#tnh!!

Akane opens her mouth, only to find that her usually-loquacious tongue’s run dry, apparently having decided that you’re beautiful and are you legit royalty? are insufficient icebreakers.

“You’re new here, aren’t you?” she finally manages to stammer, tacking on an “I haven’t seen you here before,” when the other girl fails to respond.

“Yes,” the strange girl says, so softly the word almost vanishes into the wind.

“I’m Sakura Akane!” she said with a forceful bow that whips her twintails up and dow. “I’m a first year at Furukawa Middle School, I’ve been doing gymnastics since I was really little- what’s your name? Are you a first year too? I think I‘ve sen you around-“

“Honoka Yukiko. And yes, I am.”

“That’s a really pretty name! It really fits you- hey, are you heading to the gymnastics club?”

She nods.

“Awesome! Welcome to Nakamura Gymnastics Club- the absolute greatest gymnastics club in Tottori Prefecture! Here at Nakamura, we don’t just train winners- we train champions!”

“And someday…” Akane pauses, putting one fist over her heart in a mock salute, “you'll see the greatest Nakamura gymnast of them all standing on the Olympic stage, gold around her neck- ME!!”

Her speech is met with crickets.

“Uh…” Akane scratches her head,” you do do gymnastics, don’t you?”

Another nod.

“Oi! What’s with that silent act?” Akane complains, one eyebrow twitching. ”It wouldn’t kill you to open your mouth once in a while, y’know. ‘Slike you never even talk.”

A glint shines from deep within Yukiko’s eyes; the corners of her mouth give the slightest twitch. “And you speak from pamphlets.”

“Oi! What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Yukiko reaches inside the pocket of her jean skirt and retrieves a navy blue phone. She flips open the top once the places it back in her pocket. “It’s time.”

“Time… for gym? Why didn’t you tell me?!”

The two of them break into a run, Yuki’s black hair flying out behind her beside Akane’s own reddish blond.

“Theres’s no time!” Akane gasps as the building’s entrance comes into view. ”The gate’s around the corner- we can’t turn fast enough!”

“It’s a vault.”

“What?”

Yuki turns her head to look forward once more, narrowing her eyes as she focuses on the fence.

A vault…

Is she gonna jump the fence?!

Akane surges forward, her pulse pounding to the beat of her stride, the world a blur. You’re not getting ahead of me, Yuki-chan!

She reaches the fence, leaps, and throws her body forward.

Her fingers touch the top rail, pushing off with all her might- and then she’s flying, head over heels through the air, every muscle in her small frame drawn tight.

It’s times like this when Akane gains her wings.

The ground rushes up to her- too fast, too soon.

She lands on the balls of her feet- and promptly stumbles, her leftover momentum forcing her hard onto one knee. “Ow!”

A bright smear of blood on the pavement marks her landing.

But any and all pain is forgotten as she looks over her right shoulder.

For Honoka Yukiko has taken the fence.

She pushes off the top into a graceful, effortless backflip, her body a perfect C curve- then draws her knees close to her chest.

She spins once, twice, floating almost, before finally landing, as lightfooted as a sparrow, her arms stretched wide, her dark hair cascading down her back.

Akane’s jaw hits the pavement as her eyes stretch into saucers. Someone so graceful…

“That was amazing!” she blurts, starry-eyed. “What’s your level? Are you an Elite? You’ve gotta be, you’ve got the best form I’ve ever seen, and-“

With a swish of her hair, Yukiko turns on her heel and glides off to the building’s entrance.

Akane’s brow furrows. Hey…

“Wait!” she calls, scrambling to her feet, heedless of the sting from her skinned knee. “I still need to introduce you to my friends! Ai-chan and Satomi-chan-“

But it’s too late. Yuki is gone.

Grinning from ear to ear, Akane takes off after her, her arms spread wide.

Spread into wings.

***

And from that day, I had something to strive for. A way to fly.

***

(but in the end, Icarus flew too close to the sun)

so yeah that was just a sneak preview MORE COMING LATER TRUST ME