Tattered Wings

It was like a tickling sensation across her back. With each stroke, each trail, her skin crawled. Something felt satisfying about it, filling her with pride more than a sense of dread despite the pain.

"You're the future of this clan. The future of our family." Yes, the living legacy of this family.

The end result was magnificent; colorful wings mixed with red and yellow spread wide across her shoulders, the tip of the feathers poking against her collarbone. The bird standing proud in the middle of her back, staring down anyone who dared took a glance. Her father found the phoenix to be perfect to represent her.

"Your mother was a remarkable woman." He spoke of her fondly. "She was headstrong, sly, and crafty just like you. Seeing you as the woman you are now surely reaffirms that you are her daughter."

Her mother was gone far beyond her recollection, so she could neither confirm or deny her father's memories, but she took pride in it. One could say that it seemed he looked at her more like a memory than a separate entity, but no one knew her father like she did. They didn't know how he worried, taught her everything about this lifestyle, comforted her even when she didn't believe she needed it; he was a kind man beyond belief. However, being exposed to such a lifestyle meant you needed thick skin.

She couldn't allow others to see vulnerabilities and she never bothered to. Betrayal was part of daily life, and she didn't shy away from it. Did she ever get her hands dirty directly? Of course not, but she's seen fellow friends and family members suffer with that guilt. Some were more sensitive than others, but Miku kept to herself, simply keeping watch and observing. 

Out in public, no one would know who she was. With her back being considerably concealed with simple clothing, she could come and go between places as she pleased. It was almost a sense of freedom, and yet a constant reminder at how different she was from everyone else. These people believed for people like herself to be criminals, ones filled with dangerous intent to only look out for themselves. However, everything they did was to take down corrupt businesses and people. With the police merely sitting and waiting, they needed to take measures they were too terrified to.

Blackmail was one of her specialties. With her tongue, Miku could weave words like well-knitted fabric. Without a single raise in her voice, and with a smile, she could easily stop grown men and women in their tracks. They'd listen to what she had to say, almost as if they were entranced. And that's how she's come to learn how easy it is to strike fear in people without even lifting a weapon.

A sense of accomplishment always followed her with that train of thought; people were so easy to fool and because of that, no one could catch her attention. It was for the best if she stayed this way and never involve herself with anyone else. That is... until one person came into her sights.

A woman she met at a bar. She was bubbly yet had a determined look on her face. Oddly, she wasn't there to drink, instead she was on the job, 'protecting people' as she said. Miku could still remember the conversation clearly. She simply asked her a question---

"Hey, you okay?" Miku took one glance at her before looking down at her glass. "Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" "Oh, I'm merely asking to make sure. I heard this area was pretty dangerous." Miku could hear the concern in her voice. She downed her cup before setting it back down with a light 'thud'. 

"You won't have to worry, I can very well handle myself." And with that, Miku ended the conversation. That's what she hoped for, anyway. The woman didn't move, simply stayed near the counter but didn't look at Miku at any point. Instead, her eyes seemed to be darting back and forth between people as they walked in and out. She seemed suspicious; was something planned? She wouldn't be part of the yakuza herself, now would she?  "You seem paranoid." Miku suggested, getting a confused look from the woman. 

"Oh, no, I'm just...making the rounds."  That meant she wasn't a normal civilian. This girl didn't seem to be part of anything Miku was involved in, but she felt unsettling.  "I want to protect everyone here. And with all the recent activity of violence and blackmail, I thought I'd check it out myself." 

No, she wasn't part of any sort of crime; she sounded too righteous for that. 'A police officer?'  Obviously if she came in with a uniform, it would cause suspicion fairly quickly, so she must be undercover. However, it could be merely an assumption and perhaps this woman was one of those 'good samaritans'. That would only get her killed and was a waste of time. 

"How noble of you." Miku said, keeping her tone polite as she gestured towards the bartender to pour her another small portion of sake.  "Instead of worrying about that, why not enjoy yourself to a drink? Worrying about people must be stressful."

"That's okay." The girl seemed to say almost immediately. "I don't drink, but thanks for the offer!" Doesn't even sully herself with alcohol; what was this woman really doing here? And from then on, there was silence. Once Miku finished her second helping, she stood up, paid, and left. Before doing so, she noticed the woman still watching. Not her, per se, but the bar as a whole. When she noticed Miku looking back at her, she merely waved, a gesture Miku didn’t return.

That woman was strange, only for the fact that Miku didn't know her true reasons for being there. And so, with her resources, Miku dug up information. Her hunch turned out to be right; that woman was a police officer, and a rookie at that. Only been on the force for about a year; no wonder she was so eager to serve.

'Tachibana Hibiki.'

She was hanging around areas owned by the yakuza, but good thing she was smart enough to not act like a cop or wear her uniform. After all, their meeting in that bar wouldn't be the last. She constantly ran into her in parts of Shinjuku, which made sense the more Miku pondered on it. Everything felt too coincidental, but not once did Miku even bother saying her name, or even telling the woman about herself. She knew exactly what she was after; the yakuza.

Miku had no intention of getting close with this woman, for it would only cause trouble for her and the rest of the clan. Punishment was not on her radar. Yet her sense of justice made Miku curious, wanting to learn how this woman ticked and processed information in this world.

"I've always wanted to help others." She said with no hesitation. "There's nothing better than protecting people, and being on the police force has that and all." 

"But you do realize how dangerous of a job it is." 

That statement seemed to halt her thinking process, but all she did was keep smiling.  "No matter how hard it is, I'll keep doing what I love. I've learned that much."

So she was determined no matter how hard it may be? Admirable, to say the least. Most may consider it to be foolish even.

She always offered her assistance to Miku if she ever found herself in trouble, but Miku turned her down at every turn. There wasn't a need to worry over her; she's gotten this far in life with her history in this line of work; she definitely wouldn't need help from a police officer that may very well blow her identity. Yet she was persistent, always speaking and reaching out whenever they crossed paths.

"Why are you always speaking to me?" Her tone wasn't polite this time, neither held any sign of malice. "What do you want from me?" 

The woman seemed confused from the question but didn't waste time in responding. "Nothing."

Miku scoffed. "Nothing? I don't believe you. Everyone wants something. People are selfish creatures. You can't tell me you want nothing." "But I don't." 

Miku felt her frustration skyrocket. Out of instinct, her fingers took hold of the woman's shirt, pulling her closer so Miku's lips could sit beside her ear. 

"You're just like the others. Only looking out for themselves." Was she angry? Yes, but this is where she allowed her skills to come in. A smile came across her lips as she reduced her tone to one that sounded calm, her fingers trailing across the girl's upper shoulder.

"You want to arrest me? Good luck trying. I know your secrets too, you know..."

"But you don't know everything..." Hibiki retorted back almost too quickly. Any sense of calmness she had left was erased, and Miku shoved her away as violently as possible. She bumped into a table, sending some of the glasses sliding onto the floor. The people who were occupying that table glared towards the two, but particularly at Hibiki since her body caused the accident.

Right then and there, she expected the woman to try arresting her now. Instead, she fixed herself up, giving the two gentleman a smile with a subtle 'Sorry' before focusing back on Miku.

"Don't approach me again." And if she planned on saying anything in response, Miku left before she could. But those words still rung in her ears.

'You don't know everything.' 

What the hell would she know?

"Stay away from that woman." Her father spoke one day. "She's been a thorn in my side for months now." 

He looked exhausted, but Miku made no comment.

"You've been having problems with her too, correct?"

All Miku did was nod. Her father may be kind, but he surely didn't like the concept of being caught. And if his only daughter were to become in cahoots with a police officer, what sort of legacy would that leave? Being strict was nothing new.

"Then you know exactly what I'm talking about. Now..." He placed a flat brown suitcase on the desk, sliding it in her direction. "...I have a job for you. And only our best negotiator can help get our point across." 

Now this was familiar territory. Miku wasted no time in taking it, not even bothering to ask what was inside. Whatever it was had to be blackmail material.

"There's a man that owes me quite a bit of money. He's been a little slow on the uptake with his payments, so thought I'd delightfully remind him. You can do this, right?" 

Miku smiled. "Of course."

She's done this multiple times; she knew it like the back of her hand. 

The man seemed cowardly. The moment he saw her, Miku could see how shaken he had become.

"H-How did you get here?" "The front door." Miku said with a smile. He looked around a bit frantically, Miku chuckling as a result.  "Oh, don't worry about your guards. They'll be fine." But he had no idea of know what state his guards would be left in. Miku placed the suitcase on top of his table.

"How nice this office looks. This table seems to be made out marble. What exquisite tastes. Tell me, where did you get the money to pay for this?"

"F-From working." He answered, but still looked rather frantic.

"Really?" Miku kept her tone civil and polite. "I find that hard to believe. Tell me, have you forgotten? Wasting money on trivial things like this surely won't get you anywhere." 

"I said I'd pay you tomorrow!"  "I vaguely recall you saying something like that last week." "That's not true---!"

"Your wife is fairly pretty. Your son, too. Quite a handsome young man. Ever wonder how much a young man could fetch on the market?" Miku twirled a photo in her hand, her eyes glued to those empty faces. 

"You wouldn't believe how many people are actually interested in men, especially young boys."

The man didn't say anything, and Miku merely kept the smile and sincere tone. 

"Would you like to take his place? You may not be worth much, but you'd pay us back faster---"

"Hands above your head!"

Miku stopped, her expression suddenly cast in shadow as she turned around to see that pesky police officer. How awkward she looked holding that gun, but based on her stance and lack of shaking, Miku could see she knew how to handle it.

"Why don't you come back later? I'd rather not deal---" The man immediately pulled out a gun, aiming directly towards Miku. He had a hidden weapon on his person? Of course he did. Miku had no reaction time, instead finding herself being pulled as the gunshot rang out. Her lower back hit the edge of the desk, a sharp gasp leaving her mouth before she heard another gunshot as she was pulled forward again. 

It happened too fast for her to recollect, however, she was leaning against the same woman. She could hear her panting. Miku pushed her away, turning to find the man from earlier on the ground. She must have shot him. Before she could snap at this woman, Miku took note of his groans and writhing on the floor, signaling that he was still alive.

Miku smirked, knelt over him, and made sure to sound reassuring. 

"Don't worry. Your pain will be much worse if you don't pay what you owe. And sometimes mental trauma is worse than physical." He didn't speak, only attempted to stop the gushing of blood from his leg. From the looks of it, the bullet did no serious damage. He'd be fine.

Now, the other problem. As Miku rose to her feet, something felt odd; the air felt cold against her back. Her kimono had slipped off her shoulders, grazing against her upper arms; the struggle must have pulled it down. Turning her head halfway, she noticed the police officer staring. It was dark in the office, but the moonlight almost illuminated her like a spotlight;  her tattoo should have been obvious enough.

"Ah, so you saw it?" She kept it like that for only a few seconds in the silence that followed before fixing herself and fully turning around to face her. She seemed shocked; how cute. 

