It took them a few seconds to process the situation. Angie burst out laughing.

"She's a comedian for sure," said Angie between giggles. They caught up to her and Sakura led them to where the history display was. There were a few signs to guide them. They arrived at a large building with heavy double doors. There weren't that many people about. Yukika opened the door and they were greeted with artifacts on each side and lights leading the way.

It was dim in the display. The signs projecting information shone bright in contrast. Yukika quickly found a sign she was interested in. Sakura looked around and saw an ancient gun. It was rusty after all that time, and came with a barrel that could be opened to insert bullets. She imagined firing it while adventuring around in olden times.

There was an old sword beside it, dated only a few centuries ago. In its glass case, it showed that the laser blade could retract entirely within less than a second. She couldn't make out the decimals written below it, but it seemed to take far longer than it did now.

Angie watched a video further ahead. The other two walked towards her. It was an incredibly old video, taken about before the Great Destruction. The video showcased a woman writhing around in bed. Her veins rose above her skin, glowing red. A scanner showed that her spirit soul's powers were too much for her to handle.

"I'm glad that I don't have that problem," she murmured. Yukika watched passively.

The next video was taken in the midst of a Spirit Burst. She saw a commander giving orders far away from the battle, right in front of the protected area. Someone jumped down from a building. She landed with no more than a bump and blasted a spirit in the face with a green aura. Exhaustion ringed her eyes. A van careened through a corner with an open door. She jumped inside and it drove away.

A defense unit came and attacked advancing spirits with her shield. Sakura stared in awe as the shield itself caused the spirits to disappear. Another fighter used a flamethrower to burn all the spirits focused on attacking him. The fire funneled through the flamethrower seemed to come from nowhere else but his skin. He wore protective armour everywhere but his arms, which were shaved clean. The last spirit burned away, and all the fighters were triumphant.

"Woah..." they all said.

Near the videos was a section with replicas of weapons from the current era. They could each grab one as long as they didn't damage it. They grabbed a weapon and began to fight in a mock war. Sakura grabbed a shield. With a press of a button, it flashed a bright light. They fought for a few minutes until they devolved into giggles. They placed the weapons back and walked out of the display.

The sun was beginning to wane down. Sakura watched as birds came down to settle on trees above them. Yukika grabbed her hand. The coldness of her hand made her warm up.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" she asked. "Ready to go home?"

She shuddered. Her hand was tucked into her vest pocket, hiding hailstones that she clutched in her fist. She focused freezing energy through her arm to keep them from melting. She closed her eyes, trying to listen to the tiny whisper in her mind.

What do I do?

Yukika pushed away the bubbling fears and uncertainties blocking her consciousness. Swim past the whirlpools and rocks to reach the shore, she told herself, even when the current was sweeping her away. She waited and listened.

But there was no answer. Only the cold rushing underneath her skin. There was only the cold. Rushing past her ears, tracing her skin, freezing her mind. Her tense body slowly relaxed, bit by bit. She let go of her physical form, and entered her spirit mind.

Her consciousness was dark and howling. Winter hurricanes danced through the wind. Her arms reached out and turrets of cold air whizzed out to knock the hurricanes away. Yukika's head ached from the power she used to drive them away. It was feeble compared to the power surrounding her. She walked forward, barely pushing away the other gales that rushed towards her. Her eyes picked up on a tall form in the center of the cyclones. Her bruise-blue skin contrasted with the winter white all around them.

"Bheur!" she called out, her voice drowned in the howling wind. Nonetheless, she turned around. Her rail thin body was wrapped in silver cloth. The black eyes that stared her down did not faze her. What did was the wide open mouth screaming the sound of winter winds, and the white blood pouring out of her stomach. Her throat tightened, and her body froze.

Her eyes shot open. She was safe, still sat in the sleek car. They were slowing down, driving through rows of neighboring houses. She gave the hailstones a squeeze, relieved at the hard ice pressing against her skin. They halted in front of the Fukumura house. She composed her face and gave Mr Allende a smile. He smiled back. She opened the door and stepped outside. The warm air swirled with uncertainty.

"Thanks for the ride, Mr Allende!" Sakura chirped. The door between them shut, and the shiny Hephaestus drove away. She heard a loud vibration from her bag pocket. She took out her phone. The glare from it being turned on accompanied a bitter message.

"Akira messaged me to come home," she told Sakura.

There was a gentle look in Sakura's eyes as soon as she said that. She tilted her head as she asked, "Will you be staying the night?"

Her heart warmed. She slipped the phone back into her pocket. That house brimmed with a painful cold uncontested by any winter. She couldn't care less about whatever Akira wanted from her now. Nonetheless, it was better to take a walk to clear her mind.

"There's nothing she can do to stop me."

She gave Sakura her bag. She turned away and started off to Akira's house. Darkness was descending upon the sleepy town. Yukika kicked away dead leaves that littered the street. She waved to tree spirits laying lazily down tree trunks. Their eyes twinkled and they waved back.