"Have you never seen a tattoo up close? Especially...a yakuza one?" 

Hibiki still didn't respond, but Miku took note that she was holding her arm, blood leaking through her fingers. So the second gunshot made sense. Miku pulled the hand away, inspecting the wound with a closer eye.

"It's only a scratch. The bullet didn't pierce me." "Oh, so you can talk. I thought seeing me like that has caused you to lose the ability to speak."

That seemed to silence her even further, which only increased Miku's amusement. The police officer that seemed so bubbly and eager to speak with her was hesitant and embarrassed now, which pleased Miku far too much. But this wasn't the time or place to revel in her satisfaction. Instead, she led the woman out, somewhere more secluded in order to tend to her wound.

Despite her pleasure from rendering her speechless, Miku still felt that anger within her gut. Once she was done, Miku got straight to the point. 

"How did you even know about that meeting? You ruined the entire set-up." And if her father heard about this, he wouldn't be pleased. This idiot of a woman placed her higher on the punishment list.

"I merely...wanted to help." "By getting me killed?"  "..."

Miku sighed. This silence was annoying her further. "Why not be honest with me?"

Silence again. Before Miku could turn and leave, the woman began to talk.

"I heard about the blackmailing a certain company have been receiving. There was an anonymous tip that came into the station about a month ago about it. They were requesting help, stating the yakuza were after them. Initially, they placed me on the case after I volunteered. I've done enough training to be ready for this. Besides that, I had another reason."

Hibiki cast her eyes directly towards her. "You really don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what??" Miku was losing patience. But as she stared at her, Miku began to slowly realize why this woman's name sounded so familiar. 

'Tachibana Hibiki.'

"My name's Tachibana Hibiki! It's nice to meet you!"

Miku looked at her expecting some sort of brutal comment, but she stood there in silence, holding out her hand as if she wanted to shake. 

"What do you want?"

"To be friends!" She stated bluntly. Miku's expression barely changed.

"Friends?" "Yeah!" "Why?"  "Why not?" 

Miku went silent. She was responding back too fast for her liking. 

"Look, she's talking to that weirdo." "No, her family is pretty violent, I heard." "Didn't her mom die in some gang related incident?" "Yeah! Yakuza, right?"

Those comments didn't seem to deter the girl, and she kept her hand out to shake like before. As far as she could recall, this girl was a strange one. She didn't taunt her like the others, but she sure liked to talk about how much she wanted to help people and become a police officer. Where she got that idea from? Miku never paid her any mind unless she had to, which luckily wasn't often. So even if she explained her dream, Miku failed to care. 

"You seem like a nice person, so I'd like to be your friend!"

A nice person? Even with those threats and looks being thrown her way? This girl was crazy. She didn't need friends; they were only people that would stab you in the back later. Miku stood to her feet, slapping the girl's hand away.

"Don't approach me again." And she left. She saw the girl around every now and then, but didn't bother speaking or acknowledging her. And before she knew it, that girl vanished. 

'Good, she finally gave up.' She thought. But as she overheard one of the teachers, Miku found out she moved.

"Hm? An accident?" "Yeah, turns out it was easier to move than keep her here." "That doesn't make sense." "Maybe it's due to money issues."

All these people did around here was gossip. Oh well, the accident was none of her business. Yet, the one person who chose to show her a brief spec of kindness slipped her mind...until now.

"Huh. You're that girl. The one that always puzzled me until I was blessed once you moved away. Explains why you kept talking to me." Her eyes took a glance up and down her body.

"Seems you've fulfilled your dream too. A police officer." Miku chuckled. "What do you want with a yakuza member?"

Hibiki stayed silent for a while again, but this time Miku didn't find herself all that annoyed. Instead she waited patiently for an answer.

"I want to help you."

That immediately caused her to laugh. 

"Help me? That's not a simple solution. Who says I want help? We're not kids anymore."

"I know. But it doesn't mean I still don't want to be your friend."

"It's been years since we've seen each other. We only had one interaction. What makes you so certain that I'd want to be your 'friend'?"

"Because no one wants to be lonely."

Now it was Miku's turn to be silent. Why would she even care?

"What's in it for you? Satisfaction? Blackmail? Revenge?"

"None of those things. I simply wanted to help you then, and I want to help you now. That hasn't changed."

"It's never that simple."

"Not everyone is out to get you."

Miku scoffed.

"You were going...on and on about how much you wanted to save people back then. What makes you think everyone needs saving?"

"I don't. But I'll try anyway, as long as they let me."

Each question, Hibiki responded right back. Just like before, her swiftness was annoying. But there was a look of determination set in her eyes, one that showed she meant every word. And perhaps, somewhere within, Miku knew how lonely she had been growing up. Her father was there, but not in certain ways she needed or desired. Any of the other members were either too old or strictly stuck around her before her father asked them too, so she never could rely on anyone but herself.

Maybe there was a part of herself that yearned for this.

With a smirk, Miku walked closer to her, but stopped before she broke that plane of personal space. 

"Then let's see if I can forgive you for leaving. Prove me wrong that you won't betray me. I'm sure you'll know what's bound to happen if not." 

Hibiki didn't speak, but her answer shined right in her eyes; she was happy. Even if she said it wasn't for anything, Miku could tell it was for redemption.

That's her reason for helping her. 

Step 1: Inhale.

Easy enough.

Step 2: Exhale.

How simple. It didn’t sound as...extravagant in her mind, but it must work wonders in order to calm a person down. Her fingers trailed the counter, picking up leftover cinnamon on her fingertip. 

Cooking was always a memory she associated with her father.  ‘Until you figure out the answer, I’ll be cooking all your meals!’

Even after he found those answers, Carol never stopped cooking for him. She either made it herself as he worked or was tired from work, or aided him in the kitchen. Before, it was a memory should found to be a hindrance, one she’d rather live without. But now, it became something she could look back at...fondly? 

Was that even possible? Hardly. 

“You’re up early.” A familiar voice fluttered into the kitchen, Carol immediately turning to witness Hitsugi walking in as she fixed her hair. Truth be told, she was surprised herself at how early she’s gotten up, but that was more than a few hours ago. Carol pushed her own braid of hair off her shoulder, allowing it to cascade down her back and out of the way. 

“I wished to get a head start.” 

Carol didn’t clarify, and Hitsugi didn’t ask, but that’s more than likely due to her actions being fairly obvious to anyone with eyes. 

“Pancakes, huh?” She heard Hitsugi say instead, walking a bit closer in order to peek over her shoulder.  “Yes.” Carol quickly responded. Hitsugi smiled, placing a brief hand on her shoulder (perhaps as a way of reassurance?) before backing away.

She didn’t say anything, but Carol immediately believed for that one touch to be a small reference to something else. That’s how their subtle touches usually worked, did they not?  In truth, it reminded her of when she first came here and came face to face with her lack of cooking skills.

She used to know so well back then.

“I could smell the cinnamon from the room.” Hitsugi made her way besides Carol, carrying her own measuring cup to indicate that she’d also be helping. Telling her to wake herself up first would be pointless, so she didn’t turn her down. 

There was silence from then on out. On occasion, they asked each other for things they needed, but otherwise stayed quiet as they got their tasks done. Carol didn’t mind this, it gave her time to think, yet it also made her wonder about Hitsugi even further.

Everything was so simple with her; hard to believe that she could sometimes be quite the affectionate one. Even now, after eating, she was curled up against her almost like a cat. Despite being older, Carol still found her to be rather small. She fit quite well between her side and arm.

Her fingers massaged the pages against her skin, nothing particularly catching her attention within the magazine itself. Instead, her eyes went to focus on Hitsugi. “Mind me asking you a question?” “Hm?” Hitsugi answered back with no hesitation.

Closing the book, Carol straightened her back against the chair, turning her head down to focus on Hitsugi more thoroughly. 

“What do you think of all this? How does it make you feel?” She sounded stern, but meant no harm behind the question. She was simply intrigued to hear her answers; that’s how it’s always been. Calling her ‘interesting’ was putting it lightly. “All of this?” Hitsugi stressed, putting emphasis on what, Carol assumed, to be the current position they were in. Carol wanted to know, paying close attention to Hitsugi’s expressions as she stayed silent to ponder on the question.

“I think of it as a blessing. One that may still be hard to take in even after all these years.”  Hitsugi closed her eyes.  “It leaves you with a warm, comforting feeling, doesn’t it? Like you feel wanted and needed. It’s addicting.” 

She opened her eyes again, a soft smile present on her lips. “That could be the gist of how I feel.”

Carol nodded to get her understanding across, preparing herself to wrap that arm around the little one again, before taking note of Hitsugi creating space between the two, never taking her eyes off her.  “But how do you feel, Carol? What goes through your mind?”

‘Me?’ She questioned internally. She wasn’t sure how to put it into words, considering when one looks back to how they first started. Memories flooded her brain as she tried processing her own answer.

“It reminds me of the times when I was young. That sense of security, times where you don’t have to worry about what tomorrow may bring. You’re fine in the present and can finally look back to the past.”

“Do you mean that you can look back now without feeling hurt?” “Yes. But I’m sure you knew that very well.” Over the years, Carol has managed to open up to her more (in subtle ways of course) while Carol felt Hitsugi began to become more honest with her own feelings. Back when she was younger, getting this little one to talk and admit things were quite irritating. 

Carol made sure to watch out for that sort of behavior again, but she’s toned herself down. Either way, she chose to ask--- “Can you do the same? Look back at your past and not feel hurt?” 

Hitsugi stayed silent for a few more seconds, perhaps thinking back on what she’s been through since her days as a child, or even making that contract with a demon. Amusing how their lives have become more peaceful after getting older.

“Yes. Sometimes it may be hard to look back, seeing how much you changed, but I love seeing it. I love seeing how far we’ve come.” Hitsugi’s tone was calm but she never tore her eyes away from Carol’s gaze as she said it. 

The older woman chuckled. What a subtle way to admit how you feel to a person. Carol was certain Hitsugi knew that the feeling was mutual, but she found her fingers caressing against Hitsugi’s cheek, her skin soft under her fingertips. Hitsugi seemed to relax under her touch, closing her eyes and placing her own hand on top, while Carol took advantage to play with the ends of her hair.

“How much you’ve managed to change me. I should feel angry about that.” In some regards, but she didn’t. It was odd. But instead of questioning it, Carol brought herself and the little one closer again. This time, not to curl beside her, but to kiss her and the reaction was instant. 

Hitsugi wasted no time to return it, easily pushing against her lips as soon as they touched. Not once have they gotten to a point to share a kiss, despite how their relationship evolved throughout the years. They could easily communicate from words, actions, touches; there was no need for anything extraneous, not even a kiss. Yet colliding with each other now made it seem that everything had come to a climax, melding together into this one moment.

Only after a good amount of seconds did they pull back, not even a full minute went by. Hitsugi smiled, while Carol could feel heat rising in her cheeks, but her expression tried staying the same. How could a smile embarrass her? A grown woman blushing from seeing a smile? How irritating it was to see how much she has changed....to some extent. Perhaps it was simply because of Hitsugi herself. 

Carol welcomed the silence again, pulling Hitsugi back to her side as they leaned on each other. Hitsugi didn’t like the fact that memory combustion was the way to use her alchemy, right? Well, she wouldn’t have to worry too much about that. As she glided her fingers through Hitsugi’s hair, a smirk came across her lips. 

‘You won’t have to worry about me forgetting you. How obvious it is that you’ve managed to worm yourself into my heart.’

Her knees fell against the concrete, her fingers trembling as they glided against a nearby wall. Hibiki attempted to catch her breath, her free hand clutching at her shirt.

Maybe it wasn’t him; maybe this was simply a dream that she found herself in. At least, that’s what she wished. The ground was just as real as her emotions right now. She left Miku there; how inconsiderate could she be? She was going to make her worry again, or perhaps even feel responsible for something out of her control. It was selfish to run, wasn’t it?

Hibiki used one of her hands to rub her face, surprising herself at how dry it was. She had to get a grip on herself; she couldn’t be around everyone like this. However, she didn’t move, still kneeling down on the sidewalk in the middle of a neighborhood. It was dark, but the street lamps provided enough light for her to see. She managed to get a handle on her breathing, but had to get her thoughts in order.

Harassment; death threats; betrayals; hatred—it all came to mind when she saw his face. Hibiki believed she moved past that, after all, look at all the friends she’s gained now! There were rough patches, sure, but they were all on the same team now, why did she have to worry about how people used to treat her? They would have forgotten about her by now, wouldn’t they? It’s been close to three years since the accident; they wouldn’t remember someone they hated.

No, maybe it wasn’t the people she had a problem with. It was him for abandoning them when they needed him the most. They all needed to stick together through that hardship, but he only thought of himself and ran away. It made her incredibly angry, but the tears showed how she truly felt. Hibiki wiped her face. No, not yet.

Wasn’t she just like him? Even now, she was running away, abandoning Miku. She did the same to her mother and grandmother; running away to start anew. She took any chance to get away from that town, even going to a school she wasn’t even sure what to do within. Music was something she loved, but she wasn’t talented like Miku, Tsubasa or Chris. The only thing she could rely on was helping others; it gave her a greater purpose. It made her feel fantastic, and she’d do it forever if she could. As long as she had Gungnir, it was possible.

It wasn’t him that did all those things. He didn’t mean it; he didn’t mean to hurt anyone. He still loved them. Hibiki kept that in mind as she forced herself to stand up, repeating it over and over again. Even as she calmed herself down, she knew this wouldn’t be the end; he was officially back in her life again. She couldn’t simply pretend that the encounter never happened.

Maybe she was lying to herself, but it felt much better than accepting the other possibility. She was known to be optimistic right? Why could she imagine the others being amused at her being so upset like this? Not as if they wouldn’t be concerned, but it was for that very reason she didn’t want to go back feeling like this. Hibiki chuckled; what a mess.

No one should have to worry about this, not even Miku. It should be her trying to face this head on, to keep going despite the odds. But these negative feelings continued to creep into her, saying that it wouldn’t work out; that there’s no hope for her family to be whole again.

“Stop.” Better to say it out loud to herself. There was no room for those kind of thoughts. Better yet? Ignore it. Flush it out of her mind, erase seeing him out of her thoughts.

Hibiki flexed her fingers, stretched her arms and legs, and took a deep breath. Yes, she was fine now.

Okay, now she needed to figure out where to go. Was she to head back to where everyone was waiting, or see where Miku had gone? She might still be at the store with her father, after all. Either way, coming back separated may cause immediate suspicion and concern but…she didn’t know what else to do. Hibiki took her chances and headed back to the beach. However, she wasn’t exactly sure how far she ran or in what direction, but as long as she stayed focus, it should work out.

Everyone was still there, messing with fireworks and the like. Hibiki smiled, wiped off her hands, and walked forward. Miku didn’t seem to be back yet but for now, she tried to enjoy their happiness and ignore her sense of dread.

They’d ask questions about where Miku was, and why they didn’t come back together, but Hibiki made up excuses that Miku told her to go ahead. Even if Miku did say that, Hibiki wouldn’t just leave her, and she had a feeling the others knew that too. But they didn’t say anything, and seemed to take her word. Her lie would unravel soon enough once Miku made her way back, looking exhausted and extremely concerned. She must have ran around looking for her; something else Hibiki needed to apologize for.

But if she wanted to make it up to her, then she’d have to face the problem head on.And so she will, Miku making sure of that, and there’s no way that Hibiki could let her down.

Frederic felt like a vegetable, someone who had to be treated well or they would die off. He was content in his little bubble, enjoying the sights and people he met along the way. But this had to be nothing more than a dream, nothing more than his imagination at work while he was on his deathbed. 

Even now he could feel the sickness rising within his body, up into his throat, until he could no longer contain it.

It was nothing new; he’s been sick many times before. He wasn’t afraid of death.

“But even you have to be scared, Frederic. No one wants to die alone.”

The voice came soothing as a piano, a voice he knew far too well. Even if he could recognize the voice, he couldn’t see who it belonged to.

“If it means that my loved ones don’t have to suffer anymore, then that is enough to put me at peace.”

“But is that really something you want? Do you really want to leave everyone behind?”

No, of course not. He didn’t want to leave those he’s loved and cared for, but what else could he possibly do? They couldn’t cure his illness in either of his realities, despite the fact of him being perfectly healthy within his dream.

His new friends were quite the bunch; they could easily protect themselves and provide enough entertainment without him. He wouldn’t be needed to complete their happiness.

And yet, the more he thought about it, the more he thought about their journey together. He felt himself jumping between one world to the next, feeling uncertain what was real and what wasn’t. What about his little sister? Was she ever real or a figment of his imagination?

Once he died, where would he go? Would he see her in the afterlife or would he be within eternal darkness within the dream realm? It began to bother him greatly.

All he wanted were answers but there were none. No one could provide anything for him nor would anyone understand it anymore than himself.

“Perhaps this is the world you really wished for.”

“Are you certain of that answer? Are you sure that it’s okay to leave things as is? I’m confused. I’m lost. I don’t understand what is happening anymore.”

“It is up to you to figure that out, Frederic. Would you prefer for us to be real?” 

His confusion ran even deeper. “I’d prefer for both to be. But how can I accept both? One doesn’t make sense while the other exists.”

The voice went silent which only added to his dilemma. His body began to feel numb. What did he do to become like this? The darkness lingered longer than he had hoped before he became blinded by light. 

Had he passed on?

“Whether it be a dream, or some form of the afterlife, we’re real.” The voice chimed in once again. It enveloped him in warmth. But now, he had no idea who it even belonged to.

“Our bonds with each other are strong enough that I would never forget you. None of us will.”

Were they speaking of the real or dream world?

“I don’t...understand.”

“Which one will you choose?” The voices began to break apart.

The light dimmed, practically splitting apart before his eyes. On one side dwelled darkness while the other was light, two figures dwelling within each.

A young girl with long curly pigtails reached out her hand with a smile. She belonged to the darkness.

“Will you accept us as reality?”

Another young girl, this time with short hair, offered her hand out as well. She belonged to the light.

“Or will you accept us as reality?”

Frederic recognized both ominous figures but refused to believe that he was given a choice. How could he? It was impossible! All he wished to do was rest easy knowing that the world he knew was real. He wanted to be reassured that the people he met were real.

But how could any of that be certain? There was no guarantee that anything was real. Perhaps he was stuck in limbo and this was some sort of test. But he couldn’t tell the difference between dream and reality anymore. 

His hand reached for the one he was most familiar with---the girl with the short hair. Her full appearance came into view from their touch and he was greeted with a reassuring smile from one of the people he missed the most.

“I’ve longed to see you again...brother.”

To see her now reminded him of how young she was when this world took her. Did he make the right choice? At least they would be together, that much is true, but---

“It’s okay Frederic.” The voice that belonged to the darkness spoke this time. “No matter what you chose, we decided to accept you for who you are. We chose to respect your decision. Just know that the time you’ve spent with us is something we’ll never forget.”

She hesitated briefly as he began to ascend. “Keep us in your heart. We’ll meet again.”

The imagery began to fade away. This suddenly felt like the wrong choice.

“Wait...”

 “Goodbye...”

“Polka!”

She was gone before he even had time to speak her name fully. 

It felt like a bad choice, but as he continued to rise higher and higher, his body felt lighter. He could finally breathe more clearly, free from the rising feeling of death within his body. 

As long as he remembered them, they would live on forever? It only caused him to think that their world was a dream.

Then again---

“They’ll be here with us.” Emilie spoke quietly. “But until then, get some rest. You’ll see them when you awake.”

One would think to notice their own tears.

Kuea stayed silent, handing Ren a tissue instead.

“Here. Wipe your face, okay?”

She stayed silent but did as told, though it didn’t slow down her pounding heartbeat. 

The silence between the two carried on throughout the room, Ren taking a seat down at the closest table while Kuea stood near the doorway. She took a few peeks in before closing it and turning her attention back towards Ren.

“Are you all right?”

Her tone sounded hesitant, almost as if she didn’t know how to approach the subject. Ren didn’t look her way but nodded as a response. Truthfully, her heart felt ready to explode. How could anyone handle this sort of pain? It was unbearable. 

She heard footsteps creaking against the wooden floor, Ren not sure if they belonged to Kuea or someone else. Rowan and Cisqua must have left to gather more food, or simply firewood, which left them alone here with Coud.

Without much warning, Kuea wrapped one arm around Ren’s head, causing the young woman to stumble over her own feet.

“You don’t have to lie to me, y’know. It’s not your fault. No one would blame you for this.” 

Ren stayed silent, allowing Kuea to stroke her hair a few times. It felt as if she needed to take responsibility. She was there to protect Coud, and she failed to do just that. Of course, she felt just as drained after the fight, but she could simply sleep and regain her energy back. On the other hand, Coud was a human being, someone who didn’t heal as fast as she did.

“I’m scared...of this happening again. What if I fail to protect him and it gets worse? Or...what if he ends up losing his life this time?”

“Hey, hey, hey!”  Before she could ramble on some more, Kuea spoke to slow her down.

“You know how tough that guy is? I mean, he surprises me with his determination that’s for sure, but he’ll pull through. And he won’t die. We’ll make sure of that.”

“But...we don’t know what the future holds.”

“Exactly.” Kuea said, giving Ren a few more pats. “The future could be overwhelming with happy outcomes, you never know!”

But it only caused Ren to think about the negative even more. She knew the reason that Coud always got hurt or threatened was because of what type of person she was. It never had anything to do with him; he was simply in the way. If she didn’t React with him, if she didn’t meet him at all, then he wouldn’t be placed in such torture.