She spotted a spirit as tall as two houses stacked together standing at the end of the street. It was dressed in an old beige suit and black hat that covered its face. She slowed down as she walked past, bowing her head to it. It held out its hand to her. It held a piece of paper between two long fingers. She held out her hand and took it. She smiled politely.

"Thank you."

It tipped its hat before it dissipated into a dark fog. She smoothed out the paper with her thumb. There was a scrawl across it. She couldn't recognize it, but she couldn't detect any malicious energy on it either. It gave her a reassuring peace as she clutched it in her hands.

Making a turn to the next street, she soon arrived at the house. The bright paint job was discernible from miles away. She saw a newly polished car parked in the driveway. She unlocked the gate and walked to the door. It opened after a slight budge.

Bright lights shone in her face. The house smelled of pine and bleach. There was no one in the living room. She approached the stairs, and was immediately met by her stepfather, Carlos, pacing down them.

"Yuki," he smiled nervously. "Thanks for coming."

"My name is Yukika," she spoke plainly. His smile faded slightly, but it stayed on his face. "What did she need me for?"

"Ah. We're heading out for a date night," he hesitated. "Can you look after Manuel tonight?"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course, what else would it be? It was the only thing Akira ever wanted to do with her. At least she would be able to spend some time with her half-brother. He was a plucky little baby that Sakura fawned over.

She made her way upstairs to Manuel's room. She opened the baby gate to enter the room. It was a beautiful mix of pastels with expensive toys and baby necessities stacked from wall to wall. It was dim with only the ambient lights on, and Manuel was sleeping soundly in his crib. Yukika found his bag and started to stuff it with his baby bottles, diapers and change of clothes. An odd sound came from the baby monitor. She turned around.

There was a small fear spirit perched on his crib. It was a pale white, with gigantic claws digging into the wood. It had its mouth wide open, with bloody sharp teeth ready to consume his energy. Her arms shot out, and her powers latched onto the spirit. She flicked her winter cold to drive it away. It hissed at her with narrowed red eyes, before it flew away and disappeared out of the window.

She sighed in relief that it was a weak spirit that didn't fight back. She hurried over to Manuel. He was still sleeping peacefully. She noticed the piece of paper she held in her thumb. Hesitantly, she placed it on top of his chest. It glowed. A smile played on her brother's lips. She touched the paper.

"My heart of frost," she whispered. "I call upon you to keep away the spirits of agony. Hear me, song of winter, and keep this one safe."

Manuel opened his eyes slowly. His mouth stretched in a yawn. He smiled and giggled at seeing her. She felt herself smile.

"What are you doing?" she heard a sharp voice speak. She didn't turn to look. Instead she picked up Manuel and walked over to take the bag. She walked past Akira who stood firm in the doorway, brushing her shoulder against hers. She spoke again. "Don't involve him in your freak spirit games."

"I would never hurt him. If he gets a spirit mark like me, what are you going to do?" retorted Yukika quietly. Akira looked at her from the corner of her eyes. "What are you scared of, spirits or shame?"

"You've always been disrespectful," hissed Akira. She ignored her.

She went back downstairs to the kitchen. She picked up some of Manuel's baby formula before heading out the door. Carlos sat on the couch and waved as she shut the door.

"Thank you, Yukika."

The night was quickly settling in around them. She hurried back to the Fukumura household. She spotted more spirits coming up, and she held Manuel closer to her. The paper crinkled against her chest.

She soon came around to the welcoming rosewood door. She opened it to the sight of Cleeve in the living room. The house had been well looked after, there wasn't a speck of dust. Cleeve smiled at her, her full lips upturned to her eyes and as rosy as ever. She took Manuel from her arms and rocked him in her arms. She cooed. Her brother giggled.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Cleeve frowned in worry.

"I was about to leave from work at the S.U.N. when we received news that there was a hailstorm at your school area. I had a feeling you would be affected, so I came over. Apologies for the sudden intrusion."

Yukika nodded. She put down her bags to the side and pulled out the hailstones from her pocket. They melted slightly from her being distracted. She focused her arm on freezing them, and they returned back to normal. Cleeve seemed interested.

"So it was from spirits?" she asked.

"It seems to be that way," said Cleeve. She picked up a hailstone and winced from the cold. She gave it back to her. "These are much colder than normal. The only thing is that I don't know why. There hasn't been any reports of winter spirits being disturbed. I fear it might be something more serious."

"That was what I was worried about," she murmured.

Cleeve patted her head. "I'll just put this little one down and we can talk about it. Have you brought his blankets?"

"Yeah."

Yukika knelt down to the bag. She pulled out Manuel's blankets and pillows. She and Cleeve arranged them at a safe spot before Cleeve put him down. Manuel wriggled a little and immediately fell back to sleep.

"Do you want to take a shower first?" she asked, and Yukika shook her head. "Then, let's go the the backyard," Cleeve offered, and she agreed. They went out of the back door. Cleeve turned on some lights, illuminating the young night. They sat down on a bench.