And yet, he always reassured her with a smile. Even after suffering with many injuries and fights he didn’t even ask for, Coud didn’t hesitate to try and make her feel better. He was awkward, and a bit strange at any other point, but he meant well. 

He was kind. That much became clear.

Ren gripped onto her shirt, still keeping her eyes away from Kuea. “My chest hurts. It feels as if I can’t breathe. I-I don’t know what’s come over me. I don’t understand why I feel this way.”

Kuea took her time responding this time.

“It’s perfectly okay to admit you're scared. It’s a legit feeling.”

Instead, Kuea took a step back to get Ren to face her. Her hands gripped Ren’s shoulders as she wore a smile on her lips.

“You’re scared, worried. You have no idea what’s going to happen to you both in the future, and that’s understandable. What happened pushed you over the edge. But I swear to you, that Rowen, Cisqua and I will protect you both will everything we have. You can rely on us, okay?”

Ren thought about the events that led up to this day, knowing that they were bound to be attacked eventually.

Yet this was a person with a strong Edel Raid, one that could exploit Ren’s weaknesses from her attacks and defensive moves. In the end, she ended up using far too much energy to compensate and couldn’t provide enough ample protection for Coud. Which, in turn, caused him to be on bed rest for a few days, possibly a week. 

He hadn’t woken up yet, but Rowen reassured them all that he was perfectly fine. All he needed was plenty of rest. But with people hunting them down, it would be hard to do so in a bustling town, so they had to settle somewhere private that they deemed safe. This cottage was the best thing they could find.

“Don’t blame yourself for this either.” Kuea continued. “They took us by surprise and we couldn’t even help you efficiently. We were all unprepared.” 

From her tightening grip, and the low tone in her voice, it was obvious that Kuea felt partially to blame herself. But she was stronger and knew how to deal with her emotions better than Ren. She’s been sleep for so long with this hatred for humans that she didn’t even see caring for one in the near future.

And now, here she is, feeling wracked with so many emotions over a human boy that she didn’t know how to process.

“I’m sorry, Kuea. I just don’t know what to do.”

“Let it out. That’s all.”

“H-How?” It hurt so much.

“Anyway you want.”

Ren knew there was nothing she could do, the situation spiraled out of her control, but it didn’t take away the fear, guilt and sadness she felt for Coud’s condition. So she chose to the pain escape from her tears, Kuea pulling her in for a more formal hug.

It’s been so long since she’s let out a genuine cry. The last time she did was before she was put to sleep. There was so much anger then, but now, her tears were for someone she cared about. Someone she wanted to protect.

Someone she loved.

It made her chest burn.

But with Kuea, Cisqua and Rowen, she knew everything would be okay. Ren finally had people she could trust

And she wanted to keep Kuea close to her as possible, not even noticing Rowen and Cisqua returning. They didn’t say anything, neither did Kuea, but their reassurances were obvious from the start.

“I think everything is fine for now, so we’ll just let everyone else prep it however they like.”

They only got one plate done, and there were still twelve more to do. What a daunting task. If KOS-MOS could eat, that would be an extra one; good thing curry doesn’t take very long.

But instead of making them all herself, she had MOMO here to help. That way, it would go a lot faster than she initially believed. 

“This feels a bit nostalgic, don’t you think?”

It didn’t take long for them to start the next plate but as Shion delved herself into the work, she almost missed MOMO’s comment.

“Hm? What do you mean?” She had an idea what the Realian meant but desired a bit more clarification.

“Back before everything started, when we were all strangers heading for the same destination. We had so much time to relax and learn about each other. Of course, things happened in between, but it wasn’t like it is now.”

That much was certain. Everything that’s been happening now felt like a tornado that threatened everything they knew. What was the truth? What was a lie? Was there anyone they could trust anymore? The one thing they could rely on were each other, and that was reassuring. 

“I don’t know,” MOMO continued, ...”it just feels a lot better. Makes me forget what’s happening, even if it’s still staring us down.”

“I understand what you’re saying, MOMO. It really is a nice moment for all of us. Honestly, making curry again reminds me of the time I cooked for everyone. I believe it was before you and Ziggy showed up.”

“Really? What did they think?”

As far as she could recall, they all enjoyed it. Said something about all their cooking being rather tasteless and dull. How did they even survive like that? Their tastebuds must have been severely lacking.

“They were thrilled to have someone on board that finally knew how to cook.” Shion finally explained. “Guess they had to deal with the bad cooking from each other. It made her wish to be a fly on the wall to see it in person.

The comment made MOMO amused at least. “Then I’m glad to help out as much as I can. Now you don’t have to do everything yourself!”

“Thank you, MOMO. Usually the others helped out as well, KOS-MOS included.” Not much during the cooking process, but she could stubbornly wash dishes. Almost seemed she was determined to wash them with any chance she got, regardless if anyone else offered.

The Commander suddenly popped into her mind, remembering how he was the only one that didn’t show up to dinner that day. Shion found it strange but that’s because they knew nothing about what was going to transpire that day.

But what stood out the most to her about the Commander were his last words; that she, too, would find herself on that endless beach. It felt like a void, filled with nothing but the sound of water. Was he still lingering there? How lonely did he feel? Apparently, it must be nothing compared to how he was treated and went through life.

Back then, Shion couldn’t believe they ended his life. How could they kill him? How did his final moments feel like to him? He seemed content with the end and Shion couldn’t understand how that must have felt.

Perhaps it was better that way. He was suffering from the effects of being touched by a Gnosis. chaos helped her with figuring that out. It’s been a long time since his passing, a few years in fact, but she liked to remember him as a way so others wouldn’t forget.

And to think he was quite pushy when they first met. Unseen circumstances. 

How Shion wished to go back to those times; before everything was lost to their fates and destinies.

“Shion? You all right?”

MOMO’s voice came back into play. The older woman watched her carefully before offering a smile.

“Yes, I’m fine. Just thinking a bit too much, is all.”

She didn’t find it necessary to tell what she was thinking about; this should be a stress free occasion, not something bogged down from past memories.

Apollo pushed himself off the floor, this time choosing to sit on the couch. Trucy stood there, hopping in place as she normally did, but said nothing else. The silence dragged on longer than he hoped.

“Okay,” he started out, “...did you need me for something?”

“Oh! Right! Well, I needed your opinion.”

“On?”

“Hold your horses!” Trucy pulled off her hat to sit it down on the table. It must be some sort of magic trick---but wasn’t she hesitant in showing magic tricks to people? Well, not the trick itself but the actual work behind it. Maybe not.

Apollo watched the young girl swirl her finger around the rim before pulling out a blue-ish type of card. From what he could tell, it appeared to be a type of ‘Thank You’ card but he was still waking up so it could be anything.

“Now, does this card look alright to you? Well, so far.”

Apollo took it from her hands, glancing over it as he blinked his eyes clear. With closer inspection, no doubt it was a card, but it didn’t have any sort of greeting on it. Instead, it was fairly blank. The only thing that decorated it were a few positive words on the front and some drawings of cards. He assumed it was to implicate her deck of cards.

“Um, well, it looks fine to me. A little empty but I’m assuming that’s why you said ‘so far’.”

“Really? Whew, I’m glad! Was a bit worried.” Trucy took the card back, flipping it all over as if something else where hidden on it. Guess he’d have to ask her now.

“Is there something special going on? Who’s the card for?”

“For Athena. She’s been through a lot, you know? So, thought I would make her a card to show how thankful I am. Not sure if it will help, but...better than nothing!” 

She sounded nervous about the idea. But what she said was true; after that last trial, no one was put through more stress than Athena. Everyone was worried about her, and how she’s been holding up, but guess it was a bit too hard to bring back up. It was nice that Trucy chose to make something from scratch to help her out though.

“Apollo...?”

“Hm?” It took her voice for him to realize he was prodding his forehead with his index finger again.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you have that weird habit of poking yourself whenever you’re thinking really hard.”

Really? Apollo stopped immediately---guess that much was obvious. “I’m fine. Hey, you know what? How about I help you?” 

He said the words a bit too fast, hoping to cut off any sort of concern statement she was about to make. Trucy’s expression said it all. It turned from being worried, curious, to surprise.

“Seriously? Well, I wasn’t going to ask you, with you sleeping and all...”

“Then why did you wake me up??”

“Because I needed an opinion! And it would be pretty funny to see how you’d react.”

(So, mainly for your amusement.) Not as if he should expect much else. Everyone in this whole place, save for Pearl, teased the heck out of him. Maybe he was just a little bit less irritable today. Swallowing his encroaching sarcasm, Apollo focused on the plan at hand.

“Well, whatever. Let’s get started before she gets back.”

Where in the world did she go, anyway? Her and Mr. Wright must have taken Pearl back to the train station. At least, that’s what his mind could recall before falling asleep.

Trucy sat beside him on the couch, taking out a clipboard from her magical...undergarments that he could never get used to.

(Geez, Apollo, you’d think this would be the norm after seeing it for so long.)  Maybe it was simply far too weird for him to comprehend but he stopped commenting on it so much.

“What did you want on it? I see you drew some already.”

“You don’t think it looks childish, right? I thought leaving it blank would be boring, so I drew the first thing that came to mind.”  “Hm...” 

He didn’t think it looked childish, but random cards wouldn’t make much sense would it? Trucy stared at him, probably dying to hear an answer.

“How about you draw your, uh...” He hesitated, feeling his body deflate at the silly suggestion in his mind, “...Mr. Hat? And Athena’s freaky device thing. Um, what’s its name? Gidget?”

“Widget.” Trucy corrected with a smile. “But that sounds like a great idea! Maybe I can act as if they’re the ones saying what’s on the front.”

Apollo nodded in agreement as he watched Trucy begin to erase the previous drawings. Despite being a bit groggy from his interrupted nap, it was impossible to feel frustrated.

He complained a lot about his co-workers, and boss especially, but he knew how important they all were. Family wasn’t always blood-related.

Huh. What a weird train of thought.

By the time Trucy has finished, the front of the card actually looked a lot better than before. Apollo picked it up, glancing it over while Trucy looked as if she was waiting for his approval. Geez, no pressure.

“Lookin’ good. Now all that’s left is the inside. Do you know what you’re going to say?”

“Ah, not exactly. I want to thank her for everything, say how brave she is, tell her we’re always around for her whenever she needs it. That sounds like too much, doesn’t it?”

“Nah,” he said quickly, “...it’s probably the best way to get your point across. You can easily say all that on these two pages. Or even on the back if you’d want.”

Trucy rubbed her lips, before beginning to write down her thoughts. Apollo knew she was a smart girl---technically she didn’t even need his help for this. Sure, he understood the opinion part, but the rest? She was better with words than him.

“What made you ask me for help?” Apollo blurted out. Oh wait.

“Why wouldn’t I ask for your help?”

He sighed. “....That’s basically asking me the same question.”

“If you must know, it’s because I know you’re just as worried for Athena. We all are. I would normally ask daddy but...he’s not here of course.”

“Ah, right, of course---”

“But not only that.” She cut him off. “Before you and Athena came, it was just me and daddy. Now, that wasn’t a problem, and it still isn’t, but it’s a lot more fun to have people around. I consider you and Athena my big brother and sister.”

He remembered that before. Though Trucy went a bit all out with considering him a ‘long lost brother’ or something like that. How in the world would meeting a stranger classify as all that in a short span of time? He didn’t have that much impact on people....did he?

“You guys are the best at your jobs, plus it’s fun to hang out with you! So, y’know, thought I’d ask. Sorry for waking you up though.”

Apollo rubbed his forehead before giving Trucy a few pats on her head.

“It’s fine. Not like I was having a good dream anyway. Just...figure out better ways to wake people up, okay? I nearly died!” 

“Psh, you’re fiiiiine. That’s what you always say, right? I’m Apollo Justice and I’m fine!” She mocked.

Apollo gritted his teeth. “Ha. Ha. That’s my line.” Quite literally.

“You have to say it with your gut.” He said, giving a few pats to his stomach.”That way, you put more volume into it!”

Trucy looked exasperated.  “Are you teaching me how to yell really loud? You already got Athena doing it, daddy might go insane if I join in.” 

“I’m sure Mr. Wright will live. Don’t even worry about him. Now, how about giving it a try?”

“Uh...” Trucy looked back down at her card. Crap, maybe he was getting a bit ahead of himself. 

“Oh, wait, you’d probably be best at finishing your work, hah.” A nervous laugh escaped him only to hear Trucy immediately yelling--- “I’m Trucy Wright and I’m fine!!” ---really loudly next to his ear.

Apollo backed up against the arm of the couch as a response. Trucy smiled.

“Was that good?”

“U-Uh, yeah. Pretty good. Guess you got some great Chords of Steel yourself.” So much so it nearly made him fall off the couch...again.

“You two are pretty loud. Could hear you all the way out in the hallway!” Athena stated as she walked in. Mr. Wright slipped on in right behind her.

“No worries, just practicing!” Trucy quickly stated as she placed the card in her hat.

“More training with your vocal chords?” Mr. Wright questioned, looking directly at Apollo.  “Uhhhhhh....sure?” Goodness, did it really bother him?

“Aw, that means I missed out on it. Well, always next time.” Athena placed her bags down on the floor, next to the couch. But before she could get any further away, Trucy stood in front of her.

“Hm? What’s up, Trucy?”

“I wanted to give you this first! Just a little ‘Thank you’ from me and Apollo.” 

From him as well? Guess she wanted to include him since he offered his opinion but he obviously didn’t do anything unlike herself.

Athena took the card, glancing over the little drawings of Mr. Hat and Widget before taking a look inside.

"Athena, there’s so much I want to say but this is such a tiny card so I’ll try to be quick.” Athena read out loud.

“You’re strong, smart, determined, (super pretty!), and brave. You give us the courage to continue on with our lives and occupations with no doubts. You give us the strength to look forward to the future with no hesitation.

Just wanted to give you a pep talk after all that’s happened. And that we love you! You’re like a big sister (little sister to Polly; trust me, he admits it) to us. So keep on rockin’!”

Athena held onto the card for a while, the room dripping with silence for who knows how long. It was starting to make him uncomfortable.

“You guys...I don’t know what to say---”

“You don’t have to say anything.” Apollo spoke up. “We just wanted to say how nice it’s been having you around. Might as well accept the compliment.”

“Yeah!” Trucy joined in. “I’m sure daddy feels the exact same way.”

Athena stayed silent, eventually pulling Trucy in for a hug. Who, in turn, grabbed Apollo’s wrist to pull him in as well.

“Th-The heck?!” 

“Shush, Polly, you’re part of this too!” 

Apollo internally groaned as he felt Mr. Wright join in the group hug. This was weird.

“Thanks. All of you. I couldn’t ask for better friends. Or, should I say, family members?” 

Well, it was still pretty awkward, but Apollo smiled along with the rest of them. 

Yeah, guess it could be considered a family. A weird one where everyone practically got on his nerves in some shape or form, but a functional unit nonetheless.

How long has it been since she’s left home? How much time has passed since she wasn’t able to return home to her mother and father? What would it take for them to allow her to return? Her reason for leaving was a simple one; to take revenge for her brother’s crippled state. Perhaps she could have done it in a more orderly manner, but she was the daughter of the head family. What would convince her parents to allow her such freedom? 

Raidou wasn’t a man to be taken lightly and there was plenty of evidence to show of that. Yet Kasumi felt confident in her abilities to take him down...and that she did.

There was no time for memories; she needed to focus. 

The forest used to flourish with life but from the pitter-patter of feet, it must have drove them all away. Kasumi could only hear her own footsteps now. Did the others back away to plan a new attack? Or were they giving up their chase? It seemed far too easy if it was the latter but it would give her time to catch her breath. 

Kasumi slowed her pace, making sure to keep her guard up simultaneously. Truthfully, if she wasn’t running, it would allow her to hear the footsteps of any oncoming enemies.

Dwellers from her home village---enemies. It felt venomous to consider them her enemies but they were after her life. She couldn’t go easy on them no matter what; they wouldn’t for her.

Almost immediately, the side of her stomach began to burn. It was quick and swift, but the pain lingered longer than she anticipated. Her fingers moved to find out the source for her to realize it was as she feared; blood. One of the shurikens must have gotten her as she ran, and now with her adrenaline slowing down, her body was more vulnerable to the pain.

This meant that stopping was a terrible idea.

Her ears picked up on a few more careful steps, coupled with more sounds of thrown shuriken. They were fairly easy to track but it must be obvious they had something else planned. Regardless of such a possibility, Kasumi took out her sword to deflect the remaining ones flying in her direction.

Yet as she continued, she felt herself becoming more and more exhausted. Why? This wasn’t difficult to do; she’s evaded the Ninja far too easily at other instances. Then what was the problem?

A sharp pain immediately made its way up from the back of her calf to her thigh. A shuriken caught her leg, causing the pain to travel throughout. Kasumi cried out in surprise, and pain, but forced her body to stand straight. Her arms began to feel heavy.

Her fingers held a firm grip on her sword but it flew out of her hand the moment she felt someone’s weight against her side, shoving her against a nearby tree. That obviously didn’t aide how her body felt but at least now, she could hear someone’s voice. They breathed against her face, their wrist pressing against her throat. 

“...finally caught you, traitor.”

The voice didn’t sound familiar at all. 

Kasumi kept her lips pressed together tightly, pondering on who this person was and how they were able to capture her so easily. It was obvious the Ninja was a woman but the hatred she felt nearly reminded her of Ayane.

“Not so tough when you have something to slow you down, huh?” The woman spoke harshly, dishing out her own sword, Kasumi managing to catch the brief glimpse of blood among it. The gash on her side was long enough to fit, so it must be this woman that managed to sneak up to her and deal such a blow.

From touching it earlier, it didn’t feel all that deep, but it burned fiercely. Based on her statement, her weapon must be coated in something that slows down movements. Not poison, but some form of narcotic. Normally Kasumi would know the answer but as her brain continued to become dull, so did her knowledge. 

“What? Got nothing to say?”

The woman must have gotten a little impatient with her silence but Kasumi found no reason to speak. She wouldn’t beg for her life, she wouldn’t allow this woman that satisfaction, and she knew explaining anything to her wouldn’t get them anywhere. And so, Kasumi kept her mouth closed as a result. But it didn’t seem to calm the woman down at all.

“You know she’s not going to explain herself to you, Miyuki.” Now that was a familiar voice.

Ayane walked towards the two with fellow Ninja tailing behind her. Ah, of course, her sister; she was tasked to follow and kill correct? It was from the headmaster of the village, her family---her father and brother. She did all of this for them and yet...she was sentenced to death.

“I’ve never seen you like this before,” Ayane smirked, “...but it’s something I don’t mind witnessing more often.” 

Why was she angry at her? Is it due to their odd blood relation with each other? It had to be. But even after Kasumi found out, she wouldn’t want to harm or treat Ayane any different. Did Ayane’s jealousy and anger cloud her judgement that much?

“Ayane,” Kasumi shook out, “...what are you doing?”

“What am I doing? Fulfilling my orders. What other reason would there be?”

Kasumi had no answer to that for it was the truth. It was the code of the shinobi, and so she couldn’t fault Ayane and the others for following it. And yet, the more she glanced between the two, there felt to be a stronger reason for their intense animosity towards her.

“Why even ask such an obvious question? You’re a nukenin, someone who shouldn’t even be allowed to speak. Actually, you should accept your death. But not quietly...” The young woman, now identified as Miyuki, said without much hesitation. 

Miyuki held her blade up once again, only for a few seconds, before sliding the blade against her abdomen, making a clean cut along her stomach. It wasn’t deep, but it was slow, allowing her to feel the blade clearly cutting her flesh.

It was an odd sensation, one she never thought she would feel, and desired to never feel again. Hearing her painful gasps must have been satisfying enough for the woman. She smirked, eventually dragging the blade against her arms. Kasumi pushed her weight against her, attempting to break the space between the two, but her strength was beginning to wane.

Instead, Miyuki shoved her to the ground, the cold dirt pressing against her back.

“Do you wish to test me, nukenin? I could make this much worse.” 

Miyuki held the blade vertical, aiming it right towards Kasumi’s stomach once again. She moved slowly this time, inching her way towards to merely poke Kasumi’s clothing. It was a terrible way of teasing her impending death but she couldn’t do much about it. 

As the pain began to play tricks on her mind, Kasumi thought of her brother. All she wanted to do was see him again; to see how he was doing after this accident. Raidou had left him nearly crippled, not to mention amnesiac, so she desired to see and speak with him again. It’s all she wanted. 

But to think that he was part of the reason that this was happening now made her feel a much worse pain. She would never blame Hayate for his actions, or even the Ninja sent to carry them out. It was their duty, and she knew her crime. Yet, why did it make her eyes burn to think about it?

Kasumi looked in Ayane’s direction, not being able to read her expression. Was she satisfied? Happy? It made her nearly reel from frustration that the two could never see eye to eye.

“Why do you hate me, Ayane?” Kasumi spoke in her direction, completely ignoring Miyuki. “Why do you wish to see me die so badly.”

Ayane scoffed.

“Because you broke the code--” “But that’s not all.” Kasumi cut in. “There’s more to it than that.” 

Ayane stayed silent then. 

“Is it because of our relation to each other? Is it due to how the others have treated you? I’m sorry you went through that, I really am...but I didn’t do anything like that to you. It’s not my fault---”

“Of course it’s your fault! You’re the one that everyone loved, despite the fact that we shared the same mother. The only difference was our fathers, and how my birth formed.”

“I-If I would have known, then I would have spent time with you. But I couldn’t. They wouldn’t let me---”

“I have no time for your excuses, nor do I need to explain my reasonings.”