"What's on your mind?"

She hesitated. She began to squeeze the hailstones as she tried to sort out the thoughts in her head. The thoughts of her spirit dweller, the images of war brought on by spirit bursts, her powers tearing her apart as spirits surround her. Was Bheur trying to tell her something?

"Bheur - the spirit living inside me... I tried to talk to her earlier. But I only ended up seeing her surrounded by tornadoes, with blood pouring out of her. Why would I see that?"

Cleeve thought about it. She placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "Do you know how she died?" She shook her head. "Then maybe she was showing you her death."

"But why? Why now?" she frowned. Cleeve stared out into the distance. A lone bird streaked through the sangria sky.

"Maybe it has something to do with what just happened. She's a winter spirit, right? Then she might know."

"... do you think another spirit burst is coming?"

Cleeve dropped her hand to the side. She leaned forward, resting her head in her hands and her elbows on her knees. Everything was quiet around them.

"They're inevitable. In my eyes, one might come sooner than we know. It doesn't mean that hailstorm was a sign. Spirits affect us more than just during the bursts. Don't worry."

"But what if it does happen? How can I protect everyone..." she trailed off.'

Cleeve smiled at her. It made the edges of her eyes softer. She held Yukika's hand in hers.

"You won't be alone, Yukika. The S.U.N., your friends, me, we can all help you. Don't be scared of what will happen. Just face it, and trust that everything will be alright."

The tension clutching her heart released. She nodded. Her heart was still lost, but her mind held firm onto Cleeve's words. She got up from the bench. The hailstones were clutched tight in her hand. Her skin was numb.

"Can we train now?" she asked. Cleeve got up and nodded. It was routine for them. Cleeve would come over, and she would practice on her powers with her. It was a way to keep working on her powers, but secretly it was more of a way to stop herself from being scared of them.

They stood facing each other in the yard. Cleeve was six paces away from her. Yukika readied herself. She raised her hand, and with the other, she hurled the hailstones. Cleeve caught them in her hand and threw them back.

She focused her gaze on the stones. She reached out her hands and pulled them away from each other. They split into tiny fragments. She froze the water vapour around her. When the hail came close to touching her, she sent it back to Cleeve along with the small fractals she had made.

Cleeve dodged, with only one or two of the crystals touching her. Yukika's heart dropped. She pulled back the crystals to form three large icicles. She sent them flying towards her. Cleeve dodged again.

She stirred up the wind. She froze more water vapour and swirled them around to make the wind faster. It spun around her, obscuring her gaze. She took it all in. Cold and ruthless, just like winter. Soon it was whipped into a formidable gale. Cleeve had moved to the side, but she could detect her warmth. She threw the wind towards her. This time she couldn't dodge, and she was knocked onto her back. Yukika stopped.

"Cleeve!" she hurried over to where she was. Cleeve was coughing heavily. She sat up fine, and there didn't seem to be any wounds on her. "Are you alright?"

She nodded after a few more coughs. She got up with a little wobble. Yukika followed suit. "No worries. That was pretty impressive."

"I didn't mean for it to be that strong. I shouldn't have..."

Cleeve patted her back. "It's alright, I'm fine, see?"

Yukika took a deep breath. It was alright, everything was alright. The cold inside her warmed down. She smiled, though uncertainly.

They heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Cleeve walked over steadily and opened the door. They returned from the backyard both shaken and secure. Yukika found Mrs Fukumura placing her car keys onto the table. She smiled as she looked up. Her voice was silk soft as she spoke.

"Hello, sweetie. Have you had dinner?"

She shook her head no. Haruka tilted her head and saw Cleeve.

"Miss Cleeve, you didn't tell me you were coming to practice with Yukika."

"Ah, um, well... the thing is, I got news that a hailstorm happened at their school. I was worried, so I came over." Cleeve rubbed the back of her head with her hand. There was a sheepish look on her face.

Haruka raised her eyebrows. She started to frown, deepening her wrinkles. She looked to Yukika for confirmation. She nodded silently.

"I thought telling you would make you worry, besides, we're alright."

"You've done a great job making me worry now," Haruka sighed. She rubbed her temples with her fingers. Soon, she relaxed and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you're alright. Please tell me next time though, who knows what could have happened to you."

She gave her a thumbs up. Haruka shook her head, a smile on her face. She thought again and she looked around quickly.

"Where's Sakura?"

Cleeve reassured her. "She's just upstairs, probably napping." She pointed to the TV recording a show. A girl was staring into her mirror, with a different face staring back. "She still had time to record her show though."

Haruka laughed at that.

"That's my daughter. I'm sure she still stinks from not showering as well."

She walked to the dining room with the two following at her heels. Yukika saw cauliflower rice on the table. Her mouth watered. Haruka stopped in her tracks and spun around. She poked Cleeve's shoulder.

"You mean to tell me you went through the trouble of cooking and Yukika hasn't ate yet? How awful of you, Miss Cleeve."