Kasumi kept her mouth open, prepared to continue her defense, but only a pained yell escaped her as she felt Miyuki’s blade scrape against her even more. There were various cuts along her skin now, predominantly against her arms, legs and stomach. Even so, she forced herself to keep her sight straight on Ayane.

“Ayane, we used to play together. We were friends before this got out. We can easily go back...to that. And you know...how strong you are. You’re the leader of your own clan now. Look how far you’ve come.” 

Ayane said nothing but Kasumi didn’t expect her to. She didn’t think this would spare her life but she longed to say her thoughts towards her lost sister before it would all end.

“Shut up!” The outburst came from Miyuki, who instead hovered the sword’s blade over Kasumi’s chest, thrusting it down to strike her. Kasumi, however, raised her arms to catch the blade before it could make contact, allowing it to be a struggle between the two.

“Now you wish to resist?” Miyuki obviously had the most strength currently, due to Kasumi’s weakened body, but she put up a fight more than she may have expected. Kasumi assumed she would die here but came to realize that it wasn’t in her to give up so easily. 

Miyuki raised her free hand, striking Kasumi in the face with her fist. It caused Kasumi to bite her cheek, the blood free flowing and coating her tongue. But Kasumi didn’t let go.

Miyuki continued her assault, her knuckles hitting against her lips and cheek the most. This was her life now and she needed to protect it until the end.

There were no regrets to what she’s done, she didn’t regret killing Raidou for he deserved it. Something about injuring her fellow Ninja who were merely doing as they were told didn’t sit well with her. Kasumi desired a reasonable outcome to this but it was obvious that wouldn’t come.

The final punch knocked Kasumi’s hands free, letting them fall into the dirt beside her. Miyuki spoke nothing and thrusted the blade towards her chest again but stopped halfway.

“...stop. That’s enough. You’re getting out of hand now.” Ayane spoke quietly, holding Miyuki’s had to prevent her from ending Kasumi right then and there.

“Out of hand? Do you realize what her absence does to us? She’s a viable threat.”

“I know this, obviously much better than you do. But what you’re doing is reckless. You’re allowing your emotions to get the best of you in order to perform sloppy work.”

“You’re supposed to be fine with this. You want to see her die just as badly as I do!”

“That may be true, but I have no time for a Ninja to lose control far too easily. You’d be one of the first casualties in a war.”

Miyuki grimaced. It was obvious to Kasumi that she didn’t like what Ayane was saying. To be honest, Kasumi didn’t like to hear Ayane admit that she wished to see her dead so easily. Perhaps those childhood moments meant nothing to her.

Miyuki didn’t move, keeping her position overtop Kasumi before she swung the sword. Not in her direction, however, but in Ayane’s. The blade entered her body from the side, suddenly and unexpectedly, which caused Ayane to grunt out in pain. Normally she would see that coming and avoid it, but perhaps due to how close they were and how quick Miyuki reacted, Ayane had no time to avoid. 

Ayane moved back, her hand hovering over the wound before Miyuki immediately turned back towards Kasumi. Her attempts at killing were futile once again, but her sense of care seemed to cease from her body.

Kasumi pressed her hand against the blade, ignoring the fact that it was digging into her palm, before flipping it around. Using as much strength that she had left over, Kasumi pushed herself against Miyuki, along with the sword, until she could feel herself shoulder to shoulder with the woman.

She kept the sword still, gripping the hilt tightly as she closed her eyes. Kasumi wished she could ignore the gasps instead.

As they finally stopped, Kasumi pushed the young woman down to lay beside her. Miyuki didn’t move and merely lies there, eyes open as if she could still see. She was dead; and the sword stuck in her chest was proof of that. 

She killed one of her own. But she had no choice in the matter...right? She snapped out of her thoughts, glancing around to see that Ayane and the other Ninja had left already. Would Ayane be okay with that wound? Was she serious hurt at all?

Actually, they were more than likely heading back to the village and she would be treated there. But Kasumi felt nauseated---no idea if it was due to her wounds or because of her murder. 

It was self-defense and yet...something within her churned with guilt. It’s not something she wanted to do, or ever again.

“I’m sorry, Kasumi.” Hitomi’s voice rang in her ears, pulling her away from the memory. 

“I didn’t mean to bring up anything you didn’t want to talk about.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry. It’s my way of thanking you for your help. I’m sure I would have died if I stayed out there for too long.” 

Hitomi nodded with a somber smile. She’s done this quite a few times; first with Hayate and now with her. It almost seemed as if she was being drawn to the Ninja without her say.

The young Karate master sat across from her as she replaced some of the bandages covering her hand. Her wounds had mainly healed by now but her mind still wandered to that day. She had no idea why it affected her so much but it woke her up constantly.

Hitomi offered to help bury Miyuki, not sure if she could mark her grave or not. Kasumi was tempted to say ‘No’ but didn’t say ‘Yes’ either. And so, Hitomi took it as a silent plea to leave it alone. But from time to time, whenever Kasumi passed by that part in the forest, she noticed small little trinkets there. 

She had no idea why Hitomi would even do it, after all Miyuki was attempting to kill her. But maybe, despite all that, Kasumi didn’t hold a grudge against her. No matter how much she was in the wrong, or technically both of them, Kasumi didn’t believe she deserved to die.

Perhaps Hitomi could see that.

All she remembered that night was the moon, cascading it’s milky white light onto the both of them.

It was comforting, yet somber.

She needed to smile back, and so she forced herself to do so. 

“How long have you been here? If I had known, I would have made sure to stay up.”

“Aw, don’t worry about it Miku! You need all the rest you can get, okay?” 

Her friend smiled, positioning her body into a more comfortable position. Hibiki, on the other hand, sat awkwardly on the chair beside the bed, keeping her hands firmly in her lap. Already she could feel them sweating. 

“It’s been a while since I saw you.” Miku stated quietly. “Were you busy with HQ? I’ve seen Chris and Tsubasa stop in a few times.”

“Y-Yep! Thought I would stick around and help on the Bridge. I mean, I can’t exactly use my Gear anymore so...thought I’d try to be useful, aha!” 

Miku kept her gaze held on Hibiki to the point that she looked back down at her hands. This wasn’t working. She couldn’t do this, no matter how many times they’ve urged her on.

‘It’ll be fine, Tachibana. She’ll be happy to see you.’ ‘Seriously! She asks about you every time we go there. You should know better, idiot.’ ‘Exactly. You have nothing to worry about.’

Hibiki kept their words in the back of her mind, attempting to use them as ammunition to fuel a more positive conversation between them. After all, these feelings weren’t something she deserved to feel. Miku was the one in the hospital. Not her.

“S-So, uhm, how are you feeling?” “I’m fine. Just a little bit sore but much better than before. They say I’m healing nicely.”

But she wouldn’t come out of this without any scars.

“That’s good, I’m glad to hear! Guess that means you’ll be out in no tim--!” “Hibiki.” 

Miku cut her off, forcing Hibiki to look in her direction. She held her gaze, feeling as if she was frozen in place. 

“Are you okay?” She started out quietly. She needed to put this question down immediately. “Yeah! I’m fine! Guess I’m a little tired is all, haha! Don’t wor--” “You’re shaking.”

Hibiki clenched her fists together even more, not sure if that would actually stop the shaking.  “It’s just cold, that’s all. I didn’t bring another jacket.”

Despite the one she wore right now. Her eyes glanced to the side, looking at the colorful cards that gave the pale wall a splash of life. They were from classmates, a lot of them from Yumi, Shiori and Kuriyo. They didn’t know what happened...and Hibiki would love to keep it that way.

Hibiki opened her mouth to make a comment about them to change the topic, but once she looked back at Miku, her false smile faded away. Miku didn’t stop looking and her expression held nothing but worry.

No. That’s not what she wanted. 

“Hibiki,” she started out slow, slowly sitting herself up, “...you can’t blame yourself for this. It’s not your fault.” “Wh-What??” “When Chris and Tsubasa came to visit,” she quickly responded, “...they thought you had come to visit me. They were surprised to hear me say that I haven’t seen you since I woke up.”

Hibiki found herself looking away again.

“...You don’t have to avoid me.”

Silence. 

“Hibiki, look at me.” Her voice held a bit more sternness to it.

Hibiki pressed her lips together.

“Look at me!”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I just can’t!”

Her voice rose higher than she intended. Hibiki kept her gaze down on her lap, refusing to look at Miku’s expression. She could hear movement within the sheets but not a single sound from Miku’s mouth. It was beginning to bother her.

“...you were berserk---” “That’s not an excuse.” “You didn’t know what you were doing---” “It still doesn’t excuse my actions.” “Hibiki---” “Stop!”

Hibiki rose to her feet, the chair falling behind her.

“This isn’t about me. This is about you. You’re the one who’s hurt. You’re the one who’s suffering. Not me!”

Miku watched her with surprise, but Hibiki continued without much thought. 

“I put you here. It’s my fault...and I don’t want to make excuses about it. I only wanted to protect you. Yet here I am, seeing you in a hospital bed.” Her fingers shook. She was beginning to get off track.

“You don’t have to carry that alone. No one blames you for it. I don’t. You don’t have to worry, okay?” Miku added quietly, slowly slipping herself out of the bed.

No, that actually made it worse. Hibiki didn’t want her to worry. She promised herself that she wouldn’t let her emotions get out of control like this. Hibiki took a step back, now feeling those pent up emotions boiling to the surface. 

“Stop worrying about me...” Hibiki mumbled. Miku didn’t stop, forcing herself to stand up. This was getting them nowhere.

“You should be worried about yourself, not me. I’m not the one that’s hurt. I-I don’t deserve to feel this way!” 

Miku only continued taking cautious steps towards her. Hibiki felt as if she was being backed into a corner. Her chest hurt. She couldn’t breathe. Why has Miku stayed with her for this long? When she got bullied, harassed and threatened, why did Miku stay? All she did was cause trouble for her. And even now---

Why did she feel so conflicted? It was ridiculously frustrating.

Miku was within arms lengths of her now but Hibiki distanced herself even further. 

“Hibiki...” “...stay away from me.” 

She damaged everything she touched. Those kids were right; she was a murderer.  “Just please...think about yourself for once, Miku. Worry about yourself. Let me help you. Let me be the one who has to worry over you. Let me take care of you!”

“I’m your friend, Hibiki, I can’t suddenly stop caring about you.”

‘Yes you can.’ She thought but refused to say out loud. Her eyes burned but she refused to let any tears fall. There’s no way she could look at her now.

“The way you’re feeling now...is the same how I feel when thinking of you. You smile all the time, refuse to let me help you. You protect me all the time, Hibiki. And so I try to---” “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine. It’s okay, everything’s fine.”

She noticed Miku’s fingers within her view before pushing her hand out of the way.

“I need to leave.”  “But---” “You’ll be fine. Chris and Tsubasa will check up on you tomorrow.”

Without looking, Hibiki rushed herself out of the room, closing the door behind her. Instead, she quickly walked through the hallway, keeping a fast pace until her legs began to run. She ignored the stares and soon enough, she was out of the hospital. But she continued to run in no particular direction, hoping her speed would hide the tears.

This is why she didn’t want to go. She ruined everything. And now she was running away. 

There were times she was a bit hasty. There were times she was patient. 

Sometimes she worried her eagerness would ruin it, would ruin how she felt. But Hibiki kept at it, motivated by the gasps and pulls against her clothing.

The only light that illuminated their dorm room was the small lamp at the head of the bed. Hibiki hovered over Miku, placing kisses all over her lips, cheek, neck, and shoulder. Miku’s skin was smooth against her fingers, always free from scars or any rough patches unlike her own. She was cold and yet warm enough like a heater. 

Hibiki moved back up to Miku’s lips, kissing her again as her hands snaked up her back and into her shirt. The thing about Miku is that she wore a bra to bed, which caused Hibiki to briefly fumble around with it. Perhaps it was awkward enough to make Miku smile for she giggled against her lips. 

Hibiki backed away, smiling at the fact she got the stubborn thing off with less problems than she’s had before. “You’re getting better at this.” Miku said as Hibiki carefully slid the bra down her abdomen without moving her shirt. 

“Well, I do wear bras.”

Miku placed her hand on Hibiki’s chest, giving it a gentle squeeze through her shirt. “...but not at night.” 

“Feels better that way!” She exclaimed, making sure to keep her voice down. Hibiki leaned in, carefully pulling up Miku’s shirt with a grin. “And besides, it’s less work too.” 

And now she could see Miku’s breasts in plain few---she’s seen them so many times before. They always changed and took baths together but at that moment, Hibiki didn’t think anything of it. She found it to be normal and hardly embarrassing to be around Miku naked. But now? It was obviously different.

As time passed, they were brave enough to explore each other’s bodies, see what makes them squirm, what gives the other the most pleasure. And whenever Hibiki saw Miku’s pale body with no clothes, it took nearly every ounce of her body to not take hold of her. These urges were weird but Miku said she’s been resisting them for years. She’s been holding her emotions in for so long that she’s become accustomed to it. 

That tidbit caused Hibiki to give Miku the most pleasure out of them all. To have someone around you loved so much and not say anything out of respect? It only increased Hibiki’s desire to make her happy. 

Miku’s breasts were small and petite, soft under her touch. She never realized how fun they were to caress until they started doing such activities. Hibiki rubbed her index finger against Miku’s left nipple while her mouth didn’t hesitate to clamp down on the right. She felt Miku’s body react as she let out a pleasing sigh. Apparently, fondling someone’s chest was a quick way to get them aroused. That’s the word Miku used at least.

She was right.

Miku’s face was flushed, her hand laid on the back of Hibiki’s neck, and her legs began to twitch underneath her. Allowing her fingers to slip through her pants and underwear, Hibiki remembered what to do this time. 

They rubbed against her opening, Miku nearly closing her hand right between her legs. 

“H-Hibiki...” She breathed her name. Something about Miku’s breathless tone and how she said her name urged her on. It was delicious to hear and Hibiki longed to hear more of it. 

But she remembered to keep her pace slow despite how eager she was. Hibiki didn’t bother taking off her pajama shorts as her hand worked. Her tongue continued to work too, mainly dance around her nipple as if it was sweet rice. Must have been good enough if Hibiki could feel her fingers beginning to get wet.

“You’re doing it again, Miku...” Hibiki whispered against her breast. And even if she didn’t look up to see, Hibiki was sure Miku held some sort of an annoyed expression.

“Don’t say that---ah!” 

Her fingers went a bit faster this time since they were slick against Miku’s clit. Hibiki finally looked up at her to see the same flushed expression from earlier but a bit more intense than before. 

“Th-That’s not fair. I...wasn’t ready.”

“I know.” Hibiki moved her body up a bit more, keeping her fingers working while her face hovered over Miku’s.  “But I enjoy hearing your voice.” She didn’t give her any chance at answering, if she was going to, and kissed her lips again.

It was then Hibiki increased her speed, causing Miku to moan against her mouth. It seemed like the best speed to keep. Hibiki then placed her face in the crook of Miku’s neck, allowing her soft pants and moans to be released into the air. Hibiki longed to hear them. She wanted them to continue on for as long as possible but she mainly wanted Miku to hit her peak.

Hibiki felt Miku’s fingers pull against her shirt while her legs slowly opened a bit further. And once her pants went a bit faster, Hibiki knew she was close. To speed it up ever so slightly, the teenager went back to her exposed breasts, gliding her tongue against both her nipples. 

“Ngh...H-Hibiki...I-I can’t...please....” Miku took one final sudden gasp before moaning her name again, only slightly louder than before. Hibiki felt Miku’s opening pulsate against her hand before removing it all together. 

Hibiki couldn’t help but grin as she watched as she caught her breath. “You always sound so cute when that happens!” “...you were teasing me so much. Idiot.” 

Hibiki chuckled.  “Sorry, hard to resist.” 

Miku stayed silent but opened her mouth to speak again. “W-Well, it’s my turn no---h-hey! Hibiki! What are you doing?”

Hibiki had slid down Miku’s shorts and underwear all at once, getting them bunched up around her ankles. She pulled them off, apparently taking off one of her socks in the process. That was fine; she could put it back on later.

She wanted to try something new, something she thought might be a bit better than her fingers. But before doing so, Hibiki touched Miku’s opening again to see if she was still wet. Once she found out her answer, she decided---Hibiki brought her lips against Miku’s inner thigh, giving it kisses until she worked her way to the treasure between her legs.

Holding onto her legs with each hand, Hibiki grazed her tongue against Miku’s clit once again. Miku didn’t seem to know what to do so she gripped the sheets. Was it due to surprise? Pleasure? Both? She didn’t pull away so Hibiki assumed both.

“H-Hibiki, I-I’m supposed to do you now.”

They took turns the last time they did this. Hibiki went first, Miku went second and that was it. Or, if they felt that wasn’t enough, they still took it one at a time. But Hibiki was addicted to Miku’s voice when in another octave. Whenever she moaned, gasped, spoke her name, Hibiki couldn’t resist desiring more. 

“Does it feel good??” Hibiki asked in between. Miku was silent as she continued licking but eventually muttered out a shaky “Yes”. Probably a minute later Miku added; “It feels...nice.” That admission made her smile.

As she continued, there were times Miku stayed silent, gripped the sheet, brought one of her hands to rub against her own breast and eventually, the other one drifted to tangle itself in Hibiki’s hair. 

Miku was getting closer and closer to her tipping point based on her pants and small squirms. Hibiki didn’t relent or slow down; it only pushed her to hear those moans even more. “H-H...” Was she attempting to say her name? It gave Hibiki a bit of pride that she couldn’t speak it clearly. Her fingers slightly dug into Miku’s leg, which pushed Miku to ruffle her hair anymore. By the time she reached her climax, and twitched against her mouth, Hibiki let go of her legs and wiped her lips. 

“Sorry, Miku. Thought I would do something different, okay? Don’t be mad, aha.” All the young girl did was sit up, her cheeks still red from embarrassment.  “It was supposed to be my turn...”

“Well, there’s no designated order, right? I wanted to pleasure you a bit more tonight. I mean, you enjoyed it so no harm done!” Immediately after those words left her lips, Hibiki felt Miku’s body pressed against her own, her back colliding with the side wall. Her lips were always soft but a bit forceful this time.

Miku’s hand caressed her cheek as she continued her barrage of kisses. Hibiki felt as if she couldn’t breathe but mainly due to how surprised she was. Normally, Hibiki was the aggressor, the one who started or ended. But there were moments where Miku was the one who initiated, the one who got a bit rough. This is when Hibiki believed Miku’s pent up emotions were beginning to surface. Truthfully, this wasn’t a hindrance at all.

Eventually Hibiki slid back onto the bed, Miku now hovering over her.  “But I want to see you enjoy it too.” She stated, placing a hand on Hibiki’s cheek.  “I long to see you happy just as much.” Her tongue glided against Hibiki’s neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

“I long to touch you.” Miku lifted her shirt, now exposing Hibiki’s breasts.  “I’ve always wanted...to touch you...” And that’s when Miku clamped down on one of her nipples, swirling her tongue around as if to wrap it around her entire breast. She was mainly treating her to the same things but at a faster pace---which Hibiki enjoyed. 

Miku’s finger traced the other breast, playing along with it as she sucked on the other. She let out a few small breaths of her own, caressing Miku’s lower back due to her not even bothering to place her shorts and underwear back on.

But what surprised Hibiki this time was the fact that after leaving her breasts exposed to the air, Miku slowly slid off her shorts and underwear with ease. Was she going to do the same thing? If anything, she sure did twitch at Miku’s touch against her opening.

“Hibiki, I think you’re much more wet than I was.”

She couldn’t help but blush at that comment. “W-Well, I mean...after everything I did to you and all!”

“Oh?” Miku stated, confidently rubbing her more.  “Then...I’ll help out.” 

And that’s when Hibiki felt one of Miku’s fingers enter inside, slowly of course. She let out a low gasp and as Miku slowly guided her finger in and out, back and forth, she heard Miku whisper. “Does it hurt? I’m not hurting you am I?”

‘No. You’re not hurting me.’ Is what Hibiki believed she said but all she could muster was a shake of her head. It didn’t hurt at all, she mainly felt pressure but it was ebbing away to make way for pleasure. As Miku continued, Hibiki felt herself opening up more for her, longing to feel her deeper. Miku must have figured it out as she increased her speed and went a bit further in. It was at this point that Hibiki began to hear things. A voice other than her own and random sounds she couldn’t decipher.

Miku leaned over her, placing her lips right beside her ear. “...you’re making all sorts of noises, Hibiki.”

So she wasn’t hearing things? There were sounds coming out her mouth, and between her legs---she could hear them clear as day now. It was embarrassing but she couldn’t help it. She knew Miku’s voice was intoxicating before but as she continued her pace in and out, she whispered in her ear, constantly saying her name. 

“Hibiki. Hibiki.”

It seemed to amplify the feeling and Hibiki gripped Miku’s shoulders, burying her face into the crook of her neck. Why did it feel better than normal? And now it was Hibiki’s turn to feel herself nearing her peak.

She moaned into her clothing, closing her eyes as the pressure began to build. But once Miku backed away, and placed her mouth over one of her breasts again, Hibiki felt vulnerable. To what exactly? She had no idea.

“M-Miku,” she mumbled her name, not even sure what she was thinking anymore, “...I’m...Miku---!” Luckily enough she got her name out fast enough before the rush of pleasure overcame her. Hibiki kept her eyes closed, feeling herself pulsate various times before Miku pulled her finger out.

She was given a quick kiss on her cheek before Miku’s lips fell against her own. Hibiki felt hot, her face just as flushed as Miku’s earlier.

“I’m sorry,” Miku stated once they pulled away, “...I got a bit ahead of myself.”

“It’s okay, really. I enjoyed it. And you seemed to as well, aha.”

Miku gave her an embarrassed look,or maybe it was mixed with frustration? Hibiki couldn’t really tell but she pulled Miku in for a hug, allowing the warmth to envelope them both.

“Even if we didn’t do this, you’re still the warmest place I know. I’ll never leave.  I never want to. Thanks for even finding interest in a person like me, heh.” After all, Hibiki caused her nothing but worry most of the time. She never meant for it on purpose of course, but her luck seemed to be pretty terrible.

Miku didn’t hesitate in responding, fixing parts of Hibiki’s hair.

“You’re a lot stronger than what you give yourself credit for, Hibiki. You’re just as warm, perhaps even more so. I’ve...felt that way for so long but you already know.”

That’s right; she knew now. And Hibiki wanted to make up for all those lost times. After all, she pushed her own feelings on the back burner while Miku’s were front and center.

But once they were out, everything changed. Sure, everything was awkward and they were teenagers still learning more about themselves, but Hibiki didn’t believe for her to be comfortable anywhere else. 

She nearly missed the person she was looking for! Or technically, she already did. It was strange to see her name etched in concrete, with the words-- ‘Heavenly wings soaring to new heights, never to be forgotten.’

Hibiki bent down to place the flowers right in front of the epitaph, taking the time to stare at her name a bit longer, before standing on her feet again. It’s hard to fathom that Kanade has been gone for almost three years now. Or did the three year mark already pass? Didn’t matter.

Even as she stood here, staring at the proof right at her, Hibiki couldn’t believe it.

“Hey there, Kanade-san. Is it okay if I call you that? Aha, yes, dumb question probably.” Why did she suddenly get an urge to speak? Hibiki interlaced her fingers together, looking down at the tombstone as she continued.

“Tsubasa-san asked me to stop by and give you those flowers! Of course, she would do that herself if she wasn’t so busy. And I didn’t mind coming to visit! I’ve actually never been here so I almost missed ya!”

From her memory of the concert, Hibiki had no clear idea what happened to Kanade or Tsubasa. When she looked back on it, Kanade looked as if she vanished, simply disintegrating into the air. She thought she heard Tsubasa screaming but that’s when her memory became fuzzy. And after all these years.

“Ah, that’s right! Tsubasa-san is doing great with her singing career. She even decided to branch out overseas with Maria-san! Oh, if you don’t know about Maria-san, she’s a famous singer from overseas as well. They’ve sung a few songs together but have their own individual careers too. They’re both doing fantastic!”

Wouldn’t it look pretty silly talking to someone’s grave? Nothing was in the ground, as far as she knew, so it somewhat defeated the purpose. But the more she spoke, the more confidence she gained that Kanade could actually hear her. Again...silly isn’t it?

“I’m not sure how much Tsubasa-san told you but everything’s been going well with everyone in HQ. We’ve hit some rough patches recently but everyone is doing much better. We’re practically a fleshed out team now! Working together, hanging out together, and helping each other! It’s really fun. I even managed to get a real Relic of Gungnir!”

She pulled it up from within her shirt, watching it glint in the sun. “See? Maria-san allowed me to have it. It’s nice to have one officially, you know?”

Hibiki stayed silent for a few seconds, gazing up towards the sky. A few clouds were scattered about. “I ended up losing the gift you gave me. Y’know, at the concert that day. I mean, not what you told me of course! After all, I’m still here!” The young girl extended her arms out with a grin.

“I mainly meant with Gungnir. I never knew what hit me in the chest until I accidentally activated it. Crazy, huh? Anyway, you probably know all of this already. What I’m saying is that I’m a lot healthier now. No threat of the relic killing me!” Hibiki laughed awkwardly, gazing back down at the tombstone.

“But even though it’s gone, the impact you made on me will stay. My song has evolved since then, but yours is still in my heart. I bet that doesn’t mean much from a stranger, since I had no time to learn what sort of person you were. But,” she hesitated, trying to figure out the right words for what she wanted to get across, “...I won’t give up. Tsubasa-san won’t either. She keeps you close, everyone knows that, but she’s not alone anymore. And I’m sure that’s what you wanted.”

Hibiki took a few steps back, pinching her arm out of awkwardness. “So, um, yeah! Now that I know where you are, I’ll make plans to visit you more often! There’s so many stories to tell you. And maybe Tsubasa-san and I can come together! Might have to bring some of the others too...” She mumbled, rubbing her bottom lip in thought.

“You’ll like them, promise. But for now, I should head back. Don’t want to miss Tsubasa-san’s concert! Oh, and before I forget!”  Very briefly, Hibiki dug into her schoolbag, pulling out a stuffed yellow chick, placing it beside the flowers.

“I couldn’t find a red one but Tsubasa-san told me something about you and birds. Not sure if you liked them, or she said you reminded her of one, but either way, thought it would be cute! Think of it as me I guess, aha. I’ll try to find one that resembles Tsubasa-san so she can sit with you.”

She stood there in a few more seconds of silence before smiling and turning away.

Hibiki took a deep breath, stretched out her arms, and exhaled satisfied. The action caused a few of her classmates to look her way but they chose not to speak. “Ah, it’s so nice to be back. I even missed wearing these uniforms!”

“Really? Thought the ties bothered you.”

“Heh, they still kind of do but it’s so much better than a hospital gown.” Hibiki fixed her tie after realizing it was slightly crooked. How long has it been since she’s been out? Quite a few months right? Passage of time in the hospital was slow and yet here she was, back to school as if nothing happened.

“Oh, Hibiki,” Miku spoke quietly, “…are you feeling okay? I meant to ask you earlier.” “Of course! They only told me to not do anything strenuous, such as a lot of running and all that, but that shouldn’t be a problem. You do all the running for me, Miku. After all, you’re practically a star on the track!”

Miku sucked in her bottom lip, giving off what only Hibiki could describe as a pout. “Are you teasing me?”

“Hehe, no way! I’m just telling the truth is all.” Miku looked to be annoyed but soon enough the two of them laughed, feeling her heart beat even more from excitement. They took their individual seats, Miku seating relatively close to the front while Hibiki took her seat near the back. Too bad she wasn’t near a window but good thing she was close to the door.

To be back in class felt surreal; only just a few months ago did one of the worst Noise attacks take place and she had been involved in it. Only was she there to see Zwei Wing but to eventually learn that the group was disbanded due to the death of Kanade was sadly on every news outlet. It caused her to ponder—did what she see that day real or did she simply imagine it?

Maybe because she survived the ordeal is what made her excited to come back but she also knew that it could be a set of nerves as well. Miku wasn’t her only friend in this school, she was just the easiest to talk to due to their long friendship so she never felt nervous around her. But as for everyone else? Hibiki felt a bit…out of place. Not in a bad way since no one treated her any differently, but maybe because she’s been used to the plain colored walls of the hospital for too long.

All her classmates seemed the same but she could feel a sense of dread in her gut. Why did she feel this way? Has to be because of the concert. It didn’t matter that it was a few months; to have so many casualties in a short amount of time was enough to make anyone scared. And since Hibiki considered herself lucky, she had to make sure to live as best as she could.

“Hibiki…right?” “Eh?”

A fellow classmate of hers. She didn’t know her name, or couldn’t remember at least, so she simply nodded her head in acknowledgment. “Yes?” She could see Miku up front gathering up her books and bag, being stopped by a few others to talk.

“You just got back from the hospital recently, right? How was it?” Huh? What did she mean by that? Hibiki awkwardly cast her eyes towards the ceiling, thinking of a possible answer before chuckling. “It’s fine, I suppose, haha. After seeing the same room for so long, it’s become a bit tiresome. But, I’m glad to be back!” “I see…”

The girl was quiet and somewhat reserved; was she nervous to approach her? Why would that ever be the case? Hibiki smiled and lightly pushed back her chair so she could stand up. “Everything’s fine, if you’re wondering! I can hop around and even walk without using crutches anymo—!” “…murderer…” “Eh?”

“You…you murderer!” Hibiki felt a strong grip on her shoulders, a push against her body and her feet nearly tripping over the chair legs. Her back fell against the blackboard at the back of the room and before she could even register what happened, the same girl took hold of her shoulders once more.

“It was your fault…it was your fault! You killed him! Give him back! Right now!” Her expression no longer held that reserved exterior, instead her eyes were filled with rage and sadness. “I-I don’t understa—” “Of course you don’t! You’re too mixed up in your own little world after getting paid! What’s it like, huh? What’s it like to live when you have no reason existing at all? When you know you should be dead, while others better than you, are? Is that fair!?”

Hibiki’s lips shook as she tried to force out an answer yet the girl continued to overlook it. “He deserved better. He was more important. He had a wonderful life ahead of him until you took it away. You—a person who has nothing special about them in the slightest!”

The girl continued yet Hibiki no longer heard any words. Where did this come from? Why was she being yelled at? A murderer? There’s no way she could be one; she never killed anyone in her life. Wait, one of her classmates had passed away at the concert too, right? A boy who was the captain of one of their teams, she couldn’t remember which sport, had died during the Zwei Wing concert.

This girl considered him important. This girl considered Hibiki worthless. Why did she live then? Why? Why? Why?

“Hibiki!” Miku’s voice forced her back to reality, the girl who yelled at her already pulled away by a few students. “Hibiki, are you okay? Are you listening to me??”

Hibiki only found herself staring at Miku, not even remotely sure how to speak or what to say. “You better stay away from her!” The girl yelled with tears running down her face. “Or she’ll kill you too!”

“Come on, let’s go.” Miku held onto Hibiki’s hand, pulling her out of the classroom as she watched her other classmates look on with suspicion. Hibiki felt like a lifeless doll only guided by Miku as the went to the bottom floor and exit the school. As Miku stopped in front of her house, she released Hibiki’s hand to look at her.

“Hibiki,” she started, but eventually fell silent. Maybe even she didn’t know what to say to such a random outburst like that. But as the awkward seconds ticked through, she noticed Miku taking a few steps towards her. “I’m sorry. I’m sure she didn’t mean that. It’s just…ever since the concert, everyone’s been talking about it. The soccer team didn’t know what to do with their captain gone and that girl really liked him, so…”

Maybe it meant she said those words out of grief? Did it mean she really didn’t blame Hibiki for what happened? Finally, Hibiki moved her lips to speak. “It’s…it’s okay Miku! There’s no need to apologize. Sorry if I made any of that awkward for you, but I still enjoyed my first day back! I hope you did too.”

Miku appeared as if she wanted to interrupt and speak once again but Hibiki wrapped her arms around her friend in an attempt to silence any guilt she felt. “Don’t worry, Miku, it’ll be better tomorrow! We’ll meet back up, okay?”

“Okay. Then, be careful on your way back. Text me later!” Hibiki stood and waved until she watched Miku disappear behind the door before making her way to her own house. The feeling she had in her gut only intensified as she walked alone.